#if anyone was wondering where pov you are one ant came from

[victory-cookies]

#my art #lemon demon #spirit phone #spiral of ants #if anyone was wondering where pov you are one ant came from #this was the project

[lemongingerart]

Chapter 2 - Shooting lessons (I)

Fic summary: The second arc of my Armitage Hux x OC fanfic, “chocolate cookies and tarine tea”, in which both need to deal with the mess they got into (and each other, eh eh eh). Involves cookies that won't be eaten and tea that will get spilled. Same goes for certain feelings... they are going to be hungry ant thirsty 😏

You can find the link to AO3 and other chapters on Tumblr in the pinned message on my dash, both for the first and second arc 😊

Rating: Explicit. This is going to be very NSFW. So, Minors, do NOT read or interact. 18+. Family, friends and colleagues, please don’t read this. :’-)

Tags & warnings: TRoS fix-it (kind of), Hux!lives, Hux doesn’t like Kylo, Not a Redemption Arc, maybe a little bit, shameless fem!OC insert (there are cliches but entertaining ones imo), slow emotional burn, medium sexual burn, Enemies to Enemies With Benefits to Lovers, Hux is still a villain don't forget, Virgin Characters, masturbation against the door, pinv, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Awkward Sexual Situations, Past Child Abuse, dubious first kiss, Dom/sub Undertones, Mental Breakdown, Unprotected Sex, wet Hux, that deserves a tag/warning on its own, Minor Character Death

I will add tags as we proceed in the story, please let me know if I forgot one!

Taglist: @mylifeisactuallyamess, @morby and anyone who’d like to join 🥰

A/N:    I swear I tried finishing the review this chapter so many times, but each time I got interrupted and I had to start over. It’s a pity, because this is one of my favourite moments 😬 Short chapter this time, but Hux’s POV is next and hopefully soon 👀👀👀

Miko stood still in the middle of the loading bridge. The available crates from the small hangar were positioned at the other end of the room, on which Hux had placed a few empty canisters. PC was impatiently patrolling the walls behind her, reflecting her restlessness and keeping an eye on her and Hux from the distance.

The latter had just given her some kind of weapon. She didn’t like the feeling; it weighed so heavy, as did the power that came with it. She didn’t want this responsibility, convinced that it could only make matters worse. But if things were going to get heated up out there, she didn’t want to lose her life either. Especially not when she was doing this for this Worst Order criminal.

Armitage was now pacing around in the hangar with a steady tread. He started reciting a text he probably had said so many times before: 

‘This is the SE-44C, it’s one of my personal choices. It’s a lightweight blaster but still sturdy, and hasn’t got a lot of recoil. It’s easier to hide and carry with you than the standard trooper’s F-11D. It’s less obvious and this customised version isn’t white like the regulars, so it won’t draw attention.'

He walked towards her, back straight and head up, took the weapon on its barrel and coerced her to turn it sideways. The left flank was visible now and Miko noticed the different buttons and indents. 

“This is the safety pal." Hux pointed out and continued. "You remove it this way. Never forget to put it on when you put it back in your holster. This one’s for the power. This is stun, this is full power. Try the mechanisms,’ he instructed and gave control back to her. She nodded and tried to concentrate on memorising the functions. Changing the settings wasn’t hard, but she suspected this was only the easy part of the course.

Hux walked away to the back, the heels of his boots making a clicking sound that resonated through the hangar. He then stopped and turned to stand behind her, paused to take a breath and put his hands behind his back. 

‘Try to aim.’ he commanded. 

Miko unexpectedly felt a strange chill climb up her spine. An involuntary shiver she was unable to stop.

Where did it originate from? She started to wonder. Out of her stubbornness towards him? She really didn’t like getting orders like that, that was for certain. The whole authoritative strut had already almost made her eyes roll.

But, he was also standing really close to her and just out of her sight, and she somehow suddenly became aware of both their breathing. It was as if her senses were promptly heightened, because she was quite sure that hearing his breath should be impossible even from this close. 

Not only that, the way he just spoke out loud… the overbearing speech combined with the rolling r and the slight crack in his voice…  it was signalling those strange electric chills to her, a mirror of the ones she already experienced a few days ago. 

Nothing good could come from those.

Miko gulped, looked at the crates and canisters again and tried to regain focus. She pulled up the blaster like she saw the troopers do, that time they were attempting to escape the Steadfast . But in all honesty, she had no idea what she was doing. 

She heard Hux sigh from behind, letting her know he was still close by and still out of sight. And not content with this first feeble attempt.

Oh, I must really look like a total failure in his eyes already . The thought stung, she didn't want to let him down after he conceded in letting her go to the rendezvous point, and even making an effort to train her.

Realisation struck that somewhere deeply tucked away, she did want to get his appraisal and meet with his expectations, at least for a little bit. She hated the idea that she was looking for some form of validation from him, and she couldn't place why she wanted it in the first place. 

Did she agree to these shooting lessons, just to be able to get out of the ship for a while? Or…

Looking more inward, she wondered if this wasn’t about something else than just being able to visit Taris. 

Her self-secure demeanour has always only been a front and deep down, she knew that. Since the Steadfast up till now, that front had saved her from more trouble. But more than sometimes, she had been insecure and scared as kriffing hell . Getting some reassurance, even from Hux, would at least make her feel a bit better. Some positive feedback might actually help, to make her believe that she had some control over her integrity and what was going to happen.

Frack , she hoped her little weak moments hadn't shown yet. This Worst Order scum seemed to be able to make cracks in her shield and he definitely should not have all these troublesome effects on her. She wished he would never catch onto this subconscious need for praise and her other misplaced feelings. But the way he had treated her before, still made her indecisive about whether he was perceptive about others or not. How much of the little worrisome signals did he catch onto already?

Hux walked from her back to her side, taking the blaster in his right hand from above, while she was still holding it. When he tried to pull up the weapon, the tip of his gloves brushed her phalanges. Her mind went blank for a moment, before she realised he coerced her to heighten the weapon's position. After she silently complied, he took her hands and adjusted them finger by finger, each pull making her lose focus and even making her feel a bit dizzy. 

The placement of her arm and at last her shoulder needed a correction too, his gloved hands expertly starting to execute the job and her feet involuntarily becoming more and more unstable. 

The ex-general didn’t give her a break though, and continued to adjust her posture through a very effective grip on her shoulder with his right hand, while pointing his left hand’s index and middle finger at the dip of her back, straight on the knuckles of her spine. Gah, she could feel her skin flush and blinked her eyes in an effort to get out of the spell he placed her in.

After that, he let go, and she finally was able to breathe again. Miko abruptly felt very self conscious, once the initial shock response to his fingers had died out. 

It took only a moment for him to concentrate on her hands and arms again, coercing her forearm up by putting his right hand under it, then continuing his path towards her upper arm. 

In another effort to subdue the reverberations her body was having on his touch, Miko tried to breathe evenly and think clearly. Maybe, she needed to focus on what was actually happening and not on what she was feeling, she thought, while directing her gaze to his right hand. The whole point of standing here was to learn how to shoot, so she should pay attention to that and stop getting distracted. 

From what she understood, he had been supervising training of those horrible first order troopers in the past, and what she observed now was a man who had done this kind of readjusting several times before. He was doing a routine job, correcting the way her fingers gripped the weapon, how she had to place her elbow a bit more to the outside. 

But to her, this wasn’t routine at all. 

Both learning how to hold a blaster and a man touching her like this. Oh dank.

Becoming lightheaded again but still mesmerised by his gestures, she was now looking at the way his hands moved from her elbow over her upper arm, adding light pressure at the base. His touch was rather soft, she absently noticed, which she didn’t expect after the last time they had made actual physical contact. 

Now that she thought back to that encounter, those gloved hands making contact with the skin of her arms made her shiver again, and involuntarily made her wonder how they would feel on other parts of her body. 

Goosebumps appeared on the visible parts of her lower arm and she promptly remembered how she thought he would be, from that time in the shower. Now though, she realised her assumptions were probably wrong, seeing how his fingers raked over her elbow right at this moment. Soft, but with purpose. Succeeding in making her change her stance with just the slightest pressure. 

The strange chill she got before returned, but way worse. 

She gulped when she realised that she would’ve liked such physical contact even more. Oh kriffing mynocs , why did she allow those fantasies in the shower? 

And why the frack was she reliving them now? How in the galaxy was she going to act normal around him now?

“Remember this position. The stance of your arm will catch up the recoil. Now, try to aim and shoot.” Hux said, and she quickly jerked her head up, feeling caught, and fairly certain that she had an obvious blush on her face.

Although it wasn’t her intention to look at him - she wouldn’t dare to do so this moment - her startling aligned her face with his. He seemed to be fully concentrating on her stance, a deep frown sporting his face and his eyes turned downwards. From up close, she could spot the smallest freckles… and a curious flush on his cheeks. 

Oh.

A/N: Okay, I genuinely want to know if you appreciate all the thoughts and feelings being written out so elaborately… Initially I didn't write them down so detailed, but when I reviewed this and the previous chapters, I started reworking…and reworking… and reworking… And in all honesty, I can't read this with a fresh mind anymore to decide if it's well balanced or just too much 😭 Your opinion counts! It might come in handy when I continue reviewing the next chapters 😄

#armitage hux x oc #general hux x oc #star wars fanfiction #generalginger #gingergeneral #lemonginger #armitage hux #star wars fanfic #sw fanfic

[atinyarmyzen]

𝓭𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓮 ~ｋｈｊ

.:*five*:.

pairing: cupid!hongjoong x mortal!reader

warnings: None, some fluff 

word count: 1.3k

a/n: omg this took wayyyy too long sorry y’all! hope this makes up for it 🥺

squiggles (~~~~) indicates shift from 3rd person to reader’s pov

Everything felt empty. Y/n wept at the death of her sisters. Why had they thrown themselves from the cliff? She couldn’t understand, and she had never felt more alone than she had now. What was she to do?

Y/n spent most of her days wandering the hills by the sea, hoping that her husbands would come to her. One day, she spotted a towering mountain, one that seemed to pierce the clouds, where she saw a grand palace. “Perhaps my husband is there. Could it be the home of the gods?” she thought. Driven mad with determination to find her beloved, she trekked the staggering mountain.

It was when y/n reached the top that she realized she had come upon Olympus. It was beautiful, tall white columns of marble shone in the eternal sunlight of this heavenly place. Y/n found the vast open pains that no doubt belonged to Demeter, the goddess of the harvest. In an effort to win the favor of the gods, she tidied any stray rakes, sticks and crops that she came across. Demeter took pity at the pious young mortal and spoke to her. “Sweet child, so worthy of our pity, go to the gardens of Venus and seek her forgiveness. Perhaps if you swear your fealty and submission to her, you may earn her favor and be united with your husband.” The goddess spoke. Y/n bowed her head in gratitude, “Thank you, my lady.” Soon y/n came upon the vast gardens of Venus and braced herself for the wrath she may face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You entered the gardens through the grand gates and found the sovereign lady of love and beauty herself. Venus sat on her throne that much resembled a seashell. Her endless tresses of golden hair that was identical to your husbands cascaded down her side. You found yourself speechless, you wondered how you were ever compared to her. Despite your modesty, she received you with contempt.

“So, this is the faithless servant that thinks herself equal to me.” The goddess spoke bitterly. “You seem to have forgotten your mortality, girl. To be so bold as to seek out your husband who recovers from the wound his ever so loving wife gave him.” Venus seethed. In some ways she was right, you had never felt more mortal than you did now, so small and insignificant in the presence of such divinity.

“Please accept my humblest apologies, my lady.” you spoke, your voice shaking. “I had never known the profundity of love until I met him. Please, I will endure any task to see my love again.” Venus eyed you for a moment, a twinkle in her eye and a smirk graced her lips before she spoke again. “Very well, I will make trail of your skills as a wife. Only through your effort to complete the trails I will give you will have the merit for my darling son.” Venus spoke, then gestures towards her storehouse. “In there you will find a pile of grains. You must separate each type one by one and put them in their own separate parcels and see to it that you are done by sundown.”

You bowed your head in respect to the goddess, and started towards the storehouse. There you found a massive pile of grain with what looked like hundreds of different types of seeds. You sunk to your knees and laid your head in your hands, there was absolutely no way you could complete this task, you would never see the love of your life again, and Venus would not think twice to kill you. “She gave me this task because she knew I would fail” You thought. “Even if I should never see my love again, I would rather face my demise knowing that I had tried.” With that you began sorting the grain into piles, determined to at least show your devotion, regardless of if you would ever see your darling Hongjoong again. What you didn’t know, however, was that your husband was watching you from afar.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hongjoong smiled fondly at his wife who took on the daunting task, his heart swelling at her sincerity. He had never fallen the least bit out of love with y/n. She was too precious to him, and he could never bear to let her perish. Even after he left her, he still watched her from the heavens, looking after her. He felt as though his heart was being strangled when she would wander so long in search for him. He eventually guided her to Olympus by whispering to her through the wind.

He knew his mother would never let y/n win, and that she would much rather have y/n killed if it were up to her. Yet, Hongjoong’s love was true, and there was no way his mother could interfere with such a force, especially one that she is sworn to protect. “Sweet thing” Hongjoong said to himself, still hidden from y/n. “So pure, I cannot bear to see what my mother would have done with you.”

Hongjoong then spotted a trail of ants passing by, being able to bend nature to his will as a god, he commanded “See to it that the lovely maiden sorts the grain by nightfall.” With that, the tiny creatures march their way over to where y/n sat. At this point there was sweat on her brow, having been working for hours. Y/n then noticed the small creatures picking up the grain on their backs and sorting them into neat piles. There were thousands of them, she felt her heart swell with hope that she may actually complete this impossible task.

With their help, the work was done just before sunset. Venus returned from dining with the gods and fumed at y/n’s success. “Impossible. No doubt he helped you, I’ll never understand his fondness for an insolent mortal.” She spat. “Since I have no way to prove this, I have another task for you.” Venus said with her arms crossed.

“You are to bring me the golden fleece on the rams that dwell by the river.” She said with a wicked smirk. “Bring the fleece to me by tomorrow.” That seemed easy enough, right? All she needs to do is collect some fleece, she would go in the morning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You slept under a weeping willow tree in the gardens. Although it was not comfortable, you were exhausted from today’s trails. Your thoughts quickly turned to Hongjoong, you wondered if he even wanted to see you again. You shuddered at your memories of the first and last time you ever saw him. He was so beautiful, and all you could remember was the sorrow on his face when you betrayed his trust.

You felt tears prick your eyes, and soon they silently ran from the corners of your eyes down your temples. You have to try, you must complete the next task. You have to live to look into his eyes again, to actually see a smile grace his godly features. Soon, the weight of sleep became too heavy to bear, and you succumbed to a deep slumber.

