#and he trained you with a sword and gave you candy and listened to you ramble and protect you

[veveisveryuncool]

havent drawn them in a while

#booooom bat wingsssss i missed drawing them #what if you had a rival and you looked up to him and thought he was so cool and deadly and want to be just like him #and he trained you with a sword and gave you candy and listened to you ramble and protect you #and what if you want to rebuild that relationship after your idol betrays you. and what if this time he becomes your mentor. a friend. #a father figure even. what if this time your relationship is built on mutual trust and respect and love. what then? #kirby series #veves ultra cool art #kirby #meta knight #metadad #let me have this one okay <33

[blinddreams24]

Boxed In

With Dust

Masterlist

Prev / Next

“Y/N.”

You looked up from the couch to see Dust standing in the doorway. He ignored Killer egging Cross on again and gestured for you to follow. Excusing yourself, you hurried to catch up to his determined pace, mostly out of curiosity. Dust never asked you for anything let alone to follow him.

“What’s up, Dust?” You questioned as you fell in step next to him.

His pace didn’t slow for a second. “Training.” Was his blunt answer.

When he didn’t continue, you pressed on. “Foooor?”

“Any situation where you get stuck or caught.” His eyelight flicked at you for a second, leaving an unspoken ‘again.’ “Break away techniques, distractions, dodging, deflection. How to deal with a magic wielder without magic.”

You fell a pace behind and subconsciously tugged at your makeshift sling. “Oh.” You frowned.

“We won’t be going over all that today.” He gave a pointed look at your arm. “Today will mostly be dodging and deflection.”

“Okay.”

Dust didn’t continue until you reached the training hall. He led you to the weapons rack that you don’t remember being there when you first joined the gang. “Pick a weapon. You won’t end up using it today but you should get familiar with carrying something around.”

You observed the options. The rack contained axes, quarter staffs, swords, short swords, daggers, and a few other miscellaneous weapons like nunchucks and morning stars. A portion of the rack was just giant hammers and anime style swords that looked far too heavy to lift but your eyes went after the smaller weapons. You prided yourself on your speed and dexterity so you didn’t want anything big enough to slow you down or hinder your movement. Your eyes caught on a glint of metal as you approached the rack. It was a dagger no longer than your hand. The hilt and sheath had no decor and it was just the right colour to blend in with your outfit. After checking how easily it moved in and out of the sheath, you chose it.

When you turned around the show Dust your choice, you couldn’t see his eyelights.

“Dust?” You asked, concerned.

His lights came back and he walked into the fighting arena. “Strap it on and let’s get started.”

It took you a minute and some pointers from Dust before the sheath was properly secured at your hip and you hopped into the arena. It wasn’t like a boxing arena. More like if you took a chunk of terrain and dropped it in a building. There were rocks to climb on, hide behind, and trip over. The floor was mostly dirt and gravel that could kick up clouds of dust if moved too quickly. You knew from when you watched Cross and Killer spar before that there were hidden sprinklers that would clear out the dust clouds after a fight.

“Ready?” Dust said. You stood across from him and readied your stance before nodding. There was a charging sound as a blaster appeared beside him.

He was starting with the big guns first?!?!

You leapt behind the closest boulder just in time as it blasted the wall behind you. “WHY’D YOU HAVE TO START WITH THAT?!?!?!!?” You shouted, dodging a few bones that came after you.

“You said you were ready.” There was a smile in his voice.

The bones brought you into Dust’s line of sight again and you saw his eyelights blazing a piercing red with blue in his left. He summoned more bones that flew at you. You kept dodging. That was all you could do. That was all you were supposed to do. You were smacked in the knee with a blunt bone. Your health fell a few points and the attacks stopped.

“Keep your knees bent.” Dust said, standing over you as you huffed. He stared with his hands in his pockets. “Look, listen, feel. Your opponent will almost always repeat the same action for an attack. Blasters make a sound before they’re even summoned. Bones shake the ground before appearing. Rest up and try again.”

Much to Dust’s disappointment, you flopped on the floor outside the arena. He quickly directed you to walk around and stretch to keep you from getting sore and handed you a monster candy to regain the health you’d lost.

By the time you caught your breath, Dust was beckoning you back into the arena. You sighed but followed him anyways. Each round you learned different cues to keep in mind. The ground did in fact rumble before bones would shoot out. There was a subtle crackling sound before a blaster would appear and as soon as it started charging, the blaster wouldn’t change direction even if you moved. Dust, while he rarely moved or generally reacted, did give away when he was about to attack with an almost unnoticeable pulse of light from his eyes like a heartbeat. You learned how to react and dodge quickly as you used the terrain to your advantage, darting in and out of sight. Despite this knowledge, you still couldn’t dodge him forever and each round ended if he so much as hit you once.

Four hp lost and the sixth round ended.

“Alright, that’s all for dodging.”

You gave a tired yet enthusiastic; “Yes!”

“Time for deflection.”

“Ugh!” You groaned as you stumbled out of the arena.

Dust chuckled at you. “You can use your weapon next time. I’ll teach you how to use it to shield yourself first.”

You looked down at the dagger that was barely bigger than your hand. “Uhh…”

“Any weapon can be used. The smaller it is the faster you can react.” Dust assured you. After a quick break he showed you how to knock an attack away instead of blocking like you tried to do. He sent single, slow bones at you, gradually increasing the speed. “It’s not a shield, it’s a weapon. Attack the threats. Don’t block them.” When he was satisfied with your stance and aim, he entered the arena again.

As soon as you reached your normal starting position, Dust attacked. Multiple bones came flying at you and you knock away a few with a swing of your knife while dodging what you missed. “Again??” You complained at the surprise attack.

“Gotta learn to stay on your toes somehow, kiddo.” A subtle crackle.

You leapt away from the blaster and launched yourself over a rock as bones came out of the ground. More bones were deflected and dodged as you tried not to strain your burnt arm. It wouldn’t help if you hurt yourself again. You decided to try to mix things up this time now that you had a better chance with the knife. What if you tried to get close to Dust instead of just waiting for him to hit you? A smirk pulled at your cheek. You turned toward your opponent and pressed forward. His lights flickered at you and more attacks came flying. You ducked, dodged, and knocked attacks away as you (very) slowly made progress in his direction.

When you got within three yards of Dust, a wall of bones sprung up between you. You slashed it away with your knife and immediately felt like something was wrong. As if the air had changed. You looked into Dust’s empty sockets and realized what was wrong as a manic grin split his face. He laughed a heartless laugh as his eyelights blazed back to life, piercing into you, not showing the faintest recognition.

His eyes flashed brightly.

You dove under a barrage of attacks and rolled before jumping off the rumbling ground. Five separate crackling noises had you scrambling for cover. Miraculously, you avoided an additional five burn marks before hurrying away from Dust. You had to hide. Or get Nightmare. Or literally anything!

You stumbled back with a yelp as Dust appeared between you and the door. “Dust! It’s me! Y/N! Please calm down!”

He tipped his head to the side, grin spreading, and red sliding behind his shoulder.

Wait, red-?

His eyes flashed and the ground rumbled.

Despite your best efforts, a bone nicked your leg taking much more health than his controlled training attacks. You yelped and hurried into the only cover in the room. The arena with burn marks on the walls. Only the walls. With a burst of inspiration and a crackle of energy, you turned to the summoned blaster and lowered yourself to the ground. Blaster charging and ground rumbling, you rolled away fled again. As you’d hoped, the blast hit the ground and sent up a huge cloud of dust and debris. You weaved through the arena by memory and touch to a hidden nook you’d found earlier and held your breath.

There was tense silence.

No blasters. No bones.

Then footsteps.

“C’mon, kiddo!” Came Dust’s mocking voice. “You should have seen this coming! After all, you started this route.” There was hatred in those words. “Are you really hiding from me?”

You really hoped Nightmare would notice the fear pouring out of you as you tried not to move further into your hiding place. The knife was held in front of you just in case.

“Coward.” Dust laughed. “Come on! I’ll only kill you a lot!” A longer, creepier laugh, the footsteps getting closer.

Desperate for air, you tried to take a calming breath which came out more like a breathless squeak. You froze as the footsteps stopped. You prayed that he hadn’t just heard you when he appeared in the opening of your cubby.

“Hey.” The walls rumbled.

Against your better judgment, you dove and rolled into Dust’s reach as bones stabbed where you’d just been. He grabbed your wrist and twisted making you drop the knife. “Gotten a little stabby, huh?” He yanked you closer and there was a sharp pain in your shoulder. “Mind if I return a favor?” He chuckled as he pushed the bone further into your arm.

You cried out.

Suddenly, Dust was much further away from you as his back slammed into the wall. A tentacle wrapped around your waist and up your arm to keep you from grabbing at the bone still in your shoulder.

“Nightmare!” You gasped.

Nightmare grunted at you as he confronted the still manic skeleton. “Stay still and he won’t hit you again.” Before you could respond, the tentacle around you pulled you to hover right behind him, hiding you from Dust.

Dust lashed out at the tentacles that slowly closed in on him. Bones and blasters went flying across the entire training hall. As soon as his attention focused on one tentacle, the other shot forward and wrapped around his arms. Dust yelled and thrashed as Nightmare sighed in relief. While his captive continued to thrash, the goopy skeleton turned to you. His gaze settled on your shoulder. “Don’t move. Don’t touch it. Removing the obstruction could make you bleed out. Are you hurt anywhere else?”

You shook your head. “Not anything too major. Dust taught me to dodge most of his attacks.” You glanced at the respective skeleton.

“Good.” The noise from Dust slowed. “I’m glad. You need to know all you can.” Nightmare carefully reached for your shoulder, hesitant. “What have you learned?” He glanced between you and the wound you barely felt.

You knew he was trying to distract you but went for it anyway, refraining from looking at the wound yourself in case it made you feel more pain if you saw it. You shrugged and winced. “Look, listen, feel. He taught me the listen for the- AAGGHH!!!!”

Nightmare yanked the bone out and pressed his hands against your shoulder. Your teeth grinded together angrily as he nodded at you. “Continue.” He said calmly.

“You pulled a Fucking BONE OUT OF MY ARM!!!!!” You snapped.

“Yes, you’d disturbed and opened the wound when you shrugged.” He gave you a very pointed look. “I told you not to move. Now please continue.”

You growled, mostly at the pain now flooding your body.

“Y/N?”

A tentacle brought Dust into view over Nightmare’s shoulder. “Mind telling me what happened here, Dust?”

Dust stared at you. Then at your bleeding shoulder. Then back at you. His eyelights went out.

“Dust?”

“Uh, yes.” Dust looked away from you. “We were training. I guess Y/N got confident because, after I taught her to deflect attacks, she came at me.” He stopped for a moment before Nightmare gently shook him out of his thoughts. “I saw Frisk.”

Nightmare nodded thoughtfully. “So you responded like you were back there?” Nod. “Well, whatever you taught Y/N worked. She survived.”

Dust’s eyelights flicked up to look at you. You gave him a pained yet genuine smile. He looked down.

“Do you know what exactly set you off?”

Dust grunted. “The knife.”

Your heart fell. You really kept messing everything up didn’t you? “I’m s-”

“No.” Nightmare warned you. “Don’t you go apologizing for something you knew nothing about. It’s not your fault. Never was.” Dust nodded.

You hissed as Nightmare shifted to hold your shoulder with one hand as he reached into his pocket. “Could you not?” You growled.

“Nope. Stop moving.” Nightmare responded unapologetically. He pulled the salve you remember Horror using from his pocket. “This will help. Don’t move.”

“I’m not- AH!!!!” You clamped your mouth shut as he applied the salve directly to the wound. You somehow managed not to move as you hissed out a breath. “Little warning?”

Nightmare chuckled at your anger. “Next time. That should keep it from bleeding more and fight off any potential infection.” He noted aloud. “You are the highest maintenance human I have ever met.”

A smirk tugged at Dust’s teeth. “How many humans have you actually met?”

Nightmare waved his hand dismissively. “Like, five.” Smirk.

Dust let a smile cross his face for a moment. You chose to speak up. “I’m sorry for causing an episode, Dust. I wish there had been some way I could have avoided it.” Nightmare squinted his eye at you. “I know.” You added at him.

Dust shook his head at you. “Nah. It was my fault. I should’ve asked you to pick something else or at the very least warned you. I thought it’d be fine.” Nightmare gently set him down. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything.”

“Woah! What’d I miss out on?!?”

You looked over to see Killer in the doorway to the training hall. His blipped over to you all. He peered around Nightmare’s tentacles. “What’d you stab your shoulder for? Do you just hate that arm? If you really want it gone, I can help.” His brows bounced across his forehead.

“No!” You shoved his face away with your good arm, a smirk on your face. “It was an accident. We were training.”

“I stabbed her.” Dust said bluntly. You sputtered.

Killer leaned over Nightmare towards Dust. “Gettin’ tired of her already, huh?”

Dust scoffed. “She swung a knife at me.”

“I did not swing it at you!”

“And I reacted out of habit.” Dust finished.

Killer’s sockets widened. “You went back?” At Dust’s nod, Killer looked over at you. “How did you survive that? No offense, but you’re not exactly sturdy.”

“Killer.”

“What?? I’m being honest!! I can’t be honest anymore??” Killer faked offense.

“To answer your question, Killer.” You pointed at Dust. “He taught me a lot beforehand.”

Killer deflated over the tentacle he was leaned over. “I’m always missing the cool stuff…” He looked back up at you hopefully. “Could you do it again?”

“NO!”

#undertale #dust sans #nightmare sans #killer sans

[leorugiet]

"Cor!!!" Cue a small bundle of energy charging into the Marshal's office. "Dad's busy. So Uncle Clarus gave me candy and told me to come see you! Play daemon hunters with me? You can be the daemon and I'll be Cor the Immortal!"

"Your Highness... I am in the middle of basic training." Cor looks up to the Crownsguard, who have not broken formation, but are certainly distracted looking. Cor looks down to Noctis, listening to him tell the same sorry story that he often weaves, as it is often the truth -- both his father and godfather are too busy for him. Cor sighs, and picks Noctis up, hoisting him to his chest and petting his hair back for a bit.

"One moment, all right?" He asks Noctis, and looks to his soldiers. "Change in schedule. We'll be delaying rifle training for the afternoon. Continue your hand to hand combat training in the previous class." A little unfair to the class, but he would simply push them harder than normal later on.

Cor did not think it a good idea to stall them, but he took priority over Noctis, and sometimes internally scolded Regis and Clarus for their actions (he never externally scolded them -- he was a commoner, and they were royalty, after all) but he worried about Noctis being left to wander in his lonesome around the Citadel with neither his father or godfather present.

"When you see Clarus again, tell him that I said 'I'm glad I found Noctis before anyone else did.' Can you tell him that when you see him again?" He had a bit of a bitter tone, but he had nothing directed at Noctis.

"The daemon, hmm? Very well. What daemon do you want me to be?" Cor summoned a training sword, a carved piece of wood, and offered it to Noctis.

#rp #ic #chosenbythecrystal

[theladyofdeath]

Life As We Know It {Chapter 22}

Summary: After the sudden deaths of Nesta’s sister and Cassian’s best friend, they gain guardianship of their nephew, Nyx.

Based on Life As We Know It (2010) and a prompt sent in by anonymous for our Nessian fanfic contest. This is a modern au.

Instead of doing a tag list for this story, we have decided to have a set posting schedule. Chapters will be posted weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Occasional surprise chapters could be posted at miscellaneous times. Chapters will be posted on both my and Shelby’s blogs! >> @snelbz​​

Life As We Know It Masterlist

Shelby’s Masterlist

Tara’s Masterlist

Cassian was happier than he ever thought he’d be.

Over the past few weeks, he, Nesta, and Nyx had really become their own little family. It seemed that after all the heartache, after all the awkwardness, everything was falling into place. 

Since that night they had slept together, again, Cassian had spent every night with Nesta in her bed, and awoken to her face every morning. 

Cassian had been training his replacement at the bar, and the opening of his bar in Nesta’s restaurant was quickly approaching. 

Perfect.

Everything was going perfectly. 

It was a Saturday and both he and Nesta had off, which meant they got the rarity of spending the entire day together, just the three of them. 

And it was Halloween.

There was a little Halloween carnival going on downtown, just outside of the Rainbow along the Sidra. 

And although Cassian was happier than he ever thought he’d be, he did feel completely and utterly ridiculous as he looked in the mirror and saw his reflection, dressed in the Halloween costume that Nesta had bought for him. 

It could have been worse, he decided, donning the floppy hat it had come with. He didn’t have paint all over his face and he wasn’t dressed as a dog, like Rhys had been the year prior. Just a smidge of eyeliner Nesta had coerced him into letting her put on him. And he may only have one hand, thanks to the “hook” he had to wear, but at least he had a bad ass looking sword.

Even if it was plastic.

Nesta appeared in the doorway, wearing a green dress and matching slippers, complete with white balls of fluff adorning the toes. “You about ready to go, Captain Hook?”

He slowly turned to look at her. “Is it the hair? Hmm? Are you one of those girls where long hair automatically means pirate?”

Nesta raised a brow as she crossed her arms. “Are you complaining?”

Cassian blinked. “These leather pants are so tight that I don’t think my balls are going to survive the day.” 

Nesta’s grin was feral. “I promise to make it up to the boys once we’re back home.”

Cassian’s eyes narrowed. “Tease.” 

“Not a tease,” she crooned. “A promise.”

She gave him a wink before leaving the room and walking down the hall. After a curse about how turned on he now was, Cassian followed. 

At the bottom of the stairs in the living room, Nyx was standing up in his little Peter Pan costume. Cassian laughed, quietly. “You put the poor kid in tights.” 

“He looks adorable!” Nesta hollered, from where she had disappeared in the kitchen. 

Nyx looked at Cassian for a moment, slightly confused, but then recognition lit his eyes and he giggled, reaching up for his uncle. The second Cassian picked him up, Nyx was playing with his floppy hat. 

“Pretty damn cute, alright,” Cassian said, chuckling. “Ready, Nes? Bands start playing soon. A couple of local bands I know will be playing, I think you’ll like them.”

Nesta swept out of the kitchen with a tiny cooler bag full of water, juice, and snacks. “Then let’s get going.” 

After a short ride and a short walk, they entered the carnival and spotted Elain, Azriel, and Seph sitting in the grass, listening to the music. Azriel was dressed as Tigger, Elain was Pooh, and Seph was the cutest Piglet they had ever seen.

Cassian plopped down by Azriel and chuckled. “And I thought my costume was bad.”

Azriel looked over at him. “Shut up, Captain Jack.”

Cassian gasped indignantly. “I’m Captain Hook, you heathen.” He held up his left hand and shook the cheap, plastic hook in his face. “Get your pirates straight.”

The cousins were instantly squealing at each other, Seph having recently started crawling and Nesta couldn’t help but smile down at them as she sat next to Cassian. He slung an arm around her and pulled her into him, kissing the top of her head.

Nesta looked at Elain and caught her small smile, even though she tried to turn away before her older sister caught her. “What?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Elain shook her head, but that smile was still on her face. “Nothing.”

“Tell me,” Nesta said, leaning forward to see her around Cassian and Azriel.

“It’s just…” Elain blinked and Nesta could’ve sworn she saw tears shimmering in her sister’s eyes. “It’s just nice to see you happy.”

Nesta stilled for a moment. Was she happy? She supposed she was. It had all happened so quickly that Nesta hadn’t hardly realized.

She was happy. 

Judging from his laughter with Azriel, and the way his fingers brushed along her skin, Nesta assumed that Cassian was happy, too.

“It’s a good thing, you know,” Elain whispered, when Nesta said nothing. “A very good thing.”

Nesta remained quiet, but she leaned into Cassian’s side with a little smile of her own.

The music began to play, and Nyx was having the time of his little life. He stood and danced, having no idea what was going on, but loving every second of it.

There were small tents set up around the carnival, passing out candy and other little toys and treats for the kids. Helion was there, at a tent sponsored by Nesta’s restaurant, handing out cookies and brownies she’d spent the past few days baking. Nesta had always loved Halloween, and having Nyx to enjoy it with made her love it all the more. They walked around while the bands continued to play, Nyx’s little bucket filling up with more candy and treats than the little boy could ever eat. Cassian ensured Nesta that it would not go to waste, but she just rolled her eyes.

“You know, I’ve always been a fan of Tinker Bell,” Cassian said, while they were eating candy apples.

Nesta looked at him, brow raised. “Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for Hook.”

Cassian chuckled, looking at Nyx while he nibbled on some goldfish that Nesta had packed in the cooler bag. “And what about Cassian?” Cassian asked. “Are you a fan of him?”

Nesta laughed, softly. “Are you asking me if I like you, Nazari?”

Cassian’s eyes lit with amusement. “I care about you, Nesta. That’s what I’m saying.”

The words she longed to say got stuck in her throat. The truth she’d wanted to tell him since his birthday over a month ago, when they’d finally succumbed to their desire for each other. But she wouldn’t. She couldn’t, not here, not right now, with strangers around them. Elain and Azriel weren’t far, but…

Something about those words. She wanted it just to be the two of them.

So Nesta chose to smirk instead, reaching over and rubbing caramel off his cheek. “You aren’t half bad, I guess.”

He sighed, dramatically, looking up into the sky. “I knew it, you’re only in it for the sex.”

“Cassian!” She blushed furiously, hoping no one had overheard him.

Grinning, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. Nyx threw a goldfish at them, hitting Cassian in the side of the face.

Nesta couldn’t stop her laughter as she pulled back.

Even after a month, Nyx didn’t like Cassian kissing her. The fit he threw the first time he’d seen them kiss on the couch while he was playing with his toys on the floor and they watched a movie would go down in history as the worst meltdown the two of them had seen.

Nesta thought his continued, but lessening, tantrums were hilarious. Cassian could only roll his eyes.

“Was that necessary?” Cassian asked.

“Da,” Nyx said, popping a goldfish into his mouth. It was the closest thing he’d come to yes thus far.

“He used to like me, you know,” Cassian said, looking at Nesta, “before the two of us were together.”

Nesta shrugged. “He’s protective, what can I say?”

“You can say, to him, that you like it when I kiss you,” Cassian replied.

Nesta laughed as Nyx threw another goldfish at Cassian. “He’s smart, Cass. He may be a baby, but he knows you’re talking smack over here.”

