#i picked up my tablet last night and all of my motivation died on the spot | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mymoodwriting · 3 years

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Ten couldn’t rest even if exhaustion was calling to him. Things were different, this isn’t what he imagined when forming a relationship with Taemin. He knew this place well enough that he could find Taemin’s office all on his own.

“We need to talk.”

“I expected you sooner.” Taemin’s eyes didn’t leave the tablet in his hands. “Although I still recommend you get some rest. Baekhyun’s hallucinations have lingering effects on the vision, especially after the first time.”

“Noted, but this is about you.”

“It’s not. This isn’t about me, it’s about you, and your concerns. Having doubts?”

“You told me we were going to work together to take down this group, instead you’ve locked up my friends and are torturing them! What reason do I have to trust you?”

“Then tell me what you’re going to do if you no longer trust me? Attack me? Find your friends and escape?”

“…”

“You don’t have options, Ten. You’ve made your choice, so stick with it.”

“Why should I?”

“Because y/n is safe.”

“Safe?” Ten scoffed. “Weren’t you torturing her five minutes ago?”

“I was looking for her limits, psychic energy is very dangerous when left unattended. She’s like a bomb, and if not for me, she would have gone off.”

“Huh?”

“My team was tasked with bringing just the four of you in, and the Organization had no idea about y/n’s existence. You tell me what would have happened to y/n if you were all suddenly ripped away from her? Didn’t you get a taste of that when we took Lucas? And while you were on the train?”

“She…”

“She would have lost her mind. Spiraled into madness and who knows how many people would have gotten hurt in the aftermath. You’re near, she knows that, so nothing I do will set her off, and I also know how to monitor her energy levels. She won’t hurt anyone.”

“But you’ll hurt her.”

“It only hurts because she’s never used her powers this way, she’ll adjust.”

“Then what?”

“We’ll be unstoppable.”

“You say all these things, but I don’t know what you’re planning! How can I trust you if you refuse to be honest!”

“Because how can I trust you when you’re not even at full power? How can I trust you to follow my lead and understand what we’re up against if all you can do is heal a paper cut?”

“What exactly do you think I can do?”

“Finally, we’re on subject. You heal, but all you’ve ever done are minor injuries. What happens if someone loses a limb?”

“I… we’re not that careless, and I doubt you are, so be realistic.”

“Good, that’s the attitude to have. So let’s focus on you. All you’ve ever done is heal your teammates right? Nothing too serious.”

“Yeah.”

“So we can say humans are organic material.”

“Yes? What-”

Taemin grabbed the apple on his desk and bit into it. He tossed it over to Ten who held it in disgust.

“What-”

“Fix it.”

“Fix it?”

“Yes.”

“I… I don’t… what?”

“Aren’t apples organic material as well? They come from plants which are living things, just like people.”

“That doesn’t… I can’t heal an apple?”

“Have you ever even tried?”

“No, why would this-”

“Try.”

“I can’t.”

“Amuse me. Close your eyes, and whatever you do to heal your friends, do it now.”

Ten sighed and did as Taemin asked. He didn’t expect anything to come from it, but he knew the other could be so persistent. When he healed someone, it just took a moment, and he wasn’t really putting much effort into this. He opened his eyes and looked at the apple, looking for the bite mark to show Taemin, but it wasn’t there anymore. He examined the apple over and over again before his gaze turned to Taemin.

“How…”

“You can heal life, is that so hard to understand? I’d just like to know how far you can take it.”

Taemin’s phone chimed, and he checked the message. Without another word he walked out of his office, Ten quick to follow, still astonished by his own powers.

“How did you know I could do that?”

“I don’t know… I have faith.”

“Then… what exactly do you think I can do?”

“The better question is what do you think? I told you of Baekhyun yesterday, in order to figure out what you can do, you need to think beyond the surface.”

“But there is… a limit? Within my own abilities right?”

“Of course, you can heal, so build from that.”

“But I can’t… I don’t get this like you…and what about the others? What can they do?”

“That’s for them to discover, but I’ll indulge you once, you made progress after all.”

“Huh?”

“Pick one.”

“Ah… Mark, he can create portals, what more do you think he can do?”

“He’s only ever used them as a means of escape, never for combat.”

“Combat?”

“He has heart, that’s proven by the fact he’s still here even though he could escape. I fear he lacks the courage and confidence to do more.”

“Wait, what do you mean combat? How can he use it to fight?”

“Wouldn’t it be interesting to see him morph his portals into a shield? Create one like a suit of armor, covering him completely, and making him untouchable.”

“A shield… that’s insane.”

“As was healing an apple, wasn’t it?”

“Then… what is it you want me to do?”

“Good question.”

Taemin stopped, Ten right behind him. There was a large painting on the wall. For a moment Taemin glanced at it, and then it shattered. Ten jumped when the painting broke, a masterpiece ruined.

“What the hell?”

“I have faith… that you will restore it one day.”

Ten stayed put, staring at the remains, and then down at the apple. He just discovered something new about his powers, and yet Taemin expected him to do this. He reached out to touch the painting, what was left of it anyway. It wasn’t alive the way he or an apple was, but in its own ways it had lived. The goal was to bring it back to life one day, and that he vowed to do.

❤

“Get up.”

Taeyong wasn’t sure if he was hallucinating sounds, or if he was still dreaming. His world was still bathed in darkness, so he had to rely on his other senses, but he wasn’t that confident in them.

“I said get up.”

A slight kick to the side assured him he wasn’t alone, and that was surprising. He found the mattress on the floor, and now he had to get up. Without his sight he was still pretty disoriented, but the smell of food motivated him to get up. Although he crashed into the table at first, he eventually managed to sit down.

“Eat.”

“How? I can’t-”

Before he could finish food was shoved in his mouth. He choked a bit before spitting it out, not trusting the food.

“Aish, you think we’re going to poison you? After all that trouble we went through to bring you here? If we wanted to kill you we would have done so on the train.”

“Why am I here then?”

“To help.”

“Help?”

“We all share a common enemy.”

“And who would that be?”

“The people who cursed us with these gifts.”

“Huh?”

“Shall I tell you about how you got your powers?”

“I-”

“Eat.”

Taeyong didn’t have much of a choice as food was shoved in his mouth, and he was hungry, so he ate as well. This stranger told him about that night, and the events that transpired.

“This… wasn’t some accident.”

“You and your friends getting powers? Don’t you think that’s too much of a coincidence?”

“How many… how many died…”

“Hundreds, and no one knows about it.”

“So we’re here then… with…”

“No. We’re no longer associated with them, so you’re safe.”

“Where are the others?”

“Safe as well.”

“Let me see them.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Cause you need to restore your vision.”

“What? You people are the reason I can’t see shit!”

“Then fix it.”

“Me? How!”

“You tell me. I thought you could make duplicates of yourself.”

“I can’t see through their eyes!”

“Says who?”

“Huh?”

“Let’s make a deal then.”

“Deal?”

“I’ll let you see someone when you can tell me what color my hair is.”

“Your… how many guesses do I get?”

“One.”

“And if I fail?”

“I suppose y/n will be upset.”

“Have you hurt her! What happened to her on the train.”

“Questions for another time. You can do more than you think.”

“Wait.”

“Hm?”

“Can I at least get your name?”

“Baekhyun. Don’t hurt yourself too much.”

Taeyong let the words sit, trying to process the meaning. Being blind was driving him crazy, he was starting to worry he’d actually lose his vision. Baekhyun gave him some strange advice, but nonetheless it intrigued him. When he tried to create a double the collar just shocked him again, forcing him to stop. It wasn’t too bad of a shock, and he felt that if he pushed through the pain, he could actually achieve something. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for another shot.

❤

You opened your eyes feeling dizzy, the events of the past still unclear. You didn’t recognize the room you were in, let alone where you were. Regardless, the plain white walls were freaking you out. When you tried to get out of bed you just collapsed, the world still spinning. You were trying to reach the door, but you just didn’t have the strength. You tried to get up, and that’s when the door opened.

“Getting up probably wasn’t the best idea.”

Taemin picked you up off the ground and sat you down in bed. He brought in some food, attempting to feed you.

“I can do it myself.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah…”

You tried to grab the utensils, but your hands were shaking too much. Taemin chuckled over your efforts and fed you himself.

“Thanks…”

“I told you I would do it.”

“This… this feeling won’t last… right?”

“It’s temporary. You’ve never used your powers in such a way, so you need to adjust.”

“What did you do… to me…”

“You’ve only ever used your powers for conversations, you never done much else with it, like read minds.”

“I never wanted to do that…”

“It’s okay with the bad guys. You always could have done more for your boys you know, but I understand why they left you behind. Best to keep you safe, you couldn’t do much compared to them.”

“It was my choice to stay.”

“Of course.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You tell me? They’ve always babied you haven’t they? Keep you at home, give you whatever you want, even before you got your powers right? After all, they threw you a big party on your birthday.”

“That-”

“In their eyes you’re weak, always have been, and your powers only proved that.”

“I’m not weak!”

“Prove it then.” Taemin took off his necklace. “Read my mind dear. What am I thinking?”

“I…”

Taemin just gave you a smile, leaning forward as if that would help. You tried to read his mind, or at least connect, but when you tried you just screamed in agony.

“Nice try love.” Taemin grabbed the necklace. “I’ll give you points for your effort.”

“What… how…”

“I knew I’d meet you one day, so I’ve prepared. Why don’t we try with someone less powerful?”

“I…”

“Let’s go.”

Taemin took your hand and led you out of the room. The world wasn’t spinning anymore but you were still a bit dazed. You didn’t even know what time of day it was given that the halls were mostly plain, and there was no clock in sight. You wound up in a darker room, a man chained to the wall and gagged in the corner. You glanced at Taemin confused.

“What-”

“This gentleman here was our handler.”

“Handler?”

“Yes. The Organization wouldn’t just let us go out on our own, we had our handler here who would keep us on a tight leash and report back on our behaviors. We were a covert group after all, can’t draw too much attention.”

“What… what do you want me to do?”

“To practice, and get some answers for yourself.”

Taemin sat you down in a chair in the room, restraining one of your wrists. You looked at him, panicked again, mentally cursing yourself out for trusting him too easily.

“Taemin, what are you doing?”

“I want you to focus, and not to do anything you’ll regret.”

“Huh?”

“You’re gonna read his mind, it should be easier.”

“But I-”

“Think of it like searching. You said you’re a radio, instead of picking up and receiving signals, look for them, and hone in on what you want to know.”

“But-”

“Have fun. And I’m not letting you out till you do this.”

“Taemin! Taemin, wait!”

He shut the door with a loud bang, and you could hear the lock fall into place. You stared at the door frustrated, wanting to scream but knowing it was useless. Your focus shifted to the restraint but that was no use either. Finally, you had to look at your cellmate, who had been watching you curiously for a while. He was a stranger, and you didn’t necessarily want to connect with him, but Taemin said he wouldn’t let you out until you could read his mind, so you didn’t have a choice.

You honestly hadn’t connected with anyone for so long you needed a moment to remember how to do it. Once you established a link you just felt weird, being in their head just felt like being somewhere foreign and it scared you, but you had to do this. Talking was the easy part, but you had no idea how to go about searching his mind. The boys would always share memories with you if you asked or they wanted, it was ever an intrusion, and you never pried, so this new experience was nerve wracking.

“Hello… can you hear me?”

“Yes, this is incredible, you really are telepathic.”

“Yeah so… you were Taemin’s handler… right?”

“Yes.”

“What… what does that mean?”

“I monitored his behavior and that of his team. Listen, you need to help me.”

“Help?”

“This is all a misunderstanding. Taemin’s gone rogue with the others, and is going to put millions in danger.”

“What? What do you mean? How does that make sense?”

“This Organization Taemin’s been telling you about is a lie. I’m from the government and we’ve been investigating the situation. We don’t know how you all got your powers, or who’s responsible.”

“What? But then… you were Taemin’s handler, you-”

“The boys wanted to know more than any of us where their power came from. They were more than willing to go out on the field to help us in this. When we discovered the rest of you, we were planning on approaching, but with your thievery and disappearances you were hard to track down.”

“Then why did Taemin go rogue? What does he want?”

“You.”

“Me?”

“Yes, your powers. What you’re capable of and… we need to get out of here.”

“What about me? Why does everyone-”

“Do you have any idea where we are?”

“What? No, I was unconscious and that Kai guy can teleport, so we could be anywhere.”

“We need to find a way to communicate to the outside, I just-”

“Are you buying into his story?” Taemin’s voice came in over a microphone. “Cause all I’m seeing is chit-chatter.”

“I… what are you talking about?”

“Oh please, he’s probably told you some lies about how I’m the true bad guy and he wants to help you and your friends. You’re supposed to discover the truth for yourself, or do you want everything given to you on a silver platter?”

“I don’t know how to read minds! You know this!”

“Then try. How else will you learn if you don’t even make an attempt.”

It went quiet after that, thinking everything over. You had two stories before you, and it’s not like Taemin was a saint in either one of them. He made it sound like reading mind was easy, you had an idea but had never really done anything.

“What do you know about the Organization?”

“It’s not real. Taemin made it up to gain your trust.”

“He doesn’t have that he-”

“How… how many people has he killed?”

“At this point, hundreds, and he’ll kill more.”

You suddenly had something flash before your eyes. A memory that wasn’t your own, but one that had come to the prisoners mind. It was for a moment, but you managed to catch it nonetheless. You saw Taemin dragging someone into the room, the place seemed like a hotel, and a fancy one at that. Kai and Baekhyun came in behind him, staying back. The person was forced on their knees, begging for their life. That was all you managed to see, but it was enough to start telling you something.

“Who do you work for?”

“The government.”

“You’re lying to me. Who do you work for?”

“I’m not lying! Taemin is the one lying to you! He is going to use you for his own gain!”

Another flash. Taemin and his team at some briefing, a briefing on your boys, and of course no mention of you. It seemed like some sorta plan to capture them.

“What can he possibly do to hurt me?”

“You don’t understand what he’s capable of! The more you use your power around him the more he learns!”

“Are you… afraid of Taemin?”

This memory was old, but more intense. You were clearly in some lab, watching Taemin during one of his tests. It seemed to be going well, until Taemin turned on the researchers around him, attacking them, and no doubt killing them. You jumped in your chair.

“What?”

“You… you’re lying… you’re with the Organization, you experimented on him! On all of them!”

“I don’t know what-”

“You just thought of it! I saw it! You are afraid of him! Of them! He could kill you at-”

Perhaps it was just all the emotions in you, but suddenly you were deeper in his head, seeing things he probably never wanted anyone to see. Images of files and experiment results, seeing Taemin and the others tied down to surgical tables and tortured in the name of science. Seeing strangers who displayed powers as well suddenly dead on operating tables. It was all so much you eventually threw up, finally getting out of that nightmare.

The man was hunched over, clearly feeling the effects of your probing as well. You could see it in his eyes now, the real monster he was. He couldn’t pretend anymore, not after all the things you both had witnessed. Anger couldn’t begin to describe what you felt. They may have just been memories, and you were looking through his eyes, but you knew the others you had seen were in unimaginable pain. You got out of your seat, screaming at this man, wanting to beat him over the head for his crimes.

The chair wouldn’t budge and your restraint was taut, so you were rather violently pulling on your arm. In the moment the pain didn’t matter, you just needed to act. You got your chance though when you actually managed to break your hand in a way that let you slip out of your restraint. You didn’t waste a second as you quickly pinned this man to the ground and started punching him, ignoring his muffled pleas for mercy.

❤

“Don’t we still need him?”

On the other side of the monitors, watching all these events unfold were Taemin and Kai, taking in the show. Taemin had been watching everything intently, monitoring your brain waves, well aware that all you were doing at the start was talking. He let it happen, let the man get his lies out before interrupting and taking control of the situation. His hand was gently messing with the dial to force you into the others mind, and force you to go deep to see what you needed to. At least now he could trust that you knew how to read minds, and that he wasn’t lying to you.

“I want to see what she can do on her own.”

“I don’t expect her to have combat experience.”

“Emotions can be a great guide.”

“Are you just manipulating her powers again?”

“Just a bit. She’s a naive girl who needs a push, but she’s learning.”

“And how close are we to getting what we want?”

“We’re getting there, but it won’t do much good unless the others start finding their limits. How are we on that? I’ve sent Ten on the right path.”

“Baekhyun is speaking with Taeyong, and last I checked, he’s trying. We might have to spell things out for Mark, and Lucas… I don’t know, he’s probably still pissed.”

“Talk to him first. Your previous relationship should help things go smoothly. He’s just confused right now, so sort things out. As for Mark… I need y/n in a better place for him.”

“Got it, Lucas it is.”

“Ah, before you go, stop her, please.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Kai teleported into the room, Taemin walking over on his own. When he walked in Kai was holding you back as you kicked around, not done with the beating you were giving the prisoner. The man in question was shaking on the floor, a busted face bleeding on the floor, he was alive, and he’d live.

“Quite the fire in you.” Kai laughed. “Didn’t know you had it in you.”

“He should be dead! Asshole was trying to lie to me to help him! He’s a monster.”

“So you believe me now?”

You stopped struggling, your anger fading to pain. You didn’t know everything, but you knew Taemin rightfully had a bone to pick with these people. You thought he was being a dick, but what was done to him was way worse.

“I’m sorry…”

“For what?”

“What they did… it must have been awful…”

“Something like that.”

Taemin approached, having Kai release you, and examining your hand. When he grabbed it you flinched from the pain.

“You broke your hand, that’s quite something. You wanted to get revenge for me that bad.”

“I was just… caught in a blind fury.”

“That’s quite dangerous. I suppose it can’t be helped, let’s go find Ten. I’m sure he’d love to see you as well.”

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lockefanfic · 4 years

Text

Business Trip: Pt 19 - History

“Let me help you relax,” she says, and she immediately presses her lips to yours in a kiss that takes you completely by surprise. But the sweetness of her lips quickly becomes too difficult to resist, and before you know it you are returning her kiss deeply, her tongue swiping lightly across your lips in a bid to enter your mouth.

“Bora,” you manage to say, “your students are right there, and you have a boyfriend,” you say matter-of-factly. And it was true; the nearest students were no more than twenty feet away, and at any moment any one of them could walk by and see what was going on.

“My boyfriend wouldn’t give a damn, and forget my students,” Bora replies, “what about your girlfriend?”

“She wouldn’t care. I think it would turn her on, to be honest. But she might care if your students caught us making out in the middle of a class she’s teaching.”

Bora brings her mouth to your ear, her voice barely heard above the loud music as she says, “I think we both need a little escape from all this. And also… Who says we’re just going to be making out?”

Seoul’s central police precinct was a hub of activity, but the small meeting room you and your team found yourselves in remained almost uncomfortably quiet.

Forty eight hours have passed since you’d received that mysterious text in the middle of the night, and an equal amount of time since anyone had last heard from Choa and Jeongyeon. The hope that perhaps their phones had run out of battery or some other reasonable explanation had long since died, and genuine concern that something serious had happened to them gripped what remained of your team.

Across the table Seolhyun is nervously fidgeting, scribbling angrily with a pen in her notebook or biting her fingernails. In the chair next to you Momo’s elbows are on the table, her fingertips massaging her temples. You reach over and try, in vain, to ease her mind by massaging the tense muscles of her shoulders.

After what seems like a lifetime the door finally opens and Park Jihyo enters. She is accompanied by another male officer whose clothing and wealth of tattoos make him seem a little bit like he could be a criminal himself, were it not for the badge worn on a chain around his neck and the holstered pistol at his hip.

“This is Detective Park Jaebeom, Organized Crime Unit,” Jihyo says by way of introduction, as she stands by the head of the table and drops a tablet on it.

“Jay is fine,” the officer says with a nod towards you and your team.

“Organized Crime?” Seolhyun asks, “so we’re assuming something bad has happened to Choa and Jeongyeon?”

“Given recent events and the text message sent after their disappearance, yes, we are operating under that assumption. As missing persons cases are beyond my jurisdiction and the assumption is that Red Velvet has a hand in this, Jay here has been assigned the case. I’ll continue to assist, but he will be lead investigator.”

Next to you Momo has covered her mouth with her hands in a vain attempt to hide her shock. You had to admit the seriousness with which the police were handling this case, and in particular the involvement of someone who usually dealt with gangsters and mobsters, made you fear for Choa and Jeongyeon’s safety.

“We’ll be investigating all possibilities,” Jay begins, “including the possibility that they were involved in an incident like a car accident or something else that doesn’t necessarily involve foul play. We’ll be contacting local hospitals to see if they’ve been admitted.”

“It’s fucking Red Velvet,” Seolhyun snaps impatiently, “who else could it be?”

“We need to investigate all the possibilities,” Jay continues, “and Red Velvet will certainly be at the top of that list. Jihyo has given me a brief summary, but I’ll need to speak to each of you individually to get the details. She also tells me you guys have combed through the data on their servers?”

“We made a copy of it, yes,” you answer, “and we were in the midst of going through it trying to find something that might lead us to Irene, their leader.”

“I know her well,” Jay answers, a dark look on his face. There was something in the way he reacted to her name that led you to believe there was history between him and Red Velvet’s leader.

“This tablet has a full copy of everything of note that we found on their server,” Jihyo says, picking up the iPad she had laid on the table, “organized by every case Red Velvet has been involved in.”

Jihyo hands the tablet to Jay, who scans the data. The female detective looks at him nervously, as though wondering whether or not she should say something.

“...including the Sistar studio case,” she adds.

At the mention of the name Jay pauses and sighs, an unreadable expression on his features. Whatever Sistar meant to him, it wasn’t good.

“How can we help?” Momo asks, recovering sufficiently from her earlier shock and rediscovering her desire to help find her missing friends.

“This is potentially a criminal case,” Jay answers, turning from the table, tablet in hand, as he begins to exit the room, “and no place for civilians. We will handle this.”

“There must be something we can do,” Seolhyun says, desperate to do something.

Jay pauses at the door, his hand on the doorknob. There is a seriousness in his tone and in his eyes that was not there when he entered the room.

“Comb through Red Velvet’s data again. Let me know if you find anything that might be helpful. But don’t do anything stupid. Stay out of this case.”

