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randomshyperson · 3 years

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The Scarlet Witch Prophecy - The Second Year

Series Masterlist || Read on AO3

Summary: As the youngest daughter of Howard Stark, you have ordinary expectations for your years at Hogwarts. Little do you know what adventures await you when your destiny is intertwined with the legendary Scarlet Witch.

Warnings: +16. Adaptation of the Harry Potter Saga, Magical Thematic, Prophecies, Mentions of Violence, Torture and dark magic, Language (swearing and minor/major offenses), manipulation of will, Underage kissing, insinuation of smut with minors, Smut (overage), descriptions of death, aggression, obscurity, angst, fluffy, soulmates analogies.

Tag list ( let me know if you want to be tagged or removed idk haha) @mionemymind / @abimess / @stephanieromanoff / @yourtaletotell / @tomy5girls / @justagaypanicking / @thegayw1tch / @idek-5 // @myperfectlovepoem // @helloalycia // @ENSORCELLME // @AIMEZVOUSBRAHMS // @imapotatao / @aimezvousbrahms/ @ensorcellme/ @helloalycia

//-//

You missed the train in your second year.

You and Tony overslept after staying up late watching a television series, and Jarvis mentioned that he had to pick up some packages from your father at the Ministry of Magic, so he wasn't home to wake you up or take you two to the station.

It was already half past eleven when you both woke up.

"You lost your mind." You said to your brother as you watched him put your school luggage into the trunk of the muggle car your father had bewitched. Tony laughed, ignoring your protests.

"We can drive there, and then I'll charm the car to come back. No one will know."

"We could wait for Jarvis to come back too." You retort but Tony denies it.

"Jarvis will be at Mystery all day, you know how bureaucratic these orders from daddy are." He argues. "Come on, it'll be all right."

Things were not all right.

Tony couldn't control the car after you guys arrived on the Hogwarts grounds, since the magical barrier destabilized the entire muggle structure of the vehicle.

"That shouldn't happen." He grumbled as the car began to vibrate and its image became almost frosted before it returned to normal.

"Tony, we're falling." You said, and your brother tried to pull the steering up, but the car did not obey.

A loud noise later, and you two landed hard against a tall tree. The Whomping Willow.

"I should have known that the Starks would think they can do anything in this school." Said Professor Erik Lehnsherr as soon as you were rescued from the top of the Willow, and taken to Principal Harkness' office.

"We're sorry, Professor Lehnsherr" You asked while your brother just clenched his jaw at the provocation. You nudged him in the ribs and he crossed his arms, apologizing afterwards.

"Sorry I'm late Erik, we're having some problems in the greenhouses" Principal Harkness said as she entered the room, she smiled at you and your brother, her posture was friendly and good humored, very different from the other man in front of you. "What was the immeasurable problem that you mentioned?" she scoffed lightly and Erik cleared his throat before speaking.

"The Stark siblings arrived at the castle in a magically enchanted muggle car, Headmistress." He narrated and Agatha blinked in surprise. "They broke at least three hundred laws of the institute of International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, and on top of that, they caused the damage to the Whomping Willow, which has been at the school since before they were born!"

"Wow, that's pretty serious." Commented the teacher, and Erik frowns in surprise at her tone. "Tell me, what spell did you use?"

Tony blinked in confusion, the principal was not angry. She was just curious. Before he could answer, however, Professor Erik let out an exclamation.

"Agatha, they broke the law and..."

"Are you the principal, Erik?"

"I... No, but..."

"That's what I thought." She interrupts with a sharp smile. "Give them some punishment, I don't know, a month's detention, those things we do here."

"Agatha, I think..."

"That's all, Erik, thank you."

Professor Lehnsherr looked as shocked as you. The principal waved with a smile at you as you left the room in company with the professor.

"Starting tomorrow, boy, you will be in detention with me every day." Announced Erik sternly to his brother. "And you, girl, I will discuss the conditions of your punishment with the head of your house and you can be sure I will tell him everything that happened in that garden."

You and Tony swallowed dryly, intimidated by the menacing posture of the adult in front of you.

"To your dorms immediately." He ordered, and you walked side by side to the stairwell.

//-//

"I can't believe you did that!" Gamora impressedly remarked as soon as you joined her at the Slytherin table the next day, Nebula and Mantis by her side.

"Everyone is talking about it now." Nebula added as she ate some cereal. You felt your cheeks heat up as you looked around. There really were curious looks being cast at you.

"It was an accident." You said. "The car wasn't supposed to break down."

"It was dangerous and irresponsible." Rebutted Nebula without looking at you. "Typically Gryffindor, so my opinion is that you are walking around with Quill too much."

You rolled your eyes, laughing lightly.

"Hey, soon I'm going to start thinking you're from Slytherin, punk." Announced Tony as he approached the table, Steve and Bucky behind them.

"You wish." You teased lightly. Noticing the quidditch uniforms, you bit the inside of your cheek. "Do you have practice now?"

"No, we' re just going to play a little bit." He says. "There's really nothing to improve here."

Steve and Bucky laugh at Tony's cocky statement, and you roll your eyes, smiling a little.

"You're so full of yourself, aren't you, Tony?" Steve says afterwards.

" That''s just facts." He retorts, reaching out to steal one of your toasts. "See you later, kid."

After they leave, Gamora looks at you.

"Did you tell him you're going to try out for the team?"

"No." You reply with a chuckle. "I want it to be a surprise."

//-//

The following week, tryouts for the quidditch team were being held at the stadium, and all the team captains, including the Flight teacher, James Rhodes, were present.

He arranged the students in rows, and when Steve Rogers saw you he smiled encouragingly, waving. Tony walked over to you, equally excited.

"Pesty, why didn't you tell me you were going to take the test?" He asked as he hugged you quickly, and you felt your cheeks heat up as your classmates looked at you two with curiosity.

"It was a surprise." You retorted smiling and Tony messed up your hair before walking back with the other captains.

"We'll start with trios among everyone, and then separate you by houses." Announced Professor Rhodes with a smile. "Good luck everyone."

Your first trio were two students from Gryffindor that you didn't know. You would have liked to have taken the test with Peter, but he took the test with Pietro Maximoff, who had a wicked grin on his face, and almost knocked Peter off his broomstick when they were flying together. You grimaced angrily, and Wanda Maximoff glared back at you, as if daring you to do something against her brother. You rolled your eyes, and tried to pay attention to your own test.

"Hey, could you try to stop that bludger for me to throw?" Asked the short boy who was from the trio you were facing. He was from Hufflepuff, and his name was Peter Parker, but you actually never met him, and you only knew his name because the blond Ravenclaw girl in the stands was cheering him on.

"Sure, i got it." You said waiting for the bludger to arrive. You blinked in surprise when the object changed course in the air. The bludger wasn't going to mess up your test, or hit any of your friends, but on that course, it was going to hit Pietro right in the back. You sighed, hesitating. Then you shouted, "Yoy, Maximoff, look out!"

Pietro blinked in surprise at your warning, and managed to duck at the last second. You didn't look at him again.

Next, your partner was Peter Quill, thank goodness. He smiled charmingly at you riding beside him, and you nudged him slightly.

You were going up against two other students who looked older, but neither you nor Peter were intimidated.

"Come on brat, you don't want to embarrass your brother, do you?" taunted one of the boys as you prepared to hit back the bludger coming from Pietro's direction. You barely thought about it, and shot back, hitting the boy who had provoked you right in the chest.

He let out a sharp exclamation of pain, and fell backward. You blinked in fright, and dove in with the broom, grabbing him by the cape just moments before he hit the ground. You let go of him next, the boy had a pained expression as he massaged your chest. But he looked annoyed at you next.

"Pay attention to your surroundings." Said someone next to you. You looked up to notice Professor Rhodes looking at the two of you seriously. You swallowed dryly, flying away afterwards.

You made it to the Hufflepuff team. Your brother smiled contentedly, waving to you as he greeted Wanda, who also made the Slytherin team.

After the Quidditch tryouts, you had a few classes, and then your first detention.

You were going to help the elves with the castle services, and were almost glad to know that you didn't get the same detention as Tony: cleaning the greenhouse.

In the second week, one of the elves asked you to seek a special concoction from Professor Lehnsherr, so you walked to the potions room.

"I am so disappointed with you, girl." You heard a male voice say from inside the room, the door ajar. For some reason, you hesitated to enter. "I told you before, you can't lose control. That puts everything at risk."

"I'm sorry, papa." Mumbled a female voice, almost tearful. "It won't happen again."

You raised your hand to knock, not wanting to be nosy. But the door opened in front of you. Professor Erik Lehnsherr had his hand outstretched in the air, and you swallowed dryly, feeling your cheeks flush.

"What do you want?" he asked angrily and you shifted your weight between your feet, recognizing Wanda in the room.

"S-sorry to interrupt professor." You said. "I am looking for the cleansing potion for the elves. You know, for my detention."

Erik let out an impatient sigh.

"Maximoff, you can go." He said to Wanda. She nodded, ducking her head as she turned around. She glanced quickly at you as she left, but looked away when you stared back at her.

You left the room several minutes later. A package with several potions in it lay on your arm.

Whistling softly, you tried not to be intimidated by the dank, dimly lit corridors of the dungeon, but you were quite disturbed when you heard a noise.

You bit your lip, deciding if it was worth investigating. Leaving the package in the corner of the hallway, you drew your wand, walking toward the metallic sound.

As you turned the corner, you froze. A few meters ahead of you in the hallway was a troll. Metal chains on its hands and feet, the sound of them echoing down the hall.

But he was quiet, practically motionless. His reddened eyes sent shivers through your body.

You looked down and gasped.

Wanda had her arms raised in the air, and you saw her standing behind the creature, red magic escaping from her hands.

"W-what?" you found yourself whispering in confusion and then the monster's eyes flashed and he roared, the sound echoing loudly in the halls.

Wanda fell to her knees next, her hands returning to normal. You moved as the monster reacted again, enraged.

He was slow, so you dodged his attack easily, turning around. Before you could cast any spells however, there was a magic field around the monster.

"Return to your dormitories immediately, girls." Ordered Professor Lehnsherr with his wand raised. "I will control the creature." He was facing the troll, focused on his containment spell. You were annoyed because he didn't even look at his daughter.

You ran to Wanda, helping her to her feet. She blushed at the gesture, then thanked you. You took one last look at the monster before walking out into the hall.

"Hey, are you okay?" You asked once you and Wanda were alone.

"Yes, I... "She started and then widened her eyes, turning to you and pushing you by the shoulders. "You can't tell anyone what you saw!"

You frowned in confusion.

"Easy, there!" You exclaimed pushing her hands away, "You don't have to hit me."

Wanda sighed, running her hands through her hair.

"Just...please don't say anything to anyone." She ordered, in a much calmer tone now.

"Merlin, it's okay." You retorted putting your hands in your pockets. "I don't understand why you don't want to tell something this cool, but okay."

Wanda blinks in surprise.

"Cool?"

You smile shrugging your shoulders.

"Sure. You did magic without a wand, that's amazing."

Wanda looks after you for a moment, her cheeks reddening.

"Don't you think it's scary?" She asks and you frown.

"What, of course not!" you assure her. "You can make as many pranks as you want and no one will ever prove you did it."

Wanda smiles shyly at your joke, and then looks away.

"I promise I won't say anything, Wanda." You tell her and she sighs, nodding.

"Do you have any idea where the troll came from?

"No." She says. "I was walking back to my dorm, and I ran into him. There was no one else in the hallway."

You make an understanding noise with your mouth, not quite understanding how the creature escaped from the castle dungeons.

You walk in silence to the corridor leading to the Slytherin dormitory.

"Well, here we are... I'll see you tomorrow" You say half-heartedly. Wanda smiles as she waves goodbye and you walk back to your common room.

None of you notice the figure hidden between the shadows and the purple light around the walls.

//-//

You begin to notice new things after your short conversation with Wanda.

The way the students at school talk about her is one of these things.

In a single day, you hear at least ten cruel comments about how quiet, mysterious and scary Wanda was. A lot of people at school thought that she and Pietro were some kind of evil twins, because nobody ever saw their mother, and there were rumors that maybe Professor Erik Lehnsherr had made them in one of his cauldrons.

You didn't tell your friends what you saw that day, but you tried to bring up on the rumors you heard, and Gamora let out a giggle.

"People make a lot of things up here" she said while you were in pairs in Herbology class. "As far as I know, the Maximoff's mother is a muggle and that's why so many people in our house treat her that way."

You couldn't tell why these things were bothering you, since Wanda wasn't even your friend, but you guessed it was because you had always learned to hate the whole blood purity thing, since your father was a pureblood, but he married a muggle, and suffered a lot of hatred from the witch community that called him a blood traitor for years. You had a certain natural sympathy for Wanda now.

When Halloween came around, you ate too much candy, and your stomach hurt. All your friends were the same, and you decided to bet on a ghost race, a mixture of catch one, catch all and hide-and-seek through the castles.

You were being the ghost when you saw Peter Quill sneaking down one of the corridors, and you rushed to follow him, but then you heard a whistle, and you stumbled to hide quickly, and ended up falling on someone.

"Sor-Wanda!" You started to apologize but when you realized who you had bumped into, you exclaimed the witch's name awkwardly. "S- sorry" You hurried to say, feeling your face flush when you noticed her gaze on you. You stood up quickly, reaching out your hand to help her up. "Everything okay?"

"S-sure." She said smiling, and then she looked down. Your hands were still together and you quickly let go as soon as you noticed, feeling your face heat up.

"Err... you didn't see a Gryffindor boy walking by here did you?" You asked trying to lighten the mood, and looking around."I'm playing Ghost Race."

"This is a children game." She teased with a smile and you looked at her in surprise, blushing even more.

"I... I’m...."

"I'm just messing with you."

"Oh, right." You sigh laughing lightly as Wanda follows you. The sound of her laughter makes your stomach turn, and you don't understand why, so you clear your throat and say you needed to get back to your friends.

"See you around, Hufflepuff." She says as she says goodbye. You try to focus on finding Peter after that.

//-//

Quidditch is as fun as it is stressful.

You eventually discover that Steve Rogers was extremely competitive when playing against your brother.

Slytherin's game with Hufflepuff was scheduled in three weeks, and he was already making the whole team practice the rehearsed plays daily.

After another exhausting practice, you sighed as you flew toward the empty bleachers, four seats occupied only by your friends.

"Do you have to chew so loudly?" Complained Nebula to Peter Quill as he ate a piece of apple pie that he probably saved from lunch. The boy made a face, shrugging.

"I can't wait until we can go to Hogsmeade." Gamora commented a moment later. "We saw the third year kids go out last weekend, when you were playing explosive snap with all those older gang."

You smiled as you took off your Quidditch gloves.

"That "gang" are Tony's friends, Gamora." You explained and the girl shrugged, looking almost jealous that you had other friends, making you smile.

"That Romanoff is scary." Mantis added and your friends nodded, making you laugh.

"Natasha may seem threatening when you first meet her, but I assure you she is a sweetheart." You hit back and then steal one of the mini apple pies that Quill brought. "By the way, I wanted to invite you guys over for Christmas. Tony is calling all his friends."

Mantis and Quill seem excited about the invitation, but Nebula and Gamora exchange a look.

"Look, I'm happy with the invitation, I really am." Gamora began. "But we can't accept it."

You look at them with confusion, finding it amusing in the seriousness.

"Why not, girls?"

"It's just... Your family..." Gamora mumbles trying to find the right words.

"They are blood traitors." Nebula adds seriously. Quill and Mantis both widen their eyes, and Gamora lowers her gaze in shame. You feel your stomach turn in irritation.

"I beg your pardon?" you retort angrily, but Gamora puts her hand on her sister's forearm, asking her to shut up.

"We like you, Y/N, you are our friend." She says. "But our father, he would never allow us to go to Howard Stark's house, not after what he did."

You let out a short laugh.

"And what exactly he did?" you retort, already gathering your gloves and broom from the bench. "What a horrible crime to fall in love with someone isn't it?"

"Please, we didn't mean to upset you..." Gamora starts but you huff in irritation, riding the broom.

"I can't believe you were thinking that about me and my family all this time." You interrupted angrily, shaking your head in disbelief. You flew away the next moment, toward the ground, intending to return to the castle.

//-//

You hadn't talked to Gamora and Nebula for a week. It was weird eating at the Hufflepuff table again, but at least Mantis and Groot kept you company. Quill seemed torn about choosing a side, but you teased him that he could stay with his girlfriend without thinking that you would no longer be friends, and he turned red as he walked over to the Slytherin table for coffee.

At the weekend, the quarterfinal game of the Quidditch championship took place, and you could barely eat properly at breakfast in anticipation.

Mantis wasn't much into quidditch, but she dressed in your house colors and knitted a little yellow sweater for Groot as well.

"Ready to play with me, kid?" Teased Tony as soon as you stepped onto the field, the Slytherin team on the opposite side. You smiled confidently, nodding.

"Attention, players, I want a fair game." Warned Professor Rhodes, who was also the judge of the match. "Mount your brooms and ascend into the air please."

In the air, your gaze met Wanda's, and you smiled slightly, but she just glanced away, appearing upset. You didn't understand why, but you didn't really have time to ask.

And then the whistle for the start of the match sounded.

Being a beater was especially tricky on cloudy days, because you couldn't see the ball clearly with the dark background of the sky, but you had enchanted your glasses before you set up, so you were doing a decent job.

It was during the second half match that you almost died.

Loki Odinson was the seeker, and he was almost reaching for the golden snitch when you looked at him. Your job as a beater was to keep the bludger away from your teammates, and to precisely prevent Loki from catching the snitch. You aimed the bludger at Loki's broomstick, to destabilize him, and it worked. But he didn't take it very well.

Flying toward Erik Killmonger, the Slytherin beater, he grabbed the stick out of the boy's hand, and glared at you angrily before firing the incoming bludger right at you.

You managed to dodge it for a second, frowning as you looked back at Loki. But he had a mean look on his face, and before you could understand what happened, something hit you hard in the head, and you fell off the broom.

As you fell, your eyes grew heavy, and the last thing you saw were emerald eyes, accompanied by Tony's scream.

//-//

Your head hurt a lot when you woke up in the nurse's office.

Healer Cho smiled gently at you when she gave you some water as soon as she noticed that you had woken up.

And then you noticed the other curious faces around you.

"Will she get a cool scar?" Quill asked excitedly only for Gamora to slap his arm next.

You fiddled uncomfortably with the bandage on your head. Tony looked at you worriedly.

"Damn it, don't ever do something like that again." He complained and you looked at him with confusion.

"It was your mate who shot the ball at me." You retorted and he sighed.

"Yeah, Loki is an idiot." He retorted angrily. "If Thor hadn't interfered, I would have broken his nose."

Then you found out that as soon as you fell, the game was stopped and everyone went down to the field. Tony tried to fight with Loki, but Thor stopped him, and all the teams almost started beating each other. You were taken to the nurse, and Professor Rhodes disqualified the Slytherin because Loki used non-verbal magic to bewitch the bludger to attack you. Even though you were angry, you were impressed that a twelve year old boy could do such advanced magic.

"Good thing Wanda reached you before you fell." Tony added after telling all. You felt your face heat up, and Gamora noticed and looked at you curiously. You decided to change the subject quickly.

"What are you two doing here anyway?" You asked snidely looking at them. "Since when do the health of blood traitors matter to you?"

Tony blinks in confusion, but Gamora takes a step to the side of your bed.

"We wanted to apologize for that." She says. "Our father is the one who thinks those things, okay? You're our friend, and we don't think that of you. Or your family"

You looked away from Gamora to her sister. Nebula nodded in agreement a moment later, and you bit one inside cheek before sighing.

"Right." You said trying to smile. "Can I go back to eating with you two then?"

Gamora laughed, agreeing. When you tried to laugh, your head hurt and your exclamation of pain attracted Tony's attention.

"You know what, I forbid you to play Quidditch forever."

"Shut up, you idiot." You retort, smiling.

//-//

Thanos won't let Gamora and Nebula spend Christmas with you, but that's okay. You ask Iron to deliver the gifts to her house with the pseudonym "Apple Pie" in the name, and received their response in thanks a few days later.

All of Tony's friends come to your house during the holiday.

Bucky goes on a joke saying that his brother spread all those mistletoes around to get some action, but you don't understand what he means.

There is a new kid named Sam Wilson in your brother's group of friends, and he becomes one of your favorite people quickly. He is very funny, and makes everyone laugh during dinner.

Quill almost knocks the tree to the ground when Bucky agrees to charm his shoes to fly, and everyone laughs when he gets hung up on the decorations.

Your father arrives just before you cut up the turkey.

He is covered in soot, and looks exhausted. But he smiles and kisses you and Tony on the forehead, saying he will clean himself up before joining you.

"Can the little guy eat food?" Howard asks when Groot walks around the table. Mantis seems shy about explaining anything to your father, making you chuckle.

During the gift exchange, you giggle when Tony and Bucky start playing wrestling and Bucky miscalculates the punch time and hits your brother in the nose, who behaves like a crying baby, even though he has no mark on his face.

You fall asleep with a smile on your face on the carpet in the living room next to all your friends.

Without having any clue about the worried look your father exchanges with Jarvis a moment after everyone falls asleep in the living room.

//-//

When you return to Hogwarts, there are many new announcements on the bulletin board that catch your attention.

You are not sure if you will really have the time, but decide to sign up for the dueling club with your friends.

This is how you end up in the main hall after the last potions period. The wooden tables had disappeared, and in the center you would find a large golden stage. Professor Stephen Strange was beckoning students to spread out across the room when you arrived.

"Come on dear, come closer" Professor Stephen asked the crowd, standing on the stage. "Can you all see and hear me? Good."

Professor Stephen spent the next five minutes explaining that the club was back in activity after some teachers had talked with Principal Harkness, and also spoke about the basic rules for participating and dueling correctly. Soon the students were all divided into pairs. As the crowd organized itself, you noticed the Maximoff brothers in the back of the room, and you looked away quickly when Gamora, who was your partner, caught you staring.

"Let's practice the disarm spell." Announced Stephen next.

It was easy because you already knew. Your father, in the few moments he was home, taught defensive magic to you and Tony. Spells were not your brother's strong suit, but he didn't mind helping you practice.

Gamora smiled impressed when you approached her to demonstrate correctly how to make the movement with the wand.

Your colleagues, however, didn't seem to be making much progress, so the teacher interrupted their practice with a whistle.

"I will demonstrate how to use the disarm spell correctly." He says as he takes the stage again. You exchange a look with Gamora when by your proximity, you hear him mutter that if the students paid attention to his lessons they would know how to duel correctly. "Please, Erik, could you assist me with this lesson?"

Professor Lehnsherr had been quiet throughout the practice, watching the students from afar. He did not smile as he walked on stage, his silver wand in his hand.

"Pay attention, please." Strange asked noticing the buzz that arose as soon as Erik took the stage. "Thank you, Erik."

The two professors got into a dueling position, and then Professor Stephen made a motion with his wand. A white glow escaped through the air towards the other man, but Erik made a quick movement with his own wand, and it was as if he absorbed the spell. You recognized the blocking spell easily.

"It is important that you know how to defend spells during a duel." Professor Stephen then spoke, smiling quickly at Erik, who did not reciprocate. "That could save your lives in a situation where you don't know which spell has been cast on you.

"It might be wise to teach the students some counter attack spells, Professor Strange." Added Erik with a slight challenge in his voice. Professor Strange didn't seem to mind however, smiling at the crowd.

"Great idea, Erik!" he said putting away his wand. "I need two volunteers, please."

A lot of people raised their hands, making Strange give a chuckle.

"I think it's best to choose students who won't turn the other one into a frog during the duel, professor." Lehnsherr commented bitterly, and Stephen sighed, running his gaze around. He smiled when he looked at you.

"Stark, would you like to join in?" He asked gently, and you felt your cheeks flush as all eyes in the room went to you. Nodding shyly, you stepped onto the stage. "Who could your opponent be..."

"May I suggest someone from my own house, professor?" Interrupted Erik next, and without waiting for an answer, he turned around, "Wanda, come up here please."

The crowd erupted in hubbub as soon as the words echoed in the hall. But Wanda didn't hesitate, rushing to obey. You swallowed dryly, stepping forward.

"Great girls, let's start then." Said Professor Stephen smiling standing between you and Wanda. You didn't understand why she was looking at you so seriously. "Let's try the finite Incantatem, shall we?"

You and Wanda nod in agreement and the professor smiles, patting you two on the back to get you moving.

When you reach the dueling position, you raise your wand and wait for the teacher's order.

Wanda attacks first when he signals. And you just defend, which makes Professor Stephen give a little smile.

"Stark, remember to counter attack instead of defend, okay?" He asks and you nod, ignoring the stares at you. Wanda has a neutral expression as you get into a dueling position again.

A bright red spell comes at you as Wanda attacks again, and you have a second to think about fighting back, but hesitate, blocking it again. The crowd lets out a chorus of disappointment.

Professor Stephen looks ready to say something, but it is Erik's voice that fills the room.

"The Stark girl is clearly hesitating to fight back the spell, Professor Strange." He says, and you feel your cheeks heat up, looking down at the floor. "Perhaps she should try to attack Wanda first instead."

Stephen exchanges a look with the other professor, and then turns his head toward you.

"Is it okay if we do it this way, Stark?"

You glance at Wanda quickly before nodding, feeling very nervous all of a sudden. "Let's get started then."

Raising your wand again, you take a deep breath. Wanda also gets into a dueling position, her eyes watching your movements. You swallow dryly, and think of the least offensive spell you know. And you say the words.

Nothing happens.

Your wand lets out a small golden sparkle, and you frown in confusion. Some of your classmates laugh, believing that you have failed to cast a simple spell, and you feel your face heat up.

"I..." You start to say, wanting to apologize.

Professor Lehnsherr steps forward next to his daughter, looking at you curiously, but his tone is severe when he says.

