#anyways someone wipe these tears before i rally | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

leossmoonn · 3 years

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can i request a stefan imagine where bonnie locks you both into a room because you guys fight to hide your feelings, and when you're inside, you both finally talk it out and then when the next day the room is unlocked everyone makes fun of you because you fell asleep on each other

yes! this is such a cute idea :))

masterlist

warnings / includes - mild language, casual sex talk, underage drinking (you all are 18 tho), fighting, kissing, ugly crying (lol)

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“i thought he was supposed to be the smart one,” you grimaced.

“boys are often enchanted by half-naked girls,” elena stated. “yeah, but not stefan,” you said, taking a big gulp of your beer.

“well, contrary to popular belief, stefan is like other boys. he got turned at 17, he didn’t have much time to mature.”

you gave elena a ‘are you serious?’ look before turning back to the man whom you were hopelessly in love with. it shattered your heart to see him dancing with another girl.

she was wearing a belly top with a skirt you knew that not even vicki donovan would approve of. she had her back facing towards stefan, running her hands through his hair as she moved up and down on him, obviously trying to get him riled up and fuck her in the bathrooms. meanwhile, his hands were on her waist, following the movements her body made. he had a big smile on his face, winking at her as he told her dirty little nothings.

the red solo cup crushed in your hand, beer running down your arm, some getting on your jeans. you didn’t even realize until elena started to wipe your skin with napkins, taking your attention off of the vampire for a few seconds.

“you had an accident,” elena snorted. “oh,” you frowned, helping her. “oops.”

“why don’t you just go and replace her? i bet stefan then would actually get hard,” elena suggested.

“please, it’s not like he’d even notice me. i mean, look at her, she’s gorgeous.” your insecurities took over your brain, and you couldn’t help but think of how many other pretty girls stefan could have.

“please, she’s below average, and she’s had herpes two times in the last four months. i know stefan is immortal and his body heals fast and all, but no guy, supernatural or not, wants to get involved with a girl like that,” elena assured you.

“then why is he letting her use him as a stripper pole?” you frowned. “maybe to make someone jealous?” elena raised her brow, looking at you and hoping you caught onto the hint.

“like who, you?” you smirked.

“he doesn’t like me anymore! and trust me, before we even got together, he was in love with someone else. he just used me as a jealous device,” elena shrugged, taking a sip of her beer.

“ouch. who did he love instead of you?” you asked, completely clueless. “oh, it doesn’t matter, but it’s okay. i was in love with damon, anyways, so really, it was fair. and he did love me, he just wasn’t in love with me, you know?” she asked.

“yeah, i guess there is a difference,” you nodded. “yep, and stefan definitely does not like that girl, so go and talk to him! you’re his best friend, and if you pull him aside to confess your feelings for him, he definitely won’t mind,” elena nudged you.

you looked back at him, your heart racing at the thought of you actually telling him you’re in love with him, and have been for the last year and a half. you shook your head, looking down at your shoes.

“no, no, it’s too risky. what if he doesn’t like me back? i can’t risk losing your friendship over some silly little crush.”

elena rolled her eyes, setting her drink down and taking ahold of your shoulders. she looked you in the eyes, causing your own eyes to widen.

“it’s not just a “silly little crush”, okay? you are in love with him, and it’s not going to get any better for you if you just stand here and push your feelings down. and look, he likes you, too. i know you don’t believe it, but he does. in fact, he’s also in love with you. just take a chance, y/n.”

“but what if he doesn’t like me and you guys have just been rallying me up for no reason?” you frowned.

“that’s not going to happen. now, go and be with your soulmate!” she pushed you towards him.

you glanced to her and gave her a glare, but complying once you faced stefan again. you walked over to him confidently, tapping his shoulder. he immediately turned to you, a bright smile lighting his face. oh, how you loved that smile.

“hey, y/n, what’s up?”

“i wanted to talk to you,” you prompted. “okay, sure,” he nodded. he abandoned the girl, letting you lead him to a quieter part of the grill.

“so, what’s this about?” he asked.

“um, well…” you weren’t sure you could just flat-out confess, so you decided it was best to have him confess first. “do you like anyone?”

stefan’s eyes widened, a flash of fear clouding his eyes. he shifted his weight, stuffing his hands in his jean pockets.

“u-um, no. why would you think that?”

your heart fell at his response, but you kept up hope. he was probably just scared because he didn’t know you liked him back, right?

“well, a little birdie told me that you liked someone. and me being your best friend and all, i thought it would be fitting for me to know. you know, i can help by getting you and her together.” you flashed him an eager smile.

“well, i don’t like anyone. and if you don’t mind, i’d like to get back to -“

“you’re really leaving me to dance with that slut?” you cocked your brow.

“n-no, well, yeah, but -“

“c’mon, stefan, i won’t judge. just tell me who you like.” you slipped your hand into his, interlocking your fingers together.

stefan’s dead heart dropped in his chest, giving him that somersault affect your touch often gave him. he looked into your eyes, seeing the desperation and pain that they held. he knew that he should tell you that it’s you, but he wasn’t 100% sure you even liked him back. like you, the thought of losing you was too risky for him to take the leap. so instead, he deflected.

“you don’t have to know everything about me! i know you’re my friend, but i have my own private life outside of our friendship. just leave me alone and let me dance with her.” he pulled his hand away from yours, the loss of warmth and comfort disappearing from you both.

you looked at him incredulously, not believing the words that came out of his mouth. you open and closed your mouth multiple times, not sure how to respond. you didn’t even know how to feel, really. you just felt your heart break for the millionth time that night.

he looked at you helplessly, guilt filling his chest as he saw the struggle you had with choosing to leave, or choosing to stay and work it out. he hoped you would choose the latter.

“you’re an asshole, stefan,” you spoke.

your words cut him like a knife.

“you’re right, you do have a personal life outside of our friendship, but you have always shared everything with me. you once told me that i’m the one that you trust the most, that you can tell anything that, that i’m your bestfriend. and-and what now? i-i’m only a friend? someone who you can’t even tell who you like? you told me that you liked elena, and i helped you with that. what is so different about this girl, huh?” you argued.

“nothing! i-i just… you just don’t need to know everything, is all.”

you looked at him good and hard, trying to decide if he was telling the truth or not. was elena wrong? did he really not like you, but like someone else?

“i don’t believe that,” you shook your head, speaking to yourself more than him.

“why not? you are never this… grueling.”

“because i… i just…” you couldn’t tell him that you really thought.

“you what? you think you know who i like? please, enlighten me,” he taunted.

you gritted your teeth, your hands balling into fists. you lifted your first up, ready to hit him, but bonnie and elena came over, restraining you.

“okay, let’s calm down, yeah?” bonnie suggested, pulling you back.

you started to cry as bonnie led you to a different part of the restaurant.

“you-you guys are wrong. he doesn’t like me,” you sobbed.

bonnie sighed. “he does, we swear. he just doesn’t know you like him.”

“are you serious! what is he, blind?” you scoffed.

“guys are pretty clueless, even immortal ones.”

“yeah, that’s what elena said,” you sniffled. “well, what do i do now? we can just resume being friends.”

bonnie pursed her lips, thinking for a moment. “here, let me show you something.”

she took your hand, leading you to the storage room. you went along with her until you saw stefan there.

“what? bonnie, what are you -?”

“have fun you two,” elena winked as bonnie closed the door.

you heard the lock click. you ran up to the door, banging on it and begging for your friends to let you out.

“hey! this isn’t funny! i’m claustrophobic, you know this!”

“no can do! work it out, you two!” bonnie shouted from the outside.

“here, let me,” stefan said.

you moved away, crossing your arms as you watched him try to kick down the door. he took ahold of the handle, pulling it off. he then tried to open the door, but it didn’t budge.

“well, good job. you’re a genius, you know that?” you remarked.

he turned to you with a glare. “as if you could do anything else.”

“well, maybe if you let me find something to unlock the lock, then there would still be a door handle!” you hissed.

“don’t blame me for trying to help!”

“well, it’s the truth! you always think you can fix things. just accept the fact that you can’t.”

“woah, when did this turn personal? if i remember correctly, you once told me that my determination was admirable. why the sudden change now?” he hummed, crossing his arms and looking at you like a smart ass.

you sighed deeply, your eyes filling with tears as you answered him.

“because you hurt me. i-i’m hurt, okay?”

he softened up immediately, his arms falling to his side, his smirk disappearing. remorse shined in his eyes as he tried to reach out to you.

“i’m sorry. i didn’t mean to hurt you.”

you stepped back, putting your head down. “it’s fine.”

“no, it’s not. you don’t deserve it.”

you turned your back to him, your eyes settling on the boxes full of kitchen supplies. you sniffled multiple times, your shoulders shaking as you tried to keep your weeping to a minimum.

you heard stefan sigh behind you. his feet dragged along the steel floor, his hand coming up to gently rub your back.

“please, look at me, y/n,” he whispered.

you turned to him slowly, the sorry pit in his stomach growing. you looked at him, your eyes drooping, tears lining your cheeks. your lips were swollen, your nose running. you sniffled once again, trying to calm yourself down.

stefan walked away for a few moments, bringing back a towel. you looked at him, heart fluttering as he wiped the snot that surrounded the bottom of your nose. he wiped your tears away, running the cloth carefully under your eyes to capture the remaining moisture. you watched him as he kept his eyes on yours the whole time. you felt yourself falling for him again.

he set the rag on a shelf, taking your hand and slipping his into it. you couldn’t help but smile at the gesture. stefan smiled with you, looking at you sweetly.

“i’m sorry. you are my best friend. you are the person i trust the most. i will continue to tell you everything and anything. i just… i was just scared to tell you who i liked,” he explained.

you nodded, understanding his explanation. “no worries. i get it. i don’t like being interrogated either.”

“you didn’t interrogate me.”

“oh, please,” you snorted. “we both know i did.”

he shrugged with a little smile. “well, i know you mean well.”

you nodded, “i do. i really do.”

“i know, y/n, i know,” he reassured you.

you looked away from him, the tension in the room weighing on your shoulders.

“you know, i think bonnie also put a spell on the door,” you stated.

“i was thinking that, too,” he sighed.

“well, what do we do now? we’ve made up,” you asked, looking back at him.

“i don’t know. are you hungry?” he asked.

“no. i am tired, though,” you said. “wanna lay down? i can be your pillow,” he suggested.

you smiled and nodded. “yeah, sure.”

he took your hand, getting on the ground. he laid flat on his back as you put your head on his chest. your heart hammered against your ribcage as he slipped his arm around you, holding you close to him. you fisted his shirt in your hand, closing your eyes and breathing in deeply.

his scent filled your nose, making your mind foggy and muscles relax. he smelled of sandalwood, leather, and jasmine. jasmine was something most guys didn’t smell like, but he did, strangely. it was a sweet, yet musky smell. it fit him very well, and you loved it.

your heart stopped as you felt him rub your back. his fingers scratched your clothed skin softly.

“so, can i ask who you like now?” you hummed.

stefan laughed. you felt the rumbling in his chest, making you smile.

“what?” you looked up at him, batting your eyes innocently.

“why do you want to know so bad? i thought i told you i was done dating for a while,” he stated.

you looked away and back at your hands that held the material of his shirt. “just wondering. and we both know that you’d love to have a girlfriend. one that isn’t in love with your brother.”

stefan laughed again, making you smile to yourself as his chest came up and down in multiple breaths.

“i mean, yes, but i don’t want to just date someone to prove that there are people that like me and not damon.”

“i know, but… what if the girl you like likes you back?” you suggested.

stefan stopped breathing for a second, his hand that was scratching your back stopping to a halt.

“you sound so sure of that,” he said.

you shrugged, looking up at him, hoping he could read the look on your face. “it’s because i am.”

he looked at you, his eyes giving away his emotions. he looked uncertain, but you knew that he understood what you were hinting at. he just couldn’t believe it.

“i love you, stefan,” you spoke, sitting up in his lap.

stefan’s face shone brightly as his lips upturned into a smile. you could physically see all the weight lifted off his shoulders. the hot tension in the room filtered out, being replaced with a cool breeze of relief. he sat up, putting his arm back around you, reaching his hand up to cup your face. he looked deeply into your eyes, his pupils running into his emerald irises. your hands went up to his neck, your fingers entangling in his hair.

“i love you, too, y/n,” he spoke, as if he had said it a million times before.

both of your reactions were minimal, but spoke a thousand words. the words felt natural, right.

you leaned in, eyes flickering from his lips to his eyes. your chest heaved up and down in anticipation, your heart ramming itself against your ribacage. stefan was the one to close the gap.

tingles shot up your spine, goosebumps lining your skin. you pressed into him - no space was between you now. you kissed him quicker now, opening your mouth and taking initiative.

he caught on in an instant. his hand that was on your cheek was now on your neck, cradling your head closer to his. he pulled you impossibly closer to him, sparks flying between you two as your chests rubbed against each other. you pulled on his hair that was at the nape of his neck as his hands reached further below your lower back.

his tongue ran across yours deliciously. you explored his mouth, tasting the bourbon and fries he had eaten earlier. you took a shallow breath as your lungs were gasping for air. you would’ve passed out if it weren’t for him.

“did you really like that girl dancing against you?” you blurted.

stefan tilted his head, chuckling. “no, i did not. and also, that’s really the first thing you’re going say after our first kiss.”

you shrugged. “a girl’s gotta ask.”

“well, then, no, i did not. i was trying to make you jealous.”

“well, good job, because it worked,” you snorted.

“yeah. i’m sorry again for making you cry. that was unfair.”

“it’s okay. i now know that you were just being a scared jerk,” you smirked.

“yep, that’s me,” he chuckled.

you hummed contently, placing your head on his shoulder. stefan resumed rubbing your back, setting back onto the floor again. it only took a few minutes for you two to doze off. you awoke again to the sound of laughter.

you opened your eyes, confused as you saw your friends standing over you.

“man, i thought you two were going to have sex, but this is worse!” damon cackled.

you grimaced, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes.

“shut up, damon. at least i know how to treat a girl right,” stefan muttered.

everyone but damon snickered. damom crossed his arms, glaring at his younger brother.

“i do know how to treat a girl right. right, elena?” damon asked.

“mm, i’m not so sure,” elena said with a shit-eating grin.

“okay, you all suck. i’m out!” damon walked out of the storage room, leaving only you two with elena and bonnie.

“so, did you two make up?” bonnie asked.

“yep,” you nodded. “and we are going on our first date tonight,” stefan added.

your head whipped up to him in surprise. “really?”

“yeah, if that’s okay with you.”

“oh, it’s more than okay,” you grinned.

“well, just don’t fall asleep on each other during the date,” elena smirked.

you rolled your eyes. “we aren’t rabbits like you and damon!”

“okay, and like damon, i am out!” elena exclaimed, walking out of the storage room.

“they’re children,” you rolled your eyes.

“so were you two last night, but i’m glad you made up,” bonnie said.

“thanks. us, too,” you smiled at stefan.

stefan returned the expression, leaning in and kissing you softly.

“ew, okay! i, three, am out. please don’t have sex on this dirty floor,” bonnie stated before leaving.

“wanna have sex at my house?” stefan whispered.

“buy me dinner first!” you scoffed. “what about breakfast?” stefan cocked his brow.

you pursed your lips in thought. you couldn’t help but grin.

“i think that would be lovely.”

————

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#stefan salavatore x reader #stefan salvatore x reader fluff #stefan salvatore x reader angst #stefan salvatore #stefan salvatore imagine #stefan salvatore imagine fluff #stefan salvatore imagine angst #tvd #the vampire diaires #paul wesley

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malleux · 3 years

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stay alive. | d.r

-> Pairing: Diluc Ragnvindr x GN!Reader

-> Fandom: Genshin Impact

-> Genre: Angst, Fluff, one single funny line

-> Request: “i hope i'm not bothering you! I saw the requests open so I decided to send one in! How about a diluc x reader where his s/o gets badly injured during a fight?”

-> Warnings: Cursing, Blood, Injuries

-> A/N: this is definitely a little more angsty than fluffy but it’s okay i hope you enjoy!

Adventurers always got hurt. It was a normal occurance. Something that should be expected, even. Adventurers went out every day and put their lives on the line, trying their hardest to keep Teyvat safe and happy.

Adventurers always put themselves in danger, and that never bothered Diluc before. So why was surprised when you did too?

Diluc was at the Winery, at his desk dealing with paperwork when Paimon suddenly burst into his office. There was a loud commotion downstairs- people were yelling out commands that he would later understand as orders to stabilize you and put pressure on your wound.

You were clearing out a camp of hilichurls, when you suddenly got ambushed by Fatui agents. You did your best to ward them off, but they overpowered you soon enough. Paimon found it in herself to flee the attack, quickly coming to the winery.

It was the closest place. She was crying and out of breath, frantically trying to rally up Diluc’s workers to help her bring you to safety.

The staircase seemed to go in forever as Diluc rushed down them, following Paimon to the room you were placed in. Towels stained red coated the floor already and Paimon practically fainted. Your outfit was also stained, but it was too mangled to even worry about fixing it.

Diluc stood, frozen in the doorway as if a Cryo Slime had attacked him. He would’ve rathered that than the sight before him. He stood for minutes- maybe hours, he didn’t know- until the helpers filed out one by one.

“They should be stable for now.” A man, a doctor who was visiting the winery at the time, cupped Diluc’s shoulder. He didn’t have the strength to shrug him off. “Go easy on them, they’re awake.”

Diluc bit the inside of his cheek, walking towards her. His footsteps were light, as if any sudden movement could suddenly hurt you more. His eyes trailed from the giant wound on your abdomen to your face, where your eyelashes slowly fluttered open to view him.

His breath caught in his throat.

“I’m alive, bitch.”

Diluc’s eyes hardened- as much as they could while looking at you, anyways- and he flicked your forehead, ignoring your whine of protest. “You are impossibly stupid, do you know that? What were you thinking, fighting like that instead of leaving? You knew you couldn’t take them on, and yet you still did.”

You winced at his loud voice and Diluc couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt seep into his already-mixed emotions. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know they’d ambush me-“

“You still had the chance to run, Y/N! You could’ve died! I could’ve- Mondstadt could’ve lost you. They need you.”

Tears welled up in your eyes and you lifted your hand to wipe them away, but Diluc pushed your arm back down. His thumb came up to your cheek, brushing the droplets gently. You continued to whisper heartfelt apologies as his hand trailed down your arm, finally intertwining his fingers with yours.

“Don’t- don’t do that again.” Diluc sighed. “I would rather not have so many soiled sheets and towels in the future.”

You giggled. It hurt and you quickly placed your free hand on top of the bandage. Blood was already beginning to come through again. Diluc sighed and stood up, leaning down to press a kiss to your forehead before walking to the doorway.

“Are you hungry?” You nodded. “I’ll bring you something and tell someone to help with your bandages. Stay alive for me, please.”

As Diluc left, you continued to watch the doorway and made a silent promise to him. To stay alive, for him.

#fanfiction #fic blog #x reader #writing #lay writes #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact #diluc #genshin diluc #diluc x reader #diluc ragnvindr #diluc ragnvindr x reader #diluc genshin impact #imagines

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thesolitarystripe · 3 years

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Tindyl’s Departure

There was a a really rocky start of Shadowlands for Tindyl and I. We left the guild that we created for an assortment of reasons that I won’t get into but, this entry was something I wrote to both vent my feelings and to document Tindyl’s journey. All of these posts are out of order, I know. Someday, all these tidbits will add up to a big beautiful story that flows really well. Today is not that day. As always, I do not own any rights to Blizzard Entertainment’s world, characters or original stories. I do however, claim rights to Tindyl, all related side characters and her story.

