#but then i realized oh shit if this is the future then hero got his scarf back ;-;

[inferno-silentdragon]

Happy Birthday HERO!

#omori fanart #omori #omori hero #my art #this can be interpreted as either the future or the past #it's super sad if you look at it as the future tho #originally i intended hero to just be wearing mari's scarf #but when i looked at the calandar i realized that the colors were blue #which meant that it was originally hero's which is really fucking cute #but then i realized oh shit if this is the future then hero got his scarf back ;-; #but even tho that's sad i still wanted something definitely mari's in the drawing #so he's also wearing mari's gloves which are a bit snugged on his hands but he doesn't care #tho if it's not the future then just look at it as if they're just doing the cute thing of wearing eachother's stuff again #this is not part of the backlog btw if that's not obvious

[gas-station-trackphone]

ftm trans Eddie Munson gets turned into a chew toy for hell bats and rescued in the 11th hour by his friends who don't know he's trans, who have to run some triage first aid and can hardly make sense of the blood and gore that used to be his body as they cut off his shirt and pants to get access to the worst of the wounds, who definitely aren't in their right minds well enough anyway to think of anything other than stopping the bleeding and getting him to a hospital, which they do, and miraculously Eddie finds himself blinking awake in a bright, fluorescent room feeling exactly like he imagines a chew toy for hell bats would feel in the aftermath which is to say: like shit. Even more miraculously, he finds hometown hero Steve Harrington posted up at his bedside with greasy hair (!!! Eddie never thought he'd see the day) and bags under his eyes.

The overwhelming relief on Steve's face when he sees Eddie is awake is touching, the misty eyes and cracking voice when he says god, i thought you were toast, man are downright flattering and, let's face it, giving Eddie all the wrong ideas that he figures he has an I-almost-died pass for at the moment so he rocks with it, let's himself indulge in the fantasy for a moment. Then, gradually, Steve's relief becomes more and more obviously some brand of deeply felt pity (or sympathy, but Eddie's never been good at distinguishing the two), which bursts his bubble enough to call him out.

"I know I look like what comes out the business end of a meat grinder, but I swear I'm good, dude. They definitely have me on the good shit, I hardly feel it. I'll be good as new in no time." Big fat fucking lie, by the way, but he'll say whatever if it gets that wounded puppy look out of Harrington's eyes.

"I...yeah, Eddie, I'm glad." And whatever it is he doesn't want to say, whatever is putting that you poor motherfucker look on his face, he's absolutely the opposite of subtle about it.

Eddie can hear the manifestation of his panic on the heart monitor.

"What? What is it? Is everyone- is Dustin-?" He can't say it, can't even think it, would rather be slowly torn to shreds all over again than know he failed at his one fucking task to keep the kid safe.

"No! I mean, yes, he's fine, they're all fine. Henderson's got a broken ankle and both of Max's arms are broken but the docs say they'll be fine in a few months with physical therapy."

The release of tension in Eddie's body hurts almost as much as the relief soothes him. "Okay then, what the fuck are you not telling me? It's fine, I'm a big boy, Harrington, I can take it."

He sighs, looking sick with it. "Eds...I don't know how to tell you this."

Oh god, what the fuck. Eddie's right back to freaking out because Steve looks inexplicably guilty, pained in the face like he's about to deliver the worst news he could imagine but if everyone's fine then-

"It's your dick, man. It's- it's gone. The bats-"

And Eddie laughs so hard he tears about a dozen stitches, immediately stops laughing, and throws up over the side of the bed and thankfully not all over his freshly reopened wounds as Steve shouts for help.

Eventually, when he's all stitched up again and barely hanging on to his hard earned lesson to not literally bust his gut laughing about the look on Steve's face (he has to force himself not to tell Wayne the specifics of how he ended up back in the OR, because he's absolutely gonna crack up and Eddie will definitely be unable to help himself from laughing with him), he realizes he's going to come out to all his friends in the very near future because holy shit, he has to tell everyone about Steve's utterly devastated expression at the news of Eddie's Ken doll-ification by way of demobat.

#I've been laughing about this in my head for WEEKS #the idea that steve feels so bad eddie got his dick eaten by demobats that he literally can't hide it and tells him immediately kills me #as always please read into the gay subtext here bc yes eddie also tells this story at their wedding many years down the line #eddie munson #steve harrington #steddie

[dem-obscure-imagines]

For the Longest Time

Steve Rogers x Reader

Fandom: MCU

Summary: In 1943, Steve was visited by his soulmate, a girl from the future who already knew him. Decades later, after waking up in a brave new world, Steve meets his soulmate again, except she hasn’t met him yet. And she won’t travel to 1943—or know he’s her soulmate—for another year.

Note: This is a continuation/prequel/whatever you wanna call it to A Long, Long Time, a Steve Soulmate AU I wrote a while back. Long story short, I watched Knives Out again and got Steve Rogers brainrot. Happens to the best of us. I might write a third part if there’s interest…

Warnings: Canon-typical violence

Word Count: 2.2k

Reader Is: Steve’s Soulmate, Super-Powered, Female

Steve remembered the day you’d met—for the second time, though he didn’t realize that right away—like it was tattooed on his brain. It was a few years after he’d come out of the ice and he had taken Tony’s advice to get out more, which had led him to the mall.

By some stroke of fate, it happened to be the day a pyromaniac with a flamethrower was there, but before he could even spring into action, you did, hands out in front of you and what seemed to be an invisible shield poised there, redirecting the flames and protecting the teenage movie theater employee that had nearly been caught in the crossfire.

A quick flick of your wrist knocked the attacker’s gun out of his hands, giving Steve the opportunity to step in and apprehend the guy.

You sat on a bench after, breathing heavy, a cut on your forehead from the shattered glass of the skylight. The paramedics were taking care of the civilians, and Steve wandered right over, impressed.

“Are you alright, ma’am?” He asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just glad everyone is okay.” You told him, meeting his eyes.

He finally got a good look at you and froze, looking bewildered. A deer in headlights. “You’re…”

It was you. Of course it was you. Since the moment he’d been unfrozen, he’d been looking for you. His soulmate. The girl from the future that popped in on his twenty-fifth birthday, turned his whole life on its head, and then left without warning, hours after their first kiss. Back when he was five-foot-nothing with asthma and more medical conditions than he could even remember.

Back before he was anything.

And you’d loved him anyway. You’d given him the day of a lifetime and hope for not only a future, but for love. That someone could love him for him despite it all.

“I know.” You knew? “I…I don’t know what it is or…why I can do it.”

Your powers, you meant. You thought he was talking about your powers and not your name, which was burning a hole into his wrist beneath the thick leather band keeping it hidden.

“Right. Well, it’s…” He sighed, gathering his words, hiding the elation and pain behind a warm smile. “It’s a good thing you were here. I don’t have my shield on me.”

“Mine is built in.” You chuckled.

“You, uh…have a cut. On your forehead.”

“Oh, do I?” You reached up and found it with your fingers and they came away a bit bloody. “Shit.”

“Come on.” He offered you his hand and you took it, letting him lead you over to the counter of the theater. “Hi, do you have a first aid kit?”

“Yeah, of course.” The girl at the counter said, rushing to grab it.

Steve patched you up with gentle hands, off in a corner on your own. Staring up at him, you finally realized the obvious. This was Captain America. And he was using a careful finger to spread a triple antibiotic ointment on your cut.

Play it cool, (Y/N).

“Do you do this often? The hero thing?” Steve asked.

“No.” You shrugged. “Haven’t had much opportunity thankfully. I mean…I’d like to, I just didn’t know how to…get into it, I guess. Any email I sent to Stark or S.H.I.E.L.D. or whatever would end up on a slush pile.”

“Well, I’ve got some connections. If you’re seriously considering it. I can’t say I recommend it, but…Obviously you’ve got that protective instinct and you seem to work well under pressure.”

“My heart is about to leap out of my chest.” You admitted, laughing as he carefully laid a Bandaid over the cut, closing the kit.

“That makes two of us.”

“But, yeah, if you think I’m really cut out for it…I’d love to help.”

***

It was those words that sealed your fate. Three days later, someone from Stark Industries got in contact with you and before you knew it, you were on a plane to the Avengers’ remote facility in Upstate New York with a bag full of clothes, a handful of books, and a dream. You met the others, Wanda, Natasha, Bruce. Eventually Bucky came into the mix, too, Steve’s friend from before the ice who…had a staring problem, you were pretty sure. He kept looking at you, seemingly bewildered you were there.

You never did figure out why.

After a particularly tricky mission in rural Kentucky, you had landed yourself in the infirmary, taking a pretty long nap complete with an IV and a heartrate monitor.

It was Nat that found Steve in there, wringing his hands, tears in his eyes. It was the one secret he still had: you were his soulmate and wouldn’t know it for another six months. Your name had been etched onto his wrist for seventy years, through the transformation, through the ice, through everything.

“She’s gonna be okay, Steve. Bruce thinks she might wake up soon.” Nat comforted, sitting in the chair next to him. She put a hand on his shoulder, confused by her friend’s sudden mood.

“I know, I just…” He shook his head. “I’m worried about her is all.”

Nat pressed her lips together, tilting her head. “This seems like a little more than that. You wanna tell me what’s really going on?”

That was her super power, he remembered. She was a human lie detector.

“I can, just…not here.” Steve nodded, leading her out of the room, out of your earshot, but still in sight thanks to the soundproof windows.

Nat’s hands settled on her hips, waiting for an answer. Instead, Steve took the cuff off of his wrist and held it out to her, letting her read the letters that had been etched there for the better part of a century.

Her jaw dropped. She stammered, arms crossing. She met his eyes and when she saw the sadness there, the guilt and longing, her expression softened.

“I should have told her. A long time ago, I should have told her but I can’t. In six months, on her twenty-fifth, she’s going back in time to 1943 to meet me on mine. And it…didn’t seem like she knew until she was already there.”

“So you’ve just been holding it in this whole time?” Natasha asked. “You’ve been in love with her…”

“Since the forties, yeah.” Steve nodded. “My great lost love, as Tony likes to call her when he rags on the band I wear.”

“Does he know?”

“No. Just you. And Bucky.” Steve amended. “He was there when she…”

“Right. Weird.” Natasha let out a long sigh, looking through the window. “Well do you need any help with that? I can get some information out of her. I’ll be super subtle, I promise.”

“I don’t know. She probably thinks my soulmate is dead, too.”

“Ironic.”

“No kidding.” Steve sighed. “Well, I guess if she says anything, let me know. It’s kind of a relief someone else knows.”

“We’ll get you through it, Steve. Six more months. That’s nothing.”

“Yeah.” Steve gazed longingly through the window. “I’m gonna sit with her for a while. I don’t want her to wake up alone.”

He slinked back into the infirmary and sat in the chair beside your bed, watching your steady breaths and listening to the beeping of the heart monitor. Natasha watched him through the window, heart strings pulled as tight as they’d ever been. Her best friend was in love and there was almost nothing he could do about it.

***

Three months later, you, Steve, Bucky, Sam, and Nat got snowed in on a mission in Alaska. The little cabin you’d been sent to was unreachable by any of the jets the team could send and besides, it wasn’t worth the risk of Clint or someone getting stuck out there in this.

But despite the fireplace raging with fresh-chopped wood, you were still shivering, all wrapped up for the night.

Steve watched you, forlorn. Natasha nudged him, motioning towards you. He chuckled and shook his head. He couldn’t. Right? What, take advantage of you in your vulnerable state.

Bucky seemed to agree with Nat, grinning into his mug of coffee, giving him some caffeine for his night watch.

Steve got up off of his seat, walked towards the fireplace and adjusted the logs, adding another small one for good measure. He looked back at the others, who were aggressively encouraging him to go over to you, and gave in.

He knelt down in front of you, clearing his throat, which caused you to jolt awake.

“Is everything okay? Are we under attack?”

Steve chuckled. “No, uh, we’re all good. Are you cold?”

“Kind of, yeah.” You admitted. “I’ll be okay, though, I promise.”

“Do you…want some company?” He asked, unsure of how to word it. “I…run warm.”

“Do you mind?” You asked, sitting up a little.

His heart raced. This was going better than he thought. “Here, um…” He raised the blanket on top of you and wiggled in underneath you, letting you lead as the two of you settled.

“God, you do run warm.” You hummed, all but collapsing against him, a hand flat against his chest while you adjusted.

“I didn’t always.” He said, voice sincere. “Buck and I used to have to share a bed in the winter. It was brutal.”

“Sounds like it.”

“Yeah, he snores.” Steve joked, earning a laugh.

“Oh I know. I can hear him three doors down back at home.”

“And I can hear you from the other room!” Bucky called, sending you and Steve into a fit of giggles, like kids at a sleepover. “It’s a small cabin.”

You heard him and Sam devolve into a bickering match about the truth of whether or not Bucky actually snored that loud.

You looked up at Steve, asking “is it okay if I put my arm here?” while carefully draping an arm across him.

“Yeah, of course.” He nodded, leaning against the pillows and pulling the blanket up around your shoulders.

You rested your head on his firm chest, listening to the way his heart was racing. Cute.

The drowsiness took over almost immediately, his warmth lulling you to sleep after a long day undercover out in the snow. You were asleep in minutes, breaths slow and long and even.

But once he was absolutely sure you were out, Steve pressed the gentlest kiss to your forehead, grateful beyond words to have you in his arms again.

***

“You thought today was her birthday???” Natasha asked, incredulous in the kitchen.

“I got nervous!” Steve defended. “I saw it on her whiteboard in front of her door and I thought—”

“I think Scott wrote that the last time he was here. He keeps track of all of that.”

“Doesn’t surprise me.” Steve replied, shaking his head. “Well, does she have any birthday plans?”

“Yeah, Wanda and I are taking her out shopping this afternoon. Tony gave her his card. And then the party tomorrow night.”

Steve nodded. “Okay, good. That buys me some time.”

“You got a plan?”

“I’ve had a plan.” Steve admitted. “Been sitting on it for about seventy years, in fact.”

***

You got out of bed, got dressed, and headed to the mall with Natasha and Wanda. The same mall, in fact, that you and Steve had met in the first place.

“Where was it?” Wanda asked, wearing a very fashionable pair of shades.

“Right over there.” You pointed to the spot in front of the movie theater, up on the second floor of the mall. “Guy with a flamethrower and a dream. He’s in jail now.”

“Yeah, well, that’s what you get when you dream of arson.” Nat said, causing you and Wanda to laugh.

You shopped around for clothes, got some pretzels at the Wetzels, and window shopped. You already had what you were pretty sure you were going to wear the following night. It wasn’t every day one of the Avengers turned twenty five and met their soulmate. Tony was determined to make it a spectacle. He had a habit of doing that, it seemed.

In the food court, you seemed kind of down, chin resting against your fist. Wanda picked up on it first.

“It will all be okay, (Y/N). There is nothing to worry about.”

“Yeah, I know, I just…I don’t know. I’m stressed about it. Tomorrow I get the answer to the question I’ve been asking for twenty-five years. I just can’t believe it’s almost here. And…I don’t know, there’s just a lot of variables. What if they don’t like me?”

“Come on, (Y/N), what’s not to like?” Natasha said, digging her spoon into her blizzard from the Dairy Queen.

“I don’t know…It’s just a lot to think about.” You said, leaving it at that. You didn’t know how to begin to explain to them that you had feelings for someone already, one of your coworkers no less, and someone who already had a soulmate, despite the fact that he’d lost her nearly a century before.

You wondered why Steve never looked for her. Or maybe she’d passed before he even resurfaced. It was sad. A guy like that didn’t deserve the heartbreak. He deserved to be loved.

The three of you finished your shopping trip and then returned to the Facility, where you unpacked the new odds and ends you’d acquired. Steve checked on you again, offering you words of wisdom, a comforting hug. He promised that your soulmate would love you, whoever they were.

Little did you know, he already did.

#steve rogers #steve rogers soulmate au #captain america #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers imagine #the avengers #marvel #captain america x reader

[tothetoonandback]

PV post cause i have to learn to post what i want girl🙁. Hello tumblr omg!

Main sillies down yonder to be so fr… YES i’ve been silly abt one guy YES i can be silly abt his relationships (female friends). Colleen cruiser and ethan earle friendship my beloved y’all are crazy. Seen each pther at ur worst phases (7th grade and beyond)

Also in the read below i’m yapping just so ur aware girls

Just like talking abt my guys… first ref w Lawrence specifically! He’s so funny to me idc. Was sort of a sidekick/ally to Sierra’s mom, and his whole thing was just being rlly fast LMAO. Speedster if u will… he managed to run himself into the future and at some point during Sierra’s Bplt era ran himself back and just retired as soon as he found Paige, one of the last living ppl in his family besides ppl out of state. He’s living comfortably to say the least!!! Paige also is good friends w Leah and Sierra!