"Again."

You ignore the stares and try again. It doesn't work. Your wand simply doesn't obey you. Feeling frustrated, you repeat the spell again. And again, louder this time. Your classmates seem as curious as you are.

Professor Erik moves around the stage, stopping a few feet in front of you.

"Try it against me now."

"Professor, I don't..."

"Now."

You swallow dryly, and aim in his direction. Ignoring the tremor in your hands, you repeat the same incantation. The magic immediately escapes, the golden glow rushes forward. Erik blocks it masterfully. A mixed look of curiosity and displeasure.

You immediately lower your wand when he takes two steps toward you.

"I don't know what happened, professor." You begin to explain quickly. "I don't..."

"Erik." Warns Professor Strange placing himself in front of you. All eyes on the three of you. Professor Lehnsherr forces a smile, which brings chills down your entire spine.

"I'm just curious, Stephen." Said the other man, putting his wand away and raising his hand to smooth the professor's cloak in front of him. "Just innocent curiosity."

"Let's continue tomorrow night, please. " Professor Stephen announces in a loud voice afterwards. The students begin to move quickly in the hall. You want to ignore the feeling that everyone is talking about you as you come down from the stage. Your gaze immediately seeks Wanda, but she has her head down as she joins her brother, leaving the room quickly.

Gamora is very impressed when you join her.

//-//

"And then nothing came out of her wand!" Gamora told your friends impressed as soon as you were all together at breakfast.

You woke up feeling especially tired that morning, and were eating your cereal lazily.

"That's so weird." Nebula commented. "Do you have any idea why you can't bewitch Wanda?"

You deny it, eating a little. You got a lot of looks this morning, and you were getting pretty upset about the whole thing.

"Maybe it's because you like her." Gamora suggested a moment later, and you choked on your cereal.

After Mantis helped you, you took a deep breath, your cheeks flushed.

"Where did you get that from?" You asked annoyed.

"I just meant that you seem to like her." She said with an insinuating smile. "Like a friend."

Gamora's tone clearly suggested something more, and you grumbled, turning your attention back to your cereal.

When your friends began to theorize about what the whole thing could possibly mean again, you stopped paying attention.

//-//

Tony laughed when you told him.

"I've never heard of anything like that, kid." He said as he took the scarf off his neck and threw himself on the couch in common room.

Technically, you couldn't be here. But it wasn't like people respected those rules anyway.

You didn't come to the Slytherin common room much, because it was cold and empty, and Slytherin students weren't very welcoming to visitors.

But Tony had many different classes than you, so you would only find him in the commons room by the end of the day. After you dismissed a free-flying session with Quill, you went to tell him what had happened at that morning.

"If you had joined the club, you would have seen it." You said straightening your position on the leather couch. Tony laughed.

"As if I was going to be a part of that." He scoffs. "I hate charms, you know that."

"You know it's one of the most important subjects, right?" you retort wryly, and Tony shrugs.

"I won't need that when I study Magic Mechanics with Dad."

You sigh, not wanting to talk about it again. Tony wanted to be like your father. A respected mechanical witch inventor. You didn't like the idea because it meant that Tony would be as absent as your father.

"Hey, why don't you try to figure something out in the reserved session?" He suggested next and you looked at him wryly.

"You're an example of a brother, you know that?" you teased making him laugh.

"Hey, if you're careful, no one will know you were there." He retorted and you sighed thoughtfully. "If you get caught, I'll say I dared you to do it."

"I doubt it." You retorted with a smile.

Tony invites you to a game of wizard chess, but you tell him you need to get back to your dorm before some prefect comes to question you.

On the way out, you bump into someone who shouldn't be there either.

"Sorry." You say immediately, and Pietro looks at you curiously.

"Are you here to talk to Wanda?" He asks snidely, but although his tone is accusatory, his eyes are warm.

"What?" you reply confused, "No, I...I came to see my brother."

Pietro doesn't seem to believe you, crossing his arms.

"What's your deal with my sister, anyway?"

You frown in confusion.

"I don't know what you are talking about." You say uncomfortable with the conversation.

Pietro stares at you for a few seconds, and then his expression lightens quickly and he smiles amiably.

"I'm just messing with you, kiddo." He mocks. "By the way, I never thanked you for that day at the Quidditch test. If you hadn't warned me, I wouldn't have made it as a seeker."

You blink in confusion and then smile awkwardly.

"No problem, Maximoff."

You nod in farewell, walking back toward the Hufflepuff dormitory, not noticing that Pietro continues to stare at you until you turn the corner.

//-//

The next morning, after your spell class is over, you tell Mantis to go ahead, because you want to talk to the professor.

"This is about the dueling club, isn't it Stark?" Professor Strange asks abruptly still with his back to you as he fiddles with his desk before you say anything. He turns around then, his expression slightly concerned.

"I was just wondering if you have any idea why my magic didn't work, sir?" You say with your hands in your pockets. "Everyone at school is talking about it."

Stephen sighs, and he seems to hesitate about something. But then his expression softens, and he smiles.

"Don't worry about it so much, okay?" He says. "Maybe it's just the similarity of the core of your wands. If the material is the same, maybe your wands are sisters and won't harm each other."

You believe this for the first two seconds, but then frown.

"But Wanda was able to cast spells on me sir." You say and Stephen widens his eyes slightly, as if he has been caught lying. He clears his throat quickly, amiably smiling at you as he nudges you out of the room with him.

"I'm sure there's a good explanation for this, but I don't have the answers right now, Miss Stark." He says and you have a frown as he is turning around, walking away down the hallway. "See you next class!"

You sigh, realizing that maybe your best chance to know what happened is Professor Erik.

//-//

Your next potions class isn't until midweek, so you try to do a little research in the library as Tony recommended you to do.

There is almost no material on magic connections in the library's common session, and you figure it's because it's an advanced and dangerous kind of magic.

"You know you could end up expelled if you try to take anything from the restricted session, right?" Gamora comments as you are sitting in the library, dozens of books around you as she helps you investigate.

"I'll try for a permit first." You say with your face propped up in your hands. "If no teacher is going to tell me why this is happening, I'm going to have to figure it out on my own."

No teacher allows you into the restricted session. They justify that a second-year student has no reason to read such advanced magic, but you just feel that they all seem willing to stop you from finding out what is going on.

You plan to sneak in then. After the last period on Tuesday, and as soon as the library is empty, you ask Gamora to help you distract the librarian, and while she does so, you sneak between the shelves.

You look back to check that everything was all right as you enter, and almost fall backwards in fright when you bump into someone. Your heart races with fear when you observe Principal Harkness right in front of you, a curious look on your face.

"P-professor?" You exclaim. "I'm sorry! I was just..."

"Sneaking in." She completes with a smile. You feel your stomach sink, but the woman makes room for you to enter. "Come on honey, you don't need that. Make yourself at home."

You hesitate for a second, but then step forward, your curiosity for answers getting the best of you.

Following in the way the head master points, you end up deep in the library, many books you've never seen around you, their covers dark, and mystical, some of them moving on the shelves as if they were trying to break free.

"I heard about your little accomplishment at the dueling club." The principal comments beside you as you run your fingers through the covers. You shrug.

"Nobody wants to tell me what's going on."

"Does that make you angry, dear?"

You blink in confusion, looking at the woman behind you. She looks back as if she was evaluating you.

"N-no, professor." You say putting your hands in your pockets. "I'd just like to know what's happening."

Harkness blinks and then looks away. She makes a flick with her fingers, and there is a book flying toward you. It has a dark, medieval cover, and there is a magical shadow shrouding the entire book. It 's mainly scary.

"I found a lot of information about magic connection incantations, dear." She counters. "But it's nothing a second grade girl could understand, you know? Advanced magic for even the most experienced witches."

You frown, wanting to say that if she explained it properly, you could understand it perfectly, but being the director, you thought it best to just add:

"Please, professor. I just want to know what's going on."

Agatha smiles, and then puts the book back on the shelf, her eyes have a purple glow that makes your body chilly.

"Don't you understand, dear?" She starts by stooping down to your height, her hand caressing your cheek lightly. "You came in here, and flipped through the books. So many words you didn't know. You found nothing." She says and you see flashes in your head, her words taking shape like a memory. "And when you left, it just stopped being important."

Agatha smiles at you as she rests her hand on your shoulder for a moment, and you face her back. Giving her one last look, you walk in the direction you came from.

When you leave, you only remember what you have been allowed to.

//-//

In potions class, you feel a tingling behind your eyes when you see Professor Erik.

You have the feeling that you want to ask him something, but can't remember what it is.

Gamora mentions that maybe you wanted to know about what happened at the dueling club, but you smile as you deny it with your head, telling her that that story wasn't really that big of a deal.

She frowns slightly, but doesn't insist, believing that you had lost interest in the subject as well as the rest of the school.

//-//

You don't do very well on your Transfiguration test.

If you had to find an excuse, you would say that you haven't felt very well since the dueling club. Your magic has been difficult to shape and control. You don't want to think about it, though, so you just study until everything is back to normal again.

Professor Rocket gives you an "Acceptable" though, and you grumble slightly when the results arrive at your house during the vacations.

You write to your friends over the summer, sharing the results of your assessments. Gamora did well in everything, her grades as perfect as Nebula's. Mantis failed in Charms, but got Brilliant in Herbology, and surprised no one by that. Peter had at least three "troll" grades, and Gamora sent him a chocolate cake to make him feel better.

The week before last, there was a big commotion at the Ministry of Magic, and your father was away from home for three days.

Jarvis didn't let you and Tony run to hug him when he arrived, and before you could protest, you noticed that he had apparated in the house garden accompanied by two other wizards you didn't know.

No one seemed willing to tell you what was happening, and when the wizards left, your father locked himself in his office for the night.

Tony was very upset, and said he wanted to be alone in his room.

"Jarvis, will you tell me what's going on?" You asked the butler when he put you to bed, worried that you were going to stay up waiting for your father. Jarvis sighed, sitting up with you.

"Miss Y/N, there are many things that are not concerns for children." He begins, and you sigh impatiently. The man smiles gently at you. "It may not seem fair, but innocence is a privilege of the few."

"I just want to know why dad and Tony are upset." You complain with your arms crossed, not understanding the man's previous words. Jarvis fluffs your pillows, pulling the blanket to waist height. "Please, Jarvis, tell me."

The butler sighs.

"Just know that there are people in our world who don't have the best of intentions." He explains mysteriously, causing you to frown. "But that's not something for you to worry about, because the adults have taken care of everything. Now, go to sleep miss."

Jarvis reaches out to turn off your lamp next and stands up. You sit in the dark for many minutes before you decide to fall asleep.

#wanda maximoff #wanda x reader #wandaxreader #wandamaximoffxreader #wanda x you #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff x you #wanda maximoff imagines #The Scarlet Witch Prophecy #marvel imagines #wanda x yn #wanda x fem!reader #wanda maximoff x female reader

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jinmukangwrites · 3 years

Text

@damianwayneweek 6 (6-18): Baby Damian | Family bonding | First crush

Warnings: none

Notes: Short, sweet, barely edited cuz it's 1am. Please enjoy some de-aged Damian and frazzled Dick. Yes I'm back on my Damian and Dick bullshit. I just love them so much.

-o-o-o-o-

Three days, according to Zatanna. The magic that hit Damian isn't permanent, and should wear off on its own within three days.

Dick already doesn't know what to do with himself. He was hardly prepared to take over and raise a ten year old, let alone a toddler.

But here he is, sitting in the manor living room watching as a small version of his already little brother toddles around on chubby baby legs. He can't be more than two. He can walk around on his own well enough—though Alfred did block off all of the stairs in the manor anyways—and every so often he'll point at something and say... Something that sounds like a demand.

Dick wasn't really ever good with understanding baby gibberish. It doesn't help that Damian seems to have reverted in memories as well... so the things he's demanding probably aren't in English as it's not his first language.

Damian wobbles up to Dick, holding out a toy train that Alfred dug out from the attic that used to belong to Bruce. Dick takes it and thanks him, but Damian pays him no mind and returns to his toys, babbling about something only he understands.

It's so weird seeing him like this. All small, chubby, soft, and bright eyed. Dick doesn't know everything Damian has gone through... growing up in the League... and as much as Dick dislikes Talia, he knows she was the best mom she could be to him. She's raised him to be a smart, strong young man, and taught him to be able to protect himself in his dangerous surroundings... and of course Dick has known Damian long enough to have gotten through his walls and see the wonderful boy underneath, but as he watches this toddler squeal as another toy train turns on and runs on its own...

He cannot help but mourn the child Damian could have been. Should have been if every child in the world had the privilege of growing up in a safe home and no worries besides homework.

He shakes his head. He cannot think like that. Whatever child Damian could have grown into if he hadn't been raised by the League is still in there. Just a bit harder to bring out. Dick can feel himself getting closer every day.

Damian notices him shaking his head and makes a curious ah sound. He walks over to Dick, lifting his arms, and Dick assumes he wants to be lifted. He smiles at the kid and grabs him under the armpits and lifts him into the air perhaps a bit quicker than what he was expecting. The kid screeches as Dick lifts him over head and let's go for just a moment to catch him and bring him back down to his face.

Damian scowls a familiar scowl and hits Dick on the nose with his stubby little fingers.

"Bah," he scolds, and a laugh bursts from Dick's throat.

Yup, Damian is still in there.

-o-o-o-o-

"I'm beginning to understand why B adopted all of us when we were already in elementary," Dick complains as baby Damian screams in his wooden high chair—yet another thing dug up from the attic that probably belonged to Bruce.

Alfred hands Dick a rag with a smirk. The thrown bowl of mac-and-cheese is all over Dick's shirt.

"Master Bruce always had a tenderness for infants," Alfred replies as he uses another rag to wipe off the still screaming and complaining Damian. "He always found joy in finding whatever excuse he could to hold and play with a baby. We used to go to a church when he was still a child himself, and there was a woman there without a husband who would always bring her infant. He would always offer to hold the child for her during the sessions to give her a break."

There's a twinkle in his eye when he looks over at Dick. "I imagine that if this had happened to you, or your other siblings, when he was still around, he would have loved every second of it. Food throwing, tantrums, and all."

Dick can't help but smile. He looks over at Damian who's now kicking his legs and waving his now clean hands in a fit. "Still, I wonder what's making him so mad."

"He might not like the taste," Alfred says, "or the texture. Perhaps some experimentation is due."

After some expiration and a lot of screaming through baby lungs that couldn't possibly hold that much air, they find that Damian really likes tomato soup, apple sauce, and broccoli.

-o-o-o-o-

"Master Dick," Alfred speaks up on the first evening while they were showing Damian Pooh's Heffalump Movie. Dick was relaxing and watching the movie, trying to remember if he's seen this one or not, while Damian was on the floor playing with an old kitten stuffed animal.

"Yeah?" Dick asks. He looks over at Alfred, only to see Alfred raise an eyebrow down at Damian. Dick follows his look, then his stomach drops when he finds that under the recently shopped for infant clothes, is a full looking diaper.

Dick looks back up at Alfred.

"Please, god, no."

Alfred drops a diaper, a bag of wipes, and a cloth into Dick's hands. "Good luck, sir."

-o-o-o-o-

Dick's about to lose his mind. He did everything Alfred told him to. He read a bedtime story—Where the Wild Things Are, as it was Dick's personal favorite as a child. He made sure his diaper was clean. He turned on some white noise. He even gave him Zitka. Yet, everything he did, Damian would scream and sob in his borrowed crib until Dick picked him up and started to sing the lullabies sung to him as a child. He sings the ones from his own native language, and even though there's no way Damian understands Romani, the kid calms down and reduces to exhausted little hiccups and almost seems to fall asleep with his little fingers curled in Dick's shirt.

And the second Dick puts him down, the crying rekindles.

Dick doesn't know what to do. Damian cries and cries until he's held and sung to, but Dick can't hold and sing to him all night. He paces Damian's room, bouncing the aforementioned kid-turned-infant in his arms, mumbling tunes to whatever lullaby decides to leave his lips.

Alfred told him he has permission to wake him up if he needed anything with Damian through the night, but Dick can't bring himself to. Alfred already works so hard during the day and night, keeping the manor in shape and making sure Dick doesn't get himself killed during patrol... He shouldn't have to be relied on to take care of a grumpy baby that won't go to sleep.

No, no Dick can handle this. Damian is calm when he's held and sung to, so that's what Dick will do. He walks to the cradle and pulls out Zitka, then goes to his own bedroom to sit on his bed and holds Damian close to his chest, singing and bouncing him gently.

Eventually, Damian goes completely still against his chest, snoring slightly, but Dick's too fearful to risk anything now. He stops singing though, resorting to simply holding Damian and trying to keep his own eyes open.

He fails, but he wakes up in the morning with Damian laying on his chest, still fast asleep and drooling all over his shirt.

Dick doesn't look a gift-horse in the mouth. He shifts into a better position, then allows them both to sleep in a little longer.

-o-o-o-o-

Alfred discovers the problem quickly when Dick tells him how hard it was to get Damian to sleep. Turns out, Damian's teething. By noon, Alfred had returned from the closest grocery store with a few tools to help with that. He puts a few water filled plastics into the fridge, then gives Damian one to chew on in the meantime. And chew on it, Damian does. He gets slobber everywhere, but at least he's no longer so upset, especially once a cold one is exchanged into his grubby little hands.

-o-o-o-o-

"That's absolutely adorable," Barbara says over the phone. Dick's just finished sending her a massive amount of pictures he's taken of Damian after taking him outside to play in the backyard with the dogs. He's sent her the pictures mostly because he needs people to see how cute Damian is while trying to tackle a dog twice the size of him... but also partly because he gets the feeling once Damian's back to his normal age, he will make sure all evidence of this is destroyed.

Barbara is someone Dick's sure can keep pictures hidden in a safe place... just in case Dick wants to see them again after lying to Damian he deleted them.

-o-o-o-o-

Dick's beginning to understand why people like babies. Like, they're cute, yes. The sounds they make are cute sometimes too. The things they find funny are usually very goofy and enjoyable to watch. Their laughs are contagious, and their babbles are enjoyable to try and decipher...

But nothing beats watching them sleep, curled up against your chest. Full trust in you that you'll keep them safe. It's nap time, and instead of trying to peel Damian off from him and put him in the crib, he's decided to just let the kid pass out in his arms and use the opportunity to take a nap himself.

Apparently it's bad to always let babies sleep with you, but Damian's not going to be this small forever. Might as well enjoy holding him like this in pure peace while he can.

-o-o-o-o-

It seems Zatanna was generous with her prediction, as he wakes up with his breath being knocked out of him. Damian, his rightful age and dressed in his full Robin uniform, scrambles off of Dick's chest. It's all knees and elbows, and Dick's left rubbing his ribs as Damian pats his body, as if making sure he's really a 10 year old boy and not an infant.

"Good to have you back," Dick grunts, rubbing his eyes and holding back a grin.

Damian whirls on him and points an accusing finger. "I don't remember what all happened," he hisses, "but you will delete any photos immediately."

Dick bursts into laughter, grabbing Damians pointed hand and tugging him into a proper hug. Damian squawks just a little, but relents when Dick squeezes him tighter than what he would to an infant. Yes. This feels right. Baby Damian was cute and cuddly, but he really missed the prickly attitude of this rascal.

"Okay," he says, releasing his charge. "I'll delete the photos, after we tell Alfred you're back and you've changed out of the suit."

Damian huffs and nods. "That was horrible."

"I don't know, I thought it was fun," Dick teases. Damian glares at him and Dick grins back.

Yeah, he missed his kid.

#damianwayneweek2021 #damian wayne #robin #dick grayson #Nightwing #dc comics #jin writes #fanfiction

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gio-is-writing · 4 years

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Hi Giovanna ༼ つ ◕◡◕ ༽つ your writing makes me happy thank you can u pls write hcs (and fluff🥺pls)for Bruno and f!readet who’s Giorno’s big sis and she’s the same age as bruno

REQUEST: Hi Giovanna ༼ つ ◕◡◕ ༽つ your writing makes me happy thank you can u pls write hcs (and fluff🥺pls)for Bruno and f!readet who’s Giorno’s big sis and she’s the same age as bruno

and Can i ask for brunoxf!reader where she’s Giorno’s older sis (the same age as bruno) hcs and fluff scenario 🥺❤️

I felt really inspired for this one so i went off with it then my brain got fried at the end😔 hope you like it!!

Pairing: platonic! giorno x fem! reader // bruno x fem! reader

Warnings: giorno’s past, everyone survives the boss incident

BROTHER’s BOSS

(Y/N) was a neglected child, her father left no long after she was born and her mother was barely home. Almost as living alone she lived by the things the other kids and their families that lived nearby provided to her

When she was five her mother ended up pregnant and she was happy, in her head that meant that she would have someone to play with like the other siblings did around the block and perhaps mom would finally be home

When Giorno was born she was utterly in love with his tiny form, he had the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen and she swore she would protect him always

Apparently Giorno didn’t have a dad either and their mother never changed, (Y/N) hugged the baby every night in the darkness of their tiny home while he trembled and tears ran down his cute face.

A few years later their mother remarried and they had to move away from Japan to a whole new country with an unknown man

(Y/N) had a hard time with communicating, learning was new language out of the blue was stressful for the poor girl but she did her best for both her brother and her

After some time, everything seemed to fall into place, (Y/N) was almost hopeful of having a family like her friends had but that was far from what she got. Their new “dad” was mean, when mom was away, he got angry without a reason and the children were the target of his wrath and while she often put herself to protect her brother and most times, she was successful, others she wasn’t so lucky.

Walking along the streets she met a few children around her and her brother’s age but they weren’t as friendly as the ones she used to know, often picking on them and making mean comments

“Wait here Giorno” (Y/N) ran to a near shop to buy themselves something to eat with money their father surprisingly lend them (and rushing them out of the house). Turning back with a paper bag she noticed Giorno was surrounded by three tall men, she panicked thinking that Giorno had gotten himself in trouble somehow but as she ran over, they walked in the direction the kid pointed to

“Giorno, who were those men?” (Y/N) grabbed him by the shoulders and looked around

“No body, can we go home now?” she sighed and nodded, grabbing his hand and walking away unbeknownst to the man laying a few feet away listening

A few months passed when they were walking under the rain, each holding a small umbrella of their own when (Y/N) noticed Giorno had stopped walking right in front of an unknown man, gasping she rushed back a few steps

“I’ll never forget what you did for me”

(Y/N) stayed silent beside her brother, the glanced at her and their matching umbrellas. Turning he walked away leaving the poor girl confused looking at her little brother who just stared at his form

Things started to change after their encounter, their father stopped hitting them and the boys of the streets invited them places. (Y/N) was taken aback but at least she felt finally at peace, having Giorno to grow up in a better environment than when she was his age

Years passed and Giorno was a teenager of 15 now, (Y/N) a young adult of 20. She worked for a local flower shop to provide for the both of them, Giorno disappeared from time to time but always came to check up on his sister. She was suspicious of where her brother was off to but never pried too much.

Until one day the truth was out, Giorno trusted her enough to tell her about how he joined the mafia. (Y/N) was shocked, scared even but listening to everything Giorno shared about his experience so far made her feel a little bit more at ease.

Days later he came followed by a young man in a white suit, he looked quite familiar and if she remembered well this same man had visited before to talk with her boss.

“(Y/N), this is Bruno Bucciarati... my boss.”

Her eyes widened as she quickly bowed politely. She felt nervous, this man was really important to Giorno and he had come all the way to meet her, plus he was incredibly attractive.

“Thank you for taking care of my brother Signor Bucciarati”

“There’s nothing to thank signorina”

After their first meeting she had seen him walking around town while everyone saluted him cheerfully. He was a well known man with a great reputation and (Y/N) could see why, he was respectful and kind.

He stopped by the shop every month to collect money from the owner and occasionally gave (Y/N) a small wave if she was not occupied by work and she kindly waved back with a smile

In his monthly visits he lingered just a little longer to properly greet her with the excuse of checking up on the local business and their workers but she noticed how he didn’t really stop at the next local, or the next after that.

They started making small conversation over random things on his way out, asking about her favorite type of flower or her favorite dish. She slowly learned more about him, how he was her same age and loved to eat pizza once in a while

Giorno teased her on his occasional visits saying how unlikely of him to stop so frequently but (Y/N) paid him no mind laughing it off and going back to work. Giorno would smile and kiss her cheek as a goodbye leaving her to her own thoughts.

“Oh hello signor Bucciarati” she greeted one morning “The owner is not here today but he told me he paid last we-“

“Please, call me Bruno. And I’m not here to see him...” he interrupted her, she placed the plant sprinkler down and looked at him expectantly “I came here to talk to you”

(Y/N) saw his serious expression and grew increasingly anxious “I’m sure Giorno told you about our upcoming journey...”

“I don’t know much details but I know you’ll be gone for a few days”

“Yes... good.”

“Is there something wrong... Bruno?”

“I...” He stayed silent for a minute looking at his hands before speaking up again “Let me take you out when I return.”

(Y/N)’s poor heart felt like it would explode, she stared back at him with a surprised expression. Of all things he could’ve said that was the last one she was expecting out of him, asking her out on a date. She blinked a few times before a smile made an appearance between red cheeks,

“I’ll be waiting on your return then...”

They both a blushing mess smile and Bruno nods. He thanks her for her time and leaves the local to “attent to some other business” with a wave. Watching as he walks along the sidewalk (Y/N) was left a giggling at his sudden invitation and she hoped that whatever they had to do was quick for him to return early.

The week Giorno and his gang left (Y/N) was a nervous wreck, constantly hoping on hearing from them and to know if whatever business they were attending was near being done. Days seemed unending as she opened and closed the shop everyday since their departure and she was restless, unable to sleep at night from overthinking about Giorno’s whereabouts and therefore Bruno’s.

Another day started and she felt different, the weight she felt in her chest all week felt lighter and she didn’t know any better she would agree that the sun shined a little brighter that morning.

