#but honestly. just the dumb luck to come across something addressing me that i probably would have never seen otherwise | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

skiitter · 3 years

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Also in my roundabout way I would like to request a Lann ficlet, start with angst but make it happy? or just happy. Or just anything because you are a great writer!!

okay so uh this got away from me but here's 3.8k words of lann pining after the commander and being an idiot in love.

He is not staring. He is restringing his longbow after their latest run in with the remaining demons still lingering in the area, that's it. He is absolutely not staring at his two companions huddled together across the fire. He is not watching with rapt, singular focus at their every interaction, seeking answers in her soft words, his sardonic remarks. The Aasimar gestures rudely with his hands, and she laughs loud, the chorus of it echoing through the empty ramparts. When Daeran dips his head low to whisper in her ear, the skin of her neck flushes and Lann forces himself to look away.

He's pretty sure they're sleeping together. It's hard to know for sure, thanks to his complete lack of experience in interpersonal relationships, not to mention his one and only lover having been someone he'd known since birth. Wenduag was a blunt edge of expectation, and Lann always knew exactly what was happening between them. When it comes to the Commander and Daeran, however, he isn't totally sure.

That unknowing, that gray area of wretched hope, is killing him. Falling for her was not on the agenda, seeing as she'll live for hundreds of years and he's lucky if he's got a decade left. Not to mention that she's (probably) gonna save the world and he's just some Mongrel who's legacy won't extend beyond the small role he's played in the crusade. He's never been a glutton for punishment, what with life underground being horrid enough already, but there is a sweet sting in accepting his unrequited love for her that he can't shake. It drives him, despite it's doomed end, to do whatever he can for her fight. If he cannot give her his heart, he will give her his life.

"You're staring," Seelah whispers, her hulking form crouched next to him as she sharpens her longsword.

"Can you blame me? Looking forlornly into the campfire is just one of my many talents."

Seelah chuckles and jerks her head slightly towards the Commander and Daeran. "Oh you're looking forlornly alright, but it's not at the flames. You should talk to her."

"I do talk to her. I talk to her everyday. Are you saying you don't? Honestly Seelah, she's your commander, you--"

"Fine fine, play coy. I'm just saying Lann, we could die at any minute. Do you really not want her to know how you feel?"

Lann swallows, the ugly reminder of mortality and how the sword strung above him dangles far lower than the Commander's tightening the sinew around his heart. "Sh--she doesn't need any more burdens. The Commander's got enough going on, what with that pesky Worldwound thing." He spares one last glance before turning his body away, enduring the biting cold as the heat of the fire leaves his scaled skin. "She doesn't want to deal with a lovesick Mongrel and really, who could blame her?"

"How could you possibly know what she wants if you don't talk to her?"

"Because it's not her wants I'm concerned with, it's her needs. And she needs me to be good ol' reliable Lann. She needs me to shoot my arrows and kill the baddies. She needs--she needs something she can count on and that something is me."

The Abyss happens all at once and it's a miserable experience for them all. Their time in Drezen made him soft, he thinks, because the camp at the Nexus is horrifically uncomfortable. The ground is somehow colder and harder than any other he's slept on and no amount of fire really chases away the shadows.

They spend a significant amount of time in Alushinyrra, and a significant amount of money staying at the Bad Luck Tavern just to avoid the discomforts of the Nexus. It's on one such expensive stay that a group of frankly moronic thugs try and rob the Commander while she sleeps. Her ever-present and ruthlessly protective Velociraptor dispenses them in quick measure, ripping the throat out of the final victim before Lann even has his bow drawn.

Up until that point they'd opted for three rooms, in groups of two, but they downsize to one after the attack. The Commander's life was hardly in danger but playing with fate isn't something she likes to do, chaotic nature be damned. The tavern owner grumbles but, with a golden incentive, allows them to drag one of the other beds into the room so the sleeping arrangements aren't quite so cramped.

Ember curls up into the Commander's side, her sisterly affection having transformed them from companions to near family. Woljif takes the other bed, offering half of it to Regill. The severe gnome answers him with a severe look and Woljif extends the offer to Lann instead. He glances at Daeran but the Aasimar is already tucking himself into the space between the Commander and the wall. With not a small amount of jealousy, Lann resigns himself to his fate and joins Woljif.

A soft rustling pulls him from a restless slumber some time later and Lann wakes just in time to see the Commander whisper something to Regill, who is stationed at the door, before slipping into the hallway with Daeran in tow. He watches them until they vanish and, as he looks away, makes uncomfortable eye-contact with the gnome. Regill's face is as impassive as always, but Lann feels guilty for some reason, like a kid caught with his hand in the rat cage.

"Is this going to be a problem?" Regill asks him as they head out the next morning. Well, not morning since there is no sun or sky or joy in Alushinyrra.

"Hard to say, this city does tend to be a bit on the rough side," Lann responds.

"The Commander has assured me any physical relationships she has with the party aren't going to be a problem." It's not a question but it's not not a question and Lann looks around to make sure the others aren't paying attention.

"We uh, we aren't in a physical relationship?"

"I know."

"Riiiiiight."

"But you want to be, which is arguably worse. So I'll ask you again, is this going to be a problem?"

It occurs to Lann that he should probably do a slightly better job of keeping his apparently obvious feelings on the Commander to himself. "Uh, no. No, it's not." Regill doesn't seem satisfied but then again, when does he ever? "Is uh, I mean, are the Commander and Daeran--"

"I do not gossip," Regill snarls. "Bother the thief with nonsense like that."

Lann does not, in fact, bother the thief with nonsense like that. Instead, he pushes down the swelling of affection he feels at every interaction with the Commander and focuses on the mission. It goes well enough, all things considered, until Savamelekh shows up and nearly kills him.

The demon's revelations are a bit too much for his overtaxed heart to bear and the subsequent bender doesn't help at all. When the Commander finds him, though, he just babbles on about wanting to prove to her he can be what she wants, what she needs, and that she can trust him. "I want to be somebody you can count on. I don't have anything to offer apart from my bow and my dumb jokes....and my life. And they're all yours, if you want them." He glances away, shame and discomfort crushing him from the inside out. "But I doubt you do, not now that I've let you down."

"....I could never turn my back on someone I care about just like that." She's been talking this whole time but it's these words that register hard and fast. Lann stares at her, and she stares back, and the weight of things unsaid on her face is a blessed curse. He forces a smile, bashful but steady, and pulls away from the conversation. It's too much to think about, especially because hope is not his friend, despite its insistence on hanging around.

Later, back at camp, away from everyone but her sharp-eyed Velociraptor, the Commander comes for him. He's not avoiding her, not that he really could thanks to the nature of their new normal in the Abyss, but he's not not avoiding her either. He's sitting at the edge of the cliff, staring out over the sea of fire and the city of demons. She sits beside him, shoulder to shoulder, and they are quiet for a long time.

"Next time I get drunk and come to pour my heart out to you, I'll jot down notes first," he says lightly, glancing at her. Her face is hard to read, not the open expression she'd given him back at the tavern, but he knows her well enough to know she's bothered by something. "I'm kidding of course. I'd never do that -- I don't do notes, I improvise."

"Why do you do that?"

"Improvisation is just one of my many skills, honed from my illustrious life as a Mongrel hunter. Sometimes, you got out to hunt for some rats and end up fighting a--"

"Lann, stop." He does, if only because her tone is firm. "Why do you always demean what you say with humor?"

"I'm....funny like that?"

She scowls at him and her raptor lets out a soft hiss. He's pretty sure they're connected, somehow, because otherwise that would be just plain freaky. "I love that you're funny, Desna knows we need something lighthearted with Regill around, but sometimes I--" She falters, his rocksteady monument of a Commander, and it scares him. "Sometimes I just want you to tell me how you feel."

His heart races, and hope is such a dangerous, cruel thing. "I did tell you how I felt...I meant what I said, back at the tavern. I...I'd do anything for you." The confession settles between them, demanding to be addressed.

"For me, or for the crusade, for the cause?" She's asking him a different question, he thinks.

"I--"

"Because Lann, I--you are--"

"What about Daeran?" He says it in a rush, because he can't handle whatever it is she's trying to confess.

"What about Daeran?"

"Aren't you--ya know--"

"Lann, would you do anything for me or for the crusade? To whom are you pledging your life too? Is it me? I need to know because I cannot carry on like this."

More shame, some more guilt, all for Lann. Of course his unwanted affections made her uncomfortable, of course he took her caring treatment of him to mean more than it was supposed to. He wants to leave, because he also kind of wants to cry. "Commander..."

"Not commander. Lann, please for this moment can I just be a person to you?"

She's crying, for some reason, and he doesn't know what to do. "You're always a person to me. I--you know that."

"To whom do you pledge your life?"

In the end, he knows what's more important. "The--the crusade." Lann knows that she needs to be able to rely on him without thinking he's reading into her every action, her every word. His wants are second to her needs, just as it should be.

Her face crumples, though, and the twist of her mouth breaks his heart. "Right. Okay. Of course." She stands, dusting her robes off and refuses to look him in the eye. Lann realizes immediately that he's said the wrong thing, despite his efforts to do the exact opposite.

"Commander--"

"Have a good night, Lann. Thank you for….thank you for clearing that up."

Her raptor snarls at him when he stands up to stop her and she is gone.

The next day, she announces they are heading deep into the heart of the Abyss. And, for the first time since he followed her out of the dark and into the sun, she leaves him behind.

Six months. Six long, bloody, dangerous months. He runs point with Greybor, struggling to keep the Commander's hoard of refugees safe, and spends each watch with Solsiel, pointedly not talking about their missing leader.

Several times the idea of her death comes up and he stops fighting against it. He's pretty sure they'd leave but there is no where to go. Groups of demons hunt them for sport and it's a miracle he's able to keep himself in one piece. Nenio is insufferable. Seelah is too positive. He misses Ember, and Wolfji. He misses Regill and his cold practicality. He misses the Commander and the smile she used to shoot him when he'd struck down an enemy in their path.

Eventually, it's just the five of them left. Every other life she'd saved has been systematically eradicated by the horrors of the Abyss. Still, they wait because what else are they supposed to do?

She returns, of course, because she's more myth than woman these days. What was six horrific months in hell for those left behind, was less than two weeks for them. Two weeks. The Commander doesn't cry when she sees the devastation that's been wrought in the wake of her absence. Her left hand trembles, but she stays strong. Just as quickly as they'd come, she shows them the way home.

Drezen is in shambles and it takes another week just to kill the demon forces that have taken their city. In that week, she treats him as warmly as she does Greybor. That is to say, her polite indifference is breaking him.

As things return to normal, and he contends with the loss of his tribe, Lann considers what to do. He's messed up, somehow, and he's spent six months worrying over it. He's pretty sure she wanted him to admit that it was to her he swore his life. He's pretty sure he knows why. A (admittedly short) life spent hunting for things unseen and he completely missed the things she'd tried to say.

He misses her feverishly. She's busy, daily, managing the shambles left of her crusade armies after the Queen had her way with them. The party has yet to leave Drezen since returning and Daeran has yet to leave the Commander's side. Lann feels replaced, usurped, and he cannot take it anymore.

Her door is shut, but there is candlelight spilling out underneath. Before the courage leaves him, he knocks and calls out her name.

"Lann?" She opens the door and he's half expecting to see Daeran, arrogant and naked, sprawled across her bed. Instead it's just her, exhausted and anxious, looking at him with a guarded expression. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, ya know, just everything." He tries for humorous but it comes out pathetic and they both frown. "Can I--can I come in?"

She steps aside, allowing him entrance. He's never been here, in all his time in Drezen, and while he's not totally sure what he expected, it's still a surprise. Her quarters are small, smaller than the house she'd given him upon their initial taking of the city. The desk is covered in maps and missives, and her gear is in a pile by the door. The raptor has a bed, set up beside her own, and Lann is pretty sure it looks far more comfortable than the Commander's. There is nowhere to sit so they both just stand there, awkward and uncomfortable, as she closes the door.

"What's going on? Have you heard from the clan?"

That particular sting of worry rolls over him and Lann shakes his head to push it away. "No, not yet. All quiet on the Mongrel front."

"I'm sorry, Lann." She reaches out for a moment, as if to comfort him, but stops herself short. "We'll find them, I promise."

"I didn't come here to talk about the clan."

"Okay."

"Boy, is this awkward. Uhm," he clears his throat to buy time. "Do you remember that last conversation we had?"

Her expression becomes an echo of the one she wore that night. "I do."

"I uh, I would like to do it over again."

The Commander narrows her eyes. "Why?"

Lann runs a hand through his hair, and stares at the wall beside her because if he looks at her, he'll fall apart. "I think I messed it up."

"Lann, you don't have to do this."

"Yeah, I kinda do."

She shakes her head. "It's okay I know that--what you said it's--we're fine."

"You were gone for six months, ya know. Six shitty, ugly months. You've never left me behind before." It's not an accusation but she flinches anyway. "I had a lot of time to think. Not a lot else to do, really. Well, aside from entertaining Nenio and rejecting Camellia's frankly terrifying propositions."

"She asked to sleep with you?" The Commander is suddenly furious and Lann is shameless in how warm her indignation makes him feel.

"Well, not in so many words and really, I'm kind of dense, but sneaking into my bed at night was--"

"Did she hurt you?"

"I--what?"

"Did she hurt you?"

"I--I don't know what you think sex with a Mongrel is like--"

"You slept together?" Her fury simmers down and turns her face cold.

"No! This isn't about that. I don't want to talk about Camellia. It was only once and--no. She didn't--we--nothing happened."

"You could--"

"Commander, excuse the insubordination here, but please shut up. This isn't easy and I'm losing my nerve." She frowns, but stays silent. "I want to change my answer."

"To what question?"

"To the one you asked me that night. I lied."

"What?" The inflection is too hopeful and Lann forces himself to look at her.

"It's not for the crusade or the cause or the world. It's--it's for you. My life, I mean. I'm pledging it to you. I misread things, I didn't understand what you meant. I--my life, my bow, my dumb jokes, it's yours." He struggles not to fidget, or downplay what he's saying with humor. She's staring at him, and she's crying but this time he knows why. "And my heart. If--if you want it. It's yours."

"Lann," she whispers and closes the gap between them. Her hands come up to cup the sides of his face, and they are trembling. It's a perfect match to his own shaking nerves. "Are you sure?"

He laughs, and it's watery. "It's hardly something precious to me. It's just all I have to give you and--and well really, it's already yours."

"How long?"

"Ugh no, the last thing you need to know is how long I've been pining over you."

"It was the Gargoyle attack for me, the one at the camp." She confesses it so easily, and he's rendered speechless. "When it was you that came to find me and tell me everyone was taken, my very first thought was relief; relief because they didn't take you." She presses her forehead to his own, their noses brushing. "From the moment we left for Colyphyr, I regretted leaving you behind. I could barely focus for the first few days because I was so worried about you. Every day I woke up, expecting to see you, to talk to you, and you weren't there and it was my fault. I was so mad at myself for letting my stupid feelings get in the way but the thought of having you near and knowing you'd never want me that way it--" her voice breaks and he wraps his arms around her, holding her tight.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I should have realized what you were asking, I--"

"No, I'm sorry," She pulls back to look at him. "I'm so sorry I didn't just come right out and ask you how you felt. I was just scared, scared of rejection and what I would do if you said no."

"I would never--I love you." He reddens from ear to tail and he immediately wants to take it back.

Her eyes widened. "You do?"

"Well, I didn't really want to just come out and say it. I was hoping for a little more romance. Some candles, maybe a rat shaped pastry or two. We could probably get someone to play--"

"I love you, too." She captures his mouth with her own before he can stumble over anymore words and Lann relents happily to her efforts. She kisses him like he's always wanted to kiss her, all passion and tenderness, and disgustingly sincere affection. Their arms wind around one another and she pulls him to her bed.

Lann stops her. "We don't have too, really. I know I'm not exactly easy to look at--"

"Lann. I’m only going to say this once, so pay attention.” She sets him down beside her and once more takes his face in her hands. “Don’t you ever, ever talk about yourself that way again, okay? I love you, all of you, every bit and I want you, in any and every way you’ll let me.” She kissed him again, softly. “We don’t have to rush into anything, and you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Just--just please know that, regardless of what you’ve been told, you’re beautiful and--and I will happily take you to bed every night.”

“Just to bed?” He aims for suggestive and, every bit the archer, he strikes true. “But there are so many other places I wish to be taken.”

“We’ll have a veritable world tour of it, but for now, can I have you here? Because this is all I’ve thought about for months and if I don’t fulfill that fantasy, I may die.”

“Regill would have my head for that.”

“He is possibly the least sexy person you could bring up at this point in time.”

Lann crowds into her, forcing her backwards until he has her pinned beneath him. “Imagine the report I’d have to write: Knight-Commander of the Fifth Crusade dies because local Mongrel fails to fulfill her sexual fantasies.” He kisses her once before moving his attention down the breadth of her jawline, and onto her neck. Her breath hitches, pressing her body up into his. “Good thing that’ll never happen because I’m a terrible writer.”

“Lann,” it’s nearly a whine, only just, but it’s enough to make him shudder, “please.” He’s always been excellent at following orders and there is no reason to stop now. Whatever she needs, he thinks, whatever she asks, he’ll give. It’s a scary thought, but it’s the only one he’s had for it feels like his whole life. Her hands snake across the skin of his chest, pulling at his armor with frantic hands. “Let me see you. Let me touch you.”

He relents, and soon they are but a tangled mess of limbs. It’s nothing like he’s known, but he’s ruined forever now. He’s hers, like he has been since that serendipitous moment beneath the ruins of Kenabres, and to his unbelievable shock and surprise, she is his.

#pathfinder: wrath of the righteous #pathfinder wrath of the righteous #wrath of the righteous #lann #lmao holy fuck this got away from me #its p good tho #we love a good angsty pine #thank u anon #sorry this took me a few days!#skitterfics #Edit: Some of Lann's dialog is taken straight from the game #i don't wanna try and pass that off as my own obv

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lady-griffin · 4 years

Text

I Entered a Dangerous Dungeon

Acchan’s Story

Acchan’s story was very touching and sad. I thought the anime did a great job adapting her POV chapters concisely into this episode.

I love the scene of Acchan reading Past Katarina’s last text message and breaking down crying.

That got me right in the feels.

One slight criticism, is that in the Light Novel we learn that because of Past Katarina, Acchan has made many friends and is able to live on without her best friend. Because of the positive impact Past Katarina had on her life and how much she changed it for the better.

So, while in the anime, Acchan does say she will live on without her best-friend, I feel like it doesn’t come across as strongly as it did in the Light Novel.

That being said. I thought Acchan’s story went really well with the flow of the episode.

In LN Vol.2 her POV honestly felt disruptive and broke the flow of the story for me. So definite kudos to the anime for fixing that.

The text message scene got me, but so did Past Katarina’s funeral.

It’s easy to forget, with Katarina’s silliness, density and antics, that she died tragically young in her former life.

So well done on the anime’s part for hitting me right in the heart with that reminder.

Sadness and friendship aside. I like how Fortune Lover appears in Katarina’s Past Life.

The poster on Acchan’s wall gives the impression that Prince Geordo and Prince Alan are the two main love interests or the more primary capture-targets.

As they are more front and center than Keith and Nicol.

But since this is Katarina’s story, Keith takes precedent over Alan because of his closer proximity and relationship to Katarina.

There’s also something I really like about Past Katarina struggling to succeed in the Prince Geordo route in the game and technically dying because of it.

It feels like her new life is good karma or the universe trying to make it up to her…so to speak

As in Katarina’s new life she easily wins over Prince Geordo without even trying and by being herself. Hell, she doesn’t even notice that he’s in love with her or that anyone else is.

I’m probably looking way more into that detail than is actually needed, but I just like that small detail to Katarina and Geordo’s relationship.

The Exam Plot

Sophia want to see Katarina after her sad dream (memories) was very sweet and touching. I just love their friendship and how it has cross time, worlds and lives. It’s beautiful.

I don’t think the Exam Plot is from the Light Novels (6-9) and it wasn’t in the manga or Light Novels (1-5).

So, kudos to the Anime for introducing this exam plot and exploring more of the academic life for Katarina and her friends.

