#voice not recovered at all but the moment she was alone the mask completely fell

[michyeosseo]

She is not allowed to go. Quickly, call her back.

Zeng Li as SHEN MUYUE

THE LEGEND OF SHEN LI (2024) 1.23

#cdramaedit #cdrama #the legend of shen li #zeng li #与凤行 #shenli spoilers #jlfx when i catch you #soul shattering sorrow #voice not recovered at all but the moment she was alone the mask completely fell #cradling the tattered personal effects retrieved #she didn't even care about her injuries she just wanna have ah'li back #current mood is the youlan meme yesterday except it's me hitting my head over and over grieving along with mother muyue

[thesimpsbasement]

       Twisted wonderland x Ace Attorney crossover 

                               ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕦𝕖

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•Note for new readers: This is a crossover where Maya Fey is basically Yuu/MC in this story! This crossover also takes place after the events of Justice for All making Maya 17-18 in this and this will contain spoilers for both series so read at your own discretion

The plot will be based off both the game and comic so things may be different 

(also apologies for any grammatical errors and/or typos)

Now that that's out of the way, enjoy reading! 

•Crossover and art by Mod Betty

•Word count: 7.9k 

    The young girl waved goodbye to her fellow friend and cousin as she entered the train. She decided she wanted to do some alone training to hopefully enhance her spirit channeling abilities.After the Matt Engarde incident and being held as a hostage Maya wanted to take a breather and leave Tokyo for a bit.While sitting in the train she felt her eyes felt heavy and before she knew it she fell asleep. 

     It was dark,very dark and cramped, did the train suddenly get crowded? Opening her eyes , Maya was only met with darkness "what's going on?" Before waking up to reality to notice she wasn't on the train." Shoot, I'll be late for training!" The young girl yelled to herself as she pushed and picked the lid that was keeping her in whatever she was. The lit came off easier than expected causing her to tumble and fall due to the sheer force.As soon as she came into view she heard gasps all over the room, what IS going on? THIS ISN'T WHERE SHE'S SUPPOSED TO BE!. 

     Quickly getting up she looked around.It was dark, and there were..  coffins floating? "Where am I? This definitely isn't inside a train!" Maya thought, looking around the strange room.Turning around she saw the coffin she just burst out of. She let out a yelp as her face contorted into dear, was she about to get buried alive?? Looking back to the crowd of men in robes, they were whispering something but couldn't make out what it was. Looking down she realised,she was wearing a completely different robe! No wonder it felt so hot in here! She could feel her normal clothes underneath the new attire which made her even more confused.Lost in thought she hasn't even noticed a figure walking up to her." Honestly coming through the door of your own accord is virtually unheard of, why are you in such a hurry?" The man spoke , he was wearing a mask that hid his eyes, he had a top hat on with some sort of fancy ornaments and his clothes were something the girl hadn't seen before. " Who are you!? What is this place? Are you here to hold me hostage again?! " Maya spewed question after question, giving the stranger the stink eye .Again she hurt whispering from the many people in similar robes as her own " Isn't that a girl's voice?" "No way isn't this school an all boys school?". "Please calm yourself! Believe me I'm certainly not a suspicious character " the masked man spoke again " Believe me I've seen suspicious individuals but you take the cake! What is this place anyway and why am I here!?" Maya has terrified, what's going to happen to her? What will they do?? Before her thoughts spiraled she heard the voice speak again" Why? Why, that's because you were chosen" he replied to the girl's question. " Chosen? Chosen where? Why? How?" This isn't making sense at all, this is completely different to what she experienced with that assassin "Hmm…" the man put his finger on his chin lost in thought for a moment before quickly recovering " It seems that you aren't entirely lucid yet, a side effect of the spiral transportation magic, perhaps " he concluded facing the newcomer standing before him. " I'll give you a brief explanation, for I am gracious!" He says with a proud look on his face. " This is getting weirder and weirder" Maya thought to herself as she stood there waiting for whoever this was to explain what's happening. " This is Night Raven College, a prestigious magician training school in Twisted Wonderland. Where the chosen few with exceptional magical talent gather from all around the world" he explains " Ma..gic? This isn't how spirit channeling is called and since when did I apply for a college?!" She was still confused but thought it was just her imagination. "You're here because the 'Mirror of Darkness ' has recognised your magical prowess. A black carriage carrying the door must have come to pick you up as well" he said, motioning his hand to a blank mirror. "Now that he mentioned it, I do remember seeing that but I thought it was a dream " the girl thought but quickly analysed what he just said " A dark mirror selected me? This is definitely not how spirit channeling works! " She confirmed looking at the masked man with a look that says 'give me answers!'. Her train of thoughts was interrupted by clapping " Now! That about does it for explanations.The entrance ceremony is about to begin " he said as he starts to walk away. " Hold up a second pal! Are you sure this isn't some sort of mistake! I can't use this magic you talk about and plus I don't remember signing up for a college!" The girl looking at him confused but demanding. " What did you just say…?" "So if you'll excuse me I'll leave because I have some important training to do that I definitely can't miss!" She said as she turned around ready to head out " Wait just a moment! Someone refusing to enroll is unheard of!" The masked individual said as some of the people there started muttering things to one another. " Let's just calm down and-" before he could finish his sentence the girl interrupted him " I'm sorry but how can I calm down when I don't even know where I am!?" She said turning back to him.

      A sudden crash was heard , everyone turning to the source of the sound. It was a grey cat? Or was it a raccoon? Doesn't matter it slowly walked towards Maya standing on 2 legs it started to talk!? "I've been listening to ya talk and do you know how many folks do ya think we're biting their chance to enter this school!? Lettin' it slip by like that..I can't believe you! So how about this , let me enroll in your place !" The cat offered with a huge smirk on his face " What's truly odd here is how you're doing as you please after that intrusion!" Said the masked man looking at the furbal, said furbal ignoring looking at the "new student" " How about it? Are you so overcome with joy that it left you speechless?" He said proudly waiting for Maya's response " Cats can talk here too!? I have to be dreaming !" She said pinching her cheeks to make sure she wasn't still dreaming " Hey I ain't no cat! I'm going to be the greatest wizard there ever was! The amazing Grim!" Suddenly there was laughter among the crowd " a monster a wizard? As if!" "Tell us more about your plays oh so powerful tanuki" This caused the cat thing who calls himself Grim to flare up in anger " What did you say!? Guess I'm gonna have to show ya my fiercest spell!" As he said that he blew , causing blue flames to spring out of nowhere soon the whole room was in blue flames.

  "Kyaaaa!!" Screamed the upcoming heir as she tried to dodge the flames "Y'see that? That's my power!" Grim shouted before blowing more fire at the student's that were once laughing. As everyone was ready to evacuate one stood up from his seat and walked to the fire." First someone refuses enrollment, and then a monster intrudes? 

How dare you ruin our solemn entrance ceremony!

You…. Remove yourself from our school at once !" The short boy yelled without a glance of fear on his face . Grim annoyed threw his fire attack into his direction causing Maya to stop and turn to his direction " Hey watch out!" She would've jumped at him to at least but she remained in her place. The boy quickly dodged the attack grabbing some sort of pen? It had a visible red jewel on it, was it some sort of wand? "Are you ready for your sentence? The verdict will come afterwards " he spoke in a threatening tone " What is he a judge?!" Maya thought to herself as she looked at Grim, noticing him halt in his rampage causing him to turn around and run , before he could get away the student shouted " Off with your head!" And suddenly some sort of collar appeared around Grim's neck. The hell!? That guy wasn't joking when he said this is a collage for magicians! " The hell is this thing!? Shit I can't take it off!" Cursed the magic cat preparing to blow more flames except it never happened.The despair on his face realising he can't use magic " My magic… Y'mean I can't spit out flames anymore!?" "Naturally. I used my magic to seal yours'' said the boy with red hair as he put away his pen. Maya stared in awe at what just happened, Nick has to hear about this! If only she had recorded it! Sudden clapping was heard as the masked one appeared once more " Quiet the clever capture Riddle Rosehearts! Just as one would expect from Heartslabyul's dorm leader!" Said the man as he came into view " Now , let's toss this tanuki off the premises. I could have used you for stew but I didn't! For I am gracious!" He said to the now collared cat as he walked off. Maya felt her legs get weak as she fell to the ground , everything was spinning, it all felt so fake , but it literally just happened right in front of her! The redhead, named Riddle walked up to the girl point at her " Now listen here, I'm willing to ignore what you just pulled , however! I won't ignore such foolishness again , do you understand!? Or else it will be off if your head" he said , cold gaze as Maya felt a shiver up her spine. 2 figures ran up to the 2 , one with green hair, glasses and a clover in his face , the other with orange hair and a diamond on the opposite side from the first guy" Hey riddle why don't we just calm down for a second and hear them out?" Said the green haired one " Calm down? As if I could when they're making a mess of our ceremony! He's guilty of serious misconduct " oh lord this is sounding just like the trial when she was accused of murder " I can see that but… this is their first day on campus, it goes without saying that he wouldn't know all our rules" spoke the green haired man, his diamond friend came around and crouched at the girl's level " Exactly,  soo maybe you can let him off the hook, given it's such a special occasion " said the orange haired one " Hey I didn't enroll! I can't even use magic, especially like how you do!" Fey said as she quickly got up from her place on the cold floor " Spouting more nonsense? The black carriage wouldn't come for a human that can't use mag-" before he could finish there was a sudden sound , everyone turned to the direction of the mirror.

      "It is as she says , i sense not even a single ripple of magic from her. No color, no shape, nothing whatsoever " said the mirror of darkness as Maya stared at the mirror " Man things are just getting weirder and weirder!" She thought as she saw the shocked faces of everyone, why are they so surprised anyway it's not like she's been trying to tell them that from the beginning! " I've never heard of a freshman without magic," said Riddle , lost for words. " I've been trying to tell you that from the start," Maya pouted looking at the redhead. "Uh hold on a second " interrupted the ginger " Is it just me or did the mirror of darkness just say 'her'?" The 3 looked at the girl confused Riddle quickly stepped in " take off your hood this instant " was the only thing he said , Maya looked terrified but agreed,  he pulled down the hood from the robe to reveal well , a girl with black hair ,bangs on the front and partially tied up in a topknot with a purple band, with the rest of her hair either draped over the front of her shoulders and decorated with large purple beads near the end while the rest lays on her back. Everyone's let out a gasp at what they're seeing, a girl!? At Night Raven ?! What is going? " Uhm why is everyone looking so surprised?" Asked Maya without a clue of what's going on " First no magic and a girl? How could this happen?" Asked Riddle, looking annoyed ," like hell should I know! " Maya thinks to herself before she hears a set of footsteps " I find that very hard to believe " it was the masked crow guy! " The monster's intrusion,and you as well, a medley of impossibilities are occurring today" he sighed looking back into the girl's direction "However of that were the case, then you shouldn't have been accepted at our school,  we'll have the mirror of darkness return you from whence you came" Maya let out a sigh of relief , finally she can leave this place! The masked man walked up the mirror , extended his arms and said" O, Mirror of Darkness! Guide this one to where they belong!" A moment a silence passes before the mirror spoke …..

      "It is nowhere to be found"  was the response that left everyone in shock "Nowhere in this world is there a place for this one to belong" the mirror spoke again " What you can't be serious! I was just there, I saw my friend and everything!" Maya raised her voice in disbelief, this has to be some cruel joke right? Right!?

    "And… where are you from again?" Asked the crow looking man as he turned towards Maya's direction. "Well Japan ! More specifically Khurain Village!" " Japan? Khurain? And where is that exactly? I'm aware that students here come from all over the world but I have never heard of such a place. Now you aren't lying to me by any chance are you?" Asked the stranger and everyone stared at the girl as she felt gooseberry forming " Uhm so you're telling me no knows about Japan?" It was an obvious that everyone didn't know " you know what maybe I'll be able to find it myself! I may not been around much but I'm sire I can figure somewhere out!" She declared before storming out of the room , but when she opened the door and saw the outside she went completely wide eyed , people were flying on magic brooms! Just like I'm those TV shows she watches while Phoenix is busy busting ass trying to figure out what's going on with a case he's been assigned to. " Do you know you're way back? " Asked the masked one as he stepped outside where the girl was " Nope ! Totally lost! Hang on a second, maybe Nick can help me out here! " She said as she picked up her phone to call him only to be met with " No signal" on the screen, darn it! 

     That's when realization hit her, she was stuck here wasn't she? How will she ever get back, oh how worried Pearl and Phoenix would be when they won't hear from her! 

  "Hmm it appears  that you aren't lying, a person without magic can't stay here" said the crow looking fella as he sat in thought before having an idea " Hey there's a vacant building nearby that was once used as a dormitory!" He said to the girl who was about to burst into tears " Wait, are you sure?" She asked, almost in disbelief " It'd break my heart to simply throw you out! Ahh~~ How gracious I am! Such an exemplary educator! Now it would be best if we hurry and let us head to the dorm!" He said as he took the girl's hand and dragged her to an abandoned looking building.  

       The 2 reached their destination at what seems to be an abandoned building just as mentioned. " Woah you weren't kidding when you said it was vacant " said the girl as he stared at the building " oh I know this is sorta random but you never actually told me your name" Maya said while turning to the direction of the masked individual " Oh how rude of me! Getting so caught up with things that I don't even introduce myself! I'm Dire Crowley, headmaster of Night Raven College and who might you be?" Said Crowley with a smile on his face " Oh I'm Maya Fey! Nice to meet you sir!" Said the black haired girl as both of themselves stepped in the house. Immediately Maya started coughing and sneezing,  man this place is dusty! "It's a little broken down, but it can probably withstand the rain" said the headmaster as both walked around " Well it's more than just "a little broken down" but It's better than sitting outside in the rain" said the young girl as she looked around the building "Regarding your soul having been summoned here.. since the school owns the mirror of darkness we are also partially responsible,  so for the time being you'll be staying free of charge" said Crowley stopping in his tracks " I appreciate it sir!" Said Maya , clasping her hands together t

, turning around to explore the mansion the chandelier above her fell , if she took one more step she would definitely get crushed " Kyaaa!!" Screamed the girl as she stepped away "hee hee hee" "oh no it missed!" "What a shame!" Maya looked all over the place but not finding the source of the sound " Who was that just now!?" Asked Maya in a panicked voice , suddenly something or someone just went right through her 

       " Welcome to our castle!" It was… A GHOST!? " W-W-WHAT!? it just went through me! Am I dead!? Is this the afterlife?" Screamed the girl , face turning pale " oh right I forgot to tell you, some mischievous Ghosts took up home here " said the headmaster in a calm voice " How can you forget something like that!?" Maya asked the headmaster only to be met with no answer to her question instead hearing the Ghosts talk again "It's been a while since we last had visitors" said one ghost "Make yourself at home." The other one said "Oh I know, want to become a ghost?" Asked one of them as they suddenly came closer to the upcoming master of Khurain "We've been looking for new friends " said the other ghost " Whoa whoa hold on a second this is getting out of hand, I've seen death enough times but this is just a another level creepy! So I'm sorry but I will have to refuse your offer to become a ghost!" The ghost giggled to themselves at her reaction , this is exactly what the were waiting for! " Whatever i should get this place squeaky clean if I'm going to stay here for who knows how long!" Said the girl and she started rolling up her sleeves " Hold on a second I'm not done talking " said Dire which prompted the girl to stop in her tracks " I did say you can stay here free of charge however clothing and food will have to come from you pocket " he said pointing his claw like decorated hand towards the girl " Ugh if only Nick where here…. Is there anything I can do instead!? Anything??" The girl pleaded " Well if you're so willing to do anything…. How about you take care of some odd jobs around the campus like maintenance? I will also let you use the library to find information on how to get back to your world for I am gracious!" Said the masked crow in a proud voice once more " It's a deal! Thank you so much, headmaster!" Maya thanked him with a smile on her face " Great! Well then,  please start cleaning the school,  starting tomorrow… Is what I'd like to say but you see our campus is very vast and it would be important to clean everything without magic" said the headmaster in a somewhat concerned voice " And so I'll just ask you to clean the main streets , which extends from the entrance gate to the library for now , understood ?" " Yes sir!" Said the girl ready to start her new job tomorrow. 

       It's the next day and the girl was in her normal clothes, a kimono, dark-wooden sandals,and the necklace she still had on at the ceremony which consists of a yellowish magatama and several orbs and this time she came with cleaning equipment,  good thing that cleaning the office gave her experience to go through this! " So this is the main street huh" She said to herself as she admired the statues that were on the main street , she walked to the first one " Wonder who this could be" she wondered to herself as she examined it and noticed th crown " is she soke ruler of some kind?" She asked to herself using her deduction skills she learnt from her lawyer friend " What a joke ! You don't even know the Queen of Hearts?" Said a student , he had red hair and a heart on his face , was he related to the other 3 people from the ceremony? Next to him was another student this one having dark blue hair with a spade on the opposite side " Queen of Hearts? Was she like a queen here or something?" Asked the girl looking down at the 2 boys " She's a queen who lived in a labyrinth of roses ages ago" explained the redhead "With a strict personality that valued discipline over anything else, she didn't tolerate any disorder when it came to the color of roses or the card soldier's marching. They were all mad there, but everyone swore their absolute obedience,  why you ask? Because breaking the rules got youba swift beheading!" A shiver went up Maya's spine as she listened to the guy explain the origins of the statue " Thanks for the info! By chance are you a student here?" Asked the girl " Yep I'm Ace Trapolla. A brand sparkling new first year! Nice to meet ya" said Ace introduced himself " Hey are you that girl that was acting up in the ceremony?" Asked Ace " Well I suppose? Not my fault a mirror chose the wrong person " the girl grumbled to herself " ha I knew it! The mirror of darkness summoned someone who can't even use magic, and a girl at that! Man, I was trying so hard not to laugh!" Chuckled the redhead nudging her " Why is it so surprising I'm a girl? Don't normal schools have like both boys and girls? " Asked the girl " Well yes but this is an all boys school " responded the spade guy as he walked up to them. " Also Ace don't be so rude to someone you just met!" Scolded the dark haired student which caused the redhead to scoff " so you couldn't enroll?" Asked the blue haired student " Yeaah so I'm sorta the handyman for the time being " replied Maya looking back at the cleaning supplies "I see, so that's why your uniform is so different!" " Yeah this is the uniform all girls wear at my village!" Maya said smiling " If there's anything about the school just let me know!" Said the dark haired male " The name is Deuce Spade. Nice to meet you." Said Deuce with a smile " I'm Maya Fey! " " So Maya is taking care of that raccoon from the ceremony also a part of your new found job" joked Ace then suddenly felt something jumo on his head " I ain't no chore!" It was the talking cat from yesterday! And his collar is gone! "Why are ya still here!? Didn't ya say ya wanted to go home" Asked Grim looking annoyed at the girl " Well if I could I would-be long gone and training by this time!" Retorted the girl " Then it looks like I'll have to get rid of ya myself " Grim said lugging to attack , turning around she grabbed the closest thing ,a mop and quickly hit Grim. " Phew that was a close call, I don't want to be burnt bacon yet!" Sighed Maya in relief " Hahaha getting defeated by a magicless kid and with a broom!" Laughed Ace but Grim got up " I ain't giving up so soon! I will be a great magician just you wait!" Said Grim with determined look on her face " Ha you a magician! For a talking raccoon you're rather funny!" Ace continued to laugh , Maya let go of the mop remembering how her Aunt , Morgan Fey would always belittle her , saying how she'll never be good enough to be the new master of Khurain. While she was in a trance Grim managed to blow his flames towards Ace which he in return pulled out his magic pen and casted some sort of wind magic. Deuce trying to stop their fight summoned something to stop Ace, a sudden loud crash caused Maya to slip back to reality to only be met with Ace literally getting crushed by a cauldron!? Seeing this opening Grim launched his fire attack once more only for it to get blown away and…. THE STATUE TO CATCH FIRE! The 4 all felt their souls leave their body as they watched in horror as the statue of the Queen of Hearts was burning. Quick footsteps were hear

     " YOUUUU THEREE!" yelled an angered voice,It's Crowley! " What in the name of the great seven did you do!?This is blasphemy  against a renowned figure! There's no possible way I can turn a blind eye to this! " yelled the headmaster slamming his cane on the ground " All of you are expelled effective immediately!" His voice boom causing the 3 to contort their faces in fear.The most scared of all was Deuce, poor guy looked like he's going to explode 

    " E-expelled !? After I finally made it to a famous school!? Oh what am I going to tell mom! " As the headmaster was walking away Deuce raised his heada and started walking towards the headmaster 

  " Please sir anything but that!" 

   " It only your fault for such a foolish stunt " said Crowley , not paying attention to the boy. 

   " Then I'll do anything to make up for it!" Yelled Deuce peaking the headmaster's interest, thinking for a bit he had an idea 

   " Then I shall offer you 1 chance to make amends " said Dire " There is an enormous fixture hanging in the cafeteria. A magic chandelier with ever lasting candles that burn indefinitely. It's a masterpiece crafted a legendary meister of magic tools. That very item is currently losing its power.It seems the source of its strength,  the magic gem is growing weaker. Magic gems are mined in a place called Mt. Dwarf…. We may be able to repair it otherwise a similar gem property. " explained the masked headmaster " I'll go and get one! Please you have to let go!" Pleaded Deuce hoping,praying for the headmaster's approval 

   " Very well… However, you will be expelled if you don't return with the gem by tomorrow's morning. You can travel to Mt. Dwarf through a door in the mirror Chambers. " said Dire as he took his leave once more " Right! Thank you! 

    The 3 went to said mirror Chambers and entered through the door. Woah they're in a completely different area! " So this is Mt. Dwarf huh..m people used to mine here for magic gems when they were abundant but…" said Deuce stopping mid sentence " It's really quiet here" said Maya looking around the place " There's no time to stand around let's go!" Said Deuce , practically speed walking.  The 3 stopped at a cottage they found , deciding to go check it out to see what the residents have to say.

     They walked up to the door, Deuce taking the initiative to knock,  getting no response he tried opening the door, surprised to see its opened. They all got inside and looked around "So no one's home" concluded Deuce as the other 2 in the room inspected the table with what seemed to be 7 chairs " Man these things are so small! Not even a kid could sit of one of these chairs!" Said Maya looking surprised, not even Pearly could sit on those chairs! " Guess there aren't any clues about the magic gem here huh?" Said Deuce inspecting other parts of the house " Well there's no point searching this house if there isn't anything we're looking for, there has to be at least one gem in that mine" said Ace unamused " It's going to be dark in there…" said Deuce looking around and saw a candle on a shelf " Well I guess we can borrow this but if only we had something to light it" said Deuce handing it to Maya as the 2 boys looked for something to light it , suddenly the candle caught fire out of nowhere! And look who it is! Mr Grim, the fire cat " Hah looks like you'll need my help with my awesome fire magic" said Grim as he cat on the small chair " Grim you're back?" Asked Maya "How long have you been following us?" Questioned Deuce, eyeing the feline "to take me into the mine with ya! I might provide a little service for ya if you do" said Grim smirking at the trio " highly doubt a furbal is going to be of much help" thought Maya looking back at Grim" what do you want?" She asked "I'm gonna go pokin' around for magic gems! Y'never know maybe I could use some super powerful magic with those!" Answered Grim " Well it's not like you need us from mining? Couldn't you just go by yourself?" Asked Ace , crossing his arms " I-i-it's not like I'm too scared to go in the dark alone!" Grim quickly defended himself " I'll be the captain so ya better follow me!" He said getting up and started walking out of the house "Wow isn't he cocky" Maya said with a not so pleased expression on her face " Eh it will save us some time finding the entrance now let's go !" Said Ace catching up with Grim,  soon the other 2 followed. 

    The 4 of them managed to find the entrance of the cave and without wasting time got straight to work.So far nothing,  just some rocks but nothing close to what they're looking for. Ace managed to irritate Grim which caused them to blame each other for the position which made Deuce step in and that led to the 2 students arguing,  Maya on the other hand wasn't paying attention to their yapping,  instead she hear some sort of voice, didn't sound like anything familiar " Uh is it just me or I definitely heard something " Asked Maya turning to a darker part of the mine " Probably just you, this place is abandoned " Answered Ace. The weird noise was heard again, this time louder. All 4 quickly hid behind a pile of rocks, scared out their minds, when some sort of weird creature popped out , it didn't look anything human, or anything normal in general! " What the hell is that!?" Whispered Ace covering his mouth to silence his heavy breath " No one told me Jack about this being here!" Cried out Grim " Stone…belongs…to..me" the weird thing said walking away from the group " Did it just say stone? Like a gem? So there ARE still magic gems in these mines! Let's go!" Said Deuce before running to the the place the creature came out of " Hey what are you doing !?" Yelled our Ace but only his plea to fall on deaf ears. " I'm going! LIke hell we're gonna quit when the gems are right around the corner!" He said storming of to the master " Hey, monster!" Deuce yelled causing the monster to turn around " What is that idiot trying to do!? Get himself killed!?" Thought Maya looking wide eyed " Face me one-on-one I'm taking the gems if I win !" Challenged Deuce , the monster raised its pickaxe lunging it towards Deuce who dodged it , noticing its slow while attacking he took advantage of this landing a hard kick towards the back of it causing some sort of blank liquid to drip , the master attacked again causing the ruble to collapse. The monster manages to get out and started chasing the other 3 remaining intruders which started to run, except or Maya,she couldn't just leave Deuce there alone! Like hell if she's going to let him die! Turning around she ran back to where Deuce was , if she could spirit chanel someone she'd channel someone better fit for the job but now there's no time! " The monster swong it's pickaxe again causing rocks to fly all over the place nearly crushing the girl but thankfully Ace made it in time to block them " Thanks Ace I'll be back!" Maya quickly found Deuce on the ground injured , she took him off the ground to the best of her abilities,  Deuce on the other hand noticed somethings shining, it was the magic them they were looking for! "There it is!" Yelled out Deuce extending to reach for it only to be dragged by Maya who put one of his arms around her shoulders to stabilise him " Sprry pal but we can't take it yet! We have to leave before we become one with the rubble!" Yelled Maya trying her best to run as fast as possible while not dropping Deuce, good thing carrying heavy stuff around the village and stuff at the office gave her some experience. Final they managed to get to a more secure place. As soon as they got there Maya collapsed on the ground, man that was a lot of work! " Stupid Deuce and Maya! You can just jump into a situation like that! It's too risky!" Scolded Ace " Kinda felt like you were a different person back there " Grim commented , reference to how Deuce suddenly changed character " Sorry.. I got a little worked up" said Deuce rubbing the back of his neck " *pant* If we're going to *pamt* stay here *pant* let me at least take a break" Maya panted as she was still laying on the ground "What made you think it was a good idea to come after Deuce anyway!? You can't even use magic for crying out loud!" Ace Asked annoyed at the girl but also concerned " I-Ill be fine just give me a couple of minutes…" the girl said trying to regain the strength to at least sit up instead of lying on the ground as if it was a bed . " But there really is a ge here. If we could just do something about that monster…" Deuce said raising his finger to his chin trying to think of something "And what do you propose we do?" Asked Ace not amused " It's too early to give up yet" Maya said trying to somewhat reasurthe group as they all sat there trio think of something. " Hmm well there's only one so if we attack it as a group we might have a chance of beating it" Maya suggested " You want me to work together with Mr. Serious over here?! No way!" Said Ace "I'm not teaming up with you either!" Said Deuce, wow its like they're kindergarteners fighting over a ball. " Welp guess we'll have to say goodbye to this school,  such a pity" Maya said dramatically said " Getting expelled on the first day, that's so lame" Chuckled Grim, those words ticked both boys off finally agreeing to work together. "Hey monster over Germany!!" Called out Maya and Grim making sure the monster saw them clear as day " Thieves…..Leeaaaveee!" The monster growled chasing the 2 who were running back to the entrance to lure out the monster " Now!" Yelled Maya getting out of the way as the 2 students got their magic pens out Grim also getting in a fighting stance , first Ace threw a wind attack at the monster pushing it back " It's getting weak! Now for the final blow!" Yelled out Maya causing Deuce to get ready for attack , relaxing his breathing he started to think of something heavy… something heavy..

