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shaggi · 3 years

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if i could stop time, i would

info ; eren x reader ; soulmates ; 1.8k

content warning ; end of the world concept, mentions of not really wanting to live lol, gentle angst

Day one. 72 hours until the world ends.

The world is going to shit. I know it is because I can hear the panicked buzz of mothers holding their children close and reassuring them as the news practically burned "we're all going to die" into our heads.

My fingers twitched as they held the dark blue fabric of my jeans. I'm terrified ㅡ as is the rest of the people watching the news ㅡ and it most definitely doesnt help when they plaster a large timer onto the screen counting down our days and hours left on our beloved blue planet.

"We never thought this day would come.. Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached the end of the chapter." The words echoed into the back of my mind. 'The end of the chapter'? I havent even really lived my life? I'm only seventeen.. I barely made it to graduation. I suck in a deep breath, filling my lungs fully before releasing the built up pressure.

Theres a burning sensation on my waterline, tears threatening to roll down my cheeks. My hands begin to shake when I think back to all the sleepless nights I spent not enjoying life. I took life for granted ㅡ and now it's going to end in three days. In seventy-two hours, it's all going to go away. That's not enough time to say all the things I didnt have a chance to say.

Wasted opportunities.

Wasted chances that I now no longer have control over.

My legs suddenly feel like spaghetti and walking seems like a foriegn topic to me. I just need to sit down, take a breather.

Who am I kidding. The storm inside me is raging on tonight and my hands have a handful of messy locks.

I catch glimpse of inked red calligraphy spelling out the name 'Eren' that is marked onto the inside of my forearm in small writing just an inch below my wrist. My heart swells with sadness.

The sense of realization settles in, practically telling me to 'let this sink in for a little'. I'm not ever going to get the chance to meet my soulmate. I'll never get the satisfaction of weaving their fingers with mine, to lay on the couch on cold winter nights with blankets drooped over our shoulders. Never get the chance to tell them I love them over and over again, to brush their hair behind their ears, grab them by the smooth skin of theirs and feel the fireworks of pressing my lips against their own.

I wont feel the sweet electricity course through me like people explained would happen when they touched their soulmate for the first time. I've spent seventeen years searching for this perfect person in the happiness of this little town. The universe promised a perfect person, they never promised me to meet them though.

The younger generations were lucky, for they werent born with marks. They werent tied to someone, so they dont have anything to lose other than the fact that they're too young to leave this world.

A crowd begins to pull outside, staring at the sky with both a mix of admiration and fear. The blue sky has begun to turn itself into a peach color. My town's happy vibe has now turned uneasy, scared, unsure.

That day, I walk home slowly when the sky begins to darken, taking the scenery of the autumn leaves disarray upon the concrete sidewalk. If the world is ending in three days, I'm going to make the most of it. Soak it up like a sponge. Do what I should've been doing these past seventeen years and love life for once ㅡ despite all the wrong. Despite the fact that I'll never graduate, and never meet my soulmate. I force myself to disregard the nagging thoughts that tug at my conscious.

I dont think about the fact that I'll never get a chance to buy my first apartment.

I dont think about how I wont be able to wake up every morning to make my significant other breakfast.

And I most certainly dont think about how I'll never be able to take my lovers hand at the alter and say with great pride, "I do."

Day 2. 48 hours until the world ends.

Today, I woke up early. Early enough that the sun still hasn't peaked over the clouds. They say that if you wake up early enough the day takes longer to end.

The aching pain in my chest never seems to cease. I laugh a little bitterly at the calander on the wall, I feel like its mocking me now. A part of me wants to rip the thing to shreds and scream until my throat is raw ㅡ but I said I'd make the best of these last days. So, I push these bitter thoughts from my mind and start up a warm shower.

Seventeen years of not wanting to be alive, and now I only have two days to live until the entire world completely goes to shit. Ironic, isn’t it? Why now am I so angry? The water is warm trickling down my bare body, as my shower thoughts continue treading forward to how I could make life better in less than forty-eight hours.

I walk down a different road today, deciding that routine wasnt necessary when the world is going to end in forty-eight hours. The countdown continues on nearby TVs, the bright white luminous against the dark morning sky.

It makes me feel anxious.

Destruction clouds my mind, but I bite my lip and hold my ground. This situation will not drive me crazy.

The town is a lot quieter than I expected, then again it's only 6 in the morning.

The day carries on just as any other day, the air seems heavier though. It's the night time that brings chaos.

You see, I've been walking around town all day blowing that last little bits of money I have on little things that have no purpose. The sky is the same sunset peach as it was yesterday, only barely hinting at a blue color.

There's a faint noise a few blocks from where I am standing, and at first I chose the ignore it. The yelling got louder and louder until I felt my feet pull like magnets to what was going on.

Chocolate hair, smooth tan skin shining under the soft orange of the sky, handfuls of someones shirt as this mystery man pinned some junky against the rough brick wall. His eyes held a killer glow, practically fuming from the ears. I was going to mind my own business, but then I saw the other strike at the brunette ㅡ and I dont know why, but I stepped in.

A surprise attack, a blow right to the face, maybe a minor bruise on my cheek from when the other decided to attack back ㅡ but soon he left. I turn my gaze back to the brunette who still sits on the floor, palms pressed into the concrete.

"I didnt need your help," he hissed, dusting his hands against the black fabric of his jeans.

"Oh you're welcome for saving your ass, wasnt a problem at all." My hand lifts to my face, pressing onto the bruise and wincing before squatting next to this stranger. "Is it bad? Let me see," The moment my hand makes contact with the others chin I feel the rush of electricity course through me.

Overwhelming is an understatement. Sweet emotions flooded through my mind but I can feel the pounding of fear in my veins, and bittersweet it was. When I retract my hand, I see that he's mirrored the exact expression I have; eyes blown wide, fear in the darks of his pupils.

"Eren..?" trying to keep my voice from cracking seems hard, and it comes out more like a whisper. This situation leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Where the hell has he been for seventeen years? Why is he just now showing up?

Eren immediately sprung to his feet, taking a few steps back with no words to say. I snatched at his left arm, pushing the sweaters sleeve up and over his forearm to see my name inked in blue against his paper skin. "So.. you're my soulmate?" I promise I didnt mean to make it sound disappointed ㅡ but in a way, I guess you could say I was.

So many questions raced through my mind; but the biggest question of all was why? Why now of all times we could've met? Why must I be gifted with the worst luck.

Eren isnt a bad person though, and in the few hours we've spent together I can tell you this; His favorite color is red, he lives with his mother and a girl that his family took in when they were very little - who he loves dearly, he can play guitar very well, he looks absolutely adorable with his hair tied up, and that's only the stuff he's told me within the first hour.

Words cannot express how much I wished we could have more time together, but the bright TV clocks continue to remind me that our time is running out.

"There's nothing more I'd rather do than to spend my last moments with you," Eren whispered, golden flecks in his beautiful ocean eyes. His hand was held in mine as the pained expression washed over his face. Somewhere in the conversation led us to this point of heartbreak. We both explained how we wanted nothing more than to meet earlier in life, but apparently the universe had a different plan.

The idea of parting with Eren now just seemed like a waste, and I'd much rather take my dying last breath next to the one I looked for my entire life. Falling in love is easy when you've got nothing to live for.

The walk back to my house is silent, but it's a comfortable silence, and we never seem to let go of each others hands. The house is quiet and dark when we enter.

The rest of the remaining night we have is spent cuddled under the thick blanket of mine, Eren held me close to his chest as we whisper sweet things that wont mean much in a few hours. Chaste kisses are showered over the male as I remind him of how I never stopped searching for him.

He studied my face, moving a strand of hair behind my ear before placing his palm onto my cheek and rubbing his thumb across the smoothness underneath my eye. I could feel my breath begin to shallow and my heart skip a beat. I loved the way his eyes sparkled under my dim-lit room, the way I could feel his heartbeat pulsing from how close we lay where, how steady his breathing was, and how gentle he caressed me.

Its bittersweet, and I never believed in the after life, but with him - maybe, just maybe, we will meet again in the next life.

#attack on titan #eren yeager #shaggis writing #shaggis cloud #soulmarks #eren x y/n #eren aot #snk #eren fluff #eren angst

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sif-the-tsunami · 3 years

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Hello friends,

This is a small sample of the fantasy series I’ve been working on for a few years. I would love to get some kind of feedback. Positive, negative. Lay it on me. I want to know what you think.

This is a rough draft, barely edited.

Summary: A young warrior starts the path to her destiny.

Rated: PG-13, this will probably read like YA but there wont be any sexy times. Just talks about violence and death (this doesn’t mean that people under 18 can start interacting with my blog. I mostly post smut.)

The attack on Dawnforge came without warning. Raiders, dozens of them, descended upon the small community surrounding a rural temple. The invaders poured violently out of the woods. In the cool shade of the temple’s grove, Ellisif Thrace’s mossy green eyes shot open from her late afternoon nap when she heard the Keepers sound the alarm. The war horns had only been blown ceremonially for as long as she could remember. The second blast echoed off the stone walls and summoned her to action. The young woman sat strait up, and listened for another moment to see if she could find out what direction the alarm was coming from. She thought she could hear the Keepers shouting towards the east although she couldn’t make out what they were saying just yet. Always eager to be of assistance, Ellisif picked up her belongings and started running towards the commotion. Ellie, as she preferred to be addressed, had been learning defense and fighting techniques since she was strong enough to pick up a sword. Her father had been a knight errant and thought it was important that his children should know how to keep themselves safe.

Another blast of the horn let her know she was running in the right direction. Soon she heard the sound of weapons being thrown and bashed into the thick wooden gate. The Keepers were directing the villagers to leave the area, a man that Ellisif thought was named Erik told her to go home. He couldn’t have been much older than she was, his skin was sun kissed, with a little pink on his temples and cheekbones. Erik looked scared, brushing his reddish blond hair out of his face.

“I’m here to help, give me a sword!” She shouted.

“Little Sister, you need to go somewhere safe.” Erik ordered. As he was saying this, the Commander put his hand on her shoulder.

“Erik, Ellie is to join the Order at the Feast of Lyria. Let her pick up a shield, if they make it through our defenses, she knows how to handle herself.” The older man told Erik. He handed their recruit a wooden shield with metal studs, “Ellisif, make your father proud.”

Erik rolled his eyes as the Commander went to go hand out more tools. “They are going to break through in a matter of minutes. Take an ax. If they make it past us, cut the fuckers down. And don’t you dare get killed.”

Ellie pulled the cord she had on her wrist to tie her hair back. Her thick dark chocolate brown curls were pulled back out of her face and she said a small prayer to her favorite Goddess. I don’t want to have to kill anyone, but if I do, please let me do it quickly. Her heart pounded in her throat, her trepidation rose with every new crack emerging from the gate. The wood finally gave way, and she watched the horde of mismatched heathens break into her town. The Keepers had set up as much of a barricade as they could. Carts where pushed on their sides trying to create a funnel and direct the invaders to the villages best fighters and war priests. The Archers were doing what they could to thin out the herd. Ellisif inched closer to the battle, she tightened her grip on the handle of her ax just in time for a raider to jump over the stack of crates that had been near where she was standing. She raised her shield to the long sword he was swinging at her and it became stuck in the hard wood. Then it was as if her brain shut off and her body took over.

The warrior would never truly be able to recall everything that happened that afternoon. The surviving Keepers would tell her that she was brave, surgical with her actions and moved like she had been doing this all her life. In her state of shock, she would just say she had really good teachers. They would congratulate her for surviving her first battle. They thanked her for saving lives that day. Not a single invader made it past where she stood her ground.

Ellie looked up at the white stone buildings that were beginning to glow pink with the setting of the sun. What would they do with the bodies, she wondered vaguely. She leaned against the warm stone wall and slid down. What should I be doing? She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to make the sickness in her stomach go away.

“Where is she? Where is my sister, where is my Ellie?” a familiar voice was shouting. A couple of the Keepers pointed towards where she sat with her knees tucked to against her chest, her head resting on the wall behind her. Sarah thought she look more pale than normal.

“I’m right here.” Ellie croaked. Her throat was so dry. The healers had looked at her briefly, said she would be fine but to be prepared that she would probably have some pretty bad bruising on her forearms.

“Oh my Gods, why are you covered in blood? We’ve been so worried! Mama is going to skin you alive. Are you hurt? What were you thinking?” The thin woman stammered together as she fretted over her younger sister.

“I’m fine, the blood’s not mine. At least I don’t think so.” Ellie said, “What was I thinking? I was thinking that this is what I’m supposed to do. I’m supposed to run toward the fight. Do you have your water on you? I need a drink...”

The Commander strutted over like the fine peacock he was and pressed a bottle of ale into Ellie’s open hand and said something about how proud he was. She didn’t care. Ellie just wanted to be able to swallow without her throat feeling like sandpaper. The strawberry ale was sweet and warm, it made swallowing a little easier but after the third mouthful it became clear that the ale was doing nothing for her nausea. There might have been something said to her about how he was looking forward to seeing her take her oath, he chuckled and walked off. Sarah started trying to clean the viscera from her sister’s face but before she got too much grime off of her face, Ellisif turned her head and wretched. She groaned, “Let’s go home.”

They walked home, arms wrapped around each other. It wouldn’t be until they reached their little home that Ellisif would start talking. The words slipped out of the young woman, still dazed. She looked down at the ax she was still holding onto with white knuckles and whispered “The one who gave this to me, Erik… I don’t know. He was killed. I killed someone today, Sarah. I killed several someones…”

Sarah, as gently as she could, wiped the tears off of her sister’s face, “You did what Daddy taught us to do. You helped keep our family safe, you kept or town safe. Lyria would be proud. She would be thrilled to know you will be defending her temple. Daddy would be so proud too.”

The older sister took her partner in crime into their house, and tucked the battle wary woman into her bed. The ax fell to the ground with a sickening thunk, and Ellie rolled over and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Sarah went to the kitchen and put a kettle on to brew some tea. Their mother, Kyra, had gone to the temple to help bandage up wounds of the Keepers and anyone else who took up arms. She eventually grabbing the heel of the loaf of bread from the pantry and slather it in homemade butter, pulling out her book of herbs. If Ellisif was more athletically inclined, her sister was definitely more well read. Sarah propped the book up and began plaiting her silky hair as she read the well loved tome. The front door opened quietly, the family’s matriarch came back after a long night of bandaging up injured young people and comforting the loved ones of those they lost.

“The Pale Mother now has a few more attendants now,” Kyra sighed, she and Sarah’s looks were similar, though she had more silver in her hair now. They both had dark brown eyes, almost black. “Those poor souls. The Council and the High Priestess has asked that we all gather tomorrow at the Temple. They found their leader and they are interrogating him. He seemed to not understand that the forge our town was named after has been closed for generations, thought he could arm his merry band of miscreants. I heard Ellisif did her duty. How’s our girl doing?”

“She might have gone into emotional shock. I put her in bed, she’s going to need something strong in the morning. I was just reading up on something that will sooth her nerves, she was covered, and I mean covered, in blood. Evidently none of it was hers, which is good. Daddy taught her well. The Keepers were saying she showed a lot of potential.”

“Your father was the best knight I have ever seen wield a sword, I can only imagine what he taught her. The Temple will have never been safer if she is half as good as he was.” Kyra grabbed another hunk of bread and helped herself to some cheese. “I wish you could have seen him. I’ve never seen anyone burn with righteous fury like he could. When he would swing his sword in the tourneys he fought in, I swear that it looked like it was on fire. It was beautiful and absolutely terrifying. Ells has that same spark. When she was little, I saw it in her too.”

“I told her daddy would be proud.”

“He would be. He would also be profoundly sad for her. Sweetheart, you should go get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be very long.”

Ellisif slept until nightfall the next day. Siggy and Kyra left her to her mild unconsciousness to attend the meeting at noon. The temple slowly filled with the mourning villagers. More than a dozen Keepers had died that afternoon, it had been a decade since there had been any attacks on Dawnforge like this. It would be weeks before the damage the raiders did to the town could be repaired. The surviving raiders were told they could bury their dead on the other side of the ravine outside of the walls and then to assist the town in its repairs to try to make amends. The Thrace women where given the instruction on how they could help by the High Priestess. As soon as they where able to, Sarah and her sister would be going to the schoolhouse. They thought that having a couple extra adults around the kids would help make them feel safer.

Most of the school age kids knew Ellie. Two years ago she had won the combat tournament on the Feast of Seraphina, the Scarlet Mother. Usually the winners give the bouquet of fire Lilies to their significant other, she instead pulled out individual flowers and gave one to every little one who was around the ring that day. Her father had done the same thing the last time he had won the tournament. She enjoyed being their hero that afternoon, Sarah remembered as she and their mom walked home with their orders. The night of the feast, Ellie was asked attend the dance that was be held in the town square. Sarah had never seen her sister so happy as when she came home giggling, barefoot and a little in love.

When they made it to their home again, they saw evidence that Ellie had been up and moving but she was no where to be seen. Kyra suggested that they leave her be for the time being, they were kind in letting the young woman try to recover at her own pace. After a few days of her sleeping more heavily than she ever had, Ellisif needed to be in the forest behind the temple. She wanted to feel the presence of the Green Mother and ask her for guidance. There was a small clearing there, where a large stone acts as an alter for Lyria. It was a large piece of granite that always seemed to be covered with moss in all the directions, not just north. On the morning of Lyria’s feast day, the sun would align itself with this slab perfectly, and that is where she would be taking her vows to join the ranks of the Keepers. They were originally called the Temple Keepers, as the community grew, the area they kept safe grew with it. Once Ellie joined, she would be binding herself to the fate of the town. She could get married and have a family if she chose, but traveling would be almost impossible. If the Empire of Oril ever declared war on any of the other kingdoms, they were almost always the ones that were conscripted.

While Ellie had wanted to become a Keeper for as long as she could remember, as of this morning, the idea of joining gave her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her mother had always talked about how even masters of their craft could have their confidence shaken if the seeds of doubt had taken root in their minds. Was this a seed a doubt she had been warned about?

“Lyria, divine mother, I come here to beg you for forgiveness. I never wanted take someone’s life. I thought they would yield if they got hurt. How could I have been so stupid...” and for the first time since the attack, Ellisif’s strength gave out. There she spent the rest of the day sobbing and trying to figure out what she needed to do. Her body shook violently as the waves of emotions crashed over her. In the back of her mind, a small notion crawled its way forward, seeping into her thoughts likes a strong tea in hot water. Devoting herself to the temple may not be the right choice. Ellie cleaned her face of the mess that the sobbing caused. The moon had risen, her family would be worried.

She made it into her home moments before they would begin searching for their missing member. There were hugs and more tears. They remained silent as Ellie made her way to her bed, she prepared herself for the night.

#fanasty #fiction #original writing #my own IP #original work #writing

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oh-for-fic-sake · 4 years

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Undercooked Popcorn

Masterlist

You and Konner have a mini training session in the barn and get in trouble with Clark.

Warnings: fluff, Swearing,

A/n: Here is a small fluff piece I have been working on enjoy XX

Taglist: @iloveyouyen

After the initial move to Mrs Kent's house they had given you a week to settle in before getting stuck in to your school work. Not only you but konner as well letting you both bond which you had, the both of you had become close...konner had opened up quicker than you had, already secure about his place in the family you on the other hand was less sure. You had a trouble with it you wanted to believe that you was here permanently , that this was it where you belonged but you couldnt help holdingnyour breath still waiting for something to happen. Currently you and konner was in the old barn, you'd both unconsciously decided that it was your hang out, the place you go to escape the adults and get to know one another without the eagle eyes of the others. Somewhere to get away from an overbearing Clark who seemed to take the term mother hen to a whole new level, it wasnt necessarily bad but it was hard for you to go from no one gives a shit to holy shit this guy is consistently fussing over you. You knew he was trying to be inclusive and trying to solidify your place in the family reassuring you, wanting to show you he cared. Which was good youll admit you liked the attention in a way, you'd not had this type of parental guidance for a long long time but you'd didn't realoze how suffocating it was. You also suspected that your injuries had something to do with it aswell, you couldn't exactly fault him for it.

So here you were hiding out in the barn with konner as Clark flitted about the place doing odd chores here and there .Martha had gone out to work and would be home after the lunch rush at work. You rolled across the blanket that covered the hay pile your lime green cast glowing in the noon sun you winced as the light reflected off of it and shuffled moving it into a shadowed area. Currently you and konner were shareing details about your abilities, something the both of you had avoided and danced around until you got more comfortable with each other.

"Soo you don't make things? You just stretch'em" you nodded at him as he sat above you cross legged on one of the wooden cross beams that spanned the large space.

"Yeah pretty much..I can't touch living things tho, no plants or animals or people" you said glancing at your arm sighing it would have been nice to just fix it but no you had to wait it out.

"That sucks..." you nodded mournfully but then tilted your head back to get a better look at him.

"So what about you? Your an ET wannabe right?" He laughed flipping you the bird"Fuck you" you giggled as he shook his head jumping down from the beam landing just before you.

"Kryptonian is the politically correct term I think....Well hybrid... I'm half Clarks and... Half human" he said dusting off a little to sit on the hay across from you. You noticed the hesitation and the way he swerved around his own comments. Deciding to leave it be you opted to ignore it, much to Konners relief.

"So can you do all the stuff he can?" Konner smiled and shrugged

"You mean dad? Yeah sort of, I can do most...We are still waiting to see if we're exactly alike but I've got the strength speed and flight....I can do the lazer thing to which is cool but I havent found a practical use for it yet...Or a way to practice that shit is hot." You hummed at him then looked out of the open barn doors to the corn field.

"Corn?" He tilted his head following your gaze confused

"What?" You smiled at him Sitting up letting your arms fall into your lap

"Pop some corn...I mean theres a field right there...." he looked at the rows of corn catiously.

"Popcorn...You want me to use my laser eyes to...Get you a snack? How is that gojng to help me?" You rolled your eyes at him grunting."Oh for fuck sake...get unpopped popcorn and I will throw them in the air and you pop'em with your melty eyes.... you know target practice...And if I happen to catch some with my mouth its a bonus!" He sat up a little it wasn't a bad idea but Clark wouldn't like it.He doesnt like him practicing without him here.

"What about dad? Won't he be pissed?" You laughed and shook your head.

"Not really not like anyone can see us out hear and Clark did say we can practice around the place" Konner's grin fell he was worried that you hadn't really...Adapted? well you had...But you wont refer to the others as Dad and Grandma. As far as he was concered you were his sister already but he just really wanted you to know it was okay...That you really did have a family now. His dad and Grandma had told him not to push but he got the feeling you wanted to...Somethjng was holding you back.