Opening the show however was uneventful as usual, the first hours just watering and cleaning around when she heard the bell of the door ring

“Good morning, welc-!”

Looking up stood Bruno Bucciarati holding the a bouquet of her favorite flowers. Poor man looked wrecked with exhaustion but in her eyes he looked as handsome as ever. She was left speechless as he smiled in her direction.

“We’re back...”

She didn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around his neck in a sudden rush of bravery. He was a little surprised but quickly wrapped his own arms around her waist with a bright smile.

“I’m so glad you’re back, I was worried sick!”

“Giorno has a lot to explain to you...”

“I’m sure he does” she sighed unwrapping her arms from him but he kept his hands on her waist

“I believe we have plans for tonight then”

Bruno’s voice from a week ago resonated in her mind to remind her of the plan he had in mind for his return. She smiled widely and nodded.

“We do”

That night after she clocked out of work, Bruno waited for her outside ready to lead her to his personal favorite restaurant.

#jjba x reader #bruno bucciarati x reader #bruno x reader #giorno x sister reader #sister reader #female reader #bruno bucciarati #everybody lives #jojo part 5 #golden wind #jojo vento aureo #jojo’s bizarre adventure golden wind #platonic giorno #bruno headcanons #bucciarati headcanons #bruno scenario #bucciarati scenario #jojo headcanons

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marauders-map-irl · 3 years

Text

this is Not An Accident (written very poorly by me)

TRIGGER WARNINGS: R*PE, M*RD*R, SELF-HATE, R*CISM, H*MOPH*BIA

Living here, in this small, ignorant town, going to my small, ignorant high school, looking like I do, loving who I do, sucks. And that’s to say the least. For some background, I live in a small town in the countryside of Tennessee, called Greenton. I go to a high school called Cookie-Cutter, which is pretty ironic because it is much like a high school you would see on tv.

Everyone pretty much hates us here. I can’t say that I blame them, though. I hate me too. My family is the only strange family here; everyone else is pretty normal (extremely so). Everyone mocks us and bullies us. My mum is African American and my father is Irish. They both joke that we’re the 21st century version of the Brady Bunch.

There’s 7 of us, including my parents and I. I’m right in the middle of my brothers and sisters, and perhaps the most normal, but that doesn’t say much. My eldest brother is John (20), and he’s the oldest of us all. He’s mixed like the rest of us, he’s cisgender male and gay. Then comes my eldest sister, Moira (19), who’s non-binary and pansexual. There’s me next (16), and I’m cisgender female, asexual, and aromantic. After me came my trans (female-male) brother (12), Mikey, and he’s heterosexual. Lastly came my sister, Brittany (9), who’s showing signs of being demiromantic.

We’re the only people that aren’t white in the entire town, and we only came here to help dad’s parents in retirement. The town is extremely ignorant, and it doesn’t help that we came from a big city either. In school, I’m an outcast, though I suppose it’s better than being constantly bullied still. They’ve stopped all contact with me completely, deeming my lack of wanting any sexual activities at my age strange. The teachers even think I’m weird too, and as such have either called on me excessively or just stick to grading my perfect papers and not making any conversation with me if unnecessary. I tend to get perfect grades, what with having absolutely no platonic ties to anyone outside family.

That brings me to where we are currently. In math class, staring out of a window I’m somehow always seated by. The teacher, whatever her name is, is droning on and on about a group project worth half of our final grade for the year. Three people just either groaned or were making tiny grunts of displeasure, meaning I was in a group this time. This project must actually be important. I look up about 4 minutes later, when someone sits next to me and taps my shoulder. Looking up, it’s the very person that continues to poke fun at me, Jessica Kaileia. Well, Jessica, 1 of her most loyal cronies, and another nerd. Sam, I think his name is, and I recall he always eats a slice or two of pie everyday at lunch.

“Do you need something?” I ask Jessica coldly, averting my eyes quickly from her makeup-caked face.

“We’re project partners, Mckinlay. Otherwise I wouldn’t risk my wellbeing talking to you, trust me,” she smirks slightly and her cronie sniggers, but I just roll my eyes and Sam snorts.

“So we’re using last names? Didn’t think you liked your last name anymore, what with your father being a serial killer, Kaileia,” Sam says, making me hold in my giggles as Jessica shrieks.

“You forgot the part where her mum left her for a woman,” her cronie says in disgust, clearly trying and failing to conceal her own laughter.

“Mackenzie!!” Jessica says in a shriek that would rival that of Petunia Dursley.

“Watch your volume, Ms. Kaileia,” the teacher says in her monotone voice, barely glancing up from her issue of The Quibbler.

“Yes, Ms. Binns. Sorry, Ms. Binns,” Jessica says, rolling her eyes before returning to glare at Sam and I respectfully.

“What was the assignment?” I ask, wanting to rid myself of these potentially cruel people as quickly as possible.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get it done by tomorrow and put your names on it. I am second in our year. Of course, I will need your first and last names, well, not yours Kaileia,” Sam states, staring at the packet of instructions and not looking up at us once.

“Yes, well I’m first so I’d actually like to do the work, if you don’t mind. Not that princess Allura and her bestie Romelle here would appreciate getting a fair share of the project,” I say, snatching the packet gently and looking it over.

“Who are they?” the cronie asks, making both Sam and I snort.

“Homewreckers one and two,” Sam says as I divide the instructions in half and give the easy half to Sam.

“Language, Mr. Avery,” the teacher’s monotone voice rings throughout the classroom and Sam apologizes half-heartedly.

“Wait, why do I get the easy part of the assignment?” he asks me offrontedly.

“Because I’m the first in our class,” I answer easily in a ‘duh’ tone, to which he nods with a slight frown.

The assignment was straightforward and easy, although to Jessica and her friend, it would be like rocket science to a 3 year old. I set to work, knowing that if I start now, my half would be done by the end of lunch hour. I didn’t pay much attention to my bullies, though them being in my peripheral didn’t support the cause at all. They were seemingly doing their nails (more like the minion doing Jessica’s nails) and talking about stereotypical popular girl things. The tiny bits that I actually heard made me roll my eyes so hard and so often I was worried they might actually get stuck.

“What’s your name? I need to know for the project,” I ask the she-devil’s minion, but she looks to Jessica for confirmation before speaking.

“Clara Maythers,” she mutters, as though the mere thought of speaking to someone as ‘abnormal’ as me scared her very being.

I nod half-heartedly before adding her name to the list and continuing the project, trying once again to ignore the ignorant bastards behind me. I turn slightly when I see Jessica forcing Clara to hold up a magazine for her to read while she blows her wet nails dry, making sure I couldn’t see them at all. When I was looking over what I had, the intercom came on and the principal spoke. Her voice shook with laughter and I’m sure her face was turned up in a smirk. It was probably another prank. This is Cookie-Cutter, after all. We’re a very stereotypical high school and I’m a very… let’s just say mold-breaking student.

“Could Ms. Alessia Mckinlay come to the front desk to be collected. There has been a family emergency,” she says family as if she doesn’t believe my strange family is one, and I’m sure she doesn’t. There’s incoherent words being said to the principal and she grudgingly continues. “Please,” and after that, the intercom cuts off and all heads turn my way.

I make my way to the front office, as asked, and am hit with sneers, sympathetic looks, and pretty much everything between hate and loathing. I’m not even able to make my way to the front office before my parents steer me away from looking in the lobby. I look at them with a mix of skepticism and worry. Principal Maera did say there was a family emergency, after all.

“What happened?” I ask, trying to look over my parents’ shoulders and failing, due to them forming a wall in front of whatever they were hiding.

“Your sister… There was an accident and…” mum cuts herself off there with a choked sob, making me look to my father for the remaining explanation.

“They…” my father then stops himself, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly, either searching for the right words or not wanting to say them aloud (although in retrospect, it’s probably a mix of both).

At this point, I’m worried for all of my sisters, frustrated with my parents for not telling me what’s wrong, and attempting to stay positive and force all the negative thoughts from my head. I manage to shove through the human wall before me and my body freezes at the sight. Laying in front of my eyes is my little sister, Brittany, battered, bruised, broken, and lifeless. Her pants are down to her ankles, her rainbow underwear just past her knees, and blood is drying and caking around her…

I tear my eyes away, but they somehow end up right back at her. This time, though, I’m studying her face. It’s frozen in pain, but there’s also an air of peacefulness present. There’s bruises forming around her neck and littering her face, but I try not to focus on that. I try to focus on all her happy memories. I try to focus on her laughing as mum caught her cheating in Monopoly. I try to focus on dad hiding a grin as she stole a bit of the cake batter for my birthday last year. I try to focus on Brit. But it’s so hard. I try to focus on her happy times. But I always end up looking into her wide, horrified eyes.

My body’s seemingly on autopilot now, because I somehow make it over to my 9 year old sibling to shut her eyes properly, but I didn’t think about it. I thought about how someone could do this to a child. I thought about who could do this to a child. I thought about why someone would do this to a child.

But soon enough, a camera flashes, and then 2, then 5, and then I’m surrounded not only by my baby sister’s blood, but light from what seems like millions of phones. Soon enough, I feel like I’m under a microscope, and viscous scientists are picking apart my every move. Soon enough, I’m back to the main lobby of Cookie-Cutter High School in Greenton, Tennessee. And soon enough, the laughing, mocking, sneering, jeering students return full force.

I hear my mum crying in the background and muttering something about this being an accident. About it having to be an accident. That just makes me mad. Does she not see the freshman taking pictures of her youngest child’s corpse? Does she not see the sophomores laughing mercilessly at her and my tears alike? Does she not hear the juniors yelling at us that our whole family is a disgrace to human-kind? Does she not hear the seniors telling us that we all deserve the same fate? Does she not see my principal’s smug smirk as she watches the whole event and does absolutely nothing?

“This wasn’t an accident. How can you beat someone up on accident? How can you rape someone on accident? How can you murder an innocent child ON ACCIDENT? I get that you’re in shock or whatever, I really do. BUT HOW THE HELL COULD YOU POSSIBLY THINK THIS WAS AN ACCIDENT? PEOPLE HAVE BULLIED US EVER SINCE WE MOVED HERE! THEY MOCK, TEASE, PUNCH, BUT NOW THEY’VE GONE TOO FAR!” my father is telling me to stop yelling, but I don’t hear him. All I know is that I see red, whether that be from the blood pooling at my feet or rage, I have no clue. “DON’T YOU SEE THEM LAUGHING, RECORDING, YELLING AT US?! DON’T YOU SEE HOW THIS COULD NOT HAVE POSSIBLY BEEN AN ACCIDENT?!” and by now, I’m crying, but she has to know. She has to become aware. She has to stop this. She has to. “Please,” I say to no one in particular, taking my sister’s dead body in my arms and sinking down to sit on the floor.

I can’t do anything but hug my now limp sister and pray that this is just another practical joke. Hope that she’s not really gone. Wish that I could have been a good big sister and protected her.

She had so much life left to live. She was only NINE, for god’s sake! She was going to grow up! She was going to make it past the fourth grade! She was going to do well in school and get into the college she wanted to go to! She was going to be successful in her career and her life! She was going to die when she was old and senile and only after beating a terminal disease like cancer, because that’s the stubborn bastard she is. Was.

This wasn’t an accident.

#tw // rape #tw // murder #tw // homophobia #tw // racism #angst with a sad ending #writing sample

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nctsiren · 3 years

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🌹🍒 🔥 🍑 🧡🌳🌠🔮💜🌸🌺 for Evie sorry again for how many there are

madam do NOT apologize!! i def went overboard w answers but!! hope u like guysss~~

🌹: evie is charismatic asf and finds it super easy to befriend people!! that doesn't mean she tries to befriend everybody, though- in fact, she's picky with friends (that sounds bad i promise it isn't) because The Vibe Needs To Be Right. people can piss her off but she never makes enemies- however, she'll speak up if someone is bein ridiculous or annoying, so people will get mad with HER. she doesn't have anyone she hates, she's chill. nd she can talk to anyone at a party- but if she isn't into it, she'll vibe on her own or do what she wants.

🍒: evie doesn't really expect things from people persay- she just wants to be treated kindly, fairly, and she wants people to show her respect. and the people she's friends with/in romantic relationships with are the same way, because the people she surrounds herself with are also of that mindset. in friendships, she wants a friend, y'know? healthy friendships, fun, vibing, etc. in romantic relationships, she doesn't have a type, really, and she likes to mesh with people depending on the situation. she is versatile in many senses and can get with all the love languages. she just wants either fun (she doesn't strictly date to marry or anything) or love (again depending on the person). she isn't demanding, nor is she a doormat.

🔥: (am answering the likes nd dislikes from the prompt only cuz brain is mush today) evie wears dark colors (like 80% of the time) but loves all colors- she's an artist, after all. she hates the way gravel and sidewalks feel on her bare feet, but she loves being barefoot, so she'll overlook it. socks make her feet feel too restricted. she likes feeling free, and although she will wear anything as long as she's feeling it, she likes loose things when she's relaxing. she likes to walk around with minimal clothing- but, like, i mean underwear and a big shirt, or loose pants and a sports bra. she likes feeling air on her skin. she listens to ALL music, but she's really into indie, britpop, 70s, and other shit i can't think of words for. mainstream bops & also really obscure shit- putting her music on shuffle is like whiplash tbh. nd she LOVES snowy weather oh my god she thinks all weather is gorgeous (she will see beauty in literally anything, she LOVES nature) but cold weather smells good and something about snow awakens this beautiful wonder in people- evie ADORES that

🍑: her room. listen evie isn't a homebody or anything, but her room is her creative space. and london, of course, where she grew up, but that's a bit more... broad. hmm... another is this little meadow she found (in england) where sh would go to sketch, nap, meditate, listen to music, and just lay in the sun. she feels a little bad about it, but that's what she misses most from home- tied w her missing her little brother and sister (they're nine and twins). her meadow, to her, was like. the freedom to just exist and observe and enjoy. sometimes she's confused why she chose idol life- it's restrictive, and not really her style- but tbh she enjoys it and wouldn't change it. anyway on the flip side, evie HATES being in really tall buildings. she isn't even afraid of heights!! i mean she can handle it, it's not too big of a deal, she just hates it for some reason.

🧡: honestly, evie doesn't have a singular favorite person... she loves all of her family, her members, her friends. but it is worth noting that mila is her best friend. she's close to all the girls, and a lot of the guys (hyuck, lucas, ten, yuta, taeil, taeyong, johnny, hendery, yangyang in particular) OH AND KRIS (as in kris wu, her cousin) SHE LOVES HIM. but mila is just. basically her other half LMAO their bond is crazy and they're truly bff's, ride-or-dies, despite their differences. they bring out the best in each other. nd she doesn't hate anyone- the people she actually dislikes tho are certain members and people in the industry/company that are like. the corporate ones ig

🌳: T/W- TOXIC PARENTS, MENTAL/EMOTIONAL ABUSE, MENTIONS OF WEED

evie has always had a strong self identity (for the most part) and has def gone through some shit (gifted kid burnout too omfg she was in advanced EVERYTHING but that shit kinda wears you out and her parents were horrible with school & her career). her biggest issues growing up? the pressure from her parents and basically just them shitting on her. they were mentally/emotionally abusive and she was really depressed during her adolescence. she doesn't have clinical depression or mental illness tho. she also didn't have MANY friends because her parents were horrible and wanted her to study nd not be a disappointment- which they said a lot. she started going out regardless when she was a lil older- not even sneaking out, just straight up walking out. her parents literally DRUG TESTED HER. but she is a social, bold person by nature so she wasn't having it. she has a higher sense of self worth now because of how far she has come and she doesn't bat an eye at her parents- in fact, she's mostly cut off from them. she's in SUCH a better place in her adulthood, in korea. her parents still don't support her career choice and do NOT stream ddd >:( she just worries about her little brother and sister... if they get the same treatment as she did, she WILL go batshit. she calls her siblings a lot, facetimes them, sends gifts and money- they love her and she is ITCHING to see them again. she was always close to them. anyway, she'd tell her younger self to not give a fuck about what her parents said, as much as it hurt. you can CHOOSE your family. she'd tell little evie to pursue her passions, and that she was gonna be doing great things one day. nd she'd tell teenage evie to smoke more weed 😌

🌠: evie's first friend was this kid from first grade who she doessn't remember anything about, she just remembers that they were her friend for a bit, and their face LMAO. she hasn't really lost contact with people persay? like during her nine months of training she couldn’t talk to them HEH and then apologized and it picked right back up. her girls in london MISS HERRRR and she misses them too :(

🔮: star gazing or cloud watching? hand-holding or snuggles? early mornings or late nights?

💜: music or silence? swords or spells? cities or nature?

🌸: her voice sounds like yuqi's (her face claim, if no one knew) in terms of singing and speaking! deep and charming and lovely. she's also... pretty loud. her laugh is also like yuqi's, but the specific laugh that's like BIG and it's like a barking(?) laugh. she laughs with her whole ass body too. OH YEAh BUT her speaking voice is yuqi's, like i said, but with a british accent. the london accent.

🌺: she doesn't have any birthmarks, and she only has little scars from various stupid shit she has done (idk if anyone remembers but in her profile i said she loves adrenaline, is kinda reckless, and will do any dare). she doesn't have any tattoos YET but is planning some (just wait omfg lily is a BIG tattoo/piercing person- her stuff is coming soon, evie is HYPED ASF to get her tattoos, and hyeyoung has a few- getting more too)

TAGLIST: @aqueenieme @moonbeamsung @atinygracie @jinsoulorbitzen12 @btshook @1-800-enhypenbibi

#nct siren #evie wu #just evie things #nct siren;; misc #nct addition #nct oc #kpop addition #kpop oc #nct female addition #kpop oc girl group #exo female addition #exo oc #oc girl group

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agentmarymargaretskitz · 4 years

Text

Us Against the Universe

Happy massively belated birthday, @fezwearingjellybananas! I’m sorry this took so long and I hope a Marvellous Ladies of DC has been worth the wait.

AO3

A loud wail came from the bassinet just as Zari finally got her piece to the other side of the checkerboard. Her mother looked directly towards her baby brother and got out of her chair. Zari watched her mother pick up her baby brother, shushing him and rocking him back and forth. It didn’t calm him down, so he either had a dirty diaper or was hungry. Probably both.

“Zari, I think we need to pause the game for a while until he calms down,” her mother said as Behrad wailed louder.

“Nah,” Zari pushed her chair back. “He’s probably hungry or something. I’ll just go read.”

She stomped off towards the stairs. The prospect of having a little brother was exciting when Mama and Baba first told her. She’d seen the other kids in her class talk about their younger siblings and been a little jealous she didn’t have that. But Behrad was too little to do anything fun. All he did was cry and sleep and poop and he couldn’t even eat halva yet. Her parents were always busy with him and barely had time for her.

“Zari.”

She looked down from the steps at her mother, still swaying with an angry Behrad. “I know it’s been harder to do things together, but we’ll be able to do it more when he gets older.”

Zari shrugged. “Okay, Mama. I think his diaper’s getting full.”

“You’re right. I’m going to change him.”

She rushed off and Zari trudged up the steps to her room. After shutting the door and opening her window, the young girl flopped heavily on her bed. Staring at the ceiling got boring quickly, so Zari grabbed the new book Baba had given her and sat next to the window. She had been meaning to read it for a while. Now seemed like a good time.

“No!” came a scream through the window.

“I’m so sorry, Lily. I-”

“I HATE you!”

“Lily, please-”

The commotion made Zari peer out her window over at the next-door neighbors to see Lily Stein crying out in the backyard. The Steins were good friends with the Tarazis and had let her stay with them when Mama had to go have Behrad. They were really into science and insects, but they had talked to Zari about their computer and how it worked. She really liked them and hoped everything was okay.

Zari stuck her head out the window. “Lily!”

Lily’s lip trembled. She didn’t respond, but just ran toward the bushes. Zari knew exactly where she was goin.

“Wait for me! I’m coming down!”

Zari backed up and grabbed her backpack. She stuffed in her new book and Mama’s old Walkman inside. Zipping it up, she bounded down the stairs and to the front door to get her shoes. Mama was sitting on the couch with Behrad, watching Zari as she stuffed her feet in her sneakers. “Going somewhere?”

“Next door to see Lily,” Zari explained.

“Be back for dinner.”

“I will! Bye, Mama!”

She ran out the door and around the house towards the bushes she’d seen Lily go through. She ran through the bushes and looked both ways before crossing the road to get to the park. Once she made her way to the other side, Zari bolted towards the woods and ran along the trail until she found the hideout that she and Lily had built. Her friend was inside, clutching her Beebo doll and crying.

“Lily?” she called out.

Lily stopped her sniffling momentarily. “Zari?”

“What’s wrong?” Zari asked as she crawled into the small fort made of sticks and branches. “Is everything okay?”

Lily shook her head. “My dad’s dead.”

Dr. Stein was dead? Zari didn’t get it. “What happened?”

“He and Mom were going on another business trip,” explained Lily. “Mrs. Jackson came over with Jax to watch me. They were supposed to be back two days ago, but then Mrs. Jackson got a call that it was going to take longer. Then Mom came back and told me Dad was dead!”

She started crying again. Zari reached out and patted her shoulder. It wasn’t fair at all. Lily’s dad had come into their class sometimes to do science demonstrations. He let her help him fix the computer when she’d been staying with them. Hearing that he was dead was awful and scary. Poor Lily.

“I’m sorry,” was all she could say.

Lily sniffled and sat Beebo between them. Zari remembered it’d been a Hanukkah present from her father. “I want him back.”

Zari nodded. She couldn’t imagine how she would feel if Baba was gone and didn’t want to.

“Want to listen to music?” she finally asked after a few minutes of silence.

Lily gave a small nod. Zari pulled out her Walkman and passed the headphones to the other girl so she could listen first. She also took out a notebook and pencil too for hangman. They played for a little while, going back and forth with different topics to eventually make each other laugh. It wasn’t until a drop of water hit the paper that either girl realized it was starting to rain. Zari stuffed everything into the bag before it could get too wet and took off with Lily.

The rain was coming down harder and the sky was getting darker as they raced down the trail. Lily grabbed Zari’s hand and pulled her back as a tree branch came crashing down on the trail. They ran through the mud and weeds to the clearing where kids played soccer. Once they were out of the woods, Zari saw something large in the clouds as lightning split through the sky. She ran further into the field with Lily on her tail, now a lot more curious.

“Did you see that?” she called over the rain. “Lily?”

“Zari!”

Beams of light suddenly shone down on her. Zari held up her arm and looked up to see something hovering above her. It was some massive thing, floating up in the sky. The lights grew brighter and Lily ran forward to stand at her side. Colors began to swirl around the two of them. Zari grabbed Lily, who clung back to her as they were lifted into the air. She shut her eyes as the light grew too blinding, holding onto Lily tighter.

Then the brightness cut out and Zari’s sneakers touched down on something solid. She cracked an eye open, then the other. No longer was she on the soccer field with Lily. They were on a pad in some large metal room. The people surrounded them all wore red jackets, but they didn’t look like people. Some had scales, others were slimy. There was a fellow with two heads and one with just eyes.

Aliens. They were surrounded by aliens.

They said something in a language Zari didn’t understand as another alien came forward. She (Zari thought the alien was a she) seemed almost human, but there were blue markings under her eyes. Pointing in a direction, she barked out something. Three aliens grabbed her and Lily and lead them away.

~~~

They put Zari and Lily in some kind of cell together and locked it. Almost immediately, they both started making a racket and screaming to be let out. Yelling felt good for Zari. But then a large alien growled something at them and gave them a stern look. Zari was pretty sure that they wanted them to shut up. She screamed at the alien again only to get a roar back that got alien spit on her before they were left alone.

“We’re on a spaceship,” Lily commented quietly as Zari took a seat on the bench next to her. “I thought if this ever happened, it would be more like Star Trek.”

“You’ve thought of being on a spaceship before?”

Lily shrugged. “It was more fun in my head.”

“Whatever happens, it’ll be an adventure,” Zari assured her. “We’ll get home and we can have dinner at my house and tell our families everything. We just stick together, and we’ll be okay.”

“You and I against this,” Lily grinned for the first time since their hideout.

Then the aliens came back but there was no yelling at them this time. They unlocked their cell and guided them down a bunch of halls. It didn’t seem like they were letting them go though. Zari reached over and took Lily’s hand as they were brought into a cabin. The woman with marks under her eyes was seated inside, two cups in front of her. Both girls were put in seats and aliens held them down as the woman approached with the cups. Zari felt her mouth get forced open and something went down her throat, despite her attempts to gag it up.

“What was that!” she shouted as Lily got the same treatment.

The woman put the cups down on their desk. “Ingestible translators.”

Zari gaped at her. “You speak English.”

“It sounds like English to you Terrans, but I’m speaking in the tongue of my homeworld,” the woman said. “Now you can understand what everyone is saying and stopping screaming your heads off at us.”

Lily narrowed her eyes at her. “Who are you?”

“Captain Mary Xavier, and this is the Refuge.”

“I’m Zari Tarazi,” Zari introduced. “This is Lily Stein. Can you take us back home? We live on Earth and I’m probably late for dinner now.”

Captain Xavier laughed and shook her head. “You’re a long way from Terra, child.”

She pressed a button, opening a shade behind them. There was no Earth. Just stars and blackness and something of swirling colors. It was beautiful and terrifying all at once.

“Terra’s three jumps away,” Captain Xavier continued, motioning for the other aliens to leave. “You’re not going home, kids.”

“But my parents-”

“Won’t miss you,” Captain Xavier barked. “You’re part of the crew now.”

“How?” Lily crossed her arms. “Aren’t you supposed to sign something? I didn’t sign up for this!”

“You have now,” Captain Xavier smiled at them. “You’re with us, girls. No going back.”

Zari crossed her arms too. “I don’t want to be part of your crew.”

“You should consider yourself lucky, child. If it wasn’t for me, the rest of the crew was going to gobble you up. They haven’t tasted Terran before. You owe me, child.”

Zari really didn’t want to be eaten. She uncrossed her arms, and Lily followed her example. “So we’re part of your crew then, I guess. What do you do?”

“We’re Ravagers. We find things and get them to people who pay us the biggest price. Sometimes we have to fight for them.”

“Like pirates? Just in space.”

Captain Xavier nodded at Lily. “You’re right. Both of you are small. You’ll be good at thieving in the tight spots.”

Zari and Lily looked at each other. Stealing seemed better than being eaten by aliens.

“Listen here,” Captain Xavier’s voice became a touch softer. “You’re with the Ravagers now. We look out for each other. You two already seem to do that. The rest of the crew’s gonna see you as Ravagers soon instead of the next meal. Okay?”

Zari nodded.

“Now, get yourselves to the galley. Food’s gonna be served and you’ll miss it if you don’t hurry.”

Lily got out of the seat. “Where is it?”

Captain Xavier sighed. “I’ll show you two today. You’re on your own tomorrow.”