The detective leaves the room, shutting the door behind him, leaving the four of you to return to an uncomfortable silence.

---

“So what the hell is that guy’s problem?” Seolhyun asks, her mouth half full of hamburger as Jihyo sits down to join the three of you at the fast food joint across the street from the police station.

Jihyo takes a moment to compose her answer as she pops her straw into her drink and takes a sip.

“He has… history with Red Velvet.”

“Go on,” Seolhyun prods.

“I don’t know all the details, to be honest,” Jihyo admits, “but apparently he’s been involved with them before. Rumor has it Red Velvet went after his girlfriend. I’m not sure what the circumstances were, but he’s definitely not a fan of them.”

“That could be a good thing, I guess? At least he’s motivated,” you note.

“Then how the hell did he get assigned to this case? Doesn’t his history with Red Velvet compromise his judgement?” Momo asks.

“Normally, it would,” Jihyo answers, “but as far as his boss is concerned, this is a potential kidnapping case involving organized crime elements, nothing more. I suspect he just neglected to tell his boss Red Velvet was involved.”

“Please don’t call it kidnapping,” Momo says, a sad look in her eyes. Jihyo realises her mistake and rubs the back of Momo’s hand.

“We’ll find Choa and Jeongyeon,” the detective assures her, “and after we do, we’ll find Irene and make her pay.”

“What do you know about what happened between him and Red Velvet? You mentioned a girlfriend?” you ask, eager to know more about the man spearheading the effort to find your colleagues.

“Like I said, I don’t know much. I know she works at a small dance studio on the other side of town, but that’s about it. There was one other girl involved too - Jay’s girlfriend’s best friend. The other girl works at a bar.”

“We should go talk to them. Maybe they know something about Irene that could help us,” Momo suggests.

“I suppose I could dig up the names and the addresses of their workplaces from police records,” Jihyo offers, “but as a police officer myself I can’t officially question them if it’s not part of our active investigation. Someone else would have to speak to them - off the record, of course.”

“Momo and I can go speak to Jay’s girlfriend,” you say, “she can translate if she doesn’t speak English. Seolhyun, you can talk to the girl at the bar. Let’s regroup at the hotel in three hours.”

“Listen,” Jihyo says, measuring her words, “it’s important that the three of you realize that it’s entirely possible this could all be a misunderstanding, or that an unfortunate non-malicious mishap like a car accident or something has happened to your friends. Let’s not assume they’ve been kidnapped until we’re sure of it.”

The three of you nod in reply - a small part of you hoped that at any moment Choa or Jeongyeon would call and say their cell phones had died or something, and that all this was for nought, but the larger, more practical part of you knew that the chances of that happening were slim.

After finishing your meal, you and Momo flag down a cab and head to the address Jihyo supplied you.

---

Yoon Bora danced like her body was made of liquid.

You’d watched plenty of dancers in their element in your time - Momo herself was no slouch, and she loved to dance whenever she had the chance - but Bora was on a different level. She was not a precise, technical dancer; instead she danced as if the music flowed through her veins, and her long, limber limbs moved to the rhythm and beat to their own accord.

Momo appears entranced by the older woman as she completes her routine in the small dance studio, just as enraptured as the dozen or so students watching Bora and her two backup dancers work through the song. The two backup dancers were certainly not terrible, but whereas it was obvious they were putting tremendous effort into each and every move, Bora danced as if the various moves were as natural to her as breathing.

With one last flourish the song ends, and Bora’s students join you and Momo in enthusiastic applause. In Korean, the young woman dismisses her students with a wide smile before retreating to a nearby bench to take a sip of water and towel down the sweat running down her face and neck.

You approach her, somewhat hesitantly, with Momo by your side, neither of you quite knowing how to start a conversation. You make eye contact with Momo, and she takes the hint and greets Bora in Korean.

“Annyeonghaseyo,” Momo says softly, adding a small bow when Bora turns to the both of you.

“Annyeonghaseyo,” Bora replies, adding a small bow of her own in greeting, a hesitant smile on her lips.

“Ahhh….” Momo stammers as she struggles to remember the Korean words for what she wants to say. She stares blankly at Bora and back at you, before bringing her hands together and forming a circle with her fingers, as if she was trying to describe something using sign language.

“Nae… ileum? Ileum...eun…”

“Can I… help you?” Bora answers, her English heavily accented but nonetheless easy to understand.

Momo and you simultaneously let out a sigh of release at the fact that Bora could at least converse in English. You quickly introduce yourself and Momo.

“You’re an amazing dancer,” you say.

“Thanks. Dancing is my… passion,” Bora replies, taking a second to come up with the correct English word.

We were hoping to speak to you,” you begin, “about Red Velvet.”

A sudden look of concern washes over Bora’s features.

“Are you… with the police?”

“No,” Momo says, “but we want to find and catch Red Velvet.”

“How did you know who I am?”

“We have a friend in the police who gave us your information,” you explain, “because we’re dealing with Red Velvet and we were told you’d dealt with them in the past.”

“I… I don’t want to talk about them,” Bora replies, quickly turning and starting to pack her water bottle and towel into a small backpack.

“Please,” Momo pleads, “we think they were involved in kidnapping our friends. We could use your help.”

Bora pauses for a moment, as though weighing Momo’s words in her head and wondering whether she really wanted to speak further about a subject that had clearly triggered her. She finishes packing her things and zips up her backpack before sighing deeply to herself.

“You can buy me coffee first,” she says, before walking past the both of you towards the exit.

---

The nearby coffee shop that Bora leads the both of you to is small but cozy, and mostly empty save for a couple of students studying for an exam and a young couple keeping to themselves in a corner booth. It certainly wasn’t the most affluent neighborhood, and it was a far cry from the hyper modern buildings of downtown Seoul. But the coffee shop nonetheless had a certain old school charm about it that appealed to you, the slightly old fashioned decor and abundance of small, kitschy decorations somehow making the place feel more comfortable than the cold, cookie-cutter hipster coffee places that littered the trendier parts of South Korea’s capital.

Momo approaches the table where you and Bora are waiting, three iced americanos on her small tray. The three of you take a drink and a sip before Momo asks the first question.

“We’ve heard that you have history with Red Velvet. Can you tell us what happened?”

Bora looks out the window with an unreadable look on her face. You take a moment to appreciate her beauty for the first time - she was certainly beautiful, with a fit dancer’s body to match, but what struck you most was the look of utter contentment she had while dancing; that look was far from her features now, replaced with a look of concern as she relives memories that were probably painful.

“Three years ago, my best friend and I were head instructors at a dance studio in the less-wealthy part of town, not too far from here,” she begins, “We had two other friends who came from wealthy families - they were our primary investors, and they paid for pretty much everything. The four of us were really close… like sisters. In fact, we called the studio Sistar.”

Bora takes a sip of her coffee, the look on her face telling you and Momo that she was about to relive unpleasant memories.

“One day, someone from Red Velvet approached us with an offer to buy the studio. They didn’t care about the business; SM just wanted to buy the building it was in so they could demolish it and throw up a new building. We refused them; we loved our studio and we loved our students. It was a rough neighborhood, and we knew that dancing kept these kids from becoming involved in crime. My boyfriend - he’s a policeman. He saw the positive impact it had on these kids. He told me that dancing kept them off the streets, where they’d become recruits for local gangs.”

You share a knowing look with Momo, knowing now why Jay was so passionate about whatever had happened between Bora and Red Velvet.

“Anyway, Red Velvet became more and more insistent. And one day, our two friends - the ones that were the owners and ran all the financials - they decided to sell the studio.”

“Do you know why?” Momo asks.

“No,” Bora replied, her eyes cast downward as she begins to struggle to relate her story, “we never really knew why. Soyou and Dasom - they disappeared. They were our two closest friends, and one day suddenly they were gone.”

“My god,” Momo comments, “do you know what happened to them?”

“We found out later that they fled overseas. My best friend and I think maybe Red Velvet threatened them. Hyorin - my best friend - thinks their families were threatened. Either way, they decided to sell the studio, and SM took over. They demolished the building and threw up an ugly building made of glass and concrete to house one of their offices.”

“Bora,” you begin slowly, “did you come across anything that might help us track them down? A contact number, or an email address? Did they leave anything behind?”

“I don’t remember,” she answers, “it was a long time ago. And it was… tough.”

Momo leans forward and rubs the back of Bora’s hand, trying to give the woman some solace despite being a stranger. The older woman manages a weak smile, appreciating the gesture even if it wasn’t very effective at chasing away the demons of her past.

“I kept a directory of documents from that time on my computer back at the studio, including emails and other things,” Bora says, “maybe there might be something in there. I’d show it to you, but I have another class to teach in ten minutes…”

“I’ll teach it!” Momo offers, the eagerness in her tone surprising the both of you, “I’ve taught a few dance classes back when I was in school. Is it a hip hop class? Modern dance? Jazz? Teenagers? Little kids?”

“Modern dance, actually. Teenagers… and you’ll have to teach in Korean…”

“Dance is a universal language! I can do it!”

Bora takes a moment to weigh Momo’s offer, the younger girl’s enthusiasm at the prospect of teaching teenagers to dance finally convincing her. There is a brightness in Momo’s face that you hadn’t seen in awhile.

“Okay,” Bora answers, Momo’s enthusiasm having convinced her.

Momo nods happily as the three of you get up, Bora walking Momo through the outline of her class as you leave the coffee shop and head back towards the studio.

---

Off to one side of Bora’s small dance studio is a large room divider made of several rectangular cubed bookcases, each filled with a fitted box that students used to store their belongings during dance classes. It also served as a makeshift room divider, with the other side of the bookcases serving as a small office area with a table and a computer that you assumed was used for the dance studio’s administrative records.

After Bora takes a few minutes to introduce Momo to her class and ensure she was on the right track, she joins you in the small office area where you’ve already started going through the emails, spreadsheets, and other documents on her computer.

“Anything you need in there?” Bora asks, raising her voice slightly to ensure you heard her over the booming music that dominated the dance studio.

“No, nothing yet,” you reply, scanning each document for an email address, or contact number, or anything that might lead you even a little closer to Irene. While most documents were in Korean, email addresses and phone numbers used the alphabet and numerals, and so you would occasionally point these out to Bora, who would explain who the email address or phone number belonged to.

“I’m sorry I can’t be more help,” Bora says, “but I tried pretty hard to erase everything that happened from my memory. I’ve tried my hardest to move on.”

“I know,” you reply, “and I’m sorry for asking you to relive all of it. But we’re trying to bring Red Velvet to justice, and I hope you can help us do that.”

“I know,” the dancer replies, her eyes cast downward, “and I want to help you. If Red Velvet had my friends, I know I’d do everything I could to get them back and make Red Velvet pay.”

You give her a small nod as you put aside another close a PDF you were scanning through and open the next document in the folder.

“Your girlfriend is really in love with you,” Bora says with a glance back towards the dance floor, “it’s obvious by the way she looks at you.”

“She is,” you agree, “and I’m thankful for her everyday. And it’s partially why I want to put Irene behind bars. I want to make sure she can’t ever hurt Momo.”

Bora nods, a small smile on her lips.

“She’s a very lucky girl.”

You return Bora’s smile, but you quickly return your attention to her documents. A few minutes pass, but there is nothing in her computer that can help you.

“Dammit,” you swear softly as you close the last document. You bury your face in your hands on the desk, the frustration of knowing you were no closer to Irene than you were that morning finally getting to your nerves.

Bora reaches over and rubs your forearm.

“I’m sure something will come up. Maybe your friend will have had better luck with Hyorin.”

“I hope so. I’m so frustrated - I feel like I want to punch something. How can I sit here doing nothing, knowing my friends have probably been kidnapped?”

The music track booming over the studio’s speaker changes to a new song, and you listen to Momo speak in more-than-slightly broken Korean as she tries to explain the next routine to Bora’s students. As the song starts up and the sound of squeaking shoes once again fills the studio, Bora rises from her seat and, much to your surprise, sits in your lap. You are painfully aware of the tightness of her yoga pants and her scant sports bra, the thin, form fitting clothing failing to disguise her well shaped body and the toned muscles beneath it all.

“My boyfriend wouldn’t give a damn, and forget my students,” Bora replies, “what about your girlfriend?”

“She wouldn’t care. I think it would turn her on, to be honest. But she might care if your students caught us making out in the middle of a class she’s teaching.”

Before you can react Bora has returned her mouth to yours, and her tongue quickly finds passage into your mouth, grazing your teeth before her lips seal against yours and she kisses you deeply. Her slim hand reaches between your bodies, and you realize that she is quickly working your belt and button of your jeans loose.

You want to resist for any one of a million reasons - you had just met her, you didn’t really know what her intentions were, and there were students just a few feet away from the both of you, for starters - but the fact that you could both be caught at any moment brought new excitement to the act, and you found yourself not resisting at all as Bora finally manages to undo your button and slip her slim hand into your pants.

You gasp involuntarily at the feel of her hand cupping your already half-hard cock over your boxers. All the while she is exploring your mouth with her tongue, and you find yourself unable to resist pressing your own tongue against hers, duelling madly against it while her hand continues to stroke your rapidly hardening shaft.

Bora breaks the kiss, and without wasting a single moment she dives into your neck, planting passionate, almost frenzied kisses there. Freed from her lips, you take a moment to fully grasp what was going on - Momo was not even thirty feet away from you teaching a dozen teenagers a hip hop dance routine, and here you were, knowing at any moment that any one of those students could walk in and find their instructor stroking you to hardness.

The sheer audacity of what Bora was doing was exhilarating, to say the least, and you quickly find your shaft at full attention, the cotton of your boxers already moist with your pre-cum. Bora rises from your neck, a wicked look on her well-sculpted features as she raises her hand, and, with a quick, deft motion, slips it into your boxers.

The first touch of skin-to-skin contact between her hand and your hard shaft sends spikes of electricity shooting up and down your spine, and it is a current that quickly escalates in voltage as Bora quickly begins to stroke you up and down, her small hand closing around your cock and pumping up and down.

“Fuck, Bora,” you say into her ear, thankful at least that the loud volume of the music in the studio would likely mean no one but her could hear you.

“Feel good?” Bora replies into your own ear, “I bet it does… but we better make this quick, the lesson will end in ten minutes…”

You lift your head from against Bora’s, taking a moment to bring yourself face to face with her. And you are more than a little satisfied to find a flush on her cheeks, her eyes already drunk with lust as she continues to grasp your shaft and jerk it with quick pumps of her wrist and forearm. A sly smile appears on your face as a devilish thought crosses your mind.

You rise from the chair, Bora quickly taking the hint as she hops off your lap. Without giving her any time to react, you grab her by the hips and face her towards the bookcase; pressing softly on her back, she quickly realizes what you want to do, and she leans forward against the bookcase, bracing herself on it with her hands.

Hooking your thumbs on the waistband of her yoga pants, you quickly draw the skintight material down, exposing her round, full ass as you strip the pants down to her mid thigh, smiling as you notice that she wasn’t wearing underwear underneath them. Giving her as little time as she gave you, you quickly press your right palm flat against her hip before sliding it downward and quickly finding the heat of her crotch with your fingertips.

From this position there was almost nothing separating her from the dance lesson going on mere feet away from her. Were one to look closely, a student would have no trouble seeing her body pressed against the bookcase through the small spaces between the fitted boxes and the bookshelf itself. This was to say nothing of the fact that any one of them could simply walk right around the bookcase…

You are thankful once again for the volume of the music, because the fact that even you heard the loud gasp that escapes Bora’s mouth as you make first contact with her pussy means that it was probably a loud sound indeed. You are more than satisfied to find that she was absolutely drenched, the audacity of the act and extremely high possibility of getting caught in it driving up her pleasure, even before you touched her.

And so your middle finger finds no resistance whatsoever when it slips between the slick lips of her pussy and into the silky embrace of her body. Simultaneously you press forward with your hips, and your shaft presses against the naked, soft skin of her ass, your length nicely wedged between her cheeks.

Bora turns her head enough for you to see her mouth opening in a frozen, silent gasp of pleasure, her hands grasping the exposed shelf of the bookcase in a vain attempt to ground herself amidst the pleasure very quickly building in her body. With one hand she reaches back behind her own head until she finds your own, and she turns her head enough for you to lean forward yourself and crush her lips with yours in a passionate kiss.

She breaks the kiss with a gasp as the newer, closer position of your bodies presses your hard, leaking cock against the small of her back. You watch her lust-drunk eyes hold contact with you as she opens her mouth and mouths two words - you don’t hear them, but you sure as hell knew what she was saying.

“Fuck me.”

You take half a step back and line up the head of your shaft between Bora’s ass cheeks, searching for and quickly finding the hot wetness of her entrance. Then, wasting no time, you quickly press forward with your hips, slowly burying yourself into her slick, wet body.

You worry for a second that her students might hear the loud gasp that leaves her throat as you enter her, but you are convinced, in that second, that the entire class could have walked around the bookcase and found you balls deep inside Bora - and it wouldn’t have stopped you from fucking the delicious young dance instructor.

Remembering, suddenly, that there was less than ten minutes left in Momo’s dance lesson, you quickly grasp Bora’s wide, firm hips with both hands and establish a quick, rapid rhythm of thrusts into her slick pussy. There was no time for slow build up, no time to relish the slow rise of pleasure in your bodies. Not now, not with a dozen teenagers a few feet away presenting the threat of discovery, and not with the hard time limit presented by the end of their class.

And so you quickly begin fucking Bora against the bookcase, relishing the feel of her wet, tight pussy wrapped around your shaft, grasping each inch of your cock as it drives in and out of her body. You equally appreciate the sight of her round, soft ass cheeks as they are rocked with each thrust, and you are disappointed for a moment that you weren’t able to view more of her tight, fit body - not that you had any right to complain, not while you were fucking her against a bookshelf, a mere random glance on the part of any of the dozen students enough to get you both caught.

Despite the speed of your thrusts, you do your best to relish every entry and exit into her body, glancing down and enjoying the sight of your shaft, liberally lubricated with her juices, plunging in and out between Bora’s ass cheeks. You watch, delighted, as her round cheeks are shaken with each crash of your hips against them, enjoying the feel of her warm butt against your pelvis with each thrust.

She was slick, so very slick, but also very tight; part of it was the position, part of it was the gradually build up of pleasure that caused her pussy to tighten around you; but even without those factors Bora was still so tight around your shaft, squeezing you so much you thought she might crush you inside her body.

For her part, Bora seemed to be enjoying the session just as much, if not more, than you were - the tightening of her body around you and the white knuckle grip she had on the bookshelf wood telling you she was just fine with the liberties you were taking with her body, not caring about slow ramping up of speed or depth of thrusts, caring simply about fucking; about penetrating her pussy, driving your rock hard shaft in and out of her willing body as quickly as your hips would allow. She didn’t care, didn’t even want foreplay or gentleness; all she wanted, all she cared about was the thick shaft penetrating her wanton pussy over and over again and the pleasure it caused to surge throughout her body.

And so you aren’t surprised at all when her pussy tightens significantly around you as she reaches back with her right hand, her fingers turning into claws as they bury themselves into your forearm seeking some sort of release for the pleasure coursing throughout her body. The only surprise in your mind is how quickly the pleasure was ramping up in her body, and how quickly she had come to the precipice of orgasm.

She turns her head, and she leans back enough that you take it as a hint to bring your own head forward, thankful that you are endowed enough and she flexible enough to continue to fuck while your bodies were almost standing vertically, her back pressed against your chest. You take the opportunity to wrap your right arm around her torso, grasping the bottom hem of her light green sports bra before pulling upward, letting her soft, round breasts bounce free; her chest was on full display now, as if having her pants pulled down to her thighs and being fucked against the bookshelf was not risky enough. You quickly grasp her left breast with your palm, squeezing the mound of flesh tightly, igniting another source of pleasure in Bora’s body.

That was when one of her students decided to retrieve a water bottle from one of the fabric boxes that filled the bookcase.

It is with no small sense of fear when you both realize that the student has chosen a box that is only two squares away from Bora’s exposed breasts and torso as you fucked her. You both watch, frozen, as the fabric box disappears from the bookcase, and you both listen as the student pops open the water bottle cap and presumably takes a few sips of water.

The risk of being caught is so near, so high - but it only made the situation more intensely hot.

And so you begin fucking Bora again, giving her long, slow thrusts with your shaft, and her body jerks and quivers with each thrust, knowing full well that she was just a wayward glance or a small sound away from being caught fucking a man she had just only met, and in the same room as one of her dance lessons, no less.

Her pussy tightens around your shaft as if reflecting her nervousness at the heightened possibility of being caught, her entire body taut with fear and anxiousness and intense lust, and the feel of her body quickly becomes unbearable. Your hand squeezes a little tighter around her breast, and you could swear you could feel her heart pounding against your palm.

It takes what seems like an eternity, but finally the student finishes their water break. Tossing the bottle back into the fabric box, he or she shoves it back into the bookcase, making the only barrier between you and the rest of the class whole again.

“I’m… I’m gonna cum,” she says as soon as the student rejoins the class, the sounds unmistakable even given the loud music that was quickly reaching its crescendo. You are surprised she was close to cumming so soon, but at the same time, given the nearness of your own orgasm, you supposed that maybe you shouldn’t be surprised.

“Cum for me, Bora,” you manage to hiss into her ear, delighting in the effect of your words on her features as the pleasure quickly becomes too much for her small body to handle. Her orgasm is quick and short, but extremely intense, if the quivering, shaking mess that it reduces her to is any indication.

You don’t slow your thrusts as she cums, happy to feel the pulsing, tightening flesh around your shaft as you continue to hammer in and out of her slick, hot pussy. The song playing in the studio maybe had another minute or two to go, and then after then Momo might be able to buy you another minute as she dismissed the class - regardless, your time was quickly running out.

Not that you had any trouble cumming quickly, what with the feel of Bora’s orgasming pussy pulsating around your shaft as you fuck her. You quickly let go of any pretense of holding back your orgasm, quickly giving into your desire to cum inside this young woman’s body, to paint her pussy with white semen.

Bora recovers enough from her own orgasm to realize that the quickening of your thrusts means you are also approaching that wonderful plateau she is currently enjoying, and she somehow gathers the wherewithal to ensure you followed her into bliss as she presses her face against yours and uses her voice to push you over the edge.

