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fishmongeringstudies · 3 years

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five: the ballad of the goose-girl

once upon a time there was a goose who wanted to become a man. or there was a man who wanted to become a goose. or there were both, or there were none, or there were many of the same spell. once upon a time there were ten thousand geese and they wanted to go south. why? because it was too cold up here, they said. too far from the equator. too lonely.

one of the geese was called jorge. jorge had been assigned the role of miserable family caretaker with an inferiority complex from birth but a brief spell of rebellion in their teenage years led to their official disengagement from the role and subsequently, the adopting of a new one. jorge was a philosopher. their favorite philosopher was kant. they had never read any kant because geese can't read.

dimitri could read. dimitri was a goose but there was, how do you put it, something a little off about her. sometimes dimitri woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, her blankets kicked to the other end of the room, babbling about microeconomics and the supply-demand curve for cross-continental flying gear. dimitri was in a mad, one-sided love that consumed her body and soul, but this wasn't that bad in the broader scheme of things because this gave jorge, who couldn't read, something to do.

sometimes dimitri would read jorge poetry. dimitri had memorized every book of poetry in the main branch of the national library when she made a stopover there in her youth and could now be called upon to recite almost any poem from memory, as long as she didn't hate the poet. for example, dimitri hated sylvia plath. no matter how much jorge begged and pleaded with her as they flew over the skyscrapers of new york, the masses of writhing trees and open fields dotted with cows and sheep and death, she would not change her mind. 'please,' jorge would say while they stopped to rest on the fender of some college student's beat-up honda civic. 'read me a poem. any poem.' 'you mean,' dimitri would say, taking a drag from her cigarette. 'read me a plath poem.' 'that's not what i said,' jorge would respond defensively, because jorge was the kind of goose that assumes the world is out to get them no matter what and sticks their head in the gift-horse's mouth and then screams down its gullet for five minutes. finally, dimitri would laugh. 'that's what you mean.' then the conversation would end.

one day dimitri and jorge got separated from the flock. this was not unprecedented, as dimitri had been lagging behind for a few days now and jorge, being her designated attendant, had stayed with her. but it was just as frightening for jorge as it had been the first time, fifteen years ago when dimitri had pitched out of the sky halfway across philadelphia like an anvil and jorge had found her sprawled on the fender of some sad person's fucked-up lamborghini, looking like an angel in a bad insurance advertisement. it was always the fenders. dimitri had a thing for fenders.

dimitri also had a thing for letting her long, healthy history of communication problems fuck up her relationships with other geese, a habit she had picked up in her youth alongside smoking, lying, and reciting poetry. she was doing all three of the latter as they circled around the deserted shopping complex a fifth time, the sun a blurry white spot a few feet beneath their heads. 'did you know,' said dimitri, a cigarette clamped in her beak.

'no, i don't know,' said jorge.

'asshole. i haven't started speaking yet.'

jorge observed the setting sun with a detached kind of panic. 'yes you have.' they brushed something out of their eye with their wing. the smoke from dimitri's cigarette kept getting into their eyes. it was making it hard to concentrate on not being sad. 'you said 'did you know.''

'that's not the important part.'

'then what is the important part?'

'the important part is-'

south meant many things to many creatures. depending on who you asked and what time of the day it was when you did, you might get anything ranging from 'the southern tip of malaysia' to 'nineteen-seventy-five'. right now, in this particular snapshot of time, south meant the following things. for jorge, it meant freedom. for dimitri, it meant-

'-is that every shopping mall is a little haunted.'

jorge was unimpressed. most things were haunted to some degree or another. it was a very old world and the people that lived in it were all very broken, but that didn't stop the broken things from wanting to hang around, even after their ribs had cracked open and their lungs were smeared with soot. they told dimitri as much.

dimitri cleared her throat, which was hard to do while lying and smoking and flying in a circle around a deserted haunted shopping complex but otherwise feasible for a geese as competent as her. she turned to look at jorge, the trickle of her gaze sliding over their white, wind-tossed body like a cool hand over a flame.

'what i'm saying is let's spend the night there.'

;

once upon a time there was a goose named dimitri who was in a mad, requited love that consumed her body and soul. her partner was a poet, of course, because all geese want to fall in love with a poet, but here's the catch. jie ting never told dimitri which poems were about her. dimitri spent years trying to coax the confessions out of her, making her breakfasts in bed, bringing home cute little mice with their tails tied up in butterfly knots, kissing the spot where her wing met the curve of her body with the kind of reverence worshipers reserve for the day they meet their creator, but jie ting was stubborn and beautiful and kind and dimitri could never bring herself to do the truly horrible thing, to walk into her study and crack open the journals she kept those intimacies in. in spite of this, well, this thing between them, they were happy. they puttered around making cups and plates out of wet clay. they told stories about their cousins who had gotten lost in rain forests in the amazon and streets in taipei. every year they made the long journey down south, and then flew back up in the spring. and then jie ting died, and then there was no one left to coax anything out of.

the doctors said there was nothing dimitri could have done for her. for every million perfectly preventable deaths there are two to three freak accidents, faultless failures, broken vessels. and for every broken body on the pavement, trampled by cars bigger than the both of them combined, there was a broken heart.

dimitri closed up their old haunt in the woods. she broke all the mugs and gave all the bones back to their grieving micey relatives, who were horrified, and then angry, and then sad. then she flew all the way down to singapore and learned every poem in every poetry book they had in the national library, a looming glass building in the heart of the business district, and dragged her battered body all the way back up north, through miles and miles of snow-kissed nothing, and then jorge returned home in the spring with the rest of the good ones, the ones who weren't fucked in the head, who still had hope to speak of.

she can teach me poetry, thought jorge.

they definitely went to a liberal arts college, thought dimitri.

neither of these things are true. but neither are the stories that led them to each other. a lie canceled out a lie and after the dust had settled and dimitri had recovered from the ghost of death on her shoulder, they found each other standing right where they had started out, on opposite ends of the same crooked street.

;

the perfume store smelled like sixteen layers of hell distilled into a single bottle of wine that had been left to ferment for a few millennia and then smashed in a pool of vomit but it was the only place that wasn't so overgrown with vines that jorge could clear out a place for dimitri to lie down. they did so with an efficiency that startled even themselves, brushing dust and old receipts aside with one wing and spritzing the whole place clean with the other. dimitri was then coerced into the little sacred spot, though she was deeply reluctant and jorge was deeply embarrassed about the whole thing. desperate times call for desperate measures. when there are two geese and one perfume store and nineteen shades of bergamot and lavender, one learns to quieten their demons.

the funny thing about geese is that they are about sixty-percent neck and forty-percent everything else and yet a goose lying sideways occupies two hundred percent of the previous amount because geese are conceited like that. dimitri took up more than enough space on the shelf in the perfume store from hell, but with a little maneuvering she was able to make enough space to pull jorge down beside her. the funny thing about geese is they have very big egos, and very small dreams.

'imagine i am your mother,' said dimitri, waving one wing idly in the dark. 'singing you a lullaby as you drift off, packing your lunchbox for school, turning out the light in your bedroom.'

jorge's eye twitched. 'huh? i will not,' they said. 'that's disgusting.'

'oh. you think i'm disgusting?'

'no, that's not what i mean-'

'-but that's what you said.'

'-i said the idea of you as my mother is disgusting.' jorge hid their face in their feathers but their beak was too long and stuck out in a highly noticeable manner, therefore ruining the effect altogether. they grumbled to themselves, then spent a few minutes contemplating the fifteen feet of nothing that lay before them. a field of snow, ash, or flowers. darkness could be whatever you wanted it to be. that was part of the appeal of closing your eyes.

'hey,' they said.

'mm?'

'why won't you recite a plath poem?'

the sound of something soft against the wall. dimitri was brushing the flat of her wing along the wall behind her, over the faded labels and the peeling tiffany blue paint. 'because i can't.'

'but you know them, don't you,' jorge pressed.

'i do.'

'then?'

'how old are you this year, jorge?'

'old enough to read depressing poetry.'

'but not old enough to have fallen in love.' she withdrew her wing from the wall. it came away caked in dust and old memories. rich, gold-kissed families with kids in little bow-ties, babies forgotten in well-lit dressing rooms, the occasional stabbing. 'am i wrong?'

jorge bristled behind her. 'what does love have to do with this?'

'because,' dimitri mused, and jorge felt every sound that she made in their chest, where the heart was working furiously to keep blood circulating without end. 'all poems are love poems.'

'you know,' said jorge.

'i don't know.'

'good. you shouldn't.' jorge curled themselves tighter, so the two hundred percent became a hundred and ninety-five. 'i'm going to sleep. good night.'

;

once upon a time there was a goose who would do anything for her lover and then that lover died. once upon a time there was a goose who was really good at literary analysis, so good she could have taught at harvard if she hadn't wanted to be closer to her lover, who worked in non-profit and spent most of her time abroad, and then her lover died. once upon a time there was a goose. and she knew a lot of poetry. it was the last thing she did for jie ting, with the gray-dusted coat and the heather eyes. do geese have heather eyes? fuck it. this one did.

once upon a time there was a goose who really wanted to go to a liberal arts college, but their dad gambled all their savings away on a business venture which went bust moments before the big cash-out and so the college fund became a college black hole, a college financial aid form which procured miserably few sympathies from the financial aid office, a college nothing. this goose was really quite smart, though they couldn't prove it to save their life. but the other goose knew. the other goose wasn't as smart. she'd just had more money. and worse luck.

this isn't a love story. in this story there are no love stories because in some languages every story is a love story, and if everything is something then there is really nothing, no takeaway at the end of the parable, no shard of glass in the sand. imagine you're walking along the coastline in a white dress made from diamonds and you step on that shard of glass. there goes your foot. what will you do? the world is ending.

in the morning dimitri wakes up first. she touches jorge's forehead with the tip of one wing, then the flat of it, then the side. there's a bar of sunlight coming in through a gap in the moth-bitten blinds and it falls across jorge's face in rivulets of gold-leaf, liquid wonder. she watches them sleep for a few minutes, their chest rising and falling and trembling with all that infallible youth, with the faithless determination of someone whose body has grown older but whose soul has stayed as faultless, as clueless, as divine. if god were a goose it would be jorge. says who? says dimitri, who has god's number saved on her phone.

once, a few months ago, she wrote a poem. this she read out to jorge, while they were flying over the rooftops of san diego, each word falling out of her mouth like stars, like things she should have really kept to herself and in the safety of untouchable darkness and yet jorge was looking at her. she was reading this poem and jorge was looking at her and it wasn't the kind of look you gave someone you found by the side of the road, someone who had helped you with your college apps and tied your tie on prom night. it was the kind of look you gave an angel you wanted to pin to the sheets.

'is this poem about someone?' asked jorge, who was for all their cluelessness and cruelty, quite terribly perceptive when one wanted them least to be.

panicking, dimitry dropped her cigarette. she shook her head. 'no.' she shook her head again, for emphasis.

once, dimitri had a fit of coughs so bad she passed out right there in the lobby of that high school. the doctors said it was her lungs. her friends said it was the cigarettes. jie ting, who was long dead by then, said it was the heartbreak. put it back together, said the ghost of her dead lover. you can put yourself back together. maybe i don't want to, dimitri said, a sheaf of papers falling out of the pocket of her coat.

once, she didn't go south. she went up north in search of forgiveness, and when jorge arrived in the spring, they were as lovely as she remembered them being while she had gotten nowhere. still stuck in place, spinning in slow circles, watching god die on a white-gold stage. still mourning.

'i'll write you a poem,' jorge said the other day. 'to thank you.' for being the first person. for being the first person ever.

'don't bother,' she told them.

'i'll do it anyway.'

'i won't read it.'

'you will.'

once there was a goose and another goose and they were all lovely and sad with long, elegant necks and hard, sharp beaks for cracking things open but all they ever did was crack themselves open, like if you hurt yourself enough times you could make the world give you back what it had taken away. but that's not how it works. you know this. you know this, don't you? dimitri? dimitri?

dimitri's still in that old perfume store. she's leaning closer and closer to sleeping beauty, with the lanky limbs and the merry-go-round smile, and she's whispering something, though she'll never tell you what and you'll never get the chance to ask, she's breathing like the air's made of glass. sea-glass. have you ever seen the ocean? she'll take you one day. your name is jorge and you're asleep. you're being kissed on the mouth by a very beautiful person. she's going to die.

but all living things die eventually, you counter. you don't get it. you are missing the point.

that's fine. miss the point. keep sleeping. the moon pulls away from you the way some people pull knives out of bodies, like she can feel every inch of distance she puts between yourselves in her chest, where the heart is working furiously to keep life alive. she pulls away and it hurts her, you know. did you know? you can fall in love twice. you can fuck yourself up twice. there's always room in the cupboard for more ceramic mugs. she made you one. she'll never give it to you. you never asked.

that's your first kiss. and your second, and your third, and as you grow older the kisses will meld together into this looming memory of touch, sensation, heat, softness, girls, girls, girl. girl with the cigarette between her teeth. girl with the sharpshooter eyes, the gunmetal laugh. girl walking you home, girl flying you across the starless city, girl singing you a lullaby when you're eighteen and the world hates people like you who give life everything you've got and have the audacity to think it'll listen.

girl walking out of the perfume store. girl stepping into the half-light. girl leaving you behind.

or maybe it's the other way around. this way you will be able to catch up to the rest of the flock, this way you will make it to the other side of the world before winter gets its hands around your ankles. she's giving you an opportunity. take it. i said take it.

south means a lot of things depending on who you ask. for jorge, it's freedom, new skies, sunsets drenched in whiskey. for jorge it's the second best thing about being alive. for dimitri, it's death.

once upon a time there was a goose and their name was jorge. once upon a time there was a goose and her name was dimitri. in another version of this story they meet each other before the accident and the hospitals and the house in the woods, the financial crash, the long, cruel winter. in another version they kiss with their eyes open, their hearts unspooling around the confession, the truth, the sacred thing that lets people be happy with each other. in another version of this story jorge says read me a poem and dimitri says i'll read you something sweeter, and then she reads them a love poem.

in this one, one goose dies, and the other keeps flying.

A smile fell in the grass. Irretrievable! And how will your night dances Lose themselves. In mathematics? Such pure leaps and spirals - Surely they travel The world forever, I shall not entirely Sit emptied of beauties, the gift Of your small breath, the drenched grass Smell of your sleeps, lilies, lilies. Their flesh bears no relation. Cold folds of ego, the calla, And the tiger, embellishing itself - Spots, and a spread of hot petals. The comets Have such a space to cross, Such coldness, forgetfulness. So your gestures flake off - Warm and human, then their pink light Bleeding and peeling Through the black amnesias of heaven. Why am I given These lamps, these planets Falling like blessings, like flakes Six sided, white On my eyes, my lips, my hair Touching and melting. Nowhere.

05.25.21

#poem at the end is night dances by sylvia plath #did you know geese. grab their neck. this is a mistake you can always count on

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sweeethinny · 4 years

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The First ‘I love you’

me again here, writing about my favorite couple forgiveness for mistakes in English, it is a little difficult to remember that there are no certain expressions and that the grammar works a little different (a lot) from the Portuguese one!

SIYE

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He felt guilty when everyone in The Burrow seemed to look for any matter to keep his mind occupied in order to ignore the empty chair.

He also felt guilty when Mrs Weasley, the one who always made him feel family and loved, appeared with red and swollen eyes, getting lost in the middle of the pie recipe and breaking some dishes.

And he wouldn't even speak in George's desolate gaze, in the emptiness that gave him to see that man always cheerful and playful, silent and walking half aimlessly around the house.

That's why he was far from everyone, sitting as far away as possible from the Burrow in the garden, his feet in the lake and the sun burning his skin, wondering what excuse he would give to get out of there.

Other than the one who had caused everything, in the end, Fred wouldn't have died if he hadn't met Ron and avoided sticking the Weasley family, the one who always considered him a part, of this whole mess.

Molly hadn't let him go - who knows where - for at least a week, and he wouldn't even follow the request, but he felt guilty when he saw the pain snaking the eyes of that lovely woman who for some reason still loved him and let him into her house. She said she wouldn't realize if she saw him disappear again, and it hurt him in ways unimaginable.

Harry didn't want to hurt her, ever, enough was enough for the pain he had caused by killing one of her children, making her boggart true. It wouldn't hurt again. That's why he stayed.

Sitting in the same place as always, in silence, Harry pondered what he would do next; the war was over, really, but... What would become of him? He lived 17 years in one torture after another, first the Dursleys, then Voldemort. What was there for someone like him?

''Harry?'' That voice almost made him jump into the lake in fright. One more of the things i was running away from. Great Gryffindor! Godric should be proud

''Hi Ginny... did something happen?'' Of course, you idiot! Her brother was dead because of you!

''Just running away from inside'' She seemed to ponder whether to sit or not, opting yes. Ginny, the one he thought of before he died, and who was still one of the most beautiful and amazing people he had ever met, was by his side, her feet dipped in the icy water and a half-stiff face. ''Mom said you wanted to leave''

''I don't want to cause trouble''

''I don't think it's true'' He shrugged, looking at the trees that housed a litter of birds, who sang excitedly.

''I shouldn't be here... but your mother.. she convinced me to stay a while'' Ginny still didn't look at him, and it was even better, he didn't want to know that he had hurt her too (even more)

''Where are you going?''

''I don't know'' she finally turned to him, the most terrifying and beautiful brown eyes Harry had ever seen. If it was in another life, if he were another Harry, he'd give it his all to spend another day with her.But he was this Harry, and there wasn't much to give.

''I've heard it once, and things got troubled'' His heart hurt his chest, the guilt drowning him

''That's why I'd better go.' I've done enough in your family, you didn't deserve any of this,'' he got up, ready to go to Molly and say he would leave, even if he promised to wait until Friday.

''Don't you think all this would have happened to or without you?'' Ginny also stood up, but looking much more angry than he ever saw ''When will you understand that Fred's fault has died, it's Voldemort's and not yours!?''

''You were in his sights because you were with me!'' Was it so hard for her to accept that Harry wasn't such a hero?

''And we would be again! You know that! My parents were in the Order before you showed up, we've been in the crosshairs for a long time, Harry!'' She turned around, walked around a little, and he even thought Ginny would leave him behind if he didn't know her ''I'd face the Carrows again if i had to. None of this was in vain, Fred didn't die for nothing!''

''I know not, and that's why I'm leaving. It's best for everyone.''

''All who? You have no idea what it was like not knowing where you've been stuck in the last few months, whether you were alive or not.'' Harry was one step away from exploding into guilt, his chest burning with anxiety

''And I never wanted you, or anyone else, to go through this Ginny'"

''So why are you doing it again?!'' The redhead blew up

''Because I love you! And because it's horrible to think that the person I love was tortured and lost his brother and friends because of me! Because you deserve someone who didn't make you scared, or who makes you suffer. Someone who has something to offer you! What could I offer you besides me?''

''That's all I want, Harry... If you weren't here, I'd still be locked in the room in anger. Knowing that I can find you alive helps me deal with the whole situation. I love you, Harry, and I can't stand to lose you anymore.''

When the silence spread between them, Harry realized what he had said, what she had said. His mind went into combustion, had he even said he loved her? Did she say she loved him too?!

''Ginny...''

''..How do you say you love me if you want to leave me again? Just now that I need you the most? Harry understand, you're not to blame for people's deaths, you didn't do it, you're not a burden. You also deserve to live now'' He wasn't able to say anything, just keep looking at that beautiful face that made his heart hurt ''And if you think you don't deserve me. I'm sorry, but it's going to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my entire life. Those weeks we spent together? All the moments you were there? They all made me go on. I always knew you'd come back, and when I saw you and thought you were dead...''

''... I died'' She frowned, looking confused ''Very complicated, but in short.. You were the last thing I thought''

''And yet you want to run away?'' Harry swallowed the ball the size of the United Kingdom, approaching the redhead who still seemed half furious

''I don't want to hurt you''

''You're hurting now'' Sad brown eyes cut him like a sharp knife

''I'm sorry. For everything. I just.. just don't know what to do now'' she nodded, touching his face with her little hand

''I don't know either, Harry, the only thing I know is that.. I need you here, and if you still want to..''

''.. I also need you, Ginny'' He admitted, feeling weak suddenly, as if he were finally being true, becoming vulnerable ''I love you so much'' Her cheeks blushed, and her brown eyes seemed to gain little tears that she would never admit were there

''Stay with me... I don't think my mother will get over it if she loses you too'' He laughed, breaking the tense mood, and gently embraced her as he had been wanting since the end of it all. Finally felt that there might be something for him at the end of the tunnel.

''I think weasleys women have a thing for me'' he joked, just because he wanted to see another feeling not being pain, passing the girl's eyes in his arms

''It's the eyes'' Smiled kindly ''So you mean you thought of me before you died? How was I? I hope beautiful''

''You always are'' Kissed the tip of her freckled nose, feeling alive for the first time ''I'll stay'' Ginny lay her head on his chest, hiding her beautiful face

''Good...''

Harry kissed her smelly hair, feeling that all his demons were sitting watching them, looking astonished and not knowing how to make his head hell. Even his monster was purring

Yes, maybe there was hope for him, after all.

#harry X ginny #Harry Potter #harry one shot #post dh #hinnyheadcanon #i love you #first time #ginny weasley #Ginny #hp fanfic #hp couples #hinny au #hinny fluff #au #hp and the deathly hallows

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screpdoodle · 3 years

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Duality - Chapter One (The Diabolical Ways of the Deciduous Demon Outside my Window)

"KAOS!! Get down here! We're going to be late!!"

Early morning sunlight dappled through the smudged windowpane, the chirping of birds mingling with the songs of the warm autumn wind working its way through the cracks. All things given, it seemed like a perfect morning. That assumption, though, was a misplaced one. At least to the young boy in the bed. He opened one eye, took one look at his window, and pulled the blankets over his head with a groan. The light stung his eyes, making him crave for the sweet embrace of dreams once more. Maybe if he just closed his eyes, it would all just fade away-

Tap tap tap

He flinched, then peered out from beneath his covers, pulling them down just to the bridge of his nose. Tap tap tap. It was back. The warm autumn breeze brought with it that no good tree branch, the warm toned leaves swaying with every tap against the glass. The boy squinted, then laid back down, pulling the blankets tighter around his head. If he just ignored it, the tree wouldn't notice he was there. It would go away, realizing it was a futile attempt to gain his attention. Whatever the tree wanted, he wasn't curious enough to risk finding out.

Tap tap tap. Tick tick tick.

He covered his ears, he wasn't listening. He didn't have time to deal with the tree and the ticking. There wasn't enough time in the world to deal with both. And yet, here they both were. That itching at the back of his mind, and that incessant tapping against the glass.

Tap tick tick. Tap tick tick.

Every moment of silence he could have been relishing was filled with those Ancients awful noises. How long has passed? A minute? A moment? He couldn't tell. All he could focus on was that stupid tree.

Tick tap tick tap tick tap.

In one movement, the boy sat up, throwing his blankets to the ground as forcefully as he could muster, facing the source of his problems.

"For the Ancients' sake, would you shut the f-"

"Kaos!!" The boy screamed as the door was flung open, nearly causing him to fall from his loft, grabbing the pillow in self defense. "Ancients, what is taking you so long?! Mother took Mey to school already, and at this rate you're going to miss the bus! Get dressed and get downstairs!!"

The door was slammed shut just as quickly as it opened, leaving the boy alone in his room. A small room, with walls lined with papers, a soot stained carpet and a desk set beneath the window. The sun bathed everything in a warm light, leaving the still burning candle on its surface obsolete for the time being. Still in shock, clutching his pillow like a weapon, Kaos slowly gathered himself, then climbed down the ladder, still clutching the pillow in his off hand in case he needed to use it. Which he most likely wouldn't. But it never hurt to be prepared. With a huff, he eyed the tree branch one last time, its pesky attempts to grab his attention finally coming to an end. It sat there, perfectly still - aside from the dancing leaves that yearned to be carried away with the fall winds. Oh, how he wished he could join them. For good measure, Kaos threw his pillow at the window, making sure the tree knew who was boss, before venturing over to his closet. His closet was a box. Of course, he had a real closet, set into the wall across from his loft, but he had never bothered to store his clothes in there. No, that was for storing other things. The box did quite nicely for the minimal amount of outfits he owned. Most of which were piled under his loft, waiting to be washed. Kaos half the time forgot they were there, along with some of Mey's clothes that he had borrowed; and some of his brother's that he had… Liberated from languishing beneath his bed with old socks and unfinished homework from grades passed. It was a mystery how Dyskord had ever managed to graduate, Kaos thought as he fished through the unfolded clothes stored within his closet box. Finally, he settled on the same things he always wore, which were sitting to the side of the box. He stumbled back as he pulled on his black sweats, wriggled into his tunic, slipped on his canvas shoes and grabbed a miscellaneous hairbrush he was pretty sure didn't actually belong to him. Kaos pulled the comb through his hair as he scrambled down the stairs, mumbling to himself as he chucked it to the side (Mother or Dyskord would pick it up eventually), grabbed his long coat off its hook, then careened into the kitchen as he put it on. The coat was far too big for him, swallowing his wiry frame whole like some beast made of shadows. Kaos hoped he would someday grow into it, but he had owned it for years now and no such luck had befallen him. Kaos climbed up onto the kitchen counter, eyeing his prize. The cookie tin, his ceremonial breakfast whenever Mother was out of the house. He pulled the lid off, then peered inside - only a few left. Just as Kaos reached his little hand down into the metal tin, Dyskord walked through the back door, tracking mud onto the scuffed tile flooring.

"What do you think you're doing," he spoke, kicking his boots off, never once taking his eyes off Kaos.

"Oh, please. Like you'd tell Mother," Kaos rolled his eyes, sliding the cookie jar back into place, his bounty in hand.

"Maybe I will."

"Then maybe I'll have to tell her who really passed your final exams for you, brother."

The two locked death glares, the only noise being that of the leaky faucet and the occasion chirp of the birds outside. Kaos cracked a smile, Dyskord following.

"Just grab me one too, short stack. Then we've gotta go."