"..You do know he is technically your dad now to right... You can call him dad and you can call Grandma, Grandma they wont be mad....I think they would like that." you sighed looking down, you knew that but it just... You didn't know, was it disrespectful to your real parents? You'd only been here a week? Surely it was to early...Even if it felt right, natural. He waved a hand at you

"You dont have to...I just didn't want you not to.. you know..Incase you thought they didn't want you to thats all, don't want you to have stupid thoughts like that holding you back" you blinked at him smiling sadly

"I-I do but...I still dont think I will be here long...I'm gonna slip up, if I ever accidentally hurt Martha I'm gone" he frowned at you

"No...If that happens; which I don't think it will, but if it does then we deal with it togethet...you wont get very far if you do run...Me and dad will bring you back home and we talk things out .Thats what family is, we stay together and help each other, your my little sister, the first person my age I don't have to worry about hurting so much. I can relax more around you because you can protect yourself if thing get to much, you think im gonna let you leave over an accident? Fuck no like Dad keeps saying your here now, your a kent and your stuck with us...I hope you see that sooner rather then later it can't be nice always being ready to run" your lip quivered eyes filling with tears as he explained this, the conviction in his voice how he spoke with absolute certainty. Unwilling to cry in front of him you simply nodded to him. Getting the message he patted your arm then disappeared for what seemed like seconds with a small bag of unpopped corn cernals.

"Show off" you sniffed moving to wipe your eyes only to hiss when you cracked yourself on the head with your cast you whined rubbing to sore spot and froze when Konner held out some tissues to you

"I grabbed them inside" you smiled at him meekly. He gave you a soft look, he hated seeing you struggle but he had said what needed to be said, said what he had needed to hear when it was him all those years ago. Quickly he changed his expression and smirked tossing you the bag of popcorn cernals you opened them swiftly still fighting a few tears back then looked around deciding on the safest area to throw them.

"So... Just to clarify if this falls down you will save me right?" he smiled nodding"Of course I will, you will be out of here before it even started falling down" you nodded then took two cernals in hand.

"so one or two?" he smiled and held up a finger. One. you threw it up and shreiked as he tried to ignite it missing ...well you only noticed he missed when you heard the little tap of it hitting the floor you both laughed seeing two tiny holes in the side of the barn. You grabbed another and threw it up he missed again, but he ws closer than before.This carried on for another few minutes with you oth getting excited as he got closer just skimming one, the heat from his vision making it partially pop.

"Oh no that one dont count you didnt hit the fuckjng thing!" He argued

"It popped tho!" You blinked at him.

"Okay half a point ready to go again?" He fist pumped then nodded readying himslef to go agajn.Finally thirty six cernals later he got it. You both jumped up.

"FUCK YEAH WOO!" You quickly moved to the popped popcorn on the floor dusting it off then ate it, you held up your hands to him chewing slowly as if you was a food critic then shook our head.

"Yep no under cooked" you both stared then burst out into hysterics crying with laughter.

"Lets try two this time!" You nodded moving to the bag pulling two more cernals out of the bag when you turned back round you froze. Shit.

"Why are there singe holes all over this barn?" Konner jumped turning around faceing an unamused Clark, who stood frowning at the both of you with his arms crossed. You and konner shared a look then peered around the barn...There was lots of them.. Some were just peep holes others longer and had charred lines around them. In all the fun youd both forgot where you were, and the barn now looked like it had taken a spray of bullets from a firing squad.

"Well? Konner? Y/n?" You cleared your throat and smoved to stand beside Konner

"Konner was...practicing, training" Clark raised an eyebrow shifti g his weight to one foot.

"Hmm? what exactly? See how he could burn the barn down without setting it on fire?" You both winced at his tone...He really wasnt impressed.

"You know this barn is older then me? It survived me growing up playing in it, yet an afternoon with the both of you and it looks about ready to keel over?....What were you both doing?" You moved to open your mouth but Clark stopped you holding up a hand.

"And if you try to get smart with me and say training again your going to be grounded for much longer then you already are young lady!" You flinched back. Wow. He had never spoke to you like that...Well not since you met him, he was always so laid back and fun, the type of adult you listened to because they were so chill but who knew he could switch over to no nonsense stern dad so effortlessly... You wavered uncertain how to approach him like this, it had been a while since youd cared about an adults opinion of you and you really didn't want Clark to hate you turning you looked to konner for help.

"Well...we were seeing how accurate my aim was...So y/n was throwing popcorn cernals and I was trying to pop them....I did miss a few times." Clark blinked then scanned the barn. He sighed shaking his head at his son exasperated.

"Konner... We've spoke about this I will take you to the fortress to train, but not here you could hurt yourself!" Clark stopped his scolding when he saw you take a large step infront of konner

"It was my fault I wanted to see so I came up with the idea...He was just trying to cheer me up." You stood firm shaking a little, you didn't like Clark raising his voice, he didn't shout but it was enough to make you nervous of him. He fixed you with a look making you cower from him slightly then sighed shaking his head, he didn't want you to be scared of him.

"Thank you y/n. But even if it was your idea he still knows how I feel about it I'm disappointed in both of you. Your both grounded for the rest of the week, this was very reckless and I don't want to catch either of you doing this again are we clear?" You both nodded to him solonmly resigning yourself to a few days being stuck indoors. He sighed then smiled a little to tell you the truh he was happy in a way, you'd become close and were up to mischief, which was good? You could both be a little reckless and act your age. You both had someone to let loose with. But he couldn't help worrying over the two of you. Had you got to carried away the barn could have collapsed, yes konner would have most likely got you both out but you were already hurt, already vulnerable and fragile. He really didn't want to risk anything. Luckily it hadn't come to that and the damage to the barm wasn't that bad... A few new boards and a new cross beam at the top, regular humans would need to dismantle the roof to sort it out but him and konner could have it done in an afternoon, he would also have you help as he had no doubt that you'd encouraged your brother. He smiled chuckling catching the two teens by surprise.

"Popcorn...I mean it was obvious right?..Wish I'd thought of that one...Any way lets start sorting this out befor Ma gets home shouldn't take to long not like the time I-" he caught him slef noticing the looks he was getting.

"What did you do to the barn?" You asked breaking the silence as konner waited both eager to hear what Clark had gotten up to when he was little. He cleared his throat

"Never you mind, now come on get to it, start picking up all that corn the we can see about plugging some of those holes" you shared a look with konner moving slowly collecting the corn as Clark moved to the back of the barn inspecting the damage.

"What do you think he did?" Konner shrugged

"Not sure apparently according to Grandma he was a little goody two shoes so... it couldn't have been that bad"

"Im gonna ask her when she gets back" konner froze and shook his head.

"No dont! Do not do that! We don't wana be in trouble with Grandma ever, dads a piece of piss to deal with but Grandma? She is a different beast altogether...To clever with punishments I mean she perfected her methods on him... She knows what shes doing" you blinked at him.

"We? You mean you I wont get in to much trouble...I mean evidence points to you, your the one with laser eyes." You smirked impishly at him as he looked shocked.

"You'd throw me under the bus? Just like that?" You nodded

"To avoid Martha's wrath abso-fucking-lutly sorry dude but Im not getting sucked into that shit show...Actually....Dont worry I got this she will never know." Befor Either on them could ask you'd closed your eyes then opened. Konner took a step back as they glowed bright. And sure enough the small holed were closeing, you coiled the fibres of the wood around in tight circles until the holes were all coveres feeljng aroh d the planks looking for them all. Konner gasped watching the way you manipulated the planks hearing a slight tiny creaking of the wood as it bended around itself. You moved to the side looking at the damaged beam quickly knitting it back together filling in the two deep burns that ran across it. Slowly you looked back down to the other two and smiled.

"All done...The beam should hold I made the grain tighter where it was." Clark smiled as he made his way towards you patting your shoulder and giving a sweet kiss to your hair.

"Thank you y/n now I think we shouldall head inside dont you?" You stuttered as he continued past you and Konner. Who was gaping at you.

"That was so fucking awsome! You made that look so easy...Is it? Whats else can you dowith it? And your eyes shit! Even I was scared for a second..." you flushed fidgeting going all bashfull.

"Oh haha sorry for scaring you...And that was easythey were tiny holes to plug." You moved slowly following Konner and Clark to the house.

"You still gonna ask Grandma about what he did?" You nodded at him laughing.

"You bet! I wana hear about all the dumb shit he did" he smiled at you as you both made it to the kitchen. Clark had entered and was already sitting down at the table with a drink.

"Your both still grounded by the way" you pouted at him

"No fair I fixed it!" He rose a brow at you

"It wasn't about the damage, I want you both to be carefull, you were reckless and both put yourselves at risk unnecessarily so rest of the week. No phones, games or tv. No leaving the farm and you can help your Grandma and me with the chores..." you sighed and looked to konner defeated he only shrugged in responseas if to say 'nothing you can you do' you slumped down into the chair pouring yourself a glass of juice from the pitcher Konner following suit grumbling to yourselves Clark shook his head getting up placing his glass in the sink. Teenagers.

#superman imagine #superman x teen reader #superman x reader #superman x you #superman x y/n #konner kent x sister reader #clark kent imagine #clark kent x teen reader #justice league x teen reader #justice league x reader

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littlebitoffanfic · 4 years

Text

Celebration

Fandom: The Collector/The Collection Character: Asa Emory – the collector Relationship: Asa Emory/reader Request: Since I have seen you do some slashers, can I request Asa from The Collector? Something sweet where the reader works with him and is an alibi and then saves him when Arkin comes for him in the collection?

You knew him from your work although you didn’t know him well. Asa was a private man, reserved to his office and displays for the museum. You were tour guide with a hand in some of the office work. After all, the museum didn’t get an awful amount of funding to be able to employee more office workers. Today, you were happy. It was a sunny day, which meant people were less likely to come to the museum for an indoor activity. Your tours still ran ever 2 hours, but a smaller group had less questions and you could normally be done within an hour, leaving an hour free. You all but skipped down the halls like a school girl, your project held tightly in your arms as you stopped outside Dr Emory office. knocking three time, you waited for him. He towered over you, and had such a demanding presences that made you weak at the knees. Your crush on his was not unnoticed by your co-workers.

“Good morning.” You smile, trying your best to work through the flutters in your chest. “Its 1.30.” he stated, his eyes unreadable. “Oh, well, good afternoon. Could I steal a few minutes of your time?” You ask, nearly slapping yourself in the face for your mistake. His eyes darted to the folder in your arms and he stepped aside, allowing you to enter. This was a privilege in itself. Barely anyone was allowed within his office. But Asa seemed to tolerate you more than the others. Perhaps because you were his neighbour. Now that had truly been a happy accident. His previous neighbour was selling and you were looking for somewhere when you moved here. It just so happened that your neighbour to your left was also a co-worker. Entering his office was like entering a new world. The walls were decorated with various bugs throughout different ages in their lives. Butterfly’s, beetles and roaches but the most prominent member of his displays were spiders. Your attention was drawn to a particular specimen. Pinned in a shadow box was a blue spider. The sign under called it a Cobalt Blue Tarantula. “Wow, those markings are fascinating.” You mumble aloud, more to yourself that to the mans whos office you were in. “Truly. The Cyriopagopus lividum.. native to the borders of Thailand.” Asa speaks so fondly of the dead creature that it makes you smile slightly. There was no denying his love for his work. “Are they venomous?” You ask, purely out of curiosity. “Yes, but the venom not strong enough to kill an adult human. Although its not pleasant.” Asa walks past you to his desk and drawing you from your thoughts. “Now, you wanted something?” “Yes, I was wondering if you might help me with an exhibition.” You hold out the folder to him as you sit at the other side of his desk. He takes it and opens it, showing a sort of mood board you had put together ranging from other exhibitions to enclosures to photo life-spans of certain creatures. “an exhibition?” His eyes flick up to meet your own with curiosity. In truth, you hated how under appreciated he was at the museum and his knowledge should be put to good use. “Yes, for insects. Of course, I’d do most of the work, but I’d really apricate someone who I can fact check with and can offer some insight.” You smile sweetly, and the small smile that pulled at Asa’s lips told you that he was in.

-------------time skip ------------------

Your time spend with the entomologist was one of the most pleasant and interesting interactions you had had in a while. Walking to his office, you held your papers in your hands. You were about to knock when you heard voices inside. Pressing your ear against the door, you listened. “Dr Emory, unless you can provide an alibi for your whereabouts on Saturday evening, we will have enough to arrest you under suspicious of connection with the collector killings.” A voice spoke with authority. Your heart stopped. The collector killings had fascinated you ever since they had come to light. And Asa, well, he was a private man. If they were threatening such a thing, there must be something behind it. And you wanted to know. The two men that seemed to cloud your thoughts could be one. Your mind thought quickly as you came up with a plan. Knocking on the door, you walked in without waiting – something you never really did. Once inside, you acted like a deer in headlights. Two men sat opposite Asa’s desk in suits. “oh, sorry. Are you from the board?” You asked sincerely but you didn’t let them answer before quickly adding. “Look, Dr Emory and I are neighbours. Its perfectly reasonable for us to spend our evenings and weekends in each others company. Besides, if Tiffany told you about us, she has been having an affair with the janitor.” You could tell Asa was just as stunned as you were. One of the men smiled and stood. “You don’t need to be alarmed, miss. We are from the investigations team.” He then presented his ID badge to you. “Oh, gosh. I am so sorry.” You looked stunned, despite already knowing. “Its okay. But I am interested in what you said. Do you know where Dr Emory was on Saturday evening between 5pm and 11pm?” The man leaned back on Asa’s desk while the other twisted to fully look at you. “He was with me.” You said, talking to the two detectives. “At my house.” “with you? He said he was home alone.” The one with the strong jaw line narrowed his eyes at you. “Yes, well, its not against any policies, our director has been known to fire people for having… interpersonal relationships with colleagues. We’d agreed to keep it a secret. He would have been trying to protect me, in case this got out to the others.” You explain to them, not daring to look at Asa. You knew you were playing with fire here. But what you said wasn’t a stretch. The director had fired a member of the geology department… for sleeping with his wife in astrology. He really cared what staff did as long as they did their job. And didn’t fuck his wife. “Is this true?” He asked Asa, who gave a single nod. “And is there anyone who can corroborate this?” The detective asked you, more kindly than the others. “Not really. As I said, it was a secret so I’d appreciate it if you kept this between us. Although, you can ask half the staff in this building and they’ll tell you that ive had a crush on the man since I moved here, and they know we have been spending more time together. They are so fond of teasing me for it anyway.” You manage to draw a chuckle from one as he jabbed the other detective in the shoulder which earned a smile. Apparently, there was a similar situation going on where they were. “Right, well, we’d better be on our way. We’ll be back in touch soon.” The one sitting rose to his feet, nodding to both you and Asa before he and his partner left. They left and the door had closed for a brief moment before you felt someone grab your arm and you were twisted to meet Asa. He didn’t say anything and his cheeks were slightly red, but his ears were bright red. “So, you are the collector?” You breathe, looking up at him with a small smile tugging on your lips. “What do you want?” He growled, his voice low and menacing. Oh, he wasn’t happy. “I want to know.” You breath, stepping closer to him. “You take parts, right? What do you do with them? Keep mementos? Are you making something?” His nostrils flares out, obviously angry. You understood. You had let yourself into his world, and he couldn’t do a thing about it. He couldn’t kill you because it would point the fingers back to him. No, it was smart to keep you close. He let out an exasperated sigh, reaching up and pinching his brow. “look, once this has blown over for you, I wont say a word. I don’t expect anything for it. If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to.” You reassured him. “Why?” His eyes narrow at you, but you shrug. “honestly, you fascinate me.” You confess to the man, even more intrigued than before. You saw the smirk that twitched at the side of his mouth.

----------------- time skip ------------

The world of the collector was one you never dreamed you would see inside, and you loved it. It took trust to get him to let you see. First you saw the inside of the hotels lobby, then some traps, then some of the beautiful creations he made, then his prize possession. you never participated, but you provided a bit more support for him, offering help from the side lines in exchange for information and his time. If he was suspicious of you, he couldn’t deny the genuine interest in your eyes as he spoke, or how you hung on every word of his. He seemed to love how you marvelled at everything with a child-like innocents. Wide eyes and a curious mind. He kept you very close, at work and in your personal lives. It took 5 months in total for the cops to ease up off of Asa, but they still occasionally found their way to his house, watching it. He would come to yours in those situations, still keeping the façade up that you were in some kind of relationship. Not that you cared. You found that the two of you had a lot in common which made the time easily spent. Of course, his dogs loved you. When you came round to his, they were pawing at the floor to get to you but waited for their master to give them the signal to move. They really were puppies at heart. Also, sometimes you thought Asa just said they were there to spend time with you. Either way, you didn’t mind. Tonight, you were buried in a book when a harsh knock at your door made you jump but you hurried to answer it, finding a slightly wet Asa. You smiled, stepping aside and allowing him to step in. “You’d think the police budget within the millions by how much they come around.” You giggle, helping his jacket off his shoulders to hang up to dry. He hummed in response, wiping his face with a hand to try get the stray rain droplet off. “So, how was your recent game?” you asked as he followed you into the living room, where you had been reading. You collapsed back into the couch and held your book on your lap. “Uneventful. No one worthy to take.” He mused as he walked over to your book shelf and pulled out the book he had been reading last time. As he returned to your sofa to sit beside you – a show for the police outside – the book fell open to the page he had been reading. But instead of the paperclip he had been using to keep his place, it was a book mark. A novelty bookmark that you had swiped from the gift shop. It was one of those fake 3D ones, with spiders moving on green leaf’s. You raised your book over your mouth to hide your grin. “very amusing.” He soft chuckle left his lips as he placed it to the side. You giggled, moving to reposition yourself. Your sofa faced the TV which was to the right of the window. Meaning anyone who walked by outside could see in. but it was a quiet neighbourhood. Apart from the undercover police. You lay on the sofa, your legs draped over Asa’ lap which you rested your head on some pillows propped up against the arm rest. Asa rose the book without tearing his eyes away from it to allow your legs to move before lowering to rest his forearms on your knee and thighs. Despite being a bit of a play for the police, it began to feel a little more real. You would engage him in conversation through out the evening, and he would tear his attention away from the book to ask you about your day. In fact, you had started to think that Asa had missed this. With the police’s interest dwindling, so had his trips. Even your encounters in work were now limited as you had finished your exhibition. Or many it was just the part of you that had fallen so madly in love with the man that wished he wanted your company. Your eyes left the page to glance at his face. mature features with intelligent eyes. You hated how he could make your heart stop. Maybe this was fake to him, but it was so real to you. Turning your attention back to your book, you didn’t look up until the sun had fully set. Glancing at the clock, you were surprised to see it was nearly 10pm. “Gosh, I swear I’ll never get use to these changing sunsets. Every year it takes me by surprise.” You sit up, stretching as Asa chuckles. Leaning forward, you press a kiss to his cheek before lifting your legs off his lap to stand up. Asa followed, and you smiled when he marked his page with the bookmark you had gotten him. “You’re nearly finished. I told you it’s a page turner.” You nodded to the book, which he was nearly finished save for 50 pages. “Yes, all the more reason to come back.” He shot a look over his shoulder that made you smirk. Playful teasing had become something you adored in the man. It was another reason that made you doubt this was fake. They couldn’t hear what was happening, so why play around. Sliding the book back into the slot, he picked up the remote which had been forgotten on the sofa to go to the window and place it on the stand. A ploy for him to see if they were still watching the house. “I think you’re right. They get far too much funding. It could be going to the museum.” He mused as he turned back to you. Maybe they needed to see more. Or maybe you wanted more. Just to test the waters. Walking up to him, you reach up and placed your hands on his shoulders. “Kiss me?” You whisper to him, pressing your body against his own. Wide eyes met your own and you couldn’t help but giggle. “They can see through the window.” That was enough to encourage the man to duck down, pressing a kiss to your lips. he could have lightly kissed your lips and pulled away after a few moment, but he didn’t. In fact, you were sure he had forgotten all about the car outside. His arms wrapped around your waist and you were pulled tight against his strong chest as his lips fought your own for dominance which you quickly surrendered. His tongue slipped inside your mouth, making you moan as reach up and place your hand on the back of his head near his neck to keep his mouth to your own. Not like he was pulling away any time soon. you felt him push you backwards and you allowed him to push you till your back hit the wall and he pinned you to it. they couldn’t see you anymore, but you didn’t care. Raising your right leg, you hooked it around his hip as his hand trailed down your side and followed the curve to your thigh, holding you in that position. He was driving you crazy, his touch was like fire as you cling to him. When he does pull back, you are left a panting mess with rosy cheek. But his tell was his red ears despite the smirk on his lips. “So, tell me, where does the line between fake and real stop?” he asks, keeping his face close to your own. “With a kiss like that.” You bite your lower lip, completely aware of how his hand had kept your leg hooked on his hip. “The police aren’t outside. They left over an hour ago.” Asa’s voice was low, barely about a whisper. “They did?” You raise your eye brows at him. A nod answers your question and you were left pondering your next move. “Good.” As leans down, sealing his lips over your own.

