#I would be raising from the grave to kill Diego

[leeeeeeef]

stil thinking about mia fey and dahlia hawthorne as foils in the different ways that they channel their past suffering.

mia was supposed to be the next head of the fey clan. dahlia was the heirress of a multimillion dollar jewelry company. in a way, both of them had their roads cut out for them the moment they were born. neither of them accepted these paths, however; mia pursued a career in law while dahlia, in much more violent fashion, faked her death and stole one of her father's most expensive diamonds. already, their motives are a pretty big indicator of how different they are; mia becomes a lawyer out of obligation towards her mother, while dahlia stages the kidnapping out of greed and resentment for her father.

another major difference is in how they treat their sisters. both mia and dahlia are separated from their sisters for extended periods of time. however, maya and mia are still very close; they tease each other and go for meals and its clear that they love each other very much. mia even relies on maya to hold onto evidence for her.

on the other hand, dahlia's treatment of iris is drastically different. i think the transcript speaks for itself:

mia leaves maya behind to live by herself. however, mia makes an effort to remain cordial with her no matter how long they are separated. dahlia leaves her sister behind so she could have more money to herself. and while dahlia drags iris along as an accomplice, iris often defies her, such as in the case of the staged kidnapping and when she falls in love with phoenix.

from the patterns we've established through their motives, its pretty safe to say that theres one huge difference: mia's love for others vs dahlia's selfishness. and ironically these two completely opposite things are rooted in the same thing: their mutual suffering at the hands of neglect and greed.

mia's goal of becoming an attorney is directly influenced by her mother's absence. she was only eleven when her mother was wrongfully accused of fraud, when misty fey abandoned her children and disappeared from the public eye. and at such a young age, mia had to be the sole guardian and provider of her one-year-old sister. it would be daunting for any child to be an orphan who basically had to raise her own sibling. and it's because of the allegations against mia's mother that she and her sister had to suffer so much.

when mia set out to convict redd white, she didn't have to become a defense attorney. (remember, godot could easily track down misty as a prosecutor! and a detective has more investigative authority to look into redd white's crimes) mia's entire job is to help the disadvantaged stand up to false accusations. in a way, she becomes the person who could have prevented her mother's disappearance. and she even plays a massive part in convicting the man responsible for it. she brings closure for herself and her sister, even beyond the grave, and she makes sure that no one else has to go through what her family had experienced for fifteen years.

likewise, dahlia's yearning for money and power comes from the neglect she faces from her parents. she openly condemns the people around her; her father only married into the family for financial gain, while her mother only cared about her and her sister for their spiritual power, of which they had none.

ironically, while dahlia criticizes her parents for being power-hungry and vengeful, she exhibits those same traits herself; she kills people for her own personal gain and attempts to murder maya out of revenge. what i think happened is that dahlia adopted these traits as a way to survive in a world where no one, not even her parents, would take her side. her kill-or-be-killed mindset protects her against people like her parents--and people like herself. and because dahlia makes no effort to stop this cycle of suffering that caused her so much grief, it continues to hurt iris, maya, mia, phoenix, diego, and so many others. mia seeks to protect others. dahlia seeks to protect herself.

it's said that you cant control what happens to you, but you can control how you react to it. and i think thats especially true here. its pretty clear to see that mia and dahlia's responses to their suffering is very different. and these responses ripple outward to others, for better or for worse. when mia finally triumphs over dahlia, she cuts short another cycle of suffering and she puts a stop to the pain of others by giving them the much needed closure that they deserve.

and thats pretty neat i think

#rambles #ace attorney #mia fey #dahlia hawthorne #absolutely devastated that mia dies like two cases in smh #she deserved so much more #aa3 spoilers

[pretend-writer]

Still Into You (Diego Hargreeves x reader)

Requested

Summary: Y/N and Diego couldn’t hide their feelings as The Hargreeves reveal their love for each other. 

Pairing: Diego Hargreeves x reader

Title Reference: Still Into You x Paramore

Word Count: 2k words

Warning: swearing, mention of sex, fluffffff

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Y/N's pov;

I didn't even know when my feelings started to change. It was a surprise when I realized how I felt about Diego.

While growing up around the Hargreeves, I barely saw him as a friend. I don't even think we really hung out a lot as kids. He loved picking on me, spelling "k-i-s-s-i-n-g" whenever Klaus and I walked by, mainly because he knew my mini crush I had for his brother.

He was just someone that annoyed the hell out of me, even thought I knew it was a joke. I would tend to let him be and hang out with Klaus, Allison and Vanya instead.

But then of course my heart started saying otherwise. As we got into our early twenties, he wasn't the obnoxious Diego that he used to be. He was sweet, caring, even when out of his way to make sure I was doing okay.

All of that cute and selfless things he did made me change my mind about him.

And now that I visit the Hargreeves home so often, Diego was the first person I looked forward to seeing when I set foot at the door.

'Y/N, what-' I quickly turned around as I heard Klaus whispering from behind me. 'Are you staring at my brother?'

My eyes widened, grabbing Klaus' hand and rushing to the other side of the hallway. He continued to chuckle, 'Y/N! You were staring at him shirtless working out in his roo-'

'No, I fucking wasn't!' I denied, I've only told Vanya about how I felt about Diego. I did not trust anyone to keep my secret, I knew that somehow some way, they would all blurt it out.

'Well you're drooling right here.' He pointed at my chin as I immediately rolled my eyes and hit him on the chest.

Klaus smiled, 'You know it's obvious right?'

'I don't know what you're talking about.' Klaus knew me too well, I knew that. He has been my best friend for as long as I can remember but I was hoping that if I denied it, soon enough he'll start believing me.

'Okaaay but if you don't tell him how you feel, someone is going to take him away.'

'What makes you think that he'll even like me back.'

Klaus grinned widely, 'So you do like him!!'

'I never said that, Klaus.'

'You just said "like me back" that impl-'

'Sh! Just stop, stop!'

He laughed, watching me squirm and turning red from embarrassment. Vanya and I kept it a secret for so long, Klaus was going to spread it around like wild fire.

✤  ·  ✤  ·  ✤  ·  ✤  ·  ✤

Diego's pov;

My workout was distracted by random mumbling that I heard from outside my room. By the sound of their voices, I instantly knew it was Klaus and Y/N.

The first reaction was to roll my eyes; Her and Klaus have been close friends since we were kids, it didn't help that I was so jealous. I felt that I was in a competition for Y/N's attention with my brother my whole life, it was childish.

My focus shifted and I wasn't in the mood to workout anymore. Putting all my workout equipment away to the back of my room, I sat on my chair to check on my phone. Klaus and Y/N's voices slowly faded away downstairs as I was scrolling down my social media.

Sighing, I stared at the picture that was recently taken on my phone; Y/N and I took a selfie when we got drunk a few weeks ago. That night was when I genuinely felt happy in a long time, it was when I realized I really loved her.

Yeah, I had a crush on her since I've met her but I grew up thinking it was something I'll get over as I got older.

Turns out I was wrong.

The more I spent time with her, it made me realize that I needed her in my life. All my life she was the person that helped me push through, the one person I could count on despite our weird love-hate friendship we had as a child.

'Boo!' Allison yelled from my door, scaring me as I jumped off my chair a little. The phone nearly fell off my hand, I grabbed it and shoved it in my pocket.

'Damn Allison, you nearly gave me a heart attack.'

She laughed, opening the door wider and leaning on the door frame with her arms crossed. 'You seemed really intense, you okay?'

'Ah, yeah. Yeah.' I took my phone out of my pocket, checked the screen and turned it back off. I was just glad I didn't drop my phone when she scared me, imagining Allison's reaction when she finds out about my feelings for Y/N terrified me.

Allison squinted, suspecting that something was up with me. 'You sound panicky.'

'Maybe because you tried to kill me.'

'You're such a drama queen.' She chuckled, 'What's on your phone that's making you squirm?'

'Nothing.' I huffed, knowing how pushy she can be. 'Mind your business.'

Allison walked over to me with her hands out, 'Come on, let me see. If it's nothing, it won't be a bother right?'

'You're always a bother.'

'So are you. So can I see?'

'No.'

She crossed her arms again, 'You know I can rumor you to show me right?'

'I would like to believe that you won't stoop so low just to get on my phone.'

'It's like you don't know me, Diego.'

I rolled my eyes, hopping into my bed with my back against her. 'Just leave me alone, geez.'

It got quiet all of the sudden but I knew Allison didn't leave the room. I still felt her presence behind me and I didn't hear the door shut either, not that my siblings cared enough to shut the door behind them.

Intrigued on what was keeping Allison so quiet, I turned around to find her on my phone. I must of dropped it when I got into bed.

Jumping out my bed, I quickly snatching my phone back. 'You're lucky you're my sister or I would've thrown a knife into your hand.'

'That's a really cute picture, Diego.' She ignored me, 'You know you can get pictures printed out.'

'Shut up.'

'I'll get a framed picture for your birthday.'

'And I guess I'll throw a knife at you in return for your birthday.'

Allison brows raised, I could tell she was holding in a laugh. At this point, I didn't know why she was still in my room. 'Diego, were you trying to hide the fact that you love Y/N? Because it's so obvious that you do.'

'I took a picture with her, what makes you think I love her?'

'Dude, you use to pick on her all the time when we were little. If that doesn't already prove it, you give her this adorable stare whenever she's around you.'

Biting my lip, I placed my hands on my hips. I could feel my cheeks feeling warm, hoping it wasn't turning red.

'Plus the angry glare you have whenever Klaus and Y/N are together is a dead giveaway too.'

'Okay, okay I get it.'

'And then whe-'

With my hands over my ears, I walked out my room to get away from Allison. 'Ahhh, I can't hear you!'

Of course she kept following me down the hall then to the staircase. Even when we were downstairs, she continued to bug me.

Five looked at us and laughed, 'What is it now that you two are blabbing about?'

I saw everyone sitting in the living room, including Y/N and I didn't want to deal with the embarrassment for today. 'Allison, you say anything I swear you'll see the knife flying across the room before you can say "sorry, Diego". I'm serious.'

'You don't have to worry, I'm not gonna say anything.'

Luther's eyes widened, pointing at Allison. 'It's about his crush for Y/N isn't it?'

My head immediately turned to Luther, I didn't know whether to tackle him or just throw a knife but I decided to calm down. Y/N was standing right there and I had to pretend that I didn't know what the fuck he was saying. If she found out, I was screwed.

‘You guys lost your damn minds.’ I commented, acting as if I didn’t know what they were talking about. But the biggest question was, how did Luther out everyone knew about this?

Klaus laughed out loud, to a point where he was clapping his hands and holding his stomach. ‘Diego. Oh Diego, you numbskull.’

‘What did you just call me?’

‘You’re a numbskull and so is Y/N.’ Klaus grinned widely, ‘You two realize the love you guys have for each other is so obvious that even dad can see you guys from the grave?’

My eyes didn’t leave Klaus, Y/N was sitting next to him but I didn’t have the guts to look her in her eyes. I felt like Klaus was fucking with me, trying to mock me and make fun of the “so obvious” crush I had for her since I was a kid.

‘So are you guys just going to stand there?’ Five said in a sarcastic tone, probably enjoying this weird and awkward moment.

‘You two need to get a move on, catch up with loss time.’ Klaus smiled, ‘I did the hard part for you two. Go upstairs and fu-’

Vanya shook her head, ‘Klaus. Wow, language.’

‘Exactly. Thank you for the graphic information.’ Y/N looked up me. ‘Can I talk to you in private, Diego?’

‘Ah, yeah.��� I replied, scratching my head as I felt a little shy.

As Y/N led me back to the staircase, I can hear Five and Klaus whispering loudly about us. Rolling my eyes, I continued to follow her up the stairs then into my room.

I closed the door behind me, biting my lip and staying quiet. I already knew that she was going to start blabbing about her feelings toward, Klaus; Even when he said that Y/N had loved me, I still didn’t believe it.

‘Was that all true? What Luther and Klaus had said?’ She broke the silence between us, I can feel her stare but I still couldn’t seem to make eye contact with her.

Slowly I nodded, knowing that I couldn’t hide it anymore. There was no point in trying to hide it since apparently, everyone had known about this and never tried to discuss it with me.

Still, I couldn’t look up at her as I felt my cheeks feeling warm. I was always nervous around her but I’ve never been this scared where I felt as though my heart was going to pop out of my chest.

Unexpectedly Y/N pulled me in, pressing her lips against mine. While I was confused since I believed that Klaus and Y/N had something going on between them, I felt like the happiest man in the whole planet. I guess that whatever they had just said was true.

“Thank you, Klaus” I thought to myself as I kissed her back. I’ve wanted to kiss her for so long, I wished that I had told her sooner.

‘So, you want to catch up?’ she said as she pulled away. This was another turn of event that I would of never expected. ‘Klaus’ words not mine.’

Licking my lips, I pulled her into my arms and hummed. Now that I knew that she loved me back, I didn’t know how to act. All I knew was I didn’t want her to leave my side, ever.

Grabbing her hand and leading her onto my bed, I chuckled. ‘I mean, they’re already expecting us to so why not? Pleasing the audience, if you will.’

She laughed as she sat on my stomach, ‘What happened to the shy Diego that was downstairs two minutes ago?’

‘He has a girlfriend now.’

Y/N leaned in, cupping my cheeks as she smirked. ‘I love the sound of that.’

#the umbrella academy fic #tua fic #the umbrella academy oneshot #tua oneshot #diego hargreeves oneshot #diego hargreeves fic #diego hargreeves x reader

[yespleasetommyshelby]

Love in the 21st ~ Jay Halstead Fic ~ Four

It's been an hour since we got the news that Antonio's son, Diego went missing from an alley behind his mothers restaurant, someone who we are assuming is one of Pulpo's associates is demanding Pulpo's release by midnight for the life of Diego, like the life of a little boy is worth less than the life of a sick son of a bitch who likes cutting heads off.

"Hey, I got something." Adam said standing up from his desk and heading over to the board which so far only has Pulpo's and Diego's picture on, slapping on one more. "This guy, Ernesto, he's a midlevel in the dealing scene but he's got his eyes on a spot in Pulpo's gang." He finished just as Hank, Al and Antonio left his office.

"Boss, if we can get this guy we could easily flip him into telling us what he knows about the gang and who might have Diego." I suggest giving Antonio a small hopeful smile as I said his son's name.

"That's a good idea Platt, we just gotta find the guy first." Al nodded giving me a little confidence that I know I'm not wasting mine and their time being in intelligence.

"I got an address." Adam pipes up sticking his head over the top of his computer. "It's a stash house, a CI  just texted saying he'll be there to pick up  some gear in the next hour or so." He said standing up.

"Alright, Platt and Ruzek you sit outside the front, wait till he gets close then make you're move. Don't spook him too early." Voight instructed pointing at the two of us. "The rest of us will wait close by and keep eyes on the scene. Let's go." He almost yelled as he walked away.

We all scrambled grabbing our coats and guns before going down to the armory and grabbing our vests just in case anything goes wrong. Just as I'd finished doing my vest up a pair of hands steadied themselves on the straps around my waist, looking over my shoulder I saw a pair of spar killing blue eyes, Jay.

"Hey, just checking that it was done up properly, don't want mini Platt getting shot now do we?" He chuckled slightly patting my waist before letting go and rechecking his own vest.

"I also doubt you wanna get shot yourself Chuckles, so," I started as I stepped forwards noticing that one of his straps was only half on pulling it off of his shoulder, I strapped it back down in the right place. "You might wanna check you're own vest before worrying about me." I winked at him quickly before turning around and waiting for Voights call.

"Alright! Let's move out." His voice came just as I'd expected, running over to the SUV I jumped in the drivers seat before Adam had even reached it.

"Wait, wait, wait, you're gunna drive?" He asked sarcastically as he climbeed into the passenger seat looking over at me with wide eyes.

"And what is wrong with me driving Ruzek?" I asked turning the key in the ignition whilst watching him, a small smirk on my face.

"Nothing, but after your batting phase at the store who am I to question you?" He shrugged laughing as he looked into my narrowed eyes.

"Hold on tight." I grinned at him before slamming the pedal down and wheel spinning for a second before shooting off, me laughing at the white knuckle grip he had on his door handle.

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

"So, where were you placed before the 21st?" Adam asked as we sat watching the entrance to the stash house, so far it's been forty-five minutes and nobody has gone in or come out.

"I was at the 31st District, not even nearly as exciting though." I shrugged looking over at him to see he was already watching me.

"How come you transferred?" He asked as he scratched the stubble under his chin.

"Uh, let's just call them 'unprofessional arrests." I laughed slightly shrugging at him, him laughing along.

"Like your baseball practice?" He asked with a smirk and raised eyebrow like he already knew.

"Would you stop calling it that." I groaned with a slight laugh. "But yes, like that, according to Trudy Intelligence was the perfect spot for me." I smiled before something caught my eye. "Isn't that him?" I asked lifting my binoculars to get a closer look, it was him.

"We got eyes on the suspect, he's walking towards the front entrance now." Adam spoke into his radio as he get ready to open his door.

"Stand by, wait for him to get closer." Voight's gruff voice instructed though the radio making Adam shake his head.

"I can get him now." He muttered without taking his eyes off of Ernesto.

"We just  gotta wait Adam." I sighed knowing that he was getting impatient, especially with the guy being right there.

"Screw waiting." He mumbled before opening his door and climbing out.

"Adam wait!" I called getting out of the car just as Ernesto took off.

"Suspect is running, heading east away from the front entrance, officer Ruzek is in pursuit." I called into the radio before jumping in the car and racing in the direction that they were heading.

----------

Long story short, the plan failed. Adam went in for the arrest too early and spooked the guy, there was a pursuit on foot but as Erin tried to block his path she was smacked in the head with the butt of the gun and the guy got away, to say Antonio was pissed was an understatement.

"This is your fault!" He yelled pointing his finger in Adam's face once we got back to the bullpen, Al and Jay holding him back by an arm each.

"Walk it off Antonio!" Voight's gravely voice demanded as he walked up the stairs behind the ongoing commotion.

"Sarge." Dawson started before he was cut off. "I said now, Detective." Was all Voight had to say for Antonio to grab his jacket and storm out.

"I need some air." Adam muttered as he walked towards the stairs, hearing the gate slam a few seconds later I looked over at Erin, Jay and Al who were all watching what had just happened.

"Go talk to him." Al said looking directly at me.

"What? Why me?" I asked confused seeing as I was still new to this whole intelligence thing too.

"Because he seems to connect with you more than any of us at the minute, plus you're both new, it might be some comfort to the kid." Al said wisely before motioning to the stairs with his head.

"Okay, where do I find him?" I asked unsure, having no real idea of where to start looking.

"Try the changing rooms, seems to be where everyone hides." Jay suggested sharing a knowing look with Erin, must be some kind of inside joke type thing.

"Uhm, okay, I will be back then." I said quietly as I made my way down the stairs, through the gate and down to the sergeant's desk. "Hey Trudy, did you see where Adam went?" I asked looking around to see if I could spot him in the lobby.

"I think he went to the changing rooms, one second." She told me before turning back to the two patrolmen I had met on the first day. "Atwater I am telling you that there is no chance that you can swap shifts tomorrow it's too short notice and It's not really my problem what you're missing out on." She said to Kevin before turning back round to me. "Anything else Kyles?"

"What's tomorrow Kevin?" I asked looking up at him since he's at least a head taller than me.

"My little sisters got some kind of sports and activity day at school tomorrow, she didn't tell me till yesterday afternoon and she's been begging all night." He sighed rubbing his hands over his face as Kim patted his shoulder.

"I'll do it, I'll cover the shift, no need to swap." I said smiling at him before turning to Trudy. "I can do that right?" I asked unsurely.

"You can, but you'd have to go out on the beat, uniform, partner and all. You okay with this?" She said nodding down at Kim.

