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arcadianstuff · 3 years

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School rivals p.t 6

Next chapter is up !! Hope you enjoy

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To caught up in their own argument, your family didn’t notice you slip away from the living room whilst Toby and Claire were being distracted by the fight unfolding before them.

So quietly, you scampered out of the house, regretting not changing your clothes as you stepped out into the cold morning air. Finally, the sun had begun to rise bathing the world in her glorious golden glow. It made Douxie's eyes gleam as he turned to look up at you with an unexpectedly angry expression, his eyebrows furrowed and eyes gleaming with fury.

Hesitantly, you took a few steps towards him, stopping a metre in front of him. A lone bird swept up to the sky, as the two of you stared at each other on the street. Nobody else was up and about yet, the silence deafening. Desperate to say something or anything you went to speak, only for Douxie to completely lose his shit.

"I can’t believe you. I-I seriously can’t undertand what the fuck you think you were doing ?!" His voice rose in volume, going from a hateful whisper to angry shouts. He struggled to contain his fury any longer. From the moment his eyes had fallen on your returned form, he’d been both overwhelmed with happiness and anger. Part of him wanted to scream at you and the other just wanted to reach out and touch you, to make sure you were real.

"D-douxie.." you began to whisper, reaching out a hand which he only swatted away, the gesture stinging not only physically but mentally. His glare pierced right through to your soul. You’d seen him annoyed before, angry maybe. But never furious. Not like this.

Inside of you, you felt your own patience shortening. Much like a candle being lit a sudden burst of anger came over you.

"You know what ! I saved you and my brother so you could at least be grateful for that ! You selfish piece of shit !" The distance between you closed, as you grabbed the collar of his jacket and practically shoved your face into his. His own hands came up to your shoulders, and the two of you glared at each other with such hatred and emotion it felt like you were on fire.

"Grateful ? Grateful ?" He let out a bitter laugh, the sound causing your blood to boil. How dare he laugh at the fact you sacrificed your life for him ? The absolute prick ! His dark eyes bore into yours as he spat his words out, the venom coating them laid thick.

"You’re so ducking stupid sometimes (Y/n). Always so impulsive and hard headed. Didn’t you think what it would be like for me ? Or for Jim ? Huh ? If you’d died !" His voice tore through the street, the birds in the nearby streets scared into the air at the volume of his shouting. A flock of crows fled to the air, their dark forms contrasting with the soft glow of the pale sky.

"I-I...we would’ve all died. Better it was just me than all three of us ! I’d not regret what I did ! I’m not sorry !" Your faces were centimetres apart as you screamed back, voice cracking as you felt your emotions beginning to drown you.

"It wouldn’t have been better ! I-it W-wouldn’t.." Douxie’s voice was hoarse as he choked out his last words, the screaming having left his throat raw. The tears that had been threatening to burst all night finally started to tumble out of his dark eyes, spilling down his cheeks that were red with anger.

The man finally broke, letting out a soft sob as he collapsed into your arms, the gesture catching you a little by surprise.

"I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t come back...I can’t.." he mumbled into your hair, which was beginning to dampen as his tears stained the locks. You buried your head into his neck. The hug was somehow so right, it didn’t matter that you hated each other, it didn’t matter that he despised you and you loathed him. The hug felt natural.

You couldn’t quite hear his last words, muffled by your shoulder.

"Douxie what did you say ?" You whispered soothingly, anger vanished at the sight of the first test. A part of you was still furious at his reaction, but a greater part of you was singing at the feeling of being in his arms.

"I-I need you here (Y/n). Don’t ever do that again." He spoke with so much sincerity, and pulled away to look straight into your eyes. You found it quite overwhelming.

Hesitating for a second, you didn’t bother to think twice and leant up, cupping his cheek as you placed a soft kiss to it. The gesture was short lived but had a profound effect on him as his cheeks instantly pinked. It was a little salty from the tears but you were too embarrassed to care.

"I promise I won’t Douxie." Your voice was soft, he’d never heard you speak so gently before. The two of you normally argued, berated each other, joked or insulted the other. This was different, not bad just different. He kinda liked it.

For a moment, you two stood there, basked in the morning sunlight as it trickled through the trees and onto the pavement. He reached out tentatively and took your hand, smiling a little as you squeezed his. He’d been dreading asking this next question, because honestly it was just to good to be true that you’d managed to survive. If he asked how, he was afraid the miracle would be ruined. There’d be some horrifying revelation. Or he was secretly afraid he was getting his hopes up, and they’d be shattered. Because he knew of only one wizard with the power to cheat death.

"I need to ask (Y/n)." The sudden shift in atmosphere has you on edge a little, his words serious and cold. "How did you survive ?"

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"It was weird. One moment I was experiencing the worst pain of my life and the next I awoke in this place...this other world." Your words had everybody on the edge of their seats, as they listened to you. Jim and you had made the gang breakfast, and they were sitting around the dining table as you spoke. You sat at the head of the table with a plate of untouched pancakes in front of you.

Blinky and Aaargh had come back to join you after visiting troll market to make sure that Bellroc and Skrael were checked on. They wanted to be sure the two were dead. There was also the issue of the resurrected gumm-gumms.

Jim was sat closest to you, his eyes widening at your words. No one dared to interrupt, curious and saddened.

"It was quite pretty, everything seemed to glow a little. It was like heaven. Maybe it actually was," you chuckled a little at your words, though a bit bitterly, "This man was there. At the time I didn’t realise it, but I’m pretty sure it was Merlin."

The whole room gasped at that, displeased expression crossing your family’s faces. Toby's usually happy expression faltered masked with the same anger that had twisted Claire’s pretty face. Even the two trolls looked agitated, Aargh in particular. It was only Douxie and Archie who appeared shocked, even a little hopeful.

"Actually he..he had a message for you Douxie." You looked at the boy to your right, who nearly spat his orange juice back into the cup at your words. You would’ve laughed if not for the severity of the situation.

"He wanted me to tell you that he’s proud of you, that he wishes he had more time to watch you grow into the man you are today." As you delivered the wizards message, a crestfallen expression had Douxie fighting back tears, the only reason why he wasn’t crying was because he was surrounded by people. Claire patted her teachers back sympathetically, knowing how much the man mattered to Douxie.

You hated yourself for the next thing you had to say, wishing you wouldn’t have to ruin the atmosphere like this. It hurt to have to burden your family with more bad news.

"That’s not all...he also gave me a warning. There’s something coming, he didn’t say what, just that it was evil and...he seemed afraid." At your words, a chorus of grumbles and gasp echoed in the room.

"Of course he doesn’t give any damn details." Jim grumbled, shaking his head at the cryptic wizard he disabled throughly.

"He did give me one piece of advice. Actually this is what I need to know about. Mum did dad have English heritage ?" Your question had the ginger woman pursing her lips as she thought hard for a second.

"I think so on his mother’s side, why dear ?" You sighed at her confirmation.

"Well apparently, we’re descended from Arthur Pendragon, who’s apparently a real fucking person but I shouldn’t be surprised.” Whereas you were just incredulous at this point the others erupted with a mix excitement and disbelief.

"Dude that’s so cool ! Jimbo you’re royalty !" Toby clapped his friend on the back, his best friend not quite as excited to be related to such an awful king. The man had tried to kill him once for gods sake.

