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naisilla · 3 months

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The Emperor's New Muse Part .5

Odyssey Kayn x Reader

content: coming up with a 'how to save the universe' plan, some "bonding" time with the members, and finally a more definite backstory to our character.

A/N: Apologies for the delayed post this should've come out earlier but I've been struggling with a bit of writer's block because I am making this whole story up as I go gliding by the seat of my ass or however that saying goes. Anyway, I hope it's worth the wait! Knowing that at least a few of you are invested really helped me keep going so thank you all!!

And that's how you came to become the newest recruit member of the Morningstar, and also how you found out about the universe's impending doom.

You gave Sona a judgemental side eye, like... really? You plan on saving the universe with these people!? The Templar, however, ignored your stare and continued to look out the window with her back turned to you. Looking as mysterious as ever.

Currently, the Morningstar was blindly traveling through deep space. Destination: unknown, as long as it was as far away from Kayn and his locus armada. So far there was no sign of them on your tail, you could relax for now.

"So what's the plan? on saving the universe?" you ask looking towards the front of the ship where Jinx was goofing off in the pilot's seat doing anything but actually steering the ship, Yasuo was close by at the control center holo screen.

"We're currently in the drafting stage of our master universe-saving plan" Jinx says while tinkering away at something you assumed was highly hazardous.

"Seriously? you guys don't have a plan yet? What have you been doing this whole time?" It was hard to believe that no progress had been made within the last three months. Aka the time Kayn got his hands on Rhaast, the universe's greatest threat without fully understanding it.

"It's been hard to think straight, that insane ordinal is constantly chasing us down. Every planet we stop at to stock on supplies or rest from travel is crawling with the empire's military and Kayn is never far behind." Yasuo says with a frown on his face.

It was true, you had just witnessed just how quickly the Demaxian Empire was at tracking down wanted criminals. Only, the morning star crew weren't nearly as high priority as they were targeted to be. They were just a bunch of rag-tag space pirates.

It was clear that Kayn was obsessed with getting Sona back for his personal gains. Once fiercely loyal to his emperor Kayn has become obsessed with his personal hunt, he will not hesitate to kill any who cross his path. The ordinal was slowly corrupting into something dark and consuming.

That scythe was the catalyst for all of this. According to Sona, no one knew what Rhaast truly was, but it was undeniable that he or it wasn't the "sentience of ora".

Rhaast clearly wanted to open the ora gates, but for what purpose? Immediately you figured opening the ora gate was the last thing the universe wanted. Sona confirmed from her upbringing within the templar order she had heard of a time long ago when an ancient civilization, extinct for eons, once opened an ora gate. "Annnnd they're all dead now, so it must've gone well for them."

Sona doesn't know what's actually behind the gates but she has seen visions. Visions of which none of the Morningstar or you were aware of. She saw silence. She saw the vast well of time. She saw a moment stretched into an eternity. She saw lingering stillness and glacial quiet. She saw dark stars and black suns frozen in a void of endless shadow. She saw monstrous, silent deities lurking in a corrupted cosmos.

Yet she never spoke of them, Sona was a quiet and mysterious templar after all. The only reason you believed in this religious fanatic was because you could see it in her eyes, the horror. Behind a calm and neutral expression was a gaze that carried worry and fear. Whenever you would steal a glance with the templar it was like looking into a void, one that stared back into your deepest reaches. Sona knew many things, and yet she remained quiet about them, almost as if she was uncertain about whether or not she wanted to save the universe.

You had decided for yourself that you would take charge of planning the next course of action, borrowing a tablet from Yasuo you had snuck off by yourself to figure out what exactly one was supposed to do next.

Sitting down in the saloon of the ship, you began to develop a plan. From what you now know Kayn had to be stopped, the ordinal is so obsessed with his quest for power that he's becoming unstable.

He was being puppeted by that alien scythe whose intentions were far more dire than Kayn could realize. Rhaast wanted the ora gates to be open and it was clear that whatever lay beyond that gate was something never meant to be unlocked.

You needed to stop Kayn from opening the gate, the only reason he hasn't just gone straight to the gate immediately is because he needed Sona to unlock it. Only Sona knew how to do this which means she was a highly valuable asset, good thing she was on your side for now.

Was it possible to destroy the ora gate? If you could manage that then there would be no threat of anyone opening it ever. But it was unclear as to how these ora gates worked, no one truly understood them at all that the risk of something just as disastrous happening. How would one even go about destroying something so incomprehensible?

Ok so destroying the ora gate isn't a likely option, you delete that plan from the tablet.

Looking for the whereabouts of the ora gate would be a start, that way you'd know where to go and where Kayn would be headed at some point.

According to Yasuo, Sona had told him that there were in fact, multiple ora gates in the universe. All are located throughout the furthest reaches of the universe, far beyond the darkest corners. Knowing which one Kayn would go to would be impossible to predict.

Rubbing your temples, you grunt and delete that plan route.

Let's take a step back from the end game. The ordinal Kayn, instead of trying to intercept him at the gates or destroying one perhaps we needed to go straight to the source of the problem.

It wouldn't be hard to find Kayn. He would always come to you. If you had learned anything, it was that this insane and obsessed man was smart, and calculating and when you had something he wanted, it wouldn't be long before he pounced.

You type down "KAYN" in capitols. He was now the focus of your plan. There were a few options of how you could go about this. You could be a mediator and persuade Kayn to give up his pursuit for power, Or perhaps separate him from that damn scythe. Destroying Rhaast was also a good idea, oh wait an even better idea! We kill Kayn!

Just as you were typing out that last thought you feel the weight of someone leaning onto your shoulders, their shadow looming over your head as they nondiscreetly look at your plans.

"Whatcha doing?" Jinx asks with her eyes glued to your plan's title. She snatches your tablet from your hands and brings it close to her face as she intensely stares at it.

Sighing you grab the tablet back trying to focus on forming more ideas- "He's so cool~". You snap your head, pull a face, and look at Jinx as if she lost her min- yeh she probably has already.

"Jinx, please. Anyone but him. Kayn is evil and you're...chaotic neutral." You groan realizing there's no point in reasoning with the loose cannon.

With pacifist, petty, and genocide plans crafted, you went to showcase each of them to the Morningstar crew.

Sona true to her character wanted to take the peaceful route, but even she knew negotiating with such a cruel and ruthless person held little chance in successfully de-escalating the Ordinal.

Yasuo liked the idea of taking Rhaast from Kayn, the thought of taking away his power source was enticing to the captain of the crew. Although you weren't sure if you could trust Yasuo with the sentient scythe. Not that you were assuming the captain was immoral or corrupt but, nobody should've ever come into contact with whatever Rhaast is.

Jinx and Malphite unsurprisingly wanted to go the chaos route, already suggesting which weapons would best tear down the Locus Armada and the Fractal Sheer.

"I carry enough weapons to seize a medium battle fortress!" Jinx proudly exclaims standing before you. You simply nod and half smile "uhuh that's great jinx" your voice passive agressively giving off an annoyed tone.

She grins and dumps her current arsenal onto your lap, you jump in your seat. Did she seriously just throw live weapons at you?! "These are my best friends!" She says picking up the rocket launcher from your lap. "This is fishbones! I modeled him after Sharkpedos, He's always worried about me." You blink stunned.....he?

As she's showing him off she uses one hand to move the jaw of the rocket launcher up and down like a puppet. "I'm worried Jinx maybe we should try a less dangerous option, I like (Y/N)'s other plan to take the scythe instead." Jinx rolls her eyes at the rocket launcher she's ventriloquizing before throwing him to the side, followed by the sound of it crashing onto the ground.

"Yeh he can be a bit of a buzzkill, anyways this is Pow-pow!" Jinx says now picking up the mini-gun making your lap feel a ton lighter. She spins it around and you duck as the barrel comes towards you before shooting a desperate look to the others- oh, Sona and Malphite are gone and Yasuo is reading some book clearly unbothered. Great you're stuck with Jinx then.

"I love your plan to destroy the locus armada! let's shoot them up and watch their bodies fall together!" Jinx says playing on a raspier and higher-pitched voice for the minigun. Jinx then pulls out a lightning projector "This is Zappy she's my stun gun, she's more unstable than I am! Watch this!" Jinx then suddenly tosses the gun onto an empty couch like how one would casually throw their phone on a bed, only, when the gun softly bounces onto the lounge chair it explodes. And Jinx had thrown that on your lap just earlier...

Yasuo gives Jinx a glare flicking his eyes up from the novel he was currently reading, his nose still buried between the pages.

Not giving a single shit about Yasuo Jinx continues to introduce you to her "friends" such as the Flame Chompers, which are curiously sculpted in the likeness of Malphite's head; and the Super Mega Death Comet, an interstellar portal lifted from one of Jinx's old mining jobs.

"You should see the ship! I heavily modified the Morningstar with so many offensive weapons!" Jinx says happily grabbing you by the arm and dragging you on yet another tour of the Morningstar. And after an hour of being overstimulated with interacting with Jinx..... you were still unsure as to what half of Jinx's modifications do.

Finally, Jinx had gone off to wherever leaving you to mentally recover by yourself. So far regarding your "Plan" no one could agree on which one to go with, personally, you were leaning to the separate Kayn from Rhaast. You could kill Kayn if it comes to it. But between the two it was Rhaast that was the true danger.

That would not be an easy feat, Kayn alone was an intelligent and strong fighter. His eyepatch and left arm are clearly ora augmentations making him a superhuman. He now wields a sentient alien scythe and he has a whole personal army at his disposal.

There was no way the five of you could possibly win against him in a fight, it would take some grand scheme to outsmart the Ordinal and gain the upper hand.

Something crawls along your shoulder, and immediately your mind races to some giant ugly alien spider, you see how messy the interior of this ship is, clearly no one is cleaning the ship so of course it would be crawling with pests. You go back and forth on whether to scream for help or smack the bugger into smoosh.

To your relief, a familiar face peeps up at you. Warm round eyes that contrasted with its cool blue and green complexion and a goofy wide smile beamed up at you. "Hey little guy" you coo at the lizard. "How did you get here?"

The lizard chirps and clicks seemingly happy as you scratch its head like how one would pet a cat. "Let's return you to Yauso"

After walking through the layout of the ship you finally found Yasuo, sitting by a large window on a red carpet with incense and candles laid around him, his nose buried in a novel.

His eyes flick up from his book to look at you. "Ah I see Space Lizard has found you".

"Space Lizard? don't tell me that's what you actually call them."

Yasuo shrugs his shoulders. "We really couldn't decide a name for it, we'll probably never will. We plan to sell it for a profit"

"You're selling them!?"

Yasuo shrugs again. "That is why we stole it from a maximum-security nature reserve." Your jaw drops.

"You actually managed to pull that off?" Yasuo nods with a smug smirk on his lips. It was impressive but a part of you just felt for the innocent animal, he seemed happy and healthy here it felt wrong to give him away for money. Your thoughts get interrupted by bubbles floating towards your face and popping upon contact with your nose.

Surprised you turn your gaze and see that Space Lizard is blowing bubbles. You're unsure as to whether to be amazed or grossed out but by Yasuo's smile, you can tell that at least he secretly likes it.

"So you guys are really space pirates huh?" you ask as Space Lizard climbs down your arm and onto your outstretched hand.

Yasuo nods with a proud smile. "Yep, real space pirates". He turns a page in his novel. "It's a lot different from my old life, I would've still been living a life of luxury if it weren't for the framing of my brother's death."

Right, you remember Yasuo briefly mentioning that earlier. "I'm sorry for your loss" Yasuo merely shakes his head dismissively. Lowering his book.

"Don't worry about it, I'll get justice for my brother" he said quietly, his gaze turning downward. You couldn't help but feel drawn to his pain and frustration. Despite the cocky and careless personality he usually exhibits, he was clearly hurting.

Yasuo pauses and shifts in his seat "I should've been there, if I would've been there then-"

You nod your head not letting him finish but acknowledging the obvious truth, he'd been beating himself up for this incident for a long time, and from the way he spoke you could tell it was a huge weight on his shoulders.

"The empire screwed me over, they blamed me for something I didn't do. My brother had grown distant with me in recent years, He was off being a hero while I was spending my nights in a drunken daze, aimlessly wandering between high-end nightclubs. To him I was a disgrace, someone to be ashamed of, I wish I could prove him wrong. But now I'll never get the chance."

Space Lizzard had jumped down from your cradling hand and moved over to where Yasuo was sitting to perch himself on his shoulder, nuzzling its head against Yasuo's face as if to comfort him. A small smile returns to Yasuo's face.

"I know I'm not the only one who's on the run from the empire, You mentioned how you managed to escape punishment for sabotaging a locus armada ship back. But that's all we know about you, what made you turn against the empire?"

A sour snort escapes you, a bitter taste returning to your mouth. "I've hated the empire since the beginning" Yasuo looks at you confused.

"Why is that? What happened?"

You swallow down the rising pressure as the memories of your past rush back. "I used to live on one of the few planets that weren't claimed by the Demaxian empire. Of course that wouldn't last long. They always have to keep expanding, taking planet systems by force."

You recall your old home planet "My homeland was beautiful, it was bountiful with nature and wildlife and we lived in harmony with the land, we were a lot more primitive with technology. We didn't have much need for it. I was just a little girl when they arrived...."

"The Demaxian Empire was brutal, they came in guns blazing, declaring our planet and its land as their own. They had no regard for the lives and cultures they were erasing. Our planet was the gateway to the Outer Rim, a new frontier that the Empire craved. To them, our way of life was primitive and unacceptable.

I still remember them bringing their warships into my planet's orbit, demanding we bend the knee to them. When we refused. They bombed our planet, destroying much of our infrastructure and reducing our population to just a fraction of the original number.”

The look in your eyes was one of a faraway expression, there was a slight tremble in your hands and your whole complexion had paled.

"When the smoke cleared there was nothing left. The land was leveled out, the villages were torn to the ground and all of the plant life, and the animals were gone. They came in and wiped out our entire people in the name of expansion and development. But left after draining everything of Ora. Apparently our planet wasn't good enough to colonize. All that slaughter and ruination for nothing!" you say clenching your teeth.

"The nightmare didn't end there however. With our home now uninhabitable we had to leave, some submitted themselves to the empire and lived lives of servitude and slavery. Others like myself fled to distant planets like Piltron and Zaun. Desperate to find stability in living." By now you had seated yourself next to Yasuo who surprisingly was listening to your rambling, his novel was closed and by his side, and Space Lizard while perched on his shoulders looked at you intentively.

"I had nothing to my name, no ID, no money, no family. I was used to living off the grid with no influence by technology and government systems. Without any ID it was an unimaginable pain in the ass to intergrade into society. No vital records office could obtain any identity due to my home planet never being a part of the Demaxian system. I couldn't get a stable job or any proper schooling, I was left to figure shit on my own because Demaxia doesn't have time for my kind.

I had to struggle with low-end jobs that paid under the table, there was no dignity in my line of work not when the turnover rate of a nuclear powerplant worker was so high, and more people were dying of negligence faster than new hires were acquired. I was fortunate, if you could call it that to be a mere janitor in Zaun's power plant system. But that didn't come without prejudice from the locals.

I didn't understand why, I still don't, we were all in the same boat and yet I was treated differently. Over time I learnt the ways of the streets and how to survive them. I kept my head down, I minded my own business. Despite being surrounded by thugs and gangs I managed to stay out of it by blending in. Of course, there were a few times I messed up" You say, pulling up your shirt, showing a couple of scars along your torso. Scar tissue in round formations pulled taught towards the center, the classic sign of a healed bullet wound. There were others too, a couple of singular lines dragging across your torso also, the result of getting shivved.

"I was never going to escape the pits of the lower class, no matter how many hours I worked, how many side jobs I had, despite living as frugally as one could survive on. I could never escape being a blue-collar in the slums. The empire's system is so rigged that if you want to live comfortably you have to be born into it. It's so unfair! So many people suffer in poverty and filth because the stupid king is more focused on colonizing more and more planets with stupid rich assholes who don't even spare a thought for the people who keep their obnoxiously pampered lifestyle afloat!!!" Yasuo jumps back a little at your heated outburst towards the end, his usual calm and suave demeanor now tense with a startled wide eyed stare.

It was clear he felt awkward about being called out for his old lifestyle. You sigh and shake your head.

"I'm sorry I don't mean to take it all out on you specifically, I've never really talked about any of this and I suppose all those years were bottled up for too long." Yasuo's gaze softens, his hand goes towards his belt and he passes you a flask, you raise a brow questioningly but take his offering and take a swig instantly feeling the distilled alcohol kick you in the throat with a powerful punch. You cough and sputter looking at him shocked.

"What the hell is this?"

"Pure distilled Polmos Spirytus Rektyfikowany Vodka"

"...." You stare at Yasuo silently before dowing another swig, then another. Letting out a gasp and wiping your lips with the back of your hand as the satisfying burn of the alcohol soaked itself into your system.

"Better?"

"Better."

You noticed the velocity of the ship shifting and turning into the landing procedures, curiously you looked to Yasuo.

"Whats happening?"

Yasuo shrugs "Looks like Jinx is taking us to a pit stop."

Part six: Here

A/N: So I've had this idea as headcannon for ages but never had the chance to implement it into the story so free lore content below!:

Piltron and Zaun is a rather unique planet in my Odyssey story. Piltron similar to its Runeterra counterpart (Piltover) is the higher class planet to Zaun. Piltron is a hollow planet that exists as an outer shell that hovers around its inner planet Zaun. To access Zaun you need to travel between the tectonic plates of Piltron via colossal industrial elevators. Piltover isn't a perfect shell that entirely encases the inner planet Zaun but is cracked into multiple districts that are tethered to its center Zaun via cybernetic tendrils to avoid floating out of Zaun's atmosphere. If you've seen Transformers: The Last Knight you'll know that I've taken inspiration from the scene of Cybertron being spacebridged into Earth's orbit (see image below).

Zaun Center, like the earth's core, is made of a uranium deposit that is harvested through fission (nuclear power plants) that power both Zaun and Piltron through the cybernetic tendrils that also hold the two planets together. Zaun is made up of the working class while Piltron homes the more upperclass citizens. Piltron and Zaun are allied with the Demaxian Empire and stand as the main manufacturing planet of the weapons and technology of the empire.

Despite being a part of Demaxia, Piltron, and Zaun have the least amount of empire enforcers due to the trust between them and the core worlds. Plus because of the unstable levels of radioactive activity in Zaun, most enforcers don't hover around for long. Sure in this age we have radioactive protection suits but Zaun is seen as dirty to rich snobs.

#kayn shieda #shieda kayn #kayn league of legends #kayn x reader #league of legends x reader #kayn league of legends x reader #odyssey kayn

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achoonihaachu · 2 years

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Sun in Her Eyes

A re-imagining of Obey Me.

"What would happen if Lucifer knew from the very beginning of your connection to Lilith?"

tw: toxic behavior (luci!), not proofread hehe, 12 am thoughts penned into angst

!play Glimpse of Us by Joji

(ps: i missed you all so much! pretty sure this whole thing's a little messy but i hope you still like it!)

It has never been about you.

The way your face just blends in with the rest of the student body so seamlessly like washed out watercolor on damp paper– you were a dime a dozen. You were dispensable, replaceable in his eyes but on stormy nights and under sheets of satin and fine silk, for just a millisecond he can feel her. He can see the unending pools of wonder that she had in her eyes… they shone just as brightly in yours but the second he blinks, it’s gone and you’re unidentifiable again.

Just another one to pass the time with.

Eons. He spent eons living in indulgence, his ego stroked with every girl that hung off his arms- drunk on his charm and his allure. The dutiful dog going through the motions, numb to the idea of feeling yet embodying the emotion most obnoxious and irritating. He found himself chasing that high.

He was never able to grieve properly. He was too frazzled to really understand, perhaps. Seeing her bleed out in his arms, all he could hear was a high pitch ringing reminiscent of a whine as he stared. All he could comprehend in that moment was how two figures loomed over him. The next thing he knew, he was making a deal with the devil and he...

Well, he managed to set her free from Death’s grasp.

On the nights he’s free, he sits with a bottle of expensive liquor and ponders on the possibilities. She had a soul, sure, but where on Earth would she go? The Gates of Heaven were eternally shut to him and his family, that much was obvious but she had the purest of souls.

If only Father wasn’t such a prick.

His smile would sour ever so slightly when he remembers how he wasn’t able to properly say goodbye. Surely she had to be dead at this point if Diavolo made true to his word. When they first fell, he’d spend hours upon hours just sitting by her makeshift grave and just think.

He never grieved, just thought and talked.

As the years went by, he spent less and less time on her and more and more time living the sin he embodied. The once daily visit turned into a weekly drop-by to just a quick sit down whenever he could. He swore, her soul never left him alone.

Maybe it was why he got so comfortable with leaving her be.

His brothers, once loving and concerned, slowly drifted yet for the life of him, he could never truly care how far from shore they went. He was Pride personified, he could reel them back in whenever he pleased.

He let them be, ensuring they at least had enough food and had money to spare for their own wants and needs. He spent most of his days trapped behind a desk in between four walls that heard and saw every little thing he did. Silence and disdain grew in the household and it was practically crumbling before his very eyes until—

“Lucifer, I will be holding an exchange program.”

Damn this Prince and his never ending quest for peace and unity. He sounded like a deranged politician, really. The avatar forces himself to not roll his eyes as the prince waddles into his messy office one morning with a stack of files that was comically tall.

He was tasked to go through each and every eligible candidate and to dwindle them down slowly. The sun rose as he did and set without him, he stayed glued to his lush leather chair with the intent of appeasing the man he was forever indebted to.

Sleep was a curse that he still had to deal with and as it sweetly called for his name, he flips through a folder and all the lethargy leaves his body as he stiffens like a pole; it was as if he was doused with a bucket of freezing cold water. He drops the file and stares blankly at the photo attached.

It was as though his Father garnered starlight and put them in your eyes... just the way he did with her. His breath hitches in his throat as he sees that mischievous, toothy grin. He rubs his eyes, his mind was definitely pulling tricks and just as he expected-

You were nothing like his dear Lilith.

Your eyes shone like the sun, not the stars. You were much too different from her, no. He would never let himself compare a mere mortal to his beloved sister. You weren’t her and you could never be half of a fraction of the person she was.

So why did he find himself bringing your file to Diavolo’s office, the rest of the candidates trashed and stored somewhere in his home office?

What proof did he have to even assume that he saw her in you?

Without much as a second thought, you get approved and all he has to wait for is your arrival. He felt himself lose his composure as the days went by. He’d walk past a room covered in plastic. Its clean, bright image is the complete contrast to the dark and gloom of the rest of the house.

He sat on the speckless sofa couch clad in cellophane the day before your arrival.

You walk into the meeting room like a dream and he fell right into you. He was enamored, completely and wholly and you were none the wiser.

“My name is Lucifer.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name’s...“

He zoned out as he stared down at your frame. You were dangerous.

And you didn’t even know it.

Your first few nights in the Devildom were normal…ish? You got along swell with Beelzebub, the gentle giant was easy to soothe on his rampages. Lucifer noted how skilled you were in the kitchen and he decides that that’s one of the points that got him to pick you. As an avatar of Sin, deceit was his second nature.

