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#and someone said something wrong and all hell broke loose
cassanderasblog · 5 months
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The Fallen Kingdom Project
Chapter two : Poisioned cups and broken trusts
(Yandere priest x ex- empress reincarnated reader )
Warning : unhealthy obsession , mention of murder,
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He was always there for you just as you were for him in the past. You gave him confidence, you never called him ugly because of the burn on his face that covered his half face. You always smiled at him purely, you n ver tried to seduce him like the other women to climb the stairs of the high society.
And when he knew that your marriage is fixed with the incompetent crown prince??? He thought to help you, he offered you to become nun and then later you could marry him too but you denied him saying it would only be running away from your duties ...
He can't tell you how much his heart ached that day while saying the vowes on your marriage , and when the crown prince called you Hideous in front of all ??? Not even kissing you and leaving the ceremony to only hug and kiss his mistress.
His eyes burned as he saw your teary face , he don't even know how much patience you had that time that you smiled so brightly at him through all the pain.
The most beautiful thing is the most broken they said. And he saw you the most broken when you came to him begging on your knees your 9 years old son dead in your arms. Begging him to revive him. He himself fall on his knees .... You his goddess is begging to a nameless being as him....
He knows his power but he can only bring people back who are going to die... Not those who were already dead.... After listening this you left with your son. And after that he never heard of you... Until...
In the assembly filled with nobles he sat there in the middle his consince telling him something being wrong. The mistress sitting on the empress thorne that was meant for you. But why is her eyes sad ??? You one the other hand was sitting on the floor by the emprors leg.
Who was throwing insults at you. The mistress grimacing at every word the man was saying her concern only laying on you. And then she served the emperor the wine... And then something happened that broke him even more.
You snatched the wine goblet from the emperor drinking everything while the mistress shouted for the doctors her face pale and filled with horror as if she is afraid to loose you??
And then he saw you giving a heart breaking smile at the emperor the blood trickling down the corner of your lips, eye closed; tears falling as you too fall on the floor your eyes opened again looking at him mouth a "sorry".
He Was shocked when Reina the mistress came begging to him with the ancient scriptures to turn back time... She even begged him to use her and the emperor as sacrifice. And that's what happened. He saw the deep satisfaction in her eyes the day she killed the emperor bit by bit breaking him.
Telling him the truth. And then she killed herself too with your necklace that you gifted her clenched in her hand to her chest . He looked at the bodies of the two sinners and started the process to turn back time.
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He is looking at you happily walking hands in hands with you bestfriend into the church. He prayed for you two and and then you asked your friend to wait as you have to go and distribute the holy water. His eyes never left you as you walked away , in this life he would make you his.
In this life you would be a nun and then his wife the holy saintess no matter what he would save you this time ; even if he have to kill the emperor and her again. Soon he felt someone watching at him. Then only he notice the serious look on the woman's face that was your friend.
"I think you too haven't forgetten anything priest Johan??"
"How could I forget how you made her life a living hell Reina ;it will be better for you to keep your distance from her or you will die and this time you would not be able to come back."
Taglist:
@mandysfanfics @shikanosn @mamapucket @shxxaiis @lobeliea @resident-cryptid @yevene @hopeless-y @piroporopo @nanamisbigassschlong @ditmemay1234 @iamapotatoe @devinavy @shadowkitty-me @reni502 @kookie-doughs @emeliko-chan
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lovely-keii · 3 months
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being their sibling
characters: tsukishima kei, oikawa tooru, suna rintarou
a/n: i write a fic every time i rewatch hq LOL sorry ik i said im abandoning this blog buuuut…happy bday to this blog!! (repost from 1/5 because tags broke :(( )
part 1
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TSUKISHIMA KEI
looks out for you, but he can’t help that hes so emotionally constipated :’( he tries to give you advice because he genuinely is concerned for you but just is unable to word anything properly. see: “you need to stop talking to that person, you’re being a pushover,” but he just wants you to realize you’re letting people walk all over you.
god forbid he has to comfort you because hes the wrong brother for that - you’re definitely in better hands with akiteru. he might walk in on you crying and contemplate if he’ll even say anything or just ignore it flat out, or he’ll say something like “don’t cry, you look stupid.” if you cry more, he’ll end up swallowing his pride and sitting next to you. he’ll groan and reluctantly, “fine, spill it.”
other than that, he’s going to be a sneaky little prick. definitely the type to take revenge on you if you annoy him. you eat the last piece of chocolate he was saving and suddenly you find your charger hidden deep under your bed. also loves to take things without your permission. “why? i’m just using it, it’s not like you need it now.”
if someone picks a fight with you, he’ll be quick to extract you from the situation before saying something ruder and harsher than usual to the person. and if you tell him you like someone from his team, he’s going to look at you like you’re crazy. “are you insane?!” he’s honestly more bewildered than upset. doesn’t let you anywhere near the gym. he can make an exception for yamaguchi though. “at least it’s not hinata…or worse, kageyama.”
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OIKAWA TOORU
your life is never boring with this guy as your brother. you’re literally being dragged everywhere, practices, shopping, team events… you’re like “i’m not even part of the team.” he goes “we can fix that!” and the next day you find out that you’re the manager for the boys’ volleyball team. huh, wonder how that happened.
oh my god, he MILKS you being his manager. “hold my drink, my fans are calling.” “y/n get my towel please.” you’re absolutely seething at the power trip that this guy is on. eventually, you start doing all that for his other team members and not for him, and he gets so whiney. “y/n you’ll get big ugly iwaizumi a towel but not your own sweet brother?!” that earns him a spike to the head from iwaizumi.
he tells you all the gossip about the school, because believe me, he knows A LOT of things. he’ll do his skin care while he forces you to listen to his gossip, cue him getting mad if you try to leave. everyone realizes why you two are siblings when you two walk down the halls and pull the exact same faces at the people he’s told you about in his gossip.
he makes you his little scapegoat for his fangirls. “oh, you want my number? you’ll have to ask y/n for that, they keep my phone with them during practice!” (you dont) “now, why don’t you girls hand all these gifts to my lovely sibling for me?” (you almost immediately chuck them at his face when you see him) but you know the best way to get back at him? when he sees you even slightly conversing with ushijima or kageyama, all hell breaks loose.
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SUNA RINTAROU
the devil if the devil was your brother. he takes the ugliest pictures of you, when you’re asleep, when you’re yelling, when you’re crying over a movie. he also loves to send you pictures of animals and send a “look at you in this picture, so cute”. he also takes your things without asking and never returns it, you’ll just find it in his bag one day.
he also is one to order you around, and it drives you mad. “pass me the remote, y/n.” “but it’s nearer to you.” “i’ll tell mom that you-” // “y/n get me a drink from the vending machine.” “why would i do that” “remember when you snuck out and i-” // “get my bag too when you get yours.” “no.” “what i post that one picture of you when you’re about to sneeze-”
but he’s always looking out for you. when creeps try to approach you, he’s quick to react by shooting them a nasty glare. he’s a silent kind of care. standing behind you on elevators, walking on the outer side of the sidewalk, staying up late til you come home and just telling you he just couldnt sleep. little do you know, it’s something he’s always done even as a kid. putting more food on your lunch box, holding the corner of tables when you pick something up so you don’t hit your head, returning your things that are sprawled around the house to your room so you don’t lose them.
and if he ever finds you crying over some guy, he sighs and sits down next to you. “why’re you crying over an idiot?” he then makes snappy insults at the expense of the guy, making you laugh. “see? you look better like that. now stop crying and let me get some sleep.” he closes the light and shuts the door on his way out.
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partyhardyinamaserati · 10 months
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Roy Is Scary (Jamie Tartt x Fem!Reader)
Warnings: New at this and only posting because Jamie Tartt needs more fanfics written about him.
Summary: Jamie and Reader can be really smart, but also really dumb.
“You better not fuck things up with her.” Roy told Jamie when you first appeared as an assistant to the coaches.
“What do ya mean? Fuck things up with who?” Jamie asked him. Not realizing he would stare at you for a little too long every time you entered his line of sight.
“(Y/N), she’s a good assistant and she seems like she can keep the team in line when I can’t.” This was soon found to be true. While you were very sweet, you knew when to flip the nice switch off and shatter some egos. When the team found out that Ted was sending in his niece from America who wanted a change of scenery that she would be like him. Which you were, you gave the occasional pun, lots of kindness, and plenty of motivation. However, you were ‘Led Tasso’ far more often than Ted was. In all honesty, Jamie found it really attractive when you would let your frustrations loose. After a few months of you working at Richmond you gained a boyfriend, and Jamie couldn’t help but be jealous and resent poor Peter.
When Peter came in with you to work one day, Jamie was the only one who didn’t greet him and the team picked up on that, and unfortunately for Jamie, so did (Y/N). When she finally cornered him about it a few days later, she asked,
“What the hell did you have against Peter?” Jamie looks up at you, “I know you thought something was wrong with him, so out with it.” He doesn’t know what to say and you used the past tense when referring to him.
“Nothin. Ya just shouldn’t be with him,” he told you.
“Well, I’m not. He broke up with me because he suspected that you and I have feelings for each other.” You quickly look away from him, but this accusation sent Jamie into shock, his intentions were never to get Peter to break up with you. He didn’t think giving Peter the cold shoulder was going to cause him to jump to conclusions, but instead of apologizing, Jamie asked,
“Do we?” Poor Jamie doesn’t ever think about how smart you are when you notice his choice of words. So when you whip your head around and ask,
“Jamie, you have feelings for me?” He goes into shock. You caught him. You knew the truth and Roy Kent was going to be pissed because Jamie had indeed fucked things up. “I can’t believe I wasted my time with Peter when I could have been with you instead.” You finished. Jamie is going through emotional whiplash until he finally spits out,
“You what?” Which for someone so smart you also had your dumb moments, taking his question as him confessing he did not in fact have feelings for you and you had jumped to the wrong conclusion. You did what Uncle Ted told you not to do, you messed things up for yourself. You would have to run away from society to hide from your shame.
“Jamie, I’m sorry, forget I said anything at all, okay?” You rushed and tried to turn away when Jamie grabbed your wrist.
“Wait (Y/N), I just didn’t realize that my feelings were mutual, alright?” You sighed in relief.
“Good, because I thought I was going to have to disappoint Uncle Ted and I would have hated that.”
“Nah, I thought I was going to be on the pointy end of Roy Kent’s rage, I think you would have survived Ted.”
“Oh yeah, Roy is scary as fuck.”
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the-ghost-boo · 3 months
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The Royal Pardon - Part 1 [Gay Smut]
All characters are above the age of 18.
Hi! This is just another story that I’ve been writing. I was thinking of making it a multi-parter so if you do want a second part make sure to tell me below! As always, I hope you enjoy it - it’s my second ever story so I’m still developing my writing style! Happy reading <3
- The Ghost Boo
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It’s not every day that you mess up a prince’s live televised speech. The wind howls as I’m escorted through the long winding palace corridors by stone faced guards and I can’t help but shiver nervously. I’m not anyone important, just some nobody assistant working for the palace who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was in the middle of his speech, speaking passionately about something which I wasn’t paying much attention to - OK I may have been focusing on the noticeable bulge showing beneath his tight trousers when I was meant to be checking the wiring but how can I help it?
Tripping over the wire and falling straight into the prince was not exactly my most gracious moment, but I’ll take what life gives me and in that moment life gave me something I’d only ever dreamed about - I was on top of the prince, pinning him down to the ground below. I was stuck in my fantasy while hell broke loose around me. At least until the Royal Guards dragged me off of him and away.
I’m now here to apologise to him and while it might be nerve wracking, I’m also excited to see the prince again, even if he might be mad at me. 
We finally reach the prince’s room and one of the guards knocks on the door.
“Come in”, calls the prince from inside.
As the door swings open, I can’t help but feel slightly lightheaded as I look at the prince. His soft brown hair creates a halo around his perfect face and his dimples stare me in the face.
“You may leave us”, he says softly to the guards.
Seemingly unsure as to whether to leave, the guards look at each other nervously and shuffle in their places. Apparently it’s unusual for the prince to ask them to leave whilst talking to someone.
“Leave now!”. His voice takes on a more commanding tone and they instantly walk out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind them.
I just stand there in silence, looking at him before I realise what I’m meant to be doing. It’s too late though and the prince starts talking.
“Quite a mess you made yesterday”. 
Surprisingly he doesn’t sound angry, he seems to be just making a remark.  
“I-i’m really sorry your majesty”, I manage to stammer out, “it was a complete accident. I didn’t mean to. Please don’t fire me though, this is all I have, I need this job. I’ll do anything, just please keep me”. 
“Ah yes”, the prince responds, “it would be a huge shame for me to have to fire someone, I hope that it won’t come to that”. 
“I hope so too”, the words come out of my mouth before I can stop them.
“So, you’ll do anything?” he asks.
“Anything your majesty”, I reply.
Before I can even process what’s happening, he stands up and pulls down his trousers in one fluid movement, leaving him in only some very tight white boxers. 
He smirks at me as he tells me, “you said you'd do anything. Well if you want to keep your job and get a royal pardon, then you’ll do exactly what I say”.
Unbeknownst to him, my wildest fantasies are coming true. I'd dreamed of this since I’d started working at the palace a few months ago and first laid my eyes on him. 
“Come forward”, his voice takes on the commanding tone that it did when he spoke to his guards outside, “I need some help. Unfortunately for me it’s not easy to get sexual pleasures as a prince, the only encounters I’ve had have been with me, myself and I”. 
I swallow as he pushes me down to my knees and I’m left facing his impressive bulge. His hands make their way to the back of my head and he pushes it forward until my lips are left touching the soft felt fabric. A musky smell fills my nose - he’s definitely ejaculated into these boxers before.
Softly, he moves away for a second and slips the boxers down his bare legs and flings them into a pile on his bed. His absolutely huge soft cock is now dangling between his legs and without him even needing to say anything, I lunge forward.
I slowly rub my lips against it, tasting it, a tangy taste filling my mouth. Gradually, it starts to grow, until a fully erect 9 inch pole stares back at me. I look up and see the prince smiling at me from above. 
“Suck it”, he commands, “and if you do well, not only will you keep your job - you’ll get a promotion”.
That’s all the motivation I need. I hungrily enclose my mouth around the head, peeling back the foreskin with my mouth. My tongue slips out and I start to lick all around, wetting his dick with my hot saliva. Eventually, I place my mouth around his shaft and start to suck passionately, moving my head up and down it at a rapid pace. Soft moans escape his mouth as he pushes into me, banging against the back of my throat with his dick. I’ve never sucked anyone before, so it surprises me that I’m able to fit the whole 9 inches down my throat.
“Good boy”, the prince moans from above me, “you’re doing great”. 
As my mouth moves up and down, tongue swirling around, enveloping his member, his moans start to increase in volume and frequency. Seemingly unable to resist the urge, he grabs fistfuls of my jet black hair and starts to violently slam my head back and forth. Wow, he’s face fucking me. 
Again and again, the tip of his dick slams against the back of my throat and I try not to gag as his salty pre-cum drips down into my throat. 
Eventually his breathing becomes laboured and he starts to groan. Inside my mouth, I feel him about to climax and quickly, he pulls his dick out of my mouth and holds it above my head. My mouth opens eagerly and I stare up at it, ready to accept whatever he wants to deposit on me.
Finally, after a few short moments, his cock starts to convulse and long ropes of salty white cum start to spurt out, splashing over my face. I shut my eyes as it runs down my face and into my eyes. I open my mouth though and try to swallow as much of that salty whiteness as I can. I’m in ecstasy as the last few drops fall onto my hair, leaving me covered in his spunk.
Wanting to clean himself up, he pushes his helmet onto the tip of my mouth and I slightly open it, my tongue flicking out to clear the last few droplets of cum from it. 
Above me, I heard a low groan and he says, “Well, that’s a promotion for sure!”
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givemea-dam-break · 11 months
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Hi! I love your work and follow you for quite a while, I just wanted to ask if you could do a Lockwood x reader but it's like a morning with the whole crew.. If possible I want the reader to be female but you can do any gender that makes you comfortable.. it's really up to you.. 🙂
a/n: of course!! and i can definitely do a fem reader, i like using as few pronouns as possible so that anyone can read them but i’m more than happy to! this is a little short, but i hope you enjoy <3
warnings: mild language female reader
"George, pass the sugar. You've not put enough in my tea."
From the way George's expression morphs from quiet contentedness to pure horror, you'd think someone had told him his parents had been murdered and their house robbed. His eyes are about as wide as they can get, and his mouth is essentially scraping the floor from how wide he's gaping.
"Excuse me?"
Lucy, still dressed in her pyjamas, holds her mug of steaming tea in one hand and has the other outstretched, waiting for him to pass the dish filled with sugar. "You heard me. I need more sugar."
"You're wrong. I gave you two and a quarter teaspoons, exactly as much as you have every morning."
"I'll pretend that wasn't creepy," Lucy says. "But I'm in need of more sweetness in my tea today. After seeing Kipps last night, there's a horrible, bitter taste in my mouth."
Lockwood, who was previously making everyone's toast, steps away from the counter and plucks the dish from George's grip and passes it over to Lucy, who smiles gratefully and dumps a heaped teaspoon of sugar into her tea. You grimace at the sheer amount, holding your mug close to your chest and far, far away from her.
"Who was it having eggs again?" Lockwood asks. "We've only got three left."
"I think all of us were," you say, "but you three can have them. I'm not too fussed. Besides, George broke my egg cup the other night trying to juggle them."
Lockwood waves a hand nonchalantly. "Nonsense. Have mine, (name). I don't fancy eggs today."
"Neither," Lucy says. "Skull said some... particularly strange things concerning eggs this morning."
You raise an eyebrow at her. "Care to explain?"
"No. No, I don't."
George is glaring at her as he places his and Lockwood's mugs on the cluttered kitchen table, but she ignores him entirely, scribbling a little picture onto the thinking cloth. In front of you is her doodle from yesterday at lunch, and it looks concerningly like George and Lockwood as moles. You decide not to question it. Many things concerning Lucy are better left unknown.
Lockwood sets down plates of toast for everyone, and you retrieve the egg cups from the cupboard, making sure to give George his first because all hell will break loose otherwise. Gratefully, you take Lockwood's for yourself, smiling at him as he passes just behind you, brushing his hand against your arm as he moves.
There's constant movement as everything gets laid out, and it's hard to move in a small kitchen such as yours, but it's something you've grown quite fond of. The cosiness of it, the clutter. Even when you're all sat down, signs of your movements are still all around. The teaspoon George always uses for making everyone's teas is hanging partly off the countertop, teetering on the edge. A box of half-eaten doughnuts sits upside down next to the fridge. The kettle is still steaming. A glowing tea towel, hiding a luminous and rude-mouthed skull, is perched precariously on the counter, threatening to fall into the bin just beside. You've half a mind to believe Lucy has placed it there on purpose.
"So," Lockwood says with a grin after taking a bite of toast. His hand rests over one of yours, squeezing softly. "What've we got on today?"
You scan the surface of the thinking cloth and point at one of the spots with the knife you've just cracked your egg with. "Meeting with a client at eleven am. What was her name again?"
"Mrs Lewis, I think," Lucy says.
George frowns, looking at his egg as if it tastes funny. "Lockwood, what time is it?"
Lockwood glances down at the watch on his wrist once. Then again, this time more panicked. "Ten forty-nine."
"Shit." Is a phrase unanimously shared between the four of you at that moment, and throughout many of your mornings at 35 Portland Row.
Lucy jumps from her chair and runs to get dressed. George tries to eat his egg while plating up some biscuits and boiling the kettle again, choosing a half-decent mug from the cupboard. Lockwood is dashing down to the basement to grab yours and George's notebooks to write down details of the case in, and you rush to get to the living room to scoop up the piles of dirty clothes and a couple of plates left by George the night before.
Lockwood and Co is a prestigious agency, one of the best in London. Despite that, most mornings with clients are spent like this. None of you are particularly adept at checking the time before you have breakfast, or, well, getting up early enough to allow yourselves enough time to prepare for a meeting. Having lie-ins is just too sweet to give up.