Ellie oohh… lovingly married to Cal and a proud choir teacher fr! Loves her students a ridiculous amnt! Her shtick is being able to control certain parts of ppl, which she’s still working towards LMAO, but she mainly sticks to vocal cords, eardrums and parts of the brain related to speech. She managed to let herself go crazy w her voice without hurting anything and has a craaazy range LMAAOO.

T.V. and Carmen…. Carmen specifically is a menace on her blog, which she purely posts abt the latest hero/villain news, including drama shit and general news happening. T.V. is her little sidekick and manages to get whatever info they need, though she has a very easy time doing it on her own. Cam also runs the yearbook club and does the same damn thing with her own school. T.V. is much more chill and aspires to be a big comic artist, very much taking inspo from ppl like the Blaukers :-)). They also have a secret dream of hosting some sort of television segment or show LOL.

The Blaukers… both retired from being comic artist/writers interchangeably but Chris is more seen from his art and Bobby’s more seen from his writing. They met from both starting comic series abt Carolina’s Bolt, and eventually started to make the series together, making probably the most memorable series of any real-time hero. They sort of got the trend of it going as well, but at some point retired due to realizing that it was a bit immoral to treat heroes that way LMAO. They’ve been lenient on speaking on the issue seeing how more modern heroes act but are still very invested in the comic industry, even if they aren’t directly in it. Definitely caught in what’s going on and know everything happening with everyone

Kyra and Sean yaaayy! Not much to say abt them, but Sean is Sierra’s step brother and the both of them have always had a big influence on both Sierra and Luka. Mostly Luka when he was still with the family!

Chief Frye is just funny i just like thinking abt her sometimes

CAL colleen beloved thing oh my god. Lovingly married to Ellie!!! Local artist as hell, has worked w abt every medium u can think of and has sold her work to plenty of art shows and fairs. Def knows her craft. Also a good ally for heroes and villains alike, tho mostly villains LMAO, because she can get her say abt just anything. She gets her shit together for a good price fr. Also a childhood friend to Ethan, they’re silly!:-) type to get picked the hell up by her large wife and her large friend

Also for the doodles: mayzie go crazy i need to post abt her more. And cal having tats just makes me soooo so crazy!

Girlcode w the pads i love sierra and e’s relationship, even pre-everything. They’re so

#palmvale #these are most definitely redos of old bg character refs but idc! #moon doobles #oc #original character

[whchenlvr]

anon: hii, i love your writing style and i was wondering if you could do the union boys with like a reader who is a bit young, maybe like 13-14 but like can kick major ass. The boys kinda see this kid a sibling? hope you have a nice day!

thank you to the original requester 💗💗 i hope you enjoy and have a good day as well!

joining the union ;

weak hero union, bad ass gn!reader

(no romance! just big bro union moments)

donald na

when donald heard about this little badass kid running around beating everyone in the union up, he wasn’t expecting an actual little kid. of course, hearing stories of the “dart frog” as they’ve been calling you, donald was sure not to underestimate you when you met face to face. he knew right away that you reminded him of himself. despite your height and age, you fought with emotion. and you wanted to win every time. donald didn’t have it in him to physically fight you, so instead, he offered you a deal. join him in the union, or he’d get rid of you. obviously, you picked the former. though you hated him at first, you quickly grew quite fond of donald. you viewed him as a teacher, and he thought of you as a little sister/brother. though you’d never admit it, you needed each other to stay sane and grounded.

jimmy bae

jimmy hated you. when he went to teased you and you knocked him to the ground with a single punch? yeah, he was pissed. however, after watching you single-handedly defeat his little gang of bullies, that anger melted into curiosity. he wondered how someone so small could be so powerful, and as you walked away with your ice cream, he decided to ask. that day, you and jimmy bae came to an agreement: he would guarantee you be left alone if you got rid of the distractions to the union. plus, he promised to buy you ice cream. it didn’t take long for you to come to love the arrangement and jimmy will never tell you, but he liked your company. you even taught him some pressure points that helped when doubling someone over. oh yes, jimmy was easily the big brother you’d never had.

wolf keum

you and wolf didn’t get off on the best foot. donald had placed the two of you together for a project of his, and it was obvious from the start that wolf was furious. he hated that he had to work with a kid instead of on his own or with someone he trusted. you were just bored and owed donald na a favor. you’d been told in advance that wolf hated being stared at, and though you wanted to tease him, you didn’t want to show up to school beat up (even though you were confident you’d win). surprisingly, wolf and you were able to work together surprisingly well. so well, in fact, that you got paired again. and again. and soon, you were a duo. due to your age, wolf was a bit worried about your future, and when you caught himself worrying, he’d cringe. it wasn’t long before you even started cracking jokes with him, and occasionally, he’d smile. he never realized he wanted siblings until you came around and filled that position.

jake ji

jake was a little brother. even after the incident with kenny, he never stopped being a little brother. until he met you. you were small for you age and very hot headed, but you loved amusement parks and collecting carnival prizes. after accidentally witnessing you beat the shit out of some thugs who tried to mug you, jake was instantly fascinated. he’d asked dean and eunchan to keep tabs on you, and though it was fun hearing how you were making your way up the ranks, some part of him was worried. worried your end up like kenny. that’s when jake introduced himself to you, and you instantly bonded over childish activities like comparing funny faced polaroids or showing off your plushies. he wasn’t embarrassed to admit that though he was a little brother, jake enjoyed being your older brother a little bit more.

part 2 here

#weak hero #weak hero manhwa #weak hero class 1 #weak hero webtoon #donald na #jimmy bae #wolf keum #jake ji

[paralyze-fic]

Paralyze.

Chapter 76

[Jiro. You. Both.]

"Let's do this shit!"

Well, I kind of was expecting something like that coming from Katsuki. I had a small smile on my face and I looked up slightly, soon catching sight of Eri. Her red eyes were looking at Deku, who was smiling brightly at her, and then she looked at me. I smiled at her, soon feeling my nerves fading away and wanting to make her smile too.

"We're gonna murder at U.A." Katsuki's manacing tone and his glare made a few people in the audience tremble, I didn't even have to look at him to see the expression he was making, "Murder 'em with our music!"

Jesus-! Katsuki, why?!

Thankfully, Katsuki's explosion didn't actually make me forget to dance, it kind of scared me but it's Katsuki, I should've expected this much from him. The band started to play and we started to dance.

What am I to be

What is my calling 

I gave up giving up 

I'm ready to go

The future's left unseen

It all depends on me

Putting on the line 

To follow my dreams, yeah

Tried all my life 

I tried to find

Something that makes me hold on and never let go

Ooooh!

I walked up the front and made my way next to Jiro, just like how Mina had told me on the first day of practice.

Hero too

I am a hero too

My heart is set

And I won't back down

Hero too

Strength doesn't make a hero

True heroes

Stand up for what they believe

I moved slightly back so Izuku and Aoyama could run at each other, and I saw Izuku throwing the blond up in the air, who shot his lasers.

So wait and see

So wait and see

After Ojiro caught Yuga as gravity did its job, Izuku walked out of the stage to do the rest and... oh god, now I have to sing on my own. I briefly made eye contact with Jiro and she smiled at me, silently mouthing a 'Ganbare!' at me. It actually helped me relax quite a bit as I took a deep breath.

What do they think of me

What do they think I'll be

I could not care less

I don't want to know

Am I doing right

Am I satisfied

I want to live my life

Like it's meant to be, yeah

Tried all my life 

I tried to find

Something that makes me hold on and never let go

I stood back to back with Jiro in front of her mic, and we sang with big smiles on our faces.

Looking up briefly at everyone from the stage team, I noticed that they were getting ready to do what would be the best part of the whole performance. Shoto used his ice with Sero's help, and Yaomomo shot confetti with her quirk.

Oooooh!

Hero too

I am a hero too

My heart is set

And I won't back down

The rest left to keep dancing on the ice that Shouto made, while I stayed on the stage with Jiro, now just singing with her.

Hero too

Strength doesn't make a hero

True heroes 

Stand up for what they believe

So wait and see

People will judge for no reason at all

Yeah they might try

To say your dream's dumb

Don't listen

They may look down on me

And count me out

I'm going my own way

They may look down on me

And count me out

I'm a hero

I've got music

Hero too

I am a hero too

My heart is set

And I won't back down

Hero too

Strength doesn't make a hero

True heroes 

Stand up for what they believe

Yeah I'll be!

Oh, she did what she told Katsuki not to. She improvised and he realized it, he had a pissed off expression and it was hard not to laugh at it.

Hero too

I am a hero too

My heart is set

And I won't back down

Hero too

Strength doesn't make a hero

True heroes 

Stand up for what they believe

So wait and see

I have met so many heroes in my life

Give me strength and courage to survive

Gave me the power to smile every day

Now it's my turn

To be the one 

To make you smile

I finally locked eyes with Eri again and what I saw made me tear up.

She's smiling...

///////

After our performance, everyone was helping with the cleaning, picking up the pieces of ice and taking them to Katsuki and Shoto, who were the ones in charge of melting them. As I picked up big chunks of ice in my basket, I saw Izuku with All Might, who looked at the greenette worried, I'm sure he was supposed to be scolding him for what happened earlier, but it didn't actually look like a scolding at all.

Well, that was until I saw Hound Dog showing up with Ectoplasm and he did scold Izuku, quite loudly might I add, I heard him pretty clearly, although it could've been because I was standing quite close to them.

But I couldn't really pay them that much attention because I saw Togata senpai walking closer with Eri next to him. He said hi to me while I walked back to dump the ice with Katsuki and we talked for a bit as we waited for Izuku. And I couldn't help but notice Eri's expression, despite being in complete silence.

She looks so happy.

I stared at Togata senpai again, and he was also staring at her, tears filling his blue eyes. We made eye contact and we smiled at each other, as we were probably remembering Sir too.

I noticed a green mess of curly hair walking closer, completely oblivious to us until Togata caught his attention. "Yo! Nice job back there!"

As soon as he said that, Eri looked up and started explaining excitedly the performance, making cute gestures and adorable noises, recreating to us what her reaction was. "And, and! (M/n)-san's voice sounded so good with the girl's voice! Like... it was like angels singing!" I chuckled softly, feeling embarrassed by a six-year-old kid's compliment. But it was so wholesome and genuine that it actually filled my chest with joy and my eyes with tears. Izuku seemed to be feeling just like I was feeling because he rubbed his eyes with his forearm.

"I'm so glad you enjoyed yourself, Eri-chan!" I nodded and I was about to say something else, but Mineta yelled at us for being lazy and not helping with the ice, so I immediately went back to cleaning, taking the ice chunks to Katsuki.

#paralyze fic #bakugou katsuki fanfic #bakugou x male #bakugou x male reader #male reader #reader insert #x reader

[pintsizemama]

Heroes & Heartbreak

Chapter 19

Summary: Javi and Ari talk about their future. Carrillo’s unconventional methods are effective, but unpopular. A new informant comes forward that may just give them the edge they need to take down Escobar.

Pairings: Javier Peña x OFC Ariana Morgan—DEA Agent and daughter of Pablo Escobar

Fandom: Narcos

Rating: Explicit 18+ ONLY

Word Count: 9,558

Warnings: language, angst, kissing, smut, PiV sex, unprotected sex, other woman drama (kind of), violence, CHARACTER DEATH, blood...let me know if I missed anything, and I’ll happily add it here!

A/N: This one is tough…if you’re familiar with the show, you know what’s coming. I hated writing this scene, but it was necessary…I think. More notes at the end.

I included conversations from the episode to help anyone who hasn’t seen it or hasn’t watched it in awhile. Sorry if it feels redundant if you’ve seen the show a million times like me.

As always, feel free to let me know if I need to correct the Spanish translations!

Chapter 18 Chapter 20 Series Masterlist Masterlist AO3 Join my taglist

Ari peeled her eyes open. They felt puffy and raw. She rubbed them in a futile effort to lessen the pain.

“Fuck,” she groaned, scraping her hand down her face. Two nights in a row of heavy drinking and soul crushing sobbing left her with a queasy stomach and a head that was about to explode. She sat up and grimaced at the pain in her shoulder. Oh, yeah. She’d also been shot yesterday. Fantastic.

She’d probably reopened the wound in her drunken stupor last night. She winced at the dried blood on her shirt. She pulled it aside to survey the damage. She frowned in confusion when she saw the crisp, clean bandage. That wasn’t the same bandage the medic had put on her. She stood up slowly, her head spinning. She glanced into the small trash bin and saw her bloody bandages from the day before. What the hell? Had she changed them herself? No way. She had been too drunk to do something like that. Steve had passed out long before her, so it wasn’t him.

Javi.

He must have done it when he got back from seeing his mystery woman. She ignored the stab of pain that accompanied those thoughts. She checked the time and realized she needed to get her ass moving if she was going to be of any use that day. She took a scalding hot shower and pounded two cups of coffee with a few over the counter pain meds, and she was good as new. Well, mostly. She sat heavily at her desk and dug into the never ending paperwork. At least that would temporality focus her mind on something other than Javier.

An hour later Javi and Steve stumbled in. They both looked rough. She knew Steve had drank himself into oblivion last night too, but she wasn’t sure what had Javi looking so beat down. He sat at his desk and shyly met her eyes.

“Good morning,” he said quietly.

“Good morning,” she returned. He continued to gaze at her with the saddest puppy dog eyes she had ever seen. She cleared her throat uncomfortably.

“Uh, thanks,” she said softly. His brow furrowed in confusion. “For changing my bandage.”

“Oh,” he whispered. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. “Yeah, no problem.” His eyes darted to her shoulder. “How are you feeling?”

“Like my head is about to explode,” she laughed softly.

“And the shoulder?” He asked.

“About as good as you’d expect,” she answered. “Just hoping Messina doesn’t put me on desk duty.” Javi nodded in understanding. His handsome face creased in deep thought. He looked like he was trying to gather the nerve to say something.

“Can we talk?” He said finally. “Later…in private?” Ari felt her throat close up in fear. Shit, this was it. He was going to give her his decision. She couldn’t push words past the lump in her throat, so she just nodded.

“Great,” Javi sighed in relief. Ari didn’t know what to make of his reaction. Was he ending things? He had to be. She never really expected him to commit to her…but why did she get the feeling that wasn’t the way things were going. Her thoughts began to spiral and she quickly threw herself into work to keep herself from launching into a full blown panic attack.

“Morgan!” Messina called out from her office.

“Shit,” Ari swore under her breath. “Guess this is where I get benched.” She stood and reluctantly made her way into the boss’s office. Messina was sitting at her desk and looked up when Ari came in.

“Take a seat,” Messina gestured to the chair in front of her desk. Ari sat down heavily. Messina watched her carefully.

“How’s the shoulder?” She asked.

“Fine,” Ari said immediately. Messina frowned.

“I think you should take some time—” Messina began.

“—I’m fine,” Ari cut in. “I don’t need time off…or time behind a desk.”

“Agent Morgan,” Messina argued, “a gunshot injury is serious, and the DEA requires—”

“—I know what the DEA requires,” Ari cut in again, agitation clear both on her face and in her voice. “I’m fully capable of working. It’s really not that bad.” Messina sighed heavily.

“Listen,” she said quietly, “I get it. You’re tough shit. You have something to prove. Believe me, I understand better than anyone. But I can’t risk you getting injured or killed because I didn’t make you take a rest.” Ari sat back in her seat, wracked in frustration.

“Just take a couple days,” Messina insisted.

“A couple days at my desk,” Ari offered in compromise. “Not a couple days off.” Messina mulled it over for a few moments.

“Fine,” she agreed, “but only if you agree that I have final say when you can get back out into the field.” Ari nodded in agreement. She really didn’t have any other choice. Messina was in charge, and Ari had to do as she was ordered. She quickly left the office and went back to her desk.

“Well?” Steve asked. Javi looked up with hope in his beautiful brown eyes.

“Desk duty for a couple days,” Ari told them.

“Shit,” Steve swore. “Could be worse, though.”

“Yeah,” Ari agreed. “Just do me a favor and don’t let anything good come in until after I’m clear, yeah?”

“I’ll do my best,” Steve laughed.

“If you don’t go, I don’t go,” Javi said. Ari’s gaze snapped to his.

“What?” She asked.

“I’ll tell Messina, if you’re benched, I’m benched,” Javi told her.

“Hell yeah,” Steve agreed with a grin. “It’s all of us or none of us.” Javi nodded in solidarity.

“You guys can’t do that,” she argued.

“Sure we can,” Javi said with a shrug.

“That’s right,” Steve added, “we’re a team. Like the Three Musketeers.”

“More like the Three Dumbasses,” Ari laughed. She sobered up and looked at her partners. “Thanks, guys…this means a lot to me.”

“Anything for you, cariño,” Javi whispered. Ari felt butterflies flutter in her stomach. Even though she was dreading the talk with Javier, his actions made her rethink the potential outcome of that conversation.