An oddly unwelcoming breeze sifted through the wide corridors of Oribos on this day; the day Archdruid Tindyl found herself sitting alone within the Ring of Transference. This new city with its tall steepled ceilings, high arching pillars, and cold stone floors never held the same homey feeling Boralus had come to bear but especially now, it felt empty, frigid. Tindyl had rested her back against one of the solid walls, knees drawn up toward her chest as heroes and champions bustled by, eager to trade with the nearest dealer. She had stopped briefly with the local alchemist and busied herself with dealings there, but it hardly held her interest once she acquired her vials. Those small crystalline containers rested in the warm palms of her hands, icy against her purple skin. What was their purpose now anyway? Dark eyes glanced downward, Tindyl’s chin dipping after them until her silver hair fell over her brow. Why had she bought so many if—

“There she is my little sapling.”

Tindyl’s brows knitted together at the unwelcomed intimacy with which she was being addressed but her head snapped upward in hearing the tone that dripped with familiarity; so much so, that her heart skipped in her chest. Deep blue, nearly black, met those chestnut eyes she had left back near the seas that soaked Boralus.

“How!” The night elf shot upright, her vials clinking against the ground as they fell from her hands. Before she could say anymore, two large arms wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her down and into the warm chest of the human she’d fallen in love with all those years ago. While public displays of affection were not customary in her home, it had been so long since she had been held so tenderly, she felt the staunch composure of her people melt away with eagerness. Tindyl’s arms clasped around the warrior, fingers clenching at his tunic as he pulled her against his chest. Tears bit at the corners of her eyes, but her fangs struck harder at her lower lip, fighting to keep them at bay. “Dalah,” she breathed into his chest.

“What’s a pretty moon child like you doing sitting here all alone on the floor?” He whispered into the tendrils of her hair, lips tickling the hard ridge of her ear. Their embrace didn’t loosen. The energy between them simmered violently, a desperate need to keep the physical contact emanating from the archdruid who, despite her height, practically hung against the human male’s body. “Come, I feel we have much to talk about.” His lips found the crown of her head, pressing a single kiss there before he took her by the arms and reluctantly pushed her from him. Their eyes met and lingered, as if they were two souls meeting again in the afterlife.

The warrior took one of Tindyl’s hands and placed it upon his bicep—escorting her out of the main hub and outside where the clouds swirled pleasantly and the wind constantly blew. They walked around the outer path of the ring until a quiet place, undisturbed by others, was found. The two of them sat near the edge and let their feet dangle downward into the ethers.

“I know you didn’t miss me that much,” he finally broke the silence, leaning over from where he sat to wipe a rebellious tear from Tindyl’s cheek. “What has you so distraught my love? Why are you hunkered down in Oribos all alone? I half expected to see you and Kagurah haggling with the vendors over the price of your precious herbs.”

“You have a lot of questions for a man that said he wasn’t ready for the next mission.” Tindyl clasped her hands together in her lap, looking sternly at her lover who questioned her so adamantly.

“I know,” he chuckled in that way men do when they know they’ve got explaining to do. “I wasn’t ready Tindyl. After all we had seen, the fight with N’Zoth—” His words trailed off as his mind wandered to those darker times. “It was true that I wasn’t ready to embark on this quest so quickly but, I suppose you could say that being away from you drove me madder than those insidious whispers still plaguing my mind.” He flashed one of those charming smiles that he knew had a strong chance of getting him out of trouble. Tindyl rolled her eyes, outwardly miffed still but reached across the distance between them and grabbed her lover’s hand.

“Still fluent in your tawdry flirtations,” she mused firmly, a smile threatening to show itself.

“Cheesy as ever but, you’ve learned to love it,” he winked at her, fingers giving hers a few small squeezes.

“I’m glad you’re here,” she said finally, her voice tight as that persistent lump found its way into her throat again.

“What’s going on?”

“Where do I even begin…” Tindyl looked out into the horizon, watching as the pinks and blues of the sky mingled and shaded it a soft purple hue.

“Start from the moment I last saw you,” he cooed, leaning back onto his elbow and pressing her hand into the middle of his chest. And so she told the story of her travel to Oribos—of her journey through the Shadowlands and entreating all the Covenants. The warrior interrupted her, “Ah yes, let me guess, you sided with the Night Fae, I knew it the moment I landed there.” Tindyl pushed him in the chest, glaring at him but smiling just the same.

“Did you want to hear the story or not, Beans.”

“Always,” he pried her hand from his chest and kissed the tips of her fingers.

When her tale was finished—she had recounted all she had done for the Night Fae and people of Ardenweald. There was no easy way to discuss the more personal goings on and she faltered many times to continue. Sensing her hesitance, the warrior kneaded the back of Tindyl’s hand with his thumb, looking up at her and providing an encouraging smile.

“I left the guild.”

“What?” Beans sat upright quickly, “but you love—”

“I had to leave.” It was here her stony countenance failed her. She wept freely, silently as he held her hand. “I couldn’t manage anymore, Beans.” Tindyl looked to her lover for the reassurance that she had made the right choice. She had spent most of her time since coming to the Shadowlands doubting herself and her ability to lead.

“What do you mean? You’re a wonderful leader, strong, firm, resilient—”

“I am certainly none of those things, even you said yourself, I’m but a sapling.”

Silence fell between them. Tindyl’s gaze rested still on the clouds that ebbed and flowed, twisting around each other and nuzzling into the full pillowy edges of one another. Beans released the night elf’s hand and took up her chin instead; he turned her eyes toward his and regarded her sharply.

“Young as you may be for your kind, you are more powerful than you know. I have served in the Alliance forces for many years, more than I care to recount, and never—of all the generals I’ve seen, have I seen troops rally behind someone like they do around you.”

A sharp breath burst forth from Tindyl, her sorrow desperate to be set free. The gust brought a harsh sob out from her lungs as she pressed her chin down into Beans’ hand until his palm slid up to hold her cheek. Her shoulders shook with the weight of her cries that feel from her with ease as her lover’s comforting presence allowed her the space to feel. She no longer had to uphold the unbothered façade of the guild leader any longer.

“Oh, my little moon beam.” The warrior pushed himself back from the edge of the ring, grabbed the back of Tindyl’s neck and pulled her toward him until his other arm could wrap around her torso and bring her into his body. Despite their size difference, their bodies fit together with ease, his legs set wide so that Tindyl could lay between them with her head cradled in the curve of his neck and shoulder. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here,” he sighed regretfully. “I should have been.” Tindyl’s soft cries were all that echoed around them now, the wind lifting them high into the air and carrying their burden away from her. Beans held his beloved until her body stilled and her breath evened; his fingers played in her hair, stroking the length of it and admiring the leaves that adorned her head. As far as they were from Azeroth, she still smelled of the forest, earthy and clean. Beans hugged her tightly and breathed in her scent before letting a long breath flow from his lungs.

“What now,” she finally whispered, voice raspy from her tears.

Beans looked out at the horizon, his hand cradling Tindyl’s head while his other arm held her in close.

“We do what we’ve always done,” he tilted the night elf’s head back so that he might capture her gaze once more. “We save the world together, just us—if that’s how you wish it to be.” Beans kissed her forehead, lingering for several moments before releasing her. “We conquer the Shadowlands together and I’ll work on my personal side mission.”

“Side mission?” Tindyl sat up, drying her eyes with the edge of her tabard, still displaying Teldrassil in all its ivory glory.

“To make sure you realize your worth and how important you are to this realm. You may think your guild doesn’t need you—but many others do, including me.”

Tindyl looked upon the face of her lover incredulously. Sometimes it baffled her that he was a human when in so many ways he seemed much farther along in maturity than she. How was it that she had such tremendous luck that day they bumped into one another in Boralus. Beans stared at her then, smiling in that inviting way that always managed to draw her in, even when she wanted to be cross with him.

“I love you,” he cooed sweetly. He was so endearingly human with how frequently and openly he was able to express his natural feelings.

“Kene’thil surfas, my beloved.”

“Ooh, I love it when you talk Darnassian to me!” Beans leaned in and peppered Tindyl’s face and neck with kisses, leaving the night elf shrieking in delight as she pushed him away.

“Stop it! You’re such a child,” she huffed playfully.

“I mean you’re the one who is technically, what, in her twenties by human standards?”

“I’m 305 years old! You’d better watch your tongue, young babe.”

The two dissolved into laughter, quieting only when a resident of Oribos happened to walk by. They then fell into easy chatter about their future, denying then the moment to linger on heavier topics; while their time discussing guild matters was far from over, it was clear the young Kaldorei needed the reprieve in the safety of someone she loved and the warrior was more than happy to allow her that time.

#World of Warcraft #creative writing #writing #wow oc #OC #writing prompt #Author

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oneshotprincess · 4 years

Text

a taste of destiny

suuuuperr late with responding to my prompts but this one is for @icebones who asked for soriku eating the paopu and it being the worst thing they’ve ever tasted :P you can also read it on ao3 here

The funniest thing is that Riku can’t even really remember who it was that told him about the paopu fruit story in the first place. It’s a local legend, of course, but he thinks it might have been Selphie who really put it in the forefront of his mind, teasing and sighing and fantasizing about forever, until all Riku could really think about was having that certainty with Sora, always.

Right now, looking at the ripe, yellow fruit in his hands, it all seems a bit silly.

“You good?” Riku’s broken out of his thoughts by Sora cheerfully settling down beside him on the bent tree, having seen Kairi off to the docks. They will be leaving tomorrow for the Land of Departure and, at Sora’s suggestion, they spent their last day on the play island. They always seem to come back here, in the end.

“Yeah,” Riku swallows. “Yeah, just...are you sure you want to do this?”

Sora blinks at him, blue eyes glowing in the reflection of the sunset. “What’s not to be sure about?”

“No, no, not like that!” Riku is quick to clarify. “I just don’t think it matters to me anymore, you know? I don’t need a paopu fruit to know that our destinies are intertwined.”

Riku has so much more than that, now. He knows the melody of their hearts, always playing in the background of their lives, barely audible unless Riku actively listens for it, but it’s there nonetheless. He has their Dream Eater link, proof that Riku kept his promise to protect Sora. Riku has Sora’s words and Sora’s affections, freely expressed at all times of the day; ‘I love yous’ both softly-spoken and exuberantly-declared and so many kisses that Riku’s lost count, even though he promised himself that he wouldn’t.

There are doubts, there will always be doubts when it comes to himself, Riku thinks ruefully, but after everything the two of them have been through, a paopu fruit can’t possibly bind them tighter together than they’re already bound.

Riku sees Sora’s shoulders slump a little in relief before Sora starts cooing, “Aw, Riku! Look at you, trying to act all cool and mature.”

Riku flushes. “Shut up,” he grumbles. “I was just saying…”

Sora favors him with a soft, fond look. “I know, doofus,” Sora says. “But I just thought, we’re not gonna be coming back here for a long time, you know? We’ve said all our goodbyes and everything. It’d feel weird, to leave without sharing one. Like unfinished business.”

Settling in the Land of Departure isn’t something any of them planned on but it just seems like the logical next step in their life. Destiny Islands will always be their first home, the place some part of their hearts will always long to return to, but none of them fit here anymore. To care about mundane everyday things like school and homework and getting a job seems impossible for them now. Trying to go back to Destiny Islands’ version of normal is like forcing puzzle pieces into places where they don’t belong. Even their parents seem to accept this, letting them leave for the Land of Departure with a lot of tears, but very few protests. It feels like...he can’t quite describe it. Like the end of a chapter but also the beginning of a newer, bigger one. Starting it off with a tradition seems fitting.

(And, okay, in the privacy of his own mind, Riku can admit that he likes it. He likes that Sora asked him, especially since he knows Sora’s already shared one with Kairi. Riku’s not proud of it but it is what it is.)

“Alright,” Riku agrees. He digs into the divots of the fruits and presses until the flesh gives way. It breaks apart easily in his hands, spilling juice across his fingers. “Here,” Riku hands half the fruit to Sora who takes it with a grin.

“One the count of three?” Sora asks and Riku shrugs his acquiescence.

“One..two...three.”

The taste hits Riku like a full-strength Thundaga, straightening his spine and puckering his lips with just the first bite. Saliva fills his mouth, his body valiantly trying to rally its defenses against the offensive taste while Riku tries valiantly to not spit everything out. That is, until he sees Sora’s expression.

With great difficulty, he swallows the piece of paopu in his mouth and gapes at Sora, who’s laughing his head off.

“You—” There are no words for the strength of the betrayal he feels but Riku figures he has to make an effort anyway, lest Sora think he’s going to get away with it. “You knew! That it tastes like—like—”

“Like shit?” Sora laughs. “Oh, yeah. Man, you should have seen your face! Worse than Kairi’s, I think.”

“I can’t believe you!”

“Hey, I had to suffer through it! So did Kairi! Why should you be exempt from the awful taste of destiny?”

“Oh, I’ll show you awful, alright!” The very best part about dating Sora is that Riku’s learning every day how to stop thinking and simply follow his heart. And right now, his heart’s telling him to take the paopu fruit and smash it right against Sora’s stupid, lovely, playful grin.

“Riku!” The smug grin is wiped right off Sora’s face, who sputters indignantly as pieces of fruit and juice dribble down his chin. Riku watches as Sora catches a taste of the sour and scrunches up his face.

Awful, Riku thinks, that Sora should still look so adorable while being the little gremlin he is.

“You’re such a sore loser, Riku,” Sora’s voice is muffled as he attempts to wipe away the excess juice.

“No, I’m not. You promised to share the fruit,” Riku reminds him smugly. “And now we’ve shared it.”

Sora gives him a look sour enough to rival the paopu, as if this whole thing wasn’t his idea to start with.

“Well,” Riku sighs. His hands are tacky with paopu fruit juice. He lets the rest of the fruit fall to the sand below them. “At least now we know why the legend came about.”

“Huh?”

“If you love someone enough to make it through eating this thing, you’ll make it through anything. Forever’s going to be a piece of cake,” Riku declares, giving Sora a smile.

Riku can see the exact moment Sora’s expression changes from surprise to fond to mischievous. It’s an expression so familiar to Riku that he wonders how he was roped into this fruit thing in the first place. Man, Selphie really must have done a number on Riku.

“Hey Riku,” Sora grins and Riku knows exactly what’s coming. He plays along anyway.

“Yeah?”

“I love you.” Sora leans in and Riku really should stop it before it happens but it’s their last day on Destiny Islands, the sun is almost gone and even when Sora’s being a brat, Riku is so, so weak for him.

Riku meets him halfway. It’s the sourest kiss Riku’s ever had in his life. And, somehow, It’s also the sweetest.

#kingdom hearts #soriku #soriku au #sora #riku #paopu fruit #my fics

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queenofmoons67 · 4 years

Note

If you’re still taking prompts “Blankets/Shirt Collar Shifting Just Enough To Have Bandages Peeking Out” for the Nie brothers, preferably if it’s Nie Huaisang that it’s hurt and kinda trying to hide it. Ps: I love your writing and it’s completely okay if u don’t want to write this prompt or if u want to but come with something different :p

thank you so much! i hope you like what i came up with (i’ll admit, the first time i read the prompt, i was so overwhelmed with ideas i had to just. set it aside for a bit, because i couldn’t process them all at once :’) )

Nie Huaisang adjusted his outer robes, making sure they were snug around his torso, and peered around the corner.

He had returned to the Unclean Realm from the Nightless City a scant few days before, and he had been avoiding Da-ge for most of it. Nie Huaisang had had to greet him at the entrance, of course, and Da-ge was also enforcing family meals—but beyond that, if Da-ge could be avoided, then Da-ge was avoided.

Snapping his fan open in front of his face to hide his head shake, Nie Huaisang moved down the corridor. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to be with his da-ge, but it couldn’t be helped.

Nie Mingjue, Leader of the Nie Sect, had sent his heir to be a willing hostage of Wen Ruohan. He had been pressured by Wen Ruohan himself, the Nie elders, and the responsibilities Nie Mingjue held to more than just his own immediate family. But that didn’t mean that Nie Huaisang’s da-ge wouldn’t blame himself if he knew the full truth of what happened in the Nightless City—or rather, just outside of it.

Only the disciples who had accompanied Nie Huaisang there knew that he had been injured while in the cave, tripping headlong into a Wen disciple trying to sneak up on Wei-xiong and taking an arrow through the shoulder. The arrow itself had stemmed the blood flow until they were out of the cave. Worried Nie disciples had been able to bandage it once they were well out of the Nightless City, but it was still deep enough that more than a week later, Nie Huaisang was still healing.

The last thing Nie Huaisang wanted was to be confronted with a Da-ge stumbling around the Unclean Realm, all uncoordinated from guilt like dry, flaky paint. So he swore the Nie disciples to silence, stole medical supplies from the medical room, and avoided Da-ge—

Up until now, that is, Nie Huaisang reflected, staring up at his Da-ge’s pinched brow.

Resisting the urge to snap his fan open and closed again, Nie Huaisang beamed up at his da-ge. “Hello!” he chirped.

“Huaisang,” Da-ge said. His eyes didn’t leave Nie Huaisang’s, and the younger rallied himself with the reminder that at least that meant Da-ge wasn’t looking at Nie Huaisang’s shoulder. Even if he was making him very uncomfortable.

“Can I help you?” he asked, carefully side-stepping around Da-ge and down the hall, till he was still looking back at his da-ge but was also slowly walking backward. “Only, I was about to—”

“What are you up to, Didi?” Da-ge asked, eyes narrowing. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

“Have not!”

“Have to! Didi, you usually can’t leave me alone when we reunite. Now you can’t bear to be around me. Why? Have—is it something I did?”

Nie Huaisang had been about to remind his dear da-ge that he only called him ‘didi’ when he wanted something—and in the process, hopefully remind himself; the technique really was too effective—but when he heard the last question, he stopped.

“I—Da-geee—” he dragged out. “Of course not! You’re Da-ge.”

Da-ge cocked an eyebrow, clearly not believing him, and—Nie Huaisang held back a sigh. Da-ge had started to slump, and he refused to let his da-ge turn into dry, flaky paint.

Desperate times called for desperate measures.

Stepping forward, Nie Huaisang pulled Da-ge into a hug, quickly releasing him so he didn’t get even more suspicious. He felt Da-ge relax for a moment, but then he tensed again as they pulled apart.

“Huaisang…”

“What?” Nie Huaisang blinked innocently at him.

“Why is your shoulder bandaged?”

Nie Huaisang looked down at himself and resisted the urge to curse. His robes had opened just enough to reveal the tell-tale white of bandages. It had probably happened when he hugged Da-ge, too.

Laughing weakly, Nie Huaisang pulled his robes back into place and, widening his eyes up at his da-ge, said, “It’s nothing! I just strained myself earlier trying to climb into a good spot for a new view, that’s all. And as you can see, it’s already been bandaged and—”

Nie Huaisang yelped, twisting to try and avoid grasping hands.

“Da-ge! What are you doing?!”

“Stand—still—” Da-ge grunted, still trying to grab his robes. “I know you’re hiding something, Huaisang! You never climb anywhere, you get someone to fly you up!”

Nie Huaisang darted down the hall and ran smack into something solid. Hands settled on his shoulders, and he looked up with a sigh into the concerned eyes of Nie Zonghui.

“Hi, Da-shixiong,” he said weakly. “How are you today?”

“I’m good,” Nie Zonghui said. His eyes met Nie Huaisang’s for only a moment before they slid over his shoulder, and then back again. “Are you?”

“I—“

“He’s injured,” Da-ge interjected impatiently, stepping up beside them so that together, they hemmed Nie Huaisang in against the wall. “But he won’t admit it.”

“I did too!”

“You lied about the how!”

“You—!” Nie Huaisang’s hands flexed, and he wished he could strangle his stubborn da-ge—but then the flex pulled at his muscles, all the way up his arm to his shoulder, and he groaned, good hand grabbing at his shoulder to massage it before he could think better of the motion.

Now he had Da-ge and Nie Zonghui staring at him, eyebrows furrowed. None of his lessons had ever included anything about how to resist the worried looks of brothers who just want to bury you in blankets, and that was clearly a mistake. He would have to rectify the issue immediately.

Immediately after he dealt with these two, anyway.

“Fine,” Nie Huaisang sighed. He looked away, unwilling to meet Da-ge’s eyes as he hurt him. “I got shot on a night hunt when I was in the Nightless City. But it’s fine, I’ve been taking care of it, and—“

Nie Huaisang cried out, startled, as his da-ge literally swept him off his feet.

