#SHE LED THEM INTO BATTLE WITH THE PROMISE THAT EVERYTHING WOULD BE OKAY SHE WAS A BEACON OF HOPE | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

steddiealltheway · 11 months

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Part Six of Six of Meddling :( I'm so sad. Part One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Ao3 Link.

And I would once again like to dedicate this story to Cass (@henderdads). I hope it's as fluffy as you like <3

Eddie's location shows that he's back at his apartment like Robin had said. Steve isn’t sure why he thought he would be somewhere dramatic like on some random hill overlooking the city – especially since Eddie doesn’t like heights.

So, Steve makes the quick drive over to his tiny apartment and sits in the parking lot. It’s going to be okay. It’s all going to be okay.

They’re finally going to talk.

Steve makes the familiar walk up to Eddie’s place and hesitates outside. There’s the loud sound of Eddie playing his electric guitar on the other side of the door. He sighs when he realizes it’s “Master of Puppets” which is his so called “battle song” whenever he’s about to face something really bad.

Well, this isn’t good.

Steve sits in front of the door and waits for the song to play out. He isn’t going to interrupt Eddie mid verse and piss him off any more than he already has.

Two people end up passing him in the hall and giving him weird looks, but Steve just smiles up at them tightly and waves. He eventually closes his eyes and leans his head back against the door.

He’s always enjoyed listening to Eddie play, but he’s never listened when he’s been the source of Eddie’s inspiration. He just wishes it was a good type of inspiration.

As the song comes to an end, Steve tries to prepare himself to stand up and knock before Eddie starts another one. But he lingers when he hears Eddie curse under his breath and unplug his amp. He hears the muffled, “Goddamnit... lying... son of a... bitch. Oh, this is so stupid, this is so stupid. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.”

And Steve is too busy feeling sorry for himself that he doesn’t register the words are growing louder as the sound of footsteps approach the door. Then, the door opens and Steve falls back against the ground.

“Steve?” Eddie asks above him.

Steve groans and grabs his head. He hopes this doesn’t trigger another concussion or migraine.

“Shit,” Eddie says. He steps over Steve and holds his hand out to help him up. Steve grabs it and lets himself be pulled up and led to the couch. “I’ll be right back,” Eddie promises.

Next thing he knows, Steve has an ice pack wrapped in a towel placed in his hand. He glances up at Eddie. “I’m fine. I don’t need this.”

Eddie crosses his arms and looks down at him. “My apartment, my rules. Put the ice pack on your head.”

Steve feels around for anywhere tender and hisses at one spot he touches a little too hard. It’s not raised or anything, plus he usually has too much adrenaline to feel pain after he’s gotten a concussion, so Steve is pretty sure it’s just a bruise. He puts the ice pack on it anyways, not wanting to argue with Eddie. “Can we talk?” Steve asks.

Eddie shrugs and sits in the worn leather chair in his living room. “About what?”

Steve tries not to roll his eyes. “About the fact that everything was going so well today, and we were supposed to talk until you saw that text from Jordan.”

He watches as Eddie shifts uncomfortably in the chair and starts picking at his nails. He sighs and looks at Steve. “It’s fine. We were just doing a favor for Robin. We don’t have to make a big deal out of it. There was always a deadline for this whole relationship thing, and I just cut it off sooner than planned. But if she needs me there to make Veronica comfortable, then I don’t think she should date her.”

Steve sighs and puts his head in his hand. He’ll have to touch on the whole Veronica thing later so Eddie doesn’t get sidetracked. He puts the ice pack on Eddie’s wobbly coffee table then rubs his hands up and down his legs nervously and asks, “What if I wanted to make a big deal out of it?”

“What?”

Steve runs a hand through his hair, trying to settle his nerves. “What if I wanted to make a big deal out of it because Jordan means nothing to me? I wasn’t lying earlier when I said I wasn’t seeing anyone. I hooked up with her three weeks ago and haven’t talked to her since.”

Eddie just laughs and shakes his head. “You don’t get it, do you?”

“What?” Steve asks exasperated because he would really love if Eddie explained things to him.

But he isn’t prepared for Eddie to look him in the eye with so much hurt as he asks, “Steve, over the past three years since you’ve met me, do you remember me going out with anyone? Mentioning anyone?”

Steve shakes his head. Honestly, it was just never something Eddie brought up. He just thought he wasn’t comfortable talking about those things.

“I wasn’t lying tonight,” Eddie says. “Since the moment I met you, I have fallen for you so damn hard, but every single time I’ve thought the timing was finally right and I was about to confess my feelings, you’ve mentioned someone new. It’s been three years, Steve. Why did you never consider me?” Eddie’s voice breaks at the end.

Steve shakes his head. “I just didn’t let myself think I had a chance with you.”

“Bullshit,” Eddie says.

Steve points at him. “Don’t use that word. You know what it means to me.”

Eddie leans forward in his chair and slowly says, “I do, and that’s why I call bullshit.”

It hurts hearing it from Eddie, so Steve stands up and starts heading to the door.

He stops in his tracks.

Maybe Eddie’s right. Maybe Steve needs to be honest with himself. He’s always thought of Eddie as a fantasy out of reach, and in the process, he’s set himself up on so many pointless dates that he knew wouldn’t go anywhere. He was honestly self-sabotaging since the moment he met Eddie because...

He walks back to Eddie and stops in front of his chair. “I was scared, Eddie.”

Eddie scoffs.

This only makes Steve upset. He throws out his arms. “In the past three years, when have you ever seen me have a serious relationship?”

Eddie is silent for a moment, considering before he answers, “Never.”

“And why do you think that is?”

Eddie shrugs. “Because you’re not a relationship guy?”

“Bullshit,” Steve says. “It’s because I was scared of getting hurt again. You remember what I said today at the bar. The whole reason we were supposed to talk.” Eddie looks down. Steve swallows hard and drops to his knees in front of the chair, forcing Eddie to look at him. “I have been scared of you since the moment I laid eyes on you because I knew you could so easily break my heart.”

Steve hesitantly puts his hands on Eddie’s knees and squeezes. “And I was scared of hurting you, too.” He pauses and adds, “Then, Dustin would kill me.”

Eddie lightly laughs at that, and Steve’s heart soars. He laughs with him. “You know it’s true! He would kill the both of us if we hurt each other. God, he’s probably already going to kill me.”

Eddie softly cups Steve’s cheek and says, “I wouldn’t let him do that to you.”

Steve leans into his hand and turns to press a soft kiss against it. “Today was one of the best days of my life, and I don’t want to spend another second pretending that I would be okay not reliving it every day. So, can we please finally get the timing right, and will you please go out with me?”

Eddie stares at him hesitantly and sighs with a smile. “Well, I feel obligated now that you’re on your knees practically begging for me to say yes.”

Steve laughs and shoves his shoulder. “Shut up.”

Eddie mimes zipping his mouth closed and throwing the key away.

“Oh my gosh, Eddie, just say yes.”

Eddie smiles with his lips still closed and gestures to his mouth then shrugs.

Steve puts his head in his hands and asks, “Are you going to make me humiliate myself by trying to find the key?”

He gets a tap on his shoulder, and he looks up to find Eddie nodding with an evil smile.

Steve sighs and stands up. “Why can’t I just have a normal boyfriend?”

“Can’t call me your boyfriend when I haven’t said yes,” Eddie argues then slams his hand over his mouth.

Steve just laughs as Eddie’s hand slowly slides down to reveal his big smile. Steve grabs both of his hands and pulls him up into a hug. He holds on tight as Eddie slowly wraps his arms around him.

“Yes, by the way,” Eddie whispers into his ear.

Steve pulls back. “Yes?” he asks.

Eddie nods with a breathtaking smile. “Yes.”

Steve lets out a sigh of relief before pulling Eddie into a kiss - their first kiss as a real couple.

They both smile into the kiss, pulling away every so often to laugh and whisper things like, “I can’t believe this is finally happening,” and “I’m your boyfriend,” and “You’re my boyfriend.”

And yes, all of those comments end up being Eddie as Steve confirms each with another kiss. But they both end up smiling so hard that they have to pull away and rest their heads against each other.

“Jesus H. Christ,” Eddie says, “How long are we going to have to lie to Veronica about when our relationship started.”

Oh no.

Steve sighs and pulls Eddie to the couch. “You might want to sit down for this...”

He recalls what Robin and Nancy told him, and Eddie ends up nodding and saying, “Yeah, I was wondering how Veronica would feel about Nancy and Robin being so weirdly close. But this makes way more sense.” Steve finds his reaction to be way more tame than his until he asks, “Want to go over there and make them pay?”

Steve shakes his head with a smile. “I think making them wait in suspense is the best way to torture them.”

“And how long do we want to make them wait?”

Steve shrugs. “A few hours, maybe longer.”

Eddie smiles. “And what should we do during those hours?”

Steve presses a kiss against Eddie’s cheek and says, “I have a few ideas.”

“Me too,” Eddie says as he moves to capture Steve’s lips with his own.

Steve can’t believe that this could’ve been his life for the past three years, but luckily, they have all the time in the world to make up for lost time.

But they still should’ve done this way sooner.

-:-:-:-:-:-

One year later...

“Come on, Steve. We’re going to be late!” Robin yells.

Steve stares at his reflection and fixes his hair a few more times before he pulls back to stare at his outfit. He laughs at the yellow sweater that Eddie insisted he had to wear on their one-year anniversary before running off to help Nancy with some emergency.

He’s not sure why Robin didn’t leave instead of him considering that the two girls now live together, but he doesn’t question it too much. Eddie was ready, and Robin said she wasn’t.

He’s also not sure why Robin is fussing so much about getting to the bar on time when the four of them could celebrate both their anniversaries at any time of the day.

“Come on, Steve. We can’t keep Nancy and Eddie waiting for too long or else they’re going to have to keep stalling and insisting that two other people are coming. But what if they don’t believe them? What if they get kicked out for loitering, huh? Then, where are we going to celebrate at? There’s no fair this year, and I think Eddie would die if we made him ride the Ferris wheel again. So, hurry up!”

Steve stops staring at himself and turns to face Robin who has been pacing in the doorway and frantically texting on her phone for the past five minutes. As far as Steve knows, they’re both going to be right on time and probably early if they leave in the next few minutes, He crosses his arms. “What are you hiding?”

Robin looks at him with wide eyes, very much giving away that she is hiding something. “Nothing!” she squeals.

Steve raises his eyebrows.

Robin stutters a bit then sighs. “Fine, I’m just nervous about the gift I got for Nancy for our anniversary.”

“I thought you already gave her it?”

Robin’s eyes flicker to the left. Another giveaway that she’s lying. “It’s another gift.”

Steve rolls his eyes and walks past her. “I know you’re hiding something from me, but you’re right. We’re going to be late if we don’t leave soon. So, let’s go, Buckley.”

He keeps pressing it during the car ride over until Robin launches off on a rant about the new lingerie she bought for their anniversary that she doesn’t think Nancy will like and goes into far too much detail about it. So much so that she only finishes her rant once they’ve pulled into the parking of the bar.

“Steve,” Robin says.

Steve stops and turns to her.

She says nothing.

“What?” he asks.

Then, he gets concerned as tears fill her eyes and she smiles wider. “Nothing, I’m just so happy.”

Steve stares in horror and confusion as Robin gets weirdly emotional. “Yeah, okay, let’s get you to Nancy,” Steve says, stepping out of his car and following as Robin practically skips to the bar.

He stares as she proudly holds the door open. Yeah, things are starting to get weird-

He stops in the entrance to the bar and stares at the rose petals on the floor. What?

There’s a guitar strum, and Steve watches as Eddie starts to play on the stage with the horrible acoustics. He recognizes the song from the first night they met, and stops in his place, as mesmerized as he was when he first saw him.

He plays it the whole way through before he puts his guitar back in his case and comes back to the mic. “Hey, everyone, and especially you Steve.”

Steve smiles but then startles as he notices there are definitely more people than just him and Eddie in the place. In fact, it’s... everyone he knows. Dustin... the rest of the party... even Eddie’s uncle Wayne is there.

“A year ago, Steve and I finally got together after I pined after him since the first night we met here in this very bar. Now, the song I just played wasn’t romantic at all, but it’s the song I was playing when I first laid eyes on Steve. And I have never been the same,” Eddie says resting his hands over his heart in a mixture of sincerity and just for the dramatics. “But, a year ago, when we lied to the waiter about our anniversary and scored Robin here some free cake-”

“Hey!” Robin interjects.

Everyone laughs, but Steve, Eddie, and Nancy know it’s true.

“Well, I told the waiter that in one year, I would be back to propose to Steve.”

Steve’s heart skips a beat as it all connects. He feels tears fill his eyes much like Robin as Eddie gets off the shitty stage and makes his way to Steve. He takes his hands. “Steve, I have loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you. And I can’t imagine a life where you’re not in it forever. And with that being said, I think it’s only fair that I get to be the one that goes down on one knee since you went down on two to ask me out.”

“Gross,” Dustin says.

“Not like that!” Eddie yells at him. He mumbles, “Christ, kid is going to ruin the damn moment.”

Steve can’t help but think that nothing could ever ruin this moment.

Eddie then pulls a ring box out of his back pocket and gets down on one knee. “Steve, will you marry me?”

Steve feels a tear slip down his face as he nods and happily laughs out, “Yes.”

He tugs Eddie up and hugs him tight, as everyone starts cheering and flooding around the two.

Later, Dustin, Nancy, and Robin start arguing about who is the reason they got together, but the couple is quick to humble Robin and Nancy reminding them that they’re both the reason they almost ruined their relationship forever.

Nancy apologizes as Robin argues that it still worked out in the end, but Dustin takes it as a victory.

Eddie just laughs through it all, insisting that it was actually his impeccable guitar skills that got the two of them together, and they would be nowhere without it.

But Steve knows deep down that no matter what universe they are in, he and Eddie would somehow end up together.

Thank you to my dear tag list and everyone for sticking around for this story and leaving such kind comments <3 I hope you enjoyed

Tag List:

@henderdads @little-gae-shit @dreamingtheimpossibe @leethegay @lazyavenuewhispers @olibxr @thegayestpersonever @heartsforhawke @estrellami-1 @messrs-weasley @evillitteguy @miss-hit @infrogulous @romanticdestruction @liz5100 @evix-syne666 @bebe07011 @corrodedseraphine @meganwinchester @manda-panda-monium @heartdinosblog @ellietheasexylibrarian @newtstabber @irregular-child @turboprops69 @envyadams-vs-me @dude-as-in-i-love-u @slv-333 @jillfriend @goodolefashionedloverboi @steady-delusional-moonlover @scheodingers-muppet @sleepyboosstuff @cyranyx @bestwifehaver @marvel-ous-m @chaosgoblinreblogsthings @vampiregirl1797 @moltenchocolatelavacake

#steddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #steddie fanfic

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shadowynn · 1 year

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| in love and lore | seven |

pairing: ateez x fem reader

genre: fantasy/daemon/soulmate au

warnings: some cursing, overarching yandere behavior ( i think that's it )

summary: the daemon king and his seven black generals. names and faces of these eight had changed over the years as each new king was crowned, but their reputation as the most powerful daemons always remained the same. upon hearing the rumors one of the seven led the charge of the nearby battle, you should have stayed close to the encampment. you should have never wandered out on your own. but you did, and your life would never be the same again. good or bad, you would just have to wait to find out.

“There’s no need to be afraid, angel.” His words were a breath against the side of your neck. “You’ve done so much for us, let your king now return the favor.”

wordcount: 9.3k

| six | seven | eight |

a/n: okay, so i won't lie, this chapter was like super nerve racking for me to post. and i think it's because a lot of questions are answered in this one and the thought of them not being satisfying makes me anxious. and i think that's one reason why i struggled with this one, but in the end, i'm, happy with the way it turned out, so i hope you all are too. it certainly ended up longer than expected, nearly doubling in length. oops. as always though, i appreciate and adore all your feedback, love and support! :)

May I come in?

You were startled by the abruptness of the voice inside your head, the panic you had finally began to quell coming back in full force. The fact he was here and speaking to you not only serving as a swift reminder of what had happened earlier in the night but of everything that was still to come. Of the answers they had all but promised you at this point.

Can you give me a verbal response, angel? As much as I may wish I could at times, I can't exactly read your mind; only the thoughts you outwardly project. And even then, only those from a close distance.

You mulled over your answer, wondering just what it was you wanted. You had come back to camp willingly enough with Jongho when he had promised answers upon your return, but you kept seeing Hayoon's face as she was left to bleed out every time you closed your eyes, followed by the blood that had slowly dripped from Hongjoong's hand. And then way her father had looked you. The guilt he had thrown at you as he ordered you to help, pinning all the blame on you. As though you had been the one to slice her throat and not the daemon grinning gleefully before him.

And was he right? Was it really your fault? After all, you could have saved her. You could have prevented her death if you had just moved.

"Just... just give me a second," your voice was soft, a mumble against the skin of your legs, "...please."

You had been so angry earlier. Your emotions wild and out of control by what they had done. So much so, you had wanted answers then and there, determined to know your role in all this. But now that you were here, you didn't know what it was you wanted. Not anymore.

You didn't want to talk with Hongjoong anymore, not really. Not after the scene you had witnessed earlier. You were no stranger to death. You had seen more death in your twenty years than anyone your age should have ever seen, but this was different. This wasn't just another meaningless death in the war. This wasn't a battle kill. This wasn't a soldier killing another because it was kill or be killed. This was someone killing purely for the sake of the act. Hayoon might have overstepped her boundaries when she had began speaking so brazenly to Hongjoong, but had that truly warranted her death?

All her crimes had been against you. It had been you she had insulted and you that she had threatened to expose and kill. And though Jongho had claimed she had still broken their laws when she had threatened your life, was it still justified when she hadn't known?

She had died because of you. Forced to bleed out because of you. And you hadn't done a single thing to prevent it. Not one single thing.

Perhaps this was why her death clung to your skin, because despite it all, you knew her father was justified in his guilt. Hayoon's death was on your hands just as much as theirs and no matter how hard you had scrubbed at them, the blood wouldn't come off. Your hands had been forever stained.

You wanted answers. You needed answers. You needed to know why they kept slaughtering people in your name. You needed to know what they had done to you and what they planned on doing with you. But the uncertainty of it all terrified you. What if Hayoon had spoken the truth? What if the truth was everything you feared? That this was all just one big game to them and you were just another means to an end. That you were nothing more than a pawn used to get the humans and now that your use was gone, you and your siblings would be executed like all the other half-daemons.

Or what if it was something else? Something worse than death. Something that prolonged your use to them.

You let out another sigh, pulling your legs in closer as a shiver coursed through your body. All you asked and yearned for the past few days had been answers to the questions running through your mind, but now that they were just within reach, you were hesitant. Terrified of what those answers would be and terrified of what was to come once you had finally gotten them.

And if the unknown didn't scare you enough, the path to it did. It had been easy to be frustrated with Hongjoong before, but now that you had met him, you wondered how you had ever dared to utter any of these frustrations out loud. You had known who he was all along, even without any outward confirmation, but nothing could have prepared you for what the daemon king was truly like. Even if he hadn't killed Hayoon in front of you, the short exchange you had with him beforehand had been nerve racking enough. His aura was large enough to fill the entire room, the raw power and strength exuding from it had left you feeling so small and insignificant inside it. And now that man was requesting to meet with you and you alone.

Alone with the daemon king.

If you had told yourself where you would be two years ago, you would have laughed. To think someone of your status would be requested to meet with the king of daemons wasn't just ludicrous, it was near impossible to believe. You had heard the rumors of what this man was like your entire life. Of course you had wondered what he was like before and wondered how he would compare to his father before. You had wondered, just like everyone else had wondered about a man of myth and legend, but you had never expected to actually meet him face to face. You hadn't wanted to ever meet him.

But here you were. In the middle of the daemon's encampment with the daemon king asking to come speak with you. Even with the direction your life had recently taken the past few weeks, it still felt strange. It felt surreal, and left you half-believing that this really had all been some sort of hazy, fever dream. That at any moment now you would finally wake up.