The three of them worked in relative silence for the next few hours. Steve sat back with a sigh and tossed his pen on his desk.

“I swear to God, my eyes are bleeding from all this paperwork,” he complained. “I need food. You guys want to eat something?”

“Yes, please!” Ari groaned. “I’m starving.”

“I could eat,” Javi chimed in.

“Let’s head over to that place down the street,” Steve suggested.

“Yes!” Ari agreed immediately. There was a little restaurant near headquarters that had the best food. They all stood and grabbed their guns and badges. Ari glanced up when she heard Javi whisper something to Steve. Steve smirked and nodded once. Javi shot him a grateful smile.

“I just need a few minutes,” Steve announced. “I forgot there was something I wanted to run by Messina.” He picked a file up from his desk. “I’ll meet you guys over there in fifteen?”

“Sounds good,” Javi cut in immediately. Ari frowned. They were acting weird. Steve hustled out. Ari turned to Javi to see him looking at her expectantly.

“What’s up, Jav?” She asked.

“I, uh,” Javi anxiously rubbed the back of his neck, “I was hoping we could talk.”

“Now?” She asked.

“Yeah,” he answered. “Let’s go back to our room.” Ari could only nod and follow behind him. She felt sick to her stomach. This was it. Javi was going to end things, and her heart could not take it…but she knew it would be for the best. If he couldn’t commit to her the heartbreak would be even more painful down the road. When they reached their room he opened the door and allowed her to enter first. He closed the door behind them and leaned against it. She turned to face him, forcing her face into a neutral expression.

“Something on your mind?” She asked in an even voice.

“Yeah,” he replied. “I’ve been thinking about what you said…how I needed to make a decision.” She just nodded, not trusting her voice. “I made a decision.” Ari swallowed and braced herself for the blow.

“And?” She asked quietly.

“I want you,” Javi said simply. Ari’s heart stopped. She didn’t want to dare to hope.

“You wanting me was never a question,” she replied.

“I want more with you,” he countered. Her heart kicked into overdrive. “I don’t know if I’m even capable of more…if I have it in me to be a better man, but dammit, I want to try. I can’t promise I’ll be any good at this. My last relationship ended with her left at the altar. If you can just be patient with me, I’ll do everything I can to make you happy. I want to be the man you deserve.”

“Really?” Ari whispered.

“Yes, cariño,” Javi smiled. “Let’s do this, Ari. Be with me. For real.”

“Ok,” she whispered, tears in her eyes. He cupped her jaw and pulled her in for a kiss. It was soft and sweet. Ari sighed into it, happiness filling her heart for the first time in a long time. Javi pressed his forehead to hers.

“I’m gonna be so good to you, hermosa,” he whispered. “I promise…no more bullshit from here on out. It’s you and me, sweetheart.” Ari laughed tearily.

“Sounds good, Javi,” she whispered. She pulled back slightly and glanced at her bed. “Think we have enough time?” Javi saw where she was looking and chuckled.

“Steve is waiting for us,” he reminded her. “But I already worked it out. He’s gonna give us some space tonight after work. Give Connie a call and have a nice long talk so we have the room to ourselves for a bit.”

“Perfect,” Ari said with a smile. She kissed him once more. “Let’s go. I’m starving.” They ducked out of their room and made their way out front. Steve stood there waiting for them, a cigarette in his hand.

“Well?” He asked Javi. Javi nodded. Steve’s smile was huge.

“Woo!” he shouted. He hugged Ari around the waist, picked her up, and swung them around in a circle.

“Put me down, you lunatic!” She shouted with a laugh. He set her down and stepped back.

“Sorry,” he told her. “But it’s about damn time.” He slapped Javi on the back. “Congrats, man. Don’t fuck it up.”

“I’m gonna do everything I can not to,” he told Steve.

“Good,” Steve said. “Now, let’s go get some grub.” They enjoyed a long lunch before heading back to the Holguín. Steve teased them for a bit, but they could tell he was genuinely happy for them. The rest of the day flew by in a blissful blur. Ari was floating. A huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Every time she locked eyes with Javi she couldn’t help but smile. He always returned it with one of his own. She could see the lightness in his own shoulders, the softening around his eyes. This decision had taken a lot of stress off of him too.

When it was finally time to call it quits for the day, Ari hurried to file away all her reports. She couldn’t wait to get Javi alone. Steve smirked as his partners both rushed to end their day.

“In a bit of a hurry, guys?” He teased.

“Fuck yeah,” Javi smirked. A giggle escaped Ari.

“Ready for the day to be done,” she said with a casual shrug. Steve laughed.

“Sure…sure,” he said with a smile. “‘Ready for the day to be done’…I’m sure that’s they only reason you’re about to high tail it outta here like your ass is on fire.” He glanced at his watch. “Hmm, think I’ll give Connie a call. Check in on her and the baby.” Javi laughed at Steve’s obvious attempt to play off giving them alone time.

“Tell her we said hi,” he told him before grabbing Ari’s hand and practically dragging her from the room.

“Javier!” She scolded quietly. She glanced down at their joined hands.

“Shit,” he swore and dropped her hand. “Sorry. Guess I got too excited.”

“Me too,” she admitted. “It’s been too long.”

“Fuck, yeah it has,” he agreed. It had been weeks since the last time they were together…when Ari confessed her love. Javi guided her into their room and locked the door. He turned to see her watching him.

“What?” He asked quietly. “You’re looking at me funny.”

“Just admiring the view,” she replied. “I can’t believe you’re mine.” Javi’s face softened at her confession.

“Yeah, baby, I’m yours,” he whispered and kissed her softly. He backed her up towards her bed. He reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled back from her lips to lift it over her head. She winced slightly from the wound in her shoulder.

“I need to take it easy on you tonight, hermosa,” Javi said with a nod towards her injury.

“I’m fine, Javi,” Ari assured him.

“I know you’re tough, Ari,” he said softly, “but I don’t want to hurt you, so we do this my way. Got it?” Ari nodded. She didn’t care what kind of sex they had, she just needed him. He kissed her again as he unhooked her bra. It slid down her arms and floated to the floor. Her hands came up to unbutton his shirt. He shucked it off without breaking the kiss. Their pants were removed in record time.

“No panties?” Javi asked with a cocked eyebrow.

“Just taking a page outta your book, Peña,” she panted and pulled him back in for another deep kiss. He plunged his tongue into her mouth and gripped her ass in both hands. He lifted her slightly and laid her down on the bed. When his hot naked skin touched hers completely she sighed in ecstasy.

“Fuck,” she moaned. “I love the way you feel on top of me.”

“Believe me, hermosa,” he groaned, “the feeling is mutual.” He kissed her neck and hugged her closer. “I wish I could take my time and worship you like you deserve, but Steve will be back soon.”

“It’s ok, Javi,” Ari whispered. “I need you. We’ll find time later. Just fuck me, please.” He reached down and ran his fingers through her wet center.

“You’re not kidding about needing me, cariño,” he smirked. “You’re already dripping.” He wasted no time in lining himself up and gently pushing into her warm body.

“Finally,” she sighed. He chuckled softly and began to rock in and out slowly. He pressed in and ground his pelvic bone against her clit.

“Shit,” she swore, “don’t stop doing that.”

“I’m not stopping until you come, Ariana,” Javi assured her. He kept at it for several minutes, working her up into a frenzy. The pressure building inside her was too much. She needed this release. Javi captured her mouth in a hot, passionate kiss as he ground himself against her hard, and she exploded. It was intense. She cried out and Javi buried his face in her neck. He switched from the rocking motion to deep, hard thrusts. He was chasing his own orgasm now. It didn’t take long before he swore loudly and pushed himself as deep as he could go. He groaned and filled her. Ari was still dazed and coming down from her own high.

“Fuck,” Javi whispered hoarsely. “That was incredible.”

“Mmm,” Ari agreed sleepily. That release had been cathartic. All of the stress and uncertainty that had always surrounded her relationship with Javi had melted away. He was hers and she was his. That was all that mattered now.

“We better get cleaned up before I fall asleep and Steve comes back and gets traumatized,” Ari laughed.

“Good idea,” Javi agreed. “I love Steve like my brother, but if he sees you naked, I might kill him.” Ari snorted.

“Ok, tough guy,” she replied, “let’s get dressed then. Don’t need to be cleaning up a crime scene tonight.” Javi grabbed some tissues and helped Ari clean up the mess between her thighs as best they could. They both pulled on sweat pants and T-shirts and settled into their own beds. They lay on their side facing each other.

“I’m really happy,” Ari said quietly.

“Me too,” Javi immediately replied. “I’m glad I finally got my head out of my ass before it was too late.” Ari smiled softly.

“Me too,” she said. “Good night, Javi.”

“Goodnight, Ari,” he returned with a warm smile. It didn’t take long for either of them to fall asleep. Great sex and the comfort of being close to the one they cared for did wonders for their stress levels, and they drifted off with smiles on their faces.

The next couple weeks passed in a blur of successful raids and an intense level of intimacy Javi had never known. Steve made sure to give them time alone in the bunk as often as possible, so they were having sex nearly every day. Javi was in heaven. He always thought being in a relationship would be impossible for him, but he was proving to be a much better boyfriend than he initially thought.

It was nothing like when he was with Lorraine. There was no drama with Ari. She was easy going and made him feel good. He couldn’t wait to be around her. He found himself thinking of things he could do throughout the day to show her how much she meant to him. She often found fresh coffee, her favorite foods, or a rose left for her ‘anonymously’. She would pick it up and shoot him a sly smile. Javi’s heart always warmed to see how happy she was. He was doing that. He was the one putting that smile on her face and sparkle in her eye.

Besides his new relationship, work was going extremely well. Ari had been cleared after a week of desk duty. Carrillo took a no bullshit attitude when it came to Escobar. Search Bloc and the DEA raided several of Pablo’s facilities. It was violent and bloody, but it was effective.

The only snag was one night after raiding a pool hall. Steve got separated and lost and ended up in a shady area. Thankfully, Javi and Ari found him before any harm could come to him. Messina had been hinting to them that they might get sidelined. People were not happy with Carrillo’s methods, and the Ambassador didn’t want the DEA caught up in any bad press.

She had called him earlier that day to let him know—for the time being—they needed to stay on base. They needed to clear it with her if they wanted to go off base. Javi scoffed mentally. It was bullshit. He was tired of playing politics. He wanted to catch Escobar and end this. He sat at his desk, filling out yet another report when the phone rang. He glanced up and noticed Ari and Steve weren’t around. He picked up the phone.

“Peña,” he said.

“Javi, soy Gabriela,” (Javi, it’s Gabriela) Gabby said breathily.

“¿Algo pasa?” (What’s up?) Javi replied quietly, looking around. He hadn’t seen or spoken to Gabby since the night he made his decision about Ari.

“Hace rato no te veo y quería verte,” (It’s been awhile, and I want to see you.) she told him.

“¿Ahora?” (Now?) Javi asked, looking at his watch. “Pues no puedo ahorita, estoy trabajando.” (I can’t right now, I’m working.)

“No te portes así conmigo,” (Don’t be like that with me.) Gabby begged. Javi smirked and looked around just as Steve walked in. He knew he needed to tell Gabby he wasn’t available to her anymore. He felt he owed it to her to tell her face to face.

“Dame…veinte minutos, ¿sí?” (Give me…twenty minutes, alright?) Javi told her and then hung up.

“You get the same lecture from Messina about not leaving base?” Steve asked him.

“Yeah,” Javi answered, his mind on how he was going to word his goodbye to Gabby. He quickly typed the last few lines of the report he was working on.

“Crosby must’ve really laid into her on that one,” Steve said. Javi stood and pulled the paper out of the typewriter. He shoved it into a file and quickly stubbed out his cigarette. He grabbed his gun from his desk and picked up the files. Steve watched him in silence as he grabbed his coat.

“Where you going?” He asked Javi.

“Off base,” he called out as he left.

“Okay, I guess it means, ‘fuck that’,” Steve mumbled and shook his head.

As Javi approached Gabby’s apartment, he psyched himself up for what he needed to say. He didn’t want to be a dick and hurt her, but she needed to understand whatever they had between them was done. He had felt her getting more attached to him than the girls usually do—just like Helena. He swallowed through the lump in his throat as images of the last time he saw Helena flashed through his mind. He shook it off and knocked on the door. As soon as Gabby opened it, she was on him. She pressed her lips to his. He gently pulled her away and closed the door.

“Necesitamos hablar,” (We need to talk) Javi told her. She kissed him again and pushed him up against the wall.

“Espera,” (Wait) he murmured, breaking the kiss once more. Her hands and lips on him felt so wrong, and his heart pounded in fear at crossing the line and hurting Ari. Just then he noticed another woman sitting on Gabby’s bed.

“Hola,” he said quietly, confused as to what was going on.

“Buenas,” the woman replied.

“Ella es una amiga de un amigo,” (She’s a friend of a friend) Gabby explained. “Maritza, te presento a Javier.” (Maritza meet Javier.)

“¿Y…por qué me estás presentando a una amiga de un amigo?” (And…why are you introducing me to a friend of a friend?) Javi asked with trepidation. Did she expect him to fuck her and her friend? Jesus, he needed to get out of here. He wasn’t this man anymore.

“Está en problemas,” (She’s in trouble) Gabby explained. Javi felt relief and then immediate frustration. Javi rubbed his eyebrow, agitated. “Solo escúchala.” (Just hear her out.) Javi sighed heavily.

“Chingada Madre, Gabi,” (Motherfucker, Gabby) Javi practically growled. “Me lo hubieras dicho por teléfono, no?” (You could have told me this over the phone, no?)

“Sabía que no vendrías,” (I knew you wouldn’t come) Gabby told him.

“Me voy,” (I’m leaving) Javi said irritated. He raised his hand towards Maritza. “¡Chao!”

“No, no,” Gabby said, stopping him from leaving. “Espérate. Es importante.” (Wait. It’s important.) She cupped his face gently. “Por favor. Escúchala.” (Please. Hear her out.) Javi pulled her hands off his face. He didn’t want her to touch him anymore. He’d hear this girl out, tell Gabby it was over, and get the fuck back to headquarters. Then he was gonna pull Ari into the nearest closet and fuck her stupid. He walked over to the chair next to the bed and took a seat.

“¿Cómo te llamas? Maritza?” (What’s your name? Maritza?) he asked. She nodded and he lit a cigarette. “Qué significa que estás en problemas? ¿Problemas con quien?” (What kind of trouble are you in? Who are you in trouble with?)

“La Quica,” Maritza replied.

“La Quica,” Javi repeated. “¿Conoces a La Quica?” (You know La Quica?) Maritza paused and looked at him for a moment.

“Quiere matarme,” (He wants to kill me) she answered.

“Bueno…” (Well…) Javi said, sitting back and crossing his legs nonchalantly. He really didn’t have time for this bullshit. “La Quica quiere matar a mucho gente.” (La Quica wants to kill a lot of people.) He took a drag of his cigarette and watched her closely. “¿Por qué te quiere matar a ti?” (Why does he want to kill you?)

“Porque puedo decirle dónde está Pablo Escobar,” (Because I can tell you where Pablo Escobar is) she told him. Javi looked at Gabby in shock, then back at Maritza. This girl better not be lying to him.

“¿Y cómo vas a hacer eso?” (And how are you going to do that?) He asked.

“Yo sé exactamente dónde va a estar mañana y a qué hora,” (I know exactly when and where he will be tomorrow) she replied. Javi inhaled deeply. If this girl wasn’t completely full of shit, they would have Escobar in less than twenty-four hours. Fuck. This was incredible. He stayed an hour, getting all the info he could from Maritza. He needed to get back the headquarters and tell Carrillo what he knew, but there was one more thing to take care of. He needed to tell Gabby about Ari. As soon as Maritza left, Gabby linked her arms around Javi’s neck. She tried to press her lips to his, but he pulled back. He gently removed her arms as her mouth chased his.

“¿Qué pasa?” (What’s the matter?) She asked him.

“Nosotros necesitamos hablar,” (We need to talk) Javi told her. “Ya no podemos hacer esto.” (We can’t do this anymore.)

“¿Por que no?” (Why not?) Gabby asked, a frown marring her beautiful face.

“Hay alguien... una mujer con la que he estado saliendo,” (There’s someone…a woman I’ve been seeing) he began. “Me comprometí con ella y tengo la intención de cumplirlo.” (I’ve made a commitment to her, and I intend to honor it.)

“Ari?” Gabby asked. Javi’s jaw slackened in surprise.

“¿Cómo sabes acerca de Ari?” (How do you know about Ari?) he asked.

“La última vez que estuvimos juntos, gritaste su nombre,” (The last time we were together, you called out her name) she told him.

“¿Hice?” (I did?) he asked quietly.

“Sí,” Gabby replied. “Me sorprendió. El amor no correspondido no parece algo con lo que lidiarías.” (I was surprised. Unrequited love doesn't seem like something you would deal with.)