"B-but I couldn’t remove Excalibur ? How can we be related to him ?" Jim didn’t undertand how the sword in the stone wouldn’t budge for him if he was directly related to Arthur. It made no sense, unless...

"No way..."he breathed out watching as a grim smile graced your lips.

"Yep. He’s given me instruction to retrieve the blade. He says we’ll need it to win the war that’s coming.." you sunk back into your chair, looking sadly at the untouched pancakes that were soggy from the syrup.

Only a week ago you’d been a normal girl, ready to move away from cramped home town and explore the world. You had big dreams and hopes, a desire to see everything and experience all the world had to offer. Soccer captain, A* student, part time waitress turned magical being with a great great great great like a hundred more great grandfather who was a king. Fucking spectacular. How had your brother lived these two lives simultaneously and so well ? You had to applaud him for that.

"Well it’s clear, Miss (Y/n), though Merlin can be a tricky character sometimes, he’s clearly warning us and if he believes you should wield the sword then you should." Blinky spoke up, a contemplative expression on his face. There were dark times ahead of them and it had the old troll worried. He only hoped they could prepare themselves in time.

"No !" Out of nowhere Douxie’s voice burst forth, rattling the table as he stood up abruptly from the chair.

Everybody paused to stare at him at his outburst, a mixture of confused and worried expressions in their faces. You in particular looked at him with confusion.

"I mean...it’s not safe. The sword is bad luck. Look at what happens to the last guy who wielded it." Calming down he slumped back down into his seat, hands clenching into fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

He wanted to trust Merlín, he really did and he knew should but seriously ? You’d only known about this world for like a week had been kidnapped, enslaved and then died. Now you were talking about wielding a sword and leading them into war. So yeah he was a little against it.

“Guys, we all know how well...difficult Merlín can be. You know I’m not the biggest fan of him, but if he’s warning us about a war then we need to prepare for it.” To your surprise Jim was the one who came to your defence. Honestly you’d expected him to react similarly to Douxie, refusing to let you go and fight.

It was nice to see your little brother defend you.

“Jim’s right. We’ve done this before and we’ll do it again. Together we can win.” Claire stood next to him, linking hands with him and sharing a smile.

There was a chorus of cheers from the people around you even your mum smiled at you in support. However Douxie still looked conflicted, the tension vivible in his shoulders.

“Come on Casperan. Don’t lose it on me now.” You tried to joke, squeezing his shoulder sympathetically. The man gazed from your hand on his shoulder to your reassuring eyes and felt his resolve falter.

“Okay, just don’t die on me again love.” He placed a hand over the one on his shoulder and felt himself relax at the warmth of your touch.

“Well then Ms. (Y/n) let’s go get Exaclibur !” Blinky chuckled as he spoke, glad to see everyone in a good mood as he spoke. It had been a difficult couple of days but now there looked like there was light at the end of the tunnel.

“Umm sorry to burst your bubble you guys. But you have school in like an hour. And no I can’t send in another note sorry kiddos.” Barbara’s words shattered the excited atmosphere and a chorus of groans left the younger teenagers.

You however smirked at Douxie, a mischievous glint in your eyes.

“You ever been on a motorcycle?”

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Tell me if you want a part seven !! Hope you enjoyed

#douxie x reader #trollhunters #douxie #tales of arcadia #toa #hisirdoux casperan x reader #toa hisirdoux #toa wizards

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rapha-reads · 3 years

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Loaded March - we're still at it - a reaction

Part 4 - The Jester

He knew that Kay had no family, that he felt just as much an outcast as Merlin, that he clung to Excalibur because he had no one else, and that Excalibur would never let either one of them go.

Kay is my baby and I will kill for him. I'm impatiently waiting for the Kay & Will show. And Bran and Kathy.

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In the quiet that followed the first video, Merlin wondered if he should have tried harder to tell Arthur. But what would Arthur have done then? His only encounter with magic had been bad, and Merlin didn't want Arthur to think that having magic automatically made someone evil. He'd said as much when watching the movies.

Listen. Listen. I'm a sucker for Magic Reveals. I've read them all. And if there's one thing I know, it's that the longer Merlin waits to tell Arthur, the harshest the consequences are. Yes, Arthur gets his head on straight after a while, mostly (there are the MR that do go very badly, but let's focus on the ones where they stay strong together). But a certain amount of time of lies and secrets especially when the opportunity arises to speak... Sours things. I'm just saying. I love Magic Reveal.

------

"Not me," Kay said suddenly, standing up slowly, shaking his head. Merlin watched him, a little surprised, because Kay was the last one who would step up first. He was usually last, after he'd analyzed everything nearly as thoroughly as Arthur. Kay's cheeks were flushed now, aware that he had everyone's attention on him, and he shrugged. "You lot know I bounced foster homes until I hit sixteen."

SHUT UP I LOVE KAY OKAY.

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They'd gone a step further. Now they were trusting each other with the impossible, with the unknown, with a challenge that was going to push them above and beyond anything they had ever done before. Arthur never had any doubt that his men were up to the task. It was something else, however, to watch them come to the realization that they were up to that task.

Okay, I'm anti-military by principle, but you offer me the chance to be part of Team Excalibur, I'm jumping on it. IF I was fit and prone to fire arms and patriotic. But yeah, I wanna join the team. That's the true force of LM imo, the depth of the characters and the strength of their bond.

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Gilli looked embarrassed. "I'm having trouble with the language, sir. The programming. I can't get to the source code to upgrade it with the latest."

Ah, shit. The idiot's here. Oooh, this is going to be frustrating. I just don't like Gilli.

------

"Magic." He took Arthur's arm and they continued to walk. "The sort of magic that hasn't been seen on the British Isles since the time of King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table, and Merlin the Magician."

There's literally two guys right now in position of power, one a true leader, the other full of secrets and incomprehensibly powerful, with those exact names, thrown together and already bonded. WHY IS NO ONE COMMENTING ON THAT COINCIDENCE. What? Yes, I know I'm foreshadowing, I've been sitting on that pesky little detail since part 1. HIS NAME IS LITERALLY ARTHUR PENDRAGON AND HE'S DESCENDED FROM OLD MONEY AND OLD ROYALTY. AND MERLIN IS WELSH AND PAGAN. Ffs why is no one even making a joke. Gaaaaah, frustrating.

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The first was to subdue Trickler inside the club -- likely the easiest approach since most of Trickler's people would be outside, or hampered by the crowds, but then again, the crowds would get in the way of Team Excalibur, too. The second option was to lure Trickler outside of the club, and have it out with his people in the open.

Ah. I'm remembering the plan. I'm remembering why The Jester is my least favourite part of it all... Why I tend to start my usual re-readings with part 5 or 6. Hang on to something, it's going to get bumpy.

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The closet was stocked with expensive designer clothing in his size, but someone, somewhere, had failed the fashion coordination course, because that jacket was a dark navy blue, and they did not go with the Armani charcoal trousers.

Why are you such a drama queen, Arthur.

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Yeaaaah, still not liking the plan to grab Trickler. I just don't like it when Merlin is put in the position of the vulnerable, defenseless, submissive one, when he's everything but all of that. That's actually part of the only two problems I have with LM as a whole, one being the sometimes misogynistic language used, the other being the slight dom/sub vibes of Merlin and Arthur. Or I might be remembering their dynamic wrong. Let's see how it goes on.