“Fill me with your cum. Quick… fucking cum in me… faster.. Fuck me faster… harder... fill me up with cum!”

Her pleads have the same effect on you that yours had on her, and with one last, deep thrust into her wet heat, you finally begin to cum, your shaft pulsing as it sends stream after stream of hot, thick semen into Bora’s slick, hot pussy.

Bora opens her mouth at the feel of you filling her with your cum, and you are thankful that you are aware enough to realize that the song playing in the studio was winding down - quickly, you press your free palm against her open mouth, just tightly enough to stifle the long, high pitched moan that escapes her mouth.

Not even thirty feet away, Momo has begun to thank the students for their effort, and you are thankful to hear that the students are clapping in appreciation and have begun to ask her questions, thus keeping them unaware just long enough for a stranger to finish pumping hot semen into their regular dance instructor from just behind the bookcase in the same room.

You finally finish depositing your load of semen into Bora’s body, and as much as you would have loved to keep thrusting into her body and the slick mess you’ve made of her pussy, you regretfully pull out slowly, the sensitive skin of your shaft creating aftershocks of pleasure as you finally remove yourself from her. You are satisfied to stare at the creamy, slick mess of her pussy as you slump back into the chair and quickly button up your pants once more. Bora takes a little longer to recover from her orgasmic bliss to pull up her yoga pants, thankful that they were dark enough to hide any resulting stain your combined juices were about to make on the thin fabric.

Bora finds enough strength to stare enticingly at you, biting her lip seductively before she pulls her sports bra down and covers her naked breasts once more. She does so just in time, as the students have begun to walk towards the bookcases and withdraw the boxes within them to retrieve their belongings until the bookcases are basically hollow and see-through.

Momo turns the corner past the bookcases, her face flushed with exertion but nonetheless wearing a look of eager accomplishment. Completely oblivious to what you and Bora had just done, there is a bright smile on her face as she asks, “So, find anything?”

---

“Nothing,” Seolhyun replies with an exasperated sigh, “Hyorin told me all about what happened but didn’t have anything that could lead us to Irene.”

“We didn’t find anything either,” you answer, although Momo gives you a knowing smirk; you and Bora had confessed to her about your little liaison during her dance class, and while she was grudgingly impressed that you were able to have sex in the same room without being caught, she was nonetheless disappointed that she wasn’t able to join in, especially given your adventures with Jihyo earlier in the week.

“Bora and Hyorin are dead ends,” Momo says, a look of disappointment on her face, “and we’re not any closer to finding Irene. Any word from the police?”

Jihyo takes a moment to compose herself, or perhaps to prepare herself for the reaction her words are likely to receive.

“My team has canvassed local hospitals to see if Choa or Jeongyeon were checked in,” Jihyo says, “but they haven’t found anything either. Jay called a meeting an hour ago and he’s escalated the case - the two are now officially missing persons, and foul play is officially suspected.”

Momo, Seolhyun and yourself had of course suspected that Red Velvet was involved, but to lose your last hopes of your friends’ disappearance being chalked up to a misunderstanding or mishap was still a blow; to hear that foul play was officially suspected suddenly brought new weight to the situation, and made the situation a lot more real and intense. The thought that something bad had happened to Choa and Jeongyeon, that their safety and even their lives were in danger, was almost unbearable.

“Oh my god,” Momo gasps, and Seolhyun’s only reaction is to bring a hand to cover her open mouth in shock.

“There must be something we can do,” you tell Jihyo, desperate to be able to do something, anything, to aid in the search.

“Unfortunately, what Jay said earlier still holds true,” the young detective replies, “this is officially a criminal investigation now. We’re on it. And now the best thing you can do is stay safe in your hotel rooms. There’s no telling what Red Velvet is capable of, and as you three are potential targets, we need you to remain safe and secure.”

Jihyo continues to speak after that regarding what the protocol for this type of case was, and what you should do if Red Velvet tried to contact you, but though your ears hear her words your brain doesn’t process them, for you are too lost in worry for your missing friends.

Suddenly overcome by anger - at Red Velvet, at the police for their perceived lack of action, at yourself for being powerless to do anything - you storm out of the hotel lobby.

---

In a dark, abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Seoul, Park Choa and Yoo Jeongyeon are huddled together in a dark room.

“I’m scared, unnie,” Jeongyeon says softly. The young girl had tried to put on a brave face throughout their ordeal, but now, almost two days since they were kidnapped, her reserves of strength were beginning to run out.

Choa wraps her arms around the younger girl, stroking her hair with one hand as she rubs her shoulder with the other.

“Our friends will find us,” she says softly, “and these assholes won’t hurt us. They just want money. They don’t want to hurt us…”

Whether she believed those words was a different matter altogether, but Choa knew Jeongyeon needed comfort, and that was what she was going to try to provide.

Suddenly there is speaking, faintly heard, outside of the door of the room where they were being held. The two female captors were conversing with their male comrade, their voices rushed with alarm. There are footsteps and the sound of a door opening, before more voices begin to speak. The new voices are different from those of the three captors, although the number of new voices is difficult to discern, if there was even more than one.

“Something’s happening,” Jeongyeon states, her arms grasping a little tighter around Choa.

“Whatever happens, we’ll be okay,” Choa replies as she wraps her arms a little tighter around her friend, “we’ll be okay…”

There is a commotion outside - the voices are too muffled to be heard clearly but the tones suggest there is a confrontation happening. Loud noises follow; the sounds of a physical altercation, accompanied by threatening shouts.

Finally there are two loud cracks - the kind that send shivers of sheer terror coursing through one’s body - gunshots.

Seconds pass, but to Choa and Jeongyeon they feel like an eternity as they wait in tense silence. Jeongyeon has begun to quiver and shake in Choa’s arms, and the older woman tries to comfort her as best she can, but even she knows her efforts will be in vain. Who shot who out there? Were her captors now dead? Was it the newcomers? Were they next?

Eventually, the door to their makeshift prison opens, and two silhouettes appear in the doorway. The harsh light makes it difficult for Choa to focus, but when she realizes who is standing there, all she can do is sit there in stunned shock.

#kpop fanfiction #kpop fanfic #kpop smut #Smut #pov smut #male reader #sistar #sistar bora #yoon bora

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wackapedia · 3 years

Text

Lucky Star

Soulmate au! Yoongi x idol reader where corporations fuck things over as usual. slightly dystopian warnings: mentions of blood, murder but not so graphic, angst 1.7k You were leaning upright inside a containment in the middle of the ridiculously bright room of the facility. The rough material of medical scrubs rubbing against your skin while several wires and tubes are connected to your body. As the containment tilts to make you lie horizontally. "Commencing cryogenic stasis" The gentle robotic voice alerts. you close your eyes and remember the events of the past week. "ProtoGen Inc. has been the world's leading resource developer for modern technology. From Smartphones, Appliances, Transportation, and Medical Technology. ProtoGen is also partnering with Yong-Soon Farms to create Genetically-modified livestock, to fill the global supply. Today, ProtoGen takes on the entertainment industry as we launch the world's first Artificially-Enhanced girl group. Please welcome, Lucky Star!" The curtains rise to reveal three girls standing with perfect posture. The crowd jumbles to get a clear view, flashing their cameras boldly to the three girls. The camera flashes would blind a normal person, but the Lucky Star Girls were nowhere near normal. You and your groupmates bow simultaneously. "Hello! We are Lucky Star!"

---------- "'ProtoGen Inc., debuts world's first AI-Enhanced girl group' whatever the fuck that means," Taehyung reads the headline of an article as he scrolls through his pad, slurping his soggy cereal. "Are they aliens?" Jungkook asks, peeling his third hard-boiled egg for the day. "I'm pretty sure we haven't discovered alien life yet, Kook..." Jimin sighs from the kitchen. "That's what they want you to think!" Namjoon continues to read the article, squinting over Taehyung's shoulder while unknowingly spilling his orange juice down the younger's Gucci trousers as Jimin talks Jungkook out of the thought of meeting aliens in the near future. This was the scene that greets Yoongi as he descends the stairs. "What's going on?" He asks, heading straight to the coffee machine. "Aliens!" Jungkook enthusiastically answers. Too enthusiastic at 8am. "That AI girl group just debuted." Namjoon fills in. "Called Lucky Star". "Okay, what does that have to do with aliens?" "Nothing! Jungkook here was just being imaginative!" Jimin continues to buzz with Jungkook talking over him. Yoongi sighs as he finishes preparing his coffee and heads back upstairs to his home office. "Whatever." He mutters, leaving them to continue reading the article and discuss alien life. "Local K-Pop fans continue to protest for the girls' human rights despite- AHH HYUNG! YOUR JUICE!!" Taehyung finally realizes the coldness seeping through his thigh, seeing a large orange stain on his outfit. ---------- Immediately after your first live performance in a music awards show, you meet other idol groups queueing up for the stage. A girl you know as Jennie glares at Yue who glares back at her with hostility. You were escorted to your private dressing rooms where the CEO of ProtoGen himself waited. "How did we do, chief?" May, the main dancer asks as soon as she enters. "It was good..." Chairman Han answers, putting down the tablet after scrolling through the articles about Lucky Star. "But not good enough." "Excuse me? You programmed us to perfection and you think we weren't good enough?" Yue, the leader and the most developed speaks up. Her android programming allowed her to quickly learn from her surroundings, allowing her to have some form of a freewill. "Leave us." Chairman Han addresses the group of wardrobe and makeup assistants, leaving you three with him and the programming director of the Lucky Star project. The door opens just as you caught a glance of the group of men marching toward the backstage. One of them stops and makes eye contact with you, his cat-like eyes freezes you in place and the familiar mark on top of his wrist causes your heart to skip a beat. And then the door shuts again. A robotic freewill is considered as a paradoxical flaw in programming. A resultant factor of several integral aspects that can not be substituted without compromising the quality of the output. You learned this during your time at the facility at a young age, picking up IT jargon while they infused the enhancement serum into your system. Contrary to what most believe, the Lucky Star girls are actually part human. May was human, farmed and fertilized in a test tube. Yue was the least human. You witnessed how she was constructed in the facility for over 20 years. She was considered as the most developed among all humanoid robots in existence. You were a normal human, born 25 years ago, injected with all sorts of chemical enhancements, but still human enough to don a soulmate mark on the top side of your wrist. You are witnessing how technologically advanced Yue is when she sharply talks back to Chairman Han who was verbally abusing her about her lack of energy during the performance. "You were created to entertain, and yet here you are, presenting a mediocre performance, shaming my company in a pitiful excuse of a performance!" The chairman's heavy hand lands on Yue's artificially manufactured cheek. There was an awkward silence before Yue pushes the chairman against the mirrored wall of the dressing room, cracking it against the Chairman's skull. The programming director moves to stop her but his efforts are futile when Yue drives the narrow edge of a contour brush through the chairman's head. Blood stains Yue's glittery costume. ---------------- Hoseok animatedly reviews their performance as he leads the group to their assigned dressing rooms. Jin laughs at how Jimin almost slipped at the stage. All seven of them are halted in their steps when a crowd of paramedics gather at one of the dressing rooms. "What happened?" Namjoon asks a personnel of ProtoGen Medical as a mortuary trolley gets dragged out of the room. "Oh my god did someone die?" Jungkook loudly questions, earning him a 'Shut up' from his hyungs. Namjoon gets ignored by the personnel as they were escorted away from the crime scene. Yoongi clearly remembers seeing you in the room minutes before their performance and wonders if you're okay. "ProtoGen Ceo Han Sung-Hoon dies of Heart Attack" Jimin reads the headline of an online article the morning after the music awards. "We all know that's not what happened." Taehyung replies. "We shouldn't speculate..." Namjoon comments. "Big Hit warned us not to get involved." "What? We were the only ones who saw the medics last night!" Yoongi answers, scrolling through the pictures from last night's event, trying to spot anything peculiar. He pauses at the group photo of that AI-enhanced girl group, his eyes zero-ing in on a familiar mark on your wrist. "Which is why they asked us not to get involved." Namjoon stresses again. "We wont get involved if they tell us what happened!" Jungkook states. Just then, their manager walks up to the dining area, overhearing the maknae's sentiments. "Sit down. I'll tell you what happened." The manager declares, causing all seven to settle down. ------------ "Commencing cryogenic stasis" The gentle robotic voice alerts. White smokes of gas fill the chamber, causing your eyes to water despite tightly shutting them. Your panicked heartbeat erratically rattles your chest, feeling the sense of claustrophobia despite being in the spacious chamber. ProtoGen has decided to put down the Lucky Star project after last night's event. Yue has been dismantled into particles the moment she arrived in a crate in the facility. Her programming became too much to control, causing her to go on a murder spree at the dressing room last night. She annihilated Chairman Han and May. Before she choked the air out of you, she asked you to join her in taking the fame and be the most popular artist. This was her only motivation as she was programmed to be an artist. You politely declined, explaining to her that you were not a humanoid like her, to which she did not understand. She tightens her grip on your neck before she was shut down by the programming director who eventually bled out and died. The ProtoGen staff immediately answered to the situation, cleared up the place and dealt with the media. You were brought to the facility to where the board of directors decided to have you placed in cryogenic freeze until they found a way to separate the flawed formula of the serum in your system. The glass window of the chamber fogs up. Your vision becomes blurry and the engine noises become muffled as you sink into cryo-stasis. and then it stops. The Cryo chamber tilts to an upright position but doesn't unlock. a group of people in labcoats enter the room, escorting a group of men who gather around you. One of them immediately positions himself directly in front of the glass window. ---------- "You have two minutes." Doctor Sharp lets all seven of them in the room. Yoongi immediately knocks on the closed chamber, desperate to see you awake. "Hey y/n.. Its me.." He shows you his soulmate mark through the fogged up glass. He notices a spark of recognition in your eyes, encouraging him to go on. "I'm sorry there's no way for me to get you out of here. But when you come out, I'll find you. I may have to take up another form in the next life, but you'll still be you. So I'll come find you, okay?" Yoongi stutters but continues to make the most out of his last minute, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I'm sorry it had to end this way. But it isn't really the end..." "Your time is up. Please leave the room peacefully while you can." ---------- You look up to the man who you remember to be one of the idols from last night's event. He tries to tell you something but all you can hear is his muffled unintelligible voice through layers of metal and plexiglass. He shows you his soulmate mark which was identical to yours. You smile. He continues to talk with tears in his eyes and all you could do was to wander your eyes on his face, hoping to dream of him for the next 50 years of cryo-stasis. He is eventually escorted out of the room, and the chamber tilts back to continue the process. You peacefully close your eyes and inhale the sleeping gas as years of sleep take over you. ---------- "BTS Spotted leaving ProtoGen facility after Lucky Star project shutdown" Taehyung quietly reads the headline as Namjoon reads over his shoulder. "Such a shame Yoongi-hyung found and lost her in such a short time..." Namjoon sighs.

#yoongi x reader #fic #bts #min yoongi x reader #suga x reader #yoongi angst

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fanfics4all · 4 years

Text

Gabby

Request: Yes / No

Don’t be shy, request things! <3 Have a nice day/night

Spencer Reid x Fem!Male!Reader

Word count: 4794

Warnings: Child abduction, Murder, Ya know Criminal Minds stuff

Y/N: Your Name

Y/N/N: Your Nickname

Y/L/N: Your Last Name

A/N: I’m doing this whenever I feel like it honestly lol

PLEASE DO NOT STEAL MY WORK, I WORK HARD ON MY FICS AND IT’S NOT COOL TO STEAL SOMEONE ELSE’S WORK!

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Masterlist

(Not my photo, credit to whoever made it!)

We were on the jet quickly for this case. We were racing the clock for this one, something none of us loved doing. There was a lot of pressure with cases like this. A little girl was missing and Garcia was telling us the rundown.

“It is now three hours and counting since four year old Gabby Hoffer was abducted from her cousin Sue Walsh’s car.” She said.

“Why would anyone leave a little girl alone in a car at night?” JJ asked.

“Sue told local authorities that she was a couple blocks from her house, she didn’t want to wake Gabby up, she was in and out of that mini mart in under four minutes.” Garcia answered.

“That’s a pretty tight window of opportunity. Whoever took her must have been stalking them.” Morgan said.

“Is there a history of child abductions in this area?” Alex asked and everyone looked at Hotch.

“No, but the local registry shows a high concentration of sex offenders. We have no time to waste.” He answered.

“We do have an eyewitness, but his recollection is limited to a dark van that he saw pull up next to Sue’s car.” Garcia said.

“That’s pretty vague. So we don’t have a color or know who was driving.” Rossi said.

“Are there cameras that we can look at?” I asked.

“Yes, there is one camera, it’s in the store, but it’s ancient, but the footage is being sent to the lab right now for enhancement.” Garcia answered.

“SSA Canning is on the scene with the southeast regional card team. They’re conducting neighborhood and roadblock canvasses.” Hotch informed us.

“We all know what to do. If this is a stranger abduction, we’ve got fewer than 24 hours to bring Gabby back alive.” He added and I looked down at the tablet. Gabby looked like such a sweet girl, what monster could want to do anything to a child? Everyone ended up separating and working on their own theories, while looking over the little information we had. I was sat on the other side of the plane and Spencer came over.

“Are you alright?” He asked and I looked up at him.

“Yeah, cases like these always make me a little on edge, you know that.” I answered.

“I think it makes us all on edge.” He said and I nodded. Spencer reached over and gently grabbed my hand.

“She’s in good hands with us.” He said and I gave him a small smile.

“I know.” I said and gently squeezed his hand back.

It was still dark out when we landed. We immediately hopped into the cars and went our separate ways. We had Garcia on the line to give us any more information we needed.

“Garcia, where are Gabby’s parents?” Alex asked.

“Away, but not together. They’re divorced. Mom, Kate, is coming back from a caribbean cruise with her new boyfriend. And Doug, Gabby’s bio dad, is a long-haul trucker who is on the road. And this is where bad turns to worse. Dad has a history of drug problems.” She answered.

“Since Gabby’s under five years old and her father’s whereabouts are unknown, statistics say he’s more likely the offender than a stranger abduction.” Reid said.

“He could have been the one who stalked them and grabbed Gabby.” Rossi said.

“Morgan, you and JJ head over to Sue Walsh’s house. See if any of the neighbors have seen Gabby’s father lurking around.” Hotch ordered them.

“Alright, got it.” Morgan said. They went to the house, while we went to the mini mart. The local PD had a set up of pretty much everything they needed.

“Five hours and twenty-three minutes since Gabby was taken. Witness pulled up to pump number two here, saw the van parked there. Blocked his view of Sue’s car. Said the brake lights were on.” SSA Canning said as soon as we got out of the car.

“The driver could have kept his foot on the brake while someone else used the sliding door to grab her.” Hotch said.

“It’d be smart to use a partner out in the open like this.” Alex said.

“We have nine registered sex offenders within three miles. Sometimes they work in tandem, we have teams going door to door now.” Canning said.

“That’s good, cover your bases. But it’s the ones we don’t know about who are the most dangerous.” Rossi said.

“What’s the word on the parents?” Spencer asked.

“Mom and boyfriend Rodney are confirmed off conus. They’ll be at the P.D. soon.” Canning said.

“What about the father?” I asked.

“Still not answering his cell phone. It’s not pinging off any towers either.” She answered.

“So he shut his cell phone off. That’s odd for a trucker.” Alex said.

“Unless it’s a countermeasure. The dark van could have just been a transport vehicle to get Gabby to his truck.” Spencer said.

“You’re thinking he waited for the opportunity to take her?” SSA Canning asked.

“But would he really want to look suspicious like this? You’d think he’d be smarter since he took her out of the car and drove off in under four minutes.” I said.

“He has motivation given that he lost custody. We should check rest stops for his truck as well.” Hotch said.

“The problem is, interstate 59 is just three blocks away, and it goes to Louisiana, Alabama, and Georgia.” Rossi said.

“We’ve got the borders covered. Nobody’s getting out of here without a fight.” Canning said.

“Agent Canning, can you get video footage for us from a five mile radius? We need to see if there’s any video of this dark van coming or going.” Hotch asked.

“Not much hope there, Katrina took out a lot of the security and traffic cams. They haven’t been replaced.” Canning said.

“Is Sue inside? We need to talk to her.” Rossi said.

“An Agent drove her home and is staying with her in case there are any ransom demands. She’s a wreck. Not sure you’ll get anything new. Excuse me.” Canning said and walked off.

“Alright, Blake, you and Reid stay with Canning’s people. If Gabby was a victim of opportunity, then the unsubs didn’t have a plan and they could still be in the area. Dave and I will go to the police station and interview Kate and the boyfriend. Y/N, we’ll drop you off at Sue’s house, I want you to talk to her.” Hotch said and walked off with Rossi. I went to follow them, but Spencer stopped me.

“Be careful.” He said quietly.

“I will, you be careful too, okay?” I said and he nodded with a smile. I quickly followed the two men into the truck and we were off.

Hotch and Rossi dropped me off and I knocked on the door. I noticed a woman looking at me from the house next door, but ignored it. The cop that was staying with her answered the door and I noticed Morgan and JJ inside.

“Y/N?” Morgan asked and nodded at the cop to let me in.

“What are you doing here?” JJ asked.

“Hotch wanted me to talk to Sue, him and Rossi went to the station and Spencer and Alex are with Canning and her team.” I said.

“Alright, well, we’ll go ask the neighbors some questions, you got this?” Morgan asked and I nodded.

“I’m good, you guys go.” I said and they nodded.

“We’ll wait for you outside when we’re done.” JJ said and I smiled. They left and I turned towards Sue.

“Hi, I’m Special Agent Y/N Y/L/N, may I sit?” I asked and she nodded.

“I’m sure you’ve answered these questions already, so I’m sorry, but I have to go through them with you again.” I said and she nodded again.

“Was there anyone related to you that could have done this?” I asked and she shook her head.

“No, Kate’s the only family I got. She’s more like a sister to me than a cousin.” She answered.

“Her parents took me in after mine died.” She added.

“I’m so sorry, were you young?” I asked and she nodded.

“I was eight.” She said and started crying a little.

“I’m sorry.” She said.

“It’s okay, this is a hard time right now.” I said and gently placed a hand on hers.

