#but it's highly likely we lost them again during the Collapse

[avelera]

thesis about the sea peoples you say? may i request an infodump about the sea peoples?

Heya!

So, basically in college (undergraduate) I got really obsessed with the questions around the Collapse of the Aegean Bronze Age, mostly because I wanted to set my big Magnum Opus historical fiction novel in that time, and the deeper I dug into the rabbit hole the more it appeared that no one, absolutely no one, actually knows why the civilizations around the Mediterranean all fell from a state of pretty sophisticated internationally-trading civilizations to literal Dark Ages (all except for Egypt which was substantially weakened and never really recovered), all at once around 1200-1100 BCE.

The Sea Peoples are the names of the only contemporary (Egyptian) account we have that names who might have been responsible if this collapse was due to an invasion. It's a popular theory because a viking-style invasion is a much sexier reason for a civilization to collapse so we all gather around it like moths to flame. But the thing is, there's a lot of contradictory evidence for and against and shading that hypothesis.

Suffice to say, literally no actually knows what happened and almost every answer comes up, "Some combination of these things, probably?"

But what makes the Collapse even more interesting from a modern perspective is that if there was a historical Trojan War (and I think there was) as fictionalized in the Iliad and the Odyssey (and Song of Achilles, for the Tumbrlistas), then it would have taken place within a generation of the entire civilization that launched the Trojan War crumbling to dust.

So like, if you're Telemachus, your dad Odysseus fights in the Trojan War, some even manage to get home, and then like... everything goes to shit. Catastrophically. And doesn't recover for 400 years.

Seriously, they lost the written word, like how to actually write things down and read them and it took 400 years to get it back. That's how fucked shit got during the Collapse of the Bronze Age.

So my thesis was asking: what if these two things were related? What if the Trojan War either led to the Collapse or it was part of the Collapse or it was a result of the Collapse? Because the timeline is so unknown and muddled that it really could be any of those and again, that's if the Trojan War isn't entirely fictional (which I don't think it is, but many academics disagree, it used to be a whole thing up until Schliemann dug it up, and many doubted it was ever a historical event even after that.)

Ok, so at the risk of writing 75 pages on this again, let me just say:

My conclusion (more of a hypothesis proposal ultimately since there are so many gaps in our knowledge) was that the Trojan War took place before the Collapse of the Bronze Age. But, it might have been launched in response to a wider breakdown in trades routes and resources, causing the Greeks to launch the campaign basically as a bid to replenish their own coffers because they were getting squeezed by what they didn't know was the first rumblings of a global domino effect.

Therefore, since taking out Troy didn't solve those larger trends and forces, they all went home and then got slammed by the REAL problem, which was all the people who had been displaced from further away by this rolling drought or invasion or whatever that was disrupting these delicate international trade routes.

But the Greeks might have been part of the Sea Peoples too! Our only record of the Sea Peoples is from the Egyptians in a highly propagandistic text which makes them sound like this big fearsome foe but that might have been because saying, "We slaughtered a bunch of desperate refugees at our border who were looking for shelter," didn't sound as cool. If the Greeks (or Achaeans or Ahhiyawa) got swept up in this slow-rolling collapse/displacement of people, then they absolutely could have been among those refugees who crashed against the shores of Egypt.

A lot of my evidence was based on looking at how Troy was sacked (it was stripped literally down the nails and there was a lot of evidence of a long-term siege, like what we read about in the Iliad) vs. how Mycenae (Agamemnon's city) or Pylos (King Nestor's city) was sacked, where they were burned and stuff was stolen but they weren't stripped, it looks more like a standard looting hit-and-run type thing. Which led me to believe that it was different turmoil that rocked Mycenae and Pylos than what led to the sacking of Troy, despite the fact these things happened within about 20 years of each other. (Helen being a made-up reason for a resource-driven war would only be the oldest trick in the book, as far as propaganda goes, after all.)

But really, the craziest detail I'll leave you with is: we just don't know! And then it gets weirder. Because the Hittites fell at the same time so the Hittites scholars say, "Nah, the Sea Peoples weren't Hittites, they were probably Greeks." And the GREEK scholars say, "It wasn't us, it was probably the Hittites or someone else. " and the EGYPTIAN scholars say, "Yeah it was someone north of Egypt, maybe the Hittites or the Greeks." and the LEVANT scholars say, "It wasn't from the Levant, we know what was going on there, it has to be from somewhere else."

Literally every single possible source of the Sea Peoples has the scholars who specialize in that location saying it's not them and it must be the guy next door.

It's maddening!

And then there's a big ol' gap around Bulgaria and the Black Sea because, oh yeah, the Soviet Union forbade archaeology in those areas to quash any local pride so those places that were behind the Iron Curtain are decades behind on scholarship that would allow them to say, "Oh hey, it was actually us! Yeah, the invaders came from Bulgaria and got pushed down by a famine." or something to that effect.

We also have some histories from the time saying that the Sons of Heracles returned not long after the Trojan War to lay Greece to waste! And it's really evocative and sounds like it fits what we've got of all these burned cities that happened right after Troy fell! Except that's in doubt now too!

The latest theory is that it was climate change that led to a massive drought. You can read about it in the latest and most popular book on the subject, 1177 BCE which I highly recommend because if it had existed when I wrote my thesis, I wouldn't have had to write it.

But I disagree with the conclusion! Or rather, I'm skeptical. Because very decade, the problems of the day have been hypothesized as being the cause of the Collapse. Like, in the 60s, there was a theory that maybe it was internal strife around a labor strike, like the French Revolution. And y'know when there's a world war, they think it's an invasion. And there was a theory that it was 'cuz of an earthquake (I think that one is nonsense, Mediterranean civilizations famously bounce back quickly from earthquakes.) And now that climate change is on our mind, I'm a little weary to see that it's the new theory because it feels way too much like we're just projecting our problems onto this giant question mark.

Was climate an aspect! I think so! I think it might have contributed to the break down in trade routes that made everyone in the Mediterranean really stressed out and hostile and warlike and led to a lot of displacement. I'm not sure if it's the only reason though and I think the book just kinda reiterates everyone else saying, "I think it was this but in the end, we just don't know, and it was probably a lot of things." which we've known for ages so it's just repeating all the same conclusions. *sigh*

... Like I said, I wrote my thesis on this so yeah, I could go on for a while lol.

#ancient history #bronze age #collapse of the bronze age #sea peoples #lots of generalizations here for brevity so don't jump down my throat if you are also familiar with this era plz

[theladyregret]

Wow, I...vastly underestimated how much you guys would vibe with the whole The Walking Dead in Space thing lol ok well...now that I have a day off from work here's some of the ideas I've been thinking about while bored this week.

----------

Human Diplomat: Hey, is there a reason all the water access areas don't allow humans anymore? Don't you guys know we have high water requirements?

Alien Space Station technician: Oh! No one told you?

Human: Told us what?

Alien: Sorry, they were supposed to tell you. Our apologizes, this must look terrible.

Human: Tell. Us. What?

Alien: Our bio filters detected the disease you all carry in the stations water supply after you visited last. Our scientists ran some tests and found that it can survive almost indefinitely in water and is highly resistant to our water treatments. We had to purge and decontaminate the entire system. We created a separate system for your use that is more isolated. You can use those....I....uh...are you ok? Is this sufficient?

Human, frantically writing in a log book: Oh? Yes, fine...that's fine!

Second human: I think you guys just solved a centuries old mystery for us.

Alien, looking confused: What mystery?

Second human: How our species all became infected so quickly.

Alien: You never found out?

Human: It wiped out 99% of our population during the initial outbreak...the how and why of it kind of stopped mattering after a bit, you know?

---------

Galactic News Reporter: Tragedy today after the recent excavation of the lost human mining crew in sector 92. Against human recommendations, rescuers continued their efforts throughout the week. The human deceased, commonly referred to as Walkers, attacked and killed several rescue parties before the site had to be bombed by air support military. Diplomats from several species met once again today to discuss the risks of open contact with the Humans and whether stricter protocols need to be put in place.

Video feed cuts to a human diplomat standing in a room full of multiple different aliens: We told you what to do! You didn't listen! You never listen to us! If you had, none of this would have happened!

Alien Politician: You recommended that the tunnels be collapsed before any excavation be conducted prior to the time frame denoted by safety regulations which would have condemned any potential survivors-

Human, hitting the table in front of him with his fists: YOU'RE STILL NOT LISTENING!

--------

Transport ship pilot over PA system: Our ship is currently on approach to the Human home planet of Terra. Be aware that we will be passing through the debris field left over from the Human Colony Wars which will require us to drop out of FTL. Our ship is specially equipped for this journey so rest assured we are in no danger from the debris. It is recommended that any windows be shielded for the duration of this time, thank you.

Human passenger pulls the shade down for their window with a sigh.

The alien next to them looks curious: Why do the windows need to be covered?

Human: Some people find the...debris...disturbing. *the way they said debris sounded sarcastic*

Alien: ...humans find broken ships disturbing?

Human: You didn't do very much research before coming here did you?

Alien just looks confused.

Human reaches over and opens the window cover. They pass close by one of the wrecked ships and at first it looks like any other debris field...then something moves and they realize it's a body. A human body floating in space. It jerks and twists as they pass by. Mouth opening and closing. The alien jerks back in surprise.

Human: The vacuum of space means they don't decompose so...all those people who didn't die properly...they're just out there...like that. Thousands of soldiers. Ships just full of Walkers.

They pass by another ship. This one looks intact and newer.

Alien: That's not human...

Human: Pirates...scavengers. Sometimes they try to come in and take metal from the ships...but...without the proper shielding.

They pass to the other side and there's a hole torn into the side of the ship.

Human: Just another corpse in a field of corpses. Food for the dead.

Alien looking horrified: Why not clean it out?

Human: Why take the risk? Besides...it keeps out the unwanted.

They pass by the corpse of an alien floating in space that still has a walker clinging to it, idly chewing on what still has flesh attached to it. This walker looks more decayed then the other one had. The alien looks like they might be sick so the human shuts the shade again. They don't talk the rest of the way.

#The Walking Dead #The Walking dead in space #humans are space orcs #zombies in space #humans are deathworlders

[ryuzakemo128]

The Angel Of Death

Chapter Thirteen: Almost Unbreakable

<- previous chapter / next chapter ->

A/N: Sorry this chapter has been delayed for as long as it has been. I was extremely close to burning out and I wanted to take a break from it to gather more ideas so I can make it as exciting as I can make it or at least try to.

A/N 2: I have generated an idea of what Red would have looked like before her hair went charcoal grey. Young Red . Little Red.

Chapter Summary: Three months after the events of chapter Twelve takes place. A new threat starts to emerge from a most unlikely place.

Trigger Warning: Angst, Drug usage, Cursing, Mention of Death, Major character death.

"He fucking what?" Red shouted into the phone, "What do you mean he's dead? The fucking idiot dies doing what?!"

"Red, a young man is here to speak to you." Vanya says to her.

Red looked over at Vanya, "Tell him to wait a few minutes. I'm on a call right now."

"Will do Red." Vanya shut the door and told Thomas Shelby that he'd had to wait a few minutes.

Red retuned to her normal shouting voice afterwards. "My tracker and three of my best guys are dead. If you fail to tell me this kind of shit again I will do worse than fire you!"

"I couldn't bring myself to tell you the bad news. I had things come up at the same time and you have so many other people. I just thought it wouldn't hurt you that much"

"My life is in ruins right now and you've come to tell me excuses. I'm sorry you couldn't come to terms that this happened, I'm sorry if it's too much and the last time this happened, I almost died!"

"Galina would have understood."

"Galina would be here if she could and we both know that for a fact that she can't be here right now. We'll talk about this again tomorrow in person this time." Red told him calming down slightly.

"I'll be there Red."

Red hung up and walked outside her little office, "Mister Shelby come on in"

"For someone as highly skilled as yourself, you can do much better than whatever this is." Thomas Shelby replied looking around the small office.

"Be that as it may, I have come to grow attached to it. As you have been told by both Vanya and Ramon, I'm currently under siege by an unknown assailant, I don't know who this person is and I have come to understand it, you're more informed with this type of business at the current moment." Red started explaining her absence.

"I appreciate you coming to tell me this Red." Thomas frowned, "But I fear that it's not something you're worried about."

"Four of my guys are dead, three of them being the few of the better ones. The last one being a tracker that I could trust to find anyone. They're just gone, dead, just like that. I haven't had a full night of sleep since. So forgive me for not being overtly trusting during this time" Red stated staring into the corner of her room for a few minutes.

"Grace wants you there, to protect us both and I have come to tell you in person."

"Don't worry about it, I'll be there in person, out of sight as per usual Mister Shelby."

"Another thing, I would like it if you called me Thomas from now on."

"I doubt I would, it would tarnish the things you've accomplished Mister Shelby. Plus it sounds a lot nicer."

"I still need you at that event, I don't want your guys there. I want you there in person on that day." Thomas responded, as he headed out.

"A promise is a promise, I don't break mine. So do me a favor and keep yours" Red smirked, thinking "I want to fucking collapse into bed right now and cry like a little girl"

As the nights and days progressed further along, Red lost more sleep over so many more of her own guys dropping off like flies. First it was four and now, there has been a total of ten. Both male and female, young and old. All so Red could be there at the formal party in person to protect both him and Grace.

Things didn't go as she would have liked, things should have gone better and now, Grace lied dead due to a gunshot that was meant to hit Thomas Shelby. Red never made it in time to save Grace, but she did kill the Italian assassin instead. Her hands shook incredibly hard, her world completely ruined at this point of her life.

Red felt like she couldn't breathe, couldn't think and let alone stay in the same room of a couple she failed to protect. "I have failed them. I am a failure. I shouldn't be alive right now. I shouldn't be alive right fucking now" Red thought to herself as she walked all the way home, avoiding eye contact with everyone she knew or thought she knew.

"Mother, I hope you know that your daughter has failed everyone that has ever trusted her." Red whimpered, tears forming in the corner of her eyes and hands shaking.

"Mother, I hope you have seen me for what I am" Red whispered seeing her mother sitting near her. Perhaps this was her guilt forming an image or perhaps it was a self defense mechanism inside her brain.

"Seeking out death this way, is beneath you Red. You've faced failure before this and never reacted in this way." Her mother whispered, "there is no way you could have known about that assassin."

"I should have known about that assassin mother, I should have known. Thomas Shelby is a well-known, feared individual and I should have known the possibilities of that assassin slipping in." Red whispered, "Death has surrounded me for as long as I can remember. Took you and father, took my baby and my friends."

"Death is the natural way of life, we both know that and so does your father." Mother whispered, "your father knew it long before you were born too."

"did he know you'd die like that? Did you know that you'd both die that day?"

"Perhaps he did know, perhaps he didn't know. Only god knows the answer to that question my dear."

"You sure about that mother?" Red asked her mother, "are you sure that he has those answers?"

"What should I be doing right now mother?" Red asked her, despite the churning of wind and cold around her.

"You will catch your death out here love" Her mother says to her, looking around them.

"Perhaps I should, Perhaps I should." Red stayed there till the sun went down. "Perhaps I should have died instead of Grace, I would have done my job if I did."

"You are so much like your father in more ways than you realize." She says staying with her.

"That a good thing or a bad one?"

"A mix, sometimes it's good and other times it's bad."

"This time it's god awful. I feel it in my bone mother. Call it what you want mother because I haven't got a fucking clue what to call it."

"I think you do love. I think you do. Just not today," Her mother says sweetly into her ear, "I'm proud of you. Despite of everything that has already happened, I am proud of you"

Red stayed in the fields outside of Small Heath, for the first time in her life. She was afraid, terrified and she didn't want it to show. But unfortunately it did, on her face and in her heart most of all. Whoever decided to take her down, had to be someone she hated or knew incredibly well.

Otherwise, she has a new problem on her hands and no way how to handle it now. If anyone knew her better than Red knew herself it would be Galina, Tanya, Vanya and Ramon. But they went into hiding as soon as Red disappeared that night Grace Shelby passed away.

Red never sold her home, she was still in that little home that made her who she's becoming. Red didn't know what else to do, whoever knew Red would harm the family that held the surname Shelby, if they went through her first and she needed a plan on how to stop that from happening.

#peaky blinders #peaky blinder #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders fanfiction #peaky blinders fanfic #peaky blinders au #peaky fookin blinders #peaky fucking blinders #peaky blinders x reader #peaky blinders x female reader #Thomas Shelby #Tommy Shelby #Grace Burges #Grace Shelby #Thomas Shelby Fanfiction #Tommy Shelby Fanfiction #tommy shelby fluff #Thomas Shelby Fluff #Thomas Shelby Angst #Tommy Shelby Angst #Thomas Shelby Au #Tommy Shelby au #Thomas Shelby Imagine #Tommy Shelby Imagine #Red (Female Reader)

[bitcoincables]

Are We Reliving the Crypto Hype Cycle Again?

It seems that the interest in cryptocurrency has reignited following the crash of 2022. Bitcoin has reached its highest price since 2021, with the approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs by the SEC generating excitement among investors. The total market cap of all cryptocurrency has also surpassed $2 trillion. However, before jumping into the crypto frenzy, it is worth considering whether history is repeating itself.

The previous time the crypto market experienced such hype was in late 2021, when Bitcoin reached an all-time high of $69,000. At that time, there were numerous TV ads featuring celebrities promoting various cryptocurrencies. However, average people who believed it was a good investment ended up facing heartbreak. Signs are now pointing to a potential repetition of this cycle. The crypto "fear and greed index," indicating market sentiment, has reached its highest level of "greed" since November 2021. Additionally, it has been reported that Peter Thiel's Founders Fund invested $200 million in crypto starting last summer, likely entering the market when Bitcoin was around $25,000.

