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batarella · 4 years

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The Commander - Part 9 (Arkham Knight x Reader)

I just want to thank you all for the kind comments and messages. I was afraid of disappointing you with the next chapters. So please let me know what you all think! It lets me know if I’m on the right track!

WORDS: 3272 WARNINGS: UHMMMM YOU FIGHT WITH JASON AND THEN THERE’S A WHOLE MIX OF ANGSTY FLUFF AND FLUFFY ANGST

Masterlist

THE COMMANDER - MASTERLIST

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“So what do they call you? Peashooter?”

This kid was a fucking menace. And the red and yellow on his suit just made him even more irritating to look at. The bullets just bounced off of him. Either that, or she’ll have to face her uncle for missing so many shots at once. She gripped onto the two pistols with her life.

Aim for the head.

She saw his cape rolling into a pile of boxes and fired.

“Silver Sniper! The Mini Gunner! Come on, I can think of loads of names right now!”

The boxes had become an exploded mess by then. Robin wasn’t there. She backed off, panting. Y/N had to get out of this. She focused on the sounds, or any movement from the ground’s vibrations, but there was nothing. Which meant-

“Fuck!” Robin jumped from the ledge above and tackled her to the ground. Y/N kneed his groin, then landed a punch on his face. She pushed him off of her and ducked just as he pounced for her head.

He blocked her kicks with his arms, then grabbed her right fist, then her left, just as she threw them, but she high kicked his hold and pushed him back. She kept throwing her punches, and he easily blocked them without blinking.

Y/N growled, but Robin just smirked at her. He threw a punch at her stomach, but didn’t see her foot aiming just at his chest.

He threw back, and it was enough time for her to pick up her pistols and aim at his head.

But just as she pulled the trigger, two batarangs landed right at the muzzels. The firearms exploded in her hands and her body was thrown to the floor. Robin laughed. “You were looking an awful lot like Lara Croft there, kid.”

“You think this is intimidating me, bird boy?”

“Without your precious guns, maybe it is.”

Xxxx

Jason ran right up to her, withstanding all the bullets she could fire with his armor thick enough to go against missiles, and pushed her to the ground, picking up her guns and throwing them over the roof. The Commander kicked him in the stomach and rolled off.

“No guns.”

His voice filter just sounded annoying at this point. Y/N picked herself up and ran to him, throwing a punch aiming for his neck. He saw her alternating strikes and dodged every one of them, blocking her knee with his own wrist. She landed a kick, but he grabbed her ankle and flung her off to the ledge, her back hitting the cement.

“Stop throwing me around, asshole!” she coughed.

This man was one she wanted dead at some point and was so tempted to help kill him, she was almost at the front gates of Arkham just to do so. At the last minute, she decided against it.

She might be a killer, but she was no monster.

Then she ended up sleeping with that same man, several times, even going so far as sharing a kiss at a time and place that a kiss meant the most.

And here he was again, Jason, finishing a war that started years ago.

Jason skidded to her front, his shoes making her lose balance. They rolled around the floor, with either on top and throwing their fists only to meet the ground. Y/N was first to roll off and regain her stance, but Jason managed to duck before she hit his head.

She had to tire him out. His hits were strong. Too strong in fact. More of those and his arms would eventually weaken. It was her turn to block his fists, her torso turning around while also keeping an eye on his lower body.

Her punches were swift, fast, and almost as light as air. They weren’t enough on their own, but if she gained her momentum it would be enough to throw her opponent off. She knew Jason had that in mind, especially since he was the exact opposite. He was slower, but each hit was strong enough to land her on the ground.

It had always been hard to best him. In fact, she never could say she’d beaten him in a fight. But this will be the first.

As a fight long awaited, it was too bad no one else saw them. They were dancing. A violent, bone-crushing dance.

And it was epic.

Her legs were flying in the air as Y/N twisted his arm and placed her whole weight right on his shoulder. She pulled at his wrist, gaining a cry from him.

“Get off me!”

“You asked for this, you son of a-“

And a massive blow of his strength pushed her off. She was panting, and she let her guard down for a split second and he had her against the wall, grabbing her by the collar.

“This making you hard, Knight?” she whispered.

Jason should’ve seen her knee between his legs. He let go of her, and she tackled him to the ground. She tried hitting his visor, but her already bruised fist gave out and Jason flipped them over.

He held her down with his muscled arm hard against her neck. Y/N struggled and she could only look up to his visor. The glass had broken and his grunts were no longer filtered. She could see his face, teeth gritting, and his eyes looking straight back at her. She used the last of her strength to push him off.

It had to be hours. The Commander was panting, and all her limbs felt like falling to the ground. “Stop!” Jason said, struggling to pull himself up the floor. He had to catch his breath as well, opening his visor to let the cold air in. She leaned her arm against the cement.

The sky had lightened. And the stars had disappeared. She was breathing so hard the air just seemed too thin. Jason laid flat on the ground, staring blankly above. Y/N pressed her back against the ledge and her body melted to the ground.

The worthiest opponent. And still, no one bested the other. She waited until the air wasn’t such a blur and the floor no longer spinning, and he on the ground. They sat there for as long as they’d fought until the sun had fully risen.

He hadn’t said a word, but she could see his chest rising and falling, eventually into a steadier pace. When she thought she could, she stood up, slowly walking up to Jason.

She caught his eye, and extended her hand. He looked at her up and down, but for once, he actually took it. She pulled him up.

“This conversation never happened.”

Jason pulled his hand away. “Just the conversation or everything that happened after it?”

“Need I remind you the militia leaves for Gotham in three days. This was stupid. We don’t have time for this.”

“Fine. Whatever.”

She brushed off her suit, lasting a glare at him before turning for the hatch on the floor. She pulled it open.

“I’m sorry,” Jason said.

She didn’t even look back at him. “Fuck off.”

Xxxxx

Her head was burning. She needed ice, right at the center of her cheek. She tried not to look at Jason or else she’d attack him from across the table again. He had a new visor on, as if he kept spare ones in his drawers. If she had broken bones somewhere they’ll have to be ignored.

“I told Stagg the Cloudburst arrives in Gotham today. He’s responsible for hiding it in his bunkers until I give the signal.”

Deathstroke filled in. “How do we filter out the effects from our men?”

“Their masks give them immunity,” said the Knight.

“And does everyone have this mask? I told you we had new recruits.”

“Everyone is accounted for,” Crane said. “Our men will be fine.”

“Have you even tested the toxin recently?”

Scarecrow stood from his chair. “The Cloudburst will do much more than just release the toxin. I’ve asked Stagg to amplify its poison gas into the density of rainclouds. The city will be a barren wasteland. And if the Dark Knight fails, all of Gotham will fall.”

Jason seemed satisfied. “I’ll make sure to alert our men before I release the toxin.”

“I thought the Commander drives the Cloudburst,” said Slade.

“If it has anything to do with facing Batman head on, I’ll do it. The Commander’s tasked mainly at HQ.”

“Actually,” Crane said. “Commander Y/N has the expertise to control the tank, don’t you Commander?”

The Commander sat back against the chair. “I do.”

“She’s the best man for the job, Knight.”

“I said, I’ll do it. We had a deal. I get to kill Batman!”

Scarecrow wasn’t bothered. “And is it with the Cloudburst that you end his life with? The Cloudburst isn’t used as our primary weapon, Knight. It is used for the toxin.”

“It’s the best weapon we’ve got.”

“Then perhaps that means our drones are far from enough.”

Slade stammered, “Those drones are mine and they work perfectly.”

“I don’t care if I have a knife or a tank,” Jason said. “He looks into my eyes while he dies.”

“Your delay in Gotham tells me your history with the Dark Knight will work to your disadvantage.”

Fuck.

“We had to hack into GCPD,” The Commander finally said. She’d join in on the argument, but her jaw hurt too much. Then she took out the hacking device from her jacket and slid it across the table to Slade.

“The Commander has her own work. I will not just sit in a chair and watch everything happen from a camera.”

“We all know you won’t be doing that, kid,” Deathstroke interrupted. “I say we send the Commander.”

“Her best position is to watch and control all comms and drones at HQ. She will lead the whole army. I gave her that job weeks ago, Wilson.”

“Enough,” the Commander said. “I’ll take the Cloudburst. The Knight can take a serpent drone and attack the Alpha Target once the tank destroys his car. He kills him right then.”

Slade slams his palms against the table. “How bout that?”

“A serpent drone?”

“I fire at his car, you make sure your visor filters out the gas and you take him out from above.”

Jason seemed skeptical, but Deathstroke had already stood up from his chair. “Have at it, Commander.”

Jason wasn’t having it. He went after Slade after he’d left the room. The commander winced at the pain in her lower body, struggling to even stand up. She started for the door, and Crane blocked her out.

“Commander,” he whispered. Y/N pretended not to look at him.

“What?”

“I know what went on with you and the Knight.”

The Commander kept looking at the ground. “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“I have eyes in Gotham. You cannot talk your way out of this.”

“Whatever it is you think, that isn’t the case. Nothing happened between us.”

Crane neared his face dangerously close to Y/N. And suddenly, she had a whiff of his toxin. It was in his breath. In a daze, she looked straight into his eyes and saw demons crawl out of them. Her breath was shortened and she stiffed.

“I don’t care about either of you,” he said. “But if this affects the deployment of my toxin in any way, I’ll make sure he suffers your own consequences.”

“Get out of my face, Crane.”

“I know your fear. I know everybody’s fear. The Knight is deadly, but the man’s as fragile as broken glass. And as stubborn as a mangy dog. You would know that.”

He was making her see it. And hear things she wasn’t supposed to hear. There were screams. Not hers, but of Jason’s. And she could see his face crying out in agony. But she couldn’t look away from the blackness that was Crane’s eyes.

“I wouldn’t know.”

“Yes, in fact, you do,” Crane breathed and backed away.

There were still remnants of the toxin when he headed out the door.

“You have two days, Commander. Make it count.”

Xxxx

It was death.

That was what stared at her in the face.

It wasn’t just Jason, or Crane. It was death.

It was cold, and the streets were barren and full of shit. They were far away from the city, but the countryside had a small town just a mile away. She didn’t have to take her bike. Y/N walked even when the sidewalks were small enough for her to be run over at just a slight turn of a wheel.

But she didn’t care, not even when she felt it rain so slightly, the droplets disappeared as it made contact with her clothes. Y/N pulled up her hood and continued down the road.

There weren’t much people, even at this hour. She wasn’t even afraid anyone would pull her to the alleys and leave her defenseless. Her focus was on the ground, moving downward until she met the curb.

The light glowed red, even with no cars passing by. She stood there, waiting. And in front of her was a small diner.

It was the classic retro feel. There was a jukebox at the corner, red seats backed up against the window while a waitress in blue took the orders of the two people inside. A mother and her son. He seemed happy with the single slice of pie on his plate.

She looked away before she’s thought about it even more.

But even then, it was too late. It hurt before it even dawned to her.

In another world, where she wasn’t taken in by her uncle, she’d have gone into a diner just like the one in front of her, ordered a burger and a chocolate milkshake knowing the rain would fall in and it would take her too long to get home for dinner. Then she’ll take a seat at the counter.

In that world, she’d have met a boy looking at her from a few seats away, smiling. And she’d smile back when her order appears and they realized they got the exact same mix of the smoothie they wanted. The boy would take the seat beside her, ask for her name. And he’d tell her his. That boy would have the brightest blue eyes and she could already tell he had the habit of scratching his nose.

And they’ll talk all night even after everyone else in the diner had left, when the cook had to drive them out. He would offer to take her home, and she’d decline at first, but eventually give in. She wanted to give in. And by the end of the day, he’d have her number and they’ll see each other that weekend again. In that same diner.

In that world, she wasn’t a world-renowned assassin, and Jason wasn’t a vigilante with a broken past.

But-

Fuck. She was so in love with him, it was terrifying.

But they had no business being kids, being cute, being so harmlessly in love and go on walks and even dates.

They had no business lying on the floor, eating burgers at three in the afternoon.

They had no business being so uncomplicated, when everything comes so easily and nothing would be at stake.

They had no business having a relationship. No matter how much she’d have wanted that. Not after their history. Not after what they’ve both been through. Not after what Floyd had raised her into and partially stripped her of anything normal.

Jason. Tortured. Being mauled on the floor while a madman beats him like a lifeless sack of hay.

Then someone stood beside her. She didn’t have to look at him.

“Stop following me.”

Jason didn’t answer. He looked on at the diner and he had the same look on his eyes as she had.

“You look at the diner, too.”

“Go. Away.”

He didn’t leave. Instead, they stood at the side of the street, not moving even when the light in front of them turned green.

She didn’t say anything more. Didn’t even look at him.

“I wish… I did something,” she swallowed. “I wish I wanted to save you.”

“Stop. I didn’t mean what I said. Forget about it.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I said stop.”

The woman in the diner held up a spoonful of pie and her son opened his mouth wide. It looked delicious even from the distance. The traffic light turned red and just one car drove off in front of them.

“Jason-“

“I saw the look on your face. Back at the cave. I knew you’d have figured everything out by then, about what happened to me at Arkham.”

She was stone cold and stiff.

“But none of that mattered. I didn’t care if you wanted me dead at one point. The whole day I was with you in Gotham, it was the first day I hadn’t thought about Joker… or Batman. Anything.

“I walked out of the cave hoping you wouldn’t run away after knowing who I was. So I kissed you. And you kissed me back. Then I let you hold me and I told you my name. Then… Jesus…”

Y/N still hadn’t turned away. She wasn’t crying. She couldn’t. It was the droplets from the rain that ran down her cheeks. Nothing else.

And by that time the traffic light had turned back to being green, the diner was dark and empty. She didn’t want to look to her side. Somehow, she knew Jason would just walk away, without so much as another word. He’d do something like that, and it wouldn’t be much of a surprise.

But he stayed.

For a long while, he did. So she asked, without much to expect.

“Can you walk me home?”

Just that. She could at least have that. Something so miniscule from the world she longed to be.

“Okay.”

He stayed right beside her. All the way back to the barracks. And the dark rain prevailed.

And it was the same when they reached the empty training grounds, deep into the back where the living quarters were. The walk to their rooms was silent, and their clothes drenched the floors all the way up to hers. Jason walked straight into his, without so much as another word.

She went into her room and locked the door, but her hand didn’t leave the doorknob. She stood there, silent and alone. Y/N never felt so lost.

But it had to have been long minutes, because she heard four knocks on her door before she’s even walked away. She opened it and Jason was standing there, his hair a wet mess, and he held up a coffee mug.

“Hot water,” he said. “Drink it before bed.”

Y/N didn’t have much energy left to decline. She took it from him. “Thank you.”

Jason stepped back, and she closed the door again.

Her whole body leaned against the hard wood of the door and she could feel a part of herself drip to the floor at each second she’d have to look into his hurt eyes. She’d fallen in so deep, and she hated herself for it.

She opened the door, determined to go after him.

But he was still there, at the door, just about to go into her room himself.

Y/N’s never felt so at the edge of breaking down when she met his eyes, panting. And with the pain, came the rush of cold air, the rush of cold relief. Jason went into her room, pushed her against the door to close it. He could feel her breath, wanting him.

He held the back of her drenched head and pulled her to his lips. She dug in to his hair, gripping it hard when his lips escaped hers and found their way back to her neck. Her other hand traveled down his clothed arms. She gasped, and Jason slowly guided them both to move to the bed. He’ll never pull away. Soon there were no more boundaries between them, no distance. They lasted all night, no longer with any trace of regret.

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THE COMMANDER - MASTERLIST

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SMUT FANS. YA’LL KNOW IT’S ABOUT TO GET DOWN IN THE NEXT CHAPTER

Taglist: everyartistwas-firstanamateur @sarcasmismyfirstlove @damned-queen-of-gotham @idkmanicantenglish @wunderstell @birdy-bat-riya @get-loki@everyday-imfangirling @comic-nerd-dc @multifandoms916 @icequeen208@offendedfishnoises @egdolan @xemiefx @arkhamtoddler @elsenthal@mythicbitchx @supremehaunter @ burning-alive @lucy-roo

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ladyreapermc · 4 years

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Fic: Rules of Engagement Chapter 2

Summary: Henry and Em have been friends for almost ten years and involved in a casual affair for just as long. The rules were simple: no romantic attachment and their friends and family couldn’t know. Easy enough to do right? However, when new complications emerge, Henry and Em will need to navigate this relationship of theirs, if they can even call it that. Chapter 1 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 04 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 06

Pairing: Henry Cavill x OFC (Emeline)

Wordcount: 4,5K

Warnings: some fluff and a tiny bit of angst

Author’s notes: I want to thank all the comments I got on the first chapter. I didn’t expect this series to get so much recognition. Thank you! Here’s chapter 02. I do hope you all enjoy it and once again I would love to read your feedback.

Chapter 02 - What are the odds?

As soon as Henry stepped out the car in front of the church, he couldn’t help but let his gaze wander, looking for Em. It was almost second nature to him by now, whenever he would meet their friends, his eyes instinctively looked for her.

This time they landed on Todd first, standing outside and holding his baby girl Sophie in his arms. Henry could already feel the smile tugging on his lips as he made his way over, adjusting his button-down and blazer in the process. Last time he had seen the girl, she had just been born, only a week before he had to travel and start shooting The Witcher, but Todd and Clara made sure to keep him updated with pictures of his future goddaughter.

“My God, mate! you’re huge!” Todd commented voice full of awe and Henry chuckled, too distracted by the baby in his friend’s arms.

There was a huge pink bow on top of her brown curly hair and her eyes were bright blue and staring at Henry as he made a couple of silly faces until he got a bubbly giggle.

“What are they doing to you?”

“You don’t want to know. Sorry, I’m late. My flight was delayed.”

“You’re not all that late. Em had wardrobe trouble and Clara is giving her a hand,” Todd said, chuckling as Henry offered his hands up to the toddler, and to his surprise, Sophie actually reached for him, asking to be taken and Henry smirked. “She’s 6 months and already under your charms,” Todd clicked his tongue, handing over the girl.

It was no secret that Henry loved children and children loved Henry. Not only that, but he was also actually good with them. Maybe it was all the nephews and nieces, maybe it was just his natural gift, but kids tended to be in his best behavior with him.

Someone’s got a booboo? Call uncle Henry to kiss it better. Crying fit over a stolen toy or a no? Uncle Henry will hold them until they feel better. Don’t want to sleep? Uncle Henry will tell stories and even do all the voices. Sugar high and need to tire them out? Uncle Henry is on the job with a good dose of Kal…

Henry truly didn’t mind being only a call away for his family and friends. Being the last-minute babysitter whenever he was in town and having a chance of spoiling them rotten. He loved being Uncle Henry but he just couldn’t wait for the day he would be the dad.

First, he needed to find a good partner but so far, his relationships had crashed and burned, some more epically than others. And Henry wasn’t getting any younger. He would hate to be one of those fathers that had their first kid in their fifties, but he was slowly approaching his forties and had yet to meet the woman he wanted to have that kind of commitment with.

Shaking himself out of those thoughts that would lead nowhere, Henry followed Todd to a sideway entrance of the church so they could go in without making much of a fuss. It seemed almost fate that just as they stepped inside, a small hidden door opened and both Clara and Em stepped out.

For a second, Henry just stared, because Em looked so beautiful in that form-fitting soft pink dress, her dark hair falling in elegant waves over her shoulders. He didn’t even notice the sigh he let out or the small snort that came from Todd.

Henry wasn’t in the habit of lying to himself, but he made an exception when it came to this because Em might be the only woman he ever really felt like he could have a long-term relationship with. They just clicked in every aspect.

She was funny and goofy, unafraid of giving him hell whenever he was getting a big head. She could be almost brutally honest at times, but Henry had become quite good at calling her out on it with just one look. Em never failed to make him laugh, and he knew that, aside from Clara, he was the only that got her to completely loosen up. And, of course, he couldn’t forget, that the sex was amazing.

Henry was still dreaming about their last encounter last month, the feel of her without any barriers, and how much trust she laid on him to even suggest such a thing. He loved her even more for it and if only she would stop being so stubborn and accept that she loved him too and that they were perfect together, Henry wouldn’t have this problem. Because he knew Em wanted kids too.

They had this conversation one drunken night about a year ago. She had just broken up with her latest boyfriend, for reasons he couldn’t remember, and came over with a bottle of bourbon ready to drown her sorrows.

It was a cool spring night and they lied in his garden watching the night sky and passing the bottle back and forth, complaining about life and love and everything in between. Kal lodged between them, snoring loudly and making them both fall in a fit of giggles every once in a while.

“Ok, confession time…” Em said, turning sideways to look at him. The way she squinted her eyes to see him made Henry laugh. “I miss the kingstache.” She traced the smooth skin of his upper lip and Henry grinned wide.

“You?” he asked in disbelief. “The one that mocked me the most? That called it a porn mustache?”

“Yes, alright?” she pouted at him knocking against Kal, alcohol impairing her coordination. The dog looked up startled and confused before slipping away from between them. “I miss it. It felt good, especially…”

“Especially what?” Henry asked, turning sideways too and now they were so close he could smell the whiskey in her breath; their noses almost bumping against one another.

“The feel of it whenever you were eating me out,” Em confessed, lip tucked between her teeth as they stared at each other. “And only you could rock a mustache like that, ok?”

“I love how honest you get when we put some alcohol in you,” he chuckled, pressing a kiss to her lips.

It was supposed to be just a soft peck but Em fisted his hoodie, holding him still while she explored his mouth in a sloppy kiss and Henry felt his body responding to it. The heat spreading, the stirring in his trousers but he pulled away and gave her a stern look.

“We shouldn’t. we’re drunk and nursing breakups…” he warned but she cut him off with another kiss. This one lasted longer, especially as she pressed her entire body against his, one hand coming to scratch his scalp just like Henry loved it and he moaned into the kiss.

“That’s why it’s perfect,” she mumbled. “We can fuck it out of our systems and move on… I don’t want the next guy to be a rebound.”

“Oh, but I can be? That’s lovely.” He arched an eyebrow, hurt and offended. She sat up and rolled her eyes.

“Like I wasn’t a rebound after most of your girlfriends, Hen? You know what? Forget it. I’m leaving.” Em got up in unsteady feet and Henry was by her side in a flash, helping to keep her upright. She could never hold her liquor all that well.

“You’re too drunk. Just stay here. I can get the guest room ready if you’re that pissed at me.”

“I’m not…” she sighed, resting again his chest, but looking away from him. “I really thought Alex was…”

“Really? I always knew he was a wanker.”

Henry felt the warm huff of her laugh against the exposed skin of his throat before she finally looked up at him, chin resting on his sternum, her big and warm brown eyes glassy, lids lowered, her cheeks flushed from alcohol. It was a beautiful sight and he loved how much shorter Em was; how she fitted in his embrace like she belonged there. Henry pushed the thought aside as he guided her inside and up the stairs.

“He was jealous of you, you know?” she flopped on the bed and let Henry take off her jeans, sweater, and bra. “I think he guessed that we have sex on occasion.”

Henry only hummed in reply, picking up one of his old shirts and helping her to put it on. It fit her almost like a dress, hanging almost at her knees, the neckline loose and slipping over her shoulder. He shouldn’t think it was this cute, but he couldn’t help himself. He bent closer, kissing her softly and Em sighed against his lips.

“I’m gonna grab some aspirin for you, please don’t hurl on my floor.”

She gave him a clumsy punch on the shoulder that Henry barely felt, and he chuckled all the way to the kitchen. He wished he could tell Em that he was glad Alex wasn’t the one and that he would like her to see Henry might be. They’ve been doing this for 8 years now and it was probably the longest relationship he had with anyone. If you could call periodically hooking up with a good friend a relationship.

He got back to the room and Em was already asleep, head buried on his pillow and Henry felt bad for waking her up but if she didn’t take anything right now, it would be worst in the morning. For both of them. He shook her lightly and she blinked blearily at him, but still accepting the pill he put in her hand and the sip of water he offered.

“Thanks, Hen. I love you,” she slurred, and Henry chuckled, setting the glass aside while he took off his clothes.

Em would always blurt that out when she was this drunk and it always warmed his heart, giving him hope until the bright light of the day came and he realized that no matter how many times she would say it, Em would still fight this pull between them.

“You’re welcome, love.”

He crawled in bed with her and Em immediately settled against him, tugging on his arm until Henry was spooning her, holding her tight. She was such a cuddler and he loved it. He loved to fall asleep with his nose buried in her head, inhaling the scent of sugar and spice that clung to her. He loved the feel of her warm skin and the soft snores that she never admitted she let out or the way she clung to his hand until she fell asleep.

It was sweet torture to have her like this, knowing that when morning came, Em would be out the door, both of them going their separate ways. But at least for those blissful hours, in the darkness of the night, Henry could pretend otherwise.

For a while, there was only silence and Henry thought she had fallen asleep again. He was almost drifting off himself when she spoke again.

“You will be the perfect partner for some lucky lady out there,” she whispered, her voice surprisingly coherent considering how drunk she was. “And a great dad.”

“Thanks, Em,” Henry smiled and kissed her temple.

“I’m terrified of having kids,” Em confessed quietly, turning in his arms so they could look at each other in the darkness. “I mean, I didn’t have the greatest role model for a family.”

Henry pushed some hairs away from her face, looking at the big doe eyes staring at him with a glimmer of wetness. He knew her mom left when she was very young and her dad was… well, interesting.

“Do you want to?” he asked, thumb caressing her jaw. “Have kids, I mean?” she nodded, a flitting smile sneaking into her face.

