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experimentfae · 3 months

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Could you do yandere Adam with a small imp/succubus hybrid reader who's incredibly shy and selectively mute? They're pretty much a precious little kitten, considering they have cat-like behavior and instincts, but don't be fooled. They can and have killed many. I can imagine them meeting when they go with Charlie when she goes to meet Adam and Lute in her father's place. (This is pretty much my oc from my yandere hazbin hotel/helluva boss x oc fanfic. Ps, they write what they want to say on a small whiteboard they carry with them. They will hiss, growl, scratch, and bite you if they don't like you or are scared and in a state of fight or flight)

Yandere Adam x Shy! Imp/succubus hybrid! Reader

Oneshot

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

You believed it would have been any normal day in hell not expecting Charlie to ask you to come with her to meet the leader of the exterminator’s.

“Wait really, but how? And why me?” “Well (y/n) I trust you and you’re the nicest demon I know.” she wouldn’t be saying that if she knew of all the killing you did but you kept that to yourself “I- um.” You looked as she gave you puppy eyes you could never say no, especially to your best friend.

“Sure I’ll go.” She then hugged “thank you, thank you now come on let’s get going.” You immediately as she sang her song the others watching you two leave.

After the song ended and you two made it to the Heaven Embassy, but when you guys walked in it was very creepy to say the least why were the light not on? “Uh a-are they available?” You questioned looking around “They should be, my dad never usually wrong about this stuff.” Just then a gold sign in sheet for in front of Charlie face.

This made both of jump in shock “totally not creepy.” Charlie spoke, she is definitely right this is weird but Charlie signed her name in and the letter suddenly lift up to the hell knows where then suddenly a door opened.

“This is still super creepy.” You whispers Charlie seemed to ignore it as she went through the door and you followed after “uh hello is anyone, here?” “Sup.” This made you both jump you hid behind the chair immediately, You see an Angel eating rips with another Angel behind him.

Charlie introduced herself and Adam seems genuine for a moment until he figured out he was just a Hologram “ha! I fucking got you did you see that shit?” “Yes sir.” He then laughed fucking hilarious. Just then his eyes moved to you “uh, who that with you there?.” This grabbed Charlie’s attention. “Oh this (y/n) there here to really sell the point that I’m making here.

You avoided eye contact. But this didn’t seem to faze him if you looked and if Charlie noticed you two would have seen the look of lust he gave you.

Then Adam suddenly talked about his life and his one night stand on the weekend just some other stuff. But then Charlie remembered the meeting was almost over so Charlie was talking about the hazbin hotel and the good it can from it, Adam didn’t seem to care half of the time he was looking at you or interrupted her.

Let’s just say he didn’t agree then he threw Charlie out but held you back for a moment “I need to talk to you… lute keep an eye on that one shrugging towards Charlie.

“Wait what a- Charlie got interrupted due to lute closing the door behind her. You let a cat like hiss feeling that you’re in danger what fucked up shit is he gonna do, cut your head off as a warning or something like that these thoughts fueled your anxiety until Adam spoke.

“Oohh feisty but chill out babes.” You felt your tail wag in irritation “let me give a little proposal I might give you a good word with upper management she also known as sera but I’ll only do it if you let me take you out.”

Your eye’s widen in shock “what?” He smirked “I know, someone as hot as ME taking you out, but yeah it’s the real deal babes, so I’m gonna take it as a - “n-no.” You clench your hands “that’s a weird joke or?” “I-it means n-no.” This shocked him “what, I’m fucking Adam the first man! I’m fucking awesome even princess what her face seemed to agree with that.” He growled out.

You did it bother to continue this conversation heading towards the door “Hey don’t walk from me so soon.” You felt him grab your wrist you now felt more terrified at the end of the day you knew he had more power in his hand then you would have you’re entire life.

“Or do I need to do something else? How about I consider her little passion project? Sounds good to you?” This made you hesitate “I… for the fist time you looked in the eyes and saw how he looked at you with hunger, but this could really help Charlie and her cause, you believe in her. “Ok I’ll… I’ll go with you on that date.” he smiled “perfect I’ll pick you up this weekend oh and no worry it ain’t gonna be down here on this dumpster fire, I’ll pull some strings and give you a day in heaven for the date, see a babes.”

You left without a goodbye feeling Shame, Charlie ran up to you “(y/n) are you ok?, what happened? What did I he do?” You didn’t have the heart to tell her “I… I don’t want to talk about it.” You looked away just wanting to go back to the hotel, thankfully Charlie siding push it even though she looked worried.

It’s been a week and today is the date. Well you u are going to heaven so maybe you should dress your best.

“(Y/n) what making you dress in such a fancy attire.” You looked to see alastor “oh it’s just I have a, uh date of sorts.” His smiled widen and his eyebrow arched “oh who is the companion?” You became nervous “it’s- it’s um some guy named Archer, he want’s to take me to… um bloodysteaks that new restaurant in the gluttony ring.”

He did it seem to buy it but this was entertaining enough to him so he riding question any further “if you say so, I guess we’ll see you later on.” “Yeah see ya later on Alastor.” Just then you heard a knock from you’re window. You looked to see Adam himself “who the fuck was that and wow sexy as hell babes, got dressed up for me that’s sweet.”

You groaned in annoyance and let him in “thanks, now let me open that portal and we are on our way.” He opens the heaven portal and you went through to see a beautiful city “wow.” “Yeah fucking wow this is paradise, now let me take you to ‘heavenly delights’ the most fanciest restaurant in town. you had to admit it really look like a paradise even the sidewalk looked super clean.

“But seriously who the fuck was that guy you were talking to?” “Wait alastor, he’s just a friend.” He rolled his eyes “what?” “What, what you mean what, he look like he wanted fuck you, I’m the only one who’s allowed to do that.” Allowed? This guy really is entitled but you didn’t stand up to him afraid of what would happen if you did.

You guys made it to the restaurant but realization hit you “wait how did you know I was in the hazbin hotel?” He seemed surprised by that answer “well I… let’s just order the food ok babes?” You didn’t push it thought if you had to take a guess he has been watching you this week.

Adam order for you due to your shyness You guys got your food and the food was really delicious, he guys made small talk, the worst part is you kinda liked his company, just that he kinda is a douchbag most of the time. “Alright but seriously let me pull some strings and you can be living here with me.” “I just need you to give the green light to the hazbin hotel Adam.”

He laughed “oh right that, I’m gonna be honest hot stuff I’m never gonna give green light to that thing.” You became frozen “what.” “I said what I said I’ll never agree to that.” “But you say- “I said I would consider it, doesn’t mean I’ll agree it. Ok now you felt stupid “and I know you said didn’t want to be here but, I already made arrangements and got your sexy ass into heaven.”

Your tail stood up in shock and felt your face contort to shock you really hard the Earle to chock him like your other victims. “yeah I know admit you love it, you love the idea of living here.” You immediately got up and left the restaurant “hey what the hell?!” Spoke Adam as he flew after you “I didn’t want that!” You yelled with tears in you’re eyes “oh come on you will be the first hell born into heaven but pretend that your a human, because sinner is no but a HELLBORN making it into heaven, a hell no, I had to tell sera some bullshit story.” He stated.

You looked away from him “oh calm on you love it up here eventually, you will look hotter then you already do and besides the effects are starting right now.” “Wait what?” You felt feather on your back and you touched your head to feel a halo “Oh no.” “Oh yes!”

“Wait can I at least say goodbye to my friend’s” you asked tears in your eye’s “hmmm, no, oh and don’t think about leaving me because if you do I’ll just make sure you’ll be a target in the next extermination.” You were shocked “yeah I love you babes put sometimes tough love is needed.”

“But I- I” he shushed you “now come on you will love it here and overtime you’ll learn to love me.”

<- Back to MasterList or back to Hazbin Hotel

#hazbin hotel fanfiction #adam hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel adam x reader #reader insert #reader x character #fanfic request #hazbin hotel #yandere adam #yandere

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chaosbarelycontained · 28 days

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I Am The Resurrection

North Country Boy Chapter 1

Pairing: Simon “Ghost” Riley x AFAB!OC

TW: swearing

Words: 2.9k

Synopsis: Jules is given a choice and finds out that someone from her past whom she thought was dead is actually very much alive.

Jules sat towards the back of the room as Captain Green debriefed his squad on their latest successful deployment. She picked at the skin around her thumbnail as she tried to ignore the rising tide of nausea in her belly. She was in the shit. Ignoring a direct order, no matter the outcome, was unacceptable and she’d had to take out three hostiles in the process. Sure she’d managed to get her hands on the key locations they’d needed but now she was drowning in paperwork and had the dark cloud of a disciplinary hearing hanging over her head.

A slight creak of the door to her left grabbed her attention and her eyes were drawn to the tall male figure that slipped through and leaned against the wall. He folded his arms across his chest and seemed to be listening intently to whatever the Captain had to say. Jules resumed her picking, hissing out a quiet curse as a bead of blood welled up against her cuticle, and she stuck her thumb in her mouth. Something registered in her brain then, much slower than it usually would have, and she cast another surreptitious look over to the stranger. Beard. He had a beard. Only Pioneer Sergeants were allowed to wear a beard and she could see from his uniform that he wasn’t one of those. His stripes told her he was a Captain. Special Forces then. Had to be covert ops. Why was…oh shit.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught him looking over at her and, for Juliette, it was enough confirmation. He must be part of the disciplinary committee. If they’d brought in another Special Forces Captain for her hearing then she was well and truly fucked. Her stomach rolled and saliva welled in her mouth as Green moved into his closing remarks. She barely heard his dismissal over the thoughts that were running rampant through her brain but the movement of her squad as they began to vacate the room brought her back down to Earth. She stood from her chair and then turned to leave but Green’s voice cracked out across the room.

“Kelsall, a word?”

Jules froze for a second and tried not to let her shoulders droop as she made her way to the front of the room. A few of her squad mates gave her sympathetic looks and Boothroyd even patted her on the shoulder. Plastering a bland mask onto her face she stood at ease before her Captain, trying to project the very image of military perfection. I’m sorry Robbie, she offered in silent prayer to her brother as the unfamiliar Captain stepped up to stand next to Green.

They waited in uncomfortable silence until the room had emptied. Jules resisted the urge to squirm under the heavy scrutiny of her senior officers. She was no rookie and she’d not crumble like one.

“Sergeant Kelsall, this is Captain Price,” Green said, inclining his head toward the stranger.

“Pleasure to meet you, Sir,” she saluted with as much formality as she could muster.

“Kelsall,” Price nodded, his arms still folded.

“Look, Jules,” Green began, trying to make her feel comfortable. “We’ve been in the same squad for a long time now and I’ve never once ever questioned your judgement. Even now.”

Jules sighed and lowered her gaze. She knew which way this speech would go. She and Green had a good working relationship that had started way back even before they’d joined the Special Reconnaissance Regiment but she guessed that even he didn't have the authority to get her out of the hole this time. She wondered for a moment where she’d actually go, she was pretty short on options, but the unfamiliar voice of Captain Price drew her back to the conversation.

“You’ve been noticed, Sergeant,” he stated in a clipped tone.

“I don’t quite know how to take that remark, Sir,” Jules admitted, trying to maintain her posture.

Green sighed and ran his hand through his short salt-and-pepper hair before dragging it down over his chin.

“I’m going to put it plainly, Jules, out of respect for our friendship. You’re going to face disciplinary action for your conduct on the last mission…”

“Or?” she interrupted, sensing the direction the conversation was going.

“Or we take a walk and you listen to what I’ve got to say,” Price interjected, tilting his head slightly.

Her eyes darted between the two Captains but she managed to keep the rising tide of panic off her face. A second passed, and then a few more, all of them weighed by a heavy silence.

”Shall we, Sir?” she said finally, turning to face Price.

“After you,” he gestured towards the door.

With one last look at Captain Green’s tight-lipped face she led Captain Price out of the room and into the corridor beyond.

“I’m sure you’ve got a lot of questions,” he said quietly, mindful of their public location.

“Not as many as you’d think,” Jules replied, following alongside the Captain as he led them confidently through the maze of corridors and walkways.

He finally came to a halt in front of an unlabelled door that opened up into a cramped, nondescript office. Price made his way behind the desk and reached for the top drawer, surprising Jules by actually removing it completely. On the back of the drawer there was a small rectangular object fastened there by metallic duct tape. Price worried at the corner of the tape with his fingernail, loosening it enough for him to be able to peel it back and retrieve the object. He held it out to Jules, his eyebrow raised, and she took it from him. It was a data drive.

“Everything you need to know is on there. It can’t be copied, well, you probably could but I’d prefer it if you didn’t. You’ve got four hours from when you plug it in to read it before it wipes itself.

“OK, but what’s this all about?” Jules asked, still confused, although she curled her fingers around the drive and drew it back towards herself.

“You’ve got skills, Kelsall,” he rumbled, “but more importantly, you’ve got an attitude. You get the job done regardless and that’s that sort of thing we’re looking for.”

He huffed out a laugh and shook his head at Jules’ bemused expression.

“Just read it. If you’re in, pack your kit and I’ll see you on the airstrip at 1600 hours, if not…well, this conversation never happened.”

“Understood, Sir,” she said, but already sounded distracted as she turned the drive over and over in her fingers.

“Alright then,” he nodded, moving towards the door but then paused, tapping two fingers onto the monitor of the desktop computer in front of her. “Use this one. It’s not connected to the network.”

With those last words he left Jules in the office, closing the door quietly behind him. Jules took his place behind the desk and sat in the old wooden chair that had been left there. It gave an ominous crack as she leaned over to turn on the pc but it remained uncomfortably stable. The screen flickered to life, opening in bios, and Jules plugged the data drive into the usb slot on the pc before typing in the commands to run the drive.

It contained nothing more than a single unnamed document. She took a breath and opened it, curiosity thrumming through her veins. Task Force 141. The overview was short, revealing not much more than a veiled reference to various Special and Black Ops but it was enough to draw Jules in. She scrolled further to find a squad list, with Price’s name at the top. There were no photos, just names, ranks and former affiliations. Price and a few others were former SAS. Makes sense, she thought but when she got to the third name on the list her heart skipped a beat and her hand stilled on the keyboard.

Jules stared at the document on the screen, as if she could make a photograph appear by sheer force of will. She shook her head in disbelief. It couldn’t be the same person, surely. Pushing the thought to the back of her mind she scrolled through the rest of the short list of names. There were Americans, Russians, a couple of Australians, and the unusual mix fuelled Jules’ intrigue even more.

As the clock ticked around to 1600 hours, Jules found herself standing before the doors that led out to the airstrip. She smoothed her hands over her maroon Duke of Lancaster belt and adjusted the fit of the grey SRR beret that she’d been so proud to receive. Hoisting her kit bag onto her shoulder she marched out onto the airstrip towards the distinctive figure of Captain Price, who stood with arms folded before an A109SP helicopter that was readying for takeoff.

“Hoped you’d make an appearance,” Price said gruffly, raising his voice a little over the noise of the aircraft.

“Join a task force that doesn’t exist or face a disciplinary, not really much of a choice there, Sir,” she scoffed, turning to face him.

He looked down at her with a smirk before turning toward her and holding out his hand. She looked down at it and then back up at him before grasping his hand in hers and shaking it.

“Not many get the option.”

Jules followed Price onto the aircraft, stowed her bag under her seat, and fastened herself in. She removed her beret, rolled it up to put in her pocket, and then put on the headset and mic so she could communicate with Price and the pilot. The noise of the engine and the blades grew even louder and her stomach lurched as the helicopter rose into the air and headed off on an almost southerly trajectory.

“Should be about 45 minutes,” the pilot informed them after she had completed her obligatory checks.

“Cheers Ross,” Price said and then turned his attention back to Jules.

She shrank a little under his intense gaze and she struggled to read his expression under the beard he wore. A sick knot of regret began to build in her throat but she swallowed it down and met his stare.

“Can I ask where we’re going?” she croaked, but the mic carried her strained voice straight to the Captain’s ears.

“Stirling Lines,” he offered and Jules nodded despite her surprise.

The base in Herefordshire was the headquarters for all the Special Forces regiments including the SRR, but Jules hadn’t really expected it to be the home of a secret task force. She’d been based in Preston for the last three years and had been hopping around the globe for longer than that. She’d not actually spent that much time on Stirling Lines beyond her initial SRR recruitment and training.

“Will I get a chance to get the rest of my stuff, Sir?” she asked, having not been able to fit all of her belongings into a single kit bag.

“It’s being packed as we speak. Should be delivered tomorrow.”

“You were so sure I’d say yes?”

“90%” Price said, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

“And the other 10%?” Jules probed.

“That you and Green were having an affair and you wouldn’t want to leave him.”

“What?!” Jules spluttered, her jaw almost hitting her chest.

“It was the only other reason I could think of as to why he spoke so highly of you. I see from your reaction that’s not the case so you’d better live up to your reputation, Kelsall.”

“Are you serio…you’re takin’ the piss aren’t you, Sir?” Jules said, narrowing her eyes suspiciously and Price let out a hearty laugh.

“You’d better get used to it. Welcome to the 141, Sergeant.”

After landing at the barracks, Price guided Jules onto a small jeep before climbing into the driver’s seat. He pulled away from the helipad and took them on a short journey down a small side road that Jules had never used before. It led them around the back of the billets to a smaller building that Jules hadn’t seen in her time stationed there. It was close enough to the other accommodation buildings to still be a part of them but far enough away to give some extra sense of privacy. Price pulled up next to a couple of other vehicles and cut the engine, exiting the cab with the same economy of movement as he did everything else. Twitching his head in the direction of the entrance he stalked off, expecting Jules to follow him.

The interior was no different to any other billet she’d stayed in, with linoleum floors and bland-coloured paint on the walls.

“Mess hall’s down the back there, rooms are on the first floor. You’re in 3B,” the Captain pointed towards a set of stairs. “You can dump your kit before we eat but first I’ll introduce you to everyone. They should be in the briefing room now, or they will be if they know what’s good for ‘em.”

Jules followed close behind as the Captain led her towards a room at the rear of the building opposite the mess hall he’d indicated earlier. As they got closer she could hear the familiar rhythm of raucous banter even though she couldn’t yet make out the words. Price opened the door and they passed through, a chorus of cheers rising up as the team took sight of their Captain.

“‘Bout bloody time,” one of them called out.

“Should be against regs to call a briefing this close to tea time!” another grumbled but they quietened down when Price turned to face them and ran a hand over his beard.

Dumping her kit bag on the floor near the door, Jules stood at ease against the wall and listened as Price addressed his team.

“The sooner you stop your whining, the quicker you’ll get to your scran, MacTavish,” Price warned but Jules could see the good-natured spark behind the Captain’s disdainful expression. “I wanted to introduce everyone to the newest member of the team.”

A few whoops and whistles sounded before a gesture from Price quieted them down again and began his introductions. Jules stayed steadfast under the scrutiny of the assembled soldiers as she plastered a pleasant half-smile on her face and hoped that the flush she felt rising on her chest would stop at the neck of her shirt and not turn her face into a beetroot. She nodded along to the cheerful welcomes from the room and her smile slowly turned from forced to genuine.