After a minute or two, Lockwood joins you in making the living room and hallway look respectable, and you both laugh as you hear Lucy swearing upstairs. George squeezes between you both with a plateful of goodies before darting away to his room to change out of his newly crumb-covered T-shirt.
Despite the rush, you like being with just Lockwood. In such a busy industry, in a house with two other people, you don't get much time to actually spend alone together, even in the few months that you've been dating. Yeah, you go on cases together often, and you spend late nights together in the library, but lately, you've not had much of a chance for anything else. Half the time, you feel too much like a mother to the rest of the household than you do a girlfriend or friend, and so you've not got much time to do anything else.
"We're great at time management," you mutter as you fluff the pillows and find a stash of chocolate bars beneath them. "Oh, George! What did we say about hiding your chocolate on the sofa? It'll melt, especially if you leave ones open like this! How am I meant to clean this out of the cushion in a minute?"
"Sorry!" he calls down, but he's not really sorry, you're well aware.
"I think our time management is fine," Lockwood insists with a dazzling smile as you scrub at the chocolate staining the sofa. "Look at you go! You've cleaned everything in record time."
You look at him incredulously as the doorbell rings, using a pillow to hide the stain. "Fine? Record time? Oh, I'd strangle you if the client wasn't here!"
"You love me too much for that," he says. He grins wider, if possible, pressing a chaste kiss to the top of your head as he passes you to open the door.
And you sigh heavily, but a smile still plays on your lips. The disorganization is what makes Lockwood and Co, Lockwood and Co. The four of you simply wouldn't be the same without it. And, like the small kitchen, you've actually grown quite fond of it.
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helluva-demonbelle · 1 month
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Here’s chapter one of my fic! Once I can post it on AO3 I’ll also be posting chapter 2 and 3 with it, and I’ll drop a link.
Title: Rings of Id
Ship: Radiobelle
Roughly about 3k words here.
Summary: Charlie Morningstar, Princess of Hell, could break the contracts of her citizens, throwing off the already unsteady balance of power of the Overlords. It wasn’t something she was keen on advertising.
She broke their contract. She freed their soul. But there was a problem.
The Overlord came to collect.
Notes: No warnings, yet, but something I’ll be exploring in this fic that I love reading is the duality of Charlie’s powers and personality. She will have moments where might seem out of character but it’s just where her more demonic side comes through. Also that’s a working summary but it gets the idea across I guess.
With the stroke of her hand, she smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles in her pants for what was probably the fifth time in the past hour, her nerves positively buzzing with excitement. Her leg bounced and she tried to ignore the slight creak her chair made with each shift in movement. It wasn’t the best armchair, admittedly, having come from her old nursery it was probably as old as she was. The paint was chipping a bit, the cushion was fraying at the seams, but it was serviceable! And comfortable. Plus, it reminded her a bit of home. With a little bit of love and care she was sure that it could be restored to its former glory.
But! That wasn’t what was important right now. What was important, Charlie reminded herself, was that there was a potential patient! Her smile widened, her attention once again brought to the demon before her.
They were a slip of a thing. They sat on the edge of the loveseat, eyes darting around for potential predators. They were ready to bolt, she could tell, and the princess hoped that it wasn’t her presence that brought them such unease. With deep black eyes and tiny little golden horns, one would assume they were of the sheep variety.
Charlie watched as they fiddled nervously with their hands, looking everywhere but the crown princess. A part of her couldn’t help but feel like they were taking in the wrong sorts of details- the torn wallpaper, the loose floorboards, the crack in the ceiling. Sure, the Happy Hotel needed a bit of fixing up, but it wasn’t anything that she couldn’t fix herself! And she would be! Once they got a little bit more funding.
She was just waiting on proof that her program would work. Then she could present it to her dad, show him it would work and then- Charlie stopped. Now was not the time to think about that, actually. She had a potential patient in front of her now. And they just might be the ticket that they needed.
“So!” Charlie began, her voice broke the silence like shattered glass. The poor sheep demon nearly jumped out of their skin and bleated loudly in surprise. Charlie winced. She really hadn’t meant to startle the poor dear, but after she had walked into the room, the demon hadn’t spoken a word. They kept looking around every corner, jumping at shadows of all things. Maybe it is because I’m the princess, she mused thoughtfully. But, that didn’t seem to hold much weight, much like her own title. Charlie was as respected as a hellhound. Maybe even less. Still, she couldn’t let that stop her, she would just have to be a tad bit more mindful of the demon in front of her.
This time, a little softer, more gentle, “Vaggie told me that you’re looking to check into the hotel. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?”
“I- ah- my name is… Lambert?” It said, confused. It was still looking around, as if it expected someone to come jumping out at it. The poor thing. They looked so frightened. Charlie grabbed the demon’s hand, her grip firm.
“Well, Lambert, my name is Charlie Morningstar. Nice to meet you.” Lambert tugged her hand away and Charlie dropped it without much protest, her hand falling back into her lap.
The lamb demon paused, shifting its gaze from her hand to her face, and she could only hope just how earnestly she meant it showed. She did mean it. It was nice to meet them. It had been a good 2 months or so since the last prospective patient had graced their doorstep.
“Well,” Charlie said, dropping her arm, pleased. She folded them neatly into her lap, ever the lady. “Now we have the introductions out of the way- what can we at the Happy Hotel do for you?”
Lambert’s gaze dropped, unable to meet her own. She watched for a few moments as they fiddled with the hem of their shirt, tapping against the fabric as if in constant debate. They wanted to tear it open, she knew. Nerves. Charlie took a deep breath. Patience. She needed to be patient. This had to be hard for them, obviously, since they were so scared.
“I- um. I heard that you- you redeem people.”
Charlie’s eyes softened. Not quite, but that’s alright. “I don’t redeem people,” Charlie corrected gently. “Redemption can only be achieved by seeking it yourself. Apologizing for ones sins, trusting in others, helping those you care about… those things can help redeem someone. I can help, we have a specialized program, but I don’t redeem people myself.”
Lambert dropped his gaze, disappointed. Their shoulders visibly drooped as they dropped their head in defeat, holding their face in their hands. “I knew they lied,” Lambert’s voice cracked as they let out the beginnings of a sob. “I knew it was too good to be true!”
“Woah woah, hey now,” Charlie stood up, moving closer to the sheep demon. “There’s no need for tears. Why don’t you tell me what’s going on? Maybe I can help!” She smiled, earnestly hoping the poor thing would open up to her sincerity. It was a superpower that only worked a handful of times, and mostly with her girlfriend, but that was neither here nor there.
“You can’t help me!” The lamb sobbed into their coat, their shoulders shaking. “You can’t! You don’t redeem people!”
“Well, that’s true, but it doesn’t mean you can’t redeem yourself! That’s what this hotel is about!” Charlie took out her carefully drawn plans out of the pink envelope, nearly dropping them in the process, and set them in front of the sheep. “Look, here! See, we have a step by step program to help poor unfortunate souls like you to get redeemed! All is not lost!”
“It doesn’t matter,” The lamb continued, not listening to her. “It doesn’t matter! He owns my soul! I’ll never get redeemed!”
At that, Charlie paused. He owned their soul?
An Overlord.
Of course.
Charlie straightened herself, smoothing down her jacket as she came to a stand. For a moment, Charlie watched as the poor lamb lamented their fate, their shoulders shook with grief and regret. The poor thing needed help. Was practically begging for it. With a sigh, Charlie closed her eyes and stood still.
She could feel it. The power lay dormant within her, a rolling ocean waiting for her to call. All she needed to do was reach for it, and then she could save the poor lamb- she would Save HIM -
Her hand outstretched, her powers at her fingertips burning to be used, begging for release - she stopped. A deep, uneasy feeling churned in her stomach, twisted into knots.
The risk was too great.
But she could. Shouldn’t she?
Charlie let out a slow, uneasy breath.
She’d done it before.
No. No Vaggie had talked to her about this. Not another one. It could cause a lot of problems for them at the hotel. They didn’t need an Overlord on their doorstep, not when they lacked proper protection. Vaggie could handle most small demons that may wander in to threaten their safety, but an Overlord…?
She would not put Vaggie in that position.
Still. The lamb before her was in trouble, clearly.
“Can you tell me about them?” She asked, trying to keep her tone soft. It wasn’t easy. The sight of the lamb, bleating in distress.. anger rolled through her. No. She had to be calm. She hated seeing her people so distressed, and, though the lamb might be naturally inclined to be skittish, Charlie struggled with keeping her anger down and not wring that damn Overlord’s NECK -
She swallowed as she pushed those thoughts down. No. That was not who she was. Charlie focused her attention back to her client, and, hopefully, future patient. The princess offered a small smile in what she hoped was reassurance. The lamb shuddered, their full out panic now having been reduced to tiny hiccups and sobs. Charlie took a handkerchief out of her jacket, offering it to the little lamb. They took it, smiling gratefully, before dabbing at the corners of their eyes. Charlie knelt down to be at eye level with them.
“Please, tell me about the contract.” The princess took the lamb’s hand with her own. “I promise, I will do whatever I can to help.”
“I just- I just- I didn’t want to be prey anymore,” Lambert hiccuped. “I was so tired of being h- hu- hunted by the other demons. I just wanted to give it back to them. Tenfold. What they would d- do to me.”
Lambert sniffed, blowing out their nose into the kerchief. “I - I made a deal to- to get back at them. He- he gave me powers. To hurt them. To hu- hunt them down. But it didn’t l-last. Only a day. Then they came back.”
“And.. he took your soul?”
Lambert nodded. “F-for one day. I g- got what I wanted but it didn’t last.”
Charlie frowned. That didn’t sound like a fair deal, but it was common knowledge sinner’s couldn’t die permanently, unless it was by an Angel’s weapons. Did the lamb truly not know? Or did they not think about it? The poor dear had been duped. .
“Lambert,” Charlie began softly. “Do you regret what you did?” She had to know. To be sure.
The lamb demon paused at the question, not looking at her. They twisted the kerchief in their hands, teeth nibbling on their lip. Their body was tense, as if ready to bolt at any moment. Charlie shifted her position, kneeling directly in front of them. The lamb was one of her people. She would do anything, anything, to help them in their hour of need. But she needed to know. If they weren’t regretful, if they didn’t want to be better, there was nothing she could do.
“No.”
The weight of their words hit her like a pile of bricks.
“N-no, I don’t. They d-deserved what they got! I just- I just wish I didn’t have to sell my s-soul to do it.” The princess closed her eyes.
They just wanted to get out of their contract.
They didn’t want to change.
Charlie sighed, her shoulders sagged as she exhaled, but she was quick to stand up with a smile on her face. Sure, she was a bit disappointed, but that was okay. The path to redemption was not linear. Just because they didn’t express regret today didn’t mean that they weren’t going to express regret tomorrow! And, besides, maybe their minds would change. Maybe, down the road, they would regret what they did. And once they did, she would be there, ready and willing to help.
“Well,” Charlie began, clapping her hands together. “That’s okay! The Happy Hotel is here to help those who want to repent and go to Heaven,” Charlie said, sitting back in her armchair. “You are more than welcome to check in. We don’t charge rent, and you can start the program to begin the process. We have daily activities to learn how to become a better person so that way you can earn your way back to heaven!”
“D-do you offer protection?” The lamb asked, tilting their head to the side. Charlie winced, averting her gaze as she scratched her head.
“W-well, no, each resident is responsible for their own safety outside of the hotel-”
“What about inside the hotel?” The lamb pressed. “W-what if someone comes in to attack us? Is the King going to protect us?” Charlie’s lips tightened at the line of questioning, a flush rising to her pale skin. Charlie didn’t meet the lamb’s gaze.
“We are perfectly capable of protecting our residents without the assistance of the King, thank you-”
“But how?”
“...Vaggie is our security?”
The lamb tilted their head. She wasn’t sure if it was in disbelief or curiosity. “One person? You’ve got one person defending the whole hotel?” Disbelief. The lamb jumped down from the seat, pushing their way past the princess as it tossed the kerchief to the ground. Charlie stumbled back, the back of her calves hitting the coffee table. She watched as the lamb marched to the door, grasped the handle and slammed the door shut behind them.
She winced.
Another potential client, gone. Charlie sighed, falling onto the loveseat, cradling her head in her hands. It was getting harder and harder to get clients in here as time went on. Tears stung in her eyes, but Charlie was quick to wipe them away. She couldn’t afford to cry over another lost client. It was their choice if they wanted to stay at the hotel or not. She couldn’t force them to want to be better. The burden of leadership weighed heavily on her shoulders.
How in hell was she supposed to convince people that redemption was in their best interest…?
Didn’t they want to be safe from Extermination day?
Didn’t they just.. Want to be better?
She leaned back and closed her eyes, ignoring the stress headache forming in the back of her mind. Every year, her people were exterminated by angels. Every year, she had to watch as those she cared about most ran and hid, permanently suffering in a final, painful, death. It was a massacre that she had lived with for over 200 years, and she was so tired.
Tired of her father not caring. Tired of her mother, missing.
Tired of her people dying.
Still, Charlie mused, all was not lost. Just because one sheep demon didn’t want to check into the hotel didn’t mean it was over. After all, it wasn’t like everything hinged on them! There were still plenty of demons out there, and there just had to be demons who wanted the same thing as her. After all, Vaggie did, so there was one. And, Angel Dust, too! While sure, he was primarily using the hotel for free rent… But! That didn’t mean he couldn’t be redeemed.
She just had to try harder. She would get them next time. There would be a next time.
There was a soft click as the doorknob turned. Charlie rubbed at her eyes, forcing any evidence of her tears away and grinned as she turned around. “Hey, Vaggie!”
Vaggie was not at all convinced by her enthusiasm. “You okay, hon?” her girlfriend asked in her approach. Charlie snorted, letting out a small laugh, waving the concern aside.
“Who, me? Course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Vaggie gave her a look, and she knew that look. She sighed, allowing the smile to fall, but, to be fair, not for long. She couldn’t help it, where Vaggie was concerned. “I am okay,” Charlie reassured. “Really.”
Vaggie made a noise of disbelief, but didn’t say anything further. She picked the soiled kerchief with her spear, lips curling in disgust as she disposed of it in the trash. Vaggie set her spear down on the table, joining her on the seat. Charlie immediately turned closer to her girlfriend, letting out a sigh as her eyes closed. She leaned down, resting her head on Vaggie’s own. Vaggie reached out, grasping her hand and laced her fingers with her own. Her thumb traced circles over her pale skin, a comfort when Charlie was feeling down.
When Charlie dreamed of Heaven, it was Vaggie who grounded her, the support that kept her going strong.
They sat in silence for a long time before Vaggie finally asked her what happened. Charlie sighed.
“They wanted me to break their contract.” Vaggie bolted up, her eye wide in both shock and fear. She grasped Charlie’s face in her hands, earnest, anxious. Her fingers were practically shaking against her skin with fear.
“They said-?” The princess lifted her hand, cutting her girlfriend off with a shake of her head. She straightened herself, shifting so her feet were tucked beneath her.
“Not in so many words,” Charlie assured. “They asked if I could redeem them. Apparently someone owns their soul, and someone told them I could help.”
“...Did you?” Vaggie asked.
Charlie shook her head as Vaggie rejoined her on the couch, their thighs touching. Charlie reached out for her, and Vaggie didn’t hesitate to grasp her hand. Her grip was tight, anxious. Like she was afraid she would disappear if she would let go.
“Why didn't you offer to break it?” Vaggie asked then. Charlie shrugged, leaning her head back.
She could have. It would have been easy, relatively speaking. If the lamb had expressed any sort of guilt for what they had done, she might have offered. They had very few residents at the hotel, and if breaking the contract meant getting another soul redeemed, then she would.
She would do anything to save her people.
But, they didn’t express remorse. The only thing that they regretted was selling their soul to do what they wanted. It wasn’t like she wouldn’t have allowed them residency at the hotel if they didn’t express any sort of remorse for what they did. Angel Dust had no shame at all, after all, but there had to be some sort of desire for redemption. A hint of guilt. A fleeting grasp of remorse. She could work with those.
The lamb hadn’t expressed any of that.
Even still, that wasn’t even what did the deal in. The lamb was scared of whoever owned their soul. The other Overlords and demons could pose a potential threat, too. Thus far they had done well enough on their own, but the lamb didn’t seem like much of a fighter, and likely didn’t want to be put in a place of danger. The Happy Hotel skated on by for the most part simply because they were an unremarkable threat.
No one really cared who she was, Princess or not, and their only patient was Angel Dust. It was unlikely they had decided to run their mouths regarding what she did for them. If they had, she would have heard more about it.
Overlords making contracts was commonplace.
The Princess of Hell breaking that contract, however, was not.
Contracts, deals. Agreements. Favors. All the same thing, really. It didn’t matter. As Princess of Hell, respected or not, she could void the agreements made between her citizens. Contracts were legally binding and were the bread and butter for the sinners in hell, but it didn’t mean anything to the Princess, really. She was the higher authority, and the only ones above her were her parents.
And her mother wasn’t even around.
It wasn't something she was particularly keen on advertising. If it was, Charlie would have every regretful sinner, like the lamb, on her doorstep begging for their contracts to be broken so they could get a fresh start. She absolutely wanted to help her people, more than anything, but if they didn’t regret their decisions, if they didn’t want to be better, there wasn’t a point. Not to mention, though she had thus far had stayed off the Overlord’s radar, breaking contracts left and right would throw off the balances of power and make the Hotel a target. She could not afford that.
She couldn’t do that to Vaggie, or Angel. They didn’t deserve such a fate. It was her job to protect them, no matter what Vaggie thought.
“They- didn’t think the hotel was safe.” Charlie finally offered. Vaggie snorted with a roll of her eye. She didn’t tell her that she didn’t think it would have worked for the lamb, either. Not right now, anyway. Maybe later on the lamb would change their mind. There was always tomorrow, Charlie reminded herself. Charlie took a deep breath and grinned. As she came to a stand, she offered her girlfriend a hand up.
“Maybe we should look into security,” Charlie offered. “Razzle and Dazzle can circle the skies, plus, it would give them the chance to stretch their wings, too!”
“You sure that’s safe? What if someone tries to attack them?” Vaggie asked. Charlie waved it off.
“They’re dragons. If someone does try to attack them, they’ll eat them.”
“Wow. You sound very casual about that.” Charlie shrugged.
“It’s not the solution I would like,” Charlie said with a shrug, “but it is a temporary solution anyway. Besides, anyone they eat will just come back in a few days.” Vaggie nodded.
“Well, it does suck we weren’t able to get another patient.”
Charlie nodded, but her smile only widened as she stared down at her girlfriend. “There is always tomorrow!”
-
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que-serra-serra · 11 months
Text
[Serennedy] Second Chances
Written for @serennedyshipweek23 day 2: Protecting one another. I went for a rewrite of the elevator + Krauser scene, hope you enjoy <3 Rated T | 3.8k words | ao3 link
“What do you mean, you were researching the Plaga!?” Leon demanded.
“I’m not sure how there’s any room for misunderstanding in that statement,” Luis said with an infuriating smirk. “Do you not have research in America? See, it is when dashing scientists such as myself—”
“Why the hell were you working for them!?” Leon interrupted the attempt at deflecting. “For once in your life, fucking be straight with me!”
Luis laughed, a mocking sound without any humor. “Be straight with you? Oh, amigo, you should have considered that before you shoved your dick down my throat.”
“For fuck’s sake, Luis!” Leon slammed his fist on the wall above Luis’ head with a bang.
The noise startled both men, and they quieted as the old elevator rattled and shook, the noise echoing through the mines. Thankfully, the elevator car kept moving up.
Finally, Luis sighed. “Look, I don't know what to tell you. I came back to this village to get away from my past mistakes, and only got roped into another disaster instead. It's my fault that Las Plagas evolved this far. Is that what you want to hear?”
“Yes. No.” Leon groaned and pushed off the wall, away from Luis. “I don’t know.”
That was a lie: Leon knew exactly what he wanted to hear. He wanted Luis to laugh at the accusations and say that he had nothing to do with the parasite. That he regretted his time at Umbrella and had changed after it, and was now just an unfortunate bystander who hadn’t spent the last few days lying in Leon’s face.