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Arthur hated Merlin's deference, the way the fight had gone out of him, the absolute, complete subservience that came without so much as a sarcastic yes, sire, angry you bloody pillock or rude gesture. It was an act, though. He knew it was.

Yes, thank you, I hate it too. But damn if it isn't effective. The boys have all of these dumbs eating out of their hands.

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For a brief moment, very brief, Arthur considered being on the receiving end of Merlin's rough treatment, to give in to him, and he found that it was a situation he wouldn't entirely mind being in so long as it was Merlin. He wouldn't do it for anyone else but him.

Okay, I concede, they're on equal footing. I got frustrated earlier.

The whole time Merlin was being dragged by Trickler and not using his magic to defend himself and his team, I wanted to scream.

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Oof, part 4 got long! And it's just the beginning. Stay tuned for part 5!

Part 3b | Part 4 | Part 5

#loaded march #loaded march part 4 #merlin #merthur #merlin fic #merthur fic #merlin fic rec #merthur fic rec #arthur pendragon #sir kay #rapha talks #rapha reads #loaded march reaction #listen i love loaded march but true love is also recognizing the problematic parts and the parts you don't vibe with #can't wait to get to do or die it's my fav part (if i remember it correctly)

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spacesuitsforemergency · 4 years

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Weapon Hex

Chapter 1: The Runaways Run Away

Word Count: 1.7k

Originally Requested by: @amateurwriterbigdreamer

A/N: love that Onawa was requested to be in this! I’m not giving her a huge part until she turns into a villain so that it’s centered around Y/N for now! These are all gonna be short chapters since there’s not a whole ass movie to cover. Hope you like it!

“I said no!” You yelled at the STAR Labs scientist, who had been trying to hook up a machine to you, to observe your brain waves. The other kids you had escaped the Reach with were watching from across the room, waiting for instructions. They watched with their eyes wide in fear and concern as the scientist cornered you.

“Y/N, you have to calm down.” He told you calmly, despite the annoyed tone of his voice.

You crouched in a defensive stance, snarling at him to tell him to back off. Two security guards grabbed your arms, and you thrashed in their hold, warning them to let you go. Your heart rate began to pick up as they held you down, and the scientist picked up a needle. You knew the drug wouldn’t work on you, none of them did, but you had to act like it would.

Your plan was to be calm and act out of it once they “sedated” you, so that they wouldn’t see you as dangerous. Then, once their guard was down, you’d attack.

“No! Stop!” You yelled as the needle stuck into your arm, and you slowly pretended to get tired. You made your eyes droop and breathed very slowly, so that when he checked your pulse it would be at the rate it should be with sedation in your veins.

“Put her in a straight jacket.” The scientist ordered a guard.

“You can’t do that!” Virgil Hawkins stood up.

“That’s way out of line!” Tye Longshadow glared at the scientist.

“She’s far too dangerous.”

“She obviously doesn’t want your help. You can’t just force her to do stuff!” Eduardo Dorado Jr. snapped. The scientist ignored him as the guards put your arms in a straight jacket, then sat you down in the last chair. You pretended to be half asleep, but when no one was looking you winked at the other 6 kids before they were called over. You shut your eyes and your head fell back against the wall, you figured you’d might as well rest. Your thoughts wandered to your father, and the horror stories about Stryker and the Weapon X program.

Your father was James Howlett, AKA The Wolverine, and your mother was Jean Grey, another X-Man. She had died half a year ago, destroyed by the Phoenix Force. You had run away from the X-Mansion because of it. You were treated different by the other kids, and even your team, Excalibur. Nightcrawler, Gambit, Rogue, Colossus, Lockheed, even your best friend, Kitty Pryde, treated you differently than before the Phoenix killed your mother. They treated you as if you’d turn on them any second. As if you’d attack them. As if you were an animal. A monster.

Your father had become even more distant and angry than before, which was something you didn’t think was possible. You didn’t know how to comfort him, and he didn’t know how to comfort you. Nobody was there for you while you grieved for your mother, and you felt feared and unwanted. So, to make things easier for them, you left. You planned to just wander, maybe even steal a motorcycle and follow in your fathers footsteps. You had been waiting for a bus when the Reach kidnapped you. When you woke up, voices were talking in your head. You were terrified, but then you heard your mothers voice. Whether it was actually her or just your subconscious, you didn’t know, but she helped you control the other voices. You were extremely intelligent, so it didn’t take long for you to get the hang of telepathy. When you finally escaped, you were put back into more testing. It made you anxious and panicky, since you knew what happened to your father and many mutants when they were tested on. You remembered the mutants that died being experimented on by Trask, and the lifelong trauma it brought your father.

“If we let you out, do you think you can handle getting some food without throwing a fit?” A security guard asked you, mocking you as if you were a child.

You lifted your head and nodded slowly, manipulating his mind to think your pupils were dilated, a sign of sedation. Once he was satisfied he unbuckled the straight jacket and helped you up, but you convinced him you could walk on your own. You walked out to the hallway and stopped at a corner, watching the others who were listening to Eduardo Jr and Eduardo Sr arguing very loudly. They looked away when he storms out, slamming the door.

“Uh...we should get lunch while we have time.” Virgil suggested.

“This is so messed up.” Tye snapped. “STAR is as bad as the Reach and worse than home.”

“Wouldn’t go that far.” Onawa Longshadow, who you figured out was his sister, mumbled.

“But STAR wants to help us.” Neut, some other escapee said quietly.

“Whatever, Neut. I just know I can’t take much more of this.” Tye said through his teeth.

“You won’t have to. Cause we’re busting out. Tonight.” Virgil says with determination. This perks your attention, so you walks towards them.

“And how are we supposed to do that?” Eduardo asked. “This place is a fortress.”

“You’ll need me.”

They all spin around and see you, perfectly awake and not sedated at all.

“You faked it, didn’t you?” Tye asked you, grinning.

“That’s what he said.” Virgil whispered, Eduardo snickering while Tye rolled his eyes.

“Drugs and medicine don’t work on me.” You shook your head. “The doctors are idiots.”

“Is that your metahuman gene?” Eduardo asked.

“No. That’s my X-Gene.” You shake your head as you looked around to make sure there’s no guards spying on you guys.

“Wait...” Tye mumbled. “I thought you were a telepath?”

“Holy shit! You’re like Wolverine, right? With a healing factor!” Virgil exclaimed.

“What?” A guard overheard from the other hallway. You rolled your eyes and erased the last few seconds from his mind, then created a “mind link” with the others, translating for Asami at the same time. Not Neut though, you knew he wanted to stay and report you. So you erased his mind as well.

‘Don’t yell. Talk to me through this.’ You ordered as you all started walking towards the cafeteria. ‘Yes, Wolverine is my father. My X-Gene developed when I was little, but the Reach activated my meta gene as well.’

‘No fair, so you’ve got like, a hundred powers?’ Virgil asked.

‘Can you even count? She’s got two.’ Onawa rolled her eyes.

‘So you know how to get us out of here?’ Tye asked. He seemed to be the most restless and adamant about leaving, which you took note of.

‘We leave tonight. I’ll take care of everything.’