“Da-ge!”

“You’re getting seen by our doctors,” Da-ge said, carting him off down the hall. “And you’ll sit still, and you won’t protest. And if they say it’s ok for your to be up and about, then you can be—but if they say bed rest, then you will rest. Understood?”

“Understood,” Nie Huaisang grumped. His da-ge was holding him tight to his chest, with absolutely no wiggle room. Unless Nie Zonghui decided to help him make a break for it—and judging by the amusement on his face when he looked at Nie Huaisang, that wasn’t likely—then Nie Huaisang was going to see a doctor.

He’s already told his da-ge the truth, anyway. Seeing the evidence wouldn’t change anything. Slumping and crossing his arms, Nie Huaisang studied his da-ge. He—he didn’t look too upset? His brow was still furrowed, and his lips were down turned, but he looked like that half the time anyway.

“Da-ge?”

“Hm?”

“Are you—ok?”

Da-ge stopped and finally looked down at him. “Is that why you didn’t tell me?”

Nie Huiasang blinked. “Is what?”

“You didn’t tell me the truth because you thought I wouldn’t be ok?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Nie Huaisang caught Nie Zonghui edging down the hall and out of sight. But—

“I—yes? Da-ge,” Nie Huaisang fumbled, “you have so much going on, and—“

“Huaisang, you’re my didi. I’m upset that you got hurt after I had to send you to be a hostage, but I’m more upset that you weren’t trustful with me. How can I protect you if you don’t tell me things?”

“But Da-ge,” Nie Huaisang cried. “What if that’s the only way for me to protect you?”

“Then you hurt me,” Da-ge said, starting to walk again. “And we get through it, because we’re brothers.”

“But what if it’s not that simple?”

“We’re brothers,” Da-ge repeated. “Whether it’s simple or complicated, we’ll get through it. But you have to trust me, Huaisang.”

“I do, Da-ge,” Nie Huaisang said, blinking back tears. When had he started crying? “I won’t lie to you again.”

Da-ge didn’t say another word the entire way to the doctor—but he did reach up and wipe away Nie Huaisang’s tears, and rubbed his shoulder, and let him hide his face in Da-ge’s robes.

Go here for more hurt/comfort prompts to send me! All I need is at least one prompt selection and two characters!

#nie huaisang #nie mingjue #nie brothers #nie zonghui #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #the untamed #cql #fatal journey #mdzs fanfic #fanfic #mine #My fic #writing prompt #timetomakeanewwish

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jocazep · 4 years

Text

In the Whole Wide Train | Chapter 10

Author’s notes: Hi, remember me? Sorry about the six-month hiatus, but I’m back at it! And it gon’ get dark (even more so than before), so this is just me laying in the groundworks early... ENJOY~

Pairing: Curtis Everett x Reader (Jo, OFC), slight Edgar x Reader

Warnings: Major spoilers for SNOWPIERCER, dystopian society and its countless problems, mentions of forced abortions, language, violence, deaths, slow burn, eventual smut

Synopsis: Having grown up in the Front Sections of the Snowpiercer, you venture down the train when a rare opportunity presents itself, but the excursion quickly changes flavor when you arrive in the Tail Section.

Taglist: Now closed

Series Masterlist

Chapter 10 - Trading Secrets

Curtis couldn’t remember the last time he slept so well--it must have been before the train. There were no dreams, there were no nightmares, just deep, post-climax slumber as if the world around him has melted away--until the alarm blaring “oh-seven-hundred-hours” yanked him out.

He jumped up, but had to take a second before realizing where he was, as the rest of the revolters joined him, stirring awake and confused--the world outside was pitch dark.

“We’re traveling against time zones” Your voice sounded from behind--Curtis turned to see you walking up with a cup of hot water in hand, ”C’mon, need to make some arrangements before we push on.”

“Good morning to you, too.” He took your extended hand, stood up, and pulled you in for a quick kiss. You didn’t kiss back. “What’s the matter?”

“Oh nothing. Gilliam is looking for us is all.”

The truth of the matter is a little bit more complicated than that.

You woke up early. As a medical apprentice, you used to do that before you had important appointments, as it would clear your head and prepare for your day, but today you found no such effect.

Your eyes fixated on Curtis as he lay next to you, breathing in and out, but your head was a million miles away. What was last night? Was it just two people seeking solace in each other after the death of a mutual friend? Or was it the culmination of all those little touches and stolen glances and shared silences? Did it mean anything to him? More importantly, did it mean anything to you?

But then Mason entered your mind in stealth, slowly gnawing away in the back of your head, until you couldn’t focus on the inner debate between your commitment to your father vs. your--your what? Your responsibility? Your debt?--whatever it is you owe to the revolt.

So you push yourself up, and padded barefoot towards where Mason was being held captive.

“It’s about time.” Her unmistakable accent greeted you before your eyes could find her, “ah is that water?”

You didn’t respond, but dipped the mug in your hand lower so she could suck a mouthful of the liquid before you rescinded it.

“Any chance you can spare some food as well, my dear?”

“Not unless you want the fish they gutted before the fight.” You sat down next to Mason, and silence fell for a second.

“Well, I suppose we should make a de--”

“When did he send you to the tail section?”

“Excuse me?”

“I said how old were you when my father first sent you to the tail sections?”

“I must have been around...well, your age.“

“You don’t know how old I am.”

“You, Joanna Catherine Watt Wilford, are thirty-two years and some three odd months old.”

You stare at Mason in astonishment.

“I’ve seen your birth certificate. There was a time when Mr. Wilford thought about giving you to a foster family... After your mother passed away of course...” Mason took a pause, “But I thought you are here to warn me--”

“I am.” You kept your eyes straight ahead, “This is just my human interest story for the report.”

You tend to forget that for some people, there was a life before the train, since you had barely turned fifteen when your estranged father plucked you from the monotony of a privileged private school, into a monotony of the train.

But hey, at least you got to practice medicine and help people. Is that what I’m doing now?

“The report--that’s why I first went down there too, you know...He must see it as a rite of passage.” A smile threatens to break as Mason reminisced about her past.

“Was it..” You didn’t know how to phrase the question, but luckily Mason caught onto your train of thought.

“Oh dear, even more so. Mr. Wilford really turned it around. They were surviving on rats and vermin before the protein block assembly. When I first went down there... it’s as if all society had broken down. There was stories about this pregnant woman... And when they found out who I was, they chained me up and almost tore me to pieces. Imagine what they would do to you. ”

You had heard enough, “All right, here’s the deal. I keep you alive, you keep your mouth shut about me. Sound good?”

Mason nodded enthusiastically as you stood up to leave. “Just one more thing, what does Mr. Wilford want with Curtis?”

You did not look back, “Ask another wrong question, and my father will hear about it.”

Mason all but clasped her hands onto her mouth.

You were planning to sneak back and lay your head on Curtis’ chest, relive the little escape you two had before the day had to begin, but today luck just wasn’t on your side. As your turned the corner back into the makeshift dorm, soft crying and sniffling caught your attention.

It was Tanya. By the dim moonlight reflected from the snow, you could see her clutching a piece of paper and wiping tears from her face. By the time you realized it was the charcoal drawing of Timmy she was holding, it was too late to turn back.

Noticing the light shift, Tanya sat up and look at the person standing a few feet from her. You didn’t know what to do for a moment. You two haven’t been alone since you came clean about Timmy. In a letter no less, you coward.

“I didn’t mean to--”

Tanya lay back down and closed her eyes.

What was the rest of your sentence anyway? You asked yourself as you padded towards the infirmary section, sleep now the last thing on your mind. Didn’t mean to pry? Didn’t man to take Timmy? Didn’t mean to get so close to Curtis and the revolt?

You were pulled from the reverie by Yuna’s hand tugging your sleeve. Around you, the men were deep in discussion, figuring out how many people to station at each section.

Yuna slipped you a piece of paper torn from the small notebook you gifted her. On it she had drawn a picture of herself and Namgoong in the prison section, the many drawers colored dark and ominous. Yuna pointed to the drawers.

“It’s a little advanced for you but ok,” you took the pencil from her and spelled out the word prison, “Prison, it’s a place to hold people that have broken the law.”

Yuna didn’t seem to like that word. She wrestled the paper from you, pointed to the drawers again, and looked at you, waiting for a response.

“Jo?” You whipped your head back to the much less mystifying, but much more important meeting.

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

Curtis gave you an update, “Gilliam will stay behind, with 50 men stationed in the water section, then 15 men at each other section before our base,” Base is what you called the tail section now, “Grey will stay with Gilliam as well.”

“Nonsense, Grey will be much more useful to you than me.”

You shot a look at Gilliam as he chimed in, wondering if he really meant it.

“I think Grey should stay too. We are already a large pack as it is--”

“Don’t forget, Jo, we’re going ahead to take the engine,” Gilliam gave you a long look, “who knows what you will find there”.

Right. You bit your tongue and didn’t argue any further. Let’s never forget

“We were trying to decide what we should do about Mason.” Namgoong picked up the thread of discussion, “What do you think?”

“She’s injured, will only slow us down.” Grey’s voice was very quiet.

“I would rather keep her close than let her stay with the captured soldiers. Who knows what she’ll get them up to.”

“That’s fair, I can’t possibly keep an eye on her the whole time,” Gilliam agreed.

“Tanya’s doing a great job watching her.” *So that’s why she’s not in the meeting.*

“She didn’t want to come with us?”

“Of course she did, but--”

“I think Jo’s saying Tanya should go with you.”

The discussion wrapped up quickly after that, as dusk was threatening to break over the horizon. Your partners in crime stood up and went off--there were bags to pack, arrangements to make, and farewells to say.

You dragged your feet, hoping to spend a few minutes with Gilliam before setting off.

“Having doubts, dear?” Gilliam clicked by on his crutch.

“Before I first came down--”

“Perhaps it’s best you don’t tell me exactly what Wilford asked of you.” Sometimes you wish you had his ability to see right through everything.

“You don’t want to know?”

“I would be lying if I said I didn’t,” Gilliam chuckled, “But I’ve feigned ignorance too many times, even for someone my age. I’d like this occasion to be real.”

“Then...can I ask how much you know?”

“As far as I know, the revolt should have served its purpose after the water supply section.”

You nodded, “Do you ever ask yourself, why he always landed on culling?”

“It wasn’t just him, my dear.”

For the second time that day, you stared in astonishment.

“Perhaps you’re the only person with whom I can share this secret.” There were mini explosions happening in your head as Gilliam spoke, “No past revolt has gotten past the water section. Sometimes it was disorganization, sometimes it was survival instincts, sometimes just plain human greed. But every time, the necessary culling would take place, and the tail section would treasure its existence that was magnanimously gifted by Wilford.”

“Why did they settle?”

“The very first revolts that took place, was only six months into the train journey. Curtis was a little past seventeen, completely unaware, and Edgar, god rest his soul, was just a baby. The leader, he rallied enough people to fight. But every battle cost heavily on his side. Byt the time he got to the prison section, there were only a handful of adult men left. And Mason, who was also a surveyor at the time, managed to entice him with promises of a better life. He held out for a while, but eventually he chose the devil he knew.”

“Your point being?"

"My point being, there's only so much you can do at one given time. Learn to pick your battles."

---

You left Gilliam soon after, head still reeling from the secrets he confided, wondering if he ever regretted his past decisions.

“Hey...” Curtis snuck up on you, taking your hand. You jumped slightly, taken out of your trance. “Do you realize this will be the last time we’re alone for a while?”

“Yeah...?”

He pulled you into him, and caught your lips in a long kiss. You both stumble towards the steel walls of the train, eventually settling in a nook. Curtis dipped his tongue past your teeth, tangling with your tongue, one of his knee wedging between your legs, bringing back heated vignettes of last night. You wrapped your arms around his neck, your hips bucking against his thigh, your belly bumping up against his increasing hardness.

Curtis eventually lifts his lips from you, allowing you to breathe, while he latches onto the side of your neck. His hand roams up your belly, kneading your breasts, squeezing your side--

“Ow!”

“Shit, sorry,” Hard pause as he remembers your injury, “Is it getting better?”

“No, but I’ll live,” you answered, breathless, “when we get to the health section I’ll take a closer look.”

Curtis rest his head against yours, gulping for air, “This is your injury number three, huh?”

“Yeah, you are bad news for me.”

From the front of the section, someone called out, “Curtis, Jo, we’re doing the portrait!”

“You gonna be okay there?” You eyed his bulge.

“Yeah, just gimme a minute...”

The portrait took longer than you expected. While Painter took down your likeness in charcoal, Andrew was playing with the now captive Mason, asserting his newly-earned dominance over this once proud magistrate.

“I was hoping to talk about it earlier.” Curtis said out of the corner of his mouth as you all stood, eight half-frozen figures.

“I...enjoyed it?” You said, tongue in cheek, “Would recommend to a friend.”

“Funny,” Curtis couldn’t help the smile creeping onto his face, “But seriously...”

“I mean...” You looked up at him, “If we both survive when this is all over...”

You were joking but the words hit home for Curtis, as he remembered Edgar. Will you both come out of this alive? He had always considered himself as someone with nothing to lose, but now...

You turned away as you noticed Curtis staring into the distance. Gilliam was standing in the front of the crowd that would stay behind, looking at you with his signature elderly smile, and something else just behind the glasses, a mutual understanding that this is truly farewell.

You found yourself running his words again and again in your head.

“The leader asked for running water, and a stable food supply. Wilford agreed, but asked the leader to help him maintain the balance in the tail section whenever necessary. A few months later, the protein blocks started coming in, a washroom was unlocked, and my secret phone compartment was installed.”

Taglist: @torntaltos @emmalbg @ajosieface

#curtis everett #curtis everett fanfic #curtis everett x reader #curtis everett x you #Chris Evans #chris evans fanfic #chris evans x reader #chris evans x you #Snowpiercer #snowpiercer fanfic

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amateurwordbender · 4 years

Text

Everything to Regain

Summary: After Zhan Tiri has been defeated and it's all over, Cassandra and Varian still have a few issues to work out. (Gen, No Warnings)

also on ao3

———————

The courtyard below is brimming with life, a stark contrast to the wasteland of destruction it was just a few hours ago. Well, that’s Corona—bouncing back after any hardship, its citizens laughing and joking and turning tragedy into a bonding moment. And how can they not, with Rapunzel leading the way? Cass can see her down below, in the thick of things, rolling up her sleeves along with everyone else to clear out the debris and make repairs, all with a radiant smile on her face. She may not be the sundrop anymore, but she still brings light to everyone around her. Cassandra, on the other hand…

“Cass?”

She turns to see a familiar figure standing in the doorway of Rapunzel’s room. Cass is good enough at reading body language to notice the wariness etched into the lines of Varian’s stance, but the only thing that shows on his face is concern. “Oh. Hey, kid.”

“So, just… chilling in a hole in the wall, huh.” Despite any hesitancy he might be feeling—and Cass really can’t blame him—he walks towards her with a lopsided grin, almost teasing.

Cass shrugs. “It’s a pretty roomy hole.” She scoots over a little, and Varian accepts the invitation for what it is and sits down beside her. They stay that way for a bit, silently watching the people cheering and rallying around Rapunzel below. Soon, though, the bubble of guilt building in Cassandra’s chest becomes too much to ignore. She clears her throat. “So, are you here to say ‘I told you so’?”

Varian looks over at her, that touch of concern back in his gaze. “Cass…”

“No, no, please. Let me have it. Because you were right, you know. About everything. I lost control, and I—I completely lost myself; I hurt everyone I cared about without thinking twice.” She’d meant for the words to come out matter-of-fact, but something cracks at the end. Traitorous voice.

“But it’s okay. It’s okay, now. You’re back, and we’re all safe, and you’re going to get back everything you lost.”

Cass snorts, the sound coming out harsher than she intended. It surprises her how grateful she is that Varian doesn’t flinch. “Only because Raps is the single most forgiving person in the world. It’s not that simple.”

Varian sighs, kicking his feet lightly over the ledge. “Oh, trust me, I know. It almost makes it harder, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Cass leans against the side of the jagged wall, tilting her head back towards the sky. It’s suddenly become really difficult to watch Rapunzel. “I almost wish she would—I mean, I know I should just be grateful that she’s giving me a hundredth chance and welcoming me back, but I want her to, I don’t know, scream at me or something. Throw me in prison for a couple years. I don’t deserve this—this blanket forgiveness.”

Varian shoots her a look. “Hey, I get it. I actually—Cass, I kidnapped and threatened her family. I was ready to put her life on the line on the off chance that it could save my dad. But Rapunzel forgave it all, just like that, no questions asked.”

“At least you worked for your redemption. You don’t get it; I didn’t even come around at the end. It wasn’t until Zhan Tiri took the moonstone and it was clear that I’d lost that I started to come around, and even then, Raps had to give me a fucking pep talk before I was ready to fight by her side.” Also, you were just a desperate child who was abandoned by everyone you turned to. Cass does't say the last part aloud, though. She doubts Varian would appreciate it.

“Um, objection. You think I worked for anything? You think I earned Rapunzel’s pardon? When she came back, I was busy staging a full-on coup with the Saporians. I was trying to wipe the memories of everyone in Corona, and I probably would’ve gone through with it, too, if Andrew hadn’t betrayed me,” he says darkly. “And that’s when I got my pep talk.”

Cass can’t help the note of bitter laughter that escapes her. “Fine, fine. We’re both terrible people who don’t deserve Rapunzel.” She sighs, then forces herself to look Varian in the eye. He’s still watching her with that mixture of understanding and caution. He’s so much older now than when she first met him, so much wiser, so much more… worn. Oh, there’s still that same energetic, nerdy, and, though she will never admit it to him, endearing spark in him. But she can also see the pain.

And she was the cause of a good deal of that pain.

“I’m sorry. By the way. For everything I did to you.” Once again, her voice betrays her, and the words come out barely audible, squashed by a shame she can’t shake. She literally kidnapped and drugged him. He’s so, so sharp, and he’s braver than most of the soldiers Cass has known, but he’s still just a kid. And she knows that she’ll never forget that flash of terror in his eyes when she trapped him in a cage and shoved him out of her fortress. She'll never forget how he looked at her with fear when she used to want nothing but to protect this kid, and how she even enjoyed that fear for a vicious, vindictive moment.

“Cassie.” There’s a hint of alarm in Varian’s voice, and she startles when she realizes that her vision is swimming. She swipes away the tears before they can even think about falling. “Seriously, don’t worry about it. We’re good. Honestly, I kind of had it coming, inventing that truth serum in the first place. Plus, I’m sort of getting used to nearly falling to my death. At least you weren't the one to actually drop me,” he adds with a little shrug.

Cass shakes her head, clearing her throat to make sure her words will come out steady before she speaks. “That’s not… healthy, kid.”

Varian just scoffs. “You are not one to talk about mental stability right now.”

“Touché.” They lapse into silence, and Cassandra lets out a long breath. None of what she’s done is okay; far from it. She still can’t believe that everyone around her has somehow found it in themselves to wipe the slate clean, and it’s going to be a long while before she can do it for herself. If she ever can.

“You know what the worst part is?” she murmurs, almost to herself. Varian hums in acknowledgement anyway. “I can still feel that resentfulness inside me. Even after everything she’s done for me, and even though I really recognize how fucked up this is now, a part of me is still selfish enough to want what Rapunzel has. I even still wish my mother—I still wish Gothel loved me, even though I know she wasn’t capable of that. And I know none of what happened was Rapunzel’s fault.” Cass is definitely being too open now, but at this point, she’s honestly too tired to care. And it’s kind of a relief to admit the darkest parts of her to someone else.

“I think…” Varian hesitates. Cass glances over to see him looking down at his hands, brow furrowed. “I think you’re allowed to still feel hurt. I mean, I definitely still have days when I’m—when I’m scared of being left alone again, and it makes me want to betray everyone else before they can hurt me. And I know my dad loves me, and I know he’s proud of me now, but I still have this voice in my head that is always seeking his approval, even though I already have it. I don’t know. It’s kind of pathetic,” he mutters, and Cassandra’s heart aches at the twinge of self-loathing she can hear. But then Varian takes a deep breath, and he looks up at her. “But I think it’s okay. There’s darkness in both of us, and the feelings aren’t going to go away just because our situations have changed, you know? We really—we really internalized them. We just have to work on ourselves, and make sure we don’t act on those feelings.”