“Yeah, two,” she said softly. “Because I hated being an only child. Good thing I had Clara. How about you?”

“I always thought at least three,” he replied, smiling too. “I want my house full, just like I had growing up.”

“At least?” she cocked an eyebrow at him, and Henry chuckled and shrugged. “I guess that sounds good too, maybe a little chaotic… I mean, how would that work with you and your wife working full time?”

“I would take some time off, of course…” Henry said, lying on his back, one arm around her, the other bent beneath his head. “I’m doing pretty well financially, and I could afford to spend some time off-screen or maybe take smaller roles, local productions…”

“You really thought this out, huh?” Em asked head tilted his way and Henry nodded. He lost count how many times he envisioned this scenario, the only thing that usually changed was the face he pictured for the woman in his life. “You would turn the guest room into a nursery?”

“At first, yeah, but I definitely would want a bigger place,” he said, drawing patterns on her arm. “A little farther away from the city, with a nice kitchen and a big master bedroom. A garden so Kal can run around and the kids could have a playground, maybe even a treehouse…”

“That sounds nice, I’d like that,” she mumbled, her eyes fluttering close, her breath evening out. With one last smile, Henry kissed her brow and let himself drift off too.

That conversation had stayed with him for way longer than it should. Em didn’t remember any of it of course, but Henry did because it seeded something in his heart that he had to work hard to ignore whenever they were together.

Henry guessed it could be seen as a small blessing that their hookups weren’t happened all that often anymore, even if they were both single. He also couldn’t help but notice that when they did end up together, Em seemed to fight the pull that existed between them until she finally relented and fell in bed with him. It made him wonder what changed. Why she felt like they couldn’t have this anymore.

“Henry! You’re here!” Clara greeted him with a kiss on the cheek before she looked down at her daughter comfortably settled on his arms. “And you already charmed Sophie, I see.” She looked at Todd with a grin. “You owe me a tenner.”

Todd rolled his eyes, taking the girl from Henry so they could walk into the church with their daughter, while Henry and Em took their places at the altar, side by side and he gave her a sideways glance to have a better look at her.

“You look nice.”

“You too,” she smiled at him. Her soft, glossy lips looked so tempting that Henry had to discreetly shift his stance to adjust himself.

“What was wrong with your dress?” His gaze lingered on the generous neckline that gave a very nice view of her cleavage. “Looks really good. Especially your tits. They look bigger somehow.”

“Henry!” Em hissed sharply with a glare, but he could see she was fighting off a smile. “But you might actually be right because I busted a seam under my arm and Clara had to sew it back together.”

Before Henry could comment on anything else, the ceremony started and they returned to their best behavior. Todd and Clara brought Sophie forward, handing the girl to Henry and Em so she could be baptized and they were named her godparents.

It was hardly a surprise for them that the couple had invited them, especially because Henry had Todd as a fifth brother and he knew Em viewed Clara as a sister, but they were both honored by the invitation.

Once the ceremony was over, everyone started to head to Todd and Clara’s place for the celebration. Henry was about to ask Em for a ride since he had taken a taxi but froze when he saw her heading to a car with a guy he didn’t know.

“Hey Todd,” he caught his friend who was on his way to say goodbye to a few guests that wouldn’t be able to make to the party. “Who’s that?”

“That’s Jack,” Todd said, following Henry’s gaze, catching sight of Em chatting with the blonde man. “He’s a friend of Clara’s. He and Em met a couple of months ago.”

“They’re dating?” Henry asked with a frown and uncomfortable burn in his stomach, like acid reflux. He had to swallow hard against the urge to puke.

“I don’t know,” Todd shrugged. “But they seemed to have hit off pretty well.”

As if on cue, Em’s laugh rang loud and bright as Jack held the door open so she could slide inside, and Henry had to clench his jaw to stop himself from cursing. From the look on Todd’s face, his friend noticed.

“Need a ride?” he asked, pulling Henry’s attention back him. “My brother is heading off right now.”

“Yes, thanks.”

Henry tried to push the thoughts of Em and the Jack bloke aside, pay at least a little bit of attention to whatever Todd’s brother was droning on and on, but it seemed to be an impossible task. Fortunately, the younger man didn’t seem to need his interaction to make conversation, so Henry just hummed occasionally, looking out the window. He wondered why Em didn’t mention Jack at all last time they saw each other.

Sure, it was a quick visit, but they did talk a lot before they ended up in bed together. It would have been nice to know in advance that she was dating. Was she dating? Em didn’t strike him as the kind of woman that would hook up with someone else if she was seeing another but maybe that was why she was so reluctant to sleep with him last few times?

Before Henry could reach any conclusion, they arrived and he thanked Todd’s brother for the ride before letting his gaze wander through the small gathering of people, locating Em. She was unsurprisingly surveying the cake and pastries since her bakery provided every single treat offered at this party.

Henry didn’t taste anything yet, but he knew they were delicious. Em had a unique talent for baking and it was no wonder her store was becoming more and more popular. He knew part of it was her perfectionism. Even though her team worked with her for years now and knew exactly how she would plan tables and displays, she still needed to survey everything, making sure it was up to her standards.

He took a step in her direction, but before he could go any further, Clara called his name and caught his arm in a soft but firm grip, giving the guest she was talking to a small smile of apology before tugging him to the side.

“Just the man I wanted to see,” she smiled and for a relatively small woman, she could be very intimidating. It was something to do with her piercing blue eyes that always seemed to see right through him. “Have you met Jack?”

“Not really,” he replied in surprise and confusion. Sometimes it felt like Clara could read his mind or something.

“Let me introduce you to him, then,” Clara said, pulling him along and Henry didn’t have in him to protest. He was after all curious about the man. “And please, be nice and make an effort to like him.”

“What does it matter if I like him or not?”

Clara turned to face Henry, her eyes narrowed as she stared him down, and weirdly enough, Henry felt like shrinking into himself at the weight of her stare. No wonder she was such an amazing prosecutor. That one stare was enough to make him want to confess all his crimes.

“So, you don’t know?”

“Know what?” Henry asked. This was one of the most cryptic conversations he had ever had, and he had to do interviews about DCEU without giving any spoilers. Clara heaved a sigh, crossing her arms over her chest.

“You’re Em’s judge.”

“Sorry, I’m what?”

“Em’s judge. For a man’s character. If you don’t like a man she’s seeing or interested in, she’ll dump their arse like a hot potato. You never noticed?”

“No! Clara, that’s… insane! I have no saying in who Em dates.” Henry huffed an awkward breath as he watched his friend. She could not be serious, but from the way she was looking at him, he knew she met every word.

“We both know you don’t have to say anything.” Clara rolled her eyes at him. “Honestly, I’m surprised that Alex lasted as long as he did considering your face turned sour everything time he was around. It was like you had shit stuck under your nose. But regardless if you believe it or not, could you make an effort with Jack? I really think he could be great for Em.”

“Fine!” Henry sighed just wanting to get out of this conversation. “But not right now. I haven’t eaten in six hours and I’m starting to get dizzy.”

“Thank you!” She flashed him a bright smile. “Head to the kitchen and grab something. Brunch will still be a while.” She came to her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek before walking away before Henry could even process what was happening.

Henry stood there for a few moments like gaping fish, still trying to wrap his head around the entire conversation but giving up because when it came to Clara, she was lightyears ahead of them on some things. He might as well do what he was told and get a snack before he passed out.

To Henry’s surprise, when he got to the kitchen, he found Em at the sink, finishing up a sandwich that she handed him as soon as he stepped closer.

“What’s this?”

“Toasted wheat bread, no crust, turkey slices, and that tasteless cheese you actually like. Honey mustard, but no mayo,” she said, leaning against the counter and giving him a smile when Henry’s stomach rumbled. “I figured you didn’t have time to grab a bite to eat at the airport...”

“I didn’t. Thanks,” he grinned at her, taking a bite and groaning loudly, making Em chuckle.

“Settle down, Cavill. It’s not that good,” she joked, popping a piece of turkey on her mouth, but grimacing. “Urgh, this taste like cardboard.”

“You’re ok?” he frowned at Em.

“Yeah, just feeling a little queasy all morning,” she replied. “But I have to eat something or my blood sugar gonna plummet.”

Abandoning his sandwich for a second, Henry moved closer to her, resting the back of his hand against her forehead and then neck, frowning lightly.

“You are a little hot.”

“Thanks,” she flashed him a cheeky smile that made Henry chuckle.

“You know what I mean.” He cupped her cheek and it was a testament of how bad she much be feeling if Em was actually letting her guard down and allowing this small intimate moment in a place anyone could walk in on them. “You might be coming down with something.”

“Fuck! I hope not. This is one of my busiest months,” she let out a long exhale, and maybe it was just Henry’s wishful thinking, but he thought Em might have stepped closer, almost leaning into him and all he wanted was to take her in his arms and hold her.

“Am I interrupting?” Clara cleared his throat, making them both jump and turn to stare at her guiltily as she looked at them with a knowing smirk.

Henry wondered why she seemed to be everywhere. He knew it was this sort of gift every great hostess had but it could be very annoying when all he wanted was some privacy with Em.

“No,” Em recovered first, stepping away from Henry. “I’m just not feeling well, and Henry was checking up on me.”

Clara just hummed, coming closer and mimicking Henry’s actions, her brow drawing into a frown.

“I don’t think you have a fever, but you’re a little hot. Maybe it’s just that time of the month?” she asked, giving Henry a sideways glance.

“No, I had my period…” Em trailed off with a thoughtful frown as if she couldn’t exactly recall and Clara chuckled.

“You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d joke you’re pregnant,” Clara teased with a smile. “I mean, the bloating and nausea and all that? Anyway, just lie down for a while. You’re probably just overworked.”

Once again, Clara was gone like a quick whirlwind, leaving Henry and Em to stare at each other in shock. He knew his eyes were wide and he was stunned into silence. Em just looked like a deer caught in headlights.

“No!” she snapped once Henry recovered enough to try to say something. “Don’t even think it, Henry. It was once and I have an IUD. It can’t be.”

“You’re right,” he agreed quickly, but his heart was still thundering in his chest, his hands sweaty and he could barely breathe, terror and excitement mingled together in his chest, but he didn’t dare to voice it. Not when Em looked like she was about to throw up.

“Clara’s right. I’m just tired,” she sounded like she was trying to convince herself, not Henry. “I just need a good night of sleep. That’s all. So, we’re not gonna talk about this, because it’s impossible. What are the odds of actually happening?”

Less than 1 percent, Henry found out later, once he was at home and couldn’t sleep, still thinking about the entire thing. He googled it to calm his nerves, surprised by the hint of disappointment he felt at learning it was next to impossible. It wasn’t enough to stop him from thinking and wondering, though.

Enough so that when he heard the sound of his doorbell, Henry nearly jumped out of his skin. It was a noise he practically had forgotten about since Kal would always announce newcomers way before they could ring it. But Kal was back in Budapest. It didn’t make sense to bring him over when Henry would only be staying a day.

Henry glanced at his clock, frowning at the late hour as he made his way downstairs and pulled his door open. Em pushed her way inside, her face tearstained and a mask of fury as she threw something his way. Henry caught by reflex, before staring at her in confusion.

“I hate you, Cavill! I fucking hate you!” she declared, sniffling and hugging herself.

“Em, what…?” he didn’t get to finish his question, because she gestured at the object he was still holding. Henry finally looked down, eyes widening when he realized it was a pregnancy test. One of those pharmacy types and it was positive.

“I did five of them. All positive,” she said, rubbing her face dry and glaring at him. “Damn you and your fucking Superman sperm!”

Henry stared at her wordless, still clinging to the white stick in his hand.

“What are we gonna do?”

He didn’t answer. He didn’t know how.

chapter 01 x(tbc)x chapter 03

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#henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill imagine #henry cavill x ofc #henry cavill x original character #fanfic #series #rules of engagement

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blueaura · 3 years

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Lost and Found Ch. 6

A/N: I finally finished it! I apologise for the delay but GISH (that’s all I’m gonna say). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It’s after midnight here, and I have class in the morning so I’m off to sleep. Thanks to everyone who’s read it this far. As always, any tips and suggestions are welcome. Feedback would be amazing. Thank you and happy reading!

Summary: Sam and Dean meet a young hunter who is a little rough around the edges and they reluctantly take her under their wing. But she might be a little more connected to them that any of them realise.

Word Count: 2.1k

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Y/N waited patiently. For 3 whole minutes.

“You want me to trust you, right?” It was a rhetorical question but the brothers still nodded, looking suitably chastised.

Dean sighed, frustrated at his lack of control in the situation. He looked at Sam who just looked worriedly at Y/N, which reminded Dean that she had been crying and he should probably check if she was alright.

“Let’s go inside first, you’re not even wearing shoes,” Dean said lightly, trying to subtly get Y/N out of the cold. She eyed him suspiciously but agreed to go inside. Her feet were cold but Dean didn’t have to know that. The door closed behind them as they made their way inside.

“You doing okay?” Dean not-so-subtly tried to change the subject, but Y/N was just not having it. She merely looked at the hunter and raised her eyebrows, waiting for a response to her previous inquiry.

He looked frustratedly at his brother and sharply exhaled, feeling the exhaustion catch up to him.

“Our friend thinks you might be in danger,” Dean started slowly. “He isn’t convinced that you being here on the same hunt as us is a coincidence. Which, you know, I can’t really blame him. Coincidences aren’t too common in our line of work. Even more so if we’re to believe the whole paternity… aspect of the situation – yes, I know nothing is confirmed yet,” he interrupted before she could protest. She glared at the wall angrily.

“Look, we have to work under the assumption that it is true for the moment, at least until we know more. It’s better to play it safe instead of having a false sense of security. Now, you being related to us makes you a target, so we need to keep you safe. So, you need to decide now – you wanna come with us or are we putting extra security measures at Jody’s?”

“Who’s this friend of yours? And how do you even plan on ‘knowing more’? Last I checked, you were still legally dead!” she burst out. “And just to remind you, I’m not some helpless child. I’ve survived on my own for years, I don’t need your protection.” She knew she was being spiteful, but she pushed down the pang of guilt that was creeping in.

Sam waited for Dean to explode. He knew his brother very well and Dean didn’t do the ‘talking reasonably’ thing for too long. He was actually proud of Dean for keeping his composure for so long. He knew that if it was him who was in danger, Dean would have knocked him out and dragged him to the bunker if necessary. He could just imagine how well that approach would work with Y/N. So, Sam waited to see how his brother would react, prepared to jump in and salvage the situation if needed. But again, Dean surprised him.

He walked up to where she was sitting on Sam’s bed and knelt in front of her, forcing her to look at him instead of the wall. “I know you’re good at taking care of yourself, alright? You wanna cut out the bullshit and get real with me for a second? You’re strong and resourceful, yes – but kid, this is a different ball game we play here. Hunters who have had years and years of experience don’t survive long in our world. I just want to keep you safe, that’s all. Just… work with me here Y/N.”

“We promise we will figure everything out. Just come with us, please,” Sam chimed in, puppy dog eyes in full effect.

Y/N’s nails dug into her palms as she tried to process everything. She felt Dean’s hands take her own, rubbing over the crescent shaped indents she created.

“As for your other questions – Our friend is Cas, or Castiel. He’s an angel, and I believe he can help with the whole getting answers thing. He can explain how later, if you agree to come back home with us. What do you say, kiddo? We taking a road trip home to Kansas or am I ringing up Jody about setting up a guest room? It’s your choice, but I for one need to know if I should be summoning Sandra’s ghost and yelling at her for not telling me about my daughter.”

Dean’s voice was gruff with emotion and Sam almost felt like he was intruding a private moment, but then Y/N looked at him – with Dean’s eyes, he realized – and he felt the familiar protective instinct flare up, only a thousand times worse. He’d always been the little brother, the one who needed to be protected, and while he felt protective over his big brother, he also knew Dean could take care of himself. So, this new dynamic was something of an adjustment, and he wondered if Dean had felt like this his entire life. He couldn’t imagine how he hid it so well.

“Fine,” the soft voice broke the tense silence in the room. Y/N refused to make eye contact, even with Dean kneeling in front of her. His knees had started to hurt but he didn’t care. He was close to a breakthrough and he could feel it. The words registered with the brothers and Dean’s hands tightened over Y/N’s as they waited for her to continue.

“I’ll go with you… but only for now. I don’t promise anything. I can’t. And, if it isn’t working, I’m out. Those are my conditions,” she somehow got the words out, hands shaking even in Dean’s grip.

Dean wasn’t happy with it, but as he looked at Sam, he knew this was the best he was gonna get for now. He opened his mouth to agree with her, even if it was just to get her to the damn bunker and to safety, when she continued.

“And can we press pause on the family talk? I need to talk to your friend first before I make a decision on that subject,” her voice was barely there, but she ignored Dean’s clenched jaw in favour of getting the words out. She needed his reassurance that he wouldn’t pressure her to take whatever angelic DNA test he had in mind. Maybe she would feel better after talking to the angel, which – she couldn’t believe she was gonna meet an actual angel – but until then, she didn’t want to hear about it. She needed to process the information first.

“Please,” she said before Dean could interrupt. Even Sam looked bummed at her request but her at least understood where she was coming from. He had, after all, seen her epic break down earlier. She forced herself to ignore the hurt look in Dean’s eyes and tried to remind herself that – no, she didn’t care about these guys more than any other tentative friends, but it was hard. The hurt vanished and hid behind the classic Dean mask, as he tried to smile back at her, and she felt even worse if that was possible.

“Well, we have a long drive ahead of us so let me know if you change your mind,” he cleared his throat as he stood up and walked to the fridge in search of another beer.

“We’ll head out in the morning after breakfast. That reminds me, you hungry Y/N? None of us technically had dinner. I can run out and grab us something,” Sam tried to diffuse the tension in the room.

Y/N was hungry. They had split up during the day and she had been running low on cash the past couple of days, making her skip lunch that afternoon. So, the last thing she had eaten was the breakfast the Winchesters had provided for her. She usually had a better control of her hunger – life on the streets wasn’t the best for a young girl – but the boys had been feeding her regularly during their time together, barring that afternoon, so her body had grown accustomed to the food. Which was why, as soon as she was reminded of it, her stomach grumbled loudly, making Sam smile as her face grew red with embarrassment. She didn’t want to take advantage of their generosity, so she just told Sam to get whatever he wanted to eat. She would be grateful for any food they provided for her.

“Get extra food today, Sammy. I worked up an appetite earlier.” Dean had found it odd that Y/N never asked for anything but now it made sense. He knew that the kid wouldn’t let them know if she wanted more food, he recognized that particular trait from his own childhood – which made him want to throttle Sandra. The Sandy he knew was cold and calculating, but she also had a good heart. He couldn’t figure out why she would raise a kid in the hunting life, and if she was alive, he would have been tempted to knock some sense into her. It didn’t seem like she was the most affectionate mother either, if Y/N’s reactions were anything to go by. He didn’t miss the flinch when he grabbed her hands earlier, and the thought of her hurt made him see red.

Sam merely nodded at his brother’s request, seeing through the thin excuse. He looked at Y/N and decided to forgo his normal healthy food in favour of some greasy goodness instead. The kid deserved a treat. Grabbing the keys for the Impala, he walked out and the door shut behind him, leaving Y/N and Dean awkwardly standing around in the room.

“How did you know her?” Y/N’s voice seemed to echo in the room. Dean instantly knew who she was talking about.

“I met her when I was seventeen. She saved my ass actually. I was on a hunt with my Dad and it was just us that day. It was ghouls, I think. Dad was knocked out and I was outnumbered but then she came in and kicked their asses. She was a brilliant hunter you know,” Dean smiled softly at the memory.

“Anyway, we got to talking and realized that we had a lot in common. So, we kept in touch. We would get together when we were in the same town but both of us knew we didn’t want anything serious. Honestly, I never pictured her having kids. She didn’t seem to want any at that time but I guess people change.”

“No, they don’t,” she replied as a tear slid down her cheek. She had cried more that day than she had in the past four years and it frustrated her to no end. Normally, she knew how to numb herself, but something about the Winchesters made her want to tell them everything and she hated it, hated feeling so weak. If this was what living with them was going to be like, she wanted out already.

Dean’s heart dropped at Y/N’s words. He hated that she grew up feeling so alone and he promised himself that he would give that kid a home, regardless of whether she was his.

They sat in silence after that, but surprisingly it wasn’t uncomfortable. Y/N was almost dozing off again when Sam returned with the food. The heavenly smell of burgers jerked her wide awake and Dean tried to hide his grin at her reaction.

She waited until Sam and Dean had taken their fill before moving to take a small portion of fries with her burger, making the boys look at each other worriedly. Clearly, things were worse than they had imagined. They had a long road ahead of them.

After dinner, it was decided that they would move out first thing in the morning and Dean proposed getting some shut eye. Neither of them wanted to let Y/N out of their sight but one raised eyebrow from her had them surrendering and she went back to her own room to sleep. If the brothers got up periodically to check on her throughout the night, she didn’t have to know that.

The next morning, she nervously picked at her duffle bag as the brothers handled the check out. This was it, her last chance at backing out. She could make a run for it and they wouldn’t know until it was too late, but her feet remained planted to the ground. Sam walked out first, Dean following closely. No backing out now. Dean opened the trunk and threw their stuff in, and they all shuffled into the car – Dean in the driver’s seat, Sam beside him and Y/N sat stiffly in the back seat.

Sam turned around to look at her, silently asking if she was alright. She nodded slightly but continued to fidget in her seat. Dean caught her eye in the rear-view mirror and held her gaze for a minute before he started the car. Over the loud rumble of the engine he said, “Let’s go home, kiddo.”

Chapter 7

TAGS: @vicmc624 @carisi-sonny @zizzlekwum @geekqueen5 @mondefantastique @lemondropirwin @hamildork @mrswhozeewhatsis

If anyone else would like to be tagged, please send me an ask (: Thanks for reading!

#supernatural #supernatural fanfiction #spn fanfic #dean winchester #Sam Winchester #dean winchester x reader #sam winchester x reader #dean x reader #sam x reader #castiel #castiel x reader #platonic relationships #Cee tries to write

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winryofresembool · 3 years

Text

Things We Lost in the Fire, ch 27

aka Caleo uni au

Fic summary: Calypso starts studying at a new university, but to her annoyance her new flatmate is a loud mouthed mechanic who also likes to sneak his dog in whenever. But as she learns to know him better, she realizes they might have more in common than what she first thought. Eventually, even the darkest secrets come out…

Chapter summary: The exam season is underway (yet somehow I don’t mention the exams all too many times...)

A/N: Yay, I'm back with this fic!! I think I can promise a bit more regular updates at least in the near future, but I will be starting to work longer hours possibly starting from next week so I will have a bit less free time then. I am still determined to keep up with my 500ish words per day goal so it should cause too much delay!

That's that, I hope you guys are as happy to return to this universe as I am! As usual, please let me know what you think :) This fic is about to take my longest fic position from Love Can Melt the Ice, so knowing that there are people who care about it really means a lot to me!

Words: 2393

Genre: romance & hurt/comfort

Warnings: none

previous chapter / AO3

Leo would have been lying if he had claimed that everything went back to completely normal after the talk with Calypso. Sure, they both really tried harder to act as neutral and friendly as possible around each other; whenever they were at home at the same time, they chatted casually about how things were going at work and at the university, their latest TV show or music discoveries, or some silly thing one of their friends had said or done recently. Sometimes they even watched something together or cleaned the common area together. However, the earlier confessions were never mentioned. On the surface things were ‘just fine’, but the unspoken words and lingering looks spoke for itself. Leo knew things were still heating up under the surface and sooner or later they would have to make some difficult decisions. But until then, he wasn’t going to risk anything by disrespecting the guidelines that they had set during their ‘big talk’, even if it was hard to resist sometimes.

One evening Leo found Calypso studying for her upcoming exams on the common area couch. She was wearing a pink, tunic length sweater that matched her lip color, and black leggings that hugged her legs tightly (not that he’d ever tell her that he had noticed such things). She had also pulled her now medium length hair into a messy ponytail so it wouldn’t bother her while she was reading, showing her nicely shaped facial features better. Despite noticing all that, Leo’s thoughts soon went to the facts that he had recently learned about his flatmate. Now he knew more about the hardships she had gone through; a dead sister, an abusive, controlling father, being alone all those years and the nightmares she had mentioned while drunk. Yet, somehow there she was, having escaped her father’s grip and looking perfectly content doing something as boring and normal as studying for exams. The girl was way stronger than he had earlier given her credit for, and Leo admired her capability to stay so calm; he wasn’t so sure the ghosts of his own past would leave him alone that easily.

“Hi,” he finally said before Calypso noticed that he’d been standing there just watching her far too long despite the rules they had set. “What are you reading?”

Calypso showed him the book. If she was surprised to see him, she hid it well. “A collage of Frenchmen’s experiences at the front lines during World War II. I know. A very cheerful way to finish the day.” She grimaced.

“Huh? I thought you were mostly focusing on older history? I didn’t know you study that stuff too,” Leo noted, shifting from one foot to another.

“Well, they do require us to have a good enough understanding of the newer events as well,” Calypso replied, now looking at him directly. For some reason that one look managed to make chills go down Leo’s spine. “It is true, though, that I am more interested in ancient history. There’s so much we still don’t know about those times and I want to be able to discover more.”

“I see,” Leo said. “I think I understand what you mean. I am constantly hoping to discover new ways to create things that will be useful for all of us. Flying dragons that use energy drinks as their energy source? How epic would that be?” Excitement surged through him when he simply thought about it.

