#zack probably had a year or two where he had to be kept on lock down some nights

[creaturefeaster]

I have some questions for OC reasons- how young do natural born werecats start manifesting their abilities to transform and whatnot? (Also are werecat babies called werekittens :3)

Natural born werecats tend to have their abilities kick in a little earlier than turned werecats, but both manifest in the teenage years. ((Adults turned werecats go through a short period of succumbing to the curse before they begin to transform.))

Zack started being able to turn by the age of 14, which is a pretty average age for it to start. Fernando got a head start at the age of 12. Compared to Vilmr, who at the beginning of the story (age 18) is in the middle of the throes of that same werecat puberty, though a little late even for a turned werecat.

Instincts and mood swings kick in earlier than the physical transformation part of felinthropy, natural borns going through moody/feisty phases usually starting anywhere from 8 to 10.

Something else to note between natural vs. turned werecats is that natural borns tend to chill out and have better control over their cat side much sooner than turned.

Also yes, baby werecats are called werekittens. Usually just shortened to kittens in the cat community.

[spyder-m]

Cloti Fall Festival, Day 1: “Suspension”

@clotiweek​ Day 1: Tender Feelings/Resilience

Ao3 / ff.net / ko-fi

Summary: Post-AC. Cloud finally telling Tifa, with words, that he loves her. Written for Day 1 of the Cloti Fall Festival, "Tender Feelings/Resilience".

A/N: Originally got the idea for this from a prompt generator. While I quite like it, I feel I could have gotten more out of it and might revisit. Though, my entry for tomorrow will be something of a continuation of this, so I could expand upon it more. I also couldn't think of a good title, so I ended up going with the name of a song by Mae which I think is quite fitting lyrically. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

.

There had been a time, not so long ago, when Tifa had assured him that words weren't the only way.

In the moment, it had held true. With their clash against Sephiroth imminent and their future uncertain, they weren't afforded the time to carefully gather the words that could explain how they felt. They couldn't make sense of the turmoil the planet was facing and ultimately, nothing they could say would change it.

Any words they could muster would feel forced and alien.

In the end, all they could rely on was the easy, familiar comfort they found in one another.

The physical affection they shared, manifestations of their feelings and urges, guided by the adrenaline that fuelled them. The desperate need to hold onto one another and reassure themselves that their remaining last traces of home were safe.

It seemed apt that only through could they best convey those feelings. It was where they had both always excelled, after all, as fighters.

Two years on, Cloud wasn’t so sure if that alone was enough.

He couldn't understate the importance of his actions. They gave strength to his words, forging them into something meaningful. For one, his childhood promise to Tifa would never have held the same weight if he hadn't been able to save her.

Yet, in that respect, there had also been times when had fallen short, arriving just a few seconds too late to help. It left with a flash of doubt, wondering if his words were good enough. If Tifa could truly have faith in them, alone.

Still, for as much as he felt through their fleeting brushes of affection, it seemed as though there was so much being left unsaid. Throughout the day, Tifa had taken to resting her hand against his bicep, rubbing tenderly at the skin; tracing the point where the blemishes and seeping wounds from his Stigma had once lingered.

As her eyes sought his, clouded fleetingly by an almost imperceptible flash of doubt, he would offer a simple no; a reassurance that he was alright, the affliction that tore him away from their home was no longer. It seemed to quell her fear, even if only momentarily. Though it became a habit she would fall back to.

Cloud wanted things to be perfectly clear, so that those doubts could be forever cast aside and felt that perhaps giving words to his actions could better shape the meaning behind them, his hopes and wishes for their future together.

It was something Cloud wanted, and felt that Tifa deserved.

Though, he wasn’t sure where to even start.

There was so much history, so many hopes and feelings he’d have to condense down into a few, simple words. The thought of trying to narrow it down, of where to even start was… overwhelming.

This might have been easier for someone like Zack or Aerith, who were both so open and sure of themselves. Their presence would be useful to right now, even if only for one last piece of advice.

But Cloud knew that he needed to let them go. He couldn’t keep holding onto the past.

The bar was completely still as finally Cloud entered, greeted by the sight of chairs stacked atop tables, the low hum from the fridge, a tap dripping behind the counter. Just as he had suspected, it was well past closing time.

A lone light shone from beneath the stairwell, just behind the bar, guiding a clear way through. Even knowing his Soldier-enhanced senses, they had been kind enough not to leave him in the darkness. The small gesture enough made him feel to welcome, a sign that they expected his return. Though sadly, not enough to ease his disappointment at his late return.

Cloud had been hoping to see the kids off tonight. The time they were able to spend together; talking to them about his deliveries, or the sights he saw on the road; was precious to him. With his stigma gone, Denzel seemed much brighter and happier, something which brought Cloud immense relief; a sense that their efforts to help and look after him were not in vain.

Sadly, an abrupt shift in the weather had slowed his return journey, leaving him unable to make it home until well after dark. Though, he had fought to make it back as quickly as possible.

Locking the door behind him with a sigh, Cloud stripped away the buckles securing his pauldron and dirt skirt at the entrance, not wanting to leave a trail across the floor, before kicking of his boots. He padded slowly through the bar, wincing at the distinct squelch of his sodden pants, caked with rain and mud, as they brushed against his legs. 

As he began his ascent up the stairs, his eyes caught a distinct figure sprawled over the living room couch, one that might have been lost among the shadows to anyone else. But, Cloud's was drawn to the dark locks splayed out in stark contrast the lightly coloured cushions and throws, the flash of pink still fixed over her bicep.

Cloud tip-toed carefully across the living room floor, taking in her serene expression, the soft wisps of her breath caressing stray locks of hair from her face as he approached.

He was surprised to find Tifa sleeping there. He had taken the time to call Seventh Heaven before the storm broke, telling her that it would likely set his arrival home back and not to wait up for him.

Though, as if needing the assurance; still holding that last modicum of doubt that never quite seemed to dissipate; she had stayed up, waiting to hear his return. 

Cloud couldn't help the pang of guilt he felt.

This time, he honestly planned to make it home before night fell. Before the kids left for bed or Tifa announced last call. Perhaps, most importantly, because there had been so much he finally wanted to say to her. But everything, it seemed, had been working against him.

Part of Cloud was overcome by the urge to take her in his arms and carry her to her room, worried that her sleep wouldn’t be the most comfortable on the couch. Yet, more selfishly, he grew conscious of his own fatigue, his cold, damp shirt that still clung to him like a second skin.

Cloud felt drawn by the shape of her, the scent of her hair. He was tempted to ease himself of the strain and burden of the day’s deliveries and bury himself amongst the warm cocoon of linen she had collected for herself; resolving that what he had to say could always wait until tomorrow.

But he knew it couldn’t.

They had waited far too long already.

Cloud had become so focused, devoted so much mental energy towards bracing himself for this moment, he couldn’t bear to hesitate now. All that mental preparation would have been harnessed for nothing.

Cloud’s hand reached out, tentatively, settling against her shoulder in a feather-light touch.

“Tifa.” He uttered softly.

Tifa sighed, sinking deeper into the caress of his fingers, basking in their soft touch. He lingered, tracing the smooth expanse of her skin before Tifa stirred, bleary eyes dragging toward him.

"Mm. Cloud?” She asked, voice thick.

“Nn. Tadaima.”

“O-okaeri.”

Cloud swallowed, feeling a tingle in his gut, struck by how endearing the entire scene was. Her dishevelled, unkempt hair, the quiet murmur of her voice. Tifa's head cocked, even in her drowsy state, noticing his reaction. Her carmine eyes, still misty with sleep closing in on him.

"Is something the matter?"

Cloud's gaze ripped away, powerless before those eyes, terrified they would compel him to spill every word on his tongue in a flurry.

That wouldn't do. This conversation was too important. He needed to take his time, get everything right.

Looking back, his lips curled into the subtle ghost of a smile, hoping to reassure her.

"No, it's fine."

“Well, if you're sure- Oh, Cloud! You’re soaked!"

Before he could protest, Tifa's hands had braced themselves against his chest, burying into the damp fabric of his vest.

"Are you feeling alright? Here, sit down. Let me heat you up something while you take off those wet clothes.”

Cloud’s heart swelled, overwhelmed by the love he felt for her. Despite the fatigue she obviously carried, Tifa remained selfless and attentive to his needs.

“Tifa, I’m fine." Cloud insisted, hands resting at her shoulders to hold her steady. He sought her eyes in the darkness, linking them with his own, soft and reassuring. "Really.”

Captured by his earnest expression, Tifa kept watch for a moment longer than necessary before her lips settled into a gentle smile. Hands stretching above her head, a yawn rose from the depths of her chest and Cloud could feel a flash of panic overtake him as she slipped from his grasp, turning to make her way out of the living room.

“Well, I’m glad that you made it back safely, Cloud. It’s pretty late, huh? We should probably get to bed. You’ll need to shower too. Can’t have you catching a cold-”

“T- Tifa!” His hand caught her wrist, urgently, keeping her in place. 

“Hm? What is it?”

Cloud swallowed as her gaze weighed upon him expectantly. For as desperate as he had been to keep her there, he found himself unsure of what to say.

“Thank you, Tifa. For everything.”

For a moment, Tifa stared blankly through him, taken aback by this sudden expression of gratitude.

“It's nothing, Cloud.”

As Cloud strode forward with purpose, his hands catching her cheek. His head dipped as his eyes poured deeply into hers, the sincerity of his words radiating through.

"Tifa, I want to stay with you."

Even with the softness of Cloud’s voice, it coursed through Tifa like an electric current, her eyes bulging as they focused on him in disbelief. There wasn’t a trace of ambiguity to his words, waking a burst of hope within her.

Despite the myriad thoughts surging through her, Tifa couldn’t bring herself to speak, fearing that she might halt his train of thought altogether. That she would never learn where this conversation lead. Cloud’s quiet tone urged Tifa closer, her breath catching and heart hammering through the shell of her ear as hung silently onto his words. 

"I want to be with you, and I don't just mean at home, as a family. I want to be by your side, always."

The words punctuated as he sought out her lips.

It had been years, but the taste and soft caress of her had been ingrained into his memory, a sensation he would forever savour. It was a warmth and weightlessness that flowed through his being, invigorating him, alleviating him of the reticence he had held before.

Expressing affection might not have always been a strong suit of his, but if there was anything Cloud was in confident in knowing, it was Tifa. He felt comfortable in allowing his instinct to guide him, arms surrounding her waist, pulling her closer and in the familiar shape of her body.

For as uncertain Cloud had been about aspects of his life in the past; his identity, the validity of his memories, their chances of survival; his feelings for Tifa had been a facet he could trust in without a doubt, a part of himself he had never truly lose connection to.

They never faltered. They kept him strong, much like the belief she placed in him. It was for that reason that the words carried from his lips as naturally as air.

"I love you, Tifa.” Cloud whispered as he broke away. A soft murmur, especially for her. 

[rosierocks30]

Hidden: Ch.9

Chapter 9: Love, Passion, and Desire

Somewhere in Paradis Isle, Eren had been writing a letter to his older brother, Zeke since they both decided to be separate so neither of them got caught. 

For many months, the Titan shifter couldn’t get over the rejection of Queen Historia. At first, he thought; what does she see in Captain Levi? Eren had a lot of respect for his former captain, but it confused him how these two end up being together? They have so many differences. He can guess, Historia was probably into older men. After all, didn’t she tell him that her mother was around her age when she was seeing Lord Reiss? Historia’s father was twice older than her mother yet they had Historia. 

The younger Jaeger finished his letter then tucked it into an envelope to be ready to send soon. They were preparing for the war coming soon. Eren was ready to unleash The Rumbling that Ymir Fritz showed him through the Path. 

He had been thinking about what his brother said before they split up into different directions. 

(Flashback)

“What’s your backing up plan if we can’t access The Rumbling?” Zeke sat on a tree trunk while drinking a canteen of water. 

Eren was already contemplating the question. “If we can’t do it soon then we’ll wait, until it’s the right time.” He sighed and glanced at his brother. “I had a dream last night. There were people screaming and running from some weird light destroying their city. It looked too advanced. Then it shifted to two figures running and jumping on some glass-like surface to climb up in a strange building to see a group of humans working on metals and fire wielding tools to melt the metals into shapes. A woman appeared to explain to me this was what humans were before the collapse of an ancient civilization used to exist.” 

Zeke was concerned about what Eren had dreamt. “What ancient civilization do you refer to? This dream of yours is getting bizarre. Maybe we need to get rid of that strange sphere object that you found in the ruins of Reiss’s chapel. All it does is make you crazy and I need you to be focused.” he scolded Eren. 

“No! We can’t get rid of it. This object holds the key to humanity and our freedom.” Eren glared at his brother while holding the sphere possessively. 

Zeke rubbed his temple spots from frustration of his little brother’s behavior. “Eren, that thing is causing you nothing but trouble. You kept mumbling in your sleep about finding your Eve. Who is this Eve?” He asked. 

Eren keeps thinking about what he dreamt last night. All he can think of is the woman with a strange dress. She said her name was Minerva. So what does Minerva want him to find this Eve? He had contacted Ymir through the Path, but she doesn’t know anything what his dream meant. All she said was that Minerva is ancient. The origin of humanity is not what it seems. 

“I don’t know. I just know I need to find her.” Eren said with determination. 

(End of Flashback) 

The green-eyed man stared down at the sphere. The Apple of Eden. This object had given him other dreams or should he say visions. These visions were the past that humanity had forgotten through thousands of years.

Eren puts the object back into the drawer of the night stand next to the bed. He walked out of his room that was checked in from an inn. As the titan shifter keeps walking on the streets, he accidentally bumps into a stranger. 

“Oh sorry for bumping you.” He looks up at the stranger to see they’re steel grey. 

“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t see where I was going.” This stranger is a woman. Her accent is not from here nor Marleyan. The way she spoke Eldian was not obviously her first language. She does seem foreigner. Where is she from? This woman does look cute. 

Eren rubbed his brown hair shyly. Why was he blushing over some stranger he just literally met. She is very attractive, don’t get him wrong, but he still has strong feelings for Historia. Well, he wants to believe his feelings are real. Zeke told him it was his craziness from the object that made him think they were real. Eren doesn’t know anymore what’s real or not. 

“It’s fine. It was an accident. You don’t seem like you're here? Are you a foreigner?” He said. 

The woman was caught off guard. Maybe she’s some spy? The unknown woman stepped back. “Yeah...what of it? Can this foreigner enjoy her vacation.” She said in a defensive tone. 

He uses his hands to make a surrender gesture to her. “No no you can enjoy your vacation. Sorry, it’s just...your accent gave away.” He resumes observing the woman in the front of him. Her brown hair flows as the light breeze passes by between them. Her skin tone was a bit tan with yellow undertone. As his eyes lower further down, he likes what he sees. Her body toned well, probably from working out. Her clothes were unique but it looked good on her. The trouser pants were tight and the blouse was black with two thin straps on her shoulders. Is this woman trying to get men’s attention or she’s not aware her choice of clothing can get her in serious trouble. 

“Hey buddy, I know I’m hot, but my eyes are up here.” Her voice snapped his trance back to reality. Well shit, he’s embarrassed. 

“You know what your wearing can give a man the wrong message.” He warned her. 

Her brow raised up. Seriously this woman kind of reminds him of someone he used to idolize as a kid during his Scouts years. 

“And what message do I seem to give? You are a man, so what is that message I am giving to you?” Her lips form into a smirk. Eren doesn’t know how to respond to that. This woman is bold but mysterious too. 

“Well um...I-I…” Eren’s face was flushed from still struggling to respond. He took off his trench coat and put it on the woman. “Just be careful ok. You’re lucky, you bumped into me and not some creep.” 

The brown haired woman was a bit startled by his gentlemanly actions. She let him put her on his coat. “Thanks.” 

Eren nodded then walked away. Before he vanished from the woman’s view, she stopped him. “Wait! Where do you live so I can give it back to you?” She asked. 

His head turned around to glance at her. “You can drop it off at the inn in front of you. Just say you’re looking for Eren.” He thought about giving away his full name, but since he is a wanted man, it’s smart not to give away his true identity. 

“So your name is Eren? Nice to meet you. You can call me...Eve.” She said. 

This caught his attention. Eve? He took a glimpse one more time to see her already gone through the crowds. He remembered what Minerva in his dreams said. Find your Eve. He resumed walking to his destination thinking about the bold woman he just met. 

(Somewhere in the capitol) 

The sunlight hits through the balcony to warm up the skins of two figures enjoying their afternoon activity. The sound of the bed squeaking loud along the moans. 

“Oh my Lord! Nathaniel.” Gilbert moans from the ecstasy of the orgasm he received.  

“My beautiful Gilly, your moans are heaven to me.” He showered his lover with praises. 

“As long I pleased you, I am satisfied.” Gilbert blushed. 

“You always have pleased me especially the assassination of Premier Zackely that you succeed.” The templar smiled. 

“But now Dot Pixis is the new Premier. It should have been one of our men.” Gilly frowned from the result of his mission. 

“Don’t be upset. Darius Zackely was a dangerous man. He was so closed to figure out my connections with The Templars and planning to dethrone that Whore. Who would ever thought, both the queen and the captain are expecting soon.” He growled in anger from all his hard work that was about to be revealed. Luckily, silencing Zackely made it possible to continue his work. 

“Will you still try to marry her?” The thought of his lover marrying someone else still hurts him. 

“In order to be King, yes I must.” Nathaniel cups his hands on Gilbert’s cheek. “Listen Gilbert, she’s just going to be my queen for temporary until she gives me a proper heir.” 

“What about the current unborn child she is carrying?” Gilbert said. 

“With Ackerman blood running in its veins, the unborn baby will be just a personal bodyguard or will be groomed to be a templar.” Nathan was not cruel enough to end a child’s life whether they were threatening to be on the throne. 

“Soon our plan is about to be executed and this island will be ours.” Nathan smiled while kissing Gilbert’s neck softly. The both lovers continue their lovemaking which they pre-celebrated their plan will be achieved soon. 

(Military base in Marley)

Reiner was heading to visit his family before leaving for the coastline where you can see The Devil’s Island or Paradise Isle. 

He missed his mother’s cooking. Already his cousin, Gabi arrived at his mother’s home probably helping out making dinner. 

A shadow passed by him to get into a dark alley. This caught his eye as he turned to the left. Reiner couldn’t see who it was, but the figure was covered in an odd thick white sweater with a hood attached to it. The figure was a bit smaller than him. So the Armored Titan runs after this figure. If he caught this spy, Reiner would get more praised as a Warrior and they won’t keep doubting him of his loyalty to his country. 

The figure began to climb up the wooden storage boxes to get on the rooftop without an effort. 

“Hey, stop there spy!” He shouted while getting up to the rooftop. 

The figure stopped but it was several feet away from him. Reiner could see a glimpse of black long hair stick out as the breeze made the locks float along. The face was still hidden half way, but Reiner could see the person’s pink lips and creamy skin tone. 

This spy would be a female. The blond man started to run after her. The “spy” quickly paced away. When she reaches the edge of the roof, Reiner grins as he is so close to capture. 

“You can’t escape.” He said. 

The figure glanced across to estimate the other rooftop building was enough for her to make a jump. Then she ran to leap on the other roof. Her body rolls smoothly to the surface. Reiner frowned that she managed to make it. He decided to also make a leap to catch up to the woman. He will not let this spy escape. 

Once he gained enough speed to make a jump from the edge of the rooftop, he landed and rolled down with minor scratches. He gets up to resume his chase. 

As the mysterious figure reaches another “deadend”, she stops to calculate where to escape next. Shit, remember what one of the Assassin Masters said in her training. When she was about to make another leap, Reiner tackled her down which they fell off the roof to a pile of empty carton boxes in another alley. 

“I got you, spy.” Reiner glared down as he removed the hood. 

He was shocked to see those dark eyes. “Mikasa Ackerman? What are your intentions here in Marley?” 

Mikasa growls at him while kneeling him to the diaphragm hard. He lost his breathing pattern as he began to cough. Mikasa rolls to get up, but Reiner reaches quick of her ankle to make her trip. 

“Oh no, you’re not escaping.” He pinned her to make sure she does try to wiggle her way out. 

“Oh fuck you traitor! Like I would tell you why I’m here.” She gives off her infamous Ackerman glare. 

“If you answered my questions maybe I will let you go.” He said. A part of him wants to let her go since she was a former comrade of his. He held so much respect for the raven haired woman. The Eldian-Marleyan soldier had an inter battle with himself. 

“Like you would keep your promise?” She chuckled sarcastically. 

“You are an enemy. I’m just a fellow who follows the rules.” He said. 

Mikasa was thinking of a way to escape. Well, fuck she’s screw. He knows she’s here in Marley. There’s a chance Reiner will report to his superiors and will send a group of soldiers after her. Her mission is about to be ruined. 

“Aren’t you a good little soldier.” Her eyes roll at him. 

“I see you still haven’t answered any of my questions, Ackerman.” He grinned down his teeth in annoyance. 

“And I see you’re still pinning me down but we both can’t get what we want right now.” She said. 

She thought about to headbutt him then stab him with her hidden blade, but Mikasa doesn’t have the guts to seriously harm a former friend. Her memories with Reiner in Cadet years were good enough not wanting to kill him. Yes, he done stupid shit like kidnaping Eren in the past along with Bertholdt and Ymir. The newly assassin noticed that Reiner had grown well into a fine man. That was a disturbing thought. 

“You were never the type with sarcasm.” He pointed out. 

“Things had changed since you and Bertholdt had betrayed us.” Mikasa said. 

She had a crazy idea that could help her get out of his grasp. Mikasa stared into him. Before Reiner continues talking, she leans towards him to catch him off guard to press her lips on his. Of course, like she predicted, Reiner was shocked by Mikasa’s bold action. What the raven haired beauty didn’t predict is the way she is kissing him. His lips were soft but firm.

Reiner becomes lost in the way her pink soft lips move so well adjusted against his own. He deepens the kiss to win by dominating the kiss. Of course, she won’t let that happen easily. Mikasa licks his bottom lip to have them open enough to stick her tongue and explore. 

Oh fuck, he taste so good and forbidden-wait what? What is she saying?! Being lost from the tasting Reiner, the newly assassin snapped back into reality. Mikasa surprised Reiner by kneeing him with force into his gut with her knee then knocked him off of her with a high kick to the head. The titan shifter rolled a few feet away from her. The dark haired beauty Ackerman gets up to finally escape before he regains that hard kick to his head. 

While she vanished from his view, Reiner was overwhelmed with mixed emotions of what just had happened right now. Did she and him just kiss? Reiner Braun was not the ladies man as his comrades like to think. His mind was always about the missions and duties for his motherland country. Distraction was out of the question. The blonde bulky man touched his lips that’s still warm and tingling from the spontaneous kiss with Mikasa Ackerman, his supposed enemy. 

(Survey Corps Headquarter in Mitras)

William Miles was in the court yard where Scouts soldiers spar or work out. Since he had been residing here, his assassins also reside here to plan and spar each other or with other soldiers. His grandson’s squad are quick to pick up moves during their training as new recruits. With the deal he and Levi made, this gives the team the opportunity to head on into battle when war comes. Bill had finally met the queen one on one in the months early. He was pleased his granddaughter in law was the perfect image of what most assassin's want in a spouse. She encouraged Levi to train under him. Levi was too stubborn, but he will listen to his wife or Hange or his comrades. Since yesterday, both family members finally had that closure they needed. His son, Jacob wanted his girlfriend and son to live in a better place. Of course, it was too late when he died to be able to fulfill that promise to Kuchel. She died without knowing what had happened to his son. The poor girl. He had helped dig up her grave with Levi to take her remains to at least buried her along with his son. Maybe this will bring peace for the mother of his first grandchild. 

The mentor assassin had another shocking news. One his assassins residing in New Your City found out his younger son, Desmond had a child too. Seriously, what the fuck were his sons were thinking? Didn’t they ever carry a damn condom ever? Don’t get him wrong. He is happy finding out he has another grandson, but the poor boy isn’t lucky from being hostage under Abstergo, the templars main corporation to try to dominate the world. 

This made the elder man furious that these scums dared to make this baby another of their “subjects”. For fuck’s sake, it’s a god damn infant. They are taking way too far for collecting his bloodline’s data. What are they exactly looking for? Adam and Eve? He chuckled sarcastically at that thought. 

For months, he was getting updates on his infant grandson, Elijah. He put the same assassin undercover as a staff in that company to make sure nothing dangerous happened to his other grandchild. He needs time to make a risky plan to get the baby out of the templars’ grasp. Levi was in rage when he also found out about his infant cousin. He was ready to go there and wipe out anyone there. 

(Flashback) 

“Are you fucking shitty me?! I don’t know who’s the worst, the sickos in Underground City or the Templars? ‘Cause to me both are at the same level in harming little babies.” Levi ranted while his blood boiled in rage for finding out about his little cousin. This world is a cruel place even without Titans involved. 

“Levi, I am enraged as much as you are, but we need to be level headed. We’ll make a careful calculated plan to rescue the baby. He deserves to be here with us, his family. I already sent one of my assassins to keep an eye on him. I just want to tell you because he’s your baby cousin.” Miles said with a calm tone. Levi has every right to be furious, but to get into blood rage won’t end well for anyone. 

“But after the war, we’ll get him or I’ll go myself.” Levi said. 

“We’ll save him together...don’t worry, I promise.” Bill was already behind Levi as his hand placed on his grandson’s shoulder to comfort him. 

(Flashback ends)

William Miles was in front of Commander Hange’s office door then knocked softly to let her know it’s him. 

“Come in.” Her tone seemed to be distracted when a knock was heard. 

He opened the door to see Hange absorb into her own side projects. Bill closed the door then sat on the chair in front of the desk. “Did I come in at a bad time?”

“Hm? Oh no, you’re fine. I was just doing light reading before I called it a day. So what can I do for you, Bill?” Hange closed her book on Astro-Phycis Theories. Bill raised his eyebrow to notice that her book doesn’t seem light to him. 

“You are a very strange woman if you consider that light reading.” He said.

Hange laughed at his comment. She adjusts her glasses. “I hope that’s a good thing.” 

“Oh trust me. It’s definitely a good thing, Zoe.” Bill grinned and got up to go towards where she’s sitting. The commander was confused when she felt his warm lips on hers. This is a surprising turn for Zoe. Both Miles and Hange had been flirting but never had the made. Some of the Scout soldiers and assassins laid a bet on who would make the move or how long will happen? This finally made Levi confront his grandfather about Hange in the morning. 

(Flashback)

“Oi old man. When will you have the balls to make a move on Four Eyes? Because I don’t need a distracting Commander every time you two get flirty but don’t do shit. And trust me, she rarely gets distracted unless it’s a new science like Titan related or something.” Levi barged into his old room since he let his grandfather have it. 

“Well good morning you to my dear grandson.” He sat up from the bed and yawned.

“Tch. Why are you still in bed anyways? Do you know what time it is?” Levi scolded at Bill. 

The mentor glanced at his cellphone to see the time. “Damn it Levi, it’s 6 am. Why do you have to wake me up that early?” He rubbed his eyes. 

“What the hell do you mean early? Everyone had been awake since 4 am.” The raven haired soldier rolled his eyes. 

“I stood up most of the night to help Zoe on the security measures on the coastline close to Marley.” He yawned again. 

“And yet I’m surprised both of you didn’t jump on each other. You and Four Eyes are like shy teenagers that are too afraid to make a move.” Levi mumbled while running his finger on the hard surface of the furniture. His fingers gather dust which his expression becomes disguised and annoyed. “You should clean this room. It’s filthy.” 