I loved their school uniforms for the exam.

It was nice seeing them in the same outfits and they all look pretty damn good in them.

I don’t know why I really like their uniforms so much, but I really do. I just really do.

As much as I love their day-to-day outfits, I would not be mad if this was their school uniform and what we saw them in for the majority of the time.

But that’s probably just me.

Katarina is 100% right about the insanity of this exam.

But thanks to this crazy exam we got to see more magic and it was great.

I’ve always felt like the Light Novels and the Manga didn’t elaborate or explore on this being a magical world and the fact that all of our main characters have magic (at least in the First Year/Game Arc). The later novels (3-5) do elaborate a bit further.

In Fortune Lover, it’s clear that magic was just a mechanic in the game to explain why all these characters were in the same school and a slight twist to making Maria different and special, as well as make Fortune Lover different from other Otome games.

And if I’m not mistakes Katarina even says the same thing about Fortune Lover.

Fortune Lover gave a limited view of this world. Even when it came to Maria Campbell’s life and background, but the actual Hamefura story explores the world to a much greater extent.

So, it always seemed liked a wasted opportunity not to do the same with magic.

As it never really felt that magic matters for certain characters at all.

For example in the Light Novels’ Character Profiles -- Sophia is said to have Earth magic and Raphael is said to have Light Magic…

But clearly that doesn’t really matter, because the anime (and maybe manga) can easily change their original types of magic to Wind Magic (I’m assuming it was Raphael who used that wind-tunnel to save Sophia and Katarina).

HOWEVERE, there does seem to be a mistake in Sophia’s profile as it’s just Katarina’s in regards to her likes, dislikes, etc.

Sophia’s Profile in Vol.5 (english-translation) is more than likely wrong in regards to her magic. Which might mean Raphael’s magic in his profile is also wrong.

So, we should take that into consideration.

My point being that I’m very happy that the anime is taking different route with how it handles magic in comparison to the LN/Manga.

It’s been a huge improvement.

Katarina is so fucking dumb (I love her).

Not only does she push the red button on the floor without even thinking about it for even a second, but in addition, her contributing to the group with her earth-bump was hilarious and adorable.

Plus, her picking the most poisonous mushrooms that ever existed was just so stupid and so amazing.

I also love how both Mary and Sophia are pretty fucking dumb when it comes to Katarina (and really only when it comes to her).

Mary is fully prepared to eat deadly mushrooms as long as Katarina is the one who prepares them and Sophia just hops right on board.

And Sophia was really the only who was genuinely complimenting Katarina for her earth-bump move in the exam. Which is just so sweet and also so dumb.

I love the three of them so goddamn much + Maria being the only one of the girls not willing to the deadly mushrooms.

While I am a bit disappointed that Katarina’s videogame knowledge wasn’t of any use to her in the exam, I did genuinely love Geordo pushing her towards the the path they decided to take.

I also enjoyed Alan saving Mary and her slighty blushing and him looking slighty embarassed as well.

I will say I was disappointed that we only really saw the boys be capable during the exam, not any of the girls. Except for when Sophia helped Nicol locate Katarina…but still.

And of course, Katarina found the magic-stone because she needed a tool to help her gather mushrooms. That’s 100% Katarina. Though, a part of would have prefer it if Katarina was very knowledgable about plants in general and knew that those mushrooms were deadly. (either way it works for me)

And the one councilmember in her head (happy) seeing a lizard as food was fucking fantastic.

I love the noble girls being jealous of Katarina and talking about her.

It’s nice seeing them before the big accusation scene happens. Just by showing the noble girls being mad and jealous of Katarina feels more organic to the story.

Plus, Maria noticing the Dark Magic behind Katarina.

I’m very happy with the past two ‘filler’ episodes building up to the two big climatic scenes and events.

The main problem I had with this episode is that -

The Exam Makes No Sense…

I know that not unusual for anime or plenty of other stories, but the exam really makes no sense.

Aside from one group, basically everyone else is basically set up to fail. Right?

If you find the magic stone than you pass. If you don’t find the (one) magic stone, then you fail.

The exam isn’t really testing what they’ve learned or improved upon.

It’s more based on luck and the amount of magical power one has.

Which seems unfair, as we know that a good portion of the magic population is closer to Katarina’s level of power than Keith’s, at least in LN, but maybe it’s different in the anime (or maybe I read the LN wrong).

I guess it’s possible that even though the team that finds the magic stone automatically passes, the other teams can pass based on how they navigated through the ruins...maybe. That would make more sense.

Though, it’s very possible that Alan, Mary, and Maria didn’t pass the practical exam because they weren’t on Katarina’s team.

And while I doubt that will be addressed later in the anime - If Alan, Mary and Maria actually failed the practical exam then that would be a great reason for why they arrived late during the accusation scene.

They weren’t there because they had to retake the practical exam or do another one.

So, even if the anime doesn’t say that’s the reason, that’s going to be my headcanon for right now.

ALSO

The teachers literally split the top students of the entire grade into two separate groups…

I’m not exaggerating.

The students who get picked to be on the Student Council (the harem) are the ones who ranked the highest in the evaluation exam at the beginning of the school year.

First Year Rankings

1. Geordo Stuart (Canon) 2. Maria Campbell (Canon) 3. Alan Stuart (Canon) 4. Keith Claes (non-canon) 5. Mary Hunt (non-canon) 6. Sophia Ascart (non-canon)

We don’t actually know the rankings of Keith, Mary and Sophia but since they’re also on the student council, we know that they must be ranked 4-6. We just don’t know the exact order. .

Having the highest ranked students in two groups, basically feels like setting up all the other students for failure.

Then you have Katarina who is right smack in the middle of the rankings (#80) as part of one of the two groups.

That gives me the impression that Geordo and Keith basically demanded that Katarina be on the same team they are on, not realizing the other was doing the same.

Which is par for the course.

As all the members of the harem (minus Maria), threatened the teachers that if Katarina didn’t get permanent permission to be allowed in the Student Council chambers, then they would all resign from the student council (Manga/LN).

I know I’m thinking about this too much.

And that of course the main characters are going to be together, because they’re the main characters. But still...

Really with just one or two lines from the teacher would have at least solved one of the illogical problems here.

Teacher – “We have place several of these stones in the labyrinth, your goal is to find one of them. If your team leaves the dungeon without finding a stone, your team fails.”

Or something to that affect...

As much as I love Geordo and Keith being exasperated by Katarina and protecting her.

This also could’ve have been a nice opportunity to introduce Katarina’s non-council friends. Rather than us just seeing them right before she gets accused of bullying.

But again, it does make more sense to have the main characters to be teamed up together...because they are the main characters. I just can’t help but point out the logistical problems for this exam.

Though maybe the anime will build off what’s been established in this episode...maybe.

Overall, I really enjoyed this episode.

I was hit in the feels right away, laughed so hard, and it was just a lot of fun.

And of course, I was very happy to see the anime is adding its own stuff to the story and elaborating beyond the Light Novels and Manga.

#Katarina Claes #Bakarina #Hamefura #destruction flag otome #Otome game no hametsu flag #Geordo Stuart #Gerald Stuart #Keith Claes #Sophia Ascart #Acchan #Mary Hunt #Alan Stuart #Maria Campbell #Raphael wolt #Sirius Dieke #Nicol Ascart

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visions-from-reaver · 3 years

Text

CHAPTER VIII: Finding John

First of all I want to apologize to the people who I have had to make wait for so long for this chapter! I am so so so so sorry! I lost motivation for a while and I also had a bad case of writers block on top of it all! -low key begging for forgiveness- Anyway enjoy this next chapter!

The morning sun brought a blinding white light shining through the dusty and cracked windows. Arthur groaned and blindly searched for his hat, which was on the table next to him. He placed his worn hat over his face to try and get some more sleep when voices outside his door caught his attention.

“So what are we gonna do now, Dutch?” Arthur recognized Hosea’s tired voice.

“We get strong, we get warm, we wait and when the storm breaks we move. But we’re safe here and warm enough not to freeze to death.” Dutch said, trying to reassure the older man.

“I guess.” Hosea didn’t sound so sure and Dutch seemed to pick up on it.

“You sound doubtful, Hosea.”

“I’m not doubtful, just worried.”

Arthur stood up and moved to lean against the door frame as he listened to the two men bicker at each other. They were both sitting in old, worn out, wooden chairs in front of the fire; trying to knock the chill out of the frigid morning air.

Dutch noticed Arthur and turned to address him “What do you think, Arthur?”

Arthur sighed not expecting to be called out by the leader “Well I wasn’t on that boat so hard to say, but I trust your judgement, Dutch, always have.”

“Thank you, son,” Dutch said, seemingly pleased with Arthur’s response before turning his attention back to Hosea. “We have been shot at before Hosea I don’t feel that this is honestly anything new.”

“I hope not…”

“We had a bit of bad luck, Hosea I’ll admit that. But then the storm covered our tracks, so now we wait a bit then we go back to Blackwater and we get our money, or we get some more money and we keep headin’ west.”

“But we’re heading east!” Hosea argued back like Dutch didn’t realize it himself.

“For now, Hosea. For now. But we got this. We’re safe!” Dutch paused as he stood up from the chair and laid his hand on Hosea’s shoulder “Stay strong, Hosea, and Arthur…” The leader turned once again to face him “Well you know me, son, I am just gettin’ started, and once we get some money...well they’d better send some good men after us, ‘cause they ain’t never gonna find us...but in order to get out of here we need money.”

Arthur nodded without hesitation “Of course, Dutch.”

Dutch stepped forward and placed his hand on Arthur’s shoulder “Thank you, son, for your strength. It means a lot to me...especially right now.”

“Sure.” Arthur said, “Oh, by the way, that kid from yesterday...there’s somethin’ strange about her.”

Dutch paused on his way out the door “I’m assuming something stranger than what she told us last night?” Dutch was confused, what could possibly be more strange than having someone tell you they were from the future?

“She knows about us Dutch. She knows we’re outlaws and I didn’t say nothin’ to her about that.” Arthur said a little frantically “She said she’d tell us this mornin’ but I..I jus’ don’t know.”

“So what do you suggest? That we just leave the poor girl up here to freeze? I raised you better than that, son.” Dutch’s tone was firm and condescending.

“No I ain’t sayin’ that at all I jus’...I jus’ think we should keep an eye on her. At least til’ we know for certain what’s goin’ on. I mean if…” Arthur stepped closer to Dutch so only he could hear him “If she is tellin’ the truth, and she really is from the future, then how the hell she even get here?”

“Did you ever think to ask her, Arthur? She might know about us, about who we are, but she is one girl. What could she possibly do to us?” Dutch had a point and Arthur knew it.

“I guess you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right. Now come on, let's go talk to her.”

The pair walked outside into the cold morning air “Ms.Grimshaw!” Dutch called to the older woman of the camp.

“Yes, Dutch?” She replied as she hurried over

“The young girl that we brought into our care, where is she?” Dutch asked as he looked around.

“Ms.Heather?”

“Yes.”

“She is in that building with the rest of the girls. I think she is still asleep.” Ms.Grimshaw pointed to the old schoolhouse that sat across from the cabin that Dutch, Arthur, and Hosea were currently staying in.

“Thank you, Ms.Grimshaw. Arthur, you go in there and get her, I am gonna check on the others.”

“Sure,” Arthur responded as he headed into the smaller building and directly into a hushed conversation.

“He ain’t been seen in days, the weather hasn’t let up…” Abigail said in a worried tone.

“He’s strong, and he’s smart.” Tilly Jackson said, trying to bring comfort to the distraught woman.

“Strong at least,” Abigail said in a spiteful tone, one she used only when talking about John Marston.

Arthur made his way over to the small fire burning in the fireplace as he looked around for Heather. He saw her sleeping in the far corner of the room, alone.

“Hello, Arthur,” Abigail said, trying to get his attention.

“Abigail,” Arthur responded shivering.

“Arthur...how you doing?”

“Just fine Abigail...and you?” He could tell she wanted something from him.

“I need you to…”

Arthur sighed and lightly rolled his eyes. He knew this was coming, whenever John got into any sort of trouble he was always the one to save him or clean up his messes.

“I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry to ask but…”

“It’s little John...he’s got himself caught into a scrape again.” Arthur lightly brushed her off.

“He ain’t been seen in two...two days,” Abigail said frantically, trying her best not to become angry with Arthur.

“Your John’ll be fine. I mean, he may be as dumb as rocks and dull as rusted iron ...but that ain’t changin’ because...he got caught in some snowstorm!”

“At least go take a look.”

Arthur turned around hearing Hosea’s voice come from the door, it annoyed him a bit, but he wouldn’t voice it.

“Javier.”

“Yes?” An annoyed answer came from a Hispanic gentleman with a strong Mexican accent, sitting across from Arthur and Abigail.

“Javier, will you ride out with Arthur...to take a look for John? You’re the two best-fit men we’ve got right now.”

“Now?” Javier asked in almost disbelief, he had only just woken up himself.

“She’s…” Hosea turned to Abigail for a moment “We’re all worried about him.”

Arthur looked over at Hosea in annoyance giving him an old fashioned ‘you’ve got to be kidding me’ look.

“I know.” Javier sighed out “If the situation were reversed...he’d look for me.” He handed Arthur a sawed-off shotgun and headed out the door.

Arthur grumbled and took in the room with a sigh “Alright, fine, but when the kid wakes up, tell her to go find Dutch. She’s got some explainin’ to do.” He then turned around and followed Javier out into the snow.

*****Two Days Prior*****

This was the biggest mistake that John Marston would probably ever make. He was lost and caught in the storm with hardly any food, on the back of some random horse he stole on the way out of Blackwater. Dutch had sent him and Micha to scout ahead of everyone else, things were fine but they got separated when the storm blew through. So now here he was, on the side of some mountain somewhere, huddled by a pathetic campfire that was hardly anything more than a few burning coals, freezing to death.

He searched in his satchel for some food, but could only find provisions for the poor stolen horse. He took a bite out of one of the oatcakes and nearly choked on how dry it was. “How can you stand to eat this stuff? It’s horrible.” He grumbled to the horse who was totally ignoring him. “Look at me, talkin’ to a horse, maybe I really am as stupid as everyone says?” It was then that he realized the situation he was in, he was going to starve out here if he didn’t find something to eat.

Arthur had tried to teach him how to hunt when he was younger but gave up pretty quickly when he obliterated a rabbit with a shotgun slug. He was around twelve at the time; hadn’t ever really been hunting. Most of the food he ate was what he dug out of the trash in the towns, or stole from the General Store when no one was looking. But now it seemed he would learn, or he would die. That, and there was another problem, there was no fresh water around him, which meant no fish, which would be the easiest thing for him to catch out here.

He ate half of another Oatcake, giving the rest to his stolen horse when he heard howls in the distance, which meant only one thing, wolves. He kicked some snow over his measly fire and mounted his horse spurring her in the opposite direction of the howls. These were going to be the longest two days of John Marston’s life.

**********

He was able to find a river, after about a day of travel. It was frigid cold, but clean and as clear as a crystal. He was able to catch a few fish with a makeshift spear made from a branch. “At least I can fish, unlike Arthur,” John said to himself as he cooked the flaky meat over the fire. It was bigger this time so it actually kept him warm, and hopefully, it would keep any predators away from him. A sound and movement in the distance caught his eye. He couldn’t exactly make out what it was, since it was dark and the only light was the burning fire, but it looked like the outline of a horse.

He quickly got to his feet, maybe someone in the gang had found him? “Hello! Is anyone there?!” Silence answered him in return “You’re goin’ crazy Marston…” The shadow came closer and his stolen horse spooked and reared. “Easy girl!” John shouted to try and calm his steed down. He looked back up to where he saw the shadow of the horse only for it to be gone. “Yep...you’ve officially lost your damn mind.” A howl rose in the distance, not too far from where he was now. A chill ran down his spine at the sound, the wolves had followed his scent and they were getting closer.

He quickly mounted his horse, not bothering to put out the fire. His horse spooked as he mounted the saddle and bolted across the river and up the side of the mountain. “Woah girl, easy!” More howls pierced the air, they were close this time, way too close. “Come on, faster!” John yelled as he spurred the mare in the side.

Snarls sounded at their backs, along with the sound of snapping jaws. John's horse squealed, bucked, and toppled over onto her side, throwing him into the snow. Pain tore through John as the wind was knocked from his lungs. As he struggled to get up he was knocked onto his back. Pain raked down the side of his face as a snarl ripped through the air and into his ear. John yelled and fought the wolf off with a struggle, when he looked over his horse was on the ground, its intestines spilled out into the snow. He clumsily got to his feet and stumbled away from the gruesome scene and up the side of the mountain.

He heard snorting behind him, thundering hooves in the snow. But that wasn’t possible, his horse was dead. John spun around to see what was running up behind him. A large black stallion slammed into him, its eyes a pure moonstone white, its hooves a deep silver, and its teeth sharp as daggers. He fell back down into the snow as the beast stood over him, facing the direction he ran from. He was too afraid to move, afraid of being trampled under this horse’s hooves. He heard the howls in the distance. The wolves, he was gonna die, he just knew it, he could feel it in his gut.

The horse above him was calm, rigid, but calm, like a guardian. He saw the wolves now, running up the hill towards him at full speed. The stallion reared onto his hind hooves. He then charged the wolves at full speed, snapping at them almost like a dog. John didn’t wait around to see what happened to the horse, he got up and continued sprinting up the side of the mountain, disappearing into the storm.

*****Present Day*****

“This way. Last I know, John was headed up the river.” Javier said as he led Arthur north up the mountain.

“For all we know...he kept riding north and never looked back,” Arthur said as he drove his stolen horse into the snowstorm. He was annoyed, annoyed that he was having to once again go and clean up one of John Marston’s messes.

“He wouldn’t leave. Not like that.”

“Well, it wouldn’t be the first time.”

The pair rode further up the mountain in silence, the wind, though it had calmed down considerably from the day before, was biting and tearing at their bodies and lungs.

“Hey!” Javier called over the howling wind, “I see some smoke. Come on, let’s take a look!”

“Sure, let’s just hope it ain’t more of O’Driscoll’s boys!” Arthur responded as he spurred his mount to go just a little faster through the snow.

“Well…” Javier climbed down off his horse as they got to the smoldering campfire. “...Seems somebody left….” he stuck his hand down close to the ashes and felt they were still warm. “...recently….and they went...that way!” A pair of hoof marks left the fireside and across the river, followed by what seemed to be several considerable-sized paw prints.

“Sure, well, come on then!” With a slight sinking feeling in his gut as he followed Javier across the river. “So, do you think it’s John?”

“You tell me. Those are horse tracks for sure, but it could be anyone. Let’s see where they lead us.”

Arthur had a burning question. He wanted to know what happened back in that town back in Blackwater. “So….you were there, Javier, what really happened on that boat?”

Javier was silent for a moment before he answered. “We had the money, it seemed fine, then suddenly they were everywhere….”

“Bounty hunters?”

“No. Pinkertons. It was crazy. Raining bullets.”

Arthur had heard tell of the Pinkertons. The Pinkerton Detective Agency. If bounty hunters and sheriffs couldn’t stop the gangs of outlaws, the Pinkertons were called in to take them down. It wasn’t peaceful either. Everyone would be killed.

“Dutch killed a girl in a….bad way. But it was a bad situation.”

“That ain’t like him, though,” Arthur exclaimed. Sure they were outlaws, criminals, but Dutch Van Der Linde never killed anyone in cold blood, never.

They came across a large ravine, and the horses whinnied and tossed their heads.

“Easy boy, it’s okay, you’re alright.” Arthur patted the horse’s neck, trying to soothe him.

“The tracks lead around it, to the other side, see?” Javier said as he pointed in front of him. “I don’t know why he’d come all the way out here, though, especially in this weather.”

“I saw some paw prints alongside the horse tracks a ways back,” Arthur said as he guided his horse alongside the ravine.

“Do you think they are wolves?” Javier asked, concerned.

“Possibly, I don’t know of any coyotes living this far north,” Arthur replied.

“We need to hurry then. He could be hurt. He’s already been shot!” Javier called as he spurred his horse to go faster once it was safe to do so.

