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#figured it happens long enough ago it didn’t need a spoiler warning
writer-in-theory · 1 month
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you're gonna go far, love — spencer reid.
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“I’ve been ready for you to come home for so long that I didn’t think to ask you where you’d gone.” —Noah Kahan (Orange Juice)
Summary: After Spencer relapses, he takes the first flight out of Virginia with no plan other than to get a fresh start. Or, my take on where he was for Evolution. Pairing: Spencer Reid x Gn!Reader (not the focus, but it's there) Category: Hurt/Comfort WC: 2k Content Warnings: Discussions of relapse, Mentions of alcohol, Slight spoiler for the ending of Evolution S1 (despite the fact I still haven't finished it myself) Notes: This is for the New Beginnings challenge hosted by @imagining-in-the-margins and based on a prompt from @foxy-eva , so thank you so much to you lovely people. This fic comes 2 years after my last CM fic, and a few months since I've written anything at all, so thank you for the inspiration 💜
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Spencer booked the first flight out of Virginia five days after it happened. 
The person at the counter may have said the destination, but it floated straight past his ears and was carried far away. Within hours, everything he’d spent the past two decades building was left thirty thousand feet below him. 
Emily would be hurt. Everyone would be, as each of them heard the news as they one-by-one came into the office tomorrow. But it would be Emily, who was the first to notice the cracks in his once carefully crafted facade all those years ago, who would feel the most betrayed by his sudden escape. 
You should’ve at least said goodbye.
It was what Spencer had been most upset by when Emily had faked her death. After everything they’d been through together, after all of the joy they brought into each others’ incredibly stressful lives, all Spencer had needed was the chance to say goodbye and know that she was out there, somewhere, happy. 
Hopefully, she’d understand why he had to leave now, though. 
Everyone in the BAU had figured out by now that the Spencer Reid who walked out of prison was not the same as the one who’d first stepped into it. Some piece of him—and even now, he wasn’t sure how large that piece was—had been laid bare and morphed beyond even his own recognition. The loss of that part of him ached in the way that losing a loved one did, that sharp stabbing sort of ache that would appear so suddenly that he didn’t know how to handle it. 
There was no way to explain it to the rest of the team, though, no matter how supportive they tried to be. The fact was that none of them had ever nor would ever go through what he exactly had, and for not the first time in his life, Spencer began to feel like a rip current was sweeping him away from the steadiness of shore. 
It wasn’t until he was far enough away from shore that he couldn’t see the relief of the sands that his mind recalled that he’d been prescribed painkillers several months prior. 
It wasn’t the same as what Tobias Hankel had given him so many years ago, nor was it the alternatives he’d managed to find in the months after, but it was devastatingly similar enough that he’d tried to convince the emergency room doctor not to order it in the first place. ‘Pick it up anyway, just in case. No one can recover from a gunshot wound without pain relief.’ 
He’d almost flushed the amber bottle’s contents the day he’d gotten them, but the bone-deep feeling that had eased with time but never truly gone away kept him from fully eliminating that option from his life. Why should one thing that had happened to him years ago deny him proper pain relief now, should he need it? So they’d sat untouched, locked away in his gun safe for months. 
Until five days ago.
After well over a decade in recovery, Spencer knew this was always a possibility. He’d seen friends go through the same thing and had been there to support them in whatever ways he could because no matter how many times it happened the initial feelings of shock, shame, and overbearing grief could be just as overwhelming as the first. 
A day after, when he’d woken up and realized just what had occurred, Spencer had walked himself to the nearest NA meeting. Like he was on auto-pilot, he moved through every piece of advice he had gathered through the years—the stories of success and the stories of forced learning serving as guides to him. It wasn’t the first time Spencer had relapsed (a word that still struck fear in him to even think about), nor would it likely be the last time he was forced to confront this part of his past. 
Still, this was the first time Spencer walked out of the building, packed a bag, and made a silent escape from the city he called home. There was something different about this time, though he had no idea where to even begin considering the specifics of why.
He ended up in Cincinnati, Ohio.
In all the years he’d been with the BAU, they’d never once been called there. It was like every other city Spencer had been in in many ways—the buildings towering above him as he walked, the river that bordered the city mirroring the home he’d just left, even down to the FBI headquarters that was quiet now in the middle of the night. Still, he couldn’t help but feel as though it were completely separate from everything he’d known before, because the melancholy Spencer had been sitting in for the last five days had suddenly turned comforting amongst the atmosphere of the city.
He ended up in a bar, of all places. It was the kind that only served nonalcoholic drinks, the kind of place where people like him could sit without feeling outside of the norm. Music was playing softly in the background, and though it was busy there was only a gentle rumble of conversation in the room.
“You’re staring at that glass like it’ll kill you. It’s safe, Scout’s honor.” The teasing voice surprised Spencer out of the careful contemplation he’d fallen into. It came from the bartender, who was busying themselves with wiping down a few glasses, stood just on the other side of the bar in front of him.
“You know, that only works if you were actually a scout,” Spencer returned, though raised the glass to his lips after. It was sweet—a little too sweet by his standards, though it was a comfort now after the week he’d had.
“I won’t tell if you don’t,” the bartender said back. They looked comfortable here, like this sober bar were an extension of their own home. At one time, the BAU office had been the same for him. “You look like you could use a friendly face, and that just happens to be my favorite part of the job.”
“Part of the job…?”
“Oh you know, bartenders are the therapists for the lonely, or something like that.” They were comfortable, and more open to an effective stranger than Spencer ever thought possible. It was refreshing in a way, to be able to talk with them without having to worry about what case information he could get out of them. It wasn’t often, anymore, that he could relax and talk to someone just to talk to them. “What brings you to the Queen City?”
“I moved here,” Spencer answered automatically, looking down sheepishly at his glass before adding, “today, actually.”
“Oh, congrats then. New job?”
“More like a new start.”
It was quiet for only a moment before the bartender asked in a softer voice, “How long had it been?”
Spencer almost asked them what they meant, until he met their gaze. They had their full attention on him now, glasses left abandoned on the inner part of the bar. They’d been kind from the start, but the look they gave him now was the sort of pure understanding that made Spencer realize all at once what they were referring to.
“How did you know?”
The bartender sighed, though there was no sadness to it at all. They pulled something from their pocket, sliding it gently across the bar so Spencer could see. A metallic chip was place between them, silver on the outside and filled in with a green-blue color and a “V” engraved in the middle of it. It was different from the ones he’d used, but he recognized the meaning of it all the same. 
“I opened this place because the day I relapsed, five years ago now, I’d had nowhere to go after. There wasn’t anywhere people like us could go and relax without having to answer the tough questions, like why I drank orange juice instead of ‘what all the other adults were drinking’. It seemed silly at the time, but I think I was just looking for somewhere I could feel normal.”
“My family were the ones who helped me get sober, and sometimes they still forget and will ask me why I’m not drinking.” Spencer returned the sentiment with a light laugh. He loved everyone in the BAU, and even though it had only been a few days he already missed them terribly, but it was nice to have someone there who understood what he was feeling, what he was going through now.
“Exactly!” The bartender said, following Spencer’s lead and letting out a laugh of their own. “Though I can’t say I ever moved to a new city because of it.”
“It was the most impulsive thing I’ve ever done,” Spencer admitted. “I…really needed a fresh start. I needed somewhere noone knew who I was, somewhere I could get a completely different job and…I don’t know, figure out who I am.”
The bartender nodded. “Sounds about right. This family you left behind, are you gonna go back to them?”
“Eventually. We’ve worked together for so many years. I spent more time with them than I’ve actually ever spent alone, and I think I just need…”
“Something new,” the bartender finished, “I’m starting to catch on. What d’you think you’ll do?”
“I’ve always loved teaching. Maybe that?”
“You know, I have some friends who work at UC. Depending on what you wanted to teach, I could see if they could get you an interview.”
“Just like that?” Spencer asked, wondering only briefly if there was going to be a catch somewhere down the line.
The bartender shrugged. “Why not? I never up and moved cities, but I’m no stranger to new beginnings.”
“I wouldn’t recommend moving cities without thinking it through,” Spencer laughed then. “I have no plan for what comes next.”
“Do you have somewhere to stay, at least?”
Spencer only winced, which he was sure was answer enough for them. He was expecting some kind of sympathetic response, but he never expected the bartender to shrug again and say, “Well, how about I be a little impulsive too. I’ve been looking for a new roommate, why don’t you stay tonight and see how it goes?”
“Really?”
“Yeah, sure. You seem decent enough not to be some secret axe-murderer or something.”
Oh, the irony. 
Spencer didn’t really know this person except for the limited conversation they’d had so far. It would’ve been safer, and probably smarter, for him to just find a hotel room for the night and come up with a plan later. But something was telling him that he should agree, that there was something more to this person that he wanted to get to know. 
So not for the first time that day, Spencer trusted his gut and nodded. “Okay, let’s try it.”
It wasn’t a fix for everything. The changes would come slowly, so slowly that sometimes Spencer himself wouldn’t even notice them happening. It would take time to get to a place where Spencer felt okay again, and a large help in that ended up being his new roommate who seemed to just get him in more ways than one. As time went by, Cincinnati truly began to feel like home. 
And two years after he’d left, when Spencer turned on the news and saw the BAU standing before a large crowd as they announced they’d finally caught the serial killer behind the shipping container murders, he finally felt the string tugging him back in the direction of Quantico.
His home was there in Cincinnati, with the person who’d become a friend and even more in the last two years and the professor job that he came to love, but Spencer knew—beyond a shadow of a doubt—that it was time to see his family again, too. 
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scaraaamouche · 1 year
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How he got his vision // Scaramouche x god!reader
✦ Pairing: Scaramouche x god!female!reader (she/her pronouns)
✦ Summary: after his first two betrayals Scaramouche recieves his vision, but what is the story behind it? Did the god really care for him or not?
✦ Warnings: angst, mention of death, inazuma archon quest spoilers, scaramouches real name is used so spoiler for that, more angst, idk what else
✦ A/n: i hurt myself by writing this
✦ Wordcount: 1140
✦ ATTENTION!!! do not copy. translate, remake my work, i do not give you permission to so dont do it. also GIF not mine, credits to the creator.
part 2
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For once Inazuma was calm and silent; perhaps it was the presence of the god that sat on the edge of the cliff, or perhaps it was something else. No one knew but fate. 
Said god stared at the individual as he walked the road below her. His steps lazy and his shoulders and head hanging down from tiredness. The occasional sob rang through the air as tears streamed down his cheeks. 
Eventually the poor boy fell down onto his knees, head held low as he cried loudly. Slowly the god made her way to the boy. He looked up as he heard soft footsteps approaching. 
Before him stood a girl, perhaps not much older than himself. She wore regular yet fancy clothes, a turquoise orb hanging on her hip. And it may have been his own imagination but he swore he felt a cool breeze in his face.
The girl put her hands up in surrender; showing him she wasn't going to hurt him. Slowly she walked towards him, kneeling beside him as she pulled the boy in her arms. Soon his figure melted into her warm embrace as his tears wet her shirt. She held him until his tears slowed down enough for him to talk. 
“Who are you?” he had asked.
The girl gently cupped his face in her hands and brushed his tears away.
“You can call me y/n.” Y/n sat down next to him, “What happened?”
And the boy fell apart again as he told his story. Beginning by the betrayal of his mother, to the last one of his closest friend. Y/n smiled softly as she grabbed onto the air next to them. Something glowing materialized in her hand as she grabbed his own. She laid the object in his palm and closed his fingers around it before standing back up. 
“If you ever need anything, just call out my name.” she whispered before placing a soft kiss on his forehead and disappearing. 
Only later–long after Kunikuzushi opened his hand to find an anemo vision lying in his hand–he realized he had just met the Anemo Archons twin. It took him a long time and lots of hours in multiple libraries to find out everything about the girl. 
He knew his mother had a twin sister–that was one of the things he actually knew about his mother, not the Shogunate–and that they ruled Inazuma after the Archon war, but that she was lost during a horrendous battle. The Anemo Archon and his twin were the same story–minus one being lost in battle. 
He wore his vision with pride. He was proud of it. He had gotten it from the Anemo goddess herself. 
And when his third betrayal happened, Scaramouche called out to the god.
“Y/n… please. Oh mighty goddess.”
It had been late at night when that voice hung in y/n her head. It had been more than a hundred years. 
“I gotta go.” she told her brother and disappearing in a gust of wind. When she reached her destination she saw the boy on his knees again, tears silently falling down his cheeks.
“Please…” his voice rang out again, y/n noticed his anemo vision hanging from his hip, just like her own–even though hers was fake. 
“I’m here, I’m here.” y/n pulled the boy in her arms like she had done a hundred years ago. 
Kunikuzushi didn’t mind it at all, his body relaxed against the goddess. Her body warmth comforted him in a way his mother should have done. Slowly her fingers brushed through his hair as she hummed a soft melody.
“People leave us sometimes. Not everyone is immortal like you and I. Mortals get ill or old, and without proper care they’ll pass on to the next realm sooner than we might like. But it’s their circle of life, and we cannot do anything to stop nature.”
Over the years, y/n had gotten to know more about this boy. She and Yae Miko had been in contact, and the story of how Kunikuzushi was created was told.
“But-”
“Yes, he was too young. But even I cannot change his fate.” 
After a few hours y/n left the boy in his room, tucked into bed and lost in a deep dreamless sleep.
But that wasn’t the end of the boy's misery, he lived through more, encountered stronger and endured more pain. But everytime he called out to his goddess; no sign of a reply returned. And slowly he started believing that his goddess–who had helped him through so much, who promised him to be there for him, who believed in him–had abandoned him too.
But that wasn’t the case. 
Not long after y/n left the boy in his room; she and her brother fell into a deep slumber. Unlike her brother–y/n heard all the prayers sent her way. She was aware of everything. 
She heard Kunikuzushi’s pleas and tears, but she couldn’t do anything. 
Eventually she gave in to the darkness of the slumber and even Kunikuzushi’s pleas were deafened by the darkness. 
Many years later in Inazuma Scaramouche had to do a double take. He stood eye to eye with the famous traveler who was looking for his sister when he felt a soft breeze hit his face. And when he averted his eyes to behind the traveler he stilled, his words stopping as his rage grew bigger.
“You,” he spat. Eyes full of hatred. 
You still had your vision on your hip, your clothes different and more modern to fit this time. Your eyes still held that sweet gaze and your lips that sweet smile.
“Kuni-” you tried calling out his name.
“No, that's not my name. After all these years you finally come back. At the time where I don’t need you, if I may add. I needed you, all those years ago. But I guess I was better off without you bothering me.”
Your voice was long lost as his words rang through you. It felt like acid, or poison. They stung. It hurt.
“Kuni let me explain-” “I already said; that’s not my name. It’s Scaramouche now. And I don’t need your pathetic excuses. I don’t need you anymore.” 
The traveler called out your name, tears streaming down your face by now. With one last look at Kunikuzushi–no Scaramouche–you turned around and took the traveler with you as you disappeared in a gust of wind. 
You dropped the traveler off at Kokomore teahouse before heading to Yae Miko’s residence. 
“You were right, he changed.” you said as you fell to your knees the same way Kunikuzushi had done hundreds of years ago before you helped him. 
Only there was no one to help you now, only his harsh words.
“I don’t need you anymore.”
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i actually really like this- i wrote this at 1 am help AHAAHAH
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musings-of-a-rose · 1 year
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I Never Stopped Loving You
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I Never Stopped Loving You
Pairing: Joel Miller x OFC “Catie”
Word Count: 7700+
Rating: Mature - 18+ ONLY!
Warnings: Just like ao3, “creator chooses not to use warnings.” If you click Keep Reading, that means you agree that you’re the age to handle mature themes. Also by clicking Keep Reading, you understand warnings may not be complete in order to avoid spoilers for the story. 
Notes:  @theewokingdead is such an enabler and I love her for it! This is 100% her idea (I’ll post it at the end). I’m just doing the words!
And yes, this is my first OFC character! 
**If you want to be added to the taglist, join here or let me know!
Main Masterlist
Joel Miller Masterlist
I Never Stopped Loving You Part 2>>
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September 26th, 2013
2 pink lines.
2 little pink lines that will change the entire course of my life from here on out. Not just my life, but his life too.
Joel.
It’s not like we just started dating. It’s been a couple of years, but we hadn’t really brought up the idea of adding another child alongside his Sarah. And yet, here I am, staring down in disbelief at these 2 little pink lines, memories of the night that caused this from a couple weeks ago flashing before my eyes briefly before my brain starts to spiral.
Would he be happy? Mad? Leave me? Feel obligated to marry me? How will Sarah feel?
Before I can spiral more, my phone springs to life, it’s ring loud in my tiny bathroom as it vibrates across the counter. I knew from the ring it was him, but what I didn’t expect was Joel to sound so tired and frustrated.
“Hey baby.”
“Hey, sweetheart.”
“Is that contractor being a dick again?”
He chuckles, low and deep. “How’d you guess?”
“He’s been giving you shit for weeks. I don’t know how you deal with it.”
“Because I need the money. But I’m starting to think it may not be worth it to keep my mouth shut.”
He launches into a story about his day from hell, how the contractor is making everything take 10 times as long as it should. When he finishes, he takes a deep sigh before speaking again.
“You able to check on Sarah?”
“Yeah. She’s doing fine. Ordered a pizza. Sorry I couldn’t hang with her.”
“It’s alright. You feelin’ any better, sweetheart?”
I could tell him now, tell him that my secret suspicion of my nausea over the last several days has been confirmed, but I don’t want to tell him like this. Not over the phone, not when he’s exhausted and frustrated. I’ll tell him when I see him next.
“A little.”
A beep sounds and Joel pauses. “That’s Tommy. I’ll call him back later.”
“No, no. It’s ok, answer it. Just go home and get some sleep.”
“You sure?”
“Positive. See you tomorrow?”
“Definitely, sweetheart. Feel better.”
I feel guilty for not telling him right away, but the timing just isn’t right. Besides, this gives me some time to wrap my own head around it and figure out exactly how to tell him.
—----
Waiting was not a great idea.
I had fallen asleep at some point, but I was woken up by…is that screaming? Something is happening outside and it doesn’t sound good. 
Creeping up to the window, I pull the curtains back just enough to peek outside. People are moving about the street, but something isn’t right. They’re all running from Mr. Stevens, my neighbor from several houses down. He’s running after them, but it’s not normal. No…not human. He leaps forward, jumping onto the nearest person and…shit!
I run back to my nightstand and grab my phone. The first few times I try to get a call out, it’s a busy signal. Whether the lines are cut or busy is beyond me, but I have to keep trying. My fingers tremble as I use speed dial to try to get Joel. The phone slips from my hand and clatters to the floor.
“Shit!”
I bend down and pick it up, hitting the green call button and miraculously, the call goes through. My breathing speeds up, I feel like my heart is about to pound out of my chest. I’ve never needed a call to go through more than now-
“Catie?”
“Joel?”
“Thank God. Listen, somethin’ is happening. Something with the people-”
“I know. I saw the neighbor-”
“Stay away from them-.....not right-....Sarah and I-.....”
“Joel?” The line keeps breaking up, static cutting out more than half of whatever he was trying to tell me.
“....just stay put….no lights….there soon…”
“I- ok. I’ll stay here.”
“Love you, sweethea-”
The phone cuts off and the connection dies with it. I pull the phone away from my ear and look down at the screen. My phone still has battery but over the service bars is an X. Guess they either cut the service or something happened at a tower. Either way, it’s not good. 
I stay there a moment longer until more screams and glass breaking from across the street somewhere bring me harshly back to reality. I click my lamp off and head into my closet, finding the new hiking backpack I’d bought a couple weeks ago with Joel, who planned to take Sarah and I hiking soon. Be smart, Catie. It’s just like camping. What do I need realistically?
I’m no stranger to traveling, so I roll all my clothes, putting on a 3rd pair of jeans and a shirt, making sure to pack and wear thicker socks that will last longer. I also toss in a bar of soap, my waterproof matches and firestarter, some salves I had just finished making last week, and some other random items. The pack isn’t too heavy, which I’m grateful for. I grab one of Joel’s flannels and throw it on over my clothes before hoisting the backpack over one shoulder. 