Mammon quickly grew attached to you, regardless of your lineage. He loved how wild yet grounding you were. Lucifer decides that you were chosen because you were a good role model for the wild child of the family.

He didn’t realize that included deceiving himself.

You weren’t able to make a breakthrough with the other brothers and a part of Lucifer, some sick part of his heart was happy. Only he knew this little detail of you, something that made you so indescribably special and important and his brothers were living their lives in the sweet bliss of ignorance.

He had Lilith all to himself.

He kept his distance at first but you were like this magnet that kept pulling him closer and closer. On sleepless nights, drunken secrets are shared between two souls in a room of plastic. The way he stared at your lips. The way his gaze would dart up to meet yours before he turns away.

He left you confused.

Your relationship grew tumultuous as the days passed by. He’d sneak into your room in the wee hours in the morning and wake you with a gentle kiss. His vision was blurry enough that if he didn’t think about it, he'd see her again.

Clothed in all white, in all her innocent glory. He’d stare at you and blink and... she’d be there but before he could reach out to hold her, he’d look down and see you in his arms.

He’d bite his lip till it bled, the rich flavor of his blood a stark contrast to the sweet gloss that you wore on your soft lips. He’d close his eyes and hold you tightly in his arms. He’d forget the stolen kisses and focus on the beating of your heart.

The beating of her heart.

Yours.

Hers.

The memories he shared with her blending and combining with whatever little moment you two would share in the privacy of your room.

If he holds onto her memory, it’s like she was never gone. If he tries hard enough, you’d look like her in the light at midday.

He’d look deep into your eyes, eyes swirling with wonder and awe, and he’d see her dancing in flower fields.

He’d smile at you fondly and when you smile back he feels a pang in his chest.

Because you will never be her.

But...

He’d do anything just so he could find a glimpse of her again.

---

“Lucifer?”

He snapped out of his daydream as quickly as he entered it. You sat across from him, drowning in your adorable turtleneck sweater, with a cup of hot chocolate in your dainty hands. Your brows furrowed in concern as you reached out cautiously.

“Is everything all right?”

His smile was wry. He takes your hand in his, your pretty promise ring shining in the dim light of the patio. Your hair was longer than when you first came. Your face etched with new wrinkles that held memories and adventures that were now in your past.

Every passing day, you looked more and more like her.

“Everything will be alright as long as I have you by my side.”

That same lopsided grin.

The same shine in your eyes.

“I love you.”

#obey me swd #obey me #obey me x reader #obey me headcanons #obey me shall we date #obey me x mc #obey me brothers #omswd #obey me fic #obey me lucifer #shall we date obey me #obey me angst

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p-artsypants · 2 years

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Arcadia or Bust (18)

Señor Uhl’s Homeroom

I think the Arcane Order is super cool, and the concept of them being the ultimate authority on magic is really interesting, though Wizards and RotT just show them as ‘nuke the world’ evil. I have my own ideas for them. They may seem nicer in this fic than in canon, and it’s because I want them to be silent judges…and I already have a main villain. The Arcane Order is just going to be a subplot for now. All this to say, don’t yell at me for making them out of character.

Also reminder that most of the Merlin/Morgana lore was written before Wizards was released, so it’s wildly different from canon.

Ao3 | FF.net

—

Jim came to wakefulness slowly. He had been sleeping longer than normal after his grievous wounds. But it was still some time before dawn.

He opened his eyes, hand groping for his phone, as he checked the time.

“Ugh, 3 am. I still have time…” As he turned it off, prepared to go back to sleep, he glanced a silhouetted figure standing in the light of the Heartstone.

“Wha-!”

A pair of ancient orange eyes stared down at him.

He scooted away, sitting up quickly and bringing a sharp pain to his side. “Ah!”

“Do not move,” said the figure, a kind girl’s face, made of greenery and leaves. “You are hurt.”

“What—who--?” He couldn’t parse a sentence as he realized there were three strangers in his room. “Who are you?” He finally asked.

“I am Nari,” said the one close to him, “of the Eternal Forest.”

“Skrael,” said the gray one, with a deer’s skull for a headdress. “Of the North Wind.”

“And I am Bellroc, keeper of the Flame,” said the last one. “We are the Arcane Order.”

“Arcane Order? What are you doing in my house? Have you just been watching me sleep this whole time?”

“I assure you, we’ve been quite busy while you’ve been resting,” said Skrael.

It was then that Jim noticed a door behind him, made of roots and crystals, with a skull scorched on the front.

“What did you do to my house?!” Jim shouted.

“This is your home now?” Said Nari. “You live in the Heartstone husk?”

“Yeah, well I was told it would help it return to how it used to be if I spent time around it.” He absently rubbed at the wound from Morgana.

“You are the one responsible for its death?” Asked Bellroc, anger in her voice. “The oldest primordial heart stone? And you killed it?!”

“No no! I was trying to protect it! Gunmar was the one that killed it.”

“Take us to him! Let us punish him for his grievous and wanton destruction!”

“As great as that sounds, I already took care of that. Like a month ago.”

Nari settled closer to him, looking at his chest. “You are Merlin’s Trollhunter, yes? But you were not the one that fought at Killahead bridge.”

“No, that was Deya. There’s been several Trollhunter’s since then. Wait. Were you there?!”

Bellroc walked the room, touching his belongings, and studying them intently. “We are many eons old. Since the dawn of time. We have sought to balance the Magic’s of this world.”

“And they have once again fallen out of balance,” continued Skrael. He crouched next to the bucket of water bottles Toby had brought just a few days ago. The ice in the bottom had turned to lukewarm water. But with just a touch from Skrael, the whole thing froze solid. “It hasn’t been this extreme since Arthur was on the throne to Camelot.”

“Back then,” said Nari, “Merlin the Wizard harnessed much magicks for humanity. He created Excalibur, the Trollhunter Amulet, and the Heart of Avalon.”

“It tipped the balance, and we awoke to observe,” said Bellroc. “He had apprentices. One such by name as Morgan La Fey.”

“Morgana,” Jim provided.

“That was her reborn name. After she and Merlin severed their souls, she was nearly dead. We revived her, and imbued her with our power.” They gestured to the Heartstone.

“Wait, wait, wait—you mean to tell me that the Heartstone magic, which was Morgana’s magic, is actually from you?”

“Where else would it have come from?” Asked Nari. “We are Magic, Trollhunter. All begins and ends with us.”

He sat up more, mulling it over. “Okay. I get it, I guess. Please continue.”

Bellroc rested a hand on the lifeless gray crystal, and it warmed under her palm. “Morgana was supposed to bring balance. But she aligned herself with Gunmar instead. The great battle of Killahead commenced, and the earth shook with the raw energy that burst forth.”

“In the end,” said Skrael, “Morgana and Gunmar were sealed away. Arthur and Excalibur fell. Merlin and the Heart of Avalon fell into slumber, and only the Trollhunter Amulet remained active. The magicks did not die, but they were no longer a threat. We then retreated, and returned to our silent observations.”

“Until not too long ago,” said Bellroc, clenching a fist. “It was as if all the magicks awoke again, and the Earth cowered in fear of their power. It took us too long to find where it was coming from, and when we finally arrived, it was as if it all died.” She rested her forehead against the crystal, and pounded a grief stricken fist against the surface. “It just died. Swallowed by the darkness.”

“What happened, Trollhunter? What series of events could bring such a calamity?” Asked Nari.

“Um…it’s a long story.”

“Time is nothing to us,” said Skrael. “So speak, and miss no details.”

Jim exhaled loudly. “Miss no details, huh? Okay…” Where to even start? “Well, I actually kept a journal during this whole time. I can get it for you, but it’s at my mother’s house.”

It looked like they were going to demand he go now, but he cut them off. “How about I give you the short order of events first?”

Bellroc and Skrael shared a look, then ultimately nodded. “That is sufficient,” said Bellroc.

“Okay. So, the previous Trollhunter, Kanjagar, was defeated by Bular about a year ago. He fell into sunlight to prevent Bular from taking the amulet, but also the other trolls from retrieving it. So I, being a curious 15 year old teenage boy, stumbled upon it and found it in some rocks.”

“A human Trollhunter?!” Nari leapt to her feet. “Such a wondrous occasion! That is why you have mammary glands!” She poked his nipple.

“Ack! Yeah, don’t do that.” He covered his chest.

“If you were a human,” asked Skrael, unfazed, “why are you a troll now?”

“I’ll get to it.” He mentally rewound time to back then. “It took awhile, but eventually the trolls…begrudgingly accepted me as the Trollhunter.” He told them about Angor Rot, and his plot with the Changelings, about uncovering Killahead bridge, and then reassembling it for him to save Enrique.

“You risked your life, the safety of the world, to save one human infant?” Asked Bellroc, the ground scorching underneath her.

“Yeah, I did. I still don’t regret it either.” But he did shamefully admit that his actions allowed Gunmar to be set free from the Darklands, and in turn, he consumed the Janus Order and the magic of the Heartstone.

Bellroc was enraged. “So you are at fault for this!”

“Maybe!” Jim scrambled on the bed, wincing as he pulled at his wounds. “But I know that Gunmar would have gotten out of the Darklands eventually, and he would have gone for the Heartstone. Who knows if the Trollhunter at that time would be able to stop him?”

“Gunmar was inevitable,” said Nari. “We knew this.”

Bellroc paced the room, thinking. “Perhaps.”

“The Heartstone was lost, but not the rest of the world. Should we not be grateful to the Trollhunter?”

Skrael looked over Jim, and narrowed his eyes. “How were you injured?”

“Ah…this one was from Morgana.” He pointed to the wound on his waist. “And I was recently hurt by a scared human who didn’t know what Trolls were.”

The three ancient beings shared looks, Skrael and Bellroc were displeased, and Nari was nervous.

“You still have not explained why you are part troll now,” said Nari.

“Oh, right. So…” Jim took out his phone, the beings watching with interest. He found an old photo of him before he was transformed and let them see. “This was me before.”

“Just a babe!” Said Nari, cradling his phone. “A crisis that the amulet would pick such a fragile fawn to fight.

“Yeah…Merlin said as much. So he made a potion and had me transform into a half troll.”

“So Merlin is awake, yet again?” Asked Bellroc.

“Yes. But he’s…not really doing any magic anymore. I know he has the ability, but he’s more or less just studying and observing these days.”

“And Morgana?”

“She’s trapped in the Shadow Realm, but she’s been kind of training my girlfriend, Claire, in Shadow magic.”

Nari got very interested at that. She knelt on the bed and sat attentively in front of him. “Your friend knows of Shadow Magic?”

“Yeah, and I think she’s pretty good at it.”

“How does Morgana teach if she’s in the Shadow Realm?” Asked Bellroc.

“Uh…it’s not really clear to me? Morgana possessed Claire’s body once, so I think there’s a bond or something?”

The three nodded in understanding. “You understand more than you think, Trollhunter,” said Bellroc. “It seems not all magic has been swallowed, only contained.”

“We should observe these mortals, guide them as needed,” added Skrael. “There is not yet a need to purge.”

“Excuse me, purge?” Jim spoke up. “Purge what, exactly?”

“We were prepared to wipe the Earth clean and start over again, but Nari convinced us to hold off for now, and judge more up close and personal.”

His eyes nearly bulged out of his head. “Well. That’s…very generous of you.”

“We have already made our decision, that Earth is beyond salvaging at this point. But Nari is not convinced. So she will join you, and see for herself how evil man is. Then she too will agree that all is lost.”

“I look forward to learning your ways, Trollhunter,” said Nari, with a large smile.

It was too early in the morning for another earth-saving mission.

—

“So what is this ‘school’ we are preparing for?” Nari asked, as Jim looked in his dresser for something Nari could wear. If she had to follow him, she couldn’t just wear the dress of leaves she was currently wearing.

“School is a place all young humans go to learn.”

“Learn what?”

“A little bit of everything. Science, math, writing, reading, history.”

“Fighting?”

“No, not really. The closest we have to that is fencing, which is sword fighting. Both players wear cushioned armor, and the goal is not to hurt the person, just to just touch them with the sword. It’s a game.”

“The humans have taken their blood thirst and turned it into a game?”

“No no,” he chuckled. “Just the art and technique. Nothing bloodthirsty about it.”

“So men no longer wage war against each other?”

Jim found a smaller t-shirt that looked like it would fit her. If Claire lent her a pair of leggings, she’d be set. “Here, put this on.” And he went about finding clothes for himself.

“About the war, Trollhunter Jim?” She pressed.

He sighed. “Unfortunately, yes. War is still a thing. No one likes it, but as long as men disagree on important things, war will happen.”

“I worried as much. What wars are being waged now?”

“Well, actually, I think Mr. Strickler might be a better person to ask that question too. He’s our school principal and history teacher. He knows all about the nuances of politics and conflicts.”

“Will we see him at school?”

“Yep! Now let’s see what we can do for your shoes…”

—

“You sure you’re well enough to go to school?”

“I’m sure mom. I’m still weak, but staying home and watching TV all day just doesn’t sound appealing anymore. If I’m home, I’ll feel like I’m not being productive and end up working on some project. Then I really won’t rest.”

“I guess I can believe that. You’ve always been a little more stir crazy than others.”

“I’ll take it easy, I promise.” Jim pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“I am ready for school!” Said Nari, emerging from the basement.

“Oh! Who is this?” Asked Barbara.

“Uh, this is Nari—“

“Of the Eternal Forest!”

“Yes, um…she’s uh…how would you describe yourself?”

“The authority on the Earth’s life and all that lives on it.”

Barbara blinked. “So…a god?”

“We prefer the term primordial.”

“‘We’?”

“There are three of us. I am following Trollhunter Jim to school to learn about war.”

“Just Jim is fine,” Jim interrupted.

Barbara chuckled. “Kiddo, you lead a very interesting life. I’m glad you’re making new friends…as ancient as they may be.”

“My work is never done. I’ll catch you later!”

“Bye Jim, bye Nari!” Barbara waved them off, and then looked in the fridge. “Authority of Earth and all that lives on it? Does that include cows? We’re out of milk.”

Jim and Nari went into the garage and opened the door. There, Toby and Claire waited.

“Are you sure you’re well enough to go to school?” They spoke in unison.

Jim couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes yes, I’m sure.” He gestured to his new friend. “This is Nari, by the way. She’ll be following me around for a while.”

“She needs the leggings, right?” Claire held out the pants, which Nari took with gratitude.

“I must not draw attention to myself, lest my goal be ruined by fearful humans.” Nari spoke as she balanced on one foot, trying to put the leggings on over her borrowed converse.

“What goal is that?” Asked Toby.

“Trollhunter Jim is to be judged. How he does will decide if we purge the Earth or not.”

Jim smiled, “no pressure, right?”

“Unless I see something so foul and heartbreaking that I change my mind, the Earth and your lives are safe.”

“Better keep her away from Steve then,” said Toby with a little smirk.

“I’m going to grab some trash for lunch, and then we can go.” Jim walked over to the trash can.

“Make sure there’s no cocaine this time!”

“Hahaha very funny, Tobes.”

“There is a joke? What is cocaine?”

The three teenagers collectively winced.

“Uh…it’s something Troll’s shouldn’t eat. I didn’t know it was in the garbage and ate it…and got really sick. It’s part of the reason I got injured.”

“Ah, I understand. It is a funny joke because you just consumed the cocaine and were injured, and the round one is making sure you do not do it immediately again!”

“The round one?”

“Oh, by the way,” said Jim. “This is Claire, my girlfriend, she’s the one practicing shadow magic.”

Nari got very excited at that. “I am wearing shadow leggings!”

—

The return to school was just about as weird as Jim was expecting. Lots of greetings from friendly classmates, and a few fearful side eyes from those who were still skittish around him.

But for the most part, people were happy to see him.

“UGH CLAIRE!” Mary shouted angrily from down the hall.

“What’s up?”

“You were supposed to tell me when Jimmy Jam was coming back to school! I don’t nearly have everything ready for the party!”

“Party?” Asked Jim.

“Sorry Mar, I was kind of busy making sure he didn’t die.”

“Fine whatever! Sorry Jim, you’ll have to have a belated welcome home party.”

“Considering I didn’t even know I was getting a party, I’m fine with this.” He smiled at her.

“Oh ‘em gee! Your eye makeup is so on point!” Mary looked at Nari. “I’m Mary, are you a friend of Jim’s?”

“She’s my cousin.”

“On which side?”

“My troll side.”

“Ah, gotcha. But seriously, how did you get your makeup like that?”

“Make up? I do not understand. This is just my face.”

“You mean you’re on fleek all the time?”

“Your words are a mystery to me.”

Jim gave Nari a little pat on the back. “Don’t worry. She’s a mystery to me too.”

“Lake!” Coach Lawrence yelled down the hallway.

“Geez, what is it with everyone yelling at me today?”

Coach hurried up to him and put an arm around his shoulders. “How you feeling, kid? You recovered yet? That was a doozy of a rampage you had!”

“I’m much better, thank you.” He absently rubbed at his wounds. “Not battle ready, but I’m okay.”

“Are you football ready?”

Jim winced. “Coach, I don’t know. I’ve been practicing with ARRRGH but I don’t think I know what I’m doing.”

“Not a problem. We’re doing some drills after school today. If you’re up for it, you can run some, see how you feel, and then if you want to play Friday…”

“Jim, you promised to take it easy,” Claire reprimanded.

“I know…”

“The only reason I’m asking is because we’re facing off against Reefs Puffer on Friday. And those slime balls have loss just dangling over their heads!”

“Is this a war you are waging?” Nari asked, wide eyed.

“No no,” Jim insisted. “It’s Football. It’s a game. A sport.”

“Humans like their games, don’t they?”

“Sure do!” Said Toby, enthusiastically. “We’ll have to introduce them to you while you're visiting!”

“So Jim…” Coach tried again. “Do you think you’d be up for it?”

“I’ll ask my mom what she thinks, but I could at least hang around after school to learn some plays.”

“Of course! Doesn’t hurt to learn them when you can! And if your mom benches you for the season, you’ll at least be around next year, right?”

“I’d like to graduate with everyone, so yeah. I’ll do my best.”

“Great! I’ll let the boys know! They’re all very excited to play with you, you know! Victory is within reach!”

Then, the bell rang. Nari jumped at the sound, not expecting it. “What is that?”

“The bell, it tells us to go to class. Come on, we have homeroom with Señor Uhl.”

“And what will we learn from Mr. Señor Uhl?” She asked, with excitement in her eyes.

“Well, this period, nothing. Homeroom is where everyone meets up for the day, prepares their stuff for class, maybe look over homework. That kind of stuff.”

“I understand! Let us go to the Homeroom then!”

When they arrived, most of the class greeted with a loud, “Jim!”

But not everyone was so happy to see Jim back. Mainly Shamus, who had picked on Jim the day he had raged…and received a high speed dodgeball to the face as consequence. He let out a loud scoff and then shouted, “You gotta be kidding me!”

The difference in tone was not missed by Jim or Nari.

Shamus stood, with a thick bandage still in place over his nose. “They let you come back? After all you did?”

Nari tilted her head, and then looked at Jim. “What does this boy talk of?”

Jim winced.

“I’m talking about how you broke my face, threw Steve across the room, tore the doors of the gym and went on a complete rampage through town!”

Nari gasped.

“What? You didn’t know?” He asked Nari. “Makes sense he would lie about it. He can’t bear to be seen as anything less than a hero, right Jim?”

“That’s not fair, Shamus…” Jim tried to explain.

“No, you want to know what’s not fair? Having your nose shattered so badly that the doctor has to take a piece of rib to reconstruct it. Meanwhile, you get off scot-free!”

“I did not get off scot-free!” He growled. “Did you miss the part where the army came and took me from the hospital?!”

“Jim, ex-nay on the army-nay.” Toby tried to warn.

But Nari just looked confused and slightly frightened.

“Didn’t miss it at all. In fact, I think I’m the only one that was happy about it! Does no one else care for the safety of the town? You parade yourself around like you’re so good and strong and protective, but you’re the biggest threat, Jim!”

Jim, as a human, would have just rolled his eyes, since he had the support of so many others in the room. But as a troll, that anger that kept feasting on him flared up again. In a few steps, he had his hands fisted around Shamus’ collar.

“Jim!” Claire shouted.

“I could squish you like a bug.” Jim hissed, hoisting Shamus into the air. “It would be so easy. So how about you stop trying to pick a fight with me, huh?”

“Is there a problem, Mr. Lake?” Señor Uhl asked as he came into the room. His voice was even, but calm.

Jim took a massive sigh and set Shamus down. “No sir.”

“Then care to explain why you were hoisting Mr. Johnson into the ceiling?”

“The young man was antagonizing Jim,” provided Nari. “He called him a threat.”

“And…so you accosted him?” Uhl asked Jim.

“Sounds pretty dumb when you say it like that…”

“I’ll have to send you to Mr. Strickler’s office. And uh, your new friend, as well?” He gestured to Nari.

“Yes sir,” Jim nodded patiently.

Claire and Toby tried to reach out to him, but he breezed by, embarrassed.

When Señor Uhl had his back turned, Steve punched Shamus in the shoulder. “Asshat.”

Jim went dutifully down to the office, while Nari followed quietly. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” he said sheepishly.

“Why did you lie to us? You did not mention you went on a rampage.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Because it sounds really bad. It was an accident. You remember when I said I ate cocaine?”

“Yes.”

“Well, cocaine is…it’s a medication. It used to be used for pain relief, but now people use it to feel good.”

“Ah yes, for long humans have used herbs and plants for pain relief and pleasure. I am familiar.”

He nodded. “So, the amount I took caused me to become hyper aggressive and destructive. I didn’t know what it was when I ate it. So yeah, I caused some damage to the town. Claire, Toby, Merlin and some others helped clean it up so I could come back, but I guess some people will always be afraid of me.” He sighed. “I didn’t just doom Earth, did I?”

“No. Quite the opposite. So many humans worked together for your sake. And those that feel differently see you as dangerous and want to protect themselves. No one here is hurting anyone for no reason. I thank you for being honest with me, Jim. I will not share this with Bellroc and Skrael.”

Jim sighed again, this time in relief. “Thanks Nari.”

At this point, they had reached Mr. Strickler’s office and they knocked.

“Come in!”

Walt smiled calmly as they entered. “Good Morning, Young Atlas. You have a friend with you today?”

“I am Nari, of the Eternal Forest.”

Walt frowned, “that name sounds familiar.”

“She’s from the Arcane Order?” Jim offered.

Walt’s eyes grew wide. “Oh. Oh dear. Why…why is she here? And why is she wearing converse?”

“I am here by the urging of my brother and sister. They wish to purge the world of life, and I forbid it. They have sent me with Jim to change my mind. But I am stubborn.” She looked at Jim. “You did not tell me that the Principal of your school was a Changeling!”

Jim chuckled weakly. “Man, I’m glad I already knew that or this would be super weird.”

“Well,” said Walt, still horror stricken. “Welcome to Arcadia, I guess.”

“Thank you! It is very lovely!”

“Mr. Strickler, I gotta be honest, I’m actually here because Señor Uhl sent me.”