You wished you would wake up. Wished that it was nothing more than a dream. That it was just a nightmare and any second you would wake up. That you would find yourself back in your shared bed with Soomin and laugh about it once you had calmed yourself down.

But this wasn't a dream and you wouldn't be waking up any time soon. This was real. And you had no choice but to accept the fate you had taken when you had stumbled upon your first injured daemon so long ago. The moment you had chosen to save him, you fate had been sealed. The Black Angel had been born and you had no choice but to accept the consequences of your actions.

Take your time, angel. I'll be waiting for you outside.

His response brought you back to reality and you briefly wondered how long you could make him wait before he grew too impatient with you. It was a futile thought, though. What good would prolonging this meeting do for you? You couldn't live like this anymore. The uncertainty of your life and what was to become of you was driving you crazy. You needed answers and this was the only way you would be getting them. If it ended up being the death of you, then so be it. At least you wouldn't have to keep living with the unknown hanging off the back of your neck.

Knowing what you needed to do and doing it were two completely different stories though, and you fought the urge to slink further into the water of the tub. You could mope all you wanted, fight all you wanted, but there was no changing what was to come. As terrifying as it all may be, you would just have to get it over with. Otherwise who knows what lengths they would go to next.

You still waited to leave the tub until the water grew too cold to stand any longer and were careful to keep your gaze away from your body as you got out and dressed. You didn't think he would dare to abuse his power in such a way, especially if he checked in with you before coming inside, but you didn't want to chance it and were grateful your eyes had been closed when he had first spoken to you. If he had been spying on you in the last few minutes, all he would have seen and heard was the back of your eyelids and the shaky exhales of your breath.

There was some relief in knowing he couldn't read your thoughts, though his vague explanation had confused you. What had he meant when he had said he was only able to read the thoughts you outwardly projected? How did you project a thought and had you been doing it unknowingly all this time? Was this they reason why he and the others had heard certain phrases you had said in your head? Was this what Wooyoung had meant when he had said they wouldn't willingly read them? That they had no choice in the matter when you kept projecting them all along?

The thought caused another sigh to fall from your lips, fully knowing this was just another unknown that was to be added to your growing list.

You took your time making yourself presentable, pulling on the spare set of clothes laid out for you and running Hyunwoo's comb through your damp hair. It was a stark contrast from the way you had looked when you first met him, but you felt more at ease with the plain, baggy clothes. This was the real you. A poor, simple half-daemon with just a few items to her name. Not the girl he had seen at the ball, dressed in an outfit worth far more than she was herself. That was a lifestyle you would never obtain. Not because you would never be able to afford it, but rather society would never come to accept it.

Once you were dressed and ready, you were unsure of what to do next, fighting the part of you that yearned to slip inside the bed next to you and pretend as though you had fallen asleep. Was he still listening to you? Did you just have to speak out loud once more and he would hear you? Or did he expect you to reach out to him in person? He had said he would wait for you outside the tent, so had that been a hint for you to go outside and meet with him there?

You knew you were overthinking the matter, but your anxiety over the impending conversation clouded your brain and made it near impossible to come to a decision. You could feel his presence on the other side of the fabric that separated you, the intensity of it adding to the nerves coursing through you. You didn't want to go out there. You didn't want to see him again, but what choice did you have? You needed answers and you wouldn't run now that they were finally being offered. No, you would brave the explanations they would give you, if only for your own sanity, and then you would decide whether running away was a valid plan or not.

Your hands shook as you approached the entrance, the fabric of the tent nearly slipping through your fingers when you pulled it to the side to peer outside. Just as you expected, Hongjoong sat at the table next to Jongho. He had changed into something more casual, hair loose and wet from his own bath, and though the crown was long gone, he still appeared every bit the king he had been at the ball.

The two had been conversing quietly with each other, but their conversation fell to a close when they heard your approach. Both sets of eyes were quick to lock onto your figure and despite the easy smile each sent your way, you had to fight the part of you that yearned to disappear back inside the tent.

"Why don't you retire for the rest of the night?" Hongjoong spoke to Jongho first, motioning with his head for him to leave the two of you alone for the time being. "I'll cover the rest of your watch."

"Of course," Jongho replied, bowing his head. He rose from his seat without question, making his way over to you and ushering a soft, "Goodnight, angel," before giving your shoulder a reassuring squeeze and one last timid smile.

"I didn't wake you, did I?"

His stance was relaxed as he stood up, and he appeared much calmer than he had been when you had first met him earlier. He had seemed so angry with Hayoon and the others then, angry enough to kill though none of it made any sense. And yet, he presented as nearly a different person this time around. Simply smiling at you as though your earlier interaction had never occurred.

You simply shook your head, finding it hard to find your voice in his presence once more. There was so much you wanted to ask, so much that you wanted to say, but you found it difficult to put your thoughts together well enough to form a coherent question with the way his golden eyes took you in at this moment.

"Why don't we head inside, then?" He motioned for you to step back inside, hand landing at the base of your back to guide you when it took a second to process what he had just said. "It will be warmer in there than it is out here."

You let him guide you back inside with little fight, acutely aware of the fact you were now completely alone with him. He directed you to the small table and chairs set up to the left, pulling out one of the chairs for you to sit before taking the other.

"I know a lot has happened to you in the past few weeks," he began once the two of you had seated and you had a hard time fighting back the scoff his words brought. A lot? That was an understatement. Your entire life had been turned inside out since you had first met Seonghwa so many weeks ago. "And I know you have several questions you wish to ask me," he continued, ignoring the negative reaction his words had pulled from you, "but before I answer those, I feel it best to ask you something first. How familiar are you with the way daemons' politics work?"

His question caught you off guard, brow furrowing as you tried to figure out what politics had to do with your current situation. "About as much as you would expect," you attempted to keep your voice even, briefly wondering if you should address him in any specific way. "There's you, the daemon king and the seven generals who carry out his orders. Beyond that, I'm not too sure. Your kind has never been very open with sharing your ways of life."

"That is the base of things, yes," he replied, and though you saw the way his brow twitched at the connotation your tone had held, he didn't push you on it. "The golden crown has been sacred to my bloodline for many generations now, passed down to the next male heir whenever the current ruler dies. And each time the next king is born, seven other daemons are also born amongst our ranks, each with a different daemon ability unique to the sacred Black Order. These daemons are what your humans refer to as the Seven, and are born with the sole purpose of serving the king as his personal guard."

You had a hard time not interrupting him as he spoke, feeling as though he had just repeated everything you had just said. You already knew all of this, and even the few minute details you hadn't, you hadn't cared to learn about. Not when this had nothing to do with you. Not when it did nothing to explain why you had been marked with his sigil or why they seemed to have such a hard time letting you go.

"Now, all daemons possess some of the old magic in their blood, a substance we often refer to as maetha, but only those of the royal bloodline or those born to serve in the Black Order possess a unique ability in addition to what every daemon is capable of."

"But that doesn't make any sense," you spoke up before you could stop yourself. You knew the majority of daemons didn't have a unique ability of their own as you and Hyunwoo were the only two half-daemons you knew who possessed one, but you had always assumed it was just because half-daemons didn't carry enough of magic in their blood to present one and it was only who your father was that allowed you and Hyunwoo to have one. "My blood's healing capabilities. Hyunwoo's affinity with metals. Why-"

"Because of who your father was." Hongjoong interrupted, and his answer took you by surprise. Not because he seemed to know exactly who your father was, the color of your blood had long been a testament to that, but rather that your assumptions on the matter had been right. "You and your siblings are obviously the children of Minsu, one of the generals from my father's guard and the one who served as an ambassador between us. The color of your blood is all but proof of it."

"I'm well aware of who my father was."

No one would ever speak the truth to you or your siblings, but you had always known exactly who he had been. How could you not when your blood was as black as the horns on each of the generals' heads? You had never come to terms with how exactly you felt about the matter, finding it easy to push it to the side when it was a subject kept under wraps. After all, you had never even known the man, as his death had come just mere weeks after you and Hyunwoo had been born.

But you knew the legends and the rumors. The humans might have never outright spoken about your tie to him, but you had heard the stories and rumors they whispered about. Of how he had gone crazy and killed one of the councilman's youngest daughters in a fit of rage. Of how they had no choice but to take revenge for what he had done, even if his death would trigger an entire war.

Everything you had heard about the man said how terrible he was. Of how ruthless he had been. The perfect picture of what one of the Seven were rumored to be like. He had killed your mother for god's sake and would have killed you and others if the humans hadn't have stopped him.

But you also knew the stories Soomin had told you. She had been ten when everything had gone down, and though her memories of these years became hazy in the aftermath, she still held snippets of memories from a life before. Their deaths had hit her the hardest, and yet she refused to speak of it, not wanting to burden you and Hyunwoo with the pain she now carried from it. But she had spoken snippets here and there, ever questioning the event in her mind. Your father couldn't have done it. Not when he had seemed to care for each of you. Not when he had seemed to care so much for your mother.

"Then you may be interested in knowing how uncommon that is because the Black Guard is prohibited from having children."

The statement caught you off guard, pulling you from the memories of your father. You hadn't know that. Hadn't known that on top of the taboo of your mixed blood, you were also an illegal child. Hadn't known you were someone who should have never been born. No wonder the daemon soldiers had given you so many strange looks when they saw your blood. It hadn't been because of your ability to heal with it or that you were a half-daemon, but rather just the color itself. They had known what it meant. They had known you were someone who should have never been born.

"So, you are going to kill me then." Your voice shook as you spoke, the realization of what his words meant bringing to life the worst of your fears. If they weren't going to have you killed for being a half-daemon, they would kill you for being a half-daemon with black blood. Both you and your siblings.

"No, we're not going to kill you." He was quick to rebuke your statement, shaking his head and softening his expression once he saw the fear that filled your eyes. "Your birth may be considered illegal by daemon rule, but you are so much more important than you realize, angel. Important enough to make me more than willing to make an exception to the rule. After all, killing you would be akin to killing-" He paused, the look he gave you in that moment impossible to read. "Ah, but I'm afraid I've begun to get ahead of myself. Do you know why the Black Guard are prohibited from having children?"

You shook your head, relieved at hearing your death was not in the foreseeable future - at least for now - but nervous at the implication he had made when he had been about to explain the reason why. Did that mean they did have a further use of you? A use that trumped the fact you should have never existed in the first place.

"My family did not always rule the daemons. Before we sailed to this land nearly a millennia ago, we were nothing more than just another faction in a world divided by madness. I was not alive at the time, but I'm told Dalnim was a very different place than the land inhabited by the humans here in the place we have come to call Haemosu. The magic was stronger there, where every living being contained maetha. Even the earth, herself, is said to hold traces of it. But as beautiful as it was, the power it blessed us with was also a curse. Civil unrest plagued the inhabitants, each one desperate for the power others held. Wars were constant, each family desperate for more.

"My family yearned for a new life away from the chaos of the old world, so they, along with any other daemons who were willing to go with, left and sailed north to start anew. And to prevent the destruction and chaos that had plagued them before, a spell was put into place, preventing anyone outside the golden bloodline and those born to protect it from being born with any abilities outside the basics maetha allows us all."

"So, that's why the Seven are prevented from having children? Because they can produce more people like Hyunwoo and I? And you're afraid of anyone else who might hold a little power in case they decide to overthrow you?"

"I will agree the morality of the spell is ambiguous at best," he replied, noticing the sarcasm in your tone. "But over the millennia it has been in place, the daemons have lived in relative peace. They've thrived in harmony amongst each other without fear of what's to come. Each of them more than willing to sacrifice a little power at the chance of a peaceful life."

"Hmph, I wonder what that's like." Your arms crossed, scowling at the hypocrisy of his words. All you had ever known was a war divided in war. You had grown up under the very same circumstance he had stated the daemons came here to escape and it was all because of them.

"May I remind you that it was your humans who started this war. Not us." Hongjoong's voice was lined with thin agitation, brow twitching once more at your words. "And it was your humans that were so insistent on continuing it after my father died."

"What are you talking about?"

"Forget I said anything. It doesn't matter. Not anymore." He shook his head with a sigh, and you were surprised to see the way his eyes had appeared sunken for just a moment. As though he was remembering something he had come to regret. "If we were to talk about the logistics of this war, we would be here all night. And I believe there are other topics that would interest you more, am I correct?"

Your lips twisted as you mulled over what he had just said, his reaction to it all the more compelling. He was right in his assumption you were more interested in your own fate at the moment, but his statements towards the war had caught your attention as a direct contradiction to what you had believed to happen thus far. The humans had said the daemons had no wish for peace after their king had died, but Hongjoong had hinted towards a different story. One where the humans were the ones denying peace. And the reaction it had pulled from him all but proving something more had went down than what either had told you.

"As I was saying earlier," he began, taking the time you had mulled over his previous question as an excuse to continue, "the spell written back then was not as flawless as first expected. While it did almost completely prevent any future abilities from appearing in daemons outside the royal family with the exception of the Seven, it failed to prevent abilities from appearing in the male born children of the Black Guard, a problem only discovered decades after the spell had been written. There was talk of rewriting the spell, but the power and time it would have taken ultimately made them decide against it, using the loophole as an excuse to keep the Guard's sole focus on protecting and serving their king."

"Wait, you said only the male born children, right? But what about me? Doesn't that mean I should be like my sister? That I shouldn't have an ability?"

His mention in the flaw had been quick, but you had caught on to it with ease, seeing it as just another flaw in your own existence. As though you hadn't already been told your life was one giant mistake, it seemed Hongjoong wasn't done yet and swiftly delivered another blow towards you. Was there anything about you that was normal? That was supposed to exist and be for a reason? Or were you really just one giant mistake? A flaw in the system.

"Not necessarily. The spell has waned over the centuries and a few daemons with unique abilities have popped up every hundred years or so, but-"

"So," you interrupted, too frustrated by what he had explained to you thus far to notice he hadn't even remotely began to answer any of the questions related to what you were doing here now, "you're telling me, that not only am I a half-daemon, but the half-daemon child of someone who wasn't even supposed to have children in the first place, and now I'm some anomaly in a spell? Is there anything else I should know about myself?"

"I understand the circumstances of your birth may seem a bit... odd, but that doesn't change the fact your life still holds a purpose. You're not a mistake, angel. You're not someone who just slipped through the cracks of an ancient spell. There are a few others who the spell allows to be born with an unique ability. You are one of those people. In fact, you are someone I've waited a very long time for."

His hand reached across the table in an attempt to calm your fidgeting ones, but his fingers only briefly brushed against the tops of your hands before you pulled them back. His face was soft, too soft, gazing at you with genuine sincerity. As though he truly believed what he was saying to you. And the moment you pulled back from him, he almost seemed hurt.

"You're not making any sense. There's nothing special about me." You pulled your hands close to your chest, eyeing him closely from across the table. Why was he being so nice to you? Why did he seem to care so much for you? "I'm just..." Just what? A mutt? A halfbreed? An abomination? All of the above? "You said it yourself. I should have never even been born."

"Perhaps your birth was forbidden on multiple accounts, but that doesn't change the fact you were still born. Or that the maetha that flows through each of our veins chose you. Out of the millions of daemons tied to it, it chose you. You are so much more than the mutt everyone has made you believe you are."

"Chosen? Chosen for what?"

You shook your head, not quite grasping what he was trying to say. Or why he had gone such a roundabout way to try and explain everything. All it had served to do was create more questions than answers and make you feel worse about yourself than you had before. it didn't tell you anything you had wanted to know. It didn't tell you why he or the others seemed to have such a keen interest in you or why Seonghwa had attacked you that night and branded you with the sigil of their king.

"The abilities of the golden bloodline are passed down from generation to generation, with each new heir inheriting the abilities of both his parents, securing a stronger heir with each new generation. When I was born, I gained all the abilities passed down through my father's bloodline and then the one my mother possessed."

"Well, I'm sure that's quite nice for you getting to be all powerful and all, but what does this have to do with me? What does any of this have to do with me?"

"Fucking hell." Hongjoong let out a string of curses at your sarcasm once more. They were nothing more than a breath, but you could still make out the first few as he leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair, either exasperated by your statement or the fact you had still not gotten it. But if it was supposed to be obvious, it wasn't. At least not to you.

"The only daemons born with an ability is the next heir to the throne, the members of the Black Guard, and any other male heirs born to these eight men. However, you might recall I said I inherited the ability of both my parents, including my mother. And while it is true a few anomalies have been popping up, the mate of the daemon king will always be born with an ability."

"What are you saying?"

You could feel the blood draining from your face. The implication he made was clear, but it was so incredulous, you refused to believe what he was trying to imply. You had to have read into his wording wrong. He must have been hinting at something else. He had to have been hinting at something else.

"You're her, angel. The woman I've waited just over a century for. You're my mate."

You laughed.

You couldn't help it. It was just so ridiculous, the laughter had bubbled up before you could stop it, sure that this was all some big joke.

"What the hell are you talking about?" You choked out, but your laughter began to trickle away when you glanced back up at him and saw that damned sincerity in his eyes once more. He sure didn't look like he was joking. In fact, he almost looked offended you hadn't believed him. As though the fact you found it absolutely insane and proceeded to laugh in his face had hurt. Either that, or he was just one hell of an actor. "I don't know what you're going on about, but that was a joke, right? You're not actually serious?"

What did he even mean by mate, anyway? You knew daemon relationships worked differently than humans, rejecting the traditional marriage seen by humans, and referring to their significant other as their mate. But that didn't explain why he was calling you that now. You weren't his mate. You didn't even know him.

"Why would I joke about something like this?" He leaned forward, the intensity of his gaze making you squirm in your seat. You were sure he was joking. He had to have been joking, but the way he was looking at you made you begin to think otherwise.

"Other than the fact that it's absolutely crazy?" You couldn't stop the panic that began to bubble inside you. "Or the fact that I have no idea what you're even talking about? Mate? What the hell does that even mean?"

"Every daemon has a mate, someone designed and molded by the maetha to be a perfect fit to them. And in order to guide the two to each other, they're shown visions of each other-"

"Well, then that just proves you're lying." Your arms crossed. "I've never had a vision of you before. Or anyone else for that matter."

"A flaw on your human side, I'm afraid." He continued without skipping a beat and you began to wonder just what lengths he would go to convince you otherwise. How long he had been setting this up to come up with an answer for each question you threw his way. Of how much effort he put into a ploy that only served to see you hurt. "Half-daemons have mates just like daemons, but the way their human blood reacts with the maetha dilutes it, preventing the visions from ever occurring. At least, that's our best working theory at the present moment."

"Is there nothing about this that doesn't sound absolutely insane to you, or is it just me?" Your fingers dug into your arms, trying hard to control the panic his words stirred up inside you. It was insane. All of it was absolutely, fucking insane. "You're the king of daemons and I'm what? A mutt. Just a fucking mutt. And sure, I have an ability, but people slip through the cracks. You said so yourself. That doesn't mean I'm your mate. And to try and convince me otherwise is just cruel."

"I know how crazy this may seem for you, but I assure you it is all true. I'm not trying to convince you of something that isn't true. I've been seeing pieces of your life ever since you were born, after all." He reached across the table, grabbing your fidgeting hands in an attempt to calm your movements and prevent you from hurting yourself. "Every year on your birthday, I'm able to see, hear, and feel everything you do for just a moment. It's similar to how one of my own abilities work, but I don't get to choose when it happens or reach out to you in any way. I simply get to experience your life as you do for a few brief moments."

"I don't believe you." You shook your head, still incredulous to it all. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't.

"On your eighteenth birthday, you and your brother snuck out of the city to catch a glimpse of Sesang's comet. You laid out on a blanket in a nearby field, staring up at the sky and talking for hours. It was the middle of winter, so it was freezing, but you didn't care. You talked about running away, leaving the humans behind and starting a new life away from it all, but it was nothing more than a wishful fantasy. Where would you go with the war going on?