The older man flopped on the mattress and groaned in annoyance. Seriously, this boy has OCD or something. “Levi, can we talk about this later when I’m fully awake.”

On Levi’s other hand, he holds his cup of tea as he sips. “Tch, just giving you advice, Hange is not the type to make the first move since she loves to analyze anything including then men she starts to have feelings with. So don’t take long to do or you’ll miss your chance.”

Bill was silent but absorbed what his grandson had said. He has also been distracted too whenever he secretly ogles at messy brown haired beauty. Maybe he should consider what Levi said. Bill can’t believe he’s being given advice  by his own grandson on making a move. 

(Flashback end)

Bill moans from the kiss as he can feel Zoe’s arms wrapped around his neck and pressed against each other. The mentor assassin already had the commander on her desk sitting while he slowly made her laid on the hard surface. Most of the stuff was on the floor since Hange quickly swept off to clear the desk after the first surprise kiss from Bill. 

She blushed from the way his eyes were clouded with lust. It’s been a long time since she has been with a man. The first time meeting William was filled with curiosity. As a few months had passed they flirted here and there, but neither one didn’t make a move. It could be a culture boundary or age gap issue, but Commander Zoe Hange never had attempted to make a move in her life. She may not be shy in general but when it comes to her love life, she becomes lost that not even science can’t help her. 

For an old man, he looks younger than his age. He could pass in his 50s, but then again Levi looks younger than what he is. Must be in the family. 

All her thoughts were gone when Bill kissed down her neck to the valley of her breasts. Huh? She didn’t feel his hands undo her white blouse. Her ponytail was undone too. 

Hange moaning softly from his tongue running on top of her breasts. She quickly let the  blouse slide off of her and her bra is now on display for him to see. 

Bill stopped to admire how flushed her face was and her hair was spread out on her desk. Her chest rose up and down from breathing heavily. To him, she already looks magnificently beautiful.  

“Well, this is not what I expect but I’m not complaining.” She chuckled while playfully undoing his shirt. 

“Good, I wanted you ever since we met.” He took off his shirt when she undo his buttons. William begins to grind on her. Zoe aggressively kisses his neck while pulling his hair. 

“I wanted you as well. It had been frustrating getting off from thinking of you instead feeling your touch.” Hange mumbling as Miles takes off her pants. His warm hand caressing from her ankle to her inner thigh. Her breath panting harder. Her panties start to get soak from the wetness she has been producing from his kisses and touches. 

“Ah, you have been thinking of me? Show me when you do when you think of me.” Bill leans to her ear to whisper. 

The commander slowly let her fingers travel down her body then stopped to rub the hem of her panties. She can tell how William’s eyes become darker while following the movement of her fingers going further below. Zoe smirks as her finger hooks on the hem to carefully pull down the fabric garment to teasingly reveal her dark small pubic hairs. The way Bill’s tongue licks on his lips made her moan erotically. Oh fuck, how hot he looks the way he stares at her like a starve animal.

She continues to pull down until it's off from her legs. Her finger presses on her clit to start rotating gently as a wave of pleasure spreads out on her body. Hange moaning low his name which he stops her to resume by him instead. 

“You’re beautiful, Zoe. Don’t forget that.” His lips kissed her neck again. 

“Am I?” She has mixed feelings of being called beautiful. Most of her life, she never considers herself to try to be pretty. What’s the point when she has a brain to make her standout from everyone? The first time someone looked at her as a woman and called her beautiful was her former lover. He died an honorable hero for leading the retake of Shiganshina. That was long ago. Erwin would tell her everyday so she would one day accept that she always has beauty too in her unique way.  

“Yes.” Bill glanced at her with a soft but determined look. He was still fingering her deep which arched her back of the ecstasy of pleasure. 

Her eyes get watery then growls with desire to have him pounding her. Her hands make way to his pants to undo them roughly. “Fuck me now please..”

He chuckled and let her undo his pants. “Someone is eager.” He teased her. 

“Of course, for months I have to use my imagination of your dick pounding me, unless with your old age; you’re impotent to keep up my stamina.” Her tone was playfully as she looked into his eyes. 

“Oh my genius Zoe. I may be old, but I can still fuck your brains out. You forget that I’m an assassin. My stamina will not be an issue.” He smirks wickedly. Hange couldn’t help feel the excitement of what Bill will do to her. 

“Guess you have to remind me.” The Commander of the Survey Corps grins while whispering. A loud gasp came out from her lips when she felt his manhood entering her.

“I certainly will.” He moans while adjusting himself inside her. His dark eyes stared into her honey brown eyes. 

As the rhythmic of their bodies move as one, the new lovers keep embracing the passion that ignites from the months of pining for each other. 

Meanwhile on the other side of the Commander’s door, three figures walking pass by until they heard moans. 

“Connie, do you hear that?” Jean stops to listen where that noise is coming from. 

“Yeah, probably it’s a ghost or something.” Connie shrugs. 

Then a louder noise was heard. “Oh harder! Harder, harder!” A feminine voice made erotic noise.

“That’s one horny ghost all right.” Mario, one of William’s assassins grin as he has an idea where the noise came from. Both Survey Corps soldiers finally get what their new friend was saying and blushes while all three walk away from the noise. 

A/N: Hello guys! Sorry this chapter took so long. It’s been another busy week for me and I tried to get it done before Christmas. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas! Also, Sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than the last one. I hope this chapter will do for you all until the next one. See you guys later until next time with Ch.10. Love you all!

[tirednotflirting]

so alone in love like the world had disappeared

this is probably???? baby’s last fic of the year. i already went off a lil bit on ao3 but just another thank you to anybody that sat down and read my fluffy lil stories this year. it’s been a lot of fun writing and working to get better at it in this space. 

extra love and thanks to the club for keeping me going and being the most supportive lil place in the world this year. you are all the kindest souls and our community is a really special one. this year was a lot of crazy and unknown but i always knew i could count on you guys to be there even on the darker days.

this is inspired a lil bit from ed sheeran’s new tune, afterglow. something about it just feels like pure love and warmth and good stuff and so this lil idea popped into my mind after hearing it around thirty times in 24 hours i think.

here it is on ao3 :)

much love and happy rest of the holiday season to you all <3

It’s moments like this that make Jack want to be a better songwriter.

They’re not allowed moments of peace like this too often. Always people to see, things to do, songs to sing. Every quiet morning was bound to be interrupted by something or someone. It’s something Jack had noticed his boy getting just the slightest bit frustrated by as it kept happening. Alex’s brain never stopped once it started for the day so it made sense how it all got a little draining eventually without some quiet every so often. 

Hiding away for a bit during a break from tour had been Jack’s idea. He had presented the possibility on the bus one night after finding Alex awake far too late again. Jack found him with another mug of tea pressed between his palms in the back lounge and pulled him into his lap to show him pictures of the Airbnb he had found somewhere in upstate New York. Alex had only sighed and tucked himself further into Jack’s hold, mumbling something between thank you and god, I love you.

It had been a good little vacation away from the rest of the world. The snow covering the ground surrounding the little house provided an almost deafening silence but from the first day Alex had breathed it all in like he was discovering cold air for the first time in his life. The scenery and quiet seemed to be doing Alex well, his shoulders sitting back further like a weight had physically been lifted off of them and an easy smile rested around his eyes from the very first night. The plan had given Jack a similar sense of serenity though his was from a view different than the one Alex spent most of his days gazing out at through the big window in the living room.

The picture of Alex enjoying his view is the one that Jack is taking dozens of mental snapshots of right now. He’s only just woken up, and while normally he would get pouty and dramatic enough to make Alex laugh at his antics over waking up alone, he knows exactly how and where he’ll find him. He knows these mornings have been particularly healing to Alex’s stressed mind.

Jack leans against the doorframe that leads into the living room in the sweats he slept in and one of his hoodies that Alex had stolen enough times on this trip that his cologne lingers on the collar. He catches his bottom lip between his teeth as his smile gently grows across his face and his eyes strain against the light coming in from the window as well as the glow of Alex in the morning. 

He’s facing out toward what’s beyond the window, the trees and snow and probably the rabbit family they noticed the first morning. He sits with his legs crossed, a mug of coffee or tea between his palms and close to his face. Alex’s hair is still all mussed up from the night before, from the way Jack always falls asleep with his fingers carding through the ends of it. It works out well that Alex is so fond of the action and that it knocks Jack out better than any mumbled lullaby Alex will try on the nights Jack can’t seem to make his mind settle. He can’t see it now but Jack figures the front of Alex’s hair is falling over his eyes. It’s gotten a bit long during tour as it tends to do.

Time feels slower in the moments like this. Maybe it’s the quiet bubble they’re existing inside of on this little trip or maybe it’s how Jack wants every moment he sees Alex at peace to last a lifetime. Jack had always thought there were never enough hours in the day to see and do everything he wanted but then a minute lasts an eternity with Alex and suddenly he doesn’t even want to check his watch. Love is funny like that, he supposes.

Alex turns then, likely sensing his presence in the way they tend to do (soulmate shit, Zack would say). The glow surrounding him grows as a soft smile pulls at his lips and the crinkles around his eyes appear. Alex in the morning has always been a sight for sore eyes, Jack thinks. But then again, he’s obviously a little biased. 

He feels himself melting as their eyes stay locked until Alex winks at him from across the room. “Come join, my love.” he says to Jack, his voice still rough from sleep. Jack has spent nearly half his life listening to Alex sing beautiful notes and words to thousands of people and yet, nothing even comes close to the sound of his voice calling him across the room or into the kitchen for a coffee every morning. He feels spoiled by how often it’s reserved solely for him.

“What’s in the mug?” Jack asks as he ruffles up Alex’s hair further before climbing over the back of the couch. He leaves his hand resting against the leather and smiles when Alex turns to let his legs unfold and drape over Jack’s lap, his head leaning to rest against Jack’s shoulder.

“Mmm, it’s the coffee we picked up on the drive from the airport,” Alex takes another sip before holding it out between their faces. “Here, try it, it’s good.”

Jack notes the light color of the brew from the cream Alex always insists on only for morning coffee (I don’t want to be assaulted by my first cup of the day, Jack). He takes a long sip and he’s right, it’s a damn good cup of coffee. 

“Oh, I think I need some of that,” Jack says, his hands gently patting against Alex’s legs where they rest in his lap. “Join me in the kitchen?”

“You always let me get cozy and then make me move,” Alex grumbles dramatically. But then he turns his head to press a kiss against Jack’s shoulder before moving his legs. “But yes, I will.”

They shuffle into the kitchen and Alex immediately pushes himself up onto the counter. He opens a cabinet and studies the mugs inside for a moment before pulling out a blue one with a painted picture of a horse across the side. He hands the mug over to Jack after he returns from the fridge with the carton of half-and-half. 

“Looks a little bit like Theo.” Jack observes as he lifts the pot from the coffee maker.

“I know,” Alex sighs, his legs swinging a bit and tapping out a steady beat that matches whatever song is softly playing from the radio in the corner against the cabinets with his heels. “It’s why I like that one. I miss my boy.” 

Jack smiles as he drops a hand on Alex’s thigh closest to him while he stirs a spoonful of sugar into his coffee. Alex’s hand moves to rest over Jack’s and he can’t help but wonder how even when there’s still snow falling just beyond the window over the sink Alex is still so warm. It’s like the sun is somehow always shining down onto him.

“We’ll be back at the farm in a couple days and you can love him up for a little bit before we gotta get back out there,” Jack says before taking a sip from his mug. He hums at the taste and the perfect temperature of the brew. Perfect cup of coffee for a perfect morning, he figures.

He moves then to stand between Alex’s legs, the hand not holding the handle of the mug reaching up to wrap around his waist. Alex responds by letting his arms hang over Jack’s shoulders, one of his hands tapping out a rhythm against the back of his neck. They’re quiet for a bit, just smiling like fools at each other and Jack isn’t sure if it’s been ten seconds or ten hours when Alex sighs again before speaking. 

“God, I love you,” he shakes his head just slightly as though in disbelief of something. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

Jack pulls his hand up to cup Alex’s cheek, his smile pulling further across his face when he watches a light blush paint across his boy’s nose. “And I love you,” he says while tracing his thumb over Alex’s cheek. “Thank you for joining me out here. It’s a nice spot.”

“We’ll have to come back here again. I think this could be a special place for us.” Alex says in his most casual voice, the weight of his words on Jack’s love-drunk mind likely not obvious from the look he returns the words with.

But in his mind images swirl all around like the way the dusty snow dances in the wind just beyond the walls of the little house. He sees them in pajamas, him on one knee, tears in both their eyes when he finally gives up on waiting for another picture-perfect moment and just asks. He sees rows of chairs in a fresh snow in the spot behind the house begging to be used for such an event and their friends and family crying along with them this time. He sees the two of them, years from now, sitting on the old leather couch in the living room, watching the first snow of the season with coffee from the shop they’ll keep stopping at on their way out, talking about what it felt like to first fall in love.

And then Jack blinks and all he can see is the warm tone of Alex’s eyes accompanying a curious smile as his fingers tangle around the hair at the back of Jack’s neck. Jack turns from his gaze and lets his lips press against the warm skin on the inside of Alex’s wrist before returning to the eyes he can’t wait to spend the rest of his life continuing to get lost in.

“I think so, too.”

*

[cosmicballads]

💘 + zack and breanah

Dating Headcanons | Accepting

---

where they first met and how

The grocery store. Breanah broke a jar of cranberry sauce and then went on a rant about it and Zack just stood there and let her go on. Bless.

how long their ‘flirting’ phase was before feelings got involved

I really don’t think either knew flirting was happening? I mean they knew but uh...there definitely was a lot of not flirting flirting. I think feelings happened before the flirting was realized

who fell for who first ( if applicable )

I want to say Bre, because she will fall hard and fast, but this might have been Zack

where their first date was and what it was like

Breanah’s place, if she held true to form, she offered to feed Zack and he accepted and then she kept feeding him.

who asks who out and how ( with a sign? spelled out on a cake? just a simple ‘will you go out with me’? )

Breanah, she sort of demanded he go out with her/come over for dinner to make up for interrupting Zack time. And then also offering to at the very least show him hers. 

who proposes first

Zack, he does a lot of preparation for it and prepares for Breanah to reject him (spoiler alert: She does not!)

if they keep / kept their relationship secret or let everyone know right away

It wasn’t a secret per se but like it was on the DL because of a mutual acquaintance between the two of them. But like the important people (i.e Izzy) found out right away.

where the proposal happens and how ( kiss cam at a baseball game? on a hillside surrounded by ducks? at a disney park? )

OKAY SO. There’s a lot of mental prep for it on Zack’s part and it comes out sort of in the same way that their family planning went - “wanna get married?” and Breanah who is busy doing something like cleaning the dishes or the dogs just says “sure” and then later when Zack’s like “Wait that’s not how I wanted it to happen” he redoes it without it sounding like a casual question. There may be a jar of cranberry sauce involved.

if they adopt any pets together

Breanah comes with two dogs so they may adopt one more later

who’s more dominant

Bre tries to be more dominant but it’s really Zack. And Breanah likes being told what to do sexually so as soon as she’s on the same page, it’s Zack’s show, Bre’s just a part of it.

where their first kiss was and what it was like

It was at some sort of gathering and part of me wants to say a lot of it was orchestrated by Izzy without locking them in a closet but I can only imagine that they played something like truth or dare or spin the bottle because Izzy was feeling “nostalgic”

if they have any matching couples stuff ( mugs? sweaters? pillowcases? )

Nope! Maybe like pillowcases but that just comes with the bed set?

how into pda they are

Not very! Breanah is moreso when she’s territorial but she’ll do small things like hold his hand or like small kisses. 

who holds the umbrella when it rains

Zack because he’s taller

where their usual ‘date spot’ is ( if applicable )

The couch! A lot of dates ended up with them falling asleep on the couch. Not for lack of trying but they Netflixed and Chilled by legit chillin

who’s more protective

Zack is. He is more silently protective versus Breanah

how long it is before they sleep together ( can be as in ‘had sex’ or as in ‘shared a bed’ )

It takes them actually getting into the relationship for anything to happen and even then, maybe six months? Breanah learned how to romance before putting out which is the takeaway from this

if they argue about anything

Breanah working and not in the Zack has to be the only breadwinner but because she will run herself ragged if nobody says anything

who leaves more marks ( lipstick, hickeys, scratchmarks etc. )

It’s equal. Zack definitely leaves more hickeys but Bre has left scratchmarks and lipstick stains. (If we’re talking Dujour verse, Bre DEFINITELY does this)

who steals whose clothes and how often

Breanah takes Zack’s clothes, mostly his shirts and sometimes his hoodies

how they cuddle ( spooning? facing each other? )

They spoon

what their favourite nonsexual activity is

Naps

how long they stay mad at each other

Hmmm I think Zack holds it more than Bre does

what their usual coffee / tea orders are

Breanah’s coffee is usually more creamer than coffee. Zack would not surprise me if he took it black

if they ever have any children together

Yah, Penelope! And then probably a second one later down the line because why stop at one? 

if they have any special pet names for each other

No?

if they ever split up and / or get back together

Their splits are at different times because Breanah’s afraid of Zack breaking up with her because she’s “too much” and then Zack thinking he’s not good enough for her but then they get back together but like obviously these are reasons for arguments that lead to them making up

what their shared living space is like ( messy? clean? what kind of decor? )

It’s cleaner than one would expect. Decor is a mishmash of “oh that looks cute!” 

what their first christmas / hanukkah / etc as a couple was like

Zack had formally met Breanah’s parents that same holiday so it was a lot of her dad razzing him and Breanah and her mom trying to make it stop.

what their names are in each other’s phones

Breanah has Zack listed as Zack, Zack has Breanah as Bre

if they have any ‘couple traditions’ ( buying a new mug for their collection every year? baking every friday evening? )

They don’t have any ‘couple traditions’

who falls asleep first and who wakes up first

Zack falls asleep first depending on the day but Bre wakes first

who’s the big spoon / little spoon

Zack is usually the big spoon but Breanah will take it sometimes because Zack deserves to be spooned

who hogs the bathroom

Breanah is more likely to, but she usually doesn’t.

who kills the spiders / takes them outside

 It’s all Zack. What he does with them is his business.

[rune-writes]

Poppies

Fandom: Final Fantasy VII

Word Count: 4402

Rating: G

Summary: Mother’s Day is tomorrow and Tifa invites Cloud to gather some flowers from the mountain.

Note: Part 2 of an ongoing Mother’s Day series centering on Zack, Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith. Part 2 is Cloud’s story. Read Part 1 here. 

Read on AO3.

~*~*~*~*~

The neighborhood kids were hanging around the bottom of the water tower when Cloud walked home from his grocery errand, a paper bag in hand. They sat on the ground, their conversation fueled with energy and fervor. Cloud had half a mind to go around the other side, avoiding any unnecessary clash that would probably happen, but Tifa was there, sitting among the blocks of wood in her white dress and brown slippers. Her ebony hair hung loose down her back, swaying in the soft spring breeze coming down from the mountain. Before he knew it, his feet were already leading him there.

Snippets of conversation reached him as he neared. Cloud strained his ears, but all he could hear was something about a flower or a dinner, then an exploded oven and a ruined kitchen, followed by laughter. Hearty laughter from the stomach that shook their shoulders. Tifa was laughing too, though not as loud. She always laughed with them—laughing and smiling, as though she had all the time in the world. She never laughed with him.

Just walk by them, he told himself. Don’t make eye contact. Don’t—

He glanced up right as Tifa’s dark crimson eyes fell on him. Then it all seemed to happen in a slow motion—her eyes widening around the edges, her feet jumping up as a hand shot to the sky, her small mouth spreading wide into a bright grin, forming the word:

“Cloud!”

Her voice rang loud and clear across the village center. The boys looked up. It only took a split second for his heart to race and his stomach to twist. 

Cloud averted his gaze and quickened his pace. Tifa kept calling him. “Leave him alone,” the boys in the distance said. He hoped she would. But Cloud could only make it halfway to his house when someone yanked his arm and pulled him to a stop. Tifa was glaring at him, her lips set into a pout.

“Are you ignoring me?”

“No, I—” His voice failed him, he’d forgotten what he was doing and where he was going. The place where her hand touched his elbow felt warm. Tifa huffed and let go of his arm. 

“Me and the others are going to look for gifts,” she said. “For Mother’s Day. It’s tomorrow?” Cloud only stared, prompting her scowl at his lack of response. “Did you forget?”

Of course not, was what he wanted to say, but how could he, when he had never celebrated Mother’s Day before.

“Anyway, wanna come? There’s this flower field a little up the mountain.”

He would. Cloud would go anywhere if Tifa asked him. But before he could form an answer, the boys behind them jeered, reminding him why he had never liked them in the first place.

“Come on, Tifa,” they said. “He doesn’t want to come.”

Three pairs of eyes glared at him from behind her shoulders, challenging him to say yes. And maybe he would, just to spite them, because it was Tifa who had asked him, and they had no business to say no. Tifa ignored the jeers and waited with a small smile on her face. Cloud was about to nod and say, “All right,” but then, a door opened somewhere behind him, and the unmistakable voice of his mother called his name. 

“Cloud! Honey, lunch is ready!”

He heard the snickers almost instantly. Cloud gritted his teeth as his face burned.

“I got to go,” he said, quiet. 

He turned around without looking at Tifa and hurried home. His mother stood by the door, smiling at something behind him—or someone, judging from the wave she was giving. Cloud muttered an inaudible I’m home, ducking under her arm.

“Come over sometimes, Tifa!” he heard her say.

Cloud snapped his head up but his mother was still beaming and waving at the girl beyond the door.

“I will, Mrs. Strife!”

Tifa’s reply didn’t help. A bundle of energy packed into that one short sentence that buckled his knees and made the sky fall. That’s an idea. Have the cutest girl in the village come over to his house to—what? Play? He had nothing that would remotely interest a girl. Not that he could imagine playing with her without having jitters either. Or did his mother mean dinner? But that would mean inviting her entire family. They were neighbors and their mothers had exchanged pleasantries, but Cloud didn’t like the look Tifa’s father often gave him. Like dealing with a time bomb that could explode at any moment. Cloud brought the groceries to the kitchen table and pulled out bread and milk and cheese.

“What were you talking about?” his mother asked as she closed the door.

“Nothing,” Cloud said with a shrug. His mother moved beside him, sorting through the groceries and placing them in their respective places. Her eyes lingered on him for a few heartbeats. Cloud stifled a sigh. “They’re going someplace. She asked me to come with.”

“And?” his mother prompted when he didn’t continue. She reached over to place a sack of sugar in the cupboard.

“And what?”

“And what did you say?”

Cloud gave another noncommittal shrug. “You called.” He felt her stare and heard her intake of breath. Cloud didn't quite know what had warranted him a lecture, but he braced himself. He could already hear what his mother was going to say. That he should be nicer to Tifa, nicer to the other kids, to open up more and try to make friends. But the kettle whistled, breaking the silence.

His mother moved to turn off the stove. Cloud used the opportunity to fold the paper bag and quietly leave the room. But he had only taken a few steps when his mother spoke again.

“Lunch is ready. Could you bring some over to the Lockharts after you finish eating?”

“Why do I have to—” he began, half turning, but his mother’s stern gaze locked him in place.

“And make sure you make up with Tifa, all right?” she added with a hint of a grin.

***

Lunch was stew—his mother’s special stew. He loved the stew she made. Cloud had never had stew as delicious as his mother’s. And now he was walking over to the Lockhart’s, the two-story house beside his, carrying a tray with a lidded bowl in his hands.

The door opened as he reached their porch. Tifa’s mother stood there, her long dark hair tied in the village-custom ponytail. They said she was sick. In the rare chance Cloud spotted her in a village event, she would only sit and watch the merriment from the sides. But then she would cough, and her husband would usher her back inside. Tifa always looked sad whenever it happened. Now, Mrs. Lockhart’s usually dark, wearied eyes were bright, and they widened at the sight of him. The surprise only lasted for several seconds before her face broke into a small smile.

“What brings you here, Cloud?” she asked, her voice gentle and lilting.

Cloud held the tray out to her. “From my mom. She made a stew.”

Her smile softened, she accepted the tray with a thank you. Cloud mumbled an incoherent reply, straining his neck to see past her into the hall beyond. He had been inside a few times before whenever his mother brought them a dish or offered Tifa’s mother some help. She followed his line of sight, before chuckling under her breath.

“Tifa’s still out with her friends I think.”

Right. He knew that. Cloud ignored the rising heat creeping up his neck as he thanked Mrs. Lockhart with a small bow of his head before heading back to his home. But his mother was out, and he had finished his lunch. There was nothing to do, and as his footsteps faltered, Cloud found his gaze drawn to the path at the back of the village. It would lead him to the old abandoned manor and the mountain path beyond. He didn’t know where the flower field was, but if he just followed the path, he would eventually find it, right?

***

Wrong.

His soles stepped over gravel and dirt, one in front of the other, as Cloud climbed his way up the mountain path. The heat of the late spring sun beat him on his back. The path had been straightforward thus far but Cloud didn’t see any sign of a flower field at all. Had he even come to the right place? Had he missed a turn or a hidden path somewhere? But all he could see behind him was the downward trail of nothing but dirt and stone. The same thing up ahead. Maybe Tifa hadn’t even gone up the mountain.

In all his eight years of living in Nibelheim, Cloud rarely ever climbed the mountain. The adults said they shouldn’t. It was dangerous with rockfalls, ravines, and monsters. But even if he didn’t go far enough to encounter any of those, Cloud still preferred to stay away. Those boys often hung around at the base of the mountain.

People would have a better chance of finding him at the riverbank. He would play with his wooden stick, imagining himself a soldier at the front lines of the Wutai War. When the days were slow, the village men would occasionally come to fish. When they spotted him, they would call him over and ask him questions: why he was alone and what he was doing, so on and so forth. Sometimes they would teach him fishing tricks despite him never asking. Other times they would tell him stories—of cities made of metal in a continent across the sea, or ghosts from the abandoned manor roaming the night, or a pretty little flower field in an otherwise barren mountain.

Cloud stopped in his tracks. Voices reached him from ahead, and a moment later, three boys appeared around the corner. One, two, three—the group was missing one! He stepped into their path, cutting off whatever conversation they were having. The middle one, a tall and burly boy with a brown t-shirt and a cap, narrowed his eyes at him.

“What?”

Cloud set his teeth. “Where’s Tifa?”

They stared at him for several moments, before the middle boy nodded up the path. “Up there.”

The cliff face hugged them closely on both sides with tufts of grass here and there on the ground. The path curved to the left, hiding all the danger and monstrosity the mountain had to offer. Up there didn’t explain where Tifa was. Cloud bristled.

“You left her?”

“Flowers are for sissies,” the left one said. The other two snickered in response.

“Then you shouldn’t have agreed in the first place.”

It wasn’t rare to see Cloud fighting with one of the boys. He always tried not to get into fistfights, but more often than not, Cloud would go home with a bruise or a split lip. Then his mother would see, and she would sigh as she took out the first-aid kit from the cabinet and dabbed a gauze dipped in alcohol to his wounds. “It’s their fault,” he would say, because it always—or more often—was. Just because they were bigger and older and stronger. Now the three of them surrounded him, puffing out their chests and making themselves taller, as though that was supposed to scare Cloud. 

“Where is it?” he asked.