Movement from the doorway drew her attention away from the Captain’s address and she watched as a large figure entered the room, his face covered by a balaclava with a skull painted on it. She wasn’t phased. Special Forces were, by their nature, a strange lot. She should know, she’d been in the SRR for long enough.

“Finally,” Price huffed. “Where the hell have you been? You know what, never mind. I was just introducing the rest to the new recruit. Lieutenant, this is Sergeant Juliette…

“Kelsall,” the newcomer finished and Jules froze at the sound of his voice.

Something about it was so familiar and yet…

She stiffened as his chestnut eyes bored into her from beneath the cover of his mask and it was then that she was certain. Her chest filled with ice, her heart hardening as she stared back at him with cold eyes and her jaw tightly clenched.

“Yeah, that’s right. You know each other?” Price asked.

“Used to,” the soldier replied, folding his arms across his broad chest, his eyes still fixed on her.

“Though he was dead,” Jules shrugged as if she didn’t care, forcing herself to turn her attention back to Price.

“He is!” one of the other soldiers called out with a laugh as Price waved a disgruntled dismissal.

Chairs scraped as the 141 rose and left the briefing room for the mess in search of their tea. Jules managed to maintain her hold on her expressionless face, having to draw on every single ounce of her training as a cold rage began to form deep within her chest. The man before her wasn’t dead at all, and the implications of that rocked her to her core.

* * * * *

Juliette skidded into the kitchen, her feet sliding across the cheap linoleum. She came to a stop, beaming shyly at the lad who’d just let himself in.

“H-hi Simon,” she stammered, rocking on her heels a little as her face flushed red.

“Jules,” he nodded, leaning against the wall next to the back door. ‘You alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, I'm cool,” she replied, trying for nonchalance but failing miserably.

Her brother Rob entered the room, shrugging on his knock-off Sprayway jacket and rolled his eyes at her embarrassment.

“Alright mate, we off?” he said to Simon, who nodded and pushed off from the wall.

“Where’re you goin’?” Juliette asked, a not-so-subtle yearning note seeping into her voice.

“Out,” Rob grunted dismissively.

“Can I come?” she tried, but the hope that brewed in her eyes was dashed at her brother’s derisive snort.

He didn’t bother to reply and the two lads turned to go. Simon looked back and gave Juliette a tight but sympathetic smile.

“See ya, Jules,” he muttered as they went out of the house, leaving Juliette alone in the kitchen.

#simon ghost riley #ghost x oc #john price #cod mw2 #cod #call of duty #simon riley #john soap mactavish #soap cod #cod mwii #ghost cod

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notyour-valentine · 8 months

Text

Welcome to Downton, Mr Shelby 14 ~ Tommy Shelby x Crawley!OC (Series)

[Masterlist] [Taglist] [Series Masterlist]

Summary: No Tommy but Charlotte and Lizzie - Chazzie...Lilotte?

If interested, you can check out this post for more about Charlotte

All my writing is produced by an adult and created with an adult audience in mind (18/21+). You are responsible for your own media consumption.I do not consent to my work being translated, copied or posted elsewhere on this platform or any other.

Wordcount: 5140 words

Part 14

Charlotte felt like her head could explode any minute now. It was like a kettle ready to hiss and whistle just with nowhere for the air to escape, so it would shake and tremble more and more until the material would simply give in.

And her seams were ripping, as of course, this was the topic of conversation at dinner. How could it not be?

“Only a few years ago, this would have been unthinkable.”, her father said, his voice strained with suppressed outrage. Her father was not one to shout, and would not do in this instance. He maybe just wouldn't be too hard on someone that this matter brought to shouting, so deeply ran his resentment and shock.

“A field marshall assassinated at the Derby, in the presence of their Majesties!”

His voice almost cracked on the final word.

Yes, she thought. The King had been there too, and the Queen. She had almost forgotten. Then again, most of the day seemed like a blur to her now, a wash of white and brown and grey, in contrast to the inescapable.

“I’ve heard it was the Irish.”, Mary said over some wonderful creation of carrot mousse and seabass that tasted like nothing but cardboard to her and her alone, as she forced herself to choke down bite by bite. It was little enough, but the last thing she wanted was their attention on her.

If they look, they'll know. “How could it not be the Irish?", Edith argued. "After all he did to those poor people in Cork!”.

She said it as if it was something everyone would know, which naturally ticked Mary off.

For once, she didn't mind their squabble. Fight, she thought, fight so no one remembers I'm here.

She was too old to crawl in her mother's bed and disappear in her arms, to hide between her parents and let their warmth and love melt away her night terrors.

She was too old for that, and her terrors were worse and more shocking than any nightmare of hers had ever been. And since she could no longer melt into their embrace, she just wanted to disappear, to simply vanish until the world made sense again. “Whatever are you talking about?”, Mary snapped, almost rolling her eyes at Edith, who smirked in triumph.

“Don’t you ever read the newspapers?”, she asked. "Even you might learn something."

"Girls-", their mother warned under her breath. “It seems Branson has rubbed off on you.", Mary said, fighting Edith's smugness with performative disinterest.

Yet it was Charlotte who was cut by her words as the mention of his name only hammered down Sybil’s absence.

She could not run to her mother, could not confide in Mary, not in anyone - even Sybil was a stretch, but there was still a chance.

If anyone, then Sybil. But she wasn't here. She was across the sea, safe and untouched by all of this.

“It has nothing to do with him.”, Edith argued, not wanting to let this go “I don’t condone the attack, obviously, but we shouldn’t pretend like he was a saint either, now just because he is dead." “Edith,”, their father said sternly, “Russell has served this country during many wars, including the Boer War, might I remind you, with distinction."

Sir Richard scoffed.

“I hear he has a reputation for vulgarity.”

Robert shot him down with a glare. “He was a soldier in service to his king and this country and deserves every ounce of respect. And for him to be butchered by Irish terrorists is not only a tragedy but also a scandal for our nation."

The knife slipped from her grasp and clattered onto her plate, before sliding off and disappearing under the table.

“Apologies.”, she mumbled quickly, rushing to bend down to hide her face.

It was a small mercy and all she got, a split second to breathe and compose herself, to pretend the storm inside her wasn't raging.

“I think it’s far time to change the topic of conversation!”, her mother said at once.

Robert cleared his throat and looked over at her. “You’re right. This is no topic for the ladies.”, he said, his blue eyes softening with care and affection.

She quickly looked away. “It’s fine.”, she said, trying her best to sound convincing, at which she failed miserably.

“I know it’s ghoulish, but I am so relieved you left early.”, her mother said softly, shaking her head.

“Yes,”, Robert agreed, “How is Miss Stark?”

Cora had informed him that an acquaintance of Charlotte's had gotten ill from a heatstroke and that she had taken her home. He had been displeased at her absence, but the chivalrous compassion had eased his disapproval. Then of course, Russell's body had been discovered and the world turned on its head.

Charlotte swallowed hard and glanced at her mother.

Her eyes were wide alert, as if she was ready to jump in if she should fail, but still gave her the room to try.

“She is quite exhausted, so I presume she is asleep."

Not that she was in any state for dinner, despite it obviously being offered. Instead, Mrs Hughes had taken her a tray.

"She said she wanted to catch a train tomorrow after breakfast. I’d like to take a car to accompany her to the station.”

“Of course.”, Cora quickly said.

In the light of the ban on today’s incidents, the remaining conversation was rather limited, and the fact that she was permitted to remain in silence instead of being roped into the discussion was both blessing and curse.

But the quiet only made it worse, for that way all of Miss Stark’s words echoed louder and louder in her head.

Cora soon began to talk about the hospital garden fair, which only reminded her of the fact that her own hospital work, which had been lined up and planned meticulously. She hadn't wanted to put a foot wrong.

When dinner was over and they moved to the drawing room, Charlotte counted the minutes until she could excuse herself.

More than ever before, did she miss Sybil. If she could tell a soul, she could have told her…she could have and Sybil would have supported her, helped her, let her be angry or soothed her tears.

She didn't know whether she wanted to scream or cry, but right now she was allowed nothing. Just - terror. Thankfully most of them chalked her behaviour down to today’s events, and she was soon sent off to bed to get some rest. As if any sleep would come to her ever again.

That’s not even a lie, Charlotte thought bitterly, her hand trembling on the banister as she crept up, feeling more like a ghost than a person.

How much a world could change from noon to night.

Despite the hurricane of her thoughts, her feet proved reliable allies, carrying her to her bedroom.

It felt foreign to her now, from the pale mint green colour of the curtains, to the pillows chosen to match. The way the mattress dented when she sat down, the feeling of the sheets, the way the street lamps flickered in the distance - all of it was foreign. But was it the world that was foreign now, or her?

She could hear the sounds of her breath, her chest rising and falling with shallow, faint huffs as her hands trembled.

If only she was brave enough to scream.

But she wasn't, and so silence was her only option, silence and confused agony, like a hunted animal that didn't know where the arrows came from. Only she had already been struck, and was bleeding out by the minute.

She forced her eyes shut to banish her tears and the thoughts that caused them.

It wasn't even her place to be angry at herself or pity herself, or both. What did she matter in all of this? In all Miss Stark had told her?

Compared to her, what right did she have to the chest-tightening feeling of bottomless betrayal?

So there was guilt to add to all those feelings too.

When she heard the knock on the door, she flinched up as if someone had struck her.

"Anna.", she said breathlessly. "I didn't ring yet."

Anna shook her head.

"Milady, a Mr. Shelby came to the backdoor to speak to you. I thought you might prefer it not being announced by Mr. Carson so I told him to wait there."

Charlotte felt her stomach drop, and her heart with it until there was only an icy, bottomless pit inside her.

I can’t see him. I can’t speak to him. I don’t want to. I can’t.

Like a frozen flower, she would shatter in his mere presence.

But she couldn’t say that to Anna. She would have to explain herself, and she couldn’t.

She had thought keeping him there was a kindness, given all she had told her of her activities with his charity, or what he had made her believe to be that.

If she didn't comply now, Anna would have her questions why.

Worse, she might ask Mary, and her sister would stop at nothing -

Charlotte cleared her throat and looked down, smoothing down the fabric of her dress.

She had no choice.

Unless she wanted to say the unspeakable and explain the inexplicable, she had to go down.

"Stay with me?", she asked, her voice trembling just slightly, betraying her to someone who knew her for nearly all her life.

"Of course, Milady.", she said, offering her a small smile, but it didn't reach Anna's eyes. For that, she could read her too well.

So she quickly moved ahead, unable to stand the piercing gaze.

But every step felt like she was dragging the weight of the world with her.

Still, despite everything, she was a Crawley. She had to be brave. There was no other option.

The servant's staircase spared her the knowing and judging gaze of her ancestors on the walls, but instead she saw a few curious glances of the servants as Anna led her out.

Of course Anna had thought of bringing along one of her scarves.

She wore it like a coat of armour, because it was the only protection she could have.

Taking a deep breath, like poor Jane Grey stepping out onto the Tower Green, she opened the door to the back entrance.

She smelled the smoke before she saw the glimmer of the cigarette, and then the man flicking it away.

His tie needle reflected in the light of the lantern, then the blonde of his hair. “John.”

His name slipped from her lips like a cry of shock.

She had feared, but expected Tommy, and now on consideration perhaps even Arthur, but not John. Never John. He was the last one she had thought to come and seek her out.

But here he was, looking up at her with wide blue eyes.

“You live here?”, he asked surprised, his eyes wide with awe as he looked up the facade, the stucco, the countless windows.

“When in London, yes.”, Charlotte said, as she approached him slowly.

Arthur’s Arthur. He can’t help it, really. But John- John has a good heart.

He held his hat in his hands and shifted uncomfortably from one step to the other.

The hat, she remembered.

“Ahm, where is Lizzie?”, he asked, the way she imagined a schoolboy would inquire after his friend.

“Upstairs.”, Charlotte said. The mention of her sent a surge of defiance through her, like a second coat of iron out of the necessity of protecting the woman, but that also protected her in turn.

"She’s sleeping.”

“D-doesn’t she want to go home?”, he asked, glancing up as if he could look through the walls and windows into the guest bedroom.

“Not tonight.”

John nodded, taking a deep breath, his mouth contorting. “How is she?”, he wanted to know, barely glancing up at her. He couldn't meet her gaze fully, but he couldn't look away either. For that, he cared too much.

And Miss Stark cared about him too. She had told her as much, about John, and his children and the wedding. About how he still tried his best to care for her after. About how he was good, one of the good ones, Charlotte. One of the boys they sent. A boy, not a man. Not like Arthur and Tommy. Once she had feared the sharpness of his eyes, the cruelty in his words, the way he made her feel small and stupid and useless, but now Miss Stark’s assessment, as little as it was, was all she had to hold onto.

She cared about him, and he cared about her. So Charlotte chose to answer. “I don’t know. Hurt. Tired. Angry."

She sighed once more, leaning against the doorframe.

"She didn’t want to see a doctor.”

Perhaps he could make her see sense.

“Course not.”, he mumbled to himself.

Then his blue eyes met his. “Thanks, Charlotte. I know you and Lizzie…”

As he spoke, he turned his cap in his hands and when the light hit it right, she saw the light glimmer in the reflection.

Oh, she thought. Oh no.

She had forgotten all about that part, the fact getting lost in the tirade of terror, but it came rushing back, turning her stomach and making bile rise in her throat.

“That doesn’t matter now.”, she said quickly. “Anyone would have done the same.”

“They wouldn’t.”, he argued. “And I’m sorry for…you know.”

Charlotte nodded once more. “It’s fine.”

For a moment silence hung between them. “Tommy’s outside. He’s also worried about Lizzie.”

“I see.”, Charlotte said, the pain that was already pounding in her chest, getting even worse, so bad she felt her entire insides were ignited with agony. “I doubt Miss Stark will want to see him anytime soon.”

“And what about you?” I never want to see him again. I never want to talk to him again. I never ever want to think about him again! Granny was right. This was a terrible, terrible mistake.

If she could wipe him from her memory, she would in a heartbeat.

“I can’t go out now.”, she said, blinking away her tears. “It’s late and very cold.”

John saw right through her excuse.

“Has she…”, he began slowly, “has she said…”

“She told me enough, John.”, Charlotte said firmly, building herself up to her full height, “Miss Stark told me quite enough."

There was no sleep for her that night, and she guessed probably not for many nights to come. Her thoughts were too loud, the pictures Miss Stark painted too vivid and horrid and horrific to allow her much rest.

When Anna came with the morning tea, Charlotte was already up, with a scarf around her shoulders instead of her robe. She had left that with Miss Stark.

What a foolish, useless little thing in light of what had happened, what had happened to her.

"Has Miss Stark been woken yet?", She asked, avoiding Anna’s look. She felt the blonde woman would read her at any glance, would need only one look and see the truth of it all.

She probably knew about the real cause of Miss Stark’s distress already. That was why Mrs Hughes and her mother asked Anna for help. She was kind and discreet, and a soul they all could trust.

"About now, I think.", Anna said. “I’ve sent Lily up with a tray.”

"I think I will go and see her before getting ready for breakfast."

It was an improper thing to do, and so Anna helped her into a day-dress as quickly as she could, even skipping the stockings. She would only be going down the hall after all.

“There, Milady. Good enough I’d say.”, she said with her cheerful tone, as she smoothed down her hair just barely.

With that, she stilled her hands, her eyes finding hers in the reflection of the mirror.

“The last day has been quite distressing for you hasn’t it?”

It wasn’t a question as much as a medical diagnosis.

She had known her since she was a little girl and knew things about her that Mary and Edith missed. She had been taking care of her too long for her to miss things like these, even if she managed to conceal them from her sisters.

“Well, denial would be futile, so…”

She broke off and shook her head.

“I’ll just be glad to be home.”

That wasn’t even half a lie. She wanted to go home, to be back in Downton, to breathe Yorkshire air and be surrounded by her home as far as the eye could see.

“If there’s anything else you need, just let me know.”, she said, the words heavier than the normal empty courtesy.

"Thank you, Anna.”

But there are things I couldn't even tell you if I wanted to.

Leaving Anna to tidy, she left her room and walked the short distance to where Miss Stark had been put up in. She found her resting against the pillows, staring at the tea tray over her lap as if it was a wild animal ready to bite her nose off.

Charlotte made a point of not looking at the swelling of her lip.

Lily was with her, standing by the window.

"Good morning, Milady!", She greeted, dropping into a small curtsy.

"I was just asking Miss Stark what to do about clothes for today since she doesn't have any luggage."

No, Charlotte thought, there was no luggage, and the clothes she had worn, well, they had been reduced to tatters on the bathroom floor. Anna had helped her cover that up.

"She can have a pick of anything I brought.", she offered. “Try to pick out a few options of anything long.”

Miss Stark was a good deal taller than she was.

With that, Lily left with a gentle "Yes, Milady."

The door closed behind her, leaving Charlotte and the other woman alone.

The silence made her thoughts and the abstract fear they caused ring louder, echoing in her ears.

"Is this…normal?", Miss Stark asked, waving at the tray of tea, biscuits and orange slices.

"Well,", she said softly, sitting down on the chaise lounge. "Mine didn’t have orange slices."

Miss Stark huffed, and Charlotte couldn’t tell if it was a sign of success or failure at her attempt of lightening the situation.

When her fingers touched the porcellian, they trembled.

"How's the tea?", she asked, playing with the edge of her scarf.

"It's good.", Miss Stark mumbled, staring into it as if she hoped to see the future in the china.

"Did you sleep?"

She shook her head, which was understandable.

"Did you?"

Her response was the same.

What can I say?, She wondered, her chest tightening. What even is there to say?

The knock on the door surprised them both, especially when Charlotte saw who it revealed.

"Good morning, Mama!", She said, getting up from the bed and kissing her cheek.

Her mother looked to have had the same thoughts she had, to see Miss Stark as soon as she woke up. She wore a pale blue tea gown, the old kind with the wide cuts, flowing fabric and big pockets that was from before the war. It was far from the latest fashion but she had a preference for robes like these.

"Apologies, Miss Stark.", She said, "I heard you'd planned to take the early train and I couldn't let you go in good conscience without at least checking up on you."

Miss Stark was staring up at her with wide eyes, like a deer in headlights.

"Ahm- good morning.", She mumbled, before trying to remove the tea tray in order to get up in a rush.

“Oh no need for that!”, her mother said swiftly. “We’re the one invading your bedroom this morning, aren’t we?”, she said, taking Charlotte’s arm.

"I'm sorry for being a bother, Milady.”, Miss Stark told the teacup.

A sense of sadness washed over her mother’s face.

"Oh please, you could never be a bother, Miss Stark. You have all of us quite a scare. Are you sure you wouldn't prefer to see a doctor? We can arrange it, easily. Quietly. We’d take care of it all, and there would be no risk to your reputation.”

"No Doctor, please.", Miss Stark said sharply.

Her mother, Lady Grantham, sighed.

"Alright, but I'll send up Anna to see to your cuts again, yes? The same ointment Mrs Hughes gave you yesterday.”

To that, she agreed.

"Good.”, her mother said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Now what do we do about clothes?"

"Oh, Miss Stark- will borrow some of my things."

Her mother looked at her as if she had suggested something ludicrous. “Nonsense, darling. Miss Stark won't fit into your clothes. I'll have the maids take some of Mary's things."