"That is absolutely fine sergeant." She nodded sending me a small smile.

"Fine, whatever." Trudy sighed defeated before a crash was heard coming from the changing rooms, Adam.

"Oh shoot, I totally forgot, I gotta go talk to him." I said motioning down the halls with my thumbs as I backed away from the desk slowly. "I'll see you guys later!" I called turning round and practically sprinting into the room.

"Hey." I said quietly as I spotted Adam sitting on one of the benches with his head in his hands, a bin lying on it's side a few feet away, I'm assuming that's the source of the crash we heard a minute ago.

"Hey." He mumbled looking up at me before rubbing his hands over his face.

"Wanna tell me what's up?" I asked as I took a seat next to him.

"It's my fault Kylie, I'm the reason that he got away." He sighed bowing his  head to the ground.

"Hey, you can't pin this on yourself, I don't know about you but I wasn't expecting him to run." I began placing my hand on his shoulder and rubbing slightly. "He may have got away but we're still going to find Diego and bring him home safe and sound." I reassured him making him lift his head and look at me.

"But we could've already had him by now, if I hadn't rushed it." He groaned looking up before back down to me.

"You can't think like that Adam." I sighed standing up and holding my hands out to him, looking at me sightly confused he took hold of my hands and pulled himself up. Letting go of one I pulled him slightly by the other. "Come on, we've got a little boy to find."I told him letting go completely before leaving the changing room, Adam right behind me.

As we walked up the stairs back into intelligence Jin came running in with his laptop, placing it on Antonio's desk we all gathered round, It was a video of Diego, his hand and legs were tied to the chair with rope.

"When was this filmed?" I asked looking over at Jin.

"It's happening right now, it's a live stream." He said looking over at Dawson who stood up and stormed into Voight's office, slamming the door behind him, Voight following a few seconds behind.

"Uh, any chance we can track where it's coming from?" I asked getting back to the case at hand.

"I'm trying, but it's pinging different locations around the world." Jin said sighing.

Nodding my head I sighed and made my way into the break room to make myself a tea, as I'd reached the kettle I heard the door close turning round I saw Adam walking towards me with a small smile on his face.

"Thank you, for uh, earlier." He shrugged reaching up and grabbing his own mug before pouring the coffee.

"We're a team Ruzek, I'll always be here for you to talk to, no matter what." I smiled up at him leaning back against the counter.

"I appreciate it, I really do." He said quietly as he looked down.

"Guys, Antonio's got something." Erin said opening the door and poking her head through, motioning back to the bullpen.

Walking back into the bullpen I couldn't help but feel eyes on us, looking over I spotted Jay looking between me and Adam with a blank expression, okay then.

"My CI gave us info that they could be hiding Diego here." Antonio said slapping a picture of a rundown hotel up on the board. "It's an old hotel that's not been used for a couple years."

"Alright, Let's go get Diego." Voight said patting Antonio's back before leading the way out of intelligence.

#jay halstead fic #jay Halstead imagine #jay Halstead imagines #one chicago pd imagine #chicago pd imagines #one chicago imagine #chicago pd imagine #chicago pd #one chicago #love in the 21st four

[5csbin]

HAUNTED HOUSE !

HALLOWEEN TXT EDITION!

txt x neutral reader !

WARNING !: cursing! knifes! haunted house! JYP AND 6IX9INE!

a very crack and dumb one shot i made.

“MANE IF YALL DONT SHUT THE FUCK UP!” taehyun shouted as they were walking up to the line since everyone began to nag.

"this is why i wanted to go trick or treating instead." beomgyu pouted and folded his arms as he and the rest of the group waited in line to go inside of the haunted house.

well it was more like a haunted barn, where they would all get on a hayride and be driven throughout the barn and be spooked supposedly. "trick or treating?? how old are you again?" kai mocked him,

"no offense but i'm starting to think you were right when you said beomgyu was still mentally 9 years old because.. this is starting to get worrying. what 19 year old is trying go trick or treating?" yeonjun added in agreement, while taehyun shot him a dirty look for throwing shade at his best friend.

beomgyu’s first instinct was to scoot closer to (y/n), but he then fired off a clapback of his own. "the only thing that's worrying is that wig you're wearing, who the fuck are you even supposed to be? lord farquad on crack?" gyu fired back at yeonjun, who was now touching the short black bob on top of his head.

soobin couldn't help but laugh, even though it was his own boyfr- bestfriend getting flamed and soon, everybody else in the group let out laughter at gyu’s clapback. even taehyun, who couldn't stand beomgyu, was practically crying laughing at what was said.

"actually, i'm supposed to be dora," yeonjun replied, gesturing to his pink t shirt and bright orange jeans. "and soobin is.. well diego." he pulled soobin closer to him after saying that and kissed his forehead, before ruffling his blueberry curls a little.

"wait.. ain't dora and diego supposed to be cousins?" taehyun asked, his mouth curling in disgust, "i don't think that's positive..." kai added.

“cousin lovers.��� (y/n) said making yeonjun smack their arm.

it was a wonder how they didn't annoy the others waiting in line for their ride, since they would fight every second. meanwhile as the group turn drew closer and closer, beomgyu found himself regretting agreeing to come here.

it was weird.. he loved horror movies, but he despised haunted houses because even though both were fake events, being in a haunted house was just so up close and personal you know?

if it wasn't for it being (y/n)'s birthday (lets just pretend ur birthday was on halloween.) beomgyu wouldn't have came, and he would have probably just stayed at home and took pictures of his costume for instagram before going over to hyunjin’s to watch scary movies.

(y/n) noticed that beomgyu looked uncomfortable amongst all of the roasts and jokes flying amongst the group and they decided to ask what was wrong.

"gyu, why do you look so sad? being sad is my job," (y/n) asked as the group continued to move up in the line. "i'm not sad," beomgyu answered. "i'm just nervous, i don't like haunted houses.. i had a really bad panic attack the last time i went to one, and i don't wanna have one and ruin your birthday or anything.. i probably should have just stayed my ass home."

"nah, you not going to ruin my birthday, you're my friend and i care about you... it won't be that scary, it's literally a haunted barn. you know what barns have? cows and chickens. now who's scared of cows and chickens? nobody. except blades of grass."

the little pep talk made gyu feel slightly calmer. "thanks," he replied, fumbling with the thick leather choker around his neck. "your costume is really cute by the way. i like the face paint."

"thanks, it was kai’s idea actually," they responded with a chipper edge to their voice. (y/n)' costume consisted of a sweatshirt and sweatpants with a skeleton printed on the front, and his face was made up to look like a skull.

after beomgyu was calm, he found himself overhearing a conversation between hueningkai, taehyun, and his knives.

"no tae, you can't bring your knives in here with you," hyuka shook his head as taehyun kept asking if he could run back to the car real quick and grab his knives "cmon kai, just in case a demon wanna try some shit"

"well.. can i get my ouija board?" tyun asked, his lips twisting into a devious smile. "i just wanna talk to the demons, it's halloween, and if it's any day i should be allowed to do this, it's today."

"ain't there no demons.. this is a barn. you wanna talk to demonic horses and shit?" yeonjun pokes in the conversation and raised an eyebrow.

"yes? of course i do, the fuck do you think i am?" taehyun whined, pointing to the devil horns on top of his head as the group finally made it to the front of the line and were waiting for the tractor to come back so that they could get on the hayride.

finally, after they all stood around and handed in their tickets to the clerk in front of the line, their tractor was ready, pulling along the hay covered cart as it came to a stop in front of the barn entrance, waiting for the group to board it.

"wait, hay? y'all ain't say there was going to be hay..." soobin complained, his skin already itching just by looking at all that hay. "y'all do know i'm allergic to hay right?"

"bitchhh, we been said it was a hayride involved," hueningkai snapped, "what you done caught the (y/n) disease where you forget everything every minutes or what?"

"aye i don't forget everything, i just be high," (y/n) cut in as they handed in their tickets to the clerk. "and i'm allergic to hay!" soobin cried out, scratching his forearm.

soobin actually is allergic to hay, but it wasn't something severe, he just got irritated by it and it caused his skin to rash up, not like his skin didn't already look as if it was full of rashes.

(that not true btw)

"oh well," hueningkai replied in a deadpan tone, shrugging. "guess you'll just die then."

after they've all handed in their tickets, everyone began to board the hay filled cart, with everyone obviously choosing to be closest to their besties.

when they got onto the cart. soobin was snuggled up to yeonjun, playing with his diego the explore backpack trying to ignore the itchy feeling the hay gave him.taehyun was resting his head on (y/n)’s shoulder, whining about his knifes, beomgyu was clinging onto kai for dear life, because he was still scared after all.

"i better not hear none of y'all screaming like no pussies after we get in here," yeonjun started after the tractor began to start up and drive them into the dark, cool barn. "how y'all gon be scared of demons when i'm taehyun a whole demon. y'all scared of him now?"

"actually, yes, i'm scared of him just a little bit," beomgyu answered, his tone groggy.

"considering he tried to kill me on multiple occasions and almost succeeded, yes yeonjun, i'm scared of taehyun and he make me fear for my life." soobin added on, slightly flinching at just saying the word taehyun.

"that was before i became positive," taehyun suddenly flashed soobin and beomgyu a toothy smile, "just like i'm positive that none of these demons or zombies or whatever the fuck is in this barn is gon' do shit to us."

"tae if you don't shut your ass up, there’s no demons in here, nor is there any zombies, they are paid actors. you wish you was in a horror movie so bad," hueningkai cut in, once again ruining tyun’s fun.

as of right now, nothing scary was going on. just the typical music playing throughout the barn, random screams, and plastic skeletons appearing out of nowhere. shit that made little kids be scared of, but anyone else wouldn't be phased. not even beomgyu was phased by what was going on, and he was the main one who was scared to come along.

but then.. things started to get more spooky. the people who were sitting on the edge would start to get grabbed and poked without warning, and people would come up on side of the cart out of nowhere and scream or otherwise bring attention to themselves, which would catch them off guard obviously, but shit like that was to be expected at a haunted house.. or in this case a haunted barn.

but soon though, things began to get downright creepy.

as they were sitting in the cart, slightly startled and caught off guard by the jumpscares, but not too shaken up, not even beomgyu was that scared, as he made sure to sit in the middle of the cart to avoid being randomly grabbed or touched by these strangers in costume, and it was just amusing to people like taehyun or (y/n), they weren't prepared for what started to happen next.

soon the music that sounded as if it was from a demonic nursery cut out mid note, and it was replaced by an old, gravely sounding voice that began to sing happy birthday very terribly and off key.

and they thought this was creepy, considering it was gus' birthday, but they considered it was a coincidence. "damn (n/n), they singing happy birthday to you, that's wild," yeonjun noticed, laughing at the 'coincidence'.

"see, i told y'all they’re really a skeleton, how else would they know that we're here for their birthday, hmm?" beomgyu added matter of factly causing the others to let out laughter.

so even though it was somewhat unsettling, it didn't become horrifying until the voice replaced "happy birthday to you," with "happy birthday (y/n)."

the place then became a chorus of "did yall hear that shit?" and "yeo what the fuck?!" after they noticed that, with (y/n) in particular being especially shook that there seemed to be a demon singing specifically to them, and their eyes went wide as the voice continued to serenade them, albeit poorly.

"see, this ain't it no more." soobin announced and hueningkai nodded in agreement. "h-how do they know it's (n/n)' birthday? much less who (y/n) is?" beomgyu asked as he held onto (y/n) even tighter than he was before. "i'm scared now."

"that's what we all want to know," yeonjun answered before reaching up to adjust his wig, before feeling nothing but his real hair tied back. he knew his wig didn't fall off or get snatched off, he had it secured with bobby pins, because it was one of his mother's wigs and he didn't want to lose it, but it had just completely disappeared.

"uh...my wig is gone," yeonjun announced and soobin just nodded. "same."

"no i mean it's for real gone... my dora or lord farquaad or whatever the fuck wig i was wearing earlier just.. disappeared into thin air." yeonjun continued to explain as he continued to search the surrounding area for it, just in case it fell out of his head but it was actually gone.

"see, i told y'all asses there were demons in here, but y'all didn’t wanna listen now y'all getting your shit taken, and demons are singing happy birthday to (y/n) and shit, and now y'all shocked," taehyun added with a huff.

"tyun, ain't no demons in here. if there were demons in here, they would do a lot worse than steal hats and wigs and sing happy birthday, believe that. they'd be torturing us psychologically, and- wait, where the fuck is my sheep hat?" hueningkai touched the top of his head, where his costume top was missing from, and now he was heated.

"yeah, we gotta get outta here."

more shit like that continued to happen with the voice continuing to reference them by name, and reference stuff that only people that know them would know, like soobin almost running someone over once, or yeonjun’s furry suit,and then, near the end of the ride, it all came together in the worst possible way.

a single echoing voice with a thick new york accent screaming "SCUUUUM GANGGGG!" followed by a laugh in the distance that sounded a lot like jyp’s laugh.

and in that moment, all of them literally hopped off of the cart and ran towards the exit.

#beomgyu #beomgyu smut #bts smut #soobin smut #smut #txt #txt smut #yeonjun smut #hueningkai #taehyun #txt x reader #txt reactions #txt imagine #kpop reactions #kpop #halloween imagine #yeonjun #soobin #choi beomgyu #choi soobin #choi yeonjun #kang taehyun #huening kai #bts #kpop imagines

[darylandbethfanforever9]

Devil’s Backbone

Devil’s Backbone

Chapter 6 

Story Rating: Explicit, 18+ 

Warnings: Smut, violence, past flashbacks of sexual assault, descriptions of torture, racial hate and forced abortion. Not Tony Stark friendly.

Relationships: Bucky/OC, Steve/Natasha, Billy/Wanda/Grant, past Clint/Laura. eventual Clint/Yelena and Frank/Karen.

Summary: In the aftermath of the Blip, Bucky struggled to find his place among the world and the Avengers. However, when he is sent on a mission to Madripoor to investigate a young woman, he starts to realize that maybe his past isn’t too far behind him. Co-Written with WalkingPotterGirl14

"It was amazing, you guys. Absolutely." They had been on a video call with Bucky for about fifteen minutes now, starting to get some intake on his trip there and how everything had been going. But up until now, Steve had waited with a raised brow as Bucky described everything he had seen. "That sounds great, Buck," Steve chuckles a bit. "But there was a point of this mission." "Right, uh-" Bucky rubs the back of his neck a bit embarrassingly, chuckling. "Sorry. Sharon just knows what she's doing. I've never seen so much art and so many fancy people all in one sitting. But you're right. Sharon did direct me to the young woman that supposedly took up the Power Broker position." He pulls up photos and splays them onto the screen so they could see it. "I got some of these pictures last night before she left." Steve crosses his arms against his chest, shaking his head. "I can't believe this." "She looks just like Anastasia," Wanda remarks lightly. "See, you think that, but that's not her name – at least the one that she gave me isn't Anastasia. It's Maria Kapitonova. Interesting alias, but if it is her, she's certainly taking a different route than what I'm doing." "Did you learn anything else about her?" "Nothing that we didn't already know," Bucky states quietly. "Sharon told me that she is the one who's taken over the city, but she's dangerous, just as we suspected. She has morals and has laid down some rules but hasn't stopped herself from killing those who against them. Sharon said she's ended at least three so far. Something did sort of stand out to me for a moment though. I was talking with her and she said she moved to Madripoor to escape the cold from somewhere. If she WAS in Siberia, that would make sense." Sam rolls his eyes from where he stood. "There are a lot of cold places in the world, Bucky." "I know, I know, but it's curious, is all I'm saying." Steve sighs but nods. "Alright, at least we have that. You said you'd see her again?" "Yeah, we ah…kind of hit it off, in a way." At Steve's questioning response, he responds quickly. "Not like that, I just - I mean it seems she's willing to meet with me again outside of a party, so it'll be easier to get info." "Right," Steve chuckles, although a bit of him was curious. "Remember that this is a mission though, Buck." Bucky rolls his eyes. "I know, you don't have to remind me. I'll get the info you guys need." There was a loud meowing off screen and Bucky chuckles. "I gotta go. Alpine is being a little minx and wants some food." "Tell him that I say hi!" Wanda says, smiling. "I will," Bucky snickers before nodding at them. "I'll talk to you soon." They wave goodbye to him and he signals off the call, leaving them alone.

Ana lets out a soft sigh of content as she cooks up some dinner. While she did have someone that could cook for her, she preferred to cook her own food – usually for safety rather than convenience. She knew that there were several people who would most likely pay a chef to put poison in there. She wasn't about to let herself go down like that. As she starts to plate up her food, however, she pauses when she suddenly hears a crash from the living room. Quickly, she reaches into her cutlery drawer and grabs a knife, approaching quietly. "Hello?" She asks. No response.

She keeps her guard up as she ventures into the living room to see if anyone or something was in the living room. There was nothing aside from a card box having fallen on the glass coffee table. Luckily, it hadn't cracked the glass. She suddenly saw movement from the corner of her eye and picked up a gun that was in a drawer. Ana started cautiously walking down the hallway where the dining room was, when someone suddenly lunged at her. She moved out of the way quickly as the man jumped at her with a knife directed at her throat. She dodged out of the way as the assassin slashed at her with knife, but Ana used her ballet training to avoid being stabbed. Grabbing her by the hair, she threw him into the wall to slow him down slightly. The man glared at her disdainfully, sneering at her as he pulled out a knife that looked like it could slice her to pieces. "This is called a serbcutter, little girl. My ancestors used this knife to kill enemies of Croatia during World War II," the man taunted cruelty, lunging at her again. She kicked him in the chest, gripping her own knife and stabbed him in his left shoulder. She heard him yell out in pain, as she wrapped her legs around his neck, but he kicked her right knee, causing her to hiss in her own pain. Ana backed away from him as she saw two more of his friends had joined him. They must have come from the back garden to get into the apartment. Damn it. "Three on one…that's hardly fair," she remarked coldly, keeping a fighting stance as she kept an eye on where all of them were positioned. And then, she ran, all the way down. And they weren't that far behind in following her down into the streets.

After feeding Alpine and falling asleep, Bucky woke up to the sounds of fight from across the street. He quickly got dressed before grabbing his gun and his Da Lai knife that Steve had given back to him. It had been his when he'd been with the Howling Commandos. After locking the door, he walked quickly across the street to see what was going on. When he did find what was the cause, Bucky was stunned to see Maria fighting four people, one of whom had a knife and another man that he recognized as Diego, a Flag Smasher. "Hey, isn't four on one an unfair disadvantage?" he called out dangerously, pulling out his knife. His voice caused Maria to turn in surprise, and he sees a slight smile come over her lips at him suddenly showing up. One of the assassins tried to gut him. He kicked him in the face, causing the man to stumble back at his nose breaking from Bucky's kick. "You're pissing off our boss, Kapitonova! She wants Madripoor to be like how the country was before you arrived and started putting down all of these stupid rules for us to follow!" Axelle spat contemptuously, lunging at her with a hunter's knife. He saw Maria sigh in annoyance before punching her hard across the face, using a pair of batons that glowed dark red. They were similar to the ones that Natasha used, only hers glowed blue and not a dark crimson red. He knocked out the remaining one as Maria came over with a slightly bruised face. Her lip was bleeding, and she had a tear in her t-shirt that had blood on it. "What do you wanna do about them?" He asked quietly, nodding at two of the surviving assassins. One of the women was dead. Maria had stabbed her in the throat, severing her carotid artery and causing her to bleed out. "I'll question them…thank you for helping me," she answered cautiously, glancing up at him. He nodded and watched as she picked up their weapons off the floor. He discreetly checked to see if any of them had any identifiable scars or tattoos and got lucky. The woman had a tattoo on her back that had the words 'Elite Hunters' with roses on either side. It looked like it had been branded into her skin. He felt his blood run cold but took a photo and sent it to Steve. Maybe, they could find out who had sent them to kill Maria and why?