Of course, Leon’s life was never that simple.
“You know, you aren’t making this very easy,” Luis said.
“You’re the one who lied to me,” Leon shot back. “If you wanted easy, you should’ve been honest from the start.”
Luis snorted. “You would not have hesitated to shoot me on sight if you knew the full extent of my actions.”
“Then why even tell me now?” Leon snapped.
When Luis’ reply didn’t come immediately, Leon turned back to look at the man and saw an uncharacteristically somber expression on his face.
“Maybe I'm tired of living a shitty life,” Luis simply said.
Leon knew he should push more. He should yell at Luis and probably arrest him for putting countless lives in danger; God knows Luis seemed to think he deserved it.
“Why did you leave Umbrella?” Leon asked instead.
“Oh, we are returning to sin number one?” Luis said, then sighed. “I was young and reckless and Umbrella had unlimited resources and no pesky ethical code to follow. And so, my team researched parasites: what could possibly go wrong, right?” Luis’ mouth quirked up in a self-deprecating smile. “After an entire city was infected with Umbrella's cannibal virus and a bioweapon I helped create was set loose to wreak havoc, well, let's just say burying my head in the sand was no longer an option.”
No. No no no no—
“Raccoon City,” Leon breathed. “That was you.”
Luis winced. “Not all of it, technically, but… yes. Some of that blood is on my hands.”
Leon’s head was spinning. One of the few friends he'd made in the years following the worst night of his life, someone he’d even started entertaining the thought of building something with once this was all over, also had a hand in the incident that broke Leon in the first place.
Leon really should have known as soon as Hunnigan said the words Umbrella scientist.
“But I thought…” Leon said, desperate to make sense of everything. “What about the Birkins?”
Luis looked up in surprise. “The Birkins' pet project was the G-strain, not the regular T-virus or NE-alpha parasite. But you sure know a lot of very classified information.”
“Because I was there,” Leon said. He swallowed. “My first and last day as a cop, at Raccoon City PD. Conveniently located right above a secret Umbrella research facility.”
Luis stared at him wide-eyed. “And that's why they have you working for the government. Anyone who had seen the events would need to be kept under control, especially if they knew about the lab.”
Leon blinked; he knew Luis was a scientist, but it still caught him off guard how quickly he’d deduced the right conclusion.
Luis' face fell as the realization set in. ”That's what's wrong with you. You wanted to be a policeman to help people, yet you were forced into being a killing machine. They didn't give you an option, eh?”
That's what's wrong with you. The words cut deep, at the dark place inside Leon that he thought he’d buried six years ago.
“Is death an option?” Leon weakly joked.
“Oh, mi amor—ehm, amigo,” Luis quickly corrected himself.
But Leon had caught the slip-up, and it was like the metaphorical knife lodged deep inside twisted in the wound. He hadn’t known how much he'd miss the ridiculous Spanish pet names before they were taken away from him. 
“I know you probably won't believe me, but I am sorry,” Luis said. “If not directly responsible, I still played a part in the two worst events of your life.”
Leon nodded. He wondered what it said about him that his first instinct—after wanting to throw a predictable punch—was to say you're also one of the best things to happen in my life, so it evens out.
The elevator ground to a halt, then, their destination reached. They were finally close to the surface, yet Leon still felt like he was suffocating—not from the stale air of the mines, but from the thick tension between them.
“I wish you’d told me all this before we…” Leon trailed off.
Luis smiled that sad smile again. “I'll add it to my long list of regrets.”
Leon watched Luis sigh and walk out of the elevator, straightening his shoulders and forcing a spring into his step. 
“No matter, we have a princess to rescue!” Luis said, his voice that familiar mix of humor and teasing, like he was happy to pretend their conversation never happened.
Luckily for him, Leon didn’t like leaving things unfinished.
“Luis, wait.”
Before Luis could react, Leon grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him against a wall of crates next to the elevator. For a heartbeat, they simply stared at each other, the tension crackling between them.
And then, when Luis didn’t protest, Leon leaned in and unceremoniously shoved his tongue down Luis’ throat.
Luis immediately moaned into the kiss and grabbed Leon’s shoulder straps to pull him closer, and that reassured Leon more than any empty promises could. After everything that had happened, Luis still trusted him with this; he let Leon manhandle him against the splintering crates and allowed Leon’s lips and tongue to take whatever he wanted.
Even if everything else had been a lie, there was no faking the attraction between them: the way Luis melted under his touch, the way Leon’s heart beat frantically in his chest, and the way they desperately clung to each other was all so very real. 
Luis’ hands slid up to wrap around Leon’s neck and a teasing tongue caressed Leon’s own, coaxing a deep groan out of the agent. Impatient hands pulled Leon closer and when he obliged, Luis sighed happily into the kiss, like there was nowhere else he’d rather be.
And that was the gist of it, wasn’t it? Luis had had plenty of opportunities to escape the cult while Leon mowed down ganados with gunfire and explosives. Yet he’d stayed right by Leon’s side, adamant on helping him and Ashley escape this rotten village.
Conflicting emotions raged within Leon and he stamped them down in favor of slanting his mouth against Luis' to deepen the kiss further, hands moving down from Luis’ shoulders to grip his narrow waist over the leather jacket. When Luis hummed in approval and arched into him, Leon wanted nothing more than to rut against him until they both forgot what they’d even been arguing about in the first place.
Unfortunately, they had more important things to get to than making out while Leon suffered an internal moral dilemma. When Leon reluctantly pulled away from the kiss, both men were panting for breath and Luis was blinking rapidly, like he could scarcely believe that had happened.
“I have to say, that was not what I was expecting,” Luis said.
Leon hesitated; there was so much he still wanted to talk about, but this was neither the time nor the place. The Plaga was raging inside Leon, slowly killing him, and Ashley couldn't be faring any better.
“I don't know what you expect me to do with all that information,” Leon said. “I’m… still pretty pissed off—”
“Understandable.”
“But I don't hate you. Even though I probably should.” Leon sighed. “I just… I've lost too many people.” He gripped Luis' jacket tight over his waist, hopefully conveying the meaning of I can't lose you too.
Luis laughed, the sound fake and ugly. “Oh amigo, there is no future for me. Even if I somehow make it out of this shithole, there are now two governments who want me out of the picture. And I doubt anyone will believe that I only wanted to help people, since not even you—"
Luis closed his eyes and took a breath and Leon resisted the urge to shake him, to force the whole story out of Luis and beg him to at least try to make Leon understand his past decisions.
When Luis opened his eyes and looked at Leon, his gaze was hollow. Leon had seen that look many times before; like a soldier who knew he would not be returning from the war, but who wanted to make every bullet count nonetheless.
"My story is one of hubris, and it does not have a happy ending," Luis said with bone-chilling certainty. "Best case scenario, I'll be behind bars for the rest of my life. Worst case—”
“No,” Leon said, hands balling into fists by Luis’ sides. “I won't let that happen. I'll get you out, you and Ashley, and—and I'll vouch for you, and the president…”
“Ha!” A bark of laughter came from behind them and Leon startled and stepped back. “Oh rookie, just as dumb as the day they brought you in.”
Leon recognized that voice, but there was no way…
"Who's there!?" Leon called, positioning himself in front of Luis. "Show yourself!"
In a blur of movement, none other than Major Krauser, Leon's mentor of four years and presumed dead for two, jumped down from a support beam overhead and landed neatly on his feet.
“You really think the government cares about one soldier? Or even a dozen?” Krauser said. “We’re expendable to them. You think good ol' POTUS would ever care what you have to say? Don’t make me laugh.”
For a brief moment, Leon considered that he was dreaming or having some sort of Plaga-induced hallucination. Even if Krauser was somehow miraculously alive, there was no reason for him to be here, in some rural Spanish village and crashing Leon’s solo mission.
“Cat got your tongue, rookie?” Krauser grinned, showing teeth. “Or did you lose it down your whore's throat?”
“Oye, rude,” Luis muttered. “This whore has a name, you know.”
Luis’ voice pulled Leon back to the present. Clearly this wasn't a hallucination if the Spaniard was sassing Krauser back.
“Major,” Leon said as levelly as he could manage. “What's going on? You were declared KIA two years ago."
“Fucking hell, you really are clueless,” Krauser sneered. “Four years of training with the best and you're still just a blue-eyed little kid. I should've offed you when I had the chance; would've been easy to make it look like an accident.”
The puzzle pieces started clicking into place in Leon’s head: blacked-out documents and the fact that Krauser's body had never been found. Modern military weapons scattered around an old Spanish village. Ashley’s kidnapping under the nose of some of the best agents in the world.
It had all been Krauser.
“I’m doing you a favor, really.” Krauser grinned, shifting his posture in an all-too familiar way. “Putting a weak, useless animal out of its misery.”
Just as Krauser surged forward, Leon reached for his gun—only he was too slow. In one lightning-quick move, Krauser’s knife was pressed to Leon’s throat and an arm restrained him from behind.
“Leon!” Luis yelled, pulling his pistol.
“Rookie mistake,'' Krauser ground out in Leon's ear, backing up and using him as a human shield. “A knife is always faster.”
“Luis, run!” Leon grit out, struggling against the hold. “I’ve got this!”
“I wouldn't do that,” Krauser said, now addressing Luis. “Unless you wanna see the pretty boy's throat slit.”
Leon felt the tip of the knife break skin and a drop of blood run down his throat. Luis’ grip faltered on his pistol, but he was making no move to escape.
“What are you doing? Go! Get the hell out of here!” Leon yelled.
After the conversation they'd just had, there was no telling what Luis would do. Men prepared to be sent to the gallows rarely made rational decisions, especially when the lives of their friends were concerned.
“What do you want, yanqui?” Luis' voice was surprisingly calm as he addressed Krauser.
“Just recovering stolen goods,” Krauser spat. “Hand over the amber.”
“Major, you don't have to do this!” Leon tried. “Snap out of it! If it's the parasite—”
“Shut up, brat!” Krauser elbowed Leon sharply in the spine and he bit back a pained grunt.
“Okay!” Luis said. He reached into his jacket and held something in his hand: a test tube glimmering with orange. “You want this, yes? I give it to you, and he goes unharmed.”
“Smart boy.” Krauser was smirking. “See, Leon? Smart boys know when they're outmatched.”
“Respectfully, Major, fuck you!” Leon kicked at Krauser, but only managed to hit his knee pad.
“Then here,” Luis said. He rolled over the tube, until it stopped at Krauser’s combat boots.
Without warning, Leon was thrown across the room and made impact with the cliff wall next to the elevator they’d just arrived in. He cursed as his shoulder took the brunt of the hit but quickly scrambled to right himself on the rocky floor.
“That's it, alright,” Krauser said, clinking his knife against the test tube now in his hands. Then he grinned, in a pure sadistic glee that made the hairs on Leon’s neck stand up. “Good thing our deal was only for his life.”
In one fluid move Leon had seen countless times before, Krauser threw his knife with impossible speed, and Leon only needed to see a shimmer of metal to know that it was heading straight for Luis' jugular.
Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. The knife sailed through the air, too fast for Leon to warn Luis or throw himself in the way, and soon it would land in Luis' throat with a sickening squelch—
A shot rang out and with a clang of metal meeting metal, the knife embedded itself into a nearby crate instead.
Stunned silent, Leon stared at Luis: still with his pistol in hand, eyes wide in shock. Abruptly, Leon remembered their time at the shooting gallery and how good of a shot Luis actually was. Since he’d already had his pistol drawn, he must have acted purely on reflex to deflect the knife.
Leon looked back at Krauser while reaching for his own combat knife, anticipating a follow-up attack, but the former Major was already gone.
Knowing the immediate danger was over, Leon allowed himself to sag back against the cave wall in relief.
“Well, that was something,” Luis said, walking closer while glancing over his shoulder, pistol still in hand. “Are you alright, cariño?”
The casual endearment was like a warm caress after being dunked in ice water. Leon barked out a somewhat hysterical laugh, giddy with adrenaline and the pure absurdity of the situation,
“Yeah,” Leon said once he'd composed himself, meeting Luis' quizzical gaze. “I'm okay.”
Luis raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you didn't hit your head too hard on the stone?"
"I'm sure," Leon said. “Just processing all the shit that went down."
“Fair enough.” Luis sat himself down next to Leon, then turned to him with a grin. “Did you see that shot!?”
Luis gestured at Krauser’s knife with a trembling hand and his smile had a manic edge to it. It looked like Leon wasn't the only one dealing with adrenaline jitters.
Leon smiled. “It was a nice shot.”
“Oh, a compliment? And a smile?” Luis teased. “I'll never let you live this down, Prince Charming.”
Leon huffed a dry chuckle, reveling in the familiar banter. “Don't get too used to it.”
“I, ehm.” Instead of a witty retort, Luis took a few pointed breaths, making Leon snap back to attention. “I actually think that you pulling me back to kiss me stupid just saved me from certain death,” Luis eventually said.
He had a point: Krauser had clearly been lying in ambush for them. He could have easily killed Leon had he wanted to, yet it was obvious that Luis and the tube—the amber?—had been his target.
“I need a smoke,” Luis announced.
Leon watched Luis’ trembling fingers procure a cigarette and then fumble with the lighter, dropping it on the ground with a soft curse.
Leon grabbed the lighter before Luis could. Even if he didn’t normally approve of smoking, a near-death encounter surely warranted an exception.
“Let me,” Leon murmured.
Luis nodded and leaned in. Leon flicked the lighter and held the flame steady, and soon Luis was dragging his first shaky inhale of nicotine.
“That’s better,” Luis said. “Much better.”
Leon placed the lighter back in Luis' still trembling hand and closed his fingers around it. He stamped down on the worry over seeing the man so obviously rattled: Luis being shaky with adrenaline was infinitely better than his throat gurgling as he choked on his own blood.
“I’m glad you're okay,” Leon said.
Luis grinned around his cigarette. “Come now, I can't leave my Sancho to save the princess alone. That would make a terrible story.”
Despite his attempted nonchalance, Luis intertwined their fingers around the lighter and squeezed, hard enough to almost hurt. Leon squeezed back; a silent I'm here. We're alright.
“The story needs its Don Quixote,” Leon agreed.
Luis laughed, and even if it was a little forced, it seemed like he was returning to himself. 
“And here I thought my references were flying right over your head,” Luis teased.
“Maybe there's more to me than just the trauma,” Leon said.
Luis smiled fondly. “Mi vida, you are so much more than a handsome face and great ass…kicking skills.” 
Luis winked and Leon huffed a laugh before getting to his feet.
“Come on,” Leon said, extending a hand. “Smoke break's over.”
Luis sighed but took the offered hand and let Leon pull him up. “Mierda, I nearly died and two minutes is all the break I get? You wound me, querido.”
Leon hesitated. “You could wait with the merchant—”
“Psht, I was only joking." Luis waved off the concern. “I have to protect my squire from the giants.”
The sentiment made Leon smile. Luis arched an eyebrow in response, before pointedly snuffing out his cigarette on the rock and looking up through his lashes. 
Not able to resist the obvious invitation, Leon leaned in—
And his communicator rang. Fantastic.
“Leon,” Ada's voice came through. “Still in one piece? Good.”
Of course she'd cracked his comms frequency. Of course she was checking in now, when Leon had fought through hell and back and been double-crossed more times than he cared to remember.
“What the hell, Ada!?” Leon snapped. 
Both Luis startling next to him and the tense silence from the other end spoke volumes of how uncharacteristic it was for Leon to lose his temper like this. At least with her.
“You're working with Krauser!? He's delusional, Ada—whatever your employer's claiming, he's fucking lost it. He even tried to kill Luis!” Leon said.
Ada was silent for a beat, then calmly asked, “What?”
Luis' chin came to rest on Leon's shoulder, speaking into the earpiece. “Holá, bonita,” Luis said. “A little bump in the road: the former Major just tried to murder me, but he settled for the Plaga sample. Since he has the amber, I assume this means our deal is over.”
“Murder—” Ada said. “Leon, put Serra on the line.”
Leon obediently handed his earpiece over, trying to ignore how easily he was going along with her request.
Luis put some distance between them and listened to Ada while nodding along whatever she was saying. Then, “Do not yell at me!” Luis exclaimed, gesticulating wildly even though Ada couldn't see him. “He would have killed us both! And trust me, I am very interested in curing our prince, but I can't do that while dead, hm?”
With that, Luis held the communicator out to Leon with a sardonic smile. “It's for you.”
"A bump in the road, huh?” Leon said, placing the device in his ear.
"Krauser is nothing but a means to an end that forgot his place," Ada said even more icily than usual, and Leon could hear the distinct cock of a gun. "Your girl is being held at the clocktower."
With that, the line cut out as Ada disappeared in her typical fashion. At least she'd provided them with new intel.
Luis nudged Leon's side and smirked. “Women, eh?”
Leon snorted. “Don't let her hear you say that.”
“She seems awfully fond of you,” Luis said. “For a heartless mercenary, anyway.”
“Yeah, well, jury says I've got shitty taste in women.” Leon paused, then added, “And men, apparently.”
Luis' smile widened into a grin, not seeming to take any offense. “And boy, does that work in my favor.” He clapped a hand on Leon’s shoulder. “Now come, Sancho, the princess awaits!”
“Not so fast,” Leon said, brushing off the hand. “You can tell me all about your little deal with Ada while we walk.”
“Ah, mierda.” Luis scratched his neck, smiling sheepishly. “You see, when I was planning my escape and had no idea that I would find a very strong, very beautiful American agent to protect me—”
Leon rolled his eyes and nudged Luis to make him start walking, already strapping in for a long and needlessly complicated story.
And if Leon stayed much closer to Luis than before and silently vowed to protect him better, well, that was nobody's business but his own.
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anxious-witch · 6 months
Note
I have this mental image in my head of Bojan meeting someone who he hates (who most likely hurt one of his friends (an ex or something)) and ends up being protective as fuck annnnddd starting a fist fight.
Or some Jance but its Bojan who's exposing their feelings to one another in a goofy cocky way (and later he's probably being chased by Kris with a newspaper, because he as getting entertained by looking at the two lovebirds being shy and awkward)
Or bottom Bojan with Kris... There's something wrong with me these days
Basically Bojan's stupid cocky shenanigans
Okay so I did the first prompt (and kind of implied the last at the very end), and I apologize, this was written on the phone and nit proofread so. Make of it what you will. I still hope you like it!
TW for fatphobia(from an OC not one of the boys) violence, slight description of blood and alcohol
Bojan was admittedly, a little tipsy. Which meant he had a little less control over his emotions than he'd usually have.
Which in turn, meant that when he saw a man invade Nace's space, despite Nace clearly being uncomfortable, he felt anger immediately shimmer under the surface.
He faintly heard a snippet of their conversation.
"Oh, Nacko, you change so much since we went to school together! Finally lost that weight, huh?"
Oh, no he did not. Bojan saw Nace flinch slightly at the comment. He grit his teeth and made sure to push through the crowd in the club until he was at Nace's side.
"Hello," he said, flashing his teeth in something resembling to a smile, "and who might you be?"
The man looked at Bojan suspiciously. He slightly towered over him, but then again, most men did. It particualrly didn't concern him. He looked skinny. And dumb.
"I am Nace's friend from high school!"
Right. Judging by Nace's face, friend was a generous title. Bojan narrowed his eyes.
"What did you say your name was?"
"Marko. Yours?"
"Bojan."
Marko. Wasn't that the guy Nace mentioned bullying him in high school? Bojan wanted to seethe.
"Right, Bojan, of course! You are the main vocalist. I remember now. Guess you guys got pretty famous, huh?"
Bojan crossed his arms over his chest and stepped forward, making sure to insert himself between Nace and the bully.
"Bojan. Don't," Nace whispered softly, quiet enough for only Bojan to hear.
Which did make him hesitate. He didn't want Nace to be more uncomfortable, after all. So he swallowed his rage and tried to put up a charming facade.
"I guess we did."
"Never thought Nace would be a part of something like that. Do you know what we called him in high school?"
He felt Nace tense behind him. Rage hit Bojan square in the chest, and he forgot about not wanting to make a scene.
