#if any of these shots look familiar it may just be deja vu!!!!!

[dailyvoltroncharacter]

Todays second Voltron character of the day is … KOSMO!!!

#voltron #voltron legendary defender #vld #kosmo #vld kosmo #kosmo voltron #technically #keith kogane #is in most of these too #if any of these shots look familiar it may just be deja vu!!!!!

[ana-lora-rein]

𝘌𝘺𝘬𝘵𝘢𝘯 𝘛𝘴𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘺𝘭𝘶 ܟ 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 2 ܟ Underside

Amateur translation. Postcanon.

Fandom Avatar.

Back to chapter one

Miles opened his eyes. Tiny cracks in his parched lips glued his mouth together unpleasantly. The colonel had to open his lips and taste the familiar tang of medication. The hospital stench hung in the air. He'd never liked to lie in them, preferring the old military methods: decontaminate the wound with alcohol, close it up, and you're good to go. But those rules didn't work on Pandora. If you were shot or shot by a wild creature, you were almost dead. Even the plants wanted to eat your flesh or spray deadly poison in your face. Miles was beginning to regret having agreed to this stupid experiment with a recombinant organism. Another memory flashed through him like deja vu, showing images of his past life. Things were simpler then. But who had? Was he the same man in a blue primate's body, or was he a three-metre tall instrument of retribution with his own thoughts and preferences. When he thought about it for a while longer, it made his head spin. One thing Miles knew for sure: if it weren't for his super strong body, he'd probably be dead again.

The colonel took a deep breath and lifted himself up on the pillow, finding himself in a multitude of wires. Butterfly needles were inserted into his veins, and IVs around him were delivering solutions of several hues to his body. Miles looked around, touching his fingers to his injured shoulder. Where a hole had once flared, the stitches were now rapidly tightening, and there was hardly a trace of the mutilation.

«How did they do that?».

A doctor entered the room.

— How long was I out? — the colonel asked, marvelling at the disappearance of the many knife wounds from his body.

— A day, sir, —  a man in a dressing gown approached the patient, checking the quality of his work. — Do you remember Mr Bryce's instructions? We had to get you back on your feet sooner rather than later.

Miles looked at the fluids in the drips.

— Drugged me with local drugs, didn't they? Does this egghead think he's God?

— Have you believed in God, sir? — The doctor smiled as he removed the first butterfly needle from the colonel's vein.

— No, just remembered that some freaks want to be like him.

— Unfortunately... — the medic agreed. — But don't worry, I tried to put you back on your feet as gently as possible. I won't tell you the secrets: it could take half a day, but if you feel dizzy or nauseous, I'll give you that pack of ampoules for that, — the doctor nodded at the bedside metal table, showing the drugs.

— Am I going to have to carry them everywhere? — Miles was confused. — And why would I experience nausea and dizziness?

— It won't last long, just a minor side effect, — the doctor clarified, freeing the recombinant's veins from all the butterfly needles, stacking them on the table.

— Has anyone ever told you that my means of transport is a big parrot that goes up to the same height as fighter jets? And if I get dizzy while flying, I could fall over. In that case, you'll never get this Transformer back on its feet.

— Unlikely, sir. You have a good connection with the banshee, and besides, there may not be any side effects, I'm just warning you, — the doctor opened the packet of medicine, breaking off the plastic tops of several ampoules. — Take two at once now, and then as needed.

Miles looked sceptically at the clear, unfamiliar liquid and sniffed at it, like a hunted street cat that was about to be fed by strangers. He gingerly took the vials with his long fingers and brought them to his mouth. It was a clear, unremarkable liquid, and the odour was peculiarly pungent. He hesitated for a few seconds, wondering if he should do it, but the doctor's nod of approval and a look of sincere hope for a better outcome convinced the colonel.

— Well, here's to you, Doc... — rekom said and poured the liquid from each vial into his body in turn. The sour taste, which reminded him of the orange fruit of Earth, made him wrinkle his face and click his tongue a few times.

— Glad you like it, — the doctor grinned.

— I can't say it's pleasant, especially on an empty stomach, but I think I believe you, — Miles sat down on the bed and put his bare feet on the cool floor: the air conditioner was working properly, not allowing the patient to feel discomfort from the high temperature. A slight but tolerable dizziness immediately swept over him. — Let's take this slow. I realise Bryce needs you now, but you'd better get up slowly, — said the doctor. — And you should eat something tasty, I'll let the kitchen know.

When he felt the coolness of the ceramic floor, Miles didn't listen to the doctor anymore. He got to his feet and, straightening his back, walked to the window, looking out. Putting his face into the light Pandoran wind, the rekom immediately focused his sharp ears on the multitude of sounds: he moved them in different directions, even picking up the cries of his «parrot» in the distance. The banshee sensed him and did not fly beyond the high walls of the Bridgehead.

Miles looked up into the sky, where the giant pale blue Polyphemus loomed over his companion, and remembered his fallen comrades.

— Have you heard from my men? Anybody back in town but me? — The colonel asked hopefully, without turning to the doctor.

— No, sir, unfortunately not.

A feeling of unshakable guilt scrambled up in his soul. By his rash actions he had ruined them. Trapped them and killed them. Images from memory flashed through his mind. All the hours spent with these guys. An elite unit that's become a piece of memory again.

— Sir, have a seat, I'll tell the kitchen to bring you some breakfast, — the doctor said hesitantly, noticing the recom's hunched figure.

— I need a shower, that's all. Get my clothes, I have to go, — Miles muttered.

***

Laura spent an hour fidgeting around the mirror, feeling like a stupid high school student who couldn't decide on a prom outfit. That elegant pencil skirt of breathable black fabric didn't go well with the sapphire-coloured top. At least that's what she thought. She had never been good at dressing for business meetings and dinners, simply because such events were rare for her. Once again, Asadi felt out of place - so much so she was used to only working and sitting at home behind books.

— Can you explain why I agreed to this adventure? — she shouted into the next room, where her colleague, Nurse Sandy, was scurrying around like a squirrel.

They had arrived on Pandora in the same crew and had quickly found a common language. Sandy Vale was a kind and helpful person, cheerful and sociable, while Laura, who was too vulnerable, sometimes lacked the moral support her friend could give her. So, after the therapist's first emotional breakdown on Pandora, Sandy got the management to put them in the same building, and since then the young colleagues had shared a modest apartment and had no regrets. When Laura had bad dreams, Sandy was there for her, and when Miss Vale was about to leave work early for another date, Asadi helped her friend in any way she could.

— Because you'd be a complete fool to deny the RDA's chief administrator dinner! — Sandy flew into the room in a light cocktail dress, putting earrings in her ears.

Laura rolled her eyes, swivelling her hips at the mirror.

— It's a business dinner, — the therapist pointed out. — And anyway, it's just his thanks, I told you!

— Yes, yes, I see, you saved a three-metre blue soldier, a very important one, so important that Mr Bryce thought it would be a good idea to invite the ordinary doctor to a meeting of engineers and scientists.

— Well, yes, that's what happened! — Laura laughed. — Gosh, it's a bad idea to have a fitting during an hour's break at work…

— If you stop panicking, you'll realise that you look stunning, — Sandy approached her friend from behind and put her hands on her wide hips, assessing her outfit in the mirror.  — Believe me, you look very sophisticated and acceptable, you have nothing to worry about.

— I just want to make a good impression and not to look too vulgar or, on the contrary, pretentious... — she admitted, tucking her thick curls to the side.

— Honey, I'm telling you, Bryce will be drooling all night!

Laura smiled, but pushed her friend away with her hip, not wanting to listen to her lustful jokes. Sandy, on the other hand, continued to giggle and throw around loud phrases until she heard glass rattling from the window. The girls turned round in sync. What was the nurse's surprise when she saw a baby prolemur clinging to the window, staring inward in some sort of expectation. Unlike Sandy, Laura was not surprised in the least, but rather genuinely pleased.

— Oh, hurry up and put on your oxygen mask! — she quickly put on hers and ran to the window. The next moment the window was open, and the baby prolemur was tenderly pressed against her breast. The little beast with the blue protruding ears wrapped one pair of arms around the girl and the other began to tug at her hair.

Sandy's jaw dropped open.

— Laura? What. This. Fuck it?!

Asadi crouched on the edge of the bed with a contented look, playing with the beast and smiling at it. She loved these creatures so much, she couldn't do otherwise. Whenever the opportunity arose, she was ready to squeeze and play with them. And no-one knew it.

— Laura?! — the nurse called again, and took a wary step forward.

— What? That's my little friend, if you please, replied the girl with a smile on her face. — She usually comes with her mum in the mornings, but I don't see her, — she looked back at the window.

— What do you mean, «comes with mum»? Do you know that's forbidden? Laura, you could be fined or worse, fired! You can't tame wild animals, they're unpredictable! Not to mention the fact that you're blowing carbon dioxide into the room and apparently using the air conditioner and filter more often than you should!

— Oh, come on, you don't know anything about them at all. They are prolemurs, they are the most harmless creatures on this planet, — the girl parried, treating the curious little girl with a piece of banana. — And don't worry about the filtrator: we have enough for another six months, so it won't be a problem if I open the window a couple of times for the little guest.

— But how? How did you tame them like that? And why haven't I caught a single animal in all that time?

— Usually they come around the time you take your morning shower for an hour and a half, but today something obviously happened... — Laura got up from the couch and walked over to the small fridge, pulling out a berry yoghurt. — She was very hungry and excited....

Sandy finally found the strength to sit down next to the cub, a look of genuine sympathy on her face. She fearfully reached out her hand and slowly, anxiously, ran her fingers down over the little ears, touching their delicate shells.

— Poor little thing...

— There's been a mountain banshee flying around here since yesterday, have you seen it? It belongs to the rekom I rescued, and I suspect it's the one that had time to feed on this little one's flock.

— Well, I saved one and killed another, — Sandy said sadly.

The therapist shook her head at her friend's words and returned to the cub with a small plastic spoon and berry yoghurt.

— It's got nothing to do with it Sandy, it's not like rekomas eat them.....

— You know, I wouldn't be surprised, — the girl grinned as she helped her friend sit the baby girl more comfortably. — Are you sure you know exactly what to do? Don't they feed on milk? How old is she?

— They're herbivores, and they like insects, but they also like sweets, — Laura explained. — This little one is about five or six months old, and she's quite independent in her choice of food.

— What are we going to do with her if her mother doesn't turn up?

The girls looked at each other. They looked at each other with a look of worry, until they heard another familiar scraping on the glass. The prolemur mum was trying to climb through the ajar window.

— Praise Pandora! — the friends exclaimed in unison.

***

The avatar campus was empty. Miles was surprised, standing under the jets of the communal shower, for the operators were just beginning their work. Some were just learning how to control the three-metre blue body, while the older scientists and their guards were eager to stretch their legs so they could go into the forests to study the flora and fauna.

«I wonder where everyone has gone?» — thought the colonel.

Resting his hands on the tiled wall, he lowered his head, watching the grey mud flow into the drain mixed with blood, leaving behind dark scarlet streaks. There were many wounds, but even more to think about. The merciless conflict in the sea swirled in my mind with rapidly flashing images. Splashing waves, scraping metal, machine gun bursts and the screams of men. His men. They could hardly be called that, but it seemed more familiar to Miles. He refused to see himself any other way. All he had left of the Na'vi was his bright blue appearance, but everything else seemed to have been passed on with the memory built into his body. At least, he couldn't see himself any other way.

What could be worse than the corpses of loyal comrades? Probably the cold heart of a son. His remoteness and his wild desire to claw at his new father's throat. The little Spider never left his mind. Miles kept wondering how he was doing. What would happen if Sally found out what he had done? What would happen if his crazy wife Neytiri found out? Had Miles Jr. told her about pulling a dying and defeated enemy out of the water? Those soul-stealing questions were too many to count. Rekom felt almost the first experience of his life. It pricked at his heart, making him gulp tensely.

«If they touch him, I'll...».

An unfamiliar and prickly thought snapped through his mind. Miles pounded his fist nervously on the tile. It was proving to be so unaccustomed to worrying about a child that it was driving him to anger and embarrassment.

«Calm down, cretin, he's nobody to you».

Miles grabbed the towel with such irritation he nearly tore the thick terry cloth. Dry himself off, get dressed, and head to the carpet to see the Generaless and Selfridge number two. What these two would present this time, Rekom had no idea, but he was ready to offer his variant of further operation. Eliminating the collaborator was the first priority. No one should gather wild clans of humanoids into packs and poison them against humans. Miles was sure that if they were deprived of their leader, they would remain in their primitive age with bows and spears. But as long as Jake Sully was with them, they would train, learn more and more about the enemy, and use their knowledge willingly.

Not thirty minutes later, Miles was all set. He walked off the campus and jumped straight to the roof. As soon as he mentally called out to the banshee, she was screaming on the horizon. The beautiful, dark blue raptor with multicoloured spots on its wings descended onto the roof, clawing at the metal with its sharp claws. Rekom held out his hand, and the banshee made a guttural chittering sound and clung to its master with such devotion that Miles couldn't help but half-smile. He grinned at the winged predator's reaction, attaching the neurons of the scythe to her. Each pair of her eyes immediately widened, the colonel felt light and warm, as if he were being welcomed by a close friend.

— Well, baby, let's fly to the Center, — Miles gently stroked the banshee's narrow muzzle and she, as if understanding every word, obediently bowed her head, allowing the rider to be on top.

***

General Frances Ardmore trained in her exoskeleton suit at the RDA Central Building range. She swung her long metal limbs, batting away baseballs, then jumped over obstacles and fired her rifle at targets. And so it went on in a circle until the general was satisfied that her body had taken the maximum load for the day. As a military man to the bone, Frances said it was everyone's duty to keep the body toned, because the tougher the shell, the tougher the soul. But it was not only her Spartan beliefs that made her train day in and day out, but also the certainty of an imminent full-scale war. All sorts of plans were brewing in the council, and everyone wanted to add something of their own: many were thinking about how to deal with the enemy in a gentler way, but Ardmore had her own opinion on the matter. She had long ago decided what she was going to do, and the chief administrator liked it.

While the Generaless was practising various combat techniques, Jonathan Bryce was relaxing in an improvised tent near the sports court. Even during the break, he managed to hold a few talks with his colleagues on Earth, contacting them via a hovering monitor that hung on the wall like an image from a projector. A glass of tonic freshly squeezed juice, croissants on a glass table, his favourite light-protective stylish glasses and a filtration device that allowed him to breathe the air he needed in the tent. What more could he wish for? Life seemed to be getting better, for it was not for nothing that Bryce had sought this position for a desperate few years, working his way up through the ranks. Now that he could take on serious tasks and many aspects of the RDA's work and plans depended on his word, he could finally make the world of human society a better place. For who but he understood the truth of the structure of life? A man who had travelled through the thorns to the stars.

He could have argued about this favourite subject for a long time, but the sudden cry of a banshee that flew up made him shudder with surprise. The winged predator descended near the tent, allowing the rider to jump to the ground. Miles straightened his back confidently and looked back: Ardmore had already turned her attention to the rekoma and walked in his direction. The colonel entered the tent.

— Do you always appear as spectacular as an artist on stage? — Bryce sat on the velvet-upholstered, semicircular couch.

Miles noticed the decoration of the «lounge» and furrowed his brow in surprise. In the tent he had to put a transparent mask to his nose every few minutes to breathe the proper air.

— You should give the doctor a big bonus for getting me back on my feet in time, like you told me to.

— Colonel, you don't hold a grudge about this, do you? I'd prefer to co-operate amicably and without the stares. After all, you and I are in the same boat.

— And you're wary that I'm going to capsize that boat? — rekom grinned. — Don't worry, I'm a military man: I'm used to following orders, so let's get right down to business while the boat stays afloat.

— That's the spirit, I know! — Bryce smiled. — So that's where we'll start…

The administrator's words were interrupted by the general who entered the tent. She silently approached the table and, taking a glass of juice, drained it immediately. Drops of sweat rolled down her face, leaving traces on the collar of her military T-shirt.

— Colonel, — she said confidently. — I see you're in great shape, and that's good, because some changes are coming.

The Recombinant nodded back, folding his arms across his chest. It seemed as if Miles was ready for anything, just to go in search of the traitor Sally and finally put an end to him once and for all. This time the burning determination irritated his mind more than ever.

— You know, we've been thinking about this for a long time, because one slip-up is an accident, but two slips-it's a pattern worth paying attention to, — Bryce's words were like a bowl of ice water to Miles. He shook his head, pushing his thoughts away, and glanced questioningly at the supervisor. The administrator's face turned suspiciously serious, and General Ardmore looked away, trying to remain as cold as possible.

— I've already realised since yesterday that I haven't satisfied your desires, but are you really going to rape this topic further or should we focus on what's important? While you're blowing smoke up your arse, Sally's plotting an offensive. I'm sure he is. With his son dead, he'll do anything! You want a couple more trains overturned or mines blown up?

— I'm sorry, Colonel, but your words make no more sense than those of a rebellious teenager, — Mr Bryce said. — First of all, where's your human offspring gone? He was with you the whole trip, wasn't he? The tracker in his oxygen mask couldn't track him. Apparently he changed his mask or knew he was being followed.

Before answering, Rekom mentally cursed. Irritation crept over his skin with unpleasant prickling goosebumps. The bastards were pushing at the hurt as if on purpose.

— I can't know. The little one had been lost during the battle. Probably dead.

— Hmm, well, I'm sorry, — the Generaless looked on in disbelief. — Another mistake on your part.

— Exactly! — Jonathan added, snapping his fingers. — We could have asked him for Sally's whereabouts. After all, his pleas for help would have drawn out the entire saboteur group.

— You think the blues would come after a human child? — Miles grinned.

— He's been living with them! You know, Sally's a lot more related to him than you....

— What are you getting at? We held his blood children and the children of the water clan chief captive, and if it hadn't been for the clever whale, it would have been over! Sully was ready to surrender and was swimming towards us! Didn't Dr Ian Garvin tell you how clever these things are?

Miles's irritation was quickly changing to outright anger. The pupils of his bright yellow eyes dilated frantically, and his long tail flicked nervously from side to side, nearly hitting everything on the table. He couldn't let his superiors dump all the responsibility on himself, for Rekom remembered well how he'd asked for more people. He felt he was fighting a losing battle, for Jake Sully was cunning, and it was more than he wanted to expect.

The radio in its holster on General Ardmore's leather belt rang out. Miles wanted to add a couple of angry comments to his speech, but he was imperiously stopped by a waving hand gesture.

— General, they've arrived, — a male voice said briefly.

Miles bowed his head questioningly.

— We're at the sports court. Have them come here.

— I'm listening, General.

The radio had no sooner gone silent than the distinctive sound of the convertible's blades could be heard outside the tent. Miles had long been accustomed to recognising aircraft by sound. Intrigued, Rekom stepped outside, followed by everyone else. The iron bird lowered itself onto the lawn. As soon as the automatic door lifted up, strangers in black camouflage gear jumped out of the cockpit. Eight unremarkable, but only at first glance, men were looking around and speaking in pure Na'vi. Miles raised his eyebrows in surprise. When he noticed the strange patches on their armour, "Private military company Nameless", he was puzzled. The youngest of them, a red-haired man with long braids like a Viking, stood out. He wore a coloratka on his collar and a silver Catholic cross around his neck.

«A military chaplain? What the hell is that?» — gasped the colonel.

— General Ardmore, my respects! — one of the strangers came forward with a theatrical bow. He took the lady's hand and kissed it like a true gentleman. His face was wrinkled, his eyes sunken with the look of a wild jackal, and he had a short Mohawk instead of the usual military haircut.

— Glad you made it, — Ardmore said with a friendly smile. — How was the intergalactic flight?

— Almost six years out of commission, thought our arses would wrinkle, but the rats in white coats took care of that, — said one of the men, a tall, lean blond with straight silver teeth.

— Nevertheless, we are very glad that the management agreed to send you! — A cheerful Bryce jumped forward, shaking everyone's hand. — At last we're getting some real professionals on board!

— Any explanations? What the hell is this? — Miles couldn't take it anymore.

Jackal gaze took a few confident steps towards the recom and appraisingly examined him from head to toe.

— Look, lads, a talking cat.

— Wow, really? — Miles grinned, looking down at the insolent man.

— Before you is a non-state military formation, created by me personally and approved by the leadership, — General Ardmore announced. — The Nameless Squad will operate in the interests of the RDA. It is not subject to the control of the official army as you and your men are, Colonel, which means it can operate unhindered by the moral principles imposed by some of the council men.

— And we've been acting under the influence of moralists all this time? — Miles laughed.

— I'd call it something else, but I think you realise that whatever influence you've been under, it hasn't been successful. So from now on you will be a scout in the squad of the  of the Nameless. That's all. Your job is to bring information, to trace the path of Jake Sully and the rest of the rebels.

Miles couldn't believe his own ears. He laughed out loud, but without much gusto, as if he'd heard the world's most ironic joke.

— You've demoted me, I take it?

— Unofficially, — Bryce clarified. — Don't worry about your salary, Colonel, you're still useful to us.

— Fit as what? A six for clowns? Maybe I should remind you that I'm in the state army, and my contract means acting officially, not with the Black Pants Squad, which apparently no one knows about except you.

— If you're worried about the contract, we can add a couple of clauses to it, we have a lawyer available.

— Your lawyer is nothing if he can put me in an unofficial military formation outside the control of the state!

— Michigan, did you hear what they named us? — The blond man with the silver teeth turned to look at the Jackal. And apparently it was their leader, for Miles saw echoes of his own countenance in him. It was as if a reflection had popped out of a mirror and taken on a more brazen, prison-like form.

The one called Michigan circled Miles, laughing at the sight of a long blue tail that twitched nervously with a dark tassel at the end. The Nameless continued to speak in the language of the locals. But Rekom had enough knowledge to pick up distinct swear words. Someone called him a scout altogether. Too much pressure. And too many brazen eggheads. Miles hissed angrily, abruptly grabbing Michigan by the waistcoat and jerked it up to the level of his face. The man stopped laughing immediately, and the mirth faded from his face.

— Colonel! Put the commander in his place! — Jonathan exclaimed, but he stepped aside, wary, not wanting to get involved in a conflict with a three-metre recombinant.

— Colonel? — Ardmore placed her palm gingerly on the pistol holstered on her belt.

One of the Nameless only chuckled. There was a tense silence, except for the sounds of nature in the background and the workings of the Centre. The serious expression on Michigan's face changed to one of relaxation. He stretched into a mock smug smile.

— Ohio, get our friends, — he ordered, glancing at the redheaded chaplain.

Silent and quiet, he stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly to the entire area several times. First a strange mechanical scraping sound came from all directions, and then something like an animal-like growl. Miles wiggled his ears, listened, then unclenched his fingers and his captive collapsed downwards, hitting the hard surface with his tailbone.

In the daylight, something glinted metal among the bushes and trees outside the range, and in the same second four huge robots appeared in the area, leaving Rekom stunned. Resembling snakewolves, three metres long and two high, they ran up to their masters like obedient pets, glowing with dark blue eyes. The pearlescent panels shimmered with blue-green hues at different angles of view, like fish scales under shimmering water. It seemed that if they were turned at a certain angle, the robots would become invisible. And so it happened: one of them, seeing the blue recombinant, took an aggressive stance and almost merged with the environment.

«What a load of crap», — Miles thought, marvelling at the new technology.

It seemed impossible to be surprised by anything else, but these robot dogs made a strong impression. Each had eight long, mechanised legs, two pairs of eyes, and impressively large tails that resembled scorpions, with long needles at the ends. The robot dogs growled like predators, moved like predators. Flexible and agile, they were remarkably docile.

— Well, Colonel? How do you like our assistants? — Michigan smiled haughtily, stroking one robot's face. — Why don't you join our Black Pants troop? It'll be fun, I promise.

#avatar #james cameron avatar #recom #avatar recoms #recom quaritch #fanfic #avatar2 #recom lyle wainfleet #recom mansk

[novacomette]

You can also read it on Fanfiction Press, AO3

Check the Masterlist

The plot centers on Nesta Archeron, an executive who learns that she may face deportation back to Canada from the U.S. because of her expired VISA. Determined to retain her position as editor-in-cheif of a publishing house, she convinces her assistant, Cassian Paxton, to temporarily act as her fiancé.

Previous: Chapter 2

Next: Chapter 4

Chapter 3: We are getting WHAT?

Nesta couldn't shake off the feeling of deja vu. Couldn't shake the thought that she'll get in pure trouble and yet, somehow, the slight joke Cassian gave her about her being the Lady of Death somehow calmed her down a bit. Why was she thinking of his stupid joke? Nothing to worry about, it's just a small meeting, she thought. Just as she entered the doors, she walked past the receptionist, quite older than her friend Gwyn.

"Good morning, Miss Archeron." She smiled but she ignored her completely and entered the office.

"Graysen, Tomas." She said in a way of greeting, no excitement to deal with the two of them. And judging by their looks of boredom, they weren't excited either.

Tomas was the first one to speak. "Congratulations on the Oprah thing." He said and held his hand to her in a gesture of acknowledgement. "That's terrific news."

Nesta bowed her head slightly. "Thank you, thank you." She then held his stare before saying with all the sarcasm. "This isn't about my second raise, is it?" Seeing the joke didn't cause any effect, she shot quickly. "Just kidding." She took a seat.

"Yeah, I figured" Tomas mumbled and cleared his voice. "Nesta, do you remember when we agreed you wouldn't go to the Frankfurt Book Fair because you weren't allowed out of the country while your visa application was being processed?" He stared. Nesta knew that by the harsh look on his eyes, she was in deep shit.

Nesta's throat slightly bobbed. "Uh, yes. Yes, I do." She replied as she held her composure.

"And…" Tomas leaned forward on his desk, twining his hands together. He was not happy, and Nesta swore that Graysen had a mild smug on his face. She fought the urge to spit an insult at his face. "You went to Frankfurt." Tomas finished his sentence, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Yes. We were going to lose DeLillo to Beron." Nesta said, voice slightly sharp. "So... really didn't have a choice, did I?" She shrugged it off like it was no big deal but Tomas said otherwise.

"Seems the United States Government doesn't care who publishes Don DeLillo." Tomas said while throwing a bunch of paperwork, which he had in hand for a while, at her. Nesta saw a familiar phone number and was hoping she would not think what she thought she was called for in the first place.

"Tomas… What is this?" She asked anyway.

"We just spoke to your immigration attorney." Graysen answers this time. He stood straight and crossed his arms. Nesta was now panicking and was doing too much of a great job to keep her strong mask on.

"Great. So, we're all good?" She asked but the two of them were very serious about the situation. "Everything good?" She asked again.

"Nesta, your VISA application has been denied." Tomas snapped at her.

"And you are being deported." Graysen added. Nesta's confidence shattered, feeling the heavy fall of her gut. She was now in shambles.

No no no no no. She could feel the bundle of panic growing. "Deported!?"

"And there was also some paperwork you didn't fill out in time." Graysen said in amusement. At this point, Nesta was back in the old wreckage of a house she and her sisters had to survive for most of their teenage lives.

"Come on. Come on!" She tried to reason with them. "It's not like I'm even an immigrant! I'm from Canada, for Christ's sake!" She stood up, now almost unable to contain herself. "There's gotta be… something we can do." She said, now panting for some reason.

"We can reapply, but unfortunately you have to leave the country for at least a year." Tomas said to her.

Nope, a year is far too long, she thought. "Ok! Ok, well, that's not ideal, but I can... I can manage everything from Toronto…" She tried to bargain.

"No." Tomas shook his head. Graysen was rather enjoying her panic.

"With...with videoconferencing, Internet-" Nesta kept going. She wasn't going back to her hometown but she was running out of cards to play.

"Unfortunately, if you're deported, you can't work for an American company." Graysen replied as he held his hands in defense.

It was Tomas' turn to reply. "And until this is resolved I'm going to turn operations over to Balthazar Spaulding." He said. Nesta was now dumbfould.

"Balthazar Spaulding? The guy I just fired?" She pointed her thumb to the door as if Balthazar was right behind her.

"We need an editor in chief." Tomas replied. "He is the only person who has enough experience."

"You cannot be serious!" Nesta was losing it. "I beg of you."

"Nesta, listen. We are desperate to have you stay." Grayen said. Obviously a lie from his part but Nesta wasn't having it.

You're one to talk, asshole! She almost shouted.

"If there was any way, any way at all we could make this work, we'd be doing it." Tomas said with genuine concern even if he was to get rid of her. Nesta knew this company meant alot to him and was not risking one of his best chief editors.

Nesta begged. "There is no way... I am begging you." She could hardly hear the knocking on the door, she was too distracted to turn to see who was interrupting.

"No. Excuse me, we're in a meeting." Tomas glanced at the person lingering on the door. Nesta heard a familiar voice as he cleared his voice. Has it passed ten minutes already?

"Sorry to interrupt." Cassian spoke, doing the job to get her out as she was instructed.

"What?! What?!" Nesta asked. At this point she didn't care if he saved her, she would do anything to stay in that office and stay in New York, even if it was her getting on her knees, begging hopelessly.

"Ianthe, from her office, called. She's on the line." Cassian said, trying to get her out of there.

"I know." Nesta nodded and waved her hands, telling him to keep talking when in reality was to give her time. She knew Her and Ianthe weren't even associated and couldn't thank Cassian enough for this made-up story. But right now she needed time to think of a plan.

"She's on hold." Cassian understood the sign and kept up with the excuse. "She needs to speak with you." Cassian was running out of ideas. "I told her you were otherwise engaged." He picked up another lie. "She insisted, so…" He stopped when she suddenly couldn't read the expression on her face. "Sorry…. so… um" He shifted on his feet a bit uncomfortable.

Bingo! Nesta thought and motioned her finger for him to come inside. "Come here." She whispered urgently, almost an order, but Cassian obliged and closed the door behind him.

"Uh.. Gentlemen, I understand-" She cleared her voice. "I understand the predicament that we are in." She stumbled on her words as she slowly walked next to Cassian, who had no idea what was happening. "And… And there's... Well…" She struggled as she was now regretting this idea. "I think there's something that you should know." She nodded to Cassian. He wasn't sure what he was agreeing to when he nodded. "We're getting married." She almost blurted, forcing a smile as she patted his red tie.

Cassian gave her a look of disbelief. "Who is getting married?" He asked in a whisper. His confusion was almost visible but she patted his tie again, slightly stronger this time, still the forced smile plastered on her face. "I mean, yes-"

"Yes! We getting married!" Nesta said with fake excitement.

"We are… Getting married." Cassian was genuinely shocked. What did I get himself into? He had thought.

"We are getting married." Nesta repeated his words.

Cassian nodded. "Yes."

Graysen was shot back but almost didn't believe a single word they were saying. "Isn't he your secretary?" He sounded accusatory.

Cassian tried to clarify. "Assistant-" Before he was cut off by Nesta.

"Executive... assistant secretary." She chuckled a bit but Cassian could hear the nervousness, without mentioning how stiff she was as she held his hand. "Titles. But, wouldn't be the first time one of us fell for our secretaries. Would it, Graysen? With my sister Elain. Remember?" She Glared at him, to which Graysen only flinched. Nesta could count the amount of times Feyre had to kick his balls for what he did.

"So, yeah." She was reassured and kept on talking. "The truth is, you know, Cassian and I, we're…" Nesta hoped Cassian would follow her act. "We are just two people who weren't meant to fall in love but we did."

Cassian shook his head and tried to object. "No-"

Nesta squeezed his hand to the point of pain. "All those late nights at the office" She said as she sighed romantically at him. Cassian stiffened but couldn't stop his cheeks from flushing to crimson. "And weekend book fairs."

Cassian tried to object again. "Yeah… No-"

"Something happened." Nesta utted him off again and held his gaze with a smile. Cassian saw the pleading and lingering tears in her eyes and he just gave up at this point. He thought to himself that this was gonna end in deep shit.

"Something." Cassian slightly faked a grin at her with small nods, confirming her fake statements.

"Yeah-" Nesta half hugged him with one arm around his torso, but as she made her attempt to pull away, she held her by the shoulder. "Tried to fight it and… Can't fight a…" She tried to speak over this action but he beat her to it.

"Can't fight… Can't fight a love like ours! Ain't that right… Sweetheart?~" He grinned at her. His acting is perfect, she thought but she was gonna scold him later.

"Uh- Yes! You're absolutely right!" Nesta blurted. "So uh… A-Are we good with this? Are you happy?" She asked both Tomas and Graysen, which still had the look of disbelief. "Because, well, we are happy. So happy." She said as the two of them smiled. Cassian cursed mentally for the deep lie he was in right now.

"Nesta." Tomas' throat bobbed.

"Yes?" Nesta smiled nervously, hoping they didn't sense the lie.

"It's terrific." Tomas smiled a bit before pointing his ring finger. "Just make it legal." He said.

Nesta felt a knee wobbling relief as she now held Cassian's hand "Legal. Yeah, well, then that means we…" She slowly dragged him with her to the door. "We need to get ourselves to the immigration office." She almost panted. "So we can work this whole mess out. Right?" She pointed at Cassian's tie again. "Thank you very much, gentlemen. We will do that right away." She smiled, still dragging Cassian out of the office. Graysen narrowed his eyes at her. "Thank you very much, gentlemen. Thank you." She repeated.

"Gentlemen." Cassian said with a forced smile.

"Thank you." Nesta said one last time before fully leaving the office, now yanking Cassian out of there.

It hasn't even been twenty minutes and now the whole building knows about their mirage. Apparently someone snooped near the office and heard everything, sending it to the chat: Nesta and Cassian are getting married!?!?!? And the whispers started to spread as the two of them walked past everyone.

"What is that about?"

"Lady Death! Here they come."

"What is he thinking?"

Cassian can just ignore the pointing looks of either smug approval in his taste in women or a disapproving glance. He was about to head to Nesta's office when Azriel and Lucien dragged him to somewhere more private.

"Dude, for real. Her?" Lucien was the first one to speak.

"Married? Didn't even know you two were dating. What else have you've been keeping from us, brother?" Azriel gave a smirk of his own. Cassian could think of a million things to say just to wipe that smirk of his face but he has his own questions to be answered.

"I'll tell you everything once things are sorted out, ok? Just wait for me after work, we can go get some beers and talk about it. Sounds good?" Cassian said.

"Fine by me." Azriel shrugged.

"Only if you take us as your bestmens." Lucien joked but Cassian just huffed a laugh.

"Oh you will." He walked right past then and entered Nesta's office. Completely ignoring everyone as he gave her a glare of disbelief as she was fixing a rather large staff of papers.

"What?" She almost growled. Cassian was full of confidence at this point.

