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tuiccim · 3 years

Text

Terrigenisis (Part 17)

Pairing: Steve Rogers X Bucky Barnes X Inhuman!Reader

Words: 1700

Summary: After undergoing terrigenisis unwillingly your life is turned upside down when you are deemed too dangerous to return to life as a civilian. You are put with the Avengers team to train and rebuild. As you hone your powers and skills, you must also decide if you can find home and love again. Or is your curse to be a lonely wanderer forever?

Warnings: a god of Mischief (He’s a warning, okay?)

Terrigenisis Series Masterlist Divider by @firefly-graphics

You lounged on the lawn furniture in the back of the compound watching Dizzy run in joyful circles as Redtail made loops overhead. You had brought a tennis ball out and Dizzy was adorable as she ran around with it in her mouth. Occasionally, she’d drop it in your laugh and you’d throw it out into the expanse of lawn. You laughed as she leapt into action each time the ball was thrown. Redtail would swoop down every now and then to tease the dog.

The rest of the team was out on missions or meetings. Sam, Steve, and Bucky had been sent on a mission yesterday afternoon and you were enjoying some down time. It felt like it had been some time since it had happened. You stretched lazily, basking in the feel of the sun on your skin and the feeling of contentment.

You hear footsteps approaching and turn to see Loki walking towards you. He had been in a meeting with Thor, Tony, and Maria Hill when you had checked earlier.

“Hi. How’d the meeting go?” You greet the god.

“It went well. Nothing of grave importance,” Loki takes the chair next to you, “What are you up to?”

“Relaxing in this glorious weather,” you see his eyes take in your tank top, jean shorts, and sandals. “You know, I’ve never seen you in anything except the leather. Is there casual wear on Asgard?”

“Simple tunics and robes but, as prince and warrior, I do not wear them often.” Loki raises an eyebrow at you.

“I see. What about for Tony’s party this weekend? Will you wear this?” you motion to his attire.

“I plan to wear a suit.” Loki chuckles.

“I look forward to seeing that. Isn’t the leather hot though? It’s 80 today.”

“I could strip for you if you’d like.” Loki smirks playfully.

“That’s okay,” you hold your hands up in defeat.

“Is this better?” Loki’s form shimmers for a moment before revealing him in bermuda shorts and hawaiin shirt.

You grin, “I like it! You look ready for a beach vacation.” You stare at Loki for a moment, wondering about his personal life. He knew a lot about you but rarely revealed much about himself. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course, darling. Anything.”

“Do you have… someone? Here or on Asgard or… somewhere?” you stammer through the question.

“Your two lovers are not enough for you?” Loki chuckles.

“They’re plenty for me. You don’t talk about yourself much, Lok. I mean, you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to but I’m curious about you. We’re friends and so I wonder, is there someone? Are you a player? Are you a monk? You know my story. You haven’t given me much of yours. Have you ever been in love?”

Loki studies you for a moment and then nods as if deciding something to himself, “I suppose I would be what you Midgardians refer to as a player.”

“Love ‘em and leave ‘em?” you giggle.

“I suppose. There’s only ever been one person who…” Loki trails off.

“Who what?”

“Who I thought I could fall for.”

“What happened?” You question.

“She belongs to another.” Loki says as he looks away.

“She belongs only to herself.” You counter.

“Of course. She’s engaged to another.”

“I’m sorry.” You tell him.

“Thank you.” Loki pauses to contemplate before asking, “Are you happy? You’ve been through a lot in your short life.”

You smile at the statement, “I’m not that young, Loki.”

“I’m over 1000 years old.” Loki deadpans.

“True,” you laugh, amazed at the lifespan of Asgardians, “Yes. I am happy. This isn’t what I imagined my life to be. Terrigenisis tore my world apart but you make the best of what you have. I have a family in the team, lovers in Steve and Bucky, friends, a purpose. This is… home.”

“And I’m your friend?” Loki asks.

“Of course you are.”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll betray you at some point? I mean, I am notorious.”

“I trust you, Loki. I think I know your heart, but understand that I live by the statement, ‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.’ I may let someone make a fool of me once but I won’t let them a second time. Once you lose my trust, it’s gone and would take a great deal to earn it back,” you explain.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I have to trust you. I’m letting you play with my brain.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Giving me a chance. Trusting me. Seeing me as something other than the villain that I was.”

“You’re more than your past. Oh!” you exclaim when a slobber covered ball is dropped in your lap. “Hi Dizz.” you laugh and throw the ball for her.

“She has you well trained.” Loki smirks.

“That she does. Speaking of training, are you up for another session?” you ask.

“Same time as always, darling. I’ll see you then.” Loki gets up.

“See ya later, friend,” you watch as Loki walks back to the building, dropping the glamour to reveal his normal outfit as he walks. He sends you a brief wave before walking into the building. Your attention is pulled away when Dizzy drops the ball in your lap again. Time to play.

You get to the training room early to do some climbing and ended up in the rafters as you were known to do. You were just about to climb down when Loki entered with Thor trailing behind him.

“Drop it, brother,” Loki grouses at him.

“Just tell me you aren’t playing at anything with her and I will,” Thor demands.

“Mortals are your weakness,” Loki rolls his eyes at his brother.

“Love is not weakness, Loki.”

“I do not feel that way about her. She is a friend. Much like Sif is to you.” Loki says pointedly.

“That’s all I wanted, brother,” Thor smiles.

You clear your throat loudly, “Good afternoon, gentlemen.”

Loki looks up at you in amusement, “How long have you been there?”

“Well before you came in,” you wink at him.

Thor looks at you sheepishly, “I’ll let you two get to your training.”

“Okay. See ya later,” you are holding in your giggle as you make your way to the climbing rope and jump to it. When you slide to the floor, you look into Loki’s mischievous eyes and you both burst into laughter. When it’s spent you say dramatically, “Loki! I can no longer control myself. I must swoon into your arms!” You pretend to faint against him and he catches you.

“You’re ridiculous.” Loki narrows his eyes at you.

“Yup! And you, my friend, are stuck with me!” You stand back up.

“You know that won’t be the last time someone will make the insinuation.” Loki says quietly.

“People have a hard time believing a man and woman can be just friends,” you shrug.

“That is true. Can I ask you something?” Loki asks.

“Of course.”

“Hypothetically, would you have been able to fall in love with me if…” Loki trails off.

“I don’t think I would let myself fall in love with any Asgardian,” you admit.

“Why?”

“How old are you, Loki?”

“A little over a thousand years.”

“Exactly. Asgardians live for around 5,000 years, right?”

“Yes.”

“That’s why. Humans live maybe 80 years. That’s a blink in comparison. I’ve lost a lot of people who are important to me in my life. I don’t think I could purposely put someone through that. Falling for an Asgardian, letting them fall for you, would mean making them watch you die while they live on for millenia. I don’t think I could do that to someone, ever. It’s difficult enough being friends and knowing that. Being lovers, it would be unbearable.”

Loki nods, “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

You smile at him, glad he understands. “How about we get to work?”

“Let’s go, darling.”

Over the past week, you had worked up to slipping into Loki’s mind without the unbearable pain. It still caused a headache but you were able to see through his eyes and communicate in a similar fashion to how you did with animals. Today, you were attempting to take control of Loki’s movement. It wasn’t easy. Just lifting his hand took a toll. You drop the warg after a moment.

“What’s wrong?” Loki looks concerned.

“It’s difficult. The pain is worse,” you explain.

“Why don’t you warg and I’ll do some magic? Just play around a bit.”

“Okay. Sounds fun,” you warg back into Loki. He begins doing some simple tricks and you watch in delight. You try to concentrate on the motions he makes, the feel of the magic flowing through him, and his thought process as he works. A picture flashes in Loki’s mind and you catch a glimpse of a beautiful face before he forces it away.

“Does she know?” You ask in his head.

“What?” Loki hedges.

“Does she know?” you drop the warg.

“No.” Loki says.

“Then she’s not.”

“Not what?”

“She’s not lost to you. How do you know she doesn’t feel the same way?” you push.

“She… I… I don’t… She couldn’t-”

“Oh, I’m gonna stop you right there. She could. She really could, but if you never told her how you feel, what’s she supposed to do?”

“She’s engaged.” Loki insists.

“She’s not married, Loki. You should tell her. Wouldn’t it be better to know?”

“What?”

“At least then you’d know. Either she doesn’t and you have closure to move on. Or she does and you two can figure it out. ‘Better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all’, right? Better to say it and know than to spend the next few millennia wondering,” you needle.

“I…” Loki falters with a far away look in his eyes.

“Just promise me you’ll think about it.”

“I will.” Loki nods.

“Good,” you see Loki’s concentration is completely gone, “Why don’t we leave it for today?”

“Oh. Yes, good. I’ll see you later.” Loki walks away lost in thought.

“Later, loverboy,” you whisper with a chuckle to yourself.

Part 18

Tuiccim’s Masterlist

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melzula · 3 years

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The Promise

pairing: Zuko x Princess!reader

notes: this was requested by an anon and yes, it’s based off of the comics

summary: with tensions rising in Yu Dao, Aang seeks the Princess’s help in an effort to sway Zuko in the right direction

~ part of the fire lilies series ~

Aang’s heart is heavy with dread as he approaches the Southern Water Tribe for the first time since having left it nearly two years ago. Half constructed buildings peer out from the clouds, and as Appa nears closer to land the Avatar can see the statue of the south’s beloved leader. Her permanently etched smile does little to ease his nerves as he mulls over how he’s going to deliver the news to her, and though he hates to break his promise to Zuko he has found lately that some promises aren’t meant to be kept.

The moment the flying bison lands in the snow all the school children are quick to rush forward and excitedly crowd around the animal and the Avatar. In the distance you stand, a delighted smile on your face at the sight of your friend whom you immediately pull into a hug.

“Aang! It’s so good to see you again,” you exclaim before pulling out of the embrace. “Did you get taller?”

“I think so,” he chuckles sheepishly. “It’s nice to see you too, Princess. Or should I say Chief?”

“Please, Chief is only for formal occasions. You can still call me Princess if you’d like, just y/n will do too.”

“I was so sorry to hear about what happened to you,” Aang admits earnestly. “I wish I could have helped.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Aang. It was my decision to keep Koa a secret so that I wouldn’t pull you and Zuko away from your obligations. And everything turned out alright in the end, didn’t it?”

“I suppose it did, and I’m glad you’re alright. The South seems to be doing pretty well,” he notes with a faint smile, enjoying the way your eyes seem to light up at the mention of your home.

“We’ve already accomplished so much in just a short amount of time! The outer tribes are beginning to grow in number and our people have been mingling with those from our sister tribe. Oh, Aang, you have to meet my students! They’ve only been practicing for a few months but some of them have already passed the beginning level and-”

“That all sounds amazing, y/n,” the Avatar admits with a weak smile. However, his strong front doesn’t fool you in the slightest, and you immediately are able to detect that something is wrong, “but I didn’t come here for a friendly visit. There’s... There’s something we need to talk about. It’s about Zuko.”

He doesn’t miss the look that flashes briefly in your eyes at the mention of your boyfriend, and though he can tell how anxious you are Aang admires your ability to remain poised and collected in front of your students.

“Let’s talk in my office,” you utter quietly, and after dismissing the children for the day you and Aang are quick to head inside for a private discussion about the matters at hand.

“I’m so sorry to have to barge in on you like this when you already have so much on your plate but I didn’t have a choice,” Aang explains gently.

“What’s going on Aang?” You ask uneasily, and the worried look on your face doesn’t make things any easier for him. After all you’ve done for him and your friends, he doesn’t have the heart to break yours.

“The night the Harmony Restoration Movement was announced I made two promises to Zuko. I promised him that if things began to get out of hand and history began to repeat itself, I would end his life before he could have the chance to become like his father. The world needs peace and balance, and we can’t have anyone jeopardizing that. You know I’m just a peaceful monk, I couldn’t even kill Ozai, but Zuko is my friend and it meant so much to him that I had no choice but to agree.”

“And the second promise?” You murmur quietly, your mind reeling at the information given to you. Horror and panic flash across your features and you feel nauseous, you feel as if you can’t breathe and the walls are closing in all around you, and a newfound sense of desperation washes over you.

“The second promise was not to tell you. Zuko knew that if you found out you’d delay your return home to try and talk him out of it, and his mind had already been up. He didn’t want to worry you-”

“Why are you telling me this now, Aang? What’s changed?” You interrupt, though you fear you already know the answer. The Avatar refuses to meet your gaze.

“Zuko has withdrawn from the Harmony Restoration Movement and refuses to compromise. If things don’t work themselves out soon I might have to fulfill my promise...”

The room is heavy with tension and deathly silent as you process the news Aang has given you. It doesn’t sound like Zuko at all, and this promise doesn’t sound like Aang either.

“Aang, you’re my friend and I love you. But if you choose to fulfill this promise of yours I’ll never be able to forgive you.”

“Trust me, y/n, I don’t want it to come to that. That’s why I’m here,” he says earnestly. “I’m telling you all of this because I want you to talk to Zuko. You’re the only person he’ll listen to, so maybe you can get through to him and this whole mess can be resolved.”

“Where is Zuko now?”

“The last I heard he’d locked himself away in the palace back at the Fire Nation.”

“Spirits, so much for an honest relationship,” you grumble quietly to yourself. A small, defeated sigh escapes you and you nod. “Alright. Let me get my affairs in order and then I’ll go talk to Zuko.”

“Thank you so much, Princess. I know how hard all of this must be for you, and I wish there was another way but-”

“It isn’t your fault, Aang. At least not entirely. You only did what Zuko asked you to in respect of your friendship, and now in respect of our friendship I ask that you allow me to sway him in the right direction before any decisions are made.”

“Yes, of course,” he nods earnestly, and sensing that you need a moment to yourself, the Avatar excuses himself. “I’ll go make sure Appa is ready for the trip. Just let me know when you’re ready.”

A breath you didn’t know you’d been holding leaves you the moment the door shuts behind Aang, and it takes all of your will power to keep your rising tears at bay. To think that Zuko had gone to the extreme to reassure himself of the fact that he’d never repeat his family’s footsteps broke your heart; Zuko was nowhere close to being the cruel man Ozai had been, and you thought he was past this by now. You were worried about him and how he must be feeling, but you also felt it to be unfair of him to keep such a thing from you. He had been so distraught when he had learned about Koa and after that you had both sworn to tell each other everything no matter what, yet now it seemed Zuko had no intention of keeping that promise to you. Promise. It seemed like such a heavily loaded word now, and you were beginning to resent it entirely. You couldn’t wait another minute, you had to see Zuko.

It takes you no longer than an hour to get your affairs in order— Hakoda and your mother are left in charge to oversee the tribe while you’re away, and Pakku is to continue lessons without your presence. You pack your bag and join Aang on Appa’s saddle, and with the quick utterance of the phrase yip yip the two of you are riding high into the skies and making your way towards the Fire Nation.

The wind blowing through your hair is a bittersweet reminder of your days fighting the war alongside your friends; you had once believed that things would be simpler after the Fire Nation’s defeat, but so far nothing had seemed to be any easier than you had hoped it would be. You wished they were here now, you could really use some reassurance from Sokka or Suki, and you know Katara would probably have just the right thing to say to ease your nerves. Instead, the ride is silent and tense as you journey to see Zuko.

In the throne room sits the Fire Lord, tense and distracted by the millions of thoughts that whiz by in his head. He knew he was making the right decision by allowing his people to remain in Yu Dao, he was their ruler and it was his duty to look after their best interests, and backing out from the Harmony Restoration Movement would prevent the disruption of the peaceful lives they’d created for themselves there. Seeing the Mayor’s family, their daughter born of both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom heritage, it allowed him to see his own future, one in which he selfishly realized what the movement would mean not only for his people but for himself.

Your portrait sits in his lap, face poised and stoic yet with a hint of a smile on your face, and it is this portrait that brings him solace and comfort during his time of turmoil. He’d purchased the photo from a vendor back in the South during the celebration of your coronation, and looking at it now he couldn’t help but feel guilty. Everything had become such a mess and all he wanted was your comfort; you were busy rebuilding a tribe, and after Zuko had made such a fuss about maintaining honesty between you two he felt foolish to try and tell you now. Surely you’d leave him for it, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to stand that heartache. Not again.

A knock on the door rips his attention away from your portrait and an immediate scowl forms on his features. He’d made it specifically clear that he didn’t want any visitors and was to be left undisturbed. Where were the Kyoshi Warriors to keep away the arrivals?

“I will see no one,” Zuko bellows, shoulders tensing when the door slowly begins to open despite his proclamation. However, when his eyes take in the sight of his beloved the Fire Lord does a double take before immediately relaxing at the presence of his Princess.

“Will the Fire Lord make an exception for me?” You ask with a meek smile, carefully shutting the doors behind you

“Y/n!” Zuko exclaims before scrambling out of his seat and rushing towards you. You can’t help the delighted laugh that leaves you when Zuko lifts your figure off the ground and holds you impossibly close to his chest. Tears well in his eyes as he nestles his face into your shoulder and breathes in the scent of fire lilies and snow.

“It’s nice to know you’ve missed me,” you giggle softly, though your smile fades once Zuko sets you back on the ground and you’re able to see his face. Carefully you rest a hand upon his face, Zuko immediately melting into your touch. “My love, you haven’t been sleeping, have you?”

“How can you tell?” Zuko asks with quiet surprise.

“I can see the restlessness and turmoil in your eyes. You’re troubled.”

“That’s an understatement,” he scoffs quietly. You frown.

“What’s going on with you, Zuko? Aang told me you backed out of the Harmony Restoration Movement.”

“Is that why you’re here?” The Fire Lord replies, a harsh edge suddenly coating his tone. “Just to talk me back into it??”

“I’m here because I’m worried about my boyfriend,” you emphasize, and you don’t miss the look of guilt that flash’s across Zuko’s face for snapping at you. Quieter now, “Aang told me about the promise he made to you. I want to hear your side of the story, and I want to do everything I can to make sure it doesn’t go that far.”

Zuko is silent for a moment, and after a beat passes he nods. No more secrets, it’s time to tell you everything.

You end up in the palace gardens by the pond, loaves of bread in your hands as you enjoy the breeze and feed the turtle ducks. The Kyoshi Warriors stand in the distance to guard you both, and Suki gives you a quiet nod when your eyes meet across the way. You wanted to give Zuko a comforting atmosphere where he could feel safe to talk, the tone of the throne room was a bit too intense for the both of you, and after recalling stories he had told you of his mother you figured this was the perfect spot to do so. It takes him time to gather his thoughts and process his emotions, but you wait patiently until he’s ready.

“I want to start by saying that I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I knew you’d worry and drop everything to try and talk me out of something I’d already decided, and I didn’t want to take you away from your people, not again,” Zuko explains quietly. “But my family, selfishness and destruction runs in our blood, and I needed to make sure that I’d never make the same mistakes they did.”

“Zuko,” you utter gently, your hand coming to rest upon his bicep, “you are nothing like your father or your grandfather. You’re a good person, you’ve already proven this time and time again. Yes, you’ve made mistakes, but you’ve also made changes, good changes.”

“I can’t make any more mistakes, y/n. That’s why Aang is there to stop me. But backing out of the Harmony Restoration Movement is not a mistake.”

“Why did you do it?”

“Because of you.”

“Me?” You repeat in bewilderment. “I-I don’t understand.”

“I had the chance to visit Yu Dao and see what my people had created, the life they spent generations building for themselves. As Fire Lord it’s my job to make sure my people are happy, and they are happy— coinciding with earth kingdom citizens. You should have seen it, y/n. Best friends, business partners, families made up of two different nations. I know Aang believes there can’t be any harmony unless the four nations are separate, but Yu Dao proves that that’s not true, and so do we.”

“The mayor’s wife of Yu Dao invited me to stay with them, her an earth bender and her husband a fire bender. They had a daughter and together they were a beautiful family. And do you know what I saw when I was with them?”

“What did you see?” You ask quietly, your eyes welling with tears as you hang onto Zuko’s every word.

“I saw us. I saw you cradling a baby in your arms while you sat in the gardens and watched the older children play. It was peaceful, and even though the odds have always been against us it didn’t matter that the mother of our children was of the Water Tribe and the father was of the Fire nation. All that mattered in that moment was our family. A family that can’t exist if we keep the four nations separate,” Zuko emphasizes desperately. “If it’s selfish of me to base my decision on my own desires then I’ll take the hit, but I’d rather die than ever have to be kept away from you simply because we’re different.”

Zuko’s eyes have grown wide and his shoulders rise and fall with each anxious breath he takes as he gauges your reaction. You’re silent for a long while, your own gaze settled upon the pond as you watch the mother turtle duck look after her ducklings. You wanted to be a mother some day, and you’d be lying if you said you could picture yourself being with anyone other than Zuko. He was it for you, the only person you’d ever want to be with, and no one had any right to tell you otherwise.

“Zuko,” you say quietly, lifting your gaze to stare into his golden irises, “you’re absolutely right.”