“Where is what?”

“The flower field!”

They exchanged glances, then looked at Cloud with wolfish grins. “What, you wanna go after her?”

This was why Cloud hated them. Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, Cloud pushed past them and ignored the hoots and taunts. Careful of the monsters, they said.

Let them come.

***

Cloud remembered what the man at the river had said. At the first fork on the mountain path, hug the right side. A little way up, a little way down, the path would grow smaller and smaller until you reach a dead end. But it’s not a dead end. There was a path before rocks and boulders blocked it. Climb over and across it and you’ll find yourself in a pretty little clearing, with a spring bubbling up on one side and flowers blooming all around.

That was what Cloud found at the end of a long trek: a wall of rock reaching up to the sky with boulders stacked high on the narrow path across the rock face. 

Aren’t you a smith? Cloud had asked. Why would a smith have known a secret flower field? It had earned him a soft smack on the head.

Smiths seek ores and stuff, kid. The mountain’s basically my home.

So much for home. Either he didn’t know, or he didn’t tell, because Cloud highly doubted Tifa passed through here. There might even be more than one flower field up this mountain. Who was to know? He certainly didn’t, and there was no one else he could ask. There wasn’t even any guarantee that he’d find a flower field on the other side of this rock face. But his feet hurt and his chest heaved, so he put his hands and feet on the boulders and climbed.

Over and across, Cloud landed on the ground beyond with a thud. His practice with his wooden sword proved useful as the calluses had hardened his hands and made the climb easier. He swayed on his feet when he stood, his hand shooting out to the wall to steady himself. Undergrowth rustled at a shuffling of feet. A moment later, Tifa appeared at the end of the tunnel, still in her cream-white dress and brown slippers. Her hair swayed in a breeze he didn’t feel, her eyes widening at the sight of him.

“Cloud?”

Cloud’s sigh of relief was short-lived. He felt stupid now, for coming all this way and climbing a rock wall, when the girl in front of him didn’t even look like she had fought through dirt and stone.

“I thought you weren’t coming,” Tifa said.

“I never said I wouldn’t,” he mumbled after he had exited the narrow path into what appeared to be a clearing on the mountainside, with the rock wall on one side and close-knitted trees on the others. Water trickled down into a small bubbling spring, and a vast canopy of leaves shielded them from the harsh glare of the sun. After the long trek with the hot golden disc beating down on his back, the shade was a pleasant find. They swayed in the afternoon breeze, cool against the sweat on his brow.

Tifa stared at him, tilting her head to one side. Cloud didn’t care to elaborate and instead asked, “Did you come from there?” He nodded toward the path he had taken.

Tifa shook her head. “No. I came from there.” She pointed to one side, where a gap between the trees revealed a path through the forest. The foliage was as thick there as it was in the clearing, breaking the sunlight into a crisscrossing pattern across the forest floor. “It leads down the mountain,” she went on. “But there’s a path leading back to the path behind the village. You take the left road at the fork.”

Cloud wished the smith had told him that.

“So, you’ll give your mom flowers?”

“What?”

“Flowers.” She drew his attention to the small white flowers between her arms. “That’s why you came, right? The flower field.”

Tifa stepped back to give him a full view of the flowers blooming all around. They dotted the clearing in clusters of reds and whites and purples. Cloud recognized the scent, something he had associated with his mother and his house once upon a time.

“Poppies,” Tifa explained. Her smile turned wistful as she looked at the flowers in her hands. “The healer said they could help Mom.”

If Tifa had wanted to get any flowers, she could have gone to easier places. His secret spot by the riverbank had a cluster of flowers growing here and there at this time of year. A little off to the side right outside the village was also a field with blue flowers. If they knew where to go and what to look for, they could avoid any monsters attacking them. At least, that was what the smith-master had told him.

“Well, feel free to pick some.”

He watched her walk to the spring where she left her basket already half-filled with flowers. She crouched down, placed the white flowers inside, then picked up the red ones blossoming nearby. Cloud stared for several more moments before moving over to another patch of purple and pink and plucked them by the stems.

Poppies. Cloud never knew the name, but he remembered seeing them in a vase at home. Every time he sat on the dining table, the flowers would enter his line of sight, positioned in front of a window overlooking the mountain. It received a lot of sunlight in the afternoon.

He brought his forage to Tifa’s basket and dropped them all inside. Tifa looked at him, confused.

“I thought you’re bringing them for your mom,” she said.

“I am,” he said, and left it at that. 

Time passed and before they knew it, the lights had gotten dim. Tifa had filled her basket to the brim while Cloud had gathered an assortment of reds and purples and pinks. Not a lot, but he hoped his mother would love it.

“Here.” Tifa offered her basket. “I’ll give you yours when we’re back at the village.”

The forest had gotten dark. The sky was still a blazing deep orange, but the thick foliage blocked what little sunlight the sky offered. The air had gotten several degrees colder and Cloud noticed Tifa shivering. Her one-piece dress didn’t cover her arms.

“Ah!” Tifa stumbled on her feet, her leg tripping over an upturned root. Cloud’s hand shot out and grabbed her arm. Tifa murmured a thank you as she gingerly stepped over the root. Cloud only gave a wordless grunt, but he kept his hand firmly locked around her arm as they made their way through the dark forest.

“You remember the way, right?” he asked.

“I do, but it’s a bit hard to see.”

A wolf howled in the distance, making the two of them jump. Tifa clutched onto his arm, nails digging into his skin, as Cloud’s back stiffened, his eyes flitting in search for the source or something to ward it off. Stay away from the mountains, the village’s warning blared in his mind, especially at night. Monsters and beasts roamed the grounds. What would he give to have his wooden stick with him now?

“Come on, Tifa.” Cloud’s voice was almost a whisper in the eerie silence. Not even the sound of a bird or a cricket, as though all critters knew what dangers the night brought. He kept a firm hold on Tifa’s hand. “I’ll protect you.”

***

Dusk had fallen by the time they reached the fork. The waning moon hung low in a purple-indigo sky, the first of the stars blinking into view. Cloud still had his hand over Tifa’s, a firm hold she reciprocated, as the two of them fumbled in the dark. Tifa had slowly regained her courage after they found a familiar well-trodden path and a low-hanging branch. The dark had felt friendlier there, according to Tifa, and they had groped for tree trunks and branches, keeping their legs off any treacherous roots on the ground, until finally, they found a break in the trees.

Torches lit the path once they neared the village, more fires bobbing in a cluster up ahead. Cloud and Tifa shared a glance, their faces smudged with dirt and covered in sweat. Their clothes were dirty, and Cloud could see a few shallow cuts on Tifa’s arms from when the branches had caught her. Despite that, the two of them grinned.

“Cloud!”

It was more like a scream than a call, ear-splitting and raw. It jerked him to a stop. He looked up just as his mother broke away from the group of adults huddling together with torches held above their heads. She had a stricken look on her face as she ran towards him. Every head, every pair of eyes behind her turned. At the center was Tifa’s father, his stern lines giving way to relief at the sight of Tifa.

Cloud had only let Tifa’s hand go before his mother enveloped him in a bone-crunching hug. A moment later, Brian Lockhart fell to his knees beside them, pulling his daughter into his arms.

“Where were you!?” he said after he let her go. Tifa opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, her father had looked up and directed his ire at Cloud. “You brought her there, didn’t you!?”

Cloud froze. Whatever excuse or explanation he had had in his mind vanished. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t speak. His mouth had gone numb as his fingers went cold, trying and failing to stammer any sort of response that would appease Brian Lockhart.

His mother shuddered a breath before unwinding her arms from around him. She got to her feet. “Now, Brian—” she began but couldn’t get far, because Tifa had shaken herself off her father and now stood in front of Cloud, arms stretched on either side. 

“Dad! Don’t get mad at Cloud!” she yelled, crimson eyes blazing under the torches. Her father, and all the other adults, fell silent. “He came after me, okay? I wanted to pick flowers on the mountain. For Mother’s Day. The others left me. Cloud came after me. Here!”

She held up her basket, not filled to the brim anymore. Some of the flowers had fallen off. A murmur swept through the adults and Cloud spotted several nodding heads, but Brian Lockhart still had a frown on his face.

“What’s important is that our kids are safe, Brian,” his mother said, her voice unusually quiet. She had her hand in front of Cloud.

It took another moment for Brian to sigh and nod. “All right.” He looked at Tifa and Cloud saw a rare hint of a smile on his face. “I’m just glad you’re safe.” He stood up and held his hand out to his daughter. “Let’s go. Your mother’s worried sick.” Tifa nodded and grabbed her father’s hand. Then Brian shifted his gaze back at Cloud.

“And you.” It wasn’t loud, and he didn’t sound angry. Brian’s voice was deep and rumbling, like the rumbles Cloud would sometimes hear every time he pressed his ear to the ground. Cloud jerked to attention. “Don’t make your mother worry so much.” 

Cloud watched them leave, and the crowd slowly dispersed. They stayed there, his mother’s hand on his shoulder. Worry? Was his mother worried? It would make more for sense to say his mother was angry. Because his mother was rarely ever quiet. Yet now, there was only silence, and the silence was deafening.

“Mom?”

“Hm?”

At least his mother was talking to him. He mustered his courage and asked, “Are you angry?”

A pause, then his mother looked down; and no, it wasn’t anger that he saw. It was a mixture of emotions that Cloud couldn’t even begin to identify, only that it made his heart clench tight. She crouched in front of him, hands squeezing his arms.

“No, I’m not angry,” she said. Her voice was soft, somewhat deflated. The tension he had felt in her bone-crunching hug was gone. She brushed her hand against his hair, then at the smudge of dirt on his cheek. “I’m just worried.”

“Worried?” 

His mother laughed. “Am I not allowed to worry?” she asked. “You went off somewhere without telling me and no one knew where you’d gone. A parent would worry about their child.”

“I’m sorry.” Cloud cast his eyes down. “You told me to make up with Tifa so—”

“I know.” His mother smiled the softest smile. “Just… tell me whenever you’re going somewhere, all right?” Cloud nodded. She cupped his cheeks and gave a quick peck to his forehead. Then she stood up and held out a hand. “Come on. Let’s go home. You need a bath.”

They had almost reached their door when the house beside theirs burst open. Tifa emerged, rushing out the door with her feet still half outside her slippers, the flower basket swinging in her hand. She stopped a little past her yard, eyes searching the village center and the path to the mountain.

When his mother called her name, Tifa whipped her head around. Her lips broke into a huge grin at the sight of them. Cloud involuntarily stepped back, bracing himself for that rush of energy to hit him. When she did, panting, he stared as she held out her basket.

“Here,” she said, scooping a handful of red and purple flowers and holding them out to him. “Yours, right?” She gave him an armful of the small flowers, her toothy smile reaching her eyes. “Thanks for coming after me, Cloud,” she added, and with a final bow to his mother, Tifa rushed back to her own house. She looked back, once, and gave him a final energetic wave before disappearing behind the door. Cloud only then realized that the flowers in his arms were more than his share.

“Poppies,” his mother mused. He looked up to find his mother looking back, a small wistful smile grazing her lips. “I guess you found that clearing with the spring?”

Cloud stared, perplexed. “You know it?”

“Of course,” his mother said with a quiet laugh. “Your father used to take me there all the time. Remember the flowers we used to have? Those were poppies. Your father found them there.”

Cloud blinked, then stared at the small red and purple flowers in his hands. What were the odds? He looked up at his mother again and smiled, hugging the rest of them close as he held up one stem of red poppy to his mother.

“Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.”

Cloud’s mother stared at him for a silent moment before a laugh broke out of her, the kind that came from her stomach and shook her shoulders. She took the flower from his hand and pulled him into a hug, giving his cheek a quick kiss.

“Thanks, dear.”

~ END ~

[puroresu-musings]

NJPW SENGOKU LORD in NAGOYA Review (July 25th 2020, Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium)

Taiji Ishimori vs. Yuya Uemura  **1/2

Togi Makabe, Satoshi Kojima & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, & Gabriel Kidd  ***

Hirooki Goto, SHO & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI  ***

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Yuji Nagata, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Master Wato vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI  ***1/4

Kazuchika Okada vs. Yujiro Takahashi  **1/2

NEVER OPENWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: Shingo Takagi (c) vs. El Desperado  ***3/4

IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT AND IWGP INTERCONTINENTAL DOUBLE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: EVIL (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi  ****1/2

Photos.

New Japan returned to Aichi with a socially distanced crowd of 2,200 for an enjoyable show that was probably a little better than the two Osaka-Jo Hall shows from a couple of weeks ago, though obviously not up to the usual high New Japan standard, for obvious reasons. Taiji Ishimori defeated spirited Young Lion Yuya Uemura in a standard opener, when he pinned him with Bloody Cross in 8 minutes. Togi Makabe pinned another promising Young Lion, Gabriel Kidd, with a German Suplex to end a decent six man tag at 10:25. What was notable here is the match was also supposed to feature Honma and Yota Tsuji, but both were pulled as a precautionary measure as they were on a TV show earlier in the week with someone who tested positive for COVID. Another enjoyable multi man followed, in which SHO was the star of the show. He had great exchanges with everyone, then of course was submitted by SANADA’s Skull End (get a new finish, man!) at the 10:31 mark. It’s worth pointing out here that Naito, the former double champion who was betrayed by one of his best friends and subsequently screwed out of said titles by said friend was once again a nonchalant body, merrily going through the motions, exuding no fire, or anger, and just doing a match. In the post match, the LIJ victors even beat up the referee for shits and giggles. I’ve no idea whats going on here.

There was an announcement that they’re doing a big Jingu Stadium show for the first time since 1999 on August 29th. That should be interesting. The first show 21 years ago drew nigh on 50,000 people and was headlined by an absolutely wretched No-rope Exploding Barbed Wire Double Hell Death Match between The Great Muta and Atsushi Onita. I can only but hope this coming show has a better main event. An all-action 10 man tag followed that was highlighted by Suzuki and Nagata destroying each other throughout. Tana and Ibushi were going at it with Zack and Taichi, whilst Wato and Kanemaru kept their burgeoning programme going. The finish saw Ibushi pin, you guessed it, DOUKI, with Kamigoye at the 12:55 mark. Kazuchika Okada, to the surprise of not a single solitary soul defeated Yujiro with his new Cobra Clutch Variant at 13:43 of a decent enough, but deeply uninteresting encounter next. It was literally just a match, and cemented the fact that Takahashi just isn’t cut out to be at the top level. Okada has been in a weird impasse since losing the title at WK 14, and just feels kind of lost on the card at this point in time, if you ask me.

The NEVER Title match that followed was great stuff indeed. Shingo is without doubt one of the standout wrestlers of the year, and whilst this was by far his weakest Title defence thus far, it was still thoroughly enjoyable. Despy worked over Shingo’s knee with chairs in the early going, and Takagi would battle back with his power moves. Desperado took the cheap road by nailing Shingo with the Title Belt, then locking on his Numero Dos Horse Collar submission, but Shingo makes the ropes. Takagi then starts hammering the challenger with hard forearms and Lariats. The Dragon finally hit a massive Pumping Bomber, and put Desperado away with Last Of The Dragon to retain in 17 minutes. As I say, this was a great match, but it was just missing something that really put it below excellent for me. That and the fact no one bought Despy winning.

Then the main event. I’m certain this will be an incredibly divisive outing, but I thought it was great, and was by a wide margin the best match of the night. The crowd were into this at a level that nothing else on the show was at, and the action was tremendous. Now yes, the shenanigans in the finally few minutes were the wrestling equivalent of deflating a balloon, but on the whole, it didn’t ruin this for me entirely, and it was a potentially star-making outing for Hiromu. They never once brought attention to the fact he was the Jr. Champion, and they never made it seem like he wasn’t capable of taking the top two singles titles. This was also a great outing from EVIL, who looked like more of a star here, and pulled out a better match than either of his Osaka matches with the top two guys in the company. He’s also dropped the leather skirt, which is an added bonus. EVIL lived up to his namesake in the build-up, threaten to re-brake Hiromu’s neck, like the dastardly evil bastard he is, and worked over it in the early going. Hiromu fought back, hitting a Death Valley Bomb on the apron and that crazy Senton Plancha to the floor, wiping out the double champ and Uemura and Kidd at ringside. Back n the ring, EVIL incessantly dropped the challenger on his neck with a series of devastating German Suplexes, but Takahashi fought back with his Casadora into a face buster for the comeback, and scores a near fall with a huge Lariat. A corner clothesline inadvertently takes out Red Shoes, and then the shenanigans started. Dick Togo, decked out in a fancy suit, hit the ring, and he and EVIL laid Hiromu out with the Magic Killer. Togo goes up top for his beautiful, patented Senton Backsplash, but Takahashi kicks EVIL into the ropes, causing the veteran to spill to the floor. EVIL tries the STO, but Hiromu counters into one of his own... but no ref! Hiromu then hoists EVIL up and hits a horrendously uncomfortable looking running Death Valley Bomb into the exposed turnbuckles, then hits Time Bomb for a super believable near fall, which had the Nagoya faithful going crazy. Hiromu then hits Time Bomb II, and just when it looks like he’s about to pull off a miracle... Dick Togo pulls Red Shoes out of the ring. After an EVIL low blow, Togo chokes Takahashi unconscious with his dreaded garrotte, allowing the Double Champion to hit Darkness Falls, followed by the EVIL STO, to successfully defend both titles for the first time in 33:57. 

I loved this match. I’ve never hated the interference spots as much as some, but too much can get tiresome, and they’re really running the gamut with these EVIL matches, even if it is succeeding in getting him heel heat.  I suppose the major question when watching all of the “heel stuff” in the final few minutes is the same I asked during the Naito match; where the hell is the rest of LIJ? They’re honestly the most useless friends to have as they don’t come out and help at all. Well, except Hiromu, who came out to save Naito in both his matches with KENTA and EVIL, but where in God’s name are SANADA and BUSHI? It gets fairly ridiculous at times and you start to lose interest in the match as you yell these questions at the TV/computer screen instead (well I do anyway). The post match saw Taiji Ishimori come out and nail Hiromu with Bloody Cross and stand over him with the Jr. Title. These two had an absolute classic in the 2018 BOSJ Finals, so I’m very much looking forward to that one. Then Naito sauntered out to confront EVIL, so it looks like that is potentially your Jingu Stadium main. I must confess, I’m not too bothered about that happening again so soon. 

NDT

[bigskydreaming]

@princeescaluswords tagged me in a fanfic ask meme, and I’m loling at how few of the questions I can actually answer, because I swear I’ve literally forgotten more fandoms than most people will ever have. And I’ve probably written a good couple million words of fanfic all in total....

I know with just my first fandom alone, Roswell, I was in that one writing regularly for about three years and wrote and published probably a million words between the six or so ‘big fics’ I wrote......21 Down topped out at just over 200K, my Paradise Lost trilogy was probably a little longer as I think Genesis and Exodus were both around 80K and Revelations was probably closer to 100K. Riders of the Storm was around 120K.....Passage to Dawn I never actually finished because I scrapped it halfway through and started over.....and my revised version left off at around 50K I think, but the previous version before that had gotten up to 100K......and then I honestly can’t remember the names of my other two big fics at the moment, lmfao, I just know I had one more that was an amnesia trope fic and one that was....oh! Never mind, just remembered. The Long Dark Night of the Soul was one of my shorter ones, probably somewhere between 60-80K.

But yeah, that was just my first fandom alone......but fandom was a little different then, like in the sense that nobody was really writing posts about meta or episode or character analysis......Roswell fandom existed almost entirely on various messageboards and linked sites created by the community. It was years before Ao3 of course, and while ff.net was around, Roswell was one of those fandoms that just never congregated around it......people posting Roswell fics on ff.net were the outliers, the majority of fandom was centered around sites like roswellfanatics.net, crashdown.com and my personal site/board of choice to hang out and post at, polarattraction.com. I’m pretty sure all of those sites have been defunct for years, and I wish I’d done a better job of saving some of my own fics at least, lol. But point is, the fandom was geared just towards the writing and consumption of fanfic more than anything else......so if you were writing something, it was either a fic itself, or a comment on somebody else’s fic, lol. 

Anyway, was just reviewing my various past fandoms, the ones I could remember, and thought of Dark Angel fandom, which I haven’t thought of in forever. Which is kinda funny to me, actually, considering my focus in DA fandom was pretty much exactly my focus in Batfandom - the found family feels.

LOL. Like, I was never one of the better known writers in DA fandom given that my focus was not really the same as most of fandom’s. DA fandom was largely split into two camps locked in eternal ship war - Logan/Max and Alec/Max. I had by this time ‘evolved’ to the point of looking at this and just snobbishly intoning “I do not care for the Straightness of this all and thus I choose to Abstain from the conflict” so there was that at least.....but yeah, thing was, personally, I was in Dark Angel fandom for the found family feels. Max’s eternal search for her siblings she’d been raised with but lost track of when they escaped from Manticore as children.....like that was the good stuff, that was what drew me in and kept me under lock and key until I’d banged out a good couple years’ worth of constant fic writing about her and her siblings before I moved on.

But while Max’s search for her siblings was the catalyst and central plot of the first season of Dark Angel, fandom pretty much only ever took off with the introduction of Alec in the second season, when it became an either/or choice between Alec and Logan. And with most of the second season moving away from Max’s search for her family to focus more on the larger big-picture plots, combined with the fact that most of Max’s siblings never actually made an appearance onscreen.....understandably, they didn’t end up occupying too much of a role in most of fandoms’ fics or interests.

Anyway, like I said, I churned out a shit ton of DA fanfic in a pretty short period of time....my single most popular fic was probably one about transgenics racing to find a cure when they realize they’d been genetically engineered to all ‘expire’ by a certain age, since their creators had no use for genetically engineered super-soldiers past the prime of their lives.

But my personal fave bits of writing, and the series I reeeeeeally regret not saving and wish I could find again, like, there was this one series of one-shots (ranging from a couple thousand words long to some that were about 20-30K long) written about each of Max’s siblings.....all fifteen of them, lol. Jondy’s was the first one I wrote, and one of the first things I wrote in that fandom, and then I just added new stories to that particular series up until Jack’s, the very last one a couple years later....which I THINK was the last thing I ever wrote/posted in that fandom.

And since we only ever met about half of these characters on the show, and most of them only for an episode each, for the most part they were blank slates and the equivalent of writing OCs......and so I’ll always have a soft spot for my time in DA fandom solely because of how many people told me my version of Max’s various siblings was like, the definitive version for them and what they based their own fics or takes on her siblings on. Swoon. Like, that’s my favorite kind of compliment, especially in fanfic writing.

So that series was my Big Thing even if it wasn’t my most popular or well-known fic, and the various stories in it were weird and whimsical and largely experimental. Because part of the point of fic writing for me instead of writing original fic is its like....fanfic is often the place where I just get weird with my writing and try new things even just stylistically. See what works and what doesn’t, etc.

Anyway, kinda curious if there’s anyone out there who was in Dark Angel fandom at all to any degree, or if any of these sound familiar or if anyone remembers reading them.

Like, so Jondy was Max’s sister who we never met in canon but Max talked about often as being her favorite sibling, and her story in this series was called “Little Lightning Girl.” In it she was a stripper slash vigilante, who used her job to take note of predatory guys who then she preemptively scared away from her coworkers or ran totally out of town. I forget how it went exactly, but that one was written as though it was all her stream of consciousness, and she had to my mind a kind of chaotic, whimsical sort of nature, so there was something in there like: 

“Call me little lightning girl, for I’ve lightning in my veins. My hair is always frizzy, my steps all flicker-shimmy-shake. But when I strike, boom, clap, I’m thunder in reverse - by the time you hear the rumble, its already too late. That was you hitting the ground. Don’t hurry getting up. I can wait.”

And then Zane’s story was called “Zen and the Art of Not Breaking Your Customer’s Fucking Face (remember, its bad for business).”

Brin’s was “I Wasn’t Born Yesterday (but yesterday, I remember being very small).”

Zack’s was “Rules For When The Sky Is Falling (and this time it isn’t your fault).”

Syl’s was “The Kind of Girl You Bring Home to Meet Your Parents (when you’ve got the kind of parents that need killing).”

Ben’s was “They keep telling me I’m crazy (I say its the world that’s gone mad).”

Tinga’s was “A Storybook Kind of Princess (with a Grimm kind of happily ever after)” and Krit’s was “The Good Die Young, So Boy, You Better Be Bad.”

Kavi’s was “I Never Learned How To Play Ball (striking out comes naturally).”

Vada’s was “Chase Me To The Desert and Watch Me Live, I Bet I’ll Thrive (you better believe I was born to survive).”

And then Seth’s was “All Her Brothers’ Keeper (you keep your secrets and I’ll keep the watch).”

And though technically not escapees with the rest of them, I am anal and a completionist, so of course I had to write ones for Eva, Jack and Jace too. 

Eva’s was “Big Sisters Know Best (so when I say I’ll die for you, just say thank you and live).” 

Jace’s was “Leopards Never Change Their Spots (but why worry about my 5% leopard when I’m 10% shark). 

And Jack’s was “Shelter The Innocent (but don’t look at the boy without shelter and say that boy, he’s no good).”

Anyway, been randomly thinking about those today now. Well, not randomly since I can follow the train of thought that led me to thinking about them, but you know what I mean. Its just kinda funny to me that I do remember those particular stories so well when there’s entire other fandoms I can barely remember writing in at all. And DA fandom wasn’t even one I was in all that long, ever knew too many other people in, or like....idk. I definitely, definitely have written much more well read and frequently commented upon stories than that fairly random little series of almost-OCs, but for some reason it stuck around in my head a lot longer and a lot more clearly than a ton of other stuff.

[venus-says]

Kamen Rider Gaim Episodes 01-20

Also known as Kame Rider Fruits Salad edition.

It's time for more past rider action as I start my fifth season in this series. I honestly don't know how I'm still doing this, but I'm glad that despite my schedule problems I'm sticking with this journey because this season is a good one.

I was very excited to see this, not just because my experience with Wizard was very positive, but also because I've seen images and gifs being retweeted in my timeline and everything seemed so ridiculous I couldn't wait to experience all of that by myself, and I gotta say, they delivered! (different from that other season I saw people being so passionate about but that I disliked with passion)

And this is something funny because I have quite a lot of things about Gaim that bug me and that should make me dislike it, but even still I can't help but like this season a lot. Gaim has a certain magnetic charm to it that I don't know how to explain, putting in terms of the show I'm like the Inves and Gaim is the evil fruit of the forest taking control of my brain. This show is so entertaining that if I was able to sit down for 72 hours without being interrupted and not needing to do my physical necessities I'd definitely spend those hours watching Gaim, I'm not joking, I had to force myself to stop watching it a couple of times because if it was up to me I would sit down in front of my laptop and leave after the show ended.

And I feel like a huge part of what makes me so interested on Gaim is this mystery feel it has to it, I wanna know where all of this is gonna go so it makes me more interested on watching more and more to see the secrets being revealed and all of that. Add a whole lot of great cliffhangers and the fact this series doesn't seem to follow the "2 episodes, 1 story" format and you make for a show that has a very good pace and that makes it feel like no episode here is filler or unnecessary.