“I would never talk smack about a baby,” Cassian said, taking a bite of his caramel apple. “Even if it’s true.”

It wasn’t too much later that Nyx was falling asleep, his little, green cap long forgotten and tucked into the pocket of Cassian’s obnoxious coat. He gently rubbed Nyx’s back as he slept on the blanket they’d laid out on the lush grass. Footsteps and a groan alerted him to Azriel’s presence as he sat down next to Cassian. Seph, in a carrier strapped to his chest, had been asleep for nearly an hour already. Cassian couldn’t help but smile at his brother and niece.

“So you two are actually making this work, huh,” Azriel said, smiling down at Nyx.

Cassian’s laughter sounded as if even he had a hard time believing it. “I guess so. It’s just…so easy with her.”

“I get it. I completely get it,” Azriel said, looking at something over Cassian’s shoulder, and from the way his eyes softened, he knew his brother’s gaze had found Elain.

“I think she feels the same way,” Cassian said. “She’s hard to read, though. Easier than she used to be - thank the Mother - but sometimes… I just want to grab her by the shoulders and ask her what the hell is on her mind.” 

Azriel snorted. “Nesta is…”

When he didn’t complete his sentence, Cassian raised an amused brow.

“An interesting woman,” Azriel finished, at last.

Cassian laughed, quietly. “Yeah, she is. But, that’s what I like about her. She’s not a surface-level person, you know? She’s like an onion.”

Azriel blinked. “An onion?”

Cassian nodded. “A lot of layers.” 

Azriel laughed, quietly. “I would keep that one to yourself. Not sure how Nesta would feel about being called a vegetable that makes you cry.” 

Cassian chuckled, and shrugged. “I think it sounds nice.”

Azriel grinned and looked down at Seph. “Do you see it working out long term, then?”

“You make it sound like a legal document,” Cassian replied, snorting.

Azriel shook his head. “Fine. I’ll ask it simpler, then. Do you love her?”

He hesitated. “It’s only been a month.”

“And?” Azriel asked. “You’ve lived together for half a year. You've known her for over five years.”

Cassian was quiet. He contemplated Azriel’s question, watching the gentle rise and fall of Nyx’s breathing. “I don’t know.”

“You still think Rhys and Feyre didn’t know what they were doing when they set you up all those years ago?”

Looking up at Azriel, Cassian wasn’t expecting to find him smiling softly. “I still think they were bat shit insane,” he chuckled. “But… No. I get it now. They… They just wanted to give us the chance to be as happy as they were.”

“And are you?” Azriel asked, curiosity on his face.

Cassian looked around, finding Nesta laughing with Elain and Mor and Emerie and Gwyn. The smile as he watched her wasn’t faked. “Yeah. I am.”

Azriel’s smile was as genuine as his own. “Then I think you know.”

*

It had been a good day, and an even better night. 

Nyx fell asleep in his carseat on the way home, and Nesta had gotten him out of his costume and into a fresh diaper and pajamas without him hardly stirring. After that, when Nesta meandered into her bedroom, she found a half-dressed pirate with a mischievous glint in his eye. He had made a show of taking Nesta’s costume off with his hook, which had her unable to stop the wide smile, the giggling, that escaped her control. 

It was all sweet, adorable play until his lips found her skin, and then Nesta’s giddiness faded away as complete euphoria took control of her body. 

They laid together as Halloween faded away and November 1st approached. Nesta’s fingers danced over his bare chest. 

“Today was a fun day,” she said, quietly, as she watched her fingers move along his tattoos. 

“It was,” he murmured, already half asleep, his arm wrapped around her, tucking her into his side. He had spent most of his day chasing down Nyx, while Nesta had watched, a smile on her face, as Elain took picture after picture. She’d promised to email the best ones to Nesta as soon as she’d edited them.

She could tell Cassian was exhausted as she looked up into his handsome face, the eyeliner still smudged under his eyes. Sensing her gaze on him, he cracked an eye open and looked at her. “What?”

She shook her head, laying it back down on his chest. “You still have make-up on,” she chuckled.

“What?” He asked. “You don’t think I look pretty?”

Snorting, she nestled into his warm body, settling as his calloused fingers scraped over bare waist. She felt his lips press against the top of her head and in that moment, she realized that this was how it was supposed to be. Nothing had ever felt as…right as this did. As being with him did.

“Cass?”

He grunted in answer, and Nesta realized he was just about asleep.

She decided not to reveal the bit of truth she’d been about to, not when he very well might not remember it the next day.

Instead, she settled her head back on his chest, and said, “I had fun today.”

He mumbled something that sounded like me too, but within seconds, his breath had evened out, and he was asleep.

She wouldn’t reveal that bit of herself, not tonight. But tomorrow…

Tomorrow, she would tell him.

And she prayed he felt the same way.

*

It was hardly after eight when Nesta woke up and found Cassian beside her, in bed, with a sleeping Nyx on his chest. He was scrolling through his phone, his back propped up against the headboard, his sweatpants nearly blending into the navy blue comforter. 

Nesta blinked a few times before she yawned and said, “Good morning.”

Cassian’s eyes darted away from his phone, to her. He smiled. “Good morning. Little man woke up about an hour ago. Fell asleep again five minutes ago or so. Apparently he got worn out yesterday.”

Nesta chuckled. “I’d say so.”

“I was going to put him in his crib but he seems comfortable,” Cassian said. “I can, though, if you want me to make breakfast.”

Nesta shook her head as she propped herself up on her elbows. “That’s okay. I can make breakfast. I was in a french toast type of mood.” 

“Sounds good,” Cassian crooned, and Nesta reached up to kiss him, softly, before dragging herself out of bed. After slipping on some cozy shorts and one of Cassian’s oversized t-shirts, she was headed downstairs. 

Sunday mornings were her favorite, nowhere for either of them to be. Just time together and time with Nyx. She was humming quietly to herself after she’d made a pot of coffee, pulling what she needed to make French toast and bacon out of the fridge when there was a sudden knock on the front door.

Nesta froze, listening to ensure she had in fact heard—

Another knock, just as insistent as the first.

“Was that the door?” Cassian was carrying Nyx downstairs, the baby’s pacifier barely staying in his mouth as he sleepily leaned his head on his uncle’s bare shoulder.

“Yeah,” she replied, eyebrows furrowing as she reached the door and opened it.

Nesta froze as she found Alis Birch on the other side.

“Ms. Archeron, good morning,” she said, eyeing her choice of attire.

“Ms. Birch, good morning. What a surprise,” she said, trying not to panic.

“I hope it’s a good time,” she said, looking past Nesta to see what chaos she could find. “This is the last of my surprise visits.”

“I see,” Nesta said, then cleared her throat as she stepped aside. “Come in, please.”

Alis did not need to be told twice. She swept past Nesta and into the foyer, where Cassian caught sight of her. He stopped as their eyes met, and he hesitated.

“Ms. Birch,” he said, as if it were a pleasant surprise. “Nice to see you again.”

“You too,” she said, looking at Nyx. “Big Halloween, was it?”

“Fun Halloween,” Cassian corrected. “We were at the carnival downtown for most of the day. He had a blast.”

Alis nodded, but said no more.

“Have a seat,” Nesta said, gesturing to the living room furniture. “Please.”

Alis sat in a chair while Cassian carefully and slowly sat back on the couch, Nesta sitting beside him.

Before anyone could say anything else, Alis said, “The two of you have become intimate.” 

Nesta swallowed roughly while Cassian could only blink. After a moment, she collected herself. “I—We…”

“It’s fairly recent,” Cassian admitted, taking over when it was clear Nesta was floundering.

She wanted to demand how she could tell, but she was very clearly wearing his shirt while he wore nothing at all, aside from his sweats. They were cooking breakfast while the baby dozed. It was all so…domestic.

Alis would have been blind not to notice it.

She hummed once before opening her notebook and scribbling a few notes down. “The two of you have come a long way in a few months then, since you were barely even friends the last time I was here.” She threw Nesta’s own half-drunk words into their faces.

“Things have changed,” she breathed, yearning to reach over and take Cassian’s hand, but not wanting to look weak in front of the woman.

The woman who controlled whether or not they’d be keeping Nyx.

“So, this is not a fling, then?” Alis asked.

Cassian opened his mouth, but it was Nesta who politely said, “I’m sorry, but I’m not sure how our romantic life is an appropriate topic-.”

“Oh, it is most appropriate,” Alis assured them both. “If this is nothing but a fling, it could create a lot of drama in the home, which could in turn affect Nyx’s well being. However, if this is love, something that will become steadier day by day, then I could not be more overjoyed.”

You don’t sound overjoyed, Nesta wanted to say, but didn’t. 

“We are aware that everything we do affects Nyx,” Cassian said, not unkindly. “We thought it through before we decided to get together.”

Nesta almost wanted to laugh. Thought it through? They hooked up twice, and the second time it stuck. She wasn’t sure that was exactly thinking it through. In fact, there hadn’t been much thinking at all.

It just kind of...happened. 

Nyx had indeed lost his pacifier at some point and patted Cassian on the cheek.

“Babababa,” he chanted, which the two of them had learned meant he wanted his bottle and Cassian stood.

“Excuse me, I’ll be back,” he said, carrying Nyx into the kitchen.

Alis held Nesta’s stare, eventually asking, “Does Nyx have a support system, outside of the home?”

She blinked. “I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

Alis set down her pen and looked at Nesta as if she were the child in this situation. “Let’s say things don’t last. Let’s say whatever is between you and Mr. Nazari isn’t a love match and it falls apart. Aside from the two of you, does Nyx have other people who could step in to take care of him?”

“I don’t see why he would need it,” she replied, her voice cold. “Even if things don’t work out, Cassian and I will still take care of him. Nyx is our responsibility now. We love him.”

“And will you do that from one home?”

“We… I…” Nesta shook her head. “Ma’am, with all due respect, we haven’t even had time to figure out what exactly this is between us.”

Alis scooped up her bag and tucked her notebook against her chest as she stood. “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of. And I’d like the two of you to have that figured out before my next visit. I’ll reach out a few days before, so you can expect me. But I’d like this…” She gestured around her, “situation to be more straightforward before I return.”

She turned and headed for the door.

When Cassian came back, Alis was gone. He blinked, Nyx now awake, downing his milk. “Where’d she go?”

“She left,” Nesta said, quietly. “She’ll let us know when she’s coming next time.”

Cassian’s brows furrowed as he sat next to Nesta on the couch. “What’s wrong?”

Nesta hesitated, then said, “I think she thinks that us getting together is a mistake.”

Cassian looked at Nesta for a moment, then snorted. “She also thought that us living together, unromantically, and raising Nyx was a mistake.” 

Nesta said nothing as she watched her hands, quietly.

Cassian’s smile faded away. “What? You don’t think us getting together is a mistake, right?”

“No, of course not,” Nesta said, but it lacked passion.

Cassian watched her. “Nesta.”

“She brings up some good points, Cass,” Nesta breathed.

Cassian’s jaw ticked. “What does that mean?”

Nesta closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Well, what if we don’t work out? What will happen? We should at least have a plan.”

“You don’t think we’re going to work out?” Cassian asked. 

“I don’t even know what we are, Cassian,” she breathed, opening her eyes, but continued staring at her hands. “Am I your girlfriend? Are we exclusive? Is this just what’s convenient for us both?”

Cassian was staring at her, unable to think of anything to say, barely able to understand what had happened in the past thirty minutes since he’d gotten out of bed. “This sure as hell isn’t just about convenience, not for me. But if it is for you, I guess I’d like to know now.”

She still didn’t look at him. “I don’t know, Cass.”

He had no idea what to say, no idea what to do. He shook his head. “I’m going to take Nyx on my jog with me. When we get back, you let me know if this is still convenient for you.”

His voice was colder than she’d heard it in months, barely recognized it as he silently made his way up the stairs. She didn’t move, could hardly think as she heard him get changed and then dress Nyx as well. 

Her face fell into her hands.

This isn’t how she wanted the morning to go.

As she laid in bed with him the night before, listening to the steady beating of his heart after he fell asleep, she had a long list of things she wanted to say to him today, had a long list of emotions she wanted him to feel.

Pissed wasn’t one of them.

Unsure wasn’t one of them.

Nothing was going as planned.

It wasn’t until Cassian was carrying a babbling Nyx back down the stairs that Nesta looked up. Cassian wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“Cass-,” she began, but he strode through the living room and out the door, the door closing just a little too hard behind him.

No, this wasn’t how she wanted the day to go.

She didn’t get to tell Nyx goodbye.

She didn’t get to tell Cassian goodbye, or any of the other things she had planned.

But maybe it was for the best. Maybe things would continue to fall into place, just not the place that she had planned.

Nesta sat back on the couch, her face falling back into her hands.

As the first tear fell, she wondered if this was a part of Feyre’s plan. 

#nessian #fanfic #snacmc collab #snacmc lawki #nesta #cassian #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acosf #fanfiction #modern au

[amberwild420]

one step back, two steps forward (pt. 8)

masterlist

family dinner

The girls chatted as they stepped out of the school. Luka and Kagami promised to meet them there so they can all go for the dinner. And true to their words they were there.

 Luka! Kagami! So glad you could make it!

 I wouldn’t miss our duel for anything.

Kagami slightly smiled. Since lunch, she had been looking forward to the duel. Luka merely smiled and the group walked towards Kaylan’s home.

  When Kaylan told them about class and the drama that unfolded after class, they were angry but pleased when Kaylan used Bustier’s words against the class.

 You seriously need to teach me how to trash talk!

 Marinette laughed. All the responses and comebacks that Kaylan had used till now made her days.

I can teach you but you have to toughen up first. What they are doing is wrong and I want you to save yourself.

 Marinette gave a sad smile. Luka, Kagami and Kaylan shared a look.

 I trust them that they can realize the truth and everything will be back to how it was.

 I don’t think so.

 Kaylan fired back. She stopped, making the rest stop too. She had a blank face but her eyes were calculating.

Marinette…..*sigh*………..look I know you say that everything will be ok or that you trust them, but……but deep down you know that after what they had done, you won’t be able to trust them……………..at least not like before………you know before all this started. As for that everything will be alright……….it’s just as connected to the trust. You think it will be alright but you know that your trust and relationship will be strained. So much that slowly and sub-consciously you will cut them out.

 Marinette made a face. A flash of coldness passed through her eyes. But it was gone before she mumbled,

 You wouldn’t know that.

I know that. I have seen that. Or rather someone close to me had seen that and told me.

 For a moment they looked vulnerable. But it was gone when Marinette nodded. She seriously needed to talk to Tikki. She was good at listening and giving advises.

 Come on we don’t want to be late.

 They silent moment broke and they walked towards the apartment building.

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

The woman smiled sweetly and welcomed the trio in. As soon as they settled in the woman started mothering them, hugging them tightly, asking them of their day, talking non-stop.

Mom! You are overwhelming them. Slowdown will ya!

 The woman stopped abruptly and smiled sheepishly when she saw the expression of the trio.

 Sorry. Sorry. I was just excited that you made so many friends in such a short time.

 *sigh* this is Veronica Fox, my mother. She is a freelance psychiatrist. And yes, she is the one who made the banshee therapy for akuma prevention.

 Oh! It’s nice to meet you kids. I’m so happy you made friends with my broody daughter.

 I’m not broody. Batman brood. I sit back and judge……… And fight when they irritate me.

 Marinette nervously laughed not knowing what was going on. The difference between the mother and daughter was like sun and moon. And judging by Kagami’s attempt to hide her smile and Luka’s quite snicker they must have thought the same.

 She could feel Tikki’s amusement from her purse.

 At least someone’s having fun.

 She thought and sighed.

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

The small training room was cozy. Their apartment was not by any mean big and luxurious but it wasn’t too small. The two bedrooms, a living room, a guestroom, a kitchen and a spare room turned to training room was definitely not small. Kagami was attracted towards the small assortment of the blades on the wall.

 A beautiful long bladed spear stood tall in the center. The shine and sharpness of the blade gave her a sense of satisfaction.

Next to it was a double bladed weapon. Marinette who stood behind Kagami looked confused.

 I don’t think I had ever seen this type of weapon in your collection Kagami. What type of weapon is this?

 She whispered to the Japanese girl who looked rather stunned.

A naginata!        Kaylan called from behind them. Veronica left the teens to get started for the evening tea. Luka also joined the girls, giving out an impressed whistle.

 It’s not easy to wield a weapon of this caliber. Not without years and years of practice.

 Kagami looked impressed.

 Wait were her eyes shining like all those anime characters she had seen or was Marinette hallucinating?

 Kaylan looked amused. She picked up the blade in question and went in the middle of the room. The rest waiting in the side in anticipation. Kaylan stood with her eyes closed mentally preparing to do a simple trick rather then something complicated.

With a sigh, she opened her eyes and spin the pole around her with a familiar ease and pointed it towards Kagami, who looked like a child in a candy store.

Smiling softly she put the weapon back to where it belonged.

 It was impressive!

 Kagami said with a wide smile. If it wasn’t her ability to school her emotion she would be rumbling like Marinette normally does.

 I’m glad you thought so. To me it is like a fish to water. That’s why I learned to fight with this far quicker.

 Uh………..       Marinette didn’t know what to ask but she shuffled around nervously before opening her mouth to ask her a question.

 Is it really hard to fight with this two blade pole?

Yes. / It is.

 Both girls said at the same time. They looked at each other before turning towards the designer.

 Wielding a naginata requires a lot of practice. Especially for women. First because of the height and weight that requires a lot of upper body strength. This one is normal length mostly used by samurai’s. Women warriors use one smaller and lighter.

 Kagami told them rather eagerly. She wanted to learn. But her affinity was with sword. But to see one here and someone to use a weapon she longed to learn right in front of her was making her warm in chest.

 It’s not just the upper body strength………        Kaylan interrupted.

Normal naginata have only one blade. Mine has double blade. It makes it even more difficult to practice. You can’t get distracted. Or one of the two blades can cut you.

 Kagami nodded. This is exactly what made this weapon so magnetic for her. She turned to the wall and picked up the only katana from the wall.

  The beautiful white sheath with small patterns and beautifully crafted handle. Marinette subtly took out her sketch book, suddenly inspired by a sword to make a base line of her next dress.

 Kagami unsheathe the sword, admiring the blade before turning to Kaylan.

 I believe a duel is in order.

 Kaylan only smirked before taking her sword and turning towards the sparring mat. Kagami unsheathed her own saber but was bummed out when Kaylan didn’t unsheathed her own but didn’t comment on it.

 Luka who was silent all this time, stepped forward to act as referee since Marinette was in her zone.

Both girls got in position, blades pointing each other. The moment Luka signaled both clashed. Both countering the other, not letting other to take advantage of the opening.

 Marinette looked at the dual fascinated. Tikki the ever loving god/Kawami was recording the dual. (She is still hiding in the purse mind you. She just doesn’t want her chosen’s friend to get into trouble when they clearly forgot about the promised video.)

 It was until Kagami thrust her saber point blank and it hit Kaylan in the shoulder when she tried to block it. A moment of silence passed before Kaylan chuckled and relaxed.

 Not bad, Tsurugi!

 Kagami who looked rather bewildered. Apparently she didn’t thought it would actually hit. But she relaxed when Kaylan laughed. She smiled.

 Not too bad yourself, Fox.

 Best out of three?

 I don’t mind.

 And with that they positioned themselves again.

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

The next two rounds were a tie and another win for Kagami, though it was longer than any match Kagami ever participated.

 I would have won if it was my trusty pole.

 Kaylan said, before putting the katana back to its place. Kagami let out a hum of affirmation. No doubt there, she was good at handling it. They turned to the pair of whip coiled at the wall.

A silver whip with a small curved blade.

And another with golden handle and an arrow like blade. Both adorn the wall, with a grace of their own.

 How good are you with a whip?

 It was Marinette who asked this time. Her eyes were calculatingly looking at the weapon. If she is good with such weapons then giving her a miraculous with an unconventional weapon will be easy for her to use in akuma battle.

 Better than sword. Almost as good as gladiator.

 The trio raised an eyebrow. She smiled sheepishly before gesturing towards the naginata.

 You named that thing?        Kagami looked rather amused. The designer and the musician snickered when Kaylan let out a dramatic gasp.

 How dare you call gladiator a thing?! He is my trustworthy ally.

 The trio laughed. A whine that was more like complaining sounded. A smile rose to her lips, Veronica looked at the old picture on the fridge. It was two of them, she cried when she first held her smiling daughter. It was one of her favorite memory.

Her life hasn’t been easy. No friend. No family. But it felt nice to hear her talking to friends, laughing. Maybe it was the right decision to come here despite the emotional terrorist.

 Kids, have some snacks! God forbid I can’t have any more kids with no self-care.

 MOM!!!

 And one again the laughter rose.

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

Taking a bite of the fruit sandwich, Marinette hummed in satisfaction. Fruit tart and fruit trifle were available in bakery but……… she definitely need to get the recipe.

 Kagami looked right at home. Well, considering it was from her home country. Luka, Kaylan and her mother were tending to their tea.

 Now that we all are gathered……..let’s begin the interrogation.

 Veronica winked at the kids making them giggle while Kaylan rolled her eyes fondly.

 So I know about Marinette being the aspiring fashion designer that could give other designer a run for their money, what about two of you? I don’t think any of you was mentioned before.

That’s because we met today and I decided that are worth my time and effort. Unlike some liars and dumb sheep that share only one brain cell which could die anytime now.

 Veronica lightly slapped her on the thigh, but Kaylan just shamelessly smirked. The trio exchanged knowing glances.

 Yep, they were like sun and the moon. Not like mother, like daughter kind.

 Kagami is a world class fencer. She had won many gold medals in every single competition and she is training for the Olympus.

 Marinette excitedly started talking. The girl in question had a very tiny blush on her cheeks when her friend kept gushing about her.

I’m actually a guitarist, I was with the kitty section but now I’m going solo.

 And Luka sometimes intern with Jagged Stone, he can hear the songs of the soul.

 That’s nice I’m sure you wouldn’t mind telling me what type of music my soul emits?

 The said boy nodded before closing his eyes and focusing while everyone else held their breath when they saw Luka frowning. It wasn’t like the unpleasant frown when he heard Lila’s song. But more like he couldn’t figure out how to tell.