 Oh he knows a cauldron,  summoning one , it fell right on top of the monster causing it to disappear into thin air! After their realisation in victory they all cheered high fiving one another "I'm glad this whole thing worked!" Maya said excited as the other 3 quickly retracted from the high five " No its not like that!" Said Deuce "Don't get the wrong idea!" Said Ace " W-we only won 'cause I'm a genius! Not 'cause we joined forces!" Said Grim but Ace spike again" Heh excuses are lame , have to admit but Maya's strategy might've been why we beat it!" "Yeah! We pulled this off because you were able to stay calm and give direction!" Praised Deuce " Awe come on it wasn't all that " She said bashfully looking away "Anyway let's grab that crystal and take it to the headmaster before I faint!" Maya spoke again feeling as if she's going to collapse and that feeling was true because her legs gave out once more " Maayaa!" All 3 yelled rushing to the fallen girl.Grim turned around and saw some sort of black crystal " huh what's this?" Asked Grim walked up to it " Huh a magic crystal? Buy I've never seen one pitch black like coal before" Said Deuce taking his attention away from the girl , the cat sniffed it before he started drooling " this thing smells really good.." " No way!" Said Ace " This has to be candy the monster was hiding! Ooooh I can't hold back!! Them to dig in!" Said Grim before starting to devour the rock like it was his final meal. Grim reminded silent before coughing "And this is why you don't eat things off the ground" Ace sighed at the cat's stupidity " it's….. d-d-d-d- DELICIOUS!" Screamed Grim, loud enough for the unconscious girl to become conscious " It's full-bodied but also rich, with an aromatic sweetness that blooms in my mouth" Grim described while being in pure bliss " It's like a whole field of flowers in my mouth!" He cheered " Bleeeghh. Monster's really do have different tastes from us" Ace gagged , disgusted " Well yeah but also most people wouldn't shove weird rocks in their mouths without a thought " Said Deuce while Grik kept laughing and saying how good the rock tastes " Switching gears let's get back to headmaster and give him the crystal, I'll cary Maya back!" Deuce said handing Ace the gem as he crouched down to pick up the unconscious girl. Before actually reaching his office they took a break for a bit and to maybe hopefully make Maya wake up which thankfully did happen, when she was feeling better all 4 headed to the headmaster's office.

      "Ehh!? You really went to Dwarf's Mine to find a magic crystal?" Crowley said in disbelief looking at the crystal Ace handed round him " Huh?" All of them said in unicine " I really didn't think..  You'd not only go but then come back with crystal in hand. I quietly completed the paperwork for your expulsion " The crow admitted crossing his arms " Nnga! The nerve of this guy! While we were off fighting some crazy beast!" Grik said with annoyance " Beast?" Asked Dire looking surprised " There was a monster there!" Said Ace " it was super gross and crazy strong, it was awful!" Ace said again feeling a shiver up his spine, remembering the events that just occurred " Could you explain in more detail?' Crowley asked , croutons know about this so called beast. The kids all explained what happened happened in that mine "Hohhooho. A mysterious monster living in the coal mine, the fpur of you worked together to defeat it and bring back a magic crystal?" Asked Crowley making sure he understood the situation. Ace and Deuce tried to deny the working together part and play it off as " We had the same goal" " ooh… Oooh OOOOOHHH!! Sob sob !!" Suddenly Crowley cried out taking all 4 of the troublemakers off guard " What's with this guy? Why is an adult bursting into tears!?" Grim asked completely taken aback " All these years that I've been headmaster….For the day to come that students from Night Raven Collage go hand in hand to face and defeat their enemy!" Crowley continued to cry out " What!? I did not hold this guy's hand!" Deuce says looking surprised " I would never do that! Gross! But headmaster,  how old are you!?" Ace Asked " I am overwhelmed with emotion. This incident confirms it.Maya. without a doubt, you have talent of a beast tamer!" Crowley announced looking serious "A beast tamer!? Unless we're talking about my stomach you have to be joking!" Maya said not believing what she was just hearing "Students of Night Raven College are budding wizards called here by the Dark Mirror. However,  they are of a subclass that makes them prideful and egotistical people that have not even the slightest inkling to work for themselves. Making many of them selfish and self-centered." Crowley explained " You're really not saying anything good" Grim said looking unamused. " You can't use magic but maybe because you cannot use magic means that you could give instructions to wizards and get the to cooperate. Perhaps that mediocrity is exactly what  the school needs right now!" Crowley said with a smile on his face " You aren't making it sound like a good thing sir" Maya said with a displeased face " I have no doubt that tour existence is essential to the future of this academy so says my educator-senses. Trapolla. Spade. Along with rescinding your expulsion I shall give you the qualifications to attend Night Raven College as a student!" Crowley announced happily " Wait hold on a second! You're telling me I'm going to be a student here!? Even if I can't use magic !? " Maya asked question after question " Why yes for I am extremely gracious! But there is one condition.You cannot use magic. Becoming a wizard is out of the question thus you probably won't be able to complete all your lessons, that's why Grim.. You have proven to me that you can possess enough talent to become a wizard. Therefore I shall allow the 2 of you to enroll together, as one student. " Crowley said looking happy as ever " Fngha! I.. I can go to this academy too..? As a student?" Grim asked being overwhelmed with joy " Yes provided that you don't cause an incident like yesterday to occur again! Do we have an agreement?" Crowley asked the cat bit said cat was too busy processing this new bit of information " We'll try out best sir!" Maya spoke for Grim excited to be in a public school Unlike those in her village " Before I forget here let me give you a symbol to show that you're officially students!" Crowley said before a magic crystal appeared around Grim's neck "Students at Night Raven Collage have their magic crystal in the form of a magic pen but I figured it would be hard for you to grab it with your paws so this oneis custom made ! Ah I pay attendance to the smallest details ! Aren't I so gracious! " " I did it! I got my own special magic crystal collar " Grim cheered,  happy with his new magic collar " He isn't listening all…It's up to you to take the rein and supervise him and prevent him from causing trouble! " Crowley told the girl as Grim continued to happily sing " Aha! Look at you. School's just started but you're already a supervisor?" Ace said " Never heard of someone who can't use magic become a supervisor ! Especially on their first day!" He laughed at the irony but congratulated the new student nonetheless " Supervisor. I entrust you with this!" Crowley spoke again handing Maya some sort of camera. This is nicknamed the " ghost camera"" he explained " A ghost camera? What for?" Maya asked confused while analysing the object in hand " Ah I think my grandma told me about that. It's a super old magic tool right ?" Ace Asked looking at the object " It's not 'super old'... ahem. It's true this mat have been invented during your great grandmother's or great great grandmother's time there is a very special spell cast on it . It not only captures the object's form but also a part of their soul. We call this 'Memory: A Fragment of Remembrance '. Furthermore,  the most interesting part of this magic camera is that the souls of the photographer and the photographed become deeply connected and the Memory I the photo comes jumping out!" The headmaster's told the girl "It comes jumping out? Man these things never fail to amaze me!" Maya said while smiling " Depending on how close the subject and the photographer are the picture can move like a movie or bring to life a situation in the photo. Fascinating right?" Crowley explained more " Supervisor. Please take photos of Grim and the other students to leave behind many memories of your lives in this academy and make sure to make 'memories ' when someone gets out of line got it? Keep an eye on your surroundings and take memories as the supervisor. " Crowley told Maya " Got it sir I'll give it a try later!" Maya said clasping her hands together. " It's already late. Let's save the detailed conversation for tomorrow,  return to your dormitories, everyone " and with that the 4 students left for their dorms.

      Maya and Grim finally got back to Ramshackle, despite his excitement Grim felt tired and fell asleep immediately as his head his the bed. Maya was getting ready to go bed herself, getting under the covers her eyes slowly closed as she faded into dreamland. Wonder what kind of shenanigans will happen tomorrow she thinks to herself before finally falling asleep. 

#ace attorney #twisted wonderland #ace attorney x twisted wonderland #ace attorney crossover #twisted wonderland crossover #ace attorney x twisted wonderland crossover #maya fey #ace attorney maya fey #twst #twst crossover #pwaa crossover #phoenix wright ace attorney

[writing-on-the-wahl]

Writing Snippet #19: The Voicemail

It was the dog at her side who warned her of his approach.

Normally she was much more in tune with her surroundings. It was the whole reason she’d come to the park in the early morning hours, to soak in the peaceful stillness, hear the birds chirping, and feel the morning sun on her face.

But her thoughts raced within even as she sat on the familiar park bench, her eyes closed as the rays of the morning sun danced across her skin. It was colder this year than it had been on that day.

But today she was alone.

Except for whoever had decided to join her on this particular fall morning.

She acknowledged her dog’s signal but didn’t open her eyes. Leaves crunched on the path, footsteps coming closer until they were nearly past her.

She stiffened as the air went silent.

“Cecelia?”

The familiar rich voice sent a stab of pain through her chest—an injury she’d thought healed long ago.

Why would he be here, today of all days? He’d made his choice, so he had no need to come relive the memories. She clenched her hands together in her lap.

“Hello, Hero.” She was surprised and relieved at how neutral her voice sounded.

She heard a shaky inhale. “Cece…” Her heart tripped at the nickname that was singularly his.

Leaves rustled and she tensed. Her dog let out a small growl, warning him against coming any closer.

Good boy, Bingo.

Hero had noticed her discomfort as well. “You don’t want to see me.”

There had been a time that was all she wanted.

She tipped her head back even further, focusing on the sun seeping into her skin rather than the raw grief clawing its way to the surface.

“I called you.” He hadn’t answered.

“Yes, I know.”

“I left you a voicemail.” A part of her harbored the hope he’d never gotten it, that it hadn’t been his choice to abandon her.

“I know.” His voice was strangled, pained.

The tiny hope withered and died.

Then her head was in her hands, fingers digging into her hair as the old pain resurfaced with the memories of that night. “You didn’t come find me.” The words slipped out before she could stop them.

He took in a shuddering breath. “No. I didn’t.”

Tears slipped down her cheeks, and she pressed her face more firmly into her hands.

No. He hadn’t come. And she’d been left alone. In the darkest moment of her life.

“Cece.” He was crouched down in front of her now.

She wondered why her loyal companion hadn’t bitten his face off yet.

“I’m sorry. When I came home and saw the papers strewn across the floor, the table half set…”

She bit back a sob. She’d wanted to surprise him with dinner. Not for anything special. Just because. It had been the anniversary of the day they’d met. A date she was sure he’d forgotten. She’d gone over while he was still working at the fire station. Begged a key off the landlord. She’d been in the middle of setting the table when...

“I honestly didn’t think you’d want me to come.”

She’d left that voicemail begging him to come.

“Because you couldn’t love me like that?” The words overflowed with bitterness. He’d said he’d always love her. No matter what.

“Of course I loved you! Enough to let you—”

“I swear, if you say ‘let me go’…” she growled the words through her hands, filled them with all the pain and heartbreak and anger living inside her stitched-together heart.

A twig snapped as he stood and took a few steps back. He was probably running his hands through his hair, like he always did when he was agitated. He’d often put off getting it trimmed, and the soft waves were constantly falling in his eyes. She wished she could peak up through her hands and see the adorable way he’d push the waves back, only to have them immediately fall back into place.

“I know I don’t deserve anything from you, but even after all this time, can you really not bear to even look at me?”

She let out a hiss and pressed a hand against her chest to stifle the pain those words brought. Bear to look at him? She let out a sharp laugh, bitter and without humor. He’d gotten her voicemail. He knew. How dare he ask that of her.

Cecelia raised her head and opened her eyes.

Not that it made a difference in the blackness that was now her world.

She heard him inhale sharply. She fought the instinct to close her ruined eyes. She’d never seen them of course, but the nurses had told her of the unsettling milky sheen now coating her once-blue eyes.

Wood creaked as he settled beside her on the bench.“What happened?” His voice was so achingly tender.

The memories of what had happened were like acid, making her eyes burn just like they had that night. The masked intruder in the hallway. The brilliant flash of light. The intense pain in her eyes that sent her to her knees.

She’d told him in the voicemail. Not everything, but most of it.

When she didn’t answer, he shifted close, interrupting her thoughts. “Cece, how long have you been blind?”

A shiver prickled along the back of her neck. Something was wrong. The way he was reacting…

“Two years ago today.” The day of their anniversary. The day she’d hoped he’d ask her to be his for the rest of their lives.

The silence that followed made her desperately wish she could see his face. His voice was excruciatingly calm when he finally asked, “The day you left was the day you went blind?”

“I-I called you.” Her words were barely audible. She heard his sharp intake of breath, but forced herself to continue. “You didn’t answer. I was scared and alone and in so much pain… I didn’t know what else to do. So I left you that voicemail.” The admission cost her more than she cared to admit.

“The voicemail—”

“I waited all night for you to call. For you to come. But you didn’t.” Her voice broke at the end, and she stood and stepped away from the bench, not wanting Hero to see the tears escaping the corners of her eyes.

Bingo pressed up against her side, and the feel of his soft fur beneath her fingers gave her the strength to say the words she’d held inside for almost three years.

“You left me,” she whispered to the wind. “You promised you’d always love me, and when I needed you most you weren’t there.”

“Cecelia.” He was standing behind her now, close enough she could feel the brush of his clothes against her back. “I didn’t listen to the voicemail.”

The words sank in, and relief washed over her, but was quickly followed by confusion and pain.

If not her blindness, then why? What had she done to have pushed him away? To make him never want to speak to her again?

“Why not?” She could hardly breathe as she waited for the answer she wasn’t sure she was ready to hear.

“I didn’t listen to the voicemail,” he repeated slowly. His voice was closer now. She heard him take a steadying breath. “Because I thought you left me.”

“Why would I leave you?” He’d been her entire world.

“The file was on the floor.”

“File?” Her nose crinkled up in confusion. “What file?”

“The file—I’d left it at home. Didn’t realize until… when I came home and the papers were spread across the floor…” His hands ghosted over her arms for the briefest moment before abruptly pulling away. Her traitorous heart leapt and then fell at the almost touch.

“I know I should have told you sooner who I was—what I was… but I was so afraid. So afraid I’d lose you. And when I saw the plates on the table, I knew you’d been there. I thought you’d seen—”

Cecelia closed her eyes. Tried to remember that night. The intruder had held papers in his hands… had that been the file Hero was talking about? She remembered being surprised someone would think a firefighter would have information worth stealing.

“I didn’t read any files.”

“What?”

“By the time I got to the hospital…” Her voice gave out, and she couldn’t continue as the horror and the panic that she’d felt when the doctor gave his diagnosis hit her again.

“I thought you didn't want to come.” The admission tore out of the still-ragged part of her heart, and she distantly registered a pained noise coming from Hero, but she couldn’t stop the next words.

The ones that had beaten themselves into her mind and heart since she’d laid awake all night long on a stiff hospital bed, waiting for him to come. Praying he would come before her vision was completely gone, so she could see his face one last time. The words that had been the only explanation she’d been able to find for why the man who’d had a ring hidden in the back of the silverware drawer had abandoned her to face a darkening world alone.

“I thought you didn’t love me anymore because I was blind.”

Hero went completely still at her words. “Oh. Oh, darling, is that what you’ve thought all this time?”

She tilted her head down, wanting to hide from the warm gaze she could feel following every tear.

Leaves crunched beneath his feet as he slid closer.

“I have no right, at all, to ask. But please, please love, let me hold you.”

Anything she did now would only lead to more pain. So what if he hadn’t known about her blindness before? He knew now. And once the reality set in, once he saw the limitations of her disability, he wouldn’t stay. And she wouldn’t recover from the loss. Not this time.

But right now, all she wanted was to feel his arms around her again.

She gave the tiniest of nods.

With excruciating slowness, his hands rested against her face. His thumbs gently wiping away her tears before his hands slid down her shoulders and pulled her into the familiar circle of his arms.

Her arms came around him as she sobbed into his chest.

She was dimly aware of him leading her back to the bench, of him pulling her down beside him, but all she cared about was the hand running gently over her hair, the arm pulling her snug against him, and the way she still fit perfectly in his arms.

The moment ended too soon.

She felt his arms loosen, and though he didn’t pull away, she knew he wanted to.

“So you don’t know what was in the file.” His hand slid across her hair one more time before falling away.

“No.” What could possibly make her not love him? The worst thing she could imagine was if he’d cheated on her… and there was no way he’d done that.

“I kept it a secret for so long. I always knew one day you’d figure it out and I was terrified you’d leave me. And then when I came home to those damning papers strewn across the floor and my worst fears had come true. I thought your voicemail was goodbye, and I didn't listen to it because… well, I knew, I knew, love, that if I heard your voice one last time, I wouldn’t be able to keep myself from going after you. And if you wanted to leave, who was I to stop you?”

The words both healed and hurt, soothed and shattered the jagged pieces of her heart.

Cecelia leaned into Hero, unable to bear the distance he’d put between them any longer. His arms automatically came around her, but they were stiff, waiting.

So she asked.

“What was in the file?” What secret was so terrible you thought I would stop loving you?

His chin rested on the top of her head and his arm’s tightened around her, as though he was afraid she would pull away. She should. Every moment spent in his embrace would only make his inevitable departure more painful.

“Proof.” His voice was resigned as his arms dropped, taking away her choice. “Proof that I was—that I am Villain.”

✨ a huge thank you to @im-a-wonderling for helping me make this as tragic as possible bc she is the Queen of Beautiful Tragedy and thank you @shieldmaiden-of-gondor for letting me shatter your heart as a trial run- you’re both amazing ✨

Master Taglist:

@im-a-wonderling @shieldmaiden-of-gondor @watercolorfreckles @distance-does-not-matter @onestopheroxvillain @lolafaiy @chaoticgoodandi @1becky1 @tobeornottobeateacher @himynameisorla @superherosweet @brekker-by-brekkerr @crazytwentythrees @great-day-today @sunflower1000 @ill-eat-you-if-you-cross-me @selectivegeekwithstandards @chibicelloking @trantolette @sapphiques @jinpanman @genesissane @wish1bone1 @amongtheonedaisy @distractedlydistracted @kitsunesakii @glitterythief @jinx1365 @cherrychewingbrat @in-patient-princess

Trying out a general taglist- Lmk if you want to be added or removed :)

#tragic misunderstanding #no fluff just angst #I hope this makes you cry #@im-a-wonderling is the #queen of beautiful tragedy #the voicemail #hero x villain #hero #villain #heroes and villains #heroes x villains #snippet #my writing #write #writeblr #hero x civilian #villain x civillain #plot twist

[hoe4almondmilk]

aftermath

warnings: angst, language, hurt/comfort plot and talk of svu cases.

“What do you want, counselor? My client is here in prison, as you can see.” Kressler asked, annoyance was very present in his voice as he and his handcuffed client sat across the table in front of you. This was not going to be easy.

Dean Aldridge had just been convicted and sentenced the death penalty for the brutal rape and murder of a twelve year old girl and five other pre-adolescent girls. The problem at hand was that only five of the bodies had been recovered. One body was still missing. The body of a girl named Fiona Davis.

“Counselor, your client has very important information for one of the murders he committed.” You said sternly, Kressler didn’t intimidate you in the slightest, he annoyed you. He had no morals.

Kressler’s motive was money, you had seen him represent some of the worst criminals you had dealt with in your career. Alex mentioned once about knocking his teeth down his throat and honestly, that was a sight you would’ve paid to see.

Kressler turned to look at Aldridge, who just nodded his head at him. “We’re listening.”

You slid a picture across the table. Aldridge took a moment to look at the picture before looking back at you. “Remember her?” You asked. “This was Fiona Davis, she was one of the girls you confessed to murdering. Do you remember where you discarded her body?” Trying to hide the anger in your voice. What he did to the girls was horrific enough but the fact that he still had the power to continue his torture to Fiona’s family was worse. All they wanted was to put their little girl to rest.

He sighed and slid the picture back to you. “And if I did?”

You raised your eyebrow and tried your best to mask the attitude in your voice. “If you did, I can ask for your death sentence to be revoked and you can serve a life sentence instead.”

Kressler laughed. “You can ask? You can’t even guarantee! No deal.”

“Your client brutally raped and murdered six little girls, do you expect me to offer early release?” You scoffed.

“I can’t believe you have the audacity to bring us together for something so ridiculous.” Kressler said as he stood up and began to shove his papers into his briefcase.

“Mr. Aldridge, you have a chance to do the right thing. You can avoid having a needle full of poison shoved in your arm and die of natural causes if you tell me where her body is.” You insisted.

“I’m a child molester in prison, my death won’t be natural.” He laughed darkly. Obviously getting a sick kick out of you needing his help.

“When you and the DA can come back with an actual offer then we can talk.” Kressler said as he and Aldridge left the small meeting room.

You sat there alone in the room for a minute. You were shocked to say the least. Of course it wasn’t ideal, but he was a horrible person who didn’t deserve any better. You picked up the photo of Fiona and took a hard look at it. You placed it back in your bag as you got up and left.

The drive back to your office was quiet, you didn’t want to admit it but you were upset. You really thought you’d be able to tell the Davis family some good news. You decided to call it a day early as you walked into your office and packed your things up for the day.

You looked up when you heard a knock at your door, it was your wife Alex. “Hey, how did it go?” She asked, her smile slowly fell as she saw you packing up for the day.

“Like shit.” You sighed. “He didn’t take the deal.”

“(y/n), I’m sorry, I-“

“It’s fine, I’ll see you at home.” You interrupted. It was silent for a moment. You began to walk out of your office and gave Alex a quick peck on the lips before you left.

Alex sighed as she watched you walk down the hall. She knew this case was taking a big emotional toll on you. It was almost to the point where she recommended you refuse yourself from the case. You were good at your job, you were one of the top ADAs but there would be times where you’d let a case completely consume you to the point you were almost fired.

~

Alex tried her best to get off as soon as she was able so she could be with you but of course to her dismay she ended up leaving an hour later than she usually did.

When Alex arrived at your shared apartment she expected to see you sitting on the couch watching some TV as you usually did after a bad day.

“(y/n)?” She called out as she dropped her bag on the floor and took off her heels.

It was when she picked up the mail that was on the counter that she stopped and listened for a second. She could hear the shower running. She walked over to the bathroom.

“(y/n)…” Alex whispered as she saw you sitting naked on the bathtub floor. Your face was buried between your knees letting the water from the shower rain on you. Alex couldn’t remember the last time she saw you like this. She crouched down next to the tub.

You lifted your head and turned to face her, your eyes were red and puffy, the only reasonable explanation was that you had been crying. “You’re late.” You sniffled.

Alex sighed, “I know, I’m sorry.” She apologized and began to rub your back. “I don’t think that’s why you’re sitting here crying though. What’s wrong, baby?”

“When I got home, I got a call from Liv. Apparently, after my meeting with Dean Aldridge, he was ambushed by some other inmates…” You began to tear up again. “He’s in critical condition and they don’t think he’ll make it. If he doesn’t make it, we may never know what happened to Fiona Davis.” You could feel the tears fall faster down your cheeks.

“(y/n), this is not your fault.” Alex said softly.

“But it is, I should’ve been more persistent. I shouldn’t have taken no for an answer.” You cried. You couldn’t help but feel partly responsible, especially since it was right after your meeting.

“Look at me.” Alex brought her hand to caress your cheek. “This is not your fault. You did your job.”

“Then why do I still feel so shitty?” You asked. Alex has been an ADA for much longer than you have. You couldn’t help but sometimes envy how she was always able to keep her poise. Never letting the job consume her the way it did you.

Alex gave you a sad smile and stood up. She walked over to the bathroom closet pulling out a towel. She walked back over to the tub, turned off the shower and wrapped the thick fluffy towel over you. “I know what it’s like though.”

You raised an eyebrow curious as you stood up from the tub and wrapped the towel around your body. “You do?” You asked.

“I do.” Alex said as she lent her hand out to help you out of the tub. Once you were out of the tub, Alex pulled you into an affectionate embrace. “Back in 2002, Liz even had me suspended for thirty days.”

You couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. “You? Alex Cabot, suspended? I find that hard to believe.”

“I was quite the rebel in my early years with Special Victims.” Alex smiled as she pushed some of your wet hair behind your ear. “I love you. You’re one of the best ADA’s in Manhattan and I’m not just saying that because you’re my wife.”

“I love you too.” You said as you gave her lips a soft kiss.

Alex placed her hand on your lower back and deepened the kiss. Alex knew how to make you forget about everything especially when she kissed you. A few moments later Alex broke the kiss following up with a sequence of smaller kisses to your lips. “Now let’s go get ready for bed, okay?” She said with a soft smile.

“Okay.” You replied with a small giggle as you followed your wife into your shared bedroom, ready to be in bed with your wife, wanting to forget the world and just be consumed with each other’s presence.

#alexandra cabot #alex cabot #alex cabot x reader #svu #svu fanfiction #fanfic #svu fanfic

[clairecrive]

“Denial” - Billy Russo x reader

A/n: So... I really don’t what this is. I’ve never written for Billy and never even watched the show tbh. What I know about him is from ff. I guess this is my way of writing with Ben Barnes in mind without having to really write for him, if that makes sense.

Anyway this is totally self indulgent and a way for me to come to terms with my feelings by writing them down. Of course I don’t have a Billy who’ll help me but that’s beside the point. 

I did not proofread this for obvious reasons so sorry for any mistakes.

Warning: ANGST, mention of death, grieving process, denial, woulnd’t say fluff end exactly but Billy is supportive, non-gender specific reader (i think)

Summary: reader’s way of grieving the loss of her grandfather is not that healthy and Billy is worried about them so he goes check on them.

“Billy? What are you doing here?” He was the last person you expected to see when you heard a knock on the door. Otherwise you would have certainly not answered the door in your current state. 

Despite being friends, once wouldn’t want to be seen with a neon green face mask and her hair dirty with hair die by a handsome man anyway. Not counting the wonderful outfit you were wearing. Let’s just say that it was chosen because it was comfortable and were not supposed to be seen by anyone other than yourself.

But oh well. You and Billy had been friends for a while and you had even thrown up on him at some point. Granted it was because you were drunk and he had insisted in buying you drink so that kinda was his fault but either way, it was embarrassing. 

Strangely, you found that you didn’t care about it at all. So what? This was supposed to be your “me time”. If anything, he should be the embarrassed one to have crashed at someone’s place uninvited. But of course, knowing Billy, you knew that he couldn’t be bothered.

“Were you expecting someone else?” He smirked eyeing your outfit before letting himself in. Well then.

“Nope.” While it was a rhetorical question and he knew the answer already you gave it to him anyway while closing the door behind you.

“I came to check on you. Didn’t expect to find you like that though.” He teased you again looking explicitly at your naked legs. Rolling your eyes, you pulled the hem of the oversize t-shirt you were wearing before making your way to kitchen where a timer had just gone off.

“I wasn’t expecting anyone today, you ass. Otherwise I wouldn’t have opened the door at all.” You sneered at him over your shoulders before retrieving the brownies from the oven.

“Drowning your sorrows in food then?” He observed the freshly baked sweets while you busied yourself in the kitchen to avoid looking at him.

“These are for Karen’s party tomorrow.”

“I didn’t know you were coming.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“I see. Your grieving process is denial, then.” You should have seen it coming, really. Billy wasn’t one to walk around the bush. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Cut the bullshit, y/n. Karen told me.” If there was something that you could meet Billy on was being stubborn. He knew you were so he wasn’t surprised but this was something serious, you couldn’t just ignore it. 

“If she did, you’d also know that I don’t want to talk about it.” But that was exactly what you wanted to do.

“Keeping it all bottled up won’t help either you know.”

“I don’t know how I feel receiving emotional advice from you.”

“And trying to hurt me won’t make me go away either.”

“Whatever Billy,” you rolled your eyes and thank god for the timer that saved you, “ I gotta go wash this off. You can let yourself out, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You walked into your bathroom to take a shower so that you could remove both the face mask and the die from your hair. However, you find yourself sitting on the floor of your shower long after you did what you had to. There was something comforting about being under the hot spray of the water. If only it could wash your pain away too... 