Kaos shoved the cookie into his mouth, then grabbed the tin once more. His face reflected back at him on the polished sides. Big eyes the color of copper, a piggish upturned nose, his cheeks puffed out like an chipsquirrel's, gathering food for the winter. Cookie crumbs mingled with the imperfections that littered his skin, freckles, blemishes, and his birthmarks - mirrored patches of darker skin that clustered around his eyes. They had gotten lighter with age, but they still bugged him sometimes. One little snaggletooth stuck out from the corner of his mouth - an issue that could have been fixed with braces. If he hasn't broken them nearly the day after he got them. He may not have been the 'peak of perfection', but Kaos didn't mind. It made him unique. It made him… special. Though, that paired with his lackluster height usually ended up with him being at the receiving end of a bullying entourage.

"You got everything you need, baby brother?"

Kaos nodded, then hopped down from the counter. "Yes, mother. I have everything."

Dyskord rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "Backpack?"

"At the front door."

"Lunch?"

"Won't be there long enough to need one."

"Catalyst?"

"Harvested it last night."

"Well, aren't you prepared," Dyskord chuckled. "Specimen?"

"That’s your job, remember?" Kaos smirked. "I have it all thought out, Dyskord. Don't worry."

"Well then, what's your plan for when Mother finds out?"

"Who said she'll find out? The only way she would is if someone rats me out." Kaos took a bite from his second cookie, handing the extra to Dyskord as he pushed past into the main hall. The high ceilings and towering walls making him seem even smaller; like an ant in a dollhouse.

"If I'm this deep in, why would I rat you out and risk getting in trouble myself?"

Kaos shrugged, walking backwards so that he could watch Dyskord's movements. "I don't know, brother, but the only variable that could possibly go wrong is you. So as long as you play along, everything should be absolutely peachy~" He grinned, then shoved the rest of the cookie into his mouth. It tasted a little old, probably a month or two, but a stale cookie was better than no cookie. And at least Kaos knew that batch hadn't been poisoned.

Dyskord chuckled dryly, placing the cookie in the little leather satchel that hung at his hip. Kaos knew he'd probably eat it later. Dyskord could never resist a cookie. "Alright, alright, tiny genius. I'll trust you on this. But don't blame me when this plan fails too."

"It won't. Trust me."

Kaos grabbed his backpack off its hook, unzipping it just to triple check its contents. It never hurt to be certain.

"Communicator?"

"Yep."

"You got your diary~?"

Kaos whipped around, glaring. "It's not a diary! It's my journal of doom!!"

Dyskord patted Kaos on the head, ruffling his umber hair, a condescending smile on his lips. "Sure it is, baby brother."

Kaos grumbled under his breath, turning back to his backpack. He shrugged Dyskord off, trying to focus. Sure enough it was all there. Homework, lunchbox, communicator, his 'journal' - everything important was there and accounted for. As Kaos struggled to zip up his backpack once more, his gaze drifted to the portrait that hung above the door. His family, painted in exquisite detail, framed by an intricate wooden frame. Dyskord, with his old ashy blonde hair (Kaos had suggested he dye it neon green since it was a similar level of horrible against his skin tone, but Dyskord had insisted on vibrant silver.) Mey sat on Mother's lap, creasing the dress she had spent all of the previous day ironing to get it absolutely pristine, because she wouldn't sit still. Mother bore her usual scoul, contrasted by Mey's wide grin. If their expressions weren't so different, Mey might have been mistaken for a younger Mother. Father stood to the side of her, behind Dyskord, wearing a similar expression to his wife. Kaos had been surprised he hadn't been absent for that too. Looking down to where he was immortalized in paint, Kaos stood the front - where the painter had instructed him to stand; wearing a matching suit and tie like the rest of his siblings - though he at least still had his scarf. Black and grey striped knit that was as long as he was tall, coiled around his neck and draped over his shoulder. Kaos never went anywhere without his scarf, and even though he heard Hel from Father afterwards, it was worth it. As Kaos slung his backpack over his shoulder, he trailed his hand to his neck, reaching to feel the soft warmth of his scarf. Instead, his hand only met skin.

"C'mon Kaos, we gotta get going. We don't want you being late for-"

"My scarf!!" Kaos shouted. "Where's my scarf!?"

"Kaos, it's not even that cold out. You don't need your- oooor you can go get it. That's fine too, I guess." Dyskord watched as Kaos chucked his overstuffed backpack to the side, the contents spilling across the floorboards as he raced upstairs to his room. He swore, Kaos would be the death of him one of these days, but at least his life was interesting with him around. Dyskord just wished he wasn't so, well, chaotic. But he supposed that came with the name.

Kaos threw the door to his room open, his breath catching in his throat. He had been wearing it when he fell asleep, where could it have gotten off to!? Had he taken it off when he got dressed? No, it wasn't by his closet box. Was it in his loft? No, no. Maybe it was in the blanket pile he had created that morning. Or maybe it was- Kaos froze, slowly turning towards the window, the familiar tap tap tapping of the tree branch against the grimy glass greeting him.

"You," he glowered at the tree branch, carefully approaching the window. "What did you do with it!?"

The tree branch just continued its endless rapping against the window pane, mocking him, oblivious to the enemy it had made. Kaos stormed forward, climbing up onto his desk, kicking the papers that covered it onto the ground.

"Give it back now!!" He pressed his face against the glass. "Or so help me, you will meet your untimely demise!!"

He was given no response. Not that Kaos expected one. The trees were always conniving, this one especially. They seemed innocent, but beneath that bark was a dastardly deciduous demon, lulling him into a false sense of security, laying in wait. But Kaos knew. Kaos knew the truth about these creatures. And he wouldn't let them get the upper hand. Never once taking his eyes from the branch, Kaos slid open his window slowly, then peered out. There it was, as he had assumed, his scarf. In the patchy grass, between the gnarled roots of the beast. He shot the tree one last glare, muttering to himself, then stepped out onto the small ledge right outside his window. At least that was a perk of being small, he could fit into spaces others couldn't. Kaos stood up, balancing himself against the wall, holding onto one of the few bricks that jutted out from the flush surface. He had done this many a time, but every time he felt butterflies congregating within his stomach, a few fluttering into his throat. The wind in his hair, the view of the forest beyond- painted in autumnal colors of deep purples and dry oranges, the grounds below in desperate need of tending. All of it flooding his senses, paired with the impending damage he would receive at one wrong move. It was all… magnificent. But admiring the view wasn't what he was here to do, no. Kaos shook his head, reaching out to grab the closest branch, hoisting himself into it. The tree may have been a conniving, callous creature, but at least it served a purpose. That being a way for Kaos to get to the ground without completely shattering all of his fragile little bones.

"Kaos, come on!!" He heard Dyskord call from inside. "I have other stuff I need to do today, if you don't hurry up you'll have to take the school ship!!"

Kaos rolled his eyes, carefully stepping down onto the next branch. Dyskord was so impatient. He'd get down, grab his scarf, and they'd be on their way before his older brother could utter another idiotic sentence. Kaos slid onto another branch, this one bending slightly under his weight. He shot the tree a glare, as if daring it to try something, before stepping onto the next one. This one, unluckily, wasn't so forgiving. Before Kaos knew what was happening, the branch had buckled beneath him, sending him crashing to the ground - the branches he fell past slicing at his skin. At least the damp earth was there to soften his fall. Kaos propped himself up on his arms, spitting out a chunk of dirt as he silently cursed himself out for letting down his guard. At least he has his scarf. Kaos stood up, brushing the dirt from his clothes best he could before assessing the damage. A few cuts here and there, his coat would definitely need some stitches, but at least nothing was broken. Kaos scooped his scarf up, wrapped it loosely around his neck, then froze. He heard the sound of an engine revving up, the realization hitting him all too late.

"WAIT!!" Kaos shouted, making a mad dash for the front door. "Dyskord, I'M COMING!!"

As Kaos rounded the corner, three things crossed his mind. His backpack laying on the path that lead up to the door, the idiocracy of his older brother; and the boat that belonged to the very same, the one that was usually docked at the edge of the island, now whirring off into the horizon without him.

"YOU IDIOT!!" Kaos shouted, skidding to a stop. He swore he heard his brother laughing over the sound of the motor, which was quickly fading away. "I'M TELLING MOTHER!!"

Of course he wouldn't. Telling Mother had become an empty threat within the family, no longer holding any weight after countless empty promises of "Mother'll hear about this" and "I'm telling mom" (the latter usually used by Mey) had been thrown around for years. But it was the only comeback he could dream up in the moment. He had other problems than coming up with a witty response that Dyskord couldn't even hear. He'd get him back later. After he was done with his current plan. Then he'd have all the time in the world to get back at Dyskord for being a complete ignoramus and putting a petty act of defiance over the welfare of the plan. That's what Kaos got for letting him in on it, he supposed, kicking a loose pathing tile out of frustration. His kick barely dislodged it, but it was at least something. Kaos grabbed his bag up off of the ground, finally noticing the note taped to it. Have fun taking the school ship. Of course. Kaos crumpled the note up as he swung the backpack over his shoulder, muttering to himself all the while. He looked around, starting to head in the direction the school ship usually docked. It was quite a ways away, so the sooner he left, the better chances he had of catching it. Why it didn't dock closer to his home was beyond him, and despite the complaints he had lodged with the school board and his mother, no changes had been made. Rolling fields of splotchy, yellowing grass were laid out before Kaos, broken up by the occasional stone pathway. Cracking with age and broken up like a checkerboard. The wound through the dirt haphazardly, interrupted by the occasional tree (which Kaos did his best to keep his distance from) or the start of a rickety bridge that connected the nearby islands. On his usual walks, Kaos would have stopped on the bridges, kneeling down and seeing how far down he could reach into the abyss below, waiting for something to float by that he could possibly add to his collections. Today, he had no time for that. Today, he actually had somewhere to be. Kaos counted his steps, glancing over his shoulder occasionally to watch as his home got smaller and smaller. From here, it looked normal. Simple even. But the imposing aura it cast still lingered in the air. The tall spires piercing the wispy clouds themselves, high stone walls and arched windows covered in moss and ivy. An overbearing, ancient labyrinth of a castle Kaos called home. Sometimes Kaos was convinced the place was still standing because of the grime it was caked in, which was the excuse he gave himself whenever it came to cleaning. If he did a good job, he might not have a home to go back to. It was an excuse Mother was never fond of. Kaos remembered one year he had been put on ivy duty during their yearly cleaning. He had encountered a particularly dastardly tangle of vines on the west side, one that had kept him trapped for the majority of the day. Mother had found him deep asleep in their verdant web after the sun had set, and Kaos hadn't been allowed near that part of the castle for a good while afterwards. Kaos sighed, a smile creeping its way onto his face at the memory, his home now simply a silhouette against the backdrop of the endless sky. He looked ahead, finally making out his target. The old barge that served as the school ship. Badly, at that. It was only a few islands away, where the grass was more lush and the terrain less harsh. Kaos picked up his speed, going from a light jog to a sprint, barely feeling his feet touch the ground. He was gonna make it. He could still see students boarding, he still had time, he could still make it.

"WAIT! WAIT!!" He shouted, causing a few heads to turn, but only for a brief moment.

Kaos forced himself through the crowd, nearly doubling over as he struggled to catch his breath, one hand on the strap of his backpack and the other on his scarf, just making sure it was still there. He ignored the dirty looks he was getting as the line began moving again, following the students ahead of him up the ramp. Even from his low vantage point he could tell the state of the ship. Noisy and overcrowded, with just a sprinkle of staff trying desperately to keep order. The chatter of students loud enough to make the patchwork steel hull of the ship vibrate. Kaos found his mind wandering as he and the rest of the students were herded onto the ship like animals, personal space a thing of the past. Everyone around him was at least double Kaos' height, leaving him lost in a forest of legs and torsos shuffling him forward. It would have been humiliating if he wasn't used to it. Ever since he was little, (well, littler) he had been the runt of the litter. Mother had wanted to hold him back because of it, even though she admitted he was smart enough to be a grade ahead. But here he was, stuck in a sea of people all taller than him, even at a grade lower than he should have been. At least that meant he excelled compared to everyone else - when he actually applied himself, that is. It was so hard to apply himself when everything was so easy. Kaos wanted a challenge, he needed one, he-

BANG!

Kaos stumbled back, bumping into the person behind him. He clutched his hands over his ears, the world vibrating around him. He faintly heard the person behind him mutter something as they pushed past, pulling him back to reality. What in the Ancients' names was that?! Kaos looked around, stepping off of the ramp and onto the deck of the ship, feeling the engine start to whir to life. He frowned. It must've just been a misfire of the engine. The ship was old and broken, misfires were bound to happen. But even then, Kaos couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Kaos peered over the edge of the ship, watching as the island below them slowly began drifting away. The smell of engine fuel and strong perfume filling the air. Kaos gripped the rusting side rail, then looked back to the deck of the ship. The talking had only grown louder, everyone trying to be heard over the roar of the engine and of course one another. It was an idiotic sight, people huddled into groups. Elves and Ents playing a quick game of Skystones, a group of Mabu discussing the best way to prepare beetroots for their cooking class - even the Gillmen were chatting it away, all in their own little worlds. Everyone seemed to have a group. Everyone, but Kaos. It wasn't a bother to him, though, not at all. Why would it have been? He had himself, and that was all Kaos needed. Kaos began making his way through the crowds of kids, hands in his pockets and eyes trained on the floor. He slid his backpack off once he got to his usual corner, plopping himself down. He looked up at the sky, watching the clouds drift by, the chatter around him becoming nothing but white noise. He closed his eyes, letting himself drift off, running the plan through his head once more. It would be perfect. He just needed to make it through the day.

***

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theotherackerman · 3 years

Text

Carry on My Wayward Son

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: Any recognizable elements belong either to Supernatural, Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, or Attack on Titan.

Notes: Hange's spells are Latin from google translation so I'm sorry if they're not correct.The tree on Mikasa's arm is based on the Yggdrasil.

CHAPTER THREE: DREAM A LITTLE DREAM

Eren came out to see Zeke sitting on the trunk of the Impala.

Eren let go of Mikasa's wrist.

"You want the good news or the bad news first?" Zeke asked. "Trick question. The good news is they found Mina's brother. The bad news is that he was cut in half. The entire lower half of him was missing. It looked like something had been chewing on it. But here's the best part, the teeth marks look human, at least that's what they said on the radio."

"What?" Eren asked.

"Yeah, I know. I called Levi, he'll be out here with back up tomorrow. I got us a room at the hotel. Two beds and a pull out couch. All they had left. That's okay with you two?" Zeke asked as he jumped down.

"It's fine. I can sleep on the couch," Mikasa offered.

"No, you won't. I will," Eren offered.

Zeke was surprised but didn't say anything as he walked around to the front of the car and got in. Mikasa and Eren got into the car just a moment after him.

"Food?" Zeke offered.

"Yeah, let's get food," Eren said as he looked out the window.

"Do you eat, Mikasa?"

Zeke saw her nodded in the rearview mirror.

"She'll eat anything," Eren muttered.

"Can you not be a bitch to her for more than ten minutes? Just because she's a fairy.."

"No! Not like that. We had to live on whatever in the apartment. Some weeks, especially close to the end of a semester, we had to buy cheap groceries," Eren explained. "A lot of burnt Ramen when I cooked. She never complained."

"Your hot dogs and macaroni weren't bad," Mikasa muttered.

"That's because I taught him how to cook that," Zeke teased. "So are you two good enough to work the rest of this job?"

Eren looked at Mikasa in the rearview mirror.

She was looking at him.

"I'll work the job with her. As long as she agrees to one thing," Eren said.

"Oh, this should be good," Zeke sighed.

"No trying to play hero and going off on your own. No risking your life for mine. As long as I’m alive, you’re alive."

It surprised both Zeke and Mikasa that Eren had chosen that as his condition.

"Okay," Mikasa said as she nodded.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After grabbing food from a McDonald's drive through, they came to the hotel.

Zeke called dibs on the first shower, leaving Mikasa and Eren alone again.

Eren wasn't sure how to act.

He was worried about her though.

He didn't know why.

Hadn't Grisha said that a monster was a monster?

If it wasn't human, Eren was supposed to kill it.

It was simple.

There was a clear, solid line between good and evil.

Eren looked up from his phone to see Mikasa sitting on the bed on the far end of the hotel room.

The hotel room was cheap. It was covered in tacky seventies wallpaper.

Mikasa's legs were folded in front of her as she read through some sort of leather brown book. Eren couldn't help but remember being back in the apartment with her. His head would rest in her lap while she read and absent-mindedly played with his hair.

Maybe Zeke was right.

Maybe Eren was being too harsh on her.

No.

He wasn't.

She had lied to him

She hadn't told him the truth.

But then again, he hadn't told her the truth exactly either.

What he wouldn't give for the solid line of good and evil to make more sense.

"Was it a Yellow Eyed Demon that killed your family?" Eren asked.

Mikasa looked up from the book she was reading.

"No. Just a regular one," she replied as her eyes met his. "Why?"

"Just curious, I guess."

Mikasa nodded before she looked back down at her book.

"I shouldn't have said I wanted you dead."

Mikasa looked over at him again. "It's a reasonable response."

"No, it's really not. I...I don't think we can go back to that but I don't want to kill you or for you to die. That would be...bad."

"It's fine, Eren," she replied as she closed her book.

"No, it's not. I'm trying to apologize here."

"Save it, okay? I don't need your pity. Look, I'm just working the job that Levi asked me to. You can't say horrible things to me just to think I would forgive them. It's fine because in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter. Once this job is over, we should go our separate ways. That is what would be best for everyone involved. I'm going to go to bed."

Mikasa turned off the lamp next to her bed as she put the book she had been reading on the nightstand.

Eren then knew the pain that Mikasa had experienced.

His heart felt like it had been shattered into a million pieces.

-------------------------------------------------

One of Mikasa's hands was in Eren's hair while he left a trail of kisses down Mikasa's neck. The other hand had moved towards his belt.

"Eager, aren't we?" He teased her.

"You're lucky I don't rip it off of you," she replied as she purposely lifted her hips up so she grinded on him.

Suddenly, the dream shifted very quickly.

He clawed at Mikasa's flesh. Long claws came out of his hands. She screamed in fear but he didn't stop.

He wouldn't stop until she was dead.

The blaring of a car horn cut through Eren’s dream.

He was the first one up and found himself in need of a cold shower.

As Eren took his shower, he wondered why he kept having dreams about Mikasa. Besides the fact that he was still very much attracted to her, the whole fairy thing was really throwing him for a loop.

“Just work the job,” he told himself as he finished his shower.

He dressed in the bathroom and came out to see a very sleepy Zeke attempting to get the coffee maker to work in the hotel room.

Mikasa scurried by him to change in the bathroom.

“So what dumbass thing did you say to her last night?” Zeke asked as he slammed the lid down on the coffee marker.

“Who said I said anything dumb? You should have a little more faith in me,” Eren replied.

“I’ve known since you were born. You always say dumb things. By the way, Levi is on his way. He wants us to try and get pictures of the area now that’s its day. He said he’s bringing a specialist with him. Whatever that means.”

“How many hunters is Levi in contact with?” Eren asked as he walked over to the coffee machine.

Zeke shrugged, “I just assume Levi knows everyone. You’ve seen how many different phones he has hooked up in his living room.”

The coffee maker spurred as Mikasa came out of the bathroom.

“Morning, Sunshine,” Zeke beamed at her.

“Hi,” Mikasa muttered as she came out of the bedroom.

Eren couldn’t help but glare at Zeke.

“What? I like her. I mean look at her! She can be the little kid sister I always wanted before I got stuck with you instead,” Zeke grinned.

“Did you hit on Eren the first time you met him too?” Mikasa asked as she sat down on the bed she had occupied the night before.

“See? This is why I liked her. I’m Team Mikasa while you two….are whatever you are,” Zeke pressed the button again on the coffee machine.

It didn’t work.

“Okay, so coffee run before we go to our possible doom?” Zeke asked as he walked away from the coffee maker.

-------------------------------------------------------

This time, they decided to go more south of the ranger station. There was a dangerous hiking path there that few people had taken, at least that was what Mina had told Zeke the night before.

They pulled the Impala into the parking lot next to the side of the road. Mikasa climbed up the highest tree.

“Are we any closer?” Zeke asked.

“Pretty much the same distance as the ranger station. I’m going to try something,” Mikasa told him as wings sprung from her back.

The next thing Eren and Zeke saw was Mikasa running along one of the branches of the tree.

The branch snapped in half and fell but that didn’t matter.

Mikasa shot up into the sky and flew off.

“Holy shit!” Zeke exclaimed as Mikasa disappeared into the tree line.

“Should we follow her?” Eren asked.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Zeke told him as they both took off in the direction that Mikasa went.

For it being a dangerous hiking trail, it was cleaner than the one Eren and Mikasa had taken the other day.

"How are you doing over there?" Zeke asked Eren as they made their way towards the dead spot.

"Just peachy," Eren replied as he rolled his eyes.

"So is it cool if I ask Mikasa out?" Zeke grinned.

Two thoughts ran through Eren's mind at the same time. One of them was to punch Zeke.

He took the second option.

Eren laughed. "She wouldn't date you. Never. You're not her type. I thought you saw her as a sister."

"I though that at first but now...I don’t know. And what's wrong with me? She could be into me!"

"Do you want the list in alphabetical order or….?"

"Alright, smart-ass. Shouldn't we let her decide? I mean she seems to like me a whole lot more than she likes you."

Eren snapped. He grabbed Zeke by the collar of his shirt.

Zeke just grinned. "There's the reaction I've been waiting for."

Eren released Zeke's shirt.

He fell right into his brother's trap.

Zeke had played him.

"You never tell her about this. Ever," Eren threatened before he started walking again.

"I can't believe you fell for that. All those years of schooling and you don't know bro code. You don't take the girl your brother loves. So how serious was it before everything?" Zeke asked as he trailed after Eren.

"Why does it matter?"

"Oh come on, Ronnie. Share with your older brother. Listen. The most serious relationship I've ever had is that bendy weekend I spent with that Yoga instructor. I mean granted….It was pretty mind blowing. The things she could do with her…"

"You know I can hear you?" Mikasa's voice came down from the tree.

Zeke and Eren looked up to see her continuing her run and jump trick.

"She did say she can't fly for long distances," Eren remarked as he followed her.

"HEY! MIKASA! HOW STRONG ARE YOU?!" Zeke yelled causing Mikasa to stop and looked back.

"Why?" She asked as she leaned up against the tree.

"Could you pick me up and fly me up there?" Zeke grinned.

Mikasa simply nodded before jumping down to the ground. Her wings fluttered, making the most beautiful landing. She was the most beautiful, graceful thing Eren had ever seen.

She didn't look monstrous in the slightest.

No, she looked like an angel.

But suddenly, she turned and ran off in the opposite direction.

"What was that?" Zeke asked.

Eren shrugged.

It didn’t take them long to catch up to Mikasa. They could hear her throwing up.

Then Zeke and Eren realized it wasn’t the flying that had made Mikasa sick as they began to smell it too.

Rotting flesh.

There were bodies.

A lot of them.

They were on the outskirts of what could easily be mistaken for a forest fire.

Except the bodies and the damage looked like the life had just been sucked out of them.

Mikasa came out a few steps behind them.

She looked awful.

Eren reached into his pocket and pulled a pack of gum before he handed it to her.

“Thanks,” she muttered as she took a piece out of it and handed it back to him.

“What the fuck?” Zeke asked, as he looked around the area.

“Was this….is this magic?” Eren asked Mikasa.

“It looks like an energy exchange to me. A big one,” Mikasa replied.

“For what?” Zeke asked as he pulled out his phone and took pictures.

“I have no idea,” Mikasa answered.

Eren stepped into an area of the ash to get a closer look. “I can't even tell an age. This one looks like it’s been chewed in half.” He reached down and touched the ash. "This isn't normal ash either."

“So it sucks the life out of them and then eats them. Fantastic. Sounds like a Tuesday to me,” Zeke laughed.

“More research?” Eren asked as he looked at the other two.

--------------------------------------------------

Mikasa wasn’t okay.

Maybe it wasn’t an energy exchange.

Maybe it was something more.

Maybe it was something worse.

Resurrection wasn’t something one did without thought.

Mikasa didn’t even know how to begin something like that.

Sure, she’d had jobs where someone made a crossroads deal with a demon to bring a love back but they all ended the same.

The person was dragged to hell.

She didn’t even know a spell that would allow resurrection. True resurrection. Not a zombie or a puppet of the person.

Mikasa sat fully clothed in the bathtub, her knees pulled up to her chest. She had debated adding water to the tub but it would just end up making a mess.

She wanted Hange. She could have used Hange right now. They always knew what to say, what to do. Mikasa had called them multiple times since the close call with the Yellow Eyed Demon.

Mikasa didn’t know when she had started crying.

There was a knock on the door.

“You okay in there?” Zeke’s voice came from the other side.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Mikasa said, her voice did not betray her.

“Okay. Levi should be here soon.”

“Okay.”

She waited until Zeke walked away to wipe the tears from her face.

That had been far too big of a loss that she had seen today. Too many innocent lives.

Mikasa wouldn’t allow that to happen again.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

From the moment, Mikasa had stepped out of the bathroom, all Eren could think about was finding a way to make Mikasa slip away with him. The two of them should be alone together, like it used to be. He could show her how much she could enjoy the backseat of the Impala.

What?

No!

Why was he thinking that?

There was a knock on the hotel door.

Zeke answered it.

Eren didn’t know who he thought Levi was going to bring with him. But this tall, glasses wearing scientist looking was not who Eren had pictured in his mind.

Mikasa practically launched herself at the person.

“It’s alright now,” the person told Mikasa as they smoothed Mikasa’s short hair down. “Oh, I do like your hair short. It looks even better in person.”

“Alright, enough of that. Zeke, Eren, this is Hange, Mikasa’s guardian, a hunter, and a magic wielder.”

“Hello!” Hange said as they broke the hug with Mikasa. “So, I hear there’s a big dead spot?”

“It’s more than that. It’s got bodies,” Zeke explained as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

“Wait, what? You didn’t tell me that,” Levi replied as he took the phone from Zeke.

"We should head out there then. Check it out in person. I can try a spell to trace the magic," Hange suggested.

"I'll stay here. I'm not feeling too well," Mikasa said before sitting down on the bed that she had been sleeping on.

"That's fine. Levi?" Hange asked.

"I'll go," Levi replied.

"I'll show the location," Zeke offered.

"I'll stay with Mikasa," Eren offered, which surprised everyone.