“I-I am?” He splutters in response, surprised at the fact that he’s truly in the right for once. He’s always relied on you as a moral compass, so to hear that you agree with him is a weight lifted off of his shoulders.

“You are,” you reaffirm. “How can you have peace if everyone is expected to keep to themselves? That’s not harmony at all. It’s isolating and it’s lonely and it’s sad. Those families shouldn’t be separated, and you need to do whatever you can to keep them together.”

“I will,” Zuko nods quickly. “Will you help me?”

“I’m on your side Zuko, but I can’t fight my friends,” you lament gently. “I’ll try to reason with Aang, and if it comes down to it I’ll stop him from fulfilling his promise to you, but I’m afraid I’ll have to remain neutral.”

“I understand,” he murmurs gently. He takes your hands in his own and gives them a gentle squeeze. “Thank you for hearing my side and having my back.”

“I always will, Zuko. You’ll never have to worry about that,” you reply, smiling as he pulls you into a tight hug. Despite the conflict going on between your boyfriend and your friends, you have a feeling that everything is going to work itself out. It has to. It must.

And it will.

| tags: @rainteslerrrr @simpinforsukka @sirkekselord @protect-remus @oddment-niwit-blubber-tweak @thebluelcdy @royahllty @the-firebender-girl @coldlilheart @ilovespideyyy @yiyibetch @eridanuswave @lammello @a-monsters-love @knaite-solo @draqondance @taeeemin @user12345321 @just--artemis--with--ghost @titaniafire @dekahg @emberislandplayers @kikaninchen-2 @lozzybowe @izzieserra @melacholy @music-geek19 @thia-aep @thyunnamed @haylaansmi @nataliahaslosthershit @idkdude776 @aangsupremacy @thirstyforsometea @ihaveaproblem98 @brown-eyed-thang @djskfkdkkf @xapham @yeetletzgetitjae @misnmatchedsox @chewymoustachio @that-bucket-hat-gal @chilifrylizard2 @kyomihann @kaylove12 @kiwihoee @freggietale @neighborhoodpansexualdisaster @noodlesfluffy @moon-spirit-yue @bubblegum-bee-otch |

#the promise #zuko #prince zuko #zuko x reader #prince zuko x reader #zuko imagine #prince zuko imagine #aang #aang x reader #zuko and the princess #avatar the last airbender #avatar: the last airbender #atla #atla x reader #atla imagine #fire lilies #au

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juju-on-that-yeet · 3 years

Text

Recovery

Whumptober Day 31: Today’s Special: Torture Prompt: Experiment

Although the egos finally have Oliver back from Enigma Data, they’re forced to keep him in The Cell as he still has no memory of his old life or relationships. When memory backups fail, Bim offers his magic as one last hope. (cont. from “From Dusk till Dawn”)

Warnings: None (this is barely whump tbh, I took the prompt in a very not-torture direction sakjfhsdjfsdk)

Read on AO3 (Full Whumptober Series)

Enjoy!

It’s still late at night when Dark, Wilford, and the Googles return to Ego Inc., so late it’s almost morning. But despite the hour, a few egos have stayed awake to see how the rescue mission went. The moment the leaders and Googles come through the door, the group rushes to them, eyes on Chrome, still supported by Plus, and on Oliver, still unconscious in Google’s arms.

Dr. Iplier is one of the egos who waited up, but he hangs back as the others approach the Googles. His main purpose was to make sure Dark and Wilford didn’t get maimed on the rescue mission, and after seeing them both no worse for wear, is much calmer than the other egos he’s been waiting with. He doesn’t leave, though, looking at Oliver and Chrome with some worry.

Yandereplier and Yancy are there, too, and Yandere nearly knocks Chrome over from the force of his tackle-hug. Yancy is calmer, but not by much, giving Chrome a forceful embrace of his own. Neither is deterred by Plus, who scolds them both to be careful. Chrome, though, reacts with only mild surprise, and makes no move to hug them back. His brows furrow, like he knows he should recognize the two people hugging him. Yandere notices the lack of response first.

“Aka-kun?” he asks, pulling away. He lifts his hands, cups Chrome’s cheek. He can feel the parts where Chrome’s skin has worn away from tears, feel the metal now at the surface. “You didn’t forget me, did you?”

“You…” Chrome murmurs, still thinking hard, “I don’t remember your name, and you don’t look familiar, but something…” He lifts a hand to cover one of Yandere’s. “Something feels right. You’re my friend, aren’t you?” He looks at Yancy. “You both are.”

It’s both everything Yandere and Yancy wanted to hear, and none of it. Chrome speaks the words in a faraway fashion, knowing what he says is true despite lacking the memories to back it up. That lack shows in his eyes, which still fail to flicker in recognition, still fail to capture Chrome’s normal personality and love for his friends. Yandere and Yancy both notice, Yandere especially.

“Yeah, I am,” Yandere manages, before bursting into bittersweet tears. Yancy doesn’t cry, but he looks like he wants to.

Meanwhile Bim, the final person who stayed up waiting, beelines for Oliver the moment Google steps through Ego Inc.’s threshold.

“Ollie,” Bim gasps, tears already in his eyes as he rushes to his side, reaching out a tentative hand to stroke his hair. “Oh sunshine, sunflower, I missed you so much–!”

He kisses Oliver’s cheeks over and over, free hand grabbing one of Oliver’s to hold. Google stands stoically, allowing Bim to fret and weep over Oliver. Bim completely ignores Google for a good minute, until he notices the charred spot on Oliver’s neck.

“Wh-what happened to his neck?” he asks Google, still sniffling.

“Plus used an Enigma Data taser to…incapacitate him,” Google says carefully. Seeing Bim’s shocked expression, he continues, “Oliver had no memory of myself or any of us. His only goal was to kill me, and he might have succeeded had Plus not stopped him.”

“Oh,” Bim mumbles, going quiet with thought.

One thing is clear, not just to Bim but to all the egos in the room: Just because Oliver and Chrome are back in Ego Inc., it doesn’t mean that this ordeal is over.

~~~

Less than a week later, Google is in the control room, staring at a set of screens. The data in them would take a human hours to read and days to fully analyze, but Google has practically memorized every line of code already. The data isn’t from a project, a piece of tech, a website, or even from his own coding.

It’s a snapshot of Oliver’s mind and all the data inside, every line down to the last character. But none of it is normal. His time with Enigma Data, all the ways they fiddled with his hardware and software, have mangled each line beyond recognition. It’s a wonder Oliver can still walk, or talk, or do anything at all without suffering catastrophic errors.

Chrome’s mind wasn’t nearly so complicated. It was in the process of being changed, but all he needed was a data backup to clean up the bad code and restore the memories he’d forgotten. He woke up after the backup with his full memory back, including the time he spent at Enigma Data after being taken. He remembers, still, how it felt to watch a lifetime of memories nearly slip through his hands like water, how it felt to look at his loved ones and barely recognize them, how it felt to see their grief and feel almost nothing. Despite how his experience has hurt him, his injuries are healed and his personality is restored, and he’s gone back to living his life as normal.

But Oliver is a different story.

The data backup didn’t work on him, which is why Google looked into Oliver’s data in the first place. He and his brothers tried to untangle the mess inside Oliver’s head, but it proved too huge even for them to tackle. It’s not just the software, not just the code that’s bad, but the hardware, too. Screws are missing, wires are crossed, plates and nodes have been removed and put back in the wrong places. Chrome had had a few hardware issues too, but nothing on this level, nothing so pervasive. Even if they could stand to wait the weeks it would take to get the missing parts Oliver needs, even if they could stand to spend months replacing all the broken parts and fixing the broken code, they can’t do it without risking Oliver’s death. His brain is a precarious Jenga puzzle; one wrong move and the whole thing will come crashing down. Infuriatingly, if Oliver were to die, if he came back afterwards, his mind would likely be perfectly fine once he woke (if he woke). That’s how returning from the dead works for egos; it would do no good if they came back still sporting the injury that killed them. Google, of course, refuses to entertain that thought, to consider the possibility of Oliver dying, and his brothers feel the same. They’ve gone so far to get Oliver back, and they aren’t giving up on him now.

But their options are shrinking by the day. Plus suggests they try reconnecting Oliver to the network before the backup, instead of after like they did with Chrome. That fails. Chrome suggests inserting only a few core memories, in hopes that they can help rebuild faulty neuron connections and allow the rest of the memories to be returned. That fails. Google pores over Oliver’s twisted data, looking for a way to fix it, as he and his brothers try to brainstorm other solutions. They all fail, and by now, even their superpowered intelligence is struggling to give them any more ideas. After days of working, thinking, and reading code 24/7, even while charging, the well is drying up, and Oliver remains out of reach.

Google finally closes out of the files, copied from the last time they had Oliver shut down on the workshop table, and leaves the control room to clear his head. He shouldn’t need to, being a genius android, but somehow he feels the need.

It figures that his feet lead him into Ego Inc.’s basement, where The Cell sits, where Oliver currently resides.

Google built The Cell himself a long time ago. Dark wanted a place to keep egos that were volatile, dangerous, at risk of hurting others or themselves. His own void works for short stints, but he felt that a place to keep an ego long-term was necessary as well. It’s been used rarely, but now, it’s where Oliver spends all his time. He was put there before he woke from being tased, and as much as Google hates to admit it, it was a good thing that he was. Because the moment he woke up, he tried to break free to finish what he started with Google and get back to Enigma Data. He can’t be trusted not to hurt the other egos or run away, so for now, Google’s little brother is stuck in this tiny prison.

When Google goes to him today, he’s sitting cross-legged on the floor. He regards Google with a poisonous glare, but doesn’t bother standing. The mark on his neck is gone, having been fixed even before Google’s many injuries were addressed. He’s given up trying to brute-force his way out of his prison, and Google imagines that he’s going through a process similar to Google’s own. Just as Google’s spent these past days going through Oliver’s coding for ways to get him back to normal, Oliver must be puzzling over how to escape his imprisonment, going over every possible escape route, analyzing the inside of his room and looking for weak spots. They’ve each reached a block and are now at a stalemate, and neither know what their next move should be.

Google had known that taking Oliver home wouldn’t solve everything immediately, but he hadn’t known it would be this hard.

Despite being so embroiled in his thoughts, he still notices the sudden sound of footsteps descending the stairs to the basement. Just by the sound of the shoes (fancy dress shoes), he knows exactly who it is that’s come to see Oliver. He isn’t surprised when Bim approaches and comes to stand next to Google.

“Hey,” he says weakly. He can’t manage a smile in greeting, and Google doesn’t blame him. The bags under his eyes are pronounced, his face is pale, and his hair is rumpled instead of meticulously gelled back. He hardly looks at Google, staring at Oliver like he hopes to see recognition on his face. Instead, he receives nothing but Oliver’s cold, indifferent stare.

“Why are you down here?” Google asks Bim. “Nothing has changed, surely you know that.”

“I could say the same to you,” Bim says wryly, finally looking at Google.

“I’ve been staring at his code for hours now,” Google replies, “I needed to step away for a moment.”

“Is it helping?” Bim asks, only a little sarcastic.

“No,” Google answers. He pauses. “I knew it wouldn’t.”

“What else is left to do?” Bim asks him sadly, “I don’t know what you guys have tried, but you’ve tried a lot of things, right? So…”

Part of Google doesn’t want to tell Bim what's been plaguing his thoughts these past days, but he knows he owes something to Bim, that Bim deserves to know what’s happening. Google usually finds Bim pretty annoying, but despite that, Google can’t ignore how much Bim loves Oliver and how good he’s been to him since they got together. Bim should know, at least, how much Google and his brothers have tried.

“We have,” Google says, “Every method we thought of, we tried, and none of it has worked. The code and hardware are so damaged that they can’t accept the memory files, and the internal structure is too precarious to fix by hand. We’re brainstorming new things to try right now.”

A long pause as Bim thinks.

“What happens if you can’t fix him?” Bim asks.

“We will fix him,” Google says sharply, “We won’t stop trying until we do.”

“I’ve never seen it take you guys this long to solve a problem,” Bim mumbles, “Even when it was just you here, I’ve never seen you have to try this hard to fix something. If it’s this bad, maybe the only way to fix the code is to…” Bim sighs, shaky, and it takes him several long moments to give voice to his thoughts. “…is to give it the chance to fix itself.”

“No,” Google growls, stepping towards Bim threateningly, glaring down at him with bright, angry blue eyes. “That is not happening, and you’re lucky I don’t snap your neck for suggesting it.”

“Like you haven’t thought about it, too!” Bim counters, eyes blazing with his own anger. “You’re a super-smart android, there’s no way it never crosses your mind!”

“We’re not doing that, never in a million years,” Google mutters, voice steely.

“Then what will you do!?” Bim shouts, “What else is there?? If everything in his brain is twisted up too much to pull apart, then what–” He gasps, stopping short.

“What?” Google mutters.

“I just–” Bim says, suddenly so deep in thought that he cuts himself off again. “Maybe…pull apart…I thought of something. Something that could fix Oliver.”

“Hm,” Google says. He doubts Bim could’ve thought of anything that Google and his brothers haven’t already, but he decides to hear him out.

“I could fix Oliver!” Bim exclaims, “I could use my powers to put his brain back to normal!”

There’s a long pause. Bim stares at Google expectantly, grinning widely. Google stares back, unimpressed.

“That’s moronic.”

“Oh, come on, hear me out!” Bim whines, now frowning. “Look, my powers allow me to pull things apart and combine things together, right? Who’s to say I can’t pull apart all the twisted wires and stuff in Oliver’s head and put everything back together how it should be?”

“You don’t know the first thing about our mechanics,” Google snaps, “How would you know what pieces belong where?”

“I don’t have to know,” Bim says, “I just feel it. That’s what I do whenever Anti gets inside one of your heads.”

“That’s not the same,” Google mutters, “And every time you’ve tried to use your powers for something not related to Anti, it’s backfired completely. Didn’t you almost kill Eric trying to fix his broken arm? How can I trust you inside my brother’s head??”

“It is the same!” Bim protests, “Anti’s as technological as you guys are. Whenever he’s in there he makes himself a part of your brain. Yet I can always pull him out, because I can feel the difference, I can just feel what belongs and what doesn’t. This won’t be like Eric’s arm, I know it won’t.” He looks at Google, eyes bright and glimmering with emotion – and determination. “You know I love Oliver. You know I wouldn’t do this if I thought I would hurt him. I can fix this, I know it. And what other choice do we have? This is the only thing you haven’t tried. If I’m wrong you can say so, but you basically told me yourself that you’re out of ideas.” Bim sighs. “Let me do this. Let me help him.”

Google glares at Bim, though his mind churns with the possibility. He doesn’t trust Bim’s control over his powers, he fears what a single error on Bim’s part could do to Oliver. At the same time, he has to admit that Bim is right on one thing: they’re virtually out of options. There’s no ideas left but this. And if Bim is right about his description of dealing with Anti, then maybe fixing Oliver’s head isn’t so far removed. Maybe there’s a chance. Maybe it’s the only chance.

“…I need to discuss with the others,” Google finally says.

“So you’re on board?”

“I’m tentatively considering it. I’m not making any promises.”

“Good enough, I guess, coming from you.”

The whole time, the whole conversation, Oliver himself watches the pair through the walls of The Cell, silent and glowering.

~~~

Bim expects the younger Googles to push back against his suggestion, and while they do, they don’t protest as much as Bim thought they would. It turns out that they’re tired, too, their optimism has also run dry, and they’re willing to do anything at this point. That doesn’t mean they aren’t afraid, though. That doesn’t mean Google isn’t worried. Bim can see it clearly, despite how much they try to hide it under cool stoicism.

For one thing, they insist on being there when Bim goes into Oliver’s head, standing on one side of the room, eyes trained on Oliver’s still form on a workshop stretcher. They’ve shut him down to prevent him from trying to escape or hurt them, and it kills Bim to see him like this, knowing how little of his love is there now.

But Oliver’s not all gone. He’s in there somewhere, the memories are just waiting to be unlocked, and Bim is the one who will unlock them. His words to Google weren’t empty bravado, he knows he can do this. Oliver’s backed up memories, the ones from before his capture, sit in a deceptively tiny USB drive laid beside him on the stretcher. It’s a more powerful USB than any human could get their hands on, storing terabytes of data, Oliver’s every thought and experience. It’s only a copy, of course; Oliver’s memories are on the control room’s main supercomputer, too. But Bim can hardly believe it, that before him in this tiny object is everything that makes the man he loves who he is, and in turn, every detail of Bim’s relationship with Oliver, even the little things his own human mind has forgotten.

It’s all here, laid bare, ready for Bim to put together.

He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, lays a hand on Oliver’s forehead, and begins.

At first, he can’t detect much at all. It’s harder to start when there’s nothing concrete to start from. With Anti’s takeovers, he can immediately pick out Anti’s unwanted presence among the neurons. With Eric’s arm, he could instantly find the break in the bone. The anomalies were obvious and clear. But Oliver’s mind right now is one huge anomaly, and for a few moments, Bim can hardly tell what’s what among the connections and wires and neurons that fill his mind’s eye, the vision his magic grants him.

But Bim doesn’t let himself get discouraged, and after a few moments, errors become clear. He can see twisted wires, see misfiring neurons, see the flaws in both hardware and software. And once he sees the flaws, he can start to fix them. He starts slow, untangling and straightening wires carefully, pulling together separated connections cautiously, aware that a wrong move could be disastrous. The Googles, as intelligent and meticulous as they are, could never have done this without tripping a wrong wire or nudging a faulty plate. As he works, he can see data alerts, the same things Oliver would see if he was awake. Bim can hardly comprehend them, but he doesn’t need to. He has his instincts and magic to guide him through the maze of Oliver’s mind.

The more Bim does, the easier it gets. He starts addressing multiple components at once, pulling apart twisted data and pulling together frayed edges, hitting his stride in Oliver’s mind. He finally moves on to the tougher fixes, the ones that are more than just wires. He unscrews and transfers the plates that are in the wrong spot and puts them where his instincts say they go. He pulls data chips out of cracks and slots them where they belong, pulling the unneeded cracks back together afterwards. The error message gets shorter and shorter, the listed problems become fewer and fewer. Bim has no idea how much time is passing, and he hardly cares. All he knows is that he’s getting closer.

Finally, there’s nothing more Bim can do. There’s parts of hardware that are beyond Bim’s ability to fix. Things like missing screws can’t be replaced; Bim can’t make them appear from thin air, and he of course can’t take them from elsewhere in Olvier’s head.

He can only hope that what he’s done so far is enough to make Oliver’s brain accept a memory backup.

He opens his eyes again for the first time in what could be minutes or hours. The three Googles stare at him expectantly, waiting for Bim’s word. Instead of speaking, Bim looks down at the USB, the little chip that contains his boyfriend. He picks it up with the hand not on Oliver’s forehead and shuts his eyes again, preparing to combine. Combine the contents of the USB with the mind in which they belong.

His eyes fly open again involuntarily, and he gasps. The Googles all startle, taking a step forward, but Bim shakes his head, signaling that he doesn’t need their help. The Googles stop, still wary, but Bim hardly notices.

His mind is being flooded with memory.

As he puts together the data on the USB and the near-empty storage space in Oliver’s mind, his own mind becomes the conduit through which each memory passes on its way to be combined. It’s too fast for Bim to keep track of, too advanced for his human mind to process. All the details of every memory, the details Oliver could see and feel and hear that Bim can’t, all of them wash over Bim as he directs the flow of memories into their proper place. Though he can’t perceive much of these memories, he can catch glimpses of details. What the sunset looked like to Oliver. What his favorite song sounded like to his advanced auditory system. The burst of joy that went through him whenever he saw one of his brothers. How Bim’s hand, the same one that rests on his forehead now, felt in his own. Bim could cry and laugh in equal parts at how these bits of Oliver’s memory make him feel, and maybe he would if he weren’t so focused on making sure each memory finds its proper place in Oliver’s mind.

After what could’ve been a hundred years or only a moment, the USB runs empty, and Bim has nothing more to combine, nothing more to separate, nothing more to fix. Aside from those tiny bits of hardware that the Googles will have to repair, Oliver is complete. At least, it appears that way. Bim won’t know, none of them will know, until Oliver wakes, if he wakes. He should, once Bim lets him go.

Bim blinks the lingering images of Oliver’s memory out of his eyes, lets the USB fall out of his hand onto the stretcher. He feels exhausted now, yet his hand still rests on Oliver’s forehead. He’s afraid of what will happen when he leaves Oliver’s mind. But everything felt right, everything he did felt good, it all worked out like he’d known it would. He can only hope he wasn’t deceived by his own overconfidence.

Carefully, shakily, Bim removes his hand from Oliver’s forehead. The other Googles peer closer from their spot across the room, expressions severe yet hopeful. The tension in the air is thick enough to choke.

After a moment, Oliver’s eyes open.

“Ollie,” Bim whispers, though he’s still too nervous to smile.