It’s…………

 Everyone leaned forward batting their breath waiting for him to speak.

 It’s ……it’s like many different melodies mixed together. Not like a mush or anything unpleasant. More like…..orchestra? No more like a mix classic and rock band.  

 Veronica looked eager to learn about the mixed melody. Kagami and Marinette looked curious as well. Kaylan just calmly sipped her tea before interrupting.

 Let me guess? Sharp and fast notes of violin, upbeat of a drum? That’s her alright.

here

She got another hit from her mother but she just rolled her eyes hiding her smile behind the cup.

 You don’t need to hide it mom, anyone who dares to antagonize you learn about your gentle sharpness, your excitement and upbeat personality is what everyone you meet knows. What else is there to hide?

 True.    Luka said as his eyes turned to the woman in question.

 However there is softness hiding underneath those sharp notes, your love.

Veronica looked rather pleased. She was beaming.

 Oh! Oh! What about my daughter?!

 I don’t want you to hear it.

 She flat-out refused. A little pestering occurred but she just fondly rolled her eyes.

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

Playing mortal combat, while sharing stories with each other was a good time pass. Marinette sharing her experience about being clumsy even if she could haul a 50kg bag of flour on her shoulder with ease. Kagami sharing her training and fencing experience. Luka telling them about all the melodies he had ever heard and how Marinette was the most beautiful one he ever heard (cue lots of blushing and whining and teasing). Kaylan sharing her moving around experience and difference in cultures.

 Time passed quickly and it was time for dinner. It was rather pleasant. A few jokes passed around. When they left, Veronica insisted they come to their place whenever they feel like it. They were welcomed to return when they felt like it.

 It would be best if you kids come around more often. I’m a therapist and I can see the amount of stress you kids are shouldering. It is not good normally but it is worse when you are emotionally hostage of a terrorist. So come by when you feel like you have to unwind. I might not be able to give a 100% solution but a better coping system will be nice. So don’t hesitate.

 Kaylan looked as serious as her but didn’t say anything. They bid their farewell and left.

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#One Step Back #two steps forward #miraculous ladybug #original character #marinette protection squad #Marinette deserves better #Marinette needs a hug #someone give Marinette a hug #i'm finally back

[thelostandforgottenangel]

Naked Challenge on the Turtles

Female walking out in the middle of the lair front of BF turtle naked to get his reaction

@bloody-weapons-soft-soul13​ @fyreball66​ @lonelyheart-clubband​ @blossom-skies​ @narwals14​ @betelgeusessonajblog​ @missbeautyandherbeast​ @midnightrebel669​ @midnight-chocolate-turtle​ @myheyheyheystuff​ @nikitaboeve​ @mistyroselove​ @waterstar2016​ @bluesakurablossom​ @bayverse-turtle-power​ @nights-legacy​ @janna-the-breaker​ @missmagellanic​ @darksaphire2002​ @aurora-the-kunoichi​ @moonlightflower21​ @queendice98​ @infintyfandoms @ravn-87​ @bmntgirl​ @vixie-chan233 

Also @ the sweet anon who gave me feedback on the kissing challenge fanfiction I really do hope this one was so much better please let me know I aim to impress and I tried so hard this time *Blows kisses* Hope you guys enjoy as much as I did making it

She had waited until she was sure it was just the two of them before she hopped in the tub to rinse away her bad day at work

After walking through the lair to be greeted by her loving Turtle who understandingly hugged her up knowing she needed to de-stress offered for her to go take a relaxing bath that he so sweetly drew up for her

Once she had everything she needed he went to go back to what he was doing wanting her to take a load off her shoulders with the promise of couples time afterwards be it cuddles in the quiet of his room or on the couch watching her favorite movie

But as she got out the idea to tease him was just too hard to pass up

Leonardo had seen how tired she was after her long shift she looked ready to drop right there but still had sweetly came to see him making his heart flutter for his loving mate to think of him when she should be home resting

After kissing her head telling her she needed to relax he sent her to the bath where all her stuff was one her special shelf he had made for when she needed anything or spent the night

While waiting for his beloved the leader had started his training working through the new kata his father had taught him both blades cutting through the air honed well in his skilled hands and his focus was purely on his lesson 

For once the woman walking into the room didn’t register to him

At first!

“Leonardo~” her sweet voice calling out to him had him turning as a towel fell over his head lifting it to see his girl standing there completely bare and in every ounce of her glory – in the middle of the dojo

His face flushed to a darker green looking her up and down unable to speak as both swords dropping from his grasp to the ground as he took her in struggling to speak before his eyes darkened as he bit his lower lip smirking “Oh - it is so on love”

His approach was slow appreciating the beauty before him his hands already  unstrapping his belts and untying his pants letting his Geisha know her Sensei was coming into play once his hand rested against her neck lovingly and their bodies were pressed so sensually together as he closed the door with no hesitation

Raphael chuckled once she was in the bathroom knowing she needed some time to just let it all melt off her shoulders wanting to be sweet to improve her day had went into the kitchen making her a snack, he placed it on the table with a note so when she was done it was right there for her

Still hearing nobody was home he had stepped off into his weight room to clean up from that morning after working out with his brother’s

All of them agreed to doing some weight training to make up for cutting practice short the day before and as much as he enjoyed his alone time he did find having his brothers to outdo always was fun

Just after wiping down the last bench and picking up all of Mikey’s candy wrappers the youngest had to of hid while taking his breaks so Leo wouldn’t see left the turtle grumbling over his knuckleheaded younger brother as his phone rang seeing it was Casey

The man was supposed to be meeting him tonight for patrols and he hoped he wasn’t calling to cancel again

Talking to his friend while he finished up made him unaware of the soft footsteps coming up behind him or the sweet voice that had called him twice before a wet towel landed over his head

A deep growl rumbled from him thinking Mikey was playing a prank on him again ready to cuss him out but when he turned around there stood his girl completely nude leaning against the frame water still dripping down her voluptuous curves as she dried her hair “What’s wrong big guy~? Am I interrupting?”

He was left completely speechless as she pushed off moving towards him slowly her small hips sashaying with every step as water dripped down her curves

“Holy f- Case… Yo  Jones I gotta go man”

He barely heard the man ask why he was letting him go so fast as Raph churred eyeing her hungrily when both small hands were grabbing his belt pulling him forward growling under his breath as that small pink tongue drifted over her bottom lip eyeing him with those come get me shimmering orbs

He was seconds from just jumping her there before hearing his friend again ask what the hell was going on “Yeah yeah call ya later imma bout ta lay some pipe”

The turtle lifted her into his arms getting an excited giggle as he carried he to his room mumbling as the phone dropped onto the bench

Part of him was hoping he figured out what was up and hung up soon otherwise he was going to hear some shit “Fuck yer so in for it baby!”

He had gone down and actually made sure the was drawn for her getting everything she needed just wanting his queen to soak and relax before Donatello would be pampering her the rest of the night kissing her softly they leaving her to enjoy some music

He hadn’t meant to walk into the lab but his work phone going off made him step in

It was supposed to be his off day but the main operator requested his help given it was a difficult problem that had locked the other service workers out

The job was aimed towards his specialty in hacking computers and he couldn’t just say no; he took over the call after logging in to be sure he was getting paid for accepting the call going through all the normal introduction while trying to get in finding the woman on the phone had no clue what she was doing

It was a bit frustrating because every time he told her to do something she backed out and he had to restart from the beginning all over again and in his semi-calm droned out ‘bitch don’t push another button’ voice he was glad his family wasn’t home

He was wishing at that moment this had just been another female accidently mistaking the tech support for a sex operator hotline

In that time he also hadn’t heard the small footsteps coming towards him actually screaming as a wet cloth dropped over his head apologizing profusely to the woman as he turned then stopped letting the towel drop from his hand as his jaw almost ended up in his lap

There standing only feet away was his beautiful love in all her glory skin flushed from the long shower and steam rolling off her in the cool room as she grinned climbing into his lap as his breathing picked up hearing her whispering soft enough the person on the other line wouldn’t hear “Put it on mute or she’s going to get an earful genius”

He had to swallow a churr before snapping to attention when the female on his headset asked him if this would take much longer getting inpatient watching as his girl grinded their hips together

“M-My apologies ma’am just fixing a few things if you will there’s a box popping up on your screen please push accept as soon as it does”

He couldn’t think when she started undoing his pants already kissing and nipping at his neck whispering dirty needy things just to him as he started typing in several codes having to clear his throat as one hand shoved several things aside on his desk as the screen flashed up showing she had accepted

“And now I’m going to send you a waver – this will just allow me to have full access to your drive meaning I can take care for it without you having to do a single thing miss – yes ma’am that probably would have saved you time I do apologize for the inconvenience”

He almost swallowed his tongue as her hands wrapped around his already hard shaft stroking over him while nibbling at his weak spot slapping a hand over his mouth as she bit his neck hard making him throb pushing her back mouthing he was so going to get her before the woman asked if there was anything else

“Yes ma’am - please read it fully so you understand that this only give me the ability to go where the problems are and once you agree my computer will be linked to yours and I will fix the problem immediately – I will be putting you on hold while I fill out the correct paperwork and I’ll have this fixed in a jiff”

He barely heard her sigh and agree before the call was muted and he was out of his chair placing her on the desk fast “Wow maybe I should have just started riding my genius’s cock and seen how long you could last with her still on the call”

Shaking his head he chuckled already worshipping his queen unable to believe she had given him such a delicious surprise ready to take her there but needed to get her back for the teasing his fingers playing with the heated core yet never giving enough to make her cum getting her so needy she was begging for him to take her

With a feral growl he thrusted into her going so slow but burying every inch nice and deep inside her a shit eating grin lighting up his face “And waste getting to fuck around on the clock while being paid – no way”

Figuring she was going to be a little bit Michelangelo had jumped back on his game with the boys wanting to play his COD game before he was totally focused on his girl’s needs knowing with enough begging he might be able to convince her to stay the night

An hour later he was trashing some guy with a major anger problem that sounded like he was punching walls, listening to some kid who wouldn’t stop screaming at an unbearable high pitch that kept claiming he had ‘slept with his entire squads mommas’ even though he didn’t sound old enough to be playing the game, and smack talking the other team through his mic as he racked up the kills having his fun sniping guys as they respawned

She had snuck into the living area hearing his evil laugh as somebody called him a dick after he shot them again

“Hey Mikey…” he waved her off at first shouting right back making her giggle at how serious he took his games before pulling her towel off tossing it over his head hearing him grumbling tossing the soaked cloth on the couch grabbing up his drink whimpering for her to give him ten more minutes “Mikey~ look baby I think you’ll like this~”

She let her hair down ruffling it knowing how weak it made him when it was down

“Baby I’m destroying this whiney little b-” with a bit of trouble he looked back for just a second before spitting out the mouthful of soda as the can caved in within his grasp sending his drink all over the floor his eyes going wide as she stepped between him and the screen playing innocent

The youngest turtle looked her up and down several times grinning widely as she fluffed her hair swaying her body sensually as her fingers teased him by touching her breast “If you are still too busy… I’ll just go play by myself in your room”

Shaking his head fast he started up out of his beanbag trying to grab her but actually fell down calling into his speaker a bit huskily “Bros I gotta go! I’m out! I’m out!”

She could hear his friends complaining over his speaker since they were winning the mission asking what was going on but his headphones got tossed as he gave her the grabby hands trying to get her to come to him which she did finally with an impish smile

“Oh no dudes my baby girl is looking so damn fine” he dropped his controller pulling her into his lap already pushing his shorts down going to take her right there not caring he had forgotten to turn off his mic “It is baby making time!”

#teenage mutant ninja turtles #tiktic challenge #reaction #tmnt leonardo #lemonish #naughty #tmnt raphael #towel drop #i have no self control #tmnt donatello #no shame #I said I was going to do it #sexy tease #tmnt michelangelo #more to come #tmnt bayverse #im not sorry #these turned out just ... mmmm! #tmnt 2014/2016

[crystalgirl259]

How to Train Your Dragonblood 3: The Dragonblood Alpha Ch5

The clouds looked like cotton candy as Kai and Jay broke through them, not really sure where they were going. Jay just really wanted to find Iron Baron and be as far away from his father as possible. They flew above them, with the only sounds being the rush of the wind around them. Jay scowled at nothing until he clenched his fists and started yelling aloud in rage, stopping as he fell on his back a few seconds later. Kai moaned lightly, trying to be consoling to his boyfriend and Jay took a deep breath, knowing that lashing out wouldn't solve anything.

"That's right, better let it all out." Kai snorted at his boyfriend's outburst.

"You know me so well." He managed to grunt before sighing. "Don't worry, baby, I'm not gonna let anything happen to you." He promised as he patted the dragonblood's head from his laid-down position. Kai wasn't paying attention anymore, however, as he started looking around. He could see something peeking out of the clouds on their right and growled lowly. Jay didn't notice as he kept looking upward. In the corner of his eyes, he could see a figure beginning to rise out of the clouds and his brows scrunched up in frustration.

He stood up, ready to give the person he was sure was his father a piece of his mind.

He recoiled in shock when he saw an intimidating dark blue horned mask instead. The person, carrying a crooked staff and a shield, appears to be simply standing on the clouds. They slowly sank back into the cloud bed soon after. The air around the couple was tense with suffocating silence as Jay and Kai started looking carefully around them for any sign of the masked figure returning. They were worried that if they made any sudden movements it would lead to disaster.

A dragon cry was their only warning.

A huge Lightning Dragonblood surged out of the clouds right in front of them, on its back was the person from before. Kai flapped his wings to stop and hover in midair. Jay followed the path of the dragonblood with his eyes as it circles around them, the rider standing upright with unbelievable balance. The figure pointed its staff in their direction and the Lightning Dragonblood grunted as it came back to hover in front of them. The two dragonbloods were at a standstill, watching each other and disturbing the air and clouds around them.

Jay watched the Lightning Dragonblood and its mysterious rider closely.

There was something very familiar about that dragonblood. Kai narrowed his eyes and snarled threateningly. The other dragonblood roared as well, the crown around his skull widening with the motion. Another roar drew Kai's attention and he turned his head in time to see another dragonblood closing in and grabbing Jay around his arms. He yanked the boy out of the saddle and Kai struggled and growled as he fell down.

"KAI!" Jay screamed as his boyfriend plummeted down to the frozen ocean below. Kai was helpless as he tumbled down to the ground, never taking his eyes away from Jay. He fell through the ice and into the cold water of the north. Jay watched as he swam back to the surface, jumping in the air but not flying long or far before plunging down into the ocean. The sight was truly saddening and heart-wrenching. The Fire Dragonblood kept trying to reach his rider, howling to the sky as he watched the flock of dragonbloods carrying Jay further and further away.

Kai was in total shock. He was unable to fly on his own and now his rider was kidnapped by other dragonbloods and he was helpless during the whole thing.

His ears lowered and his eyes begun to shine. He didn't want to let that happen but he couldn't do anything either. As he struggled to stay afloat, he failed to see a crest behind him dipping in and out of the water. It wasn't long before Kai finally noticed them as he held onto a piece of ice. They swam around him and eventually take him under with them. The calming water was again disturbed by Jay's helmet surfacing...

****************

As the group of dragonbloods led by the Lightning one and its rider Jay tried to get free the same way he did with Morro, the dragonblood holding him was much bigger. He tried reaching Kai through their link but he didn't get a reply. He really hoped that meant that Kai was just too focused on staying afloat. Jay knew that Kai was a terrible swimmer, and the freezing waters could seriously hinder his powers or cause damage. When it was clear he wasn't going get out of the Lightning Dragonblood's grip, Jay settled on gaining the attention of the person.

"HEY, YOU LEFT MY BOYFRIEND BACK THERE! HE CAN'T FLY ON HIS OWN, OR SWIM, HE'LL DROWN!" He shouted, but the rider wouldn't listen. They flew through the icebergs until they reached a massive ice fortress. They flew through a series of tunnels and entered a dark large cave. The dragonblood dropped Jay and he rolled back on his feet trying to pacify the creatures that surrounded him. "We have to head back for Kai!" He shouted as he put his hands up to show he wasn't a threat, unintentionally backing into an unfamiliar dragonblood that snarled.

Jay quickly took out his sword, activating it, and swung it in front of the dragonbloods.

The rider watched as the dragonbloods followed the glow of the flaming sword, calming down almost right away. As the flames began to die, he switched it off and took a capsule from his ankle holster that he put inside the device. He spun low to the ground, releasing the gas, and then lit it, making the dragonbloods back off. He then stood up and cautiously approached a different Lightning Dragonblood with his palm up. Before he could touch it, however, the rider jumped inside the circle.

Jay jumped back and watched the stranger anxiously.

"Who are you? The dragon thief? Uh, Iron Baron? Do you even understand what I'm saying?!" He snapped as the strange, silent rider, who had been analyzing the teen so far, swung its staff and hit it on the floor, making it rattle. The noise affected the dragonbloods and one of them flew overhead dragging in its claws the missing Fire Dragonblood. He was in his human form, soaking wet, and only just regaining consciousness as he hacked up the seawater from his lungs.

"Kai!" Jay cried with joy as he ran to him and hugged him while he shook off the water.

"I'm okay, Jaybird, it takes a lot more than a cold bath to kill me off." The brunette reassured Jay, still shivering from the cold.

"I'm so glad to see you too, baby; you really had me worried there." Jay giggled, close to tears as he tried to hug the air out of Kai. Kai smiled warmly as he gave Jay little kisses, happy to be reunited too as he used his powers to warm himself up. On the side of the cave, the rider tilted their head and started shaking the staff. The rattle had all of the Light and Lightning dragonbloods open their mouths and ignite their powers but without shooting.

This illuminated the cave, showing the couple how much they were surrounded.

Kai stood in front of his friend protectively as the mysterious rider started getting closer. The strange person crouched, dropping the staff and shield, as it crawled on four limbs towards them. The two backed away with Kai growling all the while. The rider leaned closer with its hand and twisted it to the side. Unexpectedly, Kai suddenly dipped and fell to the side, crooning in delight, despite being in human form. Jay gasped worry, but at least Kai was still breathing.

The person started to stroke Kai's jaw and then moved on to Jay.

The youth watched the hand warily, backing away uncomfortably as he realizes the rider wanted to touch him. A light gasp was heard under the mask and the person's finger stop short of Jay's chin. Where a small scar was just barely visible. It stepped back and crouched again.

"Jay?" The feminine voice surprised the ginger-haired man, who stuttered as he tried to come up with an answer. Before he could, the rider removed the mask revealing a beautiful woman who looked to be in her very early forties. The dim light in the cave allowed him to get a good look at the woman. The shoulders were fairly pointy, very wide and large in size, and black in color. They were decorated with layered pieces of curved metal, starting at the inner sides and curving outwards.

The upper arms were protected by black, rounded, layered metal rerebraces which sat loosely under the shoulder plates.

The lower arms were covered by vambraces which had an intricately crafted sigil attached to each outer side. The breastplate was a dark sapphire blue and made from several separate pieces which were layered on top of each other. It had what looked like a white lightning design carved into it. It covered almost everything from the neck down and ended at the groin, but the sides were only covered near the bottom. The upper legs were covered by pointed, layered metal.

The lower legs were protected by black greaves which had metal flower ornament pieces covering the outer sides.

The woman looked almost exactly like Jay except for her long blonde hair and stormy blue eyes.

"C-Could it be? After all these years... how is this possible?" The woman stuttered in shock as her excited eyes scanned the young man before her.

"Eh, should I... should I know you?" Jay asked fearfully as Kai regained his senses and got to his knees and the woman visibly deflated.

"No... you were only a baby back then." She muttered sadly, looking ready to cry until she finally looked him dead in the eyes. "But a mother never forgets." She said loud and clearly. It felt like every species of dragonbloods Jay could name had struck him down. His body just went limp and he kept staring at her. Kai was also in his own unresponsive state. That was his boyfriend's long-lost mother, Libber Gordon. The woman he never got to meet.

The woman he found Jay and Cliff still mourned on occasions, and she was alive and a dragonblood rider like her son.

Kai took a sharp intake of breath and began to back off. The woman raised a hand and made a soothing sound. She looked to the side at a loss of what to do and then glanced back at him with the beginning of a smile.

"Come."...

#how to train your dragonblood #ninjago kai #ninjago jay #libber gordon #plasmashipping #ninjago

[advena87]

Keira and Lambert’s love story Part 2

Here is Part 1

Another episode of Keira and Lambert's love story because I have a lot of fun with these incorrect quotes. Here again comes the case of the child of surprise, about which I wrote earlier > here <. And I even have an idea where the Kid would come from and I think I will include it in some fanfic... I mean, I'm pretty sure Keira and Lambert would be hilarious as parents. And although they would have no idea how to raise a child, they would accidentally do a good job.

Anyway, enjoy!

.

Triss: What do you look for in a guy?

Keira: I don’t know, real stuff. Shape of his ass.

*later*

Lambert: If Keira sees this, she’s going to think I’m an idiot.

Geralt: And this would be news to her how?

Lambert: Look, let's be serious for a moment, I really need your advice. I haven’t dated in a while, but there’s a good reason for that.

Geralt: Two good reasons: your face and your personality.

Triss: Then you're lucky Lambert, that Keira cares about a good ass only.

Lambert: What the fuck, Merigold, how long have you been here?

***

Keira: *Pulls curtain back while Lambert is in the shower*

Keira: Are we - stop screaming, it’s just me - are we out of doritos?

*later*

*Geralt comes to Corvo Bianco and finds Lambert and Keira hanging out in the living room*

Geralt: Uh, hello, people who do not live here.

Keira: Oh, hi Geralt.

Geralt: You know, I gave you the key for emergencies.

Lambert: We were out of doritos.

***

*Geralt, Yennefer, Triss and Eskel are having breakfast in Corvo Bianco when Lambert  comes in, covered in glitters.*

Lambert: Ok, which of you fuckfaces put stripper glitters in my shower gel?

Keira: That’s why we’re late. We figured why not take advantage of this situation.

*Cut to Lambert dancing like a chippendale while Keira is throwing dollars bills at him.*

*Later, Triss tucks a dollar under the hem of his pants.*

Lambert: *gasp* It was you, Merigold!

***

*Keira and Lambert are arguing, in Corvo Bianco with Geralt and Eskel nearby*

Lambert: Woman, as your husband I command you!