“Why?”

“Ummmmm…I may have picked a fight with Shamus?”

“I would say that he picked a fight with you.” Nari defended.

“Thanks Nari, but I still got physical with him. It’s just this anger that I don’t have under control yet!” He looked at his hands. “I’m so frustrated with it too. I should have just let it roll off my shoulders, but he was calling me a threat and even before all this he was trying to tick me off on purpose! It’s stupid!”

“I call you Young Atlas for a reason,” said Walt, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Even though Gunmar is behind you, the role of Trollhunter isn’t over. Nari here is evidence of that.”

“Yeah, I’m aware. I’m like, hyperaware. Like I said, I shouldn’t have gotten angry with Shamus. I know better, I’ve been better, but I just…”

“How long have you been a troll?” Asked Nari.

“A few months.”

“That is a blink of an eye to me. No wonder you are so unstable! Take your time. Be patient. Soon, the anger will make sense and you will deal with it well.”

Walt gave him a look of consideration. “Have you considered football?”

Jim actually laughed. “Considered it? Coach has all but kidnapped me to get me to join. I’m checking out drills tonight.”

“I think the exercise will do you good. Give you a chance to tackle and run and work some of your frustrations out.”

“On high schoolers?”

“They have padding on. Besides, you could also practice releasing energy with restraint. It would be good for you.”

“Okay. I think I’ll go for it then.” He winced. “But first, I think I need a detention slip?”

—

Thankfully, Jim didn’t receive detention. In fact, Mr. Strickler called Shamus down for a talk as well. A word of warning.

“Don’t irritate the guy who could throw you over the building.”

Shamus didn’t appreciate it.

After school, Jim and Toby, of all people, joined the Football team for practice. Claire and Nari sat at the bleachers and watched.

“Dolmzalski, what are you doing here?”

“Sir, I’m here to play football with my buddy Jim, Sir!”

“We’re not playing a game today, we’re running drills.”

“Sir, I’d like to work on my running, sir!”

“Stop talking like that! I’m not a drill sergeant!”

“Sir, you just said we were running drills, sir. Does that not make you a drill sergeant, sir?!”

Coach Lawrence stood a little taller. “You know what, Dolmzalski, you got a point. Fall in!”

As the group lined up, Shamus took his shot and tripped Jim as he was mid trot. He didn’t fall, just stumbled.

“Hey! What’s your deal!?” Jim shouted, a roar in his throat.

“You look off balance, Jim. Sure you should be playing?”

Jim got right up in his face and poked his chest. “I’m here because Coach asked me to be. Step off!”

“Coach only wants you here because you’re fast, but you’re going to hurt somebody!”

“Yeah, you, if you keep talking!”

“Johnson! Lake! Cool it! We haven’t even started yet!” Coach called. “Alright, before we begin drills, we’re going to do a little housekeeping. Johnson, Lake’s going to be training for Running Back. Johnson will be on offense.”

“What!?” Shamus hollered. “You can’t take Running Back from me! If anything, Lake should be on defense!”

“Jim is the fastest and strongest player we have. Steve’s staying QB since Jim doesn’t know all the plays yet.”

“But I’ve been the Running Back for all the games so far! And I’ve been to every practice! And I didn’t just get out of the hospital!”

Coach yelled, “do you want to keep your position or do you want to win!?”

Shamus balled up his fist and whirled around to punch Jim in the stomach. But being that Jim was alert to any danger coming close to his wound from Morgana, he caught the fist easily.

“Stop. Now.” Jim growled.

Nari appeared then, walking calmly and gently onto the field while no one noticed. She walked right up to Shamus and touched his chest, while Jim still had his hand in a vice grip.

“H-hey! What are you doing?!”

Nari smiled softly, a look of understanding gracing her face. “Do not worry, Jim. Shamus Johnson is not a threat to you. I just read his soul. He is merely being led by jealousy and inferiority. His father has mentioned he is greatly impressed with you Jim, something he has never said to Shamus. Shamus is now feeling intimidated since you are taking his position in the game.” She beamed.

Shamus tore away from Jim and Nari, his cheeks red. “Shut up! That’s not true! I-I just think that Jim is way more dangerous than he acts!”

Nari reached out and poked him. “You are lying.”

“Ugh! I don’t have to put up with this!” He started to stomp off.

“Johnson! Where are you going?!”

“Home! This blows!” He stuck up a finger and stormed off.

Coach shook his head. “He’ll be back. I’ll bench him for a game or two. That might fix that attitude. In the meantime, Williams, can you train up Jim?”

“SIR YES SIR!”

“AT EASE SOLDIER!”

#arcadia or bust #tales of arcadia #trollhunters #jim lake jr #claire nunez #fanfiction

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moonflower1605 · 1 year

Text

Chapter - 36

(Percy's POV)

We were alone in the throne room. "Your uncle," Poseidon sighed, "has always had a flair for dramatic exits. I think he would’ve done well as the god of theater."

An uncomfortable silence.

"Sir," I said, "what was in that pit?"

Poseidon said. "Have you not guessed?"

"Kronos," I said. "The king of the Titans."

Even in the throne room of Olympus, far away from Tartarus, the name Kronos darkened the room, made the hearth fire seem not quite so warm on my back.

Poseidon gripped his trident. "In the First War, Percy, Zeus cut our father Kronos into a thousand pieces, just as Kronos had done to his own father, Ouranos. Zeus cast Kronos’s remains into the darkest pit of Tartarus. The Titan army was scattered, their fortress on mount Etna destroyed, their monstrous allies driven to the farthest corners of the earth. And yet Titans cannot die, any more than we gods can. Whatever is left of Kronos is still alive in some hideous way, still conscious in his eternal pain, still hungering for power."

"He’s healing," I said. "He’s coming back."

Poseidon shook his head. "From time to time, over the eons, Kronos has stirred. He enters men’s nightmares & breathes evil thoughts. He wakens restless monsters from the depths. But to suggest he could rise from the pit is another thing."

"That’s what he intends, Father. That’s what he said." Percy says. Poseidon was silent for a long time.

"Lord Zeus has closed discussion on this matter. He will not allow talk of Kronos. You have completed your quest, child. That is all you need to do."

"But-" I stop myself. Arguing would do no good. It would probably anger the only god I had on my side. "As..as you wish, Father."

A faint smile played on his lips.

"Obedience does not come naturally to you, does it?"

"No...sir.", "Oh it never does." Nora added, slinging an arm around my shoulder. I blush.

"I must take some blame for that, I suppose. The sea does not like to be restrained." He rose to his full height & took up his trident. Then he shimmered & became the size of a regular man, standing directly in front of me. "You must go, child. But first, know that your mother has returned."

I stared at him, completely stunned. "My mother?"

"You will find her at home. Hades sent her when you recovered his helm. Even the Lord of Death pays his debts."

My heart was pounding. I couldn’t believe it. "Do you...would you..." Nora giggled.

I wanted to ask if Poseidon would come with me to see her, but then I realized that was ridiculous. I imagined loading the God of the Sea into a taxi and taking him to the Upper East Side. If he’d wanted to see my mom all these years, he would have. And there was Smelly Gabe to think about. Poseidon’s eyes took on a little sadness.

"When you return home, Percy, you must make an important choice. You will find a package waiting in your room."

"A package?"

"You will understand when you see it. No one can choose your path, Percy. You have to decide what you will do."

I nodded, though I didn’t know what he meant.

"Your mother is a queen among women," Poseidon said wistfully. "I had not met such a mortal woman in a thousand years. Still...I am sorry you were born, child. I have brought you a hero’s fate, & a hero’s fate is never happy. It is never anything but tragic."

I tried not to feel hurt. Here was my own dad, telling me he was sorry I’d been born.

"I don’t mind, Father."

"Not yet, perhaps," he said. "Not yet. But it was an unforgivable mistake on my part."

"I’ll leave you then." I bowed awkwardly. "I-I won’t bother you again."

I was five steps away when he called, "Perseus." I turned.

There was a different light in his eyes, a fiery kind of pride. "You did well, Perseus. Do not misunderstand me. Whatever else you do, know that you are mine. You are a true son of the Sea God."

As we walked back through the city of the gods, conversations stopped. The muses paused their concert. People & satyrs & naiads all turned toward me, their faces filled with respect & gratitude, as I passed, they knelt, as if I were some kind of hero.

Fifteen minutes later, still in a trance, I was back on the streets of Manhattan. I caught a taxi to my mom’s apartment. I had somehow managed to convince Nora to come along too, even though she protested that she probably should head back to camp.

I rang the doorbell, & there she was-my beautiful mother, smelling of peppermint & licorice, the weariness & worry evaporating from her face as soon as she saw me.

"Percy! Oh, thank goodness. Oh, my baby."

She crushed the air right out of me. We stood in the hallway as she cried & ran her hands through my hair. I’ll admit it-my eyes were a little misty, too.

I was shaking, I was so relieved to see her. She even wrapped Nora in tight hug. A few tears sliding down Nora's face as well.

She told me she’d just appeared at the apartment that morning, scaring Gabe half out of his wits.

She didn’t remember anything since the Minotaur, & couldn’t believe it when Gabe told her I was a wanted criminal, traveling across the country, blowing up national monuments.

She’d been going out of her mind with worry all day because she hadn’t heard the news. Gabe had forced her to go into work, saying she had a month’s salary to make up & she’d better get started. I swallowed back my anger & told her my own story.

I tried to make it sound less scary than it had been, but that wasn’t easy. I was just getting to the fight with Ares when Gabe’s voice interrupted from the living room. "Hey, Sally! That meat loaf done yet or what?"

She closed her eyes. "He isn’t going to be happy to see you, Percy. The store got half a million phone calls from Los Angeles...it was something about free appliances."

"Oh, yeah. About that…"

She managed a weak smile. "Just don’t make him angrier, all right? Come on."

4 chapters to go!! Wow, I'm excited😄

Link to the next chapter is here.

Link to the prev chapter is here.

Comment, like & share.

Take care my lovely readers.❤

Alice signing off.

XOXO.

#percy jackson #x reader #percy jackson x reader

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archangelo--fr · 9 months

Text

(Some lore I wrote awhile ago for Ling and Mercy. Posting it here to not lose it since replacing the dragon(s). General advisory for reading it as with all my lore.)

The sound of talons clinking against polished gemstone echo through the church halls. Behind stained glass, the moons hang high, but barely illuminate the walls. Through muscle memory alone, Mercy navigates the winding halls and arching doorways. Candles that have burned for eons cast his sullen shadow when he walks past, as if he were a ghost.

One more turn leads him up a staircase that feels endless for the unworthy. And he begins to fear - is it too late? With every step he takes, he feels his legs wish to give out underneath him. If he were to fall now, then by daylight, he would never be seen again. The spirits of the halls would drag him under, away from the room just beyond.

He tries to use his wings to push him forward, but they soon give out as well. Maybe, maybe Scorn was right. Was he not welcome, not even to say goodbye to Mother? The Creator? Even with the lance in claw, would the church rather lose an artifact, than see one charged with guilt?

Before his thoughts could mingle any longer, he heard the doors creak open before him, high above, on the end of the staircase. Light filtered down the stairs, and eventually hit his glossy form. It refracted everywhere, causing Mercy to curl in on himself, and hide underneath his mantle even more. He didn't deserve this light anymore, it shouldn't ever shine on him again. It's why he was leaving by dayfall, it's why Scorn fled from him even when wounded.

Through his hood, he could feel the eyes on him again. It was Ling, no one else under that roof would ever give Mercy such a warm gaze. He stood there, for what felt like an eternity. A gaze flowing down a sullen, fools gold of Mercy.

At once, he spoke, no louder than the crackle of embers, "Mercy, I was told you left. Did the Council change their mind?"

His words hurt, hurt almost as much as receiving the declaration of guilt had. But Mercy still raised his head, and forced a reply through his liar's teeth, "No, Ling, I'm sorry. Once the Council has decided, they shall not ever take back their order. I am guilty. It was wrong for me to attempt to enter this place."

Ling stared from above the steps again, a habit he's kept since he first arrived as a hatchling. A child of light, who only rested his eyes to fall into the Unknown. His eyes were never filled with things like Mercy's were.

Not once, has he ever cried. Not once, has he raised his teeth and claw, not even to the guilty of the world. "Ling could never be a Knight or a Mage", they would say. "Even when met with a postule-riddled crow, he conversed with it instead of felling it."

Being brought back from the past, Mercy realized Ling was taking his form into his arms, with his wings being used for support of the much larger Wildclaw. Weighed down with guilt.

"Ling! What are you doing?" Mercy couldn't help the slight shake in his voice, watching Ling hoist him up the stairs, and set him down at the entrance of the chamber. "Helping you. I don't know what happened in the Council. I was in training that hour. They said, you were to leave my dayfall." Ling said, and turned his unblinking gaze up. Up, and through th e glass skylight above. It was just past midnight. "You may not be apart of us anymore, but you still serve the Creator. If you want to speak to her before you go, then you should." "But, Ling, I'm-", Cursed, guilty, infected. Nothing Mercy could ever stomach to tell Ling. "...I am not in good healthy anymore. They, they will know you touched me. That you have my scales on yours. What if they banish you too?" Ling kept his gaze on the moons, for a long time. Long enough for the feeling to return to Mercy's wings and legs. When Mercy was about to speak again, Ling exhaled a plume of smoke that dissipated almost immediately around his horns. He stared back at Mercy. "Then it's okay. They can take me away again. I never belonged here. But, you did. You lived under these crystals, and over this soil. I'll be gone eventually without regret, but you will live forever with it. Go speak to her, even if you are infected with what you fought, its only skin-deep. It will never touch your mind or spirit." "...Thank you, Ling."

#flight rising #flightrising #fr #fr lore #lore #..Ling #..Mercy #idk how to tag

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pen-observing · 3 years

Text

when the sun goes down

synopsis: you are a seelie spirit of the sun that once lived before Snezhnaya got the name oposite of your existance. you are part of the lost history and childe meets you when he is lost himself. promising to hold his hand was both a blessing and a curse.

warnings: mentions of blood, implied death word count: 1k MASTERLIST

when he was seven childe ran away from home as an act of blatant rebellion. looking back on it he is aware just how naïve it was; the idea and concept of being able to run away from problems. they never left him alone and he doubts anyone got a satisfactory ending from footprints in the snow and a door slammed in the face of others. his steps, his high belief and small puffs of air that appeared as he was running just mark naivety but also wonder for what came later on. the wonder that was you.

childe does not remember what made him turn left instead of right that day. unfamiliar roads simply had to mean his freedom back then even if there were stories created just to scare kids like him away. he is not a fool. he knows that the most this snow of his homeland hides is simply crime and treachery. he sees it in his father’s eyes. There is no groke* waiting in hiding – there is only hidden wounds.

that is the reason he ran away. others were unwilling to answer his questions even if he knew his fate was inevitable. he simply had to know the truth at that moment but in the next one – he wishes that he did not turn left because he was both lost literally and figuratively. what was there to do? sit in the middle of the snow, bring his chin to his knees and pray that others were not afraid to find him.

and then entered you. childe was so, so cold and when he felt your gentle hand on his head, he swears he started breathing again. he swears that it was made of sunlight just for him.

“do not be afraid.” what a melodious voice. “we all get lost sometimes.”

he knows your words were meant to be comforting and from that feeling of comfort he finally felt safe enough to cry. you stood still for a second but then he felt your arms embracing him and playing with his hair until he calmed down. and when he did; he moved away and simply grabbed your hand.

“did you know you glow?”

how charming. You looked at him and smiled, nodding your head. What a question. did you, the very spirit of the sun, know you glow? dis words were so comforting for your identity. childe’s eyes looked even brighter now that they were done crying and looking in your direction. the human eye has always taken in light; filled themselves with it.

“yes, i know. i am the spirit of the sun to put it simply.” “sun? ...in this land of snow?”

he was less foolish than you initially thought.

“did you run away because you felt wronged, boy?” “h-how did you know?” “because that feeling is connected to why I am here. I will tell you my story if you agree to go home afterwards.”

he agreed. and you told him what it meant to be a spirit of the sun in this cruel land.

“i am a seelie, not a spirit, to be exact. i hold the power of the sunlight. my kind has been on this land long before your kind came to us and long before it looked like this. when i came to exist, there was no snow.”

he took in all of your light but you did not mind it. he was a pure soul so unlike to the humans that were so greedy for light that meant your demise. they were so greedy that punishment came and the snow fell over everything. in a true tragic manner – it meant your end as well. but there is no reason for him to know that, right? Why should he?

“because of circumstance, i now only have so much power to show myself once a year for a day to see what has become of my own home. i am glad that i did it today to meet someone as pure as you.”

childe looked down for a moment, gazed into the snow that meant your end.

“does that mean...does that mean that when the sun goes down you will leave as well?”

“yes, that is why we have to hurry. i need to show you the way back so you can go to your home.”

he did not say anything after that. hand in hand you two walked the trail he came by. while he was not foolish, he was still a small boy and forgot that the snow showed his footprints. the weak sun was sinking but the lights of his house were already on; probably making sure he could see where to come to.

“hey!” “hmm? why aren’t you going in? you promised me.” “if you are a spirit, can you grant wishes?” “that depends on what your wish is.” “i want you to see me again and hold my hand like this when you get enough power back!”

how pure. how utterly pure. you promised him that you would and now childe curses himself for that because you shouldn't come and see him like this. you shouldn’t come and see him on the snow, in his own blood, because; because he is sure the homeland will hide it like all of the other secrets beneath a white veil. the being of the sun should not be in the presence of the man betrayed by his own affiliations. yet, you are. because the same thing happened to you eons ago.

childe closes his eyes when he feels your hand reach for his own as you lay down next to him – he is unable to look at you.

“i am here. i promised.” “i know.” “you just got lost along the way again. i swear, you are as pure as the first time i met you.” he knows that you are lying. he knows that your light should not touch his blood or hold his sinful hand like this. still, your eternal light is starting to slip from him; the warmth is slowly leaving – he holds your hand tighter than ever before.

the first time he learned to breathe from your touch; this time he is desperately fighting to recreate that miracle. you hold his hand as the sun goes down but this time - both of you disappear.

* groke - is a fictional character in the Moomin stories created by Tove Jansson. she appears as a ghost-like, hill-shaped body with two cold staring eyes and a wide row of white shiny teeth. wherever she stands, the ground below her freezes and plants and grass die. she leaves a trace of ice and snow when she walks the ground. anything that she touches will freeze.

#genshin impact #genshin childe #childe x reader #ajax x reader #genshin fanfic #genshin impact imagines #genshin imagines #angst #reader is a seelie #tw: blood #tw: death #i am going through it and childe is my outlet for hurt in this fandom apparently #genshin impact x reader #childe #genshin impact scenarios #tartagalia x reader

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sirthisisa-wendys · 3 years

Text

The Sacrifice Part 6: Geto Suguru x Fem!Reader

synopsis: you have to give to get. But are you willing to do what it takes?

wc: 1.5k

tw: none

masterlist

You’re sitting across from the Rain God, his face stern and unmoving.

“Geto, I assume you have brought me here to discuss the reason why I have withheld rain from this woman’s village.”

“Yes,” Geto begins, bringing the noodles to his mouth. “That, and I need you to explain to her how to renew your favor with them.”

“Making love to a human can breed ill-effects,” Yuta murmurs, his lips connecting with his cup, but his eyes never leave your face. “You know this as well as I do, your Holiness.” Your head turns towards Geto, but the strange words from the god are not explained to you. Instead, Geto laces his fingers together and nods.

“Indeed, your Graciousness, but I am asking you to give y/n some insight, that is all.” Yuta runs his tongue over his teeth, then scoots his chair back.

“Why do you care so much about the people who tried to have you murdered, y/n?” he wonders, and you hang your head slightly.

“I’m not so heartless that I would wish everyone dead because of one person’s actions, your Graciousness.” Yuta huffs out a laugh, then leans forward on his knees, eyeing you carefully.

“One person’s actions can cause a whirlwind of consequences. Your General Commissioner has done quite a lot for a man his age.” You sigh, pushing your hair back behind your ears as you feel deep disgust for the elder’s crimes. First, he killed the Dragon God’s sister. Then, he angered Yuta somehow. What else had he done?

“Tell me, what did he do, and what must I do to make it right?” Yuta skillfully dodges your question, waving it away with his hand and sighing.

“Unfortunately, Gakuganji made a pact with the God of Death long ago, before he enraged me or Geto. What would make it right could very well endanger your own life. And I’m sure the Dragon God will not allow anything of the sort, will he?” The man’s eyes slide to Geto, who is clenching the armrest with a white-knuckle grip. “It’s either that or…” Yuta places his head on a propped-up fist. “You can give her to me for a week.”

“A week?” You stand, shaking from outrage. “No.” Geto sits still, eyes cast downward. “No!”

“Only a week?” Geto wonders, still not looking at either you or Yuta.

“Just a week. Compared to eternity, it’s nothing.”

“You’re seriously considering this?” you ask Geto, and he finally looks up at you, his black eyes full of worry.

“It’s better than going against Toji. I trust Yuta will be nothing but honorable while you are with him.” You flinch at this admission, and back out of the room slowly, unsure of what to say other than a string of curses you wouldn’t be able to take back. Yuta’s dark blue eyes follow you, a smirk playing across his face as you turn around, marching off to your room in silence.

_____________________________________________________________

“Y/n, you have to listen to me.”

Clymenestra is staring at your face in the mirror, the tears scrubbed away from your appearance before she had the nerve to enter the room. “If I had to choose between Toji or Yuta, I would choose Yuta in a heartbeat. Facing the wrath of Toji could be the end for you. Either way, he’d get what he wanted, which is more souls to reap and bargains made.” You shake your head, hoping there’s another way for you to save your city and get rid of Gakuganji without having to deal with any other gods.

“Toji has the upper hand,” you note, fiddling with your fingers. “What good will staying with Yuta for a week do?”

“Yuta is one of the older gods,” Helen murmurs, and you look over to her in confusion. “Compared to Geto, he looks younger, but he’s eons older than him. And he might have some insight into what you can do to help get rid of Gakuganji.”

“Why haven’t any of you wanted to stop the General Commissioner?” you wonder, turning around in your seat, and the girls look away with varying levels of sheepishness.

“I was so thankful to be free from that place that I never once considered saving a single soul from there.” Cly offers, shrugging. “And I couldn’t save them now even if I wanted to.”

“But what about next year? We’ll have another girl torn from her family and brought here, where she may never be able to rejoin them, even in death.” None of the girls respond, and when you realize they’re just as selfish as Gakuganji, you push back your chair with force. “Have none of you thought of anyone but yourselves?” you yell, just as the door to the room swings open, revealing Geto and Yuta.

“Clymenestra, pack y/n a few things. She’ll be coming with me to the Realm of Rain,” Yuta announces, but you shake your head.

“There has to be another way to get some answers.”

“There isn’t,” Geto states, looking at you sternly. “If you want to save your people, then you’ll go with him.” Everything in you wants to rebel against his words, but then you consider the alternative.