Quietly, I creep downstairs, ears straining to hear anything out of place. I hear nothing - well, nothing aside from the ominous noises from outside. I’m so glad that I have curtains all around my house, never wanting people to see in, especially at night. I fill my canteen with water and grab a bunch of high protein, portable snacks, tossing them in my bag and strapping the water to the side. I make up another canteen to add to the other side to balance the weight. Plus, having extra water wasn’t a bad thing. Right?
I kept my phone on me in case Joel managed to get through again. I pull it out to see if anything had changed, but nothing. It’s been at least 20 minutes since I spoke to him, but even if he had left his home right at that moment, it would still be another 5 or so minutes before he’d get here. And I’m sure he’s running into obstacles outside. 
When it hits the hour mark, I become officially worried. 
I know he told me to stay put, but the screams outside are lessening, which can only mean one thing. I’m not waiting around for it to be my turn.
Grabbing a pen, I scribble a quick note telling Joel to meet me at the cabin, my parent’s cabin that they had given me to use with Joel and Sarah. It’s out in the middle of nowhere but it’s self sustainable and the perfect place to hideout from…whatever is happening. 
I leave the note in a conspicuous place, hoping that he’ll be able to see it. I check the knives I stored in my boot and one in a leg strap on my thigh. Initially a gag gift from my brother when I started hiking more, I learned how to use them a little, just in case. Otherwise, I have my bow-my bow!
Quickly, I head into my office closet and grab my bow and quiver of arrows, making sure I have the proper attachments for attaching them to my backpack. I pick up my keys, fingers trembling and I nearly drop them. 
Then my sliding door crashes open, glass shattering everywhere, inhuman noises coming from whatever fell through it.
I don’t even bother to look, throwing open the front door and slamming it behind me, eyes scanning the yard for any threats. Thank God I have a keyless entry, the car unlocking for me and I throw my bag and bow in as I slide in the seat of my suv, slamming the door shut behind me. I fumble with the keys, trying to jam them in the ignition when I hear my front door slam against the ground. I manage to jam the key in and the engine turns over. I backup quickly out of my driveway and peel off down the street as Mr. Stevens comes out of my house, moving towards my car but quickly giving up as I drive away. 
I make it about 10 blocks when I see her. My neighborhood friend Lucia, running for her life from…something who used to be a someone. No hesitation, I turn my suv, slamming into the something and sending it flying. Lucia turns and sees me, eyes wide with fear as she runs towards me as I beckon her to get in. She throws open the passenger door and screams at me to go before she even closes it behind her. I do, speeding off down the road and somehow managing to get out of the nieghborhood without road blocks or hitting anything else.
For now, I’m ignoring what I see and focusing on getting us out. 
Lucia says nothing, eyes scanning the road and looking behind us to make sure everything is clear. By the grace of a higher power, we manage to make it to the back highway that will eventually bring us to my parent’s cabin. Or my cabin now, I guess. 
“Luce, are you ok?”
Lucia is breathing heavy but she nods, turning her head towards me as she starts to relax slightly. “Thank you for stopping. I..I wouldn’t have made it otherwise.”
“I’m just glad I could help.”
A few moments of silence pass between us before I speak again.
“Are you hurt or..or bit? I don’t..I don’t know what-”
“No. I don’t know how but no.”
“What are they?”
Lucia takes a shaking breath and I can hear her trying to hold back tears. “I..I don’t know. They aren’t…they were people but now?”
“Yeah that’s pretty much all I saw too…oh is there anywhere I need to go or drive by for you?”
She looks away from me quickly. “I uh…no.”
“Where’s your brother?”
She was quiet for a moment. “He left on his business trip a day ago.”
Right. Japan or something.
I reach over and squeeze her hand, feeling us both shaking. “I’m sure he’s fine.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.”
More silence.
“What about Joel? And Sarah?”
“I uh…I was waiting for them but… I left a note telling them where to meet me.”
“Oh. I’m sure they’re fine.”
We drive for a little bit longer, Lucia messing with the radio to try and find anything that was playing. It was all just static. I take the exit I need and clear my throat.
“I’m pregnant.”
Lucia’s head snaps towards me. “You’re what?”
I let out a sarcastic laugh. “Great timing, huh?”
“Does Joel know?”
A sob jumps out of my throat, one I didn’t know I had. “No. I..he had a hard day at work and I figured I’d tell him tomorrow…”
“Oh, Cat. It’s ok. He…he’ll find you for sure. I know it. Buuut…until then, you have me! Wait, did you pick me up just because I’m a midwife?” I can hear the smile in her words, but she’s still not 100% certain.
“I picked you up because you needed help. And you didn’t look injured.” She laughs at my admission. 
“I love your honesty, Cat.”
We chat about the pregnancy the entire way, only quieting when we reach the long, hidden drive to my cabin. We do a quick perimeter check, inside and out. Nothing and no one. The closest neighbors we have are literally miles away. We have more chances of seeing a bear than another person. 
Lucia helps me unload the few things I have in the car and heads inside. We take a quick stock of all pantry items and I’m thankful that Sarah and I did so much canning the last time we were here. She had gotten slightly obsessed with the idea and was looking forward to eating it when they were ready. Water wouldn’t be an issue either as we have our own private well, no need for electricity. Which is good because that doesn’t work without the generator and we are not turning that on. It’s too noisy and would attract trouble.
Lucia and I have a low key dinner of beef sticks and some dried vegetables, chatting with each other to try and lighten the dark cloud that has crept over the world. She heads off to one of the bedrooms and I head off to mine, the one I share with Joel. Once I’m finally able to collapse in the bed, I allow myself a moment to cry, worrying about Joel and Sarah and the baby that’s currently growing inside of me. I still have hope they’ll make their way here. I have to or I’ll crumble into bits and float away on the wind.
—----
20 years later…
Lucia and I stayed in the cabin for nearly 10 years. She helped me safely bring my daughter Penelope, or “Poppy”, earthside. We raised her in the cabin, teaching her everything she needed to know about survival and life, despite her young age. This is how life is now. She’s still allowed to have kid time of course, which is why there are murals painted on nearly every corner of the cabin. 
About 10 years in, Lucia, who had never given up on finding someone or a transmission on either the radio or the ham radio, finally found one talking about a settlement in Jackson, Wyoming. It would take us nearly a month to get there, let alone the danger we’d be in. The suv would never make it, having given out years ago, but luckily we had managed to make a small farm for us and that included a few horses and a couple that could pull a wagon or 2. After gathering up all the information we could on Jackson, we determined it must be a real place and put it to a vote with all of us. After the winter snows melted, we left for Jackson, packing up our entire lives, or what we could anyway, and plotting out the safest route possible. It would take us about a month, especially with the detours we were taking, but they were necessary to avoid the areas that would most likely have bandits. Or worse.
The last thing I did before I closed the door was to write a letter to Joel and Sarah, telling them where we were going. Even 10 years later, I had not given up on them.
—----
A month later, we arrived in Jackson, a few more scrapes and bruises to our name, but luckily, we hadn’t run into too much trouble.
Lucia got work right away, considering her background as an official midwife. I was hired to help with the gardening because of my immensely green thumb and knowledge of herbs, and Poppy was allowed to help with the livestock we brought, after school was done for the day. Poppy was beside herself with the idea of going to actual school, even though she knew most of what they were teaching anyway. 
We all settled nicely, Lucia falling in love with a nice man on the other side of town, eventually moving in with him and starting a family of their own. Poppy made a ton of friends, finally allowed the freedom to be a kid for more than a couple of hours. 
As for me? 
I never really dated anyone, my heart given to Joel a long time ago. I know the likelihood of seeing him again is extremely slim, but I still have a tiny sliver of hope that he’s around. And maybe he’s heard about Jackson and will head this way. Which didn’t impact my decision to come here. Nope. Not at all. 
But the biggest surprise that Jackson held for us was Tommy, Joel’s brother. He was married to Maria, the woman who started this community with her father, and lived on the farm where they kept the horses. Poppy and he got along right away, her begging for more stories about her dad and he would pretend to be annoyed but would give in every single time. She continued this ritual as she grew, eventually bringing her boyfriends with her, searching for Tommy’s approval, just like a father.
One beautiful fall day, I’m walking through the market, trading for new produce and supplies when I hear some people gossiping over lemonade at the small eatery in town. I tend to ignore gossip, never having been one for it, until the phrase “Tommy Miller’s brother” reaches my ear. I freeze, listening intently on their words, but I’m only able to make out that he was here in town. 
Joel was here. In Jackson.  Joel. 
I turn, marching towards the small group of people that were doing the gossiping when I heart the alert - bandits were attempting to attack the dam. Growling out in frustration, I turn to run towards that side of town, slinging the rifle from around my back once I assumed my nearly hidden position on the wall. We make quick work of the bandits, especially since we are heavily fortified and secured. That doesn’t stop them from trying, though. 
Once the attack is over, I search the throngs of people for Tommy, just spotting him getting on his horse and heading home. Cursing, I turn, heading towards Tommy’s house on foot, my mind now completely on Joel since the bandit attack was over. Was he still in town? Does he know I’m here? Does he know he has a daughter?
I arrive at the farm and immediately head for the barn, knowing Tommy would still be tending to his horse. Sure enough, he had just finished putting her away, locking the gate behind him.
“Tommy!”
He sighs and doesn’t look at me right away. Which tells me he knows exactly why I’m here.
“Hey, Catie.”
“Is he here?” I’m standing just a couple feet from him, arms crossed and my foot tapping slightly with nerves.
“Who?”
“Fuck you, Tommy. You know who.”
“I-”
“Tell me the truth.”
He meets my gaze for a moment before nodding. “He was.”
He was here. Joel was here, in Jackson, alive and I didn’t- wait. Did he say was?
I swallow hard, willing my tears to just wait until I’m by myself. “Is he ok?”
“Yeah. Well, I mean as much ok as we all are.”
I let out a breath of relief. He was ok. Probably a little worse for wear but he was ok.
“Did…did you tell him I’m here?”
Tommy studies me for several moments, his dark eyes bouncing between mine, as if he’s debating with himself. “I…did.”
He knows I’m here. Joel knows I’m here, alive and well and he just-
Oh. 
Of course. It’s been nearly 20 years and it would be ridiculous to think the man still loved me after all this time. He didn’t even know I was still alive. He’d never even met his daughter. If he no longer cared about me, fine. But why wouldn’t he want to meet his daughter? Unless…
“Did you tell him about Poppy?”
Tommy’s entire stance is apologetic and I know his reply before his lips even part. “No.”
“What the fuck, Tommy?”
He puts his hands up in a calming manner. “It shouldn’t come from me.”
“Fuck you, Tommy! He doesn’t even know he has another daughter. He deserves to know-”
“You’re right, he does. But not from me-”
“I can’t fucking believe this. It’s been 20 years, Tommy. 20 years and he didn’t even stop to say hi? Maybe if you’d have told him about Poppy, he’d at least stayed long enough to see her.”
I poke him in the chest as hard as I can. “It’s your fault he left!”
Tommy grabs my wrist and pulls me closer, his voice lowering to just above a whisper. “He had other things to take care of.”
“What could be more important than family?”
“All of humanity.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“He had a girl with him. Maybe…14? 15?”
My heart sinks. Did he have another daughter after the clickers came? As if he could read my mind, Tommy shakes his head.
“Not his. Her name is Ellie and she’s….special.”
“That’s disgusting, Tommy.”
He gives me a look. “She was bit.”
“Bit? And you let her into Jackson?”
“And she hadn’t turned.”
I could feel my eyes grow wide. Bit? Without turning? That’s impossible.
“How do you -”
“Saw the bite myself. I’ve seen enough of ‘em to know what they look like. It’s legit.”
“Fuck,” I whisper. This is huge. Definitely bigger than me.
“Yeah… anyway, he was takin’ Ellie to the Fireflies because they can supposedly make a cure out of her blood. Or that’s the hope anyway.”
“A cure?”
“Yup. This whole mess could be put behind us.”
This…this is life changing. World changing. My 20 year long devotion to a man I was deeply in love with paled in comparison to a cure for the clickers. Tommy told me Joel still had a long way to go, but if anyone could make it, he could. 
“ ‘m sorry, Cat. I wish he could’ve stayed to say hi.”
“Did…did he say anything about me?” I hate how needy I sound.
“Honestly, we didn’t really talk about you other than me mentioning you were here. The focus was Ellie.”
I nod. The focus was on the right thing.
“Do you think he’ll come back?”
He rubs the back of his neck. “I doubt it. It’s a long trek and pretty dangerous. He’d be smart to just stay put, especially to take care of Ellie.”
I left the barn and headed straight home. Poppy was out with her boyfriend so I had the whole place to myself. Which gave me plenty of alone time to cry and, for the first time in 20 years, try to move on from the dream I had about starting a little family with a man I never stopped loving.
—----
Spring in Jackson is always beautiful. The colors come alive, blooming from every surface they can for miles in greeting the season change. It’s also the perfect time to start planting certain crops so they’ll be ready when it comes harvest season. 
I’ve finished planting in the community garden, dirt crusted under my fingernails despite my scrubbing at the garden sink. I’ll be able to use a brush at home, but for now, I smile at the grime on my clothes. It means Jackson will have food and enough to last through winter. 
Taking off my apron, I toss it into the laundry basket to be cleaned and head towards the home I share with Poppy. She doesn’t spend as much time there these days, but I can hardly blame her. She is 20 and in a pretty serious relationship. I would not be surprised if the boy popped the question any day now. 
I turn onto Main Street and Mrs. NoseyPants stops me. I know it’s not her real name but it fits her better.
“Catie! How are the crops going? Jackson going to survive?”
“Mmhhmm. We should be great.” I try to step around her, but she blocks my path.
“How’s that daughter of yours? Still getting on with the Miller boy?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I hope he makes an honest woman of her before something happens.”
“Something happens?”
She looks around, as if she expects anyone to actually give a fuck about what we’re saying. “Yes. Like an out of wedlock child.”
I plaster on a fake smile. “Oh yeah. That would be terrible, wouldn’t it?”
“I don’t like your tone, Catie.”
I open my mouth to offer some sarcastic retort about not really giving a rat’s ass what she thought of my tone, but my gaze moves over her shoulder and the crowd parts just enough for me to see him.
Joel. 
Unmistakably him, despite what the last 20 years has put on his shoulders. His back is to me, but his head is turned to the side, looking at all of the houses and buildings that line Main Street. Fuck he’s still handsome.
“Are you listening to me, Catie?”
I blink but don’t take my eyes off Joel, afraid he’d disappear if I did. “Full offense Mrs. Bennett, but I don’t have time to listen to your outdated and hateful words. Have a nice day.”
I know her jaw has dropped as I scoot around her, and I know I’ll probably pay for that later, but I couldn’t care less. My eyes are fixed on him as he walks slowly, eyes still moving from house to to house, taking it all in. I’m only several feet away before someone literally walks into him, dropping the giant stack of boxes they had been carrying.
“I am so sorry sir!”
The young man stoops to try and gather up the boxes and Joel turns to face him, bending to help him gather them up and reassemble them in his arms. “Don’t worry about it.”
The boy nods and takes off. Joel’s eyes follow him, making sure he doesn’t drop them again when his gaze meets mine. Those dark eyes move right into recognition and shock, blowing wide as it finally sets in who he’s looking at. 
I hesitate only a moment before I move towards him, nearly running and shoving a few people out of my way. And suddenly, I’m standing in front of him, all 5’11 and broad shouldered, just as he had been 20 years ago. More lines adorn his face, and several scars, his hair is speckled and streaked with greys, but somehow it makes him all the more attractive. My breath catches in my throat and I find myself speechless in front of the man I would’ve given anything to speak to for 20 years.
“Catie?” He chokes out my name, eyes scanning mine as if he was waiting for me to say he was mistaken. That I wasn’t who he thought I was.
A quick sob escapes me as I nod frantically. “It’s me.”
His hand, large and warm just as it always has been, comes up to cup my face, his thumb tracing my cheek, as if touching me was proving to him that I was real. And then he pulls me into his chest, hugging on to me tight, like I would disappear from his grip if he didn’t. I hug him back, crying into his broad chest, unable to believe that I was finally, finally, holding onto him. 
He pushes me back slightly, only to look at my face. “You’re…you’re alive.”
I chuckle through my tears. “And so are you. I thought Tommy told you I was here?”
He nods, his dark eyes still on my face. “I thought he was makin’ shit up to try and keep me here.”
“Well that does sound like Tommy.”
Joel chuckles deeply and it sends a jolt through my body. God how I missed that sound. 
“He told me you lived down this way.”
I cock my head to the side. “Were..were you looking for me?”
Pink blooms across his cheeks as if he’s been caught doing something he shouldn’t. “I had to see if he was full of shit.”
“Fair point.”
We stand there, in the middle of the street just staring at each other for several minutes before I blink back to reality.
“Are you hungry? I was heading home to make something to eat and shower. I…if you want to join me?”
His eyes darken briefly and I realize too late what I said. 
“I’d love to. But…”
He’s struggling with words.
“..but… what?”
He clears his throat, looking away from me for the first time. “Wouldn’t your uh…husband or boy friend or whatever be upset?”
Smiling up at him, I shake my head. “I don’t have either of those.”
His shoulder seem to slacken in relief. “Oh. ‘m sorry.”
“I’m not.”
The corners of his mouth tick upwards in a small grin and I feel like my insides are melting through my skin. How can this man still get me going after 20 years?
“Lead the way.”
I gesture down the street in the direction we’d have to go to get to my place. We don’t say much, Joel still taking in Jackson but always having one eye on me. I know we’re about to have a difficult conversation. How will he feel about Poppy? About how our life turned out? Or his? Tommy had told me about Sarah when I first came to Jackson. The hardness behind his eyes shows that he’s still dealing with the grief and I imagine he always will. It’s no easy thing to lose a child. 
We arrive at my house and I unlock the door, heading inside and flipping on a light.
“You have power?” He asks.
“Mmhmm. Tommy was able to hook up a generator of sorts to the power grid. It’s heavily guarded and taken care of so no one has messed with it. He’s been talking about trying to use water or wind energy, but we need someone who knows that.”
I kick off my boots and Joel copies me, setting his down next to mine. 
“Poppy? You home?” I call out, not wanting her to walk in the middle of whatever was about to take place. When I receive no reply after a few calls of her name, I shrug my shoulders in a ‘guess she’s not home’ way.
“Who’s Poppy?”
“You thirsty?” I head towards the kitchen and Joel follows, watching as I take out a pitcher of lemonade. “I also have beer. It’s…not the greatest but it’s something.”
“You make the best lemonade. I’ve been dreaming of it for years.”
I smile, turning to grab 2 glasses and putting some ice in each of them before adding the lemonade. I hand Joel his glass and his fingers briefly brush against mine. They’re rougher than before but not by much, and the jolt this light touch sends through is just as strong as it was 20 years ago.
I head back to the living area and sit on the couch, taking a sip while I motion for him to sit as well. He does, taking his own sip and I catch a nearly imperceivable moan at the back of his throat when he tastes the lemonade. I quickly shove my legs together, hoping he doesn’t notice. I try to cover by setting my glass on the coffee table and he copies me, wiping his hand on his jeans as he settles back, his body slightly shifted towards mine. 
“Is Poppy your uh…girlfriend?”
I laugh this time, not at the idea of me having a girlfriend but at the look on his face while saying it. “No. No she’s-” time to tell him what you should have all those years ago “- my daughter.”
Joel nods, his eyes looking down at his hands and his shoulder slump slightly as if sad. “You- you said you didn’t have anyone.”
“I don’t.”
A knowing look passes over his eyes. “Oh. ‘m sorry for your loss.”
My eyebrows furrow in confusion. “My loss? No, Joel. Poppy is 20.”
“20…what?”
“20 years old.”
It’s his turn to look confused, as if math was passing over his vision. “She’s…20?”
“Yes.”