"And then your eighth birthday was the first year you had gotten a cake. Your sister had saved up enough money to buy the ingredients for one. She had even managed to get candles for you to blow out and make a wish. Your brother had stated his wish was to be able to have cake everyday for the rest of his life, but you had remained silent when asked about yours, stating it wouldn't come true if you said it and you really wanted it to come true. Ever since then, I've always wondered what your wish could have been and if it ever came true for you."

Your face grew hot as he spoke, fully aware everything he was saying was true. You had snuck out of the city with Hyunwoo on your eighteenth birthday, as the lights and walls of the city had blocked your view. Soomin had been frantic when the two of you had returned in the middle of the night, nearly frozen to death but giggling like fools. She had berated the two of you for what felt like an eternity for doing something so stupid.

And then your eighth birthday was the first time you had gotten cake. There had only been enough for one, but you hadn't minded sharing with Hyunwoo because the two of you were so close and shared everything anyways. You had felt so silly when you had made your wish and blown out the candles on your side, but even now, almost thirteen years later, you still held on to that wish and hoped it would continue to hold true. That you would always have your family by your side.

"I'm not saying I believe you," you found it impossible to look him in the face now, body growing hot as the realization he could actually be telling the truth sunk in, "but if you really are telling the truth, then why didn't you just take me that first night? If you knew it was me, why did you just have Seonghwa put this stupid mark on my chest and send me on my way?"

"Because I knew how badly you would have reacted. Look how hard this is on you now. How do you think you would have reacted if I had Seonghwa bring you back to our base that night and explained everything there?"

You had to admit he did make a valid point. If he really was speaking the truth and you were his - god, you couldn't even say it in your head - stealing you away then would have made you livid. But it didn't make up for the way they had still treated you instead. The way they had stolen you from your home and family still made you angry. The ploy might have not been as terrible in his mind as the first, but it was just as cruel to you. You had gone through so much in these past few weeks, unsure of what their true motives were and what was to become of you. It made you almost wish they would have just taken you that first night instead. The stress of it all had nearly eaten you alive. It had nearly torn you apart. And for what? For them to come out and say it had all been because you were supposed to be the mate of the daemon king and they wanted your ability to pass down to the next heir?

"There's something else I still need to explain to you," he continued after a few moments of silence and you did look up at him in that moment. The realization he had more to tell you made your heart skip a beat. What more did he have to say? Could it possibly get any worse than it already was?

"My mother's ability is a strange one, allowing bonds to be created between different individuals. By consuming one's blood, I can create a bond between myself and another that will tie us together. In a sense, it allows a part of myself to be imparted upon each person I mark, allowing me to share my strength with them and vice versa. Each of my generals hold such a mark, strengthening each of us through it. And when I realized it was you who was the Black Angel that night with Seonghwa, I marked you through him. The mark on your chest is a physical sign of the bond that now ties you to each of us and why you were most likely left with the feeling as though a part of you was missing. In some ways, it was, as pieces of yourself transferred to each of us as the bond took hold.

"I didn't want to mark you in such a way. Not without you having any prior knowledge on the matter, but I had little choice. I wasn't expecting you to be there that night. I wasn't expecting to see you until we breached Maehwa, but then you appeared. And though I always suspected it might be you who was the Black Angel, it was still a shock to see it was true. To know it had been you who had saved all those lives." He paused, hands tightening their grip on your own. "I knew how much danger you would be in if the humans ever found out what you had done, and I couldn't just have Seonghwa take you back no matter how much both of us wanted that, so I did the only thing I knew to secure your safety for the time being."

"You could have been wrong though. You could have marked the wrong person."

"No," he shook his head, the hint of a smile appearing as he took you in. "It was you. We both could feel it. The moment you walked into that room, we knew. Your voice, your mannerisms, your aura. It was all you, the woman we've waited so long for."

"We? What do you mean we?"

"When I marked the others, I never expected the bond between us to be as strong as it was. It brought us together in a way that no other king and his guard had been before. We were stronger, faster, more united than my father or his father before. A part of myself now lives within each of them, just as a part of them lives within me. And the tie that connects me to you, also now connects you to them. Because you are my mate, you are now also theirs."

Your eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

If you weren't so certain he hadn't been lying about the first part anymore, you would have never believed him now. You would have laughed at him again. But just as before, his face held no trace of a lie. It was just as sincere as before. Full of a longing that would have had you wanting to move in closer if you weren't so shocked by what he was telling you in that moment.

"Even before they were officially my guard, I had always been so close with them. We grew up together, trained together. They're the closest things to brothers I'll ever have, so when I was instated as the new king and they officially became my guard, the bond that snapped into place felt natural. It heightened everything we already knew and felt, bringing us closer together than we had been before. When each of them saw the next vision I had of you on your eighteenth birthday, we knew immediately what it had meant. That they were now tied to you just as I was and who was I to neglect them of that bond? The very one I had given to them?"

"But," you struggled to speak, fighting the rush of emotions that had sprung up, "but you said every daemon has a mate, so I couldn't be theirs too, could I? Not when they-"

"You'll remember I said previously that the members of the Black Guard are not allowed families of their own, because of this, they are the only daemons who do not have a mate when they're born. The ancient spell which gives them their ability and rank also prevents a mate from being bound to them."

It made sense. In it's own twisted way, it did. And it explained so many of the interactions you had with each of them. It explained the way Seonghwa had reacted that first night when he saw you, the way Jongho was always so bashful around you, and it even explained the conversation you had had with Yeosang before you had known he was a daemon. Of how he had said a partner was something he had never thought could be his and the implication that it could come true now because someone like you had told him it could.

You could feel your face growing hotter with each passing moment, suddenly seeing every little interaction with each of them in a new light. They had known. All along they had known exactly who you were. It was why they always seemed to fawn over your attention, squeezing their way in to catch a moment of your time. And it was why they all acted so aggressively whenever you were insulted and threatened, and explained the hungry glint in each of their eyes when they had observed you in that golden dress earlier that night.

Your eyes flickered over to where it still laid draped across one of the privacy screens, shivering as you saw the meaning behind it in a new light. You had been so sure they had put you in it for the exact reason Hayoon had said. As nothing more than a way to mock the humans, but that hadn't been it at all. Perhaps, a part of it might have been a way to get back at them for all they had done to you, but it had really been nothing more than a way for them to show the humans exactly who you were there with. All but claiming you as your own.

"Let me get this clear. You're telling me that I am not only supposedly your mate, but I am also now the mate of each of your seven generals? Like, all of them?" You drew your hands out from under his, his touch hot and heavy against yours. "And I'm what? Just supposed to accept all of this? I'm just supposed to be okay with all of this?"

"I know this is a lot to take in, y/n, but-" He attempted to calm you down, but you couldn't even look at him in that moment, feeling more vulnerable before him than you ever had before. Never in your life had you felt as bare and exposed as you did now.

"A lot? A lot is a fucking understatement." Your voice was rising, and you clambered to your feet, nearly knocking your chair over in your haste. "My whole life I've been told I'm nothing and that I'll amount to nothing, and now you're here telling me I'm supposed to be your mate. The fucking daemon king's mate. It's..."

It was what? Cruel? Degrading? To know that they only reason they had ever shown you an ounce of kindness was because you were supposed to be their mate? And what if you hadn't been? What would have happened then? Would you have had a knife to your throat instead? Because you served no other purpose towards them?

"You all keep going on and on about you had no choice in the matter. That you had no choice but to mark me with this stupid, fucking bond, and no choice but to kill Hayoon or that other lady. But you're wrong. You," somewhere inside you, you found the strength to look up at him once more, eyes narrowing as you met his gaze, "you have no idea what it's really like to not have a choice."

God, the temperature in the room seemed to have increased steadily in the past few minutes, leaving the air stifling and making it harder to breathe with each intake of air. It was starting to make you lightheaded, and you swayed on your feet. You needed to get out. You needed air.

"Angel-" His hand caught yours as you went to move away and the way he looked down at you nearly made your heart stop.

"I... I can't do this anymore." It was a struggle to speak as time went on, chest tightening with each passing moment. You couldn't stay here for much longer. Not with him. Not with any of them. You needed space to think, to breathe, to calm yourself down. You couldn't do that with him here. Not when he was the source of the panic currently consuming you. "I need space. I need to think."

You didn't wait to be given permission and pulled yourself from his grip. He let you slip away with little ease, making no attempt to try and stop you as you dashed to the entrance of the tent.

"y/n, please believe me when I say that none of this was meant to hurt you. The last thing any of us want to do is hurt you."

Would he be saying that to you if you hadn't been his mate? Would he have shown you, someone who's existence his kind had hated for centuries, would he have shown you kindness if you hadn't been his mate?

"You'll have to forgive me when I say I don't believe you," your voice was soft as you paused at the exit, hand tightening its grip on the fabric of the tent as you processed his words, "as it certainly hasn't felt that way on my end. My life has been nothing but confusion and misery since I met you."

You didn't have to look at him to know the impact your words had on him, cutting deep. And though you felt no regret in saying them, it still made you pause for a second longer, wondering if this was the right way to leave things. Wondering if you should explain just why his words had cut you the way they had.

But how could you? How could you stop and explain when you weren't even fully aware of the answer yourself? And what little you did understand only made you all the more anxious to openly admit out loud. Because what if you were right? And the way you had been treated was solely reliant on the bond between you. And that you would have been tossed aside like all the others long before if you hadn't.

No, you couldn't. You wouldn't. Not now. Not after everything he had done. Not after everything they had all done. You had suffered enough as it was. You didn't need to suffer any more by putting yourself out there more than you were already.

You forced yourself to move, throwing back the flap to the tent and forcing your legs to move beneath you before he had a chance to change his mind and force you to stay. You didn't know where you were going, nor did you really care. You just needed a place away from him> Away from all of them. A place where you could be alone and breathe. A place where you could process the overload of information he had dumped on you without him and the others breathing down your neck.

To your relief, the others weren't around when you exited. After everything you had just been told, you didn't want to face them. The mere thought of seeing them now that you finally understood what was going on only made your stomach churn. You didn't know how you would be able to face them after tonight, and wondered if it would have been better to continue living in ignorance. If the uncertainty of what was to come was better than this.

You took off through the camp, ignoring the daemons still milling around and doing your best to control your breathing. Your hands still shook and your chest was tight, but you felt as though it was a bit easier to breathe out here.

And though the idea of running did strike you in that moment, you had no real intention of following through with it. Could you even run away when Hongjoong had the power to bring you right back to him with little to no effort on his part? And even if he somehow couldn't? Where would you go? Nearly every city had either been destroyed or overtaken by the daemons, and Maehwa was out of the question after the events that had transpired earlier in the night. The humans would never let you stay with them. Not after you had inadvertently caused the death of one of the councilman's daughters.

No, you just needed to get far enough away to where you couldn't feel their presence any longer. You needed far enough away to where you could feel like you were by yourself. But the moment you made it to the edge of the tents, you were stopped in your tracks. Not by one of the daemon guards, but a force that you couldn't even see.

There was nothing in front of you, nothing visible that you could see, but you could feel it. An invisible barrier blocking your path and preventing you from escaping any further. You could feel it thrumming in front of you as you cautiously brushed up against it, solid beneath your fingertips.

You knew this was your doing, remembering all too well the way the humans' fists had bounced off something similar earlier in the night. Except this time it wasn't in place to keep the humans in, but you.

You laughed.

Nothing about this was remotely funny to you, but the realization you were trapped inn here with them was the tipping point of it all, seeing once again your choice being taken away from you. A pitiful reminder that you were little more than a prisoner here with them.

It didn't take long for the laughter to transform into tears, shoulders shaking at the sobs that began to rack your body, finally releasing the swell of emotions you had held up inside you for so long. Every fear, every frustration, every worry, came rushing out of you in that moment and you collapsed against the nearby tree, body curling in on itself once more as the weight of the situation came crashing down on you.

You had thought your fate had been sealed the moment you had become the Black Angel, but you were wrong. Your fate had been sealed the moment you had taken your first breath and destiny decided to tie you to that man and nothing you said or did would change it.

@layzfeelit @calirix @seonghwarizon @yunho0o0o0o @blglmgk01 @marievllr-abg @ddeonghwva @rosie-hao @malyxsoulpersonal @kirooz @violetpenguinkris @woosmaid @eggyomelet @wooya1224 @mulanateez @kimi-kiwi @eastleighsblog @baguette-atiny @yourleftsock @dear-dreamie @uriruwi @purplelady85 @camzpetite @peachesandcream-9 @beautysirens @peachy-yabbay @seonghwaholic @honeyedtalisman @nichobins @fl0r4f4wn @avantalem @seojonneh @is4b3ll3s @ahhhhhhhhhghh @slutforheeseung @hyunjiminssi @knucklesdeepmingi @mrcarrots @wxnderingthoughts @moni-cah @hazel42 @blaaiissee @anushka-k @peppermint-tea-life @all-black-darling @not-everything-is-so-primitive @naiify @sophxom @kuleo26 @doublebunv @halotopicecream @shakalakaboomboo @craxy-person @kawaiikels @tito-the-mermaid @wellwwhynot @nikinonikki @freyaniobe

just let me know if i missed you, the tag didn't work, or if you want to be added/removed! :)

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devswritingcornerorsmth · 7 days

Text

mirrorwatch headcanons

since ow doesn't like making stories anymore I'm making my own (bliz pls hire me for story stuff) (actually dont i know what goes on there-)

lowkey inspired by @/vhstropics on tiktok

just headcanons not canon and based of my personal bias. don't like em make ur own :D

TANKS

D.VA: Failed MEKA training and was replaced by D.MON. South Korea is half destroyed due to the Gwishin and MEKA failed and most pilots have passed. D.VA/Hana is currently in a shelter with her family, trying to stream for money but never gets any views due to the amount of people doing the same.

Doomfist: Formed Overwatch to combat the Omnic Crisis after his master was killed by said omnic's (Mirrorwatch Orisa).

Junker Queen: Lives with her family in Junkertown. Participates in the Scrapyard most of her time.

Orisa: Part of Null Sector and led the massacre in Numbani.

Ramattra: Took Mondatta's place and ended up assassinated by Tracer via pulse bomb while Widowmaker/Amelie tried to save him.

Reinhardt: After everything that happened in Eichenwalde he gave up his oath as a knight and wanted revenge for the comrades he lost in battle due to the Omnic's. After killing both Omnic's and people, he was taken in by Mercy/Vengeance and became a top member in Mirror Talon.

Roadhog: Living with his daughter in Junkertown. Sometimes they go to New Zeland to visit other families but mostly stay and talk with friends and other family. He never meets Junkrat but does see him every once and a while with his mother.

Sigma: Siebren was able to harness gravity, and with the help of Moira, keeps his mind under control. Has won several awards due to his discovery and currently works with Mirror Overwatch.

Wrecking Ball: Escaped the Moon after the massacre by himself and ended up working with Mirror Overwatch as an engineer.

Winston: He was part of the massacre on the Moon and was pissed when Hammond left him by himself. Built his own way back to Earth and landed in Junkertown where he became champion and seeks revenge on Hammond for leaving him.

Zarya: Discovered that Russia was actually helping the Omnic's and destroyed what she could while also stealing a bunch of stuff that was important to her boss. She soon joined Talon and was given her gravity gun and enhancements to her body to make her even stronger thanks to Mercy/Vengence.

Mauga: (okay two of them cuz angst raaahh) 1, Mauga joined Overwatch after the Deep Sea Raiders disbanded due to Talon. He joined around when Baptiste did and was sad to learn he left due to wanting to be a merc. He let Baptiste go and promised they would see each other again, whether that be friend or foe. 2, Mauga was high up in Overwatch along with Baptiste. Bap was kidnapped by Talon and tortured for months. When they got him back, he killed Mauga and ended up as Scorpion.

DPS

Ashe: Akande/Doomfist made something similar to Blackwatch and got Ashe after finding her abandoned by family. She distances herself from Mirror Overwatch after it disbanded but still cares for it and will become active again if they need her to.

Bastion: After he woke up, so did his programming. He caused panic and a mass murder once reaching the city and went into hiding after he was damaged by police and others. Was soon found by Null Sector and is now a member.

Cassidy: Created Deadlock after Ashe and the rest of his family left him in the desert. Neither have heard from the other.

Echo: When she woke up, her programming malfunctioned and she was unable to learn new things and only knew that she was a weapon. Liao tried to deactivate her but Echo killed her out of fear. She soon joined Null Sector and became Zenyatta's right hand.

Genji: After attempting to murder his brother, he fled to Junkcity where he now lives his life in hiding from the Hashimoto and Shimada.

Hanzo: Genji tried to kill Hanzo and almost succeded. The Hashimoto took him in and fixed him with robotic parts and made him a killing machine for their own benefit.

Junkrat: Living with his mother in Junkertown, while taking care of her and building her little trinkets. Mei: Passed due to the cryo-sleep malfunctioning. None of them made it and ended up being forgotten by most of the world.

Phara: Joined Talon to follow her mother's footsteps, currently in training after being kicked out from Helix.

Reaper: Moira fixed him up in a good way this time. No longer has Wraith form nor can teleport, but he no longer feels too much pain and uses his abilities for good.

Sojourn: Dies the OW explosion.

Soldier76: (straight/j) Joined Talon after the OW explosion and was experimented on by Mercy/Vengence. Now faster and stronger but decaying a lot faster than normal. He only has about a year of life left and is living it with murder through Talon and weapon trading with Los Muertos.

Sombra: Still a very good hacker but her parents never passed and improved of her hobbies as long as she used them for good. After they died at the hands of Los Muertos, she turned most of them in using her hacking abilities and was scouted out by Akande for her good deeds. She now turns in criminals and sends money to the poor when she can using the money the criminals possibly stole. Best friends with Widow and thinking of asking her out.

Symettra: Dropped out of Vishkar and left to Junkertown to expand more on her creations. Is quiet popular and owns a popular shop.

Torbjorn: Left OW after the explosion. Due to complications, his wife passed, leaving him with only Brigette. He needed money to keep them afloat and joined Talon to use his engineering abilities to build multiple weapons and armor.

Tracer: Part of OW as a pilot and was presumed dead when they couldn't find her plane and left her as such. She joined Talon to get revenge on the people who wronged her.

Widowmaker: Top Sniper in OW and followed Ana closely until she shot Widow in the eye for Talon reasons. Eye got replaced by Moira and ended up being an even better shot. Bestie friends with Sombra, knows of Sombra's crush. (edit: forgot about her husband but fuck it lesbians raaahhh)

Venture: (Works for the British museum/j) They joined Talon to search for artifacts to pawn off for money. They're one of the richest people in Talon due to this and does flaunt their wealth while underpaying the people actually digging for the artifacts.

SUPPORTS

Ana: A plant in OW until she was tasked with killing Widow. She failed and went back to Talon before they caught up with her. Uses Mirror Mercy's healing tech to hurt others and (sorta) help her team. She teases Rein for not being able to save his comrades, making their relationship nonexistent.

Baptiste: (two again cuz lore n angst) 1, Left OW because they refused to let him show his full potential on the battlefield and was paired with Ashe n the little team Akande made (Mirror Blackwatch). Was stopped by Mauga before he was let go. Now a merc under the name Scorpion doing business with Talon. 2, He was in OW before he was kidnapped and tortured for months until OW found him again. He killed Mauga and went off back to Talon, only to run away again and become a merc.

Brigette: Following in her father's footsteps and joined Talon. Talon realized her full potential and allowed her on the battlefield after she showed how aggressive and strong she was. Torb was basically an absent father due to working so much but she respected him for it. She knew how hard it was on him and joined Talon to help. Mizti is a gift from Torb and is the office cat roaming around that bites and claws at everyone but Brig and Torb.

Kiriko: (not annoying, actually contributes to society, doesn't have a bike/jj). Followed Hanzo's footsteps and joined the Hashimoto, dying her hair to get rid of her routes as a Kamori. She works in Hanzo's squad and is constantly trying to find Genji and get revenge for him. Oath siblings in Kiriko's eyes while Hanzo hates the fact she followed him to the Hashimoto.