But this is a double-edged sword because while the mystery vibe is great I feel like the show held a whole lot of information at the beginning which made it hard for me to understand this world, and understand these characters. Why is dance so important here? Why do these dance teams exist and why are they fighting each other? When did those lock seeds start appearing? And why are they in the kids' hands? What's Kouta's relation to this dance crew? Why is there a ranking for dancing crews? Why is all of that so important for these characters I'm gonna follow? I watched 20 episodes, still, I feel like I don't know any of the characters very well because neither of them had a very good base for me to have a feel of who these characters are. Which makes it harder for me to connect because I don't feel what the characters are feeling, my experience with Gaim is a very "external" one, I'm watching it and I'm enjoying it a lot but I'm not emotionally invested, I think that's the best way to put it.

Speaking of characters, another thing that I feel like it makes it harder to know all characters is the fact that THERE ARE A LOT OF THEM. No joke, I don't know any of their names and the only Rider name I have memorized is Gaim because of obvious reasons, the way I have to connect the characters to their faces is by their main fruit, which solves things for the characters that are Riders but the side characters that don't they literally have no name for me, any given name you see in this post is because I opened the wikia and went to look for the names. This is a very crowded season.

Kouta as a protagonist gives me a lot of mixed feelings. I overall like him, but that are times where the show makes me want to hate him, but I guess that's just how teenagers so the show has perfectly hit the nail on him. I like how he starts as a good kid trying to get a job to help support his family, but then he becomes a rider and that gets up to his head and he becomes an overconfident prick just to have his ass kicked down and throw him on a downward spiral where he "refuses the call" to then have a moment where he slowly rises again, and even in this escalation he gets doubtful in quite a lot of times showing that he's a very interesting character. I only wish we knew more basic stuff about him, or at least have glimpses of his past, to know where did he came from and be able to have an estimative of where he's going to.

Sadly the other characters aren't anywhere near being this interesting. Kaito is just the hot-blooded rival, they decided to give him a backstory about he being anger at Yggdrasil for taking over the city but I think it only made him look more like just a teen with anger management issues rather than a compelling character. Mitchy had potential with the whole thing of being a kid from a rich family that has no freedom in regards to his future, but he more or less always followed the things I expected him to do as a character in his position so it was just a little boring. Near the end of this batch, Zack became a rider too but he's such a background character I have nothing to say about him. Junouchi and Hase lacked in personality because they were sold as a duo and they barely did anything on their own, Hase at least got more interesting things going for him since he eventually ate a fruit and died as an Inves what made him interesting where Junouchi just ended up being the keychain of another rider... and oh boy, Oren... it's kinda hard to talk about him. I'm not sure if "gay coded" is the correct term for him, probably not, but the thing is he's very problematic. First, because the show kinda sits in with Kouta's point of view and since the first meeting Kouta already showed signs that he didn't like him and that it was weird for him to see a flamboyant man with feminine trajects and he was always negative towards him. Then the show makes him be a Team Rocket villain where his character gets downed to a single goal and objective and every time he gets up on the screen is for him to be made fun of and it just makes me wanna hit my head on the wall. I know I shouldn't be surprised since last season they had the manager of Hungry Donuts that was also an LGBTQ+ character being used for comedic purposes, but at least in there, there was no portrayal of any character of the cast being uncomfortable or hostile against her so she was never seen with bad eyes or had any negative association to her (they also had a trans actor play her role which is an added bonus even though she wasn't out yet during the time of filming).

The show also has a "second set" of riders that are the adults on Yggdrasil's side. I feel like I don't have a lot to say about them because they were in the backseat a lot during the season and only started to have a more active role on screen now so I still don't have an opinion on them. Takatora seems bland, Sid was the one of this team that had more screen time but I also don't have an opinion on him, he's just like a drug dealer there's nothing special about him other than he uses one of my favorite fruits in his rider form. Ryoma and Yoko are probably the more interesting characters from this team and I'm really excited to see more of them.

There are more characters of this cast but I don't like any of them all that much so I won't spend more time talking about them, I'll talk briefly about the Riders' designs because this post is already long enough.

To begin with, I think it's a genius idea of mixing fruits with samurais for the main motifs of the riders, it's such a ridiculous, wild, and creative idea I wish I could be friends with whoever imagined this concept. I pretty much like all of the suits, I think the only form I don't like it's the Jimba Lemon one because it's not very aesthetically pleasing, it doesn't match very well with Gaim's basic design so it doesn't look as good to me, but I also don't like the giant watermelon suit, probably because the CGI looks weird, but I still don't like it. I love how the belts are very simple, it's a good contrast with the overly designed suits, I wish they had kept that simplicity for the genesis drivers as well. If I had to choose my favorite designs they are Gaim's strawberry, Baron's mango, Zangetsu's melon, Duke's lemon, and Marika's peach forms.

Before I wrap up this post I have two final complaints about this whole thing. The first one is the fact I don't know what's the message the show is trying to convey. Right at the beginning, I thought it was about growing up, but that was never touched again so I'm not sure if it's that, you know? The show feels a little lost in this aspect. It is a nice story, don't get me wrong, but all stories so far had a theme and I couldn't really find the theme on this one yet. I hope that after the reveal that the forest is like a parasite they'll bring up discussions that'll highlight what this is story is about.

My other problem is how against adults the show is. Maybe if I had watched this in my teenage years I'd be more in synchrony with the point of view of adults are liars and they're a problem, but now as an adult, I know that things aren't so simple. While I agree that using kids to gather data for their experiments wasn't the right course of action, I don't like how the protagonists are always so keen on being against adults and everything. Maybe they're like this because of how Japanese society is and to them becoming adults is like losing the sense of their own identities so to them adults are really like villains, but I still think that they hit too much on this key and it's kinda hard to watch without rolling my eyes at certain points.

With that being said, I still enjoyed the hell out of this show and I'm very excited to continue. So, what are your thoughts about Gaim, let me know down in the comments. I'll catch up with you folks later.

[msmkcreates]

Twice a Month I Fall in Love (16/???)

[Back to the Beginning]

Drabble continuation sponsored by @the-jennisms during the pay what you want drabble campaign! They wanted to see more about the beginnings of the switches!

As always, inspired by @undertaleprompts and their wonderful headcanons!

---------

~Nearly four years ago~

Papyrus could hear his brother calling for him, but it didn't matter.

Nothing mattered.

His body ached from the lacerations across his spine and ribs. The sting of his brother's whip was still strong in his memory.

It was the first time he knew he had failed Sans. It was the first time he'd taken a punishment for belief he had failed.

It was the first time the punishment had been in secret, between the two of them with no witnesses to posture for. The first time he realized how much LoVe his brother had absorbed, the first time he'd seen that anger in his sockets that wasn't just for show.

He'd taught him to survive, to pretend to be stronger than a monster among monsters, he had agreed to be the bitch to fool everyone into leaving his tiny, fragile Sans alone.

But somewhere along the way, it had stopped being an act. And it wasn't any clearer than the moment Sans had brandished that whip and told him to strip. He'll endure to save his brother's feelings, but…

A dry sob wracked his chest as he curled in on himself. Where did he go wrong? He'd kept Sans alive, but somehow, he hadn't been gentle enough to remind him what true loving bonds felt like. He had forgotten to nurture, preaching nature, and now it felt like he'd lost his brother for good.

He didn't even respond when Papyrus had tapped him three times, which had always been their code to say “I love you”.

What's even the point, then? If his brother is just as bad as the rest of the underground, then why would he need a screw-up like him around? If he was never going to get back to that brotherly companionship they'd had when they were kids, why even bother?

His shaking subsided, and he felt the tiniest bit of HoPe he still had just...fade.

There's no point if his brother doesn't love him anymore.

...he tasted dust between his teeth, and his only wish was that he'd been a little softer.

---------

Papyrus didn't stir for hours, and when he did, he vaguely recognized that he wasn't dead yet. He supposed he had a tiny bit of fight left in him after all…

He twitched and opened his sockets just a crack, confused by the warmth and light present in his room. Never mind, maybe he was dead after all--his bed had never been this comfy.

...is that...is that the sun?

He sat bolt upright, near falling over himself to get to the window nearby. In his haste he failed to notice anything but the light falling in through the curtains.

He threw them open and pressed against the window, staring in awe at the big, wide open blue sky and clouds, numb to everything except for the feeling of the warm sun spilling onto him.

It's real. It does exist. He had thought it was just stories, but here it was, he had to tell Sans, he had to--

--he paused in the act of unlatching the window, slowly realizing that...that wasn't his hand. In fact, the whole arm looked weird. He looked down, finding flesh and soft skin where previously he had had only bones.

Even through the soft t-shirt, he could tell this form was female as well. And small! He'd never seen a window outside of the palace that he didn't seem a giant compared to.

He turned and scanned the room finally, crawling off the bed and searching for a mirror. The room was clean and bright, with lavender walls and drawings pinned in various places, and there was a mirror on the door to what he assumed was the closet.

He stepped over hesitantly, observing what was definitely...not him.

A human girl, like he'd seen in books. Her hair was piled high on her head in a bun, and she looked tired and like she had cried herself to sleep.

He didn't know what was going on, or if it was permanent--had he been punished for giving up, or was he being rewarded for taking it on the chin? Is Sans here, too, or is it...is it just him?

What happened to the girl? He couldn't feel any other souls in there with him. Had she died and he only occupied the space?

He stepped back from the mirror, lowering himself to the floor and feeling the panic set in. He pulled his borrowed legs to his chest and put his borrowed head between his knees. He heard someone calling an unfamiliar name through the door and assumed it was the girl's family, but how was he supposed to do anything?? How could he face them, not knowing what was happening?

“Go away!” He called, his voice high, foreign, stressed.

“C'mon, Bumblebee, don't make me send Zack in there!”

Send who?! He glared at the door, ready to fight if it opened…

...then, the tiniest voice came through, a child, obviously, and he stopped.

“Sissy, can I come in?” It asked, and he melted. It sounded just like Sans when he was a babybones.

“...of course. Of course you can.”

The door opened, and he caught a glimpse of an older man as a young boy sidled through the door, closing it behind him and moving over to where he sat in the middle of the floor.

“I'm back from Benji's house,” he said, stopping just short of him. “Dad told me last night was rough. You need a little brother hug?”

Yes. He did need that. He pulled the boy close and held him there, and the boy didn't complain. He curled into his embrace, laying his small head on Papyrus’ borrowed shoulder, and he couldn't help the tears as they flooded forth.

...is this what this is? A second chance to do right by a little brother? To see what Sans could be?

“I'll never let you go,” he sobbed. “I'll protect you.”

“I know you will,” the child reassured him. “I'll protect you, too, okay?”

---------

~Before...~

You slammed the door to your room and flopped onto your bed, sobbing heavily into the pillows.

Three years. That's all you and Zack were worth to your mother, it seemed--three years of sobriety and now she's having martinis after work again. She's coming home tipsy, which means soon she'll come home drunk. You're glad she at least doesn't have access to the secret account you set up with Dad for Zack's new college fund--seeing as she squandered the last one.

You don't know how much longer you can put up with this...you just wish you were stronger, able to protect Zack better.

If only you were more capable.

---------

“PAPYRUS! PAPYRUS!”

You gasped awake at the unfamiliar voice and the sensation of cold water hitting your face.

Everything hit you at once--a strange sour smell, the cold room, bones, bonesbonesbones--

“OH THANK THE STARS!”

Somebody was dragging your confusing form and suddenly you felt hard hands on your face, prying your eyes open farther.

A skeleton. It was standing there, looking at you with strange purple lights that moved like irises, set deep into sockets black as night.

“GET UP, MUTT! YOU CAN'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT!” The skeleton seethed, and you saw what appeared to be an expression of...guilt and worry? “I...the wounds weren't so bad to dust you, they shouldn't have been! But here you are, laying in three inches of dust, like you--”

The skeleton--you assumed from the timbre of the voice it was male--removed his hands like you burned him, rocking back slightly.

“I...WELL. YOU SHOULD GET UP,” he said, his voice wavering. If you didn't know better, you'd think he was about to cry. “ALMOST DYING ISN'T AN EXCUSE TO...TO…”

He made a confused noise as you reached out for him, flinching, and when you pulled him in for a hug he went stiff, not reciprocating but just locked up, as if waiting to see if it would pass.

“i'm sorry i scared you. i'm okay.”

You didn't really know if that was true. Your back hurt tremendously, your voice was deep and frightfully hoarse, and somehow your hands were just bone...in fact, any part of you that you could see was just bone, clad in tattered purple plaid and jeans.

But you were getting a younger brother vibe from this skeleton, maybe not as young as Zack but still younger, and he needed comfort. You'd seen it.

He shoved you off, finally, looking at you with a mixed expression, before turning and making towards the small light pouring in through the door.

“BE DOWNSTAIRS IN FIVE MINUTES AND QUIT ACTING WEIRD!”

You rubbed your chest where he'd struck when he pushed off...okay, you definitely don't have boobs anymore. This all should probably freak you out a bit more, to be honest.

You glanced around the room, finding a light switch near the bed. You flicked it on and noticed a mirror, and so you got up, taking a step towards it--

--only to fall to the floor with a strangled yelp, immediately tripping over your own feet and falling in a heap on the floor. Your back seared with pain and you squeezed your eyes for a moment, before chancing a glance in the full-length mirror as you slowly drew yourself to your knees.

Okay, scratch that, definitely not your knees.

You touched the mirror, as if that would change what you were seeing. You were just as skeletal as the skeleton who had just left, though clearly bigger. The sockets blinked, and you shook your head, confused.

Okay. You're dead, you suppose. That's the answer, right? You wobbled to your feet, the long, gangly legs not obeying you. You managed to get to the window, looking out into the bleak light.

You gasped, not only at the snow, which was everywhere, but at the varied types of...people...walking around. You could only catch glimpses from the window, but you saw all sorts of things--anthropomorphic rabbits walking regular rabbits on leashes, slime people, a man made of fire rushing up the snow-covered road, and more.

You pulled away from the window, a little confused, but...giddy. You were surrounded by monsters, like, real ones! Maybe this was a dream, but it was a cool one!

But...what if it wasn't a dream? You paused, looking in the mirror again. You could still feel the weird pain in your back...did the other one say he did that to you? Er, to this person? If that's the case with someone who clearly cares about you, even if he's a little Tsundere, then what are strangers like?

You wrapped your long arms around yourself, unsure and confused. Why are you here? What about Zack and Dad? Is this place even safe? Was this some sort of punishment for feeling sorry for yourself about Mom?

...you wish you had the answers.

To Be Continued...

[ohprettyweeper-moved]

Caught on Fire

Part 7

Summary: You run into Chad for the first time since his return, and the night is kind of downhill from there.   Pairing: Josh Dun x Reader Word Count: 1420 Warnings: Trauma & Drama. Patient death. Sadness. A/N: Sorry if you caught the first part of this that wasn’t entirely ready to post. That’s what I get for being distracted when I set up a post! 

Series Masterlist

“Now there’s a face I’ve been waiting to see.”

You cringed before looking up from the charting you had been working on. “Chad. Hi. Heard you were back.”

He nodded. “I’ve missed you, Y/N.”

You locked out the computer and snorted, pushing out of the chair. “Yeah, I’m sure you have — but did you miss me as much as you missed the other girls you were screwing while we were together?”

You stopped at the IV box on the counter in front of you to pick up a few supplies before heading toward a patient’s room to start an IV for pain meds. Chad followed you; hearing his heavy boots against the linoleum floor, you turned on your heel to face him again. You had turned so abruptly, he nearly knocked you over before he stopped walking.

“What are you even doing here? Why are you following me?”

Chad crossed his arms over his broad chest. “We brought in a chest pain. Saw you were working, thought we could catch up for a minute. I really did miss you.”

“Funny how you didn’t even deny or address what I said about you cheating,” you scoffed, “but you know what? It doesn’t matter. You and I are over, and it’s for the best. I have someone new, and he is amazing. Amazing. Whatever it is that brought you back here, Chad, just know that I don’t care. Because I’m happy now. So … yeah. Bye.”

You gave him a sarcastic pat on the shoulder before heading towards you patient’s room again, leaving Chad in the wake of your happy life.

“Wait — do I know this guy?”

Smiling to yourself, you turned back to him before pulling the curtain back to the room. “Yeah, Chad. You do.”

You disappeared behind the curtain then, leaving Chad to sit and wonder, feeling a little better about the fact that you would potentially be seeing him regularly.

By the time your lunch break came around, you were certainly ready for that thirty minutes of freedom. After Chad had come and gone, the ER had filled up quickly, and trauma was not far behind. You had been going non-stop for the last few hours, and all you wanted was a turkey sub and a side of the homestyle potato chips the cafeteria made fresh every morning. A fresh bottle of water wouldn’t hurt, either.

“Can I buy you lunch?”

This time you turned toward the voice that snuck up on you with a smile. “Well, hello. You don’t have to buy me lunch, but you can sit with me, if you have time.”

“I have a few minutes,” Josh smiled, leaning in to kiss you. “Hi.”

“Hey there,” you smiled. “Bring a patient in?”

Josh nodded. “Non-trauma fall.”

You sighed. “Well, at least there’s that. We’ve been swamped. And, actually, you’re the second firefighter to sneak up on me tonight.”

Josh frowned. “I am?”

You handed your debit card over to the cafeteria cashier and rolled your eyes. “Chad brought in a chest pain and saw me. He was a little shocked when I told him I was dating someone new. Didn’t tell him who, though.”

“Sneaky girl,” Josh teased. “So if you didn’t mention my name, you’re not upset I haven’t told him about us yet?”

“Not at all. It’s none of his business. I mentioned the cheating, and he had nothing to say about it, just kept saying that he had missed me. My point is — there’s nothing left for me with Chad, except for drama. And I don’t want that.”

Josh smiled, but before he could say anything, his radio went off with report of an intense house fire. He sighed and kissed you quickly.

“We’ll pick this up later,” he promised.

You nodded, grabbed your food and your water and headed back for the trauma bay; no doubt your services would be needed sooner, rather than later.

Daddy! Daddy!

A child’s screams pulled you from your reverie as you waited for the trauma call to arrive. You knew that Josh’s unit was bringing the patient in, and somehow, you felt a little more stable for it.

Tyler was carrying a little boy, not more than six years old, into a room in the ER when you slid the trauma bay door open. The child was screaming and fighting against Tyler’s hold, reaching out for his father who was being wheeled in on a gurney. The auto pulse was working to circulate blood and awaken the heart of the badly burned man.

“Thirty-three year old male with what appears to be partial-thickness burn injuries to approximately thirty-six percent of his body. Patient went into v-fib en route, we shocked twice, but he isn’t maintaining a stable rhythm,” Josh reported while you worked with the rest of the crew to move the man from the ambulance gurney to the hospital bed. A flurry of action was taking place as the on-call trauma doctor arrived, another nurse helped you hook up monitors, and you tried to find a place for a decent IV.

“I want two IV’s,” the doctor requested, “what kind of injuries are we looking at besides the burns?”

Josh cleared his throat. “Patient went back in for his son, the floor collapsed under them. The boy was saved most major injuries as his father broke his fall, but he wasn’t so lucky.”

“All right, ultrasound, you’re up,” the doctor ordered.

The paramedics and a couple of firefighters stepped in to remove the auto pulse machine, and you were on standby to continue manual compressions while the radiology team set up. They would only have ten seconds before you needed to start compressions again; in the meantime, the respiratory team kept him bagged to at least get oxygen into his body.

The trauma doctor surveyed the image on the screen carefully. He shook his head. “There. The fall must have caused the tear in his aorta — it’s just shredded. A vessel like that — there should be far more blood flow. There’s nothing we can do here.” He checked the clock on the wall. “Time of death, two-twenty-seven.”

You stopped your compressions, stepped back off the footstool you used to give effective compressions, and snapped your gloves into the trash can. Your gown and mask were the next to go.

Maybe because you had seen the little boy before you had seen his father. Maybe because you knew what this man had done to save his son. Maybe he was just one of those patients that would stick with you for a while — forever.

Whatever the reason, you fought tears while you cleaned up the trauma bay. Two techs came to wheel the man to a private room where he could be cleaned up a little and the family could see him before he was taken down to the morgue. You bit your lip, took in a deep breath, and knew that the tears could come later.

Josh must have somehow known how hard of a hit you took; not speaking to him before his unit left had probably tipped him off. When you pulled into your driveway, Josh was waiting outside the locked door.

“What are you doing here?” you asked quietly.

Josh drew in a shaky breath. “It’s just … I watched that guy fall through the floor, you know? I was trying to get to him to get his son and get him, and get them out safely. It was almost like Zack all over again, but worse. I do this for the rush, yeah, but I do it to help people, too. To save people who should still have years ahead of them. But now, that little boy is without a dad, and the boy’s mom doesn’t have her husband. They’re on their own. And I know it isn’t my fault. I know that. But it still feels like my fault.”

Though your mouth opened a few times to say something comforting, you just couldn’t force out the words. You decided that silence was best, and threw your arms around Josh’s neck. His arms circled your waist, and the two of you stood there for some time, holding each other right there on the front porch. You waited for Josh to pull away, then asked if he wanted to come in with you.

“We can eat something, then get some rest. Together.”

“Yeah,” Josh nodded, “that sounds good. Together would be good.”

Tags: @takenvysleep​ @faceofcontvsions​ @svintsandghosts​ @adversaryproject​

[hazyheel]

NJPW G1 Climax 2019 Day 1 Review

We started the tournament with Lance Archer vs. Will Ospreay. This is a rematch from their meeting in the New Japan Cup earlier, which Ospreay did win. Right at the start, Larcher tried to charge Ospreay, who countered with a one handed spanish fly, before hitting a corkscrew moonsault to the outside and then a 450 in the ring, but only a near fall. Early on, Archer caught ospreay out of a suicide dive, and destroyed him with a chokeslam through a table at ringside, it looked like a brutal bump. Archer then maintained the advantage and completely battered Osrpeay with chops and strikes. Ospreay would get in flurries of offense, but Archer constantly just put him back down. At one point, he launched Ospreay across the entire ring with a shoulder tackle, followed by a buckle bomb and then a powerbomb on the apron. Ospreay was about to be counted out, but he springboarded into the ring with a missile dropkick, and followed it up with a shooting star press. He then drilled Archer with an Os Cutter, but Archer was still able to kick out. Ospreay tried to keep up the offense, but Archer intercepted him on the top rope and nailed a muscle buster for another near fall. Archer then hit Blackout, but Ospreay kicked out once again. Ospreay started to get desperate to put Archer away, but Archer refused to stay down and continuously countered out of Ospreay’s finishers. Ospreay went for the Os Cutter off the top, but Archer crotched him, hit a high knee, and then a super Blackout. He followed it up with the Iron Claw, forcing Ospreay to the mat for the pin. Archer: 2, Ospreay: 0.

Grade: A. What an opening contest! This was all action, and told a better underdog story than their New Japan Cup match. Ospreay sold like crazy and kept everyone believing that he could win, but ultimately fell short. Archer really impressed here too. He looked like an absolute menace and will probably be an important part of this years tournament. Really good stuff from these guys, they killed it. Hopefully this isn’t the kind of tournament that Ospreay will just get destroyed during, but I don’t think that will happen.

Up next was EVIL vs. Bad Luck Fale. Interestingly enough, Fale came out alone, so I don’t know if we will see as many disqualification nonsense. Once again, we have a start before the bell, as Evil attacked Fale right away, giving him a huge running lariat on the ramp, but not quite taking him down. Fale was able to get his footing and fight his way into the match a bit, but it was an exciting start. Fale slowed the match down a lot by nailing Evil with strong and deliberate strikes. Evil started to introduce chairs into the match while also capitalizing on his vast amount of strength, but Fale refused to stay down. The two traded strikes in the middle of the ring, and Fale was able to hit the Grenade, but Evil still kicked out. Evil then did the classic “catching the kick and passing it to the ref” move, following it up with a huge lariat that took the ref down with him. Evil then went for the home run, only for Fale to throw the chair into Evil’s face, nail a low blow, hit a home run of his own, and then hit Bad Luck Fall for the win. Fale: 2, Evil: 0.

Grade: B. It was a little slow in the middle, but it was still pretty exciting. Evil did everything he could to beat Fale, whether that meant out wrestling him or cheating. Evil is very motivated this year, and that should show an interesting tournament for him. As for Fale, he won mostly legit. No outside interference, and Evil cheated first, so I think he is going back to the days of just being a huge threat. But in a Block that already has a big threat in Lance Archer, I don’t know how entertaining that will be. I guess we will just have to wait and see. 

Then we had SANADA vs. Zack Sabre Jr. These two fought in last year’s G1 and had a great match, so I was excited to see them fight again. Sabre started the match by relentlessly fishing for a body part, eventually finding the neck and using that to force Sanada to the mat and take advantage of his positioning. Sanada was actually able to escape from Sabre’s various holds, showing off a lot of his technical prowess as well. The two then dueled for rollups, with both men scoring a near fall or two in the flurry, but ultimately ending in a stalemate. Sabre seemed to grow increasingly frustrated with Sanada as he continuously found himself locked in one hold after another from Sanada, and was almost being out wrestled here, something that the submission wizard was certainly not used to. So, he slowed down the pace quite a bit, pretending that he would be counted out before rolling back in the ring. Another story of this match was Sanada repeatedly going for the paradise lock, and Sabre using it as almost bait to get Sanada close to the ground for various submissions. There was one beautiful conversion where he popped Sanada off of him, and let him fall down into an armbar, but Sanada luckily made it to the ropes quickly. Sanada eventually got the paradise lock, using the ropes for an assist, which got a nice pop from the crowds. Oddly enough, that was almost a turning point, because Sabre was all over Sanada from that point on. He constantly found a submission counter to Sanada’s moves, nearly getting a submission win from an abdominal stretch. However, Sanada eventually got his advantage back with a twisting suplex and a TKO, but only a near fall. When Sanada went for his moonsault, Sabre got the knees up and immediately locked in a triangle. They two then dueled for submission control, Skull End versus whatever Sabre could come up with. In the finish, Sabre tried for one of his pinning combinations, only for Sanada to reverse it into a similar pin for the win. Sanada: 2, Sabre: 0.

After the match, Sabre beat the absolute crap out of the referee and some young boys. He was quite angry about the loss.

Grade: A-. This was a great match that showcased Sanada’s abilities on the mat. Sanada is an all around great hybrid wrestler, so it is interesting when one of his skills shines above the others. He put on a great show and showed everyone why he deserves to be IWGP World Heavyweight Champion someday. Zack worked awesome too, alternating between frustration and calm wrestling. He was either cocky and violent or completely smooth in his wrestling, reversing everything that came at him. Although he was extremely pissed early on in the match, he eventually got his cool, which was his downfall. He was far too confident in the end, and lost to one of his own moves. Really good match. 

Into KENTA vs. Kota Ibushi, a match that I’ve been hoping for since Kenta came to New Japan. The two dodged each other’s strikes early on, just feeling each other out, before turning the match into a very MMA style of match. They both had their guards up and were playing it very safe. When they actually were able to land a clean strike, the sound was shockingly clear, especially for such a large venue. There was an interesting dynamic here, where although their styles are so similar, their paces were not. Ibushi wanted to go as fast as he could, while Kenta was a much more calculated striker, which showed in the match. Kenta also showed an superior intelligence by being able to counter a lot of Ibushi’s moves. At one point, Ibushi went for a splash to the outside, so Kenta nailed him with a jumping knee strike. Kenta then followed it up by hanging Ibushi on the barricade and hitting a double stomp to the back of the head, and nearly got a countout win. Back in the ring, Kenta kept up the pressure with another double stomp, this one to the midsection. However Ibushi refused to be put way, fighting out of the GTS for a hard hitting brawl. They must’ve elbowed each other in the face for a minute before they started to kick. Kenta eventually put Ibushi on the mat, and just kicked the crap out of his head a couple times before trying for a pin, but no avail. Kenta then brought Ibushi up for the Go to Sleep and got the win. Kenta: 2, Ibushi: 0.