Levi narrowed his eyes before he began moving towards the hotel room door.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Zeke said before he gave a wink as he exited the room with Levi and Hange.

"I'm not a child. I don't need you to act as guardian," Mikasa replied.

"Never said you were," Eren said as he walked towards her.

"Then stop treating me like one."

"I'm not."

"I don't get you. You spent weeks avoiding me and now all of a sudden you want to act like a knight in shining armor? Why? What do you possibly have to gain?"

"I don't know."

"Well, figure it out. Because I can't take these mixed signals."

"Mixed signals? Seriously?"

"Yes. You hate me, you want me to die. Then you don't want me to and you're holding my hand. Pick a side!" She yelled at him.

Eren wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do with the anger that has been welling up inside of him.

But her yelling at him? Standing up for herself? That was something unmistakably hot for him.

"I don't know! Okay? I'm supposed to hate monsters? I'm supposed to hate you! But all I can think about right now is reenacting a sex dream I had this morning! Okay? I don't know!"

"Wait, what?"

"I'm a guy, Mikasa. I have sex dreams."

"No, not that. Do I feel some sort of sexual urge more than normal?"

"What? No. Maybe. A little bit. Why?"

"Because I know what it is. We need to get there before Levi, Hange, and Zeke. Fuck," Mikasa cussed. "I'm so stupid. Why didn't I see it before? I guess the gruesome death confused me."

"You know what it is?"

"It's a succubus."

"Wait, what? Don't they just have sex with you to kill you?"

"Depends on the type. They can suck the life out of anything. But sometimes the side effects from going to a den can transfer onto the person. That's why you're feeling it. They can also make people have sex until they die. It consumes them."

"Oh. Well, there's a happy thought. Why aren't you and Zeke affected?"

"Half fae, remember? I don't know why Zeke isn't. I should get going."

"I'll go find a car to hotwire."

"You're not leaving," she told him.

He took a step forward.

"Who says I want to leave?" He asked her.

Eren realized in that moment how hot his skin felt. Only she could be the answer.

He lunged forward, his mouth connecting with Mikasa's.

Mikasa was in complete shock. She didn't respond.

How could he make things more clear?

He wanted her.

No.

He needed her.

He grabbed her, causing her to squeak as he threw her on the bed.

He climbed on top of her before kissing her again.

This time, Mikasa responded.

It made Eren happy.

Yes.

This is what he wanted.

He could feel her running her hands over his body as he pulled away.

One of Mikasa's hands was in Eren's hair while he left a trail of kisses down Mikasa's neck. The other hand had moved towards his belt.

"Eager, aren't we?" He teased her.

"You're lucky I don't rip it off of you," she replied as she pulled his belt off.

Mikasa then proceeded to headbutt Eren and knock him out.

-----------------------------------------------------

Zeke walked with Hange and Levi through the woods. He didn’t sign up to a boy scout as a kid and he sure didn’t want to be one right now.

There was some sort of weird dynamitic between Levi and Hange that Zeke didn’t understand.

“So magic wielder?” Zeke asked after a moment.

“Hmm...witch comes with negative connotations sometimes when it comes to hunters. How come you’re not like your brother when it comes to things being so black and white?”

“Oh. Because I realized our dad was a piece of shit when I was about ten,” Zeke explained.

“Why did you stay with him then?”

“Oh. Well, it’s simple. If he had me to fight with her wouldn’t go after Eren. Didn’t matter what Grisha did to me. I guess that’s why his death….this is going to sound horrible but it was freeing. I’m a terrible son, aren’t I?” Zeke said as he stopped in his tracks.

Levi rested his hand on Zeke’s shoulder. “You’re a good brother,” he said before he gave Zeke a bit of push forward.

---------------------------------------------------------

Mikasa had handcuffed Eren and used his belt to bind him. She threw him over her shoulder and had carried him to the car. She then had to carry him through the woods towards the deadspot.

She could get what she needed for the spell there. Everything would be fine. She could cure him without her powers.

---------------------------------------------------------

“Oh. This is interesting,” Hange said as they neared the area of ash.

“What’s that smell?” Levi asked.

“The rotting corpses,” Hange answered. “Look! There’s one over there!”

“Can you not be excited about finding dead bodies?” Levi sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Oh, I’m not. This looks like a den of some sort. It’s very interesting.”

“Any idea what it is?” Zeke asked.

“Well, it looks as if it has some sort of a sucker fish mouth,” Hange replied.

“You can tell that from its den?” Levi asked.

“Oh no. It’s staring at me,” Hange said as they pointed towards a spot in the middle of the dead trees.

Sure enough there was a creature that had a mouth similar to a sucker fish. Its eyes were beady and black. It’s skin was an inky, green color.

“I don’t know what that is but I don’t like it!” Zeke yelled as he pulled out the knife Mikasa had given him.

“I don’t either,” Levi said as he pulled out his machete.

“Guesses?” Hange asked as they moved into place next to Levi. They pulled out their own machete.

With three of them, it meant they would always have someone watching their back.

“Well, succubus is the first thing that comes to mind for me. I’ve never fought one,” Levi replied.

Just then, the creature lunged and tackled Levi to the ground, causing him to throw his machete. It began to coat Levi in a greenish goo, making it impossible for him to move.

Hange swung at the creature, nicking it in the back.

The creature screamed before getting off of Levi and tackling Hange to the ground. It’s mouth moved towards Hange’s.

Hange tried to fight back. They pushed and thrashed.

“ ventilabis deinceps !” Hange yelled.

The creature stumbled a few steps but did not relent.

This gave Zeke the opportunity to pick up Levi’s machete and swing it at the creature.

The creature’s head was removed from its body and fell to the ground. A purple red goo covered Hange.

Eren and Mikasa came rushing into the scene just as Zeke picked up the head of the succubus. Mikasa sat Eren down on the ground.

“What happened to him?" Levi asked him.

Mikasa sighed as she unlocked the handcuffs. “He stepped into the den and fell under the creature’s power. Since you killed it, he should be fine,” she said as she unbound his feet.

“So you’re telling me this thing attracts men and then fucks them to death?” Zeke asked as he looked into the creature's eyes. “I mean I’ve hooked up with some really ugly women but this….”

“Succubus can but sometimes they merely suck the life out of people before feasting on them. But you know, I’m fine over here, laying on the ground, covered in some sort of goo,” Levi replied.

“Green really is your color,” Hange agreed.

“Get this goo off of me and get me off of the ground!”

Just then a second, third, and fourth creature emerged from the den.

“Uhh….I think we have company,” Zeke said pointing to the creatures.

“Knife!” Mikasa yelled at Zeke.

Zeke threw the knife, and Mikasa caught it. Her eyes glowed as she extended the knife, turning it almost into a sword of sorts.

Just then, Eren tackled her to the ground.

“Fuck!” she yelled as her body his the ground, the knife sword dropped from her hand.

Eren swung at her, trying to claw at her face. Mikasa pushed against him to no avail.

“Zeke!” She called to Zeke who was fighting with another succubus.

“Kind of busy!” He called back to Mikasa.

“I’m still on the ground,” Levi yelled.

“ ventilabis deinceps !” Hange yelled again, throwing a succubus forward.

Mikasa fought against Eren who continued to pin her down and try to claw her face. She had to do it. She had to use her powers….again. The risk….did it outweigh everything else?

Eren’s eyes seemed to change colors to a red.

He was losing himself.

Eren.

Eren’s life outweighed the risk.

Mikasa’s eyes glowed as she pulled her hand back.

An exchange of energy.

The fog that seemed to have a hold of Eren’s mind lifted.

Mikasa’s world went black.

----------------------------------------------------------

Eren’s eyes opened as soon as Mikasa’s closed.

Zeke went to pick up the knife sword but it collapsed back into the knife.

It was good enough.

Zeke ran the knife through the succubus that he had been fighting. He was covered in the same goo that Hange was covered in.

Hange defeated two creatures as Eren tried shaking Mikasa.

“Mikasa. Hey. Not again. Mikasa,” Eren pleaded with her.

Hange rushed to Mikasa’s side, checking her pulse. “She’s alive. She’s just...she used too much energy. Probably another year off of her life, if not more.”

Eren just stared at Hange.

“We should get her out of here,” Levi said as Zeke helped him up.

Eren scooped Mikasa up and carried her off in the direction of the Impala.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No complaints about the goo.

No one asked to stop after they gathered their things from the hotel. It was the realization that Mikasa was still being hunted and the amount of energy she used probably set off another tracker.

Nine hours later, they arrived at Levi's. Thankfully, Levi's house had multiple showers and Hange, Levi, and Zeke disappeared into them. Eren carried Mikasa downstairs.

He put her down on the cot in the panic room. The wards would keep her safe.

"Why do you keep risking your life for me? Why are you killing yourself for me?" He asked Mikasa before he sat down on the floor. He leaned his back up against the wall.

But Mikasa didn't answer.

Zeke came downstairs.

"Has she woken up yet?" He asked.

Eren shook his head.

"Huh. I wasn't expecting you to still be sitting here to be honest. Are you finally getting over the fact that she's a fairy?"

"No. It's just...I had a nightmare. I was clawing Mikasa's face and then today…"

"Okay? Nightmares happen."

"But it wasn't like a nightmare. It felt real to me. I don't know. What if I'm the real monster?"

Zeke sat down next to his brother on the floor.

"You're not a monster, Eren. You're probably just stressed out. A lot of shit has happened lately. Just relax. If it happens again, then we'll worry about."

Eren nodded.

So the two brothers sat on the ground, trying to figure out what would happen next.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Hange sat down on one side of Levi's desk.

"I'm worried," they confessed.

"You and me both," Levi sighed.

Zeke came up from the basement.

"Is she awake?" Hange asked.

Zeke shook his head. "Last time, she was out for over a day for just a small heal."

"It's a large energy exchange. Her body has never dealt with it well."

"Those creatures were strange. Something is happening. They normally don't travel like that," Levi said as he pulled out a journal.

"I found it strange too."

-------------------------------------------------------

Eren sat by Mikasa's side.

He wanted to know what Hange had meant by years being taken off of Mikasa’s life.

He needed to hear it from Mikasa.

He was so confused.

Life had been simpler when monsters were just monsters.

Grisha had hammered it into Eren’s head that everything that wasn’t human was evil. It was simple. It was us against them.

A demon had killed Carla.

Demons were bad.

Monsters were bad.

But as Eren watched Mikasa's breathing, he couldn’t help but think that there wasn’t an evil bone in her body.

He had told her not to put herself into danger for him, yet she had done it anyway.

“We had a deal,” he muttered to himself.

Suddenly, Eren’s shoulder felt like it was on fire and into his veins. He gripped his shoulder.

Moments later, Mikasa woke up with a scream.

She pulled at her shirt sleeve to reveal a large tree with its roots exposed, at least that’s what it looked like to Eren.

“Eren, what did you do?” she demanded.

#comwws

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lilulo-12fanfiction · 4 years

Text

More Than I Can Say

More Than I Can Say- Dean Winchester x Reader

So here is the finished copy. I didn’t proof the rest of it so please ignore any mistakes. I mean...I wanted to include more...but I kind of got stuck and I didn’t want it to take me longer to post. It’s little snippets of events. Soooo if you’d like a Part 2 let me know!

As always your likes, reblogs, comments etc. are all appreciated. Please let me know if you would like to be added to any of my tag lists. As always- Requests are open!

a request for @chevyimpala00067 with Dean Winchester. Prompts: 57: “ Is that my shirt? ” & 66: “ Is that a new perfume? ”

SPN Tag List: @deans-baby-momma @fandom-princess-forevermore @magssteenkamp @blancastans @jn-wolf @waywardsistersandpie

SPN Masterlist

Falling in love with Dean Winchester hadn’t been easy or simple. It hadn’t been expected. You were living your life as a college student with your mother at one moment and the next you were in Sioux Falls with your estranged father. And you didn’t have the best start to your father-daughter relationship.

You had been the result of a fling your father had with your mother after Bobby’s wife died. Your mother had kept you a secret for most of your life. You had begged her to tell her who your father was. She continually told you that it was a tree you didn’t want to bark up.

When you were 20 years old and half way through your degree, your mother died of cancer. It had devastating effects. 2 days after her funeral you received a package in the mail. It contained a letter from your mother telling you about your father and it included some letters and a few pictures of the two of them. You thought it was a joke. Your mother had been a hunter and worked with Bobby Singer. When she found out she was pregnant she cut ties and disappeared determined that you wouldn’t grow up like that. “It’s the greatest regret of my life that you don’t know your father. He’s a good man.”

You sold the house and everything you could besides a few pieces of jewelry and a handful of keepsakes from your mother, packed up your Jeep and drove from upstate New York to Sioux Falls.

He slammed the door in your face. I mean you couldn’t blame him. Some random shows up claiming to be his daughter. Little did you know at the time, he thought you were a demon of Crowley’s trying to get one up on him and the Winchester boys. You steeled yourself as you stared at the door in your face. You put one of the photos and one of his letters in an envelope, taped it to the door with your cell number and the hotel you were staying at written on it and left to find a place to stay. You needed to figure out your next move. How stupid you had been to think that your long lost father would welcome you with open arms. How naive to think you could have started a new life with him. Now you had to figure out what to do and where to go.

“Hey Bobby- this was stuck to your door.” Dean Winchester looked at the neat handwriting with intrigue. Bobby yanked it from his hand mumbling about con artists and demons but tore into the manila envelope anyway. Sam and Dean watched as the color drained from his face. His hand ran from his forehead down to his chin.

“Bobby- are you okay?” Sam stepped towards him, face laced with concern.

“She was telling the truth…I have a daughter.”

“I’m sorry- what?!” Dean stood wide eyed and slack jawed.

“She was here. I was horrible to her and slammed the door in her face. I thought it was Crowley playing his games. I didn’t believe her.” Dean grabbed the envelope.

“Well looks like she’s willing to give you a second chance at a first meeting. I’ll be back. Sammy help Bobby get his wits about him. I’ll go get her and bring her back here.”

“What if she won’t come?” Bobby looked heart broken and self-loathing all at the same time. Dean grinned at him.

“Who can say no to this face?”

* * * * * * * * * * * * You sat at the table in your hotel room staring at nothing in particular at all trying to decide where to go and what to do next when there was a pounding at your door. You tentatively turned the door handle and yanked it open. You were expecting the cranky old man, but instead were met with a cocky grin and smiling green eyes.

“Sweetheart, you need to learn how to drop a truth bomb.”

“Excuse you? Wait who are you?” Annoyance was dripping from your voice, but sadness was written all over your face.

“I’m Dean. Here to fetch you for your Daddy who is kicking himself for being an asshat. You must have gotten your looks from your mother. Lucky you.” You scoffed.

“Fetch me? I’m not going anywhere with you. I don’t even know you!”

“I’m a good friend of Bobby Singer. A surrogate son- luckily not blood related.” He gave you what you would begin to call the Dean Winchester Wink. As you rolled your eyes, Dean would never need a blood test to prove you were Bobby’s daughter. He saw it in your attitude.

“You must go after some low hanging fruit with those lines. Clearly being good looking makes it so you don’t have to try very hard.” He grinned at you, the cheesiest grin you’d seen in a long time.

“You think I’m good looking sweetheart?”

“Not enough to excuse all of this.” You waved your hand in his general direction. He threw his head back and laughed.

“There’s something to be said for nature vs. nurture. You may have never spent a day with Bobby but damn do you have his attitude. Listen, he found your envelope and feels like crap. Come back. Give him a second chance.” You hesitated for a moment. “C’mon sweetheart. I promise if you want to leave I’ll bring you back anytime you want.

“Let me grab my stuff.” You turned to get your purse and jacket, paused and turned back to him. “Stop calling me sweetheart.” He wiggled his eyebrows at you and you shut the hotel room door behind you. You felt his hand find the small of your back to lead you down the hall. You didn’t know it then, but that would feel like home a few years down the road.

Dean pulled into the salvage yard and turned off the Impala. You were impressed with the car but you’d be damned if you’d let him know that. He was about to get out when he saw you staring ahead and not moving. He got out, came around to the passenger side and opened your door and squat down next to you.

“Look- I don’t know your story, I don’t know your mother or why she kept you and Bobby apart. What I do know is Bobby is one of the best men that I have ever known. He’s been more of a father to me than mine own father was sometimes. I’m sure his initial reaction scared you off. But you left him your contact info for a reason. He’s good people. I promise you- you decide you want out of here and I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. Give him a chance.” He put his hand out to help you out of the car. You studied his face for a moment, while he was smug and obnoxious when he showed up at your door, he was nothing but sincere now. It was your first glimpse into the real Dean Winchester. You were comforted by the sincerity coming from his expression. The way his eyes crinkled when you smiled would end up being one of your favorite things in the world to see. You nodded and placed your hand in his and let him lead you to your future.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

You surprisingly took the truth about the supernatural well. While the story of Dean going to hell and the Angel Castiel gave you pause, you knew it deep down to be true. Maybe it was because your mother had told you in her letter first. Truth be told you thought she had lost her mind to the chemo, but then you started getting hit with memories from your past, or well her past. While she had given up the hunting life, you remembered her conversations with other hunters who would stop by for advice or to rest- including John Winchester.

Bobby had been livid when you told him you had met John. There was no way John hadn’t known you were his. If John Winchester hadn’t already been dead, you were sure your father would have done him in. Now 6 months later you were in deep. He was already in a mood and you had just made it worse.

“You are NOT going on the road with Sam and Dean.”

“Yes, I am. I can’t sit around this place doing research telling them how to kill monsters when I can actually do it.

“Listen- if Bobby doesn’t want you to go, sorry sweetheart but you’re staying here.” You were seething.

“You know what, fine. I’ll go out on my own. I can find cases.” You stormed past Dean and gut punched him. “And I told you not to call me sweetheart”. Sam stood watching like a deer in headlights not wanting to say anything and piss you or Bobby off even more. He decided to stay put instead of following you out to your car. A few minutes later her heard you scream.

You were going to murder Dean Winchester. He must have anticipated your going on your own declaration because he had messed with your Jeep. The oil was leaking and when you hadgotten down on the ground to check it out you had gotten covered in oil.

You came charging back into the house and Sam had bitten back his laughter. He didn’t want any of your wrath pointed at him. Dean would eventually pay for his sins. Sam wanted to make sure all of your anger was directed accordingly.

“Sweetheart-“ Dean made sure to put emphasis on the unwelcomed pet name.

“Is that new perfume? Eau De Grand Cherokee?” He belly laughed. Sam was sure he saw homicide in your eyes, and then he caught the glint. You snatched the Impala keys off of the counter and ran out of the house.

“Y/N DON’T YOU TOUCH MY BABY!” Dean roared after you. Bobby’s anger had dissipated.

“I supposed I should get used to the idea of the two of them.” Sam raised his eyebrows at Bobby. “C’mon Sam- don’t tell me you don’t see it. Those two are falling head over heels for each other.”

“You’d be okay with that? Dean and Y/N?” Sam was surprised. Bobby wore the “Over protective father” outfit well.

“Sam- your brother is a good man. I couldn’t ask for someone better to take care of her. I’ve seen how he takes care of people he loves. I’ve watched him take care of you. The two of you are the best men I know. She’ll be in good hands. They just have to get out of their own way to see it.”

“You know if she goes out with us, we’ll die before we let something happen to her.” Bobby nodded.

“I know. I just want to keep her safe here. But hell, It ain’t safe here either. The only way she would be safe is if she never found me.” Sam was about to respond but covered his mouth as he laughed as he watched Dean, also covered in car oil carrying you across the yard over his shoulder.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

A milk run. A freaking milk run he had told you. A simple salt and burn. A great way for he and Sam to show you the ropes.

This was not a milk run. The person they thought was doing the haunting, the bones they salted and burned, was the person trying to protect innocents from the spirits haunting the house. The brother of two evil twin sisters and they couldn’t find their bodies. They had somehow separated you from him and Sam. Why couldn’t things just go their way for once?

Dean was trying to get the door to the room that you were locked in open. The creepy sisters had some murder ritual that they were holding you for. Sam was searching for the bones to salt and burn.

“DEAN!!” You screamed his name, he could hear the fear and tears in your voice. You weren’t a crier and you were one of the bravest people he knew, you didn’t scare easy.

“Hang on Y/N. It’ll be okay.”

“I’m out of salt rounds and there’s no God Damn iron in this room.

“Sammy is gonna find the bodies and I’ll get this damn door open.” Your voice was closer, you must have move towards the door.

“You can’t open the door. They shut it. It’s not a lock you can pick. Tell my dad I’m glad I got to know him. Even if we only had a little time together.”

“Don’t you start that goodbye shit. This isn’t over!” He yelled the last part.

“Yes it is.” He felt the coldness from the room on the outside of the door. You must have been freezing.

“Bring it bitches.” Your voice was fearless. You’d only broke when you knew it was just the two of you. He was beating down the door, renewed strength. He felt encouraged when it started to splinter. Moments later he froze in fear when he heard screaming. At first he thought it was you but then the door popped open. There you stood with a container of salt in your hands. You must have been throwing it at the sisters. Dean saw the faint remains of flames and ashes.

“Sammy found the bones” You cried and dropped the salt. Dean ran forward and slipped his arms around you, pulling you tight to his body, one hand cradling the back of your head. Another feeling you’d come to associate with love, safety and security.

“It’s okay sweetheart. It’s over. I’m so sorry.” Sam watched from a distance with a smile on his face. He was thrilled you were safe and that he had stopped the terror twins. Dean was different with you around. Good different. Your body relaxed in Dean’s arms.

“Can we not tell my dad how bad it was” Dean laughed and hugged you tighter.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“You knew Sam was alive?!” Dean raged.

“I wanted to tell you. I didn’t find out until recently. My dad kept it from me too. I called you as soon as I found out. I left you a message but by the time you called me back Sam had gotten to me. He said he wasn’t ready. He said you were happy. I wanted to call you and tell you so many times. I’m sorry.” You wiped a few tears from your eyes. “They said you were happy Dean. Really happy. I couldn’t be the one to ruin that. You, more than anyone, deserve real happiness. And honestly, it wasn’t my place to tell you. It was Sam’s. He came back and didn’t want to tell you. I couldn’t do that to him. I was screwed no matter what I did.

Despite his rage, he couldn’t stay mad at you. And you weren’t wrong. He sighed and looked at you. "It's okay Y/N. It's not fair for either one of us to put you in that position" It was a terrible position for you to be in. He pulled you in for a hug. His hand found the back of your head. He loved Lisa, he truly did. But you, you felt like home. He didn’t know what the hell to do.

"You're not mad at me?" Your voice was almost a whisper.

"You're right. You were screwed either way. You did the right thing by staying out of it. I'm sorry for yelling at you." To be honest, you were pretty shocked. You expected Dean to rage at you at least a little bit longer.

"I'm glad you're here now. I"m sorry that Lisa and Ben were put in harms way, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss you."

"I missed you too, Y/N. You could have come to see me, you know."

"I didn't think you wanted to be a part of this life any more and I didn't want to take the chance of anything following me to your family." You looked away from Dean, trying to hide the hurt expression on your face after calling Lisa and Ben his family.

Sam had hinted to Dean that he wanted him to go off an live a normal life with Y/N. Dean knew that if they stayed together, they'd never give up the life. So to honor Sammy, he had let and went off to Lisa and did everything he could to get Y/N out of his mind. Now his heart belonged in two places, but he had to honor what he had with Lisa.

"You will always be my family too Y/N. Always." Dean wanted to say more, but you had just given him a quick nod of your head and rushed off into the other room.

The idea of Dean with anyone hurt. The two of you flirted relentlessly and always got jealous when the other had the nerve to talk to someone else at a bar after a hunt. This was a hard pill to swallow. You hadn't expected Dean to walk away. You had thought you were in it together. Then he was gone. Sam was gone. Even Castiel was essentially gone. You had your father and the two of you continued his work, helping other hunters and occasionally went on a small case.

Then you found out Sam was back. You had been elated and then confused as to why he wasn't going to Dean. Then he told you how happy Dean was in his new life. How he had started over like you didn't exist. Like none of this had ever happened. You had accepted it and tried to move on. Now he was back, and he was still looking at you like he did before he left. You leaned against the door and pinched the bridge of your nose. You had to get it together. Dean wasn't really back, he was here to take care of his family and then he would be gone again. You would be alone, again. Dean watched you slowly disappear knowing that he made a mistake leaving you behind. His heart belonged to you, it had since the day you sassed him at that hotel and it always would.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

You should have stuck with Sam & Dean. The most recent case brought the three of you back to your old stomping grounds in Upstate NY. Sam and Dean had encouraged you to go off and see some of your old friends while they worked the case. They could handle it. You deserved some fun and you needed a break.

It had all been too much. Sam without his soul was tricky. Dean had tried to make it work with Lisa but realized quickly that he couldn't have that family and be a hunter. Dean Winchester was a hunter. The "Apple Pie Life", as he put it, would never be for him. You had known that, but hated seeing him hurting all the same. The three of you were in this weird funk and it was stressing you out. You felt like you couldn't breath and the powder keg that had become your life was ready to blow. You were eager to pretend this wasn't your life, even if it was just for a day or two.

That fun had blown up in your face. You held the phone to your ear willing him to pick up. You felt a flood of relief wash over you when he finally did.

"Dean...."Your voice came out in a cry. "I need you. Something happened." After a few reassurances that everything would be fine, you gave him directions on how to find you and the warehouse you were holed up in. You should have known that you wouldn't ever get a break. This life would haunt you until the end of your days.

Dean had Sam circling the outside of the warehouse as he went in to find you. He could smell the blood and death. He was hoping that a few days with your old friends would breath some life back into you. You had seemed like a shell of the girl he first met. You had put an effective wall between the two of you. He knew it was because he had left. The flirty banter was a thing of the past. You seemed to be operating on auto pilot. The past year had taken its toll on you. As he stepped quietly, holding his gun, he saw her. Your best friend from college laying on the floor, eyes wide open, throat ripped out and lifeless. Dean closed his eyes for a moment and felt the loss for you. He leaned over and used his palm to shut her eyes. At least now she looked like she was sleeping. He slowly moved to the back of the warehouse and that's when he saw you. Sitting against the wall, skinny jean clad knees pulled to your chest with your chin resting on them, glassy eyes and covered from head to almost toe in dried blood. He would have been worried it was yours if he didn't see the headless corpse a few feet away from you. He tried to assess the situation. A vampire must have gotten the jump on the two of you. He assumed the vamp attacked your friend first and met its unfortunate end at your hand and the blade on the floor to the right of you.