“He got shot during that whole mess?!”

“Yeah! So did Mac! We still haven’t heard about what happened to Sean!”

“Damn…I knew John was hurt, just didn’t know he got shot.” Arthur’s mind whirled at the new piece of information. Just because he and John had a falling out, didn’t mean Arthur wanted the man dead.

“To be honest with you, Arthur, I’m surprised we escaped at all.”

“What you mean?”

“By the time you and the boys showed up from the other side of town; we were only just holding on…”

“Damn...that was some bad business alright. I’m glad we made it out alive...for the most part anyways.”

The weather only got worse the farther up the mountain they went.

“Damn snow is comin’ in hard again!” Arthur yelled

“I know, we need to move fast!”

They reached a pass that seemed to cut the top of the mountain almost in half, the snow was much thicker here, untouched, which made it hard on their horses.

“Come on boy!” Arthur said, trying to encourage his horse. “The horses are getting tired, Javier!”

“I know, there's a lot of fresh snow here!”

The tracks they were following only moments ago were completely covered by the freshly fallen snow.

“I don’t know about this, Javier. W-We can’t follow nothin’!”

“Let's push on a little bit, we might be able to pick up the tracks again.”

The path curved up and around, cresting at a somewhat flat area that seemed to connect to the side of another mountain. Just down that path was something that neither of them wanted to see.

“Arthur...do you see that?” Javier sounded concerned as he spurred his horse into a canter “John was riding that horse when we left Blackwater.”

“Oh...thats…” Arthur didn’t even want to finish his sentence. The horse was gutted, its entrails covered in snow and ice.

“He couldn’t have gotten too much further on foot, let's see if he can hear us.” Javier pulled out his revolver and shot up into the air, the crack of the shot echoing off the sides of the surrounding mountains.

**********

John was freezing, he had barely escaped those wolves with his life intact and he now found himself huddled on a cliff edge, alone. Or at least he thought he was alone. The sudden sound of crunching snow behind him told him otherwise. He carefully turned around to face whatever was behind him, his body screaming in protest with the effort it took. There, in the cleft of the overhanging rock stood the massive stallion from earlier. It pierced him with its coal black eyes and John felt a chill go down his back. What was this beast?

His thought was cut short when he heard the distinct sound of a gunshot ring out through the howling wind. He did the first thing his mind told him to; he yelled. “HEY! OVER HERE!” He continued to yell until he heard two voices he immediately recognized.

“Marston, you hear me? Marston!” Arthur.

“John! Where are you? Can you hear us!” Javier.

“I’m over here! On this ledge!” John called back to them. “Over here!” John yelled as he saw Javier come into view, only to watch him stop dead in his tracks.

**********

“Alright. Pipe down, Marston.” Arthur grumbled as he ran straight into Javier with a grunt. “What’chu stop for?” He asked; catching the smaller man before he could fall over.

“Arthur….what is that?” Javier said as he pointed over behind John, in the cleft of the rock face, and straight at the large black stallion.

“Holy shit...how’d you get up here?” Arthur mumbled as he stepped around Javier.

“Wait, you recognize this horse?” John called over his shoulder at Arthur.

“Yeah. I know him. He belongs to the kid.” Arthur grumbled as he stroked the horse’s muzzle.

“Kid?” John questioned “What kid?”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it, Marston. All you need to worry about is gettin’ the hell offa this mountain.” Arthur snapped in rebuttal.

“Looks like we can go back down that way.” Javier said as he pointed to what appeared to be another path down.

“Alright then. C’mon.” Arthur gently grabbed Reaver’s makeshift bridle and tugged him forward; clicking his tongue to get the beast to follow him. “Here.” Arthur grumbled as he reached Javier “Hold him still, and for the love o’ God don’t spook him.”

Javier reluctantly held onto the bridle, keeping the stallion still as Arthur bent down and grabbed John, pulling him up and away from the cliff edge.

“Don’t die jus’ yet cowboy.” Arthur grunted as he put John on Reaver’s back.

Reaver startled and snorted, lightly rearing onto his hind legs. “Woah! Easy!” John yelled and gripped onto the rope that was used in place of reins with as much strength as he could muster up. “Where’d you say you found this horse?”

“In a barn back where the rest of us are holed up.” Arthur murmured as he soothed the stallion, grabbing the bridle and tugging him forward along the path down the mountain.

“Has he even been broken?” Javier asked as he walked alongside them.

“No, I don’t think so. He don’t like bein’ spurred'. Bastard tried to throw me when I used ‘em.” Arthur replied.

“He don’t like wolves neither. Ran straight at them!” John exclaimed.

Arthur laughed “Y-haha! You mean to tell me a horse had to save your sorry hide from wolves?”

“I know it sounds crazy but it’s true!” John argued

“Sure! I believe you, Marston. I believe you jus’ about as much as I believed that ferry job in Blackwater was gonna work.” Arthur growled out, “I told Dutch not to send you out on the scoutin’ job once we got up in the mountains, told him you weren’t the right man for it.”

“Yeah...guess you were right on that one.” John grunted in pain.

“‘Course I was right! Jus’ look at you! You was almost wolf food! Best be glad that Abigail was worried ‘bout you, cause I wasn’t.”

“If you hate me so much just say it Arthur.” John murmured

“Alright, Marston.” Arthur quipped as he spun around to face John “I-”

“We’ve got a problem…” Javier said and pointed up to a cliff. Three wolves were staring them down, some already looked pretty mangled up, ears torn and bleeding, or favoring one leg more than the others.

“Aw shit....you two get on outta here. I’ll deal with the rest of John’s friends.” Arthur handed the reins over to Javier as he pulled his sawed-off from his holster, pulling the hammers back. “Come and get me, you bastards.” Arthur growled as the wolves charged down the hill.

Arthur aimed at the first wolf and pulled the trigger. A spattering of blood sprinkled the pure white snow as the wolf went down. The others hesitated for a moment, hackles raised, lips pulled back in a menacing snarl.

“Well?! C’mon then! I ain’t got all day!” Arthur snarled through his teeth at the beasts.

Two more wolves lunged at him, one straight on, the other lunging at his arm. BANG! The shotgun went off again as a second wolf hit the snow in a pool of fresh steaming blood. A cry ripped from Arthur as the other wolf latched onto his arm “Get the hell offa me!” He yelled as he hit the wolf in the head with the muzzle of the gun. The wolf let go and fell into the snow with a yelp. Arthur quickly reloaded the gun and shot the beast, only stopping to catch his breath after he made sure it stayed down like the others.

“Arthur, are you alright?!” Javier called

“I’m fine! Just got bit, I’ll live!” Arthur called back as he made his way over to Javier and John. “Lets get outta here and get John back to the others.”

“Sounds good to me.” Javier exclaimed as he whistled for his and Arthur’s stolen horse before mounting up and looking over his shoulder. “You okay back there John?”

“I-I don’t feel so good…” John answered

“It’s just a dog bite, you’ll be fine.” Arthur grumbled as he mounted his stolen horse.

“Knew a fella who got bit by a dog, he died two days later.” John said.

“Yeah well, that ain’t gonna happen to you. We wouldn’t get lucky enough.” Arthur mumbled the last bit to himself as he tied Reaver’s makeshift reins to the back of his horse’s saddle. “C’mon lets get a move on, we’re losin’ daylight and I’d prefer not to be stuck out here all night.”

“You and me both.” Agreed John.

“Shut up Marston.” Arthur ground out as he spurred his stolen horse forward and back towards Colter.

#OutlawLegends #ReaverBeingAGoodBoi #arthur morgan #john marston #javier escuella #abigail roberts #hosea matthews #Dutch Van Der Linde #chapter 8 #MyGodThisChapterIsLong #SorryForTheWait

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utopianvoices · 5 years

Text

dating au | k.yeosang

⤗ check my masterlist for other members!

how he acts around you

cold as fuk

even antarctica’s shaking

like he’ll just avoid you like you have the plague or something

which is weird because he’d be fine with you when he still hadn’t developed feelings

albeit awkward, but still okay

so when he suddenly starts avoiding you, you just accept the fact that he didn’t like you after spending some time with you

which is a shame because you really liked him

initially you try to find out why he’s avoiding you

and you ask all the members

“uH.... it’s nothing really he’s just really shy!!! he DEFINITELY likes you.”

was their response all the time

but it was just hard to believe that he liked you after seeing him avoid you as such

like he’d be sitting on the couch

and you sit on the oTHER end of the couch

and he’d still get up and leave the room

that’s because he’s scared you’ll see his face turn red

the first few times you just pretend you don’t notice it

but it gets difficult after a while

because you’re still a babie with feelings

(;﹏;)

so then you start avoiding him too

and this doesn’t go unnoticed by the members

especially wooyoung, who knows about yeosang’s crush on you

he comes up to you one day, pulling you aside saying that he had something important to talk to you about

“yeosang likes you.”

...... say whaaaat

you’d have never guessed it tbh

even if you were the most alert person, with how much yeosang had been avoiding you, you would have zero clue

“w-what? there’s no way, he keeps avoiding me!”

cue wooyoung’s eye roll at his best friend’s dumb shyness

“he doesn’t hate you, he just avoids you because he’s scared he’s gonna make a fool out of himself in front of you. just do something about it please.”

you’re skeptical at this piece of information

but wooyoung was your close friend as well and he’d never play a prank this bad

so you decide to get to work

how he confesses

continuing from my above point, there’s no way he’s confessing first to you

so you’ll have to do all the work for this one

you walk into the dorm, immediately spotting yeosang sitting on the couch and watching tv

the moment he sets his eyes on you, he reaches for the remote and switches off the tv, getting up to move to his room

but before he can move anymore, you take a deep breath and speak up

“yeosang, can we talk?”

and he just freezes on the spot

because it’s been a while since you directly addressed him

and ngl he really missed it

although it was his fault for avoiding you in the first place

slowly looks at you with wide eyes, them following you as you walk over to the couch and take a seat on one end

after a few seconds, he slowly moves to the other end of the couch

sitting in a position such that his body was facing away from you

his heartbeat was skyrocketing, thinking of all the possible things you were going to say

but he definitely didn’t expect the words that left your mouth

“i like you.”

whips around the moment those words leave your mouth

stares at you like

(゜ロ゜)

noting his silence, you continue your sentence, being cut off by a soft tiny “y-you like me?” coming from the boy seated across you

you nod slowly, playing with your fingers as you watch his face, waiting for a reaction

and just like that, you see his cold facade melt away, his little teeth showing itself, happiness seeping into his expression

seeing his expression makes you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding

feeling bad that you had to confess first because of his shyness, he slowly moves closer to you on the couch

it takes a whole minute for him to be seated next to you

and another whole minute for him to gather the courage to take your hand into his

you almost want to pull away, because your hands were sweaty from all the nerves

but he just holds onto your hands tightly, looking at you dearly

asks you out then and there, as an apology for avoiding you for way too long

first date

is there truly any other first date with this boy

will bring you to his favourite dessert place

if you weren’t a fan of chocolate, he’d bring you to a generic dessert place so that there was a greater variety for the both of you to choose from

but if you loved chocolate as much as he did

oh boy

be ready for a trip to a chocolate buffet

he’ll spend so much time searching for the best place to bring you

because he wants everything to be top class

when he finds the place he wants to bring you, he gives you vague details, such as what to wear and what time he’ll be coming to pick you up

as promised, he’ll arrive at your place with a bouquet of your favourite flowers

if you were allergic to pollen, he’ll bring you something in replacement of flowers

basically just makes sure to bring you something when he comes

on your way to the place, he talks excitedly about how he had found the perfect place to go with you

and you’d just listen and watch him with a smile because

how does one manage to be so fricking cute

when you finally reach the place, he quietly looks at you, wanting to know if he brought you to the right place

knows he did SOMETHING right when he sees your eyes light up in excitement and your smile making an appearance

you both go crazy at the restaurant

spending the time talking about all the things you missed out and rotting your teeth together

you both probably regret eating so many sweet things

but still would not trade it for anything else

because chocolate and the person you like with you?

best combination ever

first kiss

will probably take another century to happen

you might be together, but that doesn’t mean he still ain’t shy

might honestly take a few months before it happens

not that he doesn’t want to

but he just doesn’t want to screw up

because first kisses are one of the most memorable things in a relationship

and he’s just a sap like that

just wants the best for you for everything

if you’re not the patient type, you’ll probably end up going in for the kiss before him

and he’d respond immediately if you do it

almost like he had been waiting for it

he has

but if you had the patience of a saint and preferred to wait for him to do it

he’ll finally make his mind up to do it

but lady luck hates him

gets the timing wrong every. single. time

(-д-；) why even

after many failed attempts, he’d give up trying to capture the surprise element

and just announce that he wanted to kiss you

you’re halfway through a movie in the dorm, sitting side by side

and you’re really engrossed in it

but the boy beside you had 120% of his concentration on you

and thinks of nice ways to tell you that he really wants to kiss you

but just blurts it out in the end

“i want to kiss you.”

and you just stare at him blankly

trying to process what he had just said

he takes your silence as rejection and starts stuttering apologies

but you take his hand, making him shut up

“go ahead.”

and he does—finally kisses you, and maybe it was worth the wait uwu

the first few pecks are shy, but as time goes, he gains more confidence and it shows in his kisses

first fight

i see it developing because of his hesitation to open up and his shyness

he knows the main foundation of a relationship is communication

but he really hates confrontation

so will always keep it to himself if he’s upset about something that you had done

and you wouldn’t realise as well because he doesn’t say anything

so these things just build up in him and one day when he sees you hanging out with one of your guy friends

and your guy friend seems a little too close for his liking

he’ll spill out all his frustrations to you in one go

and although all he wanted to do was let you know what he was unhappy about

the fact that he had listed down everything that upset him

made it seem like he was picking on every single thing you had done

and so it blows out of proportion

you’d make known to him that it wasn’t fair for him to bombard you with everything at one go when communication was the key to a good relationship

which makes him realise his mistake

you walk away before the fight becomes worse, with him chasing after you immediately, apologies spilling from his mouth

and even if you decide to forgive him right away, he’d still go out of his way to buy you your favourite chocolate, with the promise that he’d try his best to start opening up to you from then onwards because he really didn’t want to lose one of the best things that had happened to him

favourite things to do together

loves to go to the park with you

one hand gripping yours and the other holding onto his skateboard and drones

will always insist that he wants to teach you how to skateboard

even if you couldn’t get it no matter how many times you tried

shows off his skills on the skateboard and then bugs you to try

but his main intention isn’t to make sure you’re learning to skateboard

oh no

this sneaky boy just wants an excuse to hold you because holding you without an excuse is too embarrassing for him at the initial stages of your relationship

somehow gets a thrill from getting to hold you so close to him in the pretence of teaching you how to skateboard

once he’s done laughing at all the times you fall on your ass while trying to skateboard, he’d set his drone up and fly it around the park

lets you fly his drone around, but slowly takes the controller away from you when you crash his drone into a tree for the third time

he loves you, but he loves his drones too

attaches a small camera to his drone and take aesthetic photos of the two of you from high up in the sky

definitely sets one of them as his wallpaper

gets teased indefinitely by the members, but he just tells them to shut up with red cheeks

general affection

it’s always the quiet, shy ones who are wild

ahem

┴┬┴┤( ͡° ͜ʖ├┬┴┬

anyways

loves to kiss you

you have no idea

okay maybe you have an idea buT when i say he loves to kiss you, i mean he loves to kiss you

nEVER does it in front fo the members

the most he’d do is cuddle up against you maybe, and lay his head on your shoulder

but his lips are nowhere near you when the members are around

without them though........

you have a really hard time getting away from him

when he’s comfortable enough, you can see the dominant side of him coming out

not tHAT dom but just in the sense that he likes to take charge of things

only when he’s really comfortable though

i’ve emphasised the comfortable part enough hhhh

loves lazy make outs

will take his time kissing you and it annoys the shit out of you sometimes

and he /knows/ that it annoys you

but does it on purpose

if you want the kiss to lead to something more, he’d want you to take the first step

wants to make sure you’re 100% comfortable with whatever he does

puts you first for everything

but if you’ve already crossed that milestone, will definitely be more experimental

loves to cuddle with you while facing each other

legs tangled up and all

doesn’t talk much during cuddle sessions—he just uses that time to admire you, top to bottom

his hands wiLL explore you during your cuddle sessions, but in a very innocent way

it’s almost like you are something he has never seen before and he’s just a curious child that wants to find out everything about you

in the mornings where he wakes up before you, will leave kisses all over your face as your wake up call

and tbh you’re awake for most of the part but you don’t wanna tell him because who wouldn’t like kisses from your handsome boyfriend

and he too knows that you’re awake

but he loves kissing you as much as you love being kissed by him

can you tell i’m rly affected by the wake up call video ateez posted ;;

will call you by your name most of the time, but he’d reserve the nicknames for special occasions

ie. when he wants something

the type to call you really cheesy things when he wants something

like ‘sweet babycakes’ or something like that

and doesn’t stop till you give him what he wants

you can’t stand the idiotic names he calls you, so you’ll just do whatever he wants

it can range from getting him something from another room

to making out with him when he’s feeling a little extra unloved

whatever it is, you’ll probably do it so that your ears don’t bleed

and therefore he always emerges victorious

#ateez #ateez imagines #ateez scenarios #kang yeosang imagines #kang yeosang scenarios #kang yeosang #dating au series #dee scribbles #i kinda went more in detail for the general affection part this time #and hhHh i should have done it for the previous members #because i prefer it this way

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erasethedarkness · 5 years

Text

Sweet, Old Fashioned Notion -Day 2 | Netflix & Chill / Dating App- (Midnight x Reader)

Summary: You weren't one for dating apps, but your friend insisted so incessantly that you caved just to shut them up. By what you'd call dumb luck, you came across a Pro Hero's profile, and then- somehow- matched with her. At first completely skeptical, you were quickly proved wrong and pleasantly surprised by how everything turned out.

Note: This hella got away from me. I had so much fun writing this. I hope you all enjoy the spin I put on Netflix & Chill. ;) Bonus points to whoever can crack what “SVME” stands for.

Theme Song: What’s Love Got to Do With It - Tina Turner (covered by DNCE)

Reader: Gender Neutral

Word Count: 3536

@bnha-valentines

I’ve been taking on a new direction, but I have to say...

It seemed like every decade had its defining dating program. Supposedly it was something that began online all the way back in the 1990s, and then moved to cellphones in apps like Tindr. ‘What the hell does Tindr even mean? And why’d they take out the ‘e’?’ you wondered as you watched the installation bar go from empty to full in a matter of seconds. Dating apps kept the trend of omitting letters, and the hot new one was SVME- supposedly some pretty big heroes were even using it. It didn’t take long for it to spread like wildfire, and now it seemed like everyone was on it. Hell, you were about to be on it- and that was saying a lot, since you had absolutely zero interest in something like SVME.

“Okay, so now you have to make a profile- pick the pictures of you that you like best! And write something fun and like.. Mysterious. Or sexy! Or-”

“This sounds like way more work than it’s worth,” you grumbled. Your friend rolled their eyes and snatched your phone from you.

“Fine, give it here- I’ll make your profile for you. We’re gonna get you soooo many matches!”

You groaned, looking anything but pleased by the fact that you let yourself get dragged into this. Suddenly, the overly enthusiastic person you called a friend shrieked in delight.

“(Y/N), LOOK! MATCHES!” They leaned over to you and showed you your phone. You stared blankly at it.

“That’s.. Nice, I guess?” There was still absolutely no interest in your voice. “Hey- wait- how do you even get matches?!”

“Well… you click this button to show you’re interested, and if they click it on you, then you two match and can start talking!”

“Right… ...and.. what’s your criteria for showing interest in people while you pretend to be me?”

“Oh, I’m just picking interested for everyone! We’re going for maximum matches here!” they cackled. You groaned again at their response and snatched your phone back, looking at the person on your screen. Your breath caught in your chest while your friend squealed again. “(Y/N)!!! LOOK! A HERO!!! EEEEEE!! You have to pick interested. Do it. Doooo it. Let’s see if you match with her!”

“This is the last one and we’re done, okay? I don’t want my phone going off with people I’ve never met trying to get into my pants.”