After the match, Kenta helped Ibushi to his feet in a touching show of respect. 

Grade: A-. Another great match! This was an awesome opening day, and I haven’t even seen the main event. They kicked each other bloody, exactly the type of match that I wanted to see from them. Kenta made sense for the winner, he is new to the company and Ibushi is a top guy. Kenta got over in America here, and I assume he was over in Japan too. He is now one of the biggest threats in his block, alongside Okada, Tanahashi and Ibushi himself. As for Ibushi, I doubt his tournament is over. I didn’t get to do predictions for this, but he is my pick to win this year. I am just realizing that I pick Ibushi for everything, but that isn’t the point. It is his time, and a loss this early won’t keep him down for long. 

And in the main event, we have Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada. The most legendary feud in New Japan today. Two of the greatest IWGP Heavyweight Champions of all time. They will go down in history, that is without a doubt. The crowd was chanting and cheering long before they even touched, and they deserved it. When they did finally come to blows, the energy was incredible. They fought to a stalemate early on several time, and it wasn’t long before the mindgames started. Okada targetted the knees a bit, hitting a dragonscrew leg whip of his own. The two wrestled a very deliberate and hard hitting match, filled with the two just trying to outsmart each other. Okada of course did his signature rainmaker pose, only for Tanahashi to try to roll him up during it for a near fall. Tanahashi even busted out the High Fly Flow to the outside. From there they kicked the match into another gear, with the two trading huge signature moves back and forth in very dramatic fashion. Okada went for the Rainmaker during that time, only for Tanahashi to hit a slingblade out of it, and then a standing high fly flow. He went for another high fly flow, but Okada was able to get his knees up in a brutal counter. The two then dueled for position with both men trying to hit a tombstone. Neither was able to hit it, but during the scramble, Okada was able to hit a short rainmaker, and then followed it up with another. He nearly hit another full rainmaker as well, but Tanahashi countered it with one of the closest rollups you will ever see. Okada continued to go for the rainmaker from her, refusing to let go of Tanahashi’s wrist, even when getting slapped in the face repeatedly. Tanahashi finally forced Okada to his knees from the strikes, but when he went to actually capitalize, Okada got him up for a jumping twisting tombstone, and then hit the rainmaker to finally beat Tanahashi in the G1.

Grade: A. Phenomenal match with an awesome finish. They played off their G1 history a lot in this match, so it was great to see them actually have a finish to this match outside of a draw. They were wrestling at a frantic pace, both men knowing that same history that we know. They played to each other’s weaknesses, constantly trying to get in each other’s heads and pulling out all the stops to get the win. This is a huge win for Okada, and puts him as a frontrunner in his block, if he wasn’t one already. As for Tanahashi, like Ibushi this will not keep him down. Either guy could still win the block, and I definitely think that someone in these last two matches will win the block. Great stuff, match of the night. 

After the match, Okada spoke. He said the name of the city, which got a huge pop, and he spoke english! So that was cool. He said that this would not be their last time hosting the G1 in the United States and vowed to come back, and vowed to win the G1 and remain the IWGP Heavyweight Champion.

Overall Grade: A-.

Pros: Ospreay vs. Archer; Fale vs. Evil; Sanada vs. Sabre; Kenta vs. Ibushi; Okada vs. Tanahashi

Cons: Fale vs. Evil didn’t seem to put on the best show that they could have.

[theotakulifechoseme]

Be Somebody -Levi x Underground City!Fem!Reader One Shot-

This is something I wrote forever ago and posted on my Deviantart and Fanfiction.net accounts, haha. I just thought I’d share some of my old work. >_> I think this was 11 pages? idk. Enjoy.

-Mama Nidiot

   The place was just covered in filth and grime. But that is to be expected in a place like the Underground. A place where humans are trash and it was kill or be killed; not exactly the nicest place in the world for children. Her tiny arms and legs were wrapped securely around my neck and torso as I passed by overhead, while the heavy knapsack slapped against my back as I used the 3DMG to bypass the other crooks that littered this damned place, the straps biting into my skin through my dusty clothes as I scanned the ground. A silent curse slipped past my chapped lips at the sight of them. The damned Scouting Corps. were here once again.

   “Hold on tight, Cameron.” I told the 9 year old girl, feeling her grip tighten even more, as I used the 3DMG that I modified to suit me better, as we flew above their heads, before dropping to the floor and blending in with our fellow sewer rats. Holding Cameron tightly to my front, I pushed a rickety wooden door open with my hip, before closing and locking it up. “I’m back!” I shouted into the seemingly empty underground house, and pulled down the bandana I wore around the lower half of my face.

   “Mom!” a large group of four boys and one other girl shouted, running down the old wooden steps.

   “Derek, Morgan, Jon, Zack, and Lacy! What have I told you about shouting?!” I scolded them all, watching as they hung their heads in shame. I simply sighed. “Get cleaned up. Once you’re done, Zack and Morgan are on peeling duty. Jon, you, Lacy, and Derek set the table. And you,” I crouched down and pressed my lips against Cameron’s dust coated forehead, “get cleaned and some rest. I’ll get you when dinner is ready.”

   “Okay mommy.” With a quick hug, Cameron left and went upstairs towards the bedroom she shared with me and Lacy. Standing up, I cleaned my hands and face in the kitchen, scrubbing away the underground filth that clung to me like a second skin, before pulling out the second knife I kept on my person and began dicing up the bit of meat we had.

   Lacy came in and started throwing what was chopped up into a large pot, after she washed her hands again, and proceed to stir it and everything else that got tossed in. “Do you guys know why the Scouts are filling this place?” Morgan asked, throwing a peel at Zack’s face.

   “Hey, stop that, you ass!” whined the eldest boy, flicking the potato’s skin from his cheek. The room went quiet shortly after as all their gazes lingered on my back, silently willing me to answer the question.

   “The answer is obvious, isn’t it? After all, this is not the first time they looked for one of us to join their ranks.” I spoke softly, remembering when I was just nine-years-old and watched when they took them into their ranks. “Curfew is still set for you, so if I catch any of you sneaking out, Jon, you’ll be without supper for a few days.” My [color] eyes cut over to the nervous 12 year old. Derek and Morgan, the twins, were both thirteen, Lacy ten, while Zack was the oldest at fourteen, just two years younger than myself.

   After a while I walked up the steps and knelt down by Cameron’s sleeping form and shook her awake. She groggily got up and took my hand, following after like a baby duckling as I sat her down at the kitchen table, filled my tanks, and made for the door while pulling my bandana back over my nose and mouth. “You not gonna eat with us mommy?” Cameron asked, blinking her large doe eyes owlishly at my retreating back.

   “Not tonight, sweetie. Zack’s in charge until I return.” I unlocked the front door and closed it behind me, easily blending in with the group of people that surrounded me, and made my way to the main tunnel of the Underground. The closer I got did the stench of stale sweat, vomit, alcohol, sex, and death start to assault one’s nose. If it was not for the black cloth wrapped around my face, the stench would have been ten times worse than whatever I currently smelled.

   A few men I passed nodded their heads in greeting, while others moved out of my way as the heavy heels of my boots thudded against the stone floor. “Don’t do anything stupid, Widow… Ever since Kenny left, you’ve been the only form of law for us.” A beefy man stated as he grabbed my left arm, just as I was passing his hole in the wall.

   “Did you not know that black widows are venomous?” without any hesitation, I broke the larger brute’s wrist. “May that be a painful reminder to keep your hands to yourself.” The last thing he saw was the scarred palm of my left hand… In the shape of a female black widow spider.

[-][-][-]

   “What does the Scouting Corps. want with street rats?” I asked, perching myself on top of a rock that jutted out from the dirt walls, allowing one of my legs to hang off the side as I stared them down. A tall man with blond hair, ridiculously bushy brows, and sharp icy eyes looked up at me; his gaze lingering on the handles to my blades as an obvious sign that I was ready to flee at a moments notice.

   “You would be this ‘Widow’ we’ve been hearing about, correct.” I pushed back a strand of my greasy [lengtblackolor] hair, not wanting to answer the man in the bolo tie. The man took my silence as confirmation. “You and your subordinates have been causing quite an uproar in the Capital.”

   My eyes hardened at the term ‘subordinates’. “And your point being? Is this not a matter for the King’s personal collection of rats to deal with?” I growled, fingers digging into the grips of my 3DMG handles. “You should know that you are in our city. The King’s roots do not extend down to the waste that the Capital has created. Anyways, with all that glitter you carry on your person, you sure are going to attract a few weasels~” at that moment, the more ruthless thugs that littered the area that the Scouts were stationed started wandering in, causing me to take my leave.

[-][-][-]

   “Mommy!” my head snapped down from my spot above, only to spot Cameron’s dusty blonde head struggling to get out of the arms of a person with wild russet hair. Swinging back around, I planted my feet solidly in their back while taking Cam out of their arms, feeling her cling desperately to my thin person. “Mommy!” she sobbed, soaking the shoulder of my [color] button-down.

   The person groaned under my feet, and started shifting enough that forced me to get off their back, leaving two boot marks on their jacket… on the Wings of Freedom. “Tch. Of course…” I gently rocked Cameron, making her cries slow down to a soft whimper and occasional hiccough. The person with wild russet hair got to their knees, rubbed their head, before looking around.

   “Where’d the kid go?! I had so many questions to ask her! ARGH!” without a single care about the dirt and other filth that littered the Underground, the person – woman – flopped back down and started dramatically sobbing, not caring the least bit about her cracked glasses.

   “Oi! Stupid glasses! Shut the hell up!” her cries were getting on my nerves, withering them away to nothing, as I stepped on her head in hopes of using the cold ground to muffle the damn sound. I had zero tolerance for others whining about shit.

   “Mmph! Mmph, mmph, mmmm!” they flailed again, pushing my foot off her head as she turned to face me. Cameron nuzzled herself closer to my side and proceeded to suck on her thumb, a bad habit that she has yet to break, as the woman adjusted her cracked glasses. “Whoa! You’re the bandit that danchou wants to meet! Widow, isn’t it?!”

   Grabbing her head, I slammed my forehead against hers. “Oi, stupid glasses, keep your damn voice down! You’re not Above, so don’t act like you are!” Even with our heads pressed so close together, she proceeded to nod happily like an excited puppy. “Tch, you are a pain. You’re probably the type that’d still follow even if I used my Gear, huh?” again, she nodded.

   “I’m Hanji Zoe! Squad leader and person in charge of Titan research!” I simply scoffed and turned around. Hanji proceeded to follow me like the excited puppy she seemed to be.

[-][-][-]

   “I’m home…” I called out flatly, my [color] gaze cutting over to Zack when he and the others made an appearance. Setting the dusty blonde child down, I closed the gap between me and the teenage boy, pulled him down to my short height, and proceeded to headbutt him right between the eyes. “Idiot! I cannot leave you in charge for less than two hours without you fucking up! Cameron could have been hurt, or worse, she could have been killed!” with each word, I kicked him hard in the side, causing the others to wince at his punishment.

   “We had our hands full with Jon! He kept trying to get out so he could start going to those Fight Clubs again in the Lower District, mom!” Derek and Morgan pipped up, pointing at the guilty boy. I simply punched him in the back of the head.

   “OW! That hurt ma!”

   “That’s the point, brat! Use your brain next time, not your damn fists!” Jon pouted, rubbing at the forming lump on his skull. “Lacy, take Cam upstairs and get ready for bed. Both of you.” She nodded, her short ginger hair sticking up every which way, and grabbed Cameron’s free hand as the both ventured upstairs. With that done, I plopped down at the kitchen table, throwing my legs over the corner and crossing them, as I gestured to an empty spot for Hanji. She sat down, her wide eyes flittering around the room, trying to take in everything at once. “What exactly do the Scouting Corps. want with me?”

   Her eyes zoned in on me once I started speaking. “Danchou wanted to talk to you about joining us. Seems you and your family have made quite a name for yourselves, however it seems that you have his interest out of all of you.” She pointed at me. I appreciate Hanji’s use of ‘family’ over ‘subordinates.’

   I sighed, pulling my bandana down. “If he is only looking to recruit me, then he best leave. I have my family to take care of…”

   “Mom, think this through…” Zack spoke softly into my ear. “Just play that game with them. If you win, you stay, if they win, you go.” Waving him off, I allowed my feet to fall loudly back onto the wooden floor.

   “How about we place a wager. Us of the Underground like a good bet. If I can escape and/or evade all the Scouts that are currently here, you will all go away and I shall stay here. However if I am caught and cannot escape in the time limit, I will keep my word and join you. Take it or leave it.”

   “What kind of time limit are we talking about?” she inquired, leaning her elbows on the creaky wooden table top.

   “Does two hours sound good to you?”

   Hanji stood, her palms flat against the top, as she nodded. “I’ll have to confirm with danchou, but you have a deal, Widow.”

   “[full name].”

   “What?”

   “My name. It is [full name].”

   With a small smile, she nodded and left.

   Sighing heavily, I casted Zack a side long glance. “Let us just hope that your damn plan works, idiot…”

[-][-][-]

   I stood in front of the whole Scouting Corps. waiting, my bandana pulled over my face while my oily [color] hair was pulled back and tied with a string. ‘It’s starting to feel really nasty…’ I inwardly cringed at remembering that I haven’t bathed in a few days to save water for cooking and the others, as disgusting as that might be, it was one of the major problems most had to deal with while living in the Underground.

   Hanji happily bounce before me, a large grin spread across her sun kissed face. “Widow! You came!”

   Scoffing, I crossed my arms over my small chest. “I gave my word, didn’t I? What kind of example would I be to my family if I broke a vow?” I stressed the word ‘family’ once I caught sight of Mr. Forehead-mustache.

   She nodded in understanding. “Anyways, about your offer… Danchou agreed to it~”

   “Ah…” I gestured to the others to come over. “Derek, you and Morgan go to the Lower District and tell the dumb-fucks down there that if they so much as think of causing trouble, that they’ll be getting a ‘Lacy Surprise’.” I tossed a hooked blade towards them both, which they caught and grinned devilishly at what they could possibly do, and nodded before running off. “Jon, you’re in charge of Lacy and Cam… Zack…”

   “Yeah?” the tall auburn haired teen asked, coming forward.

   “Still have that watch your daddy gave you?” he nodded, pulling out the silver pocketwatch. “You’ll be time-keeper. Understood?” he popped open the cover, signaling that he was ready. “On your signal… danchou…” I purred sarcastically, pulling out the handles for my 3DMG. At the slightest twitch of his dominant hand did I react, shooting the cables and fleeing from the Scouts that chased me through the chaos of the Underground.

[-][-][-]

   Nearly two hours have passed, as it started getting down to the last ten minutes, and I stood in a dark alleyway, trying to catch my breath. Ejecting one of my tanks, I shook it a bit, hearing the gas inside, alerting me to the fact I only had ¼th of a tank left. “Fuck.” My head snapped up, seeing a figure wearing Maneuver Gear at the mouth of the alley. I stepped back as they stepped forward, my eyes darting around for any form of escape.

   Locating one, I shot one of my cables off, hearing the Scout do the same just a hair trigger second after I did. Mere seconds later I felt someone tackle me out of the air, forcing our cables to release as we tumbled to the hard ground. I groaned, head throbbing from where it made contact with the solid floor – of fucking course it is solid [Name]! – as something cold brushed against my collarbone. My left hand shot to my hip, retracting a flick blade, and pressing the sharp point against their right femoral artery.

   Seems they had the same thought in mind as they pressed their own knife against my carotid artery. [color] clashed against stormy gray orbs as I stared at the person above me. ‘Of fucking course it would be him of all people…’ Resigning myself to my fate, I placed my weapon away, and just laid there under his person. His heavy lidded eyes read his confusion, causing me to smirk, as I looked away, and caught sight of Zack. My heart started hurting, as I saw the tears he shed drip off the point of his chin, before he scrubbed them away with his sleeve.

   “T-Time!” he shouted, alerting others of the Corps. that it was all over…

[-][-][-]

   Ten years had passed since then, and not a day goes by that I do not miss my family. “Bun-taichou [Name]!” I turned, seeing one of the rookies – Jean, I think his name was – call out to me while struggling to maintain his balance under the large stack of documents he held in his arms.

   I quickly grabbed the top half, lessening his load, and quirked an eyebrow at him. “Yes?” his cheeks flushed a dusty pink as I continued to stare up at him. Due to crappy genetics and being malnourished most of my life, I was the shortest person in the Scouting Corps. at the shitty height of four foot-nine inches. However, unlike before where I was mistaken for a little boy, in my time as a Scout I had… filled out… a lot.

   Because of this, most rookies seem to developed this odd crush on me, until training comes around; earning me the nickname of “Satan’s Mother” by nearly everyone. “Err… Heichou wants to speak with you.”

   “Ah…” I gave him back the documents and straightened my uniform a bit, fixing the leather gloves I wore along with the black bandana I wore around my neck, before turning on my heels, heading towards Levi’s office.

   Knocking, I waited politely for an answer. “Name and business…” his deep voice commanded.

   “[Name] and you asked for me, stupid.” Rolling my [color] eyes, I pushed open the door and promptly entered, taking a seat directly across from his desk, and crossed my legs.

   He shuffled and straightened a few documents after shooting me a look, before resting his chin on his laced fingers. “I’ve noticed how distracted you have been lately, [Name]. That is unlike you, and we cannot afford any type of distractions…”

   This was Levi’s own way of asking what was wrong. I sighed, turning to stare out his open window. “I miss them. That’s all…” he quirked an eyebrow at me. “Also, an anniversary is coming up. After 10 years, it seems everything is starting to overflow.”

   “What… kind of anniversary?” Levi hesitantly asked, possibly feeling a bit out of place.

   I attempted a sardonic smile. “Forgive me. I tend to forget that no one here knows everything about me. It is my actual daughter’s death anniversary.” I looked down at my leather-clad hands. “You, of all people, know how bad it can get there. Children are the main targets for anything, and I just happen to be one of those targets. One of the King’s prized rats decided to… well…” he understood what I meant. “I was probably 9 or 10. I don’t know, the years blend together anymore that keeping track is troublesome. Its a painful process, giving birth, but knowing that there will be someone to love you unconditionally makes all the pain worth it. However, Allison died five months after she was born. She got sick, and there was nothing I nor anyone else could do for her.”

   I wrung my hands. “It was around that time that I met Zack and his father. I struck a deal with them. I would take Zack and raise him like my son, and in return his father would kill one person for me. I accepted and he took care of my personal monster. After that, I started taking in kids that had trouble adjusting to the Underground, and all that jazz. I became their mother, they became my kids, and we made a living for ourselves… I have not seen my family in ten years, and I miss them dearly…”

   I tensed, feeling Levi roughly grab my wrist and hauled me up to my feet. His steely, near silver, gray hooded gaze stared down into my own [color] bewildered ones. “We have a few days off, [Name]. You should use them to see your family again.”

   Levi released my wrist and turned on his heel, keeping his back facing towards me. “Heichou, would… would you like to visit them with me?” His gunmetal gray eyes pierced me as he cast a simple look back at me from over his shoulder, silently questioning my reason for my request. “The reason should be obvious… Mainly to someone like you, Levi.” Crossing my arms over my midsection, I smirked softly. “I know a few routes to get there that you would never believe, too.”

[-][-][-]

   I pulled my old bandana up, over the lower half of my face, as we descended the steps of a bakery’s cellar, only gaining access after showing the aging owner the brand of a female Black Widow on my left palm, before finding a trapdoor. Grabbing the rusted handle, I started pulling it up, making it kick up dust as it revealed another set of handmade dirt steps. “Tsk, disgusting…” the Corporal grunted, waving a hand in front of his face to clear the air of the dust particles.

   “It’s the Underground, heichou. Nothing is clean down there.” I stated, lighting a lantern and went down the stairs first, listening as the dirt crunched under the souls of our boots as the stale smell of vomit, urine, alcohol, and garbage started to surround us both. “Ugh… I do not miss this stench in the least bit!” I exclaimed loudly as I pinched my nose closed.

   It took us probably ten, fifteen, minutes to reach the main area of the Underground, causing both of us to stare at the changes that have been made since either of us last step foot in this place. As we wandered through the grimy streets, our cloaks drawn tight around us to obscure our Maneuver Gear, did a filthy hand shot out, tightly grasping my right wrist as the person held me above, causing me to drop the lantern.

   “Why ain’t ya a purdy thin’…” the disgusting fat slob crooned darkly, eyeing me up and down. “Ya seem to have somethin’ shiny attached t’ ya, too…”

   I narrowed my [color] gaze in annoyance as I dangled from my arm. “Know your place, dipshit!” I shouted, biting the hem of my leather glove that covered my left hand and removed it, before ramming my palm against his jaw. The idiot let me go as he staggered back, rubbing at his jaw. Stepping forward, I jammed my heel against his manly-bits, and proceeded to show him the brand on my palm. “Fuck off before I show you why Black Widows are venomous.” The man quickly scampered off as I pulled my glove back on.

   “Even after ten years, your scar still seems to scare people.” Levi commented, having watched the whole thing instead of helping.

   “Yeah, well, when you have to clean up the messes of Derek and Morgan, the Sadistic Pair, you happen to become well known for having two kids that’ll do anything when bored.” I shrugged, continuing on my way. “Then there was Jon. He and Cameron were the runts, but he had a fighter’s spirit, that kid does. If someone wasn’t watching him constantly, he’d make his way towards the Lower District for Fight Clubs. I honestly do not remember a time of Jon coming back empty handed, either.”

   I chuckled. “Then there’s Lacy, the second youngest. As tricky as a fox and just as pretty, but if you so much as try to touch her in a way she does not like, consider your balls forfeited.” The stoic Lance Corporal winced at the thought. “She keeps a hooked blade strapped to her thigh, just for cases like those. We’ve all come to call it the ‘Lacy Surprise.’” Smiling, I remembered when the boys came up with that one. “Zack was my protégé, as he was with me the longest, while Cameron was our lookout. She has unnaturally sharp eyes. Her eyes are probably as sharp as Mike’s nose.”

   With all this talking I was doing, I nearly bypassed my old home. Taking a deep breath through my nose, I slowly opened the door, fearing of what I would see on the other side. Probably seeing how hesitant I was, Levi set an encouraging hand on my shoulder, I nodded back gratefully and pushed open the old wooden door. “I’m home!” I called out, just waiting for any signs of life.

   Footsteps could be heard running down the stairs as a tall man with an auburn colored sea-urchin on his head appeared, blinking his green eyes in confusion at us both, while a set of identical sandy blond haired men stood on either side of him with light Jade green eyes. A stocky, well built, young man with a wild mane of mahogany that fell down his neck, and slightly in his rust brown eyes, stood on the stairs. Peaking over his shoulder was a girl with bright blue eyes and choppy ginger hair, a white cloth mask obscuring her lower face, but I could still see how pale she was. “M-mom?” the identical young men were the first to speak.

   Awkwardly, I spread my arms open. “Do I really look that bad?” they both ran over and squished me between them both in a tight hug, causing two others to join in. Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed the only one that hadn’t joined in was Jon.

   “What are you waiting for, dumb-fuck? A written invitation? Come and join the group hug!” Lacy scolded, casting a glare at the only one that had not greeted me yet.

   He shuffled down the steps before meeting up with me. His thin lips pressed into an even thinner line before he wrapped me up in his arms, easily picking me up off my feet.

[-][-][-]

   To say the least, it was nerve wrecking as we all sat around the tiny table that we seem to have outgrown, to the point I actually had to sit on Levi’s lap just to make room for everyone. However, my mind did not linger on that fact at all. I noticed that someone was missing from our family reunion. I was afraid to ask, but I did so anyways. I asked the one question I ever regret asking… “where’s Cameron?”

   The air grew tense as everyone stopped talking. Lacy started looking at her lap, while the twins fidgeted in their seats. Jon looked neutral, while Zack’s face contorted into one of pain. “Sh-she died… four years ago…” the young man muttered lowly.

   I felt like like I just got the air knocked out of me as I cupped my mouth, feeling my tears drip onto my wrist. “Oh… so now you care?” my head snapped up, [color] meeting rust brown in a startled clash.

   Morgan quickly got to his feet first and grabbed Jon by the front of his shirt. “You little shit! That’s no way to talk to mom! Of course she cares! Why wouldn’t she care that one of her kids died?!”

   “She left us, you piss ant! Tell me, how is that carrying for us?! She isn’t even our real mother!”

   I knew it… I should not have came back…

   “Jon—”

   “Don’t fucking ‘Jon’ me, Zack! Or are you just that damn blind to overlook the fact that she replaced us! [Name] doesn’t give a damn about us. Simple as that.”

   … … …

   “Oi, shit stain…” I hiccoughed softly, hearing the Lance Corporal speak for the first time since entering my old home. “How the fuck would you know if [Name] replaced you?” his voice was calm and even as he spoke to the younger man. “You are full of shit, you know. That’s probably why you have such shitty eyes, too. Your mother, here, has been worrying about you fuckers for the last ten years—”

   “Yet she never made an effort to see—”

   “Don’t fucking interrupt me, shit stain.” Levi’s voice took on a darker tone to it. “[Name] nearly got herself killed because she worried more about a worthless asshole like you than herself.” His fingers curled into my hip, making me remember my own carelessness that costed me a dislocation. “In my opinion, she should not waste anything for a little shit like you. Boohoo, the person who took you in had left, because she honored an agreement she made. You know what would have happened instead? The MP’s would have gotten her instead, and she would be rotting away in a cell somewhere like an animal. You honestly think those bastards would give a shit about someone from here? A female from the Underground no less?” the man sneered at Jon as my tears ran down face face quickly.

   “What’s with all this noise? I tryin’ ta take a nape…” a soft voice spoke from behind the two – previously – fighting men. “Some’mun has a bad potty mouth, too.”

   A child, a little girl to be exact, with thin dirty blonde hair stood there, wiping the sleepy dust from her hazel eyes. “Good going, ya dingus.” Zack smacked Jon upside the head before picking up the small child.

   Zack muttered something that only the child could hear, as I watched on, feeling myself stiffen once her eyes landed on me. A chill ran down my spine, taking in the familiarity of them. “Grammy?” her sleepy voice muffled by the thumb she sucked on.

   The auburn haired man handed the tiny child to me, giving me the chance to cradle her in my arms as she rested her head against my shoulder, facing towards the Lance Corporal. “Before some gobshite interrupted me, earlier, I was gonna tell you the reason why Cameron passed away.” Zack casted a scathing glare at Jon, causing the younger man to cringe, appearing smaller than he really was, before redirecting his gaze back to me. “That little girl is why Cam’s not with us. She gave up her life to bring her into the world… However, before she passed, Cam mentioned that it was something you would have done. That you would give your life for your kids… And that’s why this gobshite is pissed.” To make a point, the auburn haired man slapped Jon upside his head.

   “Grumpy looks grumpy…” the tiny child mumbled around her thumb, looking directly at Levi. “Grumpy needs a bananer… they make you happy.”

   My [color] eyes widen as I turned, facing the dead-panned Lance Corporal who seemed to be having a staring contest with the little four year old. The child was not going to back down and pointedly kept staring back. “Grumpy?” I inquired.

   “Grammy,” she pointed up at me, “Grumpy,” her finger now pointed directly at Levi’s face. It finally clicked as to what she was talking about, causing my whole face to redden at the thought.