~~~

Dinner was a mishmash of things that Zari had never seen before and didn’t know if they were okay to eat. Lily wasn’t sure either until another crew member whose skin reminded them of a hedgehog came over and talked to them about the food. She didn’t know much about Terran religion but seemed interested about halal and kosher food. There were other religions in space too with their own requirements about food. They ended up eating everything except the meat before Captain Xavier came and showed them to their room.

“You two share this room. Don’t start any fights or you’ll get floated.”

She shut the door, leaving them alone. Lily let Zari have the top bunk and settled into the one below.

Zari stared out at space from the small porthole. This was a whole lot different than the videos she had seen at school and when her parents took her to the planetarium. Her parents were probably worried sick about her now. She’d missed dinner for certain. When she’d left, she’d said bye to Mama but not to Behrad. Zari had been annoyed by him for so long, but she missed him and Mama and Baba so much now.

A muffled cry came from below. Lily.

Zari leaned over the edge. “You want to come up here?”

It didn’t take long for Lily to scramble to the top. Her eyes were red and puffy in the light from outside of the spaceship.

“I miss Mom,” she whimpered. “And Dad and Mrs. Jackson and Jax.”

Zari felt her own eyes well up. “I miss my family.”

“I told my mom I hated her.”

“I was jealous of my baby brother. Mama didn’t have time to play checkers with me.”

“I feel really bad,” Lily cried, staring out the window.

“Maybe it’s all a dream,” Zari suggested. “Maybe we’ll wake up tomorrow and today was a bad dream. We’ll be home and your dad will be there.”

“And if it’s not?”

Zari had to think about that now. “We’ll find a way to break free. We can run away from the Ravagers in a spaceship and go back home to Earth.”

Lily smiled. “Terra is a cooler name though.”

“It is. And we’ll make it home to tell people. Even if it’s us against the universe, we’ll make it.”

~~~

A month passed, or at least they were sure it was. Zari was using an old class calendar from her folder to keep track and Lily had made a twelve-month calendar on a sheet of paper. They’d been with the Ravagers long enough to pick out the ones who were nice and those who were mean. Captain Xavier wasn’t so bad. She acted like a mother, a teacher, or a captain. Zari had heard her once whispering with another alien about them and ‘Mon-el’ but missed the rest when she’d heard them coming and ran.

Today was their first job. Captain Xavier had a buyer asking for them to steal fuel cells. The Refuge’s crew would provide cover while Zari would go steal the cells with Lily and another crew member. It was a lot of responsibility, but the captain felt that they were ready. If they failed, the crew would eat them. Success was very crucial for their survival.

One upside of space and the Refuge was the technology and how much more advanced it was than on Terra. Zari had spent a lot of time with Lily learning about the ship and its computers and how they worked. She was doing great with learning about how to use different settings and systems. Lily was too, but she preferred learning about the mechanics of the ship.

They’d also become exceptionally good in lockpicking, diffusing energy fields, and fighting offensively from Captain Xavier’s lessons.

After a stressful hour of crawling through vents and avoiding sentries whilst holding a case of powerful but tiny fuel cells, Zari was back on the ship with Lily. Both were grimy and sweaty and had some small burns from the cells, but overall alive. Captain Xavier had been satisfied with what they’d done, and a few other Ravagers even congratulated them. For the first time, Zari felt like she’d found her place.

Then she remembered Mama and Baba and Behrad.

~~~

“What are we doing out here?” Zari asked as she followed Captain Xavier into the forest.

“You said your birthday was today,” the captain said, ducking under a branch with orange vines that seemed to be moving. “Figured I can teach you something more useful now.”

Zari climbed over a fallen tree and ran forward a little bit to catch up. “I know how to start up the ship and reboot it. I can control the thrusters now too. That’s useful.”

“You’re still a long way off of me letting you fly. No, today you’re learning how to use a blaster.”

“A blaster?”

“Yes, child. I can’t keep sending you and Lily out on your own unprotected.”

She unclipped her blaster and showed Zari how to fire it. Then she took a few shots, taking down tree branches. The young girl watched with wide eyes while they fell to the floor, like the tree branch had in the storm before the Refuge had taken her.

“Your turn.”

Zari took the heavy weapon in her hand. Captain Xavier knelt beside her, talking her through the steps. Aim it the right way. Check the levels on it. Aim again. Turn the safety off. Squeeze the trigger when ready.

“Watch out for the kickback,” Captain Xavier warned gently when Zari was ready.

She squeezed the trigger. Its force made her stagger back a little, but there was a burning hole on the bark of the tree she’s been aiming for. Captain Xavier looked proud as Zari turned the safety back on.

“I hit it,” she murmured.

“You did,” the Kree woman ruffled her hair a little, causing a few pieces of her braid to come out. “We’ll practice some more.”

“Okay.”

Captain Xavier stood back up. “You don’t like using it that much, huh?”

“You kill people with these. I don’t want to kill people.”

“That’s a good thing. Good people never want to kill.”

“But the Ravagers kill sometimes.”

“We do. I don’t like to. Some evil just needs to be taken out. Others you have to just run from.”

She got a faraway look for a moment. “Evil might come for you one day. I want you to know how to protect yourselves. I was younger than you when I got taken away from my family and forced to work for someone else before the Ravagers saved me. If I’d known how to defend myself, then I would have never been taken away in the first place.”

“But then you wouldn’t have met the Ravagers.”

Captain Xavier shrugged. “I probably would have found them eventually. I was a bit of a free spirit.”

Zari scuffed her foot against the dirt. “I don’t want to use a blaster though.”

“How about a stunner?” Captain Xavier said. “You’ve seen them. Had to use that with the Dominator that snuck onboard. It doesn’t kill, but it does sting like crazy.”

Zari nodded. “I like that better.”

“Fair. It works like a blaster. You can take a few more practice shots with it if you want. The rest of the crew is probably still getting supplies out here. There’s time.”

Zari hefted up the blaster. “Okay.”

~~~

“Come on!”

Lily was a few paces ahead of Zari as they ran down the hall of the Valeronian outpost. In the two years they’d been in space, a lot had changed. They were Ravagers now, which sounded more official than space pirates. Zari had become masterful at putting together and taking apart electronic systems. Lily worked well with small pieces and mechanical bits. When they put their skills together, they created some great things. It was enough to let Captain Xavier start trusting them to go on assignments without someone watching out for them.

“I though you said it would work to keep the door jammed!” Zari sped up a little, which was hard while holding a large axe they had been tasked to bring out.

“It was supposed to! I need something stronger to keep the bolts powered. Like dwarf star!”

“Lily, we can’t get dwarf star on the Refuge.”

“Well, I’m saving credits for-”

She skidded to a stop as a large Valeronian came out of the crater in the wall the Ravagers had blasted for them to slip through. Zari stopped, nearly running into her. The axe this guy had was a lot bigger than the one they were stealing.

“Stay back!” Zari shouted, holding the axe they had out.

Lily backed up beside her as he drew closer.

Something blasted him through the other wall. As the dust settled, Captain Xavier was there, blaster in hand. There was murder in her eyes.

“Get back to the ship,” she ordered. “Now!”

Zari and Lily didn’t waste time. They booked it.

~~~

“Beebo la-la-loves you!”

Zari pulled off her headphones. “It still works?”

“Yeah, you just have to squeeze him a little harder. Wonder if Terra still sells these things?”

“Maybe they do. We could go and see it one day.”

“How?” Lily set Beebo back on their desk, away from some of the tools so they didn’t set it on fire again. “We’re with Mary’s crew. You don’t just leave the Ravagers.”

“You can if you have a fast ship. Remember the last gathering? People say it’s happened.”

Zari closed her book and slid off the bed. “Think about it. When we get old enough and have enough credits, we can leave. It doesn’t have to just be Terra we go to. It can be anywhere! We can see all kinds of galaxies. See if Krypton is really still out there. Find the Lantern Corps. A whole life of adventure for you and me.”

Lily grinned. “I like it. But it means we’re running from the Ravagers forever.”

“But we can outsmart them! I know we can! And we’re both learning to fly and you know how to fix the ship and I’m good at managing the programming of it all. Just think of it.”

“We’d be like outlaws for the Ravagers. Outlaw space pirates. We’d need names.”

“Good point,” Zari glanced out the porthole at the stars. “Something with space.”

The preteens were silent for a few minutes, watching the stars and a few bits of space junk floating off in the distance.

“I’ll be Star Lady,” Zari finally declared. “How about you?”

“Cosmonaut,” Lily told her. “Like astronaut, but with cosmos. It sounds cooler.”

“You know, it does. Makes me think of the nebulas.”

“Star Lady and Cosmonaut, explorers and rogues of the galaxy.”

“Us against the universe. We’ll be amazing.”

~~~

Zari stared out at Xandar as she flew the ship in closer. She brushed a stray piece of hair back as she waited for the clearance to come through to the ship. Maybe she should have taken up that offer from Lily to cut her hair short. It looked really good on her friend, who was seated off to the side.

“So what are you going to do once we get the clearance?” Mary asked.

“Gradually accelerate, but not too much to damage the shield,” Zari answered. “Coast on the descent and don’t aim downward.”

“Good. Now do that as soon as we get clearance.”

Zari nodded. Lily strapped herself in as they were approved to go in.”

When they landed, Mary patted her on the back and congratulated her on the landing. Then she ordered the girls to stay on the ship while they sold off some of the things they’d picked up and stock up on supplies. Zari and Lily could practically say the speech with her now, but never knew why they had to stay aboard. Mary never disclosed the details.

“Lily,” Zari said, turning to her friend as they watched the rest of the Ravagers leave. “I want a ship.”

“Me too. But ships cost money.”

“Then let’s start saving credits.”

~~~

“Hey, Zari?”

Zari had nearly been about to drift off to sleep when she heard Lily’s voice. “Hm? Everything okay?”

“Yeah…I just want to say something.”

“Do I need to turn on the light for this?” Zari asked, pulling off her covers. It would be easy to get to the lights now that she was on the bottom bunk. Lily had wanted to switch a few months ago and Zari was happy to have her feet on the floor without having to jump down.

“No, you don’t have to. But I want to tell you something now before I chicken out.”

“Lily, you’re scaring me.”

“No, no, no! I’m fine. It’s just, um, I don’t like men. I…like women.”

“Oh,” Zari blinked. “Okay.”

“You knew?”

“Not quite,” Zari didn’t exactly lie. She had noticed that Lily always blushed more around aliens who identified as female than she did with males. “Had a feeling but I didn’t want to assume. So I figured I’d wait until you said something before I did.”

“What do you mean?”

Now it was her turn. Zari inhaled and braced herself. “I like women too. And men. Women more though.”

“That’s great!”

“Yeah,” Zari nodded. “I don’t know I would have figured it out if I was still on Terra. I didn’t know you could even like women. When I did, I figured it was either one or the other. And then we kept growing up and seeing more and learning more and…it hit me a year or two ago. But I didn’t know if I could tell you.”

Lily’s head appeared upside down from the bunk. “Why not?”

“I was afraid that if I did, I would lose you.”

“You wouldn’t. And you won’t. You’ll never lose me, Z. It’s like you always tell me. Us against the universe.”

“Us against the universe,” Zari repeated. “Star Lady and Cosmonaut stay together, no matter what.”

~~~

Zari fell back as the fist crunched against her nose. “Ow!”

“Take that, Terran- hey!”

Lily had jumped on the new girl’s back and drove her elbow into her shoulder blade. While the two fought, Zari, wiped the blood away with the back of her hand and swung her fist at her. It connected with the other girl’s eye, toppling her and Lily back. Zari was ready to go at her again before she looked up.

“Uh-oh.”

“I should say,” Mary snarled, looking down at the three of them. “I thought I told you two to teach Eve about taking inventory.”

Lily scrambled away from Eve. “She called us stupid Terrans.”

“She did.”

Eve scoffed and crossed her arms. “They are.”

“You’re one to talk. I pulled you out of that cesspool of a town and I can easily put you back there. You respect everyone on this crew, no matter from where they came from.”

Eve scowled and picked herself off the floor.

“And you two…”

Zari grimaced as Mary turned to her and Lily. “You’re old enough to know better. Both of you are. You need to show her the way. There’s still time for the crew to taste Terran.”

She’d been using that threat for years. Zari and Lily knew she’d never see it through, but they had been kidnapped from Terra nearly ten years ago. They were stuck with the Ravagers, even though they were working to get a ship and fly away from the Ravagers. Still, they’d make it out one of these days and explore the galaxy.

“What’s she mean by ‘taste Terran’?” Eve asked after Mary stalked out of the room.

“If we don’t do as she says, she’ll kill us and feed us to the crew for dinner,” Lily explained. “Probably in a stew. It’s easier to hide whatever meat is in there that day. Everyone on the Refuge could eat us and then realize afterwards we weren’t there.”

Eve wrinkled her nose. “I don’t eat meat.”

“Then we can count on you not eating us,” Zari nodded. “Now let’s just finish this inventory so we don’t have to stay in the same room for much longer.”

~~~

“You’re really trusting us to run our own job?”

Mary nodded. “You’re old enough, Zari. You can fly a ship, hack any system, and you and Lily are a good team. I trust you to do this without getting yourself killed.”

Zari nodded eagerly. This was their chance to finally escape the Ravagers. Lily was looking over at her, not saying a peep but no doubt having the same thoughts run through her mind.

“I’m still sending you with two other Ravagers,” Mary continued. “Back-up. I don’t want to lose my best thieves.”

Zari felt her heart sink a little. They wanted a clean escape. She and Lily could fight, but they didn’t want to get freedom that way. Maybe the Ravagers weren’t the best people morally, but they had been family for the last thirteen years.

“Can Eve come?” Lily asked.

If they got Eve to come, then that could help. They were on better terms with her now. She also didn’t mind getting her hands dirty if it came to it.

Mary shook her head. “I’m still teaching that girl how to fly. She’s staying around. So what are you thinking of taking?”

“We need to take a moment to do some research on what we can take,” Lily spoke up. “Right, Zari?”

“Right. Thank you for this opportunity. We’ll get back to you on what we’ll take.”

The two left the cockpit and headed to their room.

“We’re so close,” Lily sighed. “If Mary didn’t have us being supervised still, we could make our break.”

“I know,” Zari nodded, brushing loose strands of her hair back. She’d let Lily cut it short this time. When she grew it out long, she was going to keep it that way again. “How much do we have right now?”

Lily opened Zari’s old backpack where they were keeping the credits. “Probably enough for an engine and some controls.”

Zari pursued her lips. Still a long way to go. “We just need to keep saving up.”

“Yeah. Do you think Mary will pick which ship we can use?”

“If we can, we have to pick the Waverider. That’s the best one.”

~~~

Their first solo theft was a success. Mary even let them keep a share of the profits of the refined metal they stole from an Almeracian ship. She started trusting them to run more operations on their own for the Ravagers. Unfortunately, they were always supervised by at least two Ravagers that were supposed to serve as ‘muscle’. Zari just saw them as glorified babysitters.

Years kept on passing for the two girls. Even though more of their lives had been lived in space than on Terra, their home planet was not forgotten by Zari nor Lily. They still held onto their traditions or what they remembered of them, celebrating holidays and birthdays according to their Terran calendar. Everything from Zari’s backpack was around the room they shared, remnants of their culture reminding them where they came from. But they celebrated other festivals on different planets that held significance to their lives now. Space was as much as home as Terra had been.

Zari wondered about her family back there. At this point, Behrad was older than she had been when the Ravagers picked her and Lily up. Did her parents think she’d run away from home or that someone had taken her and Lily? Did they still remember her at all? And what about Lily’s mother? What became of her- losing her husband and daughter on the same day?

“Zari?” Lily peeked her head up from the floor. “Hey, Zari?”

Zari looked down at Lily’s grease-streaked face. “Huh?”

“I asked if you’d pass me the wrench. The little one?”

Zari found what she was looking for and handed it over. “Do you ever wonder about your mom?”

Lily stared stonily before shifting her eyes down and ducking beneath the floorboards to use the wrench. “Sometimes. I don’t like to.”

“How come?”

“Because the last thing I said to her was that I hated her. I wish I could have done something different that day.”

Zari thought back to how eager she’d been to leave the house to be with her friend and not stay around her brother. “I do too.”

~~~

Zari sat upside down on the bench, tapping her foot against the wall. Lily was pacing.

“Mary isn’t going to be happy with us,” her friend finally stated.

“You think?” Zari asked, picking at the hole in the pocket of her pants. “Here I thought she’d be pleased we got arrested!”

“It wasn’t just because of me.”

“Okay, Lily. But you’re not totally innocent.”

“Because the Infernian fled! He tried to drug us!”

“So you punched him?”

“Because he was trying it on another girl. When I stopped him, he punched me first! And then you joined in.”

“I’d say sorry, but I wouldn’t be sincere about it,” Zari admitted, examining the burns across her knuckles. “He was disgusting to Eve. I would do it again. But at least she made it out.”

Lily finally took a seat next to her. About time, since she’d been pacing for at least twenty minutes. “Do you think she told Mary?”

“Stein, Tarazi!” a guard came in with a key.

“Actually, she’s Star Lady and I’m Cosmonaut,” Lily piped up with a grin.

The guard rolled his eyes and unlocked their cell. “You’re free to go.”

Zari swung her legs down so she could stand upright. “Say what now?”

“Nova Corp took a look at it, and they’re after the guy now,” the guard told them. “But you’re still in our systems. Next offense and your stay here will be longer.”

“Thank you,” Zari smiled as she exited the cell with Lily. “We wouldn’t dream of causing any more trouble.”

Lily raised an eyebrow, but waited until they were outside before saying more. “We wouldn’t dream of causing any more trouble?”

“I might have thought the rest to myself. We wouldn’t dream of causing any more trouble and then get caught by the Nova Corp.”

“Good idea on not saying the rest. Now let’s go find Mary and make up a reason for why we didn’t make it back last night.”

~~~

“Tarazi!”

Zari quickly stowed the credits she’d been counting under her bunk and ran to the door, meeting Mary just in time. “Hey there.”

“I heard you didn’t bring in anything on the last assignment.”

“It’s true,” Zari crossed her arms, staring Mary down. “I gave it away.”

“You did what? I know I’ve taught you better than that. We’re Ravagers-”

“There were kids,” Zari’s voice broke. “They had children in captivity. Apparently, they were planning to sell them off to the high and mighty of the galaxy as servants. More like slaves. So I backed out of taking the haul for us. Eve, Lily, and I set the kids free. We gave them the credits we were taking and got them to ships. We left a beacon for Nova Corp to find them and get them home.”

Mary tilted her head. “So your plan that took a week just got thrown to the wind because of some children.”

“I won’t ignore a crying child.”

Mary was silent for the longest moment before nodding. “Did the children get picked up by Nova Corp?”

Zari nodded.

“Good. But you’re going to have to make up for those lost credits.”

“And I will.”

Mary walked off and Zari exhaled, shutting the door.

Lily sat up from her bed. “Are we getting closer to our own ship?”

“More than halfway there. But we might have to lose some of it to make up for giving the kids the credits.”

“That’s okay. The universe might have taken this round financially, but we win morally.”

Zari smiled to herself. “I hacked into the Nova Corp when we got back. They found the kids’ families or ones that will take the orphans. We did a good thing.”

~~~

“Well then, Star Queen and Cosmos again?”

“Star-Lady,” Zari grumbled as she and Lily sat in front of the desk of the Nova Corp officer.

“And it’s Cosmonaut,” Lily mumbled, trying to move her hands up to wipe the blood from her cheek.

“Eh, you’re still officially Tarazi and Stein in here. So what was it this time?”

“Mine,” Lily raised a hand. “My date was not who she said she was.”

“And I had to help her out. So I followed her to where they were holding her and set her free. Yes, there was some fighting, but we didn’t know there was flammable material.”

“And no one died. That’s important.”

Zari nodded. “She’s right, no one did die. Just a few minor burns.”

The officer groaned. “This is the third time I’ve seen you this cycle.”

“Did you miss us?”

“No. You’re about to lose a bunch of credits for bail.”

Zari’s shoulders slumped. They had to get better at dealing with their money.

~~~

The Dominators had invaded Terra. It was buzzing all across the galaxy. Zari didn’t think it was a coincidence that she grounded the Refuge when they first got the reports. Someone had managed to get footage of what was happening on the planet. Lily and Zari watched together, wondering about their families again.

But there were people fighting back. Mostly a bunch of people in colorful costumes. A beautiful woman with dark hair with a hammer used lightning to fight back. A robot flew around sending energy blasts out while another with pale skin and white hair frozen them solid on the streets. Two archers fought from above and on the ground. The most surprising to both of them was a woman dressed like Captain America, who Zari remembered hearing about in a book when she was in school.

Then it all ended. The Dominators all collapsed dead on the streets. Their hive had been hit and severed their links, rendering every single one lifeless. A whole species gone in an instant. Even if they had been warriors used for muscle, it still chilled Zari. If something ever happened to Terra and everyone died, it would truly be them against the universe.

“It’s still there though,” Lily said that night. “Terra. We can go back one day.”

“One day,” Zari agreed.

They just needed more credits.

~~~

The banner was silver and blue, rippling in the wind in front of the museum. Zari stopped and looked up at it. When she and Lily had been younger, Mary or someone else had taken them to museums on other planets. Part of it was teaching observation with some light pickpocketing, but it also served an education purpose. As a result, Zari knew about most of the habitable planets along with some dead ones. She had never heard of Morag before, but what was the harm in asking about it.

“Hey,” she greeted someone who looked official when she walked in. “You’ve got a banner out about an exhibit on Morag. What’s that?”

The alien smiled, her three eyes focusing on Zari. “Most people haven’t. It was once home to an advanced civilization before global warming wiped the whole planet out thousands of years ago. The only people who really know about it are archaeologists. With the artifacts we’ve found, we figure we can teach people about the influences they gave to the galaxy as well as a warning about the fragility of the environment.”

“Artifacts?” Zari asked.

“Mostly tools, a few books, and remnants of a temple. We sent a team to search for the Orb, but the water levels were too high. Now we’re trying to raise money for a recovery of it since the water levels lowered.”

“What’s the Orb?”

“No one knows,” the alien smiled dreamily. “From what we’ve recovered, it was an object of great power. Too much power, according to some texts. The inhabitants of Morag built a temple to guard it from those who might try and steal it for their own selfish purposes. After the planet flooded, the temple became inaccessible with the increased water levels.”

Zari frowned. “I thought you said the water levels were lower and you could recover it.”

“The seas lower every couple hundred years. This might be our only chance in my lifetime to retrieve it if we get enough funds. If we do, people will come from all across the galaxy for it.”

“So it’s a pretty big deal?”

“Extremely.”

Zari thanked her and headed out of the museum. If this Orb could bring people across galaxies to see it, then it had to be worth a lot. She and Lily could get it, sell it off for money or give it to the museum for a reward. But they would definitely get a lot of money out of it. It would likely be enough to buy their own ship and leave the Ravagers. They could do everything they planned, including Terra.

She set out to find Lily, thankfully finding her coming out of their favorite fence’s office. “Hey!”

“Hey, yourself!” Lily laughed. “Guess who just got us another hundred credits.”

“You didn’t sell Beebo, did you.”

Lily put a hand to her chest in mock offense. “I wouldn’t dare!”

“Good, because I’ve got an idea of a new job.”

#fezwearingjellybananas #marvellous ladies of dc #legends of tomorrow #zari tarazi #lily stein #mary xavier #eve baxter

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tracybirds · 4 years

Text

Crosspost for Love Languages: Gordon

[Alan] | [John] | [Virgil] | [Scott]

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John was so rarely on Earth these days and Gordon could feel a grin threatening to crack his face as he raced towards his brother. He reached out to grab his brother’s arm, to drag him down to his level and show John how he’d been missed. John wasn’t prepared for Gordon’s weight, fresh out of orbit and peering blearily around the room, so instead they crash to the ground together. Gordon didn’t mind and he laughed at the squawk he managed to pull from John on the journey down.

“Get off me,” said John irritably and he pushed Gordon away.

Scott reached down and hoisted John up with an easy-going laugh and an outstretched hand. Virgil clasped John’s shoulder in friendly greeting and Gordon felt a twinge of jealousy from the floor as John reach out and ruffle Alan’s hair.

When John had stumbled his way towards his room and his siblings wandered off to other areas of the house, Scott sat down next to Gordon who hadn’t moved.

“Come on squid,” he said with a sigh. “You know not to crowd John like that on his first day.”

Gordon could feel a pout start to form and swallowed his indignation. His jaw jutted out and he carefully avoided Scott’s gaze.

“Yeah, my bad,” he muttered, trying not to play back that moment when John was willing to tolerate everyone’s touch but his own.

Later, John will creep into Gordon’s room with a Celery Crunch Bar and an unformed apology on his lips, and Gordon will accept them both. John will sidestep the proffered hug and neither of them will speak, each as bewildered as the other by the actions they observe.