"I don't understand what's happening, Sweetheart~ So! Do. Explain." He said in a strict tone. Nesta was either suprised or taken aback by his sharp tone of voice.

"Relax. This is for you, too." She said vaguely but she crossed his arms, without tearing the glare from her eyes. She swore those hazel eyes would eat her alive if she wasnt fully prepared, but it somehow gave her goosebumps. "They were going to make Balthazar chief."

"Oh ho!" Cassian was now losing it. "And naturally I would have to marry you?"

"And what's the problem?" Nesta leaned on her office chair and crossed her arms. "Like you were saving yourself for someone special?" She asked sarcastically.

"I like to think so myself! Besides, it's illegal!" Cassian threw his arms at the craziness of her idea.

"They're looking for terrorists, not for book publishers." Nesta said lamely. Cassian scratched his neck hysterically.

"Nesta." He said but then stopped when he realized she was still looking at him with ferocious eyes.

"Yes?" She asked him.

"I'm not gonna marry you." Cassian blurted. Knowing that if his brothers hear about this, not only he's gonna hear the end of it, but because he'll know Rhys will do anything in his power to set up a wedding for his brother.

"Sure you are." Nesta said, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Because if you don't, your dreams of touching the lives of millions with the written word are dead." She said with a smug face. Well shit, Cassian started to consider it. Nesta stood up, and slowly walked around her desk before leaning from it, right in front of him. "Balthazar is gonna fire you the second I'm gone. Guaranteed. That means you're out on the street looking for a job. That means the time that we spent together, the lattes, the canceled dates, the midnight Tampax runs, were all for nothing and all your dreams of being an editor are gone." She said.

Well FUCK, Cassian thought to himself. She was right, but he can't really risk his job. Granted, even if he did want to be his husband, it's still wrong.

"Don't worry, after the required allotment of time, we'll get a divorce and you'll be done with me." Nesta closed the distance between them. "But until then, like it or not, your wagon is hitched to mine" She gave him a smile and patted his cheek once. Twice. She then pointed at the ringing phone. "Phone.~"

Cassian stood rigid there, analyzing everything she told him. Not only is he risking his status, but he's already at risk of losing his job, ending up on the street as a hot dog seller, in the worst case scenario, and not only that but has to play along with her for who knows how long. I'm in a complete mess, he thought to himself before leaving her office before cursing lowly. "Fucking shit…"

#nessian #cassian x nesta #acotar #acosf #romance #comedy #modern au #gwyneth x azriel #gwynriel #feyre x rhysand #feysand #elucien #elain x lucien

[veeranger]

So you want to watch Precure!

Version 1.3

(Google Docs Vers & Changelog)

Maybe you follow people who like it, maybe you just love magical girls and never got into Precure, but there are over a dozen seasons and you don’t know how to jump in. Never fear, this masterpost is here to give you a rundown of Precure, and hopefully by the end you’ll have an idea of where you want to start. 

What Is Precure?

Precure (short for Pretty Cure) is a Toei Animation franchise started in 2004 and has been on the air nonstop since then. It’s a magical girl franchise, y’know like sailor moon or ojamajo doremi or other such shows. The main demographic is children so you don’t have to worry about any weird “fanservice” or panty shots or anything nasty like that, it’s very G rated. 

What Are The Shows About?

In a general sense, Precure is about a team of 2-6 middle school age magical girls fighting bad guys and giant monsters and saving the world on a weekly basis with pretty outfits and big flashy finishers and the power of love and friendship. Each season follows a pretty standard formula (toku fans should be pretty familiar with it for the most part), and each season is around 48-50 episodes long. 

In keeping with this toku-esque formula, most seasons will feature mid season additions to the cast, in the form of new precure heroes. For the sake of not spoiling these shows, these mid season cures will not be mentioned in our plot overviews unless they appear extremely early or something like that. Just know that almost every season will feature an additional cure joining the team later in the show. 

Additionally, every season has at least one movie, these days there’s usually two per season. Usually you’ll find the movies are a standalone self-contained romp, and a crossover movie with the preceding seasons, with a focus on the most recent 2-3 teams. These movies might as well exist in a continuity of their own, and have absolutely no bearing on the plot whatsoever, save for one except which I’ll mention when we get to that season. 

Why Should I Watch Precure?

Because it’s good. It’s a really stellar franchise with a ton of content and genuinely engaging characters and stories. Also this isn’t your mom’s magical girl show, these girls throw punches, and kicks, and big lasers. Precure is pretty well known for being extremely hands on with its combat compared to other magical girl shows, though don’t expect the same kind of fights you’d find in kamen rider or anything. Also a main draw for a lot of people is the amount of gay subtext in, frankly, every season. While there’s only one season with an explicitly confirmed gay relationship between two cures, every season has varying levels of subtext between cures, it’s pretty cool. We won’t discuss the subtext in every season overview but trust us, it’s in there. 

What Show Should I Start With?

It doesn’t actually matter which season you watch, every season is a new setting and with new characters and set in a new world (except for two sequel seasons i’ll explain later), so you’re free to watch whatever you want in any order! We’re going to spend the rest of this post talking about each season to give you, the beloved reader, a glimpse at what each season has to uniquely offer. Don’t worry, there’s no spoilers down there. 

Futari Wa Precure (We Are Pretty Cure) & Futari Wa Precure Max Heart

The original precure show that aired in 2004, and even received an english dub. Misumi Nagisa is a star lacrosse player living a normal life until one day a shooting star she wishes on turns out to be a fairy that careens right into her room, or rather, smacks her right in the face. The fairy, named Mepple, explains he comes from the Garden of Light, another world that’s been taken over by the evil Dark King and his Dark Zone in order to capture the Prism Stones, a number of heart shaped crystals that, if collected, could give Dark King the power to destroy not only the Garden of Light but also the Garden of Rainbows, Earth itself. Meanwhile, Yukishiro Honoka finds a box in her grandmother’s shed containing an item just like the one that smacked Nagisa in the face, and inside is the fairy Mipple, who explains the situation to Honoka. The two fairies, seeking to be reunited, drag Nagisa and Honoka along and the four of them end up meeting up, but are attacked by an emissary of the Dark Zone. Mepple and Mipple grant the confused duo the power to transform into the warriors of legend, Precure. As Cure Black and Cure White, Nagisa and Honoka manage to fight off their attacker and protect their new fairy partners. The girls are then more or less dragged into the battle against the Dark Zone, as the only hope for both Gardens, they fulfill their duty as legendary warriors despite their hesitations and desires to go back to being normal teenagers.

Futari Wa doesn’t exactly have any major themes to speak of, it’s just your standard magical girl vs evil bad guys kind of thing, forgive it for being the first season. What it does have to offer is the relationship between Nagisa and Honoka, as well as the action in fight scenes. The girls don’t start the season as best friends, in fact they barely even know each other’s names when they’re first flung together. It takes a few episodes and a major fight between the girls for them to really start opening up to each other, but soon enough they become inseparable and support each other in everything they do. It’s clear, especially near the end, that the girls cling to each other for support and strength in the face of the increasingly overwhelming odds they face as the Dark Zone gains strength. It’s very compelling to see their relationship deepen in the early season and see how deep their bonds truly go near the end. 

Futari Wa received a sequel show, Futari Wa Precure Max Heart, picking up the story where it left off in the first season’s finale. Honoka and Nagisa are still the main characters, and they’re still fighting the Dark Zone, but this time they’re joined by a mysterious girl named Hikari, who can transform into Shiny Luminous, not a precure but precure-ish. This time the girls are trying to recover the heart and soul of the Queen of the Garden of Light, before the Dark Zone can recover and destroy the queen in her weakened state. Also their precure costumes have changed slightly. 

The first season (that is to say, not max heart) is currently one of the few seasons available with official english subtitles on the streaming platform Crunchyroll

Futari Wa Precure Splash Star

Hyuuga Saki (Cure Bloom), a tomboy who loves playing softball, and Mishou Mai (Cure Egret), a quiet transfer student and aspiring artist, meet each other by chance one day under the Sky Tree, where they discover two creatures from the Land of Fountains named Flappy and Choppy. The two girls transform into the legendary Precure and are tasked with restoring Princess Filia and the Seven Holy Fountains, which were sapped of their power by the evil forces of Dark Fall.

Splash Star's main theme is the appreciation of nature. The main focus is on the girls rediscovering their relationships with their town and the nature and people in it. You get to meet a whole cast of characters in their community, who have a lot of heart and charm behind their writing and the show does a good job of getting you genuinely invested in their stories.

Unfortunately the romance in Splash Star isn’t much better than Futari Wa's (sorry to any Fujimura/Kazuya fans), but the main girls themselves are so engaging that it's easy to ignore. The villains are pretty goofy, but entertaining if you can accept that the show doesn’t take itself very seriously. There are two villains in the latter half of the season that really stand out, though. Without spoiling too much, I can promise you their character arcs will tear at your heartstrings in the best way.

If you've watched Futari wa Precure, Splash Star will probably feel familiar. Although it's the first "reboot" series in the franchise with completely new characters, Toei overall played it safe and Saki and Mai in many ways still feel like "Nagisa and Honoka 2.0". Splash Star is different in enough other ways to make the show stand on its own merits, but if you watch it immediately after Futari wa you might find yourself feeling some deja vu. Personally, I think it's interesting to see what Splash Star builds on and explores when compared to Futari wa, since it has many of the same themes and character archetypes but they play out quite differently.

Yes! Precure 5 & Yes! Precure 5 GoGo!

Nozomi is a cheerful, carefree girl, but she doesn’t have a dream. One day she meets a hot guy and finds a mysterious item called the Dream Collet, capable of granting any wish once all the fairies known as Pinkies are gathered inside it, in the school library. She discovers that the hot guy is actually a tanuki from Palmier Kingdom named Coco, and that the Kingdom has been destroyed by the Nightmare. Coco’s dream is to restore his kingdom using the Dream Collet, and Nozomi decides to make it hers as well. 

She’s joined by her jock friend Rin, Urara, an aspiring actress, Komachi, a writer, and the rich student council president Karen. Together they form Yes Sentai Fiveranger Yes Precure 5 and work together to prevent Nightmare from obtaining the Dream Collet before they can gather all the Pinkies. They also save Coco’s “”””””friend””””””” and fellow hot guy squirrel, Nuts, and he joins them as the second mascot/handsome love interest.

The theme of Yes is dreams and heterosexual furry romance. It pulls off the dreams part very nicely. The het furry romance is bad, mostly because Coco is Nozomi’s teacher at school and also her love interest. However, Coco and Nuts are fairly gay and if you look past the romance part they have very good dadly relationships with the rest of the team. 

Yespre, like Futari Wa, received a sequel show, Yes! Precure 5 GoGo!. After the defeat of Nightmare some time ago, a new faction called Eternal rises up and starts stealing treasures from various dimensions. When Eternal targets the Rose Pact belonging to the Cure Rose Garden, the precure are called back into action to fight against Eternal, with new cure outfits, a new fairy named Syrup, and a new cure-like teammate named Milky Rose.

Fresh Precure!

Fresh is sort of the defining series for modern Precure, introducing a lot of plot and thematic elements to the franchise that would be used repeatedly later on. 

A concert Momozono Love attends is attacked by a monster called a Nakewameke. When Love stands up to it, she is nearly killed, but is saved when she is chosen by a mysterious power to become Cure Peach. She is joined by Inori and Miki as Cure Pine and Cure Berry, and, together with the talking ferret from the Kingdom of Sweets, Tarte, they have to prevent Labyrinth, a grey world led by Mobius, from taking over the Parallel Worlds and transforming them into identical, machine-like dictatorships, and also figure out the secret behind the Magic Baby, Chiffon, that Tarte is entrusted with. 

Fresh’s themes are happiness and nature/technology and donuts. The donuts are important. Labyrinth operates by gathering misery; the Nakewameke are created from it and their function is to create more of it and fill the Sorrow Gauge. All the girls (and the mascot) have love interests and their familial relationships are explored a lot to bring out the general stakes and emphasise what they’re fighting for.

While Fresh is very strong in characters, plot, and thematics, its lack of budget is very apparent. It looks terrible. Fortunately, it isn’t that difficult to get used to the bad animation once you get into the show, although the lack of means tends to show up at inopportune moments, like new powerups.

Heartcatch Precure!

Featuring character designs and art direction from Ojamajo Doremi’s character designer Umakoshi Yoshihiko, and written by Ojamajo Doremi and Onegai My Melody writer Yamada Takashi, Heartcatch should look and feel familiar to fans of either franchise, especially Doremi.

After having a reoccurring dream about someone called Cure Moonlight being defeated trying to defend the “Great Heart Tree”, the shy and reserved Hanasaki Tsubomi moves in with her grandmother and ends up inheriting the will of Cure Moonlight and becomes the newest precure, Cure Blossom. Finding out her grandmother used to be the legendary Cure Flower, Tsubomi vows to protect the world as a precure and learn to change herself for the better. She’s joined by her new friend and the first person she saved as a precure, Kurumi Erika, a loud girl with a big heart who means well, but doesn’t hesitate to speak her mind. Erika becomes Cure Marine and the two become Heartcatch Precure, the newest precure in the long legacy of those who have stood up to the evil Dune, a mysterious invader who destroys planets and turns them into lifeless deserts. Heartcatch Precure fights against Dune’s minions: the mask wearing Professor Sabaku, his Desert Apostles, and the mysterious Dark Precure. Along the way they meet the former Cure Moonlight, now stripped of her power, and try to help her cope with her defeat.

Heartcatch Precure’s main theme is flowers and flower language. Everyone has a “heart flower” that the Desert Apostles take and use to create their monsters every week. As an interesting result of this, the monster of the week will be the main character in the plot of the week and often their big monster form will vent about their issues which will usually lead to a resolution when the precure return them to their regular bodies. Heartcatch also has a very nice backstory and lore to it. Unlike most iterations of precure, the Heartcatch girls are not the first precure to exist in their world, there are dozens maybe hundreds of precure that came before them, fighting against Dune and his forces for hundreds of years. It adds a lot to the narrative in small ways, especially later on in the season. Also the fight scenes are extremely excellent, especially when Moonlight is involved. 

Suite Precure♪

The musical paradise of Major Land falls under siege by the forces of Minor Land, led by King Mephisto. His goal is to steal the living notes of the “Melody of Happiness” and remake them into the “Melody of Sorrow”, throwing the world into a permanent depressive state. As a last resort, Queen Aphrodite scatters the notes into the human world and tasks Hummy, the cat-like fairy, and the Fairy Tones, to find the notes before the forces of Minor Lands can capture them. In the human world, Hummy meets Hojo Hibiki and Minamino Kanade, two girls who were best friends as children, but drifted apart as teenagers because of their tendency to bicker with each other. The two find themselves thrown together again by fate and transform into Cure Melody and Cure Rhythm to protect the things they hold dear. Not long after, the two rekindle their relationship and become closer than before, despite their bickering. Soon the girls run into the mysterious Cure Muse, a girl who appears to be a precure like them, but hides her face with a mask and refuses to join in their fight, claiming to be neither friend nor enemy. Melody and Rhythm battle against Minor Land and the giant Negatones they create from the notes they gather, as well as Siren, another cat-like fairy who used to be Hummy’s best friend before turning to evil and joining Minor Land. 

Suite Precure’s main theme is music, and it is a very encompassing theme. Hibiki and Kanade bond over their piano practice, the town they live in celebrates music frequently and is aesthetically music themed, and their powers take the form of musical instruments. Harmony is also a large theme for the two girls. Their precure power increases as they harmonize with each other, and the early season is very much about them learning to harmonize with each other. Suite also features several extremely well done mystery arcs, about the identity of Cure Muse, and various other things that I can’t very well talk about without risking spoiling things myself. If you manage to go into Suite not knowing anything consider yourself extremely lucky and be super sure not to get spoiled. The show staff went to great lengths to hide certain things, including leaking fake cure designs, and creating a second version of the second dance ending to further mask the identity of Cure Muse until her true reveal. 

Also something to note, usually precure movies have nothing to do with the plot of the show itself and can be watched whenever but the Suite movie is best enjoyed right after the arc revealing Cure Muse’s identity is concluded, it has a nice resolution to plot elements in that arc and sets the stage for the last few arcs of the show, so be sure to watch it then.

Smile Precure!

Written by Kamen Rider Kabuto head writer Yonemura Shoji, Smile Precure is the second season to feature a 5 girl team after Yes! Precure 5 Gogo!. Running late to her first day of school, resident happy-go-lucky klutz Hoshizora Miyuki runs face first into a small creature called Candy, a fairy from a place called Märchenland. The two are attacked by an anthropomorphic wolf named Wolfrun, and Miyuki transforms into Cure Happy to fight against Wolfrun and the big clown faced monster he summons called an Akanbe. After Candy explains that the legends say there are five precure, Miyuki recruits four new friends: the hot blooded Akane (Cure Sunny), shy artist Yayoi (Cure Peace), responsible older sister Nao (Cure March), and refined student council vice-president Reika (Cure Beauty). The five of them become Smile Precure and fight against Wolfrun and his allies in the Bad End Kingdom, who attempt to revive the slumbering Pierrot by trying to put the world in a “Bad End”. 

Smile Precure’s main theme is fairy tales, in a general sense. The Bad End trio are based off of the big bad wolf (Wolfrun), the oni from Momotaro (Akaoni), and the witch from Snow White (Majorina), and Miyuki herself is utterly captivated by fairy tales. The secondary theme is happiness, and the happy go lucky tone of the series often turns on its head during serious arcs to deliver extremely powerful emotional moments. Smile Precure is light on plot, and most episodes are an ultra happy experience, but the show knows how to get serious when it needs to and Smile is exceedingly competent at pulling off drama when the time comes. Smile knows how to get you invested in its characters and use that to pull on your heartstrings during the big moments. The last 10 episodes of the show are the absolute pinnacle of the show’s emotional drama, and each cure gets her own episode for closure before the finale sets in and emotionally destroys you. Also you get to play rock paper scissors with Cure Peace during her roll call so that’s always fun.

Doki Doki! Precure

Doki opens with Trump Kingdom’s destruction by the Selfishness as Cure Sword looks on, helpless. Switching to our world and brighter topics, we meet Aida Mana, Student Council President of Oogai Middle School, whose dream is to become the Prime Minister of Japan. Whenever Mana sees someone in trouble, she’ll help them out, so when a monster attacks the city, Mana does the obvious and tries to stop it. And when, chosen by the fairy Charuru (Charles? Cheryle? Cherry?) to become a Precure and defend the world, she meets Cure Sword, she has to befriend her and help her restore Trump Kingdom and find her happiness. 

Mana (Cure Heart) is joined by Rikka (Cure Diamond), her studious companion and supporter, and also the immeasurably powerful and rich (in that order) Alice (Cure Rosetta). Together they have to unravel the mystery of the man who gave them their transformation items, the missing princess of Trump Kingdom, the strange, evil girl called Regina, and Ai, the chaotic neutral baby who hatches out of an egg. 

Dokipre’s theme is love and selflessness. It also has Deep Lore, a lot of which is established in extra-series material. The show does try to explore concepts like past cures and manages a very nice repeating pattern effect with the plot, in terms of past and future happenings. There’s a lot of foreshadowing. Compared to most Precure seasons it’s very plot-heavy and even the filler usually ends up being plot-relevant. 

Happiness Charge Precure!

The 10th anniversary of Precure! The Phantom Empire is spreading across the world, and Precure are rising up all over the globe to fight them off. In Japan there are two active cures, Cure Fortune, strong and capable, and Cure Princess, scared and unsure of herself. As Cure Princess, Shirayuki Hime, struggles desperately to do her duty as precure, Cure Fortune refuses to work with her for reasons Hime doesn’t fully understand. Realizing her only hope is to find a partner to work with, Hime bumps into Aino Megumi, a super friendly girl who has a tendency to drop everything and help others any time she sees someone in need. Megumi becomes Cure Lovely, and bolstering Hime’s confidence, the two of them become Happiness Charge Precure, tasked with protecting Japan from Queen Mirage and her Phantom Empire. The two are joined by Cure Honey, and eventually Cure Fortune, and the four of them receive support from Blue, the God of Planet Earth. As the girls continue to fight and defend Japan, they are assaulted by Phantom, the ruthless Precure Hunter who has defeated and trapped countless Precure in his Precure Graveyard, and the Oresky Trio, the Phantom Empire generals who oversee the invasion of Japan. 

Happiness Charge Precure’s themes are romance and happiness. There are several arcs dedicated to the budding romances of the cures, and the backstory of the show is heavily tied to romance. Happiness might as well be Megumi’s middle name, she makes it her business to spread happiness to as many people as she can, and takes every chance she can to help others. Happiness Charge is also the first season to have form changes for the precure, each cure has a small selection of forms they can change to for different big attacks, and this concept would later be expanded and used as a core concept in Maho Girls Precure. Like Heartcatch before it, Happiness Charge exists in a world where multiple precure exist, but unlike Heartcatch all those precure exist at the same time in the present day. Other precure teams make cameos every so often and the concept creates a great world in which the whole planet is being protected by teenage girls with superpowers, creating a wonderful sense of scale that really makes the big victories of Happiness Charge Precure feel even bigger. 

Go! Princess Precure

The first precure series to take place at a boarding school! Years ago, a young girl named Haruno Haruka meets a very royal looking person named Kanata who gives her a Dress-Up Key, a big key shaped like a dress. A teenager now, Haruka starts attending Noble Academy, a prestigious boarding school, all the while holding tight to her dream of becoming a true princess, in a quasi-literal sense. Not long after starting the school year, Haruka meets Pafu and Aroma, two fairies from the Hope Kingdom desperate to revive the legendary precure to fight back against Dyspear and her minions who steal dreams to create their giant Zetsuborgs. Realizing what her Dress-Up Key is meant for, Haruka uses it and the Princess Perfume to become Cure Flora. Together with student council president Kaido Minami (Cure Mermaid), and Amanogawa Kirara (Cure Twinkle) a fashion model with huge aspirations, they become the new Princess Precure, tasked with learning to become true princesses along with protecting the Dress-Up Keys from Dyspear’s forces. 

Go! Princess Precure’s main themes are princesses (duh) and dreams. Dreams are a driving force behind all of the cures, and most of the plot of the week characters. Dyspear steals dreams to make monsters, and the precure fight to return those dreams. Characters follow their dreams with conviction, pride, and full commitment. This is also where the princess theme intersects, since it’s Haruka’s dream to become a true princess. One should note that princess is used sort of liberally in this series, it’s not that Haruka wants to somehow become someone of noble birth or have political power, she just wants to be strong, kind, and beautiful, the traits of a true princess in Princess Precure’s own terms. Also she wants to wear pretty dresses and such but who can blame her really. 

Mahou Tsukai Precure! (Maho Girls Precure!)

Quite literally putting the magic in magical girls for the first time in the franchise, Mahou Tsukai Precure was the first season to have its cures be actual magicians. Izumi Riko lives in the magical world, a world where magic is real and she attends a magical academy to hone her craft. She leaves the magical world to travel to the “non-magic” world, to search for a legendary item called the Linkle Stone Emerald. In the non-magic world she ends up catching the attention of another girl, Asahina Mirai, who sees her using magic. After trying to show off some magic and messing it up, Riko is attacked by Batty, a servant of the dark wizard Dokurokushe, who is seeking the Linkle Stone Emerald as well. As fate would have it, both Mirai and Riko carry stones that turn out to be the Linkle Stones Diamond, and the two of them use them to become Cure Miracle and Cure Magical, the legendary Mahou Tsukai Precure. Additionally, the power of the Linkle Stones grants life to Mirai’s lifelong companion, a teddy bear named Mofurun. Having discovered the world of magic and become a precure, Mirai is invited to spend time in the magical world learning magic alongside Riko, before the two, joined by Mofurun and a baby fairy named Ha, return to the non-magical world to search for the Emerald and protect it from Dokurokushe and his minions.

Mahou Tsukai Precure’s main themes are bonds and separation. It’s strengths lie in how it shows the relationship between Mirai and Riko. The show takes its time building their relationship in the first dozen or so episodes of their adventures in the magic world, highlighting their similarities and differences as they grow closer and learn to live with each other and fight as precure together. Well before the halfway mark it’s clear how strong their bond is and how deeply they care for each other, and the lengths they would go to for one another. Mahou Tsukai is an emotional ride in so many ways, every emotional moment hits its mark and the more you get attached to the characters the more the show will hit harder and harder with its moments, both sad and happy. Even side characters get satisfying and emotional conclusions to their storylines outside of the episodes they’re introduced in, it’s all wonderfully crafted.

KiraKira☆Precure A La Mode

Another return to the five cure format, Kirapre is also the second season to feature a sixth team member after Yes! Precure 5 Gogo!, as well as the second season to feature high school age precure after Heartcatch Precure. Usami Ichika is in her second year of middle school and loves sweets, especially making sweets. One day a hungry fairy named Pekorin finds her way into Ichika’s kitchen, and after being fed teaches Ichika about Kirakiraru, an energy source that exists in all sweets, and something that can be stolen and used for evil, leaving the sweets gray and tasteless. Utilizing the power of kirakraru in the shortcake she baked for her mother, Ichika becomes Cure Whip, one of the legendary patissiers, Precure. One by one other precure appear, the smart but shy Arisugawa Himari (Cure Custard), the rock band headliner Tategami Aoi (Cure Gelato), the fickle catlike Kotozume Yukari (Cure Macaron), and the responsible and helpful Kenjou Akira (Cure Chocolat). The five of them fight against the evils of Noir and those he has influenced: Julio, the mysterious masked boy who runs “experiments'' using kirakiraru, and Bibury, a mean spirited girl who uses her talking doll to steal kirakiraru and create monsters.

Kirapre’s main motifs are sweets and animals, and it has a pretty general togetherness and happiness theme going on, the standard precure stuff, mostly viewed through the lense of sweets and sweets-making. All the precure work as patissiers for one reason or another and it’s the main way the team bonds early on. The team, as well as the people of their small town, love sweets as a part of their culture and sweets maintain an important role as the emotional tie that binds most things together in the story. Overall Kirapre is a wonderful show with a great cast on both sides of the conflict, and a lot of care has been put into the show to make sure characters have their moments to interact with each other as well as have their own stories , even on a team of six every precure gets more than enough time to shine on her own. Kirapre is at it’s best when it takes two girls and puts them together for an episode, letting each unique dynamic play out in a fun and satisfying way. Kirapre is also noteworthy for the almost inarguably canonical relationship between two of the cures. It's not exactly explicit and it does leave something to be desired, since this is a Toei children's show, but there’s not really any other way to read the evolution of their relationship or their duet song, so I’m more than satisfied calling it canon.

This season is currently one of the few seasons available with official english subtitles on the streaming platform Crunchyroll 

HUGtto! Precure

Precure’s 15th anniversary! This season is in many ways a celebration of all things Precure, bringing together a lot of familiar elements from past shows into one. Hugtto! is another five cure season whose main themes are destiny and future. Nono Hana (Cure Yell) is a thirteen-year-old girl whose dream is to be a "cool and stylish woman," although she worries that others see her as childish. One day, a hamster named Harryham Harry and a magical baby named Hugtan fall out of the sky into Hana's house. They're being chased from the future by an evil organization called Criasu Corporation, who are trying to use Hugtan's power to freeze time forever. Hana makes friends with two of her classmates: the responsible class representative Yakushiji Saaya (Cure Ange) and the reclusive ex-figure skater Kagayaki Homare (Cure Etoile), and together they fight Criasu while taking care of Hugtan and figuring out the many mysteries surrounding her. Expect some light sc-fi elements and an emphasis on modern technology/social media.

Hugtto! explores its themes primarily through the lenses of childcare and the workplace, giving us a look at how each girl comes to terms with the transition from childhood to adulthood. This season does a good job of letting each member of the team shine; you spend several episodes with each girl (or duo of girls) and there's a real sense of a complete character arc for all of them. The romance aspect is, unfortunately, pretty bad: there’s a return of hetero furry romance between Harry and Homare, and Hana’s love interest exhibits some really creepy behavior towards her. There’s uncomfortable age gaps in both of these relationships too so it’s a just a bit…. Yikes. Thankfully, it’s fairly easy to ignore like past seasons, but a warning for it nonetheless.

Something that makes this season stand out is its LGBT subtext; there's a TON of it even compared to the normal amount that Precure is known for. Without giving away too much, two of the cures this season are heavily coded as lesbians (though not with each other per se), and there's a subplot concerning a side character who is pretty explicitly (well, as explicit as Toei dares to be) a gender non-conforming man/nonbinary person in love with another man, and it's all very wholesome and presented in a positive light. Again, this is Toei, so don't expect anything too radical, but I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised with how Hugpre handles it.

Finally I'll just say that while Hugpre is a fantastic season on its own, I would personally recommend waiting to watch it after you've seen some other seasons (notably Futari wa). It's not required, but since Hugpre is an anniversary season, there are a few episodes (especially near the end) that will really hit different if you have an emotional connection to the franchise already. Ultimately though this is a fairly minor part of the show, so watching this season first won’t ruin it or anything like that, it’s just something to keep in mind.

Star☆Twinkle Precure

Precure… in space! Our protagonist, Hoshina Hikaru (Cure Star) loves space and cryptids, to the point of drawing her own constellations. One of her constellations is an adorable alien puffball, who warps into Hikaru’s room almost immediately after she draws it. The puffball quickly befriends Hikaru, who names her Fuwa. They are later joined by Prunce, the team dad friend/alien mascot, and Lala (Cure Milky), a humanoid alien who is an adult in her own culture. After our initial duo gets off to a bit of a rocky start, they are joined by the student council president, Kaguya Madoka  (Cure Selene) and a biracial upperclassman who is considered to be the “sun” of the school, Amamiya Elena (Cure Soleil). Together, they explore the universe and befriend all sorts of aliens, while also defending them from the Notraiders, who want to rid the universe of all imagination. On top of that, the universe is dying and the cures need to find the 12 astrologically themed Star Pens to save it and the 12 Star Princesses. This series is notable for attempting to break the “monster of the week” format, instead making it a “fight of the week”.

The major themes of Star Twinkle are space, imagination, and maturity. The cures have to explore the universe to find the Star Pens, and in doing so, visit a bunch of different planets. About half the series is spent on Earth, but the world still feels developed! Honestly speaking, the theme of imagination is forgotten pretty quickly and I’d refer to it more as free will. The theme of maturity is where Star Twinkle really shines. All of the cures have had to grow up too fast in some way, and the series is partially about just allowing them to goof off. Lala is considered an adult on her planet, and this plot point is treated realistically. Well, as realistically as it can be. This is one series I’d recommend avoiding spoilers like the plague for, because part of the fun is in how the plot twists are pulled off. Also Star Twinkle is notable for featuring the first ever dark skinned precure, as Elena is half-hispanic. 

Healin’ Good Precure

The currently airing Precure season, as of this writing. The Byogens seek to revive their king by inflicting viruses on Earth, the Healing Garden sends three medical interns to combat them. These interns, fairies named Rabirin, Pegitan, and Nyatoran, along with a baby fairy princess named Latte, journey to Earth to find partners to become Precure. They end up meeting Hanadera Nodoka, a kindhearted girl who was hospitalized for most of her young childhood. After Nodoka risks her life to protect Latte, Rabirin chooses her to become Cure Grace. Joined by older sister type Sawaizumi Chiyu (Cure Fontaine) and the outgoing Hiramitsu Hinata (Cure Sparkle), they form Healin’ Good Precure, and defend their friends and the Earth from the Byogen’s newest wave of attacks. 

This season is currently one of the few seasons available with official english subtitles on the streaming platform Crunchyroll.

Where To Watch Precure Online

Unfortunately for us, Precure isn’t really a thing in the west. There was a dub of Futari Wa back in the early 2000’s and Smile and Doki both got “adapted” into Glitter Force over on netflix (I don’t really recommend checking those out), but really Precure just doesn’t exist over here.

However, as mentioned above, there are currently three seasons avalible for streaming on crunchyroll. The original Futari Wa Precure, Kira Kira Precure A La Mode, and the current season, Healin’ Good Precure.

Beyond these isolated examples of official releases, you can really only watch precure online on streaming sites or through torrents. You can find precure pretty much on any major anime streaming site, kissanime, gogoanime, the works. You can also try your luck torrenting the seasons, i’ve found that pretty much every season has a working torrent you can find on sites like nyaa.si or the like. For more recent seasons you should have little difficulty getting torrents, and last time i checked every season was on one of the aforementioned streaming sites. What I’m saying really is there’s no single place to find precure, but it’s not impossible to find for sure.

Thanks for reading this post, I hope you decide to check out precure and I really hope you end up loving it.Thanks to my wonderful friend @meltorights​ for writing the sections on Yespre, Fresh, and Dokipre, to @wonderlilane​ for writing the sections on Splash Star and Huggto, and @cure-cosmo​ for writing the segment on Starpre. 

If you have questions feel free to drop me an ask I’d be happy to help. I will literally go out of my way to help you if it means getting someone new into precure so please do not hesitate by any means. 

#Apple Post #precure #pretty cure #magical girl #anime #toei animation

[dreaming-of-brawlstars]

Fallen Starr

Desc: An Angel is quite the force, so surely, it must be able to handle the horrors of Starr Park. Personally. Whatever harms an Angel but be infinitely worse for mortals, so Mortis believes it’s worth the sacrifice.

Warnings: Unreality, self-doubt, memory altering and memory loss. Unhappy ending. Angst.

Author’s Note: I swear I will write a happy fic soon I swear I pr-

He should have known that it was a trap. He really should’ve expected something like this when he saw the way that he had been lured in.

It always hurt to be looking down to see atrocities and pain rampant here, and he showed himself in hopes that they would stop. Maybe out of respect, maybe out of fear, but everything seemed to get worse for those he was trying to protect.

He remembered how just a day ago he snapped, declaring that he would be dealing with them personally for their crimes. He thought that it would end there, that he could finally do what needed to be done for these criminals.

Now , it seemed that his plans were going terribly wrong.

The first thing that happened to him was the blinding white light that engulfed him, then nothing.

There was a faint ringing in his ears as he came back to consciousness, eyes still shut from the harsh brightness. His head spun and his chest tightened, and he felt his wings twitch.

He took a deep breath before opening his eyes, wincing at the sudden brightness, before sitting up and taking another look around. A few things immediately registered to him. He was in the park - one of the newer areas, he believed - where he descended. The air was crisp and cold, and the sun shone overhead through gaps in tree limbs.

He blinked away the last of the spots in his vision and looked around. In the distance, he noticed people.

They were watching him.