Something coiled tight in Cassandra’s chest begins to loosen. She raises an eyebrow. “When did you get so smart?”

“Probably while you were busy terrorizing the kingdom.” Cass gives him a mock glare. “Sorry. Too soon?”

“We were just talking about how shitty I feel about that, so yeah, I’d say it’s too soon.”

Varian chuckles, but he bumps her shoulder lightly in solidarity. “Really, though. It’s all going to be okay. I mean, look at them.” In the courtyard, the citizens of Corona have started singing a song, something silly about a goat-headed demon and golden hair. Raps and Eugene are dancing together, their faces alight with pure happiness. They’re going to be fine. The kingdom couldn’t possibly be in better hands. Cass swallows.

“I don’t think I can stay here.”

“What?”

“At least, not yet. I need to make amends.” She continues before Varian can protest. “I know, Rapunzel’s already forgiven me. And I also recognize that the most direct way to make amends would be to stay and do my best to do better here. But… I just can’t. I think I need to go out and figure myself out first.” Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Varian giving her a smile, warm and free of judgment.

“I think that sounds like a good idea. Where do you think you’ll go?”

“I don’t know,” Cass admits. “Wherever my destiny takes me, I guess.”

Varian shuffles in his seat. “If you’re leaving, I guess I should give you this.” She turns to see him taking out a necklace from one of his many pockets, the purple pendant gleaming in the sun.

“The Cassandrium,” Cass murmurs, a genuine smile tugging at her lips. This freakin kid.

“Yeah, I, um. I found this in your old room a while back. I was saving it, because, well, I—I guess Rapunzel wasn’t the only one who never lost hope that you could return.” He’s stammering and sheepish, but Cass can see a marked difference from when he first gave her the necklace. This time, he looks her right in the eye. And this time, he’s the one comforting her, instead of her offering support to him.

“Thanks, Varian.” She takes it from him and puts it on, the pendant resting right over where the moonstone used to be. “You know, you’ve really come a long way. You’re not that little kid desperate to impress me anymore, huh?”

“Wow. Wooow. Hey, you can’t really blame me. You were like, the most badass person I’d ever met.”

“Hold on, what do you mean by were?”

Varian just gives her a cheeky grin. “You’d better start getting ready for your trip.”

Cass rolls her eyes, but she stands. He’s right; she has some plans to make and goodbyes to say if she’s going to do this. “How about you?”

“I think I’m going to sit here for a little longer.”

She nods, placing a hand briefly on his shoulder. She’s brushing off her clothes when he speaks again.

“Wait, can I give you a suggestion?”

“Sure, what?”

“Bring your dad with you. Please.” There’s something gentle in Varian’s expression. “He really misses you. And I’m sure he wants to get to know you along with you.”

Cass nods, blinking hard against the stinging in her eyes. She offers one more smile. “I’ll see you around.”

“You’d better. Don’t stay away for too long,” Varian says with a grin.

With that, he turns around to watch the courtyard below, and Cass turns to leave, a warmth in her heart that wasn’t there when she’d entered. He’s such a good kid. A good friend.

———————

(Reblogs are greatly appreciated! Plus, if you’d like to read more from me, check out my ao3!)

#tangled the series #plus est en vous #varian #cassandra #rapunzel's tangled adventure #helena writes #she speaks

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dead-by-deathslinger · 4 years

Note

okay! And honestly, yeah i'd see how a ship like that is..Not compatible, like, at all. But i wanted to know if you could do a little something with Caleb and Kazan. They're both pretty dense and a little hot-tempered, but i believe they could connect really well...Even comfort eachother over things like bad memories and stuff. I hope thats not too much hahsh-

I can try somethin’ but I’m not sure how it’ll be considering I’ve never written for Kazan but..Experimentation right! (Also to your recent messaged, no worries XD) Just did a little drabble to kinda test the waters-

If this turns out well however, I will be willing to do more of these but I can’t promise that I’ll do them every-time n what not- ANYWAY

Caleb Quinn (Deathslinger) + Kazan Yamaoka (Oni) || Just Gotta Keep Pullin’ Through (Drabble)

Caleb Quinn wasn’t a man of having too many friends, even in his life. He was, and still seemed to be, short tempered and just wanting to keep to himself. It was rare that he found any survivors let alone any company after The Entity had pulled him here. However...This seemed to change a bit after meeting someone with a similar story to his own. Kazan Yamaoka was also not one to have too many friends. He was usually talked down on and feared. He never wanted it sure but...after awhile you have no choice but to embrace it. A simple glance to the beast that it was and it was clear he wasn’t someone to mess with within The Entity’s realms.

Caleb slugs down the last of his whiskey which he had taken along with him to the temple. He sat beside Kazan on the top, overseeing the bit of land below. He sets the glass aside looking to his well...what seemed to be newfound friend. “Seems like we both had a pretty shit life before all this.” Caleb weakly chuckles, looking out into the night. The conversation between the two seemed to be a bit one sided. Kazan knew very little English, and Caleb’s funny accent wasn’t much help either. But if he understood, he’d simply nod or grunt in disapproval when disagreeing with the cowboy. “People only saw ya as some...angry...evil thing.” Caleb continues speaking his mind, knowing that only some of what he was saying was getting through to the man that sat beside him.

Kazan remained quiet, listening intently to Caleb ramble on about his time in the Hellshire Gang. The times he had to rally up all of the outlaws and everything in between with nothing but the gun in his grasp. He could sense how angry Caleb was once more. The more that he spoke, the more his words shot out like venom. His fists tightening with each word as it boiled his blood yet again. Kazan didn’t seem to know much about Caleb but...it seemed that he knew enough to understand how he felt at least. The brim of Caleb’s hat hid his eyes in darkness as he looked down, Kazan now looking over. “Pain...Anger...Remaining.” If he did speak, it was full of broken English. Caleb still was willing to try and understand, no matter how broken up the words may have been. The cowboy let out a weak chuckle, “I reckon so..” He mutters, wiping away at his eyes quickly before any tears could fall. “Regret...” Kazan continued looking to Caleb. He felt for him...he understood the pain he felt. Without much thought of it, Kazan gently placed a large hand on Caleb’s shoulder. “With time...it will pass..” He grumbles. Caleb simply nods with a heavy sigh, looking to Kazan now, a gentle smile on his face. “I ‘spose so...Thanks fer listenin’ I guess...Never really talked about a lot of that since it all happened.” Caleb admits. Kazan gives a nod and a pat to Caleb’s shoulder as they looked out into the night, alone in each-others company.

#the deathslinger #deathslinger dbd #caleb quinn #caleb quinn dbd #the oni #oni dbd #kazan yamaoka #dead by daylight #dbd #yeehaw

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not-close-to-straight · 4 years

Text

Summer Nights (One) (Stony Grease AU)

A commission for @simplynerdy-gal who wanted a Stony twist on Grease!

Note: This doesn’t take place in the 50′s like the movies, but definitely not modern day either. Let’s settle on that magically vague period of late eighties to early nineties when no one had cell phones but everyone had terrible fashion and sprinkle in a few modern day things for the lol factor.

Also, I don’t follow the movie line for line/scene for scene but rather tried to reference our favorite scenes for nostalgia reasons.

SUMMER NIGHTS MASTERLIST HERE

Enjoy!

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

The sunset was gorgeous, filling the clouds with first orange and yellow, and then pink and purples that darkened to a stormy blue as they touched the ocean. The waves crashed loud against the rocks, the sea gulls called as they circled on the evening wind and hidden away on a soft, sandy part of the beach, a summer romance was coming to a close.

“I’m going back to New York tomorrow.” Steve eased away from a long kiss and sighed. “How am I supposed to say goodbye to you, Tony? This has been the best summer of my life and now it’s ending. It’s not fair. None of this is fair.”

“Don’t talk like that, sweetheart.” Tony leaned in again and coaxed another kiss from Steve’s lips. “Nothin’s gotta end yet, c’mere and let me show you.”

“Tony.” Steve was helpless against the brunette’s charm, and when their kiss grew heated, he let Tony lay him back into the warm sand, shivering when Tony’s fingers crept under the hem of his swim shorts. “This-- this won’t spoil anything will it?”

“How could it spoil anything?” Tony flattened his palm to Steve’s stomach and smiled as the blond shuddered beneath the touch. “Just gonna make it better, right? We’ve been in love all summer Steve, ain’t like we’re rushing into this.”

“I know, I know we aren’t, and I guess I’m ready but--” Steve’s beautifully blue eyes filled with tears and Tony sat up in a hurry, whispering something soft and reassuring as he wiped them away. “This is so stupid, I shouldn’t be crying but Tony, is this the end? Is this the end of us?”

“Of course not.” Tony was lying and they both knew it, but Steve didn’t argue when Tony pulled him up into a hug and held him close. “Course not, honey. This is only the beginning.” Tony swallowed back his own tears and pressed a kiss to Steve’s blond hair. “M’gonna love you forever, sweetheart. Nothin’s ever gonna be better than this summer with you.”

“Will you--” Steve clutched at Tony’s side and drew in a deep breath. “Will you call me? Or can I call you? I know summer romances are supposed to end in the fall but I don’t think I’m ready to say goodbye.”

“Oh my god, of course I’m going to call you.” Tony comforted him. “Long distance calls are real expensive, but I’ll get a part time job so I can pay for it. We’ll talk every week and maybe at Christmas you can come see me again or I can come see you or something. We’ll figure it out.”

“Are you sure?” The words were muffled in Tony’s shirt. “Cos Tony this isn’t-- this isn’t me, you know? I don’t do this sort of thing.”

“What sort of thing?” Tony combed Steve’s hair back out of his eyes and dotted a kiss to his nose. “What don’t you do?”

“Kiss strange boys on the beach.” Steve blushed bright red and Tony nearly melted. “Getting adventurous for me usually means not studying before a test, or wearing mismatched socks, not talking to random guys and staying out past my curfew to hang out on the docks and that sort of thing. I’ve never wanted to do this with anyone but you.”

“I’ve never wanted to do this with anyone but you either.” Tony admitted, his voice hoarse and eyes uncertain. “Steve you make me um-- you make me wanna be different, you know? I’m gonna call you after you leave and I’m gonna do everything I can to see you again and um--”

He stopped, biting at his lip and Steve whispered, “Tony?”

“I love you.” Tony framed Steve’s face with both hands and crushed a kiss to his mouth. “Steve, I love you and nothing is ever gonna be better than this summer with you. Nothing could ever be as great as spending a day with you.”

“‘Cept maybe the summer nights?” Steve fell back onto the sand and dragged Tony with him, wrapping both arms around Tony’s shoulders and kissing him back as hard as he could. “The summer nights with you are pretty amazing.”

“The summer nights are pretty amazing.” Tony agreed, and in a near inaudible tone, “Tell me you love me, Steve.”

“I love you.” There were tears again but neither Tony nor Steve were sure who was crying. “I’m never going to forget you.”

“I’m never going to forget you either.”

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

Bucky “Bronco” Barnes hated everything about school. He hated the teachers and the way class started so got-dang early in the morning. He hated how the rooms smelled and that he couldn’t have a smoke in the hall and had to go all the way outside for it. Ugh the homework and ick the pep rallies.

In fact the only thing that made school worth it were all the pretty people, and as Bucky popped the collar on his leather jacket, lit up his first cigarette of the morning and checked out the talent walking up the way, he grinned to himself.

Gonna be a good year.

And then from across the parking lot came an all too familiar yell and Bucky’s cool guy persona slipped just a little when he caught sight of Valkyrie, Sam and Clint all running his way.

“Bucky!” Clint whooped out loud and launched himself over the carefully trimmed hedges in an attempt to beat Valkyrie to Bucky’s side. He caught his foot on the top branches though and bowled right into the girl, and Valkyrie screamed, taking Sam down to the ground as well as she flailed around for a handhold.

“Damn it!” Sam cried at the same time Valkyrie yelled, “My lunch got squished!” and Clint just barrel rolled out of his sprawl and popped to his feet, the leaves in his hair doing absolutely nothing to distract from how big his grin was for Bucky.

“Whaddup Bronco!” He held up his hand for a high five and Bucky rolled his eyes and punched the goofy kid right in the thigh. “Ouch! My leg! I’m wounded!”

Sam shoved a hopping Clint out of the way and socked Bucky in the shoulder. “Bronco! Where you been all summer! We didn’t see you at the arcade or nothing!”

“Had better things to do than hang out with you kids all day.” Bucky made a show of fixing his jacket collar again, smoothing back his already slick hair. “Been haulin’ boxes at the docks to save up money for a car. Whad’ya’think about that?”

“I think it’ll have to be a pretty sweet set of wheels to get the girls to look at you twice.” Valkyrie snorted and Bucky flicked her ear in annoyance. “M’just sayin, you aren’t exactly the best looking outta the group!”

“Speaking of the best looking, where’s Tony, you seen Tony yet?” Clint piped up. “Where’s that boy at?”

Bucky scowled over the idea that Tony was better looking than him, but he twisted around looking for his best friend anyway, scanning the growing crowd of students for that signature black leather jacket. He hadn’t seen Tony all summer and when he’d called last week to ask after him, Mrs. Stark had said he was out walking the beach which... didn’t seem right at all. Tony didn’t do beaches and he certainly didn’t do long, solo walks as the sunset, so Bucky had figured Tony had lied and snuck off with someone pretty for the night, and promised to call back later.

Work had gotten busy and Bucky had never called back, so now he grinned when he finally caught sight of Tony, put two fingers to his mouth and whistled sharply, waving impatiently when Tony seemed to hesitate before turning their direction.

“Tony!” Valkyrie all but tackled the other brunette and Tony oophed under her weight, laughing a little as he shoved her off, only to be taken out by Clint and Sam as well.

Bucky thought maybe Tony wasn’t laughing at all that time, and his blue eyes narrowed when Tony even back up a few steps from the group, dusting off his jacket and smoothing his hair before shoving his hands in his pockets.

“How’s it goin’, bud?” Bucky waited a few seconds for Tony to collect himself, then put an arm around his shoulders. “What’d you do all summer, how come I didn’t see ya?”

“Heya Buck.” Tony was a good two or maybe three inches shorter than Bucky and Sam and just at eye level with Clint, but he tipped his chin up and set a stance like he was taller than all of them, his eyes glinting with determination and more than a healthy amount of cockiness as he answered, “Spent the summer down at the beach, too damn busy gettin’ lucky for all your bullshit.”

“Yeah?” Bucky’s grin stretched a little wider at the typical-Tony response. “How was the action at the beach?”

“Oh you know.” Tony huffed a laugh. “As good as it always is. Barely made it out with my pants on.”

“Yeah.” Clint butted into the conversation. “Must’ve been hard with all them pretty people hanging around you, huh? I sure know how that is.”

“Only thing that hangs around you are flies.” Sam shoved Clint away and asked, “So what, you just chased tail all summer? Couldn’t call us once?”

“Nah.” Valkyrie decided. “Nah, there was someone special, that’s why he didn’t call us. Look at him blushing like a fuckin’ idiot. Who was it, Tony?”

“Wait, what?” Bucky peered a little closer at the tell tale red on Tony’s face. “You punk! Holdin’ out on me? What’d you do, go and fall in love?”

“Yeah right, Tony Stark doesn’t fall in love.” Tony denied quickly, almost too quickly. “I mean, there was this one guy. Blonde, real hot, smokin’ boyd. He was uh--” Tony cleared his throat. “--he was sorta special, I guess.”

“So he put out like a vending machine, gave it up for nickels.” Bucky decided and the other three howled in laughter. “Ain’t that right, Tony?”

“That all you think about, Buck?” Tony pulled a face and Bucky nodded decisively, “You know th’hell it is!”

The bell rang, covering whatever Tony said in response but when Bucky caught what looked like sadness in his buddy’s eyes, he grabbed at Tony’s jacket to slow him down before they made it inside.

“Tony, what happened this summer, you gonna tell me or what?” Bucky wanted to know. “You don’t gotta tell me everything, but I wanna know if you found someone good. You’re my best friend, that sorta shit matters.”

“Tony Stark doesn’t fall in love.” Tony repeated the words a little louder, almost as if he were trying to convince himself like he was trying to convince Bucky. “But if it makes you happy, I’ll give you the dirty details at lunch, you horny bastard.”

“Oh, do you know the way to my heart.” Bucky clasped a hand over his heart and Tony finally laughed out loud, shoving at his friend and jogging up the steps. “Glad you’re back around, Tony. Senior year, baby!”

“Senior year!” Tony jumped up to slap the frame of the door, trying to hide the lingering heartbreak over Steve under another shout. “Here we go!”

“Here. We. Go.” Natasha Romanov unknowingly echoed Tony’s words as she stepped from her car and swung a bright pink jacket around her shoulders. “One more year in this piece of shit place and then we’ll be free.”

“This place is a piece of shit, but at least we’re seniors this year.” Pepper wobbled and nearly fell on sky high heels but managed to save it, balancing rhinestoned sunglasses on her nose and shrugging into her own jacket. “This time we rule the school. Andover High is ours for the taking.”

“Damn right we rule the school.” Carol tore open a pack of Oreos and licked the frosting from the middle of a cookie before discarding the rest and opening another. “Nobody’s gonna tell us what to do this time around!”

“Okay maybe not, but still oh my god, stop that!” Pepper smacked Carol with her clutch and tried to knock the cookies away. “That is so adolescent!”

“Well I mean--” Carol shrugged and destroyed another Oreo. “We’re still here for one more year right? Technically we still are adolescents.”

“Okay just don’t flaunt it.” Pepper adjusted her bra and Natasha asked, “Stuffing this year, Pep? Gave up on asking Santa for new boobs, huh?”

“For all you know I could have gone up a size this summer! This could really be me!” Pepper cried, and then shrieked when Carol reached over with a “Honka Honka!” and squeezed at the bra. “CAROL!”

“Definitely stuffing but it sure felt fancy.” Carol’s eyes widened. “Oooh! Are you wearing one of them new WonderBras?”

“I hate you!” Pepper hissed and Carol tossed her head back and practically cackled with laughter as Pepper tried and failed to run after her in those stupid shoes. “Carol! I hate you!”

“One more year.” Natasha said to herself, straightening her skirt and lifting her chin. “One more year and then I can get the hell out of here and away from--”

Pepper was still shrieking in the distance, but that didn’t distract from a few sideways looks as a group of girls passed Natasha, nor did it cover the whispers as they shared no doubt pointless, hurtful gossip about the easiest girl in school.

“--away from all that bullshit.” Natasha sneered at their smirks and tugged her shirt down a little further to show off another inch of cleavage. “Bitches.”

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

Back in New York Steve had spent all his time with a small group of friends who had enough in common to make the school days easier. They had studied together, been wall flowers at dances together, were always in student government and sat at the same table at lunch. They might not have been the most popular kids in school, but they were fun anyway, and as he walked into Andover High for the very first time, Steve would have given just about anything to be back in New York with them again.

It was bad enough moving without any notice at all, he’d had to say goodbye to his friends over the phone while unpacking boxes at the new place. It was even worse that his parents had decided to move without even going back to New York. There had been a new job opportunity for Steve’s Dad and the perfect house opening up at the perfect time and his Ma had been so excited about it all working out--

--neither of his parents had even thought to ask what Steve wanted, when all Steve could think about was how Tony would have called the New York number only to reach a disconnected dial tone.

Steve was sick to his stomach thinking about how heart broken Tony would be, or worse how angry Tony would be, most likely thinking Steve had given him a fake number. Steve had spent nights tossing and turning trying to come up with ways to track down Tony’s number or maybe even his address so he could write an apology letter or at least explain what happened. Tony probably hated him now and it just wasn’t fair-- it wasn’t fair-- and Steve thought he’d never stop being sad.