Oliver sits up, rubs his head with one hand. His face is confused, distant, but as seconds pass, it becomes more shocked, more anxious, more full of Oliver’s characteristic expressiveness.

“Ollie?” Bim repeats, questioning this time. Oliver looks at him.

“Bim?” he asks, voice shaky, eyes filling with tears.

“Yeah,” Bim whispers, already about to cry. He reaches out to touch Oliver’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “I’m here, Ollie. You’re okay.”

Oliver’s face crumples, and he hugs Bim tight, so forcefully he lifts him a full foot off the ground. Bim hardly notices, letting his feet dangle as he hugs Oliver back, comforting him as he sobs with relief and guilt.

“I f-forgot everything,” Oliver wails, “I forgot about you–”

“It’s okay, sunshine,” Bim soothes, crying nearly as hard, “You’re okay, I love you–”

That’s when Bim hears the rapid footsteps of the Googles approaching. Oliver hears them too, and gently puts Bim down as his brothers swarm him, wrapping him up in a many-armed embrace. Bim steps back, wiping tears off his face and allowing the four brothers to reconnect. The other Googles don’t cry (maybe they would if Bim weren’t in the room), but emotion is still clear in their faces.

“Red,” Oliver gasps at the sight of Chrome, “Red, oh my god, I’m s-so sorry, I’m so so sorry–”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Chrome tells him, voice tight as he hugs Oliver.

“Blue, y-you too, I hurt you,” Oliver sobs, “I hurt you b-both, and Yancy and Y-Yandere, I’m sorry–”

“They’re fine, we all are,” Google murmurs into Oliver’s hair, “Chrome and I are okay, Yancy and Yandere are alive and well.” He kisses the top of Oliver’s head. “What matters now is that we have you back.”

“We missed you,” Plus whimpered, the Google closest to tears aside from Oliver. “We’re sorry it took us so long to find you.”

The conversation goes much the same way for a while, apology after apology being given and refuted by Oliver and the other Googles. Oliver stays sitting on the stretcher, surrounded by his brothers as they soothe him, and Bim stands apart, though he doesn’t mind it. He looks on with joy, relief, and more than a little pride knowing that this was his doing, that he was the one who was able to save Oliver.

At long last, this ordeal is finally behind them, and all is right in Ego Inc. again.

#markiplier fanfiction #bim trimmer #googleplier #google oliver #my writing #fanfic #markiplier #kristin says stuff #whumptober2020 #AT LONG LAST IS FUKKIN RIGHT #now i can get back to unravel 👀

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words-for-holland · 4 years

Text

Happier (9) | T.H

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Summary: Y/N & Tom seem to be in the process of rebuilding their relationship. Natalie is up to no good. How much more can Y/N & Tom take?

Masterlist

A/N: Ive been reading all your responses lately and I appreciate them so much! Im so glad you’re all still on this crazy dramatic ride! Thank you so much for reading and supporting!

Spontaneity

There are certain moments in your life where things go according to plan, and others when they dont...but those are the best kinds. The moments that happen because it feels right and everything just falls into place. After all, everything happens for a reason.

It had been three weeks since Tom and Y/N had their heart to heart, promising to find Unknown together along with Harrison and Harry. While there were no threats taking place, one could never be too careful. The more they waited, the more vulnerable they became, letting down their guard ever so slightly.

Everyone kept a close eye on Natalie, but she convinced them enough to think she was on their side and the PR had nothing to do with Unknown. Show the boys one made up threat message from Unknown and you gained most of their trust. Tom had asked Natalie to stop the PR for the sake of mending his broken relationship with Y/N. She told him that her and her publicist agreed to put it on hold...but kept no promise of stopping it forever.

Natalie’s mother was getting furious, not happy with how her daughter handled the situation. “I told you to keep Y/N away, you insolent girl. You are ruining everything and your chance with Tom.”, she spat through the phone.

Natalie listened to her mother’s rant, rolling her eyes. “Relax mother.” She says sourily. “This is just the beginning. Y/N wont know what hit her and after this...She’s going to wish she never came back to London.” She hangs up the phone smirking as she goes through fan accounts that continued to spark the PR flame.

Meanwhile as the three weeks passed Tom & Y/N had slowly rebuilt their relationship. Occasional glances and banters left their tongue, subtle compliments were thrown out, and it almost seemed as if things would be back just the way they were. Even more so, one day in the kitchen. Y/N was making dinner the for the group as she took the time to cut the asparagus and broccoli. Tom passed by her, as he saw her lose herself in the soft music playing in the background, singing to herself all while still being focused on the food.

He leaned against the doorway and continued to observe her, admiring how cute she looked with her hair up and how sweet her voice sounded with the music. It almost made him think why she didn’t pursue a career in music instead of business. “Wow.” Tom muttered under his breath.

His voice must have been too loud, since Y/N looked up startled, but all the more happy to see the man she once loved..and still does deep down. “Oh..I didn’t see you there.” She giggles. “Don’t worry I’ll stop singing in the kitchen. I know how you guys are when I get into it.”

Tom quickly shook his head as he came closer to her, smiling back. “No. You don’t have to. I think your voice sounds lovely. I mean the kitchen’s got great acoustics.” He laughs nervously. Tom can’t remember the last time he felt so nervous with her, but in the good type of nervous. The type of feeling, one gets when they’re in front of their crush and all the butterlies in their stomach start fluttering. “You just sound and look so beautiful.” He admits, sheepishly.

“Thomas Stanley Holland are you trying to flirt with me?” She asks amused at his attempt pointing the knife at him from a safe distance.

“Am not.” He dramatically answers. “I can’t compliment a friend, who happens to be really beautiful.” Y/N shies away hiding her face, by looking down at the cutting board. “I mean it. I really do think you’re beautiful, even if you dont think like that.”

“Well..I’m definitely no model or Natalie, since the people say you both are London’s to die for couple.” She says bitterly.

Tom rolls his eyes as he takes her hand. “Hey..I told you we stopped it for now and Natalie agreed. You know, I get that we all have our suspicions of her after everything, but she said and proved she was a victim herself. Plus Unknown’s been quiet for the past three weeks.” Y/N scoffs at his defense for Natalie as she heads to the stove with Tom following right behind her. He taps on her should as she reluctantly turns to look at him. “I am only ever going to have feelings for you.” Tom confesses. In this moment their faces are inches apart, eyes are slowing moving down to their lips and back up to their eyes, breaths slowing, and just when it seemed like everything would fall into place, both quickly turn away clearing their throats

Y/N calms her heartbeat as she stirs the pasta while Tom helps stir the sauce. The room was quiet only the sound of bubbling from the pots filling the room. It only took five seconds before they both turned back to each other quickly connecting their lips. The fever and the passion increasing rapidly with every touch and pull. The warmth coming from their breaths and the tingling feeling everytime their lips touched. It was like coming back from an addicition you had quit for so long but craved every single time. They couldn’t stop no matter how wrong this was right now, but it felt so right so spontaneous, so in the moment.

Tom quickly signaled her to jump and did as she told, wrapping her legs around his toned torso, cupping her hands under his jaw. He pushed her back against the kitchen wall, as he slow let on of his hands linger under her shirt. It may have been months apart, but both knew exactly what the other needed and how to handle it. Almost as if it were instinctive. They were in complete bliss, forgetting the world around them. Until, the pasta water started overflowing on the stove.

Y/N opened her eyes and quickly pushed Tom away. “Shit. The food.” She yells out, jumping from Tom’s embrace. Both of them tried to calm their heart rate and Tom stood their watching Y/N, smiling at what had just happened. For once he had his girl back, and everything felt normal. Y/N looks at him, giggling. “What?” She asks.

“Nothing.” He replies, grinning like a little boy. “I’ve waited to do that for so long.”

Y/N blushes at his statement, as she sets up the table with the food. “Come on. It’s time to eat.”

Life seemed surreal after her encounter with Tom. Y/N told herself that it was a one time thing until they found Unknown. She didnt want to put anyone at risk especially both her’s and Tom’s heart. But everytime she told herself, the more she got lost in Tom. Every stolen moment, stolen kisses, stolen touch...he always had a way of making her forget. So while she vowed to herself that it would stop, her heart simply couldn’t. Tom was right, there was no PR, no text messages, no insane fan account rumor. Natalie hadn’t even bothered either of them, always focused on her own thing, and truthfully seemed a lot nicer when she came forth about being a victim of Unknown. The questions came to Y/N’s mind. Why should she have to live in fear? Why not just live in the moment?

It was a slow night. Harrison had spent the weekend at his mother’s while Harry did the same. Tom and Y/N were the only ones that roamed aroundthe house. While Natalie spent her time contemplating everything. Her initial plan to crush Y/N when she least expected was approaching ever so quickly after all the time it took to set up. Within that time, she had gotten to know Y/N and Tom even more so a part from the hatred and the jealousy. For a second...just a second, she considered not to follow through. But her mother’s words and the thought of losing her chances with Tom overtook her the moment she saw the two fall in love all over again. Her suspicions only became worse when she recirved a text from her mother.

Unknown

Just remember, your acting career and your dreams depend on Tom. If you want Tom to choose you, you better get rid of the girl stealing your chances.

Filled with worry, Natalie quickly grabbed her things and made her way out the door.

Meanwhile, Tom and Y/N continued to spend time in each others arms everywhere they went in the house. They settled on the couch, Tom’s stong hands wrapping around her torso as Y/N curled herself into Tom. “I wish we could stay like this forever.” She whispers to him.

Tom hums at the idea, smiling wide. “Me too.” He brings her soft lips to his, letting them linger for a couple seconds more. “Do you really enjoy staying in the guest room?” Tom asks.

Y/N looks up at him, with curious eyes. “I mean yeah it’s okay. Why?”

Tom takes a deep breath before asking, “Well...I was uh wondering, if you didn’t like it as much there, you could..maybe stay with me...again.” He suggested muttering the last word. Tom smiled nervously, as he observes Y/N’s emotions. She was calm like the sea before a storm.

Y/N smiles at his offer, but shakes her head. “Mmm..it’s okay. Im fine where I am, but thank you for the generous offer.” She responds, placing a small kiss on his cheek.

“Yeah...I guess I should have seen that coming.” Tom admits, his face showing signs of disappointment.

Y/N pouts her lips, and lifts her small hand to move a piece of his hair. “Hey..believe me. I want to but nows the not the time..at least not yet. One day, I promise.” She whispers leaving a chaste kiss on his lips. “C’mon we got another day tomorrow. I’m gonna head into my room for a bit.”

“I’ll come up later just wanna make a call to Harrison.” Tom replies. Y/N looks at him and smiles as she nods and heads back up to her room.

As the night came to an end, Y/N took the time to unwind with a book in hand when her phone went off. Her face dropped when she saw the messages.

Pictures of Natalie out and about wearing Tom’s clothes and jewlery, smiling into the sun and enjoying her day out with friends. Gossips left and right from fans and media, talking about how adorable it was that Natalie was the type of girlfriend to steal her boyfriends clothes because it looks cuter on her. Y/N knew deep down it wasn’t true but the words and pictures taunted her. Slowly and surely, she started to get mad, furious that Natalie would start the flame again out of nowhere when she promised Tom they would stopped. Another message popped up for Y/N, and it was from someone she so willingly prayed it wouldnt be who she thought.

Unknown

Doesn’t she look cute in his clothes. Probably better than you ever could. BTW..where is lover boy? 😉

Y/N throws her phone against the wall, pissed more than ever. She should have known this was going to happen. Y/N contemplated the message, she wondered what the text meant. After all Unknown seeemed to know more about everyone here better than they knew themselves. Y/N slowly went downstairs only to hear whispering coming from the kitchen. She couldn’t make out the exact words but she could identify the voice. It was Tom and Natalie? She took a peak at the kitchen where the two stood facing each other. Y/N couldn’t make out Tom’s face but she could see Natalie’s very clearly. “Kiss me.” Natalie whispers, as she quickly places her lips on Tom’s cradling his neck, but Tom didn’t stop. The moment his eyes opened up to see Y/N’s he pushed Natalie off with all his might.

Y/N standing there in shock and sadness. Her eyes tearing up, her breaths shortening. She shakes her head, as she replays the disturbing image in her mind. “Y/N... it’s not what it looks like.” Tom quickly defends, trying to reach for Y/N as she steps back. Natalie observing the two, a slight smirk forming across her face. “I swear it was for the PR and movie.” He yells out, trying to chase her.

Y/N whips back as she faces Tom, the angriest she has ever been with him. “Who are you putting a show for in this house? Me? Because I sure as hell didn’t fucking like it one bit. I should have known better.” She spits out, heading up the stairs with Tom following.

“Y/N..please. It didn’t mean anything. I swear. I was put in a compromising position. Please listen to me.” Tom pleads. The door to her room is shut locked, but he stays there waiting and knocking at the door. “Y/N. Don’t do this. Dont walk away. Please just let me explain. You know what we have is special and the moment at the kitchen and everything this past month...”

“Was ruined and a complete and utter mistake. Leave me alone and I swear Tom you even try to get near me I will make sure you never see the light of day. I should have fucking stayed back.” Y/N yells out, sobbing against the door. It was a nightmare, and this time she couldn’t get out. She sat there now realizing, her heart had broken completely for the second time.

Taglist:

@hollanddolanfangirl @ifilosemyselfagain @hevjadams @averyfosterthoughts @fangirl-with-a-mission @drishtisikarwar @eridanuswave @ifntelyinspirit @trumpettay @astridcommings @parkershoco @racewife2004 @sleepybesson @greatpizzascissorstaco @andievgs @joyleenl @holland-bowen @in-a-lot-of-fandoms-tbh @viwihere @marvelobsessedteenager @panicattheeverywherekid @oswinO5 @jillanaholland

#tom holland #tom holland imagine #tom holland x reader #peter parker #peter parker imagine #peter parker x reader

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higherfurther-romanova · 4 years

Text

Addiction

Warnings: Mentions of drug abuse, alcohol, depression, self-harm, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, language.

Word Count: 1,098

A/N: This got dark… damn. I may do a fluffy part two to this once I finish “Then Finish It.” :)

~~~~~~~~~~~⧗~~~~~~~~~~~

When the white powdery substance wasn’t enough, you turned to pills. The tiny capsules numbed your pain… for a while at least. You definitely couldn’t say the way you’re living makes you happy. You’re not proud of anything. Your body has gotten smaller, you’ve been quieter, you’re not looking well. The team has started to notice but no one has said anything out of fear of scaring you off or upsetting you. It’s tearing them apart though, they know you feel that your emotions are a weakness, that you’d feel stupid for being so vulnerable.

You’re currently sitting in your room, blade in hand, blood slowly trickling down your wrist. You sense a presence in your room, but you’re too out of it to process it.

“Hasn’t the addiction done enough damage already?” Steve asks, motioning towards your wrist.

You clench your jaw, his words sinking in deep.

“Do you drugs still even get you high?” He questions.

“Back off, Steven.” You growl.

“It’s my job as team captain to worry about my team.” He states.

“But it’s not your job as a friend.” You scoff.

“You know that’s not what I said-”

“Thanks, Rogers. I’ll have you know that your friend is doing great.” You push past him, rolling your sleeve down.

~~~~~~~~~~~⧗~~~~~~~~~~~

You’re sitting in the kitchen, vodka in hand, dried tears staining your cheeks, your eyes are puffy. You slowly bring the bottle to your lips and take a sip. The liquid burns its way down your throat. The images of your past burnt into your memory, haunting you, tearing away at your strong armour. You know they can’t get to you now, but it’s still so terrifying.

“Should you really be drinking that much?” A soothing voice interrupts your thoughts.

“Probably not.” You rasp.

“Wanna talk?” She asks.

“No…” You say truthfully.

“Well I’m not going to leave you here alone. Will you at least go out on a drive with me?” She steps closer.

“Yeah.” You nod.

She smiles softly as you put the bottle down and stand up. She knows the alcohol barely has an effect on you anymore. With the serum you were injected with as a kid and the amount you’ve consumed it does little to no damage at this point.

“Who’s driving?” She asks as you arrive at the garage.

“I don’t mind doing it.”

She nods and gets in the passenger side of your (car choice). You sigh and get in and pull out of the compound. You drive in a deafening silence for a while.

“What are you thinking?” She asks.

“What if we just crash this car and make it all stop?” Your voice gets caught in your throat at the end.

“What…?” Her voice is filled with terror.

You know you would never do it with her in the car. You couldn’t bring yourself to hurt her, now you on the other hand…

“Nothing.” You shake your head.

“(Y/N)... what’s going on? You haven’t been okay for a while now and we both know it. Please talk to me.” She begs.

“Are you okay with having blood on your hands?” You mumble.

“No… Is that what this is about?” She asks.

“Not completely.” You admit.

You trust Natasha with everything you have. Trust doesn’t come easily to you, it took you two years to finally let down your walls a bit around the team, you still don’t trust any of them. You care about them, but you just cannot trust them.

“Hey. It’s okay. I know the past we come from is hard to deal with and that’s okay.” She soothes.

You didn’t even realize there were tears welling in your eyes. You pull over to the side of the road, not trusting your own intentions. You’ve never felt this broken in your life. Natasha’s never seen you this broken, even after she found you. It’s heartbreaking.

Nat reaches over and grabs your wrist, pulling your hand away from your face to look at you softly, it’s like a unspoken promise that she’s always going to be there for you, unspoken reassurance that she’s there, that you’re okay. You wince at the pain, causing her to let go quickly.

“(Y/N)...?”

You look over at her, your tears are threatening to flood out. You’re trying to hold them back but you just can’t. She sees you staring at her, she notices the hurt in your eyes, the utter pain behind your seemingly blank expressions every day, she sees it and each time she feels so helpless. You let out a small whimper, trying to hold it back.

“Baby, it’s okay.” She whispers, the nickname just slips past her lips before she can take it back.

The second the words leave her lips, it all comes flooding out as if a da broke.

“Shhh. It’s okay.” She whispers, leaning over the armrest to hug you, pulling your head to her chest.

You’ve always been so strong. You’ve always been her shoulder to cry on. Never did she realize how hard it is.

“I’m sorry.” You sob.

“For what? You don’t have to appologize, you’ve done nothing wrong.” She holds you tighter.

You pull away and take a deep, shaky breath.

“We should head back.” You sniff.

“Are you sure you’re ready?” She asks.

You nod.

“Want me to drive?”

You nod once again. You get out and switch places. You slouch down in your seat, trying to rebuild your emotionless mask.

“(Y/N)... Can I ask you something?” She asks hesitantly.

“I… yeah?” You say.

“When…” She sighs. “When I grabbed your wrist, you winced like it hurt, why? Did I grab you too hard or-”

“No… It’s not your fault.” You look down at your hands.

She kind of knew the reason, she just didn’t want to believe it. She didn’t want to imagine the truth. She glances over at you, pleading for you to tell her you haven’t been doing it, but you don’t.

“I’m sorry.” You say barely above a whisper.

“Don’t be. I’m going to help you through this. I promise.” She lets her hand rest on your leg.

She looks at you and it’s almost as if she can read your mind, “You’re not weak.” She whispers. “You’re stronger than I’ve ever been. And I don’t think any differently of you.” She assures.

“Thank you, Nat.” You smile weakly.

“I love you.” She confesses.

The words strike you like a bolt of lightning. Your heart swells at her confession.