Geralt: We’ll leave and give you guys some privacy…

*Witchers exits the room*

Keira: You, wanna take back that “I command you” thing?

Lambert: Please, can I?

***

Keira, jokingly: I should have Lambert kill you for that.

Lambert, materializing beside her: Who do I need to kill?

Keira : Wh- no, I was just kidding around.

Lambert, pulling out a sword: Now, who’s bothering you?

Keira: Just so you know Lambert, if you go to prison for that, I will not wait for you.

Lambert: You won’t have to. I’ll escape, we both know that.

***

Keira: When I said bring me back something from the beach, I meant like, a shell.

Lambert, struggling to hold onto a seagull: Well you didn’t fucking say that!

***

Lambert: I would like to say that I was wrong, and I’m very very sorry.

Keira, sternly: About what?

Lambert: What do you got?

***

Keira: You know I hate it when you make up words, Lambert.

Lambert: Are you still mad at me for saying “snaccident”?

Keira: Yes.

Lambert, sighing: Well apparently, relationships are mostly just apologizing for saying something hilarious. Am I right, Babe?

Keira: I’m almost certain you’re not, but to be fair I wasn’t listening.

***

Lambert: Our house is burning and you can save the cake or me. What do you choose?

Keira: That’s not fair. The cake doesn’t have legs.

***

Keira, watching the news: Some idiot tried to fight a squid at the aquarium.

Lambert, covered in ink: Maybe the squid was being a dick!

***

Lambert: Keira, you were right, you were right about everything.

Keira: I know, Lambert, but I need you to be more specific.

***

Kid: Mommy, where do people go when they die?

Keira: I don’t know, did you check under your bed?

Kid: …

Keira: Good night honey!

***

Keira: Okay, you’d better be going to bed at a reasonable hour, don’t make me tuck you in and kiss you goodnight.

Kid: Don’t threaten me with a good time.

Keira: Last warning before I sing a lullaby.

Kid: No, not a lullaby! Okay, I'm going to sleep but I need you to check under the bed for monsters.

Keira: Listen, I appreciate your confidence in me but if there’s a monster under there, it’s going to kill us both.

Kid, with panic: MOM!

Keira: Ok, this requires drastic measures.

Keira: Lambert!

Lambert, entering the room with a sword in his hand: No fear! I'll take care of this monster!

* Lambert gets under the bed, the sounds of fight are heard.*

Lambert from under the bed: You son of a bitch! Eat this! I don’t fucking think so! Begone! Die!

Lambert, coming out from under the bed, covered with red: It's all right, princess, the monster is dead.

* later, after leaving the Kid's room *

Keira: We have to stop doing this, this isn’t good for her mental health. She will be traumatized or something.

Lambert, licking the ketchup from his face: Oh, come on! I'm her hero!

***

Keira, about Kid: And now she sleeps with a sword, Lambert.

Lambert: Is that true?

Kid: Sort of. Sometimes. Yes.

Lambert: Good girl.

***

* Kid brings home bad grades from school *

Lambert: Don't worry, I was never a valedictorian myself. Vesemir said I lacked certain necessary qualities.

Kid: Like what?

Lambert: Like the ability to behave myself.

***

Lambert, on the phone: OK Kid, tell me what’s happening. Give me a full report.

Kid: Yeah, I’m still eating that candy. Do you want… do you want me to keep eating it?

Lambert: How much have you had?

Kid: Two or three bowls.

Lambert: Can you still see straight?

Kid: Sort of.

Lambert: That means you’re fine.

***

*It's Lambert's turn to play with Kid*

Keira: Is that my bra? What are you doing with my bra?

Lambert: Oh, no, no, it’s not what you think. We just used it to fling water ballons off the roof.

***

* Lambert teaches their daughter how to fight drowners *

Lambert: Go get 'im, Tiger!

Kid: *attacks, puts a bomb in the drowner's mouth and bursts its head *

Lambert: Oh, I so pity the dude who pressures her into prom sex.

Keira: That’s a lie.

Lambert: *smiling maniacally*

*later he teaches her how to fight a specter*

Lambert: If a ghost picks a fight with you, put this oil on your sword, lure it into the trap and remember: someone already killed that motherfucker once.

***

Lambert: Hey girl. What’s going on?

Kid: Teenage rebellion.

Lambert: Fuck yeah! Stick it to the old people.

Keira: Lambert, stop encouraging her!

***

*Keira and Lambert are kissing*

Kid: Get a room.

Keira: We have one.

Kid: I know. Use it.

***

Keira: Kid’s boyfriend is picking her up at seven.

Lambert: I can’t wait to beat him.

Keira: Meet him.

Lambert: That’s what I said.

*later*

Boyfriend: Is this the part where you say if I hurt her, you’ll kill me ?

Lambert: No, if you hurt her she’s quite capable of killing you herself. Possibly with a variety of weapons. I trained her well, she is a ruthless killing machine.

Keira: That's not true, don’t listen to him. I mean, yes, she is able to kill you in three seconds and never forget about that, but she is a spoiled daddy's girl. She will totally ask Lambert to break your spine if you hurt her.

*later*

Boyfriend: Your parents are funny, these were good jokes.

Kid, deadpan: They weren’t joking

#witcher #witcher 3 #tw3 #keira x lambert #lambert x keira #lambert #witcher lambert #keira #keira metz #geralt of rivia #geralt z rivii #triss merigold #yennefer from vengerberg #witcher eskel #eskel #eskel x triss #corvo bianco #child of suprise #love story #incorrect witcher quotes #incorrect quotes #incorrect witcher

[siriusblacktothefuture]

Peter Pettigrew head canons

First year he showed up and was just an absolute squish of a boy

Met Remus on the train. He decided to stick with him because when faced with some mild bullying, Remus Sass Master Lupin put a few little first year pricks in their place

Panicked being sorted, but begged not to be in Slytherin; he knew he wouldn't survive the bullying

"You have the potential for great courage, though you're a coward at heart... Perhaps you'll grow out of it.... hmmm, yes, better put you in GRYFFINDOR!"

Met James and Sirius in the hall on the way to their common room, kinda fell in love

"Remus, don't those boys seem cool?" "They seem like trouble, Peter"

He didn't know how to talk to them for the first week they dormed together; he was so nervous about messing up his first interaction, when either James or Sirius walked into the room, he would drop everything in his hands

"What's that kids deal?" "He thinks you're cool, makes him nervous"

Of course, once they heard this and both got a huge ego boost, James and Sirius made it their goal to bring their biggest fan on an adventure

Peter, it turned out, wasn't just a fanboy, but something of a die hard fan

Quickly he started throwing himself on any sword needed for the boys to get away with whatever they wanted

It put a lot of pressure on him

Remus noticed, and asked James and Sirius to be more mindful of him on their adventures; the trio became more equal afterwards

Out of thanks, Peter invited Remus along to help with a prank, and honestly, Peter was just so pudgy, cute, and sweet, how could he say no?

They became the Marauders after that

Wrote to all three boys daily over the summer, however, he sent his owl out with multiple letters at once. He didn't want the bird to die from exhaustion, and the several letters were written to be "paced out for each day of the week"

Peter in second year was the one who figured out Remus was a werewolf unintentionally

"What else could it be, James? His parents ask him to go home, and he comes back with scars. They just randomly make him go once a month-" "Well every full moon" "...what?" "It's not random, he leaves during full moons.... wait.... his scars..... GUYS"

Thought James fashion sense was on point and tried out fuzzy vests and high collared shirts with him

He wasn't the one to come up with the plan to become animagi, but he helped

He. Wasn't. Stupid.

He figured out the truth of Sirius' home life before anyone else. He knew he'd never be able to help him (they were close but Sirius needed his brother, James), so he started leaving clues out for James to find and put the pieces together

He was extremely observant and intuitive with his magic

However his grades were shit starting in third year

Peter prioritized friends and pranks over homework and studying (very much the opposite of Remus) but had the capacity for it in extreme situations

"Tests make me nervous, so if I don't study, I don't panic about them" "Pete that's not how that works, mate; you passed out during your last exam"

Third year started being known for the Gryffindor quidditch team's number one fan; would scream the loudest when James scored and did basically anything

Gave the best pep talks

James was emotionally the mom friend, but Peter was the Over Prepared Mini Van Stuffed Just In Case Mom Friend™

And I mean this boy charmed his pockets to expand and hold entire kitchen raid amounts of food

"If only we had a pocket knif-" "Which size?"

"Ouch! Got a paper cut!" *pulls out an entire first aid kit in the middle of class*

"Woah, head rush" "Here's a bag of your favorite candy, but also an apple"

In fifth year, when he became a rat, he felt like nothing would have been more fitting

Though he wasn't the most useful for moons, day to day his animagus form was the best

James started just walking him to classes in his pocket

Also in fifth year, him and James went through a disco phase. Sirius was distraught, Remus was beyond amused

The first Marauder to kiss a girl during a game of truth or dare (Sirius was the close second)

In sixth year, he didn't know what to say to Sirius after he got kicked out, so he knit him a blanket, gathered some old pictures, and drew him some new art for his room at the Potters

He tried to stop reading the paper because the news made his stomach churn

After Marlene, one of the toughest girls he knew, was targeted for a muggle born hate crime, he started reading again

He started becoming more verbally affectionate with everyone in the Gryffindor tower, fear of the war making him think about how much time he really had

When asked what he wanted to do as a career after school, his mind went blank

Remus told him he was good with people, but didn't know what that meant

After the Prank and tensions were raised, Peter was the Marauders rock

He played therapist, listening to everyone's side of things, before piecing them back together

Because he might not have thought about himself and his own future, but his whole world was his friends. He would make them okay in any way he knew how

In seventh year he got closer to the seventh year Gryffindor girls when James started dating Lily

Soon they were his family too, and he had never felt so loved and safe at school

They got a radio to listen to music together in the common room, but at night he would listen to the news

Peter wasn't stupid

He knew what was coming, and he knew by the end of the year, he'd have to begin to make some choices

#personal #peter pettigrew #i dont think theres enough content about peter not being shitty #he was good at one point #he was a guy the other marauders would have died for #they loved him for a reason

[artemis-pendragon]

This is the first story in my latest sci-fi short story series, collectively titled Bestow. It’s about a group of dumbass space gays who fly around the Milky Way getting in trouble and searching for the rare survivors of an event known as the Rapture, which killed an estimated 95% of all life in the galaxy. But it’s really all about the characters! The plot is just there for flavor. ;D 

  *   *   *   *   *   *  *   *   *   *   *   *  *   *   *   *   *   *  *   *   *   *   *   *  *   *   *   *   *   *

        “Sure looks like a lot of nothing to me,” Fallon said, kicking a rock across the barren wasteland. “Rubble, ruins, the usual.”

         Xiomara sighed, passed a hand over her face, and shook her head. “Another dead end. All that fuel and time wasted.”

         “Hey, now.” Fallon gripped her shoulder. “That doesn’t sound like the Mara I know.”

         “And what Mara do you know?” She crossed her arms, staring out over a once-thriving planet now devoid of life. She breathed deliberately, hyper-aware of the thin atmosphere and heightened gravity.

         Fallon stepped around her, kicking the rock again. It skittered away and he followed. “You need a nap, Mara. You’ve been going too hard for too long.”

         “You need a nap,” Mara muttered. She rubbed her face again, wondering if it would’ve been a good idea to wear a mask just in case. In her prior investigations of planets affected by the Rapture, she hadn’t found anything suggesting it was the work of a biological agent. Then again, who knows? Anything was possible.

         Fallon kicked the rock through a crumbling arch into the decrepit city beyond. The heart of Carvara’s colony was nestled in a steep valley, a once-proud city now silent and dead. Mara had done a few flyovers to scan for survivors before landing a respectable distance away, leaving Halcyon, Alexandra, and Dex to refuel and do repairs on the ship. There’d been some arguing over who would go with her, but it was eventually decided that Fallon was the best option. Not because he was exceptional at exploration, but because he was so endearingly stupid that even the most paranoid Carvarian survivors would be disarmed by it.

         Not that Mara expected to find survivors. By the most conservative of estimates, the Rapture had killed 95% of life in the Milky Way; as explorers continued deeper and deeper into the heart of the galaxy, she expected that number to rise. After all, as far as anyone knew, only the planets on the galaxy’s outer arms had escaped total annihilation. Even Earth and Terra-2 had taken significant losses, with most of the deaths occurring overnight in the Americas and the Caribbean. And yet, despite the massive amount of money and resources being pumped into finding an answer to the lingering question “why did this happen?” humanity was no closer to knowing than they had been seventeen years ago when the disaster struck.

         Mara had been almost eighteen when the Rapture occurred, but she’d been visiting relatives in the Mediterranean at the time and only heard about it after the fact. She did know that the day that half the world died, the aurora borealis was visible over the equator, an exceptionally rare and beautiful sight, ribbons of blue, green, gold writhing like snakes in the hazy air.

         “Oh, hey!” Fallon yelled. He was just visible beyond the arch, waving at Mara. “Come check this out.”

         Mara adjusted the rapier at her hip, loosened her gun in its holster, then took off at a jog toward Fallon, narrowing her eyes against the thick dust hanging perpetually in the air. “What kind of thing do you want me to check out? On a scale of one to my sister, how terrifying is it?”

         “Somewhere in between? Maybe a five; nothing close to Riovana-level, though.”

         Mara laughed. She skidded to a halt beside him, one hand on the hilt of her sword, the other on his shoulder. “What’s up, buttercup?”

         “Look.” He pointed to the small screen cradled in his palm. It was a heat-detector, its screen blurry with blues, greens, and golds.

         “Oh, shit.” Mara grabbed it and used two fingers to zoom in on a solitary red smudge at the center of the screen. “Is that a person?”

         “It’s a something.” Fallon sounded caught between excitement and anxiety. “You wanna go check it out?”

         Mara pressed the device back into his hand. “Do you have to ask?”

         Fallon grinned. “There she is,” he said. “That’s the Mara I know.”

         The city’s architecture was a mix of Old American and Greco-Roman. Towering skyscrapers pointed out the stars, which were barely visible through the thick dust clotting the air. Withered vines, long dead, clung to glass windows cracked and shattered, curled around pillars of polished stone. Artificial rivers had long run dry, thirsty ravines full of dust and dirt, faded candy wrappers and plastic cups collecting in drains and gutters.

         “Looks like there’s no one left,” Fallon said.

         “Except our mystery creature.” Mara indicated the building ahead, a towering spire of concrete and stone surrounded by long-dead shrubs. The bones of trees stood like silent sentinels guarding avenues that no one had walked in seventeen years. Without water, the city had withered and died, falling to ruins like a thousand other cities on a thousand other dead worlds.

         “It’s gotta be a mistake, right?” Fallon held up the heat detector. “I mean, c’mon, no one’s survived in this place for almost two decades. That’s impossible.”

         Mara paused, glanced at the screen, and bit her lip. The red smudge hadn’t moved. “Impossible is a strong word.”

         “Not strong enough,” Fallon muttered, and Mara shot him a look.

         “What? Are you scared?”

         “Are you scared?”

         “Do I look scared?”

         “I mean, no.”

         “Well, I wear my goddamn heart on my sleeve, so you’ll know if I’m worried.”

         “Worried?”

         “Yeah, worried.”

         “Okay, so let me guess. Scared is too strong a word.”

         Mara smiled. She clapped him on the shoulder, adjusted her weapons belt, and started down the road toward the stone spire. “Right in one, my friend.”

                           *   *   *   *   *   *

         She was almost to the spire’s front door, which was missing its glass and hanging off rusted hinges, when Fallon caught up and grabbed her wrist, spinning her around.

         “What?” She shook him off. “Thought you weren’t scared.”

         “For one, I’m like half your age and not carrying a gun and a sword, so if I’m scared, that’s totally valid, and for two, where are all the bodies?”

         Mara cocked an eyebrow. “Okay, for one, you’re two thirds my age and can’t be bothered to complete a weapons training course, and for two, that’s a really fucking good point.”

         Fallon wiped dust off his face, grimacing. “Right? What happened to all the corpses? Usually they’re everywhere, even if its just bones and stuff.”

         “Okay, new plan.” Mara took a few steps back from the shattered door. “We go back to the ship, put on some masks, get some more weapons—”

         “Including Alexandra,” Fallon interrupted.

         “—including Alexandra,” Mara agreed, “and thoroughly sweep this place for heat signatures. If it turns out anyone survived, maybe they’ve taken shelter somewhere else on the planet, or maybe in an emergency bunker system.”

         Fallon nodded. “Okay. So should we—?”

         “You go back and talk to the others. I’m gonna look inside this spire, then I’ll meet you back at the ship.”

         “Bad idea. Really, really bad idea. Worst idea I’ve ever heard.”

         Mara waved him off. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Promise.”

         “Promise?”

         “Well, half-promise. Medium promise.”

         He gave her a disbelieving look and she rolled her eyes. “Kid. Do what your captain says or she’ll kick your ass.”

         “Is that in the official Terra-2 military codebook?”

         “It’s gonna be once we get back to base.”

         “Fine. Your funeral.”

         “If it is,” Mara said, taking the heat-detector screen and stepping through the empty doorframe, “make it a damn good one.”

                           *   *   *   *   *   *

         The spire was completely dark. Mara used the heat-detector to navigate, one hand skimming the stone walls, following hallways into the heart of the building. Once or twice she thought she heard the distant sound of shifting machinery, but when she paused to listen, the silence swallowed her whole.

         Every few seconds she checked the screen. The red dot remained stationary, but it was getting larger. The closer Mara got, the easier it was to make out the creature’s form: humanoid, lying on its side with its legs tucked up to its chest, completely unmoving. Is it dead? She frowned at the screen. Can’t be, or it wouldn’t show up on this thing.

         Mara continued. She stepped over piles of shattered glass and poorly-placed furniture, holding her breath, afraid to make any sound at all. The last thing she wanted was to startle this creature, whatever or whoever it was.

         After some of the tensest minutes of her life (and she’d been through some extremely uncomfortable situations in her three-and-a-half decades of existence), she found herself standing outside a steel door. Tracing its surface, she found it was both broad and tall, most likely made to accommodate two people walking side-by-side. She fumbled to find the keypad, still wary of using a flashlight, and touched each key one by one.

         Not worn, worn, worn, not worn, slightly worn, not worn, worn, not worn.

         She hesitated, wondering if the buttons would make a sound when pressed. If she wanted to get through the door before her quarry realized she was there, she’d have to act fast. Three-digit passcode means there’s only six possible combinations. Easy enough to crack if I move fast.

         Mara’s version of fast wasn’t fast enough. She was on the third combination when an alarm went off, the whole building full of wailing sirens. Whipping out her gun she shot at the keypad, but the superheated bullet only sank into the metal and, with a sharp crackling of electricity, fried the entire pad.

         Mara swore viciously. Holding her gun in one hand and the heat-detector in the other, she turned and ran back the way she’d come, leaping chairs and piles of rubble, dodging pillars and open doors. In her hand the heat-detector flashed as the red smudge uncurled, stood up, and began to move away down a blocked-off hall.

         Mara was almost back to the front entrance when something moved in the shadows. It didn’t register on her screen, yet moved like the living, emerging from an adjacent room as the sirens screamed.

         For one moment before it shocked her unconscious, Mara caught a glimpse of a chrome-skinned face, hollow glowing eyes, and outstretched metal hands. And then her muscles seized up, her lungs emptied of air, and she collapsed.

         She woke up in her ship’s medical bay propped up on an excessive number of pillows. Everything hurt—her head, her chest, her hands, her pride. Mostly her pride. That was, she’d learned, the hardest thing to fix after a mission gone wrong. After all, there was nothing more distasteful than a punk-ass twenty-three-year-old boy saying, “I told you so” in front of your entire crew.

         Mara sat straight up, wincing as her head throbbed. She blinked until her vision returned and found her sickbed surrounded by her crew.

         “Hey, captain,” Fallon said. “I told you so.”

         Mara groaned. She dropped back onto the pillows and passed out again.

                           *   *   *   *   *   *

         One Terran day later, she learned they’d captured the mysterious being. Fallon and his brother Halcyon took turns by Mara’s bedside, amusing themselves by putting on doctor’s masks and pretending to know what they were doing. Occasionally they served as a line of communication between Mara and Alexandra who, according to Fallon, was lurking around the brig making sure their new captive didn’t escape.

         “So let me get this straight.” Mara rubbed her face, grimacing as Fallon snapped himself in the face with the elastic bands on his mask. “The survivor is a woman, Carvarian, and definitely, totally, irrefutably, actually alive?”

         “All those things, Captain,” Halcyon said, also snapping his mask onto his face. He was a few years older than Fallon, but the handful of braincells their family had been blessed with were thinly spread between them. “She also builds things.”

         “Things? Gonna need a bit more to go on, there, buddy.”

         “Robots. So many robots.”

         “Ah. So that’s what jumped me.”

         Fallon nodded. “Oh, yeah. Mr. Electric Hands. Sadly we had to take him out to keep him from frying all our brains, because, if I’m being honest, that’s one organ I can’t afford to lose.”

         “Not to be blunt,” Mara said, “but you already have.”

         Fallon grinned. “Whatever, Captain. I’m un-insultable.”

         “I’m super pretty sure that’s not a word,” said Halcyon.

         “No shit,” said Mara, matching Fallon’s grin. And then she sobered, shaking her head. “So what do we do with this Carvarian woman? I mean, legally we’re required to turn her over to my sister, right?”

         “Yeah, or they’ll murder us all, probably,” Fallon said. Mara caught the nervousness in his expression, the way he fiddled with the straps on his unnecessary mask. “Not to be a total candyass, but I’m scared to death of your sister, Captain. Not only her, but her boyfriend. That guy’s terrifying.”

         Mara sighed. “Yeah, I know. Kova Torren has no soul.”

         “Truth,” said Halcyon. He took off his mask and tossed it aside, taking a loud breath. “Wow, how do doctors breathe in those things? Yikes.”

         Mara ignored him. “I want to see her.”

         “Yeah, okay. Guess you should.” Fallon helped her out of bed, holding her arm to steady her. “Hal, go tell Dex the captain’s up and about. Meet you back on the bridge when we’re done in the brig.”

         Mara nodded, suddenly exhausted. “What he said. Do it.”