Lucio: Works at Vishkar alongside his father. Was close friends with Symettra until she left and now despises her.

Mercy: Founder of Talon after she realized OW wasn't changing the world and decided to change it herself after discovering her medical tech.

Moira: Head Medic at OW due to her discoveries with decay and bringing things back to life. Fixed Sigma's mind, Widow's eye, and countless other things. Has won multiple awards and is well-known in the medical community. Knew Mercy before she started Talon and was inspired by her.

Zenyatta: After witnessing the death of Ramattra, he began Null Sector and led the Omnic Crisis while Mondatta frowned upon him. He didn't care and wanted justice for his people.

Lifeweaver: Working with Vishkar and is a top researcher with hard light. Tolerated Symettra and was glad she left.

Illari: Once the ceremony came, turns out there was nothing special about her. She know feels burdened and like a disappointment for not being able to live up to expectations. She still tries to help but only ends up getting burnt. (Icarus situation)

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flowersandbigteeth · 1 year

Text

Your orc mate talks to the police

Orc (Rork) x female reader

General Plot: You are still being held captive by your orc mate, but the police stop by for a visit

Word Count: 800

💕 SFW MASTERPOST 💕

W: murder, drugging

Another few days had passed with Rork. He’d kept giving you whatever drug, carrying you around as you drifted into a haze. You could slowly go through the motions, brushing your teeth, going to the bathroom, but it felt like you were in a dream where your limbs weighed tons. It was eerie to be out of your mind for so long. You couldn’t think clearly and what thoughts you had were warped.

The only thing that was clear to you was you needed Rork. You needed him to touch your constantly sensitive body and hold you while you hung in limbo. He was your only source of comfort. Your only pillar of stability. He did the complicated things that confounded you like cook. He fed you in his lap, purring about how pretty and sweet you were.

Somewhere far away in your mind you wondered if this would be forever, but your conscious self sought out the safety of his arms. Everything was easy when he was with you. You didn’t have to battle your heavy limbs or try to churn through your muddled thoughts. You could just let him handle everything and it would all be okay. He promised to take care of you and he did.

He was holding you on the couch, stroking your needy skin when there was a knock at the door. You barely registered it at first, but Rork immediately stiffened underneath you. He looked panicked for a second before propping you on the couch cushion and looking down at you.

“Stay very quiet,” he warned, before he crossed the room to the front door.

“Afternoon sir, I’m with the St. Laurent county police department.”

Something in your brain prickled. Police…what were police? Why did that word mean something? You moaned a little bit, trying to remember.

The officer didn’t hear it and continued on.

“We’re going door to door looking for a young lady who has gone missing. (Y/H) tall, (Y/C) hair, about (Y/W) pounds. Have you seen anyone matching that description? Or anything strange? New people moved into the area recently?”

You moaned a little louder and the officer glanced over Rork’s shoulder narrowing his eyes.

He couldn’t see too well into the dim room, his vision still blown out from the bright afternoon. He thought he could make out a form, but he wasn’t sure.

“Do you have someone here with you, sir?” he asked.

Rork cleared his throat as he tried to figure out how to play this.

“Just my wife,” he said, “she’s not feeling too well. She gets these…ah…migraines.”

You tipped forward and flopped to the floor.

Rork’s eyes widened with guilt and the officer put his hand on his weapon.

“Sir, I’m going to need you to step aside,” he barked, pushing past him into the room.

Rork clasped his two massive fists and dropped them down on the back of the officer’s head and he collapsed like a bag of rocks, his head smashed like a fallen fruit. He was for sure dead.

He hurried over to you and arranged you back on the couch.

“I know you didn’t mean to do that, darling,” he assured mostly himself, his mind going into a state of panic, “you didn’t mean to make me kill him, did you? It was just an accident. This was all just an accident.”

He didn’t even notice that he was rubbing blood on your cheek as he brushed it with his thumb.

“Stay here,” he ordered.

He ran to the kitchen, yanking out a bunch of trash bags and some duct tape from under the sink. You could only watch as he wrapped the dead officer up and hauled the both of you into the cop car. The keys were conveniently still in the ignition. He tossed the body in the back and put you in the passenger seat as you stared, your head too hazy to really process what was going on.

Rork had killed someone. A police officer. His dead body was in the back seat. He drove for hours. You dozed in and out of consciousness, realizing he was following a back road that led to the ocean.

Your eyes fluttered open suddenly. You’d fallen asleep. Rork was holding you and looking out over a cliff at the ocean. The choppy water churned below you, but you couldn’t see anything, not that you knew what you were looking for. Your mind was too tangled to remember the events of the night clearly. Something had happened…but what?

It didn’t matter. It was cold and Rork was warm, holding you. You buried yourself into his chest and he looked down at you, his smile a little mad.

“Everything is going to be okay, darling,” he said, stroking your hair, “don’t worry about anything.”

So you didn’t.

#monster romance #monster fluff #yandere headcanons #male yandere #yandere fluff #yandere romance #yandere x reader #monster x reader #monster boyfriend

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bluegekk0 · 9 months

Note

You’re never annoying when you rant about your AU! I love seeing and hearing people infodump about what they’ve created. Watching people get excited about their creations is the highlight of my day. Let’s use this ask as an infodump opportunity. What’s something you want to infodump about but have never gotten the chance? Spill some beans! I’m ready to listen!

oh anon, you have no idea how much i needed an ask like this. had a pretty rough day, and talking about them always helps me feel a bit better. so i really appreciate this, and of course i appreciate all of your words, thank you <3

i'll put the infodump under a read more thingy cause this may end up being quite long haha

i've been thinking about grimm a lot. okay, i think about him all the time, but i mean more in the context of developing his backstory a little bit more. i listened to this davy jones theme suite, and i find all that sadness and anger incredibly inspiring whenever i think about him. that, and i've been rewatching doctor who, and the theme of an immortal being desperately searching for a life they can never really have is something that resonated with me greatly

i always saw grimm as someone who keeps an emotional distance from others, while still craving the most human kind of experience. he's a god, and yet he's always spent most of his time among mortals. his relationship with the radiance has never been the most positive even though they were siblings, their shared responsibility given to them by their father was the source of most of their fights, as grimm fundamentally disagreed with the way the radiance saw her followers - she thought they belonged to her, while grimm believed they had no right to claim ownership over other beings, mortal or not. he valued freedom and mutual respect, while she wanted control, as she desperately wanted to maintain the position given to her by their father, in an effort to preserve his legacy. grimm did not feel that obligation - he did his duty, but aside from that, he held no attachment towards their father. and that ultimately led to the battle between him and his sister, which ended in his defeat. he was banished from the higher, stripped from the ability to ever return to it, and forced to stay in the nightmare realm. his powers were weakened and he was unable to draw them from the gods plane, meaning that he could only use them for so long before he needed to rest and recharge his energy, most of which goes into creating his physical form (and it's why he has to periodically replace it - the body, while allowing him to walk the mortal plane, also collects nightmare essence which is then consumed in the ritual in order to restore the energy)

but i drifted away from my main point. he was very fond of the mortals, and his curiosity soon turned into envy. he watched them live their lives, and noticed how, despite being aware of their mortality, they lived their lives to the fullest. he wanted to experience some of it for himself, the pleasures, the emotions, everything that made the mortals human (well, in the metaphorical sense in this case, since they're not actually humans haha). and at first he loved everything about his life. he did not have to worry about dying and could do whatever he wanted, what more could he ask for?

well, he hasn't experienced love up until that point. in all of his search for pleasures, he slowly realized just how lonely he was. after his banishment, he formed the troupe which would accompany him on his travels and assist him with the rituals, but it did little to help his loneliness. as much as he valued freedom, they swore their loyalty to him, to the nightmare king, and whether he wanted to admit it or not, they belonged to him, it was the only way he could maintain their immortality that he promised them. but it went against what he stood for when he clashed with his sister. he wanted to find love, but he knew it couldn't be with anyone in the troupe. willingly or not, he would be abusing his power, and in his eyes, that wasn't real love. he wanted someone who would stay with him not because of their connection to the nightmare king, but because they loved him. and most importantly, he wanted them to have the freedom to make that choice. this is where brumm comes into the picture, as i do see him as having one sided feelings for grimm. they were never reciprocated, but clearly there was more to it than just not being the right type. grimm had a very strong stance against finding a partner within the troupe, and unfortunately for brumm, he had to experience that first hand

of course, as we all know, grimm ended up finding a partner in fpk. but fpk was not the first, there was someone before him. now, this is a very fresh idea, so i don't have many details as to who that someone was, though that's beside the point as grimm would not want to talk about them either way. but he did fall in love once, and unfortunately for him, he fell in love with a mortal. so as you'd expect, it never worked out. the moment he realized that they were aging before his eyes, that he would have to eventually watch them die, he removed himself from the picture. simply put, he ran away like a coward before he had to face his lover's mortality. and ever since then, he kept an emotional distance from everyone, in fear that he would get attached again. he realized that he could never have the life he wanted, with someone he could truly connect and spend his eternity with. the eternity, which he started to view as a curse. and following that, everything went downhill. the pleasures he once enjoyed now lost all of their meaning. he still slept around and attended events as he always did, but there was no joy in it anymore, he simply just wanted to feel something, anything. he usually found that feeling in drinking or one night stands with others, but he still backed away the moment there was even a suggestion of something more going on. it was for the better, he told himself

and then he met fpk. in the palace, during one of the royal parties organized by the white lady. he heard about the king of hallownest, it would be difficult not to after all. so naturally, he got grimm's attention, though perhaps not the kind fpk expected. it didn't take long for grimm to find him at the palace balcony, away from the crowd, and only seeing him up close like that did he realize just how unimposing the king looked. but that didn't stop him from attempting to seduce him, as he fully expected fpk to be just like his wife and the other gods he met. but once again, he was taken by surprise. his attempts at sweet-talking were misunderstood, as fpk seemed to interpret them as concern, and opened up to share his frustrations. he expressed how much he did not want to go back to the party, that he felt much more comfortable up there on the balcony, and how he just wanted to return to his workshop and continue his project. then he apologized for taking grimm's time, and reluctantly returned to the party. grimm was surprised, to put it mildly, but he also sensed a similar loneliness in fpk that he himself experienced. judging by the way fpk talked about his life and his relationship, it seemed that, just like grimm, he didn't have anyone he could truly connect with and who would understand him. and against his better judgement, he started to feel the urge to change that, to be there for him. in short, the god of nightmares fell in love, right there on the balcony, after a failed attempt at getting in the king's pants. a wonderful start to their long-term relationship haha

i'm realizing that i probably repeated things i already mentioned before, but i thought bringing it up would paint a more complete picture of how i view grimm's personal struggles, and why he's so obsessed with fpk. he does have a good reason - meeting fpk was like a lightning in a bottle. he wasn't as distant and snobbish as the other gods, he was very human and approachable, and the passion in his voice whenever he talked about the things he loves was simply contagious. and most importantly, just like grimm, he wouldn't age. it gave grimm new hope and showed him that perhaps he could still experience love the way he wanted for so, so many years

and i think that makes fpk's hibernation a lot more tragic from grimm's perspective. he thought he lost his only chance at the life he wanted, all because he took things too slow. he never rushed his relationship with fpk, he didn't involve himself romantically until after fpk's separation with his wife, and even after that he allowed fpk to figure out his feelings at his own pace. in grimm's eyes, there was no need to rush things, quite the opposite, he figured that a relationship which built its foundation slowly over the years would be more meaningful, so he took his time. if he knew that the infection would return, and how things would go, he would confess his feelings sooner. but he didn't, and he blamed himself for it for all the years that fpk was gone. he entered the darkest period of his life, he lost all of his hope and became very distant towards others, hiding behind a mask of politeness that would crack the moment he was on his own. it only makes sense that he would drop everything the moment he reunited with fpk in dirtmouth, especially with how much of an insane coincidence it was. he would not lose him again, and would do everything to protect him and his family. he finally had something to care from, and through that, found meaning in his life

this is quite long and probably makes more sense in my head, but eh, whatever. i love thinking about them, no matter how cheesy their relationship may be, or how not very well-written it is (though it was never meant to be, i suppose). but i hope you enjoy reading this still

and really, thank you again for reaching out like this. i don't know who you are, but that's the charm of receiving anon asks. but know that i really appreciate this. and i hope you have an amazing day or night ❤

#ask stuff #feral pk au #save

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domripley · 8 months

Text

Left to Face This Alone - 3

pairing: dark rhea ripley x reader; eventual liv morgan x reader

warnings: forced cuddling, noncon, mommy kink, victim blaming, dom oddly comforting you (he’s trying his best), threats of violence,

You woke up with a groan, your head pounding from the night before. You weren’t sure how you ended up in your bed, but you jumped up when you realized that you were completely naked. You turned to find Rhea sleeping next to you.

Suddenly, all the memories of the night before came flooding back. Your eyes widened, getting out of the bed, you rushed towards the bathroom. You stopped in your tracks as Rhea spoke up.

“Where are you going in such a rush?” she questioned, causing you to freeze.

“Bathroom,” you stated, turning around so you were looking at her. Rhea was now up sitting on the bed, eyes glued on you. She didn’t believe you - rightfully so - but you wished she would just let it go. “I- um, I need to get ready, I have interviews all day today.”

You bit your lip, gripping your stomach as it continues to turn. Rhea laughed, shaking her head as she got up from her seat. “You are in no shape to go in. I already sent Cathy a text from your phone and she said that she’ll cover for you.”

“Okay, first of all-“ you began but ran to the bathroom. Dropping to your knees and throwing up, you jumped a little when Rhea got down on her knees behind you. Rubbing your back, she tried her best to comfort you, but you flinched. “Don’t touch me.”

“You weren’t acting like that last night, you weren’t telling me to not touch you.” she snapped, grabbing the roll of toilet paper that was on the counter.

Rhea helped wipe your face, throwing the toilet paper into the toilet. To your surprise, she helped you up - unsure as to why she was being so nice to you. Everything she had done to you at the bar made your stomach a lot worse than what the alcohol did to you. Although, a part of you felt as if she had slipped something into one of them, having had only a couple of drinks wouldn’t have made you feel this sick to your stomach after. You weren’t sure how Rhea was okay, she seemed to have woken up completely fine with nothing, not even a headache.

“M’need some water, Rhea,” you whispered as she led you back to the bed. You looked around, trying to find your clothes from the night before. When she went to grab you a bottle of water, you found your clothes on the side of the bed she was laying on.

You grabbed your clothes, sitting on the edge of the bed. You held your arm across your stomach, trying to fight the urge to throw up again. You turned to look to see Rhea coming back with a bottle of water and the small trash can that was near the desk. Losing the battle with your stomach, she held the trash can in place as you continued to be sick.

“That’s it, good girl.” Rhea praised, rubbing your back with her free hand. This made you get sick more, after reaching for the box of tissues that were on the bedside table.

“Please don’t call me that.” you said, wiping your mouth with a tissue. Throwing it in the trash can, you took the water that was between the two of you. You drank as much as you could stomach, placing the trash can onto the floor before laying down on your side.

Rhea allowed you to keep your feet on her lap, bringing her hand up and placing it on your leg. You flinched, trying to move your legs off of her, but she stopped you - holding your legs in place. She spoke up, “Why are you trying to get away from me?”

You shot your eyes open, turning your head so you were looking at her directly. “N-No, I-I promise I’m not.” you said, trying to get Rhea to loosen her grip. It didn’t work.

“Don’t lie to me,” she warned, squeezing your legs. You let out a whimper, trying your best to wiggle out of her grip. Shaking her head, Rhea continued. “You wanna cuddle, that’s why you’re trying me to let go of your legs, huh?”

“What- no. I want you to leave my hotel room.” you snapped, but Rhea didn’t listen. Climbing onto the bed, she wrapped her arms around you, pulling you closer to her.

“Stop fighting me, (Your Name), because you and I both know that you’re not going to want a repeat of last night.” she threatened, causing you to stop your struggling. You bit your lip as she got closer to you, snuggling up to your back. “Relax. I know you want me to cuddle with you, so fuckin’ act like it.”

You leaned into her, wanting this to be over as quickly as possible. Rhea hummed, “This is nice, can’t wait to cuddle with you more.”

You began to cry, wanting nothing more for her to leave you alone.

“Get some rest, baby, later you’re coming with me to my hotel room.” Rhea whispered, laughing when you shook your head. “Yes you are. We have two whole days off before Wrestlemania and I want you to spend some time with the guys too.”

“N-No,” you whispered, causing Rhea to roll her eyes.

“Absolutely not, they’re not going to touch you because you’re mine.” she snapped, biting your shoulder. “Why would you think I’d let them take a turn with you? Are you that much of a whore? Or do I need to remind you that you’re now mine.”

“N-No I- I’m sorry,” you shook your head, but it wasn’t good enough for Rhea. Pushing you onto your back, Rhea was quick to climb on top of you.

“Tell me you’re mine.” Rhea instructed.

You turned your head so you’d look at the wall, which only made Rhea angrier. Gripping your chin, moving your head so you were looking at her. “When Mommy tells you to do something, you do it. Understood?” she asked, causing you to nod as best as you could. When she let go of your chin, she began to grind against you.

Rhea pulled away from you, causing you to whine. “Drink the rest of your water and take a shower, my room number is three-fifty-three. You’ve got an hour or I’ll come looking for you, even if it’s a minute late.” She warned before getting up.

She grabbed her bag, quickly leaving your hotel room. You slowly got up, drinking a little more of your water before dragging yourself into the shower. You couldn’t help but cry, wishing that Rhea would just leave you alone. You hoped that she won her match at Wrestlemania - making it so she would only be able to focus on that for at least a few months until everything cooled down. This would give you a chance to have a breather from the Australian and maybe she would move on to the next person.

-----

Done with your shower, you got dressed quickly once you looked at the clock. Your eyes widened - you only had fifteen minutes left before Rhea came looking for you. Grabbing your backpack off the floor and your room key, you rushed out of your hotel room. You were glad that she was on the same floor as you - making it to her hotel room door with a minute to spare. You knocked, surprised when Damian answered the door as quickly as he did.

“Come on in,” he smiled. You nodded, moving past him to find Dom and Finn sitting on the couch that was in the room.

“Hey, (Your Name), come sit next to-“ Dom began, but Rhea cut him off.

“No, she’ll be sitting up on the bed with me.” Rhea came up to you, grabbing you by the arm. She led you to the bed closest to the bathroom and further away from the TV. You crawled onto the bed and Rhea followed suit. With your back against the headboard, Rhea wrapped her arm around your shoulder as Dom flipped through the channels.

“Let’s rent a movie,” Damian suggested and Dom agreed with him. “I’ll even pay for it.”

“It’s gotta be horror.” Rhea stated, causing Finn to roll his eyes.

“Of course it does,” Finn sighed, grabbing the remote from Dom. He handed it to Rhea, who removed her arm from your shoulders.

You watched as she flipped through the channels, finally finding some horror movie that apparently only was only five dollars. As she clicked “Pay”, you hoped that she would be focused on the movie to bother you.

But as the movie went on, Rhea forced her hand into your pants, cupping your pussy. Leaning into you, she whispered, “Can you be quiet, baby? I’d hate to have to hurt you.”

You nodded frantically, trying to keep your eyes glued on the TV. You bit your lip hard, drawing blood as Rhea slid a single finger into you. You wanted to cry, but you knew you could alert the others. Rhea hadn’t moved her finger, keeping it completely still as the movie went on. A part of you wished she moved it. But as soon as the movie was over, Finn turned to her, and she was quick to slip her finger out of you and her hand out of your pants.

“You wanna go with me and Damian to go get food?” Finn asked.

Rhea licked her lips, giving you a warning look. “You okay with staying here with Dom-Dom?” she asked you, reaching down to grab your hand. Squeezing it hard, you nodded.

“Yeah- yes, I’ll be okay with staying here with Dom.” you said.