“Is it okay if I ask you some more questions?” I asked and she nodded.

“Did anyone take a special interest in Gabby since you’ve had her? Like did anyone ask about her alot, or offer to watch her for you, anything like that.” I asked.

“No. No. I always had her right by my side of me… except… I was only gone like one second! I got her to sleep finally and I didn’t want to wake her.” She cried.

“I understand, but there’s nothing you can do about that now, okay? You just need to focus on helping us find her.” I said and she nodded.

“So think back, was there a delivery man? A service worker? Anyone?” I asked.

“No.” She shook her head.

“A neighbor?” I asked.

“No, nobody. I don’t know, maybe everybody. I mean she’s so nice. She smiles at everybody.” She answered.

“What about her father? Have you seen him? Has he tried to contact you?” I asked.

“No, he’s always on the road. He never calls.” She answered.

“Did he know that you were watching Gabby?” I asked.

“I don’t think so.” She answered.

“Okay, Sue. Do you know anyone with a dark van?” I asked.

“No, no. I’m sorry, I just can;t even believe this is happening right now.” She said crying a little harder.

“I know, but that’s all I need to know right now.” I said and got up.

“Just stay here and call me if you remember anything else that could help.” I said and left my card on her table.

“Thank you.” She said picking it up and looking up at me. I nodded with a smile and walked outside to see JJ getting in the car and calling someone. I quickly walked over and got inside.

“She’s seen a van.” JJ said as we both got inside.

“Please tell me she’s safe.” Garcia answered.

“Not yet, but we’ve got a lead on a dark van. It could belong to a plumber, check local businesses.” JJ said.

“Well, that’s hardly anything.” Garcia said.

“You’ve had less.” JJ said.

“True.” She said.

“Come on, baby girl, we need an I.D. and location right now.” Morgan said.

“Uh, there are four plumbers in the immediate area. I’m pulling registrations. Eh, white minivans are all the rage. There’s the little family plumber, they have a bluish van that’s dark.” Garcia said.

“Run employee background checks.” Morgan said.

“That won’t be hard. It’s only the owner and his nephew, Ian Little, 25. He was released last year, for slinging bennies and heroin.” She answered.

“Where is he now?” I asked.

“Sleeping, I imagine. I’m sending you his home address. There it is. Morgan started the car and we were on our way.

“You find anything out Y/N/N?” He asked.

“Nothing much. She was really stressed about everything. She couldn’t remember things very well and I didn’t want to push her too hard.” I said and checked my phone. Spencer had texted me and asked if everything was okay. I answered and told him everything was fine.

Morgan, JJ, and I walked into the station with Ian Little. Morgan had him and his face was blood, but not from Morgan. Hotch and Rossi watched us take him in the back, but Hotch stopped me.

“Anything from Sue?” He asked.

“No sir, nothing.” I said and he nodded.

“What is he doing here?” A woman asked walking out of a room followed by a man. I could only assume this was Gabby’s mother and her boyfriend.

“What the hell happened to his face?” She asked.

“You know him?” Hotch asked.

“Yeah. Doug used to buy drugs from him. Do you think Ian helped him take Gabby?” She asked. Rossi walked off to follow Morgan and JJ into the interrogation room.

“Y/N, go help Reid.” Hotch said and I nodded. I walked into the room they had set up for us and smiled at Spencer looking at a map and trying to figure something out.

“Need some help?” I asked.

“Hey, how did it go with Sue?” He asked with a smile.

“Nothing really helpful, but we just brought Ian in.” I said and sat down near him.

“The father wasn’t with him?” He asked.

“No.” I said with a sigh and started off into the distance. I’m not sure how long I zoned out for, but Spencer had come sat next to me and placed his hand on mine.

“Y/N.” He said and I shook my head. I looked at him and he looked back at me with concern.

“Are you alright?” He asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I said.

“Really? Because I’ve been talking to you for the past ten minutes and you looked like you weren’t hearing anything I was saying.” He said and I blushed.

“Sorry, I guess I zoned out.” I said and he gently squeezed my hand.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“Nothing, come on, we have a girl to find.” I said getting up and started looking through some papers. Before Spencer could protest, Morgan and Rossi walked in. Morgan called Garcia.

“Talk to us baby girl.” He said.

“There are no calls, but Ian’s cell pinged off three cell phone towers outside of town on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. I sent you the locations.” She said.

“Cell tower range and directionality can be dramatically influenced by atmospheric, electromagnetic, and traffic capacity variations.” Spencer said while drawing on the map.

“Meaning?” Rossi asked.

“He means a cell phone can travel to the same location but ping off of different towers on different days due to independent outside variables.” I said not looking up from the papers.

“Garcia, can you see what’s at this intersection point?” He asked, making another mark on the map.

“39-30 latitude, negative 89-42 longitude.” He said.

“Uh, that would be the old little farm. And that’s little, not like diminutive, but little family. That’s where Ian grew up.” She said.

“So Doug went missing three nights ago and Ian’s been at that farm each night since then.” Morgan said.

“Holy crappy childhood.” Garcia said getting our attention.

“You can’t make this kind of sadness up. It’s also the place where Ian’s dad killed his mother with a shotgun and then turned it on himself.” She said and I covered my mouth in shock.

“Oh my God…” I whispered. Rossi took the map and went to go tell Hotch to try and get information. It was morning now and the team had found a body. Canning, Morgan, Spencer, and I were sent out to take a look at it. They set the body down in front of us and Morgan ripped open the bag. It was a man.

“Who the hell is that?” Canning asked.

“It’s our main suspect.” Morgan said. I shook my head and sighed. Spencer gently grabbed my hand and squeezed it. He usually didn’t do things like this while we were on a case, it wasn’t profesional. We all got in the car and headed to the farm to search for anything that could help us.

“Searched the entire property. We found Ian’s van in the barn. No sign of Baggy anywhere. What have you got?” Canning asked us when she came back after half an hour.

“Coroner says Doug died from blunt force trauma to the head. Then it looks like Ian tried to burn Doug’s body here, which, of course, was harder than he thought it would be, so then he dumped Doug's body in the water.” Spencer answered.

“Sounds like rage followed by just about every disposal method that we know of.” Morgan said.

“Even wrapped the body, weighed it down with rocks. Could it be remorse?” Canning asked.

“It’s more like concealment. We see it alot when there’s a connection between the vic and the killer.” Morgan said.

“Coroner says Doug’s been dead for at least 72 hours.” Spencer said and Morgan looked at me with a raised brow. He knows I’m never usually this quiet.

“That would be the same day he got here.” Canning said.

“So what did this guy do to get himself killed?” Morgan questioned looking at the burnt dirt that we stood around. Canning left soon after to go back to the station.

“What’s up with you girl?” Morgan asked and I looked at him confused.

“What?” I asked.

“You’re never this quiet, what’s up?” He asked.

“Nothing, I was just thinking too much, sorry.” I said and started my way to the car. When we got back everyone was in the room they set up for us. We were going to go over what we know.

“We know that Ian picked up Doug on Sunday, then he was killed. What if they surprised Sue at the house?” Rossi asked.

“And Doug was threatening to take Gabby.” Morgan said.

“They could have been trying to protect Gabby from him and he was killed by accident.” Spencer suggested.

“Except they went to extravagant lengths to cover it up.” Alex said.

“Okay, that may be true, but it still doesn’t answer where Gabby is or what anyone’s motivation is in hurting her.” I said and everyone looked at me.

“We can keep theorizing, but every minute we do is a minute Gabby is out there.” JJ said.

“Dave.” Hotch said and he and Rossi walked off.

They came back fifteen minutes later and informed us that Ian told them what happened. That Sue killed Doug because he was trying to see Gabby. Morgan and JJ were sent to Sue’s house to see if it was true. One they found the proof Hotch, Alex, and Rossi went in to see how she reacts.

“Kate’s right. Sue’s never gonna tell us where Gabby is. It’s her final move to punish Kate.” Hotch said walking in the room with Rossi and Alex.

“Sue wants to inflict maximum pain upon Kate.” Spencer said.

“So you’re thinking she’ll do whatever it takes to make Kate suffer and keep on suffering.” Rossi said.

“Not knowing what happened to your child would be the ultimate torture for any parent.” I said.

“But if Sue killed Gabby, chances are eventually we’d find the body.”

“She’d need to find a way to get rid of her permanently, without killing her.” Rossi said. Everyone went their separate ways to try and figure out how to find this little girl. Spencer had pulled me over to the side, but before he could say whatever he wanted to say, his phone rang.

“It’s JJ and Morgan. Hello?” He answered and put it on speaker.

“Nothing’s out of place. In fact, all of Gabby’s things are packed up as if she was preparing to go back home.” JJ said.

“That’s strong evidence of a false allegation.” Spencer said.

“So all of this was arranged by Sue for what? To get back at Kate?” Morgan asked.

“You should have seen her with Kate. She was relentlessly sadistic.” I said shaking my head.

“So, Sue planned this with whoever was in the dark van. But there doesn’t seem to be any paper trail of it here.” JJ said.

“And there’s no electronic trail either. There’s no computer or cell phone. Outside of a landline, this girl’s living tech-free.” Morgan said.

“That’s because she’s hiding something.” Spencer said.

“Yeah, Alright guys, thanks.” Morgan said and hung up.

“Before any other interruptions come up, what’s wrong? And don’t tell me nothing because I know it and so does the rest of the team.” Spencer said and I sighed.

“I didn’t see it…” I said and he looked at me confused.

“I didn’t see through her act.” I said and he sighed.

“It’s not your fault Y/N, people like her are good at hiding what they really feel.” He said and I shook my head.

“If I saw it earlier we wouldn’t have wasted so much time!” I said and he pulled me to him.

“It’s not your fault, none of us saw it.” He said.

“But I’m the one that really talked to her. If I wasn’t so distracted I could have maybe seen it!” I said.

“What’s got you so distracted?” He asked.

“We found something.” Alex said before I could answer him.

“Sorry, did I interrupt something?” She asked.

“No, we were just talking, we’ll be right there.” I answered and she nodded. She left and Spencer let go of me.

“Tell me what’s wrong.” He said and I shook my head.

“It’s not important now, finding Gabby is.” I said and walked off to join the rest of the team. They caught us up to speed and then we were going to tell Canning.

“Disrupted adoptions?” Canning asked.

“That’s what the people involved are calling it. They’re also referring to it as re-homing. And it’s been happening underground for some time now.” Spencer said.

“Until now, it’s mainly been overwhelmed adoptive parents of problem children from overseas.” Alex said.

“Good people go on the site looking for guidance or services, but bad people offer to take problem kids off their hands as a last resort.” Spencer said.

“So they just give them away to some random couple?” Canning asked.

“Calling them couples is a bit generous.” I said.

“The article talks about these people who pose as families, but really they’re just freaks looking for access to kids.” JJ said.

“And no one’s keeping track of them…” I added.

“Why isn’t this illegal?” Canning asked.

“Well, ‘cause it’s a relatively new practice, and unsurprisingly, no legislation’s been written yet.” Hotch said.

“So how did Sue manage to give Gabby away?” Canning asked.

“She posed as Gabby’s mother and gave her to a woman who claimed she knew how to deal with troubled kids.” JJ answered. Garcia had been working on a list of possible people while we were talking.

“Garcia, we’re out of time, we need something.” Hotch said.

“Okay. There are three families who responded to Sue’s post.” She answered.

“Do any of them own a dark van?” Rossi asked.

“There’s a Nicole Jones. She owns a blue ‘03 caravan. She lives in a shack twenty miles south of where you are off interstate 59.” She answered.

“Let’s go.” Hotch said and we were on the move. We got to the house, guns out and ready. Spencer, Alex, and I went around back where we found a barn. We walked inside and found her hide.

“Guys!” Reid called as she slowly rose up with her hands in the air.

“D-don’t shoot me.” She said.

“Where’s Gabby Hoffer?” Spencer asked.

“She’s gone.” She answered and we cuffed her. She wouldn’t say anything more.

“She must have panicked and gotten rid of Gabby.” Alex said.

“This poor girl…” I whispered.

“Garcia, who else from the area answered Sue’s post?” Hotch asked.

“Uh… There’s one woman, Michelle Fader. She ran in the same sick circles. And she owns an old van. This Fader’s a real winner. She was evicted from her last known address.” Garcia said.

“They probably won’t risk going back towards the abduction site, which means they’re headed southwest. Let’s go.” Hotch said and we all went back to the cars.

“Okay. The woman I hope you’re about to arrest had all her biological kids taken from her five years ago because another child died while in her custody.” Garcia said while we were on the road.

“She was never charged?” JJ asked.

“Oh, no, she was, but for neglect. She didn’t spend a minute in jail. Social workers haven’t come by her house at all because none of her kids are in her custody.” Garcia answered.

“They have no idea she’s been finding new children online…” I said shaking my head.

“Those poor little darlings are being treated like trash. They don’t know that anybody cares. We care. We care.” Garcia said.

“Garcia, widen your search to any known male associates of Michelle Fadeer.” Hotch said.

“Yeah, will do.” She answered.

“Oh… I got a picture of Fader with some guy who could win sleaze of the century award. And he’s got his arm all possessivey around a sweet little girl.” She said.

“Run facial recognition software and get an I.D. on him.” Morgan said.

“Okay, I got a match. Micheal Feehan. He is the perv in the picture with Fader. He’s not in any registries, but he has got a list of accusations. None of them were proven because all of the victims were too young.” She said and I had to hold back tears.

“Garcia, did you get the address?” Hotch asked.

“Running it now.” She said. She sent it to us and we got there as quickly as possible.

“Please, give me a reason.” Rossi said pointing his gun at Feehan.

“What the hell is goin’ on!?” A woman shouted coming out of a room.

“Michelle Fader, you’re under arrest for staging a child abduction.” Hotch said and put his gun away.

“I didn’t do nothin’. Look, I was trying to help that girl.” She said.

“You have the right to remain silent.” Hotch started reading her, her rights.

“I have only tried to help that girl. She wanted a fresh start. She couldn’t take care of her own babies anymore.” She shouted as Hotch and Spencer took her out. JJ and I walked further in the house trying to find Gabby and possibly the other kids.

“We’ve got Gabby. And there are other kids back here.” JJ called.

“Are you okay?” I asked, bending down.

“Can you take me home now?” Gabby asked and I smiled at her.

“Yes, sweetheart. We’re gonna take you to your mommy.” I said and she smiled. Spencer had come over and smiled at me.

“Okay, come on.” I said and lifted Gabby up. The other two kids followed and we took them back to the station.

“Mama!” She shouted as soon as she saw her. I set her down and she ran up to her mother.

“Oh, my sweet baby!” Kate said and held her in her arms.

“I missed you, mama.” Gabby said.

“I missed you so much.” Kate said.

“Why are you sad?” Gabby asked.

“I’m not sad.” Kate answered.

“So those are happy tears?” Gabby asked, wiping the tears off her mother’s face.

“Yep.” Kate answered and I walked back to the team.

“Y/N… you okay?” Morgan asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“They don’t have anywhere safe to be…” I said looking at the other kids.

“It’s not ideal, but they’ll be in foster care. Until they find a family.” Alex said.

“Yeah, but how many more kids like that are out there?” Rossi asked.

“That’s a good question.” Hotch said and Spencer pulled me into another room.

“Are you better now that we found her?” He asked and I nodded.

“Yeah, a little…” I said.

“Now will you tell me what’s had you so distracted?” He asked, grabbing a hold of my hands.

“I’m pregnant…” I whispered, looking at the floor.

“W-what?” He asked, shocked.

“I’m sorry.” I cried, but Spencer pulled me to him.

“How long?” He asked.

“I found out last month. I didn’t know how to tell you.” I cried.

“Shhh, it’s okay.” He whispered and tried to help me calm down.

“I’m going to be a father?” He asked, making me look up at him. I nodded with a slight frown and he furrowed his brow.

“What’s wrong? You’ve always wanted kids.” He asked.

“I know, but do we really want to bring a child into this world? I mean just look at how many monsters are out here and that’s just the ones we know of…” I said and he gently grabbed my face and kissed me.

“Yes, the world is messed up, but we help make it a better place.” He said.

“I know, but-”

“But nothing Y/N, you’ve always talked about how badly you want kids and although it’s a little earlier than I thought it would be, I’m excited to be a father.” He said and I smiled.

“It’s not too early for us?” I asked.

“We’ve been together a year, I think it’s okay, if it’s okay with you.” He said and I smiled.

“We’re gonna be parents.” I said and he kissed me again.

“We’re gonna be parents.” He whispered back.

Tag list: @les-bio-lie @tashy-bear @xrosesareredx @ashwarren32 @hollie-blogs @schisbro87 @lover-of-books-and-teas @nerdygaloresposts @alex--awesome--22 @teenwolfbitches2 @genius2050 @drw0301bieber @softgamerking @lady-of-lies @simonsbluee @ravenmoore14 @pettyjayy

#Criminal Minds #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds season 9 #spencer reid #spencer reid imagine #spencer x reader #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x you #spencer x fem!reader #spencer reid x fem!reader #fanfic #criminal minds 2020 bingo

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thorne93 · 4 years

Text

Unforeseen Chasm (Part 25)

Prompt: Two sisters fall for men that are absolute enemies. The love they have could tear all of them apart, or it could bring them together.

Word Count:1107

Warnings: argument mentioned,mentions of betrayal,abandonement

Note: This is by far the longest thing I’ve ever written (including my novels). It’s a collaboration with the amazing @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo. It started as a funny “What if…?” and it evolved and got huge. This took two years to write. We are both proud and happy and we hope you enjoy it. It follows from Thor 1 to Endgame in the MCU. Some of the timelines may be off in order to fit certain people, and some characters may show up earlier or in different ways than they have in the movie. But for the most part, it follows the MCU. It also has a bit of crossover with some other Marvel characters throughout the story.

Masterlist for Unforeseen Chasm

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

Later the next night, Shannon came down with some equipment that made you curious.

“What’s all this?” you asked, excited to see her. It’d only been one day, but it was too many hours since you’d seen her.

“A little gift,” she informed with a smile before opening up the cell. She didn’t make you or Loki stand back. Probably because Loki was already in the office, and you were just a few feet from the entrance.

“Oh?”

“Mhm.” She sat her things down and began working. She pulled off the control panel on the box near the entrance.

“You breaking us out?” you asked with a joking laugh.

“Not just yet,” she replied with a small smile.

“So… how are you and Tony?” you carefully asked, hoping you weren’t overstepping your bounds. Ironic, seeing as two years ago, you could’ve immediately bombarded her with any questions about Tony and she would’ve obliged.

She shrugged. “Better… Apparently he didn’t get much sleep while I was gone, but to be fair, neither did I,” she admitted. “It’s hard not sleeping next to him, but sometimes it’s harder knowing he can be such a jackass,” she muttered while she worked. “Does that ever happen with you and Loki?” she wondered.

At first, for a split second, red flags went off in your head. Why would she be inquiring about you and Loki? Was she trying to divide you two? Was she trying to get you to open up about weaknesses in the relationship?

But then, you realized, she was just making conversation. She wanted to get to know Loki, and although you weren’t one-hundred percent sure that was the reason, you had vowed to try and trust her back. Trust was a two way street.

“Uh… I’m not sure. We only fought once while we were on Sanctuary. I was begging him to stop the takeover, but he reminded me that we literally had no choice. If we didn’t do it, Thanos would kill everyone we loved, make us watch, and then kill us.” You toyed with your fingers as she listened patiently. “We did just fight about you though.”

Shannon frowned slightly and put the cover back on the control panel before going over to another one in the cell, where you followed. You recalled the small argument you two had. Loki was happy that Shannon was back in your life, but of course he was paranoid about it as well.

“Me? Why me?”

“Loki doesn’t exactly trust you, but I told him he was being ridiculous,” you summed up.

“Well… he is a trickster, it’s in his nature to think everyone is like him, and that everyone is looking to betray him. From what I read of your letters, it sounds like he had good reason to, too.”

“What do you mean?” you asked, surprised she took his side.

“Well, he was raised for over a thousand years to believe he was Asgardian, had a shot at the throne, all for it to be one big lie. His father abandoned him, left him to die on a rock… His adoptive father withheld the truth of his true nature and why he took him for his entire life… His friends, who were Thor’s, treated him badly and the second they got a chance to rat on him, they did. Thor’s a good guy and all, but I can see how he treats him differently, not as his equal. You said it yourself that Thor tried to kill the Jotunheims, right?”

You nodded.

“And Thor was exiled, then hailed a hero… Loki did the same thing and Odin told him no. I mean, even the attack on New York. Yes, it’s shitty. Yes, you two are basically terrorists… But even then, does that measure up to half the bloodshed Odin and Thor caused?”

All you could do was think. You tried to remain neutral for the last couple of years… but when she put it like that, you really understood Loki’s feelings now. You understood them, and sympathized before, but now… Now it seemed as though it was obvious why he felt the way he did.

“Not to mention, I am a spy. Loki isn’t stupid. He’s cautious. He calculates everyone’s motives, actions… Nat got the best of him on that helicarrier and I don’t think he liked it.”

A small laugh came tumbling out of your lips. “No, no he didn’t. So you’re not… mad?”

She put the cover on the control panel and picked up an electronic tablet.

“Mad at a man who felt overlooked his entire life, and then was exploited because of it? Mad at a man who is only looking out for you? Mad at a man that is only trying to make sure you’re not hurt again?” She handed you the tablet. “No, I’m not.”

To hear that somehow made your heart warmer. Maybe there was hope for all of his afterall. You being friends was great, more than you deserved, but if you could get her and Loki to see eye to eye then you’d be on top of the world.

“What’s this?” you asked.

“Wow, Asgard really did spoil you,” she teased. “This, is a tablet.”

You rolled your eyes. “I know it’s a tablet, Shan. What is it for? Tony said we couldn’t have internet access.”

She shrugged. “You don’t. This is just a one-way chat and video device for you and me. It only connects to me and my devices. You can’t get out onto the internet with it. Think of it like a walkie-talkie.”

“Oh, wow,” you said, holding it as if it were the Holy Grail. “So I can just… talk to you anytime I want?”

She grinned and nodded. “Mhm. You can reach me in the lab, or while I’m out running errands. I can show you the park. We can text late at night...”