         “Yes, Cap.” Halcyon saluted. “You’ve got it.”

                            *   *   *   *   *   *

         The brig consisted of one cell big enough to comfortably fit the ship’s crew. This was because the crew of the Rat Bastard (lovingly named by its captain after landing on a planet covered in hallucinogenic plants) was used to being boarded and locked in their own brig. Back before they’d fallen under the thumb of Terra-2’s military influence, Xiomara Rohana Veranzza had been the most notorious outlaw in the Milky Way. And, since no one knew for sure if there was life outside the Milky Way, it was safe to say she was also the most notorious outlaw in the universe.

         Unfortunately, after the Rapture, the planets she’d relied on for shelter were no longer inhabited, leading to an ultimately fruitless chase through the stars, ending when Mara’s twin sister, Riovana, betrayed her and turned her and her crew over to Admiral Kova Torren of Terra-2. Ever since Mara’s crew had been serving what equated to a life sentence in space, flying from planet to planet, system to system, searching for the rare and mysterious survivors of the Rapture.

         As far as Mara knew (which wasn’t far), these survivors were people who had either gained special abilities during the Rapture, or already had abilities that allowed them to survive it. Either way, they were incredibly rare, and often too traumatized to live a normal life after being rescued from their dead home worlds. In fact, there was a compound on Terra-2 dedicated to housing Conduits, of whom only five had so far been discovered. Of the five, four were completely insane. The fifth was inexplicably comatose, and Earth’s finest doctors, flown to Terra-2 specifically to analyze this patient, were unsure if he would ever wake up.

         Mara had never found a survivor—or a Conduit, as the official literature referred to them—before. She’d spent years among the stars, exploring dead worlds, but had never returned victorious.

         Victorious. Like it was a victory to turn over a Conduit to her sister, to Kova Torren, who would lock them up and treat them like military assets rather than living things.

         It took Mara exactly five seconds after meeting the Conduit to decide she wasn’t going to turn her over.

         “No way,” Mara said, stopping dead in front of the cell. “You built all those robots?”

         The Conduit was young, maybe twenty-eight at most, with curly black hair, a golden complexion, and silver eyes. She was dressed in what looked like a suit of ancient plate mail, scored and tarnished, and her skin was smeared with grey dust. But what struck Mara most was the small dog-shaped robot she held tight to her chest, petting its head as if the creature could feel it.

         “You’re the survivor,” Mara said, because the silence was growing long, and she couldn’t think of anything actually intelligent to say.

         The Conduit tilted her head. “Did my sentinel totally fry your circuits?” she said. “Because no duh. Who the fuck else would I be?”

         Fallon laughed.

         Mara glared at him. “Oh, you’re one to talk.”

         “I didn’t talk!”

         Mara rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hide her smile. She turned her attention back to the Conduit. “Hey, so what’s your name?”

         “You first.”

         “Fair enough. I’m Mara. I’m captain of this ship.”

         “Hold on.” Fallon held up a finger. “You’re not Mara. This,” he swept a hand at Mara, “is Captain Xiomara Rohana Veranzza of LAMBDA, vigilante supreme, legendary outlaw, once the most wanted woman in the whole universe.”

         The Conduit didn’t look impressed. “Well I’m Nessi Lachlan,” she said, “and I built an entire civilization of robots from scratch.”

         Mara tried not to feel slighted. She crossed her arms, shrugging. “Guessing you’re the one who buried all the bodies.”

         The Conduit, Nessi, raised her eyebrows. “The robots did that. It took a while.”

         “I bet. How long were you here alone?”

         “Hmm, well, let’s see. Do you know about that super awful event that killed everyone?”

         “Yeah. The Rapture?”

         “Yeah! Do you know how long ago that was?”

         “Seventeen years.”

         “Exactly! So why the holy fuck are you asking a question you know the answer to?”

         Mara exchanged a glance with Fallon. He looked delighted. She sighed. “Okay, fair,” she said. “You’re sharp.”

         “Duh.”

         “Sharp, but rude. I mean, c’mon, I’m rescuing you.”

         “Oh, cool. You gonna take me somewhere nice and warm and comfortable where I can live out my life in peace? Or are you gonna turn me over to Admiral Kova Torren and his army of mercenary bastards?”

         Mara’s heart paused for a moment, then restarted at twice its normal speed. “How do you know about him?”

         Nessi’s expression was neutral, but her eyes were haunted. “You’re not the first to come looking.”

         There was a long beat of silence. And then,

         “How did you evade him?”

         Nessi shrugged. “I saw the ships coming. I went up into the mountains and hid until they went away.”

         “What about the robots?”  

         Nessi tapped a metal band, covered in tiny buttons, around her right wrist. “Universal off switch. I told the bots to hide then powered everything down.”

         “Huh. Smart.”

         There was another long beat of silence.

         “Hey, so.” Mara cleared her throat, shifting from foot to foot, suddenly nervous. “Do you have any, like, special powers or anything?”

         Nessi laughed. “What are you talking about? My only special power was surviving on a dead planet full of dead people for almost two decades. No big deal.”

         “Kind of is a big deal, right?” Fallon said.

         Mara stared at him. “Sarcasm,” she said. “How did you miss that?”

         “I miss a lot of things.”

         Nessi laughed again. “Just looking at you, that doesn’t surprise me at all. Talk about a dumb blonde.”

         Before Fallon could reply, Mara turned and put a hand on his shoulder. “Please go tell Alex we don’t need her back here anytime soon.”

         “You staying to chat?”

         “Yeah. Go up to the cockpit and see if Dex is ready to head out. I’m thinking we could spend another night planetside and then head back once we—I—figure out our next move.”

         Fallon nodded. “You got it, Cap.”

         Once he was gone, Mara pulled up an empty barrel and sat on it. She crossed her legs, set her hands in her lap as if preparing to meditate, and leaned in. “So,” she said, meeting Nessi’s silver gaze, “tell me your story.”

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[miss-pearlescent]

The King’s Assassin

Jongin is a king and you are an assassin. Instead of killing him, you end up marrying him  (─‿‿─) How unfortunate.

The scaffolding was grand, hiding whatever was behind it. You waited outside patiently with your carrying case. Jongin would be finished soon, but you still asked to see him as soon as possible because you wanted to get ready for your classes in the evening.

You stared up at the monstrous building, wondering what could be inside that held Jongin’s attention for the past three months.

“Hello, my dear wife,” a low voice tickled your ear.

You tried ducking away but somehow Jongin’s arms still managed to pick you up off the ground.

You tried not to laugh too loudly as he spun you around. “We’ve been married for almost a year. When are you going to stop calling me that?”

“All right.” He put your feet back on the gravel and leaned in for a kiss. “Hey, you.”

You gave him a look. “’Hey, you’ right back at’cha.”

His smile was broad as he ran a hand through his hair. “What was so important that my wife asked the groundskeeper to pull me out here five minutes before the work day ended?” he teased.

You felt only a little bit guilty about that. “You don’t have to be working in there,” you said with a pout towards the door that led behind the scaffolding.

He slung an arm around your shoulders and pulled you in. “It’s always nice to work with the people who rely on us. Besides, they could always use an extra hand.”

Jongin was right. Even though he was the king, the people loved him because he always got involved with what his people were doing. He connected with them and listened to their stories.

It was the reason you ended up marrying him without a fight.

“Well,” you said as you pulled out a sachet from your carrying case. “I have these for you.”

His brows furrowed as he untied the string that held the bag closed. “What is it?”

“I was preparing the students’ meals with Nana today.” Nana was the grandmother of one of the town’s best chefs. “We made these dried fruit strips that you told me about.”

Jongin’s face lit up as he pulled out a dark red candied strip.

“You said you couldn’t find anybody who sold them anymore, right?”

He nodded and stuffed the whole snack in his mouth. “It’s just as I remembered it,” he said with a muffled groan.

You were surprised that he wasn’t cringing from all the sugar. “I wrote down the recipe so we can always have some at home.” You patted your carrying case.

He pulled you in and buried his nose in your neck, causing you to squirm a little from the ticklish sensation. “Thank you, my dear wife.”

You held back the eye roll.

“Come,” he said, pulling you towards the door as men shuffled out. “I want to show you our progress.”

You hesitated. “Are you sure?” He had been keeping this project a secret for so long that you hadn’t expected to be shown anything until news came out to the general public.

He tucked your hand in the crook of his elbow. “It’s for you.”

This time, you were the one that was confused. “For me?” Suddenly, your interest piqued and you followed eagerly after him.

“Remember our trip to the south?”

You nodded, looking around as he led you through the threshold and into a grand hall. “How could I forget?”

It was a trip that was planned right after your wedding, when you were still wary about your new husband. But he was a newly-crowned king and he had to toot his wife to the land.

The crowds called the tour “The Killer Wife” which was a little morbid and odd, but you didn’t mind.

You were busy thinking about how your whole life had changed unexpectedly.

“Do you remember what you asked to do whenever we had free time?”

You thought for a bit and then pieced out your answer slowly. “To watch...plays?”

“Mhmm.” Jongin nodded as he pulled open an ornate oak door. “We must have hit every theatre along the grand river.”

You nudged his side. “You enjoyed it, too.”

He didn’t say anything, but you saw his little smile. “Instead of travelling to all those theatres, I thought we could bring them here.”

No.

No way.

Your breath caught as he pulled back a heavy blood-red curtain. You rushed to the edge of the balcony and looked down in awe. Below your footsteps was a giant ampitheatre with enough seats to fit hundreds and a stage big enough to invite a circus troupe.

“I want to showcase local talent here and bring in acts from around the land, even across the river.” Jongin came to stand beside you, gnawing casually on the fruit snacks as if this wasn’t a huge deal. “And you’ll have the best seat in the house.”

You turned and saw two grand thrones behind you.

Your lip quivered. Even with years of training to keep your emotions in check, you had a hard time holding your tears back around Jongin.

He tugged on your wrist and sat down, pulling you into his lap. “Right here,” he teased.

“Jongin,” you began, but your words got caught in your throat.

His hands tucked you into his chest and he kissed the top of your head. “Do you like it?” he murmured as if he was unsure.

You nodded with great enthusiasm. Of course you liked it! You just couldn’t get the words out.

He tilted your chin up and gently pressed a kiss to your lips. You melted at his sweet gesture and wrapped an arm around his neck to deepen the kiss.

Jongin backed away an inch. “Don’t get carried away,” he said, his hands skimming your hips. “You have a classes to teach this evening.”

“We can be quick,” you replied and kissed him again, running your fingers along the collar of his shirt. The fabric was sticking to him from the sweat he had built up after working all day. You couldn’t wait to get it off.

He chuckled. “If your students knew the kind of filthy things their king did to their beloved teacher, I’d have all their swords in my neck.”

“They love you too much to do that, Jongin,” you reassured him as you helped him pull off his shirt.

As do I, you thought.

-

You took a swig of water from your canteen as you tucked your swords away in the leather case.

“Bye, ma’am!” one of your students called from across the courtyard.

You waved with a pile of envelopes in your hand. “Goodbye! Thank you for the card!”

It was the end of the season and there would be no more classes until after the fall harvest. The students had been kind enough to make cards and bring sweets from home to share.

You had wanted to save the cards until you got home, but you couldn’t help opening one right now. Some of the kids could barely write, but you loved to see their creativity and artwork. There were definitely a few kids in this class that had outstanding potential, and they were all eager to participate in class.

You were going to miss this group.

You sat down on the bench and pulled out an envelope that had no name on it.

Your blood ran cold as you read the few words on the otherwise empty card.

Leave him tonight, or he will die.

- B

You turned the card over in your suddenly clammy hands.

This wasn’t happening.

It had been a year since you had married Jongin; there was no way your brothers out to get him now.

Looking around, you wondered if anybody was here with you, but all was empty.

You bit your lip, thinking.

A year ago, you had been sent into town by your brothers on an elaborate mission to assassinate the king. He was in need of a wife and had called in eligible women for a week of parties.

You attended with the intention to slit his throat, not marry the man.

However, the more time you had spent with him, the thought of pulling a sword on him was impossible. He was sweet and thoughtful, carefree yet had so much purpose in life.

You had almost left the castle emptyhanded on the last night when he found you with a sword in each hand.

It was an uncomfortable confrontation, one that you didn’t like to relive because you had tackled him and pointed a knife at his neck while he laid on the ground.

He didn’t even fight you.

You thought you could get it over with—cut his throat open, end the mission, and move on with your life. But you couldn’t.

Your brothers would have called you weak. It would have been the cherry on the cake for your father, who had never fully trusted your skills simply because you were a girl who begged to carry on the centuries-long family tradition and learn how to fight. You were too girly that you could be taught to fight but could not kill.

You remembered your hands being as shaky as they were now and dropping the swords and crawling off Jongin’s back.

You couldn’t look him in the eye as he sat up. All you wanted to do was hide because you had known you had to die. An attempt at assassinating the king was a death sentence for anybody.

Maybe that was why your father had insisted on sending you.

“I’m marrying you,” Jongin had declared while the two of you sat on the cold ground outside his stables.

You weren’t able to process his words for a long time. You had asked him if he was actually a mad man. A masochist. Or perhaps he was torturing you.

You remembered asking him to kill you because you couldn’t even stand yourself for your actions.

He had taken you to your rooms instead, watching over the servants as they helped you get ready for bed. And then he sat on a chair and watched you lay in bed all night.

It did feel like torture because you couldn’t sleep a wink. Too many thoughts were racing through your head, including the fear that Jongin could take revenge and kill you in your sleep.

In the depth of the night, after you had tossed and turned for the millionth time, he told you he had married you for strategic reasons. Keeping the assassin close meant if you ever killed him, everybody would know. And if anybody else killed him, they would likely be associated with you.

And so he had brought you around his entire kingdom, making sure everyone knew that you were from a family of assassins and that you were a genius with swords. The people feared you at first, but then their opinions shifted.

They saw you as a protector of their king.

You hadn’t known what to make of it at first, but you were welcomed and appreciated for your skills for the first time in your life. And somehow, day by day, you had come to love the man who said he married you as a strategy.

And now you needed to give it all up.

You didn’t want to, but you knew your brothers. They were warning you. They wanted their sister back after you gained fame. You needed to work for the family or else.

You couldn’t put Jongin’s life at risk.

You began packing your swords away, hating yourself and everything you stood for.

-

You had spent the last hour slowly inching away from Jongin’s arms. You had started the night complaining that it was too hot and that you couldn’t stand cuddling too close despite how much you wanted to. He didn’t question you even after having had two hours of rough heated sex prior to heading for bed.

You lifted the fingers that still lingered on your waist and slowly crawled off the bed, making sure not to shift the weight at all. Gently, you set his hand down and gave his thumb the tiniest rub.

You watched for a second as your husband slept peacefully, the moonlight illuminating his handsome face and the breeze from the window ruffling his hair just slightly.

A chill ran up your spine as you thought about your escape. You really needed to come up with better excuses too because the night wasn’t warm at all.

Quietly, you grabbed your cloak and carrying case from behind the chaise and sneaked out the door.

You pressed a palm to your eyes as tears threatened to push out. You didn’t have time to cry. You had to leave.

You pulled the cloak around your shift and tugged the hood over your eyes as you climbed down the servant’s staircase and out the back door.

The night was clear and you thanked your maker as you silently tread down the cobblestone into town. It was a bit of a walk, but you hadn’t lost your stealth and stamina in the past year as you taught many sword fighting lessons per week.

There were only a few lit lanterns here or there when you reached town, mostly for the pubs and taverns. You stayed in the shadows to avoid being seen even though you saw some familiar faces.

You ducked down alleyways, staying away from big streets as you mapped out your way to the gates. You were glad you had accompanied Jongin on so many trips to town because you knew this place like the back of your hand.

Once you left the gates though, you would never be back.

You pushed the thoughts away and moved forward, the gates coming into view with every step.

The steps felt like lead.

You made sure your hood was pulled down low before you came into view of the iron gate. Looking around, you could see five guards. Nobody should give you any trouble, but it was still odd to have a lone woman leaving town at this time of night.

It might have to come down to knocking these boys out.

You approached with your shoulders pulled back, trying to appear as if you had a real purpose in leaving so late.

Slowly, the guards crept away from their post.

“Miss, are you looking to go somewhere?”

You gave a mental groan. You knew that voice. It was one of your best students who had recently gotten a job with the military.

Why did he have to be stationed here tonight?

You didn’t want to have to knock him unconscious.

You stayed silent, walking forward only until you were steps away from the gate and the soldiers were flanking all sides. They were almost close enough now that you could take them down in one swoop. Just one step closer...

This had to be done quick, or else—

“Stand down, boys.”

You stiffened at the voice that came from behind you.

“Your Majesty!” one of the soldiers dropped to one knee as the others did one by one.

You didn’t dare turn around as an arm snaked around your waist. “I promised my wife we would go do some forest training tonight. She was so eager that she beat me to it.” His hand held you tight enough that you couldn’t run away.

“Of course, Your Majesty! We will open the gates right away.”

The guards ran back to their posts, shouting orders. Then the gates suddenly opened wide.

“After you,” Jongin whispered, “my dear wife.”

-

The two of you were deep into the forest before either of you said a word.

You spun around, out of his grip, and took a few steps back. Jongin held his ground.

“You need to get away from me,” you warned.

He crossed his arms, unfazed. “Why?”

You couldn’t say the truth because he would simply pull you back and his life would still be in danger. He needed to get rid of you. “Because...” You clenched your fists under the heavy sleeves of your cloak. “Because I don’t want this anymore. I don’t love you.”

Jongin stood there, still as the night. You could see his jaw tighten, but that was the only indication that he had heard your words.

“I don’t love you, Jongin,” you pushed the sentence through your teeth. “I was forced into the marriage by circumstance and I’ve had enough of it.”

A tense moment passed by and you could feel your knees getting wobbly as he stared down at you. “That’s not how you acted a few hours ago when I had you in bed.”

Your fingernails dug into your palm as you tried not to think about that. He was right, you had practically clung to him that night. But things were different now. “It’s not that hard to sell my body for safety,” you spat out.

He bristled as if you had stabbed him through the heart. “So you don’t want me,” he said as if confirming a fact.

You forced yourself to give a steady nod even as your heart threatened to crack into a million pieces.

“And you never did want me.”

You swallowed. “Never.”

He needed to leave. He needed to leave now and stop watching you because you were about to break down and weep.

You flinched when you heard an explosion in the distance. You followed Jongin’s wide gaze behind you. A tower was lit up in flames.

It was the castle.

And the tower was where you slept with Jongin every night.

There was no way around it. Your brothers had planned on killing Jongin whether you were near him or not.

Your hands shook as you grabbed Jongin’s arm, pulling him behind you.

“You need to hide.” Your voice threatened to break. Too much was happening tonight and you didn’t know if you could save him or not. Not if your brothers were armed with so much as a bomb.

You were used to close combat and maybe a few long distance weapons.

But a bomb? That was new.

You found a wide tree trunk with a huge burrow at its roots. “Get inside.” You pushed your husband into the hole, following behind him. “We need to stay here for tonight.”

“In a tree?”

You arranged your limbs so you could sit next to him. “Yes. Once they find out that you haven’t been killed, they will be looking for you.”

“Who is ‘they’?”

You licked your cracked lips, realizing how scared you really were as the quiet of the night settled in. “My brothers.” You couldn’t see the castle from here, but you could guess that everyone was awake and scrambling for their lives.

All because Jongin had married you.

You needed a plan, fast. You couldn’t risk the lives of all these people.

You didn’t realize you were pressing your cheek on Jongin’s shoulder until you felt his fingers rubbing small circles along your back. “You shouldn’t be the one comforting me,” you said even as you pressed closer.

“Because you don’t love me?” he asked even as he continued with his caresses.

Now you really hated yourself. “Because you’re the one they are after, not me.”

A long moment passed as you worried your lip and shifted your weight to get more comfortable. It was going to be a long night.

“I’ve been a target ever since I was born,” Jongin said nonchalantly. “It is a part of my life.”

“It shouldn’t be,” you refuted.

“It shouldn’t, but it is.” He pulled you onto his lap and you didn’t have the energy to fight him. The hole was small and your butt hurt from sitting on rocks. “That’s why I married you. Now sleep, my dear wife. It is going to be a long night.”

You didn’t fight him as he curled his fingers around yours. Your only job was to stay awake and watch for any movement in the night.

You ignored the voice inside of you that insisted you tell Jongin that you do love him. His words were kind, but he sounded sad and tired.

But you still had plans to leave because you couldn’t jeopardize the lives of all these people you had come to love in the last year.

You wanted to rip your hair out in frustration.

One night at a time, first.

Your eyelids were heavy as you heard the faint whistle.

“Did you hear that?” you asked in a light whisper as you reached for the sword in your boot.

“Hear what?”

Maybe you had imagined it. Maybe the fear and fatigue was getting to you. It had been years since you had trained with your brothers, coordinating attacks using little whistles. Maybe your ears were playing tricks with you.

But then you heard the click.

You flew into action, throwing your carrying case across your back as you turned in Jongin’s lap.

You tucked his head to your chest and hoped for the best. Hoped that the wooden case would give you enough coverage that whatever weapon they used would only pierce your body and not his.

You felt the pain in your shoulder and stifled a cry.

Shakily, you looked down and saw the arrow embedded in the tree trunk, pinning you there by the shoulder.

Faintly, you heard Jongin screaming your name.

You stopped yourself from screaming by concentrating on Jongin’s face. The black was creeping into your vision quickly. You were going to pass out very soon and you knew you only had a few breaths left.

Behind you, you heard shouts and swords clanging. You hoped Jongin’s guards and soldiers had come because you weren’t going to be able to protect Jongin anymore.

You struggled to focus on Jongin’s eyes as he cupped your face. He was saying something with tears running down his face. You wanted to tell him not to cry but you needed to get the most important words out first.

“I love you,” you choked out. “You know that, right?”

He had to know. He had to, or else you wouldn’t be able to die peacefully. You shoulder hurt like a beast and you wanted to be free from the pain.

“No. No, no! No, you can’t.” You heard his voice even though you weren’t sure if you were looking at him anymore.

But I do. I really love you. “I do.” You hoped he heard your last words before you lost consciousness.

-

You watched as Jongin walked away again.

You didn’t understand.

All you wanted to do was bring him snacks and tell him about the stories that Nana had told you. You wanted to protect him and do practise some basic sword training with him.