"Y/N." Dean rushed to your side. You looked at him with watery eyes. He put his hand on the side of your face, despite it being covered with dried blood. "Are you hurt?" You shook your head no and stared forward.

"She's dead."

"I know." He sighed.

"This vamp- knew who I was, knew I was Bobby's daughter. Apparently Bobby and Rufus had taken out their family. He had gotten away and tried to live his "best life" or whatever." You air quoted as you spoke. "Then he heard some demons talking, Crowley's inner circle, that Bobby had a long lost daughter. So he started looking into me. Before...Bobby didn't have anyone to lose. With a daughter, the douche bag thought he could get his revenge. He chased us and we ran into this place to try and get her someplace safe." You scoffed. "I had my back turned for two seconds and I was too late. After he killed her, he attacked me. He had me pinned to the ground. Luckily I had a knife with me."

"Did you...did you saw his head off with that tiny knife." You nodded. "While he was on top of you?" Dean took your lack of response as a yes. "Damn that's bad ass. Explains you being covered in blood." He tried to joke. You closed your eyes and a few tears fell. "Listen to me, Y/N...you did the best you could do. her death isn't your fault." You tilted your head to the side.

"It is. Because in this life we don't have the luxury of having relationships with people that aren't hunters. With people that can't defend themselves. I shouldn't have come here." You looked up and saw Sam watching the two of you.

"She's okay Sammy...go get the car." Sam nodded and ran out of the warehouse. "C'mon, let's get you out of here and get you cleaned up. Sam and I will take care of her and the vamp body." You nodded and let him pull you to your feet. Your torso was soaked in blood. It was like you had been standing under a red waterfall. He studied you for a moment. Your skinny jeans were paired with ankle boots, a black tank top and a red and black plaid shirt. "Wait...is that my shirt?" You gave him a hint of a smile and let him lead you out of the warehouse giving your friend one last longing look on your way out.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The imagine of you screaming and falling to your knees in the hospital as Bobby flat lined would haunt Dean Winchester for the rest of his days. The 4 of you barely got away from the Leviathans. You had been frantic when Dick Roman had gotten his hands on your father, but the 4 of you had gotten out of that building. Dean and Sam were celebrating in the front seat when they heard you cry out, holding your father, begging them to get to the hospital.

There had been a glimmer of hope when Bobby had opened his eyes. His last act was trying to help the 3 of you save the world...again. His last action had been to look at you with loving eyes and squeeze your hand. Dean knew what he was saying with that. "Thank you for coming into my life." Bobby loved you more than anything. The bond the two of you had forged in a short period was strong. It wasn't fair, the two of you deserved more time together. Dean found himself blaming Cas again. If he had just listened to Dean, none of this would have happened.

But then Cas took Sam's burden, effectively giving the younger Winchester back to Dean and Y/N. You had told Cas you forgave him before he did that. You, who had lost yet another person you loved, could forgive the Angel. You understood he thought he was doing the right thing. You appreciated his regret and were thankful for the sacrifice he was making for Sam. Dean could only wish to have your empathy. His feelings were complicated. Cas was...his best friend. Like his brother. And like his brother, had betrayed him. You had shown Dean how to really forgive Sam. He was hoping he could follow your lead with Castiel.

The three of you were holed up in an abandoned house trying to hide from Dick Roman and his band of morons. Dean didn't want this for you. He wanted you safe but you wouldn't go. You were clinging to Dean and Sam, the only family that you had left. Dean was sitting against a wall, slowly stroking your hair as you slept with your head in his lap. Sam had given him a raised brow look when he walked in, but said nothing and went back to his research. This was the only way you would get any restful sleep these days, if you were with him. As long as he was with you, you slept. Otherwise you were plagued with nightmares. Dean knew too much about nightmares. He would suffer though a thousand sleepless nights making sure you had peace.

After Lisa, Dean was sure he would never let anyone close to him again. He couldn't risk anyone's safety. His life wasn't meant for love. Then Sammy had to point out that you were already in this life and in danger. He had to point out he knew how much Dean loved you. That Bobby had known. That Bobby had approved. Sam was certain that you loved Dean too. Dean was a coward though and he couldn't say anything, so Sam continued to needle him. Finally Dean agreed to tell you how he felt, but after you had time to grieve the loss of your father. Dean refused to take advantage of your fragile state. He wanted you clear headed when he told you. He had decided that if and when they got rid of Dick Roman, that's when he would tell you. He looked down when he felt you stirring.

"You okay sweetheart?" You blinked a few times as you looked up at him. "I'm with you. I'm always okay with you." He smiled down at you. "Dean...you need to try and sleep."

"I'm okay. You rest sweetheart." You had long stopped demanding he not call you by his favorite pet name. You did notice that it was now reserved for you, whereas before it was what he called just about any female.

"Dee, you need to sleep too."

"How about this, you sleep and then I'll let Sammy drive tomorrow and I'll sleep in the car."

"I don't believe you."

"I promise okay?" You pursed your lips and studied his face. "Do I ever break my promises to you?"

"No...you don't." He watched curiously as you pulled yourself up and knelt next to him. He turned to look at you and you placed a hand on his face and stroked his cheek with your thumb. "Thank you for taking such good care of me. I know loosing him was just as hard on you as it was on me."

"I'll always take care of you." he leaned his face slightly into your hand. "I promise." The two of you stayed like that for a moment and then Dean pulled you into his lap and had you settle in between his legs with your back pressed against his chest. He claimed it was to keep you warm as you slept. In reality, he just wanted to hold on to you without having to admit he was afraid that Dick Roman would take you from him too.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“Sam where did they go? Where did HE go?”

Sam wasn’t sure what was more painful. The moment you lost your father or the moment you lost Dean. You couldn’t compare them, not really. The loss of each had been deep. You had loved them both in very different ways. All he could do was replay your heart broken voice in his head. The moment you realized Sam was packing it in you were gone. You didn’t stick around to try and convince him. You didn’t even say a real goodbye. All you left behind was one line.

“He wouldn’t stop looking. Neither can I.”

You couldn’t believe Sam was throwing in the towel. He and Dean had come back from Hell. There was no way he was just gone. He and Cas has vanished into thin air. There was only one person who could tell you where he was. Crowley.

You were a multitude of things- desperate, confused, lost, hurting and most of all angry. Or maybe it was that anger allowed you to focus. You were so disappointed in San and so pissed at him. Dean didn’t go and try to live a normal life until he tried to get Sam back first. Sam was just willing to accept that he was gone.

Not you. You had lost your mother, your father, your best friend, Cas had been lost more than once and in more than one way and now Dean. You were getting him and Cas back. Your desperation and anger made you reckless. You knew the only way to get to Crowley was to start knocking off his demons one by one. You didn’t look for cases or people to save. Your only objective was to get answers.

You had been slaughtering Crowley’s Demons for the better part of a year when the King Of Hell finally showed himself.

“Hello Poppet.” His smarmy voice made your skin crawl. “You’ve been busy.” He looked around the room at your latest kills. He had to admit he was impressed. Dean Winchester has taught you well. “Well Darling, you got my attention. How can the King help you?” He was entertained by what he saw come out of you. The hardest eye roll he’d ever seen and a acids that would give Bobby Singer a run for his money.

“You know what I want.”

“He’s dead.“

“He’s not. I would feel it if he was gone.” That intrigued him. He wanted to see how this would play out.

“He’s in Purgatory. Apparently killing Dick Roman yanked open a portal.”

“How do I get him out.” Now it was Crowley’s turn to scoff and when you didn’t relent he rolled his own eyes.

“There’s a portal in the back woods in Maine. It’s exit only darling. Purgatory doesn’t like human offerings.” He saw the sheer determination on your face. A map materialized and he handed it to you. “Be careful poppet. And stop killing my men.” And in a flash...his majesty was gone. Anyone else he would have incinerated for killing so many of his demons. She was intriguing to him. She was fierce. It was curious to Crowley that Y/N Singer, who hadn’t been a hunter for even half a decade could demolish so many of his demons. Even more curious was the fact that Sam Winchester wasn’t fighting for Dean Winchester by her side. Dean’s reaction to that, to Sam running away, was all the reason to help get the hunter back.

God you were tired. All of the fighting, hunting and scheming was taking its toll on you, but you were too close to quit now. You were trekking through the woods in Maine to find where the portal opening to Purgatory was. You had stopped to rest for a moment when you felt your phone vibrating in your pocket. Shocked shadowed your features as you saw the caller ID.”

“Sammy.” Your greeting was flat. It had been almost a year since you had last spoken.

“Guess again Sweetheart.” Your heart started pounding as his gritty voice filled your ears.

“Dean?!” His name came out as a cry. “How are you back? Where are you?”

“It’s a long story, I’d rather share in person. I’m at the cabin. I’m dying to see you. Where are you.” You laughed.

“But I was coming to rescue you.”

“Rescue me? Where are you?” He pressed again.

“Maine. I’m hiking through the woods to find the portal to purgatory to save your ass.” It was Dean’s turn to laugh.

“Oh sweetheart. I’m so glad I got out before you stepped foot in that place. Wait- how did you know?”

“Crowley finally told me. I’ve spent the last year killing every Demon I could looking for answers.I’m on my way to you now.” Dean swelled with pride. He wished he could have seen the shit storm you had kicked up for Crowley. Though he was thankful Crowley didn’t retaliate.

“I can’t wait to see you.”

There were no tests when you arrived much to Sam’s protest. Dean knew it was you. You were barely in the door before he had scooped you up in his arms. A year of nothing but killing and fighting had finally caught up with you. The walls broke and you found yourself sobbing as Dean buried his face in your neck.

”Sweetheart it’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.”

”I didn't think I would ever see you again.” Dean pulled away to look at your face.

He placed both hands on the sides of your face and wipes your tears with his thumbs.

”I will always find my way back to you.” Sam shuffled and the moment broke. He thought Dean’s anger had been unbearable, but the way you were looking at him sent a shiver down his spine. You didn’t have to say anything. Your look said it all.

I told you he was alive.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

It was one of the rare quiet moments you and the Winchesters had. It had been a roller coaster since Dean had been back. Everything with Kevin, the auction, all of the sniping between Dean and Sam and then you and Sam. Benny. You still couldn't get over the fact that Dean Winchester had befriended a vampire. Though you were grateful that he got Dean out of that place. Dean trusted him, that was good enough for you. You wished it had been good enough for Sam. It just caused more friction in an already tense atmosphere.

It was the middle of the night and you were sitting in an arm chair staring out the window, a spot you often took when you couldn't sleep, which was almost every night. Your nightmares were plagued by images of your father dead, or watching his ghost burn up, or Kevin and his mother. You had nightmares of Cas suffering in purgatory. The most frequent were of Dean and Sam dead. You were pissed as hell at Sam still, but the idea of anything happening to him tore you up inside. The idea of Dean no longer being in this world was too unbearable to even think of. You felt Dean's calloused hand slide over your shoulder. Things had been different since he had gotten back. He had been more closed off. The closeness between to two of you after your father had died was still there, but it was different. It was like he didn't want anyone to get too close now that he was back. All the killing he did in Purgatory had taken a toll on him, but the loss of Castiel had been what broke him. You knew he blamed himself, but he wouldn’t tell you what happened. Being at arms length was killing you.

"You need to sleep. You sit here like this every night." His voice came out as a husky whisper.

"I can't. I can't close my eyes and see what I see every night." You put your hand over his as he went to remove his hand from your shoulder. "Please don't pull away from me." You could feel his body stiffen for a moment and you let his hand go. He sat in the chair next to you, he leaned over with his elbows on his knees, quiet for a moment.

"I have to. That place changed me. I'm different." You leaned forward and put your hand on his cheek so he would look you in the eyes.

"You're still Dean. You're still MY Dean. I need you. Please." You watched a variety of emotions pass through his eyes.

"Y/N..." his tone was warning.

"Don't Dean. We've danced around this for years. I almost lost you." Your voice came out in a sob." He adverted his eyes.

"Don't say it. Please don't say it. I'm no good for you. You deserve better than me." He looked back into your eyes and he looked shattered.

"You are the same Dean Winchester that came and got me from my hotel room. You are the same Dean Winchester that has been protecting me since the day I met him. You're the same Dean Winchester I fell in love with." You watched his eyes widen. "I think I've loved you since the moment I opened that door. And I've been too scared to admit it."

"You can't."

"Dean...you are a GOOD man, despite any mistakes you have made. You're the best man I know. Look me in the eye and tell me you don't love me and we'll never talk about this again."

"You know I love you." He looked down.

"Then don't be a coward." His eyes snapped back up to yours. No one was ever brave enough to call Dean Winchester a coward. "We're in this life together. I'm not in any more danger if you love me or you don't. I don't want to be alone in this anymore." a tear slipped from your eyes. Dean lunged forward and kissed you. You felt every single piece of your broken heart come back together. It may be scarred, but Dean Winchester would make you whole again. You both knew the future wouldn't be easy, but you would face it together.

#dean winchester #dean winchester imagine #dean winchester imagines #dean winchester x reader #dean winchester reader insert #spn #spn imagine #spn imagines #spn reader insert #supernatural #supernatural imagine #supernatural imagines #supernatural reader insert

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tornrose24 · 4 years

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Ah yes, I FINALLY finished Inuyasha: Final act.... though the last few seconds are a bit ruined in a good way with the knowledge of ‘Well, Yashahime’s coming up soon, so the adventure continues.’

And gosh DAMN is Inuyasha and Kagome still one of my favorite couples of all time. They deserved and they EARNED that happy ending after all the shit that happened. And we know that they’re going to get an awesome baby girl as part of their happy ending.

And it IS funny seeing Kagome call Sesshomaru ‘big brother’ and knowing that her brother is going to help raise one of his daughters. (Oh Sota has NO DAMN CLUE what he’s in for.) I wouldn’t be surprised if he met the twins’ baby mama during those three years.

Kohaku’s story continues and its good to know that one day he’ll train a new generation of slayers. Kid, you did good.

And oh Shippo I REALLY hope we see you as an adult next time.

I doubt Rin is the mother of the twins, but I hope she does well as an adult when we see her again.

If Miroku and Sango don’t show up as much in the sequel, that’s fine. They went through so much, so they should get to live in peace while their son carries on the demon slaying tradition.

I really hope to God that nothing horrible happened to Inuyasha and Kagome in Yashahime. Getting separated again would suck. I highly doubt Kagome died, so the options are that she’s either stuck in the tree, stuck in a pearl, or somehow ended up all the way back into the present again. Inuyasha is still clearly alive, so I hope he’s not suffering too much.

#inuyasha #yashahime #inuxkag forever

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perspective-series · 4 years

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Pet Perspective (12/19)

By: @arc852 and @hiddendreamer67

Warnings: Injury, fears of death

First Chapter || Previous Chapter || Next Chapter

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There were a lot of things that had gone wrong in Roman’s life- this was one of them.

To clarify, the escape had been going great. Roman had managed to make his way a full block away from the apartment before it even got dark, ducking through the underbrush and carefully timing his darts out in the open. He mostly stuck to front gardens, knowing it was more covered and less likely to be inspected without anybody out for gardening today.

Down past the edge of the block, Roman had discovered an oak tree, with acorns scattered around the base. Not believing his luck, Roman also discovered a little stream of freshwater nearby as well. It was hardly a trickle to a human, but to Roman it meant everything. This could be the perfect place to set up a base, especially after he began to dig a small burrow beneath the tree roots.

Unfortunately, it was during this last task that Roman ran into trouble. He was digging long into the night, hard at work carving out a suitable home. The night made him tense; too many predators came out to prowl, looking for an easy meal. He wished he could finish faster, feeling like there were eyes on his back.

Roman tensed, realizing that feeling had never been wrong. He turned, spotting the glowing yellow eyes peering at him through the darkness. As his eyes adjusted, Roman could see the shadowy figure’s tail swishing back and forth, ready to pounce.

“...crap.” Roman cursed, dashing over the tree root and towards the brambles. He knew he had no hope of outrunning a cat, but the coverage slowed the beast down long enough that he might have a change. The creature kept meowling incessantly, swiping its paws into the bush of his most recent hiding place and breaking off some of the branches.

“Go away, you furball!” Roman screeched, dodging out of the way just in time as the claws came for him again. At this rate the whole neighborhood would be woken up. Why couldn’t Kitty of Hell just give up the chase? Time dragged on, Roman’s adrenaline soon beginning to fade as he sluggishly repeated his actions, his dodges getting slower. How long had they been at this game of cat and borrower? Minutes? Hours? It was hard to tell; all Roman knew, was that unless something changed soon, he very well might lose this time.

Lost in his thoughts, Roman was too slow and felt a sudden agonizing sensation rip through his right half as those wretched claws cut his arm and side. He yelled, shouting off every borrower curse he knew in the feline’s face, adrenaline spiked back up and he pressed himself further into the brambles that only irritated his wounds further.

The sound of faint shout caught a man’s attention and he shone his phone light near the base of a tree. It was there he saw a cat, eagerly pawing at something. As a few words reached the man’s ears, he could only assume the cat was after an escaped borrower. He had come across a few in his time. Especially since he was one to take nightly walks like this.

He shooed away the cat before kneeling down and using his phone to see if it was in fact a borrower or not.

Roman tensed, raising a hand to block out the light and noticing the human peering down at him. The borrower groaned, knowing there was no use running in this state but still feeling absolutely pathetic. He had only been gone a number of hours and was already caught again because of a stupid alley cat.

“Well, how did a little thing like you get all the way out here?” The man spoke, reaching out and grabbing the borrower in a gentle fist. He noticed the collar right away. “And looks like someone might be missing you.”

Roman just glared at him, hating how he knew that might even be true. No, no it wasn’t… Virgil would have noticed he was missing by now. He was probably furious with him and never wanted to see Roman again.

“Welp, let’s get you to the shelter so they can contact your owner.” The man said. Technically, the shelter wasn’t open but there was always someone there to take any found borrowers. The man entered and handed the borrower over before tipping his hat and leaving. The woman at the front looked the borrower over, looking closely at the collar and putting it in her notes to call it in the morning.

“Well, looks like you got into quite the fight.” The woman mused, noticing the injuries.

“It was a stray cat.” Roman grumbled, knowing the shelter’s process by now. Hopefully that mangy calico didn’t have any sort of disease.

The woman hummed and took Roman into the back real quick. She wasn’t the resident vet so all she could do was wrap the injury up to the best of her ability. “There we go, hopefully that will last until morning.” She then took him into the main area and set him up in his own cage. “Alright, we’ll call your owner in the morning.” And with that, she left.

Roman sunk to the floor, putting his head between his knees. It didn’t matter. None of this mattered. He knew Virgil would react the same as the others, getting pissed over the phone and disowning him on the spot. Nobody wanted a borrower who slipped away, it was a breach of trust and too much trouble. More specifically, nobody wanted him.

Why hadn’t he just stayed put? Virgil had been right, Roman had a good thing going there. Even if it was just a few days, Roman had fun. Maybe it was because he got away so fast that Roman still held the human in such a positive light (humans were often nicer the first week or so), but somehow Roman knew that on the list of ‘owners he didn’t completely despise’ Virgil had somehow wriggled his way to the top.

Roman didn’t know how to feel about that, especially since he would likely never see Virgil again.

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Patton came down the stairs bright and early to see Virgil passed out on the couch. He frowned and already knew what Virgil had been up to for most, if not all, night. He sighed and decided to let Virgil sleep as he went into the kitchen.

However, that was when Virgil’s phone went off, jarring him awake. He blinked down at the unfamiliar number before answering it. “‘Lo?” He said, still tired.

“Is this Virgil Storm?” The voice asked.

“Yeah, this is him. What’s this about?” If this was another scam thing…

“I am Holly Beckett of the Borrower Shelter here in town and a borrower by the name of Roman was just dropped off here last night.” Virgil shot up, suddenly wide awake.

“You have Roman?” As soon as he got the confirmation, he was already putting on his shoes. “I’ll be right there!” He exclaimed, wasting no time as he hung up and grabbed his keys.

Patton, hearing Virgil yell, had come out of the kitchen. “Roman was found?”

Virgil nodded. “I’ll be back.” He said before rushing out the door.

Virgil burst through the shelter door, going up to the front desk as he panted. “I’m...Virgil Storm. I’m here for Roman.” He said through breaths.

“Of course, he’s in there in cage A7.” She handed him the keys and Virgil took them before going into the room. His eyes landed on the cage-and Roman-almost immediately.

“Roman!”

Roman jolted, painfully torn from his existential musing by a very familiar voice. He blinked, looking up and trying to comprehend what he was seeing. Virgil was here?

But… oh god, this was a horrible thing, right? Roman had never had to face the consequences of his actions before. Virgil must be furious with him if he came all this way. Was he going to beat him up or something? Would the shelter let him do that? Probably, if he hadn’t been officially disowned yet. In his fear Roman scooted back, clutching the traitorous tag that had gotten him into this mess. It was always better on the times when he was recaptured after he had removed the collar.

“Oh my gosh, you’re here! You’re okay.” Virgil fiddled with the lock before opening the door and gently grabbing Roman. He briefly held him to his chest, just taking a moment to calm his nerves and tell himself that Roman is okay. He’s here and he’s safe.

Roman let out a tense gasp of air, cringing as his injuries were jostled. His mind felt like it was short-circuiting, trying to figure out just what game Virgil was playing. Was he acting nice for the shelter workers? Was… was he going to actually take Roman back?

Oh, Roman was definitely in trouble.

Virgil pulled Roman away, looking him over. His eyes widened when he got a good look at the mess of bandages. “What happened?” He asked softly, hovering a finger over it.

Roman grimaced. Great- now Virgil was going to make fun of him for not being able to take on a cat of all things. Cats were quite a formidable foe, but humans often saw them as cute little furballs rather than the demons Roman knew.

“A...cat found me first.” Roman was hesitant to explain, confused about how soft Virgil’s concern was; the shelter workers weren’t going to hear him at that volume.

Virgil’s eyes widened. “A cat.” Virgil hissed out. That wasn’t good, especially if it had been a stray. He probably needed to set up an appointment with a vet…

“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of that. Get you properly bandaged and looked at. But first, we’re going home, okay?” Virgil said, voice still gentle. But as his panic was leaving him, a new emotion was growing bigger. Betrayal. Roman had lied after all...and Virgil was a bit upset over it.

But he could deal with that later. Right now, he just wanted to focus on getting Roman home.

“Seriously?” Roman said incredulously, a wave of surprise and fear overcoming him all at once. This had never happened before. Roman didn’t have a plan for this, and that made him very, very nervous.

Virgil looked down at Roman and remembered back to what he had been told. “I told you Roman. The cycle ends here, with me. We’re going home.” And having a nice, long talk, Virgil thought as he started out of the shelter, nodding at the woman in the front before he left.

Roman felt such conflicting feelings inside his chest, his face turning ashen. There was a small spark of something positive in him, a little light beam that couldn’t help but be amazed that Virgil had told the truth. Virgil wanted him…. Of course, the fact that Virgil most likely wanted him back now so that Virgil could kill him was putting a bit of a damper on Roman’s revelation.

What would Virgil do? Take away his things? Make him play games the way he loathed? Toss him around and taunt him about all the secrets he had so foolishly spilled? How was he ever going to escape again? Virgil would certainly become the world’s strictest owner, keeping Roman on a short leash. Oh geez, what if he really did get a leash? Roman hated those more than he hated collars because they put a direct limit on his freedom.

And then, suppose Roman did get free. The second he ended up back at the shelter, Virgil would be there to pick him up and punish him again. Over and over. He knew now that Virgil was just as stubborn as himself, and though the cycle of new owners might have ended… a new cycle might be beginning.

Virgil was silent the rest of the way home, holding Roman against his chest. He pushed the door open and noticed Patton and Logan sat down eating breakfast. Patton perked up when he saw Roman in Virgil’s hands. “Oh Roman! I’m so glad you’re okay.” Patton said, smiling softly.

“For the most part.” Virgil said. “He got a little roughed up by a cat before he was found but he’ll be fine.” He explained. Patton’s eyes widened.

“Oh, you poor kiddo…” He couldn’t imagine how terrifying that must have been.

Logan felt his back muscles tense, observing the way Roman’s eyes darted around similar to a caged animal. It was certainly apparent Roman was not happy to be here, despite the fact that leaving seemed to have resulted in injury.

“Yeah.” Virgil agreed. “I’m gonna go upstairs.” He looked down and noticed the full breakfast Patton had made. He bit his lip. “Uh, could you-”

“I’ll save you two some, don’t worry.” Patton grinned and Virgil sent him a grateful one in return.

“Thanks Pat.” And with that, he walked up the stairs. He stopped by the bathroom to grab the first aid kit and then to his room. He shut the door behind him before gently setting Roman down.

“Alright, first things first.” Virgil opened up the kit. “Let’s fix up that wound a bit better.”

“I- it’s fine.” Roman lied, playing with the edge of the bandage.

“Come on, Roman.” Virgil sighed. He cut up a piece of gauze and took out the lotion. “We need to make sure it doesn’t get infected.”

“Pretty sure if it’s going to be infected, it already is.” Roman almost attempted humor. “Cat claws aren’t exactly sanitary.”

Virgil frowned. “We’ll have to schedule a vet visit then.” He said more to himself. He reached forward and gently started undoing the bandages already around Roman.

Roman shuddered. A vet appointment? He loathed the vet. It was always so demeaning, with the veterinarians just forcing him to do things instead of asking him to move himself. And whenever something was wrong the humans would just discuss it over his head like he wasn’t even there, not letting Roman have a say in his own health.

Virgil discarded the old bandages before placing a dab of the ointment on his finger. “Okay, this might sting a little.” He warned before gently applying it to Roman’s side.

“Ow!” Roman jerked away from the touch with a hiss. “You said a little.”

Virgil winced. “Sorry, sorry but I’ve gotten rub this in.” He said, doing just that. “There, now just gotta bandage you back up.” He took the gauze he cut up and started to wrap it around Roman.

Roman expected the bandages to be pulled taunt, a clear indicator of Virgil’s wrath. He sucked in his breath, preparing, and was surprised when the bandages were applied almost delicately. Clearly, whatever Virgil wanted with him, Roman still had to be in good health. Not exactly the brightest of thoughts.