He was pulled at least partially from first day nervousness and soul wrenching melancholy by the presence of his school assigned guide Thor, who was extra big and extra friend and really difficult to stay miserable around.

Thor swept Steve through the halls of Andover High with wild hand gestures and loud explanations of various teachers, showed Steve the trick to kicking a locker door open if he couldn’t remember the combination, and at lunch, Thor wrapped his giant hand around Steve’s wrist and pulled him through the cafeteria and out to the tables, cheerfully announcing over his shoulder, “My friends are sort of terrible, but I promise you’ll like them anyway! Come on!”

“Oh, they’re… terrible?” Steve asked, but Thor was already making a beeline for the lunch table on the far end of the yard and Steve knew there was no stopping the massive blond. “Well I mean, I guess I need to make new friends at some point?”

Thor might have been enthused about school and making new friends, but Natasha was already ready to jump out of a window and drop out of Andover entirely and it was only noon on the first day.

“Hey.” Carol reached over and snatched at Natasha’s dessert before plopping down on the chair next to her. “Tasha, did you check out Tony this morning? He is looking fantastic this year. He’s got some weird, broody thing going on and it’s wonderful.”

“It’s ancient history is what it is.” Natasha muttered, poking at her food. “Stop talking about it.”

“Well sometimes ancient history repeats itself.” Pepper needled, “And Carol’s right, he does have this broody look going on. Nothing’s cuter than a damaged boy, right?”

“Right, cos that’s what I want. A boy who needs fixed.” Natasha shoved the less than edible food away with a huff. She wasn’t willing to admit how much it had hurt that Tony hadn’t called her once all summer, especially after they’d gone together for a while last year. And Tony did look good this year, older and a little more serious but Natasha was willing to bet good money that it was another line, another play, another attempt by another boy to just be stupid because that’s all they ever were.

“I barely wanted Tony last spring.” She said calmly. “I certainly don’t want him if he’s going to be high maintenance and need his feelings cared for.”

Carol and Pepper exchanged a look that Natasha did not appreciate at all, but before she could say anything about it, Thor shouted at them from a little bit away and waved excitedly, so she let it drop.

“Hey girls!” Thor was bigger than most of the boys at the school, bigger than most of the teachers for that matter, over tall and over muscled and just the nicest person in the world, and even though the table shook when he sat and Pepper fussed over losing one of her rhinestones in her food, everyone had a smile for the guy.

“Thor, that shirt is--.” Carol looked over Thor’s too tight tank top with raised eyebrows, then glanced up at Steve. “-- well your nipples certainly aren’t shy, are they? Anyway, who’s your friend?”

“This is Steve.” Thor announced proudly, and tugged Steve closer. “He moved here from New York and doesn’t know anyone and I thought he’d fit in just fine with us!”

“Ladies.” Steve offered a somewhat awkward wave and sat gingerly at the table, smoothing the pleats of his khakis self consciously. “I appreciate you letting me sit with you. This is all very different than what I’m used to.”

Carol, who had her hair in pigtails and was slurping at a smoothie like it was her last meal, only waggled her eyebrows in apparent approval of Steve while Pepper, who seemed quite a bit more mature than the other girls only sent Steve a coolly appraising glance over her sunglasses. He felt like Natasha immediately didn’t like him, the tiny redhead’s eyes narrowing and arms folding as she asked, “New York? What part? You seem a little small town to be from the Big Apple.”

“Small town.” Steve repeated, not sure if he’d just been insulted or not. “I um-- I’m actually from Brooklyn but it’s still part of New York City.”

“Oooh, Brooklyn.” Natasha raised her eyebrows. “That city carries a certain sorta reputation I have a hard time believing you live up to--ow!” she scowled and rubbed at her leg when Thor kicked out at her. “Damn it--”

“Oh yoo hoo!” a voice cutting through the general lunchtime noise and whatever else Natasha was going to say. “Ayoo-ahoo-ahoo! Don’t think you can hide from me, because you can’t!”

“Who--?” Steve started to ask and Natasha sighed as if the very words pained her as she answered, “Scott Lang. The most obnoxiously, over cheerful, pain in my-- Hi!” she looked up with a smile that was closer to a snarl. “Scott! How are you!”

“Oh, oh my gosh.” Scott was cute, bubbly and sweet and with a smile at least a mile wide, and entirely oblivious to the layer of hostility at the table. “I love the first day of school don’t you? It’s just the biggest thrill of my life! And oh! You’ll never guess what’s happened!”

“...Probably not.” Carol said around a mouthful of sandwich. “Gonna tell us anyway though, aren’t you?”

“The nominations for student council just came in!” Scott’s impossibly wide smile got even wider. “And you’ll never guess who’s up for Vice President!”

“Surprise us.” Thor said calmly and Steve hid a tiny smile at the giant’s attempt at politeness.

“Me!” Scott burst out and then laughed out loud. “Isn’t that the most! I mean, to say the least.”

“The absolute, very least.” Pepper sighed. “So, Scott--”

“Oh my god, you must think I’m the worst for not introducing myself to your friend!” Scott hustled his way around the table and plopped right down into Steve’s space. “Hello! I’m Scott Lang! You must the new kid because I don’t know you and I know everyone! Where are you from? You sound like you’re from New York, but don’t worry, that terrible accent will fade super quick and you’ll be talking just like us beach bums around here!”

“Uh--” Steve blinked a few times and Scott rushed on, “You have to come to cheerleader tryouts! I know what you’re thinking, cheerleaders are girls! But no! We have to have someone strong to lift the girls into the stunts right! Say you’ll come! We’ll get to share so many experiences and have so much fun and get to be life long friends!”

“Life long--” Steve couldn’t quite manage to match Scott’s energy. “I mean-- sure?”

“Oh my god, leave the poor kid alone.” Pepper said in exasperation and shoved at Scott’s shoulder. “Steve, you don’t have to be a cheerleader. No one except Scott is that peppy.”

“Nothing wrong with a little pep!” Scott said cheerfully. “What do you think, Steve?”

“I think being a cheerleader would be a great way to make some friends…” Steve started slowly, but apparently that was enough for Scott, who clapped his hands in excitement and started rattling off try out times and practice locations and oh wouldn’t Steve just love their uniforms, he looked like he was born to wear red white and blue!

“Steve.” Carol took pity on Steve’s slightly glazed expression and reached across the table to tap at his hand. “So what’d you do all summer? Anything fun?”

“My folks rented a cottage and I was down at the beach every day.” Steve smiled when Thor made an “oooh” sound. “I um-- I met a boy there. We spent the entire summer together.”

“You hauled your cookies all the way to the beach for a boy?” Natasha took a loud sip of her drink. “Sounds pretty pointless to me.”

“Well I mean.” Steve rubbed at a spot on his button of shirt, a streak of pink splashing across his cheeks. “He was pretty special.”

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

All the way across the football field, Tony sprawled onto the bleachers alongside Bucky, tossing pebbles at Valkyrie and Clint as they arm wrestled and jeering down at the jocks with Sam. It was weird to be back in school after what felt like an endless summer, weird to be back in his leather jacket after living in soft shirts and board shorts and during some wonderful afternoons, no shirts at all, just skin to skin with Steve as they kissed and touched and….

“So hey.” Bucky finished his lunch and tossed the trash away, bumping Tony with his elbow and jostling him from his thoughts. “Tell me about the guy this summer. All that beach action. Was he taller than you?”

“Everyone’s taller than Tony.” Sam joked and when Tony scowled at him, put both hands up and apologized, “Damn man, sorry. Thought the height thing was okay to joke about.”

“Ignore him.” Bucky kicked Sam’s drink over just to be a jerk and smirked when Sam shouted in protest. “Tell me about him, Tony. Come on.”

“Nah.” Tony didn’t really want to tell anyone about Steve, he sort of wanted to keep that memory just for himself.

Besides, it wasn’t like the summer had ended nice or anything. Tony had kissed Steve bye and then waited a week to call just to make sure the beautiful blond would make it back to New York, and then he’d called twice a day every day for a week and a half before someone had finally picked up.

But the person on the other end hadn’t been Steve or anyone who knew Steve, just a confused sounding lady telling him, “No one named Steve lives here, honey. You must have the wrong number.”

Tony had hung up, looked down at the number he had so carefully copied and repeated back to Steve at least a half dozen times so he knew it was right, then tossed the paper in the trash and cried himself to sleep for the first and goddamnit, the last time in his life.

But now for some reason his leather jacket felt like it fit different and his stiffly styled hair look unnatural in the mirror and Tony knew he had bags under his eyes big enough to pack clothes in, but he hadn’t slept much at all since that day and he was freakin’ miserable.

So no, the last thing he wanted to do was talk about the sweet blond that had both stolen and broken his heart so, “Nah.” was all he said, and went back to picking at his food.

“Hey!” Bucky protested loudly. “What’s this bullshit about keeping secrets! Come on! You promised horny details, damn you!”

“Horny details--” Valkyrie yanked away from the arm wrestling and Clint yelped as he splatted forward onto the bleachers. “Dumb ass! That woudn’a happened if you weren’t putting all your weight into trying to beat me! Tony! Let’s hear horny details!”

“I’m down for horny.” Clint sniffed loudly and straddled one of the bleachers. “C’mon Stark, don’t hold out on us. I didn’t get lucky once all summer, help me out here.”

Valkyrie, Sam and Clint were egging him on and Bucky was looking at him like he didn’t understand why Tony wasn’t willing to give up any details, so Tony did the only thing he felt like he could do--

--popped the collar of his jacket, ran his fingers through his hair and tipped his head back with a cocky grin, drawling, “Alright alright alright. You guys wanna know what happened? It started with a blond.” he let his smile slide slow and knowing, hiding the sadness he couldn’t quite seem to shake. “And ended with a--” Tony let his hand hit the bleachers a few times, bang bang bang, and Sam howled out loud as the others erupted into cheers.

“Yeah that’s right.” It was easier to pretend he was okay so long as he didn’t talk about any feelings, so Tony basically leered as he said. “It was a blast, you feel me? Happened so fast, so damn easy. I met this smoking hot blonde. Real tall, bright blue eyes and a body that just--” he shuddered and Clint whistled.

“He was crazy for me.” Tony said confidently, and that wasn’t a lie at all. “Just freakin’ crazy for me.”

“Oh yeah?” Sam tore open the wrapping on a candy bar and shoved half of it into his mouth. “Did you get real far?”

“Yeah, that’s what I wanna know.” Clint agreed. “Details! Details! Details!”

“Oh come on, you know how it is.” Tony laughed when Valkyrie and Clint started banging on the bleachers. “Same old, same old.”

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

“So tell us about him!” Pepper ignored Natasha’s glower and urged Steve, “How did you guys meet? Did he have a car?”

“Oh well.” Steve didn’t even know if he could talk about Tony without crying, but he gave it a try, managing a nearly heartbroken smile as he answered, “I don’t know about a car, but uh-- we met cos he was trying to show off. He was running down the beach and tried to dive for a football and ended up just kicking a bunch of sand at me.”

Steve’s smile turned a little more genuine thinking about how Tony had tried so hard to be suave. “He was really cute though, and apologized about sixteen times so I forgave him.”

“How did he make it up to you?” Carol flicked a french fry at Natasha just to make the redhead frown and added, “I mean, boys are generally the worst, so what did he do to make you fall in love with him?”

“Just the usual things, I suppose. “ Steve’s blush got a little deeper when Scott squealed something excited and propped his chin up in his hands to listen. “We went bowling and he was terrible, and I laughed so hard when he tried to be cool about it that he finally stopped and was just dorky with me.”

“Oooh he was dorky?” Natasha rolled her eyes theatrically. “Sounds like a keeper.”

“... he was a keeper.” Steve said sadly. “He was wonderful.”

“Tell us more.” Scott demanded. “I want to know more about your Prince Charming.”

“Oh I don’t know--”

“Tell me more! Tell me more!” Scott chanted. “Tell me more!”

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

“So we’re both in the water, right?” Tony dropped his sunglasses down over his eyes and affected a casual tone. “He goes swimming by me in these little tiny shorts, little red and blue striped things? Just slutty, I swear. Begging for attention. Then he gets a leg cramp and almost drowns, I’m telling ya, it was a good thing thing I was there.”

“Uh huh, uh huh.” Bucky crowed. “So you rescued him and he thanked you in all the good ways?!”

“Don’t you know it.” Tony scrunched his nose and grinned. “He nearly drowned okay? Without me there, the world been have been less one hot blonde. Real shame, that. And oh my god, he was so grateful, you know?”

“Did you get down doobie down?” Sam wanted to know and Valkyrie hit him in the shoulder with a, “We’re practically adults, Sam! Just call it sex!”

“Alright fine.” Sam huffed. “Did you get sex, Tony? There, you happy Val? Now I sound like an asshole.”

“You always sound like an asshole.” Bucky retorted. “Keep goin’ Tony. Tell us more.”

“We made out under the dock.” Tony said slyly and Sam whistled under his breath. “Sand was warm and the water was cold and he didn’t believe in wearing a shirt so it was just a whole lotta golden skin everywhere. Plus he had this sexy little East Coast accent, something in New York. He’d get all flustered and it would get thick and just--” that was a little too true for comfort and Tony forced out a teasing whistle. “All good things.”

“Wait.” Clint grabbed at Tony’s leg. “Wait, lover boy was a virgin? If he got all flustered when you’d kiss then--”

“What can I say, those good boys love me!” Tony laughed out loud and everyone else joined in.

“Even though for a good boy, he sure kissed real nice.” Tony admitted. “Never met anyone who kissed half as good as he did, and I’ve spent a whole lotta time kissin’ a whole lotta people. He was the best.”

“The best?” Bucky said skeptically, and Tony’s smile edged towards sad as he repeated, “Never kissed anyone like that before, and never gonna kiss anyone else like him again. I swear.”

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

“Oh my gosh, he was sweet.” Steve sighed a little. “Almost ready to turn nineteen, and he was handsome enough to be a model but then had these dark brown eyes that could get just about anything out of me. Bambi eyes, you know?”

“Just about anything?” Pepper’s pretty lips parted in surprise. “Out of you?”

“Well not everything.” Steve glanced around the table, from Natasha’s bored expression to Scott’s wide eyed interest. “But there’s nothing more romantic than summer nights, right? Walking under the stars and being on the pier as the sun goes down?”

“That sounds wonderful, and I absolutely hate that romantic nonsense.” Carol declared. “Tell us more. Did he spend a lot of money on you? That’s real love, when they buy you things.”

“Preach.” Pepper reached over and high fived Carol. “So Steve? Lots of presents?”

“He bought me lemonade every day and then we would share it while we wandered along the boardwalk.” Steve said wistfully. “Cotton candy at the Fourth of July fair. I didn't need presents, it was just nice to be with him. He got all friendly wanting to hold my hand and he’s the first boy I ever kissed and it was amazing.”

“Sounds like a drag.” Natasha fake yawned into her hand and when Pepper sent her a look, she shrugged, “What? It sounds too pure for me. Practically prissy. Call me when the story gets good.”

“Ignore her.” Thor decided. “Tell me more. Where is he now?”

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

“Could he get me a friend?” Clint asked eagerly. “I need someone to kiss.”

“No one wants to kiss you.” Valkyrie said flatly. “So what Tony? You kissed this guy and then-- I mean, did he make you work for it? Give it up like it was going out of style? What?”

“He got all sortsa friendly down in the sand.” Vaguely, but meaningful, Tony waggling his eyebrows pointedly. “All sortsa super friendly, alright? Didn’t take much at all. Those summer nights, you guys. Just ice cream, romance and gettin’ lucky. Easiest thing in the world to get lost in all that, over and over.”

“And over and over and over!” Bucky hollered. “YES, Tony! Was he any good?”

“I told you he’s the best kisser I ever had.” Tony objected and Clint countered, “Well yeah, but just cos someone kisses like they know what they’re doin’ don’t mean they actually know. Remember the Bruce debacle?”

“He says debacle like he knows what it means.” Sam tossed a pebble at Clint. “He’s got a point, Tony. Bruce walks around kissin’ like he’s tryna fuck you right then and there but you said when you tried to get friendly, he turned you down.”

“Eh, maybe I’m not his type.” Tony hedged and Bucky argued, “Nah Tony’s everyone’s type. S’just that Bruce is one’a them that only likes kissing but doesn’t like sex, you know?”

“That just doesn’t seem right at all.” Valkyrie declared. “We call the guy the Hulk for a reason, a damn waste to not use all them inches for the greater good.”

“The greater good--” Bucky snorted soda out of his nose and spluttered a few times. “Damn Val, warn a guy before you say something like that!”

“Anyway.” she rolled her eyes and turned back to Tony. “Alright, so you got lucky with the guy all summer, he was hot and made you feel all shivery and shit. What then? What happened?”

“It got cold.” Tony tried to shrug as if it didn’t matter but Bucky tipped his head and frowned when he saw a flicker of sadness across Tony’s face. “And summer romances, they gotta end at some point. It got cold, he went back to New York, end of story.”

“End of story.” Sam repeated. “You don’t call him or anything?”

“Tony Stark doesn’t do long distance.” Tony cocked an eyebrow like it was the stupidest thing he’d ever heard. “Summer fling, don’t mean a thing. I told him we’d still be friends, maybe if he ever came back this way then we could do it all again. That was it.”

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

“He told me he’d call and that he wanted to see me at Christmas and try and be together next summer.” Steve sighed, and next to him, Scott sighed as if it were his heart breaking. “Then he told me he loved me, and I told him I loved him, and we promised to never forget each other. That was it.”

“That was it?” Pepper gathered up her lunch trash and the rest of the table stood to start heading back inside. “You spend all summer with him, fall in love, and the guy didn’t even lay a finger on you?”

“It wasn’t like that.” Steve shrugged, a hand to his stomach as it twisted uncomfortably all over again. Tony must hate me now, oh my gosh. “He was a perfect gentleman and saying I love you was enough. We didn’t need to do-- to do everything else.”

“Sounds fake.” Carol decided, jumping up onto a table so she could climb onto Thor’s back and get a ride to class. “I don’t see how anyone would spend a summer with a boy who looks like you and not be climbing into your pants.”

“You aren’t ever going to see him again?” Thor wrapped one big hand around Carol’s calf to hold her steady, then hooked his other arm around Steve’s shoulders and clicked his tongue in sympathy. “Didn’t you exchange addresses or phone numbers or anything?”

“I gave him my number in New York.” Steve’s blue eyes dimmed in distress. “But then my folks decided to stay here and we moved our belongings with a service and never actually went back to the East Coast.”

“So he thinks you gave him a wrong number?” Natasha cut in. “Wow. He probably hates you now.”

“He probably does.” Steve sounded so miserable Natasha actually felt bad for her comment, and cursed under her breath before awkwardly comforting, “Well i suppose he probably thinks he wrote it down wrong.. I mean maybe he doesn’t hate you?”

“What was his name?” Carol asked from Thor’s back, peering down at Steve curiously. “Was he local? This isn’t that big of a town, we might recognize the name if he’s one’a them tourists that have a summer home here or whatever. If he comes back every summer, maybe we could help you track him down.”

“I suppose it can’t hurt.” Steve smoothed his khakis again. “His name was Tony. Tony Stark.”

“TONY STARK—“ Thor stumbled to a stop and and nearly face planted, and Carol screamed as she catapulted over the blond’s shoulders and into the bushes.

“WELL!” Tasha said loudly, smacking Thor’s midsection so he wouldn’t say anything else. “Steve, I think your summer love sounds um— sounds—“

“Peachy keen!” Pepper interrupted. “Just absolutely peachy keen!”

“And you know.” Natasha bared her teeth in a fake smile. “If you believe in true love and um, miracles, I’m sure you’ll see your Prince Charming again.”

“Do you really think so?” Steve absolutely lit up, blue eyes sparkling. “Thor, do you think so?”

“Ummmm.” Thor glanced at the girls helplessly, then reached and hauled Carol from the bushes, brushing the leaves from her hair. “I… I think we should get to class, Steve. Let’s worry about Prince Charming another day.”