“So…that…that would mean when…you…” He shifts nervously in his spot on the couch, another swipe of his palms across his jean clad legs.
“Is…is she…”
“Do you remember that night? You had called me, telling me about that pain in the ass contractor you had to work with?”
Joel nods, his eyes glazed over in memory. “Yeah. I called to check on you because you couldn’t stop throwing…up…” His eyes snap to mine, and to my surprise, they were full of hope.
“I told myself it wasn’t the right time to tell you. But how the fuck would I have known that the world would end?” I chuckle nervously, fumbling as I reach got my glass to try and cover my nerves.
He lets out a puff of air. “So I have a daughter?”
My face feels warm under his intense gaze. “Yes.”
He lets out a half sob half laugh of joy, tears welling in his eyes before he tries to wipe them away with the back of his hand. “All these years I had a kid and I didn’t know. I didn’t know, Catie. I-” Another half sob half laugh escapes him and he takes a moment to compose himself, his body not used to such displays of emotion. Not anymore.
“Why didn’t you just tell me that night?”
Why didn’t I? “You sounded so stressed and worried and I didn’t want to add onto that. I was going to tell you the next time I saw you but…” but indeed. 
“How long had you known?”
“That day. I had suspected for a couple of days but I had to wait until I was sure I had missed my period to test and I didn’t want to tell you and be wrong.”
“You should’ve told me, sweetheart. We could’ve done the test together.”
I chuckle darkly. “Yeah I probably should’ve done that.”
“Tommy never told me.”
“What?”
“When I was here before. He told me you were here but not that I…that I have…why the fuck wouldn’t he tell me?” Joel pushes himself up from the couch in anger, pacing back and forth across the hardwood floor. “He should’ve told me!”
“Joel, he did what he thought was right.”
He looks at me, anger flashing in his eyes. “He had no right to keep that from me. If I had known, I would’ve-”
“Not brought Ellie to the Fireflies for a chance to save humanity?”
He stops pacing, turning towards me with shock on his face. “He told you about Ellie?”
I nod, sighing. “He did.”
“And he didn’t tell me I had-have a fucking daughter? And that she was here?”
“In all fairness to Tommy, he only told me after I got pissed he didn’t mention her to you.”
Joel scoffs. “What an asshole.”
“I…I thought maybe if you knew, you would’ve…maybe you would’ve at least stayed to meet her.”
Anger leaves his body and he sits next to me on the couch, hesitantly placing his hand on my thigh. “I definitely would’ve. When he told me you were here…I was intent on seeing you. Or seeing if he was pulling shit out of his ass. But he reminded me how important my cause was and since it was time sensitive, I couldn’t.”
“You couldn’t at least have simply said hi?”
“Sweetheart, there is no ‘simply’ between us. If I’d have seen you, I wouldn’t have been able to leave.”
Tears fall from my eyes and I wipe at them furiously. “Did it work out at least?”
“Did what work out?”
“Ellie. And the Fireflies.”
Joel grows quiet for several moments. “Turns out they didn’t need her after all. Found others and couldn’t use the blood.”
He’s lying. I know he’s lying but now’s not the time to press him for more information.
“She come here with you?”
Joel nods. “I wasn’t just gonna leave her there.”
“No, no. I think that’s great. There’s a good community here. I’m sure she’ll fit right in.”
“She was already makin’ friends the moment we walked in the gate.”
A long pause passes between us, but it’s not uncomfortable. It’s a processing silence, both of us trying to categorize and file the information we both learned from the other. When I look at him, I can tell he’s far off, thinking and brooding on things, which isn’t always a good thing.
“I wish you’d have told me that night.”
Ah.
“It wouldn’t have changed anything.”
“It would’ve changed everything! I would’ve grabbed Sarah and headed straight over to your place, bringing you…I don’t know, ginger ale and crackers? Whatever you wanted. We’d have stayed with you, started our family. Sarah so wanted a sibling. Especially a sister. Shit, she’d be so happy right now if she were….”
His voice tapers off but I know what he was going to say.
If she were alive.
I place my hand on his and squeeze it. “Tommy told me. I know nothing I say can make up for it, but I am so sorry Joel. I miss her terribly. I can’t imagine how it is for you.”
His mouth sets in a line, his jaw clenching, hand squeezing a little tighter on my thigh as if he’s trying to prevent himself from losing it. 
“Maybe if I had known you were pregnant, and we came over, she’d still be alive.”
“Oh, Joel, no. You can’t think like that-”
“I failed her.”
He spoke so quietly I almost didn’t hear him. The guilt in his words, however, was loud enough to hear from space. I bring my other hand to the side of his face, cupping his cheek, his patchy greyish stubble poking at my fingers, and gently turn his face upwards to mine. 
“You are a great man, Joel. And a hell of a father. There is no way that Sarah would ever think that you failed her in any way. She loved you so much and idolized you.”
The tears come this time, unable to hold them back any longer. I pull him to me and hug him, cradling the back of his head as he cries into my shoulder, mourning the loss of his daughter anew as he attempts to put aside the intense load of guilt he’s carried around for the last 2 decades. We stay like this for a while, my own tears mixing with his, as the light from the setting sun streaks through the curtains. 
Eventually, Joel pulls back, wiping at his face with the back of his hand before he finally looks at me, his beautiful eyes puffy from tears. I’m sure mine don’t look any better.
“Sorry about that.”
“Sorry for what? Being human?”
He smiles and the room lights up with it. “You were always so good at that.”
“At what?”
“Letting me feel things. And makin’ me feel like I wasn’t a complete fuck up.”
“That’s because you aren’t.”
He scoffs, smirking at me in disbelief. “I’ve had to do some shady shit to survive, sweetheart.”
“Who hasn’t?”
“You got me there. I’m still a fuck up though. Don’t know how you didn’t see it.”
“Hhmm…” I put my finger to my chin in mock thinking. “It’s probably because I’m in love with you then.”
Joel cocks his head slightly to the side, questioning my statement. I’m not sure why, as my love for him is no secret to me. 
“In love? Not was in love?”
Oh.
“I-”
The front door opens and Poppy walks in. I nearly jump out of my skin, having been completely absorbed in our conversation. Or was it more of a confession?
“Hey Mom! I’m only home to grab some clothes. Then I’m heading to Lyra’s. There’s this new girl in town, Ellie? She’s only 15 but she’s pretty cool. Oh.” Poppy had walked into the living room, her eyes, exactly like her father’s, shifting from me to Joel. I stand and Joel copies me, staying put while I walk around the couch towards Poppy.
“Mom..I didn’t know you had company. You never have company.” She thinks she’s speaking quietly but it’s not quiet enough. 
“Poppy-”
“I mean, I think it’s great, but….but…” Her eyes fully take in Joel, landing on his face as she stares, her eyes slowly widening in realization. She had only seen him in the photos I was able to share with her, a few printed ones and then some on the cell phone I had refused to toss away, carting it across the country along with a charger in hopes of finding power to charge it. 
“Dad?” Poppy whispers in disbelief.
Joel looks nervous, his weight shifting from foot to foot. This man has faced countless clickers, bandits, and worse, but meeting his 20 year old daughter is the thing that does him in?
God I love this man.
His hand comes up and does a little wave as he stares back at her, clearing his throat. “Hi. I’m uh… I’m Joel.”
“Dad!” Poppy drops her bag and runs, launching herself over the couch and straight into his arms, wrapping herself around him as she cries. It takes Joel a moment to recover from the intense reaction, but he wraps his arms around her and holds her, hugging her just as tight. Tears obstruct my vision and I blink quickly, trying to wipe them away so I don’t miss a moment of this meeting. 
Her feet back on the floor, Poppy pulls back, her eyes raking over Joel’s face. “Was I too much?”
Joel laughs, smiling down at his daughter. “Not enough.”
She laughs and he brings his hand to her face, wiping away her tears. “I’m sorry, Poppy.”
“For what?”
“I didn’t…I didn’t know-”
She waves her hand. “Mom told me everything. You never knew I existed and then the world went to shit. It’s ok. You’re here now and that’s what matters! Wait - you are staying right?”
Joel’s eyes shift from Poppy’s to mine and I look back at him waiting for an answer myself. I want him to stay, desperately need him to stay, but I understand if he wants to leave. I never asked if he had someone waiting for him somewhere.
“I don’t wanna step on you or your mom’s toes-”
Poppy blows a raspberry. “Step away! I know mom is thrilled you’re here. And I want to get to know my dad….dad… I can finally say that! ‘Hey, this is my dad!’ ‘Have you met my dad?’ I just…I can’t believe you’re here and not….not here.”
Clever way of saying dead.
“Me too, Poppy.”
“Mom, I know I said I would meet my friends, but-” she glances back at me and then smiles, giving me a knowing wink “-but I..will be going…to meet up with…Benny. Yeah, he’s uh probably waiting. For me. So I’ll just…grab my things and leave you two…alone…”
She is so not slick, but I love her so much. 
She gives me another wink before fully turning to Joel. “We can hangout and talk more?”
“I look forward to it.”
She squeals and gives him one more hug before bounding across the hall to her room and reemerging only a handful of minutes later with a backpack. 
“Poppy?”
“Mom?”
“Stay for dinner at least. Then you can meet up with your friends.”
“Ugh, mom. You’re smothering me.” She has a smile while she says it, casually tossing her bag down before sitting next to Joel. 
I make dinner while they talk, Poppy telling him about her life and asking him a zillion questions about his. He seems to be able to talk about Sarah now, at least a little before Poppy tactfully changes the topic. They talk throughout dinner, laughing and joking, sounds I never thought I’d hear together. Eventually, Poppy leaves to hang out with her friends, excited to tell them about her dad. As soon as the door closes, Joel turns to me.
“Who’s Benny?”
Protective dad mode activated I see. Smiling, I tell him about Benny and how he’s a good guy and about he and Poppy. He seems more relaxed after but still in protective dad mode.
“I’ll have to meet him.”
“I’m sure you won’t have the choice not to.”
Dishes cleaned up, I offer Joel a glass of whiskey and he takes it, tasting a sip before setting it down on the coffee table as he relaxes back into the couch again.
“You and Ellie have a place to stay?”
“Yeah. Tommy and Maria gave us a house. Actually, it’s not too far from here I don’t think.”
“That’s great. I’m sure Ellie will be happy to have a more permanent place to live.”
“And her own room that she can slam the door to.”
We chat for a few minutes about parenting teenage daughters and the challenges it can bring. He takes another sip of his whiskey after telling me a bit about Ellie, or what he learned about her on their long trek anyway. It’s quiet between us again, but this time, I’m warmed by the whiskey and given a slight bit of confidence.
“In love.”
“What?” Joel asks, setting his glass down.
“From before. In love. Not was.”
He turns to me fully, his eyes raking across my face trying to detect a lie and finding none. 
“It’s been 20 years, sweetheart. I don’t expect anythin’-”
“It’s always been you, Joel.”
His large hand cups the back of my head and pulls me to him, his lips crashing against mine and it’s like no time has passed, my lips immediately parting for him like they were created for just this purpose. His other hand comes up to cradle the other side of my head as my fingers cling to his shirt, trying to find purchase on literally anything. I feel like I’m falling but in the most glorious way possible. While I never gave up hope that he was alive, having him here, now, 20 years later, how we both defied odds to just end up in the same community, after the world had been torn apart…
He pulls back, his nose brushing against mine. “I never stopped loving you either, sweetheart.”
My hands slide up his chest and around his neck, gripping the curls at the back of his neck and feeling him groan as he slips his tongue in my mouth again, kissing me harder than before. I feel his fingers gently brush against the exposed skin at my hips, his hands having settled there and I can’t help the moan that escapes me. Joel’s touch has always sent electricity through me, but not having had it for 20 years is a whole new level. 
“I don’t mean to be presumptuous, sweetheart, but-”
“My bedroom is down the hall, second door on the right.”
He smiles against my lips, chuckling darkly. “We have a lot of lost time to make up for.”
—----
>>I Never Stopped Living You Part 2>>
❤If you enjoy the fic, please consider giving me a warm beverage! (It is not required in any way!)
Original Idea from @theewokingdead:
"I have had this idea for a long-lost love refound fic with Joel Miller swimming around in my head for a while, but I don't think I'll ever get in the headspace to write it. So enjoy what I wish I could write and hope someone will steal. Warning: mention of pregnancy in the beginning.
Imagine it's September 26, 2013. You've been dating Joel for a while and, oops, you're pregnant. You're a flurry of emotions and have no idea how or when you're going to tell him. He calls you late that night, on his way home from a hellish day at the jobsite, telling you about the prick of a contractor he's been dealing with and can't risk losing his job. When he asks if you've checked in on Sarah you tell him that she's fine and you're sorry you were feeling too ill to stay with her today. When he inquires further about your illness, you opt not to say anything, not like this, not when he's had a shit day, and instead feign that everything is okay and you'll be fine. The call is interrupted by Tommy, and you insist Joel answer his call. He offers to call you back, but you tell him to go home and get some rest, that you'll hopefully see him tomorrow.
Of course, several hours later, all hell breaks loose. You manage to get a call through to Joel, telling you to stay put, that he'll come for you, then you lose connection. Joel never finds you, but you never lose hope.
Two decades later, you're living in Jackson, having crossed paths with Tommy a year earlier when he returned to Texas, where you never strayed far from. You overhear the talk - that Tommy Miller's brother is in town - but bandits attack before you can find the source of the rumor. Later, you find Tommy as he puts a horse away in the stable, and you question if it's true, that Joel is here, and he reluctantly tells you he was. You ask if he told Joel that you're here and he says that he did. Your heart sinks - of course he wouldn't still love you after all these years, but why wouldn't he at least want to see you before he left? You ask if he told Joel about your daughter - his daughter - and Tommy says no, that it shouldn't come from his mouth. You're furious, thinking maybe Joel would've stayed in town if he had known that he has a daughter. You let Tommy have it, and eventually he tells you why Joel was in town and why he left, about Ellie and the hope to find a cure. Finally, you come to your senses, realizing there are far more important matters, and try to move on from dreaming about having a little family with a man you never stopped loving.
Months later, you're walking around town when you run into Joel. There are a million different ways the reunion could go. How would you tell him about your shared daughter? How would he feel? Would he be pissed at Tommy for knowing and not telling him when he first came to Jackson? Would he be angry you didn't tell him that night when he called, before the Outbreak? Would he have done anything differently that night had he known - things that could've changed the trajectory of his entire life? Would he wonder if it would have kept you guys together as a family? Would he wonder if it would have even kept Sarah from suffering the fate she suffered? Would he blame you for it? I just imagine it would be one big emotional reunion. How would it end? I don't know. I just love a good re-found love fic - be it happy or sad. I love angst. I love an emotional Joel. It could be fun. But I'll never get around to writing it so let's just pretend I did 😭"
General Taglist:
@frankie-catfish-morales @chaoticgeminate @janebby @astoryisaloveaffair @balekanemohafe @greeneyedblondie44 @hoeforthefictional @marvelousmermaid @Hauntedmama @giuliarogers-blog @icanbeyourjedi @diaryofkali @sunnshineeexoxo @livingmydreams13 @adventures-of-a-noodle @sara-alonso @theewokingdead @punkerthanpascal @giggly-otter @f0rever15elf @phandoz @dirtytissuebox @jadore-andor @gallowsjoker @lovesbiggerthanpride @sarahmilesbendrix @booksarekindaneat @mrsudontknowme @swol-bear @charlispersonallyhell @xoxabs88xox @amneris21 @gooddaykate @alindeluce @avengers-fixation @paintballkid711 @harriedandharassed   @ladykatakuri @marrianena  @practicalghost @withakindheartx @batdarkladyvampir @justanotherkpopstanlol   @mermaidxatxheart @alexxavicry @ichigodjarin 
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Wait (707 x Reader)
Word Count: 1k
Warning: Spoilers for Seven’s route!
Author’s Note: So basically, I was thinking of how easy it’d be to freak Saeyoung out if you didn’t cope with the whole situation as perfectly as his good end MC is portrayed to lolol. So I wanted to do a little something with how he might react to something like that ^^ 
(Not sure how common this is, but I know squirreling away is a thing that I can be prone to do, and I realized that’d probably freak him out pretty bad hhh I’m sorry Saeyoung)
~~~~~
Seven wasn't sure how long he'd been typing away on his laptop. Fifteen minutes? Thirty? He was just in such a hurry to fix the apartment's security that he hadn't looked up from his screen in a while. When he did, the color drained from his face and his stomach dropped.
Where did you go? You were sitting over on the bed not too long ago. He hadn't heard you leave…but then again he was trying to ignore you.
Auugghhh, why did you do this to him? You managed to steal his attention without even being in the room. With a huff of frustration, he set down his computer and other hacking equipment and hurried out of the room. He looked in the kitchen first, but you weren't in there grabbing a snack like he figured you'd be. He looked around the whole apartment, growing increasingly anxious as he went longer with no sign of you. Did you try going outside again? He rushed back to his computer to check the CCTV…but you weren't there either.
He was starting to panic. He pulled out his phone, getting ready to call you, when he remembered the tracker he slipped into your pocket after the last time you wandered off while he wasn’t looking. He hurriedly checked it and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw that you were still in the apartment. You were…still in the same room?
Confused, Seven looked to the only logical last place to check.
You were huddled in the closet while you scrolled through your phone. Seven had been ignoring all your attempts at communicating. You knew he had important work to focus on and needed space to figure out…whatever it was that happened between him and the hacker…who is actually his long lost brother? It was all a lot for you to process. You just needed a little space of your own. Small, dark, and quiet, was just how you liked it when you felt overwhelmed.
Suddenly, the closet door was yanked open. You looked up to see Seven frowning down at you.
"What are you doing?" He asked in a clipped and frustrated tone.
"Nothing…" You responded quietly, instinctively shrinking in on yourself. Great. You made him upset again.
"You're doing nothing…in a closet?" He asked incredulously before he paused, sighing as he tried to keep his whirlwind of emotions at bay. "You should tell me before you disappear like that," he scolded. He wasn't sure whether to feel relieved you were okay or aggravated that he panicked so quickly for nothing.
"Well…I tried, but you were busy…" You muttered, playing awkwardly with your hands.
That made him freeze. If he didn't already feel like a big enough jerk, he did now. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't keep the look of worry off his face as he knelt down beside you. You looked so pitiful all curled up like that and Seven could feel his heart clenching painfully at the thought of you sitting alone in obvious distress.
He let out a heavy sigh before speaking again. "I'm sorry. I just have a lot to do to fix the security system…" He explained. Although it was true he did have a lot of work to do, it was also a good excuse to avoid focusing on just how jumbled and overwhelming his own emotions were right now.
"I understand, Seven…"
"No, you don't, I just- can you come out of here…please? You can be mad at me if you want, but don’t just disappear. I can't focus when I can't see you," he said, his voice still a bit strained, but softer than before.
You let out a sigh of your own and nodded. "Okay…"
You pocketed your phone and crawled out of the cozy darkness of the closet, pulling yourself back to your feet.
Seven stayed close, placing a tentative hand on your arm as he guided you over to the bed. “Come sit down…” He urged gently. You were a bit confused, but you relented and sat on the bed as he directed. He moved quickly, pulling a blanket over your shoulders before disappearing from the room. He returned a couple minutes later with a sandwich on a small plate.
You gave him a surprised look which only encouraged him to avoid your gaze as he pushed the plate into your hands.
“You’ve been through a traumatic experience and you haven’t eaten anything all day. You need to take care of yourself,” He explained, trying to keep his tone as clinical and unaffected as possible.
You smiled up at him. For the first time since Seven got here and began pushing you away, you didn’t feel so alone. “Thank you, Seven.”
His face heat up at the sight of your expression and he frowned deeply. “D-Don’t take this the wrong way or anything! I just can’t get any work done if I have to worry about whether you're okay or not," he grumbled, turning away and heading back toward his corner of the room.
"What about you? You haven't eaten in a while either," you pointed out, hoping that maybe he would eat with you.