A scowl formed on his face, and he held his cane closer, pushing himself up. So, they caught him off guard, so be it. He wouldn’t be letting them get away with this, along with everything else, he vowed.

With a sharp crack in the air as he snapped open his wings, he set off towards the sky again. With each flap upwards, his body trembled with anger, tension and adrenaline. He kept his hands balled into tight fists while he gripped his cane tighter, ready to strike if someone got within reach.

He kept his eyes open, scanning for any signs of danger, any sign that someone was after him. He didn’t know what they could hope to gain by capturing him or whatever they were doing - he wasn’t part of some group, after all - but there was no doubt that they wanted something in return.

His heart sped up as he flew higher, anxiety rising. Something was off, he knew something was off but he couldn’t tell what. It was quiet, and he had a nearly overwhelming sense of deja vu. Like he had done this before. He paused, putting a hand to his head.

…they couldn’t have erased his memory, right?

He glanced back at where he woke up, trying to remember what happened before that. There was no mistaking it, his mind felt foggy, though he had tried so hard to clear it. But no matter how much he went over and over every detail, he just couldn’t seem to connect dots.

As much as he wished that he could figure it out, something told him that he couldn’t. Which was… greatly worrying to him. He felt something twist in his heart, and he put his hand over it, trying to calm himself.

“Calm yourself. Think. It will come back.” He tried to ignore the slight trembling in his own voice. “Deep breaths, Mortis, deep breaths.”

He kept his eyes closed as he continued to fly, focusing all of his attention into calming himself down. He took slow, deliberate breaths and focused on slowing his heartbeat, the beating of his chest.

This was not good, no no no, this was NOT good.

He could feel it. He could barely recall why he was here - it was to stop them, right? How did he plan to stop them? He shook his head, trying to snap out of these thoughts.

‘Focus. Focus.’ He repeated the words to himself until he felt calmer. He slowly opened his eyes, staring ahead, feeling uneasy as he watched the world pass him by. ‘Focus, Mortis. You’re an Angel. Your job is to protect and serve. You’ve never failed to protect anyone in your life, you’ll protect others now.’

Protect. He was here to protect… people. People who were captured. People who needed help. People he had to help. Those he was sworn to protect. He clenched his jaw and glared ahead, determined.

‘Focus! You have work to do, Mortis. This isn’t the time to be thinking about yourself. Don’t think about your feelings, don’t think about how bad it feels. Think about helping those you care about.’

His gaze turned forward and he stopped, hovering over the ground as he tried to take in his surroundings. The entirely of Starr Park, a theme park full a color, districts, and themes. Thirteen different areas, not including the area he just flew out of-

…the area he just flew out of? He blinked in confusion, looking back.

A sanctuary with green grass, trees, a cottage, golden roads. It seemed almost out of place, peaceful, like it was something he’d see at home instead of-

“Oh no.” He murmured, gripping onto his cane tighter. “No. No, no, no. Not happening.”

He shook his head and brought up his free hand to rub at his eyes before glancing around and taking note of the location and the people surrounding it. They stood in small groups, watching, waiting.

They were waiting for him.

He had to get out of here. Despite his vow, he couldn’t help if he was captured. He was supposed to keep humans safe.

He swallowed hard and forced himself to take a deep breath, steadying himself as he shot off to the heavens.

They were all staring at him.

He tensed at the realization.

He began flying away, wings flapping, praying that he could get away, to safety, anywhere. Then, a sharp painful feeling of realization and familiarity nearly stunned him before there was a bright flash of light, blinding and intense. His wings fluttered wildly, the familiar sensation of losing sense of reality hitting him like a truck. For a moment, the world flashed with dark shapes and forms as he fell - falling, falling. And he cried out, his scream piercing the air as he twisted to the side, desperately hoping that it wasn’t too late.

And then he hit the ground.

He let out a groan of pain as he lay on his stomach, curling in on himself as he fought to force his breathing under control. The pain of his fall, the shock and pain and sheer panic he felt, the pain in his heart.

“Ngh...” He managed, lifting his head up only to grimace in pain as it ached sharply. He reached up and rubbed at the spot on his forehead, feeling a bruise forming already - even though he hadn’t actually fallen onto his head. “Splendid.” He muttered to himself.

He let his fingers curl against the top of his head for a second before letting his hands drop, closing his eyes for a brief moment to try and regain some semblance of composure.

If anything, it made him more aware of just how exposed he was. Even with his abilities, even with his powers and authority, it seemed like Starr Park had found something to use against him.

How ironic, he mused bitterly to himself. He was supposed to bring these guys in. These guys were supposed to be his enemies. Instead of him bringing them in for judgement, they were going after him.

He gripped the cane, pushing himself up, deciding to think before taking off. He needed a plan, he decided. He needed an idea. And he needed it fast.

He took off, flying as fast as he could with his wings. He looked around frantically, scanning for anything that might offer an escape, anything that may give him an idea. Even if he had to leave behind people, he couldn’t help them if he was captured.

He was met with that same blinding flash of light, careening down towards the ground once more, only to hit a wall. Or rather, he crashed through a wall. He felt the impact jolt through his whole body, and he winced slightly, letting out a low groan as he pulled himself up.

“What in the…” He looked at the sky, looking for something that could’ve knocked him down. Or something that was the source of the…

What just happened?

He put a hand to his head, worriedly looking around himself. He couldn’t recall why he was here or what he had just experienced, just that he just got up with no idea what happened. He was scared, he was anxious… but why? What made his brain feel fuzzy and fuzzy around the edges. It hurt his head to even think about it.

It was strange, and yet… nothing else made sense. None of his other memories made sense - he could hardly recall what had happened. But angels didn’t have bad memory, that didn’t make sense. Nothing did.

It was unsettling to say the least, and he felt a wave of anxiety wash over him. Mortis looked around, deciding to walk to get a bearing of his surroundings. He noticed several odd things as he began to walk.

The trees were lovely, except it looked like something had broken some branches, leaving a small gap in the leaves. The golden path he walked along had some dents in it. Some flowers had been crushed and trampled. It was like something had fallen through the sky, but whatever it was, it was nowhere to be found.

“…why am I here?” He whispered softly, frowning as he started walking faster, his steps getting heavier and heavier, almost to the point of stumbling. He shook his head to clear it, taking deep breaths to calm himself.

He wanted to shake his head, telling himself that everything would turn out fine, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was horrendously wrong. He tried to think of something, anything.

He was a guardian. A guardian Angel. He remembered that. He was here to… to protect people. So he probably shouldn’t leave until he found them. That was the logical decision, right? To find them and help them. To save them, at least.

But what had happened just then? Why was he doing this?

“I… can’t remember. I must’ve forgotten something.”

That was the most logical thing. But Angels don’t just… forget. Angels aren’t capable of forgetting. If anything, they always remember, no matter what. They remember every single detail, even when it hurts.

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

He shook his head again, beginning to feel sick. He couldn’t place his finger on it but the atmosphere felt so different, it felt… off.

So, he hurried to keep moving, continuing to walk quickly through the park, trying to ignore the pain, the fear and anxiety. Trying to figure out what had just happened to him.

Something was wrong. There was a hole in his memories somewhere.

He shook his head harder, as if that would help.

“Ngggh…” He growled lowly, clenching his teeth as he continued to shake his head. He kept walking, refusing to stop, refusing to slow down or falter. He needed to get moving. He had a job to do and he couldn’t afford to waste another second.

But… what was he doing? Where was he? Why didn’t he remember? Why was he so scared?

He felt like he had to escape before he lost something important. Before something happened that he’ll never be able to recover from. Because he couldn’t let himself forget what happened. How terrified he felt, the way everything seemed to blur together so quickly - he couldn’t allow that.

Once again, he opened his wings, gliding as fast as he could into the sky, searching for any sign of life in the sky.

“I can’t afford to lose anyone.” He hissed, forcing himself not to stumble and trip as he moved swiftly across the sky. “Don’t let me forget. Don’t-“

He was an Angel. A protector. A bringer of light. He was here to protect people. And he was… leaving alone?

“Ach…” He hissed in slight pain, wincing as he flew a bit slower than the original speed. He glanced around, trying to look for anything, anything out of place. Anything strange, but his senses told him everything was normal.

Normal.

But that wasn’t right. Everything felt so wrong. Like something had happened. Like someone knew where he was.

No. No. This was crazy. This was a dream. It’s just a dream. Just a nightmare. A nightmare caused by stress and anxiety - what troubled him so much?

Maybe he had to protect someone. Maybe he shouldn’t leave. Shouldn’t just abandon them.

He shook his head, pressing his palm flat to his face. He should focus on finding his targets. Getting them back. Getting…

“I need to find them.” He said aloud, trying to convince himself of his own words. “There’s no time to spare. I need to get them, take them away. Away from this place.”

If he was surfing a simple brain fog, he couldn’t imagine what mortals would be suffering. It would be too painful. His mind wouldn’t be able to handle the pain of thinking about all the possibilities. All the horrible thoughts swirling around inside his own head that would be so unbearable to even think about that they would be impossible to bear.

It would break them. Make them shatter into pieces. No good Angel would leave mortals to that kind of fate. So, he would stay. He just needed a higher perspective so he could see better-

Light.

“Gah!” He cried out, falling through the sky. Falling. He fell.

He grabbed onto his chest tightly, squeezing his eyes shut as his arms flailed wildly as he struggled to regain control of his flight.

What was going on!? What was happening? He was falling - why was he falling?!

Why was he so scared?

He opened his eyes wide in shock, his grip loosened, allowing his hands to fall from where they had been clinging to his chest.

His vision began to swirl as his heart pounded in his chest. He blinked rapidly, attempting to keep his breathing steady, but his panic was making it hard. He couldn’t breathe. He was panicking. Oh God.

Where was he?

He felt like he was still plummeting through the air, unable to stop his fall. He tried to close his eyes against the wind, feeling something burn at the corners. The air whipped at his hair and clothes, tearing at him, and all he could do was brace himself for the crash.

Crash? Crash.

He was about to crash-

Mortis began to claw wildly at the air in a frenzy as if he just realized that he was falling. All he knew was that he was panicking, he was terrified, he was crying. He desperately tried to grab onto something despite now nonsensical it was. He couldn’t stop his hands from flying, clawing at anything that he could possibly reach. He wanted to scream in terror. He knew he could barely breath.

He closed his eyes tight, letting tears spill over as he clawed at his chest as if he was trying to get it out. His heart was screaming at him, like it had been broken a million times over. Like he realized something horrific but he had no knowledge.

He had never felt so helpless. Never felt more helpless in his entire existence. He was falling through the air with such force that he feared he break something if he were to hit the ground.

He crashed, crashing into the ground with such intensity that it cracked and shattered, sending shards everywhere. Dust filled the air, clouds of it obscuring sight, preventing Mortis from seeing his surroundings clearly. He curled up, feeling himself begin to cry, clutching his chest tightly, tears rolling down his face as he sobbed, his chest burning horribly.

“Help.” He gasped painfully, his eyes shutting tighter, tears dripping onto his cheeks. His arms wrapped around himself tighter. He was shivering slightly, although he could hardly tell.

There was a faint ringing in his ears as he came back to consiousness, his eyes still shut tight. His head spun and his chest tightened, and he felt his wings twitch. He took a deep breath before opening his eyes, wincing at the sudden brightness, before sitting up and taking another look around.

The dust that he assumed was stinging his eyes, didn’t help, and nothing immediately registered to him. Confused, he attempted to get up, feeling himself aching. He looked around for his cane, finding it nearby and grabbing it up, standing unsteadily. He turned to look around further, trying to figure out where exactly he was, before realizing.

He didn’t know. Or rather he was completely unsure of what happened at all. All he recalled was that he hurt, and he was looking for his cane to get up. That was about it.

“This is…” He mumbled quietly, raising his hands, shaking his head softly. “Where am I? Why did I come here? I thought I was working.”

Nothing at all came to mind. This place was vaguely familiar, reminding him of… he felt like he fit in in this area. There was a cottage, a few trees, golden paths. Fitting for an Angel.

Angel, he was a guardian Angel. He was supposed to protect people.

But… he didn’t know why this place made him feel so uncomfortable. He felt… empty. Empty and frightened. As if something had happened but he didn’t want to think about it. He didn’t want to remember it. He wasn’t sure if he could if he wanted.

Well, if this place was disturbing him, he could only imagine how poor mortals would be handling it.

His lips pulled into a frown as his hands dropped, staring around for a moment. If there was anyone out here, anywhere, then maybe he could try to get them out of whatever danger they might be in. Even if they weren’t in immediate danger. Especially if they weren’t in immediate danger. He couldn’t think of any danger here, nothing jumped out to him. But then again, he was exhausted, hurt, and emotional, for some reason. Nonetheless, he didn’t feel like he should leave. An Angel could handle this, surely.

He shook his head slowly, turning away, walking along one of the paths, his feet dragging slightly, his movements slow and unsteady as he walked. His wings were crumpled - not broken - but he didn’t pay any mind to it. They would be fine.

He would be fine.

He was fine.

He kept moving forward, trying to ignore the fear. The uncertainty. The doubt, the uncertainty. The fear. He didn’t want to think about it. Maybe he was just worried for the mortals. He always worried about them so much, maybe a bit too much, but they were fragile. Unlike him. It would take a lot to take down an Angel.

Maybe he’d go look for mortals soon, ease his own worries by watching over them. He did get teased for being a mother hen over the mortals, but it was part of his role as a guardian Angel. For now, he was tired, and this place looked very familiar. Maybe this was home.

He found himself at the front door of the cottage - he didn’t even know that he made his way over to it. Hesitantly, he opened the door, pushing it open gently as he stepped inside. Once he entered, he glanced around briefly before closing the door behind him softly. He glanced around the house. Nothing seemed out of place, aside from a single painting placed carefully beside a picture frame, which caught his attention for a moment.

Himself. He was never the prideful one, not asking for portraits, but it appeared that he indulged himself in a commission and it slipped his mind. He didn’t recall hanging it up, but he shrugged it off. It seemed silly anyway. Perhaps he hung it here as an oddity. A gift to himself. A reminder of sorts.

With a slight smile on his face, he moved forward. Surely, if he hung it up, this place was home.

#[free qwen’s dreams] #brawl stars #mortis #angel mortis #fanfic #writing #my writing #what if!brawl stars

[riversofmars]

Can’t believe this is actually happening! Part one of the grand (I hope lol) finale. I really hope you’ll be happy with how I’m wrapping it up... here we goooo!

Chapter 16: The Parting of Ways Part I

Clara gasped as she hit the floor with a thud. She was completely disoriented. A moment ago, she had been prepared to die, she had seen the Emperor’s knife heading towards her and accepted her fate. The teleport left her stunned. Who was responsible for saving her? And how did they do it? She scrambled to her feet, she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. 

“River…“ She mumbled to herself. The person who’d betrayed her and therefore the only one who  could have predicted the situation … it wasn’t gratitude she felt towards her, she had brought her into that position after all, but she clearly hadn’t been oblivious or ambivalent towards the consequences of her actions. It seemed as though she was keen to keep balance and playing all sides. She couldn’t help but admire her a little. 

Clara looked around to find out where she had been teleported to. A tent city of sorts, in the shadow of the Citadel. It was the dead of night and only some dying campfires gave any light at all. 

“Clara?“

Clara whipped around at the sound of a familiar voice.

“Of course you’re here…“ She sighed as she recognised the Monk walking towards her, he looked at her bewildered, as she was so completely out of place.

“What are you doing down here?“ He asked slowly, trying to figure out if she had been sent by the Emperor but the expression on her face and the defensive body posture told a different story.

“I was just leaving.“ Clara replied looking around for a way out. There were several people approaching now from all sides. Her arrival had not gone as unnoticed as she had initially assumed.

“Get Missy and the Doctor.“ The Monk said to a man to his left.

“You’ll be looking for a long time.“ Clara retorted, when she realised this had to be where the Doctor had gone to hide.

“What do you mean?“ The Monk frowned, confused.

“Oh, didn’t you know? Your fearless leaders are back at the palace, staring down the Emperor herself. Can’t imagine it’ll end very well, she’s not in a good mood.“ Clara answered flippantly. “To think I was so close… they only had to play along.“

“What happened?“ The Monk carried on, stepping closer.

“Oh you know, I was plotting to kill the Emperor with the help of the Doctor and her wife but they seemed to have other plans.“ Clara gave a little dismissive wave. “I should get going…“ She didn’t want to stay in this place any longer. It wasn’t exactly like they would be sympathetic towards her.

“You’re not going anywhere.“ Another man intervened that Clara vaguely recalled being called Manton. She had seen his file. “You haven’t got the Shade anymore.“

“Very observant.“ Clara replied curtly, trying her best to hide her anxiety buttoning up her shirt higher. She was helpless and they had just realised that.

“They have cast you out, haven’t they.“ The Monk realised.

“They were going to kill me so yeah, you could say that.“ Clara couldn’t resist the sarcastic reply.

“But why are you here?“ He asked, struggling to make sense of it.

“This is where River - the Doctor’s wife that is - sent me, when the Emperor was going to execute me.“ There was no point in lying. She was in an impossible situation. She had no friends to turn to on either side and the power of the Quantum Shade was gone, so she might as well be honest now and accept judgement whichever shape it should come in. She had already lived longer than she had expected.

“In that case, you will help us get our friends back. Word of your treason won’t have carried far yet, I can’t imagine the Emperor would want that rumour to spread.“ Manton said firmly. They could use her to get around the palace.

“Why would I help you?“ Clara asked, utterly bewildered.

“It’s the least you can do for her saving you. It won’t make up for what you’ve done, you will answer for your crimes too, but you owe us this much.“ The Monk retorted.

“There is absolutely no point, you can’t outsmart her. Missy and the Doctor are most likely already dead.“ Clara shook her head, they clearly didn’t grasp the magnitude of the situation.

“No. That’s the bells ringing in the end of this reign of terror.“ Manton gestured towards the Citadel, the Cloister Bells ringing steadily. “We have to free them, we can’t sit around any longer.“

“Then you will get yourself killed too. Don’t you see there is just no wait to overpower her? I thought I’d figured it out and then… no matter what the Doctor and her wife are planning, it won’t be enough. Missy should know that by now, she should never have clung to that false hope, the Emperor will have her head this time, you mark my words.“ Clara shook her head, her voice bitter. “She should have just given up, why didn’t she just stop?“ It made no sense to her. “Four and a half billion years, she kept going and for what?“ It was a question she had been asking herself for such a long time. She had been responsible for trapping Missy in the confessionary dial, she had spent an eternity in repetitive agony because of her, and yet she had kept going. The question as to why still eluded her.

“To do the right thing.“ The Monk answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“The right thing?“ Clara huffed. “That’s all a matter of perspective…“

“No, it’s not. There is right and wrong, good and bad. There are lines not to be crossed.“ Manton shot back and this time, Clara remained silent. What was she to say to that? She knew she had crossed too many of those lines herself to ever redeem herself. The twinge of guilt she felt was oddly welcome, as she thought of Missy and what was likely happening at the palace.

——

“Keep walking.“ Yaz gave River a shove for good measure as she lead her and Missy down to the holding cells.

“You really don’t have to be so pushy, you know.“ River sighed slowing down a little on purpose, solely to annoy their captors more.

“And you don’t have to be so confrontational.“ Missy hissed to her, worried she would make the situation worse for them. She couldn’t deny, she was a little confused. The Doctor had given her fair warning. When they had spoken of River, she had told her that she could be trouble, but she could hardly tell the difference to the River she knew. They were both overly confident, confrontational and inconsiderate, she just didn’t know when to shut up.

“So when she said arena, am I to think gladiator games?“ River looked to Missy curious for some answers, she knew she wasn’t going to get much out of Yaz.

“Something like that, yeah…“ Missy huffed, dreading to think about it. She hoped the Doctor had a plan… at least she was safe for the time being.

“How exciting.“ River grinned, which worried Missy even more.

“No, it’s not exciting, it’s a public, and very certain, death sentence!“ She hissed in annoyance.

“I’m starting to think your evil version is more fun.“ River sighed. “We broke out of prison together once, fun times, I’m getting an awful sense of deja vu.“ She observed when they reached the holding cells. Dungeon had been a suitable description, they were far underground by the looks of it, there was little light and the cells were set into heavy stone.

“There is no escape.“ Yaz informed them as she opened the cell door and gestured for them to stepped inside.

“Don’t worry, we will be awaiting our execution with baited breath.“ River smirked and walked past Yaz quite happily while Missy followed more reluctantly.

“I’m glad you’re still enjoying yourself, let’s see what you’re like when you’re in the arena and you realise she’s not coming back for you.“ Yaz couldn't resist, she wanted to make sure they understood they were defeated. There was no way the Doctor, wherever she was, would be able to save them now. “If she’s clever, she’ll take the opportunity and run and never look back.“ She locked the cell door.

“And yet, the bells are still ringing.“ River smirked stepping right back up to the bars to where Yaz was standing. “Get some rest, Captain, you look rather worn out.“ She gave her a quick once over. Her misadventure in the Cloisters had left her in worse shape than she cared to admit. Without comment, Yaz turned and walked away. “Judgement is coming for you all.“ River called after her in amusement, sensing she was getting under her skin. None of them would rest easily till morning, not with the Doctor at large.

“Was that really necessary?“ Missy scolded when they were alone at last.

“What’s to be gained by being placid?“ River asked looking around the cell. There was nothing but a metal bench.

“What’s to be gained by being confrontational?“ Missy retorted in annoyance.

“Everybody deals with stress in their own way.“ River shrugged and went to sit on the bench.

“Do you… where did she go?“ Missy asked after a moment of silence. She didn’t sit down, she hovered by the bars looking down the corridor. She didn’t want to doubt that the Doctor was fine and would be back, so she didn’t pose the question, trying to plan ahead instead. If there was such a thing as a plan to all this.

“Earth… some time in the past, I’m not entirely sure, I knocked the time coordinates at the end there, just in case, if they tried to get the information out of me.“ River revealed watching Missy curiously. She marvelled at the genuine worry painted all over her face. She hardly even looked like the Missy she knew.

“They may yet try to…“ She mumbled, there was no way of knowing which lengths the Emperor would go to.

“I think she knows I would sooner die than give up the Doctor.“ River smiled. The Emperor and her wife shared the same unbreakable bond, they would know that it would be a waste of time to question her at this point.

“Did you two plan this? Is there a plan?“ Missy had to ask. The two had barely seen each other, let alone have a chance to hatch a plan, and yet they seemed to be working hand in hand.

“I would like to pretend that there was a plan… but this is what it’s usually like. You just work with what you find and hope it somehow all works out in the end.“ River chuckled.

“And does it?“ Slowly Missy made her way over to her, beginning to feel more comfortable. Without an audience, River immediately appeared more approachable and her words were open and honest.

“Always has so far.“ River smiled as she watched her sit down.

“And what makes you think this isn’t the one time where the odds are just overwhelming.“ Missy couldn’t ignore her doubts altogether. As much as she believed in the Doctor, the odds seemed as insurmountable as ever.

“When you’re with the Doctor, you don’t give up. Ever.“ River shrugged, it was obvious to her but Missy hadn’t know her long enough yet to understand that, so she decide to explain: “We all just do what we can and keep going, keep trying, looking for something we can do, something we can use… The vortex manipulator seemed like a good bet. I knew River would have one cause I always had one. The Doctor is the only one who could dream up a way of stopping them so giving it to her, rather than using is myself, was the logical thing to do.“

“She did say she had some sort of a plan…“ Missy mused. River was making a whole lot of sense. If anyone could come up with a way of bringing down this reign of terror, it was the Doctor. And with time travel at her disposal, she had a real shot. She just had to figure out how to make it count.

“Then I hope I have done my bit to enable it.“ River smiled.

“She did say you wouldn’t need looking after.“ Missy mirrored her smile. She could see what the Doctor had meant when she said River wouldn’t really need their help.

“I am quite capable.“ River winked. “I like to have an ace or two up my sleeve, you never know.“

“Like with Clara?“ Like everyone else, Missy had been caught completely off guard by the disappearing act. She had fully expected her to get killed until River’s last minute miracle.

“Ah, see, that’s another good example of making the most of what we find.“ River chuckled, she had anticipated the question. “I’ll be honest, that was a fortunate coincidence in the end. I had expected her to die. When I made the gamble to betray her to the other River, I accepted that that would probably get her killed. I’m a pragmatist. I knew my best chance at finding a way out of here and a way to aid the Doctor would be to distract River and go through their resources. Clara made a good distraction.“

“You didn’t know you’d be able to save her?“ Missy frowned, unsettled by her apparent lack of remorse. She could tell she was being honest.

“From what I’ve learned about this universe, about these people, about her… she probably would have deserved it. That made the choice slightly easier.“ River shrugged. “And even when I was going through stuff and found the emergency teleport mechanism… I hadn’t intended on using it on her until she really was about to get killed… It was intended as a way out for me, should I need one.“ She revealed.

“What?“ Missy’s eyes widened in shock. River had decided to save Clara instead of herself, when it came to it.

“Don’t misunderstand, Master. I didn’t give my way out up for Clara’s benefit. It wasn’t because I thought she deserved saving.“ River smiled apologetically, she could tell Missy was thoroughly confused. “With the Doctor gone, I didn’t want to leave you behind as well, having to deal with them on your own, and I didn’t want the teleport to go to waste, so Clara was the unwitting benefactor.“

“I uh…“ Missy didn’t know what to say and River didn’t need her to say anything, she just reached for her hand.

“Have a little faith, we’re alive, we’re fine, the Doctor is doing her thing. Now, we just hang on for the time being.“

“Thank you.“ Missy gave her hand a squeeze. “Not, necessarily, for sticking around with me when you had a way out. That was probably stupid. Particularly if we end up getting killed in the arena… but you and the Doctor wanting to help… when you could just be on your way… between the two of you, you’d have found a way back to your reality in no time if you’d wanted to.“

“Ah well, the Doctor has never been able to walk away from toppling a tyrant.“ River winked. “Besides… I’m sure finding a version of the Master she can actually trust… that probably means a great deal to her.“

“Well, having met her means a great deal to me, too.“ Missy smiled weakly, trying not to let her emotions overwhelm her. “I’d pretty much given up hope… I mean, we’re at the end of all things, trapped in the Emperor’s perfect little Empire… nothing to do, nowhere to go… She…“ Suddenly, Missy stopped speaking mid-sentence, she blinked, confused, having lost her train of thought.  

“What is it?“ River asked, immediately concerned.

“It’s… I don’t know like… are these new memories forming? But how…“ She looked to River. “It’s the Doctor… I’ve… met her before.“

——

The Doctor knocked for a third time and looked around to make sure she wasn’t being followed. Earth was a battlefield, the Emperor - or Doctor, still at this time - had really gone to town. She had never seen the devastation of these events first hand, the Master had kept her in a cage when he had carried out these deeds in her universe. She could only presume things had been similar at the time. She averted her eyes and focused on the door in front of her. One battle at a time. She looked at the vortex manipulator on her wrist. Time is what it would take. A lot of it. So much to do… She could only hope she hadn’t miscalculated. She was drawn from her thoughts when finally, the door in front of her was being opened.

“Harold Saxon? Mind if I come in?“ The Doctor smiled at the Master who looked back at her in confusion. She looked up and down the road again to make sure she hadn’t been followed.

“I uh… I think you’ve come to the wrong place…“ He started saying but she interrupted him, she didn’t have time for this, so much to do still.

“No, I think I’m in exactly the right place, now if you don’t mind…“ She pushed past him.

“Who… what… you shouldn’t be here…“ Quickly the Master closed the door, worried someone would see and recognise him. He had been travelling around the globe, trying to help people, but he couldn’t stay anywhere for too long.

“Don’t worry, not going to tell on you, I know you’re busy and everything, preventing the end of the human race. I think this one actually works out alright for you too. Sort of a stale mate, hard to tell, this universe is really confusing. Now, do you have access to your TARDIS?“ The Doctor stopped in her tracks and turned back around to face him. He nearly bumped into her.

“What?“ The Master looked at her dumbfounded. That was an awful lot of information to take in.

“Okay, I feel like I need to rewind a bit…“ The Doctor smiled apologetically, she had gone too fast again. “Hello, Master, I’m the Doctor.“

“You… can’t be.“ The Master took a step back, stunned and confused.

“I am but not the one you’re thinking of. I’m from a distant point in your future and also from a parallel universe. I know it’s a bit much right now but I have a lot of time to get through… and vortex manipulator travel really takes it out of you. So if we could skip ahead to the part where you believe me so we can carry on, that would be great.“ The Doctor explained.

“I think I need to sit down.“ The Master felt a little dizzy with the flood of information but the craziest thing about it wasn’t the information itself, it was the fact that when he looked at her, searched her eyes, he knew she was speaking the truth. He dropped onto a chair by a well worn dining table.

“Good, so do I.“ The Doctor sighed and sat down across from him. She had been at this a while now and rest wasn’t really an option.

“Do you just… expect me to believe all this?“ He asked, after a moment’s consideration.

“Unfortunately, yes. The fate of the entire universe depends on it.“ She replied with a little shrug. “I need your help, I need you and your TARDIS.“ She carried on as he was seemingly getting over the initial shock.

“I’m sure you can understand why I’m a bit sceptical… the Doctor is out there, enslaving all of humanity and I’m one man in a shack…“ The Master said slowly, wondering what other terrible things were happening elsewhere in the universe right now.

“I know you are and you’re doing great, really. But this is not the big fight, Master. It’s one of many. But there is one you can’t afford to lose.“ The Doctor reached out for his hand.

——

“Ahh clever girl.“ River grinned as she waited for Missy to recover. “Anything in particular spring to mind?“

“She’s got a plan…“ Missy realised and looked up to River with a sense of relief and excitement. The Doctor was fine. She was out there, travelling through time, leaving her mark and sharing her plan with her past selves. It was the strangest feeling but it was as if Missy had always known about it. “I don’t understand it, there’s pieces missing still but it must be a clever one.“

“Of course it is.“ River smirked, knowing her wife well enough by now.

“There’s more… so many times, so many versions of me…“ Missy’s head was spinning, she bent over, cradling her head with the strain of it.

“Here, hang on…“ River got up and made Missy lie down. They couldn’t be sure what exactly the Doctor was doing, interfering with Missy’s timeline but it wasn’t exactly easy on her mind by the looks of it. “You should get some rest. Remember, we got a big day ahead of us, fighting for our lives in the morning.“ She joked and Missy actually laughed a little.

“Can’t say I’m looking forward to it.“ She sighed, as she closed her eyes, feeling dizzy.

“Well, it’s not exactly my first time as a gladiator.“ River shrugged as she sat back down at the end of the bench, next to Missy’s head.

“Oh?“ Missy chuckled, she should have expected as much. “When was that then?“

River laughed lightly and brushed back a rough strand of hair from Missy’s face as she leaned back, relaxing herself.

“Well, there was this one time when the Doctor and I…“

——

“Where have you been all this time?“ The Emperor snapped when Amy and Rory showed up in the royal quarters the next morning.

“Getting a good night’s sleep.“ Amy replied a little defensively and confused. “What about breakfast then?“

“Are you serious? Have you not been hearing the bells?“ River exclaimed exasperated. She sat at the dining table piled high with food that neither her nor her wife had touched. The Emperor was pacing, unable to sit still. Neither of them had been able to sleep after the events of the night.

“Oh, that’s what that is?“ Rory strolled over to the table and picked up some grapes from a fruit platter.

“What happened, you look concerned…“ Amy frowned, studying her daughter expression as she came to join her husband.

“Well, while you’ve been getting your beauty sleep, we’ve discovered and stopped a coup.“ The Emperor snapped.

“That’s good, isn’t it.“ Amy asked, confused as to why she was so irritable.

“We also lost the Doctor.“ River revealed with a sigh.

“Less good… what happened?“ Amy looked in between the two women. The Emperor was quick to answer:

“While your dear daughter here has been busy uncovering Clara’s treason and overpowered her, she took the improvident risk of leaving her doppelgänger in our quarters.“ The Emperor still couldn’t believe she had allowed herself to be played like that.

“I could hardly have anticipated her going through our things!“ River retorted defensively.

“What did you expect her to do, wait around for you to get back?“ The Emperor shot back, a clear sign of her stress levels rising, she never usually talked to her like that.

“She had just betrayed Clara to us, she appeared to have sided with us.“ River snapped, the stress getting to her as well.

“You can’t trust anyone, anyone outside of this room. Clara is proof of that.“ The Emperor groaned exasperated. “How has no-one found her yet?“

“Wherever she was transported to, it has to be on Gallifrey, there is nothing beyond it. We will find her.“ River gave a wave of her hand. She wasn’t exactly concerned with Clara. She was no threat to them now. Idly she ran her fingers along the tattoo lines stretching up her neck.

“Clara is on the run?“ Rory asked, trying to get to grips with what was happening.

“Yes but she is harmless now.“ River reassured them.

“And what about the Doctor?“ The Emperor snapped in annoyance.

“The generals are watching the time streams, she will slip up eventually and we will find her. Plus, it’s only a matter of time until she will be back.“ River retorted.

“What makes you say that?“ Amy asked.

“Because her wife and best friend will be publicly executed in less than two hours. I should think she’ll want to be here for that.“ River smirked excitedly, at least something to look forward to.

“That’s alright then.“ Amy shrugged and reached for a plate. “Breakfast?“

——

Neither Missy nor River slept much for the remainder of the night. Instead they shared stories of their lives, learning about each other and even though the Doctor wasn’t with them, her presence was felt in every line, every story.

When footsteps echoed down the corridor, they both looked up. Ryan and Graham stepped into view. The Emperor clearly only trusted her most loyal companions by this point.

“Oh is it that time already? I was hoping for breakfast in bed.“ River sighed theatrically when Ryan unlocked the bars.

“Get moving.“ He ordered.

“Lead the way.“ River stepped out of the cell and Missy followed, trying her best to hide her anxiety.

“I really hope she knows what she’s doing…“ Missy mumbled to River as they walked along the corridor. Although the memories had settled down in Missy’s mind, she was none the wiser as to what the Doctor was really planning. The more she tried to think about what happened next to her past selves after meeting the Doctor, the more blurry the memories got. Perhaps because it hadn’t happened yet?

“If there is one thing I believe in, it’s the Doctor.“ River gave her a reassuring smile.

——

“Lovely day for it.“ River stepped out onto the balcony that overlooked the arena. With a weather as sunny and stable as the seasons on Gallifrey, it was always lovely weather for it. The binary suns where blazing down on the sand, the had really captured the ancient Rome aesthetic the Emperor enjoyed so much. The stands were full, the guards had seen to it.