Steve had gotten Bucky's message and the attachment of a photo that showed a tattoo. He'd never seen that tattoo before, but Billy, Clint, Natasha, Yelena and Grant were staring at the tattoo as if they'd seen a ghost. "Do any of you know what this tattoo is? Because I've never seen it before, and I've seen my fair share of tattoos," Steve asked curiously. Natasha was the one who answered his question, surprisingly. "I do, and so do the others. It's the tattoo of a secret organization called the Elite Hunters who prey on people by luring them to holiday hotels and spas in countries such as Italy, Czech Republic, and Iceland. They revel in dark fantasies such as murder, cannibalism, and torture of many forms that include fetish pornography and amputation. Only wealthy people run the organization, and it was very secretive…until 2013," Natasha explained gravely, her face showing her disgust. No one in the room could speak. They were all horrified by what they were hearing. Wanda looked like she was going to be sick. Scott had stopped eating his slice of pepperoni pizza, while Sam looked disgusted. "Just gonna put that down," Scott mutters, lowering his slice. "So, what happened in 2014, Romanoff?" Tony asked, causing Natasha to ignore him. Steve shook his head, shocked at the revelation. "After I dumped all of S.H.I.E.L. D’s secrets, the Elite Hunters were discovered by Fury. A lot of victims that had escaped or survived killed the Elite Hunters in revenge, or they committed suicide rather than go to prison for multiple murders," she explained quietly. Clint then took over. "At least three of them escaped and went to hide in Madripoor. These are the only surviving Elite Hunters," he said gravely, as he used his iPad to pull up the images. Three images came up on the large plasma screen. One of a man with light brown hair and cold blue eyes. The next two were of another man who had blonde hair and emotionless hazel eyes that caused Wanda to shiver at his disturbing, twisted smile. The final image was of a blonde-haired woman who looked like she was a model, but she had a demented smile, one that made Steve know instinctively that the woman was dangerous. "Do we know who hired them to kill Maria?" Steve asked concerned. Before she could respond, a furious Thaddeus Ross stormed into the conference room. His hands were balled into fists, as he glared at where Steve was sitting. "Who authorized Sergeant James Barnes to go undercover as a Russian arms dealer in Madripoor!? I made it perfectly clear that the woman was to be terminated as soon as you acquired her location!" Ross shouted infuriated, causing Steve to speak up for his team and Fury. "With all due respect Home Secretary, the young woman has shown no threat to us. I personally believe, as do many of the others, that she is perhaps more like Frank Castle," Steve argued, causing Ross's face to turn an interesting shade of purple that resembled an eggplant. "You overstep yourself, Captain Rogers. As from now, you are no longer the leader of the Avengers due to your behavior as of late and your recklessness in allowing Sergeant Barnes to go on a mission without being cleared by me. As a result, Tony Stark will be leading the team," Ross said harshly, a cruel smile appearing on his face. Tony's expression was one of arrogance, triumph and smugness. "Sir, Steve did the right thing. Who else could he send undercover?" Natasha argued firmly, causing everyone aside from Clint and Sam to stare at her in surprise. Ross's lip curled, as he looked at the young woman who sitting next to Yelena. He wasn't impressed or bothered by her question.

"He could've sent you, Agent Romanoff, or Belova." Natasha's shoulders fall. "Barnes knows Madripoor far better than I ever could have. And he knows Sharon better than I ever did. He was logically the best choice for this mission besides maybe Sam, but even then, he has his duties here. Barnes didn't have further missions that were outstanding that were blocking him from going. I did, and so does Belova." Ross lets out a huff before shaking his head. "Your missions could wait for something like this – either way, it was a bad decision to send Barnes off on this. If it were up to me, I'd bring him back instantly. But that's Fury's area." He glares at him, who doesn't give a proper response, just shrugs his shoulders. "Even so, Steve's lost jurisdiction. Tony, it's your job now." He shakes his head almost in disappointment before storming out, closing the door. Steve feels himself glare at where Tony was. "You just couldn't keep your mouth shut, huh?" "Oh, stop. You're being dramatic. This is what's been going on for ages," Tony states, crossing his arms against his chest. Steve shakes his head and sits down, quieting himself as Tony started to talk, changing the screen at the front. He glances at Nat and nudges her side, to which she glances over at him. "Thanks for standing up for me, Nat." The young woman nods in response, glancing at the ground. He could see she was still uncomfortable with something sitting inside of her. He wished there were a way he could see inside her head and wonder what the hell was going on. But hey, if she were standing up for him, that had to mean something good, right?

"Wait, what happened?" After the big fight with Maria out in the streets, Bucky had instantly gone back to his apartment to tell Sharon over the phone. And she had understandably listened and been surprised when he told her about everything. "It was insane, Sharon," Bucky says, running a hand through his hair. "There were four of 'em up against her. They really wanted her gone. She ended up killing one of them but the others…think she dragged them back to her place to interrogate them." "What did you say the tattoo said?" "Elite Hunters. Don't really know exactly what they are but got a feeling that whoever sent them wants her gone." Sharon sighs from the other end of the phone. "I'll be sure to look them up and find some info – I'm sure you've already talked to Steve and the others?" He nods. "Of course." "Good. Just keep an eye out." There was a beat of silence. "Maybe you should go out and check up on her. This might be the best time for you to figure out more about her. Vulnerable and shit." Bucky raises an eyebrow. "That's a bit manipulative." He could almost her hear shrug from across the phone. "You gotta do what you have to do. Might be your best option right now." Bucky sighs a bit. She wasn't wrong. It was an option. And right now, it really was one of the best he could lean towards. "Alright…you rest up now." "See you, Bucky." He hangs up the phone after that, glancing outside. It seems that she wasn't that far from where he lived. Maybe he could walk around until he found where she lived. He saw the direction she had gone. Maybe Sharon was right. Maybe it was the best time to do it.

The sound of a knife slitting across skin was loud enough for anyone in her penthouse to hear. The scream that followed was enough to make someone cringe. But Ana didn't care. Ana wanted answers. "Now," she says lowly, pushing the man close to her. She could see it was Diego, one of the Flag Smashers from before. "Either you tell me who sent you here, or I can make your time a little more terrible like your friend over there." She points to the other hostages that were now passed out. "I'm…n-not gonna s-say shit!" He stutters. She grabs her knife and stabs it deep into his arm, to which he screams out in pain before dragging it right back up to his elbow. The blood spurts out as tears start to evade his eyes. "No, you gonna play nice?" "It-t's Melina!" he yells out, his voice shaking. She pauses. "She sent us – p-please, we were only doing our j-" She instantly brings the knife up and slits his throat, watching as he bleeds out before falling to the ground. He was no innocent man. This wasn't a job. She knew what Diego had done prior to this. The same with these two. And now, it was done. Melina…god, she was going to murder that bitch. She wipes the blood away, letting out a soft sigh before grabbing a towel to wipe the blood from her face. Before she could start wondering what to do with the bodies, however, there was a beep that came from her intercom. Her brow raises before coming over. Who on earth would be here this time of night? "Yes?" She asks as her finger hovers over the button. "Who is it?" "Miss Maria, you have a gentleman visiting you," her concierge stated from below. "A Mr. Yakov?" She had wondered why he had come out to help her like that. Seems he was a bit more than she had originally thought. But he did aid her in getting these goons…maybe he wouldn't be opposed to helping her now. "Send him up," she responds back, glancing at the mess of bodies below her. She wondered what Yakov would say to this.

She heard footsteps heading up the stairs as she grabbed a towel and wiped the blood from her face. She didn't enjoy killing people, far from it, but she was pissed that Melina Vostokoff had tried to kill her for putting down some moral laws. She was well aware that no one in Madripoor was innocent, but she wasn't going to stand by and allow rape or trafficking or any of that shit. Just because Madripoor was keeping it's lawless ways didn't mean that she was going allow the sickest people to get away with hurting people. Shaking her head, she started getting the cleaning products out to deal with the blood on the floor. She heard Yakov coming up to her soundproof room. And as soon as he walks in, he whistles at the sight of the blood before looking up at her. "Maria, what the hell happened?" Yakov asked concerned, his eyes scanning her over for any sign of injuries. She smiled faintly at his own concern for her, but she gave him a reassuring smile. "Someone wasn't happy with how I run Madripoor with a moral code…so she decided to send three Elite Hunters and a Flag Smasher to kill me. I questioned the Flag Smasher, and he spilled his guts to try and save his life," she said coldly, glaring down at the body of Diego with no emotion.

Over in Bucky's head, he felt his heart pound at her words, as his mind processed what she was saying. Someone, a woman, had ordered a hit on Maria to kill her in a violent manner, but she had fought back and killed all of her would be killers. She was definitely trained in the Red Room. He could tell that she had been trained in that facility. He just had a feeling that she had been raised in the there. God, he wished he could remember more of his time during that period. "Do you know who it was that ordered the hit on you, Maria?" he asked curiously, keeping his voice concerned. The last thing he wanted to do was to make her suspicious of him in any manner. "Melina Vostokoff, that old bitch…I was hoping she died when the Black Widow and Crimson Widow destroyed the Red Room. Well…she doesn't know if I'm dead yet and I intend on sending her a gift," she answered forebodingly, her grey eyes cold as ice. Bucky showed no emotion but privately, he knew Melina's days were now numbered. "Can you help me out here?" She asks him lightly, trying to move the bodies off of the carpet, to which he does. "You know, for someone I just met, you've been quite the helper tonight." Bucky shrugs a bit and smiles a bit at Maria. "I'm not about to let someone who's trying to at least do some good in this city die like that." "Well…thank you. That means a lot," she says genuinely. "But I don't want to drag you into this. This is my fight." Oh, he was already dragged in so deep. But for her, he could at least play it off.

#dark!bucky barnes x reader #dark bucky barnes/oc #dark bucky barnes x oc #bucky barnes fanfiction #steve rogers/natasha romanoff

[ibelieveindragons141]

Could you make a Diego Hargreeves x reader where she is number 8 and has powers like scarlet witch but purple? Where they were secretly dating as teenagers and left the academy together, and she is part of the season one and two plot in helping save the world. One-shot or full story is fine. And can she be 5’1 and Mexican, like me?!

Here and There part 1

Diego Hargreeves x reader

Word count: 1581

Warnings: Language

A/n: I decided to write this story as lots of little scenes to try and fit more of the two seasons in

Diego stared down at his father's grave in disgust. How dare such a monster be honored. How dare he turn his "children" into little toy soldiers. Hos dare he traumatize them so easily. How dare he-

"Diego?" A soft voice interrupted his thoughts.

His turned to see you holding an umbrella, your small hands gripping it tightly.

"Are you okay?" You asked.

He shot you a look.

"Right. Stupid question." You hesitated before saying, "Is it bad that I'm happy he's dead? I mean, he was a horrible person, to all of us. Especially Vanya..."

Diego reached out and pulled you to his chest. He loved the feeling of your body pressed up against him, his arms wrapped firmly around you- as if they could shield you from the rest of the world, if only for a moment.

"Hey," he said, "He's dead now. That means no more running, no more hiding. We're free."

He felt you smile into his chest. "What could possibly go wrong, right?"

______________________________________________________________________

As it turns out, quite a lot.

Five's return and announcement of a looming apocalypse added on to the growing pile of bottled up feelings, tension, and anger radiating from the now reunited siblings.

"Number eight," Five turned to you. "You've always had a few more brain cells than the rest of our siblings. Please tell me you're taking this seriously."

"It's y/n," You reminded him. "And of course we'll help you."

"We?" Luther scoffed. "I don't think so. I'm going to find out who murdered dad."

"Oh, would you let that go already!" Klaus threw his hands up.

You stifled a laugh. You and Klaus were close growing up, always doing each other's hair and dressing up in Allison's clothes.

Diego took your hand and said, "Look, if the apocalypse really is in eight days, then it's an all-hands-on-deck situation."

You gave his hand a squeeze in support. "Exactly. So, Five, what causes it?"

"I don't know."

______________________________________________________________________

"Luther!" You shouted over the roar of Vanya's powers, "What the hell were you thinking!"

Diego gripped your arm tightly, "Evacuate the audience, we'll keep her distracted."

"Diego-"

"Go!"

As you began ushering the civilians out, pounding footsteps caught your attention. Rushing outside, you saw men in lack uniforms holding guns, making their way intently toward the building. "Shit!" You whirled around and sprinted back to the auditorium where your siblings were taking shelter behind the red seats.

"We need to go!" You cried, reaching the doorway.

Vanya slashed her violin bow at you, which you blocked with a blast of purple energy. "Now!"

The men from outside swarmed the room and open fired. You dropped to the ground and crawled to Diego who was squished between two rows of seats. He said something to Five while you tried to find a good opening to attack the men. But you were surrounded. You were screwed.

"Well... we're screwed." You heard Five say.

Before you could respond, Klaus crashed into the room and yelled, "Guys! It's Cha-Cha, she-"

"Klaus! Get down!" You screamed, sending a wave of energy at him to deflect the gunfire long enough for him to find cover.

A blue glow filled the room. Peeking up, you saw Klaus and.... Ben.

Diego threw a few more knives before sprinting at the stage to take on Cha-Cha.

"Diego, wait!" He ignored you and kept running. You cursed under your breath and chased after him.

The fight was brutal. And painful. Diego's hand wrapped around the assassin's throat and squeezed. You put a hand on his shoulder, "Diego, this isn't what Patch would have wanted," you spoke softly, as if trying to calm a wild horse. Something in his eyes shifted, and he dropped his arm. You tugged him away and back to your siblings.

Diego spoke first. "How do you wanna end this thing?"

You shared a glance with Allison and said, "Come at her from all angles and hope she can’t fight all of us at once."

"So it's a suicide mission." Klaus' eyes were wide and you noticed the haunted look they always held was gone.

"It's the only chance we've got," Five reasoned. "Are we all in?"

Luther gave instructions and everyone ran to their places. As you turned, Diego spun you around and kissed you fiercely.

He started you directly in the eyes and said, "I love you."

You managed to find a smile for him, "I know."

He kissed you again before racing to stage left.

The room began to crumble and bits of the ceiling fell. It was now or never.

You couldn't remember much after Vanya suspended you in the air. The next thing you knew, everyone was huddled around Vanya.

Then, Klaus tugged on your sleeve and pointed at the moon. Or rather, what was left of it; large chunks of rock were hurtling toward Earth.

"Oh, come on!" You cried.

"Wha.... oh no." Five looked like he suddenly aged ten years.

"What do we do?"

"At least we're together, as a family, in the end." Luther said mournfully.

There was a long pause. Then:

"This doesn't have to be the end."

Diego wrapped his arm around your waist, pulling you close, and pressing a kiss to your hairline.

"What are you saying, Five?"

He looked you in the eye and replied, "You gotta trust me on this."

Everyone chorused a no, but you remained silent, eyes never leaving his. Finally, you said, "We're all about to be vaporized anyway, we might as well try."

Diego sighed and nodded, "What's your idea then?"

______________________________________________________________________

Darkness and pain were the first two things you registered when you hit the ground. Then you realized that you were alone. And in an alley.

"Ma’am? Are you alright?" A tall man walked over to you and helped you up.

"A-accent." You murmured.

"What was that, miss?"

"Your accent.... where am I?"

He looked concerned. "You're in Dallas, Texas. Do you need some help?"

"No," you waved him off. "No, I'm fine. Thank you."

"Where are you going?" He asked as you we walking away.

You paused, then said, "To find my family."

______________________________________________________________________

You were on your way to your job at Glen Oaks Hardware when a crazed looking man grabbed your arm.

"Y/n?"

You yanked your arm out of his grasp, said "Not interested," and kept walking.

You were running late, again -Dave never let you live anything down- and couldn't afford to be harassed by men looking to sell something, again. You made it about fifteen paces before stopping short. You shook your head is disbelief. Spinning around, you saw him approach another Mexican women who shot him a confused look and blew right by him.

"Hey!" You ran over and gripped his shoulders tightly. "What did you say to me?"

"W-what?"

"Just now. What did you say?"

"I- Y/n."

You froze. "How did you know my name."

He looked nervous and hopeful and relived all at the same time. “The knife-man told me to find you."

Hope sparked in your chest.

"Knife-man?"

He nodded.

"Where can I find him?”

“Come with me.”

He led you into the building near the alley you arrived in nearly two years ago.

______________________________________________________________________

“Are you sure he’s coming back?”

Elliot gave you another exasperated, if not also mildly terrified look as you toyed with dark purple energy, letting it dance between your fingers.

“I told you. He said he was going to find his siblings, or his dad, or save the president.”

“At least he’s keeping busy.”

Elliot looked uncomfortable.

“That was a joke,” you clarified, “You can laugh. I’m not gonna kill you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I’m not afraid of you.” He pulled himself up a bit.

You suppressed a laugh and nodded, “No, of course not. I-“

The sound of a door opening caught your attention. You raised a purple hand and peeled over the railing of the second floor. What you saw made your heart stop.

“Diego,” you breathed.

As if sensing your presence, he looked up and dropped his knife in shock.

“Y/n?”

At the same moment, you flew down the stairs and into his arms, colliding with his chest and pressing your face into his neck. You breathed in his scent, sweat, metal, and something else distinctly Diego.

“I thought I’d never see you again.” His voice broke.

“I missed you so much.” You said, savoring the feeling of his large hands running up and down your back and sides.

Someone cleared their throat behind Diego. Pulling back, but not quite yet letting him go, you looked to see who else was standing in the foyer.

Your eyes widened. “Five?”

He gave you his classic this-might-as-well-happen-smile, and said, “Y/n, great news! We have another apocalypse to stop.”

A/n: thanks for reading! Let me know if you guys want me to continue this with more of season two :)

#x reader #tua #the umbrella academy #request #diego hargreeves x reader #number two x reader #number two #time travel #portals #allison hargreeves #tua five #number five #number one #number four #ben hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #number three #number seven #umbrella academy vanya #i wrote this instead of sleeping

[boogiewrites]

No.9: The Body

Chapter Two

Characters: Diego Hargreeves & OFC Eve Corpuz

Summary: Eve, once a rebellious runaway had turned her life around through the help of others to now be a doctor. She tries to return the favor these days. When a mysterious man keeps popping up in her life, what will her natural talent for healing become when it finally meets someone else with abilities like hers? Diego begins to suspect there’s something amiss with the doctor that’s been helping him...

Warnings/Tags: Injury/Blood/Medical. Nothing too graphic. Banter. Some KLAUS!

Click on my icon then go to my Mobile Masterlist in my bio for my other works and chapters. Please like, comment and reblog if you enjoyed it! It helps out us writers A LOT! If you’d like added to the tags, just let me know. This is a multi-chapter fic.

Another evening to herself, as per usual, this time she’d taken the initiative to reheat her leftovers instead of stuffing them cold into her face in front of the fridge. With headphones in, she bobbed, moving loosely around the kitchen without a care. This is probably why the sudden appearance of the same stranger, if you could even call him that at this point, threw her entirely off track as she launched the spatula in her hand to his bent figure, holding himself up on her kitchen counter.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Eve yells and she stumbles back against the opposite counter, headphone dangling around her neck as she fumbles blindly into a nearby drawer for a knife out of panic, “WHY ARE YOU IN MY APARTMENT? WAIT...HOW?”

“Ow.” is his response as his nose streams a tiny bit of blood into his facial hair.

“Sorry but I'll do it again if you try anything!”

“It’s ME!” he says clearly showing his face and motioning up and down to himself.

“That’s a little vague don’t you think?” she says back loudly, eyes still clearly wild.

“Sorry I- just needed help. I’m not gonna hurt you. I...kinda can’t right now.” he groans and she sees the blood covering most of his stomach now.

“Oh, shit, dude why didn’t you go to the hospital?”