"I would recommend not saying it. Ever."
Marko didn't seem to have gotten a message, or detected his tone. He laughed, making a dismissing gesture with his hand.
"Oh, com'on now. It was all in good fun. You seem like you were popular, even back in high school. You know how things work."
What kind of piece of shit would-Bojan took a deep breath. He let his hands fall from where he was crossing them over his chest to his sides. Then he clenched them into fists.
"I do," he said, very calmly, "would you like to see how I dealt with people talking shit about my friends?"
He didn't wait for an answer. He swung at him, as hard as he could, and heard as his fist collided with his nose in a satisfying crack.
Then all hell broke loose.
Nace tried to pull him back, but Marko managed to punch him in the jaw, and Bojan taste blood from a slip lip. He attempted to push against Nace to give another punch, but Nace didn't budge.
Just in time for the bouncers to arrive and very firmly escort them out. Marko swore at them, saying he didn't even start the fight. Which looked ridiculous with their heigh difference. And Bojan did ocassionly use the influence he had to get his way.
"A bit of an obsessive fan, that one. Sorry for the trouble," he whispered to the closest bouncer.
He got a nod of understanding in response and they actually let him go, while they continue escorting Marko out. Bojan made sure to flash a quick grin in his directon.  Which prompted  new wave of swearing, before it got drowned out by the the music.
"What did you do now?" Kris asked sharply just behind him.
Bojan turned around to face his very annoyed boyfriend.
"He was mean to Nace!"
Kris raised an eyebrow. He didn't look very impressed. Bojan did his best not to pout.
"He is telling the truth," Nace said, making Bojan jump.
When did he come around? Hmm. Maybe Bojan was a bit more tipsy than he thought.
Well. That was a thought for later. For now...Bojan threw his hands around Nace, pulling him into a hug.
"I will fight all the bullies for you!"
Nace chuckled and returned the hug. Bojan leaned his head on his chest. He really did give the best hugs.
"As much as I appreciate that, I'd prefer you in one peace. He did get you good with that punch. That's probably gonna bruise."
"Where?"
Bojan groaned at Kris' question and lightly slapped Nace's shoulder.
"Look what you did! He is going to go all mom friend on me now!"
Nace simply rolled his eyes and withdrew from the hug.
"Perhaps that would stop you from getting into fights more often."
Bojan pouted and was about to say something about how much Nace actually appreciated being defended, when Jure yelled Nace's name.
"Nace! Jan is arguing with someone over math problems again!"
Nace sighed.
"I better go, before that turns into a fist fight, too."
Then he left, leaving Bojan at Kris' mercy. Kris, who pulled him to the quieter corner, where there weren't so many people.
"Let me see that bruise."
Kris gently raised his chin so he could look at it. If he could see anything with the club's flashing lights.
"Tehnically, it's unlikely the bruise already formed-"
"Just be quiet for a minute, for the love of god."
Bojan closed his mouth with a click. He knew it was due to the alcohol that his emotions were this unstable, but he suddenly became aware of just how much Kris must be annoyed with him.
"Hey," Kris said, his voice softer, "I didn't mean-you just worried me, that's all. How about we go to my place so I can take a proper look at that?"
Not everyone understood his and Kris' relationship, saying they always bickered. What they didn't understand was that, as much as they bickered, it was never intentionally hurtful. And sure, sometimes some lines were crossed, but they always apologized for it.
Bojan looked up at him and smiled. Colorful lights reflected in Kris' blue eyes and Bojan felt as starstruck as he did everytime he gave himself time to think "Holy shit, this guy is my boyfriend".
"Did I ever tell you that you have very pretty eyes?"
Kris rolled his pretty eyes at him. Rude.
"Yes. On an almost regular basis. Now let's get you home, okay?"
Bojan pouted.
"Don't I at least get a kiss for that?"
Kris shot him a glare, but Bojan could see the softness underneath it. So he got on his tiptoes and wrapped his arms around Kris' neck, reaching for his lips. Kris met him halfway.
The kiss started soft and sweet, but quickly turned more passionate as Kris pressed on the cut on his lip. Bojan moaned and pulled him closer.
It was only when Bojan pulled on Kris' hair that the younger broke the kiss and stepped back.
"Let's try not to give everyone a show in the club."
Bojan grinned.
"Does that mean I get a reward for being a good friend when we do get home?"
Kris pressed his lips together and walked towards the door without an answer. Bojan laughed as he ran after him.
Perhaps tonight was a complete waste, after all.
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pixiecaps · 7 months
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Pix im so sorry ur like my go to person for asking what happens cause ur always watching 😭 but if u can can u please tell whats been happening in lore these past couple of streams 😭 /nf btw!
i’ll go as fast and short as i can
DISCLAIMER i have bad memory my chronological order of these past few days is not the best some things may be incorrectly placed so just keep that in mind. some events may be not 100% perfect chronological order 👍
eggs wake up completely dirty one day. all of them. nobody knows why. the eggs don’t remember why or how. but for some reason they were covered in dirt and their cracks looked worse.
around this same time. theres a voting poll going on for a new rule. and basically someone went around stealing all the furniture from everyones bases. leaving only a tiled magma block. they also left black and white couches arranged in numbers and codes. when they deciphered it it resulted in to phrases “I see you” & “Tomorrow”
next day. they all disappear. they are not in their beds when the first person (fit) goes to check for their egg. all thats left on their bed is their little accessories so for instance chayannes bed only had his floatie, pomme only had her berret, and so forth. everyone begins panicking because they were most likely kidnapped and taken again. and some of them from their highly protected bunkers. theres only no note or anything so there is no hints as to where they went. when people ask cucurucho all he would say he classified.
also on this same day all the popular waystones get stolen like ones that’d go to spawn etc etc. they get placed on a platform above the presidents base with a warning not to break them or hell would break loose and also a bunch of binary that translated to viva la revolución. to clarify the eggs disappearing and all these puzzles seem to be separate occurrences.
at some point cucurucho tells qcellbit to investigate some shit and he begins solving enigmas again.
people at this point were pretty fucking fed up including the president who was ready to blow everything up from his anger. until he woke up the next day wearing a white suit and had a wide smile on his face. he keep saying how happy he was and how he couldn’t wait to see richas. there was also a clock that would tick louder and louder when the drugs began to fade. he would become hostile and violent. and then he’d take another dose and become happy again. people began logging in and talking to him particularly antoine was the first to speak with him and later spoke with bbh cellbit. they all agreed something was very wrong and began investigating. they found a secret room in forevers base and that led to a small house in that room with blue walls to represent the sky and fake png flowers and when they went inside they found what appeared at first to be richarlyson. until they walked closer and saw in the place where richas would be was instead a big gray boulder and stones. so they clocked quickly that the “richas” qforever kept talking about was likely given to him by cucurucho and him hallucinating his son on that bed due to the effects of the drugs. they began scheming a plan to get him off the drugs and save their friend. qpac also witnessed qforevers behavior and had an idea himself. he was going to willingly let them inject him and feed him those drugs so that he could find a way to create an antidote before the effects became too strong. while investigating qcellbit overheard a conversation qforever was having with the fake version of richas and he interrupted and tried to snap qforever out of it. however he this only caused a big argument as qforever would not budge so qcellbit did the one thing he thought would work and he broke the fake richas bed. instead of a lucid moment qforever only sat in the corner of the room facing a wall and said that he’d get cucurucho to fix cellbit too.
phil also arrives this day ^ and earlier after learning about all the eggs disappearance and all the shitshow thats been going on he decides with the help of two others masked individuals (tubbo & fit) to lava cast the entire federation building. the one that was creates during the election. and they did they completely covered it in lava then placed water over it and it was lava cast. phil then left a note at the top that read “we want answers. we want our children back. we know you know what happened to them. stop the games. you have until the end of this week.”
also that same day foolish found the missing capybara mr mustard and became king of the capybaras officially.
meanwhile all that was happening (honestly i may be mixing up what events happen on the same day so please excuse my chronology here) tubbo noticed two fed workers appeared at spawn who he swiftly dubbed fred and jed after speaking to them a bit. he became relatively closer to fred and taught him what a friend was however fred said he was new to the federation and didn’t know anything he was talking about when he asked about the eggs.
so the next day comes around and qpac is under the effects of the drugs. same thing white clothes big smile. fit and tubbo are the first ones to log on and see their friend in this state to they help and talk to him as much as they can. and sorta realize that when qpac is slowly losing the effects of the drugs he becomes depressed rather than angry like qforever did. he also has more lucid moments than qforever and sometimes broke out of the effects shortly before going back under. later cellbit logs on finds his friend in this state and decides he will not be leaving today until they are better. cellbit speaks with bbh and phil and they begin setting up a trap to secure a way to take the drugs off qforever. cellbit meanwhile starts investigating for some answers. in his base he finds a note left from qpac detailing his plan to take the drugs to find a cure and that it was in qcellbits hands now. so he goes to chume labs and reads a bunch of books and diaries that eventually led him to chume labs island. on this island he found another diary from qpac that wrote about the antidote and needing to use fermented spider eye on the drugs. and coincidentally two of the pill bottles in that same chest with the book. so cellbit immediately rushes back to phil and bad telling them about the cure and they begin brewing. and to their success it worked the cure was called reality dose which description was “A mixture capable of bringing back those lost in dreams to what is real.” so then they devised a way to get them to use the cure. and i won’t go into it in detail cause i was like half watching and i’m not the most informed in what happened next but i think qpac after some talk with the others and being reminded of his purpose in taking the drugs willingly took the cure. then qforever was harder i know him and qcellbit were screaming at each other and i think after they made qforever take the cure he began hallucinating that qcellbit was cucurucho
small edit here: ive been informed both qpac qforever took the antidote willingly and that qforever took it first.
and said that cucurucho told him that the eggs RAN AWAY because there is something on the island that is far worse than the codes or the federation. so the eggs were so scared they fled without saying anything. qforever then fell unconscious and is resting in the orders hospital.
outside of his enigma solving for cucurucho. qcellbit goes back into the abandoned adoption center room in hopes for some clues as to where the eggs went and he finds a map for what appears to be a maze. with code at the bottom translating to A1 and also he found more code somewhere else i cannot remember that said “the answer is not in the center.”
so then this same day tubbo gets visited by FRED the federation worker which gives him a book with a code and leaves. the code translated to “tomorrow 1pm pst” and so we wait for tomorrow to arrive
AND IT DOES tubbo is freaking the fuck out cause he thinks hes getting kidnapped. he tells pac and fit something is gonna happen to him at that time. fit has an encounter with the code entity and it drops a clock in front of him and leaves.
and so 1pm pst arrives and tubbo noticed at his base theres weird black concrete placed around and a black chest in the middle with a book saying not to tell anyone, go to spawn, and an x coordinate. around this time roier and slimecicle log on and also show up at spawn with their own books. after some time they figure out they need to put their coords together and go to that place so they do! its near the wall and they find fred standing there with a gun. he signals to them to go into the cave behind him and they follow. he tells them to keep quiet and once they reached the end of the cave he tells them he cannot go on further with. they see and it seems to be the entrance to a labyrinth. they go through making their way occasionally spotting fred who then they’d chase. until they reached a room which appeared to have two observations decks in the walls above. one with a black couch and the other with a white. there was also a room with a locked door. also what appeared to be a hidden underground section with iron bars and through the iron bars tubbo and slime spot. a cucurucho. however instead of white it was fully black and instead of the usual black pixel face the face was red. when they spot it it immediately runs away deeper into the underground section it was in. the three decide to go in and they reveal a round room with a roulette wheel in the center with all the accessories of the eggs around the wheel.
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there was barrier blocks around the roulette wheel. tubbo saw that and glitched himself through with an enderpearl. realizing after he only had one and had successfully trapped himself in there. he also realized he put himself in the predicament where he had to spin the wheel without knowing what it’d do. tubbo began panicking because he didn’t want to be the reason any of the eggs died. all roier and slime could do is watch. after more panicking tubbo spins the wheel and it landed on 5! the room immediately begins flooding with lava with him in it trapped. the. egg accessories begin to cover with lava. tubbo begins pleading to the others to find a way to get him out of there but there is none. the room outside the barrier blocks also begins to flood with lava and mobs begin spawning so roier and slime begin panicking. at one point slime goes down and roier does a sick clutch save‼️ tubbo realizing once he uses a totem he gets fire res and is able to warp out. slime is able to warp out and roier stays a little behind to see if he could open the locked door. he isnt able to. he leaves but once theyre all safely out they decide to go back in to figure out how to open that door. more lava begins flooding the maze more mobs begin to spawn and mines begin to blow up and coincidentally one of the mines blows up the entrance to that locked door. and they go inside and reveal it is a simple federation office with a desk and computer. with nothing else really. they once again leave successfully and around this time cellbit logs on. they tell him everything and they decide to go back and show him the maze because turns out he had that map for it from the puzzles however they once they reach where the room was inside it is completely blocked off. but what they do find is a bunch of federation posters placed inside talking about order and happiness? and also a timer that had 24 hours on it ticking.
later this day we see a streamer tweet out an image of the roulette wheel from today and a went live twitch link. we see streamer bagi in minecraft. her character in an unknown rather empty building with a tree in the center. she walks further into the building and finds a chest with a book inside and a roulette wheel. the book says “let the wheel decide. you will have to follow the light.” she spins the wheel and it lands on two. the floor disappears and she is immediately is dropped below into the overworld. shes in the ocean its raining when she reaches land its snowing. she follows the light which appears to have chests with books that detail how cold it is and if shes getting closer. she follows the trail and we notice more and more black concrete surrounding the biome shes in. interestingly enough first watching i thought they were spruce trees until i realized it was all black concrete. similarly scattered to where tubbo roier and slime found their books. so then she reaches the end of the trail with the final book stating “they should be here any time soon :)” and next to the chest a quartz table with a ticket laying on top of it with her name on it.
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and so shes kicked and thats her introduction for that day. quackity tweets out this
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and so WELCOME TO THE QSMP BAGI🫶
there you have it you are now fully caught up to speed! that is almost a full week of daily lore recapped:) i hope i did good. sorry for any typos i literally woke up at 10:30 am saw this ask and did not stop typing until i finished. it is now 11:51 am LOL
oh and two upcoming events. today mexican independence and whatever that timer leads to and whatever “huge event” means.
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phobia-sweets · 1 year
Note
Hope you don't mind but can ya write Arkham-verse Scarecrow & Riddler with S/O who was a former Arkham Security Guard before they fell for them and later joined them?
after this is posted i'm rewarding (actually punishing) myself by playing iron banner
Arkhamverse! Riddler & Scarecrow x reader
Warnings / Notes: uhhhhhhhhh captivity is briefly mentioned lol and riddler is a lil bitch
SCARECROW
- Before the croc incident, Many guards avoided dealing with Jonathan more than was necessary. He knows how to get under people’s skin, he doesn’t need his toxin to scare people. People that had dealt with him in the past knew this. The Toxin just made his job easier, more effective.
- So guards took turns dealing with him so that no one had to be with him too much. Especially after he managed to poison his doctor with fear toxin he disguised as cologne.
- But you found him intirguing. Fear is a strong motivator. You knew this, working as a guard – A lot of them would try to scare patients into obedience, which worked. It obviously didn’t work on Jonathan, which frustrated some of the guards. Your approach with him was more polite, if anything.
- But it was just that all hell broke loose on arkham island when you were sick at home. You wouldn’t have even known about it if it wasn’t for the news being all about it. Of course word came from your coworkers that Crane was nowhere to be found, but a bag of his toxin and mask was laying in the sewers, where croc was. You assumed the worst.
- As far as everyone was concerned, The scarecrow – Jonathan Crane was dead. Until he showed up, his face replaced by burlap and thread.
Hiding behind barrels of what you presumed were fear toxin, you held your breath. Your colleagues always said your curiosity would be the death of you. It surely started to seem that way as you listened to Jonathan Crane’s gravelly voice as he talked to someone – a soldier? He didn’t seem the type to work with soldiers. But then again, it’s been quite a long time since he ‘died’.
“May I help you?”
In your panic, you hadn’t heard the soldier leave and footsteps approach you. Looking up, you were met with blank, milky eyes and the sight of four needles attached to a gauntlet. You’d admire the craftsmanship if it weren’t for the fact that they were dangerously close to your face.
- Were you drugged? Probably. You don’t really remember.
- what started out as captivity turned into you helping around in Gotham before his announcement of, well, feargassing Gotham.
- When did feelings join the equation? A bit before halloween. Did you make them known? Not exactly. Jonathan didn’t seem like the person to bother with feelings that weren’t fear or terror. But you swore you could catch him quietly chuckle at some of your quips or comments.
RIDDLER
- You were probably one of the only people that actually bothered with his riddles – whether you got it wrong or right, you would try to answer them. ‘Maybe it’ll keep him off my skin’ you thought. It did not.
- If anything, it made him bother you even more. If you got them wrong, he’d obviously insult you, but if you got them right…? He would compliment you as if you were a stupid child. Very demeaning.
“Mr. Nygma, I’ve brought you your food.” You said nonchalantly, setting the tray on a table. Nygma quite often refused to eat in the cafeteria – said something about being surrounded by complete morons and how he could feel his braincells dying the more he had to spend time in there. So, As you seemed to be the only guard that didn't care about his insults on your intelligence, you volunteered to be the one to bring him his food. Arkham wasn’t exactly known for bending to the patient’s wills, but as much as Edward wouldn’t attack you, no one wanted to listen to his insults.
“I have billions of eyes, Yet I live in darkness. I have millions of ears, yet only four lobes. I have no muscle, yet I rule two hemispheres. What am I?” Edward’s voice echoed.
“Ah, the… the human brain? Right?” You guessed, facing to look at edward. He simply gave a quiet “hmph.” And resumed reading his book. Turning around, you left.
-time skip to when either he escapes or you helped him escape. Why did you help him? Not even you knew how or why, but you fell for him. Hard.
- Trying to see if he felt anything towards you was hard. Especially since he would avoid answering some of your questions and being… well, himself, with his riddles and big words.
- When you began actively helping him with placing his trophies around Arkham city, bringing him whatever tools he needed, he seemed to start… relaxing in your prescense? Atleast he wasn’t as irritated in your prescense as he was before. A good sign, hopefully.
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shy-urban-hobbit · 5 months
Note
8 with Lambert & Vesemir please if you want to 💕
8 - "I'm really disappointed in you."
I had two ideas for this one and I really wanted to write both so we have a modern au humour drabble with a little bit of role reversal which Lambert is way too happy about and/or fluffy/angst child Lambert under the cut where Vesemir learns Lambert doesn't use words to apologise (CW on that one for implied abuse/corporal punishment).
"I'm really disappointed in you." Lambert didn't even try to hide his smile as Vesemir was led out from the cells to the front of the station. Of all the days Geralt and Eskel had to be busy...
"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" Lambert crowed, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow in a parody of the pose Vesemir adopted every time he'd asked that of his youngest.
"Wrong place, wrong time." He answered as he walked out onto the wet, dark street. It really was - Vesemir had just been minding his own business at a nearby bar when all hell broke loose between a couple of guys and their respective friends. Vesemir wouldn't have gotten involved at all if someone hadn't thrown a right hook at him as he tried to leave and well...old habits and all that. It was just his luck Lambert was the only person available to come and post bail.
He might have realised too late what exactly he'd said, but Lambert certainly didn't. His smile morphed into a full on, shit eating grin as one of his own classic excuses fell from his father's mouth, "I've heard that before!" He yelled out, raising a finger and wagging it in exaggerated sternness, "When are you going to start thinking before you act? I swear, I never have this much trouble with Eskel and Geralt!"
"Are you done?" Vesemir deadpanned from where he was trying to walk ahead of the younger man.
"Not even close." Lambert laughed, jogging slightly to catch up so they were now walking side by side, "Do you have any idea how long I've waited for this opportunity? I'm not stopping until I've gone through your entire repertoire of Disappointed Dad phrases old man!"
Vesemir did an about face, "That's it. I'm seeing if they'll let me spend the night in the drunk tank."
"Ok, ok." Lambert said holding his hands up in a placating gesture, still grinning, "But you have to admit, the irony is pretty fucking funny."