“Is everywhere secure? Are the troops on hand?“ The Emperor asked of Yaz who had joined them in the royal box.

“Every inch of the arena is being monitored.“ The captain of the guard confirmed.

“Any word from the generals?“ The Emperor continued her questioning and the answer was a prompt one:

“Nothing.“

“Let’s get this show on the road.“ The Emperor knew this was their best chance at luring the Doctor back here to be captured. She stepped up to the balustrade of the balcony where her wife was waiting for her. Despite the stands being crowded, silence fell swiftly as she held up her hands.

River shielded her eyes against the suns when her and Missy where being shoved into the arena. It took a moment to get used to the blazing heat and blinding light as they looked around. No wild beasts or gladiators charging at them just yet. There were, however, confused murmurs amongst the crowd upon recognising River.

“Oh I love the ancient Rome aesthetic they’ve got going.“ River stated as she looked around.

“You know this means we’re either going to be torn limb from limb by wild animals or will have to fight people who are actually trained to fight.“ Missy said sounding worried as they made their way further onto the floor of the arena.

“I’m trained to fight.“ River shrugged, unfazed.

“Speak for yourself.“ Missy huffed and River grinned:

“This just seems like a fun weekend activity if you ask me.“

“How can you be so relaxed about this?“ Missy couldn’t believe her attitude.

“Because I have faith.“ River replied.

“She really must be something, your Doctor.“ Missy did admire the trust River placed in her. She had not hesitated to give the vortex manipulator to her.

“You know she is.“ River retorted looking up to the royal box where she spotted her wife’s doppelgänger glaring down at them.

“You told me the Doctor always wins… well, so does the Emperor… So, who is going to win this? If they’re both undefeated, who will walk away from this?“ Missy asked but River didn’t get the opportunity to respond as the Emperor’s voice echoed through the arena, amplified for everyone to hear and cower.

“People of Gallifrey, welcome to the annual celebration of the forming of our empire.“ There was reluctant cheering that grew when the Emperor frowned in annoyance. Once satisfied with the volume of cheers, she carried on: “You have all heard the Cloister Bells tolling through the night. I will not keep from you that our Empire has been under attack. Despite our best efforts to eliminate all threats to us, we couldn’t account for insidious forces from another, parallel universe to our own. I’m pleased to say we have succeeded in subduing these threats.“ There were few cheers this time, just concerned and confused murmurs. The Emperor gestured for silence and the crowd complied waiting with baited breath. “So here we are, as a reminder of what happens to traitors and dissidents.“ She grinned, regarding Missy and River with wicked delight: “You’re sentences to death, both of you, for attempting to incite a coup.“

“And who, pray tell, is brave enough to carry out that sentence? I’m in the mood for a good fight.“ River called, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“River, don’t antagonise her…“ Missy hissed as she surveyed the arena for a way out.

“Why not?“ River shrugged and yelled up to the balcony again: “I don’t imagine you are brave enough to come down here yourself, so who’s it going to be?“

“Let me do the honours, Emperor.“ Yaz was quick to volunteer.

“I’m not risking anyone of the few people I trust still.“ The Emperor huffed, visibly displeased at her open challenge, but she couldn’t back down, they were in front of people.

“Do you not think I could take her?“ Yaz asked, obviously disappointed. Since the Doctor had tricked her in the Cloisters, she was eager to get her revenge and killing the Doctor’s wife seemed like a satisfying way of doing that.

“I know my wife.“ The Emperor growled, she knew she couldn’t underestimate this River.

“Then let me, I have some scores to settle. We’re evenly matched.“ The Emperor’s wife suggested but she would hear of it either:

“I am not risking you getting hurt.“ The Emperor snapped.

“What’s taking so long, are you picking straws? You wouldn’t want to appear weak and indecisive in front of your people would you?“ River called up from the arena floor again sounding incredibly smug.

“River, what are you doing?“ Missy hissed.

“What I always do when my wife is late to an appointment.“ River answered with a wink: “Play for time.“

“Get me a firing squad.“ The Emperor looked to Yaz who nodded and barked instructions into a comms device.

“Ah, see now, that’s unfortunate…“ River huffed when ten guards, armed with rifles, walked out from the stands and onto the arena floor. “Guess that’s the difference between a fair fight and an execution…“ She mumbled. “Any moment now, Sweetie, would be great…“ She looked around for a sign of her wife but nothing so far. Meanwhile the guards lined up.

“You don’t have to do this.“ Missy burst out, holding her hands out to them. “Please, you know what all this, all of it, it’s wrong! If everyone just stopped listening to her, she would lose her power, don’t you see, if you just…“

“Enough of that.“ The Emperor interrupted her. “Take aim.“ She barked at the guards who drew their guns, some of them obviously reluctantly. They were Gallifreyans, all of them. Missy recognised some of them for having fought alongside them in the Time War. “On my command…“ The Emperor grinned, regarding both Missy and River one last time, steadfast in her decision. She had allowed Missy to carry on for too long, whatever sentimental attachment she still felt towards her, she had betrayed her one time too many. And River… even though she loved the face she wore, she couldn’t be allowed to live, either. In fact, she looked forward to seeing the Doctor’s reaction to finding out she had been killed. If the Doctor ever chose to return at all.

“Not so fast!“ A voice sounded at the far end of the royal box and they all whipped around to see the Monk.

“How did you get in here?“ The Emperor snarled and realised immediately that he was’t alone. Manton held a gun to Clara’s head, she had been their bargaining chip for getting into the royal box. They were accompanied by a large group of men and women, armed and ready to fight for their freedom.

“Isn't this quaint. A little rebellion.“ River growled and the Emperor fixed her eyes on Clara.

“Just when I thought I couldn't be more disappointed in you.“ She hissed. “But at least I’ll get the chance to kill you properly now.“

“Wasn’t exactly my idea, was it.“ Clara protested but she fell silent as she looked down into the arena to see Missy facing down a firing squad. Maybe they had come at just the right time…

“It’s no matter. This was incredibly stupid of all of you.“ The Emperor looked around as Amy pulled out a gun, Rory his broadsword, Yaz, Ryan and Graham readied their weapons and the recently acquired tattoos on River’s chest started dissolving threateningly.

Chaos ensued as Amy took the first shot. Manton shoved Clara aside and went for Rory, barely evading the Raven that struck down two men behind him. There was blaster fire. Clara ducked for cover as the Monk attacked Amy. The Emperor looked on with unadulterated joy. As annoying as this whole misadventure was, she loved the chaos, the blood spill, and these foolish people didn’t stand a chance against them. The Emperor turned back to the arena, remembering what they were actually doing.

“Fire!“ She shouted above the noise of the fighting and the guards did. Everyone stopped moving for a moment, looking to the arena floor waiting for the dust to clear. “How…“ The Emperor stared in disbelief, when she found Missy and River standing unharmed, they both looked confused themselves as they looked around. Every single shot had missed.

Suddenly, with a crackle of energy, the Doctor appeared behind the Emperor.

“Hello again.“ The Doctor grinned and threw herself at the Emperor, knocking into her and pulling her over the balustrade of the balcony with her.

#doctor who #fanfiction #river song #thirteen #thirteenth doctor #river x thirteen #Space wives #missy #clara oswald #amy pond #Rory williams #the monk #femslash #yowzah #the master #the doctor #thoschei friendship #Mirror Universe #Mirrorverse #through the looking glass #dark!13 #dark!doctor #thirteen/river #action/adventure #dark

[captbenscn]

The Diner

Continued from here.

@irasciblesoul​

“You’re my only family. I want to get to know my nephew. Come on. Wednesday. Lunch. My day off. You pick the place, the time. I can be anywhere.”

His smile was full of hope. A smile Olivia hadn’t seen in years, but one that seemed genuine to her. He looked good - he looked healthy. Admittedly, she had missed him - her brother, her only blood family, she had often wondered where he was and how he was doing, but his appearance was completely unexpected. Winded her. Especially with her son at her side - a son Simon didn’t know existed. A brother Noah didn’t know she had. His Uncle.

His plea struck Olivia’s heart. At first about to refuse, but he stopped her. Begged her to give him a chance - another chance. She was hesitant, afraid, not only for herself, but for her son. For someone to come into his life once again only to disappear, to hurt him. Her son has been through enough pain and quite frankly, so has she.

Family.

Olivia reminds herself.

Family is everything. Elliot’s words echo throughout her mind. Gone for ten years, but never completely out of her life. Out of her mind, or out of her heart. Always a heavy presence.

And so Olivia agrees. Lunch. Wednesday. Once chance. A chance that comes...

And a chance that goes. They’re waiting at their table, waiting for someone that doesn’t show. She didn’t get her hopes up for that reason, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less. Doesn’t make her any less angry and he lets him know. Leaves a voicemail - one that severs any hope of reconnection with the last of her blood family - with the brother she came to care for. That she risked her career for.

“Simon, it’s me and Noah. And we are here waiting for you. Listen, uh, I knew that this was a bad idea. So, uh, don’t... don’t bother calling me back, okay? As a matter of fact, Simon, don’t - don’t ever call me.”

And he never did. Again. Because the next day, Olivia had been told of his death. A suspected suicide, overdose. Melinda confirming that he had been sober for years prior to this despite Olivia’s skepticism. Until now... until she left that voicemail that could have sent him into a spiral. Sent him spiraling into darkness and depression - the feeling of deep hopelessness and abandonment. The last thing he heard her, or perhaps, anyone say to him.

And the guilt ate at her every single day. She didn’t even offer to hear his excuse for showing up, didn’t ask if he was okay - instead she jumped to her own conclusion, accusing him of letting them down without the direct words, but the meaning was there... what kind of sister was she? What kind of person was she?

There are tears in Olivia’s eyes as she sits across from Elliot at the table. Even though she now knew he had never heard that voicemail, it didn’t absolve the heavy guilt that came from it. That came from the assumption that he had willingly taken drugs himself. But really, he had been murdered. At first meant to be a night to relieve the stress of his misfortunes hosted by an old ‘friend’ of his, but it had gone horribly wrong. That was the real reason he hadn’t shown up for lunch - through no fault of his own. Like she accused.

His death - this entire time - had gone without true justice. Until that recent case re-opened the investigation, one that connected with Bell and Elliot’s own investigation into the drug called Purple Magic. The two squads came together and in the end, justice had been reached. Just for her brother, allowing her a peace of mind, allowing the agony to fade even if just a little bit, but the guilt... had not. Probably wouldn’t for a while, but at least she knew.

And it was with great help from El. Even when she accused him of saying the wrong thing during their interview after being shot at, he was still willing to help her. He’d been there at the beginning of everything with Simon and he was there at the end of it, too. And it meant a lot to her, especially because he was the only one that knew just how much she had gone through with Simon. He’d been there for it all, being her support while trying to keep her from losing herself because of it which she almost did. Temper lost on a suspect, lashing out at their own Captain...

He helped her back then and he helped her now. So, yes, she did need to thank him.

“Just let me thank you.” Olivia responds, flashing him a little smile. “If you hadn’t been here, I may not have ever found out the truth.” Or if she had, it could have taken a lot longer. But regardless, his return had allowed for some good to happen and that was the meaning behind her words. Despite the pain and shock and confliction that came with his return, so did some peace. Some relief. Some hope. Some joy, too.

Especially being back in here. A diner they were all too familiar with, despite the updated furnishings and color. But it still held special meaning for them, a place where they reconnected, where they found their way back to one another after serious complications. After their Partnership had suffered - taken a severe hit, but they healed.

And she was feeling deja vu in this very moment sitting here with him, drinking coffee, after some time apart. Years this time, instead of months.

She watches the way he takes small sips from his mug and the way he swallows slowly, as though dreading it in his stomach. “Alright, so, when are you going to order coffee from Rome?” She questions with a smirk. “Because the fact that you can barely even drink their coffee anymore,” From the diner they enjoyed it from most. “Really has me curious. And you insist on torturing yourself with it.” She chuckles, then there’s this shine in her eyes. “You might fair better with their orange juice.”

#The Diner is perfect because it is THE diner #their diner #and we were robbed of this scene ugh #BUT WE WILL MAKE UP FOR IT #irasciblesoul #( Main Verse; The Diner )

[klariwitch]

All You Ever Were was One’s and Zero’s

There was some sort of light above them. It casted long shadows among their noses, their bodies that pressed tightly against one another’s and even the little lilies scattered by the pond nearby. Was it the sun? Sure. Could be, if you were to look past the science fiction side of it. So, maybe it was a laser, or not, either way he found himself completely distracted from all the possible ill intent it held. He didn’t care. No, not when he had all this.

Conner was with him. Right there. Holding him oh so tightly. It was the way they were always supposed to be. His do-over.

The grass scratched at their legs below. It was nice at first, but now just annoying and itchy. He’d most certainly puff right up tomorrow but what did he care? Hell, he’d  choose to sniffle and sneeze all week if he had to.

They probably should have gotten up earlier, time passed so much quicker on the screen. Almost like, a movie you really like? One you’d never wish to end. Well, the credits were well past rolling. It was the kryptonian that kept him there. Tied him down like an anchor. It was okay, though. All is well in pure bliss. 

Kon huffed. He nudged his side slightly. “Hey,” he chuckled. What a fucking angel, “I know that look,” he nodded, brain doing small turns and twists. “Care to share what’s gotcha so stuck in that big brain of yours, wonder boy?” His voice. Oh god his voice. It rasped so heavenly and choked him into lust. Tim slid into his lap. They sat against the old barn, the rusty red paint properly poisonous, chipped and splintered from wear. 

They were indeed where they belonged. Not, in the city. Sure, that’s where they hung out most often and where they were to reside, but really they could only truly thrive out in the country. There, it would be quiet, peaceful, and…happy?

read the rest on ao3

Tim rolled his eyes in a playful manner. He tilted his head to stare at Kon, he could so easily lose himself in the depths of his eyes. Like some sort of romantic maze of one's and zero's.

He tangled his fingers in the inky curls. “Just that, I like this,” the boy shrugged, lips pursed. His voice kept quiet, almost like a hushed whisper with his mind preoccupied.

“You like this?” Kon chuckled, raising his eyebrow. Tim hummed a soft agreement as he felt large hands slip up his waist. “Care to be more specific?”

The robin tilted his head back, giving a soft sigh and hopefully the sudden sort of ability to quickly hide a blush. When he turned back, he held on to Kon’s face, fingers balancing below his jaw. Leaning slightly, he craned his head to dip in for a kiss. One, that would only last a split second before he pulled back away.

“Well, lets see,” Tim started, resting one hand on Kon’s chest and the other still gripping the black locks. “I missed that,” he gave his lips a glance, “I missed this, I missed you. I missed your touch, I missed your laugh, I missed your dumb jokes and your little rants and your cockiness and your smile and god, I missed your charm,” Tim groaned, looking away now.

Kon rested his head against the old boards of the barn. His fingers inched up his lover’s hip, and the other caressed the small muscles in his arm. He brought his palm in for a kiss, then set it down on his heart. His beating heart. “Fuck, Tim,” he bit his lip. “You didn’t lose me. You didn’t lose any of that,” Tim could hear the sigh escape his lips. If he were to sink any closer he could feel the hot breath on his neck.

The only problem was, he did lose him. Very much so. The Superboy died nearly a year ago and he hasn’t came back till now. Maybe that’s why it felt off. Why was he here again? Come to think of it, none of this was right. The blue sky tended to glitch around them, and he was pretty sure the original spot they had settled in was in the field. They had held hands and kissed in the dirt whilst flooded in nothing other than wheat. He remembered thinking that the sun didn’t hurt his eyes no more. No, not as it did before, not while Kon was huddled over him, kissing his-

No. He wasn’t to look far enough into it. He held on to Kon, in the now instead. This was better. This would be safer.

“Can you just kiss me?” He muttered, voice shaky and eyes tired.

Kon groaned. He'd never looked at him with such sad eyes before.“Tim, look-"

He kissed him. Kissed him because he didn’t want to fucking talk he just wanted to be held. With Conner, he felt completed. Obviously this was something he wouldn’t so easily let go of. The clone played along too, giving into the simulation in every way possible.

Then, a single tear came between them, and when Kon jolted away Tim watched his own tear stream down Kon’s cheek. How lovely was that? Anyway, the water flooded his eyes now and would have flowed over if it wasn’t for the thankful barriers.

Yet, they broke. Harshly, too. Like a dam ready to burst. Hot tears flooded down his cheeks and dripped from his chin. Besides all that, the boy managed to remain almost completely emotionless and dull. What a scary look.

“Jesus,” Kon swore. “Tim? Love, you didn’t lose me. I'm right here. I promise,” he pleaded, holding his darling oh so very close. He lifted his chin, turning him face to face.

Tim held his expressionless disarray.

“What can I do to help? Whatever it may be,” Kon asked, too sweet for his own good.

His muscles stiffened. Any sort of way that could keep him from touching him, really. Why did he feel so nauseous?

It was all fake. All artificial and false and any other sort of synonym to describe the true alarm of the situation

A sob developed in his throat. “Can you just talk? I don’t care about what I just…” Tim looked him in the eye, “my head is so loud.” His request was obviously simple enough, because he heard a small ‘of course’ in return.

Kon pondered for a moment, it wasn’t everyday someone was to encourage him to talk. “Y’know, now that you ask me to its like my mind is just drawing blanks?” That earned a soft laugh. When Tim opened his eyes, it was just as before only this time, he was looking directly up at blue skies. He was laying on his back, not one cloud in sight.

“Lets see, well, one time I sunk a tractor?” Kon offered. His story continued on too, but to Tim it all sounded like babbles, getting drowned out by inaudible sound.

He realized then his full surroundings—some sort of strawberry field, with everything around them so overgrown and the light dimming that suggested evening. His head still was placed on Kon’s lap, of course he’d only notice that when he felt familiar fingers twirling his hair.

Something about this was nostalgic, like some sort of odd case of deja vu.

“We moved,” Tim stated duly. His doll eyes stared up at Kon with such curiosity, and his arm reached to caress the side of his cheek. Solid. Real. Even when all he really was-

“Hm. Yeah, I guess we did, didn’t we?” The meta glanced around. He picked one little white flower from the strawberry bush, tucking it neatly into Tim's hair. What an angel. His ttk seemed to be present as well, Tim found himself shuddering as the imaginary compression of hands snaked down his body and scrapped against his collarbones. “Malfunction?”

“Yeah, I suppose so,” Tim nodded, swallowing his gasp.

“C’mon, let's get out of here,” Kon finally announced. He stood then, bringing his lover up with him.

“What?” The Robin asked shockingly. On his feet now, he could feel the soft flower buds tickling up the ends of his jeans as he was lead out of the small field.

“I want to show you something,” Kon insisted, bringing him further along.

“Kon,” Tim halted. The air between them felt almost toxic and unwelcoming.

“What it is?”

“We uh,” the boy started, looking around for some help. “I mean, I don’t think we can..” Why couldn’t he finish? This was all so wrong, so incorrect and not to mention horrible for his health. The world quite literally felt like it was going to crash, how were they to surpass this? Who were they to decide to keep going? The system had already been running for so long…well he wasn’t quite sure how much longer it could go.

“Why do you only ever care when it's getting good?” Kon asked him harshly. That was sure to break his trance.

“What?” Tim shot back in shock. He was still holding his hand, only now Tim could feel his grip getting tighter. Bone crushing.

“Kon,” he gasped, eyes wide, “you’re hurting me,”

“Oh,” was all the superboy said in return. He loosened his grip and smiled, “shall we continue on?”

Tim just nodded. What else was he supposed to do? His hand throbbed, heart matching the same. He wanted again to ask where they would even go, but who knew what the computer would throw at him this time. Or, maybe it was his subconscious begging him to stay.

****

It didn’t take long for the pair to reach the car. It was of course the Kent’s old truck, parked in the midst of the driveway. The one that seemed to go on for miles. Maybe it did.

****

       He’d never seen so many trees in his life. It was like, being in a forest when really they were just driving down a dirt road. The trees seemed to change colors as they drove on, from darker greens to lightened ones and then fading into dead yellows and…reds? Fall.

The system was crashing, time speeding up far faster than could be contained. He’d have to leave this soon.

Somewhere along the way, Kon’s hand found his thigh. Tim looked up when he noticed, only to see his lover smiling at their surroundings. He placed his hand to overlap Kon’s.

He wanted to ask, ‘are we there yet?’ Like some sort of impatient child, but before he even had the chance to, the engine roared to a stop.

“Well?” Kon turned for his reaction.

All around them sat more trees, which didn’t appear to be much till he spotted the red fruit. An apple orchard.

In the center was nothing but a red checkered blanket and a bottle of white wine, accompanied by two tall glasses.

“You, Conner Kent, have truly outdone yourself,” Tim smiled, looking over his shoulder from the landscape, to his loving boyfriend.

It wasn’t so sad anymore, all the glitches. After all, he was sure the system could hold on just a tad longer, right?

“There it is,” Kon sighed a bit of joking relief, “there’s that famous Timothy Drake smile,”

He rolled his eyes at the tease, of course the never could have a sweet moment with the reminder of being best friends.

“Zip it,” Tim hissed, pulling his boyfriend in for a kiss. It was all too familiar, lips pressed together softly with some sort of rhythm going. Maybe he was just that lucky, too, because suddenly the car had no middle compartment he remembered, making it easier to slip into his lap.

Just like magic, he had Kon’s hands holding him steady at the hips and his own bringing him closer with his fingers intertwined with untamed curls.

They smiled, heads tilting and breaths quickening. If they were to have done this back at Gotham they’d have the paparazzi all over, the media would annoyingly wonder, “who is Gotham’s youngest bachelor dating?” But, without all that they could give less than one fuck.

It was only, when he felt strong hands slip up his shirt did it get interesting. Then feeling of warm fingertips against his cold back was something ethereal, like something could just possess him and ask for Kon to never stop.

Within enough time there was something new to drive him crazy—that being the trailing of kisses down his own jaw and down to his neck. This time, Tim allowed a few soft sounds to escape his lips, ones that bounced their way around the small roof of the old truck.

He thought, maybe he’d tell him he loved him, that he never wanted to leave this place and that he would promise to make it happen.

His knuckles went white when he gripped the seat, he could feel all sorts of emotions flooding his brain, all as kon slipped his way up-

The soft cushion of his lap turned to concrete. The fastest it ever had before.

It was numbing, really, the way his elbow hit the ground.

Tim cried out.

“Kon?” He called, sitting up in almost an instant.

He wasn’t there, though. He wouldn’t be there to lift him up off the ground.

“I wasn’t finished..” He whispered, tears welling in his eyes.

Above him, he stared. The blackened lens of the projector stared back at him, evilly.

“I said,” Tim spat, standing up to get a better look at the mindless machine. “I wasn’t finished!” He yelled at it. “I wasn’t ready yet!” The robin screamed at the projector, he’d probably hit it down if he was close enough.

It was times like this, where he couldn’t think. He couldn’t breath or speak. All he was left with was the ability to scream. To cry. To throw himself against the hard walls and punch the stone till the skin over his knuckles turned raw and sensitive.

He would look at the controls. Begging and praying to no god to bring his beloved superboy back.

Screaming and crying doesn’t help, though. Even with voice control. The audio constantly insisted on being fried whilst the robin barked back for it to all start up.

“System overload,” the robotic voice reported.

The creator sat slumped over in the corner. His eyes were bright red and puffy, cheeks flushed and hands torn to shreds. “Please..” He would beg the system, the one that didn’t understand that sort of command. “I love him, you know that?”

Still, the computer didn’t budge.

His chest felt heavy, hot and overemotional. It was fake but it still hurt. He lost Kon. Again. He wasn’t able to decide when he wanted to leave before the system shut down itself. But, who could blame it, really? That was sure to happen when you stay in for an almost forty-eight hour period. It was fried. Overworked, just as Tim was. Now he had no choice but to let the system to rest.

How had he almost forgotten he was there? Like some sort of magic wooed him into confusing tech and reality. Almost like some sort of alluring way of putting him to shame.

From then, he’d get to work. The next week or so he would simply spend his time hunched over a small computer screen, eyes wearing from overloading amounts of one’s and zero’s.

In no time, he spotted the hundred of bugs, that and the needed storage.

“That explains the teleportation and seasonal jumps,” he’d talk to himself aloud, anything to reassure the idea of losing his love.

He got to work immediately.

#timkon #Tim Drake #Kon-El #I know I already posted this I deleted it on accident #Red Robin #Superboy #timkon ao3 #tim drake x conner kent

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Protea (Part 9)

Snapdragon closes her eyes, leans back, and inhales the vapors. Lilac and firelily are the dominant scents. There is something about them. Something familiar. The way the way the scents intermingle brings her to a place that is both close and distant. She runs the bar of soap over her skin and tries to pull that distant thing closer.

She doesn’t dwell much...doesn’t dwell at all on the blank spaces in her mind. But there is an itch within those spaces and the scents tickle them. She counts the freckles on her arms after cleaning them of dirt and grime. And this time they seem foregin. Foreign as though she isn’t sure if they are supposed to be there.

She shakes her head and reaches for the shampoo. Her hair could use a very good scrub. She wonders if Mai well ask the servants to help her with that. Her hair is such a tangled mess that she isn’t sure she will be able to work with it on her own. She dips her head under the water and basks in the warmth it radiates. She is so very cozy. She wishes that her factory had a hot spring in or near it. She likes hot springs very much, she decides.

She leans her body against the rocks and inhales the lilac. She can’t shake the feeling of familiarity. She pushes it to the back of her mind; of course it feels familiar, she has done this once before. She stares at the hand that rests upon the spring’s rocky deck. It is rough and calloused. It is familiar.

One of several serving girls slips back into the room, “Mai would like to know if you’re done with your bath yet.”

Snapdragon nods and holds out her arm for the towel. The girl hands it over and she pats herself dry. She scampers around for her robe...granted it isn’t actually hers. She tugs it on and fusses with the sash. After a few moments of watching her struggle, the serving girl offers her a hand. “Tight enough?” She asks. Snapdragon nods again. “Where is Mai?”

“Waiting for you in the spa.”

Her eyes light up, “do I get to use it too?”

The serving girl smiles, “unless you think that you can fix this mess on your own.” She ruffles Snapdragon’s hair.

She shakes her head, “I wasn’t even planin’ on tryin’ to fix that.”

The girl leads her to the spa. With each corner turned, Snapdragon finds herself more daunted, the palace is so huge. It would only take getting distracted and falling behind for her to get lost within its expansive halls. She wonders if the Fire Lord even knows how to navigate it.

“Here we are.”

“I finished my bath, Mai!” She declares proudly. A few of the serving girls cringe and she recalls that these folks don’t enjoy loud greetings. They don’t seem to enjoy loud things in general. She mumbles an apology as walks towards Mai. Mai who doesn’t seem particularly bothered by her overly enthusiastic outburst. “I keep forgettin’ about the palace rules.”

“They aren’t official rules.” Mai rolls her eyes, “you should here Zuko when he’s frustrated.” She gestures for Snapdragon to sit. “His father too. That whole family is pretty loud.”

“Lean your head back.” The serving girl instructs.

“Oh yeah.” Snapdragon replies, “I’ll do that. Can you use the same shampoo that you used last time? I liked that smell.”

“Which ones did we use the last time?”

Snapdragon looks at Mai who gives a little shrug. And then her eyes widen for a flicker. “Firelily and jasmine.”

“I dunno how you remembered that.” Snapdragon mumbles as the serving girl retreats to fetch the bottles.

“Uh...they used to be Azula’s favorites. You smelled like her…”

Snapdragon somehow gets the impression that this isn’t a good thing. “Well I can use firelily and…” she taps her chin. “And snapdragon! I am Snapdragon so I can smell like snapdragon!”

“That makes sense.” Mai agrees with a slight smile. “You think that you can handle being a lone for a bit, I’m going to go find Zuko and let him know that you’ll be spending the night here.”

Her tummy flutters once at the notion of being alone with only the servants and twice at the reminder that she will be staying here at the palace with several more hours of time to make both she and Mai look foolish. At least now she won’t be dirty and grubby when she does it.

“Okay, I’ll stay.”

Snapdragon shakes her head. The woman running a comb through her hair sighs and gives her another reminder to keep her head still. Snapdragon mumbles another apology. “It’s fine Mai, I can be alone for a bit.”

She regrets saying so as soon as Mai leaves the room. There may not be any uppity nobles about this time around, but even the serving girls seem to have more class and poise than she. Everyone is so elegant, they can bury her under as many fine silks and scents as they please but she doesn’t think that they will ever truly be able to drive out the scents of Capital City’s lower ring smog. “What is this?” The girl with the brush plucks a cluster of pine needles from her hair. But Agni, are they giving it their best shot.

“That must be from when I were trying to reach the bird’s nest. I were gonna take it down if there were no eggs in it.” Snapdragon explains. “I climbed up all the way to near the top of the tree…”

“The sap is practically gluing your hair together.”

That doesn’t exactly sound like an easy fix.

The serving girl sighs. “I hope that you’re comfy. This is going to take a while and if I can’t wash the sap out then I will have to give you another haircut.”

Snapdragon swallows. She wishes that she weren’t such a burden, if only she had nice, silky hair like Mai’s.

“Ami, you’re making her uncomfortable.” Snapdragon recognizes this voice. It is the serving girl she had met first. Yora, if she recalls correctly.

“She could use some discomfort if you ask me.” Ami mutters. “Look at this.” She holds up a clump of her hair. The strands are held together by a decent glob of pine sap.

Yora chuckles. “I’ll work with this, you just shampoo her hair.” She turns her attention to Snapdragon. “And you just relax, trust me you’ll feel much better after this.”

Snapdragon can believe that, she already feels better, more respectable now that she smells like firelily. Yora is a lot more careful than Ami, she still snags Snapdragon’s locks but she doesn’t yank at them. She closes her eyes, she must admit that it is relaxing to have the shampoos massaged into her hair.

Like the spring water, the steams that they pour over her head are kindly hot. She watches tendrils of steam twist and curl towards the ceiling. She thinks that she can nearly see the scents on them; she imagines that the firelily would take on a vivid orange and that the snapdragon would be a flashy red smoke.

“Cherries?” Offers a new serving girl.

With a grin, Snapdragon pops one into her mouth. She may not be able to get used to this, but she certainly enjoys it. She takes a second cherry and a third. And then she loses track of how many cherries she has eaten.

“We’re almost done.” Yora says. “I’m going to have to give you a bit of a haircut though. I can’t seem to get this one clump of sap out.”

“Okay.” Snapdragon agrees. She takes another cherry from the bowl and bites down. “Ow!” Momentarily forgetting her about her surroundings, she spits the cherry pit out. She hears it ping against one of the decorative vases.

Ami pinches the bridge of her nose, “someone pick that up.”

Snapdragon rubs the side of her mouth. She wishes that she hadn’t bitten down so hard. She supposes it could have been worse; she could have swallowed it and choked… The serving girl scrubbing the callouses off of her feet pauses.

The sense of deja vu comes over her again but with more potency. A headpoudning potency. To further spike Ami’s irritation, she shifts uncomfortably in the chair. This sense of familiarity itches at the back of her mind. Whatever it is, it is just out of reach. Just out of reach in just the same way that recollections of her time in the jungle are.

“Don’t let Ami bother you.” Yora leans in and whispers. “She’s a stern old flutterbat.”

Snapdragon allows the comment to wash away her unease. She gives a little laugh.

“I thought that it was funny.” Yora continues. “It would have been even funnier if you spit it out at one of those guards. They’re no fun.”

Snapdragon laughs again.

Ami inhales through her nose, “please. Sit still.”

“Sorry.” She mutters again.

She leaves the spa feeling quite refreshed, her head feels so much lighter now that it isn’t loaded with sap, pine needles, and twigs. She feels lighter in general. And the aroma of firelily and snapdragon leaves her with the sensation that she could levitate, could drift away on a cloud of their perfume.

She holds her sleeve to her nose. She expects it to smell like the shampoo but she finds that it has a scent of its own; firelily and jasmine with a touch of smoke. Her head begins to ache again.

.oOo.

“What’s wrong, you’re not acting like yourself tonight?” Mai frowns.

She doesn’t feel much like herself tonight.

“You’re all quiet again. Are you still anxious about being surrounded by nobles?”

That must be it. She is still nervous. She nods, “a little.” Though she isn’t sure that that truly is what is bothering her. She can’t think of anything else that it could be though.

“I’m surprised that you aren’t shaking with joy. You were really excited for another palace banquet.”

And she was. She thinks that she still is. Though, at the same time, she doesn’t have much of an appetite at the moment. Mostly she feels queasy? Foggy? Distant? She isn’t exactly sure what she is feeling. Other than unwell. “I feel…”

“You look pale.” Mai notes.

Snapdragon nods. “I feel sick.” That doesn’t quite fit either but it is the closest thing that she can think of.

“Do you want to skip dinner and go see the palace physician.” The Firelord offers from the head of the table. “They’re really good, I promise.”

She shakes her head, “I want food first. I came here for the food.”

Mai chuckles, “that sounds more like you.”

Snapdragon smiles. Maybe she’ll feel better after a gourmet meal. Maybe she’ll feel more like Snapdragon if she does things that make Snapdragon happy.

#Avatar The Last Airbender #Azula #Mai #Maizula #Fanfiction

[nikkzwrites]

(They Long to Be) Close to You | Dark Fix-It Fic Series Part 2 | Chapter 4

A/N: This fic is one that I started with my OC because honestly, I personally didn’t like how season 3 ended. So I am rewriting all of Dark with my OC Annalise Dahlheim. I hope you all like it. Some things will be expanded more on just for more depth to Dark that season 3 kinda skipped over so…. yeah. This is part two of the series! You can start the full series here!

CW: Canon Typical Triggers: Smoking, Sex, Language, Drugs, Drinking, Death, Violence.

Word Count:  7.9k

[First Chapter] [Previous Chapter] [Next Chapter]

“From then on, I knew that nothing changes,” the man explained to his son as their carriage went through the Winden woods, “That all things remain. The spinning wheel turns, round and round, in a circle. One fate tied to the next. A thread, red like blood, that connects all our deeds.” The man closed the book and explained to his son, “Ariadae. That was your mother’s favorite play. She surely would have liked to come with us tonight, in the company of such a distinguished young man.” He opened up his watch to see an engraving, “For Charlotte” inside.

His blind son spoke, “Why do we die?”

“The dead are never truly dead,” his father explained, “Maybe they’re not here, now. But everything that once lived, lives on forever. In the eternity of time.”

The old man sat remembering this memory of his father when his carriage stopped. He panicked as he heard his coachmen start to speak to someone. He hid his money away as he held close his mother’s favorite play. As the footsteps approached he asked, “Who is there? Who are you?”