Before deciding to invest, it is crucial to remember that crypto is regarded by many as a Ponzi scheme. While some defend crypto and assert that individuals like Sam Bankman-Fried of collapsed crypto company FTX were exceptions, the truth is that the entire crypto enterprise is considered unstable. Furthermore, the U.S. Treasury Department recently released a report highlighting the popularity of crypto among criminals engaged in illegal activities. Bitcoin, the preferred digital currency for such activities, is also unsuitable as a currency due to its highly volatile nature. The technology itself is questioned, with Bitcoin's limited transaction capacity prompting the emergence of stablecoins. SBF's involvement in FTX's stablecoin FTT ultimately led to the collapse of FTX.

If considering investing in crypto, it is important to exercise caution and only use funds that can be affordably lost. While successful investors like Thiel may capitalize on the market's timing, the general public often ends up buying overpriced assets and selling them in frustration during crashes. Predicting market movements is challenging, and many believe that cryptocurrency is overvalued, even at its previous low price of $5,000 in 2019. While it is possible to make money in the crypto market, it is important to approach it with an understanding of its risks and limitations.

Original Article: https://gizmodo.com/are-we-really-doing-the-crypto-hype-cycle-again-1851256814

Hashtags: #cryptocurrency, #investment, #bitcoin, #cryptohype

[thefirstknife]

What kind of animals still roam earth? Or at least the city that we know of?? (Specifically birds and cats) theirs wolves so i think dogs would be their too, horses???!

Honestly, hard to tell. We’ve seen birds, cats, dogs, wolves. I know there’s mention of reptiles and some other animals in the lore as well. It’s a question tho whether a lot of these mentioned animals still exist or are just known about through records. 

I would definitely say that a lot of the animals went extinct during the Collapse and in the post-Collapse world. Probably a lot of already endangered species, as well as species that require a lot of specific habitats and exceptionally large animals. 

#destiny 2 #ask #i'd also like to see some areas overtaken by nature and just animals like elephants roaming around #also a lot of animals were saved from extinction during the golden age thanks to the traveler and technology #but it's highly likely we lost them again during the Collapse #micah abrams mentions polar bears and penguins almost going extinct due to the climate change #and how the traveler changed everything when it arrived #Anonymous

[tehrisa]

A summary of Free! The Final Stroke - part 2

I laughed. I cried. I’m glad to finally be free from Free! after 9 long years.

The beginning was recaps of part one, showing flashbacks and montages describing Haru’s internal struggle about what he’s swimming for, and that maybe he’s actually better off swimming alone. This part had an acoustic version of Dried Up Youthful Fame playing over it, which was really good, highly recommend.

Flashbacks finish, and Haru is super focused on trying to be the best like no one ever was and beat Albert; so much so that he pushes away his friends and almost destroys his body by pushing it to the limit limit cuz he’s in it to win it.

Rin is also really regretting his fight with Haru at the end of part one and is contemplating what to do about swimming or something like that.

And Makoto is worried about Haru too, of course, and has a flashback of when they were kids and Haru lost a race to some older kids. Makoto wanted to support Haru and make him feel better, so he bought him an お守りcharm that he thought said 安心(relief/peace of mind), but it actually said 安産(safe childbirth) lol he was like 10 years old and couldn’t read.

Eventually Rin and Makoto go find Haru to reconcile with him on a random rooftop pool. Rin and Haru race. Rin hugs Haru and cries. Haru remembers that he’s most happy swimming together with his friends (you know, the same lesson we learn every season)

Then Haru starts training with literally all his friends to get ready for the 全日本選抜 (All Japan Invitational). Makoto and Nao are training the gang, and everyone else who didn’t quit swimming is working hard lol.

Also one important note: Rei and Nitori enrolled at Ikuya’s university, and Nagisa and the other Samezuka guys go to Kinjo’s university. Nagisa instantly forces Kinjo to be his friend and calls him Kin-chan, and surprisingly Kinjo goes along with it.

Anyway, the characters who qualify for the Japan National Team (and what kind of races they qualified for) are: Haru (freestyle), Rin (butterfly), Ikuya (breaststroke), Natsuya (butterfly), Asahi (butterfly), Hiyori (backstroke), Kinjo (freestyle), and Sosuke (backstroke); yes Sosuke too, I literally cried!!!!

They all go to the international tournament in Fukuoka. Ikuya got a bronze medal for breaststroke. Rin got a bronze medal for butterfly. Haru beat Kinjo in a freestyle race and qualified for the finals, but then becomes hospitalized for pushing himself too hard, oh no! Because of that Haru doesn’t get to swim against Albert and Kinjo in the finals, so sad.

After Haru heals up in the hospital, he does a relay (of course). First Hiyori, Ikuya, Natsuya, and Kinjo swim together in the relay in the qualifying round; that was cool. Then Sosuke, Ikuya, Rin, and Haru swim the relay in the final round (the absolute dream team). Haru gets to race against Albert in the relay, because Albert was like “Let me swim the relay. I want to settle the score with him”. During the relay, there’s one of those mid-swim euphoric character development moments where Haru saves Albert from his loneliness, ok sure. Haru’s team wins the relay, and Haru says to Albert “Let’s swim together again. I don’t hate your swimming”, and Albert says “There’s something about you”, so that makes them friends now I guess.

But after the relay Haru collapses again, oh no! All his friends rush to his side, fade to black, the end.

After the relay, Haru had to retire from swimming. He also became a famous athlete after that tournament (he was shown in the news and on billboards). They also show this one girl reading the news about Haru; we don’t know exactly who she is, but there’s theories that she’s maybe Aki from the light novel. And fade to black, the end, for real this time.

The credits roll with the new OLDCODEX song playing. The credits were a montage of literally every piece of official artwork that has every existed in the Free! Series from start to finish; everything from CD covers, to DVD covers, to random promo art, you name it and it was there.

But wait it’s not over yet. One year later Haru comes out of retirement after he did some rehabilitation. Haru and Rin go to Hungary for a tournament; Makoto also goes to support Haru. The last scene is Haru, Rin, and Albert in a race (not in Hungary, it’s probably Japan since the whole ensemble cast is there too). Haru is does one final a voice over: “The water is alive”....**pause for a montage of all the characters, and a shot of Haru reading his letter to himself from that time capsule that says “Even when you’re 20, I hope you’re still swimming”**....“I don’t mind waiting a while more to become a normal person” (meaning that he’ll keep trying to be the best swimmer, good for you Haru)

There’s other small things that happened here and there, including but not limited to:

-baby Haru crying in a flashback dreamscape

-Haru’s grandma

-Kinjo becoming friends with everyone (but the kind of friendship where he acts like he doesn’t care, but secretly does)

all the main characters having small wholesome interactions with each other (like Sosuke driving Haru in a car and being worried about Haru overtraining, cuz been there done that)

-Ayumu being revealed to be a either super rich or in the mafia

-characters suddenly appearing in a scene literally out of thin air on 3 separate occasions. 1. sosuke appears next to ikuya under a bridge. 2. natsuya appeared in the back seat of sosuke’s car. 3. rin appeared before asahi in a laundry mat. And I really mean they just appear, like Ikuya and Asahi were surprised, but Sosuke wasn’t surprised by Natsuya even though that one literally makes the least amount of sense, like he was just driving Haru in the car, and then one second later Natsuya is there for no reason, like ???? where did he come from and why is Sosuke acting like he was there the whole time, he wasn’t???????????

- a small side plot with no real conclusion about Kinjo’s trauma of his older cousin, Kiyofumi, and it’s not directly confirmed if he’s dead, but by all accounts deceased.

-Albert still not having much of a character trait other than “he’s lonely and good at swimming”. We don’t even know why he’s so lonely tbh other than he’s too good at swimming I guess.

etc. etc.

#free! #free! the final stroke #i'll add to this more when I watch it again

[starryhyuck]

thin ice. (m)

pairing: icehockeyplayer!mark x figureskater!reader

words: 2.6k+

summary: mark lee is the only thing standing in the way of your team’s victory. therefore, fucking him dumb is the best way to defeat him.

genre: fluff, smut

warnings: dom!mark, sub!reader, overstimulation, constant fucking, bathroom sex, talks of car blowjobs, sex on the floor, (slight) breeding kink, creampie, hair pulling

disclaimer: i have no idea how figure skating or ice hockey works, i literally fell on my ass when i tried to step on the ice

Thirty seconds.

Thirty seconds left and the money is all yours. You can see it now — the lavish outfits, brand new skates, and even silk hair ties for when you want to play dress up. Mark Lee just has to miss this shot.

“He’s going to fucking make it,” Doyeon hisses in your ear, chewing on her nails in anticipation.

“Shut up!” You push her away and tell her to stop damaging her fingers.

You watch as Mark glides across the ice, almost knocking into Doyoung twice. “Slam him, slam him!” You screech, ignoring the stares of people around you. You simply want to see Mark get wiped out so glory can be within your reach.

You feel your world collapse when the puck hits the net, time stopping in slow motion as the crowd jumps up in pure bliss. Doyeon’s already crying in your shoulder, and you hear the angry shouts of Chaeyoung on your other side.

Mark Lee, you fucking asshole.

—

Since you were five years old, the ice became your home. And no, you didn’t have an awakening and gain powers like Elsa from Frozen. Your mother discovered how much you loved figure skating, even though your brother, Johnny, was a tall, bumbling mess once he stepped in the rink.

Once your talent was discovered, you were enrolled in figure skating classes and spent most of your afternoons gliding around the ice. You were excited to learn that you could possibly do the sport professionally if you practiced hard enough, but nobody told you how difficult the athletics administration could be.

You were scouted for your college because of your talents in figure skating, many believing you would be a great candidate for the Winter Olympics. However, when you arrived to campus, you learned that you would never be the first priority in the athletics budget.

It was a constant battle between figure skating and ice hockey for the money. Most of the funds went to football and basketball anyways, so you didn’t have much to fight for in the first place. The deal made by the athletics department was simple — if the ice hockey team could not carry themselves to a national championship, the rest of their budget would be distributed to your team.

The victory was within reach until Mark Lee scored the winning goal Friday night, making the ice hockey team one step closer to the national title.

You’re currently waiting for them to finish practice, tapping your foot impatiently as you stand besides the opening to the rink. You finally hear the boys finish up, laughing with one another as they exit. Their eyes narrow at the sight of you.

“Don’t you have better things to do?” Ten asks.

You smile. “Nope. Sicheng, we need to talk.”

The captain sighs and follows you until you’re out of earshot. “What is it now?”

You scoff. “You know damn well my team deserves the money more than you do. Worlds is just around the corner and we need the money in order to get there.”

Sicheng laughs at you, still holding his helmet from practice in one hand. “Please. Don’t act like you’re doing this for your team, we both know you’re just wanting to advance for yourself.”

If you could punch Sicheng without facing a lawsuit, your life would be so much easier. You take a step closer to him, ignoring the immediate flush in his cheeks at the proximity.

“I hope your team fails at the next game. I’ll be watching when you do.”

“Stop harassing him.” Mark approaches the scene, pulling his captain’s shoulder and pushing him away from you. “Just face that your team won’t make it. Can’t blame us for your failure.”

You smile sweetly at Mark. He’s been haunted ever since Donghyuck leaked his secret that he used to like you during your freshman year. Mark used to follow you around like a lost puppy, but now, he has no hesitation putting you in place. You know you still have the advantage over him because after all, he can’t deny the way his heart beats when he sees you.

Sicheng observes as you grip onto the fabric of Mark’s uniform, pulling him close until his nose is inches away from yours. Mark gulps at the proximity, not feeling so confident anymore.

“Don’t act like if I dropped to my knees right now, you wouldn’t jump at the chance to stuff my mouth full-”

“Okay!” Sicheng exclaims, pulling the blushing boy to his side. Mark’s cheeks are almost as bright as his uniform. Sicheng glares at you. “We’re going to win on Friday. Then, I’m taking your entire team’s budget.”

You smirk. “Good luck with that.”

—

“I’m not sure this is going to work,” Yeji remarks, watching as Doyeon pulls a tight black dress over your head. You roll your eyes at her comment while Chaeyoung helps you adjust the spaghetti straps of your dress.

“Don’t be so negative,” Seojeong flicks Yeji’s forehead, causing the younger girl to glare at her.

You’re all gathered in Doyeon’s living room, trying to hatch out a plan that Yeji believes is doomed to fail. Tonight was the celebratory party before the game, a dumb idea concocted by Donghyuck on every Thursday night. It goes to show how irresponsible the ice hockey team really is, getting wasted the night before their biggest game. However, tonight works in your favor, because as demonstrated just a few days ago, you still have Mark Lee in your waiting palm. All he needs is a little push away from his teammates and you’ve fully got him. Once the plan is in place, you highly doubt Mark will be able to perform well tomorrow. Considering he’s the team’s best player, taking him down secures a win for the figure skating team.

“Does everyone know their roles?” You check again, eyeing Yeji from her spot on Doyeon’s couch.

She scoffs. “Of course I do.”

“Good,” Chaeyoung nods. “Remember that this isn’t just for us but the future figure skaters for years to come.”

None of you have time to comment on Chaeyoung’s dramatics, already seeing how stressed she is by the way she tugs at her hair frantically trying to apply lip gloss on you. The girls finish getting you all dolled up when Seojeong gets a text.

“Yuta says Mark’s ready,” she announces. You thank the heavens that Yuta was able to get in the ice hockey’s team good graces, none of them expecting the figure skater to be a double agent.

“Let’s get him then,” you grin.

You’re quickly shoved into Yeji’s tiny car and the five of you are off to Donghyuck’s apartment. There’s commotion when you arrive — Sungchan standing on the couch and declaring Sicheng the cutest man alive, Ten giggling with Yangyang by the kitchen counter, Donghyuck’s tongue shoved down a random girl’s throat and Jeno trying to save Mark from choking in the bathroom. Your eyes meet Yuta’s and he winks at you, making sure no one else has seen your arrival. You lean on the doorframe of Donghyuck’s bathroom, smiling at the two of them. Jeno sees you first, urgently patting Mark’s back to save him.

“What’s wrong? Did he see a naked girl or something?”

Mark’s eyes shoot up at the sound of your voice and he gets even more flustered, coughing and choking even more now.

“Why are you here?” Jeno frowns.

You smile and shrug. “To enjoy the show. I can handle Mark from here, Jeno.”

Jeno laughs. “As if I would leave him with you.”

“But Yeji’s waiting in the living room. Are you really going to keep her waiting?”

You smirk at Jeno’s confliction before he finally gives in, leaving Mark and you in the bathroom. You shut the door while Mark recovers, downing a glass of water to help the food go down. “Why are you really here?” He asks once he’s calmed down. He tries not to linger on what you’re wearing, the swell of your breasts tempting him in this close proximity. His gaze flies to the ceiling when your hand wraps around his shoulder, pulling him in closer and letting his fingers rest on your hip.

“What’s wrong, Mark? Scared of a little action?”

“I know what you’re doing,” he hisses. “We’re going to win tomorrow. You can’t stop me.”

You pout. “Is the win really worth it, Mark? Do you want it more than my pussy around your cock?” He grunts lowly, fingers tightening around your waist. You smile. “Or what about your cock shoved down my throat until I can’t breathe? You could easily bend me over the sink and take me any way you want. Doesn’t that sound so much better?”

“Don’t,” he warns you, cord about to snap. “You’re being such a brat.”

He needs one more push. You lean closer to whisper in his ear. “Please, Mark? I want your cum inside me. Need it dripping down my thighs so everyone can see who I belong to.”

He breaks, growling as he pushes you against the sink. You giggle when his lips crash into yours, his hands quickly moving to push up the fabric of your dress. He delivers one slap to your clothed clit and you moan at the sensation.

“Fucking annoying whore,” he scoffs at you. “Look at you. So fucking desperate for money that you would drive all the way here just to take my cock like a good girl. That’s what you want, isn’t it? For me to fuck you until you cry?”

You nod frantically, whimpering. “Please please please. I want it so badly.”

He shoves two fingers in your dripping hole and you cry, back arching against the mirror. Mark’s fingers grip your cheeks and he turns you so that you’re looking right at him. You hold his stare when his thumb rubs frantically at your clit, fingers curling inside of you.

“S-So good, so good,” you blubber, eyes rolling back at the pleasure filling your veins.

You whine when he retracts his fingers but he’s quick to drop to his knees, ripping your underwear and flinging it to the side so he has no obstacles in his way. He immediately dives into your pussy, licking and sucking at your folds. You internally curse. You had no idea Mark was this good at eating pussy or you would’ve prepared yourself more. Your fingers tangle in his hair as his lips attach to your clit, abusing the nub by sucking harshly.

The pain throws you into your first orgasm, whimpering loudly as you fall apart around Mark’s tongue. He quickly cleans you up, not missing any of your juices as he licks your pussy clean.

His eyes darken when he stands, taking in the sight of you looking so fucked out on top of the bathroom sink. He’s about to unbuckle his belt before you stop him.

“I want to fuck at your place. Please?”

He nods at your request, helping you get down and adjusting your dress. It’s a little harder to walk since Mark ripped your panties, but you make do. You two exit the bathroom and you’re about to leave before you hear Donghyuck’s voice.

“Where the fuck are you two going?”

You glance at Mark, who’s a little irritated by his teammate’s appearance.

“Mind your own fucking business, Donghyuck.”

You smirk at the blonde boy’s shocked expression as you two leave his apartment. Mark walks fast, fumbling with the keys to his car.

“I didn’t know you could drive.”

“Trust me, I can’t.”

The drive to his apartment involves two pit stops, the first one happening because you desperately want to give Mark a blowjob and the second one happening because Mark desperately wants to taste you again.

When you finally get to his apartment, the both of you are already a mess. You don’t even make it to the bedroom — Mark shoving you down on his living room rug and pushing his cock deep inside you. You moan at the intrusion and Mark wastes no time, setting up a fast pace and ramming his cock into your sweet spot over and over again. You’re a drooling mess, letting him abuse your pussy. His fingers tangle into your hair and he pulls you upwards. He balances you so that your back is against his chest.

“Such a perfect little slut for me. What would the panel of judges at Worlds say when they see you? The future Olympic gold medalist begging for cock?”

“I would let them see,” you whisper back at him. “Let them know what lengths I would go to just to win that fucking competition.”

You fall apart around his cock again, your orgasms coming faster after the first two. You whine when you hear Mark’s constant grunts filling your ears.