Vesemir gave out a "hmm". He supposed he'd be able to laugh about it in the morning - he wasn't telling Lambert that though.
"C'mon. I'll buy you a drink, we should celebrate this. Vesemir's first run in with the law!"
"What makes you think that was my first?" Vesemir asked, ducking through the door of the first bar they came across and smirking at Lambert's spluttering.
"Wait, what...Vesemir??!"
It was nearing the end of Lambert's first month at Kaer Morhen when it happened. He was confident that he could handle whatever punishment he was about to receive and then Vesemir had gone and said those five words before dismissing him.
"I'm really disappointed in you."
That one phrase had cracked through the walls he'd built up during his short life and had settled unpleasantly in his chest. He'd grown used to people being angry at him thanks to his shit-stain of a father, his mother was the only one who'd ever felt fear for him and there had been absolutely none of that since he arrived here and got shoved into a bare dorm room with six other boys. He didn't think he'd ever had anyone express disappointment in him before - at least, not directly. He wasn't sure how to feel about this, which in turn was making him feel angry.
It wasn't his fault! Voltehre had dared him to try and steal something from one of the alchemy labs. If he hadn't done that, Lambert wouldn't have dropped that stupid ceramic bowl. He'd hidden the pieces as best he could, it had only been one of the smaller ones so it had been pretty easy really. Apparently that hadn't been good enough though as he found himself being summoned to Vesemir's office; where he'd resolutely denied all knowledge despite the evidence staring him right in the face from Vesemir's desk.
"What's up with you?" He looked up from where he'd been sat curled in on himself at the top of the stairs to the boys dorms, definitely not sulking. One of the younger, freshly turned Witchers he recognised as Eskel was leaning against the wall, looking down at him.
"Nothin'. Piss off, asshole." Lambert snarled into his knees.
Eskel only laughed, "Big words from such a small mouth. C'mon, either talk or piss off yourself. You're stinking up the hallway with that sad stench."
"M'not sad." Lambert said petulantly.
"Uh huh."
"Stupid Vesemir."
"What'd you do to get a beating from him?"
"Didn't beat me."
Eskel was silent for a minute before dropping down next to Lambert, "Let me guess. He did the 'I'm not angry, I'm disappointed' thing. Fucking hate that."
Lambert's head shot up in surprise. The last thing he'd expected was for the other to agree with him.
"So. What'd you do?" Eskel prompted again.
For some reason, Lambert found himself telling the whole story. How Vesemir had summoned him to his office to ask him about the broken bowl. How Lambert didn't understand why Vesemir was disappointed when he should be angry, right? That was usually what happened when people who weren't his father broke things (that would still be the fault of Lambert or his mother).
"You do know he'd be able to smell that you'd been in there, right?" Eskel asked from where he was leaning back on his elbows.
Lambert froze. He did now!
"He's not disappointed that you broke it, you know how many of those things we have in storage? He's disappointed that you lied about it. He'd have been able to smell that on you too, just so you know."
They sat in silence as Lambert digested this. That still didn't make sense. He still should have gotten a beating for the lying, shouldn't he?
He didn't realise he'd said that last part out loud until Eskel answered, "Honestly, if it had been any of the other Masters, you probably would have. Vesemir's harsh, but he's not the worst one here. Do you understand why you feel guilty now, though?"
Lambert nodded, "So, how do I make it go away?"
Eskel shrugged as he stood up to leave, "Figure that out yourself. I'm not your damn mother."
Lambert flipped him off in response, tapping his feet as Eskel's words called up thoughts of his mother. How she'd sit trying to salvage whatever his father had destroyed the previous night, how she'd smile that sad smile at him when he'd try to help. Hmm, maybe that was an idea? He picked himself up and hurried down the stairs shouting for Eskel. Maybe he'd know where to find what he needed.
Vesemir turned the bowl over in his hand. Calling the repair work amateur would be being generous. Thick lines of glue making the cracks appear large and obvious and giving the rim a slightly uneven quality, the surface was also uneven in some parts where the adhesive had dried in globs and smears, a couple of spots on his desk suggesting it hadn't fully dried when it had been left. Obviously the work of a child, confirmed by the now familiar scent it was covered in. He thought on the dark rings around Lambert's eyes that morning, his shuffling steps and wandering concentration during training. The lad must have been up all night working on this.
Vesemir gave a small chuckle as he placed it on a high shelf. No good for potion work now, but he'd find some use for it.
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sturchling · 2 years
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Salt fic where Lila gets exposed so she decides to reveal that Adrien knew all along from when she first appeared and when Adrien tries to claim that she is lying to save himself, Marinette confirms that Lila is actually telling the truth and that Adrien told her that it was her own fault for being bullied due to Lila’s lies because she refused to listen to his advice about taking the “high road” and to stop trying to expose Lila even though she told him about the consequences of letting Lila keep on deceiving others and bringing their hopes up with promises that they both knew would never happen... Marinette also decides to confess to Adrien that she used to have a big crush on him but no longer does and doesn’t even want to be friends with him anymore since she believes that he doesn’t truly care about others as he claims he does, especially those he claims are his friends... Marinette actually thanks Lila for letting her see who her true friends are in their class such as Juleka and Nathaniel as well as even Sabrina with Chloé as more of a professional acquaintance while the others turn out to be nothing more than false friends who never truly cared about her... This is all happening in the school courtyard so most of the rest of the school are witnessing all of this...
Lila was furious. She wasn't sure what had happened, or how things had gone so wrong. Yesterday, she was queen of the classroom and her classmates followed her every order. Now, they all glared at her with an animosity so strong that Lila was sure they wanted to kill her.
Alya had finally decided to check her sources for something she was about to post on her blog about Lila's latest adventures. This time Lila had talked about how Jagged had wanted her input on his newest song. Normally, she wouldn't have bothered, but she actually bumped into Jagged before she posted and thought it was the perfect opportunity. She was shell shocked when not only did Jagged deny the new story, but told her that he had never even heard of Lila. She spent the rest of the night researching with the class and they quickly realized what had happened and that they had been tricked.
They came in early the next morning, trying to apologize to Marinette, but she just ignored them, sitting with the few members of the class that had stayed true to her. As they continued to try and apologize, Adrien sat at the front of the class, smiling. He knew he had been right. He had taken the high road and waited, and sure enough, Lila was found out. He felt a little bad for what Marinette had endured over the liar's reign. The whole class turned against her and had bullied her relentlessly. He may feel bad, but he also knew if she had just listened to him and taken the high road, things would have been fine. The class would have still found out, and Marinette wouldn't have suffered. But she didn't listen to him, and that was on her. He tried to warn her.
Then Lila came in and all hell broke loose. The class was screaming and yelling at Lila, who was very confused and didn't know what was going on. But once the class stopped yelling all at once, opting instead to yell individually, she figured it out. She had been found out. They knew she was a liar. Her beautiful kingdom of lies came crashing down around her. She knew there was no salvaging this, nothing she said would soothe the class now that her spell was broken. But she was determined not to go down alone. She knew she couldn't take Marinette with her, now that the class wouldn't believe her lies. But she did know someone she could destroy, and it wouldn't even be a lie.
"You may be mad at me, but you should also be mad at Adrien. He knew I was lying from the start and didn't tell you or defend Marinette." The class erupted, defending Adrien, not believing the liar, until Marinette stood up. The class instantly quieted, wondering what she was going to say. Thinking Marinette would come to Adrien's defense since she was crazy about him, the class was shocked when Marinette backed Lila's claim. "For once, she is telling the truth. I told Adrien about the lies, but he already knew. He claimed we needed to take the high road and ignore her lies. Just let her continue tricking all of you. I even warned him of the more damaging lies she was telling and how it could really hurt all of your futures. He still insisted on the high road, even when she was promising jobs and things that we both knew would never happen. I didn't listen to him and tried to tell all of you, but you all turned on me." The class had the good sense to look ashamed, not meeting Marinette's eye.
Marinette looked at Adrien, and genuinely wondered what she ever saw in him. The kind look in his eye that she had once loved so much, was now just panic as the class began to glare at him too. "The only reason I ever went along with your ridiculous high road plan, was because I loved you Adrien." Adrien was stunned, he had never realized. "Marinette, I'm sorry but I love someone el-" Adrien didn't even get to finish his half hearted rejection before Marinette put a hand up and interrupted him. "Loved, Adrien. Not love. Past tense. I haven't loved you in a very long time. Not since I realized how much of a coward you are. I don't even want to be friends with you anymore, or even speak with you again. I could never be friends with someone that, as far as I can tell, doesn't truly care about others. You only care about others when it is convenient for you and gives you more freedom from your father. That is not what friends do."
Adrien stood stunned, and more than a little ashamed. He didn't want to admit that Marinette was right. He tried coming up with justifications for his actions, but couldn't find any. Marinette went to the door, passing the stunned class, Adrien, and Lila. Juleka, Nathaniel, Sabrina, and even Chloe stood up and joined her, having been at her side through it all. Before they left, she turned back to look at Lila who was still furious. "Oh and Lila? Thank you. If it weren't for you and your lies, I never would have found out who my real friends are. These four stuck with me through it all, no matter what lies you told, you were never able to take them from me. Meanwhile you showed me that everyone else in here was nothing but fake friends. They clearly didn't care about me all that much if they turned on me so easily. So, thanks for that. You said you would ruin my life, but you actually made it better."
With her piece said, her and her friends left the class. Lila and the rest of the akuma class were left gawking, while students who had been in the hall stared into the classroom in shock at what had just happened. Word spread through the school like wildfire, and the akuma class became pariahs in Dupont. Marinette and her group switched classes and were welcomed with open arms. Marinette never thought she would thank Lila, but her life was much better now. And in a strange way, it was all thanks to Lila and her lies.
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alipal97 · 1 year
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Lifeline Part V
Part I Part II Part III Part IV
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Pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x reader
Warnings: angst, fluff, kissing, mentions of death, angst angst angst, happy ending(or is there?🤔)
It had been weeks, weeks without speaking to Bradley. He made it a very clear point to avoid you and you weren’t exactly going out of your way to see him. The day you broke it off, you returned home to find all of Bradley’s stuff gone and his key sitting on the table. You had cried so much that night, you had to wear sunglasses to work the next day.
You still saw Bradley since he was still apart of Top Gun and still training to be reserve for the next assignment. You would occasionally catch him staring at you but as soon as you looked in his direction he quickly looked away, barely catching a glimpse of his chocolate brown eyes. You missed him but having inherited your father’s stubborn nature you refused to say it.
To say the least, you had been pretty distracted lately and it was getting on Hangman’s nerves. During a flying exercise, you almost clipped one of his wings with your own when you caught sight of a picture of you and Bradley in your cockpit. It was from before the two of you had started dating, back when things were much simpler. You were on Roosters back, both dressed in your flight gear, smiling and laughing at each other rather than the camera. Tears had started to sting your eyes before Hangman’s voice began yelling at you over the headset.
“What the hell was that, Mitchell?” Seresin snatched the helmet off his head as he stalked after you.
The moment you had climbed out of the cockpit you made a beeline for the locker rooms, not wanting anyone to see you cry. You weren’t necessarily sad but you were angry. Angry that you let yourself ruin your friendship with the one person who has always been there for you. You had swallowed your feelings for years but just that one look with his puppy dog, brown eyes you were gone.
“Hey, I said what the hell-“ he stopped short as he pulled on your arm to turn you around, taking in the state of you. You wiped furiously at the tears that dared to fall down your cheeks, trying your best to avoid Hangman’s gaze. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
You shrugged him off, looking around to make sure no one was watching. “Don’t act like you care, Seresin. I don’t need your pity.”
“Look, inside the cockpit we’re a team. Your the pilot and I’m your wingman, but outside of that I’m your friend who wants to know if you’re okay.” Jake said sincerely. When you didn’t answer he put his arms around you, pulling you in for a hug. “Does the reason your so distracted have anything to do with Rooster being such a dick, lately?”
You couldn’t help it anymore, you let it loose and let the tears fall. You wrapped your arms around Jake and buried your face in his chest as sobs wracked your body. It took him by surprise but he was quick to respond, pulling you closer and rubbing soothing circles on your back.
After a few moments, Jake pulled back slightly to look down at you. “Come on. You look like you could use a drink. Go get changed and I’ll meet you outside.”
The two of you went your separate ways to get changed. Instead of changing in the locker room, you walked to your room where you had been staying on base. After the night Rooster moved out and you found his key you had been staying on base, not wanting to stay at the house alone. Bradley had stayed with you for months and without him the house just felt cold and empty.
You walked in and began to unzip your flight suit, shrugging it off, leaving you in a black tshirt and underwear. You walked over to your closet to find something to wear, but became aware of someone sitting in the corner of the room. You whipped around, jumping slightly at the sight of Rooster sitting in the leather chair in the corner of the room. He wasn’t looking at you, he was leaning forward with his arms resting on his knees, hands clasped tightly together as he stared at the ground.
“What the fuck, Rooster?” You yelled, attempting to grab something to cover yourself. It’s nothing he hadn’t already seen before but that didn’t make it any less awkward.
“So you and Bagman huh? Gotta say, I did not see that one coming.” He finally looked up at you, anguish and betrayal written all over his face.
“What are you talking about?” Did he seriously think you were into Jake? You and Hangman were nothing more than friends, you had more of a sibling bond with him than anything.
“I saw you two out on the tarmac. You two looked pretty fucking close for just friends.” He spat out.
“No, stop. First of all there is nothing happening between me and Hangman but if there was you have absolutely no right to be jealous of it. You made your choice when you decided you didn’t want me making you miserable for the rest of your life.”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” Rooster shouted in frustration.
“But we both know it’s what you truly meant to say.” You said pulling on your pants and slinging a jacket over your shoulders. You didn’t give him a chance to respond before you walked out to meet Jake who was already sitting in his truck. You climbed up and slammed the door after you, crossing your arms and looking out the window.
“I see Bradshaw came to see you.” Jake said as he pulled away, noting that had to be the reason for your sour mood.
“Just drive.”
________________________
After he dropped you back off at base, a little tipsy and red in the face but seemingly in a better mood, Jake made his way to Rooster’s. He parked his truck in the drive before getting out and making his way up to knock on the door. Rooster opened the door before quickly trying to shut it when he saw Hangman on the other side. Jake put a foot in between the doorframe and the door, using his hand to push it open further. Rooster looked annoyed but he didn’t stop him.
“We need to have a talk.” Jake said as he pushed through the rest of the way.
“What in the hell do we have to talk about?” Bradley looked confused as he made his way to the kitchen.
“Look, I know you’re scared for y/n, we all are. A solo mission without a wingman is incredibly dangerous, but you and I both know if anyone can do it it’s Ghost.” Jake said leaning against the counter. He truly meant what he said. As much as you two butted heads, he really did think you were the one who could complete the mission and come back safely.
“I’m not scared for her. I just don’t think she’s the right pilot for the job.” Rooster shrugged, taking a swig of his beer.
Jake rolled his eyes. “Now do you really believe that?” He raised his eyebrows waiting for an answer.
Rooster sighed and his shoulders sagged. “No, I don’t. She’s the best fucking pilot we’ve got.” He ran a hand down his face. “It’s just-I almost lost her nine months ago, man. I can’t go through that again.”
“You don’t think she knows that? She’s been beating herself up about it since she got the assignment.” Hangman yelled, getting frustrated with the sandy blonde before him. “Which, by the way, Cyclone didn’t give her a choice in taking. Y/n is going to be fine but not if she has this bullshit to distract her.”
Rooster’s head shot up. “What do you mean?”
Hangman sighed. “I mean, she nearly took my wing off today because she couldn’t see through her fucking tears, Rooster.”
“Fuck.” Rooster groaned, head falling into his hands as he leaned against the counter. “I fucked up.”
Jake clapped a hand on his back on his way to the fridge to snag a beer. “Finally something we can both agree on.”
“I have to do something.” Rooster said suddenly. He didn’t know what he was planning to do since the girl wouldn’t hardly look at him, but he needed you to know that he still loved you.
“Woah now, hang on.” Jake said stepping in front of him.
“Hangman, I swear to God if you don’t step out of my way—.” Rooster bit out through clenched teeth.
“Yeah yeah. You can finish your empty threats later but right now you need to listen.” Jake said rolling his eyes. “We’ve all got a big day tomorrow, especially y/n. Let her get some sleep and you can talk to her after. We don’t want to jeopardize the assignment all because she’s falling asleep in the cockpit.”
Rooster sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. As much as he hated to say it, Hangman was right. He didn’t want you getting distracted up there.
It was a long sleepless night for Rooster after Jake left. He berated himself for trying to take away the one thing that you truly loved for. Of course you could fly the mission no problem, you were the best damn pilot he knew, he was just scared. Last time had been a close call and it nearly destroyed him, he didn’t know if he could handle the real thing.
Morning came and as soon as the sun had risen Rooster was out the door and on his way to Top Gun. He drove faster than normal nearly earning himself a few speeding tickets. He slammed the Bronco into park the second he flew into a parking space, exiting the vehicle before sprinting to the locker rooms.
Rooster flew through the door, his eyes searching for you immediately. He was met with an empty room meaning you had to already be on the tarmac. He hit the lockers in frustration on his way out, sprinting as fast as he could in an attempt to catch you before take off.
——————————————
You walked, helmet in hand, towards your aircraft perfectly in step with Hangman. You lifted your eyes from their staring at the tarmac beneath you to see Jake looking around.
“What the hell are you looking for?” You asked trying to follow his wandering gaze.
“What?” Jake said with a smirk, finally looking at you. “A guy can’t try and seek out some beautiful ladies to celebrate our victory with later?”
You rolled your eyes at him but continued walking. You were almost to your aircraft when you heard your name being called from behind you. You stopped and turned to find the source.
Mav jogged the rest of the distance between you, holding out the locket your mother had given you before she passed. “You forgot this sweetie.” Your dad looped the chain over your head and tucked the locket in your flight suit right next to your heart.
“Thanks, dad.” You smiled at him, but it didn’t quite reach your eyes.
“Be careful up there, okay?” Mav said pulling you in for a tight hug.
“I will. Jake’s got my back.”
“We’ll go on them before I hold you down and refuse to let you leave.” He said with a chuckle, pushing you in the direction of your jet.
“Y/n!”
This voice stopped you dead in your tracks and before you could even think to turn around, someone had gripped you by the shoulders and was spinning you around. The first thing you see is whiskey brown eyes staring into yours.
“Bradley what the he—“ You hadn’t even gotten the words out before his lips smashed against yours, his strong hands cradling your face.
Just as fast as it happened the kiss ended leaving your lips tingling and your head spinning.
“I was wrong.” Bradley whispered as he leaned his forehead against yours.
“I—“
“Stop.” Bradley interrupted whatever rejection you were about to throw his way. “Let me finish please and then if you still want to kick me, punch me, whatever I don’t care.”
You sighed and nodded, closing your eyes and relaxing slightly in his grip.
“I was wrong to tell you to not take the mission and I sure as hell was wrong for being mad when you did. It was stupid and selfish of me even if I thought I was protecting you. I’ve never seen you more alive than when you’re in the air and I don’t want to take that away from you. You’re the best fucking pilot I know, y/n. I’m so fucking scared to lose you and—“
“Bradley.” You stopped his ranting, gripping his face and forcing his eyes to meet yours. “Please just kiss me.”
Bradley’s lips twitched up at the corners . “Yes ma’am.”
Without hesitation Rooster’s lips met your own in a bruising and passionate kiss. His hands dropped to your waist pulling your body flush against his. A groan slipped past your lips and Bradley swallowed it with his own. A hundred years could’ve passed and neither of you would’ve have known, it was just you and Bradley. Until your father cleared his throat from behind you.
The two of you broke apart and you went to pull away before Bradley reeled you back in and touched his forehead to yours. “Come back to me in one piece, alright?”
You smiled and held up your finger for a pinky promise, something the two of you had done since you were kids. To you it was a promise that could never be broken. Bradley smiled and linked his pinky with yours before bending down to kiss his thumb as you did the same.
“I promise.” You whispered before winking and walking away.
