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guessimjoiningthespidermanfandom · 3 years

Text

Rebirth and Rewrites

Peter Parker x bisexual!reader

Peter Parker x fem!reader

Peter Parker x black!reader

Peter Parker x villain!reader

Warning: Language, mentions of self harm, antidepressants, mentions of injuries, violence, anxiety attacks, depressing thoughts, mentions of parental neglect, self destructive behavior, mentions of weapons, mentions of bounty hunters, allusions of sex.

Word Count: 8.5k

Songs: dRuGz- Willow Smith, Money- Leikeli47, Only You (And You Alone)- The Platters, and Moonsickness- Penelope Scott.

“This isn’t the first time I’ve felt this. Feeling like you’re disconnected from your body that is. Like in the Edge of Seventeen when Nadine says she gets this feeling like she’s looking down on herself from outside her body and she hates what she sees. That’s sort of how it felt. But this? This felt entirely different like I was in the wrong body but retained my soul, it couldn't be explained. It requires no explanation really if you understand it then great and if you don’t you don’t. ”

A/N: Sorry this took so long school got too be a bit much things are kinda slow but now they’re starting to get interesting.

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The shampoo bottles flew wildly around the bathroom along with everything else that wasn’t bolted down. I tried my best to put everything back in place but the second I’d put one thing down another thing was moving back up towards the ceiling.

“No, no. No stop!” I spoke as if the inanimate objects would listen to me and stop moving.

Fuck. No stop. Please.

Everything was swirling in a tornado like fashion above my head. I ducked down into the bathtub and just waited because it had to stop at some point. Right?

“Y/N?” I heard Carmen call. I couldn’t bring myself to answer. I don’t think I’d have been able to speak if I tried.

“Y/N open the door please” She asked softly followed by the sound of the doorknob rattling.

I didn’t hear anything else for who knows how long could’ve been a second, 30 minutes, an hour I couldn’t tell. The door was slammed open. Startling me. Everything froze in the air for a few seconds before falling.

“Are you okay?” Carmen grabbing my shoulders.

I nodded and shrugged her arms off me. Pushing myself up to stand on my legs. It was then and only then did I realize I was shaking.

I opened my mouth to speak when there was a chime almost like the sound of a microwave. It felt like my eyes had zoomed out above my body. An aerial camera view.

What I was experiencing was an out of body experience in the past. Like some Ebeneezer Scrooge type shit or a Raven Simone moment but backwards.

I was shaking my hands flexing at my sides. Except for it wasn’t me me, it was another version of me passing off as another person that I could see full body.

“Oh are you going to cry?” Heaven taunted.

I watched as I blinked tears out my eyes. Anyone else would see this as a moment of weakness. However, I know I cried when I got really angry. And I mean really angry. Like rip your heart out, chew it up and spit it out angry.

“Shut. Up.” I breathed looking down at my feet.

“And what if I don’t you wanna snitch on me? Cry?”

I knew the jist of what happened next. I was there when it actually happened. I beat her ass and got suspended. I just didn’t remember exactly how it happened or what exactly I did.

The girl was still running her mouth but I wasn’t paying attention to that. I was watching her hands and her stance. That was something Wade taught me to watch someone’s body language, that way you could know when or if they were about to swing at you.

I threw a sharp right hook knocking Precious’s head into the locker. Right as Precious was about to go for my hair I was falling.

The floor fell right from my feet and the scene that was once in front of me faded away. I wasn’t falling for long, my back slammed into the cold cement beneath me.

“I thought you were supposed to be a good guy,” I laughed “Now you’re kicking me around for no reason at all?” Wait. I remember this. Why was it happening again? Why wasn’t it in the third person like the last? This was a core memory for me. My first encounter with Spidey.

“You were stealing. It’s my job to stop crime,”

I knew exactly what to do and say. I’d have to run over this like a practiced script. I pushed myself backwards with my hands.

Oh yeah and who’s paying you to do that?

“No one, is I’m just a good person,”

“Am I not a good person?”

A cold sticky wet feeling engulfed my wrist.

“You are a criminal and deserved to face the proper punishment,”

I rolled my eyes and grunted as I tried to pull my wrist out of whatever it was holding me to the ground. I used to think the webs actually came out of him which is disgusting.

“Yeah, yeah sure can you hand me my bag so I can leave?” I teased.

“Y/N!” A random voice called out. That wasn’t supposed to happen.

“What was that?” Spiderman or Peter asked. I looked around trying to locate the voice. I heard my name called again before the only thing I could hear was a loud crack.

I looked underneath me and the ground beneath my feet was split down the middle. I tried to pull my arm out of the webbing harder this time. The floor continued to split like a crack in a windshield before eventually consuming me and I was falling again.

As I was falling everything looked so beautiful. There were glowing orbs of light all around me. It was completely black except for the stars and orbs.

It was then that realized I wasn’t falling anymore. It was the opposite. I was floating or stiled in place.

I wanted to touch one of those bright spherical orbs I probably shouldn’t but I was going to do it anyway. I reached out towards it and my hand glided smoothly through the air. Or not air? This is space right? There’s no oxygen in space. Then how was I breathing?

My hands went straight through the orb leaving behind the same fire like ribbons from a few days ago and earlier today. The waves were fluid. They felt like nothing. Like a breeze maybe. Something that could possibly tickle if you endured enough of it.

A large energy surge shot out the orb knocking me back. At least 100 feet once my arm was all the way through. It didn’t hurt though it was just strong.

When I started moving back towards nothing in particular it felt like I was swimming. I began to laugh, I felt so free.

Multiple rings opened around me. I was circled with gold rings shooting off sparks. They looked like portals. To where I don’t know. There were some that looked like fiery pits of hell. Others were very colorful like a rave or rocky terrain.

There was one that was calling me for some reason. Something told me to stop resisting the pull to stay where I was but I knew I couldn't. I pushed through the air. Well I guess I pulled myself towards it instead of pushed. I slid through like a knife through butter.

The first thing I felt was the coolness of the porcelain bathtub on my back. My head felt as if it was expanding inside my skull.

I stepped in between all the shampoo bottles and hygiene products on the floor making my way out of the bathroom. I entered the living room not prepared to see Tony and Peter sitting there on the couch with some person I’d never seen. Who looked straight out of a Men in Black movie.

“Oh shit.” I turned to Carmen grabbing her arm and dragging her down the hal l“What the fuck did you do?”

“Where were you?” She answered my question with her own. Well two can play that game. And I believe I asked first.

“What’d you do? Why'd you call them? Or if you didn't, why are they here? It was just a few bottles, I had it under control,”

“I was freaking out that’s why! Where the hell were you?”

“What are you talking about? I was in the bathroom. You saw me,”

“You’ve been gone for 7 hours Y/N!”

“What?” I shook my head. “No. What are you talking about?”

“You’ve been gone for 7 hours and your eyes are glowing. What the hell is going on with you?”

I pulled out my phone opening it to the camera app and my eyes were in fact glowing. I blinked very hard multiple times. Shaking my head until it cleared. What the fuck is happening.

I sent Peter, Tony, and the Agent J wannabe on their way with a few lies to clear the air. I’m sure Tony would want to play more of his mad scientist game on me but that’s a problem for another day. I was just going to read my book until I fell asleep. Last interaction I had with another human that day was Carmen patting my shoulder and saying “Welcome to the world of mutants, girl. Buckle up it’s a bumpy ride.” before walking away.

I swear to whatever’s out there that I’m losing my mind. Like full on shave your head and move to New Mexico crazy. I’d open that can of worms later.

“I don’t think I can love myself without sexualizing myself is that bad?” I asked, applying my lipgloss.

“I don’t necessarily think so, it’s common but if it gets out of hand, it can create lots of other problems,” MJ gave her input.

“Oh I definitely know all about the problems it can cause I just can’t stop, ”

Carmen strolled into the bathroom.

“Where’s the thing?”

“What thing?”

“You know the,” She did a hand movement that I somehow understood. It wasn’t even remotely connected to what she was trying to convey either.

“Oh! The face paint. It’s under the cabinet by Salem’s food bowls,”

“What?” MJ questioned. “How did you get face paint from that?”

I just shrugged.

“I don’t know. We’re like connected or some shit,”

I sat on the couch, Halloween playing on the TV but no one was paying attention. We were all on our phones.

“Alright,” I sighed, pushing up from the couch. “I should be done at like 9 so that gives us like 11 to get there,”

I promised my sisters I’d take them trick-or-treating. It’s been like this forever and I wasn’t going to back out now. Sapphire was actually dressed as Spiderman and for some reason I couldn’t tell if that made me wanna laugh or cry. Didn’t even know they made costumes for that guess that whole being sponsored by Tony thing was coming in clutch.

I don’t know how it works anywhere else but in New York you gotta go trick-or-treating on the street. Everything is private property and you can’t just get buzzed in just for candy so you go in publicly owned places.

“This is the last store for tonight, I gotta get back” I informed them.

Sapphire whined and I wrapped my arm around her pulling her into my side.

“Cmon’ little superhero,”

I stepped off to the side towards Aaliyah.

“For your sake I would not let her eat much candy if any tonight,”

An half hour later and I was back at Carmen’s house. I really need to find somewhere else to stay. It's been too long here.

After what felt like a million hours Harry finally showed up.

“I’m driving,” I claimed moving towards the apartment door.

“No you're not,” He stated.

“Oh really? Then why do I have the keys.” I lifted the keyring rattling it around.

He let out an aspirated sigh. I could tell he wasn’t going to fight me on this. I'm sure he was just confused on how I even got them.

Now there were two reasons I was driving. One because I had to make a detour and two I didn’t want to sit in Harry’s backseat because God knows what has happened back there.

Back to the detour. It was Peter’s apartment complex. I'm surprised he agreed to come. had just brought it up to be polite. It was well known that parties weren’t really his scene.

Harry held his hand out, palm facing up. There lied about seven bars. I’m honestly surprised he was sharing willingly. That was new.

Bri and Carmen as well as myself had no qualms about popping the xans. MJ didn't take any, just shook her head when offered, which I’m glad she’s too smart for drugs. So is Peter which is exactly why I pushed Harry’s hand away. Giving him a look daring him to even think about offering anything to him.

Everyone had split up Carmen with MJ. Bri to honestly I don’t know where and Harry to I don’t think I want to know where. And Peter? He’s with me of course, couldn’t leave him by himself.

“Where’s Ned I haven’t seen him in a while,” I decided to speak because I couldn’t stand the awkward silence in this bedroom I’d somehow backed myself into.

“He said he’s been to one party this and that fits his quota for the year,”

“Well I would’ve thought Liz’s thing met your quota too but here we are,” I could feel my brain slowing down and smiled slightly. Then I noticed how far away Peter was on the bed.

“You can get closer, I won’t bite,” I hummed. “Unless you want me to of course,”

“What!?” He almost shouted.

“I’m kidding dude, calm down,” I laughed. The room fell into silence again save for the sound of the music vibrating throughout the house. I miss real house parties. But oh well this party where I wasn’t actually doing anything would have to do.

“Just realized I never asked. What are you dressed as?”

“Han Solo,” He replied as if I was supposed to know who that was.

“Who?” I scrunched up my eyebrows.

“You don’t know Han Solo?”

I shook my head. I’m sure it looked a lot sloppier than I meant for it to be I just couldn’t really move my head

“From Star Wars?” He tried again.

“The only people I know from Star Wars are Princess Lelia, Luke Skywalker and that one robot motherfucker.”

It was hard not to smile as Peter rambled on about the Saga. I wasn’t really paying attention but he looked adorable. I was just staring at him and I’m sure if Harry or Carmen were here they’d tell me I looked like the embodiment of the heart eye emoji. It’s not like I liked him or anything he was just cute.

That was until my burner vibrated against my lower leg. I used my arms to push myself up, excusing myself to take the call.

“What’s up?” I asked.

Wade’s voice boomed from the phone.

“I know a guy that knows a guy who knows-“ He cut himself for the reason I could only assume was because of the crashing noise coming from inside the house.

“Are you at a party?”

“No,” I lied for no reason he wouldn’t care if I was.

“I’m not stupid just call me back when you’re not flirting with some fuckboy or high,” He choose to emphasize the last word.

“I’m not high,” I’m not sure who exactly I was trying to convince.

“You’re literally slurring right now. Don’t drink and drive kid,”

“What?” I laughed at his attempt at a lecture or a safety tip whatever that was.

“Don’t laugh, I'm trying to be a responsible adult. I think it’s about time.”

I couldn’t remember when or how I got back inside but here I was surrounded by people with music bouncing off the wall fading in and out of consciousness and I had never felt more alone. It was kinda pathetic.

“I’ve never understood that calling people daddy shit it’s fucking weird-“ I cut my rambling off pushing my face against the car window enjoying its coolness. “English is the most unattractive language, like it’s so tame and dull and…” I trailed off letting my head fall back down as I lost control over my neck muscles for a second.

“It’s just like- I just wanna be able to say-“ I sighed before starting up again “Vous avez l'air très attirant ce soir. Les choses que je te laisserais me faire,”

I looked away and everyone besides MJ was looking at me with wide eyes. I couldn’t tell if it was because she was driving or the fact I knew she spoke French.

I realized it was definitely the latter when she spoke back in the same language.

“Was that directed as a general thing or at Peter?”

Thank God no one else understood us. I mean it wouldn’t have been that big of a deal I’d just have to endure a bit of teasing but it’s better to avoid the headache.

“So are you going to let us in on your conversation or…” Harry questioned.

“Shut up,” I spoke to both Harry and MJ. “Drop Peter off first,” That was the last thing I muttered before falling deep into the vast clusterfuck of a land that is my subconscious.

When I woke up I was on Carmen’s couch with a blanket draped over my waist. I clumsily reached for my phone just texting the last person I texted. To stimulate my mind.

you: hi are you awake

I couldn’t help but laugh at how much this seemed like a u up? text but this was in a completely different context.

It took a minute but he responded.

p😜🤚: yeah are you okay?

you: im fine just bored

p😜🤚: oh

p 😜🤚: well we can talk if you want too

I couldn’t help but smile. Ugh what’s wrong with me. I knew better than to ask this because I wasn’t trying to catch feelings anytime soon but my dumbass did it anyway.

you: can we ft

p: sure

He apparently did see the cuts on my leg that one time because he just asked me about it. To which I denied, denied, denied. Salem did it and that’s final. I only did it once anyway so who gives a fuck I’d gotten the urge to do it under control. Like I’d heard somewhere before there’s a difference between thinking about hurting yourself and wanting to hurt yourself.

“You’re sure you’re okay though?” He asked one last time and I nodded my head. “Okay because I know all these changes in your body can be-“

“Changes?” I interrupted “Why are you making it sound like puberty,” l laughed. I wish I could convince myself whatever these mutations were are just puberty.

“You know what I mean!” He let out a small laugh.

“Okay but puberty is really weird, why do humans need so much sweat,” I attempted to shift the conversation onto something that wasn’t my physical and mental wellbeing.

Either Peter could tell I wasn’t going to give him shit or I really was just the master of getting out of things but it worked. I eventually fell asleep and when I woke up he was still on the phone.

“So you’re sending me to bounty hunt a bounty hunter who’s bounty hunting Mr. America?”

“Exactly,”

“That’s the dumbest shit I’ve heard all day,”

“Hey you asked me to help you be grateful you little asshole,” Wade teased.

“Fuck you,” I laughed. “How long do I have?”

“Two weeks top.”

I hummed before hanging up.

Now the question was to do this alone or to bring someone else. I definitely haven’t been in the most stable of headspaces lately. There could be up to 4 Avengers and 1 bounty hunter. I’d have to be smart about this. I can’t believe that I’m about to say this but I need a plan.

-Step one: Find Carmen and make her make a plan.-

Step one: Convince Tony to let me go on a solo mission. Giving me a reason to dip while having a whole buncha cool technological weapons at my disposal.

Step two: Disable the tracking in the weapons provided.

Step three: Get a car.

Step four: Follow bounty guy to wherever they’re going.

Step five: Take out the bounty guy.