“Isn’t that a bit out there?” Calypso asked, but Leo didn’t miss the amused glint in her eyes. “And what if everyone had flying dragons and that would cause horrible air accidents? I don’t know about you but to me they don’t sound very safe.”

“Sunshine, what’s life without some danger?” Leo questioned.

“Hmm, let me think: safe?” Calypso retorted.

“Ouch. Well, I don’t think I have time to invent flying dragons any time soon, so you don’t have to worry about that,” Leo reassured her, but now that the idea had been planted into his head, he decided to return to it some day in the future. Hopefully when he would be able to handle fire.

“That’s a relief,” Calypso replied. “Speaking of your inventions… have you decided what you’re going to do about your studies? The last time I asked you said you haven’t been in contact with your professor yet.”

That was a question Leo had been dreading for. He preferred to not talk about that topic unless he had to, but the truth was that he was still quite unsure about being able to continue. However, he hadn’t made any final decisions yet.

“I’ll… I’ll keep working to overcome my fear,” he responded vaguely. “I think I’ve made some small progress during our sessions. If I can keep that going, I may be able to retake the test next year. Small steps, you know.” In reality, so far he had managed to stay close to a small, burning candle for a short period of time without freaking out, but he still didn’t want to try the matches whenever Calypso suggested it. There was still a long way to go before he’d be able to use all the machines he needed during lab classes and at work.

“Okay,” Calypso said, but to Leo she sounded a bit unconvinced. Her voice got more reassuring, though, when she added: “You know that you can ask for my help any time you need it.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Leo nodded. “And same right back at you. I mean, you can ask me. If you need anything.” For some annoying reason he managed to only get stuttering out of his mouth at that moment. “Even if you simply want me to make you a miniature dragon in the middle of the night. It’s fine. I’d totally make it.”

“And why would I want you to make me a miniature dragon in the middle of the night?” Calypso looked at him questioningly. Before Leo managed to answer, her face softened into a smile and she added: “I really appreciate the thought, though. It feels so different… in a good way… to have people in my life who genuinely support me. I haven’t had that, well, since I got separated from my mom.”

She sat a bit straighter on the couch, her gaze going back and front between Leo and her book, and Leo wondered if she was debating if she should reach for him and touch his shoulder or something. Maybe even hug. One side of him wished she would just go for it. But that would have violated their newly made rules and neither wanted to make things even more complicated than they already were. They simply kept staring at each other for a while, as if trying to read each other’s thoughts, but finally Calypso sighed and turned her focus back on her book, closing it.

“I didn’t realize it’s already this late…” She said, adjusting her hair a bit with the hand that wasn’t holding the book. “I still need to finish an assignment for tomorrow.”

She stood up and started walking towards her room, but when she got past Leo, her arm briefly touched his. Leo’s arm was still tingling after Calypso closed the door behind her.

…

A few days later, Leo was still thinking of that incident when he almost fell over a big rock that was standing on his road. He and Jason were currently having a well deserved evening off after finishing their last exams of the semester earlier that day (Leo felt like he had at least succeeded with the calculations but his essay writing was a bit sloppy) and in honor of that they had decided to go for a long jog and after that have a big, unhealthy meal in one of their favorite pizza places. While they were on their way there, Jason had been explaining something about his holiday plans when Leo had zoned out, and Jason had to grab his arm so he didn’t fall.

“Hey, man, you OK?” Jason asked, frowning. “What just happened there?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m OK.” Leo brushed some dust off the sleeves of his coat. “I was just… thinking. And didn’t notice the rock on the road.”

“Hmmm, what got you that thoughtful?” Jason inquired. “I bet you didn’t even hear what I just said.”

“You know I have a pretty nasty case of ADHD, sometimes I just zone out randomly,” Leo said defensively, not wanting to admit aloud that recently he had been even more distracted than usual because of a certain flatmate of his. “And no, I didn’t hear you.”

“Alright,” Jason shrugged. “I was telling you that Piper’s dad has invited us to visit him over the break. I’m not sure yet if we are going, though. Piper didn’t seem very enthusiastic about it. Sure, she wants to see him, but she suspects he’s still working most of the time so it would be the same to just call instead of traveling all the way to LA.”

“Mmmh,” Leo mumbled, trying hard to stay in the present moment. “I’m going to be at Waystation during the break so if you guys decide to stay, we can still hang out.”

“Okay, I’ll let you know what we decide to do. That wasn’t all, though…” Jason continued, his face becoming concerned. “I think Piper has seemed quite distant lately, and not just when we’ve been talking about that trip. Sometimes I worry that she’s gotten bored of me, or something.”

“No way, man!” Leo exclaimed. “I’ve seen you guys together often enough to know that she loves you. Maybe she’s just going through a rough phase or something.”

Jason didn’t seem quite convinced. “I guess so. It’s just that usually she tells me directly what’s bothering her. This… keeping things inside her isn’t like her.”

“Maybe you just need to give her some time,” Leo suggested. “It’s like me with Cal; I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut more often and in exchange she has slowly started opening up to me more recently.”

“She has? That’s great!” Jason cheered up. “How is it going with you two anyway? I heard some things about the Halloween party aftermath…”

“Nothing happened after the party!” Leo yelped, raising his hands. “Whatever Piper has told you, all lies.”

“Really? So you two wouldn’t have kissed if Piper hadn’t interrupted you guys?” Jason raised his eyebrow.

If Leo’s cheeks hadn’t already been red from the jogging, he certainly would have blushed. “Um… well… the point is that we didn’t. Besides, we’ve set some rules that we’re supposed to follow because we don’t wanna make our co living too complicated.”

“So there is something going on between you two and you are acknowledging it,” Jason teased. “You wouldn’t need to set any rules otherwise.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Leo muttered. “If you must know, we did admit that we like each other after the party.”

“But that’s great!” Jason exclaimed.

“It feels pretty crazy,” Leo replied. “Sometimes I wonder why she likes me, but maybe the Bad Boy Supreme’s magic is stronger than I thought.”

Jason snorted at his comment. “I don’t know Calypso as well as you do but I doubt it’s the so-called Bad Boy Supreme side that she cares about. You pretend to be all cool and try to seem like you don’t care about what’s happening around you but I think you do that only because you care too much. Maybe Calypso has noticed that as well.”

“Dude, you’ve been hanging out with Piper too much.” Leo shook his head. “That’s something she would say. ” “Well, she’s not wrong. Anyway, what happened after the big confession?”Jason asked curiously.

“We’re not together if that’s what you’re asking, ” Leo denied immediately. “I just mentioned the rules, remember? We wouldn’t need them if we had decided to go down that road.” “Ouch… but why? Why didn’t you just decide to do it?” Jason wanted to know.

“For some stupid, noble reasons,” Leo grunted. “I’m not gonna go into the details because it’s up to her to talk about it, but long story short, she thinks it’s safer that way. I think she’s afraid of hurting one of us.”

“And do you think she’s right?” Jason inquired.

“I… No! I’ve told her I can handle it. But I’m not gonna push it - believe me, Jo and Emmie have given me long lectures about respecting women’s boundaries. If Cal and I wanna keep living together, I have to let it be.”

“Yeah, I can see your point.” Jason nodded.

“Besides…” Leo added after a moment, his face falling as he thought about his past. “Bad things tend to follow me. Who is to say that I wouldn’t be the one getting her into trouble?”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because when have I ever been successful with anything I’ve done?” Leo asked in return.

Jason seemed to finally understand what event Leo was really referring to. “You’re still beating yourself for things that happened years ago?”

“Why do you think I’m not capable of going to some of the lab classes? Because I simply think that skipping is fun and I don’t care whether I pass it or not?” There had been a time when Leo hadn’t cared about his school success, but back in those days he hadn’t cared about much else either. Now that he had dreams and things to live for, he hated the idea that anyone would think he’d throw it all away just because he could. His new family deserved better than that for what they had done for him.

“No, no, I was not thinking that! You just never talk about it so I assumed… whatever.” Jason didn’t want to make Leo even angrier so he decided it was better to change the topic. “Maybe we should talk about something else. I still hope that you and Cal will work it out eventually.”

“Yeah. I hope so too. Same for you and Piper.” The friends had gotten close to their destination, so Leo exclaimed quickly: “Hey, I’m smelling the pizza now! Whoever is last at the door pays!”

“That’s a bad deal because you know I’m faster than you. I train every day!” Jason pointed out but soon sprinted after him.

#caleo #leo valdez #calypso #heroes of olympus #percy jackson and the olympians #trials of apollo #my fics #caleo uni au

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yurimother · 4 years

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LGBTQ Light Novel Review - Otherside Picnic Vol. 2

I put off reviewing the second light novel in Iori Miyazawa’s horror science-fiction series, Otherside Picnic, on the sneaking suspicion that an anime adaptation would be announced. After seeing the short animated PV which released alongside Volume 4 in Japan and some suggestive Tweets by Shonen Gangan (the magazine where the manga adaptation is serialized), I was almost certain it was inevitable. Lo and behold, my suspicions were correct, and now we have an upcoming TV adaptation to look forward to directed by none other than Satou Takuya, perhaps the most qualified director for this series with his experience in sci-fi (Steins;Gate) AND Yuri (Kase-san and Morning Glories). But the real reason I am so excited for the anime is that if it is at least half as weird, exciting, and enjoyable as the light novels, it will be very, very good.

Otherside Picnic Volume 2 is split into four chapters, or “files,” each of which presents a new adventure for surly and callous protagonist Sorawo and her friend Toriko. As I mentioned in my review of Volume 1, these files make for excellent and exciting self-contained adventures, with each one featuring a new creature from internet lore. However, Miyazawa’s well-constructed world and gradually paced story are incredible. The characters and the readers learn more about the world in a steady and gradual progression that builds on previous experiences. It is a welcome feature of this series, especially when compared with so many other light novels which too often treat time, character growth (both ability and personality-wise), and the world like a taught rubber band launched forward with inaccurate speed only to miss its target and strike the reader in the face. This progression features in a variety of ways, from the small, an artifact, or encounter from a previous story being referenced, to the practical, like Toriko and Sorawo adding a new assault rifle and vehicle to their arsenal, to the plot defining, like the soldiers from Volume 1.

The four files in this second volume vary dramatically in tone and, unfortunately, quality. The first, “The Operation to Rescue the U.S. Forces at Kisaragi Station,” and the fourth, “Little Bird in a Box,” are the best of the volume. The former of these two sees Sorawo and Toriko join the military forces they found stranded in the other world in Volume 1. Together, they wage an epic battle against the mysterious and dangerous forces of the parallel world to get the soldiers out alive. Not only was this scene incredibly intense and well written, but it also helped readers learn more about Sorawo, and helped layer her as more than just a cold and curt girl as she first presented. These developments are also furthered in the volume’s final chapter, which expands Otherside Picnic’s world greatly, as DS, the mysterious organization which funds research on the other world, is revealed.

The light novel’s middle chapters are by no means terrible, but they are not as exciting or interesting as the ones mentioned above. One of them sees Sorawo and Toriko go on a bender across Japan and the other side, which sounds hilarious, but the effect is quickly lost as it drags on a bit longer than needed. It feels more like a missed opportunity to deepen the relationship between the two. However, the third chapter, “Attack of the Ninja Cats,” succeeds significantly on this front. While the name and monsters for this chapter are ridiculous, and honestly create too much of a contrasting tone from the rest of the book, it does introduce a new side-character, whose presence subtly reveals the dependency and even lust Sorawo has for Toriko. The story accomplished this feat without feeling like an unhealthy and annoying jealousy story either, which is a tremendous feat.

There were also a few inconsistencies that bugged me, primarily in Sorawo’s financial situation. She is simultaneously presented as a broke college student and someone with the cash to go on a bender at a resort and buy a tobacco farming vehicle, which is repurposed for expeditions into the other world. However, such details only stand out because the rest of the world is so consistent and detailed. Miyazawa has created such a beautiful and vibrant world filled with so much mystery. Yet, the story still always focuses on Sorawo and Toriko’s relationship and adventures.

Speaking of the girls and their relationship, Otherside Picnic still has minimal fan service or action between them. However, it is unmistakably Yuri. Sorawo has a deep longing and a strong bond with Toriko, which sometimes expresses itself physically, with Sorawo always noting the beauty of her companion or the two women holding hands while recovering from a nearly lethal encounter. However, the Yuri is primarily present in the realism of their relationship, their conversations, sensibilities, and groundedness, which stands in contrast to the fantastic, and occasionally horrific events, of the science fiction narrative. In sci-fi Yuri such stories are sometimes described as “hard Yuri,” thanks to that convoluted and philosophical bastard Gengen Kusano (Last and First Idol). The core of the idea is making the relationship between the fictional characters a reality, or at least basing it in realism. Whether that “realism” includes lesbian identity is yet to be seen, but Miyazawa does have a good track record in that department with Side-by-Side Dreamers. In short, this is a long-winded way of warning you not to run around shouting “queerbaiting!” just yet.

Otherside Picnic Volume 2 is a fantastic read, thanks in no small part to Sean McCann’s translation. The adventures are fun, thrilling, occasionally terrifying, but most of all, consistently engaging. This series will undoubtedly make a fantastic and bizarre anime, so I cannot wait for the adaptation. I recommend that you do not delay either, and you go pick up this brilliant work of sci-fi Yuri literature today.

Ratings: Story – 7 Characters – 8 LGBTQ – 3 Sexual Content – 0 Final – 7

Review copy provided by J-Novel Club

Purchase Otherside Picnic Vol 2 digitally here: https://amzn.to/2IymlBB

#yuri #lgbt #lgbtq #anime #otherside picnic #manga #light novel #sff #sci-fi #wlw #gay #girls love #copypasta #creepypasta #gl #reviews #news #lesbian #queer

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hellzyeahwebwielingessays · 4 years

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The Clone Saga is misunderstood

Whilst there is a lot to be said on the subject, I’m uninterested in discussing behind the scenes drama with the ‘Clone Saga’. Nor is my intent to convince you of the saga’s worth by pointing to far worse Spider-Man stories.*

Rather, I want to highlight the fact that the ‘Clone Saga’ is in fact…not a story.

By this I don’t mean to damn the saga. What I mean is that to call it a storyline would imply there was a clear cut, beginning, middle and end to it when in reality there wasn’t.

Let’s compare the saga to one of the stories it was created to compete against, the Batman’s ‘Knightsaga’ storyline.

Whilst this saga has been divided into several portions, broadly speaking it divides pretty neatly into three acts. ‘Knightfall’ where Batman is defeated, ‘Knightquest’ where a pretender assumes his mantle and ‘Knightsend’ where he reclaims his mantle.

Nice ad simple right?

Well now try and compare this to ‘Clone Saga’.

We might be able to identify the arc where it begins (‘Power and Responsibility’) and ends (‘Revelations’), but where does the middle begin exactly?

Is it when Peter Parker is revealed as a clone?

Is it at the end of ‘Maximum Clonage’ when Peter accepts this fact?

Is it when he finally hangs up the webs in ‘The Greatest Responsibility’ arc, enshrining Ben Reilly as the new main character?

Is it when Ben Reilly retires his Scarlet Spider identity in the ‘Cyber War’ arc?

Or is it when Ben Reilly becomes Spider-Man in Sensational Spider-Man #0?

Making matters even more confusing is that the original intent behind the ‘Clone Saga’ changed multiple times as it played out.

It was originally supposed to definitively end with ASM #400. Then it was set to end with ‘Maximum Clonage’. Then ‘The Greatest Responsibility’.

In each instance the intended end point was pushed back, although the latter arc is when the ‘Clone Saga Epic’ trades stop, consequently transitioning into the ‘Ben Reilly Epic’ trades. However, in my experience whenever anybody refers to the ‘Clone Saga’ they mean Web of Spider-Man #117-Peter Parker: Spider-Man #75.

With that in mind the writers at the time might’ve believed the saga concluded with ‘The Greatest Responsibility’, but their immediate plans to make Ben Reilly the new Spider-Man were yet further delayed for the so called Scarlet Spider months. Finally, they were able to enshrine Ben as the new Spider-Man forevermore…only for another change in plans.

What had been the first few arcs of the new and permanent chapter for Spider-Man retroactively became a mere extension of the ‘Clone Saga’, with a new long range plan to reinstate Peter as the one true Spider-Man. And yet the intended resolution for this (the ‘Blood Brothers’ story arc) was also delayed, making the climax merely a kind of ‘mid-season finale’ for Ben Reilly’s tenure as Spider-Man.

To say this is not structured, as a story would be an understatement.

Consider also that there were three editors and six writers on the main monthly titles between the start of the saga and it’s conclusion. There were four monthly titles primarily chronicling the story. I say ‘primarily’ because there were one shots, mini-series, guest appearances, annuals and quarterly titles too. Many of these were significant to the on-going narrative and not necessarily written by any of the writers for the main books.

So the ‘Clone Saga’ was a mess right? Well…yeah.

But because of the specific content within the stories more so than anything I’ve discussed. Rather, when we look at how things played out it reveals the ‘Clone Saga’ to not be a story so much as an era.

The time period when Tom DeFalco was in charge of Amazing Spider-Man, Peter David of Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man and when Web of Spider-Man had no regular creative team would be an example of an older era.

An example of a later era would be when J. Michael Straczynski was handling ASM, Peter David Friend Neighborhood Spider-Man and Roberto Aguirre Sacasa Sensational Spider-Man.

What all eras have in common is that they are very rarely consistent.

This is critical in the misunderstanding of the ‘Clone Saga’ because it’s simply far too big and unwieldy to be judged as though it was start to finish intended to be consistent.

Like every era before and since it had it’s highs and it’s lows.

It’s just that its lows were among the worst in Spider-History.

But its highs were among the best in Spider-History.

Spectacular Spider-Man #226 and Scarlet Spider Unlimited #1 should be in the conversation for some of the worst single issues of Spider-Man ever. But ASM #400 and Peter Parker: Spider-Man #75 are unquestionably among the best single issues ever.

There have rarely been more broken multi-part arcs than ‘Maximum Clonage’, ‘Virtual Mortality’ and ‘Cyber War’. But it’s also rarely seen arcs as well constructed as ‘Web of Death’, ‘The Lost Years’, and ‘Redemption’.

As horrendous as it was to reveal Peter to be a clone, it was equally beautiful that we got to see Peter deal with impending fatherhood.

Judas Traveller is probably the single most obnoxious character to be introduced in the storyline. However, Kaine has proven himself one of the most substantive figures in Spider-Man lore.

Miles Warren’s return reinvented him as an unrecognizable drag. The return of Peter’s clone however reinvented him as ultimately a fan favourite.

What’s ultimately misunderstood about the ‘Clone Saga’ is that it is not truly wall-to-wall garbage.

In reality it’s got a lot of gold amidst the garbage.

It is the ultimate mixed bag of Spider-Man.

*But you know…’One More Day’ and ‘One Moment In Time’ do exist. Just saying.

#Clone Saga #The Clone Saga #Batman #Knightfall #Knightsaga #One More Day #One Moment in Time #Kaine #Kaine Parker #The Scarlet Spider #Scarlet Spider #Spider-Man #Peter Parker #Ben Reilly #Peter David #Tom DeFalco #Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa #j. michael straczynski

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perspective-series · 4 years

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Kingdom Perspective (14)

By: @arc852 and @hiddendreamer67

Warnings: Fear, panic, kidnapping, keeping/treating people like pets, threats, and unwanted touching/grabbing

First Chapter || Previous Chapter || Next Chapter

—————————————————————————————————-

Virgil looked at the toothpick, realizing he had been caught in a lie. “Oh, I would, but we’ve really got to finish our game…”

Roman thought for a moment and his eyes glanced towards the board. “Will you show me if I win?” Roman asked.

“If you win?” Virgil considered those odds. Virgil was pretty good at chess, and it seemed Roman had only ever won in a fluke. “Yeah, I’ll take those odds. What happens if I win though?”

“You don’t have to show me your claimed ‘skills’?” Roman suggested, trying his best to keep the grin off his face.

“I was hoping for more of a prize, but I do like being lazy.” Virgil rubbed at his chin. “Shake on it?” Virgil stuck out his hand.

Roman carefully gripped Virgil’s hand between his thumb and forefinger and gently shook it. “The deal has been made.” Roman said.

He then reached over and moved his queen. “Checkmate.”

Virgil’s face fell, slowly realizing the trap he had so foolish fallen into as he was busy underestimating his opponent.

“Uh...so about that.” Virgil looked sheepish. “I may have slightly exaggerated my skills.”

Roman hummed, the smirk still on his face. “Yes, I figured. But a deal is a deal.” He held out the toothpick out more insistently. “I want to see how well you can fake your way through this.”

“Oh geez.” Well, here goes nothing. Virgil hesitantly grabbed the toothpick.

Roman grinned and then sat back, arms crossed. “Alright, show me what you got.” Roman had a feeling this was going to be very entertaining.

“Ah, of course, my fencing skills.” Virgil adjusted his grip on the wooden rod. ‘En Guarde!” Virgil thrust it forwards like he had seen on tv, then tried to re-enact some of the fight scenes from various fantasy scenarios. Though the moves in his head were epic, bringing them to life more resembled… well, him wildly waving a stick around like a child who just discovered Harry Potter.

Roman couldn’t help but laugh as he watched Virgil practically waving the stick around. “Okay, no, just...no.” Roman said in between laughs. “You’re even holding it wrong and your position is quite frankly atrocious.”

“Hey, gimme a break.” Virgil shrugged, stopping his little charade. “I am using a toothpick here.”

“True but you could still hold it better. Even the way you stand can make a huge difference. Here, let me…” Roman reached towards Virgil as he spoke but trailed off and froze as he realized what he was doing. He bit his lip. “Um...may I?”

Virgil tensed. “May you what?” He asked, not sure how far Roman had intended to go.

“Just, move you into position? It’s less confusing to move you myself than if I tried to explain it…” Roman said, hand still hovering. “I’ll be gentle, I promise.”

Virgil was about to protest, but then he remembered that in lots of athletic things the trainers would help guide your limbs into position. This was only different because of a very noticeable size gap, but for once Roman’s grabbing made sense. It was likely how Roman learned to do it, too.

“Uh, yeah, I guess.” Virgil agreed, trying not to feel weird about it. After all, in this instance touching actually meant that Roman was treating him like a regular person.

Roman gave the human a soft smile and then brought his hand the rest of the way over to Virgil, gently starting to nudge his limbs into the correct position. “See, your feet need to be like this and more apart, putting a bit more weight on the right then the left.” Roman nudged his feet just so.

“And you need to hold the sword up higher.” He pushed on Virgil’s arms to move.

Virgil corrected his footing, moving whenever he felt Roman’s fingers pushing him into place. True to his word, Roman’s touch was almost uncharacteristically gentle.

“Like this?” Virgil asked, shifting his hold on the toothpick as his arms were straight out in front of him, propped up by Roman’s fingers still.

Roman grinned. “Perfect!” Roman took his hand away. “Now, jab the sword forward quick and then bring it back to the same position.”

“Hya!” Virgil lunged forwards, then did his best to reset as Roman instructed.

“Nice! See, I told you a proper stance can make a hell of a difference.” Roman said with a grin. “Now try a forward slash, but step forward as you do this one and then back to position.”

“Ah, yes, the forward slash.” Virgil looked a bit lost. “Just to make sure you’ve got this down pat, I think you should educate the group.”

Roman blinked at that but grinned. “Why of course.” Roman stood up and grabbed his sword from the corner. He back a bit away and got into position. “You do it, like so.” He grunted the last word out as he delivered a heavy forward slash before getting back into position.

Virgil blinked, watching the giant blade move through the air. He didn’t feel in danger, what with the fact it was Roman and he was standing several feet away, but it was still a sight to behold.

Virgil focused back on himself, copying the movements. Though he got the positioning correct, it was a lot less impressive when done with a toothpick.

“You are learning fast.” Roman said with a proud grin. “Want to go over a few more moves?” Roman was excited to teach.

“Sure, Princey.” Virgil smirked. It certainly couldn’t hurt to know a few sword moves, even if he would probably never get into a sword fight in his life. Besides, this was actually pretty fun.

Roman continued to show Virgil a few more moves, each one Virgil getting after a try or two. Roman had to admit, Virgil was a natural. Or maybe that was just his teachings. Either way, Virgil was doing great.

But after an hour, Roman could see Virgil was getting pretty tired, not used to the strenuous workout. “I think that’s a good place to end, what do you think?”

“Oh, yeah.” Virgil panted, not realizing how exhausting this would be; he certainly needed to work out more. “I can take a break if you’re feeling tired.”

Roman smiled. “I think a break would be good for the both of us.” Roman placed his sword back in the corner and took a seat. “You did better than I thought, though. I’m really impressed.”

“Thanks.” Virgil gave him an actual smile, sitting down as well. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

Roman chuckled. “Why thank you. I’d say I’m a natural but it could also be the ten years of lessons as well. Hard to tell at this point.”

“I have to say I’m...actually impressed.” Virgil admitted. “I know you were probably forced to do it, but still, that’s a lot of dedication. I’ve never really been dedicated to anything.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Roman said with a teasing smile. “After all, you seem pretty dedicated to that look of yours.”

“Ah yes, my emo personality.” Virgil snorted. “Well, at least all my years on MySpace and Tumblr are finally paying off.”

Roman blinked. “I have no idea what those are.” They did sound like they fit Virgil’s style though, somehow.

“Just some internet sites where dark souls like myself perfect our edgy personas.” Virgil smirked.

