#How does the duck stay upright with the extra weight?

[tournament-winners-tournament]

it's Squeaky Clean Sprint for me...the little toy duckies 😭

I saw the duck while playing squeaky clean sprint but didn't really register how it looked because I was going too fast, so I pulled up a video

Wait duckieS is there more than one or is that a typo?

#How does the duck stay upright with the extra weight?

[heyitsjay03]

Fighting for Tomorrow

Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I do not own AOT! All rights go to the respective owner(s) :) Reiner x Fem!Reader, eventual Captain Levi x Reader, Sasha x Sister!Reader Word Count: 8.9k words TW: gore/blood/violence/death, adult language/swearing, loss/grief

-------- You can read parts one, two, and four here! Just give the number you want a little boop :)

   The rain beats down on us nearly as hard as the Commandant does. The hoofbeats of his horse squelch and merge with the thunder above us. “Cadet Braus!” The Commandant yells, sidling up next to me. “You look like you’re getting tired! Are you exhausted?”

   “No, sir!” I pant, willing my legs to continue on in the mud. “Just gettin’ warmed up, sir!”

   “Are you sure? You’ve been ahead of the group for a while now- you should take a break!”

   “I’ll politely have to decline sir!”

   “And why is that, cadet?”

   “Because I’m gonna be in the top ten, sir!”

   “You hear that, maggots?!” The Commandant calls to the rest of the recruits behind me. “Cadet Braus is gonna be in the top ten! Who else wants to be in the top ten?!”

   Various grunts of agreement resound behind me.

   “That’s more than ten!” the Commandant yells, “It seems you have some competition, Cadet Braus!”

   “Aye, sir!” 

   “How about a wager? Whoever can beat Cadet Braus back to the barracks gets extra merits for this exercise!”

   I let out a breath, swiping my hand over my forehead to clear the rain from my eyes. The pack of equipment on my back is weighing down on me- making my steps sink deeper in the mud. The ODM gear at my sides bangs on my legs. My ears strain… and I can hear someone at my left.

   “Looks like we have a taker!” The Commandant yells. 

   My eyes dart to the left. Annie runs alongside me, huffing with each step. Her hair is plastered to her face, mixed rain and sweat slicking her pale skin. My whole body stretches and strains and screams with effort as I will my legs to go even further, even faster. 

   Annie’s eyes widen as she watches me, falling behind for a moment. She quickly snaps out of it and picks up speed. The two of us stretch forward in a dance of advance and retreat. The barracks’ warm glow appears over the mud of the hills. 

   My lips turn up into a smile and I feel the pain in my legs fall away. The breath in my lungs is fresh and clear- no more tightness in my chest. Even the weight of the pack on my back is gone. 

   I’m sprinting now. Mud squishing, rain slicing, heart beating. The glow of the barracks gets closer and closer and closer. I can smell the freshly-cleaned linen, the hearth. It coaxes me closer, urges me to go faster.

   My hand reaches out and I slam my fist against the wall. “Commandant!” I pant, slouching over and heaving in breath. “I finished first!”

   The Commandant’s horse pulls up before me, the Commandant looking down at me. There’s a faint trace of a smile on his lips. Wordlessly, he dips his head. 

   I go into a salute and watch as he and his horse pull next to the mouth of the woods. Annie trails in just behind me, shrugging her gear off. I smile at her weakly. “Great run,” I mutter, “Ya almost had me.”

   Annie’s eyes flick up to me, quiet and intense. I reach a hand out for her to shake, the other hand gripping my knee to keep me upright. She stands up straight and takes my hand, giving it a quick shake.

   And then she walks away with her gear. 

   I stand up against the wall. My eyes flutter as raindrops fall into them, blurring my vision slightly. The rest of the group trails in. Mikasa, Eren, Bertholdt, Connie, Jean, Sasha, Ymir, Christa, Armin. 

   Reiner’s behind them all. Hair stuck to his skin, raindrops beading down his face and onto the soaked cape around his shoulders. A smile crosses his face as our eyes meet and he picks up his pace. 

   I laugh a bit, taking off my gear and letting it rest up against the wall of the barracks. “There you are,” I say as I jog up to him in the rain. “Was gettin’ worried.”

   Reiner smiles down at me, “Was your own fault- left me in the dust.”

   “You were jogging,” I roll my eyes, “You could’ve kept up with me if you wanted to.”

   “Had to make sure no one got left behind.”

   “Jeez…,” I scoff and grab his collar, pulling him down towards me. “How in the walls did I manage to fall for a softie like you?”

   Reiner shrugs, “Must’a been my incredible flirting skills.”

   The two of us chuckle and I press my lips to his. “You’re warm,” I mumble, pulling away. 

   “You’re freezing,” he mutters, “C’mon. Let’s get you inside.”

--.--

   The wind runs its airy fingers through my hair as I swing through the trees. My fingers let go of the trigger, only to switch back to pressing it again. The wires of my ODM gear shoot out and stick into the bark of two trees on either side of me. I’ve broken off the group and shaken off Ymir. It’s just me and these two Titans.

   My blades glint beside me and I turn my head to look at myself in the blades. I’ve gained a bit of muscle, all toned and smooth under my skin. My skin is even more tan from the days spent in the sun. I’ve got another scar on my collarbone from messing around with ODM blades that one time with Connie and Jean. 

   I swing again, circling the clearing where two Titan models stand. There’s a foam section on the back of their ‘necks’- their napes. My grips on my swords tightens and I swing down towards the clearing. 

   The wind is tearing through my hair, cracking like sharp whips in my ears. It only urges me faster. A short scream leaves my lips as my blades dig into the nape of the first. My fingers quickly switch and I angle myself around the Titan’s back, falling down underneath the second Titan’s legs. My back arches away from the ground and I activate my ODM gear- shooting up towards the sky. I force myself to one side, sending me spinning in mid-air. My blades trail along the nape- taking out a deep chunk that falls to the floor behind me.

   “Ha!” I yell, smiling. The ODM gear activates and I head back into the woods in search of my next kill. 

   Through the trees, I can see three people swinging to the west. I follow them from a distance and hear Jean, Connie, and Sasha arguing. 

   “You stole it!” Connie yells, “That was my kill!” 

   “That wasn’t yours!” Jean shoots back, “I found them!”

   “You’re both just mad because I got the kill and you were too slow!” Sasha calls back, giggling. 

   My eyes hone in on their target- another Titan. Fifteen meters. Easy pickings. My ODM gear activates again and I launch into the clearing, brandishing my blades. 

   “And you’re gonna be mad when I steal your kill!” I yell, spinning down to the Titan’s nape. 

   Screams of protest and anger grow behind me as I feel the blades dig into the foam. Pulling away, I look up and see a chunk of the foam fall down the wooden Titan’s back. I cackle, swinging in circles around the trio. “Top ten here I come!” I laugh.

   “Not if I can help it!” Jean snaps, swinging up to me. 

   The two of us pop out above the trees, staring at each other as we fall back down to the ground.

   “You’re on, Kirschtein!”

--.--

   “C’mon then, darling,” Reiner says charmingly, a smirk plastered on his stupid face. “Let me have it.”

   “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were getting off on this,” I say back, getting into position. 

   Reiner shrugs, “Eh. Maybe. Come over here and find out.”

   I roll my eyes and dig the ball of my foot into the dirt. My grip on the toy knife tightens as I lunge forward, aiming for his chest. His hands shoot out for my chest and my stomach- intending to flip me. 

   I duck down, dodging his arms. As I shoot back up, I place the knife just under his chin. Panting, we stay there for a moment. His eyes trail down my figure before coming up to meet mine. “Damn…” he mumbles, “That was…”

   I press the wooden knife to his throat a little harder. “We’re in public,” I scold, “You’ll scare the kids.” I pull away, flicking his nose. 

   “Eren,” I call, waving him over as he watches us from the sidelines. 

   He hurries over, brushing his hair out of his eyes. “How’d you do that?”

   “You have to find their weakness,” I explain, “Whether it be physical or in their attack. Rei’s a big guy and can easily outmatch me in most styles of fighting. Lucky for me, though, he doesn’t keep his hands up enough to keep me from finding an ‘in’.”

   “Pfft,” Reiner scoffs, rolling his eyes as his arms cross over his chest. “I let you win.”

   “I know you’re joking, love, but let me explain to the kid first,” I wave him off, still focusing on Eren. “So what you have to do is find your opponent’s weakness and use it against them.”

   Eren nods slowly, taking the knife from my hands. “So… what’s your weakness?”

   “Being too badass,” I smirk, tousling his hair. Eren ducks away and scowls. “Fine… It’s a few things. For one, I’m not the tallest person in the world. People like Rei, Bert, or Ymir easily have an arm’s length advantage over me. And I’m not good with defense. You’ll always see me strike first.”

   “Which is why you two work so well together,” Eren's eyes brighten with realisation. “Reiner- you’re good at defense and _________, you’re good at offense.”

   I can feel my face turn a slight shade of pink and I tousle his hair again, “...jeez, kid. Don’t make me blush.”

   “Nearly two years of dating and you’re still all blushy,” Reiner coos, the smile on his face echoing in his tone. “How cute.”

   “‘Cute’?!” I snap, turning around to face him. “I’ll kick your ass- I have kicked your ass! Multiple times!”

   “Oh really? Then how ‘bout you go pick a fight with someone else? Prove how ‘not cute’ you are.” Reiner teases, an eyebrow raised as he looks me up and down. 

   I scoff, rolling my eyes. “Fine. I will. I’ll even let you pick my opponent.”

   Reiner heads off, weaving through the various groups to find me someone to fight. Eren stands beside me and scoffs. “You two are so weird,” he mumbles. “One minute you’re all over each other and the next you’re pushing each other’s buttons.”

   “It’s called being comfortable,” I laugh, watching as Reiner claps a hand on Bertholdt’s back and drags him over here. “You’ll have that one day.”

   “I’ll be too busy slaying Titans for that.”

   “Yeah, yeah… I didn’t think I could either. I was stuck on being a Scout and saving my family, I just… I didn’t think it was in the cards for me.” I roll my eyes and laugh, “And then that blond idiot stumbled into my life.”

   “You talkin’ about me?” Reiner asks, walking up to us with Bert. He’s got that look in his eyes- all playful and teasing. What a softie.

   “Yeah- about how much of a softie you are.” I gesture to Bert, “You explain what’s goin’ on?”

   Bert’s eyes flick from me to Eren and then to Reiner. A small bead of sweat trails down his forehead. He gulps. “...yeah.”

   “Aw, c’mon, Bertie,” I laugh softly, getting into position. “You act like you’ve seen me fight.”

   “That’s the thing,” Bert chuckles warily, a crooked smile on his lips. “I have.”

   “Oh…,” my shoulders slump slightly before tensing back up again. “Well. You’ve got an advantage. I haven’t seen you fight so I’m going in blind.”

   “Hey, Reiner, I-” Bert starts, trying to hand the toy knife back to him with shaky hands.

   “Aw, c’mon, Bertholdt,” Reiner chuckles, hands kneading Bert’s shoulders. “You’re afraid of her? She’s like… so much shorter than you.”

   “Yeah, but-”

   “C’mon, then. Show ‘er how it’s done.”

   Bert’s eyes are wide as Reiner steps away to stand beside Eren. Finally, he sighs and tenses his jaw. “Fine…,” he mutters, “Let’s go then.”

   “Fantastic,” I smile, bringing my fists up to guard my face. 

   Bertholdt takes a deep breath and I ready myself. Go for the gut- when he’s winded, hit the backs of his knees. He’ll bring himself down. 

   Bertholdt and I charge for each other. The knife between us, I turn to the side. Grabbing his wrist, I twist it back. My left elbow digs into his stomach at the same time and he hunches over. My leg wraps around his and pulls at the backs of his knees, sending him toppling over. I step forward as he does and am out of the way before he hits the ground. 

   A cocky smile plays my lips as I hand Eren the knife. “That… is how it’s done.”

--.--

  “Sasha farted,” Mikasa says calmly. 

   My hand flies up to my mouth, smacking against my face as laughter threatens to bubble out. My other hand gripping Reiner’s bicep, I try to remain quiet as the Commandant scolds Sasha. Connie sitting next to me is snickering. I elbow him and press a finger to my lips, only for the two of us to tremble with pent-up laughter. Reiner is tense and still but I can feel the rumbling in his chest as he tries to stay calm. Sasha’s face has drained of all color as she stares open-mouthed at Mikasa. 

   The door closes and we erupt into giggling. “Holy shit,” I wheeze, wiping a tear from my eyes. “Holy shit… Holy shit, holy shit. Ho. Lee. Shit.”

   “I can’t breathe!” Connie howls, holding his sides. 

   “Shut up!” Sasha snaps before turning to Mikasa. Her hands on Mikasa’s shoulders, she starts to shake her back violently. “How could you say that?! In front of everyone? In front of the Commandant?! I thought we were-”

   She’s cut off by Mikasa shoving a piece of bread into her mouth. “We are,” she says simply. “It was the only way to get him out of here fast without him asking any questions.”

   Sasha’s eyebrows unknit as she chews on the bread. Her grip falls away from Mikasa’s shoulders and she crosses her arms over her chest. Pink dusts her cheeks as she pouts.

   “Aw, jeez, Sasha,” I mumble, “Everyone’ll forget it in a few days. It’s not a big deal. ‘Sides, the ones that won’t forget are going to the Scouts. You won’t have to worry about-” The table grows quieter as we all realise what I said. “Shit…” I mutter, feeling the weight of the choosing ceremony settle in amongst us.

   “You still wanna… go... to the Scouts?” Connie asks beside me.

   I nod, “It’s been my goal since day one.”

   “You guys, too?” He asks, looking at Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. Each of them nod. 

   “...Sasha?” I ask quietly, my eyes flicking to her from over my cup of tea.

   “Military Police,” she says firmly. “I… I won’t have to worry about food there.”

   A weight leaves my chest, sliding off with her words. Military Police means she’ll be far away from the exterior- safe. I won’t have to worry about her getting hurt and I can protect the kids better. The only thing she’ll have to worry about is if she’ll be seated closest to the food that night.

   She’ll be safe. 

   “And you?” I ask, turning to face Reiner. He’s been too quiet for too long.  

   His eyes meet mine as I duck into his vision. A small smile crosses his lips and he shrugs. “...I… I’m still deciding.”

   That’s been his answer for months now. ‘Still deciding’. It’s driving me insane. If he could just make up his mind already, I could stop worrying.

--.--

   “You have three choices!” The officer in front of us yells. “The Garrison Regiment- who reinforce the walls. The Scout Regiment- who ride into Titan country to take back land for humanity. And the Military Police- where you protect the people and serve out the orders of your King.”

   The officer gestures down to us. “Naturally, the only ones that can join the Military Police are the top ten- sorry, eleven- scorers that we announced earlier.”

   Christa. Sasha. Connie. Marco. Jean. Eren. Annie. Bertholdt. Me. Reiner. Mikasa. We’re set apart from the group. My chest puffs out a bit with pride as I stand in a salute. Not just me, either. Mikasa, Eren, Sasha- we’re here. 

   Carla, I hope you can see your boy. 

   Mom… Dad… I hope you’re proud.

   We made it. 

--.--

   The room is buzzing with excitement, so thick and pure you could almost taste it. People are laughing, drinking, eating, cheering. Others are dancing on top of tables, belting out drinking songs. 

   Eren, Mikasa, and Armin sit across from me. Sasha and Connie are on my right while Reiner sits to my left. His hand is around my waist, tucking me into his side. I lean into his chest to soak up his warmth like a happy, slightly-buzzed, little sponge. In front of me is the pile of cadet evaluations someone stole from Sadies’ office.

   My eyes scan over the first cadet evaluation. “Ooh,” I laugh giddily. “‘Connie Springer is exceptionally note-worthy regarding ODM maneuvering but’-,” I stop, bursting into laughter.

   “Well?!” Connie snaps, slamming his glass down on the table. “Finish it!”

   “‘But is a few sandwiches short of a picnic’.” I finish, giggling. The group erupts into laughter as Connie’s eyebrows furrow. 

   “The Hell does that mean?!”

   Armin leans over and whispers something in his ear. Connie’s face turns bright red and the grip on his drink grows tighter. “Hey!” He snaps, “I’m not stupid!”

   The group’s laughter surges. Connie scoffs and sinks down into his seat. 

   “Aww… Poor thing.” I laugh, rubbing his head. 

   He shakes me off and takes a gulp of ale. “Just do the next one already.”

   “Me! I’ll go next!” Sasha yells, waving a hand over her head. 

  I nod, turning my gaze down to the pile of evaluations in front of me. Picking up Sasha’s file, I take a drink of ale and open it up. “‘She has unconventionally good intuition’,” I lift my glass as the group cheers. Sasha smiles, puffing her chest out proudly. “But also doesn’t share this intuition with her classmates, making her a poor teammate as a result.” Sasha shrinks, shrugging and rolling her eyes. 

   “Who’s next?”

   “Reiner!” Someone calls out. I scan the group as Bert raises his eyebrows at me, smirking as he takes a sip from his cup. 

   I nod and snake Reiner’s file out, opening it. “‘Stalwart in both mind and body’- I can attest to that.” I tease, earning some cheers and groans from the group. “...‘and well-respected by his comrades. Also-” my hand clamps down over my mouth as laughter threatens to spill out. “...‘has the constitution... of a grass-fed ox’.”

   The group howls. I close the file and turn to Reiner, who was reading over my shoulder. “Aww… poor Rei���,” I tease, placing my hand against his face. My thumb rubs over his pink skin as he scoffs. 

   “Let’s read yours next,” he laughs, reaching behind me and snatching mine off the pile. 

   “Now- wait, hang on-”

   “Who wants to read _________’s?” Reiner yells, holding the file above his head so I can’t reach it. The group erupts into cheers, lifting glasses and fists into the air. Reiner looks down at me and shrugs. “Gotta give the people what they want.” 

   I roll my eyes, groaning as I sink back into my seat. I take another sip of ale as Reiner clears his throat. “‘Although talented in bladework and maneuvering… she is relatively lackluster in the classroom- caused by her genuine dislike of being stuck indoors. Also has issues trusting in new people- and a stubbornness rivaling that of a donkeys’.”

   The crowd cheers. 

   “To Hell with rules!” Connie yells, lifting a glass. 

   The others lift their glasses and I do the same. “To freedom!” I laugh, smashing my cup up against the others’. I bring it back down and take a long sip of the ale in it. 

   “How’s it feel to be in the top ten?” Thomas asks, sitting down beside Armin.

   “Eleven,” Armin corrects, “Actually.”

   “Christa and Sasha got the same exact score- so technically it's still the top ten scorers,” I say, shrugging. “But I don't really care.”

   Thomas, Armin, and Reiner chuckle. “Well?” Thomas asks, “How’s it feel?”

   I breathe in deeply, closing my eyes. “...like I’m gettin’ drunk,” I laugh, taking another drink of ale. 

   “Cheers to that,” Reiner mumbles, hitting his cup against mine. The two of us take another swig, giggling at each other as we peek over the rims of our glasses. 

   “You’re an idiot,” I laugh, placing my cup on the table. “How in the walls did I ever fall for you?”

   “It was that damn walk,” Reiner says, slamming his cup down a little harder than he wanted to. “In the woods. When I helped Eren.”

   “That was when I fell for you?” 

   “No, when I fell for you.” 

   “...really?” I ask, turning to face him. His cheeks burn a slight red and his golden eyes are half-closed as he looks down at me. Slowly, his tongue comes out and wets his lips- all while staring at mine. 

   “Yes, ma’am,” he says, reaching up and tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “Seein’ you in your element- the moonlight, the woods… Making those jokes and laughing with Armin and Eren… All I could think about was how beautiful you looked.”

   My face turns bright red, burning hot with embarrassment. “You…” I trail off, trying to snatch the next coherent words in my short-circuiting brain. “You’re…” I laugh softly and shake my head. “I think you’re pretty good-lookin’, too.”

   His lips press against mine softly. He tastes like ale and mint. Slowly, Reiner pulls away. His eyes flick around the table before bouncing back to me. “It’s crowded in here,” he whispers. “Let’s get outta here.”

   “And do what?” I ask coyly, snaking my arms around his neck. “What sort of lewd, lecherous, lascivious things are you trying to steal me away to do?”

   “Why don’t you come with me and find out?”

   My lips turn up into a smirk and I pull away. “Sasha?” I call, tapping her on the shoulder. “I’m trusting you to make sure Connie, Eren, Jean and Armin don’t drink too much.”

   She nods, “I’ll make sure. Where’re you going?”

   “Um…,” I trail off, “On a walk.”

   She shudders, “Ew. Just… be safe.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure thing, Mom...” I mutter, getting to my feet. “Let’s go, Rei.”

--.--

   My fingers graze against the edges of the suitcase. They’re fraying and the leather has cracked. Pieces of string poke out of the sides, allowing gaps to form around the edges of the suitcase. 

   I still haven’t found someone to transfer everything to my name. With training and testing, I just haven’t gotten the time. I will find someone though. I’m not giving up. I can’t give up. 

   Reiner’s hands find my waist, clutching me as if I were to fly away at any given moment. His lips leave feathery kisses against my shoulder. Slowly, he trails upwards and nibbles my ear. 

   “You’re distracting,” I hum, turning my head to give him more room to work. “Keep going.”

   “Two years,” he whispers against my skin, “Two whole years- and you’re just now coming to that conclusion?”

   I laugh airily, my eyelids fluttering closed as he finds that spot in the crook of my neck. “I’ve known for a while… Remember that ODM incident?”

   Reiner chuckles, sending warm air fanning over my shoulder. “You nearly crashed. Commandant Sadies had to send me to the barracks.”

   “You were being distracting on purpose,” I laugh, “There was no reason for you to be stripping.”

   “It was hot.”

   “It was raining.”

   “It was payback,” he mutters, “You were bein’ a brat.”

   “I’m always a brat.”

   “More than usual,” Reiner’s hands run down my sides. I shudder with pleasure and he stops. “...that was hot,” he chuckles. “Look at yourself.”

   My eyes flick up to the mirror in front of us. I didn’t even feel my arms reaching up behind me and tangling around his neck. My fingers are gently massaging his scalp. I can feel my back arch slightly into his chest, my hips flush against his.

   “You’re beautiful,” he mumbles into my hair. 

   “Stop it, handsome, you’ll make me blush.”

   His eyebrow arches and a smirk plays his lips. My eyes widen as I realise what he’s thinking. “Don’t you dare pick me u-!”

   “You’re right, darling, no more teasing,” he says, picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder. “Let’s get right down to it.”

   “Rei-” I laugh, feeling him climb onto my bed. “Reiner Braun! You put me down this instant!”

  Reiner laughs, pulling me off his shoulder and laying me down on the blankets. He wastes no more time. Kisses are hot and twisting, all sloppy and eye-rollingly erotic.

   “You are the best thing… that’s happened to me,” he says between kisses. 

   “You’re-” the words get stuck in my throat as his mouth starts to suck on my collarbone. All I can do is shake and run my trembling hands through his hair, pulling it gently. 

   “Don’t get too excited,” Reiner chuckles, eyes flicking up to me. “You have a long night ahead of you.”

--.--

   I groan, pulling the collar of my shirt up further. My entire neck throbs and pulses. Even my collarbones are sore. And my legs. 

   And then he’s just gone. Just a little letter by my bed. ‘Had to go. Bert needed me. Love you- Rei’. That blond asshole. I’d punch him if I wasn’t in love with him. 

   At least he left a note, I guess.

   “_________!” Eren yells, waving me over to the spot where he, Armin, Sasha, and Mikasa stand. 

   I push through towards them, giving them each a small smile. Eren’s eyes are glistening as he stares out into the street.

   The Scouts were coming back, led by Commander Erwin. Eren had burst into the dorm and dragged me out to come with him and the others. 

   “Things are different with the Scouts now.” Eren comments, beaming at the Scouts on their horses. Various people cheer for them from the sides of the streets. “People are excited for them.”

   “Yeah,” I groan, massaging my temple as throbbing pain shoots through my head. “They’re being loud as Hell about it.”

   “Maybe it should’ve been you I was watching out for last night,” Sasha teases, nudging my side. 

   “I didn’t even drink that much,” I mutter, “It was just-”

   “There’s Captain Levi!” 

   Everyone turns back to the street, chattering with excitement. “They say he’s like a squadron all on his own!” Someone else comments. 

   “That guy?” I ask, looking up at the black-haired, grey-eyed, bored-looking man sitting on his horse. “...wait… I know him.”

   “He’s the most popular Scout in the Regiment, of course you know him.” Eren says, rolling his eyes.

   “No, I actually know him… Remember when Shiganshina fell? And I was with that wagon, helping their soldiers out? One of the soldiers that came to help was him.”

   “Really?” Eren asks, his eyes wide as he turns to me. “What’s he like?”

   “...quiet. And snappish.”

   “Like Mikasa!” Sasha laughs.

   “Yeah… a lot like Mikasa, actually…”

   “Hey, guys!”

   My head snaps towards the voice, feeling myself bubble with happiness. “Hannes!” 

   “Heard you all graduated yesterday,” Hannes laughs, a bright smile on his face. “You four really are something.”

   “Five,” I say, grabbing Sasha’s arm and pulling her closer to me. “This is my little sister, Sasha.”

   “Ah!” Hannes’ eyes light up as they flick between us. “I can see the resemblance.”

   “Sasha, this is Hannes,” I explain, “He’s been the one that’s gotten us in and out of trouble. And he was the one that got me out of Shiganshina.”

   “Nice to meet you, sir!” She smiles, shaking Hannes’ hand. 

   “How’ve you been?” Eren asks, “I heard you got promoted to Captain of the Corps of Engineers.”

   The group collectively chuckles. 

   “You punk,” Hannes scoffs, flicking Eren’s nose. 

   Slowly, his smile fades and his eyes lose their brightness. “I’m sorry… that I couldn’t save your mom… I know it’s sudden but... it haunts me every night.”

   Eren’s smile falters and settles into a determined line. “It’s not your fault. We’re not kids anymore. None of us are going to let such sorrow happen again. I’m gonna beat those Titans. I swear it.”

--.--

   “You didn’t…” I mumble, staring at Sasha as she salivates over the cut of meat. “Sasha! You’re gonna get caught! Why didn’t you tell me?!”

   “I wanted to do it myself,” she mumbles, eyes still fixated on the meat. “But it’s okay! I’m willing to share.” She presses the meat up under her nose and takes a long sniff.

   “You’re an idiot…” I mutter, shaking my head.

   “A scary idiot.” Connie adds, his eyes wide.

   “Put it back!” Thomas snaps, “You’re gonna get caught.”

   “But imagine the sandwiches.” Sasha froths at the mouth, stumbling towards a container. 

   “Do you have any idea of how rare meat is since Maria fell?” Mina asks.

   “Yeah, but look at it this way,” Sasha hums, placing the meat inside the container. “Once we take back Maria, we’ll have all the room we need to raise livestock. They won’t even look for this one piece of meat.” 

   “She’s got a point,” I murmur, raising my eyebrows and shrugging. 

   The group goes quiet, all salivating at the mouth and staring at the meat as Sasha closes the container. It smells amazing. Like it was gifted to us by the gods. 

   “...I would really like a slice please!” Thomas erupts, eyes squinting and fists clenched on either side of him. 

   Connie drops the brush he was using to clean the cannons, “Hey- if he’s getting some, I want some, too!”

   “I’ll take some, too!” Mina laughs. 

   “Hell, I’ll take some,” I smirk, tying an upper section of my hair back into a ponytail. “Save some for Reiner, too. Big lug’ll want some, too, I’ll bet.”

   Eren’s eyes are wide as he looks from each of us. His mouth hangs open and parts of words fall out past his lips. “C’mon, Eren,” Samuel chuckles, picking up a brush and scrubbing out the inside of a cannon. “The longer you stand there with that look on your face, the more suspicious they’re gonna get.”

   “Yeah, man,” I joke, nudging him with my elbow as I walk past. “Don’t ruin this for everyone.” I bend over, grabbing a wooden box filled with cannon ammo. Straightening back up, I haul the box over to Sasha. She’s busy scrubbing the metal of the cannon, muttering to herself about ‘how delicious that meat smelled’. 

   “Hey, I’ll take over,” I smile, taking the rag from her hands. “Go take this to Connie.”

   Sasha’s eyes narrow. “...why?”

   “Because.” I state, nudging her with my elbow. “Now get a move on.”

   Sasha smiles and gets to her feet, snagging the ammo box. She walks over to Connie, who looks up from his work and smiles. The two start chatting- planning little devious pranks on Jean. I start cleaning the cannon metal. 

   I wonder what my blond idiot and his tall bastard best friend went. Always up to no good. 

   I roll my eyes. I went and fell for a child. Not that I’m any better in that regard but still. What a dork. 

   But he’s my dork or whatever. 

   “Hey,” I say, getting to my feet and turning towards Eren, who’s looking out over the side of the wall towards the interior. “Ya gonna help ‘r are ya gonna just stand there?”

   Eren turns to me and smiles gently. “Come here,” he says, gesturing to me to stand beside him. I throw the rag over my shoulder and walk to stand beside him. “If you lean just a bit over the side, you can hear everything.”

   My feet toe the edge. I look out over the roofs and houses, the streets and carts. People are bustling around, talking and laughing and running around. Children run through alleyways and hillsides. I close my eyes, letting the wind tousle my hair. The sounds below swell with each breeze. My arms come out on either side of me. The wind runs up my sides and my clothes flutter in its touch. 

   It’s like I’m flying. 

   “Hey, don’t lean too far over,” Eren laughs, grabbing my collar and pulling me back slightly. “I don’t need Reiner chewing me out because you fell down the wall.”

   I roll my eyes, “Tch… Can’t even let me have a little fun.” 

   “By the look of your neck, you had plenty of fun last night.”

   My cheeks turn bright red as I tug my collar further up along my neck. “H-hey! Shut up about that!”

   Eren shrugs and laughs, “You can deny it all you-”

   It all happens too fast. Like a collision of events. The lightning just beyond the wall. The Collosal Titan appearing. The arm smashing against the wall, wiping clear the cannons and sending us flying over the side. 

   My hands find my ODM controllers and the wires launch out, gripping the side of the wall. My eyes look around. Mina, Connie, Sasha, Eren, Thomas- “Where’s Samuel?” I scream, looking around at each of the figures clinging to the wall. 

   “Sasha!” Mina yells at my left. I turn towards her and watch as Sasha runs down the length of the wall, heading towards the figure plummeting towards the ground. A wire shoots out of her ODM gear. The prongs pierce through Samuel’s leg. Sasha stops in her spot and looks up at me. 

   A smile crosses her lips before she turns down to Samuel. “Try not to move!” 

   “Sound off,” I yell, “Who else is hurt?”

   “I’m good!” Connie yells back. 

   “All good here!” Mina calls out. 

   “Just a scratch!” Thomas yells. 

   “Where’s the scratch?” I call back. 

   “Left forearm!”

   My finger comes off the trigger, letting the prongs shoot back into my ODM gear. Using the momentum of falling, I shoot the wires out again and swing up to where Thomas is. Landing beside him, I roll my sleeves up. “Let me see it.”

   Thomas starts to roll up his sleeve, revealing a gash running up along his forearm. “‘Just a scratch’, huh?” I ask, ‘tch’-ing my tongue as I examine it. It’s not too deep but it’ll mess with his ability to fight if I don’t take care of it now.

   “Okay, listen,” I mutter, shrugging off my Cadets jacket. “This is only temporary. As soon as we get the Hell outta here, you’re gonna get some fresh bandages… and don’t tell Reiner.”

   “Don’t tell Reiner wha-?”

  I cut him off, slicing a piece of the bottom of my shirt with my blade. “He got me this shirt,” I mutter, taking his arm and wrapping it around his ‘scratch’. The blood soaks into the light green material. It slowly turns a sickly brown… but it’ll do.

   “Make a fist,” I instruct. He does so without strain. “Good. You should be able to hold a sword in that hand.” 

   Thomas nods, “Thanks, Mom.”

   “Don’t worry about it,” I smile before my hand comes up and bats the side of his head. "'nd don't call me 'Mom'."

   “There’s a hole in the wall!” Connie screams. My eyes widen and I look down below us. There’s a gaping hole at the base of the wall, stone and brick scattered around it. “They’re gonna get in! They’re gonna get in, they’re gonna get in!” Connie repeats over and over again.

   “...oh, shit.”

--.--

   “As members of the Cadet Corps that passed the final maneuvers, you are now considered fully-fledged soldiers!” The officer yells as the Cadets weave through the pillars and each other to the gas canisters. 

   I hurry to the wall, having someone hand me a pair of gas canisters for my ODM gear. “Sasha!” I call, putting the gas into my gear. “Sasha Braus!” 

   Sasha stumbles to me, trembling and her eyes wide. Her mouth falls open and closed- but nothing comes out. I grip her shoulders and shake her gently, staring at her. “Can you hear me?” I ask, eyes flicking between hers.

   Sasha nods, her eyebrows curving upwards. “...yes.”

   “You listen to me very carefully, Sasha,” I say calmly. “You have to listen to me.” She nods again. “You’re going to be okay, do you hear me? You’re going to be okay... if you listen to me- you stay close to me at all times. If I’m separated from the group, you don’t hesitate to follow me- do you hear me?”

   “_________, I can take care of myself,” she starts, shrugging my hands off her shoulders. “I placed Top Ten, just like you.”

   “I know but this isn’t like training,” I mutter, eyes roving around the room as Cadets and soldiers frantically ready themselves for battle. Some are throwing up from nerves, others are sobbing on the floor. “This is battle. It’s always different.”

   “You’re going in for the first time, too, _________. Why are you talking like you’ve done this before?”

   I'm not answering that honestly. She doesn't need to know about the life-or-death fights I'd managed to get myself in.

   “Remember when I used to go hunting with you?” I ask, scanning her eyes. 

   “...yeah.”

   “It was always different hitting a target than hitting something in the wild, right?” Sasha nods. “It’s like that. It’s just... the deer can and will kill you without hesitating. So you stick with me. We can get out of this.”

   Sasha’s eyes soften and slowly, she nods. I breathe out and wrap my arms around her. “I love you,” I whisper, running a hand through her hair. “I love you so much.”

   Sasha’s arms tighten around me. “...I’m scared.”

   Another shaking breath passes my lips. “I’m scared, too,” I mutter, pulling away and resting my forehead against hers. “But we’re gonna be okay. You and me and Connie and Jean and Armin. Mikasa. Eren. Reiner. We’re all gonna be okay.”

   A determined smile appears on her lips. I press mine to her forehead and wipe my sweating hands on my pants. “I need t’go find the others. You tell Connie and Jean what I told you. The more of us working together means the more chance of us surviving.”

   Sasha nods once and runs into the crowd. I sigh, running a hand through my hair while my legs tremble beneath me. Where the Hell is Reiner?

--.--

    There’s a silent buzz that echoes through me. My veins. My skin. From the depths of my stomach to the edges of my fingertips. It buzzes and hums- but silent, nothing heard. 

   It’s felt. 

   My body twitches with excitement, all nervous and energetic. 

   I remember something like this. In the woods, drawing a bowstring back to my ear. The shaky but determined exhale of breath as the bowstring was loosed. The buzz concentrated in my ears, in my fingers then. All soft and almost unnoticeable. But now…

   It’s different. 

   Amplified and harsh. My leg bounces up and down- I can’t stop it. The tremble in my hands, in my gut. Chills running rampantly through my skin and so wildly I can feel it under my hair. 

   It’s not fear, no. Had it been fear, I would’ve known. 

   ‘Adrenaline’. Medical books and Doctor Yaeger’s teachings in the lamplight come rushing back to me. This is pure energy. The pulse of determined energy; wild and untamable. It controls me now. I can only direct it. 

   My eyes turn down to the blades at my hips. 

   Yes. These will be where my energy is directed. Every twist and spin and curve and turn will be where my energy is. Not to run away from the enemy. But to run straight for it. 

   “_________.”

   I look up from my blades. It’s Jean. There’s deep trenches in his face- worry. I get to my feet, feeling my eyebrows knit together. “...are you alright?” I ask quietly, brushing the hair from his eyes. 

   Jean’s eyes meet mine and he shakes his head. “...I was supposed to leave tomorrow.”

   I nod, recalling the scuffle he and Eren had gotten into just a few minutes ago. “And you will.” I say quietly, taking his face into both of my hands. “Do you hear me? You will.” He opens his mouth again to speak. Before he can get anything out, I stop him. “Have I ever lied to you?”

   “...you told me iodine would burn.”

   Rolling my eyes, I gently smack the side of his face. “I said that because I wanted to see if you would make a scene or not,” I mutter. “Have I actually ever lied to your face before?”

   “...no.”

   “Then why would I start now?”

   Jean’s eyes soften and I can feel his body begin to radiate confidence. Over his shoulder, I can see Hanna waving an arm over her head. I lift a single hand up and she nods, running out of the courtyard. Turning back to Jean, I stare him in the eyes. “You listen. You’re gonna be fine and we’re gonna have one helluva celebration when you get sent off tomorrow.”

   Jean nods, smirking. “I’ll be waiting to hear you sing.”

   I smile and press my lips to his forehead, “See you in a few.” Running towards the courtyard’s exit, I stop and wave one last time. 

   “Bye, Mom!” He calls as I round the corner. 

   “Call me that one more time, Jean, and the Titans won’t be the only thing you have to worry about!” I yell back. 

--.--

   “...how ‘bout you, _________?” 

   My eyes slide up to the voice. Slowly, I blink away the glaze. Franz and the others are staring at me, waiting for a response to something. “Sorry?” I ask, getting to my feet.

   “I was just asking if everyone’s alright,” Franz answers, his eyebrows knitting together in concern. “...are you?”

   I laugh slightly and shrug. “As ‘alright’ as I can be right now.”

   The group collectively chuckles- all quiet and heartless.

   “Just wondering how you’re doing,” Franz says quietly. “You aren’t nearly as… bubbly right now.”

   “‘Bubbly’?” I ask, smiling. “We’re about to go into battle after knowing each other for three years and I’m just now realizing you think of me as ‘bubbly’?”

   The groups’ eyes shoot off into different directions- avoiding me. Franz stumbles over his words, eyes wide and hands up slightly in surrender. “Hang on- that’s not what I… I didn’t mean like… I meant it like-”

   “Aw c’mon, man,” I scoff, punching his arm playfully. “I’m just messin’ with you. I know I can be… ‘lively’ at times.”

   Franz and the others visibly relax. Floch scoffs and shakes his head. “I think Franz had it right the first time. ‘Bubbly’ is the word to describe you.”

   Something deep inside me hardens as I hear his voice. The only one in my squad that I truly and genuinely cannot stand. Insensitive, rude, arrogant. Walls above, the boy drives me insane. He’s led to more fights in the squad than everyone else combined. 

   Floch lifts his sword, “Actually… I’d say ‘perky’.”

   “‘Perky’?” I say quietly, an eyebrow raised as I look at him. 

   He nods, flicking a piece of hair from his eyes. He raises his sword to gesture to my chest. “...perky.”

   I smile sweetly despite the urge to tackle him off the roof bubbles in my veins. Slowly, I breathe in and out. He just wants a reaction. That’s all it is. Same with every idiotic moron with that mindset. 

   “Really, I mean, Franz- you’ve noticed it, too.”

   Franz shakes his head and sets his jaw. “I respect my squad leader-”

   “Yeah, okay,” Floch mutters, rolling his eyes. “C’mon, not even you, Gordon?”

   My eyes slide over to Gordon, who notices me do so. His face pales and he frantically shakes his head. “No, no, no… Not me.”

   “Hanna, how ‘bout-”

   I’m at his throat before he can get the next few words out. My blade is pressed up against his neck. With morbid fascination, I watch as he gulps. “Enough,” I snap, “Enough of this shit. You want t’get your ass beat by me so badly, we can have this out right here and right now. Maybe if I break your jaw, you’ll finally shut the hell up and leave the rest of us in peace.”

   “You’re bluffing,” Floch mutters. 

   I press my blade just a bit harder. “You wanna find out?”

   “Hey,” Hanna says gently, appearing next to me. “Let’s not do this right now.”

   My eyes flick between Floch’s. Sweat is beading down his forehead and I can see his hands shaking gently. I scoff and pull away, “You’re right. Waste of energy and..  we’ve got bigger problems right now, anyways.”

   Hanna sighs, pulling my arm to lead me away. Franz and Gordon force smiles as I meet their gazes. Franz stammers out something- a change in topic or something. I don’t really hear him. I’m too busy waiting for Floch to open his mouth. As I turn around, I can hear Floch chuckle. “...I knew it.”

   Hanna doesn’t have enough time to stop me as I turn around and strike Floch’s nose. There’s a crunch as my fist collides with his skin and I can feel his nose give. Gordon runs for us as Hanna holds me back. Gordon picks Floch up off the roof tiles. Franz appears next to me, his mouth open slightly as he stares at Floch’s bleeding, broken nose. 

   “Don’t ever,” I hiss, “Ever. Think I will hesitate.” 