“Cum inside, Mark. Want all of your cum.”

“Yeah? Little whore wants it all? Wants to be bred like a good little bitch?”

You cry. “Yes, yes, yes! I want it so badly.”

That’s all it takes for Mark to shoot ribbons of white inside of you, coating your insides. You both collapse on the floor, exhausted.

A few minutes pass in silence before Mark speaks up. “I’m ready to go again after I eat some ramen.”

You laugh. “Make it two servings and I’ll be ready.”

He eagerly gets up and shuffles to his kitchen. You smirk, searching for your phone and shooting a text to the group chat.

I’ve got him. The money’s all ours.

After eating ramen and chatting for a little bit, Mark takes you again on the barstool of his kitchen. Then, he fucks you up against the wall, on his couch and in his bed.

He’s thoroughly fucked out when you two finish and you smile, leaning over to kiss him.

“Good luck with your game tomorrow.”

You leave him laying in his bed, wondering if he just jeopardized the future of his team.

—

There’s one minute left in the game.

The team is down by one point and they’re all looking at Mark as they huddle together. Donghyuck hisses at him.

“Did she fuck you stupid? We’re going to lose everything because of you!”

Mark shakes his head, trying to compose himself. It’s hard to do so when he spots you in the crowd, smiling at him as if you want him to win. You’ve thoroughly fucked with his head, his thoughts constantly traveling to the image of you beneath him, sobbing as he shoves his thick cock into you mercilessly.

“This is your fault, Jeno!” Ten growls. “You should’ve never left Mark alone with her!”

“Everyone, shut up!” Sicheng bellows, annoyed by his teammates. “We’re going to lose if we don’t focus. What’s wrong with you, Mark?”

“I-I don’t know.”

Donghyuck scoffs. “I think I do.”

Sicheng glares at the younger male to be quiet. “I don’t care what it is anymore. There’s one minute left and I need you to get it together.”

“I will, I will,” Mark insists, even though he’s not so sure about it himself. They break the huddle and get back into the game, Mark trying to focus as the referee blows the whistle. Jung Jaehyun comes charging at him and Mark tries to dodge.

“Come on, Mark!”

As soon as he hears your voice overpower the audience, he loses his balance and Jaehyun slams him up against the wall. Mark groans when he tumbles to the ground and it isn’t long before he hears the final buzzer echo in the rink. The competing team jumps for joy, laughing with one another as they meet in the middle of the ice. Mark stays on the ground, watching pitifully as his teammates slump in defeat.

His eyes look for yours again in the stands, but you’re already long gone.

#nct smut #mark lee smut #mark #mark smut

[blzzrdstryr]

Midnight chatter

Yandere Diluc x gn!knight!reader

Wordcount: 2385

CW: Yandere, drugging, kidnapping

This was a third week after his return and fifth day of the tireless fight with winery work, when Diluc received an unexpected guest. During his travels across the world, the winery business fell into disrepair and almost collapsed, so once he learnt the state of the wine industry he decided to settle in his office and try to battle the endless reports about necessary expenses and small profits all on his own.

He started to work with the first rays of sunlight well into the night, squeezing every bit of energy his body had, not only because financial issues could affect him personally, but also because of the night vigilante of Mondstadt title he took upon himself.Due to the increased workload he couldn’t find time to patrol the dark streets and alleys of the city, while experience and conscience didn’t allow him to thrust the safety of ordinary citizens into the hands of bumbling, cowardly and lazy knights.

The day soon turned into the late evening, and dawn winery workers started to go home, when someone knocked on his door. It was Adelinde.

Her steps were faster than usual, her stoic face shadowed by the note of concern. Diluc wanted to say that no, he won’t go and have a rest, but she spoke first.

“Master Diluc”, she stopped before his desk: “we have a guest, a knight”.

He lifted his head shifting the eyes from the report to the head maid and pondered - despite his long absence, a lot of people in the city had a general idea how much he dislikes the Favonius Order and so a rare knight would actually dare to bother him, unless… Unless, they were acting out an order from someone high-ranking, like Jean or Varka for example.

Apprehension that his former colleague somehow learned of his nightly escapades sent an unexpected wave of shivers and vague feeling of unease, but he didn’t let it get to him.

“Ask why this knight is here and if it’s something unofficial tell them to leave”, he ordered, at which Adelinde blinked, slowly and tiredly, as if she was looking for the strength to tell something incredibly upsetting or scary.

“The thing is, master Diluc, that I already let them in”.

“Without my permission?”, his eyes widened at that, and the heart started to pick up the pace. What if this knight was really sent here by Varka or Jean? If it was true, Adelinde, unknowingly set him up to fail.

She was looking after him from his earliest childhood, so she was allowed to do and say more than any other of his staff, yet this perceived audacity was unheard of before.

“They were badly injured and said that they needed to stop for the night and once it’s over they will travel to the city with the first sun rays. We helped them to patch up their injuries and offered a room for guests, yet they declined and remained to sit on sofa”, the maid explained absolutely unfazed, after noticing Diluc’s dissatisfaction and then added : “If you are that displeased, master Diluc, I can tell this tired and battered knight to get out from here into the dark night”.

Her voice remained even and emotionless as usual, but even like that young Ragnvindr could hear a light mocking in her words. And to think about it - he got so freaked out over some silly coincidence - the knight stopped here because of the injuries, not some insidious scheme.

“Alright”, Diluc admitted defeat: “they can stay… and offer them some food and tea”, he added just as Adelinde’s hand touched the doorknob.

“Will be done”, she replied before exiting the office. The corners of her mouth slightly moved and crept upwards.

***

Despite his earlier goal of finishing as much work as he can, Diluc couldn’t do anything. Small digits and letters started to float and dance before his eyes while the long lines fused together, when he tried to analyze the state of wine business in naught. But the worst thing was the fact that his thoughts strayed to the topic of mystery knight again and again and Diluc lost count how many times he caught himself thinking who this person is.

He sat like that for a while, until the cinnabar of dying sky got replaced by the darkness and pleasant chill of the night.

Diluc scolded himself for his uncharacteristic indecisiveness, standing up from the desk and locking the office, when this thought, loud and persisting, knocked into his head again. Wouldn’t it be nice, he wondered, to learn who this night is, and finally decided. After all the thoughts about them pestered him for a long time.

Quietly and carefully walking through the unlit corridor of the winery, he confirmed that all servants and workers had already left for sleep, some into the rooms of the main building designated for them, some into the cabins around it. All in all, he was confident that there’s no one except him, the knight, Adelinde and a couple of other maids.

His steps were quiet and slow and not even a single board in the wooden floor creaked under his weight as he knew the winery like the back of his hand. With a bated breath he made his way downstairs, making out vague shapes of the familiar objects. Moonlight pouring out through the windows illuminated only the silhouettes, but even with that he quickly noticed the unknown frame.

The person was half-sitting half-lying on the sofa, and their sword and armor were placed nearby the furniture, reflecting the pale light of the moon. They weren’t moving, seemingly asleep. Diluc couldn’t make out their face even after making a coming closer, so he decided to take the risk and summoned a small wisp of flame.

The dancing light illuminated everything in a small radius and what he saw made him jolt and take a step back. You were the mystery knight.

Why are you still a knight? Where were you? Who injured you?

Still shocked by the previous revelation, Diluc accidentally knocked over the breastplate with his foot and it fell on it’s side with a loud thump.

You woke up.

“What… Who?”, you stirred and half sat on the elbow: “Ah, it’s you” and saw him :”What are you doing here?”.

Caught red handed, Diluc didn’t find any words - it was so sudden and unusual to be caught unaware, and because of that doubly unpleasant.

“This is my winery and I am free to do whatever I want”, he decided to hide the awkwardness behind the faux annoyance.

“Easy, easy” you half smiled, half yawned: “I just managed to fall asleep”. You yawned again and blinked at him with sleepy tired eyes.

“I have sleep medicine if you want some”

You got surprised and touched by his sudden responsiveness: “Thank you, but I think painkillers would be better. My body is aching and that’s the main problem”.

Maybe because of the trembling, dancing light or maybe because of the recent sleep you imagined worry and pity twisting his facial features.

“I have it too. Wait here”, he quickly replied and vanished into the dim darkness of the winery, not giving you any time to answer, as you were left to sit and wait for him. Diluc, to your own surprise, happened to be extremely stealthy, able to move without producing a single sound.

“Here”, you first heard and then saw him,as Diluc used pyro vision to light the nearby candlestick and then opened the medicine vial he brought and handed it to you: “Drink it all”.

“Thank you”, you whispered to him, taking the painkiller before making a big gulp. The taste was horrible, so horrible in fact that you almost immediately started to violently cough. Well, if it’s as effective as foul, then I will be good as new in no time, you thought to yourself, suppressing the urge to throw up.

Diluc stood nearby and observed your reaction, his hand extended on his own when the coughing started as he awkwardly tried to pat your back in the gesture of comfort. “I will be here with you until you fall asleep”, he stated once the fit stopped and then, seeing your highly raised brows explained further: “Painkiller takes time to work. Tell me if you won’t feel better”.

You nodded in response, and closed eyes, listening to the sensations of your body. Your injuries still burned and screamed and throbbed, yet a strange numb sensation started to slowly surround you. Just like Diluc said, medicine would need time to fully settle in.

“If you're here can you talk with me?”, you decided to shorten the time in conversation: “Ijust wanted to talk with you. For a really long time”.

“About what?”, he allowed himself a shadow of the smile, Diluc that you used to know peeking through the gloomy facade, like a long awaited sun or it’s reflection on the tranquil mirror of the water surface. Next words stuck in your throat, bitter and acidic and totally unfit, and you had to force them out through your own hesitance to destroy this calm.

“What happened that day? The day before you left. I asked Jean and Kaeya and other knights who were present with you, yet no one said anything”, the water surface bubbled and the visage of that old, sunny Ragnvindr shattered into thousand pieces. The person before you adopted the same cold facade of annoyance and indifference.

“Why do you need to know it?”, he answered the question with another question and you sensed barely buried hurt and grief.

“You leaving hurt. A lot”

“That’s why you are still a knight?”, you quickly nodded at that.

A minute passed by and he still stood, without saying a single word, thinking what to do. On one hand, he didn;t want to open up, the story of his eighteenth birthday was incredibly painful and personal experience to be shared so freely, on the other hand he yearned for your understanding.

"Alright", he broke the silence:"Let's make a deal, you answer my questions and I'll tell you the whole story after. Deal?"

"Deal".

Diluc looked at you again, looked at the bruises and cuts, still peeking through the bandages and for a second his mind lit up with one thought alone: what disgusting bastard did that to you. He suppressed the rapidly rising rage, deciding to start from the most important.

"Is my leave the only reason why you decided to stay?" his heart picks up the pace again, he needs to know the answer.

"Basically yes, you knownI didn’t do it for my parents… I just.. That tragedy, I know it's not my place, but… I always wanted what happened to you. I asked this question to myself everyday and night, and I missed you terribly".

His breath hitched and he lowered his gaze. For some reason you always managed to fluster him with the words alone, even if it wasn't your intention.

"Your parents must be happy", h e changed the topic, stifling the heat in his heart.

"Yeah, they're ecstatic that I stopped being difficult and made their aspirations real. Hm, do you have any other questions?"

"What happened to you? ",he pointed at the bandages covering most of your body.

"Ah, catching treasure hoarders does that to you, usual stuff", you dismissed his concerns and Diluc started seeing red from the way your voice remained so calm and unbothered. Usual stuff? Usual stuff?!

"Grandmaster could send anyone else", he snapped:"Favonius Order has more than plenty of vision holders, they should've sent one, instead of you! You could die!".

Diluc’s sudden explosion left you speechless, but soon your own weaved words of irritation:"Ordo Favonius doesn't consist of Jean and Kaeya only. We can't let them handle all the hard and dangerous business all the time. Ordinary people like me can still help, even if the gods didn’t favour us. Don't think of me as some helpless idiot just because I have no shiny vision to show off"

Your heated response seemed to work and Diluc turned red from embarrassment, realizing how annoyed you got, despite the worry for your health and still present anger at the other knights for letting you get hurt. He also didn’t like how you looked at him, reprimanding and disappointed.

"Alright, sorry", he cleared his throat:"where were you before? I haven't seen you anywhere"

"City gates aren't the only thing that needs guarding. I was sent to the Liyue border, to make sure that no treasure gang crosses it. I think I will get sent there again, once I fully recover".

Diluc got angry at that too, yet this time he suppressed unpleasant feelings, already knowing how you will rebuke and reprimand him again. There's no convincing to be done, as you won't change your opinion. You left him no choice for what he was going to do.

"Alright, you answered all my questions", he said before changing topic again:"Did painkillers start working? I have another".

Being so engrossed in the conversation you forgot about the ache, yet once he mentioned it your body started to hurt with a renewed strength.

"Yes, I would like one", you decided and Diluc vanished in the unlit hall yet again.

"Here", he handed the small bottle to you already opened. The new substance was different, sweet and viscous. You managed to take two sips before your eyelids started to feel up with lead, and soon even lifting a hand seemed like a highly arduous task. Whatever the thing that Diluc gave you wasn't a painkiller.

"What…", you uttered, before your body relaxed and you fell asleep once again. Diluc bent over, looming over your unconscious form, as his hands carefully took the bottle away. He didn’t want it to somehow fall and injure you

This is a necessary measure, Diluc assured himself, before making a plan of actions. He would need to fake your disappearance and forge enough leads to direct investigation into the completely opposite direction, but now he needed to wake Adelinde up and ask her to prepare the room in the basement. He didn't want you to be uncomfortable in your new home.

#yandere genshin impact #Yandere genshin impact x reader #Yandere diluc x reader #Yandere imagine #Yandere #male yandere #yandere x reader #my writing

[lyallblacklupin]

Just like fire.

After years of regrets and sorrows, Remus tries to apologize to Sirius for his own mistakes, despite the fact that he has been hurt by the very same person who he wants to say sorry to. The years of damages has passed, should they give each other a chance, or start fresh with new people in life to forget their old wounds?

Tags: Heavy Angst, Fluff, Post-Azkaban, Angst with Happy Ending.

Sirius walks in the kitchen, completely heedless of Remus’ presence—or he pretends to be heedless after he catches the sight of Remus. He walks promptly, not limping but flinching at his aching bones. This is how Sirius Black has become: broken. And he has not just broken out of thin air, it has taken fourteen years which includes the twelve years of unjust imprisonment and two years of being a prison escapee, and Merlin knows how many more to go.

Half of Sirius’ time is spent in thinking about death and longing for it. Remus can tell because he has witnessed the hunger of dying in his eyes when he’d sit alone with himself, and the other half is always occupied in worrying about Harry Potter who is last person keeping him from dying out of misery; his dear godson only. Otherwise, he’d have been free.

He stops at the stove and boils the water on the kettle. He doesn’t have his wand so muggle way it is. Muggles have been growing on him, a lot. He keeps talking about them with Arthur. Remus is glad that if there is anything Sirius is looking forward to the order meetings is for the conversation with his new friend Arthur Weasley, who also attains the equal amount energy for the same subject. It makes Remus happy to witness that they have any reason to—even temporarily—lit up in the times of war. However, Sirius never smiles. He nods, or makes a funny face. He only smiles when Harry visits.

“If you want for yourself, it’s still in the kettle.” Sirius says without looking, and begins to walk out of the kitchen but Remus rises from his chair.

“Sirius.” He stops but doesn’t turn to face Remus.

“What?” His voice cut through Remus’ heart.

“I was hoping we could have tea together?” He tried, his heart hammering in his chest.

Sirius finally turns and hold his gaze. After a lingering eye contact, he nods and brings Remus’ tea with pink mug that has a David Bowie on it. He is slightly hopeful that Sirius has kept it because Remus gave him on their sixth year Christmas holidays. But he highly doubts that Sirius remembers it. Sirius sits across Remus’ seat. The silence is irksome.

“I want you to know that I’m sorry for…all that—“

“Define ‘that’, Remus?” Sirius’ facial expressions are blank but very grave.

“For believing the murder of Lily and James was because of you.”

Sirius scoffs, and Remus wants to scream because deep down inside he doesn’t feel he deserves it. He suffered too for twelve years. Even so, he tries to sustain the ceasefire he is trying to build between them.

“I should have believed that you would never have done anything like that to the Potters. You loved them more than anything in this world and—“

Remus pauses because Sirius is shaking his head with a manic smile playing on his lips.

“Wrong. I didn’t love them as I was supposed to. It wasn’t that I didn’t, but it was more like I couldn’t. My fucking stupid heart belonged to just one person that time as if my life would end if I stop centering my life on him.”

Remus swallowed. He knows that no kind of eloquent words are going to be good reply to what Sirius has said, so he says, “You did. Love them, that is. I know that.”

“Oh what did you know!?” He shoots up so violently that the chair collapses down on the floor that Remus inhales sharply, “You were out there kissing Dumbledore’s shoes!”

He knew that this will happen, that he will be humiliated again just like the times in the first war when Sirius would scream at him for going on the secret missions and not giving a clue about when and where he would go and come back, and for not being there for his friends and family. But in reality, all Remus did was to protect the order, and the people he loved. However, the questions still pops in his head, ‘for what? How did he not see it that they were breaking apart?’ It feels like he was watering a dead plant over and over again during the severity of lacking water, but the plant didn’t revive, and the precious water spilled into filthiest vain. Despite of that, Remus shuts his mind and chooses that pettiest way to get back at the person who endured twelve years of imprisonment for the crime he never committed.

“Don’t you dare!” Remus rises from his chair too, leveling up at Sirius, “Don’t you dare go down there again after all these years!”

“WHY NOT!?” Sirius yelled anyway, “YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO THIS NOW! YOU NEVER BELIEVED ME! EVEN BEFORE YOU THOUGHT I BETRAYED JAMES AND LILY!”

“WHEN DID YOU BELIEVE ME!?” Remus is now few inches away from Sirius. He wants to slam him against the wall and put some sense into him because he still cares about him, no matter what.