"Mary will hate that!", Charlotte said. And she would demand to know why -

She already had far too much going on to dare getting Mary upset at her now.

"I'll handle Mary.", Her mother assured her, "Don't you worry one bit, Miss Stark. After breakfast, we'll have the car ready to take you to the station, whenever you need, whether that is this morning, today or tomorrow."

"Thank you, Milady.", Miss Stark said. "For everything."

"No need.", She assured her, before cupping Charlotte's cheek.

"I'm very proud of you, darling.”

In that moment, for a split second, the world was alright again, but as soon as her mother left, she felt herself falling into that icy pit again.

They wouldn’t be proud if they knew what she knew now. They’d be so enraged and appalled, shocked and horrified - just as she was now. And she felt so very stupid.

"Your mother's lovely.", Miss Stark said softly, once the door was closed again.

"Yes.", Charlotte admitted breathlessly. Lovely and completely in the dark of the foolishness of her youngest daughter.

Miss Stark shook her head, biting her lip as she did.

"Fuck.", She groaned, as she dropped her head into her hands. "Fucking hell, Charlotte!"

The swearing made her jump. But could she blame Miss Stark for her choice of words?

"What's wrong?", She wanted to know, rushing towards her. "What did I do? What did Mama do?"

"Nothing!", she snapped. "That's the whole fucking point."

She ran a hand through her hair.

"You're…you're not like us - fuck - I never should have said a thing.”

“No,”

Now it was her voice to add sharpness.

“It was far time I knew.”

All this pain, confusion and betrayal she felt was infinitely better than the puppet on a string she had been before, oblivious and foolish, pouring her heart, soul and energy into his castle of clouds that he conjured up only to lure her in.

It all seemed so obvious now, of course. So blatantly, tragically obvious. And the worst part was, others had seen it while she had deluded herself, and would have continued to do so if Miss Stark hadn’t told her.

Home did not bring the relief she had hoped for. Maybe, it even made it worse, as she had never missed Sybil more than now.

Sybil would listen, without laughing, without being shocked or horrified. She would listen without judging. No 'I told you so's, no 'you should have known's, no 'How could you be so foolish?'s.

But Sybil wasn't here. She was gone, off to Ireland with Branson - she could scratch his eyes out for that now more than ever!

Charlotte tried to write to her but every time she tried to put it into words she failed miserably. It never sounded right, it never captured her thoughts properly. And even putting these things in writing felt like a crime of their own.

And she burned each and every piece of paper until her room smelled of nothing but smoke.

She couldn't telephone her either. Sybil didn't have a telephone now and she couldn't dare being overheard. So she was all alone, alone with her thoughts.

She went riding before breakfast so as to avoid the conversation, and took long walks in the afternoon.

But no matter how fast or far she galloped, she couldn't outrace her thoughts. Her betters had tried and failed at that, her grandmother informed her with a sharp quip.

Sleeping was difficult as well, because sometimes she would dream.

The nightmares were bad, but the other dreams were worse, those in which it was just them together, those of work and pride, when her research bled into the realm of her dreams. In those dreams, they got along, which made her want to drown herself in her shame at her own mind’s betrayal.

Her family all thought she was upset about the field marshall, with her mother perhaps taking Miss Stark, Lizzie now as she insisted she call her, into account. And in a way they were right.

Tommy killed him.

Tommy shot him in the head with his own gun and killed him.

Tommy made Lizzie lure the man away, who hurt her and then Tommy shot him in the head with his own gun and killed him.

Because that's what Tommy does. He kills people. He hurts people. He blinds people. He uses his own brothers like soldiers.

Lizzie had told her.

That and so much more.

The man she admired, the man she had been so desperate to impress, the man who had made her feel more useful and valued than any other person in her whole life. And for what?

She hadn’t understood who the inspector was, or what that had to do with guns and the IRA and a barmaid. But she had known Mr Churchill - how relieved she had felt when hearing his name, a small sliver of familiarity in the chaos of Lizzie’s words, only for that to be turned on it’s head.

Advantage was what she had said. Insurance.

During the meals, she tried to keep to herself as much as possible and avoid conversation.

There was always something more important than her to discuss and she happily let them.

Right now, the topic of the week was the garden party for the hospital.

Now, with the war over, it has come up again.

"I doubt anyone would be comfortable after what happened last time.", her mother said.

What a different time that had been. What a different world.

"We don't need reminding."

"It gives the village an opportunity to show unity in support for the hospital, especially after the war.", Granny insisted.

"On that we agree.", Isobel said. "Speaking of hospitals- Charlotte, how are your preparations going?"

Charlotte glanced up, confused at what she was asking.

"Preparations for what?", her mother asked.

Isobel responded and in her answer, reminded her.

"Charlotte is set to meet with a few doctors for the children's hospital in Birmingham next week."

The wine in her glass trembled just slightly

That seemed a lifetime ago now. Or maybe a life that wasn't her own. One of make-believe and stupidity.

"I've been helping her prepare."

Isobel smiled at her and she tried to smile back, but the muscles in her face fought the motion.

"If I can give you one bit of advice, talk to the nurses. They know more about the day-to -day runnings of the hospital than the doctors."

"Naturally you would say that.", Granny quipped.

"When are you going?", her mother wanted to know.

Charlotte cleared her throat and glanced down at her hands. They were still trembling.

"The meeting is next Tuesday.", She said softly.

"Are you sure you should be going?”, Cora asked, a line of concern between her brows.

"I think she most certainly should.", Isobel argued. "It is her project and she is very well prepared."

"I disagree.", her father said said, "Charlotte should take some time to rest, especially after the shock."

Don't I know it, she thought bitterly.

"But some distraction might do her good.", Isobel argued.

"I agree with Robert.", Matthew said uncommonly forcefully, "besides, there are a great many causes and distractions closer to Downton. I've heard there is an organisation in Ripon that specialises in helping children with reading difficulties."

"Goodness- how intriguing!", Mary scoffed, her eyes finding the back of her head.

"The last thing Charlotte should do is take on another cause!", Granny argued. "She’s a lady, and they’re working her like a ploughhorse."

"Although I must protest your comparison, I agree that she already has a cause and a very worthy one at that.", Isobel said.

It was Edith who spoke up next.

"I'm sorry, but Charlotte, do you even want to go?”

That made them all fall silent and Charlotte wished they would have continued to fight, but now all eyes were on her.

The worst part was, now everyone knew that it was happening on Tuesday. And they would all wait for it.

"I, ahm, I don't know yet.", She said softly. "It depends, I guess."

That was an answer that made everyone at the table unhappy, giving neither side more ammunition, or another enemy to strike at.

Come next morning, she received a call just after breakfast.

"How are you?", She asked, like she had asked in every call.

"I'll manage.", The other woman replied. "What about you?"

"I'm trying to figure out how to manage.", She said truthfully, which made her chest tighten in shame. It should be the other way around. She had only heard of the bad things, Lizzie had been forced to live them.

"Look- about what I told you…"

"I'm glad you did, Lizzie, truly.", She said quickly.

There was silence for a while.

"So you went to work again.", Charlotte stated.

I wouldn’t have. I would have reported him to the police, and everyone else too.

"Yes."

"How was it?", She asked.

"He's walking on eggshells."

As he should.

Well, he should be in prison awaiting a trail at the King’s Court, not walking on eggshells, but that was the least he could do.

What he had done to her was cruel and so terribly heartless and Charlotte found it entirely unforgivable, but it wasn’t hers to forgive. It was Lizzie’s and so she kept her mouth shut in regards to the outrage she felt.

"Are you coming back?", Lizzie wanted to know after the screaming silence.

Charlotte sighed and rubbed her temple.

"I don't know, Lizzie.", She said truthfully. "I don't know anything anymore."

When she went out with the horse, she rode until she felt her lungs would burst, but neither the horse, nor the grass, trees or the wind could tell her an answer.

If Sybil was here, she could choose for me.

But she wasn’t and so Charlotte was all alone with her horses and the storm in her mind.

Thank you for reading - I'd love to hear your thoughts

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Tommy

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#welcome to downton mr shelby #charlotte crawley #tommy shelby #thomas shelby #tommy shelby imagine #thomas shelby imagine #downton abbey #peaky blinders crossover #peaky blinders downton abbey crossover #wtdms

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jonesyjonesyjonesy · 10 months

Text

Wildflowers (pt. xx)

a john paul jones x fem!oc fic

summary: Julia Morgan knew nannying for three girls who had recently lost their mother would come with many challenges. But she never thought their father, the enigmatic musician John Paul Jones, would be causing her the most trouble. And while Julia is not in the business of saving broken men, her tenderness might be meant for more than little girls and wildflowers.

table of contents │ previous chapter

masterlist│ko-fi

notes: n/a

a/n: i miss you all so much, miss wf so much. i've been working my butt off on my writing career and the time i have for john and julia is so limited, but i still think about them all the time. this is just a little fluffy interlude to tide us all over until i can get to what will be a very signif chapter. so i hope you enjoy it, even if it's a little silly :)

pt. xx, eyebright

“Sir Curran for the talent, ladies.”

The lights were dimmed, the stage was set, and Jacinda was doing a marvelous job of playing a jumpy melody on her recorder.

“And here he is, Mr. Starmaker himself, your host, Hughie Green!” Tamara announced.

I began to applaud.

The curtains by the window trembled. Kiera yelped. “I’m stuck!”

Tamara looked askance nervously as if she was truly in front of a full audience, not just me sitting on the sofa cozy under a blanket with a cup of tea. “Technical difficulties, ladies and gentleman!” She snapped at the recorder playing Jacinda. “Cindy!”

Jacinda stopped playing, the last note squeaking. She huffed as she stamped over to the window where Kiera was only getting more and more tangled in the curtains.

I tried to stifle my giggles as she tried to free Kiera while Tamara stood by tapping her foot, checking her wrist for a watch that wasn't there. “The audience is waiting, Mr. Green. This is live television.”

“Okay, okay, I’m coming!” Kiera squeaked and then burst through the curtains. She looked absolutely darling in her father’s herringbone sportscoat (leave it to John that an average sportscoat would be the most shocking thing I could find in his closet) that fell all the way to her ankles, sleeves rolled up just enough so she could wave the hairbrush in her hand near her mouth as a microphone. “Ahem!” Kiera gestured to me.

“Oh, sorry!” I started to clap my hands again. “Bravo!”

Kiera bowed several times to the audience of one as she came to the center of the “stage” aka right in the middle of the playroom with the television pushed back. “Thank you, thank you! I wanted to say…” She looked over at Tamara with wide eyes.

“Birthday cards,” Tamara hissed.

“Yes! My birthday. Thank you for the cards. I’m fifty-eight but feel like I’m a hundred and eight.”

I let out a rip roaring laugh as I did every time Kiera repeated the joke. She’d heard it once on television and couldn’t stop repeating it. Tamara decided to use it to her advantage when planning out this skit for my evening’s entertainment.

Since John left, the girls had taken it upon themselves to fill the night hours with little performances for me. That way, according to Jacinda, “None of us would have to feel sad without daddy around.”

Sad was not how I felt without John around. Uneasy was more like it. Especially after the way we had left things.

To be fair to John, he didn’t know how we’d left things. After all, how could he have known that Pat and I lingered by the door listening to his conversation with Bonzo where he basically implied he wasn't sure he fancied me. After a month and change of letting him inside me again and again, letting him drown himself in the softness of my collar bone, flirt with me while everyone’s backs were turned.

After all that he wasn’t sure if he “fancied” me.

It was proof to me I should have resisted him.

However, the morning he left…made it so impossible to hate him. He woke me up by diving between my legs, languishing his tongue inside me, touching me like I was something holy. And when I had come not once but twice, he didn’t want anything in return.

“I needed to get my fill of you,” John had muttered. And then, after a kiss to the inside of my thigh I wish could have been welted onto my skin forever, he whispered, “I’m going to miss you so much.”

With several long, uninterrupted kisses amidst my bedclothes, that was our goodbye. The rest of his goodbyes were saved for the girls. With hugs and kisses and waves from the front step, we watched John and Bonzo drive off down Warren Lane.

Pat kept me company that first day. And after that…I was on my own.

Trapped between unfancied and missed, managing the house was a confusing task. It had only been four days and the girls were defaulting to me at every turn as their figurehead. Everything was up to me. John had not left instructions. And there was no threat of him returning in the middle of the night with anxiety over how I’ve stepped into the role left by Maureen.

Except I hadn’t. Not really. My presence in the Baldwin girls’ life was pear-shaped motherhood.

However, with John away in Headley, I was what they had to cling onto. John called every night, but he didn't have much time or energy to spare to them as he was still getting their bearings. My personal interactions with him were quick and to an end.

As it should be. The girls needed him. I didn’t.

I don’t, goddammit.

The nights had been long without him.

But the girls’ performances made the nights a little easier to bear.

“Tonight, we have a treat with you with star in the making Su Pollard singing an Oklahoma! favorite –”

“Everything’s up to date in Kansas –” Tamara began to belt, having changed into a flowery caftan from my closet and a yellow wig she made up of spaghetti noodles, twine, and glue.

“Not that one!” Kiera retorted.

I laughed loudly. “That was good,” I muttered, glasping my hands to my chest. “That was very clever.”

Tamara pretended to be shocked, shook her head to recalibrate, and then began to sing, “I’m just a girl who cain’t say no –“

The girls had become quite taken with the show Opportunity Knocks, a televised talent competition that included a postal voting system which meant every week, along with all of my other letters, I would mail the household vote off to ITV. The things you do to see children smile.

Unlike a professionally judged competition which would of course reward contestants with the most talent, Opportunity Knocks’ public judging system often allowed for some questionable winners.

“But will Su’s spotlight dim when up against –“ Kiera continued.

“Arf! Arf!” Jacinda barked, now on her knees with her tongue hanging out and two paper dog ears on her head held up with a headband.

“Weezy, the singing Jack Russel!”

“I know how this one ends!” I announced excitedly as Jacinda began singing “Happy Birthday” in a warbling dog voice. Su Pollard and the Jack Russel were actual contestants in the previous cycle of the show.

Guess who the girls voted for?

“This and more on tonight’s Opportunity Kno –“ Kiera’s excitable cry was cut off by the ringing of the telephone.

Jacinda was the first to alert, like a true Jack Russel would. “Daddy!”

“Hold on, girls,” I said, assuming role as the offset producer. I picked the phone out of the cradle. “We’ve got a call from the BBC. Sir Curran –” I answered. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

John’s growing smile could be heard through the telephone. “Ah, you remembered I’ve been knighted.”

“How could I forget, sir?”

The girls all crowded around me on the sofa, Tamara over the back, Jacinda at my hip, and Kiera right under my arm, struggling to get comfortable in her father’s jacket.

“So, has the BBC come back to beg for our talents?”

“Mm. Depends. Let me talk to the talent.”

Adorably, the first night of our silly skits, John had wanted in on the action even though I could hear the exhaustion in his voice. So he played the role of Director-General of the BBC, Sir Charles Curran. Damn him for continuing to be so utterly charming.

I smiled and held the phone out for the girls. “Sir Curran for the talent, ladies.”

The girls clamored for the phone, all of them screaming as their various roles. I retracted the phone out of their reach. “One at a time, ladies. And dog.”

Jacinda barked and panted. I patted her head lovingly as Tamara snatched the phone from my hands.

“Sir Curran, Su Pollard here –”

“But I’m Hughie Green! I should get to speak first,” Kiera whined.

“Shhh, you’ll get your turn,” I told her and pulled her into my chest.

Kiera pressed her cheek against my bosom and harrumphed until Tamara’s turn was over, then harrumphed more when Jacinda took the next turn, citing that she was the second eldest and therefore should get the second turn.

By the time it got to Kiera, she was weepy and could barely hold the phone herself so I held it for her. “S-sir Curran? They are being very unfair to me.”

I stifled a laugh, overhearing John tutting Kiera and then coddling her in the best way he knew how. While they spoke, Tamara and Jacinda set to cleaning up the stage.

“No, they’re not nice to me. They’re never nice to me.”

“Kiera…” I patted her back and eyed Tamara who gave me a shrug. The bane of Kiera’s existence would always be that she was the youngest and smallest, therefore everything was very unfair to her while the reality was most everything was unfair to Tamara. Still, I remained impartial.

“Yes, Julia’s nice to me. But Julia has to be nice so that doesn’t count.” Kiera waited and then let out a frustrated screech. “I am not tired, Daddy!” meaning she was indeed very tired and bedtime was imminent. “You’re mean too!”

Kiera shoved the phone up into my face. I could hear John intonating carefully, “Kiera, love, this is the only time you get to talk to me today and you’re choosing to be grouchy.”

“You have to say goodbye,” I whispered to Kiera, but she shook her head, shoved me away, and ran out of the room.

“Kiera? Hello? Is anyone there?”

I sighed and pressed the phone to my ear. “I’m afraid Mr. Greene can be rather dramatic when he’s in need of beauty rest.”

“Mm, I know a few people like that. Mr. Page wasn’t up until noon.”

I giggled, but stopped myself when I felt Jacinda look at me. I covered the receiver and nodded toward the door. “Girls, you head up to bed. Check on your sister if you can. And say goodnight to your father.”

I held the phone out for both of the girls to cry out their goodnights as they loped out of the room.

“Well, at least they sound like they’re in good spirits,” John murmured.

“Yes, they are. Everything was going swimmingly up until you’re call.”

“Oh, well I beg your pardon.”

I pinched my nosebridge. “Sorry, that’s not what I meant.”

He laughed, a hiccupping quiet thing. “I know you didn’t. I’m giving you a hard time.”

I paused, letting his breath shuffle into my ear. Other than the static of the phone, it was as if he was in bed with me.

“And you, Julia?”

“Me? Just fine. You?”

John sighed. “Fine. Tired. We’ll be working a little while more today, probably.”

“You ought to be the one to sleep in tomorrow. Give Jimmy a run for his money.” Jimmy's name made my mouth immediately hot, uncomfortable, dangling bait for John.

“I like the way you think,” John replied, the warm tone of his voice remind me of his arms wrapping around me. “No, every time I decide to be a handful, someone always outdoes me. I’m resigned to being agreeable.”

I chewed on my lower lip. “Well, that’s not always a bad thing.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

Since he'd left, our phone conversations were normally limited to a short back and forth, often a veiled one if the girls were in the room, ending with one of us trailing off and the other going, “Well, I'll let you go.” Unceremonious.

We hadn’t learned how to care for one another from afar. I wasn’t sure if we’d ever learn it.

I tugged on a lock of my hair. “I should get the girls in bed and –”

“Listen, are you particularly tired tonight?”

I froze, fingers tightening around the phone. For him, I would stay awake for days. “No. Not particularly.”

“Then I’ll give you a call when we’re done. Say around half past eleven. Is that alright?”

I started salivating, my mouth preparing for hours of conversation. “Yes, that’s qu-quite alright.”

“Oh good. Good, I’ve…I’ve really needed to hear your voice more than just a few moments at a time.”

I leaned back on the couch and pressed my palm to my head, smacking it over and over. This man was eluding my ability to categorize him. “Yes, it’d be nice then to chat,” I said after a moment too long of leaving him hanging. “I want to hear about everything going on there.”