-----time skip ------

You were sitting in your living room, half heartedly flicking through the channel when you notice Asa’ car drive past your window. Smiling, you turn off the TV and grab your small bag. It was a Friday, which meant that Asa worked late. But it also meant you would be staying over with him. A few weeks ago, shit had really hit the fan. You really didn’t know what happened, expect that the hotel was burned to the ground, and Asa only just escaped with his life. He was badly hurt, and you were thankful that he had taken a week off for holidays. It had been holidays he was going to spend with you in his cabin up north, but plans changed. You stayed by his side during his recovery. Asa had lost nearly everything that night. His creations, his sanctuary, his dogs, his prizes. But he had been thankful to come home to you. He had extended his own holiday but you returned to work the next week. He said he had fallen while on a hike so no one questioned his cuts and bruising when he did go back. You took your bag and left your home for the evening, locking it up as you set to go to Asa. He had regained most of his energy and health back, which you were hoping he might be up for something a little more… activity related tonight. The lingerie in your bag certainly hoped so. he was already out the car and into the house as you walked up. But something caught your eye. In his living room, there was someone hiding in the corner. Your breath caught in your throat as you recognised the man. His name was Arkin. He had been the one who had escaped Asa, the one who caused his injuries. You only recognised him because Asa had pointed him out when the new came on one evening. And you highly doubted that he was here to say a friendly hello. Running around the back, you ducked under the window so as not to be seen. You ditched your bag in a bush as you made your way to the back door just as you heard heavy metal music blare through the house. You wanted to scream to Asa, but the glint you had seen in Arkins hands wasn’t enough to tell you if it was a gun or a knife. Slipping into his kitchen, you heard the music being turned off and then silence. You took a large knife from the knife block on the counter and held it as if to stab. And you were willing to. Then you slowly opened the bottom draw, which had some duct tape in it. You round the edge, only slightly pulling it off. If you were going to hurt someone, they cant make a lot of sound. You moved into the hallway which connected to the living room and dinning room. “All those insects. You’re quite the collector.” A voice, Arkins voice spoke, making you pause as you made sure no one knew you were here. “In a 200 mile radios from where we last saw each other, there are 14 licensed entomologists. You were number 12.” As Arkin spoke, you moved slowly down the hallway, looking behind you ever second in case someone else was here. “Your daddy ran a museum, didn’t he? Fucked you up real good.” His words made you feel sick. Asa never spoke of his father. His mother was held with high regard, and he said he wanted you to meet her when she was next in town. But he had shut off when you asked about his father. Arkin was right. “Turn around.” You pressed your back against the wall as you inched closer to the doorway. Tape in your left hand, the edge taped to your finger, and the knife in the other. You could see from the glass display cabinet that Asa and Arkin were standing face to face near the entrance to the dinning room. Arking had his back to you. And a gun raised at Asa’ face. Fear rushed through you as the analogy of ‘don’t bring a knife to a gun fight’ flooded your mind. “Are you here to kill me?” Asa spoke with a calmness you couldn’t fathom. “No. that would be too nice. First im gonna make sure feel everything that I felt. Then im gonna kill you.” You could hear the smugness in his voice. “So that you can never hurt anyone-“ He was cut off as Asa lunged at him. But Arkin gave a swift jab to the face, causing him to tumble back. Into a red box. Your gasp was covered as Arkin flipped the box and started slamming the lid shut again and again, growling “fuck you.” Before the lack closed. he stepped back, gasping for air. He thought he was alone. Darting into the room, you raise the knie and bought it down into his right shoulder and an angle. He instantly dropped the gun. Letting go of the knife for a moment, you grabbed the roll of tape and started wrapping it round and round his mouth. He had only just managed to let out a cry of pain as his legs gave way under him. He reached up, struggling so you grabbed the knife and pulled it from the flesh. Using the sharp, bloodstained blade, you cut the tape and he collapsed to the ground moaning. You gave him a quick kick in the face before kicked the gun that had fallen out of reach. The last thing you needed was neighbours calling the police for gunfire at the house. You raced over to the box. “Asa, its me.” You reassured him through the small walls in case he tried to attack whoever opened the box. When you pulled the lid open, he scrambled to his feet, the anger in his eyes blazing as he found his attacker on the floor. Arkin was groaning, unable to move just yet but you were sure he’d be up and about soon enough. “Your hands.” You whispered, reaching out and taking his right hand which was covered in blood from Arkin slamming the box down. Your heart broke. He had not long healed. Arkin began to come around, his eyes darting between the two of you as he realized what had happened. He looked at you with an unimaginable about of rage and anger in his eyes as he tried to scream. Asa darted forward, twisting him around and pinning him to the ground, a knee in his back and his hand pressing on the new wound. “The tape.” He commanded of you, and you immediately grabbed the duct tape which had rolled away slightly. Finding the end, you saw Asa grabbing Arkins left hand and you mirrored with his right. Bringing them forcefully behind his back, you taped them in place, then went to tape his ankles together. Once satisfied, Asa hauled the man off the ground and threw him into the box, the lid closing over with the force. Asa flipped the latch. Looking him inside. You didn’t realise you were panting and shaking until Asa was looking at you. Racing forward, you wrap your arms around his torso and bury your face in his chest. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?” He ask, holding him as tightly as you could. A bloody hand stroked your cheek as another rubbed your back to sooth you. “No, you got here right on time.” There was a softness to his voice that made you melt as you looked up at him and smiled. “I’m too late to be a guard dog. Ludwig or Vivaldi wouldn’t have let him get close enough to hurt you.” You shake your head as you pull back, taking his hands in your own once again to inspect the damage. But he turned his hands over and took your own. “How about we go up to the cabin this weekend?” Asa askes, his question not very well fitted for the currant moment. “huh?” Your eyes glanced to the box which was moving slightly as Arkin struggled. “Oh, we’ll take him. And, since I am out of commission right now, perhaps I can show you some tricks.” Asa smirked as your eyes light up at his words. “Yes!” You bounce on the balls of your feet. You went up on your tiptoes to kiss him, resisting every urge not to pull him upstairs to his bedroom right now. Pulling back, you dart down and pick up the gun, offering it to Asa. “I’ll go get some stuff to see to your hands. And I’ll run back and pack a quick bag and then come and pack your things. I think I should drive, though. You’ll have to give me instructions.” You rattle off, the excitement obvious in your voice. “Oh, you’ll get use to taking instruction this weekend.” Asa whispered in your ear, making you blush and bite your lip with a smirk. Arkin seemed to get a burst of energy and started flaying around in the box, which only moved slightly. “He truly is annoying, isn’t he?” you huffed, hating the moment was ruined by him. Asa simply chuckled and walked up to the box, sitting on it and stopping it from shifting. As you flitted around, gathering supplies and seeing to his hands and then packing his things, Asa watched with a soft eyes. He would be lying if he said he trusted you from the start. And even more so if he admitted there had still been a small part of him that thought you were with the police. but that doubt was well gone. And this weekend, he wanted to celebrate this strange relationship. And oh, what a celebration it would be.

#the collector #the collection #asa emory #asa emory x reader #asa x reader #the collector x reader

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thesaunatest · 3 years

Text

MY HUGE THEORY ON EL’S PLOTLINE IN S4

before you guys even start, YES I know that 99.9% of what I say is going to be wrong but this is literally just for fun.

its march 1986, middle of the school year and el HATES school

when we left her she was barely literate and had just started getting accostomed to speaking full sentences, NOWHERE NEAR a 9th grade level, so shes struggling in her classes to say the least

on top of that, she barely knows how to socialize with other people, so shes evidently getting picked on

with joyce and jonathan both working to keep the family afloat, will and el get left alone alot

but outside of the party, they socially have nothing in common

in fact, will is adapting to the new town a whole lot better than el. he fit right in with all the creative kids he met in class, but el didnt mesh with that crowd

anyway, our girl is sturggling

the only time she really has fun is when she visits hawkins, or when someone from the party visits them

which leads us to spring break

mike obviously comes to visit, and el doesnt want them to waste a single second so she begs mike and will to come explore the town with her

at this point joyce is already in her detective mode, hatching a rescue plan for hopper so she doesnt notice theyre gone

and jonathan is battling the heartbreak of nancy ghosting him when she was supposed to come visit

so the trio goes off on an adventure without anyone noticing.......... or so they think

because brenner is back, and he knows el is with the byers, but he cant go and snatch her because he doesnt have the resources all the way in california

in fact, he doesnt have the resources at all. his numbers experiment is seen as a catastrophic failure that lead to the deaths of hundreds of lab employees

the only way for him to redeem himself in the community, and gain his funding back is to present his peers with proof that the project can work, so he needs to get one of his numbers back

el is the only one he can track down, but he doesnt think he can do it himself. if she saw him, she could just kill him with her powers, he assumes because he doesnt know she lost them

so who does he employ to get el back to hawkins? lonnie byers

its almost too easy. it doesnt take much to bribe lonnie, and hey, its not like its his kid. so lonnie accepts the bribe, and goes all the way out to california to find el

he shows up at the byers house..... only to find it completely deserted. so he waits

and the trio finds him there after their day out (why are you here? what do you want? where are mom and jonathan?)

and lonnie, being as crafty as he is, comes up with a good excuse on the fly (hes craftier than i am because i genuinely have no idea what he would say)

anyway, he gets them in his car and on their way back to hawkins

jonathan shows up after theyve already left, and is too stoned tired to think anything of the empty house

and joyce is already halfway to russia

will knows his father. he knows that his father doesnt give a shit about him, the family, or anything about hawkins. he knows that his father wouldnt get involved in anything unless he had something to gain. so hes wraking his brain

maybe.... lonnie pulls over to take a suspicious phone call? maybe will figures out an inconsistency in his story? either way, the gang is onto lonnie and figures that they gotta get away from him and get back to joyce and jonathan

they tuck and roll out of the car. idk. all that matters is that they get out of there

as theyre rolling out of the car, el bonks her head a little and has a quick flashback to her time in the lab

since her intuition is always spot on, she takes this as a cue the breener is back and lonnie is working for him

she tells the boys it isnt safe to go back to california or hawkins, so they come up w an alternative plan, somewhere neither brenner nor lonnie would think to look for them

and while theyre on the road, they stop at a diner to eat (dont ask me where they got the money) and we get will leaving an emotional voicemail home, probably sobbing to jonathan about how much he means to will, which gives el an idea

because who has the resources to help her, as well as a desire for vengeance on brenner? kali

el uses her superb hitchiking skills to get them to chicago

maybe she just has some hints of her powers left, but it isnt too hard for el to find kali

she explains everything thats happened, and lets kali know that if she want revenge, the opportunity is hers

unfortunately, lonnie was hot on their trail, and called for reinforcements

theyre ambushed by the few employees brenner has working for him. initially, everyone is hiding, assisted by kali’s powers

but el knows they arent leaving empty handed, and would rather get taken away then have kali’s freedom taken from her

so el reveals herself, followed by mike because he wont leave her, followed by will because he wont leave mike

all three get taken away, back to hawkins lab, but now kali is even more motivated to bring down the lab once and for all

so kali and her gang get to hawkins, almost simultaniously with jonathan, who has been looking for his family in a frenzy since the morning he woke up to find eveyone gone, without even a note or a phone call, as well as argyle, who came along for the ride

the video store is being used as home base this season, so thats the first place they go, where they find steve, shortstaffed and not knowing whats going on because the whole team ditched him

they catch him up to speed on how EVERYONES GONE and steve catches them up to speed on how EVERYONE IS GETTING MURDERED

meanwhile, brenner has three predicaments

1) no matter what he does to el, what kind of torture he inflicts, she isnt using her powers because she doesnt have them. she tells him this several times. he refuses to believe it

2) lonnie byers is demanding his payment, which he didnt recieve because the deal was that he bring el to them, and he couldnt even do that

3) he has to find a way to dispose of mike and will, who he had no intention of bringing into the lab but theyre here and they know everything

and this is the moment where mike screws up by letting them know that people know theyre in the lab and people know about all the experiments and any second now, someones gonna come banging that door down to save us. nancy, jonathan, steve, robin max, lucas, dustin, kali-

and the second mike says her name he knows he screwed up

brenner decides in that moment that all he can do is round up everyone involved and get rid of them. conveniently, the string of murders occurring will serve as a good cover for what happened to them

and this is the part where joyce, murray, and hopper get back to hawkins

this is also the part where nancy and robin and the gang get back to hawkins

so nancy and robin immediately go to the video store armed with all the new information they learned from victor creel

..... and are met with jonathan, argyle, kali, and steve in pandemonium

they close the store for the day, and get ready to storm the lab

they realize that they need something from the school, so they head there to pick it up

and soon after arriving, theyre met with the all to familiar hawkins lab vans

they make a hasty escape, taking out some of the goons but they need to find a way to get the rest off their trail

they head for the woods, hoping to hide out in the cabin

meanwhile, the russia crew has taken the mostly demolished cabin as their haven to recover from whatever injuries they sustained

theyre all running through the woods, but they realize the people from the lab are closing in on them

and then nancy and jonathan pass a very familiar tree

they use whatever weapon they have on them to break through the bark, and head into the upside down

the lab people keep going into the woods, eventually finding hopper’s cabin

epic showdown between the russia crew and the lab people, joyce, murray and hopper win, they realize the lab is back, immediately head there realizing theyre gonna have to rescue someone

nancy and robin use the info they learned from victor creel to keep the gang alive in the upside down, max, argyle and eddie are freaking out because omg we’re in another dimention, we get some big reveal about the truth about the upside down and the gang makes their way out and head to the lab

and while this is all happening,we get some super emotional monologue between brenner and el (ala-the last 10 minutes of the truman show) and brenner realizes that el isnt going to be the naieve superweapn she used to be, and decides the best thing he can do with el is give her the standard punishment, time in the closet

and being in the closet triggers all sorts of flashbacks and emotions (mbb’s opportunity to show off her acting chops for an emmy)

joyce and hopper bust into the lab like they did in season 1, but this time they dont get caught

they decide to split up to cover more ground, and hopper finds el in the closet

and around the same time joyce finds mike and will and gets them out of there

here comes the REAL emotional performance

hopper sees her, we get a teary eyed “el!” “dad!”, and then hopper gets pulled away from el by lab workers

exactly the same way terry did

we’re watching this happen from el’s perspective, with a heart-wrenching “noooooooooo” from el, accompanied by cuts to every time el has had to be separated from someone she cares about (terry, the s1 ending, billy dying, her leaving kali in s2, saying goodbye to everyone on moving day, her being separated from mike and will when they got to the lab) accompanied by some terribly sad 80s song, then back to the present moment, she reaches her hand out and boom, the guards go flying. her powers are back

except she doesnt have control of them the way she did before, and now shes bringing the whole building down

her and hopper race to the the first floor, and meet joyce and the boys, they get out of the building at the very last second, and the whole thing collapses.

eventually they find the other group, the whole team is now together, they go and take down the big bad from the upside down, joyce almost KILLS lonnie

nancy and robin drop a huge bombshell that has to do with hawkins/the upside down, specifically pertaining to el, which they pieced together after talking to victor creel

we get a massive cliffhanger, season 5 starts like 10 minutes after the ending of season 4

#stranger things #yes i know half the stuff i said is going to be wrong #it would be really cool if it was tho #stranger things theory

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theemightypen · 4 years

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my dear @heckofabecca asked for 11) reunion kiss but tumblr ate the ask, so here you go, bb! hope you like it <3

(for anyone keeping track, this is in the same pre-war political marriage as this fill which you may want to read first!)

The air is thick with the smell of blood and fear. Lothiriel is so tired she can barely stand, but stand she must. They need all the hands they can spare to help tend to the wounded and to soothe the children. The noise from the battle is muted by the caves’ walls, but she is the daughter of a war-time Prince, sister and cousin to seasoned soldiers--she knows what the sounds mean, and it is not a good omen.

The odds were impossible to begin with--an army of hundreds, a good portion of them withered old men and boys too young for beards, up against thousands of Orcs, if Lord Aragorn is to be believed. Hope has been dwindling for them all as the battle has raged on. Eowyn is brittle, defiant, in her anger at the situation they’ve been pinned into, but it is clear she has put her faith wholly in Lord Aragorn’s skill and luck.

It is clearer still that she thinks she loves the Ranger, but Lothiriel knows her sister-in-law well enough by now to know she will not appreciate her saying such a thing.

As it is, it is hardly the time to think about such matters. She should be focused on keeping her wounded charges comfortable, with offering comfort to the mothers and wives who may be widows and childless even now. It is what her father would want her to do. It is what Eomer would want her to do. The thought of him, riding across the Plains, unaware of what his people are suffering is like a dagger at her breast. The thought of never seeing him again is even worse.

At least he will not die here, she thinks, smoothing a whimpering boy’s hair as gently as she can, at least his fate will not be like so many others--

“Lady Eowyn! Lady Lothiriel!”

She blinks in surprise as Gamling--faithful, unwavering Gamling--limps towards them. He is covered in blood, likely his own and others’, and his face is grim.

“Gamling, what news?” Asks Eowyn, efficient and forthright as ever.

“The keep is near lost. Gather the supplies and people you can. You must take the people through the caves. I do not know how much time we can give you, but we will fight--to the last man--to keep you all from harm.”

Lothiriel swallows thickly. “But what of you? What of the King?”

“The King’s mission is to protect his people. Mine is to protect him. You must go, now, my ladies, and quickly.”

“We can fight!” Eowyn argues. “We are just as able as our brethren--”

“Eowyn, these are your king’s orders. Obey him--for what may be the last time.”

Eowyn’s jaw settles, mulishly, but Lothiriel suspects she is reacting this way to keep from crying. There is the very real possibility she will lose yet another member of her family in a matter of hours--if they are even alive at all to know it. Lothiriel is biting her own lip to maintain her composure, and her self control is nothing compared to Eowyn’s iron grip on her own.

“We will do as Theoden King asks,” Lothiriel confirms, because what else can she say?

The relief on Gamling’s face is painful. “Good. Bema be with you--you both are the Riddermark’s hope, now.”

That seems to snap Eowyn out of her pout and she turns, barking orders to any who are able to ready to move for fresh torches and all the water they can carry. Gamling vanishes back the way he came, leaving Eowyn and Lothiriel to manage the now frantic crowd. The sudden deep thrum of a horn makes her jump.

“What is that?”

“The horn of Helm Hammerhand,” Eowyn says, sharp with nerves and impatience, “it is said that Helm would kill Dunlendings barehanded when it was blown. If only we had a warrior like that now, perhaps we would not be scurrying away like frightened rabbits.”

“There is no shame in saving what life we can,” Lothiriel says, aghast at her sister-in-law’s position, “for the sake of those we lead and the sake of those who we have lost, Eowyn--”

“They are my people,” she snaps and ah, here it is again, this one jagged thing between them, “mine in a way that you cannot understand, Lothiriel, no matter how much you love my brother.”

The mention of Eomer stings, deeply, and Elbereth help her, this is not the conversation she wants to have right now. Not when it could be one of the last things she ever does, not when she knows, in part, Eowyn is only saying this because of the visceral fear she too must be feeling. “Perhaps that is true. But I will help you save them, care for them, as if they were mine in that way. Not only for the love I bear Eomer, but the love I feel for you. And for them.”

That softens her and she squeezes Lothiriel’s hand. The horn still echoes as they begin to herd the people towards the narrow passage. It would be slow going even with the fully healthy, but between the old and the wounded, it is nigh panic-inducing.

“Send the children first,” Lothiriel suggests. “The children and the most able-bodied young women--the rest of us can guard the back.”

Eowyn nods, reaching for her sword, but Lothiriel stops her. “Eowyn, you must go with them.”

“I am not afraid of a fight! I am a shieldmaiden--”

“And perhaps the last member of the House of Eorl. They will need you to lead them.”

Lothiriel is glad she has not had the time to mention her suspicion that has been growing in Eomer’s absence, for Eowyn would fight her if she knew--would likely fight any woman potentially carrying a child for not being among those going first through the passage. But Lothiriel has come to understand Rohan since her marriage. They will not follow her for the promise of a child, but Eowyn is as close to a princess as they have, at present. A daughter of kings. Their kings, unbroken for generations. They will follow her, as they followed her uncle, into battle and even death.

Still, Eowyn hesitates. “Eomer will not forgive me if I leave you.”

If Lothiriel’s last words to him must be ‘I love you’, she is content. She cannot regret them, even if he does not feel the same. “I will not forgive myself if we do not do what’s right for your people.”

Eowyn opens her mouth to say something, but she is drowned out by a sudden burst of cheering, intermingled with tears.

“My lady!” Someone shouts. “My lady, there is no need to take the passage!”

“What?” Asks Eowyn. “Explain yourself at once.”

“Gandalf has returned with a full eored! He and Lord Eomer--”

Lothiriel’s knees nearly give out and she slumps against the wall even as the women around her give cries of alarm.

“--they have defeated the Uruk-hai! We are saved!”

The tears begin in truth, now, and dimly she’s aware of Eowyn dragging her back towards the doors to the keep. There is a mad press all around them, of people crying and laughing and cheering, but Lothiriel can think of nothing else other than Eomer is here, Eomer is safe, we are all safe--

“Uncle!” Eowyn cries, and then she is gone, throwing herself at the weary yet triumphant form of Theoden King. A gentle hand on her arm has replaced Eowyn’s desperate grip and Lothiriel blinks a few times before recognizing that it is Gimli who is frowning up at her in concern.

“Lass, you’re white as a sheet. Come, come, let us find you somewhere to sit--”

“No,” she says, her mind foggy with relief and grief, all at once, “no, I must find--I must find my husband--”

“Your young horse master will find you soon enough, my lady,” he insists, gently shepherding her to a barrel and all but forcing her to sit upon it, “I do not think he would be overly pleased to find you in a faint when he does.”

That makes her laugh, a little. “I have never once fainted in my entire life, Master Dwarf.”

“No sense starting now, then,” he says. “Now, where is that confounded Elf? He had best not be trying to up his score…”

Lord Legolas is, in fact, poking at a few corpses with an arrow, and Lothiriel laughs herself nearly sick when Gimli explains why. Then Lord Aragorn arrives and Eowyn is throwing herself at him, too relieved to guard her more tender emotions. Gandalf appears, miraculously untouched by the grime covering everyone else, grumbling about something as is his wont. Behind him is--

Behind him is Eomer, broad-shouldered and magnificent in his armor. A few other soldiers are with him, clearly asking for his input on one matter or another, and he looks near to losing his impressive temper.

“Deorwine, enough,” he finally barks, “I will answer these questions later--I want to find my wife!”

Valar, she is so happy to see him whole and hale that she cannot speak. Gimli seems to know this and winks at her before crying over the din, “Your wife is here, laddie.”

She’s vaguely aware of standing, of starting to walk towards him, but Eomer is there before she can so much as blink, crushing her against his chest so tightly she can scarcely breathe. She knows she’s crying, messily and without reserve, and she should be embarrassed to behave in such a way, in front of so many people, but she cannot bring herself to care. Not when Eomer’s arms are trembling around her, or she can feel the rasp of his beard against her temple, and the deep rumble of his voice as he says something in Rohirric to her is overwhelming her senses.

“Hello,” she finally manages, leaning her head back just enough to meet his eyes, “oh, Eomer, hello.”

“Lothiriel,” he says, and then he kisses her. Dimly, she’s aware of a small smattering of applause and a happy hoot that sounds suspiciously like Eothain, but that’s of little consequence when Eomer is kissing her like he’s been desperate for it. Like he’s missed her as much as she’s missed him.

He rests his forehead against hers when he finally lets her up for air, and Lothiriel has to reach up to take his dear, dear face between her hands. He is plainly bone weary and smells strongly of horse. There has never been a more welcome sight.

“You came back to me,” she whispers.

“You asked me to. How could I do otherwise?”

She huffs a laugh--of all of the times for him to tease! But then Eowyn is pushing herself into both of their embraces, and they are all crying, even Eomer. The rest of the day is such a blur that she cannot recall all of the dear faces she has seen, the words of relief and love and joy shared. She blinks in surprise to find herself all but pressed into bed, stripped of her filthy gown and left in only her somewhat less dirty shift.