•

“Please, tell me you're not serious about running. Running, escaping, whatever you want to call it, we're gone. This is serious. I nearly blew up Central City. My powers may be gone now, but what if they come back, you know, escalate out of control all over again? What if your powers escalate? Dude, you can't control them now. Look, I know Wilcox is a pain. STAR is a pain, but they're trying to keep us safe. Or at least keep the world safe from us.” Neut tried to reason with you.

“I’m outta here..” Virgil scoffed as you led him towards the door.

“Oh yeah.” Tye nodded, his sister following behind.

“Adios.” Eduardo waved to Neut.

“Are you coming Sam?” You asked her.

“I think so?” She tilted her head.

“That might mean yes.” Tye and Eduardo both led her towards you.

You spun around when alarms suddenly blared, and you saw Neut at some control panel.

“Sorry. But I can’t let you do this.” Neut narrowed his eyes.

“Bold of you to assume you were letting us in the first place, punk!” Onawa glared at him, starting to charge at him before her brother tugged her back.

“Let’s go!” You shouted at them, rushing down the hallway. Virgil and Eduardo sprinted ahead of you, right at the door. Virgil tried to open the door, but it was locked.

“The alarms put the whole place on lockdown!” Virgil alerted you.

“Great! Now what?” Tye asked.

“No idea.” Virgil admitted.

“Well what was your escape plan?” Eduardo asked.

“Uh...I didn’t really come up with one.” Virgil rubbed the back of his neck. “Y/N, weren’t you supposed to be in charge here?”

“I am. Just wait for it.” You told them. You knew guards would be at every exit any minute, and you wanted to show them something.

“Ed? Can you teleport us out?” Virgil asked, trying to figure out why you were just standing there staring down the hall.

“Haven't you been paying attention? I can only teleport myself and only along sight lines. Which makes escaping from a windowless, locked hallway somewhat difficult!” Eduardo shouted, accent becoming thicker in his anger.

“No problem! Tye can do his thing, right?” Virgil turned to Tye.

“Wrong! I can’t control ‘my thing’! It just happens!” Tye shook his head.

“Onawa? Can you do some magic or something?”

“No way! If I try to tear apart the door I could tear you apart too! I don’t have control yet, you-“ Onawa opened her mouth to say some god awful curse.

“That’s enough.” Tye smacked her arm.

“Look out!” Asami pointed.

You grinned when some guards ran up, channeling your inner Wolverine.

“You kids need to come with us!” A guard warned.

“Don’t think so.” Eduardo said darkly.

You charged at the guards, finally sheathing your claws. You made sure to not cut any vital parts, only making flesh wounds to keep them down. You snarled at them, baring your sharp teeth. Once they were all down, you turned around and charged towards the others. They all jumped aside as you went for the door, easily tearing through the layers of metal. You retracted your claws, standing straight and feeling your shoulders and back crack loudly. You turned around, everyone staring at you in shock and fear.

“Let’s go.” You say calmly, before running off into the night.

#weapon hex #tye longshadow x howlett! reader #tye longshadow x reader #tye longshadow #onawa longshadow #the runaways #yj runaways #dc #young justice #request

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celticheartedfangirl · 4 years

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My OUAT Rewatch -- S5E11 -- Swan Song

Link to Rewatch Review and Ranking archive

Me getting through this episode . . . . . . .

So . . . . this is gonna be LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG. I have time, I have opinions, and I’m not holding back. Under the cut for length and just a heads up there WILL BE BELLE CRITICISM UNDER HERE. When I get to that point I will strike out all of the Belle critical stuff like this. It doesn’t mean I don’t MEAN IT -- I just want to give those who can’t handle Belle being dragged the opportunity to easily bypass that section.

Are we ready?

Me AFTER I watched this episode, BTW . . . . . .

So, honestly, as has been the case since this arc crap started, this is a rushed, sloppy, choppy, hacked up episode with a bunch of shit going on, it’s clearly a hot mess of shit, there are OBVIOUS deleted scenes we never saw and never WILL see, and I can totally understand why so many just flat out noped the fuck out of this show at this point. Because it really is NOT enjoyable and frankly, even knowing what comes, it still makes me stabby.

But I have to find a way of plodding through this here, so let’s do a point by point order of things, in no particular order:

1. So Hook murdered his dad and left his little brother an orphan. Whatta guy! Honestly, here’s the thing -- all the anti-Rumple folk bitch about how many people he killed, and really I don’t think his body count is higher than Hook’s. Rumple kills when he’s pissed off, and almost always in a heat of the moment thing (see: Milah, the dudes that used to bully him as a spinner, Tamara). He doesn’t just go off killing to kill for thrills and funsies and murder trinkets. Hook has admitted ON SCREEN to killing dozens -- and this was as a mortal with no dark curse whispering in his ear 24/7. What’s HIS excuse?

2. OMG, Emma really just got completely destroyed at this point, didn’t she. I found a VERY GOOD meta on the destruction of Emma Swan and why CS is such utter bullshit so I thought I’d share it here:

https://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/134225913047/lana-ny-swanmills-cs-is-literally-so-terrible

3. Slight fun side note -- DON’S Mess with OQ, yo!

From the OFFICIAL Once Upon a Time Twitter! Happy Endgins!

Okay where was I . . . . this is what happens when I scroll through late 2015 me . . . ahem . . .

4. This would have been the perfect way to keep Zee the fuck off the show forever. Just saying . . . . . .

5. Side note 2: some fun times with December 2015 me live blogging this shitfest . . . . .

http://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/134695062042/any-wagers-on-them-cutting-that-scene-of-belle

Yup . . . they cut it . . . shocking, right?

https://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/134695563322/so-hold-up

https://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/134694787487/that-was-literally-the-worst-writing-ive-seen

https://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/134704968232/rumple-moving-the-darkness-didnt-even-make-sense

https://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/135222506932/friendly-reminder-that-killian-was-a-dead-man

6. Post-episode Adam Horowitz being an absolute DICK to fans on Twitter -- just follow our vision, FUCK your vision, you hack! (Bonus points for a hijacking of this post by some asshole CS fan):

https://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/134802058737/rumplegasm-mybittersweetblasphemy

7. The AMY MANSON saga:

https://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/134756133022/amy-manson-deleted-her-retweets-of-ouat-negativity

There are also BTS somewhere of Merida marching Arthur out of Storybrooke that were filmed for this episode. Remember . . . at the end of The Bear King, Merida promised she was coming for Arthur. Did that ever happen? Of course not. HACKS. Also Amy did PRESS for this episode and so it’s clear they never even TOLD HER that her scenes for this episode were CUT. So there’s also that. HACKS.

8. Check out the Lily Sparks review of this episode because it is EVERYTHING:

http://www.tv.com/news/once-upon-a-time-swan-song-review-headed-to-hell-in-a-handbasket-144942941967/

I want to point out specifically, on page 3, what she says about Rumple taking back the Dark One powers:

And then Emma heard all the Parseltongue and followed the sounds to the pawnshop and Rumple was like, "LOL okay you got me, I totally performed a quick spell that somehow cleaved apart the Excalibur and became the Dark One because eff everybody invested in my character. I essentially have a multiple-personality disorder and no one on the writing staff gave me the memo about not trying to convey a genuine struggle while I was playing Rumple these last three years." I'm sorry but this twist was so lazy it infuriated me. I can't believe that shit made it out of a first draft, let alone through studio and network notes.