   “Squad 32!” Someone yells from another rooftop. “Squad 32! Report!”

   Glaring at Floch, I shrug Hanna’s grip. “Squad 32 leader reporting!” I yell, walking to the edge of the roof. 

   A pair of soldiers standing on the roof down below us look up at us. “Move out!” One of them shouts, waving us forward. 

   Turning to the others, I smile and pull out my blades. Each of them stare at me- all terrified beyond belief, all nervously gripping their swords and shifting in their spots. The buzz, the hum is back and even stronger than before. 

   I let myself fall backwards off the side of the roof, pressing the triggers of my ODM gear. Feeling myself shoot back up towards the sky, I let out a small laugh. 

   It’s time.

--.--

   “Sound off!” I yell as we zip through the air. 

   “On your left!” Franz yells back, appearing briefly in my vision before slipping back down underneath me. 

   “I’m here!” Hanna says from above me. 

   “Gordon? Floch?” I call, launching my ODM wires out and swinging upwards. 

   There’s no response. 

   Angling myself, I spin backwards and let the ODM wires pull out of the building they had lodged into. Now facing the other way, I watch as Floch and Gordon weave through alleys and buildings a ways away from the rest of the group. 

   I fall back down to the earth, shooting my wires out to put me right beside the two slackers. “You’re gonna get left behind if you don’t hurry the hell up!” I snap, swinging beside them. 

   My eyes dart to movement just beyond a clocktower. “Eyes up!” I yell, propelling myself to the front of the squad. My blades slice through the air as I brandish them. Rounding the corner, I can see our target. Fifteen meters. Ugly son of a bitch, too.

   My ODM gears shift and I launch the wires directly into the Titan’s collarbone. Its arms swing out towards me and I duck down underneath them, letting go of the trigger as I fall. The arm collides with the building beside me. Rocks graze my face- leaving little slices of raw skin behind. 

   My feet land on the tiles of the same building. I jump onto the Titan’s hand as it snakes it off the broken section of the roof. Running along the arm, I raise my swords and launch the wires into the side of its neck. I jump and swing around its back, slicing my blade along the nape of its neck.

   The Titan immediately goes limp and falls to the floor, tugging the wires of my gear along with it. Planting my feet just under the cut, I ride it down. It crashes to the street, rocking dirt and debris from the building. 

   “_________!” Franz yells, “There’s two more in the other street!” 

   “Two over here, too!” Floch yells, appearing on the rooftop above me.

   “Franz, Hanna- take care of the ones over there! I’m going with Floch and Gordon!” 

   Franz and Hanna each nod, whirring off into the other street. Steam surrounds me and the air is thick with heat and the smell of flesh. My fingers twitch, propelling me up along the clocktower. Floch and Gordon land just under me. 

   My eyes scan the street Floch was telling me about. Two Titan wander aimlessly through the street, bumping into buildings and houses. “Gordon, you and Floch take the one on the left,” I say, pointing the end of my sword to a brown-haired Titan. “As soon as you’re done, you help me finish that one off. I’m gonna lead it away from you two while you work.”

   The two swing off the tower and into the street. I roll my shoulders and launch my wires into the roof of the building just behind the second Titan. My fingers press the triggers and anchor the wires into the Titan’s chest. As I gain momentum, I release the triggers and shoot them out into another building’s walls- allowing me to speed past the Titan’s ear. 

   It takes notice of me. Turning away from the other Titan, it mindlessly follows after me. “Yeah, that’s right,” I whisper, digging my feet into the wall. “Come on…”

   The Titan’s eyes hone in on me. My grip on my blades gets tighter, my fingers dancing along the triggers. Its hands reach out for me and I jump off the roof, falling down to the street. The Titan charges into the building above me. The wires of my gear dig into its side, pulling me up onto its back. Slowly, it pushes itself off the ruins of the house as I run up its back. My blades slice through its neck before it can fully get up. As the body falls back against the building, I swing onto another rooftop.

   The steaming blood on my blades starts to evaporate as the other Titan hits the street. Floch and Gordon swing onto the edge of my rooftop, running to me. “I thought you said we’d help,” Gordon pants.

   “I got it in a good place,” I shrug, chest heaving slightly. 

   There’s a scream that tears out, cutting into our words. “Let’s go!” I yell, heading for the sound. It sounded like Hanna.

   Jumping off the roof, the ODM wires lodge into the bottom of the roof of a building across the street. I’m shot straight up. My eyes scan up and down the street. One Titan lays on the ground, steaming and quickly deteriorating. 

   My stomach churns. 

   The other Titan. It’s… chewing… on something. 

   On someone.

   Hanna has her back to a wall, holding her swords out at the Titan. She’s screaming and I can see the glisten of her tears from here. 

   Falling back down, I shoot my wires into the back of the Titan. As my feet land on its back, the Titan drops whoever it’s chewing on. I can hear Hanna screaming clearly now. 

   “It’s an Abnormal!” 

   Shit.

   The Titan twists and I don’t see the arm until it’s too late. It collides with my body, sending me flying into the wall across the street. The sound of my backbone cracking echo in my ears- blunt pain running through my muscles. Falling forward, my fingers just barely graze the triggers. 

   It’s enough.

   I’m shot forward and under the Titan’s legs. Grunting, I slide against the cobblestone. “Gordon! Get Hanna out of here!” I scream, massaging my side briefly. 

   The Abnormal’s neck snaps towards me as I yell. My grip on my swords gets even tighter. The Abnormal sprints towards me, footsteps uneven and shaking beneath me. I hit the triggers and swing into the sky, feeling a burst of wind just behind me as the Abnormal bats at me. 

   There’s a brief moment when I think it has me. When I mistake the tightening in my chest for its hand. 

   But it’s only a moment. 

   I spin backwards, feet landing on its hand before I’m completely upright. As I straighten up, I run down its arm. “Eyes!” I scream to my squad members, “Eyes, eyes, eyes!”

   Someone’s wires launch into the Abnormal’s bicep and the glint of blades flash across its face. The Abnormal lets out a mangled form of a scream as blood seeps from the gaping holes where its eyes used to be. We don’t have that much time. 

   A yell of my own leaves my lips as I jump off the Abnormal’s shoulder and curve along its back. My blades sink into its nape. The body falls along with me, shaking the ground under my feet as I struggle to stand up. 

   “Hanna! ...Hanna! What the hell are you still doing down here?” I ask, running to her. 

   “_________!” She yells, head snapping up to look at me. “Help him!”

   My eyes slide down to the body in her hands. Franz lays in a puddle of his own blood. 

   Just the top half of him.

   “We’ve gotta do CPR on him!” Hanna says frantically, getting herself on top of the body. “Help me!” 

   “He’s dead, Hanna!” Floch snaps, landing next to me. “There’s no point-!”

   “We can bring him back!” She snaps, her eyes wide and body trembling. “We can-”

   “Titans incoming!” Gordon yells from the roof above us. “We can’t take them all! We need backup!”

   I nod slowly, swallowing the thick lump in my throat. “Hanna,” I say quietly, placing my hand on her shoulder. “You have to listen to me-”

   “No! I… I’m not leaving him!” 

   “Titans!” Gordon screams, “We have to go- now!”

   “Hanna, come with us!” Floch snaps, grabbing her shoulder and trying to tug her to her feet. She refuses, pulling out of his grip. 

   “You’re going to kill him!” She yells, tears streaming down her face as she resumes chest compressions. “You- You all are going to kill him!”

   Floch grabs my arm, leaning in and whispering. “If we don’t leave right now, we’re all going to die.”

   “Hanna,” I say quietly, “We need to-”

   “Get out!” Hanna demands, “Get out of here!” Her eyes flick to me, “Go!” 

   An arm wraps around my waist and I can feel myself being tugged into the air. “Floch!” I yell, vision suddenly clearing as I watch Hanna and Franz’s bodies get smaller and smaller. “You ass, let me go! I’m not leaving her there!”

   “I’m saving your life!” He yells back, activating his gear as we start to swing downwards. “She was gone- she wasn’t coming with us.”

   “You don’t know that!”

   “We need you alive!”

   “We need her alive, too!” 

   “...she wasn’t alive,” he says, just barely audible over the wind. “Not really.”

--.--

   “Get off’a me,” I snap, shoving Floch off as we touch down onto the roof. “You- you left her!” I yell, stumbling as I try to stand up. Pointing at him, my eyes narrow. “You left her behind!”

   “I saved your life!” 

   The eyes of the others are on us as we circle each other like predators. “_________, what’s wrong?” Bertholdt asks, appearing next to me. 

   Jean swings onto the roof, landing next to Floch. “Where’s Hanna and Franz?” he asks, looking around.

   “They’re dead,” Floch answers. 

   “Hanna wasn’t dead!” I scream back, “She was alive!”

   “She was going to get us all killed!”

   “I... am going to get Hanna.”

   My hands snake out from under my jacket. A hush falls on the group as they stare at me. 

   “...you’re wounded,” Jean says quietly. “_________… We can help you- just… Just sit down.”

   I shake my head, gripping my controllers. “She’s running out of time.”

   “You’re running out of blood,” Jean mumbles, stepping closer. 

   My eyes flick down to my hands as they grip my controllers. A thick coating of blood drenches my arms and stains my skin. It seeps down my sleeves to my elbows, crusting in certain places. “I can make it,” I mumble, walking to the edge of the roof. 

   I can feel it. My balance is off- all swaying and shifting. My vision is worse. I can’t focus on anything. Everything is dancing around me as the edges of my vision go dark. The lump in my throat cuts me off, making it hard to breathe. 

   I can’t even take a step off the roof before my vision goes completely dark and I collapse. 

--------

You can read parts one, two, and four here! Just give the number you want a little boop :)

#reiner x reader #reiner x you #eventual relationship #captain levi x fem!reader #braus!reader #sasha braus x sister! reader #reiner x fem!reader #reiner braun #captain levi #eren jaeger #mikasa ackerman #armin arlert #enemies to lovers #pg13 #aot #attack on titan #shingeki no kyoujin #shingeki no kyoujin fanfiction #levi #captain levi x reader

[dracjoonie]

| ⋄ Moonchild ⋄ | Mer!Joon AU |Chap.2 Mudskipper|

⥼ Pairings : Mermaid!Namjoon x Human!Fem!Reader

⥼ Tags : Fluff, eventual smut, slow-ish burn, do Mermen count as hybrids?.. mer!joon x fem!reader

⥼ Summary : What happens when a son of the moon and sea discovers the surface for the first time. And as he stumbles through it; trying to adjust to these new things she called “feet” and “legs”, would it be the surface he fell for, or her?

Basically, Namjoon as the little mermaid~ Minus the whole plot.

⥼ Word Count : 4.5k

⥼ A/N : I know its been a long time since I updated, and I’m really sorry about that ^^” I had a lot of doubts around where I wanted the story to go, but I think I’m all sorted out now! Anyway, I hope this is well received <3 

You tasted salt again. Felt it burning in your eyes and deep in your sinuses. You wished your scream when the wave hit sounded less embarrassing, but you figured it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like you were the only one. Though he looked relieved when he saw the great big shadow of a wave looming above the both of you. 

And he was, but that feeling lasted about as quickly as it came.

The wave knocked you back like a steel wall, and then dragged you forward harshly against the rough sand. Not into the ocean, thankfully. It dragged you far enough for your skin to feel raw. But that had nothing to do with why his relief was so short lived. 

He thought the water would bring his tail back.

He was wrong. 

So what does a Moonchild do when faced with extra limbs, too many joints, and not enough coordination? Turns out they scream. A lot. You would think something that lived primarily underwater wouldn’t have a set of lungs like that, but you were wrong. Baby’s and sirens should have told you that. But the longer he went the more you wondered if he needed air to breath at all. 

“COULD YOU CALM DOWN ALREADY!?” 

“CALM DOWN!!?? YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN!?? WHY DO I HAVE LEGS!!?? WHAT ARE THOSE!!?? WHAT IS THIS!?? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CALM DOWN!?? I’M UGLY!!!” 

“Over dramatic much? jeez..” 

“WHAT!??” 

You began to try and pick yourself up out of the sand, wanting to avoid near drowning for what would become the third time that day. 

“You screaming. It’s dramatic.”

“How am I supposed to react!!?? -Wait, how did you do that!!?” You turned back to flash him a quizzical expression; forgetting for a moment that he had probably never seen someone “walk” before.  

You had only walked a couple of feet up the shore away from him, but for him that was way too far for comfort. Like you ditched him on a bike with no training wheels, except the pavement was slippery sand -if sand was outer space. He flipped himself onto his stomach and did what he could to drag himself after you. He learned fast though, switching to a military-esc crawl when he realized you can only pull yourself so far in a substance with little to no leverage. 

You watched him, still in disbelief that this whole situation was actually happening. 

Soon he made it to the end of his difficult journey, grabbing at your ankles with his dried out hands and huffing out in exasperation. 

“How did you travel like that!?” You snorted at his phrasing.

“I walked.” He tilted himself in the sand to glare up at you, his sharp eyes still too shiny and vibrant to be intimidated by. Especially in his position, with his half wet and half dried clumps of hair invading his face from all sides. You chuckled, squatting down so he wouldn’t have to strain so hard with his feeble glaring. You startled him again with your speed, but he only jolted a little and kept his grip around your ankles. 

“I’ll show you how.” His eyes got real big at that.

“To.. wal-k? -I can’t do that.” 

You had to smile half heatedly at his defeated expression and that sorry look in his eyes. “I just want to swim..” He continued, a sad note in his voice.  

“Well we can figure out your missing tail situation later, for now let me just get you walking so you don’t cook and die out here.” You realized how poor your choice of words were when he started scrambling around in fear. “THAT CAN HAPPEN!!?? WHY DO YOU LIVE UP HERE!!??” 

“Uhh forget I said that, I was exaggerating.. Mostly. Flip over for me, ok?” 

He stammered, but did as he was told. He flopped back on his back, looking up at you sternly. You were able to ignore how naked he was right up until then, you shifted your gaze to the skys trying to talk yourself back into ignoring it until you could get him off the beach and clothed. That wasn’t really a conversation you were willing to have right now, it was barely morning and the day already felt too long. You only hoped he wouldn’t ask you anything specific.. That didn’t have to do with his legs. 

You walked around his form, sitting yourself back in the sand beside his knees. You grabbed his hand that laid beside him, and he gripped yours tightly. 

“I’m gonna help you sit first -give me your other hand too." He strained to look at you from on his back while reaching out to you with his other hand. You held them both now, each of your hands holding one of his reassuringly. You pulled on his arms, not too hard or too fast, just enough to raise his torso slowly off the sand. His balance wavered and tilted once he was upright, but instead of falling back he spread his legs and landed with his palms in the sand between them. He looked stunned, and you stayed at bay waiting for his next reaction. He smiled, a touch of confidence reaching his full lips. 

"Did I do it?" You tried your best not to laugh at him too much at the excitement in his voice.

"Yeah, you've got step one down -now bend your knees."

"My what?"

“Your… leg elbows." He frowned as he looked down at his new appendages, trying to pin point what it was you were talking about. He made an audible "ah!" When he figured it out.  

You held your hands out again as a balancing option but he was doing just fine staying upright on his own now. He bent one leg up, looking shocked that only one of them moved when he coaxed it. He tucked his leg in close to his chest with his foot planted in the sand before he fought to do the same with the other leg.

"Like this?" You nodded as you stood back up and stepped directly in front of him. He gently placed a foot on each of his in preparation as he watched you curiously. 

"So these-" you tapped your feet over his to make a point. "Are your feet, to stand you have to balance all your weight on them. The sand’s gonna be moving under them so this isn’t gonna be ideal, but this is what we're working with." You bent down and urged him to give you his hands again, and he did.

"You ready?" He yelped a yes in reply and you took the que. You pulled on his hands, feeling him tensing the muscles in his legs to catch his own weight. 

"Push on your feet." He nodded, tensing his legs more and helping you raise him up fully. He shot up quickly once he figured out the trick to it, startling you this time. He stood taller than you, which was concerning when he started to tip over.

"PUT YOUR ARMS OUT FOR BALANCE!" You shrieked, moving your feet off of his and throwing your hands up to catch his shoulders if it came to that. Suddenly his head was suspended a foot under yours.

He had bent his knees. He was still wavering in the wind a little bit, but he was standing; mostly, all on his own. 

"Hey!! You've got step two down...kinda. Can you straighten up?" He glanced up at you, his eyebrows knitted in concentration but you could see that he was gonna try his best at whatever you asked him to do. He started to straighten his legs out, his arms still far from his sides. He raised up slowly watching your eyes the whole way until he was stood above you again. Something behind you caught his eye and he reeled, ducking back down and hiding his face in your shoulder as he gripped onto you for balance.

"The sun.."

You gripped his arms as you looked down at him questioningly.

"Yeah..? It's sunrise now." You glanced back behind you being sure not to budge him and looked back at all the reds and pinks of the morning sky, the sun peeking up over the water. You were thankful for it, that little bit of sunlight was the only thing keeping you warm in your drenched clothing. 

"I'm not supposed to be on the surface when the sun is rising -I'm not supposed to be up here at all -but especially not when she's chasing the moon away." 

You were dumbfounded.

"Um.. well. You might have to make an acception today-"

"Are you not scared of her?"

You realized that this must have been some deep rooted merpeople thing, maybe the reason no one had ever seen one before. But he was on the sand now with the sun peaking over the horizon, and he was doing just fine. Whatever impending doom he was sacred of couldn’t have been real.. Or true -you hoped.

"Uhh.. no?" You questioned, seeing if he would say more but all he did was keep his head tucked into your shoulder. You patted his arms timidly, trying to conjure him some comfort.

“Hey.. Whats your name anyway?” He peaked up at you, his eyes swirling and glimmering in the rising light.

“Its Namjoon, and you?” He said in a rush. 

“Y/n.. Listen -its ok if you’re scared of the sun, but its only gonna get higher in the sky the longer we stand here.” That didn’t help, and you knew that as soon as the words left your mouth and you saw him start to tremble. 

“..Namjoon, really.. It’s not gonna hurt you. Just focus on the ocean, isn’t it beautiful like this?” 

That time did something. He started to peak his head up again, his earrings dangling as he moved on wobbly legs. He rose up, still jumpy, but determined. He held onto you the whole way up with his eyes so full of wonder as he calmed himself enough to look at the scenery behind you. You turned your head to see what he was seeing. The stark red glow of the sun as it broke through the horizon, still just a crescent on the surface but its light reflected off the waves and made the clouds glow in pinks and oranges. He stood like that a while; bravely, long enough for you to turn back to him and see the ocean in his eyes.

“See?” He only nodded.

“But don’t stare too long, I’m not sure what it’ll do to your big fish eyes.” “-Hey!” He looked at you again, wobbling from how quick he turned to you with an offended look on his face. “..I’m not a fish.” He pouted as he spoke and you couldn’t help giggling at his expense.

“Yeah, yeah. Lets get you walking fish boy.” Despite his pout he still nodded and looked back down at his new feet. You stepped back from him with your hands still out to catch him if he fell.

“Ok -step three. You’ll need to lift up one foot at a time and put them down in front of each other one behind the other -like this.” You stopped to demonstrate under his incredulous glare. He huffed and lifted his first foot, he tipped over but lept that foot forward in the sand to catch himself in time. He flung his hands out in the air again for balance too, just like you taught him.

“Heyy! That’s one step, now do the other one.” He glared up at you again and you grinned. You never thought you would be teaching a grown man to walk, but there was something endearing about it all. He tried stepping with the other foot and balanced it better this time as he placed it in the sand just in front of his first one. He tried it a few more times, turning a corner and just trying to get a hang of it. He stood a little straighter the longer he kept trying.

You let him walk on his own until he was walking circles around you. Somewhere along the line he figured out how to hop and land on his toes, he was very fond of that. You were happy he was having such a good time after he had just been screaming his lungs out. But unfortunately there was another thing you needed to point out to him, preferable before other onlookers started to show up. 

“Hey Namjoon!?” You shouted to him, waving your arms to coax him over from the direction his skipped off to. Somehow he figured out how to do little spinning jumps when you weren’t watching. He landed on his tip toes but it didn’t look like he was expecting the wave of dizziness that hit him once he stopped spinning. You watched him giggle and tip sideways to one knee mid wave.

“Y/n!! Everything is spinning!! The surface is fun!!” You chuckled at him as you made it over to where he was. You watched him flop himself on his back and dance his fingers up towards the sky.  Now that the sun was up you could see the delicate pastels in his hair more clearly. Strands of lilac and mint and powdered blues evenly blended amongst soft silvers and cool whites. 

“Not to burst your bubble, but there’s something you should know.” His ears perked up as he fought to focus on your figure looming above him.

“You’re naked.” He frowned up at you, flopping his hand in your direction

“And you’re not.” You sighed. This really wasn’t something you were up for explaining more in depth. 

“Uh.. we don’t really do that up here.. Be naked! That is..In public.” He tilted his head in the sand as he continued to frown.

“Why?” You thought about it for a second. Of course you knew why. It was awkward, it was distracting. It wasn’t a common occurrence to see some adult man zipping around showing full frontal. Not to mention it wasn’t exactly kid friendly. But you weren’t sure how to explain all that to him, or where to start. You banked on a shorter answer.

“I don’t know, its inappropriate?” 

“Why?” He said again, unsatisfied. You pinched your brow as you thought again. 

“It’s distracting?” 

“Are you distracted?” He didn’t miss a beat when he questioned you back. And you really didn’t want to answer that. So you didn’t.

“... Anyway. I found this abandoned towel..  You should wrap it around your waist so we can go into town without you mooning anybody.” 

“Mooning?” He sat up as he questioned you, wresting his elbows on his fresh new knees. You already felt too mentally drained from his previous questions, you didn’t even think about touching that one.

“You’ll have to figure that one out on your own.” You tossed the towel into his lap as he rose a brow at you, but he ultimately obliged once he got himself upright again. 

~~

You hadn’t given much thought to your own situation until you were walking back into the town you thought you finally got away from. It turned out jumping ship wasn’t the most productive strategy for getting away. And you still weren’t sure what happened in between you watching the lights of your home town get farther and farther away --and the burn of salt water filling your lungs. Regardless, you were thankful Namjoon saved you. Even if among all the chaos he brought with him you hadn’t found the time to thank him yet. You would make sure to. Your personality may be flippant most of the time, but you really were thankful. This guy just left his whole world to save your life without even thinking, and because of that there was a small chance he couldn’t ever get back. 

You felt for him and would do everything you could to help him find his tail, but your first form of thank you would be to show him around your small town on the surface. Surfing the web for merman lore to help send him home could come later. For now, a good distraction from his current predicament was in order. And distractions were just about everything for him. 

He was first fascinated when you made your way off the beach and he came in contact with the side walk for the first time. And fencing..and how sharp gravel is. And the way his mouth dropped when he finally looked up and saw his first building was a sight to see. You wished the milestone would be something better than a public restroom, but he was happy enough. He really wanted to go inside, but you promised him you would take him somewhere better.. Somewhere cleaner. 

When he spotted his first tree was the same time he learned how to run. He ran right up to this great big palm tree and flung his arms around it, resting his ear against its trunk. 

“This is alive!!” He exclaimed, and all you could do was giggle as you watched him look up and sway in tandem with the fluttering of its leaves. "Its old.. it must have watched the moon and the sun chase each other so many times.. What do I call you?"

"That's a palm tree" He grinned. "A palm tree, amazing. I hope you don't mind if I rest my palms on you." 

"It's just a plant, they don't have feelings." Something in the air moved when you said that, something other than Namjoon's jaw dropping to the sand.. "Are all humans this rude.” You knew it was the tree he was asking, so you merely rolled your eyes and kept walking down the sunny side walk with a grin. 

Finding him clothes didn’t take much time at all, street vendors were practically throwing themselves at him when they were barely set up for the morning. He was eye catching, so you weren’t surprised. With his long and delicate silver hair, and his eyes you couldn’t always place a color on. Not to mention how decorated he was in perfect pearls and pearlized sea shells, all wrapped in what you guessed was a seaweed equivalent to twine. Not only was be beautiful, but he looked expensive. And his big curious puppy dog eyes made him look a touch gullible. You couldn’t blame anyone for wanting to sell him their goods until his pockets ran dry. Little did they know it was your pockets, it would be a while before they were dry, and the majority of your funds were still on the ship headed in the opposite direction. 

You were looking around at the third booth in a row that Namjoon was ushered into. The sales women had barely spared you a glance, something you didn’t mind at all. You looked around at the little shark tooth necklaces and snickered at the large assortment of mood rings. You checked the price on a few of them, four dollars a piece. You didn’t have much, but you would keep them in mind. They were definitely something you though Namjoon would appreciate. 

The sales woman was a lot older; very friendly, and didn’t have much care for personal space. But Namjoon didn’t seem to mind, even when the woman was forking through his hair without asking. Though you might not be able to know if he did have a problem, he could barely get a word in.

“Ohhh! Sweetheart! You’ll love this!” You heard the older woman exclaim, and it wasn’t the first time.

“I do!-”

“Great! I can wrap it for you! It’ll be $10! oHH, wait right there sweety I know something else you’ll just die for!” 

You snickered at the whole encounter, still wondering and touching things lightly. Part of you was evilly waiting to see what would happen when the woman found out he was broke. But --she did have shorts in her shop, and that was something he genuinely needed. You made your way around until you were met eye to eye with Namjoon again. You raised your brows at him in a silent question of “Are you ok?”  He nodded and blinked, averting his eyes to see where the woman had gone looking. He leaned into you to whisper in your ear shortly after.

“What is a dollar?” You grinned at the innocent question. 

“Its money. What do you all use for money down there anyway?” You whispered back. Not that some random old woman would know you were conversing with a merman about merman currency, but you felt weird speaking any louder.

“Oh, we barter. I think some other cultures of moonchildren use money though.”

“So there’s more of you than just where you’re from?” You asked genuinely curious, and he frowned at you like you had just asked the dumbest question in the world.

“Of course?” 

“Hey, I didn’t know any existed two hours ago. And you didn’t know about humans, so don’t even.” 

He paused.

“..That’s fair.” 

Just then the old women popped back up with what she had been rummaging for. 

“This here!” She held out an elaborate necklace in her hands. Most of it was made up of several cords with tiny pearlescent blue beads, both sides coming around to the center to hold a good sized oyster shell with moon phases carved into it. It was beautiful; and she was right, he loved it. He gasped when he saw it, holding out his palms for the women to place it in. 

“Oh! This is so beautiful! The carving here is so precise, this can’t have been done with a shell pick..” He spun the necklace around in his hands, feeling all the beads and even holding it up to see the moon phases against the sunlight. 

“But I don’t have any dollars..” The woman’s demeanor changed, just as you knew it would. She reached up for his hands with her short stature, securing the necklace away from him. 

“No money, no sale.” 

“How much is it?” You spoke watching the sad swirl in Namjoon’s eyes. The women almost looked shocked at you, as if she truly didn’t see you until you spoke to her. 

“$60.”

“$60? You’re kidding. Those beads are coated plastic, I can tell from here.” 

The old women scoffed.

“$40, take it or leave it.” You were about to say something when Namjoon intervened.

“What if we trade? I’ll give you a good pearl for it.” You cringed out of your skin when he said that. You knew how much pearls could be worth, and all of the pearls on his body looked worth well more that a $40 necklace. They could go for thousands. 

‘Wait!-” You Grabbed at Namjoons wrists before he could do anything foolish.

“Its ok y/n, I won’t miss it.” He untied what looked like a tiny pouch at his forearm. It was so heavily decorated you wouldn’t have ever known it had a function. You peaked over his shoulder to look inside, and your eyes went wide as you saw at least sixty or so perfect pearls. 

‘Wait, wait!” You held your hand out again between them both. 

“If you’re going to trade, a good pearl for that necklace, and pair of shorts and shoes for him. How does that sound?” You looked between them both as they both nodded. “And a mood ring” You added. “The nicest one you’ve got.”

“Yes, sure sure. But the pearl better be real.” Namjoon pulled out a little one. It was perfectly round, and the way it shinned almost made it look like it was glowing. The women's eyes went wide as he brought it closer to her, popping it right in her hands. She looked it over with a big grin on her face, and you wanted to scream about what a waste that was. But if Namjoon was happy, that’s what mattered. “The shorts?” You questioned to snap her out of her trance. “Oh yes! Ohh, and I have the perfect ones for you! Hold on just a minute!” The old women jumped up with glee, making her way over to the other side of her little booth. “Come ‘round this way dear! You’ll need to try these on!” Namjoon looked at you unsure, and you simply nodded and gestured for him to go where the women asked. She pulled out a pair of blue and purple tie dye shorts with a large lizard embroidered by the bottom left hem. He smiled as soon as she pulled them out, and you wondered if somehow within the past 15 minutes if she had really cracked the code to understanding his exact tastes, or if he would have smiled like that at anything. 

“You’ll love these!”

“I do!-”

“Go on, into the dressing room you go!” Your heart clenched a bit as she squished him into the tiny two foot dressing room. It was all made up of black curtains, and something you yourself would be horrified to get undressed in in such an open area. But seeing as how Namjoon was already naked.. It should be fine?..

He had never even seen shorts before until today, and putting them on might be more confusing for him than you would imagine. As the seconds went by you started to worry.

What if he tore them, or what if while trying to balance he fell right through the curtain and took the whole booth with him. What if he didn’t understand where his legs should go, or if he put them on backwards? As your heart was beginning to race Namjoon made his way out of the dressing room, his new perfectly fitted shorts worn correctly. 

“Oh they’re perfect on you! See look in the mirror! How are they? Do you love them!?” 

“I do!-” 

“Good good! Oh you deserve this too!” She pulled out a little white linen vest almost out of thin air and started to help him place his arms through its holes as Namjoon watched himself in the mirror. 

“Oh! its perfect! This one is on the house! You look like a handsome little merman!” You smirked at the accuracy the old woman was unaware of.

“Oh! Thank you!-” 

“Beautiful, beautiful! You and your girlfriend have to come back and visit sometime!” 

“Uh, we’re not-” You started, but no one heard you -and the suggestion seemed to go right over Namjoon’s head.

“Thank you ma’am! I feel brand new!” 

Namjoon bowed his head a little as he held the old woman's hands in thanks.

It didn’t take the women long to wrap up his new necklace in a cute little gift bag, or to let him pick some matching flip flops and a mood ring that peaked his interest. You made sure to grab one of the cards that tell you what all the colors mean, you were sure that could be fun to bring up later. And to maybe see if his ever changing eye color matched up. 

Namjoon was strange and other worldly to have around, but despite his circumstances you were excited to watch him see your world for the first time. Maybe he would help you see things in a new light too, maybe moonlight for a change.

#mer!joon #namjoon x reader #mermaid namjoon #bts fluff #bts smut #namjoon smut #bts fanfiction

[qvid-pro-qvo]

we meet now and then on a winter’s day (and i am all the better for it)

rafael barba x female!reader. 

word count: 13,187 (forgive me for either writing less than a thousand words or over 10k. one day i’ll learn moderation.)

rating: teen, for growing pains, and learning to love home no matter where you are (canon-typical mentions of sexual abuse/sex crimes). 

link to it on AO3. 

-

You’re too clumsy for your own good. 

Your limbs are gangly, your feet are too big, and every step feels like a struggle to stay upright.  It’s the worst of times, tenth grade.

And high schoolers are brutal, and you get a feeling it’s extra so in New York.  They don’t take no for an answer, they laugh in your face and spit on you (figuratively… sometimes). Girls trip you in their stunning shoes that your feet could never fit in, poke at your knobby knees, and boys don’t even bother with you.

You’re new, and a loner, and can’t keep your books in your hands, and it all seems to combine into an ugly cocktail, one that makes you lash out. Other loners usually have one thing wrong with them. You have two left feet and a name no one knows. Easy target.

So you don’t see the three boys in front of you, walking home, because your head is ducked and your knees ache from the way you fell in the middle of the damn hallway. And one of them for sure doesn’t see you. He’s walking backwards, his mouth running, but you don’t hear anything either, not what he’s saying, not his friends who try to warn him in attempts of Spanish and English. 

You feel the collision, though. It’s not violent, but the girth of his bookbag into your chest knocks you backwards onto your ass. You cry out in pain, one of your ankles catching underneath you, and it feels like something twists, hard enough to hurt. 

Well. It wasn’t as if you were having such a good day before.

“Jesus fuck,” you hiss, and when you look up, a boy is leaning over you. His green eyes are startling, and you think he’s apologizing, but your eyes have to blink away some reflexive tears to really see the way his lips are moving. You’re still dazed, but you realize that it’s three of them, leaning over you, and you don’t like the way they’re staring.

“That’s what you get for running your mouth, Barba,” a boy teases, reaching forward to punch the kid directly above you in the shoulder. He takes it, but he’s still focused on you, those eyes not giving you a break. It makes your face redden, and you dip your chin, clench your jaw.

“Shut it, Eddie,” he says quickly, and it takes you a moment to recognize the words. You just manage a tight smile and groan as you shift off of your ankle. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you tell him. He nods at that, but he still doesn’t really take a step back. Just pulls up from his crouched position. “Really, just. Uh. Sorry, I guess.”

“You don’t have to give him an excuse,” the third boy informs her. “Hey, Rafi, give her some space, you don’t have to keep her on the ground.”

With that he pulls back, and you get a good look at them. The three of them are in uniform. You recognize the colors, your block a healthy mix of that particular school’s students and the P.S. you attended. The two behind the one who ran into you – what was it, Rafi? – have their ties undone, shirts untucked. The boy in front of you has his uniform perfect, however, and you watch as he lifts his hand to run through the front of his hair. He looks a little older, almost adult, and your limbs feel like the legs of a fawn, a jumbled heap. You know you look disheveled, in comparison, making you drop your eyes before you push yourself up.

“Can you stand?” he asks.

“Yes, I’m fine,” you bite out, and the day comes back to you in a wave, one that makes your eyes began to water. “Just. Leave me be, all right?”

“And leave you on the ground?” He scoffs like the implication itself is an offense. It’s as if he doesn’t recognize the scowl on your face as being directed towards him. “Come on, take my hand.”

He reaches out to you. His hand is almost shoved in your face, and you pull back for a moment before looking at the group of them.

They don’t seem… mean. Just… boys. Your mother’s voice sings in your head, reminding you that asking for help isn’t a weakness, just a fact of life. And while you wish that wasn’t true, the fact of life was also you were in a lot of pain.

With a sigh, you settle on reaching out and taking it, and when he starts to help pull you up the other two assist. You tried to ignore the prickle of your eyes, closing them as you were lifted from the ground.

However, your ankle gives out as soon as you put weight on it. You make it to your full height for a moment, before suddenly you’re falling forward again.

But they catch you. Rafi does, really, and the other boys help get you to standing. You ignore the look that the two of them give you, eye rolls and shared smirks.

“That ankle’s not going to take you home,” the Barba kid tells you. You glance down at it, wincing at the swelling, and he turns to his friends. “Let’s walk her.”

“Oh, no, did you break it?” Eddie asks, horrified, but that earns him a smack on the back of the head from the third friend.

“Que eres estúpido? Shut up, Eddie, it’s twisted at the worst.”

A snort left you. You can’t get a word in edgewise, the way they start clambering over each other, arguing, but you raise your voice, make yourself heard. “I’m just… hey, I’m just down the street, I can manage. You guys seem like you need to go somewhere.”

“Well, if you’re just down the street then it’s not a problem.” Rafi’s voice is matter of fact, and with a grin he reaches for your arm. “Alejandro, get the other side.”

“Rafi, no offense, but, uh, let Eddie handle that. You and me together will make her even more lopsided.” Alejandro has a grin, bright at the not-so-subtle dig.

“Eres el peor,” the boy mutters, and with a roll of his eyes, he pulls back, hands lifting in surrender.

Eddie and Alejandro laugh, and so do you, a little chuckle, more for the tone than the actual words. Their banter makes you forget your shitty day, focusing on the group of three as they tussle for a place at your side.

“Where do you live?” Rafi asks, and you point down the street.

“I’m the… fourth building on the right?” you guess, wincing as your foot dragged along the ground. “Fucking, fucking shit, lift it, lift.”

“You’re not exactly helping,” Eddie shoots at you, and your eyes roll, the urge to yank away overruled by common sense.

“I’m trying. Look, you can just leave me alone. It’s not broken, and I’ll make it,” you point out, but all that earns is a scoff from Rafi Barba, an eye roll as he turns to face the three of you as you hobble along.

“Not happening. Look, we’re almost there. Then we’ll leave you be, and you can tell your family how you were rescued by los tres mosqueteros de Jerome Avenue.” His eyes are alight with a kind of mischief, and Alejandro snorts next to him.

“Does it count if one of ‘em is the problem?”

You chat the rest of the way. They bombard each other with questions, and a couple to you, most of which you can’t manage to answer as they tease each other and poke and prod. A couple of times you stumble, but they’re there, keeping you upright, and Rafi makes sure that you don’t fall face first onto concrete. He walks backwards, then forwards, then backwards again, always making sure that you can hear him as he talks about whatever crosses the mind of the three.

It seems like a lifetime, but no longer than a minute or two. You walk, forward, forward, forward, and then you’re up against your building, leaning against it after forcing Eddie and Alejandro to let you go.

“I’ve just gotta buzz my mom,” you tell them. “Trust me, you’re free to go, I can make it.”

“Not likely,” Rafi’s incredulous at the suggestion, but you just roll your eyes. “You can barely stand up straight.”

He’s firmly planted. Eddie and Alejandro look more ready to skedaddle, bouncing on their toes as the cold hits them. Rafi is just staring, and you find yourself meeting his gaze, lifting your chin. “Look, I know you feel obligated, but I don’t make a habit of showing strangers my exact address –“

“And I would contend we’re not strangers. Acquaintances at the very least, maybe even friends. We know each other’s names; we’ve been quite friendly.”  

“Oh, yeah? You know my name?”

The silence is deafening. That wins it. Because Rafi Barba, in all of his urgency, in all of their chatting, never once asked. None of them did. Which doesn’t hurt your feelings. It’s easy to pull away from people you don’t know, and you’d rather just make it up the rickety elevators in peace. Crawl into your bed and die from mortification and exhaustion.

You asked for help. Now the help was over.

“Look, you did your good deed for the day, I made it home,” you counter, “now please, can I get there on my own?”

Just then, the door opens. Your mom comes out, sees your swollen ankle, and that should be their cue.

“Oh, sweetie,” she hummed. “No more dancing for a while, huh?”

“Dancing?” Rafi asks, and he looks between you and your mother with curiosity. 

“Nope, nothing,” you scramble to say. Those moments weren’t for anyone else, just the two of you. “Anyways, thanks so much, but I should really be getting upstairs, and… sleeping. Yes, sleeping. Okay, thanks again, bye!”

You turn to hobble away, hoping your mother will say goodbye and follow you. But instead, she just smiles at the boys and looks at each of them in turn, looking over their uniforms and identical grins, Eddie and Alex lingering back behind the real culprit.

“Thank you so much for bringing my girl home,” she tells them. Her smile is bright, almost incandescent. She has that way about her, your mother, the kind of face that everyone loves, the kind of laugh that everyone is drawn to. You wish you’d inherited that, instead of gangly limbs from a man you barely knew. “She always walks home alone, and it worries me every time.”

“Mom, they were nice and all, but they probably have lives,” you sigh out, and Eddie and Alex seem to agree. They already seem to be creeping away, but Rafi is stubbornly still. “Let them get home, get out of the cold.”

“Oh, all right, all right.” She reaches for you, wraps your arm around her shoulders, and you wince as it scrapes the floor again. “Thank you, boys.”

“We should get home, Barba,” Eddie calls out. “Tus padres estarán esperando, vamanos.”

Something passes across Rafi’s face. It’s quick, and dark, but it’s there, and he nods, his jaw clenching.

“Thank you,” you say again, and it’s a little more heartfelt, genuine. You even smile, a little, an effort to wash that sour look from his face. But you’re turning away, too, when you suddenly hear Rafi Barba call out to you.

“Your name?” he asks. “Just so I know what to yell next time we almost collide.”

“If he’s facing forward,” Eddie mutters to Alejandro, who you can hear snort and shove his toe against the sidewalk.

Your eyes roll, and you look over your shoulder at the boy. He waits, patiently, for the answer, even as Eddie and Alex start moseying down the sidewalk, and his smile is more a smirk, proud of himself when you give it to him, first and last.

He repeats it, gesturing to you and making sure he gets it right. And then he points to himself, his lips quirking again. “Rafael Barba.” He reaches for your hand, and when you hesitate, he raises a brow. Those eyes pierce you. “Not friends. But. Acquaintances?”

“Cute,” you retort, but you’re reaching to shake his hand without thinking about it, gloved hands warm in each other’s grip. “Deal.”

You don’t remember why the day was shitty anymore. Just that your ankle hurts, and you now know that his full name is Rafael.

-

College is complicated. College is sitting and studying in your dorm room and then sitting and studying someplace else. College is hitting your head as you wake up because you have the top bunk. College is crying with frustration over chemistry.