“Well, you weren’t there were you?”

“Fuck’s sake,” she says holding her hand to her chest to feel her heart racing as she tried to calm down. She takes a deep breath, switching off the stovetop as she approached him. “You couldn’t have knocked?”

“Not really my thing…:”

“Neither is common sense it seems,” she mumbles and he grunts as she tries to examine him. “How did you know where I live?” she narrows her eyes at him. He was covered in sweat and clearly in a lot of pain from his pale face.

“Followed you.”

“Why were you following me?”

“You're the only real doctor I can trust. I needed your help didn’t I?” he sighs and slouches again, raising his shirt up to show multiple chunks missing.

“You need help alright. Shit…” she says moving to find her gloves in a cabinet. “Go...get in the bathtub, I’ll treat you there. Let me grab you some clothes.”

Only a nod and grunt in response as he headed into the bathroom.

She hands a pair of sweats and an old t-shirt that’ll easily fit him into the bathroom. “Leave your shirt off.” she says as she grabs her supply bag.

“I get that a lot.”

She lets a smile show as the door blocks their view of each other. He was a smart ass even in the middle of pain. She could relate to that. “I’m sure you do. Now let me know when I can come in.” A grunt serves as an answer and she enters, moving to help him and make as small of a mess as possible. An understanding of quiet rests between them as she works.

“NNGH--” he groans and bares his teeth as she digs to pull a slug out of his side. The damage was worse than she thought once she got closer. He hears the clatter of bullet pieces hit the metal bowl she has on the toilet next to the tub.

“Okay, Champ. You’re taking the pain well, the pills will kick in in a little bit.” She says sympathetically.

“You’re... good at this y’know.” he gives her a nod as she sews him up, a gentle touch despite being stabbed with a needle repeatedly.

“I’d hope so.” she lets out a huff of a laugh. “Thanks.” she offers up in politeness as they settle into a comfortable back and forth, the tension from before now gone as she was focused. AS she finished, she says, “I was wondering…?”

“Mmm?”

“Whats the bat cave-like? Does Bruce let you play with the toys?”

“Ha.” he gives in a deadpan delivery. “Very funny.” sarcastic heavy as always in their tone, but he actually meant it.

“Alright. That’s got you sewed up. This could’ve gone south really fast. Y’know.”  she says with more concern in her voice. “Since I keep saving you...can I know your name now? In case you kill me,  at least my ghost can try to solve the crime from behind grave. That  seems like a pretty cool afterlife.”

“Yeah, I’d watch that show.” He gives a grimace that was mean to be a smile. “I’m not gonna kill you,” he says defensively. “...M’Diego.” he sighs outs as she helps him stand. He already felt... better somehow. Maybe it was the pills.

“Oh, a little crime fighter like those kids in the 90’s huh?”

“Yeah..” he groans and averts his eyes.

“Sorry.” she chuckles. “You’re the only Diego I’ve ever met. Bad comparison?” she offers, nos wiping his face off with a cool cloth and he’s caught off guard by her closeness in his low blood leveled state.

“Nah he’s… okay, I guess,” he mumbles.

“I’ll clean this up, you go chill on the couch and I’ll be there in a second okay?”

“Kay.” He weakly answers. As soon as she turns on the showerhead to wash out the blood, he stumbles as he tries to support himself and she catches him.

“You are hurt bad aren’t you?” She says with real concern in her eyes and she helps him to the couch despite his weak protests to the contrary.  “Here.” she says helping him with his shirt then laying a blanket around his shoulders. “So...Diego…” she says, hands on her hips. “Tell me…” she pauses as he settles. “...do you like Chinese food?”

“Not where I thought you were going with that…”

“Well do you? You wanna eat?” she asks again moving into the kitchen.

“Weirdly, yeah.” he answers, eyes following her as she moved to go back to her former task of reheating food.

“This will help you deal with those pain pills easier. Soak it up a bit, instead of a straight shot of it.” she continues to feel him staring into her back as she moves around.

“Uh...thanks,” he says softly as she sits next to him on the couch.

“I’ll bill you later.”

He gives a tired smile and resituates to eat.

“You’ve lost a lot of blood. I would keep you for observation if we were at the hospital.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Gunshots are no joke. You’re lucky it didn’t nick your intestines.”

“That’s me... lucky.”

“Seems so…” she mumbles before pushing more noodles in her mouth. She watches him eat, good appetite for just getting shot, that was for sure.

“Not bad.” he says with a mouthful and a glassy look in his eyes that makes her chuckle.

“Help yourself if you want more. I have to get some sleep.” she stands and takes her plate with her.

“Oh, okay..well..uh...thanks..again.”

“Nah, nah, champ.” she says, a single hand keeping him on the couch.”You’re staying here. Because I don’t want you dying out there, alright?”

“I actually feel pretty g-”

“It’s the medication talking, you need to rest. But know...There are no weapons in this room but I have a gun in my bedroom and if you try anything I will not hesitate to use it.”

“Yes ma’am.” he nods and gives an almost cocky smile.

“Good.” she nods. “I have work and I’ll be up around 3, there are blankets and pillows all over in here, you’ll be able to get comfortable, just try not to bleed all over the couch if you can help it.”

“I’ll do my best... and if I think I’m dying?”

“Try to let me know so you don’t ruin the furniture please.”

He grins and gives an understanding nod. “I think I'll be fine.” he says through a yawn.

“Time’ll tell.” She stands one the doorway to her bedroom. “Night Diego. Don’t make me regret my hospitality.”

“I haven’t yet have I?”

“Jury’s still out. Get some rest.”

He waves a dismissive hand to her as he lays down on the couch. He seriously did feel better. Better than he should, he thought. But he was tired, and quickly that became his main focus. --------------

A tired but becoming more alert by the second Eve wafting her tea in front of Diego’s sleeping face. He looked almost childish despite the heavy 5 o clock shadow. His strong cheek and jaw gave an almost round appearance to his face. The smoosh of his cheek definitely didn’t hurt him looking less threatening.

“Diego.” She whispers as he begins to twitch. “Tea?”

“What’s..” he begins and quickly stops, looking around the room. “Oh. Uh, yeah.” He clears his throat and without much pain dramatization, he sat up and rubbed his face, taking the mug.

She sits with her mug clasped between her hands, on the other end of the couch

“This...what is this? It’s not good.”

She chuckles and looks his way.” It’s black breakfast tea. It has a little caffeine. Thought you could use it.”

He nods and looks into the mug, brow low but she couldn’t tell if it was from sleep or thinking.

“I’m gonna be leaving soon. If you don’t feel up to it, you don’t have to go. Since you can clearly break-in I figure there’s no point in telling you you have to leave.” She sips. “But I would request you don’t steal my stuff.”

“I’m not gonna steal anything.” he sleepily insists.

“I appreciate it.”  They sit as she enjoys her tea and the low noise from outside, the crossing of people just going to bed late, and others riding early are all that fills the quiet apartment.

“You’re a Doctor…”

“Uh huh.” She looks his way a bit confused at the sudden obvious statement

“You don’t act like any doctor I’ve known before. They’re usually dicks.”

“I try hard not to be a dick. So I’ll take that as a compliment”

“I mean, it was I guess. But you’re smart right? You gotta be to know all the...doctor stuff right?”

“Yes, college, med school, internships, residencies...did it all. I like to entertain the idea that I’m smart, yeah.”

“But...you’re being like… really, nice.” There's a Pause as she sees this as a rhetorical statement. “I mean you lied to the cops to help me.” He grins a bit and looks her way, breaking his thoughtful stare into nothing. “Why?”

She considers it a moment, looks twitching as she takes another drink. “I think...you remind me of me.” She answers and it’s one he didn’t expect. “I’ve been… maybe not in the same circumstances as you but I’ve at least been through some of the same consequences you have it seems. I’ve been injured and on the run. I would’ve really liked it if someone had given me the benefit of the doubt back then. So... I try to believe the best in people because that’s what I needed too.” It was an honest and heartfelt answer.

“You’ve been shot?”

“Shot AT.”

“But stabbed?”

“Stabbed? Yes.”

“What were you into? Tattoos make me think gang but none are from any I know.”

“I had some gang-related ones but I was never really, IN one ya know? I’ve got them covered up. It’s been a while since I’ve been that girl.”

“Seems like you’re still her to me.”

“How's that?”

“Wanted criminal hiding out and getting patched up in your apartment. You’re an accessory at least. Lying to the cops. Seems like you’re still her.” He picks at her but she doesn’t feel like he’s being judgemental. Not that he had the right to be.

“Yeah or maybe I’m just bad at making good decisions. Book sense and no common sense.”

“Nah. You’re plenty smart.”

“Thanks.” A calm smile is Shared briefly before they go back to their tea.  “Can I ask you personal questions now?” She means his way slightly.

“Shoot.”

“What do you do that keeps you getting hurt?”

“That is personal.”

“Well if you’ve done it this time and you’ve been in my ER twice, chances are you’re going to be interrupting my evening again, Hmm?”

“You are smart.”

“So for not just my safety, but also so I can effectively deny and deflect for either of us, can I know? I’m also plain old nosey at this point.”

“That’s… you’ve got a fair point.” He shrugs. “I’m a… private eye. Investigator.”

“I’ve not had one PI come in with injuries like yours.”

“Maybe I’m just a really good one and they aren’t.”

This makes her let out a laugh. “How could I have not considered that?” She rolls her eyes. “Are you a hitman? Because you dress like one. That or one hood away from a gimp.”

“Hey. My leather is NICE alright? Functional, stylish. Let’s people know what I’m about.”

“Wouldn’t a PI want to blend in?”

“Not one like me.”

“So you’re… self-employed? I don’t want to be involved in any government level bullshit alright?”

“Yeah people come to me when they need things… looked into.”

“You really sound like a hitman.”

“A vigilante. I’m the good guy. I help people with bad guys. Kay? I don’t go out looking to kill people.”

“They're certainly looking to kill you though.” She offers with an upturned hand as she rises.

“Yeah, the industry Christmas parties are real awkward.”

“Is the game always “dirty Santa” every year?”

He gives a small huff of amusement her way. “Yeah, sure.”

“So Diego… Let’s see those bandages.” She claps her hands.

“You could just ask for me to take off my shirt you don’t have to make excuses.” He smirks.

She ignores him as she’s getting the feeling this is just part of his personality. “There’s no blood somehow so don’t touch them 'til tonight okay? Don’t get them wet. Re bandage after a shower okay? You healed up from last time nice so you clearly know how to handle aftercare for wounds.”

“Oh yeah. I’m a professional.”

“For both of our sakes, I hope so.” She tugs his shirt back into place.

—

After she left, Diego was left alone and his curiosity got the better of him. Not liked he tried to fight the urge to go through Eve’s stuff in her absence, old habits die hard. —------- With his bloody clothes in tow, Diego makes his way to the apartment over the gym he and Luther now owned together. He’d bought out his old haunt, they met with branding people Allison suggested and he’d hated it all. He just wanted a place to train. Luther was thinking more business and long term, stability. Things Diego didn’t spend much time considering.

“Why are you in my apartment?” He barks out as Klaus sits with his feet up on Diego’s coffee table.

“I could ask you why you WERENT in your apartment.” He looks him over, piecing the story together. “You didn’t come back after a job, but you don’t look hurt, and you’re wearing...not your own clothes. But definitely no sex because you don’t have that puppy look in your eyes.”

“HEY! Stop acting like you know everything...and I don’t look like a puppy.”

“Yeah, that’s a definite no on the one-night stand option.”

He begins to throw Eve’s unisex clothing items off as he heads towards the shower.

“Diego? Have you ever done a… Fun Run for children’s charity before?”

“What the-? No, why?”

“Then why does your shirt claim otherwise?” Klaus holds up the old participation shirt Diego had been wearing.

“Why do you have to be so goddamn nosey. Why are you even here?”

“Five wanted a meeting tonight.”

“Ugh! Why?”

“Oh, you know him...probably something apocalyptic.”

“We agreed to no jokes about that. I get fuckin….it bothers me, man.”

“Alright, I don’t know why. He’s been very up his own ass the past few days.”

“When is he not?”

“Some people like it up the ass Diego. Don’t knock it til you’ve tried it.”

“Do you ever shut up?”

“I believe I’ve been told no but I couldn’t really hear them over my talking.”

“What do you WANT?”

“To know where you were.”

“I was busy.” he flatly answers.

“And with what,  pray tell?”

“The takedown went sideways. I got shot. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Look at that almost.. 2 and a half pack there.” Klaus points to Diego’s torso with fresh pink scars he assumed were far older and that his brother was, once again, is full of shit. “You seem to be doing just fine now.”

“Yeah...that’s kinda why I was gone.” Diego lets his hands run over the healed wounds on his stomach.

“Where’d you even get shot? I don’t see anything but reminders of your shortcomings.” He tickles at a scar on Diego’s side.

“Quit it.” He slaps Klaus’ hands away. “I got shot last night. Here. Like I said, and you would’ve heard that if you were listening.”

“I think someone got rufied and they’re too scared to admit it. It happens to the best of us b-“

“No. I know what I’m talking about! It was here. Now it’s healed.”

Klaus blinks thoughtfully at the spot his brother is furiously pointing to. “Where the fuck is it then?” he asks with a hand on his hip.

“There’s this doctor-”

“Pretty good fuckin’ doctor!”

“Right?! It’s happened twice now! I didn’t know if I was losin’ it or what the first time. But this healed even faster this time.”

“So we talkin’...aliens? Medical science experiments on the public?”

“That’s where I went to first-” he says seriously and Klaus rolls his eyes. “But she’s-”

“Oh SHE?”  he asks rhetorically in surprise. “Nice. Girl power." he holds up an ignored fist of solidarity.

Diego continues as if he hadn’t been interrupted. “I’ve checked her out man-”

“Bet ya have…” Klaus mutters.

“...she’s... normal. I can’t find shit on her.”

“Well as normal as having healing powers goes…”

Diego’s eyes shoot wide to his brothers whose body language of casual contemplation is opposite of Deigo’s.

“You think she..?”

“At this point, why the fuck not? I mean with…” he clears his throat as the delicate subject of Lila comes up. “She who will not be named... she had them... we didn’t know about her. Stranger things have happened.”

“Nah she’s not..” he begins but Klaus quickly sees the wheels turning in his brother's darting eyes.

“Is she not?” he offers with squinted eyes. “I mean if you’d done your detective work as well as you say you have-”

“I HAVE!”

“Then it seems as if it’s one of the more plausible options out of the bunch, hmmm?”

Diego says nothing but considers the advice. “I need to find out...but how.” a bit of an overdramatic delivery in Klaus’s opinion of the cliche line, but he answered with his usual cautiously optimistic tone when he gave this particular sibling advice. He was such a sensitive boy, after all, under all that leather.

“I have this wild idea... now here me out... but what if you...ya with me still? Good. Now, what if you… just ask her.” he delivers with a swing of his hand.

“Oh, hey!” Diego mocks the plan. “Yeah, do you happen to have superpowers?” he stops his mocking tone. “Because that would go SO well.”

“Ya either do somethin’ or ya don’t Diego. I’m overdue for a good sweat and this vibe you’re bringing in my space-”

“This is MY apartment!” he shouts.

“..my personal, space, is far too uptight for my brand right now so I’m gonna leave.”

“Good! That's what I’ve wanted this whole time. Thank you!”

“No problem, babe. You know I’d do anything for you, right?” he leans against the door frame with batting eyes only to add a bit more red onto the annoyed man’s face.

Diego reaches for the nearest object, “GetOutYouLittle-UNG!” he grunts as he throws it at Klaus’ head it’s caught with the door as he rushed it shut.

@jaegeeeeer​ @s-h-e-w-r-i-t-e-s​

#diego hargreeves #diego hargreeves fanfic #diego hargreeves fic #diego hargreeves fan fiction #david castenada #tua #The Umbrella Academy #tua fandom #tua fic #tua fanfic

[snezfics-n-shit]

Whumptober Day 6: Overheating

Fandom: Ace Attorney 

Characters: Godot, channeled!Mia Fey, Maya Fey (channeling Mia)

Notes: Post T&T, Mia is channeled and visits Godot in prison, sick!Godot is bad at excuses, Bridge to Turnabout spoilers abound

     There were times when less than ethical conditions within the legal system came to an advantage. Had this been any other circumstance, Godot would have been more than grateful some strings were pulled behind the scenes to earn him a conjugal visit so early in his sentence. Not this time, however. No amount of closure that came from his last trial would ever be enough for him to forgive Trite, no, Wright for waltzing back into the case with a fever of 102 and little regard for the consequences of such a stupid decision. Maybe it was also Godot’s fault, just a little bit, for being poorly dressed for the elements and recklessly approaching the ill attorney. No matter who was at fault, now was far from a good time for a visit from Mia Fey, albeit a channeled one, without a pane of security glass between them. 

Before Dahlia poisoned him five years ago, he could weather through a cold just fine. He would be met with some concern from Mia when she saw him making tea in the office lounge instead of one of his signature brews, but if he needed (and was allowed to) stay on his feet, he could manage. The poison stripped him of a lot since then, including his immune system. A cough became extended periods of wheezing. What might have been a low grade fever when he was Diego Armando was now a temperature that would land him in the hospital. Trite had no idea how good he had it.

Godot was too busy stewing in lingering resentment he hardly noticed the footsteps approaching his cell. It wasn’t like he could hear them well, anyway, with his ears being as clogged as they were. Months of impaired vision and he still lacked any heightened sentences he thought he would have by now. Maybe if that happened he could actually taste his breakfast this morning, or maybe that was more it being prison food than him having a cold. 

“Here he is, Miss Fey.” The guard’s voice was twice as muffled behind the door and became just barely more audible when he opened it to let the medium in. “Call if you two need anything, okay?”

Seeing Mia so obviously in a vessel that wasn’t hers made Godot almost wish he was allowed to stay completely blind. He couldn’t help but believe Maya was making a grave mistake in channeling her sister to see him like this. He already could not fathom why he was even allowed an estimated release he could realistically live to see. This visit was just too much more than he deserved and at the same time far less than what Mia deserved.

An awkward silence stole a minute of their time together. Just how do you say ‘I’m sorry I killed your mother to protect your little sister from the spirit of a serial killer’ or ‘I should have respected your abilities enough to trust the man you taught so well’ without completely wallowing in pathetic guilt or alternatively looking like an unapologetic asshole? 

“Ie’shSHCH! Ee’ssCHH!” 

Just like that, the silence was broken.

“Bless you.” Mia’s voice was too kind for Godot’s liking. Her tone sounded too unphased by the past trial’s events. Why wasn’t she chewing him out? She didn’t even need to chastise him for committing murder, Godot would take her just advising him to cover his mouth more adequately. 

“You dod’t have to do that.” Did Mia hear him sound like that? A double threat, congestion and hoarseness; he was really the picture of health today.

“It’s just, you know, manners.” She tilted her head. She was pitying him already, wasn’t she? “You don’t think I’d hate you so much that I wouldn’t bless you when you sneezed, do you?”

Um, yeah. Did she miss the part where her understudy proved he murdered her mother? 

“You should.” Godot croaked. 

“If I did, I wouldn’t be here.” 

Godot couldn’t stop her from cupping her hand at his cheek and he definitely couldn’t stop her from pulling away, looking horrified at what she had just felt.

“You’re on fire!” Mia gasped. “How long have you been sick?”

“Sick? Doh, I’b okay. Just, uh, the visor. It overheats sobetibes.”

“You can’t tell me that with a straight face when you sound this awful.” Without even asking, Mia stood up to find the medical kit that was kept by the rock hard cot Godot used as a bed. 

“Hey! Oh’dly the doc ca’d use that!” He lied, and clearly not convincingly enough to stop her. 

“If I’m charged for impersonating a doctor we can be here together, then.” Mia smirked, delicately pulling out the digital thermometer from the kit. “You’re going to keep this under your tongue. If you’re in as good shape as you say you are, you should have nothing to hide.”