However, Seven had already returned to his computer. "...It's fine. You just eat. I'll eat later. Now, I've got to get back to work, so…don't bother me…but…stay where I can see you…"
You frowned, still confused by this whiplash of behavioral switches. "Um…but-" You started to protest, but he simply slid his headphones back on. You sighed instead, turning your attention back to your meal.
He still didn't seem to have any interest in talking with you right now. But as much as he tried to discourage you from interacting with him…it couldn't be clearer now that he cared. No matter how much he insisted he wasn’t the man you thought he was…he was still just as kind. You were sure of it now that you had seen a glimpse past his cold front.
You smiled softly as you watched him feverishly tap away on his keyboard. If he needed time, you could wait. You would wait for him.
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genshin-scenarios · 6 months
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Reunion: Truths [Part 4]
Read the first series (Adopt a Wanderer) here! An AU where Scaramouche/Wanderer gets isekaied to your world - a found-family series.
Summary: Forced into a hard spot, the truth starts to trickle out.
Warnings: contains spoilers of Wanderer’s story in the archon quest!
Part 3 <-
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Suffice to say, you’re more than a little tense when Wanderer leads you through Sumeru city, asking little questions here and there along the way.
You answer them the best you can - about what you like doing to pass the time, if you find Sumeru’s weather to be comfortable… But the moment you reach the Grand Bazaar, you’re blatantly reminded of the complications that might happen if the Traveler did walk in at this moment, midway through the quest that would change the current Wanderer’s life.
“Actually, I’m feeling kind of tired after all of that exploring.” You say, subtly walking to a spot furthest away from the merchant stalls. You linger next to the stage where Nilou often performs. “Maybe we can head back now?”
Wanderer gives you a confused look. “But didn’t we come here to get supplies? This would be the last stop.”
Yeah... I probably seem weird right now. “We’ve already gotten enough things, haven’t we?”
“Don’t you need vegetables? If you’re worried about the price, it shouldn’t cost too much here compared to the shops outside.”
And now he thinks you’re mora-less.
There’s a beat of silence, then another, before you finally shove aside your encroaching paranoia and abandon the Zubayr Theater for the merchants lined along the street. Shoulders squared, you can only hope the Traveler doesn’t magically appear.
“It’s nothing to be intimidated by.” Wanderer tries to reassure you, glancing at the merchant he’s acquainted with as you both reach the stall. The owner’s eyes light up in recognition.
“It’s you!”
“It’s been a while.” Wanderer tips his hat in greeting, before gesturing to you. “My friend is here for some supplies.”
“Um… Could I just get some potatoes, cabbage…” You list the rest of the ingredients you’re looking for. While this isn't a grocery store, the merchant was quick to fish out an impressive amount of items from the boxes around his stall. “Ah, but if you don’t have some of them, then don’t worry about it!”
“How can I do that when it’s this helper that’s brought you here?” The merchant shakes his head, exasperation on his face. "He did so much labor and then refused to accept payment for his work. What are people going to say about me if they found out?"
"Like I said before, it's not a big deal." Wanderer smiles. "If you'd like… I'd appreciate it if my friend got a discount. That can pay off my salary, right?"
With a hum, the merchant finally hands you your packaged bag of groceries. "It's on the house."
"What?!"
You open your mouth to convince him otherwise, but the merchant waves his hand to interject.
"It's less than all the carrying and errands he's done, so don't worry about it."
"But…"
"Say, what's your relationship with this helper anyways?" He muses, glancing between you two. "Traveling companions?"
"Not exac—"
"You could say that." Wanderer answers.
Forcing a smile to hide your increasing stupefaction, you take a step back. "Well then… We should probably get going now."
"Oh? Yes, my companion here was getting tired. See you next time, Boss."
As soon as you exited the Grand Bazaar, you reel around to question Wanderer, only to falter at his unusual change in demeanor. Arms crossed, eyebrows raised, and none of his innocently-kind tone to speak of.
"So, how long were you planning to pretend we've never met before?"
That haughty voice, deadpan, with just a hint of arrogance…
What?
"Y–You…" You take a step away in shock. "What?"
I thought he was—
"It takes a liar to recognize another, or something like that?" He drawls, before sighing and letting the venom seep out of him. "I started to have dreams of the past a few weeks ago. Recognized you - you can figure out the rest."
Wanderer at least has the decency to let you process this information, leaning against the wall as your head started to hurt. He watches you with an unreadable look in his eyes, shielding something away.
So he knew from the start? He remembers everything?
What if he's angry about you keeping your knowledge about him a secret, back when he was in your world? What if he wants nothing to do with you? What if he’s about to tell you he—
"K… Wanderer." You can feel your face burning, an uncomfortably raw heat creeping up your ears. You didn't dare meet his eyes. "...Please don't be mad."
Please don't say you hate me.
You're looking down at the ground. As you feel a shadow reaching towards you, you shut your eyes and brace yourself for whatever’s about to come.
Only to feel something on the top of your head; Wanderer lightly hits you with his closed fist, more of an exasperated bump than something that really hurt. 
"...Idiot." He finally says. "If I was that mad, I'd be long gone by now. Or tried to feed you to the tigers."
You take a moment to process his words. "...So you're not going to throw me off a building, or anything like that?"
His hand leaves your head, propping against his hip instead. "Not unless you give me a reason to. Aren't you tired of standing around the street?"
Right, you were still outside of the Grand Bazaar. "The free groceries…?"
"You're broke, aren't you?"
You almost choke on the air. "No! I have money."
"Did you steal it?"
Jaw dropping, you finally straighten yourself to face Wanderer and defend your honor. "For your information, I traded in my stuff for it! Like my bag!"
"Should've just stolen a purse." He shrugs, leading the way out of the city and back to your abode. "If someone looks rich enough, it probably wouldn't be that big of a loss."
"You taught you that?" You pinch your nose, rescinding. "Nevermind, just don't say it was me."
You don't notice, but the corner of his mouth tugs upwards. "I'm right, though."
"I'd rather not get arrested for attempts at theft." You trail off, glancing at Wanderer. "So… how long has it been since you got back your memories from Irminsul?"
So you did know everything. A part of him is glad to have his theories confirmed; not only did you know of him when he'd been transported to your world, but you seemed to be aware of other details about Teyvat as well. 
"Around two months." Now it's his turn. "Did you remember me after I went back to Inazuma?"
"No.” You only recovered your memories after arriving in Teyvat. “Did you?"
"...No. Aren't your feet aching? I'm not carrying you back."
"I do exercise back home, you know!" You exclaim, offended that he's convinced your previous lifestyle doesn’t match with that of an adventurer's. Which might be true. But still!
Wanderer hums. "By Teyvat's standards, you're pretty old though. Can’t blame the elderly for having weak knees."
This guy?! "Not that much time has passed in my world." You cross your arms, giving Wanderer an unimpressed look. "You're the senior citizen here."
"How childish."
"You started it. Whoa—!"
The bridge you'd been crossing had a gap between its boards, causing your foot to catch on it and send you flying. If it wasn't for Wanderer's quick reflexes grabbing your arm, you might've fallen down the side and crashed down into the forest miles below. 
A spike of fear raced through you, heart thumping as you clutched your bag of groceries to your chest. With your free hand, you shakily take a hold of Wanderer’s wrist in an attempt to pull yourself back up, only to hear him sigh and tell you to hold still.
A strong gust of wind conjures itself beneath the both of you, and Wanderer picks you up in his arms to fly the rest of the way over the bridge. 
It's over before you can count to five. As his feet touch the ground, you finally have the courage to look down again. 
"You're terrible at staying away from trouble." He mutters, directed more to himself than for you to hear.
I never saw you as trouble. You wanted to say.
"...I'm glad to have met you again, Wanderer." Beneath the weight of all that’s happened today, a sense of relief lightens your shoulders. 
"You'd be the first one to say that." He scoffs, letting you down. "And it's Kuni."
You blink. "The Traveler named you that?"
He gives you a weird look. "No, they went with 'Wanderer'. Kuni is the name I’m calling myself."
Ah, so…
You try your best to suppress your smile, lest he jabs at you in retaliation. "I'll make sure to remember that, Kuni. It’s nice to be able to say that name again."
A huff in reply. He leads the way back to your abode, walking in front so you wouldn’t see his expression.
Why were you so happy about it? It’s him that’s reclaiming his name. If anything, it feels strange to hear it coming from your lips after all this time.
Though… Call him over-critical, but Kuni doesn’t know how to feel about having you close by again, when neither of you can be sure of how long this reunion would last.
.
.
.
-> Part 5
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fateinthestars · 4 months
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Star Crossed Myth Advent Calendar Fanfic: Day Six - Fleeting Touch (Scorpio/MC)
(Twenty-Four days of Star Crossed Myth Flash Fics using this prompt list)
Title: Day Six - Fleeting Touch
Pairing: Scorpio/MC (MC's name left blank so you can fill it in with whatever you wish in your head)
Characters: Scorpio, MC, Zyglavis
Word Count: 618
Rating: T
Prompt: "A quick brush of hands, almost unnoticeable"
Summary: Scorpio is frustrated at being stuck at work, but his feelings soon change after certain circumstances mean his wife joins him.
A/N: WARNING: Major spoilers for Scorpio's route. Set after his Promise of Infinity story.
Day Six: Fleeting Touch (Scorpio/MC)
Scorpio sighed heavily as he worked through the punishments list, glaring at it a little. It didn’t matter what year it was, work around this time was always a nightmare. Not as bad as Valentine’s day but it still irritated him that he had all this to do instead of spending time with ___ .
It was the first Christmas since she had awoken from her centuries long sleep and they had got married. Whilst they wouldn’t be able to go down to Earth this time, he had at least hoped that they could do something that would have been familiar to her time as a human. He figured she would like that sort of thing, even if he wasn’t entirely sure why. There was no point in looking back on such things now.
“Scorpio.”
Hearing Zyglavis’ voice, Scorpio looked sharply up from the reflecting pool. “Is there a problem, Zig?”
“... Perhaps,” Zyglavis hesitantly admitted, glancing to the side. He handed the other his own part of the punishments list.
Looking down at it, Scorpio scowled. “... A planned attack on a shopping centre huh? At this time of year when it’d be at its busiest. Well I’m sure you can deal with these bastard humans in the…” he trailed off, his eyes widening as he noticed the location. “Wait… this was…” he shook his head. It might have been ___’s neighbourhood once upon a time, but that was a very long time ago now. No one she had known would even be alive now. Even so… he was sure she wouldn’t like this. But what could he do? He could let Zyglavis deal with this and never mention it to her, but no doubt she would notice something was bothering him. He might be the one able to read thoughts, but she really did know him far too well. He looked hesitantly up at Zyglavis. “I’ll handle this one. Could you fetch ___ ?”
“... Very well,” Zyglavis conceded, snapping his fingers.
Scorpio got on with the rest of his own list whilst waiting for them to return, only looking up when his wife came into the reflecting pool room.
“Scorpio? You don’t normally like to be disturbed at work… is something wrong?”
“Tch, you could say that,” Scorpio muttered. “I nearly didn’t bother you but I know you’d be a damn pain in the ass later and insist on knowing details about what had happened. Come over here.”
___ hesitantly approached the reflecting pool and looked down into it, her breath hitching slightly. “I remember this place… so there’s someone who needs to be punished here? Why is it bothering you?”
Scorpio glanced away. “It’s not. I just thought you might be interested as it’s part of your old life. Thought maybe it’d be interesting to see how it’s changed.”
Just as long as he makes sure no one gets hurt, there could be descendents of my friends and family about. I know Scorpio will do whatever is needed to make sure everyone can have a peaceful Christmas. I’m happy just to be by his side tonight.
Scorpio’s face flushed red as her thoughts filtered without warning into his mind. He hadn’t even noticed that she had briefly touched his hand but it had been enough for him to hear all that. “Dammit woman! I need to concentrate! You’re still just as bad as ever at not letting your thoughts leak out!”
However, deep down he was happy to hear that calling for her had made her happy, even if it wasn’t quite in the way he had envisioned.
From that year onward, Christmas Eve was one of the few days he allowed the other to accompany him to work.
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persieee-yoohoo · 10 months
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Desiderium Part 3
Pair: Azriel x Reader
Word Count: 1574
Warnings: spoilers for CC HoSaB (let me know about anything else)
Note: I should have a plan for this but I don’t 
also available: ao3
Part 1 Part 2
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It was a battle to evade sleep in the days following your first encounter with the shadow figure, but you determined to hold out. Your bed called to you constantly, goading you with sweet promises. However, even as the shadows under your eyes grew darker, you avoided its siren song. There was work to be done, and you had enough on your plate already without another side-dish of mystery.
While you avoided your own room in the Comitium, only returning to the complex when your duties to Celestina called you to, you welcomed the familiarity of the house Ruhn had shared with his friends. It was hard to ignore the missing presence of the Fae Prince, but you, Declan, Flynn, and Ethan kept busy on whatever tasked you all promised each other would get you closer to the group becoming whole again.
You'd seen what happened that day with your own eyes, silently watching over the footage Declan managed to hack over and over. Guilt tore at you, ripping through your heart and soul, as you watched the feedback on repeat, and Flynn had to physically shut his friend's laptop to pull you away from whatever spiral you were leading yourself towards. Your thoughts probably mimicked their own, about how you all should have been there to possible stop such a terrible fate from occuring, and you knew that you weren't the only one who wished that it could've been you in their place while they were kept in the horrid dungeons.
Hunt had suffered enough torture for a lifetime three times over, and you were sure that Ruhn probably had too given who his father was. You didn't even need to imagine what was happening to them, you only had to remember years ago to the agonizing black hole of time after you had been branded a slave in the wake of your first legion's failure.
You didn't have a mate like Hunt or some fated reason for being alive like Ruhn. You'd been a puppet for different archangels for years, for centuries, with no end in sight unless someone eventually wished to grant you that mercy. They had unfulfilled purposes in this world, and you wouldn't hesitate to take their place and face their punishment if it meant that they could continue their fight.
That was part of the reason you avoided meeting with Celestina at the Comitium. It was more than just simply avoiding your empty room and the shadows of whatever waited to haunt you in your sleep. It was the knowledge that you'd drop to your knees and beg Celestina to let your friends go and allow you to be punished in their place if you were in her presence long enough. You knew you would grovel at her feet and plead with her until your heart gave out, so you avoided the complex altogether. Perhaps you could face her one day, but only until you had everything else taken care.
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“Y/N, did you hear us?” Flynn's grip on your shoulder was hesitant as he shook you awake. You'd dozed off only momentarily, barely in the throws of sleep when you'd been jostled. “We think we should call it a day. Dec's getting frustrated with his computer and Ethan's about to wolf out or something. You should get some rest, too. You look like shit.”
You ignored Ethan's warning growl at the red-head's jest about his worsening mood and leaned away from Flynn as you rubbed at your eyes. One of the books that Bryce had left behind in the house about different languages laid abandoned in your lap, the page you were on dog-marked to save your place. Moving the book to closest flat surface next to you, you stood and stretched out your tired limbs. No amount of coffee or strong-will would keep you up any longer, so you had to agree with your friend.
“What a heartfelt compliment, thank you so much. Things are tense at h—” You paused, not knowing if the Comitium could even be considered your home. It had been your residence for years, but it had never been the welcome comfort of a home. “At the Comitium, I mean. Everyone is on edge, and we all know to avoid Pollux when he's itching to have a pissing contest with whatever Malakh stares at him the wrong way.”
The three males sitting around you shared some glances that weren't lost on you, but you were too exhausted to get into it with them.
“Don't bother, I know what you're going to offer. There are enough people here without a set of wings to crowd your space. I'll be fine, I just need to be careful.” You tried to sound strong, for their sakes and your own, but your voice still wobbled just a bit.
You stood, shaking out your wings slightly before making your way to the front door. Flynn called out to you right as you unlocked the door, and you turned around just in time to hear a quick “Heads up!” before a dark object came projecting towards you from his outstretched hand. The smooth stone warmed against your palm as you caught it and you held it close, protecting it from the curious eyes of the others.
“You're carrying crystals around, now?” Flynn teased, but there was a mixed emotion laying somewhere deep in his eyes that you didn't want to figure out.
“It was from Bryce,” You shrugged, squeezing the stone even more, “before, you know. I don't know why she gave it to me. She said it was a worry stone, but I don't think it's helping.”
The stone was doing the opposite, actually. It was bringing you more worries than taking any away, and you only held onto it to be closer to your lost friend. Bryce saw something in you that no one else did, not even Hunt. It made you feel even more helpless knowing that you hadn't gotten a single lead on how to get her back.
You just got a realistic nightmare of a shadowy enigma and a permanent headache.
“I'll be in touch. Stay safe, okay?” With that, you left the house and immediately went airborne.
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It wasn't hard to get to your room without being singled out. The floors were crowded with malakim, and you kept moving amongst the sea of wings and stares. Your paranoia got the better of you on several occasions, causing you to look over your shoulder or down different hallways, but there was never anyone that met your stare or lingered outside of your peripheral.
As soon as you made it to your room, you put Bryce's gift in the top drawer of your issued dresser. The comforting warmth of the stone had turned blistering in your palm on your flight over, and you needed to be disconnected from it before it got worse.
Out of sight, out of mind, or so you thought.
Stripping out of your outfit, you threw yourself on the bed. Even as you practically smothered yourself in your pillow and pulled your blanket over you, you felt the stone call back to you. It wanted to be back in your grasp, close to you rather than apart.
Hold me.
Touch me.
Keep me close.
Don't let me go.
The quiet beckoning made you feel crazy. It was just a stone, some foolish gimmick that a shop vendor had sweet-talked Bryce into buying on a whim. Maybe she had been embarrassed by giving in so she regifted it to you to make it seem better. Like that was the plan all along, give a friend a gift meant to steal some of their stress and replace negative emotion with something positive.
But still, the stone called to you, pulsing in the drawer you had abandoned it in like it was truly alive. A sentient tether to somewhere else, to someone else. The intensity of its call only gradually increased, and there was no ignoring it as it captured your mind in its siren song.
Please.
Kicking the blanket off of you and sitting up on the bed, your knees digging into the firm mattress beneath you, you stared at the closed dresser. Whatever strength you had left forfeited under the pull of the stone. You got down from the bed and blindly reached for the stone in the darkness of your room, the evening night finally dying as it ceased to stream into your bedroom window.
The moment your hand connected with the stone, its heat back to a comfortable simmer, you exhaled deeply. A feeling of something flowed from the stone and into your palm, traveling up your arm towards your heart, like it was in your blood. It felt right. It felt good.
As you flopped back on the bed, you chose to lay on your back with your wings splayed out beneath you. With the stone now resting right in the middle of your chest with a hand covering it, you took a few deep breaths before urging sleep to take you over.
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“Finally,” a harsh voice rasped at you from deep within those shadows, “I've been waiting for you.”
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harringtonstilinski · 2 years
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Don’t Let It End - Steve Harrington
Author: @stilinskiparker Characters: Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader Word Count: 2,673 Warnings: ST4 spoilers??, aaaaangst, pov switches, character death, y’all are gonna fucking hate me :) Tropes/AU’s: Best Friends to Lovers | Fake Dating | Soulmate AU | Established Relationship | if you can think of any more, let me know! Smut: no | yes; Requested: Yes. I hope this meets your expectations! I also added a twist at the end ;) A/N: Hi, friends! This contains small spoilers for S4V1, so if you haven’t watched it already, pls do not read. There’s two pov switches, but they’re happening at the same time. Where the first pov ends is basically where the ending of the second pov (third person pov) begins. It’s confusing, but go with it, lol. BUT, I hope you like this! If you do, please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox. As always, read at your own risk and enjoy 😊
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FIRST PERSON POV
Sitting at the cemetery with Max wasn’t what I wanted to be doing at that moment, but here I was; sitting at Billy’s grave with her.
Billy Hargrove and I had dated the year prior. How? I’m still not sure to this day. I think he just wanted a fuck buddy since Mrs. Wheeler was way out of his league… plus, he was a minor at the time he tried getting into her pants.