As soon as she got off the bed, the three of them grabbed their wallets and headed out. You bit your lip as Rhea glared at you - warning you not to say anything to him while she was gone.

To your surprise, Dom was the one to speak up as soon as they left. He had waited a good six minutes before doing so. “I know what Rhea did to you last night.” he admitted, chewing his bottom lip nervously.

“Oh- um… she didn’t do anything to me.” you lied, but Dom shook his head.

“You don’t have to lie to me, but if you ever need to talk and she isn’t around, we can talk.” Dom offered.

You nodded, unsure of what to talk about. A part of you wanted to tell him but at the same time, a part of you didn’t trust him enough to do so. He had turned on his own father, what made you so sure he wouldn’t turn to Rhea and tell her what you’ve told him.

“I think they’re bringing you something different than what we’re having. It’s just we’re a few days from Wrestlemania and Rhea will not have any cheat-meals right now.” Dom complained, causing you to laugh.

“Well I’m glad she’s bringing me different food then.” You sighed, still smiling because of his complaint.

“(Your Name)?” Dom asked.

“Yeah? What’s up?” you answered nervously.

“I know you don’t want to trust me, but I promise you whatever we talk about whether it’s now or in the future, will only stay between us.” Dom reassured, giving you a small smile.

You wanted to believe him. You really did.

“Thanks Dom.”

#my writing #mine #dark au #dark rhea

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dxmoness · 1 year

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𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 | 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐮𝐬.

— title says it all.

Misherus are strict and always pressured, this part is true. But what this generation of Misherus have witnessed has to be the worst of all.

A daughter is born. A disappointment to the elders who have authority over the emperor. Great disappointment led to wishes of murder towards the child. The murder in which Roman and Yashira both disagreed from.

This disagreement led to a very noticeable fight between the elders and the couple. But just when they thought the elders finally left them alone, something was in store for Yashira.

A young girl comes to find her mother, flowers clutched in her hand. She enters her mother's room where a gore sight takes her to tears. "Mommy-?" She mustered up, her purple eyes were met with the sight of a bloody body on the floor while her father stood by its side. The body was her mother's.

Roman turns at the sound of her voice, his face softening as he stepped forward. "Sorana..." He spoke gently. He wanted to explain everything.

The little girl gave a choked cry at the sight. Her mother dead by her father's hands. "Mommy..." Roman gives a sigh, hugging his youngest. It was a great crime to kill his wife, but it was either her or Sorana. Yashira had agreed to it.

Damien blamed her for her mother's death everyday. This was the reason he promised to kill her when they were older. She was given the cold shoulder by everyone. Including her father. Until the debutante of Arianne Damaris.

"Damien." Sorana spoke calmly as she found him standing by her door, his sword shown in the moonlight. "Are you here to kill me?" The question was spoken so casually as if she weren't talking about him killing her.

"You don't seem so upset about it." Damien muttered as he stepped towards her. She was so calm. It was appalling. Did she want this?

As if reading his mind she answered. "I give you the permission to kill me." Something in him seemed to shatter at the words. He lifted his sword, its tip on her chest. A minute passed, then five. He couldn't do it.

Her eyes stare at him coolly. "Damien?" Her voice didn't shake nor did it fade. She was still calm about this. "It's okay, go on."

His hand shakes as he puts the sword down, the sword clattering on the ground. What he wished to do, he couldn't. Even when she was begging him to. He turned and left. Leaving the girl to stare at the sword he left behind. His worst mistake.

When news came to each of the siblings of their sister's death. Damien blamed himself. For leaving the sword behind.

Everyone was in a very dark mood. What once was a charming household in some ways now turned to full depression.

Now came the falling of the Misherus. The cloaked figure came close. Its first target would be Alpha.

Killing Alpha was easy since the male was too deep in his melancholic thoughts towards the death of his sibling. A quick fight was brought up and the once heir was dead.

Next would be Cable, and then after him Kindred. But Kindred escaped his clutches quickly.

Now came the hardest one, Bravo Misheru.

"About time." Bravo said. The male knew he was coming.

"You were waiting?" The masked man spoke calmly despite his heart going mad. He knew this was a risky move. Especially when this male was the most powerful after Alpha and Sorana.

"Of course I was waiting, Damien." He said, his red eyes glared at him. Ah, so he knew.

"Well then, let's get this over with then." A battle had taken place and Damien nearly won. Nearly. But Bravo pulled the same trick Sorana made during the Bloodshed and his life flashed before his eyes.

"You have no honor, don't you?" Bravo asked as he pulled his sword away, Damien's blood smeared all over it. "Especially after doing this just after Sorana's murder that you made."

"I didn't kill her." Damien spat out. "She killed herself." "You think I believe that even after all the times you said you'd kill her?" His voice was cold and testing him.

He would've killed her. Damien had planned to. But he had grown close to her. Once hate turned to love.

— TAGGING

@primordixl, @achy-boo, @roseadleyn, @writerig, @lxdymoon0357, @orlic1a

#• . desideria · long fics!#— figuratively leaving the world · ocs 🌹#oc stuff #oc writing #— the thorned mistress. 💌

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greenhousethree · 9 months

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11, 20 and 26 for Ginny....

26 with respect to Lily Potter...?

Thanks for the questions, anon! (Wheee more procrastination for meee...) Ask game here.

11. Faceclaim for the role of Ginny:

This'll be disappointing but I don't really picture a particular person for Ginny; she has a face and disposition in my head that I haven't seen and don't have the skills to artistically render. Closest would probably be, you guessed it, Luca Hollestelle. I think there's a reason she's so widely accepted as Ginny's face claim.

20. Scars:

Most of Ginny's physical scars come from growing up with six older brothers. I've mentioned the one above her belly-button from Ron's wooden sword in this fic, and I think there might be several other little ones, a few of which become bittersweet reminders of Fred (he knocked her down two flights of stairs with a flying trunk, ffs). Her first time falling off Charlie's broomstick earned her a pretty banged-up knee, too; she was so eager to climb back on that her mum didn't get around to healing it until it had scarred over. You can still see a few of those jagged lines, if you know where to look.

Ginny's lucky to not have many lasting scars from the war. She broke an ankle in the Department of Mysteries, but only needed a bit of Skele-Grow. And while she was pretty battered and bruised after the Battle of Hogwarts, most of that was temporary, too.

The big one I'll mention, I guess, is less of a surface scar and more a minor disfigurement as the result of an injury, which again is described in this fic and alluded to in Chasing. For me, it was important to represent the Carrows' physical violence that Neville references, in addition to spells and curses that can sometimes be hard to relate to as a reader, particularly at a point in the series when the Unforgivables are thrown around so callously. Magic isn't the only thing that hurts, and magic can't fix everything.

26. What would Ginny do if stuck in an elevator with Lily Potter?

Not sure what circumstances have led to this situation, but we're rolling with it...

First thing's first, Ginny's trying everything she can think of to get the lift moving again. She's not scared so much as annoyed; she stopped by the Ministry on her way to meet a friend for coffee and now she's running late, trapped between two sets of metal grills and surrounded by anti-Apparition wards.

I'm imagining Lily is some sort of spectral presence here, a la the Resurrection Stone (my toxic trait is my inability to synthesize anything AU). Still, it doesn't take Ginny long to realize who she is. Thoughts of later plans vanish, and she quits trying to transfigure the lift's ceiling into a trapdoor as she recognizes Harry's eyes.

And they talk.

Ginny asks questions, of course. The first ones that come to mind, because naturally she draws a blank about anything she's ever wondered up till now. No one expects to be caught in an elevator with their fiancé's dead mother. Do you know who I am? Do you get to watch over Harry, or something? Did you always know he'd be okay, or were you still worried about the prophecy? He still doesn't talk much about his parents. Now's her chance.

The harder part comes with Lily's questions. Is her son happy? Overall, yeah, I think. Does he take enough time for himself? Er... sort of. Does he make you happy? Do you two want kids?

They talk a bit about Teddy (Remus sends his gratitude), and then Ginny stares at her boots as Lily thanks her and bestows her resounding approval, which feels a bit odd coming from someone nearly Ginny's own age.

She promises to pass on Lily's apology for not being there, at the wedding. As if that day will really even matter, as if there haven't already been a million birthdays and holidays and Sunday afternoons Ginny would rather him have with them instead.

Magical Maintenance doesn't take too long to arrive on the scene, and by the time the lift is clattering back to the atrium Lily's gone and Ginny's wondering if she's gone funny in the head. She spends the rest of the afternoon walking along the river, bypassing the coffeeshop where she's due and wondering how she'll talk to him about it, whether he'll even believe her.

She'll regret it later, not asking about Severus or James.

#whoops took that last one and ran with it #asked and answered #ginny weasley #lily evans #anon ask #headcanon #harry potter

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thorkyrieforever77 · 9 months

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What If... Thor was Blipped (updated)

What if Thor had been blipped after Thanos did the snap?

In the aftermath of Thanos' finger snap, the world was forever changed. It is now the responsibility of Valkyrie, Loki, and the Avengers to restore all those who were lost. My take on the ending of Infinity War involves a heartwarming reunion between Valkyrie and Thor once everyone has been brought back. However, Endgame remains largely unchanged.

Valkyrie had joined Thor alongside the Avengers after the trauma they had experienced in what felt like a week. The Asgardians had been forced to abandon everything, their home, and Loki, whom Thanos had killed on the ship.

When she looked around the forest where Thanos was said to have last been seen, Valkyrie worried she hadn't seen Thor anywhere in the battle. "Come on... come on... where are you... Please be okay..." As she said this, she heard what seemed to be a groan of pain followed by dust. Thanos did it... erased half the universe.

There was a run towards the dust from the Asgardian warrior. A ghostly paleness covered her face once she saw who was fading. She fell to her knees next to Thor and held hands with him as they shared one last embrace before Thor turned to dust. "Oh, no, no, no, no Thor!" she wept as her eyes filled with tears.

She heard the God of Thunder say, "You're the queen of New Asgard Val! " before he vanished.

Her last words were "Wait wh- T-Thor no I... alright..." though she knew she was talking to herself now; after getting a sense of what had happened, she sat there in silence, processing everything. As she heard footsteps, tears ran down her face. Okoye. The guard of King T'Challa walked over to her and knelt at her side. Valkyrie had already lost someone in the past and now it was repeating itself.

"I can't do this again... I lost someone before I can't go through it again..."

"Sh... shh Val, it's alright! I promise we will get the job done! And we will bring all these people back!"

After everything that had occurred with Hela recently and in the past, Valkyrie thought she would be hard-wired to deal with heartbreak and chaos by now. Immediately, she wondered. Why wasn't it her? Why Thor? Most importantly, where was Thanos?

"Where is he?" she asked Okoye through tears, Her eyes were darkened and her voice was shaky filled with sadness and anger, "Val think about this before you do anything... please... we need to find who is still alive first before we do anything to defeat Thanos... okay?" the guard wiped her friend's tears as she nodded, it didn't help that Thors axe Stormbreaker was sitting right next to her, she picked it up and held it close to her chest.

Okoye held her close running a hand through her hair gently "Shh..." A few moments later the two heard footsteps coming towards them and voices "Okoye, Valkyrie!"

It was Steve Rodgers aka Captain America, he looked at the girls his eyes saddened as he realized which Avenger had been blipped "Thor?" he asked Valkyrie as he walked up to her kneeling next to her placing a hand gently on her shoulder and sighing quietly. This made Valkyrie tear up again after barely calming down moments ago.

"Where's Thanos?" Valkyrie asked again in a whisper as she kept Stormbreaker close to her

"he disappeared... we don't know where he is... but we are going to find him and make him bring everyone back with the stones!"

The thought of one Avenger being blipped by Thanos sparked Steve's attention for a moment, and then he spoke to Valkyrie, "Come on, there's someone nearby..."

While Okoye and Steve helped Valkyrie up, her face was wet with tears as she looked at Captain America sadly. What was she to tell the people of New Asgard that their king was dust? She didn't even know if Loki was alive, since Thor returned to Earth without a chance to speak.

Steve led the girls to break the silence between them. Valkyrie looked up to see a familiar face she never expected to see again. Loki.

Loki didn't need to say anything to her since he saw her holding his brother's weapon. He knew within seconds what this meant as he walked over to her with a shocked expression on her face. She, along with Wanda, walked straight past him, thinking he had been killed by Thanos. He stayed with him to explain. "Now isn't the best time..." he watched Loki's confused expression as the girls walked away as he explained what had occurred.

Eventually, they met the other Avengers near Wakanda's battlefield, and Valkyrie held back tears the best she could as she went to tell Natasha and the others about her teammate being blipped. Steven and Loki soon caught up as they watched people around them slowly fade from the snap.

Loki soon realized what had happened to his older brother; he glanced back at Valkyrie, trying to process it all. She glanced back at him as he gestured towards him. His first move was to pull her close and hug her while she forced back tears, trying to be strong once more.

"I don't know where Thanos has gone. But I know we will find him because this isn't over yet," Steve said to his friends. After watching them pull away from the hug, Valkyrie wiped away tears and nodded in agreement as Cap said these words.

Loki sighed quietly as people finally stopped turning to dust around them "Let's get back to New Asgard... make sure everything's alright" Valkyrie quickly agreed at this, wanting to get off the battleground as quickly as they could, she picked up Stormbreaker before looking at Loki then at what was left of the Avengers "we might need a lift back..." she said to Steve quietly as he understood leading them to the ship.

Despite the silence between them, Natasha spoke, breaking the silence, "Val... if you need to talk about this at any point, you know where we are, right?" she assured the Asgardian.

"It's fine. I know Nat... I know. But I don't know how to let everyone know what's happening. We barely made it after Thanos had attacked the ship after we defeated Hela... and lost Asgard... Natasha, my people have already gone through so much... I don't want to make things worse for them. They have barely settled after what they've been through."

"We'll get Thor back," Natasha insisted to Valkyrie with a hopeful tone as she explained everything the Asgardians had been through. She leaned against her warmly, placing her hand on her shoulder gently as they walked to the ship. She could not help but smile faintly as they walked. On the ship to New Asgard, the girls were still talking to each other as they sat side by side.

On the way back home Loki stared out the window, "Valkyrie... we're back!" he whispered to her faintly. Loki smiled and nodded as he watched Nat give Valkyrie a tight hug before leaving the ship. "We'll stay in touch," Steve said with a nod.

Her hair flew in the breeze along with her blue cape from her battle outfit as she took a deep breath as looked at New Asgard, realizing she was now the new ruler until Thor appeared. "Loki...I can't do this..." she whispered as she glanced up at him. She had tears in her eyes despite trying to hide them. "Asgard needs Thor as their leader...not me..." As she spoke, her blue cape fluttered in the wind.

When she said this, the God of Mischief glanced at her, her voice trembling with fear after recent events. "I just don't want to let him or anyone else down..." she thought as she took a deep breath before the two headed for New Asgard.

"If my brother did not think you would make a good leader Val, he wouldn't have made you one" Loki comforted his friend to cheer her up, but he and Valkyrie were both feeling nervous at the prospect, but the thought of Thanos quickly took over.

"If he returns, what are we going to do? Steve said he disappeared, and from where I was standing, it sounded like Thor was the last one with him... before... you know," she asked Loki, getting choked up a little again.

"He also said he'd give us updates on what's happening-"

"The reason is none of that matters since Thor isn't here... and you know as well as I do it may take ages for the Avengers to find Thanos... We don't know when or where he will strike next since he has wiped half of the universe... and while we are on the subject..."

Valkyrie punched him in the arm, slightly angry "that's for making everyone think Thanos killed you when he attacked the ship! Your brother told me all that happened and then here you come out of nowhere!"

"Alright, wasn't the best time to show myself. Just don't hit me on the arm again... or take it out on me, anyway"

"way to take the fun out of it" Valkyrie joked through a chuckle as they continued, soon meeting up with Korg, who survived both Thanos's attack on the ship and the blip.

Greeting Valkyrie, the rock man started before observing Valkyrie, still holding Stormbreaker. "Isn't that Thor's axe?" he asked, pointing to the weapon. "and where is Thor?" he continued, hearing Valkyrie and Loki's hesitation at his question.

When the Kronan asked again, "Where's Thor?" he knew something was wrong. After making her speech, Valkyrie let out a sigh that had been holding in: "Thor was... Thanos... he...-" she tried to articulate Thor had been blipped but could not bring herself to say it without tearing up again.

When Korg realized Valkyrie was asking him, "has Thanos wiped out half the planet? And you're saying Thor was among those travelling into the dust?" He asked, saddened, as he watched his friends nod at his question.

"So, then... who will lead us then?" Korg stared at Valkyrie before speaking, "Before he disappeared... Thor said I am the leader... but now I can't lead without him. I am not qualified to do this."

"Several weeks before Thanos' attack, you had fought against the goddess of death so you can do it! It appears you also took part in the battle against that grape." Loki interrupted his friends, panicking as he tried to boost Valkyrie's confidence, but when the dagger was pointing at him, he soon ceased talking.

"Listen! don't give me a pep talk and don't mention his name around me! Not until he's defeated and everyone's brought back!"

"I agree-"

"don't get familiar!..." Valkyrie warned, saying the very words she had to Thor what seemed like almost a week ago as she kept the dagger in front of him.

"let me finish... I agree with what my brother said..." Loki repeated himself, pushing the dagger away just to be replaced by a second one and a small 'l dare you' smile by the one his brother seemed to like so much.

With a defeated sigh Valkyrie moved her dagger away from Loki, letting him continue "if you can defeat Hela... you can rule until my brother returns plus it's not like you'll be by yourself since I wasn't killed by Tha-"

"say his name... and you'll get a punch somewhere other than your arm!" Valkyrie warned once more, her eyes darkening slightly to show she was serious.

"Alright, as I was saying... if you can defeat Hela you'll be a good leader and I'll be able to help until Thor returns just don't kill me... please..."

Despite Valkyrie's reluctance, she granted Thor's request. She followed Loki to the house, carrying Stormbreaker, waiting for news about a plan to defeat Thanos once and for all while drowning her feelings in a drink.

Five years later, the rest of the world was quiet after the blip and sacrifices had been made to retrieve infinity stones. The final battle against Thanos was about to begin.

"Valkyrie" Loki called from downstairs "They need us!" Valkyrie's eyes grew wide at this news, grabbing Stormbreaker and her sword, "let's finish this! " She was dressed in similar armour to that she wore during her fight with Hela, and her hair was styled into two braids on top of her head.

Orange sparks appeared in front of the two as they headed toward the door. After Loki had finished walking outside, he said, "everyone's back... I'd know that magic anywhere." Valkyrie looked back at him "five years!" she replied, "I have been ready for this day for five years!" Before Valkyrie could step foot through the portal, her pegasus Aragorn grabbed her, and she yelled "hell yeah! Now I'm ready!"

As the portal grew wider she, Loki and everyone you could think of joined Captain America on the battlefield for one last fight against Thanos, but she couldn't focus properly as she looked around at all the heroes hoping to find hers through the fight.

"Avengers" she heard Cap call to everyone, gripping her sword tightly, ready to fight "assemble!"

Everyone charged toward Thanos and his army. Valkyrie scanned the ground halfway through the battle as she picked up Spiderman, who held Thanos's gauntlet "hold on tight, kid!" she told him as she placed him on Aragorn's back.

"Have we met yet? I'm Spiderman-" Spiderman introduced himself "alright Spiderman, you haven't seen Thor anywhere right?" Valkyrie asked hopefully then sighed quietly before she had an answer Spiderman called to her "watch out!" he warned as they almost got hit by an explosion, not wanting another Avenger hurt Valkyrie looked at Spiderman after dodging the worst of the explosions "this is your stop kid!"

Spiderman jumped off the pegasus, crashing as he attempted to land from the height. Valkyrie winced as she watched. She looked around slightly as Aragorn landed away from the explosions, hoping to find the God of Thunder somewhere in the fight.