“No es así...” (It’s not like that…) Javi began. He quickly cut himself off. He didn’t owe her any further details about Ari. “No importa. Estoy con ella ahora. ya no puedo verte.” (It doesn't matter. I'm with her now. I can't see you anymore.)

“Ok, Javi,” Gabby said. Sadness crept over her features. “Te deseo lo mejor. Y espero que ella te haga feliz.” (I wish you the best. And I hope she makes you happy.)

“Ella hace,” (She does) Javi said immediately.

“Cuídate,” (Take care) she said and pressed a final kiss to his cheek.

“Tú también,” (You too) Javi whispered. He quickly left. He needed to get this information to Carrillo immediately.

Ari glanced up from her desk when she saw Javi rushing into headquarters.

“Where have you been?” She called out to him.

“Got a tip!” He replied. He passed by them to head straight to Carrillo’s office. Ari turned her attention to Steve.

“Must be good,” he muttered.

“Let’s go find out,” Ari insisted. They pushed back from their desks and followed Javi to Carrillo’s office. Before they could even enter he called out to them.

“Princesa! Murphy!” He shouted. “Grab Trujillo and meet us in the briefing room.” Ari nodded to him and the two of them changed course to get Trujillo. Ten minutes later they were all set up and heard Javi and Carrillo walking quickly their way.

“Her name is Maritza Rincón,” Javi was telling Carrillo as he handed him a picture of Maritza. “She works at the market across from the brothel where the girls were killed. Where we almost had La Quica and the other guy…” He handed over another picture. “Jhon Burgos. Goes by ‘Limón’. He used to drive the girls around until La Quica made him Escobar’s chauffeur. This girl, Maritza, was actually in the back seat serving as a cover while Escobar was in the fucking trunk.” Ari smirked at the image of her father hiding in the trunk of a taxi. It was genius, but so demeaning for a man of power.

“And he knows her how?” Carrillo asked.

“They grew up together here,” Javi answered. Carrillo scoffed softly. They walked into the small office where Ari, Steve, and Trujillo were waiting for them.

“So this guy, Limón,” Carrillo said, “there’s no record of him. There’s no known connection between him and Escobar, yet somehow he ends up the driver.”

“Makes sense for La Quica to hire someone the police didn’t know about,” Steve spoke up. “What does she want out of this? A ticket to Disneyland?”

“She knows she doesn’t get shit if it doesn’t pan out,” Javi replied.

“Si es verdad, ella nos puede decir cuando Limón vaya con Escobar a algún lado,” (If this is true, she can tell us when Limón and Escobar go somewhere) Trujillo interjected. Carrillo twisted his lips, mulling over the information. He looked to Javi.

“You were there,” Carrillo said. “You trust her?” Everyone turned to look at Javi. Ari flinched slightly at Carrillo’s words. You trust her? Her. Was Javi still meeting with prostitutes. He claimed he had stopped ever since he committed to her…but had he really? Javi wanted to bring down Escobar more than anything. Would he jeopardize what they had to win this war?

“Yeah,” Javi said softly. “Yeah I do.” Carrillo stayed quiet. It was clear he was weighing the options.

“When we get the location, I want Centra Spike up in the air to confirm,” he told them. He turned to Trujillo. “Vamos.” (Let’s go) The two left the office.

“Alright,” Javi said. “This is good.”

“Let’s go,” Steve said, excited. Ari got close to Javi for the first time since he’d returned. Her stomach roiled when she breathed him in. Vanilla. That was the exact way he always smelled when he came back from seeing his mystery woman. Fuck. What the hell had he done to get this information?

“You gonna wait for the call?” Steve asked him as they approached their desks.

“Yeah,” Javi said. “Not much else to do until we can confirm it all.” The three of them took their seats and tried to keep themselves busy waiting for Maritza to call. Ari kept glancing at the file on Javi’s desk. Maritza’s photo lay there, taunting her. Was this the woman Javi had been sleeping with? Was Maritza the one he turned to instead of her? Her thoughts were eating her alive. She stood quickly. She had to get out of there before she lost her shit.

“Where you going?” Steve asked, startled by her sudden movement.

“I…uh, I gotta do something more productive,” she muttered. “The suspense is killing me.” She turned to leave.

“Cariño,” Javi said softly. She faced him slowly. “You alright?”

“Yeah, fine, great,” she replied quickly and took off. Ari sought out the only other person she could talk to. She breezed into Carrillo’s office and sat down heavily in the chair in front of his desk. He was sitting behind the desk, writing something.

“Everything alright, princesa?” He asked, concern heavy in voice.

“Yes—no…I don’t know,” she sighed. He set his pen down and stood. He walked over and sat in the chair next to her.

“Talk to me,” he insisted.

“It’s probably nothing,” she brushed off. “I’m just being dramatic.”

“Ariana, you are the least dramatic person I know,” he chided. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Javi,” she admitted. “You know we’ve been giving this a chance.” Carrillo nodded. She had confided in him the day after Javi made his commitment. Carrillo was thrilled that she was finally being treated the way she deserved. “It’s been great…amazing. But today, something is off.” Carrillo took her hand in his.

“How so?” He asked.

“The information that Javi got today,” she explained. “When he came back with it he smelled like vanilla. That’s the way he always smelled after visiting the woman he had been seeing since they moved us to Medellín.”

“You think he went to see her?” Carrillo asked with a scowl.

“I think maybe she’s the one who gave up the tip,” Ari replied.

“Maritza Rincón?” Ari nodded.

“It makes sense, right?” Ari asked. “Why else would he say he trusts her? He’s spent countless hours with her—intimate hours.”

“And why does this trouble you?” Carrillo pressed. “He could have just been there for information.”

“I know,” Ari said guiltily. “And I feel like shit for doubting him, but what if it wasn’t just an innocent meeting?”

“Ask him,” Carrillo said simply. “Peña has never lied to you. I doubt he’ll start now.”

“I’m not sure if I want the answer,” Ari whispered, worrying her lip between her teeth.

“Yes, you do, princesa,” Carrillo said softly. He cupped her face. “I know you. This will tear you up inside. Talk to Peña. He’s an idiot, but I don’t think even he is stupid enough to fuck this up now that he has you.” Ari laughed tearily.

“Thanks, Horacio,” she said softly. They sat quietly for a few moments. “So…we may actually get Escobar tomorrow.”

“I hope so,” Carrillo replied. “I’m ready to be done with this.”

“Me too,” Ari agreed.

“If this pans out, I want you by my side when we take him down,” Carrillo told her.

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” Ari answered with a smile. “I‘ll let you get back to work. Thanks for talking me off the ledge.”

“Anytime,” Carrillo returned her smile. She left his office feeling a bit lighter. She didn’t want to doubt Javi’s loyalty. She would talk to him once everything settled down.

The next day Escobar was preparing his men for their next move.

“¿Todo está listo para esta noche?” (Everything is set for tonight?) Escobar asked Velasco.

“Sí, patrón,” Velasco replied.

“Y mi hija… ¿definitivamente no estará con ellos?” (And my daughter…she definitely won’t be with them?) Escobar asked. He absolutely refused to move forward with he plan if there was any chance Ariana would be involved.

“Ella no estará allí,” (She won’t be there) he assured him. “Nuestro contacto dijo que a la DEA ya no se le permite salir a las redadas con Carrillo. El embajador no quiere la reacción violenta de su mierda.” (Our contact said the DEA is no longer allowed out on raids with Carrillo. The ambassador doesn’t want the backlash from his bullshit.)

“Bueno,” (Good) Escobar said softly. “No quiero ponerla en peligro. Si algo cambia, si hay incluso un susurro de posibilidad de que Ariana esté allí, nos retiramos. ¿Comprendido?” (I don’t want to put her in danger. If something changes—if there’s even a whisper of a chance Ariana will be there, we pull out. Understood?) Velasco nodded. “Quiero deshacerme de Carrillo, pero no a costa de mi hija.” (I want to get rid of Carrillo, but not at the expense of my daughter.)

“Nos encargaremos de eso, patrón,” (We’ll take care of it, boss) Velasco said. “Ari no saldrá lastimado. Y finalmente nos desharemos de esa escoria.” (Ari won’t be hurt. And we’ll finally get rid of that scum.) Escobar nodded.

“Vamos,” (Let’s go) he ordered.

Alternate version of the rest of the chapter available here

Messina arrived from Bogotá just before the call came through. Carrillo, Messina, Peña, Murphy, Ari, and Jacoby gathered together to hear the recording.

“This was recorded about five minutes ago,” Jacoby said. A garbled mess came through the radio.

“You can barely fucking hear it,” Javi growled angrily.

“Alright,” Jacoby said calmly, “let me clean it up.” He messed around a bit and then played it again.

“Bien. Apaguen los teléfonos satelitales.” (Alright. Now turn off the satellite phones.)

They all looked at each other in shock. Steve threw his hands up.

“That’s Pablo,” Javi said.

“We have to move now,” Carrillo said urgently.

“Yeah,” Javi agreed. They all moved, but Messina’s words stopped them.

“You three are staying here,” she told the DEA agents.

“Now, you gotta be fucking kidding me,” Javi spat.

“Crosby finds out you went on another raid, we all get a ticket home,” Messina warned.

“Crosby doesn’t have to know shit,” Steve argued. Messina stood.

“It’s not negotiable,” Messina declared. “Crosby does not want any Americans associated with the actions of Colonel Carrillo at this time.” Carrillo looked at each of them. His eyes made contact with Ari.

“Agent Morgan can come with us,” he told Messina, eyes still locked on Ari.

“Excuse me?” Messina scoffed.

“Ariana is also a Colombian citizen,” he replied. He turned his attention to Messina. “She doesn’t have to hold to the same restrictions as other Americans.”

“If she doesn’t want to piss off the Ambassador and get sent home she does,” Messina argued.

“She won’t be going as an American DEA agent,” Carrillo countered. “She’d be in my gear. A Colombian doing her duty to her country.” He paused and looked back at Ari. “If anything goes sideways, they won’t be any record of the DEA there.”

“This is a slippery slope,” Messina warned. She turned to Ari. “The possible blowback is beyond my control.” Carrillo stepped in front of Ari.

“The decision is yours,” he said softly. “I know how badly you want this. But I understand if you aren’t willing to risk everything you’ve worked for.” Ari looked to Javi and Steve.

“It’s alright, Ari,” Steve assured her. They all wanted to be there, but they’d be happy to have at least one of them able to participate. Her gaze met Javi’s. He looked terrified. She knew he hated when they were separated in dangerous situations. She wanted this. God damn it, she wanted this. But Steve and Javi had always stuck by her side, and she would do the same for them. All or none.

“I’m staying here,” she told Carrillo.

“Alright, princesa,” he murmured. “I will see you when it is all over.” Ari nodded. As Carrillo turned, she grabbed him and threw her arms around his neck. She hugged him tightly.

���Be safe,” she pleaded. She pulled back slightly. “Now, go get that motherfucker.” Carrillo smiled.

“See you soon, princesa,” he said. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and pulled out of her embrace.

“We’ll be in radio contact,” he told them before leaving.

“Jesus,” Javi muttered. His frustration was palpable. They all wanted to be there, but once again, their hands were tied. Within minutes the CNP was mobile and Trujillo was keeping them updated via radio.

“Vamos por San Juan,” (We’re on San Juan) Trujillo called through the radio.

“Copy that,” Steve responded. “Watch your six, guys.” He paused a moment. “How’s it looking out there?”

“Todo está tranquilo,” (Everything’s calm) Trujillo replied. “Murphy, esta noche los tragos los pagas tú.” (Murphy, you’re buying the drinks tonight.) Steve chuckled.

“You cheap bastards,” he joked. “Don’t forget to pick me, Peña, and Ari up some cigars on the way.”

“¿Cómo no, rubio?” (Of course, blondie.) Trujillo laughed. Suddenly the sounds of an explosion burst from the radio. The DEA agents looked at each other in fear.

“¡Es una emboscada!” (It’s an ambush!) Trujillo shouted into the radio. Javi grabbed the radio from Steve.

“¡Carrillo, conteste!” (Carrillo, respond!) Javi called in a panic. “¡Carrillo! ¡Trujillo! ¿Me copian?” (Do you copy?) The only answer was gunfire.

“What the fuck is happening?” Ari yelled.

“Goddamnit,” Steve yelled into the radio, “speak to me, Trujillo!” He turned to Messina. “We need fuckin people in there!” He whispered angrily.

“Carrillo!” Javi called once more. They got no response. “Fuck!”

“We need to get out there!” Ari gasped. Her heart was pounding in her ears. What the fuck had happened? She felt the familiar tingle of a panic attack and quickly took calming breaths. She couldn’t lose it now. She needed to get to Carrillo.

As soon as they arrived on scene, Javi knew there was no hope. It was a fucking massacre. Ari dashed out of the car as soon as Steve stopped.

“Horacio!” She yelled. Her head flew from side to side, her eyes scanning the carnage looking for her best friend. “Horacio!” She ran forward through the wreckage.

“Ari! Wait!” Steve shouted. Javi and Steve rushed after her, guns drawn. They had no idea if Escobar’s men were still around. This could be another ambush. Ari ignored them and continued looking for her friend.

“Horacio!” She shouted desperately. “Fuck! Answer me!” Steve and Javi skidded to a stop as they caught up to her. “Where is he?” She pleaded with them. Javi’s heart broke at the panic in her eyes. They heard a groan coming from the truck next to them. Steve carefully peered in. He pulled back and wrenched the door open.

“Trujillo!” He half yelled in a panic.

“Shit!” Javi swore and hurried to help Steve pull their friend from the vehicle.

“Are you alright? What the hell happened, man?” Steve asked Trujillo once they had him out and on the pavement. They propped him up against the side of the truck. They all crouched down beside him. He was bleeding from a gunshot wound to the shoulder. Steve put pressure on it.

“It was an ambush,” Trujillo told them. “We never stood a chance.”

“Where’s Carrillo?” Ari asked him, her voice raspy with fear. Trujillo looked at her for a long, silent moment. He swallowed and pointed behind them. Ari’s head snapped around, her eyes frantically darting about looking for the colonel. When she spotted him a small, wounded sound escaped her lips. Javi flinched at the amount of pain in that one little noise. She stood up and stumbled forward.

“Horacio?” She called out quietly. It was such a shift from her previous frantic yelling. It was as if she was afraid…like if he didn’t answer she could blame it on her lower voice, not the fact that he could no longer answer anyone. Javi followed behind her. Steve opted to stay with Trujillo. After a few steps Javi saw Carrillo. He was lying in the middle of the road, on his back, and he wasn’t moving.

“Ari, wait,” Javi tried to stop her. He didn’t want her to have to see her best friend like this. “Ari! Stop!” She didn’t listen. She kept moving forward, her eyes glued to Carrillo’s still form.

“Horacio?” She whispered when she reached him. She dropped down to her knees and reached towards him tentatively. Javi stood beside her. Carrillo was riddled with bullets, but it was the wounds in his head that made it obvious he was already gone.

“Horacio,” Ari choked out. She began to shake him, as if she could rouse him from his eternal slumber. “Horacio, please…open your eyes.”

“Ari,” Javi said softly. He knelt down next to her. “He’s gone, cariño.” He gently grasped her shoulders from behind. She shook him off angrily.

“No!” Ari shouted. “No, he can’t be. Horacio!” She grabbed the colonel’s shoulders and shook him harder. “Dammit! Don’t fucking do this to me! Horacio!” Her eyes passed over his still features.

“Horacio,” she whispered brokenly. “Come back…please, come back.” Her voice cracked on the last word and she collapsed against his chest. Her body wracked with violent sobs. Between sobs Javi heard her brokenly chanting ‘come back’ while she gently shook Carrillo’s body.

“Ari—” Javi choked. His heart clenched at the deep, soul wrenching pain radiating off the woman he loved. He didn’t know what to do. He wanted to take this pain from her, but he couldn’t. He was helpless to watch as she shattered completely. He gently rubbed her back and stroked her hair as she cried. He saw Steve and Trujillo approach in his peripheral.

“Shit,” Steve swore quietly. He hovered slightly over Ari. He was at just as much of a loss as Javi about what to do in the moment. Javi glanced up to see Steve’s eyes were just as glossy as his own. They grieved their friend, but it hit them harder to see Ari so broken. She was a warrior—the strongest woman they knew. They didn’t know what to do.

“It was Escobar,” Trujillo said in a low voice. Javi and Steve’s heads snapped to him. “Pablo shot him.” Ari suddenly went very still.

“Escobar pulled the trigger?” Ari asked in a watery voice.

“Yes,” Trujillo answered. Ari’s tortured, tear streaked face lifted to theirs.