————————————————
“Base this is Ghost, target has been destroyed. Returning to base.”
The dagger squad cheered as your voice came over the radio, confirming your success. The hugged and high fived each other, proud of their fellow pilot.
“Well done, Ghost. Be sure to watch for any enemy aircrafts in the area and we’ll see you soon.” Warlock responded, sitting back in his chair.
“Copy that.”
It hadn’t been five minutes into your journey back when you saw an aircraft ahead. You assumed it was your wingman, not understanding why Jake had moved position.
“Hangman? What’s going on? Why are you out of position?” You spoke through your headset. The only response you received was a missile narrowly missing your wing. “Woah. Base we have a bogey dead ahead. Shots fired. Initiating evasive maneuvers.”
Bradley’s blood ran cold as the transmission from you came through. The room had gone quiet as they listened to the on going dog fight between you and the enemy. Bradley’s leg shook with anxiety as Phoenix rested a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“Oh shit! That was a close one. Hangman! I need you to my location. Now!” You shouted through your headset.
“I’m on my way, Ghost. Hang in there.” Jake responded already turned around and on his way to your coordinates.
Minutes ticked by as you attempted to lose the aircraft firing at you. Hangman was no longer of use as he was struck in the wing and had to eject. It was just you now and you were trying your damndest to keep your promise to Bradley.
In one last great attempt to take out your tail once and for all you pulled a few risky moves that, if pulled by someone without experience, could get them killed. Luckily for you, you’re a part of the world’s most elite.
From the ground all that could be seen was a giant explosion that enveloped both aircrafts. It was hard to tell who exploded and who would be making it home to their family and friends tonight.
“Ghost.” Warlock spoke through his headset. “Ghost do you copy.”
Mav closed his eyes and hung his head while Rooster was visibly shaking in his seat. The whole room was so dead silent you could’ve heard a mouse fart.
Warlock tried again. “Ghost, do you read me.”
Nothing but static and then, “Loud and clear, Dumbledore. Enemy is eliminated, heading back to base as we speak. Estimated touchdown in T minus thirty seconds.
Everyone flew out of their seats to run out to the tarmac but no one ran faster than Rooster. By the time he reached your jet, you were hopping out onto wing. Rooster reached up and helped you down before crushing you in a hug.
You pulled back to look up at his tear streaked face. “I kept my promise so what’s my prize?” You said with a cocky smirk.
Bradley smiled and shook his head in disbelief before planting a kiss on your lips. “I fucking love you.”
“I love you too.”
@melllinaa
———————————————
Only took me about 5 months to finally finish this but I’m back bitches! This is the official end to Lifeline but let me know if you guys want a bonus smut chapter(I promise it won’t take 5 months to write it)
Taglist:
@sswrecker
@itsmytimetoodream
@noz4a2
@shanimallina87
@maverick-wingman
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kalpasio · 11 months
Text
Old Fashioned
I don't have a link for AO3 because it's not up there yet, but I'll put it here when everything's up!
A Kalpas x Reader Mafia AU! Chapters 1-3 are below!
You trusted Eden. The woman had given you your job, made sure you had everything you needed, and she took care of her employees. So long as you put in the work, you got paid, and the world kept spinning. Even though she made more than enough money singing, the diva happily owned several bars, one of which you managed. This mean you were working most nights, including the night that the Honkai family tried to break in.
There had been rumblings about the family trying to expand into new territory which would include your bar, but most times expansions were cleaner than this. Apparently telling the leader of the group that had come in that they needed to talk to Eden about her paying for their protection was the wrong answer. The second the leader’s look turned sour, all hell broke loose. Patrons of the establishment may not have an opinion on the Honkais, but they sure had an opinion about their favorite bar getting trashed. Between you, the three servers, the cook—who came from the kitchen holding several knives you didn’t even know were back there—and the customers, your unwanted guests were kicked out pretty quickly.
Word traveled fast, and the next day when you called Eden to let her know what had happened, she already knew. She also was already working on a plan to keep the bar safe, which she explained to you that night.
“The Moths are the only group nearby that can really hold a candle to the Honkai family,” your boss explained after the doors closed. She specifically said ‘group,’ because calling the Moth family a mafia would be a bit of an exaggeration. They certainly had a large presence in the area, but they were still rather small, and their territory didn’t even come close to their rival’s. “Since the two are rivals, we can be sure that the Moths will do their best to stop the Honkai from spreading and that includes keeping this bar safe.”
It made sense. Logically, it made sense. But your past experiences with smaller groups made you hesitant to trust Eden’s tactics. This wasn’t the first bar you had worked at, and it wasn’t the first bar you’d had to defend from a mafia, but that didn’t mean it was something you enjoyed. There wasn’t much you could do in this situation, however, so you said a quick ’alright,’ and headed to the back to close up.
You hadn’t expected the Moths to move so quickly. Within a day, they were sending agents to make their presence known, and suddenly your patronage doubled. As nice as the extra business was, you had a lot of extra cleaning on your hands when the Honkais tried to start a fight with your new allies. The head of the Moth family himself, Kevin, was there; and he gave a very clear message that night. “Back off, or end up dead.”
Small or not, the Moths made themselves heard, and you had no more issues with the Honkai family. Your new problems stemmed from Eden’s new relationship. The Moths needed money if they wanted to grow, and your boss was loaded, so it came as no surprise that she had offered financial assistance to gain their protection. It wasn’t like she was pulling from your paycheck to provide the money, but now you were having to add extra expenses to your ledgers, and provide drinks to customers who weren’t always the most polite. Killing someone you’re supposed to be friends with wouldn’t end well, but you sure could yell and scare the shit outta them.
Eden gave you a stern talking to afterwards, but it still had the intended affect. Members of the Moth family that came to your bar treated you and your staff with a lot more respect, and among the dozen or so bars in their territory, yours became the ‘nice’ one. Rowdy crowds were kicked to the curb, high end alcohol was served regularly, and if she was free, Eden would come perform on the small stage in the back. As the family grew, you gained more patrons as well as some new regulars.
Pardofeils would always sit in the corners, and you’d caught her trying to steal drinks more than once. If she was feeling particularly brave, or had a particular request to fill, you could find her sitting at the bar chatting to customers for information. Most nights, however, she kept to herself, and the closest she got to conducting business was when she’d use your back alley for cover of a sale. Because she was so well hidden, to the regular observer, Pardo was just another patron of the bar, not even a notable regular. If you didn't hand it to her first, the drink she would almost always steal was a piña colada.
Hua on the other hand, was not as subtle, but that was intentional. She started visiting shortly after she was promoted within the family, and you were extremely thankful that she did. Lately, a few grunts had been getting handsy with one of your waiters, and Eden had told you she’d take care of it, but nothing had happened. Just before you stepped around the bar and had the two girls thrown out, Hua handled them for you, making it clear that they were in trouble while still maintaining the relaxed atmosphere in the bar. She introduced herself to you shortly after, and told you she’d keep her people in line. She said all this with a smile that was just a little too polite, and hearing her thinly-veiled threat made you laugh.
The both of you got along famously after that, whether she was sitting at the bar chatting with you, or at one of the tables talking with other members of the Moth family. Her presence alone reinforced the idea that your bar was off limits, even though it was close to the edge of the family’s territory. She also made a habit of walking home with you on nights that she’d visit, since the two of you lived in the same building.
Other than those two, you would occasionally see a pink-haired woman who’s name you didn’t know, but you were sure she was part of the family, as well as a pink-haired woman you did know named Elysia. Eden had taken a liking to the girl, and despite being the second in command of the mafia, Elysia still visited often enough that you could recognize her by the way she opened the door. You also knew that she would invariably order a Cosmopolitan to drink while she chatted. What she talked about varied from day to day, but she had ‘accidentally’ let slip that the woman who always sat in the shadows would gladly drink a Bramble with extra blackberries.
There were two others whose drinks you could make without asking: Su—who always got a Jungle Bird when he came for your payments—and Kalpas. It had taken you a long time to figure it out, but the Moth’s main enforcer always enjoyed a whiskey sour, so long as you remembered to add the orange peel on top. It took longer for you to make it than it did for him to throw back, purely because of that garnish. The peel had to be staked on a toothpick, which wasn’t that hard, but then you had to carefully light it on fire so it would smolder, but not so on fire that it would burn away.
This detail added a smokey flavor to the drink that you were certain Kalpas didn’t notice, but he must really like looking at it for the two seconds before he chugs it because he always gave you a nice tip. And by ‘nice tip,’ you mean he was paying your month’s rent every night he came in pretty much. Elysia said he was sweet on you, and Hua tended to agree, but you found it hard to believe the man had anything on his mind other than his next fight.
At first, he didn’t even notice you.
Thursday nights were slow to the point you may as well be closed, or busy to the point you seriously considered hiring more staff. Usually those busy nights were because word had gotten out that Eden would be performing, and the drinks were just an added bonus. Since so many customers would come in just to see her and not actually order anything, Hua had started stationing someone outside the door to collect an entrance fee as well as keep any crazed fans at bay. If there was a performance that month, Su would usually skip his visit, the money made at the door more than covering your dues.
As nice as the extra money was, sometimes the grunt at the door would get a suspiciously large payment, and your bar would get a suspiciously attentive fan. Without fail, at the end of the night, that fan would try to follow Eden out the back door, and without fail, either you or another member of your staff would catch them on the way out. If they were lucky, you would let them off with a warning. If they weren’t so lucky, Eden would catch wind of what had happened, and her usually cherry smile would drop. She’d rather be singing than arguing, so the fights—if you could call them that—lasted less than a second. In most cases, she wouldn’t even bother taking out her second pistol.
Tonight, however, you were hoping to catch the avid fan and avoid having a dead body blocking the kitchen door (which was a serious fire hazard). The bar was packed, even more so than usual. Your waitresses were having to shove their way through the crowds so by the time they got to the table they were serving, half the drinks had spilled. Even customers leaning against the bar top were getting knocked around, a few even falling form their seats. Before the place had been flooded, however, one patron had claimed a seat at the mar, and he hadn’t moved since.
He sat with his back facing you, leaning on the stool more than sitting on it. The fact that he came in at the same time Eden had showed up to get ready immediately had you on edge, and his long standing silence wasn’t helping. Some of Eden’s followers were strange, so by that standard, silent brooding guy was fairly normal. The only thing that had you concerned was the amount of muscle he seemed to have. He’d come in without a suit jacket, which wasn’t that unusual at a bar, but it gave you a clear view of just how much the seams on the back of his dress shirt were struggling. Ass soon as he stepped through the door, he’d begun rolling up his sleeves, and it had you tensing at the thought that he might start a fight.
Instead, he sat down at the bar, sent a glare to all three patrons—who were too drunk to notice—and began his vigil. It had been five hours since then, and with Eden’s performance dying down, you were keeping an eye on the man to see when he’d move. It was difficult with how many drinks you were making, but everyone seemed eager to avoid his little corner, so at least you had a clear line of sight.
One of your co-workers, Himeko, was helping behind the bar, which you were thankful for, because there was a sudden rush of customers when Eden finally finished for the evening. Still the brooding man (that was his name now as far as you were concerned) didn’t move. Most people who were stupid enough to try and stalk the diva would have left to stake out her car by now. For some reason, they assumed that she went straight from the stage to her home without stopping at her dressing room to get out of her ridiculous outfits.
Just when you were starting to think you might have been wrong about Brooding guy’s intentions, he stood from his seat and began making his way through the crowd towards the main room’s back exit. With a nudge to Himeko, you slipped from behind the counter and started following him, though with much more trouble. The man was well over six feet tall, and people were eager to get out of his way. You, on the other hand, were not so lucky, and if you didn’t know the layout so well, you would have gotten lost with how much you were pushed around.
With one last shove, you breached the crowd in time to see the door fall shut. Bracing yourself, you slipped your revolver out form where it was hidden under your apron, and slowly eased the door open. Immediately a pair of sharp eyes were on you. They weren’t familiar, but those broad shoulders certainly were. Brooding guy was waiting for you outside, still brooding, but much more intimidating now that he was facing you.
Muffled voices were the only thing to be heard, though they were nearly drowned out by the heaving beating of your heart. This guy was clearly dangerous. You may not want a fight, but he looked more than happy to start one. The silence between you both was tense. Every shift you made, he immediately picked up on. It felt like you were in your first fight again; small, scared, and woefully unprepared for what stood in front of you.
“You can put the gun away,” a voice finally put an end to the staring contest. You had been so focused, Eden’s sudden appearance had you jumping a little. “I asked him to be here,” she spoke with a graceful wave of her hand and a smile that betrayed how much wine she’d had. Still, this was your boss. And you trusted her. She’d never hurt you before, and you saw no reason for that to change now. Reluctantly, you lowered your revolver—though it hadn’t really been in a threatening position before.
“This is Kalpas,” Eden said calmly, as though she weren’t standing next to one of the town’s most notorious criminals. You knew that name (everyone knew that name) there had just never been a face associated with it, and you almost wished it had stayed that way. Rumors on the street and stories Hua told on long walks weren’t nearly as funny when the person they revolved around stood in front of you. More than anything, he was remembered for the several arson charges on his record, along with the accusations of assault, and the fact that he had gotten away with all that. It was a poorly-kept secret that several members of the jury had been…persuaded to return verdicts of ‘not guilty.’
Now the only question was why he decided to sit at your bar for six hours. You weren’t behind on any payments, and Eden had integrated well into the family, it seemed odd to send someone after her. Kalpas also looked much more intent on burning a hole through your skull rather than hers, so you doubted the diva was the issue here. ‘It’s nice to meet you’ seemed like the wrong greeting to give a man known to carry canisters of gasoline, so you gave him a nod instead and looked at Eden for help. She was—unsurprisingly—oblivious to your struggles, but bailed you out anyway.
“I asked him to come here. You know how some people can get,” her lazy smile turned into a frown that was more of a put, and all you could bring yourself to say was a slow ‘right.’ Inviting a terrifying mobster with a track record of starting fights wasn’t necessarily something that made sense to you, but arguing with someone who committed just as many crimes seemed like a waste of breath.
This whole time, the person you thought was the crazed fan was actually there to stop the crazed fan, and now you just looked strange for following him outside. Do you go back in now? Just say ‘my mistake’ and leave? Should you try to actually talk to these two? You didn’t think talking about the weather would go very far. Weighing your options, you doubted you’d ever see Kalpas again, so it didn’t matter what impression you left with. Turning back towards the fire exit, you narrowly managed to get out of the way before the door slammed open.
The man who stumbled out looked exactly like very other customer in the bar, his only distinctive feature was the frantic look on his face as he scanned the area. Beady eyes passed right over your scowl and Kalpas’ glare and locked onto Eden’s clearly drunk gaze. Having the main enforcer of the Moth crime family here suddenly made sense. This fan was so intent on getting to ‘the love of his life’ that he missed the step out the door and would have fallen face down in the back alley if Kalpas hadn’t caught him.
You weren’t entirely sure that was better. Kalpas held the stranger’s shirt collar tight enough to eave wrinkles that would never iron out. The poor guy was thrown against the wall beside you and held in place by the hands that were still dangerously close to his neck. Despite the clear danger, he only seemed interested in glancing around Kalpas to catch sight of Eden. Truly a dedicated fan. Another rough shove got the creep’s attention, and he was immediately chewed out.
Not that you wanted Kalpas to kill the guy—the whole reason you’d come out here was to prevent that—but it still was a bit shocking that there was no blood spilled. Two people known to kill on a whim in an alley with someone they clearly disliked, and yet, all that happened was some shouting and rough handling. Eden chatted with you as though you both were drinking tea in the park, and not like you were witnesses to any sort of crime
According to her, Su was tired of covering up for all the people who went missing after Eden performed. Honestly, you weren’t surprised; when half a dozen people disappear after following the star, someone’s going to notice. This meant Kalpas was in charge of keeping them away, but also was banned from doing much more than rattle anyone they ran into, hence the lack of bloodshed. If Eden was doing a show in town, she’d have a guard dog, at least for a while.
Once Kalpas was done putting the fear of god into Eden’s latest fan, the four of you went your separate ways. The stranger left first, scrambling out onto the streets and booking it. His attacker went next, heading out at a leisurely stroll with his hands in his pockets like nothing had happened. You saw Eden to her car, and bid her and the driver goodnight, then headed back inside.
Typically, Eden only did a show at your bar once every other month. There were other venues in town, and she wasn’t even in town all that often. Her singing career had her traveling all around the world, and if anyone found out about her ties to the Moths, they turned a blind eye in favor of hearing her music. As popular as your boss was, it came as no surprise when she was asked to record some songs for the radio, and since the studio was only a few miles away, she came around to perform at your establishment more often.
In your mind, spending the whole day singing only to drive a bit and then sing some more was an extremely stressful way to spend your day, and there was no way Eden enjoyed trying to balance recording, negotiating with Elysia, and staying out late to perform. To her, however, visiting the bar was a break from it all. Hours spent locked in a studio with the producer as her only company was draining. Seeing a crowd respond to her songs was something she lived for; so, yes, the late nights left her a little tired, but it was worth it.
It was a win-win. You (technically Eden, but it ended up being your responsibility) made money, she got to unwind, and her presence at the bar had the Honkai family thinking twice about harassing you. The only real downside seemed to be a certain constantly-furious criminal following Eden around.
Kalpas was far from pleased about being dragged around, at least as far as you could tell. The scowl on his face only seemed to vanish when he was fighting, so you didn’t have a very good baseline to tell the difference between a ‘normal Kalpas’ frown compared to an ‘angry Kalpas’ frown. Regardless, he could be found sitting in the same seat at your bar every night Eden performed. He always came in early, once you even found him leaning against the bar waiting for you to show up for the night.
The first few times he walked in, Kalpas would take his seat and stare intently at you while you worked. His eyes were always blazing and it felt like he was judging your every move, even though you knew he had no clue what you were doing. Any attempts at conversation were met with silent glares or promptly shut down. The closest you got to a sort of interaction between the two of you was when you placed a glass of water on the counter for him each night.
Monday nights were slow, so that was the day you usually took off, but this week you were short two waitresses. Kiana had attempted to cook and ended up with food poising. You were more surprised that she was allowed in the kitchen than the fact that she got sick. The second waitress, Mei, was smart enough to avoid the food, but as Kiana’s roommate (and nothing more, they both insisted) she needed to stay home and look after her. Knowing it would be a quiet night, you came in to cover both shifts, and put off your chores for the week until Wednesday.
Himeko was behind the counter as expected, getting ready for the night when you came through the door. She raised an eyebrow at the apron being tied around your waist and the fact that you were on the wrong side of the bar. “Looking for more hours?” she teased
You let out a snort and leaned on the counter. “Kiana and Mei called out, and you know Raven won’t waitress no matter how much you pay her.” Himeko shook her head and sighed at the situation. “All I can say is I better get some very nice tips tonight,” you pushed off the counter and headed for the kitchen to get ready. It had been a while since you’d done anything other than work the bar. The third bartender, Bronya, had left after a disagreement with Raven, and you’d been dragging your feet about getting a replacement. Two months wasn’t long enough for you to completely forget the routine for setting up, and soon you were standing at the bar helping Himeko organize some of the bottles.
Hearing the door open, you glanced at the clock and saw you still had a good twenty minutes before opening. When you turned to tell the customer as much, you were met with Kalpas, and the words out of your mouth were “What are you doing here?” Immediately you winced; getting in a fight had not been on the to-do list for the day. Himeko shared your startled look, but she also seemed to be considering if she should move further away from you to be safe. While poorly phrased, you meant what you said. Kalpas only came in when Eden did, and there was no way she’d show up on a Monday. Please don’t let Eden show up on a Monday.
If he was bothered by your comment, Kalpas didn’t show it. He made the short walk from the door to his bar stool and stared you down like he always did. “Eden’s here. I’m here,” he said as though it were obvious. Himeko and you shared another scared glance, this one for different reasons.
“But it’s Monday,” she tried to argue. All she got for an explanation was a shrug. Turning on your heel, you went to the back again and down the side hall to the dressing rooms. Before you even reached the end you could hear Eden humming through the door and you froze mid-step. Spinning around again, you walked a little too fast and pushed the door open a little too hard. Looking Himeko in the eye, you told her.
