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papergirllife · 4 years

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Chasing The Flames

Chapter 11 : Out Of Our Grasp

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you have 30 texts ; 16 missed calls ; 3 voice mails.

All these unread texts and unanswered calls were all from the nct dream members. I haven’t seen them for a long time, Mr Kang gave me more projects to work on, and even leading one of them by yourself.

The times when I wasn’t loaded with work, I found other activities distracting myself, learning how to bake, going to the gym, and even giving in to try knitting, but that one failed of course.

Whenever I had the urge to call them back, I shut off my phone, reasoning that this was the best I could do to not tarnish this friendship. It was the only way Jeno and Jaemin wouldn’t hate me for my feelings towards Jeno? Jaemin? Both of them?

I shook my head at what absurd thoughts I had, I can’t like both of them, this is unusual and unnatural? I didn’t know what to make of my feelings towards them, Jaemin made me felt like I was sitting in front of a fireplace with a cup of hot coco on a cold winter night. Jeno is more of a red fiery passion, spontaneous late night car rides to the beach side.

Maybe I was just overthinking things, maybe I had these feelings only because I found them very photogenic. But that didn’t make any sense. Every time log on instagram’s explore page and see their weird expressions on those clips posted by their fan accounts, I would have a smile on my face, before realising what a dumb thing I was doing.

I was falling like a fool.

It was a Friday night, and I was outside the nearest convenience store drinking soju by myself, the warm alcohol flowing down your throat a stark contrast to this chilly night. I was drowning in guilt, I ruined a perfect friendship with 7 very good friends because I had thrown my feelings into the mix.

It’s not like they found out, but I feel like they knew all along, the way I accidentally stared at them for too long, the way my cheeks were heating up even though I wasn’t dong anything athletic. It’s best that I leave them good memories as it is, before I misstep and make everything go down the drain. That’s the least I can do. As I downed another gulp of soju, someone dressed in all black with a mask and a cap sat down your table. I thought it was just another customer, until that person took off his disguise, making me choke on the alcohol.

“Renjun?”

“I was about to go to your house, but you made things easier.”

“Why are you here?”

“To come find you. Why have you been ignoring our texts and calls?”

“I’ve been busy with work”

That wasn’t a lie, entirely.

“Everyone’s worried about you, especially Jaemin, you know how much of a mom he can get. I snuck out of the dorms just to look for you so you better say yes.”

“Yes to what?”

“Jeno’s birthday dinner with the dream members is next Saturday at the dorms, and he’s been distressed about your absence, not entirely focusing on work, getting frustrated when he doesn’t get a dance move right.”

“I...

“I don’t know what you’re going through right now, but tell me when you’re ready okay?”

I nodded in silence, knowing that Renjun would hate me if I told him about my crush towards his two best friends.

“I will.”

“I have to go back now, before Taeyong hyung does the night checks. Night.”

“Night.”

It was the night of the birthday dinner, I made Jeno a cake for his birthday and bought a pair of biking gloves for him. I’m now standing in front of their door, hand held in a fist over the door, but not daring to knock yet. I could feel the way how tensed my limbs were, the way my heart was beating faster than what I wanted it to. I could just leave? Leave the cake and present here after knocking. But what would they think of me? Would they hate me after if I pulled that stunt? My heels were starting to dig into my sole when the door swung open, revealing Chenle’s bright smile.

“Y/N, you’re finally here. We haven’t seen you in such a long time, I can’t believe the company is overworking you. You look so much more tired from when we last saw you. It’s fine, Renjun told us everything.”

“Yah Chenle, Y/N looks fine. Don’t be so rude.”

“Hi, Jisung.”

Chenle opened the door a bit wider for Jisung to come out, his smile wide when he saw the cake in your hands.

“Come in now, don’t catch a cold. Why did you let Y/N stand outside for so long? Just talk inside.”

The two of them started bickering like children during my walk to the kitchen. Just when I was about to place the cake in the fridge, someone sneaked up behind me.

“Long time no see.”

“Oh my god! You scared me, hi, happy birthday Jeno. I baked this cake and your present’s on the table.”

“Why haven’t you been answering our calls?”

He wasn’t smiling, but he wasn’t angry either. This is bad, I rather he had shouted at me, than hearing the disappointment laced in his voice.

“I was busy with work, lots of comebacks and some modelling shoots at the sister company. I usually shut my phone off and most times I just have time for sleep and...

At this point I’m just rambling what comes to mind eyes avoiding his, noticing the way his hands are littered with veins, he must’ve put in a lot more time in the gym. I noticed his disheveled appearance, the stubs of facial hair, the pajamas even on his birthday.

... I’m sorry.”

I looked up slightly to see him biting his lower lip, brows furrowed in concentration, and Jaemin was behind him. I heard Chenle calling me into the balcony to show me something, so I quickly excused myself, legs feeling like jelly under their scrutinizing gaze.

Even though, Chenle was showing me Louis, Ten’s cat that they borrowed for a day, I can’t help but look back to see Jeno and Jaemin’s their unreadable expressions.

“Why did she act like nothing happened?”

“Technically, nothing happened, but that’s the problem.”

Jaemin was gazing at you with a somewhat painful expression on his face, he doesn’t want to push you, but the fact that you were down right ignoring them really hurt him and Jeno.

“I thought she has feelings for us. I saw the way she looked at me, it was like how you look at me, doesn’t that mean something?”

“She might be scared Jeno. We can’t just force her into accepting the fact that she likes us. Everyone’s confused with their feelings and what they want in their life. You have to understand that polyamorous relationships still aren’t accepted widely by society, maybe she doesn’t even know what does that even mean.”

“What if she doesn’t like us and that we’re just blindly embracing the idea?”

“Don’t be so passive Jeno. Like what you said just now, she does look at us differently. If she tells us she has no feelings for us herself, then we can give up. We never gave up during our trainee days, this is just another hurdle Jeno ah. We’ll make it.”

Jeno scratched the back of his head, sighing at how stupid he was to act and think this way. He remembered the days when he was in denial of his feelings for Jaemin as well, thinking that it was wrong to love a man, but as he looks back at those days and think back the emotions and confusion he felt back then, he realised this must be what you’re dealing with now. He should be guiding you, not being angry at your confused self. He was being selfish, and now he’s going to make it up to you.

“Y/N is just like you back then, but less aggressive. Remember when you got drunk and tried to punch me?”

Jeno groaned in annoyance at the events that led to that memory.

“It was a one time thing, shut up. I didn’t even punch you, even though I was so wasted and angry, I was still sober enough to know that I love you.”

“But you were in denial?”

“I was young and dumb, shut up.”

“I love you too, Jeno ah. We should head back out the living area, before Chenle gets the wrong idea and announces it to the world.”

Through out dinner, Jeno and Jaemin seemed to have calmed down a bit after the first interaction prior an hour ago. Jeno even made small talk with me which surprised me very much while Jaemin seemed to be careful of the words he used to speak to me. I don’t know what’s going through their minds, but I rather be smiling along with them than see those disappointed looks on their faces ever again.

I talked to them about work, the projects that had lined up and the side projects at hand while they listened intently, Jeno’s smile appearing when I mentioned working with Super Junior for the online concert and their recent promotions.When I cut the cake for all of them, Jaemin helped distributing the slices of cake to everyone.

At the last piece, Jaemin wasn’t prepared for your hand to pass him the piece as he had known it was yours, your hand once again passing him the plate, but instead of coming in contact with the ceramic, he felt your soft hands.

I looked up in shock, my heartbeat racing at the slightest of contact.

Jaemin’s lips were agape, worrying that you’ll think he was overstepping tonight after many days of dismissal from you.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you’ll still be passing that plate, that’s your own piece, everyone is eating theirs now.”

“It’s alright, it was my fault, I’m being a blur again.”

Jaemin let out a small laugh at what I had said, his eyes glimmering with a sense of warmth? content? I had no idea what that means, but I’m sacred of what my heart wants it to mean.

Jaemin noticed the way you had looked into his eyes, but a sense of something came over you seconds after, sadness? insecurity? You were a sometimes so easy to read, but some days he felt like he was trying to read spanish.

As the night was still young, Renjun bought out the soju and champagne. The lot of us drank while having a mini karaoke, while Jisung was trying to keep some of his hyungs from doing anything they’ll regret in the morning.

With the alcohol in my system, my nerves started to let loose, feelings less tensed. I don’t know how am I going back home tonight, but for now I didn’t really care, it’s been the most fun I had in days after days of worrying about.

I looked at the time on the clock as I forgot where I placed my phone, it’s nearing 1 a.m. , and yet Renjun is still belting out high notes, although in a tipsy state, a sober Jisung trying to get him to bed. It was a comedic relief, seeing how happy they are makes the stress in your head fade away bit by bit.

Jeno is a happy man he thinks, at least for now, he had a delicious meal cooked by his boyfriend and brothers, a cake you baked yourself just for his birthday, and a bottle of champagne. Is he drunk on happiness or the amount of alcohol he consumed? He doesn’t know, he just knows that you look cute whenever you had a little too much to drink, your eyes crinkling as your smiles are wider in this state, he feels a smile tugging on his lips as he sees your own.

He sees your drunk state looking for the bathroom, he gets up to watch you, just in case your clumsy self stumbles along the way, or Chenle’s basketball was lying around the hallway again. Jeno hid in his room to wait for you, not wanting to seem like creep and accidentally scare you away.

As he heard the door open, the weight in his heart started receding, he was scared you’d trip on something in there, even in the hallway, you were already feeling the walls with your hands. But just as he thought you were going to be fine, you had tried to switch off the bathroom light, but your wet hands slipped, making you lose your balance.

I was sure I was going to be a goner when I felt my head become delusional from the alcohol and the sudden slip up made my mind dizzy, but instead I felt a pair of arms holding onto me. I opened my eyes to see Jeno’s face millimeters away from mine, his body was against mine, our heartbeats racing at a hundred and five, he still hasn’t let me go, his eyes scanning my face, taking in my flustered expression.