Hongjoong felt a sense of deja vu watching your sleeping form. It reminded him of the night he saw you for the first time. Never had he been so taken by anyone. He smiled fondly, “My darling, I am always with you.” Hongjoong said softly, delicately brushing a strand of hair behind your ear as you slept. He traced your features with a feather-like touch, almost as if he was trying to memorize every detail of your face. He then draped a blanket over your figure, and pressed the lightest, sweetest kiss to your temple. “Dream sweetly, muse. I hope to meet you there so that I may hold you in my arms again.” With that he flew off, his eyes strained with tears.

previous chapter | six

❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥❥

#ateez #ateez ff #ateez fluff #ateez au #ateez fanfic #ateez imagine #ateez fic #ateez hongjoong #hongjoong x reader #kim hongjoong #hongjoong au #ateez seonghwa #ateez series #ateez san #ateez yeosang #ateez yunho #ateez mingi #ateez jongho #ateez wooyoung #ateez reactions #ateez senarios #ateez fantasy au

[enza-thestorm]

L͟o͟v͟e͟ i͟s͟ n͟o͟t͟h͟i͟n͟ ͟g w͟i͟t͟h͟o͟u͟t͟ a͟ l͟i͟t͟t͟l͟e͟ b͟i͟t͟ o͟f͟  ͟pa͟i͟n͟

Ch3

Two weeks later

Wraith's POV

" s̸o̸m̸e̸o̸n̸e̸'s̸ w̸a̸t̸c̸h̸i̸n̸g̸" the voices warned, I look, up from my book as I saw Wattson heading towards me

"hello miss blasey" she said smiling, a small soft smile appeared on my lips

"Natalie please call me Renee, miss blasey makes me sound old besides we're friends you don't have to be formal" I said chuckling

"ah perdón Renee" Natalie said smiling sheepishly but quickly composed herself

" I had a question for you, how do you know you're in love with Bangalore weren't you both rivals?" Natalie said curiously

I hid the smirk that was forming on my lips " yes we were rivals but one thing led to another and we realized how much both of us love each other" I said smiling

"Could you tell me the full story how you both got together" nat said, I nodded as I placed a bookmark in my book as I placed it down "sure"

F͜͡l͜͡a͜͡s͜͡h͜͡ b͜͡a͜͡c͜͡k͜͡

"Did your weapon malfunction or did you? BANG!" Those were the last words I heard before a bullet went threw my head. I groaned as I held my head rubbing the growing headache

"ah your awake, sooner then expected considering you had gotten shot right in the head, here's your clothes and your pudding have a wonderful day" the nurse said,

she then handed me my clothes and my pudding cup I mumbled a thanks as I jumped off the bed as I got dressed,

god no matter how many times they are able to bring you back from the "dead" you never get used to it. As I opened the lid of my pudding I started to replay what had happened,

one minute I'm taking down caustic and Gibby the next thing I new there was bullet holes in my armor and smoke everywhere and before I could react she was right there in front of me with that cocky smirk of hers

A gun aimed at my head as she said those last words before she pulled the trigger and BAM! Lights out, that's the second time she got the jump on me with that cocky attitude of hers,

Next time will be different, next time I'll be the one who has the upper hand, I headed out the door as I ate my pudding "heeeeeey wraith~"

mirage said as i mentally groan, This headache will only get worse with him babbling nonsense towards me

Is he talking to me? Shit I should at least pay attention "and so when it was just me and him I used my decoy escape as I snuck up behind him and finished him haha I b-b-bazzo bamzol fooled them, I fooled them man I'm so awesome"he said smiling as tripped on his own foot and fell

I held in a laugh as I covered my face he's annoying but he's adorable at the same time, he quickly got up composing himself as he coughed his embarrassment away "anyways enough about me how was your match wraith?" He said

" it was going decently I took down caustic and Gibby but the next thing I new someone was shooting at me, and a smoke grenade hit me In the face and as I was recovering from the blow I couldn't see anything around me"

"I felt a gun pressed on my forehead when I heard Bangalore said her signature phrase" I said a bit annoyed "woah that's rough wraith" he said as he hovered his hand near my shoulder

"she can be scary, sometimes I wonder is she human? She always has that stone cold face" he said

" sigh can we change the subject please Elliot I don't want to think about this anymore" I said "oh! Sure well I came by to tell you we're having a little party at my bar later on wanna join us"

"Hm I'll think about it" Elliot smiled as he started walking away backwards "alright I'll see you there wraith" he said as he winked and fingered gun, I shook my head as I headed towards the couch,

hoping to rest just a bit before the party, once I laid down and closed my eyes I soon drifted off

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"𝙉𝙤 𝙣𝙤 𝙣𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙜𝙤!!!" 𝙞 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙜𝙜𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙥 𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 "̸k̸i̸c̸k̸ h̸i̸m̸"̸ 𝙣𝙤 𝙣𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬  "̸w̸h̸a̸t̸ a̸r̸e̸ y̸o̸u̸ w̸a̸i̸t̸i̸n̸g̸ f̸o̸r̸!̸"̸ "𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡!" 𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙗𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙮𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙡𝙞𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙢

𝙞 𝙠𝙚𝙥𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙜𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙤𝙣 𝙞 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙨 𝙜𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙮 𝙖𝙨 𝙞 𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙥 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙨 𝙞 𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙢𝙚 𝙪𝙥 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙢 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜,

𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞 𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙞 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙧 " 𝙣𝙤 𝙣𝙤 𝙉𝙊!! 𝙋𝙇𝙀𝘼𝙎𝙀 𝙇𝙀𝙏 𝙈𝙀 𝙂𝙊" 𝙞 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙨 𝙞 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙜𝙜𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙨  "𝙨𝙪𝙗𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩 611367 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙥 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙚?" 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 "𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙" 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙞 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙞 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙪𝙣𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙬 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 "𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝙂𝙃𝙃!!! 𝙋𝙇𝙀𝘼𝙎𝙀 𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙋!!" 𝙞 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙙

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I gasped as I shot up as cold beads of sweat hung on my forehead as I my eyes were instantly turned cloudy white i looked around panic with my kunai in hand ready to strike,

I took a deep breath in and out in and out till finally, I calmed down and my eyes returned to their normal color, I looked around as I saw the time displayed 7:49pm huh I slept for an hour surprisingly, i sighed as I got up and stretched might as well get ready for Elliot's party.

I dug around threw my clothes as I did not care what I would wear, as I finally found some decent clothing, I changed into them and kept my scarf on once I was ready I headed towards where the party will be at, it didn't take long to get there as I hear the light sound of music playing I opened the doors of Elliot's bar

I was greeted by the sight of octane downing four bottle of tequila at once and Ajay smacking him upside the head and scolding him, I smiled lightly as I headed towards the bar I waved at mirage as he smiled and came up

" well well look who finally showed up " he said with a smile and a wink I shook my head lightly and smiled softly " now what would this fine lady want to drink" he said I rolled my eyes at his flirting " this fine lady would like Kamikaze Elliot" I said " coming right up"

As I waited on my drink I noticed a certain soldier in the corner all by herself drinking alone I raised my eyebrow I figured she would celebrate with Gibraltar about their win together, I shrugged as i looked away from her and noticed my drink in front of me as I smiled

" here you go wraithy" mirage said with a smirk knowing full well I hate that nickname I sighed " thanks Elliot" I said as I took a sip of my drink as I felt the burning liquid go down my throat as I sighed happily I needed this honestly

As I drink my beverage some of the legends started to come to the bar soon we all started chatting well they did I just sat there listening and only talking when it's necessary,

I was soon on my third drink when I heard a familiar name come out of a certain medics mouth

" Bangalore is nothin but stubborn as hell shit ya have no idea how much that women is a pain in my ass and she's always the one in the worst state each time she is forced to visit the med bay and here I thought wraith was bad but Banges just ten times worst from a busted lip to a fractured rib and broken arm yet that women some how's endures all that pain till the end of the match" lifeline said shaking her head

Soon more people started commenting about the new legend, the IMC soldier the good and bad stuff about her how she can hit a target from 50 yards with no scope and how she is a cocky competition which I have to agree, "s̸h̸e̸s̸ w̸a̸t̸c̸h̸i̸n̸g̸ y̸o̸u̸" the voice said I looked behind me as, both me and Bangalore looked at each other

Eyes showed no emotions but there was something else in them that I can't put my tongue on it before I would get another look I saw she had gotten up left a tip and left just like that with out saying a word to anyone, I snapped out of it when I heard a roars of laughter coming from Gibraltar

Lifeline was telling everyone a story about how one of her patients decided it was a good idea to shove grenade up there ass and Ajay had scolded them and got rid of the grenade from there ass, I laughed lightly

"so wraith got anyone in your life" mirage said wiggling his eyebrow at me smirking I rolled my eyes "no Elliot I don't have anyone frankly I don't have time to date anyone it'll just be a wast of time" I said honestly I saw Ajay stare at me as I raised my eyebrow taking a sip of my drink "you need to get laid wraith I can see how tense you are" I almost choked on my drink as I started coughing,

Oh my fucking god I new Ajay was blunt but god that's a bit to forward "are you ok mon ami" wattson said concerned laced in her voice I nodded as I cleared my throat I looked up and saw a smirk firm on Ajay's smooth lips "what just an opinion from a doctor" Ajay said smiling innocently I glared at her as I cleared my throat one last time

"Thanks for your opinion lifeline but I think I'm good" I said Ajay shrugged " alright but if you ever need help relieving some tension I'm here- SILVA!! I swear to god put that down right know before I kick your ass" Ajay said before she got interrupted from octanes action I'm surprise where the hell did he get all those grenades??? "No quiero you c-c-ant make me your not my moms!" Octane said drunk

"Watch me" Ajay said heading towards him poor octane, I turned away from them as I laid my head down on the counter I soon started feeling the affects of the alcohol and I guess Elliot noticed as well "alright I think that's enough I don't want you getting drunk and do something you might regret later" he said

I nodded "agreed thanks for the drinks Elliot" I said as I paid for my drinks "anytime wraith"Elliot said with a smile as he got the money, I started walking back to my room as I headed straight for the bed and crashed on it soon falling asleep

#apex #apex legends #apex bangalore #apex wattson #apex wraith #bangalore #wraith #apex fanfic #bangawraith fanfic #bangawraith

[wei-suibian]

TGCF + SV AU P2

And here goes part 2, from XL POV, next snippet will come whenever, have fun.

Part 1:  HERE

2. Xie Lian's joy

Xie Lian leisurely walked through the city humming a tune, the sun shining down on him while a nice breeze swept by, making him feel refreshed. The street was full of vendors and the smell of food, the noises of the many stalls mingling with their voices as they promoted their products.

The street was crowded, but also really wide, it was a good place to to stop and bustle or do some tricks to earn money for his daily meal. The people here were kind, and usually left good treats and a few coins after his spectacle, the bored children begging their parents for money so they could give it to him after.

It was quite a nice environment.

That didn't mean there wasn't poverty, of course. On the slums, homeless people could be seen everywhere, and orphans could be found around every corner, huddling together to try and survive. After he had eaten a few buns that a nice old lady had given him, he strolled around the dirty alleys and haphazardly-made huts, wondering if he could bother anyone to let him sleep there for a night.

Giving a few coins to a beggar, he'd been told there was a run-down temple on the outskirts that people didn't dare go to, because they were convinced it was haunted by ghosts or cursed, or presided by a demonic entity that would end their lives in a heartbeat.

'Great! I have a place to sleep now!' He clapped his hands in satisfaction, and was about to head there when he felt it. A Qi that should not belong there, that wasn't human. It was dark and thunderous like a storm, resembling that of a ghost but different, bubbling under the surface like an explosive about to go off, unstable.

He didn't understand what it was, but could discern the place where it dwelled, the wisps of energy like a dark shadow blocking the sun, making it's warmth icy cold. It could mean danger, and if there was something he could do to prevent the people from being hurt, then he would do it.

He twisted and turned as he traversed the alleys on the back of the city, and finally came to stand before a small wooden structure, crudely put together, sheltering someone that sat below, their head bowed.

He hadn't know what to expect when he found the source of that twisted Qi, but he surely wasn't expecting a small, emaciated kid.

He looked young, maybe about six or seven years old. His hair was disheveled and full of knots and dirt, resembling a rat's nest. His skin was red from the scorching heat of the sun, dry and cracked, and the robes he wore were tattered and yellow-brown, his hands and feet full of soot and mud and a reddish tint that smelt of blood.

It was obvious this child had been living here for quite a while, probably orphaned and left alone when he was even younger. Xie Lian had seen other children like him, their eyes devoid of any kind of joy, replaced instead with desperation and anger, the light and scruples gone in pos of living to see another day, crawling and holding onto whatever could keep them going.

It was a look he'd seen countless times.

Yet. When this child's eyes met his own, he could see a fire burning deep within them, fierce and clear, full of a desire to survive, to prevail above all adversities, to fight against his fate and emerge victorious. His dark eyes were the clearest he'd ever seen, full of conviction and determination, ready to swim against the tide.

When Xie Lian looked at him, he was somehow reminded of himself, and he couldn't help but want to reach out his hand, even when he knew he shouldn't. There was something in the back of his mind telling him that this child wasn't meant to stay lost within the shadows of the city, that he didn't belong there. The phrase 'You cannot save everyone.' echoed like a reminder, like a warning, but Xie Lian had his answer ready.

'I may not be able to save everyone, but I can surely save this child.'

Xie Lian sized him up, brushed against a wisp of his Qi and delved deep within, finally understanding what he was. His kind had since long ago migrated to another realm, so to see one such as himself picked his interest, but it wasn't that rare to find a few demons here and there leisurely living their lives disguised as humans.

Seeing a half-blood was rare though.

Carefully approaching the child, he was aware of the fire that roared under his skin, and tried his best to seem harmless in his eyes, wondering what he should say, how he should word his question. In the end, he wasn't good at such things, and just said the first words that came to mind, smiling softly.

"I do not have money, neither a home, I wander a lot, am not really reliable, and I cannot promise three meals every day or a good place to sleep. But, if you do not wish to be alone, how about coming with me?" The child looked at him through messy bangs, his eyes guarded and stern, fangs peeking from his pursed lips. Xie Lian could recognize that look in his eyes, the distrust, the danger, the doubt and wonder as to why someone would do something like that for a mere beggar.

One who is unaccountably solicitous is hiding evil intentions.

It was only normal that the child thought like that after being abandoned by the world. He probably wasn't willing to let himself be vulnerable after having suffered for so long, to believe in someone -and a stranger at that- knowing that at any given time he could be betrayed.

It hurt to see such a young child having to deal with such emotions, such pain. Xie Lian could see him pondering the pros and cons of accepting his offer, his frown deepening with unwillingness. He knew he shouldn't push him, shouldn't insist. But when his gaze met this child's, he saw himself reflected in it, like a mirror image of his younger self, waiting for a helping hand that would never come.

He couldn't just leave him like this.

"Why?" The child's voice was hoarse and broken. Xie Lian understood.

"Why not? I told you, I have no money and no home, I wander around and do tricks and odd jobs for a living. It's tiring, but also pretty fun, and I get to see many places all around the world. Only....it is quite lonely, so I thought of getting myself a companion." The child looked skeptic, not convinced at all, and Xie Lian tried one last time, not willing to give up yet.

"I'm not going to sell you, neither to hurt you, but if you don't believe me, I'll give you a knife to keep with you, and if I ever try anything or you think I'm evil, you can kill me in my sleep." He outstretched his hand and waited. The child seemed to hesitate for a bit, his hand rising then lowering, his eyes wavering as they glittered with unshed tears.

Xie Lian knew what it was like to feel lonely and like there was no kindness left in the world. For this child, growing close to someone without knowing when they would leave him again was probably a really painful idea. Accepting his kindness meant opening up to the possibility of being hurt again. Most likely than not, he was pondering if he was willing to let himself be vulnerable like that, if he could take it.

Finally, after a few minutes, the child squared his shoulders, muttered under his breath as he held something dangling from his neck, gripped his hand with a fierce grip, and gave him his answer. "Yes."

Xie Lian couldn't hold back his smile, and pulled on the child's hand, bringing him to his feet at the same time he kneeled, steading his wobbling charge. The child's hand was warm, rough with small fingers, the skin broken from life in the streets, dirty and bloody. But he didn't care at all, he held that tiny hand in his without the intention to let go, his other one going to brush the hair away from the child's forehead.

Immediately, the child struggled and tried to pry his hand from his hold, shaking like a leaf, but Xie Lian didn't let him, trying to ignore his whimpers and harsh breaths, the panic and horror in his eyes. His gaze landed on the tears in his clothing and the dark brown edges, had seen them enough times to know they had been made by sharp tools diving deep.

That he probably wasn't treated kindly because of his heritage was an understandment. Those marks were proof of his suffering, and they made a shiver run down his spine, imagining the pain he had to withstand with such a little body. Xie Lian softened his hold and his voice, and tried to speak as reassuringly as he could.