Step six: Talk to Captain America.

Step seven: Find Thor from Captain America.

First I’d have to get out of detention. I would’ve been fine with detention if I had my phone. I don’t even know why I’m in here actually. I hadn’t gotten in trouble in a while. I was confused until Tony strolled into the room. Why couldn’t he meet anyone in a normal location just once. He always had to fucking abmush people.

I had to hold back from rolling my eyes.

“Yes?” I asked.

“You said you were up for a solo op right?”

I nodded skeptically.

“Well I have one for you next Friday,”

“Go on,” I moved my arms under my torso to rest under my chin.

It was just a simple drug bust in and out. He must’ve been really bored to go out of his way to try and stop something as miniscule as this. Probably didn’t think it through when he signed those accords. Now he literally can’t do anything without the whole world jumping his dick. For now he’s living vicariously through Peter and I’m assuming.

A simple drug bust isn’t something you really need to get ready for. Trying to find and possibly have to fight one Avenger let alone possibly 4 is something you have to be more than ready for. In every way possible. Including mentally.

“I think I want to go back on antidepressants,” I blurted, plopping back down on the couch with a bag of chips.

“You’re being serious?” Carmen asked, pausing the TV.

“Yeah I mean what’s so surprising about that?” I unpaused it.

She paused it again turning towards me.

“Why? What happened you said you hated all the side effects and would never take them again,”

“Guess I changed my mind,” I shrugged “I just told you cause I know you know how to get them ‘s all,”

“Okay.” She nodded and I could almost see her brain working behind her eyes.

One thing about long term friends is they know when you don’t want to talk about something and they also know when they need to drop it. In the click of a few buttons on a keyboard I had an appointment with a psychiatrist. The fact she knew my insurance information is kinda scary though. Apparently I passed the test to get crazy people's medicine with flying colors.

I was in Queens for many reasons, one of them being I wanted to spar with Felicia. She is not a sparring person she likes to fight but only when she has to, but I was able to convince her. It didn’t take much actually. She owes me after all 3:1.

She was sorta similar to Black Widow in fight styles and she was hard to beat. With Captain America it’s easy, his fighting style is easy to evade, if I just avoid the shield and go for his legs I’d be good. Spiderman doesnt shield his left side when he goes to hit you and relies on his webs too much. Wanda she- I don’t know what she does actually but if I can get her to physically fight me instead of using powers I could easily take her down. That Falcon guy uses his legs a lot so aim for the wings.

But Black Widow was agile. The strongest of them all because she doesn’t use strength you can tell from the videos I’d been analyzing she movies like a ballerina. Her fighting style is to not have one at all.

I mean it was scary how similar she and Felicia were; they even both have Black in their name and suits. Despite neither of them being back which is funny.

I was laid out on the panting. I rolled over onto my stomach grunting as I reached for my knife. I wasn’t done at least not yet.

I slung my arm towards her and this time she didn’t catch it. I barely grazed her but it was enough to catch her off guard. I was able to get her pinned to the ground for like 15 seconds.

“Remind me to never get on your bad side,” I laughed.

“You could never,” Honestly I’m starting to believe that. Even when Olivia and I broke up she never got hostile towards me or anything. And her being hostile towards me is not something I’d enjoy.

I’d have to be the clumsiest “agile” person I’d ever met. I fell walking down the steps to get back outside. I rolled and landed on my ankle but I’m sure it’d be fine. It only caused a slight discomfort when I put pressure on it. I’m just glad I could walk like this without having Felicia on my ass about it.

I was already in the area so I decided to stop by Peters house just to see if he was home. Okay in all honesty, I wasn’t really in the area Felicia lives in an entirely different part of Queens. But he said I could stop by whenever and I’d like to say I’m a literal person.

I winced when I put my foot all the way back down on the ground but I didn’t want to be interrogated. Peter does not know when to drop things.

“Hey,” I spoke once he opened the door.

“Hey?” He asked more than said as if he was surprised I was here.

He just stood there staring for a few seconds too long.

“So can I come in? Or...” I tilted my head.

“Oh,” He shook his head slightly as if shaking out his thoughts.

“Oh, yeah come in,” He stepped out of the way.

We both sat with our legs facing each other on his bottom bunk. Suddenly I became aware.

Aware of the way I could feel all the fibers in the polyester blanket I sat on.

Aware of each sound around me, the slight wind just outside the window, the faint TV show I could hear from the apartment on the floor above, the air conditioning rattling.

Aware of how I didn’t remember who I’d been or how where or why.

Aware of how I had a purpose, how I should look to the sky for answers and when I could not look to the light I must look into our heart. The one collective heart we share. But I could not remember who we were. I wasn’t meant to remember who we were or what we were.

I wasn’t supposed to remember not yet. Not now. But soon or maybe never. They'll never take my power, even if I didn’t understand it yet. It was mine and mine to keep.

Aware of the faint whisper of my name rang through the air.

I didn’t appreciate the headache and tightness in my chest this awareness or insanity brought me. I needed a distraction. Not sure why this was the first thing that popped into my head but it was.

“Your suit can record things right?”

“Yeah why?”

“Does it record everything it’s around?”

The whispering only got closer and closer. My name being called out with a sense of urgency and grief. I couldn’t see. There was a difference between adrenaline and anxiety and this wasn’t the later. Something was seriously wrong and I had no idea what to do about it. Finally the voice got so loud it could not be ignored.

“Y/N!” I snapped my eyes up and tried to calm my breathing.

“What?” I asked with more hostility than I intended.

“It’s just you zoned out and started muttering something. It freaked me out,”

I had to hold back from showing my confusion on my face.

“Sorry,” I murmured sheepishly. I don’t know why I felt the need to apologize. It's like I was a walking ball of grief, guilt, and shame but it wasn’t my own.

I’m not sure how long we sat there in silence before I felt the impending urge to escape but as soon as I put pressure on my foot the shock of the pain shooting to my leg wasn’t able to be concealed. I winced quietly but I know he heard me.

In two seconds flat he was pestering me trying to figure out what was wrong. I ignored him and suddenly the fraying on the shoelaces of my combat boots was extremely interesting to me.

“It’s nothing Peter, drop it,” I walked towards his closet.

“It’s not nothing,” He sighed moving towards me. “Why can’t you just tell me what’s wrong?”

Because if I told you then you’d tell Tony and I’d get taken off the solo op.

I just looked up at the ceiling and decided to change the topic with something I knew would get the target off of my back.

“Why’d you never get me arrested?”

“Huh?” He raised his eyebrows scrunching up his face.

“All the times you came after me as Thorn. You always let me get away, why?”

“I don’t know. I just couldn’t see you get arrested I guess.”

I hummed to his answer letting my hands roam through his closet. I picked up a pair of Hello Kitty pajama pants.

“When’d you get these?” I asked.

He snatched them from my hands.

“Haha go ahead and make fun of me for them. Mr. Stark gave them to me.”

I simply smiled.

”I was just going to say they were very cute actually ’m sure you looked adorable, but okay,”

I glanced back at him and his face had a light pink glow.

“You’re blushing!” I pointed out laughing.

“Am not,” He lied.

“Are too. I can tell you aren’t used to getting compliments,” I smiled. “That’s too bad though you deserve plenty of compliments,” I looked back up at the ceiling and noticed an attic or trap door. I hopped up a bit and his suit fell down as I hit the door.

“How does everyone keep finding that?” I heard him ask.

“It’s a very you place to put it that’s why,” I mindlessly answered back.

“You heard me?”

That’s snapped me out of whatever trance I was in.

“What? Was I not supposed to?” As soon as the sentence left my mouth I heard a scream.

“Somethings wrong,” Peter announced. So he heard it too?

I felt drawn to it. Like I knew them or something.

“Uh…” I stalled “I have to go. Sorry,”

“Okay text me when you get back home,” He rushed out since I’d moved away so quickly.

I was sure I was limping but the pain wasn’t as prevalent in my mind as the screaming was. I followed it as if it was a compass. I followed it to the middle of nowhere. It was just dry grass and about three trees caged by chain link fences and abandoned buildings.

Whatever came over me faded as soon stepped off the sidewalk. The screaming subsided into nothing and it was like a tight grip around my chest slipping away. I’m really losing my mind oh my god.

I couldn’t sleep. I sat in the bathtub all night focusing. I found when I focused hard enough I could move some of the things. It isn’t so much about imagining where you want something to go it was about believing it was already there. It hurt my head to do it though. I only moved about three things 4 inches.

It was a possibility that I was going through a psychotic break or I could’ve really been moving things with my mind because of whatever radiation was in my body. A few days ago I apparently disappeared after there was a tornado of shampoo bottles flying around. Maybe I did that subconsciously somehow.

I mean gamma rays literally invented the Hulk wherever he was. Who knows what they were doing to me.

I eventually fell asleep halfway on and halfway off the couch. How I even got there in the first place I wasn’t sure. I upped the times I needed to go to the gym a day to 3 times. That would’ve been fine. I didn’t have like 50 missing assignments to turn in before the end of the semester. Which is in 2 weeks.

It didn’t help that I felt like something bad was about to happen. Don’t know what but I feel it coming. I hummed to myself. Okay now back on track. It comes in handy to have smart friends, especially ones willing to help you get your work done.

“Why are we at the park?” Peter asked as I tucked my legs back to swing even higher.

“Because if you do work in an unusual place you get it done faster.”

“I’m not sure that’s tr-“

“It is true don’t question me,”

“We're not even doing any work right now,” He pointed out.

“If you swing higher than me we can start.” I knew he wasn’t one to back down from a challenge.

“Oh, you’re on,” He replied, putting both his hands on the swing’s chains.

He didn’t beat me. I let him win because I got tired.

“Yeah right,” He laughed.

“I did! You wouldn’t of won if I didn’t stop, I let you win out of pity”

I actually managed to get 3 whole assignments done. School can be kinda fun when you have a teacher who doesn’t try to make you feel stupid. It’s way easier when you have the energy to try at all.

You never realize how much walking you do in a day or how excruciating exercising is until your leg hurts. I was going to let it stop me though. There’s a reason people say walk it off to injuries.

The entire structure of my plan had failed. Somehow, someone probably Peter, told Tony that I got hurt and I got taken off the solo op.

After 30 minutes of me being annoying as fuck I got put back on. Only problem now was Peter was coming as a safety precaution.

Step 8: Figure out how to ditch Peter.

Fuck my life. Although everything else was falling apart I’d manage to get 40% of my assignment turned in.

Friday came in a blink of an eye. I’d be the bait and Peter would just be the lookout. I wasn’t planning on going through with whatever I was supposed to be doing here. I just needed to disable the tracker in my communicator. I guess I was thinking straight because I didn’t hear or even see the guy move behind Peter. Not until I heard him call out.

“It’s a set up!”

There was one thing I didn’t have to think about and that was running. It was my expert tactic. I knew it wouldn’t be fair to leave Peter. He might think he can take care of himself but he was too naive for his own good.

“Wait!” He called out and I stopped behind an empty building.

“Do you trust me?” I asked.

“Yeah but why-“

I interrupted him.

“I need to do something really important and Tony can’t know about it,”

“Now you can go back but you can’t say a single thing about this to him. Just say the mission went wrong and I decided it was safer to ditch or something.”

I could see the conflict in his eyes.

“No,”

Fuck. I felt my burner vibrate in my pocket. It was probably Carmen asking where I was.

“No?”

“Yeah cause I’m coming with you,”

“I can’t ask you do to that,”

“I know but I’m coming or I’ll tell Mr. Stark,”

I knew he probably wouldn’t but I couldn’t risk the slim chance that he would.

“Fine…” I breathed out. I didn’t have anytime to argue I’d just ditch him somewhere.

I saw him quietly cheer. Clearly not understanding the severity of the situation. This wasn't some Vulture thing, this was very highly trained individuals.

I dialed Carmen again.

“Hey… So we’ve got a plus one,”

“What?”

“You’ll see,”

We were in the car for 12 fucking hours and we still weren’t there. I never realized how much Peter talked until now. We had no form of entertainment besides the radio. Carmen pulled over at a gas station so we could switch off and partially because Peter said he had to use the bathroom.

While he was still inside Carmen spoke up for the first time in what felt like weeks.

“Why’d you bring Golden boy along?”

“Cause I didn't want him to get shot,”

“Yeah I understand that part. Why didn’t you just like knock him out and dip,”

“What why the fuck would I do that,”

“You would’ve done it to anyone else. You’re getting all soft,” She poked my side and I flipped her off.

“How’s that for soft?” As soon as the sentence came out of my mouth I heard the click of the door opening and it startled me a lot more than it should’ve.

The rest of the ride was silent save from Peter asking home much longer we had to go before falling asleep. It was about 12 pm by the time we got there. After shaking both Carmen and Peter awake I headed up to knock on the door.

A girl who looked about Aaliya’s age answered the door.

I smiled at her.

“Is your dad here I have to ask him something,”

Now I knew for a fact he was here he was on house arrest. I was looking through the videos Peter’s suit had recorded and I found this giant guy at some airport in Germany who I was able to trace back to Scott Lang.

That one guy who transferred all that money out of Vistacorp back to its consumers. It was pretty badass as far as nonviolent crimes go.

I could see her playing my question over in her head deciding if she’d have to lie or not. I’m assuming she saw something somewhat trustworthy in me because I was sitting in his house on his couch. Trying to convince him to help me.

“So let me get this straight. You have telekinetic and fire powers and had a dream that you believe is prophetic and you need me to tell you where Captain America is?”

“Pretty much yeah,”

“Okay uh wow,” He claimed standing up. I could tell he believed me. There wasn't a hint of distrust in his eyes. Which is good because I wasn’t lying.

“I want to help you, I do. But-“

“You don’t know where he is do you?”

“No not exactly. I do have something though.” He replied standing up off the couch “Hold on let me get it,” He went rummaging around his house because coming back about a minute later.

“No luck?” Carmen asked as she read my facial expression.

I shook my head.

“All he gave me was this,” I held up the plastic plaque.

“What are we even looking for anyway,” Peter asked.

I could see Carmen shaking her head signaling me not to tell him. I didn’t. He’d find out sooner or later. I think we were too far from home to ditch him now.

“So are we paying or are we saving the cash?” Carmen asked.

“We can just save it probably let me go check,”

The hotel was empty for the most part. Multiple rooms to choose from. It was always easier to make a get away if needed from the bottom floor and I chose to break into the one closest to the exit.

“I call showering first,” Carmen spoke.

I just waved her off plopping onto one of the Queen beds placed next to the air conditioner. Peter was just standing in the corner like he was nervous or something.

“First “road trip” or something?” I teased.

“Kinda…” He trailed off as something caught his attention. “Are you ever going to tell me where we’re going,”

Might as well.

“To find Captain America,”

He looked like a deer caught in headlights.

“Wait you’re being serious?”

“As a heart attack,”

“I don’t think he likes me,” He looked down as he fidgeted with his hands. “I kinda stole his shield,”

“So I’ve heard,” I giggled.

I checked the communicator and the bounty hunter we were supposed to be hunting down was still in the same place. This could mean 1 of many things, either the tracker on them is broken or has been found, they found him already, or the whole communicator was broken.

“Alright I’m done,” Carmen emerged from the bathroom.

Peter being nice like he always is let me go next. Sometimes it concerns me how nice he is. Like he was planning something just like Canadians they all seem so nice but they’re just as racist as everyone else. But now I’m starting to believe he's just genuinely that good of a person.

Which is refreshing. You don’t see too many good people nowadays. However the better of a person you are the more room you have to taint. And I knew for a fact I wouldn’t allow myself to be one of those people who did it.

You know when you’re dreaming and there’s something or someone chasing you and you try to run but you never can. I would say that’s me, my entire essence. I’d been trying to out run my demons for so long never realizing that my only demon was myself. And no matter how bad I wanted to, I couldn’t outrun myself. Trust me I’ve tried.

I couldn’t outrun the sudden ache moving throughout my body. I could always feel an anxiety attack right before it happened but remained powerless to stop it most of the time.