Which, sadly . . . . . . brings me to Belle and Rumbelle.

9. Belle’s theme song:

Yeah, it’s not gonna get better from here . . . .

So damn . . . . Belle really was kind of a bitch in this episode, huh? I mean . . . . at the TIME I was happy for the hugs and kisses and sex but watching it again just . . . DAMN . . . . .

Also, “For the first time ever you were selfless” GTFO of here!!!!!

For the first time EVER???? GTFO, what kind of shit writing is this??? How did Emilie even deliver that garbage fire of a line with a straight face, and how did Bobby even react to it without a lot of cursing? Or maybe he did. We do know that they wanted Rumbelle to bang on the bed in the shop and Bobby put his foot down on that one and they literally created a bedroom set for that 30 second scene because Bobby wasn’t gonna have them film the post-coital scene in the shop.

So yay for Bobby?

10. I wrote this post regarding this episode IN DEFENSE OF RUMPLE -- still stand by every word (there is Belle dragging and I mean DRAGGING in this post -- you’ve been warned):

https://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/177022910487/in-defense-of-rumpelstiltskin-in-s5e11

11. In closing -- A SUMMARY:

https://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/135191267572/summary-of-ouat-finale

Here have some fan art:

https://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/135246399887/retrogrlfan-there-is-no-reason-for-this

https://celticheartedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/135223382862/retrogrlfan-more-pink-rumple

Points tally:

40 points to start

20 points for 2 Rumbelle hugs

20 points for 2 Rumbelle kisses

5 points for Swan Queen

20 points deducted for BOTH OOC Belle and Rumple nonsense

10 points deducted for Hook & Zelena

Full 25 deducted and I want to give bonus for the Rumbelle sex but . . . . this episode just doesn’t deserve it.

Total points: 30

Moving on . . . are we ready?

Follow #celtichearted OUAT ranking tag for more to come!

#celtichearted ouat ranking #swan song #anti hook #anti cs #anti ouat writers #ouat criticism #belle critical

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obbystars · 5 years

Note

for the video game ask all of them. every single one

Oh lol okay

1. Dark Deception. Not much there is not fun lol. I like games where it looks I like you just run around a maze, collecting stuff while avoiding monsters, but there’s still a fucking story. Look hard enough and you might as well find all of the secrets on your own by accident cause you clicked a door or a wall. And boom! There’s lore, or concept art.

2. A Wii.

3. Destiny 2. I have faith in this game. It was the first game that I ever felt so attached to that I started playing everyday or when I got the chance just to get the gear I want.

4. ...Kayn from League of Legends. payed for all his skins cause i can :)

5. Gonna use a different answer here. Lotus from Warframe. Kill space mom.

6. Horror and adventure. Horror’s nice, and games without timers (most of the time) and let you admire the place for a while is a game I’d play. Also, no games that do not have a story behind why the characters do something. Most battle royals, really.

7. I mean I kinda have a lot? Malak from Dark Deception? You know what? I’ll go with Malak.

8. I still have all of the Wii games I bought despite giving it to my cousin who is in the Philippines, so...maybe Super Smash Bro. Brawl? I think it was that.

9. Ohh, like probably seven.

10. Honestly? Cuphead, and I started playing that at late May, all the way up to the last day of school.

11. Destiny 2, for sure.

12. ...flashed into a wall.

13. Hmm...don’t think I got one.

14. Finally able to beat the Leviathan Raid, or really just a raid in general. Seriously having that feeling is pretty nice.

15. Excalibur Umbra. Just wanna give him a hug.

16. Xbox and PC

17. Hmm...Bungie maybe.

18. Dark Deception

19. Depends on the game. Like in Assassin’s Creed. Is it absolutely necessary to stealth? “Being detected causes desyncronization.” Shit, alright fine. I’ll be sneaky. Still want to kill everyone here though.

20. The second I figure out there’s cheats.

21. Single player. I mean competitive is fine every now and then but nah.

22. MY GUARDIAN OR AGATHA

23. Not yet. I honestly could’ve went to Tennocon.

24. Cuphead is full of bosses. What the fuck do you mean?

25. Don’t think I have one.

26. Assassin’s Creed :)

27. Bitch I ain’t going for a god damn challenge. I always look at the tutorial.

28. Finally playing Gambit.

29. Realizing most people just use Truth/any other tracking rocket launcher.

30. Just to get my mind off of things.

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crusherthedoctor · 6 years

Text

Sonic Villains: Sweet or Shite? - Part 6: KING ARTHUR & MERLINA

There are some villains I like. And there are some villains I don’t like. But why do I feel about them the way I do? That’s where this comes in.

This is a new mini-series of mine, in which I’ll be going into slightly more detail about my thoughts on the villains in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, and why I think they either work well, or fall flat (or somewhere in-between). I’ll be giving my stance on their designs, their personalities, and what they had to show for themselves in the game(s) they featured in. Keep in mind that these are just my own personal thoughts. Whether you agree or disagree, feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions! I don’t bite. :>

Anyhow, for today’s installment, we’ll be fighting the knight while living life as we discuss the dark spirit of Sonic and the Black Knight, as well as the schemer behind the scenes: King Arthur & Merlina.

The Gist: Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a peaceful kingdom was threatened by the rule of a corrupted king. A young wizard named Merlina valiantly defied this monarch, the famous King Arthur, and attempted to escape the clutches of his evil army, but alas, she was cornered like a poor little lamb. In desperation, she called upon a brave and noble hero to help save her kingdom.

She got a blue hedgehog instead.

He did it guys, he did the thing, we can all go home now.

Eager to fight the villain of the week, Sonic was instead put aside by Merlina, who explained to him that as long as King Arthur had the scabbard of Excalibur in his possession, he was basically Jesus and couldn't be wounded in any meaningful way. She also explained that the king was once a noble soul, until the Lady of the Lake, Nimue, lended Excalibur to him, presumably under the belief that granting an ambitious ruler immortality and the power to pluck monsters from the underworld couldn't possibly be a terrible idea.

It was.

Luckily for Sonic, Merlina guided him to a forest where a poorly guarded sword was held, the one weapon capable of dealing some real damage to the evil king. Sonic even got a chance to make it count when Arthur himself showed up right after, but since this was still early on in the game, he fucked up so badly that Arthur and the sword itself - yes, the sword itself - were both laughing at him for his incompetence.

By the way, I hope you like desaturated cutscenes.

Nonetheless, the sword - who went by the name of Caliburn - decided to give the cocky teenager a chance in spite of his own reservations, and granted him the honorable title of Knave the Hedgehog. Sonic took issue with this title, because he didn't want to be mistaken for a fancharacter (probably). As they discussed their next course of action, Merlina waxed nihilistic poetry about flowers for some strange reason.

Because that's how nature works, silly girl.

So after a trip to the Blacksmith to get Caliburn in tip-top shape for regicide, Sonic went off to seek out Nimue in order to get an idea of what to actually do. Upon visiting her, he was asked to locate and gather the sacred swords, though he was forced to detract from his mission for the sake of saving some helpless townspeople from a cruel dragon, because that's just the kind of guy that Sonic the Hedgehog is... Just as well then that it was part of Nimue's test all along! (Just as well also that King Arthur was presumably patient enough to wait for Sonic to pass his tests instead of using that time to destroy the kingdom.)