But college is also realizing you really like what the psych professor talks about. College is finally making some real friends, and mellowing out because of it. Your lashing out fades as your anger does, the realization that people can be kind. College is getting a job and not minding that either, because you don’t mind serving others coffee if you get it for free.

So you end up liking Hudson, overall. It’s nice. College, the feel, the people, they’re nice. And you’re close enough to home that you and your mom end up still having a little bit of a dance party every so often. New York isn’t too much of a home, it never will be, but Hudson and your friends and your mom are, and it’s… it’s good, for once.

The holidays approach. Your first real break is coming up, but so are finals, and so your eyes are forcing significant figures back into your brain as you walk to your mom’s place. You had promised her you’d take a break to have dinner, but as your eyes cross with the rules you’re realizing it’s becoming less and less likely that you’ll be able to stop and talk much at all.

Your feet start tangling. You’ve gotten better at walking (only took you nineteen years to really master it), but you’re distracted and frustrated, and it’s not long before you’re tumbling forward, knees scraping the pavement, elbow smacking against the ground. You’re lucky the fall is buffered by your heavy winter gear, but your arm goes numb anyway as you nail your funny bone. Your notes go flying, your knowledge of significant figures scattering across the walkway.

“Fucking shit,” you hiss, holding your arm against your body. It’s not broken, but it hurts like a bitch, and you start crawling over towards where your notes fell to start gathering them up when a pair of gloved hands join your sole functioning one.

“Thank you so much,” you start saying, not really looking up in case the bitter winter wind takes away your notes before you can reach them. “I’m so sorry you had to see that, I just wasn’t watching my feet.”

“It’s really okay. Are you all right?” a voice asks you, and when you look up to see the kind of stranger who would help a poor student out on the street, you’re assaulted by startling green eyes.

Suddenly a memory comes back to you, of a wintry street and an ankle that twinges now in remembrance. You don’t know why you remember, but it’s there, three years past suddenly right in your rearview.

“Are you all right?” he asks you, and you realize you’ve just been staring at him. But a name is struggling to come to the surface, and you blink a few times, still captured by those damn eyes.

“Uh,” you get out. Y’know. Intelligently. He just raises a brow.

“Do you… have these?” he tries, and you realize he’s been holding onto a stack of notes that he collected, holding them out to you.

It hits you, then, and you reach for the notes with such ferocity that he immediately drops his hand when you snag them. You remember.

“Rafael Barba,” you breathe out, blinking a bit.

A beat. “How do you know my name?” the stranger asks. But this guy isn’t exactly a stranger, and of course, he’s now seen you fall to the ground twice in one lifetime. Too many times, if the lifetime is asking you, but it’s not, and it’s still far from over.

You pull back, with your notes, absently trying to get them all right-side up. You’re seeing all of him now, kneeling on the ground, face red with the wind, and it’s definitely him. The slicked back hair, and he’s even wearing a sweater over a button up. Very Catholic school.

But all he knows is that a strange girl has been staring at him, openly, and just blurted his name out of nowhere. You scramble to explain yourself. “Sorry. I’m so fucking sorry, just – I – we’ve met,” you stammer out. “Briefly. We’re… acquaintances. I don’t even know how I remember, but you… you might remember my ankle better than me.”

You see him thinking. From furrowed with concern to suspicion. And then recognition, and he’s smirking and shaking his head, glancing around where the two of you are basically sitting on the concrete. He says your name, slowly, like he did that first time too long ago. “I was just thinking about how little things have changed,” he chuckles, and you smirk, shrugging. “Seems like I was right in more ways than one.”

“Well, I don’t think clumsiness goes away,” you admit, “and this time it wasn’t your fault, so you don’t have to walk me to my apartment if you don’t want to.”  

He laughs. It’s short, but bright, and you smile, cutting it with a wince as you slide the backpack on your shoulders. “Might have to, to make sure you stay on both feet.”

“I’m sure I can make it,” you assure him, but when you straighten out the elbow you injured, your face contorts, and he winces in sympathy. “I can walk this time, at least. No getting carried by los – los tres mos –“

“Los tres mosqueteros,” Rafael tells you. His voice is soft, and his eyes are ducking now, watching the sidewalk as the two of you start to stumble to your feet. He doesn’t say it with reverence. Is it… is it bitterness? “Well, solamente un mosquetero aqui, pero… I hope that’s enough.”

Self-deprecating. It makes your nose wrinkle. While college mellowed you out, it only seemed to harden Rafi. “More than,” you tell him. “But… I should be heading home. Don’t want my mom to think I bailed on her.”

“I can take those,” he offers, gesturing to your notes, the book you have. Never mind you have a backpack; he offers and you end up taking it. You don’t really know why at first, but as the two of you walk towards your apartment it starts to come into focus.

He’s grown into his voice, his attitude. He’s not just older, he’s grown, and you find yourself studying him, if only because when he talks it’s hard not to look away. He’s handsome, with those green eyes and firm voice and quick turn of his lips. The lift of his chin, as he listens, gives you a smile. But the smile feels flinty. Even after offering to carry your books, your notes, you realize it’s more out of manners than kindness. But he takes them, and you’re walking side by side for long enough that you gather some courage.

“School out of state, then? If you had to come back, for family,” you ask, to keep the conversation going, knowing that as you reach your door it’s over.

“Harvard,” he tells you, and your eyes widen at the tone. He says it with force, as if he has to keep reminding himself as much as he reminds other people. “I’m planning to go to Harvard law, too, after I take my LSAT this summer.”

“Same,” you shrug. He almost trips over his own feet at that, and when he turns to you with a raised brow you just smirk. “I’m fucking with you, obviously. Hudson. For psychology. Right now. We’ll see.”

You don’t plan on feeling bad about it. It’s what you could get, and you’re proud of it. But there’s something about standing next to a Harvard student that makes you get defensive, ducking your head. He has a little smirk, too, and you find yourself glaring.

“It’s what I could get, and that’s fine, you know. I just want to help people –“

“I know, I know,” he laughs, shaking his head, and there’s nothing mean in it. “Just… fucking with you.” It’s the hesitation that gets you, the little hiccup of years of repression, and you just snort.

“That’s right. Catholic boy. I remember,” The jab comes out without warning, and he just blushes a little. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell if you don’t.”

His head is shaking again, and when he smirks it’s at you. “Trust me, I think my mother will know even if your lips are sealed.”

“Not worried about God?” you laugh, and he mimes glancing around the whole street.

“Trust me, my mother puts the fear of God into me without any help from the Almighty.”

And then you’re in. The conversation starts flowing more freely. He talks about his family. Talks about coming home, to see his mother, his grandmother. There’s something warm when he talks about the homemade holiday meals, the Christmas mass the group of them will attend. It’s just small talk, but you also know enough not to ask about Eddie and Alejandro, to keep walking with him, keep the topics light. He asks about your family, and you tell him it’s just you and Mom, and perhaps a Christmas dance party around the plastic tree.

“Christmas dance party?” It’s skeptical, but your shrug at him, smiling at the memories of years past.

“Family tradition. I dance, my mom laughs. In the end, we end up usually knocking off some ornaments, maybe upturning a tray of cookies.”

“The whole thing?” Skepticism turns to incredulity, and you snort.

“I have a list of casualties. Three trays of cookies, one pan of brownies, a very nice-looking angel. This isn’t even counting the stuff at New Year’s…“

Rafael’s head is shaking, but you’re just dissolving into giggles as the list expands. All at once, you’re telling him about the time you tripped over an armchair right into a perfectly fine plate of muffins on Christmas morning, and he’s either too polite or too horrified to stop you. But in the end, he laughs. At you, probably, but he’s smiling again, and there’s no putting himself down anymore. Just listening to you take your clumsiness in stride.

Tt’s nice. At least you think so. There are bits of laughter that echo down the street, yours and his, and as your door approaches you find yourself dreading it a little. You missed your friends, and this was… close to something.

“Well,” you say, when the two of you arrive. The door is firmly closed, to keep the cold out, and you reach for the buzzer, turning back to look at Rafael with a smile. He hands over your notes, and you ignore the twinge in your elbow to grip everything firmly. “Thanks. For the company. Not thinking about finals was worth the tumble.”

“I was… also glad for the distraction. It’s been a while since I’ve been home and...” He doesn’t elaborate any further, but his face looks a little pinched, and you nod. Family… friends. It’s complicated.

After a moment, though, he’s looking at you as the two of you hear the door click unlocked. “You’ll get through it, though. Finals. I know it,” he assures. “And then it’s just seven more after that. Trust me, I have three left. It gets better.” He’s watching you, as you rub your arm, and though his brow pinches again, he manages a little smile. “It was good to see you again. Glad I didn’t end up doing permanent damage.”

“Well, I don’t know, future lawyer,” you tease. “Maybe once you get all rich and famous I’ll send something about damages your way. Remind you that I knew you when.”

He huffs out a little scoff, shaking his head. “Future psychologist, right? Don’t you want to practice what you’re going to preach? Forgiveness? Acceptance?”

“Where’s the fun in that? I’d rather humble you, Harvard boy.” When he scoffs again, it’s with a hand raised to you, turning back towards where you know his mother must live, the same direction he walked those years before.

As you move toward the door, pulling it open, you pause, looking back over your shoulder. He’s walking away, hands in his coat’s pockets, elbows shaking a little with the cold.

“Take care of yourself, Rafael,” you call out. “Happy holidays, too!”

Another wave, and he’s gone, and you find yourself thinking about those eyes a little later, distracting you from those significant figures you were so desperate to save.

-

Fuck grad school. Really.

You don’t know what possessed you, when you decided to go. Probably the same thing that possessed you to push to graduate a year early, and the same thing that encouraged you to decide on a doctorate at Fordham instead of a M.S. and moving on.

Masochism. Obviously.

But you’re stuck with it, and every three days you regret it. A new assignment, a long-ass reading, a book you want to throw out of your apartment’s window – it’s too much, and you don’t do enough, and pretty soon you’re drowning. On top of that working, so you and your mom can keep your apartment, buy her medication, and keep the world turning, things that start to feel impossible.

Does everyone feel like this? you want to scream in the world. Does every student after undergrad hate themselves?

You know the answer is yes, but you wish you could hear it from someone besides yourself. Because your mom, bless her, refuses to let you quit, still taking time to dance with you when you need it.

You just don’t want to fail. You can’t fail. So you keep pushing, and find yourself cooped up in libraries, in coffee shops, wherever-the-fuck will take you, doing what you can as long as you can, as much as you can.

There are places you end up frequenting, in the search for a place to get work done, and end up, like most grad students, in a coffee shop. The dim lighting sometimes hurts once you hit your page limit, but the coffee is cheap and strong, and they let you linger in a corner booth with your books all spread out on the table. It’s worth the carpal tunnel, the edges of the tabletop digging into your wrist, because you get shit done.

So it comes as a surprise that your safe haven, your perfect locale, is occupied by Rafael Barba.

At first you don’t even recognize him. When you first notice him, after all, he’s already sitting down, and you can’t see his face. He just looks like another student, after all, bent forward and buried in a book that is even bigger than yours. But when he stands to go get another coffee, and you catch sight of him, it’s immediate.

Of course, he doesn’t see you. Just goes back, sits down with a giant mug, and keeps chugging along.

You keep your smile to yourself, look down at the pages you’ve lost your place in and do your best to get back on track, but now you’re distracted, and Rafael is still just there. It would’ve been less shocking, maybe, if you had perhaps known he’d be in town? But now you’re just thinking about the last time you saw him, the way he laughed, smiled at you before he left…

Oh, fuck it. You just think he’s handsome.

But… it’s been a few years. There’s no way he remembers you, confirmed by the way you stand, to go get another coffee, and he doesn’t even glance up.

So you resolve yourself to doing nothing, acting on nothing. Besides, you have actual work to do, and the third cup of coffee should probably be your last before you’re bouncing off of the walls. But when you turn around, to head back to your seat, you definitely make an impression on Rafael Barba, and the impression is the massive stain on the front of his shirt.

“Oh, my god,” you cry out, and he can’t say anything, the two of you just staring at the mess. “I’m – I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you – oh, god, your shirt.”

“It’s… okay,” he sighs, and he seems to be in just as much shock. You move to grab some napkins from a table. His voice is dry, when he speaks again. “Isn’t a holiday back in the Bronx without some kind of disaster.”

You wince at the wording, but keep blotting, and then your handful of dirty napkins is useless. You pull back, and you think you’ve actually made it worse, but Rafael is just smirking at you.

“I think… it’s beyond help. But thank you for trying.”

The napkins hang limp from your hands. You feel like an idiot, but Rafael just keeps that smirk as you go to throw them away and turn back. When you do, he’s still standing there.

“I didn’t burn you, did I?” you ask him. “That was a fresh cup, I –“

“Really, it’s fine. A shirt. I’ll survive.”

He looks even better up close. Eyes bright, playful, smart. He seems to look you over with an appraising eye, and you don’t know if you measure up but you hope you do. There’s no hint of remembering, but there’s something, and you glance over at your table.

“Well. I owe you,” you say. “For the shirt, at the very least. How much is your dry cleaning? I have some cash.” 

He scoffs, and you’re thrown back to high school, that same scoff telling you that you can’t possibly stumble home alone. “No, that’s not going to happen. You’re not paying for my dry cleaning.”

“Then something,” you say.

He takes a moment. Looks over you. Eyes narrow as he turns to your table, the papers fluttering in the heater’s breeze.

“Coffee? We both look like we can use a break.” And then he smiles, and you’re swooning.

He ends up sitting at your table, brings his book over to stack on top of one of yours. The two of you get to chatting, just small talk, and about halfway through your coffees it seems to click with him.

“Do I – have we met before?”

You just chuckle, shaking your head. “Believe it or not, yes. This is not the first time I’ve stumbled in front of you.”

His eyes widen. “I couldn’t place you, I thought I was –“

“Crazy? No. It’s just been… years. And each time, somehow, I manage to take a spill.”

“Clumsy, then?” he asks, teasing, and you snort.

“I wish I could say you just catch me at bad times, but. Yeah. I’m a certifiable mess.”

He laughs, and you chuckle, and the two of you keep talking the hour away. By the time you’re done with your coffee you’ve ordered a pastry, too, and for some reason you keep doubting the fact that he’s been looking at you with bright eyes the whole time.

But when the meal is done, you end up packing up your books, getting ready to leave. You say it’s because you should be getting home, but really it’s because you think if you stay there in the booth any longer, you’ll do something crazy, like ask him out. But instead of letting you go, he offers to walk with you, and the two of you leave the shop together.

“So, you stuck around, huh?” he asks, and you can’t help but notice the tone of his voice. “You enjoy the Bronx that much?”

“I figured Hudson U was enough distance between me and my mom. Fordham had the program I wanted, plus, I could stay back and take care of her.”

He huffs a little laugh. Something about it rankles you, but you put it behind you, and the two of you keep walking.

After that, you start to notice other things. Like that fact that he doesn’t stop bringing up Harvard. At first, you deal with it, because yes, it is a big deal. A kid from the Bronx, ending up at Harvard Law? But he won’t, and can’t, shut up about it, and it makes you antsy.

Other ways, too. Talking about Boston like it’s the be-all, end-all. Mentioning how if he came back to work, he’d settle in Manhattan, not back home.

“I want to become a judge, at some point, and Manhattan’s the best way to get there,” he explains, and you nod, but it keeps… bugging you.

“I’m sure,” you concede. “But I don’t know. I like it here. The people, the town.”

When he scoffs, it’s almost cruel, and your heart aches at the way he dismisses it, all with a hand wave. “Yeah, but, Hudson isn’t doing anyone any favors. You should try to head out, spread your wings. Manhattan’s always in need of psychologists.”

Maybe it’s supposed to be nice, some advice. Yet, advice you didn’t ask for, and to you, all it says is that all he can remember about you is the unfortunate undergrad you went to. It infuriates you, makes you halt walking, your bag with all of your books jostling against your back.

“Oh, my god. You truly think you’re doing me a favor just by talking to me, don’t you?” you say, and he just rolls his eyes at you. 

“Of course not, that’s not what I meant.” But it’s the final straw, and no longer does Rafael Barba look handsome. He just looks like an ass.

Part of it is that you’re tired, stressed, overwhelmed. Talking instead of studying. But all you can focus on is his tone, his act. “You think you’re so much better than me. What, because you… you ‘got out of here?’ Out of shitty apartments and neighborhoods, and you can already see the big bucks?” you sigh, and Rafael’s brow only raises at you, looking down his nose at you like that’s how they’re trained at Harvard Law. Maybe they are – an image comes to mind of students preparing to pass the bar by practicing evil smirks and sharp looks.

“Look, I had to fight to get to where I am now, and I’m always fighting to stay there, you understand? I come home to visit, and I’m just saying that you could be wherever you wanted to be,” he tries, but you’re past rational thought. “Come on, don’t you want to get out?” 

“Barba, this is where I want to be,” you tell him, but when he raises his brow, you put your hands up in surrender. In the end, you’re too exhausted to be truly angry at him. You simply shake your head and begin the long trek back to your apartment, the glory of the coffee shop well behind you.

“Where are you going?” he asks, and you just shrug one shoulder as you walk away, turning to look at him over your shoulder. There’s a stinging in your eyes, but you tell yourself it’s just the bite of the wind.

“I’m not going to let you bully me, Rafael. I got enough of that in high school. If you want me to pay for your dry cleaning, or your shoes, I’ll do it, but I won’t let the payment of some spilled coffee be me spending time as your punching bag.”

“Bullying you? So, I’m bullying you now?” It’s incredulous, his question. 

You turn on your heel to face him.

“Harvard isn’t an excuse,” you snap. “Just because you got to go off and do great things doesn’t mean the people who stay here are somehow lesser. Like we’re not accomplishing anything. And right now, you’re really acting like it.”

A beat.

“And it’s Fordham, now, asshole. At least get it right.”  

You don’t wait around to hear his response. You’re walking off, and the only thing you hear is the wind whipping around you.

The ride back is lonely and the scent of coffee has gone rancid. It just feels like another slap in the face, a reminder that no matter how hard you work there will always be something, someone. You’re discouraged, more than a little. When you make it back to the apartment you share with your mother, you’re on the wrong side of miserable, and your reading that you’re already behind on gets more than a little neglected as you choose to watch something on TV, a warm cup of cocoa instead of the coffee you craved.

But it’s halfway through your own pity party that the way Rafael Barba looked at you makes your mouth curl into a sneer, and about two-thirds through the second movie that you realize you’ve wasted the day. Horrifying. All over a man who did nothing but look down at you, for being home, still.

A fire you needed, and looked for, when you started grad school. Besides helping people, why else did you want a doctorate? What was going to push you to getting that damn Ph.D. and across the finish line?

In the end, it’s the feeling of squirming under Rafael Barba’s gaze. Harvard Law or not, the fucker shouldn’t have looked at you like that. Shouldn’t have talked to you like that. And by the time you’re stomping over to your books and opening it with a vengeance, you’ve made a deal with yourself that no one will ever talk to you like that ever again.

Fuck Rafael Barba. He could have his juris whatever, settle in Boston or Manhattan. You were getting a practice, to help the people in your borough, and one of these days he’d have to look at you and refer to you as doctor who got her degree from Fordham whether he wanted to or not.

-

You should’ve gone with the slacks. The slacks don’t have a hem that needs to be tugged down every twenty seconds, that’s for sure, and the feeling of your skirt’s hem is all you can focus on. The way it slides up as you hustle to the elevator, the way it rides as you sit on the subway. By the time you get to where you’re going, you’re going crazy, your hair frizzing with the energy.

Not to mention, it’s fucking cold while you wait, your knee bouncing as you sit in an endless hallway, waiting for them to call your name.  

But you look better in the skirt. You feel better in the skirt, you rock the skirt, and for an oral defense you want to feel your best, so. It’s the skirt. The skirt, and those heels with a splash of color, and when you leave and get a good distance from the clear glass door you get to pump your fist and dance in the skirt.

You did it.

You’re going to be a doctor. You’re going to be a psychologist. Someone’s going to meet you, for the first time, and call you by your title, and come to you for help.

And you’ll be able to help them. On your own. Terrifying, but it gives you a rush, the strength of which makes your head spin, makes your eyes cross just a little. Your fingers move to text your boss, your mother.

“I did it.”

You whisper it to yourself the whole way back. All that’s left is the rest of your internship, and then you’re home free. You’re done. You’re a doctor.

“The worst part is over,” Dr. Olivet reminds you when you make it back to her offices, “but there’s still work to be done.”

“I know, I know,” you tell her, lifting your hands. “I still have to finish my work here, and there’s, you know, getting a job…”

“But you did it.” Her voice is warm, and you’re not afraid to give another little dance, and she obliges you with a hug.

It’s sweet. It’s more than sweet, and your eyes are brimming with tears. God, you have to call your mom. A text isn’t enough, you have to tell her everything –

A hand reaches out to stop you with a gentle touch on your arm. You hadn’t even realized you were talking out loud, but thankfully you’re done in an instant. “You can call her on the drive. We have a full day, then the Brooklyn DA’s office.”

The thought makes you wince. “Two birds with one stone, hopefully?” you ask her, but she just shakes her head, the excitement from the morning bleeding into preemptive exhaustion in the blink of an eye.

Long day is right, when it comes to the law. There’s never been a time when cops have been your biggest fans, but it seems the tensions are always high with them. Nowadays, at least with Olivet, the two of you prefer to go straight to the D.A., when he calls, simply because at least as an expert witness, there’s some respect.

Some. But it’s there.

But not always.

So, the two of you make the journey to Brooklyn, a forty-minute commute from Manhattan, and by the time you show up at the Kings County D.A.’s office, you’re already exhausted. The D.A.s that Olivet consult with are nice enough, you suppose, for lawyers, but only because they have to be. It’s part of the position, and if they want to be re-elected, they don’t want a reputation of being hard to work with. But the A.D.A.s tend to sprint first, ask too many questions later, and every moment is a battle.

But when you get there, head up to the office that Olivet was told to go, there’s a pair of striking green eyes that lift from their spot on a stack of files to meet yours, widening when yours do. They’re matched with a pale lavender tie, and a grey ensemble that compliments him nicely. You suppose it’s made for that, considering how it’s tailored.

The room isn’t posh. The opposite, in fact, a couple of chairs in front of a desk, a table to the side with various books to add onto the bookcase full of them. But there’s flair, and clutter in equal spades. It feels worked in, maybe even lived in, judging by the only other piece of furniture being a couch behind you.

It’s been a long time since high school and wintry streets in the Bronx, that’s for sure, for you and for Rafael Barba.

He stands when the two of you step into the room, and moves around the desk. You watch and wonder what he remembers from the last time you stumbled into each other, but his body language doesn’t betray a whole lot besides his exhaustion. You wonder if he can see the same in you, or if the tapping of your finger against your side is informing him just what you think of him. The great lawyer from Boston, here instead of the Bronx. Never going back home, just like he wanted.

His jacket is off, and you can see the vest and slacks of a three-piece suit as he moves to greet you, sleeves rolled up, a couple of blinks as he takes the two of you in.

“Mr. Barba,” Olivet says politely, reaching out her hand. “You’re the A.D.A. we’re working with, then?”

“Doctor.” His voice is formal, and when he shakes it, there’s a quick one-two before he releases, turning to you without hesitation. “Yes, I don’t think we’ve had the opportunity to meet officially. Rafael Barba, thanks for coming.”

“Mr. Barba,” you greet him, when he turns to you, and when the two of you shake there’s a twitch. “It’s a... pleasure.”

How’re you doing, Harvard boy? Still looking down your nose? is what you want to say, what you remember from him, but you manage a little self-control. You think he reads your mind, and it makes him nod.

“The pleasure’s mine,” he returns. So, he does recognize you, because the familiarity has to the be the unexpected warmth you hear. Or maybe amusement, because your last attempt at friendliness was resolved with little more than chills in the air. “Intern for what exactly?”

There’s a spark in his eyes, and you find yourself lifting your chin. No stumbling at this meeting, just two kids from the Bronx, all grown up. God forbid he thinks for a moment that you ran away and gave up. “For my doctoral courses at Fordham. In about four months, I’ll be a clinical psychologist like Dr. Olivet. She’s who I’ve been training under.”

You dare him to say something. To make a dig. 

“Fascinating.” It’s what he settles on. He seems actually impressed,, when he looks at you, and you try to ignore the way his smile makes your heart pound. It’s just because he’s a handsome man in a three-piece suit and smiling, not because he’s Rafael Barba. After all, Rafael Barba was pretty sure you’d never get out of the Bronx, and downright rude because of it. “Shall we get started, then? I want to know everything I can about this guy.”

“Of course,” Olivet returns, and the three of you get situated to get to work.

It’s long. It’s exhausting. By the end of the day, your head is pounding, and Olivet and Barba have exchanged enough words to fill a novel, trying to argue the benefits and the harm of taking this particular offender to trial. He wants to get an answer to his boss by the end of the day, and your boss is not one to make it easy for ease’s sake. You had taken the role of notator, going through the files offered and marking anything for Elizabeth, and the back and forth had made you dizzy. After all, after everything, Rafael Barba was a great lawyer, a fantastic prosecutor, according to a Google search during a break. Leave it to him to make your eyes blur.

“The precedent is set for it,” Barba repeats, for the third time. He’s gone from sitting, to pacing, to sitting again, his eyes closed as he runs a hand through his hair. “And the defense is going to argue that his illness is an excuse for his behavior.”

“I know what the precedent says,” Olivet returns, for the third time. “But I also know that while diagnoses are never an excuse for a behavior, they can explain one. It’s what the defense will argue. His impulse control without his medication – which he has a right to refuse – is significantly lowered –“

“But not completely. Mr. Nelson understands what he did was wrong, he basically confessed –“

Your eyes roll, and you find yourself speaking before you can think. “In an interrogation room in which his counsel, which he did not waive, was not present. Just because he has a diagnosis in the DSM-V does not make him any less deserving of a proper interrogation.”

The two of them turn to look at you, Olivet with a smile, Barba with a scowl. His face pinches as his eyes scan you, and you just stare back.

He may be where he belongs, in a three-piece suit, but you’re where you need to be, too. And he needs to make sure he understands that, because the last thing you’re gonna let him do is underestimate you again.  

“No one is saying that,” Barba starts, but you just raise a brow at him.

“If I’m looking at these transcripts correctly, something tells me the cops themselves said that. Look, Mr. Barba, Dr. Olivet and I might not be this man’s direct health care providers, but we still have a duty to advocate for him.” You glance over at your boss, and her hand is covering her mouth, but you see the edges of a smile in her tired eyes. “If I were a doctor, and an expert for the other side, I would make sure my team knew the violations that occurred in that room.”

The room is silent. When Barba looks at the doctor, she just drops her hand, the smile replaced with a somewhat-serious look that threatened an I-told-you-so. “I’d be saying the same thing. She’s right.”

A new energy flashes between the two of you, and when Barba contemplates his options, his lips a little pursed, it’s with you staring him down. It’s a sparring match, your gazes, and it’s a firm draw. That alone seems to perturb Rafael enough for him to relent, just a little. “I’ll worry about the… legality of the confession,” he sighs out. His pages flick to a different section, and he glances over it. “We’re all tired here, so I’ll wrap, but I need to know if he’s competent for the stand without his medication. That’ll be the last thing we cover today.”

“If he’s not a danger to himself or others, then getting him to take it will be difficult legally,” Olivet reminded him. “But. I’ll do an evaluation. See what we can determine while he’s off.”  

Another time, another date is set, for the evaluation. You and Dr. Olivet start getting ready to go, and the polite farewells are given and gone.

But before you leave, and the handshakes are made, Rafael looks you over, from head to toe. It’s quick, but you catch it, and it’s before he turns to Dr. Olivet and nods.  

“I’ll be seeing both of you, then? Day after tomorrow?”

If it makes your cheeks flush, you don’t mention it, especially not when he glances back at you again, gives you another handshake with a firm squeeze.

“Both of us,” you affirm, inform, and then you’re gone, Rafael Barba’s office behind you, something else entirely in front.

“You know, he never asked you your name, when we went in,” Olivet notes, on the ride back. It’s mild, nothing really there, but the two of you have worked together long enough that you know there’s a million unasked questions down that rabbit hole.

Your eyes don’t leave the windshield. “Oh, yeah. Uh, we lived on the same street. He – him and his friends, really – they almost broke my ankle, my sophomore year of high school.”

A hum from her makes you break from your trance, and you see the edges of her lips curl up. “No, no,” you clarify. “It wasn’t like that, it was never like that. I’ve only seen him, what, three times over the years? He’s just someone I see every so often. New York is the smallest city in the world, I guess.”

“Will this be a problem?” she asks next. You find your cheeks flaring again, turning from the windshield to your own window.

“Nothing there for it to be. Last time didn’t end so well, but… we’re past that. We’re adults.”

Right?

When she laughs, it’s a gentle prod in the direction you were already going, nothing more than fuel to the fire that you barely understood was being lit.

“Well, I know for sure he didn’t shake my hand twice, and I’m the one who’s going to be on the stand for him if this goes to trial. Maybe last time didn’t end as poorly as you thought.”

You refuse to think about it, though. For a little while. After all, it’s work that has to be done, and you’re not across the finish line, yet, so you show up prompt and on time two days later to assist Dr. Olivet with her evaluation and the conclusions that are inevitably drawn. You don’t end up coming until the end of the workday, and when you’re finished it’s well into evening.

“He’s unaware that what he said in the interrogation room amounted to a confession,” she tells Barba, afterwards. After watching the whole thing, the way that you and Olivet had slowly gained trust and revealed the truth, the clench of his jaw is mighty. “There’s no way he gave it willingly.”

“You’re certain?” When he turns to look, it’s at both of you, equally, his eyes flicking back and forth before looking back into the room where you had left him. His voice sounds exhausted, and for a moment you feel pity for him.

You open your mouth to speak, but he cuts you off with a hand wave. “Don’t bother. I know the answer.” His frustration is apparent, and you find yourself sharing a glance with Dr. Olivet before nodding. “So, we have nothing.”

“Nothing except someone who needs to return home to his family,” you tell him, and his shoulders slump. It’s not meant to be a jab, but when he looks at you again there’s something in his eyes that tells you he takes it as such.

“Right. Of course. I’ll talk to the captain.” He sounds so worn, and you almost feel sorry for him.Your smile is sympathetic, but he’s not really looking at you. There’s something that tells you to walk away, another part that insists you stay, figure this man out.

“Mr. Barba?” Dr. Olivet murmurs. “I’ll get a full write-up of what I saw here to you tomorrow, but we really should be going now.”

And that makes him straighten, his manners coming back to him as he gestures towards the door. “Right, yes, of course. Thank you so much for your help, Dr. Olivet. Miss Y/L/N.”

“Not a problem,” you say, and the two of you part. No fanfare. No nothing. Just. Done.

You don’t realize how distracted you are until you’re standing by Dr. Olivet’s car, ready to take the two of you back to her office, where you can return to the Bronx.

“Are you all right?” she asks you, and you realize you’ve been fingering the handle for a minute, as she rummages for her keys.

“Yeah, just. Thinking.”

After another minute, Olivet curses. “I must’ve left them inside. Do you mind if we head back in?” When there’s no protest, the two of you walk quickly to get out of the cold, and you find yourself hoping against hope that Rafael Barba is still in there, that there’s something more you can say.

Your head is down, your eyes are closed to protect from the wind. So you don’t see the door, nor notice when it swings out. Neither does the other person behind it, and you feel the edge of it nail you in the forehead.

You’re stunned, stumbling backwards. Your fingers come up to press on where the door hit you, and the person behind the door is muttering curses. A couple of hands come to steady you, and luckily there’s no blood on your hand when you pull it away.

“Are you all right?” a voice asks you, and you have to blink to let the face focus.

“Just when I thought there’d be no stumbling around this time,” you groan, and Barba’s small smile to you is brimming with concern.

“Completely my fault,” he sighs. “Are you okay?” You’re still blinking, but the dots connect, and you realize that Rafael Barba is the one who smacked your head.

Goddammit. And you just starting to like the guy again.

“I got a door to the face, I’ve been better. Fuck, I’ve gotta be careful what I wish for,” you groan.

“Let’s get you to a chair,” Olivet whispers, and the stars you’ll still seeing start to fade as you stumble to a seat in the entryway of the precinct. “Mr. Barba, do you mind staying here with her? I think I left my keys upstairs, and I need them to take her home.”

“Doc, you don’t have to do that,” you tell her, but the lights in the place are killing your eyes. Quickest concussion you’ve ever gotten, you assume, and Barba indeed tells her that he’s got you. Heels click away, toward the elevator, and even the ding makes you wince.

There’s silence, for a few moments. Quiet, as you hold your head in your hand. After a few moments, you’ve realized Barba’s left and returned, holding out a cold water bottle to you.

“Another thing I owe you for?” you ask him, and you must be imagining his wince as you hold it up to your forehead.

“I think by this point we’ve come full circle,” Rafael tells you. “I’m truly sorry, I just didn’t see you when I pushed the door open.”

A brow raised in disbelief, and you tilt your head up so he can see your scorn. “Aren’t the doors clear?”

“My phone,” he offers, and you scoff.

There’s silence again. His shoes are tapping against the tiled floor, and you switch hands as condensation drips down your arm. It sends a chill through you.

“Do you… need my coat?” he asks, and you can’t help but raise a brow at him again.

“I have my own coat,” you tell him, bluntly, and it almost looks like… wait.

Is he blushing?

“I know, just… do you – do you need another one?”

So. This is the great Harvard graduate Rafael Barba, stumbling over his words, offering you a coat. If anything told you he remembered what happened way back when, and felt bad about it, it was that. You’re chuckling a little now, the anger passing into disbelief.

“How bad does your head hurt?” he asks, horrified, but you just keep laughing, dropping the water bottle and leaning back in your seat.

It’s a full-on cackle right now. “You’re telling me this isn’t hilarious?” you ask him. Gesturing between the two of you, the bottle in your hand, the offer of the extra coat. “Every time we meet, something goes horribly wrong, doesn’t it? We can’t just have a coffee, I have to spill it on you. We can’t just catch up, I have to vow vengeance.”

He raises a brow at that, but you wave him off. “I don’t know. I guess I’m telling you that maybe this is what we’re meant to be, Barba. Bad luck for each other.”

Rafael murmurs something, in Spanish. Repeats it, even, but you can’t catch it.

“What?” you finally ask, and he looks at the water bottle next to you and shakes his head.

“I’m saying that’s not true. You’re not bad luck. You… helped me.”

It’s your turn to raise your brow, and you have a feeling if you knew him a little more, it’d be a perpetual expression. But he keeps plowing forward. “You know, when you walked away, last time? I watched you the whole way down the block. I couldn’t stop thinking about how you… said I was using Harvard as an excuse.”

He leans back. Tilts his chin up, and you find yourself watching the line of him. He seems to sink into the seat like it’s the first time he’s sat for a week.

“Excuse to do what, I didn’t know. So I tried to ignore it, and then… it just kept… sitting in the back of my head, the sight of you, looking at me –“ He cuts himself off, and you watch him sit up again, rest his elbows on his knees.

“What?” You prod him, move your knee to hit his, and he sighs, both hands over his face.

“You were right. Harvard was my excuse. It was a way out, but I forgot home on the way. Forgot my mother, in everything, my grandmother. Took steps away from them, and ended up losing sight of myself.”

All of that because of what you said? Something twists inside of you, and you shake your head, lifting the bottle back up to where a good bruise is forming. “You don’t have to feel guilty for working, Rafael,” you murmur to him. “For having a dream. I saw you, and I – I saw a guy who got it all, and I took my frustrations out on you. I’m sorry, for making you think that going out and accomplishing what you have means you’re not – not, y’know. You. I barely know you, for fuck’s sake.”

The curse makes his lips twitch, but he doesn’t look away. “But you never lost sight of home. You were always right there, where you needed to be,” he urges, and you shake your head.

“And that’s me. I love home. I love being home. But maybe you needed to get out. I don’t know your life,” you laugh. “I would love to, but I don’t and… and maybe you needed to step away from… family, from friends, to find yourself. Look at you, you’re an A.D.A. in Kings County. I know you’ve got headlines already. That’s just who you seem to be. You’re the Harvard boy. Don’t feel guilty about that on my account, it’s a big accomplishment.”

A pause.

“But the Bronx isn’t so bad, if you ever wanted to journey back every so often. Not a bad thing to remind yourself where you came from.”

“I don’t think I can forget,” Rafael admits. “Es en mi sangre, just like being a lawyer is.”

Then he smirks. “Plus, those pants still have a stain right on the hem. I keep meaning to throw them out.”

You snort, loud, and then shift to face him. It’s uncomfortable, the little bench the two of you are on, but the position is worth it. “Seems like you’re investing in good-fitting suits. Might be time.”

Olivet is taking forever, it feels like, but you don’t mind. This has been good, a resolution to things, and you don’t really want it to end. Even if it means that you can get home and nurse your head.

“You know, you’re the one who got me through my first year of my Ph.D.,” you blurt out. “After our last meeting I vowed you’d call me doctor. That’s what I meant… by vow vengeance.”

“So you…”

“Yeah. I guess that means you’re good luck, huh?”

He’s agape. “You pushed through grad school out of spite for me?”

“Yup.” The ‘p’ pops in your mouth, and his eyes flicker down to your mouth before he can stop himself.

And then, there’s a beat. And then he’s laughing. His laugh, when it’s light, and free, is contagious, for sure.  Shaking his head, running a hand through gelled hair. When he pulls it away, the mess makes it look softer, and you get the sudden urge to run fingers through it.

Damn concussions.

You have enough sense not to mention the craving. You just smile, and drop the water bottle in favor of shoving a hand towards him for a good shake.

He looks at your hand. It’s offered to him in a symbol of peace, but he looks so skeptical still, as if you’ll call him out on not calling home every now and again.

“Since I’m not your bad luck, then. Friends?”

There’s no hesitation. He’s grabbing your hand, firm and warm, and the one-two shake seals the deal.

“Friends,” he concedes, and the two of you sit on that damn bench, the silence more than a little comfortable.

His coat does end up around your shoulders, eventually. It’s nice, another layer of warmth with the windows to your back. It seems silly, but it feels like a shield, a layer of protection.

Olivet comes down eventually. She doesn’t comment on the second coat, but you see her head tilt a little as you stand, hand it back to him.

“You know where to find me, if you’re ever in town,” you tell him, and he nods.

“I’ll see you around, Miss Y/L/N.”

Your grin stretches across your face. It hurts your head, a little, but it’s worth it. “You’ll call me doctor, one day. Next time one of us almost kills the other.”

His smile back is warm. “I have no doubt.”

When you and Olivet leave, she’s just humming a little. You don’t say anything, but when the two of you get in her car, she pulls her keys from the depths of her purse, starts the engine. You realized that you didn’t see them in her hand when she left the elevator, and the dots connect even with the way your brain has been rattled.

The sight makes your eyes widen. “Were they –“

She laughs now. “Oh, you know things like that. Not a problem, we’ll just take you home now.”

“Now?” Your voice is cracking a little with the indignation.

“Now. If we hurry, I’m sure your dinner will still be warm.”

-

Rafael watches as Liv’s voice gently soothes the woman, her eyes flicking back and forth between the Lietenant and Carisi. There’s hesitation in her statement, the kind that makes the hairs stand up on the back of his neck.

When the two of them leave the interrogation room, he’s clear, or as clear as he can be. “She just confessed to murder, and right now that’s all the D.A. is going to see.”

Carisi’s response isn’t exactly friendly, but Barba looks up at the detective steadily, trying not to let his eyes roll. “You’re telling me you don’t believe her?”

“I’m saying that we’ve already had two victims recant their statements, for one reason or another. Their unwillingness to testify against Mr. Jones gives us very little in terms of evidence,” he sighs out. There’s a weariness as he looks at the woman, moving to lean against the glass and watch as she lays on the couch to rest. He wants to do the same, sometimes. Let his exhaustion take over. “I want to know what she knows about the situation, what she thinks. Otherwise, it’s a cut and dry case, and she gets locked away.”

“But she came to us, Barba,” Liv offers, looking at him with those pleading eyes of hers. They know how to sink right into his soul, and he ducks his gaze for a moment to collect himself. He has no time for being tired, and there’s something infectious about her conviction. But he needs more than a detective’s gut instinct and a lieutenant’s insistence. “We can’t just let her sink. She doesn’t belong in Rikers, she needs help.”

There’s a long silence, and Rafael finds himself sipping from a cup of coffee that has long gone cold. It’s Carisi that speaks up, those classes at Fordham law behind him. “What about a psychiatric evaluation? If an expert can sign off on her testimony, perhaps back up the fact that she was indeed abused, then as a battered woman…”

“Fordham law strikes again,” Barba quips, and then winces at his next sip. Such a shame the precinct couldn’t afford better coffee. Or more skilled coffee makers. “I can see who the D.A.’s office has lined up for those kinds of calls.” He looks between the two cops. “I don’t usually do the defense’s job for them, but this…”

“Is different.” Liv fills in the blanks, and he offers a small smile to her as he moves to the door. “I think we’re rubbing off on you, Barba.”