"Do not be afraid. I know what you are, I will not hurt you. Your kind are rare, but not unusual here. It's fine." As he swept the child's bangs aside, a beautiful rouge lotus-shaped seal shone bright on his forehead, and he couldn't help but stroke it softly, feeling the heat that it emitted; warm, but not enough to burn.

The child whimpered again.

The power under that seal was strong and violent, uncontrolled and wild. 'How much must this child have suffered as it broke. He must still be hurting from it.' His small body was no match to such unrivaled strength, his veins were most likely bursting with energy, making him feel like he was going to bleed under his skin, like ants devouring his marrow.

Something needed to be done about that.

"Say, what's your name? I'm Xie Lian." He patted the child's cheek, smiling at him, watching as his trembling body gradually softened, his eyes watering even as he spoke, a few drops of tears running down his soot-stained face.

"My....my name is...Luo BingHe." Xie Lian patted his cheek once more, his smile widening. He let go of Luo BingHe's hand and reached for his sleeve, rummaging inside until he found the white roll of gauze he always carried within. He broke off a portion and, with a small brush he hid in his robes, wrote an enchantment for suppression and concealment.

It wouldn't be enough to completely seal away Luo BingHe's powers, but it would make it so they would leak out steadily in a small stream, instead of all at once like a raging river. This way, he could learn to control them slowly, and his body wouldn't continue to break and deteriorate, too overwhelmed by the pressure.

He took the white gauze and brough it around Luo BingHe's forehead, under his bangs, tying it with a small bow on the back of his head, letting the tails trail behind.

Immediately, the dark, raging Qi diminished, and Xie Lian heard Luo BingHe give a deep sigh, his body toppling over and into his arms like all the tension had vanished, leaving a boneless, relaxed mess behind. Who knows for how long he had endured the pain, his muscles taut and strung from the pressure. It had probably prevented him from even sleeping, and now that it was gone, of course his little body would take the chance to recover.

His exhaustion had washed over him all at once, if he guessed right, and Luo BingHe would most likely fall asleep soon. Xie Lian hoisted him in his arms and stood, hearing the small yelp and whimper the child let out. He looked down at the bundle clinging to his robes, and Luo BingHe gazed right back at him, eyes half-lidded and clouded, pale cheeks regaining that rosy tint that was usual in young children.

Luo BingHe curled around his chest and gripped his lapels, seemingly trying to convey something, struggling to keep his eyes open as he looked at Xie Lian's face.

Xie Lian chuckled.

" Luo BingHe, from now on, we will travel together. Is that fine?" Luo BingHe nodded, sluggish, his cheek nuzzling against Xie Lian's chest, still refusing to shut his eyes. "You can go to sleep, it's fine. When you wake up, I'll still be here." He gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile, tighteing his grip a little so Luo BingHe felt more secure.

"...You promise?" Voice heavy with sleep, Luo BingHe asked him.

Had it been something else, he probably wouldn't have. He was the kind of person who only made promises he knew he could keep, he would never give false hope to anyone. He'd learnt that lesson long, long ago. But a promise to be there for him when he woke up, to remain together for the foreseeable future.....He could do that.

He widened his smile, knocked his forehead against Luo BingHe's, and hummed under his breath.

"Yes, I promise."

Luo BingHe was out within seconds. Rigth after, RuoYe slithered out and winded itself around Luo BingHe's wrist, like it was seizing him up, trying to discern if he was fine, swaying from side to side in a playful manner. It swayed a little more, then patted Luo BingHe's wrist twice before fixing his robes, returning to its position when it was satisfied. Xie Lian couldnt help but laugh, it was like RuoYe had gained a little brother and was trying to act as such.

' Mnn, what should I do now? First thing are robes, and he needs to take a bath. Also food. What trick should I use today? Ah, this street seems a good spot for bustling. I also need to head to the abandoned temple nearby, we could sleep there.....'

#tian guan ci fu #tgcf #heaven official's blessing #scum villain #svsss #scum villain's self-saving system #au #fanfiction #snippets #xie lian #luo binghe #人渣反派自救系统 #天官赐福 #dad! Xie lian

[dontjudgemepeepswrites]

The 9-8 ~ S3 Ep15

Just pretend that the entire thing with Stevie didn't happen.

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

y/n - your name

y/s/n - your surname

y/f/n - your full name

y/e/c - your eye colour

y/n/n - your nickname

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

*Jakes pov*

"Are you serious? We have to share the already cramped bullpen with another precinct?" I ask, not believing what I'm hearing.

"Yes. And you will all behave," Holt says, as monotonously as ever. This is gonna suck. And I'm gonna have to have a desk buddy. Ugh.

"As long as they don't touch our microwave, we're good," Hitchcock (unhelpfully) inputs. I can practically hear Rosa's eyes rolling.

*when the 98 arrive*

"Here they are. The 9-8. Anyone got any info?" I ask, the rest of the 99 behind me.

"I do." I don't think I need to mention who even answers my question.

"Why am I not surprised, Ames? What ya got?"

"Pretty much that they're all lazy and unorganised. I went through some of their reports and most are worse than yours."

"Ouch."

"Except for one detective, Detective y/f/n. They singlehandedly took down a major drug case. But that's not all, I'm not sure which is better, but they also helped take down Colin the Cereal Killer AND have a binder filled with every case they've ever solved!"

"Did you say Colin the Cereal Killer?! The guy who left no fingerprints or weapons at his crime scenes, only empty cereal boxes?! That Colin the Cereal Killer?! I call dibs on having them as my desk buddy!"

"Too late, I already called dibs. Besides, you didn't talk about the binder!"

"Amy, you're the only one who cares about it," Rosa inputs.

"She's not wrong," is one of the many responses Rosa gets, all agreeing with her.

"You guys don't know real fun then," Amy 'sasses'.

"Why is there a party in the break room? Get back to work. Now," Holt says, interrupting our conversation/argument about y/n. "Except for you, Diaz. Come with me."

*Rosa's pov*

I follow Holt, not saying anything. We arrive in his office in which stands a man who I assume is the 98's captain and a detective.

"Detective Diaz, this is Detective y/s/n. You will be partners while the 98 is working here," Holt explains.

"Hi, I'm Rosa," is all I say.

"y/n, glad to be working with you, Detective Diaz," they politely respond.

"I've chosen you to work with Detective y/s/n as Amy would freak out about the binder, Jake would drive them away, and so would Charles."

"Understandable. What's our case?" I ask.

"You don't have one yet. You both have the rest of the day off to try and get to know each other."

"Ok. What do you wanna do?" I ask y/n.

"Go to Shaw's Bar?" they reply, asking if I'm alright with it.

"Sure. We taking your car?"

"I've only got a motorbike."

"Cool, so've I. What type?" I ask.

"An Indian FTR 1200."

"Holy crap."

"You wanna drive it?"

"Yes! I mean sure," I say, a smile falling onto my face for a millisecond.

"Get going then?"

"Sure."

My desk partner and I are gonna get on well, I can already tell.

*Jake's pov*

"What are they saying?" I ask Amy, hoping her lip reading skill will come in handy.

"Holt's assigned y/n to Rosa! Why wouldn't he assign me, I'm the best detective in the precinct!" Amy exclaims, shocked.

"Are you though?" Charles asks, wheeling his office chair over, giving Amy a look and putting his hand out for me to fistbump (which I obviously accept).

"His words, not mine."

"Hey, Santiago, Peralta, Boyle, this is Detective y/f/n. They're my partner while the 98 are here," Rosa introduces.

"Hey, it's nice to meet you all. You must be Amy, Jake and Charles. Captain Holt's told me all about you guys."

"What did he say?" Amy asks, an expression of fear arriving at her face.

"Well, he said that you, Amy, are a neat freak and will freak out about my binder, he said that Jake is a childish, big headed yet big hearted idiot and that Charles has a... way with words, and a peculiar diet. However, he did also say that you were amazing detectives and it'd be awful without any of you."

"Yeah, what was it like when I went undercover in the mafia for 63 days? Was it boring?" I indiscreetly brag.

"It was awful, JP, terrible," Charles announces.

"63 days in the mafia, you say? Impressive, but not quite a year with basically the equivalent of Hydra. I've seen some things."

"That's so cool," I gasp in awe, not even caring that I just got one upped.

"I'm just gonna ask what you guys are all thinking. How did you catch Colin the Cereal Killer?" Rosa bluntly asks.

"I got all of the cereal boxes he left at the crime scenes and noticed either a dot or a dash at the bottom of them, so I put all of the same cereal boxes together and it was, clearly, morse code. It took a while as there was no way to figure out the order of the Cereal boxes or exactly what letter it was, but I managed to decode it to an address, which happened to be his favourite bar. So, I went undercover to try and find out some information about him from locals and the owners. I eventually found him and went on a 'date' with him to make sure it really was him. Then I arrested him."

"And how old were you when you did that?" I ask.

"When I first became a detective so... when I was 21."

"21?!" we all scream at once, causing the other detectives to stare at us. One of them even stopped talking and getting china models out to glare at us.

"Yeah," they mumble, looking at their watch. "Hey, we should get going, Rosa. You ready?"

"Sure. We'll see you losers later," Rosa states, walking away with y/n.

"They're amazing."

*y/n's pov*

*at Shaw's bar*

"Hey, Rosa?" I ask to grab her attention.

"Mhm?" she says, acknowledging what I said.

"Do you think I'd be a good fit at the precinct?"

"Definitely. Everyone likes you. Why?"

"Because I want to transfer precincts. The 98 Captain's already given me permission, I just need to find a precinct and we all got on so well back at the precinct. I've never had a conversation like that at the 98, they're all jerks and it's nice to be with people who'll listen and give some useful input."

"Debatable, but then again, you haven't met Hitchcock and Scully yet, so. And I'm sure we'd all love to have you join."

"Thanks Rosa. I'll get some transfer papers and ask the rest of the 99."

"You don't need to."

"Why not?"

"Because we all like you. And you have both mine and Holt's seal of approval, you're definitely good. Just apply. In fact, don't tell the others and surprise them. They'll love it."

"Ok. I trust you. I'll get the papers ASAP. I can't wait.

"Just a heads up, you'd probably have to work in a desk opposite Boyle."

"Does he just talk about Jake loads?"

"Yeah. But if you start talking about him to Boyle, Boyle won't stop bugging you for a while."

"Tell me about the rest of the squad."

"Amy, as you know, neat freak and is obsessed with binders. She's also Jake's ex. They broke up mutually, agreeing that it was effecting the work environment for everyone, but they're friends and it's not awkward. Jake is a very childish detective. He's quite sarcastic too. And smart but dumb at the same time. He's very messy and gets a lot of ants in his desk since there's so much food that he never threw away. Speaking of food, let's move on to Boyle. He eats a lot of weird food and is a food fanatic. He even has a weekly email newsletter rating pizza places. And he has a category for mouth feel."

"Mouth feel?"

"Yup. He also says a lot of stuff that unintentionally makes people uncomfortable and will mention his 'buttholes'. Long story short, he saved my life by getting shot in the butt. Hitchcock and Scully. You've not met them yet and you'll soon wish you never did. Sergeant Terry Jeffords, he was out of field for a while but is back now. All you really need to know is that he loves yoghurt. A lot. He won't let you even touch it. Then we have Gina. Holt's assistant and a phone fanatic. She originally got a job here because her and Jake grew up together. She insults Amy a lot but she's cool. And finally, Captain Raymond Holt. We get on well, never discussing feelings. He just got back after being promoted to head of PR. But then he just came back one day and no one knows why."

"This is all a lot to process at once. I'm gonna guess that people don't know lots about you then?"

"Nope."

"Ok."

"Wait, you're not gonna try and pry information out of me?"

"No, why would I?"

"Everyone else normally tries to. I appreciate that you respect my life choices."

"No problem. Want another beer?"

"No thanks. We should get going, it's getting late. Wanna crash at mine? It's close."

"Sure."

*The next day*

Rosa and I walk into the bullpen together, me laughing at something she said. Everyone turns to me, wondering why I'm laughing.

"What?" I ask. "It was a funny joke."

"Rosa told a joke?" Amy asks, seeming surprised.

"Is that not normal?"

"No!" gets yelled simultaneously by the 99 workers.

"You want to see them get freaked out?" Rosa asks me, smirking. Oh no.

"Ok," my mouth disobeys.

"They crashed at my place last night." After Rosa says this, everyone stares at me with their jaws literally dropped.

"You guys should close your mouths. After all, we wouldn't want you to swallow flies, would we?" I sass, taking the opportunity that was handed to me on a silver platter.

"I know three things about Rosa, and one of those things is that she does NOT let people crash at he place. Are you a hypnotist?!" Jake gawps.

"I must be, because y'all seem to be in a trance right now," I playfully respond, sending a playful wink Jake's way.

"Make way for their highness, Detective y/f/n," Gina announces, bowing down to me. I let out a small laugh at the interaction we all just had and Rosa and I make our way to Captain Holt's office and try to open the door, only to find that it's locked.

"Diaz, y/s/n," Holt's voice announces his presence behind us. "I apologise that we're not in my office but I've been locked out."

"Sorry, Captain. The Deputy Inspector does that a lot. Could we maybe go somewhere more private to speak though?"

"Somewhere where Amy can't read everyone's lips preferably."

"Of course. We can go to the roof. I'll lead the way."

*After a brisk walk to the roof*

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Sir, I was wondering if it was possible for me to transfer to this precinct. Permanently."

"Of course. We'd be delighted to have you join the team," Holt accepts.

"Thank you. But may I ask you a favour, please?"

"Of course. However I can't promise that I'll be able to fulfill it."

"All I ask is that you keep my transfer a secret. I'd love to see everyone's faces when they find out."

"If you wish."

"Also, could we maybe get a case to do?"

"Oh, of course. The case that I prepared for you two is a murder. I can't remember the address unfortunately. I think Gina has it though. I'll let you two get it." And with that we all walk back inside. What I see shocks me slightly.

"Detectives, Gina, what are you doing?" Holt asks.

"Huddling," Jake responds, his answer, however, sounding more like a question.

"Why?"

"We wanted to have one of those team talks like they have in the movies," Terry answers.

"Ok. But I suppose we should join then." Holt, Rosa and I join the huddle, however everyone seems hesitant.

"Do you want me to leave?" I ask, worried that something happened.

"No, you don't have to. Now continue your team talk Terry," Jake answers. Terry glares at Jake discreetly, but not discreet enough that it misses my detective eyes.

"Well, get out there today, and do the best you can. If you don't bring anyone in, don't worry! You tried your best, and that's all that matters. 99!" Terry says, yelling the last part, making me flinch slightly, alerting Jake next to me.

"99!" everyone yelled in reply and unhuddled.

"Hey, y/n, could I quickly talk to you?" Jake asks.

"Yeah, sure."

"Are you alright? What happened there? Why did you flinch?"

"It just surprised me, that's all," I lie.

"y/n, I'm a detective. I know your lying. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I completely get it."

"Fine. But it's stupid. It's just that I've never really been a fan of shouting, and it was really sudden and sometimes my teacher in school would randomly go from a normal voice to yelling loads." Jake doesn't respond, he only pulls me into a hug.

"Oh y/n, it's not stupid. Of course it's not. I completely understand. Everyone here would."

"Thank you, JP. You don't mind me calling you that, right?"

"Go ahead."

"Thanks. Y'know, you're a really sweet guy."

"Hey, y/n. We should go. I got the address from Gina," Rosa informs me.

"Right. I'll see you later, JP," I say softly, giving him a kiss on the cheek and then walking away. Did we have a moment? I walk up to Rosa, ready to get going and I see a smirk on her face.

"So, you and Jake, huh?" she asks, bringing butterflies to my stomach. I roll my eyes, before a smile makes its way onto my face.

"Let's go, Rosa."

*At the crime scene*

"It looks like she was strangled. Look at the marks on her neck. And it looks like it was a piece of rope, if we're going based off of the marks. We need to try and find it. I'll check the bedroom and bathroom, you keep looking," I say to Rosa. She nods in reply.