Jeno’s face was inching closer to mine, his lips agape, as if he was waiting for ymy lips to meet his. His eyes were shaded with a sense of something mysterious and it was hypnotising, although I had plenty to drink, the slip up made me sober up quite a bit.

“Jeno... I can get up now, thank you.”

Jeno lifted me up from that near falling position, but his arms around me never wavered. His eyes were searching yours, what is he looking for?

“Y/N, I like you.”

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turning-dreams-into-chaos · 5 years

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Lost Without Her: All out of Hope

*Not My Gif*

Summary: It’s been 5 years since half the world was snapped away, 6 months since her mom, Natasha sacrificed herself and the world came back, but how does she handle it after her world flips upside down?

Post Date: 11-12-19

Paring: Peter Parker x Romanoff!Reader

Word Count: 2000

~Master List~

~Lost Without Her Master~

Previously...

“So long Sweetheart.” You shut your eyes at the malice in his voice expecting to hear the gun go off but instead all you heard was a whoosh by your ear and the man fall to the ground. Then you remembered you weren’t alone tonight.

And by the looks of the arrows, you knew exactly who came to your rescue.

You didn’t want to turn around. Nothing in you compelled you to turn around but it was all for naught as the sound of someone approaching you made the breath catch in the back of your throat.

“Y/N?” A soft voice came that struck you to your core. You finally willed yourself to look back and you caught a glimpse of chocolate brown hair before you clasped your eyes shut.

Not only did Clint bother to show up, he brought along Peter. You were long past fucked.

Peter felt tears pool in his eyes when he saw your face. The video he saw hadn’t done your scars justice. Everything he knew about you, everything he remembered was broken down and scattered into a million pieces. The girl standing in front of him was not one of his best friends he had no choice but to leave behind. It scared him. The girl he knew like family was gone.

“Y/N?” He repeated, taking a small step forward as you quickly took several back. You opened your eyes wide as you looked between the two of them. Clint hadn’t even said anything but you could see the way his eyes inadvertently became glossy under the moonlight.

“What the hell are you doing here?” You spat as you begin to clean up your mess, taking your knife and gun as well as theirs. You picked up your bandana, tying it around your neck to be pulled onto your face as you face Clint and Peter again, who instead of answering you decided it was better to just watch. “I said, What the hell-“

“What happened to you Y/N?” Clint finally asked as you gave him an incredulous look.

“You don’t remember? It was about 6 months ago, the only person who cared for me in this world just off a cliff to save it. Ring a bell?” You didn’t know how much longer you could do this for, you never expected them to just show up, at a crime scene, and just start questioning you. You knew you had to get out of there fast since you shot the gun and them standing around isn’t making it easier. Clint just shook his head, rubbing a hand over his face as he put his bow away.

He couldn’t help but think this was all his fault, and maybe it was. Natasha jumped so Clint didn’t have to, and she made him promise to look after you. And he didn’t. “That’s not what I meant Y/N and you know that. What happened to make you become a hitman.”

“A hitman makes money.” You shrugged as he sighed deeply, taking a step towards you as you glared at him again. “Look, This has been... great, but unless you want to be here when the cops show up and there’s dead bodies everywhere. Go home guys.”

“Come home Y/N. Come home, please.” Peter pleaded as he wrung his mask in his hands. His voice cracked as his eyes were red and puffy, locked with yours. You, however, stared right though his, your face stoic as the slight sounds of siren made you tense.

“I don’t have a home anymore. See, my home threw herself off a cliff to save the rest of the world.” The sirens got louder and you knew you had to go now but you just needed to get things off your chest “Aren’t you proud of me!? Aren’t you proud of what I’m doing?! I turned out just like my uncle when the world dealt him a bad hand. Running away from my problems. I guess I truly learned from the best. Just go away.” As soon as the words were out of your mouth, you yanked the bandana up over your mouth and pulled your hood up, giving Clint and Peter one last look before you sprint away to your stashed bike.

Peter wanted to run after you and it broke his heart but when the red and blue lights came across Clint and his face he knew they needed to get out of there now.

You made it back to your hideout, ripping your bandana off and throwing your jacket onto the couch. A broken mirror hung on the wall as you stared into it, fresh bruises laid on your neck and your teeth were stained a dark red as you swished some water in your mouth, spitting it out soon after.

Tonight was supposed to be easy. One guy. And instead you had to deal with 3 guys and Clint and Peter coming. Your head spun as you thought about how tonight went down and soon you couldn’t take it anymore and swiped all the items of the desk to your left onto the floor. You listened to the clatter as your mind started to clear, just enough for you to hear the sound of a door lock breaking in the other room. You froze, listening for another sound before grabbing your knife and sticking your gun in the back of your pants. You pressed yourself against the wall hiding from the hallway to the backdoor as it creaked opened slowly. You tightened the grip on your knife, getting ready to stab it into whoever broke in.

“Are you sure she’s in here Mr. Barton?” You relaxed only slightly when you realized that it was just Peter and Clint, but you didn’t want them here anymore than you wanted others.

“Just keep your eyes out. She’s here.” Clint told Peter as you crept around the back of a counter, ducking underneath as Peter and Clint finally came into your view. You tried to make yourself disappear but it was no use when Peter could sense you hiding.

“Y/N, come on, I know you’re behind the register.” Peter took a few steps up to the counter, resting his palms on it as you popped up behind it with a groan.

“How did you find me now?” Peter couldn’t look you in the eye as you turned towards Clint.

“Bike’s not as quiet as you thought.” He mumbled and nodded towards where your motorcycle sat outside and you took a step back in shock.

“You followed me?” Peter looked like he was going to reply but you cut him off. “Why can’t you just leave me be?! There’s nothing back there for me!”

“Don’t say that Y/N. We’re back there. I’m back there.” Peter stepped to the side of the counter, coming closer to you as you put your hand up.

“No Peter, you don’t get to do that to me. I don’t need to get the guilt trip. It’s been months and you’re just now showing up.” Peter could feel the pain in your voice as your eyes bore into his. “Get out Peter.” You whispered to the boy before turning to Clint. He looked at you threw his eyelashes, keeping his head ducked as if he was a child being scowled. “You too, Clint. I’m done with that part of my life.” No one said anything as Peter nodded, turning back to Clint with a sniffle as he wiped his nose.

Peter hated this. He hated seeing you push him away. You were always open for Peter to talk to and he didn’t mind the 4 year age gap because you were there for him when ever he needed it and vice versa. He didn’t want to leave you. Not now. Not ever. And luck be generous as a few cop cars made their way past the front window.

“Shit.” You muttered as you dropped to the floor to hide from the light shining through the windows signaling the boys to follow. Peter dropped next to you, making you turn and stare at his brown eyes barely 8 inches away before gulping and facing towards the window. You couldn’t see Clint from where you’re sitting so you could only assume he find a spot to lay low as the blue and red lights decreased into darkness. Peter helped you up, sticking a hand out to you that you gingerly accepted and rose to your feet. “It’s too risky for you to leave now.” You groaned as you pulled your gun out, slamming it down on the table and staring at the silver. “One night. You can stay for one night, then you’re out of here and let me get on with my life.”

The last thing you wanted to do was let Peter and Clint stay here, but it looked as if you had no other choice. You moved to your killings wall, moving pictures of the three men and getting rid of their connections as Peter cane over. He didn’t say anything as he watched over your shoulder, seeing the dedication you put into your work.

“So what do you do?” He asked wearily, folding his arms in front of his chest. You hesitated, your hand freezing as you look at him.

“I get rid of the bad guys.” He simply nodded, never looking away from you as you sighed deeply, hands coming up to hold your temples. “Stop looking at me.” You told him as he quickly looked away, making you feel only slightly better. He muttered an apology but a few minutes later he was back to it again. “Peter. Seriously, enough.” You spun around to face him, slightly taken back by how much closer he was than you thought as your back brushed against the wall and you found yourself hypnotized by Peters eyes.

“Sorry.” He whispered again only his voice barely came out and made goosebumps move across your skin at the tone. You swallowed back any emotion you tried not to let yourself have as you ducked your head away from Peter.

Clint had taken a seat on the beat up couch, texting the rest of the team about your status as you started to talk to Peter. He couldn’t help but watch what happened before he realized one important thing. If anyone was going to convince you to come home, it was gonna be Peter Parker.

You were used to silence when you slept, not Clint’s incessant snoring. But it didn’t matter. Not when the moment you closed your eyes you couldn’t help but see images of her. Nightmares, or more like memories, of watching Clint return alone from Vormir, or during Thanos’ fight when you just gave up all the hope you had for a better future for yourself.

Everyone else got one, and yet you were deprived of it.

You punched your pillow a few times as you groaned into it, trying not to wake Pete and Clint for any “talking time”. You checked your phone, seeing it was barely past 3:30 in the morning meaning you hadn’t even got 2 hours of sleep. It felt like forever since you had gotten an actual night of sleep, but it seems like that going to have to wait too.

You needed air. You pushed yourself off the grimy floor and tip toed over Peter to the stairs and made your way up to roof, overlooking the city in your solitude. You let your eyes close and listened to the voices in your head. The ones you’ve heard screaming for so long.

See you in a minute.

I love you mom.

I love you too baby.

Clint? Where’s my mom?

NO! NO! SHE CANT BE GONE! I CANT LOSE HER LIKE THAT!

You had to pry your eyes open, making the voices finally quiet as hot tears streamed down your face and you were all alone.

No voices. No mom. And no hope.

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heroes-writing · 5 years

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Yo, can I get some headcanons where Saitama, Iaian, Amai Mask, Flashy Flash, Metal Bat and Mumen Rider caught doing couple-like things. (talking dirty, whispering sweet nothings to each other, cuddling, making out, having sex, whatever you want.) Thank you so much!