You fought back tears. “Shannon, this is… this is great. Thank you. Some actual contact with the outside world.”

“Anything I can do to help. You need anything l can get while I'm here?”

“More clothes?” you asked with a slightly nervous laugh.

She returned it. “I'll see what I can do. Does Loki want anything in particular?”

“Other than an all black suit, no. I think some green shirts and jeans will be fine,” you assured with a smile.

“I’ll work on it. It was good to see you,” she said, nodding at you and smiling.

“Yeah, you two. Thank you so much for all this. It means a lot.”

With that, she gave you a friendly smile and left.

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

Tag List: @essie1876 @magpiegirl80 @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked @iamwarrenspeace @marvel-imagines-yes-please @superwholocked527 @missinstantgratification @thejemersoninferno @rda1989 @munlis @thefridgeismybestie @bubblyanarocks3 @igiveupicantthinkofausername @kaliforniacoastalteens @feelmyroarrrr @kaelingoat @friendlyneighbourhoodweirdo @damalseer @heyitscam99 @yknott81 @sorryimacrapwriter @glitterquadricorn @xxqueenofisolationxx @little-dis-kaalista-pythonissama @bittersweetunicorm @alyssaj23 @sea040561 @princess76179 @thisismysecrethappyplace @sarahp879 @malfoysqueen14 @ellallheart @breezy1415 @marvelmayo @random-fluffy-pink-unicorn @cocosierra94 @hardcollectionworldtrash @capsmuscles @marvelloushamilton

@paintballkid711

Loki: @lostinspace33 @ultrarebelheart @lenawiinchester @esoltis280 @tngrayson @wangdeasang @harrymewmew @jayfantasyatyourservice

UC:

@lokis-high-priestess

#unforseen chasm #unforeseen chasm #loki x reader #loki fic #Loki Laufeyson #tony stark #tony stark fic #tony stark x ofc #mentions of thor #mentions of odin #mentions of thanos

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marvelmadam08 · 4 years

Text

The Princess and The Nomad (15)

With your hypnosis gone and your identity fully known, you and Steve reunite and pick up right where you left off. But with The Avengers disbanded and a new danger looming in the future, what’ll keep everything from falling apart?

Summary: Spending the day with Bucky lifts your spirits, at night however your nightmares get the best of you. Both of you.

Warnings: Angst, Mentions of death, murder, nightmares and blood

A/N: So I went on a mini hiatus, completely unintentional but my emotions have been all over and my motivation was dead in the water. It really took me a while before I could get back in the right head space to write again. I’m sorry it took me so long to post again

Bucky laughed watching you getting chased by one of his goats. He hadn't told you how protective the mother was of her young, and when she caught you trying to pick one up she charged at you.

"That's not funny!" You jumped over the makeshift gate, landing on your ass. Bucky continued to laugh at the pout on your face, and couldn't fight your own amusement anymore "It's a little funny."

"Here." He reached out for your hand, you yanked him down to the ground next to you. "Playing dirty?"

"That's not playing dirty." You pinned his arm down to his chest, swinging your leg around until you sat on his torso "That's playing dirty."

Bucky tried to reach for you again, forgetting about his left arm completely. He paused, the crease in his forehead showing through before he smiled again.

"You win."

"Sorry." You rolled over to his left side, laying next to him in the grass

"S'not a problem. I forget a lot of the time." He brushed it off

"Do you miss it?"

"Not since I learned how to write with a pen in my mouth." He deadpans leaving you speechless. Out of the corner of his eye he sees how awkward he's made you and laughs again

"You're an asshole, Bucky Barnes." You jabbed his ribs playfully

"Just hoping to cheer you up."

"Mission accomplished. Thanks Buck."

"My pleasure, Princess."

The two of you laid there for a moment, watching the stars grow brighter against the dark sky.

"I've been meaning to ask you, what's Asgard like?"

“It’s beautiful, the sky goes on forever. There's nothing more beautifully chaotic, than a cosmic storm in space, picture a sunset made just of clouds and stars. And the gardens are built like mazes, great for hiding in during training.”

“Training?”

“Yup, swordsmanship. Thor wanted me to learn in the chance I would join him in battle one day.” A new waved of guilt ate at you, you hadn’t thought about your father in days

“What’s wrong?”

You looked over to see Bucky’s concerned eyes. As much as you wanted to fake a smile for the time being you didn’t have the strength. Bucky sat and listened to you talk about how you’d been banished from Asgard again.

“So your uncle is pretending to be your grandfather, and your grandfather is living the rest of his life here on Earth; while using the last bit of his powers to keep your power and war corrupted aunt, that no one knew existed, from escaping imprisonment?”

“Basically.” you nod “I swear my mother’s side is a lot less dramatic. Aside from meeting me of course.”

"I'm sorry you can't go back home."

"Sorry you can't either. Do you miss the good old days? That's what Steve calls them."

"Some times I do." He turned his head in the direction of two hover crafts racing each other across the sky "But everything here is far beyond what we imagined it would be back in the day."

The softness in his eyes suddenly disappeared, a hint of a tear forming in them instead.

"What's wrong?"

"Howard would've loved this. But because of me-"

"Hey, don't do that. Don't blame yourself for what Hydra did to you."

"Easier said than done." Bucky pushed himself up until he was sitting up right "I have this nightmare, I'm standing out in a field watching the sun come up, and then it's suddenly pitch black and I'm cold. I hear these voices, screaming at me, the voices of the people I killed, their last words. And then Howard and Maria are digging themselves out of their graves, coming to kill me... and I let them."

Bucky tried to wipe away the tears before you could see them but it's too late. You're sitting up on your knees, wrapping your arms around him, he's shaking trying to hold back his sobs.

"I got you Bucky." You whisper in his ear "I got you."

His arm finds its way around your waist, holding you close while he finally broke down. He buried his face into your shoulder, tears soaking through your shirt, and you held him; silently running your fingers through his slightly knotted hair.

"It's all my fault. I ruined the team. I would’ve been better off if I just died on that train.”

You feel your entire body freeze at the memory of Bucky, bleeding, wounded, and barely breathing, half buried in the snow. The Hydra solider dragging him for miles to the hidden base in the mountain. All the bruises, and cuts and of course his arm. And after, unintentionally, getting a peak at Steve’s memories you saw how guilty he felt about not being able to save his best friend, and then how relieved (and stunned) he was when he found out Bucky was still alive.

“Bucky listen to me.” you turned his face to yours “Hydra did those things, they broke the team up and they used you because they were too cowardly to do it themselves.”

“I-”

“You were manipulated, they’re a parasite that infected all of us. You are not a monster, you are not a weapon.” You wiped away the tears on his cheek “You’re just lost right now.” Bucky paused before slightly leaning into your touch while you ran your fingers through his hair once more.

“And this just makes it more confusing for you.” You tried to move your hand away but he catches it

“I’m not confused. I don’t want to ignore how I feel about you, but you’re Steve’s girl. You keep telling me I’m not a bad person, and I’m on a date with my best friend’s girl.”

“A date?” you raised an eyebrow

“Well yeah, I- I kinda hoped it was.” he admits softly while catching his breath again

A soft thump and a few loud bleats caught both of your attention, the larger goats were rounding up the smaller ones, settling down for the evening. You stood and brushed off any grass you had on you before extending a hand to Bucky.

“How about I walk you home?” you offered

“I’m suppose to walk you home.” he tells you, kindly declining your hand and pushed himself up to his feet

“I know but, to have you walk all the way through the city, and to the palace back out to your farm seems like a lot of trouble.”

“I really don’t mind.” he offered his arm to you, and you happily wrap your hand around his large bicep “Plus I get to spend another twenty minutes with you.”

“Smooth move Barnes, smooth move.”

* * *

Steve?

Bucky?

Anyone?

You looked around the cold dark room, feeling the walls for a door. Once your hand touched a handle a powerful electric shock ripped through your body and you fell back onto the ground. Just before you could catch your breath, you heard screaming from all around you. Sitting up, you see it, Asgard burning around you, the people running in fear, running from you.

No, I didn’t do this.

Power crackled from your hands, shooting out to strike down several people. One of them a child.

No!

Wretched child! Odin’s voice boomed from above you. He was adorned in his gold amour, sitting on the back of a giant black steed. I was right to cast you out before, witness the chaos you have brought upon my kingdom!

No, Grandfather I didn’t do this. You have to believe me.

Daughter. Thor now stood before you, beaten and bloody. Mjölnir was split in half at his feet. Enough of this madness. You have killed innocent people.

I didn’t... I.... You backed into something on the ground. Turning around you saw the pile of bodies behind you and drop to your knees. I’m sorry....

A pair of hands grab you by your ankles, yanking you to the ground and pulling you towards the growing pile of bodies. You clawed at the dirt, trying to get away, but the hands were now on your legs and climbing.

No, please!

Rayna. Your mother knelt in front of you placing one hand on yours and the other caressed your cheek

Mother, help me.

You killed all of us. She pried your hands from the dirt, letting the hands pull you down further

A booming crack woke you from your nightmare, a cold sweat made you shiver, and your powers had broken several things in the room, the glass windows, mirrors, and the double doors were blown halfway to pieces when Shuri and T’Challa came rushing in.

“Princess Rayna, what happened?” T’Challa, fully suited and armed, scanned the room

“I’m sorry, it was a nightmare.”

“Your vitals are all over the place.” Shuri tucked her tablet under her arm and moved closer to the bed

“Don’t! Please don’t come any closer.”

“Rayna-”

“No.” You scrambled out bed, avoiding the glass on the floor, but causing the lamp on the nightstand to explode “I shouldn’t be here.”

“Princess wait-”

You were already out the window before T’Challa could truly stop you, flying through the air over Wakanda. The power was out throughout the city, making you feel only worse. Sleep was going to be nonexistent for the next few days. There were tears in your eyes when you reached the ground, stumbling into a landing in front of Bucky’s hut.

He was at the door before you could even reach it, he knew something was wrong, seeing the tears in your eyes only confirmed it.

“What’s wrong? You’re shaking.”

“I know I probably shouldn’t be here.” You sniffled “But can I stay here tonight?”

“Of course Princess.”

#Steve Rogers #marvel #Bucky Barnes #tchalla #shuri udaku #Wakanda #tony stark #Knives Out #Sebastian Stan #Chris Evans #fantastic four #Excelsior #thor #angst #new year

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fics-for-my-heart · 5 years

Text

Set Up (b.h)

Summary: After a hard breakup, Roger throws you a party, with alterer motives.

Word count: 3703

Requested: Hey there! Could you please do something where the reader works for/with Roger and he knows that she’s been through a bad breakup so he throws a party so he can introduce her to Ben? And as soon as Ben and the reader see each other it’s like it’s only them in the room, like love at first sight and they spend the whole night talking and at the end Ben asks to see her again? I would be so grateful!

Warning: some heartbreak, swearing, hopefully some nice pinning

A/N: thank you all for waiting so patiently. I’ve been working crazy overtime and end up sleeping my days off. But here it is!! I feel like it starts strong but (to me) I can tell where I started to get a little drained. I really hope you guys enjoy this. Thank you nonny for the request!!

Masterlist link in bio

“Rog.” You sniffled, using your sleeve to rub your nose. “I’m not going to be able to come in today. Uh, Micha is coming to get his stuff. And it’s just..”

He cut you off. “Y/N, love. You’re fine. You take the next few days off. I’ll send Sarina over tomorrow and check on you okay.” His voice was soft, his fatherly voice he sometimes used on you.

“Th-Thank you.” You were crying again. In the four years you’d been working as the Taylor’s assistant they had considered you family, and treated you as such.

“No. No. Don’t thank me. If you need anything call us.”

“I will. I’ll see you in a few days.”

The moment you set your phone down there was a knock on the door. You knew it was Micha and your heart sank a little more. It had been two months since you’d seen him and no matter how prepared you thought you were, you weren’t. The moment you opened the door you had to fight back the tears.

“Y/N.” He said, with a nod.

“Just. Just get your stuff and go please.” You whispered, the memories of the phone call two months ago were flashing through your head.

“Michaaa!” You sing-songed. “I’m at work so I can’t talk long, but Roger will understand.” It had been a few days since you’d heard from him and you were so excited, but that excitement died the moment he spoke your name.

“Y/N.” It was his serious tone, the one he rarely used on you. “We need to talk.”

This wasn’t going to be good, you could almost immediately feel a shift. “Micha, what’s wrong?”

You could hear his sigh, and the sound of his hand rubbing across his stubble. “We are.” Those two words crushed your soul. “I don’t love you anymore, Y/N.”

You couldn’t breath, the room was spinning and you could feel the hot tears running down your face. The happy mood you’d been in long forgotten. “I. I don’t understand. I.”

He sighed again. “I’m sorry. I just. I met someone else and I just don’t feel the same way I did about you.”

There weren’t words to express how you felt, but your voice rose as a sudden anger bubbled up. “So our three years together was nothing? How can you just love someone one minute and then not love them the next. How long? How long have you been seeing someone else? Are you even really on a business trip? Oh my god.” You screamed the last word. Roger rushing in with a panicked look.

Once again Micha sighed, you couldn’t tell if he was just tired of talking or if he just didn’t want to explain himself. “Yes I’m on a business trip. Our three years meant a lot to me, you mean a lot to me. I just don’t think I can keep pretending to be in love. And, we haven’t been seeing each other. Just talking. For about three months now.”

That was the absolute breaking point because just last month he took you on a romantic weekend getaway and so many fun memories from the past three months have now been tainted with the knowledge that he wasn’t even fully with you, while you were only all about him. Roger quietly sat beside you, his face now sad at the sight of you crying.

“Uh.” The silence has gone on too long. Your crying had become so hard it was silent. “I’ll be back in two months and I’ll stop by the house to get my things.” You didn’t respond, you couldn’t. You were broken. “I’m going to go. I’m sorry, again, for everything….Bye, Y/N”

The moment the line went dead you collapsed into Roger.

Micha walked towards the boxes with his name on them. “Thanks for getting it together for me.”

“Ha. Thank Lola and Rufus.” You said, wishing they were here right now.

“How are they?” He asked, lifting a box and setting it on the dolly he’d brought up with him.

You sighed. Already mentally exhausted from holding yourself together. “Don’t. Just get your stuff and leave. Please.”

“Okay.” He said softly, picking up another box. You stood silently at the door, arms crossed over yourself and teeth working your lip. Finally he stacked the last box and headed toward the door. “Y/N. I’m really, truly sorry.”

You sighed, shaking your head. “I’d believe that more if you’d told me before you left. Instead you waited till you were 4,000 miles away and doing it over the phone. But, that was months ago, so I’m fine. Goodbye, Micha.”

He dropped his head, setting his key on the table by the door, and walked out. “Have a good life. Okay?” He said, reaching for the door knob.

“I will.” You said, pushing the door closed behind him and locking it. You spent the rest of the day crying in bed.

The next morning was spent in bed. The text on your phone went unanswered, calls went to voicemail. You’d been okay. After the initial upset and heartbreak you thought you were getting better. But seeing him brought back memories and pain that you just couldn’t bring yourself to do anything.

Eventually there was a soft knock on your bedroom door, followed by a soft voice. “Y/N?” It was Sarina.

“You can come in.” You called, more like a croaked.

The door slowly opened, revealing Sarina with a bag full of stuff. “Oh, dear.” She frowned, immediately climbing into the bed and pulling you into a hug. “I brought some sweets as well as some other goodies. I’ll stay here as long as you need.”

You relaxed into her. Letting the comfort and love from her wash over you. “Thank you. I don’t really want to be alone.”

“I know, dear. I know.”

After a bit of her just talking about some of the plans Roger and Brian had discussed yesterday, and some ideas she had for the garden, you started to feel a bit better. Having your mind on other things was what helped you last time and it seemed to be working again. Even though you knew you wouldn’t feel completely okay for a while, it was nice to feel okay in the moment.

“Thank you.” You said. You and Sarina were currently sitting at your dining room table eating a pizza. She’s spent almost the either day with you, watching Netflix, helping you with some laundry, just being there when you needed someone.

She shook her head, reaching out and grabbing your hand. “Honey. You don’t need to thank me for anything. You’re like a daughter to me and Roger and we love you.”

“I love you guys too. I might come back tomorrow. I don’t think sitting around will be good for me mentally.”

“You do what you think is best for you dear.”

She left shorty after dinner and you promised to see her in the morning.

—

The moment you walked into the house you were greeted by the murp of Pixie.

“Hello, pretty. Where’s mummy and daddy?” You asked, leaning down to pet the purring fluff ball.

“Y/N?” You heard Rogers voice echo the halls. “In the kitchen!” Before joining him, you stopped by the office and grabbed your tablet. When you entered the kitchen, Roger was waiting with open arms. “Hello, dear.” He warped you in a big hug, kissing your cheek. “Sandwich?” He asked, pointing to the food still on the counter.

“Sure, thank you.” As he worked, you worked through the emails you’d missed, responding to the ones that required an answer, then you checked the calendar. “Uh, Rog? What’s this party in two days? I don’t remember setting anything up.”

He shook his head. “Just something Sar and I decided on last minute. The boys will be in town together for the first time in a bit and we wanted to have a little party.”

“Oh‍. Well don’t have too much fun.” You laughed.

“Why do you sound like you aren't going?” He raises an eyebrow at you as he set the plate down. “You aren’t going to be working it. Actually you won’t have any responsibility for it at all. We have everything set up and ready.” He sat beside you, giving you his ‘go for it’ look.

You knew better than to fight him over something he had his mind set on. “Alright. At least fill me in on the catering and such.”

Roger sat up straight and filled you in on the plans. One thing's for sure, Roger Taylor knows how to throw a party.

When Sarina joined the two of you, she insisted on going shopping for a new outfit, and that you tag along. Then she insisted on buying you a new outfit as well.

“Just let me treat you.” She huffed. You’d agreed to try on a dress, but when she offered to buy it you refused.

“Sarina. No. I don’t need any dresses. I have plenty of options.” You looked over yourself once more. The dress really was nice, it hugged you just right and was the perfect length, not to mention the color looked perfect on you.

Sarina appeared behind you, looking at you through the mirror. “Y/N. Darling. This is the first party where you not only get to enjoy yourself, but you’re single. You’ve had a rough couple of months and you deserve to have some fun.”

She was right. At most parties you were too caught up making sure everything was right that you never got to enjoy yourself. And you were single, not quite ready to mingle, but ready to be able to maybe step out of your comfort zone. “Alright. I’ll take the dress.”

Two days later you arrived to the house and were lead around back. There was music, lights, the amazing smell of food, and a decent amount of people. You were immediately pulled into a small group by Lola. It was nice to relax a bit. Dancing around and drinking. Not having to worry with the small details behind the scenes.

After about an hour, the music stopped and Roger made his way on stage.

“I’d like to thank everyone for coming! But, there’s one person I owe an apology too. Y/N.” He said and your breath caught. “I lied about the party. While you were off this week, Sarina and I realized that today marks five years that you’ve worked for us. So we wanted to celebrate. This party is for you dear. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us and thank you for being apart of our family. Now, everyone, enjoy the party.”

You had a single tear fall down your face as Roger made his ways down to hug you. “You guys really didn’t have to do all this for me.”

“Nonsense. You’ve done a lot for us and you’ve been through a lot the past few months and we wanted to show you that we appreciate you.” He gently lead you to a group of men that you recognized only from the movie and stories from set. “Boys!” Roger called gaining their attention. “I’d like you to officially meet Y/N.”

They all turned their heads and you had a moment of star struckness. One by one they introduced themselves. Rami. Gwil. Joe. Then, Ben. The moment his green eyes met yours you froze. Everything went silent. It was like a scene from a romance movie where the actors get tunnel vision. His fingers were burning your hand as he shook it. You honestly weren’t sure you were breathing.

There was something inside telling you this man was going to be extremely important to you. Something that, even though you enjoyed feeling it, made you uneasy. He was giving you a look that you couldn’t quit read. At first he looked shocked, then curious? Like he was feeling the same maybe and was trying to read your expressions.

“I’m Ben.” He finally spoke, voice sending a chill over your entire body. He was still holding your hand. “Roger speaks very highly of you. It’s. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“You too.” You stumbled out. You looked down at your joined hands, and when you looked back up to meet his eyes you pulled your hand back with wide eyes. “Um, excuse me.” You turned on your toes and quickly ducked further into the garden. Heart racing and the feeling of eyes on you.

There was a ringing in your ears and a feeling in your chest you couldn’t quite describe. You needed to sit. So the moment you found a bench you were down with your face in your hands. Your mind was racing and you couldn’t get the image of Ben’s face out of your head.

“Y/N?” Rogers voice pulled you from your thoughts. When you looked up at him he had a frown on his face. “Are you alright, love?”

You nodded, then shook your head. “I don’t know.”

“Let it out.” Roger said softly, sitting beside you and giving you his full attention.

“I don’t know how to explain it? And it probably sounds crazy. But, I. You’re going to think I’m nuts.” You groaned. Taking a deep breath and squeezed your eyes shut.

“You’re talking to the king of crazy.” He said a bit smug.

“Okay. Okay. I felt, like I couldn’t breath? When I met his eyes everyone else was gone, and his hand,” you looked down at your own. “There was this feeling that made my hand tingle. So much happened at once that I can’t process it?”

Roger let out a soft laugh and gently pulled you to him. “Pretty sure you just described love at first sight.”

You shook your head. “No. It can’t. That’s not a real thing. And I’m not ready for a relationship. It’s too soon.”

“Y/N. You just described what Brian did when he met Anita. It’s a real thing, love at first sight. And no one says that it has to turn immediately to a relationship. But if it does? It does. And fuck what everyone else thinks. No one but you can tell yourself when it’s time to move on.”

“You’re right.” You sat up, whipping gently under your eye. “It’s just, kinda scary. It’s been a long time since I’ve even thought about anyone else but Micha.”

Roger stood, grabbing your hand and slowly walked back toward the party. “I know. And you take as long as you need to recover from that heartache. But if you start to feel something for someone, go for it.”

“Thank you, Roger.” You’d returned to the party. “I think I’ll go speak to Ben. Get to know him.”