“God help us all,” he throws back, and her and Carisi’s chuckles are what leave him as he pulls out his phone.

The calls are straightforward. First to Carmen, who finds the list of names and numbers, and then to those names from his desk, seeing who is available as soon as possible for a psychiatric workup. There are options that she trims down, out of the goodness of her heart, leaving him with about ten that he can choose from.

But when he gets the list of names, there’s one name that stands out. One that reminds him of smiles shared across a cup of coffee and a pastry, one that makes him think of Catholic school uniforms and twisted ankles. One that makes nostalgia swirl in his gut. Or is that longing? Either way, it makes his lips purse.

Maybe it’s because in those moments, there were bright spots. Light in days and years that seemed to blur with a lot of struggle.

Or maybe it’s because he’s being dramatic. Either way.

He picks up his phone, prepared just for a consult. Nothing to yearn for, certainly. But he pretends not to notice when he looks up your office and gets a thrill when it’s in Manhattan, or swallow tightly when a photo appears on your website, and your eyes seem to gaze into his.

You’ve made a name for yourself. Any competent A.D.A. would feel comfortable with you in their corner. His fingers fly across his keyboard, looking into cases, finding what you’ve done. Your doctorate from Fordham is only the beginning, and he’s surprised he hasn’t seen you at charity events with all of the credits next to your name. Three years into practice, and he sees you headlining research into veteran populations, starting funds for LGBTQ+ counseling, lighting a fire in your community.

Any A.D.A. would choose you. Never mind the other names.

Yours ends up being the first number he dials. It rings twice, three times. Nothing yet, and his pen is spinning in his fingers. Four times, five times, and for a moment he thinks he’ll just have to try the number at the top of the list –

“Dr. Y/L/N’s office,” a voice answers. “How can I help you?”

It’s not you. It’s a secretary, or a receptionist, but her voice is kind enough. “Yes, is Dr. Y/L/N in? I’m calling about a consultation for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.”

The little hum that the receptionist gives is… uncertain. “Unfortunately, she’s in with a patient. Can I take a message?”

He’s done his due diligence. He’s tugged on the heartstring, and now he should move on. Try the next name. But something makes him set down his pen, bite his lower lip. A whim, really, that makes him speak.

“Just tell her Rafael Barba called. And if she’s interested, to return this call. I’ll give you the number.”

When he recites the list of ten digits, however, it’s his cell phone. And there’s something in him that hopes you’ll call back with yours. For old times’ sake.

“All right. Thank you so much, I’ll be sure she gets it.” The receptionist hangs up, and Rafael feels like he’s run a marathon the way his heart is pounding.

Each call he gets the rest of the day is enough to get him tensing. Ready to lift and see an unfamiliar number, with your voice in his ear. What he gets instead is silence, and a couple of calls from Liv, during which he does his damnedest to keep the tension out of his voice. By the end of the day, he’s resigned to the fact that it’s simply a missed connection, two ships passing in the night. Another moment of dramatics, but he feels this one.

And then his cell rings once more. He doesn’t look at the screen, just answers and closes his eyes, ready to hear Liv’s voice again, or God forbid, Carisi.

“This is Barba,” he answers. That tension bleeding in once again, and the response he gets makes him a little breathless.

“Kings County not enough for you, Harvard boy?” you ask. It’s teasing, light, and it feels a little like he’s outside in the cold winter wind chill the way his nose surely must be red. “Now I know to send the damages lawsuit to Manhattan.”

His laugh comes out of him suddenly, and it matches yours. “I’ll give you the address. How are you, Doctor?”

You hum a little, and it buzzes against his ear. “Oh, it feels good to hear you say that, that’s for sure. But, honestly, I’m doing pretty well. I’m… doing what I love. Helping people.”

“Too good for the Bronx? Manhattan your mainstay?”

“Oh, please,” you huff. “My office is firmly in the old neighborhood. And on top of it, if I don’t come by every week, my mother has a conniption.”

“Glad to hear.”

And it’s just that simple for you. Rafael has always had his sights set on the future, but you’ve reached it. And you’re content, and still with one foot in the place the two of you grew up. It’s… right.

“What about you?” It’s a question he’s honestly unprepared to answer. He doesn’t linger on it too long, because he doesn’t want to sound like he’s lying, but the truth is perhaps too much to admit to an acquaintance.

No. A friend.

“Manhattan is a little like home now. A lot like it,” he admits. In that moment the SVU crew comes to mind, but he pushes them away. But I have a case here I’m ready to be done with. I’m trusting your receptionist gave you the gist?”

“What she could.” Your voice is no longer light, something firm in it that he recognizes. The tone of work. “The message wasn’t a lot besides your name and your title, but am I right in thinking I’m going to be evaluating someone?”

“It’s a woman who was a victim of sexual abuse. I need to know what your read is on her.”

You hum again, lower, contemplating. “Anything in particular I’m looking for?”

“I don’t want to influence you, or give any unnecessary details over the phone. Just know she’s in our custody, right now, and this case has been complicated.”

There’s a pause, and he does his best to emphasize what’s necessary, what’s true. “We’re trying to help her. Get her where she needs to be. I know it’s last minute –”

“I know the system, Rafael,” you murmur. You don’t hesitate to use his first name, and he tries not to think too much about how it sounds in your mouth. “Am I right in assuming that she’s potentially spending the night in the tombs?”

She’s not, but he doesn’t get the chance to respond, and he doesn’t have to. You’re telling him you’ll be there tomorrow, prompt, early, and he lets out a sigh of relief. Doesn’t mention that waiting for your call could’ve cost a valuable day’s worth of time.

“Thank you,” he breathes, “I owe you.”

“For doing my job?” you chuckle. “This isn’t a personal favor, we should make that clear.”

“For taking my call. Getting back to me so quickly.” For humbling me when I needed it. For being a reminder every few years that home isn’t a bad thing.

“Anything for a friend,” you return, and he ducks his head to hide his smile from the room.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then. And I do insist I owe you. For the nearly broken ankle, at least.”

There’s a pause. He can hear your breath catch, and he hopes, hell, he prays that there’s a smile on your face as you think of him.

“Then, let’s not wait three years to meet again,” you tell him. There’s a click, surely a pen in your fingers, perhaps spinning like his. “I’ll take drinks, once the case is done.”

“How about dinner?” Rafael returns, and he stands to his feet, his window gazing out on the street below. He’s glad he’s not limited by the cord of his desk’s line. The cabs breezing by too quick on roads with black ice, the gusts blowing the flags outside One Hogan Place. “More equivalent, I would say, if we consider twelve years’ interest.”

“I’m also counting the spilled coffee, of course,” you add, and Rafael scoffs.

“Didn’t you spill that on me?”

He walks into it, he supposes, but he doesn’t mind. “Well, then, I’ll return the favor. Two-dinner commitment, and all before we hit fifteen years of acquaintanceship.”

“Friendship,” he amends, and your little laugh is what lingers with him, what he thinks about as he prepares for tomorrow.

“Right. Friendship. Good night, Rafael.”

“Good night.”

The two of you say friendship, as you rise the next morning. Say friendship as you meet, and Rafael introduces you to the precinct. Say friendship, as the case ends, and those dinners begin, with laughter and warmth even in a snowy Manhattan evening.

But at the end of those dinners, twelve years in the making, the friendship is only the beginning.

After all, you look stunning, in your dress and heels, a deep red coat that compliments your lip color. Your hair is pinned up, but some of it has come loose, during the night, and those strands frame your face perfectly.

“Maybe Manhattan isn’t too bad,” you laugh, as the two of you step into the night air, “if it means you get to eat like that all the time.”

“There are definitely some low points, but the high points make it all worth it,” he tells you. He can’t stop looking at you, even as you pause at the curb, side by side and turning to each other. “Back home, then?”

“You’re not the only A.D.A. I work with.” You nudge him with your elbow, hands in your pockets to block out the cold. “Other boroughs, other work. Not to mention that Monday’s coming up quick. Patients.”

There’s a stab of jealously in him. Thinking about you spending time with the other boroughs, with other A.D.A.s at his office. But for some reason, he can’t help but hope that the smile on your face is just for him.

He takes a moment to pull out his phone, stare at the date on the screen. “Well, tomorrow’s not Monday,” he tells you. “Do you… think you could spare a few more hours? Another day, maybe?”

Your brow raises at him, and he finds himself loving the arch of it, especially paired with your smirk. “What are you thinking, Barba?”

“A couple of drinks, maybe.” He nods down the road, trying to play it cool even though his heart is pounding in his chest.  

You’ve gotten the gist. The idea. He knows it, and you know it, but you’re daring him to act with the way you bite your lower lip. “And after that?”

It’s a dare he takes. Jumps at the chance to act on, one of his hand lifting to cup your cheek, the other reaching for your waist. He kisses you, there, on the curb, winter in full swing around you, and there’s nothing else can think about but the way you feel against him.

When it’s over, it feels unfinished. Mainly because a part of him doesn’t want it to.

“What do you say? Willing to stay in Manhattan a little longer?” he asks, a little breathless as he looks down at you. Your lipstick hasn’t miraculously hasn’t smudged, but he still lifts a hand to trace his thumb along the perfect lower line. “I know a place you can stay.”  

“I’m almost convinced,” you reply with a laugh, voice light. “But if you kiss me again, we can make that an absolutely certainty.”

#rafael barba x reader #female!reader #rafael barba #law and order: svu #olivia benson #sonny carisi #my fic #friends to enemies to lovers i suppose

[imgaygremlin]

Left in disrepair

Chapter 1- The one where hearts are broken

A golden bunny- well- an anthropomorphic one, shoved a girl- no more than 4, into a small back room, with no witnesses and nothing to protect her. Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria, the newest place kids loved to go to, had several back rooms not mapped on the robot's sensors, or the cameras, making the perfect place to hurt- or worse, kill- someone.

The small girl breathed heavily, scrambling against the wall as a first resort. She whimpered, and decided using her voice would be the best way to ensure her safety. “What are you doing?” Her voice was shaky, and cloaked in a thick lisp, making her almost inaudible. She heard her friends running around outside, looking for her. “Gabriel?” She called, but to no avail. Nobody heard her.

“Shush, Susie. Just give up, they’re not coming to help, and you’ll soon be dead, too" he laughed, it soon turning maniacal and evil, and pulled a knife out from somewhere inside his suit. There were no pockets that Susie could see, so it had to have been on the person inside it.

“You aren’t really a robot, are you?” Upon seeing his reaction, a nod, her eyes flashed between almost every single emotion- sad, that she was alone; happy, that the robots weren’t trying to kill her; anger, that she was letting herself die like this. Her eyes eventually settled on a emotion that was particularly hard to describe, but to put it simply, was betrayal. Betrayal of the adults she thought she could trust. Betrayal that she couldn’t put up a strong fight.

“Good job, kid, you aren’t completely useless.” He chuckled, putting on different voices. Even though they were already almost pitch black, the man- the human’s eyes- seemed to grow darker with bloodlust and he lunged towards the girl, knife swinging outward. It missed her, by a fraction of an inch, and while he was distracted by the recoil and pressure on his arm, his breathing getting heavier- a bad sign- she threw a punch towards his face, and hit him square in the nose. His head got pushed backwards, not by much though. He stood back upright, his smile showing through his gapped teeth.

“That’s the best you can do? You’re weak.” He rocked on the balls of his feet, and made a split second decision to get rid of the Bonnie head, leaving it discarded on the floor. He could no longer act like someone he wasn’t, or rather, something he wasn’t. He smiled, a sweet, sadistic smile which had no traces of regret, or remorse, or really any emotions.

“I’m not the weak one, you are. I might be young, but you’re the stupid one, for attacking me. Don’t get me wrong, I love a fight, but only if it’s fair.” She managed to distract him with her mini speech, and took her chance to duck out behind him, only to find the door locked. Tears growing in her eyes, she fumbled with the door handle, trying to force it open. Eventually, she gave up, sinking back to the ground, sobbing. “I’m sorry, Gabriel, I’ve failed you...” her voice trailed off.

All the while, the man was just staring, knowing she couldn’t escape, and if she could, he would take the defeat. He took his chance, stabbing her in the side while she was crying, her eyes widening in pain. “You can’t get out that easily, Susie. I won’t let you.”

She screamed in pain, one hand holding onto the door handle weakly. The other hand moved towards her side, and she curled in on herself. He simply laughed, watching her futile attempts to save herself. “Welcome to the Afton family, Susie" his smile widened.

“Y-you won’t get away with this, William” she got stabbed in the neck and could not ignore the pain. She collapsed on the floor and bled out.

William climbed out of The suit and stepped over Susie’s body. He dropped his knife, his purple ponytail bouncing behind him. Snapping back into character, he went over to Henry Emily, the person he’s worked with for several years, and faked some tears.

“Henry- I just went into the backroom for some storage and- there was a girl in there- she- she was dead-" he got cut off by Henry dragging him into a private room, alone. He looked almost impressed.

“You can’t lie to me William, you can’t.” That last phrase- you can’t- was one that Henry said a lot, in different tones, but it was always the same phrase. “I know you killed her. Tell me who it was and I’ll tell her parents she went missing.” He smiled, not meaning anything malicious by it, he was just a bit messed up after his daughter died. Henry got on his tiptoes and kissed William, quickly.

“Susie Chirah. She’s strong" Afton laughed slightly, before going on to explain his reasoning. “ You know how Elizabeth, and Chris, and Michael- all either died or left me, right? And for you it’s Charlie? I was thinking-" His face shifted, his eyebrows going down and his smile fading. “We can make a new family, one that’ll never leave us.” He pushed his hair out of his face.

Henry stared up at the 6”2 man, his eyes wide. His oversized sweater had gotten even more oversized as he lost the weight, almost unhealthily, and his hands were covered in ink and oil. Despite this, William loved him. For Henry, William was his only comfort after everyone in his life had left him- not even his sister stayed in contact with him. “Does that mean- Charlie- could come back? In the same way these new children will?”

“In theory, yes.” He paused. “But it might not, as we don’t know what happened to Charlie.” When Charlie- and Sammy- were around, William saw them as his children, and he looked after them like he was their father, but then they started taking too much of his time, so they had to go.

“Oh, speaking of Charlie, come with me!” Henry grabbed William's hand, and dragged him into one of the other back rooms- the safe room, to be specific- and showed him the work-in-progress robot he made, which was almost indistinguishable from how Charlie looked when she was alive. “I haven’t made the ai yet, but it looks like Charlie, doesn’t it?”

“Yes-" he paused, “it looks just like her.” He seemed to rock on his feet, his usually confident facade broken down into- admiration? Love? Jealousy? All of William's emotions were a jumble right now, he couldn’t tell what was ‘William Afton, the businessman’ or ‘William Afton, the broken man’.

“Are you okay? You look upset.” Henry reached towards his hand, but he pulled away.

“I’m fine- I’m sorry- I just remembered something” William quickly looked around the room, before looking back towards Henry. “You’re really beautiful...”

“Should we go back outside?” Henry reached for his hand again, and this time, William didn’t pull away. He gently nodded, and began to leave the safe room. “So.. Susie Chirah?”

“Yeah, that’s her. Have you ever seen a 3 year old so strong? It’s unreal.” William chuckled, sounding more human than he ever had done.

“We’re getting a new night guard tonight, right?” Henry looked around. “’Cause we both have stuff to do, right?”

“I believe so. I think his name is Warlock...”

“Odd name" Henry got the phone he always used, the cheap one. “Wanna help me record a tutorial message for him? This place isn’t too easy to navigate on those cameras.”

“But that means we have to do 5 nights worth of tutorials for one person.”

“Not necessarily. What if something happened to ‘phone guy’ on night 4? Like, being attacked by the robots?” Henry began to chew his nail, out of anxiety, or a whole load of different emotions.

“Or, just let Warlock make them. We can give him extra pay.”

“You’re a genius, William.”

“No, I’m William.” He giggled slightly.

“You need sleep, sweetie.” Henry, being surprisingly strong, picked him up, and walked around the back way, avoiding Susie’s parents, and only put him down when they were in the office. “Go to sleep, and I’ll sort out Susie’s parents"

“I love you, Henry...” And like that, William was asleep.

“I love you too...” Henry left the room, a smile on his face.

He walked towards the main room, where he could see Mrs and Mrs Chirah “Uh- excuse me- you’re the mothers of Susie, right?”

“Yeah...?” One, with a short, half-shaved pixie cut spoke with a thick Japanese accent

“I-I’m so sorry, but... your daughter has gone missing... Me and William can’t find her anywhere... I’m sorry..”

The two wives almost burst into tears, and they left the pizzeria quickly.

Henry sat down, and zoned out.

Meanwhile, William soon woke up, and got to work on increasing the size of his new family. He found his trusty suit, and lured a couple kids into the backroom with their own drawings. “Come here, kids, I found your missing drawings, and I even made them better!”

The oldest child, Cassidy, being almost 6, was the hardest to get trust from, and so he relied on blackmail. Since William had known them all for basically their whole life, he knew what to say to get her to behave. “If you don’t come here, your brother won’t love you anymore.”

“G-Gabriel wouldn’t do that, I know... I think...” She began to question what she knew. Without knowing what she was doing, she began to walk towards William, where her brother, and the Styke siblings were- that is, Fritz and Jeremy.

“That’s right, I won’t hurt you..” He lied. As Cassidy approached him, he grabbed her by one of her short ponytails and dragged her backwards into the safe room with everyone else. William locked the door behind her.

“What are you doing? Why did you lie?” Cassidy started crying, but tried to stay strong.

By this time, Gabriel and Fritz were already dead, on the floor. Jeremy had blood running out of the back of his head, and appeared dead. “You’ll soon be my new children, poor Cassidy. But that’s not a bad thing, you’ll forever be, well, young.”

“I won’t let you hurt anyone else! You’re the reason Susie is missing, aren’t you?” Cassidy almost screamed, her voice sore in the back of her throat.

“Oh, stupid girl, Susie isn’t gone, she’s right here!” He waved his hand and the figure of Susie’s ghost formed next to him.

“That isn’t Susie! That’s just a trick you’re using to kill me!” Cassidy was in tears at this point, and sunk down to the floor, hugging her knees.

Afton took the chance, stabbing her in the chest. He missed, but swung again, and hit her head.

Her hands fell to her side, and her head lolled open, her mouth slightly open. William went to step over her.

Jeremy, unknown to everyone else, was still alive, and went to chase after William. Unfortunate for him, he collapsed over Cassidy's body, his spirit giving up.

William returned, with the suits from the stage. Susie in Chica, Gabriel in Freddy, Fritz in Foxy, and Jeremy in Bonnie.

“Dammit, I need another suit...” he thought for a second, before running off and returning. He then stuffed Cassidy's body into the Golden Freddy suit, more comfortably fitting than the others, as there was no endoskeleton in Golden Freddy.

William, satisfied, left the room.

#william afton #writing #fnaf #fnaf fanfiction #golden freddy #henry emily

[jarienn972]

Curse of Undoings - Part 6

Time for a new chapter! We left off with Henry rescuing Killian from the torture chamber, but they're far from being free. Killian's hurt and Henry has few options to get help as nearly everyone he knows is either missing or cursed. Doesn't make for an easy escape...

No major warning apply to this chapter but there are descriptions of Killian’s wounds and plenty of angst to go around.

You can revisit earlier chapters here on Tumblr: Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4  Part 5  or read from the beginning on AO3 or FF.net

Tagging @killian-whump @hookaroo and @castielamigos  Enjoy!

"Henry, how exactly is it that you know where this tunnel leads?" Killian asked with honest curiosity as he crouched, visibly uncomfortable, before what looked like a wooden panel covering up a large section of the far wall of the Town Hall's boiler room.

"I spent a lot of time by myself around here," Henry replied as he worked his fingers into the gap around the sides of the panel, prying it loose with a well-practiced ease. "Didn't exactly have a lot of friends so I'd go off exploring anywhere I could around town, almost always searching for any little clues to prove that the book my teacher gave me was real."

Killian nodded in acknowledgment of the lad's response. He'd heard too many stories of how lonely Henry had been before finding Emma and it reminded him all too vividly of that loneliness and pain he'd felt after Liam, and later, Milah, were gone. He tried to hold the flashlight steady as the boy slid the panel to his left to reveal an entrance to a very dark hole.

"So, where does that lead?" Killian queried once again for clarification, shining the beam of light into the inky void. He was certain that Henry had told him once or twice already but his memory was fading as quickly as his energy, blood loss slowly sapping his strength. In truth, he didn't really care where the passage led as long as it was away from this prison, to somewhere safe where his wounds could be treated and he could find warmer clothing. Blood from the numerous lacerations lashed across his back and his impaled shoulder was already soaking through the shirt borrowed from the unconscious guard causing the fabric to become uncomfortably plastered to the irritated skin. The guard's black uniform trousers weren't doing him any favors either. They were at least two sizes too big and even with the shirt tucked in and the belt cinched to the very last hole, they barely wanted to stay up over Killian's narrow hips, but they would have to make do for now. Far worse was the fact that the guard's boots were way too small so Killian wore only socks, which weren't doing much to keep away the chill of the cold cement beneath his feet.

"It connects the Town Hall to the mines," Henry reminded his stepfather as they scrambled through the opening in the concrete block wall. He carefully replaced the panel from inside the passageway that was lit only by the beam of his flashlight, reclaiming the light from Killian once the opening was sealed which allowed Killian to wrap his uninjured arm around the teenager's shoulders. "Like those cells, I've never found out why this tunnel was built," Henry explained as they set off in near-total darkness. "I don't know what they were designed to be used for, but I used to hide out down here from time to time and I don't think that either of my moms knows this tunnel exists so I highly doubt Fiona knows it's here. I just wish we had some idea of what she wanted…"

"I may have an idea," Killian replied with a grimace, his sock-covered feet not appreciating the unforgiving gravel and rocks strewn across the ground any more than the rest of his body had enjoyed his previous accommodations.

"What? How?" Henry wondered. Killian had been locked away and tortured in the dungeon. How would he have learned of the Black Fairy's plans?

"The Black Fairy paid me a visit during my captivity," Killian revealed. "She filled Emma's head with cursed memories of me murdering your grandparents."

"Okay, well, that explains a lot," Henry sighed. "I couldn't figure out why my mom thought they were dead and why she suddenly hated you so much."

"Hatred would be a kind word to use," Killian grumbled. "Full on rage and loathing would be far more accurate considering my current state. I'm afraid that Fiona is trying to goad your mother into killing me as she wants to sever our bond of True Love."

"That must be why the book is fading!" Henry exclaimed. "As your True Love is being destroyed, the stories slowly disappear. If Fiona succeeds, the entire book and all of its stories might be gone forever!"

"Aye – I believe that is precisely what she intends. She wants to re-write her own stories," Killian stated. "We need to find a way to get through to Emma to stop all of this…" Killian's words cut off mid-sentence as he stumbled, his body shaking as trembling legs no longer wanted to support his weight. He nearly tumbled atop of Henry, but the boy surprised him as he mustered enough strength to keep Killian upright. "Sorry, lad, I…"

Henry stopped him there. "There's no need to apologize. We can rest for a couple of minutes…"

"No – it will be safer if we keep going…" Killian insisted.

"It's alright. You need the rest. I wish I knew if there was someone else in this town we could trust, but I have to assume that everyone else is cursed like my mom. That or they're missing like a Grandma, Grandpa and my other mom…"

"They're not missing," Killian said nearly breathlessly as he fought against the blackness seeking to overtake him. "They're trapped… Fiona, she trapped them all in an enchanted snow globe…"

"They're in a snow globe?" Henry asked incredulously.

"She showed it to me, bragging as though it were some great conquest…" Killian let out a deep sigh as he felt himself wavering, allowing even more of his weight to be shouldered by his stepson as he lost his tenuous grip on consciousness.

"Killian?" Henry asked as the pirate slumped against him, causing the teenager to lose his hold on the flashlight as he needed both hands free to catch a now unconscious Killian. The light rolled a few feet away as Henry carefully eased Killian's limp form to the ground, not even sure what the best position to place him in might be. He could feel the warm, sticky blood that had soaked through the guard's uniform shirt and was instantly reminded that Killian was losing far too much as it oozed from the lacerations torn into his back and trickled from his punctured shoulder.

Once Killian was safely resting on the tunnel floor, Henry crawled over to where the flashlight had landed, needing its light to be able to better assess all of Killian's wounds. He'd already felt the dampness but now that he could see the extent of the stains covering both the front and back of the once khaki shirt, he knew they were running short on time. He stripped off his jacket and draped it over Killian's upper body like a blanket, discovering that quite a bit of Killian's blood was already staining his coat too. Probably better that he was leaving the jacket here with Killian since that much blood would definitely draw too much attention and he was about to undertake another huge risk.

He was going to have to go back inside because he now believed he knew the key to breaking this curse and getting his family back. Now, he knew exactly what Fiona had smiled at when she'd exited the office earlier and it was his duty to his family to retrieve it.

Henry had to check the display on his phone twice but he was certain that the guard would still be asleep but he had absolutely no idea if Fiona would have returned by now. He remembered a little too late that the extra sleeping powder was several hundred yards back down in the tunnel inside the jacket he'd left for Killian so he'd have to be extra careful. If he encountered someone now, the consequences could be deadly, feeling quite relieved to find the half-naked guard right where they'd left him and no one else in sight.

He cautiously skirted around the snoring guard and swiftly tiptoed up the flight of stairs. Reaching the top step, he inched the door open, peeking into the basement to verify that it was empty before dashing for the next staircase. He had to be increasingly careful as he returned to the main floor, waiting for a woman he recognized as a secretary to pass before slipping into the corridor and making his way toward Fiona's office. The frosted glass on the window made it impossible to tell if anyone was inside but he didn't hear any noise coming from inside so he tested the door, fairly sure he'd remembered to push the button on the back of the door knob to lock it.

He breathed another brief sigh of relief finding the door locked – especially since he did have his copy of the key tucked inside his pant pocket. Now he had to make this fast – break in, grab the snow globe and get the hell out. It was a fairly good, flying-by-the-seat-of-his-pants plan but without his coat or backpack, he'd have to carry the globe in his hand which was going to require an abundance of caution. He'd also have to exit the Town Hall on this level and somehow make his way across town to return to the tunnel via the mines. He didn't dare push his luck with the snoozing guard in the sub-basement. It would be dangerous enough once that man awoke to discover both his clothing and his prisoner missing.

Getting the actual snow globe proved easy but Henry knew the more difficult part would be getting back to Killian. He couldn't exactly run straight down Main Street without increasing his likelihood of being caught. No, he was going to have to flit through the back alleys and parking lots where fewer eyes might spot him. He ducked out of the rear exit from the Town Hall into the nearly vacant parking area and darted across the asphalt with the precious trinket clutched tightly in his left fist. He had to keep it safe, fearing that if he dropped it, he might doom his family to an eternity within its glass confines. All was nearly lost though when he rounded the corner near the church rectory and saw Fiona strolling towards him.

And even worse – she saw him.

He immediately slowed his pace, worried he'd draw unwanted attention if he continued to run or if he made an immediate u-turn. He threw his hands behind his back to tuck the snow globe beneath his belt. Try to look as normal as possible he kept telling himself as Fiona closed the distance between them.

"Henry?" Fiona called out to him using a faux concerned tone that sounded as phony as her position as Mayor. "What are you doing out this way?"

"I, uh… I was just looking for my mom. She wasn't at the station so I was wondering if maybe she'd come by here? Nobody was there either so I decided I'd just head back home."

"Well, your mother did come to see me earlier, but when she left, she said she was heading to lunch. I'm not sure where she went from there so you may want to just try calling her."

"I would, but I forgot to charge my phone last night."

"Would you like to use mine?" Fiona offered, but Henry didn't trust the gesture for a single moment.

"It's alright. I'll just call when I get home."

"Of course, but Henry, isn't your house the other way?"

Damn… she was suspicious of him already. Think, Henry, think… "Oh, I was going to stop by the library before going home. Figured I'd pick up a book or two to read tonight."

"Well then, please don't run. There's no need since the librarian won't be back until after two."

"Oh, I didn't realize that," Henry stammered, cursing that he hadn't remembered the lunchtime closure. "Guess I'll have to come back later."

"Perhaps you should forget the books, Henry. I hear that you read too much…" The disdain in her voice couldn't have been more obvious.

"You know me – I like to read," he replied curtly, echoing her tone. "Oh, well, if you see my mom, tell her I was looking for her."

"I will. Just please slow down, young man," she insisted with that same mocking air of concern for his welfare.

Henry begrudgingly smiled at her. "Of course, Madame Mayor." Now he'd have to go the long way around, but at least it would give him an excuse to swing by the park where he'd stashed his backpack before deciding to spy on Fiona. He hadn't exactly wanted to drag the pack or the storybook through the Town Hall air vents so he'd left it in his secret spot near the play castle before his reconnaissance mission turned into a rescue. He had a bottle of water and a few pouches of fruit snacks inside his pack too which he could offer to Killian, assuming he was conscious. Who knows how long it had been since Killian had any food or drink?

Henry waited awkwardly until Fiona was far enough away from him before daring to turn his back to her, removing the snow globe from his waistband before she might notice the hastily concealed object. It has been far too close a call and now all he could do was try not to fret too much and get himself back on track. Had his behavior been too suspect? Would Fiona call his mother? If she did, he and Killian would both likely be dead before the day was through and the fairytales he was trying desperately to salvage would be lost forever.

No way could he allow that to happen.

Fiona crossed the parking lot with brisk, purposeful steps, lamenting the aches and pains that these modern, fashionable shoes were afflicting on her feet. How on earth had these inane torture devices ever gained favor? Of course, her cramped toes weren't the only thing on her mind after that bizarre conversation with her great-grandson outside the church. She was by no means naïve enough to deny that the boy hated her. Every child she'd ever surrounded herself with harbored that same animosity, but there was something different about this one. Her curse hadn't taken hold on him, a result she'd feared even as the dark spell was cast so she'd had to build in a safeguard, implanting memories of a child who'd gone mad when his grandparents were murdered.

The fallacy she'd created had been convincing enough for Emma, but not for all. A few problems remained, including her miserable failure of a son who had also retained his real memories, perhaps as a side effect of being the Dark One. She probably should have dispatched him to the netherworld along with Regina and the Charmings but at least one fortunate favor to her was that he was more concerned with protecting his estranged wife and his pathetic son. As long as he remained suitably distracted by them, he wasn't worrying about what mummy had planned. Even after their conversation, Rumplestiltskin remained oblivious to the finality of her plot. She'd entertained a fleeting thought that perhaps she should feel at least a miniscule pang of guilt about wiping out her entire family, but she honestly didn't. She'd write a far more successful legacy in her new story.

But the fact still remained that Emma hadn't yet severed her True Love bond with the pirate and that left Fiona herself trapped in this miserable town for a while longer. She needed the Sheriff to snap and finally, if unwittingly, murder her own husband but there was still a possibility that the boy could still pose a challenge. Emma did retain an emotional bond with Henry, even if she was convinced the lad was insane. Should any harm come to her son, it could distract Emma from her more important tasks and that simply couldn't be tolerated. The boy knew the truth and was likely going to remain a thorn in Fiona's side until Emma's job was done. She needed a way to keep Henry off of the streets so he couldn't interfere.

She decided it was time for Emma to rein in her son so she needed to create a bit of a rift between mother and child. Pulling out her cell phone, she scrolled through her contact list until she located Emma's name and number. Oh what amazing devices these smart phones were! She tapped on Emma's name on the display to dial, then waited quite impatiently for the Sheriff to answer.

"Oh, Emma," Fiona gushed after Emma picked up. "So sorry to interrupt your lunch break but I was just wondering if Henry had gotten in touch with you?"

"Henry?" Emma replied through the speakerphone, her voice thick with confusion. "He's at home? Why would you be worried about him getting in touch with me?"

"Are you sure he's home? I just encountered him outside the rectory and he told me he'd been looking for you."

"Looking for me? That makes no sense. If he needed me, he'd just call."

"Well, he said his phone battery was dead, but I have to say that I did find his behavior quite odd."

"Did he say where he was going?"

"He mentioned something about going to the library, but he seemed rather dismayed when I reminded him that it wouldn't be open until later this afternoon, so he told me he was going to go home and come back later."

"Did you see which way he went?" Emma asked, irritation creeping into the timbre of her voice as she processed the disappointment of her son's disobedience. "Did he actually go home?"

"I can only speculate, but he was headed in that direction, but unfortunately, I've no way to be certain."

"Thanks for letting me know," Emma stated as she disconnected the call, leaving Fiona with a smug grin coiled onto her lips. She wasn't about to allow a petulant child to derail her plan, especially since she'd now sown her seeds of distrust against another of Emma's True Loves. It was merely a matter of time now until all fell in place.

Edited to correct the title that was missing an “s”

#ouat ff #ouat fanfic #killian jones ff #killian whump #curse of undoings

[jedimordsith]

Dancer (Part XII)

Mara walked into her shuttle, slapping the panel to shut and lock the hatch behind her. She'd finished early, and thanked the Force that she'd have a little extra time this trip to rest. Or at least to try. She was so incredibly tired.

Tired or not, the habit of taking care of her gear was too deeply ingrained to be ignored, and she moved about the hold on auto-pilot putting things away. When everything was stowed or stored for more thorough clean up later, she walked down the corridor toward the common room, tugging the clip from her hair as she walked and letting it fall loosely down her back. Her head hurt, and removing the weight of her hair from the top of her head helped a little.

She turned into the common room, thinking she'd grab a bottle of water and head for her room, and stopped dead, panic flaring.

Luke sat at the small table, dressed in his Jedi blacks, calmly waiting for her.

Mara's heart pounded, and her hand dropped instantly to her light saber. They've sent him to kill me.

He shouldn't have been able to get in. She should have known he was here – sith, she should have known he was on planet. But he was cloaked, completely, and with their bond so tightly closed, she couldn't feel him at all. She was good with a saber but she was exhausted. He'd spent the better part of a year training, the sole focus of a master's attention. If he hadn't already broken her heart, he'd have done it now.

Luke watched Mara's face go white, the way her hand flew to her light saber. Felt the dart of pain in the Force before it was instinctively smothered by her shields. What does she think is going to happen? He wondered, baffled and hurt by the response.

“Hello, Mara,” he said, evenly.

Mara waited, but he made no move to strike. Her head pounded, and she just wanted to be done. “Spare me the pleasantries, and let's just get this over with,” she spat, unhooking her light saber from her belt.

He frowned, but didn't move. “What do you think is going to happen?” Again, that damn even, detached tone.

“I'm not an idiot, Skywalker,” she snapped. “I know you're here to kill me.”

Luke was dumbfounded. “Mara, I would never hurt you,” he protested, coming out of his chair and moving toward her.

Mara took a step back so she was in the corridor, with a little more room to move and ignited her saber with a distinctive snap-hiss that made the Jedi stand still. He looked at her, baffled.

“Why would I want to kill you?” He asked, working valiantly to keep his voice cool and trying to reason with her.

Mara tasted bitterness. He could take her - they both knew it - and still he toyed with her. She didn't want to talk, didn't want to listen to him talk. With an angry cry, she threw herself at him, saber flashing.

Stunned, Luke jumped backwards, his own saber flying into his hand and igniting as he defended himself from the unexpected assault. “Mara, stop!”

“Shut up!” She demanded, raining fierce, precise blows on him. “Just shut up and do what you came for!!”

The room was small, and there was little room to maneuver. They circled each other tightly, slashing, parrying, ducking, and jumping in a blur of color and the hum and crash of dueling sabers.

Luke's saber carved a gouge into the wall to his right as he jerked to avoid slicing into Mara's shoulder. He barely managed to bring it around in time to block her next sharp thrust. Something was wrong, horribly wrong, but he didn't understand what and she was beyond listening. Knowing he'd have to do something quickly or one of them would end up permanently damaged, he prayed she'd forgive him and then thrust out his hands.

A massive wave of Force energy snapped Mara backwards, slamming her into the wall hard enough that her hands went momentarily numb and she nearly blacked out. The saber fell, shutting off just before it clanged to the floor. Luke's left hand stayed out as he held her immobile, and his right called the saber, clipping both of their weapons to his belt.

Mara gasped for air and strained, but she'd been held like this before and knew it was pointless. She didn't have the training to fight back on this level. Force knew, she'd tried. She blinked, trying to clear the dancing motes of light from her eyes enough to focus. When she did, she wished she hadn't.

The Jedi stood directly in front of her, one hand still held at chest height, keeping her in place. His blue eyes bored into her, searching. She felt the brush of his Force presence across her shields and clamped down on them reflexively. They were already impenetrable, but she triple checked them all anyway.

Luke struggled to retain his calm. This close, he could see Mara's exhaustion written in every line of her body, in her eyes. He ached to hold her as he once had, to comfort her. But she still stared at him defiantly, a wounded caged animal ready to lash out.

“Mara,” he didn't manage to keep the frustration out of his tone this time. “Tell me why you think I'm here to kill you.”

She thought about refusing, about simply staying obnoxiously silent to spite him. But she wasn't in the mood to play games. “I told you, I'm not an idiot. I've been expecting it since you came back.”

That only fueled the fire of irritation and confusion in him even more. Control, control – you must learn control! Yoda's voice echoing in his head did little to assuage his feelings.

“Why?” he gritted again, his fingers unconsciously flexing and tightening their grip on her splayed form.

She felt the constriction but refused to give him the satisfaction of a gasp. “I'm a link, between you and Sideous.” She'd never used the Emperor's sith name before, and it felt vile on her tongue. “No Jedi Master would allow that to stand. You either have to kill me or him, and killing me conveniently wipes the slate clean of forbidden attachments.”

Luke staggered backward, her words hitting him like an amphistaff to the chest. His hold on her shattered and she crumpled to the floor, curled forward on her hands and knees while he pitched onto the bench seat that ran along the wall.

Mara's vision was blurring again. She tried to think of the last time she'd eaten and been able to keep something down, but couldn't find the memory. She knew she was dehydrated, which wasn't helping. She tried to draw on the Force to steady herself, but recoiled when she hit the storm of Luke's emotions. The staid Jedi who'd come back from the Black wearing Skywalker's body was gone.

He stared at her, horrified and disbelieving. “You truly thought I'd kill you? For my status as a Jedi?” 

Mara pressed a hand flat against the wall and pushed unsteadily to her feet. “You left me here. Locked in my own private hell, so that you could warp my farm boy into an emotionless Jedi for the good of the galaxy. What is slicing my head off with a light saber compared to that?”

Luke didn't know how he was still breathing over the pain in his chest. “You think that's what I did? What I am?” he rasped, fury spiraling in tandem with the raw grief inside him. A bitter laugh bubbled out of him. “I've been getting beaten with a gimer stick every day for months for being too emotional, too impatient, too uncontrolled.”

She didn't answer, just stood there, focusing on her balance in hopes of walking away. Taking the ache in her chest silently out of here, away from where he might see any more of it.

“I thought you'd gotten out, Jade!” The dam had burst and Luke was unable to hold his frustration in any longer. “I thought you were safe on Home One with Han and Wedge and Tycho and Leia. I never imagined you'd still be here, like this.” His head came up, and those dangerously blue eyes burned into her. “I thought becoming a Jedi would help me protect you. Jedi training was supposed to be a sacrifice I made for you – not the other way around.”

“It doesn't matter now,” she told him, woodenly, stepping carefully away from the wall. “The damage is done - you belong to them.”

Luke snapped, bolting upright out of his chair and crossing the distance between them to grab her upper arms harshly. “I belong with you, Mara, and if you'd take down your damn shields for half a minute, you'd know it!”

She flinched at his grip on her burned arms, but tipped her head up to glare at him. “You want my shields down? Fine.” She fully expected his molten gold Force signature to burn her alive, but she knew her own blistered psyche would be a brutal assault on him as well. If that was what he wanted, she'd oblige. With a harsh yank, she tore her shields down and let her Force presence pour out in a burning, boiling tide.

Luke gasped at the onslaught, but then managed to steel him and let his shields drop as well. Mara's pain and grief and isolation engulfed him, and only his solid grounding in the Force kept him upright. She was raw under his questing ephemeral touch, scoured to the point of bloodied gouges that sliced into him.   Sweet Hoth, how did she live with this alone for so long? Underneath the violent storm of pent up pain, he found a tiny channel of longing. It ran with memories of him, his honeyed-sunshine Force presence, and the dreams of a new life among the Rebels. She still loves me. The realization washed away the rest in a sweet rush of relief and hope. All was not lost.

Mara couldn't breathe. Luke's suffering and frustration and regret crashed into her with shattering force.  As she'd expected it was hot and smothering and blisteringly bright on her already abraded Force sense. Her knees gave out, and she pitched forward, reaching for the blackness at the edges of her vision in welcome.

He caught her when she folded, cradling her limp body against his chest. She was too light when he slid an arm under her knees and picked her up. Luke carried her to the shuttle's small cabin and carefully set her on the bed. He removed her boots and her utility belt and set them beside the bed. Her light saber he removed from his belt and set beside the bed as well. Dragging a blanket over her, he left.