Eventually, Valkyrie flew up to help Captain Marvel, Wanda and a few female heroes who teamed up together but she stayed distracted until Wanda pointed out "don't look now but... look now" Valkyrie looked at her confused as she said this then glanced over to see Loki giving his brother a tight needed hug, she breathed a slight sigh of relief knowing Thor was okay.

"think you guys can handle these guys?" she asked as she jabbed her sword through one of Thanos's monsters with a smile "we got this" Carol aka Captain Marvel replied, "go to him!" Wanda finished watching her friend fly away.

"Now isn't the best time for a hug boys!" Valkyrie called over with a smile as she flew over, hovering over Loki and Thor handing him Stormbreaker watching as Thunder crashed around the three of them she laughed slightly as she watched having waited five years just to see thunder crashing down again.

Whilst she was distracted, one of Thanos's minions knocked her out of the sky, causing her to land hard next to the boys. Valkyrie winced in pain slightly as she got up with Thor's help. "are you okay?" he asked as he looked around suddenly seeing Thanos. Thor gripped Stormbreaker tightly as he watched the purple titan get closer to them.

"he's mine!..." Thor said quietly, lightning flashing around the three of them. "what? Thor, are you crazy! He'll kill you!" Valkyrie warned as she and Loki exchanged nervous looks before trying to stop the god of thunder from doing something stupid. "brother stop! think about what you're doing!" Loki continued calling from behind Thor even though he knew his brother wasn't listening to either of them.

Thor was stopped from proceeding by Valkyrie, who grabbed his hand tight. "Don't do this!... please... I've lost everyone to Hela... and you for five years... I can't lose you again!" She paused for a moment before continuing: "just... just be careful... Asgard needs you back... I cannot manage this alone anymore! Thor, I need you!"

Loki joined Valkyrie's side to show his brother he was outnumbered, but before they could say anything else, a shadow appeared over the three of them. Thanos.

"I thought I killed him!" Thor said to himself as well as his brother and Valkyrie, "not exactly... you see brother..." Loki explained.

"This isn't the Thanos who made the Snap! It's Thanos from the past... the other was killed when we tracked him down!" Valkyrie continued explaining gripping her Dragon fang tightly glancing at Thor and then up at Thanos "if we make it out of this battle alive we'll explain later..." she finished as she barely blocked the titans' attacks without losing her balance.

As Valkyrie struggled, she yelled over to the boys, "ahh a little help over here!!" she slipped across the ground, falling over. "Ugh!" shaking the pain away, she stood and looked up at Thanos, watching him lift his weapon, ready to kill her. She gripped hers, ready to face whatever happened at that very moment. The next thing she knew, Thor pushed her out of the way, causing him to land on her, using his body to shield her from the attack.

The couple winced in pain again as the two landed away from Thanos. "I could've handled him you know," Valkyrie told Thor through painful laughter before he helped her up, pulling her into a tight embrace, holding her close, relief flooding over them knowing the other was alright.

After a while Loki's voice suddenly interrupted the moment, noticing the battlefield had gone silent. "Brother... we have a problem..." Thor looked at his brother, confused, then noticed everyone had gathered in the same spot, a bad feeling rushing to his stomach. "aw crap!" he grabbed Valkyrie's hand as he pulled her over to everyone, with Loki following behind them.

Seeing what had happened, Valkyrie squeezed Thor's hand tightly and stood beside him. All they could hear was Pepper crying, "Tony, look at me... we'll be okay... you can rest now..." After a few seconds, the Avengers quietened up except for Pepper who was in tears.

After Tony's funeral, Loki joined his brother and Valkyrie back on New Asgard, but things had changed for the God of Mischief. Now that his brother had returned, he thought there was no need for him to stay in the kingdom. Loki found Thor and Valkyrie on the hillside, looking out to sea.

The two of them sat on the grass quietly as Thor spoke, "Valkyrie, you did well while I was gone, I'm surprised you didn't make any changes here..." Valkyrie laughed softly, as Thor said it when he heard Loki's voice behind them, "she would have if I hadn't been there all this time." Loki laughed softly as he joined them both, then looked at Valkyrie.

"I said I'd stay and help until Thor returned, but..." he sighed as he tried to find the right words. Thor looked over at his younger brother. "Loki, what are you saying?" he asked before realizing with a silent sigh, looking down, then back at his brother.

"In your absence, I agreed to help Valkyrie run this place, but I feel like I don't fit in half the time..." the God of Mischief said, referring to himself and Valkyrie as he sat next to them "plus Val and I kept arguing around here after the blip."

"Yeah, we came close to killing each other a few times...I've almost killed you a few times, I know..." Valkyrie laughed as she continued, "what will you do, Loki, I don't want you to leave..."

"I know I can't possibly stop you, but... Your family's here... After everything that's happened in the past five years, it's the first time we're all together like this..."

"Thor!" Loki interrupted, holding his hand up to stop him from talking. "it won't be forever... only for a while, so you will see me again. I just don't know when, but you'll know how to find me if you need me... just send your space Avenger to find me... and I'll return to stay... deal?" he asked As he referred to Captain Marvel as the space Avenger. Thor nodded as his brother made a deal to return if he was needed. "deal" he replied with a nod. "Thor... you and Valkyrie have your family in New Asgard, but my family is somewhere outside of here," Loki explained as he stood up from Thor's side for one last hug "besides, I have to make sure things are slowly returning to normal in space after the blip..." He ended with a sigh of resignation, then turned to Valkyrie.

Taking her place beside the boys, Valkyrie stepped forward, going over to Loki, who gently pulled her into a hug. As she said "thanks for the help", a small smile came across her face. "Laki!" she giggled quietly at his reaction before pulling away. "Wha... hey" Loki protested through his chuckles, already knowing his comeback would be easily defeated.

"Just be careful out there... okay? Although it might have seemed like a few days ago, we have faced much worse. You never know what might wait for you..." Valkyrie said softly as she rested her hand on Thor's shoulder.

"Don't cause too much trouble, Loki... remember Captain Marvel may have to watch if that is necessary," Thor urged Loki before he could protest.

Valkyrie sighed, quietly watching Loki's magic glow, "don't leave for too long... okay, it won't be the same without you... you know that don't you?" she asked as she went closer towards him, her loose hair flowing behind her.

Loki let his magic glow fade away as he shared a moment with Valkyrie, while still smiling faintly "Don't worry, you'll find someone else to taunt, insult, and bruise half the time..." His joking laughs faded seeing the sad look in her eyes as he said this, recognizing her seriousness, "okay forget I said any of that for a minute... you're going to miss me aren't you?..." he asked Valkyrie as she nodded.

"Loki if you hadn't stayed for those five years... I highly doubt New Asgard would look the same if I ran it alone" Valkyrie explained through faint tears as they both laughed a little "come here" Loki said through a sigh as the two friends shared one last hug, this one lasting a little longer than the first. For the first time in a while, there was no tension between the two. No arguing.

Having cuddled into the god of mischief for a few moments, Valkyrie then stepped away. Loki turned his attention to his brother before leaving. "I expect there will be changes while I'm gone. Am I right?" he asked Thor curiously, going over to him while Valkyrie looked over at the sea as the boys said one last goodbye.

"Like what?" Thor asked his brother, "like what about you and Valkyrie?... I mean... it's obvious to everyone in New Asgard and everyone in the Avengers that you like each other" Loki stated the obvious with folded arms and a slight grin.

Valkyrie laughed, speaking to the boys, "he won't admit it... he gets all goofy suddenly whenever it's brought up" she explained as she once again joined the group.

"What no I don't?-" Thor protested as he saw Valkyrie hide a slight smirk at this answer. "alright you made your point Val."

Valkyrie laughed in victory as Thor nudged her shoulder gently, "but if we made any changes, what about a hot tub in the garden..." he asked the two "you're not serious right?..." Loki asked his brother before speaking sarcastically deciding to have a little fun before he left.

"ah yes I'm sure she'll love romantic dips in the jacuzzi at 3 pm in the winter breeze and directly in the ocean's path, who wouldn't love the high tide of the ocean sweeping them off lovingly with all the ocean fish to the next village over in half nude"

Valkyrie held in, laughing as she looked over the ocean once again, leaning on Thor slightly, deciding not to say anything for a couple more minutes before glancing at the boys.

"We can secure it in the ground, you know! To keep it secured..." Thor spoke up despite knowing his brother was joking, as he played along, knowing it might be a while before the three of them would be together like this.

Eventually, Valkyrie joined in the fun of tormenting the God Of Thunder, "awww no row row row your hot tub gently down the street?" she asked through giggles.

"NO. NO ROW ROW ROW YOUR HOT TUB GENTLY DOWN THE STREET!" Thor yelled at both of them, frustrated but managed a smile upon hearing them burst into more laughter sighing quietly speaking to Valkyrie "you're enjoying this aren't you?" he then turned to Loki "I hate you both!..."

"You're not gonna live this down soon! You know that, don't you?" Valkyrie asked Thor, still laughing whilst watching the sunset.

After everyone had calmed down, Loki spoke up as the sky was getting darker. "I suppose I... better get going. It's getting late, and it looks like you two need some rest after the fight with Thanos..."

"I just hope that's the last fight we have to take part in for a long time, even though it felt good to fight again after 5 years," Valkyrie explained, looking over the ocean once more as the wind grew strong giving signs of a storm heading their way.

"If you're going, Loki, make sure you do it before the storm strikes... it looks bad," Thor said to his brother, who reluctantly agreed. Valkyrie watched the boys hug goodbye before she stepped back.

The god of Mischief nodded as the wind blew worse every second they spent talking. He soon opened a portal, getting ready to step through. He turned back to look at his brother and Valkyrie, who stood next to each other as they watched him leave.

After Loki had left, Valkyrie tried to hold more laughter in as she and Thor took a walk back to New Asgard, holding each other close to keep warm, feeling the winds get stronger. "What are you giggling at this time?" Thor asked, squeezing her close. "Nothing except now we can row by the pub for a beer if the ocean takes us that way. What do you say SWEETIE PIE?"

Thor fell silent, rolling his eyes while hiding a smile, letting Valkyrie walk ahead of him, still laughing when the rain suddenly poured on them. "Holy crap, that's cold!" Valkyrie squeaked from just down the hill as she was hit by the rain, soon feeling Thor join her and pull her close.

"you were asking for that Val" Thor teased her as the two cuddled for a few moments in the pouring rain. They looked at a nearby puddle as they held each other close. "look... we are one" Valkyrie glanced at him slightly, hearing him say this, then winces as the rain pours harder on the two of them. "I think it's time to get inside!" Thor told her as he led her back home. Valkyrie replied sarcastically, "what gave you that idea?..."

A few moments later, the couple arrived back home, drenched and soggy from the rain. Thor opened the door, letting Valkyrie go in first. "Don't slip" she told him and she carefully took her shoes off, soon slipping and sliding herself from her wet socks "ah crap! Aha, I'm gonna change!" she told Thor with a soft smile as she went into the bedroom without falling over.

Watching her almost slip as he closed the door, Thor couldn't contain his laugh. To dry himself off, Valkyrie called over Thor and tossed him a towel. She watched as the God of Thunder almost ended up on the floor because of his wet clothing.

"Do... do not tell Loki about this when he's back!..." Thor warned Valkyrie as she held laughing once more. Eventually, the two settled down near the fire after Thor changed, of course leaning against a chair and cuddling each other close, watching the rain pour down heavier than before.

Thor held the Asgardian warrior close to him, his eyes softening, seeing she had fallen asleep on him after a few minutes, not wanting to disturb her instead of picking her up and placing her in bed like anyone else would've done he grabbed a nearby blanket and wrapped them both up to keep warm. That's where they stayed for the rest of the night.

#marvel alternate universe #alternate universe #marvel cinematic universe #marvel #avengers endgame #thor x valkyrie #king valkyrie #thor and valkyrie #valkyrie #thorkyrie #what if #marvel endgame

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illumiera · 1 year

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Hello, I'm barging into your inbox to give you a big ⭐ and a chance to ramble about that part of your fic you want the most! 💕 And I ask your director's commentary about a scene of IFNF (chapter 4, where something bad happens before it gets better), I'm sure it made you cry just as it made your readers, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

from the fanfic writer director's cut asks—feel free to send one in or reblog so I can ask you!

thank you so much, Gigi!! 💖

⭐: One of my favourite things to do in i fear no fate is to sprinkle in little echoes and callbacks between Miraak and Elentari—to have one of them say something, then the other say it later (or earlier, depending on how timey-wimey we get) in a totally different context with a new meaning, like this exchange in chapter one:

“I have spent thousands of years in Apocrypha,” Miraak bites back, “and I have exhausted everything—everything but you.” He lowers his voice. “Dii rinisil,” he says, almost reverently. “The equal to my soul.” It's instinctive, the way she tries to claw back the ground she's losing to the dragon inside her. "Our souls may be equal in form, but I would never do with mine what you've done with yours!"

compared to this in chapter three, about three months later and four thousand years earlier, since this is Ellie meeting a Miraak who's just learned what he is:

“You’re… like me,” he manages once he’s drunk his fill. “Blood of the dragon.” It's... disorienting, to say the least, to hear words she does not understand and yet comprehend them anyway. But he is speaking to her as he has always spoken to her, in the language of her soul; it's just that now, she can answer him. "Yes," she says with a little smile, "I'm just like you."

the Elentari we meet in the first chapter is... not impressed with Miraak and his nonsense. she feels a strange pull to her fellow dragon-soul, and she really, really doesn't want to have to kill him, but she will if she has to (i.e., if he doesn't shape up) since it's what destiny demands of her.

but by the third chapter, she's seen more of him, she's realised he's most likely the person she's been dreaming of for at least two years, and above all, she knows that he's capable of good—after all, he gave her the third word of Bend Will so that Storn Crag-Strider wouldn't have to die, and then he straight up told her to stay away from Apocrypha so she'd get to live, even if it directly led to more of Apocrypha's corruption claiming him.

he's her same-soul, and now, she's prepared to admit it, to own it.

okay! now for my director's commentary on The Scene That May or May Not Have Made the Author Cry in the fourth chapter, if I haven't already rambled enough! (I've stuck it below a cut, just in case anyone isn't a relentless spoiler-seeker like me...)

so, one of my headcanons for Atmora is that most major events (betrothals, marriages, deaths, etc) in a person's life took place outside, beneath the eyes of the gods—especially deaths, which would be under the open sky so that Kyne, the Kiss at the End, could lead the souls of the departed to Sovngarde or the Forest of Dreams. back then, a dying Atmoran would be wrapped in their best furs and carried out onto the snow, where their fellow villagers (or warriors, if in the aftermath of a battle) would tell them stories of Sovngarde to comfort them until they passed on.

so, when Miraak says this as he lies dying:

“’Sili. Tell me,” he interrupts her in a thready half-whisper. “Sov… Sovngarde.”

—he's asking for a version of this last rite, one he might well have seen conducted during his childhood in Atmora and Bromjunaar. in this moment, he knows that he's about to die, and he wants to do so as a man, an Atmoran man, not as a dragon.

he doubts he'll get the chance to go to Sovngarde or the Forest of Dreams; instead, he intends to make good on his promise to Ellie to "haunt [her] as she would have haunted [him]"—to be with her in her dreams if not in the waking world, since his soul and everything that makes him him will go to her.

thankfully, though, Ellie being the stubborn little creature she is has very different plans, even if it means dragging his spirit back to Nirn herself. 😤💖

#asks #miraak #oc: elentari #otp: i fear no fate (for you are my fate)#i fear no fate (for you are my fate)

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team-heavenly · 2 years

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Chapter 11 - Part 2

Continues on from Part 1, which you can find here!

Andrea: “...Okay! :D”

Unrestrained summer fun with the girls!

Update: They ended up in a cave and didn’t die, so that’s promising.

Quirky Crown is where we’re at. Hey, this is a pretty nice paradise hiding underneath the quicksand!

I grit my teeth and expected the worst after what Nonsensical Castle put us through. And I did reset once, after this happened:

Floor 2: *spawns into a monster house*

Floor 3: *walks into a monster house because the only path forward led there*

Floor 4: *spawns into a monster house*

Me: OH COME ON!!!

but... I didn’t need to reset after that! And thankfully it was only 10 floors.

We recruited a Magcargo and uh. THIS MOVESET. Not bad at ALL.

Also, I didn’t take a picture of this, but on the last floor, we swept through a monster house and three Pokémon asked to join us, one after the other lol. I believe it was Barboach, Mantine, and Cacturne. We got to keep them all because the waypoint was dead ahead.

Speaking of... I love the ambiance for this one. Still clearly in a cave but with aquifers or springs poking through. The oasis in the desert.

Colossal Path, same deal. I only had to reset once. Gulpin and Marcargo got beaten within an inch of their life so they had to go back. We managed to recruit a Psyduck though.

Also HECK YEAH, TERESA HAS THE BEST IQ GROUP!!

Me either, I guess, although that waypoint certainly dropped us a hint.

It sure is! That’s enough to confirm that there’s a Time Gear, right?

...Uhhh, okay. But why do I think this is maybe a bad idea?

*Everything suddenly goes dark*

Oh. That’s why.

Andrea... *buries face in hands* that is the worst thing you could possibly say rn.

I wonder who this mysterious guardian is, anyway?

Let’s address the elephant in the room, shall we?

Yup, another starter! And this one is of particular importance to me. Phanpy was my Partner in the first team that made it through the whole game. (My previous two teams failed at two crucial points... But that’s a topic for another day.)

Also, he says “Underground Lake” here, but the actual name will pop up soon, and trust me when I say it’s a good one.

The battle... Teresa has Seed Flare. Andrea has Blizzard and Octazooka. It was over within three turns.

It’s so nice to see the portrait expression here. Although I have more or less imagined the possible ones for Team Heavenly, NPCs, etc. in my head.

“Don’t lie to me!”

Uxie Bonsly... told you there was a thief, but didn’t bother to give you the details? Or at the very least name the Pokémon he saw? Sure, maybe he sent it with urgency during the incident itself. But considering Bonsly gives a witness statement after the fact to positively I.D. the subject...

Idk I just feel like a little more communication could have gone a long way to prevent this situation.

Andrea: “No! We didn’t do it!”

Phanpy: “Then who’s responsible?!”

Whoop, there it is.

Teresa feels frozen in place. Finally, for the first time in so many years, she is face to face with her son again... but he refuses to look her in the eye. He refuses to acknowledge that she’s even there. She remains paralyzed, but inside her heart shatters into a thousand pieces...

Every time I see him apologize, I think about this post and... yeah 💔

He proceeds to bat us aside like toy dolls (and this is actually a pretty convincing pose for Phanpy).

(There’s no pose for this but we’re knocked down here bro, I swear.)

I tried to take a picture of the frozen time racing across the walls, but it came out very blurry unfortunately :/

Ah, yes. A giant underground lake. Known as the Gigantic Lavafields.

“Hurry! Run with all your might!” *Everyone proceeds to walk at a snail’s pace*

Honestly, I just would have used an Escape Orb to GTFO 🤷‍♀️

Whew! If you made it this far, thanks for reading 😊 (and for your patience! As you saw, Nonsensical Castle was a doozy...). Go take a bathroom break, stretch those limbs, refill on those drinks and snacks... And before you know it, Chapter 12: (Insert nonsensical title here) will be upon ye!

#Pokemon mystery dungeon #pmd explorers #randomizer #chapter 11

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jimblejamblewritings · 2 years

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falling for the captain | part 12.

Summary: Captain Y/N L/N. Leader of the Avengers on Earth-563, not really a family or team strictly just coworkers. A lot of responsibility for someone only nineteen. What happens when the Captain finds herself on “Earth Earth” in the compound of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Stuck on Earth for the time being, Y/N sees what these Avengers are about. And Captain America finds himself falling for this leader, even though her age is throwing him… that and the fact no one knows if she’ll head back to Earth-563 the minute she can.