John laughed. “Trust me, Julia, I don’t know if you want to hear everything going on here.”

Oh, but I did. Every sordid detail. The drinking, the drugs, the inevitable discussions of women and perhaps parades of them too. I wanted it all.

“Alright, dear girl, I’ve got to go.”

Dear. Girl. Bloody fucking hell.

“Half past eleven. You have the right to go to sleep on me if I’m a minute late.”

“I’ll wait at least two before I give up on you.”

John hummed. “You’re quite a romantic, are you?”

“Not all women would give a man two extra minutes, but me? Well…” I drew my foot up my leg delicately. “I’m a romantic.”

“Be careful with that voice, you’re going to put me in a compromising position.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, my body all aflutter imagining what he was imagining. “God, you have to bring that up right before I’m going to say goodbye?”

He let out a low chuckle and then: “Half past eleven.”

“Half past eleven,” I repeated.

And then I heard the click of him hanging up. I pressed the phone to my chest and sighed heavily. This is bad…this is so –

I wasn’t left alone with my thoughts for more than five seconds before I heard a sharp cry from upstairs and my name being called with tearful anger by Miss Kiera.

You’ll be pleased to know that after a hellish bedtime routine and nighttime shower where the water would not get hot enough, John called. In fact, he called early. Eleven o’ three.

He kept me up until nearly two. Talking about nothing and everything.

Not a mere mention of our bodies. The way they had begun to gravitate toward one another. The familiarity we had earned from John becoming a landmark in my bed.

Yet the want was all the same.

“We should get to bed, shouldn’t we?” I asked after a long silence, my eyes falling shut as I sprawled out across my small sofa.

“Must we?”

I hummed.

“Oh, I know that hum. That’s a tired hum.”

I wondered how many times he’d heard Mo hum over the phone, across an ocean. Made me sad to realize he couldn’t run home if he needed her. No man can run on water, even with the most profound love in his heart.

“I’m sorry I can’t give you my eleven o’clock number.”

“Mmmwhat would it be?”

“’So long, farewell…’” John sang the first bars of a tune from The Sound of Music.

I snorted. “You’ve been spending too much time with Robert, haven’t you?”

“Suppose so, Julie Andrews.”

I may have been able to keep this up until morning if he kept making me swoon.

“You better not pull the curtains down to make any outfits for the girls. Especially not in the playroom. I’m fond of those.”

“What about a kerchief for my hair?”

John laughed. “Don’t get cheeky. I’ll be checking them over when I get home." Saliva moved in his mouth. "Although the blue would certainly suit your eyes.”

My body was gleefully numb until we said goodnight.

After all, a man wouldn’t know the eye color of a woman he didn’t fancy, would he?

tag list: @jimmys-zeppelin, @kari-12-10, @grxtsch, @digitcc, @ritacaroline, @kyunisixx, @salixfragilis, @rebel-without-a-zeppelin, @jimmypages, @dollyvandal, @cassiana-on-dark-side, @thepinklovewitch, @faisonsunreve, @sastrugie, @seventieswhore, @t4ngerinedr3am, @mayspringcome, @barrettavenue, @foreverandadaydarling, @glimmerofsanity, @montereypopgroupie, @lzep, @jimmysdragonsuit13, @n0quart3r, @larsgoingtomars, @paginate54, @leveeisbreaking (let me know if you’d like to be added 💋)

#john paul jones #led zeppelin #john paul jones x oc #wildflowers #wf #julia morgan #baldwin girls

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drchenquill · 1 month

Text

OC in fifteen~

Thank you @kaylinalexanderbooks for the tag!!!!

The rules are to include fifteen or less lines of dialogue from an OC that describes their essence - context is okay, but the less the better.

I'll go with the main character of my vampire crime story, my beloved,

Thana

“You didn’t mean to, but you did it, and now I have to kill you because of it.”

“Don’t fuck with me! The fullblood appeared with both corpses, as if he knew what he was looking for. I overheard him say something about a pattern. I don’t like being taken for a fool. So just tell me what you know, or I will paint these white walls with your blood.”

“I will wait for you tonight on the playground. If you don’t show up, I’ll let you know that I know your smell and that I can find you everywhere. I will hunt you down, and when I catch you, you’ll wish that you’d listened to me.”

“Let’s get to the point. I hope what you have to tell me is worth our trip here, or else you will pay for the time you have made me waste.”

"What the hell is going on? What tearjerker movie have we landed in?" I whisper angrily to them.

"Unfortunately, I have known love and realized that it is just an ordinary word to which we give far too much value."

"This is your fault, sir. You never gave us orders to stay in our cells at night. We may not be human, but we don't have psychic powers. And if you really wanted us to, you would have made sure they locked our cells before you all went back to your cozy homes."

"Why not? She clearly wants something from you, so it's natural for you to demand something from her."

"You can only do that because you're a fullblood, so stop gloating." I hissed at him.

"In every one of my dreams you were the main character, every one of my thoughts ended with your name. There wasn't a moment when I didn't think of you."

"If you see him, please tell him that I will rip his heart out if he dares to step in front of my eyes."

"You tell us what we want to know, and I won't cut your head off."

"He feels guilty for what happened. To feel better, he needs my forgiveness, and he thinks that's how he'll get it."

"What makes you think I'm such a heartless bitch anyway? It had never been my intention to abandon you, I had told you that we could go through with it together."

"I was abandoned by you the same way, so why do I still have to suffer the pain?" Slowly, the tears began to flow. "This guilt is suffocating me, Talon."

This was fun!!! I'll tag, with no pressure, @cssnder, @ink-enchanted, @noplsimastar, @hatetolove-lovetohate, @agirlandherquill, @theink-stainedfolk + anyone who wants to give it a go!!!

#writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writers #writerscommunity #tag game #my ocs

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jeysecretive · 3 months

Text

So, this story was written on inspiration from those fics: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29411574/chapters/72254715

https://archiveofourown.org/works/53701390

You also have to give credit to the music: https://youtu.be/IW-oVKrHupY?si=cPkeacsJjVej10id

And most importantly, who I wrote it for. @blu-ish , this is for you :)

Important Mention!!! This chapter mentions injuries and the use of weapons! Plus, this fic is kind of OC × canon. THE TITLE OF THE FIC IS EXPERIMENTAL!

The Dark Secrets

of the Deep Sea

Chapter One: The Hunt

Chapter two

Important text notes!:

🔵= Sonic

🔴= Shadow

🟣= Indirect characters

🟢= Omega

💓= Rouge

italic font + bold font = Capitan Ghost

Italic font + any color = Thoughts

Simple italic font = special moments

Bold font = special moments

"Oh, come on! Can't a marvellous captain like you take down such a lowly opponent!"

A bullet flew over the head of the hedgehog who said those words with a howl, nearly taking off his ear. But he was abruptly torn backwards by a red echidna, shouting "Look out!"

With an offended snort, the hedgehog struggled to roll to the other side of the deck to continue his taunts.

***

A storm was raging at sea. Huge waves were rising and crashing down, threatening to sink the two ships as they circled round each other in a frenzied dance.

But it was as if none of the captains of these ships paid any attention to the storm, and continued to fight. Though only one of them was really fighting, the other was manoeuvring between the shells and trying to strike at the most important parts of the enemy sailing ship.

"Go Omega, show them your strength!!!" A young hedgehog with dishevelled blue quills exclaimed in a fervour, slide across the boardwalk deck on one foot.

In a threat to his life, he was leaping all over the ship and teasing the men from the other vessel, as if he didn't notice the shells whistling over his head.

A huge mechanism made of ship's debris and covered in iron hoops threw up its arms in protest at the young man's frantic plea.

"We're running out of shells, sir! There's no way cap will allow us to waste them on this!"

"WHAT?! WE HAD PLENTY OF POWDER AND NUKES WHEN WE SAILED!!!"

"You wasted half your war supplies on a game of 'who can shoot the furthest', sir! AND IT'S NOT MY FAULT!!!"

"But you did enjoy being a part of-AAA!!!"

Hedgehog was grabbed from behind by the scruff of his neck and dragged towards the bilge. As he tried to fight off the strong hand squeezing his scruff, he heard a venomous hiss.

"Oh, come on, captain! I'm not done sending them curses yet!!! If you weren't mute, I swear you'd like it too!"

Instead of answering, the hedgehog was shoved sharply down the rickety stairs. The hatch cover slammed sharply over his head.

"Oh, well no! Sonic the Hedgehog is never left out!!!" Screamed the kid, trying to open his way out with his fist. But the boards stayed in place, proving that the hold door was securely locked from the outside.

"Hey! That's not fair! I want in too!" he wailed, hammering on the lid as hard as he could. But when he realised he couldn't get out that way, he sighed and put his hand on his hip, feeling the hilt of his blade with his hand.

***

The wind tore at his cloak as the captain of the brigantine called the "Black Wind" made his way to the helm.

The steering wheel was not occupied by the helmsman, for in times of battle or storms, the control of the ship was entrusted to the captain by default. No one could handle the "Wind" better than its master, and the crew understood that very well.

"HEY GHOST!!!" he heard a loud roar from the side of enemy frigate "STOP YOLOING AND FIGHT LIKE A TRUE FIGHTER, OTHERWISE THE WHOLE SEA WILL KNOW YOU'RE A COWARD!!!"

He snorted contemptuously upon hearing the voice. He had many names whispered by people all over the world, but this one specifically was used quite often. Threats didn't bother his hearing, it was far more important right now to fight off the enemy and keep the people on deck alive.

***

There wasn't a sea on this planet he hadn't sailed, and there wasn't a kingdom whose vessel he hadn't managed to plunder from. The fastest ship in the world belonged to him, and the captain of the "Wind" was elusive.

Despite the fact that he had only appeared on the open ocean about a year ago, the Cap had instantly become a household name as an outlaw.

He worked alone almost all the time, and getting on his ship as an employee was a big hit with the pirates.

No one knew his real name, but he was most often called "Ghost" or "Spirit". Not so often referred to by the simple name "Jack", but his rank and fame as an undead remained unchanged.

Rumours spread across the land that Captain Ghost possessed the most powerful spells in the world, thanks to which he always came out of any situation victorious and kept his ship intact. For this reason, he was constantly hunted, wanting to get the power he possessed. But no one had ever managed to learn his secrets. Perhaps it was the merit of clever magic tricks, but no one knew the exact reasons.

"Black Wind" and its master were covered with legends and tales like an old barque with clams, which made them even more desirable prey for all the pirates and sailors in the world. And perhaps that's the reason why this battle began.

***

Turning sharply to the left, the "Black Wind" nearly toppled over on its side. A hook with four iron claws was sharply thrust at the spot where the bow of the ship had just been. With a loud gurgle in the abyss, it attracted the attention of several crewmen.

"IT'S THE OTHER PIRATES! THEY'RE BOARDING US!!! Shrieked one of the crew. It was so obvious that the cap's tongue clucked unhappily.

But on the other hand he knew that ordinary people were not as observant as he was, so he continued to manoeuvre between the crests of the waves, shuddering unhappily at the rumble of thunder and the shouts of the people around him.

Something was wrong... He couldn't recognise what it was. The danger of being a prey to the waves did not let him forget about himself, and with all this it was necessary not to fall into the trap of "neighbours" and to keep an eye on the condition of "their own". But the sensation of a chill running between his vertebrae was so tightly lodged in the captain's soul that even now, fully absorbed in the battle, the alarm of unknown danger still tickled his nerves.

***

This crew he had taken to his ship a fortnight ago. The pirates, who introduced themselves as 'sea vagabonds', needed to cross the Sol Sea to meet up with, they said, old friends. Ghost knew that such explanations usually amounted to the phrase "it's none of your business," so he didn't go into detail.

These guys were generous with their pay and helped him with the ship, even though the cap was doing just fine on his own.

He hated being around people, and knew that anyone on his ship was a threat.

Despite their friendliness, all these pirates, including their blue-quilled leader, looked at him as dainty prey, and he could feel it.

A target for everyone he met, a target for the whole world.

But the money pouring faithfully into his coffers helped keep him in check.

Being dependent on bits of metal was horrible, but the brigantine needed immediate repair and maintenance after each adventure.

***

Which was why the captain now stood on deck, clutching the helm and trying to get away from the enemy. The pirates of the Wind, securely fastening themselves to the deck with ropes were monitoring the condition of the masts.

Another hook, this time on a longer rope, broke through the railing near the captain's cabin.

Damn it!

If the storm had cleared, he would have had no trouble rounding this frigate and disappearing into the distance.

At the thought that the ship might be captured, Ghost hissed quietly.

His passengers were favourable customers, and there was no desire to surrender into the hands of the enemy just yet.

At this time, a huge wave came up from behind, causing the Black Wind to tilt nose down. Feeling gravity pulling his body closer and closer to the edge of the ship, the captain used his secret weapon. His embossed-soled boots skidded across the deck, but the black cape wearer take some time to slamming them against each other. With a metallic click, sharp spikes came into view, catching tightly on the planks.

Tilting the helm as hard as he could, he tried to leap off the crest of the wave to keep the Wind from being turned into splinters.

But suddenly he was struck from behind, and Cap let go of the helm to avoid breaking it. Almost beside the helm was a hole from a cannon-ball.

At the same moment the sailboat tilted, losing control.

Realising that it was time to prepare for the worst, everyone on the Black Wind grabbed with all their might at the handrails and ropes by which they were tied to the main mast.

***

But a sudden cracking sound made everyone jump.

The sailboat suddenly levelled out and jerked sharply.

The ghost recognised the sound.

They were being hooked.

A thousand devils... Now we'd have to deal with three times as many problems.

Seconds later, hooks rained down on the deck in a hail, ripping boards and making holes in the hull.

A low growl rose in the captain's throat.

Glancing around, he realised that the storm was abruptly ceasing.

Of course it was the enchantments!

If he had more time to sleep, he would have been able to smell and dispel them.

But now...

It was a hopeless trap.

***

A huge frigate was approaching the Black Wind. The inscription on its bow said that the ship was called the Threat of the Seas.

Ghost recognised this ship.

It was worth preparing for the worst.

The pirates huddled together on the deck stared hopelessly at the approaching behemoth.

"We're screwed..." Rattled Omega in terror. The others murmured fearfully in agreement.

This ship's fame spoke for itself: sunk fleets of the Kingdom of Eggmanland, many robberies of Soleanna merchant ships, and a rumoured kinship with the leader of the Pirate Community.

Attacks on peaceful islands and robberies of other pirates were not uncommon either. All of their atrocities could be listed forever, but to all of this there was a loud rumour that since time immemorial the captain of the Thunder of the Seas had been stealing other pirates and killing them with a painful death. Mostly it was about captains, but occasionally people mentioned ordinary sailors as well.

Legends said that the leader of the Thunderstorm thus wants to gain power over all the seas and become the only pirate captain on the entire planet. He calls himself "Shadow", and this nickname has fully justified him.

For three hundred years, he has been considered the main threat of all seven seas. Invariably he led his crew, remaining a constant danger to every ship he encountered. All pirates who managed to see the captain with their own eyes and escape alive spoke of a black aura hovering around him.

Rumours crawled around the planet that Shadow had made a deal with the devil himself to stay forever young. In return, he would bring the blood of the pirates he killed.

No matter how embellished the legends were, Ghost knew that somehow some of these rumours were true.

He prepared himself for an unpleasant encounter.

***

A large sand-coloured bear landed on board. Its weight made the deck shake slightly. He raised his huge club on his shoulder, and swiftly headed towards the pirates.

But he failed to fulfil his intentions as something black and clearly unstoppable came at him from above.

The big man roared in fright and fell to the ground, trying to throw the unknown creature off him. But suddenly there was a strong blow on his neck, and the bear fell motionless to the ground. The club landed close by, half breaking through the boards.

"Bilge!" Ghost signalled, urging the crew of the Wind to wait out the attack in safety. But none of them moved.

It was strange.

The air around the captain thickened slightly.

That's it. That weird sense of danger... It wavered in him more and more, but Ghost realised that he had to fight off the enemy first.

He stepped behind the ledge so that the next attackers wouldn't see him before his time. Cap glimpsed a glimpse of his crew. They all looked pathetic and confused. Everything inside him cringed.

A very strange feeling was emanating from the entire group. No, not hypnosis or suggestion.... But some bitter, long familiar feeling to the captain. But now was not the time for such thoughts.

It would be easier if these oafs would at least obey a little. Especially Sonic! The important thing was that they didn't find him. Or at least kept alive. He's the only one who handles the money in this gang. Even if they manage to get away without casualties, this youngster will definitely be pissed that his safety wasn't preserved...

But the captain was no longer sure of his thoughts.

This was too strange behaviour for everyone, and knowing the hedgehog, he should have gotten out of the hold almost immediately after being imprisoned.

Too many weird details...

***

Three more pirates jumped out onto the deck. From the looks of it, they were much weaker than the first guest. But unlike him, they were not going to attack the ship so quickly.

Respectfully, they gave way to the one who was honoured and feared by the whole world.

Captain Shadow, in all his splendour, jumped from the outstretched cable onto the planks of the Black Wind's deck.

His hair looked like tar in the faded sunlight, and Ghost could see that it was more like Sonic's quills in texture. Concluding that Shadow was also a hedgehog, Cap continued to watch carefully.

Something dark was indeed emanating from the hedgehog... Something incomprehensible and tense. And somehow it was connected to the change that had occurred in the pirates.

A feeling consumed Ghost and he tensed up, preparing to attack and choosing the right moment.

Something was going to happen.

Shadow slowly made his way towards the pile of Wind pirates. Stopping five paces before the group, he looked them over from head to toe. Even from this uncomfortable angle, Ghost observed the cold menace that cast the dark Capitan eyes.

The small red arrows on his upper eyelids gave his gaze the sharpness of a dagger. The same lancet marks were also on the ebony quills, but they looked paler. These marks were like needles digging deeper and deeper into Captain Ghost's mind.

It was definitely for a reason.

Suddenly, in the silence that hung over the whole sea, the tar hedgehog asked:

"Where is your captain?"

***

Space froze in mid-air. Thoughts and guesses exploded in Ghost's mind, causing his head to blaze.

There was something in that hedgehog's tone. He wasn't... An order. It was a tone one might use to ask a question about the weather, but not--.

He knew the tone one used when addressing prisoners. This one on the other hand was as if Shadow and these pirates were--.

"Right behind you, sire!" Rang out a ringing, cheerful voice behind Ghost's back.

"...Sonic."

He turned around sharply.

The peephole of a carved pistol was staring directly into his forehead.

"Ah-hu-huh, mate! You shouldn't make a move like that, you don't want me to take your brain away, do you?" the blue hedgehog said, chuckling merrily.

This was it. The feeling that haunted him.

All these pirate invasions were just cheap scenery.

It couldn't be said that Ghost was surprised. Disappointment was the overriding feeling in his soul.

How typical.

"Okay, now you're going to have to put your hands up, Cap. I don't want you stabbing me with a dagger or anything" said the blue hedgehog with a smile, watching as the dark cloaked figure noiselessly followed his order. "Oh, I know what you're thinking, mate: "Ah, why did my crew betray me! Were they so intimidated that they refused to listen to me?", weren't they? Well, Cap, I'm afraid to disappoint you further, but this whole mess was a set-up from the start!"