All the while, he confronted the Knights of the Round Table, who - being the king's most trusted and most capable soldiers - did nothing other than get their asses handed to them.

Pictured: Useless twats.

Until at last, when everything that had to be done was done, Sonic and Caliburn went to the Faraway Avalon, where King Arthur himself dwelled. The battle was intense to say the least, but with a little help from the sacred swords, the Blue Blur prevailed, and the corrupted monarch who plagued the kingdom... dissipated? Like the Knights of the Underworld before him...? Well at least they got Excalibur back.

Seeking to get to the bottom of this mystery, Sonic brought it to Merlina's attention, who revealed that the King Arthur the hedgehog slayed was a fake, and that there never was a true King Arthur to begin with, as he was an illusion created by Merlina's grandfather, the great Merlin himself.

She also revealed the slightly more important fact that she's an evil bitch who used Sonic for her own gain, and proceeded to use Excalibur to give the hero a very bad time.

Holding a sword like that with her hair so close? Bitch is mad.

After some reassurance that all was not in vain, Sonic convinced the Knights of the Round Table to stop kissing the now-deceased Arthur's feet and help him save the kingdom for real. Using their sacred swords, the Knights formed a powerful barrier around the kingdom's castle, and then immediately proceeded to go right back to being useless.

Just kidding. The barrier wasn't even strong enough to amount to much. That puts the Knights' usefulness points right back to zero.

“Why do people call this our last hurrah again...?”

When Sonic finally confronted Merlina in her domain, with the understandable query of why she was such a manipulative witch, she revealed that her motives are less “cackling rapscallion” and more “morally grey”. You see, with the supposed rift between Sir Lancelot and Sir Gawain, and the eventual downfall of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table in general, the kingdom was doomed to suffer an undesirable fate no matter what. Seeking to fix her late grandfather's mistakes, she wanted nothing more than to create a world that would never end, for ultimate peace and prosperity... as far as she knew.

Sonic had none of it and promptly called her out on her selfish desire, but the wizard proved too much for him to handle, as evidenced by the surprisingly savage beatdown that he received immediately after. Caliburn got broke in half for his troubles, and the Knights commanded the hedgehog to get the hell out of there, but Sonic remained stubborn, as he never backs down no matter the opponent. This eventually paid off for him, as his heroic nature inexplicably summoned the power that granted him a new form: the knight in shiny gold armor, Excalibur Sonic. This was fortunately just the right amount of power necessary to defeat Merlina's final form of King Arthur 2: This Time It's Personal.

Beaten, but not outright killed, the depowered Merlina was left a broken woman. But Sonic wasn't afraid to show a bit of compassion to the wizard, as he gave her the advice that while the world may not last forever, we must live our lives to the fullest, and make the time that we do have count.

"Well yeah, that’s easy for an iconic mascot like you to say. As soon as this game is over, my career is finished. Eat shit, rodent.”

Also, Sonic turns out to be the real King Arthur. Because self-inserts are canon. Credits!

The Design: King Arthur's design is a bit on the generic side for Sonic standards, but it's decent enough for the type of villain that he is. Though you do have to wonder how he can stand upright with those gigantic shoulder pads of his.

This photo was taken moments before his kneecaps crumbled into dust.

Meanwhile, Merlina heavily resembles Shahra from Black Knight’s predecessor, as befitting of her initial role as Shahra's replacement for Black Knight, as well as making her true role all the more surprising.

“Shahra? No. I'm my own original character... Backstabbhra.”

When the latter becomes the Dark Queen, she initially settles for turning purple and gaining some fashionable feathers, before unleashing her final form which basically amounts to a collection of blue and black tentacles.

Typical angsty teenage phase.

Arthur and Merlina's designs overall are... okay. Just okay.

The Personality: As someone who is more a force of nature than an actual character, King Arthur's personality amounts to saying a bunch of evil things and not much else. That's alright though, since Merlina is the true villain of this particular story, so it’s her personality that counts here.

But here's the problem... Merlina doesn't have much personality either. She spends the first half of the story taking the role of the typical assistant, and the second half whinging about how her kingdom will be ruined unless she does something about it. That is all you get with her. Yes, there is clearly meant to be more to her, as evidenced with her misguided beliefs and her relationship with her grandfather, but very little is actually done with those aspects beyond giving Sonic more things to lecture her and shout at her for.

The Execution: On paper, Merlina is a character who should be among the greatest of Sonic villains.

On paper.

But you see, while she is unique in the sense of being the rarity of a female villain AND an anti-villain in a Sonic game... there really isn't anything else going for her. Once you get past those two initial brownie points, you don't have much of real interest left. You may get a cool moment like the aforementioned beatdown of Sonic come the endgame, but you're given no reason to actually care about the person doing the deed, despite the game wanting you to do so.

“I've not been given any particular reason to do so, so no.”

There's a lot of telling with Merlina, rather than showing. She's presented as a well-intentioned extremist, but we're given no reason whatsoever to actually bother trying to see things her way, even if we would still ultimately acknowledge that what she's doing is wrong. Even Sonic himself doesn't bother considering her side of the story for a second, and while that is certainly in-character for the Blue Blur, it makes Merlina's anti-villain status - one of the very aspects that makes her unique among Sonic villains - fall flat all the more. Likewise, the only information we get about why the kingdom is destined to be doomed comes straight from Merlina's mouth, and that's it. We're never shown an example of what exactly she wants to prevent aside from vaguely alluded ruination, therefore we're given less reason to express actual interest in her motivation and goals.

Also, it must be stated: There wasn't nearly enough foreshadowing with her true intentions. Of course you don’t want to beat the player over the head to the point where they can see the twist coming from a mile away, but you still need a decent amount of build up to make a twist work, otherwise it practically comes out of nowhere. And since you don’t even need to count the hints with one hand in Merlina’s case, it does feel out of nowhere.

Overall, Merlina - and King Arthur, for that matter - are just kind of forgettable at the end of the day. Not terrible. Not outright bad. Just forgettable. And it's a huge shame, because Merlina COULD have been amazing. She had all the ingredients to stand out and be in the same tier as the likes of Eggman and Erazor. But she simply can't live up to the likes of them because there wasn't enough sufficient effort to make her truly blossom as the type of antagonist she was intended to be. There was something good going on with her, I can acknowledge and appreciate that there was something good going on with her... it just wasn't enough.

Which is kind of how I feel about Sonic and the Black Knight in general. It doesn’t do an awful lot with the things that it gets praised for. And the story as a whole - while serving as a great character analysis for Sonic himself - is just kind of boring for an actual narrative in a Sonic the Hedgehog game.

My favourite Sonic game is the one where Sonic made fun of attempted suicide.

Crusher Gives King Arthur & Merlina a: Thumbs Sideways!

#Sonic Villains: Sweet or Shite?#Opinion #Sonic the Hedgehog #King Arthur #Merlina #Sonic and the Black Knight

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agentdagonet · 5 years

Text

Echoes, Ch. 22

Find it here on AO3

Find it here on tumblr: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 1516 17 18 19 20 21

Fic Summary: Feet dangling off the edge of the bed, hands still resting on the earpieces of his glasses, Eggsy opened his eyes.