“...Internet?” Roman was so confused.

“Uh….” Virgil was at a loss for how to explain such a concept to a fantasy prince. “It’s kind of like...a really fast way to share information? Sort of like magic, maybe.”

“Oh. Okay.” He still didn’t really get it but he figured that was for the best. “Anyway, I was thinking. I may be able to get my hands on a sword your size. It may take a while but in the meantime we can practice with the toothpick. You already have a lot of the basics down so I’d say you’d get the rest of them within the next week. Then we could get started on a bit more complicated stuff. Oh! Maybe I can teach Patton too so you have someone to spar with!” Roman grinned, overcome with this new excitement.

Virgil felt his heart twinge slightly, feeling guilty to be the bearer of bad news. “Uh...Roman? That all sounds great, but I’m not going to be here next week, remember?” So long as everything went according to plan, of course.

Reality crashed down on Roman at Virgil’s words. “Ah, yes, right…” His excitement was gone in an instant, replaced by the ever familiar gnaw of loneliness and disappointment. “I mean...must you leave right away?” Roman asked quietly.

“...well, we really shouldn’t delay it.” Virgil reasoned, only a tad bit nervous at Roman’s wording. Now he mostly just felt pity for the guy. Roman didn’t exactly seem to have many friends, if Virgil himself even counted as one. “I’ve already been gone long enough, and Patton needs to get out of here as soon as possible.”

Roman looked down. “Right. No, yes, of course you are right. Can’t...can’t delay it…” Roman sighed. He had been hoping...but of course, why would Virgil want to stay with him after everything he had done? Maybe he even deserved to feel this way, for all the trouble he caused. All the times he had treated Virgil as a...pet.

“...hey.” Virgil looked at Roman intently. “I had fun just now with you, Roman. This isn’t personal, I just...I don’t belong here, you know? And even if I wanted to stay here, well, I couldn’t...could I? I mean we saw how today went when I tried to accompany you.”

“No, you’re right. You have your own world you need to go back to and it is dangerous for you here, it’s just…” Roman sighed, thinking something over.

“Virgil? ...Are we friends?” Roman had to ask. He knows they weren’t at first but maybe now? He was better now, after all. Virgil even said he had had fun hanging out with him! But...Roman was still nervous of what Virgil would say.

“I mean, I’m not really a labels person, but…” Virgil thought it over. It was strange to think about, but he did find himself actually caring about Roman now as a person. “Yeah, I’d say we are.”

Roman’s eyes widened. Having hoped for that answer but not expecting it. “R-Really? Even after everything I did…?”

“Do you want to not be friends?” Virgil said incredulously.

“No!” Roman exclaimed. “No, I very much want to be friends! I just...do I really deserve your friendship? I know I am changed now but I still...I treated you so horribly…” Roman felt like he could cry, honestly, but years of feeling like that helped him to push the feeling away and keep his eyes dry.

“Ugh, yeah I know.” Virgil shuddered, his memories flashing back to when he first came here. All the grabbing, the demands, the constant belittling…

“But it’s not like you were trying to be a massive jerkwad.” Virgil pointed out. “You’re just an idiot. Which made it super hard to get through your thick skull, but also made it easier to forgive you for all that. Because you’re not really a bad person at all.”

Roman gave Virgil a soft smile. “Thank you...that means a lot.” Roman sighed and looked away for a moment.

“I guess that means I have a whopping total of...one friend.” Roman chuckled humorlessly.

“I thought Remy was your friend.” Virgil reminded him. “And Logan has to be your friend, he’s your brother. He’s contractually obligated to tolerate you.”

“Logan may have to tolerate me but that does not make us friends. As for Remy...that’s a bit of a longer story...but he doesn’t consider us friends.” Roman said sadly.

“Well why not?” Virgil said incredulously. “I mean, he annoys me, but he’s perfect for you.”

“I thought so too. But he...well, during that chess game I told you about, he...told me he couldn’t be my friend. That I was not only too young but...but I was technically his boss and not only that but the prince and he said it would be...weird.” Roman didn’t meet Virgil’s eyes as he explained.

“...oh.” Virgil had thought everyone would be clambering over each other to be best friends with a prince; he never imagined that just holding the title would keep you alienated from others.

“Well what about all your soldier dudes?” Virgil offered. “Surely there’s somebody who sword fights you who you consider a friend.”

Roman just shook his head. “The most half of them want to do is prove they are better than the prince of the kingdom. The other half don’t do anything because I have the power to get them in trouble…” And maybe Roman would have done so, had done so, when he was younger, but not now...he was past that.

“Gotcha.” Virgil noticed the friend pool seemed pretty thin. “So, who can you befriend then?”

“I don’t know...I feel like I’ve tried everyone.” Maybe if he hadn’t been born a prince, he’d have more friends...but he would never know.

“I mean, come on, there has to be somebody!” Virgil insisted. “Other royals? Visiting dignitaries?”

Roman shook his head. “Just you.” Roman said quietly, looking down at his lap.

“...right.” Virgil muttered. “I see why you did the whole kidnap a human thing now. I mean, still incredibly, horribly wrong, but...at least I get it.”

“It came from a mix of jealousy towards Logan and my...my loneliness.” Roman said. “You’d think I would be used to it by now and I am but...it still hurts.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Virgil certainly wasn’t the mother hen type where he felt like it was his responsibility to fix all of Roman’s problems, but at the same time he couldn’t help but feel sorry for the guy.

“Back home I’m the same way.” Virgil fessed up. “Except I didn’t try so hard to make friends, I just drive people away naturally.”

“Really? I never would have thought.” Roman teased slightly, despite his down in the dumps mood.

“Heh, yeah.” Virgil’s smirk held less sass then normal, his eyes betraying a hint of sadness. “I...didn’t have much back home. I don’t know if anybody even knows I’m gone. Kind of a bummer when you think about it, and now I’m just gonna have to thrust myself back in...mediocrity.”

“Yes...sort of like what will happen to me once you are gone.” Back to a sad and lonely normal.

“Mhm.” Virgil mused. “...what if I stayed?”

Roman’s head snapped up, looking at Virgil. “Wh-What?” Had he heard Virgil right?

“Oh, ah, I mean…” Crap. Virgil hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but now he had to explain himself. “I was just...thinking. About the ‘what if’s.”

“R-Right.” Roman bit his lip, trying not to get his hopes. “And...what if you stayed?” Roman echoed Virgil’s question back at him.

“Well…” Virgil gazed off into space, thinking about it. “I mean, it’s dangerous here. Would definitely need to figure out some precautions or something. But when you think about it, every life has some danger, right? Not exactly a bad gig being all chummy with a prince. No more minimum wage, no more rent….”

“R-Right. I could provide everything for you. And, of course, I wouldn’t put you in harm’s way again. And I would be able to keep my only friend…” Roman listed off his own list of things.

“But I mean that’s crazy, right?” Virgil snapped his head back towards Roman, having not really been listening. “I can’t stay here, I- it doesn’t make sense...does it?”

Roman bit his lip. “Of course, I’m not going to force you to stay.” Roman started off with. “But...you could stay. It’s not so far out of the question.”

“I think I might be going insane.” Virgil pressed at his temples, trying desperately to come to his senses. After all, no sane person would want to stay.

Virgil froze, a sudden realization hitting him. “Am I becoming Patton?”

Roman’s eyes widened. “No, of course not! I mean…” Roman bit his lip. “It’s different, right? I’m actually treated you like a person. Not a pet, not anymore. Not like Logan.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Virgil remained unconvinced. “But it’s still letting somebody take care of you, liking them because they’re nicer than before...ugh this is such a mess.” Virgil groaned, putting his head on his knees. A few days ago he was so sure of what he wanted. Now he wasn’t even sure if he was brainwashed.

Roman sighed, and leaned down to be a bit more eye level with the human. “Virgil, I will not hide how much I want you to stay. I want you to stay more than anything but...I refuse to keep you here if that is not what you want or even if you think wanting to stay is unhealthy. Just say the word and both you and Pat will be home. Or say another and...you can stay.”

Virgil looked up to meet the Giant’s gaze. “Thanks Roman.” Virgil said earnestly. “I...I don’t know what I want, but for now I think it’s best we stick to the plan.” At least a sane Virgil had decided going home was the best action. Of course, sane Virgil had also hated Roman’s guts.

Roman nodded, trying not to show his disappointment. This was Virgil’s choice. “Alright. Then we’ll stick with the plan and after the coronation, you’ll go home.”

“Right.” Virgil nodded. It was the right thing to do. He would go home to Earth, where he belonged.

So why did that decision leave him feeling so empty inside?

“I...get why Patton’s struggling so much with this now.” Virgil gave a weak chuckle.

“I’m sorry Virgil. I wish...I wish things hadn’t ended up in such a mess.” Roman sighed.

“Yeah, no I know.” Virgil assured him. Of course, Roman was also incredibly biased, but he was all Virgil had and he was willing to support Virgil’s decision no matter what. That had to count for something.

...unless this was just some long-winded scheme to convince Virgil to stay all along…

Virgil looked up at Roman, smirking. No, it couldn’t be that. Roman wasn’t that smart.

“Anyway...I think it might be time for bed. What do you think?” Roman asked Virgil.

“Sounds good.” Virgil agreed. The many events of the day had tuckered him out.

“Are you okay with sleeping in my bed again?” Roman asked as he offered a hand, wanting to make sure.

Virgil nodded, climbing on. “It was fine before.”

“Just checking.” Roman said, carrying him over to the bed. He set him down and went to the closet to change before climbing into bed. “Goodnight, Virgil.” Roman said, blowing out the last candle.

“...goodnight, Roman.” Virgil replied. He wondered how many times he’d get to say that.

***

Logan knocked softly on his own bedroom door, indicating his arrival before slowly coming in. His face was weary from the toils of the day, but it lit up at the sight of Patton out on his desk. The cage had been pushed to the side, all but forgotten.

“Hello, Patton.” Logan greeted, sitting down. “My apologies for being so late.”

Patton grinned but behind his smile was sadness for the date they would be seperated was coming ever closer. “It’s okay. You’re here now!” Patton exclaimed. He went over to take a seat closer to Logan. “How are you, uh, holding up with everything?” Patton asked. Logan looked exhausted.

“I am...functioning.” Logan replied. Though the pressure of the throne was indeed quite the burden, the true source of all his worries and aching sat before him. The decision to let Patton go was a heavy one, which weighed upon him throughout the day.

Patton nodded. “Do you think it will be easier once you actually...are king?” Patton asked. Of course, he wouldn’t be around to see that. Which made Patton sadder.

Logan looked at Patton thoughtfully. “That part remains unclear.” He reached out a hand, wanting to touch Patton as if to affirm he was not yet gone.

Not yet, but soon.

At the sight of the hand, Patton scooted closer and gave a nod. Wanting the affirming touch as much as Logan did.

Logan let out a sigh of relief, his hand finding it’s familiar position draped around Patton’s form.

“...I’m going to miss you.” Logan admitted softly.

Patton leaned more into Logan’s hand, turning to bury his face in the closest finger. “Then please let me stay.” Patton asked softly.

“Don’t.” Logan shook his head. “Not tonight. I don’t want to spoil our last evenings together with petty arguing. You need to go and that is final.”

Patton sighed. “I know.” Patton knew but he still hated it. “I’m sorry.”

“All is forgiven.” Logan smiled, ruffling Patton’s hair slightly. “Now, perhaps we have time for a bit of light reading before we turn in for the night.”

“That sounds nice.” Patton said, sending Logan a small smile. He hated that they couldn’t spend more time together before he had to go but he would take any time he could get.

“Excellent.” Logan picked Patton up, heading to his bedroom door. He peeked out, checking that the coast was clear before heading towards the library. “What title should we read tonight?”

Patton thought for a moment. “Well, we never got to finish that one book. The one about the fairies? And that mystery?” Patton said, trying to recall the book. He hoped Logan knew what he was talking about, seeing as how he forgot what it was called.

“Ah, The Lost Button.” Logan nodded, remembering. It was a common fairytale, but Patton always seemed intrigued by the simplest of fiction regardless since he knew none of the old tales. “Perhaps we can finish it.”

“Yay!” Patton cheered. He had been hoping to finish it at some point. And well...this was his last chance.

Logan perused the shelves, pulling the familiar powdered blue novel from its resting place. He sat down in one of the dark red armchairs in the back corner of the library.

“What page were we on?” Logan murmured. He set Patton up on his shoulder, using his hands to flip through the pages.

Patton clung to the fabric below him as he stared down at the book. “I think we stopped at chapter 14 last time.” Patton remembered.

“Ah yes, now I remember.” Logan turned to the correct page, reading the story aloud and letting himself get lost in the narrative.

Patton closed his eyes and got lost in both the story and Logan’s voice. It was nice and quiet, despite being a bit hoarse from exhaustion. Slowly, Patton began to realize that he had long since stopped listening to the story and was focused solely on Logan’s voice.

He began to realize that this was one of the last times he would ever hear it. Especially in this kind of situation. Before Patton could fully realize it, he was crying softly into his hand.

Logan’s storytelling faded off, hearing the soft sobs coming from his shoulder. “...Patton?”

“I-I’m sorry, I just-I…” Patton continued to cry. “I...I’m gonna m-miss this.”

Logan stared down at the pages before him, his heart once again aching. “...I will too.” Before Patton, he had only ever read academic pieces. It hardly made sense to keep wasting his time if there was no one to share these moments with.

Patton wiped his tears away, looking down at the book. “I’m sorry for ruining it…” He had to go and ruin a good moment with his crying, hadn’t he.

“Patton, you’ve ruined nothing.” Logan insisted. “It would hardly be sincere of us to act as though everything were as it once was.”

“Right…�� Patton sighed. “Can we still...still finish it?” Patton asked, hoping it wasn’t too late. It didn’t look like they had too much left anyway.

“Of course.” Logan cleared his throat, trying to make the lump there go away as he started reading once more.

Again, Patton wasn’t listening much to the story but at least he wasn’t crying anymore. But all too soon, Logan’s voice stopped and Patton opened his eyes to see that Logan had closed the book. “It’s...over? Already?”

“Happily Ever After.” Logan repeated the last phrase with a nod. “That’s usually how such stories end.”

“Oh, right.” Patton was quick to apply his life on that phrase. Knowing it wasn’t going to be a happily ever after. “I guess it’s...bedtime?” Patton said with a sad sigh. It seemed his time with Logan was just going by faster and faster.

“If you’re tired.” Logan answered, not wanting to keep Patton up. “Of course, if you feel up to it, we could read another story.” Logan knew, logically, that would be a bad plan, but he also knew logically that his hours with Patton were quickly becoming limited. It seemed silly to waste so many precious moments sleeping.

“...Could we?” Patton asked softly.

“We could.” Logan smiled softly, standing with a certain grace to keep from jostling Patton as he moved back towards the shelves. His fingers ran gently along the spines, trying to find a slimmer novel. They certainly wouldn’t have enough time to finish another book like that before...well, it didn’t need to be said.

“What sort of story should we end on?” Logan asked, never realizing how important choosing a book could become. “A happy story? A peaceful one?”

“I...I think I need a happy one. One with an equally happy ending…” Patton answered. Why he was torturing himself with something he could not have, he didn’t know. But...he still enjoyed them.

“A happy ending.” Logan murmured. What a strange concept.

He pulled a thinner green book off the shelves, checking the cover to ensure he had made the correct choice before heading back to the armchair.

Patton smiled sadly as he looked down at the new book. He was happy for the extra time though.

“I think you will enjoy this one.” Logan explained, looking at the cover briefly before flipping to the first page. “It’s about a boy, Jack, who is a tiny creature that is quite human like as well.”

Patton blinked for a moment. “Wait, you mean Jack and the Beanstalk?”

“You know it?” Logan turned back to the cover, trying to remember if he had shown Patton this book. “Have we read this one before?”

“N-No but it’s a common fairytale in my world.” Patton explained, looking down at the cover. Sure enough, it was what Patton remembered the cover to look like.

“...oh.” Logan frowned at the piece of literature. That was certainly...odd. Logan had never heard of any mediums that were the same in both his and Patton’s world. What could that possibly mean? It was quite a strange coincidence. “Well, in that case, perhaps we should choose another story, rather than something you know.”

“No! I-I want to read this one. Please?” He wanted to see if it was exactly the same. Besides, in a way, he could kind of relate to the story. Kind of.

“Very well then.” Logan opened the book once more and began to read.

As Patton listened, it did seem like this one was similar to his worlds version. Until they got to the giant part. Instead of the man-eating giant like he was used to in the story, the giant was just another regular person. Which, he looked at Logan, if this version was made by giants, he supposed that made sense.

Logan continued the tale, following Jack as he stole the three golden treasures. Upon the third theft the giant chased after him, but Jack cut down the beanstalk to trap the giant in the clouds.

“Then Jack and his mother prospered with their newfound riches for the rest of their days.” Logan wrapped up the story. “There was rejoicing throughout the land, the beanstalk was gone, and they lived happily ever after.”

“It’s a little different in my world.” Patton admitted. “But mostly the same.”

“How does your version differ?” Logan asked.

“Uh, well…” Should he tell Logan? “In, um, our version the giant...eats humans…” He said the last part a bit quieter, looking away.

“What?” Logan looked appalled at this notion, turning to view Patton on his shoulder in horror. “That’s positively barbaric! Why would you write such a tale?”

“I didn't write it!” Patton exclaimed. “And uh...now that I think about it, a lot of stuff involving giants had them eating humans…” That was certainly...strange, now that Patton thought about it.

“That is truly horrible.” Logan gagged at the thought. He certainly could never imagine trying to use Patton for sustenance.

“Yeah...but uh...that was one of the reasons I was so scared when I first got here.” Patton chuckled a bit. “I actually thought one of you was going to eat me.” It wasn’t funny at the time but Patton found he could kind of laugh at it now. After all, he knew that to be very very false.

On the other hand, Logan was far from amused. “Patton, my sincerest apologies.” He murmured, a foul taste still present on his tongue from the matter at hand. “If I had only known I could have alleviated your worries much sooner.” The idea of Patton being afraid of him in such a way left Logan’s stomach in a knot.

“Oh, no it’s okay. By the time I was given to you, I knew giants weren’t gonna eat me.” Patton said. No, he just thought they were going to kill him. After all, they were going to feed him to the dogs before Logan took him.

“Regardless, the knowledge might have helped.” Logan thought back on those first few days with a wince. “I would have done anything to make you less afraid.”

“Honestly? I think anything you would have tried wouldn’t have worked…” Patton rubbed the back of his neck. It was why it had taken around a month for any progress to have been made.

“...Right.” Of course Patton was correct. It was one of the many reasons that Patton had to return to his own world.

“Patton, what would you have done in my position?” Logan asked, genuinely curious.

Patton blinked. Well, that was...an unexpected question. “I...I don’t know.” He admitted honestly. “As of right now, I would have let them go right away. But...before…” Patton wanted to think he would be good and listen but he could never be sure.

“Before?” Logan tilted his head. “Before what?”

“Before...all this happened to me...I’m not sure what I would have done if I found someone tiny. It’s...hard to tell after my own experiences.” Patton explained.

“Ah, because you would feel empathetic.” Logan nodded in understanding.

“Yeah…” Patton agreed. Patton thought for a moment. “How would you feel if you were in...my place?” Patton couldn’t help but ask.

“Ripped from my world and taken to another, larger in scale?” Logan clarified. “Would it be myself as I am today or before I met you?”

Patton hummed in thought. “...Both? Like uh...would you react differently?”

“Well, I suppose they would be much the same.” Logan admitted. “I would be quite...off put. Overwhelmed, frustrated, hesitant. From there it would depend on what sort of individual I ended up with; I suppose that must be the worst part of it, isn’t it? The fact that you have no say in your own placement within the world. You are at our mercy in terms of your experiences, aren’t you Patton?”

Patton just nodded. “That’s...exactly how I used to feel. Still do...sometimes.” Patton admitted.

Logan nodded sympathetically. “I think that would be my least favorite part of the ordeal. I enjoy being in control of my own fate.”

“So did I…” Patton spoke, eyebrows furrowing. “But as...as time went on...not being in control was kind of...nice?” Patton rubbed the back of his head.

Logan’s gaze showed his confusion. “How so?”

“Well…” Patton sighed. “I don’t know. It was just nice to not have to worry so much about messing up when everyone was telling me what to do.” Patton shrugged.

“Ah, I see.” Logan looked thoughtfully off into the distance. “I can certainly see the appeal of having a weight off your shoulders.”

Patton nodded. “...Why did you save me that day?” Patton asked out of the blue. But the question had been nagging at him for quite some time.

Logan blinked, surprised at the question. “Where did that come from?”

Patton looked away. “It’s been on my mind since it happened, I just...never asked it out loud. I just don’t really get it. No one else cared about me. They were going to feed me to the dogs after all...So why did you care enough to save me?”

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FLASHBACK MODE

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Logan sat with his back straight against the wood, trying to appear as regal as his father who sat in the great throne to Logan’s left. Logan sat in a similarly fashioned throne, although it was less ornate and shorter in stature: fit for a crown prince.

“Your excellency!” A shout from the hall caught both members of the royal family’s attention. The royal sorcerer came skidding into the throne room, looking uncharacteristically giddy. In his arms was what looked to be a container covered in a sheet of velvet fabric. “The portal scry was impeccable! I have seen wonderous lands beyond our own, filled with all sorts of peculiar specimens. And, as a symbol of my humble gratitude for continuing to fund such an essential and beneficial portion of my research-” This declaration was accompanied by a deep bow- “I have brought one such specimen before you today for your pleasure, to entertain as you see fit. Behold!” With this, Dee dramatically whirled the velvet cloth away, making it disappear with a snap of his fingers.

Patton’s eyes blinked at the return of light and then widened when he saw where he was. A giant throne room. Straight out of a fairy tale. The giant who had captured him was behind him, holding his cage high for two new giants to gawk at him. Patton scooted back a smidge but couldn’t really do anything about being surrounded on all sides.

His ribs still hurt from when he was grabbed up and there were still tear tracks stained on his face from earlier. And as he watched these new giants, the tears began to return.

The king perked up slightly as Dee revealed the being in the cage. “What...is that?” Now he was intrigued.

“This, your majesty, is a rarity most closely resembling the ancient mythical creature known simply as... the human.” Dee brought the cage closer, making sure to hold it high so that the King could clearly see the cowering form inside. “Born with our form but cursed to remain a miniscule size, these creatures are meant to look upon us as their masters. An entire race of servants that have been hiding in the realm beneath ours.”

Logan looked at the creature trembling behind the cage bars. It certainly didn’t appear to be an ideal servant. Surely the simplest of tasks would prove fatal for such a twig.

“Fascinating.” The king leaned forward more, staring intently at the tiny human creature. Patton whimpered, scooting back more even if that only put him closer to Dee.

“And you say there are more of these creatures?” The king asked.

“An entire realm of them.” Dee grinned maliciously. “Right now my scrying powers are all but depleted, but given enough of your fabulous resources, my liege, I can acquire a large collection of these for your amusement. And, should you be so generous, if I were to be granted a few specimens of my own, I could advance my- our- knowledge of these creatures to determine how to make them bend most effectively to my- your!- will.”

“It seems more fitting for this being to be used for recreation rather than utility.” Logan observed, raising a doubting eyebrow.

Dee’s grin fell slightly. “Well, it is indeed possible that our legends are a bit...exaggerated. But whether or not these miniscule pets are capable of assisting the throne, certainly they can be taught to bow down before the illustrious king and find pleasure in exalting your greatness as does every other conscious being within the four corners of this beloved kingdom.”

“Yes, quite.” The king smirked. Soaking in all the praise. “How long have you had this one for? Can it do such a thing yet?” The king wondered.

Patton shook. He didn’t like any of this talk. How they were treating him and other humans as...as pets or slaves. Patton could barely believe this was even happening.

“Hardly an hour, my lord.” The sorcerer explained. “It was a fairly simple matter of extracting the screaming creature from its homeworld-” Dee cringed in memory, his ears still ringing- “before I prepared it to be brought before you on humbled knee. Though I have yet to train this specimen, I am certain that between the two of us it will quickly learn to happily kneel before your radiance as well.”

“Yes, I do believe so.” The king grinned. He then stood from his throne. “Shall we do a bit of...training right now? I must say, I am quite curious to see just what this being can do.” He leaned in close, face practically against the bars and Patton yelped, cowering in fright.

No, no, no! Please get away, please! Tears started running down his cheeks again. He just wanted this all the be a dream, but the throbbing pain of his body begged to differ.

Logan froze, feeling an unfamiliar aching in his chest as he watched the being tremble in fear. Logan frowned at the sensation. Why did he feel this way? What was this? For a moment Logan almost felt as though he should stop these events from happening, but he shook his head. What a silly notion. Even if he had such urges, his father’s word was law. The King was welcome to do whatever he pleased with this new discovery.

“Yes, we can get started right away.” Dee’s own grin stretched from ear to ear. “Right this way~” The sorcerer gave a large swooping motion with his arm and guided the King out of the throne room, leaving Logan alone.

The crown prince drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. It was, after all, only a human.

Even if something occurred, it would certainly not mean the end of the world. With time Dee would be able to acquire another one to continue his and father’s training and research. If the human were to perish, only his father, Dee and Logan himself would even know the being existed in the first place. A single life given to the pursuit of magic and imperialization.