“Yeah, yeah, but what if she wants to get into your pants?”

“Not happening,” you quickly snapped back- both implying that you weren’t going to cave, but also that it was completely unlikely.

Days passed and you forgot about the app. It wasn’t on the main page of your phone and you turned off push notifications after your friend finally left you alone. You were about to check reviews for a movie when you happened to see that there was an exclamation point on the corner of SVME. Curiosity got the better of you, and you clicked the heart-shaped shield icon. As expected, there was a slew of random messages asking if you were “DTF,” whatever that meant. There were suggestive pictures, as well as lewd writings that you absolutely did not ask for, and everything was as disappointing and unappealing as you anticipated it would be.

You were just about to close the app when a banner popped up, showing that you got another message. The small icon was unmistakable- it was the hero. Even from the small picture, her dark hair captured the essence of her hero name: borderline black, with the gentle coolness of a royal, blue-based purple. Disbelief froze you, halting your walk as you stared at your phone. With skeptical hesistence, you clicked on the message. It was probably just a bot, right? A scam? Or someone pretending to be her?

“Well, hello there, lovely.~ I must say, your negligence has caught my eye. You’re the only match I’ve had who hasn’t flooded me with messages, so now I’m intrigued.~ Are you even real, (Y/N)? Or are you just part of this poor girl’s imagination?”

The screen darkened as it went to sleep since all you could do was stare at the message, reading it a few times over until it wasn’t showing anymore. Your hand dropped to your side as you started walking again. How in the world were you supposed to respond to that? Could you even be sure that it was really her? It was public knowledge that there were heros of all levels of fame and recognition on SVME but… you never expected to match with one- you didn’t even want to be on this app. Yet, there was a part of you that felt like you should at least respond to this message. Damn all the other ones! You didn’t care; you weren’t “DTF” or interested in their photos. There was nothing of real quality in those messages to you. But this one seemed different, and it honestly wasn’t because she was a hero.

When you finally had the courage and words to respond, you were met with radio silence for a few hours, leading you to assume it was all a ruse. You even turned notifications back on for this, and still got nothing. It wasn’t until you were already asleep that the haptics of your phone jarringly woke you up- the vibrations against the wood shattering the peaceful silence of your bedroom.

“Sorry to get back to you during peak witching hours, but things got a little hectic. Hero work doesn’t always submit to a schedule… but maybe we could get something else to? ;) ”

Oh, no. Part of you sincerely hoped that she wasn’t just looking for a hookup, but maybe she was. That wasn’t your style, but truth be told, it wouldn’t surprise you if it was hers and there was no fault in that. You sent a sleepy reply that you would have forgotten by morning it if wasn’t for the fact that she promptly responded back and seemed thrilled.

“Oh, you are just too darling! Are you normally up this late? I could keep you up and make it worth your while.~”

Now, it must have been because you were still half asleep, but your snark factor was uncensored. You sarcastically took her up on this, and when she asked where to meet you, you gave her a nearby address that you could see from your window.

“That’s not far from my agency! If things go well, I wouldn’t mind making a habit out of this, cutie. I’ll be there in 15- don’t keep me waiting; I’ll punish you if you do.”

You scoffed, not buying much into it. Still, you got out of bed, washed your face and made the most out of the 15 minutes she gave you to get somewhat presentable- as presentable as you could be at 02:00 and with three hours of sleep. When you were changed and more awake, you looked out your window and nearly had a heart attack. Walking into view was a woman taller than your average Japanese lady. Her dark hair was pulled back into a spiky ponytail as she glanced down at her phone, the soft glow gleaming off her signature red and horned glasses. Her sweater dress was relaxed, neckline off-center and hanging off one of her shoulders. It was no secret that she shamelessly showed a lot of skin- and while most took it at erotic face value, you greatly respected her for it. The amount of confidence it must have taken to be her would have crushed anyone else, yet she bore it all with a powerful, fun, and exciting personality.

Your phone buzzed and you looked down at it, seeing a message from the hero you previously doubted was really talking to you. There was no mistaking it now though, as you gazed at her from your window and read that she was arriving- and brought presents. With a deep breath, you grounded yourself in the moment and situation you put yourself in, bracing yourself for whatever was to come once you invited her into your apartment. You went down to meet her, drawing her eyes as you opened the main entrance of your building. She smiled widely and unabashedly, waving to you, the glow of her phone creating a curving trail of light from her gesture. Returning her smile and wave, you waited for her at the door, the excitement of actually meeting her and not being duped by a bot or a scammer waking you up and giving you renewed energy- at least for the time being.

“You’re way cuter in person, (Y/N), I could just eat you up,” she purred. The disbelief at this whole chain of events was still at the forefront of your mind, inhibiting your blush as you remained somewhat guarded.

“Am I? I’ll have to chide my friend for picking less than accurate pictures of me then,” you joked with a smirk. With an open and welcoming sweep of your hand, you invited her into the complex. The light from inside illuminated her face for you to plainly see the delight in her expression at your playful severity.

“You left a friend in charge of your profile? My, that’s so daring and bold of you,” the hero giggled, preceding you into your apartment as you opened the door for her. “And you’re so chivalrous! How’s a girl supposed to resist your charm?~”

Her playfulness made you laugh, but the sound was unexpected to her and she actually looked a bit thrown off at first. Seeing her confusion, you chuckled a bit and apologized. “I’m sorry, but if basic respect and manners are chivalrous, then you’ve been surrounded by nothing but base humanity, Midnight.”

In the warm light of your apartment, her smile somehow seemed soft and sincere. Her lips weren’t pulled back as tightly, and it naturally fell away as she took off her boots. “That seems to be where working the hero industry puts a person, doesn’t it? Around the debased, the depraved, and the deviant.” The last word came with a smirk, as if she was trying to cover up that overlookable moment of openness with her characteristic sultriness.

“I would disagree, but… well, I’m not a pro-hero, so what would I know?” You two moved from the entrance of your apartment to the living room. It was a modest apartment- nothing to gloat about, but nothing to be ashamed of either. Midnight placed the bag she brought with her on your coffee table before falling back into your couch with a happy sigh, delighted to be off her feet and reclining. You sat down next to her with a respectable distance and leaving her untouched, but giving her the full breadth of your attention.

“Really now? Disagreeing with a hero- that’s gutsy… and quite a turn on,” she chuckled nonchalantly, turning slightly so that she could face you, her knees coming up onto the couch as she tucked her legs underneath her and rested her arm on the back of your furniture. “Enlighten me, cutie. What do you know?”

You shifted your weight to engage in the conversation with her. “Well, you’re right, it’s obvious that your line of work as a hero puts you in contact with villains, criminals, and the like- but it also keeps you involved with others who share the same ideals and goals as you, doesn’t it? Even though heroes are mostly stand-alone, you’ve worked with some of the greatest, and made yourself one of them as well. I remember when you stopped Suicide Bomb years ago, and that’s just one of many highlights and tributes to your skill.” Realizing you were going off and sounding like an over-eager fan, you blushed slightly and looked away from her- only making her smile.

“Sorry. I hope that didn’t come off as creepy or something. I’m sure a lot of people try to flatter you.

But… I’m just trying to say you’re not only surrounded by the ‘debased, depraved, and deviant’ or by the heroes they juxtapose. You’re a U.A. teacher, too, which means you’re also surrounded by students with good hearts and goals in mind, and other instructors and heroes who want to help the next generation of professionals succeed. You're surrounded in pure and youthful ambition and optimism when you're at U.A. So there’s more around you than just that dark and murky part of heroics.”

Bringing your hand to the back of your neck, you rubbed it, feeling as if you’d said too much at this point. Your eyes lowered and avoided hers.

“... And what am I surrounded by right here?” she asked with a gentle yet probing curiosity. “It doesn't seem like raging hormones or lust, or even the feigned prestige of bragging rights. So what is it that your presence offers and seeks in mine?”

The question stumped you, because you honestly had no idea. You weren’t on SVME because you were looking for a partner or friends with benefits- you were hardly on there at all- hell, it wasn’t even your idea to begin with. And what did you possibly have to offer a hero who probably had everything she could ever want? A flock of fans, suitors, good looks, talent, and the means for a comfortable life? You closed your eyes and leaned back into the couch, sighing once- deeply and pensively as you thought. When you didn’t answer readily, you felt a shift in weight on the couch, and then her head against your shoulder. Your eyes half opened, glancing downing at the top of her head, taking in the way her hair bent and curled against her shoulders and neck, pushed around in its ponytail as she rested against you and the cushions.

For some reason, it felt like it’d be natural- comfortable, even- for you to tilt your head and rest your cheek against her hair, especially since you did it without even processing it as a thought. You felt her cheek move as her lips curled into what you hoped was a smile.

“If I’m honest, I wasn’t seeking anything other than satisfying my curiosity. I didn’t believe I was actually talking to you, you know? I expected someone or some program to be posing as you.” At first, your words were soft and even a bit serious, but at the end of your confession, you laughed and lifted your head to look at her with a smile. “I didn’t think about what would happen if you actually showed up.”

Midnight lifted her head, brilliantly blue eyes gazing into yours while a grin kissed her lips.

“Well, now that you’ve caught me in your trap…” she began giving you bedroom eyes, her voice a whisper that carried her lust, “what are you going to do to me?~”

You grinned with a chortle, reclining again and gazing at at her with a confidence she couldn’t resist. She crawled over on top of you and stared into your eyes, picking her next move carefully, and then gave you an uncharacteristically sweet smile as she laid down and rested her head against your chest. Was it that obvious that you had no intention of doing that with her tonight? And was she really okay with it?

“Let me show you what I can surround you with, Midnight, and what my presence can offer,” you whispered to her, bringing your hand up to brush through her hair with an affection that not only surprised her, but you as well. “From the way you were quick to fall onto the couch, you must be exhausted. What kind of scenes relax you?” Fingertips brushed through her hair, down her neck, and against her back as you closed your eyes again, listening to her voice as she gave a few examples of different scenes and scenarios that she found relaxing or calmingly pleasurable. You just barely felt the way her jaw moved as she spoke, her voice as soft as yours, the seduction from it quelled. It was strangely soothing, and as silence settled between you two, you found yourself wanting to hear more of it.

“Will you close your eyes for me?” you asked her. She nodded, and you believed her, not bothering to check. “Please wait for me to let you know when to open them again, okay?” Once again, she nodded.

Slowly the savory scent of grilled chicken, squid, fish, and other foods began to mix with the sweetness of caramel, chocolate, and crepes. It seemed to seep in from the walls around you, as did the soft noise of chattering voices, beckoning vendors, and childish laughter, all escorted by lively music. You took a deep breath, your chest rising with Midnight’s head on it, feeling her wiggle a bit on top of you, expressing her curiosity at the smells and sounds that began to occupy your apartment without saying a single word. Warmth beyond your bodies blossomed in the living room, as if you could feel the heat from the vendors’ grills, or perhaps the would-be bodies of the voices that danced around your ears. When you opened your eyes, a satisfied smile was on your lips, and your hand dared to caress her face, tucking her bangs behind her ear and then following her jawline to her chin only to retrace the path and return to her back.

“All set.”

The heroine in your arms gasped and immediately sat up when she opened her eyes, looking around her in awe. Your living room had been completely transformed in the few minutes of quiet you two shared, embraced as if you were long-time lovers. A clear night sky replaced your ceiling, dotted with hanging paper lanterns, and rows of stalls took over two of your walls that faced each other. The other walls disappeared altogether, as yukuta-clad patrons surrounded you both, crowding around food and games and walking into the distance. Midnight reached her hand out to brush the sleeve of a passerby, and it flickered with holographic static before stabilizing again. Seeing her enraptured expression captivated you. She looked so happy, and it was different than that hedonistic joy she so often wore on her face.

Once you were convinced she was comfortable with the illusion, the scene slowly began to change in front of her eyes, as if you pressed “play” and allowed the projection to continue beyond a single moment. It was like being immersed in a virtual reality- you were walking through a festival together as you two laid on the couch. But the music, the warmth, the smells- it all made it so much more convincing than any game could. You even felt a breeze from time to time. And even though you couldn't partake in the food and the games, it was enough of an experience just to walk through the streets. What you created for her was a mix of memories and imagination. The festival was reminiscent of ones you’d attended and spliced together with ones you’ve watched and seen in movies and the news.

“Hey, (Y/N), I almost forgot-” she caught your attention, and the events around you paused. You both sat up as she reached for the bag from earlier. “I brought snacks.~” From it, Midnight pulled out a box of dango. “Now we can really make this feel like a festival date,” she purred, making you blush in the process. Scooting over to her, you smiled as your arm fell around her shoulders, holding her as the festival continued, this time enjoying the same sweets others were carrying around. Instead of handing you your own skewer, the hero held the stick of dumplings up to your mouth, and you couldn’t resist her, eating the little ball of dessert she fed you.

“Midnight?”

“It’s Nemuri to you.~” She nuzzled you as you skipped straight to a first name basis.

“... Nemuri,” you corrected yourself with a fond smile, pausing to appreciate how lovely it felt on your tongue and lips. “May I take you on a proper festival date?” There was no doubt that this was a pleasant time, but your quirk was no replacement for the real thing. You two shared a gaze for a moment before she grinned.

“No.”

Your heart sharply sunk.

“I’m going to take you out on one. You’ve be so good after all.” The huskiness returned to her voice, and this time, it only made you smile broader than you had before around her. She held up another dango to your lips, and as you leaned forward to take it, she pulled the stick away and kissed you as soon as your mouth closed on a bite of air. The morning didn’t go any farther than sharing soft kisses and endearing cuddles, and before you knew it, you had fallen asleep on the couch, holding Nemuri close to you as the festival illusion gave way to sweet dreams instead.

...I’ve been thinking of my own protection; it scares me to feel this way.

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fluffyllamas-23 · 6 years

Text

The Blind Date (1/2)

I FINALLY finished this. I’d like to introduce you all to my new OCs: Sawyer, Chloe and Hannah. I love them, and I hope you do, too.

Part 2 can be found here

“So, I have this coworker.”

“Congrats. That’s so great, I’m so proud of you,” Chloe deadpans, not looking up from her laptop as she continues working on her paper.

“Shut up. He’s really cute, and he’s really sweet and he’s single, and you’re single.”

“What’s your point, Hannah?”

Hannah groans, “oh my god, nobody is this dense.”

“I know what you want. I’m not dumb, you moron,” Chloe chuckles, “you’ve tried to set me up a hundred times.”

“I really think you two will work out.”

“That’s what you said about the last guy, and the guy before that, and the guy before that, and the-”

“-Chloe, pleeeeeease?” She whines, “just give him a shot, I’m not asking you to marry the guy...and...I sort of already gave him your number.”

“Hannah!” Chloe yelps, “why would you do that?!”

“Because!”

“That’s not a reason!”

“I panicked, I’m sorry!”

“What do you mean you ‘panicked’?”

“I just...I’m sorry.”

Chloe sighs, “what’s his name?”

“Sawyer! He’s so cute, you’ll love him. He’s really tall, too.”

“Okay, but you’re like, three feet tall. Everyone is ‘really tall’ compared to you.”

“First of all, rude. Second of all, rude, third of all, he’s like six two, so suck it, you giant.”

Chloe bursts out laughing, “sorry.”

“Yeah, you’d better be.”

“Has he texted you?” Hannah asks, walking into Chloe’s room the next afternoon.

Chloe twists around to look at her and then turns her attention back to her books, “hi, nice to see you too, thanks for knocking.”

“I’ve known you for fifteen years, why would I knock?”

“I mean...fair point.”

“You know, you shouldn’t leave your front door unlocked. That’s how serial killers and weirdos wander in,” Hannah says, climbing under Chloe’s blankets.

“Well you’re here, so you’re half right.”

“Okay, smartass,” Hannah says, hugging one of Chloe’s pillows, “you didn’t answer my question. Did he text you?”

“No.”

“No?”

“He called me instead.”

“OHMIGOD!” She squeals, “that’s so CUTE!”

“Why didn’t you tell me he had an accent?” Chloe demands.

Hannah blinks, “hey, Sawyer has an accent.”

“Wow. Thanks.”

She grins, “sorry…I’ve been working with him for years, and he moved here from Tennessee when he was fifteen, so it’s really not that thick. I don’t even think about it, honestly. Anyways, what do you think of him?”

“As much as it pains me to say it...you were right.”

“YES!”

“Shut it.”

“I told you. Have you talked much?”

“Most of the night....and we’ve been texting all day.”

“I told you!”

“Yeah, yeah. I know, just...don’t get ahead of yourself...our date is this Friday, we’ll see if we even hit it off in person.”

“When have I ever gotten ahead of myself?”

“Every time ever.”

“You two are definitely going to hit it off. He’s seriously like...the nicest guy I’ve ever met...I think it’s because he’s like...the perfect southern gentleman. He’s so funny, too. You’ll love him, and he’ll love you, and then I’ll definitely take credit for introducing you two at your guys’ wedding.”

“I think that counts as getting ahead of yourself.”

“It...okay, it does, but I don’t care. What are you guys doing?”

“Did you know he’s in a band?”

“Yeah.”

“And you didn’t think to, I don’t know, include that information? You know I love musicians.”

She grins, “sorry…but yeah. He plays like...almost every instrument...and he sings.”

“He said he plays six different ones, or something insane like that.”

“Dude is talented. I went to one of their shows once, and he’s so good. Is that what you’re doing?”

“Yeah, and then we’re going out for dinner and drinks after.”

“That’s so cuuuuuute,” Hannah grins.

“Shut up,” Chloe mutters, cheeks flushing.

“I’m happy for you. Keep me updated…or else.”

“Is that a threat?” Chloe grins.

“Absolutely.”

Thursday night, she’s reading through her pharmacology textbook, eyes glazing over as she tries to focus, because she has a test on Monday.

Her phone rings, and she sighs in relief and scoops it up when she sees Sawyer’s name flash across her screen.

“Hey, Sawyer.”

“Hey! I was gonna text you, but I wanted an excuse to talk to you.”

She frowns. His voice, which usually sounds buttery smooth, now sounds raspy, like he’s just woken up, despite the fact that it’s seven in the evening. She wants to ask if he’s alright, but she’s only known him for a handful of days, so she just leaves it.

She grins, leaning back in her chair, “I’m glad you called, it gives me an excuse to stop studying.”

He clears his throat, “I’m always happy to help you slack off. Anyways, are we still on for tomorrow?”

“Yeah, of course! I’m looking forward to it.”

He clears his throat again, “me too...so, do you want me to pick you up, or do you want to just meet at the venue?”

“I have class until six...I’m assuming you have soundcheck and all that.”

“Oh, yeah...okay, so we’ll just meet there.”

“And then dinner?”

“Absolutely!” He chirps, “I can’t wait.”

“Me neither,” she grins, and then sighs when her eyes fall back on her textbook, “this was a nice break, but I really need to get back to studying.”

“Okay, have...fun? I’m not sure what you’re studying, but that’s definitely not the right word,” he chuckles, “anyways, I’ll see you tomorrow…did I send you the address?”

“Yeah, yesterday.”

“Oh...right, right...sorry,” he says, sounding a little distant and out of it.

She chews on her bottom lip, “hey, Sawyer?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you...uh...are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine! Why?”

“Just...you sound…off.”

“Oh! That. Yeah, we just finished rehearsal, I’m okay.”

“Oh, good,” she breathes.

“I’ll let you go, good luck with studying, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Chloe had showed up a little bit before their show started, which gave them enough time to introduce themselves, and for him to buy her a drink from the bar in the back of the room. That’s where she stays once people start coming in, because the room is nearly packed, and she’s slightly overwhelmed.

She can’t take her eyes off of Sawyer, and she knows she’s probably staring with her jaw on the floor, but she can’t help it. He’s met her gaze a few times, and each time they make eye contact, he gives her a cute little dimpled smile that makes butterflies appear in the pit of her stomach as her heart races.

Despite how...enamored she is with him, she can’t help but notice how pale and run-down he looks under the lights. Sweat dots his forehead, and dark smudges are beneath his eyes, making him look even more exhausted and pale than she would like. His voice, although beautiful and enough to make her swoon, is much, much raspier than it was last night, and he coughs into his elbow more and more between songs.