Despite what you said to Billy, you had talked a bit with your family about it. But you found no comfort in words, nor relief. Closing in yourself was usually how you dealt with things. On your own. Most of the time ignoring it. And while this time it was something too big to ignore, it was also something too big to process. 

How could someone just not be there anymore?

One moment they were there, breathing and alive and the next, you’re receiving a call from the hospital from a man who’s telling you that they had tried but there was nothing to be done anymore. 

How could someone so loved and wanted, disappear from this earth in the span of a second?

Granted, your grandfather was old and quite sick but he had always gotten through it. He had always made it, surrounded by the love of his close ones to celebrate his success. 

Not this time.

This time there was nothing to celebrate. This time there wasn’t any hospital bed to visit. This time there was a funeral to attend. This time the tears weren’t for the joy of a successful surgery but for the horrendous sight of the body of someone so full of life that was now completely motionless.

Attending the funeral was the worst experience of your life to this day. You’d pick puking on Billy’s shoes and fainting in the middle of the street anytime over that. It wasn’t something you were doing on purpose. Everything felt so surreal that it must be fake. Right? 

Because you had seen your grandfather only a month ago and he was doing okay. Yes, he was still in pain for his last surgery but it was an invasive one and he was still recovering. You had talked to me just a couple of days ago and yes he was tired but he was old. His life experience sat heavily on his shoulders it was clear to see but that didn’t mean that he had to go. That was uncalled for,

Except that it wasn’t. 

it had been a long time coming but you couldn’t accept it. It wasn’t fair because he had still so many things to do, so many people that loved him.

It was completely irrational for you to deny with so much vigeur his passing. He had stopped suffering and that alone should have made you feel better. But it didn’t. And you didn’t want to talk about it with anyone because you knew that you are being selfish. Making all of this about you when it wasn’t.

You hadn’t heard the door closing, you were too far into your head to be aware of your surroundings. The hot water was not going cold, your fingers resembling sponges but you didn’t move. The water washed away your tears at least and muffled your sobs.

And that’s how Billy found you.

He had given you some time to do your business but it had been more than half an hour now and he knew that something was wrong. Approaching your bathroom he could hear your sobs. Shaking his head he sighed at your stubbornness of going through this on your own. 

Walking inside the steamy room, he took a big towel and came into the shower. After closing the water, he did his best to wrap the towel around you without looking at your body. 

“Billy?” Your voice quivered but the sight of your friends brought you back to reality. You tried to get out of his hold then but Billy was stronger and didn’t let you go. Instead he rinsed your hair the best he could and hold you to his chest.

“It’s okay,” he shushed you, “I’m here. I’ve got you.” He started rocking you gently while stroking your arm. The initial want to fight him died in you in that moment and you couldn’t help but allow him to hold you while the tears you hadn’t allowed yourself to shed since the funeral, finally fell.

“You don’t have to do this on your own, y/n. You can lay on me for this.” He whispered gently in your ear and let you take it all out. 

It wasn’t easy for you to be this vulnerable with anyone. You had always relied on yourself only in this situation. But maybe Billy was right. Maybe this time you could let him help you. His arms felt definitely better around you than water did.

#the punisher #the punisher imagine #billy russo #billy russo x reader #billy russo x you #billy russo imagine #billy russo imagines #billy russo angst #ben barnes #ben barnes x reader #ben barnes x you #marvel #marvel imagine #marvel x reader

[novelist-becca]

Won’t you let me in?

Fandom: The Owl House

Relationships: Eda & Luz

Summary: After the events of Separate Tides, Eda and Luz have a talk. Title is from the song “Strange Sight” by KT Tunstall.

AO3

What a day this is turning out to be, Eda thought as the so-called “Golden Guard” approached her and Luz. 

The witch had originally planned to take the money back to the house after checking in on the Selkidomus. 

But then she got caught, and it turned out Luz was on the ship instead of safe at home. (She had expected Luz to follow the cart home after they started driving back to the house) The kid had apparently wanted in on the bounty hunt, once again not knowing what she was getting into. Forget the money that was forgotten in the boiling sea, Luz was more important! Eda had of course questioned her.

“Now why were YOU on that ship to begin with? You could've gotten killed!” 

And then the Golden Chump showed up, and here they are. 

“Hello, criminals!” He said. “What's about to happen should be relatively painless. If you just do what I say.” 

“And why would we do that?” Luz retorted.

“Because none of you can use real magic.” He said, pointing a finger at the both of them. 

Eda narrowed her eyes and pointed back. “You don't know that.” Sure, glyph magic was different, but she won't stand the talk of it not being “real”. They haven't seen Luz in action.

The Golden Guard shrugged. “Maybe not. But I do know you're standing on a plant that eats flesh.” 

On cue, Eda and Luz looked down to see that they were indeed, standing on a flesh eating plant. And just in time, both of them could already feel the thing burning through their shoes. They yelped and lept to the side as the guard just watched. 

Ugh, stupid Golden Guard…, Eda thought. 

“Ahahaha! Okay.” He chortled. “The human will remain a sailor to repay all the money she lost.”

Eda tensed up at that idea. As if she'd allow Luz to become a pawn for the stupid emperor, just for some stupid money! 

Luz needs to be safe at home…

“While the Owl Lady will be arrested, again! For attacking one of the emperor's ships.” 

Luz looked at Eda, surprised. “Emperor’s ship?” She repeated. 

“They're the only ones worth robbing.” Eda replied. At least the kid didn't know. She thought. She supposed Luz wouldn't have gone if she knew this was a setup from Belos. She turned back to the guard.

“Why are you guys hunting the Selkidomus? It's a peaceful creature and you're provoking it!” Eda demanded. 

“The emperor ordered me to slay one. I'm just following orders.” The guard said nonchalantly. 

Losing her cool, Eda glared at him. “Well I'm just gonna smack you around a bit!” She shouted, snapping her arm off. Unfortunately, the Golden Guard was too quick for her, dodging her to the point where she tripped. 

“Leave Eda alone!” Eda heard Luz shout. Then the kid was tossed aside next to her. 

Apparently, the dingus wasn't finished with them quite yet, because he then threatened to dip them into the Boiling Sea, ouch, but then he changed his mind. 

“I don't have to be that mean.” He said snarkily. 

Titan I hate this guy already…

“No one will have to be a sailor or get arrested. If one of you follows those Selkidomus tracks and slays the beast.” He ordered. “Here! I'll help!” Then the guard materialized a sword into the air, dropping it in front of them. 

What is it with the coven and slaying innocent creatures?!

Luz looked at the sword, and back up to the guard, pleading with her eyes. 

The guard rubbed his mask. “Ugh, you're making this difficult. Go, or I drown the bird.” He said, revealing King behind the cage he had. Thankfully, the demon appeared unharmed. 

Eda looked at Luz, seeing her conflicted face. If she had Owlbert with her right now, she would've grabbed her kid and tried to make a break for it, as if the ordeal never happened. 

But of course it wasn't that simple. 

Luz sighed. “Fine.” And to Eda’s alarm, she picked up the sword. “I'll do it.” She said in a low voice. 

Eda reached out an arm as Luz headed towards the cave. 

“Luz, wait!” She pleaded. There had to be a way out of this other than killing! “Luz!” 

~ 

On the way to the area where the Selkidomus was, Eda was trying to disuade Luz from doing what she was about to do. 

“Luz, don't hurt the Selkidomus. We can find another way out of this.” She said. 

But Luz kept walking. “You heard what he said, Eda. If you and King want to be free…” Luz stopped in front of a ditch and jumped onto a shipwreck. “Then I have to do this alone.”

The witch found it hard to ignore that Luz excluded herself from the “being free” deal, and her heart started pounding at the sight of Luz being above a ditch again. She didn't like where this was going at all. 

“What's this ‘alone’ business? Don't you remember?” Eda tried reminding her. “Us weirdos have to-” 

“What? Stick together?” Luz snapped. She looked at Eda, forlorn, almost startling her with the sadness in her face. “Because you stuck with me you lost your magic! You almost got turned to stone, and now you can't even afford your apple blood because you're worried about what I need to eat!” She rambled, looking down sadly. 

Eda stared at Luz, her heart breaking for the girl. She knew Luz was going through some things, but she didn't think it was this bad. Only a week and a half of them being together again, and Luz still blames herself. She should've paid more attention in the last week. Eda tried to find the words to tell Luz that no, this isn't your fault, you can come down from there and we can find a different way to go back home together. 

But before Eda could come up with an answer, the Selkidomus below growled, meaning it was awake. Luz kept her balance on the beam, then looked away from Eda.

“It's my fault all this happened, that's why I've got to do this alone.” She looked back at Eda, smiling. “I'll make it all up to you, Eda the Owl Lady. I promise.” 

Then, to Eda’s horror, Luz let herself fall off the beam and down the ditch. She couldn't help reaching her hands out, as if she could actually catch her. Her heart dropped to her stomach and she couldn't help crying out Luz’s name. 

No, no, NO-

Suddenly, Eda was reminded of that day on the bridge. Her sister tossing Luz aside like a ragdoll, into the ditch, that terrified little girl screaming as she fell, onto the spikes- 

“LUZ!” 

Eda shook herself out of her stupor, reminding herself of what to do. 

Thinking quickly, Eda grabbed a nearby vibe and lept down the ditch to find her kid.

She just got her back, and she'll be damned if she lost her again.

Soon enough, the witch found a safe ledge to stand on and Eda spotted the kid on the ground, preparing to throw herself at the Selkidomus, which was already defending itself. Eda spotted a nearby branch, thick and strong enough to use. She tugged on it, preparing to swing. 

Just as Luz had catapaulted herself in the air with her ice glyph, Eda swung in just in time. She wrapped an arm around Luz, holding her as tight and as close as possible under one arm so she wouldn't be dropped. 

I gotcha, kiddo!

Thankfully they were able to avoid the creature’s jaws and landed safely in a bush. 

As soon as they landed, Luz had tumbled out of Eda’s arms and clumsily sat back up. Eda recovered as well, turning back to the kid. 

Eda pointed a finger at Luz, and she stared back with wide eyes, startled. 

“You think throwing your life away is gonna help me? Well it won't.” Eda said firmly. She needed Luz to hear this. Luz deserved to hear this. 

“You helped me find King’s crown when you barely knew me, you saved me from turning to stone,” Eda averted her eyes from the kid, starting to feel emotional. “And you even got me talking to my sister again.” She looked back up, seeing that Luz was still listening. 

“So…unfortunately for you…my life is pretty great because I'm friends with Luz the Human.” Eda finished, her voice wavering. 

That seemed to be exactly what Luz needed, because now she was looking at her with glistening eyes and a trembling lip.

Eda blinked her eyes hard to keep the tears at bay, and her face got serious again.

Focus, Eda, we need to get out of here.

“Now,” She snapped out of it and grabbed Luz’s face, startling her. “Your guilt-ridden brain is clouding your judgement.” She said, poking Luz’s forehead. “There’s gotta be a way out of this where no one has to get hurt.” Eda let go of the kid’s cheeks and looked around the cave.

Just then, a small noise made them turn around. A baby Selkidomus had approached them. Luz looked at it for a moment, putting the pieces together in her head, then turned back to Eda.

“Eda,” the witch looked at Luz, willing to hear any plan she had right now.

“Do you wanna learn your first glyph?” She asked with a determined smile, holding up one of her light glyphs.

Not for the first time, Eda marvels at just how bright her kid is.

~

Later, Luz and Eda had managed to create a fake Selkidomus out of plant glyphs and made it work by using the light glyphs to fool the Golden Guard into thinking they were fighting the real thing.

The power of theatrics and a bright young mind. 

Moments later, Eda had gotten up and used whatever paper was left to draw more light glyphs on the ground. 

She still remembers the first time Luz casted these glyphs. They were so beautiful, and Eda always found them comforting. And now she gets to draw them herself. It only took a week for her to finally try it, but it was worth it.

It wasn’t long before Luz returned with King safely out of the cage. When she approached, Eda took a ball of light in her hands and glanced up at Luz.

“My first glyph! Did I do good?” If she was being completely honest, Eda felt like a giddy little kid again, learning new magic and sharing it with the people she loved. It felt wonderful.

Luz observed her with a bright smile. “Yeah! You did great!”

The baby Selkidomus returned, quickly worming its way toward Luz, nuzzling her, which delighted the kid as she was hugging back.

“Baby, awwwww!” She cooed, and a part of Eda was relieved to see the Luz she knew begin to return.

“Wait- what is that?!” King asked, alarmed.

“Don’t worry, King, once the mother saw we weren’t a threat to her baby she calmed down.” Eda reassured, patting the baby gently. Then she turned to the mother behind them. “This area is dangerous,” she explained. “You need to move further out, into the sea.” 

Understanding Eda’s warning, the creature nodded. Then something strange happened. It started...gagging. Until it puked up a pile of some gold goop, which Eda recognized to be Selkie Gris.

Mother of Titan, they hit the jackpot!

Luz stared at it with disgust for a few seconds before Eda excitedly pulled her close in a side hug. 

“Hot dang! It gave you the treasure of the sea!” Eda said in excitement, holding her kid with one arm and holding the other arm out to present their prize.

“Gold? ...Tuna?” Luz said in confusion.

“It’s Selkie Gris!” Eda let Luz go and scooped some of the stuff into her hands. “People pay big money for it at the night market!” Seeing Luz’s still confused face, she got an idea. The witch smushed it in her hands and took the opportunity to rub it on the kid’s face. “Ahh, feeelll the money, Luz! Luxuriate it!” She teased. 

“No, no, Eda! Ahh!” As expected, Luz protested and squirmed against the touch, but she was starting to laugh, which is what Eda wanted. 

Eda smirked, taking hold of the kid’s hands as she tried and failed to get away. “What? Don’t like to luxuriate? There’s a whole pile of luxury right here!” Then she grabbed Luz’s arms and swiftly tossed her into the pile, earning a yelp from the girl. “Move over!” Eda said, following suit and landing face down.

“Edaa!” Luz protested, but she broke out into laughter with Eda. It filled the witch with much joy to see Luz laughing and smiling again. She deserved it after the rough day they just had.

With that being said, after a minute, Eda got up and decided it was finally time to head home. Maintaining her balance, she reached her hands out to Luz and hoisted her up, keeping a tight grip on her so she wouldn’t fall. 

Thankfully, the Golden Guard didn’t obliterate her boat, so they had a way back home. Eda used an extra sack she had to bag the Selkie gris so they could take it home. It was significantly lighter than the snails. They would have to make a trip the night market to trade it off soon. Something had finally gone right today!

“You ready to go home?” Eda asked, turning to Luz, who was settled behind her with King on her shoulder. 

“Aye-aye, captain!” Luz said, saluting. 

That’s the Luz I know and love, Eda thought. “Alrighty then, brace yourself!” and she, King and Luz started their way back home.

~

It was seven in the evening, and the trio had made it home. After Lilith had presented her scrying potion, Eda had gone off to order their takeout, leaving Luz alone with her thoughts in the hallway.

...Something Luz really didn’t like doing. 

A lot had happened all in one night, from her and Eda getting ambushed by the Golden Guard, to her being forced to go slay the Selkidomus (knowing she was about to take away a baby’s mother back there made it worse to think about), to Eda talking her out of it. 

In all honesty, Luz felt like she needed to hear those words. Eda was right. She had done so much to help her, and she did seem happier whenever Luz was around. Maybe she wasn’t a burden after all…

She was snapped out of her thoughts when the witch in question came back around the corner. 

“Well, I’m tired. How about you, kid?” She said, yawning. 

“Hungry.” Luz said simply. 

“Don’t worry, food should be here in about a half hour.” Eda replied, ruffling Luz’s hair. Then she noticed a familiar look on her face. “You okay, kid?”

Luz shook herself out of her thoughts. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

Eda put a hand on her shoulder. “I know that look. You’re deep in thought.” Luz looked down at the floor. “Do you wanna talk about it? You know you don’t have to if you don’t want to.” The witch knew it would only make it worse for the girl to keep things inside. And after what happened in the cave, she wanted to know how it got this bad.

Luz supposes it wouldn’t hurt. She trusted Eda. “Okay…” she gave a small nod. 

Eda slung an arm around her shoulders. ‘’C’mon, walk with me.” and the two walked slowly down the hallway. 

“A lot just happened tonight.”

“That’s for sure.” Eda agreed. “I- you really scared me back there, you know?” she said, hand tightening on Luz’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry.” Luz answered. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Eda. She supposes she doesn’t always consider that endangering herself contributes to that. “I just...wanted to make things right.”

They stopped walking as Eda turned to her. “You don’t owe me anything, Luz. You know that, right?” She said, meeting the girl’s eyes.

“But-”

“No buts. I promise I’m not angry, kiddo, I just hate seeing you like this.” She sighs. “I wish you would’ve told me before things got this far.” Noticing Luz starting to sag, she guides them to sit against the wall so they can talk more comfortably.

“I promise I’m not angry.” Eda repeats softly. “You're just a kid, you really shouldn't have to carry shit like this…”

Luz takes a breath and continues to speak. “I hated seeing you and Lilith have such a hard time with money. And most of the money that we did have was spent on me. I-I thought that if I got a big enough bounty, you wouldn’t have to worry so much about me anymore, and I wouldn’t be such a burden to you.” Luz could feel tears starting to build up. “But I guess I messed that up.”

“Hey.” Eda said, tilting Luz’s wobbling chin up. “Listen to me. Don’t you think like that.” She moved the hand to Luz’s shoulder. “You were never a burden, okay?”

Luz looked at her with teary eyes. “Really?”

“Really. A burden is an unwanted responsibility. But you?” Eda used her thumb to gently wipe away some of Luz’s tears. “I’ll never get tired of you. You're the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. I want to take care of you. You mean so much to me.” 

At this point, Luz is smiling wide with a few stray tears rolling down her face. “Do you really mean that?”

Eda nodded, cupping her cheek. “Of course I do. I told you a week ago that I don’t regret anything. You’re a wonderful kid, Luz. Anyone that calls you otherwise is stupid.” Luz giggles at that. “I’ll pummel anyone that says otherwise.”

Luz hesitantly moves in for a hug, and Eda draws her in easily. “You promise?”

Eda nods, pulling Luz closer. “I promise. It’s okay.” She begins to stroke Luz’s hair a little bit. Then another thought intrudes her mind. Her grip tightens around her kid once more. 

“You really scared me when you jumped down there…” Eda spoke. “I thought I was gonna lose you again.” The memory of Luz falling towards those spikes is never going away anytime soon. The witch felt like her nightmares were coming true. No way in hell does she ever want to go through that again.

Luz nuzzles closer. “I know… I promise I’ll be more careful.” She isn’t sure it’s a promise she can keep, but she’s willing to try. A part of Luz notices that Eda’s becoming more and more casual with touch, but chooses to ignore it.

“Good.” Eda pulled away from the embrace, still holding Luz by her shoulders. “Remember that, okay? I don’t want you talking to yourself like this.” She said, tapping the kid’s head.

“I will.” Before they got up, Luz moved in for one more hug. “I love you, Eda.” Not for the first time, Luz was grateful that Eda made no small effort to just be there for her. She underestimated her.

Eda hugged her back. “I love you too, Luz.”

Then, a knock at the door, and a screech from Hooty.

“Looks like the food’s here! You still hungry, kiddo?” 

“Oh my god, yes.” Luz groaned. 

Eda laughed, stood up, and offered a hand to help Luz up. Unfortunately, the girl stood up too quickly, causing her to stumble a bit.

“Ahhh, head rush, head rush!” Luz murmured. She held onto Eda’s hand.

“You good?” Eda asked with a laugh.

“Yup, yup, I’m good. Just stood up too fast.”

“Wanna race to the kitchen?” Eda offered. “I’ll give you a head start.”

Luz chuckled. “You’re on!”

Yeah, Eda thought, looking fondly at her kid. I still don’t regret anything.

And Luz looked at Eda, seeing her heterochromatic eyes. True, the witch might've lost all her powers, but she didn't lose her love.

#toh #the owl house #toh season 2 #the owl house spoilers #toh spoilers #the owl house season 2 #eda clawthorne #edalyn clawthorne #eda the owl lady #eda the owl mom #mom eda #mother eda #mama eda #luz noceda #fanfiction #toh fanfiction #the owl house fanfiction #my writing #mine #my fics

[theladyismyshepard]

Mother Miranda

#7 prompt fill — Betrayal (Myra)

(Anonymous with a dream, you’re next)

The sun was at its highest peak in the sky, and unleashed its powerful rays upon every inch of the earth. It warmed your skin from the usual chill that lingered throughout the castle, making it feel like winter year round. The Dimitrescu family might be comfortable, but you needed the occasional reprieve that only straight sunlight could provide.

So there you were, sprawled along the grass of the courtyard, your fingers interlocked behind your head as support. Your eyes stared up at the clouds that idly floated away, but after a moment, they went unseen as your focus blurred and shifted to the way your morning had went so far.

A smile slowly twisted the edges of your lips upward, and you didn't fight it. You awoke to red hair in your line of vision, and became acutely aware of the lips peppering the column of your throat with kisses. You had to swallow the dryness from your mouth, and as you did, you felt her smile against your skin before she gently bit down, not even hard enough to bruise.

"Someone's in a good mood," you mumbled, still shaking off the layer of sleep that had you in a haze.

"That is every morning with you." said Myra easily, as if she were speaking of the weather.

You felt your heart pumping wildly in response, and as you briefly wondered if she could hear it, she answered in kind by grazing her fingertips across your chest before sprawling them out and lying her palm flat to your heart.

"Well then tell me what I can do to help keep up this good mood. What do you want to do today?" you asked kindly, nudging against her until she got the hint and rolled over to allow you to hover over her.

"Actually," started Myra, her face already morphing into apologetic. "Mother wants to speak with my sisters and I today. I must be going soon, but I couldn't resist."

You puffed out a small "oh", a little disappointed, but you quickly recovered, giving Myra a reassuring smile before surging forward and connecting your lips in a searing kiss, soothing the line forming between her eyebrows.

"I think I might get me some sunlight today then." you decided, nodding once for emphasis.

"Come find me after," she demanded, pulling you close by the front of your shirt to give one last kiss.

She rolled you off of her, and donned her hooded robe before taking her leave to undoubtedly collect her sisters for the meeting with Lady Dimitrescu. That was how you found yourself sunbathing in the courtyard. The warmth that tingled the top layer of your skin was easing you into alertness, warding off the sleep that left traces throughout your body. Although a thundering crash gave you an extra jolt.

You bolted upright, neck already craned in the direction of the disturbance. A crease formed between your brow when you recognized that the sound had come from Lady Dimitrescu’s office. Dread had you rooted to the spot as you eyed the window, expecting the worst.

You had been given free reign of the castle, but you do have the common sense to know that it is disrespectful to eavesdrop, and Lady Dimitrescu prides herself of her poise and respect. The occupants of the castle were expected to hold the same morals (though Daniela struggles). You knew you should wait and let someone explain when the meeting was done, but the crash was too violent to not respond to out of mere reflex.

You kept your footing light despite knowing they are aware of your presence by your scent and heartbeat alone, and crept along the courtyard until you found yourself ducked beneath the window sill outside of the office. You were uncertain if you had already been caught, but the conversation at hand must have been more dire than originally thought because after a moment, you remained undetected.

“To hell with the ceremony!”

It was so shrill that your brows couldn’t help but to disappear into your hairline. There was venom lacing every syllable of the shriek, and while you were no stranger to fury echoing down the corridors, you hardly heard such harshness come from Myra’s mouth. The silence of the room led you to believe that the other occupants were as stunned as you were.

“Myra-”

“No!”

You had to swallow down the gasp that bubbled in your throat, your hand thrown over your mouth as an added precaution. It was one thing for Myra to lash out, but to outright talk back to Lady Dimitrescu was something that seemed forbidden. If the two sharp intakes of breath that immediately followed were anything to go by, the sisters knew so as well.

“I am well aware that emotion is clouding your perception right now, but you do not ever raise your voice to me.” warned Alcina, her tone clipped.

There was a pause, and you could practically see Myra’s calculating nature taking over in your mind’s eye. The brief silence allowed for her mother to continue.

“As you are well aware, we cannot afford to cross Mother Miranda, especially when your fool uncle already has her on edge with his own mistakes... The ceremony must happen."

You had heard about a man named Ethan Winters evading Heisenberg, and while you didn’t understand the exact severity of it, you knew it was stirring trouble within the castle. It brought enough hesitancy to even have Alcina tentative to call Mother Miranda. What you were wracking your brain over was the ceremony that had prompted this argument. What had Myra so heated?

"Is there really no one else that will do?"

When people speak, you have always listened to the tones more so than the actual words, so you didn't miss the underlining desperation when Andromeda whispered.

What the hell's going on?

"No... I truly am sorry, Myra, it might not seem like I care, but it pains me greatly to have to take away your pet. Mother Miranda chose your human specifically."

You had long since gotten over being referred to as "pet" in the third-person by the Lady, but is she really to just discard of you as such? Your face went slack as it couldn't comprehend which emotion to show first. There was hurt, there was anger, there was fear, and it was coursing through your veins, pumping into your heart. Please don't hear me.

"Yes, mother,"

Betrayal.

There was no emotion in Myra's voice. It was a solid deadpan, and somehow you were able to hear everything she wasn't conveying to Alcina. You know Myra doesn't want to let you go, you know she isn’t allowed to have you lingering around... but you’re still going to be taken away for this ritual for Mother Miranda.

You thought you were something special to these women after your loyalty and adoration for Myra had you squeezing into the family. You thought you had solidified something... but you didn’t, and you wouldn’t mean anything after time had eased you from their memories, something to be forgotten.

This is what I get for eavesdropping, I suppose.

You began to lose your inhibitions as nothing really mattered to you in that moment — Remaining unseen, going unheard, you had no care, not when it appeared as though you were on borrowed time as it was. You gazed back up at the clouds idly floating by and realized that although your world felt as though it was at a standstill, reality would continue on with or without you.

All thoughts of sunbathing had drifted from your mind as you wandered towards the gate at the edge of the property. The exit was just within your sight, and you could run before they thought to chase after you...

Myra.

You turned back to Castle Dimitrescu, a war raging inside of you. You had nowhere else to turn to, and honestly... where could you run? Who could possibly hide you when Mother Miranda had her eyes set on you? It all felt unfair, but you suppose it was bound to happen when you fell in love with a woman whose family’s basement had enough standing blood that it submerged to the calf.

You always wondered when it would be your turn to hang from the ceiling down below, and it came a lot sooner than you had prepared for. You sighed so heavily that it had you closing your eyes. What were you supposed to do now? You could only stand there aimlessly, no real purpose driving you forward.

But you suppose you should start walking back, but suddenly it took everything in you to slowly inch forward, step by step. You had never appreciated walking before... breathing in fresh air... living.

The castle door swung open to reveal none other than the woman who occupied your entire mind. Her back was stiff and she couldn’t keep her hands still. As you approached, you stilled them. Her eyes locked onto yours and there was so much screaming inside of them that she didn’t even need to open her mouth.

“Where to now, hun?”

Her lips set into a hard line, but you know by now that that was her tell when she was about to cry; Her chin always wobbled when she couldn’t contain it anymore.

“We... we are throwing a party.” whispered Myra.

“Oh?” you acted surprised. “When is it?”

She stared down at her feet as she said, “Tonight.”

Your breath was stolen from you, almost like she punched you square in the gut. How could they? That quick? As if you never meant anything at all... You gulped.

“That short notice, eh?” The tremble was getting harder to hide. “What are we waiting for? Can’t keep everyone waiting — speaking of! Who’ll be coming?”

“Only the most important people,” deadpanned Myra, showing no enthusiasm. “Let’s ... get this over with.”

The smile you plastered on was all wrong, it didn’t feel right on your face; completely uncomfortable. The curves were too forced to slip into genuine and natural. Just get it over with... like a bandaid.

You wanted her to fight, wanted her to be angry, wanted her to feel as lost as you, but the emotionless mask she was wearing had you feeling betrayed. She accepted this so easily... she could find a replacement for you before the ceremony was even over.