Streams of water ran over my body mixing with the warm tears that ran down my face. I’m sure the water pressure overpowered my sobs from outside of the room but that didn’t mean I couldn’t hear the pathetic sounds.

After my breathing went back to normal I stood in the mirror detangling my hair staring at each mark on my body. Whether it be a tattoo or scar or a mole I looked. I reminisced about the stories behind them, some a lot sadder than the rest. But somehow the marks I couldn’t remember were the saddest of them all.

It hurt to want to go back to life before everything went… just wrong, when you couldn’t even remember what it was like before then.

It’s like I was numb before and crying felt good. Well it didn’t feel good but you know what I mean. It just felt good to know I could still feel.

I heard a knock at the door shaking myself out of my spiraling thoughts. I sniffled, wiping my nose, before tightening my towel around my waist and opening the door.

The first thing that hit me was the cool breeze of the hotel air conditioning contrasting against my warm skin. The second was Peter looking confused as ever holding some form of cloth in his hands.

“Oh I’m sorry, was I taking too long?” I looked back towards my clothes sitting on the counter grabbing them as if I was about to exit but in reality I still had no clothes on underneath this towel. “You can go hold on,”

“No! Uh…”

“No what?” I smiled.

“I came to bring...” He waved around what I could now see was a shirt.

I simply raised my eyebrows at him suspiciously.

“Here,” He thrusted the shirt into my hands.

I looked down at the article of clothing in confusion.

“Thanks?”

“I know you left it out here so…” He awkwardly clamped his hands together.

“Thank you,” I replied, slowly shutting the door so he knew he could back off. For some reason I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my face.

Smiles never lasted long for me. Something weird just always manages to happen every time I’m even remotely happy.

I was in some form of a prison or detainment facility. There was thick glass everywhere so I’m assuming it was high security. I had the plaque from earlier today in my hand except it wasn’t my hand. Unless I have magically turned white, it was someone else.

This isn’t the first time I’ve felt this. Feeling like you’re disconnected from your body that is. Like in the Edge of Seventeen when Nadine says she gets this feeling like she’s looking down on herself from outside her body and she hates what she sees. That’s sort of how it felt.

But this? This felt entirely different like I was in the wrong body but retained my soul, it couldn't be explained. It requires no explanation really if you understand it then great and if you don’t you don’t.

The plaque had a seam that I hadn’t noticed before and it was hollow inside. I clutched in my right hand and kept walking.

As soon as I entered a large room extending from the hall. That all too familiar siren sound played through my ears as a bright light stunted my vision.

I was brought back to my body. Well I guess I just woke up because now I was all sweaty and sitting straight up on the bed like an idiot.

I made my way to the bathroom and the light made me realize my eyes were glowing and so were my veins. I just blinked it out like I was trying to put contacts in and washed my face.

Seriously what was happening to me I don’t want to end up like Hulk or Wanda and have everyone scared of me. But whatever this is couldn’t be controlled or understood.

I woke the others up, as I was trying to figure out how to open the plaque I heard Carmen hiss loudly.

“Why’s the doorknob so hot?” She turned to me “Did you do this?”

“No? How would I do that?” Maybe I did do it. I did lose my train of thought when I went to open the door.

Still doesn’t explain the heat part, maybe it had something to do with the fire thing from Staten Island but I hadn’t done that again since that night. I was honestly starting to believe I made it up.

I reached for a napkin to wipe the syrup off my hands. It was Carmen’s brilliant idea to stop at a Waffle House. All the time we spent here could’ve been used doing something actually productive.

“So why are you trying to open that?” Peter asked, sliding closer to where I had the plaque laid out on the table. He asks too many questions. I didn’t wanna respond but I didn’t wanna be mean.

“Because,” I grunted as I struggled to pull apart the top and bottom. “I had a dream that there was something inside and now I wanna see if that’s true,”

“A dream?” He questioned.

“Yeah a dream,”

“Who was in it?”

“No one was in it,” I started to get annoyed for absolutely no reason. “Just finished your food,” I pointed at his plate.

“Fine…” He slid back over.

I hit the seam of the plaque against the edge of the table and the bottom popped up. I let out a silent cheer and caught the attention of Carmen.

“What?”

I flipped the opening over my palm and a rolled up piece of paper came out.

“Look what I found,”

“A clue,” Peter spoke.

“It’s not a clue this isn’t some TV adventure it’s just evidence,” Carmen spat.

I unraveled it revealing a bunch of numbers. I think it’s either a phone number or coordinates. It wasn’t a phone number. I called it and some random Canadian person picked up. So the next option was coordinates.

“Are we sure this is the right place?” Carmen asked. Looking at the stranded house sitting some way down the street.

“If it’s not then oh well,” I shrugged, unhooking my seat belt.

I leaned down to the slightly cracked passenger window.

“Do not get out of this car.” I spat through my teeth. Neither of them knew how to listen and I had to let them know I meant business.

I started towards the house, the gravel crunching under my feet before I turned back again.

“I mean it!” I called out before sprinting back into the house.

The door creaked open as I pushed it open and I turned back to keep it from closing. The second I did it I knew it was the wrong decision to make. Literally anyone who knew anything about anything knew to not turn their back on unknown territory.

I was being restrained by some invisible force that wasn’t invisible for long. There were scarlet or crimson waves making my tingle.

It was more of a tickling feeling than a burning one. That feeling faded into another soon. I clamped my eyes shut, it felt like someone was using my head as a bowl using a spoon to try to scrape my brains out.

I ended up overpowering whatever force was holding down my arms to hold my head. It was excruciating putting my hand there only made it worse. As soon as I made contact with the skin that loud siren noise like nails on a chalkboard racking through my brain caused me to double over in pain. I saw two legs above me and I heard someone’s voice saying.

“Wanda? What’s going on out there?”

My vision blurred as I tried to swat at who was allegedly Wanda Maximoff the telekinetic girls legs. The one person I didn’t want to run into was over here melting my brain. I pushed myself up. I think I couldn’t really feel my muscles. I know for a fact my back hit something or maybe something hit my back.

I heard more footsteps nearby and hushed whispers followed by a who are you and what do you want. I probably would’ve answered if I could but I don’t think I had the current ability to form a coherent sentence.

“She doesn’t look like one of theirs. How do we know she’s here to hurt us?” I heard someone say.

“I don’t know I can’t read her,” A voice I hadn’t heard before spoke.

“What’s that mean?”

I was stuck in place again. I couldn’t really see and I could feel anything but the tearing of my brain in half and the presence of another body in the room. My eyes were closed but I felt them get closer to me. Too close for my liking. My eyes shot open as soon as I heard.

“Y/N?”

I tried my best to lift my head to meet the redhead's eyes.

“You know her Romanoff?” I heard the first guy from before speak.

“Sort off?” She shrugged and reached out to pull me up to a sitting position. I let her.

Romanoff. This was Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow. She was here with Wanda along with who was most likely Captain America and she knew my name.

“How-“ I swallowed some of my spit because of how dry my throat is. “How do you know my name?”

She answered my question with a question of her own.

“How’d you find this place? Most importantly why?”

��I asked you first,” I narrowed my eyes.

She had the audacity to chuckle at my statement.

I glared at her which turned into some sort of staring contest until it was interrupted by some wannabe comedian.

“Are we interrupting some family reunion here or…”

I flipped off the general direction of the voice off on instinct.

Taglist:

@tomdiddlyumptious

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obscurelocalstranger · 3 years

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okay y’all I’ve been sitting on this one for a bit but it’s time to get back into Sapphire & Steel audios. This time I’m reviewing 2.01, The School.

Okay so initial thoughts I was kind of excited to see Steel having to deal with kids again since he has a record of being terrible with them and that can be funny. Unfortunately that didn’t really happen.

Most of this story I spent going “what the fuck?” and “oh yikes” because there was A LOT of like “you’re fifteen, why are you so horny?!” except they weren’t all 15 and that was part of the problem.

It felt like a weird sex pollen kind of trope thing happening most of the time which was so gross. Like we got dubious consent, old dudes lusting after people/kids, body shaming (really just person shaming kinda? like the one woman was so mad that Sapphire just like existed idek), The whole thing was fucked up.

Things I did like:

The teeny bit of lore/world building we got that the (I need a collective name for them, if there is one lmk b/c idk what to call them. They’re obvs not humans but idk if they’re aliens either technically), elements/metals/gemstones have to concentrate at least somewhat in order to maintain telepathy. I’m still not sure whether it’s an automatic connection tho, which would be interesting to know. Like can they pop into each others heads any time or only if the person allows an open channel? Like Steel was broadcasting words out to Sapph but I couldn’t tell if he was doing that actively or if she was just picking up on what he was doing without his knowledge, or if the weird school atmosphere was affecting that as well and just allowing them to share the experience.

Speaking of that bit, Steel having to do an art class was v good. Wish it had been about perspective instead of shading tho. That was always the most confusing for me. I still can’t do the multi-point ones very well.

Shippy bits:

“He’s a funny one”/”He’s often hilarious” like I know this is b/c Steel has absolutely no sense of humor but like what if he is actually funny in his own way but just with Sapph and she gets it and that’s real cute tbh

Steel going OFF on the guy for taking advantage of Sapphire. Like I know she was technically consenting but you could tell it was absolutely outside her normal senses of control and judgment and like something was wrong, I think Steel made a good call. I have a real soft spot for Steel coming to Sapph’s rescue, but not in a gross ‘nice guy’ way obvs. She can handle her shit usually, but it’s good that he is there for her when she needs help.

“I don’t know why I’m surprised, ever since that thing with Jet” WHAT THING WITH JET?? I’m counting this in shippy b/c Sapph was definitely teasing him and they were talking about the guy spying on the locker room so there was definitely the undertones of something like perverse/naughty/sexy/whatever. Steel absolutely did not want to talk about it tho. My money is on like he accidentally saw Jet in some state of undress (not sure how that works since it’s like timey wimey magic but maybe it’s different for them) and Jet found it hilarious (and teasingly sent her regards by Lead in the first tv ep) and Sapph found out and also finds it funny/teases Steel about it. This would also explain why in ep 5 of the tv show he went in the other room to magic change clothes even tho like Sapph does it all the time just wherever she wants to and it’s not a big deal. Makes sense he’d be like embarrassed about it and trying to be extra careful not to overstep a boundary around Sapph since he actually likes her. I think appearing nude/partially nude would have to be intentional so that implies Jet did it on purpose to embarrass Steel which is kinda mean, unless that was her flirting but even then. IDEK. This is where I’m like ?? about it, #aceproblems or whatever. Like I get u Steel, I would also be confused and embarrassed and like “omg Jet please put some clothes on what are u doing, I thought we were gonna watch netflix” 😂SO yeah

“Steel, I’ve got you”/ “Thank you” and they laughed! and she called him lame! aaaaaaaaa

This was like the most confusing of the audios so far. It felt like a lot was going on, but they didn’t give enough info so it was hard to figure out exactly what was happening. In that respect it was a little reminiscent of the first eps of the tv show in that I was just saying “wait what?�� to myself over and over but it wasn’t as satisfying and felt more all over the place. For the first ep of s2, it seems like they were trying too hard and not really getting anywhere.

Summary: Funny in some parts but too chaotic and drawn out on the reveal imo, 6/10

#I had this like a week ago but forgot to post it b/c holiday stuff #Started 2x02 last night but only like 5 mins and was laughing too hard for usual before bedtime listening #that's a good sign tho maybe it will be a good ep. stay tuned for the next review on that #S+S

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something-thats-not-taken-yet · 4 years

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He answered his phone.

"Uh, hey Connie..."

"Steven! Are you alright? I got your message! Are you okay?"

"I'll call you back later... Now may not be the best time to explain everything. But we're all okay!"

"WE WOONN!"

"Is that Amethyst?"

"Yeah... She's a bit excited."

"Amethyst! That's enough celebrating!"

Honk! Honk!

"Dad's here, I'll call you back later!"

"Okay, bye Steven!"

Greg drove up to where the gems were standing and Steven explained almost everything.

Once the four gems and Steven made it up to the temple after Greg's almost panic attack, Steven sat them down.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

"Of course!" Pearl responded.

"Sure dude." Amethyst said casually.

Garnet nodded and Lapis just turned away.

"I, uh.. Did any of you know that mom was... Pink Diamond?"

Pearl gasped, covering her mouth. Garnet's shades dissipated, revealing a shocked expression. Amethyst's jaw dropped.

"Uh.. What?" Amethyst said, her mouth still ajar.

"When I escaped my cell, my gem got separated from my body and it wasn't a rose quartz... It was a diamond."

Pearl started crying, her tears running down her hands, which still covered her mouth. Garnet looked to her.

"You knew. "

And that was all she said before she split up.

"What's wrong? Is it my fault? Should I not have said that? "

"No," Sapphire spoke, rough and cold, "we needed to know. She must have ordered Pearl not to tell us."

"Sapphire!" Ruby shouted, "SHE'S GONE! Pearl could've told us, but no! She didn't! She lied to us! They BOTH LIED TO US! WAS SHE LYING ABOUT US TOO? DID ROSE LIE TO US? WHAT SHE SAID WHEN SHE MET US- WAS SHE LYING THEN, TOO?! "

Amethyst got on Ruby's side, opposite of Pearl. "Was she lying? I'm defective and as a Diamond she'd know that! So did she lie to me too?!"

No one noticed when Steven started crying.

No one noticed when he ran away.

No one... except for a blue gem who was pretending to be disinterested in the whole thing.

Lapis immediately went to follow Steven. She didn't want him doing anything dumb while upset, especially something that would hurt him in some way. He saved her, so she felt like she should save him.

When she found him, she heard him talking to someone, so she decided to hide and eavesdrop.

"Hey.. Connie..."

"Steven? Are you okay? You sound sad."

"I'm... fine. Maybe just don't come to the temple for a while? The beach is a mess and we want to get it clean before we have visitors since gem tech is dangerous."

"Oh, okay. That's reasonable. Just tell me when I can come, I wanna see you!"

"Yeah, will do. I have to go now.. bye..."

"Bye Steven!"

Click

Lapis knew Steven wasn't fine, nor was he at the temple. She couldn't understand why he would lie to his friend like that. I mean, the gems had just gotten upset over this Rose person lying to them, why would he lie more?

"Steven?" she called.

"Lapis? Why are you here? Aren't you mad at me, too?" Steven asked sadly.

"Not really... I didn't really know Rose Quartz or Pink Diamond all that well, so I don't have anything to feel utterly lied to about. I don't think the Crystal Gems are mad at you though."

"Of course they are... I'm a Diamond. They probably hate me now.."

"Steven... It's not your fault. If they're mad at anyone, it's Pearl."

"Pearl's definitely mad at me... even if I go back home she probably won't ever speak to me again..."

"No way. I haven't spent too much time with you all, but I know they care about you. They just need some time. Until then, wanna show me around? I haven't seen much of earth."

"Yeah... Okay!" Steven wiped his tears and got on Lapis' back.

They flew around. Steven pointed out places like the barn his dad put stuff in when there wasn't space for it in his storage locker. He showed her the country, Empire City, Jersey, and a few other places. Steven had fun flying with Lapis, touring what small part of the earth they could. They landed back at the barn, not yet ready to take on the Temple.

"Oh! Lapis! I don't know if you're going to want to be a Crystal gem after what happened, but I can make you a sweater with a star on it!"

Lapis was about to decline, but she knew Steven was excited.

"Alright."

Steven pulled her into the barn and started knitting a blue sweater. He was only an amateur, but he was able to get her size close. He based the design off of her outfit, but he put hints of golden yellow thread into the design to make the star complement her more. His stomach growled and the sky got darker, but he was determined to finish the sweater.

It was morning before he did so, but when Lapis tried it on, it fit! It was a bit big, but it was comfy and stylish. Just as she was about to compliment Steven's handiwork, he muttered a "you look great" and fell asleep.

Lapis knew Steven needed certain things, but she didn't know what. She decided to pick up Steven's phone, which happened not to have a password on it. It took a while for her to figure it out, but she eventually was able to call Greg, a human that was on the beach.