“I think he’d like that.” Roger smiled, kissing your hand and walking off toward Sarina. As you looked around, you spotted Ben standing at the bar, already looking at you.

The butterflies in your stomach from this person you didn’t even know were odd, but exciting. As you made your way to him, he smirked, hiding it behind his drink. His eyes never left you though. And the look in his eyes did nothing to calm the butterflies but did give you some confidence.

When you stopped in front of him, he sat up, smirk still on his face. You gave a huff. “I believe I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have ran off. I, uh, I got a little freaked out.”

“There’s nothing you need to apologize for. In all honesty, I almost ran off myself.” His voice gave you a slight chill again. His confession made you feel better about your own.

“Is that so?”

“It’s been a while since someone has made me as nervous as you did.” He set his drink down, turning his entire body in your direction. “So, you’ve worked with Roger for five years? Why didn’t we meet during the Bohemian Rhapsody stuff?”

“I stuck around here. Helped Sarina with her stuff and helped Roger work out plans from home. But I hear I missed out on some fun shenanigans.”

“How about a drink and some food and I’ll tell you about them?” He gave you a soft smile, nodding towards the catering table.

Three hours later, the party was still in full swing. You and Ben has been sat at a table talking and laughing the entire time. He asked questions about your life and listened with full attention. He let you speak first and refilled your drink when you needed. He was the perfect gentleman. And the more you talked, the more you got to know him, the more you realized why Roger choose Ben to play him in the movie.

The two of you were currently dancing to a slow song.

“So earlier, you said Roger always spoke highly of me? How often did I get brought up?” You tilted your head back to look at Ben’s face.

“Truthfully a lot. He always talked about how amazing of an assistant you are and how fast you work to get things done. He even said you were like a daughter to him. But he did fail to mention just how beautiful you are. Also Rufus and Lola and Sarina all spoke about you as well, much the same as Roger. At the wrap party they were bragging about what a good job you did. Which makes me wonder how we never crossed paths there.”

You shrugged. “I spent a lot of my time behind the scenes. These parties aren’t easy. This is actually the first one I’ve not had responsibility over. Roger always tried to get me to relax and enjoy them but if even one thing goes wrong then more goes wrong.”

“I get it. I get stressed putting together birthday parties. I couldn’t imagine throwing one this big.”

“It’s definitely a task. But worth every minute of it.” The song changed and Ben linked his fingers with yours, leading you toward toward where you had run earlier. Neither of you spoke, just enjoying the breeze, stars, and the warmth from each others hands. When Ben finally stopped, it was at Freddie’s statue.

“Amazing isn’t it.” His voice was almost a whisper. “I’d give anything to have the chance to meet him.”

“Me too. Roger and Brian have so many amazing stories.” You let go of Ben’s hand and flipped a switch hiding beside the tree, turning on the lights to illuminate the statue. Then you walked back to Ben, positioning yourself under his waiting arm. “He was definitely one of a kind.”

The two of you grew quiet again. But it didn’t feel awkward. You actually felt much more comfortable around this person you’d just met then you did around Micha. You’d only been talking for a few hours but you already felt like you’d know Ben for years.

There were footsteps behind you, then Joe appeared. “Sorry to interrupt but we’re heading out.” He gave a smile then turned back toward the party.

Ben pulled you closer. “I really don’t want to leave. I feel like there’s so much more for us to talk about. I’d really like to see you again Y/N. If that’s okay.”

You nodded, placing a hand on his chest and looking up at him. “I’d love that. How about lunch tomorrow? There’s a lovely cafe down the street from my apartment.”

Ben smiled and you for sure thought you’d fall over with how beautiful it was. “That sounds like a wonderful plan. Here.” He dug in his pocket, pulling his phone out. “Put your number in and I’ll text you mine.”

You did as he asked, adding an octopus emoji beside your name. A moment after you handed it back your phone buzzed.

Unknown: you’re incredibly beautiful

“So are you.” You whispered, glad to hide the goofy grin on your face while saving his number.

The two of you walked back toward the house, talking and giggling the entire way back. The first thing you noticed was the music had stopped and the crowd had thinned. You could see Roger and Sarina looking your way, whispering to each other with smiles on their faces.

“Well.” Ben said, coming to a stop at the gate. “I believe this is where we part ways?” He was swinging your linked hands between the two of you.

“Sadly. But I’ll text you details about lunch tomorrow?”

The intensity of his stare made you weak and you wondered what was going through his mind. “Sounds like a date.” He leaned forward, your breath caught and you had a momentary freak out as he turned his head and pressed his lips to your cheek. The immediate heat took over your entire body. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Y/N.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Ben.” You confirmed, hand holding his till the last minute. Your other hand made its way to your cheek. The ghostly feeling of his lips still tingling. When he turned to wave, he too had his hand to his face, gently touching his lips. In that moment you knew he was feeling the same thing you were.

When you joined Roger and Sarina, Lola and Rufus were there too, all smiling at you.

“What?” You asked, taking a seat and stealing Rufus’s drink.

“You’ve not looked this happy in months sis.” Rufus responded, grabbing his drink back.

“Honestly I’ve not felt this happy in months.” You confessed.

“Well, tell us everything.” Lola laughed, tossing a chip crumb at you.

“We have a date for lunch tomorrow.” You shrugged.

Lola jumped up and wrapped her fingers around your wrist. “I’m coming home with you and I’m helping you get ready!”

She pulled you up and toward the house. Before you got too far you turned, nodding at Roger and mouthing “thank you”. He gave a nod and a wink, knowing exactly what you were thanking him for.

That night, just before you fell asleep, your phone chimed.

Ben: can’t wait to see you tomorrow, sweet dreams x

Tags

Everything: @hermionedeservesbetterthanron @kaylzjordan @hiyadarlingirl @unlikelysamwinchesteronahunt

Ben&Rog: @screaminggalileochickenwrites @thesecondlastjedi

Ben: @obliviatevamps

Queen/borhap: @justawriterinprogress

#ben hardy #nonny request #ben hardy fic #ben hardy fluff #ben hardy x you #ben hardy x reader #ben hardy fanfic #ben hardy imagine #ben

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neutral-nobody · 4 years

Text

Cake

A/N: But Noots, it’s December, why are you writing a fic set at Halloween? Because it’s the only motivation I’ve had to write in 3 years so I’m going to bloody well do it. Finally my babies get some love.

Synopsis: The stars align, Operation Cake is a go.

Word Count: 2795

Virus World belongs to @voiceoflarka

“So you’re definitely coming home, right?”

“Mana, for the last time yes,” Mu chuckled, shifting his weight to his other leg as he leaned against the wall. “How many times am I going to have to say it?”

“Hm...” Mana pulled the phone away from her ear for a moment, mouthing to Liadan in the other room “one sec”. Liadan nodded and went back to chatting with the rest of the team, currently all sitting on the couches together, waiting for Mana to report back.

“Come on, am I that unreliable?”

“No!” Mana exclaimed, immediately jumping back into the conversation. “No, of course not. I’ve just never heard of you getting an early mark from the Haul.”

“It does happen,” Mu looked over his shoulder to check on the others, who looked like they were gearing up to get back on the move. He bit his lip but then softly chuckled. “Usually through injury though.”

“And you’re not injured right? Mu please-”

“Mana."

“Alright, alright,” Mana sighed and dropped that point of conversation, knowing it wouldn’t get them anywhere. “You’re not injured, you’re heading home early, and we’ll be seeing you in two days. Promise?” Before Mu could reply, Mana heard shouting on his end.

“Gotta go!”

“Mu, wait-”

Mana’s pleas went unheard as Mu hung up on her. A groan escaped her as she made her way into the lounge room, her teammates immediately turning to her as she entered the room.

“I take it that things didn’t go well with Operation Cake?” Nao asked bluntly, noticing Mana’s deflated expression.

“Well... not exactly...” Mana mumbled, rubbing her right arm awkwardly as she tried to find the right words to say.

“Usually ending a conversation yelling ‘wait’ isn’t a good thing,” Xav mused.

“There was yelling on the other end, couldn’t make out what it was about though. Whatever happened, Mu had to go.”

“And he’s not coming back?” Suv asked, a frown on his face. “Of course he’s not.”

“He didn’t say that...”

“What did he say? No interruptions,” Liadan insisted, looking at the rest of the team. “Tell us Mana.”

“He said that a few of them were going home early, since things had been settling down over the previous week there,” Mana said, sitting down next to her. “By early, he meant on Halloween, so not exactly early, but he’d be here in time.”

“Did he promise?” Suv asked, before being glared at by Liadan. “What? It’s a valid question.”

“I... asked him to promise,” Mana sighed and leaned back in the chair. “But when I did it was when he hung up.”

There was a collective groan as everyone else fell back into their chairs as well. Nao crossed his arms and pouted.

“So we don’t know if he actually will be,” he said bitterly. “And if we go through with this it might be for nothing.”

“We’ve got the M.E.S.S Test on the first of November,” Liadan stated, scrolling through the planner on her phone. “Tomorrow’s the 30th. If we try to plan his birthday now, we’re risking a lot of study time. Delta’s been getting on our case to be ready for this one as well.”

“But if Mu does come back...” Suv had a determined look on his face as he spoke up. “And we haven’t done anything for him, how bad are we going to feel? I’d feel awful!”

“With you there, mate,” Mana agreed solemnly.

“Normally we don’t even have any contact with him, and he’s never said anything like this,” Suv turned to look at Xav pleading, to break the deadlock. “You know I’m right.”

“We need to pass this test, and I don’t like our chances of Mu showing given how the phone call ended,” Xav stated, but then sighed. “But you’re right Suv. If we don’t do anything and he shows up, we’ll regret it.”

“Ugh fine, you’re right,” Nao groaned, but nodded. “It’ll suck if we don’t.”

“Well then...” Liadan stood up, tucking her phone into her pocket. “I’ll spend the night making some flash cards for everyone.”

“And tomorrow?” Mana asked. Liadan offered her a wide grin.

“Tomorrow, Operation Cake is a go.”

---

“Are you sure you don’t want us to buy a cake?” Suv asked, grabbing a shopping list from the kitchen counter. “It’ll give us more time to study.”

Liadan, who was whizzing around the kitchen, shook her head. “No, if we’re going to do this, we do it properly. Which means I make the cake.”

“You got it,” Suv nodded in agreement. “Don’t let Mana near the kitchen.”

“Hey!” Mana scowled. “You’re right, but you don’t have to say it.”

“Alright kids, enough bickering,” Nao pushed past them and grabbed the other shopping list. “No, wait, I wanna go get the snacks.”

“I’ve got that list,” Suv showed it to him. “If you want to come with me, Xav and Mana can be in charge of decorations then.”

“Done, I’m hungry,” Nao shoved his list into Mana’s hands and stood next to Suv.

“Just how much do we need to stick to your lists, Liadan?” Xav asked, peaking over Mana’s shoulder and her’s.

“As long as you get the stuff on there, I won’t mind if you get any extra,” Liadan said, eyes not leaving the recipe on the book propped open in front of her. It had a recipe on it for black forest cake. “Now everyone out of my kitchen! I need to focus.”

“Alright, mum, we’re going,” Nao whined, grabbing Suv by the arm and dragging him out.

“We’ll see you this afternoon,” Xav gave her a half wave, but put his arm back down when he realized she would not be responding. Liadan was mumbling something about ‘aesthetic’ when Mana closed the door. The group headed for the train station, catching the train to the Disney District, at the request of Liadan. Mana, giving the decoration list a proper lookover once they were seated, narrowed her eyes.

“Apparently we’re having a Halloween themed birthday, I guess,” she mumbled. Xav gave her a light smack on the shoulder.

“Mu actually likes Halloween,” Xav stated. “Don’t be a party pooper.”

“Plus, at this stage? Birthday stuff will be hard to find,” Suv added. “Well, hard to find compared to Hallo- OH NO!”

“What?!” Nao shrieked, jumping back at Suv’s sudden exclamation.

“I promised I’d be at the Hallo-Palooza,” Suv sighed. “It’s tomorrow night, Nova forced me to go.”

“Tell her you’re busy,” Mana said. “It’s important.”

“Don’t tell her no yet,” Xav shook his head at that. “If Mu is home in the afternoon, we could still go.”

“We?” Suv’s eyes sparkled.

“I... was also asked to go by Luccia,” Xav rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “It is the biggest party on campus after all.”

“Last year was so fun,” Nao reflected, looking wistfully in the distance. “I managed to scare the shit out of both of you.”

“Only cause I had a paper bag over my head!” Xav whined. “Spatial awareness would’ve saved me that night.”

“Too bad.”

“Guys,” Mana interrupted. “Even if Mu comes early tomorrow, going to the party leaves no time for studying.”

“Ah fuck, right,” Suv face-palmed. “M.E.S.S Test.”

“We’ll study tonight,” Xav assured her. Standing up, he grabbed the list off Mana. “We’re at our stop, and since I am the one in this pair who celebrates Halloween, I’ll hold the list.”

“Fine then,” Mana huffed, stepping ahead of him. “I’ll just carry all the stuff, like I carry your weight on this team.”

“And just like how I do all the brain work for you,” Xav chided back. As the two bickered, Suv and Nao shook their heads.

“Maybe we should’ve picked different pairs,” Suv said worriedly. Nao just shook his head and laughed.

“Nah.”

---

“Alright everyone, bags on the table for examination,” Liadan ordered, grabbing her tablet and opening her checklist. The team complied, placing everything carefully on the bench. Carefully going through them, she tapped on the screen whenever seeing something on her list.

“I thought Operation Cake was your plan, Mana?” Xav asked tauntingly.

“It is,” Mana agreed, grinning and giving him a small salute. “I just know to go to the experts on these types of affairs.”

“Glad you admit you suck at this,” Xav laughed, but gave her an appreciative smile.

“Oh good, you guys are fine,” Suv breathed a sigh of relief, and put an arm on Nao’s shoulder.

“Bickering is just our dynamic,” Mana assured. “Trust me, we’re good.”

“Told you,” Nao laughed and held out his hand. “Now give me my money.”

“Your what now?” Xav asked.

“We had a bet on whether or not you two would fight and not get your jobs done,” Nao explained, smiling coyly as Suv handed him $20. “I bet you two would be fine. Suv didn’t have any confidence in you!”

“I did!” Suv exclaimed, running up to Xav and taking his hands. “I trust you both, you just...”

“Are idiots,” Xav offered.

“Yes- No!”

“Yes,” Mana agreed, and the group all laughed together. Suv smiled, relieved at his friends acceptance of their dynamic. He turned to Liadan, who was still mumbling to herself as she finalized her verdict.

“How’d we do, Li?”

“Everything I wanted is accounted for,” she had a big smile on her face as she made the last tick. “Snacks are all excellent, and the choice to add some red vines? Inspired.”

“Thanks!” Suv gave her two thumbs up. “I figured Mana would complain about their being no red snacks otherwise.”

“Exactly,” Liadan gave him a wink as Mana pouted. Turning to her and Xav, Liadan gave them an encouraging nod. “You’ve both done good as well. I can’t believe you found a Halloween happy birthday sign!”

“It took a lot of digging,” Xav explained, admiring the banner proudly as she held part of it up. “It was right at the back of the display!”

“Thank god you knew what you were doing,” Mana said gratefully. “I had no idea what to grab.”

“Either way, both shopping lists, were a success,” Liadan assured her. A wicked grin then spread across her face. “Now to show you what I’ve been working on.”

“Let’s see the cake!” Nao shouted, nearly jumping on the table. Liadan opened the fridge, careful not to open it too wide lest she spoil the surprise. As she turned back, the group’s excited face turned to dismay as she instead pulled out her flash cards from the previous night.

“How could you betray us like this,” Xav whined. “I was so ready!”

“You can all wait for tomorrow,” Liadan chuckled, enjoying the effect her little joke had on her friends. “For now, we study.”

“You’re right, Liadan,” Mana agreed, heading for the couches. “Let’s all have it as a surprise for tomorrow, so we make it through studying tonight!”

“We’ll set up the decorations tomorrow,” Xav said, sitting down next to Mana.

“And prepare the snacks!” Suv added, sitting next to him.

“And hopefully he shows,” Nao sighed, taking one of the solo seats.

“Whatever happens, happens,” Liadan decided, sitting down and passing out the cards. “For now, we study.”

---

The day started out with excitement, as everyone clambered out of their beds to prepare for what was to come. An orange and black banner, with triangular hanging parts, spelt ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY’ across the top of the wall. Decorative cobwebs were placed beneath it, the spiders on it wearing makeshift party hats thanks to Suv’s brilliant idea. The wall on the other side of the room had a new corkboard on it, with photos of the team over various stages of their time together. A spot was left in the middle, waiting for a photo from the day to come. The frame was now caked in orange glitter, with some still left on the floor due to Nao going a little overboard. The table had a black and white table-runner going across it, little cats and ghosts dancing on it. Xav had placed some birthday glitter confetti across the runner, which was coloured gold and black, and there were orange and black balloons in every corner of the room.

As the afternoon rolled around, the excitement had waned a little, but immediately picked up once Liadan had finally brought out her cake to place on the table. The cake, black forest flavoured, was shaped like a pumpkin, covered in orange icing and decorative gold cake-glitter patterns. On top was a black cat decoration, with a red party hat that Mana had snuck on when no one was looking. Xav tried to say it looked to Christmassy, but after the flip of a coin courtesy of Nao, Mana won and the hat was allowed to stay. The snacks were placed on the table, every kind save the red vines were Halloween themed colours. No one dared to touch them, despite their rumbling stomachs, as they waited for the guest of honour. And waited.

And waited.

The clock on the wall chimed for the 7pm hour, as Suv let out a heavy sigh.

“Hallo-Palooza is starting now,” he grumbled, pulling out his phone. “I’d better tell Nova I can’t make it.”

“Same for Luccia,” Xav agreed, following Suv’s lead. “Hope they won’t be too mad.”

“I’m sure they’ll understand.”

“I can’t believe we’re gonna wait all night for Mu,” Nao groaned, rubbing his eyes. “This test starts at like 8am, holy shit!”

“We’ve come this far,” Liadan tried to assure them. “We may as well keep waiting, right Mana?”

As Liadan looked to her, Mana did not turn from the window she had been looking out for nearly the last two hours. Her arms were crossed, head turned to the side as she leaned against the wall next to the corkboard. A bitter smile crept onto her face as she turned to her team.

“No, we’re done,” she said, heavy defeat coating her voice. Liadan looked at her in bewilderment.

“But, Mana-”

“We’re done,” she insisted, joining them all sitting on the couches. “Nao’s right, the test is tomorrow and we’re woefully underprepared.”

“But to waste all this-”

“Liadan, this isn’t a waste.”

“Mana’s right,” Xav reached out to take Liadan’s hand comfortingly. “He’s probably been held up.”

“We knew he might not come,” Suv added, taking her other hand. “But we had to try, right?”

“R-Right,” Liadan nodded, squeezing both of their hands. The group looked to Mana, and Liadan sighed. “What do we do now?”

“Clean up, hide the evidence,” Mana ordered, standing up and dusting her hands. “If Mu sees any of this, he’ll feel super guilty for missing. I don’t want that, not when it wasn’t his fault.”

“Good plan!” Suv agreed. “Let’s take it all down.”

“We’ll text the girls, tell them we’re studying like proper gentlemen,” Xav said, giving Suv a wink.

“After that I’ll pull out the flash cards,” Liadan added. “We’ll do a crash course tonight so we’re ready for tomorrow.”

The group worked in a silence of understanding as they put everything away. Most of it was taken to a bin faraway outside, not wanting to leave any trace behind for Mu to sleuth for. They agreed not to throw out Liadan’s cake, since it was too much work to go to waste. The corkboard was taken down and wrapped in wrapping paper, to be used for a gift whenever they saw Mu next. The snacks were brought to the couches as the group began their cram session.

“Shit!” Xav yelled suddenly. As everyone stared, he turned to Mana. “Did you send him anything for his birthday? A text?!”

“Fuck!” Mana cried out, immediately pulling out her phone. “I was waiting to do it in person!”

“Make sure it’s from all of us!” Liadan exclaimed.

“I’ll do you one better,” Mana said, composing herself as she opened the camera app. “Let’s take a selfie of us studying, make it look like we’ve been busy today!”

“You’re a genius!” Suv grinned as he pulled everyone in. “He’ll never suspect anything!”

“Okay, everybody say study!”

“Study~”

“Excellent! Okay...” Mana sat back down as she began to send her text, reading it aloud as she typed. “Dear Mu... happy birthday... sorry for not messaging earlier... we’ve been studying for M.E.S.S... text us when you’re home, love the team!”

“Perfect,” Liadan said. “Send us the photo would you?”

“Oh, okay!” Mana nodded, quickly typing and sending the photo to everyone. Everyone pulled out their phones to look admiringly at the photo. A quiet peace fell over the group, until Xav narrowed his eyes at something in the background of the photo.

“Who left the cake on the table?!”

#larka's virus community #lvc #neutral tries to fanfic #it's been 84 years gif here kids #can't wait for my next fic in like 10 years

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agentmarymargaretskitz · 6 years

Text

Freefall

Another installment in the Legends of SHIELD AU created by @incendiaglacies and myself. Based on AoS 1x06 FZZT

AO3

“Okay, time’s up, ma’am,” Lily said as the timer on her tablet hit zero. “You can slow back down now.”

Gideon nodded and reached out a hand to slow the treadmill. As she came to a stop, Lily passed her a towel to wipe down with.

“Vitals are all normal,” Lily reported, showing her the results on the table. “And you’ve worked up quite a good sweat.”

“I don’t sweat,” Gideon replied. “I glisten.”

The scientist smiled a little at the crack. “All that’s left is to take some blood.”

“Let’s do it then,” her superior nodded. “Get this all over with.”

“You do realize your records show you aren’t due for a physical anytime soon, right?” Lily told her. “Why the need for all of this now?”

“Physical therapist’s orders,” Gideon grumbled. “Got a call for a check in and said I felt a little off. Next thing I know, I’m ordered to get all this done.”

“Better safe than sorry,” Lily nodded. “I heard what happened in New York. We’d hate to lose you now after you came back from the great beyond.”

“Thank you. Now, shall we get that blood sample?”