But Jongin kept turning away.

You tried to grab at his hand that always seemed so close. Maybe if you held on tight enough, he would stay.

But he never did.

You went back to sleep, wondering how you could get to him again.

-

You woke up and you weren’t in Jongin’s arms.

That was strange.

Was it because you hadn’t wanted his arms around you the last time you were in bed with him?

“I knew you were up to something when you didn’t snuggle with me that night,” a voice said.

Ah, that was why.

Well, then you just needed to find Jongin and cuddle with him to make sure he never let you go.

Where was he?

-

A huge pain ran down your arm and you found yourself pinned to a tree. You screamed and thrashed because you knew Jongin was next on the kill list.

You needed to be next to him but this goddamn arrow was stopping you.

You cried yourself to sleep because you couldn’t find him.

-

You woke up, this time in your bedroom. It was warm and there was a nice breeze coming through the window.

You needed to find Jongin.

You looked around the room and he was there, sitting on the chair beside your bed. His eyes were closed and you wanted to call his name but you couldn’t find your voice.

You had to get to him before he disappeared again.

Even though your shoulder was killing you, you sat up, groaning as you slid off the bed.

Jongin’s eyes snapped open and you could see the red veins in them.

Had he slept at all last night?

He caught you by the arms as you crawled into his lap.

“You’re here,” you croaked with your hoarse morning voice.

And he was shaking.

You curled on his lap, so happy that you had finally reached him.

“Of course I’m here,” he said, sounding just as tired as you. “Did you hear me?”

You looked up, confused at why he was crying. “No, what did you say? Wait, no, have you eaten yet? You are starting to look thin.” You touched his cheek that seemed to have sunken in, made worse by the dark circles under his eyes.

He barked out a laugh. “I haven’t eaten in a week.”

“Why not?” You shot up but he held you in his lap. “You weren’t working on the theatre this whole time, were you?”

He laughed again, burying his face in your neck. “My dear, dear wife.”

“Jongin.” You ran a hand through his ruffled hair. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” he said, shaking his head. “How is your shoulder feeling?”

You grimaced. “Like a mother.”

He laughed again, tightening his arms around you. “I told you to heal quickly because you had to come to the theatre with me.”

“Oh, you did? Of course I’m coming!”

“And we have to make those fruit strips with the recipe that Nana gave you.”

You nodded as a few memories came back. They seemed to be recent yet so long ago at the same time.

Jongin gave you a little kiss on your nose. “And I have to love you.”

“I...”

He shook his head. “You don’t have to say it.”

All of a sudden, everything came back to you. Your shoulder throbbed as you looked down and saw that you were heavily bandaged. But the pain wasn’t as bad as remembering all the hurtful words you had said.

“Jongin, I...” you stumbled on your words as he kissed you again. “I love you. I’m so sorry.”

He tilted your chin up to look at him. “I’m just glad I didn’t lose you.”

How could you have thought to run away from this man? You realized in your fevered dreams that you never wanted to leave his side.

“I’m here now,” you reassured him. “I’m not leaving.”

“Never again,” he said, pulling you in. “You nearly killed me, my dear assassin wife.”

---

ಥ‿ಥ How long has it been since I’ve written something with no explicit sex scenes? I’ve really been in the mood for some angst and suffering so I hope I delivered! Thank you for reading and have a great weekend :D

#exo #kai #exo scenarios #kai scenarios #jongin #fanfiction #kpop fanfiction #kpop scenarios

[primatechnosynthpop]

I can't choose between "you should have said that yesterday" and "maybe in another world" soooo I'll let you decide :)

Hmm... what about... both? :3 (Since you didn't specify which characters to write about I'm just doing Hiro and Ando; they seem like a safe bet where you and I are concerned)

*

For a person with superhuman abilities, particularly one who has taken it upon himself to be a hero, it's amazing how quickly life can change. One day, you're having fun, and the next...

On Sunday morning, which thanks to differing time zones was evening for their Americans friends, Hiro and Ando were invited out for drinks at a bar in New York. Hiro was initially unsure if it would be responsible, since they had work the next day, but Ando talked him into it more easily than he would have liked to admit. (Ironically, when it was revealed that it was a karaoke bar, Hiro's enthusiasm increased while Ando's diminished.) Still, both of them had a great time, especially after a couple of drinks. Hiro even managed to talk Ando into singing a duet with him.

"Ohh, you're the best friend that I've ever had!" Hiro swayed slightly on his feet as he sang. "I've been with you such a long time, you're my sunshine..."

He leaned forward, tripping over his feet in the process; without missing a beat, Ando caught him and set him back on his feet while singing the next line of the song.

"And I want you to know that my feelings are true," he crooned, holding Hiro's gaze over the top of the microphone. "I really love you~"

Hiro's cheeks, already flushed from the alcohol, grew a darker shade when Ando batted his eyes at him. Giggling, he gave a playful swat at his friend's head, like a kitten batting at a piece of string, then turned to face the other bar patrons and struck a dramatic pose as he and Ando sang out in chorus: "Ohh, you're my best friend!"

When it was creeping up on 4 AM in eastern daylight time and the bar was closing, they bode a cheerful goodbye to their friends (all of whom were in varying stages of drunkenness) and Hiro teleported them back home. Although it was only mid-afternoon in Tokyo, Hiro was exhausted after such a raucous outing, and the two glasses of cherry wine he'd gulped down were beginning to churn most unpleasantly in his stomach and dull his higher senses. Groaning, he flopped facefirst onto his bed without even taking his shoes or jacket off. He probably would have immediately fallen asleep were it not for the sensation of Ando poking him in the side.

"Oi, Hiro, this is your bedroom."

"Mm? Yeah, it is," Hiro mumbled around the fabric of his pillowcase. "So what?"

"So, take me back to my own apartment before you fall asleep."

Hiro rolled over onto his side to face Ando, who was standing over him with his arms crossed. His expression was a mixture of frustration and bemusement. Hiro gave him a sleepy, half-lidded smile.

"It's not a problem," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Just sleep here with me."

"What, like in your bed?" Ando shook his head. If he'd been thinking more clearly, Hiro might have better understood the strange look that came over his friend's face, or why he suddenly averted his eyes. "That's not happening."

"Don't sleep, then. Just go watch TV in the living room or something."

With that, Hiro rolled back over and closed his eyes. From behind him, he heard Ando sigh. A few seconds later, the weight of the bed shifted as Ando sat down next to him on the edge of the bed. He was silent for a moment before speaking up, his tone weary and almost vaguely wistful.

"That song we sang at karaoke tonight... apparently it's really about a married couple." For a moment, Hiro thought he felt something brush against his cheek, but when he opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder Ando had his hands folded in his lap and was fidgeting with them. "...Maybe in another world..."

"What?" Hiro asked, squinting in confusion. The cogs in his mind spun in an attempt to work out the meaning behind his friend's words, but those proverbial cogs were rusted from the alcohol in his system, and he had no idea what Ando was talking about. "You say strange things, Ando."

Ando laughed at that, and the bed's weight shifted again as he stood back up.

"Yeah, I guess I do," he said. "Good luck sleeping off the cherry wine, Hiro. I'll see you whenever you wake up."

*

The rest of Sunday afternoon and the following night passed in a haze. Hiro woke up at around 7 PM with a mild hangover and got up to make some instant ramen; he shared a bowl with Ando and they sat on the couch together watching reruns of an old shojo anime show until both of them fell back asleep.

When Monday morning rolled around, they were a little late getting into work. Hiro got into the shower first, and Ando yelled at him from outside to hurry up. They made each other turn around while they were getting dressed (Ando borrowed an outfit from Hiro, and it didn't fit him very well, but Hiro wasn't going to complain about the slight glimpse of midriff allowed by the hem of his top when Ando wore it). While heading out the door, Hiro stuffed a piece of toast into his mouth, and Ando joked that he looked just like the protagonist of the show they'd been watching the night before. They took the train across town to the office together, pressed snugly up against each other. With the alcohol out of his system and his mind clearer, Hiro was a bit flustered by their proximity, but somehow he found that he enjoyed it. There was something almost domestic about the whole situation, and for reasons he was currently unwilling to name, that brought him a thrill of excitement.

Kimiko arched an eyebrow at them when they arrived at Yamagato Industries, but she refrained from commenting. Hiro waved at his sister over his shoulder as he and Ando scurried down the halls to the Dial-A-Hero office. He let out a sigh of contentment as he slumped into the cushiony office chair at his desk. Ando pulled up his own office chair and took a glance at their answering machine to make sure they hadn't missed any calls before sitting down beside him.

"No calls?" Hiro asked, readying himself for the inevitable pang of disappointment that would be brought on by the response. As time went on, a few more people called to ask for their services, but they still only got one or two calls a day if they were lucky, and most of the jobs were small things that their clients just as easily could have called the fire department for.

"Actually, it looks like someone called us just a couple minutes ago," Ando said. He sounded surprised--understandable, considering the aforementioned rarity of people calling them. "But they didn't leave a message."

"Let's call them back," Hiro said, leaning eagerly across the desk to press the redial button on the answering machine. He lifted the phone off the hook and held it to his ear. It buzzed twice before someone picked up.

"Hello? Is this Dial-A-Hero? Oh, thank god you picked up!" The voice on the other end of the line sounded urgent; Hiro stiffened with alarm upon hearing shouting and what sounded like gunshots in the background. "Someone's robbing the bank! Quick, you have to stop them!"

"Who is it? What's happening?" Ando asked, leaning over to listen in on the conversation.

Hiro lowered the phone and put his hand over the mouthpiece to address his companion. "It's a bank robbery." Then, bringing the phone back up to his ear: "Where is the address? We'll be there in a moment!"

The person told them the address, and Hiro hung up the phone and grabbed his sword from where it was displayed on the wall. Putting his hand in Ando's, he squeezed his eyes shut and teleported them to the address their client had given.

Sure enough, there were three masked people standing in the middle of the bank, brandishing guns; two of them hung back while the third was aiming his weapon at the woman behind the bank counter. The other bank employees and customers were crouching down behind desks and teller machines, muttering anxiously amongst themselves. When Hiro and Ando appeared, gasps sprung up amongst the civilians; two of the robbers spun around to aim their weapons at them.

"Put down your guns and leave this building now," Hiro commanded, brandishing his sword with a stern glare. "Or my partner and I will--"

Before he could finish that thought, a rapid series of bangs rang out as the robbers fired their guns. The gasps and murmurs of the civilians broke into screams, and at his side, he heard Ando scream as well. Those sounds were abruptly cut off when Hiro froze time. Four bullets froze in midair, one of which was barely an inch away from Hiro's forehead. His heart skipped a beat at the sight of it; gulping, he lowered the bullet and then moved the other three out of his and Ando's way as well. He deposited the bullets into the trash can by the desk, where they found their place amidst a pile of crumpled receipts and candy wrappers. Then, brushing his hands off, he marched over to the robbers and pried the guns out of their hands. With the robbers unarmed, Hiro grabbed each of them in succession and teleported them to a police station, where he unfroze time and shoved the robbers toward the nearest officer.

"These men were robbing a bank," he said. "'Lock them up before they can hurt anybody else."

The police officer looked rather startled, as did the robbers, one of whom immediately spun around and tried to shoot Hiro with a gun that he no longer had. Hiro smirked, feeling quite pleased with himself as the officer looked the robbers up on their computer and announced that they had previously been charged for several counts of theft and attempted robbery. Leaving the police to take care of things, he teleported back to the bank to make sure everyone there was safe.

When he reappeared in the bank, he knew immediately that something was wrong, and it brought a sharp twisting sensation to his gut. The employees and customers who had previously been hiding were now clustered around the spot where Hiro and Ando had shown up, muttering things like "Oh my god" and "Is he going to be okay?!" Heart spiking with alarm, Hiro pushed past the gathered crowd to find Ando sprawled out on the ground, blood pooling around him. Hiro froze at the sight of his collapsed friend, blood running cold.

"Ando, what--what happened?!" he stammered, dropping to his knees and laying a hand atop the dark red stain on the front of his friend's borrowed shirt. "I stopped time before the bullets could hit us!"

"Before they could hit you," Ando corrected him, raising his head to meet Hiro's gaze. He spoke through gritted teeth, but he didn't sound angry so much as scared. "One of them had already hit me."

"What? No," Hiro whimpered, shaking his head.

It was a stupid thing to say, he knew, because the irrefutable evidence was laid out before his eyes, but... no! His mind refused to wrap itself around the fact that he, the master of time and space, had been too slow to stop the man he cared so deeply for from getting hurt. Ando must have understood that to some degree, because he didn't bother offering a retort. Sighing, he laid his head back down on the cold tile floor of the bank, while around them the civilians parted and he heard someone in the background talking about calling an ambulance.

Hands trembling, Hiro pushed up the bottom of Ando's shirt so he could see the injury. Sure enough, a bullet was embedded in his upper abdomen, exposing a grisly mess of blood and flesh that made Hiro gag. All the while, blood continued to pour from the wound, seeping between the tiles of the floor and soaking through Hiro's pant legs as he knelt beside his friend.

"You... you'll be okay," Hiro told him, and it came out sounding like a command. "You have to be okay!"

Ando began to open his mouth but then closed it again, as if changing his mind about what to say. He brought his hand up to lay it atop Hiro's, threading their fingers together, and gave him a sad smile.

"Hiro... I love you."

The words pierced through Hiro as though he were the one who'd just been shot. He understood the finality concealed behind that confession. And the worst part was that, now that he heard those words spoken aloud, only now could he put a name to the feelings that flared up in his heart whenever he was with Ando. The feelings he had harbored for years now. The feelings he had been too scared to acknowledge, for fear that they weren't reciprocated. And in that moment, when the palm of his hand was wet and sticky with Ando's slowly draining lifeblood, a jolt of misplaced anger surged through Hiro.

"You should have said that yesterday!" he blurted.

The melancholy expression on Ando's face didn't waver, even as a trickle of blood dribbled out the corner of his mouth. "What difference would it make?" he asked, words coming out slightly slurred as though it were still the day before and they were drunk and partying with their friends.

"Because if you told me then, I would have known what I felt, too," Hiro said, although he could barely choke the words out around the thick lump of emotion swelling in his throat. "And we could have taken today off so I could--I could kiss you, and--and we could date, and... and I never would have let you put yourself in danger again."

As he spoke, Ando's hand grew limp atop his own, and his skin gradually became cooler to the touch. That sad, regretful smile was still on his face when his eyes fell closed and his head lolled to the side. Cold, harsh dread clamped around Hiro's heart like the steel of a hunting trap closing around its prey, and he desperately grabbed his companion by the shoulders, lifting him off the ground.

"I love you, too!"

The confession was swallowed up by a sob that wracked Hiro's body, so he yelled it out again, and then over and over again as hot tears welled up in his eyes and poured down his cheeks.

"I love you, Ando. I've loved you for a long time. I should have told you... I love you, I love you, I love you!"

He rocked back and forth on his heels as he made his declarations, clutching his companion's unmoving body to his chest. But no matter how tightly he held Ando's body, no matter how passionately he cried out his feelings, Hiro knew it was too late. He had failed the man he loved, and now... and now...

Maybe in another world.

Ando's words from the previous day echoed in his mind, and now Hiro understood them. In another world--another timeline--if either of them had been bold enough to confess their love, they could have been together. Whether or not that would have changed the outcome of this day, Hiro didn't know. It didn't make a difference now anyway. In this world, he sat alone on a cold tiled floor, soaked through with the blood of the man he loved, with nothing to show for his love other than a lifeless body in his arms.

"I love you," he whispered through his tears one final time, just in case it would somehow make a difference or change what had happened.

It didn't.

#asks #jean--valswan #heroes #hey did you know that i write stuff sometimes?

[sad-sweet-cowboah]

All Fair’s Fun

So someone asked me a while ago to write reader taking Arthur to the carnival, but I changed it to a county fair cause those are bigger and funner :)

I tried this is so lame I *flitters away*

“Arthur!” You called out in a sing-song voice as you walked in the house. You spotted him lounging on the sofa, fixated on the TV. Your voice roused him as he sat up, a smile on his face.

“Afternoon, darlin’,” he greeted as he stood up to close the space between you two. He gave you a peck on the lips. “You’re soundin’ chipper.”

Returning the kiss, you smiled at him. “That’s cause the county fair is in town!”

“County fair?” He repeated. “Those still exist?”

“Yes Arthur,” you answered with a giggle. “It’s one of my favorite events of the year, so we’re gonna go tonight!”

He couldn’t help but to chuckle at your enthusiasm. “Alright then, can’t wait for you to show me your favorite event.”

It wasn’t long before you were out of your work clothes and into something more casual, donning a simple tank top covered by a flannel and jean shorts. While the sun was low in the sky, the heat of the day still remained. The two of you hopped into your car and drove off, your excitement bubbling as the horizon gave way to the brightly flashing rides and colorful tent tops.

Glancing towards Arthur to see his reaction, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of the rides. When you’d pulled into a parking spot and got out, he finally spoke. “Never seen anythin’ like that before. What are they?”

You smiled, reaching to loop your arm through his. “They’re rides, Arthur. They’re supposed to be fun.”

“Fun?” He repeated, his gaze set towards the Ferris wheel. “Bein’ up that high?”

“You’ll see.” Was all you said as you led him toward the gates. After waiting a decent amount of time, paying the entry fee and acquiring wristbands, you entered inside the fair. As it was dusk, the place was expectedly packed. Your ears rang with the sounds of carnie games, the unmistakable dings of the bells, indicating winners. Children ran around, their mouths sticky with cotton candy and other sweets.

Arthur dodged a couple of boys running wildly, wielding plastic swords. “Whoa-they let them kids play like that?”

You giggled at his reaction. “They’re fake, Arthur. They’re about as sharp as a paper ball. Though they still hurt if you get whacked with ‘em.”

He blinked in disbelief, and then shook his head with a slight chuckle. His gaze traveled across the fair as you walked slowly through the crowd with him. You’d been so lost in your own thoughts that you almost didn’t feel the tug on your arm. You stumbled to keep yourself balanced, only to realize that Arthur’s solid body was pulling you elsewhere. “Arthur-” you began, about to ask where he was taking you when the sight before you answered.

The one booth with guns. Of course.

He stepped up to the counter, immediately grabbing for one of the rifles that were placed upon it. They were definitely old and worn, although the look on his face told you he didn’t care.

Although the worker behind the counter peered at him with a surprised curiosity. You knew Arthur only sometimes had a competitive spirit. You understood why he was attracted to this booth. You stepped forward and paid for a round, allowing the worker to explain the rules and attempted to go over how to use the gun, but Arthur waved him off as he expertly wielded it, tucking the stock to his shoulder as he aimed down the sights.

You hadn’t watched him use any sort of firearm since…well, he was still in his game. Since his actual weapons were collecting dust in your closet, he hadn’t used one in months. While you’d gotten used to the sight of him firing his carbine repeaters and cattleman revolvers off the back of a galloping horse, seeing this held a different feeling altogether.

He had a look of focus etched across his face, his blue eyes trained to the targets. They weren’t anything but moving duck targets. You watched as he squeezed the trigger, promptly nailing the first with ease.

The rest went down easily him firing with absolutely no hesitation. Every target had fallen within fifteen seconds.

“Whoa.” You murmured, your eyes going wide.

Arthur placed the gun down, a small smile on his lips. He turned to you, the smug look prominent on his face. “What?” he asked, noting your look.

“That was…so cool!” you exclaimed.

He gave a slight shrug. “S’only natural for me.” He turned when the worker cleared his throat, wordlessly pointing to the many prizes hanging within the booth. Looking back at you, he said, “Your pick, darlin’.”

---

A little while later, you sat yourself at a picnic table, munching on greasy fair food. The giant Rottweiler plushie that you’d picked from the booth leaned on the table next to you. Arthur walked up with two glasses full of beers, sitting across from you.

“Might as well call this piss,” Arthur said before taking a swig, his nose crinkling from the taste. “And folks are lined up for this stuff.”

You giggled. “That’s why it’s cheap. Easy way to make money and easy way to get drunk.” You took a drink of your own, managing to get past the awful taste.

Arthur mumbled about having something better, yet he drank some more anyway.

Some more time had passed and you both had finished and you wanted to check out some rides. Arthur gazed around at them, the uncertainty pain on his face as he viewed the large and fast ones. You looked around as well, figuring you would start him off easy and work your way up.

You coaxed him onto the swing ride, pointing out there was nowhere to go but in a circle. He wasn’t too keen on how small the seats were, yet after allowing him to watch the ride go a few moments, he reluctantly agreed to get on.

Watching him sit awkwardly into the seat was entertaining, to say the least. Once everyone has been strapped in, the ride ascended and slowly began to spin. The warm summer air gently blew through your hair as you gazed at the lights below for a moment before looking toward Arthur again.

His grip on the chains were tight, his eyes directly on you. He was nervous, although tried to hide it behind a stoic expression. You didn’t say anything, only gestured below. He was hesitant, but eventually peered downward. You could see his eyes widen, but a slow smile crossed his face.

“Hey, this ain’t half bad!” he exclaimed enthusiastically.

“Told ya!” you responded over the gust of air.

He’d visibly relaxed throughout the remainder of the ride, which allowed it to be easier to convince him to go on more rides. From the bumper cars to the tilt-a-whirl, the pirate ship to the music express. He even gave the mechanical bull a go, which he managed to hold on for longer than average before finally falling off. He explained he’d been used to that sort of sensation from trying to break wild horses.

It was great to see him smile and laugh, as well as downing more alcohol in between activities. Decidedly taking a short break from the rides, you wandered back to some game booths.

You challenged Arthur to a few, in which you failed miserably, it wasn’t a surprise. He made it up by using his victories to earn you more prizes, thankfully small ones as you still lugged around the giant Rottie. You managed to win one, though. The water gun race which he somehow struggled to keep his hands steady for. You made it up to him by giving him a plushie of a white horse, a little reminder of his white Arabian.

You’d wandered over by a stage, where a band was performing covers of country music. Calm and relaxing to set the general mood of the night. You stopped for a while to listen, Arthur humming along to the music.

After regaining your energy, Arthur found a small stables tucked in the corner of the fairgrounds, with many horses and other farm animals on display. Arthur didn’t hesitate to spend some time with the horses, as it was the first time since his arrival since he’d seen one.