Godot would have called her out for such a dirty trick, but he had already incriminated himself more than enough in less than a half hour. Before he could gather his thoughts on how he was going to explain whatever number Mia was bound to see, the thermometer had already slipped into his mouth.

“Mmph.” He grunted, reckoning if he pouted like this when he lived as Diego, Mia just might have called him adorable, punctuated with her trademark forehead kiss. Stupid visor, as if ‘overheating’ wasn’t enough.

“I told you,” Mia reached for the thermometer after it made the first beep, “if you’re healthy, you have nothing to hide.” Her teasing smile faded once she saw his temperature clearly displayed. “104!?” She raised her voice by accident, hurting Godot’s ears. “Sorry, sorry. Honey,” she called him as if everything that has happened never tossed a serious wrench in their relationship, “you’re really sick.”

“I told you. It’s the visor.” Stupidly, he refused to back down. “Just a cold a’dyway.” He muttered, further sabotaged by a fit of coughing that could only be followed by a few wheezes as he attempted to catch his breath.

“What happened to the man who would light up at the suggestion of me tucking you in with a hot cup of tea?” Mia held out her arm, waiting for Godot to give in and let her put him to bed already. 

“He died.”

“Is that so?” She raised a brow. “I didn’t know dying could make someone so stubborn. How come I’m still as cooperative as ever?” She pulled him up out of his chair, displeased at how easy it was to lead his weak body to the cot. He was either too sick to fight her off or there was still part of him that was eager to be taken care of. 

Godot’s vision faded in and out. First Mia was there, then she was out of sight, and now she was hovering over him with a cool washcloth she ran under his sink. Almost like a reflex, he smiled at the cooling sensation on his forehead.

“Yeah, that’s good.” He turned his head to face Mia and took her hand. “You dod’t have to stay here after today. ‘b probably co’dtagious.”

“We scheduled a week and I’m staying all week.” Mia insisted.

“Dow who’s stubbord?” 

“Still you.” She brushed his hair back with her fingers. “I’m just caring for the sick. Or are you trying to tell me your visor overheating is what’s contagious?”

“I’d say we’re past that poi’t. But what about your sister? Or do spirits thebselves catch colds?” 

“I have no idea, but no matter who gets sick, I think I’ll stick around longer; just for until it’s passed.”

“You sure she’ll be okay with that? Cad’t ibagide she was too happy about Dahlia overstayi’g her welcobe.” 

“Please, am I anything like Dahlia? I take offense to that.”  

“Sorry. Cad’t blabe you for that.” Yeah, maybe it wasn’t the best idea to imply his dead girlfriend was even slightly comparable to the serial killer who possessed her sister for days before being forcibly exorcised. 

“Trust me when I say Maya would want me to stay as long as you need me here, so sending me away for you to be all alone with a high fever would definitely upset her.” Damn, she was good at finding just the right spots of his cold heart that were still open to taking suggestions. “As long as you’re resting, it’ll be like I’m not even here.”

“But…”

“You still have ‘buts’?”

“But I wadt it to be like you’re here.” Godot begged. A faint sense of shame loomed over him for being so pathetic.

“So the good patient never died after all.” Mia planted a kiss on the top of his head. 

“Baybe a powerful bediub chaddeled hib.” 

“Get some sleep.”

#whumptober #whumptober 2020 #sickfic whumptober alt #sneezing #snez #snz #sneeze kink #snez attorney #im late again oofers #illness #illness stuff #illness kink #my writing

[mitchiemoo]

Close Up-Part 1 (Johnny Joestar x Reader)

Summary: You are an upcoming, young actress, starring in your first major film. For publicity, the studio suggests you begin a relationship with your co-star, British thespian Diego Brando. Reluctantly, you agree, and soon find yourself at odds with Johnny Joestar, former Hollywood star. After losing his career and the use of his legs, Johnny offers to help you achieve fame but cautions the price. Is it really the fame you want? Or something else?

Warnings: Explicit language

Word Count: 3,539

“Darling, I promise I’ll return. When I do, I will be a true gentleman, one worthy of your affection.” Diego’s eyes gazed intently into your own as he raised your hands to his lips and kissed them.

You gasped and stepped back in shock. “Oh, sir,” you said. “You needn’t earn my affection, for I have already given it to you. If I am to be the wife of a tailor, then so be it. Please stay.”

Diego rose to his feet and gripped your hands tighter. “No, I must go. I shall better myself to provide the life you deserve. My father was a cruel man, who worked my poor mother into an early grave. The day he died, I resolved to never become a monster like him.” His voice shook with emotion and you could hear the desperation in his voice. Tears pricked at the corners of your eyes, right on cue.

“They shall wed me to another man before you return. Search your heart, you know it to be true. What shall you do with your fortune then?”

A shout came from off stage. “Elena! Jonah is looking for you.”

Panic crossed Diego’s face as you snatched your hands from his grasp and turned away. “I’m sorry, I must leave now. Goodbye, Dorian.”

“Wait!” He called after you as you rushed off stage.

“Cut!”

You breathed a sigh of relief as the lights dimmed and the bell rang. It was hot. Oppressively so. Especially in your costume. Sweat soaked the back of your neck and the under layers of your dress stuck to your skin. No wonder Victorian women were so prone to fainting spells. The late 19th century dress you wore was exquisite and you admired yourself in the mirror while wearing it many times. But the skirts were extremely heavy and restricted your movements.

It was a relief when you plopped down on one of the prop couches scattered around the set. The ornate fan your character used in an earlier scene laid discarded on the spot next to you. You opened it and desperately fanned yourself.

“Would you like some water, miss?” One of the stagehands offered. You nodded and wiped at your teary eyes absentmindedly before you remembered you were wearing make-up. Oops. The stylist would not be happy with you.

“Good read today.” You looked up.

Your co-star, Diego Brando, stood in front of you, looking extremely disinterested. He had shed the dark blue coat he wore in the scene and rolled up the sleeves of his plain white button down. It looked like he barely broke a sweat. “Although, you should try to look more devastated. At least you didn’t forget your lines today.”

If he said that to you at the beginning of filming, you would’ve been fighting back tears. Now, you simply brushed it off. Diego Brando was a world-famous actor. He had been classically trained at the Royal Shakespeare Academy and performed in several critically acclaimed plays before his debut on the silver screen at age 19. Compared to him, you were nothing. This was your first major role and the extent of your training was reading Shakespeare aloud for your family as a child.

“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind.” You said through gritted teeth, picking at the intricate golden embroidery on your dress. The stagehand you sent to find water returned and you immediately began gulping it down.

You were surprised when he sat down beside you. He sighed and ran a hand through his golden blond hair.

“Look,” he started. “There’s a fundraiser tonight at one of the local art galleries and the studio wants us to go together, as a couple.”

You choked.

“Wh-what?” you managed to sputter out.

Diego rolled his eyes. “Don’t get too excited, alright? You’re not my type and frankly, I’m not attracted to you in the slightest.” He continued. “The producers and studio executives think this is a good way to get publicity for the film and help our, err, your career.”

You furrowed your eyebrows. Normally you would be insulted by Diego’s words but if working with him had taught you anything about him, it was his strong sense of pride. Nobody was good enough for Diego Brando, not even himself. Especially unknown, amateur actresses like you.

“How does going out in public with you help me, exactly?” You asked.

“Don’t sound so ungrateful, love. Thousands of other girls would kill to be in your position.” He spat and waved his hand dismissively. “We get photographed together, the press makes a fuss about ‘Diego Brando’s mystery girl’, who she is, where she’s from. The public wants to see more of our chemistry and go see the movie. The film’s a success, you’ll be named one of Hollywood’s most promising newcomers and a few months later, we quietly ‘separate.’”

You looked down at the ice in your glass, quietly mulling over Diego’s proposition. All you had to do was pretend to fawn all over him at award shows and fancy parties, where other famous actors and directors were, and your movie would draw crowds of people? It was too good to be true. The only downside you could think of was spending more time with Diego. Your lip curled in distaste.

“How long would this arrangement last?” You asked, tentatively.

“About six months.” He replied. “Like I said, everybody benefits. You get a handsome bachelor, I get free publicity, and the studio makes a bunch of money. Do we have a deal?” He extended his hand and smirked. You hesitated. Six months for a fruitful career and a lifetime of success? What could go wrong?

You shook his hand and were surprised by how firm his grip was. “Deal.”

“Smart move, darling.”

The bell rang again, signaling the end of the break. Diego stood up and offered you his hand again. You set the fan and empty glass aside and he pulled you up from your seat. “My driver and I will pick you up at 7. Dress code is black tie and please, don’t be late.”

He turned on his heel to walk back onto set. As you followed, you couldn’t ignore the growing sense of trepidation brewing in your heart. What could go wrong?

-

Shortly after filming ended that day, you took a cab back to your apartment and inspected your closet. Diego specified black tie, which meant a full-length evening gown, gloves, and jewelry. You had a few nice dresses from the department store, three of them full length. Sure, they wouldn’t be as elegant or glamorous as the Dior, Chanel, and Balenciaga gowns you’d see tonight but that just gave you something else to strive for. Maybe next time you would be the one wearing Chanel and turning heads.

You drew a cool bath and scrubbed your face and hair free of make-up and styling products. Of course, you were going to have to reapply them later but for the moment, you felt very refreshed.

Before you left the set that day, you asked your stylist to recommend some good salons in the area. Your hair and make-up skills were limited so you opted to have it professionally done. Diego made it sound like there would be photographers everywhere and you wanted to look your best.

The gravity of your situation didn’t really register until you were sitting in the stylist’s chair and staring at yourself in the mirror, that visceral moment when suddenly every blemish and flaw seemed magnified. Your stylist was a talkative lady with pink hair, but you were only half listening to what she was saying. This arrangement was only temporary, you reasoned, and then you would be free of him. But deep down, you knew you would never really be free of him.

For the next six months, you would be “Diego Brando’s girlfriend” and after you separated, you’d still be known as “that girl who dated Diego Brando” or “Diego Brando’s ex.” You came to Hollywood to make a name for yourself, to be admired for your work, to be remembered as something greater than “so-and-so’s ex.” When you left your hometown to become an actress, you knew the risks, but the rewards were better than any opportunity available there. You were patient, auditioning for minor roles at first and building up your resume until you decided to audition for a few major parts. Just when it seemed like your hard work was paying off, you made a deal with the devil, disguised as a charming British thespian.

“What do you think?” The girl chirped, breaking you out of your thoughts.

She definitely did a nice job. You barely recognized yourself. The make-up was tastefully done and not nearly as caked on as your usual “stage face.” She pinned your hair up in an elegant up do, which brought special attention to your face and kept the back of your neck cool. You nodded approvingly, tipped her well and headed back to your apartment to finish getting ready.

-

As promised, a limousine pulled up to the front of your building at exactly seven o’clock. It seemed Diego was a punctual man and you had to admit he looked handsome in his gray, three-piece Armani suit. He greeted you curtly when you slid into the back with him and then immediately started dictating how the night would go.

“So, when we pull up to the gallery, there will be a lot of cameras flashing, alright? I get out first, then I help you out, like the gentleman I am.” Diego eyed you in your pale blue dress like a jeweler appraising a gemstone. “You look decent enough, I suppose. I’ll buy you the dress next time although they won’t really be paying attention to you.”

You frowned. “Isn’t that the whole point of this?”

“Relax, love, you have six months to catch their attention.” He crooned. “Just think of this as acting experience. If you want to be as big a star as me someday, you’ll have to get used to the flashing lights, invasive questions, and lack of personal space.”

You looked out the tinted windows at the passing streetlights. You imagined them as eyes peering into the dark leather interior, prying into your innermost thoughts. If what Diego said was true, when you were famous and in the public eye, every move you made was picked apart by paparazzi, who descended like a kettle of vultures. One wrong move and you’d be vilified. If something that was meant to stay private leaked out, there would be an outcry of scandal that could, depending on what it was, jeopardize your whole career.

Another thought suddenly crossed your mind. “Diego,” you said. “Are you going to kiss me?”

He tensed beside you. “Err, probably not. The most I’d do is hold your hand or put my arm around you like this while we’re sitting.” You felt his arm snake around the back of the seat. “Even in my real relationships, I don’t care for too many public displays of affection. I don’t think it’s very professional, really.”

You nodded thoughtfully. “I agree and I feel it’s ‘too soon’ in the relationship to do that. This is our first public event together, after all. Let’s leave them wanting.”

“What’re you thinking?”

“I’m thinking less is more. The press would go wild for a picture of us kissing, especially if we never do it.” You said. “Let’s fuel the fire and make them fan the flames.”

The glow of the passing streetlamps illuminated Diego’s face, casting it in shadow. A glint caught in his eye. “I like the way you think.”

The limousine jerked to a stop and suddenly you were very aware of your department store dress, hand-me down pearl necklace, and $70-dollar hair do. You swallowed and gripped at the small clutch purse you brought. Diego had told you what to do. Smile and look pretty, let him lead you to the door. The hardest part was getting inside. If this was the kind of fame you wanted, you couldn’t let the people and flashing lights overwhelm you.

Diego was a shrewd operator. Every movement he made was calculated and perfected, so it appeared seamless. For you, everything was a blur of faces and cameras and people shouting over each other. You were pretty sure you heard “Diego!” and “Who’s that?” over the commotion. This time, Diego’s firm grip was comforting, and you concentrated on the back of his blond head as he led you down the concrete path.

Your heels clicked on the white marble flooring of the entrance way and you breathed a sigh of relief. Diego let go of your hand and scanned the room. “That went well.” He said. You inspected your palms and saw little crescents indented in the skin. “Do you ever cut your fingernails? They’re like claws.”

“Oi, I clip my fingernails once a week like everyone else. They just grow fast is all.” Diego said defensively. “You have a death grip like a construction worker. Maybe you should’ve done that instead of acting.”

You rolled your eyes and looked around. The gallery was large and open with white marble floors lined with royal blue carpets, and cream-colored walls decorated by avant-garde paintings. A large set of double oak doors was at the end of the room. Fellow guests milled around the entryway in groups, but you didn’t see anyone you would recognize.

“What’s this fundraiser for, anyway?” You asked.

Diego shrugged. “No idea. I just got the invitation in the post and saw Steven Steel’s name on it. Figured it’d be a good excuse to dress up and eat fancy food with other rich people.” Your stomach growled when he mentioned food. The last thing you ate was a handful of blueberries and a soggy sandwich on set that afternoon. You were starving.

He offered you his arm, which you took, and led you through the double doors into the main showroom. You glanced around at the various tables along the floor and spotted several famous faces. The man with the tall silver-blond hair was French actor Jean-Pierre Polnareff and sitting next to him was the famous Egyptian magician Mohammed Avdol. At the table next to theirs was the famous British fashion model Lisa Lisa, impeccably poised and smoking a cigarette in a fancy holder. A few people turned in their seats to look at you and Diego as you passed.

“Ugh, look who’s at our table.” You heard Diego scoff.

You were shocked.

It was Johnny Joestar.

The Joestars were basically Hollywood royalty and Johnny was no exception. Dubbed “Joe Kid” by his fans, Johnny was the face of young Hollywood, an All-American country boy with cute dimples and a youthful face. He made a name for himself playing the righteous young cowboy protagonist in Western action films, the hero who saved the girl and brought justice to a lawless landscape. Everyone knew him and it seemed like his star would only grow brighter.

Until the accident happened.

It was about a year ago. The papers said Johnny was on a walk with his girlfriend one evening when a crazed fan came up from behind and shot him in the back. He lived, fortunately, but was paralyzed from the waist down and would need to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life. The studio abruptly ended his contract and he hadn’t been seen or mentioned since.

“Joestar,” Diego hissed. He pulled out your chair and pushed you into the table before taking his place beside you. The three of you were the only ones there, so far, and Johnny sat across from you in his wheelchair. It struck you how different he looked in real life. His tousled blond hair reached his shoulders now and for someone known for his dimples, it seemed like a scowl was permanently etched on his face.

Johnny sneered. “Ugh, I should’a known you’d be here tonight, Diego. Never could resist an opportunity to boot lick.”

You knew Johnny and Diego had a history. They had been rivals, once, before Johnny’s accident. They competed for roles, awards, and the hearts of beautiful women. Diego held nothing but contempt for his former rival. He claimed Johnny didn’t have a shred of talent and used the Joestar name to get his roles instead of working hard to earn his fame, like he had. “I came from nothing” he was so fond of reminding you. The feeling was mutual, at least from what you read. Johnny once called Diego “a stuck-up prick who should go back to community theater.”

“Who invited you, anyway? I thought it was clear no one wanted you around since you lost your legs.” Diego said.

You bit your lip and looked down at your lap. Should you say something? Diego could be a heartless bastard, you knew that. Honestly, you felt for Johnny. This man had lost everything. What happened was an accident, he didn’t deserve to get shot, no matter how much the media tried to demonize him.

You gently touched his arm. “Diego, dear, be nice.” You implored, batting your eyelashes for effect. “Please, for me?”

Johnny narrowed eyes and turned his pale blue gaze towards you. They were much more intense in person and once again you were aware of how insignificant you were compared to people like him. “Who’s this?”

Diego looked at you with a simpering smile and draped his arm over the back of your chair, like you’d practiced in the limousine. “This is my new girlfriend.” He replied. “Jealous?”

Johnny regarded you for a moment. “Lemme guess, you’re his co-star? What’s your name?”

You told him and reached over to shake his hand. “It’s so nice to meet you, Mr. Joestar. I’m a big fan of your work.”

You weren’t lying. If any singular actor inspired you to finally move to Hollywood and pursue your dream, it was him. Westerns were far from your favorite genre but if Johnny Joestar was starring in it, you’d drag your family to see it anyway. It was surreal for you to be so close to him.

He nodded politely and shook your hand. You were surprised by how rough and calloused his palms were. “You must be new. I’m not familiar with any of your roles.”

“Yes, this is my first major role. I was very excited when I found out I was going to be working with Diego Brando.” You said. “I’ve learned so much from him.”

“This movie is going to be a hit.” Diego cut in. “Darling, you’re such a captivating actress, everyone will adore you.”

“How long have you two been together?” Johnny asked.

“Two weeks.” Replied Diego.

Johnny went quiet for a moment, inspecting his fingernails intently. “I see,” he said. “Sleeping with Diego is a smart career move. Come up with it yourself?”

An indignant “what” was all you could manage as color bled across your cheeks.

Johnny wasn’t fazed at all. “Listen, I don’t much like lyin’ to people, so I’ll tell you this. When I look at you, I don’t see ‘star material.’ You got a decent figure and a marginally pretty face but nothing about you stands out. They don’t care how good your acting is, it’ll never be good enough for the kinda fame you want. You can be a good actress, but you’ll never be a star.”

You were fuming. Absolutely livid. Who did he think he was? He didn’t know you! He was just bitter. Jealous of the fact that you had a promising career when his ended prematurely. At first, you felt bad for him. Now? You couldn’t even look at him without seeing red.

“You’re better off this way, promise.” Johnny continued, though you could barely hear him over the thundering of your own heart in your ears. “Nobody in this town gives a shit about you when you stop making them money. They’ll turn you out on your back the minute you can’t be their ideal person. The price of fame isn’t worth it.”

You weren’t listening anymore. Any sympathy you had for Johnny and his situation was completely evaporated by the heat of your anger. Diego and the media were right. He was an asshole. Another person to prove wrong. Your movie would be a success. Over the next six months, you’d endear yourself to the public, charm the Hollywood elite and once you secured your place, he’d see how wrong he was.

“Oi mate, you can fuck off.” Diego interjected.

“Eat shit.”