“We’re fucked.”
It being a work day and the show being last minute seemed to do very little to reduce the number of customers jammed into every seat you had. As soon as you’d found out, you called in some more waitstaff, but you were still running around like a chicken with its head cut off. You’d thought people would drink less to avoid a hangover in the morning, but in fact they drank more because they’d all ‘had a bad start to the week.’ As though severe dehydration would help.
Your only saving grace was surprisingly Kalpas. At first, he seemed to be laughing at your frazzled state, but after sending several glares, you were too tired to care. Running between the bar and the tables, you were constantly pushing against people which only made your job harder. Around the counter, there was practically a wall of people, and the only gap was the small amount of space next to the angry mobster. As much as you hated being so close to him (you’d always had a strong sense of self-preservation) it was the easiest way to get to Himeko and pick up or shout out orders.
Every time you ran back from a table, you expected the little window to be filled by someone, or even Kalpas himself to take up the space, but the opposite ended up happening. When you were handing an order off, the crowd all shifted. Someone at the other end of the counter had fallen into an overenthusiastic hug that had the whole line tipping until you were crushed against Kalpas’ arm, your death grip on the bar top the only thing keeping you up. He gave an extra mean scowl when you glanced up, but there wasn’t much you could do about the situation. As soon as you were able, you were back on your feet and carrying martinis across the room.
Next time you ran up to the bar, Kalpas had leaned his elbows back on the counter. He was taking up more room, but instead of narrowing the gap, it got bigger. Patrons that saw him stretched out also saw the tattoo on his forearm and the scars on his knuckles that practically screamed ‘wiseguy.’ Whether he did it intentionally or not, you sent a silent thanks his way every time you took advantage of the opening.
The worst part of the night, by far, wasn’t the shouting or the spilled drinks, or the missing tips, or even the harassment. No, the worst was at the end of the evening when Eden announced she’d be back on Friday.
It being a work day and the show being last minute seemed to do very little to reduce the number of customers jammed into every seat you had. As soon as you’d found out, you called in some more waitstaff, but you were still running around like a chicken with its head cut off. You’d thought people would drink less to avoid a hangover in the morning, but in fact they drank more because they’d all ‘had a bad start to the week.’ As though severe dehydration would help.
Your only saving grace was surprisingly Kalpas. At first, he seemed to be laughing at your frazzled state, but after sending several glares, you were too tired to care. Running between the bar and the tables, you were constantly pushing against people which only made your job harder. Around the counter, there was practically a wall of people, and the only gap was the small amount of space next to the angry mobster. As much as you hated being so close to him (you’d always had a strong sense of self-preservation) it was the easiest way to get to Himeko and pick up or shout out orders.
Every time you ran back from a table, you expected the little window to be filled by someone, or even Kalpas himself to take up the space, but the opposite ended up happening. When you were handing an order off, the crowd all shifted. Someone at the other end of the counter had fallen into an overenthusiastic hug that had the whole line tipping until you were crushed against Kalpas’ arm, your death grip on the bar top the only thing keeping you up. He gave an extra mean scowl when you glanced up, but there wasn’t much you could do about the situation. As soon as you were able, you were back on your feet and carrying martinis across the room.
Next time you ran up to the bar, Kalpas had leaned his elbows back on the counter. He was taking up more room, but instead of narrowing the gap, it got bigger. Patrons that saw him stretched out also saw the tattoo on his forearm and the scars on his knuckles that practically screamed ‘wiseguy.’ Whether he did it intentionally or not, you sent a silent thanks his way every time you took advantage of the opening.
The worst part of the night, by far, wasn’t the shouting or the spilled drinks, or the missing tips, or even the harassment. No, the worst was at the end of the evening when Eden announced she’d be back on Friday.
The whole day it felt like you were just waiting for tonight, so rather than pace around your apartment until you put ruts in the floor, you headed to the bar early. There was no rush, no one else would be coming in for another hour, but you walked like one of Honkai’s men was following you the whole way. A few blocks later, you were fishing for the keys and taking deep breathes to calm down while you still had the time to do so. Stepping inside, you flicked the lights on and locked the door behind yourself like it was any other day.
Really, it was. Or, at least, that’s what you were trying to convince yourself. Eden had brought in huge crowds plenty of times. This was nothing new, and if you’d survived it before, you could do it again. Your pep talk continued as you started pulling chairs off of tables and heating up the oil fryers. All you have to do is make drinks the same as any other night. If customers get pissed, that’s their problem. You can’t just make the crowd go away. Gosh you wished you could make the crowd go away. Disappearing clientele probably wouldn’t be too good for business though, so that fantasy would have to be shelved for later.
For now, you needed to focus on bringing in the new kegs you’d ordered and taking out the old ones. Flicking open the lock on the back door, you’d barely turned the handle before it was swung in and narrowly missed your nose. Your reflexes may have been quick enough to dodge that, but they weren’t fast enough to recognize who was on the other side of the door before your fist was making contact.
“Shit. Fuck, I’m sorry.” Kalpas gave an unamused look at your apologies and didn’t even say anything as he pushed his way inside the bar. Once his back disappeared behind the swinging door separating the kitchen from the rest of the bar, you looked down at your hand. “Fucking ow,” you whispered to yourself while trying to shake some of the sting out of your knuckles. Glancing at the door to be sure Kalpas hadn’t come back to kill you for the mild inconvenience, you sent a silent curse his way and went out the back door.
What the hell was he doing here anyway? you wondered while hauling in the first keg. Eden being here would make the most sense, but it was still super early, even for her. Turning off each valve you took the last keg out of the series and slid the second into its spot. Shuffling the new keg into the open space, you reconnected the three and went out to the bar to double check the pressure.
“You done whining?” Of course Kalpas was sitting at the bar, already leveling you with a glare. Ignoring him, you tested the tap and headed back out once you were satisfied. It was definitely a dangerous game to be playing, but you already had a lot on your plate, and talking to someone that frustrating wasn’t something you were particularly keen on doing. Plenty of customers would fill that role later tonight anyway.
Grabbing the empty keg, you brought it out back to be picked up and hauled in the next full one. Shifting the line like you had with the last draft, you connected the lines and went back to the front where Kalpas was lazily looking at a switchblade as it reflected what little light was able to slip past the curtains. You hesitated for a step, worried he might just be testing the weight of the knife before he drove it into your neck. But you couldn’t let him know that. Taking another step like nothing had happened, you managed to make it all the way to the tap before you gave in and looked up at your only customer.
“I don’t know what you’re crying about,” Kalpas sneered while placing the tip blade on the counter top and balancing it with a finger. “You didn’t even hit me that hard.” Secretly, you wished you had hit him a little harder, but given how your knuckles were still throbbing and he hadn’t even gotten a nosebleed, you doubted that would help.
“I’m not crying, I’m working,” you stated and poured another small glass of beer. Kalpas gave a scoff and you rolled your eyes, but the conversation didn’t go any further. Satisfied with the amount of foam in your cup, you dumped the beer, but just before you set the glass down you saw Kalpas lift up the knife and prepare to drive it into the wood. It only lasted a second, but in your mind it felt like you were glaring at him for a century without anyone moving. Normally the heat behind your eyes would have been enough to get anyone to back down. You weren’t so lucky this time.
Your brain didn’t even know what was happening, but your hand was moving just as Kalpas brought the blade down towards the counter. At the very last second, you slid the cup under his knife and its tip shattered the glass instead of splintering wood. Your hand was bleeding, but you’d won that fight and the stare you gave barely hid your anger.
“Don’t fuck up my bar,” you threatened and let go of the now broken cup, letting all the shards fall. The base remained strong, protecting the wood, though there was a deep chip in it now. Kalpas laughed as you walked away, but he didn’t try it again.
Last night had been just as tiring as you expected, but it hadn’t ended in disaster. Today you had come in early to clean up the mess that had been left overnight, and Kalpas had been leaning against the bricks next to the door waiting for you to unlock the bar. Now with the taps connected, shelves restocked, tables wiped down, and ash trays dumped, everything was looking ready to go. There were still a few minutes before the place opened, and Raven was running late—not that there was a whole lot for her to do at this point. You headed back to the front, hoping to relax for a minute before everything went downhill. Kalpas was still sitting in the same seat, pointedly ignoring you, just as you wanted.
Heading to the far side of the room, you sat sideways on one of the padded booths, and laid back with a groan. Through the windows, you could hear the sounds of pedestrians passing by and the occasional car trundle down the street. The owner of the store next door could be heard arguing with a customer on the other side of the wall, while a dog barked at the train rolling through town. A smile came to your face at the moment of peace all around you.
This was a close to quiet as the town got. In the morning there would be workers fighting for the last spot on the bus, and boats miles away sounding their horns for no reason other than to interrupt your sleep. Once the bar closed for the night, wiseguys would fight in alleyways, and you’d be woken up to shattering glass. Complete silence made your skin crawl and every muscle in your body tense in anticipation, but where you were right now—relaxed, in your bar listening as life happened around you—this was bliss.
There had been nothing to warn you of what was coming. No yelling or doors slamming or tires shrieking against pavement. You took a relaxing deep breath in, then nearly choked on a gasp when you heard the shot ring out far too close for comfort. Immediately, you stood up from your seat. Kalpas remained where he was, not even flinching. Good for him, you thought bitterly and rushed behind the bar to grab your revolver. Once you felt the familiar weight in your hand, you locked your eyes on the door that led to the dressing rooms and held your breath.
This is why you hated silence. Any pedestrian with an ounce of sense was off the street, cars found a different route around, and any barking was hushed before it started. Even the train had moved on, leaving you with only the sound of your own shallow breaths and rapid heartbeat. There was the tapping of shoes meeting the warped wooden floors. The soft click as you aimed your gun at the door the noise was coming from. The sound of the latch turning and wood groaning form the shifting weight. You remained tense as the door opened, adrenaline pumping to prepare you for whatever stood on the other side.
All you caught was a glimpse of light pink, then Kalpas’ arm was blocking your view as he pushed your gun down towards the floor. While his actions were calm and made you think this might be a friend, his voice gave the opposite impression. He spoke in such a low tone you almost couldn’t hear him. The hand on your revolver hadn’t moved either, his grip only tightening in anger and making the metal creak.
“Elysia.”
You took a breath so sharp it burned your nose. Eden had mentioned that name multiple times, but you knew better than to look too much into it. Asking about such important members of the family was a good way to end up at the bottom of the river with a pocket full of rocks. What Elysia might be doing here you weren’t sure, but the blindingly white blouse, flashy skirt, and pink hair lined up with what you’d heard about the girl, and you weren’t about to ask stupid questions. Kalpas seemed unbothered by her presence—or rather, more annoyed about her being here than scared. He still stood a step or two in front of you, so worst case scenario, you could duck behind him and potentially escape.
“Kalpas!” Elysia smiled and you almost felt sick. “I didn’t know you were here!” She started walking towards you both, and if it weren’t for the firm hand on your gun, you would have taken a step back. Her movements all had the same effortless grace Eden always bore, but there was a threat lying just under each and every motion. You hated being nervous. You hated feeling weak. Standing before Elysia like this, however, you were given no other choice.
“We had another run-in with a fan,” she gave a giggle that made it sound like she was meerly gossiping and not talking about a murder. That’s surely what this is about after all. Some poor idiot got too close and met their idol for about three seconds before also meeting her pistol. “Can you go back there and handle the clean up?”
Silence and a glare came in response, but Elysia didn’t notice. “It is your job after all. Don’t worry,” another giggle had you tensing. “I’ll keep your friend company while you’re busy!”
Dealing with Kalpas was bad enough, and you could only handle being around Eden because you had known her for so long. Elysia looked like she could eat you alive with that smile hidden behind perfect pink nails and carefully curled hair. It was odd to think about how terrifying she could be when her main business was drawing people in, not scaring them away. A brothel run by the deadliest woman in town wouldn’t have very many clients if she openly advertised herself as such. Clearly she was doing something right; nearly every cop was aware of (and supported) her business, and her contributions to the family made your bar look like a lemonade stand.
No amount of mental pleading seemed to be enough to stop Kalpas from abandoning you, however, and you withered under Elysia’s gaze as he left. Her grin almost had you convinced she knew just how badly you wanted to avoid her, and she was enjoying your torment. With your—unwilling—personal shield gone, you retreated behind the counter in the hopes that it would provide at least some sort of protection. It brought you comfort, if nothing else.
“Want a drink?” you offered, looking for something to keep your hands busy. Elysia gave a thoughtful hum and slid onto one of the bar stools, adjusting her skirt to fall just right. Once finished, she leaned an elbow on the bar and settled her chin on her fist. The smile that settle don her lips was so predatory you could almost imagine Kalpas giving the same look before beating you to a pulp. As much as you wanted to run to the kitchen to avoid those sharp eyes, you stayed where you were and distracted yourself with wiping tiny fragments of glass off the bar.
“I had this drink a while ago, but can’t remember what it was called.” Elysia took a strand of hair from over her shoulder and began weaving it through her fingers while still staring you down. “Eden recommended it to me, and all I know is that it was pink and fruity.” Well that certainly narrowed things down. ‘Pink and fruity’ was practically worthless information, but the fact that Eden knew what it was called actually helped.
You see, the diva could probably list every wine known to man, but she left mixed drinks to you and the other bartenders that worked for her. When you asked her what she did know how to make, you were able to list them all on one hand. A cosmopolitan was the obvious choice of the bunch, but you decided to ask, just in case.
“Fruity like cranberries?” you spoke while leaning down to grab a cocktail glass from under the bar. Elysia gave a happy hum and a short giggle as you got to work. It was easy to fall into the motions and ignore the woman in front of you just like you ignored any other customer while you were focused. The moment gave you a chance to finally release the adrenaline that had been holding your shoulders taught for the past ten minutes.
Slipping the slice of lime onto the rim of the glass, you slid it forward toward Elysia and waited for her approval. Without even taking a sip, her smilE had softened to something that might almost be considered friendly. It was certainly an improvement over the unnerving look from earlier. The moment the glass touched her lips, you knew you’d passed the test. Elysia gave a properly pleased grin and took a second sip that nearly drained the cup. In a matter of seconds it felt as though all the tension left the air and you could breathe again.
“That’s exactly what I had in mind.” The compliment had you giving yourself a mental pat on the back and you were finally able to untangle your fingers from the towel at your hip. “Edie always keeps the best bartenders to herself,” Elysia gave a put that could have anyone forgetting what she did for a living. “I really don’t know why. All she ever drinks is wine anyway.” You snorted a little at that last bit. Eden hadn’t asked you to make her anything since she’d hired you, and you were certain you could’ve passed off a regular soda for the gin and tonic she asked for.
Suddenly, Elysia gasped as if having a revelation. “I should steal you for my bar!”
“Ely, please stop trying to poach my workers.” Eden came through the side door that lead to her dressing room with Kalpas in tow. The two women playfully bickered while your boss joined you behind the bar and poured herself a glass of wine from a bottle that was probably worth two months of rent. “There’s nothing stopping you from visiting if that’s what you’re after.”
“But imagine how many customers we could pull in with this cutie behind the bar!” Elysia grabbed Eden’s hand in both of hers like they were in a play and Kalpas gave a short laugh at the display.
“You already stole Lyle and Carole with that argument. It’s not easy to replace bartenders right now.” Elysia continued to hold the hand she’d captured while Eden threw back her glass and set it on the counter for a refill. This pattern continued until the bottle was empty, at which point Raven slid through the door while tying her apron and shooed the girls away and back to the dressing room. With them out of your hair, you left for the back to do some last minute checks.
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blvckqwz · 3 months
Text
Slaugher House
The sound of bullets filled the air, Isabelle could hear the bodies dropping on the hot asphalt, the sickening scent of blood filling her nostrils as she ducked, hiding from the men.
She felt dumb, for not having realized it earlier, for walking right into the nest, lured by the empty promise of a safe place. But no place was safe, she now knew it.
No matter how many people live there, or how many supplies you have, safety wasn’t a thing anymore. And for the Terminus’s inhabitants, people and supplies didn’t make a big difference.
Isabelle had stumbled across the horrifying truth behind the so-called sanctuary a few hours after arriving. She could feel something wrong in the air from the beginning, but she couldn’t shatter Carl’s hopes, not after everything they had done to get there. After all his family was possibly there, just like hers, all thought she was praying that wasn’t the case.
Because her mother being there meant that she was dead, and Isabelle couldn’t allow herself to think about that, not now. So she kept busy, fidgeting with the small knife she had luckily hidden, looking around for threats.
She and Carl had split up after hell broke loose, trying to get away from the snipers shooting them down. She hoped he was okay, but she couldn’t think about him either right now. She had to look for her mother, if she even had one anymore, and get out of there the fastest she could. 
It would be nice if Carl was there too, the boy was good company. A friend even. She didn’t know if he considered her a friend, but she knew she did. It’s not like she had many other friends or anything like that, which made it even more pathetic than it already was. Carl probably had many friends, Isabelle thought, at least before the outbreak. 
A scream pierced through the deadly silence, making the girl peer from her hiding spot behind a dumpster to look at the scene unfolding right in front of her. Five men were being led out of a train car by some terminus’s people. Isabelle couldn’t see their faces, but she could hear one of them yelling like a mad man. 
Where were they taking them?
Isabelle slipped past the building, her eyes switching from the train car from the door the group had walked in. Maybe there were other people in the car? Maybe her mom was there too. But she could also be where they were taking the group of men. 
She didn’t have much time, this could be her last chance to find her mom. So, before she could think further, she quietly followed the group inside the building. She hoped that she had made the right choice. 
“Carl!” A familiar voice called from behind him as the doors were shut again, the sound of the lock sliding shut echoing in the train car.
“Dad!” He exclaimed, running in his father’s arms’. His watery eyes found Michone, smiling at the two of them. “I was so worried.” She said as he hugged her.
“I… How?” Rick asked in amazement as he watched the son he thought he had lost. 
“I was wandering alone after what happened and then I ran into…” Carl didn’t know how to call her. A girl? No, it sounded too weird. A person? Too vague. “I found someone who was also looking for her family and then we found the signs and we got here.” “Well, what’s this someone’s name?” Michonne asked.
“Isabelle. But we split up so now I don’t know where she is.” Daryl didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or to cry at the thousandth destiny’s cruel joke. First he has to watch another family reunion, then he hears that name. A name he swore he would never say again. Of course he was happy, Carl being alive was great news. He just didn’t know how much longer he could keep seeing family’s reunions knowing that his had been ripped away from him. It was sick, it was cruel. And most of all, it was his fault. 
“C’mon, this is no time to cry over spilled milk.” His brother grumbled behind him, sure that the comment would only reach the other man’s ears. And it did, loud and clear.
You gotta let it go. 
Daryl just grunted in return, his eyes scanning the inside of the train car. She was long dead, a ghost that existed only in his memory. She was dead, she wasn’t here. 
So why was he still there? He didn’t even care when he felt the door opening, a bunch of men grabbing him along with others and shoved him outside as smoke filled his vision and nostrils.
She was dead.
Isabellehad to suppress a gag as she wandered around the building. It was a slaughter house. She had just sneaked into a slaughterhouse.
The realization laid heavy on her as she kept looking around, her fingers twitching as they held her small knife harder, her knuckles turning white.
Blood was everywhere, making her sick to her stomach. She kept advancing the gory hallways, the sickening smell of dried blood all around her, clinging to her clothes, her hair, her skin. It was gruesome, not even human. A monstrosity. 
She came across three dumpsters, one with “Burn” written on it, the other with “Feed” and the last one with “Wash.” A shiver ran down the girl’s back. These people were sick, a kind of sickness even worse than the dead. 
She continued her journey in the buildings, finding herself in a room that resembled some kind of mausoleum, with candles on the floor and names written all around. If she was creeped out before, now she was utterly terrified.
“We, First, Always.” A voice spoke from behind her, reading one of the phrases written on the wall. Isabelle turned around, her heart jumping out of her chest as she held harder to her knife.
But it was no use. She was already surrounded.