Warnings: AGE GAP (clear from the summary, it’s a young reader but legal),

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader

Word Count: 3.0k

Previous Part | (Series Masterlist)

The compound felt just a bit emptier. After Project Beetle, Thor went back to save Asgard and Bruce left with him. Peter was very focused on second semester of his senior year and you didn’t want to bother him too much, even though he was basically guaranteed a spot at MIT it was still important to keep up final grades. He was almost done though, it was spring now. Clint spent more time with Laura and the kids. Tony and Pepper were still in the compound but he had promised her that after Project Beetle he would hang up the suit. So he became the new lab rat, especially with Bruce gone.

However, even Tony and Pepper were gone at the moment. He was taking her out for the day, celebrating their engagement and to start wedding planning. So it was the usual suspects at home, you, Steve, Bucky, Sam, Natasha, Wanda, and Vision. You were laying down on the couches as Bucky told you stories about the falling out between Steve and Tony before you had shown up. Steve walked in during one of the stories.

“You guys destroyed an airport? What sort of dick measuring contest?”

“Never said it was a good fight.” He bent down to kiss you. The longer hair and beard was a new feeling but you liked it.

“You’re telling me. Did you really almost go rogue?”

“Yeah. If we had signed those Accords, not reached the compromise. Probably,” Bucky said and Steve just nodded.

Vision walked by. It was still tricky getting used to the human body he created for himself. He was clutching his head when he went to get water. Wanda appeared and rubbed his back.

“You okay, Vis?”

“It’s the mind stone. It’s telling me something but I don’t know what… you need to go, now!”

Before you could say another word, you heard a crash on the compound. You didn’t waste a second a portaled into you and Steve’s shared room. He suited up in record time as did you. The team raced outside to see Wanda struggling to tackle two creatures that you weren’t quite sure what they were. Vision was on the side, injured.

The fight didn’t last long. The minute they saw they were losing, before you could open a portal to send them somewhere, a beam of light rained down on them. It sucked them back up into a spaceship and flew away.

“What the hell was that?” Sam asked.

You guys ushered Vision inside to get him help. Steve and Wanda took Vision to the infirmary.

“Captain (L/N)?” F.R.I.D.A.Y. came on.

“Yes?”

“Dr. Banner is coming up the elevator.”

“Bruce?”

When Vision, Wanda, and Steve came back up Bruce explained everything. Great, Project Beetle ended and instead of going back to fighting HYDRA it was another alien invasion led by a Thanos. And more importantly, you didn’t have Tony or Thor… or Peter, who was supposed to be on a school trip and just couldn’t help but get himself in the fighting.

“So what advantage do we have? Or are we about to dive head first into a losing battle?” you asked.

“We have to get rid of the stone,” Vision said. “That’s how we stop Thanos from getting it.”

“Yeah, we get rid of the stone and you with it. We’re not having this conversation,” Wanda cut in. “That’s too high a price.”

“Only you have the power to pay it,” Vision said as he gently grabbed Wanda’s face.

Wanda pulled away from him. You looked between everyone. You looked at Steve, having a whole conversation with your eyes. You weren’t trading Vision’s life. He nodded in understanding.

“We can’t do that, Vis.”

“Captain, you would’ve done the same in World War 2. (Y/N)?”

You looked away because Vision was right. You would’ve laid down your life for your team. You did on 563. And if it wasn’t for the portal back to the hideout you already had open, you would’ve stayed dead if the team hadn’t rushed you into the hospital. Without question, you almost did trade your life. And that’s not a light decision to make. Not one you were going to let happen again. Not to Vision.

“What if we extract the stone?” Bruce questioned. He paced as he thought out loud. “Vision is made of the stone, JARVIS, Ultron, Tony, me. Kill the stone and there should still be some stuff left.”

“Can you do that, Bruce?”

“Not me… not here.”

“Then we need to find someone fast. Call Rhodes,” Steve commanded.

“Umphathi. Panther yethu encinci yaseMelika,” Okoye greeted as you stepped through the portal. (Captain. Our little American panther)

“Ndinqwenela ukuba iimeko zibe ngcono.” You hugged her before stepping back. (I wish the circumstances were better)

T’Challa informed you of how many forces they had. You weren’t sure if it would be enough. Bruce said a big assault but exactly how big? Steve nodded and thanked T’Challa for what they did have. The next problem was Vision. After Shuri took a few digs at Bruce and Tony for programming Vision the most simple way, she started her analysis.

You sniggered a little at the dig, not that you could’ve done any better in fact you couldn’t do it all so it was still impressive to you. She ushered Vision into her lab. There wasn’t much else you could do for the day. Okoye showed you and Steve to your room— the same one as the last time you visited.

Okoye walked by to see her Dora Milaje looking at something.

“What is going on?” she asked, wondering what could so interesting to them so late at night.

“The two captains.”

Okoye looked out the window that overlooked a flat piece of land in the palace. Steve was throwing the shield at you constantly, angling it to bounce off the tree behind you and come back to his hand. You were flying above it, absorbing as much energy from each pass as you could. The fight could come any day and as unstable as being fully charged on Earth-Earth was, you needed to stay ready. The Dora Milaje hadn’t meant to stop but one of them caught you floating and soon they all were looking. Even Okoye was fascinated.

Steve threw the shield one more time until your hair had flared up. Both your eyes were purple as you floated back down to the ground. You were shaking. It would’ve been worse if you were on the compound but the magnetic field of Wakanda’s vibranium was still not enough to stop the shaking. Steve made a move to walk towards you but you stopped him.

“Wait. I’m not stable. I’m a literal nuclear bomb, right now.”

Steve took another step towards you.

“Steve, I’m serious. The amount of times you threw that shield. The amount of radiation off of the vibranium… I’m enough to level a city. This isn’t 563, there’s no core here. I’m not stable, you’ll… you’ll get hurt.”

“I’m not afraid of you.”

He didn’t hesitate to grab your hand. You watched your hand shake a little before stopping under the pressure of his. Then the sparks flared up. Steve hissed and you tried to pull away but he wouldn’t let go.

“You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“It’s fine, (Y/N).”

The sparks were starting to stay for longer. You quickly grabbed Steve’s other hand to create a closed circuit for the current you knew was coming. You watched the small current travel up his arm and around Steve’s shoulder. He wasn’t in any pain. It was like a small pulse but nothing painful. Steve leaned in to kiss you. You were still nervous but melted as his lips touched yours. Both your lips were soft but yours were slightly softer against his. Steve gently pulled your bottom lip between his teeth. His tongue slipped inside your mouth when he let go of your lip. Both your arms wrapped around the back of his neck, one of your hands tangled in his hair, and Steve pulled you in till you were as close to him as possible.

“Okay, that’s enough. You are worse than children, leave them,” Okoye said as she ushered the Dora Milaje off. The last thing they saw was your hair constantly flaring in and out.

“You have to understand there’s so many paths and neurons. If I miss one it could cause critical failure.”

“Okay, Shuri, how much time do you need?” Steve asked. The two of you had come another session on the courtyard.

“As long as you can get me.”

That time wasn’t much. Your kimoyo beads started ringing and vibrating along with Okoye’s. And the alarm sounded. Okoye pulled up a globe hologram on her beads.

“Something’s entered the atmosphere.”

“Cap,” Sam’s voice came through the comm. “We’ve got a problem here.”

The barrier shook as something hit it. Someone was here. You looked at Shuri. There wasn’t going to be much time. More and more ships were landing outside the barrier.

“Engage all defenses. We need to evacuate the city,” T’Challa said. “And the mountains, the Jabari. All the tribes. Quickly!”

“Tell me where. I’m on it,” you said as you followed the Dora Milaje. You placed a hand on Okoye’s head to get the picture of the location to portal citizens to.

Steve grabbed his shield. “Wanda, the minute that stone is out of Vision’s head, you blow it to hell.”

“Understood, Captain.”

“Steve, one more charge for good measure.”

You ran at the shield and he launched you forward through the city streets. You formed several portals that were able to last for a little bit of time thanks to the vibranium of Wakanda. People ran through them as you and the Dora entered houses and buildings to help those who couldn’t get out quickly themselves or had children with them.

“There are two heat signatures at the barrier.” You heard Rhodey’s voice through the comm. You were positive it was the two aliens from before.

“What the hell?” You heard Bucky whisper.

You couldn’t see what they did but you knew it couldn’t be good when the barrier above you shook. Bruce’s voice came in as you were helping an elderly woman out of her apartment.

“Captain, if these things close in around us, they’re going to get to Vision.”

“I’m not done!” Shuri yelled.

“Then we better keep them in front of us,” Steve said.

“(Y/N)?” T’Challa called through Steve’s comm. “How is the city?”

“Evacuated. I’m headed to mountain and river tribes next.”

“Alright, we open up the barrier,” T’Challa whispered.

You were headed back from the river tribe when lightning knocked you to the ground. You got up as another strike hit you. Thor. You raced through the now empty streets of Wakanda. You landed next to Thor who was now with a moving tree and raccoon and an axe instead of his hammer, you hoped you all lived to see another day where you could hear the story behind that.

You looked around and finally saw what was happening. The amount of aliens was more than you could see once on the ground. You looked at Steve and ran at the shield, bouncing off once again to start attacking.

“Fall back!” T’Challa yelled as these large metal drills came from under the ground.

You noticed Okoye and Nat about to get crushed. Just as you swooped in, Wanda also appeared using her magic to stop it. You left them to keep killing as many aliens as you could when you heard Bruce yell from inside the Iron Hulk that Vision needs backup. Wanda and Steve went to go find him.

“He’s here.” You heard Vision through the comm.

The aliens just stopped. You and the rest of the team raced to where Vision was. A portal appeared and it was one you’ve never seen before. Whereas your portals opened clean to the other side, this one was bubbling with storm clouds and lightning before a purple giant stepped out. Thanos. It had to be. The giant glowing gauntlet on his hand had every stone but one. You knew this situation was about to become do or die.

Iron Hulk ran at him first but passed right through Thanos as if he were thin air. Bruce told you all what the stones could do but seeing it action. You would have to play smart you decided as you watched Steve, Sam, and T’Challa get tossed to the ground like rag dolls. Vision grabbed Wanda’s hand, he didn’t care what any of you said. It had to be done. She had to destroy him.

You opened a portal as Thanos stepped but whatever stone he had stopped him from going through. You zoomed at him and he pointed the gauntlet at you. A moment of shock briefly crossed his face when you flew through it. The only thing that happened was the absolute jolt of electricity that ran through you. It was radiation you realized, all of it. That’s how the stones worked. And unfortunately for Thanos, magnetic fields, electric currents, radiation, all of that was how you channeled your powers. If it ran on some form of current you could take it. Which meant you had a chance to stop him. If you could manage to get close you could try to stop him. Or distract him long enough for the team to get close, you knew this wasn’t a giant you could take down on your own. You flew back to cover Wanda while blasting all your strength into a concentrated magic beam.

It was working for a while until he slowly pushed against it. You were a nuclear bomb sure but still small. Your strength wasn’t a match for his. You don’t even think an overcharge from being on 563 would change that. You just hoped you could last long enough for Wanda to destroy the stone on Vision’s head. Before you could make that wish, Thanos’ hand came slamming down and backhanded you into the nearby rocks. You coughed hard upon impact.

You barely turned your head to the side, the pain of the slam made it hard. You knew blood was pooling around your mouth but you laughed as you saw Vision destroyed. Wanda did it. You started to get up and try to recover. Steve tossed the shield to you in an instant. You heard a whirring and watched in horror as the time stone turned Vision back to right before death.

“Shit,” Steve muttered as he grabbed the shield back.

Thanos backhanded Wanda as she tried to reach. Lightning came out of nowhere and Thor launched his axe into Thanos’ chest. He pushed it further in. You heard Thanos whisper.

“You should’ve gone for the head.”

You were ready to spring into action, ignoring the pain. Steve braced himself already knowing what was coming. The lightning flew from your hand towards the gauntlet as your foot made contact with the shield. You flew towards Thanos never easing up on the magic beam. But he snapped.

The blast blew you back into Steve. You both scrambled to your feet and looked at the now charred gauntlet on the giant’s hand.

“What did you do?” Thor yelled. “What did you do?”

You watched a portal open around Thanos before you could do anything to stop him. Thor’s axe fell to the ground where Thanos was previously kneeling.

“Where’d he go?” Steve asked.

“Steve, (Y/N).”

You turned to the concerned voice of Bucky. And then you saw it. His arm was turning to dust and then his whole body did and the gun he was holding dropped to the ground.

“NO!” You yelled as you ran towards the spot he once stood. Steve kneeled in the dirt next to you, both of you in shock.

Your head turned when you heard Okoye whisper in Xhosa. The last bit of T’Challa turned to dust. And then Groot who was a bit away from him. The word ‘no’ didn’t stop flowing from your mouth as you watched Wanda and Sam disappear too.

“What the hell is happening?” Bruce asked.

You looked around and assessed who was left. You, Rhodey, Steve, Nat, Bruce, Thor, the raccoon, and Okoye. Tony and Peter were still missing in space somewhere and Clint was with his wife. At least that was three other bodies accounted for.

“(Y/N)?” Thor called your name.

Steve’s head immediately snapped up. He wasn’t about to lose you too. They watched your body fade in and out. Not quite dust but not fully there, like a hologram. Steve grabbed you. He felt your body physically in his hands before it would only feel like air and then suddenly reappear tangible.

“You’re not leaving me too, doll, no, no,” he whispered. “You can’t leave me too.”

You wrapped your arms around Steve. His breathing was heavy and fast whereas yours was shallow yet slow. You pulled back to hold his face in your hands. You tapped your fingers against his temples. Steve grabbed your hand the first time he felt it disappear.

“The current’s the only thing I feel, (Y/N).”

A tear rolled down his face. You swiped at the tear, missing the first time when you physically faded out.

“I’m not going anywhere, Steve. I should’ve turned to dust like everyone else but I’m still here. I’m not leaving you, I’m with you till the end of the line. And it doesn’t end here. Believe me. I’m not leaving.”

The team watched as Steve held your hand against his face. They didn’t move as if a single ripple from one of them would cause you to disappear forever. You kept the tiny electric pulse on your fingertips. The shaking in your hands was getting worse. You had absorbed a good chunk of the blast back from the snap.

“I won’t leave you, Steve. I won’t.” You shook your head adamantly as if that alone would keep you there.

“End of the line… I believe you, Captain.”

(Part 13)...

#steve rogers x reader #marvel fic #avengers fic

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psalacanthea · 2 years

Text

A Light that Leads Home- 2

Part 2 of Hawke in the fade with her buddy (maybe) Varric. At this point it’s probably going to be like 4-5 parts, but definitely no longer than that. (she said, like a fool). Here’s where it’s up on AO3 if you prefer to read there.

...

They followed the footsteps of blood.

It should have been ominous, but they both agreed it was the right way to go. Besides, blood wasn’t always bad. Sometimes it had to be spilled so that other people could be free.

Eventually it wasn’t one set of footprints, but two.

Elven and canine, they traveled together, Hawke drifting in their wake, pulled inexorably by the current.

And then she saw them, echoes that pointed the way in the right direction. Blade flashing, teeth bared, throats ripped open and hearts ripped out. The memories were soaked in blood, but it was good blood, liberating blood, and her ears rang with cries of gratitude and the sobbing of frightened children no longer chained.

Echoes led to more echoes, stronger each time as they were led onward through scenes of battle. The ring of steel and silverite, the shouts of fury, they were familiar things that helped ground her back in her own body. It gave her strength. When they found the source, finally stopped chasing, it took her a minute to see what it was– warped as the world was around him. The fabric of everything seemed to eddy around him, following the lyrium lines in his skin, a strange distortion.

There he was; the drop in the center that was sending ripples out into the fade.

She wanted so badly to see his face, but when he moved the fade clung to those lyrium lines, warping everything. It made sense now how he could do what he could do, seeing it from the other side. It was as if the lyrium etched into his skin was constantly thinning the veil around him.

Fenris would hate that if she told him.

It was hard to see him now that he wasn’t a memory; Varric wasn’t letting her get too close.

“I just want to see them,” she said, frustrated.

“It’s not gonna go the way you want,” Varric said, his voice apologetic. “I realize how damn stubborn you are, but trust me, it’s not going to go well. He’s going to be asleep soon.”

“Then I can talk to him,” Hawke said with a sudden rush of hope. “Like I tried to talk to Merrill.”

Which hadn’t gone well either, apparently more than one spirit wanted to be Hawke, for some reason. She couldn’t imagine why. But Merrill hadn’t believed it was her, and Hawke couldn’t remember enough to convince her that it was in fact her and not a spirit playing out stories of the Champion.

“And you think it’s gonna be different this time?”

“I have to try.”

“Well, I can’t go with you. If you’re gonna have any chance of convincing him, I can’t be there.”

That stalled her, confusion twisting through what was left of her distracted mind. “Why?”

“Do you remember the time we played a Flip and Whistle on those idiots from the merchant’s guild? And how I wanted to see it play out, but you…”

“If you were there, the con wouldn’t be believable,” Hawke finished, resigned. It shouldn’t make any sense at all, but it did, even though she couldn’t remember the thing he was talking about. The words sounded right, and so her mind just accepted them.

It was…them-ish. It was what Varric would say to Hawke in this instance, and she would respond with grudging acceptance, and that’s the way it always went. Even when she didn’t know what he was talking about, it worked.

Because if it didn’t maybe then she wasn’t actually Hawke.

So, being Hawke-ish, she decided to be stubborn, like Varric always told her she was. “He might listen. It might be our way home. I’ve got to risk it, Varric. You know me. I got us into this mess and yeah it’s a big one, but I always get us out, too. Don’t I?”

She didn’t know if she was pleading with him to trust her actions, or her reality.

Varric stared at her, arms folded, and then finally nodded. “Okay.”

“I’ll be right back,” she promised, despite knowing that Varric would have to be the one to find her. She turned, heading carefully towards the campfire, the companions huddled together against the darkness. The closer she grew, the worse the distortion became. But instead of frustration, it gave her a sudden hope.

Could he use the marks, find a way to push through the veil and take her hand?

If only she could ask him to- but he was there and she was here, and his mind had yet to wander over. So instead she watched the wavering scene, like water, like warped glass. She gazed down at them, blobs of living color.

Fenris and the mabari.

Seeing them brought back some of the memories, took away that terrifying drifting sensation that had been plaguing Hawke. She was Hawke. She was.

If only she could remember her name.

The dog had been Carver’s, and he’d followed Bethany reluctantly when Carver had died. They all tried to take care of him, but some light had gone out in the old boy’s heart. Little by little he was dying of a broken heart, only hanging on long enough to take care of his master’s twin. But then he met Fenris.

When Bethany had left, Fenris just started feeding the dog when he refused, and they’d sit together in front of the fire on the floor, leaning against each other while he oiled his sword.

Hawke had asked him how he convinced the old boy to keep holding on, he’d said…

He’d said…

Shit.

While she was puzzling it over, the night grew darker, and eventually Fenris went to sleep. She didn’t notice until she felt a presence, the world tugging at her attention. Heedless of Varric’s warnings, she turned her attention to him. She was in the Fade, and his mind was in the Fade. It wasn’t quite so easy as talking to him, but she could at least touch his mind this way. It was…difficult not to be clumsy about, though.

She didn’t want him to wake up.

With that worry in her heart, she focused in on his sleeping mind and stopped paying attention to the world around her. It wasn’t a direction of the body, it was a direction of the mind, but it was easier for her to find it if she envisioned something. In this case, a road, leading her from one direction to the other. From a distorted, night-lit world into the one inside his head.

It was hot, drippingly humid, and greenery crowded in around her. Seheron. Not a good place to be.

It was his mind, of course, so he was there just through some palm fronds, bodies scattered at his feet as Danarius lorded over him. But they weren’t the Fog Warriors Fenris had killed, they were slaves, children, emaciated men and women all showing the signs of abuse. Fenris was kneeling, shaking, his sword and hands drenched in blood.

Hawke moved quickly to intercept, heedless of how touching dreams always seemed to ruin them. “Fenris, its okay! He’s gone, he can’t hurt them. He can’t hurt you!”