You shot up from your chair and grabbed your purse off the table. “Excuse me, I’m going to the bathroom.” You said quietly, desperately trying to keep your voice from cracking. Your throat felt tight and tears gathered at the corners of your eyes as your emotions boiled over. At least the next time you needed to cry on command, you could think back on Johnny’s words, which still echoed inside your skull. They stung. A lot. And as you hurried through the maze of tables, all you could think about was how true they might be.

-

This is my first time posting on tumblr and I was really excited to share this! Hope you enjoyed it. My inbox is open so if you have any comments or feedback, I’d love to hear it. Even if you just want to chat, I’d love to get to know the community.

#jjba #jojo's bizarre adventure #johnny joestar x reader #diego brando x reader #johnny joestar #diego brando #jjba x reader #mitchie's writing

[in-tua-deep]

I know you shared some ideas of what it would be like if Five turned even younger (but still is mentally 58) and how the rest of the Hargreeves deal with it but let me raise you Five comes back from the apocalypse early and is still mentally a teenager and how the Hargreeves deal with it

oh you’re VALID okay so in an au where Five only stays in the apocalypse for like, less than a year - 

He pops back in the day of Reggie’s funeral and he’s fucking. Filthy. Has his apocalypse clothes on. Might have one or more article from the original uniform but unlikely more than that, just fucking covered in ash and apocalypse grime.

Also immediately starts just bawling when he sees his siblings?? Half out of relief that it fucking WORKED and half because honestly the trauma of seeing his siblings very dead bodies and having to deal with that is super super fresh and it’s a fucking lot to deal with

Unlike adult Five I figure he’d be super touch starved but not touch averse quite yet so you know what that means?? He can’t stop touching his siblings to reassure himself that they’re there, they’re alive, he got back, this isn’t all a fever dream. He probably launches himself at one of them from the get go and just gets apocalypse grime over everything - it’s super weird for the siblings because Five used to be pretty standoffish as an actual kid but you don’t understand apocalypse baby Five is so beyond giving a fuck what people think of him they can choke on an ash storm if they say something

Is a whole lot more open about everything regarding the apocalypse and they’re more inclined to believe him considering he. You know. Is covered in ash, fell upon the food in the kitchen like a starving animal, and is super super obviously traumatized

cannot be left alone. This is literally non negotiable like they try and exit to the next room over to discuss while Five eats or something and he literally has a panic attack and freaks out. He WILL grab onto someone and refuse to let go and doesn’t care if he’s being childish because he’s been alone in isolation for fucking months with no human contact and honestly there’s a big fear that if he lets his siblings out of his sight they’ll fucking Die so, you know

in response the whole family just decides to become super protective over this half feral child because holy shit. It’s Five. He’s still like, thirteen. He’s super traumatized and needs an adult and comfort and they are NOT going to let their tiny brother go off on his own are you kidding??

This Five doesn’t like coffee. Sorry lads, but he’s 13 and the apocalypse doesn’t exactly have a starbucks on the corner or anything, I headcanon he got his coffee addiction in the commission so that’s that. He DOES however drink alcohol which freaks his siblings out, but honestly the surviving bottles of alcohol are safer to drink than the ash infested water sources he could find sooooo

Hates being called a kid actually probably more than regular Five, because he’s a TEENAGER he’s NOT A KID ANYMORE and he SURVIVED THE APOCALYPSE, DIEGO. I mean as soon as kids turn thirteen they think they’re hot shit but also he counters with the fact that his brothers and sisters are so old. They’re ancient. Dinosaurs. Practically senior citizens.

Klaus joins in and says they have one foot in the grave and Five freaks out all over again because they’re going to DIE and he needs to stop that at all costs and everyone tiptoes around it after that for a while

Thinks aloud, a habit I think he had in the original apocalypse but trained himself out of in the commission to keep his agenda secret but in this au never had a reason to stop. So just. Narrates his thoughts and emotions out into the universe which is great for communication but also really terrible because he just casually drops a bunch of fucking bombs about the reality of living in the apocalypse when he just casually compares his situations or is just casually like “Allison’s hair looks nice, I didn’t realize it was colored because of all the ash I think, but she definitely looks nicer alive than she did dead” and they have to fucking deal with that

More playful than your regularly scheduled Five, absolutely euphoric about seeing his family again since he hasn’t had long enough for his goal to warp too far from “get back to family” into “stop the apocalypse no matter what” because I have a lot of thoughts about that and how over the years the goal of saving his family and stopping the apocalypse became interwoven

Manages to prevent the apocalypse by just making his family protective as all fuck of him and because Five never found Vanya’s body he wants to keep her close (change the timeline fuckers) and so she gets to be included

Doesn’t know about the Commission so is just as confused about these people trying to kill him as the rest of the family is and these people are shooting at their baBY BROTHER HOW DARE and now there’s some added bad times with Five thinking that him hanging around is putting his family in danger and they have to talk him down from going off alone (which,, he really didn’t want to do in the first place so it isn’t as difficult to talk him down as it could have been)

but yeah tiny actually thirteen traumatized Five just doing his darn best and not quite understanding why all his siblings are 100% willing to hang around him and let him hug them and why they’re so protective of him but honestly he’s been on his own for a while and it makes a nice change of pace not having to worry about the little things anymore

#ask me #anonymous #five hargreeves #number five #tua #the umbrella academy #my rambles #short stay au

[nico-drives-badly]

Deleted Scene from Chapter 12

While writing Chapter 12, I wrote a humorous scene between Rose and Abuela that served as a formal introduction to their characters. Although this scene ended up being cut from the final version, it did serve as a great character development exercise, and Chapter 12 simply wouldn’t have been the same without it.

So, since I love this deleted scene to pieces and I still have it saved in my notes, I’ve decided to share it on Tumblr with you guys...as a treat. ;)

(Note: this scene follows the same timeline of events as the rest of Chapter 12, and takes place between sections 1 and 2.)

For Rosalinda “Rose” Martínez, family always came first. Whether it was corralling her younger siblings, helping her parents run Novela del Lago as the bookstore clerk, or visiting her grandmother every weekend in Tumult City, Rose was willing to drop everything to provide and care for her familia. After all, it’s what they had always done for her; she’d be a hypocrite and fool not to do the same.

That was why, when news of the infamous Red Zone breach made its way to Novela del Lago, Rose immediately climbed into her run-down Mustang and drove straight to her grandmother’s apartment in Tumult City. Rose knew it was dangerous — beyond dangerous — to enter the city during a Red Zone advisory, but she refused to let that stop her. After all, her beloved 81-year-old abuela was in danger.

And there was nothing that Abuela loved more than danger.

Rose arrived in downtown Tumult City at around 2:00 PM, only to find that the once bustling suburbs were now crumbling to ruins. The city streets were devoid of all traffic, the buildings reduced to rubble, and its infrastructure uprooted and mangled far beyond the point of repair. It looked like something from the apocalypse, the damage was so unreal.

Rose let out an irritated groan as she pulled up to the virtually abandoned apartment complex. Of course Abuela would be the only one dumb enough to stick around; knowing that stubborn old woman, becoming the sole survivor of the apocalypse was probably on her bucket list. Thankfully, Abuela’s neighborhood was left untouched by the demon’s destruction, which offered a small inkling of relief. They still had time to evacuate...for now.

Thanking her lucky stars, Rose exited her Mustang and scurried up the stairs to Abuela’s apartment on the 5th floor, where she frantically pounded on the door.

“Abuela!” Rose shouted through the doorway, hoping and praying that she could hear her. “Abuela, open up!”

Rose heard Abuela’s raspy yet surprisingly strong voice sound from the other side: “Who is it?”

“If I called you ‘Abuela’, then it’s probably your granddaughter,” Rose replied in a sing-songy tone, a vain attempt of masking her growing agitation.

“Ah, Rosa!” Abuela exclaimed, laughing heartily despite Rose’s annoyance. “I thought that was you. Come in, dearie! The door’s unlocked.”

“Of course it is,” Rose grumbled under her breath, before begrudgingly turning the doorknob.

Abuela’s apartment was nothing to brag home about, but it did house some of her family’s most precious heirlooms, having been passed down through many generations. In Fidelis — Abuela’s native country — it was believed that once their ancestors departed from this world, they had only the legacy of those who remember them to keep them alive; once their legacies faded, so too did their souls. Rose wasn’t too sold on the concept, but she did respect her grandmother’s dedication to keeping her family’s stories and traditions alive. Still, in the back of her mind, Rose couldn’t help but wonder: what would happen to those old souls if the demon destroyed this place…?

Rose shook the thought from her head, however, and marched straight up to her grandmother, who was in the midst of reading a extremely erotic magazine that probably had their ancestors turning in their graves.

“Abuela, we need to get you out of here,” Rose warned her. “Before it’s too late!”

The urgent message didn’t seem to faze Abuela one bit; in fact, she just kept skimming through her article (or what Rose assumed to be an article) without even glancing up at her granddaughter.

“Abuela!” Rose scoffed.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity to her frazzled granddaughter, Abuela lowered the magazine just slightly from her face and glanced up at Rose, a playful gleam in her warm brown eyes.

“What’s that, dearie?” Abuela asked loudly, smirking a little. She loved to mess with her little nieta, as much as she knew it drove her crazy. “You’ll have to speak up!”

“Oh, I know you can hear me,” Rose replied snidely, placing her hands sternly on her hips.

But Abuela merely laughed in response, which only seemed to aggravate her granddaughter even more. “Oh, Rosa, you are just like my hijo — always taking things so seriously! Careful, dearie, or you’ll get his frown lines, too!”

“Abuel-aaa!” Rose whined. “This IS serious! There’s a huge demon boss on the loose, and it’s already destroyed most of the city! If you stay here, you’ll get killed!”

Abuela cackled in response. “Oh, Rosa…did you seriously think I didn’t know about el demonio? I listen to those police scanners every day! Trust me, I know exactly what I’m getting into. They didn’t call me ‘The Nightmare of El Diablo’ for nothing!”

“That was also 30 years ago!” Rose reminded her grandmother none-too-gently. “Face it, Abuela, you can’t protect yourself like you used to. Your life is literally at stake!”

Abuela finally put down her magazine and crossed her arms playfully at Rose, raising a knowing eyebrow. “And yet here you are, driving straight into a Red Zone just to check on me! For being so similar to your spineless father, you sure have your abuela’s bravery, don’t you?”

/Here we go again,/ Rose groaned internally.

Abuela proceeded to lecture about Rose’s career choice in that bittersweet, passive-aggressive tone she always did: “If only my dear Diego taught you about the sword like he did all those books...you would’ve made a great devil hunter, Rosa!”

“Yeah, I’ll stick with my Demonology degree with a concentration in anatomy and physiology, thanks.” Rose gave her grandmother a steely glare.

“And just where has that big, fancy degree or yours gotten you?” Abuela rolled her eyes in response. “A dead-end job at your father’s bookstore?”

Rose’s face turned as red as her namesake at the comment. As much as she hated to admit it, Abuela did have a point. “Well...I...uh...”

Suddenly, an ear-splitting demonic screech echoed through the city streets and rattled the apartment. Panic rising in her chest, Rose turned towards the window just in time to see the Hydra slither past, its eight basilisk heads snapping furiously at anything that drew near.

“Look, can we talk about my life choices when we’re NOT in imminent danger?” Rose replied finally, cutting the argument short. “We need to get out of here!”

Abuela opened her mouth to speak, but a sudden screech from the Hydra drowned her out. The serpent demon had slammed one of its eight heads into the building beside theirs, raining down tons upon metric tons of concrete on the left side of their apartment. The impact made the whole building shake like a magnitude 10 earthquake, but thankfully, the apartment itself remained structurally sound. One more high-pitched screech, and the Hydra began to slither away, retreating towards the opposite end of the street.

But Abuela remained as calm and collected as ever, and she gave her granddaughter a mischievous wink. “Who says we’re in danger?”

Abuela stood abruptly from the sofa and walked purposefully to the wine cabinet beside the windowsill, swiftly unlocking it and revealing its contents to Rose. Unbeknownst to anyone in the family, Abuela kept all of her old devil hunting weapons locked in this cabinet, even after they demanded her to get rid of them.

Needless to say, Rose’s eyes shot open like gunfire when she saw Abuela’s arsenal: several long rifles, an assortment of pistols, a fully-loaded crossbow, and a fancy dagger locked in an ornate case. What was perhaps even more disconcerting, however, was that every single weapon was fully locked and loaded, and she still had several rounds worth of ammo to spare. How Abuela managed to fit all of this in such a small wine cabinet was anyone’s guess; personally, Rose was betting on witchcraft.

“You really thought I’d throw away my devil arms?” Abuela cackled at her granddaughter, her brown eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree with excitement. “Over my dead body!”

Abuela quickly began to raid through the cabinet. “Now get over here! We’ll both need a weapon if we want to protect ourselves.”

“Wait, what?!” Rose gaped. “I don’t know how to use that stuff!”

“Ah, don’t be silly, Rosa! I taught you how to use a crossbow, remember?” Abuela reminded her.

“Yeah, when I was 10!” Rose countered.

Abuela chucked the fully-loaded crossbow across the room right at Rose’s face, but she thankfully caught it without getting stabbed.

“Then it’s time to brush up, dearie!” Abuela winked at her granddaughter, giving her a devilish smirk.

Rose was absolutely fed up, at this point, and she furiously tossed the crossbow aside. Before Abuela could even protest, Rose grabbed her by the arm and forcefully dragged her towards the door, since was already carrying a pistol and the encased dagger in her hands.

“Abuela, we’re not fighting. We’re leaving.” Rose told her sternly. “Now drop the gun and come on already!”

“But, dearie…!”

“Don’t ‘dearie’ me!” Rose snapped. “I don’t care how young you think you are. You’re retired, and you should leave the devil hunting to the professionals...the WORKING professionals.”

“If I hadn’t blown out my shoulder at 55, I’d still be working!” Abuela retorted. “And until I shake hands with Sparda himself, I’ll be damned if I run from a challenge!”

“You’ll be damned if you don’t!” Rose cried incredulously, before resuming to drag Abuela towards the door. “Now, come on, we’re getting out of he—“

CRASH!

All of a sudden, the apartment window shattered, sending shards of glass flying in all directions and causing both of them to jump. The culprit: a peculiar sword with almost motorcycle-like modifications, complete with exhaust pipes and a brake handle. The blade appeared to have been stripped down to its bare bones — most likely to make room for the new attachments — and the only remnant of its original design was a small etching of a rose towards the blade’s hilt, half-hidden by the added handle.

They didn’t have much time to admire it, however. Just seconds after the sword crashed through the window and skidded across the floor, a young man with stark white hair came tumbling in after. Rose screamed as the man crash-landed into the apartment, barreling straight into the sofa and launching it clear into the wall before finally rolling to a stop in front of them. The sofa struck the wall with an insane amount of force, for the record, creating spider web-like cracks in the wall and leaving behind a massive dent.

Now, Rose might’ve preferred fantasy novels over textbooks, but she knew how physics worked; if a human was somehow able to body-slam into their couch with the force of a semi-truck, something definitely wasn’t adding up. This shouldn’t have been humanly possible...unless...

Abuela, on the other hand, looked like she had just seen the face of royalty. That white hair...it was unmistakable!

“The blood of Sparda,” Abuela whispered in awe, her brown eyes welling up with happy tears.

Meanwhile, the young devil hunter slowly stood to his feet, grunting softly. Abuela gasped like a fan girl as Nero, grandson of the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda, casually brushed the dirt out of his hair and plucked the stray glass shards off of his jacket. Nero, noticing the pair, slowly turned around to face them and greeted them with an awkward half-smile.

“Sorry for barging in,” Nero chuckled nervously, walking over to his sword and returning it to its sheath as Rose and Abuela’s eyes followed his every move. “I would’ve called ahead, but you know...Hydras don’t accept quarters.”

“S-sparda...you’re of the blood of Sparda!” Abuela finally found the courage to speak, fighting back the urge to squeal with every fiber of her being. She never thought she’d truly have the honor to see any of Sparda’s kin in the flesh…

Nero scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “Technically, I’m his grandson...but yeah, I guess you could say that.”

Another roar from the Hydra outside beckoned Nero’s attention back to the battlefield, and he began to make his leave. “Look, I’d love to stay and chat, but I gotta get back to V and Umbra. Sorry about the mess.”

Rose’s eyes widened in an instant. V? As in, V from the bookstore? The same V who wrote those notes in the back of that book…the same book that said “property of Vergil Sparda” on the cover…?

Nero quickly began to rattle off the Devil May Cry damage policy as he walked towards the window, with each sentence faster than the last: “Devil May Cry is not responsible for property damages directly caused by demons, and will only reimburse employee-related damages. All legal inquiries must be sent bymailtoourmainbranchinRedGrave, MakeoutallcheckstoDanteSparda, voidwhereprohibited, thaNKYOUHAVEANICEDAY!”

The young devil hunter shot a quick finger-gun in their direction before jumping out of the window, the sudden and apparent decision to fall to his death causing Rose to yelp. Less than a second later, however, Nero summoned his winglike spectral arms from his back and soared upward, returning to their plane of vision as he flew towards the Hydra in the near distance.

Rose and Abuela’s jaws were practically scraping the floor of the apartment, at this point, they were in so much shock. After a moment or two of silence, however, Abuela simply couldn’t hold back her excitement anymore; she squealed.

“It’s THE blood of Sparda, Rosa! The REAL blood of Sparda!!” Abuela grabbed Rose’s shoulders and shook her violently as she spoke, her brown eyes glistening with excitement. “I’ve waited nearly 40 years to see his bloodline in battle! Come on, dearie, we can’t afford to miss this!”

Abuela hastily gathered her assortment of weapons and scurried out the door, but for once, Rose didn’t try to stop her. Rather, she followed right at her grandmother’s heels, taking care to lock the door behind them before scurrying down the apartment stairs.

Rose knew from the beginning that there was something special about that boy. And if he truly was what Rose thought he was...she had to see it for herself.