As the night wore on, Arthur had taken some of your prizes to hold for you, and you had to admit, it was adorable watching him carry around the biggest one.

“Y/N, do I got somethin’ on my face?” he suddenly asked.

You blinked. “Wha-?”

“You’re starin’ at me.” he pointed out.

You turned away, your face flushing slightly. You didn’t mean for him to catch you, and it was too awkward to explain the reason to him. Your eyes traveled across the fair, the ferris wheel practically a beacon in your view. “Hey, wanna go on that?”

Thankfully, Arthur didn’t press the matter. He looked to where you gestured, and nodded thoughtfully. “Okay then.”

After fifteen minutes of waiting on line, you’d managed to get a car for the two of you. The ferris wheel slowly made its way around, allowing a clear view of the entire fair. Arthur leaned over to observe, the lights shining in his blue eyes. His lips turned in a small smile, he said, “This is nice.”

You nodded. “Every year, I always wrap up my night here with the ferris wheel.”

“I can see why, it’s a great view,” He turned to look at you. “Beautiful.”

“Very.” you agreed.

He chuckled slightly. “I mean you, darlin’.”

That caught you off guard. Your face burned for the second time that night. Sure, you were used to hearing his compliments, although they still made your heart flutter every time. Shyly tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, you said, “Arthur, you’re making me blush.”

His smile, oh that smile of his. He reached over, his calloused hands gentle on your cheeks. Leaning forward, he placed a gentle kiss on your lips. He held it, his mouth soft against yours. You weren’t sure if the ride stopped or if it were still moving. Either way, you felt weightless.

He finally pulled back mere inches to whisper, “Thanks for takin’ me.”

#Arthur Morgan x reader #Arthur Morgan

[pops-and-kids]

5 per commander THIS BE A LONG POST BOI LET’S GO

Pops:

Only somewhat decent with math. He didn’t really get an education and instead learned on the go by book. Most of his math related knowledge revolves around ship related things as he was already on a pirate crew at a young age.

NEVER. FORGETS. A NAME. How he does this no one knows, but he ALWAYS can put a name to a face, even after only meeting them once.

He can sing pretty well, and because of his larger than life lung capacity he can sing for quite a while without having to take a breath.

Whitebeard isn’t against female pirates, but the courtesies from when he was younger, like “open a door for a lady” and “offer to take a ladies coat for her” are so ingrained in his mind that he prefers they stay out of the line of fire and protect them. Of course this doesn’t apply to every woman on the ship as they are capable fighters and he wouldn’t hold them back against their will.

Loves picking up and holding his children. If someone needs attention or is having a rough time he will pick them up and hold them close; Unless they’re too large in which case he’ll just hug them.

Marco:

Has made a bird joke about himself once and regrets it. Thatch will never let him live it down.

Whenever someone yells his name to get his attention there’s at least 5 people who yell out “polo” in response at all times.

Actually somewhat nearsighted and needs glasses but refuses to wear them.

When the crew was smaller he used to turn into his bird form and sleep on Pop’s shoulder. Now he won’t unless they’re in private.

He has a bad leg. Despite his healing abilities his right leg tends to ache after fights.

His neck acts the same in human form as it does in bird form when he’s not paying attention and coffee deprived. It’s kind of both hilarious AND unsettling.

Ace:

There’s a billboard in the dining hall to remind people to catch Ace before he face plants in his food during a narcoleptic episode. Do people listen to it? No, but it’s there.

Was shipwright enemy #1 during the 100 days of trying to kill Pops. It’s still joked about to this day.

Can actually fly with his fire but hasn’t trained with it enough for it to be viable.

He can control fire, but only to a certain extent. If there’s a cart on fire he can try and drag it to him, but a forest fire or a large house is impossible. His own fire can be put out easily by his will, but non-devil fruit related fires has a will of their own.

Had never seen a horse before and Haruta took advantage of that fact, convincing him they didn’t exist. Naturally, when he first saw one he freaked out and legit thought they were some mythical or extinct creature.

Jozu:

Loves hard candies because of the baffled and horrified expressions everyone gives him as he cracks through 3 jawbreakers like it’s nothing a la diamond teeth.

He’s well known for throwing himself over his family to protect them. In cases were the Moby is taking canon fire suddenly and there’s people too close to the railing he wont hesitant to yank them out of the way and turn himself into diamond to protect them.

When scared or startled he will freeze up like a deer in headlights. It would be funny if his fight or flight instinct didn’t kick in seconds later and now there’s a human shaped hole in the wall.

Wears tank tops and jeans on a daily basis. That armour is stuffy and you think he wears it 24/7? Hell no.

Nervous eater.

Thatch:

Has like 40 recipe books and knows which one has what recipe he wants.

His memory isn’t as impressive as Pops, but he KNOWS when he recognizes a face, even when he has no idea what their name is.

Keeps track of what you like and dislike religiously.

How did he get that scar? Who knows! It’s a different story each time

He just wants everyone to be happy and feel loved, which has led to him earning many scars both physically and emotionally.

Vista:

Sings in the shower 100%

GREAT during parties on islands! Not only does he have plenty of tricks to show but he can mix a damn good drink as well.

Would 100% be that one kid in drama club that takes things too far.

Scarily good actor and it’s a good thing he’s naturally honest. If he were to lie in your face you wouldn’t know unless he told you.

If you hear “Do you want to hear a story?” prepare for a roller coaster of emotions.

Blamenco:

WILL GIVE YOU THE BIGGEST HUG IN ALL THE LAND

Soft boi

His weight fluctuates with how much is in his pockets. If he’s near empty he’s much thinner and muscular looking, but carrying a lot and he has his signature lorge friend shape.

Can’t hold a living creature in his pockets for too long without it feeling too weird.

Doesn’t hold items for Haruta and Thatch all too often due to unknowingly hiding weapons of war (aka prank items)

Not a hoarder despite what one may think upon seeing his devil fruit

Rakuyo:

Macey is a demonic chain chomp and you can’t say otherwise.

He’s constantly added more details and layers to his outfits. He’s not into fashion, but he definitely has an eye for it.

Takes the quickest showers out of anyone

Has daggers under his clothes. Never unarmed.

Room is tediously cleaned except when he’s having a fit. You can always tell his mental state by the state of his room.

Namur:

Never hated humans like some fishman, but was very wary of them before meeting Pops.

His division has other fishman in it, but they mainly stay in the water and are rarely seen on the ship.

Any jokes about cannibalism because of the ‘fish’ side of fishman will result in a retort about him maybe being a cannibal of the ‘man’ side. He’s scared newbies half to death with this.

His room has been mistaken as a bathroom as he doesn’t have a bed or bathroom but instead a shallow pool with shells and coral from the sea.

Has fought to the death with other fishman to protect his family and has seen his family fight to the death with other humans for him. He’s not proud of it and hates how things get that far.

Blenheim:

Carries family around on his shoulders often because he can.

When he has a task he hyper focuses on it, even if it means he pulls an all nighter to finish.

Loves obstacle courses and if it weren’t for his immense size would probably complete Wipe Out or American Ninja Warrior in record time.

Is very indecisive about things outside of work. Knows EXACTLY what parts be needs to keep the ship going but has NO idea what the hell he wants for lunch.

May seem intimidating but is very much a teddy bear on the inside

Curiel:

“WHATEVER YOU DO DON’T FILL A SUPER BIG GULP CUP WITH FIVE HOUR ENERGY AND CHUG THE WHOLE THING”

Has a manic episode at least 3 times a week.

Colour blind. His goggles are tinted red because of a formula that allows him to see colour. They’re also a hybrid of eye protection and glasses.

Is covered in scars from both childhood and projects gone wrong, mainly on his back and legs.

Has invented a duck-themed weapon just so he can yell “DUCK” and it actually be a duck. A duck that is a bomb, that is.

Kingdew:

Has an AMAZING singing voice and can play the guitar. When the crew has parties he’s always nominated to play.

Has written songs before but is too shy to share them. Thatch stole one of his song sheets before and ended up in the nurse's room after a thorough asswhooping.

Soft boi x2

Is farsighted and needs glasses to read small print, but he doesn’t need them outside of that.

The rings that seemingly bolt his cape to his shoulders are actually there for medical reason.

Haruta:

Partially blind. Their eye colour isn’t like that for no reason. They aren’t fully blind however, and can still see distinct features, silhouettes, and some very watered down colour.

Because of their partial blindness Haruta actually has some of the strongest haki out of the whitebeard crew as they use it to navigate around. Started haki training under Marco and Izou and it grew very strong as they developed.

Learned their double sword technique from Vista, who is also their closest brother.

A complete lil shit. An absolute gremlin. 100% a memelord.

Has a hoard of assorted doo-dads. They have bags full of stuff that seemingly has no purpose, but they have it. Also has a very extensive bottle cap collection!

Atmos:

The jolly green giant.

Loves partying and drinking and likes to live in the moment.

Need a hug? Go to Atmos, he’ll hug you and let you cry it out while telling you some nice stories.

“MY HELMET IS STUCK” “Maybe you shouldn’t CHARGE LIKE AND ACTUAL BULL then”

Braids his beard when nervous.

Jiru:

Dyslexic. He was trying to fix this before he met Pops as he truly did want to be a doctor, but couldn’t because of his condition. When he met Pops, however, he not only gave him a chance, but assisted him in overcoming it.

Since his division is 85% nurses he knows ALL the ship gossip and rumors. And he WILL use it against you if you refuse treatment.

Goes stir crazy when not on an island for a long time. The boy needs to run free!

Is allergic to cats but he must pet them each time he sees one. Who cares if he’s sneezing for the next hour and can’t see, he got to pet that cute calico!

He’s tried to get his siblings to use shields, but so far only a handful do. A shield isn’t just for protection, it can also be used as a weapon and he wishes more people saw them as less of a cheap cop-out and more of a defensive tactic.

Fossa:

Is the quietest commander, not for shyness or lack of things to say, but because he prefers to plan his words carefully and watch those around him.

Works at a steady pace and encourages others to do so to lessen injury and stress.

Always has a cigar on him and a collection of lighters.

Pops may be their father but Fossa is very much the uncle of the crew and some see him as a second father figure.

The flaming sword was an accident but it’s a perfect intimidation weapon, especially for when he doesn’t actually feel like fighting.

Izou:

The designs he has on some of his guns were made by him and done by Fossa.

Has been accused of wearing a wig before because of how perfectly kept his hair is. The accuser was tied to the mast for 3 hours until the shipwrights could figure out how to undo the knots.

Got gossip? Izou already knows.

Will sell your soul for a cornchip if you piss him off badly enough.

Doesn’t wear kimono’s 24/7 despite what you may think. That’s his go-to outfit, yes, but his wardrobe is expansive, going from from crop tops and shorts to expensive suits and elaborate dresses and kimonos

#answered #((I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS!! IT TOOK A LONGASS TIME)) #headcanons #Pops : Whitebeard #Whitebeard pirates #Whitebeard #Marco #Marco the phoenix #Portgas D. Ace #Jozu #Diamond Jozu #Thatch #Vista #Blamenco #Rakuyo #Namur #Blenheim #Curiel #Kingdew #Haruta #Atmos #Jiru #fossa #Izou #((HOLY MAMA that too forever)) #((Both the headcanons and the tags)) #((lol)) #((long post is long))

[xathia-89]

Long Lost Sibling - Kenshin

I was still trying to process the past day as I was sat with my husky dog between my legs in the most unladylike manner possible. I had started off in Kyoto, I was there as part of the recruitment team who were attending a job fayre at the local university. Most people wouldn’t think about joining the military to do anything non-combat based, but when you bring my absolutely adorable, albeit mostly useless, k9 partner into things, it’s a good attraction point. I hadn’t kept track of any sign ups or further information requests, I was just there to make sure Shin didn’t go on the hunt for anything sweet based. It was a nightmare enough that the only sugary items I could ever keep around me were the sour candies I was known for, mostly because he couldn’t stand them.

It was a long story as to how I ended up with a k9 partner in the first place, as officially, I shouldn’t have had him. I worked as a vet with additional duties as a dog trainer. I trained Shin, and he passed everything with just about perfect marks. But then he wouldn’t leave me, every person who he was assigned to, kept complaining he wouldn’t listen to their commands or do as he was trained to. So I’d end up reassessing him, and everything would be fine until one of our superiors decided to get a colleague of mine to try. Turns out that Shin had gotten more than a little attached to me, and had worked out that if he didn’t do what he was meant to, then he would be brought back to see me. Strings were pulled, and I made a really strong case for the fact that I could be in the middle of surgery in the battlefield and the enemy could attack, and a ‘one-off’ was made for Shin and me. I hadn’t told anyone how I had named that particular bunch of dogs since I knew they’d just make fun of me for being so obsessed with such an old school era of history. Every dog in Shin’s class had been named after a Sengoku warlord, and Shin was named after Kenshin Uesugi because of the heterochromia which just struck me as something that reminded me of that particular warlord.

I was sat in 1582, in a kimono of all things, in a room in Azuchi castle after saving Nobunaga from the flames of Honno-Ji. I had met every warlord I had studied at school, and I was in awe a little. This just had to be a dream, until Sasuke re-introduced himself as the original reason we had arrived here. Shin practically bowled him over and started licking his face in greeting, a complete 180 from the lead up to the wormhole. He was a ninja, and I’d already summarised that he worked for the enemy judging from his need to enter my room through the ceiling. He gave me a slight smile and said he had to remember that I worked for the military and said that it was likely to be best if we kept it quiet that we came from the future. I asked about dogs in this era of Japan since Hideyoshi had decided that Shin was a wolf who was fully prepared to kill Nobunaga, and the staff still weren’t convinced he wasn’t going to go feral and kill them all in an instant. He reminded me that pets weren’t always that much of a thing for some time before letting me know that he’d try to keep in regular touch after advising me to get to know the warlords around me before our three months were up.

For a few days, everyone kept their distance. It was impossible to track down Hideyoshi to find out what I was meant to be doing as Chatelaine, and all of the staff were still terrified of Shin. Then I spotted Mitsunari in the library and noticed that he clearly hadn’t moved lately.

I tapped the angel on the shoulder, then pulled on his cowlick before resorting to pulling the book out of his hands to get his attention.

“Oh, Lady Natsuki,” his smile would cure anything, I was sure of that. “Is there something I can help with?”

“Yes, we’re going on a walk, it will do you some good,” I replied, already pulling the man to his feet.

“But what about your duties?” He stammered as I linked my arm through his, a blush peppering his cheeks.

“I can’t find Hideyoshi to know what they are, and I could tell from how you were sat that you hadn’t moved in too long,” I snorted. Shin was barking excitedly and bounding ahead of us. “You can show me around the gardens, it’s too nice of a day to be spent hunting out Hideyoshi,” I smiled. “Plus he’ll probably come and find us if he can’t find you,” I added on.

As I predicted, it took about an hour or so, but the vassal was storming through the grounds and practically foaming at the mouth. We were in the middle of a discussion on battlefield strategies, when he dove between us, with an especially heated glared at me.

“I think I won that bet,” I smiled at Mitsunari, who was struggling not to laugh at his Lord’s actions. “You owe me a trip out to the teahouse.”

Shin came bouncing over and started to lick Toyotomi’s face vigorously. It startled the man, and I was struggling to remove the giant puppy from one of the most dangerous men in this era while giggling furiously.

“You haven’t been near any fruits, have you?” I asked, trying to keep my dog out of harm’s way.

“I came through the kitchens, they’ve probably had some in,” the vassal grumbled. “What are you two doing anyway?”

“I couldn’t find you, then I noticed Mitsunari in the library and it looked like he hadn’t moved for a while since there was dust settling around him, so I decided to bring him out for a walk and some fresh air. I then bet him a date to the teahouse that you would find out he’s missing and come out looking for us, while he said you wouldn’t,” I shrugged. “Anyway, did you want one of us for something?”

“Masamune has dinner ready, so I was looking for Mitsunari to make sure he ate something,” Hideyoshi frowned. “And knowing him, there’ll be enough for you as well.”

“Or I could just go and bother the kitchen staff, “I brushed off, “Let me know when you’re free Mitsunari,” I smiled, calling for Shin to follow me to the kitchens.

I was a little surprised to find that I was being summoned to a war council, and even more so to find out that they had realised I was able to help out Ieyasu in the medical department. Mitsunari announced my talents with such an innocent smile that I couldn’t even try to be mad at him. Though Nobunaga did then announce, I was also going as his good luck charm, to which my good mood vanished. I was merely a trophy to parade it seemed, I just had other uses, as well as I, gritted my teeth behind my neutral mask.

It was then another fight with Hideyoshi to not leave my dog behind.

“No, you’re not bringing it with us!” Toyotomi yelled as I appeared to leave.

“He’ll follow me,” I argued, folding my arms as everyone else looked on in amusement. “So he might as well be incorporated into the whole thing because this is exactly what he was trained to do is protect me on the battlefield from any of the enemy sneaking up on me in the middle of surgery!” I snapped, my voice getting progressively louder.

“If he’s just going to follow then you might as well just let her have her way,” Date chuckled as Oda smirked at the scene. I scoffed and ignored Nobunaga’s outstretched hand while mounting behind him on the horse.

I was glad to reach the designated spot and be able to busy myself away from the warlords. Well, I had to stay with Ieyasu, but we never spoke to each other, there just wasn’t a need unless it was to determine if something was missing from the medical kits. Hideyoshi was continually glaring at me, though Shin was doing as I had already predicted and just sat at my feet as we finished sorting out the medical tent that was also doubling up as my tent. At least if it didn’t look like there was anyone else in the camp, then it would make me less of an obvious target. I had to smile at my past memories of being on tour, and that I had thought fatigues were terrible. I had to keep myself prepped in a kimono here, I had been toying with the idea of designing my own outfit and heading for my preferred dress style of trousers, maybe even going for something similar to what Sasuke wore.

I turned my head at the sound of the tent flap lifting and smiled as it turned out to be Mitsunari.

“The battle starts at first light,” his serious tone made my smile dip a little. It was making me want to do anything to change his expression for some reason. “The scouts have already left, and Lord Nobunaga has decided that you are staying here at first with Ieyasu,” he explained.

“I’m sure Ieyasu isn’t pleased with that decision,” I commented.

“He did say he wasn’t here to play babysitter, but I get the feeling you can look after yourself,” he replied.

“I’m glad for the vote of confidence,” I patted his cheek. “Go and rest up, I’ll get something to eat and put this dope on guard duty,” I smiled, ruffling Shin’s fur as his ears perked up at the mention of food.

Seeing how enthusiastic the troops were on their return from the battle made me nostalgic in some ways. I had to admire the warlords for their leadership. In my experience, the generals would sit back and instruct the pawns, while these insane idiots would lead the charge. I was curious about how battle worked, but I was needed too much on the medical front to slip away for some views. Especially once Ieyasu told me he was leaving me in charge of the camp and mounted his own horse to go and join the fight. I was jealous in some aspect that I couldn’t do the same. I was dabbing at a sword wound to Nobunaga’s arm when Date was yelling and mounting his horse in a fury.

“Hold up!” Hideyoshi yelled, pulling on the reigns of the horse as we all emerged to the scene. Shin was sniffing the air in curiosity, and I wasn’t sure what was going on.

“My scouts are missing,” Masamune snapped. “I need to go and find them,” he growled as I was struggling to now restrain a very determined husky dog from leaping through the gates.

I fell face first onto the floor as Shin barked excitedly and dashed off quicker than I could react. I heard them shouting my name before I was hitched up by the obi onto Date’s horse as he thundered up to me. I was grateful that he didn’t turn around, instead of catching up to the dog in time for us to see two horses galloping towards us. Shin couldn’t contain himself and started yapping happily at the feet of the man I didn’t recognise. Sasuke was on the horse next to the unknown male, but there was definitely battle in his eyes.

Masamune was shocked as I pulled a short sword out from my sleeve and blocked his attack on the other male as the ninja stopped his Lord from doing the same.

“No wonder you took off without a second thought lass,” he muttered, though his glare was now on the snowy-white haired male astride the horse opposite. “What have you done with them?” He snapped.

“What are you talking about? You’ve taken ours,” the other male accused as I shared a look with Sasuke.

“Are you missing some scouts as well?” I asked, interrupting the inevitable from Date.

“Some ninjas,” the astrophysicist replied.

I dismounted the horse, much to Masamune’s displeasure, I had the feeling he was enjoying having me that close to him. I then managed to wrestle Shin back into my arms after a long battle, and some bribery as I pulled a few dog treats out from my obi.

“I have an idea,” I announced to the warlords. “Masamune, go and get some clothing that belongs to our missing scouts, Sasuke, if you could get the same from your missing ninjas,” I smiled. “I think Shin should be able to track them.”

This had always been a party trick at Azuchi, so Date looked surprised to see me effectively proposing a game at such a time.

“It’s not a game this time,” I promised. “I’ll wait here, with my dog and sword and you two go and fetch the things,” I smiled.

Sasuke had already left by the time I finished my sentence, and I gave Masamune a look as the other warlord dismounted his horse to get a closer look at my utterly inappropriate dog. It was a tense silence as Date galloped off, I had no idea who I was with, but Shin was obsessed with the man as the dog leapt from my arms and knocked him flat on the floor before licking his face enthusiastically.

“I am so sorry!” I gasped, trying to pull the husky off the warlord.

“What kind of wolf is this?” He grunted, finally sitting up as I managed to get Shin under my control.

“He’s not a wolf, he’s a dog,” I corrected him. “He normally hates people, so I don’t get why he’s so friendly with you,” I apologised as Shin started licking my face. “Yes, you’re a giant puppy and useless at times like this,” I snorted, fussing the dog a little roughly.

“Who are you anyway, and who brings a woman onto the battlefield?” The man frowned, eyeing me up and down.

“She’s their healer,” Sasuke interrupted. “And this is Lord Kenshin since I know he wouldn’t have introduced himself,” the ninja smiled and dismounted to put himself on our level.

He looked surprised as I bowed politely to the warlord while Masamune arrived back at double pace.

I collected all the scraps of fabric and got Shin’s attention with the last dog treat I had in my obi, ignoring the comments from Date about what I had hidden on my person. Then I bolted after him as he dashed through the forest. I left the men in the dust, I could keep track at first, but dogs have a much better stamina than humans as I made sure to keep track of the blips of white and the visible dog tracks that he left as he tore through the woods.