“How the fuck am I supposed to—“ she paused and took a breath. She turned back to Carrillo and caressed the side of his face. “My father did this to him.” She choked on a sob. “He didn’t send out an order…he pulled the trigger himself. My father murdered my best friend.” Javi knew Ari had always kept up walls in her mind when it came to Escobar. It was impossible for her to navigate the complicated web that was having Escobar as her father.

He suspected it was easier in her mind to focus on the fact that most of the evil deeds were never directly done by Escobar himself. He gave the orders—which still made him evil—but he didn’t actually commit any of the crimes. There was a barrier there—a kind of imaginary shield between him and the horrors that were being done. He wondered if Ari kept up that illusion to ease her mind, and made it seem like the man that had sired her wasn’t quite as evil as they all thought. But this…well, there was no deluding anyone about this. Escobar hadn’t just ordered this ambush. He had participated. He had murdered Carrillo. Ari couldn’t gloss over this fact in her mind, no matter how hard she tried. Javi hated that she was being put through this. He gently cupped her face.

“That man is not your father, Ariana,” he said in a soft, but firm voice. “He is a sperm donor and a monster. Never your father.” He searched her eyes, praying his words would penetrate her grief. He rubbed his thumb across her cheek bone. They heard sirens approaching in the distance. She pulled away from Javi’s hands and rested her head against Carrillo’s chest.

“I’m sorry, Horacio,” she whispered brokenly. “I should have come with you…maybe I could have changed this outcome somehow…” She trailed off and broke down crying once more. Javi knelt next to her feeling completely helpless. Backup arrived and chaos ensued. Trujillo was pulled away by a medic to take care of his gunshot wound. Steve and Javi tried to help the authorities make some sense of the mess. Javi’s attention kept pulling back to Ari.

She hadn’t moved or spoken since her whispered apology to her best friend. She still lay on his chest. At first he could still see her shoulders shaking with quiet sobs, but now, she was still. If it wasn’t for the slight rise and fall of her chest with each breath he would think she was dead right along side Carrillo. Hell, maybe she was. Not physically, but in every way that mattered. His girl was just a shell of herself right now.

Every time someone made their way towards her, Javi intervened and told them to give her some more time. He was trying to allow her as long as possible to say goodbye, but he knew her time was running out. The other bodies had been cleared, and they needed to transport Carrillo’s body to Bogotá.

“We gotta move him soon,” Steve said quietly. “They’re not gonna wait much longer.” He nodded his head towards the men tasked with transporting the colonel’s body.

“I know,” Javi said. “Fuck.” He clenched his jaw in determination. “I’ll tell her.”

“I’m right behind you,” Steve assured him. They cautiously approached Ari and knelt down beside her.

“Ari,” Javi said softly. He placed his hand on her back and rubbed it soothingly. “It’s time to go.” She didn’t respond. “Baby, they need to take Carrillo now.” Her fingers tightened on Carrillo’s shirt. Her eyes squeezed shut and a single tear trailed down her cheek. A small, agonized whimper escaped her mouth.

Javi had only cried once since he became a man—when his mother died. But that sound that just came out of the woman he loved had him blinking back tears. It would have sent him to his knees if he wasn’t already there.

“Sweetheart,” he choked out, “please, I know you don’t want to, but you have to let him go.” Ari still didn’t respond. He placed his hand over hers. She was still gripping Carrillo’s shirt tightly. “It’s alright, baby, just let go…it’ll be ok.” He put a little pressure on her fingers, hoping she would loosen her grip. Her hand clenched as she tightened her fingers more.

“Ari,” Steve cut in quietly. “They’ve waited as long as they could. They need to take him now.” Javi felt anger surge in his chest. She needed more time. Couldn’t these assholes wait a little longer? He glanced up to see the paramedics waiting patiently with the gurney. The look on their faces said it all. They didn’t want this. They weren’t assholes. They didn’t want to pull Ari away from Carrillo anymore than Javi and Steve did. They were just doing their job…and they had more than generous in allowing Ari her time to grieve. Javi nodded to them once in understanding.

“Alright, hermosa,” he said in a much stronger voice than he thought he was capable of at the moment. “It’s time to go.” He gripped her shoulders tight and pulled her back.

“No!” Ari whimpered, pushing against his hold, trying to stay with Carrillo.

“No, Ari,” he said sternly. “You have to let go.” He glanced at Steve to help. Steve pried her fingers open as Javi held her back. Once her grip was loose, they both dragged her back from his body.

“No!” She shouted. “Stop, please!” She was sobbing uncontrollably. She thrashed in their arms, trying desperately to get back to Carrillo.

“I can’t just leave him here…please, let me go,” she begged.

“I can’t do that, cariño,” Javi said softly. “They need to take him.”

“I can’t leave him here like this,” Ari sobbed. Javi hauled her to her feet and hugged her back against his chest. He held her tightly, his arms banded across her chest and low on her waist. He dipped his head down to her ear.

“We’re not leaving him here, Ari,” Javi whispered. “They’re taking him home. They’re taking him back to Juliana.”

“They are?” She whispered. He nodded against her head.

“Yeah, baby,” he assured her. “He’s going home…it’s alright. He’s not going to be alone.” Ari bit her lip as tears leaked from her eyes. She nodded.

“Ok,” she croaked out. “Ok.” The three of them stood in silence as they loaded up Carrillo’s body on the gurney.

“I’ll go back to Bogotá with the body until the funeral,” Steve told them.

“No, I’m going,” Ari argued.

“Not tonight, Ari,” Steve told her. Ari was already shaking her head.

“I’m going with him.” She insisted.

“You’re in no condition to deal with this, Ari,” Steve said firmly. “They said only one of us can accompany him, and there is no way in hell you should be alone right now.”

“Agent Morgan?” One of the paramedics approached them cautiously.

“What?” Javi barked at the poor woman.

“Officer Trujillo sent me over,” she said in heavily accented English. “He wanted me to look over Agent Morgan.” Ari stood numbly watching Carrillo. Javi nodded and watched as they paramedic gently led Ari to a nearby ambulance. She sat her on the open back and began checking her vitals. Steve lit a cigarette.

“Steve,” Javi said, “Maybe we should let her go.” Steve cut him a look.

“You really think she needs to be sitting with her best friend’s body for the next few hours, Jav?” Steve asked him quietly. “She doesn’t need that shit right now. She needs you.” Javi nodded.

“You’re right,” Javi replied. “You go with Carrillo. I’ll take care of our girl.” Javi stared at Carrillo’s body. They were loading him into the ambulance to transport him to the airport.

“They call his wife?” Javi asked in a raspy voice. Steve tossed his cigarette.

“Yeah,” he said, “she’s on her way from Madrid.” He turned his back on the scene. “This ain’t on you, Javi. It’s on Escobar. And one way or another, he pays.”

“We all do,” Javi said softly. “Right?” Steve didn’t respond and got into the ambulance with Carrillo. Javi heard a commotion behind him. Ari was pushing the paramedic off her and running towards Carrillo.

“Ari, stop!” He called out and grabbed her as she passed him.

“Where’s he going?” Ari asked. “I told him I was going with Carrillo.”

“Steve’s gonna take care of it tonight,” Javi told her.

“No,” she whimpered. “I need to be with him.”

“That’s not him, cariño,” Javi said gently. “Not anymore. It’s just his shell.”

“But…” Ari trailed off, not sure what to say, the fight going out of her.

“It’s ok, amor,” Javi whispered. He hugged her tight to his chest. “Let’s get out of here.” Ari nodded numbly. Javi led her back to their truck and helped her in. He buckled her seat belt and went around the driver’s side. She was quiet the whole ride back to headquarters. She just stared out the window. He walked her through the building, ignoring the looks of everyone they passed. Once they were safely inside their room he carefully undressed her down to her panties and bra and tossed her clothes in a pile for trash—they were covered in Carrillo’s blood.

“Do you want to shower?” He asked her quietly. She didn’t respond. He grabbed some tissues and cleaned the smears of blood on her hands and face the best he could. He grabbed one of his t-shirts and pulled it over her head. He sat her on the edge of her bed and crouched down in front of her.

“Ari?” He asked, trying to catch her eyes with his own. He grasped her hands. “Ari, baby, look at me, please.” No response.

“Fuck…I’m so sorry, cariño,” he whispered. “This is all my fault.” Ari’s eyes were unfocused, faraway. Nothing he said was getting through to her. She was lost in her grief, a thousand miles away. Javi lifted her hands to his mouth and kissed them. He let go and stood up. He watched her for a moment, unsure of what to do. Finally he decided to lay her down on the bed and let her rest. He pulled the blanket up to her shoulders and kissed her gently on the lips.

“I’m right here if you need me,” he whispered. He sat at the desk near her bed and poured a glass of whiskey. Ari rolled to her side, facing away from him. Javi lit a cigarette and watched her. Her breathing was even, but he doubted she was asleep. He didn’t know how long he sat there before there was a knock on the door. He realized he hadn’t touched his whiskey or his cigarette. Messina let herself in and walked over. She perched on the back on the arm chair near the desk.

“This isn’t your fault, Peña,” she said gently.

“No?” Javi whispered.

“No,” she responded immediately. Javi raised his glass.

“I got played,” he said quietly.

“We all got played,” Messina said. Javi downed the rest of the whiskey in his glass. “We all had the information, it was backed up by Centra Spike.”

“Stop,” Javi interrupted her. He couldn’t take this right now. This was all his fault. Carrillo was dead because he trusted the wrong source. He rubbed his face. “Just…” he whispered and shook his head. “You know, you come in here, you say all the right things.” His hand was shaking. “Doesn’t make a damn bit of difference.” Messina watched him a moment and then nodded. She glanced at Ari.

“How is she?” Messina asked.

“How do you think?” He countered. Messina nodded once more.

“Colonel Carrillo’s funeral will be tomorrow,” she told him before she walked over and opened the door.

“I don’t do funerals,” he responded as she left. “ I don’t do funerals.” He whispered once more. He saw Ari’s shoulders shaking. He put his cigarette out and went to her. She was crying again. He slipped under the blanket and pulled her back against him.

“It’s alright, cariño,” he whispered against her hair. “I’m here…let it all out. I’m not going anywhere.” He held her through the night. Neither one of them slept, nor did they have the desire to succumb to their usual coping mechanisms of cigarettes, alcohol, or sex. They just held each other tight, waiting for the dawn.

A/N: Don’t hate me! I didn’t want to kill Carrillo. In fact, I have written an alternate version of the end of this chapter for those of us who don’t wish to say goodbye to our beloved Colonel. I’ll post it soon.

Chapter 20

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[bludhavents]

Lover

pairing: Eddie Munson x timetraveler!reader (no use of y/n)

summary: 4 times you have to cover after accidentally revealing the future, and the one time you don't.

word count: 1.8k

never seen a timetraveler x eddie fic but it truly speaks to my heart.

1.

You knocked on the door of the trailer, furrowing your eyebrows at the sound of commotion coming from inside before the door quickly swung open to reveal Eddie. There was a wide smile on his face and his hair was windblown despite him being indoors. 

“Hey,” he greeted coolly, motioning for you to come in. You raised your eyebrows, following him through the kitchen. 

“Hi,” you replied. There was a mess of cereal across the counter and you figured that had been the cluttering you heard when you were waiting. It was best not to say anything about it as he lead you into his room. A small grin graced your face as you saw The Fellowship of the Rings face-up on his bed. He hurried to swipe it away and clear you a spot to sit. “You’ve read The Lord of the Rings?”

“Uh, yeah,” he answered, surprised. “You know about The Lord of the Rings?”

“Of course. I mean, I haven’t read the books, but I’ve seen all the movies. Kind of confusing at some points, but I think I understood most of it.” You laughed lightly, but stopped when Eddie’s face fell. It startled you, and you quickly realized your mistake.

How could you be so careless?

“What do you mean movies?” He asked as if you’d struck him over the head out of nowhere. He was completely frozen, hunched over the bed with the book under his palm. 

“Sorry, um-- I think maybe I’m confused. Are Star Wars and The Fellowship of the Rings the same thing?” You questioned, internally suffering from the greatest bout of embarrassment you’d ever experienced. It was an idiotic question, quite possibly the worst thing you’d ever said out loud in your entire life. Eddie’s stature remained stoic in front of you, but his eyes narrowed judgmentally. 

“No.”

“Oh. Well I think I was thinking of those. Have you seen them?” Your attempt to recover the conversation was pathetic, truly.

“Yes.” 

“Great,” you said after a moment. “So about the project…��

2. 

The lunchroom was loud, and you had your backpack on the floor under the bench as you sat there, silently eating. The table was empty except for the boy sitting on the far right corner on the other end of the table. Usually he wasn’t there, and you had to wonder what could’ve happened for him to be banished to the recluse's table. 

“You read comics?” Eddie’s voice startled you and you accidentally poured your water over your trey, cringing as your food got soaked. “Shit, I’m sorry. Shit.”

“Don’t worry about it.” You turned to face him with a smile that fell quickly as you realized that he was holding your bag in his hands, holding up your Wolverine comic and taking the seat next to you. “Put it back, Munson.”

“Oh, last-naming me, I must’ve messed up,” he teased, simultaneously put the book back in your bag with the rest of your supplies. “Okay so why didn’t you tell me you were a freak, too? What if I wanted to borrow your comics?”

“I would’ve said no,” you deadpanned. “And I’m not a freak. I’m so very cool and mysterious and perfectly unfreaky.”

“Who’s your favorite x-men?” He ignored your joke. 

“Gambit.”

“Who?” He asked, stealing a soggy chip from your plate. 

“Remy LeBeau,” you tried, watching his face contort. Apparently Gambit wasn't an 80's hero. If he was, Eddie surely would've known about it, and judging by his face you were speaking a foreign language right now. “Shit. Uh, I mean, Pyro. St. John Allerdyce.”

“Pyro sucks. Who the fuck is Gambit and why don’t I know about him?” He called you out, looking at you with raised eyebrows. Usually he brushed off your dodgy behavior, but apparently today he was feeling extra confrontational.

“Sorry, Munson, gotta keep up my whole mysterious thing. Can’t share my intel. Surely you’ll understand,” you spoke with a fake casualty, grabbing your bag and leaving him sitting at the table with your soggy lunch.

3. 

Steve’s car was crammed with you, Eddie, and Robin in the backseat as him and Nancy sat upfront. The three of you were rummaging through his cassettes, groaning at the lack of diversity within his taste. 

“I’m surprised he even has cassettes,” Robin admitted. “He always struck me as just a listen-to-what’s-on-the-radio kind of guy.”

“Now that you say that I’m gonna agree.” Eddie pointed to her sharply, tossing another trash album into his lap.

“Word.” You said, picking up an old Christmas Tunes tape and laughing. “Dude, this is hella weird. No rap, but you have Christmas Tunes?”

“Did you just say ‘hella’?” Nancy turned around in the front seat to face you with an amused look on her face. Your eyes widened, looking at Eddie and Robin to see if they would come to your defense, but both looked just as confused as her. 

“What? You guys have never heard of the word ‘hella’? Slang, like, for really?” You questioned, desperately trying to figure out what was going on. Shit. Hella was from the 90s, most definitely not from the 80s. Not that they could call you out on it, they'd just make fun of you for the rest of eternity because the only way to play it off was to make yourself look stupid.

“No.” Eddie said. “You mean like Hell? Hell-uh?”

“Must have heard it wrong on the TV,” you excused with a wave of your hand. “Forget it, where’s your music, Steve? This has to be a joke.”

“Hella-fucking-shitty choices here, Stevie-boy!” Eddie winked, tossing the tapes up front, earning a loud groan from Steve. 

4. 

The batteries in your Walkman died during the middle of third period, and you rushed to find Dustin in the lunch room as soon as the bell rang. He was exactly where you expected, sitting with a sandwich in-hand at the Hellfire table with Eddie and the rest of the club. You walked there quickly, nudging him in the shoulder to get his attention.

“My girl!” Eddie greeted, but he shut up when he saw how serious your face was as you looked at Dustin.

“Do you have two AA batteries?” You asked without greeting. He stared back at you with wide eyes, swallowing the bite of his sandwich and nodding quickly. “Can I have them? Please? And thank you.”

“Sure, let me get them.” He grabbed his bag and dug around in the front pocket, pulling one out and then fishing for the other for a solid minute before finally finding it lodged in his pack of gum. 

“Dustin I have never loved anyone the way I love you,” you cheered, grabbing both sides of his head before turning to face Eddie. “Edward, I need a screwdriver.”

“What makes you think I have a screwdriver?” He asked, a teasing lilt in his voice. You stared back unamused. 

“Give me the damn thing before I take it and shank you.”

“Jesus, what the hell is even going on right now?” Mike asked from across the table. It was easy to ignore him. 

“Seriously, what’s it for?” Eddie asked, screwdriver now in hand. Of course it was inside his jacket. He wouldn’t give it to you unless you told him. 