After straightening the common room as best he could, he looked for food. She clearly needed to eat something, and they may as well have a meal to try their next attempt at discussion over. To his surprise and dismay, there was nothing on board but a few ration bars. Unwilling to leave her, he hunted down Rix, brought him out of his sleep cycle, and sent him out for food. The droid was not particularly pleased with the assignment until Luke explained that it was critical to Mara's health.

Then, with nothing left to do but wait, he returned to Mara's room. She was awake, sitting on the side of the bed. Her shields were still down, and he felt the vertigo settling as she looked up at him.

“You're still here.”

“We didn't finish our discussion.”

Her heart dropped. That cursed Jedi calm was back. That wall that made her feel tossed entirely out of his orbit. If she'd been prone to crying, she'd have wept.

Luke watched his wife, frustration gnawing at him again. She was upset over what he'd said. He replayed the words in his head. They seemed innocuous, non-threatening. Reasonable.

“What did you want to discuss?” Mara's voice was flat and hollow. Sucking out what's left of my soul to create a shell for a suitable Jedi wife?

A Jedi, Luke told himself, would go into diplomat mode about now. Remain calm and collected while he worked through the chaotic mess between them. But his sister's voice echoed in his head. Jedi is a title, a tool, a role to be played. It's not an accident that Mara's term of affection for you was Farmboy.

He could all but see Yoda stamping his tiny, clawed feet and crowing about control and dignity. But looking at the brittle, fragile shell of his wife, he discarded every shred of Jedi training and went with his farm boy instincts. Reaching down, he unhooked his belt and dropped it on the floor beside hers, his light saber landing with a solid clunk.

Her eyes flicked up at him, and he caught her gaze and held it. Stepping forward, he closed the distance between them, his hand coming up to cup her cheek as he leaned into her.

“I want my wife back.”

Mara's eyes fluttered closed when he kissed her, the press of his lips tender and firm against her own. His right hand worked up, into her hair, caressing her scalp as he sifted the soft strands over his fingers as he'd always so loved to. She melted into him, her hands coming up to clutch the front of his tunic as she parted her lips and felt his tongue dart out to stroke hers.

He pressed his Force sense against hers too, the scorching molten gold of earlier softened to warm honey. She sank into it, relinquishing herself with a gasp as it flowed over and seeped into her, soothing and healing the raw, scraped-barren surface of her own presence in the Force.

Luke felt her give and caught her. His hand slipped free of her hair and coasted to her hip, helping her ease back onto the bed. Then he stretched out over her, his weight anchoring her and seeping warmth into her as she wrapped herself around him body and spirit.

He broke from her lips, feathered kisses down her jaw to her throat. She clung to him, pressing desperate kisses of her own to the top of his head as he worked the top fastener of her jumpsuit free so that he could continue his trail of kisses down to her collarbone. The second fastener came free, and he tugged the fabric away, his body already aching to be inside her. His breath caught and he froze, his heart twisting at the purple burns arcing across her porcelain skin. His fingers trembled as he pushed the ship suit down, watched the marks continue their vicious trail across her shoulder, down her arm, and down across her breasts and torso.

The assault had been recent, and unhealed. He started to pull off of her, suddenly afraid his weight would be agonizing on her scorched skin, but she tightened her grip.

“No!” Her fingers twisted in his tunic. “Don't. Don't stop.”

He brushed across her in the Force. Found the pain shunted aside in a channel so wide and deeply embedded it had to have been in near constant use since he'd been gone. “Force, Mara.”

She stroked him, physically with a hand on his cheek and in the Force with a sweet, hopeful tendril that felt almost like the ones he remembered. Clean and bright and Mara, but painfully tentative.

“I want my husband back.” Her voice was a whisper, a question, and he ached that she had to ask. That she thought even now that he could – might – walk away from her. He finally caught with clarity the undercurrent of fear that her farm boy had been replaced, that she would have to be replaced, her lingering suspicion that with all she'd lost and all he'd gained, she would no longer be enough.

I'm yours, Sweetheart, and I'm here. I won't leave you again.

He felt her relief clearly when his hands resumed their movements, tenderly returned to the process of slowly stripping her, then himself, until there was nothing between them but skin. Pulling her beneath the sheets, Luke set about reclaiming his wife one kiss, one sweet stroking touch at a time.

#unfinished fics #luke x mara

[htqcars]

FEATURES OF LUXURY CARS

Clearly, luxury cars come in a wide variety, and some are more luxurious than others. We detail all cars’ strengths and weaknesses in our road tests to help you identify which type of luxury car will work best for you. Below we highlight important features for you to consider when purchasing a sedan.

Engines and Fuel Economy Most luxury cars aren’t about saving fuel. But if you want to have your cake and eat it, too, some luxury cars and SUVs are available with hybrid or diesel powertrains.

The highly rated Tesla Model S happens to be both a luxury sedan and an all-electric model that returns 87 MPGe (miles-per-gallon equivalent). Among luxury hybrids, the midsized Lexus ES 300h got 36 mpg overall and the Lincoln MKZ hybrid netted 34 mpg.

At the other end of the spectrum, the thirstiest luxury SUV we’ve tested, the Toyota Land Cruiser, got 14 mpg. The Lexus RX 450h hybrid got 29 mpg overall in our tests, the same as the small Lexus NX 300h hybrid.

Many luxury cars require premium gasoline, so shop carefully if that extra cost is a concern. (Hint: Open the fuel filler door and look for a label that says premium fuel is recommended or required.) Diesel vehicles offer significant fuel-economy advantages, but diesel fuel is more expensive than gasoline in many areas of the country. Diesel vehicles won’t run on gasoline; putting gasoline in a diesel car’s tank will cause extensive (and expensive) damage.

Technologies such as cylinder deactivation, where the engine shuts off some of its cylinders under low power demands, can squeeze out slightly better mileage in highway driving. An increasingly common feature is engine shutoff when the vehicle is stopped, such as at a traffic light. The engine will shut off, rather than idle, to save fuel. It will restart as soon as the driver lifts off the brake pedal.

Most luxury cars come exclusively with an automatic transmission, usually offering between six and nine speeds. More speeds (gears) in a transmission can help a car get better fuel economy without sacrificing performance. Many luxury-car transmissions allow manual shifting, typically through paddles mounted on the steering wheel, giving the cars a more performance-oriented feel when desired. Manual transmissions are few and far between and generally limited to smaller and sportier models.

Some hybrids use a continuously variable transmission (CVTs) to maximize fuel economy and performance. Certain sporty models offer a dual-clutch transmission, which promises the fuel economy and performance advantages of a manual with the convenience of an automatic. These transmissions provide lightning-quick shifts in either manual or automatic mode, which makes them a good choice for performance-oriented models, but some of them lack smoothness at very low speeds, particularly when parking.

Whatever improvements are made to the engine, gearing, tires, and aerodynamics, the bottom line is what happens on the road. That’s where performance measures such as our on-road fuel-economy figures can help. (Check our fuel-economy ratings.)

Drive Wheels While most mainstream cars use front-wheel drive, luxury cars are typically available with rear- or all-wheel drive, though brands such as Acura, Audi, Lexus, and Lincoln offer front-wheel-drive models.

Front-wheel drive typically provides better traction than rear-wheel drive in slippery conditions. Conversely, rear-wheel drive usually enables better handling and steering on dry roads. All-wheel drive offers significantly better traction during inclement weather and better dry-pavement handling and cornering than front-wheel drive. But AWD does not shorten stopping distances, it adds cost and weight, and it often comes with a small fuel-economy penalty.

Towing Most luxury SUVs can have tow ratings of 3,000 pounds for small car-based crossovers to more than 8,000 pounds for traditional truck-based vehicles.

Access Ducking, bending, and squatting aren’t luxury experiences. Most luxury sedans and SUVs are designed to provide easy ingress and egress, often employing an exit mode that automatically powers the driver’s seat back and retracts the steering wheel. Some models will even cinch the doors closed, requiring only the barest of human effort.

Rear-seat access is more variable. Being lower, sleeker, and with thicker seat bolsters, sporty cars are almost always more difficult to enter. Try entering and exiting through all doors, front and rear, when comparing cars. A well-designed sedan should provide wide doors and enough headroom so that front and rear passengers can access the cabin without bumping their heads. Some sedans are styled with low, sloping rear rooflines. Such coupelike designs can degrade rear-seat accessibility, headroom, and the driver’s view aft.

A common feature among luxury cars (and, increasingly, among mainstream cars) is the proximity key. The key is actually a small transmitter that can stay in your pocket or purse. As long as the key is with you, the doors can be locked and unlocked by pressing a button on the door handle (or sometimes by simply touching the handle itself). Some cars will illuminate puddle lamps under the side mirrors when a person with the key approaches. Most cars with this feature also have keyless push-button ignition. This feature makes it almost impossible to lock your keys in the car because the doors won’t lock if the key is detected inside. But once the engine is started, it is possible to drive off without the key.

Cargo If you expect to carry long or bulky cargo, look for a fold-down rear seat with a tall, wide opening to the trunk behind. Even a small pass-through port can be handy for long, slender items such as skis. Batteries in hybrid models can restrict trunk space, and both hybrids and high-end models with reclining rear seats may not have a fold-down seatback or a pass-through. Unlike in mainstream sedans, fold-down seatbacks are sometimes an option on small and midsized luxury cars, and they’re not available at all on the largest ones.

If you plan to carry a lot of passengers in your luxury SUV, make sure to check out how much cargo room is left in back with all the seats raised. Most seven-passenger SUVs leave little space behind the upright third row—think grocery bags, not luggage. Only the largest SUVs offer decent cargo space with all seats occupied.

Advanced Safety Features The newest and most advanced safety features tend to be offered in luxury cars first. Expect a high-level of safety systems to be available, though on several luxury cars (notably those of German pedigree) such features can be optional.

Forward-collision warning and automatic emergency braking are two valued systems that are fast becoming standard equipment on many new vehicles. Forward-collision warning (FCW) technology provides a visual, audible, and/or tactile alert to warn the driver of an impending collision with a car or object directly in its path. If a car equipped with automatic emergency braking (AEB) senses a potential collision and you don’t react in time, it starts braking for you. IIHS data show rear-end collisions are cut by 50 percent on vehicles with AEB and FCW.

Other modern safety advances include telematics systems that alert emergency personnel if an airbag deploys, lane-departure warning systems that sound an alert if you change lanes without signaling, lane-keeping assist to center the vehicle in the lane if you start to drift, and blind-spot warning systems that indicate vehicles driving in the blind spots to the side and rear of you.

Entertainment and Convenience The latest mobile electronics enable cars to deliver the fidelity of home theater, along with Bluetooth smartphone connectivity, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility, and navigation guidance. Factory-supplied systems usually offer voice-activated controls for audio, phone, and navigation with various levels of sophistication.

Stereos are a selling point on many luxury cars, and most models come standard with systems that would be considered premium-level in mainstream cars. Some vehicles offer high-end branded stereos from suppliers such as Bang & Olufsen, Bose, Burmester, Harman Kardon, and Mark Levinson. These systems can cost thousands of dollars, with differences in sound quality that only a true audiophile can appreciate.

Luxury vehicles usually offer rear-seat entertainment systems that can play DVD or Blu-ray movies and have inputs for gaming systems and wireless headsets. There is a wide range of information and entertainment features available from the factory, additional ones that the dealer can install, and even more available through the aftermarket.

Audio System Most luxury cars come standard with powerful audio systems that allow you to play music loud with minimal distortion and more and better-quality speakers to enhance clarity and sound separation. They include USB and Bluetooth audio inputs, MP3 playback capability, satellite radio, and HD radio. Optional systems add digital sound fields, noise canceling, surround sound, and DVD-Audio playback. Depending on the package, an audio upgrade can add many hundreds or even thousands of dollars to a luxury car’s sticker price.

[littlesugarwords]

Walking Dead Game FanFiction - “Anything Always”

Title: Anything Always Characters: Clementine, Gabe, Javier, Kate Summary: While out exploring alone, Clementine is injured during a bandit raid and Gabe is the only one left to tend to her and bring her back to safety. Author’s Note: Inspired by this cute picture I saw on twitter a few days ago, I knew I needed to write a little drab. Enjoy some Gabentine on your feeds today. support me with ko-fi ♡ ———♥️♥️♥️———- “Clem?” Gabe’s hesitant voice filled the air, quickly glancing around to find the girl he had ventured out with. However, he didn’t hear her voice when she went to respond. Instead, he captured a sharp intake of breath, and a desperate howl as she collapsed onto the forest floor.

His eyes widened in horror, screaming out the instant he saw the arrow protruding from her side. “Clem!” With a swift swing of his arm, the shovel he was gripping dug into the head of the walker nearest to him, causing it to fall dead to the floor. “Clem, don’t move!”

“Gabe–”

Whatever she was about to say was silenced, however, when Gabe slashed another walker across the neck with the edge of his weapon, grunting in exhaustion. “Stay still. Focus on your breathing.” He was so focused on clearing the immediate area of threats, he didn’t get a chance to look her in the eye as he spoke.

Of course. It was just their luck that the one time they were able to go out by themselves not only were they bombarded by a swarm, but bandits decided to raid the area. Richmond had meant to explore smaller, more isolated and vacant towns for ages. They had meant to see if they were occupied or, even better, empty and up for raiding.

Clementine and Gabe, naturally, were given the town closest to Richmond in case anything went wrong.

“Gabe,” Clementine breathed desperately, her breaths haggard and broken. “God, please help.”

Oh boy how things had gone wrong.

“Don’t worry Clem,” Gabe backhanded another walker with his weapon, watching it crumple to the ground. “Just hang on for a bit longer. I have you covered.”

Out of every other day she had seen him fight, every encounter with walkers they ever had, this was by far when Clementine had seen Gabe at his best. Left and right he was smacking them down, keeping a distant eye on the bandits that had quickly stormed through to merely cause havoc.

With a grunt, now having immediate threats cleared, he tossed his weapon to the ground and flipped to face the girl, not a second to spare. “Clem?” He knelt by her side, his eyes surveying her pained expression before lowering to study her wound. “Clem, oh my God.” He couldn’t contain the panic in his voice or the pain radiating from it.

An arrow was wedged perfectly into the side of her torso. Luckily it was far enough that it missed any major organs, but the pain and blood were all the same.

“Ugh, it hurts.” The desperation in her voice was painfully evident, so much so that Gabe could feel the weight in his chest knowing he couldn’t take it on for her.

Faint groans and gurgles sounded from the brush behind them. Clementine tensed, her expression flushing to one of panic, with his gaze of compassion switching as he studied her. She was glancing between him and the oncoming swarm as if she had assumed he was about to abandon her; leave her to fend for herself.

It was as if she had been through this before. The sight made his heart shatter.

He swept forwards, hoisting the girl into his arms and removing her from the ground. “Hold on.”

“Gabe, wha–”

“I’m getting you out of here.” His voice came out soft despite the panic he emitted. As he spoke, she could feel the vibrations from his voice humming in his chest, the one her head had found refuge against. “Clem?”

“Huh?”

The panic in his voice dwindled to an out of breath, relieved sigh. “I want to keep you awake.”

“I’m fine. It’ll be fine.”

He panted as he bolted down the forest pathway, his breathing obviously becoming heavier the longer she leaned her head against him. “Keep talking to me, Clem.”

“I’m awake still.”

“Just…” he groaned, his lungs burning from the extra weight paired with his constant sprinting. “Please talk to me.” After a while, his running slowed, his feet flipping to weights of lead stomping as he gradually drew to a halt.

“Gabe?”

“I’m fine, Clem. It’s okay.” He gasped, his grip against her tightening hearing the concern she carried in her voice. “You’re my concern right now.”

“Gabe…”

Carefully, treating her as if she was broken glass, despite his exhaustion, he knelt to set her against a rock to gain a better look at the gash in her side. He had refused to remove the arrow until now, fearing that removing it without a plan to stop the bleeding would only cause more trouble.

“How bad does it hurt?” He breathed softly, his hands stuffed nervously into his lap. He hesitantly glanced up at her, not wanting to touch her in a way that she wasn’t okay with.

“Bad.” She groaned, shifting herself so the wound was more visible to him. “I need to get it out.”

Gabe’s brows pressed in horror at the idea of her doing it by herself. “Do you want me to do it?”

“I should.” She heaved, twisting herself as much as possible without doubling over in pain, although the movement still opted a loud whimper from her.

Without another word, hoping she could mentally prepare herself as much as possible, one hand firmly gripped the wooden arrow protruding from her side. The contact caused her to whine, feeling the weapon shift within her skin. Her free hand clawed at the rock she sat on, hoping for a distraction with something other than her side.

Gabe, stomach churning, dipped his hand forwards and slipped it under her own, acting as a barrier between her delicate fingers and the rock. He wrapped his thumb around her palm, giving it a calming squeeze.

“You can do it, Clem.” he said softly, relishing in the tender way her eyes removed themselves from her wound and attached to him. “After this, I’ll take you back. Eleanor will get you patched up.”

Her shaky breathing, quivering from her agony her, calmed at his tender words and reassuring touch. It gave her confidence, albeit a weak kind, that fuelled her. If anything, she couldn’t leave Gabe alone out here. Not with her weight to carry.

With a deep breath, squeezing his hand in her own, she tugged the arrow out in a single, swift motion. The torment on her body caused her to wail, her body falling forwards from the sudden jolt of blood released from her now-open wound.

Gabe’s arm threw itself around her, sweetly cradling her into his arms to ease her from her fall. “Hey, hey, I got you, Clem.” He cooed, the hand once holding her own retreating to her back. Momentarily, he panicked at her silence. “Talk to me, Clem.”

“I’m fine.” Her voice was far weaker this time, but he couldn’t say he blamed her. What he had just witnessed seemed like a peak of agony.

“I got you, trust me.” He hushed into her ear, pushing himself upwards to help her to lean back, adjusting her body, so he could see her better. Awkwardly, now seeing the predicament he was in, he cleared his throat. “Do you mind if I, uh,”

“No,” she breathed, managed a small smile and chuckle despite her pain. “I don’t mind. Do what you need to.”

Gabe gave her a thankful smile, quickly ducking away to hide the flush in his cheeks. He peeled her shirt fabric from her skin, both tainted from the crimson spilling from her side. The sight sent his stomach into nervous knots.

He couldn’t care less about seeing blood. He cared about whom the blood belonged to.

Before he even had a chance to formulate a better plan, he watched as the girl shivered, her paling skin suddenly more apparent than ever. The blood loss was already starting to get to her.

Without thinking twice, he ripped his jacket off, moving to kneel in front of her.

Hearing the movement, feeling the shift, her eyes opened from their exhausted state. “What…?” Her voice was breathy, wrapped in misunderstanding before she saw what he was doing. She attempted to force herself upright in protest. “Gabe no, you need this.”

“No I don’t.”

“It’s cold.”

“You’re colder than me. You’re freezing, Clem.” He pushed, already throwing the jacket onto her. His gaze remained against her own, his concern and desperation on full display.

She didn’t struggle. In fact, he could swear the contact made her nuzzle into the warmth it radiated to her chilled skin.

The sight gave him pause, allowing a small flicker of a smile to appear. “Trust me.” He slipped his hat off of his head, the messy hair underneath ruffling. “I got you.” He extended his hat to her, settling it against her wound and bringing her hand on top of it. “Press onto that, okay? Please.”

“But your hat–” She had hardly finished her sentence before he had swept her into his arms once more. He walked slower this time, more carefully given the current extent of her injury.

“I don’t care.”

Clementine’s brows furrowed. “You should care about things that are yours.”

Somehow, even though wounded and bleeding out, she still had the energy to sass him.

“I care about you more.”

Through the corner of his eye he could see her eyes widen, remaining for a moment before she flopped down against his chest. He got bold knowing she was groggy and couldn’t smack his shoulder like she normally did when he said something dumb.

After fleeting moments of silence, his eyes dropping down to study her before speaking. “Clem? How are you feeling?”

“Thank you, Gabe.” The words, while not answering his question, provided him with a shroud of relief all the same. She was okay. At the very least she was going to be okay. That was the only outcome he needed.

He smiled, turning his attention to the dwindling road. “It’s nothing.”

“No,” she hummed, her eyes opening momentarily to smile up at him, knowing full well he couldn’t see it. “It’s everything.”

For the entirety of the walk back to Richmond, Gabe wore the dumbest of grins plastered on his lips. Such simple words, and yet they rendered him completely giddy.

As they slipped back into Richmond, he could feel Clementine groan against his chest as he squeezed the front gates open. “We’re here, Clem.” He cooed, pulling her closer to assure her of safety. “You’re okay, we can get you help here.”

He was hardly through the door before Javi spotted them, cutting Kate off mid-sentence to sprint towards the entrance. While at first irritated by his actions, upon spotting the duo, Kate rapidly took off behind him.

“Gabe–?” Javi cut himself off seeing the state of the girl in his arms. “Oh my God, Clementine!” He urgently dipped in, getting a better look at her face.

“What happened?” Kate wandered to Gabe’s side, checking his face for any signs of cuts or bruises.

“I’m fine.” Gabe pressed, somewhat bothered her concern wasn’t on the obviously wounded. Luckily for him, Javi was. From the moment he saw them at the door, his undivided attention remained on Clem, softly asking her questions and surveying the extent of her wound. “It was bandits. They raided just as we got there.”

“Oh my God,” Kate breathed, watching as Javi urgently slipped the girl out of Gabe’s arms. The entire while she wailed, the grip she once had on Gabe’s shirt fading.

“It’s okay, Clem. I got you. We’ll get you help.”

Just as she was torn away, her fingers lingered against Gabe’s hand as he helped pass her off. The contact send electricity up Gabe’s arm, his eyes widening as he pulled away.

Sleepily, over Javi’s shoulder, she gave a tender smile and pulled her hand back into her chest, her guardian urgently darting towards the medical clinic. He was already calling for Eleanor before he even hit the door, his grip on her protective and firm.

“Was that your hat and coat?” Kate asked, poking forwards to break Gabe from his trance. He was staring forwards, a dumbfounded, blushing smile against his features.

“Yeah,” he breathed, shaking his head to rid himself of the expression.

Kate was too busy staring forwards, watching Javi desperately explain the situation to Eleanor to see him do so. “I think they’re pretty wrecked.” She gave a faint smile, hoping it could spread hope to the clearly frazzled teen. “Once she’s patched up, I don’t think you’ll want them back.”

Gabe gave a meek smile, forcing out a shrug as he took off in Javi’s footsteps. He couldn’t care less about his things. Hell, even the burning sensation returning to his lungs from sprinting no longer pained him. After all, he’d be willing to give up anything for Clementine.

Anything, any day at all. ———♥️♥️♥️———-

#thatglitterygeek fanfictions #the walking dead game #the walking dead game season 1 #the walking dead game season 2 #the walking dead game season 3 #the walking dead game a new frontier #twdg #twdgs1 #twdgs2 #twdgs3 #twdganf #a new frontier #anf #twdg clementine #twdg clem #twdg gabe #twdg javier #twdg javi #twdg kate #clementine and javier #javi and clem #gabe and clementine #clementine and gabe #gabentine #fanfiction #fanfic #fanfics #fanfictions #telltale games #telltale the walking dead

[speckledspout]

The House of Blue Regret

square filled: sam/bobby ship: sam/bobby rating: explicit ao3 link tags: post season three, first kiss, angst summary: dean died, ripped apart by hellhounds and sam, for the first time in his life, was left completely alone so he turns to the only person that he had left and that was bobby. word count: 2.3k+ a/n: so i don’t normally write sam/bobby nor do i ship it but you know, i’ll try anything once. so here you have it. written/created for @spnkinkbingo

Sam didn’t burn him despite the fact that his whole life he has been taught to burn the bodies. Whether it be human or monster, fire purified the soul and made sure that it was finally laid to rest. But he couldn’t do it to Dean. He couldn’t burn him. It felt… too final and Dean… he wasn’t gone. Not for good.

So Sam buried him.

He laid Dean in the backseat of the Impala, wrapping him in a worn, flannel blanket and drove out to a place that only he and Dean knew about. That same field that they burned down so many summers ago on that Fourth of July weekend.

He grabbed a shovel and dug a hole big enough to fit his brother and buried him. By the time he was done digging, his hands were covered in blisters despite the fact that this wasn’t the first grave that he had to dig. In fact it was far from his first but still his hands were raw and bloody by the time he was done. He endured all the pain, though, because it was able to distract him from the pain in his chest whenever he thought about Dean and how he was really gone.

No. Not gone. Just… Dean was resting and waiting. Waiting for a way for Sam to find a way to bring him back. Just as Dean had done for him.

He climbed back into the Impala, wrapping both his hands in old rags because he knew that when Dean got back, he would completely bitch if Sam’s got anything on the steering wheel and stared out the windshield, unsure of what to do. He sat there for minutes, hours, staring straight ahead as he thought where to go and his mind kept coming up blank. Dean was usually the one that would pick places to go. He would look at Sam with this half smirk thing and rev the engine as he gunned it down the highway going god-knows-where and Sam was waiting for that. Expecting it even. He was waiting for Dean’s voice next to him, telling him what direction to point that Impala and go.

That voice never came. Day turned into night and he still sat there, hands practically shaking as he held on tight to the steering wheel and tried to keep from crying.

Men don’t cry. Dad’s voice rang in his ears, strong and demanding and the only thing that was keeping Sam together. Men don’t cry, even when they bury their brothers. Square up your shoulders, boy and drive somewhere. Your brother isn’t going to get anymore alive with you just sitting there.

Sam nodded to that voice in his head because as much as he hated to admit it, Dad was right. He always was right.

So he shifted the car into gear and pressed down on the gas pedal and just drove with no clear destination in his head. He got onto the interstate, pulling into the fast lane and going as fast as he could, not caring if he got into a wreck. Maybe, just maybe if he wrecked Dean’s precious Impala then he would come back. He did say that he would haunt his ass if he didn’t take care of the car.

He ended up not wrecking the car. Instead, he pulled to a stop in front of Bobby’s house without really being aware that he was driving towards him but regardless it felt right. He needed to be here. Besides Dean and Dad, Bobby was the only other constant in his life.

Bobby didn’t say anything as he opened the door to see Sam standing on his front porch, dark circles painted under his eyes. He just pulled Sam down for a hug, wrapping his body around Sam as much as he could. Sam leaned into the embrace, practically falling into the hug and Bobby grunted, just ever so slightly as he tried to keep the younger hunter upright.

“He’s gone.” Sam muttered, completely broken, into the crook of Bobby’s shoulder where his head was buried. “He’s gone and I couldn’t save him. I couldn’t stop it.”

Bobby swallowed around the lump in his throat and pulled Sam away, walking him into the house and pushed the kid down onto the couch in the living room. Sam looked up at him expectantly, those doe eyes wide with grief.

“He did this to himself, Sam. He knew what he was signing up for when he sold his soul in the first place. There was nothing you could ever do to save him.” Bobby rationalized because anything else he said would have been a lie.

But Sam was shaking his head, refusing to listen to it.

“You don’t understand. I promised him that I would… that I would save him and…”

“And he knew, Sam, that you were never going to be able to uphold that promise. Messing with death, making demons deals, that’s something that you can’t get out of.” Sam was still shaking his head and Bobby grabbed a hold of it, making sure that Sam was looking at him. “Your daddy and Dean was stupid to screw around with demons, you understand me? You can't screw around with shit like that.”

“But I have to save him.” Sam muttered, sounding like the small child he was.

Bobby let out a humorless chuckle, dropping his hands from Sam’s face. “And that was your brothers mentality and that's what got him in trouble. And I know that it's difficult to hear, Sam, but he's gone. You burned him. His soul was taken by the hellhounds and there ain't nothing else that you can do.”

Sam looked off to the side, guilt over taking his face and Bobby clenched his jaw, reading that face like a book.

“You did burn him, right Sam?” He asked even though he already knew the answer to his question.

“I… I couldn't do that to him, Bobby. I couldn't lose him permanently and he's not gone, okay. He's just…”

“If you say resting, boy…” Bobby warned, leaving the threat hanging.

“But I couldn't… Bobby, I'm sorry.” And those tears that Sam wouldn't let fall finally broke free and fell down his face. “I just couldn't burn him. Dad’s gone and Dean, he's always been there and I just couldn't…” Then Sam lurched forward and wrapped his arms around Bobby’s middle and clung onto him as he cried into the soft flannel that Bobby was wearing.

Bobby awkwardly placed his hand on top of Sam’s head, unsure how to comfort him. It had been a while since he's actually had physical contact with anyone and he wasn't sure how to comfort a grieving brother. So he stood there and ran his hands through Sam’s hair and let Sam cry, completely unabashed.

He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, Sam clutching him and Bobby trying his best to comfort him but by the time Sam pulled away, Bobby’s knees were aching from standing for so long. Sam ran a hand along his nose, eyes red, an ache in his head and chest.

“Why don't you go up and take a shower, Sam.” Bobby suggested. “I'll make up a bed for you. You look like you could use a solid twelve hours. When was the last time you actually slept good?”

Sam shrugged his shoulders. It had been forever since he's had a decent night of sleep. For the past couple of months, he's stayed up, researching for ways that he could get Dean out of his deal, save his brother and now, since all of that was over, his body ached for it.

“Yeah. Go take a shower, Sam. Then you'll have a comfortable bed to sleep in for the night and you'll feel better in the morning.”

That was a lie. Sam knew that he wouldn't feel better in the morning. He wasn't sure how that would be possible. Not when he knew that his journey to find a way to bring Dean back would start but regardless he climbed to his feet. Bobby placed a hand on his shoulder, a heavy, comforting weight that relayed that Sam wasn't going to have to do this by himself. He would have help. Even if Bobby didn't support the idea.

Bobby’s hand trailed down his back as Sam walked away and upstairs to the bathroom.

Sam took as hot of a shower that he could stand, the water turning his skin bright red but he didn't really feel the heat. He was too numb to feel anything.

Bobby was standing in the room that used to be Sam’s when he was younger and Dad would drop them off. The bed was freshly made, the pillows upturned. On the night stand there was a glass of water along with a bottle of whiskey like Bobby knew that Sam would need it later.

Neither of them said anything as Sam walked into the room. Bobby placed his hand on Sam’s shoulder, his fingers digging into the flesh before he ducked his head and left Sam in the room.

Sleep did not come easy. The room was too quiet, too empty. Like it was missing another body and it was. The room was missing Dean,  the sound of his breathing, the rustle of the blankets.

The little red lights on the alarm clock that was on the bedside table blinked out that it was a little after two and Sam threw off his blanket, tossing his legs off the side of the bed, sitting up. He sighed heavily, resting his head in his hands as he looked at the bottle beside the bed. Without thinking, he grabbed it and twisted off the cap, taking a long gulp, savoring the burn as it went down his throat. It settled there in the pit of his stomach.

It was a little after three and the bottle was nearly empty and while Sam didn’t feel completely numb, his inhibitions were down and there wasn’t that overwhelming ache in his chest.

And all he wanted was some human interaction.

He set the bottle down on the floor and rose to his feet, taking the extra time to stable himself before he stumbled towards Bobby’s room.

In the back of his mind, he knew that he shouldn’t do this. That he should just crawl back into bed, wait until the morning. Something like that. Not this but he was already in front of Bobby’s bedroom door, hand poised over the door and he knocked before he could convince himself to turn back.

Bobby opened the door a couple minutes later, hair pressed to the side from sleep.

“Do you…” Sam looked down at the ground. “Do you mind if… could I… you know, could I…” He trailed off, feeling every bit embarrassed and stupid that he was asking for this. “You know what, nevermind. Sorry that I woke you.” Sam muttered turning around to walk back to his room.

However, Bobby wrapped his hand around Sam’s arm, turning him back around.

“It’s okay, Sam.” Bobby said, opening the door wider to let Sam in.

Bobby turned back to bed, crawling in on his side and watched as Sam walked around the bed, crawling in on the other side, laying on his back and stared up at the ceiling. It was awkward. Neither one of them could deny that. They were both acutely aware of each other’s breathing, the heat that they could feel from each other’s body.

And yet, it was kind of nice. It was nice to have someone else next to Sam and Bobby, he had always been there like Dean had always been there.

Sam turned on his side, looking at the man through the dark and after a moment, Bobby turned to look at him.

“What’s on your mind, Sam?” Bobby asked, voice low.

Sam shrugged. “Don’t know.”

Bobby cleared his throat. “Okay then, stop staring at me like that and go to sleep. You need it, idjit.”

“Yeah, okay.” Sam settled down into the bed and closed his eyes and waited for sleep to take him. He could hear Bobby settling down next to him.

Except he couldn’t fall asleep, just like he couldn’t in his own room.

He opened his eyes and while Bobby was still on his side of the bed, his eyes were open and they were looking straight at Sam, a small frown on his face but there was something else on his face that he couldn’t describe.

Sam reached out across the bed, moving slowly so that Bobby could stop him if he wanted but he never did. He just watched Sam as Sam cupped the side of his face, his thumb gently running along just under Bobby’s eye.

Then, without much thinking, Sam leaned forward, closing the distance between the two of them and Sam kissed Bobby.

Seconds later, Bobby pushed Sam away, his eyes wide as he jumped from the bed.

“Sam… Sam, you don’t want this. You don’t…” He muttered, running a nervous hand threw his hair. “Sam…”

Suddenly Sam sobered up, climbing out of bed, trying to add as much distance between him and Bobby as he could. “You’re… you’re right.” He mumbled to himself, eyes cast down ashamed. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Bobby. I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t have come here. I shouldn’t have… I’m gonna… I’m gonna go.” Sam pushed past Bobby, rushing back to his room to collect the few things that he had.

Bobby followed him, calling out Sam’s name but Sam ignored him, shaking his head. “I’ve gotta… I’ve gotta go, Bobby. I’m sorry.”

Bobby grabbed him by the shoulders and held onto Sam. “Sam… Sam, look at me. It’s okay. It’s okay. Just look at me, Sam. You’re grieving. It’s okay. I don’t…”

Sam shook his head, twisting out of Bobby’s hold. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come here.”

And with that, Sam pushed past Bobby, pushing away the last bit of family that he had.

tagging: @justanothersaltandburn, @purgatoan, @corrupteddean, @pictures-over-words, @masterlynovak, @wetsammywinchester, @itsnotsammy, @belabee3, @fantasygeek

wanna get tagged? add your url here.

#spnkinkbingo #sam/bobby #thoughts comments and opinions are always welcomed #please let me know what you think #mine

[prairiesongserial]

8.11

Val was not a tree-climber. Friday would note that for the future. It would have been endearing, how cautiously he maneuvered down the ladder, if it didn’t mean he and Friday were losing time to catch those damn kids. Friday squinted into the darkness, but she couldn’t see anything. She couldn’t hear much of anything either, over that owl.

This was torture. She bounced on the balls of her feet as she watched Val take the last two steps down the ladder. Val finally planted both feet on solid ground, and Friday didn’t give him two seconds before she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him through the darkness. Low branches swiped at them, but Friday batted them aside, trying to follow the low murmur that she could just barely make out.

“Hold on a second,” Val whispered. “We should be more careful. You were the one who said it might be outsiders. Muties.”

“Whoever it is, we’re gonna lose them,” Friday hissed. She led Val directionlessly through the rows of trees, looking for an odd shadow, a bike, anything. Finally, she stopped in the middle of a lane, turning in a circle.

“What?” Val said.

“I don’t hear anything.”

The both of them stood still. Val’s hand was sweaty in hers, but she kept it anyway. Something about this night made her want to. Maybe it was because Val had said all that stuff about Hez. She and Val had known each other for going on eight years, now, and this was the first she had ever heard about the man. She hadn’t even known Val had travelled before, or the city he was from, until the last few days. Friday tried not to take it personal. But he had been wild, hadn’t he? Just a little bit? It took some amount of wildness to join up with a stranger on the road. Knowing Val had traveled with someone else, and gotten close, she wondered how he felt about her, now, in comparison. It probably brought up some memories, and maybe not all good.

Friday had wanted to ask if he and Hez had been involved. No, that wasn’t quite true. She had wanted to know, but she hadn’t wanted to ask the question, mostly because she was pretty sure Val really had felt something for this Hez guy. He’d broken Val’s heart. Why else was Friday only learning about him now, unless Hez was important?

She gripped Val’s hand like a vice.

“Oh my God,” she said, hardly above a whisper. “Look where I’m looking.”

Val looked at her face, frowning in concern, and then followed her gaze. Friday hadn’t seen the thieves, because they weren’t on the ground. There were eyes in the trees, more than one pair looking down on them.

“This doesn’t feel right, Val,” she whispered. “Human eyes don’t give light like that.”

The eyes in the trees bounced the moonlight, like fox eyes. Or mutie eyes. They started to move, Friday and Val still frozen, watching the eyes scramble down from the trees.

“Go, go, go,” came a whispered command. “Come on, we’re busted, get to the bikes.”

Friday’s heart started to beat again. She dragged Val along at a sprint, kicking up mud carelessly as she thundered toward the trees. Some of the kids were out of the trees already, and had taken off. But Friday only needed one of them, and she had her eye on the last kid to drop from the branches.

“Hey!” she bellowed, right on top of the poor kid. He screamed and tried to run, ducking around the tree the other way. Val let go of Friday’s hand and skidded around the tree from the other direction, running straight into the kid and bowling him over. Val landed right on top of him, though Friday really doubted that had been his plan.

“Very sorry,” Val said breathlessly. He got up off the terrified kid at once, who scrambled backward through the mud and grass, right into Friday’s feet.

“Oh, you’re the one I talked to,” Friday said, squatting down. “Ari, right?”

“Good evening, Ma’am,” Ari said. He sat up, no longer looking so scared. “Did you have to have your goon tackle me? Not good sportsmanship.” Ari sighed, as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. “Aw man, Jason’s gonna kill me. I ruined the whole operation.”

Val mouthed “goon” in horror, and Friday tried not to laugh. It was really something else, looking into Ari’s eyes at night. They reflected light in a way that was really very unnerving. Ari blinked at her, eyelids creating for a split second the illusion that he was a normal child.

“Jason’s the ringleader, huh?” Friday said.

“Well, it’s his farm, so…” Ari trailed off. “Plus he knew where to find the ladders and baskets and stuff.”

“What do you mean? It’s Harry Digby’s farm,” said Val. “Oh. Jason is his son, isn’t he?”

Friday sat down on her bottom next to Ari, getting comfortable.

“Alright, spill. Why are you guys stealing the apples? Are you doing it for Miss Jef?”

“No!” Ari said. “No.” He drew his knees up to his chest, pouting. “This sucks.”

“Yeah,” Friday said. “It does.”

She gave Ari a minute to fidget. Val seemed perfectly happy to leave this part up to her. He looked uncomfortable with the whole situation, fidgeting almost as much as Ari.

“We’re doing it for us,” Ari said, subdued. “I mean, look at us. It’s only me here, obviously, because I’m slow, but I’ll tell you that all five of us are the same. Five kids born in the same year, no mutations. Except for this.”

He pointed at his eyes.

“We didn’t even figure out about it for years,” Ari said. “But you get it, right? This isn’t normal. This is mutie stuff. And if we’re halfway on our way to muties, what’s the next batch of kids gonna be, right? That’s what Jason says. Miss Jef helped us with the research and with trying to talk to the town and adults and stuff, but he’s the one - we’re the ones - who, you know, who started it.”

Ari rested his head back up against the tree. “You’re gonna turn me in to Sheriff Parsons, now, right? Get the reward?”

Friday paused, and looked at Val. He wasn’t jumping to say anything, but just having him there made her want to do the right thing. Even if it was really, really inconvenient.

“No,” she said. “But we are going to talk to your parents.”

Ari led them to the spot where Jason Digby had been hiding the stolen apples. They had never even left the property. Over the summer, the five boys had dug a hole behind the farmhouse - basically a root cellar. It was expertly done, Friday could tell even in the dark. An upright twig flagged the spot, and Ari lifted up a trap door out of the earth. Friday actually gasped when the grass came away from the ground in a clean square.

“You made this?” she said.

“Well, yeah,” Ari said, as if it wasn’t much of an accomplishment. “We nailed the trap door together and covered it with sod. Can’t find it unless you know what to look for, since the prairie grass is long out here.”

“Jesus,” Friday mumbled. She peered into the hole, and sure enough, there were four bushels of apples, just sitting there.

“So you were planning on doing the entire fall harvest yourselves, in the dead of night?” Val asked Ari. “That’s a lot of work.”

Ari shrugged. “We don’t want to be poisoned anymore, is all.”

Now that they had the proof, it was time to talk to Harry Digby. They marched up to the front door of the farmhouse, where they found a set of eyes waiting for them on the front porch.

“Hi, Jason,” Ari said gloomily from in between Val and Friday.

Jason stood up from his seat on the front step; all Friday could see of him was his eyes, higher up now than before. It really was frightening, even though Friday told herself he was just a kid.

“You’re not telling my dad,” Jason said.

“They said they won’t tell the sheriff,” Ari mumbled.

“Ari, shut up.” Jason stepped down from the porch, and Friday got a better look at him. He was tall and proud looking.

“You can’t steal from the town,” Val said, finally speaking up. “We were at the town hall meeting tonight, and from the sound of it, they know what they’re doing, and they still want to do it. It doesn’t bother your folks much, to be mutants. That’s a rare thing.”