Word Count: ~1296

Metal Bat: I feel like in school he might be theboyfriend that gets pulled into kissing sessions between class. You know thecouples eating each other’s faces? He’s not quite that level, but you mightfind him huddled in the stairwell trying to squeeze in some smooches before hehas to part with his s/o for an entire hour--(Oh, the AGONY!)

He’ll be pissed if someone interrupts, but on the other handhe might become incredibly embarrassed too. Especially if it wasn’t his idea!He is usually courteous and dislikes rudeness, so he’d apologize to thosefollowing the general flow of hallway traffic with a bow. Then he’ll try torecover by taking his s/o by the hand and escorting them back to theirclassroom, blushing all the while.

-The rest venture into nsfw territory!-

Saitama:

It’s hard to imaginehim getting caught out in the open. I feel like he’d be the one to get flackfor “public indecency” by some hero because he even dared to kiss his s/o onthe cheek…So in a different circumstance, he would most certainly be caughtwhen he’s at home. Mostly by the rag tag crew he’s collected from the HerosAssociation: Genos, King, Bang, and Fubuki.

Saitama may just be hanging out in the evening watching amovie, or things are heating up in his futon with clothes being removed at aneasy pace. He’d have an arm around his s/o or have them cuddled against hischest while they kiss and grope. They could be talking in hushed undertones,about anything, but it would be intimate all the same while the sun setsoutside the window. Whoever barges in and ruins his moment with his s/o willget a glare for sure.

(AND I JUST REMEMBERED: I also have an OLD (ugh, 3 years old apparently???) scenario fill forthis: https://heroes-writing.tumblr.com/post/134074860971/could-i-request-a-scenario-where-saitama-and-his)

Iaian:

While Iaian trains, his s/o could meet him at AtomicSamurai’s dojo to save him the trip of going into town. Seeing his s/o alwaysmakes Iaian beam with joy and race towards them like a certain dogbreed...-cough- (Blonde Kelpie) -cough-

It’s pretty funny actually. His s/o is always in thesame place beneath a large red torii, and wherever Iaian happens to see them,he jogs right over at a forward tilt.

Kama and Bushi, Atomic Samurai’s other disciples, are theones who can’t help but stumble across the couple when they pass by Iaian’s superobvious meeting spot. Usually it’s chaste, and nothing is outright indecent,but sometimes it’s been quite a while since Iaian and his s/o have seen oneanother…They simply can’t help but share some passionate kisses at the veryleast.

Iaian’s signature move would be a gentle kabedon. A strongarm over his s/o’s head so he can angle his right above their own. If his s/o is eager they’ll pull him in forsome kisses for his whole dojo to see. In most cases, he can’t help but returntheir affection with gusto. His whole body will align with theirs; his embracewould be gentle and warm.

Amai Mask:

Unless he’s not adamant in keeping his relationship a secretfrom his all adoring fans, he’ll detest the thought of being the subjectof illicit photo leaks, controversy, or even simple rumors. He won’t be caughtdead with his s/o in a way that could be construed as anything but platonic.

The only ones who can catch them in the act is his closeinner circle that he employs for his idol-work, and the upper echelons of theHero’s Association. (Since he seems to have an iron fist over class A, I assumehe has a lot of people in his back pocket.)

In the case that it’s his Idol manager, he’ll be caught inhis dressing room before a show. Amai mask seems like he would want to assertcontrol over his s/o or be domineering in some way. He would pin them to hisdressing room door with both hands clasping his s/o’s arms above their head.He’d be pressing kisses, licks, and possessive marks into their skin that onlyhe can see. One of his knees would press between their legs, possibly slipping eagerhands beneath their clothes.

He’d only stop because his manager would knock on the doorsaying that the show was ready to begin. Amai would have no problem invitingthe man inside for a chat, and his s/o would have a hard time fixing theirclothes or hiding their blush. Amai, on the other hand, wouldn’t give a damn.

Flashy Flash:

This is a rare sight to see! Not only do I think he’s rathersubdued in ordinary circumstances, he’s a ninja. If he doesn’t want tobe seen, he won’t. If he doesn’t want anyone around while he’s distracted,he’ll stay alert to anyone’s presence. Maybe in a location where he can lowerhis guard completely will Flashy Flash be caught gently stroking his s/o’scheek and speaking to them in low tones. If the location is the HeroAssociation tower and he took his s/o there to stay under guard during anattack, he’ll be trying to part from them to tend to his duty as a hero.

A worker of some kind watching through the security cameraswould see it. Flashly Flash hushing his s/o’s worries in a darkly lit room andtrying to soothe their fear in the ways he knows best. Close contact, his armsslung low around their hips, while speaking to them calmly. One desperate kisswill turn into a dozen. 5 minutes will turn into 10. His hands will slip everlower, till he’s gently kneading his s/o’s behind, and he’s hefting them atop alarge meeting table to step between their legs...

The security camera will turn to follow their movements byjust a fraction, and in a flash, the feed will go dark.

Mumen Rider:

Sweet Mumen would be caught cuddling his s/o in public! Beinghis s/o takes some real toughness after all. He would make even the most hardenedperson worry for his wellbeing.

I imagine that he would have gotten into a scuffle of somekind, or he’d be making his way home on his bike only to see his s/o at themarket.

With a cheerful grin he’d wave them down, and they’d sooncome running. He get’s hurt so often, so I’m sure he’d be bleeding fromsomewhere or have a horrendous crack in his glasses or helmet. His s/o would bequick to run their hands over him, worried and cautious of anywhere he may behurt.

Mumen would try to soothe them with confident words andsentiments full of the appreciation for JUSTICE. He’d gently claps their handsin his, and tell them he’s alright, and that he would escort them home safely.

Overcome with affection, his s/o would throw their armsaround his middle and give him a swaying hug that he could never hope toresist. He may protest and blush about the display, but it won’t stop him fromrubbing his cheek into theirs or accepting a swift kiss.

After he tries to ignore the cooing crowd forming, he’descort them home. I imagine he’d like to place one of his s/o’s hands on thehandlebars of his bike and placing his own on top! He doesn’t want his bike toget in the way of some quality hand holding!

#Saitama #Flashy Flash #Amai Mask #Mumen Rider #Metal Bat #Iaian #headcanons #opm #one punch man #opmheadcanons #opm headcanons #Anonymous

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jessicanjpa · 7 years

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Into the Sunset

Finally done the Jasper one-shot I’ve been working on! It got pretty long but I’m still posting it here as promised. Since I rarely write post-BD I ended up including lots of little headcanons that nicely accompany the storyline. Enjoy :)

Summary: Ten years after Breaking Dawn, Jasper’s life is fuller than he ever could have imagined. But there’s one dream he’s held close to his heart this whole time: to ride a horse again.

Rating: T Word Count: 7k

Jasper POV

It was strange enough that Renesmee and Jacob had invited Alice and me out to their place to hunt, and nobody else. But the real mystery was Alice’s level of anticipation.

“No, no! The blue one!” She snatched the shirt I had chosen out of my hands, instantly replacing it with one of her twenty-seven favorite shirts and looking up at me with the golden eyes she knew I couldn’t resist. “Please?”

I side-grinned and reached back up into the closet without looking, letting my fingers rest on a button-down dress shirt that I knew would offend her color scheme for today. “What’ll you give me?”

The next thing I knew she had me scrunched into the darkest corner of the closet, pinning me to the wall with a kiss. “I’ll give you nothing if you don’t wear it,” she threatened softly, her voice tickling my ear. I closed my eyes for just a second, reveling in her desire, then donned the blue shirt.

“You’re a tough negotiator, ma’am,” I grumbled cheerfully, following her into the bathroom. She was already rummaging deep into her “blue tones” makeup bag. I folded my arms and leaned against the wall for a time, watching her with amusement as her excitement bubbled over into a fever pitch. Gift or not, the fact that she was doing her makeup at human speed was a dead giveaway.

“So?”

“So what?”

“So what’s the surprise?”

She glanced at me in the mirror. “There’s no surprise, why?”

I smiled at her reflection and pulled away from the wall, swaggering closer. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, bending to kiss the side of her neck. “You’re a terrible liar,” I said in her ear, willing her to relax. “That’s one of the things I love most about you, you know.”

“I know,” she said lightly, wringing one hand free to finish her makeup.

“What’s the surprise?” I asked again, pulling at her resistance more with every second.

She ignored me at first, but then spun around in my arms. “Don’t you dare! Nessie’s been working on this for… hmph.” She clamped her mouth shut, growling deep in her throat.

I chuckled, releasing her fully. “Well now we’re getting somewhere.”

“And you’re really going to love it, so no more cheating, if you please.” Her excitement softened, blending with some of the ingredients her love for me was made of. We rested our palms together and then pulled them away, leaving only our fingertips touching. We merely stared for what felt like our own private eternity, making love in that deeper language that barely requires any touch at all. I finally drew her closer.

“I put on the blue shirt,” I reminded her softly. She reached up in slow motion to finger the collar, lifting her face to ask for a kiss.

“So you did.”

We took the Ducati out to Renesmee and Jacob’s place. It was still running like it had when it was new… better, actually. Rosalie had kept up her usual regimen, and I had made a few adjustments myself. This had to be the best bike I had ever owned, and I had owned quite a few over the years. It handled “like a dream,” as Rosalie liked to put it, and as a scrambler, it couldn’t be beat.

I had never much liked riding inside a regular vehicle. Everything was too cramped, too crowded, and far too loud and smelly. And if you wanted to go off road, then what? Motorcycles were as close as I’d ever get to being on horseback again. Give me a vehicle that springs to life at the lightest touch. That leaves me feeling free, leaves the stink of the machinery far behind. There wasn’t much to be done about the noise, but the Ducati purred like a cougar, and that was good enough for me.

I’d tried the real thing a couple of times—riding a horse—once when I was new and once after switching to animal blood. The first attempt went pretty badly, since I was still so wild. The horse spooked almost immediately, which made me all the more desperate to make it work. It went downhill from there, ending in a classic newborn temper tantrum that left me with a dead horse, two dead “siblings,” and a lot of explaining to do.