I walk into the bedroom and start looking around. Rope, rope, rope. Aha! Under the bed. I start to inspect it, to make sure it was the right size when someone puts a bandanna in front of my neck and starts strangling me. Crap, this is terrifying. Wait, y/n, remember your training. I muster up all of my strength and push my foot back to kick them where the sun doesn't shine. My plan works and they let go, falling to the ground. I read them the Miranda Rights with a raspy voice, still short of breath and put them in handcuffs. I guide them back into the main room. Rosa hears the door opening and looks my way, immediately making her way over to me.

"Oh my god, are you ok? What happened?"

"Tried to strangle me... kicked her... arrested her."

"She tried to strangle you? I'm gonna kill you."

"We need to... interrogate... her first..."

"Go home, y/n. You need to rest. You're in shock and short of breath. I'll call the precinct."

"No, I'm fine... I'll... survive..."

"Fine. But only because I know that I won't be able to convince you otherwise. You're too stubborn for your own good, like me."

"Thanks. I... appreciate it... Let's go?"

"We're going to the station and I'm gonna make sure you get life in the most high security prison for life. You hear that, bitch?" she spits at the perp.

"Calm down, Rosa."

*At the precinct*

We arrive, ready to put the perp in the holding cell, only to find that everything's fallen to chaos.

"Oh for crying out loud. HEY! ALL OF YOU!" I yell, making everyone stop what they were doing. I get up on a desk so people an see and hear me better. "WHAT IS THIS ABOUT?! WE'RE MEANT TO BE CIVIL COPS, AND I RETURN FROM A MURDER SCENE, AT WHICH I WAS STRANGLED, TO SEE THIS! I'M DISAPPOINTED IN ALL OF YOU! APOLOGISE TO EACH OTHER! NOW!" I hear a murmur of apologies in reply, some people still wide-eyed at the concept that someone tried to strangle me. "Good. Now back to work, all of you," no one moves. "NOW!" Everyone sits back at their desks. "Sorry for standing on your desk, JP," I apologise, getting off.

"Someone tried to strangle you? Who? I'll rip their face off?!"

"Don't worry, Rosa's got it sorted and I got her before I got any major injuries. I was just short of breath for a bit.

"Oh, thank goodness. I am not strong enough to rip someone's face off," he jokes. I smile in return.

"Why did that fight start though?"

"Oh, someone that works for the 98 tried to take Gina's phone off her and it all escalated from there."

"Oh, that makes sense. But to be honest, just between you and me," I start, before motioning him closer and whispering in his ear, "everyone at the 98 is a bit of a dick." He laughs in response.

"y/s/n, may I talk to you for a minute? In private, I mean," Holt asks, taking me outside. "I have the papers you wanted and have signed all I need to, and got the 98 Captain to sign the parts he needed to. Now all we need is your signature," he informs me, after taking me back to the roof. I eagerly sign the papers and hand them to him. "Welcome to the 99." Call me Pinocchio, but I swear I saw a flicker of a smile on his face.

"It's an honour to join."

"By the way, after the incident today, the radiator broke, so the 98 is moving again. Today is supposed to be the last day that the 98 is here. You can figure out how you wish to play out the surprise, but Rosa and I will say nothing unless you ask us to."

"I only had a simple plan. I was only going to suggest that you introduce me as you would with any other detective. In briefing, announce that there will be a new detective and then I'll walk in."

"Brilliant idea, Detective. I'll see you in the morning. As your new captain, I order you to take the rest of the day off and rest. I imagine that it was quite traumatic, getting strangled by the victim's sister."

"She was her sister? That bitch! Did she murder her own sister?" I ask, my eyes wider than an oreo.

"Yes, she did. Rosa says that she confessed almost immediately. Rosa intimidated her that much."

"I'm not shocked."

"Oh, and take another detective with you. After all, you should get to know your new co-workers better."

"Thank you, sir." We both walk back inside and I go to say 'goodbye' to the detectives that work in the 99. "Bye, Sergeant. I hope we meet again one day."

"We'll miss you, y/n."

"Goodbye, Boyle. It's a shame I didn't get to know you more."

"It's been nice to meet you, y/n."

"Amy. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure." She seems quite shocked that I'm asking to talk to her.

"Your Captain has given me permission to spend the rest of the day with a detective. Would you want the rest of the day off work and hang out at my place? I'll show you my binder."

"I'd love to!"

"Great! Let's get back to the others now, I have a few more people to say bye to." We walk back, Amy with a smile plastered on her face.

"Why're you so happy? Did a guy finally sleep with you?" Jake jokes.

"Bye, Jake. I'll hopefully stay in contact with you in some way."

"Where're you going?" he asks, confused.

"I've been ordered to go home and rest for the rest of the day and today's my last day at the precinct."

"Oh. Well, I wish the best for you. And, before you go, I was wondering..."

"What?"

"Never mind. It's nothing."

"Ok? I'll miss you JP." I once again kiss him on the cheek. "Bye Gina. We're still going to a Beyonce concert together one day, right?"

"You know it."

"y/n! y/n, I've just been told that I have to arrest this guy with Jake. Can I meet you at your place?"

"Sure! What's your number? I'll text you my address." She tells me her number. "Oh, I forgot to say bye to Rosa! I'll just say bye quickly. See you later, Ames."

"Bye, Rosa. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See ya, y/n."

"What do you mean 'see you tomorrow'?" Charles asks, obviously eavesdropping on the conversation.

"We're meeting up tomorrow, that's all," Rosa says in her normal voice. He looks at me for confirmation and I just nod.

"Alright, I'm actually going now. Bye everyone!"

"Bye!" everyone says in response. I step into the elevator. They have no idea, do they.

*Time skip*

I hear a buzz, indicating that someone wants to come in.

"Hello?" I ask.

"y/n? It's Amy."

"Hey Amy, come on up," I say, buzzing her in. I then hear a knock on the door. "Come in, Amy."

"Hey! Thanks for inviting me around."

"It's no problem! How was the arrest? Did you get them?"

"Yeah, but Jake seemed really bummed the entire time and whenever I asked why, he brushed it off."

"Oh. That's weird. He was going to say something to me when I was saying goodbye but then dismissed it. That must have been what was bugging him. Unless something's happened in an hour and a bit."

"That must've been it because I was with him straight after he talked to you and he looked like he was gonna cry and/or punch himself in the face. Do you have any idea what he was gonna say?"

"No. He just said 'I was wondering' and then 'never mind'. It could've been anything really." I say this, however I hope that he was gonna ask me out.

"You like Jake?!"

"No! Where did you get that idea from?!"

"You just said it."

"Did I?"

"Yes. You said 'I hope that he was gonna ask me out'."

"Crap. Fine, I like him, but I'm not expecting anything to happen, don't worry."

"Why would I worry?"

"Because Rosa said you two went out and it's weird to go out with your friend's ex."

"y/n, it's fine. If anything ever happens with you two, I won't mind. We've both moved on and it was mutual."

"Thanks Ames, but I still doubt anything would ever happen. That's just my luck with love: I'm about as lucky as someone who walked underneath a ladder on Friday the 13th who opened their umbrella inside and put new shoes on a table. Anyway, wanna see my binder?"

"I'd be honoured."

"Also, no one's ever seen inside it other than me so don't tell anyone what you see in here. Some of the cases in here and beyond imagination. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes."

"Ok then. Here we go..." but just as I'm about to open the binder, Amy's phone goes off. She looks at her phone and then me.

"It's Charles."

"Answer it." She sighs and accepts the FaceTime.

"What do you want, Boyle? I'm a bit busy so this better be important." While she says this, I mouth 'don't tell him I'm here' and I know she'll understand because of her lip-reading skill.

"Yes, it's very important, Amy. Jake's having a crisis!"

"About what?"

"y/n." My eyes widen at the mention of my name.

"What about y/n?"

"He was gonna ask them out when they said goodbye but backed out last minute. He's so mad at himself and scared and upset that he'll never see them again to tell them how he feels. It's awful! We have to find them!"

"I've found them," I say, alerting Charles of my presence.

"Oh... hi y/n. How much of that did you hear?"

"All of it. Is that why he was so bummed when he was with Amy?"

"Yes."

"Charles, get Jake on the call but whatever you do, you can't let him know that I'm with Amy. I need to hear this from Jake himself."

"Fine. But you owe me; I hate lying to Jake."

"I'll get you a free meal at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant."

"Deal. I'll call you back in a few minutes, and I'll have Jake." And with that, he hangs up. Amy stares at me and gives me a look.

"What?"

"It looks like your luck with love has turned upside down." And cue blush.

"Amy, I need a favour. Do not get me in frame at all in this call. I'm going to listen and that's all. Jake cannot know that I've heard his confession.

"Ok? I won't question it. I trust you." Amy's phone starts ringing again. "It's Charles."

"Damn, I'm terrified, Ames." Amy answers the call, making sure that only she is in view of the camera.

"Hey, Jake. So Charles tells me you have y/n related problems," Amy says casually.

"Yup. I hate myself for not asking them out when I had the opportunity. Especially since I'm never going to see them again."

"Have you tried watching Die Hard while eating take out?"

"Yup. It's not helped. I just keep thinking that I'm an idiot and can't focus. They'd never like me anyway. I mean, I'm a messy mess. Literally and figuratively." I so badly want to scream 'I like you, you dork,' but I manage to control myself.

"Dang, what's happened to you, Peralta? You never get this hung up over someone. You must really like them, despite only knowing them for 2 days."

"Yup. There's something about them that draws me to them. Maybe it's their amazing y/e/c eyes, and the way they glimmer in the light. Or the fact that they can gather everyone's attention by using their charm, immediately making others fascinated and draw them in. Everything about them is perfect. And the two times when they kissed my cheek, I went insane inside, but I now that it was a friendly gesture."

"Jake, listen. I don't want to make you more upset, but you never know unless you try. I mean, think about it: every relationship started by one person asking out another. And it's not like it would be awkward if they said no: they're not our co-worker, you probably won't see them again."

I quickly send a text to Amy because I can tell what she's about to do. The text reads 'You can't tell him that you have my number. I'll tell you why soon.' Amy quickly reads the text and sighs.

"So, at least, now you know for next time. Now, try going to sleep. That might help."

"Fine. I'll see you tomorrow, Ames. I guess this kinda helped."

"Bye."

"Bye." Amy hangs up.

"y/n, I need an explanation. Now."

"Fine. The truth is, I'm transferring to the 99. I'm gonna talk to him tomorrow. This was all supposed to be a surprise but now there's tea."

"That makes more sense. But anyway, let's look in that binder."

"Let's do it."

And we don't talk about the precinct for the rest of the night and Amy crashes in my spare room.

*The next morning*

Amy's already at the precinct and I'm about to leave. I'm terrified. How's everyone gonna react? How's Jake gonna react? Ugh. The relationship drama has really given this a new, bad twist. It's time to leave now. I'm not ready. Then again, when will I ever be ready for something like this?

*At the precinct*

I'm outside the briefing room, out of everyone's eyesight, waiting for my cue.

"And to conclude our briefing, we have a new detective. Please, come on in. Everyone, be nice to them and make them feel welcome," Holt introduces.

I step into the briefing room, all eyes on me and am presented by everyone wearing a shocked face (except for Rosa, Holt and Amy).

"Hi," I say to break the silence. Suddenly there's an eruption of cheers, making me flinch again. Then a crowd of people sprint at me and pull me into a group hug.

"Hey guys, yeah, I work here now. And, uh, could you maybe not scream like that, please. It just reminds me of something from when I was younger. And Charles, you're hugging too tight." Everyone backs away and apologises profusely. "Don't worry, guys. You didn't know. Don't feel bad."

"Detective y/s/n talked to Detective Diaz on the first day the 98 were here about transferring and we did the papers yesterday. Detective y/s/n is now a detective for the 99," Holt explains. "They wanted it to be a surprise. However, I see that Detective Santiago knew as well. Did you tell her, y/n?"

"Yes, sir. There were unforeseen occurrences last night that lead up to me telling her."

"Ah, I see. Now, briefing over. You are all dismissed." Everyone gets up and to their desks while I walk over to the captain.

"Sir, which desk is mine?" I ask.

"The desk opposite Detective Boyle."

"Thank you."

As I walk over to my desk, I see Jake pull Amy aside and make a mental note to ask Amy about it later. I take a look at Jake. He doesn't look alright.

"Hey, Charles, is JP alright?" I ask, concerned.

"Honestly, I don't think so. He got no sleep last night, and he got here early. Early. That never happens. He's always fashionably late."

"Interesting."

"Detective y/s/n, I need you and Detective Santiago to go on a stake out. It won't be very long, don't worry. We've had a tip off that a huge drug deal is going on this morning. Not sure why they're doing it in the day, must be imbeciles."

"Of course, sir. We'll get going ASAP." I start heading over to Amy and Jake so we can get going for the stake out.

"Hey, Ames. Holt needs us to go on a stake out this morning, a huge drug deal's going down. We need to get going. Hey, JP. How are ya? Did you get any sleep last night? You look like you could fall asleep at any moment." I ask, pretending that I have no idea what they were talking about.

"I'm good thanks. I just stayed up all night trying to figure out a case."

"Cool! Did you solve it?"

"No."

"Oh. Well, you better get some sleep in. You may be able to sneak a few naps in here and there today," I say, only half joking, putting a wink in at the end.

"I'm glad you're working here, y/n. You're really gonna add something to the team," he says, not so subtly adding the second part in in a panic.

"It's gonna be so fun, I already know. I'd love to stay and chat, but I gotta go. See ya later, JP."

"Bye y/n/n." y/n/n. I like that.

*On the stake out*

"I've not done a stake out in so long, I'm quite happy to be doing one again. Especially since you're not a dick like the detectives in the 98," I say. Amy laughs in response.  "Hey, Ames. What specifically were you and JP talking about before I came over?"

"He wants to ask you out but is afraid that the relationship will end like mine and his did."

"Oh, ok. Understandable. If he asks again, tell him to just go for it. If he doesn't ask me, I'll ask him. At the end of the day, we won't know unless we try."

"That's good advice to live by."

"It's also risky. I'm honestly surprised I'm still alive." Amy laughs again in response. "There's movement. Eyes on the drugs, let's go, Ames." Amy and I get in and arrest the parties involved. No one really puts up a fight, surprisingly. We take them to the station, along with the drugs.

"Can I write the report? I love writing reports," Amy asks.

"Sure. Go crazy. I'm gonna talk to Jake."

"Good luck. If he blushes, take a picture for me for blackmail."

"Will do." I walk over to Jake, who's playing snake (really badly) on his computer. "That's a very interesting report, JP." As soon as Jake hears my voice, he closes snake and turns his office chair to face me.

"Hey, y/n, what's up? Yeah, my reports are going amazing."

"Can I talk to you? In private? Please?"

"Sure." He takes me to the evidence room, so we can speak with no one hearing us. "What's up?"

"Is it true that you like me? As in, like-like?"

"Pfft, what gives you that idea?"

"Charles said it last night and you said it to Amy when I was right next to her last night."

"That was your apartment? Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool. Not a problem. Hey, was that Captain Holt? We should go."

"Jake. I'm serious."

"Ok, fine. I like you, but I get that you just want to be friends."

"And where did you hear that?"

"My brain."

"Well, my brain says that your brain is wrong and that I like-like you too."

"Oh. Listen, y/n, as much as I want this to happen, it didn't work out with me and Amy, so it probably won't work out with us."

"I'm not Amy though. And we won't know unless we try. It's a risk I'm willing to take." Instead of saying anything, Jake just kisses me in response.

"Let's take the risk then."