During that time, Max and I had grown even closer than what we were before, almost like sisters. I needed her and she needed me. Her mom didn’t seem to mind.  Max and I were close from the Dart situation two years ago when Steve started babysitting her from that night in the junkyard.
My little brother, Dustin, was happy that Billy and I broke up, though he was kinda sad about the reason. Dustin and Billy never got along, and he was pretty pissed about the fact that I dated him after he threatened to beat the shit out of Lucas at the Byer’s house… and after he kicked Steve’s ass.
Speaking of Steve, he was my boyfriend now. When Billy died that night at Starcourt Mall, he held me back from going to the lower level of the mall, whispering in my ear that Max needed to be the one to cry over his body.
Steve and I were best friends then, and even before then in high school and middle school… well, pretty much since Kindergarten. We’d been put in the same classes since then. He was there for all my phases, even my Classic Rock phase that didn’t seem to fade out.
Steve confessed his feelings for me that 4th of July night, but he let me go at my own pace, since I’d had feelings for him, too. Around October ‘85 is when I told him I wanted to be his girl, and he was happy. 
Three months might not seem like enough time to get over someone dying, but since I had Steve by my side the entire step of the way, it was easy. He’d let me cry on his shoulder, stay however long I wanted to at his house. 
Now, five months later, Steve drove Max and I, as well as Lucas and Dustin, to the cemetery, where she and I were sitting. I listened to her read a letter she’d written for Billy. She’d written letters for everyone, myself included.
As she was reading her letter, the sky went dark very quickly, so I looked around, not really seeing anything before I heard a clock chiming. That’s odd. Why would there be a clock in the middle of the cemetery?
I heard laughing before I heard someone calling my name. Scared would be an understatement for how I’m feeling right now.
“Y/N/N,” the voice said again. I stood up, recognizing the voice, seeing a figure standing in the distance. “I’ve been waiting to hear those words from her, Y/N/N. Waiting so very long.”
I sighed, my breathing getting a little heavier by the second. “Billy,” I breathed.
He walked closer to me as he said, “But it wasn’t the full truth, was it? And you. Jumping into Harrington’s bed not three months after I died. You never really loved me, did you?”
“Billy, I know this isn’t you,” I said, holding my hand out in front of me a little bit.
Stopping in front of me, he said, “I think there’s a part of you, buried somewhere deep, that wanted me to die that day just so you could get with Harrington. That was maybe even… relieved. Happy.”
“No, that’s not true. I loved you, I did,” I said, through my tears.
“That’s why you let him stop you, isn’t it, Y/N/N? It’s okay. You can admit it now. You’ve always had feelings for Harrington. No more lies. No more hiding.”
“Stop it, Billy, that’s not true,” I whispered, tears streaming down my face. “I swear it’s not true!” I started sobbing at this point.
Backing me up while walking more towards me, Billy said, “It’s why you feel so much guilt. Why you hide from your friends, from your little brother, the world. And why, late at night, you wish you never met me while smiling in the comfort of Steve’s arms.”
The clock started chiming again as I shook my head. 
“That is why I am here, Y/N/N. To end your suffering once and for all.”
I missed the ledge of his grave, landing on my back. I went to look back at him, but what I saw instead terrified me. Vecna.
“It is time, Y/N,” Vecna said. “Time for you… to join me.”
I got up and started running through the cemetery, muttering apologies along the way as I ran over the gravesites. 
I stopped running once I found a small brick wall I could hide behind, trying to quiet my breathing. The only people I could think about Steve, Dustin and Max. Lucas, too. I thought about getting out of whatever mindfuck place I was in. I couldn’t leave them behind. Not them, not even the Wheeler’s or the Byer’s. 
I made the most stupidest decision I could make and looked from behind the wall, seeing Vecna appear out of the shadows, his deep voice saying, “You cannot hide from me, Y/N.”
I ran until I could run no more, looking around me, screaming,“Steve!! Dustin!! Max!! Lucas!! Steve, please help!! Dustin!!”
Seeing red appear to my left, I turned and faced it. What possessed me to walk towards it, I’ll never know, but I did. It was like the sky had painted red, like the roses from Alice in Wonderland. 
I looked behind me, trying to see where I’ve been… and to also see if Vecna was still following me. Looking back in front of me, I walked a few more feet before hearing something squishy under my shoes. I looked down, thinking it was mud, but then I suddenly realized that I’d seen these types of vines before; two years ago in the tunnels.
I looked up, seeing what looked like spikes sticking out of the ground, little pieces of something else floating around. With my investigative side coming out, I decided to walk further into the Forest of Spikes.
As I got closer, I walked up to, what I’m imagining, would be stairs. I saw a flight of stairs that looked like they led to nowhere, a grandfather clock floating in the air and chiming, a front door floating, and the structure of what looked like a house.
“What are you doing in here, Y/N?” Vecna asked.
I stepped on what looked to be some time of white berry. When I pulled my foot away, I screamed at the top of my lungs, backing away, seeing nothing but a shit of spiders crawling from where I stepped.
“Come back to me.”
I turned around, screaming again when I saw Chrissy Cunningham’s body on some sort of post before seeing Nancy’s friend, Fred Benson, on another post, both of them tied up with vines.
“How do you like them, Y/N?” Vecna asked, making me turn to face him. “Would you like to join them?”
“Never,” I seethed, turning to my right and starting to run when a vine caught my ankle. “Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!” I was dragged along the ground before my pack hit a post, the vines holding me tightly by my legs, wrists and neck.
I was whimpering and crying, knowing full well that this was where I met my fate until Steve, Dustin and others would find a way to break me out.
Hearing the words “Wait and see, time is all that we really need” made me look behind Vecna, seeing everyone crowding around me as my favorite song of the moment played on, everyone yelling for me to wake up.
“They can’t help you,” Vecna said, the vine around my neck tightening. “There’s a reason you hide from them. You belong here with me.”
“You’re not… really here,” I choked. 
“Oh, I am,” he answered. “I am.”
Vecna raised his clawed out hand above my head and I immediately started thinking of happy memories; ones with my brother and the party, with Billy… mostly with Steve before the audio started to get all distorted.
“No,” I quietly grunted. “No, no, no n–” I gasped, feeling Vecna’s nails enter my head and face. My last words I thought of before all I saw was black was, “I love you, Steve.”
THIRD PERSON POV
Looking at his girlfriend sitting at her ex-boyfriends grave wasn’t something that Steve wanted to do, but Max had asked her to come with her, so she did. Lucas was sitting on the hood of the car, while Dustin stood in the passenger door with arm on it and his foot propped up. 
Steve tapped at the outside of the car before looking at his watch. “They’ve had long enough,” he said, getting out of the car, closing the door behind him.
“Steve, just give them some time,” Lucas said.
“I have, alright, Sinclair,” Steve responded, backing his way up the small hill behind him. “I’m calling it. Max wants to get a lawyer, she can. Y/N’s still coping, I need to make sure she’s alright.”
Steve continued his walk through the graves, reaching Y/N and Max. The younger teen was wiping the tears from her face as Steve walked up and said, “Guys. Time to go, yeah?”
Max nodded her head, looking in Y/N’s direction, eyes going a little wide. “Y/N/N?” She looked up at Steve, fear in her eyes.
The older teen looked at his girlfriend, putting a hand on her shoulder, saying her name a couple times while noticing her eyes looking the lightest shade of blue on her iris’ with red replacing the white. “Y/N!”
Shaking his girlfriend, Steve yelled for her to wake up, clapping to get her attention. “Y/N/N, wake up!” 
Dustin's face went more serious, seeing and hearing Steve yelling at his sister.
“Y/N, wake up!” Steve said, distress and sadness laced in his voice. He looked over at two younger male teens, yelling at them before going back to trying to wake his girlfriend while Lucas and Dustin ran to Steve, Max and Y/N.
Max was scared the whole time, not knowing what to do, fresh tears coming to her eyes as she watched the girl that was like her sister sit in a trance. She tried yelling out Y/N’s name to help Steve wake her up, but so far, nothing was happening.  
Max, Lucas, Dustin and Steve were shaking Y/N, saying her name, trying desperately to get her out of the trance.
“You gotta get out of there!”
“Wake up!”
Grabbing Dustin’s jacket, Steve said to the boy, “Go call Nancy and Robin. Go call Nancy and Robin!”
Running towards the car, Dustin had only one thing on his mind; to save his sister. “Don’t worry, Y/N/N. I’m coming, I’m gonna help save you.” Once he made it to the car, he grabbed his walkie talkie, hitting the button on the side and spoke into it, “Nancy, Robin, do you copy? This is a code red! Do you copy?!” At no response, the teen said, “Shit. Robin!! Robin, where the hell are you? This is a code red, I repeat a code red!”
“Dustin, it’s Robin. We copy.”
“Holy shit, finally! Please, please tell me you have this figured out,” he said, standing on top of Steve’s car. He’d deal with the consequences later.
After Robin had told Dustin what to do, he ran back up to Steve, asking what his sister’s favorite song was. 
“Styx’s Don’t Let It End,” Steve said. “She’s been loving it lately.”
“Roger that,” Dustin said, before hightailing it back to the car to find the tape. When he couldn’t locate it, he grabbed Max’s bag, grabbing a handful of tapes, along with Max’s walkman and hightailed it back to his sister. 
“Y/N/N, you gotta get out of there,” Lucas said. “Can you hear me?”
“Guys!” Dustin said, out of breath, dropping the tapes to the grass.
“What is this?” Lucas asked.
“Her favorite song!” Dustin answered. “I couldn’t find the tape! I figured Max might have it!”
“Why?!”
“Robin said if she listens – it’s too much to explain, help me find her song!”
The four boys and girl looked through the tapes, trying to find the one with Don’t Let It End on it. After a frantic search, Steve said, “I got it, I got it! Put it in! Put it in!”
Dustin took the tape and put it into the walkman, Max putting the headphones on Y/N’s ears, Lucas pressing the play button.
Frantically, everyone continued to yell at Y/N to wake up before her body lifted into the air. Not a few moments later, with everyone still yelling out her name, Y/N’s arms and legs began to snap in different directions, her jaw doing the same before her eyes started bleeding out. 
When her body dropped back down to the ground, Steve immediately grabbed her and pulled her into his lap. “Baby,” he said, tears starting to stream down her face. “Baby, wake up. You gotta wake up. Please, baby, wake up.”
Sighs of defeat were heard from the other three teens, Dustin quietly saying, “No,” with tears in his eyes.
With sobs wracking his body, Steve still tried to get her to wake up before Dustin put an arm on his shoulder, saying, “She’s dead, Steve! She’s dead!”
~~~
Back at the Wheeler house, everyone gathered around the table in the basement, sitting on the couch and chairs provided.
Max sighed, standing from her sitting position. “That wasn’t her favorite song.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Steve asked, distraught.
“Just what I said. That wasn’t her favorite song.”
“Then what was it?” Dustin said.
“Yeah, enlighten the class,” Steve said.
Max sighed again, hand running over the top of her head. “When her and Billy were dating, he introduced her to that metal shit he used to listen to. She took a liking to this one band, Night Ranger.”
With expectant looks, she exasperatedly sighed. “Her favorite song was At Night She Sleeps!”
Steve thought about it for a moment, running his hand through his hair while quietly saying, “Oh my god.” 
“What?” Dustin asked.
“I should’ve known,” Steve said. He sighed before saying, “She used to always play it on my record player when she’d have a shit day. She was loving Don’t Let It End lately that I thought it was her favorite.” He sat down, head in his hands while tears came to his eyes. He whispered to himself, “It’s all my fault.”
“Don’t you dare blame yourself,” Robin said, sitting next to her best friend. “It was the only song you could think of in that moment of trying to save her. Yes, it didn’t work, but you tried, and that’s all that should matter is you trying. She would’ve done the same if the roles were reversed.”
“If I know my sister, she would’ve told you to not beat yourself up over it,” Dustin said. “Like, Robin said, you tried. That’s all that my sister would’ve wanted.”
Steve looked at the younger teen, giving a small smile before reaching into his pocket, bringing out a folded up polaroid of the girl he loved more than anything. He saw a future with her, he saw having children with her. 
Steve made a promise to himself that whoever he loved next, might not be as much as he loved Y/N, but he would definitely try to give them the best life they could possibly ever imagine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N 2:  hi, friends! let me know what you thought about! again, please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox.
Additional Notes: we’re also adding a lot of new things up top! let me know what y’all think about that! is it more organized, is it more chaotic? let me know! :)
~~~
Forever / Everything Taglist: @stiles-o-dylan24 @stixnstripesworld @fandom-princess-forevermore @quanticobae @mischiefandi @kellyashcroft @lauren-novak
Steve Harrington Taglist: none yet!​
If you’re tagged and didn’t want to be, please let me know.
Italics wouldn’t let me tag!
~~~
*Please don’t post my writing anywhere else without my consent. The author of this work will always and forever be @stilinskiparker.
All characters, story lines, and plot aside from y/n and her storyline & plot, are all of the work of The Duffer Brothers.
*These works contain material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited.
No part of these works may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.
Posted on July 12, 2022
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meechatuck · 2 months
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🖊️ 👀🍿
Thanks for the ask @th3p0rtalmaker
Ooooooh I'm so glad. This will be a slight spoiler/foreshadowing for a near future chapter. It is a distressing chapter and I've put warnings at the top to let you know what will happen. Another chapter I've had written for a long time and I'm so excited to release it in 5 more weeks.
Warnings: violence, fighting, blood, choking, near death experience.
Amelia stood by her desk for some time, mulling over what had just happened.
He said he didn’t want to lose her.
Hector.
The man who six months ago tried to strangle her.
The one who called it babysitting when she was making deals with nobles and other kingdoms.
And despite all that, there were butterflies in her stomach when he had said that phrase. Her heart was beating out of her chest when he cupped her face. The skin where his thumb had brushed still felt warm. The hug she initiated had, at first, worried her that she was pushing a boundary with him. Even though he had enthusiastically returned it, it still felt like she had crossed a line. Whether that was good or bad remained to be seen.
Carrie would be shaking me by the shoulders right now…
She knew her friend meant well. Carrie’s concern came from Hector’s outward appearance and reputation. Although his reputation was the least of her concerns. He was honestly terrifying to most people when they first met him. His piercing green eyes and rough appearance would make anyone weary, but there was more to him than his appearance. Just like everyone else.
Just like me.
Plexe’s whining yawn pulled her back into her bedroom. She smiled affectionately at the little fox and scratched under his chin. “It’s bedtime isn’t it?”
Plexe’s tired sigh was his only response. He curled up on the foot of her bed again and closed his eyes. Amelia walked to the small side room to wash up for the night. Half the room was torn apart slightly, the construction still in progress for the hot water that Varian and the other engineers were working on. Amelia was absentmindedly wiping her face, her thoughts still on Hector and what had happened between them. She could still catch a faint whiff of him on her.
A growl from her furry friend in her room startled her. She smiled, figuring the binturongs had snuck back into the room to play with Plexe. It wouldn’t have been the first time.
I will need to ask Hector how he taught them to open doors.
Amelia sidestepped to the slightly ajar door, when Plexe growled again. This time it made the hairs on her neck stand up.
Something was wrong.
Amelia fully opened the door and her heart leapt into her throat. At the foot of her bed stood a figure, dressed from head to toe in dark clothing. They had Plexe by the scruff of his neck, holding him so tightly he was struggling to breathe.
Panic filled her as she threw herself at the intruder, desperate to save her friend. She managed to wrestle Plexe from their hands after a swift palm thrust to the figure's face. It only bought her a moment of time to check on the fox, when she realized her mistake. With both arms cradling Plexe, the figure unsheathed their dagger and lunged at her.
Plexe was quickly tossed aside, but it wasn’t quick enough. Knocking her to the ground, the assassin aimed to bury the dagger in her chest. She managed to stop the blow, but at the cost of the blade cutting into the top of her forearm. They pressed into the hilt of the dagger harder, trying to find their mark. It took all her strength to keep the blade from sinking into her chest. They reached their left arm over to hers to add more pressure. Amelia reacted by biting into the forearm of her assailant, causing the dagger to be dropped. She pushed it away, pleased she had gotten the weapon out of reach.
But weapons are not needed to kill.
As the assassin's hands wrapped around her throat, Amelia realized this.
Her nails dug into the strained forearms, trying anything to get them to release her. She tried to kick, only to feel her attacker’s thighs squeeze tighter around her legs.
Spots of darkness floated in her vision. She willed her fingers to dig deeper into the arms of the assassin, but they began to go limp. Weakly, she tried to hit and scratch at their face. Her mind willed it to happen, but she couldn't feel her arms anymore. The hands at her throat tightened even more, causing her vision to shimmer.
As her life faded, thoughts and faces flitted in and out of her mind.
The treaties for the kingdom. What will they do if I’m gone?
Plexe. He will miss me.
The papers on my desk. I never finished them like I was supposed to tonight.
I never finished that book on Dark Kingdom politics from Queen Chandra’s reign.
The last thing she saw before darkness took over her was Hector’s smile as he left her room.
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misfitsandmusings · 5 months
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⭐️ Half-hearted “theory”/wishful thinking and musing on Law, Doflamingo, Rosinante, and the “man marked by flames”. ⭐️
POTENTIAL SPOILER WARNING for the end of Wano (but not really bc my Wano knowledge as a whole is lacking. But I mention one scene at the end of it and give a vibe nod to Egghead/current events without any details. Read more-ing it from here because it’s a longish post in general and somewhat crack in nature.
I’ve been screaming with @clownquixote and have screamed at @climatact about this before but since I’m feeling unapologetically myself in my ridiculousness today I’m going to share a far-fetched “it would never happen but I self indulgently WANT it to happen so let me find this little stretch of a thread to tug on” hope/theory. (On the AMAZINGLY UNLIKELY chance that this happens I’m putting it out there right now and if it defies all the odds and comes true I demand of the universe the equivalent of Law’s bounty in… idk, something dumb like chocolate mints or bread bc as much as I love Law this chick cannot relate to the bread hate.)
But anyway- after all Law has been through in his life and series as a whole, even though YES I know his death was important to his story and character growth, I think he deserves and I would not be mad to see a plot twist in which Rosinante lived. I feel like Sabo’s reappearance came out of left field when it happened and has been widely accepted so I don’t think it’s THAT much of a stretch and if it can happen once it can happen again. The stretch of a thread I’m picking at in my self-indulgent desire to see this happen? The tiny and (I think) thus far unexplained references to the man marked by flames? When Kid says something about that mystery figure being his objective there’s a single panel -that I of course do not have saved. Will find and rb later- where it shifts to Law and he has this vaguely interested/curious look on his face. And yes, Law is curious by nature and that could and probably doesn’t mean anything.
And you would think with a cool tagline like that it would be some really important, powerful, badass character in the making but. What if it’s actually just a clumsy clown of a character prone to setting himself on fire?
I’m thinking a lot on this today because I was revisiting Law & Rosinante backstory episodes in preparation for writing kid!Law for the first time (yay!) but I jumped to episode 700 and decided to watch the entire thing instead of jumping to the actual flashbacks of Law’s childhood. The first few minutes are Law vs. Doflamingo with the latter ranting about the hidden secret use of the Ope Ope no Mi and him stating that if he’d had access to its abilities then, he would have been able to get his hands on whatever he knows is hidden at Mariejois. I have long suspected we (the fandom and poor Law) aren’t done with Creepy Mingo yet, and I won’t really get into current arc stuff because I’ve mentally checked out on it in light of some of the recent events so I’m not well-informed enough to pick it apart just yet. But I do think that bit of info, Doflamingo, and Law are going to come into play again in regards to that conversation some 300+ episodes ago. Since I didn’t claim this would be a fully fleshed out theory I don’t have much more to offer plausibility/possibility-wise yet but I am JUST SAYING Law has been through so much, Doflamingo will end up back in the fray, and I could 100% see a Rosinante that survived and has been laying low on the sidelines for his own various reasons showing up to interfere with his brother and save Law or at least finally give him some much needed light/good news/happiness in his life.