“WHAT!? You made me this way! You build this mistrust with your hands! Don’t you dare forget that!”

“I did!? Or was that you!? Who didn’t believe me when I said I was not allowed to tell to anyone!”

“I WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE ANYONE!” Sirius’ voice breaks poorly that hits like a dagger in Remus’ heart. Sirius holds himself by the chest and leans down to rest his torso on the kitchen table, breathing heavily. Remus instantly feels the stinging in his eyes, and followed by the hot tears spilling from them. He comes behind Sirius, and places a hand on his back.

“Don’t touch me.”

“Shut up. Just shut up.” Remus whispers, and pulls Sirius up in his arms. He sobs and sobs, and Remus sinks down to the floor with him, squeezing him tightly in his embrace. “You are right. You were never just anyone. You were never…” He tries to put his feelings into words but Sirius interrupts him.

“You stopped loving me.”

Remus feels his stomach twist but what comes out of his mouth is a laugh. An empty laugh.

“Hell, I didn’t even stop loving you even when I thought you killed James and Lily.”

Silence.

“I was disgusted by myself. I used to feel so filthy. To want you even after believing you ruined my life by walking away so brutally, killing my friends. Killing my reasons to stay on this planet. I wanted to hate you. I couldn’t. I didn’t think that I even deserved to go to their funeral, you know…because I thought I’d be downright hypocrite to grieve for their loss when I was actually grieving the loss of you. I’d dream about you. The only thought keeping me sane and alive. Sirius, I’m not sure if this makes sense to you…I don’t even know if I’m asking you to love me back or what, but I have always loved you, mostly when I shouldn’t…”

Sirius is staring at him with his tears streaming so rapidly down his cheeks. He is trembling as sobs are racking through his body, his breath hitching every now and then. Remus’ heart breaks to see him like that. It is like Sirius is cleansing himself with all of the unwanted darkness off his soul by spilling all the expanse of pain in form of tears. Remus can see that he is not stopping himself from weeping. He seems lost somewhere, with his eyes shut and his hand on his mouth.

“I am not defending myself,” Remus whispers once he notices Sirius is just sniffling and wiping the dampness from his face, “I never meant to bring that up. I just want to let you know that whatever you went through had not even a single place or moment you deserved to be at.”

Sirius looks up with wide teary eyes, staring at Remus’ hopefully. He looks innocent and raw.

“Tell me,” His voice rough with tears but still a whisper. He clears his throat, “that I deserved all of that.”

“That is not true.” Remus says instantly, his hands grasping Sirius’ wrist instinctively, fearing he might fade away with the wind swooping in from the kitchen window.

“It is,” He says in the weakest voice, “My mistakes brought me here. For not trusting you enough…”

No words comes out from Remus’ mouth but they are caught in his throat like a lump. He can feel their prickling. The silence stretches on, smoothly breaking by the sounds of fire battling the wind filling the kitchen. There is also some faint sounds of dripping water from the tap into the basin. Someone must have forgotten to turn it fully. Huh, wizards.

“You are one celestial presence on the world, Remus Lupin, aren’t you…” Sirius chuckles softly, leaning back on the paddles of the chair to rest his back on them. Remus doesn’t understand but Sirius continues, “You are…this sacred or a saint-like wizard—half-blood werewolf whose father committed suicide because he thought he was the reason for his son’s affliction, and whose mother faded away with grief…”

Remus’ heart feels fragile in his chest, fearing it might break again after the poor mending.

“Merlin puts a very heavy price on people to pay who hurt Remus Lupin, who mistrust Remus Lupin...who thinks little of Remus Lupin.”

There is something strange in Sirius’ eyes. There is surrender and envy but Remus stares back into those glistening, and almost-silver orbs with courage to find what he wants. And he does. There it is. Love, swirling into the diffusion of grey and blue.

“I paid twelve years of losing myself and my family for mistrusting you, Remus.”

“I’m sorry…” He doesn’t expect his voice to whimper but it does because his chin is trembling and he is trying hard to gain composure. He is trying so hard with his clenched jaw, and balled fists in either sides of his lap. But Sirius put a thumb under his chin, and he shudders.

“You’re so stupid, Moony.” Sirius whispers when he is just an inch away from his lips.

“I know,” And just as those lips touched his, he feels a tear trickle down his cheek before Sirius has completely captured his mouth. They move languidly but cautiously, scared they might break each other again with haste and roughness. They don’t trust themselves to be firm either. Remus doesn’t. But when Sirius pulls back a little, he comes back and kisses him again decisively on the lips.

“I don’t know if it is still worth it,” Sirius says when both of them are resting their foreheads against each other, breathing in and out one and other, “But I want you to know that I don’t blame you for anything. Maybe I did. Just to keep myself sane by pretending to believe the lies I made within my already suffocated brain.”

Remus lets out a small laugh, which follows by Sirius’ arms wrapping his waist.

“I hope you can still accept me despite of everything, Remus.”

Remus hold his jaw, and tries to smile at him because he still feels like it is not enough. Nothing is enough with Sirius Black. It is always so much, even in this flickering flame which is almost dead. He knows that it will ignite again to fiery life once they become one. They are dangerously perfect for each other. He leans in to kiss the back of his ear, and inhales a whiff just like the wolf would do when Padfoot would return on first full moon after the summers, to recognize his mate. Sirius smells of rain and cigarette, mixing the aroma of the tea that has been sitting out in two mugs before their argument.

“I do. And I hope the same from you for myself?” Remus cringes after he realizes how lame they sound next to Sirius’ words. After few minutes which feels like hours to Remus, Sirius gropes his hands to hold both of his wrists, with his eyes still locked with Remus. He then bends down to press a lingering kiss on the right, and then on the left. Remus just looks at him, feeling utterly weightless in Sirius’ hands.

“I will not fail you again, Remus.”

“I trust you. I love you,” Remus says with all of the broken words spilling out his mouth, “I love you so much. I will not let you go. I will not let you be alone.”

They embraces each other again, just enjoying the warmth and the closeness. It reminds Remus of their time at Hogwarts when their limbs used to be wrapped around each other at every possible free period, smoking cigarettes at the Astronomy Tower.

“Don’t make such promises, my dear Moony.”

“You’re just saying that because you’ll be annoyed of me for sticking around you all the time.” Remus wipes his tears, and Sirius helps him too with his sleeve, shaking with silent laughter.

“Yeah, maybe. Just don’t follow me in the bathroom.”

“Can’t make such promises, my dear Padfoot.”

 Thankyou for reading!

#wolfstar #WOLFSTAR FLUFF #Wolfstar fanfiction #werewolf remus #Sirius Black #remus x sirius #Sirius x Remus #harry and sirius #Harry Potter #Remus Lupin #remus #SIRIUSxREMUS #Remus John Lupin #hogwarts #post-azkaban sirius #grimmauld place #order of the phoenix #hp marauders #james x lily #James Potter #Lily Potter #wolfstar angst #angst with happy ending #arthur weasley #sirius black needs a hug #remus loves sirius

[thedragonnerd]

Rayaari headcanon - travel through the emotions with tears

(inspired by this lovely anon)

Tears of sorrow and pain

Raya is so young when she loses her mother, that the concept of death is difficult for her to understand. The reality doesn't strike her until bedtime, when she slowly begins to realize that Ma will never again be there to sing her a lullaby, or hug her fear of the monsters away. Benja is unable to stop the tears for hours, as Raya screams and cries and hits her small fists on the bed. Finally, she upsets herself so much she throws up, and her crying trails off to quiet whimpers instead. For months afterwards, Benja and Raya both dread bedtime, for this is when sorrow hits the hardest for her.

Namaari is nine when her Ba dies. Death is not an unknown concept for her, unfortunately. She has already begun to see its cold grasp ensnaring Fang citizens as famine begins to sweep the lands. But nothing can prepare her for the news the young soldier delivers of her Ba's accident, nor the expression on Ma's face when they both realize he won't be coming home. She doesn't cry for the first week after his death, and people whisper about how stoic and brave she's being. In reality, she is too shocked and numb to demonstrate any further emotions, until one night she awakens to find Ma has crawled into bed next to her, hugging her close in her sleep. Hot tears fall down her cheek, and she burrows into her mother's embrace as she cries silently.

After the Druun return, after she loses her Ba, Raya finds herself scared and all alone in the world, besides faithful Tuk Tuk. During the day, she wraps herself in false bravado, learning how to be a confident young woman instead of an easy mark for people with questionable motives. She employs a 'fake it until she makes it' approach to life, and it carries her through well enough...except at night. At night, she can't help but remember both her parents, and in the darkness she softly sings her mother's lullaby to soothe herself as the tears fall.

When the magnitude of what she has done by trying to take the Dragon Gem hits Namaari, she is horrified with herself. She cries quietly at night for weeks on end, reluctant to talk to anyone about her guilt. And then one day, she wakes up and decides she has no right to cry over it – she should step up and be responsible for her own actions instead, and be the best leader she can be. For several years after that moment, she refuses to let herself cry. Then one scouting mission, she loses her first soldier to the Druun, watching him turn to stone over her shoulder as they flee. She manages to hold it together as she tells his family how brave he had been; then, she goes to the kitchen, stealing as much rice wine as she can carry. She hides with her serlots, drunkenly crying into their soft fur until she can barely breathe. After that, she allows herself to cry sometimes, but only ever when alone.

The first time Raya visits Talon, she is fourteen and half-starving. The market place is loud and confusing, but it’s also full of food and wonderful scents. Unfortunately, she has no jade pieces and the soldiers patrolling the stalls do not seem like people with whom she should risk get into trouble. She almost walks away instead of trying to buy anything, but her stomach cramps just at that moment, and she almost gasps in pain. It breaks her heart, but she slowly hands over a ring of gold in order to buy some food – the only thing she has with her that belonged to her mother. ‘You know, that vendor scammed you,’ a young boy tells her with a snort, as she walks away. ‘You should have gotten far more product for the worth of the ring.’ The food tastes like ashes in her mouth after that, and hot tears slip down her cheeks as she tries to choke down the rest of her dinner.

Namaari’s scouting party is ambushed, not by the Druun, but by angry citizens from Spine. She loses good people that day, watching in horror as they are overwhelmed by Spine’s army, still acting as good soldiers trying to protect their Princess until the end. The last warrior screams at her to run, and even though it is against her instincts, she turns and flees into the forest, not even stopping when a sharp pain pierces her side - an arrow hitting its mark. She collapses some distance later, crying in pain and fear. For the first time, she fears she will die alone, bleeding out amongst the trees. Then she remembers her mother, remembers her duties and the promises she made to herself, and staggers upright. Her serlot finds her as she slowly makes her way forwards, and when she finally manges to crawl onto her back, they take off towards Fang.

‘You’re a traitor to your people,’ someone snaps at Raya, as she tries to mediate between two disagreeing Heart citizens. ‘You try to tell us what to do, but you’re a Princess who doesn’t even know half of her own culture. Too busy cavorting with binturis from Fang and other lands to bother with your own.’ She can feel the tears coming on as the words cut deep into all the fears she has about herself – how she isn’t a good leader, how she lost so many years where she should have learnt about Heart and her role as Princess. A hand lands on her shoulder squeezing gently, yet the voice behind its owner is cutting. ‘Gentlemen, I suggest you leave now before you make me do something I regret,’ Namaari says, and when the men depart angrily, silence falls. Namaari doesn’t say anything at first, drawing Raya into an embrace instead. ‘You’re a better leader than they could hope to be,’ she whispers into Raya’s hair, kissing her head gently. Raya clings to her tightly, arms wrapped around her waist.

‘You’re not welcome here, binturi,’ comes the accusation thrown into her face, and Namaari flinches, much to her own disgust. The celebratory gathering is supposed to be for all the lands to come together, but she can understand Fang not being so warmly welcomed. She is trying though, trying to atone for her mistakes, and after a long day of talking herself into having the confidence to attend, she is now just feeling overwhelmed with their cutting remarks. She simply nods and tries to walk away while hiding her face, but Raya is already pushing past her, getting into the personal space of the other women with a snarl. ‘She’s more welcome here than you currently,’ she growls. Then she spins around, holds out an arm gallantly to Namaari with a smile, and says ‘shall we?’ with a wink. Namaari links their arms, and they walk away with their heads held high.

Tears of laughter and joy

There is something charming and fun in watching Sisu learn more about people and their odd behaviours. Namaari is still slightly in awe of dragons in general, but she finds it easier the more she spends time with Sisu and watches her do ridiculous things. Sisu often brings Tong, Boun and even Noi along to visit Raya, and Namaari loves this time especially, because Raya will go and join in on the fun, laughing at her friends’ antics until tears stream down her face. Namaari sits and watches them with a smile, until Raya runs over and grabs her by the hand, dragging her over to the group.

Raya likes to think she is excellently athletic and nimble on her feet, and to a certain extent this is true. Unfortunately, she has a rather clumsy side to her also, and she spectacularly demonstrates this in front of Namaari by mistake. She is trying to demonstrate how smooth her mounts and dismounts from Tuk Tuk’s saddle are, and even goes so far as to try and show off by standing up on his back. And yet, she slips sideways instead, arms windmilling in the air before she drops onto the floor. ‘Are you alright?’ Namaari calls, and as soon as Raya answers in the affirmative, she can hear a cackle of laughter. Namaari is laughing so hard that there are tears shining in her eyes, and Raya can’t feel too embarrassed by her tumble when it brings Namaari such joy.

At the end of a very long day of Council meetings, Raya wants nothing more than to escape the political grandstanding and disappear into the night instead of staying for dinner. She manages to grab some food from the kitchen before it is even brought out for the guests, and then steals Namaari herself as company. They sit under the stars, enjoying their picnic and complaining about the day. Namaari does a wonderful impersonation of the most annoying Councilor in the meeting, and Raya startles into loud laughter at how realistic it is. Soon they are lying next to each other, giggling loudly until they are both crying from laughter.

Namaari kisses Raya for the first time during a sparring session. They are fighting in a casual manner for once, not trying to be highly competitive as usual, but preferring to shoot as many teasing remarks towards the other as punches, enjoying the moment. Raya manages to pin Namaari down on the ground, leaning forwards slightly to highlight her triumphant and teasing expression, and instead sees Namaari staring up at her with a soft smile. Namaari brings both hands up to slide her fingers through Raya’s hair, drawing her down until their lips are touching softly. Raya feels tears welling up behind her eyes at she feels the love emanating from Namaari.

Raya proposes after two years of dating and several days of angsting over whether she has the correct words to say or the correct proposal gifts. But when it comes to the moment, she forgets everything, and just blurts out ‘I love you. Marry me?’ Namaari stares at her in shock for a moment, before stepping forward to kiss Raya. ‘Yes, yes of course,’ she says, her voice shaking from her emotions. Raya cups her cheeks in both hands, gently wiping away her tears before they kiss again.

When they marry, neither of them can get through their vows without some tears of happiness. No-one judges them for it though – most of their family and friends are crying also.

#rayaari #raya and the last dragon #ratld #raya #namaari #raya and namaari #raya x namaari #one for sorrow #two for joy #tears headcanons #been a whiiiiile #work work work makes no time for headcanons writing #but hopefully i will have time now for moooore #enjoy this offering in the meantime

[nocapesdahling]

As the World Falls Down - Chapter 3

Helmut Zemo x Gender Neutral Reader

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

Chapter Summary:  In which you have a plan to save yourself and Alena, but have no idea if it’s going to work. Either way, you have to try.

Rating: Mature (17+)

Chapter Warnings/Tags: Slow Burn; Angst; Misunderstandings that lead to angst; Established canon character deaths; Did I mention angst?

A/N: We have reached the end of Part 1 and the Age of Ultron arc. I hope you’ve enjoyed it so far, and would love to hear your thoughts. 

Chapter 3: Beneath a Fallen Sky (Age of Ultron) - Part 1

Word Count: 2.4k

You made sure Alena was strapped in tightly on your chest and that everything was in place. With time running out and Novi Grad continuing to rise, it was as good as it was going to get. You needed to move now. You had your prototype boots and gauntlets, which should allow you to fly. You hoped they would at least. Your main consolation was that they worked during testing, even if that had been in a controlled environment.

You had always admired Tony Stark, being something of a child prodigy yourself and starting college at a similar age to him. When you had first seen the Iron Man suit, your first thoughts had been of awe like any person who got a glimpse of Iron Man. Yet most people probably didn’t think what you had thought later, while considering the technology behind the suit and how to go about making your own.

Well, if he can do it then why can’t I? How hard could it be, really?

It turned out to be a bit more difficult than you’d thought, but you had developed something after much trial and error. However, you hadn’t tested anything in the open air yet. The previous test was only a short one to see if your prototypes would work and you had hovered a few feet over solid ground at most. That was why your plan only had a 65% success rate, but you had confidence in your technology and hope. In Sokovia, you couldn’t get far without hope.

You noticed the air getting thin as the city continued to rise, so you fitted Alena with an oxygen mask. You had a tank available in your apartment for squad emergencies, and were amazed how many times it had been used in the past. Your squad got into the oddest situations. There had been Andrei’s mission with the diplomat and the ice cream swimming pool and Mila’s with the yacht and the hammerhead sharks. All classified of course.

You digressed. There were more important things to consider right now, even as you wondered how your squad would take the loss of their handler when Helmut told them. You knew that it would hit them harder than they would ever admit. They emulated Helmut’s stoicism when in the field and today was still a mission, even if it was unlike any other. The destruction of one’s home was not something any of them had encountered before. If you couldn’t be there, then you hoped your gadgets would help to protect them today and in the future. You planned to be there.

You clipped the oxygen tank to your tactical gear and hoped that it wouldn’t unbalance you too much. You would need all the balance you could muster if this plan were to succeed.

Once you were as ready as you could be, it was time. The city had to fall at some point and you wanted to be in the air when it did as the height it had reached would cause a destructive impact radius. You brushed a kiss to Alena’s head, seeing her little feet kicking and knowing that she was awake.

“Not the best timing, little one. This might be a bit scary, Alena, so I wanted you to know that I love you. Already. So much. I think I loved you as soon as I saw you. Wish us luck, my little Alena Heike. We’re going to need it.”