“We aren’t just mutants,” Jason said angrily. “We’re getting to be like…”

“Ari told us,” Val continued. “Sit down?”

Jason stayed standing, defiant, while Val sat on the porch step. Friday always forgot that he was good at talking to kids; the street kids back in Vegas never gave him trouble. It wasn’t an unusual sight to see the preacher paused in the road with his groceries, chatting across an overturned milk crate with some kid running a shell game.

Val had just needed that extra bit of time to think.

“I don’t think you should eat the apples,” Val said, finally. “You should be able to control what happens to your body, right? To your kids, one day?”

Jason and Ari stood and listened, antsy.

“I don’t think you’re going to convince everybody. This is what they’re used to. But you can protect yourselves.”

“I want to protect them, too,” Jason argued. “There’s babies in town, and they can’t make a choice.”

Friday set her jaw. She was thinking about the baby with the split pupils, and she knew Jason was too. Jason was so different than she had been. He was angry, sure, that was familiar, but he wasn’t afraid to love, even if he did it angrily. And what was he, thirteen?

“Help them make the choice when they’re older,” Val said gently. “You’ll be like big brothers to them. In the meantime, look what you can do for yourself and your friends right now. I saw your hide-away - that was really impressive. You worked hard to make that.”

“Yeah? So?”

“This planting season, you five should plant something. Find the farthest spot. Extend the edge of town as far away from the poison as you can go, and start your own garden there. I know you’re up for the task.” Val looked into Jason’s eyes, unflinching. “Give the town an alternative, instead of taking away what they have now. That’s the way to save them. Maybe one day, you five will be feeding the whole town. Do you see?”

Jason stood silently, as if conflicted.

“I bet Miss Jef will help,” Ari said hesitantly. “Oh, man, if we plant it ourselves, we can have as much as we want for free.”

“That’s not how it works, Ari,” Jason sighed. It seemed like he was coming around to the idea. He turned to Val, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’re still gonna tell my dad, aren’t you.”

Val got back to his feet.

“Why don’t you tell him where the apples are? You can tell him about starting a garden, too.”

“Yeah,” Jason mumbled. He paced in front of the front step for a minute, then sighed. “Yeah. Move.”

Val stepped aside, and Jason stormed past him, into the house.

“I’m gonna...I’m gonna go home?” Ari said. “Nice meeting you, Ma’am. Sir.”

Friday and Val stood in the dark, watching Ari pull his bike out of the bushes beside the house. He gave them another little wave before pedaling away.

“We’re not getting paid, are we?” Friday said, shoving her hands into her pockets and wandering closer. She climbed the porch steps and collapsed into Harry Digby’s rocking chair, smiling at Val.

“Well,” Val began. He sat on the steps again. “Well, probably not.”

8.10 || 8.12

#story

[thelostandforgottenangel]

School - Part 2

AU for TMNT 2k16 where mutants are the majority species and human’s are less seen or treated badly if not in authority role

~~Just so nobody is confused my versions of Splinter, Yoshi, and Oroku were friends from childhood (This does include Shen) all four went to school all the way through college together... they all knew each other well~~

Please enjoy this next part sorry it took me so long to post, it took me a while to retype a few things

 ~Adjustments~

Raven couldn’t relax no matter how hard she tried and an hour later of trying to go to sleep after the house had gone quiet the teen was still wide awake

She sat up leaning against the wall in the silence clearing her mind before finally moving off the bed stepping into the hall checking to see if the guys were still up before she went into the living room sneaking past the doors closing both after seeing they had gone to bed pushing the coffee table out of the way doing her katas knowing it would calm her down enough she might just be able to fall asleep pretending she could hear her dad’s voice talking to her, slowly coaching the teen through the movement losing track of time as the hours slipped by until someone cleared there throat behind her

She turned to find all of the guys behind her watching as she moved through the motions of the workout Master Splinter had taught her to do when she had been a kid every day before training “I’m sorry did I wake you” they looked between each other sharing a small worried expression before Leonardo shook his head

“Raph got up to check on you when his alarm went off he woke me when he found you weren’t in your bed, we just wanted to see if you were okay. Started to worry but we saw you were already up”

She smiled going to take a step so she was standing upright “Aw you were worried about me… I’m sorry I train early in the – OW!” the sudden movement made her jump as the sharp bolt went up her leg making her lift it feeling the discomfort from the sudden movement limping forward seeing Raph had jumped over the couch as Donnie stepped closer letting her lean on him before he pulled up the pants leg seeing her ankle was swollen almost twice the size it should have been “Danm”

“How long have you been walking on this… looks like you twisted it pretty bad?”

She looked at it trying to think back since she hadn’t felt it earlier guessing the pain pills Raph had given her were just now wearing off “I - it was only hurting after one of those morons kicked me in class… but it’s just now bothering me I swear”

“Oh we wouldn’t want you to swear” he smiled helping her over to the couch grabbing some bandages as he felt around the area before wrapping it tightly “I’m surprised you’ve been walking on it since yesterday. It doesn’t look too bad just a small sprain so try to take it easy today”

“I’ll see what I can do but can’t make any promises doctor” he chuckled as Mikey moved towards the kitchen as Donnie helped her to the table sitting her down before Leo came back placing an ice pack over the area that was wrapped looking her over as he examined her face with a small grin

“Well the swelling went down and it looks like you’ll heal up in no time. You hungry Mikey was talking about making you an extra special breakfast since it is your first day officially living with us? He wanted to try to make today better than yesterday was for you”

“Oh I know! I’ll make her my extra special fluffy blueberry pancakes with chocolate caramel drizzle, whip cream, and rainbow sprinkles… and I’m sure Donnie will share his coffee”

She swallowed hard drawing the biggest turtles attention as she looked around the room avoiding Leo’s eyes almost seeming nervous that they were being so kind to her “Oh well that’s so nice… but I’m okay for now, I have P.E. first period and I’m not feeling all that well - I didn’t want to eat a lot since I’m not in the mood for getting sick this morning if the teacher runs me ragged”

They all turned around looking worried as she tried to get up holding her foot up slowly putting her weight on it looking back at the youngest turtle seeing his face had fallen into a small pout that pulled at her heart “Oh Mikey you know I never liked that face…” she limped over giving him a big hug feeling him return it before she had to pull back pinching his cheeks getting a small grin out of him remembering something similar from when she was a child “Tell you what, let’s settle for toast and a cup of coffee today – but tomorrow I don’t have class until eleven so you can make me the biggest breakfast you want and I won’t say a word – deal?”

He mulled it over for a moment before smirking scooping her up in his arms planting several kisses on her cheeks putting her back in the chair propping her foot back up “You run a hard bargain but I’ll take it babe, how do you take your coffee… Please don’t tell me you take it extra black with a pound of sugar like Donnie”

She giggled as Donnie thumped him in the head sitting down at the end of the table with his computer and a giant mug of the wonderful smelling liquid pointing for her to sit back down when she tried to get up “If it’s okay I’ll make mine just fill a mug three fourths a way with coffee and bring me the milk, chocolate syrup mix… and if you have it some creamer” he nodded with a small bow to her disappearing into the kitchen coming back a minute later with his plate and a coffee cup

“Thanks Mikey” he sat down watching as she assembled her coffee so he would know how to make it next time as Leo sat down a plate in front of her reaching over pulling two pieces of bacon off Raph’s plate winking at her while the biggest turtle wasn’t looking

She looked away from him when his eyes met hers fast “Really Leo”

“What fat ass? You have a pound of bacon on your plate she has a piece of toast just let her have them” she ducked her head as Mikey exploded in laughter as his golden eyes met hers as she picked them up placing them back on his plate without a word

“Kid I was playing ya can have some – it was a joke”

“It’s okay I didn’t want any today” he looked slightly ashamed as the teen took a bite of her toast sipping at her coffee silencing her stomach as it growled loudly catching their attention but she didn’t look up tearing off small pieces of bread until her coffee was gone

“You want something else Rave…? If you’re still hungry I could make you more toast”

“Nope I’m good” she hurried off to her room before they could ask her anymore questions being extra careful to not turn her foot a certain way finding as long as she moved with caution it didn’t hurt so bad getting dressed finding her jeans were clean meaning one of them must have washed them

She pulled on her hoodie heading out of the room to see Raph already dressed leaned against the wall across from her room waiting “C’mon kid I’m gonna walk ya down since we got the same class with Leo. He’ll meet us down stairs in a bit”

“You don’t have to…”

He sighed pointing down the hall with a small eye roll following her as soon as she moved “Just go I didn’t ask I said I was going to walk ya down”

She waved to the others getting another big hug from the more affectionate younger turtle before they both were out the door, he strolled next to her as she walked with a little limp staying at his side as they moved down the stairs until she couldn’t feel it anymore and was able to walk normally with just the smallest twinge every now and then guessing she just needed to stretch it out

Raven kept her head down as they walked past a few guys she had seen outside last night before they had jumped her hearing a few snicker “Well good morning… How did ya sleep last night Freak?”

They all fell silent as the two moved past them, she didn’t say anything but she saw Raph shift letting her scoot closer to the wall so she could hold onto the rail before shooting the guys from the football team a look when they started to make fun of her when they saw how tore up she was; hearing a low growl from him they shut up quickly falling back a few feet from the massive turtle

“So what classes ya got today?” she looked up seeing he was trying to start a conversation as they made it down to the yard seeing him stretch taking a deep breath of the morning air cracking his neck

The teen was going to answer before she saw her other shoe laying in the center of the yard where she had gotten jumped sliding it into her bag as they started walking down the street seeing that even though classes had started there were still a few stragglers amongst the early risers who were jogging down the sidewalk, Raph coughed trying to hide a smile as a girl stumbled past them carrying her shoes wearing a short sparkly dress as she headed for the apartments to the left of them, he chuckled looking down at her “The dreaded walk of shame…”

She elbowed him in the side giggling “Oh like you’ve never taken it before” he shrugged with a smug grin walking through the gates shaking her head before looking up as a football almost hit her; Raph had been about to move but almost as if it were second nature she brought a hand up fast grabbing it in midair turning her hips as she tossed it back hard knocking one of the guys down as he caught it to the side of his head looking shocked as he laid there

“Oh – sorry… I thought you could catch numbnuts”

His eyes were wide as she looked back to him her face completely calm as he regarded the young woman at his side once again surprised by her “Danm… that’s one hell of an arm ya got” he grinned at her one of those rare bright glimpses of his childish side she could recall from the early days when they had last seen one another and that somehow made her relax completely as they continued down the walk “Never seen a girl throw like that before - so what classes ya got again kid?”

He hoped she couldn’t tell just how nervous he was around her, feeling something deep in his chest that made him want to continue to push her away yet at the same time he wanted to protect the girl even if he knew she was capable of protecting herself after yesterday – it had been bothering him all night which was probably why he had repeatedly checked on her until he had finally passed out a few hours before they had to be up

Something about her just seemed to keep drawing him in closer

“Well there’s P.E. and my martial arts class this morning, then I have an engineering class around noon then I think I get lunch around two forty five followed by a free period before art class at six-thirty. I was going to sit and watch the football practice but-” a soft quiet laugh from her had him focusing on every word that was coming from her lips trying his damndest not to look at her “I don’t want to get ya’ll in anymore trouble” he smiled as Leo jogged up tossing him a brown lunch bag before he got to them seeing the guys across the yard looking at their friend who had yet to get off the ground and staring at the teen

“What did you do Raph?”

“This time I promise it wasn’t me Fearless” The oldest turtle rolled his eyes as another boy yelled for his friend to go long before he threw the ball curving it low to where it would hit the girl standing at his side barely moving before Raph reached out pulling her towards him and snatching the ball before it could hit her holding it up slightly before giving it one good squeeze popping it like it was nothing “That was me”

They walked to the football field sharing a small laugh as he tossed the ball to the guy who had thrown it seeing the girl was slightly confused as they lead her to the sports ground “We’ll be meeting at the field since today is so nice. If it’s raining coach makes all of us meet in the gym but on good days we get to be outside”

A girl ran up waving to the two guys handing her a pair of black shorts and a green shirt but seemed completely focused on the two men at her sides “Hey Leo… Hi Raph – um new girl, these are yours Coach Gwen asked me to get them to you so get dressed before she gets here and we’ll get started”

“Oh - okay” the teen nodded moving over to the locker rooms going into the girls changing quickly pulling her shoes on before walking out setting her bag down in the bleachers by Raph and Leo’s before looking up at them “Is it me or is this a little… you know, short and - tight”

They turned looking her over as both their mouths dropped seeing Raph’s eyes widened when he saw she had filled out the uniform making her chest stick out “Holy… Uh – well, no ya look great in it kid. Looks perfect on ya”

“Liar… I’m going to ask for something different and way longer I don’t like this – rather sweat my ass off then look like a skank bunny”

They shot her a grin before a whistle blew and the girls started lining up giving her two quick thumbs up as she ran to get out on the field jumping over the railing landing carefully on her unhurt ankle hearing Leo laugh as Raph sighed

“Good god praise the lord!” she looked over as a few guys turned to watch her as she bolted past them when Coach Saki came out onto the field seeing both her friends getting up to go change

Raven could feel their eyes on her as the bruises she had hidden were now in the open with a few scars and new cuts that had recently appeared as they stretched out doing a few quick exercises and several stretches before they were given the choice to either play soccer or football with the guys, running the track, or could go participate with the cheer group doing flips and drills before everyone dispersed into groups

She headed over to meet Raph and Leo as they got back to the other side of the field having just finished their workout seeing three other girls join the group giggling as they looked at all the boys, she felt her face heat up slowly as Raph ripped his shirt over his head as she stepped closer to him taking notice that they were mostly looking at the turtles next to her “Alright guys its shirts verses skins, Tony ya can pick first”

“Do you think maybe - I could play?”

He glanced over shrugging as he nodded stepping back to stand next to the short human girl crossing his arms over his chest “Yeah that’s fine by me as long as ya feel up to it kid”

Coach Saki must have heard them because he was next to her fast making her jump closer to the two turtles seeing Leo move forward so he was in front of her but it didn’t stop the man from glaring at the teen “I will not allow a woman to play with my boys… especially one who seems to have a knack for getting into trouble” the teen returned his look seeing he was ignoring the fact that there were other girls standing in the back

“Coach let her play she’s got one hell of an arm. Saw her throwing to Derrick this morning” the kid who had spoken up tossed the football under his arm to Raph “Show him what she can do Beast”

The biggest turtle grinned at the nickname looking at her seeing a small smile as she nodded “Okay then. Go out for a pass kid”

Raven took off down the field feeling her ankle starting to ache but ignored it running out a few yards before turning seeing Raph throwing the ball hard making her jumping up to catch the ball fast flipping backwards landing gracefully on her uninjured foot before tossing it back hearing the kids out there cheering as the ball made it back to the coaches who were looking at her in astonishment as Raph had to jump to catch it

She jogged back hearing a few people clapping feeling a pleased shiver run up her spine just getting to see the faces of a few of the football players who were gawking as she stopped next to Leo who was still laughing at the shocked look on Coach Shredder’s face

“Where did you learn to play football?” she shrugged stretching out her arms when she saw Raph’s eyes light up with interest once she was back to where she had been standing next to him moments

“My dad, he use to teach football along with martial arts when I was little and I use to practice with the teams he coached until I got old enough to play, I was on a team up state until I transferred schools” 

She looked up seeing a slight glint of spite in Saki’s eyes “Well I guess there’s nothing wrong with the little girl playing with my boys, but understand this child it’s tackle football and I don’t want to hear you bitching if you get hurt”

She smiled nodding slowly “Okay I can work with that… not like I can get hurt any worse from this point – or that any of them can hit anyways” he mumbled something as he walked off seeing Leonardo’s eyes following him as the teen pulling her shirt up slightly tucking it under the sports bra she was wearing wincing when she brushed past her sore side catching when Raph and Leo’s eyes glanced down at the huge black and purple bruises that were now fully developed on her middle and ribs seeing some looked really bad making her wish she hadn’t forgot that they were there

Raph grabbed her arm pulling her over to him as the guys picked teams “You’re on my team kid and I don’t want to hear any complaining cause I need ya to be running back”

“I ain’t complaining big guy – but I’m glad you picked me… I have the feeling you were going to get stuck with me anyways” he rolled his eyes as she came over standing next to him as Saki waved over a kid who would be a tackle on the opposite team whispering something to him but the way the kid looked at her told her all she needed to know

“Listen up! This game if no rules tackle. Have fun” he smirked walking off the field looking please with himself

Leo moved away still looking at the man’s back before shooting a look at Raph who nodded slowly as the oldest turtle patted the teen on the back gently trying to be careful with her in case there were more injuries they didn’t know about “Well I’m going to run track since we’re not playing soccer today, Raven remember to be careful on that ankle – Raph?” he met his brother’s golden eyes as the teen agreed to be extra careful

“Got it Fearless just shut up and go”

Raph pulled her to the center of the field as a few guys on the other team stepped closer looking the teen girl over slowly before a rabbit whistled giving her a once over “Maldito bebé busca un hombre de verdad manejar todo ese culo?”

Raph stopped looking back at him as a few of the guys laughed high fiving him “Yo, Whaddaya just say to ‘er Martinez”

“Oh come on esé she know what I just said. And she knows she wants it – don’t you bebé”

Raven grabbed his arm as he stepped forward fast giving the massive turtle a shrug when she looked up at Raph with a quick wink before she was in front of the rabbit brushing her fingers over his cheek seeing him grinning before she leaned in closer so her nose was inches from his “No podía manejarme si te di el conejo de oportunidad”

His mouth dropped fast as she shot him a grin stepping back to stand next to the huge turtle who looked just as stunned as the rest of the guys “I’m sorry, did - did you not know that the new girl can speak over five different languages including Japanese, Spanish, French, sarcasm, and real shit… and understand perfectly that you were asking if I wanted you to handle this ass – like you have a chance”

The team looked her over as she turned to face Raph hearing the ticked off mumbles behind her back “Okay ‘m curious and I don’t speak whatever the fuck that was but ‘m guessing ya just tore that sons a bitch a new hole” she gave him a small shrug before grinning as he nodded looking pleased “I will take that as a ‘Hells yeah’, okay now that I understand listen up squirt. Stay close to me and watch yer back, if ‘m right he has them gunning for ya”

Raven nodded as they got in position to run the first play looking down the line seeing she shouldn’t expect much protection from the other players and she was right as the ball was snapped the guard and center both moved aside letting two players through the line

She didn’t miss it and got down after throwing the ball to Raph once he was open hitting both of them low throwing them to the ground before dodging to the left running through another guy before the whistle blew stopping the play

She jumped up turning on her heels seeing one of the guys who had tried to hit her was still down breathing hard, she stopped over him seeing him glare up at her before his eyes shot down “Come on it won’t bite” she held out her hand to help him up surprised when he finally took it “Good job, next time stay low”

“Uhh… Thanks - you too” he watched her as she moved back to her spot grinning as Raph shoved her playfully enjoying herself finding she was smiling a genuine happy smile for the first time in years

And it seemed like that smile only grew wider when she saw the man in the stands was fuming seeing the teenager wasn’t on the ground after several plays

The football snapped as she backed up looking for an opening dodging one guys before she threw it to Raph who was down at the in zone in seconds getting their third touchdown hearing the whistle seconds later straitening up turning to get back in line before a guy tackled her from the side slamming her hard against the dirt before jumping up moving away “How you like that Freak?”

She rolled over getting up fast brushing her butt off keeping a smile on her face even though it felt like she had been hit by a train as Raph ran up checking her over carefully looking worried “Hey ya okay?”

He couldn’t believe she was still upbeat even after that hit glaring at the salamander who had tackled her seeing the coaches paying attention were already getting onto him before he was scanning her over checking to be sure she wasn’t hurt to bad seeing Leo was standing off to the side where he had stopped waiting to see if she was okay

“Yea I’m fine. He hits like a little bitch” she saw the boy who had put her on the ground turn hearing what she had said followed by Raph’s thunderous laugh before they lined up again

Raven was having so much fun that she didn’t even realize the two hours for class was almost over as the coaches came back onto the field “Okay get to the locker rooms and get changed. Next period starts in ten minutes”

She looked up as Coach Saki walking out onto the field calling Raph who was catching his breath “Just letting you know practice is canceled today, I have some stuff to attend to so just go over the plays tonight and we’ll all pick up where we stopped last night” the turtle nodded keeping his body between the teen who was still at his side glancing over at her before looking at her dirty clothes “I hope my boys weren’t too rough on you. Wouldn’t want you getting hurt now, although Sanchez slammed you down good”

She noted the look of disappointed when she shook her head no “Oh no, course not – I’m fine it didn’t hurt at all. I actually had the time of my life”

Raph cleared his throat as they moved to the bleachers grabbed their bags and hurried over to the locker rooms getting dressed

She threw on her sweat pants, a loose shirt Leo had let her borrow, and her oversized hoodie running out the door to see Raph talking to Coach Shredder, they both turned when she started to approach them

“Ms. Hamato I thought your name sounded familiar yesterday, you’re the daughter of Yoshi. We went to school together when we were younger, how’s the old bastard doing in his old age. Still alive and kicking” 

Raven could hear something in his voice that was hinting for some reason he probably already knew the answer to his question but forced a small smile as she nodded quickly “He’s doing great, got a business down state that seems to be taking off well this year”

Raph saw the conversation getting thick pulled her away as the bell rung “C’mon kid we need to hurry so we ain’t late getting to the next class” she gave a wave as they walked away seeing the confusion that came over Saki’s face before he hurried off the other direction

“He really doesn’t like ya kid”

She grinned shrugging seeing he hadn’t been joking “Nobody does. I guess it’s my shitty personality”

He looked down meeting her eyes for a second before pulling his backpack up higher on his arm something in his posture showing his tenseness “Or it could be the fact that ya trashed the entire football team calling us lousy players”

“Is it my fault that out of the entire team you’re the only one that doesn’t suck ass and has talent – I mean… with your stats you have a chance of getting drafted by the pros in a few years” he stopped looking down at her with a look probably wondering how she had known that as she looked back at him watching him moving toward her slowly “S–Sorry… You had a wall of fame going in my room so while I was cleaning I read a few articles here and there as I put them in a folder. From what I understood the school’s football team is 5-0 this year because of you and a few people from the NFL are looking at you…”

He held up his hand cutting her words of fast eyeing the girl thoughtfully “So when ya were talking about the football team sucking I wasn’t included in that”

“Well no why would you be - you are faster than you were at ten… I guess I can give you that” he grinned as she shoved him not moving the turtle an inch but he laughed shooting her the finger rolling those gorgeous golden eyes as she started up the steps to the building he had lead her too

She walked in to find all of the guys in there already waiting on her and Raph seeing Mikey bolt over putting his arm around her shoulder as she glanced around seeing that the classroom was set up like a traditional dojo with thick mats in the center, several weapons were on racks that were built into the walls

“This is the second area of the class, you go through those doors and our desk are there today we just get to practice what we’ve already learned. Leo thought it best since today we have you with us – but don’t worry baby girl we’ll get ya caught up in the notes later-”

It was hard to breathe for a moment as she stepped in further remembering her home fondly as she tried to listen to Mikey ramble on before seeing Leo sitting at the front of the room in a meditative state concentrating while the students who were in the room were talking and messing around “I didn’t know Leo was our teacher”

Raph laughed before his older brother stood up looking around seeing if everyone was there “Okay get in your spots and we’ll start if all of you are ready”

Raven dropped her bag next to the others removing her shoes as a few more students entered the class looking less than enthusiastic to be there sitting down next to Raph when he patted the mat “He wasn’t supposed to be our teacher but the guy who was teaching at the beginning of the year didn’t know the first thing about Ninjitsu and tried to make all of us do these stupid exercises so until dad able to gets down here he’s filling in”

She looked up at him hearing that Master Splinter was coming to teach the class and got excited knowing that she would get to train under him again like when she had been a little kid knowing it was an honor to get to train with somebody who had trained with her father.

They went through several exercises stretching out their bodies before Leo got them started with some katas, she was having a hard time since the first few they did were new to her but when Leo turned to see how they were doing she caught a proud look as he crossed his arms

She saw him smiling at her when he realized she was copying his movements exactly stepping over getting behind her pulling the teen’s body against his tapping her side silently telling her to relax as he corrected her stance slightly brushing his fingers lightly down her arm moving it the slightest bit until she was lined up with him showing her how to transition into the next pose easier

“You’re doing good just keep your stance like this, keep it up” she nodded keeping her form clean and stopped long enough looking up at him checking to see if that was okay getting a big grin and a small nod from him “Very good just like that”

“Hai Sensei” he chuckled shaking his head as a few students snickers before moving on catching Raph glare at him for being too close to her before he moved away mumbling under his breath at him as he corrected him next tapping his chest plate until he straightened his back

“Focus Hothead”

She was so fixated on what he was teaching them she was sad to hear the bell ring but when she looked up at the clock seeing it wasn’t anywhere near time for her next class she was more than a little confused

“Best part of being in this class is we get to fuck around until Leo kicks us out” she looked up cocking her head to the side seeing Raph and the others gathering at the mat not realizing until then that it was just the five of them left “You wanna spar for a bit or do you need to go Baby girl” he was at her side instantly pulling her over as she nodded excitedly jumping up moving towards them “Like I said we’ll catch you up in notes later on but for now let’s party”

His brother’s groaned as he twirled the teen around winking at her as she tried to move away before Raphael pulled the smaller turtle away seeing she looked uncomfortable

“Can I watch one of you first before I try… I’m a little out of practice”

Mikey jumped up flexing for her as he pulled out a set of nunchucks spinning them to show off “Oh yeah! Let her watch guys because I’m up first, Leo get over here, I’m defiantly gonna beat you today for sure. And if I win I get a kiss from our lovely maiden”

“In what universe do ya think she wants to kiss yer ugly ass”

Raven grinned seeing Donnie shaking his head looking back at the oldest turtle that was pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration “Well - we wanted him motivated”

“If it makes him focus for more than two seconds then I don’t care” he glanced at Raven who was smiling pursing her lips before she nodded finding them mildly hilarious once it dawned on her none of them had changed in the time she hadn’t seen them

“Winner gets a kiss guys” she saw Mikey punch the air doing a few playful flips before watching as Leo stepped over stripping his shirt off pulling out a weapons belt with two twin katana’s strapped to it from his bag rolling his shoulders once they were on him as he stepped onto the mat moving over to the center of the room

“Okay then, Get ready Mikey” he bowed to the other turtle who returned the gesture taking a starting position as she scooted closer to Raph seeing him shift slightly as she moved closer letting her arm brush against him

“Ya’ll use real weapons during sparing” they nodded before the match started her eyes followed each movement and pose carefully seeing that they both were skilled at a certain weapon noting Leo was serious and focused while Mikey was more playful and laidback like she remembered from their childhood memorizing every movement completely surprised when Leo won the match so quickly putting Mikey on the ground in less than ten minutes before all the guys started poking fun at their baby brother who was pouting

“Come on Leo you won” he raised his brow at her as she stood up leaning up placing a small kiss on his cheek turning to look at Mikey who was still laying on the ground sulking acting like it was the end of the world that he had lost again “Aw poor thing… Mikey did focus better wouldn’t ya’ll say”

“Yeah… I guess he deserves something. He really was trying this time” she saw him perk up as she leaned down cupping his cheeks planting a kiss on his forehead before moving back fast as he jumped to his feet doing a small dance around the room

“Alright Mike sit the hell down it wasn’t that awesome ya still lost ta Fearless, she just wanted ya to stop being a baby” Raph twisted around tripping the smallest turtle up making him hit the floor with a resounding thud chuckling as his brother groaned

“Okay both of you stop. Raven you want to give it a try” she nodded standing up pulling off her jacket dropping it to the side looking around the room for a second “Do you want to try out a few weapons get the feel for the one you want to use”

She lifted a staff looking it over before spinning it just playing with the pole finding she had to keep her arms higher so it wouldn’t hit the floor making it the wrong thing to use if she was going against one of them stopping it so it as across her back seeing Donatello understood what she was doing – the staff was much to long for her to use in a match

Donnie took it glancing at his older brother showing her his clicking the button in the center making her jump as it expanded to her height moving away as she flipped it in her hand twisting it around until she was standing again grinning before she handed it to him

“Um could I use one of the weapons on the wall?”  

Leo shrugged as Raph jumped up walking over to his pack handing her a pair of sais “Here ya can use mine, ya do know how to use these right”

Raven nodded looking down for a moment as he flipped them around “I actually know how to use all of these. Dad wanted me to be versatile when it came to my choice in weapons so I was trained to use everything from the katana all the way down to the sergama chains” they all looked surprised as she took and flipped them in her hands getting the feel for them meeting his eyes as she stepped back moving with them flawlessly before moving towards the mat as Leo tossed Raph a different pair of sais from the wall before he stepped in front of her waving the teen forward. 

She saw him grin as she bowed to him waiting until he returned the gesture before stepping back into her starting stance flipping the sais between her fingers, he chuckled lightly moving his feet apart before Leo waved them to go “Hajime”

Time seemed to blur as they faced off with each other dodging each attack like their minds were connected moving flawlessly against each other until she smiled seeing him make a mistake leaving an opening for her to win before dodging a kick hitting the ground sweeping her leg out kicking the back of his leg hard laying him out on the mat bolting on top of him pressing the handle to his neck catching her breath as the guys clapped

She kept her eyes locked with Raph’s seeing the surprised look that came over his face as she shot him a small grin before Leo was over them grinning at his bigger brother “Hijō ni yoi imōto! Your sensei trained you very well. That’s the first time I’ve seen somebody take him down without cheating”

“Anata no ani ni kansha, guess I wasn’t all that out of practice after all” she looked down seeing he was looking at her still grinning dumbfounded that she had really taken him down – something only his brothers and father had ever accomplished

She jumped up seeing she had been straddling him holding a hand out to help Raph off the floor seeing he was trying to hide a smile from the others “Good job kid ya kicked my ass”

She laughed as she heard the bell ring for the classes to change rushing to grab her things handing him his sais when he stepped over to her “Could I change my clothes in the back room”

“Yeah the second door to the left is the bathroom baby girl” She nodded running into the small room wiping down with a sweet smelling wipe to clean herself up since she didn’t have time to shower before changing into the pair of ripped jeans and her other shirt

Raven heard a few yells coming out to see Don spinning his bow staff deflecting several kunai knives Mikey was throwing at him turning to block an attack from Leo’s sword seconds before he lashed out popping him on his shell making a loud crack echo through the room clicking a button in the center making the staff shorten in his hands dodging both before they had him blocked in seeing him grin as they closed the space together before the genius twirled his staff between his fingers pressing the button once his brothers were close enough

She leaned on the wall laughing so hard she was in tears as the Bo extended fast hitting both of them in the plastron knocking the youngest back onto his shell with a small groan rolling to his side while Leo had backed off slightly just getting the breath knocked out of him

Raph got up from the floor shaking his head waving for the teenager to follow him to the door “Hey I’ll be back in a moment guys” they grinned waving him off as Mikey shot him a look motioning that he was watching him as they exited the room “Do ya mind if I walk ya to class, this looks like it will just take forever to get serious”

She laughed giving him a quick nod as they walked out of the building heading down the outside hall as he tried to ignore the spark of what he could only guess was mischief in the girls eyes “Thanks for the escort big guy” he rolled his eyes glancing away at something before looking back over at her feeling slightly nervous as he thought of what he was wanting to say

“So - Whaddaya doing after engineering?” a small smile came over his face looking down at her seeing a little shrug as she kicked at the rocks doing the same as him not wanting to look right at the turtle who seemed to step just a little closer to her “Do ya wanna meet up with me at the practice field and go over a few of my plays or we could go get lunch-”

Raven stopped in her tracks looking him over for a moment trying to figure him out as she processed his words “Are you - asking me out…? I could have sworn last night you didn’t like me Raphie” he exploded into laughter shaking his head

“No… Hell no kid - since football practice was canceled I’m free for the rest of the day so I thought ya could meet me - and the guys for a bite to eat or come run a few plays with us for fun, ya know just hang out and get to know each other a little better since ya live with us”

She put her head down thinking for a moment continuing on with him “You know what - that sounds like fun… yeah I’d love to hang out with you”

“Great, I’ll see ya later on – until then I’ll head back an kick Ol’ Fearless’s ass”

He grinned as she giggled before they saw the door to her class but when she stopped to look back at him with a smug grin he couldn’t help enjoying the sparkle in those green orbs “I really did kick your ass back there didn’t I?”

He rolled his eyes growling before she stopped him with a short wave showing she was just teasing before looking around slowly as she reached up grabbing his shirt pulling him down until she could reach his face quickly placing a small peck on his cheek before he pulled away from her

“The hell was that for?”

“Losers who were trying hard deserved rewards too… you can thank Mikey for that Big guy” his cheeks flushed making his emerald skin darken as she walked down towards the class spinning around quickly seeing him still standing there in shock touching his cheek giving him a small wave “See ya later Raphie” she stepped into class seeing him grinning like crazy when he thought she wasn’t looking

After scanning the room she took a seat in the back of the room before the teacher walked in setting down several books and a huge stack of packets on his desk grunting as he erased the board realizing she had seen him in the main building yesterday

“Okay let’s all settle down, get out your supplies and I’ll be around in a moment with your packets” she reached in her backpack grabbing out a pen she had found on the ground looking up at the teacher as he stopped at her desk sitting a book in front of her “You must be Raven, glad to see you getting around okay after yesterday’s ordeal”

“Thank you sir” he scanned her face obviously looking at the bruises that were there but didn’t point them out thankfully

“Well I’m Mr. Traxmus, and since we are in the middle of a lesson just try to follow along the best you can and I’ll work with you later on to get you caught up. It’s pretty much over building and rebuilding engines for motorbikes so read along with us and I will try not to call on you – and if you do fall behind just wave me down and I’ll try to keep a steady pace, tend to rush every now and then so apologies in advance”

She looked up at him as he flipped the book open to the page written on the board setting down a packet on top of it “I’ll do the best I can Mr. Trax”

He started class as the teen kept her head down reading along while filling out the packet without a problem since she already knew a lot about motorcycles taking extra notes on things he was writing on the board or things he explained knowing they might be important if he tested them

“Mr. Horns I was wondering if you saw the bike that is parked out in the lot yet… if I’m correct it looked to be altered in some ways, maybe if you could find the owner they could bring it over for us to look at as an example” she looked up seeing the teacher mull it over before nodding seeming to have noticed the bike as well

“That would be a good idea Trevor” he looked out the window for a moment before looking back at the class “Does anybody know who the bike belongs too?”

“Why do you ask?” 

He looked up at the teen as one of the guys at the front of the class looked back at her with a scowl “Mind your own business Freak nobody here is talking to you”

The teacher slammed his hand down on the boy’s desk making him jump “Behave Joe! You don’t speak to ladies like that… Raven do you know who the bike belongs too?” she shifted grabbing up her messenger bag giving him a quick nod

“Yes sir, she’s actually mine” every head in the class spun around to face her seeing a few mouths drop

“She’s a liar”

The teacher scalded another boy as she got up pulling her bag onto her arm “If it’s okay could I bring it around to the back… I don’t mind if it will help you teach”

“Well then. Go get it ma’am” she nodded running out the door to get her bike kick starting it with ease pulling behind the building into the garage seeing the people from her class were already waiting there looking at her in awe as she put up putting the kick stand down hopping off as the teacher moved closer looking it over

“Very nice! I believe this is a 05’ Kawasaki ninja 250 right” the teen grinned nodding her head as he leaned in close observing a few things he could already see were different “And whoever had modified these parts did a splendid job - the welding on the attachments around the engine are spectacular and just look at the accelerator this is fine work”

“Now ain’t that a beauty” she turned when she heard a familiar voice behind her to find Leo and Raph standing outside the garage walking in after a moment once Donnie and Mikey had caught up to them as the teacher continued to look over her bike

 “Could I ride it around the yard?”

“No” the teacher didn’t even look up from the motor as he answered for her

“Sweet ride, she yers” Raven looked back to see Raph admiring her motorcycle running a hand over the seat as the others came over to look “What up Mr. Trax” he bent down looking at the engine with the teacher touching a few parts when the teacher shifted over letting him get closer “Most of these don’t go to a Kawasaki… nice weld job to keep them from shifting”

“You know about bikes hothead” he nodded looking it over pointing out that a few parts that she already knew were loose but kept looking at it complimenting the workmen ship and paint job seeming to like the design painted on the sides

“Where did ya get this thing kid – and who hooked ya up with this custom look”

“Nobody actually-” looking surprised he glanced at her regarding her with a confused glance like the rest of the class as she traced a scuff on her seat “I built this baby from the ground up and did the paint job myself took me two years to finish it completely since I had to find the parts that would transition with the originals” his mouth dropped as the teacher moved closer looking at it again

“Why didn’t you tell me you knew about bikes I would have let you work on something else instead of holding you back”

Raven shrugged messing with something on the seat before looking back up at him “I just didn’t want any special treatment, I already don’t fit in around here so I don’t mind working with the class – and if you want I could let you use it as an example for all your classes”

“That would be great, and after class if you stay for a bit maybe we can find you something to work on that still coexists with the lesson but won’t hold you back”

She agreed as they started going over the parts of the bike making it feel like class seemed to fly by after that and soon she was sitting across from Raph waiting on the guys to get into the buffet on campus but wasn’t the slightest bit bored since her and Raph had been talking about different things the entire time mostly bikes but she avoided anything about her dad seeing Raph figure out she didn’t want to talk about her father before the others joined them

They all talked back and forth cracking jokes at each other until Mikey started to get annoying grumbling under his breath until Leo got the message “You hungry Rave?”

“Yeah” Leo nodded as Mikey jumped up racing over to the hot plates as she pulled out her wallet following them finding she only had enough to get a granola bar paying for it before heading to the table

She had sat back down as Mikey and Donnie watched her for a minute Mikey had eaten a big breakfast and was going to eat two burgers where as she had eaten a piece of toast, she had to have been hungry and the look he gave his brother as he took a bite of his pizza confirmed he was thinking the same thing

All four of them were watching as she opened it pulling one of the bars out setting the other down as the youngest dug into his chili cheese fries glancing over seeing Leo eyeing the girl when she practically stuffed half of it in her mouth before he started eating glancing at Raph for a second sharing a silent conversation between the two of them she hadn’t noticed

“Dudes the homework in chemistry is killing me… are we supposed to understand it”

“Mikey the class isn’t that hard. I guess we could try to find someone to tutor you later if it don’t get better” she smiled as they kept talking about classes slowly becoming aware that she wasn’t feeling well holding tight to her head feeling a headache coming on “Hey you okay. You look a little pale”

She looked up as Donnie leaned closer feeling her forehead as she nodded giving them a small smile “Oh sorry - I’m fine, just a small headache”

Leonardo looked around the table as the teen ate the other half of her granola bar putting the second in her bag before he scooped up part of his meal putting it on a smaller plate scooting it towards her with an extra plastic fork “Hey try this, if I’m correct you use to love Lo mein with broccoli and beef. It’s not as good as Tang Shen’s but it’s decent” she opened her mouth to decline the plate but he held up a hand pointing to it again “Just try it, your mom’s cooking was always my favorite and you would know the difference”

She finally nodded picking up a small sample of the food placing it in her mouth closing her eyes as she chewed before she smiled “Your right… it does taste like mom’s although it’s missing the special sauce she loved to put on all the food she made” he nodded as she took another bite looking please to see her eat something other than a snack “Raven, where did you move here from?”