Despite all of this Logical thinking, Logan didn’t feel any better as the next few days passed. That was the strangest part of this: the feelings. Logan did not get feelings. In his mind, they were a disease that hindered a good leader’s mind. Strategic decisions were harder to make when one felt guilt or sympathy.

Sympathy. Was that what this was? Or Guilt? But why should Logan feel guilty? He certainly wasn’t the one torturing the poor creature in the name of discovery. And even if Logan did feel that these actions were unjust, it was not as though he could do anything to stop them; not until he became king, but that likely would not be for several years to come.

Logan picked idly at his dinner, more so pushing his salad around rather than consuming it. He could not get the tiny person’s face out of his head. Those distraught eyes haunted him in the night, forcing the prince to lay awake deep into the twilight hours. Yet when he passed father in the halls, the king looked as though he gained a full night’s rest. Why? Why was Logan the only one cursed to care about this creature’s life?

These thoughts continued to plague him, up until he next saw the human. It was dangling in a cage, attached to a stand that stood between his own throne and father’s. The human looked even more sad and pathetic than before, and as Logan peered at it he could see clear markings of injuries left during the sessions of ‘training’.

Patton kept his head down, trying his best to ignore the giants around him and the pain coursing through his body. Training had been...torture. He just wanted to be home, resting in his own bed, maybe watching some netflix. Or better yet, baking some yummy cookies. Tears slipped down Patton’s cheeks as he thought about home. Would he ever get to go back?

The king nodded to Logan as he came in before turning back to Dee. “This thing is taking too much time to train,” The king complained.

Logan slowly took his seat at his own throne, peering in at the cage. At this height, It was actually perfectly at eye level, and Logan had a perfect view of the human. He almost wished he didn’t; the thing looked miserable.

“Your highness, it’s only been a handful of days!” Dee smiled at the King, before sending a snarl in the direction of the cage. “Every creature can be broken eventually, no matter how stubborn.”

“Well, at this point I’d much rather throw him to the dogs. At least the thing can be useful as dog food.” The king commented.

Patton gasped at that, head snapping up in the king’s direction. He couldn’t be...but his face held no other expression than complete boredom. “N-No…” Patton whimpered quietly, shaking even more as he placed his head in his hands.

Logan and Dee both looked appalled by the suggestion as well.

“Your highness, let’s not be so hasty!” Dee gave a hesitant laugh, looking almost nervous. “Surely you know such a valuable specimen is too precious to be thrown to the dogs. Allow me to study it, I guarantee you you’ll be pleased with the results.”

Logan frowned at the occupant of the cage. Did it just...speak? Was Logan imagining things? Had it spoken to Dee or father before? Logan found himself desperately curious for answers, but those answers would never come if this human ended up as dog food or a lab rat.

“Father, may I have it?” Logan asked, turning his gaze to the king. He found his heart was pounding, fearing that his plan might yet fail and this creature would suffer more. It may just be a human life, but it was a life all the same.

“You?” Dee said incredulously. “And what do you plan to do with it?”

The king waved his hand towards Logan. “You know what? Go ahead, Logan. You may have it.” The king decided.

Patton’s eyes widened and he lifted his head up again to look at the giant. Logan. Wh-What? So he wasn’t getting thrown to the dogs? Was being with Logan better? Or...would the torture continue…

“But, your highness-!” Dee’s whining was cut off by an interruption from Logan.

“Father, as I recall, as king your word is law.” Logan pushed up his spectacles. “To question such a decision would be treason, would it not?”

“...of course it would.” Dee’s reply was muttered through gritted teeth.

The king gave a firm nod, looking at Dee. “...I also don’t want to see anymore of these things running around. They seem to be nothing more than a waste of time and space.” The king glared at the cage holding the human. Patton shivered and curled in on himself once again. The king huffed. “Your magic can be put to much better use.”

Dee’s jaw dropped. “Sire! Surely you do not mean this!”

“Questioning twice in one session?” Logan hummed.

“Yes, Dee, are you questioning my authority?” The king asked, narrowing his eyes.

Dee looked ready to spill royal blood on the throne room floor, bowing low and plastering on a smile that appeared to be more of a grimace. “Of course not, your majesty.”

“Good.” The king said and then turned his attention to his son. “Take the creature away and do what you want with him. But...keep me updated. On the major things.” They might not be worth it in the long run with how much time it takes to train them but he still found himself curious at the end result.

“Of course, Father.” Logan nodded in respect, standing up and unlatching the cage.

“If you need any assistance, I can offer my vast human expertise!” Dee called after him, sounding a bit desperate to have any interaction with the human as he watched his discovery leave the throne room.

“That won’t be necessary.” Logan called over his shoulder.

“Enough Dee. If Logan does not wish for your help, you will leave him and his human alone.” The king said. “Now leave, I have some work to attend to.” He shooed Dee away.

Patton moved to the farthest corner away from the giant prince. He couldn’t understand why Logan had saved him from death by dogs...did this giant care? Or was it just because he found him fascinating like Dee did.

...It was probably the latter…

Patton didn’t want to get hurt again.

Logan looked down at the cowering human, wincing at the way it looked. Logan stared straight ahead instead as he walked. Should he say something to it? Try to comfort the creature? The idea felt a bit silly, but all the same...it had spoken. Logan was sure of it.

“It’s alright.” Logan finally spoke, still focused ahead as he navigated into his bedroom. “You’re safe now. I promise.”

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

End of flashback

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

Patton frowned when Logan became quiet. “Logan?”

Logan looked at Patton as though just noticing the human was there. “My apologies, I was lost in my thoughts.”

Patton shifted a little on Logan’s shoulder and smiled. “It’s okay but uh...you never answered my question.”

“Right.” Logan nodded. “I suppose.... Well, I felt sympathetic to your plight.”

“Oh?” Patton titled his head. “Well...I’m glad you did. Your father and Dee sure didn’t…” Patton stared off sadly.

Logan lifted his hand, gently rubbing his finger along Patton’s side. He gave a tense sigh. “I know. I only wish I had thought to save you sooner.”

Patton turned to hug the finger. “It’s...okay.” Patton wished that too but there was no changing the past. “I’m okay now. That’s all that matters.”

Logan gave a slow nod. Patton’s safety now was all that mattered; and that’s why he couldn’t stay so attached to the little human.

“It’s late.” Logan observed, standing up. “We should head to bed.”

Patton deflated a bit but nodded. It was getting pretty late. “Okay.”

Carefully Logan returned the books to their proper spots on the shelves, leaving no trace of his presence. He shuffled back down the halls, already hiding a yawn behind his hand. With a grimace Logan noted the beginnings of the morning sun peeking over the horizon; perhaps he would not be gaining much sleep after all.

Patton noticed the sun as well and he winced. “Whoops.” He wanted to spend as much time as he could with Logan but he also knew Logan needed sleep. “Sorry.”

“It’s quite alright.” Logan assured him, settling into bed to try and gain the brief hour or two before he would be needed. “I was the one who suggested it.”

“I know but I know much you need sleep.” Patton said, settling down on Logan’s chest.

“A few sleepless nights won’t do me any long term harm.” Logan reasoned, closing his eyes and settling his hand over Patton.

Patton hummed, eyes already starting to close. He supposed it wouldn’t. “Goodnight, Lo.”

Logan smirked, amused at the notion of night when the sunlight was already streaming in. “Goodnight, Pat.”

#gt #Giant/tiny #thomas sanders #sanders sides #infinitesimal!sides #au #giants #human!virgil #human!patton #giant!roman #giant!logan #giant!deceit #platonic #Kingdom Perspective #part 14

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zachsgamejournal · 4 years

Text

PLAYING: Final Fantasy VII Remake

I love it. Done. Just Kidding. Final Fantasy VII is one my top 10 favorite games of all time. My first play through was over 99 hours, and I didn’t feel like I was “done”. I just beat the game to beat it. I’ve restarted the opening Midgar section a hundred times. I love it.

I don’t know why, but when the PS2 came out, I heard rumors of FFVII sequels...but then FFX got a sequel. I didn’t really care for that one...Why did it get a sequel? Then PSP had Crisis Core and Advent Children. While Crisis Core was an action packed revisit to FFVII’s world, it wasn’t exactly a remake. And while I enjoyed watching Advent Children a 100 times...it wasn’t exactly a film-adaptation, or even an EPIC-Quality sequel to the game. When the PS3 Demo teased a remake, I became desperate. I needed this REMAKE. When the PS4 Remake was announced, I couldn’t believe it was real!!!! But then it turns out, it was only going to be the first section and that there would be “changes”. While I’m ok with the game ditching the turn-based combat, I didn’t want a game so revamped that it was unrecognizable. And the fact this was only the first section, I was worried that a. they were filling the game with fluff, and/or b. they wouldn’t bother making the rest... Doesn’t matter now. It’s in my hands now, and I can’t wait to play! FFVII’s opening is possibly my most favorite opening of any video game. How the stars of space turn to life-stream embers, and Aerith steps out of an alley to reveal a bustling city. The Camera pulls back to reveal Midgar, our new home, a huge ominous tower surrounded by planet-killing reactors. Then as the camera pushes in, there’s quick cuts of a train--building the tension and pace of this slow, elegant reveal. And boom: the bombing mission begins! In contrast, the remake starts with a vast desert landscape in daytime. For a moment, I thought it was meant to mirror the desert Red XIII visits at the end of VII...maybe it is. But then we see Midgar, reimagined to new glory! It was strange, but not offensive. Until we cut from day to the familiar image of Aerith looking at Mako energy. She’s prompted to leave the alley by someone...or something. And we pull back to see Midgar, as in the original. And while I’m glad we’ve remade this perfect scene, it is sabotaged by the new day-time opening. The city has been introduced twice. Revealed twice. And one is clearly more impactful than the other (the original). Ah well. Now we’re in the familiar train station. I think they’ve added some sections to give more combat opportunities for the player. It works. The combat is fun enough. I’m glad that I can “strike” as much as I want without delay, unlike Crisis Core. Maybe it’s because I played CC for hours that I’m so satisfied with this action-combat? Limiting the item and magic use to a timer was a bit awkward. I would often forget to use them. I’m still quite confused about when to use special moves like Braver. Shinra soldiers are no sweat. The graphics are great and the lighting perfectly captures the original’s style. It was fun to play a modern game with 90s aesthetics. Because the camera is now over the shoulder and not overhead, like the classic, I almost missed how many times they took the original game’s environments and reworked them for the remake. I was impressed when I discovered it and absolutely thrilled. They’ve also done a good job reworking the enemies into the game. The dialog/story is a little hit or miss. But that’s just kind of where Japanese games live, for me. In the 90s and early 2000s, most games didn’t have good writing, even if they had good stories and ideas. So Japan’s non-western style didn’t stand out that much, and they were usually cutting-edge for cinematic games and storytelling. Now that Western Games have improved so much, it’s harder for me to tolerate Japan’s eccentric style. The original game was very succinct and clear: Barret was an angry, militant rebel who saw Shinra Corp as a threat to the world. He explains clearly how the reactors are sucking up the planet’s energy. The stakes were clear. Cloud’s cool indifference was an interesting foil. Usually you’re the hero, now you’re just a jerk. While the remake did a good job showing that Cloud was specifically brought to do the fighting, proving his worth to the team, when we get to Barret’s speech about the reactor--it’s somewhat unprompted and...unspecific? It’s so over the top, I hardly realized this was “the speech”. If you’ve never played FF7 before, I’d imagine the point would be lost on you. If you have played, then you get the joke that Barret isn’t exactly an environmentalist--despite his impassioned posturing. I think this is a misstep.

But they did give side characters more of a voice in this mission, especially Jessie. They basically sacrificed Barret’s presence to give the others more talking opportunity. This works because we’re gonna get to know Barret over many, many more hours. But it also gives Barret a more solemn presence that works for his character.

Getting to the iconic scorpion bot fight, I was impressed by the challenge. The original game is still trying to let you win at this point. The only way to lose is to attack when the tail is up, unleashing a devastating laser attack. But this game really pushed me. Maybe it was meant to challenge the player and force them to experiment with different attacks and strategies. I had to heal a lot!! Also, it seemed like my dodge was worthless. Occasionally the boss would launch a barrage of missiles and when I tried to roll-dodge, I always rolled right into a missile. By the end, I just didn’t bother dodging or blocking, cause they don’t seem to do anything...maybe I suck.

Then it was time to escape. This was fun, but they introduced a new “shock trooper” or something. These guys are fast, strong, and a pain in the ass. I couldn’t dodge, I couldn’t block, and I couldn’t land a hit. I hate these guys. It seemed odd to put such a challenging enemy into the game at THIS timed moment. But maybe they assumed I’d be better at combat by now?? The biggest issue with FFVII is that you start the game as terrorists and that’s never really addressed. Sure, you’re stopping an evil corporation, but you’re doing it at the expense of innocent lives. The remake makes a smart decision here and establishes the bomb as small and insignificant. But then President Shinra orders the reactor to be destroyed--causing a huge explosion that causes a great disruption to the civilians. I assume this is an effort to paint your team as terrorists and enemies of the people. I think it’s a good twist that corrects the original’s problematic points.

After escaping the reactor, the team is faced with the aftermath of the explosion. They’re confused by the amount of destruction, but also try to rationalize the importance of their goal. While I think they were mostly trying to stretch playtime, there’s an interesting sequence of having to face the fruits of your labor: burning buildings, crashed cars, injured people receiving emergency care, displaced citizens, and complete chaos. Even though I know, as the player, that Shinra is the true cause--it’s a good beat to have the player/characters facing the consequences of rebellion.

This leads into a new take on Aerith’s introduction. This is where Japanese “styles” don’t meld with me. Aerith is fighting off invisible spirits--and it looks ridiculous. Most people would give this flower girl a wide berth, and likely not purchase her products. But Cloud is just like, “Hey, what’s up?” after blowing up a reactor... Anyway, Cloud also sees these ghosts: hooded creatures. This is new--but I wonder if it’s related to Sephiroth clones/alternatives?

Aerith runs off, and we’re treated to a vision of Sephiroth. This seems to be addressing another issue with FFVII--what is this all about? In the original, Shinra is the main enemy within the early 2-5 hours, and Sephiroth is lightly referenced. It’s not till Shinra is found murdered that we really see Sephiroth as a potential threat--let alone the “final boss”. It’s a weakness in the storytelling, for sure. But having the vision of Sephiroth appear and bring Cloud back to the fateful day seems like a real attempt to focus the narrative.

And then I had to do a lot of fighting. It was fun, and didn’t quite feel like “stretching”, but it was funny to reflect that this 30+ minute sequence was about 5 minutes of gameplay within the original. So--I’m around chapter 2 of an 18 chapter game. These chapters cover about the 5 hours of the original’s plot, but I’ve already put in 1:43 hours.

Final Fantasy VII spends so much of the early game in Midgar, it really starts to feel like home--as much as it’s meant to represent the dangers of capitalism and fossil fuels--it really becomes a part of you, like the Mansion and Police Station in Resident Evil 1 and 2. I’ve always wanted to see more of it--so I’m hopeful that this game has taken the time to really build Midgar.

#Zach's Game Journal #ZGJ #PLAYING #Final Fantasy VII #Final Fantasy VII Remake #PS4 #PlayStation 4

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retroateez · 4 years

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Prophecy - Chapter Five

i still don’t properly understand how this website works but slowly,,, i am learning.

also if ur enjoying this au please like/reblog bc it rlly helps me out ty x

wc; 2649

A month had passed since Yeosang took you under his wing, and he (thankfully) hadn't decided to kill you.

Although the trip to harvest the sand mandrakes often made you think otherwise.

Despite that, Yeosang had been patient with you as you grew accustomed to his lifestyle. Oddly, he trusted in you immediately, sharing with you secrets he wouldn't dare tell other strangers.

"I'm a mage," he had told you suddenly over porridge one morning. He clenched his large palms into equally large fists and laid his forearm upon the table, facing upwards towards the canopy of jade leaves above your heads. "You see those blue lines? They're called veins, and our blood runs through these."

You nodded silently, unsure of what his point was.

"In mine, flows blood as well as chaos," he explained. "Almost anybody can do basic magic, provided you're taught by the right people."

Using his other hand, he ran a gentle finger down the stripe of his prominent veins, and the cerulean bumps bubbled and boiled into a startling shade of sunlight. You squinted in awe; you swore you could see a lightning storm rattling around inside of his arm.

"But only those born into chaos possess the abilities to truly wield it." Yeosang snapped his fingers, and the bolts of lightning in his veins returned to the cool, sea blue they were before.

He had grinned at you then, proud that his magic had impressed you. He didn't get to show off his magic often; most people would trade his life and talent for money in a heartbeat.

Except now, Yeosang wore a frown as you pleaded with him.

"Why can't you teach me any magic?" you beg. "You said yourself that anybody can be taught! By the looks of it you're well up to the task!"

You follow him like an excited puppy, bouncing along behind him and pawing at the back of his shirt to get his attention. Yeosang had his back turned to you, intent on finding the wolfsbane he had been asked to find before you arrived in his life and threw it slightly (majorly) off balance.

"I said no, Iris" he murmurs, keeping his eyes on the mossy ground.

You weren't sure where Yeosang had gotten the name 'Iris' from, or why he started calling you that in the first place. It certainly wasn't your name. Not that you had ever told him your name. He had never asked, so you assumed he didn't want to know. Either way, you didn't care, nor did you find it particularly important, so you let him call you whatever he pleased.

"Why?" you whine, grabbing the bottom of his cotton shirt and pulling it. "What harm can it do to just teach me a little magic?"

He sighs harshly, and turns to face you. Scowl evident, he shoves a handful of wolfsbane into a basket and grabs you firmly by the shoulders.

"I said no. Do not make me repeat myself. Do I make myself clear?" His eyes burn into yours and guilt washes over you; you hadn't meant to make him angry.

"But-"

"I said," he growls. "Do I make myself clear?"

You stare up meekly into his eyes, seeing the same flashes of firebolts from his veins, now crashing around his pupils. You nod, not uttering a word. Yeosang lets you go with a soft huff, and heads back up towards the house. If you'd have known he would get so angry with you, you wouldn't have pestered him so badly.

A few more days pass, and neither you or Yeosang bring up the incident in the woods. You, in fear of angering him again, and you assume Yeosang just didn't want to mention the subject at all. Maybe it was a sensitive topic for him? He acts like it never happened, resuming teaching you how to cook various stews and soups, testing you on the properties of sage and echinacea.

"Echinacea... helps burns?" you hazard a guess, Yeosang's face contorting to an expression of pain informing you that once again, you were wrong.

"Echinacea helps colds and flu." he corrects you with a sigh.

Frustrated, you hurl your notebook down onto the desk in Yeosang's study, crossing your arms and exhaling harshly, much like a horse. His study was as breathtaking as the rest of his house. It was smaller compared to the main, circular room and had no windows. With no natural light, Yeosang had strewn luminescent mushrooms across the ceiling and draped them all over the walls. They were long and thin, but the heads and stems shone bright in tones of seafoam green and azure blue. They made the room glow a strange, ocean mash of colour, often making Yeosang look as if the ocean floor had sprouted atop his head, dyeing his neutral blonde locks with a very startling sea themed concoction.

The room had an earthy smell, as did the entire house. You theorised Yeosang either had an addiction to growing plants in his house, or plainly a plant addiction. Still, the air throughout his home was always immaculately clean, so you couldn't complain about the slight dirt smell, or the soil that was always clinging to your arms and legs.

"I'm no good at this, Yeosang!" you cry. "I don't know why I bother!"

You glare angrily at the wooden planks of the floor, blinking back frustrated tears. You desperately wanted to prove to Yeosang that you were capable of learning something worthwhile. After all, your survival depended on it; why would he keep you around, feed you, house you, protect you, if you couldn't offer anything back to him? More than that, it actually gave you a purpose, something more than just stealing your way through the game of life. Here you were, handed an opportunity to learn and, provided you were any good at it, use the skills to help people in the future instead of stealing the products of other people's hard work and determination.

You're dragged from your thoughts by Yeosang crouching down at your figure sitting on his desk chair. He softly places his rough hands on your knees and offers a rare, but soft and caring smile.

"You'll get the hang of it ,Iris, don't fret. I failed my alchemy exam five times before I finally passed it." His eyes crinkle at the corners when he hears your quiet laugh at his comment.

"Only an idiot would fail five times," you quip. "What happened to three time's the charm?"

"Charm is a load of bullshit," he remarks. "Everything is decided by fate, you know that don't you?"

You nod in response. Everybody knows your destiny is your destiny. It can't be changed, altered or avoided. You wonder if magic has any effect on destiny. After all, before meeting Yeosang you had no idea magic was real in the first place, so really the possibilites could be endless.

"Does magic work on destiny?" You ask the golden haired mage.

Yeosang leans back on his heels, glancing up at the glowing fungi as he ponders his answer.

"Yes and no," he admits. "No magic can directly change, or redirect your fate. But magic can delay it, sometimes quite significantly"

"How so?"

Yeosang lets go of your knees and with a grunt, falls back so he's sitting on the floor in front of you.

"Are you familiar with Virgil's Aenied?"

He takes your silence as a 'no'.

"The Aeneid is an epic poem, centered around a single man named Aeneas, whose destiny is to discover the land that would become Rome. There's a lot that goes on inbetween," Yeosang explains. "but Juno, the goddess of love and marriage, despised Aeneas, and did everything in her power to make sure Aeneas would never be the catalyst of Rome's foundations."

"But Juno couldn't stop him from doing that, could she?" You connect the dots fairly quickly, and Yeosang nods.

"Correct. Even the gods have to abide by the laws of destiny. Jupiter himself unravels the scrolls of time and fate, and nobody can change them. But what Juno did succeed with, was delaying Aeneas as much as possible. Setting him back years and years from the destiny bestowed upon him from the very beginning, at the sack of Troy."

"Do the gods powers count as magic though? You're not a god" You think aloud. You think you catch a wave of offense wash over Yeosang's face, but it passes so quickly you can't be sure.

"In a way, I suppose you can view it as a divine type of magic, magic so powerful that people on our realm couldn't possibly wield it without certain death, or other circumstance..." The mage stands up, bones in his knees cracking as he moves.

"Anyway," he continues. "My point was that your destiny is exactly that. It's been written in the stars since the very dawn of time, and you physically cannot escape it. You may delay it, but the time will come where you will have to fulfill your role in destiny's prophecy. The first step to that though, my young student, is passing your alchemy exam!"

You and Yeosang spent the next couple of days pouring over his hand-written notebooks, reading and re-reading his scrawled handwriting and weirdly endearing drawings. Him presenting you with various herbs and smoking liquids, making you guess what they were used for and forcing you to eat and drink the gross ones when you got the answers wrong. You hated it, but his method of teaching was rather effective.

"We're going to have to make a trip into the city," he tells you one gorgeously warm afternoon. "I've run out of primrose and the only source I can get it is the kingdom."

Yeosang hadn't taken you to the kingdom of Ateez yet, nor had he visited there since your arrival, but the way he spoke about it terrified you to your core. He refused to go unless he needed to, no pleasant day trips or lesiurely strolls. For him, it was dangerous.

"The King has a special band of witch-hunters," Yeosang explained to you as he grabbed his brown satchel and coin purse. "Of course, they're just referred to as 'guards', he wouldn't want rival kingdoms knowing he was explicitly prejudiced towards anybody." he spat.

"Have you met the king?" you ask quietly, handing him a notebook with a list of items you needed to purchase.

Yeosang notably hesitated.

"Yes... he helped me a lot. He gave me this land, and in return I occasionally do him favours."

"I thought he didn't like mages?"

"Hatred for magic kinds is rooted in fear," he turns to you. "Whether or not you like a mage, it is always better to have one on your side, as opposed to having one against you."

"So if the king likes you, why are you so worried about going to the kingdom?"

Yeosang wedges a soil brown hat onto your head, pulling it down over your eyes.

"He doesn't like me," he corrects you. "He merely tolerates me because I posses something that may prove very useful to him one day. Anyway, enough questions, small one. We have plants to buy!"

---

You wished Yeosang had told you just how long the walk to Ateez was before you agreed to go with him. Technically you didn't have a choice, but still. You'd been wearing 'tailored' versions of Yeosang's clothes (tailored being he had ripped the excess material off), as your own were ruined beyond repair during the storm. They were too big for you even still, the sleeves of his white cotton shirt coming past your fingertips and copper breeches almost hanging off you if not for the makeshift belt, (wine red ribbon Yeosang used to bunch flowers together) tied around your waist. As grateful as you were, his clothes were weighing you down and making the journey painfully longer.

"We're almost there, Iris!" Yeosang calls back to you. He was wearing an outfit similar to yours, except his actually fit and suited him. He was extremely good looking, you'd admit. What with his piercing cobalt eyes and effortlessly wavy hair. You wondered why he had been alone before he met you, and for what reason.

You turn your attention to where Yeosang was pointing and felt your stomach drop immediately. It felt as if a pit had opened at the base of your torso and every one of your organs was being sucked into the abyss. Despite the uncomfortable feeling seeping throughout your body, you felt compelled towards the miles of kingdom below you. You could see almost the entire kingdom from your position on top of the hill. You realised too, that the western side was situated on the edge of a cliff, with your best friend, the ocean, waiting readily thousands of feet below. You felt uneasy thinking about the drop.

Between the bottom of the hill and the gates of Ateez, was a vast stretch of forest. Towering oaks bundled together like a poor family on a cold night, protecting one another with what little comfort they could provide. You didn't want to imagine what creatures lurked in the woods either, having a hunch that they wouldn't welcome strangers into their habitats with welcome arms.