With that and the realization that you had reached the edge of the city, you took a deep breath, taking one last glance back at the city that had been your home for most of your life. Then, you braced yourself, stepped off the edge, and flew. Well, you took a moment to stabilize yourself as the only other time you had done this was in a local park in the middle of the night and then you had grass to land on not open sky. But then, you flew.

You flew like the birds you had admired for their freedom and grace and like Iron Man. Tony Stark had nothing on you. You let out a joyful laugh, forgetting your circumstances for a moment. You forgot the swarm of robots on the other side of the city, the fact that your home was in the process of being destroyed, that you may never see Helmut again, and that you weren’t sure if you and your baby would get out of this alive. Nothing else mattered at that moment because you were flying.

Then you were shocked back to the present as to your disbelief the city began to freefall, plummeting quickly and devastatingly towards Earth before exploding mid air. You could see from where you were that it looked like Iron Man and Thor had blown it up somehow, but you couldn’t understand why the Avengers hadn’t been able to stop it from falling in the first place.

Why hadn’t they been able to save Sokovia? They had saved New York. It didn’t make sense. The world had painted them as infallible. These were Earth’s heroes? They did not look so “Mighty” now.

The debris began to land too hard and too fast. It looked like it would impact more of the surrounding area than you had anticipated.

You gasped in horror, the tears freezing on your cheeks. If a building was hit with debris of that size, then the result would be catastrophic. You worried immediately for your squad and Helmut, turning on your earpiece with frantic movements even as you unbalanced without one of your gauntlets.

You tried Helmut. You tried Ana, Branko, Claudia, Andrei, and the other members of your squad. No one answered.

The base wasn’t that far away, not when you calculated the radius of the debris. It would be difficult, but you could make it there. You had to make it there. You needed to know.

You flew above and around where the debris was falling and jerkily made your way towards the base, still not as smooth as you wished you were or as fast as you wanted to be. You arrived to the sight you hoped not to see.

The base had been hit by a large piece of debris from the city and was collapsing in on itself. You landed as smoothly as you could a distance away and caught yourself on a tree, falling to your knees. No one could have survived that.

Helmut was gone. Helmut Zemo was dead.

Your chest hurt and your vision was blurry as your mind whirled.

You had survived, while Helmut had died. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. You would never see him again.

How did this happen?!, was your last thought before slumping backwards into a faint.

In your horror at the base’s collapse, you had forgotten the existence of its reinforced underground bunker where technology did not work and where your entire squad including their leader, Colonel Helmut Zemo, waited for the dust of Novi Grad to settle. Very much alive and in quiet mourning for their lost Q. They would exit through the tunnels a few hours later, coming out miles away from where you collapsed.

In fact, you wouldn’t recall the bunker’s existence until a little over a year later and by then it would be too late.

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

You awoke in the hospital. It took you a moment to realize what had happened and where you were. With that, came the realization in your mind that you would never see Helmut or hear his deep voice calling you his Q ever again. Despite the gaping hole in your chest and your desire to let yourself be numb, you needed to find Alena. You gasped and sat up too quickly before falling backwards out of dizziness.

You breathed in and out to calm yourself the way you often had as you assisted your squad in the completion of missions, and clicked the button to raise the bed as you looked around the room. You were in a gown and had no idea what had happened to your gauntlets and boots, but hoped they had been destroyed in the landing.

You heard Helmut’s voice in your head as you pinpointed the potential exits and any possible weapons.

“The first step, my Q, is to always survey your surroundings. Get your bearings and be prepared for anything. Be prepared to fight, but also to run if necessary. There is no shame in running. Running can save your life and I, my darling Q, would much rather see you alive .”

You smiled bitterly before letting it fade. You were not in any shape to run at the moment, and Helmut was no longer there to advise you. Your memories of him would have to suffice.

As you surveyed the room, you glimpsed your pack in the corner of the room and what looked like your highly damaged prototypes alongside it. There next to your bed was a crib and laying inside was Alena, who looked clean, like she had been changed, and who was sleeping soundly.

You let a small and real smile touch your lips. She was safe. You were safe. Both of you were alive. Helmut was not.

No, you couldn’t let yourself think of it. Not now. Maybe, not ever.

You pressed the call button for the nurse, hoping this was a real hospital and not some elaborate plot. It looked real, but one could never be sure.

“Finally awake, are you? Good, I’m glad to see it. I was beginning to worry about what might happen to your daughter.” The nurse said in rapid fire Sokovian as she bustled into the room.

“Yes, thank you. How long have we been here and where are we?” You had to clear your throat multiple times and even then your voice came out as a rasp.

The nurse poured some water into a cup, drank it, and then offered you some as well. “You probably do not remember, but you were rescued three days ago. You have been awake sporadically, and even then you were groggy. That is why you do not remember. For your second question, you are in a hospital in the Czech Republic. We are taking care of multiple Sokovian refugees.”

“But you are speaking Sokovian?”

The nurse frowned and leaned closer. She looked like she wanted to pat your hand or hold it. You were glad she did not. “Sokovia is gone. This time for good. There were not many survivors. My mother was Sokovian. I thought a familiar language might be of comfort to you. It has been to the other survivors we’re treating.”

You attempted to read her face and her eyes like Helmut had taught you. She drank the water before giving you some, which was a point in her favor.  She also did not look like a plant and you let yourself relax a bit, but kept your guard up in case you were wrong. You knew that Novi Grad had been destroyed and the devastation the debris must have caused, but it was hard to believe that your country was gone. It had been failing for years, but it was still yours. Yours, Heike’s, Carl’s, Alena’s, and Helmut’s. Now, it would only exist in the memory of its survivors.

You pushed the thought of Helmut aside for the moment, but at the thought of Heike and Carl you knew what question needed to be asked. “Have they released a list of survivors?”

“Not yet, but I do not want you to get your hopes up.”

You hated to think that the nurse was right, that Heike and Carl were also gone. They had been miles from the city however, so you had to hold on to hope for their sake. You could not consider never seeing Heike’s hair in the sunlight or Carl’s smiling face again. They were part of your family. You needed to find out what happened to them. “Please let me know as soon as they release the list.”

“I will, dear. I will.” The nurse gave you a pained smile that looked more like a grimace. “Now, we got your name and identification from your pack. I was in charge of your admission papers, and did not include any reference to your military rank to be safe. Sokovia is gone, so I did not want it to make you a target. What you were wearing alone looked like it would draw some attention.”

You nodded and thought briefly, knowing that had only happened because the nurse had ties to Sokovia. She was showing honest care and concern in the best way she could, and you appreciated it. You had been correct in her not being a plant then. You pictured Helmut’s smile when you told him that you were putting his training to good use, before remembering that he was…

You couldn’t bring yourself to think the word. You had to keep it together. You couldn’t falter now. Not when Alena was counting on you.

You realized the nurse was still waiting for some kind of answer. “Thank you. A civilian life might be just what I need.”

The nurse smiled back, “Yet, we have no information on this little one. I have a birth certificate here to fill out. You are one of her parents, yes?” Alena continued to sleep in her crib, oblivious to the world around her.

“Yes,” you swallowed and rapidly thought of how to answer the next question that you knew was coming.

“And her other parent?”

“He died in Sokovia,” you felt a tear roll down your cheek. You wondered if you were prepared to continue. Saying it out loud made it real.

“I’m sorry to hear that, dear.” The nurse did pat your hand this time in commiseration before withdrawing when you tensed up. “Would you still like to put his name on the certificate?”

You steadied your breathing and hoped that when (you couldn’t bring yourself to think if) you found Heike, wherever she may be, that she would understand. You knew that you could not regret this decision. It felt too right for that.

“Yes,” you responded haltingly. The words seemed to catch in your throat. “His name is… Helmut Zemo and our baby’s name is Alena Heike Zemo.”

End of Part 1 - To Be Continued in Part 2: Burn it to the Ground…

A/N:  I know this chapter was angsty, but I hope you enjoyed part 1 of this fic. Part 2 will not have as regular updates because Part 1 was pre-written, but I’m working on it. Thank you all for reading!

#helmut zemo x reader #zemo x reader #colonel helmut zemo x reader #baron zemo x reader #zemo x you #helmut zemo x you #helmut zemo fanfiction #zemo fanfic #helmut zemo fic #baron zemo fanfiction #zemo #helmut zemo #colonel helmut zemo #baron zemo #daniel brühl #daniel bruhl #colonel helmut zemo & reader #helmut zemo & reader #nocapeswriting #as the world falls down series #avengers: age of ultron #age of ultron #avengers

[teawaffles]

The Fugitives from the Fire: Chapter 4

Note: Some language. Also, this is a long chapter!

Aside: The chapter numbering has been altered slightly — the previous chapter is now just Chapter 3, rather than Chapter 3 Part 1.

Lestrade seemed mortified that they hadn’t even managed to preserve the scene of the crime, for his shoulders quietly slumped.

“Have you managed to deduce anything so far?” he asked Sherlock.

The detective spoke languidly.

“First off, about the man in the room…… Let’s assume he was not only dead, but also murdered. Then if we take the straightforward explanation that it’d been blood on his back, he would’ve most likely been killed using a physical weapon; I’m thinking it could be either a stab or shot wound. As for potential suspects…… An obvious one would be the other fugitive. For motive, they could’ve had a simple falling-out, or maybe he wanted to silence his accomplice for fear of his own arrest.”

The inspector brooded over his analysis.

“A stab or shot wound, hmm. If it’s the former, the attacker would’ve needed to break into the room.”

“Yep, so the most promising candidate right now’s that ‘In the middle of the chaos from the fire, the man had been sniped through the window’.”

“If that’s the case, then does it mean the fire had been an act of arson?”

“It’s highly likely. Do we have a detailed description of the room’s furnishings?”

“For that, let’s ask the officer who witnessed the scene himself.”

Lestrade made a strangely grim expression, then looked in the distance, beckoning someone to come over. But when Sherlock saw him, his jaw dropped.

“……So it’s you.”

“Yeah. It’s me.”

It was Assistant Inspector Gregson. Sherlock was lost for words; before him, Gregson scowled and crossed his arms. He had been the officer who’d stood watch outside the room when the incident occurred, and the sole witness of the murder scene.

Now that he knew that, Sherlock finally understood why the man had been acting strange earlier.

“Ohh, I see. It’s no wonder you didn’t want to face us — the criminal you arrested had been killed before your very eyes.”

Sherlock smirked, and Gregson replied in frustration.

“I-I’m keenly aware of my responsibility in this. But at any rate, as a police officer, I have no reason to feel indebted to you.”

“I’m not accusing you of anything. But from what you said, that means you were the one who’d been in charge of the scene back then. Was there some reason why you chose to remain behind and stand watch?”

Gregson seemed to find it difficult to say aloud.

“……During the interrogation, a crowd had formed around the building; in order to calm them down, I’d wanted to mobilise all the officers at the scene with me. But we absolutely needed someone to keep watch over the fugitive, and I thought my personality wouldn’t be suited to placating the residents here, so I remained behind…… Though, now that I think about it, that had been a rather short-sighted judgement.”

Gregson narrowed his eyes, seemingly vexed at his own mistake, but Lestrade cut in.

“No, I think that was quite a logical decision. Moreover, to begin with, all of you were sent to such a difficult scene on my orders. So part of the blame rests with me as well.”

“N-No, you’re not at fault here, Inspector; it was all due to my carelessness.”

As Lestrade and his subordinate argued back and forth, Sherlock raised a hand to stop them.

“Sorry, but let’s talk about who’s to blame later. For now, our priority’s to share information, isn’t it?”

Annoyed at being spoken to like that by the detective he so detested, Gregson turned to face Lestrade.

“……Well then, what would you like to know, Inspector?”

“The furnishings in the room, please.”

Gregson’s gaze trailed upward as he recalled what he saw back then.

“About the interior, there wasn’t anything particularly unusual. The room was rectangular, with a small bed, a table and two chairs. As for entry points, there was a window on its north side, and the needlessly sturdy door opposite it. There wasn’t even a mirror nor a bathroom.”

Hearing that, Sherlock’s expression turned serious.

“So it was really just a place to sleep. Then, about the man who collapsed while handcuffed to the chair or something — what part of the room was he in?”

Gregson glared hatefully at him, and responded in a thorny tone.

“When I looked through the keyhole, he was on the floor right before my eyes. It was around one step away from the door. And his back — or more precisely, the area stretching from his back to somewhere around his waist — was stained the colour of blood.”

At this point, Sherlock asked a question.

“The victim’s hands were each cuffed to the chair’s armrests, right? If he’d still been in that state, I thought the chair would’ve been resting on his back.”

Furrowing his brows, Gregson crossed his arms.

“There was only so much I could see through the keyhole, so I didn’t manage to get a look at his entire body; but the chair was nowhere near his back. This is just my speculation, but I think he might’ve forcefully broken the armrests and escaped his bonds.”

“Was the chair really that shoddy?”

“……He didn’t put up much of a fight when we arrested him, so I got careless and used something close by to restrain him. On second thought, it was remiss of me to do so.”

Hearing Gregson’s reflection, Sherlock contemplated the fugitive’s exact movements.

“So that means he managed to get free of the chair, and move around the room with his hands still cuffed. In that case, wouldn’t he have made some noise? Though, the commotion from the residents back then might have drowned it out.”

“I don’t think so; even if there had been the sound of the chair breaking, I’m sure I would’ve noticed it. The problem is what happened after the fire began. Back then, I was in a panic, and both the inside and outside of the building were in such an uproar that I didn’t have the attention to notice any noises coming from the room.”

Mortified, Gregson lowered his gaze once again, but Sherlock continued in a calm voice.

“So the arrested fugitive didn’t make his move until the fire broke out. Was there anything in the room that could’ve been used as a weapon?”

“Of course, we thoroughly inspected the room before the interrogation began. From the start, that was the room the man himself had stayed in, so we searched it down to the very corners in case he had hidden anything inside. But we didn’t find anything that could’ve been used as a weapon.”

Gregson said so with certainty, but Sherlock was still not convinced.

“Obviously there were things that could’ve been used to kill or wound, now weren’t there? If he’d broken the wooden armrests, the pieces could have been fashioned into a stake. Even if he didn’t do that, he could’ve broken off wood from the floor or the wall, and created a weapon in the same way.”

“……It sounds like you’re saying he could’ve taken advantage of the commotion from the fire to commit suicide. But even if, as you suggested, he tried to kill himself with a sharp object, normally one would try to cut their neck — it’s hard to believe he would’ve stabbed himself with enough force for the weapon to pierce through his back.”

Gregson had made a reasonable argument; but even as he concurred, Sherlock put forward a different perspective.

“However, let’s say he did break off some wood from the floor or wall, and pared it into a sharp point: what if, when he was moving around, he accidentally fell onto it? It’s not clear whether it was deliberate or unintentional, but I’m thinking it was a fatal wound.”

Sherlock was still pursuing the idea that the criminal had died by his own hand. Hearing that, for a moment, Gregson forgot his animosity and pondered. Then, he shook his head in a gentle denial.

“I don’t think that’s the case either. If it were, there would’ve been some sharp object and bloodstains left in the room. But from what I saw through the keyhole, the walls and floor were clean, and there’d been nothing resembling bloodstains. There were some tiny splatters of something like blood around the body, as well as little puddles of the same substance; but in terms of noticeable bloodstains, that was all I saw.”

“——Only that? If he’d bled out enough for his back to be dyed red, there should’ve been an equivalent amount of blood splattered all around him.”

Sherlock tilted his head. Gregson also thought it strange, and knitted his brows.

“It gets stranger and stranger the more I think about it. It doesn’t seem to be the case that the weapon staunched the wound when he was stabbed…… Maybe he’s anaemic?”

“…………”

It wasn’t clear whether Gregson had been joking, or if that had been unintentional. With a thoughtful look, Sherlock kept his mouth shut.

Then Lestrade, who’d been listening attentively thus far, offered his own theory.

“From what I’ve heard, it seems this is neither a suicide nor an accident. Then what if he was just pretending to be dead? Perhaps the other fugitive had started the fire at some prearranged time. Then the man who’d been caught pretended to be dead, and waited for the officer outside to leave before escaping. Maybe he purposely collapsed in front of the door, in order to have Gregson witness it. As for the blood, he could’ve used some red paint to fake it.”

But Sherlock disputed that view.

“It’s not a bad theory, but then the question remains as to how he managed to splatter the paint in that way. Moreover, he probably wanted to escape the inn; but the other officers had secured the area around the building, right?”

Hearing that, Gregson scowled.

“I don’t like agreeing with you…… But certainly, I didn’t receive any reports that he’d left the room.”

Sherlock looked at the charred ruins of the inn.

“Then he hadn’t managed to escape, so it’s highly likely that he’s been burnt to a crisp in there. Just wondering, were there any secret passages in the room?”

Astonished, Gregson chuckled.

“No way; it’s not like this is a secret base. Besides, we checked the room thoroughly: even if there had been an escape route, we would’ve found it.”

“If we’re talking about escape routes, he could have also broken through the walls or the floor, couldn’t he?”

Gregson pondered over Lestrade’s question for a second, then shook his head gently.

“Certainly, the inn was old, and also not maintained very well: various parts of the walls and floor were decaying, and I even saw some tiny holes where they had rotted through. If we’d taken the time and effort, I think it would’ve been possible to break through them. Still, just like the chair, I’m sure I would’ve caught the sound of the walls or floorboards being stripped off — I was standing right in front of the room. Moreover, if he only started his work after I left, then he would’ve been caught in the blaze before he managed to complete his escape.”

“……I see. The fire seems to have spread pretty fast, and it would’ve been impossible for him to finish the passage right away, now wouldn’t it?” Lestrade agreed.

Then, Sherlock clapped his hands together.

“With that, we’ve eliminated the theory that he faked his death and escaped. We can’t be fully certain until the debris has been searched; but at present, by the process of elimination, there are no longer any obstacles to the theory that this is a locked-room murder, yes?”

Sherlock weaved together the various sources of information as he made that assertion, and Lestrade concurred.