So the tl;dr highlights that I noncommittally hope but don’t really expect will happen (I’m cashing in if I’m right though okay): Doflamingo essential to whatever’s going down, Law still has some stuff to go through and will get roped into this presumably against his will, Rosinante survived and is the “man marked by flames” and will show up to help and/or protect Law. I make no apologies for wishful thinking or for not coming with receipts/all the lore knowledge I need to further explore it yet. I just wanted to get it on the record and scream about how much I want good things for Law.
Okay thanks for reading my silly rambly nonsense that I hope will come true if you did. 🙃 you can pick it apart if you want but keep in mind I make no secret my overall lore knowledge is not the best, or you can scream about it with me if you like it too.
UPDATE: I FOUND IT. (Ch. 1056. I feel like I brought receipts now even though this really established nothing. But like, why that face, Law? It seems INTERESTING. Where’d your thoughts go? Foreshadowing? Does he know something? Do flames just make him think of someone setting their clumsy self on fire all the time? Sus enough for me.)
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riahlynn101 · 4 months
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Dad December - Day One: "I Trusted You."
Summary: Izuku faces the vestige of an uncle he will never get to meet, angry that he kept such an important fact from him. And then, All for One shows up. 
Trigger warnings: Implied/referenced murder, trauma (of all kinds), canonical character death, and All for One being himself.
Warning - this does contain spoilers from the last few manga chapter. (Sadly, none of them are DFO related, but oh, well....)
Wordcount: 1,904
--
“I’m sorry.”
It feels like Izuku’s being punched in the gut. 
“I know we….I should have told you sooner, but I didn’t know how.”
He squeezes his eyes shut, collecting his thoughts. A thousand different words sit just outside Izuku’s reach.
“I trusted you,” he says at last, noting the heavy silence. He opens his eyes. The vast expanse of the void he’s come to know and love greets him. A deep breath in and a deep breath out. 
Behind him, The First-Yoichi Shigaraki, All for One’s brother, and Izuku's ... .Uncle-hovers. The others have disappeared further into the void. Probably for the best. He isn’t sure he can face them right now, at least not as a group. 
“I didn’t want to hurt you,” Yoichi murmurs. He sounds sincere - sad but also sincere. 
Izuku whirls around, face scrunched up. He raises an accusatory finger at his uncle. “Well, you did. What did you think would happen?”
His uncle doesn’t have an answer for that. He bows his head. “I…I just didn’t want you to get hurt. I didn’t want you to…” Yoichi trails off, looking at him with something akin to pity. 
“Didn’t want me to do what? Fight in a war? Break my body just to keep up with my peers? No, that isn’t it.” He laughs, but there’s no humor behind it. “It’s because I’m destined to murder my father.”
It’s Izuku’s turn to feel pity (or maybe it’s empathy. That shared feeling of hopelessness, of pain and loss). His uncle’s lips purse into a thin line, grief flashes in his eyes. For a mili-second, he finds himself wanting to reach out.
He doesn’t, of course. The anger coursing through his veins is enough to keep Izuku standing in place. 
“A long time ago, my brother was a good person.” 
Izuku stares at him, wondering how he failed to notice his uncle losing his mind. Or maybe he’d always been like that? It wouldn’t surprise him, given the track-record of One for All users, and he can say that because he himself is a One for All user. 
When Izuku doesn’t interrupt him (and why would he? If he’s good at anything, it’s lending an ear to those in need - just ask Tomura Shigaraki) Yoichi continues. 
“Izuku,” he says, and the use of his first name makes Izuku jolt. “You never should have been put in this predicament.”
Self-loathing ties his stomach into agonizing knots. It’s unreasonable, he knows, to be so hurt over the notion that the original wielder of One for All doesn’t think him worthy enough. Now is not the time nor place for those feelings, but Izuku feels them all anyway. 
Of course, that isn’t what his uncle is saying, but it’s hard to look past his own hurt.
“You’re a child.”
“I’m a child,” he repeats, slowly. The words feel foreign and funny on his tongue. 
“So, you can see why I didn’t tell you about your father?”
It takes him a few seconds to process his uncle’s words. A beat of silence then two, on the third beat Izuku speaks up. 
“No.”
“No?”
“No,” Izuku says, brows knitting together in confusion. “That doesn’t make any sense.” 
“I’m inclined to agree with him,” a voice pipes up. 
Their attention is immediately drawn to the imposing figure sitting poised in one of the abandoned thrones. A detail that Izuku has personally never understood, but who is he to nitpick the interior decorating choices of his predecessors. 
“All for One, what do you want?” Izuku grits out. As angry as he is at The First One for All user. It in no way cancels out how much he wants to pummel the man standing across from them. The anger he feels towards the One for All quirk and his predecessors is a mild burn, temporary and fixable, compared to the absolute inferno that makes his blood pressure rise so high it might make Recovery Girl finally retire. 
The man, or the vestige of the man, hums. He taps a finger to his chin. “Hmmm….what do I want? Glad you asked.”
In spite of his earlier hostility, Yoichi steps closer to him. Worry evident in his eyes. He grabs Izuku by the collar of his shirt, shoving him behind his back and out of All for One’s eyesight.
“You shouldn’t be here.” He sounds just as calm and collected as he had all those months ago, standing across from his brother taking control of Tomura Shigaraki, but there’s a slight tremor in his voice. 
Carefully, Izuku grabs his uncle’s clenched hand. He remains behind Yoichi, but only because his uncle sends him a stern-look that reminds him of his mother when he tries to come closer. 
“As if that’s ever stopped me before,” All for One says, amused. “Oh, it’s been such a long time since I could lay eyes on either of you.”
Izuku squeezes his uncle’s hand, willing him to stay strong. He wonders where the other One for All users have gone. Shouldn’t they have been here by now?
All for One tsks, standing up. Yoichi matches him, stepping back and taking Izuku right along with him. He takes his hand out of the boy’s grasp, using his arm to shield his nephew. 
“Come now, why are you so afraid?”
“You killed me,” his uncle murmurs, voice small. He sounds hurt, betrayed in a way that even Izuku can’t possibly understand. 
From his place behind Yoichi, Izuku can’t see what All for One’s reaction to that is. But judging from the tense silence that follows that admission and the way his uncle tenses up, he can hazard a guess. 
“That was Kudou, little brother. He’s the one that killed you.” 
“What?” Izuku asks before he can stop himself. The knowledge that his uncle’s death was caused by The Second One for All user both stuns and terrifies him. 
His uncle sends him another stern expression, but it’s too late. 
Izuku can practically hear All for One’s smile from here. “I’m glad you asked, Izuku.”
He cringes away, hating how his name sounds coming from that man’s mouth. It feels wrong somehow. 
Another step back. His uncle remains in front of him. Steadfast despite how scared he is. 
All for One must move closer, but Yoichi is quick to call him out. “Stay back!”
“Must we do this song and dance, little brother?” He asks, annoyed. 
“Leave my nephew alone!” 
All for One’s laughter echoes throughout the void. “My, my, little brother, you sound like me.”
“No, I’m simply trying to protect him.” His uncle sounds scared. He sounds uncertain.
“Just like I tried to do-”
The tension that’s been steadily building breaks. “You killed me! And don’t even try to blame Kudou or Blues or any of my successors. It was you and you alone!” His uncle jabs an accusatory finger in All for One’s direction. “Stop blaming everyone around you and start looking inward!”
“Even so,” the villain starts, tone even and sharp, “Izuku still belongs to me. I haven’t killed him, and as his father I demand to speak with him.”
“No,” Yoichi says, tone just as sharp. 
“Stupid boy-”
“We’re the same age-”
All for One sighs, heavily. “Oh, you and your technicalities.” His tone darkens, growing serious. “And I’m not asking. If you won’t step aside and let me speak with my son, I’ll have to use force.”
His uncle looks over his shoulder at Izuku. Their eyes meet. The rest of his previous anger dissolves at his uncle’s uncertain gaze. He nods, mouthing “it’s okay,” before coming out from behind Yoichi’s back to face his- no, their greatest enemy. 
It’s hard to ignore the way All for One’s face lights up upon laying eyes on Izuku.
“What do you want?”
The villain hums, thoughtfully. He’s quick to close the space between them. A mere two feet and his uncle’s extended arm are all that separates them now. 
A fond expression takes over All for One’s face, making him ache. He can’t remember his father very well. The man left when Izuku was still young, but somewhere deep within his subconscious Izuku can recall the love and adoration he was showered with. The warmth of being held firmly and close. Being loved…..
His mother loves him, Izuku reminds himself, fighting back against useless nostalgia.
He thinks All Might loves him as well, or something close to it. 
And both their love is worth way more than a man’s that couldn’t be bothered to stay to see Izuku grow up. 
“I’ve missed you,” All for One says, reaching a hand out. Instinctively, Izuku shies away. Not that he needs to - not when his uncle is there to swat at the villain’s hand. 
“Don’t touch him.”
All for One tilts his head, an unreadable expression on his face. Before any of them can say another word, the villain snaps his fingers. Yoichi disappears in a wisp of smoke.
“What did you do!?” Izuku asks, frantic. “Bring him back!”
“He’s fine,” All for One says, shrugging his shoulders. “All of them are….unfortunately.”
Izuku glares at him, crossing his arms. Here, without his predecessors or quirks to use, he feels vulnerable. He feels ...scared. 
“Well, then get on with it.”
All for One stares at him for a moment. He laughs, but it doesn’t sound as harsh as it usually does. “Oh, you’re as silly as always.”
“I don’t see how you find any of this funny.”
The villain bridges the gap between them, resting a large hand on Izuku’s shoulder. A thumb swipes at the tears sliding down his cheeks. (When did he start crying? Is he really that helpless? Inside, Izuku burns with shame). 
“I’ve missed you,” he says again, quieter. “So, so much. After my brother was killed by those miscreants.”
“Didn’t uncle say you killed him?”
A thumb brushes his lips, shushing him. “Devils in the details, little one. And your uncle has a tendency to remember things wrong.”
Despite how scared he is, Izuku manages to roll his eyes at that. 
“Anyway, I didn’t come here to discuss your uncle’s memory problems.”
Another eye roll. 
“I wanted to make sure you were doing alright. I didn’t want you to find out this way.”
The thumb returns to tracing his freckles. “What? In the middle of a war in front of my best friend-”
“Best friend is a stretch….”
“And my mentor-”
“Again, a stretch. That man is hardly fit to teach a hamster, let alone a child.”
“And anyone around the world that is currently watching the news.”
All for One grimaces at that. “Yeah…yeah, but I had to. You understand that, right? If I hadn’t stepped in, you would be a pile of dust.”
“No,” Izuku says, petulantly.
All for One lays a gentle kiss on his head. A soft smile on his lips. “No matter. Even if you won’t admit it, I would do it again anyway.” 
“Leave me alone,” he snaps, squirming out of the villain’s hold. “I don’t like you.”
Large arms wrap around him, like vices, bringing Izuku closer to the one person he desperately wishes would just go away and never return. 
“I love you, too, my Izuku.”
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kyber-kisses · 2 years
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Children of Wrath (Pt.3)
Din Djarin x Jedi!reader
Warnings: slight canon divergence, mentions of ptsd, clone wars spoilers, more angst.
Summary: at the end of the clone wars and the fall of the Jedi Order, one Jedi goes into hiding in the most unusual of ways until a Mandalorian stumbles across her. . . Two decades later.
A/N: sorry for the slight wait Bebes, I’m currently going though the big sad rn and don’t have the motivation, but I hope you enjoy and pls ask if you want to be added to my Taglist for this fic!
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After you somewhat of a breakdown, you had quickly pulled yourself together, brushed yourself off and told the Mandalorian that had freed you that you were fine.
But both of you knew that wasn’t true.
As he guided you across the rocky terrain of the uninhabited moon, he would every so often cast you a glance still trying to figure out what kind of person you were.
You remained silent, your fingers every so often moving to graze the odd weapon that hung from your belt as your feet crunched against the gravel beneath your boots.
He could see the pain in your eyes even if you weren’t looking at him. It made sense though. If what you had been saying was true you were going through all the grief that should have happened twenty years ago when everything you knew fell apart.
Twenty years worth of loss was hitting you all at once.
As the two of you finally reached his ship, he chose to speak up, the two of you standing side by side as you watched the ramp lower.
“Where would you like me to take you?”
“Take me? Oh right.” You nodded, suddenly realizing yet again you had no clue where you were going or what you were doing. “You can just drop me off at the nearest inhabited planet. I’ll figure it out from there.”
The Mandalorian nodded before walking up the metal walk way and into the belly of the razor crest, you following behind a moment later. Eyes taking in the interior of the ship you didn’t realize your savior had made his way back to you.
“Here, you must be hungry.” Extending his palm, he gave you several ration bars, the silver wrappers staring back at you from his hand.
“Oh. . . Thank you.”
“Sorry it’s not much, but seeing as you haven’t eaten in over two decades-“
“You don’t need to apologize. This is better than I could have asked for.”
Despite being adorned in head to toe armor, you found it somewhat easy for yourself to read the man in front of you. He had a shy awkwardness to him that you found somewhat endearing. You watched as he brought a gloved hand up tot he back of his neck, rubbing it awkwardly.
“I’m gonna get us in the air. You’re welcome to rest down here if you’d like.” The bounty hunter giving you one last nod before climbing up the ladder and into the cockpit, leaving you to stand in silence.
Fiddling with the silver wrapper of the ration bar, you sink to the floor of the ship, leaning against the wall as you did. You barely noticed the ship start up around you, too consumed by all the thoughts and questions beginning to flood your brain.
What all had happened in the past twenty some years? Why did the force feel so. . . Empty? And what had become of all the people you had cared about? Where were Anakin and Obi? Were they ok? Had they survived order 66? What about Padme? She was pregnant the last time you saw her.
You had only been awake for several hours but you already felt exhausted, the weight of twenty years lost settling over you like a heavy cloud. With a deep sigh you let your face fall into your hands, dropping the ration bar at your side.
“Where did you all go?”
Your words barely came out as a whisper but it was enough to bring the tears from earlier back to your eyes.
You don’t know how long you sat there on the cold metal floor of ship. Maybe minutes, maybe hours- who knew. But eventually the silence became too loud for you and you pulled yourself back up onto your feet, only getting as far as the ladder to the cockpit before stopping.
Peering up the vertical ladder in front of you, you contemplated wether or not you should stay down here or pull yourself up into the cockpit with the Mandalorian that had saved you. Your body made the choice before your mind did and before you could comprehend what was happening you were grabbing onto the rungs and climbing.
You had so many questions about the state of the galaxy, about everything that had happened since you were last awake, and as of right now the only person you could ask was the Mandalorian.
You were silent as you entered the cockpit, even as you made your way towards the vacant passenger seat besides him and sat down.
“How are you feeling?” His modulated voice bouncing around the cabin as he spoke.
“I’m alright. Surprisingly tired though. . . Even after being asleep for twenty years.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised by that. Being suspended in carbonite that long probably gave you at least a minor case of hibernation sickness.” He explained, flexing his fingers across the control handles of the ship.
“Right-“ letting out a breath you didn’t know you had been holding you looked down at your own hands folded softly in your lap.
You had gotten hibernation sickness once before when You had gone on a mission with Anakin and Obi-wan to break an imprisoned Jedi out of the Citadel. You had suffered the worse case of it out of everyone and when you finally got back on board the Resolute Kix had kept you in the medbay for over a week.
At least this time you didn’t have temporary memory loss or blindness like before, thank the force.
“I never got your name before.” Din added, his curiosity over you getting the best of him as he gave you a sideways glance from his pilot seat.
“That’s because you never asked.”
“Right-“
“It’s Y/N though.” You smiled lightly, taking your eyes away from your folded hands and directing them towards the endless sea of stars in front of you.
“No last name?”
“Oh I do. . . You just have to earn the right to know it. What about you metal man? What’s your real name?” You leaned forward, settling your elbows on your knees as you looked at him.
Underneath his helmet, Din let the beginnings of a smile cross his features before turning to look over his shoulder at you. “You have to earn the right to know it.”
“Ha funny. Using my own words against me. I didn’t know you had a sense of humor.”
“I do. . . On occasion.”
Smiling yet again you leaned back, allowing your head to rest against the back of the seat as you crossed your arms over your chest. In a way he reminded you of someone from your past.
Rex.
Rex and his sweet awkwardness and never ending kindness. How he could be lighthearted and fun when the time was right and commanding and ready when needed.
Squeezing your eyes shut yet again you fought back another wave of tears, battling down your rising emotions yet again.
Rex. Where was he? Was he still alive? Did he save any of his brothers?
The mandalorians modulated voice snapped you back into the present a moment later, “are you alright?”
Shit.
“Yeah! Yeah, I’m fine. Like I said, just a bit tired.” You paused before speaking up a moment later. “Can I ask you a question though?”
“Sure. I can’t promise I’ll have an answer though.”
“What happened to the galaxy after the clone wars ended?”
The question seemed to small to you but you could practically feel the mandalorians mood change align with the sharp inhale he took. Maybe you had taken it a step too far.
“I’m sorry- I shouldn’t have asked. I was just curious.” You quickly apologized, sinking further into the seat you occupied.
“No, you don’t need to apologize.” He quickly interjected, “it’s just a loaded question that’s all.”
“I know, I know- I just-“ you swallowed thickly. “It’s been two decades since I was last part of this fast ecosystem we call our galaxy. I felt like such a big part of it back then, but now? I feel like I have to play catch up just to walk amongst others again.”
A band of heavy silence stretched between you, the only sound that could be heard was the ship itself. You don’t know how long it lasted but eventually it made your stomach knot up.
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want t-“
“Where do you want me to start?”
*. *. *. *. *. *. *. *.
If you weren’t exhausted before, you were now. The knowledge of the history and events that had happened while you were asleep felt like a heavy block of cement had been laid on your chest, weighing you down.
The Jedi had been exterminated from the galaxy, the republic had been ripped down to its studs and replaced with the Galactic Empire, Palaptine became Emperor, the clone army had been disbanded, a Sith known as Vader had risen to power, and a weapon known as the Deathstar had destroyed countless planets.
And that was only part of it.
You sat in stunned silence, nails digging into your palms as you continued to fight back any rising emotions.
You had lost. The Republic had lost. Everything you had ever stood for had fallen apart around you while you lay locked in carbonite.
In the pilot seat the Mandalorian stayed silent, allowing you time to process. He couldn’t imagine what you were going through. He may had been raised by the Death Watch but that didn’t mean he didn’t have sympathy.
“I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for?” You looked up at him, “you were only a child when the Empire rose to power. You didn’t slaughter my people and destroy half the universe.”
Din let out a breath. You were right, but he did understand what it was like to lose the people closest to you, to be thrust into a world you didn’t understand. Both of you were just children raised to be fighters.
Another blanket of silence fell over the two of you, this time only lasting a few seconds.
“Do you have a refresher?” You spoke up, looking over at the man piloting the ship, “I- I need to get the stink of twenty years of not bathing off of me.”
“Oh Uh, it’s just down the ladder and to your left.” He nodded back towards where the entrance to the cockpit was. “There should be some spare clothes in the compartment next to the sink as well.”
With a rushed thank you you got up from your seat and made your way back down the ladder, leaving The Mandalorian to his own thoughts and questions.
The fresher was small. Almost too small. You had no clue how the Mandalorian and his broad shoulders was able to fit in here. It couldn’t have been bigger than the full sized mattress you used to sleep on in the Jedi temple.
Once the door had slid shut firmly behind you and the distinct sound of the lock was heard, you began peeling of the layers of your Jedi uniform until they were just a pile of beige and brown cloth on the floor, your lightsaber placed neatly on the tiny counter next to the sink. Turning on the faucet for the shower you didn’t even wait until the water had turned warm, instead opting to step in while it still ran cold.
The cold spray of water ran in heavy streams and rivulets down your bare skin, rushing towards the drain as you stood stoically still beneath the waters.
Despite the sound of the running water, your thoughts were still too loud. To you it still felt like the Resolute had crashed yesterday, but now your mind felt like it was overheating at all the new information.