***

Gordon might have accepted John’s apology, but he hadn’t let the matter go just yet. He was well aware of the differences between himself and his older brother, the two polar opposites of personality on their family’s spectrum. He knew it shouldn’t irk him that John had now brushed off contact with him twenty-seven times in the last week. But Gordon had also been watching him closely and he’s seen John tolerate, if not outright welcome Virgil and Brains’ intrusion into his personal space. When Scott sat on top of John’s long limbs, dangling off the end of the couch, John had merely rolled his eyes, pulled out his legs and casually propped his feet up on Scott’s shoulder. He’d flicked the page of his book and continued reading, unaware of Gordon’s mounting envy. And when Alan had fallen asleep in the middle of breakfast after a long rescue, it had been John who had volunteered to put him to bed. Gordon had snuck up and watched, as John serenely stroked his little brother’s hair through the tossing and turning, with a melancholy ache in his gut. When Alan shot up with a gasp and instinctually clung to John, Gordon found himself having to turn from the unbearable intimacy of John holding Alan close.

So, Gordon had plenty of evidence the despite everyone’s belief, John didn’t actually have an invisible bubble surrounding him to deflect all forms of physical contact. Gordon flipped over in the pool and floated gently in the water. He sighed and closed his eyes. Just a problem with me then, he thought gloomily to himself. It would be typical that his siblings wouldn’t even recognise that he’d been shut out without any hope of entry in their brother’s life.

“What are you moping about out here?” asked a voice from the pool side.

Gordon opened his eyes to see Virgil silhouetted by the bright sunlight above him. “Nothing,” he said as he manoeuvred himself into an upright position, treading water casually.

Virgil snorted. “Don’t give me that, I’ve been watching you floating and sighing for the last fifteen minutes.”

“That’s a little weird Virg,” said Gordon.

“Got it,” said Virgil. “Classic avoidance technique, do not engage, not my problem.” He splashed water at Gordon as he sat down at the pool’s edge, hoping for a rise.

Gordon swam to the other side of the pool.

“Real mature,” called Virgil. “Get your ass over here before I haul Scott into this.”

Gordon groaned and propelled himself back towards Virgil. “Low blow bro,” he said, hauling himself out of the pool and staring moodily at the water.

Virgil waited, humming a little as he watched the gulls soaring overhead.

“It’s John, okay?” said Gordon.

“Mm hmm,” said Virgil. “What did he do?”

“He,” Gordon began before pulling himself up short. He knew John hadn’t actually done anything, that was half the problem. “He’s just being John I s’pose.”

Virgil looked at Gordon strangely. “I thought you were both getting on pretty well actually. You’re mad that you’re not arguing?”

Gordon shook his head. “Well, no, obviously not, I like that we’ve been getting on better. Or at least I thought we were.” He sighed again, well aware that his bout of self-pity would not garner any sympathy from Virgil. “He barely even gives me the time of the day. It’s like he’s decided he can’t be bothered to deal with me and I’ve been relegated to a problem for a future John to puzzle out.” He kicked at the water suddenly. “It just feels like he’d be having a better holiday if I weren’t around.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Virgil. “It’s John. It’s a mandatory holiday and I know for a fact that as much as John loves us, he’d rather be back up on Thunderbird Five. He’s always antsy down here, he’s never been one to sit back idly while we head off to do rescues.”

“That’s not what I meant,” said Gordon. “At least he can stand to touch you.”

A great chasm stretched between them in the silence, its immensity weighing on Gordon until it felt like he couldn’t breathe. Virgil reached across it like the gap wasn’t even there to pull Gordon in close. Gordon closed his eyes and breathed in the certainty of a brother who stood with him and knew what he needed.

“You need to talk to John,” said Virgil quietly. “I know its not your instinct, and it’s not his either. But he’ll listen to you if you tell him what you need.”

***

In the end it’s John who finds Gordon, wandering down to the hangar to see if he needed any help with the maintenance checks of Thunderbird Four. Gordon gives him a running list of tools and to his surprise, John doesn’t argue. They work in companionable silence for a time, Gordon calling out a name and John handing him the corresponding tool.

Gordon breaks first as John must have known he would.

“Are you here for a particular reason John?” he asks, straightening up and stretching.

John shrugged and avoided his gaze. “Not really. Just thought you could use a hand.”

Gordon waited expectantly.

“And we haven’t hung out much and I’m heading back into to orbit soon,” said John. “And contrary to popular belief, I do actually miss being around you guys when I’m up there.”

Gordon’s mouth thinned. “Virgil put you up to this,” he said flatly.

“What?” said John, looking genuinely startled. “Not at all.”

“Yeah, that’s really funny John,” Gordon said, a bitter tone creeping into his voice. “That bastard is such a meddler.” Gordon shook his head and turned to stomp towards the door only for a hand to reach out and grab his sleeve.

Gordon and John both looked at John’s hand in surprise and then at each other. John lightened his grip and gestured to a couch, nestled in the corner of the hangar.

“Let’s talk,” he said before flopping onto the couch.

Gordon followed him hesitantly and perched on the arm by John’s head.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” said John without preamble. “You’re normally a lot more you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Gordon. “You’re the one avoiding me!”

“On every other visit home, you’ve planned out my entire holiday and been in my space virtually all day every day,” said John. “This time, I’m lucky to see you once a day. Avoidance.”

Gordon kicked his leg along the side of the couch. “You’ve been busy,” he said.

John suppressed a laugh. “Yeah, real busy,” he said with a familiar note of sarcasm. “Did you know Scott won’t even let me listen to mission comms during rescues? And no one will let me do anything because ‘I’m on holiday’. Virgil actually locked me out of the workshop because I was apparently getting underfoot.” John looked over at Gordon. “It’s been a nightmare.”

Gordon cracked a smile, but it was fleeting.

John nudged his knee. “And then there’s that.” He said. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re not very happy.”

“It’s stupid,” said Gordon automatically.

“But it is something,” said John quietly. “I know I’m not the first choice of brothers, but you can talk to me.” He gave a wry grin. “And with my access to virtually everything of interest revoked, you even have a decent shot of having my full attention.”

Gordon deliberated for a few minutes, and John lay still and quiet.

“Everyone says you don’t do physical contact,” Gordon says. “You definitely don’t with me. But I’ve been watching and that’s just not true so it feels like I’ve upset you in some way. Have I?”

John is silent for a few seconds. Gordon knows his brother, knows he will be carefully planning his next few words.

“I don’t do physical contact like you do Gords,” he says slowly. “But I would have thought you were the first to understand that not everyone does things the way you do.”

“Well, yeah,” says Gordon. “But you’ve not touched me at all, and I’ve seen you with the others. Virgil is in and out of your space constantly, Alan after that rescue. It just makes me feel,”

“Lonely,” finished John. He sighed and tilted his head up to look at Gordon. “Do you know what Earth feels like after an extended period in space? Do you know what it feels like on your skin?”

Gordon shook his head. Oh, he’s gone into space, but not for the sort of time that John is talking about.

“When your skin doesn’t have to resist against anything, not even your clothes, it weakens,” said John. “Part of the reason, I don’t like coming back is because even with all our technology, we can’t beat the fact that humans are not designed for space. I have rashes all over just from wearing clothes, and every unexpected touch makes my skin feel like it’s on fire because my nerves have forgotten how to react properly.”

“That’s horrible,” said Gordon. He reaches out for John and then freezes.

John looked at his outstretched arms with a sad smile. “And look at your instincts,” he said. “No wonder you think I’m upset with you.”

He reached up an arm and gently pulled Gordon’s hand down to rest lightly on his shoulder.

“I’m not upset with you Gords,” he said quietly. “It’s just that you’re like the sun, never do anything by half, and I can’t always handle that. But you and I can teach each other about what we need, right?”

Gordon nodded and slid down to the floor. He rested his head against John’s arm and exhaled slowly. “Is this alright Johnny?”

John said nothing and smiled.

“Good,” said Gordon. “Because I don’t want you flinching away from me for the rest of your holiday.”

John yawned. “Just give me a heads up and listen if I say to back off. That’s what the others do.”

“Even Scotty?”

John swatted at him in response as Gordon laughed.

***

Gordon looked up at the sound of the siren indicating the approach of the space elevator.

“John’s home,” called Alan as he raced past the door.

Gordon grinned and followed him to meet their tall, tired brother.

“Hey guys,” he says, allowing Scott to shake his hand and reaching out to ruffle Alan’s hair. He spots Gordon hovering in the doorway and strides over to him. Gordon stands perfectly still as John reaches out to lightly touch his shoulders and grin affectionately at him. “Good holiday planned out for me?”

“You bet,” said Gordon with a grin.

#gordon tracy #john tracy #thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #sometimes i fic

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timelock97 · 4 years

Text

Game Changer

Chapter Thirteen: Shattered Reality

Word Count: 4145

Warnings: Language, Game spoilers

_________________________________________

Hop and I finally make it back to the hotel so he can shower and let what happened today register in his head. He had made it to the last round with Serenity, and had almost won. Almost. His Rillaboom had been one hit away from taking out her Inteleon, but in the end the water-type had dodged and took one last hit on Rillaboom, a critical hit that knocked him out instantly. He wasn’t happy, but still went to shake her hand, only for her to wave him off and smile and bow for the crowd. Piers had stated that he had never, in his life, heard the crowd boo for a challenger.

I had motioned for Hop to go shower, but not before pulling him into a hug and pressing a soft kiss to his head. “I am so proud of you, you know. Leon even left me a voicemail saying how proud he was with what you did. I bet you that Leon will endorse you next year so you can go through again, and you could even face him.”

Hop nods, hugging me back finally. After a minute he chuckles, “She tried to get to me in the locker room, I told her that she wouldn’t be Champion with that attitude and she got pissy.”

I giggle, running a hand through his hair, “Good, don’t let people like her get to you, you are the best you you can be. Now go, you stink.”

He laughs but leaves for the bathroom, but not before stopping to say, “Hey, (Y/N)? I love you.”

“Love you too, little brother.”

“When did Leon say he would be back?” Hop asks, watching from the hotel bed as I pace around the room.

I sigh as I whistle for my Rotom, it moves from my discarded belt to my line of sight, showing the time. “He was supposed to be back three hours ago.”

“I’m starving,” Hop whines, a small smile forming on my lips.

I sigh, grabbing my belt and and replace it around my waist. “Well, I think it’s time we go collect our Champion, idiot hasn’t eaten since this morning.” Hop cheers as I grab Leon’s hoodies from off the chair and slip it over my head.

The two of us head down to the lobby, Hop talking about how Serenity didn’t think he could make it past the first round. “She barely beat me, so she really doesn’t stand a chance against the gym leaders more advanced teams.”

I hum in response. I was listening, but the likeness of the late dinner with Leon compared to the game still loaded in my switch concerned me. Once we make it outside I smile as I see Marnie and Piers. “Hey, what are you two doing?” I tease, walking over and wrapping Piers in a hug, Marnie smiling at us.

“Just getting back from dinner, what about you two?”

“We are gonna go get Lee from Rose Tower and drag him out to go eat.” Hop says excitedly, bouncing from side to side.

I nod, eyes catching a familiar figure, Oleana, being followed by a man in a League staff uniform.

“What a beautiful display of sibling love! However, it’s entirely unnecessary.” Her heels click as she gets closer, and my stomach churns in fear. This is all too familiar.

“Ms. Oleana?”

“Chairman Rose is with the Champion in a very, very important meeting.” She places a hand to her hip as she brings her phone level to her face, “There is no way I will let anyone interfere. After all,” she puts her phone down and brushes her hair over her shoulder. “Only personnel with the proper key can ride the monorail to Rose Tower. That means as long as Chairman Rose is in the tower, no one can disturb him.” She shoots me a sneer, and I can’t help but feel my blood boil.

I grind my teeth, “Oleana, all we want to do is make sure my fiance has gotten a meal. So if you would so kindly-”

“If you want to go collect your Champion, then I guess you will just have to work for it. I hand selected a member of the League staff and given him a key,” A man in a gray scaled uniform moves to stand at her side. “Chairman Rose does enjoy these kinds of menial games after all. Do you think you can tell the difference between a normal League staff and the one I chose?”

The man laughs over his shoulder, “Think you can find me?” He spins on his heels before running full speed into the busy evening streets of Wyndon.

This motherfu-

“What do we do?” Marnie groans.

I start walking, calling back behind me, “He probably headed toward the plaza. Let’s surround this asshole.”

I hear Piers hollar behind me to Team Yell who had joined the scene, making me smile. No way were we letting this dude get away. They split up, Hop and Piers running after me as we took the shorter route to nab the guy.

When we get to the plaza my eyes scan the League staff that are scattered around the area. My eyes fall on him easily, are these people really this stupid? The member is standing facing the wall, trying to act as normal as possible, as normal as someone staring at a wall.

I roll my eyes and point him out, “I’m gonna go talk to him, if he tries to run someone grab him, yeah?”

The boys nod as I walk over, menovering themselves so that they will have easy access. As I inch closer I notice that he is avoiding everything, looking away from anyone who passes and even looks down at the ground as I approach. Oh yeah, this is the guy. “We already have the key you know.” I smile, thinking back to the game.

He spins around, cursing to himself, “Guess you found me-”

“Look, I am not gonna battle you,” I cut him off. I jab my thumb in either direction. “You are either gonna try and run for it or you are going to give me the key-”

“And if I don’t?” He sneers, making a sadistic smile curl onto my face.

“Oh, you think Oleana is scary, you haven’t seen the Champion’s bride pissed yet.” The look of concern crosses his features, but he still shoves me back and tosses out his first pokemon. “Motherfucker!” I growl, grabbing Scorch’s pokeball and tossing him into battle.

Meowth lands in front of me as Scorch makes it onto the field. I roll my eyes as I call out, “Flame charge!” The battle ending in one attack. He tosses out a Durant next, and I roll my eyes as I call out the same attack, taking out his next Pokemon . I decide not to return Scorch, instead instructing him to use smokescreen as I move past him toward the guy.

“All I need to do is hide, and I won’t have to give you the-!” I grab his collar and push him against the wall.

“Or you give me the key now before I kick your actual ass, yes?” I growl, Hop coming over quickly to pat him down. By the time the smoke clears from around us, Hop has the key and the guy is looking at me in shock sitting on the ground. “Now, we are going to Rose Tower, why don’t you buzz your buddies, who I know will be waiting to battle, and telling them not to bother. Cause you see, I am not in the mood. Copesh?” I watch as he gives me a little nod, “Good.” I state, wrapping an arm around Hop and walking back over to Piers, who has a smug smile on his face. “Let’s go, yeah?” I state as I return Scorch to his pokeball.

“Sure thing, (Y/N), didn’t know you were a fighting type.”

“No, I would say I am a fire type, mess with me and you get burned.” I smirk back, tugging Hop a little closer.

“So is that what Lee meant when he said you can have a short-temper with certain people.” Hop chuckles.

I smile as I press a kiss to his temple, “I have patience for people who aren’t idiots, and besides I’m worried about Leon.”

When we get to the monorail we see more staff members, they are standing in the way of the monorail entrance. I fold my arms over my chest and walk over to them, “I am heading to Rose Tower to get my fiance, please move-”

“Only those with a key-”

I move it in front of the man’s face, causing him to stiffen, “I have one, you think I wouldn’t being Leon’s soon-to-be wife?” The four of them glance at each other, but eventually move aside. Hop manages to get past them, but they stop Marnie and Piers.

“Hey, it’s cool, it’s cool. We were just gonna make sure they didn’t get lost. Guess one of your staff will have to enlighten them on where the Chairman is having his meeting with the Champion.” Piers smirks placing his hands behind his head, “Think you two will be alright, mate?”

I nod as Hop speaks up, “We will be fine!” I place a hand on Hop’s shoulder and push him toward the monorail, the door sliding to the side and then shutting behind us. All I can think about is what we will be walking into.

Once we arrive I almost motion Hop to go sit on one of the couches, worried about what was to come, but his excitement gets the better of him as he jabbers on about the design of the tower and fact that the whole building was built on a power spot. I walk to the front desk, the girl behind it giving me a nervous smile. “Good evening, I was hoping you could tell me what floor the Chairman and Champion are having their meeting?”

She swallows thickly, “They are on the top floor, but Miss Oleana told us no one was to disturb-”

“Yes well, the Chairman understands that I only see Leon a certain amount of time during the day and has been so gracious to let him out so we can all have dinner together so I’m just coming to collect him.”

She nods softly before motioning to the elevator, “You should be able to take the elevator straight to the top.”

I give her a smile, moving to the elevator with Hop on my heels. As we stand in the elevator, my eyes fall on the doors, waiting for them to stop the elevator and stop us, but it never comes. The elevator comes to a stop, the door opens to the main ballroom that the Christmas party had been held in. I motion for Hop to wait back for a minute as I walk to the doors.

I can hear Leon and Chairman Rose speaking behind the door, and gently press my ear against the wood.

“Leon, we have discussed this a hundred times already and still you fail to understand what is at stake? You, who is supposed to be our Champion,” I hear Rose sigh before Leon cuts in.

“I think I understand well enough. What I don’t know is why we ought to cancel tomorrow’s tournament in order to solve a problem that is a thousand years away from affecting any of us!” I can hear the annoyance in Leon’s voice, but it doesn’t make me any less nervous. “What difference is one day going to make?” Another pause, “My duty as Champion isn’t this, this madness. It is to carry out that Champion Match! That is what Galar wants, and it is what I want. We have been looking forward to for so long!”

“No,” Rose scoffs, “You don’t understand,” My curiosity gets the better of me, and I crack the door open to see Rose walk away from Leon a few paces as he pinches the bridge of his nose. “You still don’t understand a thing!” He turns and gestures to the vast windows that look over Wyndon city. “Look around us, Leon!” His voice booms across the room and carries into the hallway, causing Hop to move toward the door too. “Look as the Galar region stretched out before us, and know that the energy required to keep this brilliant, glittering world alive will be exhausted a millennium from now!” Rose let his arms fall back to his sides, “The people of Galar today will no longer even exist. What Galar wants today hardly matters.” He sounds bitter, shaking his head before bringing his hand in front of his mouth in a closed fist. “The future is more important than just one day. We must act as quickly as we possibly can, take action in order to avert tragedy, so that all can look forward to a better future.”

“In a thousand years!” Leon groans in annoyance again, he brings his hands to his scalp as he tugs at the root, I can tell he is trying to make sense of it all. He shakes his head, allowing his arms to fall back to his sides, “Fine, look. I think I understand your concerns, Chairman. And I give you my word, I will help you with your plans as soon as tomorrow’s match is over.”

I finally cannot take it any longer. I bang my knuckles against the door before pushing it open, “Leon, I was told that, oh!” I let the fake surprise fall past my lips, Hop going along with the act as we walk in. “I’m sorry, am I interrupting something?”

Chairman Rose shakes his head as he smiles, “No, you’re alright, (Y/N), Hop. We were just finishing up.”

Leon gives us his signature smile, “Yeah we were, sorry if I made you worry, love.” He moves away from Rose, leaning to press a kiss to my nose. When he stops though, I find myself squaring off so that Leon is standing behind me. My body screaming for me to protect him from what was coming. Leon touches my arm, but I only give him a half glance as I look at Rose whose stance had become colder, like he could tell I knew more than I was letting on.

“Lee can we go back to the hotel, I am starving.” Hop whines from behind me, making Leon laugh.

“Yeah, and I’m buying so order whatever fancy meal you want.” He teases, his hand lacing into mine. “You ready, love.”

“Yeah, I just,” I want to give Rose a piece of my mind, “I was hoping I could talk to Rose for a moment, I will be back with you in a moment, okay?”

Leon gives me a skeptical look, but he can see the cogs turning in my head, he nods. “Yeah, just don’t be too long.”

I watch as the two walk away, eyes trailing as the two of them begin joking normally before I turn and look at the Chairman. “How many wishing pieces do you still need?”

He smiles, “What are you indicating-”

“That is my family.” I growl, causing his facade to fall, “Those people that live in this region are my friends. Whatever you are planning, whatever is churning in your head, it needs to stop. Leon is right,” I take a breath, my chest rising and falling too quickly. “You have over a thousand years to worry about the end of the region, and truth be told, the region will probably be fine.” I stop, his eyes staring into my soul before I break the contact. “Go to the challenges tomorrow, greet the people, be a fucking leader, live in the here and now.” With that I turn on my heel and head to the doors, only to be stopped when I hear him speak.

“You love Leon, don’t you?”

“I do-”

“Then I wouldn’t get in the way-”

My whole body stiffens, “Is that a threat?” I turn my head to look at him, and that sweet smile is still plastered on his face.

“It’s a promise”

“You’re a little off tonight, what’s wrong?” Leon whispers as I stand in the bathroom, brushing my teeth vigorously.

I spit the contents of my mouth into the sink, staring at it as it flows down the drain. “I have a bad feeling about tomorrow,” I whisper, causing Leon to push away from the door frame and walk into the bathroom. His arms circle around me and pull me against him, my own personal safe place.

“What’s going through yours and Rose’s heads-”

“Do not compare me to that man.” I growl, causing Leon to look at me funny in the mirror. I sigh, turning in his arms so I can hold him close. “I’m sorry-”

“Hey,” he pushes back a little, bringing a hand to cup my cheek. “What’s wrong, what’s going on?”

I open and close my mouth, tears prickling the edges of my eyes which doesn’t go unnoticed by Leon. “I, it’s just-” A small shaky breath fills my lungs, Leon continues to patiently wait, “Something bad is going to happen, something really bad, Leon. I don’t know when, but I am worried about everyone.”

His eyebrows pull together, thumb brushing under my eye as tears fall. “Whatever it is, we will make it through it, I am the undefeatable Champion after all.” His teasing causes a giggle to fall past my lips. “Everything will be okay, alright?”

“How can you be so sure-”

“Cause I have you, and I know that as long as you are here I have something to fight for. Always going to come back to you, you still have to marry this idiot.”

I laugh, making Leon smile as he leans in to capture my lips in a passionate kiss. I press into him desperately, trying to seel the moment to memory. When we pull away we are both panting softly.

“C'mon, love, we have a long day tomorrow.” He whispers before tugging me toward the bed, the thought of sleeping in a hotel room when our apartment really wasn’t that far away makes me roll my eyes. He tugs me down under the covers, pulling me flush into his side before kissing my forehead. “Sleep, love, we have a long day tomorrow.”

The three of us slip into the stadium the next morning, League members whisking Leon away pretty much the second we walk into the building. Hop and I go to find our seats, settling with some Team Yell members and Marnie as the challenge begins.

Leon introduces the challenge, mentioning that Rose was absent due to Chairman duties, a small “bullshit” falling past my lips making Hop gasp and smack my leg in fake punishment.

And Hop was right, Nessa took Serenity down pretty quickly. Nessa however was defeated by Bea, who would advance to the last round before the Champion match.

I cheer along with the crowd as Raihan beats Bea, another win closer to challenging Leon. I smile widely as Leon re-enters the arena. “Ladies and Gentlemen! Raihan has won the latest battle and will go on to battle me in the final round. We will take the next half hour to let his Pokemon recover before they battle again.”

The audience cheers again, a few people around me standing and stretching. I join them, dress fluffing about my thighs. I turn and look at Hop, “I’m going to walk around for a bit, okay?”

“Yeah, I’m gonna stay here.”

I nod before muttering a soft, “Excuse me, sorry,” to the Team Yell member next to me as I slip past them and follow the small crowd leaving the stadium to get concessions and using the restroom.

My heels click as I walk over to the “Challengers Only” area, smiling at the worker who lets me slip back to go see the Bea and Raihan seated on a bench talking.

“You almost had me, if your Machamp would have landed that first hit in the round I would have been a goner.” Raihan compliments, making Bea smile.

“I’ll kick your ass next year, Rai.” Bea laughs, jumping up and punching him in the shoulder.

He rubs his arm while he laughs, finally seeing me in the doorway. “Hey, cutiefly-”

“(Y/N)! Did you see the battle?” I open my arms and pull her into a hug, pressing a kiss into her hairline. “I did, you almost had him!”

Bea nods, letting me go as Nurse Joy enters with two trays of pokeballs. She gives us all a smile as she explains that everyone was healed up. Bea takes hers and re-attaches the pokeballs to her belt, Raihan doing the same. “Hey, I’m gonna go find Allister and find a seat to watch the championship. Good luck, Rai, kick ass okay?”

Raihan laughs and gives her a thumbs up, but once she leaves he drops his hand and sits heavily on the bench. He sighs, “I’m surprised you aren’t visiting Lee before the battle.”

I let out a small laugh, “I’m headed there next, just wanted to see how you were holding up.”

He nods, resting his elbows on his knees, “Always good, but I think Leon is a bit stressed running everything right now, although I think he is enjoying it.”

“He would,” I laugh, turning to look up as a league staff member walks into the room.

“We are about ready, you good to go Raihan?”

He nods as he stands, giving my shoulder a firm squeeze, “He’s down the hall, two doors, pop in to give him his good luck kiss. He is gonna need it.” I laugh as Rai winks at me. I follow his instructions after he leaves, walking down the hall and just seeing Lee leaving.

“Hey heart-throb, wanna sign my skirt?” I call, making him spin around in surprise.

He chuckles as he jogs to catch up to me before pulling me into his arms for a tight hug. “What are you doing-”

“I just wanted to wish you luck,” I whisper, my hands now shaking as I grab the ultra ball that is nestled on an empty slot on my belt. “Here-”

“Why an ultra ball-”

“Just, keep it on you, okay?”

His eyes fall on me, he nods. ‘Okay.“

I lean up and press a kiss to his lips, listening to the soft hum that leaves his chest. "Kick his ass, yeah?”

Leon barks out a laugh as he pulls his hat off, it’s the one I got him for Christmas, to run a hand through his hair, “Always do, my love. I will see you out on the field when the confetti falls, yeah?”