#life rewritten #deleted scene #nico writes

[spellburdened]

( introduction ) 

･ﾟﾟ･｡ ( diego tinoco, demi boy, he/him/they/them ) — 𝒉𝒐𝒈𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆 REGULUS BLACK, the EIGHTH year RAVENCLAW student ! i hear that the EIGHTEEN year old is known to be OBEDIENT and INTUITIVE and also very RETICENT and SELF SACRIFICING. however, if you ask me, the fact that they are a HALFBLOOD and leaning towards the side of the DEATH EATERS is a lot more telling.

basics

full name: regulus arcturus black

age: eighteen

gender: demi boy

pronouns: he/him/they/them

hogwarts house: ravenclaw

hogwarts year: eighth

extracurriculars: substitute seeker for ravenclaw, slug club

mbti: isfq

amortentia: the smell of tea brewing, fresh dew in the morning, and the smell of a wood burning fire

boggart: being trapped in a cage

patronus: non-corporal

history:

your story begins with an eighteen year old witch from a once noble pureblood family with old money, but the money was running out, and they were falling from grace. whenever her parents met a bulgarian wizard from a prestigious family with money, they didn't even consider their daughter's feelings, or the fact he was old enough to be her grandfather when they agreed to the betrothal. he wanted to marry her for the chance to get a son his previous wives had been unable to provide him with, and he had the money to allow her family to continue living in their charade of wealth and power, in short, he was their savior. while the wedding was the thing of her parents dreams, your mother was miserable. she'd believed in a little thing called love, and another called romance, and a loveless marriage with a man she couldn't stand, well, it was anything but what she'd dreamed of. he wasn't home often, a merchant who traveled to sell his wares, and she only found relief in his absence, but even then, in a rural home, loneliness was her only company. as fate would have it, love can be found in the strangest of places, and your mother found it in the form of a muggleborn dragon trainer from the united states, the man who would be your father. the pair met in the market where she shopped for ingredients, and although she knew she shouldn't, she started to fall for the dragon trainer with a smile that melted her heart, and he started to fall for the married witch with a heart of gold. it didn't take long for the emotional affair to turn physical, and before she even knew what was happening, she found herself pregnant with you, and her dragon trainer gone back to america with the promise to return. for eight months, she held out hope he would return, and in the interim, she played her husband for the fool, convincing him you were his own child. your mother was nearing the end of her pregnancy when a knock on the door came in the middle of the night while her husband was away, and at the door, her dragon trainer, your father, prepared to whisk her and you, their unborn child, away to his home, and to a new life. if things had gone their way, you would have never been regulus black, and you never would have found yourself with the impression of a dark mark upon your arm. alas, things didn't turn out as they'd hoped, and before they could leave, her husband arrived home early from his trip and caught them together. enraged, he killed your father, and your mother watched as her dear dragon trainer died right in front of her. the stress of her loss, and the hopelessness of the situation left her bedridden, and she was helpless as your father was buried without so much as a word of remembrance, fated to lie in an unmarked grave, forgotten. if it wasn't for you, your mother might have died of heartbreak, but she had to live for you, the only thing she had left of her dragon trainer. you came two weeks early, the spitting image of your father with the exception of your smile, which was entirely your mothers.  holding you in her arms, your mother smiled for the first time in weeks, whispering promises of a life full of love, and stories of your father, and that you would both go far far away from here. unfortunately,  once her husband caught sight of you, those promises became unfulfilled dreams. you were no son of his, and in his eyes, your mother's betrayal was now unforgivable. he took you from her arms, as she cried and begged, and you never saw her again. no one ever saw her again. with no wife, and a bastard child he wanted nothing to do with, your mother's husband was left with the trouble of figuring out what to do with you. it was only due to your mother's pleas for mercy for you that in the end he found a family to take you in with a few lies, namely your origin and your status,  and with this new family you had a new name: regulus arcturus black. you may be the son of walhburga and orion, the brother of sirius, but your story has a much more complicated beginning than that. but that's your life, isn't it? a complicated beginning, a complicated middle, and inevitably, a complicated end. it's your destiny, it's your curse.  

being raised in the noble and most ancient house of black, your life was never going to be average by any means. no, your life is filled with opulence and grandeur that some could only ever dream of, and you had to learn how to be prim and proper at all times. while you're practically given the key to castle, able to have almost anything you could dream of, all you wanted was peace and quiet. parties were too loud and too crowded, they made you feel like you were suffocating, though you never verbalize it. no, you hold your tongue and smile, doing everything you can to earn even the slightest iota of approval from your parents. even the slightest nod of approval was enough to keep you going for days, and more so, the fear of what would happen if you didn't succeed in earning their approval. whenever the lights went low though, and the family was behind closed doors, that's when you were able to grow and thrive. neither of your parents were very attentive, the pair raised you the same way their parents had raised them: by allowing others to do it. in your case, your tutors, and your house elf, preacher. in the house elf, you found your closest friend, and your biggest ally in the noble and most ancient house of black. you'd share your treats with him, show him kindness, and in return, he willingly gave you his upmost loyalty. he was a friend more than anything else, and you promised yourself you would cherish him every day for the rest of your life, and you did. between sessions with tutors, and parties and other engagements, your favorite thing in the world was the black family tapestry that was stuck tight and fast to the wall. it always enamored you as a child, and you spent hours admiring it, staring at the face embroidered into the fabric, the names of those who came before you. it had been around for centuries before you, and it will continue to exist for centuries after you, of that you are entirely sure. it's the crown jewel of the family, a memoir in pictures of their lineage, of the witches and wizards that kept the bloodline pristine. you used to trace names with your finger tips, long before you knew to spell, and stare in fear at those blasted off of the family tapestry throughout the ages, destined to be forgotten in time, but their sins never would be. your mother could tell you why every person was taken off the tapestry, every sin they committed, and all the disgrace they brought the black name. iola, who married a muggle man, putting love above her duty to their family. phineas black junior, who supported the muggle rights centuries ago. marius black, whose only sin was being born without magic. cedrella, who married a weasley, blood traitors. even eduardus limette black had a tale of his own. all these names were people you never knew, and never would, and yet the thought of ending up like them, blasted off the impeccable and infamous tapestry gave you chills down your spine. you didn't believe in a god, but still, you prayed that you never had to endure the fate of being erased, of being referred to only in harsh words and in stories told to scare children. being forgotten that would be a fate worth than death itself, you were sure of it. you were never prepared for the day your brother would be burned off the tapestry, and doomed to a fate you were sure was worse than death, and when it came, it knocked the air out of you, and you were once again the scared little boy sitting in front of it horrified. some things never change, and you wish this the tapestry, and your family, had been one of those things.

whenever you entered the halls of hogwarts for the first time, you thought you knew just how everything would go. you would be sorted into slytherin, your family’s house, and everything would fall into place from there. your whole future had been determined years ago, and it was as certain as the sun rising in the morning. however, whenever your name was called, and you say beneath the hat, not even a moment passed before it was screaming out the wrong name: ravenclaw. while it wasn’t as disappointing as gryffindor, fear still engulfed your poor heart as your quivering hand wrote the news down on the parchment to tell your parents the news. you’re sure the hat made a mistake, it had to have, that was the only option. you were regulus black, you were destined to be a slytherin, and yet, you find yourself wide awake in the middle of the night in the ravenclaw rooms wondering where you went wrong. it takes weeks, but eventually you find yourself finding your place in your house. it isn’t slytherin, there’s not family legacy to uphold here, but you still keep your head high, and determine you will fix this error by doing well in your classes. for this, you spend most of your early years reading in the library. book after book, scroll after scroll, you’re consuming it all hungrily, and your marks reflect it. save for quidditch practice after your first few years, and the matches, outside of your class hours, one would more than likely find you huddled up in the library. it was peaceful there, quiet, a dream really. at school, you could forget the growing tensions between your brother and your parents, and the weight of their expectations. it was a dream before it devolved into a nightmare at the age of fourteen.

things with your parents and your brother had never been good, even in the best of times. their relationship with him has always been more volatile and violent, and it’s getting worse as the years gone by. he never had a fair chance, and he’d given up all attempts to appease them years ago. it’s pressure building up in the kettle, and both sides are waiting for it to reach the boiling point, and it does when you’re in your fourth year. your parents have gone too far, and their heir has had enough. he packs up his things and leaves the manor, never to return. you’re sure he will, he’s always come back before, and you wait, and you wait, and you wait... and it never happens. your brother is gone, and he’s not coming back. your mother is ever the proactive one, and at the first real opportunity, she blasts him from the family tapestry. like a child, you run your fingers over the scorched fibers once she’s gone, and your heartaches in your chest begging for relief that will never come. kreacher tries to comfort you, tries to tell you it’s for the best, that things were never going to improve as long as your brother acted the way he did, and for the first time you can remember, you found no comfort in that. your brother, the boy who so stubbornly papered his room gryffindor banners if only to irritate your parents, the only one who knew exactly what you’d gone through was gone, and there was nothing you could do to fix it. you were the heir now, the weight of the world resting on his shoulders as he grasped at the tapestry, the one you’d so admired as a child you now wanted to rip to shreds for what it meant. it meant your brother’s name was never mentioned in the house anymore, it was as if he died, or worse yet, that he never existed. now it was just you, in center stage, expected to bare the weight with a smile, and you tried, oh lord, did you try.

you can’t change your house, and you can’t change what has happened to your brother or your uncle, but you can do this for your family. when rumblings start to make their way around the circles of pureblood supremacy,  of cleaning the wizarding world up and restoring the right order of things, you know what you have to do long before the time comes around. your parents are too old, too tired to join the ranks. time has taken it’s toll, but it doesn’t stop them from spouting their opinions, and writing them out in the owls they send you. you get the dark mark in your sixth year, and it burns in a way you could never describe, but you wear it underneath the arms of your cloak with a sense of satisfaction for awhile. why should you be ashamed of something you believe in? in the idea that things needed to be fixed? that order should be restored? you’d be a hero one day, you’d be a son that could make orion and wahlburga proud unlike your brother. you would be the prodigal son, you would bring honor  to the house of the most noble and ancient house of black, even if it killed you, and in the end, it just might.

it's been two years since you took upon the dark mark, and pledged yourself to a cause that you're wavering on. while you stand by your beliefs, as flawed as they are, the actions and lengths to which they are willing to go to accomplish their mission are far to great. you agreed to support a new order, you never defended the murder and slaughter of innocents. revolution comes at a price, and you're unwilling to pay for it in the lives of others. you miss the days you could bury your head in the library, ignorant to the world aroun you. you aren't a child anymore though, expectations are piling up on your chest threatening to suffocate you. appearances, your name, your studies, and your dedication to a man who has lost your favor. for your entire life, you have done what has been expected of you, whatever it took to be the little prince your parents wanted you to be, while on the inside a lifetime of unsaid words and crushed dreams are bubbling just beneath the surface. for eighteen years you have been the man they wanted you to be, and maybe, just maybe, it's time for you to be yourself, before there is no time left, and the world never gets to see who regulus black really was underneath those fake smiles, agreeable comments, and proper behavior. do you even know yourself? do you know who you are underneath the mask you put on? are you anything without it, or are you just a ghost of the man who have been? only will tell, and time is something that's running short for the youngest son of the house of black. as the clock ticks in your ears so loud you can't hear anything else you are left with a choice, and it's now or never.

headcanons:

despite sorted into ravenclaw, regulus’ room in his parent’s home was adorned with slytherin banners and memorabilia to appease his parents, in stark contrast to his sirius’ own decorations

while not truly an idyllic memory, regulus does have hyperthymesia. the condition allows him to remember an unusually large amount of events and information compared to the general public, and while it always helped him with his studies, it is absolutely exhausting and he often finds himself distracted by these memories and the sheer amount of memories that remain present in his subconscious.

regulus has been collecting chocolate frog cards since his childhood, and continues to do so to present day, keeping his collection stashed away in an old tin in his dorm room. they are some of his most prized possessions, and he is extremely fond of them.

during his stints as a back up for the ravenclaw quidditch team, regulus has broken a total of three broomsticks, and his fourth is currently hanging on by a thread.

john mulaney quotes:

"the more you do stuff, the better you get at dealing with how you still fail at it a lot of the time."

"i'll keep all my emotions right here. and then one day i'll die."

"my vibe is like, hey, you could probably pour soup in my lap and I'll apologize to you."

"i look back on being seventeen and think 'oh my god, how did i not die?'"

"you can't always see both sides of the story. eventually, you have to pick a side and stick with it. no more equivocating. you have to commit."

songs:

take me to church - hozier

broken - lund

i’m still here ( jim’s theme )  - john rzeznik

numb - linkin park

house of memories - panic! at the disco

wires - the neighborhood

be alright - dean lewis

neptune - sleeping at last

far too young to die - panic! at disco

feel something - jaymes young

everybody knows - sigrid

other:

pinterest: here

#fd.intro #• regulus black #death tw #abuse tw #violence tw

[roonil-wazlib-at-221b]

You know?

This was requested by an anonymous person, so whoever you are, anon, I hope you enjoy this!

Pairing: Klaus x reader (Oneshot)

“I’m calling Y/N.”

Klaus’ eyes widen with panic. “No! No, you don’t need to do that—” He lunges for the phone Diego pulls out of his pocket. “Diego! Please!”

“Dude, you’re so dead,” Allison snorts. She lifts her wine glass up to Diego in cheers when he successfully dials your number and puts the phone up to his ear, waiting for you to pick up.

Klaus whines dramatically and throws himself down onto the couch. “Diego, how could you betray me like this? I thought we were friends. No.” He sits up. “I thought we were brothers.”

Diego shows Klaus the middle finger. “He—” Diego starts, but cuts off abruptly. He takes the phone away from his ear. “She hung up.”

“Well, it’s not like it’s a mystery why you’re calling,” Allison mumbles under her breath. You’ve gotten used to it by now; Klaus’s substance abuse, no matter how much you hate it. If Diego is ever calling you when you know he’s been hanging out with Klaus, you just know by now that he’s either too drunk or too high to function.

“Well, let’s drink to my funeral, then,” Klaus says, motioning for Allison to hand him another bottle of wine. She hands it to him, muttering something about him digging his own grave, but Klaus doesn’t mind that. He’s not even that buzzed right now; Y/N has seen him so much worse.

So, so much worse.

“You know, she may have seen you at your worst, but you’re just adding straws onto the camel,” Ben says, but he’s faint. Far away. Fading in and out of view; completely see-through in some parts. None of the other ghosts have been with Klaus for the past three hours; Ben always is the last to go by a long shot. Honestly, Klaus wouldn’t mind just having Ben around all the time if he wasn’t so damn annoying. Ben’s like the damn cricket and Klaus is Pinocchio. “One of them is bound to break the camel’s back.”

Klaus takes a deliberate sip of the drink, smirking slightly when a little more color leeches out of Ben, he turns a little more not-there. He’ll deal with Ben’s reasoning a day when he’s less drunk. A day when he’s less tired. A day when the world makes even a little as much sense as Ben does, and a fraction of how much sense everyone else seems to think it does. Everything is just so weird, when you think about it, and Klaus giggles and hiccups.

“Why are they called hiccups?” he asks out loud. Ben rolls his eyes at the same time as Allison and Diego, though they couldn’t possibly have choreographed that; Ben’s dead! They can’t see him, either.

Diego’s phone buzzes. “Y/N says she’s five minutes away. She says not to let you have anything else.”

Klaus whines when he grabs the wine out of his hands. “Diego! Next time you need your Patch to come pick you up I might not even call her.”

“Oh, you would,” Diego snorts. “Not that I’d ever let myself get as wasted as you, but—”

“I would love to see Diego’s ass reamed by that detective,” Allison snorts. “She’s the only one that can keep you in line, yeah?”

“Allison?” Luther pokes his head into the living room. “You ready to go?”

“Oh, where are we going?” Klaus asks, jumping up and clapping his hands together.

“Luther and I,” Allison says, standing up, “are taking Five to see an R-rated film, because the bouncers won’t let him in without supervision. You are staying here to wait for your girlfriend.”

“Oh, I’d much rather watch the movie,” Klaus grumbles. “Y/N’s going to be in one of her moods. I know it already.”

“Yeah, maybe because you’re already drunk as hell and it is five o’clock on a Monday night,” Five says dryly, popping his head around the corner. “Why does Y/N put up with him, again?”

“Because I’m a joy to be around!”

“Because she’s dumb,” Ben mutters.

“Because she’s dumb,” Allison echoes. “Bye, Klaus! See you, Diego!”

Diego waves her away and the three siblings leave the house, looking like two parents escorting their child out. Five’s form has disconcerted everyone except Vanya, to be honest, especially with the copious amounts of alcohol the boy—man—time traveler?—Klaus honestly has no idea—ingests. He can nearly drink Klaus under the table.

When they open up the door, you’re standing there with your hand raised, about to knock.

“Have fun,” Five mutters as you pass him, and you make a face at him but can’t be bothered to reply. You’re still in your hospital scrubs, tired from a long day at work, and already cranky with your boyfriend despite the fact that you haven’t seen him all day.

“Y/N!” Klaus exclaims happily when he sees you, as if he isn’t the bane of your existence most days. “You should have said you were coming!”

“I did,” you reply shortly. “Come on.”

He has enough sense to follow you wordlessly out of the house and get into your car.

For two minutes he sits next to you, drumming his fingers on the dashboard, as you drive aggressively (more aggressively than usual, anyways) in complete silence. It’s the impending storm that’s sobering him. It’s the 100% effective way to sober anyone up—you may be shorter than Klaus, but goddamn are you scarier than the rest of the Umbrella Academy combined. Except maybe Five; his appearance may not be scary at all, but his penchant for holding sharp objects to peoples’ throats can be intimidating.

“You know—” he starts, swinging his head towards you because you always look so pretty in the city lights, but you cut him off.

“We agreed,” you say tightly. You put both hands on the steering wheel at 3 and 10, knuckles white with tension. “We agreed, Klaus. Are you just lying to me now?”

“No!” Klaus protests. Everything is a little hazy now—Ben’s barely a shadow in the backseat—but he knows exactly how you feel about lies. Hell, he doesn’t like lies either. Lies are bad. Very, very bad. “I really wasn’t gonna drink today, but then I saw Allison and Diego drinking and I decided to join them, and then next thing I knew I drank an entire bottle.” He puts his hands out like What can you do?

“Klaus, there will always be people doing drugs and drinking wherever you go. Just because you see them doing it doesn’t mean it’s an invitation for you to do it as well.”

“I didn’t even drink that much,” he mutters.

“I’m sure you drank a lot,” you reply. “It just doesn’t affect you as much because of how great your tolerance is. Do you know exactly how damaging it is to your health to be high all the time? Putting aside the obvious risks such as kidnapping, robbing, sexual assault or rape, you’re killing your brain cells. Not to mention—”

“I didn’t have any to begin with!” Klaus jokes and you take a turn so sharp he almost falls out of his seat.

“If you would just try to control your powers—” you start but Klaus cuts you off with a bark of a laugh.

“If I get sober enough to control my powers, the ghosts would be yelling too loudly for me to think.”

“And if you get sober enough to control your powers, you can figure out how to stop them from yelling.” You pull into the driveway of your house. “I can’t pretend to understand what it’s like, honestly. But it kills me when I don’t see you trying.”

“I know,” Klaus whispers. “I know. I’m sorry, you know?”

“Yeah, I know,” you grunt, pulling your bag out of the backseat before getting out of the car. “You’re always sorry.”

“I love you?” he tries, watching your face, and, like always, it softens. The stress lines on your forehead become less prominent and the crow’s feet around your eyes come out as you try to hide your smile.

“Yeah, I know,” you grin. “I love you too. It just kills me to see you like this, you know?”

“I’m trying,” Klaus says quietly. “I’m gonna get clean. I’m gonna.”

“I know. I know it’s hard.” You help him out of the car and support him into the house until you get to the living room, where Klaus flops dramatically onto the couch again. “Do you want water? A blanket? Food?”

“Just you,” Klaus mumbles into the pillow he’d stuffed over his face. “Tired.”

You huff out a laugh. “Tell me about it.”

“Did the woman come back today?”

“Yeah. Her name’s Mrs. McKinnon, and today she had a huge fight with her husband in the middle of the parking lot about vaccinations. It was a huge scene, but it scared a few people away so I got a thirty-minute lunch break for the first time in two weeks.” You continue to talk, telling Klaus about your day as you comb your fingers through his hair and he closes his eyes. He’s not breathing deeply enough to be sleeping, so you know he’s listening intently to every word you’re saying.

Klaus may have a lot of faults, but he’s very attentive. It’s one of the things that made you fall for him, honestly. And, despite all his faults, you can’t help but see the small strengths he has, like his listening and good heart.

He’s going to be so good when he gets sober. He just needs to work on controlling his powers. You want to help him but sometimes you feel out of your depth, so it’s good when his siblings try to help too.

You’re going to succeed.

It’s just going to take some time.

You fall asleep like that, with Klaus’s head in your lap and your neck bent at an awkward angle, and it’s going to hurt when it wakes up. When Klaus wakes up he’s going to have an awful hangover, but Ben will be there to watch him and stop him from making any bad decisions while you’re working.

It’s a group effort, especially when the intervention is for someone as high energy as Klaus, but honestly, you wouldn’t have him any other way.