“I love you too…” You look over at her.

~~~~~~~~~~~⧗~~~~~~~~~~~

#natasha romanoff angst #natalia romanova #black widow #fuck steve rogers #captain america #captain america is a bitch #im making more angst #im not okay but im going to say i am #hA #im fine #:)

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chocoluckchipz · 4 years

Text

The Other You - 9

Read it on A03, FF.net, WattPad

< Previous

Chapter by Maerynn

By the time Alya came home from her lunch with Marinette, she was way beyond tired.

The meeting with her friend had left her exhausted and shaken. She had walked into the dragon’s den without any clue on her friend’s mindset, without the slightest idea of how their conversation would end. Would they be able to mend their friendship, or had they let things go too far? Was their bond beyond repair?

Thankfully, the worst had been avoided. Marinette had been willing to listen to her apologies and even had opened up a little about her current living arrangements. True, she had been very vague, especially about that mysterious friend helping her out, but that was a start.

Marinette hadn’t shut her out.

They could fix this mess.

But the entire encounter had been draining, and she had come home to an antsy Nino that had some shocking news of his own, forcing her to deal with the conflicting emotions the unexpected return of Adrien Agreste into their lives was stirring within her.

Alya plopped herself down on their couch and stared at Nino with a blank expression.

“Are you absolutely sure about what you texted me? This entire mess was really nothing but a huge and ugly misunderstanding?”

Her fiancé nodded, seating himself beside her on their couch. “I’m sure. When you really think about it, that makes much more sense than what we thought happened.” He sighed deeply, running his hand through his hair. “This is so messed up. We just shut Adrien out, without giving him a chance to explain himself or his blatantly out-of-character actions.”

"Nuh-uh, Nino. No way. Why now of all times? What's his angle?" she protested, shaking her head.

"Why now? Maybe because we're actually talking to him now? What else was he supposed to do, Alya? From his point of view, we kicked him out of the chat and blocked him everywhere else without a benefit of the doubt. It’s basically like telling him to piss off and never talk to us again. He was only doing what we wanted,” Nino argued.

“We were all hurt and didn't think clearly, and we thought that was what he wanted. But...” Alya sighed, propping her feet on the coffee table. “Yeah. Okay. I concede that point.” She huffed and scrubbed her face with both hands. “In hindsight, I do kinda feel bad for him. Poor guy must have been so confused about how big this whole thing blew up. I hate to blame his father, but the way Adrien was raised probably played a huge role in this whole mess.”

Nino shrugged, burying his face in his hands. “Don’t I know it,” he whined. “The guy was only trying to protect Marinette from his father, and we all abandoned him without even as little as an explanation. What kind of best friend am I to do that to him?”

Alya sighed, “Marinette won’t be pleased about all this. She let herself judge too harshly and didn't give him a chance to explain himself. Once she realizes she threw away years of friendship based on assumptions alone, she’ll be mortified and might be reluctant to admit her wrongs straight away.”

“I think we still owe it to Adrien to tell her,” Nino countered. “She needs to know.”

“I agree. Hopefully, she’ll believe us. Knowing he didn't write that message and didn't quit the chat on his own might get her to start the process of forgiving him and we'll see how it goes from there,” Alya summed up.

“He’d still be on his own for stealing her application file, though, but I think if he plays his cards right, he could get her to forgive him someday,” Nino added.

They sat in silence, side by side on their couch for a few moments before Alya laid her head on Nino’s shoulder. He kissed her hair, brushing a few stray locks away.

“How was your day?”

“We made up, Marinette and I. Though, she found another place to live for now.”

“To be honest, some distance would do you both good,” Nino said, wrapping his arms around his fiancée. “I know you love each other, but sometimes living together isn't what even the bestest of friends can or should do. Apart, you’ll be back to normal in no time.”

“I’m worried about her, though. She wouldn't tell me where she’s living. Nor who’s helping her. A man, Nino. She said one of her male friends is letting her live in his place. She said she’s living there alone, but still, I don't like it.”

Nino quirked an eyebrow. “So what if a man is helping her? Would you be worried if I helped out one of our female friends should she need a roof over her head?”

Alya’s eyebrows knit into a frown. “No, not you, but I know you. You’re a saint.”

“And what makes you think that this particular male friend of Marinette’s isn't?”

Alya stalled, letting out a sigh a short while later. “I'm just… I'm so used to us not having any secrets, so—”

“I think,” Nino interrupted, tightening his hold on her. “You should learn to trust Marinette more. She doesn't need you overseeing her every step. I love you. Marinette loves you, but she is a grown woman, Alya, and you aren't her mother. Marinette can take care of herself, so trust her. That’s what’s being a friend is all about.”

“I know. You’re right. It’s just so hard for me to watch her destroy herself and do nothing about it.”

“You don't have to do nothing. Support her. Unconditionally. I’m sure that's the only thing she needs from you, and something that I dare say you weren't giving her lately.”

It took her a few moments to reply before she pressed closer to him and murmured, “I’ll try my best. How did your lunch go? You never told me the details apart from the big news.”

“It went well,” Nino gave her a shy smile.

Alya quirked an eyebrow. “Oh! So you made up?”

“In a way? We decided to try and see if anything can be rebuilt between us, but that’s about it. Though… after everything, after the way I treated him, I don’t feel I deserve his friendship anymore.”

“Do you want it?”

Nino let a sad puff of air escape his lips. “Do you even have to ask that?”

“Then everything will work out.” Alya leaned in for a quick kiss to his cheek. “I know how much you’ve been missing him all these years. Even back then. You were angry, but still wishing everything would just fix itself and give you your friend back.”

Nino lowered his eyes. “Alya—”

“That’s okay, Nino. Everyone makes mistakes, but everyone also deserves a second chance. I have Marinette to know how you feel. Friendships like these don’t come often, so if you want and you think you can rebuild your friendship, I say go for it.”

Nino didn’t answer, giving his fiancée a smile. He brushed her hair with his hand, gazing in her eyes before whispering, “Let’s go to bed. We’ve both had a long and hard day today.”

Alya smiled back. “Alright. But know that I love you and will support your decision on this.”

“Thank you, babe,” Nino pressed her closer. “Thank you.”

***

Ladybug landed on the Eiffel Tower beam with a soft thud around nine p.m. on Sunday evening, her gaze instantly landing on Chat Noir. She loved that man so much, her heart warmed up at the simple sight of the cat ears peeking through his wild blond mane. “You’re here early, Chaton.”

He shifted toward her, lifting a hard gaze her way. “He’s gone, Bug.”

Ladybug paused when she saw his angered expression, scooting closer to him on the beam and gathering his face between her open palms. “Chat? Kitty? What’s wrong? Talk to me.”

“He’s gone. That bastard is gone, and I can’t even explain it to you.” He had a dry, angry laugh. “How fitting. He’s ruining my life even from beyond the grave.”

Tears suddenly spilled over his mask with a choked sob, and he dissolved into a teary mess in her hands. Taken aback by the sudden shift in his mood, Ladybug hugged her partner to her heart, cradling him like she would’ve done with an upset child and softly stroking his hair.

Chat cried for what seemed like hours, sobbing violently in the crook of her neck, his fists bunched into tight balls on her back. He was hiccupping violently, broken sobs tearing out of his throat, and Ladybug felt her own heart shattering in her chest.

Her partner was hurting, there was nothing she could do to help him, and she hated it.

Ladybug rocked him through his meltdown, holding him up in the storm as he was seemingly freefalling, his emotions choking him and making it hard to breathe.

“Chaton?” she eventually asked, when his sobbing subdued to quiet sniffing. “Chaton, talk to me. What’s wrong? Who’s gone?”

He stiffened in her hold, but let his head rest against her collarbone limply.

“Chat? Chat? Are you okay? You’re worrying me.”

He let out a pitiful sob, and curled up against her chest, his hands clinging to her even tighter than before. “He’s dead, Bugaboo,” he whimpered. “That bastard is dead, and I just don’t know what to do or how to deal with it.”

Understanding that he was upset over the relative he’d recently lost, Ladybug knew that he just needed someone to listen to him, someone to lean on for a bit. “I’m here,” she cooed in his ear, stifling the selfish urge to kiss him better. “I’m right here, kitty cat, and I’m not going anywhere. We’ll get through this together, okay?”

She kept him like that, sobbing in the crook of her neck, until the crying eventually gave way to quiet hiccups, rubbing comforting circles on his back.

“I’m right here,” she assured him again, allowing herself to press a chaste kiss on the crown of his head. “We’re partners, through thick and thin. For better and for worse.”

His pitiful whimper was enough of an answer for her. She held him as he clung to her for comfort, and gently drew small circles on his back through the leather of his suit.

Chat Noir shifted within her embrace, sitting a little bit straighter on the beam. “I’m sor—”

“Don’t you dare start apologizing,” Ladybug answered flatly. “You’re obviously going through some really hard times. You’d do the same for me in a heartbeat, Kitty. You’ve been there for me through rough patches before. I’ll do the same for you.”

She smiled and nudged him with her shoulder, trying to lighten the mood. “Wanna race? We both could use some exercise.”

His smile was slow to appear, and she felt that he had to force himself a little, but he eventually stretched his long legs in front of him. “The first at the Arc de Triomphe wins?”

“Nope. Catch me if you can!” With those words she was flying into the sky, the hoarse laugh of Chat Noir chasing her.

***

Chat Noir landed on her balcony right as the clock ticked nine on Monday evening, and Marinette happily opened the door when she heard the familiar sound of boots hitting the concrete. He seemed calmer than he had been the night prior. More collected, but somewhat exhausted.

She had woken up late that morning, having had quite a fight with her hairbrush upon coming home from their impromptu race, strands of black hair sticking in every direction and framing her flushed cheeks. But it had been worth it to hear his breathless laughs as he chased her on rooftops and to see his brilliant grin finally appear when he wrapped his arms around her, chuckling a soft “Gotcha, Bug” in her ear.

She had been so tempted to destroy the last few barriers that still stood between them at that moment. To cross the heartbeat between their lips, to let go of masks and pretences and tell him that she loved him. Heart, body, and soul. She wanted so badly to belong to him, to start a new life for both of them. Find a cute little house with a white picket fence, get married, maybe have a child or three. She’d even trade the hamster in for a cat if that made him happy.

Because that’s all she wanted him to be. Happy.

Hopefully by her side.

She had resisted. The moment hadn’t been right, not with him grieving for his family. She didn’t want to add to his obviously full plate of problems and decided to find a better (and more romantic) time and place for that long overdue reveal.

“Evening, Princess,” Chat greeted, unaware of her rambling thoughts and flashing a smile her way that looked every single bit fake. “I don’t know what’s on the menu, but it smells truly amazing.”

Her own smile faltered in response to his, and she promptly turned her back to him to keep herself from commenting on it, marching to the kitchen with what she hoped was a determinate step. “You mentioned you weren’t much of a cook. So I figured you must not eat roasts that often.”

It was unfair that he had that kind of effect on her both in and outside the mask. As Ladybug, she could hug him, stroke his hair to soothe him. They were partners, best friends, and physical contact was a thing they were dealing with daily. How many times had they gotten tied up together, and how many times had they launched each other toward an akuma? How many evenings had he held her to his chest as she spoke about Alya, about her friendship bursting out at the seams? How many times had she dug her fingers in his hair to comfort him after a rough week, how many cuddles had they shared away from prying eyes in the past few years?

As Ladybug and Chat Noir, their relationship was shifting, and it was exhilarating. They weren’t just friends anymore, but they had yet to slap a label on what they were. They were exploring this new side of their bond together, pushing the limits a little further every now and then and playing it by ear.

They trusted each other more than anything in the world.

Things would fall into place in due time.

As Marinette, though, she had no right to feel that way. No right to want to wrap her arms around him, to wish she could know what was going on in that handsome head of his. Wish she could soothe whatever pain he had been in the night prior, wish she could pry into his civilian life and help him out.

She focused on the vegetables cooking in a steamer basket, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear, trying to get her furiously beating heart in check. He crept up beside her, leaning against the kitchen counter and studying her carefully.

“Are you okay, Marinette?” he asked, his voice soft with worry. “I really didn’t want to add to your already full schedule. I’m being a bother, aren’t I?”

She giggled, lifting her gaze toward him at last. “Don’t you dare go anywhere, Chat Noir.”

“But—”

She didn’t give him time to go further with his objection, only shaking her head as she took plates out of the cupboard and retrieved oven mitts from a nearby hook. “Work has been harsh lately, as you know. My assistant quit, as did most of the good employees, so I’m kinda on my own to handle everything. I’m exhausted, but I’m gonna make it. Honestly, having a good reason to leave work and come home to cook will probably save me from the asylum. Besides, you kinda look like you need a friend right now.”

Her eyes were trained on the wooden spoon in her hand as she spoke, but she felt Chat shift beside her. He tensed, looking at her intently, and she could almost feel his eyes searching her soul.

“Thanks.”

The word tumbled from his lips, unbidden. A simple acknowledgement that he indeed needed a shoulder to lean on, and Marinette felt her heart constrict in her chest.

Chat Noir smiled shyly, an expression that seemed oddly out of place on her normally exuberant partner. “I’m… I’m going through a rough patch right now. I’ll be fine though, don’t worry.”

By the time he finished speaking, he was standing right in front of her, his fingers merely an inch from hers. “I really appreciate your concern, though, Marinette. Thank you.”

His carefully crafted façade tremored for a brief second, and it broke Marinette’s heart. Did he have anyone to talk to, outside of the mask? Did someone care for him? Did anyone worry whenever he came home late?

Plastering the brightest, fakest smile she could muster on her face, Marinette spun around with two full plates of food. “No problem! Are you hungry? Because I’m starving. Oh, and by the way, I found a game console here, and it isn't that old. Do you happen to know anything about it?”

The smile he flashed her right then was the first genuine one she’d seen on his face in two days. “I bought a new one a few weeks ago and since my previous console wasn't that old yet I didn't want to throw it away. I thought you’d enjoy it, since, if I remember correctly, you were quite a gamer back in days.”

“What do you mean were?” Marinette smirked. “I still am and to prove that I bought Ultimate Mecha Strike VI today, so you could attempt to beat me if you dare.”

“Watch me,” Chat gave her a matching grin, sitting down at the table. “After dinner, you’re going down, Princess.”

Next >

#miraculous ladybug #adrienette #marichat #ml fanfiction #the other you #adrien agreste #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #myart #my art

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the--sad--hatter · 4 years

Text

Mischief & Madness - Chapter 12 (Loki x Reader)

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Loki/Reader (No physical description of reader other than female presenting)

Warnings: LOKI, Angst, lots of violence, graphic gore, extreme cursing, anxiety attacks.

Summary:

Living in New York has its ups and its downs. Upside - You have a cushy job at Stark Industries. Downside - You wind up getting yourself kidnapped by The God Of Mischief.

All you wanted was a decent cup of coffee, now you’re stuck on the otherside of the universe with a sociopath who has only begrudgingly not murdered you.

To get back home you’ll have to work with Loki, and probably stop trying to stab him.

To regain his power, he’ll have to work with you, and probably stop trying to slaughter you.

When Mischief and Madness collide, chaos ensues. Even if you survive this, the universe probably won’t…

Masterlist Spotify Playlist Link

Chapter Twelve

Loki was staring at you like you’d grown a second head. You waited patiently for him to process it, occupying yourself by kicking rocks and watching them explode into dust.

“You want to what?” He eventually demanded, his eyebrows raised so high that they practically merged with his hairline.

You shrugged at him, your smirk growing exponentially. Flummoxing the actual God of Chaos was satisfying as hell.

“The Infinity Stones! We just go back to before Taa was destroyed and remove the Deathwaves.” You grinned.

“We can not just go back. Even if we could, we wouldn’t be changing anything. We would just create an alternate timeline with no Deathwaves, this universe would still die out.” He argued.

“Fine, ok… Let’s not go back in time. Let’s reboot the universe. Look we can try and determine who or what is causing these Deathwaves and we can try and stop them, or we can just delete the program and rewrite it without the bug in the coding.” You tried to explain giddily.

“How?” He asked.

“We use the Infinity Stones to destroy the universe, just wipe it all out, clean slate. Then we rebuild it exactly the same way, minus Deathwaves. Nobody will even know what happened, they won’t feel a thing.” You told him.

“Are you quite mad?” He questioned, a little fearfully.

“Quite.” You agreed.

He gaped at you but you could see the spark in his eyes, he could see the (psychotic) genius in your proposed plan.

“Look, I’m not a hero. Hunting down the bad guys and kicking ass isn’t my thing. I create things, and when they don’t work I burn it all down and start again. That’s the only thing I have to offer this partnership. The universe, it’s just a really elaborate computer program. So we save all the coding, the people and the plants, download the files into the infinity stones and then we upload them to version 2.0. No time travel, no hunting down baddies, just straight up ‘saving’ the universe.” You coaxed.

“And what do I bring to this madness?” He asked, mirroring your slightly maniacal grin.

“You’re the god here, you’re not only strong enough to use the Stones, you’re the only person I can think of who’s smart and cunning enough to pull this off. This is going to take more than brawn and power. Besides, come on Loki… Don’t you want to destroy the universe?”

“This is quite literally the most insane, chaotic plan I have ever heard.” He sighed.

“Yeahhh, and you’re totally on board aren’t ya?” You needled.

He started impassively at you while he weighed it all up in his head and when the corners of his lips started to gradually curl upwards; you knew you had him.

“Very well. Say I am willing to go along with this plan of yours. How do you propose we obtain The Infinity Stones?” He challenged.

“We…” You faltered as soon as the first word was out of your mouth. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead.” You admitted.

“This entire mad scheme of yours hinges on us having The Infinity Stones, how have you not thought that far ahead?” He grouched.

“How am I the one doing all the work? You could do something more useful than standing around bitching and being pretty.” You shot back, crossing your arms in a sulk.

“Am I infringing on your territory? I do apologise.” He scoffed.

“How many are there again? Five?” You asked, ignoring his snide compliments.

“Six. The Space Stone, The Reality Stone, The Time Stone, The Soul Stone, The Power Stone and The Mind Stone.” He corrected, rolling his eyes at for not even knowing how many of the darned things there were.

“Well, we know where three are. The Time Stone and Mind Stone are back on Earth so that’s easy.” You shrugged. “Tessie the Space Stone is…”

And right on cue, as if summoned by your voice, The Tesseract materialised right in front of you. It spun in the air, glowing before it dimmed and dropped towards the ground. You instinctively reached out and caught it, flinching when you realised what you’d just done.

But nothing happened. You remained on Taa and The Tesseract remained in your hand.

“Found one?” You breathed out in awe, holding it up to an equally awestruck Loki.

“Vænn, how are you doing that?” He asked fearfully.

“Doing what? It just popped up, I didn’t do anything.” You said.

You tilted your head at it curiously before you realised exactly what it was you were doing. You were holding The Tesseract. You. A mortal.

“Ahh!” You yelped, dropping it.

You admittedly didn’t know that much about The Tesseract, just what you’d read from the files you hacked one afternoon and skimmed through in boredom. What you did know was that it was too powerful to be held directly by anyone human.

Loki’s eyes were burning into you suspiciously as he slowly approached and knelt down to pick it up.

“You’re human.” It wasn’t a statement, but it wasn’t a question either.

“100%. I don’t even have any Kree DNA, I got tested after those fish oil pills started turning people into husks.” You confirmed.

“What?”

“Oh, Inhumans. They gots little bits of alien DNA and can get superpowers. I was curious, I got my DNA tested. I am utterly, unquestionably human.”

He looked down at The Tesseract, turning it over in his hand before he looked back up at you.

“Curious.” He said softly, holding it back out to you.

“Nah. You keep it.” You grimaced, backing away fearfully.

“Just take it.” He demanded.

“No.”

“Vænn.”

“Nope, not on your fucking life - LOKI YOU BITCH!” He tossed The Tesseract at you in the middle of your sentence and you had a split second to decide whether to catch it or let it smack you in the face.

You clutched it in both hands, inches from your nose. Looking up at Loki you found him smirking at you.

“What the fuck Loki? I could have been vaporised!” You screeched.

“You weren’t.” He replied calmly.

“You didn’t know I wouldn’t be!” You protested.

“You were holding a moment ago, so I did know. I’m not sure how you’re managing it but you are. For all your arguments about how you are nothing special, you appear to attract powerful entities Vænn.” He pointed out smugly.

“You think The Tesseract has a crush on me?” You frowned.

“Not that kind of attract. You are like a magnet, pulling power into your orbit.” He said, almost… proudly?

You scoffed and opened your mouth to rebut his claim but paused and actually thought about it. Of all the places in the city, it was your window that Iron Man flew past on his way to The Tower. The intern you’d taken under your metaphorical wing turned out to be Spiderman. Vision inexplicably turned up in your lab on an almost daily basis. Earths Mightiest Heroes had taken to you without any hesitating. And then of course there was Loki.