I was hoisted up again by the obi, though I was surprised to see it was Kenshin this time on his horse as I issued the directions of the fleeing dog. There wasn’t any need for further discussion as we practically fell over the husky who was loitering on the outskirts of a clearing. He knew how to stick to the shadows as we waited for Sasuke and Date to catch up. The missing ninjas and scouts were all tied up, while they had men guarding them.

“Kennyo’s men,” Masamune muttered from our hiding spot. “Natsuki, stay here,” he grumbled before dashing straight in for a fight.

Kenshin was following the mad man instantly before I shared a look with Sasuke, and I promptly ignored the one instruction I’d been given.

Most of the former monks were facing Kenshin and Masamune, as I took them out by the backs of their knees and ankles. I figured there was going to be a lot of questioning to be done, and it was impossible to ask the dead what the plan had been.

“Natsuki!” Date scolded me as I took out a man aiming for his head.

“I took your advice and ignored it,” I laughed, swinging my blade across the side of a man’s knee who thought I could be an easy target as Shin dragged him to the floor by his arm before I kicked him in the jaw to put him down for a nap.

“How are we getting them all back then?” I paused, looking at the underlings that were now all tied up as the ninjas and scouts were looking intrigued about the rescue party.

“Well, which camp are we taking them to is the best question,” Date replied, stiffly eyeing up Uesugi.

“I believe yours is closer than ours,” he formally replied. “The woman will ride with me,” Kenshin instructed.

“The woman has a name,” I sarcastically added on.

“Natsuki is an Oda Princess, she’s not about to ride with an enemy warlord,” Masamune argued.

“How about I ride with Kenshin, and Sasuke goes with you,” I interrupted. “Masamune will lead the way, and we will take up the rear.”

“I like it when you get bossy lass,” Date chuckled, and gave me a peck on the cheek before I could slap him away.

“It’s an appropriate compromise,” I stated and glared at the one-eyed dragon as the ninjas and scouts arranged themselves accordingly before I went to hoist myself onto Kenshin’s horse.

He surprised me as I was then sat firmly in his arms when I had gone to sit behind him. “I’d like to keep you where I can see you,” he firmly said.

“My short swords are up my sleeves,” I shrugged but offered no physical resistance as we set off. Shin was trotting along at the side of us, looking very proud of himself for some reason as I was pondering if I had any more treats in my tent.

“Natsuki!” Hideyoshi was already running up to us with a telling off of the century all prepared for me.

“What rule did I break that I wasn’t aware of this time?” I snapped as Kenshin helped me to dismount.

I paused as I got my first good look at the enemy warlord in some light, and I felt the camp held its breath along with me. Uesugi was wide-eyed while facing me.

“Natsuki, you look just like Kenshin,” Mitsunari broke the silent spell that had been woven.

Hideyoshi had me in a headlock, while Shin was now attacking his legs while I was struggling and trying to punch him where no male liked to be hurt. Mitsunari was pulling on his Lord as Kenshin had his arms around my waist. Nobunaga was stunned to see the chaos as Masamune was trying to figure out where to get involved, and Sasuke was trying to restrain my husky.

Uesugi wouldn’t let go of my waist as we all went flying in different directions. Shin was growling at Hideyoshi as the ninja had gotten him pinned to the floor finally while Mitsunari and Ieyasu had Toyotomi restrained with his arms held behind his back.

All of the Oda forces were staring at Kenshin and me with slack jaws.

“You really can’t tell me they aren’t related,” Hideyoshi growled.

“There’s a resemblance, yes, it doesn’t mean I’m a spy,” I snapped back, still trying to get out of Uesugi’s hold. “Since when have I done anything to warrant your hostility?”

“She’s had every opportunity Hideyoshi, and she’s done nothing but prove her worth,” Nobunaga gave a warning to his vassal. “Kenshin,” Oda’s tone made me freeze but caused the man holding me to look his enemy in the eye finally. “You had a sister that went missing a long time ago.”

“Natsuki,” he breathed, as my dreams flickered through my head. A young boy with the same mismatched eyes as mine, holding his hand out and telling me to come home while we were stood in a meadow under the moonlight. A slightly older version was scolding my stance as I picked up a short sword, and then correcting it diligently.

“I believe there is some catching up to be done by you both,” Nobunaga shrugged. “Until we leave the battlefield, then I believe there is an adequate amount of time to do so.”

“She’s an Uesugi Princess, she returns with me,” Kenshin corrected him as I came to my senses.

“I’ll go where I like thank you both,” I interrupted. “Now, seeing as both of you had soldiers captured by Kennyo, wouldn’t it be safe to say you both need to work together to get him before you two start arguing again?”

“I hate it when she has a point,” I heard Hideyoshi mutter under his breath.

Mitsunari couldn’t stop checking on Natsuki from a distance at the very least. She had been sat with Kenshin next to a fire all morning, just talking to him as the rest of the camp gathered itself together. There had been moments where it seemed that the soldiers were taking their time just to give the Princess some more time with her brother. In broad daylight, and seeing them next to each other, it was more than a little obvious.

“Mitsunari?” Hideyoshi frowned. “You’ve been watching them a lot.”

“I can’t figure out this feeling,” the vassal admitted to his Lord. “I don’t want to let her go anywhere. My chest feels heavy just to see her with another man in such close quarters.”

Toyotomi paused and hung his head. “That’s love, Mitsunari,” he smiled weakly at the silver-haired male before patting him on the shoulder.

Nobunaga was insistent that I ride back to Azuchi with him, and in his arms instead of behind him. He gave me a look that said I wasn’t going to persuade him otherwise, though it was just so I could sleep since I had been up most of the previous night. Shin was starting to lag behind, so one of the aides snuck him onto one of the carts carrying some of the medical supplies. He was tired since he didn’t try to get back off once, and instead just went to sleep as Oda tapped me on the nose and told me off for fighting sleep.

The Uesugi-Takeda forces would be arriving in Azuchi once they had regrouped and resupplied themselves at Echigo. And I was going to have a hectic time as the mediator.

War councils were officially my least favourite things. I had run out of sour candies to go with my sake, though unfortunately for my brother, I had found that pickled plums were nearly as good and the only adequate substitute so far. Both of us reached for the last one in the middle of one of Mitsunari’s reports, and then locked eyes.

“I’ll fight you for it,” I smirked.

I could hear the bets being placed as I parried off Kenshin’s single blade against my dual short swords. I ducked under his arms, but neither of us seemed to be getting the upper hand as I was going to sneak attack from Shin to get the advantage.

“Hey,” I frowned, leaning over to an empty bowl, and a very innocent looking husky. “Ugh, he had it,” I pouted, losing all interest now in the fight and sheathing my swords.

“If anyone thought you two weren’t related, then we should just refer to this moment in time,” Sasuke smiled.

He had spent a lot of time with me explaining the wormholes, I had fallen through one to get to the modern era, and they had been trying to ‘capture’ me for a while as dates and experiences were plotted on a map where I had been deployed to. Something had obviously decided I wasn’t where I needed to be to grow up safely, Kenshin hated the sound of the future when it had all been explained to him as well, but he said that he was glad I was safe after all this time even if it hadn’t been him who had been protecting me.

Kennyo had sent spies to Azuchi recently, though Shin had been very busy with me on patrols. He knew what scent to go after, and had me running to corner some of Kennyo’s followers up trees. The barking would alert the guards, and they’d bring plenty of rope. The dungeons were getting pretty full, and it was going to be soon that the former Abbott came to investigate.

I found it endearing that Mitsunari would like to accompany me on these patrols. He was constantly asking about where I grew up and seemed to understand the concept of wormholes a lot quicker than I did as I explained how I had arrived at Honno-Ji.

I wasn’t expecting him to kiss me just on the outskirts of the woods. It was so fiery and passionate, I couldn’t comprehend how the man could appear so composed with all of that going on underneath. He looked slightly embarrassed until I pulled the collar of his coat, so he was back on my level for a second one.

My short sword was out before we finished the kiss and stopping my brother from slicing Ishida in half. I gave Kenshin a judgemental look as Mitsunari was trying to establish what was going to happen next.

“Kennyo’s on the move, so I came to find you to tell you to pack,” Kenshin grumbled, glaring at Mitsunari as I started laughing. “And Oda agreed that you’re riding with me,” my brother glared.

“I’m not going anywhere until you turn around and stop threatening Mitsunari,” I argued, promptly turning my brother about to stop the warlord from getting distracted. “We deal with Kennyo first, then you can go back to murdering Nobunaga,” I grinned, enjoying the feeling of having a proper family for the first time in a long while.

“Nobunaga isn’t the one kissing you,” Kenshin shortly replied, hooking my arm through his and dragging me off as I waved and smiled broadly at the silver-haired angel who was struggling to keep up in the rampaging path that my brother was leaving.

Gossip was the only thing that moved quicker than my angry brother. The maids were all winking at me as we passed them, especially as Mitsunari came trailing after us as the castle was preparing to go to war. I was grinning like an idiot, and I knew it as I made sure I had everything I would need before going to see if Ieyasu needed any help with the medical supplies.

It was endearing me that Kenshin was acting in such an overprotective manner, it was a rivalry that only the vigour that Hideyoshi protected Nobunaga with could compete. Mitsunari would often end up staring at me as we travelled to the planned camp, and then I’d end up under a haori, or Kenshin would turn his horse around to fake needing to talk to Shingen or Sasuke. And it was blatantly obvious what was going on to the warlords around us. Once we set up camp, and light had broken, then it was a two prong attack on Kennyo with the objective of capturing him rather than killing, which did surprise me. Then again, I assumed the kitsune of the Oda forces would have some questions for the former Abbott. I was naturally to stay at the camp which I couldn’t resist doing an eye roll towards, which Masamune was laughing about while Hideyoshi was glaring at us both. Then Kenshin pointed out that I didn’t have any armour, Nobunaga didn’t appreciate the retort that it was only because I hadn’t been given any.

Shin had attached himself to my brother nearly as much as he was to me. When both of us were in separate places, it wasn’t that uncommon to have a husky running riot as he couldn’t decide who to try and ‘protect’ more. He whined as I had to practically push him out of the camp to go with Kenshin, though as soon as they shoved a rag with Kennyo’s smell on it, he bolted and the warlords followed on their horses.

It was mostly a waiting game until someone broke into the camp and set off the minimal guards that had been left.

“Princess!” Was my sole moment of warning before my swords locked into contact with a staff.

I wasn’t given any reprieve, and the man was trying to batter me into the ground using sheer force. I wasn’t as strong as he was, but I wasn’t as strong as any of the warlords. I was nimbler, and I was used to fighting against men who had the physical advantage. My trick was to use their own power and swings against them. It was my speciality to find the chinks in their armour as my dog came bounding through the campsite, barking his head off.

If I hadn’t been locked in battle and swinging one of my swords up to try and get Kennyo in the side, then I would likely have been laughing at the warlords’ expressions of disbelief. Instead, I was dodging the next blow that was aimed for my head as I swung myself out of the front line of his attack, and Shin finally joined in as the warlords made sure that Kennyo couldn’t escape the camp at any point before coming to my rescue.

“I think I need some training,” I grumbled as Ieyasu patched me up. My kimono was torn in more than a few places, and both Mitsunari and Kennyo were blocked the majority of anyone from seeing me, so I imagine that it looked indecent to them.

“I’m certain that you shouldn’t even be here,” Kenshin frowned. “Nevermind fighting off anyone like that,” he scoffed.

I was surprised to see Mitsunari wearing a similar expression to my brother as I glanced upwards. “Look, at least get me fitted for some armour if you’re going to insist on bringing me anywhere,” I argued. “And let me design something that’s easier to move about in then a kimono,” I grumbled bitterly.

“She’s got a point,” Ieyasu interrupted before either of them could say anymore. “She’s never been here by choice, and fighting is attracted to her, probably because of who she is. so get her outfitted properly and get her armoured and she’ll be able to protect herself, so no one else needs to do it for her.”

“I’m certain that Masamune would help me regardless of what either of you say,” I beamed brightly before I was promptly dragged back to the tent to get changed by Mitsunari while I laughed maniacally.

#kenshin uesugi #mitsunari ishida #ikesen #ikemen sengoku #Ikémen Sengoku

[critical-ramblings]

Realer than You

(Also on AO3!)

Yasha thought she was going crazy.

Crazier, anyway.

She could remember things again, after she’d run into that biker in Stockholm. Time made sense, mostly. But space was starting to fragment, the further west she came.

When she was tired, she would smell salt water and grease, reach out a hand for a railing that wasn’t there. Look out and see only the ocean where there should have been fields.

When she was hungry, she would be on foot in a German street. The noise and press of people buffeted but did not touch her. Someone else, with dirty ginger hair and a thick beard, peered back at her, then was gone.

When she was lonely, there was a train. Or many trains in succession. She would be sitting in a luxurious seat, watching houses and trees blur past.

There were times when the emotions weren’t hers, either. Anger would flare deep in her chest, a hot rage that Yasha never let herself feel, and with it came a humid summer night. Cursing in Mandarin--a big eighteen wheeler pulling away from her and a lean young woman with her middle finger in the air. She looked at Yasha with her teeth still bared, but the connection broke under the weight of Yasha’s fear. She sat under a cloudy sky in Latvia with her hand pressed to her chest. She stayed that way for a long time.

And then there was the circus. It was after she’d stopped for the night, pulled off the road and hidden her bike. Yasha didn’t have the paper she’d need to cross these borders legitimately, and even if she’d wanted them she didn’t have the money.

Still, her long wander through the Siberian wilderness had left her with the skills to make her way back through civilization unnoticed. With the increasing frequency of her visions, Yasha was just as glad to go days without seeing another human being.

She was sitting on the side of the road to watch the moon come up, and all of a sudden there were lights. Neon reds and blues and purples danced through the forest for a moment, before resolving into carnival booths and tents and a ferris wheel that sparked and glowed in the fading sunlight.

“Hey now,” someone said next to her. “Can’t have you sitting in the middle of the road, can we?” A thin brown hand reached out to her, covered by the tattoo of a green snake with a brilliant red eye looking up at her. The first thing she noticed was his coat, a knee-length masterpiece full of stars and moons and stranger things, the embroidery glinting in the light of the circus.

And then she saw his swords, jeweled scimitars hanging from his belt as casually as someone else might carry a purse or a backpack. Yasha took his hand without thinking, let him help her up, and never took her eyes off those swords. Oh, her gang had never had anything so pretty, but they had loved grinding down old pipes and rebar and scrap into things like swords. Things meant to cut and kill.

“Buy me dinner first, at least,” he said, and Yasha snapped her eyes back to his face. There was something about the wrinkles at the edges of his eyes that made his smile softer, unthreatening. He held himself like a conman, a huckster, but his smile gave him away. “What’s your name?” he asked, only to pull her out of the way as a horse-drawn buggy clattered down the path.

“Watch it, Molly!” Two girls shouted at him in unison. Molly flipped them both the bird and then turned his attention back to her. The head of a peacock just peeked out from the open collar of his shirt, it’s dark purple and green feathers curling up the side of his neck and cheek.

“I’m...Yasha,” she said, and somehow smiled back at him.

“Well, I’m Mollymauk, Molly to my friends. Which we most certainly are!” He put his hands on her shoulders, looking her up and down. After a second in which Yasha fought and failed to contain her blush, he announced, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so in need of a good time. Come on,” he wrapped her arm in his, like they were walking into a ball. “Let’s get you some cotton candy.”

“I don’t--what?” Yasha laughed as he half-dragged her through the almost empty booths of games, a few carnival goers just starting to appear at the gates behind them. “You know I’m not really here, right?” For a moment she was back in the forest, walking too quickly among the dark trees with Molly still on her arm.

“Ah, gloomy place, that,” he said, tugging gently on her elbow. They turned left and were back in the carnival, passing one of the teacup looking rides. “Nevermind that.”

“But that is real,” Yasha said, a little desperately.

Molly only turned his crooked smile up another notch, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he said, “Is it?”

Yasha groaned, feeling her mind waver under the weight of this thought. She’d had enough of unreality already. Hadn’t she? If she couldn’t remember...?

“Don’t sprain something, now,” Molly said, with just the faintest hint of worry creeping in to further ruin his persona. “Listen, if you’re real, and I’m real, which I am. On most days, anyway--” Yasha shot him an exasperated look from behind her hands. “Okay, I’m real. Then what does it matter  how  we’re talking, or seeing each other? What matters is that you were sitting by yourself in the middle of fucking nowhere, and I happen to have the--purely metaphorical--keys to party central! I meant it when I said you needed a good time.”

Yasha took one deep breath, and then another. The air smelled like fried food and sugar, here, and a small group of stands were selling drinks and popcorn. Most of the tables were occupied, here. Carnival-goers looked up as Molly passed, then back at their food when no act began. While her friend acquired two bags of popcorn and a cone of literal spun sugar, Yasha closed her eyes and just...thought. It did matter, what was real and what wasn’t. But if she couldn’t deny that Mollymauk was real--and she couldn’t, not to his face--then both things had to be true. He was here, and she was there. And also they were together.

Well, it was fantastic, unbelievable. But it was real. So Yasha decided to believe it, and having decided so, she could stop hurting her brain so much trying to logic it out.

“Done?” Molly asked, holding out the cone like a strange fluffy bouquet. “Taste this and tell me I’m a figment of your imagination.”

“I still don’t know if that’ll really work,” Yasha said, but she smiled anyway and bit into the purple cloud. For a moment, she could feel the crackle of melting sugar on her tongue, could almost taste something sharply sweet--then it was gone. Molly stuck out his tongue to reveal a faint purple stain. He sighed and looked mournfully down at the popcorn she wasn’t going to be able to eat.

“I shall suffer, in the name of friendship,” he announced, and dragged her off back towards the rides.

If he was supposed to be working that night, Yasha never saw a sign of it. Molly only had to wink at whoever was manning the booths and breeze past them. “One of those nights!” he called over his shoulder, when a black woman with shoulder-length dreads and flames painted on her face tried to catch him. “I’ll be fine, Orna, no worries!” He rushed away before Orna could weigh in on the matter.

They sat at the top of the ferris wheel for half an hour, Molly pointing out the lights of the nearby town, “And that’s the pub, down there with the red star. Nearly got kicked out last night, not my fault of course,” and trying to get Yasha to eat the popcorn. She kept expecting it to vanish when she picked it up, but seemed to be that Molly was the one who got the actual body of the food, she could still taste and enjoy it. “There’s absolutely too many ways to abuse this power,” Molly said happily, licking grease and salt off of his fingers.

He took her through the back of the main tent, where a tall man in a red coat and top hat was telling stories to the small but dedicated audience. They saw Orna’s fire dance and Desmond’s flying violin before Gustav caught sight of them and used the shadows to sidle up before Molly could slink away.

“Aren’t you supposed to be out telling fortunes?” the tall man asked pointedly, poking Molly’s chest pocket.

“Oh, we’re fine without my little sideshow for one night.” Molly patted the deck of cards concealed inside his beautiful coat, glancing sideways at Yasha. “I just needed a break, Gustav.”

“Hmm. Well, mind you don’t make a habit of it, Mollymauk. I’d hate to see you lose your flair.” The lights came back up before either of them could think of an answer, and Gustav hurriedly stepped back into the ring.

On their way back towards the teacup ride, Yasha pulled to a stop next to the strength tester pole. A couple of people were already here, watching a man with broad shoulders and a long tangled beard step up to the plate. “How do you think this one works?” Yasha asked.

“Well, mostly by making the weight heavier than it looks, so no one hits the bell,” Molly replied.

“No, I meant. With the thing, with us, you know. Is it me or you swinging?”

“Oh.  Oooh, I see.” Molly glanced quickly between her shoulders and his own much smaller biceps. He grinned. “Let’s find out.”

They only had to wait a couple of minutes in line, and then the minder was handing Yasha the hammer with an amused look. “Trying your luck, Molly?” he said.

“Uh, yeah?” Yasha looked around a little frantically, but Molly just stood a few feet away and gave her a double thumbs up. So to other people, she looked like Molly. She was Mollymauk, even though he was also here.

But it was Yasha who stood with her feet shoulder width apart on the black rubber mat, Yasha who hefted the ill-balanced maul in both hands and eyed the little weight. If her body wasn’t really here, maybe it was just that her mind expected muscles to react differently. Or that she knew how to lift heavy things, to hit heavy things, more than Molly did. Whatever the cause, the reaction was just as unbelievable as the rest of her night: the weight shot up, past green, past yellow, past orange, and hit the bell at the top with a resounding RING.

It wasn’t just the game minder who was staring at her with his mouth open, but everyone else in line as well. And her smile wasn’t as crooked as Molly’s, but it was just as sharp. Yasha handed the hammer back with a little bow and a laugh as Molly rushed up and pulled her into a one-armed hug with a wild laugh of his own.

“Such a skinny little bloke,” someone said, as they walked away. “Wouldn’t’a thought he had it in him.”

Eventually they ended up sitting on the grass by the gates, watching people leave. Molly would guess how much they’d spent under his breath, and Yasha would try to guess what relationships there were going on. The most memorable was when an older man walked out alone, a huge stuffed pink bear clutched tightly under his arm.

“Spent at least fifty euro getting that thing,” Molly swore up and down.

“For a daughter, maybe?” Yasha tilted her head thoughtfully.

“Nah, for himself. Definitely for himself.”

They both laughed, and Molly bumped his shoulder against hers, and Yasha leaned against him back.

“Well?” he asked, turning to smile up at her from under his bangs. “I know it wasn’t a magnificent ocean cruise, but. Did you have a good night?”

Yasha looked back up at the lights, at the ferris wheel and the games. She saw, underneath them, the forest trees and black sky somewhere to the east. “It was a good night,” she said at last.

“Great! Excellent. And we’re both still real?”

She was too tired for a laugh, but she did chuckle a little as she got to her feet. She could feel the connection fraying between them, fatigue and the fading edges of her headache wearing him away. “We’re both real,” Yasha said. She reached out to touch his shoulder, then thought better of it. She had only just met him, after all. “Goodnight, Mollymauk.”

“Goodnight, Yasha.”

#cr #critical role #yasha #mollymauk tealeaf #sense8 au