I nod, pressing one last kiss to his lips before turning away, “Have a champion time, hot-shot.” I smile as I hear him laugh again, my feet carrying me back down the hallway. I manage to make it back to my seat as Leon enters the field, Raihan not too far behind. The two of them are ready to battle, ready to see who is the strongest.

But then the ground shakes, and the large monitor is no longer showing the two on the field, no it’s showing Chairman Rose. My heart drops into my stomach.

“Hello there, Leon and Raihan! Just letting you know,” Rose chuckles gently, “I think it’s time I brought about the Darkest Day, for the sake of Galar’s future of course! But,” he shakes his head just as the screen shifts to show where the wishing pieces had been stored. “I’m in a bit of a pickle. The energy released by the Darkest Day is too much to contain-”

A bright beacon suddenly erupts from the middle of the field, throwing Leon and Raihan back. The crowd screams, people stuck between wanting to run and being frozen in shock.

The screen seems to split, showing all the gyms being in a similar situation, my stomach drops even more, anger already building up inside of me. “I’m sorry it had to come to this, but it was you who forced my hand, Leon. You refused to listen!” Rose continues to ramble, and my eyes shoot down to the field, just as Leon goes running from the stadium.

“Lee!”

“Everyone!” Kabu’s voice comes onto the speakers, drowning out Rose all together, “Please it is not safe here, evacuate the building immediately!” Everything moves in slow motion as I grab Hop, making sure to keep hold of him as we all scramble to move, heading to the exits.

My worst nightmare had come true.

The Darkest Day was upon us.

_________________________________________

A/N: Dun dun DUN! That’s all I have to say.

Masterlist

#cg writes #champion leon #champion leon x fem!reader #champion leon fluff #pokemon swsh #pokemon sword and shield #pokemon leon #pokemon shield leon #pokemon word leon #dandeleon #dande

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grotesquegabby · 4 years

Text

Where Light and Dark Meet

A story about how Alexanders mom and dad met. Was it fate? Was it actually love? Or did he have other plans in the making? We shall see....

Long ago, when things were no longer new but not yet old. A creature drifted through the multiverse. She was bigger than some of the planets she would pass by. The planets did not interest her though, for she only had a taste for dying stars. Easily swallowing them whole when she would come upon them.

Her hunger easily taken care of, for she didn’t need to feast as much as those smaller than her. Strangely so...

She drifted through quietly, and often by herself. It had been quite a long time since she had seen another of her kind or similar. A small longing grew within her, she wanted to see someone, anyone. She didn’t know how soon her wish would come true.

As she passed by a rather large star, enjoying the light it gave off. Something big moved into it’s light keeping her in the dark. Turning to see a rather large shadow like creature, slightly similar to her. But knowing the aura this creature gave off, she didn’t believe it to be as her. Suddenly a voice, deep and ancient spoke within her mind.

‘Such a lovely star eater you are.’ Her own eyes narrowed a bit as she tried to go around the shadowy creature. But the thing veered into her way. So she went to turn around and go back a bit of the way she came. Still the creature persisted moving in her way, as it was clearly much faster than her. Sound can not be heard through space but if one noticed her movements. They could tell she was annoyed and most likely sighing in exasperation. She wanted to get moving. ‘Whats the rush’ the voice asked. ‘Food’ she thought as loud as she could hoping to get the creature to leave her be. She tried to sneak past the creature but once again it appeared to be in her way. ‘what do you want’ she asked as this creature curled around the bright glowing star, causing darkness to envelope some of the near by planets.

‘a friend’ it said rather plainly.

Now that she wasn’t expecting but it was most likely a trick. Her elders having taught her this much. Creatures like this one, more often than not, craved death and destruction. Her many eyes squinted suspiciously at the creature before her and what could be described as a smile formed on the shadowy “star eater”. She could hear the laughter in her head.

‘So suspicious, and here I was hoping to make a good first impression.’ The creature seemed to slither off the star a trail of black smoke coming off it. The light returning to the planets and the star. As if the creature laying upon it any longer would cause the star to die. Her eyes watched it carefully and the laughter started up again.

‘I’m not going to hurt you, no reason too. Like I said star eater, I’m only looking for a friend.’ the voice sounded sad near the end which caused her to drop her guard a little. The creature seemed to be pleased at seeing this ‘s’not so bad being friends, right?~’ it asked while moving closer ‘someone to travel the vast multiverse with?’

She seemed to contemplate this.

Perhaps it wouldn’t be bad to travel with another. Not too long ago she was hoping to find another or perhaps someone....anyone....to spend her vast eternity with.

She started to move leaving the shadowy version behind.

‘Well...are you coming or not?’ she said when she noticed the creature was not following. It understood and quickly caught up.

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

It took some time, but the star eater and the shadowy creature seemed to grow closer.

‘Do you have a name?’

‘...No, I do not.’

‘your elder didn’t see it fit to give you one?’

‘try naming one thousand children that all look similar to one another. The naming has been left to us as we see fit.’

‘So you have not given yourself a name’

‘No, I see no reason to’

Right as the shadow was about to speak. The Star Eaters movements picked up. Ahead of them was a dying star. She opened her jaws and swallowed it whole. The Shadow caught up now silent and observing.

A glow started to emit from the Star Eaters gut.

‘what, is that?’

‘The dying star’

‘what is happening’

‘The dying stars energy feeds me, but in its death a new star will be born.’

‘and how..is that?’

‘you will see’

Sometime later the light in the star eater started to move upwards towards her chest, her throat, then her mouth. Her jaws opened wider than when she ate the dying star. A bright new star was formed and was now placed into the universe.

‘I see, thats how you star eaters do it’

‘yes’

a chuckle came from the shadow creature and their movements sped up ahead of her.

‘what is so funny’

‘I know what your name should be’

‘...oh?’

‘yes, you are Fenice’

‘I do not know what that means’

‘In a language known by the humans, it is a name that means phoenix.’

‘what, is a phoenix’

‘Something that dies in fire, and is born again in its own ashes’

‘I see’

‘yes, Fenice. It’s very fitting for you’

‘hmmm’

The Star Eater did not know how to react or to respond. Should she feel elated now that she had a name all her own. A name that was picked out for her by another.

Perhaps, Perhaps not.

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

A century passed between the two. She learned the creatures name, Boh. That is what he called himself. Fenice and Boh got along traveling the multiverse. Everytime she ate a dying star she could feel his eyes on her. Watching and waiting for the new star to be born. It came to the point she found herself enjoying his attention. No matter what they passed it seemed his attention was on her at all times.

It made her feel a way she wasn’t used to. But it was a pleasant feeling.

On one particular day he was quiet. Which was odd for him.

‘Something on your mind Boh’

He perked up hearing his name but did not respond.

Fenice kept moving taking his silence as him not wanting to talk.

‘Yes actually’

Boh hurried to her side as she kept moving.

‘I was wondering, what do you think of small things’

‘small things?’

‘yes small things. Small living things?’

‘...like?’

‘younglings’

‘you speak of offspring?’

‘yes’

‘I see’

‘ So what are your thoughts on them’

‘they are...there is a word’

‘cute?’

‘yes...that is it.......cute. I enjoy them’

‘Have you thought to yourself if you’d have them one day’

‘perhaps. Why are you asking’

‘Just a question Fenice. No harm in asking right’

‘I see...’

Boh did not speak again he just seemed to look at her questioningly. They moved through space in silence.

‘one day....’

‘one day?’

‘maybe sooner than later’

Boh stopped moving as she kept going.

‘Is that so~’

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

Months had passed, Boh and Fenice were even closer than before. It didn’t help that Boh circled Fenice often to keep her safe and to send the message to others like her.

‘You do not have to be so close Boh’

‘Yes I do, others might try something’

‘I doubt that with you nearby. Besides this is my first time in such a situation. Most Star Eaters are rather peaceful.’

‘Theres always a first’

She seemed to let out a laugh that he could hear plain as day in his head. But her demeanor changed to something slightly pained.

‘It’s almost time isn’t it’

‘yes, we need to find an area with more planets soon’

‘I have a way we can get to a place faster’

‘it would put me at ease the faster we get to some nearby planets’

Boh started to wrap around Fenice gently so as not to crush her or the precious cargo. Fenice couldn’t help but relax a bit finding such a situation comforting.

It didn’t take long. Where they were only surrounded by stars before. Fenice now saw nearby planets. And just in time.