“Let’s get it over with.”

***

All traces of sunlight were erased from the sky as the moon blanketed darkness across the land. The hours had flown by before you could really blink even, and you were left wondering where the time went.

You and Myra had met up with Daniela and Andromeda inside the castle, and you found that they didn’t have much to say either. However, all three stared you down the entire day. You could feel their eyes boring into you throughout preparing you for the ceremony... no one else had a dress code it seemed. Your white robe contrasted against their black ones, making you stand out as you stood among them.

Myra had offered to bring you a tray full of food, any kind you wanted, but the knots in your stomach couldn’t uncurl enough to allow you to eat a single bite. Your heart dropped even further when you saw her face fall when you denied.

She’s the one doing this to you. To us.

You hardened, pressing on through the day, and before you knew it, you found yourself sitting with the sisters in Myra’s bedroom, just waiting as your time was dwindling. Soon, you could hear Lady Dimitrescu’s heels clacking down the staircase and to the door when there was a sharp rap. One glance out the window and you see that night had fallen.

Myra had become hyper aware of that fact as well, and the nervous energy she held just below the surface was oozing out in waves. Daniela and Andromeda hovered, obviously on edge themselves, but the eldest sister was shooing them away once she noticed you had started trembling.

“My love,” Myra whispered, reaching for your hand. You flinched. “You shouldn’t eavesdrop.”

Your eyes connect, and it was the softest you had ever really seen them. Your vision blurred, and you didn’t even try to stop the tears as they clung to your lashes before you blinked and they spilled down your cheeks, leaving tracks. You gave her a smile that wobbled.

“What’re you gonna do? Kill me?”

The soft smile you’ve come to love waking up to was gone too quick for your liking, and you briefly wondered if that was the last time you’d get to see it. You were seated on the foot of your shared bed, Myra standing before you. You accepted the hands that cupped the back of your neck and the side of your throat, reeling you in.

“I have to do this, please.” The first tear broke free, and you reached up to brush it away with your thumb.

“I know,”

Teeth embedded themselves into your neck, and you couldn’t help the yelp of pain as you felt your flesh tear away. A hiss escaped you as you felt suction, and while you could kind of get into it when the moment is heated, this felt different, wrong.

You felt lightheaded from your blood rushing, but you also burned from the inside out. You’d tear into your own skin if Myra wasn’t holding onto you with a death grip. Your throat stung as well and only then did you realize that your hiss had turned into a scream.

You felt sick to your stomach, but you could tell it was your organs failing you. You could barely keep your eyes open, too weak to fight against the heaviness of your eyelids. You weren’t even aware that she was leaning you back against the bed. You weren’t aware of your blood adding color to your white robe and spilling out into your bedsheets. You weren’t aware of the tears adding wetness to your neck. You merely closed your eyes and accepted the darkness creeping into the edges of your vision.

...

Until you bolted upright in bed, sending Myra toppling back onto the floor. There was a burning sensation in your throat that left you with a haze settled around your brain, unable to focus on anything else.

Not the oxygen that you didn’t require, not the change of your iris color, not even your heightened sense of smell.

A hand cupped your chin, forcing you to look up, and you met worried eyes. She had never looked more beautiful, and you told her as much, relishing in that megawatt smile that you thought you had lost.

“I will never let anyone take you away from me.” Myra vowed, leaving you floored.

Oh how easily you had doubted her love for you before. You felt so foolish for second guessing her now that you stood there, completely reformed for her, by her. You had felt so weighed down by being betrayed that your body completely bounced back and had you feeling ten times lighter.

“Not even Mother Miranda?” You pushed, though you couldn’t rid yourself of your grin.

“Did I not just prove to you that not even Mother Miranda can take my pet away?” she asked, attempting to sound oh so innocently.

“You’re a little brat.”

Before she could get a word in, you pulled her closer to you, capturing her lips into a searing kiss. Nothing seemed impossible or scary in that moment. Not even the notorious Mother Miranda waiting downstairs could stir fear into you. You had eternity to face her after all.

“I love you, you know?”

Myra smiled softly before pulling you into a hug, tucking her face into your neck. A gentle kiss was placed upon the bite mark that turned you.

“You have forever to tell me, now.”

#resident evil 8 #resident evil village #lady dimitrescu's daughters headcanons #lady dimitrescu's daughters #lady dimitrescu’s daughters x reader #Myra #prompt fill #daniela dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu #alcina dimitrescu #mother miranda #lady alcina dimitrescu

[belovasangel]

Kintsugi

Pairing: Peter Parker x Stark!GN!Reader

WC: 1641

Summary: Peter needs a push to help an old ally.

Warnings: Swearing, ANGST, hopeful ending

A/N: First off, thank you for reading this. I haven’t written in maybe a year so this might be not the best. I want to shout out Polaroid15 for inspiring me to write. Something else in this fic I should mention, Peter’s identity isn’t exposed and in the Blip he aged according to current-time (so in this he is 18-19)

“In Japanese culture, Kintsugi is the reformative art to repair broken pottery. The shattered pieces are taken and glued back together with a binding agency and gold paint. There is a metaphor between each crack and gold stroke, as the meaning is deeper than restoring a pot. It’s meant to give hope and to empower those who are deemed ‘broken.’ The point is to tell people to embrace their insecurities and you will be okay in the end.”

Peter Parker rolled his eyes and looked back at his notes. The background film of his art history course droned on, as the school stuck the Blipped students into a course to graduate faster. He began to doodle along the sides of the pages, drawing the Spider-Man suit and a few webs. He thought of Ned, sitting on his MIT campus, working on his computer engineering software, and hoped he was thinking of Peter as well. Him and Ned made a pact back in freshman year to attend MIT together and when the Blip hit, Ned kept his promise. And at this rate, Peter will be in their dorm room by March. 

He looked back up at the lecture briefly to watch the credits roll, only to notice afterwards the teacher had fallen asleep at the desk. The other students got the same idea to pack up and leave for the weekend early. Peter began stuffing his notes in his backpack and stood to walk out, only to bump into a fast body.

“Hey-” 

Peter looked up, his backpack falling to the floor in a heavy heap. He looked up angrily, fully expecting Flash to be staring back, however he saw the red-faced (Y/N) staring back with doe eyes. “Peter, I am so sorry...” 

He huffed and shoved (Y/N) back with his shoulder to grab his stuff. “You can leave, ya know? Don’t need to watch me pick up the mess you made.” He audibly heard them gulp and quicken their breathing. With a quick shuffle, they walked out of the class. Peter stood quickly and recalled the events leading to their icy encounter. He can feel sympathetic towards them, as Mr. Stark passed away tragically about a year ago. While Peter has come to terms painfully with his death, he can tell (Y/N) still is struggling. He knows they had a plan to attend Yale or Stanford after this, but those plans have derailed fully. Peter knew (Y/N) wasn’t fully ready to accept they need to grow up and move on. He wouldn’t be the one to put gasoline on an already erupting fire. Hopefully Pepper can say something

He began walking down the halls of the school, remembering the small memories along the halls. Lifting the lockers during Homecoming to get his suit, him and Ned discussing the plans to build the Death Star, and even when MJ first opened her locker next to the two (and immediately asked, “what are you two losers looking at?”). Fond, fond memories. 

Peter hopped on the subway, getting minorly excited to begin patrolling the city. May has plans tonight, he hopes it’s a date so he can spy once or twice, but overall it’s sitting on buildings and eating those amazing subs. The moment Peter stepped into the apartment, May was on him. “Hey, my beautiful boy genius, how was school?”

He laughed as she kissed and pinched his cheeks. “Hey May. It was fine, boring. How are you, need any date prep?” She turned bright red and looked back to the newspaper. “Peter, I told you it’s not a date. Happy and I are-”

“Your date is with Happy?” Peter popped his backpack to the floor with a quick thump. May gave a sheepish look, fully expecting this from him. “Peter I promise you, Happy is super kind and is going to treat me great tonight.”

He sighed, pulling at his hair minorly. “Do I need to chaperone you?” She laughed and shook her head, “we’ll be fine Pete. Anyways, to change the subject, Pepper called you earlier and asked for you to swing by the Tower when you get a chance.” Peter nodded, head still foggy with holy fuck, Happy is going to get with my Aunt.

He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and ran to his room, changing into his suit and flopping out the window. Within the first few hours, Peter stopped three guys from breaking into cars, saved a cat from a tree and rescued an old lady from oncoming traffic. As the sun was setting, and Peter got to enjoy the sunset with his sub, he decided to call Pepper.

“Hey Pep, what’s going on?”

He could hear her sigh on the other side, and he took a bite in anticipation. “I need your help Peter. And I know you won’t like it.” With a mouthful of spinach, salami and bread, he said muffled, “you can count on me.”

“I need you to help (Y/N).” Peter promptly spit his sub out of his mouth with a sharp cough and inhale. “What? What’s wrong?” Pepper sighed again. “(Y/N) isn’t okay. They’re only leaving their room for school and that’s it. I deliver them breakfast and dinner, we barely talk between the doors. Plus they come home late every night and I need to know what’s going on.”

Peter bit his inner cheek. Of course (Y/N) is being selfish towards Pepper, seems about right. Peter felt like this was a sign, to finally see what’s going on and help Pepper reconnect with her kid. Yet, Peter didn’t want to give (Y/N) any slack. They’re being rude and not grateful for what they have. “Of course, Pepper. I’ll keep you posted. Does K.A.R.E.N. have her location?”

“No, she turned off her location a while ago. Thank you Peter.” He nodded, knowing she couldn’t see. With a quick end, he threw the mask on and dove off the crane. He searched every alley in all of Queens, ever corner store, checked every rooftop and park and bridge and under every car. He found a huge ass tree and even climbed it. Peter didn’t want to let Pepper down, even if he felt more and more annoyed with (Y/N). He knew they wouldn’t leave the city, but this was getting ridiculous. Eventually, around 11:30 P.M., he found them sitting in front of a large mural of Tony. There were flowers along the painting, along with lit candles and teddy bears. Peter felt his blood boiling, knowing they could have had their location on this whole time. 

“What the fuck are you doing (Y/N)? Pepper is besides herself worried. You’re being so fucking selfish, leaving her alone every damn night. She is suffering, wondering why her own child won’t talk to her while you’re out here hiding! What are you scared of? Why can’t you grow up? He died! Get over it!”

Peter creeped up closer and closer to them, not listening to the sniffling and heaving breaths of (Y/N). As he reached them, he saw they were hunched over and panting. “What’s wrong? Get up,” Peter sneered as he pulled their shoulder back. He let out a gasp and let go, in complete shock of what he saw. Their face was littered with bruises and cuts. Their right eye was completely swollen and the under eye bags were as dark as the sky. “Are you okay?”

They scoffed and pushed away Peter’s hand, and struggled to get off the ground. Many groans and gasps were shed as they stood slouched. Peter quickly noticed the large gash on their side, and he could tell they were severely injured. “We need to get you to the tower right now, c’mon.” 

As he got closer, (Y/N) stumbled back to avoid his touch. Peter scoffed and tried to reach again, but with the same result. “Stop being stupid and let me help you.” They stopped and let out a large laugh. “Now you fucking care about me, when it will make you look good. I can just imagine Pepper telling me how great and caring you are, and how brave you were to go searching for their lost child. Fuck off with this savior complex, Peter, you can’t save everyone! Some people were meant to suffer and burn and fucking die in the end.”

Peter had never felt so confused in his life. He tried reaching out for the third time and was shut down. They began to walk towards him, fire and tears in their eyes. “Do you have any idea how much fucking pain I feel every day? When my father died, Pepper and I were so shattered, but instead of staying with family she decided to work with you, the great and friendly Spider-Man! Why help your own kin when the prodigy is doing just as bad? I am so sick of living in your shadow Peter! It’s like the universe is telling me I was a mistake! You ruined my life. You are the reason my father is dead. You are the reason I wish it was me instead!”

They fell to their knees in agony, letting out screaming sobs and pained sounds. He quickly recovered, wiping his own tears to comfort them. “I am so sorry (Y/N), I am so so sorry.” Peter put his hands under their arms and lifted them into his arms, as fast as he could go to avoid another lash out. He began to swing them back, and in a quiet voice, (Y/N) whispered into his neck. “Why wasn’t it me, Peter?”

And in that moment, Peter realized that some people need help being put back together. Maybe Kintsugi isn’t so dumb after all.

#peter parker #peter parker x reader #peter parker imagine #peter parker imagines #peter x reader #spider-man #peter parker x gender neutral #peter parker gender neutral #my fic

[seventhstrife]

SubScorp Week 2021 Day 4: Lust 1/3

I AM SO MAD ABOUT THIS PROMPT!!! IT GOT RIDICULOUSLY LONG!!! LIKE, AN UNREASONABLE LENGTH OF FIC WAS ACHIEVED THROUGH THIS PROMPT THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE EASIEST ONE!!! WHY IS MY BRAIN LIKE THIS!!!

Special shoutout to all of the wonderful, lovely, ridiculously patient people on discord who weathered me complaining about my stupid hellbrain lolol

Only part 1 tonight since I literally spent all day writing nearly 10k words, and there’s no way I can edit it and also sleep before my shift LOL

Read it on AO3.

Part 2

It would have been kinder, perhaps, to simply announce his arrival, but Hanzo had grown so fond of being amused in recent years and he could not resist the urge to indulge.

Gathering a handful of small stones, Hanzo climbed the nearest building and darted across the sun-baked clay of the rooftops, careful to remain unseen as he trailed his target.

A smile curled his lips beneath his mask. He waited until he was sure he was completely concealed, then let loose one of the pebbles in his grasp—a direct hit to the back of Kuai Liang's head.

The sight of Kuai Liang's flinch, as well as the sharp snap of attention and his dark expression of annoyance and suspicion through the crowded, dusty streets of the road, stretched Hanzo's smile into a grin. He bled into the shadows, knowing he would have to be swift if he wanted to stay ahead of Kuai Liang's attention.

He only managed one more stone's throw before Kuai Liang wisened up and scaled the nearest building. He was no fool, and tracing the stone's trajectory was a simple thing. Hanzo was forced to duck behind any cover he could find to avoid the Lin Kuei Grandmaster's thorough, careful scrutiny of his surroundings.

His next throw would be his last, he knew. He would have to make it count if he did not wish to be caught.

Hanzo crouched low and waited for his moment. The instant Kuai Liang turned, still scanning his surroundings for any movement, he sent his last stone flying.

He saw the beginning motion of Kuai Liang's whip-fast reaction, hand darting up in a flash to catch the stone, but Hanzo was already gone, swallowed in hellfire, and before Kuai Liang's fist fully closed around the rock, Hanzo appeared directly behind him.

Hanzo didn't hesitate. He tackled Kuai Liang to the roof, perched atop his chest before he could react.

Blinking in the harsh sunlight, Kuai Liang's scowl of deadly promise melted away into shock.

"Hanzo?"

Hanzo smirked. "Is this the standard of Lin Kuei assassins?" Hanzo shook his head. "Perhaps I should reconsider allying myself with a clan that is so soft."

Kuai Liang's eyes narrowed in a glare, but it was lessened by the reluctant smile that tugged on his lips, as if against his better judgment.

"I think I am the one who should be reconsidering my allies, if they are so eager to attack me on the streets," Kuai Liang pointed out, and Hanzo chuckled, finally stood and offered his arm.

Kuai Liang took the offered hand and absently brushed himself as he stood. His dark eyes, pleased and curious in equal measure, peered at Hanzo with confusion.

"What brings you to Outworld, Hanzo? And to me, specifically?"

Hanzo crossed his arms, gazing across the sand-dusted streets and modest abodes of the city, half of it hollowed out from the bright red clay of a mountain.

"I had received word that you accepted a mission from the Thunder God." Hanzo's face darkened with a grimace. "I would be neglecting the conditions of our alliance if I did not aide you."

"My mission is one of reconnaissance, Hanzo," Kuai Liang said, brow furrowed. "My life is hardly in danger."

"No mission from Raiden is as simple as he makes it seem," Hanzo said darkly. The loss of his clan—again—still burned. "If my presence is an insult, I beg your forgiveness," Hanzo continued, and he bowed. When he rose, he met Kuai Liang's eyes dead-on, determined and stubborn. "Allow me to accompany you, if only to set my mind at ease."

Kuai Liang had appeared taken aback at first, but understanding quickly bled onto his expression, and no little guilt. His own memories of the Kamidogu, and the manipulation he'd suffered, did not appear to have been forgotten either.

"...I accept your offer, Hanzo. Thank you." Kuai Liang said, and he returned the bow. "Shall we?"

The Thunder God's power had sent Kuai Liang to an Outworld city, but Kuai Liang's true destination laid deeper in the forest. An ancient temple, Kuai Liang informed him, long abandoned, had been rumored to have worshippers once more. Raiden merely wanted confirmation of such a thing, to decide his next move. The worship once practiced there had been forbidden, one steeped in ritual sacrifice and practices so brutal and cruel that even Outlanders shunned it, and if some sort of revival was in the making, Raiden suspected it would only be a matter of time before the cult spilled into Earthrealm and claimed the inhabitants there for their depraved rituals.

A simple mission, but one that did nothing to abate the uneasy feeling that had overcome Hanzo from the moment he'd learned of Kuai Liang's undertaking. He had not lied to Kuai Liang for his reasons for being here, but he had neglected the full truth: that, more than anything, he worried for his friend and what might happen to him when caught up in another machination of a God.

Once Kuai Liang had debriefed him, they fell into silence, traveling the forest with their ears peeled for the slightest sound that stuck out: voices, a footstep, anything that would confirm Raiden's suspicions. But caution and vigilance would only help them so much if Raiden had sent them into some sort of trap.

Hanzo pushed the worry from his mind. Nothing will happen to him. I will ensure it, he vowed.

The temple emerged from the trees when they were nearly on top of it. If it had been recently re-occupied, it did not show on the outside. The forest had been allowed to encroach upon it, nearly to the doors, and lichen and vines covered the side of the crumbling stone building as nature reclaimed it.

Hanzo and Kuai Liang knelt side by side as they observed the building, but it truly seemed abandoned.

"Shall we take a closer look?" Kuai Liang asked once it was plain they were quite alone outside.

Hanzo repressed a grimace; telling Kuai Liang he had a 'bad feeling' was out of the question, unless he wanted to make Kuai Liang think he indulged silly superstition and thus, lose his respect forever.

Hanzo nodded. They took a closer look.

Their steps were slow and cautious as they climbed the sun-bleached steps. Cracks and fissures stretched across nearly every surface, and while the stains were very faint, Hanzo still recognized the dried blood dotted across the stone.

It only took a few minutes to carefully sweep the temple for signs of life, and they met in the dusty temple's center once they were done.

"It appears abandoned," Kuai Liang observed, dark eyes lingering in a dark corner for one last check before he finally looked at Hanzo.

"I agree," Hanzo said, crossing his arms. "I hope the Thunder God has promised you something worthwhile for this waste of time."

A small smile tugged on Kuai Liang's lips; Hanzo pretended he did not find the sight incredibly gratifying.

"The terms of a contract are confidential, Hanzo."

"So, nothing," Hanzo surmised with a nod. "Unsurprising."

Kuai Liang's smile grew, amused. "Your time was wasted as well," he pointed out. "Will you demand compensation from Raiden?"

"Do not tempt me," Hanzo warned. He could do so without shame or remorse. After what the Thunder God had put them both through, it was the least he deserved.

Kuai Liang opened his mouth, eyes dancing with mirth—

But then his eyes shifted, just slightly, and he tensed, all over.

Hanzo barely had time to react before Kuai Liang was shoving him with a rough shout of, "Get down!"

His balance was upset but Hanzo recovered, quickly rolled to his feet in a crouch, one arm braced on the floor, the other already unsheathing his dagger.

"Jussst asss my hunger growsss, what ssshould I find but fresssh blood in the unlikeliessst of placesss?"

Skarlet ascended the last steps of the temple, an expression of satisfaction and interest on her features. She held a single hand aloft where an orb of thick, viscous blood twirled idly.

She came to a stop some distance away and widened her stance. Her fingers curled into claws and she stretched the blood like a scarf between her palms. Her eyes flashed between the two of them.

"My lucky day," she rasped slowly.

Hanzo frowned heavily, though it was almost a relief to finally face the inevitable complication he had been expecting this entire time. He darted a quick glance at Kuai Liang.

Kuai Liang was much in the same position and appeared unscathed as he leveled Skarlet with a heavy frown. A smear of blood shards streaked across the space they once stood.

"What are you doing here, Skarlet?" Pure, icy contempt dripped from his tone.

"I am the one who ssshould be asssking the questions, Sub-Zero." Skarlet arched a single thin eyebrow. "Asss the Outworlder, I am not the one who doesss not belong here..."

Hanzo rose and Skarlet's gaze cut to him, wary and deadly. He unsheathed his second dagger and gave them a spin.

"You are outmatched, Skarlet." He pointed at her with a blade. "You would be wise to leave."

Her mouth was hidden behind a crimson mask, but her smile was only too obvious in her tone.

"I am trembling with fear," Skarlet said mockingly, and barely before she'd finished drawing breath, she moved her hands in a quick sweeping motion that sent a wide arch of blood, suddenly crystallized, straight for them.

Kuai Liang had his ice to defend himself with, so Hanzo did not waste a moment summoning a ring of fire, nose wrinkling as the blood met his flames and burst on impact. A power based on draining the life from another—it was barbaric.

Hanzo's words had not been an idle boast—together, he and Kuai Liang were formidable, and years of fighting at one another's side had only fostered a deadly alliance, one of devastating power and precise, efficient strategy.

Barely minutes into the fight, Skarlet was showing signs of unease. She was smart to keep her back to a wall at all times, to better prevent them from flanking her, but the ceaseless assault of ice and fire was clearly wearing on her.

When Kuai Liang froze her leg, just long enough so that she caught a fireball to the chest, she staggered, fell to one knee as her harsh breaths echoed through the ancient temple.

Tales of her cunning and deadliness had not escaped them, however, and neither man allowed their guard down, approaching slowly, fists raised.

"Thisss," Skarlet panted, glaring at the two of them, "Isss hardly fair, isss it?"

"You chose this fight, Skarlet," Kuai Liang said pitilessly.

The way her eyes narrowed at Kuai Liang—that earlier feeling of unease rose within Hanzo once more.

"I did," she agreed. "And it isss time I evened the oddsss..."

Skarlet thrust the hand—that before had been clutching her side—at Kuai Liang, and a small disk of blood, no doubt razor-sharp, shot towards him at an incredible speed.

Too fast to deflect it properly, Kuai Liang raised his arm, and Hanzo only caught a glimpse of how it burst moments before impact, hovered in the air in dozens of pinpricks of needle-thin blades, before crashing again. As Kuai Liang dropped to a knee and ducked, shielding his face from the worst of it, Hanzo was already backing away as Skarlet flew at him in a sudden burst of deadly fury.

"I can already tassste your blood," Skarlet said with relish. The blade of her blood dagger locked with Hanzo's and their faces hovered close. Her eyes shined with wicked triumph. "I will enjoy gorging myssself in the daysss to come."

Hanzo only glared back, disgusted. Between them, a sudden light grew and Skarlet glanced down with wide eyes to see her dagger glowing-white hot to match where it met Hanzo's as his arms caught fire.

An instant later, the blade, warped, shifted, and burst. Skarlet cried out, backing away as the blood singed her and the hands she shook out were bright red from the blistering heat.

"You will only taste defeat," Hanzo swore, summoning his kunai.

The low thump of a body hitting the ground drew his attention away, however, and it was with dread that Hanzo clapped eyes on Kuai Liang—teeth gritted in a grimace of pain, hands clawed against the stone as if he might crumble the stone at their feet.

He raised glassy, straining eyes to meet his.

"H-Hanzo," Kuai Liang managed, and then he shuddered, hunched over, and a low grunt of pain escaped him.

The sight and sound of him chilled Hanzo to his very core. Kuai Liang had been trained, practically since infancy, to withstand incredible amounts of pain. Anything that made him cry out like that—

Hanzo looked to Skarlet and he had no problem recognizing the sheer relish and satisfaction of her expression.

The hellfire, always kept carefully maintained, overflowed into instant, black fury.

Faster than she could ever predict, Hanzo flew across the room, seized Skarlet by her neck and did not stop until he slammed her against the opposite wall. Her strangled choke—brutally cut off by his hands, pressing deep—only incensed him further because this one cry of pain was not enough.

"What have you done to him?"

Skarlet strained against his grip, but she could not touch him, not when he burned so hot. She quickly realized she could not escape, but she only laughed, a reedy, raspy thing that made Hanzo see red.

"It—It isss a new concoction," she hissed, throat working harshly beneath his fingers. He barely loosened his grip so that she could speak, despising every moment he was not killing her. "One I-I have been..." She swallowed. Her heels scraped against the stone wall for purchase. "Very eager to try out."

Hanzo tightened his grip once more and Skarlet's eyes grew larger, panicked and desperate.

"WHAT. HAVE. YOU. DONE."

With each word, flames licked Hanzo's tongue, eager to escape. The temptation to release the flames on Skarlet's wretched head, to burn away her smirk until only bone remained, was nearly overwhelming.

But Kuai Liang's life hung in the balance. He could not give in to anger.

He allowed Skarlet breath, and she finally spoke, "That blood wasss poisoned," Skarlet hissed and Hanzo tensed.

"Where is the antidote," he demanded, and Skarlet laughed again.

"It isss not that sort of poissson," she said. "Thisss one was made for...ssspecial occasssionsss..."

Hanzo narrowed his eyes. "What does that mean?"

Skarlet looked into his eyes and victory shined in her dark, mad eyes.

"It isss a powerful aphrodisssiac," she purred, and Hanzo tensed. "If he is not sssatiated, his blood will boil."

Alarmed, Hanzo glanced at Kaui Liang. It looked as if he was already feeling the effects, if the way he clutched his abdomen meant anything. He ground his forehead against the filthy stone floor and even a short distance away, Hanzo could see the red welts rising from his skin, as if he were burning from the inside out.

"It would be bessst," Skarlet continued, able to speak more in Hanzo's moment of distraction, "If you left usss here." Her eyes darkened with desire and twisted eagerness. "I am more than up to the tasssk of helping him, and I am sssure he will find me very sssastisfying."

Kuai Liang would rather die, Hanzo knew.

Slowly, every line of his body a taut line of repressed violence, Hanzo allowed Skarlet to slide back down the wall so that her feet touched the floor.

Her eyes brightened with victory—and then Hanzo yanked her close, so that they instead widened with surprise and a quick flash of fear—for he had not released her yet.

"No," he simply said, and then he shoved Skarlet back.

Her skull cracked against the stone and she went limp.

Hanzo let her drop carelessly, turned his back on her, and quickly made his way to Kuai Liang's side. She would not die, he was sure of it, and though he dearly wanted to make her pay for poisoning Kuai Liang, there was still a chance she would be needed in the future, should her words prove false and some sort of antidote could only be procured through her repulsive blood magic.

Hanzo fell to his knees at Kuai Liang's head, hands hovering or unsure.

"Kuai Liang..."

Shakily, Kuai Liang raised his head. Hanzo didn't hesitate to clasp his hand when it was raised and his eyes widened to feel the heat of him, hot enough to rival his own skin.

"Hanzo..." Through his fierce grimace, Hanzo saw the flicker of uncertainty, the worry and anxiety brought on by this sudden vulnerability.

"I have you," Hanzo assured him and he squeezed his hand tightly. "We will fix this, I promise you."

Kuai Liang stared into his eyes for a moment, panting, face beginning to bead with sweat.

He sagged with a nod, weary and pained.

Hanzo swallowed them both in hellfire, and only the scorched stone and Skarlet's crumpled form marked their ever being in Outworld.