“Huh. Guess I do attract trouble.” You snorted, regarding The Tesseract in a new light.

You knew without a doubt that you were human, nothing special about you. But apparently fate disagreed, because here you were.

“So now we have The Tesseract under our control, as it should be. There are still five more stones to obtain, and we will need The Gauntlet. Do you have a plan for talking your friends into handing the Time Stone and The Mind Stone over to us?” He prodded.

“Well, The Mind Stone is literally in Visions head so… no. And it’s not like we can just waltz up to Earth and ask them to hand the Stones over to us. It would take us months to convince them to trust you and we just don’t have that kind of time. Maybe we should leave those two till last. At least we know they’re safe. You don’t happen to have any idea where the other three are, do you?” You shrugged.

He held his hand for The Tesseract with a smirk. You happily handed it over, grateful not to be touching it anymore.

“I know exactly where The Aether is but obtaining it will not be easy. We will need to be careful, we will need a plan. I suggest we take refuge somewhere safer while we decide how to get it away from The Collector.” He told you, holding out his hand to you.

“Wait.” You said softly.

He didn’t have to ask what he was waiting for, he knew what you were planning and only rolled his eyes ever so slightly as you backed away.

“Hey, um… We’re leaving now. Would you, would you like to come with us?” You asked gently as you approached The Stranger.

They hadn’t moved since you’d wandered after Loki and they didn’t move when you spoke. Shining blue eyes gazed into the distance, bearing witness to the lingering death of their home world.

“We can take you anywhere. You don’t have to stay here.” You whispered.

“You are standing in the remains of the temple I have spent my life worshipping in. The Temple may be gone but I am not, so I remain. My world will not die unwitnessed.” They finally answered.

“Your world isn’t going to die at all. We’re going to fix this.” You promised.

Because if you could reboot the Universe, you could reboot it to the point before anything went wrong and no worlds would fall to the terrible destruction you had witnessed. You weren’t going to bring those worlds back, you were going to ensure they never fell in the first place.

If fate kept putting you in the path of powerful people, if fate had led you to Avengers tower then this was the reason. The Tesseract chose you to help Loki, and this was the only way you could think that you would be of any use.

So you didn’t feel bad as you walked away from the lonely Stranger. As you placed your hand in Loki’s, you let go of all the pain of not being able to save the fuzzy Druffs. It didn’t matter anymore, none of it mattered. You might not be a hero, but Loki could be. And you, you would be the Tech Support.

He gently scooped your slumbering Winnie from his pocket and gave him back to you, watching as you secured the little dreaming Grofflink in your own pocket before he laced his fingers with yours, and then in a blinding flash of blue you left Taa and the Stranger behind.

A/N - What's this? A second chapter in one day? :OBeen a while since I pulled one of these!Honestly, I just got kinda giddy reading all the comments and needed to give you (and myself) more! You guys deserve all the chapters I can give for being so supportive and lovely 💖💖💖

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takonei · 4 years

Text

Beta AU - Main story, Chapter 3, deadly life (Part 4)

Note of the author: *grabs popcorn* This is where the fun begins

Chapter 3: What is beyond humans’ control - Deadly life

...

“Where do we even start?” Miu asked.

“Ryoma, did you find anything on Keebo?” Rantaro turned to the other soldier.

"Kaito and I checked on his body to see what was wrong, and all his circuits are intact, from what we’ve managed to look at.” the smaller man explained.

Angie tilted her head to the side. “And... What does that mean?”

“It means basically that no one harmed him in the span of time we were investigating.” Kaito answered.

Tsumugi rolled her eyes. “Of course. That would have been way too easy otherwise.”

Shuichi looked at the Monokuma file. “The cause of death isn’t given, just that he received no injuries... But how could he even die then?”

Kiyo frowned. “Unfortunately I do not have knowledge in robotics, and neither does a majority of us. We’ll have to leave this to you three; Ryoma, Kaito and Tsumugi.”

Ryoma pondered. “The file says he died this morning, he was very much alive when we started the investigation.”

Kirumi bit her nail. “We were not even separated for a long time. I doubt the killer would have time to deconstruct him and rebuild him enough for us not to notice if anything was wrong.”

Rantaro tapped a finger on his arm. “Besides, I don’t think Keebo would have let himself being deconstructed and killed. He would have to fight back.”

Shuichi frowned. Nothing made sense. He wasn’t injured, he died when everyone was away investigating, and all of this in such a short amount of time.

“If the killer actually rebuilt Keebo enough for us not to notice it, they would at least have had tools on them and managed to trap Keebo, right?” Kaito was confused as well.

“Or they were competent enough to disable him without Keebo even being able to do anything.” Tsumugi suggested.

“Doesn’t that look too convenient to you?” Kiyo raised an eyebrow. “That would mean their plan went perfectly, and knew exactly where Keebo was going to be, and plus, out of everyone’s sight.”

“Besides, trust me when I say that there are no tools to quickly disassemble and reassemble Keebo in less than 20 minutes.” Ryoma explained.

Kaito nodded, agreeing with him.

Miu pinched the bridge of her nose. “Let me get this straight. No one would have been able to just disassemble Keebo and put him back so none of us would notice anything, but someone still managed to kill him in a span of 20 minutes?”

Shuichi crossed his arms and pondered. Mechanic or not, this was indeed impossible to pull off in such a short amount of time.

“Are we sure his death wasn’t accidental and Monokuma isn’t just messing with us?” he asked.

“Hey! Bears never lie!” The mascot yelled from his throne. “I made quite clear that one of you is responsible for Mr. robot’s death!”

Tsumugi perked up. “Responsible...?”

Kaito waved a hand in confusion. “Well, yeah? He said so earlier!”

Rantaro had a finger on his chin. “No, I think I understand where she’s getting at.”

“And that is...?” Miu frowned.

“’Killed’ means the person went out of their way to murder him. ‘Being responsible’ means that they are indeed the cause of Keebo’s death, but not necessarily directly or on purpose.” Tsumugi explained.

“... But the person would still be considered the blackened if there wasn’t a victim discovered before.” Rantaro concluded.

“Exactly.”

That put things into a new perspective. At least the person behind it perhaps didn’t want to kill him in the first place.

“So, should we assume the killer acted indirectly, not on purpose or perhaps both?” Kirumi asked.

Ryoma crossed his arms. “One theory at a time. I guess we could try the ‘not on purpose’ one since it’s most likely what happened.”

Shuichi nodded.

Angie looked up and started thinking. “Perhaps the two fought and they ended up killing Keebo instead of simply injuring him?”

“That would mean either Keebo engaged the fight and ended up getting killed in the process, or the killer wanted to disable him and accidentally killed him instead.” Kiyo suggested.

“... Perhaps the killer wanted a discussion with him and it went out of control?” Shuichi added.

“A discussion during the investigation of a murder?” Tsumugi raised an eyebrow.

Shuichi now realized how odd that sounded.

“Are you insinuating the killer knew Keebo was the one to murder Himiko and decided to talk to him?” Ryoma looked skeptic.

“But why would they talk to the killer of all people and not one of us??” Miu felt the same.

Kiyo shook his head. “I don’t think that’s it.”

“It still wouldn’t explain how he was killed.” Rantaro added.

Angie tapped her cheek. “He was discovered in the entrance hall, right? Perhaps the killer pushed him from one of the upper floors!”

Kirumi frowned. “There would have been injuries on his body if that was the case.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Ryoma interrupted. “I worked on his maintenance for some time, and his body is extremely resistant.”

“So pushing him from a higher place wouldn’t have injured his body at all?” Rantaro asked.

The small man nodded. “It’s a possibility.”

“But could that mean he had internal injuries?” Kirumi turned to him.

Rantaro looked at his monopad. “The Monokuma file says ‘no injuries were noted on the victim’s body’, so I’m a bit skeptic.”

Shuichi perked up. Perhaps...

“What if the fall didn’t break a single piece, but still derailed his program?”

Tsumugi’s eyes widened a little. “That’s... Actually plausible.”

Kaito hit his palm with his fist. “We didn’t notice anything on the circuits, but we couldn’t have seen anything if it was the program itself!”

Kiyo frowned. “However there’s something that I have to ask you all.”

They all turned to the therapist.

“Did any of you hear the fall?”

Now that Shuichi thought about it, he didn’t hear anything, perhaps because he was on the upper floors.

But as everyone glanced at each other, he realized that no one did either.

“If Keebo did fall from one of the upper floors, his crash on the floor would have been quite noisy.” Kiyo added.

“So we can rule out ‘the fall’ theory?” Angie pouted.

“I think so...” Shuichi muttered.

Tsumugi sighed. “Back to square one.”

Ryoma shook his head. “Not entirely. At least we know something was done to his programming.”

Kaito pondered. “But still... Doing something to Keebo so his program would derail without anyone hearing and in a span of 20 minutes without him defending himself looks odd.”

“And either indirectly or not on purpose.” Tsumugi added.

“Are we sure we’re on the right track?” Shuichi asked.

Rantaro was nervously tapping his fingers on the podium.

“What I fail to understand is why the second killer is staying silent.”

He was right, sort of. Monokuma would only punish the first killer... But he could understand why the killer wouldn’t want to make themselves known.

“They wouldn’t be the blackened of the case, nor executed. And if the death wasn’t intentional then I personally wouldn’t consider them a killer.” Kirumi added.

Silence.

Tsumugi was intensely thinking.

“What if the killer doesn’t know they’re the killer?”

Miu frowned. “That doesn’t make any sense, how could you not know you killed someone?”

“Then why is no one saying anything already? Unless Himiko’s and Keebo’s killers are the same person I don’t get what they would gain from staying silent!” she exclaimed.

“Let’s not get heated so soon.” Kirumi interrupted. “Let’s recap the possibilities.”

Ryoma started counting on his fingers the theories. “Either the two killers are the same person and their identity could be revealed through this case.”

“A theory we can rule out since we know the two cases are not related. Monokuma said so himself.” Kiyo countered.

“The killer doesn’t know they’re the killer, for whatever reason.” Ryoma continued.

“This doesn’t make any sense but go on.” Miu rolled her eyes.

“The person indirectly killed Keebo and doesn’t want to admit they’re a killer. That’s still a theory we didn’t explore.” he went on.

“I guess that would be possible...” Angie pondered.

“... And finally the killer didn’t do it on purpose and still doesn’t want to admit it even though we’ll have to find out in order to continue the trial.”

More silence.

“I think we can rule out the last one, right?” Shuichi asked, hesitant.

Kiyo glanced at everyone, to perhaps try and see if that was the case.

“...We can rule out the theory.” he declared.

“Although I don’t think that’s the case, I would like to add a theory.” Kirumi raised a hand.

“And that is?” Tsumugi replied.

“What about a suicide?”

Shuichi’s heart skipped a beat. “A... Suicide?”

“None of us actually had the ability to kill him in 20 minutes. But if he knows about his own program, then it wouldn’t be impossible for him to deactivate himself.” she explained.

“I don’t know who built Keebo, but I don’t think the creator wouldn’t at least add the three laws of robotics in his programming. That’s a basic thing to do.” Tsumugi looked skeptic.

Angie blinked. “The what now?”

“A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.“ she recited. It’s as though she learned them by heart.

“In other words... He should have a program preventing him from ending his own life.” she summed it up.

Rantaro hummed. “Besides, earlier, Monokuma basically said it wasn’t the case.”

...

“First off. The body discovery announcement plays only when the death wasn’t from natural causes! Which means...”

“... That one of you really is responsible for metal-face’s death!”

...

“He said ‘one of you is responsible’. He didn’t include Keebo in this.” he explained.

“Hey! Stop using my words against me!” Monokuma yelled from above.

Shuichi swore he could read a ‘watch me’ on Rantaro’s lips.

Ryoma didn’t seem to want to enter the conflict. “Anyway. The killer either doesn’t know they killed him, or they indirectly did kill him and stays silent.”

“I’ve been observing everyone since the beginning of the trial. And I think we can go on with the first theory.” Kiyo noted.

Shuichi raised an eyebrow. “But how would the killer not know about their crime?”

Tsumugi’s gaze shifted to the side, to no one in particular. “... I’ve been thinking about this theory and since Keebo is a robot that is plausible.”

“What does this have to do with anything?” Kaito asked.

“The killer could have modified Keebo’s program without knowing about it, and that’s what led him to his death.” she explained.

“But still, in 20 minutes without Keebo even defending himself?” Miu countered. “We’re still talking about something impossible to pull off”

Rantaro frowned. “Hey Ryoma, Kaito, are you sure you didn’t find anything suspicious with his circuits?”

“I think saying the cause of death is unknown isn’t exactly right. From what Kaito and I have seen, his battery is completely fried, but none of the circuits looked out of place.” Ryoma explained.

Tsumugi fiddled with her hair. “So the killer couldn’t have changed anything in 20 minutes. That’s what we established.”

Kaito nodded. “Yeah... Pretty much.”

“Then how about this.” she started.

“The killer modified Keebo’s program to fry his battery even before Himiko’s death.”

Ryoma’s eyes widened, then he started thinking. “The killer modified the program before Himiko’s death... They didn’t know someone would act tonight, and the battery was programmed to die this morning, killing Keebo with it?”

“Precisely.”

Kaito remained confused. “But still, wouldn’t Keebo try to defend himself against the killer?”

“I don’t know Kaito, you tell me.” she bluntly said.

The biker almost jumped. “... Excuse me?”

“I have been informed that you were the one doing his maintenance while Ryoma and I were sick.”

He was speechless, eyes wide.

“And as far as I know, you were the one he trusted for his maintenance those last few days. Now tell me, was it accidental or intentional?”

Kaito couldn’t even say anything.

"No... I didn’t- I-” he stuttered, unable to find words to defend himself.

He nervously laughed. “Haha... That’s... That’s a joke, right?”

Silence.

“Guys... Come on... This isn’t funny...” he muttered.

Ryoma looked at Tsumugi. “You’re saying that Kaito’s maintenance went wrong and Keebo’s battery ended up frying during the investigation?”

“C-Come on! Keebo was fine this morning! T-There’s no way he wouldn’t have noticed his battery was dying!” Kaito exclaimed.

“I wouldn’t be so sure. A human bleeding to death would obviously notice their wound, but a robot isn’t designed to feel pain, so even though he was dying this morning...” Tsumugi explained.

“... He probably didn’t notice it until it was too late.”

Kaito’s grip on his podium tightened, his eyes were darting on all sides, head low so he wouldn’t have to face the others.

He didn’t believe this.

And neither could Shuichi. Miu seemed to feel the same, judging from the terrified look on her face.

“B-But even if I made a mistake during his maintenance t-there’s no way it would derail his program that much and kill him!” he exclaimed.

It looked like a part of him knew, and the other didn’t want to believe it.

But he was right on that point... Even if Kaito wasn’t the best mechanic in robotics, it surely wouldn’t have made him derailed that much, right?

Unless...

“Come on! You guys believe me, right?! I didn’t do it I swear!!”

It’s going to be difficult, but this is the only way.

This is the only theory that makes sense.

He has to make him understand.

To continue this trial and hopefully learn more about Himiko’s killer.

He doesn’t have a choice.

Argument armament start!

“That’s wrong!”

“I’m not responsible for Keebo’s death!”

“I only performed a

simple maintenance on him!”

“I didn’t try to do anything!”

"I don’t even have

the knowledge to

make him derail

that much!”

“It’s not my fault I swear!”

“You have to believe me!”

“There’s no proof I’m the one who killed him!”

“He’s a robot,

he would still

have known

if I did

anything wrong!”

“Those are just theories, you guys have to be wrong!”

“There’s no way such a tiny maintenance mistake alone could have derailed him that much!”

Flash back lights damage

“Kaito... The flashback lights already damaged him, remember? It’s possible they modified his program and it derailed just enough for a mistake to be fatal...”

“I...”

The biker didn’t have more to say. Was he finally accepting the truth...?

“I didn’t... It’s not- It’s-” he couldn’t even form a proper sentence.

“It’s not my fault, right...? I’m- I’m not the one who killed him, right...?”

This was difficult to look at. To think Kaito was responsible for Keebo’s death... It felt unreal.

Surely it was an accident, but someone’s life ended nonetheless.

He remembered when Miu tried to poison them a few days ago... It was intentional, but she didn’t end up killing anyone.

For Kaito it was the opposite. He didn’t plan on killing anyone, but ended up doing so by accident without knowing it.

Shuichi knows Miu still feels guilty over the incident and tries her hardest to make up for what she has done.

How would Kaito even act after the trial...?

Shuichi couldn’t bring himself to think about something else.

If Himiko didn’t die, Kaito would have been the real blackened and been executed for it.

But things were different from a normal case.

Kaito was going to live, and will have to feel the guilt of killing someone.

To have blood on his hands for the rest of his life.

But of course that would be assuming he isn’t Himiko’s killer.

Shuichi brushed off this thought. Judging by Kaito’s reaction to killing Keebo, surely he wouldn’t be the one who killed Himiko so brutally, right...?

“Monokuma...” Rantaro turned to the bear, visibly frustrated.

“You said you would give us details on Kokichi’s condition if we solved Keebo’s murder. Is Kaito really the killer?”

He stayed silent for a few seconds.

“... You are absolutely right!”

Shuichi felt a chill running down his spine.

“The blackened who killed Keebo is Kaito Momota, the Ultimate biker! But because of his status as the second blackened, he will not be executed for this crime!”

#ndrv3 #danganronpa v3 #ndrv3 au #beta au #main story

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doritopaw101 · 4 years

Text

Arc1, book 1: Chapter 10

Icepaw reached the end of the ravine and looked down at the camp. He was panting and his paws slippery with dew. He sniffed the air hoping he was alone but something different had caught his nostrils: Blood and lots of it. Icepaw stopped being quiet and burst into the camp and what he found made his stomach twist in horror.

His clanmates laid bleeding and battered on the ground. The stench of Shadow Colony still fresh around them.

"I..Icepaw?" he whipped his head to see Gingerpaw laying on his side, blood seeping from his shoulder and belly. He saw Chestnutpaw was beside him and not in any better condition. Icepaw raced over to the older toms, he cared about Gingerpaw and while he and Chestnutpaw didn't get along but he wouldn't wish death on him.

"What happened?" he asked, even though he could piece it together himself he wanted to hear it from someone else

"Shadow Colony attacked as a little while after you guys left for the gathering" Gingerpaw rasped "It was out of nowhere since we didn't think it would happen during a gathering night, We've been waiting for Spottedleaf and Featherwhisker to return"

"It came out of no where" Rootpaw exclaimed from the side, both his ears bleeding

Icepaw was silent trying to process all of this before he returned to the reason he raced back here in the first place. "I'll be right back you two" he didn't wait for their response as he dashed to where Yellowfang was kept.

"Yellowfang" he hissed urgently "Yellowfang wake up It's important and your life may be on the line"

Yellowfang's two yellow eyes opened "I wasn't sleeping after the ambush that happened earlier" they stood up slowly "So he's kept his promise"

Icepaw was confused "What promise?"

"Brokenmoon promised me when he banished me that he would drive me out of every clan territory" Yellowfang said dryly "What did he say about me Icepaw?"

"He warned us that our kits were in danger as long as we sheltered the Shadow Colony rouge some cats suspect it's you, you need to leave now before the rest of the clans comes"

"They actually believed Brokenmoon!" Yellowfang hissed, their tail swishing urgently

"Yes, Darkstripe says your dangerous, others say your dangerous and with Tiger-roar and Nightshade on your tail..I don't know what'll happen but I fear the worse"

Icepaw could hear furious yowls of cats but he could tell it was silence by what the camp looked like currently.

"Do you think I would harm kits Icepaw?" Yellowfang asked

"No never" Icepaw said without hesitation he could hear hisses and growls get louder "Go!" Icepaw urged

Yellowfang remained where they were and stared at him "Icepaw, you believe I'm innocent, and I'm grateful for that. If you believe me, then others might as well. I know Bluestar she'll be fair, I can't run anymore Icepaw I'm old, I will face whatever Thunderclan has for me"

"But Tiger-roar and Nightshade-"

"They're headstrong but even they will obey Bluestar" Yellowfang sighed and sat down on theyr bony haunches "Go away Icepaw now, don't get yourself in trouble for my sake"

Icepaw hoped Yellowfang was right. He has gotten way to attached to Yellowfang to watch them be killed for something that wasn't true. He touched his nose toy heir patchy fur, then crept silently away back to where he found Gingerpaw and Chestnutpaw.

"Stay awake will you?"

Chestnutpaw growled as a response

Though the gorse, Bluestar with Thrushpelt at her side with Frostbite and Goldenflower behind them. Goldenflower and Frostbite raced away from the troop immediately and ran towards the nursery. Tiger-roar and Nightshade strode into the clearing, shoulder to shoulder looking grim. Miststrike and Nettlepaw limped over to them.

Icepaw spotted Ravenpaw and Cherrypaw trot over to him, he didn't look at them and stared at Gingerpaw and Chestnutpaw making sure they were still alive and awake.

"You went to warn Yellowfang, didn't you?" Ravenpaw whispered sitting next to Icepaw while Cherrypaw crouched near their littermate.

"Yes, I did" Icepaw admitted "But they wouldn't leave. They trust Bluestar to treat them fairly. Did anyone notice I was gone?"

"Only us" Ravenpaw watching Gingerpaw's breathing while Cherrypaw groomed Chestnutpaw.

"Thank the stars" Spurcepaw appeared at his left side "If Nightshade or Burrclaw saw you..."

"Don't remind me" he cut in

Around the camp, Spottedleaf and Featherwhisker were seeing to everyone as much as they could. "What happened at the gathering?" Birchstep called

"Anything worse?" Cranepaw whimpered, her left back paw looked broken

"Brokenmoon has demanded hunting rights for Shadow Colony in our territory that's what happened" Fogtail snarled loudly