And promptly shut them again, screwing them shut like a child who had the distinct misfortune of biting into a raw lemon. Breathing harshly in his nose and out his mouth, trying to stave off whatever delusional panic had befallen him, Eggsy reopened his eyes.

‘Harry?’

Or: The Hologram Story Nobody Asked For

A/N This is a scene I’ve wanted to write for a while but only just found the proper place for it. Enjoy!

Harry spent an inordinate amount of time watching Eggsy’s hands, of late. He thought he’d been surreptitious enough about the course of action- but Merlin’s pointed glances told otherwise.

There was just this elegance about him, an unconscious awareness of everything- it was as if he were the air itself. Touching everything but never lingering. And for all of Harry’s poetic musings, Eggsy was still flighty and quick to startle or flinch at the best of times.

Except with Him.

Those first couple months of living in the same space were awkward, there was no denying; Eggsy going out of his way to avoid the paths he’d programmed the holograms to walk, Harry dancing along the line between speech and silence about the subject. But, miraculously, they’d gotten through it. And things had only improved from there, in ways Harry could never have predicted.

A house he’d lived in longer than he had not had suddenly become a home. The places where he had once been alone had Eggsy written in the gaps.

It wasn’t as if he’d meant to fall in love with the man Eggsy had become in his absence, but it was far too late to change anything about it. He took every opportunity to bask in his presence like a cat in the sun, to praise his accomplishments and give kind criticism for his failures. Harry had gotten a second chance, a renewed lease on life, and despite the hard adjustments he’d had to make to his lifestyle Harry couldn’t be anything other than incredibly grateful.

Grateful for Eggsy being in the house when he woke from night terrors, his quiet bustling about proof that he was awake and safe. Grateful that his injuries hadn’t benched him entirely, and had instead sparked interest in the Lake for new gadgets, making it possible to be in the field (with Eggsy) far more often. Grateful that Eggsy had finally relaxed into the house, his belongings now strewn about in a way that had driven Harry to frustrated to tears in his college days but now only filled him with fond exasperation.

Grateful that Eggsy never once flinched from his touch, no matter how sudden.

With their sporadic times of rest between missions, their small habits became ritual, became tradition. They had a home, and for what was perhaps the first time Harry realised that he hadn’t had one of those in a great many years; he’d had a place to live, certainly, but a home was different. A home was somewhere you looked forward to being- not just a space you slept in between bouts of activity. A home implied love and that was something Harry was finally able to come to terms with.

But telling Eggsy of his affections was another story altogether. What they had wasn’t necessarily new, nor was it fragile- but it was important. Harry would dare to say sacred, if he didn’t feel oddly about the word in and of itself. Their quiet nights in front of the telly, their spars, their joint missions that happened with such frequency that some of the Knights had started calling Eggsy Excalibur.

(If it weren’t for his entirely-biased attachment to the Galahad title he’d have made Eggsy his Excalibur long ago. The right hand man to Merlin’s left, the outward action to Merlin’s inward machinations and guidance- but that would be changing things just because he wanted to and not for a purpose, and Harry knew he was better than that. Eggsy was just as effective as Galahad as he would be as Excalibur. But the temptation was there and grew every time the others used the name.

So he just... joined in on the Knights’ jokes, until it made the newer Knights uncomfortable, and the older ones confused- who enjoys their boss joining in on a joke? And it had all tapered off from there.

To be fair, If Harry had seen Chester laugh genuinely once (and not at someone else’s misfortune) he might not have hated him as much as he- no. That was a lie; being sent to your death by a man you trusted to lead you (let alone had known you for most of your life) warranted hatred. And, if Harry didn’t, then Eggsy certainly would. Harry doubted that Eggsy had ever gotten past the shoot-the-dog moment. And that actually may have become a more intense hatred now that Harry explained what was supposed to happen.)

Eggsy had retaliated to the Excalibur jokes by purchasing one of those sword-in-the-stone replicas and super gluing it to his desk- but he’d also gotten a Grail.

‘Well Galahad was the knight that found the Grail, yeah? So I’m a double agent for you, sword and cup- who said I had to choose?’

It had taken all of Harry’s restraint not to kiss him.

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your desired outcome, Eggsy seemed oblivious. Ever since the Hologram conversation, Eggsy’s entire demeanor had loosened- he didn’t cut himself off mid-sentence, he stopped panicking about bringing up certain topics, he started asking more questions and revealing bit by bit the things he had learned from the program.

Eggsy had somehow convinced someone in the Lake to modify his winged trainers with blades like the standard oxfords, and now they barely left his feet. He started throwing about ideas at random what if we had, like, bulletproof denim? Or snapbacks or somethin’ for your head- it’d still hurt like fuck but least the bullet wouldn’t kill you probably. It was wonderful to see Eggsy so driven, able to share his ideas without fear of judgement- oh, plenty of them were shot down for one reason or another, but it was never done cruelly. There were no jokes about whatever it was, just plain explanation as to why they weren’t possible at present, or else questions to try and expand or narrow down the idea before sending the request to Merlin for approval for tinkering.

For everything that had changed, there was something that had remained. Sun covers;; though now they, too, were reorganised again: two walls for Harry, one for Eggsy, and one for the mission’s they’d done together. Butterflies- now not sequestered to the loo but scattered about their home, as well. Eggsy had said that, even if they were a bit creepy, he was glad for the reminders thy bore- so they’d started collecting for their joint missions, as well.

Harry had to remind himself regularly that they were not, in fact, married- but these little things, the melding together of their habits and hobbies and traditions, were as close as spies could traditionally get- and that was ignoring their age difference. Percival and James had been the exception, not the rule.

But, Harry shook himself back to the present and looked down at his phone, at the unsent text message that sat there taunting him, there were some things that needed to happen needless of romantic intention. Facing Michelle was one of those things. He sighed, ran one hand up his face and dislodged his glasses, before locking the phone and getting to his feet.

There would be no better moment for this; Eggsy was in New Zealand for another week by his estimate, and Merlin was sufficiently distracted by Lamorak’s intel for at least another day or so.

He stopped to get a small bottle of wine and a soft lilac blanket before heading to the Unwin house- the latter was for Daisy, the former was the only thing Harry could envision himself offering to Michelle as flowers held far too many romantic affiliations, and coming by empty handed was far too reminiscent of their last interaction. Harry steeled himself and knocked on the door, but couldn’t help but shuffle his feet as hurried footsteps stopped before the door and the lock turned.

‘Can I help… you…’ Michelle’s face paled as she took in the form of Harry standing on her doorstep. He’d forgone the glasses, and worn one of his cardigans instead of the suit- as much as he needed the metaphorical armour he did not want to force her mind back to that dreary December.

‘Uh, yes- Mrs. Unwin I would like to offer my sincerest apologies and explanations, and have to that end brought a peace offering.’ He lifted the blanket and wine, and smiled sheepishly as Michelle slowly came back to herself and opened the door a bit wider. He took that as invitation and stepped inside, unfolding the blanket and placing it on the floor by the pile of toys he was certain Daisy would eventually return to.