“He who has eyes to see,” The Unknown spoke, “and ears to hear may convince himself that no mortal can keep a secret, because if his lips are silent,he chatters with his fingertips. Betrayal oozes out of him at every pore.”

“I…” The old man spoke, “I don’t understand.”

The middle part of the Unknown nodded, “Oh, but you do. You’re going into town to draft a telegram. Because you want to tell the world about us. Are you not?”

The man started to panic, “You’re one of them. A traveler. All those years.” As the man rambled, the Unknown started to take out his wire, “they said my father was insane. But now they are here. The travelers from the future. The world must know that they exist.”

The Unknown shook his head, “What we know… is a drop. What we don’t know is an ocean.” He slowly leaned forward to eand the man’s life.

Eve spoke to Jonas, “The mistake in all of our thinking is that we each believe ourselves to be an independent entity. One self… besides countless other selves.” When Jonas turned to her, she continued, “While, in reality, we’re all just fractions of an infinite whole.”

“What is this place,” Jonas asked Eve, “A copy of my world?”

Eve strolled over to him and asked, “Do you remember what you said to me? Under the bridge? The light. The forest. You. Me.”

“A glitch in the matrix,” Jonas responded. He stared to glare at her and asked, “Why am I here?”

Eve studied him then looked up at the painting, “You and I. Adam and Eve. That’s what we are. A glitch in the matrix. You want to know why you’re here? To save them. Your world and mine.”

“Last night, Kilian Obendorf, Bartosz Tiedemann, Annalise Dahlheim also known as Annalise Kahnwald, and Franziska Doppler, along with Magnus and Martha Nielsen, found an as-yet-unidentified boy’s body on the Doppler property by the forest road. His clothes and the Walkman are from the 1980s,” Ulrich explained with tears in his eyes, “We also found… an ID card on the body.” His eyes shifted to look at the evidence box. Ulrich started to sob and Charlotte walked over to him to give him a hug.

Charlotte turned to Woller and asked, “Woller, may you continue?” She turned to Ulrich and whispered, “Can I talk to you for a second?” Ulrich looked up and followed the woman into the file room. She turned to the defeated man and said, “You don’t have to do this. Woller can do the briefings. I can go to forensics. Go home.”

“I’ve spent 33 years looking for my brother,” Ulrich spoke up against the woman, “Those are his belongings. Those are Mads’ belongings.” He took a deep breath and said, “Someone… Someone kept them all. And then put them on the boy in the bunker. Thirty-three years later.”

Charlotte’s brow furrowed. She asked, “You think it was the same killer? That it’s all connected. Mads, Erik, the boy in the bunker?”

Ulrich looked at her and asked, “Do you know why I joined the police? When my brother disappeared… they made pretty much every mistake you could imagine. The detective was a drunken moron. And me? I swore I’d do it all differently. That I’d do everything right. That was 33 years ago. And what do I do? My marriage is ruined and now I’m cheating on the woman I cheated on my wife with.” Ulrich sighed as Charlotte touched his face, “I can’t do this anymore.” He allowed her to remove her hand and he walked out of the office.

Jonas looked up to see Bartosz strutting in with Martha slowly approaching behind him. Jonas stormed to Bartosz and demanded, “Where were you?” His eyes turned towards Martha and turned back to Bartosz to ask, “What did she tell you?”

“We’ve been stuck here for weeks,” Bartosz responded to the man, “The fucking device is empty. You have no idea how any of this works. All you did was lie! You knew what would happen, and you told us NOTHING!”

Jonas growled, “Don’t you realize she’s just using you?” He motioned towards the girl and spoke, “That isn’t Martha. She’s dead.” His heart ached at his memories, “No one returns from the dead.”

Magnus spoke up and said, “Whoever she is… she may be our only chance to get out of here.”

Bartosz grit his teeth then asked Jonas, “Why don’t you tell us the truth?” When Jonas didn’t say anything, Bartosz stepped closer and growled, “Tell them who really killed Annalise and Martha.”

Jonas’s eyes flinted to Martha then down after hearing Bartosz. He sidestepped and started his way out of the warehouse. Bartosz growled and waited for a moment before going and chasing him outside.

“Bartosz! Wait,” Magnus called as he and Franziska chased after him.

The rain fell as Jonas walked outside. He silently thanked the God forsaken town for complying with his emotions before he heard Bartosz screaming behind him.

“Tell them,” Bartosz demanded. He growled as he pushed the man over, “Tell them who Adam really is!” The two rolled around fighting just as they did 34 years ago before Magnus and Franziska pulled them apart. Magnus held Bartosz back as he screamed at everyone, “I told you all along! Jonas is to blame for everything!” He fought Magnus off and stood away from everyone as he cried, “It’s him. He’s Adam!” When Magnus looked at him in disbelief, Bartosz screamed through his tears once more, “He’s Adam! Adam wasn’t even the one who killed Annalise! It was just him proper! He killed both of them!” He stormed away from the group after asking Jonas, “Couldn’t have both so killed them both? Huh?”

Jonas and Magnus tried to catch their breaths and exchanged a look.

Eve, at the same time in another universe, told Jonas, “In all of that, didn’t you ever wonder, why you can’t let go of them, of her? You knew, you know it’s impossible. Yet still, you can’t let it go.” When Jonas turned to her with tear filled eyes, she continued, “An invisible bond that binds you for eternity. Adam tried to sever it. But that’s impossible.” She took out a silver tree of life necklace and showed it to him, “You gave this to me.”

Jonas took out his Annalise’s necklace and rubbed his dirt covered fingers over it, cleaning the blood off of it.

“You and I,” Eve continued, “Black and white. Light and shadow. We are bound together for eternity in this eternally repeating deja vu.”

Jonas whispered, “What is all this? What do you want?” His voice started to get louder, “Why don’t you just tell me why I’m actually here?”

“You’ve seen what you’ll do,” Eve tried to reason with him, “What Adam will do. If you want to save your Annalise, you have to choose the side of light. And you have to make me what I am today.”

Jonas slowly approached her, “I have to? I don’t have to do anything anymore. I’m sick to death of always having to do things!”

“Then ask yourself,” Eve responded, “what you want.” Watching his face change she asked, “Do you want her to live?”

Annalise awoke, yet she was still face to face with Mads. She screamed and started to cry again. She kicked the small enclosure entrapping her with the dead boy. She heard a very familiar voice call her name. Then Mads slowly turned to Mikkel then to her father. After that, Annalise found herself listening to her father’s voice message and words flowed out of her mouth without consent, “I just called to let you know I had my first kiss today.” Her tears choked her as her voice continued against her will, “I wish you could have met him Dad. His name is Adam and he reminds me so much of you and mom. You would love him just as much as I’ve fallen for him.” As she looked out the window, her vision faded to black. Her throat feeling like it was being filled with water again. When Annalise tried to scream, she found herself in something like a mirror of Martha’s room. Annalise turned and saw a blond boy there laying next to her, fast asleep. He seemed so familiar. Her hand shakely reached out and his name spilled from her lips without knowing, “Jonas?” 

Right when the boy was about to turn, Annalise shot up in her bed in Ulrich’s house. Her breath shaking from terror and crying. She turned towards her phone to see Bartosz had tried to call her. There was a text there saying, ‘If you need to talk, let me know.’

Hannah burst into the room, “Annalise!” She quickly waddled to the girl and held her closely as the teenager started to scream, “Shhhh… It’s okay. It’s okay. I’m here.” Hannah kissed the girl’s head as she rocked with her, “I’m here.” As she rocked the girl, her eyes started to trace the electrical burn scars on the teenager, yet she said nothing.

Martha stared up at the ceiling in her room. After finding the body last night, it was the last straw and Katharina forced her to come back home to be with her family instead of staying the night with Annalise. When Ulrich was finally able to come home that night, he drove his daughter back to his ex-wife. She sighed remembering that argument and the one before it where Hannah, her, and her mother argued about where Martha should be with as Annalise stood there just zoning out repeatedly and mumbling to herself some physics equations. Katharina had only conceded from seeing Annalise and knowing that the girl probably needed someone. So she made the condition that once Ulrich was back home, he was to bring Martha back. She heard the doorbell ring and sighed as she got out of bed. When she answered the door, there in front of her was Ulrich. “Dad,” she asked in disbelief.

“Can I come inside,” he asked his daughter.

Martha sighed and begrudgingly allowed the man inside. They stood in front of the staircase.

Ulrich asked, “Is Magnus here too?”

Martha studied her father trying to get a read on him, “I think he’s still sleeping.”

Ulrich nodded and told the girl, “You have to tell me the truth. What really happened in the bunker?” When his daughter looked at him again in disbelief, he continued, “What did you see?”

“I did tell the truth,” Martha said, “we went in and the bunker was empty. There was nobody there! Then there was a light. And then this...this body fell down. Annalise fainted at the sight of it.”

“Had you taken anything,” Ulrich asked accusingly.

“What,” Martha questioned him.

As Magnus walked down the stairs, Ulrich asked again, “Did that Kilian kid give you anything?” Magnus just finished walking down the stairs when Ulrich turned to him and asked, “Come on, what did you take?”

“What is this shit,” Magnus sneered at this father, “Are you playing worried father now? Why don’t you ask your precious new daughter?” Martha looked at her brother and shook her head, yet he continued, “You usually don’t give a shit about us!”

Martha crossed her arms and shrugged, “It’s just as we told you. There was this noise...It came from the caves...or the ground,...or… I don’t know. We went to the bunker. At first there was nothing there, then...he...he was just lying there.”

Ulrich turned away and stared out into the dining room calculating what was going on.

“Is that all,” Magnus growled at his father. When his father turned to look at him again, Magnus replied, “Mom will be back any moment. You’d better go. But it was nice of you to drop by to see how we’re doing.” When Ulrich reached up to caress him, Magnus took a step back.

Hannah walked through the halls of the police station with a tray of brownies. When she was greeted by Woller and Charlotte, she asked, “Is Ulrich here? I’ve been trying to reach him all morning. Annalise is having nightmares and just woke up finally.”

Charlotte shook her head and said, “I thought he went home.”

Hannah studied the woman for a second. Her mind started to wonder. “You look so different,” commented the woman, “Did you get a haircut?”

Charlotte shook her head, “No.”

Hannah looked her up and down. She laughed, then hugged the woman. She took her smell in deeply. She pulled away and waited a moment before saying, “It’s nice to see you. I’ll just put this in his office.”

Charlotte turned and watched her go.

Hannah closed the door behind her and walked to place the container on his desk. She looked up as she realized who it was that Ulrich was cheating on her with. She left as the pictures of his children, Annalise with Martha, and herself with him burned their place on his desk.

Annalise sat there staring at the wall. Her brain running six different directions just trying to figure everything out. She ran her fingers through her hair as she screamed. She yelled and closed her eyes. Everything that happened kept running in her head. Her dreams danced in her head. She felt empty. There was a pulling inside of her. She ran out to the woods and screamed again. It felt as if someone was tugging at a string within her. Plucking at it, like a chord of a guitar.

“Can we talk,” Martha asked her brother as she walked in.

Magnus rolled his eyes, “Get lost.” He assumed she was going to scold him about what he said about Annalise. 

Martha, instead, walked in and sat next to Magnus, “Last night…in the forest... Did you see anything else?”

“No,” Magnus told her, “Like what?”

Martha turned away from her brother and asked, “Do you sometimes feel like you’re losing your mind? That nothing makes sense anymore?” She sighed and commented, “Maybe… Dad is right.” When Magnus looked at her confused, she said, “Maybe he was already lying there.” She shrugged and said, “And...we…”

Magnus stared at her and stated, “I know what I saw.” Martha and he sat quietly for a minute before she stood up and walked to his window. “Where are you going,” he asked.

“Don’t tell Mom,” Martha replied, “I’ll be back for dinner.” She opened the window and left.

“Everything repeats itself,” Eve told Jonas, “Again and again for all eternity. Because none of us is prepared to let go.” She lifted up a light and walked over to Jonas, “It took me a long time to understand that. That you can’t let go of your past. That you will always choose her, always choose your Annalise.” She nodded and told him, “And just as you can’t let go of your past, I’ve spent my life clinging to mine.” She made a face then told him, “You trusted Adam. But where did that lead you?” She walked to Jonas and said, “You have to show her, Martha, how everything is connected. You don’t have much time left. She has to see her future in order to understand what must be done.” She handed him the lantern and spoke, “She will follow you. She is bound to your fate, just as you are to hers.”

Jonas grabbed it from her and turned away. He looked at Eve and wondered if she knew what he was thinking. He walked out of the office determined to find Annalise before trying to go forward with Eve’s plan.

In Adam’s world, Martha looked down at the necklace in her hand. She quickly hid it after hearing a knock on the door. She pushed herself closer towards the window as she looked to see who was coming in.

Jonas opened the door and closed it behind him. He stood in the middle of the room and said, “You said I was in your world. With you. Why can’t I remember it?”

“I don’t know,” Martha told the man, “That letter… I didn’t write it.” She slowly approached him and said, “You have to believe me.” As he turned away, she spoke again, “Sic Mundus, what is it?”

Jonas sighed, “Old Tannhaus’ father… tried to bring someone back from the dead. His wife. He was convinced that the ability to time-travel would be the world’s salvation. Every mistake could be prevented before it even occurs. But it doesn’t bring salvation. Only Damnation.”

Martha took a deep breath and growled, “They’re all dead. In my world. I can’t help hoping I can change that.” He glared at her as he tried to walk away, but the girl grabbed him, “I know you think you can’t trust me. I want to prove to you that you can.” She brought him out into the woods and unburied her ball to show him the device she used to get there.”

“This is what you used to travel,” He asked.

Martha nodded at him. She undid a dial and took out a small dark ball, “this is the last one I have.” She held it out to him, “It’s the only way I can go back again.”

Jonas sighed as he took it from her.

Eve sat in her office waiting for her son and Mary. The Unknown walked in with all materials he had grabbed for her. 

The Unknown told his birth mother, “You could have told him which path you’re sending him down. How it will end.”

Eve shrugged as she explained, “He will never stop trying to break this cycle. He’ll never understand that we must preserve the knot. That his Annalise must die. So all the others can live.”

She stared at her son as she opened the leather planner, “The beginning and the end.”

Jonas walked out of the cave and through the woods. He heard sobbing and screaming he only knew as Annalise and ran towards it.

Charlotte walked to the bunker and called Ulrich. She asked him to call her back as she approached the door. She opened it up and walked inside. She stared at the chalk outline and started to investigate. When she knelt down, under a bench she found a penny with a red string around it as if like a necklace.

On the other side of town, Helge sat repeating to himself, “Tick tock. Tick tock.” He looked up and started to walk out of the house to try to stop it.

Bartosz exited Mary’s car. He sighed and looked towards the power plant. As his eyes scanned, he noticed a figure stumbling across the street. Normally he wouldn’t think anything of it, but it looked very familiar. The beating of his heart echoed in his ears when he realized just who it was. He jogged across the street and called, “Anna.”

Jonas was just about to interrupt the girl’s drinking when he heard Bartosz’s voice. The boy had been following her for a while, but he didn’t know how to approach her, so instead he just decided to watch her from afar. He slunked back into the shadows right out of sight of the two. His heart raced. He knew what was going to happen.

Annalise took another large drink of her mixed drink a very kind older man had given her. She smiled gently. It reminded her of the drinks she heard about back home. Fruit punch, Red Bull, vodka mixed in the right fashion still only seemed like fruit punch. He had given her a large bottle just with a few bucks and for “looking cute.” She drank as she made her way to the bus stop out of Winden. The burning sensation masking her brain being torn apart at the seams. 

Bartosz easily caught up to the girl and grabbed her arm, “Anna! What are you doing, idiot?!” He kept a firm grip on her. Frustration rose into his chest. Where did she even get what she was drinking? Where was she going? Shouldn’t she be with Martha or nearly anyone else? She never went anywhere alone.

“I’m going home,” she answered simply, “Now please let me go.” She tried to jerk away.

He shook his head, “What are you drinking? Your place is that way.” He gestured with his shoulder towards where she lived with Ulrich and Hannah. He stared at the girl floundering to get away from him. His heart started to ache. More than that. He was angry. Furious even. Filled to the brim with an anger he had never known before.

Annalise started to cry as she tried to tear away from his grip, “Let me go!” She started to yell at him. Tears built up pressure behind her eyes as she remembered back to what had driven her to this point. How she wished for the rain to finally start in this God abandoned town. The wind howled as it shook the trees awake. At least, she reasoned, that was on her side. “Let me go Bartosz,” she repeated screaming at him with the full force she wanted to let out at everyone.

Jonas felt powerless. Here he was watching a mirror of what happened that night. His throat dried up. His heart started to ache. It was being tugged in so many directions. Jonas wanted to interrupt. He wanted to run, yet his feet stayed firmly rooted in the ground. It was as if the Knot wanted him to see this. It was its punishment for him kissing Martha that night. It was punishment for taking Lise for granted.

“No!” Bartosz roared back at her. He pulled her into his arms. His heart raced. He just wanted her to calm down. He knew instantly then that he loved her. All this time was just him lying to himself trying to keep the status quo and hoping things were going to go back to the way they were before his mother died. He wrapped himself around her. Was she always this tiny, he wondered. It was his first time ever fully embracing her. He had to bend down a bit to bury his face into her shoulder and neck. Oh, how it felt nice to finally hold someone, to hold her, in his arms, but he couldn’t dwell on his own happiness. He needed her to be happy. He thirst to see her smiling and laughing again. That happy radiant infectious smile that he loved seeing across her face. 

Annalise beat her fists into the taller boy as the tears fell from her eyes. She continued to scream at him to let her go. The girl struggled as he just held her in an embrace. Her breathing was off. The thumping his chest made as she hit it reminded her how her heart felt when they saw the boy just drop in the bunker like that. She just wanted to go back home but she could never tell him that. Annalise hated every moment of this. She hated every moment of Winden. She just wanted to go back in time to right before they saw that moment and never see that poor dead boy just drop...Before she agreed to help that short haired Martha... Before she was trapped with that dead boy...

Bartosz pulled his face away. There was something he had heard Magnus mention before while Mikkel was throwing a tantrum. He needed to distract her from her emotions so that Annalise could actually TELL him what was going on. He sighed knowing he was going to hate himself later for indulging the part of him that loved her without ever telling her that, but he had to do it. With one hand, he trapped her wrists from continuing to beat into his chest. The other he used to grab the back of her head. Bartosz pressed his lips against hers. 

The girl froze. His lips were so desperate. She could feel his yearning for her to stop and think about what she was doing. She didn’t pull away. Instead, she allowed herself to kiss him back. There was a saltiness to it, yet tender and warm. Soon, she felt her wrists freed from his grip. She just gently rested her hands against the boy’s chest as his now unoccupied hand found a new home at the small of her back. Annalise’s heart fluttered. She felt as if drunk, longing for love, and finally acquired a bit of that feeling of being wanted.

Bartosz pulled her closer. He clinged to her as they slowly deepened their kiss. They both wanted this for such a long time. He sighed happily as her arms slowly started to snake their way off his chest to around his neck to play with his long hair. He let one of his arms slide under her so that he could scoop her up while they were still making out. He lifted her up into his arms and walked over to the bus stop so that the side of it could be used to stabilize the couple. He pressed her back against it as he could feel the both of them getting weak from the lack of breath and their hearts racing quickly.

The hidden boy’s heart shattered as it fell to the cement. He wondered how much of this was like that night and how much wasn’t. Jonas could see how much heat and longing was between the other two teenagers. They were so desperate for the other one to be close to them that the rest of the world didn’t exist. He didn’t exist. He wasn’t supposed to exist.

Bartosz eventually pulled away gently. Annalise reached up and pressed his forehead against hers. Her eyes closed as the last of her tears drained from her. He calmed himself and asked, “Anna, what’s wrong?” He gently brushed her wild hair from her face, unstuck some strands stuck around her eyes from her tears, and put it in a place not easy to get stuck there again.

Her face contorted in agony. The fountain of sorrow slowly turned back on. Something about this moment felt as if something similar had happened before. It felt as if she, him, the moment, it was all supposed to happen. “I,” she started. She took a breath and then confessed, “I am so scared. What does this all mean Bartosz? There is so much going on in the world now and I’m scared. I don’t know what I’m… I don’t know what role we play in this...” She choked on her words and started to cough.

Bartosz cooed at her and held her close once more, “I know. I know. It’s okay.” He swallowed hard and rocked with her. Bartosz gently kissed her head every so often as he just kept her safe within his arms. The boy just repeated that it was okay, that he was there with her, he wasn’t going to leave her, that everything was going to be okay until he could feel her body start to go limp. She must have been exhausted, he figured. He lifted her up and tried to figure out how to manage her with a bike. In the end, he called his father to come pick them up. He took off the jacket his mother had gifted him and put it on the girl as they waited.

Jonas turned finally unstuck from the Knot. He tracked his way back to where he knew he had to be, with this world’s Martha and to try and fix this world so that his could be fixed and he could go back home to his Lise. Be in her arms once more where she clung to him like that. Where she loved him, when she loved him. Not seeing some stranger with her face loving the boy that shared the same face as his best friend back home. 

Martha walked over to Kilian’s trailer and knocked on the door. She stood back for him and spoke, “Hey.”

He responded back, “Hey.”

Martha stood there staring at him.

“What are you doing here,” He asked the girl.

Martha shook her head, “You weren’t at the dorm. I was worried.”

Kilian grabbed her arm and walked with her away from the trailer, “They kicked me out. Your father called. He wanted to know if I slipped you guys something.”

“Did you,” She asked.

“Fuck no,” He gowled, “No, I didn’t.” He shook his head, “But sure, none of you can get it out of your system. I haven’t lived here for two years, but I’m still the trailer park trash everyone points fingers at.” When Martha didn’t respond, he sneered, “I knew it.”

“What did you know,” she asked him.

He shook his head and said, “That you were only with me to rile up your parents. You didn’t give a shit about me or Erik.”

Martha scoffed at him. If she really wanted to do that, she would have just dated Annalise. She turned her head back towards him. She wasn’t really able to fight back though. Maybe she really was and he was just the safe option.

Kilian turned away and told her, “You’d better go.”

Martha fought back her tears as she whispered, “Okay.”

The boy turned and walked away leaving her alone in the park with Jonas there watching.

“About Regina…” Hannah spoke to Aleksader, “I’m sorry. It must be very difficult for you.” She paused, then asked, “How are you? Bartosz?”

Aleksander nodded and told her, “We’re managing.” He turned towards the pictures on his desk and stared at them.

“I…” Hannah spoke, “I hear that Annalise and Bartosz really like each other.”

Aleksander nodded, “My son speaks of her pretty often. Please, tell me why you are here.”

Hannah shifted awkwardly and got to the point, “I’d like to propose a deal.”

“A deal,” he questioned the woman.

Hannah looked down at her purse, “I have something that belongs to you. I’d like to return it.” She carefully pulled out the bag from 1986 and slid it towards him. As his face changed she asked, “Do you recognize it? Don’t worry. The contents are in a safe place.”

 Aleksander asked quivering, “What do you want? Do you want money?”

“I don’t want money,” Hannah told him, “I want you to destroy Charlotte. I want her to lose everything. Everything.”

Charlotte drove to the church meeting her husband who was talking to a man inside. When she walked in, Peter stood up.

“Charlotte,” Peter asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Thank you,” The man told the pastor before leaving.

Charlotte slowly approached the man and said, “I tried to get a hold of you. I went to the bunker. Why aren’t you home with Franziska?”

Peter shrugged, “I…”

Charlotte shrugged it off and asked, “Last night, where was Helge? You said you ate dinner with him. Where was he afterwards?”

“What is this,” Peter asked her.

“In 1987, when you came to Winden, did your father still live in the cabin,” she asked the man.

Peter shook his head, “I don’t understand.”

“Did he or didn’t he,” Charlotte pressed on.

“No,” Peter shook his head, “After the accident he was moved into the nursing home.”

“And the summer before, in 86,” she asked.

Peter nodded, “I think so. Why do you want to know?”

“Did he use the bunker for anything?”

“Charlotte,” Peter approached her, “What do you want from me?”

She pulled the penny from out her jacket and showed it to him, “This is Helge’s. I found it in the bunker.”

Peter huffed and shook his head, “That...That can’t be. He was with us all night.” He answered his phone to hear that Helge had left the nursing home. He turned to her and said, “Helge’s at the police station and he made a confession.”

Annalise started to stir as she felt the atmosphere around her change. She was warm and cuddling something soft. This was very pleasant compared to last night and how horribly she slept then. She hummed happily, slowly waking up. She could hear a man and a very familiar boy’s voice talking.

Aleksander looked at his son in the rear view mirror with the girl snuggled up to him. “So,” he started to ask, “Is this the girl?”

Bartosz’s face flushed, “What do you mean?” He asked nervously. He started to awkwardly chuckle, “I mean, it’s just Annalise, Dad. You two have met before.”

“Have I,” Aleksander teased, “I don’t remember you telling me you liked her this much.” He chuckled, “You know I was around your age when I met your mom right?”

Bartosz thanked God that Annalise was asleep and couldn’t hear his father embarrassing him, or so he thought. Bartosz groaned, “You don’t have to embarrass me in front of her do you?”

Aleksander chuckled, “I thought she was asleep.”

“Still,” Bartosz complained. He looked over to the girl cuddled up to his side once more. A small smile graced his lips as he moved some of the hair from her face again. He couldn’t complain too much. The thought of her being like this with any other person ate him inside. So somewhere deep inside he knew that if they were together forever, that he would be happy.

When Peter and Charlotte reached the station, Peter asked his father, “Dad, why are you saying this? It makes no sense at all.” He turned to Woller and explained, “He didn’t leave the house. I was with him all night. Elisabeth was there too.”

Helge spoke again, “I killed the boy.”

“Dad,” Peter scolded the man, “Cut it out!”

Charlotte spoke up, “His things… The walkman. The clothes. Those are Mads Nielsen’s things, the boy who disappeared in 1986. Do you remember that?”

“I killed him,” Helge repeated.

“Who,” she asked, “Mads?”

Ulrich stormed into the station. He turned towards Helge and asked, “Where did you get his stuff?” The man rushed forward and grabbed onto the man despite Peter’s yells in protest, “What did you do to Mads?” He yelled at the older man, “What did you do to him?!”

“You’re alive,” Helge asked, staring at the man.

“What,” Ulrich asked.

Helge spoke, “It was you.”

“What was me,” Ulrich asked, pulling the man out of the chair as the other officers tried to pull Ulrich away from Helge.

“It was him,” Helge spoke, “It was him.” Helge held up the penny in his own things.

Charlotte looked down and unfolded her napkin to see the penny she had was still in her possession. It was the same coin, yet… two places at the same time.

Martha walked in the woods alone. She was determined to try and get to Annalise to talk to her when she heard a rustle in the bushes. When Jonas revealed himself from the shadows, she asked him, “What is this? Are you following me? Why won’t you tell me how we know each other? How you know Annalise?” 

“Actually,” Jonas spoke, “You and I, we’ve always known each other.” When Martha swallowed, Jonas approached her, “When Magnus knocked your tooth out in kindergarten… I was there. When Mikkel put spiders in your shoes while camping in the yard… On the third grade class trip… when you were so homesick that Katharina had to come get you. You met Annalise and she told you how your father scared her because she didn’t know German really well to cheer you up on your first day back to school.” He whispered, “Where I come from, you and I share a past.”

Martha shook her head, “You’re nuts.” She turned to walk away from him.

“Last night,” Jonas told her, “in the forest. You saw yourself.” He shook his head and said, “I know how completely insane this all sounds. For the longest time, I too thought it was all totally crazy. That I was crazy.”

“Who are you really,” She asked the boy.

“I can show you,” Jonas explained, “How it’s all connected.”

It wasn’t long before they reached the Tiedemann abode. Annalise knew it was wrong to still pretend she was fully asleep, but when Bartosz scooped her up into his arms to carry her, she didn’t want it to stop. She listened as he mumbled to himself.

Bartosz debated on where to put Annalise, “I could put her in the guest bedroom. But that’s halfway across the house and what if she needs me? I am not going to put her on the couch. I know that much. But… My bedroom… would she be weirded out by that? Would-” He felt her move. He nearly dropped her from surprise. He panicked pulling her closer to him once more. He asked the girl, “Annalise?”

Annalise’s smile couldn’t contain itself any longer hearing his verbal debate. She let out a small giggle surprising the boy. She squealed as she felt herself drop for a moment before he grabbed her once again. The girl clung onto him. She turned to face him once more, “Yes?”

“How long have you been awake,” He asked, walking her into his room and gently placing her on his bed.

Annalise smiled and sat up. Still a little buzzed, she asked, “Do you really want to know?” She looked around his room. It was different. His room was full of dark colors and scattered books, diagrams, and hastily scribbled notes. There was an attached bathroom that seemed nice and light though. Yet still it felt like an empty shell. She yawned and turned to him as he helped remove his coat from her. Her voice strained as she looked at him beggingly, “Stay?”

In the other world, Jonas placed the ball into a large bowl. He walked to the control panel and started up the machine. He stared intently at it as the liquid slowly arose up and formed a ball. Sadly it was not enough energy to hold it. 

After it dropped, the group converged on the bowl to investigate. Sensing someone was missing, Franziska looked up and around. After accounting for who was there, she asked, “Where’s Martha?”

The group all looked up to find the girl missing. Jonas, then, knew, she had lied to him.

Martha rushed back to her room and placed a new ball into her sphere and set it to go to her new objective.

The group walked into the bedroom just as she disappeared. Jonas turned to Bartosz and glared at him as if to say, ‘I told you.’ 

In the other world, Bartosz blushed and took a step back. He blinked wondering if he really heard what she had asked. He dropped the coat in his hands. He shook his head and bent down to pick it up. While he wasn’t staring at her, he asked, “Stay?” He slowly looked up to try and gauge her reaction.

Annalise nodded, “Please?” She grabbed one of his hands and pulled him towards the bed.

Breathless, Bartosz struggled out, “Wait. Just…” He held up the coat once more and slid his hand away so that he could go and put up his coat. His heart raced. He tried to calm himself as his back was turned to her. The boy knew his father wouldn’t care so he couldn’t use that as an excuse. He was shaking with nervousness. He really wished his mom was here so that she could help him with this. Annalise’s small voice pulled him from his thoughts.

“Bartosz,” Annalise asked. When he turned his head, she blushed and asked, “Can I have some water?”

Bartosz nodded quickly and rushed out of the room closing the door behind him. 

Martha followed Jonas to the cave. Right before she walked into it, she got a text from Annalise and Bartosz. The one from Annalise was her asking if Martha was okay and that Kilian had texted her to tell her what had happened. The text from Bartosz consisted of, ‘Annalise is staying over. Help?’ She shook her head and stared at Jonas.

Jonas looked at her and asked, “Is everything okay?”

Martha nodded, “Yeah.” She hid her heart breaking from the boy and started to follow behind him into the cave.

Helge stared at his hands as he sat in a cell.

Martha and Jonas continued through the caves as Charlotte turned away from Ulrich sitting sadly at his desk staring at the picture of him and Hannah.

Hannah walked into her and Ulrich’s bedroom to see the bed perfectly made up and her husband not there. She turned and walked out the door just as Jonas and Martha approached their door.

Eve looked down in her hand to look at Jonas’s Annalise’s necklace and then looked up at the pictures of Adam and Eve.

Bartosz walked to the kitchen and grabbed her bottled water. On his way back, he saw his dad.

Aleksander could read Bartosz’s hesitation all over his face. He chuckled and sat on one of the bar stools. “Something the matter,” He teased.

Bartosz jumped, “No. No. Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s good.” He blushed and tried to stand up taller to seem more confident. He ran his fingers through his hair, “What would be wrong? Everything is perfect.”

Aleksander chuckled, “Maybe the girl in your room?”

“What,” Bartosz unconvincingly laughed, “Annalise?” He shook his head with a giant uneasy smile, “No. There’s nothing…”

Aleksander laughed, “She woke up, didn’t she?”

“She wants me to stay,” Bartosz admitted, “I mean it’s not like it's the first time with someone, but like...What if she doesn’t just want to sleep? In my bed?”

Aleksander leaned on his elbow with his chin in his hand. He chuckled, “Well, it's just a question of if you’d want to, yeah?”

Bartosz’s face glowed, “It’s not just that simple. She’s… I…”

“So you don’t want to,” Aleksander asked.

Bartosz shook his head, “No! I mean… I’d like to, but she’s drunk…” He looked towards his room.

Aleksander nodded, "Well, have you tried talking to her about this?"

Bartosz blushed, "What? No. I… I mean I guess I can. I should."

Aleksander stood up and patted his son's shoulder, "I'm heading to sleep. Stay safe. Pleasant dreams." He walked back to his bedroom.

In the other world, Martha walked through the halls of the decrypted nuclear power plant on September 20, 2053, she walked into a room to be greeted by a gravely voice, “Did you give it to him?” 

When Martha nodded, Adam turned to tell her, “I was always too gullible.” He turned back to look at the machine and said, “You did the right thing.”

Back in Eve’s World, Bartosz walked back into his bedroom to find Annalise not there. He heard the shower running and sighed in contentment. He blinked as he realized she didn't have a change of clothes. He knocked on the door and called, "do you need some clean clothes?"

The water stopped and he heard walking towards the door. She peeked her head out the door, "I'm sorry. I stole some of your pyjamas." She walked away to go grab it. Bartosz blushed seeing her naked form from the display of mirrors. He turned away with closed eyes. When she came back, she showed him what she stole. They were his soft plaid flannel ones that he loved. Not that he would admit that he loved them to his friends due to them being part of a matching set for his family and normally worn for celebrating holidays. 

"Oh," Bartosz nodded, "okay." He turned away and told her, “You can let me know if you need anything else.”

The girl was very quick to walk out. His pants were extremely baggy on her due to his height over her. She was still buttoning the shirt and seemed to be having a bit of issues. She grumbled at the shirt, “Stupid ass buttons.” Eventually, she got it and smiled up at him, “Thank you.” Her face became a little bit more serious, “You know, you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to… I just thought… You know…”

“It’s not that I don’t want to,” He said hurriedly. His breath caught in his throat trying to explain, “I just didn’t want to make you feel like I’m taking advantage…”

Annalise smiled gently. She closed the distance between them and kissed him gently. She pulled away and shook her head, “You wouldn’t be. I’ve been wanting this.” She pressed her lips against his once more.

Bartosz smiled against the kiss then kissed her back. He wrapped his arms around her once again. He scooped her up once again. The boy walked them to his bed and gently sat down keeping her in his lap for the moment.