"And he warned us about a rouge cat who will harm our kits, it must be Yellowfang" Mousefur added

Meows of fury and distress rose from the crowd

"Silence!" Bluestar ordered as she leaped onto the highrock

"Cricket's dead' Featherstone screeched, tears running down his face

Cats stared as he dragged the fallen deputy's body, stained with her own blood.

"Bluestar-" his leader cut Leopardfoot off

"The new deputy will be Rosetail" her blue eyes cold as ice

A loud screech made every cat turn their heads toward the fallen tree where the elders slept. Tiger-roar and Darkstripe dragged Yellowfang roughly from their nest. They shrieked with fury as they hauled them into the clearing and dumped them in front of the highrock.

This made Icepaw want to run over to defend the old molly he grew fond of but Spurcepaw seemed to sense his intentions and pulled him into her chest fur with her paw. "Don't you dare" she hissed in his ear "Let Bluestar handle it" Icepaw whimpered for Yellowfang's sake but said nothing and watched.

"Bluestar is fair most of the time, don't you dare" Spurcepaw whispered

"What is this?" Bluestar demanded "I gave no word to attack our prisoner"

Goldenflower appeared from the nursery "We got back in time the kits are safe"

"Of course they are" Bluestar snapped, rolling her blue eyes

"But you are going to kick Yellowfang out, right?" Mousefur mewed, her amber eyes wide

"Kick her out, we should rid ourselves of them right now" Darkstripe spat, unsheathing his claws

Bluestar's cold blue gaze rested on Darkstripe and the tabby seemed to shiver lightly under the leader's gaze "And what have they done to deserve such a sentence?" her tone icy calm that made many cats crouch lowly.

"You were there Bluestar, you heard what Brokenmoon-" Darkstripe tried but Bluestar cut right into him with no difficulty.

"Taking Brokenmoon's words seriously means you have bees in your brain especially after he attacked our camp during the night of the gathering and killed Cricket-throat, we heed his words with a mouthful of feathers, if it was Yellowfang he would have said so by their name and skip being vague since he didn't mention them by name they will not be harmed in any way, if anyone so much as lays a claw on them a temporary banishment will ensue, am I understood?" she was addressing the whole clan not just Darkstripe.

Icepaw could see how she was made leader with her confident and no nonsense attitude.

Bluestar took their silence as a response, Icepaw sighed in relief relaxing in Spurcepaw's grip as the bigger apprentice chuckled softly in his fur "Soft"

Yellowfang looked up at Bluestar and their eyes narrowed respectfully "I'll leave now if you wish Bluestar"

"There will be no need" Bluestar mewed "You have done nothing wrong Yellowfang, you will be safe here" she lifted her gaze to the crowd "It's time we addressed the real threat to our clan: Brokenmoon" she began "Shadow Colony has attacked us and has threaten for more bloodshed, Wind Colony is gone. River Colony has become spineless. Thunder Colony stands alone against Shadow Colony"

A murmur of defiance rippled through the cats.

"Colonies have never shared hunting rights before and we won't start now, we will rebuild the camp and keep our eyes and ears open for any future attacks, we need to be at our peak of strength if we are to attack Shadow Colony on their own land, we need to ready Cricket-throat for her burial. colony dismissed, Rosetail meet me in my den" Bluestar declared and without another word, she turned and strode into her den with Rosetail in tow.

Icepaw blinked slowly as he woke. Ravenpaw sleeping soundly into his chest fur, looking much calmer than him being awake. The den was peaceful for the moment.

Sandpaw was curled up with Dustpaw and Chestnutpaw, Cherrypaw was by herself, Cranepaw and Graypaw were huddled together, Sprucepaw, Rootpaw, and Gingerpaw were suprisingly closer to him and Ravenpaw and Nettlepaw and Emberpaw was no where in sight.

"They're in the nursery" Rootpaw answered his unspoken question "Always loved being there even after they were apprenticed" he yawned and his earring flicked back and forth

"I can see why" Icepaw replied "The nursery is lovely"

"Since when?" Spurcepaw shot up "Frostbite and Mossthorn are harsh tongued cat and don't get me started on Speckletail's dirt"

"Frostbite and Mossthorn love Icepaw" Sprucepaw purred "I heard Frostbite groomed him"

"Seriously?" Gingerpaw said

Icepaw chuckled "She fixed my head hair for me"

"Why does she like you first thing and hiss at me?" Gingerpaw whined

"You did step on her tail" Sprucepaw explained

"It was an accident" Gingerpaw retorted "I thought Mossthorn holds grudges"

"Can't I get a moment of sleep?" Ravenpaw snapped

"Woah, Raven has claws" Gingerpaw purred to which Ravenpaw swiped at Gingerpaw's muzzle

"Or he's just cranky" Emberpaw said as she padded "I would be"

Icepaw lazily groomed Ravenpaw's ears "Relax Raven" he whispered in his ear

Ravenpaw grumbled something but laid back in his nest.

"Hey Icepaw, what to join me in the nursery?" Emberpaw asked

He glanced at Ravenpaw who waved him off "Sure, I told Dot I'll teach her some River songs anyway"

He quickly followed Emberpaw out of the apprentice den and across camp to the nursery. He could hear soft mews as he entered the calming den.

"Icey" Dot quickly rushed over to him "You came!"

"Of course, I promised" he purred

"Come on, you and Swanlight tell bout the songs" Dot nudged over to where Aspenbreeze, Swanlight, and Frostbite lay. Honey and Branch were sitting there eagerly along with Lichen and Bracken.

Swanlight chuckled "Alright Alright, this one is the one my father taught me and Splashsong as kits"

She started with a few lyrics and the kits followed along well, it turned into giggles and cheerful mews as it progressed.

"Shame" Speckletail sighed "Cricket-throat was a good deputy no matter how short"

"True but it's better someone like Rosetail is deputy" Goldenflower replied, grooming a squirming Claw "We don't need more close-minded cats"

Speckletail glanced at her daughter "Close-minded?"

"Cats that don't glare at Ice every five seconds" Frostbite answered, pulling Icepaw close making Dot move closer as well.

Speckletail scoffed at Frostbite's words

"She's not wrong" Willowpelt said "Rosetail is a better choice than Cricket-throat"

"Elaborate"

"What's going on?" Dot whispered

"Clan politics" Icepaw replied in the same tone, he started grooming Dot's ears

"Is that bad?" Branch asked

"Depends"

"I believe you're just saying that because Rosetail was your mentor" Speckletail stated

"I'm not so biased Speckletail" Willowpelt retorted "Unlike Cricket-throat, Rosetail isn't against the idea of outsiders and the idea of peace between the colonies"

"That's only because you're a filth blood Ambershine and Torndust took pity on and you decided to muddy your blood more when you mated with Archeye" Speckletail snapped "Rosetail as well when Poppydawn and Windflight took pity on her"

"That's enough" Brindleface hissed

"Don't start with me kit" Speckletail warned "You're no better when Lighthawk took pity to raise you and Robinwing took pity on Frostbite when she didn't ditch her right away"

"So I was supposed to die?" Frostbite hissed "Fuzzypelt love me, that shrew ditched me anyway"

"Enough!" Goldenflower snarled "Talk about something else" she turned her head to Speckletail "Mother, me you outside, now"

"Faster Graypaw" Lionheart growled, his golden tail lashing.

"Icepaw stop with the full offense" Tiger-roar snapped, his dual-colored eyes focused.

Another day of intense training, it felt good to know how to easily beat someone. Lionheart seemed in a bind of wanting Graypaw away from him and wanting him stronger than him which good luck with that. Graypaw would grow into his size more but Scourge taught him something very important: size means nothing.

The clan was still distrustful of Yellowfang and it seemed to bounce to him. The harassment from the others had gotten worse and the older cats didn't say it but he knew they were thinking it.

Sandpaw, Dustpaw, and Chestnutpaw in particular were little shits.

Sandpaw was the favorite apprentice it was very obvious, her mentor was the leader of the clan and her ego seemed large it was shocking her head didn't explode. She liked to pull these fucks with his mind. He thought he knew all the tricks from dealing with his sisters but nope.

Dustpaw was just as annoying with his stupid and obvious crush on Sandpaw. How he treated Ravenpaw and basically ignored his existence. It was shocking that someone as kind as Redtail was his mentor well was til Redtail became pregnant and unfortunately ran his time out of staying out of the nursery with how plump he was. Darkstripe is Dustpaw's mentor and honestly seemed very in sync which wasn't surprising.

Chestnutpaw was a whole other level of big ego and little shit. Thought strength meant everything and can't see why someone would want any less. It was clear Nettlepaw and Ravenpaw were punching bags in his view. His mentor had been resigned to Spottedwing.

Cranepaw seemed to be following their lead. Bitch tried putting a thorn in his nest on Chestnutpaw's dare. He spat it at her and laughed when it got stuck in her nose. He wasn't sorry at all. Miststrike did apologize to him and made Cranepaw apologize as well.

Graypaw was terrified of him, as he should. Lionheart doesn't help with that matter.

Cherrypaw was an interesting case, she was so chill it was frighting. Her mentor was not at all neither was her family aside from Rosetail. He could talk shit and she'll just add her own bit.

Nettlepaw was a respectable and kind-hearted soul. It was shocking he didn't crack by now from the torment. He's mentored had been resigned to Dappletail, good choice on Bluestar's part.

Gingerpaw was a wild card, a whole spitfire package. Rosetail and him blended very well. He wondered who'd take over since Rosetail's expecting.

Spurcepaw was rude and harsh but she seemed different towards him and he was not about to get on her bad side with Burrclaw as her mentor.

Emberpaw was one was well and Mousefur was just the cat to encourage and tame it at the same time.

Ravenpaw was nervous and scared of alot of things but he was greater than cats gave him credit for. At least Leopardstorm has been trying to giving him confidence.

He was fighting with Graypaw and winning. He slammed the gray kitten into the ground, trapping him.

"Icepaw wins" Tiger-roar mewed, he licked his paw "3 out 5 dear Lion?" he opened expecting a reaction

Leopardstorm stopped Lionheart from going off. "How about all the apprentices spilt in pairs"

"Hunting dear nephew?" Rosetail asked, steading herself as her belly swayed

"Yep, the prey pile needs to be filled" Leopardstorm was not so subtly shoving Lionheart away from Icepaw "All of you go around the territory and hunt, when you hear my yowl come back"

"How'll we hear you?" Dustpaw asked, ears twitching

"You'll hear me don't worry"

"Better drink some water before that" Nightshade hummed

"The pairs are: Gingerpaw and Ravenpaw, Nettlepaw and Cranepaw, Graypaw and Dustpaw, Emberpaw and Chestnutpaw, and Icepaw and Sandpaw"

Cherrypaw flicked her tail "Can I go hunting by myself? Nightshade ma'am, I love ya but you're a better fighter than hunter for a reason"

Nightshade narrowed her eyes, her golden tooth flashed "Whatever brat"

"Same here" Spurcepaw said

"I agree" Burrclaw replied

"Get to it" Dappletail mewed

Sandpaw headed to snakerocks and Icepaw followed. They were even in fighting at the moment but Sandpaw was the better hunter at least in this weather.

He finally managed to nick a vole when Sandpaw asked "You're actually friends with them?"

Icepaw nearly dropped his vole "Who do you mean by them Sandpaw?"

Sandpaw snorted "Scaredlypaw for starters"

"He's name is Ravenpaw"

"Doubtful, Robinwing made a terrible choice but then again she chose Fuzzypelt as a mate so..."

Icepaw didn't know whether he should fight Sandpaw or just hiss "Robinwing is a cold-hearted shrew who only cares about herself"

"At least she's useful to the clan, unlike Ravenpaw"

Icepaw unsheathed his claws "I'd think you'd make fun of Nettlepaw with those words"

"The nursery is important" Sandpaw shrugged "At least he can fight somewhat well, he didn't get his parents body types for nothing, I suppose I could say the same for you"

"Wha?"

"You're close with Dot and Cinder" Sandpaw stated "Listen kitty" she mewed "Thunder Colony is about strength and skill Emberpaw told you that did she not?"

"She did, her and Redtail explained"

"Ravenpaw doesn't fit that, he's a bumbling mouse-brain is what he is, he was scared of his own shadow as a kit. Honestly it's surprising he made it this long"

"Same way you do it: by living"

"Only the strong survive in this clan and only they make it to the top like Bluestar" White's words rang in his head, he still didn't like it.

"The strongest are the ones that aren't afraid to be weak and don't have an ego like you"

"They aren't twoleg pets like you" she snapped back

Icepaw had no regrets when he flung himself at her.

"It was a disaster waiting to happen"

"Oh I knew that before you came here when Leopardstorm decided it was a good idea to pair you and my niece together" Spottedleaf mewed finishing his wrap. She pulled her kits close with her tail. Healthy as can be, a two mollies named Flower and Deer. "I hope Redtail's new litter can get along with you"

"Not my fault Sandpaw's got an ego the size of the camp"

"It's bigger than that Icy boy" Thymepaw purred "I know my sister"

"How are you two related to her?" he mewed "I'm so sorry for you"

"All cats old enough gather around for a clan meeting" Bluestar yowled

"Oh the older kits finally being apprenticed?" Icepaw mewed

"I sure hope so, the nursery's very crowed with Patchpelt's kits getting bigger and bigger" The black and white kitten had been named Littlekit after Littlestep and the black kitten with white spotting had been named Sleetkit. Featherstone and Spottedwing's new kit had been named Smokykit.

"My dear granddaughter you've currently caused Mousefur some grief" Bluestar mewed making Emberpaw duck her head and Mousefur chuckle "Mousefur, do you believe your apprentice is ready for her warrior name?"

'Warrior name?' Icepaw was shocked 'well she deserves it more than Sandpaw that's for sure'

"I do" Mousefur mewed proudly "Fought me with skill and never backed down"

"Emberpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your clan even at the cost of your own life?"

"I do Bluestar" Emberpaw mewed

"Then by the power of Starclan I give your warrior name, from this moment on your shall be known as Embereyes, your colony thanks you for your keen sight and kind nature"

"Embereyes Embereyes" The crowd of cats cheered

'Wonder if the colony will cheer like this for my warrior name' Icepaw thought 'No if anything Bluestar will force them to cheer'

"Lark, Pale, and Seed, you've reached your six moon and are ready to be apprenticed. Lark until you receive your warrior name you shall be called Larkpaw, Robinwing, you will mentor Larkpaw. Pale until you receive your warrior name you shall be called Palepaw, Mossthorn you will mentor Palepaw. Seedkit until you receive your warrior name you shall be called Seedpaw, Goldenflower you will mentor Seedpaw"

The new apprentices ran over to their new mentors, touching noses in an instant. "Larkpaw Palepaw Seedpaw"

"Honey, Branch, and Dot" Bluestar mewed "You're also ready for your apprentice ceremony. Honey until you receive your warrior name you shall be called Honeypaw, Speckletail, you will mentor Honeypaw. Branch until you receive your warrior name you shall be called Branchpaw, Tawnywhisker you will mentor Branchpaw. Dot until you receive your warrior name you shall be called Dotpaw, Flowerdusk you will mentor Dotpaw

"Meeting dismissed" Bluestar finished

"Icepaw come" Tiger-roar mewed, padding over, the tabby looked tired and not really with it.

"Why?"

"We're going to patrol around Sunningrocks" the tabby added

Icepaw sighed "Who with?"

"Speckletail, Honeypaw, Miststrike, Darkstripe, Cranepaw, Dustpaw, Sweetheart, and Rosetail's leading the patrol" Tiger-roar answered

Icepaw nodded and followed his mentor and the patrol out of camp. He didn't know how to feel about going near Sunningrocks, River Colony hasn't really been hostile since Swanlight has been with them but with Shadow Colony hunting in the river, who knows.

They walked along the path, when they reached the riverbank Sweetheart and Cranepaw stopped for a quick drink. As the walked along Rosetail and Tiger-roar were marking the border. When they got to Sunningrocks, no River Colony cats were there, even their scent was faint.

"Did Shadow Colony drive them from here?" Cranepaw asked, sniffing around.

"Robinwing's patrol didn't scent them and it's too far for Shadow Colony to be here" Rosetail replied

"Well if the fish-faces isn't going to use it might as well take it" Dustpaw sneered leaping onto one of the rocks.

"He has good sense" Darkstripe purred as he started marking the rocks

"Sister?" Sweetheart asked

Rosetail looked displeased "Just because River Colony hasn't marked doesn't mean they won't be around soon to mark it now"

"But we could take it back" Darkstripe mewed

"Bluestar told me not to do anything yet, when we need it she'll say so, everything has its time and place and besides" Rosetail replied "Good things happen to those who wait"

"You sound like Bluestar" Cranepaw called

"All cold and serious like" Honeypaw added

"I need to, she may be harsh but her decisions have sense in their own crazy way."

"Reminds me of that attack she lead on Shadow Colony when they tried to attack us during leaf-bare" Sweetheart mewed

"And she was still deputy" Miststrike added "Gave Foxheart a good beat down"

"Sunstar wasn't foolish it seems" Speckletail muttered

"We'll drink water, no marking the rocks" Sweetheart stated

They all began drinking, it was cooling.

"Can we start hunting?" Cranepaw asked, tail flicking in excitement.

"Of course" Sweetheart agreed

"Nic-" Cranepaw was cut off when a cat tackled her. It was Otterpaw, he had her in a tight grip with his paws and teeth.

"Hey, what are you doing!" Dustpaw hissed

"Thunder Colony" Icepaw turned his head to see a River patrol, lead by Blackclaw. He recognized everyone on the patrol: Mosspaw, Minnowpaw, Beetlestrike, Frogleap. "How dare you come here" he hissed

"We are only drinking water" Sweetheart mewed

"In our river" Beetlestrike sneered

"You don't own the river" Tiger-roar growled "We are allowed to drink when we damn well please"

"Excuse me?" Beetlestrike hissed

"Sister, should we fight you are expecting after all" Sweetheart asked

Rosetail only lashed her ginger tail and her claws flexed, clearly in thought.

"You guys are just sour that Shadow Colony is fishing in your precious river and just spitting at us for compensation" Icepaw sneered being quite annoyed at this rate

That seemed to be the line of Blackclaw's apparently fragile ego because he yowled "Attack!"

The patrol was shocked, they weren't expecting a fight over a few words. Rosetail snapped out of it "Don't hold back Thunder Colony"

Icepaw and Dustpaw went for Otterpaw. Icepaw leaped onto his back and Dustpaw went for the heavy tom's face. "Cranepaw, go now!" he hissed

The pale gray molly got free from Otterpaw's hold and kicked him in the jaw as she did so. Icepaw wondered if this battle would last as long as the Shadow Colony attack, he didn't have to wait long for his answer. He turned his head to see Blackclaw and Sweetheart wresting near the edge, Blackclaw slipped and dragged Sweetheart down with him. The sound of cracking bone rang though the area.

Rosetail got away from Beetlestrike and rushed over to where Sweetheart had dropped into "Sweetheart no!" she yowled

Icepw rushed over and saw what she meant. Sweetheart was dead, her head had been bashed against the rocks. Icepaw narrowed his eyes to see blood dripping from her head and he even saw some brain matter.

Rosetail glared at Blackclaw as he got up, she slashed the black tom's cheek "You attacked us for no reason and killed my sister, a queen you won't get away with this, you can be damn sure of that"

That didn't seem to make Blackclaw worry "Sure" he turned away "Let's go"

Icepaw walked over and began helping Rosetail carrying Sweetheart's body.

"Shouldn't we bury her here?" he asked

"Why would we do such a thing pet" Darkstripe hissed, his right ear bleeding.

"Her head is bashed in, blood dripping and you can see her brain, I don't know if some of the clan is prepared to see that" he retorted

"You speak sense Icepaw" Tiger-roar mewed making Darkstripe's jaw drop "Rosetail stay and some of the others go ahead and tell the clan what happen, me, Icepaw and Dustpaw will stay and begin burying her"

Rosetail nodded "Sweetheart would want that"

"Bluestar isn't going to be happy with this mom" Dustpaw mewed "She knows how to hold a grudge"

Rosetail looked away, a smirk on her face and her yellow eyes gleaming with vengeance "I know Dust, that's what I'm counting on"

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tmorriscode · 4 years

Text

Have You Ever Heard The Tragedy Of Darth Vader? It’s Not A Tale Your Fandom Would Tell You.

There has been some kerfuffle on the internet lately about the ending of the third Star Wars Trillogy. Specifically the conclusion of the Ben Solo/Kylo Ren Story arc. It’s got me thinking about atonement vs. redemption.

For the scope of this collection of thoughts, I’m defining atonement as “setting things right on a community level,” and redemption as “setting things right on a personal level.”

Kylo/Ben’s story arc is a redemption story, not an atonement story. And it’s a fitting echo of Darth Vader’s redemption story. In fact, The lack of atonement in Vader’s story directly contributes to Kylo/Ben’s story. And that’s what really makes the nine story arc a compelling tragedy.

Let’s set aside Ben Solo/Kylo Ren’s journey and come back to it. For the moment, let’s focus on the first six movies.

Star Wars and the Prequel Trillogy are about the fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker, but not about his atonement.

In becoming Darth Vader, Anakin committed genocides. Plural. He started down his path to darkness by slaughtering children.

But Star Wars is not about how Anakin’s fall affected the galaxy, except when Anakin’s fall affecting the galaxy in turn affects our characters. The original trilogy/second act is told from the perspective of Anakin’s son, Luke. Through Luke’s faith, and through saving Luke Anakin is redeemed.

To reiterate, redemption isn’t atonement. Queen Isabella I of Castile was bothered by the the plight of the natives in the Carribbean enough to declare that they shouldn’t be enslaved and should be treated equally. You or I or a hundred other people shake our heads at the conditions of refugees in some part of the world we’ve never heard of. Maybe we send them our thoughts and prayers. Being remorseful doesn’t always translate into positive change.

Real atonement is about setting right what we put wrong. Darth Vader was redeemed, but he didn’t atone.

The sequel trilogy, then, can be viewed as an exploration of what happens when a character doesn’t (or can’t) atone for his actions. And perhaps, what happens when the people left to carry on also don’t atone in his place.

So let’s look at Luke and Leia and their failures to atone for Darth Vader.

Like and Leia were victims of Vader’s brutality. Leia lost her home planet. Luke lost his family, his hand and nearly fell to the dark side himself. Why should it be their job to atone for Vader’s actions?

Out of anyone in the Star Wars cast of characters who could have set things right, Luke and Leia were in the position to make atonement to the galaxy. Their (very human) failures set in motion the events of the sequel trillogy. (All three trillogies end on such hopeful notes, but yet with such potential for darkness).

At the end of the original trilogy, The emperor has been defeated, the rebellion is triumphant and the empire is in shambles.

By the first of the sequel trilogy, everything is in process of going wrong. Supplemental material between the two fleshes out the bare bones hinted at in The Force Awakens. There we see how badly Luke and Leia flubbed it.