#@subscorp-week #@maagspies #@summertrapped #subscorpweek #subscorpweek2021 #subscorp #mk #mortal kombat #my stuff #my fics

[bunsbunnybitch]

𝕿𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐬; 𝕳𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 & 𝕭𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝕾𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫

Ｈａｎｎｉｂａｌ ｘ ｒｅａｄｅｒ

CHAPTER 1

RAIN hammered the ground like pelting bullets, sizzling under the night sky - a shade of melancholy grey - almost eternally. As you wondered about the horizon, the putrid stench of death was near; whatever it was, you couldn't help but to feel unease. Your gloved hands reach to tighten the leather jacket around your form, pulling it close to your shivering body. The droplets of water were cold like piercing snowflakes, it was immensely distracting. Leaning against the wall, you let your gaze wander across the empty street. Tall lampposts adorned the sidewalks, luminescent lights that glowed amidst the pelting mist brightened the mellow street by a not so much percent. You tugged at the hem of your beanie, an innuendo your partner would get.

'Admirable choice of scenery' you muttered, heaving yet another breath in.

The camera on the pole twisted away from your disgruntled form.

"Trust me, I've been through worse." A voice chuckled through the comm and you rolled your eyes, huffing with distaste.

"Rich coming from a person not doing fieldwork."

"Don't be silly, it's my turn to sit while you  do the fieldwork." Alis retorted. "We are Assasins are we not?"

"You aren't. I am, you are just a frail little puppy that follows me along." You huffed, though the reason you never wanted her near was because of the danger that awaits.

'I'll just let that brat figure things out for herself'

Following the incident as to which Alis had found out about your profession, you had thought she would resent you, but in reality, she was smitten by it. You had thought she was completely oblivious to the term 'assassin', let alone stupid of the fact at what it actually is, but it was when she had tried to blackmail you because of it, you knew she wasn't normal. It was also the sudden realization that Alis was Beverly's adopted sister, had sent you into a massive downhole spiral. You were stuck between two roads and two walls. You eventually agreed, and she was - ironically - your mentee now.

"Remember the last time we were nearly massacred by Big Ben, and the only thing you cared about was missing the dinner date with that hot psychiatrist?"

You scrunched your nose. 

"It's Alana Bloom." You corrected. "And it's not a date - just what friends do when they want to have dinner together."

"In a French restaurant with flowers perched on the table? With Red sultry wine that tastes exotic once you drink it?" She mused. "Sounds pretty romantic to me."

"Your sister, Bev, wouldn't think the same, and besides I took him down." You asserted conceitedly, though your tone uniformed.  "You don't have a say in this - you are too young."

"I'm only nineteen."

"What did I say?" You warned and heard a huff - one that could only mean submission. "Also, did you tell Bev you're with Sam?"

You remembered her talking about a restaurant she wanted both of you to go to, but it was all a slur, and you rejected her offer - mainly because of the client today.

"No..." She said slowly, her guilt blatantly obvious. "I informed her that I'm going to learn martial arts with you."

Ah yes, our typical cover story. Which was also true, because Beverly had wanted Alis to learn the art of defense. 

'I mean, this is still the same...right?'

"I'm only teaching you without pay, simply, because Bev is my friend - not because I wanted to, If you were wondering."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." She scoffed. "Come to think of it, how can you balance your job being a gardener, a martial artist, and a bodyguard?"

You shrugged. "Life, I guess."

Realizing that your mask is twisted to the side, you adjusted it, but the sound of rustling behind you had made your body stiffen. Your hand instinctively went to the gun on your holster and laid it there, closing your eyes to tune into your surroundings.

"Location of target: Clover. How many yards?"

You heard a clang and suspected her foot smacked the table.

"Hold on a sec." She mumbled and proceeded to type profusely on the keyboard. "Wait...why are the cameras suddenly...."

The sound of tapping abruptly stopped.

"(Y/n)."She breathed out. "Zero yards-"

Opening your eyes, you flung around, with your feet raised high in the air. They scrambled back in time your foot smacked the pole, falling onto their backs. You raised your foot in an attempt to smack them with your heel, but they jumped and tackled you to the ground, causing your comm to slip out from your ear.

"(Y/n)" The woman, presumably Clover, grunted, getting on her toes. "I'm not here to fight."

You froze in your tracks. How did they know my name? You clenched your fists and raised them into a fighting stance. 

As you lunged forward, her eyes widened and she took a step back. 

"Don't even think ab-"

You threw a punch and she ducked, only to be met with your knee instead. She, once again, fell to the floor and groaned.

"For fucks sake-" She yelled, getting back to her foot. "Can you just-"

Another punch to the stomach had cut her off and she cowered in pain, spitting out the blood in her throat.  Finally having the opportunity to do so you unlocked your holster, and took the gun out. The grip was slippery due to the rain, but you didn't mind. You wanted this to finish, and go home. Sighing, you pressed the gun against her temple. Her head slowly rose and with her free hand, she smacked the gun away within minutes. Still recovering from the shock, you had made no time intercepting her next move. She leaped forward and tackled you to the floor, pressing both your wrists against the side of your head. 

"Can you just wait for one fucking minute and not go apeshit on me?!" She yelled, and you could only raise your eyebrow in amusement. 

"Who are you?" You asked, voice slightly muffled from your mask. "And...why are you here?"

 "I sent you here."

"Oh?" 

You pushed her off and she yelped. Standing up, you slammed your foot against her leg, breaking the latter with a satisfying crack. She made no time to scream, as you shoved your palm against her mouth, dragging her across the rough surface to a nearby pole. You need answers, you are tired, annoyed, and after a full day of training from Alana that Jack had instructed her to do, it's no doubt you need them now. She heard a click and looked hazily over to her hand being cuffed against the pole.

 " Who are you?"

"Look, I want you to be real - real calm if you want to know the answer." She slurred, looking at her limped leg. "And you're going to be really sorry bout the leg you broke."

You only raised a brow. The woman lazily flitted her eyes to you and twirled her hand around.

"Because..." She began, her tone of voice rising into a question, similar to when someone had decided to divulge something secretive, with a sly yet familiar smile you always recognized. " I...."

"am..."

"your roommate-"

Before she could finish, a loud shout had diverted both of your gazes to the side. It was a girl - a little one.

oh, shit, oh no she didn't.

That little fucker, I'm going to-

Alis ran towards you with a battle cry, and tackled you to the ground with a grunt. You assumed she thought the cuffed person was you, and therefore attacked you without clearly seeing the situation beforehand.

"Wrong-" You grunted, standing up with her thrown over your back.

She thrashed her arms wildly.

"-Target." You finished, pinning her to the ground.you?"

"You wouldn't respond!" Her voice cracked. "And-and I thought you were battling with someone who is a-"

"Librarian?" You nonchalantly butted in, and Alis raised her brows.

"What?"

"This is Erica Clamant." You - tone still monotonous - waved over to the already grinning agent. "She's an undercover agent, alias is Emilie Wavers, a librarian seeking answers from whatever her mission is."

Alis suddenly beamed. "You're the Erica Clamant, my mentor-"

"Brat? Can you not call me that? I'm not that old."

"-that has been talking about?" She finished anyway. 

"I've heard so so much about your operations!" She continued, jumping up and down excitedly. "I know about Paris, Cuba, and so much more!"

Erica suddenly grew conceited, but upon seeing your distasteful attitude, she coughed and held out her hand.

"What's your name kid?"

"Analise Katz! I'm sure you've heard of Beverly, my sister?"

"Of course, she visits us every day." She replied.

"Enough introduction, I'm not hesitant to break another leg." You muttered, gaining the attention of the beaming brain cells. "So, Erica, why are you here?"

"He's back." She spoke.  "He threatened - my alias - that if I'm not going to divulge your whereabouts...then he'll find you himself."

"Ah."

You cocked your head to the side and processed the information divulged, with a cross of your arms. Silently, you unlocked the cuff and stood her up, putting an arm around her waist, and hers on yours as leverage. She grew worried by your blank expression, as she knew you and him never quite had gotten along.

"....You have a remarkable skill." She said slowly, eyeing you from the side.

"The ability to shut down my emotions?" 

She nodded, albeit sadly. "And pain."

Your ability had made you well-known in the organization, but your name was never divulged, nor your appearance. You were despised, envied, mocked, and you would always pass by assassins rattling on about you. Some of them were admirers and foes, to which you never bothered to care about. 

Calypso you were, the name designated for you. You would kill people gracefully without mercy; wouldn't feel pain if shot. But to all myths, there is always an explanation for such things. The aftermath of shutting down your pain receptors drains your energy. It will make you fatigue, so fatigue that you'd need to lay in bed for two days or more to recover. And shutting down your emotions had made you feel mood swings that changes drastically. You'd be calm at this moment and in the next, you'll be cold. It was unpredictable.

"I want to help you," Erica stated, concerned for your well-being. "He'll do anything to get to you, there's no telling what he'll do to you if you won't cooperate."

"You don't have to." You said with a casual wave. "Everything you do doesn't matter."

Glancing to the right, you had realized how hard the rain was pouring, and looked over to Alis shivering near the pole.

"It's raining really hard now," You announced, flitting your eyes to Erica with a meaningful stare. "Let's go home, I'll deal with you later."

"Listen-" Erica began, but you glared at her.

"No you-" You jabbed her chest, and she took a step back from the force. "Listen to me."

"For sure, I know he's going to kill me," You admitted.  ", but that doesn't matter. If you are going to constantly remind me of him, then the person that will be killed in the hands of him is you."

"You can't just say that!" Alis yelled, running to grab your arm. 

You shrugged her away. 

" My family was killed." You spoke, voice utterly dull, albeit inside you were shattered from the thought of them. "My husband murdered, daughter gutted...mother-in-law slaughtered. Do you think that I would care about the imminent death that awaits me?"

"We do," Alis stated, you ignored her comment and walked towards Erica with an austere look in your eyes.

"I am a murderer, who kills people for a living, I highly doubt that I can renew all the karma I've done."

She narrowed her eyes.

"I don't expect you to change, although I can assure you that there's time."

You scoffed incredulously.

"I'm not changing." 

She sighed, shaking her head at your stubbornness. As she was about to continue her rant, a certain question caught her eye. In fact, why hasn't she ever thought of this question ever since you both had met?

"Fine, if you aren't going." You declared. "Then I am. Alise let's go."

"Why do you kill people?"

You hesitated and paused in your tracks. 

"I..." 

Realizing the deserted aims of your intentions, you lapsed into silence. You had only joined the organization when you were young, brought, and stolen from an orphanage. Killing had fed you and made you slept under a roof. Although the conditions were harsh, frequently witnessing the death of good comrades, you were thankful. Without it, you would be left to rot near a ditch. But really, all this time, why did you continue doing this after the death of your family? Over the far distance, a shadowed figure of a little girl hovered by the lamp post. You looked down at your hands, imagining them stained by the blood of your colleague. 

"Control." You answered, and you can tell Erica was shocked. 

She took a step back and Alis, the only person to understand your somber personality, is suddenly startled.

 "Does controlling life and death seem appealing to you?"

Her brows furrowed, and realized something important.

"Not one bit," Erica replied and grabbed Alis by the shoulder. "I don't know why Alis - only nineteen - had agreed to go with you."

"I just wanted to-" She began in defense.

"No, kid you don't understand. This is risky business and I don't want you anywhere near it again." She lifted her gaze to you casually crossing your arms.

 "And I don't know what's gotten into you. But my offer still stands"

She turned around and brought Alis along. And there she goes out of the rain, limping along with Alis, who looked back to you with sad eyes.

You hung your head and nodded, shoving your hands into your pocket. She returned the nod and shifted to look forward, continuing her journey with the woman. The figure by the lamp disappeared, and you looked up at the rain, feeling the piercing droplets caressing your face. The rain had reminded you of the time Hazel and you use to knit sweaters by the campfire, while Tom, your husband, baked pastries for his small shop you sometimes help with. 

The sweet honeyed aroma of baked bread and croissants would fill your nose, making you drool already at the taste of it. Hazel would distract Tom, while you snuck some out from the oven and later you would share it with the little girl. He would eventually found out and he'll always laugh in amusement.

With trembling hands, you held up the piece of paper and examined the writing, smeared by the blood of your little child.

"Ah, ma douce enfant. Tu as ce que tu mérites. Tu m'as quitté et maintenant tu vas brûler :). Au fait, quel beau mari tu as!"

Inner rage immediately consumed over you and your shaking fist crumbled the paper, ripping it to almost shreds. You gave a cry of anguished and held three of the dearest people in your life close to your chest, dead at the pool of their own blood.

Upon the memory, you sighed and stayed in the spot. It was a peaceful minute, dwelling under the speckled stars...

....once ruined by a black fabric hovering over your head.

"I apologize, but considering my medical knowledge, I cannot allow you to remain under the rain when it is this cold." A voice spoke up, and you turned around surprised by his bold yet polite manner.

He sounded sarcastic, to say the least.

You were met with shark brooding eyes and a beige-colored suit. His blond peppered hair stood out from his bold physique, and his stance was precise and confident. There was something more to it though, but you couldn't put a finger on it.

"Oh." You snapped out of your daze.

His head tilted to the side.

"You seem a bit...somber. Is there anything wrong?"

"No..." You replied, mimicking his head tilt.

He smiled and nodded.

"Well, then, in that case." He extended the umbrella to you. "You can go home with this."

You stared at him blankly.

"Am I..?" You pointed to the umbrella with a raised brow. "Suppose to take it?"

He gave an amused chuckle. "What else would you do?" He asks.

"Oh, I don't know..." You trailed. "Impale you with it?"

"Wise choice." He hummed and you nodded.

"Enough talk, I will be expecting you to return this to me tomorrow." He grabbed your hand and wrapped it around the handle, and before you could protest, he took out a card from his pocket and handed it to you.

"My address is there, you must know that I am also a psychiatrist." He informed, and you unrolled your fist, staring at the card.

 "Perhaps, I could help you with whatever crisis you are currently dealing with." He continues, taking off his jacket, and draping it across your shoulder. "And I expect you to be well, in order for our session to work."

"This is happening so fast." You spoke dumbly. "Why are you so inclined to help me?"

He paused in his tracks and beneath the soaked hair, his glassy eyes met yours with a tinge of somberness to it. His accentuated lips curved into a smile. 

"Isn't helping people what psychiatrists do?"

You shrug nonchalantly, and inside he took a bit of offense from it. 

"I don't know, all I do is teach people how to beat other people up."

He opened his mouth to comment on your choice of words, but decided against it, only nodding in reply.

"I shall be leaving now." He stated, and immediately the aura around him grew intimidating. "See you tomorrow, I suppose."

As he left, you were a bit annoyed by his sudden appearance.

"Strange man." You muttered. "You can't just appear out of nowhere and expect me not to be offended."

Shaking your head, you examined the umbrella and sighed. 

"Guess I'll have to return this tomorrow, besides I need to go to the BAU early anyway." [ masterlist ] [ CH 2 ]

#hannibal x reader #will graham x reader #hannibal lecter x reader #will x reader #x reader

[thegoodgayshit]

Luz’s mother really doesn’t want to send Luz to camp. She knows once she leaves, there is no going back. But Luz has a knack for getting into trouble, and one day she stumbles into the same type of people her mother would have preferred she avoided. After helping Luz dissolve her high school bully into dust, Eda and Lilith know right away that this kid is just like them - a child of the gods. So Luz hops on a Pegasus and heads to Camp Half-blood, where she embarks on a dangerous quest that makes her both friends and enemies... and she might even save Olympus along the way.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Emperor Belos and his Nuclear Eye Drops

Luz’s dream hadn’t given away just how deep the caves of Mount Pelion actually were.

There was a moment when she was running where it felt like she was just sliding straight down, and she panicked for a moment, praying to every god she could think of that she was going the right way.

The torches on the wall were her only source of light, and the screeching and shouting from the battle in the armory were getting quieter and quieter the farther down she descended.

As she walked, Luz realized that this was the first time she was alone, truly alone, since she’d hopped on a bus to escape from Lina on her last day of school. Luz had been alone most of her life, so she knew what it felt like, but she had forgotten how uncomfortable it really made her feel.

She’d made friends, fantastic, lovely, and incredible friends since she’d come to camp. She definitely wouldn’t have made it as far as she had without them. But now that she was alone, she felt every cut she’d gotten during the last few weeks’ worths of battles… every bruise, every sore muscle, every piece of hair that had fallen into place. Without her friends, exhaustion was creeping into her bones, and she was starting to wonder if she should have run away without anybody following her.

She was just one demigod. How was she going to do this on her own?

Eventually, she made it.

All at once, the cave felt familiar. Luz had seen it plenty of times before in her dreams, enough times that she instantly recognized the widening of the halls, the damp aroma of the cavern, and the sinking feeling in her gut that something very unnatural was lying within.

Then, she saw the portal.

Luz didn’t understand how it was possible, but it had somehow gotten even more terrifying than it was in her dreams.

It was still around the same size, but Luz was no longer able to see what lied within it. Instead, the ten foot tall border of obsidian and metal was protecting layers and layers of dark mist. Instead of having one little hearth on the top of the portal, now there was two huge flames sitting on either side of it. The smoke seemed to rise up in to the air and get sucked into the depth of the portal, sinking deeper and deeper until it wrapped into the mist entirely. Next to the portal was the small table and the chalice she had seen in her first dream, and while it looked expensive, it was quite underwhelming sitting next to something like the portal.

Dread started sinking into Luz’s stomach. How in Hades was she supposed to destroy that?

She heard the clanking of chains, and her gaze was ripped from the portal when she saw the cage, and the girl lying within.

She looked like a ghost. Luz hadn’t seen many goddesses before, but based on the ones she had seen, Luz had a hard time believing this girl could be one. She was so small and tiny she barely looked a day over nine, and she was bent over on her knees, her face pressed into the floor of the mountain pitifully. She was straining against the chains, but they might as well have been pinning her in place because despite the obvious effort she was putting in to move, she wasn’t budging an inch.

“Lady Hestia?”

The girl looked up, and Luz’s heart sank. Her eyes… they’d gotten so dark they almost looked black. All the warmth they’d had the first time Luz saw her in the cage was gone.

“You’re too late, brave one,” she said, and despite her voice being barely a whisper it cut through Luz’s ears like an icy wind. “Belos has stolen the last of my flame, and in mere moments the mountain will fall. You must run! Leave this place before it takes you with it.”

Luz froze, blinking. “Leave you? But I came all this way to free you.”

“Do not sacrifice yourself for this,” she insisted, “you have a chance to regroup and fight another day. Do not fulfill the prophecy here… not when the portal has already taken my flame and all the nightmares of the Underworld will rise and serve their Emperor!”

The prophecy. Amity had told her the rest of it… she’d said something like that… Luz wracked her brain trying to remember.

From what you find in the nightmare, a hero’s life ends.

There was another tremor, the whole mountain shaking right beneath Luz’s feet. She stumbled, gripping the side of the cave as the walls shook around her. Eventually, they began to subside, and Luz grit her teeth pulling herself to her feet.

Nobody’s life was going to end. She didn’t come all this way to fail.

“I’m not leaving you here,” Luz retorted, “if the mountain falls, there’s nothing any of us can do to stop Belos.”

So Luz made up her mind. With a furious scream, she charged, sprinting across the room towards the cage and hacking down with her sword. The metal bars split like she was cutting through paper, and five of the thick steel bars fell. Luz cut a hole through, leaning in to crouch down next to Hestia, who was still chained to the floor.

“This is foolish, hero,” Hestia warned, as Luz lifted her hands to examine the chains, looking for the right way to cut through. “The mountain-”

There was another tremor, the metal bars of the cage rattling. This one was much stronger than the last and lasted almost a full thirty seconds. Luz had to cling to the slashed metal to avoid falling on her own sword.

“Nobody is getting left behind,” Luz panted as the shaking subsided, “we promised Demophon we would free you, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

“Demophon?” Hestia breathed, and for the first time since Luz found her, Hestia’s eyes seemed to flicker with warmth. “You spoke to him?”

Luz opened her mouth to reply, but Hestia’s eyes suddenly widened.

“The Mist!”

Luz cocked her brow, confused before she looked down and her eyes widened in horror. All around her, black mist had slowly begun to fill the area around the mangled cage, and Luz had to scramble back to avoid it. She didn’t miss it all though, and some of it managed to creep up around her face near her nose. She choked, her nostrils filled with the horribly familiar smell of rotting meat.

Death Mist.

Luz wasn’t proud of how fast she ran to get away, especially with Hestia trapped in the cage unable to move, but she couldn’t stand it. Her eyes had already started to water, and by the time she pressed back against the wall next to the door she’d come through, she wanted to drown herself in water just to get it out of her lungs. She debated turning and running when she heard his voice.

“Up-pup-pup! Don’t go anywhere. I’d actually like to have a word with you, demigod.”

All at once, the mist vanished. When Luz took a few shaky breaths, she looked up and saw him.

Belos was standing between her and Hestia, one hand on his staff, the other watching her with what looked almost like interest in his neon eyes. The horns on his golden mask leered over her, casting a shadow in the haze of the torches hanging along the mountain wall.

Luz glowered at the sight of him, all the rage towards the way he’d been tormenting her dreams rising up in one furious bubble. Gripping her sword tightly, she felt her mouth twist into an angry scowl.

“Let Hestia go, or else!”

She yelled and swung her sword, feeling it collide hard with Belos’ staff as he raised it to block her. Luz strained against it, but he was completely unmoveable.

“Okay,” Belos said, and all at once, Luz felt him push, sending her skidding backward against the mountain floor. “I’ll play.”

He charged, his staff extending into a wicked four-foot sword, and Luz’s eyes widened. She did the only thing she could think to do; deflect.

Belos was stronger than her in every way imaginable. He had speed, strength, and strategy. If it wasn’t for Luz’s adrenaline keeping her dodging and deflecting, he would have already sliced her open.

She was gritting her teeth with every move, her chest heaving as she looked for an opening. She reared back, swinging at his shoulder when she thought he might be leaning too hard on the other side, but she nearly got her hair chopped off the top when he spun and swung right above where she was standing.

She was going to lose, and he knew it.

“What’s wrong, demigod? I thought you wanted a fight.”

With one brutal kick, he knocked Luz backward. She fell right onto her knees, Aletheia skidding away from her hand and back into a ring. Luz covered it with her left hand, breathing hard as Belos pointed his sword at her, tilting his head.

“Had enough?”

He was about two feet away. The perfect opening.

“Not even close,” Luz smirked, scooping up the ring and flinging it right towards his face. The ring shifted into a knife, striking him right in the left eye. Belos hissed, recoiling as there was a shattering sound, a piece of his mask falling at her feet. He clutched his face, and Luz scooped the knife into her hands, clutching it while she heaved on the ground, still recovering from his kick.

But she’d made a mark.

Belos chuckled, his back still turned from her, and Luz watched as his hand covered over his eye.

“I like your spirit,” he said, turning to look at Luz. His mask was chipped, two thick lines running above it. It made his neon eyes look more menacing like he’d been using nuclear eye drops.

“Try that again and things won’t end well for you.”

Belos turned, kicking Luz again and sending her spinning into the ground. She coughed, clutching her chest as she struggled to look up at him.

“I am just a man on a mission. In the grand scheme of things, the goddess’ life is inconsequential. But now, you’re here. And the mountain is falling, whether we like it or not.”

Luz was wincing as she looked up at him, her eyebrows furrowing as she listened to what he was saying.

“If you want to save the life of everybody here in the mountain, let me use the portal. I will bring my army through, and spare the life of your friends, and the hearth goddess.”

It was an impossible choice. One that put Luz right between a rock and a hard place. She couldn’t pick.

“But… Olympus…” she whispered, biting her lip.

The mountain shook again, and Luz cried out as the shock of it flattened her right against the ground. This time, the mountain was not left unscathed, and the earth began to shift, the back wall of the cavern splitting away from the earth. Chunks of rock collapsed, and Luz shouted in terror as the wall of the cavern fell back and into the open air, and light suddenly rushed into the room. The back of the mountain dropped like an avalanche, and thank the gods it didn't take Hestia's cage with it, just some of the huge metal crates Luz had hidden behind in her dreams when she was spying. As bright morning light hit her face, Luz winced, doing her best to blink it out and take stock. She was alive, and the tremors hadn't dropped her off the mountain yet.

But it was also just after dawn, which meant it had almost been forty-eight hours since they left the Blight manor.

They were almost out of time.

Belos chuckled menacingly as the tremor’s eventually subsided, and it looked like he hadn’t even been phased by the earthquake.

“You probably think I want to invade Olympus. But the will of my army is not so boorish. We want to purify this world, rid them of the gods and every awful thing they stand for. There will be order and peace, a chance for demigods and the will of man to decide the fate of the world.”

“You want to take this world all for yourself,” Luz spat, glaring up at him. He tilted his head curiously at her outburst, but let her talk. She wondered if he found it humorous. Probably.

“You think getting rid of the gods will solve our problems?” Luz exclaimed, getting slowly to her feet, clenching her knife tightly against her chest. “That it will fix everything wrong with this world? Look at what you’ve done! You’ve brought back heroes from beyond the grave and instead of making things better you’ve only made the lives of demigods worse!”

She pointed her knife at him accusingly, all the frustration she was feeling from the quest, and her life back at camp, and from the way this quest has treated her friends… treated Amity. All this chaos and pain was Belos’ fault.

“You’ve done nothing but hurt the people I care about since I realized I was a demigod. You’re no better than the gods you hate.”

There was a twitch in Belos’ face that Luz might not have seen had she not broken a part of his mask. For a moment, Luz thought he was going to charge. She would have been dead, with him holding a sword and her the knife. But then, he straightened, turning away from her and towards the portal that was swirling again. The mist was getting thicker and thicker, the flames next to it rising higher and higher… and Luz realized what was about to happen.

It was going to open again.

“I think it’s best you reconsider,” Belos said, watching it. “Tik-Tok, demigod, time is almost out. Attack me, and die. Leave this place, and your friends shall live.”

The portal began to glow a deep purple, and the mist changed. Now, it was translucent, and Luz could see with terrified eyes the horrors that were behind it. Armies upon armies of the undead, souls waiting to come back to this world. They were clawing at the door, waiting to be the next one out.

The flames around the portal began to rise, and Hestia groaned from behind her chains. The mountain started shaking, and Luz knew then it was too late. She was out of time.

Then, her eyes locked on the chains.

The chains.

How far away were they? Ten feet? Fifteen? Much farther than the strings at Orpheus’ manner. She’d probably just hit Hestia. But she had no choice. There was nothing else she had up her sleeve, no other tricks she could pull. It was her last chance.

So, she threw her knife.

It sailed through the air, slashing through one of the chains right as Belos realized what she’d done. He twisted, his eyes following the knife as it made its mark, cutting through the ones wrapped around Hestia’s right hand. For a moment, the portal weakened, the mist darkening, and Luz could no longer see the hundreds of souls of the other side.

But she’d only cut one chain. She hadn’t done it, Hestia was still locked against the ground, her knees wrapped, one hand free to desperately try and throw the knife back towards Luz. It clattered against the floor to the right of Belos, just past his shoulder.

She’d never get there. She knew it. She’d failed.

Roaring, Belos turned, rearing his sword up and swinging towards her. Luz squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the slice that would inevitably kill her. She’d never be able to dodge, not without a weapon, and certainly not without Belos catching her.

But when she closed her eyes, she wasn’t greeted by death.

“Luz!”

She felt a body slamming into her from the side, sending her reeling against the mountain floor. She gasped as she landed hard on her stomach, her eyes flying open to see what hit her.

Well, more like who.

Amity had blocked the strike, meeting Belos’ sword with her own. She’d shoved Luz out of the way, and she’d managed to keep Luz alive, if not for a few seconds.

“Bah!” Belos spat, glaring at her. “Aphrodite’s brat. I see Achilles was thwarted by you yet again.”

“He should have thought twice before taking on a Blight!” She hissed, pushing back and swinging again. Belos blocked it, his eyes narrowing. Amity had always been better with a sword than Luz. The sight of it began to fill Luz’s chest with hope. The tables were starting to turn.

Luz scooped up Aletheia, shifting it into a sword, and charged, rearing back to swing at Belos while he was occupied with Amity.

He saw her coming, sidestepping both of them. Now, Luz and Amity were side by side, guarding the portal with their swords raised. Their eyes were narrowed in determination, their bodies tensed in a silent agreement.