A smug grin spread across the hedgehog's face.

That was the signal.

***

Ghost. A nickname given to him for disappearing from the scene of a crime without leaving a trace. But there's a second bottom may to have every nickname, isn't there?

The flesh thinned to dust, forcing his consciousness to move to the object of his desire in a throbbing lump. Time slowly flowed and wavered as if it were a thick fog.

The bullet had no sooner left the muzzle when Ghost dissipated into the air.

Sonic didn't know what had happened.

The one he had held at gunpoint a moment ago had dissolved without a trace.

A blow from behind caught Blue off guard. He went face-first to the ground.

The gun fell out of his hand and landed with a clatter on the boards, but was picked up at the same second by a black-gloved hand.

Lifting the hedgehog by the scruff of the neck like a cotton doll, Captain Ghost walked to the edge of the ledge where he had been sitting. In his hand a weapon glimmered coldly.

Eyes hidden beneath the hood caught the bright red pupils of Shadow. In the fleeting meeting of the dark hedgehog's gaze glittered a fury almost elusive to those around him, but vividly discernible to the experienced eye.

The ghost realised how much this blue hedgehog meant to the dark one.

"What do you want?" The ebony captain asked calmly. But there was clearly an embittered animal growl in his question.

A flapping of wings was heard from behind. No ordinary man in the world would have heard it, but Ghost's ears felt the rustling as clearly as the splashing of the sea around him. It was clear that the trap was slamming shut.

***

A duplet sounded.

Two shells fired simultaneously from different guns raced towards the people standing on the edge of the wooden ledge.

"To let a stray bullet take a young life would be too low. No matter how violently this boy saw the world, his blue quills should have felt the wind of the sea, not rot in a coffin. Many things he had yet to see and do.

One was to pierce the spine, heading straight for the heart, the other to enter the lung. Death in forty-two seconds from pain shock, cardiac arrest, fear and loss of breath.

There's a 48.6 per cent chance my body would be unharmed. The wind did its job.

Let's hope I can still get out of here.... My energy isn't that durable."

With a sharp whistle, the two small balls flashed past each other and flew far out to sea. And five metres away from the boardwalk, space warped for a moment.

***

Sonic's head snapped up sharply. He didn't realise why his feet were now on the ground. Everything had happened too fast even for his supersonic mind. The dark figure beside him swayed to the side, letting the blue one go.

But there was something clear that Sonic could sense.

Two capsules launched through his body. He could feel their coldness.

But at the same time, he realised he was in one piece. No wounds, no marks. Only an eerie sense of consequence.

"What are you...?" Whispered the hedgehog in confusion, but he was interrupted by a loud whistle.

The bat that had been behind them only a moment ago was now hovering about six metres to the left, clutching a pistol with a perplexed and angry expression. Sticking two fingers in her mouth, she let out another signal before rushing to the attack.

"She shouldn't be there..." flashed through Sonic's mind.

In the next couple of seconds, he was pushed away by a strong arm.

Instead of pointing the weapon at Blue hedgehog again, Ghost forcefully pushed him away from him along with Blue and dashed in the opposite direction.

At exactly the same moment, the enraged girl struck the boardwalk with force, intending to punch her opponent in the head.

And Sonic realised with horror that she wouldn't have stopped, even if his life was in Ghost's hands.

***

Once again, a gunshot rang out. This time the source of the sound was very close to Sonic. Looking up sharply, he saw Captain Shadow standing on one of the zadarn planks left of the captain's cabin.

A blue smoke was billowing from the gilded muzzle of his pistol, confirming that it was the weapon that was causing the noise.

Tracing the direction of the barrel, the hedgehog spotted a dark cloaked figure standing in a fighting stance. Literally three centimetres from his fingers, Sonic discerned a small, sparkling copper puddle.

"Macarter blood. Instantly sedates and paralyses the victim for several days. So they want to take me alive."

"Let me tear him apart, sire!" The bat yapped impatiently, keeping his eyes on his enemy.

"There's no need, Rouge. He's already shown us enough." The black urchin replied in a level tone "...You're a smart captain who knows how to stand up for his own skin," he turned to Ghost. "And I'm prepared to offer you a choice: either you surrender to me, and I'll spare your life if you can be of any use to me.... Or, " his eyes glittered dangerously, "You can die nobly by my bullet and be buried forever in the ocean. Don't worry, the mere movement of your finger will be enough for me to shoot you, so the trick you pulled before won't work. So, what's your answer, Cap?"

A deep silence hung around.

Time seemed to start flowing three times slower again, but this time it only stretched for Ghost alone.

The first sound that rang out in that visceral silence was Sonic's exclamation.

"Oh my god, Shadow, did I forget to tell you about--?"

That was enough.

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic #sonic fic #my fic #sonic fanfic #my fanfic

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alcoris-shiz · 2 months

Text

One Hell Of A Love (Part 2)

A/N: Welcome back! Long weekend, I know! But if you need a refresher on my upload schedule, do check my master list, as it has already been released, and stories and when I will be releasing fanfiction on who!

Once again down below is a sketch I did last week, just a quick doodle. But it's so you can just draw your OC or yourself into the picture with him. I also take commissions, I love working with people who are on a budget. I hope you guys like it!

Part 1 Part 2

Chapter 2: Once In An Afterlife ｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ ~ Master List~ ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

Y/N’s POV

I glanced at Sir Pentious’s sleeping form next to me and snuggled into his side. He had come in last night and complained that it was cold, I just scooted over and let him cuddle into me. I did kind of like these weird sappy moments funny enough. It would make my chest swell and I’d get giddy when he did things like this. We could talk about anything and I appreciated it.

It’s been a month, but there was no sign of him moving out. I don’t want him to either, though it is up to him! But I did the normal, I got up, and made drinks. He had once said he had a sweet tooth so I showed him the beauty of a Red Bull spritzer. While blending them I heard shuffling and something fell behind me, I glanced back but saw nothing. Until something grabbed me and I realized that it was just a sleepy Sir Pentious hugging me. “I missssed you, where’d you go?” he asked pouting.

“I just came out to get us drinks and some breakfast going.” I turned around and wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down to hug him. I looked up at him and paused, he stared into my eyes and I blushed. I leaned closer while looking at him. We were centimeters apart and he jumped back. “You know! When I died during the battle, I had told ssomebody ssomething. I had sssaid I loved them… and then I wass dead.” I sat in confusion before I processed what he had said.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that you had been with someone. You’re probably waiting to see them again, aren’t you? I mean of course you were dating someone! You’re you and perfect and- I’ll shut up.” I stuttered and paused. Wow, that was smooth.

“I don’t think I have the same feelings for her that I have for you.” I stared at him and blushed.

“You think I’m perfect?” I blushed hard and nodded.

｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

“I know there is a way to stop the extermination! He may have got something good from it, but what about all the souls that didn’t?” Sera slammed the table and looked at me with a bone-chilling stare. “I don’t want to have to get rid of you, you’re Emily’s best friend. I will do what I have to, if that means you disappearing with no trace, that’s what it means.”

I glared daggers at her as the door swung open, “Whatever you say... Princess-” I hissed and I felt a hand on my shoulder. “Hey Y/N, what’s wrong?” I glanced at Em and sighed. “It’s nothing, I just was worried about the extermination. Pentious has been through a lot and- I can’t see him have to go through that again, he knows when it is and he is scared and I am upset that we would do something that could hurt-”

“That is enough! I am done with this conversation! Emily- Take you’re friend out of here… now!”

I followed Emily out the door and was met with Sir Pentious. “Hey hey hey~ what’s wrong?” He grabbed me, hugged me tight, and kissed the top of my head. “It will be okay. Charlie will take care of it even if you can’t.” I buried my face in his chest and felt tears. “I will help, I will,” I said and felt a hand on my back.

I looked at Emily and she smiled softly. “We are here for you, we will make sure this ends.”

I smiled at her and nodded.

“But like- you two… are you a thing?”

｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

(Another month later)

I woke up and put my head on Sir Pentious's shoulder, I felt his arm snake around my waist and pull me closer as he rolled to his side. “Mine.” I chuckled and nuzzled into him as he hung on to me. “This is why people think we’re a couple Pen,” I whispered against his chest.

He pulled me closer, “Not couple, just cozy.” Pentious whispered back. “Mmm but wanna kiss you, can’t we just play couple?” I whispered back jokingly, I laughed at my own nonsense and watched him pull back and look at me.

“Wasss that a joke?” he asked looking at me confused. I giggled again and nuzzled into him. “Maybe, baby. Wanna find out?” I asked giggling again. “Uhhh-”

“While you think that over, I’m gonna go grab us a coffee, I need wake-up juice and sweets.” I rolled over and sat up on my bed. I took a look around, his stuff is slowly creeping its way in here. Even his fancy headboard had replaced my old one. I added another bookshelf for his blueprints and stuff. I loved it though, made everything feel a bit more homey.

“But if I were to want a kisss, how would you feel?” Sir Pentious asked glancing at me awkwardly. I blushed and looked at him, smiling I leaned over and kissed him passionately. But I quickly pulled away and stood. He fell on the bed face first and looked up quickly. “I have to go get coffee now, I will be back in about 20.”

“Wait, Y/N!” I looked back at him. “I love you.” I blushed and smiled at him. “I love you too.” I quickly walked out of the room and house turning to go across the street where my favorite coffee shop was. I saw Em standing there waving.

“Sooo? Now are you together?” She asked handing me my coffee and a bag full of different foods. Looking through the bag I laughed. “I think, maybe we’re close. He said he loved me today… I said it back.” I said smiling and touching my lips. “I love him,” I said happily.

“I’m so excited for you! You have to keep me informed!” she squealed and clasped her hands together as I walked into the coffee shop and put in another order to get something for Sir Pentious. “I feel so lucky, he was with someone else, in Hell, ya know? He died because he loved her. What if she gets redeemed? Would he still want me?” I asked looking at Em sadly,

She placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled softly, “He won’t leave you, he is honest. The first redeemable soul. He will stick with you, I know it.” I nodded before ordering what I thought he would like best.

“Thanks, Em. Also, you didn’t have to come down here and order all this food for me.” she laughed in response, “Of course I had to! We’re celebrating! But- I know you can’t wait to go home and make things official with your new toy. So I will be going. Love ya!” She made a heart with her fingers before waving and exciting animatedly.

I laughed and grabbed the coffee and food I ordered Sir Pentious. I turned around to be met with two irritated-looking faces. “So… you and Sir Pentious huh?” Lute asked crossing her arms across her chest. I nodded and blushed. “It’s nothing official yet, we’re just talking,” I said looking between Lute and Sera.

“You know… if you were to date him, you’d have to be careful. You don’t want him to wind up in hell again.” I glared. “Don’t touch him, you can do whatever to me. But he died in an honorary way that earned him the right to be here. You do not get to take that from him because you’re mad. Adam deserved to die the way he did, he hurt so many just to get off. Sir Pentious would never-” I felt the world light up around me in a painful way. “You~Dare~Say~One~More~Thing~About~Adam~” I cried out in pain and collapsed on the floor. Blood ran from my mouth and nose as I reached up to feel it.”

“This is strike two young one, don’t make it harder on yourself than it has to be.”

｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

I limped into the house and sat the food and new drinks on the table. Sighing heavily, I sat on the couch and put my head in my arms. I could feel my eyes begin to swell but was still trying to keep my composure, or at least the little bit that there was.

“Y/N? Where have you been my love?” I heard Sir Pentious ask as he sat down next to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. I sniffled and looked up at him, “Y-Your food and coffee are on the table.”

He grabbed my face and lifted it. “Why are you crying? You have bruisess on your pretty little faccce. What happened?” I shook my head, “I just had a bad morning, but it’s okay.”

He slowly rubbed my cheek with his thumb and I leaned into it. I watched as he slowly got closer to me and sniffled. “Kiss me.” I watched the blush spread on his face as he leaned over and kissed me. I pressed into it and nuzzled against his neck after pulling apart. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly. “Will you be my boyfriend now Pen?” I asked quietly.

Pentious’s breath hitched and I felt him grab me tighter. “Yesss of courssse I would want nothing more than for you to be my partner.” I smiled at him and kissed him again. “I-I know we have eternity and whatnot. I want a family and to get married. I want you, I want to know what you want from this relationship so I know you won’t regret being with me.” I watched as he stood and grabbed the cups off the table along with the bag. He handed me mine and smiled at me softly.

“I want to marry you too and have a family. After a year, we can discuss marriage. I have to properly court you first after all!” I giggled and he handed me my coffee and sat the bag between us. Slowly he opened the bag and handed me a muffin after kissing it. “Here’s my first gift.” I giggled again and rolled my eyes. “Thank you, Pen.” I said smiling at him.

“Now why do you have bruises?” he asked softly and my eyes swelled. “I- I brought up Adam’s death to Lute, told her maybe he deserved it… she wasn’t very happy,” I said.

He hissed and I jumped looking at him. “I have watched that monssster kill, I will not let her hurt you!” his eyes glowed red. “No no, calm down, it’s okay. I will be okay.” he looked at me worried but relaxed. “If I hear that she hurts you again, I will hurt her-” he hissed again.

I leaned over and kissed him softly, “I love you Pentious.”

“I love you too Y/N.” He whispered as our foreheads touched.

｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

Word Count: 1,829 A/N: Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed it! Just a friendly reminder to check out my other stories, tomorrow I believe I will be updating The Apple Falls Far From The Tree. Parts 2 and 3 will be uploaded for those of you who were reading and wanted to skip part 2. Much love 🩷

#fanfiction #hazbin hotel #drawing #reader #sir pentious #sir pentious x reader #nb reader #part 2

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mamamittens · 10 months

Text

Guide You Home

Sabo X OC

Warnings: Uh, canonical slavery mentions, arson, and kissing.

Hope the wait wasn't too bad for you @sab0ace

Word Count: 2,645

Sabo felt like his skin was going to crawl right off of his body. Being in another fancy manor at a party, smoozing with guests and pretending like this was paradise—it itched. He set his jaw firmly to refrain from cursing out the vapid old man who’d held him in dry, polite conversation for the past fifteen minutes. He hadn’t wanted to approach this mission like this but Koala insisted on a low profile.

His partner was having the time of her life pretending to be as vapid and shallow as a puddle in the desert. Meanwhile, Sabo had nearly set the curtains on fire in a fit of fury at least three times. But he’d play nice. For now.

Everything about this made his head hurt though and he could only imagine what kind of repressed memories he had of places like this.

Sabo wrinkled his nose and looked around the room in boredom.

“Apologies, Sir Barkley, but I need to attend to some… matters.” Sabo excused himself swiftly before heading to the restrooms. Just beyond it was the offices where, with any luck, the papers he needs are in. Once he grabs those he can signal to Koala and they can leave this stifling party.

He barely made it five steps into the lavish office before he heard stomping feet trampling towards his location. Thinking fast, Sabo spotted a low cupboard where the carpet was immaculate—definitely empty and not used often. He crammed himself in without complaint, or at least not vocal complaint, and breathed softly. His back didn’t appreciate the tight quarters but it’d be better than the ringing his ears would receive if he messed up the mission because of carelessness.

The cupboard doors weren’t quite aligned properly, allowing Sabo a slim view into the room as the owner of the estate stormed into the room. Tossing a young lady so hard her side slammed into the desk nearly across the room. She cried out and sank to the floor, clutching her hip as she turned towards the man.

“Useless!” He hissed. “Utterly fucking useless! Not even worth the price I paid for you—you stupid, blind bitch!” He spat as the young woman cried softly, posture curling in shame. Sabo caught a glimpse of a collar around her throat. One of the cheaper ones, not set to explode or anything quite so drastic, but a slave collar nonetheless.

Ah. Sabo’s least favorite type of noble. He should have known. Cheap bastards.

His to-do list for the evening just gained a new objective in lieu of setting the whole place on fire.

The man continued to berate the young woman for some time before he grew hoarse and stormed out in a fit. Locking the door behind him. If the man wasn’t the host and clearly lacking the time to beat the young lady as he wished to, Sabo imagines he’d have to break the mission along with the man’s legs. Luckily, he didn’t need to.

With a sigh of relief that spooked the poor, frazzled young lady, Sabo removed himself from the cupboard.

“Well… he seems pleasant.” Sabo joked lightly, walking over to her side to help her stand. “Are you alright?” She sniffled, wiping at her eyes and brushing back her pale blond hair.

“…yes, sir. I-I’m alright.” Sabo grimaced at the weak, meek voice.

“None of that ‘sir’ nonsense with me, sweetheart. I’m not exactly an esteemed guest here.” Sabo grinned, noting that she seemed frazzled but otherwise unharmed. Her eyes hidden behind a thick fringe of bangs. “I need to pick up some papers, but after that, how do you feel about getting out of here?”

She paused, tipping her head up with a soft, vulnerable expression of hope.

Her hand drifted to the slim collar of cheap metal.

“I-I can’t…” Sabo carefully pulled away her hand and ran his fingers along the delicate column of her throat. Dipping his thumbs between flesh and metal before shattering it with ease. He tossed the metal to the floor with a pleased hum.

“I don’t know… you seem pretty free to me.” Sabo declared teasingly, her hand clutching where the metal used to rest in disbelief. She swallowed hard and smiled in disbelief.

“W-What did you need to get…?” She asked softly, clutching her maid’s dress anxiously.

“Some papers for the RA.” Sabo declared, not worried about ruining the mission in the slightest since he fully intended to take her with him. She perked up.

“Oh! Did you check behind that painting? Lord Minnop had me tend to the squeaky hinges and spent ages talking about the secret papers he kept there.” She piped up helpfully. Sabo snorted.

“Of course he did.” Sabo derided, looking towards the large… painting of the man himself. Somehow, he was disappointed but not surprised. The safe wasn’t even locked.

Ah. His most hated type of noble.

A stupid cheap bastard.

Still, it did mean he wouldn’t be stuck at this party for much longer. Sabo glanced at the ornate windows with the plush, thick curtains and grinned.

“…Ready to bounce, my lady?” Sabo asked with more feeling than he’d had all night, offering his hand with a gentle brush of his fingers along her wrist so she’d know what he was offering.

She beamed, smile lovely and wide.

“Of course!”

Sabo’s chosen signal of the night? Setting that ostentatious office on fire like he’d wanted to do to the ballroom all night.

Koala would get what he meant. She was good like that.

Unfortunately, not even his new lady friend’s presence could save him from the earful he got when Koala managed to leave the party, expensive dress lightly burned.

If he knew that she’d maliciously demand he take vacation time, he would have found a less destructive way to signal to her that he got the papers and it was time to go. It was worth it to give Luna freedom, but still... She’d been trying to settle into a place within the Revolutionary Army, no easy feat for someone totally blind. But her sweet demeanor was quite refreshing within the organization. Given time, Sabo knew she’d find her place.

Dragon stared down at Sabo with a look in his eyes that quietly asked him why he seemed allergic to vacations and not setting places on fire.

Sabo stared back with a look that said he didn’t have the slightest idea what Dragon was implying. Dragon, predictably, didn’t buy it at all.

“A month.” Dragon narrowed his eyes, glaring down at Sabo as the room grew tense.