"Hey Shctu-ball!"

"Um, I'm Lapis.."

"Did you take my son??"

"No? Well, kinda. I followed him. What do humans need to survive?"

"Well, let's see, food, water, clothing I guess, and shelter."

"Thanks."

Lapis then hung up and flew to the temple. When she got there, it was empty. She quickly gathered up the things Greg said Steven would need, or at least what she thought it was. When she got back to the barn, Steven was still sleeping soundly.

|1| |2| |3| |4| |5|

#su au #steven universe #su fanfic #fanfic #fan fiction #diamond jailbreak au

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venus-is-in-bloom · 5 years

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[steven universe] the false kind of love: Spinel and the Diamonds

Spinel is involved in four of the Steven Universe movie’s musical numbers. She sings in three of them, and stars in two: Other Friends and Drift Away. But although the last two of those both centre around Spinel as a character, they could hardly be more different in tone.

In the Other Friends sequence, Spinel is fierce, angry, and dangerous; but in the Drift Away sequence, her voice is sad, longing, and helpless. As far as stories go, it’s pretty common for a villain’s tragic backstory to contrast in tone with their present actions—to seem almost at odds with who they seem to be, even as it explains how they got here. But I find this contrast especially remarkable in Spinel, because one of the most important things about her in the movie is the intensity of her anger. Everything she does, and everything people do to her, is because she is angry. And yet in Drift Away, when she talks about the person responsible for hurting her—Pink Diamond—there’s hardly any sign of that anger. It’s only when her story ends that the fire in her voice ignites again.

I think this contradiction holds the key to Spinel’s motivations. Although her fury is depicted as petty and childish—a feeling she only has to learn to suppress, a problem that’s solved as soon as she stops being mad—the story of her life points to something different, something that better explains her anger, and why it seems to define her so completely.

We know that, in Homeworld’s old social system, each Gem was given a particular task, one that was decided for them almost from the moment they were born. If they failed to do as they were supposed to—or did anything against the norms of their role, such as fusing with a different gem, or joining a rebellion—they would be severely punished. This is how it was for Ruby and Sapphire, for Bismuth and Pearl, for Peridot and Jasper. So we can assume that Spinel’s situation was similar—that she was assigned to be Pink Diamond’s best friend and playmate from the moment she came into existence, and wasn’t given the option to change her mind or do anything else.

One might think of this as a privilege. She was born in servitude to a Diamond, and therefore had the fortune of enjoying luxuries such as the Garden. But the task she had been set was tremendously difficult and complicated: despite being created as an entertainer and nothing more, she had the duty of keeping Pink Diamond happy, and being at her beck and call no matter what.

At the time, Pink Diamond was immature, mercurial, and prone to tantrums. Not only that, she was also at odds with her own family, and repeatedly upset by the way they treated her—something no amount of games and frivolity could fix. All this would have made Spinel’s task positively herculean. Her place in Pink Diamond’s life was small, yet she was completely responsible for how Pink Diamond felt. Every shout of anger, every sneer of disgust and contempt, every dismissive wave and sigh of resentment, would have been a mark of Spinel’s failure: not just a blow against her self-esteem, but against her actual value in Homeworld society—a step closer to being worthless, to being cast away.

What’s more, if Pink Diamond’s final cruel act against Spinel is anything to go by, she wasn’t in any way above tormenting and punishing Spinel just for being an annoyance—despite knowing that Spinel’s life depended on her approval.

In short, Spinel’s entire existence, from the moment she was born up until the moment the movie begins, has been about serving Pink Diamond, catering to her whims, and making her happy no matter what.

From what we see of Spinel, she throws herself entirely into her labour. She never frowns, complains, or shows any negative emotion around Pink at all. And when Pink Diamond asks her to stand, very still, in the same spot, until such time as she returns, she does so—perfectly and obediently—for six thousand years.

This is no surprise, of course. In the context of Spinel’s servitude, Pink Diamond’s words to her are not a request but a direct order. Spinel is Pink Diamond’s playmate, and what kind of playmate would she be if she ever said “no” to a game, or broke the rules? To disobey is to violate the contract that governs her life. So she stands there through her weariness, so absolutely still that roots grow around her legs, accumulating dirt, scratches, and chips. She’s not happy! She’s not having fun! Quite the opposite—she’s clearly miserable in her condition, and yet she doesn’t even shake her leg, or wipe the dirt off her shoulder, or sit down. She doesn’t think of herself at all—only whether she’s “doing it right”.

There’s something I strongly believe is relevant: People do not exist to be other people’s servants. And this goes for Gems too—time and time again throughout the series we see the stories of escaped Gems, how they were trapped, unhappy, often fearful in their roles—how as soon as they were given the opportunity, they decided to do something with their lives drastically different from their assigned purpose. It isn’t normal to wait like this, to suffer like this, all for the sake of someone else’s entertainment. Spinel waits for Pink Diamond, suffers for Pink Diamond, thinks only of Pink Diamond, not because she chose it, but because she has no other choice, because she was raised in a society where this is her only purpose and the only way for her to live.

In other words, the relationship between Pink Diamond and Spinel isn’t just a bad friendship between equals. It isn’t even a bad relationship between, say, a worker and her boss. It is, in plain terms, a slaveowner’s cruel treatment of a slave who’s been forced to serve her since she was born.

The movie never quite acknowledges this out loud. Instead it calls Spinel and Pink Diamond “friends”. And yet, this is the obvious interpretation of the narrative that is shown. Throughout Drift Away, the sequence leading up to it, and all that follows, we see that even now, Spinel is still utterly devoted to Pink Diamond. She still doesn’t realise there’s any other way to be. At the climax of the movie, she says to Steven:

“I used to just be not good enough—just not good enough for Pink!”

and

“Why do I wanna hurt you so bad? I’m supposed to be a friend! I just wanna be a friend...”

The first quote shows how Spinel understands her situation—that all the cruelty she has suffered, and all the anger and resentment she feels, is her own fault for not being “good enough” at her task. She believes that the reason Pink Diamond made her suffer isn’t that Pink Diamond was a cruel person who had absolute power over her life, but that she failed in her task, and so she was a failure of a person, and she deserved whatever she got.

The second quote shows that even at this point, the deepest, truest wish Spinel can think of is to get another chance to prove her worth—to serve someone again, to give up all thoughts of her own happiness and devote herself to another person, to maybe, just for a moment, earn a smile or a laugh. It hasn’t occurred to Spinel that freedom is an option, or that she doesn’t have to be anyone’s slave to have worth as a person, or that Pink Diamond did anything wrong to her. She never realises any of this—no one ever tells her.

So together, these two quotes set up the miserable, ironic resolution of Spinel’s character arc.

(Pink Diamond, of course, shows no matching concern for how Spinel feels, nor any indication that she remembers her at all. The movie implies that she may have had access to the Garden warp pad, or at least its communicator, all along from Earth—yet she never returned, and never sent a message.)

It follows from all this, naturally, that Spinel doesn’t want to direct her anger at Pink Diamond, where it truly belongs. Spinel still believes everything that happened is her fault, and that if anything, it’s Pink Diamond who should blame her for being a bad playmate. And yet, Spinel is angry. At the beginning of the movie, when Steven transmits his message, when Spinel finally sees that she never mattered to Pink Diamond—or to anyone else—she reacts with such rage that she breaks out of the fetters that have governed her life (even though, in her worldview, this dooms herself in the process) and heads for Earth, where Pink Diamond went.

It’s important to note that when Spinel shows up for the Other Friends scene, it’s only been a few days, maybe just a few hours, since she left the Garden—since she escaped the abuse, exploitation, isolation, and neglect that has constituted her whole life. At this point, she hasn’t even had a chance to calm down. She’s suffering an emotional crisis of terrible proportions. The fragile remains of her life have been utterly destroyed. She has nothing left in the world. She isn’t in a reasoning state—there is nothing to reason about, since she has nothing and is nothing. All she has is anger, an emotion she’s never allowed herself to feel before. And she doesn’t know what to do with this overwhelming anger—she has no idea how to acknowledge it, validate it, or work through it in a healthy way. Even if she did, this is the moment of her life when she’s most volatile and vulnerable, when it’s hardest to put things in perspective, when she needs help the most. She needs safety, reassurance, and something that can at least point her on the path to healing—and she doesn’t get any of those, in the end.

Because she cannot be angry at Pink Diamond, she instead tries to find something else to blame. The things that replaced her in Pink Diamond’s eyes are first on that list: Steven, the Crystal Gems, the Earth itself. She decides that she wants to hurt them, to damage them as she has been damaged. She cannot say this, but she wants some way to make them care about her.

(There is a scene where Garnet regains her memories, fights off Spinel, and sings the beautiful True Kinda Love. During this scene, Spinel’s reaction to the sight of the Crystal Gems, finally reunited, is one of the most telling in the movie: disbelief, fear, shame. She has spent her life isolated, interacting only with Pink Diamond—this is, perhaps, her first time seeing love between equals, love that makes people happy simply because they get to be with each other. She sees love that is grateful, unconditional, unbreakable, powerful.

This love defeats her. It destroys her. It represents everything that Pink Diamond left her for. She doesn’t think of it—she cannot think of it—as something which she, too, might experience one day, because her entire life has taught her that she isn’t good enough to ever deserve love. In fact, at this very moment, she is an obstacle that true love will sweep aside and shortly forget about. She is unloved, unloveable, and so it makes perfect sense that Pink Diamond would have thrown her away in order to join these people who are full of love. Spinel is worth nothing to them, not even as entertainment. They will never care about her. She’s a thorn in their side, and they just want her gone.

Anger and shame is the only way she can respond—and after her anger dies down, only shame is left.)

Of course, in lashing out like this, it’s very strange that Spinel achieves anything more than fruitlessly flailing at the Gems for a few minutes before running out of steam or getting poofed. Where did she get a mysterious Injector that an Era 2 engineer like Peridot is helpless to power down, and enough poison to kill a planet? How did she beat three seasoned warriors in a fair fight, having never raised a finger against anyone before the moment that fight began? If things hadn’t gone that way, we would probably have a very different movie.

But such is the narrative we’re given—which is unfortunate, because Spinel in the movie is set up as such an enormous threat that it ends up eclipsing the truth of her story, rather than highlighting it. Apart from one or two lines at the end of the Drift Away sequence, everything Steven says is focused on mollifying her, calming her down, and getting her to deescalate so that she won’t destroy the entire planet. Meanwhile, all the other Gems are busy trying to save people from the Injector’s poison—so there’s no room to actually address her problems in the story.

She is a victim of a monstrous system, in desperate need of help and understanding. But she is instead cast as a monster herself. She doesn’t get any attention for being hurt: people only care about her because she might hurt someone else.

Perhaps the greatest injustice to Spinel is that she isn’t given any kind of resolution for her situation. Instead, Steven’s words confirm the harmful beliefs she holds about herself. Her feelings are her own fault, and her suffering is her own fault. The only chance she has to redeem herself is to go back into servitude, to be a playmate and an entertainer, and to carefully soothe, cheer, and cajole people into tolerating her company—knowing that the love she will therefore win is false and conditional: knowing that if she fails, if they ever get tired of her, she will be left in the dust without a second thought, and she will deserve it.

Poetically, her new owners are Diamonds once again. In order to make them laugh, she makes a joke that belittles her own trauma, and stands on her head. Blue Diamond thinks it’s cute. Yellow Diamond thinks it’s hilarious. Neither of them consider her feelings, or what she might have gone through. Once again, she’s no longer a person—just a toy that reminds them of Pink.

This will be the rest of her life.

#things venus said #steven universe #steven universe: the movie #reflections #spinel steven universe #spinel su #you could perhaps interpret the ending as poetic justice against an unsympathetic villain #but strangely enough that isn't how the movie casts it #anyway guess who's still doing hecking steven universe analysis in the year 2019 /shrug #slavery cw

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daybreak-academy-fanfic · 4 years

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Daybreak Academy: Chapter 23

Ava’s Surprise Party

Summary: In which Ephemer throws a party for Ava in her office, and Gula promises a party... somewhere else. Word Count: 1,538 First | Previous | Next ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆

Ava gave a sullen sigh as she looked over the list in front of her. There were a little under 1,400 students actively attending Daybreak Academy, and over the past week she had narrowed it down to seven. It honestly felt like she was giving up, what with Ephemer's name being the first she wrote down and later on adding two of his friends. She had even written down a pair of siblings. How lazy was that?

Just make sure that your new student council can work well with each other, or it'll all fall flat.

The Vulpes headmaster absently reached for her coffee cup and took a slow sip. As far as she knew, all seven of these kids had met each other at least once. They were also among the most exceptional students as well- Ava had done enough checking and rechecking of their grades and teacher remarks to feel like she could justify it.

None of us wanted five headmasters.

But that was then, and this was now. No one had expected her and Gula to sign on after graduation- with Luxu and MoM, there were five headmasters already running the place. Never minding Gula, there was such a tremendous age gap between her, Invi, Ira, and Aced. So much so that those three had been considered senior staff for years; Gula had only just passed his fifth year, and wouldn't be considered senior staff for only five. There was only one name on this list that caused the biggest gap in age -roughly 8 years- but it was still a far cry from the 16 years between Gula and Aced.

A small creak at her door made Ava suddenly look up, immediately flipping over her list as if it contained something more scandalous. But no one was on the other side of the door. Before Ava could question what was going on, a song started to play, almost making her jump in surprise. It was a pretty bubbly pop song with a slightly distinct disco-like backing to it.

'Dudu dududu, kissing you baby~!'

A flat “What.” escaped Ava's lips as she stared at the doorway.

'Dudu dududu, loving you baby~!'

As if to answer her confusion, Ephemer's head peered through the door. “Happy birthday Ava!” he declared, before leading what could only amount to a small parade into her office.

Ava's eyes widened as multiple people came through her office door; Ephemer was holding a boombox playing that K-pop song, his friend Skuld was holding a two tiered birthday cake, one of his friends was holding a rather large present, another was holding a much smaller present, and then there was Gula. Of course Gula would join in on this madness. As everyone piled in, Ephemer continued to let the song play as he set it down on the visitor's chair.

'Geudaewa, bareul matchumyeo geoto; neoye du soneul japgo. Ni eokkaeye pidaeyeo malhago shipeo; Gomaweo saranghae haengbongman julkkeyo! Kissing you, oh my love~!'

Thankfully, he did turn the volume down quite a bit as Skuld set down the birthday cake in front of Ava.

“Happy birthday Ava!” Ephemer then cheered again, this time being backed by everyone else at a slight delay. Ava was still in so much shock that she only stared at him.

Eventually, her eyes started to trail from the boy to the rest of his entourage. There was Skuld, who Ava had no doubt had made the cake. There was another girl with short strawberry-pink hair carrying a large present. Looking over the girl's tanned skin and emerald green eyes, Ava realized that this was the Anora that Ephemer spoke of every so often. Ava then turned her attention to another boy, his hair was unruly like Ephemer's, but shorter and colored a beautiful golden yellow. He was also holding a present, but his was much smaller. And then there was Gula, who looked awfully pleased as punch about something. She was afraid to know of what.

“This… is a surprise.” Ava finally admitted, looking them all over. “I don't know what to say.”

“Say yes, obviously.” Gula smirked. Anora and the golden haired boy took it as their cue to give Ava their presents.

“O-oh!” was all the female headmaster could muster. “Th-thank you.”

Each child gave her a bashful smile before backing away a bit. With all eyes on her, Ava looked from the small group to her presents. Warily, Ava started to unwrap the biggest present, picking the wrapping off as if she planned on preserving it. She tossed the wrapping paper on the floor with a small flinch- she'd have to pick that up before the custodian came in. The look on her face became mixed when she revealed what the present was. She looked at Ephemer, even more confused than before.

“A fish tank?”

“That was my idea.” Gula spoke up, smirking at her in a way that always sent a chill up her spine. “I've noticed that it always bugged you that we don't allow certain pets on school campus. Mostly mammals, like dogs and cats, with the occasional denial of birds. But it doesn't say anything about fish, small reptiles, and amphibians.”