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#jake peralta #jake peralta one shot #jake peralta imagine #imagine #b99 #brooklyn99 #brooklyn 99 #jakeperaltaoneshot #jakeperaltaimagine #jakeperalta #xreader #x reader #jake peralta x reader #jakeperaltaxreader

[tangle-of-ivy]

I Feel Like I Know You

12TH DOCTOR / OC

10,599 WORDS

THIS IS THE FIRST FANFIC I’VE MANAGED TO FINISH FOR A LONG TIME.  I WROTE IT IN ONE LONG 7 HOUR STRETCH A FEW DAYS AGO, THEN SPENT SEVERAL DAYS EDITING IT AND DEBATING WHETHER OR NOT TO PUBLISH IT.  I’VE NEVER PUBLISHED ANY OF MY FANFICS BEFORE, SO I’M A BIT NERVOUS.  PLEASE SEND ME FEEDBACK! (NO FLAMES PLEASE)

(Edited because I finally figured out how to add a “read more” link.)

(Edited again, several months later, as well as changing this Doctor/Reader fic into a 3rd person POV story.  I think I like it better this way.)

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Mal was running and laughing as she outstripped her pursuers. Their heavy purple armor slowed them down and made maneuvering through the thick trees difficult.  She heard the sound of a breathless chuckle echoing hers.  The person running with her ducked between two trees, his shock of white hair flashing in a ray of sunlight that had made its way through the leaves.  Mal jumped over a log and quickened her strides to catch up.  Suddenly the landscape opened up into a large meadow and she could see clearly again. The man glanced over his shoulder at her and smiled at the happy grin on her face.  The creatures behind them were still breaking their way through the last of the trees when she caught a glimpse of deep blue waiting for them at the other end of the meadow.  A feeling of homecoming fell over her as she reached out to grasp her companion’s hand and they raced over the last few yards…

Jerking awake with a start, Mallory Hart stared around her bedroom with confused, sleepy eyes until she remembered where she was.  With a disappointed sigh, she flopped back onto her pillows.  Just another dream.  That made the fourth time in the last two weeks.  

Mal was starting to get concerned.  The feeling of homesickness was starting to last longer and longer every time she woke up from the dreams.  And that’s not even mentioning the fact that every one of them included a man that she felt an illogically strong connection to, leaving her longing and heartbroken for days afterwards.  The man’s face changed often.  Sometimes he was thin, with a huge chin, and a childish grin. Sometimes he wore leather and had a haunted look in his eyes, even when he smiled.  Other nights he had hair that stuck up all over the place and wore a suit.  But the ones that concerned her the most were the ones like tonight, where the man was the spitting image of the mysterious professor that worked at the same university as her.  

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Mal yawned and tried to balance her coffee mug and stack of folders with one hand while she adjusted the strap of her heavy book bag with the other.  

“Professor, would you like a hand there?” came a voice from her left.

“Oh, hello there, Joelle.  Yes, that would be great.”  The student took the pile of folders from her hands and held the mug for her until she’d hitched the strap further up her shoulder.  Joelle handed back the mug and carried the papers as they walked to Mal’s classroom together, chatting about homework and lessons. 

“Are you going to keep teaching part time after this semester, or will you take on a few more classes?” the younger woman asked.

“I’m not sure yet.” Mal admitted.  “I haven’t had nearly as many migraines lately, but I don’t want to commit to something and then have to back out later.”  In a practiced move, she lifted her long, soft skirt to avoid tripping as they both climbed the stairs.  

“That’s probably smart.” Joelle agreed.  She then glanced at the professor out of the corner of her eye, smiling slyly.  “Are you planning on attending the lecture this afternoon?”  

 Mal avoided her eye as she picked imaginary lint out of her long, graying hair.  “Which one?”

“Oh, don’t be coy!  You know what I’m talking about!” she protested.  

Mal sighed and muttered, “I don’t know…” but stopped talking abruptly as she saw him.  

He was exiting the library, fierce eyebrows low as he argued with his bald teaching aid, Nardole.  Mal couldn’t help but stare as he ran his hand irritably through that shock of white hair that she’d dreamed about only a few hours before.  He glanced in her direction for a split second before striding away, Nardole trotting quickly to keep up.

“Professor?”

She blinked and glanced back at Joelle, who was smirking openly.  Still a bit befuddled, Mal looked back to where he’d been, only to see him disappearing down a corridor, the tip of his coat whipping out of sight.  

“No.  I’m not going today.”

“Why not?”

Mal started walking again, gripping the strap of her bag tightly.  

“Because I have the rest of those essays to grade this afternoon.”

“Ross said that he’d finished doing those for you yesterday.” Joelle pointed out.

She mentally cursed her assistant’s efficiency. “I’m busy.  Maybe on Friday.” She insisted.  

She was still confused and embarrassed about her most recent dream and didn’t want to take the chance that either her interest or her misgivings would show on her face.  Not that he ever sought her out.  He never really showed much interest in talking to any of the other professors, even though many of them attended his lectures out of curiosity.  His lessons were popular with both the staff and the students because they never quite knew what he would talk about.  Sometimes he’d start a piece on calculus equations and end up on a tangent about ancient ballads about sea serpents.  Mal had never been able to find anyone who actually knew what sort of class he was supposed to be teaching.  He’d been there for several semesters and seemed to do pretty much whatever he wanted. At least she’d never heard of administration disciplining him for any of his practices.

Joelle rolled her eyes.  “You love going to his lectures.  Why are you always so unwilling to just admit it?”  

Mal shrugged noncommittally, hoping the subject would drop as she entered the classroom and placed the folders on the lectern.  For a minute, she thought it had worked as she pulled her book out of her bag and found the page she needed.  But then…

“He is rather handsome.”

“W-what?!” she sputtered, almost choking on a mouthful of coffee.

Joelle grinned as she watched her professor’s flustered expression.

“You know…in a mature, wise, crabby old man kind of way.”

Mal tried to play off her reaction by teasing the student. “I didn’t know you were into older men, Jo.  What does your boyfriend have to say about that?”

“Oh, I’m not.” She shrugged.  “But he seems about right for you.”

“Are you calling me old and crabby?”

“Maaaayybe!”

That girl’s grin would have made the Cheshire Cat proud as Mal glared half-heartedly and told her to take her seat so that she could start the lesson.  

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A tall figure stood to the side of a window, peering around a dark curtain. A pair of icy blue eyes watched Professor Mallory Hart as she walked across the grassy lawn, deep in conversation with a group of her students.  They studied her face as she motioned for the young adults to sit down in a circle, doing so herself and gracefully arranging her skirt and tugging down the hem of her sweater. He wondered if she still wore leggings or trousers under her skirts as she used to when there was a high chance of having to run from something.  Shaking his head in an attempt to ward off old memories, he studied the circle again. Soon it would start to get colder and she wouldn’t be able to bring her study group outside anymore.  The figure sighed as he watched her eyes flash with passion and her hands wave as she delved into a lively discussion with her students.  One of his thumbs absently stroked a simple band around his left ring finger.

“Sir?”

The blue eyes blinked in surprise and their owner turned around to see a frown on a round, babyish face.  

“What do you want, Nardole?” the Doctor asked irritably.

The short, bald man crossed his arms.  “You miss her.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He snapped.  But he still glanced out the window at the study group one last time before stalking moodily back to his desk.  He brusquely pretended to sort through a pile of papers, hoping the subject would be dropped.

Nardole stood in front of the desk and looked at him sternly over the top of his glasses.  “You need to stay away from her.”

Apparently he wasn’t going to be lucky today.  

“You’ve been watching my every move for the last eight months.  You know I’ve not gone near her.” The Doctor snapped.

“Yeah, but you think about her all the time.”

“There’s nothing I can or want do about that.”

“You’re the one who said that we needed to keep our distance.  You went on and on about the risks and what might happen if she relapsed.  Then the months go by ant you get more and more…”  Nardole waved his hand absently and scrunched up his nose. “…moody.  I’ve seen you watching her when you think I’m not looking and it’s dangerous!  You could put her in serious danger-“

“I know!” the Doctor yelled, flinging a handful of pens at the man. “I care about her more than anything! I won’t let anything hurt her, even me! So leave me alone about it!”  Shoving his sonic glasses onto his face to hide at least part of his expression, he flopped down in his chair, crossed his feet on top of his desk, and pretended to read from a large leather-bound tome.  

Nardole watched him silently for a few minutes, then gathered up the pens and replaced them on his desk as a kind of peace offering.  When the Doctor still ignored him, he fiddled with a loose thread on his jacket and huffed, looking around for something to do.  Catching sight of an old-fashioned record player he wandered over and began looking at the stack of records beside it. Selecting an interesting looking one he placed it on the machine and moved the needle into position.  

A soft waltz filled the air.  The sound was one of love and contentment.  Nardole smiled to himself and began to sway back and forth, unaware that the Doctor had gone stock still and tense.  

“Shut that off!” he snapped.

Nardole jumped in surprise and glanced over at the man.  “Why?”

“Just turn it off!”

Nardole frowned as he turned off the music.  “It was good dancing music.” He sulked.

“Well I don’t dance.” Said the Doctor flipping angrily through his book so hard that he almost tore the pages.

“Yes, you do.” Said Nardole, looking confused.  “You never once turned her down when she would ask you to-“ He stopped talking abruptly as the Doctor tossed the heavy book onto his desk with a loud crash.

“Don’t you have a vault to check on?” the Doctor growled.

Nardole frowned.  “Nah. I thought it was your turn-“ He stopped talking as the Doctor glared at him over the top of his glasses. “Actually, you’re right!  You’re very right!  I’ll, uh…go and…do that now.”  He stuttered as he scuttled out the door, closing it behind him.

The Doctor stared at the tips of his shoes for a while, then sighed and stood.  He glanced at the window again, but resolutely turned his back to it.  He wandered over to the record player and fiddled with the needle.  After a few minutes, he placed it back on the record and listened to the music fill the air once more.  He stood stalk still and his expression didn’t change one iota, but his hands were clenched into fists.  And though he would have denied it vehemently if anyone had seen, there was a sheen of tears in his ancient blue eyes.

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“…I don’t know if I agree that the reason Agatha Christie never told anyone where she’d been when she disappeared was because she had amnesia.  I’ve always been skeptical of that theory.  Or maybe I just like the idea of her choosing to vanish and leave this big mystery for her fans to speculate about.  It seems like a very brave, independent thing to do for a woman in that time.  I mean, the amnesia idea is interesting too, but the Doctor wouldn’t give a very satisfying answer as to why or how that might have happened.  But I guess the mystery of it is what makes the topic so interesting.  And to think that he started the class talking about the differences between bees and wasps.  Do you think that-“

“Mallory!”

Mal stopped midsentence and glanced around at the woman sitting next to her. Professor Nancy Neelson was rubbing her eyes in a frustrated manner with her lips pressed tightly together again. The woman was younger than Mal by at least ten or fifteen years, but with six children and a full-time job, she seemed older.

“I’m sorry.” Mal apologized.  “I was doing it again wasn’t I?”

The woman sighed.  “I was hoping that when you said we should have lunch together that we could talk about more than the Doctor’s latest lecture.  They can be fascinating, but they’re a bit random and disjointed.  No one but you seems to keep up with half of what he’s saying.”

Mal tucked her chin, feeling guilty for rambling.  “Sorry.”  She picked at her food, which had gotten cold as she’d talked.

“Don’t give me that sad puppy look.” Nancy teased, trying to lighten the mood once more.  “There’s nothing wrong with being passionate.  I often wish some of my students were more like you.  But if you like the Doctor’s lectures so much, why don’t you go talk to him sometime?  You two would probably get along like a house on fire.”

Mal mumbled an excuse under her breath.  It wasn’t as though she hadn’t thought about approaching the Doctor. Joelle had suggested it often enough in her not-so-subtle, prodding way.  But Mal was always too confused about her own feelings to give it any serious consideration.  She dreamed of this man she’d never even spoken to, over and over again.  Even she knew that went a little too far beyond creepy.  She wanted to talk to him so badly that it scared her.  She’d tried to dissect her own emotions for months, but couldn’t understand this overwhelming feeling of longing.  She was desperately missing a man that she’d never formally met, and it scared and confused her to no end.  

However, as Mal went about her day, Nancy’s suggestion kept bouncing around inside her head.  Later that night when she woke from yet another dream and felt that overwhelming sense of homesickness, she decided enough was enough.  She sat up in bed and tugged angrily at her hair.  She wasn’t a coward.  She wasn’t about to let embarrassment or fear control her. Tomorrow she would talk to the Doctor. They both worked at the same university. Maybe he’d already wondered why she’d never introduced herself.  Maybe he thought her lack of forwardness stemmed from dislike.  She couldn’t have that.  

Tomorrow.  She thought. Tomorrow I’ll do it.  

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I can’t do it.  Mal thought as you shifted from one foot to another in front of the Doctor’s office door.  She could hear the muffled sound of a student asking another question about the midterm through the thick wood.  The Doctor’s office hours may not have been the best time to approach him.  Maybe I should wait until lunch tomorrow.  But he doesn’t usually eat in the mess hall…  She fretted, trying to find an excuse to leave.

Just then the door opened unexpectedly.  A young student stepped around her and walked off down the corridor, leaving the door partially open.  

“Are there any more idiots out there waiting to ask the same questions I answered during class?” called an annoyed male voice.  

The rude question made her fight back a sudden smile.  That spark of humor lit her courage once more, and she squared her shoulders before pushing open the door.

“I may have a few questions, but I’ll try to keep them as un-idiotic as possible.” she said lightly, smiling at the surprised expression that sent the man’s eyebrows shooting for the sky.  

The Doctor had been reclining back in his chair, resting his feet up on his desk, but he stood quickly when he saw her, almost tripping in his surprise.  

“Mal?” He stared at her with an emotion she couldn’t name roaring behind his eyes.

“Oh, you know who I am?” she said with a hesitant smile.  

The Doctor blinked, and the unnamed emotion cleared from his expression.  He straightened his suit jacket and stepped around his desk.  

“Of course, I know who you are, Professor Hart.  Your students speak of you fondly.  And Dean Elliot praised your research for his project last April.”

“Oh.” She blushed.  “Well I know you of course.  The famous Doctor.  I’ve never seen a lecture of yours that wasn’t standing room only.”

“Yes, I’ve seen you there quite a few times.”  The Doctor said, studying her calmly.

“I’m sorry I never came up to introduce myself.  Perhaps we could start over?” she asked, holding out her hand. “Hello!  My name is Mallory Hart and I teach part time here at the university.”

The Doctor appeared to hesitate a moment before reaching out to shake her hand. Something in Mal’s chest loosened at his touch.  Like she’d been partially holding her breath until that moment and hadn’t realized it.

“And I’m the Doctor.” He said, his voice soft and deep.

She cocked her head.  “I’ve always wondered about that.  Doctor who?”

The Doctor smiled a bit sadly and she could have sworn he squeezed her hand before releasing it.  “That’s a good question,” he muttered under his breath.  

“I’m sorry, what?” she asked.  

“Just the Doctor.” He said, louder.

“Oh.”

They both stood there awkwardly for a moment.  The Doctor was studying a scuff in the wooden floor and Mal let her gaze wander until it fell on a wooden police box in a corner of the office.  It was a very deep, familiar blue…  Suddenly the Doctor cleared his throat and walked back behind his desk without meeting her eyes again.

“So, what can I do for you, Professor Hart?  You mentioned that you may have some questions for me.”

“Just Mal is fine, Doctor.” She said, then paused, wondering why she’d instinctually given her nickname.  All of the other professors and staff called her Mallory.  Shaking away the confusion, she took a seat in the chair in front of his desk, smoothing down her cardigan.  “And I mostly just wanted to introduce myself and say that I really enjoy your lectures.”

The Doctor grunted and shifted some papers around, avoiding her gaze.

“I’ve heard lots of people say that they like them.  Those that aren’t complaining about the topics anyway.” He opened a drawer and poked around inside for a minute before pulling out a yo-yo.  

“Sometimes they’re a little random, but I like them that way.”

He still didn’t meet her eyes.  “Is that so?  Well did you have any specific questions for me?  Because I have some…erm…things to do.”