“All done.” Virgil said, taking his hands away. The bandages stayed in place and he then busied himself with putting everything away and closing the first aid kit.

He turned to look at Roman, a mixture of feelings coming up now that he was no longer distracted. He took in a deep breath. “Roman...we need to talk about this.”

Uh oh. Roman shifted on his feet, trying to decide if it was better or worse to look Virgil in the eye. He felt like a coward when he looked away so Roman forced himself to meet Virgil’s gaze, deciding that this was definitely worse. He tried to make out what was happening in the human’s head, but the eyes gave no hints.

“I just...I don’t understand. I-I thought we were bonding. Having fun. Was that all just an act? Were you just lying to me? Was everything you told me a lie?” Virgil asked, his feelings rising with each question until he was pulling at his hair as he desperately looked at Roman for the answers.

“No!” Roman shrunk in on himself, feeling scared and guilty and confused. “No, I assure you, I was not lying. Wait, that’s a lie, because I was lying about the promising to not escape...obviously.”

Well, Virgil was glad that everything else was true, like Roman’s past. But he still had questions. “...Why? I thought we were doing better. I thought…” Virgil ran a hand through his hair. “I thought we were getting along.”

“Well, ah, we… were, I suppose.” Roman rubbed the back of his neck. “In a way, at least. I was having fun, I’ll admit.”

“Then why did you still escape.” Virgil asked softly. “I mean, do you know how worried I was! I got maybe an hour of sleep last night because I spend the whole night looking for you!” Virgil exclaimed a bit louder than he probably should have this close to the borrower.

Roman frowned, confused by this new piece of information. He had definitely escaped too early, then, if Virgil was so concerned. Roman hadn’t let the appeal of a new borrower wear off.

“I told you, I don’t want a ‘not-so-bad’ experience.” Roman huffed, crossing his arms and trying to ignore the pit in his stomach.

“Well then tell me what I can do to make it great. Tell me how I can be better. I want you to be happy here, Roman. I...I want you to like me.” Virgil admitted, looking away.

“I know!” Roman snapped, channeling all his confusing emotions into anger as he watched Virgil mope. This, at least, felt familiar. “I know you do, I get it, you’re one of the rare humans who actually cares about what I think, but you still don’t care about anything that matters! I don’t care who it’s with, I don’t want to be caged!”

Roman grabbed at the tag of his collar, frustrated tears coming to his eyes. “I don’t want to be collared! I don’t want to be owned! I’m my own person with my own life and I’m sick and tired of humans making my decisions for me for your own selfish wants.”

Virgil flinched back, looking back at Roman with wide eyes. He felt his heart beat fast as he furrowed his eyebrows and took in everything that Roman said. His words struck a chord in him and Virgil realized that...maybe he had known all along? And he had just ignored it?

Virgil didn’t know what was worse.

“Roman...I…” His voice trailed off. He had no idea what to say to something like that. “I...didn’t know…” Virgil winced. Yeah, that was the absolute wrong thing to say.

“Stop it.” Roman scowled, gesturing wildly to all of Virgil. “Stop...that. Why are you sulking? Stop playing around. I know you must be absolutely furious with me, so- so stop playing the victim and just get mad already.”

Now Virgil was even more confused. “Roman...I’m not mad. I won’t lie and say I’m not upset but-but…” Virgil’s eyes widened as he seemed to realize what Roman was thinking. “Roman, I’m not going to punish you.”

“What?” Roman squinted, his heart still racing and his stomach still feeling like a rock. What was happening? Roman didn’t understand why he was feeling all these conflicting emotions, and it only made him more frustrated. Despite not wanting to be punished, Roman couldn’t help but press further. “Why not? Why am I… why’d you take me back, then?”

Virgil sighed. “Because I really do want you Roman. I want you to have a good life and I don’t trust anyone else to give it to you. What? Even after everything I said before, you still thought I wouldn’t come back for you?”

Roman took a shuddering breath, cautiously wrapping his arms around his meager frame. “I… I mean, you would have said anything to calm me down. I haven’t known you for long, and I myself was lying about running. I had no reason to trust you, and it’s easy to make those claims. It’s another thing to actually act on them.”

“I...I guess you do have a good point.” Virgil furrowed his brows again, deep in thought. “I suppose we...did just meet each other, huh? And, I’ve been acting like all this is normal and everything when it really isn’t…” Virgil let out a long sigh.

“Wait, like what’s all normal?” Roman’s face scrunched up in confusion.

“This. You, being here. Living here. Being...trapped here.” Virgil looked down and shifted in his seat. “Having to act like someone you aren’t and hide your feelings because you’re scared something will happen to you…” He was starting to understand where Roman was coming from.

Roman froze, so caught off guard that he could only utter a single word. “...what?”

Virgil looked at Roman sadly. “You’re right. You didn’t know me before you were forced to live here. Just like with all your other...owners. You’ve been forced to listen to me because I’m so much bigger than you and the world we live in deemed you...deemed you as pets.” He looked Roman over, his eyes catching the collar around Roman’s neck and he barked out a humorless laugh. “I even collared you...like some animal…”

“Yes?” Roman glanced down at the collar, before raising an eyebrow at Virgil. Had the human gone mad? He seemed to be teetering on the edge of hysterical. “Are you gloating or something?”

Virgil shook his head. “No...just having a mental breakdown, but it’s fine. I think I needed this.” He took in a deep breath. “Roman...do you want me to take the collar off of you?” He offered.

“Why?” Roman asked, looking the human up and down with a wary eye. For one, Roman was still concerned for Virgil’s mental state. But for another, Roman didn’t particularly like the idea of being taunted with freedom when he knew the collar would just come back on.

Virgil bit his lip, knowing Roman was still wary. Which, he had good reason to be. Virgil couldn’t blame him. He was suddenly struck with an earlier memory and well...it had worked that time. Maybe it would here too. “Because I’m going to burn it.”

#pet perspective #perspective series #human!virgil #human!patton #borrower!logan #borrower!roman #part 12

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thetypedwriter · 4 years

Text

Chain of Gold Book Review

Chain of Gold Book Review by Cassandra Clare

I know what you’re thinking.

Oh. My. God. Another one?

How can she possibly be cranking out these 5,000 long page novels year after year after year?

I think the exact same thing and yet….

I still read them. Every single one. Well, except for some of the companions, guides, and novellas that accompany them because come on nobody has that much free time. And we don’t talk about the show Shadowhunters that Freeform monstrously created. Ever.

Except for Cassandra Clare maybe, since, you know, she wrote them. Or co-wrote them. Or kinda wrote them. Whatever, the true authorship isn’t important here.

What is important, however, is that there is a new Shadowhunter series on the horizon and THAT IT IS NOT TY AND KIT. I REPEAT. This new massive compendium is not the next installment of the Dark Artifices. Instead, it is an entirely new-but-not-new-Cassandra-Clare style book for the newly developed The Last Hours series in which no one asked for nor expected.

You might be asking yourself: do I need to have read the other 76 books in order to understand this one? Cassandra Clare and others will have you believe no. They’ll say, “Nahhhh, don’t stress, it’s a new cast of characters!”

They are dead wrong.

I mean, I guess you plausibly could but you would be horribly confused and befuddled for the entire sequence. I was largely confused and befuddled for the entire sequence and I have read most of the other 76 books-which, is a joke, of course, except not really, since the current canon world spans 14 main books across multiple timelines (all of which are the opposite of miniature by the way) and at least five companion novels and counting that are more important than they let on.

It is extremely, extremely daunting for new readers.

That being said, as we are all stuck at home quarantined due to coronavirus, you probably have a lot of time on you. Just gonna say that Amazon and Barnes & Noble deliver, folks, jump on it. E-books also exist if you do not have room to house these monstrosities, a problem I do not blame you for.

Now that all of that is out of the way, what is this new book about and how did I feel about it?

Well. To start, this new series takes place in the late 19th century in London, a setting we’ve seen before in The Infernal Devices, the first of the canon spinoff series.

This new series mainly tells the story of the children from the first spinoff, with highlights on Tessa, Will, and Jem. As most of Clare’s books, this one also has alternating POV’s. This particular installment switches mainly between Cordelia Carstairs, James Herondale and Lucie Herondale with little snatches of others in between.

To make this overly large series very, very simplified and contained, here is my plot summary:

Girl moves to London. Girl is in love with her best friend’s brother (a little cliche, but okay, Clare). Brother is a special little nugget that can see the demon world because his mother is a warlock (cue Infernal Devices here). His sister, the other special nugget and said best friend from above, can talk to ghosts, but not only that, she can also command them. The applause sound goes here.

There are demon uprisings. Some shadowhunters get poisoned while everyone runs around incompetently trying to find a cure, but don’t worry it’s none of the main characters so you don’t really care. The brother special nugget from above is also pretend in love with a girl with a very dark home life that reeks of manipulation (cough cough obviously the bracelet is bewitched in some way) and is somehow enchanting him to do her bidding, but is really in love with the new girl that’s in love with him. Gasp.

Special nugget also has a best friend that is most likely a bisexual alcoholic and the girl who moved to London has a drunkard father who’s currently in prison and a brother who was previously a bully becasue he was gay (amongst other reasons) and is not as much of an asshole, but is still an asshole. Unrequited love is also strewn about handomsely.

Yup. That about sums it up.

If you’re confused, then that’s okay, as the book is confusing.

Plot aside, this book was enjoyable to me for one main reason: it’s a shadowhunter book. Despite all the jokes I’m making on its behalf, I do love the series. It’s expansive and interesting and angsty and romantic and most of the characters and action and plot twists are really incredibly good.

Truly.

However, this book, for me personally, was more on the burdensome side of the Sahdowhunter lore rather than the uplifting one that added to it, even if I did buy it the first day it came out.

Clare throws so many characters at you in this first installment that it’s actually impossible to keep track, primarily because no one other than the true main characters are ever clearly defined or characterized or shown significance in any way and also because THEY ARE ALL DAMN RELATED IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER AND BECAUSE THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME FUCKING NAMES.

I’m not even kidding. How Clare got to her original series and The Dark Artifices series without having incest galore is a miracle to me. The same people in the same families fall in love every damn time that at this point they all have to be interconnected Slytherin pure-blood style.

We didn’t need a sickly sweet epilogue of Tessa and Will’s wedding day at the end of the book. We needed a well drawn out and thoughtfully labeled shadowhunter family tree in full color because this shit was so confusing.

This was a big turn-off for me. It was almost as if Clare was suffering under the expansiveness of the world she had built, which is why the book was over 600 pages when it really could have easily been half. The last 90 pages read as an annoying epilogue that should have been twenty at most but just kept going and going and going like a Geico commercial.

She has so many characters with so many names and so many little tidbits about them that it was actually alarming. I get it if Clare knows who everyone is, that’s great. She’s the author. The point is, however, is not so that the author understands, but the readers do too. I can say with 100% certainty that no one understood who everyone was unless they study the main series every night before they go to bed, which is largely impossible.

In addition, this particular story is just...fine. It’s fine. It’s not the best of Clare’s work (Dark Artifices, baby!) or the worst (I don’t know...maybe Red Scrolls of Magic) but it gets the job done. I don't hate the characters like I have some others of Clare’s creations, but I don’t love them either.

James seems to be like every other male character that Clare has ever created, Cordelia seems...okay. Lucie is rather annoying, as is Grace and her mother Tatiana, who are so evil it’s stupid. Thomas and Christopher don’t matter in the slightest and neither do the parents, which is a shame considering they were the main cast in Infernal Devices. Jesse was...alright.

Honestly, the best characters in my opinion were Matthew Fairchild and Anna Lightwood. I would have loved a saucy, dramatic Oscar Wilde inspired entourage where they were painting the town red and smashing stereotypes all over the place.

But no. We get the main love story of James and Cordelia, the new girl and the best friend’s brother. Which has never been done of course. Super unique idea.

Cue eye roll.

In the end, odds are, if you are going to read Chain of Gold, you were going to read it to begin with because you’re a Shadowhunter fan like me and you’ll gobble up anything Cassandra Clare throws at you, whether good or bad. If you’re interested in picking up a book, this is not the book to start.

If you want a super long, mostly tantalizing read that will take over your life for the next few months then I recommend starting with the OG City of Bones and painstakingly making your way from there. You’ll most likely not regret it, even if your bank account and your heart will be crying by the end.

Recommendation: Shadowhunter fans unite! Chain of Gold is out and ready to be devoured! Everyone else, either stand back or pick up a book and get reading because this book is on a train that will keep chugging and chugging forever.

Score: 6.5/10

#chain of gold #shadowhunters #cassandra clare #the mortal instruments #book blog #books #book review #Book Recommendations #ya fiction #YA Books #ya book rec #jem carstairs #will herondale #the last hours #book series

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marchivists · 4 years

Text

not the place to fall in love: chapter one

read on ao3! [i didn’t format anything below the “keep reading”, so it’ll probably be easier to read on ao3]

Iwaizumi was stuck, perhaps perpetually, on level fifteen of Candy Crush.

Once, as a child, he’d dedicated an entire afternoon to climbing an unclimbable tree in his backyard. He’d grown quite a bit since then and a lot had changed, but the addicting taste of chasing a difficult victory bubbled in his stomach now just as it had under that tall tree so many years ago. The stakes were higher than they probably seemed from the outside; Iwaizumi’s honor waited at the finish line and his pride danced around the colorful screen, following his finger as it swiped left and right, up and down.

He’d had an audience that afternoon by the tree and he had the same one now. Oikawa leaned against Iwaizumi’s side, head resting on his shoulder. He seemed to understand how much rode on Iwaizumi’s performance; he oohed and aahed over each move, offering words of encouragement and advice which Iwaizumi would rather have done without.

Though Iwaizumi didn’t realize it in any way that he could express with words, a bubble of sorts had formed around the pair, as it often did when they were together. Passerbys skirted around it without consciously deciding to do so, as if they too understood on some unspeakable level that Oikawa and Iwaizumi, or more accurately, OikawaandIwaizumi, lived slightly apart from everyone else. Outside the borders of the bubble, the airport waiting area produced airport noises. Hidden speakers made booming announcements, feet clicked and clacked towards unknown destinations, babies voiced their dislike for the whole business of airports, and adults coughed and sniffed as they waited for time to pass and flights to arrive. Oikawa and Iwaizumi had claimed a corner of the airport waiting area, opting to relax picnic-style on the floor instead of in two of the many empty chairs nearby.

Iwaizumi made one final swipe before slumping against the wall in despair. You failed! flashed across his phone in bright colors.

“Ah well,” Oikawa sighed, giving Iwaizumi two pats on the shoulder. He slunk down too, crossing his legs and resting folded hands on his lap. “I’m pretty sure only old people are good at that game anyway.”

Iwaizumi glared. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“No, no. Just an observation. I can try again though if consolation is what you’re looking for.”

“Go for it.”

“Gimme a minute,” Oikawa looked up at the ceiling as though his thoughts were stuck to the plaster. “Alright. I’m pretty sure old people are terrible at Candy Crush.”

“I think you’re missing the point.”

“On the contrary, I’ve found the point. See, I’ve always suspected my Iwa-chan was secretly a grumpy old man in disguise,” he sighed dismissively, as though the thought was almost too disheartening to address. “I just wish you would have told me beforehand. Your tickets would have been so much cheaper.”

“I think sitting here has made you stupider than usual.” Iwaizumi elbowed his setter, and, ignoring Oikawa’s protests at being treated so unfairly, moved to put his phone in his pocket. He hoped the turn of his shoulder was enough to hide his blush at being called “my Iwa-chan,” or that, at the very least, Oikawa had lost at least fifty percent of his perceptive abilities after being trapped in an airport with no stimulation for so long.

Iwaizumi had always loved airports. They were big, loud, and full of hope and potential: the kind of place that, as a kid, you’d long to sprint through at full speed without consequences.

Oikawa had always hated them. Iwaizumi could see that hatred now that neither of them were distracted. It bled from the way Oikawa scanned the crowd of unfamiliar faces around them, the way his rigid shoulders and stone-statue-posture screamed I am untouchable. It was obviously convincing, as anyone searching for spaces to camp out on the floor scurried elsewhere when their eyes reached Oikawa’s proud, rigid form. The fear and hatred made Iwaizumi want to grab Oikawa’s hand, but for the moment he wasn’t sure if the untouchable part applied to best friends or not.

He checked his watch. They had an hour or so before their flight would be ready to board. Despite his aversion to the place, Oikawa had insisted on arriving unnaturally early, and Iwaizumi had complied with minimal complaint.

Oikawa mirrored Iwaizumi and glanced at his own watch. “Do you think we’ll be late?”

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. “Only if it takes us an hour to walk ten meters.”

Oikawa huffed. Iwaizumi took out his phone again.

For the next fifteen minutes, their bubble was uncharacteristically quiet. Iwaizumi resisted the urge to perform a victory dance after reaching level sixteen. An incoming text momentarily stopped him from lining up five purple gummies.

From: you know who it is

iwa-chan~~

Iwaizumi swiped the notification away and watched with satisfaction as the five gummies disappeared. Level seventeen.

From: you know who it is

i can see ur phone from here :3 congrats on leveling up, old man iwa-chan

Iwaizumi flipped Oikawa off without taking his eyes from his screen, missing the strained smile he received in return. There was more silence. Level eighteen, then one more. Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two. He reached level thirty before receiving another text.

From: you know who it is

you know, there’s an 86% chance we’ll both die if the plane crashes

That got his attention. He turned to look at Oikawa, who sat scrolling through his phone, expression casual and bored, as though he’d run out of things to like on Instagram and was most definitely not worrying about dying in a plane crash.

Iwaizumi had prepared for this moment. Oikawa’s anxiety was a vigilant companion; it never took a day off and spent most of its time searching for something new to latch onto which it could then suck the rationality and safety out of. In the past, it had made the setter afraid of coughing fits, books with an odd number of pages, eating out in public places, opened drawers, and rooms with too many people in them. Comparatively, flying was an easy thing to demonize. To ward off any excess fear, Iwaizumi had scoured over research and data on plane safety, committing them to memory in case they were needed. He’d tried to put himself in Oikawa’s shoes, tried to image how anxiety would twist the safety of air travel into something horrible. He had imagined dramatic explosions, smoke pouring out of engines and catching flame. He had armed himself with information contradicting these imaginings, just in case Oikawa needed it. He opened his mouth to say something about how their chances of dying were one in seven million when his phone, practically forgotten in his hands, dinged again.

From: you know who it is

maybe we should go home. lol

Iwaizumi put his phone away. He scooted away from the wall until they sat close together, knees touching. He poked the setter’s leg. “Oikawa.”

Oikawa continued staring down at his phone.

Iwaizumi sighed. “Tell me the stats for getting into your school. For getting into the volleyball program there.”

Oikawa shrugged dismissively, like someone who hates bragging but can’t tell the truth without unwittingly doing so. The movement made Iwaizumi want to headbutt him.

“Only three percent of the applicants get in, remember? Three percent.”

“I know that.”

“Then tell me, why should we go home when our chances of dying are dozens of decimal points below that percentage?”

Oikawa looked up and his eyes were wide with questions he probably didn’t want answered.

Aren’t you scared, too? Yes, Iwaizumi wanted to respond, but not of the same things you are.

What if they just send me back? What’s the point?

Iwaizumi’s own eyes were impenetrable and knowing. He stared back, hoping he managed to get his own silent message across. You are amazing. You deserve this chance.

A few long seconds passed before Oikawa broke their staring contest, eyes jumping over stranger’s faces, presumably to see if anyone had noticed his sudden break in character. “I suppose I can endure the devastatingly long flight. Even though it will be practically unbearable sitting next to a brute like yourself.”

“Good.” Iwaizumi cleared his throat and moved back to his original spot. He looked Oikawa over, relaxing at the way his posture was no longer screaming as much as it was talking. The setter waved to a baby sitting with its mother a few feet away and earned tiny smiles from both parties in return, mother and child hopelessly charmed by his easy smile and fluid movements.

Iwaizumi was charmed, too, and had always been. He was amazed by Oikawa’s ability to quickly recover from anything, to go from scrambling to find purchase in reality to storming forward with quick, confident steps. For the second time that day Iwaizumi felt the urge to take his hand.

He stopped himself, running his hand through his hair to chase the feeling away. He’d sworn to himself, and to Hanamaki and Matsukawa, that he would not come back to Japan without confessing someway, somehow. A crowded airport didn’t seem like the proper place and right before a fifteen-hour flight didn’t seem like the right time.

He didn’t expect the feelings to be reciprocated. They’d been best friends for so long that it almost felt impossible to make the trek from platonic intimacy to the romantic kinds without falling off the edge somewhere in-between. Besides, Oikawa had received so many confessions from so many people, each much better than Iwaizumi in every respect. And he had rejected each one with a sad, polite smile and a few empathetic words of kindness. It’s the moments after that Iwaizumi feared the most, the switch from being someone Oikawa didn’t have to handle with intentional delicacy to someone on the receiving end of pity and a false smile. The gap the truth might create between them, the spacing out of OikawaandIwaizumi, made him want to run home and crawl between the sheets of his bed and never come out again. But, Iwaizumi Hajime hated cowards and liars more than most anything and he had felt like both for far too long. In a way, he imagined spilling his feelings would work like a sort of redemption. He could reclaim his dignity, live without fear, and push Oikawa Tooru away forever. He hoped to minimize the force and longevity of the last part with distance and time; perhaps, with thousands of miles between them, Iwaizumi could move on or Oikawa could learn to live and forget and things would return to normal. Maybe. Hopefully. Whatever the outcome, Iwaizumi would not let Oikawa go without telling him everything. As long as he didn’t have to sit next to his rejector for fifteen miserable hours, everything would be fine. Probably.

Minutes ticked by in comfortable silence and Iwaizumi reached level thirty-one. Oikawa stood, stretched, and announced his decision to mark the momentous occasion with a trip to the bathroom.

Iwaizumi slid a red jellybean to the right. “I’ll watch our stuff.”

“No, no,” Oikawa hummed, pulling Iwaizumi’s phone from his hands and putting it in the pocket of his jeans. “You have to come with me, Iwa-chan. It’s boring doing it alone.”

“Do you think you could sound more perverted if you tried?”

Oikawa stuck out his tongue. “So immature,” he held out a hand to pull Iwaizumi up and dragged him over to the woman with the baby. “Excuse me, do you mind watching our stuff for a moment?”

The woman assured them she could and the baby babbled pleasantly in agreement.

For reasons only his heart could explain, Iwaizumi allowed himself to be pulled across the airport into the bathroom. He only half listened to Oikawa’s chatter as they went, hearing bits and pieces about the memes Hanamaki kept sending him, and doesn’t that lady right there look ridiculous in those clown shoes? Iwaizumi focused most of his attention on the firm warmth of Oikawa’s hand in his own, the way stranger’s eyes glanced over them and flashed with assumptions Iwaizumi could only wish were true. And then, too suddenly for Iwaizumi to keep up with, Oikawa stopped moving.

Iwaizumi collided into him with a grunt. He moved to get a good look at Oikawa’s face, scold and insult primed on the tip of his tongue, just to balk at the painful grimace he found there. He followed Oikawa’s shell-shocked gaze to see Ushijima Wakatoshi standing in front of one of the urinals, doing what one does in a bathroom. His gaze was firmly settled downwards and their entranced hadn’t seemed to break his concentration. Iwaizumi blinked a few times to prove his eyes were really seeing what they said they were before turning to try to share a silent conversation with Oikawa, to ask what the hell? and set up a game plan.

Should they confront him, tease the shit out of him (no pun intended)? Should they walk out and go about their day, knowing that, at any moment, they could run into the second most repulsive person on the planet? Should they pull down his pants and leave him stranded, alone in the bright white airport bathroom? But Oikawa was staring at Ushijima and seemed too busy having a silent conversation with himself to worry about Iwaizumi.

The next few seconds moved like solidified grease making its way into the trash: very slowly, with moments of gag inducing repulsion and general disgust. Finally, Ushijima zipped up his pants. Oikawa tensed, squeezing Iwaizumi’s wrist. He was trying to communicate something, surely, but Iwaizumi wasn’t given enough time to decipher the message before Oikawa flew into action, turning around sharply. Iwaizumi stumbled over his feet, shoes squeaking as Oikawa practically pulled him out of the door. Oikawa flipped the light switch just as they hit the exit and the bathroom flooded with black.

“Holy shit,” Iwaizumi hissed as the door closed behind him, leaving Ushijima trapped in the dark.

Oikawa continued to pull him forward, heading in the direction of their belongings. His voice was hoarse with nerves and conspiracy. “What the fuck, Iwa-chan?”

There had existed an unspoken truth between them that the airport represented a doorway to another universe. When they’d bought their plane tickets and printed boarding passes, they’d solidified the plan to leave their old world behind in favor of something new and unknown. When they’d stepped foot in the airport, they’d left the past waiting at the doorway. And when they finally boarded the plane, the world they’d shared together for so long would disappear like leaves scattering in the wind. Despite the existence of this truth, a piece of their past seemed to have crossed the threshold with them. And it was not a piece either of them would have chosen to pack in their carry-ons.

They arrived back at their luggage in record time. Oikawa sat up their suitcases, forming a barrier between them and the rest of the airport. He squatted behind it, only the top of his head visible as he scanned the waiting area. Iwaizumi joined him just as Ushijima walked out of the bathroom.

“He’s hideous,” Oikawa whispered. Iwaizumi nodded in agreement. They watched with horror as Ushijima made his way towards them, closer and closer to the bubble they’d created.

“Holy shit,” Oikawa wheezed. The shocking boyish-ness of the sound pulled all the dramatic tension from the air. Oikawa’s eyes shone with delight and repulsion. “Iwa-chan, oh my god. Look, look! He’s wearing crocs.”

Iwaizumi looked and saw that it was so. The shoes, bright purple, looked out of place in the stainless-steel backdrop of the airport.

“Holy shit,” Iwaizumi breathed. Oikawa couldn’t, or wouldn’t, stop wheezing, and Iwaizumi felt compelled to cover the setter’s mouth with his hands as Ushijima sat in a seat only feet away from their hiding spot. Iwaizumi stared at Oikawa and Oikawa, trapped in place behind Iwaizumi’s hands, was forced to stare back.

“What do we do?” Iwaizumi whispered. Oikawa shrugged. “He��s right there.”