“I should change,” she murmurs, flinging a leg over the side of the bed with the intention to stand.

“You will rest,” Eomer says, falling upon his side of the bed heavily and managing to drape an arm around her waist in the same instant. “You looked near enough to sleep this morning and an entire day has passed since then.”

“I smell.”

“So do I. I do not care if you do not.”

She cares, but she cares more to have him close, stink or no. Sighing, she settles back onto the bed, pleasantly pinned under the weight of his arm for the first time in what feels like years. Rolling onto her side, she reaches for his face, cradling his still somewhat dirt-encrusted jaw in her hand. “I missed you. Oh, Valar, I have missed you so much.”

Eomer swallows, drawing her closer until his nose is pressed against her temple and she is tucked too tightly against him to see his face. “I have missed you more than I thought possible. Lothiriel...Lothiriel you must know, I should have said it long before Wormtongue’s damned machinations separated us, but I love you.”

She cannot help it--she sobs, just a little, against the hollow of his collarbone. Eomer tightens his arm around her and she thinks, I am home, he is home, he IS home--

For now, anyways. And for now, that is enough.

#eomer x lothiriel #eothiriel #prompt response #heckofabecca #unsurprisingly this got long #pre-war poltical marriage AU

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maidenxfmight · 4 years

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make ash and leave the dust behind (pt 2)

Tagging: @master-of-magnetism & Kara Zor-El When: August 1st, 2020 Where: Erik’s apartment What: This is the part where the villain says “we are not so different, you and I.” Warnings: Manipulation, xenophobia mention Word Count: 6,505

ERIK: He was distantly aware he should be worried, that he should have the familiar creep of anxiety cloying in his chest. Any time before a big move--lab raids, police station attacks, any of the sorts of things that tend to land him on the news--that feeling has been there. There were always so many things that could go wrong, and as a strategist, Erik knew what they were, how numerous, how dangerous.

What was coming tomorrow was the biggest mission he'd ever arranged, with far more moving parts--and far more lethal consequences should something go wrong. He knew that.

But the feeling wasn't there. Instead, he felt this other thing in him all but purring in excitement and reassurance.

One way or another, your people will be free in 72 hours' time.

Freedom. Novel.

He'd taken up in his Brooklyn apartment, tonight--he would return the the headquarters before sunrise to be there for final preparations, but he wanted the space tonight.

More importantly, he did not want anyone else seeing the uninvited but not unwelcome guest the Phoenix warned him would be coming. And it had yet to be wrong. He was at his window with a glass of scotch (what Jean didn't know wouldn't hurt her) when he felt the other presence, and Erik waved open the door before the woman could do anything with it--whether she would have knocked or knocked it down was up in the air, but he had a feeling it was the latter.

He also had a feeling that he could well die tonight, if he wasn't careful. But he knew her. They'd spoken before--even more than Erik had realized, until the confrontation at L-Corp. He could talk to her.

If he was going to talk an entire country into breaking one of their usual rules, he could talk down Supergirl. Even one with Kryptonite in her system.

"I knew you'd come," he said, glancing at her reflection in the window. He drained his glass and set it down in the windowsill before turning to face her, feeling a dangerous sort of calm.

(Dangerous for who?)

"I thought we might be able to help each other."

KARA: Something was wrong.

It scratched just beneath her skin, pressed against the back of her mind. Somewhere it registered, maybe she shouldn't feel like this, this was wrong wrong wrong and she should be clawing her way into figuring it out. But no matter where she dug in, her grip crumbled and faltered and she was falling again. Something was wrong.

But Rao it felt so right.

She'd woken up with her hand pressing through her phone and into the bedside table below, wood splintering beneath fingertips that hardly even felt it. It might've bothered her before (she was a reporter, Snapper hardly let her off her leash as it was, she had to eat she couldn't afford this), but her fingers curled and she found some kind of satisfaction in the way the glass crackled and ground together.

(She could just go take one. Who would tell her no?)

Everything felt off, from the way her clothes fit against her to the lazy Metro line she took to work each morning. The first time she put on her suit her crest felt gaudy. She'd never liked it plastered on coffee mugs, hugging billboards and printed on the front of T-Shirts anyone could buy from Wal-Mart. It was hers. It belonged to the Great House of El, and only those honored to share their last name should wear it.

The point was she felt different. Good different. Her fingers curled into fists, she could plough through the Earth without breaking a sweat and maybe, just maybe she should. The only good thing that had ever come of Earth was, was (crawl up, get out, this is wrong)–

Slip, stop, no. It wouldn't do to think of the people she called friends and family. There were more important things to address. Because Kara could pinpoint the change, and it looked like curling metal and fire roiling behind cool grey eyes. It felt like damp back alleys and the smell of blood and cigarette smoke. It was a sneer and anger that had hardened into something cold and dangerous.

It all came back to Erik, somehow, as it was wont to do of late. Whether they were on street corners in out-of-the-way suburbs, the late-night shadows of New York's rougher neighborhoods, or her supposed best friend's ivory tower, it all came back to Erik Lehnsherr. He'd always had an agenda, she'd known that from the moment she met him. When she got wrapped up in it, however, she wasn't sure. (She wondered, briefly, if she should be thanking him. A veil had been lifted, the air felt different. She hadn't replaced her phone since she'd crushed it and if Alex had called she didn't care).

He wanted something, he wouldn't have stolen the kryptonite if he hadn't. He had his cards in his hand, arranged just the way he wanted, and Kara fully intended to scatter them. She could rip the sleeves, unravel the threads, figure out just what he was hiding. It started with his apartment, lit a light yellow-orange against the starry New York skyline. The doors opened before she could crash through them, and she couldn't help but laugh. He'd been expecting her. Of course he'd been expecting her. The rush of wind caused by her sudden entrance scattered papers in every direction, but he seemed singularly focused.

(This is wrong, this is wrong, but really, honestly it isn't.)

"Oh, funny. You think I need you."

ERIK: The laugh bubbled out, unrestrained, because this was funny. (It's not, it's not.) The smile on his face didn't falter, didn't flinch at the way his papers scattered around the room. Hell hath no fury like a woman, and this woman could blast buildings to so much confetti if the desire struck on a good day, but he wasn't worried. There was too much power rolling through both of them. He and Jean had nearly taken this building apart once before as a conversation spiraled out of control, had stopped only by virtue of their mutual sentiment for each other. If he and Supergirl went the same route, there was no telling who, or what, would be left after.

It wasn't quite mutually assured destruction, but it was something like it, something that made the Phoenix sing.

"I think you needed the blinder taken off. Which I've done for you," he answered smoothly, taking a step toward her. Unafraid, perfectly steady, perfectly composed, because he was an Omega-class mutant with the force of life itself running through his veins and because he knew better than to show something dangerous anything but your own teeth unless you wanted to end up with theirs in your own throat. "Believe it or not, I was worried about you, Kara. You were so optimistic in our conversation in that alleyway. That sort of idealism gets people killed--even supers. Your little friend was manufacturing kryptonite behind your back. There are variants that kill you, as we all know, but I didn't want that. I just wanted to help you. And I have."

He stopped in front of her, eyes searching hers, his own silvery eyes flaring with the fire of the Phoenix. "Tell me it doesn't feel good, letting go, being able to stretch your powers without worrying about anyone else. Tell me it doesn't feel like the first taste of freedom you've had in ages, and if that's the case, do what you came here to do. But we both know that's not how it feels. It feels good."

KARA: Manufacturing. The word caught and tumbled, gathered the breath in her chest and stole it. Somewhere, there was a feeling, like maybe if she could think straight it would hurt. Because 'manufactured' was worlds away from 'storing.' Manufactured implied Lena had made it and she–

Maybe she would. It's not like it was the first time Lena Luthor had done something behind Supergirl's back. Oh, she claimed she did it for the greater good (she did, she didn't), to cure chronic illnesses or save a friend, that the Kryptonians had nothing to do with it. Humans died every day, right? They were at risk from cars, but no one banned cars. Lena's given reasons bounced around then fell right off a cliff, useless. Because cars weren't specifically designed to hurt one person. Designing a car to hurt one person without considering them would be irresponsible, wouldn't it?

And Lena wasn't irresponsible, she was smart. She was smart, and she was specifically manufacturing a car that could hurt Kara's family, and her family alone. Her breath came in short puffs, a muscle jumped in her jaw. Her fingers curled against her palm and she could feel the stiff set of her shoulders, relished in it. She wasn't suppose to feel like this, "you don't get to be a real person, you're a superhero." But she did, she had been for a long time. She'd been furious when Lena had first shown her the detection device prototype, when she learned Lena used kryptonite to restrain Reign, when Lena did both of those again.

And to find out she made it? Eriks windows looked tempting. She could shatter them on the way out (you did this to yourself Lehnsherr). She could crash through the rubble of L-Corp until there was nothing left, she could find the one thing that might hurt Lena Luthor and–

But Erik was stepping closer, his agenda went beyond Lena. He weaved honeyed words not unlike those he'd lain at her feet in the alley. Fire danced behind his eyes, and she could still clearly remember the way the pipes had groaned around them. She could be mad (it was so easy to be mad). He was laying his cards down one by one and it was shaping up to a straight flush. If she flew away on a whim, she'd never know how it ended. And he had done something for her, hadn't he? She'd spent months writing articles, meeting with friends in tucked away corners, just trying to make them look worthy.

They would never be worthy. Humans would only ever welcome that which was familiar to them. She could write pretty words about Warren Worthington all day and all anyone would see were his wings. She'd tried with Lena. She'd backed away, shaking, channeling her fear of a device she should never have had to be afraid of in the first place into a passionate article which had been scrapped anyway. Everything she did, everything she said went through a human filter, since the moment she'd landed on Earth.

Erik was right about one thing, he'd lifted the filter. Whatever he'd done, she didn't care anymore. For that, he at least deserved to be heard. She lifted her chin as he approached, eyes hard, breathing carefully measured. There was no trust, but there was something. Something forged between the lines of texts and in the soft curl of cigarette smoke, a tentative understanding she'd been fighting, but found her old logic just didn't hold anymore.

"You're right. I feel better than I ever have." She took a step closer to him, boots pressing into the floor with a crunch, hands lifting briefly at her side and lips ticking up in a smile. He had power she couldn't imagine, and somewhere she knew she should be afraid, but she wasn't. She had a feeling she was his last card, and a straight only worked with five in a row. "And I suppose I should thank you. But I'm waiting for the part where you tell me why I should stick around. I don't like people meddling in my life, and I have no reason to trust you won't do it again. What do I have to gain by working with you?"

ERIK: She did her best to hide it, but he knew what that look meant. He'd worn it himself too many times before: betrayal. His fellow engineers, Magda, Charles--there was no sting quite like broken trust. "You didn't know." It wasn't a question, only an observation, an understanding of things as they stood. He could see the anger coil in her shoulders, balling her hands as she cut her eyes through his windows to wear L-Corp stood out in the skyline across the water, and he felt it almost like it was his own. "You can't trust them, Kara. No matter how much they claim to care."

Come not within the measure of my wrath. Lena Luthor held the unenviable position of being subject to the wrath of two of the most powerful people alive--had created materials that held the potential to bring what there was of both their species to their knees and thought herself immune from consequences because she'd worked so hard on image. On painting herself as separate from her brother's insanity or her parents' corruption. She was a different sort of Luthor, she claimed, but she was human.

Erik let the woman advance, until they were standing within arms' reach of each other, and simply kept his eyes trained on her face as the wooden floor crunched under her feet. This space was too small, too delicate for the likes of them--hurricanes contained by glass. If they wouldn't break, the world would have to.

You're right. There was a part of him that wanted to say you'd be surprised how often that happens, but no. No need for that. They both knew he was right about far more than this. She was smart--he wouldn't get her help if she wasn't, wouldn't let her within a mile of his plans if he thought she would be stupid. He'd lifted the naive trust she'd been afflicted with, and so the wariness of his own motives was fair--welcome, even. It meant she was learning. "Because I did you a favor--etiquette suggests you ought to do the same for me. Of course, I wouldn't be asking for your help if that's all I had."

He stepped back and turned his back to her for a moment, trusting they had something of a ceasefire for the time being, and retrieved his glass, pacing over to where the decanter sat on his coffee table. He poured himself another drink. "If you'd like one, just let me know," he offered, turning his full attention back to the Super. "More importantly, our goals line up--at least for the time being. We both have information the other doesn't that could be useful, when shared--as you've just seen with regard to Miss Luthor. I have a plan in place already to enter this war, bring about that peaceful society we both want, set to commence tomorrow. I have an army at my disposal. I am happy to share what I have with you for our shared needs, and the only thing I want in return is that you do what you already want to do."

He didn't need to ask, didn't need to confirm--she was angry, had been angry for a very long time and hiding it under the mask, and now that she had the opportunity to burn it off? She would. She had to. "Humans have never been worthy of your protection or your trust. You see that now. There can be no peaceful coexistence alongside people who don't know peace. So help me give them the war they've been wanting so that we can build something new. Show them how afraid they should be."

KARA: The moment Erik turned his back, Kara's eyes were back on the distant 'L.' It was only the faint tinkling of ice in his tumbler that kept her in place, a reminder there was someone in the room who had yet to lie to her. As far as she knew. Erik's passion lent only to truth. Lies made someone small, the conviction behind them only as strong as the fear of possible repercussions.

Kara would know, she'd done her fair share of lying.

She'd acknowledged the passion behind his words even before she'd found the courage to believe in them. Experience brought credence to his cause. Of course, there was a contempt for humanity that leaked through his pretty words of revolution, but it was easy to see where it came from. Humanity had been unkind to him. Kara had molded herself into something humans could digest. There was a danger in being different, Jeremiah had said, as he handed her a pair of glasses and told her never to use her powers again. Jean had told her she wished she had the bravery to be as open even as Kara was.

Neither of them held a candle to Erik. He flaunted his powers in a way even Kara's crest couldn't capture. He was proud of them, and he was meant to suffer for it. People said 'mutant' much the same way they said 'roach.' He had every reason to rally against his oppressors, and she had no reason to doubt that he would. That he meant it, when he said he intended to help her level herself a new home. Who else would she trust?

Not Lena. Not Alex, who forgot her. Her sister's name caught, and somewhere in the back of her mind she clawed for purchase once more, a twitch of her fingers and a hitch of her breath, but the moment passed. . She pulled in a breath and turned back to Erik, a glass in his hands. He always looked so suave, even in damp alleys. She wondered if he was scared, if he'd even considered it when he turned his back on her. The implied trust would almost be refreshing, if it wasn't drown out by the residual sting of betrayal. She narrowed in on the steady thump of his heartbeat. "You have my attention, Erik." His name came out sharp, the distrust evident even as she gave. "But you have an agenda. I'm not here to a play a part in your game. I'm done playing the superhero, for anyone.

"So I'm listening, as long as I'm working with you, not for you."

ERIK: Her eyes were on the horizon through the window, when he turned back from pouring his glass--it was just a moment that he caught, but he knew without asking where her mind was. Ordinarily, he'd encourage it. He would smile and tell her to go and exact her revenge on the woman who'd put her life at risk, who had lied to her and taken her help for granted. Yet another characteristic of humans--abusing those who would give them aid and being stunned when they finally hit back. Kara's desire was normal, expected. But this was the first time she'd let out her anger on humans since she'd come, and Erik knew better than most the best ways to hurt people, had spent decades of his life with revenge consuming every day.

He would show her, because she was saying yes. Because she wasn't turning her powers on him, she was willing to help. Erik's mental chessboard reshuffled. Checkmate.

But when he began to compose his response, a pang lashed through him abruptly, covered with a sip of his glass that briefly felt clutched a little too tight. It hadn't been just like this, not really, but it was close enough that the deja vu stung for a moment. In the next, the Phoenix was soothing, smoothing, and Erik said the very same words he'd told Charles on that beach in Cuba all that time ago before everything went to pieces. It would work this time, though. He knew it.

"Of course. I want you by my side." And he did--someone like Supergirl was too powerful to be behind. (Demeaning to her power and dangerous, because someone behind your back can far more easily stab it.) He took a seat in one of his chairs, perfectly steady, perfectly calm. "You're welcome to sit, if you'd like. You’re right—of course we have an agenda; anyone who tells you they don't have one is either lying or suffers from a tragic lack of ambition." He was nothing if not meticulous in his words nearly always, and yet the plural pronoun went unnoticed. He waved a hand, and what had seemed to be a simple decorative panel of rippled steel on the wall slunk back, retreating towards the ceiling and revealing a wall covered with plans meticulously laid out with all the care of an engineer, a perfectionist, a master strategist. "Tomorrow, my people go to war. A two pronged attack to begin with, to gather attention and secure a space from which to negotiate in Stark Tower. I will be holding the citizens of New York hostage for three days, during which time the government will cede land to us to form our own society. One where we can finally have the peace humans don't understand." He leaned forwards, resting his elbows on his knees as he looked at Kara. "I could do this myself, but timing and distance would be difficult given the location of the UN building. The largest thing I would need your help with, should all go well, is tomorrow morning: at around eleven o'clock, I need the bridges and subways into Manhattan blocked or broken. I assume you could use the chance to burn off some steam. Outside of that, once Stark Tower is secured and the endgame is underway, I'm happy to assist you, should you want it, in satisfying desires of your own. Information, strategy, assets: I am at your disposal as much as you are at mine." So long as it could be kept from Jean.

KARA: By my side.

It still felt empty. It was half a promise, nothing more than a means to an end. He had his maps and his strategies, laid out in perfect detail. He had an image in his mind of a home, somewhere he could be safe with all of his people. And he had them: people. So many of them. Kara briefly thought of Jean – remember Jean? Maybe she could help, please help, this isn't right – and Scott and Charles who could be happy and themselves. He had a goal with a happy ending, a resolution to years of anger and revenge.

It was a goal so close to her own, and he knew it. Their thoughts aligned in a way that could be just beneficial enough for both of them. But he'd miscalculated. Kara didn't have anyone left. Her goal was a planet that was nothing more than dust orbiting a dying sun, a glint of green seen through the lens of a telescope. She couldn't carve a planet out of New York City. She'd tried. She'd been trying to make Earth her home since she'd first landed. She'd shaped and molded herself into the perfect human, then donned a cape and devoted her life to protecting them. And all she'd ever received in return was more pleas for help, a bounty on her head, and the word 'roach' spit across internet servers slowly gathering steam.

No. Erik wanted land; Kara wanted the whole damn planet. He wanted to ask and Kara wanted to take. She was done molding. She was done pretending. Pretending like she was less than what she was, pretending like it didn't hurt – she was too much too much too much, constantly making herself small so others wouldn't feel threatened.

It burned and she could feel it building in her chest. Why did she need strategies, if she could level the city and rule the rubble?

But there was something to be said for having a partner. He wanted her to cause a little chaos. He wanted her to burn some bridges, and he was willing to scratch her back in return? He'd get his land, Kara would help. Then she'd take the rest. "Look at you, everything perfectly in its place." She ran a finger along the boundary of New York City on his map, pausing over the Brooklyn Bridge. Something so iconic, it could be fun to watch it fall. "Me, too, right? Falling exactly where you need me to. How long have you been planning this? Years? What would you have done, if I'd decided to work against you?"

She lifted her finger, blowing out a breath, turning to face Erik once more. Leaned back against the wall, it almost felt like she could fit. This wasn't the product of a whim, her being here. There'd been a connection – not anymore, Kara, this isn't right, you have to – built on a mutual understanding. She'd given in just the right ways, and he sadder than she had ever expected (underneath all the anger, because if Kara understood anything, it was what hid behind rage). But she knew better than to believe she truly fit, not here. This would only last as long as it took them to achieve their respective goals. "Not that I will. I'd be happy to burn some bridges for you, Mr. Lehnsherr. Just...stipulations."

She stepped forward again, "I won't be directed. If there's anything you don't want me to do, you'd be smart to tell me now, and we'll talk about it. And...Lena Luthor–" Her voice ground over the name, low and dangerous. "Lena Luthor is mine to deal with from here on out."

Preferably now. How high was her building, forty stories?

ERIK: There was a new glint in her eyes, a dangerous chill to her voice that delighted the Phoenix but made something in Erik's stomach shift uncomfortably.

This part of the plan had been last to be put into place for a reason. He'd been reluctant to do this to someone who was becoming something of a friendly enemy (and oh, he knew far too much about those, how they were always a heartbeat away from one of the other), and most especially to someone like Kara. Countless visual abilities, flight, enhanced senses and strength and speed--she had so many gifts it was hard to keep track, would be nigh on impossible to account for all of them. Letting her loose was a risk, he knew, especially without knowing the effects the Kryptonite would have on a person rather than the mice Lena had been using.

So of course he had plans. You always had to have an extra card up your sleeve, a piece in reserve until you were ready to play it.

Erik wasn't certain he could beat Supergirl in a fight, if it came to that. Even with the Phoenix Force. Jean might be able to, if she had to, but she'd never let it go. No, the best way to fight a super was with Kryptonite or with another super. If it had been necessary--if it became necessary--someone could call for Superman to come handle her.

Or, if worst came to absolute worst, despite Erik's hatred of the man's human-first worldview, Lena's brother would no doubt be adequate, as much as Erik didn't want that man anywhere within miles of the operation about to unfold.

"A very long time." In varying degrees of depth, of course, and adjusting for current events. "But the version you see there now has been largely within the last few months." With some help (and helpful nudges) from the Phoenix. What would you have done?

"I prefer not to entertain ex post facto hypotheticals except as strategy evaluation. So often they only serve to make one upset." ( He could have killed Alex, he could have-- )

Erik set his glass down and regarded Kara, feeling a creep of uncertainty crawl it's way down his spine before being pushed out of mind by his current cohabitant. Destruction was in both their natures (no matter what Charles said), and she looked so very happy to indulge, and he should be happy for her except except except--

Train of thought derailed, just in time, as Erik took note of the red glow creeping through her veins around her eyes. Something, deep down, screamed danger. Erik stayed impassive, heart not missing a beat. "Certainly. I wouldn't dream of giving you orders, or getting between you and Miss Luthor." Not with Kara as she is, at any rate.

He leaned forward on his knees. "However, I do have some friendly advice and another request--related, as it turns out. Killing Lena Luthor would be... incredibly satisfying," he conceded. "However, I think doing so a bit later in the game would be even more satisfying. She claims that what she does, she does to help the world, that she's doing it out of the goodness of her heart. Let her see how very badly that's worked out, for a while. Let her see the city she calls home, the humans she works so hard to help, suffer as a result of the work she's done: the detection device, the Kryptonite, all of it. Let her watch it fall to pieces and then, when she's seen that, put her down." . The smile that came with that was the same shark-like smile that so many of the Nazis he'd hunted over the years had met their ends with as their last sight.