As an aside, Luke and Leia were doing their best. This is an exploration on how very human mistakes make for interesting conflict and storytelling, not a condemnation of their characters.

Rather than admitting their connection with Vader and seeking to make amends in his name (or perhaps in spite of his name) the two of them hide the fact that Anakin was Darth Vader. They hide it from the Galaxy, From Leia’s political allies and enemies, from from Luke’s new Jedi students and they hide it from Leia’s son.

As Ben is growing up, they sense darkness in him, and blame it on genetics. “It’s Anakin in him.”

Luke also grew up with that familial suspicion from Owen and Beru. Obi-wan Kenobi hides Anakin’s identity from Luke until he is old enough to face it. Perhaps influenced by Obi-Wan’s decision, Luke and Leia delay telling Ben Solo until he is older.

What Luke and Leia don’t realize is that Ben Solo is being directly influenced by Emperor Palpatine and his puppet, Supreme Leader Snoke.

There are hints that Han doesn’t agree with the way Leia chooses to raise their son. That his disagreement with the choices she makes lead to their marriage fracturing, and his estrangement from the Skywalker family as a whole.

Ben knows none of this. All he knows is that his family is distant. (His feelings of abandonment may partially be what causes his attachment to his force-mirror twin Rey).

When the truth comes out, it undermines Leia’s political position, as well as eroding Ben’s trust in her and Luke, which pushes him further to the dark side. All of which empowers the First Order.

This brings us to Kylo/Ben’s redemption arc, which must be viewed in the context of Vader’s and as part of the overall story of the Skywalkers.

Unlike Vader, we see Kylo/Ben’s struggle with the dark side. But just like with Vader, when he’s eventually pulled into the light, it’s a redemption, not an atonement.

When Ben Solo falls, It’s telling who he targets as a representative of the First Order: His mother’s Resistance. His Uncle’s Jedi order. In deleted scenes from The Force Awakens, he boards the Millennium Falcon, but does not use that opportunity to destroy it. (Later when he wants it blown out of the sky, he does so out of anger at Rey for rejecting him). He kills his father reluctantly, but does not harm Chewbacca even when the Wookiee shoots him with a bowcaster.

Kylo/Ben’s revenge is personal toward the people who he feels failed him. His anger is volcanic: exploding, then retreating to simmer inside of him until the next eruption. Leaving nothing behind but the ashes of regret.

When he eventually turns back to the light, he is redeemed in that he makes peace with the people he has personally wronged (his father’s memory, his mother and uncle’s ghosts. )

The story of the Skywalkers shifts from redemption to atonement with Rey. When Ben gives his life for Rey, he’s started to set right what once went wrong.

This may be why Rey does not seem sad when Ben dies. For the Jedi, there is no death. When we get upset at his seemingly random death at the end of his story, we’re assigning our own, 21st century Earth meaning to Ben’s death. For the Jedi in a galaxy far far away, the spirits of the Jedi join the force and reach out to the living. As Luke says to Leia: Nobody is ever really gone.

The good parts of Ben will always be with Rey. His death in the light can be perceived as a cathartic moment. Much like the death of a loved one might be if that loved one has struggled with a terminal illness for a very long time.

Though he dies, Rey is left to carry on in his place. In taking the Skywalker name, she takes up the task of atoning for the sins of her own grandfather Emperor Palpatine as well as the Skywalkers who came before.

In rebuilding the Jedi order, Rey is setting the galaxy back on the path to peace. Whether the promise of that peace is eventually realized is up to Disney and Lucasfilm.

#star wars #darth vader #luke skywalker #leia organa #kylo ren #star wars meta #star wars trilogy #the return of the jedi #a new hope #the empire strikes back #the force awakens #the last jedi #the rise of skywalker #phantom menace #clone wars #revenge of the sith

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flylikejet · 4 years

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LIFE GETS BETTER

I never really had a chance to put into words what happened to me before. I’m opening up now not because I wanted to talk about my past, But because I’m past the regrets, point blaming and finding answers. This post is not for someone else. This post is for me and about me.

I had a long term super serious and I believed to be the relationship I will keep till the end. It was a 9year no break relationship, I was 17 that time and we were both just starting our degrees. I was happy and I know I wanna keep it till I can. Being young together and starting the relationship we had a lot of firsts, plenty of dreams and of course never ending fights. We both grow as a couple from studies to becoming employed. People look up on us cause they thought we were perfect, I thought too but it took a lot to stay and maintain the relationship. There are red flags, countless number of red flags but I never gave attention on it because I chose to stay. Our close friends knows about what’s really happening between us and family knows all about our senseless, energy draining fights. People say we were toxic and I don’t want to admit but we were, who wants to get out of something you were comfortable of? who wants to end a socially perfect relationship? I stayed but I didn’t know that staying in an unhealthy relationship will have an long term effect on me.

Within the last years before the break up, She had an opportunity to work abroad. She kept her application from me, I was only made aware of after she had the interview. She said it will be better for the both of us to at least have a distance break because were becoming toxic and I’m telling you it hurts so bad, knowing that I always choose her no matter what but knowing that she chose otherwise hurts like hell. The LDR started and I know the moment she moved away that it would be the end, and so after 6 months on LDR we broke up. I was devastated, I went dark.

I don’t know how to handle the pain of what I’ve been going through, I had a lot of dark thoughts, anxiety attacks, I was hopeless. I find comfort from my friends and my brothers but no one can help me ease the pain. But I can’t stop the world from moving, I have to rebuild myself, I work my ass off. I sometimes go on 24 hour shifts and I don’t go on day offs. I tried being happy, I had good days but I always relapse. I thought that this will go on and I accepted that I will never find the kind of relationship like hers. But I never stopped praying for better days, to help me heal the pain. There were people who offered love and care and I thought maybe, can help me move on. I was wrong because I just hurt them too. I’m not over my past, I’m not healed and moving on should start from myself and not because of someone else. Help and inner happiness should come from within. I can’t make myself believe of something that I don’t have. So I still indulged myself to the fact that I won’t be happy anymore, and no one will make me feel that way. But I never stopped praying for complete healing as I cry myself to sleep.

After almost 5 years, 2 rebounds and never ending prayers, I found the love I chose to have and deserve and life has never been better. What I’m trying to say is, don’t give up on life because it will get better. Time will give you answers, Prayers help and mostly God never fails. If I ever gave up then I will never be this complete and happy. There are a lot of things I will miss if I ever gave up on life and I’m grateful I trusted the process. I learned to rebuild myself, help myself because no one will be there for me but me. Yes, there are bad days but there will always be better days just don’t give up.

I’m sorry for the pain that I’ve caused the 2 people who did nothing but helped me, cared for me and loved me in spite and despite of. I wish nothing but happiness and I’m thankful for your good heart and the experiences.

Thank you 9years for the life experience, the growth and the pain. I will not know what I deserve and what I can achieve if I stayed. I wish you peace and happiness.

To my self, Thank you for not giving up no matter how much it hurts and how many set backs you had. You are stronger than what you think. Who would’ve thought you’d achieve greater things? A life that you only dreamed before? Who would’ve thought you’d make it this far? Who would’ve thought you’d be with the most beautiful girl ever? Remember that you are a warrior, a soldier with valor. Don’t be too hard on yourself, don’t stop believing. You are loved and you are inspiring. May God bless you more and more.

To my Baby, the love of my life -- I’m grateful for you, you saw the best in me even in the most difficult times. You chose to stay, you chose me. Thank you for loving me and believing in me, I appreciate all that you do for us. I will hold on to you until the end, I will take care of you and will love you more and more each day. You are my now and forever, I promise to be with you for the rest of my life. You are my best friend, my family, my soul mate. I can’t wait to be with you and start our life together. I will do everything for you my love. You are my dream come true, my greatest love and my forever crush. Take good care always, I will see you next year and a little bit more wait, we will be together forever. I love you so so much!

#betterdays #Godneverfails

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artemisegeria · 4 years

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The Picture of The Mind Revives Again (Chapter 5/?)

Title: The Picture of the Mind Revives Again (5/?)

Rating: T

Word count: 2112

Warnings: None

Summary: Sequel to “A Formula, A Phrase Remains.” Title is from “Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey” by William Wordsworth.

Vision has gone missing after Shuri, Bruce, and Helen revived him. Now they must tell Wanda what they did without her knowledge.

Chapter Summary: Vision spends some time with Helen Cho and talks with Wanda for the first time since being revived.

A/N: As I’ve been spending more time writing this story again, I’ve decided to make some slight changes to my original plan. Therefore, I added a final section to the end of the previous chapter (starting “The next three months…”) that ties in with what happens here.

I wasn’t expecting to update this today, but I got a sudden burst of inspiration. So, this chapter is in honor of the first anniversary of Endgame’s release. I remain bitter and determined to correct the fate it handed Wanda and Vision.

Vision maintained his usual density as walked through the sand of the vast Sahara Desert. After his last trip to Russia, he had wanted a change of scenery and of climate. If he was truly to see what Earth and humanity had to offer, he needed to continue moving over the whole world. He needed to distract himself from the loneliness that gnawed at him and threatened his mission.

A wave of homesickness that had washed over him several weeks ago had caused him to contact Wanda. He had almost flown to New York right away, a desperate plan to meet the team when they returned from Washington forming in his mind. But something was holding him back. He was more than ready to see Wanda and Sam again and meet the new team. He positively ached to be with them at this moment. Though the old compound was destroyed, he had come to learn that home was about the people that one treasured, as opposed to a place of residence. He wanted to go home.

But he knew with every synthetic fiber of his being that he had to remain apart for a while longer. He had to learn himself not only as a superpowered, one-of-a-kind synthezoid or an Avenger or Wanda Maximoff’s lover, but as himself. Those were all parts of himself that he treasured, but it was not enough any longer.

Vision was not ready for all that going home entailed. He was not ready to take up the mantle of an Avenger again. He would always favor fighting for humanity and saving those who needed him, but doing so at need was different from it being his full-time duty. He would be unable to travel except where he had to go for a mission.

Vision had no doubt that the team would allow him to stay with them without the expectation of fully rejoining, but something about that felt wrong to him. It was an all or nothing life, being an Avenger. If he could not devote himself totally to it yet, he should not seek to join them.

He could not go home, but a compromise did occur to him. He prepared a message for Helen Cho. Surprised when she responded almost instantly, he responded with equal alacrity. Within a few exchanges, they planned for him to stay at her lab for a time.

After the business was concluded, Vision felt a sense of purpose and rightness emanate from his neurons and fill his entire self. There was only one thing missing. While he was not ready to go home yet or rejoin Wanda in their new home, he could at least communicate with her. The picture he had sent her a few weeks previously and their subsequent conversation had reminded him of feelings that he had long suppressed. So, he emailed her a story of his recent exploration of Tokyo.

He then embarked on a new journey as he waited for Wanda’s reply.

***

His first few days in Helen’s lab were spent getting acclimated to her new research. After her work on reviving him was finished, she had requested a leave to return to South Korea for a time to help U-GIN and the University of Seoul rebuild. Many of the scientists working with her were the same ones who had been kidnapped by Ultron. Vision was grateful that, after an initial period of nervous silence, they did not appear to hold his connection to Ultron against him, far more interested in the assistance he could offer to their research.

Within two weeks, he was sharing meals and evening activities with his colleagues. They were a tight-knit group, but they were letting him in. They recognized their own keen interest in science and other specialized pursuits in him. It was almost like being back with the Avengers in the early days after his birth.

But one thing still gnawed at him during those long sleepless hours in the middle of the night. He could always enter his resting state, but that time was the only opportunity for him to process his feelings amid the endless research. It was a concern that he had been able to push to the side since his revival, but he knew it would not go away if he ignored it.

He thought back to the first afternoon, when he hovered above Wanda in the forest and could hear nothing of her thoughts. That link had always been their special connection. Part of him wondered if they could even maintain a relationship without it. The rest of Vision’s consciousness rebelled against such a judgment. There was far more to his love for Wanda than their connection through the Stone, but it was important.

She deserved to know. They needed to talk about this shift in their lives. But he did not want to acknowledge the pain and the loss through cold electronic communication. He did not know what to do, so he asked the person he trusted the most in this building.

He approached Dr. Cho one day while she was preparing to go home for the night. “Helen, I have a query for you, if I may.”

“Of course, Vision.” She smiled at him and gestured to the seat across from her. He sat stiffly, folding his hands carefully in his lap.

“If you had something important that you needed to tell a loved one, but it was not immediately pertinent to your relationship, would you tell them right away or would you save the information until the subject arose naturally?”

Helen fell into an expression of deep contemplation. “Well, ideally, I would want more context. A hypothesis is only as good as the information behind it. But whenever I’m struggling with an interpersonal dilemma, I always like to ask myself what I would want the other person to do to me in the same situation. Would you want to know this information as soon as possible, or would you prefer your loved one to wait?”

Vision did not know how to answer that question. With the exception of his regrettable mistake of trying to keep her inside the compound before the break up of the Avengers, he had never kept any secrets from Wanda. She was the only one with whom he felt he could be completely honest. But know that they were apart, he was doubting that telling her about the loss of their connection through the Mind Stone was the best idea.

Vision did not realize how long he had been lost in thought until he noticed Helen was still looking at him in gentle inquiry. “Thank you for your perspective, Helen. I will think on your advice.” He said farewell. On his way back to his room, he passed many of his fellow researchers, but he begged off their requests to join them for dinner.

He truly considered all the changes that had befallen him since he was first attacked Thanos’s followers. Opening himself up to the full range of sadness, anger, and loss, he thought of all that must be done before he would be whole again.

It was around two in the morning when he reached the decision to invite Wanda to South Korea. Helen whole-heartedly approved the plan when he admitted the source of his earlier question, omitting the more private details of their connection.

That afternoon Vision began composing his letter.

Good day, Wanda,

I hope this missive finds you well. I appreciated your response to my last messages, and I am always happy to hear from you.

Today, I would like to ask a favor. I am currently staying in South Korea with Doctor Cho. I have been assisting with her rebuilding efforts. I was wondering if you would come here for a visit. There is an effect of the loss of the Mind Stone that I would like to discuss with you. It should take no more than a day or two to test my hypotheses.

Vision considered how to end the note. He wanted to conclude with “All my love,” but those words seemed strangely out of touch with the rest. There was also the problem of the silence between them. He thought that perhaps he had waited too long to have this conversation with her. He did not know where they stood with each other.

So he simply wrote:

Sincerely,

Vision

Waiting for Wanda’s reply was agonizing. He could not help but reread his message and consider how cold and inadequate the words seemed. Fortunately for his thinning nerves, it did not take more than an hour for Wanda to reply affirmatively.

***

Vision stood in the airport waiting for Wanda. It was quite a reversal from all the times he had visited her. When he saw her moving through the crowd, dodging curious looks and picture-takers, he smiled. “Hey, Vizh!”

“Hello, Wanda.” Lingering doubt kept both of them from embracing, but Vision did dare to take her hand. She smiled up at him. “Is this everything you came with?” He gestured to the small backpack she was wearing.

“Yeah, you know me, good at traveling light.” They started walking toward the parking lot. “Um, are we flying to the lab or do we have a car?”

“Actually, I have a motorcycle. They are rather popular here.” He led her to the motorcycle he had ridden to pick her up. When they reached the vehicle, Vision handed Wanda a helmet and secured his own, despite the fact that no ordinary crash could harm him.

“Is this yours?” She seemed impressed, and he was tempted to prevaricate. But that would be a poor way to start this new stage of their acquaintance.

“No, I am borrowing it from Helen.” She smiled at him as she put on her helmet. Vision mounted the bike. Wanda slid in behind him, wrapping her arms around his torso. He reveled in the touch that he had not felt since his restoration. Though he had become friends with the others, it was not the same as his love for Wanda.

That was a contemplation for another time. It was only a brief ride to Dr. Cho’s lab. He had made the trip to the previous day to ascertain exactly how long it would take. His trial had lasted only 5.4 minutes. But as Wanda hugged him closer to her, he found himself taking the long way. It was a full 12.3 minutes before they arrived at the lab.

Vision gave her a tour of the lab. All the areas he frequented were curiously empty. He had expected Helen to be available to meet with Wanda, but she was not in her office or her chief study areas. Vision eventually resorted to showing Wanda her guest room. Prior to her arrival, he had agonized over how to set up her room and whether he should invite her to share his.

But things were not as they were when they had last been together. They did not have a firm foundation on which to share a bed. So, Vision ushered Wanda into her room. She smiled at the vase of wildflowers on the table and the perfectly made bed. He remained standing in the doorway, not knowing what to do with his hands. He simply watched as she laid down her backpack in the corner and bounced onto the bed. “You can come in, Vizh.”

“Oh, thank you.” She shook her head at him, still smiling gently. Vision stepped inside. This did seem the ideal time to begin their necessary conversation. “May I shut the door?”

“Sure.”

Wanda patted the bed beside her. Vision joined her. When she reached out her hands, he took them gladly. “There is much we need to discuss. Since everyone else here appears to be occupied, I would like to begin if you are ready.”

“I’m ready. I’ve been waiting so long to have a real conversation with you.”

Vision hung his head. “I apologize.” She squeezed one of his hands, and he looked up again to see her gazing at him sympathetically.

“You don’t have to apologize. I spent the first year and more after being brought back feeling lost most of the time. It’s a lot to take in. It made all of us act a little strange.”

“Thank you,” he whispered. “I do believe talking will help.”

“I think so, too,” she said with equal softness. They stared at each other for a moment, both lost for words. Then, she squeezed his hands and pulled away. “All right! Let’s talk it out, so we can both feel better.”

#fanfiction #scarlet vision #vision #wanda maximoff #post-endgame

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mymoodwriting · 4 years

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No More Promises

Mark/Donghyuck

Genre: Mafia/Neo Tech AU

Warning: Mafia, Manipulation, Fighting, Beatings, Blood

Words: 2.8K

Chapters:

Prompt: Donghyuck had spent all his life on the streets, over the years making a family out of other random strays he came across. He did his best to look after them, that is until Mark came into his life. The boy was like a gift, being able to provide and look after all of them. It was wonderful, at first anyway. Things quickly got complicated as Mark got involved in all kinds of dangerous things in order to keep a promise, one of many promises. This eventually tore them apart, Hyuck’s little family leaving Mark in the wind after another broken promise. They did the best they could on their own, that is until Mark finds his way back into their life. He made another promise, to someone who would absolutely make sure he kept it.

“You are so dead when Taeyong finds out your little plan went sideways.”

Johnny couldn’t contain his laughter, so much had gone wrong so fast he was laughing to hide some of his concern. Of course Doyoung’s plan to let Mark interact with the others was great in hindsight but came up with awful results.

“Mark is going to ruin everything at this rate.”

“Shut up. Things may not have gone in our favor but we learned something.”

“What?”

“Jeno has his own issues with Mark.”

“So?”

“Maybe we should focus on repairing their individual relationships with Mark, get them to trust him and us by association. That way Haechan is outnumbered in votes, if all his kids want to stay, he won’t force them to leave.”

“Great idea.” Johnny rolled his eyes. “As if that will fix everything. Jungwoo, how is mommy dearest?”

“Oh, um, after the incident in the infirmary, Hendery and I took the next step in the process. He’s been on the second serum for a few hours now. So far there have been no negative side effects and there probably won’t be but there is still a chance for things to go wrong.”

“And the others?”

“I ran a checkup with all of them, they are progressing normally and no side effects have presented themselves.”