Thor hurried Steve away, sending a concerned look over his shoulder as they went, and Carol whirled around on Natasha immediately, nearly screeching, “Tasha! Prissy McGee’s Prince Charming was Tony?? Weren’t you two just playing tonsil tennis and doing the dance with no pants?”

“Oh god, Carol!” Pepper gagged. “Don’t say it like that!”

“Whatever Tony and I were doing was neither tennis nor dancing because both of those things require good hands and stamina and Tony Stark has exactly none of either.” Natasha scoffed. “A Grabby Quickfire is all he is. Steve is welcome to him. I certainly won’t miss those three minutes of grunting and groaning and cleaning up the mess after.”

Pepper sneezed a laugh into her compact and then cursed when the powder flew into her nose. “Oh damn it Tasha. Seriously, though. How the heck does that happen, and what are you going to do about it?”

“What am I going to do about it?” Natasha snatched Peppers compact and carefully reapplied a thick layer of bright red lipstick. “I’m going to make sure our new friend doesn’t get anywhere near Tony for the next week and then re-Introduce them at the pep rally on Saturday. Nothing like a spontaneous reunion to keep things interesting, right?”

“That seems harsh.” Carol ripped the wrapper off a lollipop and shoved it in her mouth. “Gonna mess Steve up real bad to see how Tony really is.”

“Well, he won’t be the first to be heartbroken, will he?” Natasha clicked the compact shut and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Let’s go ladies.”

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

SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE CHAPTER! (I love approximately 120931928 things about this AU and I can’t wait to scream about it with you guys!)

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

@ships-galore @ceealaina @izziebladez @cwar1864 @hausoffro @lookuplaughing @tonystarkisanangel @multishippinglife @girlnic @iam93percentstardust @water-colouredmemories @paranormalmoonlight5 @igotloki @moosette05 @wayward-student-philosopher @kaz-brekkers-gloves @atomicfandombomb @desitonystark @1fuckingshitup69 @agentlokii @here-for-your-bullshit @livewire28 @flowers-and-honey @bluedreamdino @blackreaders-assemble @pidgist

#ncts fics #stony #grease au #steve rogers #tony stark #bucky barnes #natasha romanoff #pepper potts #thor #carol danvers #clint barton #sam wilson #valkyrie #t-birds #pink ladies

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enchanted-prose · 4 years

Text

#19 Gamble

“cat why are you posting everything right now?”

because i have this finished and it’s not fair to my pals if i only have the whole thing published on one platform

Word count: 5,007

Characters: Jaron, Roden, King Oberson (original character), Ayvar (original character), Feall Cormeach (original character), Renlyn Karise (original character)

Notes: Feall’s man bun. that’s all

Enjoy!

It was almost sad, seeing the great hall devoid of the grandeur of Blackberry Night. Sadder still knowing that Renlyn Karise hadn’t been able to see the fruits of her labor. Jaron had no intention of shedding any tears. Today, Feall was declared recovered.

There were questions demanding answers, and Jaron was determined to get as many of them as he could.

He’d taken a morning climb down the castle wall to test his leg, and managed to avoid slipping. Mott wasn’t impressed and immediately escorted him back inside.

At least Jaron managed to get the climb in, if Mott had known sooner, Jaron was certain he would’ve been locked in his own office. He would’ve been forced to tend to the stack of papers on his desk he’d been avoiding since the Faola attacked him.

The Faola would’ve been a fool to stick around Drylliad. According to Roden, the Faola’s sleeves were split on both sides, marking him as a thief with no loyalties.

Making him an easy target for everyone bigger than him.

Even if the sleeves were stitched, the slits would still be recognizable.

Jaron asked Roden multiple times if he’d seen the Faola darting around town, almost trying to find a reason to free Renlyn. The Faola was responsible for the attack, carried the name Mireldis Thay, and lusted for revenge with enough fury to commit treason. Renlyn, though passionate, carried a quiet fury. If the Faola made an appearance on the streets, Jaron would either have to let Renlyn go, or recognize that there were more people determined to slaughter Feall.

Everytime it seemed like the situation was clearing, Jaron found a flaw.

Tapping his fingers together, Jaron slipped past the columned corridor leading down to the great hall.

Think, think, think.

Imogen would’ve told him to make a list, but he had no paper. He’d have to remember his list until he returned to his office.

Feall didn’t recognize the Faola during that very first attack by a personal name, but by other aliases, and even then the Faola had been used as a name for the entire group rather than the individual. The attack only resulted in stolen goods, but no deaths. It took a note to Oberson requesting Feall be handed over to the Faola to bring the circle to Mireldis Thay. There was a second attack on Feall, and that was when Jaron took responsibility for finding the culprit. Jaron and Imogen realized that Jolly likely knew more than he let on, the third attack happened, and Renlyn was confined to her apartments.

It would be a busy day.

He needed to know if Roden had seen the Faola snatching loaves of bread to throw to the woman with no eyes in lower Drylliad.

He’d then know what to do with Ayvar.

And then he’d confront Feall.

Every word Feall said was honest, but that was the catch.

Each word he said didn’t equal everything that actually happened.

Jaron snatched a steaming iced bun from a passing plate, and shoved it into his mouth. The bun burned his tongue, but he continued chewing anyways. The sweetness justified the bun’s abuse.

Saints, he should’ve grabbed one for Roden.

There was a second captain’s quarters hidden near the back of Jaron’s throne. Roden rarely used it, and Jaron didn’t blame him. It was dusty and sneaky, meant to hide a bodyguard while the king sat upon the throne. However, Jaron still knocked on the door, just in case Roden was hiding inside.

No sign of any type of movement, not even from the few mice that managed to escape Imogen’s cat’s deadly claws.

He wiped his icing stained fingers on the leg of his trousers, and marched off to the kitchens.

No sign of Roden there either. Odd, considering that the kitchens were among Roden’s favorite places. He was the kitchen staff’s favorite and always managed to get his hands on a meal when he visited.

It was a cozy place. Drying herbs hung from the ceiling and a dome shaped oven crackled in the corner. Jaron glanced around, making sure nobody was looking at him, and snagged a vanilla bean from where it hung. A part of him wanted to know if it tasted as good as it smelled.

Previous experiences with biting into other drying herbs reminded him that it wasn’t worth it to bite into the bean.

He pocketed the dried vanilla, and spun on his heels to exit. The kitchen door slammed shut. Jaron glanced over his shoulder, grinning. “I beat you to all of the iced buns, didn’t save a single one.”

“I got lemon tarts this morning, so I’m not too disappointed,” Roden snipped. He tugged at the sleeves of his dark shirt. “I’m sorry I wasn’t at my office, I woke up early and-“

“You don’t need to excuse yourself, I’m not mad. Although I will be mad if I don’t get the answer I want.”

“I’ll do my best to answer.”

His palms grew sweaty. It was wrong to hope for a specific answer, but Jaron couldn’t stop himself from wishing. He wanted to be right. He wanted to know that Renlyn wasn’t responsible for the various attacks. The more he wondered, the more his hopes grew.

“Have you seen our Faola friend around?” Jaron asked. He stepped out of the kitchens, knowing Roden would follow. “Any sign?”

Was it wrong how much his heart sped up?

Was it wrong that he wanted so badly to be wrong for the first time in ages?

Renlyn had been a friend to him and the others in her own way. Her biting words kept them dancing on their toes, and searching for ways to match her prowess.

It was hard to believe that somebody could smile and get excited about a hand carved wardrobe while plotting to behead another friend in her quiet moments.

“I’m sorry, Jaron,” Roden shook his head. “I haven’t seen any movement from the Faola, especially not after that night. I’ve seen the others, if that helps. They’re rallying behind a new face.”

“Masked or unmasked?” said Jaron, forcing himself to laugh.

He had no excuse to release Renlyn from her new prison.

“Unmasked, calls himself Ulspierre. He’s Ayvar’s brother. Very unsettling.”

Though now he had good reason to release a scarlet haired thief.

Jaron clasped his hands behind his back and paused. He’d walked a little too quickly, leaving Roden behind. “Thank you, I suppose, for telling me. It wasn’t what I wanted but I can’t control the truth.”

“What does it mean for Renlyn?” Roden asked.

“She’ll remain in her chambers until we can get a genuine confirmation of her identity, and I’ll decide her fate from there.”

“There’s something not quite right about Renlyn, and I’m not sure why.”

Jaron pushed the door open to Ayvar’s tower room, bracing himself for the hundreds of spiraling steps before him. “Jolly was completely clear and completely misleading all at once.”

“Exactly,” Roden nodded. “I’ve been around Jolly for ages these past few weeks, and he’s really quite blunt when he wants to be. He’s never brought up Mireldis Thay around me.”

“Did you ever ask?”

“Well, no, I try to keep work and my friends separate.”

“But I’m your friend and I work with you,” Jaron paused on the stairs, heaving in a breath. “By the Saints, why did we have to put Ayvar in the tower?”

“Because she’s a woman and it’s not respectful to her to leave her in the dungeon with watery eyed criminals.”

“Have you been reading Amarinda’s romance novels again?”

“That was a one time thing, and the answer’s no.”

Ayvar’s tower room was hardly better than her cell in the dungeons. She had a cot, blanket, and clean water. Additionally, she was completely alone, save for the guard posted outside of her room.

“Good morning, I hope you didn’t try to use your hair as an escape rope,” Jaron said. “Hello? Ayvar?”

“Captain Harlowe?” The guard gripped his halberd like it was the only thing holding him together.

“I can answer questions too.”

“Your Majesty?”

The room was completely empty, and the sight of Ayvar’s folded blanket made Jaron’s rabbit heart begin to race. Did she die in the night?

Silenced to keep whatever song she sang under wraps?

“Where’s Ayvar?” Roden demanded. “There was a prisoner here, soldier, and you were under strict orders to never let her out of your sight!” “Sir, I, uh,” the guard bowed to Roden, realized his mistake, and then bowed to Jaron. “The prisoner was requested for an audience, King Oberson himself came to escort her to a private location.”

“Do you know where he’d be?” Jaron asked.

“No, sir, I’m sorry. Sir. But I know where the prisoner was taken; you’ll find her in Lord Feall’s chambers, supervised by two other guards. We made a promise not to let her out of the castle without your approval, sir.”

Roden groaned, “You were told not to let her out of the cell, actually.”

“It’s not like he could’ve said no to a king,” said Jaron. He suddenly had another reason to add to another list. “We needed to talk to Feall anyway.”

“But the stairs, Jaron, the stairs.”

“You need to work off those lemon tarts anyways, I knock two things out of my schedule and you don’t get soft in the middle. It’s a win-win situation!”

Although Jaron secretly dreaded the long descent down.

If he forced a joke or two, he wouldn’t have to explain his frustrations. Explain how much he hated the idea of locking Renlyn in the dungeon because she didn’t have an alibi for the night he’d been attacked.

Silence meant he could think.

He could paw through his list.

Feall didn’t know the Faola’s individual identity during the first attack. Jolly arrived in Drylliad for the festival. Oberson grew afraid because rumors spiraled about Mireldis Thay. A letter demanding Feall reached Oberson, confirming that Mireldis Thay was searching for Feall, or at least someone wearing her name was. The second attack on Feall. Regar’s arrival. Row’s pleas. The third attack. Renlyn’s arrest.

Regar’s arrival.

Jaron hobbled down the stairs as fast as he could, his leg beginning to scream. “I can’t go this fast!”

Roden thundered past, taking the steps by pairs rather than one at a time. “Sure you can, Jaron! Just admit that I’m faster than you!”

“That’s not fair!”

“Chicken!”

Feall’s chamber was on the opposite end of the castle, tucked several floors beneath Jaron’s office. Somebody was having a conversation behind Feall’s closed door.

“I went up and down the tower stairs looking for you Ayvar, so Feall, I’m sorry for not knocking,” Jaron said, pushing his way into the chamber. “Though ask my permission the next time you want to move a prisoner of the crown.”

The chamber was plain, a standard guest room. White painted walls, canopy bed, simple desk, fireplace. Although this room couldn’t be plain with Ayvar’s brilliant hair falling over her shoulders. She wore manacles, and was flanked by two guards.

“Good morning, your Majesty,” Ayvar bowed. The chains on her wrists clinked together. “I’m sorry finding me was such a chore, but it seems that I don’t have that much control over what I get to do these days.”

“A price you have to pay for breaking the law,” Jaron countered. “It’s almost better that you’re here with Feall, I have important matters to discuss with you both.”

Feall was standing, the bandages around his torso visible through his linen shirt. His curling hair was tied in a bun at the apex of his head. He didn’t look like a liar.

“I sent a page to request your presence,” Feall bowed. “But you were nowhere to be found and I needed to speak with Ayvar.”

“You should’ve waited for my permission.”

“The matter was urgent.”

“Explain the matter, then,” Roden growled. “You answer to Carthya’s king while you’re on Carthyan lands.”

The crisp morning became stale in an instant. Feall took a step back, while Roden casually set his hand on his sword. The hammering in Jaron’s ears was too loud. His heart raced and he didn’t know how to stop it.

Too many things could go wrong, too many things. Feall could attack him. He could kick at his bad leg and escape. Jaron had no idea what would happen if he received another blow to the leg. What he would-

He’d be alright. Roden was in the room with him.

And besides, Jaron trusted Feall.

They were at least acquaintances. Possibly even friends.

“I wanted to apologize,” Feall winced as he stood a little straighter. “Ayvar tried to save me all those weeks ago, she’s been imprisoned for an unjust cause, and I felt like it rested on my shoulders.”

Jaron crossed his arms, “Ayvar, is this true?”

“I don’t see why I’d need to lie,” she said. “Lord Feall is telling the truth.”

“Your patched friend tried to kill him again.”

“And apparently he kicked you, your Majesty. Please understand, the Faola was built based on a legend, and unfortunately our cause was used for an ulterior motive. We never wanted to harm the king.”

“I find it so interesting that you’ll still beg your cause,” Jaron tilted his head. “Stealing is still a crime no matter what you do with what was stolen.”

He’d never admit that deep in his heart, he would’ve taken the same path. Stealing from the nobles sitting before their flickering fires to give to the match girl freezing in the streets. But as the king, he couldn’t say something like that.

So he kept it to himself.

Ayvar entwined her fingers together. “Is there anything you want to ask of me?”

“Not exactly,” Jaron said. “My answers have been found, no matter how disappointing. Will you return to banditry when you’re eventually freed?”

“Do you already have plans to arrest me?”

“I don’t but Captain Harlowe might. He’ll get awfully bored now that things are beginning to die down.”

“Then you’ll have to forgive me for not answering.”

“Take her back to a holding cell, she’ll know her fate by this afternoon,” said Jaron.

The guards beside Ayvar nodded. She bowed her head once again, muttering her gratitude as she was escorted out of the room.

With her out of the way, it would be much easier for Jaron to be himself. He couldn’t allow himself to look like a fool in front of one of his subjects. There was no telling what would come out of his confrontation with Feall; he could appear very foolish if things didn’t go the way Jaron wanted them to.

“Sit down, Feall, we have a lot to talk about and I don’t want to strain you with your wound,” Jaron gestured to the simple chair beside Feall’s desk.

“If you think I need to take a seat, then you should too,” Feall said. “You were injured too, your Majesty.”

Jaron frowned, “I can stand if I like.”

Feall grimaced as he sat down, and he looked to Jaron. “I will do my best to say what you want me to say.”

“But I don’t want to hear what you want to tell me, I need to know the full truth.”

“Yes, yes you do. Where would you like me to start? Can I ask you a question first?”

“I suppose you can, unless you’re asking me to leave, in which I won’t.”

“Your Majesty, is it true that you located Mireldis Thay?” Feall’s face was devoid of any emotion. “Is she here in the castle?”

“The gossip made its way here too. I currently have our suspected Mireldis Thay kept in a safe cell. However, it seems that you have more history with her than I thought. There’s something more than a good old fashioned ‘I want to kill you for your title’ happening with her, isn’t there?”

To Jaron’s surprise, Feall nodded. “You never asked, so I never spoke of it.”

“Why not?”

“There are things I don’t feel comfortable thinking of, let alone discussing it.”

“Then I hope you can forgive me,” Jaron frowned. “Your comfort put my wife in harm’s way, and it’s not something I’ll ever forget.”

Imogen. The most valued person in his life.

He’d slaved away in order to survive, but surviving isn’t living.

Imogen inspired him to live.

He didn’t want to think of a world where he didn’t have her hand to hold onto. A world where he didn’t hear her lectures each time he climbed out of their bedroom window instead of taking the stairs.

That world was cold and desolate, but a fantasy.

Imogen had almost suffered the consequences of a battle she’d never even heard of.

“Is the queen hurt?” Asked Feall, almost managing to leap to his feet. He didn’t make it very far before he pressed his hand against the bandage around his torso.

Jaron scowled. His face was made of stone lines. “Imogen is fine. But you have to be completely honest with me Feall.”

Every story had a beginning, middle, and an end. They were long and they were short. Jaron smirked; he’d canceled almost every one of his meetings later that afternoon. He would hear every detail Feall gave if it meant Jaron stayed there the whole night.

However, he wasn’t sure if Roden had the same drive.

“How do you know Mireldis Thay?” Jaron crossed his arms. “You’re here as a guest in my home, not a prisoner. You’re my friend, you have no reason to lie to me.”

Feall looked down at his hands, his shoulders going soft.

It was unsettling, watching a knight of Feall’s stature shy away from telling a story.

He finally heaved in a breath, and began his tale. “As you know, there are five lesser kings in Bymar who answer to King Norman. King Graer Thay led Idunn Craich, and took me under his wing after my father fell in a skirmish with Gelynians. I became his ward; an example to his children. Mireldis and I knew each other long before-”

“You knew Mireldis Thay as a child and you never told us!” Roden snapped. “Do you-?”

“Hush, this isn’t even the good part of the story,” said Jaron.

“Thank you, your Majesty,” Feall cleared his throat. “I became the, ah, man of the household when Graer returned to the mainland to train with King Norman’s household. I was- I was sixteen at the time.”

There had been many times when Jaron had gone to the crypt where his family was buried. He hid there among stone coffins, almost praying a spectre would appear just so he could say goodbye.

He hadn’t begged for an unholy apparition in years.

The look on Feall’s face faltered. His stern squint widened.

Almost like he’d seen a spectre. Almost like he was seeing the ghost of a person he never said farewell to.

“Take your time,” Jaron murmured.

“Queen Ingrid Thay took care of most matters, I handled the rest. Mireldis grew jealous, claiming I’d taken both her mother and her father from her,” said Feall. He rubbed his forehead. “She sulked, so I ignored her. I grew capable of managing funds and trade under Ingrid’s- under Ingrid’s guidance. I gained favor, Mireldis did not.

“Two years later, Graer hadn’t returned, and the Avenian war broke out. Queen Danika called for every man who could fight, I was of age, and I answered her call. It was the last time I saw Mireldis as a princess. I was fighting in Gelyn when Ingrid wrote to me, explaining that Graer had been conspiring with Avenian generals to betray King Norman, and that the sixteen other noble houses extracted punishment. Graer and all those who followed him deserted the next day.

“I returned to Bymar, but not immediately to Idunn Craich. King Norman and Queen Danika invited me to spend a season with them, and I did. I returned to Idunn Craich to help Ingrid, and once I saw fit, I returned to the mainland. There was a series of bandit attacks near the Gelynian border that following summer, attacking both Gelynians and Bymarians.

“My orders were to find out if the attacks were correlated, and then to stop the perpetrator if they were. It took months of tracking to eventually recognize a pattern; the attacks occurred near mountain passes, and the survivors often told wild stories about trolls attacking them with scythes.”

Jaron didn’t hide his snort, “Were they trolls with scythes?”

“Luckily, no. They were Gelynian miners and sheep herders who were trying to gather fortune,” Feall explained. “Eventually, we were able to map out the attacks and find the epicenter, which led us to a tiny cottage in between both Gelyn and Bymar. I saw a girl inside. She would’ve been Mireldis’s age, but when we returned to arrest the bandits, they were nowhere in sight. The girl left with them. We found her body settled in with the victims from another attack. I assumed she was Mireldis. She’d always had hair that lingered past her knees, and the corpse I saw had the same.