"On that note--I would prefer you somewhat limit the human casualties within the island of Manhattan, as holding people hostage works rather better when they're alive. I certainly wouldn't dream of asking you to refrain entirely--in fact, seeing that might put a bit of urgency on the negotiations, on their end of things, make them more eager to get in and get their people out. But I do need a fairly sizeable number of living hostages, at least within Manhattan. And amongst them need to be the UN diplomats. My mutants will be holding the building, so if you could kindly avoid bringing it down on their heads, I would be much obliged."

KARA: The requests gave her pause. Somewhere, it registered they shouldn't have to be requests at all. Somewhere, she was screaming and no one could hear it. Her hands stilled and the red glow faded and her breath caught–

And it passed. He didn't want her to kill anyone, and it wasn't an unreasonable request to make, though she imagined there were a few protestors on street corners with anti- signs she would happily leave under a building or two. "I don't want to kill everyone." Her voice had a softer tone, annoyed just around the edges. "I just want, I–"

A home. Her breath escaped in a huff, and she paced the room, too fast, hands moving restlessly as she spoke. "I've done everything for Earth. I've made myself so small, insignificant. Then I put on a cape and I've spent years protecting them, and yes there have been hiccups, but I've loved this planet. I just...why won't it love me, too?" The words felt heavy, somehow. Her pacing stopped as she pivoted to face Erik, her hands clenched at her sides. The truth was it was never going to love her. She was going to spend the rest of her life trying and failing, and Erik had shown her a path forward that might actually work. He'd gotten her this far, and she was willing to see how much farther they could get.

"I want a home. I want to make one." She pulled in a breath, and gave a small nod. "I'll keep your people safe, you don't have to worry about that. And Lena–" the name curdled whatever calm had taken over, "I'll wait, then. This is me trying to trust you, Erik."

ERIK: It was nothing he hadn't heard before, nothing he hadn't said himself, nothing he hadn't preached. And yet it stung more than he would admit—felt like being run over by a freight train, in fact—to hear the words come from someone like her.

Jean and Scott's conversion to his way of seeing things hadn't been entirely unexpected--Jeannie had his temper, beneath it all, and Scott had the same sharply strategic mind that had revealed to Erik that there was no path forward but by blood. Their swaying to his side had been inevitable, sooner or later. This was different. This was someone who saw the world far too much like Charles, with optimism and hope and absurd faith in humanity.

Someone like Erik used to be, a long time ago, when in the aftermath of the War humanity swore never again and seemed to mean it. Maybe he'd never been quite as hopeful as they had, but he'd hoped to be able to live. To be able to settle in the home he built himself with his wife and child, to go to work and go to community potlucks and share photos of his growing daughter with his coworkers and have a simple life where he didn't have to jump any time he heard someone outside the door. He'd been willing to pay the price of keeping his powers secret, had been willing to smother a part of himself to integrate, to make things easy. And he'd had that, for years. Had played human, had gone to neighbors' birthday parties and babysat children and been the very picture of a perfect citizen.

He'd tried so hard. And then. Her words put a lump in his throat, made his eyes sting, and he turned back to his glass so she wouldn't see, downed the rest of the whiskey in one swallow because that burn was more welcome than that knotted feeling. But that didn’t make it go away.

He pushed himself out of his seat, clearing his throat and pacing over to stand in front of her, eyes locking with hers. The fire of the Phoenix lingered, but the man looking at Kara was more Erik than he’d been in weeks. “I know,” he said, and hoped his voice didn’t sound as tight as it felt. “You deserve—we deserve to be loved.” ( At least one of those was true, but he really was less and less certain that he did--). “We did our best to be like them, to play by their rules, to help—we deserve a home, safety, love. And if they won’t give it, after so long, we’ve earned the right to make our own.”

This is me trying to trust you, Erik.

He couldn’t say whether he deserved that. She could trust him to the same extent that anyone at the Institute had ever been able to trust him—that he would never do anything to hurt the Cause, that he would do what it took to keep the people he considered his safe. And he was doing that. But there was deception here, already—there was a reason he wasn’t clarifying the reason she felt different, a reason he hadn’t told Jean what was going to happen, a reason he was only getting Kara involved in the most peripheral of ways. The very same reason that he hadn’t yet told Lorna that Charles had messed with her memory, because Lorna was like him and would demand a telepath free what had been locked away which would reveal a much older erasure, one Erik had paid to have performed himself. Because Erik hated lying outright to the people he cared for, but he was not above deception and manipulation for their own good.

This was for Kara’s own good. It was. It had to be.

“I want to help you, Kara. Don’t doubt that.”

Kara: For a moment, it almost seemed like he genuinely cared. He abandoned his drink, he stood in front of her and there was something different about the way he looked at her, then. It was in his eyes, she thought. They'd been burning. She'd noticed first in the alley, as the pipes groaned and his voice smoothed over talks of revolution.

There was something softer about them when he stood up. His voice wavered the smallest bit, choked in a way it hadn't been moments before, something she wouldn't notice if she wasn't paying considerable attention. The burning seemed to recede, and for a moment Kara thought he was going to step closer.

(A part of her wanted it, but not from him. Her eyes glassed over, and her mind couldn't pinpoint why. He'd put her here, she couldn't get out, she needed to yell, to cry, to– she wouldn't mind a hug, but then...)

She took a quick step back, feet barely touching the floor. Red pulsed along her veins before fading, itching just beneath her skin. There were bigger things at play. He wasn't someone to be believed, he was a chess master. He was moving his pieces, and he was about to put the king in check. Kara could only move as he intended, and hope she was still on the board when the king toppled. Trust enough to get her to the end, then see how far his trust would stretch.

"The bridges will fall tomorrow morning." She said in lieu of an acknowledgement, of any care that had worked its way into his voice. Her feet skated further back until she hovered, framed by his window. "You'll get your home, then we'll talk."

ERIK: She backed away, and the spell broke, the Phoenix pressing forward in turn and relegating the conflicting emotions to the box in his mind where they belonged.

He had a war to win. He couldn't afford second thoughts. She knew that. Get a grip.

He would need to be completely focused in the morning, completely in control, because his people were trusting their lives--their futures--into his hands and he could not, would not let them down. He'd waited years for this moment, for the shoe to drop and war to come knocking on his door in earnest. He was prepared.

How laughable that he'd once sworn to himself that he wasn't a soldier, now that he was about to lead a revolution and plunge his hands into more blood than Sh--

No.

The humans had started this war, and by G-d, he would finish it. No matter the cost. He had failed his children, but he refused to allow their children to live like this.

Never again.

Erik flicked his fingers, unlocking the window latches to let the air in. He wasn't sure if she'd have broken his windows, and he didn't care to find out. "Of course. Until next time, Kara. Have a good night."

This was the last night of the old world--one way or another, it would never be the same after tomorrow morning. Those moments had come countless times in Erik's life.

G-d willing, this would be one of the few for the better.

And if not, the world would pay with him.

#ff: master of magnetism #ff: make ash and leave the dust behind

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dawnowar · 4 years

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So this school lunches thing got me thinking about the way my abusive stepmother treated me as a child.

Thats as much of a trigger warning as you’re getting cause I think its better to process things than avoid them... I have time to write and this is on my mind this second. Writing is a huge part of how I process things... so here we go.

So i passed on a post cause our local school system is offering free lunches for any kids under 18, which is great. I’m a big proponent for school lunches because growing up my evil stepmother didnt feed me right. and I was a rich kid so i think there was a lot of expectation that i was being taken care of in a way that I was not.

My stepmothers whole thing.. my family’s whole thing.. was pretending we were a normal family. Presenting that way to the outside world. Even in our house there was a huge degree of this. Which made it worse for me because it was so easy for people to assume i was just a weird kid when the signs presented themselves to people who could have helped me.

Anyway since i grew up and especially after she died, so many people told me that of course they noticed things weren’t right and of course they said something and fought for me. I never knew that until recently. So as nice as it is to hear, it didn’t help me live through those 8 or so years she was in charge of me.

At home she fed me candy. and ice cream. cupcakes, etc. and that’s all. Breakfast was one cup of hot cocoa with two packets of mix in there that was always like a clumpy syrup at the bottom of the cup. After school was candy until my dad got home and we would all sit at the table and pretend to eat a meal together. She would give me the tiniest portion of meat or any real food and then tell my dad how I “eat like a bird”. which is nonsense. He never questioned it any further than that.

On weekends when I had to eat at home I was allowed noodles and butter, mac and cheese and not a lot else. just pasta. When I got older, I would actually sneak eggs and tuna when she wasnt home. I’m sure she noticed these things going missing but what was she gonna do after I ate it?

She had a lot of rules on me for every single thing. That didn’t make any sense. Where i was allowed to go, where i was allowed to sit, who i was allowed to talk to.. and i just mean in the house on a regular day... I wasnt allowed to use the upstairs bathrooms at all, i had to use the guest bathroom downstairs and I wasn’t allowed to bathe or shower, but when I got older i started sneaking showers when she was gone as well.

I’d hear the garage door close as she was leaving and I’d be showering and eating tuna and trying my best to cover up my tracks before she got back.

All this started gradually... wasnt at once or anything so when it started i was like 8 give or take.. and we moved a couple of times so more rules were put in place as i was moved further away from the neighbors who looked after me. When i was 10 we moved to a different city where I knew no one and i was on my own. Inside my own home. I just had to deal with it till i grew up. But it got much worse before it got better. By the time i was around 14, i was dealing with growing up stuff.. by the time I was 16 she really couldn’t control me anymore, so stuff like what i ate or where I sat or if I showered... i just one day figured out that if i just do things she usually cant or wont stop me.

She used to steal my things and i didn’t have a hairbrush for years. I wasnt allowed to bathe, or do my laundry and I didn’t have a hairbrush, so you can imagine I looked like Pig Pen from Charlie Brown. She told my teachers I liked being like that or something. One of my gym teachers humiliated me once by forcing me to stay after class and shower as if i was just gross and she was solving the problem. She just humiliated me on top of all i was suffering, so i didn’t look to teachers to help me.

My evil stepmother was physically abusive to me as well but that was the easy part. She would just go into rages and take it out on me if i didn’t obey her nonsensical rules which were impossible to follow anyway. She would come and attack me while I was asleep any morning my father left for work early. Most mornings. A normal morning for me..... She would wake me up by dragging me out of bed by my hair, onto the floor, out of my room, into the hall, around the corner and down the stairs and leave me at the bottom of the stairs to start my morning routine getting dressed and ready for school.

Then I watched cartoons in the TV room by myself and drank the chocolate sludge till it was time to get on the bus to go to school where all the kids hated me because i was gross and I spent all day getting teased and taunted till I came home and went back to the TV room where she would either bring me candy or come in an attack me and pull my hair out. I wouldn’t know which one she was coming in the room for until she was doing it. There was a lock on the door and I would lock her out when she was being violent but she had the lock removed. Lied to the locksmith and my dad and made them believe there was a reason to take the lock out, so I started locking myself in the bathroom.

By the time I was 16, I was a much more imposing figure she couldn’t control completely anymore. I was washing myself and i was dressing myself so i didn’t look so dorky and maybe people started liking me at school. I got super lucky that a girl actually became my friend at school. She was not only super-independent but she had a car so she could pick me up and drive me away and she had a job working at a laundromat so i was able to wash my clothes for free and spend time away from home and learn how to grow up into a person who could do something besides just stay alive.

But clear up to the very end of high school school lunches were my main source of nutrition. My evil stepmother was letting me eat pizza by then too. For her, being fat was the worst possible thing I guess so she just tried her best to fatten me up feeding me only carbs while both her daughters grew up to become anorexic.

The first day I was actually on my own ever.. I was in England and I had just slept off the jet lag in my new rented room that was just for me. I wasnt on any program or plan. I wasn’t at college, nobody was in charge of me... i was just there. just me and this rented room and I woke up in the morning with nothing and realized i needed to feed myself. I went to McDonald’s and got a vanilla milkshake and realized i have no idea how to feed myself like a normal person.

I had to start that day and figure every single thing out for myself via trial and error about how to be a person in the real world.

That woman only had control of me for 8 years of my life and then I went out into the world and became a real person after that. She didn’t break me or destroy me. She did, however, destroy my family.

Its my dad’s fault for letting her. I’ve always felt this way. He was the adult. He was the only one who could have stopped it but instead he spent his time pretending everything was OK. I didn’t know until recently that literally EVERYONE told him, so he was willfully ignorant. He sacrificed his own children for this facade of a relationship with this woman. I can’t explain why a person does that, but he left me and my brother to fend for ourselves.

Which we did and we are ok.

I don’t care what happened to her or her daughters. She basically stole the life I should have had and gave it to her children, but from what little i know about them from the outside is that they had their own problems which seem much harder to get past than what I had to deal with.

I don’t mourn the loss of that life i never had any more than I mourn the life that we pretended we were having that we never were.

I only wish I’d known back then the enormous power I really had if i’d only just kept on telling everyone who would listen truth. If i had told everyone everything at every turn i would have saved myself. I didn’t know that at the time. I was just a kid and I gave up because i didn’t believe anyone was listening once my most trusted adult didn’t believe me. I suffered until I grew up and didn’t have to suffer anymore.

I am an emotionally healthy adult for the most part. I’m not without scars. It’d be impossible to come out of that unscathed. I’m perpetually single because being alone is safe and comforting for me. Because when people come in, you don’t know if they’re going to attack you or give you candy but neither one of them is what you really need.

I flailed around for a lot of years as an adult trying to figure out how to take care of myself. I finally got it right after my boyfriend in the late 90s dumped me and I wasn’t dealing well when my best friend died and everything just burned down around me and i had to rebuild everything from scratch slowly and methodically starting with cleaning my kitchen and i found the flylady.org who put me on the path to getting my house cleaning under control and then the rest of it followed.

Now i actually clean other peoples houses for a living.

We always had housekeepers and those ladies were the best women to me ever in my life and I’m proud to see that I’ve followed in their footsteps. These are the women who cared for me. These are the women who were kind to me. These are the women who worked hard for what they had instead of marrying rich and stealing from their cash-cow’s children.

I didnt get the evil stepmother until I was around 7 or 8 years old but i had plenty of great parenting, people who loved me, people who took great care of me and taught me to be smart before I got there. I believe this is how I survived.

School lunches, other people’s good parents, and good role models on my TV. And Rock and Roll, which became a real source of empowerment, an outlet for stress, and a way for me to meet people who became friends as I got older.

I love all the true crime stories of how abused children grow up and somewhere around puberty they rebel and their abuser can’t control them anymore. I think this is how so many of us get away. We become adults. Probably best you don’t kill your abuser, but there’s some part of that tragedy i can’t help but like when you find out people like Gypsy Rose Blanchard was suffering for so long so she did something about it.

I never did shit.

I grew up and got away and that’s good enough. This woman didn’t give a fuck about me and until i got away from her and my dad pretending everything was fine and her daughters going along with it all, I was never going to have my own real life... which i deserved to have.

Glad i wasnt so trapped i felt like i had to kill her to get away. She was more than happy to let me go away so I was already gone years before i realized i didnt have to let her control any part of my life at all.

Seems so dumb i still played along for so many years after I was grown and moved away. It’s just the way things were for so long i just kept doing it.

Until one day my younger sister was getting married and she called me to ask me to be in the wedding and im like...... you dont even like me, why would you want me in your wedding? and she said she orig only wanted her sister but they needed more bridesmaids or something.. maybe that was other sisters wedding.. i cant remember but it was stupid and had nothing to do with me and i was not gonna put my life on hold and spend all this money to travel states away to pretend any of this mattered to me so that was it.

It was over. Finally. Totally over. All I had to do was just not live like that anymore.

and I did. I live however I want to now.

So fast forward to present time and im in my early 50s and i get a call says the evil stepmother is dead and my dad is still alive but only barely. My first inclination is to scoop him up and go thank goodness thats over, but unfortunately i doubt he saw it that way. and instead it ended with me trying to contact him directly and not through my step-sister but it was impossible and disappointing since she was still trying to act like the middleman i didn’t ask for but not providing any useful information or assistance in communicating with him. She wanted me to call him even though he can’t hear so a phone call was just going to be more of the pretending everything is fine I refuse to take part in anymore.

I wrote him a letter directly asking him to take his time and write me back but all i got back was more interference from her and more insistence that i call him. Which I never did..... because he can’t hear. so what’s the point. He died shortly after that and i knew almost nothing about what was happening or not happening at any point.

So he’s gone now too. Buried with the wife and one of the sisters who committed suicide a few years back. Growing up in a family like this isn’t good for anyone even if you aren’t the target for the abuse. All three of them are gone and im not sorry im glad for it.

Their dead bodies can lie in the ground pretending they were a good family and no one walking by them ever has to know the truth. That’s how they lived their lives and that’s how they’ll rest forever.

I expect to have a lot of life left to live and i’m going to do it on my own terms and be kind to people and not value money or other people’s perceptions of me over everything.

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h3llostrang3r · 5 years

Text

A Lifetime to Remember

Perfect Match

Pairing: Dames x Mc Summary: One-Shot.Melina Park is searching for Dames. Word Count: 3,800 Warnings: Language,Sexual content implied(I don’t think it’s anything more explicit than what you would find in a Choices 30 diamond scene.) Notes: I miss Dames. I still haven’t forgiven PB. I give them all my monies and they couldn’t give me Dames during the finale.

Do you ever have the feeling that someone is watching you? You know, when you get those urges to look over your shoulder even though no one has called out your name. Did you really see something out of the corner of your eye or was your mind playing tricks? Or when you suddenly look up from whatever you were concentrating on because you could just feel a pair of eyes locked on to you. Like you can just feel the heat from their body and it sends a thrilling chill right through you? I have been feeling this more and more every day for the past few months.

Maybe I’m paranoid. Maybe it’s wishful thinking. But it feels so incredibly real to me.

I’ve spent countless hours online searching for him…

Keegan hasn’t spoken to me since we took down Rowan and Cecile. She won’t give me any information on what happened to him. I’ve reached out to her and those I’ve found connected to her, but nothing. I don’t know why she’s ignoring me, I proved myself to her before - that I’m on her and all the matches side.

No signs of him and no body found. What the hell is that supposed to mean? I can’t think the worst. I refuse. I know he’s stronger than that. I need to know if Keegan or someone was able to fix his programing, he could have lost so much of what he had by now. He has to be out there somewhere …

That’s why I have spent so much of my down time online. Throwing myself out there. My online alias spreading like wildfire, ThePurpleHairPark. I’m in chat rooms, forums, social media outlets - there’s always someone watching,reading,lurking from behind their screen. The world knows about the matches and there are so many out there helping them. So there has to be someone that has seen him. All I need is one person to point me in the right direction. Or he can come find me. I know he knows how to. Or at least his past memories would.

Can anyone help me? Actually help me? The conspiracies, the theories, they’re insightful, but I need something more.

Where are you, Dames?

Please. I need you …

Melina sits back in her chair staring at the screen. She sighs heavily before she deletes the plead and publishes her newest post to her open forum. Her purple hair slightly covers her face as she hangs her head low. Some strand clinging to her cheeks as tears start to roll down her face. After a deep breath she wipes the tears and gets up to refill on her iced tea.

Melina was at the coffee shop close by to her apartment almost every day. Always getting looks from the customers coming in and out of the shop. She was never quite sure what they thought of her and her laptop sitting in her favorite spot by the window. She didn’t really care, she just wanted to make sure that she could be seen. Her goal was to be seen by him, by Dames.

As Melina stood in line, she checked her phone. No missed calls or texts from Damien. He had been so busy with work since they saved the President, she was thrilled that Damien’s business was booming, but it made it harder for them to make time for each other. They didn’t mind their low-key nights in just them, some takeout (Melina’s cooking still not improving, whoops) and a movie while snuggling on the couch. Yet, with Damien’s ever growing case files he would often come home, grab a snack and head straight to bed. Damien was still supportive of Melina spending time with Hayden, but even she seemed to be too busy for Melina lately.

Melina orders her iced tea - which is on the house, her friend Lily is now working at the register. Lily gives her a wink and flashes her a smile as she shoos Melina along. Melina mouths a, “thank you” as goes to wait for her drink.

Melina never minded being alone and single. There was always something to do, always a way to entertain herself or keep busy until she heard from one of her friends. So why was it now, when she had two loves in her life she felt most lonely? Even Nadia found time to be with Steve and his… abs. Luckily, her cousin would always make time for her at least once a week. But ever since they came out from hiding from Eros’ radar , life never went back to being carefree for Melina.

Her heart had been so full from being loved without judgement from two amazing people in her life, but now that love - where did it go? Had she expected too much? Was it unreasonable of her to want to see them more than 2 or 3 times a week? Melina’s mind often drifted to Dames when she was alone. There was still that spot in her heart reserved just for him. Which often ached at the thought of him, not knowing where he was or if he was even okay.

She had to find him. She needed the answer. Even if he didn’t want to see her again or even want to be with her, she just wanted him to be okay.

Her name is called and she grabs her rather large drink and heads back to her spot. She stares at her computer a few moments - and there. That feeling. Her face grows warm, her heart begins to beat a little faster, the hairs on the back of her neck stand at attention. Her eyes look up from under her long eyelashes - slowly scanning the faces in front of her, nothing. She slowly turns her head to the left, no one looking at her. Her back is against a wall so it definitely was not coming from behind. Melina bites her lip as she returns her gaze back to her computer. No, no, that feeling is still there.

She froze - too scared to turn her head again. Move your damn head, Melina. Do it. She ordered herself internally. Did her body know something her mind didn’t? She blinked and a tear began to fall. Exhale, Melina - slowly she let out the breath she was holding. Her body relaxed and she allowed herself to look to her right, out the window she always had to sit by.

There he was across the street, just staring at her with his hands in his pockets and a sad look on his face. That creep, that handsome fucking creep.

“Dames…” she breathlessly says out loud. Her eyes grow wide, she has to hurry or she’ll miss him. RUN she screams in her head, RUN MELINA. She scrambles out of her seat, almost knocking her laptop off the table, but she doesn’t care. Her feet threaten to trip over each other, but she corrects herself. She pushes the coffee shop door open hard and fast, if there was someone about to get hit there was no way she was going to notice. She looks across the street again, he’s not there.

No. Fuck this noise. He’s not getting away without saying a word to me.