Toji Fushiguro was not just feared by you, but every single immortal being in the room - except Yuta. If Yuta could give you a way to make things right without having to make a bargain with Toji… wouldn’t a week be the least of your problems? Silently, you give in. There were only two options, and by the looks of it, you would be less ashamed if you took the one Yuta offered.

As you walk towards Geto, he holds his hand out, then takes yours and presses a soft kiss to it. “If I leave with you, I will never depart from your side,” he whispers, and you nod twice. “It won’t be long. Just a few nights is all he’s asking for. I'll be here waiting for you when you return, my love." He pulls you in for a deep, loving embrace and kisses you with just as much desire as the night before.

Cly reappears with your things, and Yuta clasps his hands together, which makes you pull away from Geto abruptly.

“Perfect, we should make it just in time for lunch.”

_____________________________________________________________

You arrive on a solid cloud - unlike the ones from the night before - to the Realm of Rain, with Yuta holding his hand up to help you down. You take it graciously and step onto the mirror-like water below, your footsteps barely making the surface move. “Up ahead is my palace. I will have the attendants prepare your room while I give you a tour. Then, your lessons will begin.”

As if previously hidden by a mirage of nothingness, a massive, five-story high palace looms in front of you both. The beige-colored brick is covered with greenery: vines, grasses, and a singular tree at the top of the palace. It appears to be hovering slightly above the water, its presence overwhelming but alluring all the same. You can see little birds flitting to and from the palace windows, and flowers of various colors dotting the greasy knolls on the roofs of lower levels. It all seemed so beautiful and peaceful, but appearances could always be deceiving.

“What lessons will you give me?” you ask him as the castle draws near, and he hums thoughtfully.

“First, you need to know what happened between Gakuganji and me. Then, you’ll need to learn how to avoid Toji in order to kill Gakuganji once and for all.”

“Wait,” you halt. “Kill Gakuganji?” Yuta turns back to you, his dark blue eyes mischievous but unyielding.

“Oh, yes,” he smiles, jerking his chin at you. “And then you’ll deliver his soul to me. That’s how you can make things right.”

“Why can’t you kill him?” you wonder. “Why can’t Geto kill him?”

“Because every immortal is bound by the pacts given by the God of Death. He’s one of the eldest gods, and his bargains are binding forever. They cannot be rewritten or undone by anyone outside of the two parties.”

“So, if I get Gakuganji to break his bargain, then I can kill him?”

“Yes and no,” Yuta begins, looking over at you as he steps under the archway that leads to the entrance. “You can get Gakuganji to break his bargain and he will die, but Toji will come and collect his soul immediately. You need to get him to break his bargain, but somewhere where Toji has no domain.”

“The God of Death has domain everywhere,” you whisper, and Yuta shakes his head.

“Yes and no, again,” he replies, pushing open the door. It’s only then that Yuta turns around to face you fully, hands spread wide. “If you get him to become a sacrifice, then Toji has no domain over Geto’s property. That would effectively break the bargain and aid you in delivering his soul to me. Think you’re up to the task?” You raise a brow, then smirk at the god with confidence.

“Of course.”

_____________________________________________________________ TAGLIST: @sunfloweroranges @jibe-gajima @jotazinha @brownskinnedgirll @leanne-tamashi @vabybizzle @amaris9 @fuegy-fuegy @ambiguous-something @kontentious@missbonekitty @fyotituti @honouredsatoru @sandyscastle @flare-on @sasahime @ggotgame @just4readingfics

#jujutsu kaisen getou #geto x reader #geto suguru #jjk geto #getou x reader #getou suguru #jujutsu kaisen

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castiel-kline · 3 years

Text

happy birthday @angelfishofthelord !!!

here’s Cas being Old and talking about dinosaurs to hopefully make you smile <3

---

“Hey, there you are!”

Castiel is tucked in a corner of the library when Dean’s voice startles him out of the book he’s reading. He stands up, a million things that could have gone wrong racing through his imagination at top speed.

“Dean. Is everything alright?”

He waves a hand in dismissal. “Yeah, no worries. Me, Sam and Jack are gonna watch Jurassic Park. You wanna join us?”

Castiel wrinkles his nose. He’s seen stills from that movie, and those plus the references Dean has made to it over the years make it sound like an inaccuracy-riddled insult to the beautiful creatures he once watched over.

But Cas has never been one to refuse time with his family, so he follows Dean through the bunker’s halls and takes a seat next to Jack on the sofa.

Sam passes him a bowl of popcorn.

“You made it!” he says, looking uncharacteristically relaxed. It’s… nice.

“Of course,” Castiel says, passing the popcorn to Jack’s eager hands and returning the boy’s smile. He’ll enjoy it more than Cas will. He cares much more about the people than the snacks or the film, anyway.

He takes in Sam’s easy smile again, and the calm in Dean’s posture where he stands preparing the DVD. Even Jack looks toward the blank television screen in excited anticipation, despite having learned by now not to trust Dean’s taste in cinema. Jack much preferred getting to explore films on his own, and Castiel was always thrilled to be included in his late night Netflix adventures.

He clears his throat, unsure why he’s so nervous. He does like dinosaurs, after all. “So… you like this movie, right?”

“Hell yeah we do,” Dean says. “Sam and I watched it in theaters when it first came out. He wouldn’t shut up about velociraptors for months.”

“I was ten,” Sam protests, pink creeping across his cheeks. “Besides, it wasn’t even velociraptors. It was... dilophosaurus.” He’d trailed off into a barely audible mumble in his embarrassment, but it was still loud enough for Dean to hear.

“Oh, that’s right!” he laughs, eyes alight with the delighted gleam of a sibling collecting ammunition to tease with. “He’d sit in the library for hours searching for any mention of the damn thing. I always said he’d be better off with a T. Rex obsession like a normal kid, but no-o.”

Castiel leans over, nodding in Sam’s direction. “Well, I think dilophosaurus is a very good choice of favorite dinosaur.”

Sam looks surprised, and Jack, who’d been watching the conversation like a tennis match, looks to Cas directly.

“You know about dinosaurs?”

Castiel frowns, confused. “Yeah, of course I do.”

They’re cut off by Dean, who keeps talking as he’s sitting down on Jack’s other side with the remote control.

“Could’ve sworn we watched this one with you before, Cas. When we found it at that movie rental place in Minnesota, after that ghoul hunt?”

“We would’ve,” says Sam, tone caked in playful bitterness. “But you wanted to get Mars Attacks instead, remember?”

Dean looks a bit sheepish. “Hey, sometimes you need a good B movie after a day of ganking monsters. Today, though, we gotta get the kid another check off the list of Spielberg must-sees, right? Cas, too. We’ve waited long enough as is.”

Castiel has just enough time to hope once more that this movie is of a better quality than many of Dean’s other favorites, and then his thoughts are swept away by the opening sequence lighting up the television.

---

Jack enjoyed the movie immensely. He liked the scares and the way it made his heart beat faster. He liked the way Dr. Grant was so protective of the kids. Most of all, of course, he liked the dinosaurs.

He’d found a book about them the other day when he was cleaning in the library with Sam, and when Dean overheard their conversation he immediately suggested this movie.

Jack thought Cas would be just as interested in dinosaurs as he was, but the angel spent the whole movie with a frown on his face and a furrow between his eyes.

As the brothers stand up, Dean to turn on the lights and Sam to collect the empty snack bowls, Jack nudges Cas’ arm with his elbow.

“Are you okay?”

Cas meets Jack’s gaze with gentle eyes.

“I’m fine. I- I thought that the ending was a bit sad.”

Jack frowns. “How was it sad? Almost everyone got off the island.”

“That’s not…” Cas shakes his head, and takes a moment to compose himself before giving Jack a small smile. “You don’t need to worry about me, Jack. It just made me remember when the dinosaurs died.”

Shocked silence falls upon the room like a fog. Jack knows he’s gaping in disbelief, and feels Sam and Dean doing the same.

Cas glances around, taking in everyone’s surprise. “What’s wrong?”

“Dude,” Dean says. “Did you… are you…”

“Were you really there when the dinosaurs died?” Sam manages, sounding strained.

Cas answers slowly, eyes narrowed. “Yes? It was very sad, but it was a long time ago. I’ve had time to mourn.”

“But you were there!” Dean repeats, dumbfounded. Cas continues staring.

“Yes, Dean, I was there.”

“I mean, what- what was it like?” Sam asks, wonder in his eyes.

“Well, um. It was hot. And fiery.”

“It was hot and fiery,” Dean says, broken record. “Wow.”

“I don’t understand. Why are you… why is this such a surprise? I thought the dinosaurs’ extinction was common knowledge.”

“Yeah, but talking to someone who saw it is… it’s amazing,” Sam says. If he wasn’t holding the butter-greased popcorn bowls, Jack is sure he would be gesturing every which way. “Why didn’t you tell us about it before?”

Cas blinks. “I didn’t know that you were interested. I thought if you wanted to know, you’d just ask me.”

“Dude. We didn’t know we could ask! I mean, we knew you were older than the pyramids, but the dinosaurs? That’s, what, fifty million years?”

“Sixty-five,” chime Sam and Jack, in unison.

“Wait a minute, how old do you think I am?”

That gives them pause. Jack exchanges hopeless glances with Sam and Dean, the three of them clambering for any exact number in the recesses of their minds. Jack draws a blank, both because Cas doesn’t really talk about his past and because time is a little twisted for him to begin with.

He knows he’s almost two, and that two years is not a long time, but to Jack it feels like forever.

He knows his mother was thirty-nine when she died, and he knows Sam and Dean are hovering somewhere near forty. Cas has lived millions of years, and though Jack can’t quite wrap his mind around that vast length of time, he knows that makes Cas near eternal. Like Jack’s supposed to grow up to be.

Oddly, it’s a comforting thought.

“How old are you?” He asks it to put an end to the silence, and because he’s realized he really wants to know the answer.

Cas hesitates, brow creasing in thought. “It’s hard to say. The first thing I really remember is the tiktaalik, so I suppose that makes me…”

“Holy shit,” Sam breathes. He must know what the tiktaalik is, Jack thinks. He’ll have to ask about it later.

“Three and a half billion. Approximately,” Castiel finishes.

Jack can almost hear Dean’s jaw hit the floor.

“That old, huh?” Dean asks. His voice is strained, and he sounds faint.

“I might be closer to four billion, actually,” Cas muses.

“Okay, whoa,” Sam interjects, before Dean’s brain melts entirely. “That’s… that’s really impressive, Cas.”

“I- really?”

“Yeah, man,” Dean manages. But Cas still doesn’t look convinced, so Jack speaks up.

“You’re prehistoric!” he says. “I think that’s really special.”

Cas takes a long moment to respond, inexplicably looking younger as he processes their praise. It’s like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders- like for the first time in eons he feels like the years behind him, drenched in blood and pain and regret as they are, can be a gift rather than a curse.

Sam and Dean clap Castiel on the shoulder and take their leave from the room, the elder brother murmuring something about “antique angels” as they go.

Jack steps closer to Cas, clearing his throat.

“I, um. I found a book about dinosaurs the other day. Dean said that this movie would be educational, but… I was wondering if you could tell me about them? I don’t think I learned very much.”

“I would be happy to.” Cas smiles, reaching out to squeeze Jack’s shoulder. “This film wasn’t very accurate, anyway.”

“Really? How?”

“Well, for one thing, most of those dinosaurs didn’t even live during the same millennium. And they weren’t nearly so lizard-like. They had feathers.”

Jack responds in kind, whispering conspiratorially: “Like birds?”

“Sort of. Come on, I’ll draw some for you.”

Jack follows his father out of the room, smiling from ear to ear. Though the full scope of Castiel’s age remains far beyond his comprehension, Jack thinks it’s incredible. With all those years behind him, it’s no wonder that Cas is such a good parent.

Time is a teacher, and Cas has had a long life in which to learn. He has so much wisdom to share- and it’s not all about the dinosaurs, not because of the things he’s seen or the battles he’s won.

No, Castiel shines brighter than the most beautiful of stars. It’s a brilliance that comes from the inside out, forged through fire and pain and a heart stronger than diamond no matter how many times it’s broken.

Castiel shines with four billion years of love.

#hope you like it!#castiel #team free will 2.0 #my fic #spn fanfic #kitkat writes

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noocturnalchild · 3 years

Text

BLIND

One shot for our favorire detective Flip Zimmerman x reader !

Warning : Smut , NSFW, Sub!reader

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

“Hey you”

He threw his keys and cigarette packet on the table and clicked his boots towards you, as you busied yourself in his kitchen. He lifted the pot’s cover and inhaled the scent of the stew you were making. It was really not much. He said nothing, as was his habit, but you could tell from his nostrils flaring and the tiny smile that graced his lips that he was content.

“Hey” you shyly replied.

You liked him coming home to you putting yourself to use. It was the least you could do.

A couple months ago, Flip fished you out from a pretty shitty situation and shittier life you didn’t want to recall anymore. He offered you to stay with him till you figured your life out and you accepted, right away. Mere months that seemed like eons ago, and you were more than grateful for him, for that big sassy grump, cladded in his eternal plaid flannels.

“Bedroom is off limits” he said the first time you set foot in his house, with a serious look and a more serious tone, and you just nodded, apprehensive, but then he compensated, made sure you were more than comfortable in the guest room that became yours, bought you new curtains, put in the trash the old gloomy pieces and replaced them with light and pretty ones, made sure to fix them himself. You thanked him more than necessary that day, and he just hummed.

Flip was bossy and secretive as fuck, always chain-smoking, everywhere, outside, in his pick-up, inside the house, his living room, the kitchen, his bedroom, everywhere, chewing on the stick of a cigarette and frowning at some documents that he always kept away from your curious glances.

“Go play away, girl” he would say, frowning even more as you pouted, just to smile when you turned your back to him, doing just what he asked, playing away.

You liked to keep his house tidy. He had little furniture, just the functional stuff, but you managed to insert, here and there, glasses full of flowers you picked up on the sidewalks, arranging them in what you thought were pretty bouquets and putting them in his large glasses, displaying them in the kitchen and the living room. He never commented, eyeing the things and walking around, frowning at his documents and cigarettes.

His place was warmer since you got to stay with him, he came to a nice dinner every night and the house smelled better, he noticed it all, but refrained from saying shit about it, ignoring the good changes, afraid of getting used to them just to lose it all in the coming months. He knew you were temporary here, and he hated to think about the day you were going to announce that you’d found a decent job that would allow you to pay rent and live by your own means. He actually dreaded the whole thing, mildly panicking every time he saw you, leaning over some newspaper, circling the job announcements you found interesting, just to breathe out of relief every time you came home disgusted, bitching about how awful the boss was or the dirty places you went to or just something. He would cheer you up halfheartedly and go out smoking.

“Well, there’s always tomorrows y/n”

And you always smiled at that.

As big a man as he was, He still wasn’t comfortable around you, when you slid closer to him, you both on the couch, casually watching the baseball games on Saturday nights. Or when he bumped into you in the bathroom, in your sleep clothes, and tried not to stare too long at your tits, obviously free from any constraints under those thin sleep shirts you liked to wear.

Sometimes he felt sick of himself, thinking of you in ways he shouldn’t, so he just kept keeping his distances, closing himself off, as you kept being good to him, always cheerful and happy around him, like a bee, his little bee.

Often, he came home very late, tired, exhausted. He let himself black out on the couch and when you woke up, late at night, to drink some water or go to the bathroom and you saw him all crumpled on himself on the couch, you made sure to take off his boots and cover him carefully. That, he knew. You also tucked away rebel hair strands off his eyes and watched him snore for a while, and smiled to the rare peaceful face he made when asleep, and of course, this, he would never know.

You knew he worked hard, you knew that he was like he was because of it. All the horror of crimes, all sort of wicked fuckers he dealt with everyday, the interrogatories, the stress, the anger and the nerves of his fucking job, the guns and the hematomas on dead corpses. Photographs, hundreds of them between his folders, hours and days of collecting evidence and sometimes pursuing false tracks, and you would expect him to come home to you with a fucking smile plastered on his face? Of course not, and if you were there, you better make yourself useful and alleviate some of this burden, and not expect a single thank you in return.

That night too, Flip came in late, very late, and collapsed on his couch, boots and jacket on. You watched him as he started snoring right away, brows pinched together, even in his sleep. It had been an exceptionally rough day, you concluded, and smiled to him nonetheless. You reached to free him of his leather boots, and he sighed in his slumber, burying his face under his arm. He was obviously uncomfortable, and instead of covering him as was your habit, you decided to push your luck a bit.

“Flip”

You whispered, close to his face, and his eyelids fluttered, selling him out. You smiled.

He ignored you but you were determined.

“Flip?” you shook his shoulder a bit and he grumbled “Come on please, go to sleep, let me take this jacket off you at least, you will be hot and bothered with it on all night” you continued, always whispering as he groaned low, tucking his face further into his sleeves and you laughed this time.

Emboldened, you grabbed his hand and pushed him up, and it startled him, your bold move; his eyes widened, challenging you to push further.

“Don’t push your luck with me, feather weight!” he threatened you, fully awake now. But you just laughed and you saw him hide an amused smile. It was a game then.

You pushed again, two hands pulling on one big warm paw. His hand was so big, why was it so big?

“Come on Flip, please just this time” you whined, as he closed his eyes again, fully conscious.

“Please” you sang, “ it’s for your own good, you know”.

No reaction.

“I want you to have a good sleep tonight, Flip, come on” you said, softer, and he blinked, slowly opening his eyes, and this time he let you drag him off the couch. He shrugged off his jacket in one swift movement, then, docile, he let you guide him to his bedroom. It was suddenly too quiet, him just looking at you as you walked backward, hand always in his much bigger one.

You knew that his bedroom was sacred territory, but he didn’t say a thing when you didn’t stop at his door and continued to walk backward to his bed. He kept his eyes locked on yours, intense brown pupils daring you to stop, or not to. You decided to act on your instincts and kept going, holding your breath. He finally sat on the edge of his bed, and before you thought of letting go of his hand and stop the dangerous game you were both playing, he threw his big body backward, taking you down with him with little effort, making you both bounce on his mattress.

You stayed like that for seconds, you on top of him, laid there, not daring breathe or move or speak.

Fast heartbeats and ragged breaths filled the quiet 3 am night. You didn’t move off him, you didn’t scream or run away, no, you didn’t push him away when he slowly put his arms around you, pressed you up a bit, tightly against him so your face was leveled with his. He looked at you with heavy lidded eyes, searching for something in yours, and he found it.

“Didn’t I say, bedroom. is. off. limits?” he shook you a little with each word and something in you ignited, at the deep low rumble he used to talk to you, at the veiled half threat, half promise of it.

“I… I’m sorry” you barely breathed, lips dangerously close to his, and he smirked.

“That’s it. You’re a good girl, you know that?” he whispered, nudging your nose, close, closer, too close.

Your heart wasn’t the only part of you that fluttered at his words, as you felt warmth spreading through your veins, and your body vibrated against his. He smirked again, pressing his lips to yours in a sweet and sleepy kiss. You let him, closed your eyes, then kissed him back, tentative little licks at his lips, he hummed a little and you responded with a moan.

“Hungry?” he asked. You couldn’t but nod, already feeling desire overwhelming you, wanting him to talk to you again in that tone of his, but it was his fingers that started to toy with your shirt instead. Your hands responded, rubbing and pulling on his flannel, and his muscles tensed as your lips caught fire, licking and biting and sucking at his, stopping only to catch your breath.

“Fierce little thing” he panted, reaching for your ass, patting it through the light shorts you were wearing just to pinch it hard, big hands splayed on both cheeks, squeezing hungrily as you moaned against his neck again, breath hot, burning his already excited skin.

“Flip …please”

Your hands reached for his flannel buttons, trembling fingers trying to get rid of the fucking fabric that stood in your way but he yanked your hand off and glared.

“You think you can spoil my rest, come to my room and do as you please, and get away with it like that?”

You hiccupped, frustration and hunger coiling in your stomach, pulsing in your core… This man, his voice, his tone, the look in his eyes, glistening in the dark.

“I’m sorry… please… Flip, let me” you begged, shameless, hips starting to grind against his and he groaned.

“Little bee” he puffed and rolled you on your back, looked at you as his hand reached to both your wrists trapping them up behind your head.

“Lights on, wanna see you” he let go of one hand, let you reach for the night stand, fiddle with the switch of his night-light until you managed to get it right. Dim light spread across the room, making your eyes squint a bit as he took you in, sucking on his lips when his eyes fell on your obvious hard nipples under your see-through night tee.

“See, much better. You look beautiful”

You blushed at the sudden soft tone, at the look of complete awe mixed with hunger he gave you.

“Flip.. I… I wanted this…you for so long”

“I know, doll, ain’t blind”

He dived into you, without restraint, mouth squeezing your perked buds through the thin fabric. He sucked at them, moaned into them, wetted the material, rolled his tongue, using teeth and spit as you arched your back, pushed your tits into his hot mouth, moaned high, hands both trapped in one big fist.

God, he was so hard, hard the minute he took you to bed with him. You were doing this to him, taking him out of his mind, out of his life, out of his shitty work, his shitty problems, and all the ugly things, all at once, making him feel good, so good, out of his mind.

“I thought you were…” you said when he let you catch your breath, and you bit your lip at the nerve of it.

He gave you a confused look.

“Blind” you breathed.

And his eyes turned sad and thoughtful, and he kissed your neck, slow and aching.

“Nah…” he sucked at your pulsing spot.

“I knew” another kiss.

“I know it all” another lick “want it all” a moan.

“with you”

Your body was just one tense chord, pleasure striking you, hot white heat between your thighs.

“I want you to keep doing all the pretty little things you do… those things you do for me , ya know, your little flowers and your pretty smiles, hum?”

He cupped your chin, looking at you tenderly, making you smile again, eyes fogged with happy tears as you nodded .

“Let me take these off then” you whispered, eyeing his clothes. God, he was still fully clothed, you couldn’t take it anymore.

He kissed you again, tongue battling with yours as he freed your hands that went tangling in his silky hair immediately, tousling his dark locks. You hummed in satisfaction but found little relief, so your hands fled to his flannel again, tugging it off, pulling angrily at his undershirt, sending it to the floor, not losing a second as your fingers began to unzip his jeans, freeing him of the heavy fabric before taking him in, heavy short breaths escaping your parted lips. You could swear you were drooling, as you flattened your palm on the hard planes of his abdomen, feeling the tremors and the heat of his belly, before traveling to his crotch, sensing his hot heavy cock as it pulsed with need, and you both closed your eyes for a second, reveling in the moment.

He hissed when you experimentally started to stroke him through his boxers, hazy eyes focused on your task as you sat on your knees. You pressed kisses to his stomach, flickered your tongue on his belly button, licking there, hand always working on his length, caressing his balls ghostly as he tried to control his breath, fisted your hair, played with it in his big strong hands, scratched your scalp gently, seeking your attention.

“Phillip…”

“It’s a risky game you playing down there, little bee, isn’t it?”

It was the first time you used his name like that, and you looked up, just to be met with the silver glint of a thin chain around his neck that caught your eyes. Small pretty six branch silver star decorated it.

You’d never seen him wear it, you’d never noticed it, tucked away under his shirts. It was just normal; you’d never seen him without a shirt before tonight, big shy grump that he was.