“I’m gonna stab Carver,” you deadpanned. He didn’t budge. “Eddie! My Walkman broke and I need to replace the batteries. Please, give it. I'm having withdrawals.”

He unclipped the Walkman from your waist and unscrewed the battery cover himself, taking out the old and putting the new ones in before closing it back and putting the headphones on himself, pressing play and smiling when it worked. 

“All fixed.” He handed it back. “I didn’t know you liked Black Sabbath.”

“Yes, Dehumanizer is their best album,” you replied, still stressed. You put the headphones on for yourself and threw a fist in the air when the sweet sounds of Paranoid filled your ears. It took everything in you to not kiss Eddie right then and there. “Eddie Munson you are the love of my life and I am forever in debt to you. Dead serious right now, I’ll do anything for you. Eternally grateful, lover.”

“Glad you’re so excited about this.” He raised his eyebrows. “But Dehumanizer isn’t a Black Sabbath album. What’d you mean to say, lover?”

“Hell if I know!” You were too happy to correct your mishap. Your legs carried you away from the table, but your voice still shouted. “Edward Munson, I will jump your bones one of these days. Say the words, lover, say the words!” 

And he laughed hysterically as you ran out of the cafeteria with Black Sabbath blasting through your headphones. 

+1

“You don’t have to be a good guitar player to be successful,” you told Eddie. “Look at Kurt Cobain, he’s the most popular grunge musician of all time, and he sucked at guitar.”

“Kurt Cobain? Grunge?” He asked, eyebrows raised as he gently tuned your guitar for you. 

“Sorry, I made all of that up.” It was a lame ass excuse. You were getting sloppy, constantly slipping up and saying things that weren't appropriate for the time period

“I don’t think you did,” Eddie said seriously. “You always do that. Are you a fuckin’ alien or something? Always saying words we don’t know, songs that don’t exist, superheroes that aren’t part of the X-Men as confirmed by Dustin who owns every single issue of X-Men.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Your heart was beating out of your chest as he set the guitar down and walked over to you, leaning his back on the foot of the bed. 

“You’re lying,” he whispered, looking over at you. “I’m not mad, I just wanna know. Where are you from? Why do you talk about all of this stuff that doesn’t exist?”

“I think telling you will completely mess up the course of humanity,” you said, voice shaky. 

“You’re a time traveler.” His voice was matter-of-fact. You dropped your head in your hands and blinked hard. Of course he’d figure it out. “What year are you from?”

“I-I’m not a time traveler, Eddie.”

“What year?”

“2022.” Your stomach twisted. “It’s currently 2022 in my timeline. Then, I was taken one day, by this guy. And he sent me here. I don’t know why, and I can’t leave. I’m just stuck here, where I don’t belong. Without my family. My mom is fucking ten years old right now!” You cried, sobbing into your palms. Eddie wrapped his arms around your shoulders, pulling you into him. 

“I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry that happened to you,” he said. “What do you want me to do? Should we be trying to find a way for you to get back home?”

“I’ve tried. Succeeded, and been thrown back in here. It’s impossible. Just-- I don’t really want to talk about it. Ask me something, I’m sure you’re dying to know everything about the future. Fuck the timeline, ask away, lover.” You chuckled sadly, leaning out of his hug and letting him wipe away your tears. 

“Does Black Sabbath break up?” He asked, eyes wide.

“Yes, in 2017. But a lot happened before that, people came and went and it was a lot, they weren't the same. Next question?”

“Shit, ok, hold on." He paused. "The Lord of the Rings movies, you knew they weren’t Star Wars. They’re real?”

“Totally. Each book gets made into a movie. There’s also 3 Hobbit movies. Plus, the Star Wars franchise is still making stuff. They’ve got a ton of shows and movies. Also, superhero movies are at an all-time high,” you confessed. “Jesus, I’ve wanted to tell you all of this for so long, Eddie.”

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x timetraveler!reader #eddie munson #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #joseph quinn #eddie munson lives #eddie x reader

[poorlittleyaoyao]

in which my tarot deck maps out Jin Guangyao's self-damning career choices

Tarot cards are a fun way to facilitate self-reflection. Human brains love patterns, and the images, symbolism, and meanings associated with each card provide rich narrative potential. Generally speaking, no matter what cards you pull, you'll be able to create a story with some application to your own life (or the life of the person for whom you're reading).

But sometimes, if you're me, your deck gives you something buckwild that makes ZERO sense for you. You pull an additional card for clarity and it only makes the meaning more obscure. You pull a second clarity card, and the cards are spelling out a very clear arc but it does not apply to you in any way--thankfully, because YIKES.

And then you realize that your tarot deck has spat out an in-depth reading for Jin Guangyao. Again.

COME WITH ME ON A JOURNEY~

If you read tarot at all, you will have noticed and been troubled by the THREE MAJOR ARCANA CARDS HAPPENING, one of which is THE GODDAMN TOWER. This is bananas. If you as a real-life regular human get something like this for yourself and it actually applies, you are really going through it.

So! This started as a regular three-card spread. Read left to right, this can be construed as "past, present, future" or "cause, outcome, consequence."

PAST/CAUSE: The Tower reversed

The Tower is infamously the "oh shit oh fuck" card. Remember the "2020 Tarot Deck: Oops, All Towers!" meme? Yeah. The Tower means a major upheaval, often a calamitous one. Reversed, it's still major, but a bit less dire: an upheaval is happening/has happened, and you need to accept it.

For Meng Yao, this could apply to both his exile from Qinghe and the fall of Wen Ruohan. I'm inclined to say the latter because of the reversal He's not being cast out of this Tower; he's upending it himself. Still, he's reached a point of no return. What comes next?

PRESENT/OUTCOME: Ace of Wands reversed

Wands are about ingenuity, change, and action, and aces are about new beginnings. Thus, the Ace of Wands is about taking chances and making some big moves... except it's reversed here, so those big moves might not turn out the way you anticipated.

Wow! Meng Yao--excuse me, Jin Guangyao--is a war hero and got officially acknowledged by his father! He's even got a shiny new name to show for it! Sure, the name implies that he doesn't belong to the generation of potential sect heirs, but that's probably just an oversight. His dad will definitely reward him if he works hard and does his very best! Right? Right???

FUTURE/CONSEQUENCE: Four of Cups upright

Cups are about emotions and interpersonal relationships. The Four of Cups means that something is off with those things: you're discouraged, you're depressed, and you're prioritizing the wrong things. The artist for this deck illustrates this with a woman who sits with her eyes closed and her hands tucked up against her, either unaware of the cups around her or unwilling to reach for him. "It may speak to disappointment in a specific person or situation," says the book.

WHAT'S THAT, A-YAO? DID SELLING YOUR SOUL TO YOUR DAD NOT WORK OUT THE WAY YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD? ARE YOU PERHAPS HAVING A BAD TIME IN A HELL OF YOUR OWN CREATION?

It's worth noting that Pentacles--the minor arcana suit about security, wealth, and material success--do NOT come up anywhere in this reading. Given how crucial these are to JGY's motivations, their absence is curious. Perhaps the lack of Pentacles is because wealth and success aren't the problems here; the issue is his increasingly fucked-up personal life. Or perhaps there are no Pentacles because poverty and that fundamental lack of security is what led him here in the first place and nothing can be done about it.

If you're left scratching your head after reading your initial spread, you can draw additional cards to clear things up! In the Doylist sense, this cleared things up for me because I realized oh, this is about a blorbo. In the Watsonian sense, let's imagine these cards getting pulled because JGY needs more info about what's wrong.

CLARITY CARD 1: The Moon upright

The Moon is basically "THERE ARE TWO WOLVES INSIDE YOU" as a card. It shows up when the querent is dealing with profound uncertainty, "grappling with doubt, deception, illusion, or a lack of focus" as the book puts it. It represents a choice between emotion+intuition or intellect+rationality, neither of which is an inherently "better" option; it depends on the situation.

So our boy JGY is torn between the rational choice and his gut feelings... and in JGY's case, I'd argue that he follows his gut impulses more than he thinks he does. It is not rational to commit unforgivable crimes at your father's behest, thus putting yourself fully at his mercy. It's not rational to knowingly marry and have a child with your sister and never tell her you're related. (In CQL, that is; in the novel, with the child coming before the knowledge, his choice has more merit.) It's also not rational to leave so many loose ends alive. He's not making chessmaster plays here; he's acting out of fear, sentimentality, and a deeply flawed schema. "Please stop," says this card.

Hmm! Not great! Maybe a new card will help?

CLARITY CARD 2: The Chariot reversed

The Chariot is about willpower, progress, and victory! Except it's reversed, which means your victory was a destructive one that completely ruined you.

Sorry, bud.

#niche textpost content #imagine JGY rolling up to a fortune teller and they're just going 'what the fuck what the fuckkkkk' #trying to think of how to tell the Chief Cultivator that his entire shit is wrecked on a cosmic scale

[kitkatt0430]

It's still Sunday here - barely - so here's a Six Sentence Sunday.

First, the sequel to Closer and Closer Still. It's unnamed as of yet and opens with Eobard having run back home after Barry kissed him for the first time (at the end of chapter 1 of Closer and Closer Still). He is freaking out, though Eobard would never admit it.

“I can’t stay. I can’t be a hero. I can’t… I can’t be his.” Eobard’s voice shook at the last words.

It was as though this timeline had twisted into a fun house mirror reflection of the fantasies Eobard had once held, when he was still young, innocent, and naive. He’d imagined finding the Flash and being mentored by him or being his equal. In his more… lonely and amorous moments, he’d dared to dream of the Flash as his lover, older and more experienced. Willing to guide Eobard’s passion in every sense.

Eobard is telling himself, of course, that he can't afford the distraction when his goal is to go back home. But, of course, what does he really have to look forward to go back to? Barry might not have to work as hard as he thinks to give Eobard reasons to want to stay...

I've also started on a show finale Westhallen fix-it - my second fix fic after the Eobard/Savitar crackfic I posted up the other day - where the fic opens with establishing that Barry's in love with Eddie and still feels that way after all these years. So does Iris.

Barry had visited Eddie's grave probably more times than was healthy that first summer after Eddie died.  It was an empty grave, but it had Eddie's name on it and... Barry'd confessed a lot of things he'd been too afraid to say before.

How much he'd admired Eddie.  How much he missed the way Eddie said his name, called him 'Bar' in a way he could now barely stand for anyone to say. How much he'd loved Eddie.  Still loved him even now, all these years after saying the words, finally, to an empty grave.

Barry had told Iris, later.  After they'd moved in together and Iris had been hesitating to put out some of the things that had been Eddie's.  He'd been making a mess of things, before Eddie died.  Because his own feelings had been a mess.  And he'd realized far too late that he was almost as in love with Eddie as he'd already been with Iris.

The first part will probably be a bit Barry & Eddie heavy as they try to figure out a way to deal with the N!SF without Eddie dying or developing the temper issues Eobard and Nora 1.0 suffered from. I want them both there with Iris when Nora 2.0 is born. Then Iris can give Eddie a speech that refutes what she said in canon because S1 Iris loved Eddie - she said screw the future and she meant it. The future she and Barry are going to have together may be something she wants to fight for now, but she wants to fight for Eddie to be a part of that future too.

I may wind up splitting this up into a series, which each part focused on a different aspect of the Westhallen fix-it. And I've got ideas for integrating Eddie into Team Flash - I see Mark not liking Eddie and, oh shit, I'm gonna have to try to write Mark at least somewhat sympathetically aren't I? *swears quietly* I guess I'll figure that out later. Caitlin, at least, will be happy to have Eddie back and alive. After Khione ascends to hang out with the Ancients from Stargate and Caitlin gets her body back, anyway. Though, of course, she's gonna have big feelings about Eddie being back when Ronnie came back but wasn't really Ronnie and Frost died for it. So happy for Eddie, but wary about his N!SF connections too.

#six sentence sunday #the flash #fanfiction #eobard thawne #barry allen #eobard x barry #eddie thawne #iris west #barry x eddie x iris

[bi-bats]

ok so. long list, you can pick and choose, yknow the drill. im a curious person. anyways!!! for the ask game: 7, 10, 25, 26, 35, 43, 48, 65, and Get It Together, Boys for 76, please! <3 <3 <3

Bean, you are such a gift 💖 We all know I'm going to answer all of these, both for you and because they're fun!!!

7. How do you choose which POV to write from?

The POV chooses me actually 😂 it's never really something I consciously decide? There's usually just someone whose inner dialogue I think we need to be hearing the most and that's usually the POV I slide to (which has also backfired on me before, because when I wrote the first chapter of the chokehold damitim fic it wasn't supposed to be damitim at all but being in Damian's perspective made me realize it had to be adkjfadsjkfl I'm gonna have to stay out of Damian's perspective in the jaytim version tbh)

10. Cltr+f "blinks" on your WIP & copy paste the first sentence/paragraph that comes up

The damitim fic is actually literally the only fic with unposted content that has the word blinks in it?? This is from the next chapter:

Tim looks up at him, rolls his eyes in a flash of green, and sighs, “Jesus, Damian. I’m an adult, I can cross the street without you holding my fucking hand.”  Damian blinks at him once, twice, and then he moves. He walks around Tim, leaving him in front of the bed, and feels Tim’s eyes on him as he makes his way to the microwave and pulls out his dinner.

25. What fic do you wish you got more of a response on?

What Are You Waiting For? Honestly I just love the way it flows and the writing, but also it isn't finished and I haven't updated it in like two months so I'm not really surprised lmao

26. Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

probably Non-Refundable Plans because the way it keeps bouncing from funny to serious and also all of the unhinged behavior from everyone all around 😂 I would make an argument for Rooftops and Bookshops because of the before and after, but I also hate the writing in that fic now. Seriously, it's one of my least favorite works now.

What I can tell you is that the fic that will be the wildest ride is Know Yourself. No doubt in my mind.

35. What is one essential thing to remember when writing a villain? 

The villain HAS TO HAVE A GOOD REASON FOR DOING WHAT THEY'RE DOING!!!! This is SO important to me. "Every villain is the hero of their own story" NO. NO THEY AREN'T. THEY DON'T NEED TO BE! SOME VILLAINS ARE TOTALLY FINE BEING THE VILLAIN AND I LOVE THAT FOR THEM!! IT'S ACTUALLY ONE OF MY FAVORITE TROPES "YOU WANT ME TO BE THE BAD GUY? FINE." LIKE YESDSSSDDFSDFAJFJK AS LONG AS THEY CAN JUSTIFY THEIR ACTIONS TO THEMSELVES THAT IS A GOOD VILLAIN. WE JUST NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHY THEY'RE DOING WHAT THEY'RE DOING.

43. Do you take a sadistic joy in whumping your characters, or are you more the "If you hurt them I would kill everyone and then myself" kind of person?

Oh, I saw this question and was like "there's no way anyone doesn't know the answer to this." 😂 I whump them to death daily. I whump them for breakfast, I whump them at work, I whump them while I'm sleeping. I'm actually whumping them rn in my head tbh 💖 Sadistic joy. It's like a stim toy to me.

48. What do you look for in a beta?

Someone who's going to be honest! Point out my typos, tell me if phrasing is clunky or doesn't work, tell me if a CHUNK of writing isn't necessary and needs to go. I want to make it better. But it is also lovely to hear the things that work! I basically love a beta who points out the things they like just as much as the things they don't (which doesn't necessarily mean it has to be an even mix instead of one more than the other, I just think of it like an art critique)

65. Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

I'm looking forward to GETTING MY SHIT TOGETHER ON THE KONBART FIC I REALLY WANT TO FINISH IT AJKSDFALSK I LOVE WRITING BART AND I LOVE WRITING KON AND I LOVE WRITING THEM BEING IN LOVE

76. Did you have any ideas that didn’t make the final cut of Get It Together, Boys? 

I wrote that fic in like three days aksdjflaks honestly not really? But looking back at it, I would've really liked to dig into their book club a little! It would've been fun to show some of their conversations about books.

Thank you thank you thank you Bean 💖 I hope you enjoyed the responses!!

#🫘 this was a terrible idea #batsasks

[concussed-to-pieces]

The Chance And The Change; Part Six

Fandom: Boku No Hero Academia/My Hero Academia

Pairing: (Eventual) Villain!Mirio/AFAB Shie Hassaikai!Reader

Rating: Holy shit M.

A/N: Welcome all, welcome to our next installment! Enjoy!

Tag List: @hijackser @nonstop-haikyuu @zombiexbody @buttons-beads-lace @moonchhu @swift-omg-no @ectoplasmictoast @tartimaar-bloggeth

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

[!TRIGGER WARNING!: This installment contains depictions of financial insecurity. Stay safe!]

The young man currently darkening your doorway filled your chest with a frantic array of emotions. Oh of course you had seen the news! Of course you had read the stories. He had been lauded as a hero for his impressive undercover work. There had even been a documentary for the true-crime fiends, 'Eyes Inside The Hassaikai'. 