“What kind of things?”

“Thingy things.” He said absently, fiddling with the loop in the yo-yo’s string.

She was almost about to shake her head and take her leave, when she saw a novel partially hidden under a map of New Zealand.  Pulling it out she studied the cover for a moment.

“Actually, I was wondering if you could expand on your lecture from yesterday.” She placed the book in front of him and he glanced up to see his copy of Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie.  

“What about it?” he asked, his fingers stilling on the yo-yo.

Taking a deep breath, she dived in.

“If Agatha really did have amnesia after she reappeared, how do you think that happened?  There was no evidence of a blow to the head.  She was definitely stressed, but would you say that was enough to cause the amnesia?”

The Doctor finally met her eyes as he put down the yo-yo, folding his hands in his lap.

“People might not ever know for certain.  Stress is a possible contributor…”

“But what do you think?” she asked, leaning forward.

“Me?  I think…” he studied her for a moment.  “I think she threw an amulet into a lake to drown a giant wasp.”

Mal laughed softly at his absurd answer, but her laughter faded away as the image of a giant wasp stinger stuck in a wooden door, a sassy red head, and the man from her dreams with the sticky-up hair floated in front of her mind’s eye.  Suddenly pain shot through her temples and she suppressed a groan as she rubbed her forehead.

“Mal?” The Doctor’s voice was suddenly urgent.  “Are you okay?”  

His voice was soothing, even though it sounded worried.  The pain in her head faded and she looked up to see him kneeling at the arm of her chair.  His expression was concerned, almost frightened, and he was half reaching for her.  

“Yes, Doctor.  I’m fine.” She whispered.  

He studied her closely for a long moment before pulling back and standing once more.

“If you are unwell then perhaps you should go and lay down.” He said, avoiding her eyes again.

But Mal shook her head.  “I’m all right.  I just get migraines sometimes.  It’s why I can only be a part time professor at the moment.  But the pain is gone now.”  She leaned forward once more.  “But if you won’t be serious with me about your Agatha Christie lecture, what about that claim you made about the pyramids last week?”

The Doctor seemed to be debating with himself.  He buttoned and unbuttoned the cuff of his shirt as he stared blankly at a bookshelf.  Mal waited, wondering what was going on in that strange head of his.  

Finally, he sighed and sat down once more.  He placed his feet back up on his desk and crossed his ankles, leaning back in his chair.

“Are you talking about the pyramids in Egypt or the ones in South America?” he asked, and he had a twinkle in his eye now.  

Mal grinned.

Hours later they had touched on all sorts of subjects, from Van Gogh to J.K. Rowling, Mexican cuisine to the best way to tie-dye a shirt.  The sun was getting lower and she really needed to get to a dinner meeting with another staff member, but she couldn’t tear herself away.  Finally, he noticed her looking at the clock a little too often and indicated that he needed to go and hunt down Nardole about tomorrow’s lecture.  

Mal stood and tucked her hair behind her ear, unsure of how to end the encounter.  It was the best time she’d had for ages, but her old confusion was slinking back in as she prepared to leave.  She felt more drawn to him than ever before, but wasn’t sure how to read his impressions of herself.  In the end, she simply shook his hand again and left with a simple goodbye, once again admiring the color of the police box in the corner of his office as she closed the door behind herself.  All the way back to her office Mal berated herself for not asking when she could see him again.  Still muttering angrily at her insecurity, she grabbed her coat from the bedroom adjacent to her office and the car keys from her desk, preparing to leave for the meeting. She only paused when a blinking icon on her open laptop screen caught her eye.  Reaching over, she clicked on the icon to open her email, and saw that she had a message from an account called doctordisco12.  Suddenly excited, she opened the message and smiled at what she found.

I enjoyed talking to you.  Perhaps we could do it again sometime.

Stay safe.

~ the Doctor

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The next day Mal was getting some juice from the machine in the mess hall when she saw the Doctor come in and order a plate of lasagna from the meal counter. Taking his food, he got a glass of water before walking over and sitting at a small table near the back of the room.

She debated with herself for less than five seconds before gathering up her own lunch and making her way over to him.  He raised his head when she stood across from him, and he didn’t look at all surprised to see her.  

“Mind if I join you?” she asked.

A small smile twitched at the corner of his mouth and he waved a hand at the empty seat.  “Not at all.”

Smiling, she hung her bag over the back of the chair and sat down with her food.

Mal talked with him nearly every day after that.   He often ate lunch with her, sometimes in the mess hall and sometimes he convinced her to eat outdoors when it was nice enough.  They’d sit together in the grass or on a bench and talk about all sorts of subjects as they ate.  He’d stop to say hello when he passed her in the hallways now, and she’d seen him sitting in the back of a few of her own lectures.  When they hung out in his office together, he’d even play his guitar for her sometimes, to her amusement and delight.  

Nardole didn’t seem to like her.  Several times when she was talking with the Doctor he’d turned up, arms crossed so tightly that they looked like they’d never come unstuck, and pertly told the Doctor he was needed somewhere else.  Another time she’d seen him physically pull the Doctor down a side corridor when he saw her coming.  She didn’t know what to make of it.  But when she brought up the subject with the Doctor he’d simply waved away her concerns. So eventually she’d stopped asking and just enjoyed the fact that the Doctor cared enough about spending time with her to risk the wrath of his angry little teaching aid.

One day when they’d both headed outside in search of a place to each their lunch, Mal saw the Doctor eyeing a nice oak tree off one side of the green. He saw her looking at him and averted his gaze.  But she elbowed him and whispered conspiratorially, “Only if you give me a leg up first.” Hiding a delighted grin, he’d boosted her into the branches and they’d ended up having a lovely picnic nearly 15 feet above the ground. When she’d jokingly asked him why he’d zoomed in on this particular tree he said that the tree felt old and friendly. She almost laughed at him, but she’d placed a hand against the bark and somehow, she found herself agreeing with his observation.  The serious moment was broken as they spend the next half hour debating over what kind of a name the tree would have.  She was all for Fredrick, but he was insisting on Marvin.

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“You’re gonna get her killed!”

The Doctor ground his teeth together as he pretended to ignore Nardole who had been fussing and yelling at him for the past fifteen minutes.  

“You have to get her transferred or something!  You obviously can’t keep away from her and you can’t leave the vault.  It’s the only solution!  You said yourself that keeping her in an induced coma won’t help with the healing process.  If you keep getting closer to her you’re going to have to let her go for her own safety!”

The Doctor’s pencil lead snapped for the third time and he angrily sharpened it once more.

“I’ve told you again and again, but will you listen to me?  No!  Of course not!  No one ever listens to me.  Even when I’m trying to be helpful.  I thought the whole point of this whole mess with the experimental cure was to save her life!  And here you are putting a strain on the mental lock every time you see her!  Do you want her to die?”

“SHUT UP, NARDOLE!!” The Doctor leapt to his feet in all of his Oncoming Storm glory, causing Nardole to literally cower against the side of the TARDIS.  Dozens of words, excuses, and threats pushed against the Doctor’s lips as he started down at the man.  His fury at being provoked and accused of harming the one person he would do anything in the universe for, blazed behind his eyes.  But his own doubts and fears, as well as a prick of guilt caused by Nardole’s obvious terror, slowly melted his anger until he’d sunk back into his chair with his face buried in his hands.

For a long time neither of them moved.  It was only when Nardole saw the subtle shaking of the Doctor’s shoulders that he gradually stood and made his way over to his boss.  Hesitantly, he patted the Time Lord on the shoulder. Finally, the Doctor leaned back in his chair, not bothering to wipe away the tears on his lined face.  

Almost absently, he pulled a chain out from under his shirt.  From it hung what seemed to be a flat, empty cloth pouch, but when he pulled the bag off, what used to be an antique gold pocket watch swung from the end of the chain.  Someone had added bits and pieces to it, including a tiny vile of some liquid, several gears, a few electronic chips, and a piece of glass that encased a strand of graying brown and a strand of white hair, braided together.  Several different colored lights blinked or pulsed from various parts of the contraption.  It still looked like a cross between a steampunk art project gone wrong and something from a scrap metal yard.

Nardole hesitated, then asked, “What are you thinking about?”

The Doctor didn’t answer for a long moment.  Then he sighed and fingered the gold chain.

“Regrets.  Over two thousand years of them.  But a few in particular.”

Nardole nodded.  “That last trip?”

“That trip.”  The Doctor scoffed.  “It was supposed to be our last hurrah before settling down to guard the vault.  Just one quick adventure.  One little vacation.  But…they caught her…  I didn’t know those creatures were telepathic.  They almost destroyed her mind by the time I found her.  I don’t even remember what I did to them.  I just remember walking over their corpses as I raced with her back to the TARDIS.”  More tears slipped down the Doctor’s cheeks.  “The brain scans…they were so confusing.  I’m still not sure what they all mean.  I couldn’t enter her mind through our bond…  That’s what scared me the most.  I tried everything I could think of, but she was slipping away.  Then I thought about the chameleon circuit.  I couldn’t put her into a coma.  That might have stopped the spread of damage, but she wouldn’t have healed.  Her brain needed stimulation to regrow old pathways.  I thought…taking away a few years of memory…just for a while…might allow her mind to fix itself.  I experimented with the watch and the chameleon arch for as long as I could. But she was dying!  I had no choice after a while.  I had to try it on her.  I’d hoped that what remained of our mental bond would allow her to keep at least some of her memories…but obviously that didn’t happen.  She became human.  She had a normal life.  And she has gotten better.  The school nurse said that she hasn’t been suffering from nearly as many headaches and migraines.  She’ll recover.  She has to!”  The Doctor’s grip on the chain was so tight that his hand was shaking. A simple wedding band, too small for his own finger also hung from the chain, and it swung slightly with the movement. The Doctor touched the ring with a single finger as another tear slipped from the corner of his eye.

Nardole dithered for a moment, but then swallowed and said, “Sir?  You do realize…  I mean, it is possible that…that she may never be able to recover her memories.  Her mind might have been permanently damaged enough that that kind of shock may…may cause a relapse…or even…kill her.”

The Doctor set the watch down on the desk and wiped at the tears on his face…but he didn’t answer.  

Nardole chewed on his lip before adding, “Or it may not be possible for her to get her memories back.  You basically made this thing up on the fly.  It’s completely experimental.  She was human a long time ago…it may be hard to change her back again.”

The Doctor didn’t react.

“Sir, are you listening to me?”

The Time Lord sighed.  “I’m listening.”

Nardole narrowed his eyes at him.

“What did I say then?”

“She was human a long time ago…” he muttered.  How could he forget?

When he’d met young Mallory Hart, he was still the War Doctor.  He’d just been in a huge battle and it was becoming clearer and clearer that there would be no happy ending to this war.  He’d slipped away for one last visit to his precious Earth. Just one last trip to be surrounded by people living ordinary lives, worrying about petty, everyday things. To sit in the grass and watch the clouds for a bit.  

That’s when she’d found him.  Sitting on a deserted swing set, in a small park.  She’d only been about seven years old at the time.  She’d talked to him.  She had no clue who or what he was.  She had no idea what he was going through.  But she’d listened.  She’d talked. She’d empathized.  She’d held his hand, the hand of a complete stranger…the hand of a murderer.  She’d been the reason that little spark of hope left in his chest had refused to die throughout the rest of the war.  Because she was proof that there were some things out in the universe worth fighting for.

After he’d been saved from destroying Gallifrey by his past selves, Clara Oswald, and the consciousness of the Moment, he’d regenerated into Nine.  Nine had no idea that Gallifrey was safe. He’d had to forget all that.  He’d had to live with the belief that he’d killed his entire race.  He wanted to die too.  He’d tried. But that spark of hope just wouldn’t die.  He’d gone back to find her, not really knowing why.  He’d miscalculated the timing and ended up over twelve years farther down her timeline, but she still remembered him.  The sad man with the kind eyes on the swing-set.  In almost no time, she was traveling in the TARDIS with him.  Mal helped him heal.  She brought him back from the darkness.  Soon after that they’d both run in to Rose and she joined them.  As time went on, he fell more and more in love with her.  He swore he would never tell her.  That he’d return her to Earth rather than saddle her with a broken, murderer of a Time Lord.  But then she told him that she loved him…and he’d found that he didn’t have the strength to leave her.  

Then Bad Wolf had happened.  She saw his overwhelming dread of losing Mal to the unstoppable waves of time.  She saw how many more people he could help with her by his side providing him with the strength and love he needed to keep going through the centuries.  So, Bad Wolf changed her.  She gave her the time she needed…and an extra heart.

He’d asked Mal to marry him when he was Ten.  She’d returned the favor by asking him to bond with her.  He gave her the human wedding band around her finger, and she’d bonded her mind and soul to his in the Time Lord way.  

She’d stayed with him through his regenerations, and he’d been there for her through a few of her own.  Since she was a Time Lady she had a bit more control over her regenerations. For the most part, she tried to keep the changes to a minimum, though she did influence the age a bit here and there to match more with his current body.  He’d been very touched when she’d shown no qualms about giving herself gray hair the last time she’d regenerated in order to match this older looking body of his.  She’d never left.  Never stopped loving him.  Never stopped saving him.

And look what had happened to her…

“Sir?”

The Doctor blinked, and came back to the present.  “What?”

“I asked if there was any way to tell if it’s working or not?  Besides the reduced headaches…how are we supposed to tell?”

The Doctor opened his mouth to reply, then hesitated.  He thought for a moment…then a smile slowly grew on his face.

“The only way to tell, is for me to unlock our mental bond and look at her mind from the inside.”  He stood. “And the only way to do that is to slowly gain her trust again.”

Nardole frowned.  “I’m not sure about that, sir.  You said that the bond hurts when it’s constricted like this, so are you sure you’re not just looking for an excuse to get some relief-“

“Do you really think I would risk it before I was absolutely sure?” the Doctor snapped.  “Yes, it hurts.  It feels like I have only one lung.  Like I can never get enough air.  Like I’m having a constant hearts attack!  Like half of me is missing.  Because half of me is!  The bond connects us so tightly together that sometimes it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.  I feel myself fading away without her here to ground me.  Seeing her like she is now, when she has no clue who I am, it hurts! But it’s better than not seeing her at all!”  

All the energy seemed to drain out of the Doctor once more and he slumped back into his chair.  

“I miss her, Nardole.” He almost whispered.  “I have to believe that she can come back from this…  But like you said, the whole thing is experimental. For all we know she’s already ready and we just don’t know.  I promise I’m being careful.  But I have to be close enough to judge when the moment is right.  Otherwise I give up hope that she’ll ever be able to come back to me.”

Nardole stared at the Time Lord before him.  At the extra lines and the dark shadows under his eyes.  At the subtle shaking of his hands.  He looked and he nodded softly.

“Well then…  Just…be careful, sir.”

The Doctor gave a crooked smile.

“When am I anything else?”

“That is not encouraging, sir.” Said Nardole, and the Doctor chuckled weakly in agreement.

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Mal still had the dreams, but the constant homesickness had eased a bit.  

Spending time with the Doctor made her feel content and brave.  The horrible, guilty longing she’d felt for so long eased.  She could relax again.  

It wasn’t perfect all the time though.  The confusion was still there.  So many things didn’t make sense.  When she was with him, it felt as though she was exactly where she need to be.  The worrying questions disappeared and she just concentrated on everything feeling right.  But once he was gone, the doubts returned.  The half memories continued to haunt her until it felt like she was walking along a curtain with half visible memories pressing right up against the fabric, but impossible to see or touch.  They eluded her, and haunted her like invisible ghosts, hovering just out of the corner of her eye.  