You couldn’t resist as you jumped up in his arms, pecking at his chain on his skin, peppering small kisses around it, pulling with your teeth on the silver thing, it took his breath away.

“You want me that much?” he let out a hoarse laugh, his hands were everywhere.

“Yeah… yes… I do” you buried your mouth in his chest, sucking at his nipple. Sloppy and wet.

“You don’t know what you doing to me, drooling over me like that” he panted, and his fingers wandered south, seeking your heat through your night shorts. You were embarrassingly wet, and you gasped and whined when he brushed your clit through the fabric.

“Be good to me, lay on your back”, he commanded and you obliged. You reached for your sticky tee to pull it off but he stopped you, hunched it up just under your breasts, and fisted it with one strong hand.

“No. This stays.”

He slapped one breast, making both joggle. You hiccupped again, arched your back. Round dark stains formed on the fabric around your tits, wet from his spit and your sweat and he seemed so satisfied of his doing.

With one swift movement, he yanked your shorts down with your panties, exposing your wet pussy to his prying eyes.

“Spread those pretty legs baby, let me see”

And you did.

“How do you want me?” You smiled to him, dizzy.

“Like that” he glared, ogling you.

And he splayed two fingers down your wet slit, massaging your entrance, pinching at your sensitive pink folds, rolling your clit, toying with it, making you quiver under his touch, whine and moan and drool on his sheets as your eyes rolled shut from the languid pleasure he was giving you.

His cock was painfully hard now, straining in his briefs, wanting relief. He pulled at your hand, brought it to his erection and guided it, slid it up and down. You teased his head, splaying your middle finger on the wet spot that pre cum formed on his slit, rubbing gentle circles that made him shudder.

“Fuck y/n, pull it off ..off.. fuck”

He was losing it, with the way you took his free cock in your small hand, the way you pumped it gently between your fingers, caressed the swollen veins, teased the head some more, cupped his balls, rolled them softly, moaned at just the sight of it… but god, when you sat back up and kissed it, parted those pretty lips of yours and gave it a loud kiss on the head, god, he felt it twitch, spasm, ready to burst.

“I swear to God y/n…” He barely breathed.

You smiled teasingly at him as you let yourself fall back on his pillows, and rolled your hips to remind him of his stilled fingers in your pussy. He decided to punish you a little and pushed two big fingers right in you, making you cry out. He didn’t let you recover as he started pumping them and curling them inside, in and out, fast, rough, punctuated by his ragged breaths and the slapping of skin as he fucked his cock into his fist, eyes glued to your pussy, to the sight of your hole greedily swallowing his fingers to the knuckles.

You reached for your stiff clit that needed attention, chasing an orgasm that started to creep in the pit of your belly, fire licking at your skin. He let you, spurred you on, praised you, and you moaned for him, moaned like a whore, like you never did in bed, with anyone.

“Go on baby, cum for me, cum for me here …let that tight pussy milk my fingers”

Your vision shattered, white pleasure shaking your limbs in erratic spasms as your hips jerked up and your head rolled back. He stilled his fingers, drenched in your cum, pressed them to your sweet spot, collecting some more before bringing them to his mouth, sucking them clean as he watched you coming down from your high.

You were so glad Flip was a natural secluded guy, choosing to live in a quiet sheltered place. You got only tall trees and crickets and squirrels as witnesses of your 3 am hot sex symphony.

“Good?” he asked and you nodded, catching your breath.

“Good. Now, doll, what is that you’re staring at?” he asked, voice deep, deep, as he played with his cock, teasing you.

“Your cock, sir. I’m staring at your cock” you purred.

Damn, you wanted to kill him?

“Let me hear that again” he said in his threatening tone, the one that made your insides melt again, begging for him.

“You cock, SIR.” you punctuated your last word, making his cock jump in his hand, and he squeezed the base, preventing himself from coming there and then as he decided to play with you a little longer, make you wait for it.

“Ahuh? Like what you see?” he tapped the head on your flushed pussy folds, started to gather your wetness, teasing you.

You squirmed “Yes, sir, I do”

“Want to take it?” he reached to one perked nipple, twisted it.

“Mghm.. Yeah” you pushed you hips into his cock, trying to get the tip in you, in vain. “Yeah, please, give it to me, I want your big cock, sir”. You were desperate.

“Want that fat cock?, huh, doll face?”

“Oh yeah, want it, need it, please put it in me” you mewled.

He didn’t need to hear more, grabbed your hips with two big hands, and pushed in. You both groaned from the intensity of it. The heat of it, the intimacy of it. You both reached for one another, wanting to take one another’s hand, knot your fingers together, connect, connect, connect.

“Fuck y/n… has been a while baby, you’re impossibly tight” he panted in your neck. He was impossibly thick and you were impossibly tight and it was heady, the feeling of his body flush against you, hands entwined, legs entangled, his scent invading your head, his facial hair tickling at your collarbone as he babbled, plush lips kissing every patch of skin available, lost in you, just as lost in you as you were lost in him… You whimpered and tried to push him further, deeper into you, angled your hips so your thighs were squeezing his, heels digging in his flesh, and he moved in and out of you, slow torturous motions, driving you both insane.

“Fuck Phillip, faster please…ah-“

He liked how his name sounded on your lips, and hell if he would deny you anything. He backed up a little bit and nudged his nose with yours, pressed his forehead to yours as you trapped your legs around his waist, giving him better access and you nodded.

He then started a faster rhythm, and you could hear your pussy making those obscene noises from it being fucked so good and fast and deep, balls slapping your ass, as his pubic hair scraped your clit, drowning you in pleasure and anticipation. Your nails scratched the back of his neck, your teeth nibbled at his earlobe.

He tracked your mouth and kissed you hard and rough, his silver chain batting at his chest as his hips went wild and your moans high, loud, vulgar. You didn’t care.

“Gonna fuck you so good baby doll, gonna fill you up so good, stretch that tight pussy so good” he breathed in your mouth, and you felt your second orgasm building so fast through your veins. God, you liked his cock, you liked how he moved his hips. He knew exactly what to do with you, he was one talented man, but his voice, it was just on another level, you could cum only from him talking to you like that.

“Please Phillip, just talk to me and I’ll cum”

“Ahuh? Really baby? God you killing me you know? You’re so good to me, look at yourself, taking my cock so nice, huh, Look at your pretty tits bouncing from taking my cock, pussy sucking cum outta that cock, fuck!” he rolled his hips in tight hard circles, and that was it. you spasmed under him, gasped in his mouth and he swallowed your cries in a searing kiss, as your pussy gushed around his cock, milked it, clenched around it.

“Did so good baby, yeah just like that”

He fucked you through your climax, so close now, knew it was coming, so fast and hard as his balls tightened. He pulled your legs up, hooked them on his shoulders, balanced his weight on his knees, and watched as his cock slid in and out your cunt, drenched in your cum and sweat.

He was so beautiful like that, you thought in your haze, face focused, those brows pinched together, again, but for completely different reasons this time. Locks of hair beating on his face, chain beating up his flushed chest, so beautiful as he pounded you, rammed into you, big hands manhandling you, so masculine and strong. Definition of sex.

His hips jerked, cock twitched in your pussy and he pulled out. He wanted you to see his load of cum as it burst out of his slit, jets of thick white ropes painting your belly and tits. His cock twitched and jolted again, leaking some more, until it was all over your body, hot and slick on your gleaming skin.

You splayed your fingers on your body, collected it and spread it some more on your skin, humming and buzzing in pure bliss as you watched your man recover from his high, staring at you, shaking his head in disbelief and amazement.

“Fuck baby that was… So hot” he huffed, incredulous, and you both laughed.

“Come here big man” you opened your arms for him and smiled, all teeth. He threw his big self on you, still laughing as you combed his hair with your fingers, and kissed him soft and sweet behind his ear.

“Can we go grab a bite now?” he asked after he took extra care cleaning you both up. He extended his hand, and you took it, beaming at him.

“You mean breakfast?”

“Don’t tell me…” Flip reached for his alarm clock , whistled long and incredulous when he saw the time. 5:45 am, no fucking way.

The first bird started its song outside, mocking him, and you laughed.

“What should I do with you now? keeping me awake all night huh?” He spanked your ass, playful as he grabbed for his first cigarette of the day and you rolled your eyes at him.

“Won’t be the last night, I tell you” You bit your lip as you took his hand, leading him to his kitchen.

“Ahuh, you smartass” but he smiled, kissed you again, knowing exactly that it wouldn’t.

#flip zimmerman #adam driver #flip zimmerman x you #fan fiction #adam driver fan fic #flip is a bossy dom #dom flip #sub reader #flip zimmerman x reader #smut

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aio-rya · 3 years

Text

"Iris" — Malleus x f!Reader

「Requested by: Anon」

『This is the Iris version I used for this songifc, I felt it was perfect』

ー・Φ・ー

And I'd give up forever to touch you

'Cause I know that you feel me somehow

You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be

And I don't want to go home right now

Once again, his path brought him to the human child's dorm. It looked so different by daylight, the view of the old building was not that bad but night in that place had another meaning: his encounters with his little mortal. He was unbelievable about his thoughts, flying around her, as if he could smell her sweet perfume and feeling the tip of her fingers grabbing his coat. A little laugh scaped through his lips as he turned around, taking his leave —unexpectedly, he spotted someone sleeping under a tree near the path that led to main street.

As he walked by, he realised it was his little human friend. She was so peaceful and quiet while sleeping, her pale eyelids and her pink lips made her look so innocent, like a porcelain doll. Avoiding any kind of noise, he sat down next to her, under the fresh shadow of the tree. He remained there the whole afternoon, watching over her sleep and even humming a lullaby he remembered Lilia used to sing for Silver.

Malleus was fighting with the impulse of caressing her soft skin, startled when she, still sleeping, moved her head near to his legs. Babbling quietly on her sleep.

"Tsuno-chan..."

As the sun was setting on the horizon, on the opposite side to where he and his beloved girl were facing, she woke up —even then, sleepy, she was beautiful.

"You look like an angel" he whispered, putting his book down on his legs while she sat down.

"How long have you been here?" she asked with drowsy voice, yawning.

He chuckled, "long enough to take care of you."

"Then, you are my guardian angel" she answered, getting nearer.

"I am no angel. I have lived in a cold, enormous and empty castle for centuries. But having a friend, loving someone like you... That is the nearest thing I have to heaven" he muttered, as if he was afraid of those words.

She smiled and his heart beat increased.

"Should we get inside?" she asked, standing up as he pulled her arm. Her tiny body landed over Malleus' legs.

"I'd rather stay here with you" he said, lifting her ching with a finger. "Do you feel it? The cold shiver running down your spine?"

She remained quiet as he started getting near, mixing their breathing. Is he going to...

"What are you thinking about?" he whispered almost against her lips.

She stared at his beautiful green dragon eyes, then at his lips, lightly blushed.

"You."

And all I can taste is this moment

And all I can breathe is your life

And sooner or later, it's over

I just don't wanna miss you tonight

They saw stars shining in the distance as night covered the sky, cold wind caressed their skin as moonlight witnessed their long unspoken love. Life was so different before, without him, and for the great prince, it was too without her. Everything he knew was loneliness as he only had Lilia by his side, for eternity, while the human lifes passed by in the blink of an eye. He never really cared about them, the sons of men, since there were millions and almost everyone of them were similar.

But she. She was an exception. He was condemned to the hell of a life that would last eons, such as Lilia, he will live as the people he loved died —and now, he was afraid of losing her, the young lady who laid down on his chest, the one who never feared him, the so daring and brave human he was holding between his arms.

"What is it, Tsunotaro?" she whispered, tightening her hold over his waist.

"You will never learn, won't you?" he laughed, kissing her forehead. "What should it be?" he answered, trying to keep the mysterious atmosphere.

"You hold your breath when you're worried" she stated, burying her nose on the collar of his shirt.

"How would you know that?" he asked, giggling. Oh, how happy she was, since no one but her coulg listen to him like that. So... Tender.

"I was told by a little bird~" she crooned, lifting her head.

"A silver one, pheraphs~?" he followed her tone, mischievously.

"Pheraphs not" she laughed, laying over him, looking straight into his beautiful emerald eyes, "What is worrying you, my king?"

My king, he taught. You only called him like that when you were serious.

"Human life is... Ephemeral. It has and end, sooner or later. That's why you live every moment with such intensity, so you can leave this life without regrets" Malleus started explaining, caressing her plum lips with his cold finger, "You treasure every important memory, every true love's kiss, every reward earned after taking a risk... And yet, we the faes live long enough to remember our humans with love and pain."

"Is... Is this some kind of... Farewell?" the young one asked, with some tears stuck on her throat.

"It is not. If fact... I want to do as you" he smiled, holding the back of her head, getting near to her face, "I want to engrave this moment with fire on my heart. Your smell, the smoothness of your skin, the taste of your lips..." his voice was deeper, not sad but nostalgic, his lips dangerously close to hers, "Breathing the same atmosphere as you."

He leaned forward to catch her between his lips, cold but sweet, tender but needy, fragile as strong. She was breathless, speechless —it was a feeling none of them had experienced ever before.

"I want to remember this night, so I won't ever miss you again. I want to remember every inch of you forever."

And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming

Or the moment of truth in your lies

When everything feels like the movies

Yeah, you bleed just to know, you're alive

"If that is what makes her happy, I'm willing to sacrifice my own happiness" he stated with powerful but polite voice, staring blankly at the letter on the table aside him.

"You have surely grown up, Malleus" certain ancient fae answered with a gleam of proud on his voice, leaning forward, putting his hands over the prince's shoulders. "But you will not be happy with her choise, you can lie her. But you can't lie yourself."

"I--"

"I know. Life is not as fairytales, you may feel you are near your 'happily ever after', but fate is unpredictable" Lilia spoke before his ward could, trying to understand how he must have been feeling about losing her, his beloved human child.

"I'm fine" Malleus stated once again. "I can't allow myself to break down, it is not proper of the Heir of the Valley of Thorns". He was lying to himself and he was clearly aware of that, not even his guardian, who knew him as the hilt of his very own sword, could be fooled by his unconcerned visage.

"Malleus... If you need to release those feelings, I--"

"It's fine, Lilia. I'll be fine. There's no need for crying nor overthinking the situation" he stood up from the chair at the Diasomnia's dinning room and made his way toward the door. "I'll take my leave. I need to prepare a farewell gift for the Child of Men. That is proper from a Prince."

I never mentioned crying, my dear. The short fae thought with a sigh , taking the letter between his fingers while walking towards the main door of the castle.

And I don't want the world to see me

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

"What is this?" she asked, taking the black velvety box Malleus handled out to her.

"A gift. A farewell gift" he said bitterly, also tenderly as the eyes of her human watered.

"F-fare...wel..." she whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek. "So it is true? Are you willing to sacrifice your own happiness for letting me go, then? I... I can't. An eternity thinking about this moment, heavier than our memories together..."

"We have to fulfil our own duties. And you have a world waiting for you" he insisted, taking a few steps back.

"I have a world waiting for me, but it is not in the other side of the mirror. It is here, with you" her voice was shaking.

"You are a human. Your life is as fragile as a leaf... It is made to break, you are made to die."

"That's how life works."

He suddenly felt her hands trying to reach his face, tip toeing because of the height difference. She lifted a black hair strand from his forehead, revealing his birth marks and caressing them with her thumb; he was astonished.

"You truly are a fearless human" he said, recovering from the initial shock. Leaning forward for her to touch his whole skin.

"I don't have to fear you" her eyes were now closed, as he made possible to touch each other forehead, "I know you. I've walked with you... Even in my dreams."

Her arms surrounded Malleus as she held him tightly, burying her nose on his neck.

"Even if the world doesn't see what I do, I will still love you. And if you ask me, I will stay. I don't care if they never understand, I don't mean they do--"

She was silenced by a sudden kiss. Something she never expected to be so rough yet too careful.

"And this is my gift to you: I will always love you..."

"Until my last breath."

ー・Φ・ー

It has been a while since my last songifc. So... It's up to you guys, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

#twisted wonderland #twst #ツイステッドフンダラーンド #ツイステ #twisted wonderland malleus #malleus draconia #malleus x reader #マレウス・ドラコニア #aio-rya

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starr-fall-knight-rise · 4 years

Text

Humans are Space Orcs, “Speaking with light.”

Been a busy week, and I have been having to do a lot of my writing during the quiet moments at work. Plus I have also reached the climax on the book, so that is taking up a lot of my time. So this week I am ping to be doing miscellaneous stories based on requests some of you have given me

They watched from below the darkness, an expanse of blank sometimes light by the beautiful light of their hot red star. They knew what it was, despite their inability to see like others, they understood much and knew much more. Across the salted, barren wastes of their planet stretching for miles in all directions dark like the sky except for where their star warmed it.

They expected the visitors to return long before the visitors knew that they might . It was inevitable and so they waited very patiently floating about their sunny planet, soaking up the heat from their glorious creator above.

That is until the day a spark of light glorious light lit up the sky in the distance, and they turned themselves to face it. They knew this light, cause by the fusion of particles together, and finally the burning of fuel, It was a strange suite, a glorious little piece of light glowing down from above.

It was good, and they waited.

It landed not far off from them brightening the dark desert with it’s light. They did not approach, knowing that the creatures would come to them and so they waited. Eons they had waited and eons more they would be willing to wait. Time was like the glowing of the brightness in the sky above, it was immortal and forever, ethereal, eternal and passing.

Little sparks of light appeared on the horizon moving towards them shedding heat in familiar patterns that waved and undulated in pulses off their bodies. There were more than one of them now, more than one type as well in many sizes and shapes.

***

“But how can we know they are friendly?” Sunny asked her breath fogging up the inside of her helmet.

Outside, Krill floated happily along, soaking up the burning light of the star above his head tilted back as if he was enjoying himself. Despite the high oxygen content, there was still more than enough carbon for him to breath. While the humans and Sunny could probably take off their suits, they oud be at risk for quick and coming oxygen poisoning due to the extreme content in the air about them.

Admiral Vir stepped ahead of them, “They saved my life, so I think it is safe to assume that they are at least friendly.”

“Or they had no idea what they were saying at the time.” Sunny muttered to herself

They walked across the open dessert, their feet crunchin against the salt leaving mild indentations where they feet passed. Everything was so blinding here, even the sky seemed white against the blazing star overhead (a blue giant)

One of the hottest and brightest stars in existence.In the distance Sunny thought she saw a structure poking out over the horizon.

It wasn’t much, simply a large covered gazebo almost, with walls made out strange white/cream material carved into elaborate organic shapes. Out of all the things in the galaxy thy had seen, this was…. This was one of the strangest and most alien things.

Generally the civilizations tended to have things in common. And that was city structures and geometric architecture, but not these creatures. It was almost like walking up to a giant onion that had been carved out and molded into flowing spiral shapes up the sides.

Sunny could see the creatures now, floating there, as if waiting for them. They were grey in color, their the ends of their tentacles trended towards a strange bluish color tipped in pink.

Large, protrusions, almost like elephant ears stuck out from the sides of their six foot bodies flapping slowly like the fins of a stingray.

“Amazing.” one of the scientists said a xenobiologist who had accompanied them.

The rundi./vrul pair of xenolinguistics seemed very interested as well.

“And you said they do not speak?” One of them asked

Adam Vir nodded, “No, I think they might communicate through radio transmission as the vrul and the Mikes can, but I would be lying if I said I knew for sure, The Lumin are still as much a mystery to me as they are to you.”

“And you said they saved your life?”

“Yes, it was strange, like they knew exactly what to do. Hard to explain.”

“Well, hopefully we can make some sense of them before the day is out.”

Adam nodded his head and slowly took front as the others fell into step behind him. They were almost to the font of the large alien structure, watched by the strange floating creatures and their waving tentacles.

Adam paused before one of them not more than six feet away.

He raised his hands to his helmet and unlatched it with a hiss throwing his head back a little and taking in a gulp of high concentrated oxygen.

It felt fine for now, but he only had a little while before he would have to return to the suit.

He raised a hand, “Remember me?” He wondered, knowing that they couldn’t hear him so keeping his voice low.

The creature ahead of him billowed and undulated before floating softly forward and reaching out with one of its delicate tentacles. He kept his hand held up as the creature wrapped a tentacle around his wrist, prodding at his fingers arna farms with the pod-like structure at the end of the tentacle.

He smiled, “I thought you might. I remember you.”

It floated a little forward, tentacles reaching out, primarily its two front tentacles, longer than the others, which brushed through his hair and slowly ran down his face. The skin of the creature was soft and delicate, like the lips and nose of a horse, almost velvety somehow.

HE took his hand and gently wrapped his fingers around one of it’s tentacles, rubbing his thumb over its skin in a, hopefully, calming gesture, “We come in peace he muttered to himself.

***

Their light shone in great pulsing waves from their skin, shedding heat and light like dying stars. Their warmth, and the light they brought was pleasant,, and the Lumin welcomed it. For sure they welcomed the creature, who took off the casing from around its body, and shed its heat on them personally. They knew this creature, recognized him from long ago as his heat was something they ememembered, and the patterns with which it rolled over its skin.

They did not recognize the other creatures , some of them in shapes that they did not know, and shedding less light than the first, who shone like a beacon. They greeted it with pleasure and joy at it’s return. They had missed it’s light, and craved having some so close,even now.

The burning light of their own little colony greeted it with softness and was, in return rewarded with such.

Together, the Lumin inched forward floating to greet the others as they were instructed by their leader. They came in groups of two touching and prodding at the strange new subjects, who made no sound.

There was one creature, however, that was not so quiet. It burned surprisingly cold compared to the others and was only really a shadow in comparison. But it let of a strange sort of hissing buzzing that made their radio antenna rattle a bit.

They swarmed around it in surprise, pleasantly shocked and pleased when it floated up to meet them, much smaller but quite similar. It had no tentacles but many legs, and there was evidence that it could understand the silent, bright ones that hung around it.

They buzzed in excitement and the creature buzzed back

Extraordinary, and exciting.

It was a pleasure that the creature had returned with friends.

***

The swarm of Lumin took each of them by the hand and gently pulled them back towards the shade. Adam was more than thankful for the sun was hurting his eyes, something terrible.

“They seem happy to see us.:” Sunny mused, “Though I have no idea why.”

“Are you always this suspicious?” Adam wondered.

“Forgive me for being cautious.”

They were brought into the center of the room, and clustered about by the large glowing creatures. Adam smiled and remained still as more of the creatures floated by rubbing their tentacles against the hair on his had, in what seemed like some sort of greeting, though he could have been very wrong.

“I can hear them.” krill muttered staring around at their hosts with wide eyes.

Adam sat up, “You can!”

“Yes, it is like a distant humming that rises and falls in pitch, though I am afraid much of it might be outside of m range of hearing.”

“Alright everyone, turn on your radio receivers and see if that makes any sort of difference.”

They did as he ordered, and he did the same clipping the specially designed earpiece to his ear.

He turned it on, “Testing, one two, can you hear me.”

All around them the lumin billowed and spun. At first he worried that he had somehow bothered or offended them, but the way they touched his hands after he spoke made it seem that it was good news.

“I think they can hear you, and the best part is they understand that it’s you.”