Boh did not remove himself from her though wrapped around her gently. She could get through this with him here. It wouldn’t be so bad.

~~~~~~

A full day had passed. A protective bubble surrounded one hundred little offspring. All curled up in balls with one another.

‘they will wake soon....’

‘yes, and by the time the bubble pops. They will all have landed safely somewhere and all be awake.’

‘Well not all of them’

‘what makes you say that’

‘Well I imagine they’ll be hungry’

‘I suppose but what does that have to do with not all of them being awake’

‘Well...’ Fenice heard that familiar laugh of his.

‘They’ll start eating each other’

She turned to him slowly ‘Why would they do that’

‘You’re half dead light wouldn’t you know’

‘my siblings never ate each other’

‘Ahh I see, new experience to watch then. Want to see it with me’

‘...No’

‘How boring....but you always have been’

‘Excuse me’

‘Your excused...now if you don’t want to watch. leave’

‘I will not let them eat each other’ She started to move toward the bubble as quickly as she could. To Separate the little ones from each other. Until she felt something ram into her side sending her flying in another direction.

‘Come on Fenice dear, you really think I’m going to let you destroy this moment for me. I’m a proud father after all. I can’t wait to see the little monsters get bigger.’

Fenice bared her teeth, she wasn’t built for fighting but she’d try. She charged at him but he was just too quick and moved out the way before slamming back into her sending her in another direction.

‘You know dear, I think it’s time you learned your place in the universe. You’re a star eater. nothing more...fighting me. Is the last mistake you’ll ever make.’

Hours passed....And Fenice was spent. Bites and scratches adorned her body. She had done her best to fight off Boh. The only comfort she had was the large star nearby sending its warmth to the nearby planets.

She opened her eyes to glare at him as he still hovered nearby.

‘You’re as stubborn as your elders.’ He wrapped around the large star, his shadows seemingly absorbing it’s light. It started to smoke a bit. Fenice could do nothing as the star dissipated into nothing. No more warmth as Boh moved toward her.

‘Its Zerneboh by the way dear. Remember that name, if you live that long.’ he laughed, that laugh she had some to enjoy.

She now hated it.

He looked around some

‘wait a minute...where is it!’

He could sense a feeling of pride coming off Fenice. ‘Whats got you so happy!’

‘It’s gone, out of reach. You can’t touch them’

She could feel the anger radiating off him.

‘I’ll find them....and kill them. Every last one of them. This was a waste of time.’

‘You won’t...’

‘watch me...’ with that he was gone.

Fenice felt her eyes grow heavy. Not knowing if she was tired or if this was the end. She accepted what was to come.

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

Eyes opening to feel light and warmth upon her skin once again. She saw movement. If she wasn’t dead than Boh...no Zerneboh was back to finish the job.

When the movement got closer it was clearly another figure. One who radiated a much different energy.

‘it’s going to be alright now’

‘you are safe’

‘what is your name’

‘...Fenice’ Was all she could muster in response before succumbing to darkness once again.

#Zerneboh Chaos #Fenice #Star Eater #Elder mentions

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earthedreina · 4 years

Text

𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐄 : 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐊𝐄 , 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐀.

name : octavia blake. age : eighteen siblings : bellamy blake parents : aurora blake ( deceased ) , unknown father hades , god of the underworld status : year round camper , self appointed CTF champion. appointed cabin : cabin twelve

abilities ,

ADHD : like most demigods , octavia possesses supernatural reflexes and senses that she uses to analise a target or enemy.

DYSLEXIA : octavia’s brain was hardwired to read ancient greek instead of modern languages. this was also partly due to her mother’s and brother’s obsessions with anciety greek myths and stories.

NECROMANCY : as a daughter of hades , octavia is able to control the dead. this means : being able to summon as well as banish the dead. destroy skeleton warriors communicate telepathically with ghosts command the dead to follow her orders release souls turn people into ghosts sense death physically touch ghosts summon ghosts from the dead

GEOKINESIS : as a daughter of hades , octavia has control over the earth and stones. this is less powerful than her father’s control , but something she is still new to.

UMBRAKINESIS : octavia , like her father , has control over darkness and shadows. significantly less control than hades has , but she is able to make a room pitch black and make shadow creep in to disoreintate her enemy.

DARK INFERNAL PYROKINESIS : this is a weak power for octavia and one that 9 times out of 10 , doesn’t work. but when it does , she can produce black hellfire which is said to be ten times more destructive than actual flames.

PHOBINKINESIS : although her father has devine power over fear , octavia has some grasp upon it as well. she uses this mainly to intimidate those around her , or to heighten her rival’s phobia’s ( which she does a lot just for a laugh ).

SHAPESHIFTING : hades hardly utilizes this ability and because of that , nor does octavia. why shapeshift when you’re the god of death ? why pretend to be something else when you possess such divine power from your father ? ( in actuality , octavia isn’t even sure she can shapeshift , but she’ll say she can to look cool )

talents ,

since arriving at camp half blood , octavia has been rather active upon the training grounds. her weapon of choice is the sword , but has been caught training with a bow and arrow. she’s known to get a little carried away when sparring with another demigod , often not yeilding even when her rival is begging her to. this has been brought to chiron’s attention several times.

octavia is also quite the cross country star. she’s an active girl, always had been since a young age. not only is running something that calms her , but it was something she decided to keep up in order to stay ahead of those that wanted her dead.

due to being hidden since a baby , the brunette is also good at hiding if she needs to. although the though demenour , octavia blake was still a child - young and afraid. if hiding was what was going to keep her safe , you best bet she was going to do it.

biography ,

octavia was born to aurora blake on a cold evening on the living room floor of her apartment. she recalls bellamy telling her that the news played in the background , a report of a natural disaster being read to the millions of viewers. however , he wasn’t paying attention, as moments after she was born , he was soothing her cries. a bond that could never be broken between siblings.

however , aurora never treated octavia in the same manner she treated bellamy. every knock on the door , the young blake was forced to hide away from the visitor. forced to watch through closet doors as friends came and went , all passing through without knowing of her existence. when questioned , aurora would explode into fits of anger , telling octavia that it was for her own good. she never uderstood why she wasn’t allowed to go to public school , or make friends , rendering her mother a villian in her story.

she was young when bellamy left. she wouldn’t be able to recall how young exactly , but she could recall the lonliness that set in without him around. it was dark without her big brother to keep her safe and to hold her hand when she had nightmares. she found herself staying awake to recite stories he used to tell her in order to feel somewhat close to him. what she does remember is seeing something that night that would stick with her - a feathered lady with talons for toes. her wings outstretched as she crashed through her window. her instincts told her to hide , and she did. breath slowing so to not give away her position. the creature soon departed and as soon as her mother returned from work, octavia told her what had happened. she had half expected her not to believe such a story , but instead , aurora was packing their belongings and rushing octavia to her car. that night , the night she lost bellamy , she was whisked away from the only place she had felt safe.

for the next few years , octavia and aurora would come and go from place to place. and each place , trouble followed. while only speaking to bellamy a few times a day through her mother’s phone , creatures octavia had only heard from the stories bellamy had told her before bed kept showing up , atempting to kill them. and for years , they evaded them . . . until one winters night. snow was thick upon the ground , aurora had gone off the road , leading octavia somewhere unknown. the young girl was scared , but if they did not stick together , they’d both die. aurora babbled about a camp that would keep her safe , a camp that were for people like her , but it confused her even more. and although she wished for bellamy to be with them , even the thought of him brought this violent annoyance to the front of her brain - he abandoned them. it was then , while fighting the incoming storm , octavia was forced to run away from her mother. harpies tore aurora to shreds right in front of her eyes. bleary eyed and absolutely terrified , she ran and ran , unsure of what direction to go. i want to go home. i want to go home. take me home. it played like a mantra in her mind.

the cold soon got to octavia , leaving her shivering and begging for warmth. it was there she curled up in the snow and awaited death , for that was all that she would accept. when she awoke , she was surrounded by faces she didn’t know and smells she’d never smelt. an older man smiled down at her , and it took her a moment to realise his body was not that of a man , but as a horse. barely turned thirteen , octavia found a new home at camp - half blood and reunited with her big brother . she was quickly claimed by hades and placed into cabin twelve. five years down the line , she’s still struggling with the death of her mother , the fear of the harpies and her temper. she avidly wanders into the underworld for a chat with her father though and the pair are quite close. bellamy keeps her centered , he is her light in a dark day - he keeps the urges away , the counterweight on a tipping scale that kept her balanced.

common phrases ,

‘ what the fuck ! ‘ ( this can be in the form of a sentence or a statement of iritation )

‘ are you taunting me? do you want to see your dead grandmother edna? ‘ ( more common than you’d think )

‘ excuse me ! do you know who my dad is ? ‘ ( yeah , she’s that person )

‘ bellamy blake is a ray of fucking sunshine. take it back or i’ll beat you to hell. ‘

connections ,

children of hades

bellamy blake , child of ares - big brother

echo azgeda , daughter of athena - rival through loyalty to bellamy

cerburus - her big fluffyball in hell

#gv. camp halfblood #long post /#this got extremely long like .. woah #this is likely to change due to plotting with ida / if ida wants to change anything c:

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imagine-loki · 5 years

Text

Wedded Bliss

TITLE: Wedded Bliss CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 37 AUTHOR: MaliceManaged ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Odin determined to find Loki a wife in a misguided, though somewhat well-intentioned attempt to ‘mellow him’. … RATING: T NOTES/WARNINGS: So, in the comics, Sif and Heimdall are siblings, and since the MCU never bothered to address that either way they’re siblings in my fics, too. Heimdall also has nine mothers in both the myths and the comics, though none of them are named in the latter as far as I know, so I’m relying on the myths for that. In the myths, they are nine sisters who apparently all gave birth to him (however the hel that works), but as far as Marvel goes I am headcanoning them as polyamorous lesbians and Heimdall and Sif are adopted. Because fuck you; I do what I want.

__________________________

Sif’s mothers turned out to adore Edith, five of them practically fawning over her to the point where Sif jokingly said they might not let her leave. Or at least, Edith was pretty sure she was joking. There was a moment’s concern over the attack in the forests, but it was quickly put to rest with how quickly and easily it was dealt with. They ended up spending the night, with Edith being put up in Heimdall’s old room after Eistla sent word of such to the palace so no one would worry.

“I have to ask,” Sif asked Edith before she retired to her room for the night, “Did you initiate things with Loki, or…?”

“No, he did,” Edith replied then let out a soft laugh, “Dumbass kissed me in the middle of the invasion, while we were surrounded by dead chitauri. Why?”

“Oh, no reason,” Sif replied entirely too innocently, “Goodnight.”

“Right,” Edith said, eyeing her suspiciously as she walked away.

****

Their return to the palace was uneventful, though Sif’s mothers ganged up on Edith to make her promise to come back sometime, much to their daughter’s amusement. Word of the attack had gotten back (Sif blamed Heimdall, grumbling something about meddlesome brothers) though thankfully little fuss was made about it; instead as soon as Thor and the Warriors Three managed to corner the women, they demanded all the details of the fight. Edith was admittedly surprised at how well Loki seemed to take the whole thing, but she chose to be relieved rather than suspicious. At least for the moment.

“I think it safe to say not many will think you easy prey any longer,” Volstagg laughed after Edith finished recounting her side.

“I mean, you’d think the time I spent here before would have told them that.”

“They must have thought you defenceless without Loki,” Hogun guessed. “Not a mistake they will make twice.”

“Serves them right,” Fandral concluded, to nods of agreement.

They talked a while longer, before going their separate ways, with Loki informing Edith that his mother wished to have lunch with her. After refreshing herself from her ride, Edith made her way to the Allmother’s sitting room, where a table was set with a light lunch for two in consideration of the feast later that evening; Frigga came over to greet her then they sat, waiting until the maids were gone before beginning to converse as they ate.

“I hope Sif’s mothers were not too much; they can be a touch… overwhelming at times.”

“I noticed,” Edith replied with a slight laugh. “They weren’t too bad, when they weren’t trying to kidnap me.”

Frigga chuckled. “Yes, they seem to do that; I feared for my sons the first time they visited the palace.”

“Oh, nooo!”

“They mean well; and they have raised fine children, none can deny them that.” They paused for a while to focus on their food. “As to the other matter; I believe I may have identified the worst offenders.” Edith looked at her expectantly. “Unsurprisingly, Lady Agneta was the instigator.”

“Geez, talk about not taking a hint,” Edith rolled her eyes.

“Indeed. She has so far recruited Ladies Sigrunn and Inge, who have in turn been whispering to Ladies Dorthe, Gyrie, Heidrun and Erna. Others are not quite so affiliated, but, well…”

“They’re not exactly lining up to be my best friends.”

“No. Agneta and her followers are the worst of the lot, though; I have caught two attempts to infiltrate maids of their own amongst yours.”

Edith snorted. “Like that would work. Even if they succeeded – and Anna and Gunhilda didn’t eat them alive as soon as they figured it out – it’s not like I actually rely on the maids to get things done most of the time.”

“Yes, but they are lazy and entitled; it would never occur to them that some of us are a bit more self-sufficient.”

“So, how do you want to deal with this?”

“I should be asking you that, dear; it is you they are attempting to sabotage.”

“Well, yes, but I’m pretty sure my solution is illegal.”

“You cannot set their belongings on fire, Edith,” Frigga said with a disapproving look.

“I know; that’s why I’m leaving it to you,” Edith replied with a sweet, innocent smile.

Frigga hummed unconvinced. “Well, I believe a bit of public embarrassment might just dissuade them from their efforts. That is, after all, one of the few languages they speak.”

“Oooo, devious,” Edith clapped delightedly, leaning forward conspiratorially, “Tell me more.”

****

They were stood at the palace’s main doors, Frigga flanked by Edith and Sif and looking every bit the queen she was, waiting for the hunting party to return. And return they did, to the cheers of the gathered crowd, Odin in the lead followed by Thor and Loki and the rest of the Lords bringing up the rear along with their kills. When they reached the doors, the royals dismounted and walked up to Frigga, Odin taking her hands in his and bringing them up to his lips in a rare display of public affection. Thor and Loki kissed her cheek then Loki moved to Edith, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips as she curtseyed.

The kills were sent to the kitchen to be prepared and cooked for the feast and the hunters one and all dispersed for their chambers to bathe and ready themselves. Edith was once again accosted by Frigga’s troupe of maids to be readied for the evening; this time the gown was of a deep forest green with black and gold accents, tailored specifically to match Loki’s own outfit so to irritate Lady Agneta and co., though the colours complemented Edith’s features wonderfully. She did once again don the earrings Loki had given her once her hair was pinned up, happy for a chance to show them off.

“My Lady, your escort is here,” Gunhilda announced, making great effort to keep a professional demeanour.

Loki walked in and faltered for a moment when he saw Edith, though he managed to keep his composure better than last time. “You and mother are trying to kill me, I am convinced.”

Edith laughed as she walked over to him, extremely touched that he was wearing his pendant out in the open, though she knew for a fact he’d barely taken it off since she’d given it to him. “Maaaaybe.”

“I would like to be flattered by your choice of colours, but I have a feeling it has little, if anything, to do with me.” Edith simply grinned mischievously in response and he shook his head amusedly before offering his arm. “Shall we?”

“We shall,” she replied as she took his arm, letting him lead her out of the room. As they walked she turned her face up to him. “Just so you know, we have a fanclub back there thanks to your antics.”

“Oh, I am aware,” he replied with a mischievous half smile, “Why do you think I do it? Well, other than to impress you, of course.”

Edith laughed, shaking her head. “Hey,” she spoke up after a little while, earning a questioning look, “Are we okay?”

The question turned to confusion. “Why would we not be?”

Edith shrugged. “I dunno; I guess I expected more of a reaction to the bandits.”

“Well, I won’t say I am not… displeased, but you and Sif handled yourselves, as I am well aware you can. Do I wish to hunt down any of the dogs that might remain and destroy them utterly for daring to even think to touch you? Yes. But if you are to be respected as a warrior in your own right and have brigands think twice before coming after you, I cannot be seen to swoop in and solve your problems.”

Edith hummed in understanding. “Well, I can’t imagine that’s easy for you, but I appreciate it. That said; I wouldn’t be opposed to us going out later and clearing out any bandits left. You know, for the safety of the people, and all.”

Loki stopped walking and looked down at her for a moment, then took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. “You are perfect,” he said admiringly.

“Well… yeah,” Edith replied, causing him to laugh, then they turned back to the hallway and continued walking to the feast.

Edith had to admit, the look on her self-declared ‘rival’s face when she and Loki walked in so perfectly matched was as satisfying as Frigga had promised. Loki looked between them and then to his mother and huffed a laugh, realising what was going on. That, of course, paled in comparison to the culmination of Frigga’s plan. It would long be remembered when Lady Agneta massively shamed herself by insulting the visiting party from Nidavellir, mortified to find she could not seem to stop telling them her innermost thoughts and opinions of each and every single one of them.

When she finally resorted to fleeing the room lest she say something to really anger the dwarves, many looked to Loki, who had been dancing with Edith when the show began. He shrugged, not needing to feign his surprise, and glanced at Frigga to find a very self-satisfied smirk upturning her lips. He then looked down at Edith, who smiled sweetly, though not at him; he followed her gaze to the remaining Ladies that Agneta had roped into her crusade, who looked about ready to faint as they came to realise they were in over their heads.

Odin huffed incredulously and turned to his wife. “You, my love, are as vicious as ever, I see.”

“I only protect my own, as any good mother,” Frigga replied, casually sipping on her goblet.

#Loki #Lover #God of Mischief #Submitted fic #submission #wedded bliss #chapter 37 #malicemanaged

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thinkyoureholy · 5 years

Text

Stow Away [4]

[A/N: pretty much just a filler]

Pairing : Kim Jongdae / [Fem] Reader

Genre : Angst, Crude and Mature Language, Fluff, Smut, Character Death?, Pirate!AU

Words : 2.7k

Pt 1. Pt 2. Pt 3. Pt 4. Pt 5. Pt 6. Pt 7. Pt 8. Pt 9. Pt 10. Pt 11. Pt 12.

-Y/N’s P.O.V-

I curled up into a ball, trying to vanish but I knew that was something beyond mine or anyone else’s capabilities. I simply lay on the ground, covering my mouth with my hand to keep any noise from escaping. I don’t know how long I lay on the ground but when I heard footsteps making their way over I knew exactly who had come to my rescue but I knew it’d all be for naught, since he was just a child, like I was.

“Yunho...run…” I managed to croak out, unable to raise my head to look at him.

I could hear him panting heavily, imagining him standing in front of me with his arms outstretched, protecting me, “I��m not leaving you! Stop hurting her!”

“Oh? Is this your knight in shining armor girl? How pathetic. Would you like to be a knight some day, huh? Is that it boy? You’re practicing saving the damsel in distress?” The man laughed before his laugh died down, “Let me tell you now the son of a blacksmith will never be anything more than the dirt beneath our shoes, you’re almost as worthless as that orphan girl you’re protecting.”

“You’re wrong.” Yunho exclaimed, taking a step back and getting closer to me.

“Yeah? Well come and prove me wrong then boy.”

“Yunho!” I cried out, my eyes flying open as I woke up.

I was breathing heavily as I looked around, remembering where I was as I took in my surroundings. I stared up at the ceiling above me, the rocking of the boat having come to a stop ever since we docked. We’ve been docked for a few days and from what I’ve heard Jongdae intends for us to stay here awhile. I let out a deep breath, sitting up, wincing a bit at the now slight pain in my side. Just as I was about to stand up Jongdae walked in. I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes but instead of feeling annoyance I just felt confused when he walked over to me without saying a word, grabbing my wrist in his hand and began to drag me towards the door. He had managed to dragged me over to the door before I came to my senses. I yanked my wrist out of his grip, stumbling over my own two feet when I did but he reached out to steady me only to have me move away from him again.

“What are you doing?”

“We need to get off the boat. A storm’s going to hit tonight and we need to be on land when it hits.”

I don’t know why but I couldn’t help but laugh at his words, “Don’t tell me you’re scared of a little storm.”

He said nothing for a moment, simply giving me a glare before speaking in a voice that oozed authority, “You either come with me willingly or I carry you off, have your pick.”

I could tell that he was serious, scoffing before leaving the room. I walked passed all the crew members that seemed to be busy with other tasks to notice me out on the deck. As soon as my feet were on land I felt a cloth being draped over my shoulders, a hood being pulled over my head.

“Keep your head down and don’t utter a word to anyone.” Jongdae said in a low voice before he began to walk.

Though I wanted to look up and around I kept my head down as he instructed, looking at the back of his legs as I followed him. It had began to rain as we walked through the town, the raindrops feeling heavy as they soaked through my clothes quickly. But before I knew it Jongdae had walked into building. I let out a sigh of relief, finally raising my head and removing my hood. As soon as I realized what kind of place he had brought me to my face twisted in disgust.

“A brothel? Are you kidding me?”

“I'm sorry it doesn't meet the princess’ standards but my men have found rooms here for themselves and I don't like to be too far from them.” He said all this in a nonchalant tone of voice, heading up the stairs without waiting to see if I was even following after him.

I clenched my hands into fists before running after him, avoiding touching anything in the place. Sure I was raised an orphan and practically lived on the streets until Yunho's family took me in but even the streets were better than a damned brothel, these places were filthy. I couldn't help but look around in disgust as I followed after Jongdae bumping into his back when I didn't notice him coming to a stop. I frowned, stumbling back a bit before regaining my balance.

“This is the last room available and it's the best I could do, unfortunately for you the sleeping arrangement will be the same as on the boat.”

“What? First you bring me to a brothel then expect me to be okay with sharing a room? You-”

“It's no different than when we were on the boat. Besides, I haven't touched you yet what makes you think I'm going to start now?” He cut me off, his expression telling me he was already annoyed with being in my presence for this long.

Without a word he began to kick his shoes off, unbuckling his belt and setting it down with his sword. With a heavy sigh he plopped down onto the couch, rubbing his hands over his face roughly before raking his fingers through his hair. I stared at him in silence, confused over why he seemed so distressed all of a sudden. The way he clutched onto his necklace had me even more confused but I kept my mouth shut.

“Do you have any siblings?” He asked suddenly, his eyes downcast for a moment before he raised his head to look at me, “I mean if you were kept a secret than I don't put it above your parents to keep any of them a secret too.”

“Uh...no I don't…” I said, a bit hesitant, wondering where he was going with this.

“Then you don't know what it's like…” He trailed off before a chuckle fell from his lips, “What am I saying even if you had siblings you wouldn't know what any of this is like. You've been sheltered your whole life-”

“Sheltered?” I cut him off before letting out a humorless laugh, “What the hell do you know about my life? You have no idea what I've been through. So don't you dare try and tell me that I've been sheltered my whole life.”

“Oh boo hoo the princess was replaced with a fake out in public cry me a fucking river. I've had my brother taken from me, a kid I swore to protect with my life. I promised to myself and to him that I'd give him the life I never had the luxury of having. And you--you're my ticket to getting him back. So sit the fuck down and shut your mouth before I do something I might just regret.” He said, his last sentence coming out as a threat I knew he'd follow through with

His words had struck a chord deep within me and before I could stop myself I reached over and grabbed his sword, unsheathing it. He had taken a step to stop me but by the time he did I already had the tip of the sword pressing into his neck. As soon as he felt the blade against his skin his eyes darkened but I wasn't going to let him think he could threaten me and get away with it. Everything else I let go because that's what he thought of the princess who I claimed to be, but I'll be damned if I let him threaten me. I hated how he thought he could do as he pleased. I've dealt with men like him my whole life and I was tired of it.

“Threaten me again-”

“And you'll what? What's the princess gonna do?” He asked in a mocking tone, a snide smirk on his face.

“I'll slice that neck of yours open.” I said, pressing the blade into his neck, drawing blood.

He didn't even wince, only glaring at me as he felt the blood trickle down his neck. We were locked in some sort of stare off, neither of us moving or saying a word. I could only see one emotion in his eyes but the longer I stared the more I could see swirling around in there. Seeing that had me wavering, the sword feeling heavier all of a sudden. That mask he wore was becoming more and more transparent the longer I stared, the arm I was using to hold up the sword beginning to shake until finally I let it fall to my side along with the sword. He raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw me doing so. I sighed heavily before throwing his sword back over to him, watching him reach out to catch it with ease as I sat back down on the bed. I said nothing as I took off my own shoes, scooting up the bed and throwing the covers over my body as I laid back.

“W-What are you doing?”

“What's it look like I'm doing?” I asked back, not bothering to sit up and look over at him as I stared at the ceiling above me.

Silence fell over us once more, Jongdae not knowing what to say or do after my sudden change in behavior. I could hear him moving around before he settled down. About an hour passed without any of us saying anything, my eyelids growing heavier as the time passed but before I could let sleep consume me he spoke up in a low voice.

“Who's Yunho?”

“Huh?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper as I lifted my head up from the pillow to give him a look.

He was looking up at the ceiling, his arm folded behind his head. I sighed and laid my head back down on the pillow, keeping my lips shut for a second before answering.

“Someone important.”

“Your boyfriend?”

“No,” I answered quickly, sitting up in bed, “He taught me how to fight...said I needed to learn how to defend myself.”

“Smart man. If you didn't show me how good of a fighter you were from the very first day I met you all of this would've turned out differently.” He said, still looking up at the ceiling, a small smirk playing on his lips.

I furrowed my brows at the smirk on his lips, still confused as to why he was asking stuff like this all of a sudden. As I looked over at him he turned his head to meet my gaze, the look in his eyes unreadable but I didn't dare to look away. He chuckled the longer I held his gaze before he broke it, staring back up at the ceiling. Silence fell over us once more until I decided to break it.

“What's your brother like?”

At the question he looked over at me with wide eyes, eyes I avoided. I looked around the room, avoiding his gaze as I repeated my own question in my head. I don't know why I asked but I just felt like the silence that had fallen over us needed to be filled with conversation and the only way to do that was to ask him about his brother. It's not like I'd talk about my life as an orphan so I figured it'd be best for him to do the talking.

-Jongdae’s P.O.V-

I sat up slowly, looking over at her curiously. I furrowed my brow to see she wasn't even looking at me. Why would she want to know anything about me, or what my brother was like for that matter? She wasn’t even looking my way, her eyes glued to her hands. I couldn’t help myself as I stared at her, my eyes fixated on her face. Her beauty had taken my breath away the first time I saw her which is why I reacted a bit too late when I saw her fighting Levi. Not only had I been stunned by seeing a woman aboard the ship but one this beautiful was enough to make me forget where I was for a moment, that is until her hate filled eyes met mine for the first time. The way she looked at me made my blood boil and if she was a man I would’ve taken one of her eyes. At that memory I scoffed, looking away from her as I came back to my senses but gave her answer either way.

“He’s the only family I have left...and I’d do anything to get him back.” I said in a cold tone, leaning back into the couch.

“How’d he get taken in the first place?”

“The son of a bitch boarded my ship secretly but unlike how we found you...”I paused, remembering the day it happened, “He was taken from right in front of me and--and I was powerless to stop them.” I said, clenching my hands into fists as I thought about that despicable Byungho.

I swung my sword, letting out a low groan when he blocked my attack. My arms shook the longer we were at it. The fire and scream coming from all side being drowned out as my attention was on Byungho and Byungho only. That is until I heard a familiar voice call out to me.

“Dae!”

My eyes widened at the sound of his voice as I turned to look for him. Byungho took advantage of that and slashed at both my legs from behind. A cry of pain left my mouth as I crumbled to the ground, my legs throbbing from the pain that coursed through them. I cursed as I saw Byungho’s men begin to surround Joonhyuk, watching him try to defend himself but he was never the best when it came to fighting. I watching Byungho make his way over to Joonhyuk slowly, a wicked smirk on his face. I reached out and grabbed onto his ankle, stopping him from going any further. Byungho looked down at me with a bored expression before kicking me in the face with his other foot. If he had kicked his foot out any harder I was sure my head would’ve snapped back completely.

“Well well well...what do we have here?” Byungho in a mocking tone, stalking over to where his men had Joonhyuk on his knees.

My vision had blurred, their figures blending in with one another as I tried to recover from the blow Byungho had delivered. I could feel the blood seeping out of my legs as it continued to pool around my body but I refused to let Byungho have Joonhyuck. He could take my life, anything he wanted but Joonhyuk was off limits. With that final thought I tried pushing myself up but my arms gave out from under me.

“D-Don’t touch him.” I said through gritted teeth, though my voice came out sounding weaker than I would’ve liked.

Byungho simply grinned, “I tell you what...I won’t lay a finger on him if you can deliver four hundred pounds of gold to me by the end of three months. If you don’t-” He stopped to chuckle, pulling out a dagger and grabbed onto Joonhyuk’s hair, pulling his head back, “I start sending you parts...I’ll start with an eye, a few fingers here and then and so on. So unless you want him back you’ll get me my gold.”

Just the thought of him made my blood boil. I cursed under my breath as I sat up once more, looking over at Y/N to see she was already looking my way. Our eyes locked, my jaw setting at seeing the pity in her eyes. Seeing the hate in her eye was enough to rile me up but seeing pity in her eyes pissed me off. She should save that pity for someone that needed it, I sure as hell didn’t. Hell if anyone needed to be pitied it was her. After tonight and one more stop in another city we’d head back to the capital and trade her in for the gold she promised and the gold I’d get from the kingdom for returning her to her rightful place.

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works-by-thatbritishboy · 5 years

Text

Stay, I Pray You

Stay, I Pray You by ThatBritishBoy

Chapter 1

From the centre of the ballroom everything was spinning. Dancers spinning around, bustles on gowns moving swiftly, excited speaking in French and whispered muttering in Russian. The room sparkled of diamonds as did the women. Everything glittered, everything sparkled.

A bow, a dance, warm hands on shoulders. A brunette smiling, chatting softly as the two spun. A glimpse of the Empress, another of a princess. All of Europe’s finest dignitaries in one room, drunk and dancing like improper fools. Not a care to the world around them.

Only one standing still, off to the side. Powerful and tall, yet not like the others among the room. He was dressed in black, yet sparkled on his own, or maybe it was those alarming violet eyes. He watched intently, not missing a thing around him. Even as everyone spun about, toasting, kissing, and dancing. This was where he belonged or so he was told. He refused to dance. Even as the women eyed him.

The young man in the centre of it all had caught the gentleman’s attention unlike any of the women. Had anyone truly seen the sun so close? He couldn’t be much older than 18 and he spoke with an accent. Much different from the Russians around him. Dressed in deep blues and warm cream, unlike the gentlemen all dressed in blacks and golds. What was this ray of sunshine doing among the Romanov court? How had someone so foreign ended up in a mix of people who only knew one another?

Ivan straightened his black tailcoat. It was a gift from his grandmother who he was representing this very evening. A distant countess, who had sent him to study in Saint Petersburg. Of course he still had to save face and speak with the others around him, even if their parties strained his course work. She was elderly after all, and unable to attend the festivities herself, and he was the only unmarried grandson. It was a ploy of course to find him a wealthy wife.

He made a move to brush back his silvery hair with a white gloved hand, not remembering he had slicked his bangs back from his face. Instinct, one could assume. Or nerves? He found his mouth to be almost completely dry despite the champagne he had been sipping all evening.

Ivan Braginski stepped forward to approach the ray of light, only to realise, he was gone. He blinked slowly, unbelieving that someone could simply disappear. How had someone who shined brighter than the Romanovs themselves, simply disappear? Reluctant and disappointed in himself and his antisocial behaviour, he made his way to the great halls to calm himself. This was where he could find peace, and maybe someone to fetch him vodka.

In the hall, Ivan leaned himself against a marble pillar, looking out at the city. Saint Petersburg was alight. The city sparkled. Truly unlike anywhere else he had been. Ivan found himself wondering if this was what Paris felt like. They called it the city of lights, but how could a city be brighter than his Petersburg?

He sipped his champagne in silence as he stared out at the lights. His breathing slow as he stood, barely making a noise. The cold stone against his back soothed him as did the distant echo of the party only a room away.

Just as soon as it had quieted down, there was a laugh that echoed across marble and pierced straight through Ivan’s very core. It filled the whole room as the doors to the ballroom opened. “I will return in just a moment Madame!” A voice promised in accented French, truly disrupting Ivan’s peace. He heard the soft shut of heavy doors drowned out by the party. His breathing slowed as he knew someone had entered the halls with him. Time to save face.

He stood straight clearing his own voice as he revealed himself. The gentleman that had entered jumped and Ivan’s eyes widened as he realised who had disturbed him. He suddenly didn’t mind the interruption. “You are quite loud my friend.” He chuckled softly, French coming out in a lower tone than he’d intended. “Not quite used to the court?” He questioned carefully, curiously. He wanted to know anything about the boy before him. Dressed in deep blues, and goodness, was that a gold vest? It was as if he was the evening sky.

The boy faltered his smile wavering. Ivan understood that expression. He was not used to speaking in French. “Do you prefer Russian?” He asked lowering his volume so that the royals did not hear. The upper class never spoke Russian. Especially within the halls of the royal palace. A rule Ivan had never truly understood.

Having been raised royal but far from the city, he had still been taught Russian along with French. Why the other families refused to acknowledge the people’s language, Ivan still failed to understand?

The young man’s face faltered more and Ivan was afraid he had found one of the royals who refused to speak ‘the common man’s language’. “Please no Russian.” He laughed nervously. Ivan’s nose wrinkled in distaste. Did this boy not like Russian? Why was he in Russia than?! “My French is bad… my Russian is worse.” He laughed and Ivan relaxed quickly. He didn’t speak Russian!

“I suppose French is not your first language?” He spoke softly smiling down at the patch of sun. The boy chuckled and Ivan’s heart pounded into his ribcage. “Is it that obvious? My father said I picked it up quickly.” He smiled head tilting slightly. Ivan wanted to touch those golden locks, but his hand froze on his jacket. While their conversation was in French, both of their accents were unmistakably not French.

“My name is Ivan Braginski.” He spoke first, reaching out his hand to the gentleman before him. “I am from Nizhny-Novgorod, I represent my family at these gatherings.” He introduced himself calmly, hand barely shaking, as the other grasped it and steadied him.