“In that case, just as I’d thought, we’ll need to search for the other fugitive. But a long time has passed since the fire broke out: wouldn’t he have already escaped?”

“About that, Inspector: I have one piece of good news.”

With a proud expression, Gregson continued.

“We know that the other fugitive has burns on his face. Among the guests who evacuated the inn during the fire, there were three men with such injuries.”

“Really? ……But, couldn’t they just be regular people who got caught in the fire?”

Lestrade was doubtful. Immediately, Sherlock responded.

“Not necessarily; no one had entered or left the inn both before and after the fire, so naturally, the arsonist must’ve been inside the building……. Is that what you wanted to say, Mr Assistant Inspector?”

“……Yeah.”

Having had the role of explaining the situation stolen from him, Gregson responded blandly.

An assistant inspector who detested detectives, and the detective himself who enjoyed that antipathy. Hearing their usual exchange, Lestrade broke into a wry smile.

“In that case, we should meet the three and talk to them.”

“Of course; they’ve been gathered at a different location, so…… Hmm?”

Just as Gregson was about to show him the way, he suddenly frowned. Once again, the crowd that had amassed near the scene was starting to make a commotion.

“Oi, you shitty bobbies! There’s soot all over the place, and it’s a pain in the ass!”

“This must be all your doing, oi!”

“Don’t think you can just go home scot-free after all you’ve done here!”

Now that the fire had been put out, it seemed the locals’ anger towards the Yard had gradually been rekindled; all at once, the residents of the slums began to kick up a fuss. As foul-mouthed insults were launched from one group, a torrent of frustration exploded from another in a chain reaction — in a flash, Lestrade and the others were stranded in a storm of fury.

Their enmity had surged out of the blue, and Lestrade was clearly on edge.

“This isn’t good. We’ll have to calm them down and try to explain that we’ve been only pursuing the criminals.”

“That won't work: they were already annoyed when the Yard arrived, and then that fire broke out — it’s more than enough to make them furious.”

Sherlock calmly analysed the situation, but Gregson’s reply was steeped in frustration.

“Then what should we do? At this rate, we’ll have a real fight on our hands.”

Still, Sherlock was unruffled.

“The answer’s clear and simple: get on with it and find the real culprit. Once we reveal the actual cause of the fire, they should calm down. Our job hasn’t changed — it’s just that the time limit has morphed into something we can see.”

“……So we have until their anger reaches a boiling point?”

At once, Lestrade understood what needed to be done. He heaved one big sigh, and put on his game face once again.

“Gregson: show Holmes to the suspects. I’ll work with the others to appease the crowd. While we’re keeping a lid on the situation, I want you two to solve the case together.”

“‘Eh?’”

Both Gregson and Sherlock exclaimed in perfect harmony. Then they looked at one another; The detective lowered his gaze slightly as he thought it through, then let out a thin exhale.

“So it’s come to this.”

“Oi, I could see you giving up after thinking about a lot of things, you know.”

Gregson glared at him in disapproval. Meanwhile, Lestrade placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

“Alright: I’m counting on you both.”

Leaving just those reassuring words behind, he left gallantly towards the crowd. Eloquently, the inspector had entrusted the entire investigation to them, and Sherlock’s eyes were filled with resignation as he watched the man depart.

“Now this has gotten troublesome,” he mumbled.

“Hmm? Are you talking about the case? Or about the fact that we’re working together?”

��No, no, I’m talking about how this has become a rather odd ‘riddle’.”

Gregson’s ears had been sharp, but Sherlock parried his retort with diplomacy.

——“Hang in there, Sherlock!”

Having been paired up with a troublesome man, in a glum Sherlock’s mind, it felt as though John’s encouraging cheers were ringing out.

Translator’s notes

Mysteries and ‘riddles’

You might have noticed that Sherlock and Lestrade sometimes talk about ‘riddles’. The original text differentiates between 謎 and〝謎〟(notice the quotes) — the word itself means mystery/riddle, but the quoted version is used to refer to the mysteries that are (possibly) linked to the Lord of Crime. For instance, at the end of Forbidden Games (Book 2 Story 1), William also talks about the ‘riddles’ he sets for Sherlock.

I chose to translate the quoted version as ‘riddles’, since I think the word ‘mystery’ implies that the case might not have a solution; in contrast, I feel the word ’riddle’ suggests that the mystery has a solution, since it was intentionally created by William in the first place.

#moriarty the patriot #yuukoku no moriarty #yuumori #english translation #the girl who sees rainbows

[xu-ren]

A Kinder End

Genre: Fluff and angst

Pairings: Diarmuid (Fate/Zero) x reader

Wordcount: 2000+

My requests and askbox are open, so pretty please don't be shy.

Masterpost

*~*~*

“Lancer, prepare yourself! I can’t hold this spell for long.” Lancer readied himself at [Name]’s words. “God of the North wind, Boreas, God of the East wind, Eurus, God of the South wind, Notus, God of the East wind, Zephyus, Your faithful servant besieged you to lend get your strength so that she may vanquish her mighty foe!”

The wind tore her hair away from her usual bun, letting it whip freely around her. Had it been any other time, Lancer would have appreciated the sight of her unbound black tress. As it was, the wind she summoned started to clear a path to Caster. Lancer tensed up as her wind went closer and closer to Caster. ‘Come on…Just a bit more…’ Just as Lancer caught a glimpse of Caster, her spell failed and she collapsed.

“My lady…!” Luckily, he managed to catch her just before she hit the ground and lowered her down gently. Saber and Rider, who had stopped their assault on Caster when [Name] started her spell, prepared to resume their assault on Caster. Rider offered to buy them time to think of another plan to defeat Caster as [Name]’s plan had failed. Lancer didn’t hesitate to break Gáe Buidhe so that Saber could defeat Caster. His number one priority was to get [Name] to safety now that she was unconscious and vulnerable. However, he had to ensure that Caster was defeated first so he stood at the water’s edge cradling [Name] carefully as he watched Saber defeat Caster.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lancer laid [Name] down as gently as possible at an abandoned building. It was unfortunately the best place that he could find for now.

“Lan…cer?”

“My lady!” *Her eyes narrowed for a brief moment before they relaxed again. It was a testament to her weariness that she didn’t even bother to correct him.

“Where are we?” “An abandoned building, my lady. I apologise, it was the best…” Lancer trailed off as [Name] raised a hand to silence him. They both kept silent as [Name]’s eyes darted around, absorbing every minute detail of their surroundings.

“Diarmuid, where’s Gáe Buidhe?”

“I…broke it so that Saber could defeat Caster. I apolo…” This time, [Name] pushed herself up and placed a finger upon Lender’s lips to silence him. They stayed as they were for what seemed to be an eternity until [Name] collapsed upon Lancer’s chest. What meagre strength she had accumulated from her brief rest had been spent.

“You are apologising a lot today, aren’t you, Diarmuid?” asked [Name], her tone mildly scolding.

“I apolo-“

“You are doing it again, Diarmuid. You have no reason to apologise to me, after all, you merely did what you thought was best at that moment. Besides, we are a team, not master and servant.”

By the end of her short speech, her voice was scarcely a whisper. If not for their proximity, he would have never heard it.

“My lady…”

Suddenly, Lancer tensed up and he tightened his hold on [Name].

“Diarmuid?”

“Someone’s here.”

“Go, Diarmuid.”

“My lady…”

“Go on, I await your return.”

“Yes, my lady.”

He hated to leave [Name] alone, especially when she was so vulnerable but he couldn’t disobey her either.He wasn’t very surprised when it was Saber who met him in the courtyard of the abandoned building. At the very least, they would finally be able to finish their battle.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

She watched from her spot as the two servants fought it out. Such honourable warriors, there were no one more deserving of the title ‘Heroic Spirits. She was glad to have met them despite her reluctance to enter this war in the first place.

Suddenly, a shadow was casted upon her and she looked up to see Kiritsugu pointing a gun at her. 

“Mr. Kiritsugu, how…expected,” she whispered quietly as her lips formed a small, wry smile. 

He put his finger to his lips in the universal gesture of silence. She cocked her head to the side. In response, Kiritsugu hands her a scroll.

‘A Self-Geas Scroll. A magical item used by Magi to form an unbreakable contract. Binding spell… Affected Party: Emiya Kiritsugu. The Emiya family crest orders the following. The pledge is to be observed by the affected party upon fulfilment of the conditions described herein. Pledge: Kiritsugu, son of Norikata and the fifth descendant of the House of Emiya, will be forever forbidden from harming or intending to harm, [Name] [Middle Name] [Last Name]. Condition…’

 After reading the scroll, she looked at Kiritsugu searchingly. She gathered the magick stored at the amulet around her neck before speaking into his mind. To his credit, he didn’t even flinch. In fact, the only outwardly respond he showed was the slight widening of his eyes.

‘I won’t do it.’

Kiritsugu responded by pulling the safety of his gun.

‘After all, it doesn’t matter, does it? You are going to kill me either way. A master without a servant can form a pact with another servant and you can ill afford that.’

For a moment, she thought that she saw a shadow of surprise pass through Kiritsugu’s face.

‘Kill me, Emiya Kiritsugu. Let me be but another life you sacrificed in your quest to save the world. However, will you listen to this girl’s final wish?’

He lowered his gun slightly and she took it as her cue to continue.

‘Ensure that my death isn’t instant.’

This time, she definitely saw the surprise on his face. She smirked. It was a highly unusual wish as most people hoped for the opposite.

‘I wish to say farewell to Lancer.’

He nodded and shot her in the aorta, ensuring that it gazed the aorta so that she would bleed out in 5 minutes.

‘Thank you.’

The gunshot rang across the abandoned building.

Lancer’s head whipped towards the direction where the gunshot came from so fast that he gave himself whip splash. He immediately abandoned his stalemate with Saber when he saw that the gunshot came from where he had left [Name].

“My lady!” 

He raced towards her, hoping against hope that she wasn’t shot. His heart had never been filled with such rage as when he saw her bleeding from where he left her with Emiya Kiritsugu standing over her holding a gun. He readied his lance to slay the miscreant who dared to harm his lady.

“Diarmuid!”

Her voice was authoritative and they had been together long enough to know that she wanted him to stand down. He tore his gaze from where he was glaring at Kiritsugu to look at her. He barely registered the shocked gasps of Saber behind him.

Her right hand on her chest was stained with blood while she used her left hand to gesture for him to come to her side. He approached her while keeping Kiritsugu in his line of sight. As he got closer, Kiritsugu backed away to give them some privacy.

He dropped down on his knees next to her as she smiled at him. Her face was paler than he had ever seen and that only makes the blood on her lips stand out even more starkly. He held her gently and lowered her carefully to not aggravate her wound so that her head rested on his knees in hopes of making her more comfortable.

***His clothes changed to the daily wear that [Name] had bought for him and he made to tear it apart to make some makeshift bandages.

“Lea…ve it.”

“My lady…”

“Leave. It.” 

“My lady, I can see the blood on your clothes.”

She opened her mouth to answer him but more blood merely dribbled out of the corner of her mouth. Instead, she spoke into his mind.

*‘Is that so? I will find even darker clothes next time then.’

She tilted her head to the scroll resting innocently at her side so he picked it up and read it. His eyes widened with understanding as he read it.

“My lady! You should have let me die.”

 ‘Do I seem like such a heartless person to you, Diarmuid? I would never even think of sacrificing another’s life for mine.’

“I don’t mean to insult you, my lady, but I have already died once.”

‘It doesn’t matter. Kiritsugu had no intentions of allowing me to live either way.’

“But…”

“My servant. By her Command Seal, [Name] [Middle Name] [Last Name] orders you, Lancer, to not take revenge upon…” she coughed, causing blood to bubble out of her mouth. “Emiya Kiritsugu or anyone else that you hold responsible for her death.”

“My lady!”

“By my Command Seal, I order you to return to the spirit world upon my death. And by my Command Seal, I order you to not form a pact with another master for the duration of the 4th Holy Grail War.”

More blood spilt from mouth and her face was bone white.

“My lady! How can you possibly expect me to do such things?”

‘You will do it, either because I commanded you or as a deathbed promise to me. And no more of that my lady nonsense, I have used up all three Command Seals and therefore am no longer your master. Call me [Name] at least once before I go, please?’

“My…[Name].”

A wide, genuine smile spread across her face and suddenly, she looked as if she was full of life despite the blood seeping out of her. Using the last of her strength, she spoke into the minds of Diarmuid and Kiritsugu respectively.

‘Don’t despair. Let’s meet again in another life, Diarmuid.’

‘The ends don’t justify the means, Emiya Kiritsugu.’

Lancer’s heart clenched as she raised her right hand to stroke his face, her eyes memorizing every feature of his face hungrily before her hand fell and her eyes closed for all eternity.

“[Name]…! [Name]…! Please…come back…!”

He rocked back and forth while holding her tightly to him, his lithe body wracked with sobs. He brushed her hair from her face and the memory of brilliant smile she had gifted him with when he called her by name only made him sob harder. If he knew how happy it would have made her, he would have called her by name more often, propriety be damned. If only he had disobeyed her and stayed with her, she would still be alive.

How could life be this cruel? She was a powerful magus with a bright future ahead of her and suddenly, it was gone. She was no more than another life lost during the Holy Grail War. 

How desperately he wanted to take revenge for her death and yet her words bound her. He couldn’t bear to disappoint her, even in death.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

*

“My lady, why are all your clothes black?” Diarmuid was curious, never had he seen a woman who wore nothing but black.

“Black is my favourite colour. Besides, doesn’t it look good on me?” she asked as she gave a little twirl.

Black did look good on her. It emphasised the paleness of her skin and made her eyes look bigger. Her lips, painted black as well stood out starkly against her pale skin. It also made her look slender and intimidating despite her diminutive height.

“Finally, you can’t really see blood on me if I’m wearing black, right?”

“My lady!”

“Kidding… Don’t be so uptight, Diarmuid,” said [Name] while giggling.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

**

“Diarmuid.”

“Yes, my lady?”

“Stop calling me ‘my lady’. I have already said it many times but we are a team and therefore equals. Call me [Name].”

“I’m afraid that I can’t do so, my lady. It would be highly improper to call you by your name.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*

***

“Diarmuid, do you have nothing else to wear?”

“I’m afraid that this is my only outfit, my lady.”

“Well, you certainly can’t go out like that. Let’s go shopping.”

“My lady, there’s …there’s no need to trouble yourself!”

“It’s no trouble at all. Besides, I have been wanting to explore the shops here anyways. How about this? You be my bag carrier for the day and I buy you an outfit as a thank you present?”

“Al…Alright, my lady.”

(Time skip)

“So, so? What do you think?”

“You have good taste, my lady.”

“Of course.”

Lancer couldn’t help but admire his outfit that consist of a dark green shirt, black pants and black shoes paired with a black vest in the mirror. 

“As a bonus, we match too,” said [Name] as she gave a twirl in her black dress with dark green embellishments.

#fate zero #fate #fate series #fgo #fgo na #fate diarmuid #lancer diarmuid #diarmuid ua duibhne #diarmuid #diarmuid x reader #fgo imagines #fate imagines

[downtonabbeyrevisited]

Season Two Episode Two

Following a typically chaotic opener, Episode Two of Season Two strikes a far more sombre tone. The arrival of Henry Lang as Robert’s valet brings the first of this episode’s three plot points that address the impact of WW1 on the mental health of its soldiers. There is nothing funny to say about either shell-shock or suicidal ideation both of which are vast, complex issues that, for my money, Downton Abbey isn’t the vehicle explore in (because they require more time and depth than the pace of the plot in Season Two affords) and it certainly isn’t my place to make light of them in this rather irreverent corner of the internet. So I’m going to have a go at treading a fine line here. Forgive me if I stumble. 

Lang is clearly in the grips of something awful and yet in an attempt to avoid the indignity of having maids in the dining room, he is bumped up to footman duty. He struggles throughout, culminating in him depositing his cargo on Edith’s dress. Mrs O’Brein has firmly taken Lang under her wing, recognising that he is struggling and offers him assurance and comfort that she has never gifted to Thomas. 

Across the Village, Lieutenant Edward Courtenay is in the hospital having been blinded by gas. The use of gas (both chlorine and mustard) had a devastating impact on soldiers in WW1 but was also the root of the development of Zyklon B. Frtiz Haber, a German Jewish chemist, enabled chlorine gas to be used a weapon in WW1 and his research was later developed into the Zyklon process which was used by the Nazis to murder millions, including his own family. This is only one of a dizzying number of appalling ironies to be found in the World Wars but as I said last episode, I’m not a military historian so I’m going to leave it there. Edward had plans to return to the country after his graduation from Oxford to pursue the simple life (although one gets the feeling that his idea of the pursuit of a simple life will still be one that is very well upholstered). Thomas has taken it upon himself to read Edward’s letters to him and  together with Sybil is helping him to adjust to living life with a different set of parameters. But growing pressure on the hospital’s limited capacity means that he is to be transferred elsewhere. All three voice their dissent at varying volumes to Major Clarkson who falls back on the very real backlog of wounded men. After Edward has died, Major Clarkson, Isobel and Sybil talk about a renewed need for the Abbey to become a convalescent home, an idea that has been bubbling under the surface for a while now. Meanwhile, Thomas has been left on his own to process both Edward’s death and the implications of witnessing a lack of support given by his own physician to those with depression.  

The usually reliably jovial Mrs Patmore also has a more somber episode with her pursuit for the truth about the death of her nephew Archie. Robert finds that he has been shot for cowardice. Not only does this mean that her family is in mourning but they will now have to navigate the stigma and undue shame that came with having a relative die in this way. So entrenched in British life was the derision levelled at those who were shot for cowardice or desertion that it was only in 2006 that pardons were offered by Britain for 309 of those that were executed by firing squad during WW1. I know I said I’d leave it there with the military history, but that felt like an important bit of context. 