She chewed the food in her mouth slowly as Donnie looked at her seeing she was processing the question as she swallowed “Kind of everywhere… We’ve moved around a lot in the last few years so dad could work, I came up from Texas to start school”

“Wow that’s a long way. And you came by yourself or did your mom bring you down?” her face fell as she wiped her mouth looking around the table slowly blinking back a few tears as Leo leaned forward somehow knowing something was wrong seeing the pain that twisted her features before her eyes were looking back at them, but this time they were lifeless and dull as she took a deep breath swallowing hard

“Oh – um I guess none of you know… mom – momma died guys – about a month after you four returned home from Japan. She’s been gone for years…” Leo froze looking over at Raph who was looking at her in a way that read unimaginable pain telling him he had noticed too that she had said it just a little too casually “I’m sorry I just figured Master Splinter would have told you - although now that I think about it, I have a feeling dad might not have told him… he never talks about mom anymore”

Leo reached over taking her hand in his giving it a hard squeeze as she looked down at the plate he had given her “Rave – we’re so sorry…”

“Don’t be! Guys you couldn’t have known I don’t like talking about it all that much… in the last ten years I’ve learned to fend for myself, dad taught me self-defense and trusted me to be careful. When I was younger he trusted me enough I even had some small jobs to help him out over the years after she died” the guys smiled before they all turned yelling at Mikey who had been stealing off their plates

Raphael could see how down she seemed that happy person she had been pushing falling with her walls to show the actual person that resided behind the fake grin

She looked at the clock behind them a while later scooting her chair out “I’ll be right back guys” they nodded looking after her as she walked towards the bathroom seeing the small tremble in her body as she ducked into the bathroom

… … … …

She had left so fast not seeing the way they had looked at her feeling bad that they hadn’t realized what she had just told them before she had to “I–I can’t believe Shen… should we ask how she passed away? Why didn’t we know she was- how could Master Yoshi never… why didn’t we know?” Leo looked up at his youngest brother who was tearing up before shaking his head no slowly

“Don’t Mikey, she’ll probably tell us later”

Raphael’s eyes drifted back to where the teen had disappeared fast before clearing his throat “No she won’t – ya saw that look Fearless… Poor kid was caught so off guard she blurted it out”

Three sets of eyes looked over as he dropped all his trash onto his tray grabbing up hers not wanting to make her do it now that he could see what she was hiding from them “Master Yoshi took it so hard she never thinks about it anymore – poor kid probably can’t even talk about her mom without upsetting him- it’s like she was learning of the death as we did she never got to mourn because she was trying to not let him down”

He got up leaving to throw his stuff away leaving them to process his words before Donnie nodded as Leo cleared his throat “Master Splinter always did say he had a soft spot for Raven – but to not let a child speak of her mother-”

The table fell silent as they decided to let it go comfort her if needed but to give the girl time to open up in her own way

… … … …

Raven dropped her bag on the floor wiping away the tears that fell down her face as a sob shook her shoulders taking a few deep breaths splashing water on her face trying to shake the nauseated feeling before she was running for the stall heaving as her stomach emptied groaning as she leaned up going back to the sink rinsing her mouth out trying to rid it of the bile taste

It took a moment but she finally calmed down making sure they wouldn’t know she had been crying before headed back out seeing they had already thrown their trash away giving them a big smile to hide the pain she was still feeling

“Well we have to get to class”

Raph stepped around the corner looking more aggravated then usual stopping to look back over his shoulder before growling as his eyes landed on the teen quickly looking away as his brother’s noticed the change in his temper the longer her stood there seeing Donnie bump him in a silent question “Some girl just asked me out”

Raven swallowed feeling sick again as Mikey turned around obviously excited “Dude who asked you out?” he glancing over his shoulder pointing out a tall fox with gorgeous blonde locks that was pulled carelessly into a loose messy bun wearing a dress that was probably just a tad to short “Brah she’s fucking hot”

“She’s not my type Mikey…”

Donnie looked over at the bigger turtle with a sigh “Raph you could at least try to date someone again – it’s been three years-” he was met with a low growl from the Raph stopping the genius turtles sentence fast before they exited the building

“Ya know I seriously hate dating just because all the girls here are trying to do is score popularity points by dating or fuckin’ a jock or one of the other athletes their not interested in me-” she heard the guys groan mumbling under their breaths mouthing silently along with him seeming to know just what he was about to say “Women are all the same”

She sighed rolling her eyes at him as he remembered she was standing there “Not all of us are evil bitches from the fiery depths of Satan’s anus but thanks for that I will forever believe that all jocks are pricks” he glanced at her smiling at the sarcasm dripped words when the others broke off heading for their classes as they made their way to the practice field seeing it was completely abandoned since classes had already started

“So by the way you said that – you accepted?” he groaned nodding slowly looking ashamed to be admitting it to her as they moved over to the center that way nobody would see them sitting in the middle of the bleachers so they could talk without anyone interrupting “Why don’t you just set boundaries for dates that only you know?”

“Whaddaya mean by ‘boundaries’ kid?”

The teen shrugged trying to think of a way to explain it before deciding to show him “Are you comfortable with holding hands?” he nodded as she moved closer “You so much as laugh at me and I’ll kick your ass… just gonna test out your level of comfort so don’t flip out on me”

“I can’t promise - but I’ll try”

She shot him a look seeing him smile before pulling his hand closer holding it tightly “Does it bother you when I do this?”

 He smirked looking at her like she was crazy “God no”

Raven leaned in closer pulling his arm around her shoulder placing her head on his shoulder giving him a small smile “Uncomfortable yet big guy?” once more she got a hesitant no “Then that means these are safe moves. A girl can do that and you should be okay”

He chuckled seeing she wasn’t teasing him or trying to make him look stupid but actually trying to help him feel more comfortable with the fact that he was going to go out with somebody after such a long time before she placed a hand on his leg making the turtle jump moving his leg away from her taking that as a yes on the uncomfortable scale

“Sorry! Sorry didn’t mean to do that – but that makes a good point, if a girl touched you and you have that reaction its off limits until your better acquainted” getting a nod she carefully made another move hesitating for a moment before running one hand up his chest while the other floated over his arm seeing her cheeks flush every second her hands were touching his hard chest or rough flesh as he pulled away from her to some extent

“That bothers me slightly. That’s really bordering for me” she pulled her hands away fast realizing she was still touching him standing up trying to breathe calmly unsure why being this close to him was causing her to feel nervous and jittery but found she wanted to be near him “Hey ya okay kid?”

The teen turned motioning for him to stand up even though she was completely freaking out “Just look at me – and don’t flip out okay”

He watched her carefully as she placed a hand on his shoulder seeing a slight discomfort as her fingers moved up to his neck having to stand on her tiptoes to reach before placing a hand on his chest wrapping her fingers around the lip of his chest plate keeping herself balanced as she leaned in closer until they were only inches apart feeling the itch of wanting to smack her hands away

“I-I don’t really like that kid” the teen went to pull away from him fast letting him go leaving the turtle feeling cold without her touch as he moved wrapped his hand around her back stopped her from leaving the sudden bubble they were in pulling the young woman closer to him until her body was pressed against his “But - I don’t really mind so much - when it’s ya doing it kid”

She gave him a small smile before he moved closer, leaning down until his face was only inches from hers hearing her heart going crazy in her chest as his warm breath floated over her face “So do you understand the boundary’s you can set now-?” he gave her a smile as his strong scent washed over her senses quickly started to fog her mind the closer he got “R-Raph… What are you?” he swiftly pulled the teen to his chest cupping one of her bruised cheeks in his hand being so gentle she almost didn’t recognize him even though she had been looking at him the entire time

“There’s one more thing – I wanna try”

Raven’s heart was pounding so hard she was sure that if he couldn’t hear it any moment now it would fall out of her chest as his face slowly moved closer seeing he looked completely nervous until his eyes were closed and their lips were less than an inch from one another, her eyes drifted shut as a wave of heat from his breath float over her skin physically holding her breath waiting for his lips to touch hers.

She heard the bell ring looking at her watch seeing the time as she stepped back looking around when classes released and students ran out the doors catching how he forced a smile as a few guys stepped out onto the field tossing the football mumbling that maybe he could hit them if they wanted to play full contact before they saw Raph hollering for him to come join them he looked over seeing her sit down

He started to sit back down not wanting to just leave her there but she waved him to go grinning as he paused looking confused “Go have fun I think I’ll sit out this time – my ankle is killing me so I don’t feel like running” he jumped over the side seeing she was going to watch thankful she wasn’t like other people who would have been offended by him wanting to go do something else while they were hanging out

The smile on her face seemed genuine when he looked back as she watched them running plays

After a moment she took out a pack of cigarettes seeing she was down to half a pack as she lit one taking a long drag trying to calm her nerves wondering why she had reacted to him being so close to her slowly releasing the smoke that had filled her lungs suddenly feeling calmer watching as Raph threw the ball to a few guys but by the look of his body gesture and the tensing of his muscles he was on edge

Raven looked away as something shifted across the way feeling her heart slam to a halt when she saw the coach looking at her from the other side of the field taking a bigger hit blowing out the smoke keeping her eyes on him something in her afraid to look away not too sure what it was but she kept telling herself she knew him from somewhere “Ya okay kid? I didn’t know ya smoked”  

The teen jumped looked up in shock seeing Raph towering over her with a soft smile, glancing back across the field seeing Mr. Saki had disappeared making her uneasy looked back to Raph when she noticed he was looking in the same direction returning the smile after getting her nerves together “I don’t… we’ll its more of a once in a blue moon thing had these for over a year - so did you get bored?”

“More of I can’t be around them long without wanting to rip their heads off for beating up on ya”

Raven nodded blowing out more smoke noticing he was slowly approaching her as her eyes drifted back to where she had seen Mr. Saki before ruffling her hair trying to loosen her back up “Could I bum one, give ya one of mine later – left my pack at the house”

A small grin crossed her face as she looked over handed him one with her lighter as he sat down next to the teen “This brand sucks ass ya know that right” she looked up seeing him giving her a shit eating grin placing his arm behind her back draping that hand beside her as she rolled her eyes at him

“If you don’t like it walk back to the apartment smart ass” he barked out a laugh making her smile before he leaned up looking her over

“Ya got a beautiful smile, ya should really wear it more often” she looked up at him half expecting him to make fun of her but instead saw that he was being sincere looking at her with a gentleness she had never seen from anyone

“Uh thanks…” she blushed as he leaned closer brushing a few loose strand of her hair behind her ear with a small smirk “So why if you don’t mind me asking – is it the football hunk almost every girl on campus has the hots for uninterested in dating”

“Almost all the girls… What ya sayin’ ya don’t like me kid?” she looked up blushing brightly just in time to see that rare but oh so sexy smile of his shining on her making the world that much brighter stumbling to regain her ability to speak

“Oh – uh n-no not me… I met a girl yesterday that didn’t seem to like you to much. Or at all actually”

“Ah so she was talking shit… figures. All she does if talk shit and crawl up peoples asses” she looked him over as he rolled his eyes to the sky mumbling under his breath before finally shaking his head telling her she wanted his to ignore the comment “That would be a mistake I dated for maybe a week without my brother’s knowing a few months ago… by chance what name did she give ya?”

“Clarisse – I think”

He nodded looking away from her with a slow eye roll “Real name’s is Brandy, but I knew ‘er as Lisa, to most of the football team she was Jennifer, Sandy, Mallory, the list goes on. We were in the middle of a date and the next thing I knew three guys walked up yelling at me for touching their girl – every guy here has to have bedded her” he growled under a rough breath before looking over at her sighing as he continued “So what did she say”

“That you are trouble making yahoo, which if my memories of you from when we were kids is anything I could believe it” he chuckled shrugging as she shoved him slightly loving the smile she got from him since it had to be the first real one she had seen from him all day seeing for just that second the ten year old Raphie who acted like he couldn’t stand her but was always smiling when she was close “She also said - I shouldn’t trust you”

He looked over as she shifted in her seat pulling her legs up next to her to look at him forwardly seeing him flinch at the statement as his jaw tightened “Ya believe her?”

“Course not… there was something about her that made me uncomfortable, plus would you really put your neck on the line to break up a fight for someone you didn’t really know if you weren’t a good person – or go out of your way to check on me just to be sure I wasn’t dying last night. I mean, they were your teammates maybe even your friends until yesterday – I caused you guys a lot of problems and I’ve barely been here a full day”

A deep chuckle pulled her attention back to him before he stomped down on the butt of his cigarette really taking in her words “I never liked those two idiots. Yer a human girl and ya were fighting two giant mutant guys who were trying to kill ya. Yeah I was going to step in friends or not it wasn’t right” he glanced over seeing a small smirk on her face as she examined something that had caught her eyes “And cut that shit ya ain’t a problem to us kid”

The small laugh she gave had his chest bubbling seeing the genuine look knowing she understood it was meant well even if it had come of a rude “And that’s why I can trust you. All the guys that were standing around didn’t try to help, your brothers called for them to stop and you stepped in out of everybody here you four seem to be the only ones I can trust – well I’m trying it’s hard to trust people these days”

He smiled pulling out his binder flipping through his papers looking for something as the air between them fell silent quickly becoming uncomfortable  

“Raph – I know it’s none of my business and you can freely tell me to fuck off but, you said you dated Brandy a few months back” his eye came up meeting hers before they seemed to show something she didn’t like to see but couldn’t figure out what it was “Donnie said something about it’s been three years - since your last relationship I’m guessing… What happened?” he sighed putting his book down before the teen saw his eyes focus on something in the distance waited a moment seeing he was uncomfortable and no longer looking at her “I’m sorry - I shouldn’t have asked -”

“Its okay kid – ya didn’t know and I don’t like talking about it… but ya do live with us so ya probably should know”

“You don’t have to tell me… I mean if you ever wanted to, I’d listen but- if its personal I don’t want to pry” she stopped as the turtle waved for her to calm down sighing as he really mulled over how to say something he probably didn’t talk about a lot

“Rave, I would feel better if I told ya then ya hear it from Mikey… he has a knack for telling people things I don’t”

He didn’t like sharing stuff that made him think about those horrible days or the painful moments that followed seeing those as a weakness but had been serious - he’s rather be the one to let her in on the secret before Mikey or Don could – or Leo got the chance

She didn’t move watching him for the longest time wondering if he was changing his mind

He looked up at her for a second as she nodded showing she would wait before he was pushing his sunglasses down over his eyes so she wouldn’t be able to see them “It will be four years next month but it’s like it happened yesterday. I was with this girl Isabella for six years, we were engaged to be married in the spring time planned on having it in a botanical Japanese garden, I had gotten everything she wanted for the day but I was being stupid and tried to make some extra cash so I could take ‘er to Hawaii for our honeymoon… she always wanted to go but with me being in school I couldn’t afford to take ‘er - while I was doing something I told ‘er I wouldn’t do anymore I got into a bad accident and it landed me in a coma… doctors told my brothers I was lucky to be alive at all but she didn’t see it that way.”

He hadn’t been looking at her but when he stopped talking to clear his throat turning his head away so she couldn’t see his face she realized what he was trying to hide

“I woke up six months later unable to walk with a shattered skull – then Leo had to give me the news that a week after the accident she left and hadn’t been seen since, a month later I was just starting to get up hoping to get into physical therapy she stopped by the hospital, just to tell me it was over… and that’s when she decided to tell me she had been sleeping with a friend of mine”

Raven looked up fast as he leaned back in his seat seeing the remnants of tears falling down the cheek she could see “Raph-”

“They got married a few months later” he rubbed his face keeping his eyes hidden from her before laughing shaking his head as he looked to the sky “She had been cheating on me for two years with him and then decided to end it with me when I was literally on my death bed barely making it”

The teen didn’t think about it before she reached over taking his hand in hers holding tight to it as he looked back down at her seeing a tear dripping down her cheek, she was quick to wipe away the streaks that had made it down his face gently pushing his glasses up so she could see his golden eyes to make sure he was looking at her “You must have really loved her” he nodded slowly as she leaned in closer making sure the guys weren’t looking as she dried his face “She had no right – she had a good man who did everything to make her happy and she didn’t appreciate it… and because of her – I’m starting to see that man making sure he won’t ever be happy because I think he’s scared to get hurt again”

He shook his head laughing hiding his eyes again from her but could tell he was still watching her “Sounds like yer speaking from experience kid”

“No – just saying what I can see with my own eyes… I’ve never had a boyfriend. Hell I can’t even say I know what that’s like; I won’t even try to pretend I know what that kind of pain feels like… I’ve never even been in love – so I don’t know what that kind of love feels like” she quickly shut her mouth realizing she had been rambling on seeing him looking at her openly with a small grin as she cleared her throat “Sorry – I do know she was one lucky girl and… if I was her I would have never let - somebody like you get away”

His face flushed before she was looking down seeing he was holding her hand back pulling her closer before he tilted his head “Wait just a danm minute – are ya telling me a sweet person like ya - never had a boyfriend ever”

“Well no – I guess I’ve had one but-” his eyes softened as he pushed his glasses back up on his head seeing she was instinctively put up a wall focusing on their hands as his grip tightened on hers making sure she knew he was there “I was in a relationship with this guy Johnathan who was nineteen when I was fourteen but – it’s funny when you think about it but I… he never loved me for real, I don’t think he ever liked me and truthfully I don’t think I ever loved him either”

“What happened to ‘im”

She looked up at him before her face was looking down again, he saw a few tears dripping down her cheek even as she wiped them away quickly clearing her throat “You don’t want to know – trust me it’s really depressing”

“C’mon let’s hear it kid, ya listened to me bitch about my ex now ‘m gonna sit here and listen to ya”

Raven closed her eyes taking a needed deep breath before clearing her throat of a knot that was forming as she fought to keep the tears at bay “H-he died” Raph’s eyes widened as she looked away from him watching the sun falling over the second set of bleachers “We were arguing one night and I tried to leave him, I finally told myself I was sick of the way he treated me when he was drinking… he could be – sweet when he was sober but - abusive when he had to many. The last thing I remembered was him yelling for me not to turn my back to him before…” her words caught in her throat as she struggled to clear it toughing up her bottom lip as it quivered “I think I blacked out when he hit me over the head and when I came to he was trying to strangle me… I reacted knocking him off me – he grabbed me and the last thing I saw was the flash of his bowie knife”

She looked up seeing the turtle’s eyes had gone wide probably somewhere between thinking she was joking with him and praying she wasn’t serious but when she didn’t say anything he swallowed gripping her wrist a little harder to make sure she couldn’t pull away from him “So did yer dad get ahold of ‘im… or maybe a protective friend came to yer rescue since yer sitting here and he’s – ya said dead…”

Raph stopped cold as his eyes landed on her but she refused to look up at him “No dad - was away on business in Japan and I don’t really have many friends”

“So how did he-” he reached out cupping her chin pulled the teen’s face up slowly looking her over carefully “Kid ya didn’t – it couldn’t have been ya, yer so… sweet”

“Told you it was depressing – I never meant to… I didn’t mean to- I was so scared - I shifted under him, I guess he lost his balance and fell on the blade while trying to grab me… it was self-defense but – I always wished I hadn’t…” his hand came up stopping her words before he shook his head stopping her from finishing whatever she was about to say

“Kid – it doesn’t matter to me what happened, yer here and alive. I’d rather have ya here then some sorry bastard out in the world that took the life of – somebody like ya”

She gave him a weak smile as his arm came around her pulling her into his side, the talk long forgotten they had been sitting comfortably for a while just enjoying each other’s company when she jumped beside him hearing a low rumble erupt from his chest as he started growling under his breath seeing one of the guys on the field coming closer “Yo Raph you coming back to play” she realized he was trying to send a message to them not to mess with her and to be honest it was kind of cool and really sweet

Raven grabbed her bag seeing him glance over to look at her “I’m going to go ahead and head to art class but I’ll see you later hothead”

He grinned as he got up fixing his shirt “Ya want me to walk ya… got nothing better to do unless I get the urge to kill one of those bastards”

She smiled stepping over to the steps heading down hearing him following behind her “Correct me if I’m wrong but – don’t you have a date with Foxy the cafeteria slut in ten minutes” he groaned making her turn around seeing a small eye roll as he shook his head grumbling something she couldn’t make out, she knew that even if he didn’t want to go he had said yes so not to come across as a dick but she could see he was trying to find a way out

She turned to head down the ramp seeing he was going to at least follow her down to see her off taking in his relaxed posture as he rocked on his feet “You know, if you want - we could hang out tonight and talk some more or just watch a movie if you’re getting tired of talking to me” a rare grin crossed his face had her heart beating that much faster in her chest as he shifted on his feet

“That’s the thing kid; I don’t think I could ever get tired of talking to ya.”

A small smile slid across her lips as he glanced back over his shoulder checking to see where the other guys were who had been on the field giving her a small wave as she checked around to see if anyone could see them leaning forward grabbing his letterman jacket pulling him closer seeing his face flush when she was inches from his face giving him a small peck on the cheek smiling as a slight tint of red that came over his face darkening the skin under his mask

“You know I said you couldn’t walk me to class but, if your date with the tramp doesn’t go amazingly well and you opt out to hang with her tonight” his lips curved upward as she shot him a shy smile making her emerald green orbs shimmer in the fading light “I wouldn’t have any arguments with you picking me up from class when it ends and walking me home tonight”

“Even if this stupid date does go well – I’ll be standing outside that door at 8 waiting for ya”

“Class doesn’t end until 8:30”

“I’ll still be there before then kid, after last night I ain’t gonna let ya walk home alone” she giggled shaking her head as he leaned his shell against the rail looking up as the bell rang before his eyes came back down looking disappointed that their time was coming to an end

“See you later then hothead” she turned away seeing the unmistakable smile that came over his face as he watched her leave before he stood up stretching.

She took off jogging across the grass as the second bell rang giving one more quick glance back as she entered the building on the other side of the yard showed he was still standing there watching after her, that glorious smile still plastered on his face before hearing somebody calling his name seeing the girl waving him down grabbing his arm as he lead her towards the parking lot giving her what looked like a small forced smirk

For a moment it hurt to see it; she adored his smile even if it felt weird when he shot it in her direction she wanted to see it more because it felt like she could never hope to capture his heart just knowing how guarded he kept it from people – plus she had just helped him with his dating problem so who knew maybe him and that girl would get along great and be happy together

She wanted him to be happy – he deserved to be happy with someone special

Raven sighed continuing up the steps until she was standing outside the class room seeing the teacher wasn’t there yet having a small inkling of regret for not letting him walk her up so she could talk to someone glancing out the window of the second story seeing him getting in a truck before pulling out of the parking lot before she looked back seeing the other students heading into the classroom

The tabby cat who had let them in the classroom introduced herself as Mrs. James who smiled at her at first but moments later was staring at her with a weird look as the teenager took down a few notes from the board in a spiral her mind still on him an hour later listening to the teacher as she yammered on about her trip to England with a few students as soon as she had given them their assignment

Raven worked quietly at the back of the classroom jumping out of her skin when the plump cat placed a hand on her shoulder making her look up, she flinched seeing the bruises up close but complimenting her on her work before she looked over towards the door with a smile patting her on the shoulder as she walked off.

She kept her head down until a small movement caught her attention at the door looking over to see Raph leaned against the wall just in her eye sight, looking at him she had a feeling she was already getting in too deep when it came to her feelings towards him – whatever they were

That thought was quickly banished from her mind as soon as he looked up smiling at her with a short wave when he saw her looking at him before she decided they couldn’t be that bad if it was him she was feeling them around

#university #tmnt 2016 #tmnt raphael #tmnt leonardo #tmnt michelangelo #tmnt donatello #oc female

[voidfiishy]

Solavellan Drabble - Ice Skating

Okay so this is based off a prompt i got lasT YEAR AND NEVER FINISHED

features Lindethiel Lavellan and Solas ice skating (reaLLY BADLY) and being cute

it took me ages to finish this, and it ends kinda abRUPTLY BUT TELL ME WHAT U THINK I NEVER WRITE FIC

        It was cold, colder than she’d anticipated, and the elf tightened the fur coat around her shoulders. The trees before them were dusted with a soft layer of snow, icicles hanging in rows beneath tangled branches. It was like a frozen world, motionless. The only sounds were the crunches of her own footsteps, compacting the ice at her feet. 

        Solas walked beside her with the coiled stride of a predator, though the curl at the corner of his lips dispelled any sinister inclinations his gait may have implied. His own collar was turned up against the brittle air, furs pulled tightly around his broad shoulders. They were not used to spending time in such icy climates, and even their warmest furs could not fend off the biting wind. However, she couldn't complain; it had been per her request that the pair made their detour to Emprise du Lion. She so desperately wanted to try ice skating. 

        Never had Lindethiel seen so much snow and ice in one place until her first visit to the Lion, and their previous visit had been so full of violence and slaughter that there was no time to stop and actually enjoy their surroundings. Thus, she took the first opportunity to drag Solas with her to the frozen town of Sahrnia to skate on their frozen river.

     His bald skull shone in the glacial sunlight, and Linda’s brow creased as she reached for his hand, pulling him closer to her. He tilted his head in confusion. 

      “What is it, vhenan?” 

      “Wait, lean down a little, you’re too tall.” She tugged on his hand a little until he conceded and ducked his head, a perplexed furrow in his brow.

     Pulling a fluffy cap from her bag, she leaned forward to kiss him on the forehead, placing the hat over her kiss and tugging the fur down to cover his pointed ears. 

      “You looked chilly. Your ears have gone all pink and everything,” she remarked, throwing a grin in his direction as she skipped ahead, kicking up snow with the toes of her boots and watching it splatter onto the banks.  

     His eyes held affection as he regarded her, straightening the hat with a smile. “You never cease to surprise me,” he admitted with a quirk of his brow. “Are you always so prepared?”

    “Perhaps.”

She wasn’t going to tell him, but she had actually managed to find room for two extra pairs of gloves, in case theirs got wet or cold, and she’d scrunched up a scarf somewhere under their skates. Only the gods knew how she’d managed to fit it all in, and she certainly wasn't looking forward to when she had to attempt to remove them. 

       Their boots sunk inches into the snow with each step as they neared their destination. Thanks to their earlier visits, there wasn’t a Red Templar in sight, and the large red lyrium deposits were almost completely destroyed. Only a few shards remained, rising out of the snow like luminescent peaks, the eerie heat they gave off ensuring that nothing came within three feet of the crimson crystals. 

      “The Inquisition has done good work here,” he observed, casting his eyes over the tendrils of smoke rising from small fires in the town of Sahrnia. “I hope that the villagers will be able to rebuild their town to its former glory, with our help.”

      “I still can’t quite believe that Mistress Poulin was willing to give her townspeople to the Templars…” Her brows furrowed as she tugged at her gloves idly.

      “Many people take to drastic measures, if pressed,” he pointed out. “She was trying to make the best of a dire situation.”

      “I know, but…” She bit her lip. This war had claimed so many lives, and Linda wondered how many more it would take to defeat Corypheus. The weight of the Inquisition rested on her shoulders, and she was one more murdered innocent away from collapsing under the pressure.

      “I know, vhenan,” he murmured, an arm slipping around her shoulders. “Your heart is kind, and it hurts you to see the anguish here.” His eyes met hers, a fondness in them that she found always melted her heart. “I do not desire to see you in pain, let us move to a brighter topic.”

      “Thank you, Solas… Um. Okay, so. Have you ever actually skated before?” Linda asked, in an attempt to draw her own attention from the toiling town.

      “I’ll admit that I have not, though the prospect has always intrigued me,” he confessed, casting his eyes over the lake as they approached. “And you? Are we to both attempt this, having never done so before?”

      “Kind of, yeah,” she conceded with a sheepish grin. “But don’t worry, I won’t let you fall.” 

     His gentle laugh caught her attention and she raised a brow. 

      “What?”

      “And yourself, Inquisitor?” He inquired as they came to a stop on the embankment. “What is to stop you from falling?”

      “Well, Varric did say that I have divine luck of some kind,” she snorted.

       She paused for a moment as she knelt on the bank, rifling through her pack until she located their skates. Linda had never actually attempted to use the shoes before, in fact, she hadn't even put them on. It had taken so long to actually find time to approach Dagna with the design that she ran out of time to test them before their trip. She trusted the dwarf's craftsmanship, and yet, such a device seemed flawed in its design.

     Why did the shoes not cut through the ice completely?

     What was the benefit of skates over just wearing traditional shoes?

She guessed that she would find out soon enough, given she had finally tugged the shoes from their place in her bag. 

       "Trusting anything that comes out of that dwarf’s mouth is not an excellent idea,” Solas pointed out, taking the skates she held out to him and inspecting the leather for a moment. “He’s a professional embellisher of truths."

      “Perhaps, but you have to admit he has a point.”

     Solas raised a brow. “You do manage to get yourself into an extraordinary amount of trouble. Though I would not say it was because of any divine entity.”

      “Well, if some god or goddess is the cause of this, I would appreciate it if they’d stop.” She began pulling on the skates as she spoke, worrying the skin of her cheek between her teeth. “I like being alive.”

      “It does have its benefits,” he agreed dryly, following her lead and pulling the skates over his footwraps. It would have been ideal for him to be wearing socks of some kind, but she honestly wasn't sure if he actually owned any.

       With their skates on, Lindethiel stood on shaky legs, blades sinking directly into the snow. She wobbled precariously for a moment, locking her knees and holding her slender arms outwards in an attempt to regain her balance. Eventually, she managed to pull her feet from the snow and take the final step onto the ice.

     That wasn’t much of an achievement.

     The second her skates touched the ice, it felt as though someone had swept her feet from beneath her, and she toppled onto her rump. Snow flew in every direction, and she felt the seat of her pants grow colder and damper with each passing second. This wasn’t proving to be as easy as it had seemed.

     Solas whipped his head up the moment he heard her fall, and was in the process of trying to make his way onto the ice himself when he suffered the same fate. His fall was considerably more awkward than hers, legs flying and arms waving. If she wasn't so worried about his safety, she might have found the whole thing amusing. As it was, she crawled over to him and leaned over his sprawled body.

      “Mythal’enaste! Are you okay?” Her eyes flicked briefly over Solas as he struggled to sit upright, rubbing his elbow gently.

      “I’m fine, are you alright? These skates do not seem to be as simple as you presumed,” he pointed out, releasing a breath through his teeth as he crossed his legs loosely.

      “Oh, you be quiet! We just need some practice.”

       Linda rested a hand on the elf’s shoulder, struggling to her feet as best she could. Solas took her hand in his, and she was surprised to feel his gloved fingers twining around hers. Oh. She was still so unused to having her affections returned, and found that her heart beat a little faster each time he neared. She feared him standing so close to her, lest he hear the palpitations within her chest.

      “I think it would be best if you stayed close,” he remarked, waiting until she was stable before rising gracefully.

      “If I fall, I’m going to end up pulling you down with me.”

Contrary to her words, her grip on his hand tightened as the two stood, chest to chest, on the icy lake. If he looked down, she honestly believed that he would see the flutters of her heart against her ribcage, or perhaps feel its movements against his sternum. They stood still for a moment, as a single step was likely to send both of them tumbling.

      “I’m willing to take that chance.” The corners of his full lips arched upwards as he began to shuffle the two of them forwards.

     Linda managed only a blush at that, and tentatively swung one leg forward, hoping to propel the pair of them across the ice. Success! Their bodies appeared to glide above those strange shoes, and a bright smile stretched across her cheeks.

“I–”, Solas’s next words were cut short as she inevitably lost control of their movement, the pair picking up speed at an alarming rate.

A surprised squeal passed her lips as she knocked Solas off his feet, and the blades of his skates caught the hem of her cloak as they fell in a pile of flailing limbs. He was the first to hit the pale blue ice, skidding across its surface for a considerable distance with Linda following closely behind. The speed at which they slid across the lake was impressive, and it would’ve been an enjoyable experience were it not for the pain that accompanied it.

       Her vision was a blur, trees melting into slow, which, in turn, melted into the white mountains that surrounded them. It took a few quick shakes of her head before Linda could regain her bearings, and a quick glance to Solas proved that he was in no better condition; the apostate was in the process of rubbing at his forehead, a frown between his brows.

      “This isn’t really working,” she admitted, fruitlessly attempting to free their limbs.

      “Have faith, vhenan. We may yet prevail.” His voice was slightly strained, and Linda noticed for the first time that she was leaning quite heavily on his chest.

      “Oh! Oh, I’m sorry!” She fussed about him for a moment, scrambling away and running her hands across his shirt. “Did I hurt you? We fell pretty hard; did I squish you?”

     He stilled her hands, taking them gently as he sat upright. “Relax, I am unhurt,” he assured her. “It would take more than that to cause me injury.”

      “You’d better not be lying,” she huffed, remaining doubtful.

“The trust you have in me is flattering,” he huffed, releasing her hands to straighten his hat, which had surprisingly managed to remain atop his head. “Regardless, we should attempt this one last time. I am almost certain we will be successful.”

“Almost certain.”

Releasing a gentle sigh, Lindethiel straightened her collar and attempted to clamber to her feet. It was no small task, which had been proven by their previous failed attempts. Small grooves in the periwinkle ice marked their haphazard travels across the lake, and Lindethiel was able to pinpoint exactly where the pair had fallen; a person sized imprint in the frosty layer of the lake followed a path directly to their sprawled bodies. The distance that they had managed to travel was surprising, and she may have been proud of it, had it not been a symbol of their colossal failure.

One more time, she told herself, knees wobbling as she tucked her feet beneath her, and Solas offered his arm to her from his seated position, providing her with the stability she required to stand. Such a small action still managed to warm her heart, her cheeks reddening

“Thank you!” she bubbled, offering him her hand and pulling him up to join her.

“You are welcome,” he replied gently. “Alright, Inquisitor, how do you propose we begin?” His glittering eyes met hers, and it was clear that he was allowing her to take the lead. It had been her idea, after all. Gracing him with a wide smile, she scanned the lake for a moment. Shivers ran down her spine, the cold having finally seeped into her clothing, just as water does when she stepped in puddles with socks on. Not a recommended activity.

“If we maybe stand side by side, rather than so close, maybe we won’t trip over each other?” She wiggled her fingers in his direction. “Will you still hold my hand, though?” Blinking at him hopefully, she shuffled until the pair stood side by side. Finally, the familiar feeling of Solas’s fingers lacing with hers brought a smile to her lips.

“You do not have to ask that of me, vhenan,” he pointed out, squeezing her hand in his for a moment. The apostate’s ability to render her speechless wasn’t fair and Linda blushed furiously under his gaze. Now desperate to turn his attention away from her darkened cheeks, she took a tentative step forward, the harsh scrape of the blades upon the ice making her wince. It was akin to fingernails across a breastplate, and Linda lightened her steps in an attempt to reduce the sound. A glance beside her brought a pout to her lips, as Solas was already managing to look far more graceful than herself, his steps sure and strong upon the ice. A deep look of concentration veiled his eyes, and she allowed herself to watch for a moment, taking advantage of his focus on their skating.

The bowlike curve of his lips, the gentle cleft of his chin, and the strength of his jawline always managed to weaken her knees, no matter the situation. She had been caught staring more than once, though Solas never responded with more than a smug curl of his lips. Watching him was something she’d never been able to resist, especially out in the wintry wonderland that the Lion had become. The sun held a crisp warmth, illuminating the curve of his faintly freckled cheekbones and bringing a sparkle to his eye. The curve of his throat disappearing into his furs was a path that she had always found herself following with her gaze.

“Ahem.”

A jolt ran through Linda’s body as her attention was drawn upwards to meet Solas’s bemused gaze, and she slowly came to realize that he had been pulling her immobilized form along the ice whist she gazed dreamily at him.

How embarrassing.

She quickly pushed forward, moving until she matched his pace. Perhaps he hadn’t realized that she was staring? It was entirely possible that he had only noticed her cease her skating, and not recognized the affection in her eyes as she regarded his form. However, from the gentle, yet knowing smile he threw her way, Linda knew that this was not the case.

“I, ah, was looking at those trees over your shoulder,” she fibbed weakly.

“Of course you were,” he replied, his tone playful. His eyes were so emotive; Linda was sure that she had now learned every tiny glimmer. At this moment, his eyes angled slightly upwards at their edges, the crow’s feet at their corners deepening just enough to become visible in the stark white light. “If you were half as proficient at lying as you are at your magic, I may believe you.”

“I… I was!”

“If you insist.”

It seemed as though the pair of them had finally gotten the hang of this whole skating business, as their movements quickened and each step sent them gliding slightly more surely across the ice. Neither could call themselves competent, and yet a wide smile pulled at her lips and, momentarily forgetting her complete embarrassment, Lindethiel quickened her pace until it was now her that tugged Solas along the slippery ice. Each cut of the blades into the lake propelled her faster, until the wind tousled her short hair, and Solas began calling out gentle warnings.

His slender fingers pulled on hers, swinging her around until her body began to slide towards him. At first, the Inquisitor feared she might pull the pair of them back onto the biting ice, though this thought was quickly dispelled as Solas’s hands slid down to rest upon her hips, holding still. The gentle touch of his gloved hands brought a smile to her lips, and she tilted her head up to regard the taller elf.

“If you’d continued on your path, you would have fallen.” His words were a poor excuse for his actions, and she raised an eyebrow to convey her disbelief.

“Have you so little faith in me? I was super controlled. Actually, I think you’ll find there is no one in Thedas that can skate with as much grace as I.” She puffed up her chest to accentuate her claims, trying to appear taller than her petite figure could manage.

Any reply Solas was considering was quickly pushed aside by the chuckle bubbling past his pursed lips.

“Apologies, Inquisitor. I do not mean to offend; however, I do believe that you are lying.”

She forcibly painted a frown on her face, jutting out her lower lip and looking at the ice beneath their feet.

“Your lack of faith in me is frankly quite saddening. As your inquisitor, I’ll have you know that I’m off-“

He cut her mocking monologue off with a swift yet gentle kiss, lingering for a moment. She allowed herself to close her eyes, her hands itching to reach up to his fur-lined collar and pull him closer.

Why couldn’t moments like these last forever?

#solas #solavellan #lindethiel lavellan #fanfiction #dragon age inquisition #moo writes #i love them okaY EVEN IF I DONT WRITE WELL THEIR CUTENESS HURTS ME #IF ANYONE WERE TO/// DRAW THIS #I WOULD BE INDEBTED

[autumncrocuscosplay]

Leap Frog Chapter 2

echoofautumn on AO3

Chapter 2

Summary:

Red is at home on the paintball field, and Lance chokes on an energy drink.

It was another 30 minutes before the first player arrived. Lance had moved to laying across the counter on his back and was watching the sun set, while Matt was finishing his work on the circuit box for the night game's lighting system. As always, it was the beat-up red pickup truck that arrived before anyone else. The driver’s side door opened, and one of their regular players stepped out.

Lance remembered the first time they had shown up at The Empire just over a year ago.

It was a Saturday like any other. Lance was working the shack when someone had approached him nervously. “Um,” Lance looked up from the rental he was cleaning to see a young guy, about his age, wearing a faded red t-shirt and with a black sports bandanna covering his mouth and nose to protect from the dust. Lance made a mental note to buy one, because that would be great to have during the dust storm season. “Yo. Can I help you?” The newcomer had a black worn-out gear bag hoisted over his shoulder, and he shifted its weight uncomfortably as he stood in front of Lance. "Can I-? We can use our own gear here, right?" Lance chuckled. "Yeah dude. As long as your BPS is within regulation, you're good to go." The guy made a move to walk away, but turned back around. “Can I get some paint from y’all?” “Twenty bucks a box.” He grumbled something about paint being cheaper in Texas as he dug a wadded up $20 out of his pocket, and Lance had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing as he grabbed a box of red paint from the back. “Rentals shoot white paint, and we usually only stock that and orange. But you’re in luck. We just got a few boxes of other colors yesterday.” Lance grinned. “You’re gonna match your paint, Red.” ‘Red’ scowled.

When the next game was being set-up, Lance observed the newbie with interest. The guy had on red and black paintballing pants, but wasn’t wearing a jersey. Red was hovering near the other players wearing a standard black face mask, a waist pack holding pods filled with extra paintballs, and holding his gun in his left hand. Matt was standing in front of the gate explaining the rules of Speedball to the inexperienced players. “Once again: if you get hit, you’re out. No exceptions.” The teams were split up and they headed onto the field. Lance grabbed a Monster drink out of the mini-fridge in the shack, before walking over to the fence of the range. The whistle blew, and the game was afoot. Immediately, the range filled with the sounds of paintball guns firing. The majority of players stayed behind their designated bases, but a few of the more experienced players started advancing and taking cover behind small bunkers and shelters. It took Lance only a moment to find Red. Red was tearing across the field, alternating between ducking and dodging around obstacles to protect from enemy fire, and standing his ground to fire at the opposing team. He fired at two kids from a long distance but didn’t even pause to see if the shots had landed. They did. Lance was stunned. This could not be the same person who had approached him nervously just ten minutes before. This was someone entirely different. Red was at home on the paintball field. Lance took a drink of his Monster and almost spit it out when Red passed the right fifty. Even Lance didn’t attempt to pass the centerline until the majority of the other team was eliminated. But now, almost the entire team was still playing. Red flanked a small bunker and lit up three players hiding there. He sprinted toward a wall and ーLance actually spit out his Monster this timeー dove into a forward roll to get behind it. Lance had never seen someone attempt a roll in person. Even in tournaments he’d watched, only a handful of times had he seen one of the pros pull-off a successful roll. As Lance was gawking at him, Red was crouching behind the wall and refilling his gun with the paint from one of the pods on his harness. He shoved the now empty pod back into his belt and was back in the game. Red was moving forward quickly. The opposing team was suffering heavy losses, while their own was only missing three or four players.  As the game started to come to a close, he shot the last four players on the opposing team. The whistle blew. Red exited the range behind the other players, and Lance had to return to the shack to assist the rentals. It took a while, but once Lance helped everyone in the line, he went over to talk to Red, who was leaning over a work table digging through his gear bag. “Nice moves out there, Red.” Red jumped slightly before looking over his shoulder with a scowl. “Don’t call me that.” Lance smirked. “Well I can’t call you Blue, now can I?” Red’s refocused back on the table. “And why’s that?” Lance gasped dramatically. “Because that’s my name!” Red rolled his eyes. “Also, look at yourself.” Red turned around and leaned against the table. “Alright, I’ll humour you. What does my appearance have to do with you calling me ‘Red’?” Lance started counting off on his fingers. “First off, you’re wearing a red shirt. Secondly, your bag is black and red. Third,--” Red cut him off. “Okay, okay I get it.” Lance grinned. “But seriously, I’ve never seen someone play like that. I’ll admit, it was impressive.” “Not really. I wasn’t trying that hard.” Red shrugged. “That might’ve been the easiest game I’ve played in a long time. It was more of a warm-up than anything else.” “No way.”