Oikawa made some muffled attempts at forming words behind Iwaizumi’s hand before Iwaizumi set him free. “We could go get some plastic knives from the cafeteria. There are plenty of places to hide a body in an airport. Probably.”

“You’re a really shitty guy, you know that right?,” Iwaizumi chastised, voice slipping from a whisper back to it’s normal volume. Oikawa, returning the favor from earlier, used both hands to cover Iwaizumi’s mouth with a loud shush! Iwaizumi licked them in retaliation. Oikawa screeched as he pulled his hands back to furiously wipe them on his pants.

The arrival of a third party popped the bubble. Ushijima’s form towered over them. “Oikawa.”

Iwaizumi and Oikawa shared a look. Yikes.

“Ushiwaka-chan,” Oikawa replied, voice cool and detached. Teenage, boyish, silly Oikawa had waved sayonara and disappeared in half a second, leaving confident, collected, not-a-genius Oikawa in his place. He did not dignify Ushijima’s arrival by getting up, but instead fell back on his hands and looked up, like a beachgoer relaxing in the sand and staring with distaste at the hot sky above. He waited in silence, inviting Ushijima to continue.

Ushijima looked between the pair for a moment before clearing his throat. “I would refrain from using the restroom. The lights do not work.”

“Or maybe you just really suck at going to the bathroom,” Oikawa sneered, voice laced with so much poison it almost seemed as though he was wielding a dagger instead of a flimsy, pitiful excuse of an insult.

Ushijima stared. “I don’t think that is the case.”

For another long, uncomfortable eternity, the three shared the same air in dumb silence. To Iwaizumi, it seemed like Oikawa was drawing Ushijima into a silent dueling match and was waiting for his opponent to make the next move. It also seemed like Ushijima had no clue he was a participant in any kind of match, nor that there was a need to host one in the first place. When enough time had passed for Iwaizumi’s legs to start cramping, Ushijima nodded a sudden goodbye and left.

The pair sat in stunned quiet for a moment before Iwaizumi looked Oikawa over and rolled his eyes. “Real smooth, captain.”

Oikawa sucked in a breath of fast, disapproving air. “I pity the person,” he started, standing up and offering Iwaizumi his hand. His posture screamed I am a weapon. Do not touch. “who has to sit next to that on a plane.”

Iwaizumi grabbed Oikawa’s hand without question. “And you thought you had it rough sitting next to me.”

#just remembered i never posted this. adlksfj #iwaoi #ushiiwaoi #haikyuu!!#oikawa #iwaizumi #ushijima #hq!!#mine #mads fics

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myngxy-sue · 4 years

Text

Heartbreak Hurts Like Hell

I was originally going to write about Sue’s envy finally giving her the motivation to confess to Lucifer but I got so caught up with what happened beforehand that I dedicated almost three days of my life writing this. Pairings: Mammon X Yuki, Lucifer X Sue maybe Word count: 3772 words Genre: Angst, hurt, comfort Warnings: Probably OOC and my character gets slightly injured. There’s also some cursing in it. The ending is probably rushed too.

She wrote him a love note once. It wasn’t anything special. She couldn’t think of a better way to express her love for him. Perhaps it was a bit too long. Sue had a horrible habit of getting wordy when it came to her writing. But it was from the heart and she dedicated all her time and effort into writing it. She stuffed the note into her purse, assuring herself that she’d give it to Mammon when she got the chance.

Well, chances came and went, the note was forgotten about and it wasn’t until Yuki confessed to Mammon that she remembered. But it was too late. Mammon and Yuki were together.

It was a pretty generic confession, like one straight out of an anime. Their meeting place was under a cherry blossom tree of sorts. Sue happened to be there as well because she had a still life assignment for art class. Yuki had been there for quite a while, leaning on the tree, walking around it a few times and sitting right next to it, waiting. Sue had half a mind to ask what she was waiting for but she decided against it. Yuki didn’t seem to be aware that she was there too.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps, the sound of someone’s feet cutting through the grass as they ran. Sue peeped to see who it was and her heart stopped. Mammon stumbled before Yuki, scratching his head and wearing a sheepish grin on his face.Yuki helped him up.

Sue got a cold, clenching feeling inside her, somewhere between her chest and her gut. Something told her that she knew what was about to go down. She absentmindedly placed a hand on her purse, watching everything unfold.

Yuki looks down at her feet, a strong blush fading on her cheeks. She fumbled with a skirt before taking a letter out of her pocket, a pink letter bound with a red heart sticker. Sue wanted to turn away. Lord knows she desperately wanted to turn away. But she couldn’t. It was like watching a car accident take place.

Mammon’s face went blank as he eyed the letter. He takes it and promptly shoves it into an inner pocket with a smile, probably planning to show it off. They exchanged some words with each other, Yuki looking ecstatic and Mammon blushing. Then he took her in his arms and planted a kiss on her forehead.

Finally, Sue had enough.

She gathered all her things, stood up almost instantly and bolted to the school building. The clenching feeling began paining her. She tried to prevent the hot tears from accumulating but to no avail. Sue didn’t want anyone to see how hurt she was. They’d start pestering her with questions she didn’t want to answer. She slipped into class and hastily as possible and went over to her seat.

Putting all her supplies inside her desk, she rests her head down on the surface, using her arms both as support and as cover. Everyone assumed she was sleeping when she was really crying. This was all thanks to her habit of taking quick naps during school hours, particularly during breaks. She made sure to stay as still as possible and regulate her breathing.

She couldn’t believe it at first. Even if she knew all the signs, she refused to accept it at first. Yuki was a very outgoing girl despite what she tried to affirm. It was only a matter of time before she decided to make her confession. Her anxiety was never as bad as Sue’s, perhaps because she didn’t have a voice in her head constantly demeaning her. Mammon favored Yuki since she was the first between the both of them to make a pact with him.

But she didn’t get why he was only drawn to Yuki. Sue made a pact with him too and through less dubious means. She should be the one he clinged to. Leviathan forced Yuki to make a pact with Mammon for his own benefit. It didn’t make any sense.

Yuki wasn’t all that great. She was much too nosy and reckless for her own good, constantly getting herself into trouble. Sue had to save her countless times, especially from Lucifer. Yuki was childish. She cried about every little thing, she was a bit selfish, lazy, indecisive, irresponsible and maybe even stupid. Yuki was nothing but a burden.

At the same time though, Yuki was so sweet as well. Even if she was nosy, it was only because she wanted to do what she believed was right. No matter how cruel the brothers were to her, Yuki was always kind to them and believed they had some goodness to them. She was the only person who was never mean to Mammon.

Of course Mammon loved Yuki. Even with all her shortcomings, she was still better than Sue in many ways. Sue couldn’t really think about anything meaningful she had to offer. That was probably why everyone except Lucifer prefered Yuki. She was the fun, loving one. Sue was the boring mom friend.

Sue felt guilty for trying to rationalize why her friend was a bad choice. She should be happy for Yuki. She remembered all those late nights when she listened to Yuki swooning about her dream boy. Yuki saw that in Mammon so she should be glad. But no matter how hard she tried, Sue was never fully content for her friend. Her feelings for Mammon were still so strong.

Ugh, why does stuff like love and feelings have to be so difficult?

“Oi, oi! Sue-chan! Wake up!” A high-pitched voice bubbled as the owner shook Sue. “You’re not supposed to be sleeping during the day!”

Sue let out an exasperated sigh. She knew it was Yuki, not that it was hard to tell who she was to begin with. Yuki stood out for better or for worse. Reluctantly, Sue sat up, wiping her eyes in a groggy way so her friend wouldn’t suspect a thing.

“But it’s break time…” Sue grumbled.

“But Lucifer-san got mad at you for sleeping in school!” Yuki pouted, putting her hands on her hips.

“Weren’t you listening?” Sue began cleaning her glasses. They got smudged against her skin. “He was mad because I was sleeping during class. Otherwise, Lucifer has no problem with me sleeping in school.”

“Oh really?”

“Really.”

Yuki took a closer look at Sue, narrowing her eyes. Sue put back on her glasses with a straight face. Deep down, her guilt was reaching its zenith. Someone so pleasant didn’t deserve her wrath, even if it was all internal.

“Why did you wake me up anyways?” Sue huffed, acting like she didn’t see the confession.

Yuki pulled away quickly, instantly becoming bright eyed. “Oh Sue-chan, it was like a dream come true! I confessed to Mam-kun under the sakura tree and he accepted my feelings!”

And grass is green and the sky is blue! I bet you want to tell me that people die when they are killed too!

That was a stupid thought to have. Sue tapped herself on the head lightly. Yuki didn’t know she saw a good chunk of the confession. Sue knew that very well. This heartbreak was making her act weird.

“That is the sappiest thing I’ve ever heard,” Sue smiled weakly.

“But it was so magical!” Yuki swooned, spinning herself around like some sort of princess. “If you had a boyfriend, you’d understand!”

Sue felt like she got stabbed in the heart. She shouldn’t be getting so hurt over Yuki’s words but they hit a nerve. The bitter part of her was telling her that Yuki knew what was going on and she was intentionally trying to hurt her. But Sue’s rational side reminded her that even if Yuki knew, she wouldn’t be so spiteful about it. She just wanted to scream so badly.

“Why don’t you have a boyfriend, Sue-chan?” Yuki said suddenly.

Sue was taken aback. “Why would you ask something like that?”

Yuki shrugged playfully. “I just think you should’ve had a boyfriend by now. After all, you’re eighteen.”

“I don’t know…” Sue groaned. “I don’t know anyone out there who likes me…”

“There has to be someone out there!” Yuki asserted. “There’s always someone for everyone. It’s like the saying from your country: Every…. Umm.... Every… Well… It has something to do with bread.”

“Every bread have a cheese?”

Yuki snapped her fingers. “That’s it!”

Sue chuckled softly, secretly wishing that the ground would consume her already.

“Don’t worry, Sue-chan! I will find the right man for you!” Yuki declared.

Sue gawped at Yuki before smiling and snickering, “Good luck with that.”

Yuki affirmed that she could do it before stomping off ambitiously. Sue sighed once more before putting her head down again. Now she had to deal with getting over Mammon and Yuki’s quest to match her with someone. Two things too many. And once the bell rang, Sue was going to have math with the worst teacher ever. Sue placed her hand on her purse again.

“Well, so much for that…” Sue thought to herself.

It went on like that until school finally finished for the day. To Sue, the day felt longer than usual. She was so desperate that she didn’t even wait for the bell. But she managed to control herself. The last thing she needed to do was piss off Lucifer.

During the walk home, Sue abruptly had an idea. She had read Little Women very recently. There were many parts of it that stuck to her. But since she wanted to dispose of her love note, the moment she thought about very much had something to do with destroying paper. She remembered when Amy burned Jo’s writing.

Of course, fire was the best way to get rid of almost anything. Paper wasn’t safe. The flames would reduce everything to ashes. All of her regrets, unrequited feelings and all would become nothing. If she played her cards wisely, it’d be like the note never existed to begin with.

She knew at once that burning the note would be the first thing she did once she returned to the House of Lamentation.

As she walked home, Sue thought about how glad she was that never bothered to give Mammon the note. She was proud that she was too shy for her own good. She had the feeling that even if she did beat Yuki to the confessing, Mammon would probably reject her. He needed someone who loved him wholly, someone who didn’t make him feel like trash. That someone, as hard as it was for Sue to admit, was Yuki.

If she saw Yuki and Mammon together, she’d turn a blind eye. She’d have to stop looking at Mammon with rose-colored lenses. He was a demon and whatever trouble he got into affected everyone to boot. Even Sue was annoyed at how Mammon would constantly get into the same problem over and over again. That and his arrogance was quite annoying.

Damn it…

Even with all that in mind, Sue’s love for Mammon was still great. She could only hope that this wouldn’t last for so long.

The walk home went without a hitch if one ignored the fact she fell into an open drain. Her ankle hurt like a bitch. In the heat of the moment, she almost used her pact to summon Mammon. Seeing him for the rest of the day was the last thing she wanted. She couldn’t summon anyone else. Making a pact with Mammon alone was a dumb idea. Well, she supposed that her ankle wasn’t that badly hurt.

Shit…

Sue rubbed her ankle once she managed to climb out. Lucifer would notice. She could pretend to her heart’s content, but he had a way of knowing. Her heart stopped. He had a way of knowing. Sue began to worry about how much he knew about her.

He probably knew about the note already. They were in the same room when she wrote it. Lucifer may have taken some cursory glances while he was working. He might’ve known that she was pretending to sleep when she was really crying. Once Lucifer even knew she had a cold before she even came to the realization. But maybe she was just over thinking. Sure, Lucifer knew many things but not everything. And what business did he have with unrequited love anyways? In all likelihood, he wouldn’t care. Lucifer had six oversized babies to look after, two humans to protect as well as copious amounts of work from Diavolo. Even if he knew, he didn’t have the time and energy to care.

Sue limped the rest of the way home, grateful that she didn’t bump into anyone she knew. She stopped at the front door. Maybe she could hide the ankle problem. It wasn’t like she didn’t try to walk normally when she hurt her foot before.

She entered.

The entrance hall was empty, much to her delight, and the fireplace was right in front of her. Sue stumbled into the living room. She didn’t even bother to check if anyone was in there.

“You’re late,” A voice said sternly.

“You didn’t even have any of my brothers accompany you,” Lucifer added as he stood up. He walked over to Sue. “Care to explain yourself?”

“Even you can be troublesome…” Lucifer mumbled under his breath. He stared at her bad leg, almost cradling it in his hands. Sue didn’t know why but it was oddly comforting. It wouldn’t awaken anything within her, right?

“I fell into a drain,” Sue admitted.

Lucifer remarked, “You know you should watch your step.”

“I guess…”

“I am going to grab a few things for your ankle. I want you to stay in this exact spot. Don’t even think about getting up.”

She eyed her feet as she listened to Lucifer walking off. The sight of the swollen ankle made her cringe. Regardless, she took off her shoe and her sock to get a better look at it. It was a lot worse than she was expecting. The skin was mostly reddish with some bits of purple here and there. Sue grumbled. If she hadn’t been so caught up on the note, she would’ve watched her step.

Oh yeah, the note…

Sue pulled it out of her purse. It was folded pretty delicately. If only she could fold other things just as nicely, she thought. She opened it. Only one word in and she already couldn’t take it. She had put so much effort into it. That was one of the reasons she hated it so much. But mainly, it reminded her of the feelings she was now ashamed of. Feelings she wished that she could just get rid of on a whim. Why couldn’t it just be simple like that?

Lucifer may have told her to stay still, but she had to do what she was about to do. Sue got up, the pain from her ankle shooting up to the rest of her body. Jesus Christ, she was in pain! But she ignored it. Crumbling the note in her hands, Sue staggered over to the fireplace. The heat was quite welcoming.

She looked at the crumpled piece of paper before quite casually tossing it into the fire. Falling down to her knees, Sue watched as it was slowly consumed by the flames. A strange sense of melancholy took over. At the same time, she was strangely ecstatic. She couldn’t look away even after the note turned into ashes.

“You cannot be serious!” Lucifer exclaimed.

Sue chuckled softly as the demon paced over to her. He hoisted her up and carried her back to the chair, plopping her down on it. Lucifer gawped at her, holding her face up by the chin so she wouldn’t look away.

“I thought I’d just be able to ignore this but you've been acting strange since break,” Lucifer said. “What’s the meaning of all this?”

“Sometimes you just want to watch your regrets burn in an open fire,” Sue answered plainly. She smiled weakly but Lucifer was as stern looking as ever.

Lucifer raised a brow. “Is that all?”

“It was just a stupid story I wrote. I didn’t like it so I burned it. There’s nothing to worry about,” Sue claimed after hesitating for a moment.

The silence between them was damning. Lucifer’s eyes narrowed before he huffed.

“Sue, I believe we both know that’s a lie. I saw what you wrote and I know exactly who it's for. But if you insist on lying then please be my guest.” Sue bit her lip. She knew what she should tell him but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to. Just thinking about it brought back the pain tenfold. The tears came flooding out and her lips streamed. Lucifer was stunned.

“I feel horrible!” Sue whimpered. “Mammon likes Yuki and I don’t want to be mad at her. But I still love Mammon!”

Lucifer’s eyebrows went up ever so high in disbelief. “You have feelings for Mammon of all demons?”

“I can’t help it. I think he’s great.”

“No, he is not,” Lucifer said, shaking his head.

Sue pouted. “Don’t act like you don’t get it!”

“I really don't.”

Sue furrowed her brows, giving Lucifer the best icy stare she could manage. But she gave up and let out a sigh in defeat, pulling away from him.

“Whatever,” Sue grumbled. “That doesn’t matter right now. It’s just that… I think I might be jealous of Yuki.”

“There, there…” Lucifer comforted, patting Sue on the head. “You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.”

“But I’m jealous of my friend.”

“You shouldn’t be jealous of Yuki. You must remember that she’s the inferior one.”

Sue paused as she gawked at Lucifer. How could she say such a thing? But once she really thought about what he said, she giggled lightly. It was pretty clear that Lucifer wasn’t being serious. He smirked a bit.

“Thank you. I’ll take it to heart,” Sue assured him.

Lucifer narrowed his eyes. “I hope you are not trying to flatter me. I was worried that this may affect your academic performance.”

“Is that all?” Sue had a blank expression.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Lucifer scoffed. “Now, let’s see about that injury of yours.”

Sue watched as Lucifer tended to her ankle. The brief moment of joy from a few moments before had faded.

“I just wish I could get over it sooner,” Sue confessed.

Lucifer nodded. “I suppose such feelings are quite bothersome. But they are not easy to overcome so don’t beat yourself down if you believe it’s taking too long.”

“I wish it were that simple but…”

Lucifer looked up at the human, raising a brow.

Sue continued, “I don’t know. I just feel really bad about being jealous of Yuki.”

“Has your jealousy led to you hurting Yuki?” Lucifer inquired.

Sue shook her head.

“Have you ever thought about hurting her?”

She shook her head again.

“Then you have nothing to worry about,” Lucifer assured her. “You have a lot of self-control, something my brothers unfortunately lack.”

Sue tilted her head. “But what about you?”

Lucifer got serious real fast. “And what do you mean by that?”

Sue paused, looking at him with a blank expression again. She considered whether or not she should tell him. But before she could decide for herself, Lucifer spoke up.

“No, I don’t even want to hear it. I suggest you keep your thoughts to yourself, Sue.”

“Fine.”

She looked down at her patched up ankle, her internal pain easing up a little. Then her gaze turned to the fireplace. She wished that she could burn her feelings and move on. But all she could do was bottle them up and let it sit there until she forgot. Lucifer said she was doing a fine job, keeping it all in. That probably wasn’t the best advice. But she took it regardless.

“You should stay away from school until your ankle heals. I don’t want you hurting yourself anymore,” Lucifer advised. “I will make sure that you—”

Sue threw herself onto Lucifer all of a sudden, pulling him into an embrace. She could feel a new stream of hot tears running down her face. Lucifer eyes widened in surprise.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Lucifer bleated.

“Thank you…” Sue breathed. She hurt her ankle again.

Lucifer recovered from the shock a bit before sighing. “If you wish to thank me, just say it. This is simply unnecessary.”

Sue looked up at him and was amazed to see the demon blushing. He tried to glare at her, but it was hard to be afraid when he looked so cute. She didn’t think that she’d get him flushed so easily. Many things were running through her mind. Something told her that perhaps getting over Mammon wouldn’t be so daunting.

“You are such a strange human,” Lucifer remarked.

She shrugged. Perhaps she was. Sue began to wonder about what would happen next.

“Will you finally sit down? You’re not making this any easier.”

Well, chances came and went, the note was forgotten about and it wasn’t until Yuki confessed to Mammon that she remembered. But it was too late. Mammon and Yuki were together.

Ugh, why does stuff like love and feelings have to be so difficult?

“Oi, oi! Sue-chan! Wake up!” A high-pitched voice bubbled as the owner shook Sue. “You’re not supposed to be sleeping during the day!”

“But it’s break time…” Sue grumbled. “But Lucifer-san got mad at you for sleeping in school!” Yuki pouted, putting her hands on her hips.

“Why did you wake me up anyways?” Sue huffed, acting like she didn’t see the confession.

Yuki pulled away quickly, instantly becoming bright eyed. “Oh Sue-chan, it was like a dream come true! I confessed to Mam-kun under the sakura tree and he accepted my feelings!”

And grass is green and the sky is blue! I bet you want to tell me that people die when they are killed too!

“That is the sappiest thing I’ve ever heard,” Sue smiled weakly.

“But it was so magical!” Yuki swooned, spinning herself around like some sort of princess. “If you had a boyfriend, you’d understand!”

“Why don’t you have a boyfriend, Sue-chan?” Yuki said suddenly. Sue was taken aback. “Why would you ask something like that?” Yuki shrugged playfully. “I just think you should’ve had a boyfriend by now. After all, you’re eighteen.”

Sue couldn’t be mad at Yuki for having that mindset. She grew up in Japan and Sue heard that there was a dating crisis there. If Yuki hadn’t been dragged to Devildom, there’d be no doubt that her parents would pressure her into finding a man to settle down with. “I don’t know…” Sue groaned. “I don’t know anyone out there who likes me…” “There has to be someone out there!” Yuki asserted. “There’s always someone for everyone. It’s like the saying from your country: Every…. Umm.... Every… Well… It has something to do with bread.”

“Every bread have a cheese?” Yuki snapped her fingers. “That’s it!” Sue chuckled softly, secretly wishing that the ground would consume her already.

“Don’t worry, Sue-chan! I will find the right man for you!” Yuki declared.

Sue gawped at Yuki before smiling and snickering, “Good luck with that.”

She knew at that moment that she wanted to dispose of the note. It had no use anymore and if anyone found it, she’d die of embarrassment. Throwing it in the bin was out of the question. It was so easy for someone to find it that way. Not to mention, there were some demons gutsy enough to rummage through garbage. Sue kept thinking of other ways. Even when the bell rang and classes resumed, Sue was coming up with a myriad of ideas to get rid of her note. It went on like that until school finally finished for the day. To Sue, the day felt longer than usual. She was so desperate that she didn’t even wait for the bell. But she managed to control herself. The last thing she needed to do was piss off Lucifer.

She knew at once that burning the note would be the first thing she did once she returned to the House of Lamentation.

Even with all that in mind, Sue’s love for Mammon was still great. She could only hope that this wouldn’t last for so long.

Shit… Sue rubbed her ankle once she managed to climb out. Lucifer would notice. She could pretend to her heart’s content, but he had a way of knowing. Her heart stopped. He had a way of knowing. Sue began to worry about how much he knew about her.

But maybe she was just over thinking. Sure, Lucifer knew many things but not everything. And what business did he have with unrequited love anyways? In all likelihood, he wouldn’t care. Lucifer had six oversized babies to look after, two humans to protect as well as copious amounts of work from Diavolo. Even if he knew, he didn’t have the time and energy to care.

The entrance hall was empty, much to her delight, and the fireplace was right in front of her. Sue stumbled into the living room. She didn’t even bother to check if anyone was in there.

“You’re late,” A voice said sternly.

Sue froze, jolting a bit when she accidentally applied weight to her bad leg. She turned to the source and she could feel herself trembling. Lucifer was not too far from the fireplace, lounging on a chair with a book in hand. His eyes were locked on her, that world famous scowl on his face. “You didn’t even have any of my brothers accompany you,” Lucifer added as he stood up. He walked over to Sue. “Care to explain yourself?”

She looked up at the demon, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest. Her mouth opened slightly but not a sound came out. Lucifer let out a frustrated sigh as his face softened. He picked her up suddenly and set her down on the nearest chair. “Even you can be troublesome…” Lucifer mumbled under his breath. He stared at her bad leg, almost cradling it in his hands. Sue didn’t know why but it was oddly comforting. It wouldn’t awaken anything within her, right? “I fell into a drain,” Sue admitted. Lucifer remarked, “You know you should watch your step.” “I guess…”

“I am going to grab a few things for your ankle. I want you to stay in this exact spot. Don’t even think about getting up.”

Oh yeah, the note… Sue pulled it out of her purse. It was folded pretty delicately. If only she could fold other things just as nicely, she thought. She opened it. Only one word in and she already couldn’t take it. She had put so much effort into it. That was one of the reasons she hated it so much. But mainly, it reminded her of the feelings she was now ashamed of. Feelings she wished that she could just get rid of on a whim. Why couldn’t it just be simple like that?

“I thought I’d just be able to ignore this but you've been acting strange since break,” Lucifer said. “What’s the meaning of all this?”

“Sometimes you just want to watch your regrets burn in an open fire,” Sue answered plainly. She smiled weakly but Lucifer was as stern looking as ever.

Lucifer raised a brow. “Is that all?” “It was just a stupid story I wrote. I didn’t like it so I burned it. There’s nothing to worry about,” Sue claimed after hesitating for a moment.

The silence between them was damning. Lucifer’s eyes narrowed before he huffed. “Sue, I believe we both know that’s a lie. I saw what you wrote and I know exactly who it's for. But if you insist on lying then please be my guest.”

Sue bit her lip. She knew what she should tell him but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to. Just thinking about it brought back the pain tenfold. The tears came flooding out and her lips streamed. Lucifer was stunned.

“I feel horrible!” Sue whimpered. “Mammon likes Yuki and I don’t want to be mad at her. But I still love Mammon!” Lucifer’s eyebrows went up ever so high in disbelief. “You have feelings for Mammon of all demons?”

“I can’t help it. I think he’s great.” “No, he is not,” Lucifer said, shaking his head. Sue pouted. “Don’t act like you don’t get it!” “I really don't.”

Sue furrowed her brows, giving Lucifer the best icy stare she could manage. But she gave up and let out a sigh in defeat, pulling away from him.

“Whatever,” Sue grumbled. “That doesn’t matter right now. It’s just that… I think I might be jealous of Yuki.”

“There, there…” Lucifer comforted, patting Sue on the head. “You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.” “But I’m jealous of my friend.”

“You shouldn’t be jealous of Yuki. You must remember that she’s the inferior one.” Sue paused as she gawked at Lucifer. How could she say such a thing? But once she really thought about what he said, she giggled lightly. It was pretty clear that Lucifer wasn’t being serious. He smirked a bit.

“Thank you. I’ll take it to heart,” Sue assured him. Lucifer narrowed his eyes. “I hope you are not trying to flatter me. I was worried that this may affect your academic performance.” “Is that all?” Sue had a blank expression. “Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Lucifer scoffed. “Now, let’s see about that injury of yours.”