Annalise giggled against his lips and pulled them down so that they were laying down staring at each other. She smiled and asked, “Do you think that people are meant to meet?”

Bartosz nodded, “Yeah. I mean statistically it would be impossible for us to meet any other way.” He pulled them towards the head of the bed when he saw her yawn again. He chuckled, “You’re exhausted. Please allow yourself sleep. I will be right here in the morning.”

She yawned and nodded, “Promise?”

“Promise,” he kissed her head and tucked her in before going to get changed and showered himself.

Jonas walked with Martha into her 2052. He stumbled out seeing it so bright and more like a desert.

“What is this place,” Martha asked the boy as they walked through the blistering heat under the blazing sun. They looked around to see the debris of trees before just seeing a sandpit, “Where are we?” She turned to him and asked, “Did you do this? How did you do that?”

Jonas simply told the girl, “She told me to bring you here. That she’d explain it to you.”

“Who,” She asked. They turned to see a lone woman walking towards them. Martha asked, “Who is that?”

The woman stopped in front of them and took off her wraps to reveal herself, “Welcome to the future.”

#dark fanfic #dark netflix #dark fanfiction #yesterday once more fanfic #(they long to be) close to you fanfic #close to you fanfic #dark (netflix) #dark (2017) #dark (netflix) fanfic #dark (2017) fanfic #fix it fic

[catsafarithewriter]

Day 7: Heist

A/N: Another ficlet for Day 7: Heist of the TCR Birthday Bash 2020, cause this idea came suddenly from a Discord discussion, and also from this post. A ficlet, in which the non-human members of the Bureau perform a heist into Haru’s flat for entirely chaotic reasons. 

x

On the fridge in Haru’s flat was a list. It read:

Pirates of the Caribbean The Princess Bride Nightmare Before Christmas Robin Hood (Errol Flynn) Robin Hood (Douglas Fairbanks) Robin Hood (Disney)

And other such movies that Haru had deemed Bad Influences due to the dramatic tendencies the characters displayed. 

(Haru had learnt that lesson after showing Galaxy Quest to the Bureau, and then having to yoink Baron back from his newfound desire to wait until the last second before pressing big impressive countdown buttons.)

And the latest addition, scribbled on in orange marker, was Cinderella 3: A Twist in Time.

Now, Baron could somewhat understand the rest. Haru had given a quick rundown of the plots - and, yes, he could see why pirates and kidnapped princesses and dashing do-gooders might have dramatic leanings that would be irresistible to a Creation such as him. 

However, the Cinderella one had stumped him. 

“After all,” he reasoned as he pushed through the cat flap, “it’s not as if I haven’t seen the original movie, and she didn’t ban the second.”

“Chicky’s really just making yer more curious,” Muta said as he followed Baron through. “Yer think she’d have spent enough time around cats to know that curiosity... that curiosity is what... Call this a cat flap? This ain’t big enough for a gerbil, let alone a cat.”

Baron tried to heave his friend through the undersized opening, dislodging the welcome mat in the process.

“Maybe she had a reason for adding it to the list,” Toto offered, who was thinking about how he was the one who had to cover for Baron’s dramatics, which was already quite the chore without throwing more fuel to the fire. “Anyway, I don’t think,” he said, hopping up onto the table beside the door, “that sneaking into Haru’s flat to watch it is the answer.”

“Then why did you come along, birdbrain?”

“Damage control.” 

“Damage control? Why would we need damage control, ya overgrown--”

Baron and Muta’s combined efforts finally bore fruit, and Muta shot out of the cat flap like a champagne cork and rammed straight into the table. 

Toto caught the bowl of keys before it could clatter off and wake Haru. He carefully repositioned it with a talon. “Oh, I don’t know, Call it a hunch,” he replied sarcastically. 

Baron was picking himself back up, dusting the imaginary dust mites off his coat. “I don’t know why you’re fretting, Toto,” he said. “After all, we’re just visiting a friend to do some... necessary research.”

“At 2am,” Toto supplied.

“The Bureau runs on all time zones,” Baron said. “I’m sure that somewhere, someplace, it’s a reasonable hour.”

“And is that the excuse you plan to use when Haru catches us?”

“Do you think it will work?”

Toto cocked his head. “On the basis that she has more than a single brain cell... I don’t think so.”

“In that case, we better not get caught. Now, who knows how to work the television?”

There was an awkward pause. 

“Well, Chicky’s usually the one to sort it all out...” Muta muttered. 

Baron nodded, as if this wasn’t a major flaw in the plan. “Good point, good point.” 

“Maybe,” Toto said reluctantly, as if already regretting enabling this endeavour, but unable to resist helping, “there’s a manual for it.” 

“Excellent point, Toto. Now... where is it?”

“Yeah, leave this to me,” Muta called, scurrying off into the joint kitchen and, after several ungainly jumps, reached a small drawer. He battled at the handle until it slid open, rooted around, and dropped a couple of thick manuals onto the floor.

The two Creations neared the findings with bemusement. 

“How did you know those were there?” Baron asked.

“Eh, you know... I may have got familiar with the kitchen in search of food. Though there’d be marshmallows somewhere for a cake, and found this weird drawer instead. He pawed at the contents. “If yer wanting dead batteries, outdated cables, and tech manuals from the Stone Age, this is yer drawer.”

“Yes, well.. thank you, Muta.” Baron spread the manuals across the floor. “Well, how difficult can this be?”

x

The answer, naturally, was very. 

“Muta, I do believe this manual has the same instructions copied six times over.”

“That’ll be the other languages,” Muta replied. 

“It’ll be the Sanctuary magic translating it for us,” Toto supplied. He peered over Baron’s shoulder. “Do the other languages say anything helpful?”

“Some questionable grammar, but nothing noteworthy.” 

“I’ve found the remote!”

Both Creations furiously shushed Muta. 

“Sorry. I’ve found the remote,” he whispered in exaggerated tones.

“Where was it?”

“Behind the sofa.”

“Remind me to give Haru a few tips on good tidiness habits.”

“And how are yer gonna do that? ‘Hey, could yer make sure yer tidy the place up so next time we break into your home, we can find the remote?’“

“It’s not breaking and entering if we don’t break anything,” Baron replied back. 

“How does Haru’s trust sound?” Toto asked dryly. 

 “Haru has made it quite clear we are welcome whenever. Now how do we turn this infernal machine on...?”

x

Several false starts, one rapid muting, and ten minutes on the wrong input channel later, they found their way to the menu screen for Cinderella 3: A Twist in Time. 

For the first half, Baron failed to see what Haru had made all the fuss about. For, except for a momentary dramatic flair from the prince as he parried with both words and sword, there was little to add to Baron’s already impressive repertoire. 

Then the film rolled towards its climax, and as the prince ran down the stairs to find his true love, he found his way blocked by his father.

“This is ridiculous! Now, you agreed to marry the girl in the glass slipper,” the king ranted. “I was completely with you on that one--”

“And I will,” the prince retorted, attempting to step past his father. “Just as soon as I find her.”

The king made a variety of disgruntled noises. “I’ve - I - I forbid you to take another step down these stairs!”

There was a pause as the prince considered this statement. Then a smile spread slowly across his face. “Okay,” he said, and jumped out of the nearest window.

Muta and Toto simultaneously looked at Baron. 

“What?” he demanded.  

“Do not,” Toto said, “even think about it.”

“I wasn’t!”

Which was true. There was very little thought involved.

x

“THIEVES! VANDALS! RUFFIANS! YOU COME BACK HERE WITH THAT VASE!”

Haru raced down the steps, taking them three at a time and hoping gravity wasn’t about to get the better of her. “Is... anyone else... worried,” she gasped, “how often this... happens?”

 “The running or the name-calling, Chicky?”

“Both?! We’re the good guys! We shouldn’t get called ruffians!”

An arrow whizzed over their heads. 

“Or shot at!” She pivoted on one foot to glare at their pursuers. “We’re trying to help you, you idiots!” 

 Another arrow buried itself into the stone wall above her.

“Sure, sure, Chicky, go insult their intelligence. That always goes down real well.” 

“I certainly feel better for it.” Her foot missed a step and she went sprawling. Baron caught her before she could go the rest of the stairway head-over-heels.

“Enjoying our little trip, were we?”

Haru snorted. “And how long have you been waiting on that one? Anyway, you can put me down now--”   

“HALT! IN THE NAME OF HIS EMINENCE, THE ROYAL HIGH KING, RULER OF THE SUNSET ISLANDS, CONQUEROR OF THE CRIMSON WASTES, RIGHTFUL HEIR OF THE AURORA THRONE--”

“Are they waiting for us to die of old age?” Muta muttered.

“--YOU ARE ORDERED TO STOP!”

“On second thoughts, Baron, let’s not make any sudden moves,” Haru said. She leant back in his arms and laid a glare on the garrison of highly-decorated soldiers blocking their path. “The vase we took is cursed. That’s why you’ve been plagued by bad luck for the past year.”

“LIES! DECEIT!”

“Geez, does this guy have an indoor voice?” Muta grunted. 

“YOU SHALL BE BROUGHT TO THE ROYAL COURT TO FACE JUSTICE FOR YOUR CRIMES!”

“Baron, this would be a great time for you to pull out one of your last-minute plans,” Haru whispered. 

“I’m working on it.”

“Work faster.”

“YOU ARE FORBIDDEN FROM TAKING ANOTHER STEP DOWN THESE STAIRS!”

Baron grinned the kind of slow grin that wouldn’t have been out-of-place on the Cheshire Cat. “Haru, do you trust me?”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “I always do until you ask questions like that.”

“Then hold on tight.” 

Haru hastily linked her fingers together behind Baron’s neck, securing herself with the kind of grip that spoke of many, many experiences. 

“Not another step down these stairs, you say?” Baron called. “Then, naturally, we shall respect your request. Haru, are you ready?”

“Sure, but for whaaaaa--”

She devolved into a scream as Baron leapt through the open window and rappelled his way down by means of the creeping ivy clinging to the castle walls. 

Baron landed at the base of the castle with not a single hair out of place. 

Haru looked... less immaculate. 

She elbowed her way back to her feet and leant heavily against the nearest non-floor thing, waiting for the world to stop see-sawing. “Oh boy...”

Muta and Toto followed after, although Muta’s descent was slowed by his claws. “Real smooth, Baron,” he grunted. 

“It worked, didn’t it?”

“Tell me, Baron,” Toto said, alighting on his shoulder, “did you know about the ivy before or after you jumped?” 

“It is entirely possible I took note of the castle’s foliage on our entrance here.”

“That’d be a no,” Muta said. 

Haru groaned and straightened, pushing her hair out of its birdnest and into something approaching any kind of style. “You know, I’m getting the weirdest sense of deja-vu...”

“That’d be from when he jumped off your school roof,” Muta offered.

“Or the time he interrupted the clockwork wedding via the cathedral window,” Toto said.

“Or when he escaped from the sky castle.”

“Or the lightning pirates incident.”

“Or the--”

“Yes, yes,” Baron said, a trite curtly. “I think we get the picture.”

“No, that’s... that’s not it.” Haru frowned, mouthing something to herself. “It was... I think it was something you said... or something the guard said. The whole ‘not another step’ thing sounded awfully...” her eyes suddenly widened, “...familiar...”

Muta cackled. “Now yer in for it, Baron.”

Haru spun round accusingly to Baron. “Did you watch my copy of Cinderella 3?”

“Watch is such a strong word...”

“Baron...”

“If you’re asking if I occupied the same room that the movie happened to be playing in, then I suppose--”

“Oh my god.”

“--in the loosest sense of the word--”

“You’re in so much trouble.”

“--one could say that, yes, I did watch Cinderella 3. Are you quite all right, Haru? You seem to be breathing rather heavily into your hands.”

“I’m counting to ten.”

“Why-- oh.”  

Several arrows embedded themselves into the creeping ivy just above them. 

“As much as I fully endorse this admonishment,” Toto chipped in, “may I remind you that we are currently running for our lives?” Several more arrows pinged past them, notably closer to their marks this time. “Preferably before the archers find their aim.”

“Wait,” Haru said. “Did you know? About the movie?” She watched Muta and Toto’s guilty shuffling, and the penny dropped. “Did you help?”

“Help is such a strong word,” Muta said.

“If you’re asking if we happened to occupy the same room as Baron did during the movie...” Toto muttered.

“..and maybe jiggled your cat flap open...” Muta continued.

“...and worked the TV...”

“...then I suppose, in the loosest sense of the word...”

“...one could say that, yes, we did help him. How high are you counting this time, Haru?”

“As many as it takes before the murderous tendencies wear off,” Haru growled. “Baron, your tea privileges are banned for a month; same goes for you and cake, Muta; and Toto...” She paused. “Is there anything I can ban for you?”

“Bickering with Muta?” Toto supplied wearily.

“Fine. No bickering with Muta.” She groaned again and rubbed at her temples. “Alright, let’s get this cursed vase outta here and get home.” She glanced around. “Who’s got the vase?”

“Oh,” Baron said. 

“Oh?”

“I think I may have left it in the staircase,” he said. “Just before we jumped.”  

#the cat returns #tcr birthday bash #tcr birthday bash 2020 #day 7 heist #this turned out surprisingly fragmented #also I think tarzan was in my mind for the 'jumping out of windovv and haru being messy' moment #also the 'put me dovvn put me dovvn pick me up pick me up' scene was heavy in my mind XD #two of the prompts I posted today end with someone in trouble #for shenanigans #this is becoming a pattern #i'm sure the bureau works smoothly and without a hitch #sometimes #occasionally #once in a blue moon

[tk-productions]

Mystic Sisters Ch.11- Back to You

Yua’s Pov

“Yua mom is calling us for breakfast!” Hikari yelled, knocking on my bedroom door. I sleepily stretched and rolled over. Immediately something felt off. I sat up and looked around my room. This wasn't my room. It was darker than normal, my bed was in the wrong place. Everything felt off. I quickly put on my shoes and walked out of the house. Instead of there being a sidewalk there was a huge pathway filled with cherry blossom trees and flowers. The surrounding buildings looked older almost like a castle. Everything felt familiar like I've been here before. I walked down a path filled with trees inhaling the scent of cherry blossoms. “Hikari’s favorite.” I thought. That’s when I saw her waiting for me so I ran catching up to her.

“Took you long enough.” she laughed and started to walk along the path.  Hikari looked younger. Her face was more chubby like it was when we were little. Matter of fact she did look younger.  I swear I was having deja vu. I knew I had been here before but I didn't know when. Up ahead there was a clearing along with men in suits who looked like they were ready to attack at any moment. I couldn't make out their faces. The only face I could see was Hikari’s. 

“Hikari where are we?” I asked.

“Home. What do you mean?” she laughed, turning around to face me. “Are you okay?” I nodded and kept walking with Hikari following me. I was dreaming. I had to be dreaming. This felt more like a memory than a dream. Whatever this place was it was huge.  The land seemed like it stretched on forever. There were buildings everywhere and people walking around working. When they saw Hikari and I they bowed. Everyone’s face was blurry making it hard to see who they were.

“Good morning!” Hikari bowed towards the men that were wearing an all black uniform. They did the same and went back to their positions. I needed to figure out what this place was. 

“Hikari go on without me. I have something I need to do first.” she nodded and kept walking happily towards the building in front of us. I picked up my pace and walked towards a rose garden. I don't know why but something brought me here. Maybe it was the bright sun shining down but the garden looks beautiful. I stood in the middle of the garden soaking up the sun’s ray until I heard rusting behind me. 

“I thought you’d be here.” The voice laughed getting closer. I turned around to see Haru smiling at me. 

“What are you doing here?” I questioned. Haru was dressed in a black uniform just like the men I had seen earlier. Like Hikari I could see his face. He stood next to me admiring the garden. The only noise was the wind rustling the bushes as we stood there in silence.

“I remember when your parents build this. You learned that in your family there was always a  rose garden so you begged your mom to build one. The way your eyes lit up when she said yes was cute. You looked so adorable, like you always do.” 

“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes slightly punching his arm. 

“You always come here.” I looked over at him with a puzzled look.

“Anytime you're sad or something is bothering you, you come here. You come here and sit until you're ready to talk. So what’s bothering you?” 

“Nothing.” I turned on my heels to walk away when he grabbed my hand. 

“Yua you know you can't lie to me.”  Damn it. He was right. I always had a hard time concealing my feelings when it came to him.  

“You might as well tell me now.” He continued. I turned to fully face him actually looking at his face this time. He looked younger too. He wore the same soft expression on his face just like he did when we were kids. 

“Haru..” I sighed leaning into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me.  

“I feel like I don't belong here. A part of me feels like i'm not meant to be here while the other part is telling me I need to leave.” I mumbled still in his arms. 

“Yua this is your home and it always will be. No matter what happens, we’ll always find our way back to each other” he told me. I pulled away to look in his eyes. He looked back at me with the same look he had when he first told me he loved me. 

“C’mon your parents are probably wondering why we aren't at breakfast yet.” We started to walk back towards the dining haul but I couldn't get what Haru said. I aimsley followed behind him. 

“What did you mean earlier?” I asked before we entered the room. He turned back and stared at me confused. 

“You said we’ll always find our way back to each other. What did you mean?” He sighed before replying. 

“I meant that we’ll always be together. You may feel lost but i’ll always come and find you. Even if you're mad at me. Even if you don't want me to, I'll always come for you. I'll always protect you. ” Before I could say anything else he grabbed my hand, dragging  me into a room that was filled with people and food. I saw Hikari look up from her plate and she gave me a smile and turned her attention back to the person she was talking to. Like earlier the only faces I was able to see were hers and Haru’s. I sat next to my sister and served myself breakfast. Outside the large door I could hear two people talking even though I wasn't close to the door. Matter fact I was on the opposite side of the room. Most of the words I could hear came out in a whisper but there was one thing I heard forsure. “Yua and Hikari need to leave.” 

My eyes shot open and I immediately sat up taking in my surroundings. I looked around realizing I was at home on the couch. The coffee table was filled with my books from school and papers. That’s right. I was supposed to be doing homework with Haru but I'm guessing I fell asleep. 

“Haru?” I asked looking around for him. He popped his head out of the kitchen giving me a smile. 

“You're up finally sleepyhead.” He laughed walking out of the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn. 

“How long was I sleep?” I yawned. 

“A few hours.” He replied shoving a handful of popcorn in his mouth. I stayed silent thinking about the dream I just had. No it wasn't a dream. Or at least it didn't feel like it. It felt familiar. Like I was having deja vu. There was a lot I didn't understand but what confused me the most is that Haru was there. 

“I had a really weird dream.” 

“Yeah? What happened?” 

“I was in a rose garden and you were there.” I turned to face him but his eyes were glued to the tv. “You told me you’ll always protect me.” Haru tense up next to me. He stared at the tv ignoring my gaze. 

“Haru does that mean anything to you. The rose garden, any of it?” 

“It was just a dream Yua. It doesn't mean anything.” He said coldly. 

“Loose the tone I just asked you a question. I just feel like there’s a deeper meaning”

“There wasn't a tone and like I said just a dream. Let it go.” his voice kept the same cold tone. 

“Then why are you being so defensive about it?!” 

“I'm not! Just drop it okay?” He continued to chew his popcorn ignoring me every time I tried to bring the situation back up. I leaned back on the couch sighing in frustration. There’s something he’s not telling me. I’ll get him to tell me whether he wants to or not. 

#mystery #mysticsisters #anime #Japan #japanese #japanese books #japanese light novels #lightnovel #original light novel #vampire light novel #vampire #vampire anime #vampireanime #vamplove #vampireromance #fantasy

[fuckingthefictional]

Cross my heart - part 1

Warnings: the extensive use of the word fuck, war, (probably) historical inaccuracies.

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x Fenton!OFC, platonic!John Shelby x OFC.

Read Part 2 here

The station was practically empty, only a few stray people lingered around the grimy platforms. Ready to escape the hellish streets of Birmingham, although no major city was any better. London was just as much if not more of a shithole, as was Liverpool now that Eliza thought about it.

But Birmingham was the worst. It was dirty and crime-riddled and unless you had the money (which most did not) you were almost entirely fucked.

Eliza Fenton grew up with her brother in Small Heath. Harry, was a good few years older than she was and he was always supportive of the actions and plans in her life.

He was there right by her side when she was accepted into aviation school, he knew about her dream to become a pilot. Harry was always there, always there to support you.

Well - most of the time. Enlisting in the war as a pilot was the only time Harry had been completely against an idea of hers.

The fact that she, a young woman, had even been allowed to enlist was enough of a reason for Eliza to sign up. She knew she was a damn good pilot and she never turned down an opportunity to prove herself.

So on the 7th of August 1914, Eliza Fenton enlisted into the 35th RFC squadron. At first, when she arrived at the base it was strange- it was foreign and new. A lot of the other pilots didn’t understand why there was a woman on site.

Eventually, they understood why- Eliza was the best at routine checks, mechanics and overall fighting skills.

Little Tigress they’d call her- Small but feisty.

When Eliza came back to Small Heath, it was nice to see that not much had changed. The streets were still stained with ash, and the people were still absolutely fucking horrible.

It may look the same, but Eliza knew better than that- she knew that everything had changed.

That the men were all struggling to keep up their jobs because of the trauma from the battlefield. That the wives and widows were struggling to keep their heads above the water as the financial weight kept pressing down onto them.That the children would cry out to their fathers and brothers, not knowing they would never get a response. As much as everyone didn’t want to admit, the war had changed the people and not for the better either.

//

Opening the door to the garrison, Eliza allowed herself to become familiar with the loud chatter and smoky atmosphere. She didn’t know how much she had missed the pub before- how much of a comfort the rowdy crowds were.

She walked up to the bar, watching as a young blonde-haired woman served up drinks.

‘She’s new’ Eliza thought to herself. But to her left, she could see the back of her brother’s head, Harry was making small talk through the hatch to the private room.

That could only mean one thing. At least one of the Shelby’s were here.

As much as Eliza hated to remember, the memories kept flooding back in ongoing waves. But she pushed it into the back of her mind.

Instead, the brown-haired beauty walked behind the bar, she had always been allowed behind it- considering she was the sibling of the owner. But as soon as Eliza stepped foot in the area that was off-limits to the patrons, she felt a strong grip on her arm.

“You can’t be back here, Miss.”

Eliza looked up to see the blonde barmaid, she stared coldly at the woman. There was something about her that made Eliza’s body tingle with mistrust.

Ripping her arm away, she continued her walk to her brother. Eliza found herself picking up a bottle of whiskey from under the counter and unscrewing the cap, she took a large swig. The liquid burned her throat but warmed her insides.

The Irish voice spoke again, “Look if you don’t get out from behind the counter. I’ll be forced to ask you to leave.”

Eliza just chuckled, “Aye, good luck trying love.”

The small argument had obviously caught the attention of a few of the drinkers of the Garrison. It slowly fell hushed and the men at the end of the bar turned to face the two women.

Eliza smirked at her brother, “Afternoon, you ugly bastard.”

“Liza?”, Harry paced over and embraced his younger sister in his arms. They swayed gently and soon broke apart. The barman held the young woman at arm's length checking her over for injuries. “You’re back for good, Aye?”

“Aye- I’m back for good.”

//

“Why’d it take you so long to come back?”

They were sat in the private room, it had been left empty after the oldest Shelby left to conduct “business”. It was now occupied by the two Fenton siblings.

“Bloody war office.” Eliza inhaled deeply, the cigarette smoke-filled her lungs, “They said they couldn’t give me a Victoria Cross- said it’d cause too much controversy, ‘cos I’m a bloody woman.”

A look of anger washed across her brother's face, “Bloody bastards, half of ‘em didn’t even go through what you an’ our boys did. Bloody cowards the lot of ‘em.”

Eliza nodded her head in agreement and silently took out a small stack of letters from her purse, she handed them to Harry and motioned for him to read them.

She watched as his eyes skimmed through the writing, his face contorted in anger as he read the contents.

“Fucking, bloody bastards!”

Eliza just replied with a simple shrug, as she watched her older brother rant.

“What do they think their playing at ‘ay? Bloody bastards know what you did for our fuckin’ country for fuck's sake and they can’t even publically acknowledge it.”

Harry was pacing at this point, his hands flailing wildly in anger, “What horseshit! ‘We regret to inform you that your services on March 7th, 1917 must stay within your person.’ They make you sound like a fucking whore- not a bloody soldier.”

“Who sounds like a whore Harry?” A cold voice came from the doorway. Thomas fucking Shelby.

“Ah sorry Mr Shelby, I was just off on one. It’s a family matter you see, government are being bastards.”

Eliza snorted, “When are they not being bloody bastards Haz?”

Her soft voice caught the attention of the middle Shelby. He smirked slightly, “I like her.”

He walked into the room as Eliza began to put away her things, the opening of the door indicated the appearances of the other Shelby brothers.

“Eliza bloody Fenton!”

Eliza’s head shot up at the sound of the familiar voice.

“Y’alright Johnny boy? Still a pompous prick I see.”

The two other brothers looked at the woman incredulously, ready to come to their youngest brothers defense.

John just barked out a laugh, “and you’re still a frigid bitch.” Eliza laughed softly as John wrapped an arm around his old friend, “I say we need a bottle of whiskey and a catch-up.”

Tommy, knocked on the hatch, only for it to be opened by the blonde-haired girl. She glared at Eliza, jealousy radiated off of her face.

“Aye up Grace, can we get some whiskeys in here?”

‘Grace’ nodded silently a flirty smile working its way to her lips. Eliza just rolled her eyes.

John’s voice pulled her back to the room, “So how’ve you been El?”

Eliza let herself laugh, “Oh brilliant,” she said sarcastically, “The post-trauma just really makes my life amazing.”

“That’s what you get when ya’ sleep with our John.”

The youngest Shelby glared at his brother and a low rumbling of laughter momentarily shook the room, as the two older siblings looked back at the young woman sat next to John

“And how do you know our John ‘ay?”

This time it was Eliza and John who shared a look.

Eliza cleared her throat, “We were stationed together for a bit, in France. I saved good old Johnny’s arse on the field.”

Arthur and Tommy just turned to look at John, seeking the truth from their brother. John just gave them a nod- rendering your story to be true.

“Eliza Fenton, flight Seargent and lieutenant of the 35th squadron of the RFC.” She introduced herself and saluted jokingly.

“Some of her squadron were pulled in for ground support in the Somme, Eliza shot down a most of the German artillery men who were shooting at us.” John expanded on his friend’s wartime legacy, “Saved my arse on several occasions.” He clarified.

The room was silent for a moment before Tommy spoke up, “Well I suppose we owe you one Miss Fenton, We’re forever grateful for you actions and saving our John.”

“It’s no problem really. He’d of done it for me.” The sentiment was cut short when Harry knocked on the door and returned with the remaining letters, he was angrily muttering to himself.

“Harry!”

The older brother was red in the face, “I’ll fucking kill them- I swear it!” He slammed the letters on the table.

“You need to calm down.” Eliza chastised her brother, “There’s nothing we can do- believe me I’ve bloody tried.”

She took another deep inhale from the cigarette between her fingers, “there’s no point getting into a piss when you can’t change their minds- just let it go for now, aye?”

Harry just turned and exited the room mumbling profanities under his breath.

“The fuck was that about?”

The pilot turned to her friend, “Read these. They’ll explain everything.”

//

John had the same reaction as Harry.

“What a fuckin’ pisstake.”

Eliza rubbed her temples- it was like deja vu.

“They won’t award you a Victoria cross because you’re a fuckin’ woman.”

She just sighed again, “I always found it funny though- they didn’t even want to give me my fuckin’ ranks when I was over there. Even though I worked hard for the fucking things.” Eliza found herself reaching for the crystal glass once more, “the fuckin’ polish artillery squadron gave a bloody bear a rank with no issue.” The liquid burnt her throat, “but me? It might’ve caused controversy so they took their bloody time deciding.”

“It’s fuckin’ ridiculous.”

Eliza laughed shortly, “you’re tellin’ me. And after all the shit I went through too.”

The girl took a short breath, “look there's absolutely no point in getting annoyed over something out of our control- we’d just be wasting time on something other than getting piss drunk.”

Arthur sent a smirk over in her direction, “I like the way this one thinks.”

//

The rest of the night consisted of the Shelby boys and Fenton girl, knocking back countless bottles of alcohol. It was a nice feeling, to be carefree and not have to worry about the past or future.

Although Eliza had a high alcohol tolerance- she could safely admit that the Shelby brothers were several levels higher than her on the drinking scale.

And if there was one thing that Eliza Fenton knew- it was never to try and outdrink a Shelby.

She knew her limits, and after the 8th round of drinks, Eliza decided to settle instead for her hand-rolled cigarettes.

She and John caught up over the course of the evening- Christ, even Arthur was engaging in conversation.

But the one thing Eliza couldn’t shake off was the cool and calculating gaze from the middle brother. Thomas had barely spoken two words since they’d started drinking.

Any other girl would have been put off by that fact, but Eliza was different. She wasn't there to impress the men of the garrison, she wasn’t beckoning for the attention either.

And yet here she was with Tommy’s full attention and gaze on her frame. Watching her like a meal, or how a predator would look at their prey. Eliza was aware of their past meetings together, even if Tommy didn’t.

#peaky blinder imagine #peakyblinders #peaky blinders #peaky blinder headcanon #peaky blinder fanfic #shelby #thomas shelby x reader #thomas shelby #tommy shelby x you #tommy shelby x reader #tommy shelby #arthur shelby #john shelby #harry fenton #grace burgess #grace shelby #ada shelby #polly gray #michael gray #micheal gray #finn shelby #tommy shelby x oc

[athingthatwantsvirginia]

Lily Briscoe, Remember?

PART TWENTY-SIX OF THE DO YOU SEE HER FACE? SERIES

Pairing: Jess Mariano x Original Character (Ella Stevens)

Warnings: drinking, smoking, plentiful pop culture references

Word Count: 3.7K

Summary: After a visit to a local bar, Ella catches up with Jess and spends a night in Philadelphia.

Twirling her cool water glass around and around on the grimy table, Ella smiled softly when a Strokes song came over the speakers. The bar was some hole-in-the-wall dive a few blocks down from the publishing house, still adorned with St. Patrick’s Day decorations although it was halfway through May. But Ella didn’t mind it. There weren’t rowdy swarms of college students or bachelorette parties. Instead, people in their late twenties sat around in black, square-framed glasses talking in buzzing tones. They had locally-made beer and a small, empty stage with just a stool, where independent artists played on the weekends. The air was salty with fries and early summer excitement. Matthew made conversation with her as Chris and Jess went up to order the drinks. Leaning back against the ripped vinyl booth, Ella listened intently as Matthew, sat across from her in a creaky wooden chair, told her about he and Chris meeting in high school.

“...so, we weren’t in the AV club or anything, but we definitely weren’t on the football team either-”

Chris led the way back to the table with a tray of beers and a hoot of satisfaction, Jess trailing behind his friend and rolling his eyes.

Stopping mid-sentence, Matthew turned to Chris and swiped a drink. Chris sat down beside him and was almost instantly chattering away. Matthew seemed kind, quiet, subdued. A good balance to Chris’s chaotic enthusiasm. Jess slid into the booth beside Ella, shrugging off his suit jacket, flushed in the stuffy air. Their upper arms touched, making her stomach do a flip. Even though it had been years since he lived at Luke’s, Jess still somehow had an aroma of pine.

“So,” Chris began, turning to Ella with a pointed look and a grin, “what do you do, Ella?”

“Oh, um, I’m a waitress.”

“And an artist,” Jess chimed in, taking a sip from his bottle.

Ella rolled her eyes and then shot him a teasing glare. “Not professionally. But I just graduated from Southern Connecticut State last week. Hopefully I won’t be filling sandwich orders my whole life.”

“You graduated already, Doogie?” Jess asked with a pleasant, surprised chuckle.

She shrugged. “Wasn’t too big a deal. I took summer classes and stuff.”

“What’s your major?” Matthew asked.

“Studio art,” she said. “Minor in history, though.”

Jess raised his brows, but said nothing. Apparently she hadn’t gone through only outward changes. He could smell her lavender perfume as he sipped on his cheap, watery beer. It was odd to see her in Keeley’s, a bar he’d frequented since arriving in Philadelphia. The feeling was not quite deja-vu, but his worlds were certainly colliding. In the back of his mind, he wondered where her necklace was, wondered where she was living. It was easy to feel like he knew her, maybe better than anyone, but they hadn’t spoken in so long. She could be married, for all he knew. Scanning her thin hands, he found no engagement or wedding rings. But an uneasiness still sat right under his skin, eager to be resolved.

Crossing his arms, elbows on the table, Chris leaned closer into the conversation. “That’s so cool! Do you have anything lined up? Seems like you should, considering how many people tried to buy your sketches today.”

She scoffed, continuing to turn her glass anxiously. A blush warmed her cheeks, and a nervous smile tugged at her lips as she averted her eyes down to the table. “Sort of. Grad school is where I’m headed now.”

“Really?” Jess chimed in. “Where?”

Clearing her throat, Ella raked a hand through her hair. Though Jess tilted his head at her, she refused to meet his gaze. “It’s funny, actually. I’ve still got some things to work out...but UPenn.”

“No way! That’s right down the road from us!” Chris exclaimed.

Ella’s smile widened marginally, and excitement rose in her chest. “Yeah, it’s weird. I had a few I was choosing between, and Penn reached out and...I only confirmed a couple weeks ago. A few days before I got your invitation in the mail. Since I was coming down here anyway, I scheduled my interview with the Dean for tomorrow.”

“Well, congrats,” Matthew said, raising his bottle.

“Thanks,” she replied, feeling slightly silly as she toasted her water against their beers.

Before another moment had passed, Chris got a page on his beeper. Apparently, the poet who had performed at the open house had left something of his behind and would need to be let in early the next morning. Matthew and Chris began commiserating amongst themselves about the performer, who was apparently less than a joy to work with. Biting on the inside of her cheek, Ella tried to suppress her smile. Too much joy made her nervous. It meant always waiting for the other shoe to drop. She’d had the odd mixture of anxiety and anticipation brewing in her stomach since opening Jess’s package. It was too much of a coincidence for her to be going to a school five minutes away from where Jess worked. Too perfect. She didn’t trust it.

Beside her, Jess was trying equally hard to hold in his emotions. She would be in Philly. Right down the road. She hadn’t been right down the road from him in what felt like forever. There were still so many unknowns. But he couldn’t help the swell of his heart. What were the chances? Plastering on a smug smirk, a mask to hide his exhilaration at her news, he nudged her gently with his elbow.

“So, you’re Philly bound?”

“Seems that way,” she said, nodding.