Lance recalled how he had teased Red until the prep for the next game started, and proceeded to do so between every game for the rest of the day.

"Blue? Hey, Blue!" Lance was snapped out of his reverie by Red yelling. He opened his eyes to Red leaning over his face. Lance jolted upright, slamming his forehead into Red's in the process. "¡CARAJO!" "FUCK!" The two reeled from the shock; Lance falling back onto the counter and Red staggering backwards a few steps with the weight of his gear bag. They both held their foreheads in pain. Matt's laughter could be heard from the range. "NICE GOING, BLUE!" Lance let out a screech and bolted upright, yelling at Math. "SHUT UP, ¡CABEZA DE PINGA!"

Immediately, Lance leaned forward and groaned. "Bad idea. Very bad idea. Díos ayudarme." Red set his bag on the counter and adjusted his black bandanna before turning back and glaring at Lance. "Ya think?!?" Lance's eyes narrowed. "This is your fault anyway." Lance slid off the counter to face Red. "Wha-how?!" "Well, if you weren't in my face like that, it wouldn't have happened!" "It wouldn't've happened if your head wasn't up your ass!" Lance poked Red in the chest with his finger. "This is coming from the one who shops at Hot Topic!" "Yeah? So?" "So, Mr. Edge Lord, quit being so emo and step up your game." Red threw his hands up. "This has nothing at all to do with our original argument. Jesus Christ you have ADHD." "Tell me something I don't know! I'm sor-ry that I can't afford my Ritalin on a college student's income!" "And how do you think I'm do–" A loud car horn blared through the air, interrupting Red. Lance and Red spun to face the main gates, where a large olive green Hummer was just pulling thorough. A girl was leaning out the passenger side window, waving at them with both hands.

Notes:

BPS - Balls per second. A measure of rate of fire.

¡Carajo! - in this context it's "fuck!" Cabeza de pinga - dickhead Díos ayudarme - God help me

Who do y'all think the mystery girl is? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

#voltron #voltron fanfic #voltron au #paintball #paintballau #klance #klance fanfic #vld #voltron legendary defender #lance mcclain #keith kogane

[vowel-in-thug]

silverflint "nevermind, the moment's gone"

also calling out @ohflint‘s post here as the major source of inspiration, and by that I mean megh and elle told me to write this, and here we are.

in which i steal from POTC again

“nevermind, the moment’s gone.”/ “that was a perfect example of how not to do things.”

It hasn’t started raining yet, but Flint looks over at Silver just as a particularly bright bolt of lightning crackles through the sky. It illuminates the shine of his long hair, the sweat pooling low on his throat, the blood splattered across his cheek, the livid snarl of his teeth, and the flash of his sword as he swings it through the air and into the gut of a Redcoat.

He’s never looked more beautiful.

Flint pulls his own sword out of the soldier in front of him and says to Silver, “You should marry me.”

“Don’t fucking tell me what to do,” Silver responds automatically, whirling on the next soldier.

There are only a few more left on the bottom deck of the Walrus. By the time they dispatch of them all, Flint is breathing heavily, feels Silver doing the same where he’s pressed against his back. The ship belonging to these soldiers is a smoldering wreck out in front, but the last one is steadily gaining on them, just like Flint planned.

“Wait,” Silver pants, looking at him over his shoulder. “What did you say?”

Flint turns to him and nearly slips on someone’s misplaced intestine spilled out on the deck. “Nevermind,” he says, scraping off the sole of his boot. “The moment’s gone.”

“No, it isn’t.” One of Silver’s hands grips the front of Flint’s jacket. “Say it again.”

“You should marry me,” Flint says.

Silver frowns at him, and opens his mouth to speak but doesn’t. He’s probably thinking -- two men don’t get married. It just isn’t done in this society. But men also don’t wage a war against an entire ruling government, act in open rebellion against the Crown, find pleasure in killing, and steal whatever they can get their hands on. Since when did they care what was done in society?

Having apparently reached the same conclusion, Silver pulls Flint close, until they’re flush together, but he doesn’t kiss him. He calls out over his shoulder, “Jack! You need to marry us!”

Jack isn’t paying attention, up on the top deck, gesturing wildly to someone with a loaded gun. Anne is beside him, however, looking down at them like they’ve grown two extra heads.

“Hold fast on the starboard side!” Jack shouts. “Starboard!” He looks down. “What did you say?”

They still hold their swords, they’re still pressed closer. “Marry us!” Silver yells over the roaring wind.

Jack blinks down at them. “I’m not marrying you!” he says. “What about Anne?”

Anne scoffs with her whole body, and storms away, bumping into Jack hard as she passes. She starts poking the bodies on the ground as she makes her way to the bow, checking to see if any of them are still in need of killing.

“Us.” Flint now grips Silver’s jacket as a strong wave crashes into the side of the ship. “You’re the only other Captain here.”

If Jack is confused why two men want to marry, he doesn’t voice it. He does, however, ask, “What, you want to do this right now?”

Flint looks back at Silver, but he doesn’t look for very long, because Silver kisses him just as the clouds above finally split open. He tastes the assuredness on Silver’s tongue as well as he can taste the tang of someone else’s blood there, as well as he can taste the rain. He wants to crowd him against the mast and forget the whole plot for awhile. And he moves them one step back to do that, but then someone overhead shouts, “Incoming!” And they break away with the shuddering rock of cannonfire.

“Gun crews!” Flint stumbles away from Silver to look down at his men. “Fire at will!”

He turns back to see Silver kneeling, his hands dripping with blood, and his heart stops for one sick, horrifying, long second, fearing the worst.

But Silver is just wrestling a ring off a fallen soldier. His sword and his crutch are on the ground beside him, as he balances precariously on his knee, uncaring of the mayhem around him. He’s carving at the dead man’s finger with a small knife, muttering to himself as blood coats his palms down to his wrist, until the ring finally slides off with a slick sound. Silver holds it up and smiles. “Let’s do this right, darling.”

Anne, who happens to be running by at that second, stops in her tracks beside them. Flint knows she’s in just the right mental state to kill them both and not even remotely care. “I ain’t an expert with this shit,” she spits at Silver still on his knee, before turning away, “but I think that was a perfect fucking example of how not to do that.”

Silver pouts at Flint, struggling to stand. “You don’t want it?” He fiddles with it awkwardly, his sword forgotten on the ground. “I just thought --”

Flint snatches it out of his hand. “Pick up your fucking sword,” he says, sliding it on. It goes easy with all the blood, and it fits him perfectly. He looks back up on the top deck. “Jack!”

They all duck as debris goes flying. The final Navy ship is within boarding distance, and his crew makes their way over without waiting for Flint to tell them to do so, because Silver trained them all to know when Flint is too fucking busy to lay out the simplest order.

Even through the chaos, Flint can see Jack sigh. He’s not even looking at who he’s shooting in the face as he says, “Dearly departed, we are gathered here today --”

“Beloved,” shouts Flint, as the first Redcoat makes the mistake of trying to board the Walrus right in front of him. “Have you ever even been to a wedding before?”

“No. I’ve ruined several before. Does that count?”

Pirates swing from their ship to the Navy’s, crossing paths with soldiers doing the same, like vines, or dead men, hanging beneath a willow tree. Boots hit the deck all over, a rallying cry is heard over a tumultuous crash of thunder, Jack fires his pistol again and yells, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today for a decidedly different fucking purpose than a fucking wedding --” He’s cut off when a particularly burly Redcoat tackles him around the waist, apparently forgetting they both held swords.

“For fuck’s sake,” says Flint, slitting the throat of the man in front of him. He pivots towards Silver, who is bringing down his sword on a soldier like he’s holding an axe and not a sword. “John Silver, do you take me to be your husband?”

“I already fucking said--” Silver stabs someone else and faces him. “Oh, this is the -- right. Yes. I do.”

“Fantastic,” says Flint, and then he’s against the wall with two soldiers attacking at once, swords singing all around him like a flock of birds, and he’s keeping them back because they aren’t coordinated at all, but then Flint blocks a blade from above and another catches his side, just a glancing blow, but it makes him falter, bending instinctively to protect his new wound.

And then one of the men’s head explodes from the side, and his dead weight falls into the other soldier, both of them tumbling into the ground.  Silver stomps up, pistol still smoking, as Flint pierces the living man right through the heart.

“Captain --” Silver stops. “Flint -- McGraw? James.” He throws his empty pistol over Flint’s shoulder, smacking a soldier right on the forehead, knocking him down into the raging sea. “Do you take me to be your not-so-lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, or, as is more likely, in brutal killing or in health, ‘til death do us part?”

“I fucking do.” Flint pulls Silver close again, and drives his sword into the man running up behind Silver with a gun. “Though we wouldn’t be parted for long.”

Silver grins. “Never,” he says, with blood in his teeth.

An overwhelming boom, like thunder but closer and tangible, resounds, and then a great crack is heard as the Navy ship jolts hard. Despite the waves and the wind and the storm, it seems like the ship is utterly still for just a moment before it breaks, the snap and twist of splitting wood sounding like the bones of God snapping.

And Jack is somehow, miraculously, still alive. “As a Captain, though not actually the Captain of this godforsaken ship,” he shouts, his face so bloody he looks like he’s wearing a mask. He’s also somehow standing on top of capstan, staying upright despite the turbulence. “I know pronounce you husband and wife, and I’ll let you decide amongst yourself who is who because I absolutely do not want to know. You may now ki--”

Jack falls, and they all fall, too. The force of the Navy ship sinking has sent a tidal wave crashing into the Walrus, and the ship is almost horizontal. Flint finds himself dangling from Silver’s crutch, Silver hanging onto a piece of rope. He can’t see what it’s attached to. Their eyes lock, because there’s nothing they can do in this moment other than hold on and see what happens, and all Flint wants to see is Silver. He lets go of his sword and uses both hands to pull himself up, until they’re face to face. Flint sees some fear in Silver’s eyes, some anger. But mostly he sees himself, reflected in their clear blue.

Over the din of screams and water, he vaguely hears someone shouting, “You may now k--”

The Walrus creaks dangerously as it struggles to right itself. One moment it is on a precipice, existing simultaneously between devastation and survival, which is how Flint has always lived his life. Which is how he isn’t surprised when the Walrus finally shifts upright. Flint survives -- it’s what he does.

Everyone is still on the floor, but quickly get to their feet. Except for Flint and Silver. They stay on the ground, clinging to each other, bleeding on each other. The only weapons they’re holding are each other.

Anne runs by again. She’s even bloodier than Jack, but she looks intensely satisfied. “Just fucking kiss,” she says as she goes, and Flint listens.

He could hear more fighting going on around him, but in the dark they must look like two more bodies on the deck, tangled together in death, and no one bothers them. Flint kisses Silver and thinks that’s fine. Let him be mistaken for dead, let him be dead, for all that it matters, as long as he dies like this. He has no need for final words on his tongue when Silver’s mouth is on his, swallowing them down. His enemy is falling, the rain is washing away his blood, and his husband is cupping his jaw and kissing him deeper. There are no better ways to die.

And then Silver is pulling away. “Stop it, dear,” he says, using the rope to pull himself upright. “I can always tell when you’re kissing me and thinking about dying. Now get up, find your sword, and get back to work. We haven’t won yet.”

Flint stands. “Already with the nagging,” he says, and he wipes a drop of blood from Silver’s brow with his thumb before it falls into his eye. “I think I’ve made a huge mistake.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Silver says as he turns to stab one of the few remaining soldiers running past. “I can tell you now, I’m an incredibly demanding spouse. And I won’t have you dying before I get my wedding night.” He kisses Flint once more, as hard and giving as himself, and then stomps back into the fight.

Flint survives.

#black sails #black sails fic #silverflint #hey look it's my suffering #this was so hard to write because of the gratuitous violence and the romance #to the anon who sent me another prompt i will do it -- eventually #ellelen #ohflint #karategirl448

[pixichi]

Stealth and Witchcraft Cp.13

The full moon was pale ivory that night, shimmering like a crystalized beacon against the frozen sea of stars. Garrett sat in focused silence, staring pensively at the map in front of him. Looking Glass Jewelers. It had been years since he had broken into that place, thus the newly updated map he had procured. The shop had since installed a series of air shafts, and the thief was intending to use them to his full advantage. Quill in hand, he began to mark his intended route through that maze of iron shafts and updated security systems. Two more days remained until he would pilfer every round and lovely bauble from within that place. Garrett wasn't the least bit concerned over this upcoming heist. What did trouble him, however, was the job to follow. From across the room, he could hear Gwenevere. In just a few short days, the real work would begin. Garrett had always enjoyed a good challenge, but molding that graceless tart into anything remotely comparable to a real thief? Now that, was going to be tricky. He glanced over at the girl, annoyed by all the ruckus she was making. How she managed to make so much noise with so little around her had always been an absolute mystery. The thief turned to look at her as her struggles and grunts of frustration grew more obnoxious. "Stop it," he demanded, in a level, uninterested voice. Gwenevere spun around, causing her short skirt to momentarily ride up her thighs, revealing more of them than she had ever intended. Seeing this, Garrett abruptly turned away, shielding his eyes with his hand. Or rather, concealing the slight blush that the sight of her forbidden flesh had caused to dart across his unsuspecting face. "Garrett? Am I bothering you?" she asked in that whiny, yet inexplicably enduring tone. "Yes, you're bothering me!" he snapped. "What have I told you about that outfit? Just because you're not on a job, doesn't mean you should be wearing that." "My outfit?" Gwenevere's eyes grew wide. "But the new one got all dirty! It's being washed right now. And besides, I like this outfit! It's pretty." Garrett looked down at his map again and scowled. She could say that again. "Isn't it just a little uncomfortable?" he asked, projecting more than a few of those strange, nagging emotions he had been feeling towards the young Simmons runaway. Gwenevere giggled. "Of course not, silly! It's silk!" she stepped away from whatever she had been doing, and marched right up to the situated thief. "See? Feel how soft it is," she offered, holding out the rim of her skirt for Garrett. He retained his discomfort. "I'd rather not. There'd be no point to it." "But why does everything need to have a point?" Gwenevere cocked her head. "I just want you to touch it. Why can't you at least humor me a little?" "Because," Garrett finally looked up at her, "that's not the sort of thing a thief should be wearing." The young woman pondered this for a moment, looking up at the ceiling of the clocktower. Her index finger was planted against her bottom lip. "Well, what should I be wearing then?" she asked. Garrett glowered up at her. Now, she was just seeking attention, and it was painfully obvious. "You already know the answer to that, Gwenevere. Something dark. Something comfortable and easy to move in. Being a thief is about not getting caught. That harlot outfit, is for the exact opposite purpose." He could feel himself growing leery of her effect on him once more. "So, I should dress like you!" the young woman chirruped. "In a matter of speaking..." Garrett grumbled. Gwenevere went quiet, the first inklings of a new idea beginning to take form within her playful mind. Then, she asked the fateful question. "Can I try your cloak on again?" The thief gaped up at her in unwavering disbelief, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. "What?! No, of course not!" he snapped. "Why would you even consider asking me that?" Gwenevere appeared hurt for a moment, but she quickly grew jovial again as her new idea began to flourish and grow. Branching paths, and new and exciting outcomes were beginning to take root. "Garrett, how come you never take it off of your own volition?" "I do. When I'm asleep," he responded gruffly. "But, we're inside now. There's no rain, or guards, or anything. C'mon! Just take it off!" she urged, taking a step closer. There was now a lustful twinkle in her eyes, and it disturbed the thief greatly. "No," Garrett refused, the word icy and blunt as it left his mouth. But Gwenevere's playful side was extra powerful that night, and she wasn't about to take no for an answer. "Lemme see that sticky-outie hair of yours again!" she demanded with a giggle. Garrett was flabbergasted. He struggled to get out of his chair, but the young woman side-stepped him and reached for the dark hood. He sharply pushed her hand away. "Back off, brat!" The candlelight danced and flickered across Gwenevere's fiery locks as she reached out, and tugged at the hood with her other hand. Once again, Garrett fought to deflect her. "Come on! It looks so soft and warm. Just let me wear it for one night!" "No!" he shouted, slapping her hands away. Gwenevere recoiled, her eyes glassy and wide as she proceeded to rub her hands together. "B-but...i-it's so cold Garrett..." she whimpered, her teeth beginning to chatter a bit. The thief's harsh gaze locked up at her pitiful words, leaving him temporarily blindsided. His hardened features thawed into an expression of great surprise. And perhaps, even a dash of pity. "Gwenevere, why didn't you tell me you were cold?" he asked, concern seasoning his every syllable. "If I'd known, then maybe I--" "--Gotcha!" she cheered, dropping her ruse and lurching forward to tug at the hood again. Unfortunately, it was still attached to a long billowing cloak--and Garrett was sitting on that at the moment. The weight difference between Garrett and Gwenevere caused her actions to drag her down as the hood refused to come free. Garrett tensed, as the young woman did a rather clumsy faceplant into his chest. That was when the chair topped over, sending them both to the floor. Instantly, the harsh landing was disrupted by something far more shocking. Thief and noble lay there, staring at each other in blatant shock. Gwenevere's lips parted, her face almost glowing from her bright red blush. Garrett stared up at her with a similar expression. His hood was off, leaving his messy dark brown hair visible. "I'm..." Gwenevere started, trying to apologize. But she was breathing far too heavily for any words to come eking out. She felt Garrett twitch beneath her. She couldn't tell if he was trying to dislodge her, or something else. Regardless, he still refused to speak. Her eyes were large, glassy green saucers against a backdrop of low candlelight. They bore into the thief, completely captivated. Smitten beyond any reprieve. As much as she didn't want to, Gwenevere hesitantly slid her body off of his, and stood. She offered a hand to Garrett, along with an apologetic little smile. "You okay?" she grinned. Garrett sat up, and hastened to tug the hood back over his hair. "I'm fine!" he barked, standing on his own. "No thanks to you!" Gwenevere's smile crumbled into a disappointed frown. "I'm sorry," she pleaded. "I didn't mean to make you fall, or...or to upset you. I just wanted to play!" "You're too old for that nonsense! How the hell do you expect to become a disciplined vigilante, if you can't even repress such childish urges?" the thief chastised her. He turned the chair back upright, and took a seat. His bi-colored eyes scanned over his new maps, whilst his sharp features remained flustered and aggressive. Gwenevere cleared her throat. "I mean it! I'm really, really sorry, Garrett!" she whined. Garrett rubbed his temples with his thumb and forefinger, quill still in hand. "I couldn't care less, Gwenevere," he sighed. "So why don't you go be sorry somewhere else? As always, you're bothering me." So, upon receipt of that heart shattering cruelty, Gwenevere lowered her head and retired to the Hammerite dormitories. Once she was gone, Garrett finally looked up from his work. He rubbed the small bump on his head that he had sustained from the fall, and groaned. Looking back down at the map, the thief sighed hard. Though he would never convey it directly, the expression on his face spoke volumes. He was sorry, too. *** On the day her training was to begin, Gwenevere was up long before the sun. She sat huddled in the darkness of that chilly abyss, contemplating the morning ahead from her favorite bend in the stairway. In her lap, sat a loosely-arranged sack of goods. Six apples, a pound of flour, and two containers of shoe polish. It was all she'd managed to swipe while Garrett yet slept. The streets were devoid of any vendors at that ungodly hour, and Gwenevere was still far too clueless to use a set of lockpicks this early in her training. Thus, it was the objects forgotten on porches or in crates, which were taken in the night by this dedicated little girl creature. Hours passed, and the girl's head bobbed and ducked as she struggled to stay awake. At some point, her heavy eyelids became too much to bear, and sleep finally succeeded in overtaking her. Through dreams of clambering up twisted black iron gates, and slinking down corridors lined with bright and gaudy wallpaper, something harsh and corporeal managed to shake Gwenevere from the depths of her slumber. "Gwenevere. Get up," Garrett's impatient voice hung like a dense mist over her, as Gwenevere's mind struggled against surreality. The world around her appeared to be smudged. She looked up at her mentor, and gave him a dopey smile. "Oh. Good morning, Garrett." "Morning? It's three in the afternoon, Gwenevere," the criminal frowned. "Oh, that's nice," she whispered, her eyelids beginning to droop again. Garrett jostled her shoulder, with more force than before. Gwenevere's eyes flew open, and something between a gurgle and a groan exited her mouth. "Are you up for this, or not?" he demanded. Gwenevere blinked. "Hmm? Up for what?" "Your training," the thief stretched the word, trying to sound as patronizing as possible. "I told you we'd start today, did I not?" At the very mention of her training, Gwenevere snapped to attentiveness. "Oh yeah! How could I have forgotten that?!" she shook her head with a smirk. Reaching into the bag between her legs, the young woman produced one of her stolen apples, and handed it to Garrett. The thief stared at the ripe red fruit as though it had grown lips and begun speaking to him. "Why are you giving me this?" he asked, perplexed. Gwenevere appeared confused. "I thought students were supposed to give apples to their teachers?" she replied. Garrett snatched the apple away from her hand, and gave the girl a stern look. "Once again, and say it with me: You are not my student," he groused. "Well I brought you an apple all the same!" she trilled. Garrett said nothing, as he began polishing the sweet red fruit upon his cloak. Although he'd never outright admit it, he did love apples. "You wanna get started now?" Gwenevere began to bounce up and down with glee. She stood from the staircase, saluting the thief with a big smile upon her face. "Yes sir, mister Garrett sir!" Garrett crooked an eyebrow at her. "Sir?" he scoffed. "Garrett is just fine. Formalities are for YOUR kind. Now come on." He motioned for the girl to follow him deeper into the tower. Gwenevere skipped merrily behind him, looking around at the still gears and rotting planks. Garrett pushed aside a tattered Hammerite banner, to reveal a small study just beyond. Atop a rather rickety wooden table, sat a pair of stone cups and platters. Each were filled with an assortment of cheap food, ranging from dried meat, to small slices of carrot and potato. "Sit down and eat," Garrett ordered. "You'll need your energy for training. Especially since it looks like you didn't get too much sleep last night." Gwenevere cringed at little at the meager portions in front of her. She took a cautious sip from her cup before answering him. "I did sleep, at least," she murmured. Garrett stared at her as he sat. "Maybe it's for the best," he confirmed. "You'll be needing to abandon that diurnal lifestyle of yours if you're gonna be out all night." Gwenevere began picking at the morsels on her plate, toying with the hard strip of meat before gulping it up. The gamey, salty flavor almost caused her to gag outright. Garrett fought to conceal a sparse smirk as he chewed his own fare without incident. "Like it?" he asked. "Not particularly," Gwenevere moaned. "What IS this?!" "Dried meat," the thief responded in a snarky tone. "I gathered that, but what sort of animal is it from?" the doe-eyed maiden clarified. Garrett shrugged. "Damned if I know. It was free, and easy to carry," the hooded rogue cut into one of his potatoes, "here's a quick lesson for you: Take what you can, and don't be stingy. Thieves can't afford to be picky eaters, Gwenevere." "Well, could you at least steal something palatable?" the disgusted girl smacked her lips, trying desperately to get the dreadful taste out of her mouth. "Now that's gratitude for ya," her mentor groused. "I go and even the score, and this is how you respond?" "What score?" Gwenevere's expression was one of abject confusion. "You stole breakfast for me that one time," Garrett replied, shoving a bite of potato into his mouth. For a moment, the girl just stared at him. She'd been living with this man for almost two weeks, and yet she still had yet to understand how he functioned. Garrett's world seemed to be a constant jumble of debts and favors, a loveless and harsh existence wherein nothing was ever endearing or free. And while Gwenevere could at least understand such an outlook, she was still having much difficulty wrapping her mind around one thing: Even if kindness was a nonexistent luxury for the thief, surely, he at least knew what it was? Garrett was, after all, one of the most intelligent and methodical creatures Gwenevere had ever chanced upon. "I didn't do that so you would owe me a meal," she spoke in a concerned, worried voice. "I did it out of kindness." "I don't need your charity," Garrett grunted through a mouthful of food. Gwenevere pouted, pushing the veggies around her plate with her fork. Some of them were discolored, others had lost their form completely, resembling sludgy, multi-colored vomit. "Well, if you won't accept my gift, can we at least take turns stealing meals for one another?" she offered. "I'd rather not," Garrett remarked, wiping his mouth with the edge of his cloak. "It's too risky sending you out with all those bounty hunters sniffing for you. Besides..." He shot her an unnerved, yet knowing look. Gwenevere didn't get it. "Besides what?" she cocked her head. Garrett groaned. "Besides, you'd probably just steal cakes and pies and call it a meal." "Well, what's a matter with that?" she asked. "You're gonna get fat if you keep eating those things," the criminal stated callously. To his surprise, the girl merely shrugged. "Eh, small price to pay." "Thieves shouldn't be fat, Gwenevere." "Basso's a fat thief, and no one gives him grief for it," Gwenevere countered. Garrett glared at her, knife in hand. "Basso, is not a real thief. He's a fence. The lazy taffer hasn't done any successful fieldwork on his own since before you were born. Now shut up and eat." Gwenevere started to protest, but the fierce glimmer within Garrett's metallic eye silenced her. She begrudgingly began picking and nibbling at her lunch, smacking her lips and gagging every so often on the limp greenery, and poor cuts of mystery meat. "Close your mouth when you chew, Gwenevere," she heard the thief reprimand her. He then went on to outwardly wonder how a noble's girl could possibly possess such atrocious mannerisms. Gwenevere, took offense to that little jab. "Well, maybe I don't wanna be a noble's girl," she retorted. "Maybe, just maybe, I'm my own girl, and thus not defined by my environment or bloodline." "Yeah, you keep telling yourself that..." Garrett grumbled, taking a bite of the apple Gwenevere had given him. Immediately, her expression lit up. "Hey! My apple! You do like it!" she cheered. Garrett hastened to conceal the fruit back within the folds of his cloak. He glowered at Gwenevere, teeth clenched beneath taut and pallid lips. "I never said that!" he hissed. And Gwenevere, giggled even more. *** After lunch, Garrett began his first lesson. Taking her deeper than ever before into the very foundations of the clocktower, the thief ushered his charge to a locked doorway. There, he handed her a small leather-bound case. Gwenevere took the object, her hands trembling with anticipation. "What's this?" she questioned. "Open it and see," Garrett replied. And Gwenevere, did just that. Inside, were a pair of lockpicks. They winked and twinkled up at her in the low light. Gwenevere's eyes sparkled with joy, the eagerness and delight she felt within that moment incomparable to anything else she'd experienced within this murky city. Finally, she was moving towards her goal of becoming a vigilante. These unassuming metal tools, were her first step down what was destined to be a long and arduous road. But the young woman relished the journey ahead. She would do whatever was necessary, in order to liberate the downtrodden and destitute. To liberate herself. "Wow...G-Garrett..." she stammered, brushing a strand of red hair from her eyes. She then closed the case, and clutched it close to her heart. Beaming up at her teacher through overcome, gregarious emerald eyes. "Th-thank you so much!" "There's no need for such pleasantries," the thief groused. "These are necessary for the job, and that's it. So don't you go reading too much into it, okay?" "I won't," she smiled. Garrett turned his attention back to the locked doorway. "Now listen very carefully, Gwenevere. Like many things, lockpicking is a process. Each successful heist is just the completion of several, easier jobs. To become a successful thief--or in your case, vigilante, one must learn how to successfully perform a variety of different tasks." Gwenevere nodded, hanging onto his every word. Then, a sensation reminiscent of guilt threatened to engulf her, as she held those lovely lockpicks between her thin fingers. "Garrett?" she peeped. "Does this pertain to the lesson at hand?" he answered gruffly. Gwenevere shook her head, prompting the master thief to roll his eyes. "Then don't bother. This is neither the time nor place for idle chatter." "B-but I just wanted to apologize for my behavior as of late!" Gwenevere pressed. Garrett sneered down at her. "What?" The girl shuffled her feet, her disposition meek and hesitant to continue. When she finally summoned enough courage to meet his domineering gaze, Gwenevere's face was reminiscent of a guilty child's. "I-I'm sorry. About trying to take your hood off the other night, and causing you to fall," she bit her bottom lip, as cold dread began seeping into her veins. It warned her not to continue, telling her that some things could never be forgiven. But the vivacious creature chose to ignore the warning. "And...and I'm also sorry for when I asked about your eye. I know that really upset you, and not a day goes by that I don't feel guilty about hurting you. I wish I could take it back, but...but I can't..." His reaction, was far less intense than she'd feared. Garrett stared down at her through empty, unfeeling eyes, his face momentarily betraying the mixture of complicated emotions and scars that he always tried desperately to hide from others. Then, just when she was certain he wasn't going to continue, three simple words exited his thin, chapped lips. "Forget about it." "Garrett?" the girl's face twisted into a visage of concern. "Aren't you...angry about all that stuff?" "Do you want me to be?" he countered, paying more attention to the sealed metal door than her emotional turmoil. "No, I suppose not," Gwenevere bleated. "Well, then let's concentrate on today's lesson," he snapped. *** Gwenevere held the rough edges of the silver lockpicks between her fingers, gulping down a wad of bitter nerves. She could feel Garrett behind her, his smoky musk permeating her sensitive nostrils. His presence was making it difficult for her to concentrate; especially on a new and unknown task. Finally, with a disappointed groan, her mentor intercepted. "Do you need me to go over it again?" he patronized. "N-no Garrett! That's ok. I'm just..." she pondered over her situation again. The darkened keyhole before her seemed to be watching her through an invisible eye, taunting her almost as much as the cynical thief. "Then get started raking those pins!" he demanded with a snort. "What are pins?" Gwenevere asked. Garrett released an exasperated moan. "Pins are short pieces of metal of varying lengths which prevent a lock from opening without the correct key," he clarified. "Oh. So why don't we just steal the correct key instead?" she argued. Garrett just gaped at her cheery little expression. "How dumb are you?" he inquired bluntly. The girl batted her eyelids in puzzlement. "How exactly is asking a question considered dumb?" Gwenevere asked. "I mean, this isn't really common knowledge, ya know? It's like they say: There are no dumb questions, just dumb answers," she concluded that statement with a satisfied dip of her head. The thief rubbed his temples. Garrett had dealt with his fair share of difficult characters, but sometimes, Gwenevere was more than even he could take. That irritating cleverness of hers had caught him off-guard yet again. Unable or unwilling to admit that anything pertaining to lockpicking indeed wasn't common knowledge, Garrett deflected her words with another of his petty jabs. "No, Gwenevere. There are in fact, dumb questions. Usually, they're asked by dumb people. Or naïve little princesses who've strayed too far from their respective castles." "Are you being mean because of what I did before? 'Cus I said I was sorry," the bubbly redhead frowned. Garrett scowled down at her. "I'm not being 'mean', Gwenevere. I am trying to teach you how to pick a lock. So, let's just get back to the lesson at hand, alright?" "Fine. Be like that," Gwenevere pouted. Garrett scratched the back of his cowl, wondering how in the world he was going to teach such a dense and sheltered kid like her anything. Never before had the prospect of returning a sackful of gold sounded so rewarding. Unfortunately, the master thief had long since spent every cent of Basso's bribe money. Hindsight, truly was a curse to live with. But as he continued to watch Gwenevere struggle and mull over the impossible task before her; as he witnessed her clueless and lost expression twist and intensify across her heart-shaped face, something inexplicable came over him. Perhaps it was mere stress, or even impatience which prompted Garrett's next actions. Or perhaps, it was something else entirely. "You know, this early in your training it's common for an apprentice to require assistance," he intervened. Gwenevere slowly turned her eyes upward to meet his. She gawked up at him from over her shoulder, her mouth hanging limply from her face. The moonlighter's unlikely empathy had rendered her speechless. "R-really? That would be great!" she stuttered. Garrett offered no further words, as he proceeded to lean forward against her back. His chin now rested just above Gwenevere's right ear. She gasped as his calloused hands took up her silky digits. The thief traced her tiny hands, sliding his fingers into place until they covered each of her own. Then, he began to press. "What are you doing?" she asked, both flustered and intrigued. "Just let them go limp..." Garrett murmured. His hot breath caught the edge of the girl creature's earlobe, causing her to shudder. Gwenevere felt as her entire face grew a wild shade of scarlet, and against her own desires and understanding, her body began to soften. Her fingers now dangled like limp vines against his own hands. Feeling this change, Garrett's eyes flashed, and he began his instruction. "You need to insert the straight tool here, and apply some pressure," he demonstrated, using the tension wrench in her left hand. Gwenevere's green eyes watched his demonstration, absorbing every visual into memory. "You do this in order to hold the pins in place." Gwenevere felt captivated, watching through astonished eyes. She felt such excitement, feeling as he worked fluidly through her. Garrett had to press firmly against her fingers and the handle of the picks in order to successfully demonstrate each technique, and at times it did get a tad uncomfortable. But Gwenevere didn't mind. The entire experience was far too enrapturing for her to mind. "Next, you need to determine which way the cylinder must be turned to unlock the lock," the thief continued. "I've commonly used this particular lock, so I already know which way you turn the key to open it. But I'm not going to tell you Gwenevere; that would ruin your training," he explained in a stoic, almost deadpan sort of way. "No fair!" she protested, shooting her mentor a flustered expression. Garrett glowered scornfully at her. "If you're going to be childish, we can stop right now," he growled. "Now listen: In the event that you don't know which way the cylinder turns, you can always use the tension wrench to apply pressure to it in either direction." "Oh?" Gwenevere appeared hopeful again. "Yeah. See, the cylinder will only turn a fraction of an inch or so before it stops. Try to feel the firmness of that stop. If you turn the cylinder the wrong way, the stop should feel very firm and stiff. If you turn it the right way, there should be a bit more give. The amount of pressure required will vary from lock to lock, and from pin to pin. So, this may require some trial and error," Garrett elaborated. "Start gently, though." "I see," Gwenevere nodded, chewing on her hair again. "Also, some locks, such as padlocks, will open regardless of which way the cylinder is turned." "Good to know." "Alright. I'm giving you your hands back, Gwenevere. Try to do it as I told you." Garrett released his hold on her, and took a step back. He crossed his arms and gazed upon his apprentice with pensive eyes, as she attempted to unlock the door. Gwenevere scrunched up her face in concentration, her little pink tongue poking past her lips as she began to work. Placing her right hand against the doorframe for support, she inserted and positioned the tension wrench. Next, she turned it to the left slightly, feeling as the pressure intensified. Obviously, that was the wrong way. This time, she turned the wrench right, feeling as the cylinder gyrated a bit before the tension increased. "I think I found the right direction, Garrett!" she cheered. Garrett's solemn eyes danced. Indeed, she had. Gwenevere continued to look up at him, awaiting further instruction. "Do I take it out now?" "No. Once all the pins inside the lock have been picked, the tension wrench will then be used to turn the cylinder and open the lock," he explained. Gwenevere nodded, watching as Garrett took control of her hands a second time. "I'm assuming you're right handed, given the way you position yourself and such?" "Um, yes..." the girl muttered, feeling a tad overwhelmed at having him so close to her. Although she didn't quite understand why. "As I thought," Garrett muttered, sticking the half-diamond pick into the keyhole. "You'll use the betty here, to do most of the work. Once the pick is inside the keyhole, you should be able to press up and feel the individual pins with the tip. You should be able to push them up and feel them spring back down when you release the pressure. Identify which one is the hardest to push up on. If they're all very easy to push up, then turn the tension wrench more to increase the pressure. If one won't go up at all, ease the tension until you can push it up. Later in your training, I'll show you how to rake the pins instead. There are certain situations in which this may work better." When Garrett had concluded his wordy instruction, he once again encouraged Gwenevere's hands forward. Pressing upward on each pin, Gwenevere was able to feel little differences with each one. The pins towards the back were much tighter, she found. So, as per Garrett's advice, she worked these last, easing and increasing the tension as needed. A time or two, her hand slipped, causing all of her tedious work to come undone. From behind her, the thief would release subtle groans and frustrated mutters, but his disappointment only fueled the girl onward. Aside from the kindly maid, Olaura, not one person had believed Gwenevere capable of anything noteworthy. And Gwenevere, was determined to prove them all wrong. She would save this city, she would liberate herself from Simmons forever, and find her people at long last. Then, maybe then, she could finally discover why the lord of chaos had orchestrated her birth. Why Simmons wanted her blood so badly. Sweat was now trickling down Gwenevere's brow, as she struggled to unlock the door. And when it inevitably came, the sound of that beautiful click brought forth a sensation of unspeakable triumph. Her eyes luminous and proud, Gwenevere reached for the handle, and opened the large metal door with a loud, resounding screech. She looked back over her shoulder at Garrett, who was watching her through a pair of unimpressed, menacing eyes. "Garrett! Garrett, did'ja see?" she hopped up and down. "Garrett, I did it!" "Yeah, I noticed," he commented. "Not bad, for your first attempt." "Thank you..." Gwenevere blushed again. "But next time, try to get it open faster." His criticism caused the girl's cheeks to inflate with hot air, as she leered up at him. Garrett nearly chuckled at how ridiculous she appeared. "I'm going to start giving you a list of exercises to practice each day," he continued. This week, you are to practice picking locks, obviously." "So that's it then? That's all you're gonna teach me?" "For today, yes. Since someone slept in until three, our lesson had to be cut short. It's nearly nightfall, and us real thieves have places to be," Garrett retorted. Gwenevere made a face. "So, what am I supposed to do with the rest of the evening? I'm not exactly sleepy yet." "Why don't you start practicing with those picks I gave you then?" her mentor snapped. "After all, the clocktower's a big place. I'm sure you can find something to unlock around here." "You're tellin' me!" Gwenevere beamed, his dry wit restoring her positive attitude. "Did you know that there's a rickety old elevator down there?" "Yes, I'm well aware," Garrett's lips tightened in annoyance. "Anyway, to return to my original point, you should be able to find several training opportunities, even when I'm not around to instruct you." "For example?" Gwenevere craned her head to the side in bewilderment. The wily rogue thought for a moment before answering her, then began to grin. "Take the elevator and see if you can find something to open with those picks. There might even be some interesting stuff down there that I've forgotten about." "Yes," the girl bowed her head, feeling for her new pair of glinting metal picks. Opening another door without help would certainly prove challenging, but Gwenevere promised herself that she'd give it her very best shot. "I'll make getting those doors unlocked my number one priority, master." The thief stared at her as though Gwenevere had just sprouted wings and a tail when that simple word exited her lips. "What did you just call me?" he questioned, his eyes wide and baffled. "I called you my master," Gwenevere repeated herself. "Why?" "Well, it's just a matter of respect is all," she shuffled her feet, looking down at the floor in embarrassment. Respect. Now there was something Garrett wasn't in the least bit used to. Master thief though he was, the misanthropic rogue was far from admired. His heists and deeds were more infamous than revered, even among his fellow thieves. There was always someone attempting to outdo him, kill him, or pose as him in order to get hold of a score. Aside from the few passionate fans of his work, such as Basso or Jack Danger, Garrett was a mostly hated, envied man by his fellow lowlifes. Some considered him pretentious and arrogant, a rumor spanning back to his youth, when he'd refused to join the organized crime racket. Others, were merely jealous of his renowned successes. But then, there was everyone else. Those who either feared him as a wanted outlaw, or those who loved him simply because they did not know him. And there were a surprising number in the latter category. Whispers from Dayport all the way down to the East River, spoke of a hero, draped in robes black as night. Ballads composed by bards with far too much time and far too little talent, told tale of the enigmatic moonlight man, who had saved their poor city from ruin time and time again. Garrett had to wonder, if they would still sing his praises, if they indeed knew that their beloved savior, was one of the most wanted men in the entire city. He looked down at that whimsy-eyed maiden, adoration and candor thick within her cherubic features. As cynical as he was, it was beyond evident in that moment. Gwenevere, thought the world of him. Her gushing awe rendered him speechless, and silence passed like an unseen gale between their forms. When at last her bell-like voice permeated the surrounding haze, it nearly caused Garrett to jump. "You don't...have a problem with that, do you Garrett?" she whimpered, her eyes as round as saucers. Gleaming, like two fireflies in the darkness. Garrett hesitated before answering. "Actually, I do," he breathed heavily. "As I've told you before, calling me by name works just fine. There's no need to complicate things." "I see..." the young woman hung her head in crestfallen defeat. "Well, thanks for today. I'd better get to my room and stuff..." Gwenevere turned on her heel and started to head back towards the dormitories, when the thief called after her one last time. "Gwenevere?" She turned, looking up at him through dazzling green expectant eyes. "Yesh?" The moment her sparkling irises found his, Garrett felt his entire mouth go dry. Whatever meaningful sentiment he'd thought to covey, seeped between the folds of his mind like sand drawn back by an angry sea. Lost forever to the depths of his lament and ceaseless torment. As the initial words faded from his conscious memory, the thief defaulted to his usual greedy and callous nature. "If you do find anything of note down there, it's still mine. So don't go keeping your findings from me, got it?" "Yes master," the girl grumbled. When Garrett scowled down at her, Gwenevere quickly corrected herself, "I-I mean, yes Garrett..."