Mirio Togata had clearly done well for himself. He was obviously on the straight and narrow, obviously through with the life he had led before. 

So why was he here now?

You stood awkwardly at the top of the steps for a moment, your hands clutching your lone reusable grocery bag and your jacket still dripping with the autumn rains that poured outside. He hadn't noticed you yet, staring down at his phone. The latest model, you realized with a touch of jealousy. Your phone screen had cracked ages ago, but you hadn't been able to set aside the funds to fix it yet.

You finally cleared your throat pointedly and Mirio flinched at the noise, jamming his phone back into his pocket. "It is you!" He practically shouted, that grin just as broad and guileless as before. "I had a real time tracking you down after you changed your address, but luckily with all the break-ins there was new-"

"Why are you here?" You interrupted him stiffly.

"I…I wanted to see you?"

You cringed, expecting a police escort to come sauntering up behind you. Maybe they would crash through the roof, like a SWAT team…

"Hey, what's with that look?" The blond man asked gently, taking a step forward. "I'm glad you're in one piece, y'know?"

"Did you come alone?" The query came out much sharper than you intended, almost a bark. 

Togata paused, his brow furrowed. "Well yeah, of course. Who else would I have come with?"

"Are you sure?" You pressed, peering back down the dark staircase you had come up. 

"I swear, I'm the only one." He replied, his tone earnest. "I promise."

You exhaled, reluctantly giving him a visual once-over. "You look good, Lemillion."

His smile threatened to blind you. "So do you! You been working out? Gettin' in shape? I know this great twenty-four hour gym closer to the center of town…"

…

You were gaunt and you looked scared. Not dangerously so, but enough that he noticed. Mirio wanted to kick himself for having taken so long to enquire after you once you were discharged from the hospital. It had been a mess of red tape just to get access to your account so he could update your coverage, forge the backdate and pay it off; his last act of what he would consider illegal behavior. Once that had been accomplished, however, his hands were clean. Togata had really 'shaped up', according to anyone who felt the need to comment on it.

It had been what you wanted. What you told him to do. 

You've got shit to do! You can keep the kid safe. You can be the hero she needs right now!

Don't let this shit be for nothing.

And so he had worked on himself, worked tirelessly to bring that future to fruition. Remembering your expression, your eyes when your Quirk was fading out and all you could do was hold your wounded shoulder and reassure him, with you even going so far as attempting to smile…it had been absolutely haunting. It was more than enough motivation to really buckle down and stop messing around with his gray area activities.

"Can I get you anything?" You asked, your tone wry while you unpacked the minimal groceries you had obviously just picked up. "I have tap water and tap water that's been sitting in the fridge. Splurged a little on a filter pitcher to liven things up."

"Oh I'm all set, thanks. I actually wanted to know if you'd like to…uh, get dinner." Mirio offered, and he was uncertain if he'd felt more awkward in his life. "I know it's kind of miserable out though, and I know I came by sort of unexpectedly, so it's totally fine if you don't want to…want to get dinner."

You squinted up at him, clearly suspicious. "And why are you trying to get me dinner?"

"I…" Mirio didn't really have an answer for that, stammering momentarily and then falling silent.

You made a noise of annoyance, shaking your head. "You feel bad for me, don't you?"

"No," he began earnestly, but you weren't done.

"Oh? So what's the reason for dinner? You always reconnect with old work pals over some tasty noodles from down the street?" 

"I've missed you." The words were out before he could stop them and you had the grace to look stunned. "It's been nothing but hero stuff, all day every day for months." Mirio rushed to explain, feeling embarrassed heat creep up the back of his neck. "I'm happy for the opportunity, don't get me wrong! It's just hard to be around constantly, that's all. I feel like I'm working uphill."

Your laugh was unexpected, the noise boisterous and honest. "Ha! Schoolboy having a tough time fitting in with the general populace?"

"You have no idea-" Mirio erupted enthusiastically, only to be cut off when the lightbulb over his head flickered and went out. In the dim twilight from the window he saw you groping towards another light switch, and the swears you unleashed upon flipping it to no avail had him grinning in spite of himself. 

"I don't suppose that offer of dinner still stands?" You finally asked with a sigh. "Guess the electric company wasn't fucking around. Nice of them to wait until I got home."

"Absolutely. Recommend me a food spot you like." It was either a testament to his preexisting nature or a confirmation that this hero stuff was rubbing off on him, because it was on the tip of Mirio's tongue to offer you a spot on his apartment's couch. His roommate probably wouldn't have any objections, and it would only be for a few weeks or so. Just until he could catch whoever was behind the break-ins–

Dinner, idiot! he chided himself. One thing at a time. Sir left it to my discretion!

"When I have the money for it, there's a place about a block away." Togata could only just see that you were raising your hands, like you were about to fend off an objection. "They're not expensive! The food is good, and they have huge portions. I'm a little broke at the moment as embarrassing as that is to admit, but I'll be able to pay you back in–"

"Absolutely not." Mirio interjected firmly. "I'm the one imposing on your time, after all. Of course dinner is on me!" 

…

"I'm really sorry about all this, I've been behind for a while." You apologized as you locked the apartment door. You were weirdly alright with this turn of events, you couldn't even lie. If you'd had to open your fridge, Mirio would have no doubt seen that the only thing in it was a cheap filter pitcher of water and a half-empty can of tomato paste. Being behind on a bill or two was easy enough to admit, but revealing that you subsisted on microwave noodles, peanut butter and water might raise a few red flags. 

Specifically in the sodium department.

Mirio towered over you in the dim, cramped hallway, his gelled hair practically brushing the ceiling. "Cozy place, huh?" He remarked, bluntly dismissing your apology without a word. "Built in what, 1912?"

"I'll have you know it was 2013," was your tart reply, and he laughed again. You had missed making him laugh, you were realizing to your chagrin. "I can't believe you got to be in a documentary about those fuckwads." Togata sputtered a bit at that, clearly embarrassed, but you pressed on. "Was it cool? Or just a pain in the ass?"

"Both, sort of! It was a lot of work, but really exciting to see forensic science in action. Sir was instrumental in taking down the Hassaikai, and he…" Mirio trailed off. "Oh wait. Uh, so you probably don't know this, but I'm one of Sir Nighteye's trainees now! I was voluntarily incarcerated for around three weeks while they figured out what to do with me, I'm in a probationary position now."

You squinted. "Oh, with what's-his-name? Started with a D."

"Deku!"

"Yeah, how are things going with him?"

"Really well! He's a hardworking guy and he doesn't mind partnering up to get things done, which is great for surveillance details."

"And what of your plans of sweeping reform, Schoolboy? Put any of those in motion?"

With his infectious good mood washing over you, you were nearly able to ignore the cold, needle-like rain still coming down during the five minute walk to the little hole in the wall eatery. Mirio insisted on loaning you his umbrella, stating that his hair was so aggressively gelled the rain just slid off onto his coat instead. He laughed when you pointed out the droplets clinging to the tip of his nose and you were really getting a little concerned over how much you had apparently missed making him laugh–

His enthusiasm continued into the meal. The soda he ordered sat untouched by his elbow as he relayed (without using her name, you noticed) that Eri was well on her way to recovery. Her Quirk, while not fully understood, was being studied quite intently and…

"...there may be a way to reverse what happened to you." Mirio finally offered carefully through a mouthful of soft-boiled egg, his eyes on your face as if to gauge your reaction. 

A noodle escaped from between your chopsticks and landed back in the bowl of broth with a soft splat.

You were at a loss for words. Hope and fear, gut-wrenching and total, warred inside you. "Mirio…" you hesitated, taking a bracing sip of your tea in an attempt to gather yourself. "There isn't a place for me in this kinder, gentler world you're making." You kept your attention firmly on the steaming mug in your hands. "There never really was, even when I had my Quirk." 

"That's not true," Mirio started to protest, pausing when you held up a hand. 

"Schoolboy, someone like me is expendable at best and invisible at worst. I'm not gonna' sob over the crap that I went through before…" you hesitated, glancing around and then lowering your voice. "Before the boss, if you catch my drift. It won't do me any good to dwell on it. What I'm doing now is going okay, and that's more than I've had for a pretty long time."

"Except your power is being turned off." Togata pointed out, his tone incredulous. "And that bunch of break-ins!"

You bristled at his interjection, recalling only now how annoying it could be to talk to him sometimes. His lacking ability to pick up on social cues was one of his more irritating qualities and, while his assumptions were not incorrect, it was much harder to explain away with him across the table from you. "The power thing was just a mistake on the electric company's part. I haven't had the time to fight with them over the phone." You lied, lowering your gaze to your tea again. "Plus, a lot of places got broken into, not just mine."

A hand slipped beneath your chin, raising your face. "Let me help you." He murmured.

Maybe it was the gentle tone of his voice. Maybe it was the blatant, honest kindness in his expression. Maybe you were just tired of fighting on your own.

No matter the reason, your eyes welled up and you felt tears start to stream down your cheeks. Mirio made a sympathetic sound in his throat, reaching for one of the paper napkins next to your arm. "I've got you." He soothed. "It's okay. I'm here to help. Come crash on my couch for a while, you'll be safe at my place. I promise." His smile threatened to really make you lose your composure and you hid your face in your hands, finally nodding.

"I'm so embarrassed." You whispered.

"You're not asking for help, if it makes you feel better." Mirio replied softly. "I'm offering help. And not because of my line of work, but because it's the right thing to do."

"What if your roommate doesn't agree with your choice to bring me in?"

"Pfft, Tamaki? He's a great guy, he'll be totally fine with you staying over!"

Part Seven

#mirio togata #lemillion #slow burn #eventual romance #villain au #villain!lemillion #villain!mirio #villain!au #mha au #mha fandom #bnha au #my hero academia #my hero fanfic #boku no hero academia #mirio x reader #mirio imagine #canon typical violence #shie hassaikai arc #reformed villain!Mirio

[unlikelyjedi]

My Hero Academia Pride Headcanons (Student Edition)

AAAAAHHH I'm so excited to talk about these. My Hero is my favorite anime, so it's only fitting I talk about it first!

I'm going to start with just the 1-A kids, but I also plan to do pro heroes and others like a few from LOV and Class 1-B in later posts!

Disclaimer: These are my own thoughts and opinions (hence the term headcanon). This is how I'm choosing to engage with this media in this post. There are other ways to engage with a chosen media and neither way of engagement invalidates the other. Art is subjective. Fandom is ultimately for fun! Don't take me too seriously!

Without further ado:

Midoriya Izuku (he/him): Bisexual

Honestly, Class 1-A is kind of just his harem. /hj

But really, I'm thinking about how flustered he gets around girls, or how he's got such good chemistry with Todoroki, Shinsou, etc. Or how his friendship with Kacchan can be read as a boy with an unrequited crush. I think he's more attracted to women than men. Like, maybe his initial attraction leans towards women, but he ends up forming much more natural chemistry faster with men. This is a ramble. But I think it's almost fitting I'm rambling on the King of Ramble's section.

Todoroki Shouto (he/him): Gay and Demisexual

Head empty, only pretty boy and parental issues. Todoroki Shouto lit up so fast when Midoriya confronted him and then he just never let him go. It's cute. I don't think he even realized he had a crush until much much much later, and only after his mom pointed it out. Bless his heart.

I also support a bisexual reading of Shouto because it fits the idea of his character. Feeling split in two but realizing he is one whole. Just as bisexuality isn't half gay/half straight, but a whole sexuality.

I also support other pairings like Seroroki, TodoBaku, TodoKiri. TodoIida, etc. I didn't mean to make it all TodoDeku, but ahhh, I've shown my cards. It's my favorite pairing in the show.

Bakugou Katsuki (he/him): Gay

Did Bakugou struggle with his sexuality? Probably not. He obviously wasn't worried about it. What is a relationship compared to being Number 1? He just likes guys. Nothing to get weird about.

Side note: after he becomes more open with people, he probably calls out "that's gay" whenever his classmates do literally anything affectionate with each other and Jirou has to exasperatedly point out "your boyfriend is literally in your lap."

I also support a bi/pan reading of Bakugou because why not? Art is subjective.

Kirishima Eijirou (he/him): Gay and Trans

Kirishima is a manly man. He is the manliest man. He is trans. and still very manly.

I like to headcanon that he has two moms who fully supported him when he told them he was a boy and he started socially transitioning pretty early. Not many people know he's trans, but it's not like he's shy about it.

Side note: Artists that draw Kiri with top scars are doing the mostest. Appreciate y'all.

Oh. and he's gay. Kirishima also wouldn't find that to be a big deal. It's just who he is. He never really came out. Just let people figure it out.

I also support a Pan reading of Kirishima.

Yaoyorozu Momo (she/her): Lesbian

This is supposed to be set in the future, but I do think there's still homophobia in smaller ways and/or in specific circles, like the elite. I feel like Yaomomo would have trouble both realizing she's a lesbian and feeling like she's safe enough to express that to her family. She's got no idea what they actually think about it, because it's so hush-hush and that scares her.

Don't worry though. Her gf helps her out and she's eventually able to tell her parents and they eventually accept her. (Is this me projecting my unfinished Pro Hero!Momo MomoJirou fic onto a headcanon post? Yes, yes it is.)

Jirou Kyouka (she/they): Bisexual

She likes the men. She likes the women. She likes in-between and beyond, and she doesn't care what you think about it. Homophobes can fuck off!

Despite how shy they come off, she's not about to take people's shit about herself and especially not her friends. Mean Bisexual.

Her parents are very supportive and would constantly ask if they've got a partner yet. Their parents have a betting pool on whether she'll get with Kaminari or Momo. Their mom won.

Kaminari Denki (he/they): Bisexual and Non-Binary

It was a little bit of a shock (ha!) when Kaminari realized he wasn't attracted to women. He was attracted to the color purple. The Baku-squad is tired of Kaminari staring at Shinsou's abs.

One day, they realized, rather out of the blue, that they didn't feel exactly like a boy. I mean, he felt more boy than girl, but not boy enough. When they found the non-binary label, it just worked.

Iida Tenya (he/him): Bi-romantic Demisexual

Oh Iida, how I love you and all your eccentricities.

Tenya likes both men and women and while that's not something he's always known, it's something he easily took in stride. Tensei was surprised when Tenya first talked about his crush because Tensei didn't think his little brother would ever like anybody. Tenya just needs to have a friendship connection first before he realizes he likes someone.

Ururaka Ochako (she/her): Bisexual

Oh god, she's a bisexual disaster. I don't know who's worse, her, Deku, or Kaminari. They need to hold a contest.

She flusters so easily. The first time a girl held her hand, she was probably as red as a tomato and couldn't do anything to stop the blushing. She's a mess. Can relate.

Asui Tsuyu (she/her): Lesbian and Asexual

Girls.

She likes girls. Girls are very pretty and they have pretty hair and cute hands and lovely laughs and blinding smiles.

She just...

Girls.

But she's also kind of sex-repulsed. She'd be willing to do the thing if her partner wanted it, but only for special occasions. Not very frequently.

Ashido Mina (she/her): Pansexual

Move over, people! It's Alien Queen. She doesn't care about gender. She cares about if you can keep up with her in the game of life!

Life's too short to worry about gender!

Sero Hanta (he/him): Pansexual

Same idea, just toned down a little. It's not about the gender of the person, but the contents of their character. It helps if they're sexy tho, ngl.

Ojiro Mashirao (he/him): Bisexual

Maybe it's because I'm bi, but I think most character's base-line should be bi, hence why many of the characters on here are bi/pan. Same goes for Ojiro who has pretty good chemistry with both Kaminari and Hagakure. Also kinda got an enemies thing with Shinsou, but that's leaning a little into rare-pair territory.

Aoyama Yuuga (he/him): Straight

"But OP," you say, "He's clearly being queer-coded, have you looked at him??" Yes. And that's what makes it funny.

I think it would be funny for the obviously queer-coded person in the class to be the only actual Straight person in Class 1-A. Could you imagine??

"Is he, y'know?" *hand flap thing*

"What, Aoyama? No, no, he's straight. But everyone else here is gay though!"

Tokoyami Fumikage (he/him): Gay and Asexual

He likes guys. Not into sex. It's simple and not very complicated. He just needs a boyfriend to keep all his candles in place for when he does the summoning ritual-

Shouji Mezou (he/him): Gay and Asexual

Same deal. Not very complicated. He's willing to hold all the candles for his boyfriend as he does a summoning ritual-

Sato Rikido (he/him): Aromantic

Frienship is more important than a relationship. Probably has a few queer-platonic relationships.

Koda Koji (he/him): Aro/Ace

When he gets over his shyness, he loves his friends with his whole heart, but that's how it stays. Nothing more than friendships for him!

Hagakure Toru (she/her): Trans

I haven't forgot about youuuuu. Why is she trans? Why not? What are you gonna do about it? Honestly, all these characters could be trans and that would be fine too. Art is subjective. Trans rights! Fuck you!