When the current song ends, a grimace crosses Sawyer’s face. He covers the mic and leans over to the bassist next to him and whispers something in his ear before he steps back from the mic stand.

The concern she’s felt for him the entire night increases tenfold when she realizes he’s not singing the final song. She isn’t too familiar with their music, so for all she knows, the backup vocalist usually sings this song. She suspects, judging by how he’s looking and sounding that that isn’t the case.

He makes eye contact with her again and shoots her a weak smile before he drops his eyes to the ground and strums the guitar.

As soon as the band announces that they’re done, Chloe is on her feet and grabbing her purse from the floor. She has an overwhelming urge to take him home and give him soup and tea and medicine, because he looks miserable.

“Hey,” she greets him with a soft smile, “you were really great.”

He grins widely down at her, “thank you.”

His voice cracks on the last word, and he turns away from her to muffle a coughing fit into the crook of his elbow. He gives a little shiver, and then turns back and shoots her a weak smile.

“Are you okay?”

He drops his head down and pinches the bridge of his nose, “um...I’m not feeling very well, would it be alright with you if we rescheduled?”

She fiddles with the ring on her right index finger, “I have an idea. Feel free to tell me no, and to leave you alone, but how about we go back to your place and I can make you tea and soup, or something...and we can watch movies, and you can fall asleep.”

“I’d love to take you up on that,” he rasps, voice all but gone, “but I don’t want to get you sick.”

She waves him off, “I’m a nursing student, do you honestly think I care about germs?”

“...Fair point...but...I’ll feel bad.”

“Half of the students in my cohort are sick, and they’re not nearly as polite about it as you,” she smiles, “seriously. It’ll happen sooner or later, and I’m not about to make you be alone when you feel this bad.”

He grimaces, tugging on the collar of his shirt, “is it that noticeable?”

“I mean...you didn’t sing the last song...and you were sounding pretty rough before that.”

“Ah...yeah,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck, “I was about to lose my voice.”

“Thought so,” she frowns, “ready to go?”

Chloe offers to drive, and he gives her directions to his apartment from the passenger’s seat, curled up and shivering against the window, coughing every few minutes. When she pulls into his apartment complex, he leads her up the stairs to the second floor, and then lets them inside.

“You know, this isn’t exactly how I had thought tonight would go,” he says quietly.

“Me neither...but it’s okay.”

“I really appreciate it, Chloe.”

“It’s nothing,” she says, shaking her head.

“I don’t know of anyone else who would willingly hang out with someone they’ve never met who’s sick,” he rasps, punctuating the statement with a rough couple of coughs.

She grins, “I just know I don’t like being alone when I’m sick, and you said your roommate was gone tonight, so I thought I’d offer. And…I dunno, I just really like talking to you. ”

He grins tiredly at her, reaching out to grab her hand, “I’m glad you did...I didn’t really want to be by myself.”

“I didn’t think so,” she smiles, “now I think it’s time for you to go lie down.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Sawyer clenches his jaw as he walks to the couch. Moving is an effort, and the couch seems too far away, even though it’s only a five foot walk at most. His entire body hurts; moving hurts, breathing hurts, existing hurts. The walk winds him, and he alternates between coughing, and gulping in air, because his lungs suck right now and he can hardly breathe without coughing.

He stretches out on his couch, trying to block out the harsh glare of the overhead light with his arm draped over his eyes as he coughs into a fist. His throat is killing him, each swallow feels like he’s been gargling nails for days. The coughing doesn’t help with that, and it certainly doesn’t help with the throbbing in his head.

“Alright, I need you to tell me where your medicine and thermometer is,” she says, crouching down next to him. “You need something to suppress that cough, or you’ll never be able to sleep.”

“Uh...the thermometer is in the bathroom, just down the hall, in the cabinet. Medicine is in the kitchen cabinet, over there,” he whispers, gesturing behind him. He winces, because every word he speaks sends a stab of pain through the back of his throat.

“Be right back,” she says softly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Could you...light?”

She nods, and as soon as she shuts them off, he rolls over and presses his face into the cushions. Another coughing fit tears through his lungs and throat, leaving him breathless and dizzy.

“That...sounds really bad, Sawyer.”

“It’s fine,” he wheezes, “everything always goes to my chest…and then eventually my head…but mostly my chest.”

“Do you have a humidifier anywhere?”

“Bathroom,” he chokes out through another cough.

Once she has the humidifier all set up, and has tracked down medicine and supplies, she sticks the thermometer in his mouth, and presses a hand to his forehead.

He coughs around it, eyelids drooping as they wait for it to beep. When it does, she takes it out of his mouth and squints at the numbers, “one hundred and two. Man, you really go all out, don’t you? Did you feel sick at all before the set?”

“A little...but it wasn’t bad.”

They watch movies for the next couple of hours, Sawyer nodding off and curled up under the blanket with his head in her lap. As soon as the meds kicked in, they suppressed the coughing, which left him tired and fuzzy-headed, and unable to stay awake for more than twenty minutes at a time.

Around midnight, she yawns for the fifth time in twenty minutes, and he looks at her through sleepy eyes, “you should go home and sleep.”

“You sure?”

He nods, “I’m okay...I want to go to bed anyways, and you should sleep somewhere more comfortable than sitting up on a couch.”

“Mmkay,” she yawns.

He follows her to the door, and halfway there, she turns around to look at him, “what are you doing?”

“Walking you to the door,” he says, clearing his throat with a grimace.

She smiles softly at him, “I appreciate it, but the only place you should be going is bed.”

“I will, I promise,” he says, opening the door for her, “thank you for tonight...I’ll make it up to you. We’ll have a redo.”

“There’s nothing to make up. Text me if you need anything, yeah?”

He leans down to kiss her cheek, “thank you.”

She stands on her tip toes, and pecks his lips before wrapping her arms around his neck, “of course. Feel better.”

He groans, “you’re definitely catching this now.”

“You’ve been breathing on me all night,” she teases, “I’ve already been exposed.”

“I’m sorry,” he moans, dropping his head down to rest his forehead on her shoulder, “if you end up getting sick, feel free to punch me in the face.”

She bursts out laughing, “I told you it’s fine. I’m serious, if I was really worried, I would have stayed home. Besides, I have a great immune system, I’ll be okay.”

“Yeah, you say that now,” he grumbles.

She cups his cheek, “hey, relax. Seriously, it’s okay. Stop worrying about that, just focus on feeling better.”

“Okay,” he mumbles, “I’m going to bed...drive safe…I’ll text you in the morning.”

The minute that she gets into her car, she dials Hannah’s number.

“I’ve been waiting for you to call!” Hannah cries, picking up on the first ring. “How did it go? Did you bang him?”

“GOD, Hannah. No, I didn’t bang him, what’s wrong with you? I just met the guy.”

“How did it go? Where’d you go to eat?”

“Ah...actually, we had a change of plans.”

“Oh?”

“He’s sick-”

“-so you waited until half past midnight to call me and tell me you rescheduled? You’re the worst.”

“You suck at listening. I said we had a change of plans, I didn’t say we rescheduled, now will you let me talk?”

“Sorry, yes, proceed.”

“So, after his show, we went back to his place and watched movies and I took care of him.”

“Okay...that’s really cute.”

“I like him a lot.”

“I TOLD you. Any plans for a second date?”

“He wants a redo of this one...when he’s not, you know, dying.”

“I knew you’d hit it off. Isn’t he sweet?”

“Yes. He walked me to the door, even though he has a one hundred and two degree fever and looks like he’s about to fall over.”

“Yeah, that sounds like him. He always walks me to my car when we close together.”

“He’s so cute,” Chloe groans, pressing her forehead to the steering wheel.

“I told you. I’d date him if I was, you know, into guys,” she chuckles, “so I’m taking it he’s probably not going to be at work tomorrow?”

“I would assume not...I hope not. He’s miserable.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah.”

“But hey, it gives you an excuse to go see him, make sure he doesn’t die.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” she grins, “okay, I’m going to go...I’m exhausted.”

“Okay, I’ll see you...I don’t know when, but soon.”

Her phone ringing breaks her out of her sleep, and once she blinks away the haziness and rubs her eyes, she fumbles with the phone.

“Hello?”

“Chloe?” Sawyer croaks, voice heavy with congestion.

“Hey...you okay?”

“Could you combe back?” He whispers, “please?”

Her stomach drops, “are you okay?”

He sniffles, “I really dond’t feel well.”

She winces, “yeah, I’ll be there in a few minutes. Do you need anything?”

“Ndo.”

She doesn’t bother changing out of her leggings and t-shirt before she grabs a jacket, keys, phone and purse and leaves for his place.

She’s there in just under ten minutes, and when he opens the door, her chest clenches.

He’s standing there, blanket draped over his head like a hood, and pulled tightly around his shoulders as he leans against the doorframe. His dark brown curls are poking out from beneath the blanket and stuck to his forehead from the heat of his fever. He sniffles pitifully, looking at her bleary-eyed as he rubs his too-pink nose on the blanket.

“Oh...Sawyer, you look awful.”

“I’mb sorry for waki’gg you.”

“Don’t be sorry,” she says softly, putting a hand on his lower back, “did the congestion just hit?”

He sniffles, scrubbing at his nose, “hih...Hh'itschGNX! SnffSNFF! I w-woke up…ihtschGNX! Snff!...hhh...and I couldnd’t b-breathe...hhhih! Snff! Guh...snff!”

She grimaces and presses her hand to his cheek, “go lie down. Your feel warmer...I think your fever spiked.”

He hunches over, coughing into the crook of his elbow. He straightens up, clearing his throat, and she pushes him gently in the direction of the couch, “I have to call out of work.”

“Yeah, that’s probably wise. What time do you work?”

“Two.”

“At least you’re not opening.”

He sniffles, collapsing down on the couch, “oh, god...yeah.”

She yawns tiredly, rubbing her eyes, “okay...what do you need? Medicine?”

He stifles another volley of sneezes, pain exploding in his sinuses and head. He lets out a low groan of pain, massaging his temples, “ow.”

“That’s why you don’t stifle. You’re going to blow out your eardrums.”

“Yeah...well..hihhihhh...ugh...Huh-tshh! Huhh'tsch! Huh-tshiew! Snff...” he scrubs at his nose, breathing a sigh of relief when the itch subsides for now.

“You definitely need some medicine. Do you have any decongestants?”

He shrugs, rolling on his side, “I’mb ndot sure...mbaybe.”

“I’ll go check.”

“Chloe?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

She smiles softly, cupping his cheek, “of course.”

“I’ll mbake this up to you.”

She sighs, “you’re really intent on repaying me, aren’t you?”

“You cambe over at four ind the mborndi’gg…I definditely owe you onde…or tend.”

“Fine, you can take me out to dinner, then.”

“Andythi’gg you wandt.”

She grins, “okay, then. It’s a date.”

“It’s a date,” he slurs, eyelids sliding shut as he falls asleep.

#OCs #Sawyer and Chloe #Chloe and Hannah #sickfic #coughing #sneezing #congestion #fever #headache

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tgwltw · 7 years

Text

Not over you.

I was binge-watching The Voice and came across Fernando Daniel’s audition where he did a very awesome job with his rendition of Adele’s When We Were Young (which is one of my favourite songs!) and this is the aftermath of watching that movie. Truth be told, this imagine is supposed to be fluffy and fun but somehow, after that video, it turned out like this. This was not proof-read by the way so there might be a lot of mistakes but anyways, hope you enjoy!

MASTERLIST

There is just so much rejection one person can take.

Some might call you a fool for still continuing to pine over someone who clearly has a very obvious crush on another person. Some might even call you stupid or stubborn for still finding opportunities to confess to him even though you have been rejected countless of times. Some might even pity you and your choices but like you always tell your friends, you do not really choose who you fall in love with.

It just sorts of happen, in a blink of an eye. Love hits you during the times you least expect it and although you might not know what ‘love’ really is – this feeling you carry for him feels a whole lot like it. More often than not, your friends try to set you up with other guys just so you could “move on” but after every one of those dates, it just cements the fact that love is not something you can just easily turn off – like a switch. If it is only that easy, you probably would have switched off your feelings for him because being rejected hurts. Unrequited love is just honestly the worst kind of love that has ever existed.

“How many times does this make?” MJ asks when she spies you looking down-trodden and your unusual cheery self. You look up from the ground and give her a smile, attempting to cover the hurt. When MJ gives you a deadpan expression, you know you are not fooling yourself let alone anyone.

At this point, you like to think that Peter Parker has ruined you for everyone else. Those dates your friends set you up in always leave you feeling dissatisfied and at the end of each and every date you have gone to; you always end up comparing all of them to Peter. So much so, you ultimately stopped going on those dates because clearly trying to force yourself to move on is just very hard.

“Probably the fifth – I might have lost count after the third time.” You tell her weakly, chuckling at your luck. Sometimes you do not even know if you are a masochist (who else would be alright with putting themselves through this kind of pain?) or if you are just stubborn (or dumb, either one works well at this point). “What are you doing here anyways?” You ask her, wanting to move on from the topic.

MJ shrugs her shoulders before turning back to her sketch book. “Saw Parker looking constipated after he left, figured it might have something to do with you.” She glances at you and you bite your lower lip as you try to school your expression and still keep the smile on your face. “I was right.”

You would not really consider MJ as your friend just yet – the two of you have never talked prior to your first confession to Peter Parker a few months ago – but she is steadily becoming one. Unlike your other friends, she does not sugarcoat her words and she says them as it is – your friends tend to skirt around the subject when talking to you. You really appreciate her character.

“Yeah.” You murmur before turning to look at your textbook. Despite being able to read all of the words on the pages, you simply cannot comprehend any of them at all. You blink a couple of times and sigh when you still cannot comprehend anything that you have just read so you close your textbook instead. “I think I am done here.”

MJ looks up from her sketchbook before she glances at the clock, a frown creeping on her face. She watches you pack your textbook in to your bag but before you could stand up and leave the table, MJ speaks up. “He does, you know.”

You freeze momentarily before turning to face MJ. “Excuse me?”

MJ sighs before she leans away from the table, picking up her sketchbook. She flips through several pages before landing on the page she was looking for. “Peter.” She shows you this caricature of Peter seemingly pining after you and you honestly did not mean to laugh – because the thought that Peter actually reciprocates your feelings after rejecting you is just really hilarious to you – but you did.

You sit back down in your seat, wiping away the tears that manages to escape your eyes. A few heads turn to look at you but you dismiss them in favour of looking at MJ. “Perhaps in a different universe that might actually be the case, MJ.” You point out. “Even if it is true, how do you know any of these?” You don’t really hang outside of the library as well as your student body office as much as you would have love to so you don’t really know what happens outside.

MJ shrugs her shoulders. “I just observe people a lot – Peter is interesting to observe because he makes this face a lot when it comes to you.” She points to the sketch again and you try to process her words. No matter how much you try, you still could not wrap your head around it so you just shake your head.

“Thank you for trying to cheer me up, MJ.” You tell her and made a move to stand up. “See you around.” MJ nods her head at you. You give her one more smile before walking out of the library, leaving MJ sitting at the table alone with an unfinished sketch.

(“Why would you do that, Peter?” MJ asks as she sits across of Peter and Ned. The two of them exchanged confused looks before turning back to look at MJ. She rolls her eyes. “Why did you reject Y/N again?”

Peter flinches at the sound of your name and he looks away from MJ. Hearing your name fall from MJ’s mouth reminds him of what had transpired earlier that morning – you had confessed your feelings to him (for the fifth time) and he had rejected you. The look of utter hurt and disappointment on your face that you tried your hardest to mask after he had rejected you stayed in his mind.

Truthfully, Peter does not quite understand why he keeps rejecting you. He knows he has some sort of feelings for you – perhaps not ‘love’, Peter doesn’t think he knows what ‘love’ is yet but he knows he likes you more than normal. What is not to like about you? Vice President of the school, steady grades, nice personality – there are a lot of wonderful qualities about you that Peter likes but he just cannot bring himself to accept your confession. Call him scared, Peter would not even mind because he is. Terrified beyond his wits.

Ned looks aghast. “You rejected Y/N again? Dude, that makes it like the fifth?” He stares at Peter in disbelief and Peter groans before slowly nodding his head. Ned groans. “Why would you do that, Peter?” Ned repeats MJ’s question. MJ crosses her arms and leans in, waiting for Peter’s answer.

Peter swallows the lump in his throat and looks at his two friends. “I – I don’t know.” He shakes his head as if to emphasize how he really does not know.

MJ furrows her eyebrows.

Ned is still looking at Peter in disbelief.

“You need to try harder than ‘I don’t know’, Peter. If you don’t like Y/N, maybe you can just tell her upfront and be honest about it. So that she can move on with her life instead of pining after you.”)

A week after you had last confessed to Peter, you decided to do something drastic because after that confession of yours was rejected, you went to a really bad place inside. Despite the cheery disposition you kept whenever you are in school and around friends, back at home, nothing much could distract you from the fact that your first ever crush on someone is really painful and hurts you a lot.

So right when the school ended, you immediately approach Peter just as he is about to leave with Ned in tow. “Peter, I need to talk to you for a moment – you don’t mind, do you?” You address Ned who simply shakes his head. He steps aside, leaving the two of you alone and Peter looks somewhat uncomfortable as he stares at everything and everyone but you.

This hurts you more than you would like to admit but this is the reason why you are here. “I just… I am not going to confess so you don’t have to look so uncomfortable.” You can’t help the spite that left your mouth really but at this point, you really don’t care anymore. Enough is enough.

“Y- you’re not?” Peter’s surprised voice catches you by surprise and you aren’t sure if you are sad or happy so you disregard it completely. “I – I am not! Uncomfortable, I mean.” Peter rubs the back of his neck sheepishly before looking at you. “Y/N, I – I actually…” He trails off when you shake your head.

You need to do this now or you are going to chicken out and continue to hurt yourself. “Every single time I look at you, Peter, I can… I can feel my heart sink because I know you won’t ever like me like I do about you and,” You swallow the lump in your throat as you try your hardest not to tear up. “And even though at first I told myself this is alright – I just, I don’t think I can, at least, not anymore.” You shake your head. Your hands are trembling and you look away from Peter. “Which is why I have decided,” with a heavy heart, you add in your mind, “that I am going to stop liking you, Peter. You won’t see me again after this and thank you so much for entertaining me whenever I confess to you.” You would really love to hate Peter, honestly, you would but Peter has always treated you nicely despite the uncomfortable position you tend to put him through whenever you confess.

Peter is at a loss of words as he stares at you. He wants to say something – to tell you that you are wrong but it’s as if his lips are locked and he suddenly can’t find his voice or find it in him to move his hands to stop you from leaving. All Peter could do is watch you leave and that’s when he realizes that his heart is hurting a lot.

Ned approaches him with a worried look. “What did Y/N say? She ran past me just now.” He mutters – no matter how many times Peter has rejected you, you normally take the time to talk to Ned too because you genuinely find him to be a very funny, albeit nerdy guy.

“I think,” Peter actually has to stop himself from talking for a bit because tears are starting to well up in his eyes so Peter has to blink a couple of times. “I think I just got my heart broken.” He informs Ned numbly and all Ned could do is just stare at Peter in surprise. “And it hurts.”

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sunken-standard · 7 years

Note

Hi there! Could you possibly turn your considerable talents to prompts 27 and 57, please? (if nobody has got in ahead of me!) Tom-verse if possible, but I'm happy to leave the artistic decisions to the artist :-) Ellis

I tried for Tom-verse, but I justcouldn’t make anything fit (though, I mean, if you squint, it couldmaybe fit in there before the first ficlet in the series). Sorry! For some reason the unicorn prompt just tripped me up (I’m evenreusing a bit I had written and scrapped for the other one becauseI’m just coming up empty). I’m so off my comedy game and all aboardthe train to angstville, apparently. Also, just pretend thechronology fits with the actual timeline of the show and Surrey hasthe year-round summer of LA.