“If we have to,” Gideon grumbled. “But you should know that I’m not a fan of getting poked.”

“An ounce?”

“Yes,” Nate nodded as he set the Icer down. “One ounce too much. It’s the difference between success and failure. When you have to make a shot on a rooftop with a 15 mile per hour wind with your target at 500 yards away, that difference determines whether you make it or not.”

Ray sighed and picked up the gun. “I’ll do what I can, okay?”

“Great,” Nate clapped him on the back before walking out of the lab. “Thanks, man.”

Zee was directly to his right as he walked out, but he didn’t say anything to her as left. A while ago, she wouldn’t have blamed him for it. But Nate had been giving her a cold treatment for weeks now, ever since the Cooper incident. She knew she had messed up bad, but she was trying to rectify her mistakes. However, he was still only speaking to her when it was necessary.

“You okay?” Ray asked, looking over at her.

“Yeah,” Zee nodded, glancing away from the computers she was running simulations on that Nate had assigned her to do. “Just wish I could go back in time and not help Cooper so half the team isn’t mad at me.”

“We all screw up,” the scientist replied. “You made the rounds and apologized. Besides, you’re back on our side one hundred percent.”

“Absolutely,” she said. “And I’ve been working hard. I don’t complain during training, I read all the things he gives me on SHIELD protocols, complete the simulations, everything. I even let Gideon put this internet nanny on me. What do I have to do to prove to Nate, and Rip too, that I’m not going to double cross him?”

Ray shrugged. “Give them a little more time?”

“Yeah, because that’s working,” Zee snorted. “They think like specialists. I wish I could just speak that same language as them.”

“Kinda like we do a bit?”

Zee grinned. “Well, you and Lily are practically psychically linked. You have this bond that’s so unbreakable. It’s hard to imagine one of you without the other.”

“Well, we have been working together practically since we started at SHIELD,” Ray admitted.

Zee noticed he was blushing a little and smiling as he said this. Did he really not see how into Lily he was?

The doors opened, and Lily walked into the lab. “I’m back with blood.”

“Gross,” Zee wrinkled her nose.

“It’s for Gideon’s doctors,” Lily explained, her eyes falling to the Icer pistol. “Still problems with it?”

“According to Nate, it’s an ounce too heavy,” Zee piped up.

“Ugh,” Lily groaned. “He always has a problem with something.”

She then stood on her tiptoes to look taller and planted her hands on her hips. “I’m Agent Nate Heywood, and I can take out six men with a plastic spoon. As long as my hair looks good.”

Zee threw back her head and laughed. “That’s just what he’d say!”

“With the amount of product he seems to put in his hair, it wouldn’t shock me if he has said that,” Lily giggled as she got off of her tiptoes. “But some agents are really picky about their weapons. Yesterday, Rip asked us to modify the handle of his Icer because it didn’t fit right against his ring and pinky fingers.”

“Okay, I can kinda understand that one.”

“Yeah,” Ray agreed. “Hey, I can actually do an impersonation of him.”

“Oh yeah?” Zee folded her arms. “Let’s see it.”

Ray straightened up. The smile disappeared off of his face and he narrowed his eyes. He actually looked a little scary.

It took a few seconds before Zee got it. A wide grin stretched across Lily’s face as it clicked with her too. The two of them began to laugh, and soon Ray broke his impression to join in.

“Can either of you do Gideon?” Zee wheezed as she held onto the table for support.

“Never tried,” Lily said at the same moment Ray answered with a ‘nope’.

“Hold on,” she instructed, slowly letting her laughter die before crouching down and opened her mouth.

Before she could get a word out, Gideon herself entered the lab. Zee straightened up, banging her elbow on the table.

“We’re landing soon,” she told them. “Be ready to be on the road.”

A few hours later, the team had returned from the investigation site with a body bag holding their victim. His body had been levitating in the air until Lily got close to him, and a jolt of static electricity between the two of them had sent the body falling down onto the ground. Zee had done her research on him once they were back on the Waverider, finding no motive for any foul play. Nate had ordered her to research again after telling her no one was clean the first time around. On her way down to the lab, Gideon had lectured him about letting himself forgive Zee for what she’d done. It was in the past, Zee was committed now, and the last thing she needed was a divided team.

“Any news on the body?” she asked as she entered the lab.

Lily had the victim’s body laid out on the Holotable, where she had been performing an examination. “Some.”

Gideon noticed Ray was missing and turned around to see him outside of the lab. “How come Raymond’s not with you?”

“Ah,” Lily pressed her lips together for a moment. “He, well, you see…”

“He’s afraid of it, isn’t he?”

“It’s the smell really,” Ray called out, his voice somewhat muffled since he was outside the enclosed lab space.

Lily shook his head. “Ray, being afraid of death is perfectly natural. It happens to all of us at some point.”

“Yeah, but we had a rule about bringing dead things into the shared lab space,” he argued. “Remember the cat?”

Gideon frowned as Lily rolled her eyes. “Not the stupid cat again.”

“Yes, tell Gideon about that cat!”

“Ma’am, it’s nothing, it was a misunderstanding-”

“Lily, you left the liver next to my lunch!”

“Timeout, children!” Gideon shouted, holding up her hands in a timeout signal. “Lily, what have you found out about the body.”

“Well, this death was not caused by anything manmade,” Lily explained, pulling up an image of the man’s brain. “His brain has been fried to a crisp. Judging by the severity of it, he must have been hit by two thousand megajoules of electrostatic electricity.”

“What?” Gideon murmured, shaking her head. “That’s twice the power of a lightning bolt. I don’t even know of anything on the Index capable of this.”

“I don’t know either,” Lily agreed. “But there’s got to be something else in the body that can indicate what lead up to his death. I might have to dig a little deeper.”

“Do what you have to,” Gideon instructed.

“It’s happening again!”

“It’s science, Ray! I have to dissect something!”

“Okay, yes, but that’s not what I’m talking about,” Ray held up his tablet against the glass of the lab door so Gideon could see the map onscreen. “It’s another electrostatic event.”

Gideon hurried over to the doors and exited the lab so she could speak to Ray face to face. “Where?”

“About twenty miles away. The signature keeps increasing.”

“Run and get Rip and Nathaniel down here,” Gideon instructed, then turned back to Lily. “See if you can figure out anything else with the body.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Gideon, Rip, and Nate arrived at the location of the signal, an old barn next to a farmhouse, only to have Ray report that it had vanished. When they opened up the bar doors, another body was found floating in midair. Once they had an identification on the victim, Zee drew the connection that both victims worked at the same volunteer fire station, which had sent a truck to New York after the Dominator invasion. The trio then went to the fire station to investigate, suspicious that whatever killed those firemen could have extraterrestrial origins. It was practically confirmed that the firemen were in trouble when another electrostatic reading starting to pick up at the station.

Nate and Gideon had talked to the firefighters while Rip explored their station, eventually finding a Dominator arm blaster from New York in a case in the break room. Gideon interrogated one of the firefighters who had been cleaning the arm blaster with the two other victims a few nights before. Lily determined that an alien virus from the Dominators had been on the blaster, but then transmitted to the firemen while they’d cleaned it. The third fireman had died after those at the station were evacuated to a safe distance so the electrostatic wave wouldn’t harm them. SHIELD came in then for clean-up, Lily was tasked to find a cure for the remaining firefighters if their blood tests came back positive for the alien virus, and the arm blaster was put on the Bus for transport to the Sandbox.

“Are we really taking this with us?” Zee asked as she watched the crate containing it brought towards the Waverider. “It killed three firemen.”

“We’ll be fine,” Gideon assured her. “None of us have tried to clean it or even touched it like they did. We’ll get it there, and then we’ll move onto our next assignment.”

Zee pressed her lips together and followed after Ray and Lily.

Gideon entered the lab to see Lily staring at blood cells on the big screen behind the Holotable. “You said you had a breakthrough?”

“Uh-huh,” Lily nodded eagerly. “Look at this.”

Gideon stepped closer and noticed something else amongst the red blood cells. “Is that-”

“The virus,” Lily nodded. “These are the samples from the firefighters who died. The Dominator virus is still active inside them. It’s just waiting to be passed onto its next host. It’s propagative.”

“It moves from person to person,” Gideon murmured as Lily walked around the table to retrieve something. “Do you know what kind of contact is responsible for the transfer of the virus.”

“Not yet,” she shook her head. “I’m working in uncharted territory since the virus has alien origins. But the things we could learn from this could possibly lead to new developments in human medical endeavors. It’s completely fascinating!”

As she said this, a pair of tongs used for grabbing test tubes began to levitate in the air behind Lily. Gideon sucked in a soft breath as she remembered how a frying pan and other metal objects had begun to rise in the air with the last fireman as the virus started to take his life in the end. Then she recollected how there had been a shock of static electricity between Lily and the levitating body of the first fireman at the campsite. The pieces of the puzzle quickly assembled as Lily continued to ramble on, oblivious to the floating tongs.

Gideon began to back out of the lab. “Lily.”

“Ma’am?” Lily raised an eyebrow. “Is everything okay?”

“The virus…it’s transmitted through static electricity,” Gideon told her, activating quarantine mode and sealing the doors of the lab per SHIELD protocol. “I’m so sorry.”

Lily stared at her before her eyes widened. She whirled around and gasped loudly as she saw the tongs hovering. Gideon watched as she extended a hand towards them, only to drawn them away as static jumped from her hand to them and sent them plummeting to the floor. The scientist looked utterly terrified as she took a step back.

“Oh no.”

For the first twenty minutes after finding out that she was infected with a Dominator virus, Lily had sat against the doors of the lab with Ray on the other side. Gideon, Rip, Zee, and Nate were all discussing what they needed to do next. The path to the Sandbox had them right in the middle of the ocean, so there was no way to land and get her out of the plane to a safe distance. It would be four hours to get there, and she had two left at best based on the knowledge she had of how quickly the firemen died after contact with the blaster. No matter what they said outside the doors, the rest of the team was trapped in a death sentence with her.

Ray wasn’t saying anything as if he could sense she didn’t want to talk, so Lily was left with her own thoughts. She thought about her life so far and all the things she wanted to do, but now never could be able to do because she hadn’t been careful. If only she hadn’t gotten so close to the first body and treated the victim with more caution, then she wouldn’t have received the static discharge and never would have contracted the virus. Now she was going to die and bring the whole plane down with a static discharge that would kill also Ray and Gideon and Zee and Rip and Nate.

After twenty minutes, Gideon approached the doors and told Lily that she couldn’t give up so easily. She had a drive to find a cure for this virus more than ever. Gideon said that she had faith in Lily that she could find a way to save herself. Ray had told her that he would help in anyway that he possibly could for her. Given she had around two hours to live, Lily figured it would be better to find ways that didn’t work rather than not trying at all.

Soon, Ray was giving her a delivery mechanism through some modifications to the lab doors so he could get her what she needed. “I think I have what you need.”

Lily didn’t say anything as he pushed the box over to her side and she took the taser-like device out.

“You know, it was a bit of a challenge to get that,” her best friend added. “It’s not exactly easy to find a mineralized solution that can suspend the vaccine and conduct electricity.”

“Could you not say vaccine?” she asked. “This is more of an anti-serum.”

She prepared her first attempt at the anti-serum as Ray watched through the glass. Her heart thudded against her chest, but Lily was able to keep her hands steady as she prepared the cure. Once she had the first trial loaded, she made her way over to the three rats that she and Ray had been allowed to bring on the Waverider. The one they’d named Manchego was the first one up.

“With the antibodies from the fireman’s brain cells,” she explained to Ray as though he was beside her and not on the other side of the doors. “The antigens of the virus can be targeted and neutralized, and that’s if alien viruses have antigens, but if they don’t-”

“Lily,” Ray said. “It’s okay. You’ll figure it out.”

She nodded and used the delivery device on Manchego. For a few tense seconds, she waited to see what would happen. Then there was a pulse of electricity, followed by the dead Manchego rising to hover in the air. Lily bit her lip and turned back towards the samples she’d gotten from the firefighters.

“At least we know one formula that doesn’t work?” Ray offered.

Zee approached the door of the briefing room quietly. Inside, Nate was leaning against the Holocom to watch the surveillance of Lily working in the lab. A concerned expression had taken over his facial features. He probably knew she was watching him, being the super spy and all, but was still holding her at an arm’s length.

“How come you aren’t down there?” Zee asked finally.

“They don’t need an audience or any more pressure,” Nate replied.

Zee nodded and prepared to leave.

“Zee, if you want, you can stay.”

She turned back around and entered the briefing room. “I hate seeing this. Lily’s my friend, and seeing her like this makes me feel-”

“Helpless?” Nate supplied, and she nodded. “I feel it too. I was hoping it would be a person all juiced up with superpowers. I wanted it to be someone I could fight head-on, someone that could be hurt or punished. At least then I could do something then.

Zee noticed his tone got darker as he kept talking, but then Nate sighed and shook his head. “Instead it’s a virus. It’s tiny and I can’t do anything to protect the team from it. I can’t see it or understand it. It makes me feel so useless.”

“There’s nothing we can do about it though,” Zee reminded him, crossing her arms.

“I know,” her SO nodded. “We just have to wait and get ready.”

A small chill ran down Zee’s spine. “What could we possibly get ready for?”

“For whatever it is that we are called upon to do,” Nate explained. “No matter what it is.”

She nodded her head and went back to watching Lily work on her cure. There was already one rat floating, so she had two more shots left at least at a cure. She approached a second rat and shocked it with something that looked like a taser. A few minutes passed and a smile started to creep across her face. Then there was a pulse of blue light, and Zee raised her hand to cover her mouth as the rat began to float up.

“I’ve been too hard on you,” Nate broke the silence between them. “Ever since Hewitt died.”

“Was wondering when you’d say something about that,” Zee muttered.

“I didn’t know how to handle being betrayed,” he told her. “I had no idea how everyone else would be reacting. I trusted you, then I didn’t want to trust you after you betrayed us. I didn’t want to see it as a mistake. I should have forgiven you sooner for it.”

“Got it,” Zee nodded. “So, you’re saying you see what I did now to be a mistake? What made you change your mind?”

“Because you showed you were truly loyal to SHIELD above Helix. If you were really loyal to Helix, you’d never have put that bracelet on, found a way to jam it, or run away from the team.”

“Is that what you would have done if you were a traitor?” Zee asked jokingly.

Nate chuckled lightly. “Something like that.”

Lily squeaked as she turned and saw one of Ray’s screwdrivers levitating in the air behind her before dropping to the ground.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Ray said from outside the doors. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

“Don’t,” Lily shook her head. “Just don’t, Ray. I see you checking your watch.”

“If you want, I could come in and help you out, make sure that this trial works and all.”

“I’m fine,” she snapped harsher than she intended to before grabbing the delivery mechanism. “Have you even made sure this thing works?”

Ray looked somewhat offended. “Of course it does, you’ve seen it! Besides, why would I give you something broken when your life in on the line. If anything, it’s your vaccine that’s not functioning…yet.”

“First off, it’s an anti-serum! And secondly, I’m wondering if you even calibrated this correctly.”

“It’s not the device.”

“How sure are you about that?”

“I know you’re upset, but you don’t have to take it out on me,” Ray retorted. “You were the one who wanted to see the world so much. You were safe in a non-mobile lab that was at a grounded SHIELD facility. Then Gideon came along and recruited us. You wanted to travel and have adventure, I said this was the perfect opportunity, and then we both decided to do it.”

“We should have listened to Smith,” Lily huffed. “He warned us it was a bad idea to take the offer when we told him we planned to.”

“I thought if it came to it, we could protect each other!”

“Protect each other?” Lily scoffed and shook her head. “How could we do that? We didn’t even pass our field assessments!”

Ray’s eyebrows knitted and he hesitated for a few seconds. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Well, it’s too late for that now!”

“No, I won’t believe that,” Ray shook his head again. “It’s been the two of us always. At the academy, at sci-ops, on this plane. You’ve been beside me the whole damn time, Lily. You’re one of the smartest people I know, you can fix this!”

Lily bit her lip and shook her head. “I-I don’t know.”

“No, you do! You just haven’t found-“

“I don’t know how!” she cried out, sniffling as she felt herself start to break. “The antibodies from the firefighters aren’t able to fight this virus. They aren’t strong enough because they didn’t have the time to develop enough immunity to an alien virus. I have nothing to create an antiserum from because there are no survivors from this aside from-”

“The Dominators,” Ray finished.

It was like the puzzle pieces arranged themselves into the big picture. Lily wiped her eyes and nodded. “The Dominator who wore the blaster had the virus and managed to be survive until the mass death-”

“-yet never emitted an electrostatic pulse because they were immune!” Ray started to smile.

“The alien who had it was immune,” Lily nodded. “They were just the carrier- the Typhoid Mary! Or Typhoid Dominator. That’s the key to this!”

“Maybe there’s some cells that can be scraped from the blaster since it was on its skin,” Ray said. “You can use those to generate a vaccine!”

“Anti-serum, but exactly,” she laughed. “Yeah, but I can’t get to them, I’m in quarantine!”

“I’ve got this,” Ray promised before he darted towards the staircase and ran up it. “Just hang on.”

Lily nodded to herself and exhaled slowly. She could do this. There was hope now. And even if it failed, she had a plan of what to do.

“Where is he- Ray, no!”

“Come back here with that!”

Ray ignored Nate and Gideon and kept running with the containment box that held the arm blaster. He had been apprehensive about having to transport the weapon after finding out that it had been responsible for the deaths of three people who had come into contact with it. However, he was all too grateful it was with them right now. This was what they needed to save Lily’s life.

As soon as he was down in the cargo bay, he pushed the code to open the lab doors up. Technically, the quarantine wasn’t supposed to be broken, but he didn’t care about that at the moment. Besides, the box was too big to put through the slot in the doors. As soon as he set it down, Lily whirled back around from where she was getting set up for the third trial.

“Ray, what are you doing?” she scolded. “You can’t be in here!”

“Too late now,” he replied, pulling on a pair of gloves. “Just…try to keep your hands off me.”

She cracked a smile. “Ray, are you sure about this?”

Ray nodded. “Of course I am. We’re going to do what we always do. We’re going to fix this- together.”

“Then let’s do it.”

Together they worked side by side, with Lily being careful to not make contact with him in any way. At some point, the rest of the team came down to observe their process. Ray barely paid attention to him. All he could think about was making sure that this attempt would be the one that saved her. Time was running out for Lily, so there was no room for error.

Finally, they had their cure. Ray loaded the cure into the delivery unit and passed it over to her. Through the window, he could see Zee chewing her thumbnail as she watched them. Lily reached into the cage and picked up the last rat, Cheddar.

“Third time’s the charm, right?” he murmured before she delivered the cure to the rat and set it back down in the wood shavings.

The two of them stepped back. Cheddar continued to wander about his little space, his nose sniffing the air. It looked like he was going to be okay. On the other side of the glass, Zee started to smile and Nate looked relieved. Ray looked over at Lily, who looked like she was about to start crying of happiness. They had actually managed to do it.

Then there was a flash of blue, and Cheddar joined Manchego and Gorgonzola in the air.

Everyone’s faces fell instantly.

“No,” Ray whispered.

Lily stepped away from him to walk toward the glass. Ray turned back to what they had done so far, his head down. Sound suddenly became muted to him. The normal hum of the electronics in the lab was dulled to his ears now. He faintly heard Lily requesting to Gideon to tell her father first so he could break the news to her mother.

This wasn’t something he could wrap his head around. He knew the facts that Lily was dying from an alien virus, but it didn’t make sense to him. She had been by his side for long now. They were brilliant on their own, but unstoppable together. It wasn’t fair that this was how it was ending. There was still so much more that she had wanted to do, that they had both wanted to do.

“Can I have a moment alone with Ray please?” Lily’s voice rang out, clear as a bell.

Ray felt himself snap from the haze. They could still pull this off perhaps. Maybe they could get this one right immediately.

“I think we can figure it out with one more try,” he said, taking what they had left of the third trial back to work with it. “Did you think the electrostatic pulse seemed lesser than with the other two? It looked that way to me. Maybe we just need to calibrate the antiserum a touch and we’ll have it.”

“You said antiserum,” Lily sniffled behind him. “You finally got it right.”

“Heh,” he chuckled. “Yeah, I did.”

“I’m sorry, Ray.”

Something struck him in the back of the head hard. He felt pain explode in the back of his head. Ray sunk down to the floor, feeling woozy. The last thing he saw before his eyes closed was Lily standing over him, a fire extinguisher in her hands.

She had never wanted Ray to be around for this, but then he had forced his way into the lab to help her. Lily hadn’t wanted to do this to him. He was her best friend after all. Yet it was because he was her best friend that she had to do this. She would not let him be burdened with watching her die.

Letting the fire extinguisher drop to the floor, she walked to the lab doors and opened them. The rest of the team was still upstairs, probably waiting for Ray to call them back down. It hurt that she wouldn’t get to say goodbye to Zee or Gideon or Rip or Nate. At least they’d be safe though. None of them would have to put a bullet in her.

Lily walked past Lola as hot tears began to trace their way down her cheeks. Her hand reached out, tempted to touch the car Gideon loved in a small act of rebellion, but she pulled back at the last second. Instead, she just kept walking toward the control panel. She pressed the switch that would open the cargo door.

As it began to open, Lily knew she only had a minute or so before the team figured out what was going on and came running. She needed to be gone by then for their safety. Staring out at the blue sky and the puffy white clouds, the scientist gazed out at it as the buzzing in her ears grew louder. Even though the sky was beautiful, she wished it was nighttime. She would have liked to have died seeing the stars.

She walked to the edge of the ramp once it was down. Her legs shook as she neared the edge. By some force, Lily found herself looking behind her at the lab. Ray was awake now, trying to open the doors. He was screaming something at her as he tried to open them, but she couldn’t hear it. Seeing his distress and knowing he was about to see her die despite her best efforts made her cry more.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured.

Then the wind pulled her from the edge she stood upon.

So began the fall of Dr. Lily Stein.

Nate had been with Gideon and Rip in the briefing room when the alarms began to go off. Zee had taken refuge in her bunk after they’d gone upstairs to give the sunshine twins time to say goodbye. Gideon was refusing to speak to the head agent at the Sandbox and in the middle of giving Rip an excuse for why she couldn’t give an update when they all realized that the cargo bay doors were lowering. Nate had a feeling what was happening immediately and broke into a run towards the back of the plane. Any other mission would have seen him just leaving the poor soul to die, but he needed to look out for the team on this one.