“Hi, sugar. Are you lost?” One of the men mocked, his eyes reminding the girl of a wolf looking at his new prey. She did feel like a prey, surrounded by a pack. “Stay away.” Her voice was barely a whisper as she kept waving her blade in front of her.
The man’s thin mouth contorted in a nauseating grin, his eyes glistening with a dark light under the few candles, “Drop the knife sweetie, it won’t help you.” Nothing will.
“Stay away.” She repeated, this time a bit louder. But there was still terror in her quivering voice as she tried to straighten up. She knew it was only a matter of time before they got her, they were more numerous and stronger. They were making fun of her, making fun of her fear. They were playing with their food.
Nausea washed over Isabelle as she looked at the faces of her tormentors. They looked like feral dogs, ready to jump on the first thing that moved. It made her sick to her guts, knowing what they were going to do to her, and especially knowing that it wasn’t the first time.
“I’m Alex, what’s your name?” The man from before introduced himself. He must have been the leader of the small crowd, the girl assumed by the way the others kept glancing at him every now and then.
“You are one of the newbies, aren’t you?” He kept chatting like they were old friends and not butcher and cattle. Isabelle could feel herself hyperventilating, the fear and the nausea mixing together in a deadly combo.
“Where is my mother?” It was the first time that the girl spoke with a firm voice, gripping her knife with both hands and pointing to the people around her.
“Your mother?” Alex raised a brow, “Sweetie, she’s right here.” He replied. At first the girl didn’t understand if the man had officially gone completely psycho, then she noticed him gesturing at his stomach and she swore that everything went black. 
“Bitch!” A woman shouted as Isabelle twisted herself in half and threw up the little that she had eaten on the floor. She looked at the mush in front of her feets. The meat. She froze. She had eaten their meat. Another wave of vomit washed over her as the monsters in front of her watched her in between amusement and rage.
“How dare you?” She could hear someone yell as she got up, her knees buckling. She raised her knife once again, which probably went unseen by the man who screamed and that was now throwing himself on her, since he landed perfectly on her blade, impaling himself with a disgusting swoosh.
Her eyes went wide as she watched the man’s mouth open and close without a sound coming out, hot blood pouring on her hand and clothes. Isabelle withdrew the knife, the man’s eyes losing the light as he collapsed on the floor in a pool of his own blood.
Hell broke loose, a scream erupting from Alex as the girl’s legs moved before she could even process what just happened, sprinting towards the nearest exit. She could hear someone crying, and she was sure that if she looked behind her shoulder she could see those fuckers circling the dying man, mourning him like he was a good person, like any of them was. But she couldn’t look back, not if she wanted to get out of there alive.
“Not so fast!” He yelled as he ran towards her, grabbing her hair and yanking her towards him. Isabelle let out a raw scream as her fist collided with the man’s nose, and she swore that she felt the bones breaking. But she didn’t check, she was too focussed on escaping the horrors behind her.
She could feel the muscles of her legs begging for mercy, but not her, she never begged and she sure wasn’t going to start now. She jumped over a dead body scattered on the floor, ignoring the disgust washing over her. 
Isabelle looked up and realized she was in the real slaughterhouse, pieces of human meat hanging from the ceiling and all sorts of utensils laying on blood soaked tables. If the girl hadn’t thrown up before she would have done it now. 
“You can run, but you can’t hide…” Alex's voice called from outside, making Isabelle shiver. But this time she wasn’t willing to be the prey. Her mind shut off as her survival instinct took over, making her grab the sharpest hatchet she could see and hide behind a table, trying to ignore the reek of the human remains. 
“I like you, girl.” The man said as he entered the room, making the girl shut her eyes in terror, “We could be friends.” A loud bang almost made her jump. He must have flipped a table, she thought as she gripped harder to her weapon, praying that her table wasn’t the next.
His footsteps were loud, much louder than hers. That was the only advance that she had, she was quicker and nimble, while he was big and loud. She could have the upper hand if she caught him by surprise.
“Why would I be friends with you?” She asked once his back was turned before quickly slipping behind another table. He turned around to where her voice had come from, slowly advancing.
“We have shelter and food, we can share.” He spoke, his usual disgusting grin plastered on his stupid face. But she could see his disfigured nose even in the dim light, dried blood adorning his mouth and chin. He was hurt, thanks to her. The corners of her mouth tugged upwards.
If this wasn’t a life death situation Isabelle would let out a scoff at the man’s idiocy. He thought she was stupid, that she was weak. But she wasn’t like that anymore, she couldn’t be. She wasn’t the same whiny kid her uncle used to make fun of, she wasn’t the sensible, kind, old her. 
She was the butcher now, not the cattle.
“How can I know that I ain’t the food?” The girl questioned before shifting towards the next table. If she kept doing this she could slip out of the room and lock him in it. 
Alex let out a laugh that was anything but reassuring, “Trust me, we won’t eat you.” 
“Isn’t your first rule to not trust anyone? Or does it only work for those inside your freaky cult?” Isabelle replied as she ducked under another table, finding herself pressed against something cold. A leg. She gagged.
“My mom created the said freaky cult, y’know?” Alex explained, “We don’t eat each other, we are family.” He said, “Most of the time.” “Family dinners must be really nice I assume.” The girl shot back as she finally peeled herself away from the sticky dead leg and quietly ran to another table. She didn’t know how much longer she could keep playing this little game, the door seemed so far and she could feel the man growing impatient.
“You are such a smartass right?” He questioned, “Why would we eat you? Don’t you think I already know that you are all bones?” Isabelle gritted her teeth, “It took me no effort to yank you, you are malnourished.” He continued, “You were like this even before this happened, right? You don’t look like someone who comes from money.” The door. The door. The door. Isabelle kept repeating to herself as an attempt to not focus on the harsh words coming out from the man’s mouth. 
“Let me guess, daddy was too coked out to remember to buy food, am I right?” He asked, “No money left for our poor little Isabelle.” The girl froze. He knew her name. 
“You seriously thought that I would fall for your little plan? Don’t you think that I know who you are?” Alex continued as he turned straight to her. 
“I know you are hiding, Isabelle.” He almost growled as the girl could feel herself sink into the floor, all hopes shattered. 
“Start running.” And she did, as fast as her aching legs allowed, straight to the door. But he grabbed her, throwing her on the hard floor. She hissed in pain. He was right, she in fact was malnourished, and had been for a long time. 
“I’ve got you.” The sick grin was back on the man’s face as he lowered himself, “No more games.” He turned serious as he grabbed her by her arm and shoved her against a table, making her hit her head.
Isabelle let out a cry as she felt hot liquid pouring from her head on her neck and back. A fist landed on her cheekbone, “You think you are so clever, uh?” He was furious now, totally deranged, “You are so smart, right?” Another punch. 
Red filled her vision, and the girl could swear that she was having a concussion with all those hits on the head.
Isabelle let out a scream as she felt the coldness of a blade on her throat. This couldn’t be the end, not after what she had been through. But black dots danced in front of her eyes and she felt dizzy, so dizzy that she might fall asleep. Her breathing started to get faster and faster as her heart kept painfully slamming against her chest. 
This is the end.
The man mocked her screams, “No one is coming to save you now bitch.” She felt the tip of what she assumed was a knife draw blood around her chin, not enough to kill her but probably enough to leave an ugly scar. But not even the ugliest scar could match the scar that was now forever staining her mind. Betrayal, despair and horror filled that scar, forever imprinted on her.
“Not so talkative now uh? You don’t have any snarky comments for me?” He asked as he tugged her hair up, raising her head to look at him as she had gone limp on the floor, “Talk.”
Isabelle gathered the little strength that she had and spit blood on the man’s face, probably her last little revenge. 
The man just chuckled as he wiped the blood with his hand, “You are so dead.” He hissed as he threw another punch on the girl’s already bruising skin, knocking her out.
Isabelle’s eyes were wide and her pupils dilated as she watched the man get closer once again, his hot, sticky breath on her face. This is the end.
Another punch landed on the girl’s face, her head rolling to the side as she laid on her back on the cold, blood stained floor. Alex’s right hand closed around her throat, strangling her. She kicked him, but it was no use as it only seemed to fuel the man’s rage. The pressure on her neck was barely bearable, and Isabelle’s vision was starting to blur, tears tickling her eyes. She caught a glimpse of shiny metal on her left, another hit coming down her face.
The hatchet. 
Isabelle stretched her arm towards the weapon, her swollen face twisting in pain as the man’s knee stomped on it, probably breaking it. The girl let out a yelp as she felt the bone crushing under his weight. She tried to wiggle her fingers, and even if it hurt like a bitch, she was pleased to find out that they still could move. 
Her hand was so close to the saw that she could feel its handle with the tip of her numb fingers. She let out another yell of frustration as the man’s grip on her neck tightened, her consciousness slipping away little by little.
Her fingers finally curled against the weapon, bringing it up in the man’s neck with no hesitation, stabbing him. Hot blood poured from his sliced neck, spraying on her face, in her mouth. The man’s eyes widened in surprise as he let out a wet cough, blood coming out of his mouth. 
Isabelle squinted as she pressed the blade further into the man’s jugular, more blood spilling on her. “Fucking. Die.” She hissed as she yanked the blade towards her, finally slicing the man’s neck open. 
Alex cried out one last time before Isabelle shoved him off her and shakily got up, her head pounding as she closed her eyes to regain her balance. This time she looked back at the second man she had killed that day, blood still cascading from his wound onto the floor. She looked down at her crimson hand still holding the hatchet, wondering whether to jab it or not in the man’s brain. 
She tsked as she finally exited the slaughterhouse, leaving the man to bleed out. Men like him deserved no mercy. No one in that hell hole did.
Isabelle knew she had to get to the train car before the adrenaline washed over, her legs screaming at her to stop as she kept running, still covered in both her and Alex’s blood. 
An explosion suddenly made the floor shake under her feets. She looked around, flames roaring from a building near the fence, walkers already entering the compound. 
She had to be quick, she realized as she ran even faster then before, holding the hatchet in her good hand. The Terminus inhabitants had already noticed the bomb, snipers shooting everything that moved. 
The dead’s moans filled the air among the sound of bullets, and the sickening smell of burnt flesh filled the girl's nostrils as she watched the walkers slumping towards the roaring fire. They hadn’t noticed yet, but it was only a matter of time before they did.
She kept going, her eyes wide as she noticed a body laying on the ground, three dead people feasting on it. The red hair mixed with the dirt and the blood on the floor, her face not visible. Isabelle felt fear wash over her as she chopped the head of the first dead, grabbing the attention of the other two. She glanced at the woman’s face, and let out a sigh of relief as she didn’t recognize her.  
Her blade stabbed the other walker, letting out an awful crunch as it hit its skull. The other one came next, sliced in two as it extended its hand to grab her. She grabbed a dead body and scrunched her nose as she cut its stomach open and smeared its guts on her, suppressing the urge to gag. This was the only way to get past the herd.
Another walker suddenly yanked her by her jacket, latting out a horrifying groan as his jaw clenched and unclenched, trying to eat her. She yelped before sticking her blade into its skull, making it slump back
A bullet flew a few centimeters away from her face, where the roamer stood until a second before, making her look up. Her eyes met a gray haired woman with a rifle in her hand, pointing it at her. She was also covered in walkers’ intestines, which Isabelle found oddly reassuring. Their eyes found each other as she slightly raised her hands in surrender. 
The woman nodded before throwing one last glance at her and disappearing behind a door and Isabelle could swear for a moment that the woman recognized her. But she didn’t know who she was, no matter how hard she tried to remember. 
Isabelle shook her head before moving past the dead, walking among them as she held her breath. She hated it, she hated hearing their agonizing groans, hated smelling their rotten flesh and hated that everyday that passed she began to feel more like them than like her old self. 
The train car stood in front of her, the same that she saw previously when some men were being dragged out from it. The dead kept walking towards the fire as she slowly stopped following them, instead turning to the muffled voices from inside the train car.
She let out two whistles, hoping that there was her mom inside and that she recognized the code. Instead a male’s voice spoke from behind the door, “Isabelle?” “Carl.” The girl felt safe for the first time that day. Carl was there, he was alive, “Step away from the door.” She whispered as she eyed the locket on it. Isabelle raised her hatchet before bringing it down the locket, breaking it. 
The door opened with a creek as the girl used all her strength to make enough space for her to slip into. A dim light welcomed her, making her squint her eyes a few before she could make out the shadows of the people surrounding her.
A body suddenly came crashing against her, his arms wrapping tightly around her aching frame, but she didn’t care, all that mattered was that they were okay and together. So she hugged the boy back despite her sore body asking for mercy. They stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity, probably a bit longer than necessary, both unaware and unbothered by the knowing glances that the older people were occasionally giving them before looking away to give the pair some privacy.
“What happened to you?” Carl asked as he pulled away, shifting awkwardly on his feets as he took notice of her bruised and bloodied face. 
“This place…” Isabelle started, “It’s not what we thought.” She said as tears started to gather in the corners of her eyes, “They tried to capture me, they knew who we were.” She said, “They… eat people.” 
“A few murmurs spread among the people. The news weighed heavily on the group, only confirming what they already knew deep down. Isabelle looked around at the unfamiliar faces, her heart both aching and feeling lightheaded when she didn’t recognize anyone. So her mother wasn’t here, she realized. That was good, it meant that she was safe from the ongoing horrors. But was she safe from the rest of the world? 
“Are you okay?” A woman asked as she placed a reassuring hand on the girl’s shoulder, noticing how she flinched away from the touch. “Sorry, I zoned out.” Isabelle mumbled as she looked up at the woman, then back to her shoes. She looked like a nice lady, with a kind smile on her face and bright green eyes. She looked nothing like her mom. She barely smiled. 
“it’s okay, I get it, this is a scary place.” The woman reassured her.
“I’m not scared.” The younger girl replied, her words coming out harsher than she intended. 
The woman’s eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly went back to her usual kind expression, “You look like a really brave girl.” She said, “I have a sister a few years older than you. I know this isn’t easy.” She continued as she noticed the girl’s blue eyes looking up at her again, “I’m Maggie.” “Isabelle.” The girl replied as she looked down at her shoes again. She wasn’t good at making friends, she was too shy.
“We should get out.” A red haired man said, making all the conversations around him stop, “The explosion is the only chance we have to get the hell away from this. Let’s stick to Rick’s plan.” “What’s the situation out there?” A Hispanic woman asked the girl.
“There are a lot of dead walking around, but they go towards the fire.” Isabelle explained as she gestured to her blood soaked clothes, “Snippers will try to shoot us down from the rooftops, if they are still alive.” 
Silence followed her statement, making the girl wonder if she said something wrong. 
“Don’t be a bunch of pussies!” The red haired man yelled, “If the girl made it we can.” He reminded her of her uncle, he was also very loud. And he used to swear a lot. She found it comforting.
“Can you run?” Carl appeared next to her without her noticing.
Isabelle shrugged, “I made it here, I ain’t backing down now.” 
The boy shot her a reassuring smile, “Stay next to me.” He said before the doors opened, light washing over them, not giving Isabelle time to reply.
And then they ran.
Her legs hurt and she could feel her heart beating, but she still ran.
A walker came to close, but it got kicked down by Maggie, who was right in front of her. 
Isabelle stabbed another walker with her hatchet, blood splashing on her already stained face.
She felt a hand grabbing her, but she didn’t pay attention to who it belonged to. 
Then it was running again.
“The fence!” Someone shouted, and they all followed, zigzagging the cascade of bullets coming from above. 
A sharp pain came from her broken arm as whoever had grabbed her kept dragging her along. The fence was a few feets from them now, a blanket covering the barbed wire as the red haired man and the Hispanic woman helped a man with a chubby face and a ugly mullet clumsy jump over it before following him.
Isabelle pulled herself up the fence right after Carl, feeling Maggie presence behind her as she tried to climb over. But she could feel her muscles shutting down, and she knew it could be over soon.
Still they made it out the hell hole, a feeling of relief washing over her. Isabelle looked back at the roaring fire surrounding the building, her chest tightening. Her mom wasn’t there. Where was she?
She felt Carl’s hand on her arm as they walked towards the group and he could have seen her face flush if it wasn’t already all bruised. Her head kept throbbing but she was still happy. Because she had Carl. And she was hopeful that her mom was around too, looking for her.
“So.” The red haired man approached once Carl waddled away, “Who the hell are you kid?” 
The girl raised her chin proudly, her eyes meeting the man’s, “I’m Isabelle sir.” She said, “Isabelle Dixon.” She could see with the corner of her eyes a few people exchanging weird glances, but she was too busy trying to stop the dots dancing in front of her to care. Confusion filled her, and she wasn’t sure if it was for the glances or for the conclusion.
Then the void swallowed her, and before she knew it her body hit the ground, blacking out.  
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specialagentlokitty · 2 years
Text
Dr strange x teen!reader - care
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Omg your new doctor strange could we get a part two where they are on a mission and he is protective like blocking attacks meant for her. - Anon💜
Part two:
Your first ever mission, and you were really nervous, scared in fact.
You hid behind Strange, lighting the path for him in the dark building so he was able to see where he was going.
There wasn’t supposed to be anyone in here, Fury and Maria told the pair of you that it was empty.
So when you caught the sound of hushed voices behind you, you were quick to freeze and you grabbed the back of Strange’s cloak.
“(Y/N), what’s wrong?” He whispered.
He turned around and crouched a little bit so he was able to see you better.
Slowly, you brought a finger to your lips, telling him to be quiet, then to your ear, telling him to listen.
After a voice seconds the voices could be heard again, louder this time.
“Come.”
Strange grabbed your hand but as you guys were rushed for a place to hide you were quickly found and all hell broke loose.
There was a lot of shooting and yelling, and you were pushed behind strange.
You couldn’t fight, your power wasn’t one for fighting, it was better for search and rescue.
Covering your ears, you knelt down and squeezed your eyes shut.
But the bullets that flew past you they never reached you.
Slowly, you looked up, strange was holding a shield with one hand, and he was doing something with his other hand, and whatever it was it was working.
Just as the men charged at you a portal opened and they ran through that instead, and quickly it was closed.
Strange spun around, kneeling in front of you as he took your face between his hands, examining you.
“Are you hurt?” He asked.
“No…” you whispered.
You waved your hand and more orbs shone around the pair of you, letting you see him better.
And that’s when you saw the blood on his face and shoulder.
“You’re hurt…” you whispered.
“It’s nothing, just a scratch. Don’t worry.” He smiled.
He stood up and helped you up.
Strange kept ahold of your head as you guys retrieved what it was you were looking for and started to make your way back out.
“Does it hurt…?” You asked softly.
“No, don’t worry (Y/N).”
Strange cast a smile at you over his shoulder and led you back to the jet where Bruce was waiting.
Quickly you guys were off, and you watched strange sit down, hand over his shoulder with a small wince.
You waited a few minutes before walking over, standing in front of him.
“What’s wrong?” He asked.
Reaching up, you placed your hand on the side of his face, a small light emitting from your palm before you did the same to his shoulder.
“You can heal people?” He asked shocked.
You nodded and made your way back to your seat, avoiding looking at him or Bruce.
Instead you focused on your feet.
“We didn’t know that.” Bruce whispered.
Strange looked at you and sat next to you, offering you his hand.
Looking at his hand, then him and back to his hand, you slowly placed your hand in his.
He held it lightly, and you looked back up at him confused.
“Thank you (Y/N).”
He gave you a gentle smile, and you looked away.
Strange was waiting for you to take your hand back, but you never did, instead you held his hand a little tighter and carried on looking down at your feet.
“You got hurt.. because of me…”
“I got hurt because of bad people, not because of you. Yes, I was protecting you, but I don’t regret it, and I’d do it again.”
“Why…?”
You looked up as you asked this.
“Because you’re worth protecting (Y/N), you’re a kind, caring kid, you just need a little help to see it.”
You nodded and looked back down, a soft smile on your face.
It was the first time someone had ever said that to you, and you could tell that he meant it. He wasn’t lying like everyone else did, he was honest.
You’d heal Strange again and again if you had too, because you had grown to like him. He was nice, and treated you with care.
If you lost him, you weren’t sure what you would do.
He was the dad you always wanted, and you weren’t going to let anyone take him away that easily
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