Umbrella Academy Taglist:

@fentanvl @deathswretch @lightningidiot @five-hg @iamsnek666 @ameliatrh

Forever Taglist:

@lemirabitur @annymcervantes

#klaus hargreeves #klaus x reader #tua #the umbrella academy #number five #five hargreeves #luther hargreeves #allison hargreeves #diego hargreeves #reader insert #reader x klaus

[rauthschild]

War Imminent After Trump Surrounds Mexico With Aircraft Carriers And Admits Conflict Declaration Ready

By: Sorcha Faal

A sobering new Ministry of Defense (MoD) report circulating in the Kremlin today raising grave concerns over Iran's top elite forces commander, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief General Hossein Salami, warning the United States, Britain, Israel, and Saudi Arabia that “If you cross our red lines, we will destroy you” at the same time the Iranian government is shortening its nuclear breakout time with highly advanced super-fast centrifuges that could see them developing an atomic weapon in months, says the American response to this threat is presently non-existent—a seeming to be puzzling reaction as the US rarely fails to whip up anti-Iranian hostility when confronted with such threats—but becomes more than understandable when noticing that United States Navy supercarrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) left its Kitsap-Bremerton homeport in Washington during the past week and is now patrolling the waters of the western coast of Mexico—the Nimitz-class nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) left its San Diego homeport in California this past week and is now patrolling the waters off the western coast of Mexico—and the Nimitz-class nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) left its homeport in Newport-Virginia this past week and is now patrolling the waters off the eastern coast of Mexico known as “WestLant” (short for Western Atlantic)—all of whose war deployments are coming just a fortnight from when women, babies and children belonging to the extended Mormon family of Republican Party US Senator Mitt Romney were brutally massacred in Mexico—a massacre carried out by the murderous super-cartel known as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) which is now the most powerful criminal organization in Mexico having a confirmed presence in 22 Mexican states as well as the United States, Central America, and South America—and in knowing what’s soon to come, saw Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador declaring yesterday: “We Will Never Accept US Designation of Cartels as Terrorists”—a reference to a designation of terrorism that would allow the US to legally begin open warfare in Mexico against their drug cartels—but was a declaration quickly rebuffed by President Donald Trump a few hours later when he declared “I don’t want to say what I’m going to do, but they will be designated”—and whose case for war Trump made with his further stating: “we’re losing 100,000 people a year to what’s happening and what’s coming through Mexico”.  [Note: Some words and/or phrases appearing in quotes in this report are English language approximations of Russian words/phrases having no exact counterpart.]

According to this report, most critical to note about President Trump’s rebuffing Mexican President Obrador, was his admitting that he is “90-days into the process of designating Mexican drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations”—a time frame proving that this looming war is not being based alone on the massacre of Senator Romney’s extended Mormon family that just occurred earlier this month—but is rather due to Mexico having become a Narco-State—which is a political and economic term applied to countries where all legitimate institutions have become penetrated by the power and wealth of the illegal drug trade—and because of the American peoples’ love of drugs, Mexico is now warned is on the brink of collapse.

As to how truly catastrophic the situation in Mexico currently is, this report continues, one should know that this nation on the southern border of the United States is now considered to be the second deadliest conflict zone in the world after Syria—where over 150,000 people have been killed in this conflict since 2006—a further over 40,000 peoples remain missing as their desperate families search for the buried bodies of their loved ones—and where over 1.13 million peoples have become displaced war refugees [English].

Mexico named as second deadliest war zone in the world in 2016…

…but last year became the deadliest war zone in the world.

As part of a deliberate strategy to harm President Trump in order to keep him from being reelected, this report concludes, his socialist Democrat Party enemies within both the government and mainstream propaganda media have kept hidden from the American people the true and horrible extent of the brutal war ongoing in Mexico and the existential threat it poses to the national security of the United States—a threat fully recognized by Trump who, last year, in the US Army's first significant reorganization since 1973, moved one of its major commands to Austin-Texas in order to place it closer to the US-Mexican border—a US Army command that oversees the already over 5,500 military troops stationed on this border—who stand against the 15,000 Mexican troops President Obrador ordered to his side of the border this past June—none of whom, though, come even close to matching the power and war experience of their American counterparts now being supported by three combat ready US Navy aircraft carriers lying in wait off both the eastern and western coasts of Mexico—thus leaving only unknown as to when Trump will begin this war—but whose clues point to its beginning shortly after the 9 December release of the long awaited Inspector General report that Trump declared about this past week “Will Be A Historic Moment”—and which if should occur as expected, would destroy the credibility and standing of all of these socialist Democrats in the eyes of the American people—thus unshackling Trump so he can do what he’s supposed to do, protect the American nation and its peoples from a war in Mexico that’s about spill over its borders into the United States itself.  

[tyblqckthorn]

friendly reminders

[may include qoaad spoilers]

-max lightwood never received a rune, shadowhunters get their first time at twelve, he died at nine

-eleanor blackthorn never got to see any of her biological children receive their first runes

-andrew blackthorn didn’t get to see ty, livvy, dru, or tavvy receive their first runes

-mark and helen weren’t their when ty, livvy, and dru received their first runes

-tavvy never got to know his parents as his mom died not long after he was born and his dad when he was two

-tessa had to watch her husband, children, family, and friends die while she lived on

-magnus almost commuted suicide but camille stopped him

-jordan died thinking he had a girlfriend that loved him but maia had planned to break up with him that day

-demon blood burns shadowhunters, imagine the pain seb must have been in his entire life, hence the line “ive never felt so light”

-will herondale watched a demon curse him, and his sister having to pay for it with her life, while he lived in knowing her death was his fault, and then he spent five years believing anyone that loved him would die

-when will found out there was no curse he learned the love of his life was engaged to his best friend

-all jessamine ever wanted was to be a regular mundane but lost that chance and was forced against her will to be a shadowhunter when her parents died

-nate gray killed his mother

-mortmain was raised by warlocks who were murdered then spent his life trying to avenge them [doesnt change the fact that he’s a bitch]

-alec must live knowing he will die while the love of his life lives on

-magnus knows he will one day lose his true love

-magnus knows he will lose one of his children

-julian taught himself to cry without tears so he didn’t upset his siblings

-julian kept secrets from everyone he loved and cared about to protect them

-julian raised his siblings for five years with minimal help

-julian secretly ran an institute for five years

-emma lost both her parents at the same time

-emma and julian became parabatai so that emma wouldn’t have to start over after losing her parents

-julian had to endure his half mad uncle calling him his dead fathers name for five years

-arthur died to protect the blackthorns

-livvy’s last words were “ty, i-“ and she never got to say what she wanted to tell ty [even though she came back as a ghost in qoaad]

-dru was treated like a child and always forced to look after tavvy

-kit didnt cry when his dad died but he did when ty didn’t say he loved him back

-annabel blackthorn was perfectly fine being dead, and was tortured for five years by being conscious but not able to move or speak or do anything but lie in her grave

-raphael died for magnus

-cristina believed she was betrayed by the one she loved and the one she was supposed to become parabatai with for months

-michael wayland came out to his parabatai only to be treated like shit and told how disgusting his emotions were

-the cohort is decently similar to what is currently going on with america’s government

-izzy believed and probably still believes her brother’s death was her fault

-arthur was tortures in faerie for what felt like years

-simon sacrificed his immortality and memories of the shadow world for malec

-clary lost her life long best friend after his memory of her was erased

-izzy lost her boyfriend after his memory of her was erased

-george lovelace was burned alive

-marisol came from nothing and worked her way to becoming an amazing shadowhunter

-marisol turned a bitch into a great person, fell in love with him, then he got decapitated

-zara called marisol weak for crying and mourning over jon

-zara took credit for stuff a bunch of other shadowhunters did

-alec spent years believing his emotions were wrong

-diana lost her sister but since she was trans she had to pretend it was her “brother” that died, and say she was the sister, while her actual sister didn’t get a real funeral or the recognition she deserved

-julie beauvale was the first dead in the battle at the end of qoaad

-beatriz mendoza lost her parabatai

-TIBERIUS FUCKING BLACKTHORN LOST HIS TWIN SISTER WHO WAS ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE THAT HE ACTUALLY OPENED UP TO

-magnus almost died

-simon’s mom threw him out upon finding out he was a vampire then after the memory wipe said she would do anything for him

-jaime almost died in a jail cell in qoaad while diego begged for a stele to save him

-kieran was pushed into a pool that was meant to torture him, got out, rescued the person that pushed him in from it, and was still blamed

-samantha larkspear commuted suicide after falling into the torture pool

-mr and mrs larkspear lost both Of was their children

-thule magnus was turning into a demon he forced thule alec to kill and after doing so thule alec killed himself

-thule izzy fought hard even after thule clary was dead, and died a hero

-thule jace killed thule maryse

-julian carved the words you are in a cage into his arm

-julian describes spending the summer in england like an addict coming off a drug

-do i even need to go into magnus’s childhood??

-clary denied jace’s proposal because she had a vision that she would die

-that vision turned out to be her death in thule

-after her parents deaths, julian handed emma cortana and she wept as the blade cut into her skin leaving a permanent scar

-jem’s parents had to watch him be tortured and drugged when he was about ten

-jem had to watch his parents die when he was ten

-jem became a silent brother so he wouldn’t die

-will and tessa both believed jem was dead

-jem spent one hundred thirty years as a silent brother before he got to be with the love of his life

-jem watched his parabatai die

-tessa already watched one of her loves die, and eventually she’ll have to witness the other die

-sophie was abused by her past employer

-sophie’s scar is the result of her past employer thinking she was more beautiful than him and cutting her face

-tatiana blackthorn watched her father who has turned into a demonic worm consume her husband

-thule livvy lost all of her siblings

feel free to add more

#the mortal instruments #the infernal devices #the dark artifices #qoaad spoilers #the shadowhunter chronicles #im not crying you are

[gadgetgirl71]

Amazon First Reads January 2021

Well this month Amazon Prime Members like myself are in for a treat. I did wonder if we would be able to choose two books this month with it being January, but I didn’t expect us to have ten books to choose from. I don’t think we’ve ever had that many to choose from.

This months choices are:

Police Procedural

An Eye for An Eye by Carol Wyer, Pages: 426, Publication Date: 1 February 2021

Synopsis: A killer running rings around the police. A detective spiralling out of control.

DI Kate Young is on leave. She’s the force’s best detective, but her bosses know she’s under pressure, on medication and overcoming trauma. So after her bad judgement call leads to a narrowly averted public disaster, they’re sure all she needs is a rest.

But when Staffordshire Police summon her back to work on a murder case, it’s a harder, more suspicious Kate Young who returns. With a new ruthlessness, she sets about tracking down a clinical, calculating serial killer who is torturing victims and leaving clues to taunt the police. Spurred on by her reporter husband, Young begins to suspect that the murderer might be closer than she ever imagined.

As she works to uncover the truth, Young unravels a network of secrets and lies, with even those closest to her having something to hide. But with her own competence—and her grip on reality—called into question, can she unmask the killer before they strike again?

Suspense

The Shadow Box by Luanne Rice, Pages: 367, Publication Date: 1 February 2021

Synopsis: The Amazon Charts bestselling author of Last Day delivers a haunting thriller about how far one wife is willing to go to expose the truth—and the lengths someone will go to stop her.

After artist Claire Beaudry Chase is attacked and left for dead in her home on the Connecticut coast, she doesn’t know who she can trust. But her well-connected husband, Griffin—who is running for governor—is her prime suspect.

Just before the attack, Claire was preparing for an exhibit of her shadow boxes, one of which clearly accuses Griffin of a violent crime committed twenty-five years ago. If the public were to find out who her husband is, his political career would be over. Claire’s certain her husband and his powerful supporters would kill her to stop the truth from getting out.

When one of Claire’s acquaintances is murdered, the authorities suspect the homicide is linked to the attack on Claire. As the dual investigations unfold, Claire must decide how much she’s willing to lose to take down her husband and the corrupt group of elites who will do anything to protect Griffin’s interests and their own.

Contemporary Fiction

Hadley & Grace by Susanne Redfern, Pages: 344, Publication Date: 1 February 2021

Synopsis: The author of In an Instant delivers a heart-pounding and emotional roller-coaster ride of self-discovery in the tradition of Thelma and Louise.

Needing to escape her abusive marriage, Hadley flees with her two kids, knowing it might be her only chance. A woman who can’t even kill a spider, Hadley soon finds herself pushed to the limits as she fights to protect her family.

Grace, new mother of baby Miles, desperately wants to put her rough past behind her for good, but she finds it impossible when her path crosses with Hadley’s, and her quest for a new start quickly spirals out of control and turns into a terrifying flight for survival.

Stronger together than apart, the two find their fates inextricably entwined, and as the danger closes in, each must decide how much she is willing to risk for the other.

A powerful story of self-discovery, Hadley and Grace is the heart-racing tale of two women facing insurmountable odds, racing to stay one step ahead of the trouble that is chasing them, and discovering new kinds of love and family along the way.

Thriller

Not One of Us by Debbie Herbert, Pages: 303, Publication Date: 1 February 2021

Synopsis: From the bestselling author of Cold Waters comes a brooding thriller about a woman who must decide if safeguarding her family is worth burying a truth that will haunt her forever.

Thirteen years ago, Jori Trahan’s boyfriend vanished without a trace. Now, after moving back home to Alabama to care for her ailing grandmother and autistic brother, she comes face-to-face with the deadly mystery behind his disappearance.

Jori has a rare form of synesthesia, meaning she can “hear” colors; to her, tones of voice are as unique as fingerprints. With the help of this ability and a sympathetic cop, Jori comes dangerously close to uncovering the truth. But those responsible will go to any length—including murder—to keep their dark secrets buried.

Soon, it seems that no one in the sleepy bayou town is safe, and after Jori’s brother is kidnapped, she knows she must drop the investigation or risk losing her family. But when protecting them means letting an evil deed go unpunished, putting family first may be the last thing she’ll ever do.

Historical Fiction

West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge, Pages: 346, Publication Date: 1 February 2021

Synopsis: An emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America.

“Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes…”

Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds himself recalling the unforgettable experience he cannot take to his grave.

It’s 1938. The Great Depression lingers. Hitler is threatening Europe, and world-weary Americans long for wonder. They find it in two giraffes who miraculously survive a hurricane while crossing the Atlantic. What follows is a twelve-day road trip in a custom truck to deliver Southern California’s first giraffes to the San Diego Zoo. Behind the wheel is the young Dust Bowl rowdy Woodrow. Inspired by true events, the tale weaves real-life figures with fictional ones, including the world’s first female zoo director, a crusty old man with a past, a young female photographer with a secret, and assorted reprobates as spotty as the giraffes.

Part adventure, part historical saga, and part coming-of-age love story, West with Giraffes explores what it means to be changed by the grace of animals, the kindness of strangers, the passing of time, and a story told before it’s too late.

Espionage Thriller

Water Memory by Daniel Pyne, Pages: 358, Publication Date: 1 February 2021

Synopsis: A fast-paced, page-turning thriller that contemplates the consequences of motherhood, memory, and crime as a commodity.

Black ops specialist Aubrey Sentro may be one concussion away from death. But when pirates seize the cargo ship she’s on, she must decide whether to risk her life to save her fellow passengers.

Sentro’s training takes over, and she’s able to elude her captors, leaving bodies in her wake. But her problems are just getting started. Her memory lapses are getting more frequent, symptoms of serial-concussion syndrome.

As she plays a deadly game of cat and mouse with the pirates, she pushes herself to survive by focusing on thoughts of her children. She’s never told them what she really does for a living, and now she might not get the chance.

While her memories make her vulnerable, motherhood makes her dangerous.

Literary Fiction

Gerta by Katerina Tuckova, Translator: Veronique Firkusny, Pages: 459, Publication Date: 1 February 2021

Synopsis: The award-winning novel by Czech author Kateřina Tučková—her first to be translated into English—about the fate of one woman and the pursuit of forgiveness in a divided postwar world.

1945. Allied forces liberate Nazi-occupied Brno, Moravia. For Gerta Schnirch, daughter of a Czech mother and a German father aligned with Hitler, it’s not deliverance; it’s a sentence. She has been branded an enemy of the state. Caught in the changing tides of a war that shattered her family—and her innocence—Gerta must obey the official order: she, along with all ethnic Germans, is to be expelled from Czechoslovakia. With nothing but the clothes on her back and an infant daughter, she’s herded among thousands, driven from the only home she’s ever known. But the injustice only makes Gerta stronger, more empowered, and more resolved to seek justice. Her journey is a relentless quest for a seemingly impossible forgiveness. And one day, she will return.

Spanning decades and generations, Kateřina Tučková’s breathtaking novel illuminates a long-neglected episode in Czech history. One of exclusion and prejudice, of collective shame versus personal guilt, all through the eyes of a charismatic woman whose courage will affect all the lives she’s touched. Especially that of the daughter she loved, fought for, shielded, and would come to inspire.

Memoir

Widowish by Melissa Gould, Pages: 202, Publication Date: 1 February 2021

Synopsis: Melissa Gould’s hopeful memoir of grieving outside the box and the surprising nature of love.

When Melissa Gould’s husband, Joel, was unexpectedly hospitalized, she could not imagine how her life was about to change. Overwhelmed with uncertainty as Joel’s condition tragically worsened, she offered him the only thing she could: her love and devotion. Her dedication didn’t end with his death.

Left to resume life without her beloved husband and raise their young daughter on her own, Melissa soon realized that her and Joel’s love lived on. Melissa found she didn’t fit the typical mold of widowhood or meet the expectations of mourning. She didn’t look like a widow or act like a widow, but she felt like one. Melissa was widowish.

Melissa’s personal journey through grief and beyond includes unlikely inspiration from an evangelical preacher, the calming presence of some Real Housewives, and the unexpected attention of a charming musician.

A modern take on loss, Widowish illuminates the twists of fate that break our world, the determination that keeps us moving forward, and the surprises in life we never see coming.

Literary Fiction

The Ardent Swarm by Yamen Manai, Translated by Lara Vergnaud, Pages: 174, Publication Date: 1 February 2021

Synopsis: From an award-winning Tunisian author comes a stirring allegory about a country in the aftermath of revolution and the power of a single quest.

Sidi lives a hermetic life as a bee whisperer, tending to his beloved “girls” on the outskirts of the desolate North African village of Nawa. He wakes one morning to find that something has attacked one of his beehives, brutally killing every inhabitant. Heartbroken, he soon learns that a mysterious swarm of vicious hornets committed the mass murder—but where did they come from, and how can he stop them? If he is going to unravel this mystery and save his bees from annihilation, Sidi must venture out into the village and then brave the big city and beyond in search of answers.

Along the way, he discovers a country and a people turned upside down by their new post–Arab Spring reality as Islamic fundamentalists seek to influence votes any way they can on the eve of the country’s first democratic elections. To succeed in his quest, and find a glimmer of hope to protect all that he holds dear, Sidi will have to look further than he ever imagined.

In this brilliantly accessible modern-day parable, Yamen Manai uses a masterful blend of humor and drama to reveal what happens in a country shaken by revolutionary change after the world stops watching.

Children’s Picture Book

Sadie Sprocket Builds a Rocket by Sue Fliess, Illustration by Annabel Tempest, Pages: 42, Publication Date: 1 February 2021

Synopsis: Sadie Sprocket is ready to soar!

Sadie Sprocket is a girl with a big dream—to go to Mars! No one has been to Mars (yet!), so of course that’s where Sadie sets her sights. She learns everything she can about the planet and space, then assembles her crew of trusty stuffed animals. Together they build a rocket and prepare for the historic journey. And then finally—blastoff!

Sadie and her team make it to Mars, but what will they encounter when they leave the ship? And will they travel home safely as the world watches?

With cheery rhyming text and quirky artwork, this is a story about dreaming big and reaching for the stars. The book includes facts about Mars and women in space to inspire budding explorers everywhere.

*** Which book will you choose? I have no idea which book I’ll choose as there a couple of books that interest me this month. ***

#Amazon, #AmazonFirstReads, #Amazonkindle, #AmazonPrimeMembers, #ChildrensPictureBook, #ContemporaryFiction, #EspionageThriller, #HistoricalFiction, #Kindle, #KindleBooks, #LiteraryFiction, #Memoir, #PoliceProcedural, #Suspense, #Thriller