“After the dance and play are over, we're gonna go pet shopping!” Ephemer joined in, unable to hold back his happiness. Again, Ava was speechless.

“You guys...” she tried to say, but the words failed to leave her lips. Instead, she looked down at the other present, and started to reach for it. She gave them all a wary look before she started to unwrap the smaller present. It was revealed to be a velvet jewelry box.

Ava opened the box up to see what was inside, and almost gasped in astonishment. Inside was small die cast charm; decorated to look like a key-like sword that held a gradient from white, to yellow, to pink, and back again. At the base of the key sword was a very small, very detailed fox head with even tinier sapphire eyes. It was absolutely beautiful.

It was Ephemer that knocked her out of her surprised with a cheerful, “It's for your charm bracelet!” And just like that, a sudden wave of sadness washed over Ava.

“Oh… Oh, Ephemer,” she softly said, a thin smile on her lips as she set the charm back down in the box. “You know I don't wear that thing anymore...”

“I know.” the boy admitted as he scratched the back of his head. “But that doesn't mean we can't still add on to it, right? They're kinda like memories.”

Despite herself, Ava gave him a smile. “Of course.” she agreed. With that, she turned her attention to the others. “Now, what happened to that cake? We can't have party without the best made cake in the world!”

And so, Ava's small birthday party began. It was a fun time, she had to admit. Ephemer formally introduced Ava to Anora, and even casually introduced the boy with golden hair (Ventus was his name) like an old friend. Ava wondered how much she and Ephemer thought alike before shaking the thought away. The party went on for a good two hours before Ventus decided that he should leave. Skuld was quick to go soon after, as if she was waiting for an excuse to go. Ephemer and Anora stayed behind for a bit longer, and even helped clean up a bit before they left.

This only left Ava with Gula, and she could feel the temperature rise as he looked at her.

“That was a nice little party.” the Leopardus headmaster grinned as he sat down on Ava's desk.

“It was.” the Vulpes headmaster agreed, trying not to look at Gula and his smug expression.

“Too bad it's not quite over yet.”

Ava immediately looked up at Gula- her face was a mixture of surprise and confusion.

“What do you mean?” she asked before she could stop herself. To her absolute fear, Gula only shook his head and put a finger to his lips.

“It's a surprise.” he insisted. “But… meet me at 10 at our dorms.”

“10?”

“Yeah,” he smirked. “It's after curfew.”

“Why would you need me after cur-”

There was no stopping the flirtatious smirk on Gula's face, and the heat rising in Ava's cheeks.

“Happy birthday Ava.” Gula wished her, giving a small kiss on her temple before he started to leave. Ava refused to look at at him or even respond.

Once Gula left, Ava needed to clear her thoughts again. Sighing, she flipped over her student list and started to comb through it again. She lightly bit her lower lip and rabidly tapped her pencil on her desk. Her thoughts were mixed between the list and Gula's promise- they both gave her butterflies, but for two completely different reasons. After some consideration, she finally decided to cross a certain name out. The student was still far too new to have that kind of burden placed on them. However, for some reason, Ava almost couldn't justify it. Giving one more sigh -this one a bit more thoughtful- Ava put her list away and tried very hard to not think about Gula.

Happy birthday to her indeed.

#daybreak academy #chapter 23 #kingdom hearts fanfiction #Ava #Ephemer #Gula #Season 1

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pumpernickel-simswood · 5 years

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Sabine the Instigator (Part 3)

Part 1 Part 2

Dear Kwami, this took at least a week to write and I don’t know why but here it finally is. Also, I have no explanation for some of the ways Adrien acts in this lol.

Marinette went down to the living room, school bag in hand.

“Good morning, sweetie.” Sabine smiled.

“Good morning, Maman. Papa’s already down in the bakery?” Marinette kissed her cheek.

“He is.” Sabine nodded. “How’s Adrien?”

“Um, okay from what I last heard.” Marinette blushed.

Sabine nodded again, “You should bring him over for lunch.”

“I… I’ll tell him you’ve invited him to join us for lunch.” Marinette said, a bit wary of her maman. She canted her head, “Can I grab a couple of pastries for breakfast?”

“Of course.” Sabine said.

“Thanks Maman, I’ll see you at lunch.” Marinette gave her another cheek peck and went to grab the pastries.

***

Marinette jogged up the stairs of the school. She’d actually made good time this morning. She ducked into the locker room and sorted the books she’d need for the day.

“Oh, good morning, Mari.” Adrien greeted as he headed to his locker.

“Wow I got here before you? I must be super early.” Marinette smiled, “And good morning, Adrien.”

“Well, super early for you maybe.” Adrien teased.

“Well that’s quite a way to talk to your fiancée, Adrien.” Marinette had a hand on her heart, unable to suppress her laughter.

Adrien chuckled, “You’re right, you’re right, my sincerest apologies, Mari.”

“Oh, well, if you’re sincere.” She giggled and closed her locker.

They headed into the courtyard and to a bench. Marinette pulled out the pastry box as they sat and opened it for him. Adrien’s entire face lit up as he took one.

“You’re the best, Mari.” Adrien beamed.

“I didn’t even make them.” Marinette shook her head.

“Doesn’t make it any less true.” Adrien shrugged before taking a bite. He hummed in delight.

She chuckled and took one for herself. They sat and ate in comforting silence.

“Thank you.” Adrien said after he’d finished eating. He rubbed the back of his neck, his other hand drumming on his thigh.

“Adrien?” Marinette asked.

“Yeah?” Adrien looked over.

“What’s wrong?” She frowned.

“O-oh, um, nothing’s wrong per se.” Adrien looked away, pink dusting his cheeks. He shifted and pulled something from his bag, “So, I, uh, I wasn’t sure if- well, I’m honestly not sure how long Father’s going to keep this, uh, arrangement - but I mean, if it does keep, I’m not, uh, I wasn’t sure if this is something we should do or you would want and- just, I got this after we talked yesterday.”

Marinette blinked as a velvet ring box was placed in her hands. She stared at it, numb shock enveloping her. Cuz there was no way this was what she thought it was.

After a long awkward pause, she opened the box with trembling fingers. Resting gently inside was a beautiful ring. The band was silver and shaped like a branch with pink sapphire flower buds. The centerpiece of the ring was a blooming sakura of soft pink porcelain.

Marinette’s breath caught in her throat. She could feel tears trying to form in her eyes.

“I, um, I got a necklace too in case you’d rather wear it that way. If you want it, I mean. If not, I totally understand and that’s totally okay. I just figured you should have one if you want one, y'know?” Adrien rambled, “And it’s the proper thing to do, I guess. Not that that’s why I bought it. I mean, not completely. Tradition did have a role in that, I guess-”

Marinette pulled him into a tight hug, “It’s beautiful, thank you.”

“O-of course.” Adrien managed, hugging her back.

Marinette broke the hug reluctantly and looked at the ring with a small frown, “If I wear it like a ring, people are probably gonna notice.”

Adrien pulled out another box, this one containing a silver necklace chain. Marinette looked at it for a long moment.

“Y'know what?” Marinette slipped the ring onto her left ring finger, the weight a foreign feeling. “It’s too beautiful not to show off.”

“It fits okay?” Adrien asked.

Marinette slipped the ring off easily enough and then back on, “Perfectly.”

“Good.” Adrien smiled in relief. His smile returned to nervousness, “Oh, uh, Alya and Nino are here.”

“Oh… this’ll be interesting.” Marinette muttered, pulling her arms in tighter to her body.

Alya spotted them and walked toward them, Nino following easily behind.

“Hi Alya, hi Nino.” Marinette said with her best innocent smile.

“Girl, what happened? You just dropped off the planet this weekend.” Alya frowned worriedly.

“Hey Nino.” Adrien greeted.

“Hey dude, you doing okay?” Nino asked.

Marinette forced her focus back to Alya, “Oh, well, I got some kinda surprising news this weekend that took some time to process. Though, honestly, I might still be in shock a bit.”

Alya’s worried look deepened.

“It’s nothing bad!” Marinette waved her hands to try to assuage Alya’s fears, laughing a bit more nervously than she’d like, “Just surprising and random, I promise!”

“Hey Marinette, what’s up with the new ring?” Nino asked.

Marinette and Adrien startled. They exchanged a look, apparently neither had thought that Nino’d be the one to bring it up.

Almost simultaneously, they blurted, “We’re engaged!”

“Y-you’re-? Excuse me!?” Alya squeaked.

“Mari and I are, uh, engaged. Betrothed. Affianced. Intended.” Adrien replied, looking like he still wasn’t sure this wasn’t just a really weird, really long dream. He shrunk into the bench, “It was arranged without our say.”

“Between Maman and Gabriel, apparently. They sprung it on us.” Marinette frowned, “I’ve been trying to wrap my head around it all weekend.”

Adrien nodded his agreement in that. Nino and Alya stared at them, shocked.

“So, you're… you’re not, um, ex-expecting, right?” Alya asked.

Marinette stood abruptly at that, voice pitched higher from distress, “Alya! Of course not! I’ve only ever kissed one boy and it wasn’t even Adrien!”

Adrien wisely decided not to bring up the Statue Incident and the fact that, technically, their lips had met. Making his only remembered first kiss be the one with Marinette and the irreversible awkwardness. Which was simply unfair in all senses of the word.

“You’ve kissed Luka?” Alya frowned.

Marinette hesitated, her cheeks turning pink, and she fiddled with the hem of her jacket, “N-no. Not with Luka. Not that it’s even important… Given the circumstances…”

“Then who the he-” Alya began.

“It’s really not important, okay?! Just- just drop it, please.” Marinette had her eyes squeezed shut and her fists were clenched.

“Okay…” Alya breathed. She turned a frown on Adrien, “So did you get her the ring or was that arranged without your inputs too?”

Adrien actually blushed, “No, I got it for Mari.”

Alya’s eyes narrowed as she tried to dissect Adrien using only her eyes. Adrien looked away, rubbing the back of his neck.

“But hey, the ring is really cool and definitely fits Marinette’s style, so good job, bro.” Nino held his fist out to his friend with a grin.

Adrien sent him a grateful, if shy, smile and fist bumped, “Um, thank you.”

“So, is the whole class going to be told?” Alya asked.

“If they ask.” Marinette shrugged, twisting the ring, “I don’t intend to actively paint a bigger target on my back. Especially when it comes to Lila.”

“If she dares try to hurt or threaten you again, let me know, Mari.” There was a quiet fury in Adrien’s eyes as he stood before his betrothed.

Marinette blinked, “But-”

“I’d already warned her because of Oni-Chan and then she got you expelled and akumatized. I’m not going to let that happen again.” Adrien said, fists clenched.

The other three stared at him in surprise. None of them knew how to respond to Adrien’s angry determination.

The bell rang.

Adrien grabbed his bag, then Mari’s and held it out to her, “Your bag, Mari.”

“Thank you.” Marinette took it.

“Y'know Sunshine, you’re kinda scary when you’re mad.” Alya frowned.

“Well, I hope that’s enough to persuade Lila to drop it.” Adrien sighed.

Marinette worried her lip but said nothing. Adrien’s anger was justified but it still concerned her.

They walked up to their classroom as a group, more of their classmates falling in with them.

“Oh right. Adrien?” Marinette turned to him.

“Yeah P- Mari?” Adrien asked.

“Maman is extending you an invitation to lunch with us at the bakery.” Marinette relayed. Though her brow was a little scrunched.

Adrien paled a little but smiled, “Thank you. Uh, I’ll ask Nathalie.”

“Okay.” Marinette nodded.

They settled into their seats as they filed in. Alya sent Marinette a teasing, questioning smirk. Marinette rolled her eyes and started pulling out her books.

Marinette’s motion stopped as a realization hit. Oh. Oh Kwami, she was going to have to tell Cat Noir.

Marinette’s face burned as she imagined that conversation and having to answer his innocent and curious questions. She buried her face in her hands with a noise of frustration. Alya snickered. Marinette turned to shush her.

Except… Adrien growled. Actually growled.

Marinette snapped her attention to him. Adrien was hunched over his bag. She couldn’t see his expression from here but Nino’s was one of confusion and shock.

“Uh, dude?” Nino asked.

Adrien’s head jolt up and over to his friend, “Yeah?”

“Are you okay?” Nino frowned.

There was a pause.

“Yeah, why?” Adrien chanted his head.

“Uh, cuz you kinda just, er, growled.” Nino replied.

“O-oh, did I?” Adrien’s right hand twisted around his left wrist, his eyes wide.

Marinette’s heart twisted painfully. She offered her hand as she softly said, “Hey.”

The attention turned to her and Adrien’s eyes widened more. Marinette left her hand offered, not intruding on his space but still there if he decided to take it.

“Well of course you growled, you said you were going to watch that big cats documentary last night. ‘Lions, and Tigers and Cougars, Oh My!’, right?” Marinette said.

“Girl, what on earth are you talking about?” Alya frowned.

“A documentary on big cats, such as lions and tigers.” Marinette frowned, “Did I not just say that?”

“Yeah, but why would that make Adrien growl?” Alya crossed her arms.

“Clearly you haven’t seen it.” Marinette scoffed. At some point, Adrien had taken her hand, but she wasn’t going to make a thing about it. Marinette shook her head, “Honestly, Alya, it’s that immersive.”

“Oh hey Adrien.” Lila greeted with a shark’s smile.

“Lila.” Adrien acknowledged, voice icy and sharp.

“Did you hear? We have a photoshoot tomorrow.” Lila smiled wider only to hide her wince.

“As Nathalie didn’t mention that this morning, perhaps you’re mistaken.” Adrien smiled.

“Or maybe your condition is acting up again.” Marinette couldn’t help but suggest helpfully. She smiled innocently when Lila glared at her.

“I’d suggest you go to your seat, Lila.” Adrien’s voice was hard.

Lila huffed and stormed up the stairs.

“I’m so glad you’re on our side, dude.” Nino breathed.

“How do you manage to be so terrifying all of a sudden, Sunshine?” Alya asked.

Adrien shrugged, “I’m just done with being everyone’s pawn in a game that hurts my friends.”

“That’s fair.” Alya nodded.

Adrien looked at Marinette, then, with an indescribable expression. She squeezed his hand. He smiled softly.

Part 1 Part 2

@ijustwannabecanadian @rianoel @mysticmiraculer @hellolovelyscientist @theworldslittlesis @maindeckdeathtoymonsters

#sabine the instigator #sabine the instigator part 3 #nobu writes #nobu writes 2019 #ml fanfic #my fanfic #long post is long #this part is over 1k words #ffs

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a-shakespearean-in-paris · 5 years

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Self Promo Meme

Rules: Post the first line of your last 10 published fics, then tag 10 people.

I was tagged by both @briarfox13 and @melaena a while ago. (and someone else, maybe???) I actually did it then, then I messed up and it got deleted, and I got mad so I didn’t redo it till now, ha. anyway I’m not going to include commissions in this and just stuff I wrote of my own accord. also I wasn’t sure if you were supposed to publish the actual first line or the first line of your update....so I just went with the former.

1. Love Song on Sapphire Isle-Game of Thrones (Jaime x Brienne) ongoing.

At sundown the Kingslayer stands at Winterfell, there to fight for the living. Most don’t have time to care about the man with a golden hand, though some faces scorn. Fewer find him noble and honorable, though not even they can suspect that the simple truth of the matter is that the Kingslayer's arrival to Winterfell falls to a single woman that said fuck loyalty.

2. The Sweetest Sorrow- Red Dead Redemption 2 (Arthur x Charlotte) ongoing

Charlotte Vale’s hands were dainty and soft. A lady’s hands, “your father has money hands,” her brother said in jest once or twice, but the biggest sin of Charlotte Vale and then Balfour’s hands were that they betrayed a dull and uneventful life. Needlework and embroidery gave her pricked fingers, and once she may have fancied them battle scars and wounds. Once, she thought a lot of things. But even with the little pinpricks here and there, they were still soft, privileged hands that had not lived.