We are now in 1917 and Matthew is still in the same trench that he was in 1916 (a detail I hadn’t actually noticed until I got the screen cap for this) so it looks like his strategy of downing tools mid-fight and continuously popping back to Blighty for important plot developments isn’t really paying dividends. Perhaps the addition of William to the ranks will help him? William certainly seems to think so and if the speed at which he moves through the various stages of his ‘relationship’ with Daisy is any indication of his tactical prowess, the British Front will not only be well within Germany’s borders but will be breathing down Russia’s neck in a fortnight. In any other episode, this would certainly get the award for oddest relationship dynamic but Sir Richard Carlisle exists. 

Sir Richard makes his debut at Downton, having been introduced in name only in the previous episode. He and Mary met at Cliveden which is a regular haunt of mine, giving me hope that one day I too will from a strategic alliance with a newspaper magnate. He may know how to talk his way around a boardroom but he is lacking in the sartorial department. Whilst Sir Richard manages to avoid catching fire in his tweed, Lavinia is not free from the heat as he threatens her with his connection to her uncle. He may not know much about navigating the niceties of Downton, but at least he has cottoned on to the fact that any major disagreement should occur under a specific tree. Whilst Mary’s signature move is weeping into her gloves, Sir Richard’s is grabbing women by the forearm. A female friend of mine told me that one of her favourite things about the pandemic and the compulsion to keep 2m away from anyone (and not just emotionally) is that she has not been ’steered’ by a male hand on her lower back since 2019. It turns out that she can enter and exit rooms just fine on her own and I get the impression that Lavinia could get the gist of Sir Richard’s rage without the vice like grip of a man probably about twice her age. 

Twinned with the ’tree of emotional conflict’, the ‘platform of romantic uncertainty’ provides the backdrop for Sir Richard’s proposal of marriage to Mary which is a declaration that really feels like it should come with a series of well-formatted charts. Mary’s heart, however, is still very much with Cousin Matthew. After being counselled by Carson in a type of conversation I cannot imagine her ever having with her father, she is on the verge of coming clean with Matthew. But in the second round of Lavinia vs. Mary, Lavinia declares that she ‘could not go on living’ without Matthew and Mary winds her neck in. 

Also having a romantic entanglement this episode is Edith. Drake, previously of dropsy fame, has lost his farm hands and Edith turns up to offer her help in a wildly unsuitable trouser and heeled boot combo. But she soon gets down to it by pulling up a tree stump and flirting in a barn whilst a rather lovely border collie looks on (I’m currently trying to talk myself out of getting a border collie and this incident has done nothing to help things). After showing Drake that she can drink from a bottle like literally every single other human on the planet, the two share a kiss and some highly awkward dialogue that only slightly resembles ‘Carry on Downton’. 

Whilst Edith is more than happy to crack on in a barn, Mr Molesley is much more backwards about coming forwards. Apparently having predicted the creation of ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society’, he figures that a book is the perfect kindling for romance when you exist in a glossy depiction of the past. Sadly neither Elizabeth nor her German garden can lure Anna from Bates who is fast shaping up to be schrodinger’s boyfriend. Anna proceeds to make some odd analogy where she compares Mr Bates to her moon-based child, revealing a rather unhealthy amount of codependency in that particular relationship. 

Romantic declaration of the moment 

Again, it feels like anyone but Sybil and Branson should get this but I am an agent of chaos and here we are. Branson defends Sybil’s will to work and has ample opportunity to see her shine in her chosen field. The admission that she will not be returning to her old life is a little chink of light that Branson basks in. 

Expressive eyebrow of the week 

I nominate Carson’s entire face when he realises that he has taken on too much and goes an impressive shade of red. As Carson frets about spoons, sauce, and something I can’t quite fathom, he starts to resemble a man who is re-arranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. Carson’s battle to get a cork out of a bottle and knocking into chairs is a warm up to his rather dramatic collapse which is accompanied by a pretty disturbing groan. Sybil springs to action and he is soon efficiently ensconced in his own quarters. 

Wait, what? 

“I got a lot done on the train” Clearly Richard was on a train that was unencumbered with the wifi issues that plague the Pendolino.  

“It takes a good deal more than that to shock me.” Mary’s shock-o-meter is a pretty odd instrument. It is unresponsive to corpses of diplomats but goes into absolute meltdown at the notion that she might have to live in a cottage. 

“Let's hope my reputation will survive it.” I’ve not checked (and I categorically never will) but I would put money on the fact that someone has created a rarepair out of this. 

“How can Matthew have chosen that little blonde piece?” Is Lavinia blonde? Women’s hair is not really my forte but I would have thought she was more akin to Tim Minchin than 1998 Justin Timberlake. 

“I believe in this war. I believe in what we are fighting for.” William seems to have a better grip on what all of this is about than I ever did in high school history. The ‘A’ that eluded me is heading his way. 

“I thought he might've died for love of you.” How I love snipey Thomas. It’s good to have him back. To borrow a quote from Bottas (another man who is currently living a life in which his destiny is his own demise) ‘traditions’. 

“Fold it in, don’t slap it” The more season two goes on, the more I think that Moira is just an amalgamation of some choice elements of Julian’s kingdom. 

#downton abbey #Downton #downton rewatch #Downton movie #downton abbey movie #thomas barrow #tom branson #edward courtenay #sybil branson #Mary Crawley #lady mary #Matthew Crawley #lavinia swire #Charles Carson #edith crawley #elsie hughes #Mrs Patmore #daisy mason #william mason #anna bates #john bates

[butwhyduh]

Air bubble

Featuring all the batboys and batdad.

Probably came from the fact that I was genuinely trapped in a house with a propane tank for a heater that could have killed me at any point for a week with no water, electricity, car, or phone and dwindling food supply as tree branches crashed on my roof and porch loudly as I hoped it wouldn’t kill me during a once in a lifetime snowstorm.

Also probably triggery. Water, darkness, claustrophobia, blood.

Tim toook a deep breath and observed his situation. He was in a basement. He wasn’t hurt. Drug runners had filled up ice chests with crack that would be sold to the poorest area of Gotham soon. Dick was there with him. But the ceiling had collapsed as a small propane tank in the floor above burst.

Was it a bomb?

Was it an accident?

More importantly, where was Dick?

“Nightwing?” He called out. There was shuffling and a groan. Tim dug in his utility belt and pulled out a glow stick. “Nightwing? Call out!”

“Here,” came a pained voice from across the room. Tim got up carefully and walked over to check on Dick. He was sitting on a workbench. A piece of rebar was stuck in his calf and there was a small pool of blood around it. Dick had a pale pained look on his usually glowing tanned face.

“I’m gonna- I’m going to check for more injuries,” Tim said after pressing both of their emergency buttons. The comms didn’t work down there. Dick nodded roughly. Tim looked at Dixk from the top down. His assessment found a nasty bruise on the chin, one broken finger, rebar in the left calf and Dick moaned when Tim pressed on his other leg. There was probably a break.

“I’m going to look for something to wrap your ankle up with,” Tim said. He moved back to the middle of the room before he felt cold. Cold water poured into his boot and Tim gasped. He looked down to see 2 foot of water that he had missed while on the bench.

“There’s water coming in here from somewhere. Just keep pressure on your leg and I’ll find the water leak to stop it,” Tim said. Dick made a little sound of agreement. He didn’t tell Dick that he had no idea where the leak came from or how to stop a massive leak like this one. It must have been a main line.

“Wow, that’s uh... fast there Timbo,” Dick said. Tim felt almost frantic. Dick was never the type to panic. Okay, breathe normal, find the leak.

“I’m going to find it,” Tim said. He did find it about a minute later. About waist high was a pipe that had burst. Water bubbles out quickly. Tim didn’t have to be a genius to know that this water was going to quickly fill the room and kill them. He looked for anything to slow or stop the flow.

The glow stick wasn’t great for visibility and it took a few minutes of digging to find anything. The water was just below the table Dick was sitting on and Tim was thigh deep. He didn’t want to think about what was in there.

A flexible piece of plastic sat on a workbench and Tim had no idea what it was but he might be able to slow or stop that water for a while. Hopefully their emergency trackers were working. Tim went back over to the pipe and wrapped it tightly. He was soaking wet when he was done.

Dick had part of his ass and legs underwater by the time Tim wadded back over to him. Thank god Tim wore boots rather than the flexible shoes Dick wore because he was pretty sure his feet would have been cut up by the debris otherwise.

“Hey Timbo, you did good,” Dick said with a grimace. Tim climbed up to sit beside them. They both shivered a little. Neither of their suits were water proof or heated. Dick wrapped an arm around Tim to warm him a little more.

“Batman should be here soon. He’ll be here,” Dick said. He was calmer than he felt. Both he and Tim were shivering as the water slowly filled the room. It was hip high on Dick now. Tim didn’t even want to think about the nasty water getting into his poor leg. It must have hurt terribly.

There was movement in the ceiling. They both looked up in the darkness. Tim hadn’t even thought of the possibility that there was more propane tanks that could explode until that moment. In fact, now that he thought about it there was some canisters of some kind. Propane or maybe oxygen. All highly flammable. And that’s not counting any sort of flammable liquid and building material in the room. And 2 men. Trapped.

“Birds! Nightwing! Red Robin! Call out,” came the undeniable voice of Jason Todd. He was almost right above them.

“Down here!” Yelled Tim. “Be careful!”

“Shit! Hold on,” he said and they could hear boards moving. Dust fell on them both. “Be careful. There’s a big piece I’m moving,” Jason yelled. Tim ducked his cap over both him and Dick. A horrible scrapping sound could he heard.

“Stop!” Tim yelled as a support beam wavered. “Wait!”

But Jason didn’t and there was a bone curdling snap and a body fell through the board. Jason lands on his side in the water before flinging himself upright. The water was almost waist high on the big man. He groaned and pulled out a proper waterproof flashlight. He looked at Tim and Dick.

“What the hell is with the water?” He asked, scanning around before flashing on the pipe. The water was again gurgling around it. The piece of plastic was bent and freely let the water flow. “I’m going to stop it.”

He walked through the water and groaned about halfway across before continuing. Tim looked up to see and opening. It was big enough for people to get through but the wood around it was so unstable there was no way to climb it.

“Did you get our location out before you fell, Jaybird,” Dick said quietly.

“Well... no,” Jason admitted as he wrestled the plastic back over the pipe. “But my tracker is still working. Should be,” he added.

Dick sighed quietly. Jadon wadded back over to them. Tim noticed a notable limp.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing. What’s wrong with dickface?” Jason said shinning his light through the water. “Jesus,” he said and Tim couldn’t tell if it was because of the red tinged water or the rebar impalement.

“Not as painful as it looks,” Dick said Jason all but rolled his eyes.

“Dickolas, I know that’s horribly painful,” Jason said. “I’m going to look for a way out. You’re losing blood and both of you are freezing.”

He started moving in the space, his limp still present. Tim climbed down to join him. Dick adjusted his seat as the water was waist high and made a little strangled moan he tried to cover. Tim gave Jason a knowing look. Dick was in a ton of pain and wasn’t climbing out on his own.

“I found something!” Tim said, pulling out a life vest. He wadded over to Dick and started putting it on him

“Wait, why me?” Dick resisted.

“You’re hurt. Don’t be a hero right now,” Tim said. Dick sighed and slid it on.

A few seconds later the plastic on the pipe was ripped off by the force of water and it swelled to chest high on Tim. He gulped. Jason inhaled quickly and his eyes flashed green.

He wasn’t trapped. He wasn’t trapped. They were getting out. He wasn’t dying an a fucking exploded warehouse again.

“You okay, Jason?” Dick asked. The water was almost to his arm pit. He was shivering pretty strongly.

“Yeah. That’s the only vest so me and replacement will have to swim soon. Ironic really,” Jason said coming over to the pair. “Waiting on Batman and Robin to save the day.”

“Let’s hope they get here quick. The water’s moving pretty fast,” Dick said. Jason looked to see it over his shoulders and Dick was floating slightly in the vest.

“Help me get him up,” Jason said climbing on the table. He and Tim got on either side of their older brother and pulled him up. Dick made a gasping moan at the pain. They held him up and he panted with closed eyes for a minute.

“Okay if we’re stuck in here, we’ll go to the hole and we’ll push Dick through first. Then you get out and go find help,” Jason said.

“We’re not leaving you,” Dick protested.

“I outweigh you by a good 20 lbs and replacement? 50 or more. There’s no way that the boards will hold me or that he could pull me out. Nope. I’m well fucked in here,” Jason said. The water was once again waist high on him and chest high on Tim.

“If we toss our trackers out the hole, do you think they’ll get signal?” Dick asked. Tim thought for a second.

“Can’t hurt to try.”

“Give me,” Jason said and Tim stared at him.

“Why are you going to throw it?”

“Better aim. Come on. We have one chance,” Jason said, waving his open hand at the pair. Tim glared at him.

“I’m only doing this because I have to hold Dick up,” he said slapping his tracker in Jason’s hand.

“Rude,” Dick said groaning as he grabbed his and give it to Jason, who quickly tossed them both up to the ground floor.

Dick was wavering in pain at this point. Tim was almost up to his neck in water. Jason was a hair from a pit fueled panic attack. They really were well fucked. And just as Tim thought this, a wave of more water splashed in their face and his feet no longer touched the ground when his head was underwater. They were maybe 3 or 4 feet from the ceiling where hopefully help was on the way. Tim pulled off his cape quickly and Jason had lost his helmet a while before.

“Okay,” Dick said and he was on his tip toes with the water lapping at his chin. He was panting and thank god for the vest because he certainly couldn’t keep swimming.

“Yeah, not a fan,” said Jason. He felt the water on his neck and it felt suffocating. He kicked off his heavy boots. He’d drown in the damn things.

“At least you aren’t swimming,” Tim said, treading water. He could swim for a while but it wasted so much energy and he had already been in an explosion after a full patrol.

Another wave of water came over them and Dick and Jason were also unable to stay on their feet. Jason angrily treaded water and Dick simply floated with the life vest. It was more complicated for both Jason and Tim as they had to continuously grab Dick so he wouldn’t be pushed against the wall with the current.

“Replacement,” Jason started.

“Really? You still call me that?” Tim said with a frown.

“Yeah, I’m trying to be like sentimental,” Jason said. “Look, if this shit gets too high, cuz I’m not floating here forever, fucking shoot me.”

“Why would I shoot you??” Tim asked. Dick made a confused groan.

“Because Dickie is sentimental. I tried to kill you. You kill me. We’re even.”

“That’s not how it works,” Tim started.

“No one is shooting anyone. Just shut up,” Dick said with a whimper as he straightened his leg. “Rebar is a son of a gun.”

“Yeah,” Jason said with a nod.

They floated for a few minutes silently before Tim sighed. His natural thinness and added muscles made him at a disadvantage to floating in water and it was tiring to continuous swim. Jason was having similar issues but had a higher energy reserve.

“Tim, are you okay?” Dick asked noticing his issues. Tim looked at him with a confused look. He was handling it.

“I’m fine,” he said and Jason rolled his eyes. Of course the kid was willing to die just like the rest of the family.

“Come here,” Dick said and Tim swam over.

“Do you need anything?”

“Lean back,” Dick said and Tim confusedly complied. Dick slid him back into floating on his back, reminding Tim of swim class when he was a kid. It did give his body a needed break and Dick wasn’t having trouble floating.

“No offense, but I’d rather you shoot me before I float in your arms, Dickard,” Jason said slyly.

“You know what,” Tim said with an irritation in his voice. Jason’s eyebrows rose. The kid was usually pretty meek around him. “To hell with you. I’m not drowning.”

“Wow, Drake. That’s such a good look. In fact you all look amazing,” A voice from above said before a camera flashed. Tim quickly started swimming again. “Father, they fell in a wet hole.”

“There are so many jokes in there. Dick, I’m disappointed you haven’t said any of them,” Jason said. “He threw a home run pitch.”

“He’s a kid. Plus, that’s what she said is low hanging fruit,” Dick answered quietly.

“That was on purpose, wasn’t it? You just added on right?”

“Alright boys,” came the gravelly voice of Batman. “Hang in there and I’ll send a rope down one at a time. Okay? And uh... Red Robin? I can’t wait to see your water aerobics back at the pool.”

“Even you? It’s to prevent leg cramps!” Tim protested.

“First harness down,” Batman said. Tim and Jason strapped in Dick. He was looking so tired. He practically hung on the ropes as he was pulled up. A piece of the roof fell close to Tim and Jason after Dick was out. Jason cursed and Tim shivered.

“We have to reattach it to another spot,” Damian called down. Jason practically growled.

“Okay,” Tim called and his voice was tired. Both were getting close to exhaustion. A few minutes went by and the water steadily rose. By this point, Tim was impressed that the basement was that waterproofed. Was it a pool?

Damian’s face appeared above them both and the rope was sent down again. Jason pushed it towards Tim who looked at him confused.

“Get out of here, kid,” he said not unkindly.

“But you hate being trapped,” Tim said. Jason sighed again.

“Yeah, well I might pull the whole damn thing down. And you’re shit at treading water. Just go before I change my mind,” Jason said before basically putting the harness on Tim.

“Okay. Fine,” Tim said, relenting. He was pulled up next.

There was a loud crack and the room started filling even faster with bubbly rough water. Jason was practically shoved against the wall. He cursed loudly as a shelf cut his back. He could touch the ceiling and grabbed it and pulled himself closer to the middle. His arms strained against the flooding water. His breaths came out in fast huffs and he tried to not think.

He was trapped in a flooding room, alone, in the dark. He could practically feel the green coming out of his eyes and he growled. Panic was starting to rise as well. He was going to fucking drown.

“Okay, last one,” Damian said and the rope was thrown down. It was pushed against the wall across the room with the current and Jason growled another curse. He pulled him along the roof that was now almost scraping his head in spots to grab the rope. The water touched his lips as his head touched the roof before finally being pulled up. He could hear the other men grown in effort of pulling his weight against the current trying to pull him under. The roof groaned and shook but held as he was unceremoniously dropped on the ground.

Jason coughed a few times before a foil blanket was wrapped around his shoulder. He looked up to see Tim placing it. Jason scanned the room to see Dick sitting on a chunk of concrete with a tourniquet on his lower leg. Blood stained his leg and a small puddle. Jason got up quickly.