You could feel your breathing start to pick up speed just as your mind had. You had learned to control your panic at a young age, it was part of your training when you were still a youngling and back then it was so much easier to control- but now? Now it felt like wrestling a hurricane into submission.
War did that to you. Watching your friends die did that to you. Feeling them die did that to you.
This wasn’t your first panic attack- and you knew it wouldn’t be the last. You usually got them after particularly harsh missions, when the losses were heavy and ending war seemed impossible. Obi-wan had always been the best at helping you through them.
But he want here anymore.
No one was.
So you let all the fear, and panic, and grief tumble out of you all at once right then and there. Letting yourself fall back against the cool metal wall behind you, you sunk to the floor. . .
And screamed.
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idontknowanametouse · 3 months
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So... I wrote a fic about Jujutsu Kaisen. Cause I refuse to believe canon. Anyway, here it is. (spoilers for Shibuya arc and a lil bit for the Culling Games arc) (briefly, it will be available in Ao3. probably) (sorry for bad english and probable inaccuracy with canon)
“...a shikigami, huh?” Kami-sama murmurs, right after fixing Hime.
“...fault... Senshi... didn’t saw...”
“No, no, there’s no need to that. You guys know I wouldn’t be mad even if you were just two insignificant transfigured humans, but my two masterpieces? Of course I won’t be mad at you!” he brushes softly Hime’s cheek. Her normally blank face acquires the shadow of a smile. “Specially at you, Hime-chan. I have a different task for you now. Those you attacked will come after me soon, so, you must deffend me. With a special warning for you, Senshi-san, because, as before, you need to protect Hime-chan at all costs. Did you understand?”
The two of them nod.
_
“MAHITO!!!” Yuji screams, entering the building where is the energy of the curse. The fury present in his voice could make the walls tremble. The boy ran away from Jujutsu High and passed the whole night looking for Mahito.
“Well, you arrived earlier than I thought” says the laughing voice that seems to be coming out of the walls.
“WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SENSEI AND MY SISTER?! YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH!”
A laughter full of pure cruelty echoes around the place.
“I thought playing with them and testing a few things would be much, much more interesting than just killing them! I found out that, depending on the way I change the shape of the soul, I can also change the mind! Oh, I got so happy when I discovered that, specially about the girl, as I’ve never seen a sorcerer that could change the shape of the soul like me! Do you want to find the two of them again, Itadori?”
He is able to listen something similar to steps behind himself and immediatly turns around, seeing Nobara right behind him, her arm outstretched towards his hair. Realizing her intention, he grabs her arm before she can do anything. Right behind her, Nanami comes running. For a second, Yuji looks directly into the girl’s single eye.
There’s nothing in them.
He can’t remember exactly what happened later.
When he realizes, he’s fallen into the ground, wounds through his body. His vision is blurry and he can barely distinguish what is more than one meter away from him. He sees two figures and then a lot of movement, and suddenly someone gets close to his face, a pointy and black hair that is very familiar.
Megumi.
“Yuji!” he seems angry and worried. He says, while helping him get up: “Didn’t I told you to not come?! You almost died!! You were lucky we managed to find you!
“Hum... sorry...” he murmurs, blinking as he tries to make his vision less blurry. “And... what about them?”
“The curse is not here, but the sorcerers managed to capture Kugisaki and Nanami-san. We’ll get them to the school and see what we can do for them.”
Megumi looks at Yuji and sighs. He knows the boy well enough to know that the guilt is corroding him from the inside, even though he is innocent in this whole thing.
Nobara is a great friend and, during that week, he could barely walk through the school without feeling his knees tremble when thinking of her. He knew Nanami a long time ago because of Gojo, and, even though they have never been close in the way the adult and Yuji were, he still respected him deeply. Seeing that distorted version of them is absolutely wrong and torturing.
Just as he saw them, he understood the boiling and blind hate Yuji felt for that curse.
_
Shoko is used to see people in terrible estates. After all, she is a doctor that works on Jujutsu High. She saw many people deformed by curses or wounded in brutal ways. Even though she felt sorry for their fate, she got very experienced throughout the years.
So, it’s surprising when she feels about to puke when she sees Kugisaki and Nanami unconscious with their bodies transfigured.
Maybe it’s because she knows them and got shocked by seeing them distorted. Maybe it’s Kugisaki’s such young age. Maybe it’s the protection instinct with her kouhai. She doesn’t know. She just knows that she feels pure hatred for the curse that did this to them.
They are tied at the litters with cursed strings to ensure they won’t run away. While she evaluates them, worried and nervous, Shoko realizes the strings were a good idea when Kugisaki wakes up.
Immediately, when her eye evaluates the place around her, she tries to get up with all her force, but can’t do it. She grunts and emmits all kind of noises, varying from low despair moanings to roars of pure anger. Any tries to make her stop is shown to be in vain, and the girl just calms down when is left alone. In this moment, she just stays there, sitten, staring the nothing and without moving a muscle.
When Nanami wakes up, he looks around, confused, and tries to free himself. When he sees Kugisaki, he says something incomprehensible, but she seems to understand it. He enters the same catatonic state as she, but one of his eyes deviates to the corner, making Kugisaki be inside his sight. Just as this happens, however, the needles behind his neck pierce him and he looks forward again.
Shoko looks at what is in her hands. She managed to get one of the needles that were on Kugisaki’s nape. She needs to discover what is that.
_
This is the first time Megumi sees Maki be shaken by something. She seems happy when finds out Nobara is alive, but, as they hears what happened, her eyes get wide and they staggers when walks. When she goes to the infirmary and sees her unconscious from far away, Maki doesn’t move a centimeter until she finally moves away, without saying a word.
_
Yuji passes most of the night awaken. He can’t sleep because can’t stop thinking he could have stopped that. If he didn’t faint, maybe the two of them could have been saved. But the vision of Nanami’s burned skin and flesh being torn apart alongside Nobara’s eye exploding out of her face, knowing that the two of them would be dead, made that his body couldn’t take it anymore and got prepared to die.
After circa one hour rolling through the bed without being able to close his eyes, he finally gets up and starts wandering around the school. There’s no goal, he just needs to walk around, trying to empty his head from the pain. In some way, his feet take him unconsciously to the infirmary door, and he looks inside.
Just the two of them are there, the lights on. The ones that have been wounded at Shibuya or have been practically healed or are on the graveyard. They look exactly like earlier, however, there’s a slight frown in Nobara’s forehead when she sees him. Nanami, although, just opens his eyes a little bit in his direction.
Yuji runs, opens a bathroom’s door and pukes.
While he walks around the property again with no direction, he sees himself again at the door of his dormitory. He thinks of going back to his room until he hears something, a low sound. It comes from Megumi’s room.
He looks through the door. Even in the dark, his eyes identify Megumi’s body lying down in fetal position while hugging one of his dogs. His back oscilate slightly and the sound comes from him.
Without making any noise, Yuji enters the room and slides to the bed, putting his arms around Megumi and staying there until his breathing calms down and the crying sound stops. Maybe this happened because of the many people he’s lost in such a short time.
The whole night, Yuji tries to ignore Sukuna laughing at the back of his mind.
(this is the part two of a fic of mine. If you want to read the part one, go for the tag "the shape of two souls")
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hoodievixen · 2 years
Text
Find my Way Back to You - The Umbrella Academy [Part 9]
The Hargreeves never expected the teen declaring the end of the world to become someone close. But leave it up to Ryn, who can see the future, to find their way into the weird dynamic of the Hargreeves siblings. Though there are many things that don't seem right about them. Some could be chalked up to her powers, others, no one would ever believe on someone's word alone. And she knew that.
Five x OC (Romantic)
Vanya/Viktor & OC (Platonic)
Klaus & OC (Platonic)
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Notes: The weird predicament of Five's physical age vs. mental age will be addressed. Can't explain, cause it's a large part of the story (and spoilers). IT IS NOT PEDOPHILIA! not to mention both Ryn and five are asexuals (sex-repulsed and never got to figure it out respectively) so there will be no devil's tango.
I will be referring to Viktor as Vanya and with she/her pronouns for what is season 1 and season 2. I do not want to take away that part of the character, and want the transition to be included. I believe removing that and referring to him as Viktor from the start is ignoring the struggle he went through. (Nothing against people who use Viktor and he/him pronouns in fanfics that would be during s1/s2. This is just my own opinion)
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Series Warnings: themes of trauma and mental health, mentions of suicide, cannon typical violence, mentions of blood, mentions of injuries, alcohol consumption, drugs, toxic relationships (in reference not practice), questionable morals, swearing, gaslighting, manipulation
Chapter Warnings: talk of war, mentions of blood and injuries, themes of lose
Word Count: ~1.7k
Master List
"Klaus I don't think you should mess with that." If only he had listened.
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Diego came up to the motel, already seeing plenty of cop cars and even an ambulance there. There he saw her, sitting on the back of an ambulance, refusing to let them take her to the hospital until everything had been cleared. Diego marched right up to the Detective. "What happened?" He then saw the stabilized bullet would in her shoulder.
"Took you long enough," she sighed, "Was about to believe you were never going to show up."
"Well I'm here, what do you need?" Diego asked.
Eudora glanced around him. "Do you know someone by the name of Ryn?" she asked in a hushed voice. "Teen, short blond hair."
Diego let out a deep breath. "They're more of my brother's friend. Showed up a couple days ago claiming they can see the future and the world is ending."
She softly laughed, stopping once it caused too much pain. "I might just believe it," she scoffed. "If they weren't here, I'd probably be dead."
"Still haven't told me what happened," Diego pointed out.
"It's still an open investigation," the detective reminded him.
Diego sat down next to her. "When has that ever stopped you before?"
Detective Patch's partner walked up to them. "Why are you here?" he asked Diego.
"I called him," Eudora was quick to jump in.
The man gave Diego a questioning look. "We didn't find anything, so please go to the hospital, get seen by a doctor."
Diego stood up. "I'll meet you there. I'll try getting in contact with them, like you asked." He gave her a wink as he walked away. He needed to find Ryn, that weird blond. There were some answers he needed that he cloud only get out of them.
----------------
They rushed up to his side, grabbing onto his forearm and dragging him away to a secluded area. "We need to go back," Ryn hissed at Klaus.
Klaus was still look toward the group on mingling soldier, eyes on one in particular. "What's the rush kiddo," he laughed.
Ryn groaned. "Dude, we are currently in a war zone," they pointed out. "The Vietnam war. The only war where the US lose but they still teach about in schools. It's not pretty."
"Well some parts are," Klaus sighed.
Ryn sighed, realizing what is going on. Klaus had a crush, and a hard core one at that. "Dude, he's old enough to be you're father, or my grandfather. Couples from two different points in time never work. It always ends in tragedy."
"And how would you know that?" Klaus snapped, finally looking at the teen. "Just because you can see through time, doesn't mean you know everything."
Ryn let our a slow breath, and their eyes started glowing. They just stood their silently for a minuet, watching and thinking. "Fine," they agreed. "But can I hold onto the briefcase?"
Klaus hugged it to his body. "How do I know you won't just use it to go back to the future, leaving me here all alone." He dramatically started fake crying at the end.
Ryn held and out stretch hand, where all fingers were curled in except for their pinky. "Pinky promise," she assured them.
Klaus link his finger with theirs. He then handed over the suitcase. "Now, I have a soldier to talk to."
"Wait, wait, wait," Ryn called out, grabbing his arm to stop him. "I can't risk anyone finding out I'm of the female sex."
"What do you want me to do?" Klaus sighed.
Ryn shook her head. "Nothing," they assured him. "It's just the next camp we will go to has doctors residing there, and where there are doctors their are nurses. So I'm gonna sneak into that fold. I just want you to know what I am doing, and where I will be." She held up the briefcase, "When you're ready to go home."
-----------------
The door slammed as Diego barged in. "Where is she?" he asked.
"Who?" Luther asked.
"Ryn," he barged over the the brother sitting on the bed, picking him up by the collar. "Where are they?"
Five blinked of of Diego's grasp. "Do I look like their babysitter?" he scoffed, "Why do you even want to know? You seemed pretty keen on not wanting their help."
"They got involved with someone I care about, and I need answers," Diego explained, " And the only person I can get those form is that teenybopper that's been following you around the last couple of days."
Five glared up at him. "Last time I saw them was last night. It's nice not having them yap away constantly." He walked right past Diego to get Delores.
Diego grabbed the back of Five's blazer to stop him. "Because of Ryn's actions, someone's hurt. My friends got shot, so where can I find them?"
"Well, hate to break it to you," Five sassed, pulling himself out of Diego's grip. "Ryn probably saved your friends life. Don't understand why she would save someone insignificant."
Diego looked at Five with anger. "Eudora is not insignificant!"
--------------
"There she is!" Klaus declared, rushing over to wrap the smaller girl in a hug. "There is someone I'd like you to meet." He gestured to the other solider following him. "Dave this is my dear little sister. She's just the sweetest. When I was enlisted she immediate became a nurse to join me. Such a kind heart soul."
"Hi," Ryn greeted him, holding out their hand for a handshake. "I'm Caroline, it's nice to finally meet you today."
"You as well," Dave said cordially, shaking the blond's hand. "I can't imagine what a day is like for you. It must be so stressful."
While Ryn smiled, she brushed off the comment. "Please, it is the two of you who go through hell. You are in battles, I just hand things to the surgeons and make sure soldier down pull their stitches."
Dave shook his head. "You do something much more honorable. You save lives, while we just take them."
Ryn shrugged. "I guess we all have blood on our hands, one way or another."
"Now Ryn-A-Lyn," Klaus said, leaning onto her shoulder. "You need to fill us in on all the drama since your last letter."
Ryn softly laughed. "Well Cheryl, the one who was sleeping with Dr. Smith, yeah she learned he's married...."
---------------
Diego softly knocked on the door. "Hey, heard you were awake."
Eudora rolled her eyes at the sight of him in her door way. "Don't you have something better to do than to bother a patient?"
"Not when that patient is you," Diego confessed sitting down at a chair near the side of her bed. "Eudora what happened? You called me for a reason."
The detective let out a sigh. "They had you're brother," she told him.
Diego thought for a moment two of his brothers were still at his place. "Klaus," he figured out. "Who had him?"
"The gun men," Eudora answered, "I found out where they were staying, and for once I was going to do things your way, but I couldn't do it alone.
But you never showed up, and Ryn... I don't know. They came from no where. The gunman didn't even see them coming. Last I saw of them, she and your brother were running off."
"I'm trying to find them, get some answers, for both of us" Diego told her.
"Don't," the detective said, "I haven't told them anything about Ryn. They knocked someone out with a teaser, something like that is illegal. I'm doing them this favor as a thanks. So get what answers you want, but I don't want any."
-------------
Ryn quietly walked over and sat down next to Klaus. They were not phased when he leaned against her. "Why?" he asked, wanting the answer. Ryn always seemed to have answers.
She leaned her head against his. "I don't know," they sighed. "Death is a mystery to all."
They sat like that in silence for a while. "Ready to go home?" Ryn asked, holding up the briefcase. Their hands red and raw from being washed repeated and harshly. Must have been covered in blood just a short while ago.
"Yeah," Klaus said softly.
---------------------------------
The two of them sat next to each other, both doing their own thing. He was writing down equations in the margin of a book, while they were sewing up the holes in clothes. Music was playing in the back ground, and he could hear them softly singing along. "I love that sound," he commented.
"What?" they softly laughed, looking at him. It wasn't common for him to express his emotions, through words or touch. He tries to show it through his action even if he falls short. though, they weren't that great either, trying, but had always been the awkward type.
He looked into their eyes. "I love hearing you sing, you only do that when you're happy." He could only smile as he watched the blush grow on their face.
He lost his smile as their expression turned to one of worry. "Is this real?" they asked.
"What do you mean?" he wondered. Their mind could still be an enigma to him, worried about things he'd never think to worry about.
They looked away with a deep sigh. "Us," they answered, "Our feelings.
We are all we have, if you don't count Delores. It's only natural for us to grown attached to each other. Do we really like each other? Is it actually..." They were to nervous to finish the thought.
The thought was one he had himself. "I love you," he assured them, grabbing their hand.
"Are you sure?" they asked, still looking to the ground.
He threaded his fingers through theirs. "Yes," he said simply, "I know because I know you are too good for me. You are to kind hearted and determined for me. But I also don't want to lose you. If another person were to arrive tomorrow I might just kill them to keep you all to myself."
They softly laughed at the sentiment. "What about you?" he wondered.
Their fingers gently curled in with his. "I was never close to anyone. My relationship with my family was fabricated, at best. Then what friend I had weren't lasting relationship, never following me into the next phase of my life. But with you..." they turned to look at him. "I know you. And you know me. I'm not sure if that's love. But I like to believe it is."
He leaned forward to where their forehead touched, a position they commonly found themselves in. "Can I kiss you?" he asked in a hushed voice, like there was someone else that could over hear them.
"Sure," they agreed with a smile.
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certifiedskywalker · 3 years
Text
Trouble Doubled - Bucky Barnes
Even after everything, you’re still the person who Bucky Barnes runs to when things go bad. Only now, he brings Sam who fails to hide his grin when he sees how James melts under your touch.
WARNINGS: Blood, stitches, and TFATWS possible spoilers (I think I was vague enough)
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“Ouch! That’s going to hurt in the morning!”
“Ha, it hurts now, actually,” Sam grumbled. 
You pressed your lips together to stifle the grin that threatened to spill over them. Unable to help yourself, you glanced at Bucky in the hopes he too was biting back a grin. Stood by the door, slightly shrouded in shadow, you could make out the half smile that played on his lips. Though, his expression quickly melted into a grimace as Sam groaned. Reality quickly crashed back down on your shoulders and you turned back to the man laid on the table.
“You’re not going to like this.” Before Sam could ask what ‘this’ was, you began to palpate his wound. He flinched away from your reach at first, but then settled in the discomfort.
“Mm, yeah, no, that doesn’t feel good, Doc.”
“Not a doctor,” you said, still pressing lightly into the bruised flesh. “And I have to make sure you didn’t crack a rib. Otherwise, you’ll need a doctor.”
“Gotta work on your bedside manner,” Sam said as he winced. You pulled your hands away with a sigh and he met your eyes. “Bad?”
“In the grand scheme of things, no. Just try not to throw yourself off a building for the next few days. Think you guys can manage that?”
“Maybe. Harder to fly without jumping first.” Sam groaned once more as he sat up and the pain seemed to convince him to heed your warning. “We’ll try, Doc.”
You rolled your eyes at him before turning to look at Bucky. Still tucked in the darker corner of the room, he seemed small. His brows were knitted tightly together by worry and you imagined that, if he met your gaze, you would see concern in his eyes. Pushed forward by your own worry, you strode over to him. At your growing closeness, Bucky lifted his eyes to yours.
“Your turn.”
“I’m fine, Y/N.”
Despite his protest, Bucky did not lock himself in place. Instead, he gave in and let you lead him by the arm, over to the table. Sam eyed him with a wide grin as Bucky landed in the same spot he had sat in only moments ago. He mouthed something to the century-old soldier that you caught, but could not make out.
“What happened to taking it easy? You told me after, you know, that you would ease into things.” You gestured to the rags you had used to clean Sam’s more minor wounds; the fabric pieces were now dyed a reddish pink from blood. “That doesn’t seem like easing into it.”
“You didn’t see the other guy,” Sam quipped. 
“I like to think you didn’t leave any of him left,” you fired back as you pinched Bucky’s chin between your forefinger and thumb. “Look at me.”
Bucky did as you told him to and met your gaze. You took a sharp breath in at the sight of him, at how his pupils blew out slightly as you studied his reaction. All at once, the air around you grew thick. This close, you could smell the sweat and ash on his skin, along with hints of whatever air freshener he had in his apartment. 
Was it coconut? Sandalwood? You couldn’t parse out which as you found yourself lost in the blues of Bucky’s eyes. The sound of Sam clearing his throat shook you from your haze.
“No signs of a concussion.”
“Really?” Sam asked, grin still plastered on his face. You raised a brow at him in question before you turned back to Bucky. 
“Why? Did you hit your head?”