I decided to try again back in the seventies when I was out alone one day. According to Peter, my scent had mellowed somewhat by the time he and Charlotte first met the family in ’69. His theory was that the animal diet was diluting my scent along with my strength… according to him, a sure sign of a bad end to come. Of how it just wasn’t meant to be. Well, I hadn’t noticed myself smelling any different, and even if I did, Carlisle had all kinds of hypotheses about how our scents worked themselves out physiologically. It wasn’t necessarily the blood. Regardless, I figured that if Peter was right, then I might have better luck with the horse thing.

So I tried again. I even waited until the clouds had winked out the direct sunlight, just in case that had been part of the problem before. I took my time inching closer, and at first it seemed all right, but when I was within twenty feet it started sidestepping away. Every time I moved, it moved. I finally gave up and made a jump for it. For a few exciting rodeo moments I thought it was going to work out, but it didn’t. The horse calmed down, but its heart rate was dangerously high, and it was shivering in terror. Never mind going anywhere. I finally took pity on the poor thing and made myself scarce.

Alice had never said anything about it. I still didn’t know if she had been watching right then. But I had told her, back in that first couple of years alone together, how much I missed riding. She hadn’t really understood. How could she? It really was a shame, though. What I wouldn’t give to ride again. To fly past the horizon with the feel of the wind in my hair… the soft drumbeat of hooves the only sound in the whole world. To feel that synergy my horse Patch and I had felt in my human days, how we would become one in a sense, almost reading each other’s thoughts, whether we were saving each other’s lives in battle or just racing toward the sunset. The friendship, even. Many of my most vivid human memories were of Patch: bringing him into the world just as the mare died, riding alone or with the others, or whispering my worries and dreams to him in the moonlight when the rest of my regiment was asleep.

I had asked Maria, after that first attempt, if she thought we could transform horses. She said she had tried changing a couple animals before, but that it hadn’t worked. It had been of our friendlier conversations, laughing over the possibilities: red-eyed horses leaping over buildings, cute little rabbits who could take down a human, wrestling matches with vampire alligators, things like that. But the bottom line was, I’d never ride again, and that was a hard blow.

“You’re doing that on purpose, aren’t you?” Alice scolded me, anxiously holding herself out to the right as I took a curve at an ungodly speed. I guess my reminiscing had been playing itself out. I laughed and gunned it into the next curve. She shrieked and leaned out in the opposite direction—as if her weight would do anything! She wasn’t scared of going off the cliff or wrecking the bike; she was afraid I’d ruin her outfit before Renesmee got to see it. But she loved it, too. We both did.

“Maybe,” I admitted, not at all sorry. This was as close as I’d ever get to my wish: even more than the riding itself, this was what I wanted. To feel her snug behind me as I rode, gripping her slender arms around me, lining her legs up with mine as we explored whatever was over the next hill. To feel her pressing closer when she decided to get scared, even shrieking in my ear to slow down when we both knew she wanted me to go faster.

I finally left the road to cut the last corner off our trip, earning myself another round of scolding when the mud finally found us. I thought, for just a second, about risking the little ridge off to the west that would give us a particularly beautiful view of Renesmee’s property, but it really was too steep and too muddy today. I didn’t want to push my luck, particularly when it came to muddying The Outfit, because there’d be hell to pay. It was the latest of Alice’s creations that would be kicking off her new online boutique. Renesmee was only the website manager, but that didn’t stop her from chattering over designs with her boss.

This was the first time Renesmee and Jacob had lived apart from the family. When they had first married back in Oregon, Esme had presented them with a cottage that was the twin of the new one she had built for Edward and Bella. But when we had moved here to Colorado they had decided to live a little closer to town than we cared to, and it was obvious they wanted a little more space from everyone. Jacob, especially, had been itching to open his own garage. Half his customers were from out of town anyway, bringing their rusty old classics for restoration, but he still preferred that small-town feel of having plenty of business on a first-name basis.

We slowed as we passed the row of farms next to theirs. The air was filled with the rich aromas of growing crops and animals, as well as the accompanying humans. I swallowed the venom, reminding myself that I had gone almost twenty years now… a new record. Besides, I didn’t think Renesmee would appreciate me snacking on her neighbors. She and Jacob were actually friends with them.

Her property finally came into view. They had bought an abandoned farm at the end of the road, situated just past the end of the pavement. Easy directions for the human guests to remember, and it was less than a quarter mile from the edge of the woods. I took a deep sniff over toward the trees to see what my dinner might be, but the farm smells were too overwhelming. To say nothing of the ripe stink of werewolf. My longing to visit the next-door-neighbors to borrow a cup of blood was gone instantly.

The buildings seemed to be in pretty good shape, thanks to Esme, no doubt. Alice and I were the last ones to come out here. We hadn’t meant to wait so long, but whenever we had tried to plan a visit, things had kept coming up. But they usually came over to see everyone at once anyway.

I wondered what this surprise was. I wasn’t usually the one getting presents; everyone knew I didn’t like collecting useless junk. Knowing Renesmee, it was probably a trip to see some little piece of history she had discovered: a preserved 19th-century log cabin, a little out-of-the-way museum, maybe something to do with one of the Native American tribes that used to live here.

Renesmee and I had a special bond, going back to her second year. I hadn’t known what to do with her when she was a baby, and truth be told, I was still watchful for something to go wrong. She was all kinds of unnatural. Each time she had one of those impossible growth spurts, physical or mental, my instincts had shivered even as I smiled along with everyone else… and I wasn’t the only one. We were well past the danger of Bella giving birth to a monster, but that didn’t mean everything would be smooth sailing from then on out, especially when it came to her self-control. But like the others, I was consistently blown away by how well things were going. There would be problems later on when she hit age six, but nothing outrageous.

Still, in that first year, I hadn’t interacted with her too much. I wasn’t really the dolls-and-tea-party type of uncle, even if those tea parties including giggly recitations of Georgian-era literature. And she had changed a bit after the confrontation with the Volturi; nearly having your whole family executed because of your existence will do that to a kid. She wasn’t afraid of me after that, exactly, but my scars were an uncomfortable reminder that I had once belonged to the darker side of the vampire world… the one she had brushed a little too closely against. I often caught her staring at them. And though I tried not to do it, she had sometimes caught me hanging back when the others gathered close and fussed and cooed over her latest stroke of genius. I think she knew that I was generally a little less safe than the others, even then.

But she had also won my heart, there was no denying it. Ever since meeting Alice, my life had been one of good surprises, and the fact that my niece could even exist was just the latest one. But it was more than that; she seemed to have a way of thinking and feeling that full vampires didn’t. I could sometimes feel her backtracking as she soaked up new knowledge, so easily rearranging her opinions and feelings about things. She belonged in so many different worlds all at once… it gave her a unique ability to see different perspectives and react accordingly, and I admired that. That, more than anything, was what finally put me at ease when it came to her future. Renesmee seemed to notice the change, and began asking me to do little things with her: teach her to play chess, explain a word in a book she was reading, come hunting when it was just her and Bella. That last one was a little sad, because I could feel the anxiety behind her request, but I was happy to grant it. And there was something irresistible about a kid of any species tugging on your shirtsleeve, silently asking you to bend down so she could ask you a question via her telepathic gift.

Then one evening, when we happened to be alone in the living room, I had caught her studying me in that tilted-head puzzlement that all our kind tended towards. I asked her what was on her mind, and, after a few moments of thought and indecision, she said she had been wondering if I had owned any slaves back when I was human.

I was a little taken aback, because it was a topic that didn’t come up often. History was certainly one of my favorite pastimes, and we were all old enough for our own memories to qualify as “history,” so there was often plenty of chatter in the house about various eras and countries and movements and things. There were some taboo items, based on personal prerogative and on the fact that there was a child listening now. My participation in the Civil War wasn’t really one of them, but by this point it had all been said, and the others had usually tiptoed around the messier parts of my past. I didn’t see the point, but it made them more comfortable, so I let it be. Carlisle was usually the one I was discussing history at length with anyway, and those discussions were usually theoretical.

So I was impressed, as adults often are with children, that she had skipped right over the rules and flat out asked me what she wanted to know. I responded in kind, launching into an hour-long lecture about cultural incapacity and its ugly role in American history… and in my own. She listened without interruption, soaking it all in until Edward finally came downstairs, radiating disapproval and telling Renesmee it was past her bedtime.

“She's just a child,” he muttered under his breath when she had gone upstairs to tell everyone goodnight. “Couldn’t you have toned it down a bit?”

“She’s never been just a child,” I shot back, loud enough for her to hear. “Give her some credit.”

I had officially won Renesmee’s trust that night: trust that I wouldn’t baby her like the others did sometimes, at least when it came to answering her questions. Whenever she realized that something was being kept from her, or felt smothered by the village that was raising her, I was quick to take her side. Sometimes, in her older years, I was the one to find her when she had run off for a cry, to sit in companionable silence until she was ready to talk, if she wanted to. When it was a true matter of safety, I would sometimes turn traitor to the cause, but I was usually forgiven.

Back in the months that had followed after that first evening lecture, Renesmee’s play-learning evolved into more organized studies. Each member of the family, and occasionally some of the Quileutes, took over the tutoring in various subjects: science with Carlisle, art with Alice, literature with Bella, and so on. I took on history and sociology. That second year of her life—our last in Forks—was a special time for the family, where most of us physically retreated from the human world to focus on what was truly important.

But that time also brought us closer to the human world, in a way, as we all scrambled to more fully understand the subjects we were supposedly experts in. I had already enjoyed reading about world history, but now I was obliged to get caught up and take more than a passing interest in current affairs for her sake. And while I still couldn’t muster much enthusiasm beyond the theoretical for myself, it was a wonder to watch her sponge-like little mind unfold and open to understand the larger world she lived in. To help form that understanding… help prepare her to become a part of that world when the time was right. Because it was soon obvious that Renesmee would have both the freedom and the desire to move freely out in that world, and to truly be a part of it in her own way. She would always be a part of the family, and in some ways the center of that family, but she was also half-human. She belonged in their world as much as she did in ours. Even now, she was just beginning to spread those wings. The property she and Jacob had taken, technically in town but on the edge, was a pretty accurate representation of that commencement.