Sue watched as Lucifer tended to her ankle. The brief moment of joy from a few moments before had faded. “I just wish I could get over it sooner,” Sue confessed. Lucifer nodded. “I suppose such feelings are quite bothersome. But they are not easy to overcome so don’t beat yourself down if you believe it’s taking too long.” “I wish it were that simple but…” Lucifer looked up at the human, raising a brow. Sue continued, “I don’t know. I just feel really bad about being jealous of Yuki.”

“Has your jealousy led to you hurting Yuki?” Lucifer inquired.

Sue shook her head. “Have you ever thought about hurting her?” She shook her head again. “Then you have nothing to worry about,” Lucifer assured her. “You have a lot of self-control, something my brothers unfortunately lack.” Sue tilted her head. “But what about you?” Lucifer got serious real fast. “And what do you mean by that?” Sue paused, looking at him with a blank expression again. She considered whether or not she should tell him. But before she could decide for herself, Lucifer spoke up.

“No, I don’t even want to hear it. I suggest you keep your thoughts to yourself, Sue.”

“Fine.”

“You should stay away from school until your ankle heals. I don’t want you hurting yourself anymore,” Lucifer advised. “I will make sure that you—”

Sue threw herself onto Lucifer all of a sudden, pulling him into an embrace. She could feel a new stream of hot tears running down her face. Lucifer eyes widened in surprise.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Lucifer bleated. “Thank you…” Sue breathed. She hurt her ankle again. Lucifer recovered from the shock a bit before sighing. “If you wish to thank me, just say it. This is simply unnecessary.” Sue looked up at him and was amazed to see the demon blushing. He tried to glare at her, but it was hard to be afraid when he looked so cute. She didn’t think that she’d get him flushed so easily. Many things were running through her mind. Something told her that perhaps getting over Mammon wouldn’t be so daunting. “You are such a strange human,” Lucifer remarked. She shrugged. Perhaps she was. Sue began to wonder about what would happen next. “Will you finally sit down? You’re not making this any easier.”

8 notes · View notes

betelfic · 4 years

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beetlejade bein chaotic

Requests are Open!

Note: BeetleJade is a ship @gothvince and I have had for nearly a year now, between Beetlejuice and one of my OCs, Jade. She’s Lydia’s murdered teacher, and she’s just here for a good time now.

Ghosts could leave the house. Beetlejuice was right that they couldn’t leave the house usually, but there were a few ways to work around this. The easiest, when you had access to a breather who could see the living, was to hold on to them when they left. It was key that the living person opens the door and leaves first, otherwise, that became a door to Saturn, and you wouldn’t have a living person for long. It was key for the ghost to hold on to the living person until they were inside again, or they risked being torn away to Saturn, or something else horrible happening. No one really wanted to find out.

This meant that on more than one occasion Lydia had left her home with a chain of ghosts trailing off of her, all wanting to go different places. At this point popping into around ten different places was just part of her weekly routine.

“Lydia, would you mind if I tagged along with you to school today? I wanted to spend some time in the library,” Jade said softly from her place on the couch.

The ghost had been brought into the household after being murdered in her home and asking repeatedly to leave. It turned out no one really liked to be stuck inside for weeks on end, much less facing down eternity alone. Sure, she could have gone to the Netherworld, but after breaking into her home less than a day after her death, Lydia had informed her that moving on tended to be permanent. And there was so much left to do! Like, get horrifying revenge on those who wronged you!

“Sure, just don’t murder any of the other teachers.” She paused for a moment. “The gym teacher counts as a teacher.”

“I’m not going to kill anyone, I just want to do some reading and see how my class is being handled without me,” she explained. Jade didn’t notice the demon coming up behind her, who proceeded to pick her up off the couch and into a standing position beside him. He tossed his arm around her while she glared at him.

“I’m coming too!”

“Why?”

“Can’t terrorize anyone if everyone is somewhere else. Besides, your teacher here needs to be taught how to haunt!” Beetlejuice grabbed Jade’s face, squishing it. “She lacks any and all ability to be intimidating.”

“I am scary!” Jade protested although it lost any effect when her voice was so altered by the way he had squished it. “I committed arson!”

“Babes, you told me that story. You were drunk and sixteen, and the tree was in your backyard.” He let go of her face and ruffled her hair when she stuck her tongue out at him. All seemed forgiven when he planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek, and she leaned on him, her hand taking his, fingers knitted together.

Lydia watched the two of them the same way any teenager watched two affectionate adults, a healthy mix of complete disgust and affection. “Uh yeah, you two can come, just don’t get me in trouble.”

“Come on Lyds, when have I ever been trouble?”

“You have killed multiple people.”

He shrugged it off. “Murder isn’t that bad.”

“Just… Behave Beetlejuice! And you too Jade! I know he’s a bad influence.”

School was school. Boring, cement, with lighting that no human being should exist in. Jade was excited though, her fingers fluttering and she was hovering slightly while Beetlejuice walked the halls. Being here brought some of her life back.

Beetlejuice peaked into a classroom. “Hey babes, isn’t that the math teacher who was a jerk to you?” He looked over at her, wiggling his eyebrows. “You wanna have some fun?”

“We promised Lydia to not get her in trouble.”

“She doesn’t even have them as a teacher,” Beetlejuice pointed out, wrapping his arm around her waist. “Come on babes, it doesn’t even need to be lethal.”

Jade floated up to kiss him on the tip of the nose, utterly delighting in the small streak of pink that appeared in the mass of green that made up his hair. “Fine, a small amount of chaos. Then I want to go to the library like I said.”

Beetlejuice, never one for small gestures, dipped her and planted a kiss on her lips. “You’re the best babes.”

It was never actually a small amount of chaos. Beetlejuice was unsurprisingly wrong, and Lydia’s fifth-period class was math. Mr. Parks looked like he was near breakdown, and all of the desks were on the ceiling, and Lydia certainly didn’t miss the two ghosts giggling in the corner.

“Hey Lyds!” Beetlejuice had his arm around Jade, who was giggling softly while she focused on keeping the desks in place.

Lydia, who was pretty determined to have her math teacher not think she was crazy, glared at the two ghosts.

Jade cringed away from her glare, and waved her hand. The desks crashed down around Lydia. There was a ring around her, as if none wanted to hit her. One did land on Mr. Parks’ foot though.

Lydia sat at a nearby desk. “You two are terrible,” she mumbled.

“But, you gotta admit, you love us,” Beetlejuice said, pinching her cheek.

“In my defense someone told me you didn’t have math,” Jade said, nudging Beetlejuice’s arm.

“Yeah. I don’t pay attention to anything”

“We’ll get out of your hair kid,” Jade said. “Library, maybe?”

Beetlejuice huffed, kissing her cheek. “Fine, but I’m going to eat the books.”

#beetlejuice fanfiction #lawrence beetlejuice shoggoth #lydia deetz #beetlejuice fanfic #beetlejuice musical #beetlejuice x oc #oc: Jade #gothvince

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peter-pan-on-neverland · 5 years

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Lost

Request: Heiiii!!!!🐱 would you write Y/N going lost in the woods and Felix somehow finds her and saves her but she does not even know that she was in danger????

Pairings: Felix x reader

Warnings: none :/

**kinda short**

I whistled to myself as I walked down the dirt path, trekking deeper and deeper into the dark jungle of Neverland. Random splodges of sunlight were dotted along the dirt ground, giving light to the lush green plants and colourful flowers which were randomly placed around them. A cool breeze swept across the island, causing the trees to rustle as it rushed through their leaves, ruffling the perfectly arrange feathers of the birds which were perched in them. It was surprisingly hot for an island that was mostly sheltered by trees and it didn’t help that Pan made us all wear dark cloaks, but still I manged to plod along hoping to reach the springs sooner rather then later in this heat.

Much to my surprise the faint sound of running water tickled my ears as leaves crunched underfoot, trying my hardest to hurry along my feet and jump into the pool of cool, refreshing water. I pushed aside bushes and hopped over tree roots which had surfaced, eager to cool off.

There in front of me was a magnificent lake, it looked like it spread on for miles on end. A beautiful waterfall cascaded down the large cliff which sat behind the lake, making the perfect backdrop for this gem that had been hidden away. Evergreen trees were circling the area around the pool as if they were guarding it from something or someone. It was like there were some kind of creature which lived in the waters who would like to remain unnoticed and undisturbed.

Sharp, charcoal coloured rocks stuck out of the glistening turquoise waters, small fish danced around in the pool, letting their shimmering scaled sparkle in the sunlight. I had never seen a place as magnificent as this before, everything seemed to be perfect unlike the island of games and horrors this place was situated in. Everything was so surreal and freakishly beautiful, it had the power to entrance anyone who set foot on it’s soil.

Without making a sound I slowly begin to peel my heavy cloak off of my sweaty skin, leaving most of my skin exposed. Goosebumps bloom on my arms and legs as a cool breeze sweeps over them before I make my way over to the crystal clear waters. I dip my toes in, testing the tempruter before walking further and further until the cool water came up to my waist. I stand there for a while, drinking up the view for a few more minuets as I relaxed, letting all my worries dissolve into the water.

I dug my toes beneath the wet sand as I ran my fingers through the lake causing tiny ripples and bubbles to form around me. Fascinated, I watched as they floated to the surface before bursting and making a little ‘pop’ sound which satisfied me.

I looked up at the clouds while they slowly drifted along the blue sky, listening to the sounds of splashing in the distance I smiled to myself as I imagine the fish splashing around in the water. Suddenly long fingers wrapped themselves around my ankle, startling me. Pulling me under the water, I struggled to breath as it filled my lungs causing me to cough. I kicked and thrashed around in the pool, trying my best to get the fish-like creature off of me before swimming like hell to the surface. Gathering up my cloak and clothes I ran, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me into the jungle, not entirely sure where I was going.

I stopped, leaning against the rough bark of a tree as water droplets fell from my dripping wet hair. Trying to catch my breath I slide down on the floor, hoping that the cool breeze which swept across the island would dry my skin off as I gathered up my clothes and slipped them back on my body. Looking around I noticed that the sky was beginning to grow dark and I was surrounded by twisted trees that seemed to reach up for the sky like they were looking for an escape.

Quickly, I realised that I had no clue where I was, my chest began to tight as I began to panic. I had heard tales off the lost boys about this place and the horrible creatures which lurk in the shadows, when the sun sets it becomes a demons playground, They had told me about the idiotic boys which had stumbled upon this dead sea of trees only to never return to camp again.

No matter where I turned I was only met with the trees, it was as if they were smirking at me, tasting the fear which radiated off of my body. Tears began to slowly spill from my eyes as I buried my head in between my knees.

“Someone please come for me.” I whispered to no one in particular.

It felt like I had been here for a life time, waiting for someone, anyone to come and rescue me.

“Y/n!” my named echoed through out the dark forest, the voice which had called out to me sounded so familiar, “Y/n! Where are you?”

“Felix, I’m over here!” I yelled as loud as I could, my shouts were carried out with the wind, reaching every part of the forest.

Heavy footsteps sounded, getting louder and louder, closer and closer until I could see the hooded blonde boy hurl towards me. He scooped me up in his arms, softly patting my hair while he whispered sweet nothings into my ear.

“It’s ok now Y/n, I’m here.”, he said “Now let's get you back to camp.”

He guided me out of this godforsaken place, all the while never letting go of his rough hand which envelope to mine perfectly. He didn't question it, in fact I might have seen a tiny smile play on the emotionless boys lips as we walked hand in hand.

"Felix." I began, "How did you know where to find me?"

He turned his head away from me as if he didn't want me to see the blush which coated his cheeks, but of course he was a little too late.

"I've been looking for you since this morning." He stated.

"Why?" I question the second in command, was I in trouble?

"Because..." he trailed off as if he were finding the perfect words to say, "We'll I... I um...."

Deciding to give up on telling me he grabbed my face and placed a gental kiss on my lips as his strong arms snaked around my waist, pulling me closer to him. My hands sort refuge in his soft hair as I smiled into the kiss before pulling away, my hands still poorly hanging around his neck.

"I wanted to tell you how I felt." He said, his face turning redder than a tomato, "We've been hanging out a lot lately and I think about you all the time, I thought it just meant that we were good friends until..."

"I feel the same, Felix." I smiled before pulling him in for another kiss.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I hope you all liked this story, let me know if you thought the ending was a little random because I'm still not 100% sure 😊❤ xxxx

@nevereverlandboys @lady-of-lies @britishfangirlxo @lonesome-loser

#ouat fanfiction #ouat fic #ouat #ouat imagine #ouat s3 #ouat season 3 #ouat felix #felix x reader #felix imagines #felix ouat #felix fic #neverland #ouat fan fic #ouat fan fiction #ouat ff #ouat fandom

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dylan-o-yumm · 5 years

Text

Perfect Timing - Chapter 3

I’m so so so sorry this took so long to come out! I don't even have an excuse, I just suck lol. I made it longer to make up for not posting haha

I hope you enjoy this chapter, its more of a Nero x reader chapter with minor mentions of V... also, I hope you guys know that even though this is classified as a Nero x Reader x V story, it is more about the ‘readers’ relationship with Nero.

10K words

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

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You had made it into the large, intimidatingly dark and gloomy Qliphoth. It reeked of blood, even the taste of the air was slightly metallic and coppery, causing you to gag when you first entered. It was like a strange Limbo, all buildings, vehicles and roads torn up and used as the foundation for the squishy, flesh-like texture along the floors, walls and ceilings. Though the ceiling was extremely high up and visible paths stretched across as far as you could see. Some kind of veins were sewn all throughout the fleshy tree, red blood being soaked up and transported throughout the Qliphoth, most likely to the top where Urizen was.

The fact that you had seen what this horrible demon tree was doing to people made you either want to violently throw up or drown in a pool of your own tears. The number of abandoned strollers you’d seen, people turned into husks, children clinging to their parents as all the blood drained from their bodies… it was horrible, unforgivable. As much as Urizen frightened you, you wanted to burn him for what he had done. He didn’t deserve redemption or to achieve his end goal. You and Nero had to stop it all, for the sake of all those lost lives.

As you walked through the Qliphoth, slowly making your way up to the top with your boots sinking into the fleshy ground, you fiddled with your gun strap as you tried to distract your mind, needing to think of something happier than the poor, innocent people who lost their lives. You thought about all the happy memories you made with Nico and Nero over the past few weeks, hoping for them to cheer you up somewhat.

There was one time when the three of you went to a beach for the day, needing a day out doing something other than hunting demons or rebuilding Fortuna. You and Nico were keen for a swim, since the days were getting hotter and hotter as summer neared. You both wore matching bikinis that you had bought together, thinking it would be funny when in reality it was just silly, even Nero shook his head at the two of you before Nico grabbed your hand and started running towards the ocean.

Nico had dragged you into the water and tackled you, right after you mentioned how you didn’t want to get your hair wet. When you came up for air she splashed you as she laughed, causing you to roll up your imaginary sleeves and attempt to tackle her. Nero stayed on the sand, headphones on while he relaxed and either watched you and Nico battle in the ocean, or slept. By the end of the day, he was bright red, having burned easily under the sun. It was at least two weeks before Nico stopped her teasing.

It was a good memory, one that bought a soft smile to your face.

You turned to Nero, wanting to remind him of the cute, little memory and possibly start up a conversation. Though, seeing him strut through the Qliphoth like he owned the place, Blue Rose in hand and a frown on his face, your smile wavered. He was clearly still upset about something, and you had a feeling it had something to do with you. Surely if he was mad at V for whatever reason, he would have cheered up a little bit when the goth went on his own way.

The fact that the silver haired hunter hadn’t even said a word to you since the fight with the Angelo’s, made you frown and start questioning every little thing you had done, wondering what on earth made him mad at you. It was genuinely hard for you to make Nero angry, which made things more confusing. While he was a hothead and would explode at anything and every thing Nico threw his way, he was, for some reason, much more lenient with you.

Times when you would tease him relentlessly, much like Nico would, he would have much more patience with you. Or when you ate his food or took one of his energy drinks, he would get a little pissy, but in the end he didn’t mind all that much. Now, if Nico did such things, he’d have a fit and lecture her, maybe even eat her food as a means to get back at her. Those two were really like siblings, which made you wonder just how much Nero really saw you as a sister.

What really made it confusing was that you had known Nero longer than Nico had, and sometimes he seemed more comfortable around her than he did you. You knew he didn’t hate you or dislike you in any way, since why else would he always want you with him on missions? But it was always a nagging thought in the back of your mind, wondering why he was so much more… shy, flustered around you.

As you were deep in thought, you accidentally tripped over a red vein, stumbling over your feet a little and bumping into Nero’s back. You always were a little clumsy, it was a shock you hadn’t been killed when fighting demons. One misplaced foot at the wrong time would be very bad, yet the worst you had come out with of a battle was a broken ankle. Perhaps Nero was watching out for you more than you had realised, always seeming to be there to catch you before things got too ugly.

Nero didn’t stop walking but slowed down his pace as he turned his head to look back at you. His frown deepened, mumbling something under his breath about watching where you’re going before he turned back and continued on walking at his usual pace. You felt your face drop and your chest tighten at his reaction. No, ‘are you okay?’ or some witty joke about your clumsiness? What the hell had you done to make him so cold towards you?

You didn’t move, watching him continue to walk down, deeper in to the Qliphoth and adding more distance between the two of you. You couldn’t help but worry about what this might mean for your fighting. What was going to happen when a bunch of demons showed their faces and Nero was too mad at you to help you out if things got too hectic? No, no, no! He isn’t like that at all, he wouldn’t willingly let you get hurt because you may have made him upset. He’s too kindhearted to do such a thing.

You knew he’d die before he ever let anything bad happen to you.

Doesn’t explain why he’s so distant and cold towards you at the moment. You had gone through everything in your mind, everything that you had done in the past twenty-four hours that could have possibly put him in this horrible mood. Nothing stuck out, nothing made you wonder if possibly you had insulted him or hurt him in any way. Not even anything you had said to anyone else could have made him this upset with you.

When he turned around and saw that you weren’t following, he tilted his head back and sighed, clearly getting more and more frustrated with you. You couldn’t hear him from where you stood but you were more than certain he muttered something under his breath, probably something about how difficult you’re being. The fact that he was so quick to be angry with you and not ask if you were okay like he usually would, hurt you.

You sighed sadly as you watched him pull the large sword off of his back and stab it harshly into the fleshy flooring. He took one step towards you, still no where near you since he had walked so far away, and raised his arms in a questioning manner before dropping them heavily back to his sides, huffing in annoyance.

“You sure like wasting time, don’t cha?” Nero called out to you, very clearly suggesting that this was something you frequently did. The only other time you may have wasted a few minutes was with V, hell you even suggested wasting more time with him. But it’s not like Nero was there for that, so why was he bringing up such a thing when you were always right along side him?

“Have you forgotten that there’s a demon to kill?” He added, taking another step closer, but raising his voice even louder. You frowned at his attitude, wanting to break down to tears in pure frustration of not understanding why he was being so rude to you. Even if he wasn’t mad at you, there was no reason for him to take his aggression out on you, save that for the demons, or even better, Urizen.

Nero spun on his heel and faced away from you again, shaking his head and running a hand through his short hair. Your frown deepened as you began walking down towards him. Your feet started off dragging along the floor like a stubborn toddler, but soon after began quickening your pace faster and faster until you were running. You had to keep a hand on your swords sheath, as to make sure it wouldn’t slip between your legs and trip you, which had happened a few times.

You caught up to Nero pretty quickly but instead of stopping to walking beside or behind him, you took the opportunity to catch him off guard. Your legs bent at the last second and you pushed off the squishy ground as you launched yourself at him, arms wrapping around his neck from behind and legs circling around his waist. Luckily for you, he had taken Red Queen off his back so you didn’t hurt yourself when you surprise attacked him with a piggyback.

Nero stumbled forward slightly from the sheer force and speed of you running and jumping on him, quickly reaching around to place a hand on your back to make sure you didn’t fall off and hurt yourself. He grunted as he stood back up straight, expecting you to slide right off him, but instead you clung to him like a koala on a tree. He bought his hands up to your arms and tried to pry you off him yourself, but there was no way you were letting go, gripping too tight.

“What are you doing? Get — Ugh! Get off!” Nero struggled while you basically hugged his torso with your entire body. Your cheek pressed against his ear, chin digging into the space where his neck and shoulder met, with an angry pout on your face. You were half tempted to bite him, just to shut him up, but you figured letting him give up on his own would be funnier. What was he meant to do? Throw you off him? Your fragile human bones wouldn’t be able to handle being thrown by him, and he knew it.

When he didn’t calm down after a certain amount of time, you decided maybe you should give him a hint as to what you were doing.

“I’m not getting off you until you tell me what I did wrong.” You had to raise your voice a little to make sure he heard you over his own grunts and huffs of annoyance. Only, when you said that, he stopped moving and struggling all together, standing straight and resting his once prying hands, calmly on your wrist, like he wanted you to let go but he couldn’t bring himself to get you off him anymore.

“What?” He asked in a confused voice, still slightly angry but much more calmer than he once was towards you. He turned his head to try and get a better look at you but it was difficult with you being already so close to his face, staring blankly at a vein on the Qliphoth floor since you couldn’t bare yourself to look in his eyes. You felt a little self conscious, having him know that his foul mood put you so on edge. You discovered quickly that you didn’t like it one bit when he was upset with you.

It felt like you had disappointed your big brother.

“Who said you did anything wrong?” He added, which made you now confused. You slid your legs down until you were standing on your own, but you didn’t dare take your arms off of him, that way he couldn’t run off on you and leave all your questions unanswered. You fisted his blue coat in your palms and shook him slightly, lips grazing his ear as you bared your teeth. How dare he… How dare he!

“Your shitty attitude, thats who!” You shouted, causing him to wince as you were so close to his ear, one of his hands coming up to cover said ear as he tried to move away from you out of fear of you yelling again, but you didn’t dare drop your arms. How could he treat you like the scum of the earth for at least an hour, then ask you such a question? He had made you gain a headache from overthinking too much, and now, ‘who said you did anything wrong?’

“Are you telling me you were just being an asshole this whole time for no reason? Nu-uh! I know you, Nero. Something’s up and you’re gonna tell me what it is” You grit your teeth as you keep a hold of his jacket and spin him around to face you, the zipper of his coat digs into your palm but, once again, you don’t dare let go. You stand firmly as you pull him close to you, your face inches from his as you repeat the last five words in a demand for answers.

He looks a little scared, flustered. His cheeks hold a pink tint while his eyes widen at your sudden firmness. You couldn’t help but be angry, maybe you were over reacting a little but it wasn’t like you and Nero got into fights often, so when you did, they tended to seem bigger than they were. However, you couldn’t seem to shake the fact that he supposedly thought he wasn’t treating you any different from what he usually does. Why else would he be so confused at your sudden outrage?

Nero looked a little embarrassed and guilty, like you had just caught him with his hand in the cookie jar. His bright blue eyes contrasted adorably against his reddened face, though you didn’t understand why he was blushing so much. You were pretty close to his face, but it’s not like that mattered since you basically just yelled and scolded him like an angry parent. He must have just been a little embarrassed that you were putting him in his place, since he was the big, cocky, tough guy getting yelled at by a girl.

“I’m… Uh — I just… I’m stressed, y’know?” Nero stumbles over his words as if he’s making them up on the spot, though you know he has to be stressed. He would be something otherworldly if he wasn’t. Though, since he was having trouble meeting your eyes and did his signature nose scratch, made you a little questionable of his answer. The look on your face must have said as much since he decided to elaborate a little.

“With Dante gone and probably dead… having to take down Urizen on my own… There’s just a lot of weight on my shoulders, I guess.” He paused a lot and spoke slowly, like he was making sure every word made sense and gave reason to his shitty attitude, which it did. You completely understood that he would be feeling this way, he had to be so completely lost in this situation. He had taken down many demons, but this was big, maybe bigger than the whole Fortuna incident. This wasn’t some old guy trying to play god… no, this was a psychopath sitting on a throne while thousands of people dried up of their blood for his own power.

With Dante being either dead or gone, it did leave a big impact on not only you, but Nero as well. Sure, you didn’t know Dante that well, but he had helped Nero so much back in Fortuna, having dealt with similar things over many years, this should have been a walk in the park for him. This was a Dante job, and if he got his ass kicked, what the hell were you and Nero meant to do? You were only humans and Nero had one arm! Dante was a half demon who was probably the strongest being you had ever met… and he lost.

With all that being said, you were stressed too. It didn’t mean you decided to be cold and distant with the people you cared about. While you could understand where Nero was coming from, you were still a little suspicious of his answer, wondering if there was another reason behind his attitude. However, you couldn’t hold a grudge against him, this was not the time to be unforgiving. If he was going to change the way he spoke to you and was more mindful of your feelings now, then why should you continue to be upset with him?

“Well, you’re not on your own. I know I’m not as good a fighter as you or Dante, but you’re stuck with me till the end, and I will help in any way I can.” You didn’t know if your words held any weight to the devil hunter, but you needed to at least try to reassure him. Your grip lessened on his coat until your hands finally dropped, gently nudging Nero in the ribs with a half smile.

He seemed a little taken aback by your words, and a little guilty for some reason. He bowed his head and chuckled under his breath, fingers playing with the devil breaker on his right arm awkwardly. His eyes twitched, like they didn’t know what emotion to show, but when he looked back up he seemed apologetic, perhaps maybe realising his previous actions that had hurt you.

“Now we’re wasting time.” You chuckled, accidentally cutting him off from whatever he was about to say. You watched as he gave you a nod and spun on his heel, walking the few steps to where he had stabbed Red Queen into the ground, to yank it out effortlessly and threw it over his back as if it weighed nothing. You followed and fell in line with him, this time walking beside him instead of trailing awkwardly behind, wanting to at least have a conversation while the pair of you made your way up the Hell tree.

You were still a little curious about Nero’s reasoning, figuring there had to be more to why he was so pissy, you had seen him when he’s stressed and while he does get a little snappy, he doesn’t really act like he was towards you. Oh well, you would just have to survive battling Urizen so you can talk it out of him later on. There was no point in dwelling on it now when there was a bigger issue at hand. Plus Nero seemed to relax his facial expressions just in case, so you knew he’d be changing the way he spoke to you.