‘What’re you apologising for- not being dead? You already sent Merlin with all the stuff about Lee back when you were.’ Michelle’s tone wasn’t entirely accusatory, but still harsh enough to pink the ends of his ears. She grabbed a couple glasses, and poured a bit of the wine into each.

‘To be honest I haven’t entirely thought this through beyond knowing you deserved more than whatever it was Merlin said to you. I hadn’t even realised that he had followed through with the request until quite recently, but I was going to come by either way.’

‘Eventually.’

Harry shrugged, ‘Eventually, yes- forgive me for my delay.’

‘Can’t forgive shit that don’t deserve apologies, Mr. Hart.’

Well, that was a surprise.

‘I beg your pardon?’

‘You were dead, damn near broke my Eggsy, but you’re not now and my boy’s back to being himself. That’s enough for me, Mr. Hart. You came back, and you make Eggsy happy- that’s all I’ve cared about. Lee weren’t your fault.’

‘I beg to differ, Mrs. Unwin.’ Harry cleared his throat, more affected by Michelle’s words than he would ever admit. ‘If I had not been so careless the day your husband died, had I paid more attention and showed off less-’

‘There ain’t any sense in dwellin’ on the what-ifs, Mr. Hart. It happened, and yeah,’ Michelle looked away, stared blankly at the wall, before turning to face Harry directly, ‘it was awful. But, thing is, it takes more than one thing to fuck up a life. There’s layers to this shit, yeah? There’s love and money, sure, but there’s also determination and weakness- I gave in to the shit that should have made me more determined to do well for Eggsy.

‘I let Dean into our lives- I didn’t even just let him in, I fucking married him and didn’t think to leave when he hit Eggsy that first time. I just thought to keep him ‘round cos he was my security- he was an awful man, and I let myself be blind to his abuse. I let Eggsy get hurt, let me get hurt- but I never let him touch Daisy. V-Day showed I didn’t have to stop him, I’d just ‘s soon hurt her myself. She’d get hurt either way.’ It was obvious that she had lost her train of thought, and Michelle took a moment to breathe before she continued.

‘The point,’ She said, ‘is that you can’t change the past. You can remember it, and you can regret it, but you can’t change it. So, now, you got to do somethin’ for me.’ Harry inclined his head, unwilling to speak and break her flow.

‘You’ve got to let it go.’ Harry shuddered in a breath, eyes wide, mouth opening and closing without sound.

‘I’ve learned a lot in the time you were gone, Mr. Hart- a lot abou’ Eggsy, and a lot about me. He and I’ve got a bit on common- we don’t let go easily, and when we love it’s with our whole selves. That’s why it hurts so much when it’s over.

‘I know he’s doing the job his Dad almost got- I’m not angry, but I’m worried for him every day. Like I was when he went off to join the marines, but somehow it’s worse because he won’t tell me. He says he’s a tailor, just like the rest of them, and if Merlin hadn’t let your name slip I prolly would never’ve connected the dots. I knew he was trying to live up to a memory, when he showed up in the Prince after V-Day, but I didn’t realise how much more than that it was.’

‘The Prince? I’m sorry, he hasn’t told me about much that happened around V-Day, would you mind…?’ To his surprise Michelle laughed, covering her mouth with the hand not holding the wine glass, and nodded.

‘Eggsy didn’ come back home for a few days- guess he was busy helpin’ your lot with the aftermath- and by the time he did Dean’s boys and I were out at the pub cos they had beer and the least broken windows.’ Michelle looked wistful for a moment before she shook her head. ‘So, there we were, when Eggsy’s just there and correctin’ Dean for tellin’ me to shut off my music- he was dressed in one of them fancy suits, and it was the first time I really saw him as a man instead of my baby boy.

‘So Dean makes some comment about havin’ a word with him,’ Harry refused to make eye contact, instantly connecting the comment to his stopping Eggsy from beating Dean after the final test. ‘An’ they trade words for a minute ‘til Dean called his digs a chicken costume and he just-’ She mimes pushing something to the side, and Harry is suddenly very sure of where this is going. ‘Starts locking up the joint, and no one stops him, sayin’ something about manners. And then, slick as anythin’, he uses the end of a fucking umbrella,’ Oh, Eggsy. ‘And throws a glass into Dean’s head! Knocks ‘im clean over!

‘He looked so proud of himself, Mr. Hart, and then he looks at Rottie and them and says-’

‘Are we going to stand around here all day, or are we going to fight?’ Harry whispered, cutting Michelle off smoothly, and her mouth hangs agape or a moment.

‘How’d you know that, if he hasn’t told you about it?’

‘It’s something I said the day we met- same group of people, too- so I assume they didn’t press the issue once Dean fell unconscious?’ Michelle was looking at him as if she’d never seen him before, and in a way that was true, but the smile tugging at her lips was entirely unexpected.

‘No, they let me leave with him and grab all our things- he got me the divorce papers a month later, and I never questioned it. I was too happy to have gotten free at all to really think about all the hows of it, too busy being grateful it had happened at all.’ That was a feeling Harry was growing increasingly familiar with.

‘I know the feeling- I’ve been so busy being grateful for things that I haven’t stopped to wonder about all the things that led to my being here.’

‘Yeah, that’s exactly it- you don’ want to stop being grateful but you feel like figuring out all the bits and pieces will take the wonder away-’

‘And one hopes that it won’t, but there’s always the possibility of going back to taking things for granted again-’

‘And then it’ll be like you never had those moments of gratefulness at all, because things just went back to the way they were-’

‘With some changes, of course.’

‘Of course.’

They fell into companionable silence, and Harry was pretty certain that he was in shock but these were the oddest circumstances for such a thing. He’d been told to let the past go by the person whose life he had, arguably, altered immensely for the worse. He wasn’t sure what to do from this point.

‘I’m not entirely certain of what to do from this point- I came here with the intent of apologising and maybe getting you to not hate me.’ His cheeks pinked at the admission, and Harry took a small sip of the wine- surprisingly pleasant, much like these circumstances.

‘I’ve never hated you, Mr. Hart. I hated the news you brought, I was angry at the world for taking my husband from me, but you were just the messenger. And, when Merlin came by and explained, I was shocked. But I felt like I was finally able to close that book. The world’s different now; I’m different now. But I’ve got my sitting here today, with my son and daughter and a house and no more wondering where the next meal’s coming from, partly thanks to you- no,’ She corrected herself, resting an arm along the back of the couch, ‘entirely thanks to you, and your following through on a promise you made 14 years in the past.’

‘I’m sure anyone would have done the same-’

‘Not where I’m from they don’t. Not where Eggsy grew up; unless you had one hell of a partnership someone’s word was only as good as their next meal ticket. It was a hard life to live, but it’s a harder one to leave behind.’

‘I can promise that you won’t end up back there, unless that’s something you end up desiring.’

‘Oh no, never. But we can discuss that over dinner.’

She’d lost him.

‘Dinner?’

‘Well you’re staying, aren’t you? I’m dead curious about the man Eggsy somehow believed back to life- like fucking Tinkerbell.’ They shared a small laugh, and Harry decided that this was a connection he could actively see himself fostering, to his unending surprise.

‘Besides, imagine the look on Eggsy’s face if he came round for a visit and found you and I chatting over wine like a couple of biddies?’

#dagonet writes #echoes fic kingsman #kingsman fanfiction

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