“Hey guys!” she called from the front door as we walked up. She leapt off the porch and dashed up to meet us, her Edward-colored curls bouncing to keep up with her. I smiled to feel her unique love and stood back while she and Alice did their usual high-pitched fussing over hair, clothes, etc., then I got my hug. She was being careful not to touch my skin. She squeezed me an extra second, then pulled away with a mischievous grin. “We’ve got a surprise for you, Jazz.”

“For me?” I echoed, feigning a double take.

“Liar,” she pouted, turning to Alice. “You told him, didn’t you?”

Alice shook her head, glaring up at me. “No, but he did weasel it out of me that the surprise was from you.”

“Shame,” Renesmee scolded me, sliding over to Alice’s side in conspiracy. “I think we should make him wait just for that, don’t you?”

“No way,” Alice protested. “You know I can’t keep a secret this big for very long.”

Now they really had me interested. A quick trip to a historical site didn’t qualify as a big surprise. I reached for Renesmee’s hand to sneak a peek into her mind, moving slowly enough for her to dart away if she chose, which she did.

“Oh no you don’t! Dinner first. JAKE!” she called back toward the barn. Alice and I followed her over to where Jacob was just closing up shop. I recognized Esme’s handiwork, since she had worked on the blueprints and sketches back at home when she had been restoring the barn. Jacob closed the hood of a sparkling black Mustang and raised a grimy hand in greeting.

“Hey bloodsuckers,” he called out cheerfully.

“Well, if it isn’t the family dog,” I called back, grinning. We exchanged our usual nods—our interspecies version of a high five. No point in getting smellier than we had to.

“So what do you think?” he asked, wiping off his hands and joining us out in the wide driveway.

“Good country. Seems like the perfect spot,” I answered, nodding over toward the woods. “Are you getting enough business way out here?”

“It’s slow,” he admitted, glancing sheepishly out at the empty parking spaces Esme had delegated to Emmett during the renovation. “But I’m just getting started, and half my customers so far are from out of town anyway. There’s an old run-down body shop in town, so I’m not trying to step on any toes. So,” he added, waggling his eyebrows. “Figured it out yet?”

“You’re in on this too?”

“Everyone’s in on it,” he teased, wrapping a meaty arm around Renesmee’s shoulders as she and Alice caught up. She was buzzing with excitement now, just like Alice was. Even Jacob was eager to get this going. “C’mon, let’s hunt.” He gave his bride a peck on the cheek and disappeared around the back of the barn, taking off his shirt as he went. Renesmee watched after him for a moment, braiding her hair into a quick rope down her back and tying it off. She seemed happy. I hadn’t realized how much I had missed having her, and even Jacob, around.

We sprinted for the woods, joined a moment later by the enormous russet-red wolf that had truly earned a place in the Cullen family. Renesmee somersaulted through the air to land on his back, and off they went in their own direction. Alice and I shared a nostalgic smile, glad to see that some things hadn’t changed.

Alice didn’t feed; she was too worked up. I made short work of a black-tailed deer, just enough to take the edge off in case the surprise involved human company. Instead of burying the corpse I let out a shrill whistle, letting Jacob know where I was in case he wanted to have the meat. He showed up in less than a minute, wolfing down the biggest chunks while Alice and I gave him some space. When Renesmee found us and the carcass was buried, we returned to the farm, taking our time while Jacob went ahead to change. It was a cloudy afternoon with a strong breeze coming down from the hills.

“Over here,” Renesmee said once Jacob was back, steering us toward the town. But we slowed to a stop as soon as we hit the next farm. The strong scent of horse overpowered the other smells, and no wonder; the back of their property was outlined with electrical fencing designed to keep in the residents. I counted five horses grazing contentedly, and was pretty sure there were at least three more non-human heartbeats coming from the stables. “They’re boarders,” Renesmee explained, going off to the right to follow the fencing. The horses perked up as one by one they noticed our presence. Two of them shied almost immediately, heading to the spot farthest away.

Renesmee took a running leap over the fence, motioning for us all to follow her. “It’s all right, they’re not home.”

Two of the three remaining horses got pretty upset to see and smell a line of monsters jumping into their backyard. But I almost didn’t care; it just felt so… right, to be standing here inside the fence and the cloud of horsey scent, hearing the soft hoofbeats on the grass and dirt.

“They look well cared for,” I murmured, running my hand along a stretch of real railroad tie fence that ran to the main gate. The weathered wood felt familiar. I could never live this close to humans… but what I wouldn’t give to have this next door. Maybe this was why Renesmee had chosen this particular property? She had always loved animals in a little-girl kind of way. Her room had gone through all kinds of phases: horse posters, unicorn figurines, intricate butterfly drawings, a dozen stuffed wolves, you name it. She had gone through dozens of pets, half of which had somehow ended up living at the main house. When she was five and visited the Amazon Coven, she had come back and redone her room into a mini-rainforest, complete with wildlife. When she tired of our history lessons she had always pestered me for stories about my adventures with Patch. I had to make most of them up, since I’d run out of real ones so soon. I could definitely see her picking this place just for the horses next door.

Alice tugged at my arm gently. “Let’s take a closer look.”

I shook my head. “Won’t work, darlin’. They’re like deer; our scent is just too much for them. If we keep still for a while they might get back to grazing.”

We held still for several minutes, and sure enough, the horses timidly came back out. There was one who had stood his ground the whole time, though he had also been the farthest away to begin with. He actually meandered closer as he grazed, seemingly unimpressed by our intrusion.

“That’s a brave one,” I said softly, pointing him out to the others.

“Yeah,” Renesmee said. Then she held out her hand toward him. “Here, Thunder. C’mere boy…”

And that horse came, just as calm as you please. He trotted right up to her and nuzzled her hand like he was looking for a treat. She scratched under his chin, smiling back at me.

I let out a low whistle. “I don’t believe it. I knew animals were a little easier around you, but this…”

“Oh, we’re old friends,” she said with a sparkle in her eye. The feeling of eagerness that had been bouncing around between her, Alice, and Jacob spiked suddenly. “Why don’t you come say hello?”

“I wish I could, Ness. But I’ve tried before.”

Alice tugged at my arm again, harder this time. “I know you have. Come on.”

I didn’t want to break the fence, so I let me pull me forward. Thunder shied a little as we drew closer, but he didn’t jump away like he should.

“Take it slow,” Jacob suggested.

I didn’t understand it. We inched closer, and Thunder was alert and watchful, but he just didn’t seem to be afraid at all. Soon I was standing right in front of him, his big dark eyes staring right into mine from under long lashes. I slowly reached up and laid my hand on his neck. He shivered once, flicking his tail, but stayed still. In fact, he seemed to lose interest in me altogether, snorting over toward Renesmee as if to scold her for the treat sham.

“I think he likes you,” Alice pronounced with authority. I just shook my head in wonder, stroking the warm, shining coat. He was a little smaller than the Saddlebreds and Walkers that had been so popular back in my day, but he was broad and well-muscled… a glistening seal brown all over, with just one white sock. I dared to reach even higher, and he lowered his head obligingly so I could rub his forehead. His huge heart thudded on without a hitch. I let my fingers tangle in his forelock, scratching him between the ears like I used to do with Patch. I turned to Renesmee.

“How…?”

She shrugged, but she was beaming inside and out. “I guess when a horse grows up next door to a vampire hybrid and a werewolf, he’s kind of over the scent thing. I’ll explain more later, Jazz. Why don’t you take him for a ride?”

I dropped my hand. “Now that’s—”

“Would you stop looking a gift horse in the mouth?” Jacob grunted. “Go get the damn saddle.”

“Second one from the right,” Renesmee added. “And you’ll want to look in the cupboard just overhead.”

“It won’t work,” I insisted.

“Yes it will,” Alice laughed. “And we have all afternoon, and then some.” She felt truly confident, and full of relief and happiness as she watched me. Unbelievable.

I ran my hand down his neck once more, then gently took hold of the rope bridle. He didn’t budge.

“Stables, Thunder,” Renesmee said softly. “Go on now.”

It was like magic. He shook his head once in disapproval, but he didn’t really try to shake me off. He came easily, nodding and looking back at the other horses. They moved further away as we passed.

I didn’t want to take him inside, where my scent would be too much in the still air. As I had expected, the two horses that had been hiding in their stalls took one sniff and headed out to pasture. Still, they hadn’t really bolted, and Thunder himself seemed right at home, having followed me halfway inside. I was the one who was overwhelmed by the scent, not him; the air was heavy with molding hay and horse manure. It made me feel like the sixteen-year-old human I had been so very long ago, standing in the stables of my own ranch. The saddle was a stranger to me, though… too many cinches, the skirt was barely there, and I couldn’t begin to make sense of the rigging.

“Well, Thunder… it’s just you and me. Let’s see how you feel about this.” The bridle and saddle felt far too light and flexible to my hands, though I supposed that could be due to my strength.

Thunder didn’t seem interested. I opened the worn-out cupboard above the empty hook and almost laughed to find a box of sugar cubes. I wondered if the humans really kept this here, or if Renesmee had taken it straight out of my stories. I stashed a handful in my shirt pocket and held one out to Thunder. He lipped it out of my fingers without hesitation.

“Good boy,” I murmured, feeling a knot in my throat. I led him back outside, where the others were watching with big proud smiles, but giving us our space. It was easy after that, save for my own unfamiliarity with the saddle and the worry that I’d cinch it too tight. The bridle was easy because there was no bit. I took a deep breath for good luck and mounted.