   “N-No, no, no, no! That’s Levi-heichou, not Grandpa! Heichou!”

   “Grumpy.”

   “You are an embarrassment, child!” I covered my face with my hands, groaning in frustration over how adamant she was.

   “Pfftt…” the twins started snickering, looking at our odd threesome mischievously. “Allison’s deadset on mom’s superior being grandpa… Is that what they teach you in the military?”

   “What… was that?” I asked ominously, slowly turning to look at them both as I cracked my knuckles. “Excuse me.” I sat the girl on Levi’s lap in my place as I stood, making my way around the table towards the two idiots. “Mind repeating that you little fuckers?!” before they had a chance to respond did I grab them both by their collars, dragging them out of the house. “You two talk big, but can you back your shit up?” they lay on their backs, staring up at me, before scrambling to their feet. “Show me what you’ve learned in the last ten years, kids…”

[-][-][-]

   Derek and Morgan groaned as forming bruises littered their forms, and I dusted off my clothes while licking the split lip they gave me. “Still have a long ways to go, children.” They said nothing, just narrowing their Jade colored eyes at me from their spots on the ground.

   “Are you—”

   “— thinking what—”

   “— I’m thinking?” they finished together, quickly catching their breaths as coy grins curled their lips. “Of course you are, brother!” the twins got to their feet, ignoring whatever bit of grime or blood that clung to them, as they each threw an arm over my shoulders. “We have decided, mother!”

   “And what have you two spawns of Satan decided?”

   “Well…”

   “… You might not like it…”

   “But we have decided that—”

   “— we’ll join the military with you!”

   “What?!”

   “Told you that you wouldn’t like it.” Derek and Morgan dead panned, running their free hands through their sandy blond waves.

   “Of course I don’t, you idiots!”

   “Think of it logically, mom! We’re the perfect, and we do mean perfect, team. We don’t need to talk to inform the other what is going on, and our attacks are in perfect sync. Throw in the fact that we love to fight dirty if it means us winning the fight, then you got a good set of soldiers.”

   Turning, I stared at the others that clogged up the door. “Any of you share this fucked up idea?” without any hesitation, Lacy’s hand shot up in the air before smacking Jon, who proceeded to slowly raise his own hand. Zack just rubbed the back of his neck as he shook his head in the negative.

   “One of us would have to look after Ally, as well as look after any other kids of the Underground, so it’d be best if it was me.”

   “Oh, is that so?” the auburn haired man flinched, noticing the glint my eyes took. “So the rest of you think you have what it takes to make it as a Scout, hm?” Lacy and the twins nodded furiously. “Heichou, do you think my brats have a chance in the Corps.?”

   The vertically challenged man scuffed, carrying the toddler under his arm as if she was nothing more than documents. “I doubt they’d be able to take down Springer or Blouse.” I chuckled in agreement with his statement.

   “Mother! How cruel of you to doubt your own children!” whined the twins, grabbing my legs.

   “Get the hell off me. You aren’t 13 anymore!”

   “Brother! Mom’s sexually frustrated!” they cried as one, clinging to each other as my face heated up.

   “Why you—!”

   “Instead of killing them, [Name], wouldn’t it be best to make them eat their words?”

   I looked back at my Corporal. “You honestly think Erwin would accept?”

   “Tch. I do not give a shit if Eyebrows accepts or not. Your brats would provide some entertainment back at HQ.”

   “Grumpy’s mouth is full of poo…” chimed Allison cheerfully. A tiny grin curled the man’s thin lips as his gun metal gay eyes slid down to her.

[-][-][-]

   Erwin was no where in sight when we returned, mainly with the six extra bodies that we had following behind us. The young cadets seem to take notice first, as they all came scurrying over to look at the unknown faces. “Let’s see…” I sat Allison down as I strolled up and down the line. “You,” I pushed Jean forward, “you,” Eren, “you,” Mikasa, “you,” Connie, “and you.” I finished while pushing Ymir forward. “Jean paired with Lacy, Mikasa with Jon, Derek and Connie, while Ymir with Morgan.”

   “Er… what about me, Bun-taichou?” inquired Eren, pointing up at himself.

   “You, my dear cadet, will be paired with my protégé Zack.” I gestured, watching as the teen’s sea-green eyes trailed up, widening at how tall the younger man was. Zack was pushing closer to Mike’s height, though he was still a bit shorter than the man with the habit to sniff people. “The rest of you will be watching, got that? As for you that’ll be sparring… Word of warning, my kids won’t go easy on you and will use any underhanded tactic they can. First up is Lacy and Jean.”

   I picked up Allison again and leaned back against the wall next to Levi, grinning ever so slightly as Lacy pulled off her face mask, tucking it away in her coat pocket before tossing it away. Jean watched her, looking wary as she slowly walked around him, a coy grin curling her pearl colored lips as her skirt fluttered around her legs. ‘The fox is coming out to play.’ I thought, just as Lacy slowly glided the tip of her tongue over her upper lip, drawing Jean’s eyes there.

   “Bad move.” Allison commented, watching Lacy zip forward, driving her knee into his stomach before flipping back, lightly bouncing on the balls of her feet as she shook out her arms. Jean looked back up at her, yet his gaze dragged back down to her slender legs. “Stupid!” the ginger haired woman’s grin slipped, showing her annoyance as she stomped over and grabbed the sandy-brown haired teen by the collar of his uniform, bringing them face to face.

   “Oi, horse-face! Take me seriously, dammit!”

   “She said the magic word…” I chuckled, watching as Jean smacked her hands away and took a fighting stance, looking a bit more serious than he did before. Lacy nodded in approval, holding a loose fist out in front of her at shoulder level, while her other hand was left open at hip level.

   Punches were thrown and blocked, some hitting while others missed their marks, before Lacy fisted his uniform collar, planting her left foot into his stomach, and throwing him over her head. Without waiting, she flipped herself over and straddled his chest, placing the hooked blade that was hidden under her short skirt against the underside of his jaw. “Hm… Now that I got a better look at ya… yer pretty cute… For a guy with a horse face, that is.” Getting up, Lacy dusted off her legs and skirt, leaving Jean on the dirt ground, and smiled at me. “So… How was I, mom?”

   “Heichou?”

   “She’s adequate… for a shitty brat, that is.”

   Lacy puffed out her cheeks and walked off. “Morgan, Ymir, up front!”

   Morgan whistled lowly. “Hello Miss Leggy~” he smirked, standing across from her. “What do you think, Brother?”

   “Eh… I’d give her a 6/10. Not our type, though.” Morgan nodded in agreement.

   Ymir and Morgan’s fight ended in a draw, much to the twins’ amusement, as I gestured towards Derek and Connie. “Try and keep the trash talk to a minimum, okay?”

   “Like the bald look, but personally it’s not my style.” Derek remarked, pulling his sandy blond hair back into a half ponytail, allowing a few strands frame his charming face, as he cracked his knuckles. “After all, the ladies love having something to hold on to.” He chuckled suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows a bit to help get his point across.

   Even after the beating I gave him, Derek was able to go easy on the shorter teen. In a matter of minutes, after the older man stopped playing around, did he get behind Connie a pulled him into a wrenching full Nelson, nearly making the younger teen pass out from the lack of blood circulating to his brain. Before Connie passed out from the hold, Derek released him and easily picked him up and carried him over to a tree by the other cadets. Not waiting for my signal, Jon strode forward just before Mikasa.

   “You know, right now would be a great time to lay down bets.” I muttered, looking at Levi from the corner of my eyes.

   Ally watched us both intently, seeing as the two have yet to start their spar, and waited for the man’s answer. “Twenty coin, and a week of cleaning duty, says your shit stain son and the brat tie.”

   I hummed in response. “Okay. Twenty coin, and you actually sleeping, says that Jon’ll come out on top.” We shook on it to seal the deal. The twenty-two year old man stood his ground, waiting as a gentle breeze blew through, ruffling his mahogany mane. Adjusting her stance just a bit, Mikasa launched herself into action, aiming a swift kick to Jon’s side. He took the kick, and all of her punches, while blocking his head, his rust-brown orbs following every movement the oriental girl made like a hawk.

   Mikasa swung, aiming to break through his defenses to hit him in the face, only to end up with her arm trapped by his own and pinning it to the side; thus bringing her closer for a headbutt to the bridge of her nose. Jon moved, sliding his hip behind her, using her trapped arm as leverage, and threw Mikasa down. The other cadets gasped in surprise at the take-down, however the red scarf-wearing girl did not stay down for long, as she quickly got back to her feet and charged at Jon. The mahogany haired man blocked her punches, grabbed her scarf, and tossed her back.

   If looks could kill, the young male would have been six feet under. From where I stood, I could easily see the young female’s jaw locking up, her piercing gaze locked on Jon’s challenging one. She came after him again, aiming to swipe his feet from under his stocky form, which worked, making the man fall on his ass. “Tsk.” Jon flipped back, barely dodging an axe kick to the top of his head, and got to his knees. Tensing up, he launched himself forward, digging his shoulder right under her breasts, and tackled her to the ground.

   The two rolled around, trying to one up the other and pin them, but it didn’t last long when Jon got his knee between her legs. “Jon don’t—!” without listening to my warning, he kneed Mikasa hard between the legs as he grabbed hold of the lapels of her coat, and headbutted her once more, allowing him to come out on top. Mikasa gasped loudly, curling into the fetal position with her hands between her legs. Setting Allison down, I stormed over to the man who sat on his knees, heavily panting, as he wiped away sweat from his brow. “You idiot!” he flinched, just as my boot made contact with the side of his head. Grabbing a handful of his sweat-drenched hair, I pulled him up and kneed him in the jaw, sending Jon backwards.

   “What the hell, mom! You didn’t set any rules, meaning it was fair game!” he shouted, wiping away the blood that trailed from his nose.

   “When have I ever allowed Fight Club moves, though, Jon?!” Jon bit his tongue but scowled at me in return. “Now you’re gonna get off your sorry ass, pick up Mikasa – gently might I add – and take her to the infirmary like the gentlemen that you should be, or so help me I’ll kill you myself! Do I make myself clear young man?”

   “Y-Yes mother!” he stammered, scrambling to his feet and gently picked up Mikasa bridal style, his ears turning a bright pink, as he lowly asked for directions. Allison, seeing this as a perfect chance to explore, chased after them both and seem to be trying to bombard the Asian girl with questions.

   “A-Are you okay, Squad Leader [Name]?” Eren asked, coming to my side.

   “I’m fine, I’m fine. Though I won’t say the same for you…” the tanned boy gulped in response, turning to face the ever intimidating Zack. “Seeing as I have to set some ground rules here… No hits below the belt, as in no intentional nut-shots,” I casted both boys a look, “and no bladed weapons of any kind.” I held a hand out towards Zack, who simply shrugged, and removed a knife from his right boot and a dagger from the left, and placed them in my hand. Seeing my knowing look, Zack took off the one strapped to his right hip, handing it over, followed by the one strapped to his back, before pushing up both of his sleeves to show two combat knives strapped to both of his inner forearms.

   Eren’s sea-green eyes widen in silent awe at all the blades, while I gestured to the older of the two’s boots again. Zack snorted and kicked the heel of his right boot, forcing the hidden blade to pop out, and gave it to me. “That’s all of them, I promise.”

   “Oh, I know. Seven has always been your lucky number.” I returned back to my spot next to the Lance Corporal, and proceed to cross my arms. Without saying anything, Levi placed the gold coins he owed in my waiting hand. Eren did not look too sure as he took his fighting stance, his sea-green eyes focused on Zack warily. “Begin whenever you’re ready!”

   Zack’s large size was an advantage, but also a disadvantage, and against someone like Jaeger, his size was a huge handicap. Eren happened to be light on his feet, unlike the auburn haired man, and used that to aid him as they sparred. Very rarely did Zack land a solid punch or kick on the younger male, while said male was able to finally knee him in the mid-thigh, bringing the giant down into a panting mess. “Okay… OW! What the hell is your knee made of, kid? Rocks?”

   I whistled lowly, patting Eren on the back as I passed (though I was tempted to pat him on the ass just to see how he’d react, however I will leave that up to Hanji to do), and toed the area on Zack’s thigh. He winced in pain as I stared. “The little shit dead-legged you! Of all the damn moves you let him do, you let him fucking dead-leg you! Haha, and was a Grade 2 dead-leg!” I teased, watching as his face heated up into a bright red. “Oi, help your moronic brother up!” I pointed at the twins, who nodded and helped Zack to his feet while sickeningly sweet smiles, “show these idiots the infirmary.” The German boy saluted and escorted all three into HQ. Lacy, on the other hand, was too busy talking up a storm with a slightly flustered Jean.

   “Was that enough entertainment for you, Heichou?”

   “Tch. Your shitty brats might have what it takes to be apart of the Scouting Corps… If they can use 3DMG as well as they can brawl.”

   I hummed lowly with a soft smile. “What is going on here?” turning around, I spotted Erwin walking over to us.

   “Whoops. What now?”

   “Levi, [Name], what is going on here?” Erwin demanded, standing in front of us.

   “A friendly bet?” I offered, making Levi snort.

   “Calm the hell down, Erwin. You look like you’re ready to take a huge shit.” Commented Levi, looking as stoic as ever.

   “I would like some answers, Levi. Just who are these people?”

   Humanity’s Strongest pointed a thumb at me. “Why don’t you ask her. They are her brats after all.”

   Mr. Forehead-mustache quirked one of the majestic sides of said mustache as he turned an icy gaze towards me, silently waiting for my answer. Shooting a quick glare at the shorter man, to which he replied with a smug smirk, I gave the Commander an awkward smile. “You remember the kids I used to look after, right?” he nodded, “you see, it started like this…” I began, telling Erwin what happened, leaving out the embarrassing bit of being forced to sit on Levi’s lap, and that my granddaughter thinks that he’s her grandpa… “which leads us to this moment in time. Moreover, no matter how much I do not like the idea, they are all grown up and can make their own choices. In addition, from what they’ve show us, they’d make great soldiers.”

   “We would have to test them out on the 3D Maneuver Gear, but from what you have just told me, I do not see any reason to not permit them to join our ranks. I trust yours and Levi’s judgment, [Name]…” Erwin told us both, just as a teasing grin curled his lips. “However, about this bet you two made… How do you honestly plan on getting Levi to sleep more than 3 hours, [Name]?”

   “Well, since I joined, I sorta have filled out. Women are known as walking pillows… I am a woman, he’s a man… Simple math, isn’t it?” I replied innocently, watching as heichou’s ears turned a bright red as he scoffed softly at my words. This display caused Erwin to chuckle as he left us alone. Sliding my [color] gaze over, I smiled softly at the flustered man. “You do know I willingly gave up that day, right?”

   “Why did you?”

   Giggling, I shrugged my shoulders. “Who knows? Maybe it was because this guy I happened to look up to – no matter how short he is compared to other men – and is pretty handsome, was straddling my thighs at the time…” his stormy gray orbs widened a fraction, “maybe it also had something to do with the fact that we street rats, the ones casted out like garbage originally, can actually make a name for ourselves. To actually be somebody… Both of those reasons are why I willingly gave up.” Chuckling, I noticed how bright Levi’s ears were. “I guess what I’m trying to also say is that… I really fucking love you, too, you neurotic clean freak dumbass.”

   “Where the—!”

   “Oh please! You awkward fucker! No one, not even Hanji or Mike, noticed that I was missing my family. In addition, you giving me advice to see them, and agreeing to come with me on top of that? You must either really like and/or love them, or you finally gone batshit crazy. The Levi Ackerman that I know doesn’t do shit for nobody unless they are important to him.” I stood on the tips of my toes as my fingers wrapped around his white cravat. “Just admit you are an awkward shit when it comes to expressing yourself, and that you love me, even if I’m filthy.”

   “You are not filthy…” he commented harshly.

   “Are you sure about that, heichou? I can be a real filthy woman when it calls for it~”

   In mere seconds I found myself slung over his broad shoulder, looking directly at his nice ass, as he carried me into HQ. “Oh? Then I must clean you thoroughly, then, to rid you of such filth [Name].”

   “Is that a threat, Levi-heichou?” I asked, pushing my [color] strands out of my face.

   “No. It’s a damn promise.”

[-][-][-]

   Next morning, when Eren walked into the dining hall, he stared curiously at the Lance Corporal, who, dare the Titan shifter say it, looked normal… Well, as normal as a vertically challenged clean freak could, while everyone else looked miserable. “Why do you all look half dead?” the German teen asked, questioning the newest ‘members’ of the Scouts and the other cadets, taking note that the little girl was over with Squad Leader [Name] and Corporal. He thought he heard the child call the stoic man “grumpy”.

   Jean groaned, glaring at the other teen. “You sure are fucking lucky, Jaeger, being able to sleep in the basement.”

   “How the hell is that ‘lucky’, horse-face?”

   “You didn’t have to hear them,” the long-faced teen pointed at the two formally mentioned adults, “going at it like rabbits all night! It is probably worse than hearing your own parents having sex!”

   “Squad Leader [Name] just so happens to be a screamer…” Connie added, shuddering at the thought.

   The twins giggled to themselves, while the rest of [Name]’s family looked ill. “When you put it that way, I’m glad I do sleep in the basement.”

[rosierocks30]

Hidden: CH.8

Chapter 8: Homecoming

Levi stared at the stairs that led to his hometown, the Underground City. It’s been many years since he considered going down to see how different the shitty place looks. He knew one thing was the smell hadn't gotten better. It still smells like feces and death. 

The Captain of the Survey Corps walked down the dark stairs to enter the tunnel. 

“What’s that awful smell?” An American accent echoes the dark dingy tunnel. 

“Oi old man, quiet down. We don’t want to attract unwanted attention.” Levi glanced at his grandfather. 

Both grandson and grandfather kept walking. Levi took Bill with him on a small trip to find any artifact that the late Jacob Miles left Kuchel Ackerman to hide  it from Templars. This wasn’t his idea. Levi would have not come here if it wasn’t necessary. Bill insisted Levi to accompany him on this family duo mission. 

The captain may not be part of the Brotherhood yet, but for a few months Bill had been training him of the creed. His squad are also going through the training too. Levi knew how to fight and kill human beings. For Walls’ sake, he was raised by Kenny the Ripper. He remembered the heated conversation between Bill and him. 

(Flashback)

“Levi, don’t be stubborn. This is your heritage. Why don’t you want to be an assassin?” The Mentor sighed in frustration. 

“Because the Survey Corps needs their captain. I will not abandon my comrades especially if we're close at war. My people need their Humanity’s Strongest. I won’t let them down. So no. Out of the question.” Levi explained. 

“No one is asking you to leave the Survey Corps or not be part of the upcoming war. I think you should do it. Learning new skills can add your advantage of fighting against our enemies.” Commander Hange was leaning on the wall staring at the assassin and the captain arguing. 

The room was dim from the candle lights. The meeting room was full of soldiers and assassins. Of course the queen was sitting at the head center of the table. The news of Premier Zackely’s death was what lead this emergency meeting to happen. 

An old maid who cleaned Zackely’s Office, found him dead. Blood was covered from the desk to the floor. That was what the old lady witnessed when she reported to the MPs. The whole Paradis’ military were shocked and alerted.  

With his death, a new Premier must be elected soon as possible. Whoever murdered Darius Zackely, it was a declaration of war. Darius was known to be a few steps ahead from everyone which got him to be Premier in the first place. 

“Fine, but on one condition, my squad will be part of the Brotherhood. They’re the best soldiers I can rely on.” He said. 

“Alright, you got a deal, son.” Bill nodded and agreed to the terms.

(Flashback)

They finally see the light of the end of the tunnel. Luckily, no one was there to keep an eye out of the entrance. Levi took a step back to let all the nostalgic memories he had as a child to an infamous thug. 

“The only place I can think of is the brothel where my mother and I used to live there.” Levi pulled his hood more to cover half of his face. His grandfather already had his hood covering his eyes. They kept walking on the muddy road. There were people doing their daily activities. In the corner, some prostitutes try to allure them with their terrible flirting skills in Levi’s option. 

Thank the Walls, Historia didn’t join them. Her mood had been changing as her womb got bigger. Only a couple of months left for the baby to pop out. She would glare at them and maybe cause a scene. His wife usually wasn’t like this. It’s probably the hormones’ fault. Hopefully, after the baby is born, he won’t be walking on eggshells around her. 

These past few months had changed at a fast pace for Levi. First is the assassination of Darius Zackely then choosing his new successor which it was the Garrison commander Pixis. He’s a brilliant man but a drunkard also. Oh yeah, most of the higher ups officers know Historia is pregnant and married to him. The public doesn’t know yet, but they’re half way there. 

(Flashback)

Before Darius Zackely’s death, the three commanders of the Survey Corps, Garrison, and Military Police, were summoned by the Premier along Captain Levi, Mentor William Miles, and Queen Historia for this sudden late evening meeting.

As Levi and Historia entered the room and sat in their places. The Premier made a sound to get everyone’s attention. “Alright, everyone and your majesty. I have summoned this private meeting because one of my spies in Marley sent me a letter that General Magath will soon plan to invade this island than we hope for a little longer we anticipate.” Most of the group were not happy about this news. 

“Before we discuss defending our home, Captain Levi and Your Majesty is there anything you both should share with us?” Darius glanced at the married couples. 

Historia was confused while Levi glared at his superior officer. He had a hunch what the Premier meant when he asked them. 

“I’m sorry, Premier Zackely. I don’t follow what you’re saying.” The queen said while posing as the authoritative figure. She is the queen of Paradis Isle, not the little soldier she once was. 

“You know what exactly I mean, You’re Majesty. Your relationship with Captain Levi. I admit both of you kept this secret for so long. I applaud both of you, but you both know that the nobles will cause a riot for this scandal.” Commander Dok was speechless when the secret relationship of Levi and Historia was exposed. Commander Pixis was intrigued at this revelation.

“How the fucking hell did you know about us?” Levi still glared at Darius. This isn’t happening. The Premier will throw Levi to jail and she won’t be able to see him. Historia was scared for her husband. 

William was observing the way his grandson was ready to attack to protect Historia. “Levi, please calm down.” Then Levi’s glare shifted towards him. 

“Captain Levi relaxes. I’m not planning to lock you up or execute you. I just want you two be aware that I know for a long time about your relationship, even your marriage. Commander Hange, I’m not surprised you knew about them and witnessed their marriage. I’m disappointed that I needed a spy to know about the lovebirds.” Darius Zackely glances at the finger where the ring is located from Historia’s hand. The queen blushed embarrassingly. 

“You have someone spied on me?!” Something in Historia made her snapped. She has been tired of being too cautious just to have some privacy. Ever since Historia became queen, it has been suffocating. Her ladies were around her most of the time that she needed to give them an excuse to be alone. The nobles come for an audience with her for planning some extravagant party or trying to ask for her hand in marriage for themselves or their sons. She never wanted to be queen, but some midget decided to choke her into agreeing. Historia never told Levi or her friends that sometimes she gets breakdowns. 

“Your grace, calm down for the sake of you and your heir.” The Premier noticed the queen got up and glared angrily. 

“Did one of my doctors tell you?” She said. 

“No, like I said one of my spies who’s name will remain anonymous.” The older man trying to make the queen understand. 

“Alright, so now you know about us. What do you plan to do with us then?” Levi intervened. He grabs Historia’s wrist to gesture her to sit down and try to remain calm.

“I’m not planning anything. This would have been avoidable if you both told me personally so I can make sure this stays a secret. A baby right now is not the right time at the moment since war will come soon.” He lectured on the married couple like misbehaved kids. 

“It wasn’t planned, sir. It just happens.” Levi felt uncomfortable about getting to that topic. 

“I see, so now that’s settled. We can now plan properly for both the queen’s safety and the future crowned prince or princess. Who knows what the Marleyans will do if they knew your pregnancy. “ Zackely shuffled the papers. 

“Your majesty, once you reach six months, we’ll escort you to the Farm from the orphanage to be bed rest and prepare you for a safe delivery away from the possible battleground.” He continues. On the other hand, Historia was concerned for the residents’ safety. “What about the people? We need a plan to have an evacuation if they make it into the Walls.” 

Commander Pixis speaks out. “Your grace, my soldiers and I will make sure the enemies won’t get through the Walls. Not under my watch.” His tone was filled with passion and promise. 

The queen nodded in gratitude for the Garrison Commander. Commander Nile Dok joined in the conversation. “I’ll increase soldiers to patrol for the safety of the citizens.” 

“Thank you, Commander Pixis and Commander Dok. I don’t want fatality to increase to the mass when the war starts.” She leans against her chair to breathe in relief. 

“Premier Zackely, if I may intrude; Levi and I had talked about sending the queen to the location where my fellow assassins are based.” William speaks out.  

“Hmm that would be safer, but the Marleyans would track us down and shoot the ship.” He pointed out. 

“Yes, but I know someone with a cargo plane to take the queen along with some bodyguards to New York City.” Bill suggested his plan to the Premier.

“Very well, I’ll consider it. As allies, we need to be on our toes since you mention these Templars could be involved with the Marleyans?” 

“Also, if anything does happen to me, I named Pixis as my successor. Since the day, the late Commander Erwin led his Scouts to Grisha Jeager’s basement; this kingdom had been transitating the changes from not being the only last humans on Earth.” Zackely said. 

Commander Pixis salutes his higher up officer. “I’ll be honored to accept you as your successor.”

“Good, I’m pleased you accepted it, you’ve earned it, Pixis.” Zackley nodded. 

(Flashback end)

Levi shook his head to focus on why they were here as his eyes glanced at the old familiar building. It still looks the same since he left with Kenny. His grandfather stared at him in concern. “Are you alright, Levi?” 

The raven haired soldier nods his head to assure the elder man that he’s fine. “Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s get this over it. I have a date with my heavily pregnant wife after this.” 

They enter the brothel slash hotel. The place is full of people. The smell of the air is full of perfume and smoke. Levi hated the smell. It had suffocated him when he used to live here as a child. 

“Let’s see if Mr. Douglas is still alive.” Levi mumbled and walked to the bar section. Bill followed him then both sat on the stools right beside each other. 

A bartender was cleaning a glass shot when he noticed Levi and Bill sat on the stools. “What can I get you gentlemen? I see you both are not from around here.” The man started the small conversation. 

Both the soldier and assassin had their hoods hiding most of their face. “We’ll have whiskey on the rocks.” Bill said. Levi wasn’t a fan of drinking since he always needed to be alert 24/7 in order to survive this world. 

The bartender nodded and began to grab a bottle of whiskey. He grabbed two glasses then put two ices in each glasses. The amber liquor was poured into the glasses half full then slides one by one to Bill then to Levi. 

The captain stared down at the whiskey. Don’t get him wrong. He has high tolerance in alcohol, but that doesn’t mean he enjoyed it. Tea is his preference. As some of the Americans say to him one time. Tea is love, tea is life. That he agreed. 

Levi lifts the small glass the way he holds his tea and has the rim of the glass press on to his lips. His lips open a bit to let the strong scent of alcohol run down to his lips as he drinks into a small sip. 

“He is not, but I am.” Levi finally answered one of the questions from the bartender. “I used to be born and raised here. I’m Levi, Kuchel’s son. Is Mr. Douglas still working here?” 

The young bartender gasped from Levi revealing who he was. “You mean, you’re the Captain Levi that my gramps told me about when he used to run this place?” 

“Ah you must be related to him?” Bill said. 