“Well technically since radio frequencies are a form of light, it means they can see you.” Krill added

Adam turned his head to frown at Krill, “Just go ahead and kill the moment why don’t you.”

“I was just correcting your science.”

“No one likes a know it all, Krill.” He glanced over at the scientists, “Anyway, is this something that we can make sense of?”

The two of them had their heads together whispering together, and when he spoke they looked up, “It is hard to say. I believe their language works in oscillation of radio waves, though the patterns are going to be hard to decipher. They do not have individual words, and because of this I think it is a possibility that they may not speak in…. Specifics if that makes sense.””

“Will we be able to communicate with them at all?”

“I think it could be possible.” hold on

It was just then that Adam heard a strange static in one ear and was suddenly confused when he heard his own voice repeated back at him through what seemed to be TV static.

He turned to stare at the Lumin, which lay a tentacle on his shoulder. It looked like it was staring directly at him.

He heard his voice repeated back at him, “Will we be able to communicate with them at all?”

The scientists stared, “They are mimicking your radio signals back…. This might be possible after all.”

***

They were a very old species, they were a very wise species. These were not the only ones who had come before, and they would not be the last to come. When they changed their vibrating voices to vibrating waves of light, the Lumin understood. Not so much the words, but the meaning.

As before, they were very old and very wise.

They understood light in a way that it was not understood by anyone else.

They understood the fluctuation in the bodies before them, they understood the fluctuation in the radio signals all around them. There was nothing that they did not understand

Happiness burned bright from the creatures as they mimicked their light back at them. They wanted to communicate, and the Lumin wanted to speak back. They wanted to speak and make peace with these strange curious creatures.

The Lumin understood, and they felt the heat and the light brighten as they made physical contact with the creatures. Physical contact brought out familiarity and warth, bring up the heat even higher than it was before. It worked the most on the one they knew from before.

As it spoke to them, filling their eyes with its light, it ran its strange appendages through theirs, the little tentacles at the end of its fingers winding about them and then letting go, allowing them to slip through. It’s hands were gentle, and they saw no malice from it.

Of course, they knew what the creature was. They knew it had danger.

With the heat it produced it was clearly a consumer, and producing more heat and light than others it was a predator. Predators were the most beautiful with their great ebbing and flowing light, despite how dangerous they were, through the lumin were not one to judge.

They were not difficult to understand, these creatures.

It was not so hard to parse out what they were thinking and saying. They clearly wanted to know how the Lumin communicated, they wanted knowledge that the Lumin were willing to give them. With their great knowledge they would help. They knew these creatures did not speak like the lumin did. They did not speak as a collective, but as individual voices taking turns.

The lumin could do that if they so wished, but after a thousand yars they saw no need.

It was not their desire to speak separately from each other if they did not have to.

So The lumin fed them phrases slowly, and mimicked their own, extrapolating the information from the patterns of light.

Lumin understood light more than they understood anything else.

Light was sacred.

Light was pure.

And now that these creatures spoke with light, they could speak back to them.

THey noticed things.

Words that referenced the self, and words that referenced others. They understood when the creatures were talking bout them and when they were talking about each other.

Slowly they were beginning to understand, and when they understood, every one of them understood with greater comprehension.

It would not be long before they understood completely.

***

Adam Sat on the floor next to one of the lumin, who floated with its tentacles dragging along the ground.

He held one of it’s front tentacles in his palm as if they were holding hands, “We come in peace.”

The creature stared at him, its large flaps billowing slowly as if underwater.

“We.” It repeated back,, and as it did it waved a tentacle towards the others, and then around to him.

He nodded eagerly, “We, yes.”

The scientists stared on in awe, “How they can understand us so quickly…. I…. Its almost a miracle. How….”

Adam paused looking up at the creature, “They must be far more intelligent than any creature that we have ever discovered. There is no other explanation.”

“They do not seem to have a word that includes me or I just we and us. It is as if they think as a collective.”

Krill shifted and buzzed a bit, floating closer to one of the creatures, “IF they were able to think as one miind, than it would make sense that they could be so intelligent. A single brain that large working on one problem. There is nothing that they could not do.”

“Than why havent they bothered to leave their planet?” Sunny wondered staring at them with her eyes still narrowed.

Adam placed his hand against the creature rubbing over it’s soft skin, “I think…. Well I think they don’t WANT to leave.”

“What gives you that impression?”

“Because….. wellI don’t know. Its just when they speak, it seems so peaceful…. As if they could want for nothing more.”

“Now your just making things up,” Krillannounced

Adam rolled his eyes, “Whatever you say. I still think that they are…. Peaceful, tranquil almost.

“Wish I could have some of that.” one of the marines muttered, twisting one of the creature’s tentacles through his fingers and then letting it billow away.

“Now we just let the linguists do what they need to do, and hopefully this is communication that we can have sooner rather than later.”

***

They began at first with words, their light had a system of communicating. And when more abstract concepts came, they were s"end strange impressions of…. images , light brought still to their minds.

It was a strange way to communicate, but any light was important, any light was accepted, and so they brought the light into themselves, and they understood it like none could understand.

The light was what they lived for.

The light is what they hoped for.

The first words that were spoken between the two species and understood was.

“We are here.”

When they had to leave, the Lumin hoped for a return, and received it. The light passed overhead many times as they came and went, and the lumin understood more and more.

The first words that were really understood between the two was.

“We come in peace.”

And the lumin responds.

“We accept your peace.”

The lumin could understand them and they could understand the lumin.

Together they shared light and all was well

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salt-warrior · 3 years

Text

Alright folks... it’s time for me to forever shame myself, because I’m publishing a crack fic. I’ve NEVER done that before because I usually just write crack fics for my own enjoyment, but this crack fic was inspired by a post that @impossiblesuitcase wrote. So thank you for that, lovely. Also thank you @cosmicnovaflare for pushing me to write this, I love you always.

This crack fic is a crossover of three of my own fanfictions. So if you have not red Unsinkable, The Echo of Silence, and The Time it Takes to Fall, then literally none of this will make any sense. All three play vital roles in this story. Seriously, you’ll be in the dark so don’t read it unless you’ve read all of them.

Again, this is a crack fic so it’s even more wildly unrealistic than my other writing. And I am also going to pretend I never wrote it because I am ashamed. The original endings are the real endings in my mind. You have been warned.

So without further ado, I present you with 6,249 words of crack fic that I wrote in one sitting yesterday instead of doing my homework. Enjoy.

Tags: @shellyseashell @cindersassasin @gingerale2017 @healing-winston-pratt @winterrhayle @just2bubbly @f-r-o-p @idkchatie (I’m only tagging the people who were really angry with Unsinkable because I think a lot of you have read all three of those stories? If not, then sorry for the tag, I love you guys<333)

Until Forever Ends

Before Kai’s father had passed away, he’d told Kai to pursue what he needed to find peace. He’d probably meant something along the lines of falling in love with another girl or switching up his career. Surely he hadn’t intended for his son to look into the mythical sisters of life and death.

It had been a long day, with him first going to his father's funeral, then to see Cinder's gravesite one last time. He hated leaving her there, but he had hope that when they would meet again, he would speak to her and not a marble headstone.

He'd mailed notes to all his friends that morning. To Scarlet and Wolf, Jacin and Winter, and Cress. He'd detailed an adventure across the world that he would be having. After all, his father had left everything he owned to Kai, and he wanted to make the most of living. Of course it was all a fantastic lie; he was traveling the world, and perhaps it would be an adventure, but it was more of a journey than anything else. And he didn't plan on ever coming home.

Because even if he found what he was looking for, he couldn't return to his friends. They wouldn't understand—they couldn't understand.

So he would travel to the ends of the Earth, and he would find her.

***

Kai sat on a sandy beach, the waves lapping up over his legs, his nostrils filling with the scent of salt. The sky was gray and the air cold, but he could not feel its bitter sting. His clothes were torn ragged and his hair grown long and shaggy. If one were to gaze upon him, they would believe him to be insane. But he did not care. He was on the hunt for the sisters of life and death— and he was close.

It had been months since his father’s funeral; months since he’d left Cinder’s grave back in Arizona. He’d flown across the sea and traveled to lands he hadn’t even known existed. He’d slept under the stars and beneath the blanket of darkness. He’d listened to stories of people who lived their lives over and over in search of love and those who had been played for fools. He’d seen much and learned even more.

He’d heard tales of the two sisters: one life and the other death. They began as whispered fairy tales, told to him by drunkards and fools. But as he investigated further, he discovered that the sisters were real.

They existed throughout all the lands of the world, always under different names. In some lands they were simply Life and Death, while in others they were Angel and Demon or creatures of the Earth. He simply knew them as Light and Darkness. He only hoped to call out to the sister of light and life, not the one of darkness and death.

Throughout all his travels, no one had ever been able to tell him how to call each sister, only that they came to the cries of the brokenhearted who claimed, and fervently meant, that they would do anything to bring their love back to them. It had to be a plea for love that consumed one’s entire soul— but his soul was filled with Cinder, and Cinder alone.

He watched the black sea as it foamed about him. There had been conflicting views as to where one had to be when summoning either of the sisters. Some claimed that the person had to be in the place of their lover’s birth, while others explained that you had to be in the exact place of their final breath. One woman had even claimed that without the body of his dead lover still warm in his arms, he could not bring her back. Kai had shivered at that proclamation, with Cinder dead and in the ground for well over a year.

But there had been one account that had remained etched in his mind. A scholar somewhere in Europe, who had quoted the lines of Edgar Allen Poe’s last poem to Kai.

“And neither the angels of Heaven above

Nor the demons down under the sea

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.”

“The sea would be the best place to call one of the sisters to you,” the scholar had said. “For that is their home. With the Angel above and the Demon below, they will hear your cries.”

So Kai went to the sea.

Slowly the gray sky melded into black, allowing for the stars to dot the emptiness and the moon to shine across the waves with hints of white light. He knew he should have been cold, and perhaps he was, but there was nothing left in him but the aching wish to be with Cinder once more.

“Cinder,” he whispered her name through chapped lips. “My love. I would do anything–” his voice broke off with a sob, tears falling like the spray of the ocean. “Anything,” he reiterated. “To be with you again.”

The waves of the sea began to swirl about him, pulling him off the beach and out into the waves. He screamed as his head dipped below the water, but a bubble of air had formed around him, preventing any wetness from glancing across his skin.

Everything seemed to grow lighter, despite the darkness he had remembered seeing. The waves danced about him in hues of deep purple and foam green. Fish swam around him in a flurry, and even the stars in the sky appeared to stand in closer proximity to himself.

Then everything slowed, and Kai found himself thrown back upon the sandy beach shore. He laid upon the ground, staring at the moon in the sky, which seemed within arms reach. He lifted a hand as if to touch it.

A hand reached out to brush against his fingers, and Kai pulled back. Silhouetted against the moon was the most glorious woman that Kai had ever beheld. There was no beauty comparable to her own. Her skin was dark and lined with gold tracings that resembled the very waves of the sea. She wore a dress of crimson that covered her figure elegantly, and jewelry of gold lined her ears and neck.

“Oh my stars,” she gasped, jumping back from him as she gazed upon his face. “It’s you.”

Kai was too shocked to speak. He dropped his hand back upon his chest as he looked up at her. His eyes mapped the kindness in her face and the confusion in her eyes as she gawked at him. All that he could register was that he was in the presence of an otherworldly being.

At long last her words caught up to his thoughts and puzzlement of his own registered in his mind. “Do we know one another?”

The woman’s face softened, and she shook her head slowly. “No, I suppose we do not. Or at the very least, not in this lifetime; not in this world. I am Light, the sister of life and all things which make life beautiful. For what reason do you weep so?”

Kai’s heart skipped a beat at her words. He pushed himself up so he rested upon his knees before her, looking up at her glorious face. She glowed, as if she were the moon itself, rather than just having it shine behind her.

“My wife,” Kai explained, “Cinder, died. She is gone from this life, and I wish to be with her again. I… I just wish to be with her again.”

“You are a fool to call down a deity on purpose. You could have just as easily received my sister,” Light exclaimed, though there was a certain sorrow hidden behind her gaze. “But you have been shadowed with luck upon this day. I can sense your pain, and the both of us know that you could call upon me only if your very soul screamed for your love and your love alone.

“I do not often grant requests of such a sort, unlike my sister, who joys in tricking lovers to be her slaves for all eternity. I find that traveling into the next world is the best option— that waiting for Darkness to collect you and transfer your soul fresh and new into another world is the best way to go.” She stopped speaking, then fell to her knees so she and Kai were at eye-level with one another. “But I have met your soul in another world— one where it knew only pain. I have met many creatures of the Earth through my eons of serving them. I aid those in all the universes known alongside my sister. But in all that time I have never stumbled upon the same man twice.

“And it is for that reason that I shall grant you your request,” Light said, touching her fingers against Kai’s cheek. She winced as she wiped the tears from his face.

Kai couldn’t breath, unable to process the words she was speaking to him. He would be with Cinder once more— she would be returned to him. All would be right in the world once more.

“However, I cannot reunite you with the girl you knew in this world,” Light explained with a sigh. “With your love gone for over a year, that piece of her soul has already passed into a new universe— it has been wiped of all her joy and all her sorrows. That piece of Cinder now abides somewhere else.”

Within an instant, Kai felt his world crumble into a thousand pieces. He hated himself for believing that it had been possible— that he could be with Cinder once more. But he was too late; he had waited too long. Now he would have to live the rest of this wretched life without her and hope to meet her in another universe.

“Do not fret, dear child,” Light chided, smoothing the hair back from his face in a motherly fashion. “For there is hope yet.”

“There is?” Kai asked.

“Yes; for while that fraction of Cinder that you know has vanished into another world, her soul still resides in other universes. You see, the soul lives thousands of lives, all in different realities. For it is not one solid being, it is an entity that never ceases to exist, and can exist in more than one place at once. The only problem being that the more time it spends in one universe, the more corrupt and destroyed it becomes. If your soul could recall other realities, you would understand of what I speak, for this was the exact circumstance under which we last met.”

Kai nodded along, pretending that he had even the faintest idea of what she was speaking of. She let out a great exasperated sigh, shaking her head. Light dropped her hand from his face and got to her feet.

“Your mortal mind cannot begin to comprehend the meaning of eternity. For while you shall live forever, you will not know it. There is a block upon your soul to cause you to forget; that is why it pains man so much to try and imagine living for forever.

“But that does not matter now. For when you are dead, your soul shall endure cleansing once more and be whisked off into another life in which you shall live and love and die again. Exhausting, isn’t it?”

Kai stared blankly, completely at a loss for words.

Light looked down upon him, stars shining in her eyes. “Dear child, there is another world in which your dearest love lived with you, but you were taken from her. Her soul aches for you in the way that yours aches for hers. I have never before transferred a soul to a different reality without death occurring first, but I have also never stumbled upon the same soul twice. Yours is a soul filled with more love and loss than any other I have come to know. So upon this night I shall reunite you with your love.”

The ocean began to swirl about them once more, pulling Kai into its great depths, but this time he did not scream. Light began to rise into the air, her arms spread wide as if to cup the moon above her hair. The wind howled, twisting the coils of her black hair about her face and the crimson swathes of fabric about her body. She was a glorious arrayment of red and gold and shining light.

Above the wind, Light shouted in a tongue lost to mortals, for it was the language of the first of mankind, and it had been forgotten. The sea continued to spin around Kai, fish of every color swimming about him. He was in the eye of an oceanic tornado.

Still Light rose higher into the air, pulling her crashing waves about her as she ascended toward the moon. All that Kai could see were the many sea creatures and the luminous goddess above him, growing brighter every moment.

A high-pitched scream filled his ears, though it was not a human one. It blocked out the sound of the waves and the echoing chants of Light above him. It filled his very being as the blinding light penetrated his soul.

And just as he wondered if this would be the destruction of his very soul, everything went black.

***

Kai awoke to the roar of the ocean, and felt an instant rush of cold tear through his body. His mind flashed with the memories of calling Light to him and begging her to send him to a life in which Cinder lived. He could recall the overwhelming light that had surrounded him, and the screaming that blocked out all other thoughts as the goddess rose above him in a tornado of the sea.

He pushed himself up and stared out at the waves. It was bright— the middle of the day by his reckoning— and warm. People stood in the ocean waves wearing an odd assortment of clothes rather than bathing suits. Or at least, they weren’t the kind of bathing suits that Kai knew.

A few people stared at him with quizzical looks, though Kai couldn’t deny that he probably deserved them. He wasn’t sure how long he had been laying upon the beach, though he was almost certain it had been some time.

“Are you alright, mister?” A kid asked, looking down at Kai. His cheeks were pink from sunburn, though it wasn’t particularly hot out.

“Yeah,” Kai said, getting to his feet and dusting off his jeans. The boy watched him warily. “Hey kid, what day is it?”

“December second,” the boy replied.

“And,” Kai scratched behind his ear. "What’s the year?”

The boy gawked at him for a moment, as if he thought Kai were either very dumb or very strange. “1912,” he said the year slowly, his slightly syrupy accent not helping. “What year did you reckon it to be?”

“I don’t know.” Kai glanced around, trying to gauge the situation. He didn’t know much about 1912. Actually, he knew nothing about it other than it was a couple years before World War I broke out. “Hey kid, where are we?”

The child, who couldn’t have been older than ten gave him an incredulous stare, then glanced over his shoulder, as if to check for his mother. “Savannah, sir,” he said.

“Savannah…”

“Georgia, sir,” the kid said, taking a couple steps back from Kai.

“Okay.” Kai sucked in a breath between his teeth, trying to think of what to do next. He was beginning to panic, for he did not know where to find Cinder in this different time and place. He didn’t even know if her name was Cinder, or even Selene.

“Hey kid?” Kai asked, glancing back down to talk to the boy, but he was running toward a woman glaring daggers at Kai.

Releasing a sigh, Kai walked away from the beach and toward the bustling town. People shot glares at him as he walked down the streets. He wasn’t exactly dressed in the way a normal twenty-first century guy would be, but his jeans and shredded red t-shirt didn’t fit in with the people surrounding him either. But there wasn’t a thing he could do about it; he had no money and no connections. He was alone in a world that did not belong to him. He couldn’t even be certain that Georgia meant the same thing to these people as it did him.

He was beginning to wonder if perhaps this was all some ridiculous dream, and whether or not he would wake up soon. But he’d thought that a lot over the past year, praying to whatever being that saw over mankind that Cinder wasn’t dead— that he wasn’t alone. That he could be with his wife once more.

And then he saw her.

Her hair was longer than she’d ever worn it in his reality, nearly reaching her waist, and she wore a pale pink dress that fell well past her knees. But if those details were strange, it was nothing in comparison to the buggy she was pushing in front of her. Kai felt his stomach drop. Was she married to another man? Had she chosen Thorne in this reality instead of him?

Panic gripped him, but before he could run and hide in an alleyway, she glanced up and right at his face. Her eyes widened with shock, then joy, then fear. It was that last look that made his heart ache. He had known Cinder for seven years, but never had she looked at him in such a way.

She sunk to her knees, hands gripping the front of the stroller. “Kai,” she breathed, staring at him now with absolute horror. A tear traced down her cheek and fell to the concrete like a single drop of rain. The pain on her face ripped through his body— he could not stand to watch her suffer so.

He rushed to her side, kneeling down upon the ground beside her, much like Light had done with him the night before, or whenever it was that he had spoken with the goddess. She shook as he brushed her hair from her face and cupped her cheek with his hand. “Cinder,” he whispered, voice low. “I know that this is confusing and frightening, but I need to talk with you. I have things to explain.”

“But you’re dead,” she sobbed, turning her face away from his and shutting her eyes tight. “You didn’t make it off the ship alive. They told me you drowned. They told me you were dead. You’re dead. You’re just a figment of my imagination. You can’t be real.”

“Cinder,” Kai hushed, glancing around them. There were people walking past them, staring with curious eyes, but none of them looked nervous for Cinder’s sake. “Cinder, I know that I’m dead here. And I know that my explanation for my being here might not make any sense, but I need to speak with you in private. I can explain everything. I will explain everything. I just need for us to go somewhere where we can’t be overheard.”

She opened her eyes and the look of absolute shame in her eyes caused his heart to stop. Tears traced down her cheeks in abundance; Kai had never known Cinder to cry in such a way. He worried that she would say no— that she had moved on. That his coming here was a burden upon her. But slowly, she nodded her head.

***

They went to a park just down the street from the beach. It was run-down, with a sad swing set of splintering seats and an abandoned jungle gym. There were no children around, or even any people for that matter, a fact that Kai found almost strange. Though at his inquisitive look, Cinder simply looked away from him.

She led him to a park table that sat somewhat lopsided but was sturdy all the same. She parked the buggy beside her, drawing the cover up so it shielded whatever was inside.

Kai took a seat across from her, bouncing his legs with nerves as he watched her and she looked away. He didn’t understand why she was acting in such a way. He hadn’t had much time to think of how he expected her to react to him appearing to her out of nowhere, but it definitely hadn’t been this. Confusion, yes. But this show of shame was frightening.

“Cinder,” Kai said, tilting his head in an attempt to get her to look at him. “Cinder, what’s the matter?”

She inhaled deeply, a great shuddering breath. Then finally, she looked at him. Her eyes were red and her cheeks puffy. But despite the remorse coloring her features, she was still his Cinder. She was the girl that he had met at ASU his Junior year in college. She was the girl he had fallen in love with.

“They told me that you died,” she whispered. “I-I–”

“Alright,” Kai cut in, not wanting her to believe that she had insulted his memory in any way. After all, he was dead in this reality. He did not wish for her to believe that anything she had done after his death was wrong. “Sorry, love, I really don’t mean to cause you any harm. I just– I don’t know how to explain what I’m about to tell you.” Somehow his words came out slow and calm, though he felt rather as if he were about to explode. “But I need to tell you something, and I only ask that you listen to the entirety of my story because it might sound somewhat preposterous.”

She nodded her head slowly, tears wiping at her eyes.

Kai told their story, starting from the day he had met her back when she still lived with her step-sister. He explained that he had loved her for five years in silence before finally proclaiming his love for her when she’d explained that she’d never been in love before. He told her how they had gotten married only three months later and lived two years together happily before she’d died in a dreadful car accident.

She listened silently, her tears drying and her eyes hardening and he explained how Thorne had been in love with her and how Kai had gotten into a fight with both him and her father. She never once interrupted him, even as he explained his months of mourning, then his months of searching for a way to conjure one of the sisters of life and death.

It was only when he told her of how Light had appeared to him on the beach and brought him to her world through an oceanic tornado filled with moonlight that she chose to interrupt.

“What?” She hissed, tilting her head at him in that I-don’t-believe-a-single-word-coming-out-of-your-mouth sort of a way. If she had been the Cinder of his universe, he knew that she would have asked him how high he was.

“I know it sounds ridiculous,” Kai said, “but you have to believe me. I know that I don’t belong here— that I’m not meant to live in this world. But before you died you told me that you believe in soulmates. That you thought that every person had another half. You told me when we got together that you could feel that it was right— that it was a whisper in your ear that it was me. And I didn’t believe in soulmates then, but I do now. My soul loves your soul. It has loved it in universes that I don’t even know of, but it adored you all the same. My love for you will never die, no matter how many times I die myself. You are the only one that I will ever love. I cannot help it. My soul cannot think to love another so long as it knows you.”