Melina’s feet take her to the busy New York street. Her first few steps are in the clear. “Dames” she cries out with every ounce of her heart and soul. “Dames, please.” Her next few steps just miss a car passing by. Her head is spinning, the cars honking in the background seem so far away. The yelling from the other pedestrians not even registering. Her feet stay planted in the street as she frantically looks as to which direction he could have gone.

The honking becomes louder and louder, her ears now pounding. That’s when she looks to her right and coming straight for her is a yellow taxi. Time starts to slow, her breath catches - she can’t move, she wants to scream. Then the feeling, when you can feel the heat of their body against yours. Except this time - it’s real. Her focus goes to him, but is blurred in a flash.

Dames grabs her at incredible speed and throws them both safely to the sidewalk. He envelopes her in his strong arms and shields her from the fall on to the hard concrete. Her legs sting, but that pain is far away from her mind. He holds her for a long time, her face nuzzled in his chest. Her arms tucked between their bodies, her hands gripping for dear life onto his jacket. She inhales his scent, that mix of cologne and rum that reminds her of that blissful night in Paris. In his arms felt so right, she could melt into his touch and not move for hours - but she could live without the dirty sidewalk.

“Dames…” She manages to whisper, “I thought I lost you.” Her body trembles in his arms as the reality hits her. He is here, he is real, he is alive. She lifts her head from it’s safe space. Oh what she would give to kiss along that jaw and to his mouth. To sink into his lips and wrap her arms around him and never let go.

“Melina what the hell were you thinking?” His face so close to hers, his eyes filled with concern. He brings his hand up to her face to brush back her hair and it lingers as he cups her jaw. Did he dare move his face any closer? Threatening to crash his lips against hers and tangle his hands in her hair, bringing her closer to him and never leave her again.

Before she can answer they are being helped up by onlookers. Her gaze doesn’t move from him, she’s not losing him again. She thanks them and brushes them off as she moves closer to him - if he tries to run she thinks she can be quick enough to grab him by the jacket.

“Please, Dames. Just come to my apartment. Y-you don’t have to s-stay. I …” She drops her head for a moment as she lets out a deep sigh. Looking into his eyes - God, is this real? Is he really in front of me? She says, “I just want to know you’re okay. Our last talk to each other, that wasn’t fair - it wasn’t right. That’s not how things were suppo-”

“Melina…” The way he said her name made her heart skip a beat. “I’ll come with you. We can talk, I promise.” She nodded her head, still in disbelief. Instinctively, her hand intertwined with his. “Do you want to grab your laptop?” He asked as he motioned to the coffee shop.

“I’m not crossing that street again, today. I’ll text Lily to hang on to it for me.”

The walk back to Melina’s apartment was silent, apart from the noise from the city, but it didn’t phase either of them. Absentmindedly their thumbs would graze one anothers - fingers still laced together. When they reached her apartment Melina led the way, giving her hips an extra sway for him as they climbed the stairs. She wanted him to watch, and she knew he would. It took her a moment to fetch her keys from her crossbody purse and unlock her door, the adrenaline was kicking in again. This is a part of her life Dames hasn’t experienced first hand. This moment would be intimate one for both of them.

They made their way inside, Dames moved towards her living room, taking it all in. With her eyes closed, Melina slowly closed the door imagining Dames moving closer to her. His hands on either side of the door frame, closing in on her. His chest pressed against her back, his pelvis against her backside, and his lips hovering so close to her ear. She would turn around to face him and that’s when he would press her hard against the door, his lips kissing hers and his hands gripping her hips as hers would tug on his collar.

“This is a really nice place, Melina.” Dames says, snapping Melina out of her thoughts.

“Ya, thanks. Over here is the kitchen… Where I keep the rum. I need a shot, do you want a shot?” Her heart is beating so fast, her hands begin to shake. She makes her way to the cupboards and pulls out two shot glasses and his favorite rum. He sits on a barstool on the other side of her counter, one elbow propped up.

“Melina, are you alright?” His voice is filled with concern as he watches her move quickly.

“Mmhmm. I just, need to calm my nerves. It’s been so long and it’s all happening so fast.” She pours the shots and slides one over to him. He takes his and stares at it for a moment before he returns his attention to her. She raises her glass to him before throwing back the shot. He quietly lets out a sigh, then follows suit. She’s already pouring herself another round and is quick to refill his. The second shot burns her throat, but seems to do its job as it settles her down. She looks into his eyes and she can see the pain in his eyes. The pain he’s been feeling since Paris, since they left him behind in Tokyo to fight Cecile and all those matches. Her breath hitches when he takes her hand into his.

“C’mon, let’s go sit down. Okay?” He says as he leads her from the kitchen to the couch in her living room.

They settle onto the couch, space between them, but their knees slightly brush against the other as they face each other. Her arms are crossed against her body, gently tucked beneath her heaving chest. His hands are placed on his thighs, rubbing back and forth - not sure how he should proceed.

“Dames, where the hell have you been?” Melina breaks the silence, he can hear the hurt in her voice. “I have been endlessly searching for you, hoping and praying that you were alive and until today I’ve had no fucking luck.” The tears start to form in her eyes and her voices begins to shake. “Why now? I know you’ve been in contact with Keegan. Why have you been avoiding me when you know how to get a hold of me? Why? Why?” The tears fall and her cheeks are wet, she can’t wipe them away fast enough. They just won’t stop.

He hates to see her like this, it hurts him to see her cry. He wants to just wrap her in his arms again and bury his face into her hair. He wants to make her pain end, but he’s the one who did this to her - it’s his fault. It’s all his fucking fault. Fuck it, he thinks as he reaches for her and wraps her into a hug. He gently rocks her and she cries even harder. He whispers “I’m sorry” over and over into her ear. It’s not enough, she deserves more than just his words, even if he means it with every ounce of his fabricated heart and soul. “I’m so fucking sorry, Melina.” He says before she pulls back.

She wants him to look her in the eyes when he tells her why. Why he hid from her all this time without one single word, even if those words were “fuck off”, but he didn’t even give her that.

“Melina, I’m so sorry. I was a coward. I was scared to come back to you when I knew my time was coming end. Knowing I only had months to retain all my past memories and feelings. I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t bring myself to be near you and lose you all over again.” Melina couldn’t believe what ehe was hearing. He didn’t even attempt to let them try -

“I eventually came into contact with Kaahn. I didn’t know if he could help me, but I couldn’t let Cecile and Rowan win. I couldn’t go down without some sort of fighting chance.” He sighed as he took Melina’s hands into his. They were so much smaller, and they were so soft. He loved how such a simple touch from her brought such warmth to him.

Her eyes grew wide, fucking Kaahn talked to Dames and he didn’t say a word?When Dames took her hands and it relaxed her for a moment, but she was still in shock. Who the hell did Kaahn think he was? “He attempted to fix my programming. Today is the last day before the original’s program was set to erase everything. Unfortunately, Kaahn doesn’t know if his override will work. I’m scheduled to… ‘reset’ if you will, at midnight. It won’t be until I wake up will I know if it worked. ”

Her world was flipping upside down. Her head was spinning, her heart was breaking, what was she supposed to do with this information? She finally had Dames back, but tonight he could be gone all over again. This wasn’t fair , Dames didn’t deserve any of this. He brushed her hair from her face, he wanted to comfort her as best as he could. He had already accepted what might happen to him, but this was all so much for Melina. He didn’t want her to have to endure all this. This wasn’t something she needed to worry about, she didn’t need to fuss over him.

“Stay with me.” Her eyes pleaded, her lips slightly parted in anticipation of his answer. “I know you wanted me to see you today. I know you weren’t expecting me to run like a mad woman into traffic, but …” she licked her lips and Dames let out a soft groan at the sight. “Please, stay. You’re finally here and I don’t think I can let you go.”

“What about Damien?” He questioned, his feelings for Melina meant the world to him, but he could never come between her and the person who he had to thank and curse for all these wonderful feelings.

She shook her head and said, “He’s surprisingly very open to me having intimate feelings for others. I don’t think you would be an exception. And it’s not about Damien right now. It’s about me and you right now, and right now I want to spend what could be last moments in your arms… if you want that too.”

That was all he needed to hear. He slowly closed the space between them, Melina’s sweet scent filling his senses, making his head swim. His lips found hers, they tasted like rum with a hint of peach from her iced tea that she had been drinking earlier. Her moan sent a tingle through his body. He needed more of her, but he was worried of what would come in the morning. Dames broke away from the kiss and asked, “Melina, are you okay with keeping it light? I want to be with you so badly, but it’s not fair to you if I won’t have any memories in the morning. I …” Dames hung his head low, scared to meet his gaze with hers. Her warm hands cupped his face and she lifted his chin until he finally looked her in the eyes.

“I am perfectly fine with being held in your arms all night long, but don’t stop kissing me.” Dames stood up and brought Melina to her feet and embraced her in a hug. He lifted her up and she hooked her legs around his waist holding on to him like she would never let go, burying her face in his neck. He led them to the bedroom where they laid in bed all night intertwined. Both Melina and Dames fighting the urge to fall asleep. Their eyelids heavy, but their lips still finding each other. Both whispering each others names on their skin, and their lips. They both succumbed to sleep, the mental exhaustion too much for them to bear any longer.

When Melina wakes up she’s not sure what time it is. She can feel the warmth of the sun peeking through her curtains. Her face is still buried in Dames chest, her new favorite place to rest her head. She’s afraid to move, not knowing what will happen if she wakes him up. Will it be him? Will he remember her and the enchanting night they just had. Just him and her wrapped in each other, never letting go. She wants to cry, the anticipation driving her mad, she didn’t want this to end. She didn’t want to lose Dames again.

Moments passed and finally, he began to stir. She held her breath, this was it, the moment of truth. What would she even say if he didn’t recognize her - she guessed she could call Kaahn or Keegan and they would know what to do. Fuck. Why did it have to be this way? Why did this even have to be a thought?

She felt pressure on the top of her head. Was that? Was that a kiss? Another, and another on her temple. She couldn’t move, does he remember?

“Melina.” He whispers in her vibrant purple locks. She looks up, and he’s smiling the brightest smile she’s ever seen. He’s beautiful, he’s perfect, he’s ….

“I remember. Everything.” He can’t stop smiling, his head clear of the fog that was his limited programing. Lifetime upon lifetime worth of memory just waiting to be stored. Kaahn did it.

“Stay with me.” Her voice gentle, she didn’t ask, she wanted him to know she wanted him.

“As long as you want me, I will always be here for you, Melina.” His lips found hers over and over again. They trailed along her jaw and down her neck. She moaned his name and begged for more. Piece by piece their clothes made their way to her bedroom floor. His groans grew louder the lower his kisses wandered. Her skin was soft, she was so beautiful and her taste was like ecstasy on his tongue. Melina’s moans drove him to please her harder and harder until she was trembling against his mouth.

“I want all of you, Dames. Please. I need you..” She begged between her panting breaths.

Dames kissed Melina ever so gently as he made his way between her legs. Their moans mingling as they moved against one another. Melina savored the pressure of Dames’ muscular body on top of her’s. She held him close, not wanting to let go. He was finally back in her life and to stay this time.

Dames is here, he is real, Dames is alive.

#perfect match #dames x mc #playchoices #30 diamond scene #long post #h3llostrang3r writes

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lombax-lombardi · 6 years

Text

Reflections~

Summary: Being a spirit of some kind was tough. Sure you can manifest a physical form whenever you wish but sometimes you run into a reflection of yourself. And the real feelings come out.

Genre: Angst, Fluff

Characters: Direheart.

Note: Well thanks to @rii--flect I have caught the feels. Now time to write the feels asdfghjkl!

She was in love once.

Once being the keyword.

Now that was she connected with so many others, even her alternate selves, feeling all the feel made her jealous.

She wish she didn’t feel this way but she did! She didn’t deserve what happened to her if she knew it was going to make her this way!

Most of the residents of Radiant Garden, which it was now called thanks to Sora and friends, were upset at her presence. Not her presence entirely but the fact she was so sad was affecting the others.

Even the mopiest person, Cloud Strife, was starting to feel how heavy her emotions were taking a toll on the residents. The ghost had become close with the Restoration Committee during her much allotted time there.

Yuffie, the young ninja, was laying on the floorboards of Merlin’s house while Aerith, the charming brunette in pink, sat nearby. “Something seems to be troubling you?” her voice alerted Yuffie who looked up at the brunette.

“Kinda. It’s Direheart.” Upon the mention of the spirit’s name, the brunette seemed to nod in understanding. “She looks so miserable....It’s cause...I think I heard Merlin correctly....” she sat up trying hard to remember what the old wizard had told them when another voice spoke up.

“It’s because of what type of creature she is” The girls look up to see another brunette, clad in leather. “According to him because of a lack of a heart, that red ruby on her chest acts a substitute”

“But how can it act like that Leon?” Yuffie queried, the male folded his arms across his chest. “Even Marlin doesn’t know the whole story, Direheart is very quiet about her past. All we have to go on is that she has been around for a very long time”

Aerith takes a moment to speak up. “Not to mention she is probably worried for her friend Rii”

“Yeah. Sora and Riku did NOT look pleased at all that she got taken. But it’s like her whole demeanour affects everyone-” Yuffie was about to continue on when the stuffy old wizard himself decided to poof himself right in the middle of the conversation.

“Well my dear as Leon was saying it has to do with that jewel carved into her chest. It allows her to maintain a stronger connection to others she has become rather close too. Even across worlds” the old wizard stroked his beard.

“Because when she feels miserable, the rest of you do because you are close to her. You believe you are friends yes?”

They nod in response to his question. “Good. Now according to what I have managed to learn, with what she has been able to tell me...” he pulled over a piece of parchment from his robe. “This is what she used to be like before her transformation”

The trio approached to stare at the piece of paper. It seemed to be a drawing, in colour of their ghostly friend. She had long brown hair with eyes to match and she...was smiling.

Yuffie stared wide eyed at the picture, Aerith seemed to stare in wonder and as for Leon well he was shocked to say the least. She used to look like that?

Then what in the hell happened to her to make her look like she does now?

“Now. From what I know about how she was before, she was very much like Sora. Kind, caring and all that and from what we were told by our robot visitor...” Merlin mumbles. They knew who he was referring to.

Seven.

“She sacrificed herself to save her friends. And with being a spirit now, her connections with others are magnified on such a scale that she feels what they do”

Aerith lifts her head. “Everything? Every emotion? Thought?”

The old wizard gives the young woman a nod. “Why yes. Every single minuet thing she feels on a scale larger then normal my dear. The poor soul.”

The trio fall silent. Poor Direheart. What a miserable life she leads now.

Speaking of, said spirit was floating around the marketplace waiting for news or waiting for her friend to summon her again. Or to be called off to a different place yet again as is her wont in life now.

Well if you could call this a life.

In her time here she had become close with Scrooge McDuck and his nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie. Mostly because she had a fondness for children in general and the boys were always polite to her and always asked her questions. In fact she had become close with all the people here, even Cloud with all his moping.

As she floated around she saw something, no, someone motioning for her to follow. She did so, taking a moment to land. She was greeted with bright blue eyes and a smile.

“Oh...Sora...hello..” she sounded so indifferent. “Aww come on Direheart, I can’t a smile from you?”

That sounded familiar to her. Ah right...Ven. It was hard to forget that a part of him was hold up inside the Keyblade holders heart. It was hard to not smile at him.

“There she is~”

“Why are you here Sora. You didn’t make a trip this long to come see little old me..” she said, face returning to its stone cold coverage, Sora placed his hands on his hips. “Look Direheart we are still looking for Rii but this has to do with something else....I got a strange message from a friend of yours...”

He began describing the person who delivered the message. Seven. She seemed to be popping up a lot more recently, trying her best to help.

Help huh? More like nuisance...No don’t think like that! The last time something like that happened the evil I’ve buried came out!

“What did she want?” Direheart spoke, glossy blue eyes.

“Well what she basically said is that you really need to get over your losses and move forward. You are...kind of bringing everyone down.” He felt her eyes narrow, looking right through him. “Oh really? Kind of difficult when everything you loved and cared for vanished when you woke up after so long”

He seemed to have struck a nerve. Which wasn’t his intention he said it as nicely as he could. But several people did warn him that the spirit was a bit of a firecracker.

She turned her head away from. “Just find Rii...and keep the last part of my friend safe. I need to be alone” she flew off with Sora reaching out to stop her, but he was a tad too late. Damn it.

The spirit found herself in a quiet corner of Radiant Garden, sitting on the railing. “Get over it huh? Get over it? How would SHE know ANYTHING about getting over it!!” Her anger grew, loose strands of white hair covered her vision as she gripped her head. “If I didn’t save those fools I’d still be normal! But no here I am with nothing! With no one! The person I loved is now just a derelict suit of armour and I can’t bring myself to love another because I feel I don’t deserve such happiness!!”

Her ministrations had caused the environment around her to twist and turn, moulding into new terrifying shapes. This wasn’t just anger, this was sadness.

“I see their smiling faces, going about their lives while I’m stuck in a sort of limbo with nothing and not a soul to call my own...all I wanted...all I want...” Tears fell from her eyes, wetting spots of concrete. Seeing the remnants of Terra that day really shook her core. Even she didn’t know it. It was hidden upon layers and layers of bile, hatred, jealousy.

“I don’t want to be alone anymore....can’t I just have that....” she asked to the silence.

No response.

Typical.

She was alone.

Always.

She wasn’t even aware of the ghostly visage standing in front of her. “Oh come on now me. Moping isn’t going to help you...”

She looked up in pure shock. Standing in front of her...was herself!

Well what she looked like before she removed her heart from her body.

“Come to berate me have you?” Her reflection shook her head.

“No I’m here to tell you to stop moping and get up!”

The one in white scoffed. “As if. You’re me, like you can tell me what to do...”

Her reflection growled in protest, lifted up the spirit by the scuff of her dress, fists clenching ever tighter around the slightly visible fabric. Brown eyes stared in cloudy blue ones, the red markings around her eyes glowed somewhat amidst the darkness.

“Now you listen here, Me. Sure you lost me when you lost your heart. Sure you got forced out of two vessels when you weren’t ready! Sure it sucks that you have this fate thrust upon you and that guy you...no we fell in love with is now so separated it may take a long time to make him whole again...”

She felt her reflection tremble slightly. “But you cannot sit here and think you aren’t worthy of feeling that way again! You may have lost me somewhere beneath all the emotions of our alternates but enough is enough!”

The white haired female stared in shock at her reflection. This what was buried underneath it all? Some shred of her original persona left?

“I can’t come back. It’s far too late for me. You’ve become something completely new....Well...we have I guess...”

“But-”

“No buts Direheart! We both know that if you are gonna stave the darkness from you, you HAVE to get over the things in the past. We need to do this Direheart. So stop sitting there thinking that Terra is your one and only and you have lost the ability to love forever.” she motions a hand to a shining portal in the distance.

“You still have your memories right?”

“Yes I do but...”

“I’m not going to say lose yourself in them. There may be new loves in your life as you hop between worlds and help our alternates. Just stop beating yourself up over it...” She shakes her head.

“Look you have people who care about you...” Visions of the people she had grown to care for started to fill the empty void, glowing brightly.

“Not to mention our alternates”

Yes. The others who share her name.

“Now look it will be tough but he did say he will come back...not today not tomorrow, not next month but he will” She released her from her grip. She noticed something her other half didn’t.

Not until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Direheart flinched.

She turned on her heel to meet those familiar brown eyes that she fell in love with so long ago. It was him, or what she remembered of him anyway.

“It’s you...a-are you...” It was hard to get the words out. Laughter. That same laugh she heard all the time.

“Let’s just say I’m right here..” he pressed a finger against the ruby. She looked confused. She didn’t have a heart.

“But I do not-”

“Yes you do. Listen..Madilyn...” This had to be an illusion. Unless she was in the darkness. It is said that you can sometimes see your loved ones in such a place.

But this darkness wasn’t malevolent.

It was kind.

“I...may not be here with you like I used too....and even if I am...brought back to normal who knows how you’ll feel then. But perhaps one day we could but...for now I just want you to be happy”

This had to be fake.

But she didn’t care.

The tears started rolling down her cheeks faster now. “You promise?” he asked her.

She nods.

“O-Okay..I-I promise...”

He gave her a smile. “That’s the woman I remember...” It was only for a moment but she swore she felt something press against her head, when she opened her eyes again, the visions were gone.

She ended up on her back, staring up at the clouds when a bob of black hair appeared in her vision. “Direheart?”

“ACK!” It seems Yuffie had found her, as she scrambled to her feet. “You startled me!”

“Well you startled us” The ninja said, earning a raised brow from the ghost. “Merlin could see a strange light all the way from his house. We thought you were in trouble”

“We?”

Yuffie nods as she turned her head at the sound of feet coming toward them. It was Aerith and Leon. The one in the pink dress, her face lit up at the sight of her friend safe, rushing over to grab her hands.

Though still see through they felt warm. “You are alright. When that strange light appeared we all felt something was wrong...”

Oh right. That was the ruby’s power, it allowed Direheart when she met people to become attune to their hearts and their minds, which allowed her easy access to their memories and feelings for information.

“You really were worried? About me...I’m just a spirit I am not worth-” The look the brunette was giving her said it all.

“i wouldn’t say anymore if I were you” came the voice of Leon, who was leaning against the railing. “Once she gets that face she means business. Come on let’s take you to see Merlin, with magic like he saw he wants to make sure you can properly contain it”

Direheart sighs.

How foolish she was to think about how no one really cared. Her vision showed that.

Yes what she saw was just a vision, caused by the ruby’s power. but it was what she needed the most.

Now the important question was...

What was this fuzzy feeling she felt at the sound of peoples voices?

#Maddi writes #gdi Rii you fave me the feels so HAVE SOME FEELS #I CAN DISH IT OUT #asdfghjkl

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blessyourheartdharps · 6 years

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band-aids don’t fix bullet holes but they do cover bites || Platonic Soulmates

who: Dani Harper & Abel Hayward

when: 8/25/18 - night (I literally forgot to post this)

where: their house ; Dani’s room

what: after an argument, Dani bit herself and Abel fixes her up

warnings: blood, depression, technically this is self harm, mentions of death and abuse

It was stupid, the way she felt. She knew he had a point. She knew he was right, but she was frustrated. Dani had never had this issue. Never had to worry about hurting someone like this. Whatever was happening with Mercedes was weird. It was wrong, but not in the way it should be. Dani knew Mercedes deserved the world and that Dani wasn't that. She was a wreck and that wouldn't change anytime soon. In truth, it was likely not to ever fully change. Abuse stayed with a person and that mistrust, especially with people who talked to her drunk was part of it. It sucked. And she'd gotten frustrated and bit her arm, hard. She'd tasted the blood fast but hadn't let go until Abel was gone. Until she'd heard the door close. His words felt like a kick to the gut and she'd ended up just getting up and going into her room, door locked tight behind her. She didn't even look at her arm, she knew it was bleeding, but she wasn't going to deal with it. She deserved to hurt. So, she'd laid on the floor, her depression playlist blasting and closed her eyes, letting the darkness and the lyrics consume her. It started with Pain by Three Days Grace and then transitioned into Sharp Edges by Linkin Park as she let everything sink in, doing her best to ignore the feeling of blood running down her arm onto the wood floor beneath her.