“He died long ago. Now, this hotel belongs to my ma and me. My grandpa used to tell me stories of a small kid who liked cleaning too much that he learned many tips from you.” The bartender smiles from thinking old memories of his grandfather. 

“I’m sorry to hear that. He was a good man from what I remember.” Levi sympathized with the young man. 

“Thank you, but it was long ago so it’s alright. So, can I ask why are you here? Ever since you moved up the surface, you made a name for yourself as Humanity’s Strongest. I would never have thought I'd meet you. You’re a hero to the people down here. Most of us were overjoyed to have one of our own protecting good people like us. Well, some since this underworld city is full of cruel bastards ruling over good honest people like my gramps and my neighbors.” The bartender frowned at the thought of the criminals ruining the poor people who just want to be left in peace.  

Great another fanboy. Levi hated to encounter anyone who admired him as a hero because in his reality, he doesn’t feel like a hero. He’s just a soldier who fights for humanity to repay his sins. He’s a monster. Monsters are not heroes. 

“I came back to finally face my past. I’m ready. Will you lent me the key of #7? I want to look at the room where my mother died in it, before I go to war. Who knows I might not ever get the chance to tell my mother’s soul goodbye.” Levi lowered his head as tears tried to threaten to come out. 

His mother was a warm and compassionate woman. She reminded him of Historia. His beautiful sweet Historia. Every night his mom always sang lullabies during bedtimes. Some songs were in another language but he knew them from the heart. 

(Flashback)

“Levi, come to mama. It’s bedtime.” A beautiful raven haired woman called her toddler son. 

“Yes mama.” A little Levi runs to his mother’s arms. Kuchel picked him up and smiled warmly. “Oh my, you’re growing bigger and stronger.” She chuckles while holding him up in the air like a plane. 

“Look mama, I can fly! I’m a birdie.” Levi flaps his arms like a bird flying with its wings. 

“Yes, my little eagle.” She threw him up into the air and caught him. The little boy giggled and hugged his mother. Her smell was pinecones and wild flowers. He doesn’t know why since they have never been to the surface. But she somehow smells like it. 

She began to gently rock him. Her hum turned into a tune. Then she sang away a lullaby that Levi’s father taught her. 

Close your eyes

Let the sound of the night sing away

Feel the breeze to drift you a far this place

So spread your wings

Rise high, my little eagle 

Fly away into the clear sky

You’ll be free

You’re meant to be free

Don’t stop and keep flying

To freedom, my baby eagle

So my baby eagle, fly away

(End of Flashback)

(Another flashback)

Historia was reading a children’s fairytale book to the unborn baby she’s carrying in her womb. Levi was on the desk doing paperwork for Hange which irritated him since papaerworks is not his best skill. He lifts his tea cup to sip it and stops his work to turn around and listen to his wife reading a book to the unborn. 

“Tch, our kid isn’t even born yet, and you’re already reading to her or him.” Levi scoffed. 

Historia stopped and rolled her eyes at her grouchy husband. “The pregnancy book said by now our child already developed ears to listen to our voice. I want the baby to be nurtured with our love now.” She placed her hand on her now swollen belly then rubbed it. She’s now heavily three months away from birthing their baby. 

They still don’t know the gender of the baby. It’s best to be surprised whether it’s a girl or boy. Either way, they don’t care what gender it is. The soon to be parents will love their baby no matter what. Ever since the late Premier Zackely’s death, Pixis became the new Premier. The plan resumed what the late Premier Zackely wanted. Once the queen started to show, the MPs and Levi escorted Historia to the Farm where an Orphanage was resided. The Orphanage was funded by the government when Historia and Levi advocated. 

 Levi pushed the wooden chair to leave space for him to get up. He walked to the large bed and flopped on the mattress next to his wife. 

“If you say so.” He said and glanced at the huge belly. Levi hoped the kid wouldn't be taller than him, but he felt the unborn will grow tall in the future. He pressed his forehead on Historia’s belly and began to hum into a similar tune that his late mother used to sing to him. 

 Close your eyes, little one

Let the sound of the night sing away

Feel the breeze to drift you afar this place 

So spread your wings

Rise high, my little eagle

Fly away into clear sky

You’ll be free

Don’t stop and keep flying

To freedom, my baby eagle 

So my baby eagle, fly away

After Levi stopped singing, a sniffle sound was heard from Historia. He glimpsed at his wife as she cried silently. 

“Why are you crying. Are you in pain?” The soldier gets up to check if she was in serious pain. Historia shook her head to respond to his concerning questions. 

“No, I’m fine. It’s just...that was so beautiful. Who taught you?” The queen still has tears falling. 

“My mother. She used to sing this song to me every night before I go to bed.” He whispered. 

He felt her hands cup his cheeks to guide his face to hers. His lips press against hers to feel those soft warm lips he comes to cherish. This kiss was not their usual passionate hunger, it was soft and tender. 

“You’re full of surprises, Levi Ackerman.” She whispered while kissing him. 

“It won’t be surprising if I gave it away all at once.” He smirked playfully. 

She giggled and cuddled him on the bed. Levi grabbed the book to place it on the nightstand table to be comfortably close to his wife. 

“Tomorrow, I’m going back to the Underground City. I haven’t gone there in many years.” He said in a quiet tone. This caught Historia’s attention. 

“Why are you? You’re ready to face your past?” She was concerned for him. Historia knew she couldn’t go accompany him underground.

“Yeah, I’m ready. It’s time to have that closure for us and the baby. I don’t want to have that regret if I lose my chances to have my peace. Also I want to check if I find anything that my father gave something to my mom to hide it from templars or any one with terrible intentions.” He said. 

She nodded in understanding. “Go, if you must do this. But come back home to me safely. At least, take someone with you. I would feel less worried if you go alone.” She buried her face on his chest just feeling scared again being so far away from her husband. 

“I will, and don’t worry; I’ll come home as soon as possible.” He made a promise. His nose buried on her hair to inhale her scent. Damn, she always smelled so pure and divine. 

“Good, I’ll hold on to that.” The queen smiled. 

“Let’s sleep, I need to wake up early anyways.” He began to undo his just the shirt to take it off and place it on the chair where his desk was. Historia already wore her nightgown but it was maternity style. He could feel her eyes staring at him. His head turned to glance at her which she was blushing. 

“Can’t get enough?” He chuckled deeply then went to his side of the bed and lift the covers to lay on the bed then covered half way. 

Historia coughed. “No matter how many times I see you naked or half naked in this case, I am still blushing like a virgin.” She chuckled along. 

He wrapped around his arms on her body to snuggle under the covers. Both husband and wife laid on the bed peacefully as their eyes drowned away to sleep. 

“You are too adored, my goddess. Goodnight, my love.” He gave her a goodnight kiss. 

“Goodnight, my soft warrior.” She whispered and kissed him back. 

(End Flashback)

The bartender decide to give the key to Room # 7 to Levi. So now, Levi and Bill walk through the empty halls where it still haunts the captain for many years. So many bad and good memories, he had within these halls as a brat. 

Finally, they reached to the door of room #7. Levi stands in front of the door as so many flood of memories of his mother and him barely surviving off the money his mother earned by prostituting herself with men like Ethan and Raymond. He doesn’t know if Ethan is alive. He so badly want to crave the now old man’s body as he torture him slow and painful. The pain he caused with Destinia, Jessie, and his mother… 

“Are you sure you're alright, my boy?” Bill places his hand on Levi’s shoulder to comfort him. Levi snapped out of his trance of emotional pain. He turned his head to look at his grandfather to nod in reassuring him. 

He inserts the key into the door knob then twists it as the door unlocks it. His hand opened the door slowly. Inside the room was dark and empty. 

Levi steps into the room. After all these years, he has returned home. 

“Ok, this place may be empty, but we’ll try to find anything.” Levi said. Both of them begin to look through the empty furniture. Yet, nothing. Levi glances at the mattress and pulls out his hidden blade to cut the mattress. He ripped open the old mattress. “You could have used the Eagle vision if it is an artifact of the First Civilization.” Bill pointed it out. 

Levi made an annoyed expression. “Fine.” He had been practicing to use his Eagle vision. It was cool when he accessed it. 

The captain closed his eyes then opened it as his vision is grey with some faded blue lines. He scans the mattress to see once again, nothing. “Damn it. It’s not even here either.” Levi sighs in frustration. Bill frowned in disappointment of not finding anything. “Probably someone already took it and we’re too late.” Mentor assassin said. 

Levi looked up to scan all over the room. On the left, he views a golden-reddish sphere inside the wall. Bingo. They have found it. “Or my mother was good at hiding things.” 

“You found something?” Bill was excited. Levi gets off the ripped mattress to walk toward the wall where the sphere is located. 

“Yeah, it’s inside this wall.” Levi places his hands then presses his ear. He knocked on the wall which made an echo bang. “It’s hollow. I’m going to have to make a hole.” He steps back to have space to punch into the wall. A hole was formed then the raven haired man saw a glimpse of a sphere object glowing. 

“I don’t believe it. Another Apple of Eden.” Bill wonders is this the same object that Jacob had found long ago on his mission to the ruins of the Aztecs, where he found this sphere object? 

Levi rips some pieces of the wall to make a bigger hole then grabs the object carefully. He observed the Apple of Eden. This thing is so peculiar but intriguing. So many wars between the templars and assassins were fought over to gain controlled over this. 

“So, what now?” The captain looks at his grandfather in guidance. 

Before Bill says anything, the sphere glows brighter. Levi stuck out his hand away from him but didn’t drop the Isu’s object. 

The piece of Eden created an illusion image of a man who looks like sitting on a wooden chair. When the image of the man appears, Bill gasps in shock that it was his first-born son, Jacob Miles. 

“Hello Levi, my little boy. It’s me, your dad.” The projected image of Jake chuckled lightly. 

“Listen son, if you found this piece of Eden then you probably know about your heritage. We come from a long ass line of warriors called the assassins. Hopefully, dad already began training you. But this thing is the only way for me to send a message since by then I would probably be dead by then. I just want to say...I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry for leaving you and your mother in this shitty place. Both of you deserve a life. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to watch you grow up into a fine man. Heck, I bet you got my good looks. I had the same vision of you all grown up slaying some giant-like monster. I don’t know it was, but you were looking badass. Your mother didn;t believe me at first. I convinced her, we got to give you a badass name.” Again, he chuckled. 

Levi’s hand was trembling. He can’t believe it. He finally met his dad. All those years of denial of wanting to know about who he was? Bill was trying not to cry when the image of his son was in front of him. This was his last days before he died. 

“Levi, I understand you probably might hate me for leaving you and your mother alone on this island. I could have taken your mother away from here, but with you being so close to be born; we don’t want to risk pregnancy complications. The plan was to take you both after your birth, but it’s like faith didn’t allow it. I am being called on to go on this dangerous trip. I might not survive, but if I did, I will promise you both that we’ll go to America where you won’t live in hunger, worry about being prosecuted because you're an Eldian and Ackerman. I love you so much Levi. No matter what you’re capable of, I will always love you. Don’t let your guilt consume you. You’re a survivor. You’re a descendant of both warrior’s bloodlines. I may be long gone from this world, but I will always be there within you to guide you just like our ancestors are within you to guide you. We’re all in one. Protect your mother for me, kiddo. She is my world. That spunk woman is one of the kind. One day, when you become a man, you’ll find someone who will make you feel their worth of risk of getting that happy life. So, this is it. Goodbye son, live for yourself. Live for the right of the happiness you deserve. It’s never too late to chase that dream. I love you, son. Kuchel, if you’re listening. I love you so fucking much baby. I’ll try to go home to you, ok.” 

The image of Jacob had disappeared. The apple of Eden had stopped glowing. Levi dropped the artifact as his knees hit the ground. His head bow low as tears are trying to escape. His body trembles from hold in so much emotion. William encouraged his grandson to not hold it in. “Levi, it’s ok. You don’t have to bury them anymore. Let them out.” 

The captain presses his hands on the cold floor then makes a fist of both of them. A sound of choked sob was heard from the former thug. For years, Levi learned to bottle up his pain, grief, and any emotion to be a numb human. Now, he finally shattered every wall he built. The tears dripped on the floor and a scream of years bottle up was let out. This is how Eren Jaeger felt when something in him spark of anger and determination was let out. Levi continues letting out  his emotions until he finishes. WIth his strength, the Eldian soldier gets up slowly. 

“How are you feeling now, grandson?” the whisper of his grandfather said. Levi Ackerman wasn’t the type to hug. The only exception is Historia and few people in the past that are long gone. He wraps his arm around his grandfather to hug him. For the first time since he was a boy, his inner child is awake from a long hibernation. His inner child craves comforts and affection from a blood relative since his parents are long gone. His grandfather is the closest parent he will ever get now. Tch, his dead uncle, Kenny Ackerman was never a parent material. 

Bill gladly accepts his grandson’s hug. His grandfatherly gesture comforts Levi. Bill held him tight not wanting to let go. For a few months since both of them met face to face, it was nothing bitter and distant well at least from Levi’s part. Bill had tried to reach out to his only family member. He too lost so much. His sons, wife, his parents, and his friends from the Brotherhood. Both Miles men sacrifice so much for what price? To have their loved ones died either way? 

“Is it too late to ask you to be accepted as a Miles? I’m ready to be an assassin. To be your grandson, grandfather. I want to protect my friends, comrades, the people of Pardis Isle, family: you, Historia and our unborn. I want to win this war so my descendants can live in peace. I promise I’ll listen to you whenever you’ll mentor me in the way of an assassin.” Levi vowed. 

“Of course, my boy. You have always been a Miles. My blood runs in your veins, but we can legalize it if that’s what you mean.” The old man chuckles. 

“I will still have Ackerman as part of my last name. I want to honor my mother’s heritage also as an Eldian. My children will have those two proud names when they come to this world.” He continues. 

“Also, I want to find my mother’s remains. She deserved to be buried in a better place then in this shitty ass underground.” Levi said. Already, the raven haired man let go of his hugs from his grandfather. 

“Yes, we can do that too. I think we can have her buried alongside with your father in South Dakota where his remains lay to rest.” This made Levi give his rare smile at his grandpa. 

“Yeah, I would appreciate that, gramps.” He nods. 

After their heartwarming moment, Levi and William go back to the bartender and hand him the key. Before leaving, Levi asked one vital question. 

“Did your grandfather say anything of where he buried the remains of Kuchel Ackerman?” He asked. 

The bartender was thinking carefully trying to remember. “What my old pa used to mention, Kenny the Ripper guy, he dragged that body and asked us to be buried  anywhere we see fit. So my grandpa is buried in our family’s little graveyard. I can show you where she was buried.” 

“Thanks, I apprenticed for it. One more time. You got a shovel?” Levi asked. 

(The Orphanage Farm) 

Historia Reiss-Ackerman was helping some of the caretakers to make supper for the children. She sniffed the aroma of the chicken and potatoes stew. Oh the queen can’t wait to save some for Levi when he returns from his mission. Her belly is big and round already. Now she’s almost seven months until the baby is ready to come out. Most of the time, Historia takes many naps or just reads a nice book under the shade of a tree during a sunny day. Summer is almost over, and most likely this child will be born by October. 

How time passed by when it seemed just like yesterday, Levi and Historia were fooling around to fill their void with lusts. Her sparkle blue eyes glances down at her wedding band on her ring finger. This was never her plan to fall in love, become queen, get pregnant, get married, now preparing for war and for the birth of her child. This was too much for her if she was back then pretending to be Christa. That girl, Christa, was too soft, kind, and afraid to be herself. Historia despised that part of her. 

If it wasn’t for her being Christa, she wouldn't have met her friends, gaining valuable life tips from Ymir. Ymir was more than a dear friend to her. The tough Ymir was her guardian angel. She was always there to protect and cherish her. This is something Historia will keep in her heart. Beside her sweet older sister, Frieda, Ymir had loved her and reminded her how worthy she is. 

The queen touches her cheek when tears roll down from her eyes. Ugh, it would be great if she would stop shedding tears every time Historia thinks about Ymir. The blonde woman wipes them away. Once the stew simmer, she turns off the stove then lightly stir the stew before covering the huge pot with a lid. The main dining table was already set up for the children and caretakers to eat dinner. 

Historia turns to call for one of the staff. “Emily, would you let everyone know that dinner is ready, please?” The woman nods with a smile. “Of course, Your- I mean Historia.” The light haired woman blush from feeling embarrassed forgetting the first rule in this Orphanage. The young queen made it clear to everyone in this establishment that to call her by her name. So, there;s no your grace, your majesty, or my queen. Just Historia. She wants to feel normal for once in a while. The royal life can be drainful. How did her late sister or any members of her estranged family had dealt with it?

The woman Emily already walked away to announce dinner is ready. Meanwhile Historia places her hand on her watermelon size belly to bend down to open the lower cabinet and takes out a medium size pot to pour some stew into it. The one thing her husband loves when he comes back from his missions is her cooking. Historia makes his favorite dishes like stews, pot pies, and anything related to bacon. 

She placed the other pot on the countertop next to the stove. A strong kick was felt in her belly. Historia smiles from feeling the baby being activated. “You’re hungry as well?” her hand rubs on her stomach. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll eat soon.” 

The queen uses a wooden spoon to scoop out the stew and pour into the other pot until it's full. She left the other pot on the countertop to cool off a bit while serving a bowl of stew to everyone. Of course, the staff woman, Emily, has come back to help her serve the kids their meals. 

The dining table is full of kids and the staff who work here. They are like one big family. There are chattering conversations from left and right. Some kids play with their food and others bite down to rip the bread rolls that were freshly baked earlier. 

Historia ate the stew quietly while listening to certain conversations. She took a glimpse at the window to see if Levi had come back yet. The view was getting dark as the sun’s rays disappeared slowly from the horizon. 

The blonde haired beauty got up then said goodnight to everyone, but the children ran to her to give her a hug. Historia smiles from embracing these innocent kids. When she and Levi started to build this orphanage with the special squad help of course, Historia vowed to give love affection to these kids whenever she comes here to stay for temporary. Some of the caretakers jokingly tell her; both Levi and Historia are like the mother and father with the kids. 

At first Historia panicked they knew about their relationship and they might or had spread their secret to anyone. Fortunately, the queen had an informal staff meeting to clear the air if they knew something’s going on between her and the captain. She was ready to deny any claims until the same woman, Emily, spoke out that they did figure out their relationship, but they will respect it by keeping it to themselves in this household. This made the queen sigh in relief.  

Some of the staff who are close to Historia’s age, asked questions on how they met, and oh how romance and forbidden their love is. Their love is forbidden and romance but it’s not all glamorous as fairytale books like to mislead you. All the heartbreak, arguments, and happinesses are worth enduring. In the end, their bond grew stronger and tougher to break. 

(Flashback)

A year ago…

The aftermath of their unexpected one night stand in Levi’s quarter, Christa Lenez aka Historia Reiss was washing the dishes. She volunteered doing cleaning kitchen duty for the morning while most of her friends and comrades did their assigned chores from Captain Levi’s orders. 

She can’t believed Captain Levi and her had sex a month ago. These past weeks, all the small female soldiers could think of her captain in a very erotic imagination. 

Her cheeks became warm and reddish from thinking in such profanity to her higher up officer. The biggest question Christa wanted to know was what are they now? She remembered what he said to her before proceeding in taking her virginity. Once he takes her, he will not share her with anyone. So what the hell does he mean? Since the day after, he avoids her like she’s some deadly plague. It had hurt her because maybe she had hoped she was not the only one who felt something like they had become one with each other. 

The meekly soldier shook her head in trying to forget these thoughts. It won’t matter anyways because Levi made it clear in his action that whatever had happened between them was nothing. Christa was used to not being loved especially how she was raised by her estranged mother until her death when she was a little girl by some man named Kenny Ackerman. Her father just stood there to let it happen. After the incident, she was sent away to some random family in Wall Rose in a town of District Trost. 

The family who took her in were one of her father’s connections. The Dinkles were worshipers of The Three Walls. Every morning the household must pray to the Walls or get punished. Christa used to worship in order to gain her foster family’s affection, but they were distant and cold to her. In their eyes, she’s a product of sin and lust; a bartard as Mr. Dinkles had spewed her constantly. No matter what she does to try to please them, they somehow punished her. That’s when the girl began to realize how worthless and a burden she was to this cruel world. There were times she attempted to end her life. Of course, Mr. Dinkles lectured and punished her more that she would go to hell if she succeeded. So Christa had tried to not do it. When she got older, her foster parents sent her to join the military since that was the deal her father made with the Dinkles. Good riddance that she did because it was hell being with the Dinkles. 

Christa frowned from the memories of her childhood after watching her own mother being killed in front of her. The adolescent soldier was not aware when a fellow soldier from the Scouts leaned against the countertop in a cocky attitude. “Hey there dollface, maybe after you finished, wanna take a stroll in town with me?” 

The blonde haired girl stopped washing to turn at the male soldier. “No, thank you. I must finish other chores that Captain Levi ordered me to do before the end of the day.” She politely declined him. 

“Ah come on, cutie. I’m sure the Captain will not notice. Let me treat you to dinner and maybe we can have some fun afterward.” The male soldier roamed his fingers on one of her sides. Goosebumps form on her skin from male human contact. 

“I said, no, thank you.” She frowned at what this guy's real intentions were. She may have slept with the captain but that doesn’t mean she’ll give herself easily to anyone. Christa had learned her lesson.

“Don’t be stubborn. You will miss out on having a cock giving you pleasure. Since Ymir girl is not here to cockblock some of the guys here that wanted you, you are like an angel waiting to be tainted by one of us.” He smirked. 

Christa had enough listening to this asshole. She is tired of being the too nice girl, Christa. Only her friends and Section Commander Hange, Commander Erwin, and Captain Levi knew who she really is. The petite soldier finished her chores then walked away from the creep. 

The guy grinned down his teeth angrily. Who does this bitch think she is? Every girl the guy talked to, they either blushed or flirts back. He never was rejected. His arm wrapped around her waist before Christa was out of his reach. Christa or Historia panic a bit from his bold advances on her. She wiggled from trying to escape from his grasp. No, she will not be weak. She can’t be weak anymore. She will be strong. She must be strong. Goodbye Christa Lenez, no more the sweet naivete girl. From now on Historia Reiss will rise. 

Something in her snapped and jabbed hard his rib then butthead his stomach. The guy fell on his knees while clenching his stomach from pain. “What the fuck, you bitch?! You will pay for that.” He glared at her.  Her eyes widened from being astonished at her strength. 

The guy grabbed her ankle to make her fall on the hard floor. The blue eyed girl kicked her legs to be away from him. He pounced on her which she was trapped under the male soldier. Shit, what can she do to escape now? Her heart beats in fear from what he will do to her if she doesn’t find a way to run away. “Let go of me.” She yelled at him. 

The creep smirked in victory. “Why should I? This wouldn’t happen if you agreed to go out with me, dollface. Now, you will know the consequence for rejecting me.” His hand already traveled on her body. Historia felt his touch replusing. Only Levi’s touch was warm and rough but also gently. This creep’s touch was uncomfortable and just terrible. The female soldier cried in distress. She, still trying to fight him off then glared hatefully at her soon to be rapist. Historia spit on his face. 

“Yuck, you little whore. Now, I will make you feel pain.” He slapped her face. Her cheek sting from his attack. Historia closed her eyes to imagine the night with Captain Levi to get through this nightmare. 

“Tch, looks like you should be the one to feel pain.” A deep baritone voice appeared in the kitchen. 

Historia felt the heavy weight of the guy was off of her. She opened her eyes to see her captain pinning the creep on the wall. The same guy was scared to death from seeing an enraged Captain Levi. The raven haired man usually doesn’t have that expression unless killing Titans. 

The tiny soldier gets up  to walk towards Levi. “C-captain please, don’t do something regretful. 

Levi had a knife pressed on the guy’s neck. Historia saw it as she got closer. She needed to stop her captain before he got in trouble instead of the true culprit. 

On the other hand, Levi sees red and already thought of thousands ways to use this knife on this pig. How fucking dare this brat touched and harmed Historia? He heard a soft familiar voice trying to talk him out. 

“Trust me, I won’t regret it.” His tone became chillingly dark. 

“Please....sir. He will get the punishment he deserves by Commander Erwin.” She pleaded with Levi which he glanced at her to see her beautiful blue eyes  begging him to stop. The captain growled as he put the guy down but still grip his shirt. 

“You should be thankful that she showed you mercy otherwise you would have been in pieces. We will go to the Commander and you will fucking explain to him what you were about to do to Historia, a fellow soldier who’s part of my squad. Is that clear, you shithead cunt?” He said in a cold tone. The other soldier nodded in fear. “Tch. Come soldier, we’ll need your testimony to Commander Erwin.” He glanced at the petite beauty. He can see the hand mark on her soft creamy skin tone cheek. 

Levi prayed to the Walls for Erwin to let him tortured this pussy brat. He dragged the whimpering boy to Erwin’s office. Historia follows the captain silently. Once Levi reported what had happened in the kitchen and made the creepy brat explain what he did and almost planned to do to Historia, Commander Erwin had the cunt arrested for assaulting sexually and physically on a fellow soldier. This was unacceptable in a time like this. So Erwin had the MPs take away the soldier. 

After the drama, Historia and Levi were in his room. The captain was attending to her injury as it formed a bruise within hours. His hands were soft and delicate on her skin. This is right. His touch was the only thing that brought her comfort from the traumatic experience. 

“H-how are you feeling?” Levi was concerned for his subordinate. 

Historia was quiet but she looked into his steel grey eyes as tears fell from hers. This was all too much for her. It was not just almost being raped but how hot and cold Levi had treated her after that night. She was so confused. Deep down what they had done was wrong, but she can’t help feeling the fire that ignited her spirit. Levi had awoken her willingness to keep on living. She doesn’t want to let go of that fiery feeling. 

“I-I don’t know, Captain.” The blonde beauty whispered. 

“Historia, call me Levi.” He said. 

This made her snapped. “Why are you doing this?” She tried to contain her emotions. 

“What are you talking about?” The older man was confused. 

“You have been treating me like I’m some disease but there were rare times you treat me like we have been lovers for a long time. So what is it that you want from me. Levi? You can’t keep giving me misleads and expect me to be ok about it. Because I know what I want. What do you want?” She looked into his eyes while standing her ground. 

Levi was astonished that this meek girl had the balls to confront him. To be honest, the captain doesn’t know how to respond to her attacks. Ever since that night, he can’t stop thinking of her. He wants her, but there were many reasons Levi shouldn't have tried to pursue this girl. Most of the women he was with, they had met their doom. From Jessie to Petra, what makes Historia any different from the others? The blonde soldier deserved to be with someone who will give her comfort, stability, and love. 

Levi can’t offer any of it. He only can give his leadership to survive the missions. Somewhere deep in him, had been controlling his decisions when it’s involved Historia. 

That stupid Iapteus suddenly decided to show up and makes it difficult to detach himself from Historia. 

Iapetus rarely gets involved with Levi’s personal life since he let his host have free will. That free will had diminished when he met the cute female soldier on her graduation from being cadets. His head was giving awful headaches. Then he heard a deep monstrous like voice in his head screaming “mine, mine, mine” 

Tch, his titan is like a greedy kid that can’t shut the fuck up. He noticed Historia was waiting for his reply. 

“I…” That's all he can say. This disappointed her. She gets up from the bed to start walking towards the door. Historia just wanted him to be honest, but it seems he couldn’t answer her questions. The blue eyed girl felt tears falling again. 