“Told you,” Alice sang under her breath, though I couldn’t tell whether she was talking to me or Renesmee.

Thunder began moving before I even took the reins. My knees did most of the work, urging him into a light trot out onto the grass. We cut a wide circle around the pasture, scaring off his stablemates again. I dug in a little harder on the way back, listening carefully to his pulse to make sure I wasn’t doing anything wrong. He picked up into a gentle canter without a problem, slowing again as we approached the others. Renesmee shoved the gate open, gesturing out toward the hills with a flourish. “It’s okay,” she assured me. “We’ve taken him out before.”

I shook my head in wonder, urging him forward again. He hesitated inside the gate for just a second, looking back toward the house like a kid about to steal a cookie. Then he took off.

I stopped breathing, feeling lost as I tried to catch the rhythm. For the first time in my life, my vampire body felt heavy and awkward, jarring with the human instincts that were resurfacing. Thunder slowed a bit, fully aware of my difficulty, and scolded me over his shoulder with a long, nickering laugh.

“Give me a minute,” I said, patting his neck. “It’s been a while. A hundred and fifty-four years.” He nickered again, softer this time. “That’s very decent of you,” I answered politely.

I let him explore the back fields of Renesmee’s farm as he liked, alternating between a canter and a running walk. He seemed to know his way around. I held myself as loose as I could, trying to let him show me what he was used to. We gradually fell into a peaceable rhythm together, and when I felt ready, we turned out into the hills. I shortened the reins and leaned forward with more pressure.

“Let’s go, Thunder, git up! Let’s go! Hup!”

He picked up a bit, uncertain, and then we were flying. I shouted my encouragement, and he whinnied back with joy at the freedom, storming ahead wherever I asked. I finally let out a whoop of sheer exhilaration, still unable to believe this was happening! We zigzagged back and forth for a while before taking on the first hill. He scaled it without effort and ran back down just for fun, then another. It was absolute heaven to feel the wind in my hair without the sound of an engine… to feel the powerful muscles carrying me forward, connecting with good, solid earth in a staccato drumbeat that sounded like music.

Would he carry Alice as well? I had to try. I wanted a little more practice first, though, and we still had a good chunk of afternoon left. We slowed for a rest—he certainly wasn’t used to this much climbing—and found a little stream trickling down between the highest hills. Then we found a little path that wound through the trees leading back down to Renesmee’s place.

In the years since Alice found me, I had spent innumerable hours in forests all over the world. It always felt so healing to just bury myself out in nature away from everything, in a place that was so unlike where I had spent the first eighty years as a vampire. To just lose myself in a world that knew neither human nor vampire nor machine, soaking in the smells and sounds of life being quietly lived at its own pace. I often spent that time with Alice, and sometimes with my brothers, but also alone. It was a kind of peace that I had never thought to look for as a human, since I had never had any time to go off on my own. And now, I got to share it with the kind of friend I had missed most of all.

We took our time on the path; Thunder didn’t seem to have come this way before. We just explored it together, smelling as we went and turning our heads to various sounds. He was a companionable fellow, quick to respond and full of horsey chatter. I found myself chattering back, falling back into the easy give-and-take I remembered having with Patch. I didn’t know how often Renesmee and Jacob would like visitors, and I would be at the mercy of the human boarders’ schedule, but I would be back. That was a shame about the humans; I could just imagine how the light would cut through the morning mist here in these woods during a morning trot. I’d take whatever I could get, though. However a horse like this had come to be, it was a miracle not to be wasted.

We galloped back down to Thunder’s farm, sending his stablemates scattering in anxiety again. I felt an unfamiliar surge of warmth in my chest to see my Alice waiting for me there at the gate, watching me come home to her. She had climbed up onto the swinging end, perched with her arms folded on the rail and a knowing sparkle in her eyes. She knew what came next.

But first I swung down and paid my respects to my new friend, giving him a vigorous rub on his sweaty neck and mumbling the nonsense language that was starting to come back to me. We looked into each other’s eyes for a bit and then he jammed his mouth into my chest, sniffing out the sugar cubes.

“Hey, okay!” I laughed, giving him his treat. Renesmee and Jacob finally came up.

“Alice said you got lost in the woods,” she teased, reaching up to give Thunder some love of her own. “Do you like your surprise?”

I shook my head. “I still can’t believe it. This is something I never thought I’d have again.” I burst into a huge grin that spread quick through the group, and grabbed my monster niece for a real hug and an outpouring of gratitude. I finally caught a glimpse of the memories she had kept secret earlier: a spindly foal that could only be Thunder, nestled snug in his hay with Renesmee only inches away.

“Even when he was small?” I asked. “He wasn’t afraid?”

“He was born a couple weeks after we moved in,” Jacob explained. “We actually got the idea from Garrett. He’s never tried it himself, but he had heard of vampire back in his day that raised a horse from birth. You just have to expose them really young and keep it up, and they get used to it. Creatures of habit.”

“Still… even if he was used to you two, I don’t see how he’s not upset by a full vampire.”

“That’s because he’s been around them before,” Alice said. “I haven’t come around, because I was afraid you’d catch the scent on me, but Emmett and Esme spent a lot of time over here when they were working on the house. Carlisle’s been out here twice, and of course Bella and Edward.”

“And they brought some of your clothes a couple of times,” Renesmee added. “So he could get to know you, too.” She looked out at the other horses. “They’ve gotten used to us, sort of, since we spent so much time with Thunder. But he’s yours.”

I blinked. “What?”

“Surprise!” she said gaily.

“Didn’t you hear me call it a gift horse earlier?” Jacob snorted. “Listen, you can leave him here until you’ve got something ready back nearer the main house.”

“It won’t take long,” Alice promised, squeezing my arm. “Esme’s been working on sketches of stables for months. She’s just waiting for you to come back and pick out what you want.”

My throat finally closed, full of emotion. I laid a hand back up on Thunder’s flank, feeling the warmth and listening to the heavy heartbeat. He was mine.

“All right,” Jacob said, looking at his watch. “Alice said they’d be home at 8:32, so you’ve still got an hour and half. Just put everything back where you found it.”

Once I found enough voice to mumble another thank you, Renesmee and Jacob went back home. When she looked back I raised my hand in farewell, resting back against the gate and pulling Alice into my arms. She leaned her head back against my chest, and for a little while we just watched Thunder stroll around the yard, unsure what to do with himself.

“Where to, ma’am?” I finally asked, turning her around. She smiled up at me.

“You know. And yes, it’ll work.”

I would have to ask her, later, what her role had been in all of this. Right now we had a dream to fulfill. I mounted again, reaching down to “help” Alice up. She was actually pretty tense at first; all the visions in the world hadn’t prepared her for the feeling of sitting a horse. As far as either of us knew, she had never done it before.

“Hi, Thunder,” she whispered, stroking his flank.

“Hold on to me,” I cautioned her. “It’d be so easy to break his ribs if we’re not careful.” She wrapped her arms around my waist, and I picked up one of her hands for a quick kiss. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

I dug in and we were off, straight out the gate without hesitation. Alice gasped, wrapping her arms tighter, but she kept herself quiet. This was heaven, to have her with me like this. I’d imagined it so many times, but this was even better. It felt like I was finally able to let her see this part of me… to have her share in it. The three of us sailed effortlessly through the tall grass toward the hills, rising and falling in silent unison as Thunder’s heart and hooves beat on.

Alice was beginning to relax. I grinned to myself and reached back to grab her mid-gallop, swinging her around and forward into my lap. She shrieked in surprise, latching onto me for dear life as Thunder reared up in response to the inhuman sound.

“Steady there!” I fought him back down, holding Alice with one arm as I managed the reins.

“You did that on purpose!”

“Maybe…”

I pulled hard right, aiming for the ridge I had spotted earlier. “Let’s see if he can manage this one…” I said mainly to myself. Alice’s eyes glazed over for just a second and then she glared lovingly at me, relaxing and letting me hold her bridal-style as we began the rough climb. At least the mud was a little wet still; it gave Thunder’s hooves something to sink into. We jostled and weaved our way up to the top, finally cresting the last bump and coming to a stop.

“Do you have any idea how amazing this is?” I said softly as we took in the vista below us. The sun was growing big and orange as it sank toward the western horizon. “To have this again… to have you here with me.”

“I can feel it,” she said, laying her hand on my heart. I wasn’t surprised; my happiness was too big for just one heart at the moment. I held her close and closed my eyes until I felt Thunder begin to shift impatiently.

I lifted Alice up into sitting astride, this time reaching around her with both arms to hold the reins. She relaxed and lay back against my chest as we began our descent. Her love burst over me in waves, and mine wrapped around her, binding us together. This was meant to be… it always had been. Just another piece of destiny she had taught me to believe in. When we were ready, I laid a kiss on her hair and called out for Thunder to let it loose. Soon we were galloping again, racing down onto the plain and out into the sunset.

#here have seven thousand words of jasper being adorable and happy #into the sunset #fanfiction #jasper #alice #thunder #horse #renesmee #jacob #post-canon #patch

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rezakeene · 7 years

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Happee Birthdae, Harry!

Setting: Post-war and Epilogue-complaint

Word count: 2423

Summary: Harry Potter didn't like his birthday, anymore.

Genre: Family, Friendship, and Fluff

Link: FFN, AO3

Harry closed his eyes and lifted his face up, to experience the greeting of the gentle breeze, that caressed his face. A smile graced his lips, as his feet followed his thoughts, down the familiar path. The magnificent silhouette of his first home was gleaming against the backdrop of a beautiful cloudless night.

The whole wizarding world wanted to celebrate his birthday, and he just wanted to escape from that. For them, it was a symbol of victory. But for him, it was another reminder of the people he lost. For all the years, before he came to know about magic, his birthdays were no fun. Everything changed when Hagrid knocked down their front door and declared that magic was real and he was a wizard. But all that had turned back into burdened memories, once the war was over. Harry sighed wistfully, as his eyes wandered to Hagrid's hut on the horizon.