He wavered on his feet and Tim grabbed him. Jason almost snarled at the younger bat but the black spots in his vision had him sitting down.

“We need to leave,” he said. “Dick...”

“Robin is bringing the car around to get you both,” Tim said. Jason nodded. Tim helped him up and despite, or maybe because, Dick laughed at the sight of Red Robin helping Red Hood into the batmobile back seat that Robin was driving. The bigger man almost bent them both over with his weight. Dick’s laughter was cut short when Batman picked him up and he had to resist the urge to scream.

Dick drifted out of consciousness as they were driven to the cave. And when he was carried to the table in the med bay, he promptly passed out. Jason was feeling better and his feeling of terror had started to calm. He was tempted to leave but Alfred practically shoved him into a bed too. At least he’d be there after Dr Leslie’s surgery on Dick’s leg. Tim and Damian came in the cave riding on Tim’s bike arguing and almost fighting before falling silent when seeing Dick unconscious.

A few hours later, Dr Leslie came to talk to the family about Dick’s surgery.

“It went well. He’ll be sleeping for a few hours. Stitches in the muscle and of course skin that it went through. Luckily no bone. 6 weeks and 2 months of physical therapy to be expected. This isn’t your first rodeo,” she said with a smile before leaving.

Alfred assessed the other boys and declared them all exhausted and Jason needed a few butterfly bandages for an injury he’d gotten earlier in the night. Finally safe and warm, he slept for 12 hours straight.

#fns #Friday night fear #batboy fanfic #Tim drake #dick Grayson #Jason todd #Damian Wayne #Bruce Wayne #whomp #Tim drake angst #dick Grayson angst #jason todd angst #damian wayne angst #Bruce Wayne angst #dick grayson whump #tim drake whump #Jason todd whump #Damian Wayne whump #Bruce Wayne whump

[beifongsss]

playing with fire pt. 3 [sokka]

Pairing: Sokka x reader

Summary: You’re a Fire Nation citizen who saves Sokka and Katara from some angry villagers. Aang “convinces” you to come along with them, finding your knowledge of the nation useful. Not everything is smooth sailing though as both Water Tribe siblings have their doubts about you.

this will be a series :D this is during return to omashu!!

w.c.~3.0k

prologue. one. two.

.masterlist.

this was a really dull chapter i’m sorry,,, it was more just to introduce Azula.

~

Uneasiness was all you felt as Aang tried to open the sewage tunnel that led into Omashu. 

After leaving the Cave of Two Lovers, you had immediately trekked to Omashu, only to be stopped when you discovered it had been taken over by the Fire Nation. Katara had tried to convince Aang to leave and get away from the city, not wanting any of them to be captured. Aang had refused, stating that this was no longer about finding an earthbending teacher but about finding his friend. 

That’s how you found yourself walking through a sewage tunnel, staying as close as possible to Aang so that you wouldn’t get the sludge all over you. Behind you, Katara was gracefully waterbending the sludge away from her, leaving Sokka to fend for himself. The four of you emerged in the middle of an empty street. It was too quiet, and you found yourself glancing around as your uneasiness increased. 

“That wasn’t as bad as I thought,” Katara said. You all turned to face Sokka, who was wearing a tired expression. Looking around, Katara spotted a barrel of water and bent it at Sokka, washing off all the sludge. Aang then proceeded to dry Sokka off with his airbending, revealing the pentapi that had attached themselves to Sokka’s face.

“Ahh! They won’t come off!” Sokka yelped loudly, trying to pull the little creatures off. Your eyes widened with fear and you ran up to him, covering his mouth with your hands. 

“Be quiet!” you hissed.

“Yeah, stop making so much noise,” Aang said, agreeing with you. “Besides, it’s just a purple pentapus.”

Aang proceeded to tickle the pentapus’s head, causing the animal to separate itself from Sokka’s face. Sokka rubbed at the spot where the pentapus had been attached, smiling dazedly at you as you proceeded to remove the rest of the animals.

“Thank (Y/N),” he whispered as he stood up. The closeness between the two of you made you blush, causing Sokka to smirk lightly as he realized he had been the cause. 

“Hey! What are you kids doing out past curfew?”

You all whirled around to face a group of Fire Nation guards approaching. Carefully, you hid yourself behind Sokka, making sure that the guards wouldn’t be able to see your face. 

“Sorry. We were just on our way home,” Katara said sweetly, shooting the guards an innocent smile. You all turned around to walk away, Sokka making sure that you were in front of him so he was bringing up the rear.

“Wait!” one of the guards called out, causing you all to turn around. He pointed at Sokka. “What’s wrong with him?”

“Uh, he has pentapox, sir,” Katara said, a panicked look on her face. “Um, it’s highly contagious.”

“Oh, it’s so awful” Sokka groaned, collapsing against you and wrapping an arm around your shoulder. “I’m dying!”

“And deadly,” Katara added, a grimace on her face. 

“Hey, I think I heard of pentapox!” the other guard whispered. “Didn't your cousin Chang die of it?”

“We'd better go wash our hands, and burn our clothes,” the first guard replied. The two of them glanced at your group before running away. 

“Thank you, sewer friends,” Aang said brightly, causing Sokka to scowl at him. The four of you walked off into the city, being careful to stay quiet. Sokka’s arm stayed around your shoulders, pulling you closer to him as you wandered around. 

“Let’s find Bumi and get out of here,” Katara stated, looking around uncomfortably as you all walked along a construction site. 

“Where would they be keeping him?” Sokka asked.

“Somewhere he can't earthbend,” Aang replied quietly. “Somewhere made of metal.”

The four of you stood in place for a moment, looking out at the city. You felt overwhelmed for a moment, the task of finding King Bumi seemed a lot more daunting now that you had a full view of the city. Aang began to walk again, lost in his thoughts. You heard a faint rumbling and looked up, seeing huge balls of earth plummeting down towards the family walking down below.

“Aang, look!” you yelped, drawing the Air Nomad’s attention towards the chunks of earth. With a swipe of his staff, the rocks broke apart, the debris falling down to the street below. 

“The resistance!” the older woman cried out, pointing at the four of you fearfully. A series of sharp arrow-like knives were flung your way, causing Sokka to yelp as he ducked and began to pull you away. 

Your hand slipped out of his as you ran to pick up one of the little knives. Katara used her water to get rid of the guards but she was unable to knock the girl down before she reached them. You began to run, making sure that everyone was safely in front of you. Katara put up an ice wall but the girl jumped over it and landed gracefully, only to be blown back by a strong gust of air from Aang. The girl regained her balance and aimed a throwing star at Aang, letting it go without hesitation. You drew your sword and threw yourself in front of Aang, blocking the throwing star with your blade. You made eye contact with the girl, your eyes widening slightly when you recognized her. It was Mai.

“(Y/N),” she whispered, looking from you to Aang. Her eyes widened briefly before she composed herself, aiming three more arrows at the two of you. You readied yourself to deflect those as well, backing away slowly with Aang as you waited for her to strike. She let the knives fly a second later ,the ground falling out from under you just as they reached you. You gasped when you felt one of the knives graze your arm, the sudden darkness making it impossible for you to assess the damage. 

The four of you found yourselves in a large tunnel, a large group of people standing around. 

“So, is King Bumi with you guys? Is he leading the resistance?” Aang asked, starting a conversation with Yung, one of the men who had saved you. Sokka pulled you aside as he noticed the blood on your arm, grabbing Katara as well. Noticing the blood, Katara’s eyes widened and she immediately opened her water skin. She eyed you warily as she began to heal the cut.

“So, that girl seemed to recognize you,” Katara hummed, ignoring Sokka’s glare. “How?”

“That was Mai,” you replied quietly, shaking your head at Sokka. Katara was right to be wary. “She’s the daughter of a Fire Nation nobleman. We both attended the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. We used to be friends, before I ran. She’s the best knife thrower I know; she’s dangerously accurate with her knives. Trust me, she missed me on purpose.”

Katara stared at you for a moment, seeing nothing but the truth in your eyes. Slowly, she nodded, putting her water away before straightening. “It’s all healed. Be a little more careful next time, okay?”

You followed her lead, straightening up and facing Aang just in time to catch the tail end of his speech 

“...you can’t win. Now’s the time to retreat, so you can live to see another day,” he said confidently, looking out at all the rebels. The men who had saved you looked at Aang in surprise before looking at each other uneasily. 

“You don't understand. They've taken our home, and we have to fight them at any cost!” Yung said, waving his hands around to enunciate. 

“I don’t know Yung,” another man replied quietly. “Living to fight another day is starting to sound pretty good to me.”

“Yeah!” another resistance member cried out, stepping forward. “I’m with the kid!”

Yung looked around the room, taking in the tired faces of the resistance members. Sighing, he turned back to Aang. “Fine. But there's thousands of citizens that need to leave. How're we going to get them all out?”

It went silent for a moment before Sokka stepped forwards, a wide smile on his face as he spoke. “Suckers!”

The room went silent as everyone stared at Sokka. Katara arched an eyebrow as she stared at her brother, wondering what was going on in his brain.

“You’re all about to come down with a nasty case of pentapox,” Sokka added, a smirk spreading across his face.

~

A purple pentapus sat in your hand as you stared at it uncertainly. It stared back at you, occasionally blinking. Sighing, you placed it upon your skin before picking up a few more, letting them suction themselves to your face and arms. You sat in silence for a few minutes, waiting for the red marks to form before you attempted to remove the little animals. 

“Need some help?” Sokka asked softly, coming to a stop next to you. You glanced up at him, seeing a small smile spread across his face as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. 

“Please,” you muttered in reply, looking at the pentapi uncomfortably. 

“Not a fan of animals?” Sokka asked, picking up one of your arms and removing the little purple creatures. 

“Not when I can feel their suckers moving on my skin,” you said, shuddering slightly. Whether it was from the pentapi or from Sokka’s gentle touch, you weren’t sure. He chuckled at your words, finishing up with your arm and moving onto the other one. A comfortable silence enveloped the two of you as he finished with your other arm, his hand coming to cup your face as he began to remove the pentapi you had put there. You avoided his gaze, knowing that looking into his bright blue eyes would just make you more flustered than you already were. The close proximity between the two of you made your head spin, your thoughts racing as you remembered what had happened in the Cave of Two Lovers. 

“There, all done,” Sokka said, tossing the last pentapus back in the water. His hand didn’t leave your face and you felt him tilt your chin up so you were making eye contact with him. You breath hitched as you stared into his eyes and you resisted the urge to blush as his gaze dropped to your lips.

“(Y/N),” he murmured, dragging his gaze back up to your eyes. “About what happened back in the cavern…”

He trailed off, clearing his throat before continuing. “If the badgermoles hadn’t burst in, would you have let me continue?”

“Yes,” you whispered almost instantly. Much like Sokka had done back in the cavern, you thought back on all the time you had spent together. Sokka was always sweet and respectful, listening to you talk about your feelings and either wrapping you up in a hug or telling you exactly what you needed to hear afterwards. The more you thought about him, the faster your heart raced. You knew all about his insecurities and his habits, especially after all the time you spent absentmindedly studying him as you lounged around the current campsite together. You knew that if the badgermoles hadn’t interrupted your moment, you would’ve kissed him back eagerly. 

Sokka’s eyebrows shot up in surprise before a self-satisfied smirk spread across his face. You rolled your eyes at his expression, a smile tugging at the corner of your lips as well. He brought his other hand to yours, intertwining your fingers as he leaned in slightly. “So, if I were to do it again right now, would you stop me?”

You shook your head softly, your breath hitching in your throat as Sokka tugged on your hand to bring you in closer. You moved forward willingly, placing your free hand on Sokka’s chest to steady yourself as he leaned in. 

“Are you guys ready?”

The two of you sprung apart before turning to face Aang, who was looking at the two of you with wide eyes.

“Oh,” Aang said quietly, looking at your still intertwined hands before looking away and trying to fight a smirk. “Just wanted to let you guys know that we’re ready to proceed with the plan!”

“Great! Let’s go,” you said, avoiding Aang’s knowing look as you began to walk towards the others. Sokka walked up to Aang once you were gone, his eyes narrowing as he glared at the Air Nomad. Aang simply gave him a cheeky grin and shrugged.

“There’s always a next time!” Aang chirped before sprinting away, ignoring Sokka as he yelled at him to come back. 

~

Sokka’s plan had worked perfectly. Well… almost perfectly. 

All of the citizens had been successfully released from Omashu, but they soon discovered that there was a stowaway in their midst. A two year old Fire Nation baby now rested in your arms as Aang retrieved the note from the messenger hawk that had just landed. He read through it briefly, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise as he did so.

“What?” you asked cautiously, watching Aang’s expression. 

“It's from the Fire Nation governor. He thinks we kidnapped his son,” Aang said, sitting back down next to the campfire. “So...he wants to make a trade. His son for King Bumi.”

The rest of the night was quiet, each of you thinking about the message that had arrived. You and Katara had been on baby duty all night and by the time day came around, you were absolutely exhausted. The three of you followed Aang as he approached the city, holding the baby carefully.

“You do realize this is a trap right?” Sokka asked skeptically. Katara nodded in agreement.

“I don't think so. I'm sure the governor wants his son back as much as we want Bumi,” Aang said, a big smile on his face. “It's a new day. I have a good feeling about this.”

“I don’t think that the governor would try anything,” you remarked quietly, avoiding Sokka’s gaze as you arrived at the location where you were to meet the governor. “Now while we have his son. He wouldn’t harm-”

You cut yourself off as you caught sight of the three figures approaching. Even with the distance between the two of you, you could recognize the girl in the middle. Azula.

Azula’s golden eyes landed on you, widening slightly before they narrowed. A smirk spread across her face as she stalked forwards, Mai and Ty Lee coming to a stop a few feet behind her.

“(Y/N)? Is that you?” Azula called out, her tone playful yet threatening. “I never thought I’d see you again.”

“(Y/N)? You okay?” Aang asked worriedly, noticing the way you had frozen to your spot. 

“Y-Yeah. Listen, change of plans,” you hissed, your eyes never leaving Azula. “Sokka was right, this is a trap. I wouldn’t put anything past her. Keep them busy, I’ll go get Appa. We need to get out of here. Now.”

Aang gave you a firm nod, watching you as you hopped off the scaffolding. You sprinted through the city, desperate to get to Appa before anything bad happened to your friends. A squeak escaped you when you felt something land on your shoulder. Your eyes met large green ones and you sighed in relief before feeling something wet on the side of your face.

“Momo! Appa!” you cried out, patting the sky bison to get him to stop licking you. You scrambled up and took the reins, guiding Appa towards the construction site. “Yip yip, Appa. We need to go help Aang!”

The construction site was pure chaos by the time you arrived. You could faintly see Katara fighting Mai and Ty Lee while Aang and Azula closed in on who you could only assume to be King Bumi. 

“(Y/N), Appa! Over here!”

Appa groaned before following the voice, landing in front of Sokka. He climbed into the saddle as quickly as he could, gently placing the baby down before leaning over the edge of the saddle. “We’ve got to help Katara!”

“On it,” you replied, guiding Appa towards the scaffolding. You watched Ty Lee creep closer to Katara, getting ready to strike. 

“Katara, watch out!” you cried a second too late, watching with a panicked expression as Ty Lee chi-blocked the girl. Mai crept closer, ready to strike as well. Katara tried to bend the water that had fallen, panicking when she realized she no longer could. 

“How are you going to fight without your bending?” Mai taunted, readying her knives. You leapt up from your place, ready to literally throw yourself into the fight. You were stopped when Sokka’s boomerang hit Mai, knocking her weapon out of her hand.

“I seem to manage!” he called out, catching his boomerang when it returned. You chuckled at his words before guiding Appa down slowly. Katara climbed into the saddle as Appa slammed his tail on the scaffolding, sending the two girls over the edge. You guided Appa away from the construction sight, keeping your eyes peeled for Aang and King Bumi. You were silent as Katara and Sokka spoke to one another, making sure that Tom-Tom was okay. 

Aang joined you soon enough, telling you that Bumi had chosen to stay behind and had told him to find an earthbending teacher who waits and listens before attacking; whatever that meant. After returning Tom-Tom to his parents, the four of you set off on Appa, ready to search for Aang’s mysterious earthbending teacher.

~

Back in Omashu, Princess Azula was ready to leave, Ty Lee and Mai at her side.

“So, we're tracking down your brother and Uncle, huh?” Mai asked dully, keeping her eyes forward. 

“It'll be interesting seeing Zuko again, won't it, Mai?” Ty Lee teased, looking over at the quiet girl. She simply looked to the side, trying to hide her smile. 

“It's not just Zuko and Iroh anymore.” Azula snapped, an irritated expression on her face. “We have another target now.”

Silence fell upon the three girls and they were left to wonder if Azula was referring to the Avatar or to (Y/N).

~

taglist!

atla: @musicalkeys, @mywigglybaby​, @bubblebars​, @iguessthefloorislava​, @dekahg​, @boxofteenageideas​, @bottledcostcowater​, @butterflycore​, @coldlilheart​, @the-firebender-girl​, @ajediherowitchrunner​, @lammello​, @astroninaaa​, @samsmultifandomblogs​, @sadskater25, @oddment-niwit-blubber-tweak​, @eternallyvenus​, @emberislandplayers​, @sunflowerazula​

pwf: @ilovespideyyy​, @binaryssunsets​, @a----rag​, @existing-but-nonexistent​, @milk-n-cheese​, @itsthatsadbitch​, @nin-tendou​, @honey-ruel​, @reclusive-chicken-nugget​, @teenbiology​, @davnwillcome​, @fandomarchiveilyd​, @minninugget​, @sukifans​, @nugget-barnes​, @vintageroses1014516​, @donteatmycookiesplease​

#sokka x reader #atla sokka x reader #sokka #atla sokka #avatar #avatar: tla #avatar: the last airbender #avatar x reader #aang #katara #zuko #prince zuko #fire lord zuko #toph #toph beifong #azula #mai #ty lee #atla x reader #avatar imagine #atla imagine #sokka imagine