“Sometimes I just don’t wantto exist”/ “You asked me if unicorns were real”

“Didyou ever wonder if unicorns were real? Like one horse somewhere inprehistory with some kind of keratinous carcinoma or something thatstarted it all?” Molly said, staring at the 14thcentury ‘unicorn’ horn (that of a narwhal, most likely) mounted onthe wall of the study.

“Probablysomething along those lines, could have been an oryx or a rhino thatsomeone saw while in an altered state. Between ergot, mushrooms,natural fermentation, and all manner of disease andnaturally-occurring poisons, added to the fact that there was noreliable way to record an experience, it’s amazing we as a speciesever came to any consensus about the nature of reality,”Sherlock said as he searched the club treasurer’s desk.

“Saythat at a physics conference sometime,” she said.

Officesupplies, sweets, nail clippers, cap for a memory stick but no memorystick (bugger), sticky note with password to company server(P@55vv0rd, how clever), deck of naughty playing cards (didn’t evenknow they still made those); nothing useful. Bollocks.

“Whenhave you ever been to a physics conference?” He paused in hissearch.

“Never. But I’ve heard stories.”

“Whenhave you 'heard stories?’”

“Anex-boyfriend is a theoretical physicist. That one was more schizoidthan sociopath, though.”

Ugh. Another one. He wished she wouldn’t talk about them. He’d muchrather pretend she wasn’t an actual woman and never had anyboyfriends at all, for reasons he didn’t care to examine at themoment. Or ever. He went back to rifling the drawer.

“Haveyou ever considered your time would be better spent by taking up ahobby instead of wasting it on relationships? Knitting, taxidermy,paragliding?”

“Sexis a hobby.”

“Nymphomaniaisn’t a hobby, it’s an addiction.”

“Well,what do you know, we have something in common,” she said lightlyand, in Sherlock’s opinion, rather cruelly.

“Notan addict, I’m a user, there’s a difference.”

“AndI’m not a sex addict. Though, I mean, I’m not a user,either, because that sounds like I’m just looking for a sugar daddyor something. I just like sex. A lot. I mean, we only get so muchtime, might as well enjoy it.”

“Yetwhen I say that about any number of arbitrarily illegal substances, Iget crucified.”

“Wellit’s not like I’m going to suffer a collapsed vagina from repeatedpenetration, unlike a vein and a needle. Or, you know, literally diefrom too many orgasms.”

Hegrunted as he popped the secret panel behind the drawer. He reallyhoped it wasn’t booby trapped. Good thing she was being so annoying;if he started thinking about her vagina and repeated penetration hemight get sidetracked.

“Isthat his girlfriend or his daughter?” Molly muttered as shelooked across the lawn to the pool.

Sherlocklooked for himself; the client’s midlife crisis girlfriend and eitherher sister or her friend (hard to tell, they both had the same dyedblonde hair and Instagram brows and noses picked from a book in aCzech bargain-basement plastic surgeon’s office) were lounging indeck chairs. Nothing particularly striking about them; he wonderedwhy she sounded a bit bitter. Wasn’t like her. Best not to ask, hethought, lest he actually get an answer. Solving the case shouldcheer her up.

“Girlfriend. And she’s got nothing to look forward to but a life ofdisappointment and melanoma. Come on, I want to check thegroundskeeper’s cottage before he gets back from shaving thetopiaries or painting the grass green or whatever other crimesagainst nature these people feel the need to commit for the sake ofappearances.”

“Wow,is that…?”

“Youasked me if unicorns were real. Apparently they are,” he saidas they approached the groom, busy saddling a white pony with a pinkmane and a rather realistic horn somehow affixed to its head.

“Huh,”Molly said. Then, as the pony lifted its tail and did what allanimals do, “The internet lied. That was supposed to be arainbow.”

Sherlocksmirked, then schooled his face before addressing the groom. Wouldn’t do to look happy while questioning the main suspect.

“Sothe groom was actually the birth mother and she was helpingthe ex-wife steal from the client? I will never understand richpeople. Kinda sad for the little girl, though,” Molly said,looking out the window of the train.

“Alwaysis,” he dismissed, but not rudely. He hoped.

“Imean, I kind of sympathize with the ex-wife, especially after seeingthe girlfriend. A woman gets to a certain age and she’s just…disposable.”

Helooked at her askance; that uncharacteristic note of bitterness wasback in her voice again.

“Isthis about Tom? You broke it off with him, why are you still upsetover it?”

Surelya few months was more than enough time to get over him. She barelyblinked before moving on from other boyfriends.

“It’snot about Tom. Well, maybe some of it. I’m just tired ofstupid men always coming out on top in these things.”

“Hardly'on top’ in this case. His nine year old daughter already resentshim, which is unlikely to change, he can’t perform for hisbarely-legal fiancée—yes, I found a ring while looking for thememory stick—without the help of a little blue pill, and she’lltake him to the cleaners in the divorce settlement within five years,provided his hypertension doesn’t kill him first, at which point thedaughter gets it all anyway. That is, if there’s anything left bythen. He has a mountain of debt and he’s made nothing but poorinvestment choices since his ex-wife left.”

“Youknow about investing? I thought you hated City boys and the entireconcept of money.”

“Iknow a bit. Mrs. Hudson knows more. She did successfullylaunder the earnings of a not-insignificant drug cartel for thebetter part of twenty years.”

Theway Molly’s lips pressed together and her eyebrows rose as she tippedher head indicated she really wasn’t very surprised.

“Evenso, ’s still not fair, is it?”

“Verylittle ever is,” he said.

Hedidn’t like Molly being so pessimistic. It was out of place with theorder of things. He’d much rather she talk at length and in greatdetail about her vagina and its numerous exploits if it meant shewasn’t so… down.

“SometimesI just don’t want to exist. It’s still a man’s world and being asingle woman over thirty sucks.”

Nothinghe could really say to that without sounding like a completearsehole. Just because he didn’t voice any opinions on it didn’tmean he was blind to the struggles competent women faced. Hell, heknew what it had done to his own mother, and she’d been relativelylucky in the stable, supportive partner area.

“Well,you’ve always got me?” he said, more in the form of a questionthan a statement. He squinted to make it look like he really wasn’tsure if that was the correct protocol for offering support; hecouldn’t let her know he meant it so sincerely that he refused tothink about the feelings it stirred and what that might mean.

Sheglanced at him with an expression on her face he couldn’t read, thenlooked back out the window. "I suppose I could find a worsesidekick,“ she said after a few moments.

"Sidekick.” He raised an eyebrow.

“Well,yeah, obviously. I did solve the case, after all.”

“Youdidn’t solve the case. You found the memory stick, and that was justdumb luck. I solved the case. He made the check out to me.”

“Itwasn’t dumb luck. I knew they had cats, and I know where toy-sizedthings end up when there’s a cat around.”

“Yes,and if you want a sidekick you should get another cat. I’ll just beyour… consultant.”

“Consultantpain in my arse,” she said, her lips twitching up a bit at thecorner. It was a start.

“Theysay 'follow your bliss…’” he said lightly, which earned himone of those impish smirks that gave him a mild, almost pleasant formof indigestion.

Sidekick. Honestly. Though he supposed there were worse fates than playingsecond fiddle to Molly Hooper.

#anonymous #drabble ask meme round 3 #sherlolly #sunken's secret stash

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fallen029 · 5 years

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Remember Me: Novice.3

Previous Chapter

Natsu was rather down about it, Navi being gone and all, but Lucy and Happy convinced him that he simply needed to go out on a job himself, put his mind off it. He agreed, but only one that seemed to be short. He wanted to be there, after all, when she got home. Lucy was glad to find Lisanna home, having just finished her shift at the guild, and the woman easily agreed to watch the twins for them for a couple of hours (she, after all, had Ajax anyways), allowing the celestial mage to accompany her husband and the Exceed.

They decided to eat a quick meal at the guildhall before leaving though, which is what they were doing when they were approached by a very serious Marin and Kai.

"Salamander," the boy greeted with a nod. "Navi's mom. Happy."

Lucy frowned some, at the children, but Happy and Natsu, both pleased with their titles, only nodded in return at him.

"Did you need something?" she asked. "Navi's with your brother and sister. So-"

"On a job," Kai agreed. "Like we are. Right now."

"Really?" Happy was pleased for the children. "Wow! Who hired you guys?"

"Aunt Lissy," Marin told them.

"Is somethin' botherin' her?" Natsu thought hard, trying to place the last time he spoke with Lisanna. "Why didn't she ask for my help?"

"Considering she pawned it off on them," Lucy remarked softly, "I doubt that it's that serious."

"It's plenty serious!" Kai didn't like the insinuation of otherwise. "There's a thief in our midst!"

"Really?" Lucy still seemed skeptical. "And Lisanna went to you?"

"We're mages too." He sounded whiny then. "And Marin's a dragon slayer! So she's super strong. Probably stronger than you, Navi's mom."

"I do have a name."

Everyone did. He just wasn't great with them.

"What does it have to do with us, anyways, huh?" Natsu finally truly addressed the children. Kai chalked it up to the slayer connection. Really, he was just tired of them ruining his meal. "We didn't steal anything."

"At least me and Natsu didn't," Happy agreed. "Navi's mom though, who knows about her?"

Lucy only ignored him though as she asked, "What was stolen? Marin?"

'Well, Aunt Lissy said her cleaning stuff went missing," Marin began slowly. 'And then Mommy said that she had noticed some bottles from behind the bar were gone. And towels that had been washed before, when she left the hall, were turning up used. And then Ms. Kinana said that she did feel like she could hear someone, sometimes, late a night when she was-"

"You don't have a thief." Then, truly, slayer to slayer, he informed Marin, "You have a ghost."

"A what?"

"Natsu," Lucy told him with a frown.

"I'm serious, Luce." He even nodded his head. "You kids got a ghost. On your first job. Imagine the luck!"

"Yeah!" Happy, who'd been standing on the table before, jumped into the air at the thought. "Mages and ghost hunters? You're going to have a huge resume!"

"There isn't a ghost," Lucy told the kids with a frown at her husband. Kai seemed rather excited at the idea, but Marin far more relieved at the celestial mage insisting this. "Ghosts aren't real."

"Ghost are very much so real," Happy insisted to the pair. "What would Navi's mom know?"

"About spirits?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "Really, Happy?"

The cat only slowly fell back down to the table as his wings dissipated. To Kai and Marin, he said simply, "Good luck on your job. Maybe Lucy's right, maybe it's not ghosts." But he winked at that, because it definitely was, and wow, Kai was going to need to reevaluate this situation if this was all true.

Marin was going to have to reevaluate a lot more though, if it were. Like how hard it would be to back out of a job…

In Haiko, the children were deep in their own mystery as, though their guards were still up, when they were welcomed in by the new purported mayor of the city, they only agreed. He reenacted the barrier though, before leading them to the residence.

"Here," he said before allowing them entry, producing from his pocket some folded pieces of cloth. "You will want to wrap these around your faces. It is not a...pleasant scent that awaits you, passed this door."

It was already hitting them, honestly. Navi, after having lived with her father, an Exceed, and two little babies for so long didn't think she could ever be bothered by strong stenches, but gosh, she was wrong.

"What is it?" Haven asked as each child, without question, did as they were told. It could have been a trap, of course. Ether soaked, potion dipped, anything really. It wasn't, but it could have been. A learning curve. The cloths had been soaked in something though. Peppermint oil. No doubt to attempt to conceal the stench.

It did little to help.

"We've been trapped inside of this building for weeks," the man told her simply, "for fear of an attack."

"Yeah, well, try not stealing a city from people in need then," Ravan retorted. The situation was a bit hard to follow, but he was nearly certain that was what was going on. Maybe. "Then you won't get attacked."

"Steal a city? Who has stolen anything?" And the man wrapped a cloth around his face as well before they entered. "I am as I told you. The Mayor of Haiko. If anything, it is us who are under attack."

He was opening the door then, allowing the children their first glance inside. It wasn't pretty. The building seemed filled to the brim with people, some fit and fine, sure, but many were stretched out across blankets and mats, diseased and sickly as they coughed and hacked, buckets at the sides of many and the well scurrying around the room to tend to as many as possible.

"And these," he told the children with a soft, sad sigh, "are my poor citizens."

"What's happened to them?" Navi asked quietly though all three children hung back. Ravan most of all. He'd seen sickness wipe out a village, back in his days on the coast. Whatever was going around was not something he wished for. And when Haven took a step forwards, to follow the mayor deeper into the mansion, he only reached over and grabbed her arm, tugging her back. "What's really going on here?"

Noting the children's hesitance, the mayor turned back to look at them. "No one here is contagious any longer. Honest. The quarantine was quite effective in that regard. Once the fever dissipates, the body is merely left extremely weak and has a complex road back to what it once was."

Haven jerked away from Ravan then, taking that step forwards then. "This doesn't make any sense. If you're the one that requested our help-"

"I very much so have. You are Fairy Tail, are you not?"

"We are," she assured him. "But there was a man, in the city, who we met with. He told us that he was the mayor and that it was you who have trapped yourselves in here, refusing to vacate-"

"That man is not the mayor!" He huffed did, the assumed true one before them. "The men out there, they ran my people out of their homes, out of their businesses. After the capital refused our call for aid, they arrived, claiming to be a guild who could assist us. We were still under quarantine, but he insisted that he had mages who would solve all our ailments. What was I to do? Other than let them in. And now...now..."

"How do we know that you're the real mayor?" Ravan asked. Still, he hung near the entrance. "Huh? And not him?"

"Look around, boy." The man gestured to those laid about. "Who would fake this? And why?"

"Why," Navi found a question of her own, "would he want your town anyways? What's so special about this place? What would a dark guild even want-"

"I don't presume to know the minds of the evil and vindictive, child." Then he sighed. "Whatever it is that they wish for our city, surely it is misguided. There is nothing here to offer them. Not even protection, truly. I hope that you wizards are able to right this mess for us and drive these invaders out of our city."

The kids looked between themselves then. His story felt real to them, in that moment, but the one that they'd been given by the other man, back in the town, had felt equally as truthful. And yet…

"Locke." Haven had a sinking feeling. "We have to go check on Locke. We left him with the others. If they are not who they say they are-"

"You gotta drop the barrier, again," Navi told the mayor. "And quickly."

He only shook his head at them though. "Come closer. Show me your emblems, so I can be sure of you. Then I will add you as exceptions to my barrier and you can pass through it freely."

They did so once more, for the man they now recognized as the Mayor of Haiko, who in turn granted them the enchantment of freewill.

"Return," was his only command, "when you have secured our city."

But Haven didn't care about his stupid city any longer. No, she was far more concerned with the fact they very well might have just left Locke all alone with the enemy.

His father was worried over him as well, back home. Or at least wishing for him then Levy was making him sit there, listening as Erza's dumb brat and the Master's only slightly less dumb brat grilled him on his whereabouts the night before.

"We have a thief, Mr. Black Steel," Kai told him with an angry gaze. "Or a ghost. I'm not asking much. Just for a full history of where you were the day before. And you can't answer me! Everyone else knows where they were last night. But you. It's pretty suspicious, don't you think?"

"Look, you little brat-"

"I dunno, Gajeel," Pantherlily agreed as Levy, thoroughly enjoying the entire charade, only sat at the man's side, hiding a giggle into her palm. "The boy makes a point. It is suspicious."

"Why are you all houndin' me? Huh? And what authority do these kids even have over me anyways?" Huffing, the man looked Kai dead in the eyes as he said, "If you don't scram right now, I'll whack ya one. It would do you good, anyways. Little runt."

"This is a job handed down directly by guild staff," Kai threatened as Marin, seated on the side of the table with him, only threw her hands over her eyes, peeking through her fingers as she watched in sick anticipation. She didn't want Kai to get 'whacked' by Gajeel, but at the same time, it would at least be interesting to see. The suspense was killing her. "Mrs. Lissy and Mrs. Master both told me that this is my job to get to the bottom to. If you're not gonna cooperate, well, I might just have to-"

"Kai."

He froze too, at the sound of the only voice he feared.

"What are you doing?"

Erza was back, it seemed, coming to collect him no doubt. It was getting late and she'd probably just finished her final workout of the night.

He only grinned sheepishly though as she came to stand before the table.

"Are you bothering Gajeel and Levy?" she questioned as Marin still only peeked through her fingers at the swordswoman. "Instead of learning your magic?"

"I'm on a job, Erza."

"A job?"

"Lisanna thinks that someone's been stealing stuff, or something, around the guild," Levy explained for the boy with an easy grin. She was actually rather enjoying the kids. Sort of. Kai could always be a bit much and she usually found herself just feeling sad for Marin, but watching her husband get so worked up was always enjoyable. "So Kai and Marin are gonna get to the bottom of it for her and Mirajane."

"It can be a thief," Kai told the woman, "or a ghost. Or a mixture. But that's what I'm here to figure out."

"Well, I ain't either," Gajeel told the boy with a heavy glare. "So you better just start barking up another tree."

"I will not," the little boy went right back to his interrogation voice (it was quite scary, if Marin did say so herself), "until you have answered the questions. Don't make me go to Master with this."

"You can't," Mirajane sighed as she passed by with a tray of beers for a nearby table, "go to Master with this."

"Don't make me go to Mrs. Master with this," Kai revised. "And I dunno if you know this, but Marin here's a dragon slayer. That probably means she's stronger than you."

"I," Gajeel growled at him and oh, did he wish for his son then, his sensible, respectful son, "am a dragon slayer! And not one of those fakes, like your little friend here."

"You are?" Kai considered this new information. He'd been standing, practically, from his side of the table, and only sat back on his but then on the bench. "Well, from one slayer to a fake slayer, do you think you can pass the info off on Marin? That'll clear things right up and I can remove you from my list of suspects."

Gajeel was seething and Erza, with a roll of the eyes, move to grab the boy back of his collar and pull him out of his seat.

"Come," she ordered Marin. "It is time to go home."

"It's alright," Kai assured Marin as Erza none too lightly dropped him back down to the ground. "We'll finish our interrogations tomorrow."

Not to mention, it would give him a good chance to prepare for what he truly thought was at the root of all the problems. Ghost hunting had never been something he was called to do, but oh, he was going to throw his all at it in the morning.

The sunset was on the horizon in Haiko as well as the three children rushed down the empty streets, hoping to find their friend as quickly as possible. The whole situation was still a bit fuzzy for each child, but they knew there was a high chance they'd just fed poor Locke to the wolves.

All the eyes they'd felt on them before were absent then as no one peeked out at them from the building windows. The place had felt deserted before, but it was completely empty now. As they made it back to the building they'd previously been in, they found they could enter, but in vain. Locke and whoever that man were had long vacated, along with all those supposed townspeople.

"Haven," Navi whispered after they'd searched the apartment building top to bottom, calling out for their friend, eventually meeting back on the bottom floor in defeat. "What are we going to do?"

She didn't know. And she really didn't like how Ravan and Navi kept looking at her as if she should. But she couldn't tell them that. Laxus wouldn't say that, if he were there. He'd know what to do, honestly, probably, but even if he didn't, he'd still act as if he did. Obviously. Always.

So she had to pretend too. Even though she had no clue.

"We'll search the town," she told them. "Duh. It's not like they'd have gone far. If they're trying to keep those people trapped in the barrier, they wouldn't leave. They must be around here somewhere. Or close by. Or...or… They just have to be."

And they did. She knew it. Because whether they were the good guys or the bad guys, it made no sense that they would flee when there was so much going on at the moment. They were somewhere. Wtih Locke.

"We should split up," Haven told them outside.

"You should never," Ravan glared, "split up."

"We have to find Locke."

"I know that. But-"

"Then you go that way, I'll go this way, and Navi- Navi, wait!" Haven was mostly annoyed that she was going in the opposite direction than the one she'd planned to point the other girl in. Annoying. "Where are you going?"

But she didn't stop to explain and, with a growl, Haven rushed after her. Ravan, who never wished to split up in the first place, was glad to find an easy remedy. All three raced through streets now, zagging down different ones, attempting just stay in one another's eye sights. Haven was pissed too, as she finally caught Navi, the younger girl coming to a stop in front of a random building, nearing the gates around the city. It wasn't an apartment, like the one they'd been in previously, but rather seemed to be a shop of some kind. Or at least it was. Before the quarantine.

"He's in here," was all the pink haired girl said, but the other wasn't just going to take her on her word.