“But this doesn’t make any sense,” Cinder whispered, her guards coming down. “Even if you were from another universe and you loved me there, I assure you that you would not care for me in this one. Not after what I’ve done to you.”

“Did you kill me?” Kai asked, half curious and half terrified.

Cinder let out a slight, hiccupping laugh. Kai did not feel at ease.

“Cinder,” Kai said, growing serious once more. “I don’t know what happened here— what happened to me— but I know that no matter where we are in the space-time continuum, my soul will always love yours. But if you wish me to leave you, I will.” His mouth went dry with the words, but he meant them. No matter how much it hurt to be parted from her, he would do what she asked of him.

“I’m married,” Cinder blurted out. “After you died, I married Carswell. We were engaged to be married before I eloped with you in London, but when I came back and you were dead, Kingsley thought that it would be the best option. That it would be better for everyone, especially the–”

She buried her face in her hands, but all Kai could think of was that she had married Carswell Thorne— her best friend in his world. The one who had told her that he was in love with her the day that she died. The Carswell that had fought with him at Scarlet and Wolf’s house. His blood boiled with rage, though not with Cinder. She had done what she had to to survive. But Thorne— he would have gladly hit him again.

Kai sucked in a breath and returned his thoughts to the more pressing matters. He had no clue what had happened to him in this life. For all he knew, Carswell Thorne had killed him and forced Cinder to be his bride. Maybe that’s how things had worked back then. Kai was no history major, but he knew that honor was often important to people. Perhaps there had even been a duel.

“What happened to me?” Kai asked, his voice soft. “How did I die in this life?”

Cinder drew her hands down from her face, but kept her eyes averted from him as she said, “You drowned. We were on the Titanic–”

“The Titanic?” Kai interjected, with a gasp. “Like Jack and Rose?”

“I– I don’t know,” Cinder said, furrowing her brow. “But we were sailing home and the ship– the ship sank. You forced me onto a lifeboat even though I said I wanted to stay with you.” She glared at him. “And you went down with the ship. You drowned. Or froze. I do not know, I wasn’t there with you when you passed from this life and onto the next. But you left me.”

“Oh,” Kai whispered. His body deflated. “I’m sorry.”

“You should be sorry,” Cinder sneered, then she shook her head. “No. No, you were just doing what you thought was the right thing. You saved me. And you saved–” She shut her eyes again, then finally reached out toward the buggy and pulled back the top to uncover what lay inside.

Oh course Kai knew what strollers were for, but before that moment he hadn’t really considered that there would be a child inside— at the very least, not her child. His child.

But it was his child. He could tell just by looking at the small infant that he was both Cinder and Kai mixed together. He was still young, but no longer a newborn. Great black tufts of hair rested on his head, and when he opened his eyes— Kai let out a gasp. They were exactly his own.

Cinder rocked the child back and forth, running his finger over its face in a soft, motherly way that made Kai’s very soul ache. They’d had a child together, and Kai hadn’t gotten to be there. It didn’t even particularly matter to him that it wasn’t exactly his child. He should have been there, but he wasn’t. He hadn’t been there for Cinder or their baby. He had abandoned them.

“I’m so sorry,” Kai blurted, devastation seeming to carve his heart out of his body. “Cinder,” Kai sobbed, his eyes stinging with tears. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I– I did abandon you. I’m so terribly sorry.”

“Shhh,” Cinder hushed, reaching a hand across the table and laying it over Kai’s. She looked startled. “Kai–” she started, then shook her head. “Kai, I’m mad at you, or him, or– I don’t even know. I’m mad that you saved me when you didn’t save yourself. But I will never be mad that you saved him.”

Kai stared down at her hand on his and saw the tracery of an old burn. It wasn’t as severe as the one she had had in his universe, but it was still there.

Cinder seemed to realize herself and pulled back. She bit her lip and stared down at the baby, brow furrowed.

“I named him after you,” she whispered after a time.

Kai opened his mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out.

“Kaito Rikan Prince,” Cinder continued, not looking at him. “I just– I saw him, and I knew who he was. It didn’t matter that my mother thought that he should have my grandfather’s name or that Kingsley thought he should be named after himself.” She made a face at that. “I knew that he should have the name of his father and his grandfather because they had helped to save his life.

“But now that you’re here, I– I don’t really know if that fits. It would be confusing to have two Kai’s around. But Rikan— I don’t know. I think that perhaps he could be a Rikan.”

“Uh-huh,” Kai breathed, still reeling.

Cinder looked up at him, her eyes softening. “I still don’t understand everything that happened, and in all honesty, I don’t believe you understand it all either.”

“But,” Cinder continued, closing one eye as if she were cringing at herself. “I know that every night for the past eight months I have cried for the pain of missing you so. I know that you have never left my thoughts for even an instant, both in waking and in sleep. I know that my soul loves yours, and while I do not know how long it has cared for you, I know that it always will.

“I know you’re not the you that I knew, but you also are. You’re my Kai, and not just because you look and sound like him. You watch me with that same careful way, and your laugh is the same. And strangest of all, you calm my very soul. It’s as if it knows that it’s you.

“I don’t know if you still want me,” Cinder swallowed, “after all that I’ve done. But please believe me when I say that I do not love Carswell— he is my dear friend and nothing more— and he does not love me in return. Not in this life.” She looked down at her child— their child— and smiled wistfully. “But if you do still wish to be with me, if your heart can still love me in spite of my most grievous offenses, then I will run away with you once more.” She grinned at this, the way one did when a happy memory was stirred in their conscience.

“You… You want me?” Kai asked, breathless.

Cinder looked up at him, her eyes wide. “I will always want you, Kai. No matter the time or place, I will always desire you to be by my side. Always.”

Kai watched her, his eyes searching hers for any falsities; he found none. Slowly, a smile spread across his face.

They were staring at one another, eyes that had not gazed upon the other in far too long. They were poisoned souls standing before their long sought-after cure. But now that they had found one another, neither knew what to do.

Hesitantly, Kai stood and walked over to the other side of the table. He sat close enough to touch her, though he did not. He simply stared at her, wordlessly, and she stared back.

“Kai,” Cinder whispered, breathless. She still held the infant in her arms, but he had fallen fast asleep. “Kai, I–”

“I know,” he chuckled, leaning in close to her. They were both inclining toward the other, as if through a magnetic pull. He could feel her breath as their faces rested inches apart. Neither moved in, both too scared of what would happen next.

Then Cinder muttered his name, and Kai closed the gap between them.

She let out a little gasp, as if surprised. But she kissed him back, and it was as if she had never left him— as if the past year had not happened, and they had been together all the while. He brought his hand up to cup her cheek, his fingers brushing back stray strands of hair.

They broke apart, both flushed but smiling all the same. Kai couldn’t stop staring at her, and reveling in the fact that he had found her. They were together once more. She wanted him.

After a time of shared smiles and conversations about the other’s universe, Cinder asked Kai if he wanted to hold the child, and he accepted happily. And when the baby rested in his arms, tears slipped from his eyes as love overtook his soul. He’d thought about him and Cinder having kids many times during their marriage, though they’d never quite been ready for it. It didn’t even matter that this child belonged to the Kai of this world and not to him— he loved him all the same.

They made plans for what they would do— how they would leave this place and start a new life together. Cinder would pack her belongings and they would take a train to the west. She had all her money from her dowry, and the Prince estates had been left in her name after the deaths of both Prince men.

When they parted, it was a sweet farewell, filled with promises to see the other soon, for they would never abandon the other again.

***

Kai leaned back into the couch, careful not to disturb baby Rikan as he slept. He adored the feeling of holding the small child in his arms and his small stirrings in his sleep. Even the little sounds he made caused for his heart to melt.

“Hey Kai,” Cinder called, walking into the room. He shushed her, nodding his head down toward the sleeping baby, though there wasn’t much worry. Rikan was a heavy sleeper. “Oh, sorry, Ri,” she whispered, tip-toeing over to the pair of them and settling herself down beside Kai.

She grabbed a quilt from beside the couch and laid it over hers and Kai’s laps. Then she settled her head on Kai’s shoulder. She reached her hand up to rest under Kai’s, smiling as she looked down at their baby.

They had left Georgia the same day that they had met one another there, randomly deciding to take the train to Colorado. It had been a somewhat frightening journey, with both of them worrying whether or not someone would come after them, but so far, no one had. They’d been settled into their apartment for over three weeks, happy and together at last.

There were still many things that they both didn’t understand, about one another and the situation. But at the end of the day, they were Cinder and Kai— even if Cinder was still confused about the fact that Kai’s last name was Crown and not Prince, though she did claim it was growing on her.

“I love this,” Cinder said, brushing the black tufts of Rikan’s hair. “It feels right, you know?”

“Yeah.”

“For so long I felt a dreadful emptiness within me, and while there’s still a sadness for what I’ve lost, it's not as great. It’s manageable.”

“I know what you mean.” Kai kissed the top of her head. “We’re different, but the same at the same time. It’s different, but it’s also… just us. We’re still us.”

“We’re still us,” Cinder echoed, letting out a sigh.

There were so many things in Kai’s life that didn’t make sense, but it had been that way even before he’d entered into an alternate universe. He hadn’t understood why Thorne had proclaimed his love for Cinder, or why Chandler Blackburn hadn’t been able to love his daughter. Even his own crushing grief had been confusing at times. And while this world was different in customs and manners and the ways in which society functioned, none of that mattered. For so long as he was with Cinder, all of it was okay.

“I love you,” Kai whispered.

“And I love you,” Cinder said. “And I’ll love you so long as my soul survives, for you’re the only one, Kai. You’re the only one I shall ever truly love.”

“And you are the only one for me as well.” Kai grinned. “And I will love you for forever and ever. No," Kai said, his eyes searching hers and seeing only Cinder. "I will love you until forever ends.”

#crack fic #unsinkable au #unsinkable #the echo of silence #the time it takes to fall #salt warrior stories

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boldycrazygirl · 3 years

Text

Most People Think You Go To Either Heaven Or Hell, What I Experienced Was Much, Much Worse

By Elias WitherowUpdated June 26, 2021

Forest Simon

I slowly opened my eyes. My head was swimming and a dull pain surrounded my throat. I was thirsty. That was the first thing I noticed. I licked my dry lips as my surroundings faded into focus. My body ached and I realized it was because I was tightly bound to a metal chair in the middle of an empty room. The barren concrete walls were stained and dirty, the floor beneath my bare feet was cold and slightly wet.

A single bulb lit the room, dangling from the ceiling by a string. It cast moving shadows and I blinked back darkness. An open door stood before me, but I couldn’t see anything but the wall of a hallway.

I tried to clear my head, tried to remember how I got here. I squeezed my eyes shut and forced myself not to panic. I slowed my breathing and focused my thoughts, desperately trying to summon some recollection of why I was here.

I couldn’t remember anything.

I opened my eyes and exhaled, my parched throat throbbing. I could hear sound echoing off the hallway walls outside the door. Screaming, clanging, howling, all very distant but that did nothing to help calm my nerves.

“Hello?!” I cried, the word tearing at my vocal cords. I felt my chest hitch in pain but I cleared my throat and yelled again.

“Is anyone there!? Hello!?”

The dark hallway remained silent except for the constant echoes. I shut my mouth and tried to wriggle free of my bindings, but the rope was knotted impossibly tight. I fought back against my imagination as it flooded my mind with horrific scenarios of what awaited me. If I could only remember!

Suddenly, footsteps erupted from outside the door, a rapid patter of small feet. My hopes rose and I trained my attention on the door, praying it was help.

A young boy ran into the room, dressed in a red onezie, complete with padded feet. Stretched over his face was a plastic Devil mask. The eye holes revealed massive blue eyes that greeted me curiously. Taken back, I opened my mouth to speak but that’s when I noticed something was off. His eyes were huge, impossibly round and bulging from their sockets. It sent a shiver of unease down my spine, but I shook it off. This child might be able to free me.

“Hey!” I hissed, urgently, “Hey kid, can you get me out of here?!”

The boy took a step closer, cocking his head, but remaining silent.

I rattled my bound arms against the chair, “Cut me free, please, I shouldn’t be here, this is some kind of mistake!”

The boy eyed me behind his strange mask and stopped directly in front of me. He leaned in close and whispered, his voice like wet silk, “You did a bad thing…”

Confused, I shook my head, “No! No this is a mistake! I didn’t do anything!”

The boy’s enormous blue eyes suddenly filled with sadness, “Oh, you did a really, really bad thing…”

I shook my head again, violently, “No! I’m sorry! I don’t remember, just please get me out of this chair!”

Suddenly, before either of us could speak again, a man came charging into the room. He was overweight and dressed in overalls, his grizzled face twisted in seething anger. He was holding a sawed off shotgun in his arms.

“I didn’t do anything!” I cried as he advanced on us, my voice cracking, “I’m not supposed to be here!”

The big man ignored me and instead grabbed the kid and shoved him hard against the wall. The boy grunted as his back struck the concrete and his eyes rose to meet the grizzled man’s.

Wordlessly, the man raised his shotgun, placed it against the boy’s forehead, and blew his head off. Chunks of gore splattered the wall as shock slugged me in the stomach like an iron fist. My ears rang and time seemed to slow as I watched in horror as the headless body crumpled to the ground.

My breath rushed back into my lungs and time seemed to readjust.

“Jesus fucking CHRIST!” I screamed, straining against the ropes, my eyes bulging in horrific shock, “WHAT THE FUCK!?”

The man ignored my screams as he bent down and picked up the boy. He slung the ruined corpse over his shoulder and walked out the doorway.

Suddenly, the hallway erupted with malicious laughter, a chorus of voices all howling in glee. I shut my eyes, the noise deafening, as absolute terror filled my every pore.

After a few moments, the laughter faded and I cautiously opened my eyes, unable to believe what I had just witnessed.

“Hello.”

I jumped as I realized there was another man standing before me. He was dressed in a simple, white button down shirt and jeans. His brown hair was cut short and he appeared to be in his early thirties. His green eyes were dull and lifeless, his full lips pulled down at the corners.

“What is going on!? Where am I!?” I cried, new fear pooling in my stomach like hot blood.

The man crossed his arms, “So you’re the new one huh?” He shook his head, “You people disgust me.”

Questions bubbled on my lips but he waved them off with a sharp chop of his hand, slicing the air and demanding my silence.

He ran his tongue over his teeth, sneering, “You look like you’ve already seen some of the horrors this place holds huh? Yes, I can tell by the look in your eyes. You’re terrified. You’ve seen something haven’t you? It doesn’t seem all that bad now does it, looking back? You’ve been here five minutes and already you’re shitting your pants.”

“Where am I?” I gasped, unable to hold back any longer, “What do you people want?”

The man crossed his arms behind his back, “I bet you want to get out of here don’t you? I bet you’d like to go back to your home, your family, everything.”

“Please,” I interrupted, “Whatever I did to you…I’m sorry, I really am, but I don’t remember!”

The man rolled his eyes, “You didn’t do anything to me. You did it to yourself. You really don’t remember anything?”

I shook my head and felt tears brimming in my eyes, liquid fear.

The man looked at me with contempt, “You waited until your wife left for work and then you went out to the woodshed and hung yourself. You’re dead.”

The recent memory rose in my mind like a monster from a bog. My eyes went wide. As much as I wanted to deny it…he was right. I had killed myself. The incident tore through my brain like a bullet train and left me reeling.

“I’m Danny, by the way,” the man said, ignoring the shocked look on my face, “And I’m number two here. I run the orientation process. I want to make this quick because I’m tired of repeating this fucking thing to you pathetic Suicidals. You get one question before I begin.”

He stared down at me and I scrambled to organize my thoughts into something cohesive. This was all horrifying. Why had I killed myself? I fought against the fog and panic and the mists of confusion slowly began to lift. I had just lost my job. Yes…that was the start. I squeezed my eyes shut and forced more of the memory to emerge. I had lost my job and I was about to lose the house. My wife…Tess…she found out and was going to leave me. I didn’t have any way out, didn’t have any options. Getting fired had come out of the blue and I didn’t have much in savings. I was broke, soon to be homeless, and my wife hated me for it. There was something else…yes…that’s right. She had been cheating on me. I had seen texts on her phone while she slept one night and confirmed my suspicions. My life had degraded to shit and I had run out of options. Humiliated and ashamed, I had decided death was my only option.

“Hey, fucker, do you have a question or not?” Danny said, snapping his fingers in front of my face.

I was sucked back into reality and I asked the only question that mattered.

“Is this Hell?”

Danny snorted, “That’s always what you people ask.” He began to pace back and forth in front of me, “No. This is not Hell. It’s not Heaven either. This is the Black Farm. And no, I didn’t name it that. This is where God sends the souls who have ended their own life. Suicidals. You see, he doesn’t really know what to do with you…and neither does the Devil. There are genuinely good people who kill themselves. Seems cruel to banish them to Hell for all eternity for a moment of weakness right? Personally, I think God and the Devil were just tired of arguing about it. And so, they send them here, to the Black Farm.”

“Did…did God create this place?” I asked, growing more and more confused.

Danny spit on the floor, chuckling, “Sure, at some point. But he lost control of it when he put The Pig in charge.”

“What’s The Pig?” I asked, unsure I wanted to know the answer.

Danny held up a hand, annoyed, “Can I fucking finish? God created this place, eons ago, put The Pig in charge, and then forgot about it for a while. Well, when his back was turned, The Pig decided to use his new powers to try and create his own little world. This mess you see around you is the fractured remains of that experiment. The Black Farm use to be a lot nicer, but The Pig wanted things to be different. He wanted to create his own vision. These people you see, these monsters? They are The Pig’s attempts at creating functioning life. Instead of mirroring God’s Earth, these mutated horrible creations are full of sin and hatred. They run rampant here, unabashed. This place is chaos. The Black Farm is a circus of freaks and monsters. And it’s your eternity.”

Fear boiled in my gut like thick oil. No. No this couldn’t be my end. I didn’t believe in stuff like this. This wasn’t real! I would wake up soon and realize I was just having a nightmare! That had to be it!

Danny stood before me and lightly slapped my face, “Hey, hey! Don’t go into hysterics on me. I haven’t finished yet.”

I raised my teary eyes to meet his.

Danny smiled, “You can always Feed the Pig.”

My breath pushed from my lungs like burning steam, “W-what does that mean?”

Danny spread his hands, still smiling, “It’s as simple as that. Feed the Pig. If you do so, there’s a chance he’ll send you back to your life.”

“A-and w-what happens if it doesn’t?” I bumbled.

“You get sent to Hell. So flip a coin if you have one. Stay here with us or Feed the Pig. If you choose to stay, I’ll let you go…I’ll let you go out there,” he said, pointing towards the door, “But let me assure you…what awaits you at the end of the hallway…well…let’s just say Hell isn’t that much worse.”

I swallowed hard, trying my best to digest everything. Why wouldn’t I try Feeding the Pig? Whatever that meant. If there was even a sliver of hope, I would take it. An eternity in this place, the Black Farm, be sent to Hell, or…or Feed the Pig? I would do anything for a chance to go back. This nightmare made my problems seem nothing in comparison.

Danny raised a hand before I could speak, “I’ll let you think on it a while. I’ll be back later.”

“I want to Feed the Pig!” I cried, not wanting to spend another second in this awful room. I could hear a woman screaming down the hallway, her cries rising as something meaty pounded into her. My breath came in sharp pulls and my throat burned. Danny noticed the noise and grinned.

“Sounds pretty bad huh?” He said softly as the woman’s voice creaked with agony. Something was still slamming into her, the sound of beaten flesh igniting my imagination with horrors.

“Please,” I gasped, breathless, “Just…just let me Feed the Pig. I don’t want to stay here any longer.”

Danny turned away from me, “I’ll be back later. Enjoy your time alone. Really think about your situation. Weigh your options. And remember…you put yourself here.”

And with that he was gone, leaving me in the dim room.

Tears streamed down my face.

The woman didn’t stop screaming for hours.

At some point, I fell into a semi-sleep. The darkness in the room seemed to press in on me and my eyes fluttered shut. My body ached and my throat was a halo of fire. Thirst raked at my windpipe like sharp glass. My lips felt like crumpled paper. My head thundered like a drum. The room swam in and out of focus and my mind drifted towards the horrific sounds that never ended.

I was lost in a haze, unaware that something was sliding into the room until I felt a sharp prick on my big toe. I jolted out of my daze as my bare foot ignited with pain. I screamed and tried to move, but my bindings held me tight.

The room rushed back into focus and I blinked in agony as I felt blood trickle between my toes. I looked down for the source of pain and I felt a scream claw up my throat.

Staring up at me was an armless man. He slithered on the floor like a worm, his bald head scabbed and filthy. His legs were wrapped together in barbed wire, forcing him to wriggle his body to move. His eye were lidless and wide, two bloodshot white orbs that stared up at me with hungry intensity. His teeth had been removed and replaced with long screws which jutted from his bleeding gums like a broken rock formation.

Around his neck was a chain leash, which I followed across the floor to the open door. The end of the leash was held by a tall, naked man. His body was hairless and flabby, covered in similar scabs like his pet. A dirty bag was pulled over his head that hid his features except for a single red eye that peeked out at me from a crude cut in the cloth.

He stared at me and groped his engorged penis, his breath heavy and labored. As the armless man wriggled towards me again, his master started to masturbate. I screamed as the screw filled mouth bit at me again and my cries seemed to stimulate the naked man even more.

“Get off of me! Stop it!” I screamed, horrified. I tried to kick at the man, doing my best to avoid his sharp metal teeth. I brought my heel down on his head and he screamed as his face bounced off the floor.

A moan of pleasure escaped the bagged man’s mouth and I turned away as a mist of black sprayed out onto the floor. There was a rattle of chains and I turned back to see the two of them leaving, the armless man dragged by his neck out the door. I looked at where the bagged man had ejaculated and saw a puddle of dead ants. I vomited onto myself, thick chunky curtains of bile and slime.

“GET ME OUT OF HERE!” I screamed, strands of puke running down my chin, “I DON’T BELONG HERE!”

I listened to the two men retreat down the hallway, the clank of chains accompanied by the sound of flesh being dragged across the concrete. I screamed again, but I knew no one was going to help me. I spit a wad of phlegm and bile onto the floor, ridding my mouth of its sourness. I forced myself to calm down. It wasn’t easy.

After some time, I heard someone else approaching. I had been in a miserable lull, my mind a blank canvas of dark despair, but the noise roused me from my trance like state. The muscles in my arms burned from being restrained for so long and I shifted them desperately, trying my best to prepare myself for whatever horror was about to walk through the door.

Footsteps drew closer and then a woman walked into the room. She stopped at the doorway and looked at me. One of her eyes was missing, a dark cavernous hole in her skull. Her hair was ratty and wild, a brown tangle like a forgotten nest. Her skin was pale and filthy and she was dressed in rags. I couldn’t tell how old she was, but there was maturity in her one good eye.

“Still thinking?” She asked, her voice course and brittle.