Levi shook his head in disbelief of himself. This petite woman somehow has power over him. He should have let her leave and ended whatever that had in a very short period of time. This is for the best for both of them. But no Levi doesn’t want her to walk away from him. His soul yearned for this goddess-like girl. 

“Hold on.” He finally spoke as his hand snatched her wrist to stop her. 

“I’m sorry...I didn’t want to cause you pain.” He whispered. 

“I just want to know what does that make us? I felt something between us, perhaps I’m being silly and imagining you also feel that too.” She tried to wipe her tears from her eyes. 

Levi was too quiet again, but he used actions to speak loudly. So, the raven haired man pulled her towards him. Historia felt his solid tone chest when her body pressed against his. The older man wrapped his arms around her to hold on to her. 

“I want you, but I’m scared if I get closer to you; something terrible will happen to you. I can’t lose another person who matters to me again.” Levi finally said what he wanted to say. 

“I understand. I am also scared too, but what’s the point of living and be happy if we let fear consume us. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow or in 5 years or 20 years if fate granted us that privilege. Levi, would it be better to give it a shot at us?” She glanced at the man.  

Levi stared into those pretty blue eyes and moved her golden blonde hair away from her face to see it better. 

“I-if we do this, just promise me you won’t leave me too soon.” His hand caresses her soft cheek. 

“As long you don’t leave me as well.” Historia smiled with joy. She leaned to kiss his lips. 

(End Flashback)

Historia had already left the dining room in the main Orphanage building. She had the porcelain container of the stew she had made for supper. The queen walked on the stone pathways that led her to a cottage house behind the property she now owns being the last member of the Reiss family. 

The sun had set down for the day. The sky was clear and dark, only the stars and the full moon shined to give some light. The August breeze passed by her which her dress lightly flowed. When she became the owner of her late father’s property, both Levi and Historia not only built the orphanage but also a cottage to have some privacy for them. 

The cottage they built looked like one of those fairytale stories she used to read them as a child. At first, Levi teased her in his usual jerk way about having her dream home. He was a practical man, but with convincing she made a design plan so he can see what she visualized. 

The pregnant queen unlocked the door to enter the house then closed it. Since lights weren’t installed yet, Historia used a candlestick to light up once the container of stew was placed on the table in the kitchen. 

She looked at the time to see it’s late and sighed. Guess, Levi might not get home tonight. Historia decided to make tea before she headed to bed. This baby had been too active with kickings and movings around. Was Levi active too when he was in his mother’s womb? That’s something she won’t have the luxury to know. 

“Aren’t you exhausted, sweetheart?” The woman blonde whispered to her unborn child. In response, she felt a kick. 

“So a no.” She chuckled then heard the kettle whistling as the water was ready to be used. 

While she was preparing the tea, the sound of horses from outside was heard. The queen stopped what she was doing to speed walk outside of the cottage. By the time the petite woman reached the front of the building of the orphanage, a figure on his horse galloping towards the entrance of the estate. 

Historia smiled to see it was Levi. As he got closer to her, Levi spotted his wife waiting for him outside. 

“Oi woman, why are you up late? Should you be in bed? It’s past your bedtime.” Finally her husband arrived. He got off his horse. Historia didn’t bother to answer him as she hugged him to welcome him home. 

“Levi! I’m happy you’re home safe and sound.” She nuzzled his chest. 

“Of course, I did promise you, I’ll come back tonight. Didn’t I?” He gave a warm smile to her then embraced her hugs. 

“How hungry are you? Because I made your favorite stew.” She grinned. 

“Chicken and potatoes stew?” His stomach growled all of the sudden. Levi hasn’t eaten since breakfast. Today was emotional for him. He lost his appetite when His grandfather offered to buy him supper earlier. He declined politely which Bill was understanding. 

“Mhm with bacon bites.” She added. Levi was a sucker when it comes to bacon. 

His expression shifted to a child-like. “Well what are we waiting for? Let’s go eat. I’ll meet you in the cottage once I put Beauty in her stall.” He said. 

Historia nodded and gave him a peck on his cheek. Both went in opposite directions. Levi went into the horse stable. Just when he was about to enter, the stable man came out in a rush to help out Levi. 

“Welcome back Captain Levi. I hope you had a good day, sir.” He said with a smile. 

“Tch thanks. Could you give Beauty her carrots, she had earned it.” Levi stroked the horse nose gently to show affection. 

“Yes, sir. I will.” He saluted to show the veteran with respect. The captain nodded to acknowledge. “Alright, good. Well, goodnight. Sam.” He started to head out. 

“Goodnight, sir.” The stable man, Sam said. 

The raven haired man walked back the same direction to get the cottage. As he opened the door to the front of the cottage, he spotted the candlelights from the kitchen. Once he reached there, Historia was setting up for Levi to eat on the table. She poured two cups of tea then placed one for her husband and the other for herself. Levi sat down on the chair to see a bowl of stew in front of him. On the left, a roll of bread was placed close to the bowl. On the right, his cup of tea and a spoon ready for the stew. 

“You’re not gonna eat?” He noticed his wife only had a cup of tea in front of her. 

“I already had supper, but don’t worry. I’m still here to company you while you eat.” Historia reassured him. 

“Hm, ok.” As long as she had food in her belly, he doesn’t need to be concerned at the moment. 

While Levi began eating his stew, Historia started the conversation. “How was the mission with Bill?” 

The captain stopped eating to find the words of what he went through. “It was shit hell.” 

Historia frowned then placed her tea cup on the saucer to reach out his hand. “What had happened? A-are you ok?” She was worried. 

“I found out that my dad wasn’t a shithead who left my mom when she was pregnant. He went on his mission that got him killed. I can show you better than to explain it.” He gets up to go to the living room and open his carrier bag to pull out the Apple of Eden sphere. Historia looked at the object with curiosity and was amazed. 

Levi held it as it activated then a hologram of his father appeared. The queen gasped in surprise at how advanced this technology was. She was listening to what the man in the hologram said. Carefully, the queen observed some traits between Levi and his father shared. They both have similar posture when they sit. He inherited his father’s jawline. Most of it Levi got from his mother, but still the young woman can’t believe this man was his father. 

After the hologram of Jacob Miles finished talking, the image disappeared. She glanced at Levi then went to hug him tightly. “Oh Levi, your father has always loved you.” 

She was glad for her husband to have loving parents who went great lengths for Levi to be protected and born with love even if it was a very short amount of time. A part of her envy him. At least, her husband will have closure that his father did want him. 

“I told grandfather that I’m ready to take it seriously on being an assassin.” He said. 

“That’s great news, my love. We’ll kick ass together.” She said jokingly.

“We? You’re still pregnant. I’m not gonna let you kick anyone ass when you’re in that condition.” Levi scoffed. 

“I’m aware that I’m still pregnant, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be pregnant all the time. Eventually, I’ll participate in missions.” Historia pouted. 

“Like I’ll allow you to do any missions. You're a queen. You should be focusing on running a nation.” He mumbled. 

“You know damn well, I’m capable of doing both. If I must join the Brotherhood to protect and rule our people, then I will do it without your permission.” She glared at her husband. 

“Historia, I preferred you not get involved.” He growled low. Historia placed her hand on her hip to gesture in not giving in. 

“What do you mean not to get involved? Levi, I’ve been involved the moment you decided to go great length into convincing me to be queen by choking me. So, it’s too damn late for me not to get involved.” Her tone was firm. 

The captain glared with his steel grey eyes at his wife. He was silent from her comment. She does have a point, but why can’t she understand that he wants to protect her to make sure she lives longer. 

“You’re one stubborn woman.” That’s all he could say as his eyes looked away from her. 

“Of course I am. You married one. My love, I understand your intention. You want to protect me, and I’m grateful for that; but I am not a damsel in distress or I don’t want to be one. I am tired of being weak and staying on the side lines. It kills me to see that soon our soldiers are going to have to fight in the war while I stay locked in some safe house. I feel I will have blood in my hands for not doing anything! I should be going to war with all of you to fight or at least motivate our soldiers that we are going to survive and thrive to have our freedom to live as human beings.” 

Levi sigh then reached out to grab her hand to pull her towards him. Historia let’s him and sits on his lap. 

“Baby, you don’t have to feel a burden of not doing anything. You are already contributing so many things to give up hope to fight the war. I know the Scouts are motivated because they have a queen who is compassionate, honorable, and makes changes for the people. They called you the queen’s people. You know the noblemen feel threatened because you inspire the common people in Paradis to have the power to make their destiny. Besides they will fight for their lives, families, and friends; they will fight for their queen. I will fight for my queen. You’re so special to all of us, my love.” His words were encouraging. Historia couldn’t help to smile. She leans to kiss him sweetly. 

“Oh Walls Levi, I love you so much.” She whispered between their kisses. 

“I love you so much too, Historia. I promise you. Everything will be ok. I will make it alive so we can be together to raise our child when she or he is born.” His forehead pressed on to hers. 

“Please do. I need my other half to be complete., baby.” She stroked his hair softly.

“As you wish...”  he said. 

Both couples stayed in the same position to embrace this beautiful moment. Who knows what could be in stores for them. 

A/N: You think the last chapter was the longest I wrote, but nope this one is definitely the longest. So my lovely readers, enjoy this chapter. There will be more to come. I’ll see you all until the next chapter. Peace and love everyone. 

[rainesclan]

[Part Two]: Second Hand News

Link to: [Part One]: Think About Me , series masterpost

A/N: Thank you soso much to everyone who read/liked/commented on the first part! I decided I’m going to continue this (even in light of canon events) so also a huge huge thank you to everyone who encouraged me to just do me and post it! I tweaked what I had outlined for it to be closer to canon (so this definitely won’t be a ‘the Alphas are angels and sunshine and rainbows abound’ fic) but at the end of the day, it’s still a fic and an AU at that so it’s gonna deviate from canon kind of a lot. With that being said, I totally understand if you want to be removed from the tag list, so just let me know! (my feelings won’t be hurt!) And, as always  there should be a ‘read more’. If it isn’t working for some reason let me know and I’ll try to fix it!

Series Tag List (feel free to ask to be added!): @choices-opinions @j-ashtons @nathan-starling

Note: *This is an A/U in which MC meets Nathan during her freshman year

Description: After receiving some feedback from Professor Vasquez, Cariedee has an unexpected run-in with a familiar face.

Rating: PG-13 (mentions of underage drinking)

Words: 1,973

James had sent her a text in the middle of class to let her know that Vasquez had been looking for her. She wasn’t one hundred percent sure what he wanted to talk to her about, but her gut feeling -- and knowing Enrique Vasquez -- told her it probably wasn’t good.

Cariedee slipped her phone back into the pocket of her sweatshirt before her professor could catch her trading texts with James and folded her hands back in front of her. The rest of the lecture crept by slowly as she couldn’t help the distraction that came alongside Professor Vasquez being so hellbent on seeing her so soon. Did he hate her piece detailing her weekend that much? Admittedly, she had still been a little hung over from the Alpha Theta Mu party when she wrote the majority of it, but she certainly didn’t think it was her worst work.

But then again, Vasquez was difficult to please. Not only had she noticed it herself in just the short time that she’d known him, but James had also reiterated it. More than once.

The hands on the clock finally ticked over to read 10:50, and the end of their professor telling them to have a good rest of the day was drown out by the sounds of bookbags zipping and unzipping and the little desks connected to the seats in the lecture hall squeaking as students folded them back down.

“Me and Tyler were gonna go grab a coffee,” Zack said from next to her. “Wanna come?”

“We could go over our notes while we’re there in case one of us missed something,” Tyler suggested.

Zack groaned and threw his head back in a playfully dramatic fashion.

“Because there’s nothing we’d want to do more than go over our notes after having just sat through that whole lecture.”

After glancing around and seeing that there were only a select few people from their class left straggling in the lecture hall, Cariedee pulled her messenger bag over her shoulder in preparation to head for Vasquez’s office.

“If you’re gonna be hanging out for a while I’ll meet you guys there in a little bit,” she told them as they began to file out into the aisle. “James sent me a text a few minutes ago. Apparently Vasquez is really insisting on seeing me as soon as possible.”

“Uh-oh,” Zack commented, only to be silenced by a swift elbow to the ribs from Tyler. “Ow! I mean that could be a good thing, Dee! It probably means he really liked what you wrote.”

“Nice save...but I doubt it,” she sighed.

Once they exited the lecture hall and pushed open the heavy doors to the science building to step back outside, the three suitemates parted ways. Zack and Tyler began to follow the cobblestone path that led to the quad while Cariedee veered off towards the grass to take the shortcut she’d memorized to Vasquez’s office. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder towards at the two familiar figures as they began to blend into the crowd. If Vasquez decided her work wasn’t good enough to keep her spot as his assistant, she figured it might be the last she’d see of them for a while.

Without letting the negative thoughts sink in too deeply, she steeled up her posture and held her shoulders high as she made her way into the building reserved for the English department and up the winding stairs to the third floor. An all too familiar lump formed in her throat when she peeked into Vasquez’s office to find that he was in the midst of a deep conversation with James.

Her knuckles rapped so softly on the door that she wasn’t positive it was audible.

“Professor Vasquez?” She asked in a voice so meek she was sure she sounded like a child meeting a stranger for the first time.

Both Professor Vasquez and James looked up from where they had been hunched over an open notebook at the sound of her voice, and James’s warm smile offered her just the smallest bit of comfort. It was enough, however, that she felt comfortable enough to step further into the pristinely kept office.

“Ah, there you are,” Vasquez said shortly.

James closed the notebook on the desk and stuffed it back into his bookbag while Vasquez opened the drawer in his desk with the familiar sound of metal sliding against metal. He dropped a stack of paper fastened with an unmistakable green paperclip onto his desk with a thud and Cariedee bit her lip in anticipation as he flipped quickly thumbed through it after closing the drawer.

“I have to admit, I may have wrongfully judged your adequacy when we met,” he told her casually.

He held the stack of paper out to her, and she couldn’t stop her eyebrows from furrowing when she caught a glimpse of the red markings that covered the margins of the page.

“Um,” she paused before looking back up at him. “Thanks?”

He ignored the unsure response and continued.

“Your account of your weekend was truly eye-opening. I never would have considered the possibility of Alpha Theta Mu of all organizations holding a university-wide beer pong tournament. And the characters were each their own portal into understanding the inner workings of your generation. I was particularly intrigued by the fratority snob with the potential heart of gold.”

While she had to admit, a weight of worry was lifted off of her shoulders with his praise, she also found herself having difficulty containing her disdain. The way he spoke about her writing...as if it was fiction...it bothered her. Maybe more than it should have.

“Professor Vasquez...these aren’t characters. They’re real people,” she reminded him.

“Yes, of course,” he seemed to disregard the comment with a dismissive wave. “Anyhow, I was impressed. I’m looking forward to reading your next assignment on Wednesday. If I could make a suggestion about character building-”

“Wednesday?” She asked in a tone of slight desperation without letting him finish. “Professor...that’s less than-”

“Yes. Two days. That gives you plenty of time.”

“It really-”

“Please, Cariedee. I don’t know what gave you the impression that I have time for a debate on the matter,” he cut her off abruptly. “James and I were in the middle of discussing his play. Leave your assignment here on Wednesday morning.”

Without another word, she left Professor Vasquez’s office without closing the door behind her, and she could feel her shoulders subconsciously slump in defeat as she made her way out of the building. This was easily going to be another two all-nighters, and she found that she wasn’t sure how many more sleepless nights she could handle.

Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be, she considered. Maybe she wasn’t supposed to be at Hartfeld and this was the universe’s way of telling her that. She shook her head to physically rid herself of the intrusive thought and sent a quick text to Zack to let him know she was on her way to meet them at the coffee shop.

The quad was packed with students switching between classes, so she decided to cut across the lawn in front of the business building to take an easier route. She subconsciously glanced up from where her gaze had been focused on the rustling grass when she heard the heavy front door swing open with a creak, and when she locked eyes with a slightly familiar face, she offered up a smile.

He had been drinking when they met that weekend. She assumed that he probably hardly remembered talking to her that night until he smiled back at her – a warm and genuine smile that she could make out even with the distance between them.

“Cariedee?” he called out to her across the empty space.

The two students subconsciously stepped closer to one another so they no longer had to shout.

“Nathan...hey,” she chuckled almost awkwardly. “I’ve gotta be honest...I wasn’t sure you’d remember me.”

“And why’s that?” He asked, his eyebrows arching with playful curiosity.

“You may not have been as drunk as your friend, but I’m pretty sure that jungle juice I spilled on you wasn’t your first of the night.”

“In all fairness, no one at that party had been drinking as much as Beau. He ended up costing us our championship.”

They shared a smile and Cariedee rolled her eyes playfully.

“How will you ever go on?” She joked.

“Laugh all you want, but Kassidy hasn’t stopped reminding us ever since. Those bragging rights would have been more valuable than you realize.” Nathan paused and glanced down at the Rolex around his wrist to check the time. “Are you between classes?”

“Technically. I’m just coming back from Professor Vasquez’s office. I’m kind of his assistant.”

She grimaced involuntarily when she thought back to her meeting with Vasquez. Even more so when she remembered all the writing she was going to need to finish before Wednesday morning in order to stay on his good side and keep her scholarship.

“Enrique Vasquez? The author?” He asked.  

“Yeah,” she responded without much enthusiasm. “Trust me...it’s not as glamorous as it sounds.”

“Oh...I’m aware. I’ve heard that his last few assistants didn’t last long.”  

“The way things are going, his current assistant might not last long either,” she responded, the tone of disdain evident in her voice. “The only reason I’m sticking it out is for the scholarship. At this point, I’m wondering if it might be better to just cut my losses and go back home to a college I can actually afford.”

Nathan’s seemingly ever-present smile faded, and when she could read the expression of sympathy in his eyes she found herself wishing that she had just kept her mouth shut. She had needed to vent, but she definitely wasn’t looking for pity.

“Well unfortunately if you leave Hartfeld you and I won’t be running into each other like this much longer.” His smile returned with the lighthearted comment. “Keep that in mind when you put together your list of pros and cons.”

She chuckled weakly, and she could feel a blush creep up her neck and into her cheeks.

“I’ll remember that,” she told him. She took a second to regain her composure before blurting out her next question. “Are you busy? I’m on my way to meet my roommates for coffee. You can...come if you want.”

“As much as I’d like to, I’m actually already late to my next class.” Before she had a chance to respond – either by way of an apology for keeping him there talking to her when he needed to be in class or even just a simple goodbye – he spoke again. “But...at the risk of seeming too forward...would you happen to be free on Thursday night? A couple of my friends and I were planning on going out in Northbridge if you’re interested in joining us.”

“Are you sure I wouldn’t be impeding on some sort of top secret Alpha Theta Mu outing?” She asked with a teasing smile.

“No. Definitely not,” Nathan’s laugh was warm when he responded. “It would really just be four of us. Beau and Kassidy heard about this bar that doubles as an art gallery and wanted to check it out.” He paused and flashed another warm smile. “I can even double down and say that not only are you invited, but I would really like it if you came with us.”

Her cheeks burned ever so slightly again, and she let out a chuckle that was somewhere between awkward and embarrassed. She had to wonder what it was about him that had her so flustered.

“That sounds fun,” she responded. “I’m looking forward to it.”

[littleredroseonthevalley]

An Opera on Separation - Chapter 14

Prologue | Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | CH. 14 | Ch. 15 | Ch. 16 | Ch. 17 | Ch. 18 |

Summary: The police follows on Claire’s rape and Emily is called in for questioning. Is Nathan a suspect?

Rating: M -  Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16 with non-explicit suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, or coarse language.

Mention of rape. Reader discretion is highly advised.

Words: 1473

Notes: Remember when I said Beau was one sick little shit? Well, I made him sicker.

Enjoy.

Boring

Zack was still trying to calm Becca down with a cup of cold water when the telephone rung.

Emily and Zack changed a look, debating silently who’s going to answer it, and it ended up to be decided that she’d do it. “Hello?” She picked up the call.

“Good morning, miss. This is from Hartfeld Police Department.” The man’s voice says from over the phone. “Do I speak with Emily Harper?”

“Yes.” She said, wavering and wary. “How may I help you?”

“Miss, your presence has been required at the police station. It is about Miss Pierce’s rape.” He responds, using a grave voice.

Claire? She did not know anything about the girl. In fact, that news report this morning has been the first time she has heard the name in months.

“What about it?” The redhead asks, legitimately confused.

“The deputy has requested your testimony.” He responded, simple.

That was enlightening.

She breathed out, trying to keep her cool. “I’m not sure on what I can contribute, but of course. Is there an appointment that I am supposed to attend?”

“At your earliest convenience.” He said, and then added: “Preferably this morning.”

“Of course, I’m free. I’ll be there in an hour.” She nods.

“Thank you, Miss Harper. We’ll be expecting you; goodbye.” He said and finished the call.

Emily, then, placed the phone back on the hook and walked over back to the living room, where Becca was still altered and Zack seemed to be running haggard trying to control the impulsive blonde.

The ruckus died down as the two of them looked into the pale and struck face of Emily.

“Who was it?” Zack asks, concerned.

“It was the police.” She answered. “They want me to testify on Claire’s case.”

“What?!” The two other roommates shout in unison.

“What can you possibly know about Claire?” Zack says, in his usual over-the-top fashion. “If anyone here should be called into questioning, it would be Becca. They’re friends, after all.”

“Unless,” The blonde says, creepily calm. “Unless it isn’t about who knows the victim, rather than who knows the rapist.”

“You’re not saying…” He turned to her and stopped himself from saying what he meant.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” She jumped to her feet. “It happened at Alpha Theta Mu, haven’t it?”

The young man tutted. “Nevertheless, there’s at least fifteen people living there, and none of them are… you know.”

“But Emily’s not close to either of them. Let’s face it, Nathan raped Claire.” The blonde picked up the redhead’s arm. “Come on, Emily! I’m going to the station with you!”

“Good morning, Miss Emily.” An investigator enters the dark and cold room she was sitting on. “I am Deputy McKenzie, head of police here in Hartfeld. Thank you for coming so promptly.”

“Of course, Mr. McKenzie, anything I can do to help.” She nods.

“Allow me to begin by saying that you’re not being accused of anything.” He says, with a soft smile. “I only have a few, commonplace questions. I would’ve gone to your house, but as this is a high-coverage case, I can’t leave the station without the Hartfeld Herald printing it on the front page.

“Speaking of which, I must ask that you refrain from giving declarations to the press. It could hinder my investigation.”

She returned the kindness of his smile and responded: “I won’t be talking to anyone about it.”

“Good.” He took out a recorder and pressed play. “Now, remember you’re giving your official statement. Try to give the most accurate descriptions of events you possibly can. No need to be nervous, but no detail is small enough.”

“Okay.” She nodded.

“Now, first things first, what is your full name, birth town and age?”

“I am Emily Louise Harper. I am twenty years old and I’m from Boston, Massachusetts.”

“Okay.” He writes down her name on a form. “First question, what’s your relation with Nathan Sterling, III, Beau Han and Kassidy Marquez?”

Her nerves hitched at the mention of the names. It seemed like Becca might be right about Nathan, after all. “Nathan’s my boyfriend. The other two are his friends.”

“Are you close to either of them?” He probes further.

“Not particularly.” She bobbed her head. “I mean, we’ve gone out as a group on occasion, but I never really talked at lenght to them one-on-one.”

“Very well.” He says and scribbles something. “Where were you on the night of Friday, September 16th last year?”

“September 16th?” The young woman repeats and thinks about it for a moment. “Oh, right! It was the last time I saw Claire. It was on that bar downtown, Belle Époque.”

He hummed. “Who were you with?”

Her eyes widened when she realized where he was going with it. “I was with Nathan, Beau and Kassidy.”

“I understand something happened that night, didn’t it?” He nudged her to talk.

“Yes, it did.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I was with Beau, picking up some drinks and bringing them back to the table. I was distracted. I bumped into Claire and spilled my drink on her.

“She got really mad about it and started calling me an Alpha Theta Mu’s charity case. Beau tried to defend me, but then she turned on him and said that he wasn’t much better, being a nouveau riche or something.

“He turned red in fury; it was really scary to see such a big man so angry. He raised his hand; it looked like he was ready to strike her on the face. But then, Nathan controlled him and we left the club in a hurry and I went home.”

He slipped a handkerchief over the table for her to dry her tears. “Thank you, Miss Harper, that would be all.”

When Emily was as put-together as she would be given the circumstances, she left the interrogation room to face her friends who were waiting outside.

What she hadn’t expected was a small commotion, centred around Becca, who was barely contained by a police officer. The redhead ran to the main atrium of the station, and she realized the person she was being contained from was Nathan himself.

The blond man sported a few scratches and torn clothes, probably from the girl’s attacks from before the police could intervene.

“You filthy rapist!” Becca shouted. “I’ll sever off your eye with the heel of my Louboutin, and so help me God!”

“Becca!” Emily runs over to her. “Becca! Nathan didn’t do it! He’s not a suspect!”

“Don’t defend him, Emily! He’s the scum!” She barks.

“Becca, listen to me!” She placed both hands on the face of the other woman and forced her to look deep into her eyes. “Nathan didn’t do it. Beau did. He raped Claire because she said he was not old money.”

Her struggle faded, and she whispers: “What?”

“It’s true.” Emily uses the same grief-stricken tone.

“That’s… that’s…” Tears brim the young blonde woman’s eyes. “Barbaric.”

“I know.” The redhead hugged her friend and tried to soothe her.

“Emily?” Nathan neared the pair, touching his girlfriend’s shoulder.

Becca glared at the young man. “What do you want?”

Emily tapped the girl’s shoulder, trying to contain her anger. She locked her eyes on him, dull as they are due to the circumstances. “Yes?”

“I need to talk to you.” He said, pleading silently. “About what’s happening.”

She looked over at Becca and considered the proposition. Finally, she nodded and followed the man to the water fountain, where they could talk.

“What has the police told you about Beau?” He asks.

She shook her head. “They told me nothing. They just asked me about that time we’ve been to Belle Époque and I pieced the rest together.”

The blond man sighs. “There’s more to it. You see, Emily, I wasn’t always Beau’s vice-president. I actually was the runner-up for ATM presidency.”

“I’m sorry, Nathan, but what that’s got to do with anything?” The girl interrupts, rather impatient.

“I’ll get there.” He responds. “I always thought it to be strange I lost, I was always more popular than Beau, I was very confident I would win. So, when he asked me to be his VP, I set myself to investigate why.

“The Alpha Theta Mu you know, that I knew, isn’t the real Alpha Theta Mu.” He swallowed the bile on his throat. “The most illustrious members of the fratority kept an underground club of thrill-seekers. Up until last year, they used to play pranks. Pranks that ranged from the stupid to the dangerous.

“But Beau had gotten bored with it. He enlisted the help of Kassidy and they started a… group. I don’t know what I can call that.”

“What they did?” Emily asks, shakily.

“They had a website…” He coughed. “They posted videos. Of the guys at that… circle… well, violating girls. I gathered enough material to imputate them as quickly as I could, but...” He took a calming breath. “It wasn’t fast enough for Claire.”

A silence befell them. Neither spoke, as them both measured the other’s reactions.

Finally, Nathan breaks it into saying: “I’m sorry. I’m just gonna... leave.”

She stops him with a touch to his arm. When he looks back into her eyes, they were shining with unshed tears.

Emily pulls him into a hug.

The world was far from being alright, but Emily thought she could count on Nathan to make it better.

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