“Hey, uh — I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.” He apologised as the two of you walked side by side, quickening your pace a little to make up for lost time. He glanced at you once before keeping his eyes forward, either embarrassed, hiding something, or looking out for demons. You figured it was the latter. He was acting so weird, maybe he was just really stressed, the most stressed you’d ever seen him.

You aww over exaggeratedly, almost tripping once again when you stick your hand out, grabbing Nero’s cheek in between your fingers and pinching him like you would a baby… Only much more aggressive and sarcastic. He tries to frown but the smile on his face didn’t go unnoticed by you as he swats your hand away and mutters something about never apologising to you again.

Nero suddenly stops walking and looks up, the expression on your face concerns you and causes you ton look in the same direction. What was it now that wanted to ruin the only nice and wholesome moment you got with Nero? You had been inside the Qliphoth for almost over an hour and there were a lot of demons, which was considered obvious since you were in the tree that was basically their home. However, it wasn’t a demon that you were faced with.

When you looked up, there was a strange tube that twisted and twirled all the way up as far as the eye could see. It was red… no, it appeared red. It was some sort of larger vein, all the blood-filled, smaller veins you had seen on this floor lead straight to whatever this was. All that crimson liquid being soaked up and transported up to Urizen like some sort of blood train. You knew the demon king needed a lot of blood for the fruit or whatever, but this made you feel physically sick.

“Oh, you’re gonna love this…” Nero stated sarcastically, as if reading your mind. He walked up to the base of the tube, which had some kind of opening, if you could call it that. It looked like the inside of a fruit, all squishy and juicy… yeah, you weren’t going to be eating any fruits on this trip. It made you want to throw up, both the look of it and the awful smell with the metallic taste in the air…

You watched with a disturbed look on your face as Nero reached his left hand out and stuck it into the large vein opening, sinking in all the way to his wrist. He didn’t seem fazed as he pulled it back out, covered in blood that he shook off like nothing but water. His fingerless glove was coated in red, the black fabric making it seem a lot darker than it was while his fingertips had blood dripping off onto the ground.

He looked back at you and chuckled at your horrified expression, wiping his hand on the outside of his coat twice. You took one step back, already figuring where this situation was about to go, but Nero was quick to grab your wrist in his once bloodied hand and preventing you from cowering away. The look in his eye didn’t calm your rising heart beat either, a half teasing glint staring back at you as he smirked knowingly, keeping a firm grip on your wrist so you couldn’t back away, no matter how badly you wanted to.

“C’mon, Y/n… Just close your eyes and hold your breath, it’ll be fine!” Nero scoffed as you shook your head repeatedly and tried your best to back away. He was seeming to find a little amusement in your fear, though there was a part of him that felt for you. You could see it in his eyes, how he felt a little sympathetic for you, knowing of your fear of heights and traveling through blood wasn’t the finest of transport. He had noticed your reaction to the smell and taste when you first entered the Qliphoth, so he couldn’t be mad with you reacting this way.

“Hey, I got you. I wont let anything bad happen to you” He stated casually, that damn smirk still teasing you, no matter how much you believed his words. You felt like sobbing as you looked back up, following the huge height of the vein you’d no doubt be traveling through. There was no way you could fall out of it, right? No way you’d be able to fall to your death? You figured you wouldn’t even be able to see since you’d be drowning in blood, but the thought still horrified you.

Nero pulled you close to him, wrapping his devil breaker around your back and pinning you against his chest so you couldn’t move. Your hands were gripping the front of his coat, much like earlier, but this time out of fear instead of anger, burying your face into his chest and squeezing your eyes shut even though nothing was happening yet. Usually Nero smelt quite good, he always used a deodorant that you loved but you couldn’t smell him at all over the stench of blood in the air.

You felt him step forward, pushing you back and you instinctively tried to pull away, not feeling ready enough to do what was about to be done. However, you knew you had to do it sooner rather than later. What did you say earlier about wasting time? The young devil hunter continued to whisper comforting words and noises in your ear that you couldn’t quite pay attention too, the sound of pumping blood flowing through the tube was too loud as you got closer and closer it.

Nero’s devil breaker pressed firmly against the centre of your back, keeping you as close as possible to him, you cracked one eye open to peek at what he was doing. His human hand was reaching out once again, this time instead of just sticking it inside the vein out of curiosity, he did his best to pry the squishy, blood-soaked entrance open.

Out of panic, you quickly let go of his coat and slid your arms around his waist, as an attempt to be able to hold him better, even though you were sure his grip on you would be more than enough. Your hands snaked under his coat, as if the layer of clothing would somehow keep you locked onto him, you might as well have put your arms through the sleeves along with Nero’s just for safe measure. You were certain your grip on him had to be painful for him, but as he pried the opening even wider to squeeze the both of you inside, you couldn’t bear yourself to lessen your grip.

Nero told you to take a deep breath, giving you approximately two-seconds to suck in as much air as you could before he was slipping the both of you into the vein. You made sure your eyes were squeezed shut and your lips sealed tight so no blood could suffocate or blind you. Nero’s devil breaker squeezed you tighter and made your heartbeat increase, fearing something bad was happening, but as his other arm came to wrap around you, your bodies being sucked into the tube, you relaxed a little as you felt his strong hold on you.

The feeling of being sucked up, through the squishy walls, nothing but thick blood filling your nostrils and coating your entire body, wasn’t exactly what you’d call pleasant. It was like diving into a bath of jelly, only to be sucked up by the drain when the plug is taken out. The only thing you managed to be thankful for was that it wasn’t hurting you in any way, it was actually kind of soothing, like a massage. However, knowing that you were practically swimming in thousands of other peoples blood made you more than nauseous.

Nero kept his tight hold on you, burying his face down, in your hair. You kept your face pressed into his chest, though it didn’t do anything to keep the blood from covering your pores and blocking your nose. Once you began to struggle for air, you had to blow little by little, the air you had sucked in out through your nose, giving you a little extra time to not drown in the thick blood.

Just as you felt like you were going to have to let out the last of your air, you were suddenly spat out, no longer feeling like you were suffocating or stuck in a tight space. You yelped as you and Nero came crashing onto yet another fleshy floor, your knees brushed the ground before Nero had steadied the both of you, keeping on top of him while he landed on his back, breaking your fall and grunting heavily as your added weight only made him hurt himself more.

You groaned as you pried your hands out from under his back and out of his coat. Nero blinked repeatedly to get the blood odd his lashes, staring down at you with an innocently startled looking expression, like he hadn’t expected traveling through the vein to feel like it did. You placed your hands on either side of his head and lifted your body off of his, giving him a little space to gain some of the air back in his lungs while you kept your lips tightly shut.

Nero looked up at you, eyes darting all over your face, lingering on your lips a little longer than the rest, probably for the same reason you were keeping them shut, because you were covered in many different peoples blood and didn’t want to taste any of it. You must’ve looked absolutely disgusting, and you felt like throwing up, though you could hold it in so you wouldn’t puke all over your friend.

Nero looked just as gross as you did, not a spec of his pale skin showing through all the red, like he had dumped a bucket of red paint all over himself. His hair was no longer white, his eyebrows and lashes tinted a bright crimson colour just like the rest of him, even his clothes were all red, apart from his coat that was very, very slowly dripping blood off and showing a few blue patched here and there.

You couldn’t move, unable to stand up since your legs were so shaky. Even though you couldn’t see over any edges, you knew you were really high up, the thought of the squishy platform you were now dumped on somehow collapsing entered your mind and you had a hard time trying to shake it away. Nero seemed to sense your nervous and fearful stare, letting his hands drop from your back to pat his coat quickly and repeatedly.

You didn’t have time to question what he was doing, or to even register what he was doing since you were so scared, before he had seemingly wiped his hand clean somehow, bringing his gloved hand up to your mouth to swipe the back of his palm over your lips. You let out a shaky breath as you finally let your lips part, the blood dripping from your lips being cleaned away by Nero’s hand.

He didn’t stop there however, as he dabbed his hand on his coat again to get rid of the blood he had just gathered to then come back up and wipe over your lips again. You watched his face as he did so, feeling yourself grow more and more comfortable where you were, no longer fearing how hight up you were as you noticed how blue his eyes looked against all the red covering his face. He looked oddly handsome, considering he was drenched in innocent peoples blood.

“You can breathe now” He teased, smirking faintly as he repeated the pattern of cleaning off his hand to then come up and wipe clean your face. All jokes aside, you felt like you finally could breathe, feeling like you were suffocating under all that blood. You wanted to help him as well, clean his face for him maybe, but you still couldn’t bring yourself to move and your hands were still gross.

“You’ve got… something on your face” You tease back breathlessly, smiling softly. You snap your mouth shut quickly though when Nero accidentally swiped his thumb over your bottom lip. He seemed unfazed by it, though he could have been blushing and you just couldn’t see it under all the blood. However, it felt oddly sexual to have that one little action happen between you both. He had never even touched your lips before, why would he? You were surprised how fast your heartbeat picked up at the little action though.

“Yeah, no shit. You’re just about clean though. Well… your face anyway, the rest of you is nasty” Nero takes a glance down your body with a teasing smirk, making you only now realise you’re still hovering over him, making your cheeks flush red. You prayed to whatever god that Nero would simply think the blood had stained your face a little instead of you being flustered, or you’d never live it down.

“You’re an ass” You grunted as you forced yourself up off him, pushing yourself to sit back on your knees beside him. He sat up after you with a groan and began wiping his face. However, he must have been playing gentle with you since it only took him two long swipes down either side of his face before he was deemed clean enough. Once he was done, he glanced at you without his cocky smirk for once, seeming a little worried about your current state.

“I’m okay. Just… heights, you know?” You stated before he even had the chance to ask you how you were doing. He simply replied with a nod, pulling himself up to stand before he came to you and extended his hand. You took his hand without question, letting him pull you up onto your feet, you were a little wobbly from the ride up but you managed to keep your footing and not fall back over.

“Lets just keep your mind off it, yeah?” Nero suggested, tugging your hand as he began to walk, only dropping your hand when he was sure you were following him. You fell into step beside him, nodding at his suggestion and trying to find something to talk about to keep yourself distracted. You oddly enough found yourself thinking about V, replaying everything that the two of you went through what was only hours ago but seemed like days.

The poet seemed to change a little when he spotted the burnt house on the hill, offering to travel on his own while he went to find the devil sword Sparda. You couldn’t help but worry for his safety, not only was he now on his own (apart from his summons), but now, said summons would be worn out because of the fight with the Angelos. Or at least, thats what your worried mind told yourself, deep down you knew they’d be fully charged up by now and V was most likely safe and sound… As safe and sound one could be in a demon infested town.

You kept up the pace beside Nero as you bowed your head in thought. You were no longer scared, or you were but you were doing a good job at distracting yourself from how hight up you were. Nero didn’t talk as he was waiting for you to bring up a topic, knowing you were already thinking and possibly about to talk at any second. You knew his way of distracting you would be talking about something he saw in a gun magazine or what happened on one of the tv shows he likes. Which you figured, he probably thought all those topics were unimportant at the moment considering what you were on your way to do.

You didn’t mind what he bought up, as long as it kept you somewhat focused enough to be able to fight demons without fearing any move you pulled would make you fall of the edge of the platform and to your death. However, you seemed suddenly very concerned for V, unable to shake him out of your mind. You were so caught up in Nero’s attitude this whole time, using all your time thinking about what you had done wrong, that you were a little too distracted to think about the beautiful goth.

“I hope V’s okay…” You blurted, the words having bounced around your mind so many times you figured you better just say them. Once they left your lips, you felt a little stupid because, of course he’s okay! He wasn’t helpless, he was more than capable of fending off demons, especially with the help of Griffon, Shadow and Nightmare. Perhaps it was just because his fighting style was a little different from what you’re used to, having seen Nero and Dante fight the same — though with much more style and flare — as you.

Nero turned his head to look at you with a frown which made you a little shocked. Did he have a problem with V? You thought back to when the three of you were walking down towards the theatre and how Nero refused to walk alongside the poet. Did something happen between them that you didn’t know about? V didn’t mention anything, and he didn’t seem any different towards the hunter, so why was Nero so… angered almost, when you’d mention the raven haired male.

“I forgot to tell you! We almost kissed” You blurted, having just completed wiped your previous thought of Nero disliking the poet, to tell him what had been nagging you in the back of your mind ever since it happened. As soon as the words escaped your lips, you felt butterflies in your stomach, those same feeling returning to you when V was pressing you against the train station wall. You bit your lip as you relived it in your mind.

Nero tensed up a little and you thought you might have given him too much detail for something he didn’t care much for. However, he was your best friend so he had to deal with all the boy talk since Nico wasn’t there to listen instead. You needed to get it off of your chest and have some insight from another persons point of view, and Nero might not have wanted to be that person but after the shit he had put you through today, consider it as his punishment.

Before you could even think to change the subject, not actually wanting to make Nero uncomfortable, he surprised you by adding onto the topic.

“Almost, as in, you didn’t?” He asked, tone a little lower than usual but you figured he was just being nice, thinking that you had chosen this topic as your distraction so therefore he had to go along with it. However, you were like a lovesick puppy who’d turn into a flustered mess when given any chance to talk about the beautiful poet. You couldn’t help it, you had helplessly fallen for his charm, not that you cared though.

You didn’t mind admitting that you were slowly but surely developing feelings for V, feelings that fell beyond just friendship. His voice would make your heart flutter, his green eyes were enough to put a whole bunch of butterflies in your stomach, and his overall kindness never failed to make you smile. He was just a beautiful man who you’d happily share your life with if given the chance. Maybe a simple date would be better to start off with, something to look forward to after all this mess is cleaned up.

You caught yourself smiling just from thinking about him, and so did Nero. Your eyes met his and you felt a blush take over your entire face. You couldn’t tell exactly what he was thinking, but he didn’t exactly look thrilled. You shook your head and wiped the goofy smile off your face, lacing your fingers behind your back as you pretended you weren’t just daydreaming about V passionately kissing you like he should have in that train station.

“Nah, Griffon kinda interrupted us” You explain, cursing under your breath at the demon bird. Nero scoffed at that lightly before scratching the back of his head awkwardly, like he didn’t know what to say next. He kept glancing sideways at you, you could feel his eyes on you, burning a hole into the side of your face. You knew he wanted to say something, you had been around him long enough to know when he wanted to get something off his chest but was too worried or shy for whatever reason. He probably just wanted to give you the ‘big brother’ talk, wanting you to be safe in a relationship.

However, nothing was bought up as the pair of you made it up a small hill of squishy flesh, standing at the top and peering down to see a destroyed payphone. Did it still work? Half of it was still standing, it looked like the top had been burnt off by a dragon or something. Nero didn’t seem to notice it as he kept peeking at the side of your face then awkwardly averting his eyes to the ground or his shoes.

“Hey, look… Think it still works?” You softly whack his still bloody bicep with the back of your hand before pointing towards the phone, grabbing his attention. He didn’t say anything as he frowns, keeping his eyes on the burnt red metal protecting the small black phone inside. Nero jogs down the slope and you follow behind him, almost tripping over your own feet and stumbling into his back. You have no idea how you’ve made it this far without tripping and falling off the edge of the Qliphoth, no need to be pushed, your clumsy feet will do the trick.

You stood beside Nero as he stepped into the broken phone booth, watching as he picked the phone up, placed a coin in the slot and began to dial the familiar phone number while you leaned against the side. He turned and raised his eyebrows at you as if to say he was surprised to hear it ringing, even you could hear when Nico picked up, her southern drawl practically echoing from the phone and into the wide open area.

Nero talked to the Artisan for a total of two-seconds before he hung up on her, or she hung up on him, you weren’t quite sure. He placed the phone back down and came to stand on the other side of you, crossing his arms and staring off into the distance, as if that was the direction he was guessing Nico would come from. You didn’t know that you’d end up playing the waiting game, having expected Nico to arrive quickly, like always. But the seconds turned into minutes and the minutes into half an hour.

You ended up sitting down and taking off your bloodied jacket, shaking it out and using whatever clean patch you could find on it to wipe the blood from your neck, hands and wherever on your face that Nero missed. The devil hunter ended up dozing off while reading a magazine that just so happened to be inside the broken phone booth, using the open pages as a cover for his eyes. You decided to be nice and use your jacket to help clean him up as well, whipping blood off of any patch of his skin before delicately wiping down his devil breaker and getting into all the gears and joints. He didn’t even seem to notice what you were doing as he faintly snored and mumbled in his sleep.

The rumbling of a car engine and a horn hoking grabbed your attention and pulled Nero from his sleep. The two of you stood to your feet, you having to tap Nero’s arm a few times to make sure he wasn’t half asleep so he wouldn’t get hit by the van considering Nico’s insane driving. The fact that you could see her through the windshield, casually waving her hand as if to tell you to get out of the way, made you worry for the sleepy hunter just a tad.

Luckily he was awake enough to spot Nico and actually be the one to pull you aside and out of harms way. The van’s wheels screeched as it sped past you and circled around to dodge you, coming to a sudden stop that would make you jolt out of your seat if your were inside. You ignored how the fleshy ground squished under the tires, ignoring the disturbing sound and the gross look of tire prints in etched in the pink flooring. You hated this place so much.

“What can I do for ya, asshole?” Nico puffed smoke from her cigarette as she stuck her head outside the window to smirk at Nero. The hunter simply huffed at her ability to quickly insult much like a sibling would before he walked around the other side of the van to hop inside. He must have wanted to get more devil breakers since he only had the one left after fighting a bunch of demons when you first came into the Qliphoth, none left hanging off his belt.

Nico winked at you and you crossed your arms, giving her a smirk. She sure was a sight for sore eyes, a familiar and welcome presence that you really needed after such a scarring time you’d had for the past hour or so in the demonic tree. You stepped up to the van and reached up to place a hand on the arm she had resting on the windowsill, if the van wasn’t so tall you’d reach up to give her a kiss on the cheek, but there was no way you’d be able to reach.

“How’s my favourite lethal artisan?” You ask, ignoring as she glances down your body and grimaces at all the blood staining your clothing and hair. You had to look absolutely disgusting right now. You heard Nero making a lot of noise in the back of the van, making you wonder what he was up to since he very clearly wasn’t just picking new arms. Your focus was bought back to Nico when she raised her eyebrows and bit her lip, earning a smile form you since you knew exactly what she was thinking.

“You flirtin’ with me?” She asks in a mocking tone, while she over exaggeratedly twirls her hair and puckers her lips for you. You chuckle and slip your hand off of her, bringing your fingertips to your lips which you kiss and blow to her. She clutches her chest and fakes a swoon, slumping back in the drivers seat as you begin to walk away, around the van so you can go inside to see whatever Nero is doing.

“You wish” You call out before you get to the other side of the van. A sudden beep of the horn causes you to jump and almost fall over as your heart beat rises in surprise. You turn to see Nico through the windshield, laughing her ass off like a misbehaved five year old who just pulled a prank on their parent. You shake your head at her and stomp your foot as you pretend your heart almost didn’t just jump out of your chest, continuing to walk around the van and walk through the already open door.

“Yo, Nico! Get over here and help me” Nero shouts, a little angrily. He must not have woken up in a good mood? You close the door behind you and take a seat on the small couch, resting your hands on the table while you glance into the back of the vehicle to see what Nero’s doing. Nico walked past you and pulled a face as she yelled back at the hunter, telling him to calm his tits. You chuckled and waiting for them to deal with whatever it was that needed to be dealt with.

It got rather quiet quickly, the loud banter and thrown insults died down and suddenly all you could hear were hushed whispers. Nico began to raise her voice and Nero instantly shushed her, she sounded angry… Whats going on? Whatever it was, was it something Nero just wasn’t comfortable telling you? If that was the case, you didn’t want to go sticking your nose in where it should be. But, if Nico was seemingly angry at what he was telling her… Was he bitching about you?

Nero was acting so weird… Had you done something now to piss him off and he was telling Nico how much you annoyed him? Surely not, Nero isn’t like that and he was completely fine with you the whole time after you pulled him up for being an asshole towards you. There was a chance they possibly weren’t even talking about you, maybe they were talking about V and didn’t want you to hear because you were getting closer and closer to him? So, where they bitching about V?

“Nero, we good to go?” You asked, feeling your stomach twist at the thought of your two best friends either shaming you behind your back or V. Neither were fair. However, you knew and loved them both so much that you knew they wouldn’t be doing such a thing. But what else would they be talking about that you wouldn’t be able to hear? Nero was fairly open with you, so having him seemingly talk behind your back, made it feel like you were being stabbed instead.

“Yeah, just a second” Nero replied in a huffy tone, making you realise he was mad or upset for sure. Theres silence for a few seconds and you look back to see Nero staring pleadingly at Nico who looks pretty pissed off. She huffs and points aggressively in his face before stomping off, disappearing behind the bathroom wall over where she keeps her nail polishes and books. You keep watching, hoping to see what she’s doing, but your eyes meet Nero’s.

He doesn’t look angry when he sees you. His eyes look sad almost, or guilty. What is he up to? You furrow your brows and raise a hand with a shrug, silently asking him what he’s doing. Instead of answering you or even acknowledging you, he frowns, not at you but at himself before he tears his eyes off you and disappears behind the wall with Nico. Theres a few more hushed whispers and you feel yourself shrinking into your seat.

Confused, sad and a little angry. That pretty much sums up what you’re feeling right now. Theres no way Nero was stupid enough to think you just couldn’t hear them whispering and… plotting it sounded like. He very well knew you thought something was up.

When they came around the corner together seconds later, you couldn’t even bring yourself to smile and pretend you hadn’t just been trying to eavesdrop on their obvious banter about something either about you or something that would hurt you if you found out. At least that what you figured was going on, they weren’t the type of people to exclude or talk shit behind someones back.

No one said a word as Nero came to stand in front of you, Nico stood with her arms crossed behind him, scowl on her face as she leaned on the bathroom door. That look wasn’t at you was it? No, she seemed to be upset with Nero. Nero looked like was about to do or say something he didn’t want to, which is what was confusing you. His eyes couldn’t meet yours, for some reason he kept looking at his devil breaker, watching it as it rose ever so slightly to come at brush against your fingertips.

“What’s going on?” You finally asked, only to be ignored by the both of them. Nero kept pushing his hand until he could wrap his metal fingers around yours, holding your hand as if he was about to tell you something upsetting or confess his love, the latter would never happen but it showed how out of place this situation felt to you. You couldn’t help but close your hand around his, squeezing the hard metal as if to tell him to open up and confess whatever he was doing, only when you realised he wouldn’t be able to feel you, you suddenly felt stupid.

“Don’t let her out, Nico” was the first thing Nero said before he flipped his hand in yours, gripping your wrist in a tight grasp. You furrowed your brows, only now noticing that his human hand was hidden behind his back, clearly hiding something. You tried to say something, anything, but as he revealed his hand to show thick, heavy handcuffs, you could only stutter. You tried to fight Nero, pulling away as hard as you could but he was simply too strong.

The handcuffs were for demons, something so strong that they wouldn’t be able to break out of, not even Dante could. Nico had whipped them up one day, having used a variety of materials that you had never even heard of before, but it seemed to work as the three of you tested them out on Dante. He couldn’t get free, so there was no chance you could either, you were merely human.

Nero bent down as he captured one of your hands in the cuff, clicking it in place tightly while you already felt it digging into your skin from pulling back so hard. Why was he doing this? Did he not want you to come with him that bad? Was that what he was telling Nico? Why was she just standing there and letting this happen? Your blood was boiling as you yelled and kicked and did everything in your power to get free. Nero crouched down, seemingly unfazed by your attempts as he clasped the other cuff around the leg of the table, keeping you locked inside the van.

“NERO! You can’t do this!” You yelled loudly, using your free hand to grab his coat and keep him from leaving. What was he going to do, fight Urizen on his own? He would probably be able too but you wanted to help, needed to help him! You didn’t come all this way just to be locked away when you were at the final goal of your mission. You had to make Urizen pay, make him suffer for all the lives he had taken and used for his own selfish gain.

“We’re supposed to be a team! LET ME HELP!” You kept yelling. If Nero goes on his own, what if he dies? What if Dante isn’t there to help him like you had been hoping? Nero’s strong but you hadn’t seen Urizen or what he’s capable of, so if he could so easily defeat Dante, then you didn’t have much hope for Nero. You couldn’t let him go on his own and possibly never — oh god! What if this is the last time you see him?

Nero gripped your hand that was almost tearing his jacket, holding it gently but forcibly prying your fingers open so he could slip free. His eyes met yours and you felt angry tears threaten to spill down your cheeks, he looked so hurt and guilty but you didn’t care. He should at least give you a chance to fight the demon king, what was the point of coming all this way if he didn’t? He needed all the help he could get, even from a human like yourself.

He didn’t say anything as he slipped past you, opening the door and quickly closing it behind him so you couldn’t grab him again. It didn’t stop you from punching and kicking the door hard enough to leave a dent and bloody your knuckles. You turned to Nico, pleading her to let you go, but you could tell she wouldn’t because she couldn’t even meet your eyes. She looked just as guilty, if not more, than Nero. She knew what you were capable of and probably wanted you out there helping Nero, thats why she was getting mad at him moments prior, but Nero seemed set of his decision to keep you locked up.

How long had he been planing this? Was he just keeping you along for the ride, wanting a buddy to talk to while he sorted out the lower class demons, something you could handle, just to show off that he could take on the big one on his own? Was that what this was? Some crazy power trip for him?

Nero spoke up once more, making you freeze as you had thought he had already left, but his words made you question everything you had just thought.

“I’m sorry, Y/n but I can’t have you dying on me” He stated firmly through the door before you heard his footsteps grow softer and softer the further he got away until you couldn’t hear them at all.

This was his way of protecting you.

Look at the shit I do just so I don’t have to write fight scenes lol

Tags: @sakkajagga @dmcdrabbles @blueroseblaze @music-of-chaos @kraiison @crystal-skanadal @vergils-daughter @lucielandss @sherrybirkin

(Let me know if you’d like to be added/removed from tags)

#perfect timing #chapter 3 #perfect timing chapter 3 #nero x reader #nero x reader x v #dmc imagine #nero imagine #nero dmc #nero sparda #nero angelo #v dmc #v dmc x reader #v x reader #devil may cry imagine #devil may cry x reader #dmc x reader #nero devil may cry #devil may cry nero #nero

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