"We don't have to walk down this hill, do we?" you gulped.

"No," Yeosang said. "We can just jump."

You stared at him.

"Of course we have to walk down it, Iris."

You both began the everlasting descent down the hill. Luckily, a dirt path had been stamped into the grass by plenty of other people making the same journey as you.

No matter how much you tried to push down the growing feeling in your stomach, it wouldn't go away.

You could hardly explain the feeling either. Like your intenstines were lined with the prettiest hydrangeas, and somebody was tugging at the flowers with the strength of a thousand horses, but regardless of how hard they pulled, the roots stayed firmly put.

You surveyed the kingdom, the endless rows of tiny houses and roads, the pathway up to the gates of the castle and the grand towers standing in the castle grounds. On the highest part of the city, towards the east, was the most important building of all; the castle itself. Overlooking the entire of Ateez which stretched out for miles.

"Once we reach the bottom of this hill," you ask. "Won't we have to walk all the way to the gates?"

Yeosang glances back over his shoulder at you, pushing his wavy blonde hair out of his face.

"No, they have horses and carriages that take people to the city, thank the gods."

After approximately 3 decades, you and Yeosang reach the bottom of the hill (more like a mountain, you think). Yeosang guides you over to a line of carriages, attached to the biggest, bulkiest horses you've ever seen. The ones you'd seen back at home were simple, baggage carrying horses. Nothing compared to these absolute monsters. Your companion hands the coachman of a carriage a handful of coins, and you both clamber into the back.

Throughout the journey, the hole in your stomach continues to expand, growing deeper and wider that you're surprised it hasn't totally consumed you. The closer you get to the kingdom gates, the more and more nauseous you feel, the beating of your heart and pounding in your head keeping perfect time with the canter of the Shire horse pulling you along.

The second cog, hand-crafted but not yet complete, waits patiently. He cannot continue welding it until the next steps are taken; until destiny is fulfilled. Until then, he sets the half-finished cog on his workshop table, then he too, sits patiently. Fate is a waiting game, and everyone is a pawn to fate.

Chapter Six

#ateez #ateez au #medieval!ateez #hongjoong #wooyoung #seonghwa #jongho #yungo #mingi #san #yeosang

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superthiccthighssavelives · 5 years

Text

Give Me A Try

Anonymous asked:

could you do a taron fic based off of the song “give me a try.” by the wombats?? everytime I hear that damn song taron pops into my mind

Thanks my lovely anon, I was thinking and thinking about this and what I could do, and more than just a one shot came to mind. I have no idea how long this will be or where it’s going...but I am here for it.

This is going to be switching POVs, btw. It will start off PG and casually slide into NSFW I’m sure later on...

I hope you enjoy the ride!

Chapter 1 - The London Underground

What a epically, incredibly, awful day I am having. Seriously.

If it wasn't bad enough that I've spilled coffee all over my new Michael Kors white blouse, I've also broken a heel on my shoe, and now, because of the incredulous heavy rain, I have missed my train.

I've only moved to London a short 2 months ago, and have been getting acquainted with the city and getting around. I've been taking the tube every day at the same time. I see the same people, I take the same route.

I was gifted, I truly mean gifted, with a terribly fabulous job at British GQ. Ok, maybe not that fabulous, but it's a start. I was assistant to the fashion editor.

Basically my job was to do anything, and everything. Coffee, scheduling, phone calls, picking up dry cleaning, you name it, I do it.

I have a friend in the fashion industry who helped me score the gig, and although my goal is not in fashion, or even entertainment, I do need experience in the journalism world.

So, here I am. Soaking wet, hobbling with a broken shoe, running in an attempt to get on the next train before the doors close on me, which is just about to happen.

And...there it goes. I take a deep breath and try to refrain from screaming at the top of my lungs in front of a bunch of random people down here. This day is just shot to hell.

I want my bed, and a glass of vodka.

It feels like forever for the next train. My feet hurt, I just want to sit down. How long has it been?

What seems like an hour later, I see the lights heading my way and I am ready to collapse. The doors ding open, and following suit today, I trip on air and free fall into an elderly gentleman, who gives me an angry scowl.

I try to apologize, but he turns away. Another deep breath. And another. I can do this. Just 15 minutes until my stop.

I look around for a spot to sit, it seems 7:00pm is the hottest time to ride the tube, every seat is filled.

I’m so close to just sitting on the damn floor, I’m beyond caring at this point. Of course, the only salvageable thing I’m wearing is my pants, and decide against it. I’m holding the heel of my broken shoe in my hand while gripping onto the overhead rail. The train darkens as we speed through a tunnel, except after a few seconds it’s still not lit back up.

I am jerked back violently as the train comes to a screeching stop.

Really? I mean, seriously? How on Earth can this many things just go wrong today. Why am I being punished?

A voice overhead tells us there is a delay (obviously), to hold tight and we should be going again shortly.

I want to cry, can this day just end? I’ve had enough. I don’t even have anyone to go home and bitch to. My best friend isn’t due here for another 3 months after she finishes her internship with a movie studio back in the US.

A dim light flicks on, but we’re still not moving. I just want to sit down. That’s it. I rest my head against my arm, that’s also tired, of holding it above my head. I feel my eyes water a bit, and pull myself back. ’It’s just a bad day, I can get through this.’ is repeating in my head, over and over.

I take a look around, no one else seems too bothered by the delay. People are still on their phones, listening to music and reading books. Their faces pretty much stoney. There are a few people walking through cars looking for seats, maybe that’s what I should be doing as well. I’m sure there is bound to be one on here somewhere.

I limp my way down the center aisle towards the door, trying to look ahead for an empty spot. As I’m stepping through the opening, the lights flick off again and I’m hit with a force. I think I’ve barreled into another person, shit. How many times is this going to happen today?

The train jerks and the lights flash back on, instead of being flung backwards, I reach out to the only thing I can grab onto to keep me upright. I glance up, a pair of light green eyes gaze back down at me. I get a bit disoriented for a moment, and notice my hands grasping onto this man’s jacket. His hands are firm on my lower back. I quickly gain my balance and take a step back.

“Sorry” It’s a shotty, inanimate apology, but I am just not in the mood for niceties. He smiles, and nods, his gaze still lingering.

“Excuse me” I hear from behind me.

Instead of moving towards the next car, I take a step to the side, almost in perfect time with the poor man I just crashed into, except in the opposite direction. A few more people pass through, and I seem to be frozen in place. I feel his eyes still watching me, and I’m looking anywhere else to avoid any eye contact. I have to get out of here.

Finally I get to pass through the door and claim an open seat. I rest my head against the back of the chair and close my eyes. Am I home yet?

10 long minutes later, I arrive at my stop and make my way up stairs that seem to go on forever. I cannot walk 5 blocks with my broken shoe, I’ve got to find a cab or something. I feel someone behind me, but I’m probably being paranoid, the train just let out and …”Hey...excuse me!”

“Hey, Miss!”

I turn to see if I’m the one being addressed, turns out, I wasn’t being paranoid at all.

It was the guy on the train, coming towards me, yelling at me to wait. I have no idea why he’s following me, but I am not about to find out. I jump in the nearest empty cab and take a deep breath. Maybe I should get a car...

Graphics courtesy of @stardustmess

#taron egerton imagine #taron x reader #taron egerton x reader #taron egerton #fanfic #reader insert #for anon #writing #give me a try

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ginnyzero · 4 years

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Writing Breathable Moments; What/Why

I’ve mentioned “breathable/ma/quiet” moments in the past and how the Dawn Warrior has very little of them and the Lone Prospect is chock full of them. But I don’t believe I’ve ever explained what that means.

So, what are “breathable/ma/quiet” moments? Is it anything like breathable cotton?

No. Not really.

Breathable moments in your manuscript are moments of rest for the reader. In the Japanese, this is called “ma.” Miyazaki explains these moments as being extra. They are the rests between action. It’s the backgrounds, the sighs, the little moments in time between beats in the story that convey time, space and who the character is.

Not everyone is a fan of these types of moments. They feel that the ‘breathing’ room in the story slows it down and delays the action. That these scenes have no purpose and need to be cut out entirely. This is a very Western and very modern contemporary type of thinking where everything is about speed and the bottom line and cutting things “to the bone.”

Books of all types have been reduced to pulp fiction penny dreadfuls rather than Dumas or Dickens who were paid by the word and so they really bloated their works to get more money. Then there is the High Fantasy Tolkien approach where the breathable space in the story is Tolkien either giving backstory like in the Ents or describing massive amounts of scenery. Or, there is the Brian Jacques approach where breathable moments are describing epic feasts and putting in funny songs.

Whether or not you find these moments of rest important really depends on your style of writing. How much do you care about character and relationship development? How much do you care about relaying the background and history of your world? How important is describing the setting of your story? Is there something going on in the culture of your people that’s important enough to show it rather than to summarize it?

Because breathable moments, the quiet moments are about showing the intimate details of your characters, your setting, and your world building. Depending on what your goal is for your story is going to necessitate whether or not you have these breathable moments in your work.

Tolkien was trying to write a history. He wasn’t telling an adventure tale. He was relaying/translating a historical document. It was important to him to tell the history of the world, of the Ents, and to expound upon the landscapes. Whereas, his contemporary, Lewis was writing an allegory for children about the Christian life. To him, the story was more important than the details and history of the world. So much so, that he only included tiny bits of history that were important in the Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe. It was only later in other books that we found out more about, say Jadis, and where she came from.

Are you a Tolkien or are you a Lewis?

Both types of storytelling are valid! It’s up to you as an author to decide how fast you want the action beats to proceed. Your story can be tight and fast and like an action movie in words. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Or your story can still be tight but punctuated with moments for viewers to relax. This could be more drama or art house or well, Spirited Away. Bang. Pause. Bang. Long Breathe. Bang. Bang. Pause. Bang. Bang. Bang. End. Or, the plot of your story can be conveyed with mostly breathable moments leading up to the final action. This is more maybe an adventure story or a thriller story type of set up. Maybe even horror.

Let me use different Urban Fantasy writers as examples. Kim Harrison and Patty Briggs have very little breathing room in their books. Patty Briggs writes books at about 110K words and Kim Harrison’s Hollow Series clocked in between 150K and 165K words. Kim Harrison usually put her biggest breathing moments at end of the book. Patty has a bad habit of even turning dates into major action sequences and cuts off any breathing before it really begins. Breathing room is more like a punch line. Most urban fantasy writers including Seanan Maguire, Faith Hunter, Jennifer Estep and Cassie Alexander all fall into the category (plus a few others I’ve read.) We are told these characters have friends and hobbies and lives outside of their job, but we’re never really given a chance to see them do more than ‘finger their shell collection.’ (I think that’s a Cat Adams example.) We “know” the characters, but at the same time, we don’t because we’re never given that breathing space where they aren’t about to be pushed off the edge of a volcano all the time. It’s all quips and punches but no long walks on the beach and banter with their friends.

Jim Butcher puts a moderate amount of breathing room in his books. Whether or not this is a good thing is debatable. Harry Dresden’s investigations don’t always involve a lot of explosions right off the bat. He is a private eye and this does involve some tedious things like “talking to people.” Harry isn’t completely without friends. He just tends to avoid them for months at a time until he’s got three days to save the world and then suddenly he needs them again. But at least we know that Harry walks his dog and spends time playing DnD with the Werewolves. Because we see it. Laurell K. Hamilton also has a moderate amount of breathing room in her books. Most of it is taken up with sex! Rachel Caine is also a good example. Occasionally, she drives her car real fast, manages to get a tan, and goes shopping.

The urban fantasy/dark fantasy writer with the most breathing room that I’ve read is Anne Bishop. Anne Bishop makes the characters and their relationships the heart of her story and the plot is moved forward more by what the characters do rather than outside forces acting whether the characters like it or not. For instance, in the Others series, the main character runs away and the villains are trying to reclaim her. She is learning how to live life as a normal person and hold down a job interacting with species that are in no way human. And these non-human creatures (who can look human) do everything they can to protect her and that is the story. So, there are long stretches of the book that is her learning her limits and how to do things like drive a golf cart. The characters and the culture is what makes the story enthralling. (And, yeah, you don’t want her to go back to the villains either. You’re rooting for her to remain free.)

You as a reader or writer have to decide what category you fit into. I’m more of a Jim Butcher/Anne Bishop preference type of reader/writer. I liked Kim Harrison well enough because there was enough words put into the book that I could sink my teeth into the world even if there wasn’t a lot of quiet moments. It was the fact the character never seemed to learn anything and became super special important that put me off The Hollows Series.

Now, back to my own books. In the Dawn Series, there isn’t a lot of breathable moments. I have Roxana and Marcellus go on a date. There is some teasing all around and at the end I have a wedding because there has to be a wedding. (Is it Roxana and Marcellus? I’m not telling you!) But honestly, the book goes from one action beat to the next with very little pause. It’s not a history. It’s an adventure story about a Princess trying to evade her curse. It doesn’t need a lot of history or explaining or paragraphs of ogling the scenery. None of that is important.

On the other hand, Tales of the Heaven’s Heathens MC, while not a history, I’m trying to write about a culture. It’s a mix of biker culture and in this case werewolf culture. I created a werewolf society that lives within the veil hiding from the greater human society. They don’t necessarily think like humans or act like humans completely. I want to show this instead of telling it. The characters also take jobs, security jobs, and they can either step aside and let things happen or they can take action doing something about it. The books are very character driven in this aspect.

For instance, in the upcoming book, I have a chapter or so where Savannah takes Gideon shopping. Now, I could just say that Gideon hates clothes shopping and be done with it. But Jasper is “special” and they don’t have department stores, so Savannah is being nice and taking him to where he needs to go to buy clothes. But that’s still not the point of the scene, the point of the scene is to compare and contrast Savannah and Gideon and their werewolf states of mind. I want to show the difference in how they’re handling being attracted to each other and resisting it. It’s part of the romance aspect of the book.

But for many people, many writers that type of scene would be redundant and be edited out because it has nothing to do with the main story of smugglers invading the Heathen’s territory. I agree. It doesn’t have much to do with that at all, except getting Gideon to look like a villain in leather pants.

Sometimes a girl just needs a boy to be in leather pants.

To me, the meat of the story in Heathen’s isn’t the explosions. It’s not the gun fights or car chases. It’s the people. It’s the families. It’s showing the relationships and how they work together for the good of the pack while still managing to have disagreements. (And it’s not as easy to write as you’d think because I’m going against years of ingrained prejudices about emotional labor. And I’m not a werewolf, I’m a human. I have to reorient my thoughts.)

It's also set in a future where the world has been reshaped by a war. The town they live in was built after the war to very specific codes. Eventually, we'll go to a huge city and I'll describe that too. That's breathable moments.

There are lots of readers (and publishers and agents) that really love books that are 100% action all of the time. They want books that are plot driven where the character is an afterthought rather than the instigator of the action. Which is fine. I get it. At the same time, there are those readers who like authors like Butcher and Bishop who put more ‘breathing’ space into their works. I think there is plenty of room for both.

#writing advice #writing tips #breathable moments #writing tumblr #writer tumblr #writrblr

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danwhobrowses · 4 years

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One Piece Chapter 970 Initial Thoughts

Spoilers for Chapter 970

‘Let not your eyelids blink, lest you miss a single moment...of what shall be known as the Hour of Legends!!!’ Sadly, it didn’t feel too legendary to me, it wasn’t a bad chapter in any shape or form, but I felt like it promised excellence and only gave us ‘good’ But breaking down what I saw; - That Oiran looks a lot like Komurasaki doesn’t she? I know she isn’t but she’s got a similar style - Strange that they showed the Flower Capital and Ringo isn’t it? - Kaido and Oden just hinting hard at the Kozuki traitor, I think we got a hint of who it might be later on, but it’ll be an odd choice since they don’t actually appear in this flashback - I don’t see why Oden went for Kaido though. I mean he is Orochi’s muscle sure but it’s as Kaido said, had Oden and Hyou banded together they would’ve been a force to be reckoned with even for Kaido, so surely if Oden went for Orochi he’d have had all of Wano to drive Kaido out. There is a worry though, Oden seems to have had a similar plan to Luffy and co, attack Kaido in his home while he’s drunk. History seems to be repeating itself since someone leaked the plan again. - Also damn Kaido must have good hearing because he’s sitting on a mountain conversing with Oden between his army - Kiku with the fucking deathstare! - Yasu was guarding Toki, while Momo gets bodied by Hiyori just as he remembers, which is strange because why did he stop? Where was he when Oden Castle burned? - Likewise, Toki’s small smile was...unnerving - If anything though this chapter was a ‘Shinobu’s not the traitor’ chapter, and I guess that will do something for other people but I never bought into her being the traitor. She knows the deal Oden made (and still we do not know what it is, they danced around it so much!) and she decided to stand by him - Unsurprisingly, King and Queen quickly get involved, silhouetted though which is strange, as Magneto once said ‘that’s why the pawns go first’ - We finally see the Kaido scarring and...yeah it was underwhelming for me, it was just a slash, no key to harming him, it looks like this is the first time Kaido was even hit in the battle, and it felt like Kaido was done as well, like he was one cut away from deadzone. - Which then leads to the most annoying part of this chapter, goddammit Oden! I get that there’s a paternal instinct but really? You knew of Higurashi’s power and you fell for THE SAME GODDAMN TRICK TWO CHAPTERS IN A ROW! It’s just, come on! You had to have expected foul play - This being said, Oden took that club like a champ, the offense in Kaido’s face as well (I’m actually surprised that Kaido doesn’t respect Oden as much, surely he’s the last man who was able to make him ‘feel something’ right?). But damn this is 2 chapters I’ve expected this hagwitch to die and still she won’t bastard die! We know she’s not alive why prolong it? Kill the Hag! It is a little worrisome though to know that she at some point came into contact with Momonosuke - Then we get to the potential traitor, Shuntenmaru is the only one we see get overwhelmed, and it’s interesting how. He get stabbed in the back and then the silhouette of King is seen with the bleeding blade, I feel like this is telling us that King backstabbed Doji in more ways than literally. Because King is the traitor...better known as Tenguyama Hitetsu. Why? King is said to be the last survivor of his species, but Hitetsu has the same wings, why is King completely covered in leather? Perhaps there are two sides to the swordsmith - And in the end everyone was captured, aside from Shinobu who was let go because...Oden says she wasn’t on their side? I guess as an Oniwabanshu member she could use that as pull but people would’ve seen her fight with Oden. Seems this is how the swords return to the Kozuki Clan’s possession (or Tenguyama kept the swords) - We always expected defeat, but not like this. Something about them just waiting for their sentence felt wrong. 5 years of holding it in and now this? Oden isn’t even chained! It felt like such a moment required a more epic battle, the Oden/Kaido encounter didn’t even scrape such encounters as Oden and Whitebeard, Oden and Roger or Whitebeard and Roger and it ends but not ends rather dully, no blaze of glory...yet at least. What were the poison arrows about? What boats? What was the deal? We were sold on the idea that this would be the last chapter of the Oden flashback journey but we’ve stretched it a little further, bearing in mind that this isn’t intermission this counts as Act 3 and we’ll have not seen Luffy for 5 Months after next chapter comes out And so the chapter ends, with the announcement of another break, 3 of the past 5 chapters have already had delays of some form so that is a bit irritating, but Oda has been busy with business, probably figuring out how to make Luffy stretch in live action without it looking like a horror movie...but This Time Oden’s Journey will end, the sadistic means of turning Oden into oden, I’m not gonna anticipate much this time, only that there is some way that Oden manages to get his fellow Samurai to avoid the death penalty and that leads them to run to Kozuki Castle as it burns, with the Minks’ friendship severing midway, I can hope that Higurashi and Semimaru will die, since it could explain why Orochi feels so paranoid about Toki’s prophecy, and maybe revealing the deal and the traitor. The Hour of Legends it was not, but time is not yet up

#one piece #one piece spoilers #op spoilers #Kaido #kozuki clan #kozuki oden #one piece wano #wano arc #wano spoilers #wano

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grither55 · 4 years

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The Princess and the Peasant - (An Azula Epic) - Chapter 5 - A Poem for the Princess

After Elle had finished eating Azula had dismissed her.

She had been sent back to her servants’ quarters where she spent the remainder of her time laying on her back working on her artbook.

The lovesick girl quirked her lips while humming thoughtfully as she continued to paint her princess’s divine face.

“Hm. It could be better…. couldn’t it?” The blonde-haired girl pondered while tilting her head adorably in deep thought.

Even when she was alone her primary thought was always Azula.

She spent so much time on it that she fell asleep with her book in full display upon her lap.

In the early morning Azula strode through the halls of the palace before coming to a stop before the girl’s servant quarters.

It was nearly a full hour before her servant was scheduled to get up.

But after waking up herself for some reason she felt like checking to see if the girl was already awake.

Could it be that she actually sought the company of a mere peasant?

For reasons that escaped her she opened the door quietly almost as if she was concerned with waking Elle up too early.

She chalked it up to being concerned about effecting the girl’s coming labors in the day ahead.

When the door opened Azula glanced inside the modest room only to sweatdrop when saw Elle sprawled out on her bed snoring.

The small blonde was laying upon her back with her legs stretched out and a blanket half covering her robed body while her master observed her in amusement.

‘I am not sure why I expected her to be up earlier than scheduled. Though…I will admit. She’s…cute.’ The princess thought as she began to close the door.

Only to pause when her golden eyes caught the glimpse of a large sketchbook lying face up on the girl’s belly.

With her curiosity piqued Azula began to silently stride into the room with her arms folded over her breasts.

And then very carefully as if still fearing waking her pet she lit a small flame in the palm of her hand.

With the room lightly illuminated by her blue fire she gazed down at the petite servant’s snoring quietly face.

What she saw in the opened pages of the artwork caused her eyes to widen in surprise.

Paint supplies were scattered about on the floor beside a small container.

And gazing up at her on full display was a painting of her by the lake!

The detail of the piece was simply astounding.

It was almost comparable to the paintings that lined the halls of the palace!

In the painting she was sitting with her legs folded beneath her while she gazed out over the waterside.

The title was in a puzzling foreign print with characters that she was unfamiliar with.

Azula-sama, lakeside.

It took a great deal to take her by surprise but this…

Her little servant had been painting her from the bushes!

And just like that the blue fire vanished while she stood over the slumbering teenager with her cruel eyes once more conveying a rare fondness.

‘She…really likes me.’ Azula thought with the hints of a blush upon her cheeks as she turned away from Elle while the girl began to roll over in her sleep.

Without further delay the powerful princess began to exit just as quietly as she came.

Her stoic eyes glanced back at the girl’s snoring face for a final time before silently closing the door behind her.

And with that Azula walked away with her palms folded behind her back.

Somewhere deep inside of her hardened heart.

She…was truly flattered by Elle’s innocent adulation.

She decided that she would keep the details of this little visit to herself.

And she also could not help but wonder…will her handmaid paint her again?

One hour later.

Azula was seated in her study as she listened to the sound of light footsteps approaching her chamber.

She turned expectantly to see Elle kneeling before her chair with her head bowed low at her feet.

“Ohayō gozaimasu Azula-sama!” Elle greeted happily while huddling onto the floor with her master staring down at her in approval.

“Is that a good morning?” Azula asked in an amused voice while setting her paperwork down.

“It is so princess. How may I please you this morning?” The blonde-haired girl answered while the woman turned to gaze down at her with her arms resting on the sides of her throne.

“Go fetch me a hot cup of coffee.” The princess commanded in a stern voice while peering down at the girl with imposing golden eyes.

“Yes master!” Elle exclaimed before rising from her bow while smiling warmly at Azula’s hardened face.

“You may get yourself a cup as well.” Azula informed curtly before turning away to focus on her paperwork.

The petite blonde’s face broke out into the widest smile that she could manage as she listened to the naïve girl cry out in gratitude.

“A-arigatou gozaimasu! Arigatou Azula-sama!” The blonde-haired girl cheered with an innocent grin adoring her lips while her master glanced at her over her shoulder.

“Keep your voice down! And keep this to yourself, and make certain that you close the door when you return.” The princess hissed with her eyes narrowing as she watched the younger girl bowed at the waist.

“Understood princess! Your secrets are safe with me. I won’t tell anyone. Not even under threat of torture.” Elle assured as she smiled warmly back at Azula who simply rolled her elegant eyes in response.

And with that the young girl left the study with purpose in her step as she departed for the palace kitchens.

“This peasant has me going soft.” Azula snarled under her breath before returning to her morning work.

But even so.

She recalled what she saw this morning…and despite her best efforts to be colder to the girl.

She was finding that she truly enjoyed their interactions as it stands.

If she raised a hand to the pure-hearted girl…then her little handmaid will no longer labor with such undying adoration in her eyes.

Perhaps…fear wasn’t the only reliable way.

It was not long before a cup was placed before Azula while she glanced at Elle through the corner of her eye when the girl seated herself beside her throne.

“Don’t you want to sit in a chair?” The princess questioned calmly while reaching for her cup.

“No. I would rather sit beside you Azula-sama. I don’t mind the floor. It’s closer to you.” The blonde-haired girl stated in a genuine voice while sipping her cup.

Azula made no comment to that as she observed the girl lean against the side of her throne.

It was a sight that she decided seemed almost fitting.

“You will receive more training today. This time though…ignore any order that contradicts my will.” Azula declared while regally drinking her hot beverage.

“Wakarimashita!” Elle chirped while beaming up at the looming throne when a hand lowered to pat her head.

She began to blush as she sunk back into the base of the large throne as her master petted her.