“I continued serving the king in protecting the Bymarian-Gelynian border, until I was called north. A new bandit appeared, stealing from caravans but never with more than ten others. Called himself the Black Knight, though now it seems that he is in fact a she. The Black Knight vanished, eventually turning to terrorize south Bymar by leaving Various men and women tied to trees. It was much harder to track her there, as the pattern often extended into Gelyn. Earned herself the name of Shrike. She vanished before I could take her in, which turned out to be because she was anticipating my arrival in Drylliad protecting King Oberson.”

The memories were coming back. Jaron remembered the exchange between Feall and the Faola. Between Feall and Mireldis Thay. He’d heard Feall throw out both of those names; nobody knew that Mireldis Thay was wearing a mask.

“And you figured out that the Black Knight, Shrike, and the Faola were Mireldis Thay when she sent that letter to Feall, demanding that he hand you over to her,” Roden frowned.

Jaron could practically see the smoke coming out of his ears. He was working his brain too hard.

“Exactly,” Feall rubbed at his forehead again. “It really came together when I almost died. Twice.”

“Congratulations, escaping death multiple times is a requirement for being a person I speak to for more than a few weeks,” said Jaron.

Feall’s story was wide, it dragged in several other people. Honest people, like Queen Danika and King Norman. Jaron knew they gave truth and expected truth from those they brought into their court.

He’d have to think about Feall’s words.

It frustrated him knowing that Feall knew Mireldis as a child, and yet, this factor was never discussed.

Was this how Imogen’s cat felt when it saw a mouse run across a kitchen floor after they’d hunted tirelessly for it?

Jaron tapped his toes, stacking the information. Think, think, think. There was a detail staring him in the face, but he wasn’t sure just what it was. Something big and important. Arguably important, that is. If it was so vital, Jaron wouldn’t have forgotten it.

“Did you have a good relationship with Mireldis?” Jaron asked, fighting the urge to pace.

“I- well, yes. We were playmates at one point, but things have obviously changed since then,” said Feall. He twirled the strings of his shirt around his fingers. “Your Majesty, would it be, ah, nevermind. Sorry, sir.”

“Spit it out, Feall. No point in not asking for something, you don’t know what I’ll say.”

“Would allowing me to visit Mireldis be out of the question? I want to see her, I want to- I want-”

“To apologize?”

“To ask her why she hates me so.”

Everyone always wanted answers. They always wanted to know why people did things that they did, especially if those things involved people getting hurt.

It wasn’t enough to just accept that maybe some people chose differently.

Jaron knew Feall was hoping to find an answer. He wanted to know that there was a sliver of goodness in Mireldis Thay. He wanted to know that something caused her years of banditry and assault. It could excuse her actions. Jaron recognized the naiveté in Feall’s plea, he wanted to fix Mireldis.

But not everybody had an underlying just reason for what they did. Bevin Conner claimed to be a patriot and then murdered Jaron’s family. Devlin, the former pirate king, led a life of piracy in the name of ambition.

It was all too likely that Mireldis Thay hated Feall and tried to kill him because she could.

“What makes you think Mireldis would want to see you?” Jaron asked, crossing his arms.

Feall cracked a bitter smile, “I don’t think she ever would want to see me, but I want to see her. I’ll forego any danger in the name of justice.”

“Then allow Roden and I to accompany you, in case Mireldis decides on a whim to snap your neck.”

“If she can snap my neck, I think we should be concerned about what she’d do to you.”

“I can hold my own, Feall,” said Jaron. “What happened when I was with you was just a lucky blow.”

Or was it?

The Faola had kicked at his leg rather than running him through with a sword. Jaron was lucky to have walked away with his life.

The kick to his leg was a demonstration of power. Mireldis Thay could’ve killed him, but she didn’t.

Just like her proximity to Imogen could’ve given her a window to kill the most important woman in Carthya, but she never used the opportunity.

Extending a hand, Jaron nodded. They’d go to see Mireldis Thay. Feall could confirm her identity, confirm that Renlyn Karise was just a false name. She’d finally display a show of emotion rather than keeping her same deadpan expression, and Jaron would gloat for a moment before deciding her fate.

He had no intention of following through with the treason charge. Renlyn would be valuable in the future.

It was a stupid move to execute a future ally.

“Jaron, something’s been on my mind,” Roden said. He’d fallen behind by a few steps. “I’ve been thinking a lot about the attacks on Feall.”

“Ah, thinking can be quite dangerous for you,” Jaron countered. “Every time you think of something, I think of something, and suddenly everything’s on fire.”

“I’m being serious.”

“So am I. Are you planning on setting the forest on fire?”

“No! I’m thinking about-,” Roden burst. His face colored as his voice echoed around the corridor. “I was there, after Feall’s second attack. I drove them away and took Feall back to-“

Jaron motioned for the guards outside Renlyn’s door to come closer. “Do you want Feall to thank you?” He asked, and then turned his attention to the two guards. “Has she done anything foolish? Is she still in there? Any cursing or vase-throwing?”

One of the guards shook his head, “No, sir. The lady within hasn’t made a sound, she’s received her first meal already. Didn’t say a word.”

“We thought she was dead for a few minutes,” confessed the second guard. “It’s not natural, being able to sit so quietly for that long.”

“Ah, that’ll change,” Jaron said. “We’ve come to visit her. Brought her an old friend.”

“Jaron, please, it’s really important,” Roden tried, he held his hand up to keep the guards from butting in.

“Ignore that hand, we’re talking. Have-“

“Feall wasn’t the only victim on the night of the second attack! He-!”

“I know, Roden, I heard the entire ordeal and then read the-!”

“Mott, Tobias, and-!”

“Stop interrupting me!”

“Not until you listen!”

Picking fights with Roden was too easy, but Jaron hated it when Roden did the fight picking. Those fights were usually heated and ended with fists flying, and Jaron had no intention of getting a fist to the face and-

“Oh Saints,” Jaron pressed both of his hands into his hair. “Oh no, no, no no. Feall, don’t open that-!”

Unfortunately for Jaron’s dignity, Feall opened the door to Renlyn Karise’s room.

The important detail he’d forgotten came rushing back, triggered by Roden’s attempts to point it out. It ruined everything.

Renlyn Karise had been the fourth victim during the Faola’s second attack on Feall. She’d handled the situation all too well, bounding back to tending to Imogen the very next day. It made it easy to forget that she’d been kneeling on the ground with Tobias and Mott while Feall fought for his life.

“Do you get what I was trying to say?” Roden snapped. “Renlyn is the reason Feall didn’t lose his head that night!”

“Don’t remind me,” Jaron rubbed his temples. He’d never hear the end of this one.

“Is- is this a joke?” Feall called from Renlyn’s room.

Jaron didn’t have the patience to stay to hear Renlyn’s stifled snicker.

He didn’t like it when he was wrong, and he’d been wrong in one of the worst ways.

He’d arrested a woman without full thought, and let Mireldis Thay escape.

“Get Ayvar, Roden, we’re going to fix this,” Jaron growled. “The longer we wait, the farther she’s run away.”

“And what will we do about Renlyn?” Roden asked.

“Nothing, I don’t want to deal with her just yet. We have a bandit to catch. Renlyn can sit in her gloating glory until we’ve got the right Mireldis Thay sitting in the dungeon.”

“This would be our third suspected Mireldis Thay, maybe we should give this fight up.”

“I’m so glad you can count that high! I don’t care if we catch a thousand false Thays, I will not accept this defeat!”

#the ascendance series #the streets of drylliad #feall cormeach has the best hair in the series #prince jaron #roden #ocs #fic friday

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lancetuckershairgel · 4 years

Text

Summary: Chris parts ways with his job, Lucy meets the new resource officer.

Word count: 1,515

Warnings: language, mention of pre meditated self harm, angst

Tag List: @southernbell91 @book-dragon-13 @marvelgirl7 @jobean12-blog @anxiousamandapanda @jamesbarnesappreciationsociety (if you would like to be added or removed from the tag list let me know)

It was Friday, the day of the goodbye rally the school had insisted on holding for Chris. He understood their reasoning, but it wasn't his thing. He gave his speech, thanking the schools staff and students for a wonderful four years, his eyes scanning the gymnasium for any sign of Lucy and frowning when he couldn't find her. He made his way back to his office to begin packing up and his eyes trailed over the shelves of the bookcase. It was filled with gifts from students, drawings some of the more artistic kids had given him, and a few knick knacks hed purchased to make his office a little less drab. He placed the items one by one into a box, the last thing he reached for being the completed Rubix cube. He picked it up and held it in his hand, thinking about all of the times Lucy had spent in his office. A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts and he turned to see Erin, the new resource officer, standing there.

"Come in, I was just finishing up. Make yourself comfortable and I'll give you the run down."

Erin smiled and took a seat behind the desk, looking it over. Chris told her about her new duties: attending the ROTC meetings on Wednesdays, the yearly safety course, and the typical day to day handling the problem kids.

"Any particular ones I should know about?"

"They're all good kids, really, but there's a few you'll probably see more than others. Jason's abit of a bully. Spoiled quarterback, thinks everyone owes him something, you just gotta watch out for how he treats the smaller kids, tends to push them around. Neveah has an attitude, she tends to mouth off a lot to the teachers and skips class. We caught her vaping in the bathroom earlier this year." He paused, realizing that he was still holding the Rubix cube "Then there's Lucy…you'll see her the most, I hope."

"You hope?" Erin's eyebrows rose

"She's..different. Incredibly smart, but stubborn as hell. She wants something she's gonna make sure she gets it and same with if she doesn't. She's going to do what she wants regardless, and there's a definite disregard for authority. The kids got a hard life, I think she's just watching out for herself until she can get out of here."

"Sounds like someone else I know." Erin chuckled with a wink to Chris

"Yeah" Chris laughed, rubbing the back of his neck "She spent a lot of time in here and I hope she continues to come when she needs to. If you don't mind, I want to leave the chair for her. She's pretty pissed at me right now."

Chris pointed to the white saucer chair that Lucy preferred.

"I don't mind at all, whatever helps."

Chris and Erin talked for a bit more, a little more about Lucy and mostly about the technical aspects of the job. Lockdown drills, bag checks, when to use force on a student. Most things Erin knew from her training, but Chris had some tips anyway.

"I should get going. I need to get set up at the elementary school and have a meeting with the staff. Good luck, Erin."

Erin stood and gave Chris a hug before closing the door behind him as he left with his box. She looked around the bare office, already planning what to add to it to brighten it up.

Chris placed his box down on the bench in the front office and asked the secretary to page Lucy to the front. She didn't come to the rally, which didn't surprise him, but he couldn't leave without a proper goodbye. Lucy appeared in the office doorway and rolled her eyes when she saw Chris waiting for her. She turned to leave but Chris followed her, calling after her to stop.

"Lucy, wait. Don't do this."

"What do you want, Officer."

Chris sighed. She called him "Officer" when she was mad. Not just mad at the world, but mad at him, personally.

"I wanted to check on you. You ok?"

"I'm fine." Lucy crossed her arms. Looking at him sternly

"You sure?"

"Aren't you leaving? Why do you care if I'm okay or not?"

"I care, you kn-"

"If you cared you wouldn't leave."

"You know it isn't that easy"

"Right, because you have yourself to look after, yeah? Being here doesn't work for you anymore so fuck everyone who needs you.".

Chris frowned, guilt rising.

"The new officer, she knows what to do. Shes good, funny. The kids are going to love her. You'll love her."

"I don't want to."

"Give her a chance, Luce."

"Why? So she can leave me too?"

Chris went to reply but Lucy flipped him off and stormed back to class. He sighed, turning back to the office and was greeted with a look from the secretary. He shrugged before he grabbed the box and left, getting in his car and making his way to his new job.

Erin made her way around the building, becoming familiar with the layout and introducing herself to anyone she came across. Some of the kids seemed a bit intimidated by the presence of a new cop but Erin's warm smile and the few jokes she cracked eased their minds a little. She was making her way up the tenth grade hallway when she heard a commotion coming from the girls bathroom.

"Oh my god!"

"Should we get a teacher?"

"GET THE FUCK OUT"

Erin stepped into the bathroom and surveyed the scene. A group of girls were surrounding the handicap stall, whispering quietly.

"I swear to God get the fuck out or I'll stab you all."

"Okay girls, let's go, back to class."

The girls jumped and hurried out of the room, leaving Erin to peer into the stall. Sitting against the wall was another girl dressed in ripped jeans and an oversized hoodie, the hood pulled over her face. In her hand was a pair of scissors and Erin froze, quickly assessing the situation.

"What's going on here?"

"Go the hell away."

Erin knelt down and took a closer look at the girl. She could see streaks of tears on her cheeks and bloodshot eyes.

"Here, let me have those and let's talk. What's your name?" Erin asked softly, reaching for the scissors

The girl jerked away from Erin and glared up at her with anger filled eyes.

"Leave."

"I can't do that."

"Sure you can. That's what everyone always does. They leave."

"I'm not going anywhere." Erin sat next to the girl to prove her point, waving away another student who had come in "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. The hard way is for me to take this as a threat either to yourself or others and forceably remove the scissors and you from the property, or you could just hand them over and we can talk about what's going on."

Erin waited to see what choice she'd make and let out a sigh of relief when the scissors were dropped.

"What's your name?" Erin asked as she pushed the scissors out of reach

"Lucy."

"I'm Erin. I've heard a lot about you, Lucy."

"Yeah I'm sure you have."

"What are you doing in here?"

"Nothing."

"You had scissors. Why?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because I do. I'm curious, what were you planning on doing with them?"

"Nothing."

Chris had said that Lucy wasn't a talker. It took him a long time to get her to say more than a word to him. Erin didn't give up though.

"Were you going to hurt yourself?"

"Maybe."

"Why?"

Lucy shrugged.

"Would you feel more comfortable talking to the counselor?"

"Hell no."

"Another adult, then? A favorite teacher maybe?"

"Don't have a favorite teacher. They hate me."

"I'm sure that isn't true."

"Everyone hates me."

"There has to be someone.."

"Chris."

Erin blinked, surprised.

"Lucy, Chris isn't here. He's go-"

"Gone. He left. I know."

"Is..is that why you're upset? Were you two close?"

"What? No! I couldn't stand him."

"Uhhuh...I see." Erin smiled softly, knowing what was going on "He thought very fondly of you, though."

Lucy looked over at Erin, a bit taken aback.

"He did?"

"He went on about how smart you are, how you had opinions and creative thoughts."

Lucy just shrugged and looked away, more tears forming.

"You miss him, don't you?"

"No." Lucy grumbled, wiping the tears away angrily

"It's okay to feel sad, Lucy."

"I'm not sad. I don't get sad. Im angry."

"Angry about what?"

"Everything. Myself. He left because of me, I know he did. It's my fault all these kids lost him, and maybe...maybe if I was gone, he'd come back."

"Lucy, honey, Chris didn't leave because of you. He needed a better schedule, the elementary school gets out an hour and a half earlier than the high school. Ge has classes to attend at night. This has nothing to do with you."

"Wait" Lucy's eyes widened "He went to the elementary school?"

"Yes...he-"

"My sister goes there."

#destroyer!chris #sebastian stan #fan fiction #safe haven

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lilacmoon83 · 4 years

Text

A Darker Curse

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 26: Triggered

Kathryn glared at the back of his head, as she forced him to follow Cora. It seemed the former Mayor was leading them to the mines? That struck her as odd in her mind, but then so much did these days. Everything had changed and the raven haired tramp that she was holding a gun to was the reason for it all.

Just months ago, her life was very well ordered. She was among the elite in this town. People looked at her with the utmost respect and envy. She was the manager of her father's bank, had a handsome, dutiful husband, and was part of the ruling class. She commanded respect, both professionally and personally. When she had come home, he did everything she wanted and faced the consequences when he didn't. She relished those times when he used to wince under one well shot glare and bend to her every will. She missed those days. She missed the days when Cora was Mayor and no one dared to look at her like they did now.

She was now met with looks of disgust and outrage, while they all now rallied around David. It was pathetic. When Cora was in power, those same people had been too afraid to lift a finger to help him and he was only met with their looks of pity. But it all changed the moment that blonde demon walked into town with her baby and her tramp of a mother. David was a different man since she walked into town. Strong, confident, and brave. And in love. He had never looked at her like he looked at Mary Margaret. And it enraged her...for a while. Then she had fallen into indifference and had started to wonder why she even cared. She didn't love David and he didn't love her. So their marriage ending had made a lot of sense. She almost had a moment of clarity and even acceptance, until Cora paid her a visit. She had made tea for her, while Kathryn lamented about everything that had happened. But as they enjoyed tea together, Cora reminded her of all the things that had just been stolen from her. Her hold on David had dissolved very quickly once Mary Margaret entered the picture. She had batted her green eyes and lured him away like a moth to a flame. Cora made her realize that Mary Margaret was the root of all the misfortune that had befallen her and her family. Her children were just as wretched as she was. Her son had made a mockery of her entire family and aired their dirty laundry to the entire town in his rag of a newspaper. And her smart mouthed daughter had the power to lock them up now with a badge on her hip.

Mary Margaret had even put some sort of strange spell on David that made him think he somehow fathered her daughter. It was ludicrous. Mary Margaret had even somehow gotten to Regina and turned her against her own mother. But now...Cora assured her that she had a plan to save the town from the Swan family's villainy. She kept insisting though that she would have to do some very questionable things to take back what belonged to her and make the raven haired temptress pay. But she had never imagined this. She had never imagined herself doing the things she had done recently, even in the name of supposedly saving the town.

Somewhere inside her, there was a horrified voice screaming at her to stop. That voice had started to make her weepy and distraught, until Cora corrected her profusely. She had done everything Cora asked of her and let her anger consume her. But going from getting David fired from his job at the animal shelter to holding a gun on the woman he loved was a very big leap. She was vindictive, but would have never considered murder, even at her worst. Cora was clear though. Mary Margaret Swan had to pay for ruining her life and David had to pay as well. It was the only way to take back what belonged to them and save the town from ruin. But murder...there was no coming back from that.

"Kathryn...please let her go," David pleaded.

"Shut up David," she snapped.

"Think about what you're doing! This isn't you...you'd never truly want to hurt anyone," he said, trying to get through to the real Kathryn inside. The curse seemed to be weakening on everyone else, except Kathryn, which convinced him more that Cora had done something to increase her hold on the blonde. And he had to stop her. He had to stop her to save her from herself. She was already going to be horrified by her actions thus far when she woke up from the curse. Cora was using her to do her dirty work and he feared for Abigail's mental health when all this was over and the curse did break. And he knew it would. Their daughter would break it. He had nothing but the utmost faith and confidence in her. Cora may have plagued them, ripped them apart, and tortured them both in ways that had left deep scars, but they both knew that she didn't stand a chance against Emma.

"Oh I assure you, David...I want nothing more than to hurt you both for everything you've done to me!" Kathryn snapped, as she grabbed Mary Margaret by the hair again. The raven haired beauty cried out in pain, as the crazed blonde pressed the gun against her head. David turned and put his hands up, as Cora finally stopped walking and he deduced they must have been far enough into the mines for whatever purpose she had brought them here for.

"Then make me pay! Just let her go!" he pleaded. A tear slipped down Kathryn's cheek.

"You'd do anything for her...wouldn't you?" she asked, but she didn't wait for him to answer before she continued.

"I could literally make you do anything if you thought it would save her from harm," she sobbed.

"The way you look at her...you never looked at me like that," she cried. He swallowed thickly.

"You're right...but there is someone out there that can love you the way I love Mary Margaret. I know that you feel deeply inside you that all of this is wrong. Please Kathryn...just let her go and I promise you that everything will be made right," he begged.

"Why...so you can arrest me, Deputy?" she asked sarcastically.

"No arrests...you're not the one that deserves to be locked up," he replied, casting a cold glance at Cora.