They wouldn't let him open that portal. Whatever it took, they were going to stop him.

Belos’ eyes shifted between them, before spinning his sword into a staff. The pole was double-edged, with a foot of wicked bronze on either end. Perfect for when you were outnumbered.

The mountain rumbled again, and Amity gasped, stumbling. Luz reached over and caught her, dropping both of them to their knees while the quakes wracked through the cavern. Even Belos shifted, needing to grip his staff with both hands to keep himself steady. When they subsided, Luz helped Amity to her feet.

“Are you okay?” She whispered, and the daughter of the love goddess whipped her head to look at her like she had three heads.

“Am I okay? I’m not the one who ran off to try and free Hestia on her own!” She hissed, and Luz winced, shrugging her shoulders.

“Lilith saw an opening and told me to run.”

Behind them, the portal's flames popped, rising up again despite Luz cutting one of the chains. In the cage, Hestia flinched, but she was now at least on her knees and pulling at the other chain trying to free herself. Belos was stepping closer to them, his eyes narrowed, obviously angry.

This was a bad situation. One that kept getting worse. But at least now she wasn’t alone.

Luz turned back to Belos, gripping her sword tightly. “You’re outnumbered. Surrender, and close the portal for good.”

Belos chuckled and shook his head, his staff pressing hard into the ground leaving white slashes along the rocky floor.

“Oh no, demigod. We are not done here,” he said, lifting his left hand. The mountain got colder, the temperature dropping as Belos flicked his hand, and Death Mist curled out from around his cloak.

“Before this mountain falls, I am going to kill you both. Then I will open that portal and run Olympus to the ground.”

#the owl house #luz x amity #Percy Jackson AU #lumity #shelby speaks

[phoenixkadeu]

Revenge and Retribution. Pt.2

“Is everyone ready, does everyone know what to do?” Asra’s deep voice was heard through the mask he was wearing, the exact same one everyone else was using in order to completely conceal who they really were. The only thing that gave his identity away was his uncovered eyes and hands, otherwise he was dressed in a full black attire with leather boots, a small duffle bag hanging from his shoulder.

He saw everyone around him nod. All three of them. 

Asra had come up with a plan, his trip back from Umibe gave in time to think. He really did not want to get other people involved in this, he needed to do this alone, however he had no choice but to contact them, it was the only way his plan would succeed. This small group of elementalists were one of the very few people he trusted and right now the only one’s who were crazy enough to agree to help him, the only ones that could.

Sure, he hadn’t told them everything. They hadn’t asked either. Asra’s plan of breaking into the King of Hearts’ house, was solid enough. Get in, get the servants under control, steal the safe that Asra knew Lucien kept hidden in his study on the first floor of his estate and then they could split the goods amongst themselves. Most of them were as a broke as he was, and to be fair, The Academy did charge them a ridiculous amount of money just to discourage them for continuing attending their lessons, so they would do pretty much anything to keep that from happening, they still needed some kind of education. And so did Asra, but right now he didn’t give a shit about the money, he only needed a distraction, something that would have the servants running around in panic.

“Good, let’s go, then” 

They split, two earth elementals being the firsts to make their presence known. Asra could hear the screams coming from the estate, he could feel the ground shaking as he came through one of the open windows. Then, once inside, he waited, ignoring everything that was going outside of those four walls, suddenly a heavy box resembling something close to a coffin came floating through the open window followed by one of Asra’s friends, an air elementalist.

“Really, Asra, what is this?” the woman asked, already sensing that Asra might have some other plans. They all knew that Asra probably thought they were only doing this for the money, but in reality, they had all heard about Allore. They didn’t know much about what was going on between them, didn’t really know how much Asra loved her, but they were used to seeing him running down the streets, sneaking into the rich part of the diamond’s territory so he could see her. The fact that he kept Allorre hidden from everyone, protected, the way he kept his mouth shut every time they teased him about it was an indication that it wasn’t something to joke about. So, upon hearing the news and after hearing Asra’s offer, they thought that this would be a good, fun thing to take his mind off of it all.

But, right now, she was already starting to regret that decision. However it was too late to back down.

“C’mon” Asra replied, getting out of that room and walking up the stairs, avoiding trapped servants who were too busy to notice him and the other girl, the sight of an heavy and large box floating in the air was the least of their worries when they were to concern with their own lives. Even if they made it out of this, they would with no doubt receive some kind of punishment from Lucien once he got home and noticed that a great deal of his money had just been stolen, so nothing about this whole scenario was looking good for them. 

Still, Asra had no time to worry about any of that. He had other plans in mind, he wanted Lucien to come home. He would be ready for him this time.

Long and heavy, velvet curtains blocked the moonlight coming from outside. Still, even without the proper light, the room was still huge, cold. An enormous bed, filled with pillows and soft sheets occupied the center. 

He crouched down and opened the box, lid thrown to the side, the sight of a rotten Allore caught the attention of both elementalist.  Asra heard a small scream from the opposite side of him even before he felt the horrid smell fill his senses.

“oh my - Asra, is that?”

“Put her on the bed” 

His elbows were resting on his knees, his sharp eyes were looking at his horrified friend. Her black mask had been pulled over her head, just like his, he could see every little expression on her face, could see the way her hand shook against her lips, wide eyes staring down at the corpse. Then, she took a step back and Asra let out a sigh, hands already reaching out to pick up the body in front of him before another gasp stopped him.

“Fuck - shit -  Asra, don’t” her leather boots squeaked against the expensive floor, tiny steps being taken into his direction “Don’t touch it, I’ll do it” and then the body was floating. For a few moments, as Asra stood up he thought that the woman would drop Allore, but she didn’t and he was pleased. He hid the box quickly under the tall bed and then he turned around, fingers get lost on his hair as he got completely rid of the mask.

“You can have my share, I don’t want it and you deserve it” he simply spoke, not sparing a single glance at his friend as he approach the corpse that was now lying down on the bed, an almost bored expression on his face. When he didn’t hear any movement, not even the door opening he looked back at the air elementalist. “You’re staying” it wasn’t a question, but it was said with such uncertainty that Asra wasn’t sure what she meant by that. He couldn’t quite understand the emotions that were crossing her face, did she think that this was enough? He didn’t bother questioning her, and simply said “pull your mask down and get out, I’ll see you tomorrow” the woman did as he told her, trembling fingers pulling the fabric to hide the concerns on her face, before she got out. The others were probably waiting for her outside, the servants were probably already writing letters for Lucien to come home, trying to fix the damage. 

And Asra was there. Inside the room, both him and Allore waiting patiently for him to greet them.

Asra could tell the exact moment Lucien had arrived. He could hear the screams, the cries of his servants asking for his forgiveness, he heard some crashing sounds who were probably a result of Lucien’s anger. Seconds, minutes and hours passed before Lucien had finally let his anger out. His steps were heavy against the stairs as he kept mumbling things under his breath and finally the door to his luxurious bedroom was opened.

He didn’t saw it. Didn’t see Asra standing in a dark corner, didn’t even notice the corpse above his head, but his nose twitched slightly and with a hand still holding the doorknob he shouted towards the corridor. “And you didn’t even fucking cleaned my room, why the fuck do I keep spending my money with all of you. It smells fucking disgusting in here”

Then the door closed, Lucien crossed the room, pushing one of the curtains back as he opened one of the large windows, completely oblivious to everything until he went to sit down on his bed, probably just to take off his shoes. A scream pierced the air and the next second he was already running towards the door. Problem was, Asra  was already standing there in front of the door, keys inside of his pocket.

“What-what is this? You are one of the thieves aren’t you? You’re not taking anything else from me” there was fear there and Asra could practically smell it, but his expression did not changed he just stared at the man. The one they had chosen and what a ridiculous fucking choice he was.

“I thought you would recognize your fiancé” Asra replied. He watched the expression change, realization mixed with confusion. Now Lucien knew that this wasn’t about money, this had something to do with Allore but he still didn’t know why this was happening or who Asra was.

The man opened his mouth, but Asra was quick to punch him right in the nose. He felt it crack, blood staining his knuckles as he heard him cry out, holding his nose. The fire elementalist didn’t even wait for him to recover as he kicked him on the side of his knee making him lose his balance and falling down. When he was satisfied, he gripped the back of the man’s collar, the other hand under his arm as he pulled him back to his feet in order to push him towards the bed.

The man stumbled, feet hitting his own ankles as if he didn’t know how to walk, but Asra couldn’t care less. Once near the bed, he only pushed the man, hand still gripping his collar as he held Lucien’s face too close to Allore’s. “Open your eyes” Asra didn’t need to look at the man’s face to know that he wasn’t looking, the blood coming from his beaten nose fell down onto Allore’s pale lips and suddenly Asra was pulling Lucien back, puke splashing onto his leather shoes as he held the back of the Lucien’s head down with an unimpressed look. 

Asra could still smell it and he wasn’t totally blind, the rotten corpse on top of the bed was a sight he was sure most people could not handle, but he had been through hell this past few days, he had stared at that dead face until the image he had of Allore got completely corrupted, until he stopped caring about a body with no soul. Once he heard a shaky gasp and his eyes stopped watching liquid coming out of the other man’s lips, Asra pulled him once again against the bed. “Tell her what you wrote about her on the deck” there it was, the second instruction and Asra was getting impatient, he waited for a few seconds and was about to press further when the other man spoke up again “I-I can’t remember” Asra scoffed, the one hand that wasn’t occupied reached inside of his black robe pulling out a ripped and crumpled piece of paper, throwing it onto the top of Allore’s chest, right under the king of hearts frightened eyes. “Then read it”

“It’s a shame she died so suddenly. I’d have liked to have seen her rot in prison for the disrespect she showed myself, Mi Eunbi, and the late Kim Minho. I would like to personally thank Sergeant Caddel for pursuing the murderer despite being on vacation and will be paying for him and his entire family’s next beachside stay as a thank you.”

Between sobs whimpers and pleas the entirety of the statement was recited back. The end of it was acknowledged by a simple “hum” coming from Asra’s throat, and nothing else was said until Lucien decided to speak up again, a small hint of hope and authority still present on  his voice. “You can let me go now, I will not tell a single soul about this if you stop this madness right now” it was a perfect time for a joke, Asra was forever a fan of rude behavior mixed with a bit of humor, but now he was not in the mood for any of it.

“No, you still need to apologize” 

“Well, then, I'm sorry alright?” Asra tilted his head, fingers flexing further, gripping the back of the man’s neck tighter, until he kicked the back of Lucien’s knees hard, making him tumble down onto the floor. “Not to her, to me”

And that’s when he really saw Asra, standing tall as he looked down at a him, someone who clearly outranked him, but now with his own two knees on top of his puke and with dread filling every inch of his body it did not look like he had much advantage. However, recognizing Asra brought some arrogance back to the man along with a stupid sense of superiority. “I know who you are and I have connections inside of The Academy, I promise I’ll make sure that they will kick you out right after hearing how insane you really are, you will rot in jail for this, you’ll see”

Ah, so there was the joke Asra had been waiting for. Circling the king of hearts until he was standing behind him, the other had already started to get up in victory, as if that poor excuse of a threat had somehow managed to make Asra regret what he was doing. But that sentiment clearly changed when Asra kicked him once again, the force of it enough to make the man lay down on the floor, now with the sole of Asra’s boot to his neck in order to keep him down. “She’s dead, she can’t hear what you say, I fulfilled your wish, you wanted to watch her rot and now you did. Now, it’s my turn” he pressed down further, the man’s hands gripping his ankle in an effort to push him off of him, but Asra wouldn’t move. “I want to hear an apology”  

Cold, blue eyes, watched the desperation on that man’s face, the way his mouth opened in an effort to welcome more oxygen into his body, legs kicking down onto the floor and hands quickly losing the initial force they had, the longer Asra’s boot crushed his throat. For the first time since he was here, Asra was patient, but time had never been on his side, not even now. 

He had been late to save Allore, he did not even had enough time with her, not nearly as much as he would like anyways. And now, as the doorknob started to shake and another set of urgent yells filled his ears, Asra knew that he and Lucien had ran out of time. 

There was a mix of puke and oh, so so much blood staining the otherwise clean floor and expensive carpets. There was a bloodied axe, right beside the decapitated body and the head of the now deceased King of Hearts was inside a black duffle bag. 

As Asra’s flames consumed that whole estate, servants screaming out on the streets for a help that would never be able to contain Asra’s grief. He left, leaving Allore’s body to burn down along with her would-be husband, in a house that would have been her own.

The next morning was an agitated one in the Diamond’s territory, at least for the richer side of it. Rumors of a fire in The Hearts territory had already started to spread out, speculations had already started to take place amongst the various groups of people when yet another event was able to get everyone’s attentions.

The sun had started to rise when the servants who worked at The Kim’s estate were greeted with a horrific sight. Two heads, belonging to King of Hearts Wang Lucien and LEA Sergeant Caddel Noah had been impaled on two of the spikes, one on each side of the front gate of The Kim’s Estate, both marked with two red M’s on their foreheads which had obviously been done by some sort of sharp object.

While everyone went crazy over the recent events and all chaos broke loose with theories about the deaths, Asra was sleeping in his home, leather boots still painted all kinds of vile substances beside his front door, the sole evidence of what had happened. Balance, he had told himself once he got home, he should have put a stop to them sooner but still he managed to make everything right in the end, so the fire elementalist allowed himself to finally sleep, with a clear conscience but still with a painful and heavy heart.

#revenge and retribution #this is the end :) #I'm sorry for him #Allore's death #need to read this over again but I want to get rid of it so I can go work on my other replies #have fun with this or not #also sorry this is so long

[thespianbooks]

A Court of Nightmares and Starlight //Chapter 5//

(Chapter 1) (Chapter 2) (Chapter 3) (Chapter 4) (Chapter 5) (Chapter 6) (Chapter 7) (Chapter 8) (Chapter 9) (Chapter 10)

(Tags: @thron3ofbooks @df3ndyr @courtofjurdan @art-e-mis @herondamnn @the-third-me @im-still-trying-here @emikadreams @paytin77)

It was all I could do to keep from bursting into joyous tears as Madja announced that I was ten weeks along in my pregnancy. Upon revealing that my suspicions were true, she completed a thorough examination. She determined that since I was in the early stages, that was the cause of lingering sickness and fatigue. Unfortunately, those symptoms would continue until I was about halfway along; where most females felt the best and most of the unlikeable symptoms eased a bit. I was also surprised to learn that a fae pregnancy lasts five weeks longer than a human’s, but it made sense on a larger scale. As powerful immortal beings, we needed more time in the womb to develop.

After her examination, she prescribed a few prenatal herbal teas that I would need to drink in order to aid in the baby’s growth. I smiled at the word, brushing my fingertips along my abdomen again—knowing this would become a new habit for me, and for Rhys. A baby, our baby, growing strong inside of me as Madja promised. He would be as strong as his father, the most powerful High Lord in Prythian, and with my powers combined…

My smile faltered as I realized what this meant.

Years ago, Rhys confided in me about his concern over any potential offspring he might have, afraid they would be hunted and sought after by his enemies. If his children inherited his abilities alone, they would be just as powerful. What did that threat mean now with my blood mixed in?

Cursebreaker. Cauldron-blessed. The first ever High Lady in Prythian, who inherited a drop of power from all seven of the High Lords after being resurrected.

What powers would my child inherit from me? Combined with Rhys’s, our child’s strength would surpass both of ours alone; which meant the same for all the other High Lords of Prythian. We had alliances now, but how many of those would change after they learned about my son? After they saw a fraction of their power in him, in combination with Rhysand’s? My mind began to race and breathing became difficult as I looked down at my stomach, my fingers gripping my tunic in panic. Would he be in danger? Who were we close enough with to know that they would never consider such a thing? What if they came after him before he was born? Would they target me? I had to do something, but what if there was nothing I could do?

I had to protect him—my baby.

Protect, protect, protect.

“My lady,” a gentle voice interrupted the rising chaos in my mind, even gentler hands gripping my shoulders and I saw the healer’s dark eyes meet mine as she leveled a look at me.

I became aware of my ragged breathing, hunched back and tense shoulders, trembling. Her delicate, wrinkled hands moved from my shoulders to either side of my face. A blue aura illuminated those hands as they touched my face, and slowly I calmed. Slowly, my shoulders relaxed and I slid my eyes closed as my breaths evened out, a few tears escaping past my lids.

After a few seconds of that peace, Madja slowly let go of my face and straightened, “You mustn’t be afraid, my lady. Your child will be a very powerful high fae, but you are surrounded by friends—family. The uncertainty the future brings may be frightening, but there is also joy in it,” she said gently as she handed me a handkerchief. “That is what you must focus on right now. The joy in a healthy and developing baby.”

I sniffed as I dabbed at my eyes, nodding in agreement “Thank you Madja. I just felt so overwhelmed for a minute,” I lamented.

“Oh, I see this reaction more often than you would believe. First time mothers have many fears, and you will be no different. Just remember the joy in it,” she reassured.

She was right, I couldn’t allow the fear to consume me. I wouldn’t let it control me or take away from this moment of happiness. This baby, our son, was a miracle. Fae children were difficult to conceive, but Rhys and I had done it. We were going to have a baby; over half a millennia later one would be born into the Night Court’s ruling family—my family. He would be cherished by our Inner Circle, and loved by the people of Velaris; just as they loved Rhys. My heart swelled as I pictured what the moment of joy would look like on his face when I told him; how those violet eyes would brighten and sparkle like the stars and how he would grin. I wanted to paint that moment more than anything, and now after a decade of waiting, I finally would.

“Shall I call the High Lord in for the good news?” she asked as she began packing up her bag of supplies.

“Oh no, please don’t tell him yet,” I urged and she raised an amused brow at me as I flushed, “I want to surprise him...tomorrow at Starfall.”

She nodded her understanding, “I see,” she said as she finished packing and grabbed my hands, squeezing them lightly. “The High Lord will be thrilled, my lady,” she said, and the genuine delight in her voice caused my eyes to burn.

She laughed heartily at the silver lining my eyes, “Expect more of that. Your hormones will cause plenty of surges in your emotions,” she explained empathetically.

I grimaced, “In other words, I’ll be an emotional mess.”

She laughed again and patted my hands, “All completely normal. For now, drink that brew of herbs I gave you three times a day, get plenty of rest, and I will be back next week to check your progress.”

I nodded and walked her to the door of my bedroom, “Thank you Madja,” I said.

“You’re welcome my lady,” she said sweetly before leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I touched my stomach tentatively, knowing underneath layers of skin and muscle my child was growing—safely. He was finally real; a manifestation of the love Rhys and I had for each other. So far, only the healer and I knew of his existence, and soon Rhysand would know as well. For the moment, I caressed my still flat stomach and cherished this little time we had alone.

XXX

The hours leading up to our Starfall celebration would be torturous.

Once I emerged from my room and the healer left, everyone was eager to hear her diagnosis of my condition. I did my best to reassure them all that I was perfectly fine, and simply needed more time to recover from my previous illness. Not a complete lie, but I knew they were all unconvinced—especially my mate. I immediately knew that keeping up a façade would be difficult, but luckily, I had plenty of experience with masks of deception. Years in the Night Court with occasional appearances in the Court of Nightmares, and serving as High Lady would certainly assist me in hiding my pregnancy for at least the next twenty-four hours or so.

Later, after we turned in for the night, Rhys begged for a detailed account of Madja’s official diagnosis. I again had to convince him that I was all right, which was technically true. I was pregnant, not sick; so aside from my body working hard to grow a high fae baby, I was fine. An hour into him trying to pry me for more information, I finally managed to silence him by pushing him onto the bed and straddling his hips. This morning however, was more of a struggle. Madja warned me that the fatigue would linger throughout the next several months of my pregnancy, but I soon realized it was going to be an uphill battle to force myself from bed, let alone try and convince my mate that I was still on the road to recovery.

Thankfully, Starfall was finally here; one of our rare days off, and I could use it to my advantage. It had been a while since we spent a day alone together; in the weeks that followed since his return from the Illyrian mountains, we fell back into our regular routine with our schedules as High Lord and Lady. Despite our initial reunion and the brief mating frenzy renewed, which caused us to sneak away from time to time throughout the day, we still attended to our responsibilities. But today was our holiday, and a year from now our child would be here to celebrate his first Starfall. Soon it would no longer be just the two of us, my sisters and our Inner Circle; soon there would be an infant for us to raise and love, so I wanted to continue to take advantage of our time alone while we still had it.

I convinced Rhys to let us spend the morning in bed together, where we took our time worshipping each other's bodies, ate a hearty breakfast and lounged together well into the afternoon. By lunchtime, I felt my energy renew and we enjoyed our lunch in the gardens before we parted to finalize last minute details for the party. Traditionally, that meant Mor and I attended to any directions Elain might have for us and the Illyrians did...well whatever they liked to do before a party.

“They’re probably at Rita’s right now having drinks,” Mor wondered aloud as she and I rearranged the refreshments table in the grand hall.

I stepped back to review my work, and shrugged, “Maybe, but there’s plenty of drinks here, so that doesn’t make much sense,” I reasoned.

“Neither does ‘I’m getting over a cold, I promise,’” she mocked.

I glared at her, but she threw her head back with a laugh, “Don’t look so serious Feyre, whatever secret you have is safe with me.”

I bristled, moving to fuss with a flower arrangement by the table, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said as casually as I could.

“I’ve been keeping a secret for most of my existence, Feyre, I think that makes me an expert,” she said.

I paused and looked her way, “Mor-” I began but she held a hand up to stop me.

“Like I said, it's safe with me,” she said and a look of understanding silently passed between us before she turned to the next task Elain set out for her.

Maybe she did already know, and maybe she didn’t. Either way, I believed that she wouldn’t reveal it to Rhys or anyone else for that matter. I took a step back again to examine the room, happy with the decorations Elain meticulously had installed every year. Sparkling bowls of fae lights lit the room in a warm glow, allowing the white marble floors and moonstone columns to illuminate naturally. The delicate chiffon curtains adorning the windowless arched walls were decorated with tiny sparkles of fae light, a design Elain created herself, and accentuated the varying shades of cream, ivory and silver flower arrangements spread out throughout the room. They framed the horizon perfectly and opened up to the expansive veranda that led right into the gardens, allowing guests to move in and out of the estate easily and a perfect view of the spirits' journey across the night sky as we all danced. It was initially my idea to host the people of Velaris in the grand hall, remembering that these were the kind of memories I wanted to make in our new home.

I touched my stomach briefly when Mor wasn’t looking. What would he look like in a year? He would be too small to run around and try to disturb any decorations, so perhaps I would walk him around the estate and show off all the adornments before Rhys and I would put him to bed. We’d no doubt be exhausted, but happy. Maybe we’d celebrate Starfall privately in our suite, just the three of us. I felt that glimmer in the pit of my stomach and I smiled. Would you like that, little one? I thought to myself, wondering if he could hear me.

“It’s perfect!” Elain cheered as she and Nesta walked into the room.

I quickly moved my hand from my stomach as I turned to face them, but not fast enough for Nesta not to take notice. Thankfully, she only raised a perfectly arched brow at me, “Shouldn’t you be getting ready? Your guests will be arriving shortly,” she reminded me.

I nodded, “I was just about to leave,” I said as I looked over their attire.

Elain wore a delicate soft pink strapless A-line gown with a glitter ombre falling from her bust line down to the floor; a braid crowning the top of her head with the rest of her hair flowing just past her shoulders. Nesta, as conservative as ever, wore a long-sleeved gown in a similar fashion, only in a deep violet with a more subtle glittering effect. Her hair was pulled back in a loosely braided bun, a few loose strands of curls framing her face. Despite her controlled face and aloof attitude, I was glad Nesta still joined us after Cassian all but dragged her here for our first celebration in the estate years ago.

“Nuala and Cerridwen are waiting for you in your suite, Feyre. You go get dressed, and I’ll greet everyone, don’t worry,” Elain said sweetly, brushing her hands over her gown when she realized I was looking, silently asking for my approval.

“Just as she does every year,” Nesta interjected as I offered Elain a nod of assent.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and began walking out, “I’ll be back with Rhys before it starts,” I said and made my way back up to my suite.

As Nuala and Cerridwen began my dressing routine, I began to play different scenarios of the speech I would give Rhys when I announced my pregnancy. Only to realize I didn’t really have a speech at all, and began scrambling for one. As memorable as I wanted this moment to be, I was sincerely lacking in creativity and eloquence. I sighed in defeat as I stood before the mirror, checking over my appearance—the same blue-white liquid starlight gown I adorned every year, and my hair swept away from my face with the same diamond studded combs I wore on my first Starfall. In an attempt to make tonight more memorable for Rhys, I wanted to recreate our first celebration together; I asked the shadowed-twins to style me the same way they had that night.

After dismissing themselves, I ran tentative fingers along my abdomen again before inhaling a deep and anxious breath. “Let’s go tell your father,” I said quietly, resigned with the fact that I would just have to wing whatever speech I would give Rhys for the news.

XXX

An hour into the party, after mingling with our friends and guests, the estate’s lights dimmed naturally and everyone began pooling out into the veranda as the star-spirits began their glittering descent. The sky was soon decorated with the spirits twirling and sparkling forms as the guests cheered with raised champagne glasses.

“Raise a glass, my love,” Rhys purred in my ear as he stepped up behind me, his chest brushing against my back as he offered the glass before me.

I hesitated, knowing it probably wasn’t wise to drink now that I knew I was expecting, but took the glass anyway before turning to face him, “Let’s go to our balcony,” I said as I straightened the collar of his traditional black jacket, tracing over the silver-lined pattern on his lapels lightly.

“Now?” He asked with his smug feline grin, “Usually we stay at least an hour after the dancing’s begun.”

“I know, but,” I paused, chewing over what to say next, “I wanted to ask you something.”

Something you can’t ask me around our guests? He asked through the bond, his feline grin turning into a teasing one

I rolled my eyes before brushing past him and striding down the hall, not bothering to look back to make sure he was coming. Well?

“Oh, I’m right behind you Feyre darling,” he purred in my ear again as his hand brushed over the small of my back, walking in step with me to the hall leading to our balcony.

“As you should be,” I said haughtily.

His dark chuckle reverberated through me, my stomach fluttering as I fought a smile and we stepped onto the balcony together. I walked up to the railing, setting my champagne glass aside and stared up at the sky as the star-spirits continued to sparkle and dance. Rhys’s fingers brushed up and down my spine softly as he watched with me, both of us in a comfortable silence. I watched from the corner of my eye as the stars illuminated his handsome face, a warm smile on his lips and I reached a hand down to hold his.

He turned that smile to me, “What did you want to ask me, my love?”

My heart skipped a beat as a question I was genuinely curious about popped into my mind, “What’s the first memory you have of Starfall?” I asked.

“That’s what you dragged me out here in the cold for?” He asked with a smirk, moving to stand behind me as he slid his arms around my waist and rested his chin atop the crown of my head.

I leaned into his embrace, perching my arms on his. I really do want to know

His sigh was peaceful as he contemplated, searching his memory as we continued to watch the sparkling display. Should I show you or do you want me to tell you?

“Tell me,” I answered quietly. My mind too tangled a mess to allow myself into his without the possibility of revealing my secret prematurely.

His arms tightened around me slightly as he smiled into my hair, “I was five years old. My mother and father brought me to the House of Wind, as they did every year. It was the first I managed to stay awake long enough to actually see the star-spirits,” he explained.

Gentle swells of music began to play behind us, and he swayed us from side to side smoothly. “It was years before they began to drift apart, so their relationship was strong. I remember it was the first time I realized how much they actually loved each other; for a time at least. I used to wonder how honest their love actually was, and my mind would always drift back to the memories of them dancing together on Starfall to remind me. It was also the night my mother announced she was pregnant with my sister.

“We were on the balcony at the House of Wind, watching the star shower. I was sitting on my father's shoulders, pointing out every spirit I saw. I was completely in awe of them. I think seeing my reaction made my mother cry, and when my father asked her what was wrong, she said to him ‘I can’t wait for our next child to look at the stars the way he does.’ The look on his face; the genuine elation in his eyes was enough to convince me that, for at least a part of my childhood, they had real love for each other.”