It's been five years since the second Wizarding war. Hogwarts, though it was restored to its previous glory, still retained some of the scars. But they remained silent, just like his own.

Ginny understood when he said, he didn't want to join the celebrations. With a wink and a kiss, his wife said, they'll have their own celebration in the night.

Memories rushed through his brain as the magnanimity of the place overwhelmed him. There was not one spot in the large castle that didn't hold a dear remembrance. Wherever his glance fell, it triggered an exuberant memory. A tear rolled down his cheek as he recalled the two other people, who stayed with him since the beginning.

As soon as the thought swirled in his mind, he saw a person near the main gate, leaning on the wall.

"Ron," said Harry, as he came closer to his best friend.

"Harry Birthday! Harry," Ron said kicking off the wall. He approached Harry and pulled him into a hug. "Thought you could use a friend."

"Or two," another set of hands hugged Harry from behind and her bushy hair tickled Harry. "Happy birthday," Hermione said placing a kiss on his cheek.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked looping his hands through theirs as they entered the school, together.

"Same as you," Ron said winking at Hermione.

"Reminiscing," she said rolling his eyes. "We kind of thought, you would be here."

"Feels like home," Harry said closing his eyes.

It was just fortunate for him, that it was school holidays, or he wouldn't have obtained this tiny piece of freedom. As they entered the great hall, their steps trailed to the Gryffindor house table and the three people flopped down in the seats, that were usually occupied by them, during their school years. They laughed at the jokes they shared, remembering the awkward situations they faced, and Ron longingly thought about the feasts they were treated to. Harry's eyes followed the path, to the Headmaster's chair and quietly minded the words of wisdom, Albus Dumbledore shared through his wisecracks.

"Let's go," Hermione said getting up from her spot.

"You're not suggesting Library, are you?" Ron sighed in a mock exasperation.

She narrowed her eyes at Ron and offered her hand to Harry, "Ignore him. But Harry wants to go, I won't say no."

"No," Harry said hurriedly, scooting away from her. "Not today. Perhaps some other time," he gave an apologetic smile, while Ron sniggered.

"I was actually thinking about Gryffindor tower," Hermione huffed pointing to the stairs. "After all, that was the place you first found your family."

Harry's eyes widened at her words.

"We know why you came here, Harry. This will always be our first Magical home," she said pulling him into a hug. "Well, except for Ron. Perhaps we could call this, his second or third magical home," she giggled when Ron tugged on her curl.

Harry couldn't help but smile, as their bickering days at Hogwarts flooded his mind. Though Hermione and Ron never stopped their squabbles, he could see their love, that outshone any other petty fight.

They ended up on the winding staircases that led to the Gryffindor tower, discussing various mysterious things, that had happened on the changing staircases. As they approached the third floor, Hermione reminded them of their unfortunate experience with Fluffy. As they passed the fifth floor, Ron boasted about the perfect Prefect's bath and Harry exchanged a quip about being not so perfect if Myrtle's watching. As they trudged to the seventh floor, they gave a sad glance towards the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, and the destroyed room, exactly opposite to that.

Sensing Harry's gaze, Ron gave a pat on his shoulder, "Come on, mate. Let's go."

Harry tore his gaze from the point where Room of Requirement had existed once, and to the Gryffindor tower, where an excited Hermione stood, her feet anxiously tapping. Harry saw Ron give a subtle shake of his head.

Harry knotted his eyebrows and asked, "What's going on?"

"Nothing. You know Hermione, she's just excited to be back," Ron said staring down and wringing his hands.

Harry immediately knew Ron was lying. Seeing Hermione's excitement and Ron's nervousness, Harry knew there was something definitely wrong. Before he could process his doubts, they were standing in front of the Fat lady's portrait. She didn't ask for a password but swung open.

"Surprise," a loud chorus of voices, reached Harry's ears as he was hurled into the room of people, beaming at him. Amidst them, stood his lovely wife smiling with a knowing smirk.

She slowly walked him and kissed on his cheek, "Happy birthday, Love." She drew back and looked into his eyes. "I told you we'll have our own celebration in the night."

"I should've known. This has you, written all over it," Harry said with a smile.

"I want to take all the credit, but sadly, I can't. Hermione and Ron did the most," she smiled adoringly at her brother and his Fiancé. "I know you don't like these celebrations. So, we want to keep it simple and give you something memorable. Just look around," Ginny said giving him a slight nudge.

Harry was shocked to see, the people that came to join his simple celebration.

His feet stumbled to the half-giant who was looking at him, with tears in his beady eyes. "Happee Birthdae, Harry! Jus' look at yeh'. I Still remember you as a tyke, when I took yeh on the bike," Hagrid enveloped Harry into a hug.

"Hagrid," Harry mumbled remembering the warmth he experienced when he first met him. "Thank you for everything. Thank you for being there," Harry said thinking about the tea they shared during many afternoons, the Quidditch matches he cheered on and the way Hagrid cried when he carried his limp body to Hogwarts.

Hagrid brushed his tears and moved aside revealing two grinning photos on the table beside him. "Retrieved them from your house."

Now it was Harry's turn to gasp, "Mum, Dad."

Lily and James Potter smiled warmly and whispered, "Happy birthday, son."

Harry knelt down in front of them and brushed his fingers on their faces. He didn't know what to say to the magnificent people who gave their lives to save him. "I'm glad you're here."

"Told you, Lily. He's just like me. Even has the same taste as me," James Potter said winking at Ginny, making her blush red.

"We wish you all the happiness, in the world, my son," Lily said with a beaming smile. "You don't know how happy it feels, that you've got so many loving people to take care of you."

"Of course, he is well taken care of. He's the pride of our house," a stern but gentle voice greeted Harry from his side.

"Professor McGonagall," Harry said greeting the head mistress.

"Oh! Harry, how many times should I tell you to call me, Minerva," she said with a slight admonishment. "I'm delighted to have this little celebration, at the school. Albus is very happy."

"Indeed I was, Minerva. It's not every day I get to have birthday cake," Albus Dumbledore exclaimed from the portrait, on the wall.

"As far as I remember, dead people cannot eat cake. Did that change in the past few years?" Severus Snape sneered from his portrait.

Harry strode towards with a smile. "Professor Dumbledore," he greeted and turned to his Potions' master giving him a cordial smile, "Professor Snape."

"I was forced to come here. I have no interest in this absurdity. But Happy birthday, anyway," Snape grumbled and turned his face away.

"Thank you. It really means a lot to me, that you're here," Harry smiled and turned to Dumbledore. "Professor."

"Harry. My heart fills with joy and delight, by looking at you. You really are a wonderful wizard," Dumbledore declared with joy.

"I'm nothing, without your help and guidance," Harry said, nodding his head.

"We are all nothing without him," a warm pair of hands surrounded Harry's shoulders and Harry looked into the eyes of the person, who gave him a family, in the wizarding world.

"Arthur, thanks for coming," Harry thanked his father-in-law.

"It's pish posh. You are family from a very long time," Molly Weasley engulfed him in a motherly hug.

"Molly," Harry said gently getting out of her embrace, who gave him a glimpse of how loving a mother could be.

"Of course, he is," Arthur said looking at his glasses. "I think we're need of another pair of glasses."

"No, Arthur, It's alright," Harry mumbled.

Arthur Weasley took a new pair of glasses out of his pocket and presented it to Harry. "Completely break resistant. You never have to use 'Oculus Reparo'."

"This is lovely," Harry said pocketing them. "Thank you so much."

"We have one more special guest," Ginny said coming closer with her hands behind her back.

Harry had a pretty good idea, who might that be. His bright blue streaks that were peeking from behind his wife, weren't that obscure.

Harry tapped his chin and feigned his innocence. "Well, is that so. I couldn't possibly think who could it be?"

"It's me, Harry," Teddy jumped and rushed towards his Godfather. "You forgot about me," he said giving a tiny pout.

"How can I forget the most handsome and charming boy in the whole wide world," Harry said tucking his lip back. "Where's my present, champ?"

Teddy grinned and rushed to the table where stood a parcel, that was packed in the most beautiful and at the same time most disordered way.

"Hermione helped me," Teddy beamed and pushed into Harry's waiting hands. "Open it."

Harry smiled and pulled the wrapping open to a reveal a beautiful drawing of Harry and Teddy, where he was teaching the little boy, how to fly a broomstick. Harry broke into a smile when he saw it wasn't the only thing in those wrappings. There was a picture of Remus and Tonks, behind it.

"Harry," Remus looked at him with fatherly affection. "You've grown."

"Of course. He is not a boy anymore," Tonks said with a wink.

"Thanks for taking care of Teddy," Remus said draping his hand on Tonks' shoulders. "I know you would be the best."

"I convinced him," she mock-whispered making Harry chuckle.

"Teddy is great. You would be so proud of him," Harry said, as his eyes welled, realizing the responsibility they have bestowed on him.

"You're great. You both are great," Remus said with conviction.

Harry nodded his head, as words escaped his thoughts. "If only Sirius was also here," he said looking at the people, who became his family all through these years.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," a boisterous voice boomed as Ron put Sirius' portrait forward.

"I was waiting for the grand entrance. I know all these people are going to make you sad. Today is your birthday Prongslet. Don't let all these old people let you down. Come on, everyone, bring out the cake, pour the wine, my little boy is turning twenty-three," Sirius hollered from his frame.

"Oh, Sirius! I missed you," Harry said hugging his portrait.

"I'm always with you, Harry. Now go, enjoy your party. Let us live our lives, through you," Sirius said.

Then soon, a cake, to Dumbledore's delight, was brought out. Molly didn't leave any stone unturned in making the most delicious cake. Generous helpings of the cake were exchanged. Some of it ending down their throats, while some of it was splattered on their faces.

A lively music, courtesy of Hermione and Arthur, gently pushed all of them into dancing, as the night went on. Harry never had a more satisfied birthday than this. He saw Hermione dancing with Arthur, while Ron awkwardly asked the headmistress for a dance, for old times' sake. While Ginny let Teddy lead her and Harry twirled his mother-in-law.