Abel knew he was out of line when he told her that things, but he knew that if he didnt try, he would be watching his best friend going after someone and it somehow turned on a switch for something, that he didnt know. He hadnt discussed what he told Dani yet in therapy. When he got to his car, he hit his hand against his car and he groaned out of pain. He let out a breath, knew that he couldnt be running off somewhere else when Dani was this down. He headed back into the house, ignored the pain in his hand and closed his door once he was in there. He put his headphones on, started to play songs from Aaliyah and turned up the volume as he tried to ignore the pain and tried to draw. He kept messing up and it still wasn't getting any better. He turned down his music some, placed his headphones around his neck and swallowed hard as he gotten up. Abel knew that he needed to check on Dani, since he didnt leave and he felt bad for doing so. He headed into their bathroom, grabbed the first aid kit and headed to her door. He tried to open the door, but it was locked. He rested his forehead against the door, let out a breath as he closed his eyes. "Dani! If you don't open the door, I will kick it down! I dont feel like replacing a door at the moment!"

The music continued to play, her arm still bleeding onto the floor, as she lay there. So much of her begged her to get up, to change the music, to clean up the blood , to patch up her arm, to stop hating herself. But she couldn't. The exhaustion of the day mixed with need to not feel but also feel, kept her from doing it. If she let herself bleed, this was just an accident. This would keep her from doing it on purpose. Because she as scared she would. Scared that if she fixed the bleeding, she'd just want to make it a new escape. Even as she heard Abel yell at her through the door, she just continued to lay there. She cared but she didn't. She couldn't let him in. Couldn't let him near. She was scared of what she might do to him.

"Dani Harper, get your ass off of the floor and let me in. So I can bandaged that up! Im seriously going to kick down the door if you don't let me in five minutes!" Abel shouted over her music and knew that he needed to get into her room. "Seriously, I don't really want to replace a door, but I will if you just continue to lay there! Also, I don't want to explain the blood that would be stained on the floor!" He placed the kit in his left hand as he gotten in position and looked at his left wrist. "Five..four..This is your last chance!"

His words had her huffing and she got up, ignoring the way she felt the blood change direction towards her palm. Swallowing she stared at the door, trying to convince herself to do it, to open the door, to let him in. As he started to count down she turned the lock, and opened the door, simultaneously turning on her heel and going back to her spot in the middle of the room, sinking back to the floor. Clenching her fist she grimaced at the feeling of blood on her hand. It was worse than she'd thought. There wasn't a lot of blood on the floor, most of it still on her arm, but there was enough to warrant needing cleaning up.

Abel raised one of his legs up as he kept an eye on the door and looked up when he saw Dani. He turned off his headphones, placed them on a box as he headed into her room, being careful not to step in the blood and turned off the music. "I'll get that cleaned up after I clean you up." He replied softly as he ignored the pain in his hand before he started to pull out what he needed and started to clean her arm up once he put on gloves. "Im sorry for saying that and then leaving you. Something clicked and I knew that I needed to get away from you, but I hit my hand against my car. So that's karma kicking my ass for you." He whispered as he grabbed another wipe and looked at her. "Why did you bite your hand? I mean, I would get it if you bit my hand, but why yours?"

Dani didn't even really respond as Abel turned off the music or started talking, all too fascinated by the blood on her arm. the bite mark in her arm. She'd never actually broken skin that badly before. It was weird. "I don't know... I was frustrated and I didn't really have anything to scream into and I don't know the sound proofing in this place so like my arm just seemed like the best way to muffle that but... I bit harder than normal. Cause I do it a lot when I don't want people to hear me scream..." She couldn't look at him, even as he cleaned up her arm, instead focusing her eyes on her own arm, what he was doing. "I'm sorry."

Abel listened to her, glanced up at her and looked back at the bite. "You could always scream into my chest next time, okay? Or even into my arm. Anything besides biting at your own skin." He said softly as he raised an eyebrow as she spoke and looked at her. "No need to apologize, D." He grabbed a bandage and placed it over it. "It doesnt look too deep for stitches, but if it worse. I advise for us to go to minor care and see what they can give you, since you're recovering." He took off the gloves before he put on new gloves to clean up the blood. "Also, I hear going outside and screaming might be a good idea. However, not around here, obviously or they might call the police."

Dani sighed as he spoke. "Felt like I deserved it, I guess. Always do. It's easier, attacking my own body. I control how bad I get hurt. I don't hurt someone else." She shrugged a bit as he said she didn't need to apologize. Maybe she didn't, but she felt like she did. "Yeah, I guess." Dani hated the idea of going to minor care, or really anywhere, where the reasoning behind her actions would be questioned. Yes, she was getting help. Yes, she was recovering from multiple addictions. Yes, she was a domestic abuse survivor. No, this would not save her from being admitted to the psych ward. That was the last thing she wanted, to be locked away like that. "That's why I didn't just scream, cause God forbid the neighbors heard. That's the last thing we need right after moving in."

Abel paused his movements and let out a breath. "Dani, you don't deserve any of this shit thats happening. I know me saying it wont change your mind, but honestly. You dont deserve heartache or anything like this. Especially attacking yourself, when you're punishing yourself. Its not right. Im gonna see about installing a kickboxing bag down in the basement. I know it wont solve all of our problems, but it will be a step." He looked at her, swallowed hard before he started to clean the blood. "Im sure they would probably think we were watching some show and get pissed because let's be honest. We've done that before. Besides, it wouldnt be anything surprising since we're living in New York and people screamed at each other before."

Dani pulled her knees to her chest, resting her head on her good arm. "Attacking myself is better than hurting you. I hate hurting other people, but especially the people I love." She sighed. "I normally don't break skin anyway, but now I'm scared. Scared I'll do it on purpose. Cause I've felt the pain and the relief and the feeling without feeling..."Dani closed her eyes for a moment then breathed out. "I need to get back into derby so bad. Get back to being physical like that. The extra energy is causing problems. Problems we don't need."

"I can take it. I dont look like it, but I can take it." Abel said with a shrug and looked back at the spot as she talked, hoping it wouldnt leave a stain. "Then make sure to talk about it in therapy." He paused as he looked back at her before he slowly nodded. "We've got 99 problems but a bitch aint one." Abel hoped it would make her smile but he knew better than that. "Sorry, I thought it was appropriate since we're in New York and Jay-Z is from NY. Yeah, you definitely need to get back into Roller Derby because honestly, you need it and we need it as a family. Like I need to get back into working out and doing shit that makes me focus my energy into something." He paused as he bit his inner cheek. "I wonder if Saph can give me a number of a celebrity trainer who is willing to come here and help me get back into the gym. I honestly need to get a manager so that way Saph doesnt need my shit on top of everyone else's." He looked at Dani. "So, will I be expecting you in my bed? Or you?" He asked when he heard Batman near the door. "Also, if you want, we can change his last name again before I leave town. If I leave town." He sighed.(edited)

Dani groaned, shaking her head. "So could the bitch, but that doesn't mean I want to take it out on you. I didn't even want to take it out on her and she fucking deserved it most of the time." It was true. Dani hated the way her and Angela would fight, even if Angela started it. It was something Dani hated doing and it made her feel sick, more than the thought of relapsing with self harm tended to. She tilted her head at him. "Yeah and I'm sure they can, though if Saph is the kind of person I've been told they are, your shit isn't an issue." Dani could remember the things Puck and Quinn had told her and it seemed reasonable that Saph was the kind of person who took on the weight of the world for everyone. She furrowed her brows and stood up, walking so she was in front of him before making it so she was on eye level with him. "We will figure the dark knight name situation AFTER you get back from picking our girl up. None of this if you leave town bullshit."

Abel relaxed a bit before he started to attack the stain again. "I know and to be fair, she still deserves it." He pointed out once the stain was gone and took off his gloves. "Saph is and I know, but they need a break from everything." He watched her get to eye level with him. "Will you be here when we get back? Because I need you to promise me that you will go to all of your appointments while Im gone."

Dani sighed. "Maybe, but the less I have to think about her, the better. She's my past and as painful as that is, as hard as it will be to get over, I will. Given enough time." Dani nodded a bit as he talked about Saph. "I can almost guarantee they've had quite the break while in Lima." She smiled at him gently and held out her pinky to him. "I, Danielle Maria Harper, promise you that not only will I be here when you get back, still clean and sober and harm free, but that this house will be perfect for our family when you do. That I will go to my appointments, even if it means having Hunter force me." Her face was serious and sincere as she spoke, looking him directly in the eyes.

Abel listened to her and gave her a smile. "I know, you can do it. Remember, baby steps." He nodded. He raised an eyebrow. "Wait, they're in Lima? Damn. Oh, OooOh. Damn." He saw her gentle smile as he held out his pinkie as well. "I, Abel Cyrus Hayward, promise to be clean and sober while Im traveling with our kid and I will also find an AA and a therapist while in Lima. When I get back, I will go to a meeting & a session. Good." He said as he wrapped his pinkie around hers and shook it as he met her eyes.

Dani nodded a bit as he spoke. "Yeah, Puck is one lucky fucker." Dani laughed a bit and then her face fell serious as she listened to him. Nodding her head, she curled her pinkie around his the rest of the way. "We've got this."

Abel looked at Dani and chewed on his inner cheek. "Lets hope so." He said, hoping that it would be true.

#parawhatif #self harm tw #blood tw #abuse tw #depression tw #i: abel hayward #p: abel hayward #p: 007 #p: all

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keendreamstarlight · 3 years

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next chapter

He smiled at me and gave me a hug. It hurt, but I hugged him back. He stared tiredly into my eyes. "My name is Cody, what is your name?" "My name is Lucy," I screeched in pain "Are you a shape shifter," he asked. "Yes I am. I can transform into many animals," I said. "Oh you are the type one? I hear it is rare," he said "Yes, it is," I said. I put my hand on my bandages. The blood was on my hand. Cody gulped. His fangs came out. He got up and turned into a bat to hide. He was a mutt. He was a shape shifter too, but most of all he was dangerous. He was a mutt. I hurried and wiped my hand on my pants. He came back as a bat and he gave me some new bandages. He picked up his clothes by his claws and flew back into the darkest corner. I undid the bandages. There were claw marks everywhere. They were really deep and probably needed stitches. I bit my lip as I took the gauze and put it on there. I wrapped the cloth. I had to put a lot of pressure on it. Luke came back into existence. He kneeled beside me and put pressure onto the bandages. I was afraid of him, but I kept wrapping the bandages around me. He took his fangs and bent closer to my stomach. I thought he was going to bite me. He tore the bandages and tied them on my side. I looked at him and smiled. "Thank you." He began to laugh a sweet laugh that no other vampire had. He said, "You need to be more confident in me. I wont hurt you." "It is just that I have never met a vampire like you before." He stared at the blood. "By the looks of things you will need to stay all night and you will be recovered in the morning." I sighed. I closed my eyes and remembered my mother. "Oh no, I can't. My mom is expecting me and she has no idea that I am a shape shifter." He looked at me and picked me up. He was strong and he acted like I was as light as a feather. He ran right of the cave. "Where do you live? I will take you there." I told him where I lived and he went there. I had no attention of telling a vampire were I lived, but at the moment I had no choice He ran fast like a cheetah. My body pressed up against his ice cold chest. His nose wrinkled with the smell of blood. I was afraid I was going to be lunch. I watched him as he carefully looked towards my house. We were there before I knew it. I was surprised by how the minutes went by. He sighed, "Okay where to now?" "Just knock on my dad's window. He will answer it,"I said as I pointed to the window. He nodded and walked up to the window. My dad saw him at once and opened it for him. He looked at me weird and Luke jumped into the window. He landed on the floor with like a feather. He did not even make a sound. My dad pointed to my room and Luke took me there. He laid me in my bed. He sat next to me in my chair as my dad walked through the door. I knew he could smell the stench of the vampire, but being to old and retired he could’t possibly know that it was from the one sitting right next to me. "What happened, Lou?" He was trying to be quiet so my mom would not hear. I looked up at my dad and said, I'm sorry. Cody was the one who saved me. I woke up and I was in cuts all over." Cody smiled at my dad, but he didn't seem too happy. "Thank you, son, now gets out of here before the old lady finds you here," my dad puffed. I was still hoping that my dad lost his sense of smell when he retired. Most of us could smell a vampires scent. That is how we tracked them. My dad was shocked by my actions. My dad said, "Fine, is he staying for dinner?" I looked at Cody and he shook his head. He was a vampire, I thought, he doesn't eat like we do. He is a dead and breathing blood sucker. I shook my head at my dad. My dad frowned and walked out of the room. He walked back downstairs and told my mom that I was sick. My mom didn't mind when I was sick. She was just usually upset. I looked at Cody. "So what exactly happened?" Cody knew what I was talking about. He sighed and said, "When you attacked me I thought you were going to kill me. Then all of a sudden you stopped and I saw your eyes look at me. Another vampire came and gave you those scratches. You transformed back into a human. I got up and my brother left. I saw you on the ground. I couldn't just leave you there. I never wanted anyone to get hurt, but it happened. I dragged you to my cave when my family was away and healed you. But it doesn't really look like it right now though." I said, "By the way don’t worry about my blood gushing out. I will be healed tomorrow." Cody smiled and said, "Until then you should rest." He opened my window and was about to jump out. "Wait," I called, "Will you stay until I fall asleep?" He smiled and lied on the side on my bed. I cuddled up next to him. He held me in his arms and I fell asleep. I woke up the next morning. Cody was gone. I looked around and din’t see him. I lied on my back and started to take off the bandages. I was healed. There wan’t even a scratch on me. I rubbed my hand over it. There was nothing. I got up and a rush of dizziness came over me causing me to grab onto the wall too help me up. Black dots were everywhere. Was it from healing? Then I walked downstairs and into the kitchen. I had my mom cook her famous eggs and bacon for breakfast. She put my plate down in front of me and I ate them. I walked outside and headed into the cornfield. I din’t€™t want to risk having my powers go wrong again. I finally got to the trailer and I was tired. I opened the door and everyone stared at me. "You're late,"said Tory. "I am so sorry." Tory didn't smile. Morgan looked at me too. "Where have you been," she asked. I looked and her and started to explain. "Last night there was something that went wrong with my powers and right before I was going to kill a vampire I changed back. I woke up in full clothing and a vampire stood over me." "You were in his lair?" Tory widened her eyes, "I can tell you reek of his scent." Dalton didn't look at me. He wanted to believe my story, but he didn't. "Why did you go to his lair?" I looked at him. "I woke up in his lair. I was in so bad of shape that I couldn't move. Skin was hanging off my stomach. He took care of me and I owe him my life." Tory looked at me and frowned. "You have one more chance to prove yourself and if you don't then you will be out of here. This is why we came here. We wanted to protect you, but I can see that it might not be working for you. I will send Jake for you at once." I walked out of the trailer and walked back home. In my room I practiced to shape shift again. Sometimes it worked and others it din’t€™t. I heard a knock on my window. It was Cody. He crawled through my window and sat on my bed. He said, "How's it going short stuff." I looked at him and smiled. "Oh you know. I almost got kicked out of my clan today." "How," he asked. "I smell like a vampire. I smell like you," I said. He began to laugh. "Me?" he asked, "That is weird and that is what happened to me today. My mom said that I smelled like a human girl that reeked of a animal. It is a sign of shape shifting." I began to laugh. I noticed his worried look. I lied beside him on my bed and stared at the top of my ceiling. "It will be okay, I promise." He smiled at me. He turned on his back too. And put his arm around me. â€My brother was sent to look after me, but I lost him somewhere so I could come here." I looked at him. "We need to go. It will just be us." "Go?" he asked, "Go where?" "For a walk," I laughed. We went to the window and hoped out. Luke took my hand and transformed into a bat. I did the same and I changed into a bat too. It sort of felt nice to have him around. We grabbed our clothes and flew to the park. Once we got there we hid in the bushes and got dressed. I caught him taking a peek and i threw my jacket at him. He laughed and shrugged his shoulders a little and turned back around. We met on the path and we started to walk. His arm was around me the whole time. We asked each other questions about our life. We sat on a bench and I laid my head on his shoulder. He looked at me. I twitched. I heard the calling of Jake at my home. "I have to go," I said, "My brother in my clan is looking for me." I ran to the bush and transformed into a bird. Then I went back home. I landed in a bush next to my window and changed. I crawled through my window and saw Jake sniffing my bed. "You have the smell of him everywhere," he said. "I do?" I looked at him and began frightened. I ran over to him and hugged him tightly. "Please don't tell on me. If I got kicked out of the clan my dad would kill me. Please Jake, be my friend. He looked at me and grabbed my shoulders. He sniffed my neck and sensed Luke's scent. His nose twitched. "What have you been doing?" I bit my lip. I said, "Please don't tell. This will ruin me. I was with the vampire that saved my life. I owe him my own life." "You owe him nothing. He will live forever until I murder him," he said. He took my shoulders and shoved me out the window. He threw me into my mom's bushes. He took every leaf and rubbed it on my skin. He picked me up and pulled me closer to his body and hugged me. He said, "You still smell like him. Go take a shower." I did as he was told and went back through my window. I took a shower and went back into my room. Jake was sitting on my bed spraying it with air freshener to get off the smell. He looked at me and hopped off my bed. Jake stayed outside when i dressed. Then I went outside my window and saw Jake as a bird. I transformed into a bird too and we both headed out. We flew into the air and to the park. We landed. I had forgotten that there was a cornfield here too. I transformed back into a human and knocked on the door. Tina answered the door. She let us in. I sat on the couch. Tory was silent. Morgan looked at me. "So what is wrong with your shape shifting?" I looked at her and said, "I am not sure, but when I want to shape shift I will, but when I don't I will too. And sometimes I even transform and transform back when I don't want to." "You smell like a vampire," Morgan said. Tory got up and smelled me. She took me by my arms and shook me. "I told you once and now you have now more chances. You are out of here." I began to cry. Jake stepped in front of us. "I am sorry. This is my entire fault. I was watching her and I smelled a vampire so I attacked it for attacking a child. It reminded me of my childhood." Tory smelled him too. He smelled like me. I could smell the stench on his neck. Jake looked at me and winked. Tory whispered something in Jake's ear and walked to Dalton and whispered the same thing in his ear. Tory went to her room and slammed the door. I looked at Jake. "I am supposed to watch you. I will never leave your side from now on," Jake said. I frowned for awhile. I didn't want him to notice my expression.

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crazyspookies · 6 years

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S7M1+2

So, i wasn’t planing on going back to making recaps but i had a couple thoughts that im going to leave here somewhere! :)

1) This is such a nice way to start the season. Also, it kinda feels like one of those national holidays in wich you still go to school but you mostly do other activities that are nothing like your usual classes and the whole school is full of kids going aroudn doing activities or going on a little school trip you know what i mean.

2) “the patchwork cushions look cheerful, and the handmade scepter and mace are a delight!” What a nice reporter i like her.

3) Royal Roller Derby, now a tradition :’/

4) “Me and Five are just in the outer hall. It’s so quiet, anyone could hear! “ Are there any other people here? Are we like, officialy escorting janine as representant of Abel Township? I can’t imagine we’re the only source of security here, i mean, this is a peace conference there should be other people from the other major townships and royal security to make sure nothing happens to their representants, right?

6) “ Five, do you hear that? Bikes.”

Me: it begins

7) “She’ll hear you, and beat you with an Abel pennant later! Janine’s intel is never wrong.“ Sam i love you but lmao in what delusional limbo do you live to even think janine’s intel can ever be wrong

8) “[motorcycle engines roar, laughter, glass shatters]”

9)”And there’s a little disturbance, as we all knew there might be" I love it that we all knew that. Peace conference? Obviously someting’s going to go down

10) Ok, Sorry For Party Rocking? Best song choice ever, great party, 10/10 would recommend

11) I am so weirdly charmed by these toe eating chaos viallians. After having to deal with Sigrid, who if we go by evidence, is a generally much higher profile kind of villian, this is a lot of fun. Like, the stakes are still high, because of the whole “we are going ot be bombed to death or killied insome other way thing but. You know, Sigrid was a cold villian. A conqueror, if you will, with her fingers in many important pots, orginized and a high goverment official. The contrast from that kind of angst to suddenly being surrounded by hot blooded chaos and..a bunch of picturesque baddies who cheer and provoque and make very overt threats is pretty fun. Kinda like little guideon and the prison inmates hahaha

12) Operator Rofflenet. Nice, this is cool, this is smart.

13) “ Abel! Abel scum! Look at their uniforms!” BRING IT ON BITCH

14) Me, listening to the biker chaos: am i on the fury road

15) “ No uniform will save you from the chaos, Abel! [laughs] Come here, little Abel. [kissy noises]” im crying bless your terrible soul you dickhead i can’t believe he’s making kissy noises and giving me classic villian dialogue this is amazing. But also, if i was actually there and someone did this at me id want to smash their face with a rock.

16) "I am getting a very Weinstein vibe from that biker” rock in the face it is

17)” We’re going to kill you slowly. We’re going to eat you piece by piece, starting with the toes “ IM SORRY BUT IM LAUGHING SO HARD COS THERE’S BEEN SO MANY SUCKING TOES MEMES THESE PAST FEW WEEKS, ESPECIALLY WITH THIS PIC AND IM CRYING

18) I’m sorry but, what kind of bad evil cannibals put a burning manequinn on top of a van rather than an actual corpse? Like? I imagine wood takes longer to charr? So what ytou’re saying is that this absolutley was an aesthetic decision

1) On the one hand i’m sad that jody always puts herself down comparing herself to janine. Like, ok, janine might be better at tactics but jody is really good and the truth is, Janine is not there so why compare yourself at all? This applies especially to season 6, because janine very literally LEFT to do a different mission and left the township in our hands. It’s of no use to think “she would do it better”, she’s not here AND she left this work to us, so that means she trusts us enough to get things done without her (and let’s be honest, that’s a great compliment? especially if janine is such a perfectionist?). So, on the one hand i don’t enjoy jody making these comments (especially because?? she’s actually a super good tactician anyway? jody istg) , but on the other i like how they twisted this by showing something jody is good better at than janine, which is diplomacy. I like how they make a note that maybe on this mission it might have been more beneficial for them to have been switched on this mission, and to have played their strengths in a more profitable way. I feel it could be interesting to expand on this, especially with this thing jody is doing with the uhhh thingamabob to reach other countries

2) Alright, so V types. If V types bit a corpse and it reanimates, does that corpse become a V type too and is it able to reanimate other corpses? From what sam says about the biker who is turned, it seems that it most possibly yes, and if he can infect other corpses this becomes a really really bad situation. It really changes the way we have to deal with zombs AND living people who die in any way or form from now on. Corpses from people who die should probably be incinerated to make sure they cannot reanimated. I believe there’s religions that are not too hot about that (badumtss) so i guess there would have to be a difficult conversation to be had there.