He shook his hand firmly. “I’m Alfred, my father brought me here. He’s from Paris.” He smiled warmly, something Ivan found odd for a Parisian. “You say he is from Paris, obviously you are not?” He asked curiously wanting to learn more about this man, for instance his last name. Alfred smiled nervously up at Ivan. “I was raised in America, I’m studying in Paris before taking over my father’s company.” Ivan’s eyebrow raised in curiosity. How had an American found his way into the Russian royal court? “He’s also used to be related to the royal families in France.” Ivan smiled in understanding, it was beginning to make sense now. France was no longer a monarchy. Something that led to many whispers in the streets of Russia. It made the royals nervous, though they pretend nothing did.

“And you still attend these events?” Ivan asked curious as to why the American would ever put himself in a situation as such. “My father has many friends among the royal families.” He smiled softly and at that moment Ivan understood,, “And hopes to find me a wife who is still a part of a royal family.” Ivan rose a brow. “I understand, my grandmother has me here for the same reasons instead of back at my home studying. You seem to catch the ladies fancy.” His warm chuckle filling the halls and echoing across marble. Alfred visibly relaxed before shrugging in Ivan’s direction.

“Studying?” He asked curiously and Ivan noticed the quick topic change. Perhaps when they were closer he would bring it up once more. “Yes, I wanted to study science, but alas, more politics for me.” He shook his head in disbelief. It was only expected of him to take over his family name. He was raised by his grandmother, orphaned by his parents, and the only son of three siblings.

“I like you.” The American blurted in the most informal of ways. Yes Alfred was definitely not used to being around royalty. Ivan liked that, it made him feel normal. Even in his academic classes, surrounded by other upper class students, he was treated differently. “I like you as well.” Ivan replied leaning towards the other, motioning to the hall behind them. “If I’m not interrupting your dancing, would you care to walk with me?” He asked softly and the blond smiled brightly. This was their chance to get away from all the excitement. It was a stroll between two men who could become political and financial allies, what could their families complain of? “Only if we can talk in English.”

Ivan stumbled as Alfred made his bargain and chuckled nervously. “English?” He asked voice cracking with nerves. His English wasn’t great and by far was not proper. “Well you know English do you not?” Alfred rose a brow and Ivan decided while he liked that smirk, he didn’t like it directed at him. “Of course.” He snapped in English and then laughed. Ivan hadn’t meant to snap, but he took great pride in his education. “I just do not like my own voice in English.”

Alfred looked him over carefully. The Russian man suddenly felt very open. He could feel the warmth of his blush spreading across his cheeks, and he suddenly felt the need to clutch to the scarf he normally wore. A gift from his dead mother, and a sort of security for the grown man. “I like your voice.” Alfred responded sending chills through Ivan. How could he say something like that? In the open, and in English for that matter. Did Americans truly have no tact? Or was Alfred simply not afraid of the consequences at hand? “Come on Ivan, since you are royal, show me around?” Ivan chuckled lowly before pushing him by his shoulder down the hall. “You know I am only viscount?” He corrected Alfred, that wasn’t truly royalty. It didn’t seem like that mattered to the American boy at all. “Yeah I’ve never meet a viscount before so you’re already more important than anyone I know.”

Heart don’t fail me now… Ivan found himself breathing deeply and trying to frantically gather his thoughts. This wasn’t at all what grandmother had intended. What would his sisters say? Why was he so worried? It was only a casual stroll. “So this is your first time in Russia?” He smiled down at Alfred as he led him through the halls, ignoring all the warnings in his head.

“I came once long ago.” He spoke sweetly as their voice faded down the open halls. “Really?” “Oh yes, but I got in quite a lot of trouble.” “Oh do explain?” “Well it all started with a tiara…”

-----

“And yeah that’s how I ended up with a thousand dollar taira dangling from one finger tip and a very angry queen of England nearby.” Alfred finished his story and Ivan looked on in mock surprise. “You know you are quite… interesting person.” Ivan laughed softly.

No one had warned Ivan that one small step could change his life forever. He found himself wandering the palace in Saint Petersburg for hours. The party was sure to be still going on, the Romanovs never ceased. Ivan never imagined being lost among crown jewels with a stranger during such an event. The doors creaked as they wandered the secret parts of the castles. They definitely weren’t supposed to be here.

Footsteps.

“You have to be quite Alfred.” He warned the younger. “Why?”

“Hey! You can’t be in here!” The doors opened as a guard shouted in French. Ivan slapped a hand over Alfred’s mouth quickly. He stood tall smiling to the guard. “My apologies sir. We had just wandered off to find somewhere private!” He replied in French. The guard’s face turned red as Alfred squirmed and he saw shuffling in the unidentifiable shadows. “Very sorry, we will be leaving!” Yet the doors had already shutting as the guard had hurried off.

“What was that?!” Alfred laughed as he pushed Ivan’s hand away from his mouth. “The guards here, they walk in on counts and countesses in the midst of… provocative activities, most of which aren’t married to one another. They have learned it is best not to question.” He chuckled softly as Alfred’s face turned red.

“Your royal families are quite odd, you know?” He laughed nervously, Ivan found it endearing. “So I have been told. We Russians enjoy finer things.” Ivan murmured realising they were close together at that moment, still crouched to hide from the guards.

------

#rusame #hetalia #Hetalia Fanfiction #aph russia #aph america

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megabadbunny · 6 years

Text

Minuet, Part V

She wonders if it’s midnight, yet, if her carriage will poof back into a pumpkin and her gown return to rags.

(Certainly no prince will come calling after her, not after the way she behaved tonight.)

***

(ten/rose angsty post-gitf au/fixit; this part (and all parts on ff.net) is sfw (minor exception for brief language); be warned that the next chapter has teh smuts <3)

(full-size image)

Minuet, Part V

Beneath a canopy of ever-brightening lightning dancing across the sky, dazzling white slicing through a canvas of sapphire-blues and bruise-purples and ominous reds, the afternoon slowly slides into the evening. Certainly, Rose is sure things happen during this time; she’s equally sure she has no idea what they are, and she doesn’t care.

(Uruud shows her to her room. It’s fine. It’s a room. It’s got a bed. Before Rose has a chance to poke around anymore than that, Mickey stops by with an invitation—We’re off to do some investigating, fancy a ride-along?—and that look on his face, all nervousness and uncertainty mixed with apprehensive hope, just cements in Rose’s mind how very bad everything is, if the Doctor can’t even be arsed to come in here himself like he normally would. Rose begs off in favor of a nap, and ignores the worry that plays across Mickey’s face after. But it wasn’t entirely a lie, because blessedly, the bed has got a canopy to block out the light-show blaring through the glass ceiling above, and the temptation to smother her woes in an ocean of silky bedclothes and feather-stuffed pillows is indeed quite strong. But Rose just sits on the bed instead, arms crossed and toes tapping and eyes staring at nothing in particular while her brain replays the last twelve hours like some kind of horrid sitcom on syndication, playing over and over and over and over.)

Right on schedule, the first ritual begins—or rather, the first “ritual”, as Rose thinks of it, considering that even if it’s presented like a Therran Communion, it seems a lot more like a threadbare excuse for the guests at the Temple to pull on fancy clothes and get blind-stinking drunk. Normally, the whole thing might delight Rose, the chance to doll up and immerse herself completely in the local culture, taste a range of fine alien libations and make new friends and maybe even flirt a little, but now it just seems sort of pointless and silly, a bunch of children playing at being adults with their fancy-dress and their fermented Britvic.

(Uruud brings a gown for Rose to wear to dinner. Rationally, she recognizes that it’s quite an elegant thing, all slim-fitted bodice and voluminous skirts and Prussian blue velvety-softness; less rationally, after Mickey pops back by her room with news of his and the Doctor’s escapades—Can’t find that High Chauncery bloke anywhere, none of the Votaries know where he’s got off to, what do you think of that?—Rose wonders how the fabric would hold up if she tore it to straps and fashioned herself an escape rope, climbing out the window and deserting this stupid fancy place and its even stupider guests like a princess absconding from her tower. Planet-consuming lightning storms can’t be all that dangerous, right?)

Dinner takes place, at some point, somewhere. A grand hall, probably, but Rose is three swallows deep into her third (or fourth?) glass of so-called “ritual wine” and things are starting to get just the littlest bit blurry around the edges. Mostly she notices that the hall is packed full of people, and it’s loud, and there’s food, and a whole host of traditions accompanying it all. Each food item is laden with symbolic meaning, and eaten only after a session of chant-and-repeat, the entire dining hall buzzing with the rhythmic hum of people reciting scripture, lifting their faces toward the lightning scrawling overhead. Rose moves her lips along with everyone else, if only not to disrespect Uruud and the other Votaries, and after, she dutifully places the food into her mouth and chews and swallows, because it’s there, and she should, regardless of the protests of the seized-up beartrap that seems to have replaced her stomach. Probably some of the food she eats is tasty, and some of it isn’t. She doesn’t notice one way or the other.

(Uruud is kind enough to help Rose with her hair and makeup, styling both after the latest high Therran fashions, all gently sculptural curls and dew-glittering glaze painted on her skin. The whole process is so mirror-reminiscent of her time in France that Rose can’t decide whether to laugh or cry; in an effort to convince herself that she has, in fact, been rescued by the Doctor, and is not still somehow trapped millennia in the past surrounded by strangers and unknown customs and unspoken rules, she asks Uruud any and every question she can think of, and absorbs herself in their replies. She inquires about their choice to become a Votary (they were Called) and if they’ve got any family (two parents, three siblings) and the meaning of the ornamental dots on each Therran’s face (one dot for every Allstorm they’ve survived, according to tradition hearkening back to the ancient times, and with a smile, Uruud places a gem beneath Rose’s lower lip, gifting her with a temporary honorary badge of her own). Rose encourages them to speak until the words flow as freely as the wine outside, and privately takes comfort in the paint they brush over her skin. When they’re done, Rose’s collarbone sparkles as if covered with a necklace, her glitters as if topped with a tiara, and her back could almost sport a pair of wings glinting in the flashing light. It feels like a shield, a second skin, a mask, one that doesn’t slip even when Rose reunites with Mickey and the Doctor in the dining hall and the latter barely manages to spare her a glance.)

Downing the rest of her fourth (possibly fifth) glass of wine, Rose tries not to stare at Mickey and the Doctor, but it’s sort of difficult considering that they’re seated directly across from her. They both look quite sharp in their suits, tailored to perfection by talented Votaries, Rose assumes. (Distinctly tuxlike, their suits are; Rose wonders if they requested them specifically or if tuxes are just some sort of universal standard, somehow.) Between that and the Doctor’s customary chattiness, it isn’t long before most of the occupants of their table start leaning in to hear more from this fascinating couple, this charming Doctor fellow and his pretty-boy husband Mickey.

(Unfortunately, Rose suspects there’s nothing Uruud can do to help her with that particular mess.)

“And how did you two get together?” asks a friendly cat-person, ears swiveled forward in interest.

“He stole my girlfriend,” Mickey deadpans.

Clapping him on the back, the Doctor laughs. “Aww, what a sense of humor my beloved has!” he chuckles. “We did meet through Rose, actually—yes, that’s her right there, across the table, hullo Rose—but there was no romance involved. At least, not at first,” he adds with a wink sent Mickey’s way, and Rose struggles not to roll her eyes, or throw up, or both. “That’s all he meant. Isn’t that right, Honey Bear?”

“Sure is, Fudge Nugget.”

“See, Rose and I met through her workplace. You know how it goes, she’s closing up shop, you’re scheduled to do demolition on said shop, you run into each other on the lift in a classic meeting-your-future-husband’s-best-mate-meetcute. Instant friendship! Wouldn’t you say, Pootsy-Pie?”

“Whatever you say, Pudgy McGee.”

“Let’s just say Rose found me very charming, once upon a time,” the Doctor continues, “and Mickey here, feeling jealous that someone was encroaching on the territory of his best mate—that’s Rose, hullo again, Rose—well, he decided that he should find out what all this cattywhumpus was about, meet this Doctor bloke that Rose couldn’t stop raving over. And the rest, as they say, is history. Wouldn’t you agree, my little Muffin Top?”

“You got it, Sugar Tits.”

Rose watches as the Doctor chokes on his wine and Mickey pats him on the back perhaps just a little more enthusiastically than the situation warrants. The Doctor shoots him a teeth-gritted grin afterward and Mickey just smiles the universe’s most beatific serene smile. And that, for whatever reason, inspires Rose with a funny little thought.

“My dear Doctor,” she says sweetly, indulging in a delicate sip of her wine, “that’s all very good and well, but you must realize that isn’t actually what our friend here was asking. She wants to know about how the two of you became a couple.”

Rose locks eyes with him over the table, affecting a friendly smile. “She wants to know how the two of you fell in love.”

It’s doubtful that anyone else at the table registers the shadow that flickers over the Doctor’s face; it’s gone as soon as it appears, and the Doctor answers with barely a hitch.

“Well, I think I’ve hogged the spotlight long enough,” he says to Mickey. “Why don’t you tell them, my love?”

Mickey’s glee can barely restrain itself, oozing out the seams as he grins like a Cheshire cat. “Oh, no, my pet,” he says, planting his elbows on the table and his chin in both hands, watching the Doctor with adoring eyes, “I insist that you tell them. You do it so wonderfully, after all.”

“Thank you, sweetie,” replies the Doctor, his voice only a little strained as everyone aww’s around them, and Rose bites her lip to keep from laughing.

“So, that part of the story is—here we come to a part that’s—well, it’s a little difficult to know where to start, is all,” the Doctor says, tugging nervously on one ear. “It just feels like we’ve been in love for so long, you see, that it’s all sort of rolled together into one giant…love mass. Sort of like, y’know. The Thing or something.”

“Oh, stop that,” Rose laughs. “He’s just being shy,” she tells the rest of the table. “He doesn’t want any of you to know about all the late-night chats the two of us had together, with him just gushing on and on about how wonderful Mickey was, how handsome he is, how lucky the Doctor is to have him, all that.”

“Ah, that might be just the slightest smidge of an exaggeration—”

“No, no, go on,” Mickey says, his grin widening until his face might split from it. “Tell everyone how wonderful I am!”

“He’d wax poetical for hours about the beauty of Mickey’s eyes,” Rose says when the Doctor doesn’t reply.

“Can’t blame him, they’re quite nice,” Mickey adds.

“He’d talk about how safe and warm he felt in Mickey’s arms.”

“Front-row tickets to the gunshow, right here.”

“But by far, I think his very favorite thing about Mickey has always been his intellect,” Rose continues, choking down her laughter as the Doctor’s mouth purses thinner and thinner. “In fact, I used to stay up late reassuring him that, no, Mickey wasn’t too smart for him—”

“Aww, babe,” says Mickey, looping an arm around the Doctor’s shoulders.

“—but he just insisted that no matter how hard he tried, he’d never be Mickey’s intellectual equal,” Rose says, disguising her snickers as a cough. “In fact, after their first kiss, the Doctor called me straightaway to tell me—”

“His hands,” the Doctor blurts out, and everyone at the table turns back to him.

“Sorry?” asks the cat-person from earlier.

The Doctor doesn’t spare a glance for her; his eyes are locked squarely on Rose.

“Just—they’re nice hands,” the Doctor says, with a shrug. “Good for holding. That’s what it’s really all about, isn’t it? A hand to hold. Wouldn’t you say, Rose?”

She doesn’t reply; she’s too busy watching his fingers as they entwine with Mickey’s hand on his shoulder, and once again, the table lights up with the sounds of an audience enraptured, the cat-person pressing her paw to her chest at the cuteness of it all. The conversation starts again, picking up where it left off, but it’s all just white noise to Rose’s ears now as she watches Mickey and the Doctor resituate themselves to clasp their hands together atop the table, practically beneath Rose’s nose. The Doctor even finishes his dinner one-handed to accommodate the whole thing, eating and drinking with his left hand like he does it all the time, and it might all be terribly funny if his thumb wasn’t absentmindedly stroking over Mickey’s knuckle, the way it does with Rose.

The way it used to do.

Something about the mindless meaninglessness of the gesture sets klaxons blaring in Rose’s head, screaming at her for her stupidity, for ever thinking anything the Doctor did anything meaningful, for ever thinking she was anything more than a joke to him, just a joke, a joke, a worthless stupid joke and nothing he says ever means anything and you’re an idiot for ever thinking it did and the words ricochet around her skull over and over until she drowns it out with another glass of wine.

“Good stuff, isn’t it?” the Doctor asks cheerfully, and a second later, Rose realizes he’s talking to her. “Therran wine is quite lovely—when you’re not choking on it, anyway.”

The other occupants at the table laugh politely, nodding along.

“Just a tad potent, though,” the Doctor adds. “A few glasses is really all anyone needs. Everything in moderation, hm?”

He looks at Rose meaningfully, eyes darting to the glass in her hand. She wonders if he’s been keeping track of her intake this whole time, if he’s trying to say, in that stupid precious roundabout way of his, that she’s had enough, maybe more than. Probably the Doctor is right, but then again, probably if he thinks she should stop, then probably he should just come out and say it. She’s bloody well sick of all this dancing around.

With a serene smile of her own, Rose pours herself another glass. “Cheers to moderation,” she says, tilting the glass in a toast before she downs its contents in one gulp.

“Cheers!” shouts Mickey and everyone else along the table, following suit with their glasses clinking and wine-draining after, but the Doctor doesn’t drink, doesn’t cheer, doesn’t tear his eyes away from Rose. She forces herself to hold his gaze, wills her face to turn to stone so nothing can show through. If he can do it whenever he wants, then so can she.

“Well, aren’t we having a lovely time?” purrs a soft voice behind Rose, and she turns to see the scarlet-dressed woman from earlier, now swathed in a crimson gown so gorgeous it makes Rose’s eyes water. “Whatever is happening over here, it’s far more fascinating than the events transpiring at my table.”

“Ah, then you should join us!” declares the Doctor. “Not at the table, though. We were just leaving.”

The woman piques an immaculate eyebrow in interest. “Oh?” she says. “Leaving for where?”

“Yeah,” Mickey says, confused, and Rose’s eyes narrow in suspicion. “Leaving for where?”

“Not entirely sure yet, but I thought we might nose about a bit,” explains the Doctor, standing up from the table. “Get the lay of the land, go for the inside scoop, poke our beaks in where they aren’t wanted, so to speak. See what we can learn about this Allstorm business and why it’s suddenly taking place over the course of a month instead of a handful of days. The Votaries don’t seem to know anything, the computers are functionally worthless, and for the life of me I can’t seem to find any trace of the High Chauncery anywhere.”

Nodding, the woman frowns. “He has not been seen for many years now, it’s true,” she says slowly.

“Exactly. For all intents and purposes, he’s vanished, along with anyone else who might have a clue about what’s going on. It’s all just a little bit funny, don’t you think?”

In her peripheral vision, Rose sees Mickey trying to catch her eye—he’s alarmed at the Doctor’s sudden candor with this stranger, she knows. But Rose doesn’t share his gaze, or his worries. She knows exactly what the Doctor is doing, or what it feels like he’s doing, anyway, and she’s too busy sensing every ounce of the acid boiling up in her throat to weigh Mickey’s concerns.

“Oh, my,” the woman is saying now. “A conspiracy theory. How intriguing!”

“It is, at that. Would you care to join us?”

As if she can sense the daggers that Rose is glaring at the Doctor—or if she can see them, which, she probably can, Rose is fairly certain she’s being none-too-subtle at the moment—the woman glances between the two of them, hesitating. “I wouldn’t want to intrude…”

“Excellent,” Rose interjects, only wobbling a little bit as she stands up from the table. “We’ll just see you around, then—”

“Oh, nonsense, it’s no intrusion, none at all,” interrupts the Doctor, circling round the table so he can extend an elbow to the woman. “Shall we?”

Once again, the woman looks back at Rose (what, is she asking permission? Is she gloating?) before accepting the Doctor’s offer, threading her arm through his with a gracious “I think we shall.”

Without waiting for Rose (or even his supposed husband, for that matter), the Doctor takes off, arm-in-arm with the strange woman. Rose watches them as they stride away, her hands balling into fists. Nonplussed, Mickey turns around just long enough to offer Rose a confused shrug before he jogs after the Doctor and his newfound friend, or the latest thing that captured his five-second attention span, or whatever this woman is.

Sighing darkly, Rose swipes a bottle of wine off a passing tray and starts drinking.

Naami, as the woman introduces herself, soon proves herself to be quite charming (not two minutes after they’ve left the dining hall, and already Mickey and the Doctor are more relaxed than they’ve been all day) as well as delicately humorous (as evidenced by Mickey and the Doctor’s smiles and laughter, and not in that polite why you do with strangers at a party) not to mention annoyingly diplomatic (as proven by her continual attempts to rope Rose into the conversation, no matter how noncommittal Rose’s responding hums and grunts become). She’s also devastatingly insightful, if the Doctor’s eager conversation with her regarding Therran politics and society are anything to go by. In short, Naami turns out to be the sort of person that’s difficult to hate—which, of course, only makes you want to hate them all the more.

“So, Rose,” says Naami conversationally—as if the four of them aren’t creeping quietly through the Temple archives, as if the Doctor didn’t break them in with the sonic so he could hack into the information network, as if they aren’t all constantly swiveling at every tiny noise and every flash of light up above because what if it’s a guard this time?—“Far be it from me to eavesdrop, but even from my table, I heard quite a bit about your companions this evening, and very little of you. Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”

She shoots Rose a winning smile, perfect teeth framed by ideal sweetheart-shaped lips, and it lights up something somewhere in the dimming recesses of Rose’s alcohol-warmed brain. It occurs to her that this woman, this upper-class, gold-gilded, well-mannered prat, can probably smell an Estate girl from a hundred miles away, just like half the shrews at the French court before Reinette set them all to rights, or a shark scenting blood on the water. Any other day, Rose’s hackles might rise at the thought, but now, she just chuckles under her breath, swaying ever-so-slightly on her feet. What has she got to be ashamed of, what has she got to hide? It isn’t like she can make this woman’s opinion of her any worse, nor, at this point, would she even care if she did.

“Pretty general question. Why don’t you be more specific?” Rose asks, swigging from her bottle.

“All right. Where did you grow up?”

“A nice, big ol’ trash-heap in the middle of nowhere,” Rose replies brightly.

Mickey clucks his tongue disapprovingly. “Oh, come on, Rose. The Estate’s not that bad.”

“Sure it’s not, if you don’t mind a surplus of graffiti and crime and overflowing trash bins,” Rose shoots back. “Next question?”

The briefest flash of uncertainty flickers across Naami’s features before she tries again, her smile sliding back into place like it never left. “What inspired you to go traveling with Mickey and the Doctor?”

“Eh, you know how it is. Girl like me, you’ve got three options: the bloke who hits you, the bloke who cheats on you, or the bloke who promises you adventure and then up and changes his personality on you, dragging you around like so much baggage from star to star,” Rose counts off, steadfastly ignoring whether or not the Doctor reacts to any of the words streaming out of her mouth. “So I figure, hey, at least with the last option, I’m out of the house. Next?”

“Erm, very well, then,” says Naami, brow knitted in concern before she opts for what surely must seem like safe territory. “What about your friends, your significant other, your family? Tell me about them.”

“Sure thing,” Rose replies, downing another gulp of wine. “Which one would you like to hear about first—my single, lonely, unemployed mum, or my dead dad?”

“Jesus, Rose,” Mickey breathes, as Naami’s eyes widen with shock. Rose absolutely expects her to form that perfect mouth into the shape of a pout, her big beautiful eyes brimming with false tears as sublime and round as the most luxurious of pearls while she gently pats Rose’s hand, trying to hide her cringe as her delicate princess-skin comes into contact with such a low commoner, all while she murmurs some retch-worthy patronizing claptrap about Oh, you poor thing, you poor wretched little thing, no wonder these generous two men took such pity on you, no wonder you’re all alone.

Rose nearly jumps out of her skin when Naami gently grasps her shoulder instead. “My gods, I’m so sorry,” Naami says quietly, and—and is Rose imagining things, or does she look like she actually means it? “Was it—was it very recent?”

Taken aback, Rose stammers, searching for words, but Naami just shakes herself. “Oh, of course, I’m so sorry, my dear; of course you don’t want to talk about such things with a stranger,” she says. “I only thought to ask because you seemed unusually out-of-sorts for someone attending the Allstorm celebration, and stupid me, I’m nosy even on the best of days and that just makes it even more of a problem with the attraction to emotionally unavailable people—but you didn’t ask about all that, I’m sorry, I’m babbling!”

She takes Rose’s free hand in both of hers, and she looks so sincere, so bleeding earnest, that Rose can’t help but believe her. “Please forgive my impudence,” Naami says, “and please accept my condolences for you and your mother. What a dreadful thing to happen. I’m really so sorry, darling.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it, Naami,” the Doctor pipes up, typing away at a computer terminal and frowning when he doesn’t like what he sees. “It happened a long time ago.”

“Yeah,” Rose replies, her voice shaking. “Why be upset about that when there are so many more current things to be angry about?”

The clickety-clack of the Doctor’s fingers over the keyboard grows a little louder, his fingers tapping the keys just a little harder. “Or perhaps you could retire for the night, stop drinking for five entire minutes.”

“Oi, now, am I gonna have to separate you two?” Mickey jokes feebly, but Rose ignores him.

“Why, what’s wrong, Doctor?” she asks. “Am I embarrassing you?”

“You’re embarrassing yourself,” is the quiet reply.

Shame floods through Rose, leaving her lightheaded. Distantly, she hears Mickey snapping at the Doctor, hears the anger in his voice as he leaps to her defense, but she can’t hear his actual words over the sound of her blood rushing in her ears; she can only feel the hot anger of them, and the cool nothingness of the Doctor’s nonexistent reply. Rose’s cheeks burn and her stomach churns and she feels like she might be sick.

“Actually, I could do with a bit of a rest myself,” Naami tells Rose, her well-manicured hands fidgeting nervously. “Would you like company on your walk back, Rose?”

“No, ta,” says Rose tiredly, avoiding looking Naami in the eye; it’s exhausting to be so wrong about so many things all in one day, and she’s not quite ready to admit to herself that Naami may actually be a decent person, that maybe she lashed out at her without reason. Just another thing to make her want to curl up into herself like a pillbug until she dries out on the front porch, nothing but a hollow little husk left behind. “Don’t worry. He’s all yours.”

She leaves before anyone can stop her, skirts gathered in one hand, wine bottle in the other. Before too long, she finds her room again and slips out of her shoes, leaving them behind her as she walks, like the world’s most pathetic drunken Cinderella. She wonders if it’s midnight, yet, if her carriage will poof back into a pumpkin and her gown return to rags.

(Certainly no prince will come calling after her, not after the way she behaved tonight.)

Climbing into bed with her illicit treasure, Rose drinks until her eyes won’t stay open any longer.

***

Next Part

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raendown · 7 years

Link

Pairing: TobiramaSakura Word Count: 1848 Soulmate au: The one where the first words your soulmate says to you are tattooed on your arm at birth

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

In general Tobirama ignored his soul mark. If he did find his soulmate someday then good and if he did not he would hardly pitch a fit. He was the sort of person who didn’t put much stock in fate or destiny. They certainly weren’t on his mind the day he actually did meet his soulmate despite no effort on his part to find them.

Sakura came in to his life like an earthquake, like a landslide that sweeps away everything you have ever known only to replace it with something entirely new. The first time he saw her she was opening the earth with her first with apparent ease, dropping three men in to a deep chasm and preventing them from attacking Hashirama while he was busy engaged with two other opponents.

Despite the fact that it was obvious she intended to aid them, Tobirama kept a close eye on this stranger who had appeared from thin air. He hadn’t even felt her signature approaching, not sensing her until she was merely a few hundred feet away, which was strange because with chakra as distinctive as hers he should have felt her from miles away. She felt like nature, like sunlight bursting through the leaves, like a brilliant fire that refused to dim. The closest thing he could compare it to was his brother’s chakra; hers felt quite similar to the way Hashirama’s did.

Keeping such a close eye on her, Tobirama bore witness to this strange woman heaving a man straight up in the air with her bare fists, tearing a tree in half with nothing but raw strength, and creating another chasm in the earth with no more than a stomp of one heel. She was impressive, he had to give her that. A small part of him noted that she was also rather beautiful but that part was easily ignored. The middle of a battle was no time to be distracted by a woman’s beauty – or any time really. He wasn’t the type to fall over his own feet for a woman the way his brother did.

When the last enemy had fallen Tobirama saw that the strange woman was heading towards his brother and moved quickly to intercept her. She might have helped but that was hardly grounds for automatically trusting her intentions; it wouldn’t be the first time he had seen someone use this method to get close to an enemy. Hashirama said nothing as he took his place in front of the older man, so used to his protective behavior that he barely even noticed it anymore. The woman, on the other hand, stopped walking to cross her arms and level him with a very unimpressed look. Despite the cheerful pink color of her hair it was a fairly effective scowl.

“Oh by all means, stop me from healing your comrades. We can watch them bleed to death together.”

She raised one pretty little eyebrow at him and Tobirama blinked in surprise, so stunned that he let her pass by him without further comment. He turned to watch her walk straight passed Hashirama and instead crouch down next to a Senju man with a deep gash in his leg.

It had been a long time since anyone dared to speak to him in such a manner. Even those who had known him for years still spoke carefully around him for the most part, family being the exception. The way she spoke to him said she wasn’t afraid of him in the least, nor was she cowed by figures of authority. This was obviously a woman who was used to dealing with people in positions of power – if she were not one herself as well.

More surprising than her tone was her skill at healing. In general most healers were not very skilled on the battlefield. That wasn’t to say that being a healer automatically made them weak in his eyes, only that so much time went in to learning their craft that he knew they had little to spare for honing their abilities on the battlefield. By how young she appeared Tobirama would have already been impressed with her skill in combat but to see her heal so effectively and so easily, he was doubly impressed.

Neither of those things, however, were what caused him to stand still and stare at her in shock. She had already finished with one leg wound and moved on to extract a kunai from someone else’s arm before he could shake himself from the stupor which had fallen over him because the first words she had spoken to him matched the ones he had been born with on his right arm.

This woman was his soulmate.

When he finally did move, his limbs seemed strangely awkward and disconnected from himself and he noticed distantly that he couldn’t feel his fingers. He approached the woman in silence, watching her work with an interested gaze. He’d seen his brother perform enough healing to be able to tell that she was quicker than most, and more skilled too. The woman she was tending to was looking up at her as though she’d been sent by kami for a divine purpose. Tobirama took a moment to make sure he wasn’t wearing a similar expression before clearing his throat to speak.

“My apologies for my behavior a moment ago,” he murmured, ignoring the flabbergasted looks he could see his clan members sending his way. “If I might ask your name?”

He had no attention to spare for the shock whispering going on around them or his brother’s loud voice asking if he’d heard right, if Tobirama had actually just apologized to someone. All of his attention was concentrated on the stiffening of this woman’s spine and the slow way she turned around to look up at him. By her body language it was obvious that his words matched the ones which would have been embedded in her skin at birth just as she matched his.

Strangely enough Tobirama felt nervous for her reaction. He’d always thought he wouldn’t care one way or the other; he hadn’t even had any sort of inclination to look for her before. Yet now that she’d blasted her way in to his life he felt anxious, wanting to make a good impression as though if he didn’t she would get away and this opportunity he hadn’t thought he even wanted would be lost.

She stood up slowly, apprehension in her face and worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. Once she was up they both noticed how close they were standing to each other, though neither moved to step away.

“This…is going to be fun to explain to sensei,” she said, twisting her mouth in to a wry expression. Tobirama blinked.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Also really fun to explain to you.”

“Ah…I don’t believe I caught your name,” Tobirama ventured. The woman blushed a little but did not shrink away.

“Sakura. My name is Haruno Sakura. And you would be Senju Tobirama; you’re a lot prettier than I thought you’d be.”

Before he could reply – although what does one say to that? – Tobirama was interrupted by his brother appearing at his shoulder with a broad grin and an easy laugh. Hashirama threw an arm around his sibling’s shoulder as he addressed Sakura.

“A beautiful name for a beautiful woman!” he declared. “And where did you come from, blossom?”

Tobirama allowed himself to roll his eyes only as a way to resist smacking himself in the face with one palm. Sakura seemed to agree with the sentiment. The expression she gave his brother was one a woman might give to an adorable child stumbling over themselves.

“I come from a place where people have more imagination than to call me ‘blossom’. You’re not what I expected of you either, Senju Hashirama.” A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips, belying a shade of amusement underneath her exasperation for the man’s poor flirting skills. Hashirama laughed again, not insulted in the least.

“She knows both of us brother! How fun!”

“I’m embarrassed to be related to you, do you know that?”

“So mean!”

As per usual, Hashirama immediately fell in to a heavy pout, his arm falling from around the shoulders it had been hugging and his lower lip jutting out until even sad puppies would have taken pity on him. Nearly in tandem both Sakura and Tobirama levelled equally unimpressed expressions at him.

“You’re not helping your case,” Tobirama said blandly before turning back to the woman in front of him. “Ignore him for a moment. He’s always like this. You, however, you are a mystery Haruno Sakura. I didn’t even feel your chakra approaching before you arrived and that isn’t something I could say of the average shinobi.”

“I’d be surprised if you had felt me approaching,” Sakura told him. “Seeing as how I wasn’t really there.”

“Some form of teleportation jutsu? I’ve been working on something similar myself, recently. The limitations of the body flicker frustrate me.” He offered her an interested smile, barely a twitch of his lips, then paused in confusion as she politely hid her laughter behind one hand.

“I suppose you could call it teleportation, although it wasn’t distance I was traversing.”

Tobirama tilted his head to one side. She was a mystery, becoming even more so with every question half-answered, and he’d never been so quickly interested in a person before. “I don’t believe you mentioned where you’re from, Miss Haruno.” When she lowered her hand in response he wasn’t expecting the mysterious smile it revealed.

“I come from a village you both know and don’t know,” she said playfully.

“Are you always this frustrating?” he asked.

“No, of course not.” She leaned a bit closer, until all he could see was candy pink hair framing the prettiest face he’d ever seen, plump lips making love to every syllable she spoke. “Usually I’m a lot worse.”

Beside him, Hashirama came out of his slump and immediately began to laugh, a deep-bellied guffaw that echoed through the clearing they stood in. It broke the reverie Tobirama had sunk in to and brought him back to reality. Suddenly he became aware again of the people surrounding them, the wounded comrades and fallen enemies, and the fact that he was almost flirting with a perfect stranger right in the middle of it all.

All his life Tobirama had given very little thought to his soul mark and the one it would lead him to. He didn’t regret that now – in fact, he was grateful. If he’d had an inkling who he was bound for the waiting would have been all but unbearable. He had known Sakura less than ten minutes yet already he could tell that she was unique and almost couldn’t wait to begin unravelling her.

Sakura turned away from him to return to treating the wounded but by the way her eyes lingered on his over her shoulder he got the impression that she shared that sentiment.

#soulmate collection #rae writes #tobisaku #tobirama #sakura #fanfiction #naruto shippuden

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