“A week.” Sabo hissed defiantly.

“Three months.” Sabo’s eyes widened and he gawked.

“No! Absolutely not!” Sabo couldn’t just disappear from the RA for that long!

“I’ll make it six!” Dragon threatened.

“Six! Six!” Sabo threw up his hands. “What do I even do with three!?”

Dragon’s lips quirked in a smirk.

“Relax.” Dragon responded dryly. Sabo shuddered at the thought. “Luna.” Sabo whipped his head towards the door as Luna shuffled in cautiously.

“Yes, Dragon?” She asked with a cute tilt of her head.

“Please accompany Sabo to ensure he actually relaxes on his vacation… four months.” Sabo dismissed the elated feeling in his stomach as he sputtered with indignation.

“Four!? Four!? Dragon!” Sabo whined though he didn’t fight as Luna playfully dragged him out of the room to get ready for his volun-told vacation time.

“C’mon! You heard the boss, Sabo!” Luna declared with a laugh as she shoved him into his room to pack. “Don’t take too long or I’ll get Koala to tie you up and toss you onto the ship with nothing~!” Luna giggled before running off, presumably to pack her own things. Now that she wasn’t dragging him along, it started to crash onto him that he was actually doing this.

Going on vacation with the cute girl he nearly ruined a mission to make smile.

“Ack!” Sabo grimaced, paling as he realized he needed to hurry up before Koala came in and did the honors herself without Luna asking. She absolutely would hog-tie him with nothing to take on this ‘vacation’.

The island where Sabo and Luna were essentially abandoned on for the next four months had all the basic essentials and a small beachfront cabin. If memory served, it usually was meant to help agents lay low after difficult missions or when their undercover missions had been compromised.

The wooded area was populated with local wildlife he would’ve been able to handle in his sleep as a child, so he really didn’t have anything to worry about… just him and Luna alone. For four months.

“So this is where we’re staying, huh? Sounds peaceful.” Luna commented, walking out onto the front porch as Sabo glared at the ship Koala had personally used to dump them here.

“Yeah, sorry you have to look after me—” Sabo choked upon seeing Luna. Pale skin draped in a sheer kimono that swayed around her hips. Soft pink bikini and sandals indicating she intended to spend time on the beach. She was beautiful and Sabo flushed with embarrassment that he was too busy being a sourpuss to realize that this was also her vacation. “S-Sunscreen! Do you need some sunscreen? I’ll get some—and change!” Sabo sputtered, aware of how very overdressed he was still, Luna’s soft laughter following him into the cabin.

Sabo tossed away his clothes and shoved his legs into a pair of swim trunks, plucking the specialty sunscreen for the two of them out of the bag Koala packed. He looked into the food supply to see what they were working with and found it surprisingly packed with good food. Treats and even ice cream stored in the freezer. Sabo picked a pair of popsicles and went outside.

Luna was standing a few feet away from the porch, bare feet digging into the sand as she faced the ocean. Breeze gently ruffling her clothing and hair. She turned towards him as he approached, footsteps noisy in the relative calm.

Sabo smiled as he came to a stop, grabbing her hand to gently deposit the wooden stick between her fingers.

“Here. Something to enjoy while I make sure neither of us burn in the sun.” Sabo said before shoving the blue frozen treat into his mouth before he shoved his foot clear down his throat. Luna hummed and carefully tapped her hand over the blue ice. Once she found the top she started to lick and nibble carefully as Sabo applied lotion onto his hands.

He was respectful and gentle as he rubbed it over her back and shoulders. Her soft skin warm under his slightly chilled hands.

Sabo took out the popsicle.

“Do you want to take care of the rest?” Sabo asked holding up the bottle of sun lotion. Luna smiled and nodded, removing the popsicle to show her blue lips and tongue.

“Thank you, do you need help with your back? I can’t see but I think I can manage that.” Luna offered. Sabo swallowed hard, nearly biting off half his frozen treat as the sun beat down over them.

“S-Sure!” Sabo watched as she briskly applied the lotion over her soft body, his face heating up as his teeth hit the wooden stick at the center with a jarring click. He barely noted that it tasted like cotton candy despite nearly eating the whole thing already.

Luna politely polished off her own treat before biting down onto the stick with a grin, pouring a generous amount of lotion onto her hands and carefully reaching towards him.

Her hands met his chest with cold smears of white as she worked to carefully apply it over his body. His heart thudding against his ribcage as her small hands worked over his physique. He felt hot and like a total freak enjoying her touch as much as he was.

“You know… I’ve been wondering what this place looks like.” Luna commented softly as Sabo dutifully turned around to let her apply more lotion to his back, kneeling slightly to assist in their height differences.

Sabo looked out at the forest and cabin.

“Well, it’s not a very big island. We could probably walk across the whole thing in a day.” Sabo realized that she didn’t have any reference for any of it and felt like an idiot. “The beach is… pale gold. I stretches around the entire island and makes the forest look lush and thick next to it. The sea is really calm right now, deep blue stretching out to meet the bright horizon with barely any waves but what crests the sand… it’s beautiful.” Sabo looked over his shoulder, but his eyes were on Luna. Shaded by the sun that curved around her soft face and wonderous smile. Hidden eyes peaking through blond hair.

“What about you? Are you beautiful?” Luna asked softly, hands curled over his shoulders. Lotion thoroughly applied already but she didn’t remove her hands, merely ran them over his tensed muscles. “You feel… strong. And tall.”

Sabo gave a cocky, crooked grin.

“Well, I’ve heard that I’m handsome.” Sabo teasingly crowed, slowly turning to face Luna, his hands settling on her waist. “I’m not very tan. Maybe just a few shades warmer than the sand. Blond hair and blue eyes… I have a scar on one side of my face. A burn… it doesn’t hurt anymore but it’s still more pink than tan.” Sabo breathed out as she reached up his bare chest and traced his features for herself. Fingertips dragging over his thick neck and sharp jawline. Thumbs sweeping over the outline of his refined nose and cheekbones.

Delicately tracing the ridges of his burn and the shape of his eyes. Teasingly tapping the shell of his ear and brushing back his curly hair as she drifted down his features again. Sabo didn’t even realize he was leaning forward, popsicle sticks dropping into the sand at their feet. Her fingers pressed against his lips, his breath ghosting over her delicate skin as he found himself without breath.

His thoughts screeching to a halt as she tipped up her chin and stood up on her tiptoes. Soft, plush lips brushing over his in a teasing press. The faint taste of sugar chased by a flick of his tongue before she spun away with a laugh, dancing towards the waves with her skin flushed with warmth and sunlight.

Sabo jerked towards her by instinct, palms cold where they had been cradling soft curves.

Sabo grinned, running after her with much more quiet footfalls as her thin legs were splashed in the surf.

She screamed in delight as he picked her up, spinning her around before holding her against his chest. Her legs wrapping around his waist as he held her up with one arm under her ass. The other gently guiding her down for another kiss. Deep and wet, the sweetness on her tongue making his knees give out as he collapsed backwards into the wet sand. Water cresting over her back as she gasped breathlessly.

Sabo parted her lips eagerly, eating up her moan as cold ocean water crashed over them. Thick tongue brushing over hers as he chased the lingering taste of artificial sweetener. It took another cold wave to let her pull back, panting for air as he looked up at her with a strangled laugh.

She was soaked, hair tangling in blond sheets around them as he pushed it back with a grin. Ignoring the cold water tickling his ears as she laughed, leaning down to kiss him again. Her warm body pressed onto his as the water crashed over them again and again. The sensation lost to him in favor of soft skin and sweet lips.

Perhaps four months isn’t long enough to appreciate this…

#one piece #sabo one piece #sabo x oc

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ghoul-bonez · 1 year

Text

~Through the Wind and Rain~

Chapter 4 (Promise Not to Leave)

OC x OC set in the “Avatar: The Way of Water” universe…

Summary: Jake Sully has always been an intimidating man, so when he asked Niri’te to talk with him she feared the worst.

Word count: 1.2k

Author's note: Life has been crazy so this took 2 days to edit…

Last - Next

Masterlist

Chapter 4 (Promise Not to Leave)

I knew the Sullys enough to call them by a first name basis. Jake's attempts to get his kids to be friends with me had failed because I refused to let them in, but for some reason they still seemed to like me.

They would call us friends, even after the many times I would try to correct them, denying our friendship. I had always liked Kiri more than the rest, but saw a lot of myself in Lo’ak which I think is why I fought so hard against their attempts at being friendly. I was already a troublemaker. I would not turn the Olo’eyktan’s son into one like myself.

Walking towards the Sully’s marui I knew Jake wouldn’t do anything to harm me, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t extremely worried about what would lay past the doorway, many outcomes came to mind, only about half seeming good. As soon as I entered their home Neytiri immediately stood in front of me, she hissed frustratedly while Jake rubbed her arm, “How could you abandon your own kind!?”

Jake seemed just about as upset and I finally had my first real doubt about my choice to come, I was so screwed if I messed absolutely anything up, “Yeah, what sort of idea wormed its way into your head that made you want to leave the Omatikaya people.”

I didn’t want to explain my whole story to the Metkayina who I barely knew, but I felt I owed Neytiri and Jake an explanation, “It didn’t feel like I was among my own kind.” I sighed, almost just as frustrated as Neytiri, “My parents died alongside you fighting the Sky People, and after they passed I had my aunt who basically counts as nobody. Nobody came to my side. I was essentially the clan’s pet, you should know that of all people. I know you tried your best to help, but I was stubborn and didn’t accept it, but when you left I truly had nobody. So I left the forest. Here I won’t just be “the orphan” that people feel the need to be kind to. I won’t have to mostly fend for myself. I will be my own person here.”

It was once the Sully children started to really stare at us that Jake sighed and spoke again, “Let’s go have a conversation outside.” I knew I didn’t want to be a part of the conversation that was about to happen, but I accepted it.

Whatever he had to say to me had to be better than the tongue lashing Neytiri would give me. We walked outside, him guiding me to the edge of the pathway and sitting down. I awkwardly sat next to him, making sure to keep my distance.

Jake sighed, “I want you to realize no matter how much you hated your aunt, or how little she did to show her love for you, your decision hurt her. I have felt the pain of losing a family member, I know how you feel with your parents, how long the grief sticks with you. I have promised the clan leaders that I will take care of you. I want you to succeed here, I want you to grow. I don’t want to watch you go back home with your tail between your legs. I know you don’t want to go back either. You will follow the same rules as my kids, you will adapt, and learn fast. You will pull your weight, and stay out of trouble. Got it?”

I let out a relieved sigh, happy that this was an accepting conversation, not a “go back home” one, “Yes sir. I know she is upset, but I did this for myself, and you of all people should know sometimes you have to be selfish for yourself to thrive.”

Jake placed a hand on my shoulder, squeezing slightly to reassure me, “I get that kid, but you need to learn that you can’t run from your problems. I need you to promise me one thing.”

I frowned, I was never great at keeping promises, “I’ll try.”

He smiled at me, “Alright, I need you to promise me that you will not leave. No matter what happens, no matter how much you struggle to learn or adapt. You will stay.”

I smiled back at him, that was a promise I could keep, “I can promise you that. Also you do know you don’t have to feel obligated to watch out for me, right?”

“But I do, I was your Olo’eyktan. My job was to watch over my people and keep them safe. I may not be Olo’eyktan anymore, not with the Omatikaya, and definitely not with the Metkayina, but that spirit still resides in me. To care for my people, you are still one of my people.” He seemed a lot more relaxed now, “Alright, back inside. It's time to eat.” He ruffled my hair before heading back inside with me following behind.

When we got inside Neytiri was still visibly upset, but she seemed to not want to skin me alive anymore. I quietly took a seat between Lo’ak and Tuk, trying to not draw much attention, and after a couple minutes the food was served.

I ate happily, except for having to smack both Tuk and Lo’ak’s hands away from my food which they were trying to steal. Eventually they gave up though after Kiri pestered them.

It felt a bit empty without Neteyam, but I silently worked through the feelings I was having on my own. It led to me being quieter than usual, which I’m sure everyone noticed, but thankfully nobody brought it up although I would easily be able to pass it off as exhaustion after my trip.

Eventually we split ways and I found my way to my own marui which Leyra had shown me to earlier. I was exhausted so I quickly set up my hammock, hanging it from two support beams across from one another. I sat down in it but before laying down and going to sleep I decided to pray to Eywa as I added a bead to my song chord.

A bead for my new life in Awa’atlu. I felt this was a big enough occasion to add to the song of my life. I gathered my song chord and rifled through my things looking for the perfect bead, but as I came up short I looked around my marui.

Hung on one of the walls was a net with little shells weaved into it. I slowly went to it, exhaustion weighing down my bones, and used my knife to snag the net, cutting it and releasing the shell into my hand. It was perfect.

As I sat down to tie the shell into my song chord I spoke, “Eywa, if you are listening, I would love a sign that I am truly meant to be here, I don’t really have the choice to leave now, but I would like to get confirmation I made the right decision. I want to make sure I am on the right path. I will be watching for your sign, Great Mother. Thank you.”

Once I was done praying I heard a noise, once, twice, then more times than I could count. The rain had come once again. I knew that was some sort of sign, it had to be, but it wasn’t enough for me.

The rain will never be enough for me, and someday that will be my downfall.

After the rain began I felt at peace, and laid back, falling into a peaceful sleep. I will be looking for her sign.

Word Bank:

Olo’eyktan (Clan leader)

Marui (Metkayina homes)

Omatikaya (Forest Na’vi)

Metkayina (Ocean Na’vi)

Sky People (Humans)

Awa’atlu (Metkayina village)

Eywa (Na’vi goddess)

#avatar movie #avatar the way of water #fanfiction #fanfic #avatar fanfiction #avatar oc #avatar 2009 #avatar #platonic jake sully #platonic sullys x reader #sully family #sully family x reader #atwow #atwow fanfiction #atwow fics

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snaililita · 6 months

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🍁Genshibli: Kazuha Edition🍁

🍁~~~~~~~~ Today's Prompt

What if Kazuha and Y/N were in Nausicaä: Valley of the Wind?

🍁~~~~~~~~ Reader's Gender

Female, She/Her

🍁~~~~~~~~ Background and Synopsis

A pejitian boy fleas from his nation after a death sentence was placed on his head for harnessing the power of the wind without permission. Soon after the nation is destroyed by the ohmu and with no home to return to he is forced to wander the world and avoid the jungle without any way to protect himself from the harmful gasses much to his dismay. Eventually he finds himself in the Valley of the Wind, a place where he can be in tune with nature and air as much as he pleases. One day on one of his adventures into the jungle to retrieve a plant for the princess, he finds a girl just outside the jungle running for her life from an enraged ohmu. Swooping her off the ground with his air craft, he brings her to safety. Just where did this unfamiliar girl come from?

TWs: Discriptions of wounds and deceased family.

(("So... what's your name?"))

The chirps of birds pierced the air as a breeze ruffled the blonde's hair. Having just returned from his short venture, Kazuha found himself patching up a girl who seemed to be not far off in age to him. Her (h/l) hair was a mess and turned up in every which way and her (s/c) skin was caked in dirt and bruises, yet her (e/c) eyes shown with a childlike quality almost as if internally she still was one.

(("R-Right! My name is (Y/N)!"))

She sputtered, accidentally jerking her hand causing the blonde man to spill the disinfectant all over it. She hissed to herself from the pain.

(("Well that's one way of cleansing a wound, tell me where to you come from (Y/N)?"))

Kazuha asked as he wrapped her hand in a bandage,

(("Very far away. Doesn't matter anymore though... the jungle got to it and I'm the only survivor. I tried to go back but the gasses were too thick for even my mask so I had to leave everything and everyone behind...."))

Her eyes seemed to loose some of that shine from before. It made sense now, her dirty clothes, messy hair- she must have been hungry and on the run for ages now. Without a home, without a family. Kazuha could sympathise.

(("You and I aren't so different. I come from Pejite."))

(Y/N) gasped, leaning forwards with curiosity,

(("The city that was overrun with ohmu? I heard they also lost their princess just shortly beforehand too I'm so sorry!"))

Kazuha simply shook his head with a soft smile,

(("My family was already dead beforehand and I was exiled anyways so I had no hope of returning regardless."))

(Y/N) frowned, sitting back again as Kazuha finished tying the bandage and stood up to place the roll of unused bandages in a cabinet.

(("It still can't feel very good. Say, where are we now uhhh... sir?"))

The blonde let out an air chuckle as he closed the cabinet door and sat back down next to (Y/N) to continue inspecting her for anymore wounds,

(("Kazuha, and we are in the Valley of the Wind."))

🍁~~~~~~~~~~~~🍁

Sorry it was short! I want to know if you guys like the idea of Genshibli! So if you guys like this idea I'll keep writing for it with more characters and crossovers! My ask box will be open for ideas but I won't guarantee I'll get to them immediately! Tbh, Kazuha being in NVW has been something swirling around in my mind for years now. I used to draw him and my oc Sakura as ex-pejitians all the time when I was bored lol I was thinking of doing The Cat Returns Lyney next! What do you guys think?

#adelita writes #kazuha x reader #genshin kazuha #kaedehara kazuha #nausicaä of the valley of the wind #nausicaa #kaze no tani no nausicaä #genshibli #genshin impact #kazuha genshin impact #kazuha genshin x reader

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lewis-winters · 7 months

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thank you for the tag @heystovepipeboys!

WIP Ask Game

Rules:

Post up to five (5) filenames of your WIPs; not titles, file names.

Post a snippet from one/all of them. Snippet must be words you wrote in the last 7 days. We’re posting progress here. If you haven’t made any, go make some and come back to post.

After you’ve posted, people can send you an ask with one of your file names. You must then write 3 sentences in that file.

That’s it! You can invite others to join in or just post.

WIPs:

bob the old guard au - winnix, ensemble cast

There's a ghost amongst their ranks.

Or. Something. Lipton doesn't quite know what to properly call it, when the dead man in question walks and talks and jokes like someone alive. When he has a whole, untarnished head, and both eyes that peer out of his pale face with a weary countenance that Lip finds comforting in its familiarity, despite the general air of unease the mere thought of the man now incites in him. The prickling of the hairs on the back of his neck. The chill that drips down his spine every time he is reminded that Captain Lewis Nixon should be dead in the middle of a dirt road in Holland, yet stands just a foot away, unmarred and whole, keeping his eyes on the trees.

HRT is a bitch - band of brothers OCs, ensemble cast, floyd talbert/oc (morbert)

Floyd shifts. "Are you… sniffing me?"

Nat figures she should be more embarrassed by her behavior. There are very few things in her life that she could call intoxicating, few things that she'd allow to have this inexplicable control over her; when she does find them, she never lets it show how deeply their effect goes, her nature too taciturn to allow for any show of self-indulgence. But at the moment she's too busy snuffling into the spot she's found-- right at the junction between Floyd's neck and jaw, where the heady scent of his cologne mixed with his natural musk is at its strongest-- to care.

So, she just nods. "You smell nice."

Arthur and Nat Shenanigans - band of brothers OCs, ensemble cast

Uncomfortable, but defiant, she tilts her chin up. “He deserved it.”