Finally, he ended up at the windowsill as one by one, left the tower, wishing him lots of happiness. While Hagrid added an extra dose of love with his hug, McGonagall said they could stay there for the night. The older Weasleys and Ron bade him a good night taking Teddy with them, and Hermione shared a knowing glance with Ginny.

When only two of them remained, staring into the window, Harry brought his wife closer to him. "Quite a memory, you gave me," he said kissing her.

"It's not over yet," she said pointing to something outside the window.

Harry didn't see anything first. As he squinted his eyes, he saw a lone figure on the broom, waving at them. George Weasley's grin wasn't clear in the night sky, but his exuberance was. A loud boom exploded in the next minute and the whole sky lit up in bright lights. Harry grinned like a little boy, when the words, 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY', formed in the sky with the sparkles of the fireworks.

"Thank you so much, Ginny. It really was a wonderful birthday," Harry said hugging her. "You've given me a paramount gift."

"Not yet, Harry," she said bringing Harry's hands to her belly. "But soon, in six months, we'll have the greatest gift in the world. Our child."

Harry's mind didn't have any words to express his emotions. He skimmed his hands over her belly, cherishing the ultimate happiness, she gave him.

The efforts of his family and friends to give him a nice memory for his birthday, made him extremely grateful for having such amazing people in his life. He never would say, he didn't like his birthday, anymore.

A/N: Dedicated to all the Harry Potter fans, all over the world

#Harry Potter #harry potter birthday #memories #friendship #family #fluff #hogwarts #birthday cake #portraits

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gjgriff736 · 7 years

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In the season premiere of The Walking Dead, war has begun.

All out war between Rick and Negan has finally begun and I am absolutely here for it. The show begins with quiet. There wasn’t much dialogue at first until Rick gave his “get ready to fuck some shit up” speech. He, King Ezekiel and Maggie each spoke words to their people, letting them know that the world they built is theirs. That they will not let anyone who kills and murders for sport live. “There’s only one person who has to die, and I’ll kill him myself. I will. I will.” Rick means what he says: Negan will not live.

As time passes, you see each member of the team preparing: Daryl and Dwight sharing messages by arrow; Tara and Carol on walker herd watch; Morgan taking out each sentry one by one, forgetting his mantra and killing each one of those bastards. Even Father Gabriel, once a pariah, has become a man of not just faith, but reliability. Father Gabriel wants to live and he’ll do what he needs to do.

While all of this is going on, there’s another Rick we see. He’s daydreaming, maybe even hallucinating. It’s a peaceful time, and Rick is in bed looking like a rugged Father Christmas. There are flowers on the bedside table and a cane in the corner. Why? Real Rick is sweating, eyes closed, somewhere, we’re not sure where. But when he opens his red-rimmed, glazed eyes, we know he’s seen something awful. Here we go.

While out on a gas run, Carl runs into a young man who is trying to convince him not to kill him. Ever cautious but more optimistic than his father, Carl looks for the man. When he sees him, Carl draws his gun, but gives him a chance to talk. Before he can decide what to do with him, Rick fires his gun, making dude scatter. Savage, Jr. wasn’t happy but in these uncertain times, no mercy can be given.

When the time finally comes to put the plan into motion, Rick has a moment of doubt. But leave it to Father Gabriel to help him put things into perspective. He asks Rick if he’s ready, and he answers with the knowledge that one man, meaning Negan, is the reason for all of what’s about to go down. “It always starts with one man. This did.” Rick tells him that it’s “not about me.” “No, it isn’t. You made it that way.” Father Gabriel and his always-on-time words of wisdom.

As he prepares to leave, Rick says goodbye to his little girl, Judith, to his love, Michonne and to Carl. I swear, the way Michonne and Rick look at each other almost makes me want to be in a relationship. Then I remember that those two lovebirds aren’t real and that relationships are trash and I wake the hell up. He leaves them all at Alexandria and the group rolls out, looking like a throwback to Mad Max.

On the road, Rick takes out another sentry, but this one has a mouth. He goads Rick, who’s doing his best to ignore him until he says, “Your boy’s gonna die.” And then Savage Rick makes an appearance. He crosses the sentry’s post off his list, walks over to the walker tied to a telephone poll and cuts its binding. It lands directly on the mouthy sentry and then all we hear is screaming, then gurgling, then nothing. Rick looks for his crew and he walks away to meet them. Time for war.

On the bridge, Tara, Carol, Morgan and Daryl wait for the walker herd to arrive. When it’s a little late, they almost panic. But then it arrives and they begin. The group drives off, leaving a truck rigged with explosives. It goes off and as expected, Dwight sends a team to check it out, leading them straight into a trap.

At the Sanctuary, we see Dwight smoking a cigarette while two sentries are on the roof. He takes another drag, drops his cig and walks away. As soon as he does, arrows end the sentries and the attack on Negan is in motion. The crew rolls in and they position themselves for battle. The soldiers take aim and then they shoot in unison (which was BADASS) and then they wait. Negan walks out with Lucille and the rest of his trusted cronies. “Well shit! I’m sorry, I was in a meeting.” Classic.

We go back to Red-Eyed Rick, who’s still daydreaming/hallucinating. Michonne is there and so is Carl. They’re happy. I don’t even want to know why, I’m just glad to see it. Even if it isn’t real.

Back at the Sanctuary, Negan is doing his strut. And why shouldn’t he? He may have suffered a setback, but he’s still King for now. So he plays the game and tells Rick he ain’t getting his people killed to show whose dick is bigger. Negan gives Rick the floor and he begins to name everyone who’s standing on that platform with Negan. Eugene, that punk, tries to say something, but Rick stops him. “No! I know who you are.” Rick tells them all that they can live if they surrender and that he won’t guarantee their survival at any other time except now. “What about me, Rick?” Negan asks. “I told you. Twice. You know what’s gonna happen.” Negan’s a dead man. So said dead man pulls out his ace: he has Simon haul Gregory’s slimy ass out to try and scare the Hilltop residents into giving up. But like the late Tom Petty (RIP, you rockstar), they won’t back down. They’ve come too far. Unhappy with his lack of authority, Simon pushes Gregory down the steps.

Carol and her crew wait for the team of Negan’s sentries to head their way, but a wayward walker almost ruins the plan, forcing Morgan to run out and end it before it sets off the trap, which he does just in time. The team drives right into it the trap and everything goes boom. That boom is Rick and Company’s cue to get shit started. Rick tells Negan to make a decision now or never. When Negan hesitates, Rick starts a countdown but only makes it to seven before the savage takes over and he starts shooting.

Negan and his cronies make a run for it and Rick and the rest start shooting everything. Carol and crew split up, leaving Daryl to hop on his bike to leave a trail for the herd. At several intervals, he shoots and something goes boom, leading the herd straight for the Sanctuary. Father Gabriel jumps into the RV that’s been with the gang since Season 1 and sets it in motion. As it moves towards the gates, Father Gabriel jumps out, signals to Rick and he blows it to high heaven, leaving a gaping hole in the gate. Negan, who’s been injured, tries to hide. But Rick sees him and shoots to kill. He can’t get to him, but he’s too far gone to stop, the savage has taken over. He sees nothing but Negan and wants him dead. Faintly, we can hear Father Gabriel trying to get Rick’s attention, which he finally does. “It’s not about you, right?” That question brings Rick back to reality, and they drive off. Buttttttt not before Father Gabriel sees Gregory’s punk ass and decides to do the Christian thing: he tries to save him. Sorry but Gregory would have died and I would have had to deal with the guilt (if I ever felt any). And what does Father Gabriel get for his trouble? GREGORY LEAVES HIM!!! IN THE ARMORED CAR HE JUSG STEPPED OUT OF TO SAVE HIS SORRY ASS!! Mercy is bullshit when it’s given to the wrong people.

Rick tries to wait for his friend, but knows they have to keep moving. You can see that it’s messing with him, but he knows they have to stick to the plan. “It’s not about me,” he says to Daryl and they head out for the next phase.

The crew takes out another sentry and they break into a facility. As they make their way inside, another sentry takes cover. Carol and crew shoots but don’t hit him. Ezekiel signals for everyone to stop and when they do, the sentry throws a grenade. Carol shouts, “Down!” and it explodes. All we see is dust. Is everyone okay???

Back at the Sanctuary, Father Gabriel tries to find shelter away from the herd, which has been pouring into the stronghold. He finally finds an unlocked door and ends up in a darkened trailer. He finds refuge, or so he thinks, until he hears a voice. “I hope you got your shittin’ pants on.” “What?” “You’re shittin’ pants. I hope you’re wearin’ em right now. Cuz you, are about to shit your pants.” Well shit.

Back in the daydream, an older Judith comes into the house. She looks like she’s about 6 or 7. How much time has passed? She tells Rick about the giant owl that’s been erected for the festival. He takes his daughter’s hand and they walk towards the front door. When he opens it, we see a beautiful landscape that has been carefully tended. The giant owl is in the background looking about as scary as the owl in the Tootsie Pop commercials (remember those?). Then we see Red-Eyed Rick, who smiles a little at the daydream. A tear rolls down his eye and he says, “My mercy prevails over my wrath.”

Something terrible has happened. But what?

Stay tuned.

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on AMC. Photos courtesy of AMC.

The Walking Dead, Season 8 – Mercy In the season premiere of The Walking Dead, war has begun. All out war between Rick and Negan has finally begun and I am absolutely here for it.

#Alanna Masterson #AMC #Andrew Lincoln #Austin Amelio #Chandler Riggs #Danai Gurira #Jeffrey Dean Morgan #Josh McDermitt #Katelyn Nacon #Khary Payton #Lauren Cohan #Lennie James #melissa mcbride #Norman Reedus #Ross Marquand #Seth Gilliam #The Walking Dead #Tom Payne

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