"How," Haven griped with a glare, "do you know that? Huh?"

And Navi blushed, just a bit, as she looked down to the ground, kicking at it. "It's a new magic I've been working on. Kind of. I wanna… I wanna be like my dad and be able to trail people too. Like their scent. But I can't. 'cause I'm not a slayer. But I...I… I've been working on a new spell. That he found for me. I can't track scent, but I can see a trail a person leaves behind, if I mark them first, with it. And I kinda sorta...well… I may have put one on you guys, since you're my friends, and I didn't wanna loose you or anything, while we were on our job."

Haven only blinked and considered the implications of developing this spell herself. Ravan, however, just felt violated.

"You marked me?" he growled at her. "You creep! What kind of freak does that?"

"She said," Haven retorted as, finally, she moved towards the door of the shop, "that she did it to her friends. So I imagine you're not marked."

Ravan shoved her, but Navi, still slightly embarrassed over this, only followed the pair, keeping quiet then. The building was unlocked, anyways, and as the trio entered, they all listened as well as they could, hoping to pick up on something. Anything. That would assist in assuring them that yeah, Lcoke was somewhere in there. He was their real target then, really. They hoped to find the guy they were looking for, but above all else, they just really wanted their friend back.

"His path goes into the backroom," Navi assured them as they walked through the tiny, deserted bakery shop. "And then- Look, there's stairs."

The basement.

There was no doubt that, at the very least, Locke was down there, but they all probably felt a slight fear then, or at least Ravan convinced himself they all did, at the thought of going down there. No foreseeable way out other than the exit. He'd watched enough horror flicks on Erza's movie lacrima to know that nothing good happened in basements and cellars.

Nothing.

"Stay up here," Haven told Navi before nodding at Ravan. "In case something goes wrong, run back to the barrier."

"I can go down there. I-"

"One of us has to stay," the older girl insisted. "And Ravan's such a baby, he'd probably just run right now."

"I would not, you stupid-"

"Come on then!" And there was a door that led down to the basement, which they'd opened, but everything beyond it was dark. Haven held up an arm, electricity flowing brightly through it, providing a convenient light along their way. "You hear that Locke? We're coming!"

Navi felt useless and silly as, apparently, a lookout of sorts, but at the same time was glad not to have to go down into the dank, dark place. It was certainly somewhere you sent Happy, not go yourself. Ravan wasn't too keen either, mostly because without a torch of some kind, he was relying on Haven to see. And he could hardly rely on the girl to do something other than be completely useless and dumb. It was her main functions, after all, being useless and dumb.

The air got colder as they descended down the rickety wooden steps and Ravan worried about what they would do, if they were coming upon an ambush, and had to race back up them. Especially if Haven ditched out on him. Then he'd be completely in the dark. He didn't mind it, the dark, he wasn't a baby. Had no fear of it. But trapped in the dark with a dark guild, well…

Erza wouldn't care none though, he reminded himself. At all. She never did. About anything. All she thought about was completing her mission. Full stop. She might be afraid sometimes, fine, maybe, and she might even worry. But she'd never failed. Not that he knew of. Not once. And he didn't want to either. No way. Whatever was at the base of the stairs, whatever waited him, well, it was all he could do to face it. To beat it. There was no other option.

It came in glimpses, the large basement beneath the building. Haven seemed to just wave her arm about, attempting to get good looks at what awaited them herself, spinning in a tight circle. There wasn't much to see. Just storage bins and the like. There was a door tough, no doubt leading to a freezer, and through the disjointed vision he was given in the darkness, Ravan rushed forwards to throw it right open.

"Locke!" Haven tripped over something in the darkness, but stumbled right on to the doorway, arm still alight, the electricity that jumped forth shocking Ravan a bit, who she'd fallen into, causing him to shove at her once more. She hardly cared. "Locke..."

"He's not dead," Ravan grumbled as, walking into the freezer, he went to kick at the unconscious boy on the ground. "Just all tied up."

"Stop kicking him."

"I'm trying to wake him- Hey! Don't fucking electrocute him to death!"

She didn't. But she did full him up with some lightening in, hoping to arouse him. It did little. And Ravan and Haven only considered their options with a few sighs.

"We can't just leave him here."

"Duh."

"I'm just saying, Ravan. I'm sure you want to."

"I mean, it's not like we can do much else with him, if we can't even wake him up."

He had a point. The basement seemed to be clear and it was only Locke, apparently, in that building. And he was getting so much bigger than the two of them. It would be no easy feat, getting him in the narrow stairs. Between the two of them certainly they could lift him, but the pathway back up was too slender…

"I'll grab his feet," Ravan offered, "and you grab his head."

But they had to do it in the darkness then, given Haven couldn't light the way without shocking the kid some more (and though she'd love the opportunity in normal times, she was afraid of overdoing it). They nearly dropped him more than once, and it was much more difficult, traveling up the staircase with him, but they had no choice. Navi was more than a bit shocked when they dropped the restrained Locke at her feet.

"What happened?" she asked with round eyes, but Haven only shrugged as Ravan got down on his knees, summoning a short blade which he used to cut the ropes binding the other boy. "Is he...okay?'

"I dunno," Haven said as, after untying the ropes around his body, he found that they weren't all there was. "Hey, what's that on his wrists?"

"Some sort of cuffs or something, I guess," Ravan remarked as, trying to cut at the thick pale substance did little. "It almost feels like...metal, maybe? But there's definitely something magical about it."

"Maybe it's what's keeping him passed out," Navi whispered and this sounded as good of a concept as any to the children.

Slowly, the three all sat down around Locke, the final light of day streaming through a single window. Ravan only reached into his pocket, producing the final two biscuits from the morning, wrapped in paper and a bit smooshed.

"Here." And he passed them off to Navi. "I'm not hungry."

"We're not," Haven griped at him, because she always had to be upset about something, "going to just eat them because we're girls and your a stupid boy and your pitying us."

Navi, who was already eating hers, only frowned. It was fine though, she reasoned as she only tried to pass the other off on Haven, because that wasn't why she was excepting. Regardless of Ravan's reasoning, hers was simply because she was hungry. She'd grown up in a home with two of the most ravenous, bottomless pits alive. You ate your food or someone else did.

End of story.

But Ravan had been hungry before. Whether it was back at home, in his village, or when he and Kai began their trek to Fairy Tail. He was the older brother, so if there was only enough for one, or even only enough for half of one, then Kai was always the half. Not eating for a day wasn't too big of a deal anyways, he felt, and was a bit annoyed that Haven was causing such an issue over it.

"Fine," was all he growled in response, snatching the last biscuit from Navi before setting it atop Locke's chest. "He can have it when he wakes up."

"So what are we going to do?" Navi finally ventured because that's what they were dancing around anyways, wasn't it? "We have Locke now, and that's good and all, but we still have to find the guy who locked him up. And all the other people. Where did they go? There were so many people-"

"My grandfather," Haven spoke up then, as if a bit uncertain, "can make it seem like there's other people, other things, happening around you. When they're not. Ivan. Laxus' father. Remember, Navi?"

Faintly. It felt like so long ago, in the eyes of a child, the passage of only a few years. Though she was not the biggest fan of Ravan nor his little brother, it was impossible, really, to consider a life at the guild without the two of them. To think of Erza as all alone in her home. Childhood felt so short and yet so infinite at the same time.

"Maybe," the Dreyar girl went on after Navi's nod, "it's kind of like that. Because there's no way that that many people are in a dark guild. Women and children and… And… We shouldn't have left Locke all alone with him. That was so stupid. I'm so stupid."

And she was pouting then, Haven was, while, uncomfortable, the other children looked away. Navi thought she should mention that, well, it wasn't like they knew they were leaving him with an enemy. Rather, they'd left him there under the assumption he was going to be helping the sickly. Though Haven had been the one to direct him to stay behind, in no way was that the wrong move, considering what they'd been told. It was only a poor choice in retrospect.

But Navi didn't know how to say all that. She rarely had to comfort Haven. The girl typically was more on the offensive than defensive. She didn't even think Haven would like it, if she did comfort her. She'd probably see it more as Navi mocking her.

Haven always thought that people were mocking her. The girl was born with a constant chip on her shoulder, it seemed.

"Are you just gonna sit around feeling sorry for yourself?" Ravan finally grumbled to her. "So you got your stupid friend hurt. Who cares? We're here for a reason, you know. A real reason. We have to find where all those guys went, from before. Maybe you're right and there's was some kind of spell that made people appear. Fine. We still know at least one person was real. That mayor, probably, but even if it wasn't him, then someone. Someone did this to Locke. Why?"

Haven was still glowering, but Navi only looked curiously down at the passed out boy.

"And then to just leave him," the younger girl remarked. "Like...like they didn't care to have him or keep him. Just to get him out of the way."

Huffing rather loudly, Ravan jumped to his feet then. "I guess we should at least take him back to the barrier. Where he can be protected. If he wakes up and gets out of his cuffs, then-"

"No."

"Haven-"

"We left him before and that's how he got all injured," she insisted. "So wherever we go, he has to go."

Which poor Locke probably would have detested the idea of as all the children agreed carrying his heavy lug around was not going to work out to well for them. So, instead, Ravan grabbed one foot and Haven grabbed another, dragging him along behind them. Haven especially liked this idea, as it punished Locke for getting them in this mess in the first place.

She was quickly forgetting her role in the entire thing.

Yes, felt like it was completely Locke's fault.

Of course.

"So," Ravan began, glancing over at where Navi mostly seemed concerned they were doing moire harm than good to poor Locke. "I'm guessing you didn't put a tracker thing on the mayor? The fake one?"

"Well, no-"

"Good going, Navi," Haven added on. "How are we going to find him now?"

"I didn't think I needed to."

"Well," Ravan agreed with Haven, "you were wrong."

Without Locke there to stick up for her, all Navi could do was kick at the ground as they walked through the empty street, the rising moon providing them light then.

"We need to think about," Haven took command once more, "what's going on. Really going on. We know that there was definitely a sickness and it hurt the people of the town. They went into a quarantine. But once the disease had finished spreading, they found the capital wouldn't seen them aid to rebuild. So a dark guild offered them help and then stabbed them in the back. They holed up under the barrier and the dark guild has been here ever since. But why? Why would they do that? What do they want? And what's this sickness anyways? No other city around here experienced its spread? At all? That doesn't make sense."

"I guess what I don't get is," Ravan complained as he glared back at Locke. Dragging him around was getting annoying… "How come they tricked us in the first place? The dark guild? What was their ploy? Why interact with us at all?"

"I guess to feel us out, maybe," Navi whispered.

"But they sent us right to the enemy. Or at least their enemy," Ravan insisted. "Why would they do that? They had to know that we'd know they were liars then. What good did that do? What good is any of this? Ugh! It's hopeless. None of it makes any sense."

"I bet Locke could figure it out," Navi whispered. "Like one of his puzzles."

"Puzzles," Ravan retorted, "make sense. None of this makes sense. That's what I just-"

"How did they know that we wouldn't get sick?" Haven asked, ignoring the others mostly. "The quarantine is past, right? Why? Who deemed it that? Who took them off it? If the capital or their local government is just leaving them to fend for themselves? Was there a quarantine at all?"

"If a bunch of people," Ravan turned his annoyance onto her, "all got sick, then yeah, they probably can just section themselves offs by themselves. That's a quarantine, ain't it?"

"So they just gathered all the people up in their town, moved them to the mayor's mansion, and then what? All planned to die together? No. And not all of them got sick. They must have been the ones to care for the others. But why didn't they get sick?"

"Not everyone catches sickness," Navi pointed out. "And he said that once the fever passes, you're in the clear."

"Still. If they were smart enough to quarantine themselves, then how did it get so bad? How long must this have all been going on for, for them to need assistance from a guild? Just to get back on their feet?" Haven shook her head. "I just feel like someone's lied to us."

"Someone did lie to us," Ravan pointed out. "That first, fake mayor. He lied to us."

Still. She felt like there was more to it. A lot more.

After traveling aimlessly around the city for a good while, they figured they'd make something of a camp. Or at least they got tired of dragging poor Locke around. So they stopped, there in the street, just sitting on the curb, all three defeated and lost.

"This has to be the most boring job ever," Navi told the others. "Dad wouldda just beat the crap outta someone, until they figured out what was going on. Or my mom could have figured the whole thing out."

Ravan spit in the gravel on the ground, just staring at it. "Erza would've never fallen for the fake mayor anyways. She's too smart for that. She'd probably already be home by now, getting ready for her night training."

But Haven didn't speak on her mother and father. Because she didn't care to. Her mother was super powerful, fine, but she was also super stupid. And dumb. And trusting. She'd never figure out what was going on, Haven was sure. And her dumb father didn't even take jobs. Not since she was a baby. What good would it be to have him out on one? Sure, he was super strong and great and all that, but at the same time, he was pretty no nonsense. She doubted he could even be an effective mage anymore.

Guild masters were just old, boring losers who liked to harp on the fun, young mages.

She didn't like it though, thinking of them. Especially Laxus. He was definitely going to rip her a new one if she didn't figure this job out soon and head back home. Back home. Where she could go to bed and not be stressed about anything and...and…

She drifted off, just a bit, her head in her hands, and it wasn't restful in anyway, but it did shock her a bit when, suddenly, Ravan jumped up and yelled.

"We have," he told the others suddenly, "to get back to the barrier. And fast."

"Why?" Navi had been busy pushing little stones in the gravel road into a pile, but stopped at his words. "What good will that do us?'

"Think about it," Ravan insisted. "If it's like Haven says and someone in the dark guild can just...make people...puppets...whatever, then what if they made some that look like us? That would trick the people at the barrier, right? And they might let us in? And then they could get...whatever it is that they want from the people of this town. I dunno. But I do know that if they got in there, with the others, it won't be good."

But when Haven, through yawns, went to grab one of Locke's feet and Ravan the other, Navi finally spoke up and offered, instead, to help them carry him.

"Since it's not too far," she added when the other two seemed opposed. And, well, they didn't completely hate the idea.

It was as much as of a mad dash for the barrier as you could have, really, when you were lugging around an unconscious body.

"Oh, great," Ravan remarked when they made it to it to find, of course, exactly what he'd fear going on. "Just what we need. Two Havens."

Perish the thought.

She dropped the leg she was holding then, Haven did, at the sight of another her, there, banging on the barrier, requesting entrance. The other mayor, the real mayor, was on the other side, weary and seemingly confused.

"Hey!" she yelled as, now with a disproportionate amount of weight on their hands, Ravan and Navi dropped Locke as carefully as they could. "You stupid faker! Don't let her in! I'm the only real Haven!"

"She's definitely the loudest," Ravan grumbled as Navi only checked to be sure Locke was, at the very least, still breathing.

But Haven was too concerned with the fact that someone was sullying her good (debatable) name. Mimicry type magic, as well as Takeover, might not be her specialty, but given her lineage, she knew it well. And nothing annoyed her more than the idea of someone pretending to be her.

It was so rude.

And, not one to stand for being disrespected (it helped now that she wasn't going up against a full grown man, but rather, another child, herself, even if just in appearance), she had no problem with allowing massive amounts of lightning to begin jumping from her body. Running full blast at the other her, she tackled the doppleganger to the ground before raring back to slam a fist full of electricity to her face. And man, yeah, she did get it. Why everyone always wanted to hit her. Her face was rather punch-able.

"What," they heard exclaimed from inside the barrier, "is going on?'

"It's okay," Navi assured the real mayor. "We're taking care of it."

Ravan had never been given a clear shot to slice Haven up, no consequences and, well, summoning his favorite sword, one Erza had rewarded him with once, he came running right over to do that.

"You foolish brats!"

And Haven was shoved off, finally, by herself, but the other version was changing, anyhow, into something else. Something different. And as she stared in shock, the other her was turned promptly into the fake mayor from before.

"Why," he continued on as, getting to his feet, he only glared at them, "are you so annoying? And I see you found your little friend."

Ravan, who came to a stop by the staggering Haven, only held his sword cross his body, studying the older man. "Yeah, we did. I dunno what you did to him, but-"

"You better wake him up!" Haven added as, to her feet once more, she only ran at the man once more.

Okay, so many it wasn't the fact her enemy was a child that she was so willing to attack. Rather, she was always willing. No matter what. To her own detriment or not. She was a Dreyar and that meant, obviously, she was better than everyone else. Out right. Add in a bit of Strauss and, well, forget Raijin, who needed gods when you were the embodiment of all power ever. All fearlessness. All strength.

If Laxus was deluded, Haven was so far gone, she was almost a lost cause.

Almost.

"Haven," Navi warned, but softly as, suddenly, she felt it. The eyes. All about them. Turning, she saw them then, other men waiting around, in the shadows of the streets that led to the one they were on. "Uh, Ravan-"

"Huh?" He glanced around then, at the approaching foes, no doubt somehow affiliate with the fake mayor, and while he knew that some of the people from before, that they'd seen peeking out from buildings and such, had just been facades, these guys were definitely real. He could feel the magic radiating from them. Growling, he only shouted over to the quarreling Haven, "Navi and I got these guys. You take care of him."

"As if," she growled as the man, having evaded her wild punch, kicked then, a heavy boot into the young girl's stomach, which sent her flying backwards, "I needed your direction."

She and the man eyed one another, separated now a bit. As she heard Navi call out the name of spells and Ravan made all his stupid loud noises he did when he was swinging his heavy weapons about, she could only sneer at her foe.

"You're some kind of dark guild wizard, huh?" she questioned. "And you tricked us, right? Just to use us to get into the barrier? Well too bad! We're not just some dumb kids, you know. We're Fairy Tail wizards! And that means something."

Something, fine, but she wasn't too sure what yet. At the very least, she got the boastful, pigheadedness of the other members down pat.

Arrogance was earned, but after spending all those years watching the blowhards up at the guild, Haven felt as if she'd more than paid her dues.

He only sneered right back at her though, the stocky man did, as he said simply, "I did not lie to you, child. I once, truly, was a general in the royal army. And yet you think that you somehow will be able to defeat me in battle? How is that? Hmm?"

She didn't want to think about it.

"How could someone that works for the King," she asked with a heavy frown, "turn out to be a bad guy? How could you do that? How could you spend so much time saving people and now decide to hurt people?"

"Hurt people?" He snorted that time. "Have you asked yourself, kid, why exactly you think the people of this town are so innocent? Huh? Is it because they requested your help? That makes them trustworthy? You're kidding yourself. You think I just happened upon this shit place and decided to take it? Ha. They have something and I want it. And I'm going to take it!"

"If it belongs to them," she growled as, once more charged up and ready to continue on with her attack, "then it doesn't matter what it is. I won't let you have it!"

He wouldn't hit her though. Only evade her. Somehow, that was much more annoying to the little girl. Frustrating. Laxus got like this sometimes. He'd just eat her lightning. It only would serve to piss the little girl off.

"Why," she growled at him, "won't you just attack me?"

It happened then, right after her words, when she was so close to connecting a punch, but barely missing, and she wouldn't have, anyways, if the man hadn't had to use some sort of defensive spell that, when Haven connected with the little white ball that he shot from his hand. It threw her back, causing her to tumble a bit from the force.

It was as she hit the ground though that, from behind her, she heard softly, "Where are we?"

"Locke!" She couldn't help it either, at the sound of his voice, as she turned to glance over to him. The boy was trying to sit up then, struggling a bit when he found that his hands were still restricted by the cuffs.

"Wha- What's going on?" he asked in mostly shock. "Wha- Haven?"

But she didn't go over to him. Only frowned some, glancing from him to the man. He was throwing her off some, given the fact she still hadn't landed a clean blow on him, but something clicked in her head then and, as if she needed any help with it, Haven felt back on top.

"I get it now," she accused loudly. "You're almost out of magic, aren't you?"

The man only glared. "What are you talking about?"

"You're the one that did the big trick before, didn't you? Making it look like there were all those people in the buildings and things? Then you overpowered Locke, you used some sort of spell to knock him out, you did a terrible rendition of me, and now, when you just tried to block my attack, your spell on Locke wore off, didn't it? Because you've exerted yourself, haven't you?' Haven couldn't help it. She smiled in victory though there was still much to be done in front of them. "If that's true, then you might as well give up. You hear me? Because you might be out of power, but I haven't even gotten started! I-"

"Wow, Haven," Locke snickered as she stopped talking as her growling stomach kind of deflated her some. "Skip dinner?"