"Oh what I wouldn't give for a muzzle right now. You were so much easier to take when you were docile and under our thumb," Cora commented, as she curiously picked up a dwarf axe.

"This axe...it's sharp enough to cut diamonds. I can only imagine what it would do to human flesh," she leered, as she used the tip of it to lift his chin, letting him feel the sharp point against his skin.

"No...please…" Snow pleaded.

"Don't worry dear...as much as I would love to make you watch me tear the flesh from his bones, this axe isn't for him," Cora replied.

"I am going to leave it up to you on how this one dies though, my dear," Cora cooed, as she glared daggers at the princess she considered to be the bane of her existence.

"You can put a bullet in her if you'd like...or let her die in the arms of her lover," Cora offered. Kathryn's eyes flicked to her ex-husband and a devious smirk crossed her cold, beautiful features.

"What will you do for her? How far would you go for her?" Kathryn asked. David's blue eyes pierced her own gaze.

"To the end of this realm and every other," he promised, as his eyes locked with Snow's beautiful emerald gaze.

"Get on your knees and beg me for her worthless life," Kathryn growled and he didn't hesitate for a second. There really was nothing he wouldn't do for Snow.

"Please...her children and grandchild need her. They are what's important in all of this. Punish me...but don't punish them," he pleaded.

"David…" Snow started to say, but Kathryn cut her off by shoving her to him. She collapsed to the ground with him and he folded into his arms.

"Charming…" she murmured.

"Shh...have faith. Emma will find us," he whispered, as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"You can have each other. I guess you are willing to do anything for her...even die for her," Kathryn spat.

"You're right...I am," David confirmed. Cora smirked.

"Then I guess it's poetic that you shall die together," Cora said, as she took out a black diamond from a velvet pouch.

"What is that?" Snow asked.

"A reset button," Cora replied.

"I am dissatisfied with my curse and it's time to start over...for me, anyway," she added.

"And the town?" David asked with trepidation. She smirked.

"I'm afraid Storybrooke will be no more," she revealed, as they exchanged a horrified look.

"You can't do that!" Snow cried.

"It's my curse...I can do whatever I want, Princess. You came into this town thinking you really had a chance of ousting me, but you never really did. And now...you and your entire family will be wiped from existence," Cora promised. David growled and was about to charge her, but Cora took the gun from Kathryn.

"I know you have little care for yourself, but move again and I will put a bullet in her head," Cora warned. Snow pulled him back and he took her in his arms again.

"Kathryn...she's going to kill everyone, including you!" David hissed at the blonde.

"That's insane, David. You're insane! You think you're the father of Mary Margaret's grown daughter and you want me to believe anything that comes out of your mouth?" Kathryn snapped. Cora gave her a pleased smile.

"Good...keep the gun trained on them," she instructed. Snow and David could only watch, as Cora used the pick axe and struck the diamond. They were hopeful for a brief moment when nothing happened, but then the diamond began to glow and spin rapidly.

"No…" Snow uttered.

"Yes...even without magic, this will do the job," Cora said, as she started to walk away.

"Wait...where are you going?" Kathryn asked.

"To make a fresh start. You do with them as you please, dear. They're doomed either way," Cora replied, as she walked away. Kathryn looked very confused by the spinning diamond that was glowing and suspended in the air.

"Kathryn...listen to me. That thing is going to kill us all, but if we get as far away from it as possible, we might have a chance," David pleaded with her.

"You sound crazy, David! And you and your little tramp aren't going anywhere," Kathryn cried, but she yelped, as she was hit in the head.

"You'd be wrong about that," Emma said, as she confiscated the woman's gun and then rushed to her parents, who enveloped her in a crushing hug.

"Are you guys okay?" she asked.

"We're fine...but Cora did something…" Snow replied.

"It's called a trigger," Regina revealed. August nodded, as he looked through the book and was alarmed to see his pen stop glowing.

"Oh...we need to get the hell away from this thing," he said.

"Honey...what is it?" Snow asked, but she soon saw when the pen dissolved.

"This thing is going to destroy the town. It erased the pen and the town is next," August replied.

"Then we need to leave Storybrooke," Regina said gravely.

"How long do you think we have?" David asked.

"It's hard to say. Hopefully with no magic, it's slowing it down...but I really have no idea," Regina replied.

"We sent everyone to the town line though. We just need to get Neal and Gold. The baby is with them," Emma said, as Kathryn stirred.

"We can't leave her...it's not really her fault," he said. Emma nodded and helped her up.

"Let's go," she said, prodding her along, as they ran from the mines, just as the earthquakes began. Snow was almost thrown off her feet, but David steadied her and they kept running. She yelped, as there was a loud pop beneath their feet and they watched a large crack appear down Main Street.

"The town is coming apart," August said, as they saw the clock tower begin to crumble and could only watch in horror, as the face of the clock fell into the streets.

"Charming…" Snow uttered, fearing the worst was coming, as vines started to grow over the diner and other businesses.

"We're too late…" Gold said, as he came out of the shop with Lacey. Neal hurried to Emma with their son and instinctively put his arm around her. The ground beneath them shook again and David looked at Gold.

"The sapling...do you think it can protect us from the blast?" he asked.

"I don't know...but we stand a better chance with using it than not," Gold replied, as they saw Cora's car careen around the corner and speed out of town.

"There she goes…" August said.

"No…" Snow said, as she stepped toward the bug.

"Snow…" David called.

"No...she doesn't get to do this! She doesn't get to destroy our lives again!" Snow said, as she opened the car door.

"Snow...what are you doing?" he asked.

"Stopping her...and if I can't, then I'm at least going to take her with me," Snow replied darkly, as she got in and sped off.

"SNOW!" David cried out in fear, as he got his keys and scrambled to his truck, which was parked on the other side of the street.

"Dad...wait!" Emma called and he was torn. He couldn't lose Snow again, but he also couldn't lose Emma and his grandson.

"We're safer if we get far enough away from the blast. Everyone in the box of the truck!" he called. Emma took her son, while Neal helped his father and Lacey up into the truck. Regina and August hopped in also, after helping a very confused Kathryn, while Emma got in the cab with her father. The sapling rested between them and little David seemed captivated by the glowing green tree.

David put the truck in gear and sped out of town. The ground rumbled beneath them, as he dodged pot holes as best as he could. Left behind was a deserted town and Main Street suddenly cracked violently in a spiderweb-like crack, as the entire town began to shake and a roar was heard from deep underground.

~*~

Cora spied the yellow bug on her tail in the rear view mirror and punched the accelerator harder, but that didn't seem to do much, as the bug only sped up to keep with her.

"Oh...you troublesome little bitch…" Cora cursed, as she yelped when she felt the other car nudge her from behind.

"Well...it seems you've finally cracked, princess," she said, as Snow bumped her again. The ground shook beneath them violently and the road cracked. She hit a large pothole and the tire popped, sending her car fishtailing. She screamed, as she lost control of the vehicle at the town line and crashed through the sign and into a tree, stunning all the citizens that had crossed over the town line. Snow braked and the bug came to a screaming halt. She got out and the others could only watch, as she marched toward the former Mayor's car and threw the door open.

"You're not going anywhere, bitch," Snow growled, as she grabbed Cora by the hair and dragged her out.

"How does this feel?" Snow asked, as she dragged her over to the road.

"I didn't grab your hair, you crazy little tramp!" Cora screamed at her.

"No...Kathryn did that, but it might as well have been you!" Snow shouted back, as she pushed her to the ground. She was disheveled, her lipstick was smeared, and there was a cut on her forehead from the crash. But Snow didn't care. This woman wouldn't suffer enough until she was burning.

"You have tortured me and my family for the last time, you evil bitch!" Snow hissed, as she opened the trunk of the bug and extracted a bow and quiver.

"You really have lost your mind," Cora said, as she attempted to get up, but Snow threaded an arrow and aimed it directly at her.

"One move and it goes through your eye," she warned.

"I'd aim for your heart, but you don't have one, so I'll just go for the brain since that's where all your evil, sick ideas come from," Snow said.

"Ms. Swan...I know she's an evil woman, but you don't want to do this," Graham tried to reason.

"Sheriff...arrest her! She's threatening my life!" Cora pleaded.

"She has a point," Michael Bishop pointed out.

"Shut up," Snow snapped.

"You're way out of your depth, Detective Bishop and you have no idea what this woman has done. You'll never be able to understand any of this," Snow said, shutting him up.

"Oh, but he can see that you're crazy! We all can!" Cora shouted and then screamed in agony, as an arrow hit her in the shoulder with a thwack. Snow smiled at her pain.

"I missed on purpose this time, but I won't next time," she said, as she threaded another arrow.

"Oh...I am going to destroy you!" Cora promised, even as she writhed in pain.

"No...you're time is over, Cora. Today is the day the Evil Queen falls," Snow promised, as the ground shook violently again beneath them. Snow was thrown off balance and Cora capitalized on the opportunity by lunging at the raven haired beauty. People screamed, as they were thrown all about and Cora got her hands around Snow's neck, even as the ground collapsed around them. Snow choked, but managed to grab the arrow in her shoulder and yank it out. Cora howled in pain and Snow kicked her away, before getting to her knees. She yelped, as the ground broke apart around her and she saw her husband's truck barreling toward them.

"SNOW!" he called, as he parked the truck and got out.

"Dad…" Emma called, as she gave her son to Neal and hurried after him.

Snow yelped, as Cora grabbed onto her and pulled herself up from the precipice and then slapped her across the face.

"I'm going to do what the huntsman failed to do and cut out your not so pure heart!" Cora hissed, as she brandished a knife from her handbag.

"Not today, Queenie…" Emma growled, as she kicked her away and the knife flew out of her hand. David knelt down and lifted Snow up and helped her to her feet. She threw her arms around him and he kissed her hair, before pulling back and cupping her face in his hands.

"You can't do that to me again…" he chided and she gazed at him tearfully.

"I'm sorry...just the thought of her getting away with destroying my family again. I guess I lost it," she cried.

"That's understandable, but we're in this together," he reminded her. She nodded and he kissed her passionately. Their lips parted though, as there was another violent shudder. David looked back at town and saw a blueish black glow.

"It's happening…" Rumple warned, as the sapling glowed brightly, creating a protective radius for those around it.

"Everyone get down!" David called to those outside the town line. He took Snow and Emma's hands, as they made their way back toward the truck. But Cora was not finished and grabbed Snow's leg. She kicked her away and the other woman saw the blueish black wave of destruction coming at them. She let go of Snow's leg and started running for the town line.

"Mom! Dad!" Emma called, as she got to the box of the truck. She was about to go back for them, but they stopped her.

"No Emma!" Snow called, as they hurried toward the truck. David saw the shock wave coming through and tackled his wife to the ground, as it swept over them all...

#Snowing #SnowxCharming #Charming family #Emma Swan #August W. Booth #Regina Mills #Rumpelstiltskin #Cora Mills #evil Cora #CORA cast the curse #AU #mentions of abuse #nothing graphic #romance #family #angst #adventure #a darker curse

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asexualastarion · 4 years

Note

For the album ask game... how about The Black Parade?

oh ABSOLUTELY. i LOVE you. this is all subject to change at the drop of the hat bc im wishy-washy and i love all of these songs anyway so

this got WAY too long so i am putting it under a readmore shhvkldlkdgjlkdsj

not including b-sides:

1. Teenagers- kind of a basic pick i know, BUT, in my defense, the song slaps. it’s such a fun song, especially when you’re singing it at the top of your lungs. the guitar part is super cool too- im trying to learn it rn but it’s a slow process bc im bad at guitar.

2. Mama- what can i say. it fucks. the old time-y feel, the harmonies/background vocals, the layers. the guitar goes so fucking hard. banging lyrics- “you should’ve raised a baby girl, i should have been a better son”??????? songs to be trans to.”but the shit that i’ve done with this fuck of a gun” is the kind of lyric that you can only properly convey if you’re screaming it at the top of your lungs. the whole ending is just. mind blowing

3. The End.- LISTEN!!!!!!!!! the end is WAY TOO FUCKING UNDERRATED!!!! oh my goddd i love it so much. i love it SO much. it’s such a perfect beginning to the song. the lyrics are great (”now come one, come all, to this tragic affair” if you look in the mirror and don’t like what you see, you can find out first hand what it’s like to be me”, “another contusion, my funeral jag. here’s my resignation, i’ll serve it in drag. you’ve got front row seats to the penitence ball, when i grow up, i want to be NOTHING AT ALL!!! SAVE ME!!! GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!!! SAVE ME!!! TOO YOUNG TO DIE, AND MY DEAR!!! IF YOU CAN HEAR ME JUST WALK AWAY AND TAKE ME!!). the bit with the snapping and the ooooohs is fun too. such a good song, it could honestly be 1 or 2 but my ranking system isnt based in logic and makes no sense to even myself

4. House of Wolves- house of wolves was my favorite mcr song for a good chunk of time, but as a result i’m kinda burned out on it, which is why it isn’t higher. however it is still number four because it’s objectively a fucking amazing song. the guitar is so fuckin fun, the lyrics are great, and it’s just. fun to dance around and sing it at the top of your lungs. you better run like the devil cause they’re never gonna leave you alone!!!!! tell me i’m a bad, bad, bad, bad man!!!

5. Welcome to the Black Parade- the big man itself. the titular song. their biggest hit. a lot of people shit on wttbp for being popular and, like, pretty much the only song of theirs to ever be on the radio anymore (and even then it’s once in a blue moon), BUT. it got popular for a reason. it’s a really good song. i love the structure of it, i love how it builds and builds and builds. the lyrics are wonderfully done- “a world that sent you reelin from decimated dreams/ your misery and hate will kill us all”, the whole “do or die, you’ll never make me” stanza is The Ultimate rallying cry. and the “im just a man, i’m not a hero” is just. ughghghdlkslakdjglsdkg. the titular song of an album entirely about death and dying and misery being SO hopeful and SO upbeat really portrays the album as a whole much differently- mcr is known as The Emo Band because, yeah, their aesthetic is dark and their songs touch dark stuff but they have never been all whiney and boo-hoo-y and melancholic for the sake of melancholy. there’s always been a positive note to their music and a lot of people just don’t get that which makes me sad. anyway. wttbp is fun and i like it and i like the drums and the trumpets at the end. marching bands fuck

6. Blood- ok so the pattern here seems to be that i favor the fun songs over the slow ones, and blood sticks with that. much like with mama, i love the old time-y feel. i love that this is like a fun little bonus ditty to end the album on. the lyrics are silly and fun and jovial, and the piano is great. love it and it makes me happy

7. Disenchanted- OUGHH. OUUUUUGH. i know cancer is objectively the saddest song on the album, but disenchanted just hits different. “when the lights all went out, we watched our lives on the screen/ i hate the ending myself, but it started with an alright scene” just DECIMATES me, man. the acoustic guitar is a nice change of pace, and the vocal performance is just. so fucking emotional. especially the “woahhhhhhhh-ohs” at the end. great song, makes me Feel Emotions

8. The Sharpest Lives- ok so i know this is pretty much in the middle of the list, but i want to stress that i dont hate any of the songs on this album, so even the middle of the list is pretty fuckin good imo. the sharpest lives makes me go batshit. the lyrics are so fucking wild. “a light to burn all the empires, so bright the sun is ashamed to rise and be” is SO fuckin sick like OH my god. what a line. also “there’s a place in the dark where the animals go/ you can take off your skin in the cannibal glow/ juliet loves the beat and the lust it commands/ drop the dagger and lather the blood on your hands, romeo” like WHAT?????????????? GERARD POPPED OFF W THIS ONE FOLKS!! also i love how at the beginning the whisper-y vocals bounce from ear to ear. also “so why don’t you blow me......a kiss before she goes” is fuckin hilarious. honestly this song should be higher but i havent gone through a phase where i’ve been obsessed w it yet so it stays down here for now. one day it will take hold and be all i can listen to for a month straight and THEN it will climb the ranks.

9. Cancer- makes me cry like a liddol baby. my mom doesnt let it play in the car cause it makes her too sad. twenty one pilots covered it and it was FUCKING AWFUL so the song is kinda ruined now cause i can only think about their shitty cover. like the AUDACITY. but anyway besides that the song is heart wrenching and amazing. the hardest part of this is leavin you!!!!

10. Dead!- look, i know technically the end. and dead! are the same song/ are just continuations of each other but i’m listing them separately bc dead! is, to me, the worse of the two. not that it’s bad or anything, it just doesn’t pop off the same way the end. and all the songs before it on the list do. however i do love the guitar at the beginning and the solo, and the “one! two! one two three four! LA LA LA LAs” are super fucking fun.

11. Famous Last Words- i used to hate this song!!!! i truly did!! it’s obvs not on the top of my list now or anything, but i have grown to appreciate it a lot more than i used to. like with wttbp, it is the silver lining of the album that betrays its optimistic side. it’s a happy final message to a dark album. the ending is fucking amazing. I am not afraid to keep on living!!!! i am not afraid to walk this world alone!!!!!!

12. Sleep- Sleep is, unfortunately, just kinda boring in comparison. i almost forgot to even put it on the list. however, i do like the “the hardest part’s the awful things that i’ve seen” and the “a drink, for the horrors that i’m in. for the good guys and the bad guys, for the monsters that i’ve been” lines. also the “three cheers for tyranny, unapologetic apathy!” line. but overall it’s just. eh

13. This is How I Disappear- i have. complicated feelings on tihid. on one hand, it reminds me of my favorite oc, re, and is on their playlist. on the other hand, i have grown bored with it over time. it just doesn’t stand out to me at all really. that being said, i do really like the “who walks among the famous living dead” and the “can you hear me cry out to you” stanzas.

14. I Don’t Love You- while i dont think idly is a bad song at all, it just simply isnt my kind of song. i do think gerard’s vocals are extremely strong throughout, especially during the “when you go, would you have the guts to say/ i don’t love you like i loved you yesterday” line. like wow ok maam please continue. but overall i just dont vibe w breakup songs bc i cant relate

including b sides: 1. Heaven Help Us

2. Kill All Your Friends

3. Everything else

4. My Way Home is Through You

my reasoning:

heaven help us is tied for my favorite mcr song Of All Time. everything about this song is catnip for lil old me. the angsty christian imagery, the vocals, the guitar. all of it. the lyrics make me lose my mind, especially the “will you pray for me? or make a saint of me? and will you lay for me? or make a saint of- cause i’ll give you all the nails you need/cover me in gasoline/ wipe away those tears of blood again/ and the punchline to the joke is asking ‘SOMEONE SAVE US’” and the “you don’t know a thing about my sins/ or the misery begins/ you don’t know, so i’m burnin! I’m burnin!!!” parts. like i absolutely vibe with this song so fucking hard. i sing it constantly, it’s great to sing (very stimmy for me), it sounds beautiful. i am obsessed with it through and through

similarly, kill all your friends also speaks to my very soul. i can’t pick favorite lyrics bc id just have to copy and paste the whole song. i love the build-up, i love the time progression throughout the song (it’s been TEN FUCKING YEARS since i’ve been seein your faaaaaace rounnnnnd heeeere), i love the “you’ll never take me alives”. literally everything about this song makes me emo. it just Gets Me. it’s literally about my greatest fear. all my friends growing up and moving away and getting on with their lives without me, leaving me to rot in my hometown waiting for them to return. we only see each other at weddings and funerals, so it’s time to kill all your friends so we can party when the funeral ends!! it’s probably tied with heaven help us, but i’m putting it at number two just because it didn’t hook me as strongly as hhu did. it’s more of a strong, steady favorite than a “this song has latched on to my very soul and i have to listen to it on repeat over and over and over again”, if that makes sense. it’s still in my top 5 mcr songs though

i never vibed with my way home is through you. i don’t listen to it often, and i just don’t really feel it. it’s not bad, it’s just. eh.

anyway if you’ve read this far down i love you so much. thank you for listening to me ramble, mcr means a lot and i love to infodump about my music tastes. i really really appreciate being given an opportunity to do so <3

#mcr #asks #anon #SERIOUSLY. ILY. MWAH.

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