It was a truly strange thing but she didn’t mind it when the woman treated her like a precious pet.

“Good girl…” The princess found herself muttering as she ran her fingers through plush blonde tresses while reading the upcoming war plans.

“I-I am Princess Azula’s good girl.” The blonde-haired girl stuttered in a lovesick voice while closing her eyes in serenity.

For the first time in all her miserable life…she finally felt like she found a place where she belonged.

“I can see that.” Azula stated with smugness lacing her voice while clutching the girl’s head beneath her palm.

“Azula-sama?” Elle began in a hesitant voice while the older girl closed her eyes with her coffee mug in hand.

“What is it servant?” The princess pondered while making an honest effort to maintain their amicable relations.

“U-um…w-well I…” The blonde-haired girl stammered lamely while she listened to the taller woman snort snidely above her.

“I am a busy woman. I may be…fond of you. Because of that…I am granting you privileges that no other servant will ever taste. I have even been so generous as to allow you to sit beside me. In order to retain these privileges…you’ll have to learn to be silent when I am working. So, spit it out already.” Azula announced while glaring down at her pet with imposing golden eyes.

“S-sumimasen master. B-but I wanted to give you a gift.” Elle admitted as she fiddled with her thumbs while Azula peered down at her with marginally widened eyes.

“…A gift for me?” The princess asked while turning in her throne to glance down at the shy girl with returning fondness in her gaze.

“T-that’s so. I-I wrote you a poem.” The blonde-haired girl confided to the princess’s surprise while fishing in her pocket for a small paper.

Just as held up the wrinkled paper between her nervous fingers while she averted her eyes from her master’s taken aback golden gaze.

Azula found herself bending over to peer down at the offering with her hardened eyes now staring down at the parchment with a flicker of moved emotion in her gaze.

Once again, her servant’s writing was in a compelling foreign print.

‘Another world….’ Azula thought with her regal brows furrowed in contemplation while she recalled the girl’s earlier words.

Before she returned her surprised gaze to her handmaid’s bashful face.

“I am not familiar with this manner of calligraphy. Is this the language that your people write in?” The princess questioned in a cold voice with her strict eyes gazing down at her servant’s abashed countenance.

“T-that’s so Azula-sama.” Elle answered in a soft voice as she avoided gazing into the older woman’s hypnotic golden eyes.

One thing that she noticed ever since she arrived in the Fire Nation was that all text seemed to be written in something similar to Chinese.

And yet somehow, they still spoke the same language.

“I command you to show me how to decipher this language.” The princess ordered in a voice of absolute authority with her domineering eyes gazing down at her pet’s lovely face.

Just as the young girl peered up at her with a small smile on her lips.

“Y-yes master! As you command.” The blonde-haired girl piped in a lovably loyal voice while the princess sat above her with a pleased smirk on her lips.

“In the meantime. You will read it for me.” Azula spoke in a tone of charismatic dominance as she sat back against her throne with her callous eyes masking her curiosity.

“O-okay. Just p-please don’t laugh at me…. I know it’s not the best.” Elle mumbled in a self-conscious voice while her innocent amber eyes peered down at the paper in her hands.

She just couldn’t help herself.

She truly has fallen for this beautiful princess.

“I will do as I please. Such is my right as your master.” The princess stated in an unfathomably harsh voice with her cold eyes gazing down harshly at her serving girl’s nodding face.

Before the teenager swallowed the lump that was in her throat as she anxiously held the poem in her shaky fingers.

“I-it is called my P-Princess.” The blonde-haired girl announced in a lovesick voice with an adorable shade of pink on her youthful cheeks while the princess fell silent over her shoulder.

And then she chewed on her lower lip after she found the will to continue reading.

“M-my p-princess is the most b-beautiful. For there is none other so r-regal. M-my p-princess your fire burns b-blue. T-there is nothing I want more than to s-serve you. M-my princess beside you I wish to s-stay. T-throughout each and every day. I-I feel that this is where I belong. B-beside m-my p-princess so strong.” Elle stuttered in an insecure voice while Azula now sat over her in a speechless silence.

It was all Azula could do to gaze down with a sliver of moved emotion in her ruthless eyes over the little poem that her devoted servant had written for her.

And then she found herself plucking the poem out from between her handmaid’s quivering fingers.

Before she set the poem beside her war documents.

While she turned to gaze back down at her embarrassed serving girl with astonished golden eyes.

She was truly taken aback by the girl’s seeming undying adoration for her.

Not only did her pet paint her by the lakeside.

She has even written her a poem.

“Servant.” The princess spoke in an authoritative voice while she peered down at her self-conscious pet.

“M-master?” The blonde-haired girl answered as she still sat nervously twirling her thumbs.

While the princess found herself unable to fight the fond smirk that crept onto her lips as soon as the tiny girl called her master with such a lovable stutter.

And then she sipped her coffee once more while she casually planted her palm down upon her servant girl’s lovely blonde head.

“That was well written.” Azula commented with her lovely lips curving upward in approval while petting the girl with a possessive hand.

“I-I am overjoyed that you think so…w-would it be inappropriate if I wrote you more?” Elle requested as she sat against the throne with her face as red as a tomato.

“Typically, it is considered improper for a servant to make advances on her master. As it is beneath a princess to accept gifts from a commoner.” The princess remarked aloofly while feeling the small girl sink glumly beneath her hand.

“S-sumimasen Azula-sama…if I have offended you.” The blonde-haired girl murmured in understanding as she clutched at her cup.

She understood that the princess was far above her…

It was just so difficult to resist expressing just how much she adored Princess Azula.

She could only scold herself all the while mulling over that she is fortunate to even have a place beside such a wonderful woman.

“That being said…it is just as inappropriate for a peasant to give her princess a flower. You’ve been breaching laws of common conduct ever since I met you. If I had any issues with it…I can assure you I would have corrected your behavior by now.” Azula announced as she took another drink of her beverage while patting Elle’s stunned head once again.

“I…am glad. Then I will continue to write you more…my princess.” Elle answered in a meaningful voice while a warm smile spread across her lips as she savored the head pat.

The princess peered down at her new companion with hardened golden eyes while silently wondering why this peasant of hers was so loyal.

“Tell me peasant…what is it that you like so much about me?” The princess inquired in a curious voice as she shifted in her seat to glance down at the small girl.

“Uh…” The blonde-haired girl trailed off lamely while gulping with the woman seated above her with a smug smirk on her lovely lips.

“Other than my divine beauty of course.” Azula stated with evident hubris in her voice while waving a hand before her.

“You won’t…make fun of me, will you?” Elle requested shyly while Azula peered down at her with her usual imposing stare.

“Kindness isn’t a trait that I am known for…and yet I have been merciful with you. When I ask you a question…you will answer it. Is that understood servant?” The princess spoke with her spare hand resting on her thigh as she gazed down at the nervous girl.

“Yes, Master Azula.” The blonde-haired girl agreed with a rising smile on her lips while the woman patted her head once more.

That was her princess’s way of letting her know that she won’t mock her.

“Good girl…now that pleases me.” Azula purred in a seductive voice while running her fingernails through her trembling pet’s soft hair.

Even she can’t deny that this girl made for a fine pet.

A lovely little handmaid that worshiped her with every fiber of her being. What’s not to love about that?

“Everything really…there’s…so much that I like about you. But…the of the traits that I admire most…is that you are so fearless.” Elle mumbled with pink twinging her cheeks while Azula glanced down at her in amusement.

“Of course, fear is for the weak.” The princess stated pridefully while puffing out her chest as she continued to toy with her servant’s hair.

“We’re polar opposites…and I think…that’s why I am so drawn to you.” The blonde-haired girl commented while peering up at the seated woman with stunningly peaceful amber eyes.

“Is that it? You admire my strength because you are weak?” Azula questioned curtly while glancing down at the younger girl with unyielding eyes.

“I…don’t fit in with the rest of the world. I’m…not like the rest…you see. But I feel like I belong right here…beside you. It…probably has a lot to do with my mindset.” Elle admitted quietly while staring up at the older girl’s stony countenance.

“Your mindset?” The princess found herself pondering while leaning back upon her throne placing one leg over the other.

Who would have ever thought that she would spend this much time talking with a peasant?

“Ever since I was little, I’ve found myself inevitably drawn to the darkness…I have the ability to empathize with the sort of people that…most people consider immoral…or bad.” The blonde-haired girl answered while sinking into her knees with the older girl glancing down at her with curiosity in her gaze.

“You can empathize with me? You do know that I am not a kind person…don’t you? This…is not how I usually treat people…” Azula remarked while waving her right hand before her yet finding herself intrigued by the girl’s personality all the same.

Perhaps…there is more to this simple peasant girl than she had initially thought.

“I can Azula-sama. It’s as I just told you. I am rather gifted at…understanding things from an angle most would never consider.” Elle spoke softly while peering up at surprised golden eyes.

“I must admit you’ve piqued my interests…tell me more servant.” The princess purred while leaning down over her handmaid’s tiny form.

This was yet another first for her.

No one has ever told her that they could emphasize with her.

“I’ve heard people muttering on the street…I’ve heard people talk about you. Your own citizens…in this very city talk about you.” The blonde-haired girl stated quietly while golden eyes narrowed with faint anger in her stare.

“Oh? Just where are these people?” Azula asked in a glacial voice while glaring down at her petite pet’s still smiling face.

“I…have heard it said that you don’t even care if your own people starve. People in the city…say that you and your father are monsters. Monsters that don’t even care if a child starves from cruel tax rates.” Elle responded while still peering back up at the princess’s thin scowl.

“They are not wrong…I am a monster. Though…I very much doubt that these detractors would ever have the courage to say as such to Father or myself.” The princess declared with her eyes gazing ahead with a callousness to their glint.

Perhaps…it was time to search for traitors in the Capital?

“Yes well…when you wander a cities’ streets for two weeks you tend to hear things. Things that you never would have heard if you were more than a wandering ghost. But I disagree with them.” The blonde-haired girl announced to the woman’s disbelief as she peered up into her master’s eyes.

“You do?” Azula pondered in a calmer voice while finding it baffling that she even cared what this peasant thought of her.

And yet…somehow, she did. She…didn’t want Elle to think less of her.

“I can’t speak for your father. But I don’t think you’re a monster at all! I think that you’re a person…neither good nor bad…a result of your circumstances.” Elle assured as she reached up to grasp at her shocked master’s hovering hand.

The princess sat with her hand being grasped by the smaller girl while letting the words sink in.

“An interesting deduction…but incorrect. Though I do enjoy your naïve little musings…” The princess trailed off with her lovely lips curving into a cold smirk.

“Arigatou gozaimasu Azula-sama! I enjoy your company as well!” The blonde-haired girl cheered up at her master with an expression of warmth in her eyes.

“This isn’t a leisure hangout peasant! You’re my servant. I am your master. Never forget that.” Azula spoke in an unyielding voice while grasping at her pet’s hair with a sterner grip.

“How could I ever forget? I…am so happy to be yours princess. May…we talk for awhile longer?” Elle giggled out softly while Azula’s icy eyes peered down at her grasping at her head.

She blushed once more when the dominant woman compressed her beneath her stern grip as if stating once more that she was hers.

“I will permit it. If only because you’re a well-behaved pet.” The princess sighed while brushing her hair from her eyes.

“Your Highness, may I tell you more about myself?” The blonde-haired girl questioned while beaming up at the ruthless woman’s cold countenance.

“Why not? You must have some riveting peasant tales to tell.” Azula commented dryly while scanning her fingernails with haughtiness in her stare.

"Mhm, you know I once aspired to pursue a career in psychology…either that or become a professional artist. When I got older…I was going to go to college to further my education.” Elle confessed in a softer voice while she glanced up into Azula's taken aback eyes.

That…she did not expect her servant to say.

The girl's desire to become a professional artist did not surprise her.

But her handmaid's interest in psychology on the other hand. That was another matter.

“Is that so? What stopped you? Did you decide that you wanted to serve me even before we even met?” The princess remarked with a strangely at ease voice as she mulled over her servant’s words.

“No. It was all ruined…by one of the only two people that I fear.” The blonde-haired girl replied in a quieter voice while swallowing with evident discomfort in her voice.

"Just two people? Is the second individual me?" Azula questioned with a guarded voice while glaring down at the smaller girl once more.

"No, I do not fear you Azula-sama. Nor do I fear your father, Naoki or even Rieko. Four people with superhuman ability that could kill me with ease…from different worlds and yet I can speak to three of four without trembling. It's…ironic really." Elle explained while the princess quirked a brow over the two mysterious names…but mused that which is an entire world away is none of her concern.

And then without speaking she removed her hand from the girl's head and hovered it methodically in the air with a light flame that began to generate on her fingertips.

"I should burn you just for saying those words. Then peasant…we'll see how fearless you truly are…" Azula hissed as she trailed her fingers inches above the girl's hair with fire burning at her fingertips.

Yet even with her fire coated palm hovered above Elle's head she found herself surprised by the handmaid's lack of fear.

Any other servant would have been pleading not to be burned by now.

"The man that I fear most…is much more frightening than anyone else. He…possesses no superhuman ability to speak of. He's not an assassin…and he's not royalty. He's…a man of average height…he wears glasses. His…hair is blond…and his smile…" The blonde-haired girl trailed off while staring down at her feet with evident discomfort in her stare.

“How terrifying…and for a moment there I thought that you were onto something.” The princess snorted while rolling her elegant eyes down at her trembling servant.

Though it was clear that this man did something to her servant to leave such a long-lasting impression.

Even with her bending burning above Elle’s head she was shaking not out of fear of being burned.

But…out of fear of this man!

“I grew up with him. After my mother died…when I was little…and then soon after…Father. He became my legal guardian.” Elle explained while trembling ever so faintly even when the woman’s bending was extinguished.

“So, you were abused by an adoptive parent?” Azula questioned as she frowned while pondering why she even cared if the girl was abused.

She’s just a servant…and nothing more.

“H-he used to hold me over a cage of beasts…if I fell, they would have eaten me. But he would smile and taunt me all the same. A-and he would never stop until I cried.” The blonde-haired girl announced with a noticeably glummer voice with the princess gazing down in surprise.

Suffice to say Azula was not expecting abuse…that graphic.

Yet once again…she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of concern for her doting servant.

“Ugh. Quit your cowering peasant. This man is not present with you. I am.” The princess declared in a stony voice while frowning down at her shaking pet.

“B-but Azula-sama. He…tried to take my clothes off…” Elle whimpered while averting her frightened eyes from her master’s harsh gaze.

For reasons that Azula could not explain her eyes were shimmering with a margin of anger as she reclined in her throne with her lips pursed in a thin line.

Perhaps it was because she has taken an interest in the younger girl or maybe it was because she has already claimed the peasant as hers.

The girl was her property…and it did not please her to hear that this man tried to touch what was hers.

‘Even if the girl should prove to be of no interest to me romantically…she is still mine. Even if she is but a kitchen handmaid…this girl belongs to me.’ Azula thought with her golden eyes narrowing into an imposing death stare.

“Did…he…” The princess trailed off while finding herself strangely watching her tone of voice as she glanced down at the trembling girl.

“N-no. I tried to stab him. He…wouldn’t get off of me so I tried to put a knife in his neck.” The blonde-haired girl stuttered with a tear streaming down her cheek.

All the while the princess listened…finding herself strangely hesitant to speak.

Azula glanced down at the smaller girl with a thoughtful countenance finding herself rather surprised by the girl’s admission.

If she were being honest…Elle didn’t seem like the sort of person to have it in her to harm someone.

Perhaps…that is yet another peculiar thing about this girl that has drawn her interest?

“Sumimasen…p-princess. I’ll shut up now.” Elle muttered while Azula glanced down at her rolling her eyes.

“Servant…you don’t have the right to make your own decisions. You gave that up the moment you knelt before me.” The princess remarked casually while taking another drink of her coffee.

To her puzzlement, the small blonde glanced up at her briefly sniffling with a bit more cheer than before.

It was odd to Azula…to see someone so happy to be in her presence.

“T-that’s so. I defer to Azula-sama’s will.” The blonde-haired girl responded while peering up at the older girl with loyal amber eyes.

“Hm. In that we are in agreement. Now…I am being generous enough to listen to your…blubbering. The least you could do is refrain from it consuming my entire morning.” Azula announced while turning to peer down at her seated servant.

“As you say Azula-sama. My…attempt was poorly executed…he was mostly unharmed. I…locked him in my bedroom and got out. He…is the only person that I’ve ever tried to harm.” Elle spoke as she peered back down at her knees with a frown still adorning her lips.

“Well then, it’s a good thing that you aren’t my bodyguard.” The princess snorted snidely while staring down at the girl with cold golden eyes.

“We truly are opposites…you see. I don’t believe in violence. I suppose you could say that I am a pacifist. I…don’t ever want to harm another person…or any living creature. I try to believe…that one day people will get along with one another…instead of butchering each other.” The blonde-haired girl confided while chewing on her lip as she listened to the woman laugh derisively.

“A pacifist? You are even more naïve than I first thought you to be.” Azula sneered while still peering down at the blonde’s huddled form with grudgingly intrigued eyes.

“I know. But that’s just how I am. I…try to see the best in people. Even…the darkest sorts of people.” Elle answered while gazing over her shoulder at her princess’s looming throne.

“Is that it? You think that there is…good in me…but not this man?” The princess replied while holding her mug with her stony face never leaving the tiny girl’s face.

“Yes…he is a wretched man devoid of any redeeming qualities. He exists…solely to derive pleasure off of other’s fear.” The blonde-haired girl said while her master quirked a brow in amusement.

“Really? It sounds like me and him may have a good deal in common.” Azula commented while smirking as she watched her servant shiver in evident fear.

That will teach her to say that she doesn’t fear her.

“No…Your Highness…no you do not. He…is a perverse predator of the worst sort.” Elle stated as she clutched at her cup.

“Oh, there’s more than one kind?” The princess asked aloofly while gazing between her handmaid and her paperwork.

“Felix…likes them young. Very young. He…used to invite little kid’s out to the family house…just to make them cry. Usually…he would tell them that their parents have abandoned them. I…once saw him wipe the tears from a little boy’s face…and then…he tasted it.” The blonde-haired girl explained to the woman’s further surprise.

The man was perhaps more twisted than Azula first thought…

“Licking tears? That’s highly unhygienic. As if I would ever lick the faces of dirty peasants.” Azula scoffed with her nose wrinkling in a margin of repugnance.

“I…had acquired funds to pursue my dream. But…he stripped me of all access to my education when I started telling people what he was…doing to the little boy’s and girl’s.” Elle spoke while taking a nervous drink of her beverage.

“And what then?” The princess pondered in a stoic tone while finding herself somewhat taken aback by the girl’s experiences.

“I…ran away on that very night. And then somehow…I found myself in the Fire Nation.” The blonde-haired girl told her master while swallowing her drink.

“I see. I must say that was quite the intriguing little tale. More than I expected…anyhow.” Azula remarked while resting her face in the palm of her hand.

“That man…is my brother…my brother Felix.” Elle admitted in a trembling voice at long last with tears trailing down her cheeks while the princess’s golden eyes widened in surprise.

Even a person as frigid as Azula knew that it was disgusting for a brother to try to take his sister’s virginity.

Azula wasn’t certain why she even bothered to do so.

But…

“Servant. I command you to look up at me.” The princess commanded while leaning over her throne to peer down at the cowering girl.

“I-if Her Highness says look up. I look up.” The blonde-haired girl stuttered while turning to peer up at her princess’s towering form.

For some inexplicable reason Azula found herself greatly pleased by Elle’s devoted response.

“That’s a good girl…now I want you to calm down.” Azula cooed in a soothingly charismatic voice as she shifted her bottom upon her throne while possessively grasping ahold of the girl’s chin.

“Yes princess…this girl obeys.” Elle mumbled as she sunk to her knees before her master’s seated form with her controlling hand forcing her to peer upward.

‘Playing the kind master with this girl does get a bit tedious …yet I cannot deny that I enjoy the girl’s worshipful behavior…I suppose I’ll just play along…’ The princess mused before shrugging as she grasped at her pet’s fragile face.

“No more waterworks. Is that understood servant?” Azula declared in a domineering voice while staring down at the bowing peasant.

“Wakarimashita…Azula-sama.” The blonde-haired girl agreed while falling forward with her face pressed into the older girl’s knee.

Then her heart began to speed up when she felt fingers dance through her hair.

“Good. You’re a needy little peasant…consider yourself fortunate that I have taking a liking to you.” The princess sighed while petting the smaller girl’s head as she savored the girl’s kitten like behavior.

“Azula-sama…may I make a request of you?” Elle pondered with her head inclined in a show of respect for her princess.

She didn’t even dare to look the woman in the eyes.

She knew that it was only proper to bow her head when asking anything of her master.

“Ordinarily…it is considered impetuous for a peasant to make a request of her princess.” Azula replied while finding her lips curving into a gratified smile as she enjoyed how Elle melted beneath her palm.

“Sumimasen…Your Highness.” The blonde-haired girl murmured while lowering her eyes to peer down at the woman’s elegant boots.

“But I am feeling charitable…so out with it.” The princess stated while waving a hand before her as she smirked down at her prostrated pet.

“W-would you…would you protect your loyal servant…if s-someone tries to take her shirt off?” Elle requested timidly while Azula glanced down at her with marginally widening eyes.

Though as always Azula was fast to recover instead gazing down at the younger girl with a domineering stare.

“If any other servant were to be so brazen as to ask for my protection…I would burn them in retaliation…” Azula trailed off in a contemplative voice while furrowing her brows down at Elle’s kneeling form.

The small blonde said nothing as she felt her breathe hitch when the divine woman grasped roughly at the back of her head.

Then she was forced to gaze upward once again while a twinge of redness shot down her cheeks as she shivered under Azula’s piercing gaze.

“But you belong to me…you are mine. Do you understand? If anyone should be so foolish as to touch what belongs to me…I would destroy them without hesitation.” The princess announced while glaring down at her quivering handmaid with a possessive countenance.

It was strange…but has decided that this handmaid is hers and hers alone.

She will serve only her.

She will give flowers to no one but herself.

She will write poems for only her princess.

And she will paint no one. No one but her master.

She is hers and hers alone.

“A-arigatou gozaimasu Azula-sama.” The blonde-haired girl whispered happily while she began to peer up at her master with a rising smile.

“Just…keep up the good behavior…do not displease me.” Azula grumbled with her lips pursed into a scowl as she held onto her handmaid’s little head.

“I…would never. You know…I think I finally have my answer…I know what it is that I like most about you.” Elle spoke gently while still gazing up at Azula’s frowning face.

“Hm? Tell me.” The princess demanded while leaning forward as she loomed over her small handmaid.

Somehow…she was eager to hear just what it was that had this peasant so lovestruck by her presence alone.

“All of my life I have been afraid…afraid of my own brother. You…you are so bold…so mighty. You…y-you give me courage Azula-sama. Y-you inspire me.” The blonde-haired girl confessed in a heartfelt voice while staring up into taken aback golden eyes.

Even a woman as cruel as Azula…couldn’t deny that she felt a twinge of moved emotion somewhere deep down inside of her.

It was yet another first…of many from this bizarre girl known as Elle.

Someone…was inspired by her.

Someone…innocent.

“I see…you find comfort in my superior strength. Well…you are a feeble little girl. I suppose that makes sense. If standing in my shadow makes you feel better…then so be it.” Azula answered as she set her empty coffee mug down upon her desk before turning to meet her servant’s smiling face.

“This is where I belong! With Azula-sama!” Elle cheered with a widening grin on her lips as she beamed up at her master’s reclining visage.

“On that we can also agree.” The princess purred while petting her handmaid’s hair with long fingers that conveyed who owned the girl.

“Oh…p-princess…” The blonde-haired girl murmured while flushing shyly as the strong palm patted her head dominantly.

That was when a loud growling sound reverberated through the air as both females suddenly found themselves peering at the princess’s stomach in response.

Elle knew her place by gaze alone when Azula’s eyes shifted down to her with her eyes already conveying her desire.

It was her place to satisfy Azula’s each and every desire.

“Servant! I am hungry!” Azula barked with sadistic delight in her voice as she watched the girl scramble to stand as fast as possible.

If she didn’t know any better her pet was already starting to stand before she even opened her mouth.

“Yes, Master Azula! How may I please you?” Elle exclaimed as she leaped to her feet before bowing at the waist while her master stared back at her in approval.

“Go fetch me a suitable breakfast. Bring it back here within…oh thirty minutes. If you are late…I will punish you.” The princess explained with a smirk adorning her refined lips.

“Yes! I will not be late! Her Highness’s belly must be nourished!” The blonde-haired girl cried out with a genuine cheer while the woman gazed at her with entertained eyes.

“Indeed, it must. It pleases me that you see things my way.” Azula stated sternly while leaning back upon her plush throne before staring on curiously when her pet reached into her robe pocket.

“Is…there any particular beverage that Her Highness desires?” Elle asked with an attentive demeanor as she withdrew a small pen and book much to her master’s satisfaction.

“Are you recording my likes and dislikes?” The princess questioned with smugness lacing her voice while her servant clutched at the book with an adorable bashfulness about her.

“I-it is so.” The blonde-haired girl mumbled with redness traveling down her heated face.

“What a splendid little pet you are.” Azula purred while nodding in approval as she watched her handmaid bow rapidly much to her pleasure.

“This girl is happy that you think so princess.” Elle replied shyly with her arm held out before her as she smiled softly.

“I would like orange juice…” The princess remarked lazily with her face in the palm of her hand.