"Shut up! And work on getting out of those stupid cuffs, idiot. Because you're not getting any of the reward, considering you haven't done anything!"

"That's not fair!"

"Yes, it is, Locke. You're the one that got caught. That's your fualt. Not mine. You're the one that decided to sleep the whole day. I'm gonna tell you're dad that you were just lazy the whole time."

"You better not!"

"I am!"

"Then I'll tell Master about how you were cursing, before, when we were in the forest and Ravan threw that spider at you."

"I can curse! If I want! We're on a job! Mages can do whatever they want!"

"Tell it to Master."

"Locke, you- Hey!"

And she'd gotten so distracted, arguing with the boy (she'd gone the whole day without doing it; so it went without saying that given the opportunity, she took it without question), that she didn't notice the man approaching her. Snatching her up, he held her high in the air, by the back of her collar, danging her above the ground.

"Hey!" Haven complained. "Put me-"

"I don't need magic, brat, to destroy you," the man said simply. "Did you miss what I said before? I'm a former general. You think that some stupid little girl is a concern for me?"

"What are you gonna do? Order her around to death?"

Both Locke and Haven glanced up then as, finished it seemed with their respective duties, Navi and Ravan stood together, glaring at the man. It was the boy that spoke, of course, and from his reequip space he'd produced the one thing that Erza gave him and yet never rightly let him experiment with. Well, Erza wasn't there then, was she?

"You almost skewered me!" Haven yelled as, when the boy hurled the sharpened javelin straight towards her. The man had the wherewithal to drop the girl and jump out of the way. "Who were you aiming for?"

Well, it wasn't like Ravan to let an opportunity to pass him by, was it?

"Locke!" Navi rushed to the boy's side. "You're awake."

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "But I have the worst headache-"

"Haven's right though," Ravan insisted as, not too disappointed in his javelin missing whoever it was he was actually aiming for (he'd probably have gotten in big trouble, anyways, returning home with her slung over his spear, like caribou; but what a visual…) "You're all outta magic. And we're all revved up on ours. So are you gonna just surrender? Or do we gotta kick your butt first?"

"I vote," Locke growled as he still struggled with his cuffs, "to kick his butt."

Navi, being sure of Locke then, only got to her feet, fists blazing as she nodded at Ravan before the pair ran forwards to aid on Haven. It had been simple for him, dodging Haven's uncoordinated attacks, but between the three children, he was easily subdued and eventually, after avoiding a ball of flame from Navi and being caught off guard by a lightning strike from Haven, Ravan had enough of a distraction to shove the man to the ground before standing, victoriously now, truly, over him, sword pointed at his neck.

"This is preposterous!" The man almost shoved up, but Ravan did look ready to skewer his neck if he tried. "I am a general in the royal-"

"I thought," Haven snickered along with the other children, "you said former?"

"Can one of you guys get the key? Or something?" Locke complained from where he'd finally gotten to his feet, but still with his wrists locked before him. "Or something?"

"If we have to," Haven sighed as Navi, with Ravan still holding the sharp point at the man's neck, began to search the fake mayor's pockets for something to release him. But as they worked on that, the oldest Dreyar did feel her eyes drift, over to the barrier, where the true mayor still stood, having watched the entire thing go down.

He looked pleased with the children and Haven wanted to be pleased with herself, but something still bothered her. Though she was certain they'd rid the city of one plight, she had a bad feeling, beyond the barrier, they were hiding another.

Next Chapter

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#Nalu #Gale #Erza Scarlet #Fairy Tail #Fanfiction #3 of 5 #Next Gen

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kristallioness · 7 years

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"North and South: Part Three" - a review

My copy of "North and South: Part Three" arrived exactly a week ago and I finally managed to read it (for the first time in the correct order without skipping any pages) yesterday early morning around 5-6 am. I'm not sure about the previous trilogies, but since I'm aware of how this one has received so much critique and it's probably my favourite out of all of them, I feel the need to share my more-positive thoughts (and protect my babies).

Before I begin, I'd like to point out what I've already written about some of the scenes/pages when I first saw them (basically my first feels about those moments): pages 5-15, 16-20, also a few random pages. Besides that, I wanna share this good review I accidentally stumbled across while searching for scans and this awesome video (with a fitting sound effect), where Katara slaying Gilak and Aang catching Hakoda has been animated.

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Alright, since the third part starts with Toph Beifong and her students continuing the work at the oil refinery, I'll start with my thoughts on her. The way Toph talks to her students is hilarious - they're the most prestigious and only metalbending school in the world. When she asks Ho Tun whether they're metalbenders or lily livers and he hesitates before answering - priceless. Dude, like you ever had a choice.. I must agree with Toph that politics are (often) dumb.

Katara ain't interested in helping to build something that can potentially damage the environment of her home - darn right, I support her! For those who might not understand why she's against the oil refinery, please read my review of the second part over here. I've explained it pretty well why I can understand her concern, as well as why she's not happy about changing everything they've ever loved about home (like she says a bit angrily to Sokka, who's clearly much more excited).

Let me continue with some other side characters while I'm on the topic. There's one character I'd like to bring up here, who simply kept surprising me throughout this last part and who I am so-so proud of - Zuko. I just wanna hug him and tell him how proud I am of him, okay!? That moment when he said the Fire Nation is ready to help the Southern Water Tribe, especially since they've caused enough harm to them during the war - it reminded me of his daughter, Izumi, doing the contrary 70 years later when she refuses to join an unprovoked attack against Kuvira's army with the United Republic of Nations due to the Fire Nation's warlike history. Even the angle on their faces during these scenes is the same. Like father, like daughter for real here. Zuko's humility is worth noting.

There were some other fun moments with Zuko that I liked, such as how he and Sokka hugged during his arrival at the South Pole (for the first time after the war!). Can I just say, brotp for life? I love how this reminded me of Zuko hugging Aang before they parted ways in "Smoke and Shadow" (the angles of these scenes are the same, too), but now they're reuniting. Speaking of hugs, I cannot stress enough how much I love that the world leaders (Avatar Aang, Head Chieftain Hakoda, Earth King Kuei and Fire Lord Zuko) are getting along so well. I repeat, I wish that such a peaceful time would come to our world, too. Kuei offering Zuko to join him in Bosco's paws is such a simple, but sweet and caring act. This really gives 'bear hug' a new, quite literal meaning. Zuko being afraid of bears is another amusing fact. One final thing, I loved how the writers showed that Zuko's a master planner, too - like Sokka, he can anticipate their enemy's moves, understand the motives behind their demands and he knows how Gilak thinks. Also, crossing-his-arms pouty Zuko is adorkable and cute.

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Enough about the side characters, I'll talk about the conference since it already came up earlier. Let's take a step back before the meeting because I love that Sokka supports Malina during the unrest in the beginning. She really needs someone (besides Hakoda) to be there for her during such a hard time - her brother Maliq was sent back to the Northern Water Tribe along with the rest of her crew, they were both nearly killed, she had to see the love of her life almost bleed to death right in front of her. She hasn't had it easy either.

I also enjoyed seeing Sokka's enthusiasm towards his father's presentation during the meeting, like a best friend cheering his mate on, supporting each other. Now that's the kind of father-son bond I love. I hadn't seen page 22 before, so that really made my heart skip a beat (in a good way, it was a nice surprise) - the foundation of the future Southern Water Tribe, laid down by Hakoda and Malina. I felt so happy to see the familiar plan of what we've already seen realized 70 years later (during TLOK Book 2). This connection made me smile. During the fight I loved the scene of Sokka throwing his boomerang to cut down the chandelier so it'd fall on the soldier's head. Look at his smug face, such satisfaction.

In contrast to Sokka's delight, I loved how an annoyed Katara defended her point of view when the Earth King declared that he might not be ready to aid them with their plans. Her comparison of the Outer Ring (I do believe she meant the Lower Ring though?) and her home in particular was supposed to be a nice (unfinished) insult, since Kuei implied that her tribe should be cleaner. Well, the tribe being warmer is something they can't change, but then again Kuei hasn't even seen the world, so he doesn't understand how climates and weather work. I'm rather quick to forgive him for his clumsiness, however, I understand why Katara is justifiably angry at him for saying such things. But, as a reader, I'm ready to give Earth King Kuei time to learn. Because I know where he comes from and why he's like that.

Moving forward a bit, there was a moment involving him, which felt like a cold shower. It was the moment I realized that the situation's serious, far more serious than I'd originally imagined. When Zuko claimed that killing the Earth King could start a new war. This was a possibility I'd never considered and the mere thought sent shivers down my spine. The Earth Kingdom attacking the Southern Water Tribe for murdering their leader. A frightening reality.

While the Earth King was gone, I really felt for Bosco, who was obviously worried about him. Hakoda correcting Malina that the bear missed his best friend, not his master, was very endearing (I'm loving their private moments more and more). Like Appa was worried about Aang when he disappeared into the Spirit World. Both times, Katara's the one who comforts them - I guess she has a way with animals, too, just like her boyfriend (these two are perfect for each other). Also, I like to think that Momo and Bosco are best buddies.

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Having mentioned the fight and the kidnapping, I'd like to write down my opinion about that as well as the beginning of the exchange in the mountains. First off, that fierce glare at Gilak when Katara wanted Aang to drop her - my only thoughts were something in the lines of "Oh, shit! She's mad.." and "Damn, she's ready to shred him to pieces!" (honestly, so would I be). Lesson learned (long ago, actually) - don't mess with this girl or her family, because she will kill you. Katara and Aang's teamwork in order to save Hakoda was excellent. Aang's face when Sokka and Katara told him about the Bridge of No Return later made me laugh though. The Southern Water Tribe can be fricking savage.. good luck with your girlfriend there, Aang! I'm just kidding.. but seriously, Southern Water Tribe people are not to be messed with.

Coming back to Aang and Katara, I've gotta admit that I was pleasantly surprised at how much they interacted in this part (my expectations were low based on what I'd heard). There were so many little moments or big action scenes where they were together, all of which filled my heart with joy. For example, once they'd reached the Bridge of No Return, Aang was standing a few feet away from Katara when he answered Sokka's question. But he noticed that Katara was worried - she didn't even address him, he simply noticed. So Aang just walked up to Katara to kiss her cheek and comfort her that everything's going to turn out fine. What a cutie! Just look at that gentle caressing of her right cheek, she's smiling while holding onto his forearm to hold it steady (or to pull him in closer because she likes what he's offering to her - love, comfort and hope).

Following this scene, when the members of Team Avatar were getting chi blocked was a moment where I felt like I wanted to jump in the middle and interfere to help them. Chi blocking has always creeped me out (in the sense that you'll be completely defenceless/paralyzed), so this particular scene wasn't pleasant to read for me, even though I liked it. Sokka's reaction really made me laugh - kind of not the time to be happy about it, buddy. Also important, Hakoda worrying about their well-being and calling them kids is touching (well, they are still teenagers so it makes sense).

I was absolutely mind-blown by the plan Sokka came up with on how to neutralize the chi blockers' attacks. This was a nice tie-in to the armour of the Metalbending Police Force of Republic City. Turns out it wasn't Toph who invented the originals, instead it was Sokka! His plan in general was ingenious. I'd seen the pages where they were chi blocked, but I hadn't seen how they come out of it. I expected them to wait or stall Gilak's army long enough for them to regain their ability to move and bend. This was an amazing turn of events. Toph and Katara getting revenge on those two annoying chi blocker siblings - I just wanna praise my girls forever because gosh, I hated those two! They really irked me. I loved Katara and Aang's quick reaction when they had to go rescue the rest of the three still hanging from the rope bridge. Sweeties saving people together.

I liked the way Hakoda talked to the Earth King while he was walking to the middle of the bridge. He was supportive and tried to help Kuei get his mind off the fear of falling by reminding him of Bosco. I didn't notice until I reread the book a second time, but when Malina is saying her final farewell to Hakoda, the Earth King is crouching and covering his eyes whereas everyone else's mouths are wide open. Either he can't look because he's scared to see what'll happen next or.. he's crying.

When the rope finally broke, the looks on everybody's faces killed me, especially Sokka and Katara's. How many times does Katara have to scream "Dad!" and have my heart break into a million pieces? I don't think this question will ever receive an answer. Hakoda's a side character and as we all know from the original series (for instance, take Yue or Jet), anything can happen to these beloved characters. And Hakoda's one of my favourites! He really has a special place in my heart, he reminds me of my dad and that's why the whole Hakoda-Katara (father-daughter) dynamic makes me emotional every single time. I see a lot of myself in Katara, too.

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And with that, I reach the most heartbreaking turning point of this part - Malina sacrificing herself to save at least one of them, namely Hakoda. How did I interpret this moment? In various ways.

First off, I immediately noticed the gleam on Katara's necklace and knew it was related to what she says at her mother's grave the next day. It symbolizes her mother's courage running through her veins, her instincts kicking in to go save the woman. But I think there are two other things that are going through Katara's mind.

Katara sees this as the moment Aang fell in the Crystal Catacombs, which she mentions the next day. She sees herself in her dad, having to witness the love of his life die right before his eyes (again). Besides that, it also symbolizes what happened 9 years ago - Katara being the first one to see the look on her dad's face when he realized he'd lost Kya. Remember, Katara and Hakoda both ran into their igloo and found Kya dead, Sokka probably joined them a bit later. Their mother, his wife. The worst part is Katara has seen it before. It's a painful reminder that back then (and for the following 6 years) Katara blamed herself for not being strong enough to save her mom. But this time everything's different. She's a master waterbender, she knows she's capable of saving Malina, that she can spare her dad from going through the same hurt he had years ago. I imagined that during this moment, Kya was knocking on Katara's conscience, telling her to "Go! You're strong enough now! You can do this, sweetie! Save her!.. For him.".

Also, I realized that this is a powerful parallel - someone Katara hates (or used to hate) finally earns her trust completely, proving that their feelings for her (as a friend / as a future stepmother) and her family are real, they really do care for her and have no intentions of betraying her or her loved ones ever again. This is exactly what happened to Zuko during Sozin's Comet - he jumped in front of Katara to protect her from getting struck by lightning, which was the final and most important act in his redemption arc (concerning her). Malina does the same in order to spare at least one of them (I mean Hakoda, since Aang could've easily flown back to safety) - she accepts her fate (her eyes tear up) and willingly releases her hold on Hakoda's hand. Neither character knew that Katara would (or could heal the damage made by lightning) save them. In a way, Zuko and Malina have a similar history when it comes to befriending Katara. And this is definitely something I really love. I'm satisfied with how Malina and Katara's relationship was handled, how she earned the girl's trust by proving that her feelings for her dad were sincere. I knew it'd have to be something big because, like I said in my previous review, Katara can hold a grudge.

Cut to the next day and I admit that I wasn't prepared for this moment - Sokka and Katara visiting their mother's grave. I was really confused at first because I thought the water tribe siblings went to the place where they found Aang, but the iceberg had melted and the ground had resurfaced. I needed to read Katara's lines twice before the reality sank in and I understood why she was saying those words. The Kya-Katara (mother-daughter) dynamic has always been a touchy issue for me, too, so I broke down in tears and sobbed for a longer while. How could I have been so foolish? I still cannot believe it..

Remember when a 14-year-old Katara confessed to Haru that her mother's necklace was the only thing left of her and it wasn't enough for her? Katara, now 17 years old, has realized that there's something much bigger she inherited, someone who's been with her all this time - Kya's courage, her mom's been with her all along. This is an important step forward (in healing) for Katara. She understands that her mother's love is still inside her heart, similarly to how Aang learned (from guru Pathik) that the air nomads' love for him is still inside his heart. Look at him staring at her lovingly as she mourns. Aang's proud of Katara for reaching this realization.

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I'm gonna finish with something slightly happier, something I haven't discussed yet, but it's connected to the previous scene. The next living southern waterbenders, Sura and Siku. I managed to completely nail this subplot when I guessed what'll happen in the third part in my previous review (I'm so happy I foresaw it!). The only part I didn't see coming was Katara explaining the loss of her mom and the meaning behind it to the little girls. I bet she explained this the same way to her daughter Kya years later, I've even written my version of this happening over here. Sura and Siku understanding what Katara told them and demonstrating their waterbending to her deceased mother shows that just like the Air Nation will be reborn in 70 years, the Southern Water Tribe is very much alive. All in all, a very sympathetic ending for this subplot.

The waterbending lesson with Pakku, Katara, Aang, Sura and Siku is among my favourite scenes from this trilogy. Aang stating that Katara helped him end the war, the two of them waterbending together to show the little girls what they can (learn to) do, Katara kneeling down to the girls' height and slightly tilting her head to talk to them (her motherly side showing) - all so precious.

Do you know how children usually say things like they are? Well, I adored how they spoke about Master Pakku, it was so sincere, truthful and funny altogether. But I also understood why the girls were scared / didn't wanna show their waterbending to him. Think about it from their point of view - a strange old man who can waterbend happens to find their well-hidden village, tells them that the Hundred Year War is over and they don't have to hide their waterbending anymore. For all they know, it may be a trap and those monsters could still be out there. Where's the proof? Sura and Siku aren't convinced until they meet Aang, who confirms it.

There were so many bits and pieces I really loved that happened after Sura and Siku ran away. Pakku being sarcastic towards both Hakoda and Aang, the latter blushing as a result and the former thanking him for trying to teach those girls. Hakoda was interested in seeing what the two of them (I believe he's referring to Katara and Aang) were up to, addressing them as Team Avatar grows on him. I'm telling you, I love Hakoda so much!

And then there's the entire scene with him, his baby girl Katara, her boyfriend Aang and his pet winged lemur Momo. I love this scene for so many reasons! Including Momo finding something to eat and Aang making sure that he's well-fed (as well as the way he gulps that fruit in one bite). Hakoda being proud of Katara for becoming such a great healer, wondering whether he'd still be alive if it weren't for her (just.. I'll never get over this). Katara worrying about her dad's health (she gently wraps her arms around his), telling him about Team Avatar and her concerns about their home with Aang defending her arguments about the plans. This is the kind of scene about Hakoda, Katara and Aang spending time together that I've been wanting to see.

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To sum up, the only solution we didn't get was an explanation as to why the Southern Water Tribe is considered to be a colony of the Northern Tribe. However, while writing this review, I thought of a wild theory I'm gonna put out there. We're aware that Sokka was the last known Chief, right? If he didn't have any descendants and Katara didn't want to take on the role (being devastated after both Aang and her brother's death), then wouldn't that mean the southern tribe remained without a chief? So the Northern Chief automatically claimed control of both tribes, whereas the South still had the Council of Elders (who would later choose Tonraq to be the new chief). It didn't happen 70 years ago during Aang's time, it happened 70 years later during Korra's time. Just my idea I thought I should share.

The ending where Team Avatar is cooking together, people/ world leaders from all 4 nations are present (note the 4 elements in the correct order forming half of a circle on both sides), sitting together like family and enjoying a good celebratory meal - I believe this is a very nice way to wrap up these series for now. Gave me warm feelings and really melted my heart. Also, chubby Momo in the end!

I'd love it if the next trilogy continued by showing Team Avatar leaving the South Pole. But just before they leave, Aang and Hakoda talk privately and he asks for Katara's hand in marriage. Hakoda gladly agrees and they leave, Katara is unaware of what Aang wanted to talk to about with her dad (he keeps it a secret). Aang would propose in the third part of the trilogy, very near the end. I'm weak, but it's a great opportunity to ask and this is a moment in their lives that I really wanna see!

In conclusion, the comic trilogy "North and South" has touched me in so many ways - I've smiled and laughed, shed countless tears during heartbreaking/heartwarming scenes. It's reminded me of how much I love the Southern Water Tribe and Katara's family. How much joy I feel seeing Team Avatar back together again. I cannot possibly put all of these feelings into words, but ultimately I'm more than content with how everything turned out and very happy to own copies of these three parts. "North and South" may just as well be ranked at the very top of my list.

#personal #shards of Kristal #North and South

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