His voice was cracked as parched earth, dark and longing for the mercy of the rain. “I have failed.”

“You haven’t,” she insisted, pulling him away from the bodies, forcing him to look at her. “You’ve done everything you can, Fenris. We can’t save everyone. I saw it. I saw it in the Fade, what you’ve done. You may not have saved everyone, but you have saved.”

As his attention turned to her, the world warped and shifted. She knew it was dangerous to pull him out of his dream, but she couldn’t think of any other way to stop the self-recrimination. Hopefully it wouldn’t shatter everything.

His eyes were on her face. “Hawke?”

“It’s all right, Fenris. I’m here.” Hoping against hope, she extended a hand to him, praying he would take it, praying she might feel…something. Some connection to the other side. It had been so long since the world had been real.

His stare shifted from her eyes to her hand, her fingers gently curling in a beckon, a hopeful grasp.

It had been so long, and she was so tired that her words crashed out carelessly, desperately. “Take my hand, Fenris. Please. I want to come home.”

His eyes slowly dragged up from her hand to her face again, and she watched his eyes harden. “This is a dream.”

Hoping against hope that it wouldn’t break it, that he could hang on the edge of sleep just long enough, she insisted. “Take my hand, Fenris, please!”

“Demon.”

The hiss of his voice, the accusation cut through her hope like a blade. Like the blade he drew, as he rose and pulled back from her, a sword in his hands. They stood against each other now, her with her hand out, him with his blade ready.

“I’m not a demon! It’s me, Hawke!” she said, wishing she could remember her name, anything that would help him believe her. But all she could do was beg, so tired of this waking nightmare, so tired of walking.

So tired of being awake in a land of dreams.

“You dare confront me wearing her face? You dare try your manipulations on me?” His voice was a snarl.

Her mind screamed at her, begging her to think of a way to make him believe her.

“I swear, it’s me.”

He laughed, a scoff, voice taking on a dangerous edge. “I will not listen to your lies, demon.”

The sword glinted in the sunlight, the firelight, the dream becoming muddy as he focused on her. She didn’t want to know what he saw. Didn’t want to know what monster she was now. How could she stop him? How could she change his mind?

Her mind still raced, hunting for a solution.

But all she could recall on were those earlier memories, the ones that had surfaced when she’d seen him. When he’d gotten Carver’s mabari to care again, gotten him to live again when he had no reason to. The thing he’d said that she couldn’t remember.

“There are battles left to fight! People left to help!”

Fenris froze, sword upraised, ready to fall upon her.

She glanced down at the hound on the other side, sleeping in the firelight. Old, but alive. Still fighting. “That’s what you told him, to get him to keep going. I’ll remember, Fenris, I’ll remember. You don’t have to believe me, but I’m not done. I’m still fighting.”

Everything rippled, ripping apart as the dream fractured and his eyes went wide. As it all dissolved away, she could hear his voice following her. It rang with confusion and disbelief.

“Hawke?”

Fenris awoke, and the dream was gone.

Panic set in, a deep and existential dread; maybe he was right. Maybe she hadn’t always been Hawke. Maybe she’d never been Hawke. Or even worse, she was dead, she’d died and now her spirit was trapped here, to what, become a demon some day like he’d accused?

“What am I?” she asked the nothingness, fingers digging in.

“Andraste’s ass, this is why I didn’t want you to do this,” Varric groused. Her mind lost its haziness when his hand took hers, anchoring her back again. He leaned down next to her. “I know I said we have to keep trying, but part of moving forward means picking your battles. Not letting yourself get caught up in shit that’s just going to slow you down.”

“Wrong audience,” she said weakly.

He laughed, quiet and rough. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess it is. But we need to keep moving. All right?”

“Where?” she asked simply, frustrated. He only ever told her that, never gave her a damn solution! “Tell me where to go and I’ll fucking go there!”

“You know I don’t know,” Varric said, his own voice heavy. “I just know we have to. Okay? We’ve gotta keep trying. Keep fighting, Hawke.”

“I’ve been fighting since I left Lothering,” she muttered, bones aching with a weariness that was woven into every part of her. It’d become the center of her, that exhaustion. “I just want to rest. Just…lay down for a while, Varric. We’ve been walking for so long.” His voice rose with a hint of panic. He released her, rising to his feet. Giving her arm a little tug. “No, no. Hey. You can’t do that, Hawke, I need you to stand up.”

“I always do.” And yet she didn’t, staring at her hands. The firelight had faded, and the distortion of the world faded; little stirrings of the fade slowly easing out to placid currents as Fenris fled from the demon in his nightmare, moving on to find another camp.

Running away from her.

Now it was just a dark empty road with nothing but wisps of memory.

“Maybe he believed you. Maybe…maybe it’s the start of a way out, I don’t know.”

“Tell me the plan, Varric. You always know the plan,” she said, glancing up at him. “If it’s the start of a way out, tell me how! Tell me how!”

He lifted both hands, voice dripping with irritation. His frustration made things waver, lose cohesion in a way that terrified her. “I don’t know! You know I don’t know. Hell, I don’t even dream, I’m a damn dwarf, not a mage.”

Mage.

Dream mage.

From the strange dark sea of her hidden memories, something rose from the depths, just a scrap. A boy, a mage. A mage who could shape dreams. If only she could remember his name. But that memory was long faded, and she couldn’t even remember his face, let alone his name or fate.

But she thought…she thought he might be alive.

Where could he be?

“Anders will know the way. The way to the boy, who might be the way out,” Hawke decided, feeling infinitely better with even a scrap of a purpose. She clung to it, afraid that if she didn’t, she’d lose Varric. It wouldn’t be hard to find Anders, she hoped. He and Justice would leave lots of echoes, wouldn’t they?

Varric knew exactly what she meant without explanation. He gave a long sigh of relief, and his voice, his figure firmed up again. “Great. That’s a great idea, Hawke. Just…this time be careful, okay? If you give up…I don’t know what’d happen to me.”

She took his hand and rose, a sardonic smile on her face. “Oh, so it’s all about you, huh? Well shit, Varric, why didn’t you just say so?”

“Hey, I don’t want to make it all about me, but sometimes that’s the only thing that keeps you moving, Hawke. It’s not like you’ve ever done a damn thing for yourself in your life.” He grinned up at her mockingly.

“Once we’re out of here, no more self-sacrificing crap. It doesn’t seem to be doing me much good,” she decided. Unfortunately, to find Anders all roads would lead back to Kirkwall, but she really hoped that once she was on his trail it wouldn’t be so hard to escape.

They reached the crest of a hill and it laid out before them, less on-fire now, less full of shadowy blots of darkness. It looked more like a home. But that home was built on an old, dark foundation, and she was afraid one day it would all come tumbling down again.

“Once you get out of here, drinks are on me. You’ve just gotta get home first, that’s all.”

“That’s the trick,” she sighed. “All right. One last big adventure, Varric, and then I’m done. I think I screwed up every kind of happy ending I could have had, but…I think I’ll just settle for an end at this point.”

“Hey, what am I? Chopped nug liver?”

“You’re my best friend,” Hawke said firmly, knowing without a doubt that even if nothing else was true, that was. “Even if you wrote that really bizarre thing where Sebastian proposed some weird chaste marriage? What was that all about?”

Varric chuckled, voice unrepentant. “I don’t know. He floated the idea past me once, thinking about asking you, and I thought it was hilarious. Besides, I was pissed at him too– the way he ran off when we needed him most. I’m a writer. Making people look stupid for all of history is my special kind of magic.”

Hawke smirked, shaking her head. “He deserved it. No. I hate that I understood- that I understand. I usually do understand, but it doesn’t make the betrayal any better.”

And just like that, her mind looped back to Anders.

“No…it sure as hell doesn’t.”

“Can I tell you a secret, Varric?”

“If not me, who?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been in love,” Hawke admitted, shaking her head. They followed the road down to Kirkwall, gleaming below them with light and fire and red lyrium that highlighted the dangerously crashing waves. The place where she’d been loved, and betrayed. Betrayed before she could decide if it was love. “It sounds nice, but…I don’t think I’m brave enough for that. Not after everything.”

“There’s still time.”

That wasn’t what Varric would have said, but Hawke didn’t bother saying so. Everyone else had already left her, and she couldn’t stand it if he left her too. Sometimes it was better to choose to believe.

Besides, she knew he would never hurt her.

Not like everyone else.

Together they wandered into the glyph-maze of Kirkwall’s streets, hunting for the trail of a healer with bloody hands.

#A Light that Leads Home #dragon age fanfiction #post-canon #Hawke in the fade #Hawke x Varric #Fenris #not your best idea Hawke #but in her defense she's in a bit over her head

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supersaiyanjedi14 · 2 years

Text

The Rebirth Alchemist

The young woman stood on the sidewalk, looking up at the towering structure before her. With its pristine walls and the beautiful October day, one would have never believed that the battle to determine the fate of the world had taken place at this spot over a decade ago. Yet it had been, and more had changed following that day than most would have ever believed.

Among the numerous reforms he had enacted after taking office, alongside the seemingly endless string of war crime trials held against the supposed “heroes” of Ishval, Führer Roy Mustang had drastically changed the nature of the State Alchemist program. While still afforded government funding for their research, the military obligations had been done away with in full. Any Alchemist wishing to obtain state certification would either have to be a civilian researcher or resign their commission, with their activities and regulation now being overseen by a parliamentary committee. The young woman standing outside Central Command was one of the few to know that the government corruption that led to human weapons of mass destruction was the least of the reasons for separating the military from alchemy. Never again would such conspiracies have such easy access to the potential misuse of the science. Still, the severance of alchemy from the army proved to be a tantalizing beacon for recruits with no interest in military service. In the years since the Promised Day, the State Alchemist program had nearly doubled in number, with prospective researchers from as far as Xing crossing the deserts to expand their study. Still, the bulk of testees were locals, the young woman on the sidewalk among them.

“Well, sweetie, here we are!” Gracia Hughes remarked cheerfully, placing a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. At eighteen years of age, Elicia Hughes was nearly the spitting image of her mother, yet still had traces of the bouncing little girl she had once been. She carried herself straight yet relaxed, her light brown hair tied in a short ponytail. The briefcase in her left hand contained all the tools she would need for her upcoming examination, a test for which she had been preparing for four long years. Her talent was regarded as extremely remarkable, both for the degree of her transmutations and her breadth of knowledge. It certainly helped that she had two of the most accomplished alchemists of the past century as her primary mentors, one of whom having a deep understanding of Xingese Alkahestry to add to the mix. Add in a famed automail engineer as an honorary older sister, and her path was clear. Elicia had dedicated herself to medical applications of alchemy, everything from healing injuries to crafting reliable prosthetics out of the very earth around her being at her fingertips. She had made an ambition of hers to bring her art to areas suffering the aftermath of disasters and war, giving people the aid and energy to get back on their feet, literally if need be. State funding to continue her studies would just be the cherry on top.

Still, being a natural talent didn’t translate to boundless confidence. Elicia trembled slightly as she stared up at the massive structure before her. In less than an hour, she would be standing before a government panel to demonstrate her capabilities and knowledge. Even the slightest misstep could lead to failure, and having to wait another whole year before trying again. What if she messed up? What if she drew her transmutation circle wrong? What if she meant to write magnesium and wrote manganese instead? What if she tried to argue that she could make a statue out of…

“Honey?”

Elicia snapped out of her stupor to look at her mother. Gracia was looking at her with a concerned look on her face. Elicia didn’t even realize how much she had been shaking until Gracia’s hand lay on her shoulder. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah,” said Elicia in a slightly high-pitched voice. Regaining her composure, she cleared her throat. “Yeah, Mom, I’m fine. Just,” she paused, taking a quick breath. “Just a little nervous, that’s all?”

“The hell are you nervous about?”

Elicia’s eyes widened as another voice sounded. Turning around, she saw two men wearing suits and travel coats walking towards her. Both had golden blonde hair and bright golden eyes, their faces turned into beaming smiles, but the similarities ended there. One wore his longer hair in a tightly-braided ponytail, he seemed to produce an soft clanking noise whenever his left foot touched the sidewalk, and his eyes had an intense yet mischievous light to them. The other man had a much softer face, his hair was cut much shorter than his companion’s, whom he also had several inches on in height. As they came closer, Elicia’s face broke into a gleeful smile.

“Ed! Al!” she cried out as she ran towards her teachers. By now, everyone in Amestris and beyond had heard of famed the Elric brothers, even if their current careers weren’t as flashy as their teenage adventures. Edward had established himself as one of the most famed academics on alchemy in the world, while Alphonse’s travels and studies had crafted him into an alchemist that dwarfed the bulk of his peers. And between it all, they had found time to teach a certain young girl everything they knew. A girl who had grown into the woman currently crushing the pair in a massive hug.

“Hey...Elicia,” wheezed Al, “Good to see you…but…”

“Mind…letting us…breathe?” Ed gasped just as quickly. Elicia released the pair as Ed massaged his bruised ribs.

Elicia was now bouncing with excitement. “I can’t believe it!” she squealed, “You guys came!”

Al gave a light chuckle. “Of course we came! You really thing we’d miss this for the world?”

“And what’s this about you being nervous?” Ed asked as he came to place a hand on Elicia’s shoulder, grinning so wide it looked as if his face would rip. “You’re the best student of two of the greatest alchemists in the world. Those morons would have to be crazy to not let you pass.”

“Technically I’m your only student.”

“That automatically makes you the best!” Ed retorted, playfully rubbing Elicia’s hair. “Besides, Mustang knows if they said no for any reason, I’d kick their asses into next week, so he’s probably gonna make them pass you for their own safety.”

“Uh, Brother?” Al piped up, “I don’t think that’s how it works now.”

Ed just gave a light groan. “Al, don’t ruin this for her.”

Before Al could speak up again, Gracia had come over herself. “I’m so glad you’re both here!” she said beaming. “You’re both staying healthy, I hope. Ed, how are Winry and the kids?”

Ed flashed a smile as he whipped out his wallet. “See for yourself!” he declared as a string of pictures featuring a blonde woman and two matching children folded out. “Winry’s taking them around the city for they day, and we’re planning to meet up later for dinner. We’re still trying to decide…”

“None of that!” Gracia interjected. “You’re all coming to our place afterwards, and I’ll throw together a proper feast!”

Ed and Al both blushed a bit. “Oh, no, Miss Gracia, we couldn’t…” Al began before his brother began to argue back. Fortunately, before it could go further, Elicia spoke up.

“You most certainly could!” she said triumphantly. “I’m going to pass that liscencing exam with flying colors and Mom’s going to make a victory dinner that even the Emperor of Xing couldn’t top! Mark my words!”

Ed and Al relaxed a bit, happy to see their pupil regain her confidence. “I don’t know,” Al mused sarcastically, “I’ve seen Ling put away a buffet table by himself before. Your mom might have to work overtime.”

“Speaking of Xing,” Gracia said, eyeing Al, “how are you and that Mei girl doing these days, Al?”

Al’s face went scarlet as Ed began to snigger. “Oh, um, we’re,” he croaked, “we’re fine. Great, actually! You see uh…” he began to stammer. “Uh…”

“Go on,” said Ed, continuing to grin. “What’re you two up to.”

“DON’T RUSH ME, BROTHER, I’M GETTING THERE!” AL snapped as his cheeks turned even redder. By now even Elicia was giggling at Al’s embarrassment. You see, Mei and I,” Al continued. “We’re uh…uh…”

“Bork! Bork!”

Al was saved by the sudden barks of an approaching animal. The four heads turned just in time to see a large black and white mass fly over them before slamming into Ed. The former alchemist’s surprised cries joined the din as an old Shiba Inu perched itself atop him.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s me!” Ed shouted. “Now GET OFF AND POUNCE ON SOMEONE ELSE YOU MANGY MUTT!” But the dog simply ignored Ed, continuing to lick his face as Al, Elicia and Gracia continued to laugh.

“Hayate, no!” came another voice. A woman with short blonde hair had just exited the lift, her uniform marking her as a Lieutenant Colonel. Though she was now pushing forty, Riza Hawkeye still held the posture and demeanor of the hard-as-nails soldier she had been throughout her career. At her command, the dog jumped off of Ed and strolled back to her side. Ed sat up and brushed off his shirt.

“Yeesh, Hawkeye,” Ed groaned, “can’t you keep that thing on a leash?”

Hawkeye smiled warmly as she knelt down to scratch Hayate. “Now why would I do that?” she asked. “He smelled one of his favorite people and wanted to say hi! Who am I to deny my subordinates their simple pleasures? Isn’t that right, Captain?” Hayate barked once in agreement.

Ed ignored everyone else laughing and gave his own smile as he regained his feet. “Well, I guess it’s lucky he showed up when he did or Al would’ve had to blab about his enga-“ Al’s hand slapped over his brother’s mouth before he could finish speaking.

“Ahem,” Al said quickly, “I think we have something else to do today, right ladies? Something upstairs?”

Elicia perked up immediately. “Right!” she said, turning to Hawkeye. “I’m all set. Just point me where and I’ll blow your socks off!”

Hawkeye gave a slight smirk. “Well, I certainly hope not. The last thing my husband needs is more ripped clothes.”

Elicia’s smile faltered a bit. Did she hear that right? “You mean,” she asked, “Roy- er, the Führer is going to be overseeing my test?”

“Why wouldn’t he?” asked Hawkeye as she approached the young woman. “Of all people, you think he’d miss your exam?”

A small weight landed in Elicia’s stomach. It had always been a touchy subject for her, something she had always been worried about when it came to her being certified. Despite Mustang’s reforms, even he couldn’t get rid of all nepotism, and she certainly didn’t want to get certified on the back of being the daughter of the Führer’s late best friend. She loved Roy like an uncle, and she knew that, as much as he had doted on her growing up, he would never just hand her something this significant on the back of anything other than her own merit. But she’d be lying if the idea of what others would say had never bothered her.

Elicia shook her head, getting her focus back. Who cared what other people said? She was Elicia Hughes, daughter of Maes Hughes and student to Edward and Alphonse Elric. She wasn’t going to be perturbed by anything as trivial as gossip. No, she was going to march in there, pass her exam, and come out the other end as a State Alchemist. She had even picked out her own code name, one she had run by Roy a week beforehand to his shining approval. She would be the one to use her power to reinvigorate the people around her, healing their wounds, restoring their hope, and building towards a safe and shining future. She would be Elicia Hughes, the Rebirth Alchemist.

“Alright,” she said with a triumphant smile. “Let’s do this!”

Hawkeye nodded. “Right this way.” She gestured to the lift as the small party moved towards it, Black Hayate still playfully nipping at Ed’s heels. Before Elicia herself stepped on, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face Hawkeye again, her smile losing a shade of its stoic professionalism in favor of almost motherly warmth.

“You’re going to hear this a lot today,” she said. “So take it from someone who knew him as well as anyone short of your mother or the Führer.” A brief glimpse of a tear appeared at the edge of her eye as she looked Elicia up and down. “Your father would be so proud of you.”

Tears prickled Elicia’s eyes as she dug into her pocket. “Yeah,” she said. “I know.”

As she finally stepped onto the lift, Elicia pulled out the gold locket her had just reached for. Hopefully, in a few hours, it would be joined by a silver pocket watch emblazoned with the Amestrian dragon, but for now it stood alone. She flicked it open to reveal the picture inside. A lean man with a scruffy chinstrap beard and glasses was hugging a toddler with light brown pigtails, both of them smiling infectiously up at her. After a few seconds’ gazing, Elicia snapped it shut as she looked up the escalating corridor.

Okay, Dad, she thought to herself, the future, here I come.

Happy Fullmetal Alchemist Day!

*this fic is dedicated to my mom, who also celebrates her birthday today. Happy Birthday, Mom!*

#fullmetal alchemist #fullmetal alchemist brotherhood #fma #fmab #fma day #elicia hughes #gracia hughes #edward elric #alphonse elric #riza hawkeye #black hayate #fanfic

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