He hummed in acknowledgement, pausing to gaze at her for a moment. Freckles and Bette Davis eyes and a deep, raspy voice. So different but so familiar. She offered him a tiny smile, caught up in the moment. A swarm of pleasant butterflies fluttered in her stomach, and again, she wished they could kiss. Inside their private world, as they once had been.

“Y’know, I think it was fate,” Jess said, smirk growing. “Us both ending up here.”

She snorted a laugh and shook her head slightly. “Not all that idealist bullshit again, Mariano.”

“Hey, not everything changes,” Jess shrugged, taking another sip.

“Guess not,” she said quietly, a fond sparkle in her hazel eyes. “But I’d expect nothing less from a Hemingway fetishist.”

Jess rolled his eyes. “Whatever, Stevie Nicks.”

Instead of retorting, Ella snatched the beer sitting before Jess and took a long sip. Setting it down in front of him again, she winked and then began to hum along to Julian Casablancas’s lyrics.

.   .   .

“I’m serious. I was really planning on just getting a motel,” Ella insisted.

Shushing her, a finger on his lips, Chris shook his head. He stood in the tiny kitchen, rummaging through the rusty fridge for some drunk food. Matthew was tipsy, and had already retreated to his room. Chris, however, had managed to get absolutely wasted. They’d practically dragged him up the stairs in Truncheon to the apartment above, while he babbled loudly, complaining about his boyfriend being out of town for the open house. Now, as Jess and Ella argued about her sleeping in the apartment, he offered slurred interjections and cackles off to the side.

Jess, having only drunk two beers over the course of the day, rolled his eyes at his friend. “Go to bed, man.”

“Make me, Jess,” Chris replied jovially, retrieving a box of fried chicken from behind the half-and-half. Straightening up, he shot them both a smug grin and made for the bedroom he shared with Matthew. “Have fun, kids.”

“Good luck fighting that sweater off your head,” Ella quipped, not able to stop the words before they left her mouth. Chris, for all his exuberance, was wearing deceptively stuffy clothes. A button-up with a patterned sweater over it, khakis.

Again, Chris only laughed. “She’s feisty. Let’s keep her forever.”

Smiling thinly, Ella gave him the finger. He blew her a kiss before entering the dark room and shutting the door loudly behind him. Ella winced slightly. She knew Matthew was probably already asleep in one of the room’s twin beds.

Jess ran a hand down his face, standing amid the cluttered mess of their living room.

Ella turned back to Jess, crossing her arms over her chest as an amused crease formed between her brows. “How’d you end up living with them again?”

“Long story.”

“I would imagine.”

“He’s usually not quite so intolerable, but it’s been a big day,” Jess said apologetically. “And he’s still super pissed his boyfriend had to go outta town for work.”

Ella shrugged. “Hey, no problem. I like them. But, yes, it has been a big day. And I don’t want to keep you up any longer. So, why don’t I just stay at a motel?”

Shaking his head, Jess gestured for her to follow him and led the way to his bedroom. “Yeah, right. It’s past midnight. You can just crash with me. Not like we haven’t shared a bed before.”

A heavy sigh escaped her lips. “Are you sure? At least let me take the couch. I’ve been sleeping on one for two years, anyway.”

“At Lane’s?” Jess asked, switching on the ceiling light as they entered.

Surveying the bedroom, a smile immediately came to Ella’s lips. The living room was an absolute mess, but he’d managed to keep his own room decently clean. In the small space, he had only a queen-sized bed, pushed against the wall with the windows, and a dresser, on top of which his boombox sat. Piles of books and CDs littered the scratched wood floor, mostly in the free corners. A framed poster of Nietzche hung above his bed, and she burst out laughing when she saw it, before she could help herself.

“What?” Jess asked, brows furrowed.

She pointed to the poster, then bit down on her thumb nail to stifle her giggles. “Nothing, I’m just glad you’re becoming self-aware.”

He rolled his eyes playfully. “Already overstaying your welcome, Stevens. The bathroom’s the first door on the left when you walk into the apartment. You can get changed, brush your teeth, whatever.”

Nodding, Ella slipped off her shoes near the door and put down her heavy shoulder bag. It only took a minute of rifling through before she found the pajamas and toothbrush she’d packed for the short trip. Since she was little, she couldn’t fall asleep before brushing her teeth first. Clutching the supplies in her arms, she turned back to Jess. He’d taken off his suit jacket and tossed it down on the bed, was unclasping his watch and setting it down on the dresser. He looked so grown up in the yellowish overhead light, bright against the dark green walls.

“This is really okay with you, Jess?” she asked, sounding shyer than he’d ever heard.

“Yeah,” he replied, flashing her a reassuring smile. “What kind of host would I be otherwise?”

Smiling back, Ella nodded again. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

As she left the room, Jess let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding in and ran a hand over his mouth. He thought back to the night she’d let him sleep over, dragged him from the freezing back seat of his old car into her warm bedroom. It was the least he could do. Truly. But anxiety squeezed his insides tightly. He tried to shake it off. Ella herself had said he didn’t need to be nervous. He changed into some sweatpants and a t-shirt quickly, running his hands through his neat hair and turning it messy. When she returned, face washed and teeth brushed, he was just flicking on his bedside lamp and pulling back the blue comforter. He recognized the Bowie t-shirt she wore from some vague memory.

“No KISS shirt?” he asked.

She chuckled as she stuffed her dress and toothbrush into her bag near the door. “Oh, I never travel with that. Couldn’t bear for it to get lost.”

“Oh, right, my mistake,” Jess said. “You can turn out that switch, if you want.”

Ella turned off the overhead light, left only in the glow of his nightstand lamp. Before the nausea could overtake her, she powered through the shakiness of her hands and came to sit across from him. It didn’t need to be strange. She’d just gotten her best friend back. And they could sleep in the same bed as they had so many times before.

“Since I’m already taking advantage of your hospitality,” she began, eyeing the half-empty pack of Marlboros on the floor by the bed, “could I maybe borrow a cigarette?”

Smirking fondly, Jess nodded, reaching down to grab the pack and the lighter. He lit hers for her as she held it between her lips, and then his own. He cracked open the window and flicked ash out into the May midnight.

“What’s got you smoking?” he asked.

She sighed through her nose in white streams. “My interview with the Dean tomorrow. I mean, I’m already in. And they contacted me because of my portfolio. But, I don’t know. Anything could happen.”

“But it won’t,” Jess said. “It’ll be fine. You’re Lily Briscoe, remember?”

A weak smile crossed her face and she gave an unconvincing nod. Then, she looked back up at him curiously. “What about you? Still smoke as much as you did in high school?”

Jess shook his head. “No. Almost never. But I may have panicked about this whole open house thing last night.”

“Looked like it went great,” she said, tapping ash out the window, sitting cross-legged.

Shrugging, Jess leaned back against the wall behind his bed. “We’ll see what that lady from the paper writes.”

“Who cares what she thinks?” Ella asked.

“People who could spend their money here,” Jess answered, chuckling breathily.

Waving a dismissive hand, Ella took a final drag of her cigarette. She crushed it out on the windowsill, where she saw the small, circular remnants of smokes past, before throwing butt out the window into the dumpster below. “Maybe. Seems like you’ve got a pretty decent underground following already.”

“And you call me the idealist,” he said, shaking his head and tossing out his own cigarette.

She laughed lightly, following Jess’s lead as he closed his window again and got under the covers. Soon, they faced each other with their heads against Jess’s pillows. They smelled like him. After shutting off his lamp, Jess regarded Ella in the dim light. He felt like he’d stepped through a door into a memory or a dream.

“Speaking of Truncheon, tell me about the book,” she said quietly.

“Which book?”

“Your book, Sherlock,” she teased.

He sighed, swallowing dryly. “What do you want to know?”

“Everything,” she replied. “I mean, when did you write it? How did you write it? Did ever end up getting a computer, or-”

“Woah, Stevens,” he interrupted, snickering at her rapid-fire questions. “I started writing it when I was still in Stars Hollow.”

She furrowed her brows. “What?”

“Yeah. That notebook I came back for when I picked up my car? I sort of...started before I left. I took a break in California. But I started taking advantage of the library computers when I got back to New York.”

“So, it really was an On The Road thing.”

“Not quite so ambitious,” he said. “But, once I read that Stephen King book you got me...I just got started.”

“And you never told me?” she asked.

He only shrugged in response.

Ella shook her head slightly, watching him with furrowed brows. “Curiouser and curiouser, Mariano.”

“I wanted to surprise you with it.”

“Well, you did.” She thought she saw a flush rise to his cheeks, but couldn’t quite tell in the low light. Something indecipherable flashed across his eyes as he hesitated. She took the lead instead. “Hey Jess?”

“Hm?”

“I’m so fucking proud of you.”

Jess rolled his eyes, really blushing now. His face went scarlet, and he uttered a nervous chuckle. “Thanks, Daria.”

“Anytime, James Dean.”

Ignoring the flip of his stomach, Jess let the compliment roll off him like water and faced her earnestly. “Did you say you were still livin’ with Lane?”

She nodded. “Yeah. It was just...easier than getting my own place. A smaller chunk of the rent to pay. Especially with how many classes I was taking, and it was right across the street from Luke’s. At some point, we upgraded to a futon, so it was a little easier to sleep.”

Jess snorted. “I’m pretty sure you could fall asleep in the middle of a tornado, get transported to Oz, then back to Kansas, and wouldn’t wake up the whole time.”

“Be that as it may,” she said pointedly, “it was pretty okay. But Lane and Zach are getting married in a couple weeks. It would be time to move out even if it wasn’t for grad school.”

“Lane and Zach?” Jess asked, brows furrowed in surprise. “What about that Dave guy?”

Ella sighed softly. “He went to California for college. Eventually, they broke up. And she was on and off with Zach and...I don’t know. He’s not the worst guy. And I know there’s no talking her out of it, anyway.”

“People are gonna do what they’re gonna do,” Jess agreed, thinking back to his own mother’s last wedding.

“I’ll miss her, though. Without Lane, I would probably still have majored in history. Ended up teaching at Stars Hollow High.”

“No way.”

“I’m not so sure. But just seeing Lane play with the band all the time...she looked so happy. Even though she had no money and her mom was pissed at her. I thought maybe actually trying to do what you love wasn’t such a crazy idea,” she explained, voice husky and tired, but so lively.  

It made Jess smile. “That’s great, Eleanor.”

She shrugged again and cleared her throat, wincing slightly. “Ugh, Jesus. Smoking is never worth it. I don’t think I’ve smoked since...since the last time we saw each other. The morning after you left.”

His face fell. There it was. Finally. “I’m sorry, Elle.”

“For what?” she asked dismissively. The past was past.

“For that night. Everything. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“It’s okay, Jess.”

“Luke gave me this stupid self-help book and I read it and we kinda went to the wedding together and I got...mixed up.”

Smiling softly, Ella shifted in her spot to move a little closer to him. “I’m gonna need more details on that self-help book later.”

He uttered a self-conscious scoff.

“But, really Jess, it’s okay. I understand. And...I just...I wasn’t ready,” she said finally, struggling for her words. “After I moved out of my dad’s house...I still needed Lane. And Lorelai. And Luke. I always thought getting away would fix everything. But...I wasn’t ready for you.”

A sad smile tugged at his lips. “I don’t think I was ready for you, either.”

Breathing deeply, Ella let the moment pass between them. Forgiveness, maybe? On both sides? She wasn’t quite sure what it was, but she knew it made her feel calmer. Maybe ripping old wounds open was worth it if it meant they would finally get the chance to heal.

“I bet you started breaking hearts when you got here though. What with the starry-eyed starving artist thing you’ve got going on,” she said. She knew it was a flimsy attempt at being sly, but she just couldn’t bring herself to ask him outright. And he was letting her sleep in his bed. That was a positive sign. But she needed to know for sure.

He chuckled slightly and shook his head. “Not really. Turns out, people don’t flock to the guy with nothing but a shitty final draft and a duffel bag to his name.” Then, after a beat of silence, sirens blaring from somewhere off in the distance of the city, he spoke again. “What about you?”

The inquisitive, almost hopeful, tone in his voice made her heart skip a beat. “Nothing extraordinary. A couple dates. Guys. Girls. Never got anything to stick.”

“Hm.” Jess paused, watching Ella watch him.

The sound of the singing crickets mixed strangely with the murmur of the city, even in the early Monday morning hours. Ella tried to remember each detail of the present moment. Lying beside Jess in Philadelphia, preparing to go to grad school, finally out from under the thumbs of her father and Stars Hollow. And in love. She decided on it finally. Nothing had changed. She loved Jess as she had for so long, even if she had never truly realized it. Maybe she had, but was too scared to admit it. She thought back to the day he took her to the Met, riding back home in his car, nothing but the dark, empty highway around them. She’d almost said it then. But she hadn’t. Even then, though, she’d been completely his. All or nothing. Do or die.

Slowly, she brought her hand out from under the covers and placed it on his cheek. She stroked his stubbly skin with her thumb. The boy who’d turned into a man all on his own, who had always been so guarded and so kind. Who gave her a bed when she was drunk and bought her charcoals on Valentine’s Day and took her to museums and wrote books for her and hung her drawings on his wall. Who she had taken to a private movie and driven to the emergency room and kissed as an Interpol song played and brought in from the cold. The give and take which had always been there, making her feel safe. Easy. Home.

Taking a moment to close his eyes, Jess quieted all the thoughts screaming in his head.

“I missed you,” she whispered.

“I missed you too,” he replied, too overwhelmed to say much of anything else. He remembered the night on the bridge when they’d decided to try together. How the nerves had made his stomach churn. But she’d taken his hand in hers. She’d made the first move. And made his whole being feel calm. She had cared for him when he couldn’t care for himself. It made him feel like a teenager again. Her touch. Her voice. Her mind.

He wound his arm around her waist and brought her closer, hugging her tightly. They were silent and comfortable. Eventually, Ella’s breathing deepened and Jess felt her muscles relax, holding her. Outside, he could see the full moon reflecting light against a clear night sky. And he felt so content he could barely shut his eyes for a second, fearful of missing anything.

#jess mariano fanfiction #jess mariano oc #jess mariano imagines #jess mariano imagine #jess mariano #jess #mariano #gilmore girls fanfiction #gilmore girls oc #jess mariano au #gilmore girls au #gilmore girls imagines #gilmore girls imagine #gilmore #jess mariano x original character #jess mariano x oc #original character #original character stories

[beanie-beebo-writes]

What Once Was But Never Will Be

Category: One-shot, gen-fic

A/N: This story was written in 2016, so it may be a bit different from my current style of writing. At the time, I was experimenting with fanfic and writing, and I really was proud of this at the time. A lot of this was based on lore I researched as well. Enjoy! Also let me know if I should put this into chapters or if this format is fine!

"I'm turning in for the night," Sam said; his back protesting from remaining in the same position for hours, "don't stay up too late, alright?"

"Okay mom, sure thing." Dean said with an eye roll.

Sam huffed in amusement. "Night!" He shouted from down the hall.

"Night." Dean replied audibly to his brother.

Dean rubbed the bridge of his nose as he continued to skim through thick piles of information. Back and forth he went from the lore to the patient records, making his eyes grow tired. He couldn't sleep, not now. He was so close, he could feel it. He scooched his chair back and rubbed his drooping eyelids. The bunker was silent, except for the occasional soft snore echoing from Sam's room.

"Maybe I'll do better in the morning." He sighed, stifling a yawn.

Leaving everything as if he just got up and left, he dragged himself to the bathroom and got ready for bed. As he laid down, his mind couldn't help but wander to one of the victims. His name was Victor, and he was only eight years old. Why do the helpless always end up getting hurt?

It wasn't long before the saddening thoughts of the helpless young boy silenced him into a dreamless state of slumber.

                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first thing Dean awoke to was the sweet smell of coffee and creamer. Up early, aren't we Sammy? He opened his eyes to see an oddly familiar room; he bolted upright. His eyes darted around the average-sized bedroom and back to the bed he was sleeping in. It wasn't his bed, it was a bed made for two, a queen bed. The other side was unkempt and cold; he was slightly clueless. Where have I seen this room before? He quietly crept down a hallway and down some stairs off of the familiar room. The area was lit by some lamps in a living room, which was also familiar. Weird. He made his way to the kitchen. With caution, he slid over to the coffee maker and found a sort of sloppily written note beside a ceramic mug. 'Have a great day sweetie! :) Love you lots, Carmen' it read.

"Carmen?" Dean asked aloud.

He flipped over the note, half expecting to find a code or something on the back. Only it was just a slip of paper, nothing more. Tossing the note aside, he explored the small apartment in hopes of finding out where he was, or even why. In the next room, he came across some framed pictures. They were distantly familiar, but strangely inaccurate. One showed Sam with his mother and his old girlfriend Jessica, outside of a lit building. He was in a red graduation cap and gown. Another one was an unfamiliar Christmas family photo, with himself, Sam, and his parents all bundled together in festive attire. Dean stared at the photos and pondered for a few moments. It hit him, he knew where he was. He frantically searched his cell phone contacts and stopped a quarter of the way down. His heart nearly leapt out of his chest when the familiar voice answered the phone.

"M-mom?" He stuttered into the receiver.

                                                  ~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam groggily rolled over to check the time; 10:30 AM.

"Shit." He grumbled as he swung his legs over the bed.

He kneaded his eyes with the heels of his hands and smoothed down his bed-head, his feet slapping down on the cold hallway tiles. He peeked into the library, half-expecting Dean to be out cold with his head actually in the books. But when he just found all of his unkempt files astray, he felt a sense of pride from his gut. He never actually thought Dean would listen to his advice for once. Sam peered into Dean's slightly ajar door to find his older brother sound asleep. One arm was lazily slung across his abdomen while the other dangled slightly off of the bedside. Sam smiled at the peaceful sight of his brother and closed the door lightly, careful not to disturb him.

"I'll let him sleep a bit." He thought as he headed to the kitchen for some breakfast.

His stomach grumbled as he reached for the oatmeal in the upper cupboard. He would have made a nice diner-style breakfast, but he remembered that they were out of some ingredients. As the light hum of the microwave filled the kitchen, Sam decided to make his way to the library to inspect the files Dean had left out. Three profiles were scrambled into one pile, they were all children. Victor Emanuel Hart; 8 y.o; Cause of death: Unknown. Bridgette Rose Pyne; 6 y.o; Cause of death: Unknown. Jacklynn Rose Smith; 7 y.o... The only thing they seemed to have in common was an unknown cause of death, within a brief time period from the other victims, and were of a young age. They were residing in different states and had no relations to one another. He skimmed the other piles to see what else he could find, hoping Dean wouldn't kill him for slightly messing up his work. Coronary reports and autopsy photos, records and police reports, mostly useless. Maybe he would be able to convince his older brother to see the bodies again later. The pictures showed no visible wounds of course, but he thought they should check out the victims before the funeral services took the bodies. They were lucky to even pull the information that they did over the phone with the officers and their fake identities. Bobby may have not been around to help out anymore, but they still had a few tricks up their sleeves to get the job done. They also still had Charlie and Kevin to back them up if they needed the extra assistance.

The warming smell of oatmeal flooded the library, sending Sam straight to the microwave for his meal. He was surprisingly famished, despite that he had eaten dinner last night. He opened the door to the microwave and steam bellowed from it, almost burning his skin. Before he could burn anything else, he quickly rushed back to the library and slid it onto the table. His mouth was watering just from the smell alone as he lightly blew across the top of the bowl. He tried to concentrate on the lore while his bowl cooled, hoping it would distract his stomach, that was currently nipping at his sides. His brother had left one book open at a Japanese creature called the Baku. From the looks of it, he had a head start with some phone calls with the victims' families as well, based on some sticky notes that were stuck above the book. The first one read: Nightmares for months without end; no known mental illnesses. The others seemed to have the same information written on them except for the last one, which had an extra bullet on it: "Mother heard him murmuring aloud at night sometimes, told her the following morning that he was talking to his friend the 'Batu'; Heard it from his friends in his religious instruction classes." Well it definitely fit right into the lore; the Batu was called upon if a child was distressed from a nightmare. It would literally eat the child's nightmares, in exchange for a peaceful night. The lore didn't really specify anything else except for other rituals and ways to protect one's child from one. Sam set the book back on the table and reached for his laptop, which was where it normally was, at least when he would sit with Dean while they did their research. He opened it up and took a large spoonful of the oatmeal, making satisfied noises as he enjoyed each bite slowly. The computer softly hummed the boot up noise and Sam leaned forward, mentally preparing himself for another period of lengthy research once again.

                                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An hour later Sam pushed the chair away from the table in defeat. There was nothing that could suggest why or how a Batu takes or kills its victims.

"Maybe Dean knows something I don't." Sam said as he walked towards his sibling's dormitory.

He was surprised that he wasn't awake already, it was almost noon! He knocked audibly on Dean's door, hoping he was at least getting ready.

"Dean? You awake?" Not even a rustling came from the room in response, which worried him.

Dean was in the same position that Sam had found him in earlier, one arm was still thrown across his stomach and the other dangling from the bedside. His covers were still the same, as if he hadn't moved at all. He rushed to check for any signs of life.

"Alright, pulse... is slower..? He's breathing.." Sam said aloud.

He checked for any signs of discomfort, a temperature, visible wounds... There was nothing to be found.

It didn't make sense, he wasn't waking up. And there was no reason he should have be unresponsive, at least that Sam could see. He shook him forcefully and repetitively slapped his face.

"Hey Dean, buddy, wake up."

Still no response, not even a twitch or an eye movement. He was still except for his brother frantically shaking him.

"Dean!"

                                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was like he was having a deja vu, it felt exactly the same. Almost like he was reliving the same dream. All. Over. Again. He knew he was dreaming, but it just felt so real. He closed his eyes and rang the doorbell. He bit his lip to try and will away his tears, but they had stubbornly crept up on his water line. The white door opened moments later, barely giving him time to think. He looked up and met the familiar set of blue eyes etched with deep concern. Up to the slightly unkempt, blonde hair thrown into a messy bun on top of her head. He couldn't believe his eyes. Why now? Why not years before? He cleared his throat in a final attempt to choke back the emotional dam.

"Hey mom." He wavered as she welcomed him inside.

"Hey sweetie, what's wrong? You look upset.." Mary said as she closed the door with one hand and caressed his face with the other.

His eyes scanned the house from the front hallway, his gaze landing back onto his mother's angelic face. Dean's eyes finally betrayed him as a tear rolled slowly down his cheek; he pulled his mother into a tight hug. That was all that was needed for the rest to leak out. His failure to control his emotions racked his body in sobs, causing his mother to hug him even tighter and shush him.

"Shhhhh, honey it's okay." Mary hushed as she rubbed his back repetitively; she pushed him away gently to see his distraught face. "Hey, sweetie... Talk to me, what's wrong?"

Dean sniffled and wiped the tears away as he regained his posture. He drew in a deep breath and absently ran his hands through his shadow.

"It's nothing." -Mary gave him a bitch face- "No really, it's nothing, I promise. I just.." He trailed off momentarily, "...haven't seen you in a while, that's all."

"Okay... If you say so. Why did you come here so early? I thought when you said you wanted to come over, I thought you meant later on in the day... Not so early in the morning-. Are you sure everything's alright, dear?" Mary asked with great concern.

"Yes, yes I'm sure mom. My mistake, should have told you." Dean reassured. "I just felt a little homesick, that's all."

He trailed off into the familiar living room and observed the identical pictures on the shelves. They all were the same as his fake-reality many years before. None of it added up, but it didn't matter. He was home.

"I think I understand dear... Did you call into work this morning?" Mary asked.

Work? Yeah, definitely the last thing on his mind.

"Yeah, I called. I just needed to be home again.. You know?" The word sounded so alienated coming from his vocal cords; home.

His mother nodded and hummed in agreement. He had been this way years back, and she wondered what could have caused him to feel this way again. Dean had grown closer to the family over the years, but what could possibly have triggered a breakdown like this? She had just seen him a few weeks ago. She planted a kiss on his cheek and looked deeply into his emerald eyes, searching for any reasonable answer to her concerns.

"Well I'll be cooking some breakfast if you need anything, alright?" Mary said softly.

"Alright mom." He said.

She caressed his cheek and Dean leaned into her touch.

"And I mean anything." She added sincerely.

"Okay." Dean replied with a slightly annoyed expression.

Mary smiled deeply and walked into the kitchen. Couldn't someone just miss home?

                                                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Cas, I-I don't know what to do! He won't wake up a-and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him!" Sam exclaimed as he sat down.

"And you've tried waking him?" Cas parroted, bending down to Dean's still form.

Sam gave him the bitch face causing Cas to raise his hands up in defense.

"Just checking."

Cas placed two fingers on Dean's forehead, making Dean scrunch his eyelids slightly. Cas closed his eyes momentarily, finding himself inside Dean's head. He suddenly became aware of the softly lit room of the Winchesters' old house. Dean was currently observing the pictures and knick-knacks on the shelves.

"He seems to be dreaming." Cas said, opening his eyes to an alert Sam behind him.

"He's dreaming? Well then why can't I wake him up?!" Sam asked.

"I don't know." Cas replied arrogantly.

"Couldn't you... wake him up or something?" Sam impatiently asked.

"I could try, but I can't promise he'll wake up."

Cas put his fingers back on Dean's forehead, finding it slightly chilling to the touch. He closed his eyes and found himself back where he was moments before, next to Dean by the wooden shelves of his past. Dean stumbled backward, surprised by his friend's random usual appearance (not like it was the first).

"Damnit Cas, you scared the shit out of me!" Dean quietly shouted as he unballed his fists.

"You need to wake up, Dean." Cas stated firmly, ignoring the scare he gave his friend.

"What? Why? Is something wrong?" He asked.

"We don't know yet, but you aren't waking up. That's normally not a good sign." Cas replied urgently, afraid something might happen.

"How do I wake up?"

"I'm normally not well informed on the human brain, but you should be able to command yourself to be awake if you're aware that you're asleep." Cas informed briefly.

Dean glanced around the room for a final time as he tightly closed his eyes. Nothing happened. He tried again, but no progress. He was still there, at his old house, in front of his angelic friend, in the familiar room. He repeated the phrase 'wake up' multiple times, even closing his eyes tighter as he said so. But no matter what he tried, he remained in that room, in his dream, of a different reality.

"Cas, nothing's working! What's going on?!"

"I don't know, but it looks like you're trapped." He grinned and suddenly shifted into Dean's mother.

                                                   ~~~~~~~~~~~

"Cas, are you alright?!"

Cas opened his eyes and leaned away from the sudden bright light that filled his eyes. His hearing was foggy and his vision was slightly hazy. He noticed he was against Dean's desk, Sam hovering cautiously over him. He rubbed the back of his head as the room spun. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the wooden desk.

"I think so, but I don't believe Dean is." Cas grumbled weakly.

Sam helped him up to where he sat moments ago and observed the angel's injuries. Luckily it only looked like he took a heavy blow to the head from being thrown back to Dean's desk, but he couldn't tell if anything was injured internally.

"Cas, what happened? What was that?!" Sam asked.

"I don't know, but it definitely wasn't good. I was basically thrown out of your brother's state of mind by something powerful. I tried helping Dean wake up and the next thing I know, I'm thrown against his desk." He said as he felt his power diminish.

"Do you think maybe Dean knew something about the case we were working on?" Sam asked Cas, suddenly connecting the dots.

"W...What does that have anything to do with this?" Cas panted as he tried to sit up a bit straighter.

"I'll be right back." Sam said as he backed out of the doorway and ran to the library. His footsteps eerily echoed down the hallway as he ran back with the lore book and the sticky notes Dean had left above them. He thankfully found Cas just as he left him; he handed the findings to Cas for him to scan over.

"We were cracking down on three separate victims with mysterious, unknown deaths across multiple states within a short time period. I hadn't found anything useful yet, but it looked like Dean had already almost cracked the case. Maybe what he was going to hunt, hunted him down first before he could get to it." Sam hypothesized as Cas finished scanning the papers.

"And he was hunting a Baku?" He asked while he set everything down.

"Yeah, it's a japanese creature that was said to eat nightmares of troubled children it got called to. But legend has it that if they call too many times, they would be preyed on and the Baku would eat them whole." Sam informed.

"A japanese creature on the other side of the world? How would that be possible?" Cas asked.

"Well someone could have brought it here with their culture from immigration, or the word just could have spread like folklore normally does." Sam said.

"Which explains the deaths across multiple states." Cas followed.

"Correct. But now we have to find out why it targeted Dean and how to get him out of this spell he's under." Sam replied.

"Well maybe Dean knew something we didn't, like how to stop it or something." Cas suggested.

"But how would the Baku know?"

"Good question. But first we should try and stop it before it does any more harm."

"Good idea." Sam agreed as he collected Dean's findings. "Can you get up on your own?" He asked as he saw his friend struggle to stand on his feet.

"Yeah, I think I'm good, just a bit sore." Cas lied.

Sam reluctantly took him on his word and sped-walked back to the library to research once again. Cas joined him not much later and cracked open one of the boys' laptops. The search had begun; time was precious.

                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What's wrong Dean? You look quite startled.." The thing that transformed into his mother asked shrewdly.

"What are you doing to me?" Dean hissed as he backed away slowly and searched for something to stop the creature.

The thing chuckled and slowly walked closer to him, suddenly turning into Carmen. It cornered him to a wall, forcing him to search for a way out. It touched his cheek romantically and sighed. Dean turned his head away in disgust as it drew itself closer into his personal space.

"Now now Dean, would hate to ruin what you've got here... Wouldn't you?" It purred as it connected his hands to 'Carmen's' hands firmly.

"I don't have anything here. This is a dream caused by the disgusting thing lurking in front of me." Dean spat.

The creature disguised as Carmen frowned. "That hurts Dean... I was only granting your deepest desires you had wished for.." It said.

"I never asked anyone for this." He replied with confusion. He hadn't told anyone anything, how could this thing possibly know anything he wished for? Unless...

"...If I had read your thoughts?" Dean looked slightly shocked as it broke the silence. "You know it's rude to talk behind people's backs Dean.."

Dean swallowed hard. Shit. He would never be able to think of anything the same again.

"I know you wanted this deep down hun, I can feel it." It whispered as it trailed a finger down to the center of Dean's chest. "My insight's never wrong, Dean." It leaned in close enough to taste Dean's alcohol breath.

"But why me, of all people you could have chosen..?"

"I can taste the desires from miles away.. All I had to do was pick up your scent from a crime scene and voila.. You're all mine." It mumbled romantically, looking straight into his eyes. "Besides, wouldn't want someone to kill me off the food chain... Would I?"

                                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Time seemed to race as Sam dug continuously into the lore. He couldn't find anything, except for the same details. Baku, dream eater, dream granter, preys on repetitive nightmare-afflicted individuals, mostly children. But why would it go after Dean? It didn't add up. More importantly, how could they stop this thing before it stopped Dean? Sporadic clicks from the laptop occasionally broke Sam from his thoughts, only frustrating him further.

"I think I may have found something useful." Cas said suddenly, causing Sam to rush over excitedly.

He turned the laptop over to Sam feeling accomplished. He had never felt so useful without all of his grace, it was almost... rejuvenating. It made him think back to when he had become a hunter for a day, when he thought it would be so easy and fulfilling. But the boys taught him that it was anything but easy. It was more than just a past-time sport, it was a job, a legacy even.

"So it looks like the only way we can ward these things off is to show them a representation of themselves, like a figurine or a sculpture.. That's a start." Sam informed, still scanning the page for more information.

Cas raised his eyebrows, expecting at least some praise from the youngest winchester. Sam furrowed his eyebrows as he concentrated on the website in front of him, still seeming to be searching for something.

"But the question is... How do we gank it?" Sam thought aloud.

Cas lowered his eyebrows in discouragement, and looked down at the table. Sam looked down to Cas' slumped form, seeing the change in his expression.

"Hey, Cas, look. You did good, okay?" Sam knelt down slightly to get to his eye level. "You gave us a good lead, but we just need to keep searching, alright? We can't let one small thing stop us from saving Dean." Sam encouraged gently, adding a smirk for reassurance.

Cas smiled back and looked at Sam in the eyes. They haven't lost hope, not yet. If Sam didn't lose hope, neither should he. He felt a slight tug at his vessel's heart. This must be determination, he thought. He still had to become accustomed with emotions, but he knew from the observances. Of Sam, of Dean, of Jimmy. It was as if Jimmy was telling him to not give up. No, not yet. Not just on Dean, but on Sam. He needed him. That's one thing he wouldn't do is let them down again.

"You're right, we can't give up. We won't give up." Cas replied defiantly.

Sam patted his shoulder and went to grab the spare laptop from across the library. Cas continued to scroll through the websites when he suddenly thought of something. They had a lead, and they needed to tell Dean. He could be in danger, and here they were researching in a library.

"Sam, I'll be right back." Cas said suddenly.

The flapping of his wings echoed throughout the bunker, barely giving Sam a chance to turn around and question Cas' disappearance. He sighed with frustration and booted up the computer's system.

                                                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Whoever said that this had to be a bad thing? Whoever said this couldn't be a little... fun?" The creature that took Carmen's form purred softly as its fingers slid up Dean's neck.

Suddenly a couple of booming flaps bounced off of the walls of the room and a large breeze blew over several knick-knacks and pictures off of the shelves. The creature slowly turned around to find Cas in a battle stance; it gave him a disgusted look.

"Look who came to crash the party." It snarled.

It started closer, causing Cas to look down slightly. It was only a couple moments, but to Cas it felt like a century. They stared at each other until the creature turned around to face Dean.

"What did you do, pray to your little angel here to come save your ass?" It asked as it started towards Dean.

"Actually, no." Cas interrupted, causing it to turn around again. "I've actually come to save his ass myself."

"And how are you gonna do that? With your angel powers? Please, those don't phase me." It scoffed.

Castiel reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a small figurine. Just before it could shield its eyes, it disappeared in a bright flash. Dean lowered his arm from his face and walked towards Cas.

"What the hell was that?!" Dean exclaimed.

"I believe I got us some time to help you out." Cas replied as he handed Dean the small figurine.

The figurine was a heavy marble creature, with a trunk, cat-like paws, tusks, and a cat-tail. Its features were twisted slightly to form a spiral-like appearance. Dean observed it and then looked back to his friend.

"Next time you see her, show her this figurine. Its her true form and serves as protection, at least for the time being." Cas informed.

They held their gaze with each other for a moment until Castiel disappeared in front of Dean's eyes. Dean looked around expecting someone to be with him. He searched the house to find it completely deserted.

"I should help them with the research." Dean thought to himself as he searched the house for a computer.