My eyes burned and my throat thickened as he relayed his memories, holding me close as we continued to sway together as the music continued to play. I moved to squeeze his hands lightly, his arms still wrapped around me from behind.

“That’s a beautiful memory, Rhys,” I whispered, my tears still threatening to spill.

He moved to bury his face in the crook of my neck, planting a kiss there as he breathed a peaceful sigh through his nose; still moving us along to the music, “Beautiful as it may be, my favorite Starfall memory will always be the first we shared together Feyre darling,” he whispered back.

I couldn’t help the few tears that fell as I closed my eyes with a smile, squeezing his hands a little harder. Words failed me in that moment and I opened my eyes again, both of our gazes turning to the sky as a large sprite glittered close to us. I gasped as the star-spirits began vaulting across the sky in greater numbers. They decorated the horizon in an endless dance—like liquid starlight sparkling above us as they danced and twirled. I heard the excited cheers of our guests on the other side of the estate and grinned. Mor was right, this year the spirits returned in vast amounts, unlike I ever imagined or thought possible.

A thought for a thought, Feyre darling?

I smiled and grabbed his hands, moving them from my waist and resting them on my abdomen right as that glimmer pulsed through it. “I’m thinking, I can’t wait for our baby to look at the stars the way you do,” I said.

Rhys stiffened at my words and I turned in his arms, making sure his hands stayed on my stomach as my eyes met his, my eyes burning again “I’m pregnant, Rhys.”

His eyes widened and looked down at where our hands rested, as though he might see the evidence now that I said the words aloud. A second later he dropped to one knee before me, eye level with our joined hands as he caressed my stomach fondly.

His eyes, now lined with silver, met mine again, “You’re pregnant?” He choked out.

I nodded with a sob, my words failing me once again and he sucked in a breath as he looked at my abdomen again. “My son, the son you showed me on your birthday, is growing inside of you...now?” He asked, his throat thick.

I sobbed again, a wet laugh escaping as I nodded, “That’s what pregnant means,” I rasped.

I heard his own strangled sob before he shot up to his feet, pulling me into an embrace and lifting me off the ground as he spun me around, chanting my name over and over again. “FeyreFeyreFeyre,” he sobbed in my hair.

I laughed and sobbed and cried all at once, my arms wrapping around his shoulders as he planted me back onto the ground and held onto my waist. His forehead rested against mine and I brought my hands up to brush his tears away while my own shamelessly poured down my cheeks.

“When I first noticed how different your scent was, I thought it was possible, but I didn’t want to say anything and get our hopes up,” he explained as he brought his hands up to wipe my tears away as well.

“You were suspicious this whole time?” I sniffed with a laugh.

“You’re my mate, I knew something was going on, but you didn’t even seem to realize it so I didn’t say anything,” he said, thumbs running over my cheeks as I held his wrists gently.

I smiled, “To be fair, I didn’t catch on until yesterday, after I fainted. I can’t believe I was so dense,” I laughed in disbelief.

He shook his head, returning his hands and gaze to my stomach “You weren’t...neither of us saw it coming,” he said softly.

“We tried for so long Rhys,” I whispered, my hands coming to rest on his chest.

He caressed my stomach again, “We’re going to have a baby,” he swallowed and his violet eyes met mine. “I love you beyond measure, Feyre. You’ve given me more than I could have ever dreamed of, more than I could possibly deserve, and now,” he dropped to one knee, again surveying my stomach as he continued, “I can’t wait to meet the son you’re blessing me with.”

I sobbed again and wrapped my arms around him as he leaned in to place a kiss on my abdomen. He stayed there for a minute before rising again, slipping his arms around my waist and capturing my lips with his. I kissed him back deeply, holding him close as we resumed moving to the music—dancing slowly as the stars continued their whirling journey beyond the horizon. Our brows pressed together as we swayed, and I draped my arms over his shoulders as his hands held my waist.

After today, this better be your new favorite Starfall memory, I said down the bond.

His answering smile was mischievous. Until next year, when I can dance with you on one arm and my son on the other.

My heart tightened at the thought, and I kissed him again. To the stars who listen, Rhys.

To the dreams that are answered, Feyre.

#feysand #rhys x feyre #feyre cursebreaker #feyre archeron #feyre darling #feyre x rhysand #high lady feyre #high lady of the night court #high lord of the night court #high lord rhysand #rhysand #feyreandrhysand #illyrian #feysand babies #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acofas #acotar fanfiction #a court of thorns and roses #a court of mist and fury #a court of nightmares and starlight #a court of silver flames #a court of war and ruin #a court of wings and ruin #court of dreams #court of nightmares

[obsessionsdumpster]

A/N: sooooo idk what this is exactly, I just had an idea and decided to try and write my own fic for once though I’m not sure if it turned out good lol I think it’s a bit too long and I realised I don’t know how to write kissing scenes. Anyway please enjoy and let me know what you think

A Ninja’s Day Off (Kakashi x reader)

(Y/N) stepped into the Hokage’s office, finding Tsunade sitting by her desk, a pile of books and important documents surrounding her.

“Hokage-sama, I’m here to provide you with the mission report”

“Excellent, I’ve already received and deciphered the scroll your team has sent me with all the informations you were able to collect. It seems all went smoothly, good job (Y/N)”

Despite the formalities Tsunade and (Y/N) were rather well-acquainted, being (Y/N) one of the few Hokage’s personal ANBUs meaning that she certainly trusted her. Because of that, Tsunade glanced at the girl standing in front of her and even though she was wearing the ANBU mask, she could clearly see the exhaustion that was radiating from her, hence she spoke: “(Y/N), you’ve been out there constantly completing quest after quest for quite some time now, I know that is due to the high amount of missions the village is currently dealing with, but I can see you’re at your limit, that’s why I’m giving you the permission to take a couple days off in order to rest and recover”.

“Thank you, Tsunade” replied (Y/N) with a smile, and with that, she was off.

When she reached her apartment block, she opened the door and stepped inside. The room was a mess, to say the least: there were dirty clothes scattered all across the floor mixed with random ninja scrolls with all sorts of seals written on them, along with some kunai knives and shurikens all over the apartment. She sighed to herself, realising just how long it had been since she actually stayed in her apartment for more than 10 minutes or so, just enough time to change and pack for yet another mission.

(Y/N) decided that a nice hot shower would help her take away some stress and tiredness, so she headed towards the bathroom, stripped off her clothes and stepped under the hot stream of water that felt so nice on her bare skin.

After she was done, she stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her form, then, feeling her stomach grumble, she decided to head in the kitchen to have a snack.

Unfortunately for her, when she opened the fridge she realised that everything had already expired meaning that she had nothing to eat. Nice, she thought.

That’s when her eyes fell on a small paper bag that was laying on her kitchen table. She reached to it to inspect the content and saw to her delight that inside the bag were three big red apples, her favourite. Besides the apples she saw a small note: ‘figured you wouldn’t have much at home to put in your belly after being away for so long. Enjoy - Kakashi’

(Y/N) couldn’t help but smile widely at the kind gesture. (Y/N) and Kakashi had been best friends for a long time now, having been on the same team during Kakashi’s ANBU days and continued to hang out even after he left and became a sensei. To (Y/N) he was more than just her best friend though, for as time passed she started developing romantic feeling towards the copy ninja but always shrugged off those feelings out of fear of ruining their amazing friendship and because of the fact that a potential relationship would have been a rather difficult thing to handle for two Leaf Jounin such as themselves, their positions implying a dangerous lifestyle that put their lives constantly at risk; it wasn’t a secret that a normal love life wasn’t something that two Jounin of that caliber could aspire to. Truth is, she had been told by some people like Jiraiya (though he didn’t seem very reliable) that Kakashi did in fact return her feelings. It’s not that she considered that to be impossible, she had to admit that sometimes she could feel the chemistry between the two of them, but it was like they both shared some sort of unspoken agreement that kept them from bringing the relationship forward, preferring to stay as best friends. She would say she was fine with that, what she cared about the most was being by Kakashi’s side and she really enjoyed their unique friendship but she couldn’t deny that, sometimes, this situation made her kind of sad. (Y/N) thought that things were going to stay like this forever, but she was wrong.

Chewing on her apple, she started cleaning the apartment, picking up all the clothes from the floor and reorganising and storing all her scrolls. After she was done with that, (Y/N) finally sat on her couch determined to either take a nap or just relax. However she found herself just sitting there staring at the wall, boredom taking over as she started repeatedly tapping her foot on the floor. She was so used to so much action in her life that a simple day off was starting to become more difficult to handle than she could have imagined.

Suddenly an idea popped up in her head: ‘you know what? I’m gonna pay Kakashi a visit. He must be at the training ground right now, training with his team. I’m sure it’ll be fun watching him and team 7, maybe I’ll even be able to help him out, who knows’.

Thinking it would be fun to sneak up on them while they were training, (Y/N) approached the training field making sure to suppress her chakra to avoid being detected. She positioned herself on top of a well hidden branch of tree and, rather amused, observed what Kakashi and his team were doing. It looked like they were learning how to conceal themselves, judging from the fact that Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke were all trying to find a good hiding spot to avoid getting caught by Kakashi.

Naruto managed to find a spot on the same tree as (Y/N) without noticing her. An idea popped to her mind and, with a mischievous grin, she appeared behind the blond’s back:

“Yo, Naruto” she said without a warning.

What came next was a scream and then a thud. Naruto had fallen off the tree and was now lying on the ground, his teammates and sensei approaching him, a puzzled look on their faces.

“W-Wh-What was that?!” said a shocked Naruto, followed by (Y/N) making her appearance jumping off the tree and landing in front of them.

“Hi everyone”

And before anyone could say anything, Naruto started screaming again.

“(Y/N)?!?!? Why would you do that??? I was perfectly hiding from Kakashi-sensei until you came and revealed my presence to everyone!!”

“Your ability to conceal yourself from other ninjas is the worst Naruto, it was obvious you were hiding on that tree” said Kakashi before giving (Y/N) his signature one-eyed smile “anyway, (Y/N) you’re back already, what are you doing here?”

“Well it’s my day off, so I though I would pay you a visit you know, to thank you for the apples and to see what you and team 7 where up to” she replied a bit embarrassed, realising she just admitted she wanted to see him on her day off.

“It wasn’t a big deal, really, I just figured you would like them” he said with a smile, scratching the back of his neck, which, (Y/N) thought, was kinda cute. “But since you’re here” he continued “would you mind giving us a hand? After all, ANBUs concealing techniques and chakra suppressing abilities are the best”

“Sure! When do we begin?”

And with that, Kakashi and her began teaching the young Genin all the tricks in the books.

When they finished practicing the sun was setting. All three team 7 members improved their skill a lot, especially Sasuke, but even Naruto did surprisingly well considering he wasn’t very well versed in hiding his presence, being the show off he was.

After saying goodbye to the kids, (Y/N) was left alone with Kakashi who, making sure his students were gone, spoke up:

“Well that was intense...are you hungry? We could stop somewhere on our way back and have dinner, if you would like to of course”

“I would love to! I’m starving, plus we haven’t hung out in a while, it’ll be nice to chat a little”

“Yeah” was what Kakashi replied, though he seemed, (Y/N) thought, to be a bit tense but she shrugged off that feeling once they started walking back to the village.

They decided to stop at one of their favourite cafes in Konoha (consciously avoiding Ichiraku’s ramen to avoid bumping into Naruto) to have dinner together and talk about the usual stuff like mission etc.

(Y/N) really missed talking to Kakashi, he was like a soothing presence to her, his voice never failed to make her feel a little happier then before. Whenever they were sharing these simple moments, even as just friends, (Y/N) couldn’t help but feel butterflies in her stomach each time. It was a bittersweet sensation in which she felt both very happy and sad because of the fact that she was in love with her best friend, but would be to scared to actually make a move.

She snapped out of her thoughts when food came and they ate in silence.

When they finished eating their dinner, they both exited the shop and started walking together through the village.

“So how was your last mission? You’ve been gone for quite a while. Tsunade told me it was a very important top secret mission” asked Kakashi after a while.

“It worked out somehow. I didn’t think it would take so long either but we had to deal with something unexpected which caused us to carry out the mission for 3 weeks straight”

“I see” said Kakashi before he went silent again. To be honest he was being pretty silent, not that he was and extremely talkative person, but still when he was with (Y/N) he would usually be more relaxed. This time however he seemed to be lost in thoughts and she found herself wondering what it could be.

They sat on a bench, admiring in silence the starry sky. It was a comfortable silence, each of them appreciating the others presence.

(Y/N) let out a small shiver when their arms accidentally brushed against each other.

“Are you cold?” asked Kakashi.

“No, I’m fine” she answered before letting out a long sigh.

“Is something wrong? Your mind seems to be somewhere else”

(Y/N) was taken aback by his comment, realising she had been just staring at the sky for a while, thinking about him, to be honest. She didn’t exactly know why but she felt the urge to be honest to him so she spoke her mind: “Nothing’s wrong it’s just- I really missed hanging out with you, you know, being with you and just talking about nothing in particular. And it makes me a little sad that these moments have become a rarity lately, because of our schedules and everything...”. She had no idea why she went that far expressing her feelings towards him. Damn this almost sounded like a confession.

When she realised what she just said, (Y/N) turned her gaze from Kakashi, trying to hide her face that was now a blushing mess.

Kakashi didn’t say anything. He was looking at her, a blush of his own barely visible under his mask. (Y/N) had never been this sentimental with him before. Could it be possible that she was trying to tell him what he wished she was trying to tell him? - he thought.

It was now or never, thought Kakashi. She had just opened up to him and now he felt like it was the perfect time to do the same and tell her about his feelings. “There something I want you to know (Y/N)” he spoke up, making the girl finally turn her face towards him with a questioned look.

“I really like you, you know, more than just a friend”.

That’s it. He said it. There was no going back, so he went on “I’ve been acting like we’re just friends but I can’t do it anymore because I think-“ he stopped for a second, thinking about what he was about to say “- I think I’m in love with you and can’t keep pretending otherwise”

(Y/N) stood there, her eyes widened and a shocked expression on her face. There she was thinking she had just made a fool of herself in front of Kakashi for almost confessing her feelings to him, and now she just heard him say he loved her??

Soon enough the shocked expression she wore was replaced with a closed-eyed smile: “I love you too Kakashi” she finally said, then added with a chuckle “I was scared to tell you ‘cause I thought it would ruin our friendship but if you put it like that...”

When she reopened her eyes she saw Kakashi lower his mask (which didn’t shock her much since being best friends for such a long time meant that she had seen his face in many occasions) and leaning forward, cupping her cheek. She did the same until their lips finally met.

(Y/N) thought that the feeling of Kakashi’s soft lips on hers was the best.

After a few seconds, they gently started moving their lips in unison to deepen the kiss.

When the two broke apart, gasping for air, they both smiled at each other.

Maybe, (Y/N) thought, things did change after all.

#kakashi x reader #kakashi hatake #kakashi imagines #naruto fanfiction #idk this probably sucks #its my first fic so bare with me #fluff #friends to lovers

[patricia-von-arundel]

An Ordinary Life - 1/3

This is a story I’ve been trying to start, and kept getting stymied on and restarting, for a very long time. It’s a simple story, about two people very much in love, who rarely get to exist as others do. Who live lives full of great deeds and great challenges, but have few moments of solitude and peace. Who are extraordinary, but rarely ordinary. So... I wanted to give ordinary to them. To Edelgard, who grieves the ordinary life her siblings never had, and longs for a lazy day. To Byleth, who has only recently learned to want or need anything beyond what is necessary to live. Even if the respite for both of them is brief, it is still just that: a respite.

I wanted it up today for El’s birthday.

I wanted to write it at all for @lysissisyl. Ti amo, cuore mio.

Rating: G (the third part will be very much M-rated, but will only be available on AO3)

Also on AO3

-

It had been almost a year - almost a year since the war ended, and the true tests of her abilities began. Edelgard had not been so foolish as to believe these tests would be easy ones, but she had failed to grasp the full tedium that they would lay upon her. Day in and day out. Heavier than any armor - and completely lacking in the satisfaction of laying down her weapon at the end of the day. 

She had never been much for such work: sitting for hours on end, piles of paper and ink tipping into depleted wells, demands offered in formulaic, formal, flowery tones. Meetings with crusty, entitled men of the ancien regime, who she knew before any discussion began would balk at every word she spoke, regardless of what it might be, simply because of their anger and fear at what she had chosen to represent. Slow work. Tedious work. 

Her sisters had teased her about her inability to stand such things, when she was young: “Never get between Edelgard and the door at the end of lessons! Little El will run you right over.” She had usually been the first out, running for afternoon freedom in the outdoors. Even restricted from going alone outside the palace grounds, there was far more adventure eto be found than would ever be contained in arithmetic or penmanship. 

She had outgrown such childish displays of her feelings, of course, but not out of the feelings themselves. Still - always - she would do what was necessary. It was not for her own education, now - it was for every person in Fódlan. 

But the tedium wasn’t the only thing she had to fight to keep her mind on the endless work:

There was also the abence in her heart, and in the empty bed she attempted restless sleep in each night. 

Byleth had been gone for almost a month. Twenty-six days. Edelgard had no choice but to keep count; her subconscious mind would make certain of it, even if her conscious mind chose not to. Each time Byleth had left, it seemed the pain and fear could grow no greater - her body could contain no more - but with every day that passed, somehow, it did. This, though, was the longest it had been - and the fear was ever-present. She even dreams of it: nightmares of all those years Byleth had been gone. Nightmares of seeing her collapse, there at what had been greatest victory, and listening desperately, endlessly for a heartbeat that never came. And nightmares of now: only a still, silent body coming home; a shroud in the back of a wagon. or there being no body to bring home at all and, this time, no hope of future reunion. Like a child, she woke at times to damp, silent tears on her cheeks. 

She understood the importance of what Byleth was doing - the fact that both Byleth and Hubert had been willing to leave her side spoke quite clearly of that importance. And their talents had not been wasted: the ongoing fight against the darkest enemies of Fódlan was going well. Many of their scattered nests had already been cleansed of vermin. 

But they were not all found - and Byleth’s skills in hunting them out rivaled her skills with a sword. It made sense for her to go. But that did not mean Edelgard felt any less fear - or any less frustration that she could not be out there as well. 

Twenty-six days: that was how long it took for her fears to be realized. Twenty-six days, until the door to her prison opened with nary a knock or a warning, and she saw that Hubert had finally returned.

Alone.

The unkempt nature of his appearance would have been more than enough to alert her that something had gone terribly, terribly wrong. She could see the sheen of perspiration on his skin, and the half-healed remains of a nasty cut across one cheek. He still wore riding clothes, when he almost always insisted on bathing and dressing more formally before coming to see her upon his returns. 

But it was the glimpse of the pain in his eyes - seen only for the briefest second, before he dipped into a bow before her - that seemed to slam into her chest, hard as a fist. 

“Lady Edelgard, I -”

“Where is she?” She could hear it in her voice - the terror. For once, she did not care. She pushed up from the desk. The pen she had been using had already begun to leave a spreading stain across the letter beneath it. She did not care about that, either. “Tell me immediately - where she is, and what happened.”

Hubert straightened again. There was some new measure of composure to his face, now that orders had been given. He offered her a curt nod. “She is near. We thought it best not to bring her any farther than was necessary to make certain we were not being followed.”

Edelgard gave a nod of her own. She wondered if it might be possible to hear the hammering of her frantic heart. Still, she had slipped on her own mask of composure - across her face, and in her voice when she said, “Tell me what happened on the way, then.”

“Of course. The horses are already waiting.”

A surprise attack, he said - an ambush from behind, when by all accounts, including his own, the area had already been cleared. Edelgard knew well such ambushes - the strange spells and dark knowledge possessed by their enemies meant such occurrences were all but inevitable. Unfortunately, the same means made preparing for such an attack impossible. They had certainly tried many times over.

And because of that...

Edelgard’s hands clenched around the reins within them. She resisted the urge to kick her horse into a gallop. She wished they could have flown instead. 

Byleth had not faltered in the battle - she had had no chance to. “They clearly targeted her first,” Hubert said. Edelgard did not doubt it was true: they had not been secretive about the elite warriors being sent to wipe out their foes. And this was her doing - Hubert had wanted to keep their plans as quiet as possible, but she had felt the need to grandstand. She had wanted their enemies to know who was coming for them. For what seemed now shameful, selfish, petty reasons, she had wanted this: she had hoped to make them feel afraid. As they had once made her feel afraid. 

They hadn’t targeted Byleth by chance, or even as an attempt to bring down a command of the Imperial Army. 

They had targeted her as the woman Edelgard loved. Because she had not served the purpose for which they had created her. Because she had announced, loudly and openly, that the finest members of her army were coming to smoke them from their burrows and caves and rat-holes. 

Which meant she bore some - perhaps most - of the blame for what had happened. 

“We could not see to her injuries until the battle was won,” Hubert said. “For that, Lady Edelgard, I offer my humblest apologies. She was able still to fight, and it seemed the spell might not have caused serious injury, so I deemed it safer not to put the healers at risk to see to her immediately.”

“Of course,” Edelgard said. IF he heard the tension that had returned to her voice - and the guilt, heavy and pulsing, within it - he gave no sign. 

“That is why I must ask your apology. That decision proved an ill-fated one. The magic worked as a venom might, it seems - slowly coursing through the veins, and just as slowly making its nefarious presence fully known. After the battle, she finally fell.”

In her mind, as cold and unyielding as a vise, Edelgard could now see it. As she had already, almost a yar ago, seen Byleth collapse. Only this time, Edelgard had not been able to rush to her side - and now, foolish as it was, it only added another sting to the swarm of her guilt. 

“The healers,” she said. “Were they able to...?”

Hubert nodded. “The magic was purged. But it had done as intended - it will be some time before she is fully recovered.”

Recovered. The question Edelgard had been desperate to ask, and equally determined not to do so - not yet - since the moment Hubert had appeared in her study: Will she recover? The relief of the answer washed over her, almost strong enough to cast aside the fear, the pernicious guilt. Almost - but not quite. Not yet. 

“Here,” Hubert said - veering off the road, into the tangled darkness of the wood through which they were traveling. “A hunting cabin. One of the soldiers offered its use.”

She would see to it he was thanked - later. Adding it silently to the endless list of tasks in her mind. Thanks both for the use, and for the safety of it. They had to travel deep into the forest to find it - there would be no chance of their enemies, or anyone else, just happening to stumble upon it. Here, until she recovered - recovered! - Byleth would be safe. 

And more so now, because Edelgard had no intention of leaving the place until that recover she was sure was complete. She could not undo what had already been done, but she could make damned sure no further harm was caused. Perhaps it would in some very small way make up for her negligence allowing Byleth to be in such a state in the first place. 

The cabin was small, utilitarian - almost primitive in appearance. It sat in a clearing, surrounded on all sides by forest. The walls were wood, grey and weathered with age, and clearly even from a distance left unchinked. The small windows had waxed paper in them, not glass. There was a shed for horses, a rough-hewn box and an axe for firewood - and that was all. 

No place Edelgard would want to call home. But for a place to hide someone now known all across Fódlan? It was perfect. 

“Take me to her.”

Hubert bowed only his head, this time. “Of course, Lady Edelgard.”

There were three rooms inside - tiny ones, with no doors in the doorways and very little besides the necessities for brief stays: a large fireplace - already lit, though the place retained a chilly, damp, stale kind of air - and a table and chairs, as rough as the walls, in the main room. To the left, what seemed a storage room and cooking space; she could see crates and barrels and a stove with a precariously-crooked pipe. At the far end of the main room - 

The bedroom.

She did not wait for Hubert. And she did not attempt to hide her hurry. 

There were two beds - one large, the other smaller, tucked under one of the papered windows. A small chest in one corner. And that was all. 

Byleth was in the smaller bed. 

Edelgard’s breath caught. 

She had seen Byleth very still. While she was listening to someone. While she was searching for something - a target. An enemy. 

But she was not still in sleep - not at all. That was something Edelgard had had to grow accustomed to, in the first sweet nights they had shared a bed with one another. Byleth was a restless sleeper.

There was no restlessness to her now. 

Edelgard crossed the room to her. Hubert was still without - giving them this moment alone. For that, Edelgard was grateful. Her fragile composure seemed likely at any moment to shatter. 

Byleth was like a corpse - that was the only description that came to mind. Not only too still: too pale, too small, too... depleted. Drained of life, of her curious gaze. Simply a thing, now, a child’s doll tucked into bed, but never truly to awaken. They had tucked her in, but only to the waist. And the room was so damp and cold...

Edelgard pulled her gloves off, because that, in the moment, seemed suddenly very important. As did fixing the blankets, as tiny as this was in the face of a much greater, graver situation. She pulled them up, tucking them now around Byleth’s shoulders. Carefully - carefully. 

Her skin, at least, felt warm and soft and alive. Edelgard, hands still bare, touched her cheek, brushed hair from her forehead. Byleth showed no reaction - but this close, Edelgard could see the rise and fall of her breath, slow and steady. Inside, her heart would have the same in its beat. Still, Edelgard put her hand there, too. She needed the reassurance of feeling it. The rhythmic strength of it. 

“I am sorry, my love.” Words spoken softly. Inadequate words, but all she had to offer. 

Back in the main room, Hubert was staring into the flames within the fireplace, his hands folded together behind his back. He did not look up when she entered the room once more. 

“It is time for you to return to Enbarr,” she said. “You need to speak with those who know of our current whereabouts. Make it very clear that I expect the location to be kept secret. There will be most severe punishment should anyone allow this information to be made public. Tell Ferdinand he has lead of my affairs until I return. I ask that you remain available, and serve as my eyes and ears in the capitol. Should anything occur that requires my attention, please come to me at once.”

He offered another bow of his head. “Yes, Lady Edelgard. I shall send a contingent to watch this general area, that you may stay with the professor.”

“No. It’s too dangerous. Not when our enemy will be explicitly aware of our current situation. I alone will remain with Byleth. I assure you, I am more than protection enough, should any attempt to further harm her.”

She knew well the way that Hubert then smiled - thin, and satisfied, and dark. “As you wish. It shall be done as you say. And now, by your leave, I will return to Enbarr.” He hesitated - then looked her, finally, in the eye. “I am sorry I was not able to protect her.”

An unusual softness in his voice - but she could feel the same within herself. “It is the way of war, Hubert. You know that, I know that, and Byleth certainly knows it, as well. You saw her safely to this place. For that, I can only offer my gratitude.”

When he was gone, the tiny place seemed almost colder, and so quiet she could almost feel it, like an ache that settled within her very bones. For what seemed a long time, she could only stand there, hands on the doorframe without a door, as if trapped between two versions of reality: the one she faced, homely but almost, curiously, offering welcome, with the little table before the fire; and the one behind her, that room full of chill and guilt and unnatural stillness. 

She wanted to return to that room. To keep vigil, until the beautiful moment it was no longer necessary. But the practical side of her, she knew she must allow to win out - at least for a time. There were matters to attend to: seeing what supplies were available to them. Chopping more firewood, unless there was a store of it somewhere besides the box she had seen outside, and not only what was already burning. Hubert would likely have left one of the horses for her, and she would have to see to its needs as well as her own and, much more importantly, Byleth’s. 

The outside tasks first - the day was already growing late, and the night would be even colder than it was at the moment. She attended to the horse, lingering for a few minutes with it there in the shed that served as makeshift stable. A sweet horse - it allowed her to rub its nose, which she thought horses liked. It had never seemed wise, to show much softness around animals, especially those that were likely to be taken to war. Still, she liked them, and there was no one here to see, except Byleth - and Byleth, of course, already knew.

But the thought of Byleth was enough to cease her brief moment of distraction - Byleth in there alone, and the possibility that she might be cold or afraid or uncomfortable, and being unable to say or do anything about it. It was also looking increasingly likely to rain, the sky less darkening from dusk than from ominous, heavy, low-hanging clouds. 