A beat. Then, Arthur presses down, intently, on her bandaged knuckles. A kind of admonishment he only ever gets bold enough to do when he’s particularly pissed at her. Fighting and brawling like she did tonight gets this reaction out of him a lot. “What if they transfer you, huh?” he’d snapped once. “I’m not gonna be separated from you, Natalie Morse.” The sentiment is sweet, though in this moment she wishes he was gentler with it, hissing in pain as she snatches her hand away from him and glares.

Arthur just raises his eyebrows, expectant.

Nat grits her teeth. Turns back to Winters. “He deserved it,” she repeats, with much effort. “… Sir.”

tagging: @hellofanidea @noneedtoamputate @ewipandora @malarkgirlypop @dcyllom @rattledazzlebones and whoever else wants to do it!

#tag game #ask game #i have way too many wips open atm #i'm focusing primarily on the haunting of hill house au and the cannibalism au but the old guard au is just calling my name #and obviously i can't shut up about my ocs #so what now right #help #this is why i never get anything done #estrella_marie

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vodika-vibes · 10 months

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Coruscant is Hell

So, since it’s Sunday, and I’m bored as fuck, I decided to try turning my Coruscant is Hell AU into actual, like, words. Rather than conversations. Allow me to introduce my second Corrie OC - Lieutenant 80, a transfer from a combat battalion.

Once again, I barely proofread.

tagging: @starrrgazingbunny and @keantha (since you put the idea in my head this morning)

It was late. Late enough that even the Lower Levels were largely abandoned, or maybe the criminals of Coruscant were just smarter than anyone gave them credit for, and just didn’t work after a certain hour.

Unfortunately for the Guard, they didn’t have the choice to be smarter about their life choices.

“’It’ll be fine’,” 80 rasped out as he sprinted behind his older brother, “’Night patrol is easy’. You fucking liar, Cap.”

Dusk, sprinting slightly ahead of him, didn’t even spare him a glance, “You volunteered for this patrol, 80,” He countered, barely winded even as he sprinted down the streets in his full kit, “The rest of us were forced. You didn’t wonder why that was?”

He took a sharp turn to the left, and 80 bounced off the wall as he scrambled to keep up, “Thought you all just wanted your beauty sleep,” He admitted, “Never even considered that Coruscant had fucking demons.”

“Well. Surprise.” Dusk replied, “Welcome to Coruscant.” He grabbed 80 by the collar of his armor and flung him into an abandoned building, before he scrambled in after him, and then he pushed him down.

“How the fuck are you so strong?” 80 hissed.

“Quiet!”

80 fell silent as Dusk crouched near the door and pulled a wicked looking knife from his vambraces. It was definitely not regulation, and 80 was pretty sure it was glowing.

There was the sound of a heavy footstep, and then another one. Then there was silence. 80′s blood was pounding in his ears, and even though his legs were starting to cramp, he didn’t twitch so much as a muscle. And then-

“Captain? Are you here?” It was a vod’e, their voice muffled from their helmet.

80 went to stand, to go to a member of the squad that had been separated from him and the Captain, but he stilled when Dusk made the simple hand motion of “hold”.

“Lieutenant? Now’s really not the time to be hiding,” Now that 80 was listening, really listening, the vod’e voice sounded strange. Plus, he trusted that his Captain knew what he was doing.

There was silence again. 80 thought that the person pretending to be a vod’e had left. And then the metal door that they were flanking exploded inward. 80 floundered, falling backward in sheer disbelief, but the Cap moved.

The dagger slammed into what was probably the creature’s thigh, and it let out a furious shriek. Cap twisted the blade, ripped it out, flipped it into a reverse grip, and surged up, the blade dragging against the creature’s throat.

It let out another shriek, and staggered back, allowing Dusk to slam a shoulder into it. “Move, 80!” He shouted.

80 wasn’t ashamed to admit that he might, possibly, be in shock. But Orders were easy. He could follow orders half dead. So at Dusk’s command, he scrambled to his feet and chased after his Captain.

They sprinted in silence for a moment, taking side streets and alleys that Dusk seemed to know like the back of his hand. And then he slowed from a sprint to a jog, and then to walk, and then the Captain stopped. “Cap...what the fuck?”

“Like I said, welcome to Coruscant. Are you hurt?”

“I...no? Shouldn’t we still be running?”

Dusk’s helmet tilted slightly, “We’re safe. for the moment.” He paused, “Well, safe enough, at least.” Then he and gripped the...was that a tooth?

80 stared. And stared even more. As Dusk gripped a tooth that was easily the size of his own hand, and ripped it out of his armor. There was a small amount of blood on the end, but Dusk didn’t seem too concerned. “Ah, good. Not venomous this time.”

“Sir, what the actual fuck?” 80 sounded a bit alarmed.

Dusk glanced at him, “There’s a lower lower level. That’s where I fell when the shadow bitch decided that we were trespassing. I got bitten, obviously.”

“Are you okay?!”

“Surely you’ve noticed that our armor is a bit, hm...sturdier, than yours was when you were a frontline soldier?” Dusk asked.

“Well...sure. I thought,” 80 paused, suddenly ashamed of his thoughts on the Corries.

“You thought that it was for appearance’s sake? Or because we thought we were better?” Dusk asked, there was no heat in his voice, and that just made 80 feel worse.

“Everyone thinks that the Corries do nothing but paperwork...and protect the Senate.” 80 admitted, “Some of the vod’e have even started pushing to have your armor taken from you, since you don’t need it.”

“...And what do you think?”

80 stared at the tooth, now laying at his feet, “I think I might have judged too harshly.” He admitted, “Cap...what happened to the rest of the squad?”

Dusk was silent for a long time, “Best case scenario, they’re already dead. Worst case scenario, they’re still alive.” He straightened, “We have three hours before sunrise, 80. If you don’t think you can do this, let me know. There’s a lift to the upper level only a few blocks away. I can get you there in one piece.”

80 blinked, genuinely surprised. And then he scowled, “What, and leave you alone?” He straightened his spine, “What are your orders for the next three hours?”

Dusk regarded him thoughtfully, “There’s no way for us to kill demons, vod. But we can stop it for a couple of months.”

“Okay. How?”

“Fire. Lots, and lots of fire. Also, we’re going into it’s den. I think I know where it is.” Captain Dusk motioned for 80 to follow him, “Keep up.”

“I don’t suppose you have another one of those nice daggers, sir?”

“If you survive tonight, I’ll buy you one.” Dusk replied with a light laugh.

*****

Fox eyed the small pile of daggers laying on his desk, and then allowed his gaze to drift over to the young woman sitting in a chair in front of the desk, “Only 10?” he asked.

“Oh, I’m sorry. How many demon killing daggers have you enchanted in the last week?” Kanna Rae was 19 years old, and was one of the few people on Coruscant who was well aware of just how bad the planet was. She was also one of the only people who was willing to enchant daggers for the Corries. How she enchanted them, he wasn’t sure. So far as he was aware, Jedi weren’t witches, but really, so long as they worked, he didn’t care.

“I’m sorry, Kanna. Thank you.”

She sniffed, “You’re welcome.”

“Even though there are only ten,” Fox added with a small smirk.

“I can take them back you know.”

“They were a gift. That would be rude,” Fox countered, as he picked up a knife and examined it closely, though he already knew what he would find. He had three identical daggers that he was currently wearing, after all.

Kanna snickered, and slumped in her seat, “Fuck you.”

“Fuck me yourself, coward.”

“This is why you don’t have any friends.” Kanna pointed out with a laugh.

“I don’t have any friends because I’m an asshole. Well, save for you, I suppose.”

Kanna opened her mouth to reply, but she paused and tilted her head, “Dusk’s back.” She said, and then she frowned, “He only has one person with him.”

“...fuck.” His office door slid open, and Dusk and 80 walked in. Dusk was limping and his armor was singed. 80 looked a little shell-shocked. “Welcome back, vod.”

“Hey Fox,” Dusk said, as he stepped further into the room, and lightly tugged on Kanna’s padawan braid, “hey kid.”

“You have three broken ribs, and a puncture wound on your left side.” Kanna said with a frown, before her attention flickered over to 80, “You’re uninjured, but in shock.”

“And they will both submit to your health check after I get my report.” Fox interjected smoothly, “Where’s the rest of your squad?”

“Puppets. Ran into some kind of shadow creature in the lower level.” Dusk explained, “Blew up a street and knocked us into the sewers. Me and 80 escaped, but the others-” He shook his head, “Found them in the den.”

“Shadow creature? That’s a new one.” Fox murmured, walking over to a map on the wall and examining it closely. This was how Fox kept track of the supernatural side of Coruscant, with the help of his men.

Dusk walked over and grabbed a black tack, the color that they decided was for demons, and pressed it into the spot on the map where the den was. “I cleansed the den with fire, that should be enough, right?” He asked Kanna.

“Should be, unless it has another den.”

“Hm.” Dusk glanced at the map, and grimaced, There were a lot of black pins on the board. “I made sure the puppets burned. They deserved at least that much.”

Kanna made a wounded noise, “You all deserve so much more than that.”

Fox smiled at her, “You’re just soft, Kanna.” he teased, but he focused his attention on his vod’ika again, “You made the right call, Dus’ika. I’m proud of you.”

Dusk rubbed the back of his neck, “I feel like a fucking monster.” He admitted, and then he dropped his hand, “We might have a problem, though.”

“Another one?”

Dusk smiled humorlessly, “80 told me that some of the vod’e are making noises about having our armor taken away...and given to people who need it more.”

Fox went grey, and then red with fury, “Absolutely fucking not.”

“If enough of the Marshal Commanders go against you-”

“It won’t happen,” Kanna interrupted, her arms folded over her chest, and her knuckles white from where she was gripping the sleeves of her robes, “I need a list of every vod’e who had died in the guards for the last 6 months.”

“You’ll have it.” Fox promised, “But what are you going to do with it.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line. “I’m going to fuck with the data until it looks like they were all killed by people, rather than demons, and then I’m going to shove the data into the hands of every single clone I can.”

“This. This shit right here is why she’s the best Jedi.” Dusk said, pointing at Kanna.

“You won’t hear any arguments from me.” Fox agreed, “Grab another dagger, Dusk. And make sure that 80 gets one too.”

“Can do, boss man.” Dusk replied, as he stepped over to the desk and scooped up two daggers. One slid into his boot, the other he remained sheathed. “Come on, 80. Time for medical attention. Mad-bay 4?” He asked Kanna.

“That is my normal one, yes.” Kanna replied, watching as Dusk guided 80 out of the room. “I’ll get them back on their feet.”

“Thanks. I’ll have your info ready before you head back to the temple.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Kanna waved and slipped out of the room.

Fox eyed his map one more time, and then he walked over to his desk and dropped into his seat. He needed to request more men from Kamino, he needed to gather the information Kanna asked for, and he needed to pass out the remaining 8 knives.

He sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair. Better get to work then.

#Coruscant is Hell #Star Wars AU #Jedi OC #Kanna Rae #Clone OC #Captain Dusk #Lieutenant 80

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xalygatorx · 3 months

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Powerless (2017) | Chapter 7, "Through Dangers Untold"

Years after Sarah’s wit and bravery saved her brother and brought the Labyrinth to its knees, her daughter Andie is transported to what remains of that same fantastical place, somewhere she thought only existed in her favorite childhood stories. To find her way back home, she must traverse what’s left of the crumbling kingdom, find a way to set both moments and magic in motion again, and even save the Goblin King, himself. But who will save her from him?

Powerless is a SFW slow-burn romance between Jareth and an original female character. The story overall contains descriptions of fantasy violence, mild suggestive content, and grief regarding family illness. Chapter-by-chapter warnings will be provided as well.

Summary: The group barely escapes a giant snake pit and Andie reacts poorly to nearly dying. She and Jareth have a heart-to-heart about Sarah, the crystal peach, and expectations of loyalty. Andie is more injured than the group realized and Jareth takes it upon himself to tend to her wounds.

Pairing: Jareth x Fem!OC

Warnings: None

Word Count: 4k

Andie was scarcely able to breathe, much less process what she'd just seen in the flash of sparks Didymus had issued from the firestarter. Panicked murmurs worked their way through the group and she heard movements begin as someone took to their feet.

"Now we've done it," Hoggle fretted and Andie heard the taps of his smallish feet beating on the stone floor as he searched for an exit. "I've gotta get out of here!"

"We all have to get out of here!" Didymus declared. "Be brave, Sir Hoggle, this is a feat for all fellows!"

"Brave? Ha! I've told you all before I'm in no position for bravery. I'm a coward and I'm fine with it!"

"Would you all kindly close your mouths?" a low voice rumbled from the cavern, silencing the lot of them. "I was having one most pleassssssant dream…"

"The one of the poppiessss again?"

"No, not that one."

Andie turned her head incrementally as the rumbling timbres spoke to one another in the darkness and whispered, "What are they? Dragons?"

"Dragons?" Jareth repeated dubiously. "Heavens, no. Snakes."

"Oh, because that's so much better."

"No fire," he pointed out.

"LUDO SCARED."

"They do not lisssssten well, do they?" one of the snakes hissed grumpily.

"How could they, their ears are so sssssmall," another said with startling proximity to Andie's ear and she had to swallow a shriek when she felt the tip of its tongue graze her shoulder. A small yelp worked its way up her throat in its place, but Jareth clapped a hand over her mouth and silently shifted away, blindly maneuvering them further into the cavern and dropping his hand when he decided she would be quiet again.

"Can you see?" Andie whispered, grimacing as her eyes failed to adjust to the lack of light.

"Can you?" Jareth countered as an answer. "Quiet."

Andie bristled at being told what to do, but she did the smart thing for the moment and kept her mouth shut, even as she felt a scaly side brush her leg. Another pattering of running, ungainly footsteps issued from high up, across the cavern, and suddenly a shaft of light spilled in, illuminating the dark around the dwarf's silhouette. "He's just going to leave us?" she murmured in disbelief, though she did wonder what had made her trust the lot of them so quickly. Maybe because she hadn't had a choice. Regardless of the reason, she felt rather stupid now.

"Hoggle, don't you dare!" Nyle shouted near them as he loped over an enormous, scale-riddled tail to get to the stairway that Hoggle had utilized to leave them all to their fates. Now that the light had infiltrated the chamber, Andie saw exactly what they were dealing with. What was impossible to tell at the moment was how many serpents riddled the floor and she could only assume that there were either a good number of them or that they were all as long as they were unrealistically huge. And now they were awake and writhing around each other in a great mass of scales and muscle.

"I said I'm a coward, what did you expect?!"

"Should we eat them?" one of the snakes wondered as its head rose and regarded them irritatedly from the other side of the chamber. "They cannot be ssssssstill… And I am rather starved…"

"A good idea," one of them hissed and the chamber erupted in movement as the snakes began to slither back and converge on the group and the remaining members of their traveling party made a break for the only exit they saw. Didymus got back on Ambrosius and began urging him forward, even while the sheepdog hesitated and cowered just shy of one serpent's tail as it moved past. Nyle had made it to the stairway and was halfway up, though he was looking at them and watching to see if they made it.

Some help they are, Andie thought as she pushed herself to her feet, Jareth doing the same. Leona was working her way across slowly but surely, glancing back to see where the others were at and hesitating in moving too far away when they might need her help. At the moment, however, she was operating more on guilt than genuine selflessness, as the sphinx was admittedly hard-pressed not to get herself out of there. Conflicted, Leona shouted, "Hurry up!"

"We are in the process of doing just so!" Didymus called back, still desperately trying to get Ambrosius to move forward from his terrified position. This spurred Leona into going back and she leapt over the end of a snake, her sandstone wings extending just enough for her to glide smoothly down to them.

Andie was moving to help them, but Jareth nearly clotheslined her when he extended his arm. "She's got it, start moving," he ordered her. Andie started to argue, but her right ankle was suddenly secured by one serpent's tail and she was yanked off her feet and dragged across the stone, her shout cut short when she hit the ground and had the breath knocked out of her.

She grabbed for any unevenness in the stone floor to latch onto, even knowing that an animal built up with that much strength from being entirely composed of muscle and bone would still outmatch her. Her eyes caught a shimmer in her peripheral vision and she looked down to see the dagger, still secured to her hip, and scrambled to get a hold of it. She worked it free just as she was pulled off the ground, her grip white-knuckled as she fought for her only asset, and suddenly she was at eye-level with the beast that had her.

She hung upside-down from its hold on her leg, flailing a little for some point of control when she had none. It surveyed her before muttering, "Bottomsssss up!" to which its comrades laughed mirthfully as it swung her closer and began to part its jaws. Andie saw her only chance and threw her weight forward as much as she could before plunging the dagger into the golden eye of the enormous reptile. It screeched with pain and she felt its tail slacken around her ankle, and in the next instant she was free-falling, headfirst, toward the stones. In the last second, Leona swooped under her and, while connecting with the stone sphinx's back hurt too, it was better than the floor before an angry snake.

"Ow," Andie moaned faintly as she righted herself to better balance herself and her savior. "Thank you."

"You okay?" Leona asked as she dodged around a swerving tail and just barely missed one large, lunging set of fangs. "Never mind, answer that later. Just hang on."

"That, I can do," Andie said, moving her arms around Leona's neck and securing herself as the sphinx swept her wings downward and made them airborne—however, the stone creature could only soar so far and now their aggressors were angry and blocking the crumbling stairway. "What do we do?"

As Leona searched for another way, Didymus called from the top of the stairs—where Leona had left him with Ambrosius after it became clear that they needed transporting—to Ludo still below and working his way across as well, "Ludo, my brother! Call upon your fellows!"

"WHAT?" Ludo roared over the noise in the chamber.

"THE ROCKS, MY FRIEND! THE ROCKS!" Didymus yelled back, surprisingly loud for his size.

"Oh!" Ludo exclaimed in realization before tilting his head back and giving the strangest bellowing sound Andie had ever heard, though she vaguely remembered such a sound from her first encounter with them while they were all fighting off the goblins. Suddenly, the chamber shook and the ramp that had collapsed and sent them down there in the first place slammed down, boulders rolling end over end into the fray before it shut again. Above, stones in the ceiling worked themselves free and came down on the bewildered snakes' heads, providing more than enough of a distraction for Leona to make her way to the stairs, Ludo close behind now.

Andie jolted a little as Leona leapt up the staircase, only loosening her grip a bit when they reached the top and hurried toward the exit. Only Didymus had waited for them inside while the others—Ambrosius included—had hightailed it out of there. Andie slid off the sphinx and thanked her again as they crossed through into the light, though Leona looked at her a bit apprehensively. "Should you be walking?"

"I'll rest when we're out. You've done enough," Andie persisted as she squinted into the daylight, letting her eyes adjust before she got a good look around. When they were all out, Ludo shut the door Hoggle had found and breathed a loud sigh of relief. "Thank you, too, Ludo. That was amazing." The great beast perked up a bit at that, a toothy smile decorating his primate-like face. She looked to make sure Didymus was okay and then walked on, not sending a glance toward Nyle, Jareth, or Hoggle in passing.

Hoggle was the first to openly take notice. "Andie, I don't pretend to be brave, I'm just…"

"I know," Andie murmured, her tone borderline cutting. "I just expected better."