3. Our Immortal Longings- Detroit: Become Human. (Connor x OFC) ongoing but almost done!

She didn’t know how she would grow to need him so, the night they first met. That night they met he had yet allowed himself to be fully himself and what he wanted to be. It was just as she didn’t yet know, that she was just as lost as he, merely floating through life, gliding and only being.

4. A Knight to Remember- Game of Thrones (Jaime x Brienne) one shot, done.

He’s sure that one look at him would allow no one to toy with or entertain the notion, but it doesn’t make the fact false. He’s not ashamed of it. At any rate, why should the fact that the Kingslayer has in the past, dabbled in reading novels of a more romantic sort be such a shame?

5. The Way We do Things- DBH (Connor x OFC) oneshot, done.

“Does it bother you I’m not a man?”

6. Feel Good For Me- DBH (Connor x OFC) oneshot, done.

How did they end up like that? It was a long and complicated story that began before the Revolution, when she was just a girl with snow in her reddish hair and tears in her brownish eyes. How did end up in love with her? It was all her, all her and her soul and her everything, and it was long and complex and deserved it’s own story. But Connor knew exactly how he ended up sprawled on her bed, her on top and straddling him. Oh, he knew all too well.

7. in this the truth is found- Dragon Age (Cullen x OFC kinda sorta) ongoing, will I finish? well IDK TBH

There is a new face in Greenfell.

8.Dawn- Dragon Age (Cullen x Inquisitor) oneshot, done

He’s nervous.

He doesn’t know why, at least at first. But then he realizes that maybe it makes perfect sense. He’s going to meet her for the first time. For the first time, he gets to meet his daughter.

9. Soft Tummy- DBH (Connor x OFC) oneshot, done.

In a word, Sophie was a bit…squishy. He liked the fact she was squishy, but for some reason, Sophie didn’t seem to. At least at first.

10. Alone- Dragon Age (Cullen x Inquisitor sorta) oneshot, done.

Cullen, the letter read. Read this when you are alone and in my room.

what have we learned other than I’m eclectic with fandoms and I have many WIPS? IDK. also is there a pattern here? maybe someone more intuitive than me can figure it out.

I seem to think I like introspection, or I begin with dialogue (not something you can see here but a lot of times I start a new chapter with dialogue)

tagging @dickeybbqpit @thevikingwoman @galadrieljones @sadmichiganrobots @dizzypinwheel @ladymdc @laraslandlockedblues @gottaboopthesnoot @whatsherfacewrites @kierarutherford

#no obligation of course #:)#tagged #writing meme #jaime x brienne #cullen x inquisitor #connor x ofc #dbh #dragon age #GOT

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withercat-writes · 5 years

Text

To Lose It All

So I got inspired, prepare for angst and Flux Buddies Spoilers, done in my usual rambling style! Its based on the idea I had on what if Blackrock was after Flux Buddies! Ao3 Link

Lalna was never the same after that fateful moment in Mother’s dimension, he wasn’t sure where The Doctor had dumped him to scold him, not that Lalna remembered anything really from this time, every moment from leaving that dimension was a blur, all he knew was eventually he found his way back to the others. He never let himself get close to them though, building a new base and locking himself away. The others tried to get close, to talk to him, to get him to at least acknowledge them more then mildly, none succeeded, Lalna didn’t want to risk getting attached again. He never tried to get back to the tower, Lalnable could live there for all he cared, better away from him then nearby anyways. Hopefully Tiddles had long since ran away from the maniac.

He knew Nano told him to be good, to be better then this, but he just couldn’t find it in him to care. It’s not like she could see, she was gone, poof, vanished, no respawn, someplace Lalna may never be allowed to reach, and with that fact in mind, it could be so hard to care. So he tinkered away, building and making mild pleasantries at Xephos who just wouldn’t leave him alone. He found himself quicker to violence, though it both sickened him, and intrigued him how little he cared anymore about the pain of others, he did his best to resist this sure, but sometimes the apathy would claw at his heart, and he’d go looking for a scrap to just feel something.

Soon his hands had him build that same weapon that killed Nano, and a faint wonderance past in his mind, would if he detonated, would his respawn fail? He couldn’t bring himself to test it, but he could never bring himself to take it out of his inventory either. So there it sat, before eventually the apathy clawed too much and he went out to look for a scrap, and saw Sjin. Everyone knew what happened next, the two got too heated, literally, fire burning all around. Lalna couldn’t stop, the adrenaline like wine to a dehydrated soul. It kept getting worse, explosions and death. He saw Rythian eyes wide in shock as one of Sjin's arrows plunged his throat, before another shot through his head, killing him instantly, he felt nothing to it. He saw Zoey take an arrow through the heart through the corner of his eye, and he felt nothing to it as well.

And why should he care anyways? They’d just respawn, they’d be fine, no worse for wear, maybe a bit annoyed, but who cares about that. There was no real consequences for them dying, they wouldn’t suffer, wouldn’t truly die, so why would death matter? They’d still be here, like Nano should have been, but she wasn’t. Nano wouldn’t be proud, but she was gone, so why care about that either. He wished they would permanently die for a moment, so they could never realize the curse they were all under.

He set down the explosives and set them off, retreating back a bit, he wasn’t fully ready to die, natural aversions to that and all that. It unfortunately did not kill him, and soon he noticed Sjin in his base and he rushed to fix the damage, he wasn’t trying to blow up literally everything, fucking Sjin! He was too late though, and the world turned white, and he couldn’t stop the smile.

Alas, he woke up all the same, a new world yes, but he knew it was just more of the same, he clutched the sapphire in his pocket tight as he couldn’t stop a few tears. He got back to work though, building up a castle, throwing himself into his machines. No one cared beyond a few dirty looks about the end of the past world, and why should they? Everything that mattered was fine, they were alive, unharmed, with infinite potential, instead of gone, lost, dead. Everyone still had there friends, and loved ones, the lucky bastards.

He isolated himself once more in his castle, he decided this time to craft it to remind him of the first base with Nano, to hopefully inspire some emotion as he kept to himself again. This time no one cared about this isolation, it seems they’d finally given up on him, and he grew further into apathy, he learned Rythian wanted revenge, he shrugged it off, okay whatever why should he care? Then he learned about Zoeya.

Then rage bubbled in his chest for the first time in months.

How DARE he do this, how dare he come to face him for revenge with an apprentice that FELL FROM THE SKY, with an apprentice with a CHEERFUL GO LUCKY ATTITUDE, an apprentice EAGER TO LEARN, an apprentice with UNIQUENESS and OPTIMISM, and still SASS. Really the only way Rythian could have made it worse is if he gave her a sapphire, he shuddered at the thought, hand clutching her sapphire again.

How dare he get revenge with someone that reminded him so much of Nano. Revenge he could ignore? But this? THIS?? This was an insult, a grave cruel insult! To rub it in his face that Rythian has what he lost, that Rythian could do it so much fucking better, what a joke, what a piece of shit! He threw himself into his research, fine, it had been too long since he felt anything anyways, and rage and sadism was something familiar. A part of him wondered if this is the kind of thing that created Lalnable, Lalna crushed those thoughts, no, he was better then that, he would always be better then that.

He ignored every warning, buried himself even more in his castle. Came up with the ingenious forcefield idea. Then he waited, and waited, but the first one at his door was not an angry mage, but a girl, so fiery for a second he saw Nano. He blinked it off though and gave her the warmest smile he could, he wished he could say something new bubbled in his chest, but they didn’t the now well known rage and sadism just souring more, as he thinks about what could have been as he pretended everything was alright for her. The dinosaur he just kinda, ignored for the most part, gave him the creeps.

He was surprised when he heard she and Rythian got into a spat though, ha, he’d never have thrown Nano out for being a technomage, really Rythian was terrible, an awful mentor, couldn’t even give his apprentice the attention and knowledge she clearly needs, and just LETS HER SUFFER and SLOWLY FADE, doing NOTHING TO STOP, because he's a COWARD. What a terrible mage, a terrible friend. Truly Zoey deserved better. Not that he’d really be a better choice, he could pretend, but he knew they’d end up crawling back together, it’s not like anything could keep him and Nano from each other for long. Even if Zoey deserved better.

He cheerfully dodged her interests and set about crafting a gun, a gun for a dinosaur, hm past Lalna would have been thrilled, the dinosaur also seemed a bit familiar but hey what does he know. He acted how he knew he was supposed to act, cheerful if a bit distrusting, he didn’t want to drive her away after all, she’d be safe in his castle, plus it’d rub it in Rythian’s face, oh the hate Rythian would feel at the thought that stupid flux mad scientist, the dangerous warped scientist who broke respawn, was doing a better job protecting her then he could, ha.

He handed over his laser to her, that, he didn’t know why, he did never use it though, so he didn’t really think it over, it was, kinda nice talking to someone, but he knew it wouldn’t last, besides he preferred to be alone, alone was safer for everyone. It was almost easy to forget he was explaining things to a stranger, not to Nano as he talked about his forcefield, but he didn’t forget, he couldn’t forget. So he just kept playing his part.

This went on for a few hours, but soon, his moment of true reckoning began, and Rythian had fallen into his forcefield trap. He hoped this would be short, that he could get Rythian away before he truly gave into his anger, his one mercy, Nano would be proud. That changed, though, when he started talking, and his anger grew into a full blown rage in his chest.

Retribution????? Justice????? What a laugh! Everyone was fine, no one lost anything real, nothing tangible, what Rythian were you upset that you lost a few pieces of wood?? Pathetic. He kept his cool though, nothing would be achieved if he lost his top, worst of all Rythian might just start pitying him instead, and augh he hated pity.

He bantered with him, shoved it off on Sjin, and he knew Rythian was buying it, buying his faux calm. He internally aughed as he kept going, if no one else cares Rythian, that means that maybe they understand things more, that maybe you’re just a mad man screaming about a loss of a base, that everyone’s long past. He couldn’t resist name-dropping Zoey.

Oh how Rythian’s face just fell, oh yes it felt good, a sadistic glee curling in his chest, the pain in his eyes. Rythian always thought his eyes were guarded but it was so easy to pry them open into pure emotion. Rythian truly did understand nothing about this world, about respawn, about being a mentor, and about love. He wasn’t even the one who killed him, Sjin did that.

He rubbed his face as Rythian just kept going on and on about murder, bullshit that was. Utter bullshit, he’d only murdered one person and that wasn’t Rythian that’s for sure, Rythian dared to equate his minor inconvenience of respawn to what happened to her? Bastard. Murder no one comes back from, murder permanetly erases people. If Rythian had been murdered, this conversation wouldn’t even be happening.

Rythian hurled accusations of him, accusations of evil, of planned cruelty, of going down the same path, all from what? A force field designed to keep a clearly vengeance driven mage away? The fact he had a castle? Really at this point Lalna was pretty sure at this point everything he would ever do to Rythian, could easily be ruled self defense. He let himself smile, good, the nuke was already planted anyways, he got bored and it was too easy, sure he hadn’t armed it yet, it originally was supposed to be an empty threat but he could do that later. He brought it up, see how far enraged he could make this mage, a new project really, an experiment, and he was a scientist after all, sure it had been a bit, but he was.almost curious.

Smirking he went on and on about how he just needed insurance, that he can’t get rid of it, and loved the horror in his eyes, sure he couldn’t really feel emotions, hadn’t for what, a year now? Making others feel them though he found? Was pretty close of a substitute though, he liked that substitute, made him feel warmer, he poked fun at a mage fish take, and watched Rythian desperately try and make his way out, how silly, how fun, it felt good to have control, as he ignored Rythian’s edgy talk about trust.

Seeing Rythians face at the comment about him eating grass, he rushed in for the kill, talking about how he didn't know how he’d get Rythian food, not that food mattered either, a lack of food wouldn’t kill him, he knew that one personally, not eating would hinder you greatly, but alas, you’d live. Food was just one of many luxuries in this world, enjoying the horrified and sick look Rythian gave him, a face one would only make at one truly evil, that was wrong though, Rythian didn’t understand evil. Never met evil, he was just a child, a child whose mad his sandcastle got kicked, never felt true heartbreak, spoken to any truly rotten, he was just, too big for his britches. He wandered off, planning to return in a few hours, he hoped Rythian had noticed it was easy to shut off the forcefield, it was never meant to be permanent after all, like he said, talk, in safety of forcefield, that was all.

He rubbed his face but couldn’t stop a mad grin when he found Rythian gone a few hours later, escaped, seemed he knew more about tech then he let on, good, it’d be too easy if he just let himself be caught forever, that’d be boring, no that’s not what he wanted. He’d make Rythian understand Retribution and Justice, he’d make him learn what it means to lose it all, what it means to truly feel pain and sorrow and loss. To truly understand. He felt so good reveling in Rythian's emotions, he wanted more! He wanted to truly be the scientist he knows he is and finally research into what breaks apart respawn, what sets a skeleton’s arrow apart from an explosion to kill Mother.

Alas poor Zoey though, she didn’t deserve what he was planning, to be in pain, to understand what he feels. This wasn’t about her though, and Nano didn’t deserve what Mother planned either. The fiery ones just always seemed to be the ones to burn out the fastest, what a shame, this story would not have no happy ending, his didn’t, and Rythian wasn’t allowed his either, and maybe it’d prompt the endermage to teleport him to hell.

Lalna couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen next as he put on his favorite sapphire necklace.

#Rythian #Lalna #Flux Buddies #Blackrock Chronicles #Suicide Ideation #Flux Buddies Spoilers #Zoeya #Yogscast

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commenter2 · 5 years

Text

SU episode summary: Pink Diamond arc

Now for the Pink Diamond mystery arc consisting of A Single Pale Rose to Reunited

A Single Pale Rose

PD mystery recap is unnecessary

Amethyst teaching Pearl for a change and that’s Pearlmythest fuel right there

Pearl is at it again, is it a curse or something ? Now she can’t use other things to tell Steven

Going inside a Gem ?!?! so far so good !

Pearls within Pearls but forget that, Pearl has been WINNING in the dating game !

Sees shattered gems “it better not in her pocket” XD

So Pearl did do it… Ok sorta,

Rose is………. Pink Diamond !

PD is strong and open minded for eating non sentient gems (is that cannibalism BTW ?) and it explains why Pearl couldn’t talk.

Amethyst wallpaper XD

Where did Garnet and Amethyst come from ?

Now were only falling apart

Garnet are you okaOHMYGODITSRBUYANDSAPPHIRE !

Its interesting to see Sapphire mad but she’s kinda scaring me. Also Im surprise she’s taking this really hard when she (or Garnet) said that Rose had secrets she couldn’t tell them.

“you never know what’s going on” that was rude Sapphire.

Was that an upside down tower of babble in PD’s slideshow ?

I see Rose in PD but when did she turn from a brat shown in Jungle Moon to this ?

Rose was inspired by Pearl ! and Amethyst reference

Hey Topazes were at Garnets first appearance !

That was nice episode, Sapphire is happy again found of Pearl started all of this but it be good to see Garnet again (sees letter with funny way sapphire is spelled) uh oh !

What’s your problem

Ruby wants some space from Sapphire ! This is going to be an interesting episode (watches it) WHAT another filler episode seriously at a moment like this ! It still had some funny moments like Sapphire’s line of Ruby being a cowboy, Mini Amethyst, finding out that Ruby went to Greg of all people and how Amethyst is trying to cheer up Steven by not trying to unload another burden on his already heavy shoulders (Gurren Lagann style too).

Amethyst is the most mature gem ! IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD :O

The Question

Good, they covered how Greg felt about the reveal so fast.

Finally, well learn more about Ruby as her own gem ! And a cowboy no less XD Now I want to see her interacting with Woody from Toy Story.

Never thought Ruby would get her own song or play guitar so well that’s another thing we know about her now ? Go figure but no surprise, Ruby misses Sapphire but wait what’s this ?

OMG Gem WEDDING !!!!!

To be continued :)

Made of Honor

Who wants to marry a cow Ruby, what was in that comic ?

Steven really wanted to see Garnet get married. I wonder what he has for his wedding ?

It took hours to make 10 letters ? On another note is Steven allowed to marry people without a license ?