Mal spent more and more time with the Doctor.  They were even talking about co-teaching together after the end of the year, once the new semester started.  He always had time to spend on her.  But there were times she’d catch certain looks he gave her…certain emotions that would flicker behind his eyes…  They both scared her and drew her in.  Sometimes he seemed so sad, at other times conflicted.  Her favorite moments were when he was free from the dark thoughts that plagued him and he allowed himself to be happy.  It would be hard for an outsider to tell, because his happy moments often involved just as much eyebrow action as when he was cross.  Sometimes he was just happy being cross.  But she found it fairly easy to interpret his moods, even when others ducked for cover.  This feeling of understanding and closeness was another thing that both delighted and terrified her.  She felt like she’d known him for forever.  But Mal was an educated, grown woman.  She knew she was playing a dangerous game.  She didn’t want to have her heart broken because she delved too far into something that was all in her head.  

He wore a wedding band.  She’d asked him about it during one of their first lunches together, but he’d said that he didn’t have a wife at the moment.  It was vague, half-answers like that that she knew should have sent up red flags and had her running for the hills.  And yet, she couldn’t help but put her faith in him.  It was as instinctual as breathing.  

Mal’s students and friends on the staff had noticed her new friendship with the Doctor.  Her colleagues were happy to see the close friendship that she’d developed and sometimes asked questions about the man that puzzled so many.  Her students were the worst.  They switched back and forth between teasing her, pestering her with questions, and pressuring her to ask him on an official date.  She sometimes worried that some of the gossip would reach the Doctor’s ears and make him uncomfortable enough to avoid her. But either he never heard any of it, or he didn’t give it enough credit to bother bringing it up.  She wasn’t sure if she should be relieved or hurt if it were the latter.  

Time passed.  It was the Christmas season and there was snow on the ground outside.  The Doctor nearly made her heart pound out of her chest the few times he’d straightened collar of her coat against the wind or wrapped his scarf around her when she’d forgotten hers.  The faculty Christmas party was fast approaching, and she’d only gotten a vague “maybe” from the Doctor when she’d asked him if he would be attending.

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The night of the Christmas party, the study tables had been moved out of the reading area in the library to make room.  Some of the students who stayed over Christmas had volunteered to decorate and serve food for the teachers.  Twinkle lights hung across the ceiling and from the bookshelves.  A Christmas tree had been set up in one corner with simple red, gold, and silver baubles hanging from the branches.  There were tasty treats lined up on the buffet table and music filled the room from a large pair of speakers.  

Mal talked a while with one of her students who was working at the food table before wandering around the edge of the room.  The party had started 45 minutes ago and she hadn’t seen any sign of the Doctor.  The music is beautiful, switching from catchy holiday tunes to softer, classical instrumentals.  Several people are dancing in the middle of the room, which seemed to have been designated as the dance floor, but she was too busy watching for the Doctor to consider joining them.  

Taking a sip from her glass of warm cider, she glanced around the room again. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of white hair and a stern eyebrow.  She tried to edge her way around a pair of professors to get a better look, but by the time she had there was no sign of him.  Sighing, she stood on her tip toes, trying to see over the crowd, but with no luck.

“Lose something?” said a low voice in her ear.  

A small squeak escaped her lips and she almost spilled her drink. Turning, she saw a smirk upon the Doctor’s lined face.  She opened her mouth to rebuke him, but paused as she took in his attire.  He wore a suit often enough, especially when teaching. But tonight, he was wearing a burgundy bow tie above a crisp white shirt, and a black suit jacket.  She’d probably seen him wear every one of those items at one point or another, but somehow this was different.  Maybe it was the twinkle lights’ warm glow that made him seem especially handsome tonight.  But she didn’t care.

Suddenly Mal realized that the Doctor was watching her stare at him with one eyebrow raised.  She blushed and set her glass down on a nearby table to give herself time to clear her muddled thoughts.

“You look lovely tonight.” His voice was soft enough to be almost tender.

“Thank you.” She said.  She was wearing a white turtleneck and a long, flowy red skirt.  Her only jewelry was a pair of pearl earrings and a gold and crystal snowflake hanging from a chain around her neck.  Her hair was partially pulled back from her face, and she was pretty sure one of her students had stuck a crimson poinsettia in it at one point during the party.

“I was worried that you would find an excuse not to come.” she teased.

“Oh, I did.” He said, with a touch of half-hearted grouchiness.  “I came up with approximately 87 and was on a roll, when…” He looked suddenly embarrassed.

“What?” she asked.  

“Well, I knew you wanted me to come.” He muttered.  

A smile spread across Mal’s face as she placed a hand on his arm.  

“Thank you.  I really do appreciate it.  But I don’t want you to be miserable because of me.  Go get some food or dance or something.”

“I’m not hungry.  I came here to see you.  And I don’t dance.”

She felt herself blushing again, but tried to hide it by teasing him.

“Don’t dance?  Or won’t?”

“Is there a difference?”

“Yes!  But either way, I am determined to see you on the dance floor at least once before the night is out!”

He gave her a condescending smile.  “Not gonna happen.”

“Please?”

“Nope.”

“Pretty please?” she asked, trying to make her eyes sad and large, sticking her bottom lip out like a toddler.

He chuckled at the childish move, but stopped as something seemed to catch his eye.  He frowned and Mal turned to follow his gaze.  She caught a glimpse of Nardole whispering something to the student in charge of the music.  The young woman was in a few of her classes, and she saw her grin mischievously in her direction before turning to the sound equipment.  Mal glanced back at the Doctor to see him still frowning at Nardole, eyebrows dangerously low.  

Then an instrumental song came on over the speakers.  It was soothing and romantic.  The instruments included only a piano, a few violins, and a harp, but Mal instantly felt a tug from one of those just-out-of-reach memories.  For a split second, she was afraid her eyes would tear up, but she blinked rapidly until the feeling past.  Turning, she saw the Doctor scrutinizing her face with an unreadable expression.  Taking a deep breath, she tried one last time.

“Look Doctor, I don’t dance either, but this is such a lovely song.  Could we perhaps brave it together?”

There was a pause, then the Doctor sighed.  

“Something tells me you dance just fine, Ms. Mallory.” he said as he took her hand and led her to the dance floor.  

Mal couldn’t remember ever dancing before, but she kept this to herself as the Doctor placed a hand against the small of her back, making her breath catch. She grasped his hand more firmly and placed her other on his shoulder.  Looking up into his face, which was several inches above hers, she stared into his eyes.  He held her gaze, took a deep breath in through his nose…and they were off.  

She barely registered that they were moving at first.  It was so effortless that they were gliding across the floor before she realized what had happened.  Her body responded to his out of pure instinct, or was it memory?  She’d never waltzed before, but she stepped in time with the Doctor over and over again like she’d been doing it since childhood. He spun her out under his arm and back in such perfect time to the music that it felt choreographed.  They turned together and moved in a wide circle, never once stepping on each other’s toes.  Her chest was pressed to his as she spun around the floor, sometimes breaking briefly apart for a spin, before coming effortlessly back together.  She’d never felt so graceful in her life, but she hardly noticed…because the whole time, the Doctor never once took his eyes from hers.  

The song eventually came to an end, and the Doctor slowly dipped her with strength uncharacteristic of a man of his age.  But again, she hardly noticed.  As he brought her back up to a standing position she realized that no one else was on the floor and that many of the party-goers were now clapping.  Even so, it was almost impossible to wrench her eyes free of that blue gaze.  Only when someone patted her on the back did she manage it.  The Doctor released her waist and her hand as several people came forwards to gush about their dancing skills.  Turing her head to acknowledge the praise, she glanced back at the Doctor to see him slipping away into the crowd.  

Frowning, Mal tried to follow, but found it difficult to escape her new fans. When she finally wriggled her way to the edge of the room again she ran in to Nardole.  He didn’t say anything, just pointed towards a door leading into the hallway with an expressionless face.  She nodded gratefully and slipped out.  She looked both ways down the corridor and only just saw the Doctor’s back as he rounded a corner.  Taking a steadying breath, she followed.

Mal trailed him up several flights of stairs to the floor that his office was on. He paused, then continued past the door to open one at the end of the hallway.  Following, she found a set of stairs there that led up to the roof. The door at the top was partially ajar.

Pushing it open she stepped onto the snowy roof, barely noticing the fresh snow falling as she stared at the Doctor’s silhouette.  He was at the edge of the roof, looking up at the moon.  He didn’t react, though he must have heard her as she stepped through the snow to stand a few feet behind him.  The Doctor didn’t speak for several minutes.  When he did, it was in a musing tone as he studied the large white globe above him.

“It’s strange…no matter how much we learn about it, it never gets any less beautiful.  There aren’t many things like that.”  He sighed and looked over his shoulder at her.  “There’s something you want to say.”  It was a statement.  Not a question.

The words were on the tip of her tongue and they rolled out of her mouth of their own accord.  

“I feel like I’ve known you for a hundred years.”

The Doctor hummed, turning back to look at the ground far below him.  “Many more than that by now.”

“But how can that be?  We’ve known each other for less than a year.”

“Have we?” It was almost a whisper and she barely caught it.

Mal opened her mouth, then paused.  She was getting more and more confused, even as she became more and more certain that there was so much more to this man and what he meant to her.  As she struggled internally, the Doctor continued to inspect the snowy campus below.  After a while though, he sighed.

“I’m sure you have questions for me.”

And just like that, Mal felt certain again.  She knew exactly what she wanted to say.

“No.  I don’t.”

The Doctor finally turned to face her, one eyebrow raised.

“I don’t have something to ask.  I have something to say.”

His eyes flashed as he stared into hers once more.  She felt like she was a book he was reading.

“Before you do, think about this…  You will be much safer if you stay away from me.”

She believed him.  His eyes were full of danger, and time, and weariness.  The ghosts of memories behind the veil in her mind swirled in agreement.  She could walk away now.  She could go back to ignoring the pull she felt toward him and find a way to struggle with the dreams on her own.  

But that same feeling, the one that was telling her to run, awakened a part of herself that seemed to have been sleeping.  Strength entered her limbs and her back straightened.  She held her head high.  

“I don’t care.”

The words were solemn and firm.  There was no way he could doubt her.

The Doctor’s eyes blazed with all of the emotions he seemed to be constantly hiding from her.  Fear, pride, power, grief, hope, vulnerability, and…she dared to hope…love.

Mal took a step forward.

“Doctor, I want to say that I-“

“I love you.”

Mal stopped, frozen.  The Doctor’s mouth was still open, as though the words had leapt unbidden from his lips. He swallowed, then cleared his throat awkwardly.

“I always promised myself that if I had the chance to do it again that I would be the one to say it to you first this time around.” He looked almost guilty now, kicking at the snow with his shoe.

“W-what?”

The Doctor suddenly was right in front of her.  His arms wrapped themselves with no hesitation around her waist, pulling her flush against him.  Mal’s hands fell to rest on his chest.  A small part of her brain was wondering if there was something wrong with his heartbeats, but the rest of it was too busy drowning in the Doctor’s fierce gaze.  

“I.  Love.  You.  Mal.  I have for hundreds of years.  And I promise you…I’ll never stop.”

Mal didn’t stop to puzzle through his confusing statement.  She didn’t stop to think.  She simply grasped the lapels of his jacket and pulled him down to her level.  Except that she didn’t have to pull, because he was already bending down until his lips met hers.

The memories behind the veil keened and sang all at once.  Something inside her mind resonated like a gong that had been hit.  The ground felt unsteady beneath her feet.  But she hardly noticed.  The world had narrowed to the man in her arms and his lips on hers.  He was tentative at first, because in many ways, it was a first kiss.  But both of their bodies soon took over in a familiar pattern that left her dizzy. Mal knew exactly how to turn her head to get him to hum against her lips.  He knew exactly how tight to hold her as her knees grew weak.  She knew just where trace her fingers along his jaw and cheekbone to get him to press her even tighter against his chest.  He knew just how to bury his fingers in to her thick hair to get her to tremble and clutch at him even more.  They played each other like instruments they’d been playing their whole lives.  

Slowly the Doctor pulled away, letting his lips caress hers one more time as he did so.  They were both breathing hard as he pressed his forehead to hers.  Neither of them noticed the cold, or the snow slowly melting into their shoes.  

Finally, the Doctor let out a watery laugh.  Mal peeked through her eyelids to see that there were tears sliding down his face, and that he was looking at her with so much love that she thought she’d spontaneously combust.   He caressed one of her cheeks, wiping at some tears of her own that she hadn’t noticed until now.

“I’ve missed you so much, Mal.” he whispered, his breath making a temporary cloud of vapor between them.

“I missed you too, Doctor.  I don’t know how, but I did.  So much.”

The Doctor groaned and pulled her even closer so that their faces were pressed in to the crook of each other’s necks.  

“Mal?  Do you trust me?” he whispered in her ear.  His voice deadly serious.

“Yes.”

“Do you trust me with your heart?”

“Yes.”

“Do you trust me with your life?”

“Yes.”

And she did.  There was not a single cell in her body that doubted it.  

The Doctor took several deep breaths before pulling his face away. Mal saw hope and fear mixed evenly in his expression.  Cupping her face in his hands, he slowly bent down to press his forehead to hers once more.  This time though, something was different…

Mal felt a soft caress, but not on her body.  A gentle presence touched a part of her that she didn’t know existed. Was it her mind?  Her soul?  She couldn’t tell.  She didn’t have the words or the knowledge to describe what it was.  But the touch was familiar.  It rang with music, and love, and power.  She knew it was the Doctor.  She relaxed this newfound part of herself, letting down walls she hadn’t even known were there.  She clawed at them until it hurt and then she felt the Doctor’s presence flow over her frantic motions, soothing and stilling them.  Together they gently pulled down the walls until there was nothing between the two of them. As their inner beings wove together, Mal recognized every part of him that she encountered.  The homesick feeling that had plagued her for months died a happy death as she drowned in relief...strong, overwhelming relief. She felt like she’d been suffocating and only now could breathe properly again.  Like she’d been blind but hadn’t realized it.  

So many things were still a mystery to her.  The memories were still thrashing behind that mental veil.  But she knew several things for sure.  

She knew this man’s name.  His real name.  Its power echoed through her mind. 

She knew who he was.  Every dream.  Every insecurity.  

She knew who he was and she loved him for it.

In return, he knew her better than anyone else. Better almost than she knew herself.

And he loved her for who she was.

She was his.

And he was hers.

As the sensation of the bond reforming began to lose its overwhelming edge, Mal found her physical body again and managed to gain control of her lips.   She whispered his name.  His true name.  In response, he sobbed in to her shoulder, holding her even closer than before.  They were both crying, embracing each other’s minds as well as each other’s bodies.  How long they stood like that, she never could tell.

Eventually they’d separated, slowly unclenching tight muscles and letting their minds release their vice-like grip on each other. Wiping each other’s faces clean of tears they walked to the edge of the roof and stood staring at the moon, arms wrapped around each other.  

Mal let the Doctor follow her train of thought through their bond.  She was alternating between admiring the moon, sorting through the holes in her mind that she could now see were missing years of memories, and basking in the affection she felt from him through the bond.

“I can help with the missing memory part.” Said the Doctor, absently plucking at a chain that Mal could now see was hidden under his shirt.  “But it might be best to do it in a more private and safe location.”

Only then did she realize her limbs were trembling with cold as well as emotion.  She laughed as he instantly took off his suit jacket and wrapped it snuggly around her shoulders, helping her slip her arms through the too long sleeves.  

“Yes, I definitely want those memories back, a wood fire, and a warm, chocolaty drink, not necessarily in that order.” She said. “But I want one more thing first.”

The Doctor glanced down at his wife, then a roguish smile spread across his face as he felt her meaning through their bond.  Sweeping her up off the ground, he ravished Mal’s mouth with his.  His lips attacking hers with a passion and precision that left all of her limbs feeling like jelly.  She threw her arms around his neck and gave as good as she got.  Their tongues danced and plunged in and out of each other’s mouths with a familiarity born of hundreds of years of marriage.  She wanted to go on like this for quite a while more, but the sound of cheers suddenly broke through the pounding in her ears and the two of them broke apart.