“Orange juice. Understood.” The blonde-haired girl muttered while opening her eyes as she recorded the note while humming joyfully.

“…And if you can keep it to yourself…you may bring yourself back a plate as well.” Azula commanded while peering at her servant with a stony countenance.

“I-I get to have breakfast with you princess?” Elle inquired in an awestruck voice while Azula glanced back at her rolling her eyes in the manner she has come to savor.

“I just said as much. Did I not? Now get going. I am dreadfully hungry.” The princess spoke while adjusting herself in her seat as her belly growled once more.

“As you command Azula-sama! I will see the mission through no matter the cost!” The blonde-haired girl shouted while saluting the woman’s callous form before turning to rush out.

“Oh, and I almost forgot…I will tolerate this…behavior when we are in private. But at any other time…this will not be acceptable.” Azula called out with her hand resting in her lap as she gazed at the girl’s back.

“Yes princess, this servant understands.” Elle agreed while turning to bow once more with golden eyes lazily peering back at her.

“Good. And you keep your little…writings between us. My father would not approve.” The princess declared while reaching down to collect the poem with a cold gleam in her eyes.

“Between me and Her Highness only.” The blonde-haired girl repeated with her back bent as she nodded her head in understanding.

Then her ears picked up a third and final rumbling of the woman’s belly before she rapidly straightened already sensing the dominant woman’s demanding eyes upon her.

“The timer starts…now.” Azula informed while glancing at her clock before turning to her handmaid as she smugly observed the small girl speed out the door.

“I promise that I will not be late Azula-sama. I shall return to your side promptly.” Elle assured while turning to respectfully bow a final time.

Then she closed the door behind her while Azula sat with the poem curled up within her palm.

Now that she was alone, she unraveled the poem while she gazed down at the contents with unnaturally moved golden eyes.

While she found herself having great difficulty fighting the blush that arose onto her regal cheeks as she recalled her little servant’s heartfelt words.

Then without further delay she slid the paper into her pocket while sinking back upon her backside as she sighed once more.

‘Father cannot hear of this…if he does…’ The princess thought as her lips curved into another frown.

She has no doubt that he would send the girl to the Boiling Rock.

Yet most puzzling of all…

Why did such a thought bother her?

Azula was not certain…

But it was how she felt all the same.

#Azula #azula fanfiction #avatar the last airbender fanfiction #yuri #ty lee avatar #mai avatar #slow romance #fire nation

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fluffy-marshmallow-heart · 5 years

Text

Secret Studies ch.21 -Looking Forward

The Elementalist AU

Beckett x MC (Oriana)

Words: 2457

Masterlist (Catch Up Here)

We've arrived at the final chapter of this series! I can't believe it! Thank you so much to those who are still reading! But the good news is, I'm planning a new series that will tie into this, but there will be a major time jump. I just love Beckett and Ori so much I can't let them go :)

3 years later

Beckett blew out a long breath. Today is graduation, and he knows that at some point, all eyes will be on him, and he was nervous as hell. The past three years have been tough. He tried to visit his mother in prison several times, but she never agreed to see him. She’d been convicted to a life in prison, her magic contained, with no eligibility for release. She blames Beckett and Oriana entirely, and to this day is convinced she did nothing wrong except “try to rid the earth of a parasite.”

“You okay?” Oriana came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He nodded, relaxing in her arms. She was the only thing getting him through. He couldn’t understand why she didn’t break up with him after everything, didn’t blame him for anything. In fact, when Katrina and his father came home for the trial, Oriana greeted them with open arms, and they did the same. He never admitted it, but he cried later that night, wondering why his mom couldn’t see her the way he did, the way his father and Katrina did. They apologized for not being around and not having any idea what she was up to. It was two years since her case finally went to trial. There was one year where she kept getting the trial delayed while filing appeal after appeal and trying to have the pending charges dropped completely. Finally, the judge denied all new requests and his mother was convicted of those same charges.

He turned around in Oriana’s arms, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Everything’s fine.” He assured, and she smiled wanly.

“It’s okay to miss her, you know. And want her at your graduation.”

He shook his head. “But that’s the thing. I don’t want her here. I don’t miss the woman she became, and I’m glad she’s behind bars. Am I terrible for feeling that way about my own mother?”

She cupped his cheek in her hand, and he leaned into the touch. “You are the opposite of terrible. And I love you, you’re my everything. Don’t you know that yet? Not even after last night?”

The tips of his ears turned red as he remembered the previous night and everything they’d done. It was a magical evening and he’d never been happier in his life.

“Come on, we should go. Don’t want to be late.” She took his hand and together they walked to the auditorium, taking their places among the other graduating students.

Zephyr and Shreya greeted them excitedly. “Guys!! We finally made it!! Eeeeeee can you believe it??” Shreya squealed excitedly.

Beckett rolled his eyes. “Yes, I certainly can. We all studied hard, attended all the classes, did all the homework, and took all the tests. I was definitely expecting to graduate on time. Although, I am a bit disappointed that it didn’t happen earlier.”

“Of course, you are.” Zeph sighed. “But on the bright side…you got to hang out with all of us for all four years!!! I wouldn’t want to graduate without you guys. It just wouldn’t be right.”

“Aww, we love you too, Zeph” Oriana laughed. “You are all the best friends a girl could possibly have. Thank you, really, for everything you’ve done.”

“Selfie time!” Shreya whipped out her phone. “Everyone gather in and say graduation!!” Shreya, Zeph, and Oriana leaned in automatically.

“Come on, Beck.” Oriana laughed again, pulling him in to her. After the photo was taken, they all ooh and ahh’ed over it…Everyone except Beckett.

Oriana turned to him and lowered her voice. “Talk to me, what’s wrong?”

“Everyone will stare at me.” He mumbled.

“Beck, you’re going to give a great speech. We’ve rehearsed it a million times, you’re ready.” She squeezes his hand.

“And then everyone will stare at you, and then stare at both of us.”

Her face fell, the hurt evident in her bright eyes. “Oh. Well, I’m sure I can go ask them to change…”

“No, no. Nothing’s changing, I’m just…I don’t know. You’re not nervous that Zeph and Shreya will be angry with us?” He asked.

She shook her head. “No. Don’t forget, we’re throwing the party, so even if they’re annoyed it won’t last. You aren’t having regrets…are you?” She asked nervously.

He smiled softly at her. “Certainly not. You’re the one thing I will never regret, no matter what life throws at us.”

Relief flooded throughout her as Dean Swan began the commencement. After speaking several moments, she moved on to the next part of the ceremony.

“It is with great pride to announce our Valedictorian...Beckett Harrington!”

The crowd erupted into cheers as Beckett made his way to the podium, his ears red. He took a deep breath before beginning.

“When I was first accepted into Penderghast, I knew my life was about to change. I just didn’t anticipate exactly how much. I had an entire path laid out for myself. Study hard, get good grades, don’t waste time at typical college social interactions, become Valedictorian, and graduate with honors. I didn’t want anything more than that, and never even thought about anything more than that. Almost immediately, I bumped into Oriana Miller, and…my entire world changed. She forced me to go to those typical college social interactions, forced me to do something other than study…forced me out of my comfort zone. It’s funny how one single moment can change your life forever, but you never realize it at the time. Now, all our lives are about to change, but we’re facing the change head on. Some of us are starting careers, others are continuing their education, and some are ready to start families.”

He looked directly at Oriana, and she grinned, giving him a thumbs up.

“Today is a beautiful day. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and as I look at all of you, I see an ocean of hope. Being hopeful on days like this is easy. On days like today, it’s easy to see tomorrow and feel you can take on the whole world. But there will be dark days too, and it’s important to stay true to ourselves. Sometimes hope is lost, buried, hidden behind the storm clouds. But I promise you that you’re better than your suffering. You will rise above it as long as you hold onto even the tiniest strand of hope. Hope can be found in all places, you just need to be open to it. We are all coming out of our comfort zones today, and I’m proud to say that I’m part of a graduating class that will do great things in the future. Congratulations, everyone. Each of you have earned this moment.”

He stops talking, and Oriana, Zeph, and Shreya all leap to their feet, clapping and whistling. The rest of the crowd joined in immediately, and Beckett gave a slight nod, his cheeks a light pink, as he head back to his seat.

“So mortifying.” He muttered as he sat back down.

Zephyr burst out laughing. “So, you planned to be valedictorian, but failed to realize that would require an epic speech? You did awesome, buddy.”

“Agreed. You were brilliant up there.” Shreya chimed in.

He turned to Oriana, who kissed him passionately. “You ready for what’s next?” She whispered.

He nodded, and they both reached into their pockets, each grabbing something valuable to them. Dean Swan began announcing the names of the graduates, as each crossed the stage one by one.

“Beckett Harrington.” She called, and Beckett strode across the stage, accepting his diploma. After receiving it, he stood off to the side, not leaving as every else had.

“Oriana M…” She paused a moment, staring at the card in her hand. “Oriana Harrington.” She finished, and gasps erupted throughout the area.

When Oriana reached the Dean’s side, Beckett joined her, interlacing his fingers with hers. “I…I’m sorry, Oriana, your diploma says ‘Miller’, but my reading card says…”

“Here.” Oriana handed her a document, and then the Dean read it, eyes widening, looking down at their hands and seeing the rings they had just put on again. Breaking into a huge smile she hugged them both. Oriana hugged her back tightly, while Beckett hugged rigidly.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m so pleased to announce that not only are these two graduating today…they were also wed last night! May I be the first to say congratulations on your nuptials!!”

Right before they walked off stage, the Dean said one more thing. “I do wish you two all the happiness in the world. You’ve had enough darkness. I wish you only light. I couldn’t be more proud of you both.”

After everyone receives their diplomas, and the ceremony ended, both Beckett and Oriana were surrounded by people, asking questions about how they were married and no one knew. Shreya and Zeph pretended to be mad for all of five seconds before joining in on the excitement.

“Your rings are amazing!!! I cannot believe you didn’t let me help with everything!! Oriana, I thought we were better friends than that. We have the roommate bond. Oh my…you’re pregnant, aren’t you??” Shreya accused.

Oriana laughed. “We wanted something just for us. The graduation party we’re throwing…is actually our wedding reception!! And no, I’m not pregnant, although we are trying.”

“What?” Zeph gasped. “You want to be pregnant already? But you just graduated!”

Oriana shrugged. “What can I say? My husband is going to be amazing dad.”

Beckett felt a blush creep up his neck and into the tips of his ears as she continued. “I literally want all of his babies. I mean, look at him, how cute is he?”

“He is pretty cute…for a little brother.” Beckett looked up in surprise at the new voice.

“…Katrina? Dad? You…came?” He couldn’t believe it. “You said you couldn’t come.”

“Yes, well, your lovely bride made a very convincing argument. And there’s no way I’d miss your wedding reception.” Katrina grinned, yanking Beckett into a tight hug.

“I��m proud of you, son.” Mr. Harrington said. “And congratulations on your wedding. You’ve worked so hard on your grades, on your relationship, and even…” He trailed off, his eyes clouding. After a moment he cleared his throat. “I’m sorry your mother couldn’t be here.”

Beckett cast his eyes to the ground. It was his fault what happened. He slid his eyes over to Oriana, who was watching him worriedly. He glanced at her left hand, the cool metal of the band, and a small diamond in the center. He tried so hard to give her a bigger diamond, but she kept saying she loved her ring so much she doesn’t want it overpowered by anything else. The only other difference to the ring was a small inscription saying, “Love conquers all.”

“It’s fitting.” She’d said at the time, and finally he agreed to get it inscribed into his own band as well.

He turned is hand outward until he felt her hand slip into it. He lifted hers to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss.

“Beckett feels responsible for everything.” Oriana informed.

Mr. Harrington’s eyebrows furrowed. “That’s nonsense. Your mother made her own choices. That she tried to hurt you as well as kill Oriana, even if you were in the way…it’s unforgiveable. She pays the price as she should. You were never responsible.”

Beckett gave a half smile. “Thanks.”

“Whatever happened to Griffin, anyway?” Katrina asked. “I never heard.”

“Well…” Oriana began. “In return for his testimony against Mrs. Harrington, he was put on probation for five years and restricted from school grounds. No one’s heard from him, and I don’t think anyone will.”

The four of them fell quiet a moment before Oriana broke the silence. “So, are you coming to our party? You’ll be able to see our house! We’re so excited to have a home.”

“Wouldn’t miss it.” Katrina smiled.

“Then let’s go!”

Hours later, standing in their new backyard under a sky full of stars, Oriana and Beckett surveyed the dwindling crowd.

“Hey, Ori. I’m not sure I ever thanked you.” Beckett said.

“Thank me? For what?”

“For not leaving me. For fighting with me…fighting for me, for us, for everything we have right in this moment.”

“We’ve come a long way, huh?” She agreed. “If we can survive all this, Beckett…I think we can survive anything. I don’t think I could ever be happy without you.”

“I know I couldn’t.” He returned. “I’d probably turn into a miserable prick.”

She laughed. “You mean the way you were when we first met?”

“Hey!” He feigned offense, before they both were in a fit of giggles.

“You know…in the beginning I was always annoyed with the way I couldn’t get you out of my head. I hated it, I hated thinking about you, it was absolutely infuriating. But now...I get it.”

“Get what?” She asked.

“I think I knew right away that you were the one for me. We’re like pieces of the same puzzle, but there were a couple pieces missing from it.”

“Are you about to start spewing random spiritual facts, Beckett?”

He chuckled. “No. I’m just saying that the moment we came together, I think my soul recognized yours, and the puzzle was suddenly complete. And as long as we’re together…we’ll never be lost”

Oriana closed the distance between them in a heated kiss, their tongues dancing, his fingers in her hair as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him flush against her body.

“Hey! The newlyweds want to get laid! Party’s over, people!” Zeph’s voice rang out loud and clear and laughter came from the yard as they broke their kiss, looking sheepishly at their friends and family.

Beckett shrugged slightly, murmuring in Oriana’s ear. “They’re not wrong.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty tired. I definitely see myself in bed in a few minutes. How fast do you think we can kick everyone out of here?”

“As fast as we want.” He replied. “It’s our home.”

She nodded, and they began their goodbyes, giving each person individual attention. Shreya was crying, Zeph was trying to pry her away, Katrina and Mr. Harrington giving them their best wishes.

When everyone was finally gone, Beckett and Oriana stood in front of each other, hands clasped, foreheads together.

“I love you Mrs. Oriana Harrington.”

“And I love the sound of that.”

He grinned, playfully nudging her. “I hope that’s not all you love.”

“No, I love this house too.”

He narrowed his eyes before sweeping her off her feet as she squealed in delight, carrying her over the threshold of their new home, both of them feeling ready to face whatever the future will bring their way.

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sarah-writes-stories · 4 years

Text

Chapter 13: Pack

A Post-Canon Inuyasha Romance/Adventure Epic

Find it on: Fanfiction.net / AO3 / Wattpad

Words: 2,254

Prologue • Chapter 1 • Chapter 2 • Chapter 3 • Chapter 4 • Chapter 5 • Chapter 6 • Chapter 7 • Chapter 8 • Chapter 9 • Chapter 10 • Chapter 11 • Chapter 12 • Chapter 13

⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯

As Inuyasha and Kagome approached Miroku and Sango's home they were greeted by the familiar, staccato rhythm of axe meeting wood.

"What the heck?" Inuyasha seemed completely confounded by the sound coming from around the side of the house. He moved towards it rather than to the door.

"What's the matter?" Kagome questioned.

"I think Miroku's chopping wood."

"And?"

Rounding the corner they found Miroku standing beside a small pile of split logs. As he paused to wipe the sweat from his brow, Inuyasha used the momentary silence to call out to him.

"Oi, you musta been desperate if you resorted to chopping wood!"

Miroku looked up to see his friends approaching and laughed. "Well, well. Welcome, my friends. I am merely seeing to my husbandly duties."

Inuyasha snorted at that. "Husbandly duties that you usually avoid like the plague." Jerking his thumb in Miroku's direction Inuyasha turned to Kagome. "This lazy monk usually tries to get me to do his wood-chopping, or else will trade already-chopped wood for blessings and other monk stuff with the other villagers."

Miroku tried to look affronted, "Inuyasha, my friend, you wound me. Should I not receive compensation for my holy works?"

"Ha! And yet here you are, axe in hand. Did it work? Were you able to keep yer trap shut?"

"If you are inquiring as to whether or not I gave any of your secrets away to my lovely wife, then the answer is no." He smiled sheepishly before continuing, "I have been much too busy with very important, very loud work to do much talking, as you can see."

Kagome laughed at that. "Well, thank you for your valiant efforts, Miroku. But we're here now. Do you want to take a break and come inside with us?"

"Of course, Kagome, of course. What kind of host would I be if I ignored guests to my home?"

Inuyasha smirked at him, "Better to ignore your husbandly duties, eh, Monk?"

Miroku's eyebrows waggled suggestively when he answered, "I assure you, Inuyasha, my… ahem… husbandly duties are one thing that I never ignore."

Kagome was laughing at the two of them as they entered the house. "Kagome, there you are! What's so funny?" Sango asked.

Sango sat at a low table, sorting out what looked to be small packets of seeds, a sleeping Ichiro strapped to her back.

"Oh, you know," Kagome replied. "Just Miroku being Miroku." She smiled at her best friend.

"Ojisan! Ojisan! Up!" Aki came running from where she and Yuki had been playing in a sunny patch by the window. She launched herself at Inuyasha fully expecting him to catch her before she collided with him. He hoisted her up gently till she was at face level with him. "Hey there. You being a good girl for your Okaasan this morning?" Aki's eyes widened a little as she nodded solemnly at Inuyasha before breaking into a wide smile and hugging him around the neck.

"Chichiue, up me, too?" asked Yuki, joining them at a more leisurely pace. She waited for her father to lift her into his arms before putting her small head down on his shoulder.

Kagome watched the two men. They were two of the most fearsome warriors in the region, if not the country, and yet they held the sisters so gently that her heart clenched painfully watching them. She shook her head, eyes growing misty before whispering, "Look at us. Look at them. Did you ever think, back when we were hunting for shards, that we would ever actually make it to this?"

Sango came up behind her dearest friend, pulling her into a hug, her own eyes misting over at Kagome's words.

"Oh, don't get me started! If I think back too much…" She trailed off shaking her head. "But we're here now, and you must tell me. How was your first night back?"

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha, who glanced her way at the same time, a small smile on his face.

"It was… eventful… though I don't think I'll be staying at Kaede's again tonight." Kagome said with a small smile.

Sango pulled back from her friend's embrace to look at her face in question, "Oh, no?"

Kagome's small smile turned into a full-fledged smirk as she said, "Naw, I think I'd rather stay in my own hut with my husband-to-be."

"Your…?" She paused for a split-second before understanding lit her eyes.

"Eeeeekkkkk!" Sango squealed in delight, causing Inuyasha to flinch and slick his ears down against his head. She paid him no attention, instead launching herself at her dearest friend for another tight hug… which was rudely interrupted by the wail of an affronted Ichiro who appreciated his mother's squeal about as much as Inuyasha did.

"Oh dear," said Sango on a laugh. "Kagome will you help me lift him out of the wrap?" Kagome moved to Sango's back, retrieving the fretting baby and placing him in his mother's arms.

Sango moved to sit down by the fire with Ichiro, motioning for the rest of them to join her as she said, "I'm so happy for you both!"

She looked across the fire at Inuyasha then, locking eyes with him. She would not say aloud how especially happy she was for him. How she'd watched him suffer without Kagome these three long years and how she was so proud of him for having the courage to confess his feelings to Kagome. Sango hoped her eyes would convey her message, and as a smile of embarrassment mixed with pride spread across Inuyasha's face, she thought maybe it had.

"Congratulations, Kagome, Inuyasha! This is truly auspicious news!" Miroku smiled his too-bright smile at the couple, hoping to conceal his slightly delayed reaction, but immediately Sango was suspicious.

"Miroku, did you know about this and that's why you were out there chopping wood?" She narrowed her eyes at her husband, watching as a slight flush crept up his cheeks.

"Oh, don't be angry at him, Sango, I swore him to secrecy. I wanted to tell you myself." Kagome broke in.

"I figured something must have been up when he said he was going out to chop wood. That man usually avoids physical labour at all costs!" She smirked at her husband then.

"You wound me, dearest!" Miroku mockingly held his hand over his heart.

Sango gave him a very unladylike. "The truth doesn't wound, husband of mine. It merely stings a little."

She winked at Kagome and the two of them laughed before she continued, "But back to the good news… You must tell me everything, Kagome!"

Inuyasha and Kagome shared a look at Sango's words… one that she didn't miss.

"What? What is it?"

They looked at each other again. Inuyasha gave a small shrug, as though leaving it to Kagome to decide how much she was ready to say.

Sango didn't miss that either. "Inuyasha, Kagome, whatever it is you're holding back, you better tell me right now." She growled a little. "If something is going on, Miroku and I want to know."

Kagome smiled at that. Sango hadn't changed either. "I guess I should just start at the beginning right? Well, when we left here, Inuyasha took me over to his hut…"

Aki and Yuki had quickly tired of the grown-up talk, going back to their patch of sunlight to play, and Ichiro had happily nursed his way into a deep slumber as Sango and Miroku listen to Kagome explain everything that had happened last night and this morning.

When she was done, there was a long moment of stunned silence.

Finally, it was Sango who spoke, "Are you saying you're immortal now?"

"No, I don't think so." Kagome shook her head, "I mean, youkai aren't really immortal just…less mortal. I could still die–"

"You ain't dying, wench," Inuyasha growled from where he sat.

Kagome rolled her eyes at him. "What I meant was that I'm not so fragile anymore. I'm harder to kill, less likely to age, like Inuyasha… but it's still possible for me to die."

Inuyasha didn't think this explanation was any better and scowled at Kagome, letting her know his opinion on the topic.

Sango ignored Inuyasha, "Still, Kagome, this is incredible."

"Indeed." Miroku who had been silent up till now, finally spoke, "Truly, Kagome, your new power is remarkable. And I am happy for the two of you that this accidental manifestation has granted you this wondrous, blessing."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "I wonder…" He trailed off again.

"Wonder what?" Inuyasha questioned, not liking the sound of that.

"We have seen and experienced too much in our lives to live under the pretense that there is such a thing as coincidence in this world. Why did the well allow Kagome to pass through now? Why not before, or sometime in the future?"

Kagome shivered slightly at Miroku's words. "Kaede said something similar, as though my being allowed to return was not an accident."

"I don't care what it was. Accident or not, you're here now and you ain't going anywhere." Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest.

Kagome could tell he was worried. He only ever got this belligerent when he was worried about her. She shifted closer to where he was sitting, lightly placing her hand on his knee, silently letting him know that she here with him.

"What has me most concerned is this disappearance of all youkai that you spoke of," Sango said in a low tone so as not to wake the babe in her arms. "It's unnatural. It worries me that someone or something could be so powerful as to erase an entire race, and not just from our island, but from the whole world?!" She shuddered, "What can we possibly do in the face of that kind of power?"

Miroku chimed in, "And it is not just youkai and hanyou. To think that even human Monks and Mikos will be affected… It is as though the very fabric of heaven and earth shall be rewritten."

"I don't like the sound of that," Kagome said quietly.

Inuyasha had had enough. Worry was beginning to creep into Kagome's scent and he didn't like it. "Look, we've got 50 years head start, and we know it's coming. That's gonna be our upper hand. Sooner or later something's gonna slip and when it does, we'll be on it because we're ready. We won't fail. We can't, not when there's so much at stake."

Kagome smiled up at him, basking in the strength of his conviction, and allowed herself to be hopeful. "Inuyasha's right. Whatever the reason I'm here, whatever's coming, it doesn't matter. We're together again. We've got this."

Sango looked at Kagome, "We're family now, all of us who went through the battle with Naraku together. It's a bond that will never be broken." Then a hardened look came into her eyes, as she glanced down at her sleeping son, "And nothing and no one will ever threaten my family and get away with it."

"Pack," Inuyasha said the word quietly, almost to himself.

"What was that?" Kagome wasn't sure she'd heard correctly.

But Sango had heard. She was Tajiya and knew what it meant. "I– We are honoured, Inuyasha."

Kagome was still confused. She looked between Inuyasha and Sango. Inuyasha seemed a bit embarrassed, but Sango spoke in explanation. "Pack is the foundation of Inu-youkai culture. It's like family…. only more. It's an unbreakable bond."

Kagome understood then. She looked up at Inuyasha before speaking. "Like all of us."

Inuyasha looked around the room at the faces of his friends and their children, at the smile of the woman he loved. Myoga had explained Pack to him when he was young, and it had intrigued him. After he'd lost his mother he'd had no one, and when he'd finally gotten up the courage to seek out his brother for the first time, Sesshōmaru had rejected him instantly. Bitter, he'd given up on the idea of Pack after that. He was hanyou, after all. Tainted. Not belonging to one world or the other. He'd always been on his own. But now…? Now he wasn't alone anymore.

He smirked at Kagome before finally replying to her words, "Damn right."

Miroku looked around the room, taking it all in as well. Finally, he gave an exaggerated sigh, shook his head, and looked at Kagome, eyes filled with mischief and teasing. "Well, Kagome, I must say, you have been back with us for only one day, and yet already our fates have turned. I would say that it was truly astonishing… if I didn't know you so well." He smirked at her.

Kagome gave a sharp bark of laughter at that, before returning his teasing smirk, "I know, right? Did you guys miss me, or what?"

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