“No,” he said, clearly tired of Sam’s commentary, “but if I did, it wouldn’t be a big deal.”
“Super soldier or not, a head wound is a head wound. Can you?” You gestured to his jacket and, with a sigh, Bucky pulled it off his shoulders.
“How do you two know each other again?” Sam asked, glancing around the room. “And why are we in an abandoned building.”
“Hard to trace us back here. Didn’t want to lead them to Y/N’s place,” Bucky said, tossing his jacket to the side. He winced as he did, and then you saw the blood.
“Barnes!" 
With reaching hands, you peeled back the crimson-soaked material of his shirt. Your movement revealed a long gash along his side that, with each breath, sent dribbles of blood to his hip. Sam made a sound of surprise and mild disgust at the sight. You were inclined to agree with another shout, but you were too caught up in how to stop the bleeding.
“Lay back,” you ordered, pressing Bucky’s shoulder. He yielded and you pushed his shirt up to expose the entire length of the wound. “Why didn't you show this to me earlier?!”
“It’s not that bad.”
"You're bleeding," you huffed, "which is pretty indicative of bad, if you ask me. Sam?"
"This is not my battle,” he raised his hands and shook his head. “I know better than to intrude on a lover’s quarrel.”
Neither you nor Bucky spoke up to correct him. In your mind, you came up with a quick excuse: Bucky was bleeding and you needed to focus on stopping it. Sam’s comment could be corrected later. Though, when Bucky didn’t speak up, you felt your chest tighten. As you worked on dressing the gash, you glanced up at him and found his blue eyes trained on you. He was dwelling on your silence too.
You pulled yourself out of the whirlpool of his gaze and reached over his body towards your medical supplies. As you stretched, your chest pressed lightly against Bucky’s, but you swallowed hard and refocused.
“Sorry, need to sow you up.”
Bucky didn’t respond, but he did avert his gaze. He found some spot in the ceiling to stare at instead of you. His distraction allowed you to work without the prickling temptation to sneak glances at his features; for the most part. It was only when Sam moved to stand over at your side you did you look up from Bucky’s wound.
“What?”
“Nothing, just wondering how many times you’ve done this before.” 
A bitter laugh slipped past your lips at his reply. “Too many times to count. If it’s not an Avenger, it’s a masked savior from Hell’s Kitchen. Someone always needs stitched up.”
“But James here is your favorite patient?”
“Sam.” 
Bucky’s tone set you on edge. It was warning, cold, and unlike the teasing you had grown fond of. Sam, knowing better than to piss him off, backed away from the table. You looked from him to Bucky and back again. When Bucky did not dare to meet your gaze, you felt a lump form in your throat. Tension weighed down your tongue, stopped you from saying a word or asking a question, despite your want to. 
“Alright, alright. I’ll leave you be, old man. I’ll check with Torres, see if he has anything.”
Bucky’s eyes remained fixed on the ceiling above you. He was quiet, like the first time you met, and distant. His gaze seemed far away, as if he were looking through the ceiling of this hideaway. After you heard the door of the room close behind Sam, you went back to work on Bucky’s side in silence. 
Carefully, you sowed the gash and tried to keep your hands steady. Every other jab with the needle made Bucky wince. You flinched at his sharp intake of breath and mumbled an apology before you went on to the next stitch. Five apologies later, the bleeding slowed and you gently pressed a crisp, white bandage to safeguard your handiwork. 
Immediately after you secured the gauze, Bucky moved to sit up. Before he could, you pressed on his shoulders again and pinned him in place. Though, you knew you couldn’t have pinned him if he hadn’t let you. Your upper body strength was nothing compared to his, you both knew that.
“Don’t move,” you said softly, “you’ll ruin my work.”
“It’s gonna be hard not to.” Bucky met your gaze and, in the dim light of the room, his eyes looked dark, almost sad. Something in his face, perhaps the dull, yet familiar laughter lines around his mouth or the bags under his eyes, alleviated the tension that had silenced before.
“You told me you wouldn’t. That you would take it easy and focus on making amends.”
Bucky closed his eyes at the disappoint that laced your tone. “I tried. I wanted to, Hell, I need to, but I can’t. I never could.”
“Why?”
“Because,” Bucky began to sit up from the table top, “I’m a soldier. I need the fight.”
You watched as he moved, as your hands slipped from his shoulders and fell back to your sides. He pulled his shirt down over his freshly bandaged wound. When he was covered, Bucky looked back up to you, saw your frown and frowned too.
“Soldiers get to come home,” you pointed out, arms crossed over your chest.
“If they’re lucky. I’ve never been lucky.”
You bit the inside of your cheek at that. He was right. Bucky told you his story once before, after a therapy session left him feeling a bit more dry than high. He told you that he couldn’t tell you everything, that he wouldn’t. He didn’t have to, but you still hoped for him.
“Luck can change.”
Bucky scoffed as he pushed himself to his feet. Now, at his full height, he towered slightly over you. Despite his looming figure, Bucky did not scare you. Even when he told you his story, what he had done, Bucky did not scare you. 
“Yeah, well, luck, or fate, or whatever, brought me to you and here we are,” he gestured to the dusty dwelling around you. You looked around with a careful eye before you playfully shrugged. 
“I’ve been in worse dives.” Bucky chuckled, a unforced sound that rose up from his chest against his will. “Really, I have.”
“I don’t doubt it. But we put you in danger, asking for your help here. I put you in danger.”
“Oh, are you serious?” You threw your hands up in the air, “there’s always going to be danger in this world. Aliens, war, bad luck.”
“I wanted to keep you safe,” he pressed, taking a step towards you. 
You could smell the perfume of the air freshener again, how it clung to his clothes. It distracted you, threw you into thoughts of what his apartment looked like, if he would ever share that part of him with you or if he would keep it locked away with his full story. You bit your tongue to keep yourself from asking, from wasting your breath on a question he wouldn’t answer. His words would have to be enough for you and, as if on cue, Bucky echoed his sentiment. 
“I wanted to keep you safe.”
“How noble, wanting to keep me safe, Barnes. Just me?” 
Silence was your immediate answer. Silence and Bucky’s full attention. You didn’t miss how his eyes flickered down from yours to your lips then back again.
“Just you.”
In the quiet that followed Bucky’s statement, you became frighteningly aware of your heartbeat again. It wasn’t pounding like before, but it felt loud, like it was pressing against your ribcage, begging to leap out and into Bucky’s arms. As if propelled by it, you found yourself leaning in towards his warmth just as he seemed to shrink away.
Before he was out of reach, you lifted your hands to his face and cupped his jaw. Stubble prickled your fingers and palm, though you were far too enraptured to care.
“Then stay alive,” you said softly, “change your luck and come home.”
In your mind, you did not picture Bucky’s home as his mystery apartment. Instead, you saw only this moment captured by some invisible third party. You saw home as just the two of you and the image made you heart beat a bit faster. 
“I’ll try.”
“Good.” 
For a moment, the two of you just stared at each other, stewed in the new, easier tension between you. But then your resolve broke and you lips broke into a smile. Bucky mirrored your expression, a lopsided grin resting comfortably along his features. His eyes fell to the floor between you before he looked back into your face.
“Can...can I kiss y-”
“Yes, Barnes, please.”
Without wasting another second, Bucky leaned down and pressed his lips to yours. Your hands slipped from his jaw to the back of his head where your fingers tangled in the soft strands of his brown hair. One of his hands found your waist and pulled you close to him, while the other cupped your jaw. In sync, his mouth moved against yours and everything around you melted away.
No more wonderings or mystery. It was only you and Bucky, come danger, trouble, or bad luck; and Sam who lingered outside the door.
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justabigassnerd · 2 years
Text
Reunited
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Pairing - TASM!Peter Parker x reader
Word count - 2,779
Warnings - NO WAY HOME SPOILERS, angst, fluff, mentions of violence & injuries
Summary - Peter found himself missing his brothers from other universes and so makes a way to see them again
A/N - So y'all already know I'm a Spidey stan so seeing this request made me so fucking happy. I know the request didn't actually specify if there was a reader involved but I chucked one in just for some spice but tried to keep the main focus on our Spidey bros. This is also my own personal headcanons for what happened post NWH (I also totally believe Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock is from TASM universe so I may write something about that if y'all want). As per y'all, please please send in requests and enjoy!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“How sure are you that this is gonna work, Pete?” You question your boyfriend as he fiddles with some sort of device in front of him.
“Uhh… I’d say it’s about a fifty-fifty chance.” Peter replies, barely glancing over at you as he continues to work. Peter had disappeared almost a week ago and for two days you had been panicking over his whereabouts, constantly texting, and calling him. You chose not to tell his Aunt May about him going missing, knowing her she’d get the police involved, and if Peter had gone missing for Spider-Man reasons you knew it would be best to not worry her.
When Peter had returned from the alternate New York, he had crawled through your shared bedroom window in your flat, concerned when he didn’t find you fast asleep in bed. He wandered the flat, gently calling your name until he found you curled up on the sofa, wearing your favourite hoodie of his and faint tearstains marking your cheeks. Without hesitation he reached out to gently rouse you from your sleep and the second your eyes were open, and you realised Peter was back you barrelled into him for a hug, sobs racking your chest as you realise, he’s back. When you recovered enough to demand an explanation on his whereabouts, he knew there was no way he’d be able to lie to you about it. He told you all about his adventures in the alternate universe, how he had fought alongside two other Peter Parkers against both his villains and the other Peter’s villains to save the universe from collapsing. To his joy you didn’t look at him like he’d grown a second head, you took it in your stride, knowing multiversal theory was something Peter strongly believed in for as long as you’ve known him. While Peter was overjoyed to be back in his own universe with you by his side once more, he couldn’t help but miss the other Peters. They became the brothers he always wanted in the span of a day, and he wanted to find a way to see them again.
“Okay, could you hand me that screwdriver just by you?” Peter's voice brings you back to reality as you nod, grabbing the screwdriver and leaning over to press it in your boyfriend’s hand. You didn’t need Peter’s spider-sense to tell how excited he was about the chance of seeing the other Peters again. You weren’t very helpful when it came to science, so you were more than happy for Peter to take the lead and to help him when he asked for your help. After what felt like forever, Peter finally rolled back in his chair and raises his arms in triumph.
“You done?” You question, noticing the excited shine in his eyes. The same shine that you saw almost every day when he discussed something he loved. No matter how many times you saw the excitement in his eyes, it still made you delighted to see him so happy.
“I think so. God, I hope this works.” He mutters, standing up from his chair as he instructs you to take a few steps back in case something goes wrong. You obey his request as he reaches for the button on his machine. He presses it and then darts to your side, keeping a protective arm in front of you in case something else appears or if the machine blows up.
Suddenly, two figures start to form out of some yellow dust that appeared, starting from the legs, and working its way up until the whole body is visible. You watch in shock as the two look around, noticing each other before noticing Peter who steps forward with slight tears in his eyes. He suddenly strides towards them and pulls them both into a tight hug. Judging from Peter’s reaction, these were the other two Peters he met on his adventure in another universe.
“I missed you guys so much.” You hear your Peter say, his voice thick with tears as he squeezes them tight before releasing them.
“We missed you too.” The older Peter says, a smile on his face.
“Yeah, I’ve been super lonely back home.” The younger Peter says, a smile on his face but you could see the heartbreak behind his eyes which saddened you. This Peter couldn’t be any older than eighteen so what happened to the poor boy? The two Peters then notice you and smile kindly at you. Your Peter notices that they’re looking at you and move to stand beside you.
“Guys, this is y/n. She’s-“
“Your MJ.” The other Peters finish, a fond smile on their faces. You didn’t know who MJ was but judging by the looks on their faces you could tell MJ was someone very close to their hearts. You saw Peter nod at their words before wrapping an arm around your waist. With his action, you saw the young Peter grow visibly sadder which worried you to no end.
“So, how’s everything in your universes?” Your Peter says, excited and curious to hear about the goings-on in the lives of the other Spider-Men.
“Everything’s great! It’s good to have Doctor Octavius back, Norman too. I was so glad to see our plan worked when I went back.” The older Peter says, beaming with happiness at the success of their plans.
“Oh same, it was so nice to see Doctor Connors and Max again. What about you Peter one?” Your Peter says, all attention falling to the youngest of the Peter’s whose eyes widen at the sudden attention.
“Everything’s good yeah. It’s uhhh… yeah fine.” The young Peter stumbles over his words, eyes falling to the floor as he struggles to find the right words to say. You weren’t convinced by his words that everything was okay and when you glanced at the older Peter and your Peter you could see the doubt hidden in their eyes.
“Are you sure everything’s okay?” The older Peter presses gently, his soft words bringing tears to the young boy’s eyes.
“It's okay if you’re not okay. We’re here for you.” Your Peter says, his words causing the tears to finally spill down his cheeks. There was no hesitation from your Peter or the older Peter as they both walked over to him and pulled him into a hug, holding him tight as he sobbed. You watched as the two Peters muttered calming words to their younger counterpart. Once the young Peter had slowed his sobs, he pulled away from the other two, wiping his eyes and apologising.
“You have nothing to apologise for.” The older Peter says, smiling gently at the young Peter.
“Yeah. We’re brothers. It’s our job to look out for each other.” Your Peter said, making your heart swell with adoration for him.
“It’s just… the spell Doctor Strange did back in my universe that sent you guys’ back home… also made my entire universe forget who I am.” The young Peter says, his voice small and cracking with almost every word.
“Everyone…?” Your Peter questions softly, watching as he nods.
“Even MJ and Ned. I have no one left back home… nobody.” Peter manages to say, a couple more tears escaping down his cheeks and this time you move to hug him. Pulling him close and allowing him to cry into your shoulder. You remembered your Peter mentioning that this Peter lost his Aunt May the day they all met one another but now he didn’t have anyone left to remember him. No one to just hang out with or talk to when life got too much. No one to patch him up after a long day of crime-fighting and to scold him about being more careful when picking fights with criminals. You’ve only met this boy today and your heart is broken for him. He’s so young and he doesn’t deserve what the world has thrown at him.
“I know we’re not from your world, but you’ll always have us.” The older Peter says, placing a hand on Peter’s shoulder which encourages you to let him go from the hug and stand by your Peter’s side once more.
“I could teach you how to make the machine I made to bring you guys here. Then whenever you need a chat with your fellow Spider-Men you can bring us to you.” Your Peter suggests, eyes lighting up with the possibility.
“I think that’s a great idea. But we’d need to be careful about it so maybe we should lay down some ground rules about using the machine.” The older Peter says, glancing from your Peter to the younger one who nod their heads.
“We should only call each other if we really need to, I don’t want Doctor Strange to catch on to what we’re doing otherwise he’ll stop it immediately. He already doesn’t know who I am anymore.” The younger Peter says, getting more nods from the other Peters.
“And if a bad guy crops up while we’re visiting only the Spider-Man from that universe should check it out. The other two should stay behind and keep an eye on the other's loved ones. I’d want no one else protecting y/n if I can’t.” Your Peter says, glancing at you with those soft brown eyes that melt you down into a puddle every time. Once again, the other two Peter’s nod.
“So stay out of sight, stay put if a bad guy turns up and it’s not our universe, protect the other Peters loved ones and only call each other if we really need to.” The older Peter says, reiterating the rules the trio had come up with and when he’s met with nods, he smiles, satisfied. Your Peter leads the other two over to the workbench he had rested his machine on and begins to explain how he did it, going through each step carefully and showing various pieces they might need to build it.
“So, any luck with fighting any aliens?” The younger Peter says, breaking the silence that happened as your Peter crossed the room to get a tool, he had abandoned somewhere else in the room during the building process.
“Aliens?” You question, an eyebrow raised at the teenager’s question as you look over to your boyfriend who is now frozen in place, a tool in hand.
“I uh- might’ve been a little jealous of those two and said I wanted to fight an alien like they had?” Peter says, a guilty smile on his face as you roll your eyes.
“I think you should thank your lucky stars you haven’t fought an alien Peter Parker because god knows what damage they can do.” You scold lightly, your heart rate picking up at the thought of your Peter fighting an alien. You watch as Peter approaches, having heard your heart rate quicken, and places two hands on your hips and rests his forehead against yours as you wrap your arms around the back of his neck.
“Alright, no aliens. At least I won’t be hoping for aliens.” He whispers, bringing a small smile to your face.
The other two Peters watch from where they’re stood by the machine that brought them here. The older Peter wears a soft smile, glad your Peter has someone to keep him grounded. Someone who loves both Peter Parker and Spider-Man and will love him unconditionally. The younger Peter, however, was watching with a bittersweet smile. He was witnessing a scene like what he and MJ had done back in their world when all three Peters were in his universe. He knew he’d never be able to have moments like that with MJ again. Not if he wanted to keep her safe.
“You should probably finish showing them how to make that machine of yours Pete.” You whisper, suddenly remembering the presence of the other two Peter’s. Your Peter pouts slightly, leaning in for a quick kiss before pulling away properly to finish teaching the others how to make the machine. You watch the three Peters engaging with each other, their nerdy science side creeping out as they grow more excited. Most of the stuff they were saying meant nothing to you, but you loved seeing all of them being so passionate and you were glad they were all science geeks because you couldn’t imagine any Peter Parker not knowing the ins and outs of science. After about ten minutes of excited science explanations and demonstrations, the Peters fall silent, looking amongst each other.
“Thank you for teaching us how to make these, I’m gonna make mine as soon as I get home.” The younger Peter says, beaming with excitement and happiness.
“Speaking of home, we probably should go back to our universes. I’ve loved seeing you two again I really have, I just think we should head home now.” The older Peter says, glancing from the young Peter to your Peter who nod slowly.
“I understand. It was great to see you all again. I hope we can see each other again in the future.” Your Peter says, smiling sadly at the other two before approaching to give them one last hug. As he heads over to press the button on the machine the two Peters turn to you.
“It was nice to meet you y/n.” The younger Peter says, still smiling as he looks over at you.
“Yes, it was. Look after Peter for us.” The older Peter says, making you laugh slightly at him.
“Of course, I will. Someone has to. It was nice to meet you guys too.” You reply, getting the courage to approach and hug the two before stepping back and glancing over at your Peter who, when he gets confirmation nods from the two visiting Peters, presses the button and you watch as they are sent back to their own universes. Once the two are gone, you walk over to Peter, wrapping your arms around his middle and snuggling into his side, smiling up at him.
“I see why you love them so much. They’re great.” You say as Peter looks down at you, smiling gently.
“They are, aren’t they?” He replies before pressing a kiss to the top of your head. The two of you then decide to move the machine to a safer place in your flat to prevent any damage from happening to it. Once you’re satisfied with the machine's location the two of you move to the living room, cuddled up together watching whatever is on the tv.
“I can’t believe I finally met those other Peter’s, it’s crazy that there are multiple universes. I wonder if they have any y/ns in their world I completely forgot to ask them.” You mumble as your head rests against Peter's shoulder, eyes fixed on the tv as he adjusts his head to look down at you.
“I would wonder that too, but I don’t need to. I already have the best y/n even if there is other you’s out there.” Peter says, his words causing you to look up at him and his doe eyes.
“You really mean that?” You question, tears already pooling in your eyes at your boyfriends’ words.
“Of course I do. There’s no one else out there for me. No other y/n from a different universe could stop me from loving you.” Peter says passionately, shuffling and adjusting the way he was sitting so he could address you properly.
“You’re lucky I love you too then, aren’t you?” You tease lightly, laughing through the tears before pulling Peter in for a kiss which he is quick to return. The two of you only break apart when the need for air becomes too much. After one last quick peck to the lips, you return to cuddling into Peter's side, watching the movie that has been playing in the background. As you both watch the tv, Peter was thinking about what you just said to him. He was so lucky you loved him, most people never gave him the time of day, but you always made an effort to check up on him and would patch him up if he got into a scuffle while patrolling. Peter Parker was hopelessly in love with you, and he still felt like the luckiest man alive knowing you were his girl. Peter may not be able to see his brothers as much as he’d like to, but he was fairly sure they didn’t have their own version of you in their worlds and that alone was reason enough for Peter to be content in his own universe. You were his universe.
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