"I'm a coward, I'm not brave like you or—"

"I'm not brave," Andie said, her voice shaking a little as she looked down at his guilty face. "I'm not a hero, I'm not brave, I'm not strong, but I'm not a coward and I don't leave my friends behind. I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

With that, she moved forward into the new section of the Labyrinth, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she knew she had to separate herself for a little while. That first real brush with death had been too much and she didn't want any of them to see the way her hands were shaking, the way her eyes were moistening with waning panic. She could still smell the rotten stink of the snake's breath on her face and could see the way the veins riddled the tissue of its mouth, glistening with saliva. She'd never felt that kind of fear before.

And I lost my only weapon on top of that, Andie thought with a sense of dread, despite the loss having been a necessary one. She turned her eyes toward her hip to regard the empty space, however it wasn't empty at all. The dagger was right where she'd had it before ripping it from its makeshift holster, glimmering in the light. She uncoiled one of her arms to touch the hilt briefly and be sure it was really there, but it was, all silver and crystal accents and cool to the touch. At least I can depend on you.

The group didn't last long before they stopped to rest awhile, exhausted from their unexpected, struggle-filled encounter below ground. They opted to stop in one of the passageways, lacking the energy to find another courtyard-like space where they could spread out. Andie sat away from the others as Hoggle parted out food rations, having found a small fountain around the next turn and filling the water jug, which was now being passed around as well. She had worked the dagger free of her belt loop and was studying it when Jareth walked over with the jug, letting it weigh on his fingers as he extended it to her.

At first when she glanced toward it, she regarded it dismissively, but soon decided her throat was too parched to be stubborn and took it, taking three long drinks before handing it back to Jareth. He continued to look down at her a moment before he moved away, handed the jug off to Nyle, and then returned, sitting down next to her and causing her to clench her jaw. "Is taking a hint so difficult?" she wondered quietly as she let her fingertips graze the flat side of the blade.

"Hard to find a hint under all that sulking," Jareth remarked as he regarded her with what looked to her like indifference. "What is the problem?"

"Just learning who will come through in times of trouble," she murmured as she adjusted to a straighter position and winced when her torso throbbed. "That's really all there is to it. I'm mostly just in the mood to rest by myself."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"That you, Nyle, and Hoggle are apparently self-absorbed and in whatever all this is for your own gain," Andie said plainly in a lowered tone. "Actually, no. Just you and Nyle. I think Hoggle just doesn't have a brave bone in his body."

"You realize no one has to make this journey with you, don't you?" he asked. "It's not as if anyone but you will get a result out of all this."

"No one except you," Andie muttered.

"Did you expect me to dirty my sleeves and save you?" Jareth mused with a smirk pulling at his lips, adjusting his nearly pristine white cuffs if only to mock her. "Dashing, debonair king of your dreams come to rescue you, you poor damsel, is that what you want? Because you didn't seem to me like that kind of woman up until this point."

"I'd like some help when I'm, you know, potentially about to die," Andie snapped and added in a hushed tone, "Especially when you expect me to help you in your predicament."

"I did try to get us both out until you got snatched up. And I recall you saying rather plainly that you wouldn't be going to the extent of 'risking your neck' to help me," he pointed out, beginning to lose his calm. "Why should you expect that of me in regard to you?"

Andie pursed her lips and thought over her words before saying evenly, "I did say that. I wish I'd meant it. But when it comes down to it, I don't."

"I don't follow."

"I wouldn't be able to just leave someone behind," Andie said quietly, a tension in her features that signaled her disinclination to admit this, despite wanting to prove a point. "I talk like I could, but if it came down to it, I doubt I would be able to make that choice, even if it was a stupid decision on my part."

Jareth regarded her silently before glancing upward as the light faded from the sky, replaced by a section of cloudy, overcast gloom. They waited for it to start raining—just the icing on the disaster cake—but it remained still, just a gray tinge to their surroundings now. "That disposition might cost you dearly one day."

Andie closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall. "It might," she agreed and left it at that, slowly opening her eyes when she turned the dagger again in her hands. "I put this in one of those snakes back there," she told him, changing the subject. "How did it end up with me again?"

Jareth let his head roll to glance toward the dagger before replying, "It has blood memory. Lose it here and it will come back to you."

"Why did it change when I got here?" she wondered.

"The enchantment upon it would have it take the form of whatever you would need most in the Labyrinth upon your arrival for your protection. As it is in such a dangerous state of being, a useful, portable weapon was the most ideal direction for the spell. Therefore, it became one."

Andie pondered that, knowing the peach had been meant for her mom. The spell on it had been crafted to allow the object to become something that would protect her and adapt to the environment when she got there. She was beginning to wonder if Hoggle's assumption about a revenge strategy was accurate. It all sounded more like a last-ditch effort for another chance. Or at least an invitation to come back that was less like an invitation and more like a demand. "Would anyone who got cut on it have been brought here?"

He smirked faintly. "Are you asking if you're special?"

"I'm asking a pretty reasonable question."

"No," he murmured. "Not just 'anyone'." His intense bicolored eyes held a knowing element to them and it gave her the heebie-jeebies, so she turned her gaze away before something was revealed.

"Who was supposed to get this?" she asked, deciding that she wanted more information from him directly. She'd heard all kinds of beings here talk about her mother, but she hadn't heard a word from the person—goblin king—who had supposedly loved her. Or, according to Hoggle, thought he was in love with her.

Jareth's eyes darkened a little and he looked away. "What makes you think someone—"

"Because why would something like this just be released for anyone to use? You said yourself that not just anyone could have gotten here, so why me? It wasn't meant for me, so who—"

"How do you know it wasn't meant for you?"

"Because I didn't know you when you made this," Andie replied. "You didn't know me."

"You've now come to the conclusion that I created it," he snickered, dancing away from her original question.

"Hoggle said it was goblin magic," she said impatiently. "I've seen some of the goblins here, none of them would have been able to make something like this. Besides that, Hoggle also said it was your work."

"He would know," Jareth commented as he listened to the others cause a small commotion while trying to construct a fire from scratch.

"Why can't you just answer my questions?"

"I've answered a great deal for you," he pointed out tightly.

"What about this?" When he hesitated again, she added, "I'm just curious, you know, I'm not trying to exploit old wounds or anything."

"Why is it important to you to know?"

"Because I know nothing about this place apart from what I've experienced here and what I've been told," Andie said with some edge of exasperation. "I'd like to feel like I have more level footing than just that. Besides, I've heard bits and pieces from everyone but you. And I think since it's your story, you're the one to ask."

Jareth clenched his jaw a bit and looked fully prepared to get up and stalk away when he finally took a deep breath and exhaled it gradually, the tension in his frame easing out in increments. "It was for Sarah," he finally uttered quietly and the subtle traces of bitterness lining his features almost made Andie regret asking.

"Why?"

"I knew my time, at least the time for my power, was up and I had to do something before it faded completely," he murmured. "I did not know what would become of this place or me. I knew nothing here, should my fears come to fruition, would be able to fix what was lost, but perhaps she could, if only because it was she who brought it all down in the first place. However, I never expected this. In seeing what has become of my labyrinth, I cannot say she would have been able to do much. Nor would she have wanted to if it involved aiding me."

"Because of all the traps?"

"All of it."

Andie nodded a little. "Hoggle said you thought you were in love with her."

"Thought," Jareth scoffed softly.

"So, you were?"

"Desperately. Not the kind that serves as much to build from, but enough to start on."

"Did she know that?" Andie wondered, trying to push away the strangeness that came with discussing her mother in this ambiguous way.

His brow pinched a little. "I don't believe so." When Andie's expression implored him to continue, he sighed and added, "She was young. In all her practiced monologues, large dreams, and expanse of mind, I had assumed she would be well-rounded in all areas of life and its toils, but that was not the case. Time flows differently between our worlds and I misunderstood how much of it she’d had. She did not understand my frustration and I barely understood it, myself. I had never reacted so strongly to someone before. It infuriated me as much as it enlightened me."

She nodded. "Hoggle said it was a random circumstance. That it was out-of-character."

"Is that what you two do when we're not being chased, eaten, or trapped? Gossip about me?"

Andie laughed a little. "What else is there to do?"

Jareth smirked, relieved to be done with discussing Sarah for now. "Very little that is so interesting, I am sure." She started to send back a quip when she shifted and her torso stung once again and her sass instead came out as a sound of discomfort. He arched a brow. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, just skinned up. Um, excuse you—" Andie had been halfway through blowing off her pain when Jareth had rather boldly reached over and slid the hem of her shirt up over her stomach, revealing the nearly raw wounds underneath coated with a sheen of sweat, dried blood, and a layer of clear fluid secreting from the stripped flesh. Jareth looked borderline horrified at the sight and, had Andie not nearly been in tears from the sensation of the fabric peeling off the severe scrapes, she might've laughed.

He snapped in the direction of the others. "Hawkcore, bandages and…things," Jareth ordered. Hoggle started to get huffy and yell back about the King butchering his name again, but he saw the serious expression Jareth wore and decided it might be worth yelling about later. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I had questions," Andie remarked stubbornly. "Besides, it looks worse than it feels."

"Not if it gets infected," he groused, grabbing the first aid supplies from Hoggle when he approached without a word. "Foolish little girl…"

"I could do without the name calling, however petty it may be, and you could stand to say 'thank you' when someone does you a favor," she said boldly, sitting up a bit and doing her best to ignore the stinging.

Jareth looked ready to shoot his mouth off again, but he bit down whatever he was prepared to say. Instead, Hoggle spoke up in his timid way of addressing the King, "I can take care of this, Your Highness…"

"I will handle it… Thank you," Jareth said, and Hoggle looked worriedly toward Andie before backing away and rejoining the others, keeping an eye on them from afar.

Andie watched Jareth dab some of the remaining water from the drinking jug onto a cloth before he moved closer to her, gingerly cleaning the wounds on her torso and, while even the lightest touch would hurt, she was surprised at how careful he was.

He took great pains to dab salve across every scrape before taking the roll of gauze and ordering her, "Shift forward." She shot him a look before relenting and doing so, trying not to read too much into it as he sat down between her and the wall, his legs on either side of her. "Keep hold of your shirt. Arms up." She hesitantly did as he asked and felt him position the edge of the gauze on an uninjured patch of her side, tsking quietly as he began to wind the gauze around her. "You should see your back, it's a spectra of bruises."

"It'll fade," Andie murmured with a small shrug, maneuvering her elbow against the beginning of her bandage so he could have both hands to wrap her up. She watched his hands work and noted that his cuff had dragged lightly over one of her scrapes at some point, as a small smear of red disrupted the clean fabric. "Your sleeves ended up dirty after all," she pointed out as more of a playful jab than anything, as she felt too awkward to say anything sentimental toward his apparent concern.

Jareth smiled behind her in his crooked way as he continued his work, finally tearing off the bandage and tying it neatly with a small flourish. "So, they did."

Next chapter: Chapter 8, "Dance Magic"

#labyrinth #labyrinth fanfiction #labyrinth fanfic #jareth x oc #jareth the goblin king #jareth #slow burn #angst with a happy ending #the labyrinth #romance fanfiction

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aifastic · 1 year

Text

Interview With The Spy

Hello everyone! I gladly present you with my piece for INTRUDER ALERT!: A TF2 Spy Zine. We’re having leftover sales until DECEMBER 19th (12/19/22) at 12:00 PM PST, in case you’re interested in acquiring some items!

Link to the store here: https://tf2spyzine.bigcartel.com/

I hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed witing it! Thank you @tf2spyzine for the opportunity ♥

Fandom: Team Fortress 2 Rating: T Characters: RED Spy, OC’s, RED Team Summary: Lana Hopkins has been looking forward to this interview for ages. Devlin is just scared. The team is nowhere to be seen. And Spy is... Spy.

Interview With The Spy

"Aren't you nervous?" the photographer asked, anxiously looking to the sides and fidgeting with the collar of his shirt. "I mean, he's a murderer. They all are. Oh, dear." He looked like he might faint.

"That's the fun of it!" Lana Hopkins said, barely containing her excitement.

She'd been looking forward to this for ages–after years of wasting all her redaction skills on the horoscope, Hat Wearing Mann had finally given her the opportunity to shine with the interview of her life. At last, she'd be able to delve into the mind of one of the most elusive men in the country, maybe even the world!

Many had tried to learn more from the Teufort Nine, only to disappear after the attempt. But she'd make sure to prevail this time, and get the note that would make her career skyrocket. She would.

The Spy had been previously described as "a puzzle, wrapped in an enigma, shrouded in riddles, lovingly sprinkled with intrigue, express mailed to Mystery, Alaska," and she couldn't help but agree–there were no legal documents to prove the existence of that man. He was a rumor, a deadly one at that, and he made sure not to leave any traces behind, be it of his professional conquests or his romantic ones. His lovers had him in high esteem; his enemies feared him. And that was the extent of the knowledge she had earned from her research.

"Hey!" The photographer waved a hand in front of her eyes, awakening her from her thoughts. "Are you… okay?" He sounded worried, but more so for her mental stability than anything else.

"I'm fine, uh… Dolan." She waved him off.

"I'm Dylan," he said, exhausted. She mentally brushed it off. She didn't have time nor space in her mind to devote it to remembering useless information like the photographer's name.

"Anyways," she said, and promptly started to walk away from the rental car they'd used to get there, heading to the RED base. "Let's get moving!"

-----

The base, anticlimactically enough, seemed empty that day.

"Where are all the mercenaries? I thought we'd get to see them in action!"

"I'm afraid that won't be possible, my dear," said a voice behind her. She gasped and turned back. The Spy was standing behind them, a cigarette in hand and a smug smirk on his face. When did he–?

"Holy fuck!" Donald yelled, almost dropping the camera.

"Careful!" Lana hissed, and turned to look at their host with what she hoped was her most selling smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir!"

"The pleasure is all mine, mademoiselle." Spy grasped her hand delicately and brought it to his lips.

"Where's…everyone?" asked Devin, a twinge of awkwardness in his voice.

Spy looked visibly annoyed for a moment, but he quickly put on a polite smile. "They are currently busy, running some errands." He waved their concern away with a gesture of his hand. "Now, may we head off to my smoking room?"

He led them through a couple rooms–Lana took the opportunity to read every label, examine every piece of furniture for hints of how these men lived.

"Excuse me," she asked, pointing to a closed door that read: 'TRAINING ROOM.' "What's that?"

"It's where we carry out our physical training for battle." A crash was heard inside.

"Wh–who's in there?"

"No one, monsieur, it's just…Some boxes might have fallen off. It happens often enough." Lana thought she heard him mutter: "...Supposed to be soundproof…" But before she could comment on that, he pointed at a door with a flourish. "We are here."

Lana entered the room, taking the room in. It was…Surprisingly bare. There was little furniture besides a fireplace, several framed paintings and double lamps hanging from the walls that gave a soft lighting to the place. There was a bookshelf filled to the top with books whose titles were in a language she assumed to be French; a coffee table with a wooden globe and a half-finished whisky glass on it; and next to it, a red armchair. The only two things that looked out of place, however, were the twin wooden chairs placed in front of the armchair.

"My apologies," said Spy, courteous as ever. "I do not own more armchairs than this one, so the kitchen chairs should suffice."

"It's totally fine, don't worry!" said Lana absently while she stared at a painting of a group of dogs arm-wrestling over a poker table.

"Oh, yes, that one is an authentic Kickasso," Spy said proudly. "No photographs, please, they might ruin the canvas."

The painting wasn't what caught her attention, however: there was a piece of paper attached to the frame with a metal pin with what looked like…a pink unicorn…drawn on it. Did Spy have kids? That could catch the attention of a particular demographic–which she might or not belong to.

"Ahem," Damian cleared his throat with purpose.

"Oh, yes! Let us start. Please, make yourselves comfortable."

-----

"So, first of all I can't believe I've got the pleasure to do this interview. Are you aware of how hard you are to find?"

Spy let out a chuckle. "Yes, and I hope it stays that way. My job requires me to be unreachable, in a way. Though by what means this is achieved, well…That, I can't reveal." He winked.

"Right, professional secret. Alright, um, what can you tell us about yourself that won't get you in trouble?"

"There's not much, really, but there are a few things–otherwise, this interview would be pointless." Lana's grip on her pen tightened. "I was born in France, and espionage has always been a part of my life, in a way. I pride myself in having mastered the art of disguise and the lethal ways of the knife–although other weapons have aided my job, too."

Lana felt frustrated, but decided to press more later on. "About that…What can you tell us about your job? Your current one, I mean. Reliable Excavation Demolition is shrouded in mystery, and there's much speculation about what the Gravel Wars entail."

"Well, it is a complicated matter. Let us say we stare death in the face every day, and the reward for it will never be enough. But there is a good opportunity to grow as a professional here. I believe in that, and that's what keeps me on my feet every day."

"I see."

She stopped jotting down just to think of her next question while Duncan took some photos of Spy. She needed to ask more about his fashion opinions, according to her job, but her curiosity was winning–it was the opportunity of a lifetime. Should she press on more personal details or–?

There was a loud crash outside, and a cluster of footsteps could be heard approaching the room. Spy suddenly stood up, dropping the whisky glass he was posing with on the coffee table. "Oh, no."

"What's happening?" Lana asked, standing up.

"I don't–"

The door slammed open against the wall, and a guy wearing a helmet led a group of seven very angry, red-clad men.

"TRAITOR!"

"Who–" Lana turned to look quizzically at Spy, only to find his chair empty. She looked around–Spy had disappeared in thin air!

"Typical," said a tall man wearing a crooked hat–is that the Sniper? "He puffed away."

"No way! Spy, if you're still there, you can't lock us up for no reason–Wait." The young guy stopped, blinking at Lana and Devon in surprise. "Who the hell are you?"

"We are reporters!" Lana said, ignoring her workmate's desperate hand signals. "We are here to interview Spy–"

"The Ma'am has a No Reporters policy, I'm afraid," a short guy with a heavy Texan accent replied. "I dunno how Spy managed to let you in."

'Ma'am'?

"Great. Our interviewee disappeared and now we're gonna get killed," Devon whined, and Lana elbowed him.

"Not necessarily. Hey, we aren't going to get y'all in trouble. We just need a couple tips about Spy…Maybe a little gossip?"

"Oh, boy, do we have gossip!" Everyone exchanged glances and grinned.

-----

"Come on, Spy, it's a little bit funny. You thought it was Dapper Cadaver."

"You told them I snore?!"

"It's true, though," Sniper said, hitting him on the head with his own rolled copy of the magazine–which Lana had sent them all in thanks.

"That's what you get for locking us up in the goddamn training room. Do you know how long Soldier made us train there?"

"We couldn't afford to waste time!"

"I will kill you all. But especially the one who thought giving them the spycrab photo was a good idea."

"That was me," Heavy said, casually cracking his neck.

"Never mind." Spy deflated against the couch like a fragile Victorian child.

-----

"The boss loved the interview, Dustin!"

"It's Dylan," he replied almost reflexively. "And I'm just glad to have come out alive, to be honest."

"Don't be such a party pooper!" Lana reproached him. "I'm happy that we could unveil a more human side of him."

"I guess me too," he said with a smile.

#Team Fortress 2 #fanfiction #Spy #TF2 Spy #RED Spy #RED Team #OCs #tf2 spy zine

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