Bismuth is back ! And she’s lava proof, interesting. I also like how they go so much tension out of the way.

Amethyst x Peridot moment there.

Elite meat beat mania on the registry LOL XD

We just go rid of the Bismuth tension, why bring up more ? At least its short.

The gems dropping sodas and Peridot bragging about winning !

Reunited

There’s no point summarizing since its so perfect that people should see it but here are my top 10 favorite moments (rupphire kiss not included cause that’s too obvious and common)

More Amethyst the florist moments

Ruby wearing a dress and Sapphire a suit, a interesting idea given there usual attire.

Onion not being in the human category in Steve’s speech.

Earlier Ruby stated the diamonds won’t get in there way and here there all, THANKS RUBY ! Who knew they were wedding crashers !

The Cluster forming and along with Ronaldo wanting to fight it, seeing it help Steven via literal arm wrestling

The return of the gems upgraded weapons

Lapis is back and is a Crystal Gem ! Heck they kinda confirm Connie being one

Victory, Peridot and Lapis NO !

The return of Steven’s astral projection powers

The diamonds finally knowing the truth.

#steven universe #cartoon network #rose quartz #pink diamond #garnet #rupphire

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doeeyeddarlingxo · 4 years

Text

Myriad Misadventures - Chapter 27

The Myriad Misadventures of a Midgardian Queen-In-Training - Chapter 27

AO3 | Previous | Next

Word Count: 1222

Pairing: Loki/Reader

Rating: T

Myriad Misadventures - Chapter 27

For the first time in over a year, you feel a chill in the air.

Surprisingly enough, this isn’t because of any tensions or animosity between contestants (though heaven knows there’s been enough of that - nothing extreme, just small, petty squabbles), but as...a present.

You think.

It started with a scarf. Seven scarves, technically. You woke up one morning to find Meg bringing you a gift box, long and slim and delicately wrapped in gold foil, tied with a length of green ribbon.

Huh?

“From the king, Lady - I mean (Y/N).” She smiled shyly, and you felt a quiet joy bubble up at the correction. She’s been trying to use your name, sans title, ever since you “rescued” her (her words, not yours) from the Chitauri, and it seems to give her a small bit of confidence. (In public, she continues to call you by the title, which you interpret as her not wanting to be reprimanded - a sentiment she later confirms when you ask her in private. You can’t disagree with that.)

You accepted the gift, and tugged on one end of the bow. Under the box, beneath a layer of (yes, green) tissue paper, was a (yes, green) scarf.

I would be honored if you would wear this to breakfast this morning.

~ L. L.

You didn’t really think much of it. It was thin and silky, nothing too heavy for this weather. Coming down to the dining room, you saw the other six girls each had one as well, tied around their neck, or used to pull back their hair, or knotted to the waist of their dress, each one with a slightly different pattern and in a different shade of green.

It wasn’t until Li let out a tiny gasp that the rest of you began to suspect something bigger was going on.

“Wha’s wron?” asked Irina through a mouthful of omelet, ignoring a glare from Lady Amara.

Li handed her the envelope in response, seemingly too stunned to speak. Irina began to read it out loud.

“I am writing to request your company for a walk of the grounds tomorrow at noon.” She passes the letter back, looking mildly impressed. “A date, huh?”

And Li wasn’t the last. As the day went on, the remainder of the girls received similar invitations, at lunch or directly after lessons or slipped under their bedroom doors.

Except you.

You weren’t surprised. Or offended. Or upset by this in any way, shape, or form. Except...you kinda were? Like, you get it, you’re still just shy of seventeen - but the be the only one sucked. A lot. Especially after...well, after everything. The ball. The tutoring. The Chitauri. Even if he didn’t want to go on a date with you, persay, you thought he would have been considerate enough to explain why, or at the very least warn you before the invitations came.

Which leaves you here, sitting and pouting on your bed instead of going to sleep. Li’s date was over a month ago - she came down the next morning with shockingly reddened lips. She explained, with a shy kind of glee, that the lipstick was a gift from His Majesty, after she’d told him a story about breaking into her mother’s makeup box as a teen.

The next week was Irina’s meeting. Despite her clear reluctance beforehand, she too came down to the dining hall with more than a little excitement the next day, wearing a riding coat and (much to Lady Amara’s chagrin) pants, of all things.

“I mentioned that I was starting to get tired of riding side-saddle, and when I got back to my room, these were waiting on my bed,” she said. Irina wasn’t the girly type by any means, but even she blushed as the girls oohed over the gift.

And so it went on. Every week, another girl went on a date, and came down the next morning with a smile on her face and a surprisingly thoughtful gift to speak of - a violin for Juliette, a pair of tap shoes for Rosa, a painting for Rhea’s room. Tonight is Sapphy’s turn. She’s the last one, and you’re beginning to wonder what exactly it is that’s wrong with you.

Your initial reaction would be to think he’s mad at you after that outburst about Lexi leaving. But you've spoken since then, in the hallways, in the library - just small pleasantries, but his smiles have been genuine.

So what is it, then?

You’d confront him, but you’re nervous. Much, much too nervous. But you can’t stop wondering what the problem might be - is it my age? Is it how I look? My weight? Does he just think I'm dumb? Is this some kind of sign that I'm the next to go?

You shake your head. This is ridiculous; lying here and feeling sorry for yourself isn’t going to do you any good. Maybe some fresh air would help?

You don’t bother getting dressed - why put on a corset or a robe or even slippers when you’ll be back in bed in ten minutes? It’s too hot, anyway. The less layers, the better, and the floors feel delightfully cool beneath your feet.

You pad down the hall, and all five million stairs, as quietly as possible. You doubt anyone else is awake, but you don’t want to risk it, especially as you make your way out into the gardens. You were never given a strict curfew, but you doubt that wandering the grounds in the dead of the night without an escort - barefoot and only wearing a nightgown, no less - wouldn’t exactly endear you to Lady Amara.

“This really is beautiful, Your Majesty.”

Shoot, shoot, shoot… You duck behind the nearest bush, wincing at the noise. Through the brambles, you can see two silhouettes, the (much) shorter one obviously corseted-and-petticoated. Loki’s voice is too low for you to make out his response. Between Sapphy’s pitch and her enthusiasm, though, she’s loud enough that you feel safe adjusting - that branch poking into your side isn’t the most comfortable.

It isn’t quite as bad, though, as when you lose your balance and topple off the balls of your feet in the other direction - directly into a whole host of other branches, all ready to poke into your side even harder than before. You’re still concealed - you think - but your squeak of surprise, combined with the rustling caused by your fall, isn’t exactly discreet. And the sudden lull in the conversation makes you fear that you might have been discovered, after all.

“Lady Sapphire, I have had a lovely evening, but I believe it best that we both retire for the night.” His voice is closer than before, and you tense up. “I have a full day of political meetings tomorrow, and I assume you’ll be equally busy with lessons.”

As she agrees, they continue past you, and you let out a sigh of relief. Once you see the light green flash, you finally do your best to roll out from under the bush without getting yourself scratched up any further. You can’t help but rest on your side for a moment, dirt pathways be damned - until you open your eyes and see a pair of shoes right in front of you.

“Would you like some help?”

#loki #loki x reader #loki/reader #reader insert #reader-insert #loki fanfic #loki fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction #doeeyeddarling #myriad misadventures #fish fork

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dxmichelle · 5 years

Text

Sapphire Road: Chapter 1 [Nerdshipping]

Story Summary: After being captured by the Shadow Magus, Seto and Hermione end up trapped in the Shadow Realm, where the only way out is to beat the Dark Priest’s mysterious Penalty Game.

Notes: This is a side off-shoot of a future point in OLSSM. This is not OLSSM canon.

//Bold + Italic// [assuming tumblr doesn’t wreck the formatting]: Shadow Magus dialogue.

~~*~~

The plan was simple: head deep into the mysterious tomb holding the final broken piece of the sword housing the Shadow Magus’s soul before said Shadow Magus or the Death Eaters could get hold of it.

Hermione and Yugi, thanks to their course in Ancient Runes, and studying up after the year at Hogwarts ended, were able to read the cleaner hieroglyphs etched onto the walls, with Priest Set able to be a fallback for the trickier translations. The Millennium Ring served as their compass, and the dark spirit within lent his knowledge in tomb raiding in avoiding the manmade traps scattered about.

Find the fragment, get the hell out, and destroy it before the Shadow could regain its full powers. Simple.

What they didn’t expect was the absolute labyrinth beneath the desert surface. The initial stairway down into the tomb led into a main chamber, which then branched off into an absolute maze of passages, each leading into different rooms housing various collections of objects.

Ryou led them slowly through room after room, with Yami Bakura spirited out ahead. Their wands were their only light source as they delved deeper underground...until finally, the path practically hidden behind a partially-collapsed wall led them into a wide treasure room where among the small bags of coins and statues of jackals was the heart of the Shadow Magus’s sword.

“This was too easy,” said Ron, as Yugi delicately picked up the broken fragment from the floor of the tomb. “Not the journey, but...you know. Kinda thought we would find the Shadow Magus guy here too.”

“Take the victory while it lasts,” Seto muttered. “I, for one, am glad he’s not here.”

“It’s weird though,” said Hermione, almost curiously, “With all the trouble surrounding that thing, I half expected it to be on some shiny pedestal or something.”

“Me too,” said Harry.

Ryou looked at the fragment nervously. “Does that really house the Shadow’s soul? It hardly looks like much of anything.”

“I guess it does,” said Yugi. He placed the piece into his bag and swung it around over his shoulder. “We can examine it later. Let’s get out of here.”

“You don’t think we’ll run into those same traps all over again, do you?” asked Ron as they slowly filed through the narrow hallway and up towards the main chambers in the tomb.

Yami Bakura phased out of the Millennium Ring and examined the walls closely. “We tripped them ahead of time before. Unless they are able to reset themselves, we should be safe.”

Ryou nodded. “The Spirit thinks we should be fine. But…if you’d like we can go ahead.”

Hermione cast another silent Lumos and looked back at the room they had just exited. “It’s strange…there’s no indication anywhere of who was buried here. And we didn’t even come across a sarcophagus at all.”

“Maybe this isn’t anyone’s tomb,” said Ron. “Maybe it’s just someone’s collection of stuff.”

Hermione frowned. “I’ve read that belongings were left with the deceased, so they could use them in the next life. What would be the point of setting aside a bunch of objects all alone – and even a broken one, like that sword piece?”

“Maybe whoever was supposed to be left here didn’t get the chance,” said Harry.

Seto lit the end of his own wand and aimed it ahead at the path. “Or maybe whoever stuck the sword piece in here realized what it was and was trying to keep it from being found.”

Yugi nodded. “With the number of traps that we found, that makes sense. Without the Spirit of the Ring’s help, we would never have managed all the way down here on our own. Someone tried really hard to keep it from discovery.”

“And we’ll have to thank you,” said a voice from on ahead. Harry whirled around, wand raised. A trio of Death Eaters stood at the entrance of the tomb, appearing as no more than blank shapes against the harsh daylight. “You made our task so much simpler.”

~~*~~

Seto’s eyes opened slowly to a dimly lit treasure chamber in the center of the tomb. He had to blink a few times to get the muddled fog out of his head and looked around to get his bearings, frowning.

This didn’t make any sense. This was the very room that housed the Shadow Magus’s final sword fragment. They had already left this room; Yugi had the fragment in his possession now, and they were on their way out of the tomb…

He narrowed his eyes, thinking back. Death Eaters. As far as he knew though, after the group ran back inside and split up when the Death Eaters gave chase, he had given his pursuer the slip through the labyrinth and wasn’t anywhere near the main center chamber. …So how did he wind up back here again?

//Well, well…//

Seto was on his feet in an instant. He knew that voice all too well. And honestly, at this point, he shouldn’t have been so surprised that the Shadow waited this long to make an appearance.

The Shadow Magus appeared in the center of the room only moments after his cackle sounded throughout, as two Death Eaters flanked the passage heading out. He immediately raised a clawed hand as chains sprouted from the nearest wall and locked around Seto’s wrists.

Seto immediately pulled at them, scowling. There was only enough slack to make a step or two away from the wall. He turned back and glared at the Shadow Magus. “This is getting old.”

//I would get used to this, Seto Kaiba//, the Shadow Magus rasped. //You will not be leaving my company for quite some time//.

Seto rolled his eyes. “You know you weren’t the first person to tell me that, and that didn’t stop me from getting out then either.”

//I recall well the mess you made in the Dark Lord’s home, and this time, I’ve made assurances that you will not slip away. But if you feel that your bonds are escapable, by all means. I’m sure my minions will enjoy your futile struggles//.

Seto huffed and examined the manacles again. He was too busy trying to pull them out before, but now noticed an almost purplish hue emitting from them, all the way down to the tether magically mounted in the wall. So they came from the Shadow Realm, not a conjured creation by the Death Eaters. Great. That meant he definitely wasn’t going anywhere.

Not right away, at least. And definitely not without a Millennium Item to counter the Shadow Magus’s magic.

Speaking of which….

“You’ve been in my head again.”

//Considering your initial disdain for Priest Set, it amazes me how consistently you are put out when I rid you of him//.

“Maybe I just don’t want you running wild through my head again.”

The Shadow Magus chuckled. //Well. The Millennium Rod is safe in my care now. You needn’t worry about it anymore.//

…That didn’t sound encouraging.

Seto crossed his arms. If he was going to be stuck for the moment, he might as well try and get something out of it. “…So what is it that you want from me this time? It can’t be anything related to the past or to Set, because you went down that rabbit hole the last time and it didn’t take you anywhere.”

//All in due time//, the Magus said, turning slightly to the two Death Eaters. They each nodded once and disappeared back down the corridor leading out of the chamber. //We’re waiting for someone.//

Seto raised an eyebrow. The odds of it being someone in his favor was slim. “Who?”

The Millennium Eye on the Shadow Magus’s mask flared. //Someone is rather impatient today//.

“I don’t like having my time wasted.”

//I would make myself comfortable if I were you. In your current position, you have nothing but time. The Shadow Magus started striding forward. As it stands, your fight against the wizards is nothing compared to what I have in store//.

Seto gave the chain around his left wrist a half-hearted yank again. “…I thought you were working with the Death Eaters. Last I checked you were Vol—You-Know-Who’s stooge.”

He had to mentally correct himself. They just made it out of Malfoy Manor. Knowing now the curse put on the mad wizard’s name, he was going to have to watch what he said. The last thing he needed right now was another painful team-up session with both the Magus and Voldemort.

The first round last winter was bad enough.

The instant the words left his mouth, however, the Shadow Magus was on him. A clawed hand snatched hold of his collar and hoisted him up with ease as far as the chains allowed. //I am no one’s stooge, boy. Your wizard foe dabbled in forces he didn’t understand. He could have had the world at his knees and instead chose petty chaos//.

With a quick fling of his arm, he threw Seto back into the wall and loomed over him. //I have waited thousands of years for this. Nothing will be left to chance. There will be no escape for you or the Pharaoh. I may not have the final piece of my sword and soul – yet – but I am still far stronger now than during our last meeting. You would be wise to fear for your fate//.

“If you think I’m just going to stand here and watch idly while you cause more havoc, then you’re sorely mistaken,” Seto shot back, “You think that Yugi or the Pharaoh isn’t going to barge in here to play ‘Save the Day’ like last time? By now they all probably have figured out what’s happened to me. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re on their way now.”

//I have no doubts about that//, and Seto couldn’t help but pale slightly at the absolute giddiness that resounded in the Shadow Magus’s hoarse voice. //In fact, I welcome it. After all, we both have something to trade.//

“Yugi isn’t going to give up the sword piece,” said Seto defiantly, though he knew deep down that wouldn’t be the case. “He knows what’s at stake.”

//Despite you just saying he would – ah, ‘Save the Day’? No, you are not leaving my clutches. I have something else that they will want in exchange for the remainder of my soul//.