Down on the snow-covered grass below stood a small crowd of students and faculty who were all looking up at the couple and cheering wildly.  There were a few wolf-whistles and Mal was sure she saw money being exchanged by several people.  

She wondered if the Doctor would be embarrassed, as averse as he normally was to PDA in this body.  But nothing could dampen his spirits tonight.  He laughed loudly, waving to the crowd below as Mal pressed a cold hand to her blushing cheeks.  The Doctor egged on the crowd even more by dipping her back and kissing her soundly again.  By the time he pulled her upright, she was dizzy and more flushed than ever. Laughter echoed from the crowd as she placed a hand on the Doctor’s chest to keep her balance.  

“Ahh!  Yer just jealous!” the Doctor crowed, wrapping an arm around her waist.  “Go home ya gawking idiots!”  

The crowd laughed again and slowly began to disperse, but not before several of Mal’s students shouted up and promised a thorough grilling for the details at a later date.  Nearly everyone was gone before she realized that Nardole had been standing in the middle of the crowd, hidden by the waving arms and number of onlookers. He had his arms crossed, as usual, and was looking up at the Doctor with a concerned expression that was almost fearful. The Doctor gave him a thumbs up. Nardole nodded and relaxed, his shoulders untensing.  He uncrossed his arms and smiled up at her.  With a wave he strode off, a little skip in his step.

“I suppose that will make more sense once I have my memories back?” Mal asked, looking up at the Doctor.  

He chuckled and nodded.  “Let’s head down to my office for that fire, hot drink, and your memories.  There’s a certain sassy, blue box I think you should get reacquainted with.”  He guided her towards the door with the arm around her waist.

Mal nodded, not even bothering to puzzle over his strange words, and rested her head against his shoulder.  “Sounds perfect.”  

A thought struck her just before they started down the stairs and she pulled back to look up at the Doctor, a question in her eyes.

“Yes, dear?” he asked.

“I’m not sure if this is my memory already starting to come back or not, but I have a strong urge to say something rather odd.”

“What is it?”

Reaching up, she fingered his bow tie as she grinned widely.

“Bow ties are cool.”

The Doctor groaned dramatically.

#doctor who #doctor who fic #doctor who fanfic #12th doctor #12 #12th #12th doctor fanfic #12th doctor fic #twelve #twelfth doctor #twelfth #doctor/oc #doctor x oc #Doctor #peter capaldi #nardole #doctor who season 10 #whovian #amnesia #chameleon circuit #tardis #professor doctor

[silverandwolf]

Trapped (Don’t Starve Fic)

(A short-ish [1,800 words] fic from Maxwell’s POV. Huge spoilers for the ending and lore!)

     “Maxwell might be looking for this.”      No wonder he says something like that. After what I did, it’s no surprise Wilson thinks of me as a demon of sorts. Luring a mortal with promises of knowledge… Yes, the description fits. I pulled so many into this world. But what was I meant to do? I’m stuck here.      I can’t leave.      I can’t die.      I’m forced to stay, only the same song on the gramophone to keep me company. It would drive anyone mad. Pulling others here, watching them, was the only way to distract myself.      But I hadn’t always been like that. “You remember it, Charlie, don’t you?” No reply from the darkness around me. I know she’s there, can almost sense her, but she never answers. I don’t even know why I still talk to her. Maybe I just hope… Never mind.      In times past, I was honest when I managed to communicate with the other world. Said I was trapped and asked for help. And some people… Some tried to save me, whether they believed I deserved saving, or because they felt like they had to pay for some wrong they did in their life, they came to save me.      And I watched them die.      Some starved before they even found the door. Some froze in the King of Winter, as I’d called that world. Some went down fighting the hounds and spiders. And some were slain by…      I can barely even think it. That she went from the girl I knew to… To whatever she is now. I’m not deluding myself. I know she did, and I know what she does. It’s still hard to believe. And it’s my fault. “I’m sorry, Charlie.”      No answer. Only the gramophone.

     Something’s changing. I was lost in thought, but now I focus on Wilson again. He was already doing better than I’d thought, and now he’s found the door. I suppose that means I should show myself again.      “Oh, you found my portal, did you? You’d think you would have learned your lesson by now. Hmm. Let’s try something a little more challenging now, shall we?”      The Game is Afoot. Not the worst world for him, and interesting enough to watch. Wilson is more cunning than I thought, so he might just survive. And after all, I’ve given him the perfect motivation. Not only escaping, but beating me, too.      I wonder if he can make it all the way. All those soul-savers and knights in shining armour couldn’t, but he is neither. Just a man tempted when he felt at his lowest, and now desperately looking for a way out. Just like me.      To be honest, I never thought about what would happen if somebody did set me free. I know They wouldn’t like it. But everything would be better than this… Throne.     “I don’t know if there’s a way to save you, though.”      Silence, so I focus my attention on Wilson again. He managed to gather the necessary parts and is on his way further. Impressive.      But this time, he lands in King of Winter. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. “Well, would you look at that, you survived. One down, four to go!”, my apparition tells him, but I doubt he’ll get any further. Few ever managed, and most of them much more experienced in the wilderness than he is.      I do my best, but there are many parts of this realm I can barely influence. I’m not in control. They are. If I were, I’d be out of here already, some do-gooder facing whatever They have in store for someone stealing Their prey. But the closer someone comes to me, the less power I have, only able to give a little bit of help to the poor soul coming my direction. But They have the final say. They always do.      For a moment, it feels like something is moving in the darkness around me. I try to see something, to no avail. But aside from me, there can only be one other being in this place. “Is it you, Charlie?”      Why do I even bother?      That fellow Wilson is tough. I thought he’d be dead already, but he’s doing fairly good, actually. Maybe that shaggy beard of his keeps him warm. “Are you watching this, too, Charlie?” I can see Wilson doing it once again, moving further, towards the depth of this realm. Maybe now that he’s left the eternal winter, I can allow myself to have some hope.      “What? You’re still here? Impressive, but you should probably stop while you’re ahead.”      I want him to go on, but if I was too happy, he might grow suspicious. And I can’t have that. But A Cold Reception should be manageable. Nothing against King of Winter. Of course, I’ve seen the strangest things – a man fighting off dozens of spiders only to die after a bee sting, for example. And all it takes is for him to run out of fuel once, and Charlie will get him. These days, she doesn’t like being seen, so even a tiny spark can keep her at bay. But once in true darkness… I do wonder what she looks like now. I haven’t seen her since we were dragged here.      Why is Wilson stopping? He has most things, and it’s obvious where the last one is, so… Wes? Is he really risking his life just to try saving that mime? Maybe I was wrong. He seems to be a knight in shining armour after all. Even to me, without his knowledge. He’s already come further than anyone else, and I’ve never been so close to being rescued.      So why am I not happy? I should be cheering. This is all I’d wished for, for so many years, and yet… “Maybe I haven’t lost all my morals after all.” Charlie stays quiet, as always. Staying, that might just be good advice for Wilson, too. After a bit, that world isn’t too awful, especially not compared to what They can do. But he doesn’t.      “Say. Pal. Let’s make a deal. You can stay here. Settle down, even. I’ll give you food, gold, pigs, whatever you need. All I want in return is a truce.”      I put all I had into this. They still influenced most of the world, but that little part he’s on now was my doing. Really, it might just be better than our original world, if you just ignore the spiders. I don’t want him to come further, closer to this place. As much as I want to leave, I can’t do this to anyone else. Their deaths are one thing, but considering my fate, who knows what They will do to anyone freeing me. And seeing Charlie’s… “Oh, Charlie, could you have forgiven me if you were still yourself?” The blackness around me doesn’t move.      Wilson left the part I changed for him. Idiot. If only he knew what was coming for him. I could warn him, but he wouldn’t believe me. I wouldn’t believe me, either. So I just watch him go.      That’s it, then. Sugar didn’t work, so I only have one choice. I must stop him. “You insolent, pitiful, insignificant ant! Do not arouse the wrath of the great Maxwell! You will regret coming any further…”      Go get him, Charlie.      I wasn’t lying, he will regret coming further, so I have to make sure he won’t. Death is better than what They might end up doing to him. There’s no way he can survive eternal night. Winter, yes, but the night invites Charlie. I wish I didn’t have to do this to her. If she were still herself, she’d hate hurting him. But it’s better than the alternative.      Yet again, he surprises me. I don’t know how, but he survived. I can’t see him anymore, but there are nights drawing nearer. Just like the lights by my side, they give Charlie no chance to catch him. Then he’s here. It’s the first time we actually see one another, not just watching him like I did, and letting him listen to an illusion of myself. Thank goodness, he turns off the gramophone.      “Thank you, I’ve been listening to that song for an eternity. Is this what you were expecting?” Wilson looks a bit confused. “Forgive me if I don’t get up. You’ve been an interesting plaything, but I’ve grown tired of this game. Or maybe They’ve grown tired of me. Heh. Took them long enough.”      He’s still angry at me, not that I blame him. But more than that, it looks like he wants answers. Always the scientist, that one. “They’ll show you terrible, beautiful things. It’s best not to fight it.”      He understands. It’s just like how he felt when I first talked to him, back in his cottage in the other world.      "There wasn’t much here when I showed up. Just dust. And the Void. And Them. I’ve learned so much since then. I’ve built so much. But even a King is bound to the board. You can’t change the rules of the game.” He looks doubtful. As if seeing me trapped here wouldn’t be enough for him to understand. But then again, I did try to make sure to appear as this world’s master.      “I don’t know what They want. They… They just watch. Unless you get too close… Then… Well, there’s a reason I stay so dapper.” It seems like he almost understands. No wonder, he probably came close to Them a few times, too. It’s Their world, after all.      “What year is it out there? Time moves differently here.” He answers. It’s the first time he actually says anything to me. I’ve been stuck here for barely over a decade. It feels like it’s been centuries.      “Go on, stay a while. Keep us company.” He doesn’t seem too thrilled by the idea. Understandable, I suppose. But he doesn’t ask what I mean by ‘us’, either. Maybe he just thinks I’ve gone insane. Sometimes, I wonder the same thing. “Or put the key in the box. It’s your decision.”      I watch him inspect the hole, still looking very doubtful. “Either way, you’re just delaying the inevitable. Reality is like that, sometimes.”      He looks like he wants to ask something else, but I shake my head. “I think I’ve said enough.”      Wilson hesitates. Looks around a bit, but he doesn’t dare venture into the darkness. I’d claim that was a wise decision, but considering the circumstances, Charlie was probably preferable to each and every one of his alternatives. Then, he makes a decision.      I can’t believe it. I’ll be free at last. After all I’ve done, I’ll be free. All thanks to him. If only he could save her, too.      “Fare well, Charlie.”

#don't starve #maxwell #fanfiction #charlie #wilson

[jeckleanddean]

Stuck In The Middle (With You)

Well season 12 just serving them up and knocking them out of the park.

I mean everything about this episode for spine-chillingly excellent. As per usual the boys put in stellar performances - with a special shout out to that cute-in-death Misha Collins who brought me to tears - but I really want to take a second and talk about directing, production and writing, because for me, those were the stand out of this episode.

Directing. So Richard Speight Jnr (aka Gabriel aka King of Con) previously directed 'Just My Imagination’, the delightful, imaginary-friend-and-glitter-blood-filled romp through Sam’s beautiful backstory. And yippee ki yay was this episode in another vein. The polar opposite nature of these two episode really shows of Richard’s directing chops and his creative moxy. The Tarantino-esque style of this episode was to die for. The opening scene stunningly shot. The title cards. The music was to die for and one of my favourite parts of this episode. The multiple viewpoints for each character. (Much of this is credit ti writing as well but that’s a whole new dot point). That last scene had a shot through the window and makes you wonder who, if anyone, is watching Mary deal with the BMOL. Just real clever and stunningly shot scenes. I think Richard really upped the ante for episodes and brought a style and class to the episode, as well as a fresh concept. Obviously, this can’t be recreated every episode but it was a clever idea and not over the top. 

Writing. So writing an episode of Supernatural is not easy. Writing a mythology episode of Supernatural is even harder because there’s 12 years of mythology to understand and the fans will murder you if you mess even one this up (chill, is not a strong suit of this fandom). However, Davy Perez’s writing was like the breath of fresh air you take after being under water. You’re not dying, but you didn’t realise you needed the oxygen. The style. The multiple POVs. The subtle hints, nods and set ups. Really making you suspicious of Mary. Breaking down the reveal slowly. Reintroducing Crowley in a particularly badass and originally conniving way (although did you see him sad when Dean said they don’t need him). Giving us some particularly juicy Crowley backstory. Reintroducing Yellow Eyes. Giving us the Princes of Hell (who have been talked about in the Supernatural books) and providing us, really, with the overarching theme of the season. And finishing it all off with and “I love you” from Cas which really broke me and brought me to tears, as well as a sneaky red-eyed glow from our favourite Lucifer meatsuit. I think Perez really setup the characters so well, Mary and Crowley especially, and wove a complex and nuanced tale to interlink everyone’s past, present and future. The actual style of storytelling was a genius move, and my heart will be ever-grateful to Davy Perez for working the line “Where’s Wally?” into an actual storyline. I’m really excited to see more writing from him in the future - and that’s really exciting.

Production. So I’ve been a really big fan on Andrew Dabb at the creative helm on this season (see my #dabfordabb post). I think that the production quality of the show is at it’s utmost and that the writing and directing have been blended seamlessly, particularly int his episode. The notion that an originally MOTW episode eventually divulged into a mythology episode (and what seems to be a particularly important part of Supernatural mythology) is not original, but the way the story broke into this crazy arc that links the Winchester’s past, present and future was a real stroke of smarts. The way this season has been headed is exciting because it’s really tapping into the boy’s acting chops, and stretching them so we have these episodes that manage to balance drama and fantasy with moments of comedy and family. Personally, I think season 8 was the least-good season of Supernatural (actually it’s more like the end half of season 7 and the first half of season 8) and slowly the show has picked up. I mean, trying to get back from the crescendo that was ‘Swan Song’ was never going to easy, especially with Kripke leaving, and for me since season 10 the show has really started to hit its stride once more - reminiscent of the earliest seasons of Supernatural. I’m not saying that it needs to be a replica of itself, but what the balance between the different types of storytelling and emotions was the key to the earliest seasons being successful. Now I know the a lot of people don’t like Mary’s return, but I think it’s really facilitated the season 2 ~vibez~ that season 12 has given me. There’s such strong notions of family and trust, and with Mary and Cas we see two people - one blood and one not blood - in positions usually held by the other. It’s clear after everything they’ve been through that Cas is family for the boy’s, but Mary has not only been absent, she is currently absent as well - and for the boy’s family is about being there for each other. This isn’t a ‘Mary Is Bad Or Good Discourse’, this is a ‘Mary’s Presence Is The Vehicle This Season Has Used Very Well To Tell Stories’. I’ve personally enjoyed her presences, and even when she’s not been the best mother from the boy’s perspective, Sam has done a great job of portraying her conflict with this. (Also she consider Cas one of her boys. End me now, please). I’m well pleased with the characterisation of Mary and, as dubious as her actions were this episode, they are going to make excellent story-fodder - and isn’t that what good tv is all about?

(A quick shoutout to one of my favourite song’s ‘Stuck in the Middle With You’ by Stealers Wheel. My dad and I love belting this out in the car. and surely the first two lines “Yeah, I don't know why I came here tonight/I got the feeling that something ain't right” are enough to make you smirk with knowing glee.)

TL:DR: Each paragraph became longer that the previous because I thought that this episode was stellar and I’m a happy little vegemite about it.

#jeckle and dean #season 12 #stuck in the middle (with you) #misha collins #castiel #dean winchester #jensen ackles #sam winchester #jared padalecki #crowley #mark sheppard #mary winchester #samantha smith #richard speight jr #davy perez #yellow eyes #lucifer #ramiel #prince of hell #music #stealers wheel #andrew dabb

[coralstarfishtrash-blog]

Lolita

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