The axe - Edelgard collected it, considered it. Was there a method to cutting firewood? It certainly appeared to be done a particular way, considering the general uniformity of the pieces. But - for all her prowess with and preference for the axe as a battle weapon! - if there was such a method, she had no memory of having ever seen it, much less learned it herself. 

“Ironic, really,” she murmured - then shrugged. “Well, surely logs will burn regardless of how they might appear...”

Small trees - was that what she was supposed to look for? It seemed unwise to attempt a large one - it would take far too long. And besides, the axe was quite small itself. The trick, then, was to find a small tree. 

But that was a trick, indeed - she also was not certain how one was meant to do so. She had never cut firewood, and she had never had to find a small tree. There were no trees at all in the clearing, and all the ones she saw when she ventured into the forest were very large ones. Very, very large ones.

Was she supposed to use one of those? Perhaps she was overestimating the amount of time that it would take. There might be small trees closer to the roads they had traveled earlier, where more sun was available, but she didn’t want to be so far from Byleth unless there was no other choice. And she wouldn’t be able to safely traverse the forest after dark - she had no torch, and it would be too easy to lose her bearings in such unfamiliar territory even if she did have one. 

Then - finally! - a stroke of luck: one of the trees had saved her the work of cutting it by at some point downing itself. She could have laughed at her own sudden, ridiculous sense of relief - and at the thought of what Byleth would surely think of it. Of her: an emperor, too ill-prepared to know how to find firewood, and now as happy as a child with a new toy over a fallen tree!

She ignored the thick trunk in favor of the branches - ones that would have been far too high had the tree been standing. They cut easily enough, fortunately, though they certainly weren’t going to win any prize for firewood uniformity. She was reminded of the training grounds at the monastery - the satisfying thunk of her axe against targets. That wood had been softer and less splintery than this, but still, the feeling and sound were much the same. 

After that, it was a simple matter of carrying it back to the cabin, being mindful of those splinters. A good thing, the simplicity - the sky had gone from ominous to angry, and there was very little light left to see it. She felt the first drops of rain as she carried back the last of her loads. The box and the overhang of the roof would keep the wood mostly dry, but still, she took more than was likely needed inside, leaving it next to the fireplace. 

There were still the supplies to examine, and she knew it best to eat something after all her exertion, but she went to Byleth again first. The stillness, again, was unnerving - but at least it meant she had not kicked and tossed the blankets aside, as she was often wont to do in her sleep. Still, Edelgard adjusted them around her once more. Just in case. 

It was almost too dark to see, when she went to examine the barrels and crates in the third tiny room, but it seemed a waste of both wood and time to attempt to light the stove. Besides, the exertion and stress were beginning to catch up with her - she felt the heaviness of them across her back and shoulders, behind her eyes. It had been too long since she’d found time for regular physical training, as she had done when actively taking part in battle. She needed to return to such, when all this was over. 

For now, though, she had already exhausted herself, and the dim light cast from the fireplace would have to do. 

Someone must have been sent by Hubert for fresh supplies - there were vegetables, eggs, cheese, dried meats... and tea. He had likely stressed it must be the bergamot, and she smiled, just a little bit, to think of the fear he had likely put into some young soldier over tea leaves, of all things. In the barrels, she found potatoes. Many potatoes. She supposed it made sense; potatoes would keep. She had never cooked one herself, but the process seemed likely a simple one.

But not tonight - she could not face the thought of cooking, despite her earlier mental note to eat. Nor the thought of going through the rest of the crates. She was too tired. 

And stronger even than her exhaustion - her growing, desperate need to be with the woman that she loved. The one she had allowed to be here, and in such a state. There was no more work demanding her attention now, nothing else necessary before morning came. No paperwork - without the guilt now heavy upon her once more, that would have left her ecstatic - and nothing else to try to accomplish in the gloom of this dark little house. 

She wanted to be with Byleth. 

The fire was down to embers; there was hardly enough light to see as she undressed, unbuttoning and unfastening mostly by touch and by memory. She had no nightgown - there had been no chance to gather such things, nor would she have wasted the time to do so even if offered a chance - but could manage in her underclothing perfectly well. They had done the same to Byleth - Edelgard left her own clothes next to the neat stack beside the smaller bed, and the pins from her hair as well. 

She wanted to get into that smaller bed. To lie close, holding Byleth safe in her arms. It had been too long - far too long. 

But she did not. Punishing herself, for her complicity in all of this? Taking the safer route, in case it was not yet advisable for Byleth to be moved? Some combination of both? She could not say, nor did she wish right now to dwell upon it. She needed, desperately, to sleep. 

But knowing this was not the same as willing it - a situation she knew almost as well as she knew herself. The room was cold, and even under the blankets, she shivered. She could hear the rain, hard against the paper windows, and distant thunder, drawing ever closer. Such sounds should have been a comfort, helping soothe her, but on this night, they seemed ominous - one more approaching possibility of threat. 

She knew what would soothe her. The only thing that would soothe her. 

And finally, she gave in to it. 

Shivering harder, exposed once more to the frigid air; the heat from the fire, little as it had been, was now gone completely. Padding in bare feet to the other bed; the floor was cold enough to burn. She ignored it all. 

“I apologize, my love.” To expose Byleth to the same discomfort was more difficult - but at least it only lasted as long as it took Edelgard to pull back the blankets and gather her carefully up. Lifting slowly. Cradled, finally: that familiar warmth against her, close and tight. “Only a moment, my love, and I’ll have you warm again. She couldn’t seem to stop saying it - as if some part of her needed reminding, as much as she wanted Byleth to hear it: my love, my love, my love. 

In her arms, she felt stirring movement.

Edelgard froze.

Brief - it was very brief. Byleth’s head turning - Edelgard could feel it, against her forearm, against her chest. And a voice, rich and heavy with sleep: “...El?”

“Yes.” Her own voice was thick and small, and the words came again: “Yes, my love. I’m here.”

“El...” And then she slipped away again - Edelgard could feel that, too, the relaxation, the heavier breath. 

Tucked into bed once more, but Edelgard now close beside her - greater room in his larger bed be damned. The shivering eased, then ceased. The sound of the rain was correct once more. Gentle. Reassuring. 

She could feel sleep now, creeping softly upward within her mind. Before it had her entirely, she put her hand - heavy, clumsy with fatigue - where she could again feel the steady beat of a healing heart. 

Against the familiar rhythm, Edelgard slept. 

#edelgard #edelgard von hresvelg #byleth #edeleth #fire emblem three houses fanfiction #tales of the tiny emperor #please excuse the lack of proofreading #i've been trying to finish this for almost 14 hours #and i'm blitzed #i'll proofread tomorrow #but i got it up in time! #it's still el's birthday! #happy birthday el!

[rosethornewrites]

Fic: the thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break, ch. 14

Relationships: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī & Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī & Wēn Qíng, Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn

Characters: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Wēn Qíng, Wēn Níng | Wēn Qiónglín, Granny Wēn, Lán Yuàn | Lán Sīzhuī, Wēn Remnants, Wen Meilin (OC), Fourth Uncle, Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén

Additional Tags: Pre-Slash, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Secrets, Crying, Masks, Soulmates, Truth, Self-Esteem Issues, Regret, It was supposed to be a one-shot, Fix-It, Eventual Relationships, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, wwx needs a hug, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Filial Piety, Handfasting, Phobias, Sleeping Together, Fear, Panic Attacks, Love Confessions, Getting Together, First Kiss, Kissing, Boys Kissing, Family, and they were married, Bathing/Washing, Hair Braiding, Hair Brushing, Feels, Sex Education, Implied Sexual Content, First Time, Aftercare, Morning After, Afterglow, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Torture, Scars, Eventual Happy Ending, Hand Jobs, Chronic Pain, Biting, Conversations

Summary: With Wei Wuxian on the mend, Wen Qing sends him into town with A-Yuan, Lan Wangji, and Wen Ning to keep him out of trouble. They run into someone unexpectedly.

Notes: See end.

AO3 link | FFN link (no smut)

Chapters:  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

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Wei Ying seems happy to be in town for the first time since his near-possession, cleared after nearly a week by Wen Qing. Lan Wangji is of the opinion that the surplus of radishes and need to sell them was more the reason for her clearance, along with the fact a bored Wei Ying was dangerous. 

The musical acupuncture helped him heal rapidly for someone without a golden core, according to Wen Qing. And Wei Ying had started to theorize about ways this could potentially be adapted to help Wen Ning—apparently one of the concerns was whether spiritual energy used in such a way would hurt him, or if using resentful energy could damage Wen Ning’s control. He didn’t feel ready to experiment just yet. 

There was only so much Lan Wangji could do to keep Wei Ying distracted once he was recovering, though the tidy rewritten notes thrilled his husband. After the third small explosion while he worked on the Compass of Evil, Wen Qing decided he’d do less damage selling radishes with Wen Ning in town, and insisted they take A-Yuan with them so Granny could rest.

Damage is a perhaps relative idea, when a fake Yiling Laozu disciple sets up shop next to them to hawk his counterfeit wares. 

Lan Wangji is surprised when Wei Ying finds the whole thing amusing, and says nothing when he steals the charlatan’s Compass of Evil, replacing it with a radish. Truthfully, the theft satisfies him; it grates on him to hear the lies gossips spew, to see people slander his zhiji for their own gain. 

The day is otherwise long, with Wen Ning too shy to effectively call attention to their radishes. Adorably, A-Yuan is a bit of a help there, enthusiastically calling the attention of young women who find him adorable (but at least purchased radishes), but he grows bored easily and needs redirection. 

It doesn’t help that Wei Ying keeps rubbing his hand over his collar with a dreamy expression, which more than once leads  Lan Wangji to recite the Lan precepts mentally lest he act inappropriately in public—Wei Ying is wearing his ribbon at his crown, so that restraint is absent. 

Under his collar is the evidence of his lack of restraint—a bruise in the shape of Lan Wangji’s teeth. 

He is careful, on the whole, given Wei Ying bruises easily in his unhealthy state, bruises that take too long to fade for Wangji’s comfort. But with Wei Ying straddling his lap and moaning obscenities in his ear, moving his hips just so, as he was tasting the sweat on his collar, his control had broken. 

At the bite, Wei Ying had come with an exultant “yes!” Their stomachs slick with it between them, his nails scraping at Lan Wangji’s back, clenching so hard around him his vision whited out with the force of his own orgasm. He can’t think about the bruise without remembering. 

Wei Ying likes the bruise, to Lan Wangji’s mortification. Likes being marked by him, little reminders of their every day.

“I know you’d never really hurt me, Lan Zhan,” he’d said, his voice filled with a trust Lan Wangji didn’t feel he deserved. “And I liked it, in case you couldn’t tell.”

Watching Wei Ying rub it here in town is a special kind of hell, him at arm’s length and too far from their bed. 

It becomes worse when Wei Ying glances his way and catches him looking, immediately reddening as though he knows exactly what he is thinking, which makes restraint all the more difficult. He looks beautiful, blushing. But he has always looked beautiful, and Lan Wangji had previously managed restraint—that was, however, before he had acknowledged their relationship, before they had consummated. Somehow the longing, the dreams and fantasies, had been much more manageable before he knew how Wei Ying’s sweat-slick skin tasted, how he felt coming apart. 

The sale of the last of the radishes is a relief, but they still need to purchase items on Wen Qing’s list before returning to Burial Mounds. He lets Wei Ying focus on A-Yuan, who insists on being carried, and walks alongside him without touching him. A-Yuan is practically hanging backward from Wei Ying’s arms, giggling at silly faces he’s making. Wen Ning takes up the rear with the cart, where he’ll have Wei Ying sit if his strength fails him. 

He is so focused on Wei Ying beside him that he doesn’t notice Jiang Wanyin in front of them until he halts, the smile on his face freezing, his stream of nonsense conversation with A-Yuan trailing into silence. 

Jiang Wanyin does not look happy.

But, then, he rarely does. 

Lan Wangji has to steel himself, doing his best not to look at the lower dantian where Wei Ying’s core now rests. Instead he bows politely.

“Sect Leader Jiang.”

Beside him, Wei Ying bows as best he can with A-Yuan in his arms, and he can sense movement behind him that tells him Wen Ning has followed suit. 

Jiang Wanyin’s lip curls, but he just silently tosses his head in a beckoning gesture. 

He can hear the way Wei Ying’s breath quickens, the bit of perspiration on his upper lip. Can sense his nervousness over what is to come, what he has decided to reveal. Lan Wangji takes a breath to calm himself. His husband needs him steady now.

The moment Jiang Wanyin turns to lead the way to wherever he intends them to speak, Lan Wangji puts a steadying hand on Wei Ying’s elbow as they follow and receives a wan smile in response. 

Lan Wangji is relieved he is wearing the clothing the aunties sewed for him today, wearing a simpler guan Wei Ying had carved for him personally after he had expressed reluctance to continue wearing the one he had worn to befit and show his station. Wei Ying had carved two rabbits on the guan, one wearing a forehead ribbon and the other stained a darker color with leftover dye from the dock root. The craftwork had distracted him nicely for a while. 

The clothing is of a heavier weave than he is used to, but he doesn’t mind it. If the plainer clothing has distracted Jiang Wanyin from noticing Lan Wangji is not wearing his forehead ribbon, that it is woven around Wei Ying’s crown and plaited with his red ribbon down his back, it is a relief. Jiang Wanyin is not known for an even temper, and his inattention has staved off what might be an argument until they are out of public. 

Wei Ying will find the coming conversations stressful enough in private. He doesn’t need it to start publicly and draw attention from the locals. 

Despite all the rumors about Wei Ying floating around Yiling, none of the regular citizens seem to know what he looks like. Any rumors imported speak of him as a demon or monster, and so any talismans purporting to show his features show him as such—talismans Wei Ying had decorated his cave with, and which Lan Wangji has successfully convinced him to allow him to remove. As infamous and reviled as Wei Ying is, he has managed to stay anonymous outside the gentry, anonymity that affords him some safety, and Lan Wangji would rather it not be shattered by one of Jiang Wanyin’s temper tantrums. 

They are led to a courtyard, and though Jiang Wanyin first tries to close the door to keep Lan Wangji and Wen Ning out, he is able to stop this by blocking the shutting door with his sheathed sword. The Jiang sect heir must see something in the narrowing of Lan Wangji’s eyes, because he doesn’t attempt it again, instead closing and locking the door behind them. 

Aside from a single figure in a long black cloak, they are alone, and Lan Wangji is unsurprised but pleased when it turns out to be Jiang Yanli in her wedding robes and headdress, come to show Wei Ying so he is not completely left out—he has seen his husband’s pain over this, how much he misses the sister who raised him, knows she is as close to his blood as can be, and he hopes this eases it somewhat. 

Lan Wangji can feel Wei Ying’s arms drooping under the weight of A-Yuan, so he carefully takes the boy from him so he can greet his sister.

“A-Xian,” she calls him, untying the cloak and letting it fall. “What do you think?”

He’s close enough to hear Wei Ying’s breath catch, and is taken back to his disappointment over being excluded from the wedding. He himself is reminded of seeing Wei Ying in red following the Sunshot Campaign, in his underrobes after waking for a coma, the only time he has seen him in only in red. He realizes with a pang he will never see his husband in wedding robes. 

“What, she’s not marrying you.”

Jiang Wanyin’s snide tone grates on Lan Wangji, but Wei Ying responds in kind, and he recalls watching them snipe verbally at each other during the lecture in Cloud Recesses, back before the world fell apart. 

Jiang Yanli calms them, and he marvels at her ability to bring them together as they try to convince her she looks lovely in her wedding garb. 

“You’ll only believe it if he says it,” Wei Ying says, faking petulance. “Lan Zhan, what do you think?”

He had been trying to avert his eyes politely, but even Jiang Wanyin seems to be watching for his reaction, so he studies them, the delicate stitching, the fall of the layers. 

Lan Wangji wishes he could see Wei Ying in wedding robes. 

“Elegant,” he says with a nod.

“Zhan-gege, who’s Pretty-jiejie?” A-Yuan asks, twisting in his hold.

Wei Ying smiles at the boy, taking him back.

“Even A-Yuan knows you’re pretty, shijie, so you don’t need to worry.”

Jiang Yanli folds the cloak and gestures to the nearby table. 

“Come now, I’ve made soup.”

When Wei Ying sits, Jiang Yanli’s expression shifts to surprise, and he notices her looking at his forehead ribbon in his hair. She looks to him, a question in her expression, and he simply nods. Her responding smile is filled with relief, but also regret. 

He is surprised when she doesn’t address it immediately, instead gesturing to him to sit and opening the basket. He takes a seat beside Wei Ying. The smell of the soup fills the air, a scent unfamiliar to Lan Wangji, but one that reminds him of his husband. This, he realizes, must be the lotus root and pork rib soup he has heard him talk about. 

“I apologize. I only have three bowls,” she says, sounding truly disappointed. “I did not expect…”

Lan Wangji is about to demur and insist he does not intend to eat when Jiang Wanyin, surprisingly, pulls out a pouch of money.

“We can purchase a couple from the market, A-jie.”

Wen Ning bows.

“Jiang-zongzhu, Jiang-guniang, I can g-go for you.”

Jiang Wanyin frowns at Wen Ning with thinly veiled hostility that baffles Lan Wangji, but hands him some silver.

As Wen Ning flees, he wonders if it is to avoid Jiang Wanyin, or to avoid being present for at least part of the conversation to come. 

He knows Wei Ying would prefer to flee, and he strokes his arm briefly with his thumb. The smile he receives from his husband is tremulous, but he can see his determination. 

Jiang Yanli smiles at A-Yuan, her attention drawn by the movement.

“Who is this little one?” she asks, crouching slightly so she’s at the child’s height.

“A-Yuan is A-Yuan, Pretty-jiejie!”

Wei Ying shifts, catching his hand briefly and squeezing it; Lan Wangji realizes he’s decided to start here, with A-Yuan, in the multitude of revelations that are to be made. 

“A-Yuan, this is my shijie,” he says softly. “You can call her guma.”

Jiang Yanli gasps in delight when A-Yuan dutifully calls her guma.

“A-Xian, is he yours?”

She is obviously unable to take him into her arms, wearing her wedding robes as she is, but she reaches out to take A-Yuan’s hand. 

“Not by blood, but he started calling me a-die.”

He offers a wan smile to both his siblings.

“Meet Wei Yuan. Or he will be, once I’ve introduced him properly to my parents.”

“He’s a Wen,” Jiang Wanyin states.

Lan Wangji levels him with a stare, though it’s unclear in his tone how he feels. 

“He’s an orphan and he’s three years old,” Wei Ying shoots back.

Jiang Wanyin’s face softens, but Jiang Yanli looks alarmed.

“A-Xian, he was at the work camp? At Qiongqi Path?”

Her face hardens when he nods.

“The children, the civilians, all were supposed to be let go. How could they…?”

Lan Wangji stays silent, knowing Wei Ying would prefer to shield her from some of the uglier realities of the war, but is reminded of coming upon Jin Zixun shooting unarmed civilians in chains, and his lie that it was sanctioned by the Lan and Nie clans. 

“I couldn’t leave them there, shijie,” he whispers. “Wen Ning and Wen Qing sheltered us, and the others were held as Wen Ruohan’s hostages against her during the war.”

A-Yuan is watching Wei Ying quietly, with the same air of concern he had at the restaurant in Yiling not so many days ago. Lan Wangji shifts again to put the child on Wei Ying’s lap, watching as the boy hugs him.

Wei Ying manages a smile for him, then leans his head close to him and points to Jiang Wanyin.

“And the fussy gege is your shushu,” he says conspiratorially. 

“You—!” 

Jiang Yanli silences Jiang Wanyin with a look.

“Like Ning-shushu?” A-Yuan asks. “Do I call him nao-shushu?”

“That’s your Jiang-shushu,” Wei Ying clarifies before Jiang Cheng can take offense, but nearly chokes on the title and falls quiet.

Lan Wangji remembers abruptly that Wei Ying had once referred to Jiang Fengmian by that very name, and he watches his husband in concern. He has expressed feeling as though the attack on Lotus Pier was his fault, and he can see the guilt and grief Wei Ying is struggling to hold back. 

“Yes,” Jiang Wanyin says, his voice strained as though he is fighting his own emotional turmoil, ending an awkward silence. “You can call me Jiang-shushu.”

When A-Yuan does, it is perhaps the closest Lan Wangji has ever seen Jiang Wanyin come to smiling. 

Wen Ning returns with several bowls and soup spoons, an inexpensive wooden variety they have at the Burial Mounds. He tries to give Jiang Wanyin his change and is waved off.

“You can use it to get something sweet for… for my zhizi,” he says, his tone brusque. “Or a toy or something.”

Wei Ying smiles, his posture relaxing just slightly—A-Yuan’s acceptance by his siblings as their nephew has eased his nerves somewhat. But this is only the first of three difficult revelations that must be made, and arguably the easiest of them. 

Jiang Yanli serves each of them, putting a generous portion of meat in A-Yuan’s bowl, and takes a seat. She herself is not eating, likely concerned about staining her wedding robes. Instead she seems content to watch them eat.

Wei Ying alternates between himself and A-Yuan, one spoon each.

“Be sure to chew the lotus root,” Wen Ning tells the boy softly. 

A-Yuan nods enthusiastically, clearly enamored of the flavors; Lan Wangji can’t blame him. Though there is more spice than he is accustomed to, as is the norm in Yunmeng cuisine, the flavor is somehow warm and comforting. He completely understands how this soup is his husband’s favorite. 

“You’re not eating,” Jiang Yanli says. 

Wen Ning jerks in surprise.

“Oh… I was going to save this for jiejie so she could try it.”

Jiang Yanli smiles warmly.

“We will be coming to Burial Mounds, once I change at the inn. I brought enough ingredients to make some for everyone.”

Wei Ying nearly chokes on a bite of soup. She pats his back until he’s recovered.

“Wen Qing sent me a letter. We have things to discuss.”

Jiang Wanyin looks sour about this.

“Speaking of, Zewu-Jun sent an interesting letter. Said you have news to share. I’m assuming it has to do with why Hanguang-Jun is here?”

Wei Ying puts his soup spoon down and hands A-Yuan off to Wen Ning with his bowl. Wen Ning doesn’t seem surprised by this and takes over feeding him. 

He tries not to be nervous over his husband getting the boy out of the potential line of fire. He rather hopes it is unnecessary, but he has seen Jiang Wanyin’s temper.

“About that,” Wei Ying says, then pauses, glancing at Lan Wangji. “Um, well… We’re married.”

For a moment, there is stunned hurt on Jiang Wanyin’s features, but it’s quickly replaced by wrath, powerful enough that zidian sparks.

“You couldn’t even invite us?!”

Lan Wangji will not have him blame Wei Ying for that. He knows there will be enough of that when they get to the next revelation. He would rather the focus be on him.

“He did not know we were married until recently.”

Jiang Wanyin’s eyes snap to him, and he carefully keeps his gaze cool in response to what is almost a volcano. He sputters, almost too angry to speak, zidian sparking even more dangerously, leaving the scent of ozone in the air. 

“You— Without his consent?! This, from the honorable Hanguang-Jun?!”

“Jiang Wanyin!”

Wei Ying’s voice is low and cutting, startlingly powerful despite the lack of volume. It’s enough to startle his brother out of his anger, at least momentarily.

“He handfasted me in the Cold Spring cave,” he explains. “Lan Yi’s guqin was attacking me because I wasn’t Lan.”

Jiang Yanli stands and levels a look at Jiang Wanyin that somehow makes him quail; Lan Wangji only understands why when she levels it at him—the fury of a mother figure.

“Please explain, Lan-er-gongzi.”

Her voice is clipped in the same manner it was when she chastised Jin Zixun at the Phoenix Mountain hunt, and leaves no doubt that she will find a way to harm him if his explanation is deemed unsatisfactory. She is mildly terrifying.

“Wei Ying was being attacked with Chord Assassination,” he says. “The headband would afford him protection. I did not expect Lan Yi’s appearance. Or that we would bow. Regardless, I did not regret it.”

“You married him by accident?” Jiang Wanyin mutters, the rage gone and replaced with confusion.

“Lan Yi did not disapprove.”

“And you never told A-Xian?” Jiang Yanli asks.

She also seems more confused than angry now. 

Wei Ying sighs tiredly.

“Aiya, Jiang Cheng, shijie… When would he have had time? When we were searching for the yin iron? Indoctrination? The Xuanwu cave? After—”

He breaks off. His siblings look pained, remembering the fate of Lotus Pier, though they don’t know what came after for Wei Ying. Yet. 

“There was never time,” Lan Wangji agrees. “I did not expect my regard for him to be reciprocated. But now, with the danger to Wei Ying… even were it solely political, I could help protect him.”

“It’s not solely political,” Wei Ying chirps, his tone almost smug. “It’s very reciprocated—and can’t be annulled now!”

Lan Wangji can feel his ears heating. Just under Wei Ying’s collar lurks the proof of that, as he’s been acutely aware all day. He has to avoid looking at him for a moment—not out of embarrassment, but because if he does, if he sees the heat in Wei Ying’s gaze, he might lose control and kiss him in front of his siblings. 

As much as his husband might prefer the distraction, he doubts it will help much. 

“I didn’t need to know that, ever,” Jiang Wanyin grouses, making a face. 

Jiang Yanli takes her seat again, her face serious.

“A-Xian is in danger?”

Lan Wangji nods. 

“The rumors make him out to be a monster raising an army of Wen cultivators, as though he is an enemy. The truth is quite different. The lies Jin Guangshan has spread to imply he disrespects Jiang Wanyin were meant to isolate him. They want the amulet.”

“Wait, what’s this about me not respecting Jiang Cheng?” Wei Ying demands, clearly affronted.

“One of the claims made after Qiongqi Path,” Lan Wangji tells him. “That you were speaking ill of Jiang Wanyin at the Phoenix Mountain hunt.”

Wei Ying looks stunned, and his gaze darts to his brother. He evidently doesn’t like what he sees, his expression shuttering. 

“I see,” he says, the words heavy in the air. “And you believed them.”

Jiang Wanyin has the decency to look ashamed. 

Jiang Yanli seems at a loss. Lan Wangji suspects she has heard none of this. Had she been aware, he has no doubt the offenders would have regretted speaking ill of Wei Ying. 

“Maybe you’re right not to trust me,” Wei Ying murmurs finally. “I’ve lied to both of you.”

The admission startles a flinch from his siblings. Lan Wangji can feel the tension in Wei Ying, like a guqin string stretched too taut, ready to snap at the slightest touch. He reaches for Wei Ying’s hand under the table and places his on top of it. He is relieved when his husband relaxes slightly, a slight tremor running through him. 

Wei Ying’s hand, when he laces theirs together, is clammy and cold, his grip tighter than normal. As much as Lan Wangji wishes he could do more, the best he can do is be here for him. 

The quiet stretches, seeming to freeze them in time, broken only when A-Yuan asks Wen Ning for another bite of soup. 

Jiang Yanli reaches forward, touches Wei Ying’s arm. 

“About what, A-Xian?”

She looks concerned and a little afraid, and the same look lurks on Jiang Wanyin’s features. They know, Lan Wangji realizes that Wei Ying has been hiding something, maybe even suspect how terrible it is. Whatever they might imagine, he knows the truth will be much worse. 

Wei Ying swallows hard, his fingers tightening. He seems to be trying to find the words, deciding how to say it in a way that might soften the blow. 

But there is no way to soften it. 

“I didn’t know how to find Baoshan Sanren,” he admits finally.

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

The conversation is a lot longer than I expected it to be, and this is a good stopping point, even if it is a bit of a cliffhanger. This went in directions I didn’t always expect, in part because Jiang Yanli is terrifying.

Lan Wangji has feelings about Jiang Cheng. They’re not always the nicest feelings, but he has them regardless. It’s ok, because Jiang Cheng has similar feelings in return.

It might take me a bit to pick this up again. I’m participating in the WangXian Lunar New Year gift exchange, so I’m working on my piece for that and putting my other fics on hold for a little while. Also, the new semester just started, and I’ve probably fielded about 50 emails from panicked students today alone.

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