Min*ta (h*/h*m): homophobic

Cannot stand him. We slander. (He arguably has a crush on Deku, but I'm! Not! Going! There!

Shinsou Hitoshi (he/him): Queer

Am I cheating?? No. I think he deserves to be in 1-A, so he's on the 1-A list.

It's just easier to tell people he's queer when they ask, and it's the best label that suits him. He's not entitled to give them anymore than that.

That's the end of the students from 1-A! This was pretty fun, actually! Hope you enjoyed, whoever's reading this!

Next time, I'm going to tackle Pro Heroes!!!! Because they, too, are gay.

Until Next Time!!!

#bnha #midoriya izuku #todoroki shouto #bakugo katuski #kirishima eijiro #yaoyorozu momo #class 1 a #shinsou hitoshi #lgbt pride #pride month #bisexual #gay #lesbian #pansexual #asexual #non binary #trans

[cassioppenny]

TELL ME MORE ABOUT YOUR VOLO AND COGITA THING PLEASE!!! is she immortal too. whats going on there. i am so interested

both of them are immortal! cogita has been around since the original hisuian hero (alder) and the two of them were friends. she was given immortality by arceus to guide future heroes and also was given the opportunity to see alder again since arceus actually sent him home after that adventure

volo is 20 in pla and is either cogita's son or grandson idk he's related to her. after pla he fucks off to other regions to find a way to create his new world. he runs into mew who just likes causing problems on purpose all the time in milesverse. like they see volo walking around and goes "wouldn't it be fucking hilarious to give this guy immortality just to see what happens" and make a deal with him that they'll grant him immortality to create his new world and if he fails to do so he'll have to become mew's new plaything for the rest of eternity. volo goes "fuck it" and agrees so yeah he has immortality now. volo also grabbed idk mew's eye lash or something and uses it to get himself in the mewtwo project later on

anyway volo timeline:

1981 (25 years before rgby) - volo has a kid with someone and that kid is cynthia. volo realizes "oh fuck this kid looks a lot like me" so he takes the kid and drops her off at cogita's at celestic town (keep in mind that they haven't talked to eachother for almost a hundred years at this point) and goes "congrats you're a grandma now" and disappears. doesn't elaborate. cogita is cynthia's grandma now

1995 (11 years before rgby) - has another kid (n) with someone else. did the awesome parenting tactic of "giving your child to the wolves" because he didn't want to keep dropping off kids at cogita's

1996 (10 years before rgby) - meets a 15 year old cyrus being like depressed or something and decides to infodump sinnoh myths at him because he was idk bored or something. bad idea because now cyrus knows how to end the world

2003 (3 years before rgby) - learns about the mewtwo project and decides get himself involved because he's interested on what makes something alive and wanted to play god a bit. he shows team rocket the mew lash and they let him in. when shit begins to hit the fan he immediately decides that this isn't worth it and leaves. also he accidentally caused the hardenshipping divorce after telling archie and maxie about hoenn myths (oh yeah archie and maxie used to be in team rocket btw)

2010 (5 years before bw1) - volo learns that apparently the kid he gave to the wolves got adopted by a cult leader and snuck himself in team plasma out of curiosity. he got bored and left because he hated everyone's vibe but had something gay going on with colress before he left

2012 (3 years after dppt) - lucas has been eebied and volo overhears dawn and barry being sad about it and goes "god dammit i feel kinda bad" but also think this is a super good opportunity to figure out what sinjoh's deal is because he doesn't want to risk getting smited by arceus by stepping inside. he tells the two of them that the only way to save their friend is to go to the sinjoh ruins and summon arceus. so dawn and barry get cynthia's help along with the help of ethan and kris and they all investigate sinjoh together. nothing bad happens to them. definitely :3 (they all get blasted back in time)

2013 (ten years before scvi) - snuck into the area zero research team because he was curious. stole a bunch of crystal and dipped because he didn't like sada/turo's vibe

2015 (two years before xy) - accidentally stumbled upon team flare shit and snuck himself in out of curiosity. he realized he hated everyone here and dipped but before he left he grabbed a bunch of info on mega evolution timeline bullshitery

2016 (three years before sumo) - snuck himself into the aether foundation to learn more about ultra wormholes. stole a bunch of information about inter dimensional travel and pushed mohn into a wormhole because he spotted him being a little to silly. volo promptly fucked off and disappeared after that

2017 (two years before sumo) - began doing some ultra wormhole shenanigans until realizing that this wasn't getting him anywhere at the moment and promptly got bored and started doing something else. but before he did he gave a certain rainbow rocket leader information on interdimensional travel because he was bored

2019 (sumo) - pops in during the rainbow rocket take over to talk about alternate timelines and be kind of a nuisance. he's not part of rainbow rocket and isn't like being malicious to lillie and friends but he's not exactly friendly either

2020 (lgpe) - started working on a digital simulation of the kanto region during 2006 (rgby) because he was curious how realistic he could make ai into real people using the area zero crystals. this causes the events of lgpe when red, blue, and green finds the simulation (along with mina i guess)

2021 (swsh) - just kinda chilling in galar. infodumps to gloria, hop, and marnie about galar myths at one point. he's not that important actually idk how to shove him into rose's deal sorry

so yeah uuuuh that was a lot. i am normal about volo 👍

#milesverse #category 5 autism moment sorry

[linkedkeysau-official]

Linked Keys Febuwhump

Day 15- Self sacrifice

Hyrule was not kidding when he said the waters of his world were toxic. He was also not kidding when he said the followers of Ganon were ruthless. Future had gone with him in search of something edible for Wild to cook up, as they had to be careful with their limited food stores. Unfortunately, instead of food, Future only found monsters. Or more accurately, the monsters found him.

He supposed it was better than them finding Hyrule. He was the one they were really after, and if he’d been the one to fall into this ambush it could be far more disastrous. Still, it was far from an ideal situation; upon realizing they had gotten the wrong hero, Future had been grabbed and manhandled and beaten as the enemy attempted to get information out of him as to where Hyrule had gone. 

The one leading the crowd of monsters— a hooded figure who Future assumed had to be some kind of wizard (though definitely not Nihrie, as they didn’t seem interested in the Keys of Time in the slightest)— made sure nothing they did would kill him. No matter how hard they hit, or where, Future’s body seemed to be cursed to not allow the relief of death or even unconsciousness. Future of course could always take a hit without breaking down. It was only when they brought him over to a river running nearby, a river that reeked of pollution and poison, that he began to show fear.

“Oh? Is the little boy afraid of water? Afraid of drowning, perhaps?” The wizard asked. Future tried to keep a straight face, but the wizard clearly saw right through it. They knew his weakness. They knew his greatest fear… This was not good. If that wasn’t enough, he was almost certain that touching that water would have some horrible side effect. This entire land was poisoned and barren, according to Hyrule. Hardly any of the water was drinkable, and Future was sure this would be even worse than drinking it. He kicked and flailed but his efforts proved powerless as the monsters who held him brought him over to the riverbank, shoving him down to the ground so his upper body hung over the edge. It took every bit of strength he had to keep his face from going in.

“I’m going to give you one last chance to tell me where the hero is. Just give it up, and you won’t have to get hurt anymore.” The wizard said in a mock-sweet voice before roughly grabbing him by the hair as they awaited his answer, “There’s no point in trying to protect him. We will find him regardless of whether you cooperate or not. Though since we do still have you, it would be easier if you would just tell us.”

“I’m not telling you shit!” Future hissed. He felt his head be shoved forward by some kind of strange power, hair being released but by no means giving any relief. He barely had time to draw in a breath before his face went under the water.The water stung his skin, it burned, it hurt so much. And yet no matter how he struggled, Future could not budge. He could not lift his head. Panic began to set in. He was running out of air. He couldn’t hold his breath much longer.

And then the moment his brain tried to force him to breathe, he was lifted out of the water again. He sucked in a massive breath, trying to shake the slight feeling of dizziness out of his head. Strangely, despite having not inhaled any of the water, he was struggling to breathe. He felt as if his throat were slowly closing up. Was this a side effect of whatever toxins were in the water?

“That was a warning. I could just as easily have kept you under even longer. I could have forced you to breathe underwater, let you drown. Now I ask again, where is he?”

“How the fuck… should I know?” Future panted, “We got… split up…”

“You’re lying. You know where he went. And you are going to tell me, or I am going to make this round much worse than the last.”

“I can’t… I can’t say it… Can I have… my hand back… so I can point?” Future asked. The Wizard hesitated, before waving to one of the beasts that had Future’s right hand. The arm was released.

“Now. Which direction did he run in?” the Wizard asked. Future looked around like he was trying to remember before turning to stare straight at the wizard… and giving him the middle finger. The Wizard was furious, and proceeded to dunk him in the river again. This time Future couldn’t get a breath in quick enough.

His face burned. His chest ached. His throat tightened up even more… And there was no indication of being let up for air again anytime soon. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, slowing down and growing weaker by the second. He was dying. He could feel himself dying. Black spots danced in his vision as he fought with everything he had not to breathe in the water. It was no use. He had to breathe. His brain forced him to breathe. A small stream of bubbles was released from his lips as cold yet burning liquid poured in. His lungs filled with the deadly fluid. His body convulsed under the hold of the enemies as if trying to cough the water back up, but with no air to come in, he could not do so. 

Then suddenly, miraculously, he was lifted out of the water again. Only this time he was let go, tossed aside on the ground and left to choke on the poison in his lungs, heaving and coughing as the burning water and bile poured out of his body. He was barely conscious, and his desperate, struggling breaths sounded like Sky during an asthma attack, but could hear the wizard’s voice in the distance, along with a much more familiar one.

“I’m the one you want! Let him go! He’s—”

Future’s brain could not register who he was hearing, however, before everything faded to black. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The others had told Hyrule not to go, that they’d go as a group to rescue Future. They all knew Hyrule was the one the monsters wanted, and were obviously using Future as bait. But Hyrule chose to completely disregard this order anyway. He wasn’t letting anyone else risk their own lives to protect him. They didn’t know what the monsters of this world were like; Hyrule did. Hyrule knew how to take on even the toughest enemies of his world. And besides, he was the one they wanted. If Hyrule went alone, the others should be allowed to walk away unharmed. Why start a fight when it wasn’t necessary?

When nobody was looking— too busy devising a plan of attack— Hyrule managed to slip away from the group. He knew Future had the Keys of Time on him, so Hyrule was able to track their magic and know which direction Future had been taken (thank you, fairy ancestry). What he found was far worse than he expected. 

Future was being held underwater by a strange cloaked figure. Hyrule could just barely see it, but he appeared to have a very angry rash around his neck (and likely all over his face too) from the polluted waters. He caught the exact moment when a stream of bubbles floated up to the surface, indicating Future had run out of air. He was drowning. Knowing the kid, how he’d lost an eye for Wind, how he’d risked everything for Shadow… He was drowning for Hyrule’s sake.

“STOP!!!!” Hyrule shouted, “Leave him alone!!!” The figure lifted Future out of the water, the teen giving a strangled gasp as he fought to breathe. He was cast aside roughly as his captor stood up to face Hyrule.

“I’m the one you want! Leave him alone!” He begged. Future was too weak to move. He wasn’t getting out of here until the others arrived. Hyrule had no choice.

“I don’t care what you do to me. Just leave my family alone, take me instead.”

“Well… I didn’t expect the great ‘Hero of Hyrule’ to just offer himself up. And all alone, too. That’s good… Makes things easier.” the enemy sneered, “Now it is time for you to meet your fate.” 

I’m sorry, everyone… I had to. For all of your sakes.

#linked keys #lk #loz au #not lu #mod kj #febuwhump2023 #lk hyrule #lk future #tw torture

[thequietmanno1]

Thelreads, MHA 267, Replies Part 2

1) “Oh look at that Endeavor doll. Oh boy, I don`t remember if we already saw something about Hawks truly being a fan of him from such a young age, but boy I don`t think Endeavor would approve of this, even though he also was with his own program to groom a kid into becoming a “very special hero” and all that.”-It’s complex, but Endeavour, even at his worst, wouldn’t exactly have been ok with a young talented kid getting turned into a government wetwork man. That said, it’s also implied that he genuinely has no idea that Hawks was ever his fan, even when they met as pro heroes, making the parallels to his own ‘training’ with Shoto darkly ironic. If it was his kid, then he had more of a say in the matter, but if it was somebody else’s child, then he’d have objected to it swiftly. 2) “Yeah, that much I`m definitely sure we haven`t seen anything about. I don`t remember Hawks saying that he was inspired by endeavor on becoming a hero, he only gave that bullshit about heroes not having to work.”- That was his stated goal, but personally, he always held a quiet admiration for the ‘hero’ Endeavour, without actually knowing the man underneath. Clearly, that was also part of the reason why he proposed they work together, so he could learn more about his childhood idol. 3) “Oh you poor thing, you had no idea of the darkness that light was obfuscating. Holy hell, if only you knew the monster you unknowingly admired…”- Ironically, Hawks, who is a master at obfuscating his true intentions and personality, likewise admired a man who had some hidden secrets in his private life, and both men were completely oblivious to the parallels. 4) “don`t bother Hawks, Horikoshi wouldn`t reveal if the theories are right or wrong that easily. He`s gonna give some cryptic clue and fuck off, like he usually has done so far.”- Or he will reveal something, but still leave the readers in the actual dark about what it is. Certainly put a lot of fuel on the theorising about Dabi on initial release, I can tell you that. 5) “…

now hold the fuck on there

is this for real? Is horikoshi really doing this?

Now that`s just dishonest with us. Not cool Hori.”- You got your answers, not his fault if you can’t hear them. 6) “Oh, right, didn`t the doctor said it would take around 15 minutes for them to be 100% up and running? I don`t remember the exact time, but even so, the fight is giving them the chance to warm up, and dear god, are they closer than ever to getting to full power.”- They’ve shaken off the lethargy, and with that, Mirko’s own time limit- that she can still keep fighting despite the blood loss from her crushed limb – has more or less run out. Her slim advantage just went up in smoke. 7) “What is it girl? Getting ready to get serious? Gonna really obliterate them before you bleed to death? What`s your plan? What does an one-winged angel form of a rabbit even look like?”- If she can’t kill them, she’ll at least accomplish her objective before they kill her. 8) “But yeah, the doc. I don`t even remember where he went after Mirko almost snapped him in half with a kick. Was he trying to wake Shigaraki? I think he was. Also, when is Shiggy gonna wake from his nap-nap?”- If Mirko has her way, never. 9) “MIRKO PLEASE

DON`T

I KNOW WHAT YOU`RE PLANNING

YOU ALREADY LOST AN ARM

DON`T PULL THAT THING FROM YOUR LEG WITH A KICK OR I SWEAR TO GOD-“- If he had succeeded in pulling Mirko’s leg off, she’d have tried again with the other one. Lost that? She’d have tried again with the stumps. 10) “OH SHIT, IS THAT A FLAME BEHIND THE NOMU? DID ENDEAVOR GOT HERE?

ALSO, LOOK AT THAT, DABI IS BACKING DOWN, SEEMS LIKE TOKOYAMI MANAGED TO GET THERE ON TIME”-Sometime, a lone hero just isn’t skilled enough to save the day on their own. It’s for times like that, they have allies who can help support them when they need it most.  (MHA ch 257) 11) “see, even Tokoyami realized you fucked up the future by saying that out-loud. Now he`ll just move a bit away from you on the couch, in hope that this tempting of fate won`t befall him as well. “- Alas, it seems that he was too close and caught a bit of that ‘doom magnet’ luck there, because he’s now facing a decisively insane killer alone with zero backup and moreover, one whose quirk has an elemental advantage over his own…  (MHA ch 259) 12) “Alright, now its time to get things started. Last time we had the Heroes returning from their rapture, and getting ready for the showtime, which, of course, won`t be pretty. Yeah, I`m already counting on a few of them not coming back- looking at you Tokoyami.”- You even somehow picked up on the potential ‘Roast Chicken’ jokes to go with Tokoyami’s situation, as he prepares to join his mentor in the deep fryer….  (MHA ch 265) 13) “Oh, let`s just say…. a little bird told them about it… wink wink.

A bird that is about to become a rotisserie chicken I`m afraid, but we`ll burn that bridge when we get to it.”-  So, when you said a ‘little bird’, did you mean Hawks or Tokoyami? Together, they do make one whole bird after all…

14) “Stain would be so fucking pissed at all this. Villains killing heroes and other innocent people not because they want to fix a broken system, but because they want to be the ones on top of it all. If he ever escapes he`s gonna have a lot of new names on his kill list before he goes back to murdering heroes.”-

“Look upon your work, ye mighty, and despair…”

The price of setting out to change things is that the changes you create are most likely not the ones you envisioned. @thelreads

#bnha #my hero academia #thelreads #chapter replies #mha267