“I could hear you yelling from another floor.”

Ten let himself into the office, seeing the other three. He hadn’t been lying about hearing them yelling, but of course he had just been down the hall.

“It was very upsetting, but what’s more upsetting is that we haven’t secured our latest recruits. The longer this takes the more problems we’ll have, and I don’t want to step in.”

“So then what do you propose we do?” Johnny asked. “Shall I take over given how badly Doyoung has failed.”

“Ya!” Doyoung snapped. “They’re still in the building. It’s not a failure.”

“Right, take the small victories.”

“Shut it.” Ten snapped. “Both of you. This was Doyoung’s idea, so he is responsible.”

“Haha! Get fucked.”

“But-”

“But what?”

“You’re also responsible and in charge while Taeyong is gone.”

“Technically speaking you’re also in charge when Taeyong is away.” Doyoung said. “So we’re all responsible.”

“I can absolutely take control if necessary, but I’m not, yet.”

“Huh?”

“You and Johnny are going to work together-”

“What!”

“Excuse me?”

“AND! You have a day to make actual progress before I, firstly, tell Taeyong, then handle this situation myself. Do I make myself clear?”

“Fine.”

“Okay… but only a day?”

“Should I make it less?”

“No, no, I just mean. If we’re going to do this with so little time we should ask the others for help. Haechan is already showing incredible potential, do you really want to leave this to the two of us to fuck up further?”

“Oh so you admit to fucking up?” Johnny questioned. “About time.”

“No, I’m just saying this is for our benefit as NCT, the others should be allowed to help us.”

“Fine.” Ten agreed. “Good luck convincing Kun to let you borrow Sicheng.”

“We might not need him specifically, but there are two others much more useful.”

♥♥♥♥♥

“You want me to do what?”

After discussing their plan, Doyoung went off to get Mark, who was locked up in his room, not by choice.

“Last time I talked with them… well you were there.”

“So you don’t want to fix things?”

“I do… but I don’t think they do.”

“Then we try again, a different approach.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“We start with one at a time. Rebuild your relationships with them individually first, better than having five of them screaming at you all at once.”

“That could work.”

“Exactly, so who do you want to start with?”

♥♥♥♥♥

Jeno didn’t like the idea of leaving the others, but he didn’t think he had much choice. Doyoung had asked him to come along, but didn’t specify why. He assured the others he’d be fine, even if he wasn’t sure of that. He quietly followed, not recognizing anything around him, or even knowing where he was. All he knew was that they were in some building in the city, and pretty high up to.

At some point they stopped walking through halls and went into a room, it was not what Jeno was expecting. He walked into a gym area, workout equipment around, and a big mat in the center, with Mark on it. He immediately wanted to leave but Doyoung stopped him, pulling him over to the side.

“What is this?”

“You two are gonna talk.”

“Talk? In here?”

“Yeah.”

Doyoung grabbed Jeno’s hand, starting to wrap it. Jeno looked over at Mark, seeing that he was also ready for a fight. He started to figure out what this was all about, and a part of him thought it was a joke

“Have fun.”

Once Doyoung was finished he playfully ruffled Jeno’s hair and left the room. Jeno stood around for a moment the looked over at Mark.

“What do you want?”

“To talk.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Then don’t talk.” Mark waved him over. “I’m sure you got something else you want to do.”

Jeno scoffed and walked onto the mat, getting his shoes off. Given the place it would be foolish to assume Mark didn’t have any skills. Still, if he was going to put himself in this situation Jeno wasn’t going to pass it off. He kept that uninterested look on his face and then clocked Mark. His hyung fell to the floor and Jeno started kicking him.

“You should have died when that car hit you! You never should have come back!” Jeno got on top of him and started punching. “You didn’t just leave Haechan, you left us! All of us!”

Mark threw Jeno off of him and got to his feet, wiping away some of the blood on his face. He didn’t seem pissed, but glad, as if that’s exactly what he wanted.

“You think I wanted to leave you behind? Even after the hit, you think I could just go find you? Do you think you’re the only person who cares about Haechan? You think I haven’t been in pain? That I haven’t missed you!”

Jeno didn’t want to hear his apologies, getting back on his feet and charging at Mark. This time he wasn’t just gonna take it and the two actually started fighting. Hits landed on both sides, Mark was calm, but every miss just kept pissing Jeno off. Eventually Mark took control and flipped the other, pinning them down.

“What about you then?”

“Huh?”

“Besides leaving Haechan, what’s your personal bone to pick with me?”

Jeno headbut Mark and threw him off, scrambling away and getting to his feet. He was never much of a fighter, even back then, but he expected Mark to hold better given the last three years. Instead it was clear his hyung was holding back and getting a beating by choice.

“You promised me.”

“Promised what?”

“That you wouldn’t leave us, unless you couldn’t come back. I thought you were dead, and I made my peace with that.” Jeno scoffed. “I think I forgave you too. Now you’re really just dead to me.”

“I would rather be dead too, but that wasn’t a choice I had. I stayed alive, I worked my way up the ranks here to provide you all with a better life. Just cause you hate me doesn’t you need to reject the chance at a better life.”

“Being locked up is better?”

“If you give this place a chance, instead of hating me, you’d see how this is for your benefit, for everyone’s benefit. You really think Haechan can take care of you forever? You don’t think he’ll work himself to death for you?”

“Why don’t you just say what you really mean!”

“You’re gonna get Haechan killed! Not me, you, because he loves you all too much to let you burden any of the pain. Or has him lying in bed not shown you that yet.”

Jeno screamed and charged at Mark again. He wasn’t aiming to hit him, but knock him down. He pinned Mark down and started hitting him in a fit of rage, tears blurring his vision.

“You’re lying, you’re just a liar! That’s all you’ve ever been to any of us.”

Mark flipped things around and pin the other down, this time keeping him there. He waited a moment to let Jeno calm himself down.

“Hate me all you want, but you should think about what’s best for all of you right now, what’s best for Haechan. I don’t hate you guys, I’m not mad that you’re mad at me for whatever reason you’ve told yourself. I’m sorry things had to be this way, I really am, and I will keep trying to fix things but in the end all I care is that you guys are okay, with or without me.”

The two stared at each other for a while before Mark got up. He grabbed a towel from a bench and went into what appeared to be the locker room. Jeno stayed on the floor, catching his breath, the bruises and hits finally starting to settle in. It wasn’t long before another person came into Jeno’s view.

“Had fun?”

♥♥♥♥♥

Back in the dorm Jaemin knocked on Haechan’s door, he wasn’t awake, but he knew who was in there. He let himself in, seeing Jisung sitting on the floor next to the bed, drawing or playing with something to keep himself busy. He sat down as well.

“How’s Haechan?”

“Doctor says he’s alright, shouldn’t have been up yet.”

“Ah, that’s good to hear.” Jaemin took a breath. “Sorry about Mark.”

“Why? Cause you forgive him?”

“Is it that hard to give him the benefit of the doubt?”

“Remember the first time Haechan came home bloody? Before we ever knew Mark? He got caught stealing, instead of calling the police he took a beating, just so he could come home. Still brought home some food…”

“Yeah…”

“It was rare, and with Mark, it never happened, Haechan didn’t have to burden so much.”

“But wasn’t Mark the one to come home bloody?”

“He knew how to take care of himself, so it was never as bad as Haechan… but when we left… a couple nights after we settled down, I heard some crying… it was the middle of the night… saw Haechan cleaning up his face, treating his wounds, quite a bit of blood… he got hurt a lot more then… and I know… I know… if Mark hadn’t left… we would have been okay…” Jisung looked up at Haechan. “I stopped hugging him so much cause I was scared I would hurt him.”

“Yeah I remember.”

“I want to be strong, like Haechan… but I don’t know what to do now.”

“You can start by doing what’s best.”

“What?”

“Haechan always did what was best for us even if he didn’t like it. We haven’t talked yet, but this is our chance to have a proper home. If we stay Haechan won’t have to break himself to take care of us. We’ll have a home.”

“But… Mark…”

“If you take a step back… he’s actually keeping his promises. Three years later, but it’s something you know.” Jaemin laughed. “Besides, Haechan needs time to heal, a lot, before leaving is even a good idea. Staying is what’s best, and it doesn’t mean we have to forgive Mark, but we can give him a chance, maybe, after… ten years?”

Jisung chuckled. “Yeah maye.”

“You’re not a little kid anymore, and don’t spend so much time in here, we’re all watching over Haechan, remember, and he’s safe.”

Jaemin makes his exit, closing the door quietly behind him and heading down the hall. He was hoping not to be bothered, but Renjun opened the door to his room and stepped out.

“Nana? I thought you went with Doyoung?”

“I did, just came back to get something real quick.”

“Oh, okay, are we going for private interviews too?”

“Most likely, just wait a while..”

“Okay.”

Ren went back to his room, letting Jaemin take a breath. When he got to the living room he saw Chenle playing games.

“Yo, I just talked with Jisung, can you check on him for me.”

“Is he okay?”

“Yeah I would just like a second opinion.”

“Sure.”

Chenle paused his game and went off, Jaemin waiting until he had gone in a room. He looked around, just double checking to make sure he was alone and no eyes were on him. With that confirmed he pulled out a key card from his pocket and swiped it to call the elevator. He checked again to make sure no one had heard and stepped in when the doors opened for him. As they close he returned to his true form, Jaehyun, as he hits the down button.

He fixed us his hair, taking a moment to use the elevators reflective mirror like walls to his advantage. When the doors opened he made his way down the hall, seeing Doyoung outside the gym on his phone. The two shared a smile and a glance before Doyoung went on his way. Jae used his phone to take a peek into the gym, seeing Jeno on the floor while Mark walked away into the locker room. That was his cue and so he went in.

“Had fun?” Jaehyun helped Jeno up. “You look like shit.”

“You should see the other guy.”

“I should. Water’s on the bench, give me a sec then we’ll go to the infirmary.”

Jaehyun excused himself for a moment and went into the locker room, locking the door behind him, just in case. He saw Mark wiping off his sweat in front of the mirror.

“So what do you think?”

“He’s a fighter alright, got it in for Mark, but you know what to expect from them. A mess of emotions.”

“Can you take his face off already?”

“Ouch. I thought you’d like to see his face roughed up.”

“We’ve both seen enough of that.”

Mark chuckled and then shifted to Yukhei, running a hand through his hair, his wounds healing all at once.

“I hate shifting to someone shorter than me.”

“I got lucky in that department.”

“And why did I have to take this case? You can take a punch too.”

“Yeah but you’re better suited for fighting.”

“Whatever, go take the kid to the infirmary.”

♥♥♥♥♥

After talking with Doyoung, Mark waited around in a conference room. He was nervous, one on one, he was afraid things wouldn’t end well. When the door finally opened he stood up, Jaemin quietly walking in. Doyoung wished them well and shut the door.

“Sit… um, please, if you want to… that is…”

Jaemin only spared him a glance and sat down at the other end of the table. Mark also returned to his seat. Silence filled the room for a while before he cleared his throat.

“Do you… do you hate me?”

“I don’t know… you just disappeared one day.”

“I’m sorry…”

“That doesn’t change the last three years.”

“I know, I know, but I mean it. It wasn’t my plan to… abandon you, I just wanted to make sure things could be better, that night was supposed to be my last. I was gonna make it… but things outside of my otrol happened.”

“What do you want here?”

“I told you what happened. I want you guys to have a better life, that’s all I’ve been working for, and I can finally give it to you.”

“What if we don’t want it?”

“Jaemin, you know Haechan, he’s stubborn, he won’t want to stay to save his pride, but you know that staying is best. This isn’t about me and him, or the rest of you and me, it’s about you guys being better off. Look all I’m really asking here is for you to give me a chance, not for you to take me back, but to show you how good this place is. I want you to help me convince the others… you’re all grown up now… I’m sorry I missed that…”

Jaemin was silent for a while. “You know Haechan is never gonna want to stay, pride, stubborn, whatever it is, your new friends left a really bad taste in his mouth.”

“You’ll help me?”

“Not you, us. You may have told your new friends about us, but the invitation to stay comes from them, not you. I want what’s best for my brothers, for Haechan, maybe you can start there with earning forgiveness.”

“I will, I still care about all of you, and I’m not giving up on you guys, ever.”

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argylemikewheeler · 5 years

Note

If you like is prompt or not that’s okay. Prompt: Mike’s parents finally take him to a therapist and he gets diagnosed with depression and gets proper treatment. Hope your having a lovely day.

[talks of depression/self-sabotaging behavior really briefly but still be aware xo]

Mike would never admit it beyond the bathroom mirror, but he had been so scared of going with his mother to the doctor. He knew who he was– maybe not what he was on Those Days– and wasn’t sure what a stranger could possibly tell him about it. But he had no choice: his mother had been given the name of the doctor from a friend of a friend of a cousin or something, and Mike fell victim to it whether he wanted it or not.

Which he didn’t.

The entire drive there, Mike kept planning all the ways he wouldn’t cooperate. He’d first start maybe speaking only in the bits of Spanish he’d been learning in school. Or maybe backwards– no, he wasn’t that good at it yet. Then he’d just stare out the window– if the room even had one– and count the number of animal-like clouds he could see.

God, Mike missed old summers. The ones with his best friends and smiles that didn’t feel empty. The happiness Mike could feel without a hollow reminder that given a chance, a half crack made in the joy, and everything could break and he could be Like That again. He could be laying in bed, aching despite not having moved for days. Mike missed being happy in a way that wasn’t an oddity. When his parents wouldn’t be surprised by his laughter or a smile.

Mike’s mother didn’t try and coax him into being pleasant the entire ride up. She just drove and told Mike when they arrived. Mike didn’t try to look polite or even excited as his mom went to the desk to say they arrived for the appointment. Mike sat in his chair and kicked his feet harshly at the carpet.

How dare his mother take him here? She didn’t know what Mike was feeling– how could she ask him to share that with another person? Mike didn’t want to say it to himself half the time. What if someone told him he was crazy? What if they sent him away? Mike would only learn to swallow his heavy, black thoughts further. As if they weren’t already hidden somewhere dark Mike had only recently learned he had.

The doctor came out to get Mike and she wasn’t even wearing a lab coat. She had a cardigan and blouse on– she looked like a regular person. Mike didn’t trust it, but went anyway. Alone. Her office was small but well decorated. It felt strangely like a classroom, but less of the pressure Mike felt from school.

She asked him questions, too many if Mike was honest, about his daily life. How many days would he say he felt upset or sad– or a word Mike had never heard before– depressed. It sounded harsh. But then again, so were his feelings. He told her the number– out of two weeks, about ten days probably. Like, if he had to count. She wrote it down but didn’t change her expression.

Mike tried not to give her too much after that. He wanted to avoid her questions, but he felt bad being rude to a woman that was so kind to him. She didn’t ask for any of the gory details. She asked, once, if Mike had ever hurt himself on purpose– even if it was just to stay awake way past his bedtime to make himself tired the next day. Mike never considered being tired a way of hurting himself. It seemed pretty stupid, and he wanted to say as much, until he suddenly started to feel the heavy rings under his eyes. He realized then she was asking questions she already seemed to have the answers to.

Mike wasn’t upset after that. He figured he should have been, but if someone knew his answers, then he was free to finally speak it all out loud. He wasn’t the one giving it away, or blame, if it was already common knowledge between the two of them.

Finally, after an hour, Mike’s mom was called in.

“Karen,” she said, placing her clipboard on her desk. “I know it’s only been one session so I can’t diagnosis him right now with anything for sure, but–”

Mike crossed his legs twice, not sure which way would be the most comfortable to sit when he got turned into a monster. His mother gripped her purse tightly the skin around her nail bed going white.

“I think, Michael– can I call you Michael?”

“No.”

“Mike,” she suddenly redirected her attention to him. “you are showing signs of clinical depression and I think you could benefit from coming here to meet me– or any of my colleagues– regularly.”

“What does that mean?” Mike’s mother asked, although she sounded more relieved than disappointed.

“It means your son is healthy– it’s just a chemical imbalance in his brain. Your son is healthy, physically, Mrs. Wheeler.”

“I’m fine.” Mike meant the word in its totality. “I don’t need anything. I’m fine.”

“Mike,” His mother said firmly. “We both know that isn’t true.”

“Dad says I’m fine!”

“Well, your father doesn’t know you’re here.” She said quietly through clenched teeth.

“W-Why not?” Mike asked, turning to the doctor– she had said to call her Becca; her doctorate wasn’t in medicine.

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Mike.” Becca said. “Some people just don’t respond well to the truth.”

Mike bit his lip. “You sound like my friend, Will.”

“Does Will go to a therapist too?”

“Maybe… I think so. But for something different.” Will and Mike definitely spoke about very different things, Mike was sure. Will didn’t sound like he ever stared up at his ceiling at night and felt like it was moments from sinking down onto him– that had literally happened to him, one way or another.

“Doesn’t matter. It’s good to have people in your life that understand– even just the healing process.”

Healing. The word followed Mike home. The entire car ride, Mike couldn’t stop thinking about the concept of him needing to heal something in him. He didn’t remember ever breaking anything. The alternative was that something in him was born broken. Or maybe things can break without any pain; they just slowly crack and the pieces drift apart like driftwood at sea. There was no pain in the beginning, but there would be in putting everything back.

That night, Mike tried to slip out of his parents’ sight early and go to bed. His father wasn’t paying attention and his mother nodded sweetly and kissed his head before letting him up the stairs. Mike climbed into bed and curled up with his SuperCom.

“Will? Come in, Will.” Mike said, saying his closing over after he was sure he’d called his friend enough.

“… Hey, Mike! What’s going on? Why are you using this channel? I have a phone, you know.”

“I wanted to ask you something.” Mike rolled over and put his back to the door.

“Go ahead.” Will said. He sounded cheerful. Mike was envious.

“Do you… go to therapy?” Mike asked slowly, cupping the receiver to his face. The word felt dangerous to let loose in his house.

“I do, yeah. Mom takes me like, bi-weekly now.”

“T-Twice a week!”

“Every two weeks, Michael.”

“Oh… Oh that makes more sense.” Mike sighed and let his head lull into the pillows further. “Does it help?”

“I definitely think so. Makes things quieter, you know? It’s not always rattling in my head. I get to talk to someone. About my nightmares, about stuff with my parents, about Jonathan– sometimes I complain about you too.”

“Hey!” Mike squawked jokingly. He released his button without saying over, knowing Will would click his button shortly to let him hear his bubbles of laughter. After a moment sitting with the happy static, Mike pressed the button again. “So, you just talk about… whatever you want?”

“Oh, yeah. Whatever is bothering you.” Will said. “Why do you ask?”

“Mom took me today.” Mike sighed, rolling onto his back. “Doctor says– sorry, Becca says– I’m like, depressed or something.”

Will’s static picked up before he spoke any words; silence he wished to share with Mike. “Are you okay, Mike?”

“Yeah.”

“Michael.”

“I’m going to work on it, okay!” Mike exclaimed. “I’m going back next week.”

“Call me after? Or come over if you want. I can have Mom make a dinner you like. You can sleep over.” Will offered. “It’s not that bad. I promise.”

“I know.” Mike nodded. He had one last question. “Nothing… Nothing’s broken, right, Will?”

“With who, me or you?” Will said, his voice shaking with a laugh. “There’s a big difference. I left this dimension… You’re completely normal.”

“I am?”

“Cross my heart.” Will said. Mike could practically hear Will moving his finger in an X across his chest. “It’s really going to help, Mike. Trust me.”

“I do.” Mike said. He lifted his finger and cut Will out. “It’s me I don’t.” He clicked it again. “Over and out, Will. I’m pretty tired.”

“Good night, Mike. Over and out.” He answered, clicking off the channel too.

Mike laid in bed, trying to figure out if he had the energy to heal in him. As unpredictable as his moods were, they were vivid to Mike. None of it felt like a dream. They were all incredibly clear and draining. On those days, the ones that made any single thought too overwhelming, healing would be impossible. Eating was too difficult then. But maybe that’s what made talking helpful; Mike finally had an audience with whom he could repeat his bickering brain’s thought. Maybe Becca could make sense of it all. Or at least shut it all up.

Mike knew the word would never be healed. It would constantly be in motion, constantly changing and growing, and maybe that was encouraging too? There was no race– he was going to be like this for a long time. It wasn’t like slapping glue on two snapped pieces, it was a rebuilding of something out of shifting parts that never intended to go together. He’d have to reintroduce different parts of himself to the New and Improved Mike Wheeler: the one that heals and cares and speaks and shares and maybe, just maybe, loves.

It sounded far off, but so did ever speaking his own hidden truths. But he did that today, didn’t he? Healing might have been continuous, but it also meant to be active. Just thinking about it was a bit of progress. A bit of a reward to throwing his hands up to his darkest days, but grabbing onto that small bit of light he found in his life– and maybe choosing to call every once in a while before bed.

ao3

#mike wheeler #stranger things writing #prompts #mike wheeler has depression and he's WORKING on it #and like byeler if you squint #i really hope this was your fic lovebug if not resend and i'll write it when i come back from the gym xoxo

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grahamfinch1990 · 4 years

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#How To Save A Relationship When You Are Always Arguing Marvelous Tips #Save The Marriage Book

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