                                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam looked up from the spare laptop to the sound of angel wings echoing throughout the bunker. Cas walked a little slower than usual to the library table and put one hand on the table and the other on his forehead. He looked a little drained, but better compared to earlier. Sam rushed over and helped him to a chair carefully. He sighed as he rubbed his eyes in exhaustion.

"Cas, where did you go?" Sam asked as he took in the angel's state. He avoided to ask why he looked so drained.

"I retrieved something that resembled a Baku and gave us some time to work with." Cas panted.

"...I'm guessing it worked then." Sam replied as he retrieved the other laptop for Cas. "Think you can handle some more research?"

                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Endless research, that's all hunting seemed to be. He didn't know how much time had went by, but it seemed like hours. Dean had finally found a computer in the attic. He had never been so determined to research in his sleep, in his whole life. He couldn't find anything to gank this thing, and he knew the Baku would be back soon. Obviously his brother and the angel were stuck as well, so he continued to ponder.

"I wonder if there's some sort of banishing spell.." Dean thought aloud.

Just as he began to type 'banishing spell' into the search bar, a bright flash erupted from behind him and illuminated on the computer in front of him. He stood up and turned around with the figurine in hand, but nothing happened. He held it out from himself and cautiously walked closer to the creature posing as Carmen.

"Sorry hun, that doesn't seem to work anymore... Sucks to be you, doesn't it?" It said confidently as it lunged for Dean.

                                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Something isn't right Sam, I can feel it." Cas said, breaking the silence.

Sam looked over to Cas to see a troubled expression on his face; he knew something was wrong. Sam thought for a moment and then looked back at Cas.

"I'm guessing your weak powers aren't enough to kill it.." Sam said.

Cas shook his head and it seemed to spin. He held his head in his hands to maintain stability, causing Sam to look over. Cas held up a thumb, knowing the youngest Winchester was already beginning to question his physical state. Silence swallowed the room again momentarily, despite Cas' panting.

"There has to be something we're missing..." Sam mumbled.

"Have you tried searching for a banishing spell?" Cas grunted in a slightly muffled voice from his head being projected towards the floor.

"Have you tried the simple term search of it already?" Sam asked hurriedly.

"Yes, and I found nothing so far." Cas replied, slowly lifting his head up.

"I would say a Purgatory spell, but it looks like we don't have much time to work with here.." Sam said as he walked over to the set of stairs that led to the dungeon. "If I can't find anything on there, maybe the archives have something to offer."

He turned on the dim light of the musty lair and quickly started over to the archives. He remembered Kevin had mentioned a banishing spell when he banished Crowley's demons and decided to give him a quick call. He picked up on the second ring.

"Hi Sam, what's up?" Kevin answered on the other end.

"Kevin, there's something important I need you to remember. Are you alone right now?"

A brief pause and shuffling was heard from Sam's end of the line.

"Yeah, shoot away." He replied momentarily.

"Alright, do you remember when you were with Crowley and you banished his demons to hell?"

Kevin sighed at the mention of the name that sent him misery, not likely wishing to remember those times.

"Yeah, why?"

"We're trying to banish a Baku, a creature that feeds off of nightmares." Sam informed with brevity, searching the archive files for any banishing rituals.

"I'm not really the best at spells, but you might be better off with what they call a repelling spell." Kevin replied.

"A repelling spell? What does that do?"

More shuffling is heard on the other line. "It's not a banishing spell, but it's your best bet at the moment."

Sam pulled out a manilla folder marked 'banishment' and dropped it on the floor in front of him. He kneeled down and scanned the handwritten entries for the words 'repelling spell'.

"Don't bother looking in the archives, it might take a while to come across this one. The only reason I know of this one is because of my mom's involvement with that witch last year. It's only one latin word that needs to be recited, but it involves deep concentration." Kevin interrupted, overhearing Sam's hopeless digging into the manilla folder.

"The person that wants to use this spell correctly must concentrate on repelling all objects around themself. The spell can repel any object around them with a movement as simple as a finger or a toe lift." Kevin recited on the other end.

"Wow, that's some serious stuff.." Sam responded.

"The word that needs to be recited is 'Abite'" Kevin said as he scanned his own notes.

"Awesome, thanks Kev." Sam said as he hung up and ran upstairs.

When he reached the library, he found Cas barely holding it together in front of the laptop. He rushed over and shook him gently. His eyes began to droop heavily and bags were clearly visible under his sunken eyes. He had a feeling his friend might not be able to make the trip to Dean.

"Cas, you with me?" Sam asked softly.

"Kinda.." Cas grunted and then coughed.

"I found a way to banish this thing. But I need to know if you're capable of remembering a few things for Dean." Cas began to speak. "And be honest." Sam interrupted.

"It depends on how much I need to remember, but I feel I have just enough to make a single trip or send him a thought or two." Cas answered truthfully.

                                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dean blinked heavily to see the creature towering over him, making him feel powerless. It chuckled and stepped on his hand forcefully, hearing a series of cracks flood the silent attic. Dean grunted in pain as she knelt down.

"My my, you're a fighter.. Wish it didn't have to end this way sweetheart, you looked like a keeper." It cooed as it played with a few tufts of his hair.

"Bite me, it ain't over yet." Dean grunted through clenched teeth.

"Oh gladly, I was just getting to that part.." It replied seductively.

It leaned down and began to nibble on one of his ears, making him close his eyes. He refused to be brought pleasure , but if he was going to die, he might as well make it last. He moaned slightly and deeply kissed the creature on top of him. He imagined it really was Carmen, the one he deeply loved in his long lost dreams. He was broken out of his fantasy by a hard bite on his upper lip.

"I know I'm tasty, but I'm not edible." He inserted.

"Oh sweetie, don't you know? You're my next meal, and I'm going to eat you piece, by, piece." It responded deviously as it ripped off a large section of his upper lip.

He began to scream in agony as it dove in for other parts of his face and head. It just tore off large sections of his ear when a large flap of wings erupted throughout the dim-lit attic, followed by a large thud.

"Dean. I need you to listen carefully." A familiar voice grumbled loudly from across the attic.

Cas. The creature stepped off of Dean hastily and headed over towards the voice at the other side of the room.

"A little weak to be fighting a creature like me, buddy boy." It chuckled as it flicked his friend to the nearest wall.

"A spell Dean. Abite." Cas said hoarsely but audibly, recieving a blow in the stomach. He spat out some blood. "Concentrate!" He yelled as the creature lowered itself to the angel's level.

Dean slowly stood up, ignoring the searing pain in multiple areas of his face and closed his eyes. He imagined he had power, almost as if he was possessed by Micheal.

"Abite!" He shouted from across the room, closing his eyes as he did it.

The creature stopped, unable to physically move. Cas coughed and grunted as he rolled closer to an adjacent wall. Dean walked closer to the creature that froze in position, time seemed to flow like he was submerged in molasses. He grabbed the creature by the chin and rose it up. A scream roared from her as a blinding light vaporized their surroundings.

                                                   ~~~~~~~~~~

Dean gasped and bolted upright, absently feeling his surprisingly undamaged face. Sam rushed over to his side as a thud echoed throughout the bunker. They both looked at each other and ran to the source of the noise. There beside a chair in the library was their friend Cas, motionless and slightly bloody. They dropped their weapons and rushed over to the angel to check for any sign of major injury. Finding nothing, they both picked him up and dragged him to one of the unused guest rooms. After placing him on the bed, they both looked at each other and grabbed medical supplies from their rooms. They hurried back to their friend and tended his visible wounds that needed to be addressed, in silence. Several minutes later, they grabbed chairs and watched over the angel, feeling a sense of irony.

"Us watching over an angel, who would think?" Dean replied as he opened a beer. He sighed in delight as the liquid warmed his insides.

"Yeah." Sam agreed, looking back at the unconscious angel. He wondered if the angel would be okay as Dean offered him a bottle of whiskey.

He accepted the offer and took a long swig at the needed comfort. They sat in silence for several moments, watching the angel's stomach rise and fall rhythmically.

"So, you good?" Sam asked, knowing Dean would likely not want to discuss what had happened.

"Yeah, I'm good." He replied almost truthfully after a long swig of the delightful drink.

Dean/Jensen tags: @akshi8278​

#spn #supernatural #spn fanfic #spn genfic #dean #dean winchester #sam #sam winchester #castiel #cas #misha collins #jared padalecki #jensen ackles #spn oneshot #sorry #it's a long one

[theartofbeinganeldar]

The Art of Being An Eldar: Legolas x Reader Chapter 3

Summary: You, a fantasy-loving LARPing human from Earth, got dropped into a fantasy land that seems familiar to you, but you had no recollection of it. Lord Fabulous Elvenking gave you three days to find the portal that would take you home with the aide of Blue-Eyes and a host of Elves, but what you found instead was the portal was closed for another thousand years. On the way back, you saved Legolas's life, prompting Thranduil to grant you freedom, and after, you finally realized where you were; Middle-Earth. Thranduil summons the council, which is made up of powerful wizards and Elves, to decide what should be done with you...

Chapter No.: Chapter 3

Key: [Y/N]=Your Name [F/N]= Friend's Name [B/N]= Bro's Name [S/N]= Sis's Name [M/N]= Mom's Name [e/c]= eye color [h/c]= hair color [s/c]= skin color

Notes: I think Pippin's song matches the reader's situation very much, which is why I use it so often. I mean, your character fell from everything they know, their "home," and now they can't go back, but now they have this whole magical world and life ahead of them... Grief and sorrow, but things to look forward to in the future.

Warnings: Fluff, angst, graphic depictions of gore and violence (Cuz of orc battles y'know?), more angst, slow burn, some light depression in the first few chapters, some amnesia about Middle-Earth because the Valar say you're not supposed to have foresight, hard-core language, feels, lots and lots of feels, mentions of NSFW content, maybe some eventual NSFW content, LGTBQ+ characters, Thranduil being a jackass at first because he's fabulous, Legolas being a hot edgy prince that nobody can handle, Kili being an innocent bean, Hobbits being smol innocent beans, except for Bilbo 'cause he's been through some tough shit, Bard being dad of the year, Thorin being one dumbass boi, The fucking Silmarillion, awesome dragons, awesome Nazgul, awesome scenery, awesome stuff in general, Elrond isn't listened to by anybody, confused Aragorn is confused,  Denethor's a bitch as always, brace yourself for creepy as fuck Cream of Wormtongue Grima Wormtongue, Boromir lives, Gandalf. (yes these are all legit warnings don't judge me.)

Pairings/Ships: Legolas x Reader, Legolas x you, Aragorn x Arwen, Faramir x Eowyn, Thranduil x Elvenqueen, Galadriel x Celery Celeborn, Boromir x OC, Thorin x OC, Fili x OC, etc. general LoTR standard shippings plus some of my own cuz I can't stand my boys being lonely

Word Count: I try to keep my chapters short, under 2000 words.

Rating: Teen (14+) for now

When you woke up, you found yourself blinded by a stupidly bright light that singed your retinas off. "What the hell?" You shielded your eyes as you tried to find the source.

Oh.

It was Thranduil, and beside him, Legolas, the two so bright they could be hung on your porch as bug-zappers.

Ohhhh...

You were in Middle-Earth. Right. Without any memory of it except for bits and pieces. You did remember that you'd watched the movies so many times that you could've recited each line in your sleep and then some, but you couldn't remember anything but what pieces you randomly dreamed of or remembered, which were already starting to fade.

"Hi. Can I help you with something in my half-starved state?"

Blue-Eyes desperately fought a smirk. Thranduil was less impressed. "My son tells me you lost consciousness because of a lack of sustenance. What sort of repayment is that for my favor to you, may I ask?"

You cocked an eyebrow. "Excuse the fuck outta you, Thrandy, but I just learned about a week and a half ago I'd never see my family again. Forgive me if I got upset."

Blue-Eyes turned his head away, trying really hard not to laugh...

"Also," You went on with a forced cocky smile, "I just learned that I'm in Middle-Earth. Where I come from, all this-- the palace, the land, even your fancy Elven toilets-- were created by some old guy called J. R. R. Tolkien, collectively referred to as 'Jrrt.' Now, I don't remember a goddamn thing except for bits and pieces of dialogue and song, even though I knew the stories by heart."

Thranduil and Blue-Eyes-- who was no longer trying not to laugh-- eyed each other suspiciously. "You knew of this place in your world?"

You nodded. "It's very well-known. But, everybody thinks it's fiction. Unaccesible. And be glad about that, too, because if there were a well-known way to get here, there'd be lots of war, new diseases, and this place would be turned to shit, too."

Thranduil stared at you for a minute, before abruptly turning to Legolas. "Son, I am off to the throne room. I shall summon the council at once."

You waited until he left to ask what that meant.

Blue-Eyes smiled slightly. "Meaning, he is not quite certain what should be done with you. The council is made up of some of the oldest and wisest of Middle-Earth, including the wizards and those of my kin, Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn of Lothlorien, and Elrond Half-Elven of Rivendell. Do any of those names sound familiar to you?"

You shrugged. "It doesn't matter if they sound familiar or not. I never remember what anybody looks like. I just get an eerie sense of deja vu."

Blue-Eyes raised an eyebrow. "Deja... Vu?"

You sat up more, rolling your eyes. "It means having a sense of familiarity, like, really strongly. Whatever. Tell me who the wizards are."

Blue-Eyes sat at the end of your bed. "The most powerful of the wizards is Saruman the White, who resides in Isengard, on the edge of Fangorn Forest and the Gap of Rohan. The second is Mithrandir, who is most commonly known as Gandalf the Gray by most folk. The third is the much less-known-of and reclusive Radagast the Brown, but I doubt my father will request his presence; he dislikes his excessive behavior." He raised an eyebrow. "Have you heard of them?"

You nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah. So if I'm an Elf, do I like, have to learn how to act like an Elf, or should you let these really important people decide what to do after they've seen who I am?"

"The latter," Blue-Eyes specified, "But it would still be beneficial to learn Elvish. It should take them quite awhile to arrive; between now and then, you should learn as much of it as possible, after I've given you a tour of Mirkwood."

You made a wheel-like motion with your hands. "After I've eaten and taken a bath, I know."

Blue-Eyes patted your leg. A jolt of electricity shot from where he touched you. What the hell? "Good," He stood and started to leave the room. "I will leave you to your own; there is food on the nightstand, and after, a bath across the bridge there," He pointed, and as you looked across the way seen Elves.

Bathing.

Blushing, you looked to Blue-Eyes wildly. "I-I'm supposed to take a bath with other people."

Blue-Eyes frowned in confusion. "Do you not, from your world?"

"Um, no. We all bathe alone. Where I come from, one's own body is considered... Private, to everybody except your doctor or significant other."

"Oh, I see. I could have a private bath prepared for you, if you wish for it," He answered with a smile. "Even here, we may want to bathe on our own to relax. It would not be a problem." He sneered down at you. "I would not want you bathing in the shared springs anyway. You'd dirty the whole lot of them."

With a very childish glare, you stuck your tongue out at him, causing him to have the oddest look he'd had yet. You'd noticed something about him; he had the unique ability to create a range of dynamically comical expressions. "What are you doing?"

You took up a dramatically serious tone. "I am expressing the 'fuck you' gesture in an immature and childish manner used worldwide, even among the youngest." With that, you stuck your tongue out again.

Legolas rolled his eyes. "Very well, then, Sairen, your bath will be ready for you when you are finished with your meal. I will send someone for you in an hour, if that suits you."

"That suits me perfectly fine, but I beg your fucking pardon, was that 'fuck you' in Elvish?"

Legolas grinned. "Not at all, mellon. It means 'fiery' in our tongue."

"Okay." A wry smile spread across your face. "That I can deal with. But what does 'melon' mean? Both you and Tauriel have called me that so far."

Legolas smiled as he began to close the double-doors, though what they did to block you when the room had only two-foot tall walls, you had no idea. "Mellon. It means, 'my friend.'"

A warm feeling blossomed in your chest as he smiled-- for once, genuinely-- at you. You found yourself smiling back as he closed your doors. When he was gone, your smile toned down a bit, and you took a long, deep breath.

You were still upset. Very. On the inside, you felt torn to pieces. You figured it would be a long, long time before you grief lessened, if it ever did. But now that you knew where you were... It was different. You were sure of something. Where you were, and the fact that the Firemoon Portal would only open every thousand years. If you went back then, you'd already be connected to this world, and everyone in it. If time passed the same, your family would be gone, and you'd be mortal again, without a way to wait for the portal to reopen so that you could return to your new friends here.

But... You knew your family. They'd never forget you, and never stop grieving your loss. But, if they thought you might be somewhere better than Earth, and there was no way back... They'd want you to be happy. They'd want you to make a new life. They wouldn't want you to waste your life starving yourself.

You'd miss them... More than anything...

But for now...

You moved the silver platter on your nightstand to your lap, and started eating.

Home is behind...

The world ahead...

And there are many paths to tread...

***

"No, no," Tauriel corrected you. "Mae govannen."

"Mae govAHnnen."

Tauriel bit back an exasperated sigh. "Well... You're close enough."

You'd been in Mirkwood for nearly a month now, not counting the days of your imprisonment and searching for the portal. You wondered what made Thranduil (Who you still called 'Lord Fabulous' on occassion.) release you and treat you as an Elf, and as it turns out, it was Blue-Eyes himself.

Speaking of, you hadn't seen him in days... He kind of... Disappeared. There was still talk of him, and no one seemed to be worried, so you weren't; for Elves that lived forever, you bet anything that he had princely exploring and regular adventuring to do to keep him occupied.

Around the time he left, Tauriel approached you and asked if you knew any Elvish. Aside from sairen and mellon, you knew less than zero. Apparently, it was considered good Elven manners to at least speak a greeting to guests in their own language, despite what Leggy had said. Meaning, to different members of the council, you had to speak a greeting in Quenyan-- which was different from Sindarin, the most common Elvish language-- Common, and Sindarin. You'd memorized the lines, but it was the pronunciation that really befuddled your non-billingual ass.

Now, you'd pretty much gotten the Quenyan greeting: Mae govannen. It meant well met or something along those lines, but you had to add Lord Elrond Half-Elven of Rivendell. I am at your service. Which was much longer and much more complicated. All in all, it pretty much came out to, Mae govannen, Cundo Elrond Peresta-Elda mi Arcimbele. Nanye ketya veume.

English (Common.) was equally as long: Greetings, Gandalf the Gray, Mithrandir, and Saruman the White of Isengard. Welcome to these halls. I am at your service as well, should you need it.

And lastly, to Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn, you had to say the most: And ana lye, Heri Galadriel and Cundo Celeborn, elen sila lumenn omentielvo. Nanye aistana et ketya toled.

And to you, Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn, a star shines upon the hour of our meeting. I am blessed from your coming.

It was all a mouthful. A regal, elegant mouthful, but a mouthful that your tongue had trouble forming. In addition to all the greetings, you had to address them each in order; first Elrond, then the wizards, then Galadriel and Celeborn at once.

They'd arrived a few days ago, but you hadn't actually been summoned yet. You wondered what Thranduil had told them about you so far. He seemed like the type to exaggerate and make shit up: They're nothing but an abomination! They almost killed Legolas! They tried to kill me! They're dangerous and should be restrained! They toilet-papered my throne room!

The elaborate horns blowing signaled something evidently important; Tauriel's face lit up. "Mellon, it is Legolas! He has returned!"

Despite yourself, your heart jumped like a schoolgirl's. Blue-Eyes was back! "Really?! How do I look? Does it look like I've been taking care of myself?" Legolas would kill you if you weren't. Over the weeks, the blue hair dye had left your hair, returning it to its [h/c] color, even if you did still spike it up-- you'd been an outcast your whole life, so having short spiky hair when everybody else had long, flowing hair made you feel at home. You were dressed in dark browns, nearly blacks, in an outfit very similar to a tunic over leggings, knee-high boots, and all finished up with a long jacket, closed with Elven buckles.

"You look fine, [Y/N]," Tauriel assured you absentmindedly, and the two of you trotted down the many, many stairs and bridges to get to the massive front doors of the palace.

Thranduil and a host of other Elves were greeting Legolas, who looked as if he'd been in Sparkle Land for the last couple weeks. His clothes were in prestine condition. His hair was perfectly plaited away from his face. He wore a faint smile, as if whatever he'd been doing hadn't been stressful at all.

You and Tauriel arrived just as Thranduil finished speaking. "And you failed to locate them?"

Legolas held himself regally. "My apologies, my king. It will not happen again."

Thranduil glared down at him. "I should hope not. You will leave again in three days' time, after you have properly greeted our guests." As Thranduil spun on his heel to leave, Blue-Eyes bowed, rising up again as he seen you and Tauriel.

"Tauriel," He said, his face lighting up. She bowed slightly; apparently Elves didn't hug. He grinned snarkily when he seen you. "And [Y/N]. Last I saw you, your hair was strangely sky-hued."

You scoffed. "You can't even say sky-colored? You have to say sky-hued? Stupid Elves and their fancy ways. Good to see ya anyway, Blue-Eyes, even if you're a priss."

"I believe you mean prince."

You laughed, but it faded when he turned to Tauriel and started speaking in Elvish. He lead her away, talking, leaving you on your own. Your face fell. You wanted to tell him that you knew some greetings. You wanted to say you wanted to go with him when he left again. And the fact that you were already alone here only amplified the feeling of... Jealousy? Disappointment?

You watched them leave for a minute, before deciding you'd take a walk in the Mirkwood-- maybe it'd clear your mind. You nearly rammed into an Elf in turning around. "Whoops."

"Nothing to apologize for," the Elf said; thankfully, they'd caught on to Earth slang and understood you most of the time, instead of just assuming you were insulting them. "Thranduil Elvenking has summoned you to his councilroom. The council awaits you."

Your mouth went dry. All the feelings about Legolas ignoring you vanished in an instant. Oh shit. "I-I don't know where that is. You'll take me there, right?"

"Of course," Said the Elf, and lead the way through the twisting halls. He stopped before the one room of the palace that was actually sealed off from the rest besides the dungeons, with doors almost as big as the ones that lead out of the palace. "Here you are. They're waiting for you." He smiled slightly. "A word of advice for the introductions: let King Thranduil introduce you to them before you say your greetings." You bowed slightly in the Elven way as you thanked him.

You'd be lying if you said you weren't nervous as hell. Meeting a bunch of people, really important people... You'd met some important people before: soldiers were the main ones you'd met, aside from a couple of astronauts. Other than that...

Taking a hugely amplified deep breath, you opened the door.

Inside was a wide winding staircase lit  by gorgeously-crafted Elven wall sconces of stained glass and copper metalwork shaped into vines. Every step seemed to echo, and when you reached the top of the staircase, your breath was ripped from you. It was a pavilion. A pavilion in the one place you loved above all else: the sky.

Rails kept anybody from falling off, and it was roofed, so that you could come up here even in the rain. Birds chirped melodiously, and from here, you felt as if you could see all of Middle-Earth. Behind you was a huge mountain range-- you'd never seen mountains before. They were beautiful, snow-capped, and gigantic; the Misty Mountains, obviously. All around you, stretching as far as you could see south and a long way east and west and north, was the Mirkwood, and to the west and north were vast plains, hills, and valleys. Leaves, gold and copper, swirled around the pavilion, giving it an ethereal look. To the west, where you were facing, was a silver lake, wide and glittering in the midday sun. Standing tall and proud beside it was Erebor, home to the King Under the Mountain; currently, Thror. You didn't know why that name seemed so important, though.

You must've turned around in at least a dozen three-sixties, trying to take in what you were seeing. Even if you didn't remember most of it, here you were. You were seeing it, for real and for true, in person, in the home of one of the most revered Elves of Middle-Earth. It seemed unreal, like at any moment, you'd wake up.

A bird, queerly tame, flitted up by your face and up into the rafters; she carried food for her young, and you watched them with a smile, still in disbelief of the views.

A long sigh snapped you out of your trance. Shit. Thranduil waved at you absentmindedly. "Are you daft, vermin? I just introduced you to the council."

"O-oh--"

"Now, now, Thranduil," A wizard chuckled warmly; he wore blue and gray robes, with an immense beard and long hair. Gandalf. "If they really are of another world, then they are obviously stunned by the land. Have you not shown them their new home properly?"

Thranduil nobly facepalmed.

Meanwhile, you realized that it wasn't just Gandalf sitting there smoking his pipe.

Another wizard, this one with long, straight white hair and an equally perfect white beard, in blinding white robes with a white staff: Saruman the White. You didn't know why you got bad vibes from this guy. Beside him sat another Elf, casually, an ankle on his knee and an elbow resting on his higher leg to hold up his head with two fingers. He wore robes of brown and purple, and his long brown hair was held back with a silver Elvish circlet. That had to be Elrond; he looked amused, so you felt kind of relieved. On his left sat a guy who practically glowed, with long blonde hair and white and blue robes. Celeborn. Standing off to the side, with a kind smile like Gandalf, in a billowy white dress with a beautiful Elven circlet made of fine chains and teardrop jewels was a woman, a she-Elf, putting off wisdom-vibes stronger than Gandalf's. Her curling golden hair went well past her waist, and she held herself regally. Out of everyone in this room, she seemed to be the oldest, and the most knowledgeable.

Your Elvish greetings flew right out of your head for a minute, before Thranduil reintroduced you. "This is the council. With us are wizards Saruman the White and Gandalf the Gray, Lord Elrond of House Rivendell, and Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn of Lothlorien. Councilmembers, this is [Y/N], the one who appeared from a portal we knew nothing of-- and if I must repeat this once more, I swear to the Valar, I shall throw you off of this pavilion."

Gandalf actually chuckled at that, as did Elrond, while Celeborn cracked a smile. Galadriel seemed to find this all regally amusing. You bowed like Tauriel had showed you. At least, you'd mastered that part. "Mae govannen, Cundo Elrond Peresta-Elda mi Arcimbele. Nanye ketya veume. Greetings, Gandalf the Gray, Mithrandir, and Saruman the White of Isengard. Welcome to these halls. I am at your service as well, should you need it. And ana lye, Heri Galadriel and Cundo Celeborn, elen sila lumenn omentielvo. Nanye aistana et ketya toled."

Elrond looked impressed. "Well, Thranduil, you have certainly trained them well." Thranduil watched you with wide eyes. He hadn't known of your lessons. Suck it, Lord fucking Fabulous.

Celeborn bowed his head. "Your pronunciation is nearly perfect. Well done, young one. However, I doubt you know much else of our tongue yet, so for your sake, we shall converse in Common, if that suits you."

You almost said, It does. Thanks! But that sounded too disrespectful. "Thank you very much." You smiled, and took a seat when Thranduil waved you to the only empty one aside from Galadriel's.

Saruman started off with a wary tone. "Thranduil tells us you come from another world. Is this true?"

Out of the corner of your eyes, you seen Thranduil roll his eyes. "Yes, sir. I come from a place called Earth."

The councilmembers exchanged glances. "That sounds strikingly similar to Middle-Earth," Said Gandalf, and raised an eyebrow. "Are there any similarities between this world, and yours?"

You shook your head sadly. "Not anymore. My people ruined it. There aren't many places like this anymore."

Saruman stiffened. "Then what happens if your people find the portal? Surely, they will try to ruin this, as well?"

You made a face. "They would, yeah, but my people are also really stupid. It'd take a stupid accident and a lot of chance to fall through that portal again, and Legolas said that it only opened once every time a Firemoon happens."

"Legolas?" Elrond asked, curiously, as if this hadn’t been mentioned before. Of course it hadn’t.

You nodded, unsure of why you suddenly had to fight a flush at the mention of his name. "He helped me find the portal with some of his Elven friends when I first got here. We found writing-- he said it was used before the time of even Gondolin. I don't know when that is; is that a long time ago?"

"Very," Replied Gandalf. "Odd... A portal of that magnitude would have to be created by wizards of some sort, especially at such a time..."

A thought suddenly popped into your head. "Some people think we have magic," You piped up, and all eyes were suddenly on you. "But it never works. Not effectively. Just standard hocus-pocus and the power of suggestion. But hundreds of years ago, there was this really mysterious guy who they say really did have magic, which he used to help others. His name was Merlin; he looked kinda like you, Gandalf. But he was in another country, where I come from; where I was when I fell wasn't anywhere near where he traveled."

Saruman narrowed his bird-like eyes. "Then what relevance is this?"

"Because if there was one wizard like you guys in the past," You pointed out, "Why couldn't there be others? There's so much we don't know about history-- we're more intent on wiping out what we don't understand. What if the wizards traveled between worlds and time? Hell, they could be you guys from the future, and it just hasn't happened yet."

"They have a point, Saruman," Gandalf agreed, much to your relief. You didn't think they'd understand the concept of time travel.

"There is nothing we can do about the portal now," Elrond said decisively. "It is closed, and if we tried to destroy it, we could only do damage. It is an easy enough position to defend; should an army come through, they'd have only one entryway."

"Says who?" Saruman challenged. "There could be other portals we do not know of, some that people have not had the misfortune of falling into yet. How do we know that this invader is not a spy to seek out these portals and prepare them for war?"

You fought a sigh. Damn this small-minded son of  a bitch... You tried to think of something smart ass to say, but nothing fit the situation.

"They are not, Saruman." Lady Galadriel's voice was sudden, light, and smooth, like honey. It radiated outward with an undeniable power that could make anybody listen to her. "Their thoughts do not lead there." Shit. I mean crap. I mean dang. Mind reader. "They are afraid, and worried... They miss the family they left behind, but they are willing to make a life here, since they have no way of returning."

You nodded. "My thanks, my lady."

Lady Galadriel bowed her head in response.

"Build a life?" Saruman inspected you carefully from where he sat. "You are nothing but an infiltrator. Why should we allow you a place among the citizens of Middle-Earth?"

"It does not have to be here," Thranduil pointed out, and your heart shot to your ankles. "You have an unfortunate habit of collecting needy strays, Elrond; why don't you take them with you when you return to Rivendell?"

Elrond shot him a glare.

Um, I think the fuck not. Lady Galadriel, tell them I say no! Tell them I want to stay here! You thought of the views, and of... of Blue-Eyes...

"Perhaps they should be isolated," Saruman said. "Somewhere they cannot concoct any mischief. Rohan is quite strict, as Gondor is watchful. Either would suffice. Perhaps centuries of isolation in Isengard itself would keep them in line."

"Maybe the Shire would be good for them," Gandalf said. "The hobbits are quite peaceful little creatures. Then again, if isolation is what we are looking for, then Laketown couldn't be better. Or Dale; the dwarves don't let anyone commit any mischief from Erebor."

I don't want to leave...

"Lothlorien would perhaps be suitable," Celeborn added. "Or, maybe even the mines of Moria. I do not have much love for dwarves, but they would be kind enough to them."

"What," Interrupted Galadriel, "Does the subject of our conversation think of this?"

Silence fell. You took a deep breath. "I... I'd like to stay here." You seen Thranduil's head turn slowly to look at you, and you could hear him thinking, the fuck did you just say? "Please, my lord."

A tense silence fell over the room. Finally, Thranduil sighed. "I do not want you here, invader. You would have to prove your loyalty and skill beyond a shadow of a doubt."

You perked up. "Legolas is going on some super-secret missions, right? Maybe I could go with him. You trust him of all people to tell you the truth about me, right? So maybe I could prove myself then."

Thranduil thought about this for a moment. "Legolas is hunting for the orcs who are trying to overtake our borders. He found them, but he let them escape, even though they were a small group. He is leaving in three days with reinforcements; you may join him."

You almost visibly sagged with relief. Almost.

"However," Thranduil added, "If I find his report unsatisfactory, you will go with one of the councilmembers and leave Mirkwood. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good."

Elrond nodded to you. "You would have a home in Rivendell. It is the last safe haven of the Elves in Middle-Earth." He gave Thranduil a pointed sideways glance. "My people are welcoming and kind. They would be glad to have you." With a slight roll of his eyes, he gestured to Gandalf. "And of course, Mithrandir..."

Gandalf looked excited. "I would take you on my journeys with me, if you so desired. First, I would take you to the Shire. Very nice people, those hobbits. And of course, dwarves would be next."

"I thank you both," You smiled slightly, and you truly were grateful, but... "Then it is settled," Thranduil said authoritively. "Elrond, Gandalf, you are welcome to stay here until Legolas returns."

"I would be grateful," Elrond said, but Gandalf defiantly snorted. "I, dear Elvenking, already have arranged for lodgings in Laketown. Send for me once they arrive, so that I may know what I must do."

You felt buoyed a little. Gandalf didn't one-hundred-percent think you'd fail. And you wouldn't. You'd kick ass. You'd save Blue-Eyes's ass again. You'd come back triumphant, and Thranduil would have to let you stay.

Wouldn't he?

Thranduil left first with Elrond and Celeborn, followed by Gandalf and Saruman closely. Galadriel looked out over to the lake, all shiny and pretty and with her hair billowing majestically. "Why do you wish to stay among those who do not wish for your presence?"

You were stunned by the question. "I-I don't know... I've lived all my life an outcast... The hated one... I've just grown used to it. Being somewhere where people would be nice to me makes me uncomfortable. But there are a couple of people nice to me, and that's enough."

Galadriel was silent for a moment. "You think of him."

"Uhhh..."

"The prince."

You did blush this time. "I-I don't--"

"You are one of the Eldar now, mellon," Galadriel stated slowly. "Eldar only fall in love once. I have known many who have been broken by that which is unrequited. Do not be one of them."

You thought about her words for a second. "I don't love him... I don't even have like a crush on him or anything..." I've only known him for a couple days, overall.

Galadriel nodded slightly into the breeze. "Sieze it, if the chance arises. But if it does not, or if you do not think it will... I advise you to seek for a home elsewhere." You got the gist. If I do fall for him on my mission, and I know it won't go anywhere... Leave, even if I succeed.

Your heart was heavy at that thought, but you knew she was right. "Thank you, my lady."

"You need not thank a friend for giving advice." She smiled at you, and you left the pavilion with a deep bow, trying desperately not to let your heartstrings fall apart.

Tag List:

@tesserphantom​ @thedragonghostofmordor​ @hauntedsiriel​ @reclusive-chicken-nugget​ @naryamirie​ @legolasdeserveslove​ @escapingthoughtsandsecrets​ @sagabriar​ @brushwood-souls​  @taurlel​

If anybody wants to be tagged, just let me know!

#legolas x reader #legolas x you #au #LARP #LoTr #The Hobbit #legolas greenleaf #orlando bloom #orcs #wargs #elves #eldar #chapter 3 #theartofbenganeldar #fanfiction #romance #angst #fluff #gender-nuetral reader #wild #misfit #reader-insert #forest #mirkwood #middle-earth #ronanstolkienfam