“What?”

She took a step closer, “Are you still deciding whether you’re going to Feed the Pig or not?”

I looked at her cautiously, “Yeah…I am. Who are you? What do you want?”

“I was once where you are now,” She said, “trying to decide my fate. I couldn’t believe that this was what happened…what happened after we die. It wasn’t what I was taught…religion didn’t warn me about this place.”

I tested my bindings again before asking, “You killed yourself too? You’re a person like me? You’re not one of those…those creations?”

She snorted, “Breaks my heart you have to ask, though,” she touched the hole where her eye should have been, “Though I can understand your caution. Yeah, I’m a Suicidal. I’ve been here a long, long time. But that was my choice. I decided to chance it here.”

I motioned with my head towards the door, “What’s out there? What is all this?”

She exhaled heavily and leaned against the wall, “I can’t even begin to describe this place. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen. You walk down that hallway and go out…into it…and…” she swallowed, “You’d have to see it to understand.”

“How bad is it? Why are all these mutated people hurting and killing each other?” I asked.

She let her head loll back against the wall, “It would take years for you to fully understand this place. Years you don’t have. Right now you have to make a decision. Stay or Feed the Pig. They tell me Hell is worse than here, but it can’t be by much. Monsters and Suicidals roam the Black Farm…killing, raping, brutalizing…and then you wake up and wonder how long you can survive before something else kills you. It’s an endless cycle.”

“So why did you stay?” I pressed, “Why didn’t you Feed the Pig? I don’t even know what that means, but I would do anything for a chance to go back. I can’t stay here, I…I just can’t!”

She smiled sadly at me, “Why? Why did I choose this? It’s simple really. I’m a coward. I was a coward when I was alive and I’m a coward in death. When it came down to it, when the moment presented itself, I chose to stay here. I didn’t know what awaited me outside. It boiled down to a simple choice fueled by my own fear.”

“What is The Pig? What does it do to you?” I pressed.

She suddenly turned to go, “I’m afraid that’s for you to find out. But let me warn you. Think hard before you make a decision. Sometimes suffering through your fear is better than suffering for eternity. Be brave.”

“What do I do!?” I yelled, shaking in my chair as she walked out the door.

She paused and took one last look over her shoulder. Her eyes darted around and she dropped her voice to a whisper, “Feed the Pig.”

And with that she was gone.

I sat in silence once again. My mind was spinning, desperately turning over my options. I still couldn’t fully understand the situation I was in. It was too much, too overwhelming. The other side of death wasn’t supposed to be like this. I didn’t know what I had expected, but it wasn’t this nightmare. Questions crashed over my mind like cold waves onto a sinking ship. How was I supposed to make a choice when I didn’t even know what my actions entailed?

This place, the Black Farm…I couldn’t stay here. But what if I went to Hell? What if I didn’t get sent back? I would be out of the fire and into the frying pan. My existence would forever be damned to unending misery. Here though…here there were people like me. Suicidals. It wasn’t all monsters and mutilated murderers. Maybe I could hole up somewhere with them, try to scrape together a passable existence. Surely that would be better than getting sent to Hell!

No. No this wasn’t going to be how I spent my eternity. I refused to let it be. If there was even the slightest sliver of hope, I would take it. I didn’t want to wonder what could have been. I didn’t want to be tormented by doubt. I would Feed the Pig and accept whatever fate chose for me. When I boiled it down, that was the only option left.

I would Feed the Pig.

“Hey! Hello!? Danny!” I yelled, rattling in my chair. “I’ve made my decision! Danny!”

After a couple seconds, I heard footsteps echo down the hall towards me.

Danny walked through the doorway, an annoyed look on his face.

“I’ve made my choice,” I said, “I’m going to Feed the Pig.”

“Sounds like you’ve really thought a lot about it since I left you,” Danny said sarcastically.

I licked my lips, “You’d do the same thing if you were in my place.”

Danny walked behind me, “I was in your place once. And I chose differently.” My eyes widened and then Danny wrapped my entire head with a strip of thin cloth, blinding me. I sucked in as much air as I could, but each lungful felt empty.

I felt Danny cut me free from the chair and my body sighed as my stiff muscles were released. I rolled my shoulders as my hands were released and I moaned with relief. I dug my fingers into my back and I stretched, my bones creaking.

“Keep your blindfold on and follow me,” Danny said, pulling me up.

My legs shook as I put weight on them, my thighs trembling after their long cemented position. I groped blindly in front of me and found Danny’s shoulder. I rested my hand on it as he walked us out of the room.

As were entered the hallway, I could suddenly hear sound I hadn’t before. The clank of metal, a long fleshy tearing noise, something vomiting…these sounds sprang to life in my ears, painting the darkness before my eyes with imaginary scenes of horror. I gripped Danny’s shoulder tighter, stumbling behind him, my heart thundering.

I heard something trailing behind us, but Danny didn’t seem to notice. Or if he did, he didn’t care. Flesh slapped the concrete mere inches behind me and I suddenly felt hot breath on my neck and the click of a wet tongue against gums. My breathing became even more labored as fear choked me.

“Go’in ta feed da piggy are ya?” Something whispered in my ear. I felt something press against the back of my head and I tried not to think about what it might be. It was wet and slimy and I heard the thing chuckle.

“Ee’s a ‘ungry piggy, you make shor’ ee gets iz meal now,” the thing whispered again, its voice low and unlike anything I had ever heard before. It was like a series of grunts and moans jumbled together to form broken words.

To my relief, I heard the thing retreat back to wherever it had come from and I continued to follow Danny. He remained silent as we walked and I could feel shifts in the air. The thick heat gave way to a cooler, almost pleasant temperature, but then it kept decreasing and soon I was shivering violently against the cold. I couldn’t see anything but I felt a breeze on my face, like we were outside. I didn’t hear Danny open any doors, but nothing about this place was natural. It was like reality blurred and bled into itself, like reels of film melting together.

Teeth chattering, I was suddenly blasted with intense heat and I gasped. My feet tripped over themselves as the terrain changed and I was suddenly walking on what felt like warm iron. My ears were filled with the sound of blazing furnaces and the clash of working machinery. I couldn’t see it, but I felt like there was a vast open expanse overhead. I smelled ash and tasted dirt on my tongue, sweat already forming along my spine.

Suddenly, I crashed into Danny as he came to a halt. I backed up a few paces, quickly, and muttered my apologies. I could hear movement in front of us, a rustle of chains and an odd clicking sound on the metal floor. Something else too…something…snorting.

And then the room filled with a deafening sound of an immense pig squealing. I covered my ears, head splitting at the high pitched wail. I grit my teeth as the noise echoed off the metal and faded into a series of snorts and grunts.

It sounded absolutely enormous.

“I’ve brought another one,” Danny announced, a slight tinge of respect lining his voice. “He wants to Feed the Pig.”

I waited, expecting to hear some answer, the cloth around my eyes sealing my sight to darkness. I realized my knees were shaking and my back was coated in sweat. I was terrified.

“If that is what you wish,” Danny said and I felt him bow under my hand. Apparently some unseen conversation had just happened and Danny took my wrist and pushed me forward.

“Approach The Pig,” he instructed.

My whole body trembled and my knees locked into place. Robbed from sight, I raised my hands, trying to get my bearings, the heat and ash filling my head with nausea. I felt like I was going to throw up, my stomach rolling like a dead sea. I didn’t know where I was or what horror lay before me. I felt lost and tiny, a fresh splash of tears dripping from my eyes and soaking into the cloth around my face.

“P-please,” I begged, “Let me see what’s happening.”

Danny was suddenly behind me, pushing me forward. He guided my hands towards something as we stepped together in unison. Even with the cloth around my face, I could see a giant mass of towering darkness before me. It was a spot of black on an already darkened canvas.

As we walked forward, I was suddenly assaulted by a horrendous smell and I gagged, turning away. Danny’s grip tightened and forced me to continue. I could sense something just in front of me, a living shifting mass of flesh. The smell increased to a wretched level and I gagged again. Then hot air was being blown on my face, a blast of heat that came in repeated short bursts.

I vomited into my cloth, the source of the smell stemming from the hot air. I choked as the bile gushed over the fabric, soaking it and momentarily cutting off my oxygen. Danny slapped my hands away and I took a few seconds to steady my breathing again. I was opening crying now, fear and misery collapsing my willpower.

The wet cloth stunk as I sucked in soggy breaths. My own stomach acid coated my skin and I begged for all of this to be over.

And then something squealed directly in front of me.

I felt my bladder go. I was standing before The Pig.

It was the source of darkness in my obscured vision; a fat, titanic creature that filled my senses with every breath it blew into my face.

Danny raised my hands and suddenly I was touching The Pig’s snout. I recoiled immediately, but Danny forced my hands back. Its fur was stiff and brittle and as my shaking hands explored up its nose, the size of the animal became clear to me.

It was gigantic and had weight over a ton. Its flesh wiggled under my sweating hands and it opened its mouth slightly. My fingers curled around teeth the size of kitchen knives and I realized its mouth was absolutely cavernous.

The Pig squealed again and I heard its hooves clack against the ground. It sounded like thunder rolling across an open field in the middle of summer.

“Take this blindfold off, please,” I begged, my legs turning to jelly.

Danny had taken a few steps back and I heard reverence in his voice, “You don’t want to do that.”

I jumped as The Pig nudged me with its nose, the wet circle of flesh squishing against the length of my face. I shuddered away, raising my hands and omitting a cry of fear.

“Feed the Pig,” Danny instructed, his voice like cold steel now. “You made your choice. Now live with it. It’s the only chance you have of going back. Or maybe The Pig won’t like how you taste and send you to Hell. Only one way to find out.”

My eyes widened behind the vomit soaked cloth, “Won’t…like…how I taste?!”

“Climb into its mouth.”

My bladder let go again and I felt warm piss run down my leg, “N-no…no you can’t mean…”

Danny’s voice hardened, “Climb into its mouth and don’t stop crawling forward until its done with you.”

“P-please,” I begged, turning towards Danny’s voice, reaching out blindly, “Please there has to be some other way…don’t make me do this!” I was a mess of snot and tears, my words bumbling from my mouth like a toddler.

Danny stepped forward and spun me back to face The Pig, “DO IT! You made your choice! It will all be over soon! This is your only CHANCE!”

I could feel The Pig breathing onto my face, its snout mere inches from mine. The smell and heat it omitted made me want to vomit again but I held it back. This was insane, this wasn’t happening. My mind spun and twisted in chaos and fear. There had to be some other way. I couldn’t do this, I COULD NOT do this!

Suddenly I remembered the words of the woman: Sometimes suffering through your fear is better than suffering for eternity. Be brave.

This was my only chance to get back to the world of the living. I had made such a terrible mistake in killing myself. If I could go back and change my life, I wouldn’t have to spend eternity here. I could change my ways, ensure a spot somewhere else. Somewhere away from The Pig. But what if it decided to send me to Hell? How much more suffering could I endure?

I had to take the chance.

“Please, God,” I whispered, taking a step forward, “If you can hear me…please…have mercy on me.”

My shaking hands reached out for The Pig and I grasped its thick fur. I felt it slowly lower its head and open its mouth. It was waiting for me, its thick, hot breath stinking in my nostrils. This was it. No turning back now.

I slowly gripped its teeth and pulled myself forward into its jaws. Its head was at a downward angle and so I immediately fell onto my stomach at a forty-five degree angle. Its wet tongue squished under me and I was shaking so hard I could barely breath. Tears soaked my blindfold and my heart crunched against my ribs.

I slowly reached forward and found another tooth to grab onto. Gritting my teeth, I pulled my body inward past my knees. The Pig raised its head and I was suddenly completely horizontal on its tongue.

Saliva and mucus dripped around me and the heat was so intense I almost blacked out. My knees clacked against its front teeth as I pulled myself even deeper. Its inner cheeks pressed in around me, squeezing my body like a soaking fleshy coffin.

Crying, terrified, I reached ahead of me and found more teeth. I pulled myself deeper into its mouth and I felt my feet slide past its lips. My whole body was coated in slime and I openly wept, grasping in the darkness for another tooth.

And that’s when The Pig started to chew on me.

I screamed in crushing agony as my body was compressed between its massive teeth. I heard my legs snap instantly and felt wet bone pop from my skin. I shook violently as my body spasmed in shock, a mangled twist of blood and pain.

Its tongue shifted me in its mouth and I felt it bite down on my shoulder. My eyes bulged in their sockets as I howled, a hot pillar crunching down on my collar bone. I threw up violently, unable to control myself, the pain overwhelming.

Keep crawling.

Screaming, bloodshot eyes rolling wildly, I reached forward with my good arm, wetly searching for another tooth. I grit my teeth, blood squirting between them, as my fingers wrapped around something solid.

The Pig bit down again, its tongue twisting my body so its molars could snap down on my knees. The pain brought darkness, but my howling screams forced my eyes to remain open.

“JESUS MAKE IT STOP!” I bellowed, my trembling hand still gripping the tooth ahead of me, “PLEASE MAKE IT FUCKING STOP!”

I ground my teeth together so hard they cracked, screaming as I slowly pulled my body deeper into the mouth.

Something was changing, the tights walls of its throat squeezed my head and I realized I was almost through.

“COME ON YOU MOTHERFUCKER! COME ON!” I begged, vocal cords cracking. I reached ahead of me and grabbed onto a thick wad of flesh. My head felt like it was splitting and The Pig bit down on me again.

I gasped, blood exploding from my mouth in a great gush of red.

It had pierced through my stomach, obliterating my insides like bloated noodles. Darkness rushed in on me and I was in too much shock to even scream.

With the last of my strength, right as the blackness took me, I pulled myself forward one last time and felt myself slide down its throat.

Darkness. Falling…screaming. I was screaming. Heat. Heat so intense I thought I would melt.

Clanging. Something was hammering on a metal. Colors and images flew past me so quickly I could only make out their shape. Blood poured into my eyes.

I felt like I would keep falling forever.

Suddenly, my eyes snapped open and I was falling, my breath rushing back into my lungs in a great wave of purity. My face bounced off wood floor and I cried out as I felt my nose break. I tasted blood and saw stars.

I had stopped falling.

There was a ring of burning fire around my throat and I felt impossibly thirsty.

I was lying on the floor.

I slowly opened my eyes again and the darkness began to fade like morning mist under a hot sun. Colors blended together and shapes came into focus.

I was in my woodshed.

I reached up around my throat and grasped at the source of heat. It was the rope I had hung myself with, but now it was severed, releasing me from the grip of death.

Relief rolled over me in overwhelming waves of thanks. I curled up on the floor and sobbed, tears dripping from my eyes onto the dirty floor. My body shook, unbroken, as I wept, wet horse cries rising from my quivering lips.

I had been spared. I was alive again.

From my spot on the floor, I turned my eyes upward, my voice cracking, “Thank you God. Oh thank you.” I fell into another fit of uncontrollable sobbing, “I promise I won’t waste my life again. I promise I’ll make things right, I’ll fix everything.”

I don’t know how long it was before I got up. Time seemed to stretch for eternity. My mind refused to rebuild, the horrors of what I had just witnessed crushing me.

But I knew I would do everything I could to make the most out of my life. I was going to live every day to the fullest. I would devote myself to helping others in dark times. I would reach out to as many Suicidals as I could and try to save them from awaited on the other side.

I didn’t want anyone else to have to witness the horrors of suicide.

I didn’t want anyone else to have to Feed the Pig.

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AFTERLIFE FICTION HORROR HORROR FICTION NO SLEEP SCARY STORIES

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Thought Catalog

My Arm Was Amputated, And Something Really Weird Is Happening With My Phantom Limb

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llfreude · 3 years

Text

Freude - extract

Under the cut you will find the first 3 pages of the story, for those who'd be curious, since I have seen, against all odds, a few notes popping around. Uncanny. Who are you, people? If, by some sort of twisted miracle you'd be interested in more, there's 300 more pages where those come from. Contact me if you like. We'll find a way.

It began, of course, with music.

Music in itself isn’t much of a surprise for my ears. Every single thing in the universe, in fact, breathing or not, growing or not, visible or not, has its own tune, its own melody. Music is, to my opinion, the most underrated constant of the world. Even here, down below, in the ever-moving darkness of Hell, it pervades my mind without rest, without hitch, coming from every particle of matter around and the void in between them.

Music is the perpetual heartbeat of creation, it is no surprise to me at all.

What was extraordinary with this one, though, was where it came from and where it went.

-“Do you hear that?” I asked the Mazikeen standing next to my throne, but she only frowned.

-“What ish it wi’h you again?” She spat, shaking her beautiful head.

I smiled. I didn’t want to trouble her with music she obviously wasn’t meant to hear. So I only had a soft gesture upwards.

-“You see my dear,” I explained, “sound, as the human world is made, always goes up. Songs, melodies, prayers, don't they fly to the skies, aren't they addressed to higher places? The surface of the Earth leaves nothing for the underground to absorb but drilling noise, stomping feet and thumping echoes of its collapse.”

She rolled her eyes at me, turning away, and I didn't mention those forceful, magnificent, appealing chords again.

A first I am sure, and no doubt an only.

Human music pushed down to Hell.

I grinned, enthralled, slouching back in my seat, yes, this sound was unique.

It wasn’t exquisite, it wasn’t humble, it wasn’t even nice. It wasn’t a song, a melody or a prayer, it wasn’t meant for skies above, no, dear me, it was a scream. A storm, a fire, a curse, a threat. It was mighty, it was furious, it was desperate, it was perfect.

I closed my eyes. I took my time. Perhaps I was willing to pretend I do not take decisions so quickly, but I was only fooling myself. The music was a landslide of riot, and I dared not deny it was pulling strings in the very core of my being.

This stirring in me, I had felt it many times before, though never twice with the same scent, taste or tone. When was the last time, I couldn’t remember. Time is a flickering thing. The names, however, always remain with me, carved in the black stone of my heart, for an eternity none of them could ever endure, and to this day still I cherish them all.

I was glad, truly, and quite a bit relieved to be able to feel it once more.

-“You fhound some’hing.” Mazikeen hissed, and my eyes snapped open to glance at her intrigued face, looming above me, inspecting me close.

There was no point in arguing. I do not lie, she does know me.

-“Something found me, I’d rather say.” I chimed with another vague wave of my hand, but it did nothing to smoothen her pointed stare.

-“You wanth to gho up t’ere again…” she mumbled with a disdainful nod towards the above, “…you know ith means throuble.”

-“Yes.” I conceded. “But I think it’s worth it.”

She narrowed her eyes at me, one of flesh, one of void, and weighed my words for a while, but the trust between us had stretched over eons already. There was no need for vows or promises. She sighed, throwing her hands above her head and stepped aside to let me go.

-“To Hell wi’h you.” She simply snarled.

I was still laughing when I appeared at the surface of the Earth.

***

I didn’t need to search for long. The calling was clear, the music imperious. I saw a small village under the mountains, a carriage waiting outside a rusty gate and a humble house near a river where lived a physician. The good doctor had been called outside for a difficult childbirth, but inside the lodge there was still a patient of his. A patient who had, for hours and hours, destroyed everything within his reach, as if he couldn’t stand anything around him being left intact anymore. Tables were broken, chairs thrown into windows, shelves overturned, dishes breached and glass shattered. I found him sitting on the floor upon a heap of his own disaster, the rage and the despair enclosed within his skin burning higher than I ever thought humans capable of.

That agony, that wrath, it felt wonderful, it felt familiar.

I didn’t make myself visible to him straight away. I took time, again, to contemplate, deceiving myself into believing I wasn’t conquered already.

Because if indeed the music was a thrill, the man, by the stars, was something more.

His hair was unkept and wild, damp strands of greying ebony falling on his troubled brow. His eyes were intense, enraged, fixed into the void as if they could set fire to reality itself. He was trembling, broken, exhausted, worn-out, sickly, dead drunk, magnificent.

Bloody magnificent.

His both hands were soaked in blood, cut open by the vigour of his rampage. One of his fists was clenching a long shard, some fragment of the destroyed cupboard behind his back I supposed, tapping it rhythmically on the parquet. His other hand was pressed against the nearest wall, shaking, no, not exactly shaking.

Writing.

Writing notes, one on top of another with bloodied fingers, incredibly fast, until it left nothing else than a vengeful red stain on the smooth stucco, the cadenza of the shard dictating measure to frantic, intricate chords, and there it was, that unique, enraged music.

Blazing, rumbling, shouting in his mind.

I had never heard anything so sublime.

I narrowed my eyes and listened to what the house around had to say. The physician tried, the walls told me. The doctor tried all he could, he tried for days, he tried his best. There is nothing to be done, he eventually said, the sickness will be unstoppable. The pain will keep getting worse, he said, and within years all sound will be lost to you.

For a moment, his patient didn’t move an inch, his lovely grey eyes lost in the distance. Only minutes after the physician left, fury exploded and the riot began. It lasted for so long his body could barely keep on, and truth be told I don't think he wanted it to. But before self-destruction, as often with this man, pain abruptly turned into music, and he fell down right there, eyes blind, chest heaving. Shaken by the effort of taming the sounds in his head more than by agony itself, he only sat there unmoving for a while. Then soon enough as he forcefully battled discord into harmony, he grabbed this shard and his other hand started writing.

The birthing of his art was leaving him drained, worn out, boneless, but he barely felt it. His anger was commandeering the entirety of his soul, insistent, overbearing, and I had never seen a more beautiful ire. Righteous, vibrant, aflame and above all, justified.

How monstrous indeed for Creation to grant him that spark, that miracle, that one in a billion souls equation, only to make him pay the price later on, slowly, inexorably shutting him away from the marvel of sound.

Demanding pain in exchange for a gift you never asked for has definitely always been Heaven's trade.

How cruel, how vile a twist of fate.

Wasn't his fury only virtuous, how could it not call to my heart?

There was no need to wait any further, I was ensnared already.

So I made myself seen to gladly kneel at his side, giving him my best face, clothes of his time, an open palm and a soft smile. While he stared, breath hitching, he let the back of my hand brush blood and sweat off his tortured temple. He was handsome. He was intense. He was terrifying.

Echoes of his symphony were still blooming on their own will in his aching, exhausted mind as he inspected me warily, and in an eternity, I had never heard anything as glorious.

Wounded yet fighting. Abused yet powerful.

Desperate yet ominous.

-"Wie wirst du sie nennen?" I gently asked him, passing fingertips in his wild, tousled hair.

-"Eroica." He whispered without thinking before he blinked, his eyes focusing on me. "Warte. Wie lange bist du schon hier?"

-"Schon immer." I soothed, and though he deliciously snarled, frowning in threat, I am not sure he was really surprised.

-"Schon immer." He echoed with a thunderstorm rumbling in his throat, oh I couldn’t wait to bite him there. "Was bist du?"

-"Can't you guess, Ludwig, my dear?" I murmured, seductive, sliding my hand down his arm to his wrist, gently unlocking the shard from his grip and bringing his knuckles to my mouth. "You have spent these last hours calling to me with such force, now don't you know who I am?"

His eyes widened. How breathtaking.

#fanfic #lucifer morningstar #lucifer comics #ludwig van beethoven #very weird idea #and yet

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