I’ve been curious about how did old timey people made sure to make those V types to go to sleep though. I should look it up but I think to remember that the blue flowers and Loki the sorceress were mentioned in this. The blue flowers calm normal zombies down, and it would be interesting to try that out with the V types, see how that works. I don’t quite remember what the deal with the viking blood was but maybe there’s something to reaserch there too, seeing as it was old as balls and probably more likeley to work with the original virus rather than the new types of zombies created by sigrid.

If we got a way to get them super duper high with blue flower extract or whatever, then it might help getting rid of them. All in all, we really need to get them in big numbers and maybe move them to a location where we can get rid of them. Like, if they can infect corpses it will not take much time until we are overwhelmed by the numbers of immortal zombies yakno?

3) On this very note, peeps being idiots and not believing janine about the new V type is so infuriation lmao what the fuck mate we have already gone through so much you REALLY don’t believe us, because we didn’t do everything you wanted when you needed us to (eventhough we were, ya know, busy trying to debunk a fascist regime and all that)? that is some hard headed petty denial right there. My inmediate idea is: somehow capture a V-type, put it in a cage, and get janine and jody play good cop/ bad cop with the other memers in the house of commons, all super theatrical. Jody talks in an appeasing way, janine delivers hard facts, and then dramatically shoots the zombie in the head. Everyone gasps horrifically at the zombie still being alive and janine makes an iconic metaphorical Mic Drop ™

4) Another thing this whole flodding that district no one lives in reminded me is that i’m really worried about is exacly how much can a zombie infect water itself? I think this Might be one of those plot hole moments because?? I think we have stated that contact with infected blood turns people, but who hasn’t been splattered by killing a zombie with an axe? Or while killing an infected person that has not yet turned? If there’s enough zombies underwater close to the beach, is a certain part of the current infected to? What about lakes or rivers? Too many corpses in general poison the water in normal circumstances so what if those corpses are infected? wont the water carry the infection? (how much water is enough to dillute it?)

#zombies run #zrs7 #zrs7 spoilers #fennel's zr recaps #lmao i was going to put m3 too but then i notince that it got REALLY long

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ekel-a · 3 years

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Village Chronicles: I could've Been President

Somewhere in Mbeya I was in our little village in mountains on the southern highlands of Tanzania.Walking around I knew each corner of the village so well you would’ve sworn I discovered it in a Christopher Columbus sort of way.On the morning of our arrival my grandmother did what she always did when we arrived, chicken was roasted goats were killed, ducks were broiled, MEAT FEAST! Every now and then I would walk around the village looking for friends from my childhood who I remembered from my earlier yearly visits, we'd say our hellos and goodbyes and I would be off on my journey discovering yet newer corners and greeting all the elderly neighbors, They’d ask me to remind them my name I’d tell them Ekela (My village name) and they’d smile and tell me ‘ but you were so short’ and I’d smile back ‘Growth is only inevitable’, kneeling with every greeting, a sign of respect in our village, my grandmother used to tell me when I was younger in our tribe if you don’t kneel when you greet your elders you grow horns when you sleep, so now I’m older but believe it or not I cant quit the habit, the story stuck in my subconscious. They’d ask me questions of the city and I would joyfully reply with a smile of course, not smiling while talking to elders was sign of disrespect, unless of course you’re being scolded, only then you can wear a shame face.And that was daily village routine, wake and wander, discover. Until today where i stayed home,Close to the kitchen where my grandmother cooked where we all sat and shared our merry as grandmother would prepare another meat feast, it was just a day before Christmas and everyone was busy…1PM..until something happened…. The grounds started moving, shaking vigorously everything seemed to be vibrating. The trees, the house, everything was shaking! I looked around and there was my grandmother, laying on the floor …she told me to do the same but I couldn’t hear her out, thousand things went through my mind, what is this? Whats going on?Then it dawned on me…Its DOOMSDAY! My life flashed before my eyes, this is it I said to myself, This is how I die, I will not grow and become a president, I haven’t shaken Desmond Tutu’s hand or Mandela or the pope, I feel so unachieved …I die a 14 year old…What a uneventful life I have had, I thought to myself, in this manner? I said a little prayer and a little tear went down my cheek I was oblivious to all around me, until my grandmother who had now realized I was saying my last prayer screamed ‘ Its an earthquake!!’Alas an earthquake! Its not the end! Now this was my first earthquake and surely I had no idea how they were like, I saw the light…all those geography lessons on earthquakes started to kick in and hope returned. This is not the end, we shall meet Mandela, I mumbled …I was beginning to get to safety when I noticed one of the neighbour’s children stuck under a tree, the tree was going to fall anytime soon and she had no way out. This was my moment, my uneventful 14 year old life is about to change I said to myself, my way out, I shall save this child and then I shall become his own personal Jesus, The village shall sing my name, they’ll make paintings and posters, my grandmother shall be praised, they shall name me chief…the elders will love me so much they shall ask me to run for MP…I shall run I shall win! Then I’ll be a minister, in 10 years I’ll be president! This is how it begins! We shall shake hands with Mandela! The picture was perfect, that's what we call a plan! I crawled in direction of the tree blind to the falling branches around me, hey, I was a determined 14 year old who wanted to be president, until the bubble burst…My grandmother pulled me back…all the fear and sudden courage and ambition to become president made me numb to my own pain, my left leg was bruised, how? with what? I had no idea.I made it clear to my grandmother I was going to save the kid under the tree‘No’ she said‘What?’ I thought, ‘What a selfish woman, I am going to save a life and she is holding me back because of a bruise’‘You cant save anyone when you yourself need help,’And all the talking and holding me back made the earthquake stop, and another kid went to rescue the kid under the tree…now she’ll be president, and I wont meet mandela ‘dream stealer’ I thought. Those words ring in my head till date, I hadn’t noticed but I was very badly bruised, and the kid I wanted to save was a long distance away and the more I crawled the more my bruise got worse. But the greater the pain the greater the lesson, the harder to forget.Put yourself first. I will never forget that.That’s the first time I ran into that quote…the second time I was on a small bumpy aircraft where stewardess thought it was funny to talk about air crash investigation mysteries, I filed a complaint about her just incase you were wondering. I don’t care how pretty she was you don’t talk to someone about that on a plane, much less, a very small bumpy cheap one...while we were talking she proceeded to tell me her excellent life saving skills incase ‘anything happened’ which included the art of wearing an oxygen mask. I could guess she was new on the job since she was all giggly about the very handsome pilot and it being his first flight as well ( I filed a complaint twice by the way, with different names this woman was begging for it!)And that was when she said ‘always put your oxygen mask on first, even if you’re sitting next to kid’What a selfish bitch I thought ‘ What if the kid cant put it on?’Then you might die trying to help the kid, you’ll have no oxygen, you cant help someone when you yourself need help. You need only 2 minutes of no oxygen for your brain to react realize there is no oxygen 2 more minutes and the brain cells stop working, it will take you 50 seconds to put your oxygen mask on and 40 more to help the kid, it will take you more than 3 minutes to help the kid alone because you will be panicked.And it dawned on me.Its not selfish, Its just only logical.Be your own first priority.Because lets face it . If you don’t attend to that yourself to ensure you’re healthy mentally physically emotional socially and spiritually, there’s not much you can do for others. So today I’m asking you to save yourself first, see where you need help and be selfish today…You can’t save the world when you’re dying. Put on the oxygen mask, stop trying to be president.Stop worrying about the world today and worry about yourself, are you where you want to be? Are you safe? Do you need help? Do you have any wounds? Attend to them first, there’s not much a pot can give when its broken.The minute you start putting your needs behind, and others first your body will make sure you pay the handsome price. I don’t care what they say about being a hero, even Superman couldn’t fly wounded.

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yepjugotdatright · 7 years

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Chapter 2

Kimiko shouldered her duffle bag and pulled the handle out of her suitcase up until the stop. The cab behind her drove off with squeaking tires and she was left alone in Daehyeon-dong. With the address written on a small piece of paper in her hand she made her way through the passageway.

People passed her busily staring onto their phone and did not care about the heavily loaded girl walking slowly checking the house numbers of the buildings she passed. She had not to walk far until she found the number 90 being displayed at the gate of the fence enclosing the small front garden. A gravel path went to the front door adorned by a few flowers. A few steps to the left was the driveway to a garage. She noticed the wooden sign hanging next to the door: Shincheon Boarding House.

She pulled the strap of her bag back on her shoulder and opened the gate to walk to the door. It wasn’t even a few seconds after her index finger had left the doorbell and the door was opened energetically. A wide smiling face of a woman in her forties showed itself to the slightly taken aback Kimiko whose grip around the handle tightened. ��Ah~ you must be our new boarder. Come on in”, she invited her in with big gestures to make sure the Japanese girl understood her. Kimiko nodded and carried her luggage inside putting it next to the stairs. She slipped out of her shoes and politely bowed to the older woman. “Hello, my name is Yamamoto Kimiko”. She smiled delighted and said: “I am Son Aejin. Your Korean is very good”. “Thanks” Kimiko wiped her nervously sweating hands on her trousers and flinched a little as Aejin yelled for Hyunwoo to come down and help her carry the luggage. Shortly after a young high schooler came down the stairs eying up the new roommate. Aejin excused herself saying that there were a few things left on the stove in the kitchen and Hyunwoo took over the responsibility to show Kimiko around. “Konnichiwa” Hyunwoo bowed to her seeing her mirroring the movement. “Konnichiwa”, she smiled. He took a small paper out of his pocket and read: “Watashitachi… no geshuku e… yōkoso”. Kimiko chuckled “Thank you”. “Oh” he looked from his paper hearing her answering in Korean. “You speak Korean?” “I am still learning – but I can understand it most of the time” she nodded. He thankfully put the paper back into his pocket and took her luggage – both pieces at once – and easily carried them upstairs. “You share your room with Lee Yunhee.” He signed towards the door in the right corner with his elbow. “The bathroom is over there” he signed to the opposite direction. “Choi Youngjae’s room and my room are next to yours. And over there is Jisuk’s room. You shouldn’t go in there except you have a death wish” he explained. Kimiko just nodded – she knew she would need some time until she got all the names. He knocked at the door to her new room with his foot – or also known as ungently kicking against it. A twenty something woman opened the door, her short hair still wet from showering and a towel adorned her shoulders. Her oversized Baseball-Tricot reached almost to the midst of her thighs and her sweatpants were unevenly rolled up. She glared at Hyunwoo, but her face eased up again after seeing all the luggage in his hands and the unknown Japanese standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. “Hey” Yunhee casually waved her, not sure how she will communicate with a foreigner when she herself was not very proficient in English, and let Hyunwoo carry the luggage inside. Kimiko offered a smile and went into the room past the smaller Yunhee. The room was not necessarily spacious. It was used to its full capabilities – a bunk bed in the corner, next to it a desk with a folding chair, a wardrobe rod hanging from the ceiling next to a full-length mirror and a bookshelf stood next to the door. Yunhee kicked the bean bag chair while passing it to sit down on the lower bed. “So~” Yunhee was desperately looking for any signs of English vocabulary in her head and how to form them into an apt sentence. “You…” she pointed at Kimiko, “sleep here” her hand moved to the upper bed of the bunk sleeper. Kimiko nodded chuckling, “You can talk to me in Korean”. Yunhee was a little taken aback by her sudden Korean words, but took that invitation thankfully carrying on as if she had done so from the start. “You can have half of the rod” she signed to the hanging long metal bar on which one half was empty and the other overflowed, “The empty space in the shelf is all yours and in the bathroom you need to see where you can squeeze your stuff in – but I recommend taking things you don’t want to share back into your room. They are ruthless here” she chuckled and watched Kimiko carefully looking around the small room. “Which University are you attending?” Yunhee asked. “Yonsei University, I am studying Asian History and Archeology – and you?” “Oh really? Me, too” she turned around so Kimiko could see the huge Yonsei written in bold letters on her tricot. “I am a sports-major. Nice to meet you” she leaned forward to shake Kimiko’s hand. Silence. Kimiko sat between her luggage on the floor, looking around awkwardly. Kimiko wasn’t really a small-talker and she needed a lot of time to get to know someone. So the two girls sat there, staring around until Kimiko decided she still needed to unpack and that moment was the right one to do so.

Jisuk arrived at the Daegu Bus Terminal, taking down the few steps out of the bus raising her hand to throw shade on her eyes. She had slept the whole ride and the early afternoon sun was strong on this day. She felt the warmth spreading on her skin and just stood there for a while breathing in the air of her hometown. “Jiiisuk-ah!” she heard someone yell from the parking lot and as she turned her head to look at the person she rolled her eyes. There stood Jinah, waving her hand while leaning against her black car. Jisuk thought she could avoid her by not telling her when she is arriving – but it seems like she can’t fool her friend. Jisuk shouldered her backpack and walked towards her. “How long did you wait?” Jisuk asked instead of a greeting. “About an hour?” Jinah tipped against her chin while thinking about it. “What? You stalker” Jisuk gaped. Jinah shrugged, “Get in. I’ll drive you”. “You get more brazen everyday…” Jisuk huffed and walked around the car to get in nonetheless. The doors were pulled shut and Jisuk connected her phone with the car’s speakers to turn on some music. As Jinah started the motor the soft sounds of an e-guitar combined with drums resounded through the quality speakers in the car. “I haven’t heard this song for a long time – reminds me of our old days…” Jinah said, “Where are you staying by the way?” “Daegu Prince Hotel” Jisuk said jamming her head slightly to the music and looked out of the window. “You sure know how to spend lavishly”. “I told ya that I saved up for this one… It’s going to be depressing enough being back here – I didn’t want to stay in a ruin of a hostel as well”, Jisuk said casually. “Why are you staying in Daegu by the way?” “Family business… just like you” Jinah hummed and Jisuk nodded – she noticed that she didn’t really know anything about Jinah’s family. She sometimes mentioned stress with her father but nothing else; and Jisuk never asked. She knew that if Jinah would want to talk about it she would tell her – the same was the other way around as well. Jinah halted the car in front of the four-star hotel and let Jisuk fetch her things from the back seat. “Call me when you get back from your uncle. We can catch a few shots” Jinah offered. “Girl, you should cut back your alcoholism… your body can’t handle your college habits anymore” Jisuk chuckled leaning forward so she could see her friend while still standing between car and door. “I won’t get younger anyway. So let’s just make it a good life not a long life” “I will probably be back around ten” she gave her the ok-sign and shut the door. Jinah drove off with squeaking tires and let the younger woman alone in front of the huge winged door. A man in red uniforms approached her and offered to carry her backpack, opening and holding the door for her. “I can get used to that” she mumbled to herself as she walked to the reception to check in. “Welcome at Daegu Prince Hotel. How may I help you” the male receptionist asked after turning on his customer-pleasing smile. “I have a room reserved” “May I ask for your name?” “Bak Jisuk”. She gave him her mobile phone with the booking confirmation and a QR-code for a faster check-in. He typed something into his computer and after a few clicks his attention turned back to Jisuk. “Here are the keys to your room; number 412. Fourth floor, second last room on the right side” he gave her a card and the bill from the online booking, together with her phone. “Thanks” Jisuk took her things and turned around walking to the elevator, pushing absent mindedly the button to the fourth floor. This weekend wouldn’t be easy on her – it never was. It made it easier knowing Jinah was somewhere in this town as well – even though she had her own troubles she wouldn’t leave Jisuk standing in the rain - the more so after she helped her leaving all this mess in Daegu behind. The doors were about to close as a hand suddenly intervened making them stop and open again. Jisuk raised her eyes to glance at the additional person in the elevator who was about to push a button but halted upon seeing the red light already circling around the ‘4’. He nodded at her acknowledging her presence and turned his back to her staring at the closing doors. Jisuk gulped and stared awkwardly at the prompt displaying the floor. She had noticed him being probably some rich chaebol son – if it was not because of the expensive suit; then it would be by his arrogant and fancy aura. Kind of funny to think that normally people like him stay in this kind of hotel and now she, just a measly part-timer, was able to grant herself a weekend in this hotel. The door made way for the corridor on the fourth flour and Jisuk reacted instantly walking away to her room. “Excuse me”, the young man suddenly said making her halt in her steps and turn around cautiously. “Me?” He looked around and then back at her – they were the only ones in the corridor. “Yes, you. You dropped something”, he squatted down to pick up a pamphlet and reaches out to hand it to her. She saw his eyes wandering over the cover picture and took the folded paper out of his hand. “Thank you”, she slightly bowed her head and was about to retreat. He smiled politely; “Don’t mention it”. At an easy pace he passed her and swiped his keycard over the doorknob to disappear in his room. Jisuk eyes fell on the pamphlet – Hyungwong Residential Care Residence. She sighed looking at the happy patients smiling on the cover pictures. The thought of going there the next day was uncomfortable – yet something she wanted to do since she had been there a year ago. She didn’t stay long in her room, just to wash up and change into formal and dark clothes. It was not long until she left the hotel to take the next bus and ride away from downtown. Even though she would visit her Uncle not that often she knew the way by heart – taking the bus three stations, then changing to the underground into the third line and get off at the last stop before the suburbs and then followed some stops with another bus. It was quite a long journey – about an hour or so. In the end she arrrived in front of the marble framed entrance to a columbarium. It was totally quiet inside – only a few footsteps making their way over the sparkling white tiles and someone coughing here or there. Jisuk walked through the hall towards the stairs – on the second floor she went straight to the last smaller hall knowing her uncle was lying there. The silence was overbearing – she never liked that about this place. A graveyard would have at least some birds chirping or wind running through the treetops - but she didn’t had the money to pay for a burial. She kneeled down in front of the black urn and looked at the framed picture of a middle aged man with laughter lines strewing his face – brown, short curly hair parted and combed down at the top of his head, and he was wearing a checkered shirt; he always did. He would be 46 now – if he hadn’t died 14 years ago. She sank down to the floor completely and sat there cross legged looking for something in her bag. She didn’t talk – even though many people did that when visiting a grave; but Jisuk was none to talk to herself just to soothe her own emotions. Instead she got out a pen and paper; wrote one short sentence and proceeded to fold the piece of paper into an origami crane. Totally concentrated on her folding-game she did not notice another person entering the room – formal clothed even carrying a small flower-bouquet in his hand. He halted right next to her; his dress shoes right next to each other. The sudden scent of gillyflowers made Jisuk look up to the man and nearly choked on her own saliva seeing the handsome young man from the elevator at the hotel standing right next to her and about to open one of the compartments. Her gaze wandered from his striking profile to the urn the bouquet was laid next to. A picture of another smiling face of a woman rather young for people normally laying cremated here. She read the name – Park Yeohwa. It seemed he hadn’t noticed her yet. He was totally in his own world – probably with his thoughts by this woman. Jisuk had finished her crane and placed it next to Uncle Sangshik’s picture in between all the other cranes she had folded in those many years before, quietly collected her stuff and left him alone – she thought he deserved at least some privacy. Her visit was over anyways.

She stood in front of the columbarium right next to the bus-station. She tried watching the street – the people walking down on it – but as there was nothing really happening her gaze always found its way back to her phone, just to realize that only one minute had passed. 56 still to go! In these moments she missed her motorbike the most. She never had to wait for any public transportation. Since she had her own two wheels. However, every time she was leaving Seoul she had to leave it behind and was stuck waiting somewhere without even a bus shelter. Jisuk needed a car! A nice, sleek and fast car. A dream she was looking forward to for a long time now - or at least since she got her driver’s license. But no matter how many part-time jobs she took she was still too far away of ever realizing that dream.

The young man from earlier left the columbarium, his black head of hair flew with the wind as he was about to walk past her with car keys jingling in his hand. Coincidentally, he saw the twenty-something girl standing there and remembered her as the one from the hotel losing her stuff in the corridor. “Ah, hello” he bowed his head and she mirrored his movement a little surprised. He glanced at his watch and pointed casually at the bus-sign, “The next one is coming in an hour”. “Ah, I already know. Thank you” she smiled back awkwardly and took out her mobile to avoid him – why was he suddenly talking to her making this situation into an uneasy one. He pulled his mouth corners to the side and nodded making a move to walk to the parking lot. However, halted again upon seeing dark clouds starting to cover the sun and looked back to the woman now fixated on her phone. “Are you going back to your hotel?” he asked her out of the blue catching Jisuk off-guard. “What?” “Are you – by chance – going back to the hotel”? “No-no, I heard you the first time… why would you want to know” she stressed the appellation hoping he would get the memo that staying in the same hotel wouldn’t make them friends or allowing him to do some small talk or stuff. He signed upwards to the sky. “I am going back to the hotel and it looks like rain is coming, and you got no bus shelter and…” he motioned with his hand holding the keys to a white Hyundai i40. Jisuk’s eyes followed his arm to the four-wheeler. “Are you offering me a ride?” He hesitated – then nodded. “Basically, yes.” His hands disappeared in his pockets as he shifted from one foot to the other. “I don’t go into stranger’s cars – but thanks anyways” she offered a smile. He shrugged, walked over to his car and sat down behind the steering wheel. Jisuk impatiently looked at the time again and saw the lights of the white car being turned on – should she just go? Or stay 50 minutes? Just to drive another hour? Without a second question she jumped up and ran over to the car, opening the door to the passenger seat. The man stared at her with shocked round eyes as she sat down next to him anyways. “I’m Bak Jisuk, and you are?” she reached out her hand for him to shake it slightly taken aback. “My name’s Park Jinyoung.” “Pleased to meet you”, she forced a laugh and retracted her hand to stare out of the window while he pulled out of the lot onto the street.

#ch2 #our roaring 20s #got7 #someone kill me please #why did i think this was a good idea #my head is a mess #with all the characters yet to be introduced #30 chapters i said #it will be short and simple i said #well no

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