That statement, doubled by the fact that the Shadow Magus said beforehand that they were waiting for someone, left a bad feeling in the back of Seto’s mind. More Death Eaters? Unlikely, he thought, though – knowing the Shadow long-remembered his flights for freedom during his capture last year, it couldn’t be ruled out.

Voldemort himself? Oh, he hoped not. As far as he knew, the rest of the group was still somewhere in the tomb. And they had narrowly made it out of Malfoy Manor two weeks ago. Eventually, Harry was going to run out of lucky breaks. If Voldemort found them here, odds are they would all end up dead – or worse.

So unless the Shadow Magus was referring to someone completely new, it had to mean that he was seeking out the rest of them. Surely the Shadow was mainly looking for Yugi and the Pharaoh, since they had the sword piece.

Or…at least they did. Who knows what happened when they all split up.

//Not very talkative anymore, I see//.

Seto shrugged and yanked at his chains again, and again to no avail. “Debating how much force it’ll take to pull these out of the wall.”

The Shadow Magus chuckled. //So intent on that futile task, are we? Those will not come out unless I wish it.//

“Whatever,” Seto snapped. “It’s only a matter of time before I’m –”

He trailed off, eyebrow raised. The Shadow Magus had abruptly looked up towards the chamber ceiling and appeared to be ignoring him. He glanced up to see what the Magus was so fixated on, but he couldn’t see it.

It was like Crookshanks watching a shadow on the wall. Only Crookshanks was at least cute.

What the heck was he staring at?

//HONESTLY//, the Shadow Magus raged. He clenched his fists together, creating a purplish mist around them. //MUST I DO EVERYTHING MYSELF?//

The Shadow Magus slowly turned to look at Seto, the Millennium Eye shining rather bright. //Don’t go anywhere//, he taunted.

And with that, he vanished from the room, leaving Seto completely alone.

With a sideways glance towards the empty passage leading out and up into the labyrinth, Seto started wrenching his arms out as far as possible, trying to loosen the mount in the wall. Shadow Realm magic be damned. There had to be way to get these things off and he really didn’t want to be around when the Shadow Magus came back.

He already survived one torturous session with him, along with the extended recovery in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing. But, just because he made it through once didn’t mean it was an experience he wanted to repeat.

Seto paused as hurried footsteps sounded back through the corridor. Were the Death Eaters coming back? If that were the case, he really didn’t want them to see him trying to get out. The cranky Shadow Magus was enough and wanted a hard pass on the magical torture. And knowing how wrapped these particular Death Eaters seemed to be around the Shadow Magus’s claws, he didn’t doubt for an instant that they would have a way to tattle back to the Shadow that he was making a bid for freedom.

The echoes became louder and Seto sagged against the wall, somewhat relieved. One set of footsteps, running rather quickly. The Death Eaters traveled in pairs, so odds are it wasn’t them. And the Magus didn’t walk. He glided around and disappeared in and out of places at whim. He had no reason to run.

A fairly loud thud sounded somewhere nearby, and then Hermione darted into the room, wand out.

“S-Seto?”

Seto’s eyes quickly went to the passageway. “What are you doing here?”

Hermione’s shoulders slumped as she stopped to catch her breath. “We were looking for you when you didn’t appear with the others.” Her gaze fell on the chains. “What happened?”

Seto huffed loudly and waved a hand. “Oh, you know. Gave a few Death Eaters laps around this maze only to get nabbed by a Shadow Realm demon.” He glared up at the ceiling for a moment and shook his head, eyes closed. “These days? Just another day in my life.”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Well, let’s get you out of here.” She held her wand out towards his wrists, and tapped the manacles.

Nothing happened.

Hermione frowned. “That should have worked.”

“The Shadow Magus created it, so I’m not surprised that it didn’t,” said Seto bitterly. “His sick fascination with me gets more disturbing by the minute.”

“Well, I’ll have these off in a moment,” said Hermione. “There are a few more spells I can think of…but I’ve never cast them before. Only referenced.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the shrunken beaded bag.

Seto raised an eyebrow. “…Is now really the time?”

She gave him a pointed look. “I can double-check the spells properly, or I could accidentally sever your entire arm. Your choice.”

Seto scowled but waved her on, watching as she knelt down and stretched half of her arm into the bag before pulling out two rather large volumes. “What made you run all the way back here?” he asked as she practically tossed one of them into his hands.

“Honestly? I got lost,” said Hermione, quickly flipping through the pages of her own book. “I was hoping to find Ryou so he could use his Ring as a compass, but I found the Death Eaters instead.”

She gave another quick look around the room. “Did they leave you all alone?”

“It’s not as if I could go anywhere,” Seto said. He stopped turning pages about halfway through and turned the book around to face her. “That one.”

Hermione got to her feet and studied the casting instructions. “It doesn’t look too difficult.”

“Good. Let’s get it over with before the Shadow Magus comes back.”

She gave a quick look back at the corridor before waving her wand in the open air, mimicking the arc movement. “Where did he go?”

“Who knows,” said Seto, “He got mad at something and took off. But this is the last place you should be when he comes back….”

Hermione sighed noisily. “I’m not going to just leave you here. One of these spells has to work.”

“Maybe on regular iron, but these were created from Shadow Magic. Not quite the same.”

“I have to try,” said Hermione, “I think it’ll be safer if I do this at the base, that way I don’t hit you inadvertently. Stretch it out – yes, like that, and hold still.”

The blue sparks that emitted from her wand were impressive, but to their dismay, nothing else came of it. After two more attempts, her shoulders slumped and she reached for the books again.

Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Seto shifted and looked past her. A purplish mist was starting to roll across the floor. That couldn’t be a good sign…

“Hermione you need to go.”

“No – I’m about there….”

“Hermione,” he said, more urgently, and placed both hands on her shoulders to get her to look up at him. “He’s on his way back. You need to leave.”

Without looking away, she put one of her hands on top of his. “No,” she said, her voice laced with desperation. “Please, I can’t – I won’t leave you to fend for yourself.”

“I can handle the Shadow,” Seto said, and he knew the instant he said the words that she didn’t believe him. “But you –”

//Well, well…isn’t this precious….//

Hermione quickly turned around and gasped. This was the first time she had even seen the Shadow, although now it looked more like a monster than a dark blob with only a visible Millennium Eye. Melding together almost all of the lost sword fragments made him nearly corporeal. Despite hearing his description from Yugi and Seto on more than one occasion, it was something else to see the Shadow Magus in person. He had a hulking figure, which was definitely helped by his bulky robes. Add that to his unusually tall height and wild reddish hair fanning behind him, and it was a rather freaky sight.

It didn’t help that his entire face was covered by that mask (without even eyeholes) and his hands were larger than most people’s.

Looking at him was unnerving, but Hermione swallowed and raised her wand arm. “Let him go, Shadow Magus!”

//So demanding. And we haven’t even been introduced…//

Hermione glared. “I know who you are, and I won’t let you hurt him again.”

//HAH! As if you have any say in the matter. Your feeble magic stands –//

He missed the quick flick of her wrist, but not the jet of red light that went zooming for his face, hitting his mask with a blow that echoed through the chamber.

The Shadow Magus roared, staggering back, and raised a hand to his face. A large crack ran down the right side of the mask, opposite the Millennium Eye, but not deep enough to shatter the thing apart, and it still sat securely on his head.

“That was a warning,” said Hermione fiercely.

The Eye flared as the Shadow Magus straightened back up again, grinning from underneath the mask. //Very good, little witch. But two can play at this game…//

In a flash, he was gone.

Hermione lowered her wand arm slightly, looking around wildly. “W-where did he – ah!”

In a swift motion, the Shadow Magus appeared directly behind her, grabbed her by the wrist and hauled her up into the air with ease, as if she weighed nothing.

//How cute – the princess trying to save the knight//, said the Shadow Magus, leaning his head toward hers as she struggled to get out of his grip. He dug his claws into her forearm, into the still-healing ‘Mudblood’ branding. //But it seems today is not your day to play savior//.

She gasped as he squeezed harder, and his other hand plucked her wand away. //I admire your bravery to stand up to me, but it is a wasted effort. You are like the peons given to me by your wizard enemy. Without your little sticks, you are nothing.//

Seto surged forward angrily as Hermione winced and reached out with her free hand to try and pry the Shadow off. “Let her go!”

The Shadow laughed and turned around. //You are in no position to give me demands. As it stands, I have you both where I want you.// The purplish mist had completely overtaken the floor as the Shadow Magus gave Hermione a hard shake, dislodging her attempt to pull him off of her.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Seto snapped. “You already had me to barter. You don’t need Hermione.”

//You are a difficult one to collect, Seto Kaiba. Now that I have you, without the interference from the wizards, you will not be leaving my side. I have worked too hard to have my plans ruined at the last moment//.

With a swift flick of his wrist, he threw her into Seto, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

Hermione sat up, leaning back against Seto as she clutched at her bleeding arm. “And what would those be?”

//Total destruction//.

Seto couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Another lunatic bent on world domination. Get in line.”

//The Pharaoh will soon make the journey to recover his memories. And there is something I need locked away with them. In order to get it, precautions must be taken.//

The Shadow crouched down right in front of them. //I cannot have Priest Set regaining his memories and ruining the centuries of planning I have done. Therefore I cannot have you getting in my way.// He turned his head towards Hermione as the Millennium Eye flared again. //Unlike that fool in Britain, I don’t intend to part with and hide the fragments of my soul. Your friends will no doubt do whatever it will take for your return. How unfortunate for them.//

“…You’re not going to trade me for the sword piece?” said Hermione.

//Not quite//. The Shadow Magus straightened up and loomed over them. //I have been watching you for some time. It is clear to me that the only reason your friends have survived their little soul-hunting quests is because you two make it so. You are the organizers, the strategists. Without you, they are lost.//

“That’s not true,” said Hermione, “Harry and Ron – they’ll be alright without me. They’ve managed before.”

//Have they//, said the Shadow Magus flatly. //Without any help left behind? Who was it that protected your little tents during the winter? Or brewed the shape-shifting potion that gave you entry to the magical government?// His head shifted ever so slightly in Seto’s direction.// And who made sure that there was a place to escape, a contingency, in case your plans went wrong?//

“How do you know about any of that?”

The Shadow Magus laughed. //Just because I am not seen does not mean I am not lurking in the Shadows. Why do you think your first escape was so easy? I have been keeping my Eye on all of you. And this time, nothing will interfere//.

Hermione glanced briefly at Seto before leveling a hard glare on the Shadow. “You can’t expect us to just sit here as you hurt our friends. “

//I imagine you two to be too enthralled in your Penalty Game to worry about what your friends are up to.//

“What Penalty Game?” said Seto, “Isn’t that something that usually comes after losing a Shadow Game? Last I checked, we haven’t played anything.”

The Shadow’s lip curled upwards from underneath his mask. //Because no one waged war with your little colorful parchments? No//. He gestured around at the room. The purple mist now coated the walls, leaving almost all traces of the chamber behind. //You all became participants in my little game the moment you stepped into this tomb. The Pharaoh may have won the first battle by finding the sword piece before I could, but I have quite the consolation prize before me. And if the Pharaoh wishes to have you returned, he will have to surrender the fragment.//

The Shadow took a step forward as his hands started to glow. //I am not so naïve to think that you won’t find a way to return to your friends, or that they will not devise a plan for your recovery. Therefore, your Penalty Game will leave your minds wandering the little prison I’ve devised for you, and your bodies nothing but discarded shells for your friends to find. If they find you.//

The reddish-purple aura around his hands flared out, and the mist suddenly vanished completely, leaving the three of them back in the room. Or, a room. The small bits of treasure that were originally piled in the corner were gone. So was the doorway leading out and up in the upper labyrinth level.

The Shadow Magus was back in the center of the room again. He snapped his fingers once and the chains around Seto’s wrists vanished, and he watched, amused, as Seto would have made to lunge at him, if not for Hermione clutching at his upper arm to hold him back. How cute.

“What is this place?” Hermione asked. “We…we’re not back where we were before….”

The Shadow Magus tilted his head. //Seeing as you two never get the opportunity to play ‘The Hero’, instead of trapping you within the depths of your minds’ darkest thoughts and fears, I thought I would give you an adventure of your own…//

He raised a hand and a door appeared behind him.

Despite it looking like Set’s door from their soul corridor, it gave Seto immediate flashbacks to the Battle City detour through Noah’s virtual world. Nothing good could be on the other side of that, especially if they were in the middle of the Shadow Realm.

“What’s through there?”

//Your Penalty Game. A rather simple one at that. You two will have a quest to complete. Do so, and you will wake again.//

“That sounds too easy,” said Seto. What was the point of getting them out of the way if the Shadow Magus was going to give them the escape route? “What’s the catch?”

//Your very souls are here in this realm. Should you fail in your mission, you will remain permanently trapped here, and only my magic can alter the state of this place, so there will be no interruptions by the Pharaoh or anyone else. Consider yourselves lucky I left you means to win this game.//

“And we….just have to go through that door?”

//To begin your little journey, yes. …Or, you can stay here, in this empty room, until the end of time.//

Seto narrowed his eyes. “What sort of quest is this?”

//You will have to find that out on your own.//

“…And how will we know if we’ve done it, then? Or, finished properly?” said Hermione.

The dark laugh was not reassuring in the slightest. //Oh. It will be obvious//.

“And how,” Seto began, “Do we know that you’ll upend your claim. For all we know, we’ll go on this quest of yours, beat it, and still be stuck.”

//I would have thought that, by now, you were aware that Shadow Games and their Penalties are absolute. If I were to cheat, our roles would immediately reverse.//

The Shadow Magus shifted in his stance slightly. He sensed movement. Someone was nearing the chamber. While it was unlikely that the heroes had backtracked this far into the tomb so quickly, he didn’t want his work ruined before they had a chance to even start.

//As much as I would love to lurk in the background, there is the matter of getting my soul shard returned to me.// He cackled. //Enjoy your stay.//

He laughed again as the Millennium Eye flared, seeing Seto break away from Hermione and make a run for him as he disappeared back to the tomb’s treasure room.

As the Shadow’s echoes faded from the air, Hermione rushed forward to where Seto was sprawled on the ground, after his dive after the Shadow turned up empty. “Are you alright?”

“Ecstatic.” He got to his feet, glaring at the door.

Hermione followed his gaze and slowly walked over to it. The door sat alone in open space, unconnected to any of the walls. The back side was completely blank, leaving only a knob on the front. “How does this work?”

“It’s Shadow Magic,” Seto said flatly, “It does what it wants.”

Hermione bit her lip and rounded it again. “What do you suppose is on the other side?” She paused, and for a brief moment, could almost sense what he was going to say. “Aside from nothing good.”

“The fact that he was going to drop us in some nightmare hellscape doesn’t leave much optimism,” said Seto, moving to stand beside her. “But if this is some sick Shadow Game, and he said there was a way out, then there is a way out. I just wouldn’t be surprised if he made it near impossible to get to it.”

“I suppose we don’t have much of a choice,” said Hermione and reached for the door handle.

“Wait.”

Seto looked apprehensive. “I’ve been through doors like this before. Not in the Shadow Realm, but a…similar capacity. It was a mind game, designed to drive Mokuba from me.”

Hermione looked back at the door. “Is that what you think is going to happen here?”

“I don’t know. But regardless of how this place was designed, it’s the Shadow Realm. It will eventually wear you down. I can resist it, sort of, thanks to Set’s lessons in the Room of Requirement. But you haven’t been here before.”

“Not for more than a few seconds….”

“I know.” He held out his hand. “I don’t trust that door to not separate us, and I’d rather not have to search for you and the way out.”

“Likewise.” She took hold, and after a moment’s hesitation, reached for the door handle again.

The instant the door opened a blinding white light filled the area, making it impossible to see both the room they were standing in, and what was beyond the doorway.

Seto jerked his head to the side, squinting out the light as Hermione clutched onto him tighter. “Let’s go.”

The second they were through the doorway, the door swung shut and vanished, taking the blinding light with it and the room dissolved back into the shadows.

#michelle writes fic #sapphire road #nerdshipping #crossover au #yugioh #hp #seto kaiba #hermione granger #shadow magus

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