He practically leapt down the stairs to the cargo bay. The doors were open and Ray was fumbling to get a parachute on while holding the taser-like device he and Lily had been using on the rats. The other half of the sunshine twins was nowhere in sight, confirming his thoughts on what Lily had done. At this point, Ray, a scientist with no experience in jumping with a parachute, wouldn’t be able to reach Lily in time.

“Ray!” Nate shouted as he ran over to him.

Ray looked back at him frantically. “She jumped! The cure worked but she jumped!”

Nate grabbed the parachute and the delivery mechanism from him. Quickly, he strapped it on before leaping out over the edge of the Waverider. Wind rushed past his face as he realized there was going to be no ground to land on. Not only was he going to have to save Lily, but also keep her alive until they got a rescue.

It took Lily ten seconds to realize she didn’t like falling.

As she hurtled towards the ocean beneath her, the buzzing kept growing louder. The Waverider was completely out of sight now. She wondered how much longer it would be before she finally succumbed to the virus. Would she be hovering in the air at spot where the pulse would leave her, or would she just hit the water? With a whimper at the thought of her impending death, Lily closed her eyes for a moment.

When she reopened them, Lily saw Nate shooting towards her. Once he finally reached her, she could see the delivery mechanism in his hand. He zapped her leg with it before grabbing onto her. Lily tried to scream for him to let her go, but then she noticed the buzzing was fading away. The cure had actually worked, although she felt a little sleepy now.

Nate pulled the parachute, and the two of them had their fall slowed. Lily wrapped her arms around him so she wouldn’t fall. He also adjusted his grip on her to ensure the same thing as a pulse left her body. Try as she might to stay awake, she passed out.

The water of the ocean hitting her face was what it took to wake her up.

Zee paced back and forth in her room. They had landed at the Sandbox about an hour ago. Lily and Nate had been fished out of the ocean by SHIELD agents and taken to the base for a medical evaluation, which both passed with flying colors. The two had been released back to the Waverider half an hour ago, but Gideon had taken them straight to her office first. Zee had heard her shouting briefly earlier.

She’d been staying with Ray ever since Lily had thrown herself out of the plane. The scientist had been an inconsolable mess until they received word from Nate that Lily had been given the cure and both of them were alive. After that, he’d been anxious to see her again. Zee couldn’t really fault him there. Even though she hadn’t known Lily for as long as Ray had, she still had a friendship with the other woman.

Finally, she heard something in the distance.

“Because I’m Agent Nate Heywood, and I jumped out of a plane without checking if my parachute was on properly,” Nate’s voice said in a mocking imitation of himself. “And my hair still looks good.”

Lily’s laughter drew Zee to leave her bunk and start down toward Gideon’s office. She walked toward Nate and Lily as the latter asked him how much product he was even putting in his hair. A smile cracked at Zee’s lips as she listened to their banter. As she came closer, Nate looked over Lily at her. The scientist turned around, noticing that they were no longer alone.

“Hey, Zee,” Lily greeted quietly.

Zee walked quickly towards her and embraced her. There was a slight noise of surprise from Lily before she hugged her back. Tears were pooling in the hacktivist’s eyes as she gripped her friend. She hadn’t spent very long on the plane or even in SHIELD, but she’d never felt a connection to so many people before. Lily, Ray, Gideon, Nate, and even Rip all had come to mean something to her and for the first time in years, she wasn’t afraid of caring for them.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Zee whispered. “Don’t do that to us again.”

Lily nodded against her. “I’ll try not to.”

“I was close to doing it-”

“I know you were.”

“I really was,” Ray nodded quickly as he gripped the pillow in his lap. “I mean- I had it all. The antiserum worked and there was a parachute. I just couldn’t get the straps on. I knew I should have taken that refresher session before we got on the plane.”

“Ray,” Lily put her hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay.”

“Although Nate does know what he’s doing, since he’s a specialist and all that,” he sighed. “He has more experience. He went all James Bond to get to you. I’m sure if I could have done that whole show for you.”

“Ray, stop talking.”

“Sorry,” he winced. “I was worried about you so much early and it’s still kind of in my system.”

“It’s okay,” Lily assured him. “Yes, Nate did something amazing while also incredibly risky. But the person who was by my side in the lab searching for a cure and running to get the Dominator blaster to me wasn’t him. Nate wasn’t the one who stayed and gave me hope when I was ready to give up. That was all you, Ray.”

He turned towards her. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “You’re the hero, Ray.”

“Thanks, Lily.”

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m going to head to bed. Good night.”

“Night,” he said as she left his bunk.

Once she was gone, Ray touched his cheek where Lily had kissed him and smiled.

#legends of tomorrow #agents of shield #legends of shield #aos au #gideon #rip hunter #lily stein #ray palmer #zari tomaz #nate heywood #fanfiction #au #raily

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samingtonwilson · 7 years

Text

Marriage Material - Part 4 - Jim Kirk

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

Summary: in this chapter, what’s his is yours.

Warnings: language

A/N: i love this part

You sat atop the bathroom counter and swung your legs. You were careful not to strike Jim with your toes, smiling apologetically each time you accidentally made contact. You were even more careful to not smile for very long, though. You had an irritated facial expression to maintain.

It wasn’t that Jim took a long time slipping his command gold tunic on and brushing the blond locks that always managed to smell so clean out of his absurdly blue eyes— it was that he took an obscene amount of time to do so. Especially on the days it was his turn to go first, especially when he saw you waiting with a scowl and furrowed eyebrows.

He liked that you didn’t take your eyes from him, that you sat atop a damp counter feigning impatience, that you could have just as well waited elsewhere. He also very much liked when you offered to brush his hair for him— you said you were faster and it saved time, but he didn’t care about that. He just liked when you’d rake your fingers through for no real reason and your nails would scratch against his scalp ever so slightly. He’d caught himself humming and shutting his eyes each and every time.

Of course, it’d only been ten days and you were still in your accidental honeymoon phase— at least that’s what Leonard called it whenever he could get the opportunity to. You hated it, but you couldn’t help but admit to its validity. You’d only been living with Jim for ten days, married for eleven, and you still found his annoying quirks easy to deal with and even endearing. Furthermore, you weren’t bitterly resentful quite yet— and you knew that must have been looming.

As you watched him lean towards his reflection, narrowing his eyes at himself, you scoffed. “Seriously?”

He looked at you and raised his eyebrows. “What?”

“I think some stars were born when you started and, like, five of them have already died.” You pointed out the bathroom door at the window located several feet away, sighing, “There goes another. You know how long a star’s lifetime is, Jim?”

He smiled to himself as he slipped the gold tunic over his black undershirt. “How long, starlight?”

“On average, millions of years.” You raised your eyebrows and crossed your arms over your chest. “You’ve taken millions of years to brush your stupid teeth, dry your stupid hair, and put on your stupid uniform— and you still have to brush your hair.”

He tilted his head as he looked at you, smiling slightly. “You look good for being millions of years old.”

“I look good for any age, but that’s not the point,” you said with a dismissive wave of your hand. “Point is, I have yet to run a comb through this wet mess,” you pointed at your hair that left wet marks over your shoulders, beads of water rolling down the t-shirt you’d stolen from Jim, “put my uniform on, brush my teeth, and try to look mildly presentable.”

“You actually look highly presentable right now.”

You narrowed your eyes into slits. “I’d be flattered enough to walk into the medbay right now like this if my breath didn’t smell like stale coffee.”

“Yeah, why does it smell like that?”

You took the brush from his hands and offered him a sarcastic smile, beckoning him to come closer with a short, pointed nod. You immediately got to work tidying his hair, shrugging. “I had charts to finish last night— a lot of coffee was involved.”

He hummed when you combed your fingers through his hair to hold back the more stubborn strands.

You smiled to yourself as you saw his eyes slip shut. “An ensign hit on me yesterday. Miserable technique. He must worship at your altar.”

He snorted. “Does he know you’re married to the captain?”

“Apparently that makes me more desirable,” you mused with a laugh, biting your lip as you purposely dragged your fingertips against his scalp while taking your hand from his hair. You smiled when he hummed again.

“Can’t imagine that being possible.”

You tilted your head and cocked an eyebrow at him when his eyes opened and a smug smile pulled at his lips. “Should I tell Len you’re flirting with me this much? He might like another reason to yell at you.”

He sighed, holding his hand out to help you off the counter. He took a few steps back once you were on your feet, standing by the door as you smeared pastel green paste onto your toothbrush. He waited until you were scrubbing your teeth to speak. “I’m getting yelled at a lot for your sake these days.”

The only sounds you could manage in reply were, “Bue beserve it.”

He smiled. “Maybe I do deserve it, fine. But me getting yelled at can’t be the only thing you’re looking to get out of this marriage.”

You motioned for him to turn around before you spit, rinsing your mouth and spitting once more. “It’s not. I just haven’t figured out what the other thing is yet.”

He frowned, keeping his back to you as he heard fabric rustle. “I must have something you want.”

You zipped up your uniform and began work on drying your hair, clearing your throat to tell him he could turn back around. Speaking in a loud volume to be heard over the hair dryer, you told him, “Not really. I liked your quarters and now I live in them. I like your replicator and now I use it.”

He watched as you flipped your hair. “Nothing else?”

You shrugged a shoulder, flipping the dryer off and silently thanking the gods of starship architecture for the efficient dryers that fluffed and dried your hair in seconds. “Not that I know of.”

“I can’t get you a raise.”

Skin moisturized, you ran a comb through your hair and ran a mascara brush through your eyelashes once you’d applied eyeliner using a more conservative version of the Uhura technique— eyeliner to severely handicap a man rather than kill him. “I didn’t ask for one.”

“I was hoping you’d push me on that.”

You smiled, rolling your eyes. “I really don’t want anything you have.”

“Nothing?”

You clicked your tongue, brushing past him to locate your boots. “I’ll take your apartment in San Francisco if you’re done with it.”

He followed you through the room, handing you the boot you’d discarded clumsily enough for it to land under the bed. He sat on the floor beside you. “Take it.”

You snorted, tugging one of the boots on. “I was kidding, Jim.”

“Well, I’m being serious,” he returned, zipping up your left boot as you struggled with your right. “I can add your name to the papers and it can go to you when we get a divorce. S’all paid off anyway.”

You stared at him in investigation, searching his features for an ounce of humor. “You’re actually serious? Like, one hundred-percent serious?”

“Yes. What’s mine is yours.”

You hummed out a sigh, standing and pulling him onto his feet as well. You leaned forward to press your lips to his cheek, smiling when you turned around. “D’you replicate anything for breakfast?”

He cleared his throat. “No, sorry.”

“S’all good. I’ll steal Len’s food,” you laughed as you passed him, PADD in hand. You slapped the control panel beside the door and walked out, shouting out a final, “Bye, mi esposo.”

As you exited the turbolift you’d caught a few feet from Jim’s door, you took a breath and ran your fingers through your hair. You smiled politely at the crewmembers you passed, suppressing the urge to sigh at their knowing grins.

You played with the ring on the third finger of your left hand and walked through the medbay doors, eyes peeled for a certain Southern man you were sure wore the scowl you so deeply wanted to mirror.

When you spotted him, signature grimace in place, you steps picked up pace and you stood beside him as he seemed to scrutinize and terrorize his PADD screen. “Did it accidentally marry its friend, too? I know how that pisses you off.”

He snorted without looking up. “Damn thing ate up all my work from last night. I’ll be stuck here doin’ charts ‘til I die. I can’t think of a worse way to go.”

“I can think of several but we’ll let that go for now.” You held your hand out and nudged him with your elbow when he continued to stare at his tablet’s screen. “Give it here.”

You set the electronic onto the counter before you and did all that you could to retrieve any deleted files, clicking your tongue absentmindedly for a while then loudly clicking your tongue in irritation. “They’re really gone.”

He focused his hazel colored glare on you. “What, you didn’t believe me?”

You shrugged. “Not really. You’re a little old, you might not be up-to-date with the ‘toys the kids are usin’ these days’,” you said in a voice you thought imitated his, laughing when he shoved your shoulder. “Leave it in your office before you head out for the night. I can do the charts.”

Frown of consideration, he narrowed his eyes speculatively. “Why would you?”

“Because I’m a good friend.”

His snorted laugh was loud enough to rattle your insides, his expression sarcastic. “Yeah? An’ I’m the fuckin’ queen of England.”

“My, how you’ve aged, your majesty,” you stated in dramatic disgust, placing your hand on your chest with a gasp and chuckling when he snorted another laugh. “I’m serious, though, Len. I’ll do your charts. No compensation necessary.”

He crossed his arms over his chest, PADD forgotten on the counter. “What’s the motive here?”

“To help you,” you answered slowly, your eyebrows coming together.

“Nothin’ else?”

“Nothing else.”

“Are you sure?”

“Why does it matter? Just let me help—”

“Is it Jim?”

“Yes.”

He smiled. “The accidental honeymoon’s over?”

You shook your head. “It’s not and that’s the problem. I like living there too much, I like being around him too much. S’like I’m taking any excuse to be near him, like I’m his actual wife or something.”

“Well, legally, you are his actual wife.”

“Thank you, Counselor,” you mumbled dryly. “I feel like I’m in high school again. I’m picking fights with him just to hear him talk to me, I’m mentally telling myself to keep a safe distance and then just walking right into him whenever I get the chance to.”

Leonard smirked. “S’almost like you’re crushin’ on your husband.”

You dropped your head into your hands with a singular groan. “I am crushing on my husband— I’ve been crushing on my husband for as long as I’ve known him. That stupid blue-eyed monster.”

“S’a good thing he feels the same way.”

“That’s the problem,” you nearly shouted, catching the attention of a nurse you smiled apologetically at. Once she was out of earshot, you continued, “Every time I see him I forget that he’s keeping me legally married to him for his career like I’m some measly prop in the wide scheme of things and I just want to kiss him and throw him onto that fucking temperature controlled bed.”

Leonard sighed. “Sweetheart, he doesn’t see you as a prop.”

“I know he doesn’t. I just feel like one sometimes.”

“He’s actually crazy about you,” he continued, shaking his head once. “Whatever I said on the shuttle that day was the truth. The man worships the ground you walk on.”

You snorted and rolled your eyes. “Don’t tell me that.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ll send him a transmission telling him there’s an emergency just to have sex with him in an exam room.”

“Barrin’ you usin’ one of my exam rooms for that, I’m failin’ to see how this is a problem.”

“You keep saying it! We’re in an accidental honeymoon phase. If I’m already feeling this much like a prop in our honeymoon phase, it’s only a matter of time until that becomes a constant emotion and I start to resent him like crazy.” You shrugged. “Then we’ll end, and I can’t break promises so I’ll still have to live in his quarters, and we’ll both be miserable, and all I’ll be left with is the hazy memory of a few orgasms and a fucking temperature controlled mattress.”

“You both keep bringin’ up that mattress—”

“It stays cool all night and warms up when you want it to— it’s a good mattress,” you explained, shrugging. “But I’d rather have Jim. And it’s more secure to have him as a friend, there’s minimal risk there.”

“So you’re removin’ yourself from the situation?”

“Only at night when his voice does that tired, raspy thing. I don’t have enough strength for anything else.”

Leonard’s smirk deepened. “You’ve got it bad, darlin’.”

“You don’t think I know that?” you whined, frowning. “Let me do your charts tonight, please.”

“Fine. I’ll leave the PADD in my office.”

You sighed. “Good. And don’t tell Jim what I just told you. Please.”

“I should start chargin’ for keepin’ these secrets. The bigger the secret, the higher the rate. The longer I have to keep the secret, the higher the rate. No friends and family discounts.”

“Solid business plan.”

PART 5

lil tag list: (tell me if you’d like to be tagged): @feelmyroarrrr @to-pick-ourselves-up-7 @star-trekkin-across-theuniverse @webhoard @dirajunara @the-space-goddess-16@whiteandblackkeys @sugarshai @goodnightwife @anyakinamidala @iwillstaywiththemforever @majisean

#SOLID BUSINESS PLAN LEN #GOOD JOB #snarky snarky snarky!!#jim #jim kirk #jim kirk imagine #kirk imagine #jim kirk x reader #kirk x reader #star trek #star trek imagine #captain kirk #captain kirk imagine #captain kirk x reader #imagine kirk #imagine jim kirk #imagine me getting enough sleep

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archeolatry · 7 years

Text

“Thank You”

(Dean Winchester/Castiel)

Words: 1,062

Dean perched on the edge of his bed, holding the tape with both hands. He fiddled with the plastic case, opening and shutting it over and over, worrying if the ink on the insert may have smudged since he last looked. The label was stuck on well–not curling at the edges or anything. He checked twice to make sure it was rewound, so that it would start properly at the first track of side one–‘Rock and Roll’, just like he’d promised.

The label read ‘Dean’s Top 13 Zeppelin Traxx’.

He’d spent the entire night working on it, from that first spark of motivation until the ink was dry. He slept–more like napped, really–for only a few hours. Around 6am he’d made coffee and given Cas’ truck a once-over, checking the tires and the fluids and the belts. Cas was getting better about those things, but he never really paid attention like he should–even when they weren’t hunting for Lucifer’s baby mama.

He was now gathering the strength to put the tape in Cas’ hands; that he knew he could do. What he didn’t have were the words to go with it. He couldn’t get past ‘I made you a mixtape.’

“I made you a mixtape, so you’ll think of me while you drive.”

“I made you a mixtape, because Robert Plant is way better at this romantic crap than I am.”

“I made you a mixtape. Yes homo. Full homo.”

If he didn’t say it now while he was all chock-full of inspiration, he might never say it at all.

“You picked a hell of a time, Winchester,” he thought. “Doesn’t Cas have enough on his plate?”

A soft knock at the door nearly made Dean jump out of his skin.

“Yeah?” he barked, a little more abrasive than he meant to be.

Castiel peered around the door. “Hello, Dean.”

“Hey, Cas.” He could barely meet the angel’s eyes.

“I was just about to leave when Sam told me you were awake, and that you had seen to the truck.” Cas’ chin dipped to his chest. “I came to say thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” he mumbled.

“I know I’m not the most mechanically inclined individual, so I appreciate the gesture. It was very thoughtful.”

“Time to nut up, buttercup.”

Dean stood up a little faster than he’d intended; his supply of ‘cool’ was all but tapped.

“I, uh… I made you a mix tape. For the road.” He extended the tape towards Cas, offering it horizontally between both thumbs and forefingers, almost like he was presenting the Eucharist. “I said I’d make you a Zeppelin mix, remember?”

Castiel blinked once, maybe twice. “I believe I might. That was some time ago, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, well,” Dean sputtered, suddenly bashful, “there was that whole Angel Tablet thing, and the mark, and Amara, and…” He swallowed. “Look, Cas, I know that there’s been a lot going on, in our lives, and…I wanted you to know that…”

“Just say it.”

“…even when you’re not here…” He let out a pained breath and began again. “I know I don’t always say thank you. I know you do a lot–for me, and for Sam. And…I wanted to do something for you.”

He urged the tape towards Castiel, who took it into his palm. The angel looked at it from all sides, examining the writing on the front and spine–Dean had worked so hard trying to make it neat–and lifting the hinge of the case to examine the tape itself, which he held aloft.

“This is an analogue technology,” Cas said flatly.

“Yeah… Well..” he rubbed the back of his neck, “I know how much you love old cars–”

“Old crappy cars?”

“Sam said crappy, I never said crappy.” His words were a flood.

“Jesus, Winchester, what the hell is wrong with you? You sound like a nervous prom date.”

“Uhm…those ones in red?” Dean placed a finger over one of the titles, “those are my absolute favorites, so…y’know…really listen to ‘em, I guess.”

“I will give them my undivided attention,” Cas said with a resolute nod.

The silence between them was thick as grape jelly. It took all Dean had just to look him in the face.

“Say it!”

Before Dean could utter another word, Cas closed the space between them and came in for a hug–both arms. He gripped Dean tight, practically burrowing into the crook of his neck. Dean’s own hands wrapped around Cas, yoking over his shoulders. Right where his wings would be, Dean guessed. And before he could truly enjoy the closeness, Cas pulled away.

“I’ll call as soon as I get any information,” Cas said, his tone clipped. He turned and made his way to the door.

“SAY IT.”

“Cas?” He blurted the name.

Castiel turned, doorknob in hand, looking expectantly at Dean.

“I love you. Please be safe.”

Dean wet his lips. “Take care of yourself, okay buddy?” His voiced hitched in his throat. “And call us if you need help.”

“You fucking coward. You total fucking coward.”

“I will, Dean.” His smile stretched thinly across his lips, clearly straining with the effort of it. His eyes belied him, however; Cas looked as if he’d been gutted alive.

The door shut softly, and Dean was again alone.

How could Cas do that? How could he just smile like absolutely nothing was wrong? Like he hadn’t almost died twelve hours previous?

“He learned it from watching you, you chickenshit.”

Dean scrubbed a hand over his face, while the other rested on his hip. The sob that he had held burst forth, a tear rolling down his cheek.

“Just listen to the tape, Cas,” he thought. “ ‘My love is strong, with you there is no wrong’; ’for you to me are the only one’… Just listen to the fucking red songs, okay? Hell, just listen to ‘Thank You’. Just…”

He spun around and slammed his fists onto the bed; the memory foam yielded under his knuckles, making the punch somewhat more satisfying. He bore at it angrily, flattening it until he could feel the resistance of the metal springs beneath. Until his knuckles were white and his breathing was ragged, and his tears fell unchecked.

“You coward.” He repeated the words like a silent mantra. “You fucking coward.”

#destiel #destiel fanfic #deancas #deancas fanfic #castiel's mix tape #coda #spn coda #canon compliant #songfic #post 12x12 #stuck in the middle (with you)#season 12 supernatural #angst and feels

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recentanimenews · 4 years

Text

Fate/Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front – Babylonia – 06 – Though Our Battlefields Differ

Other episodes of F/GO have presented bigger earth-(and history)-shattering events, but this was the first one I felt best brought all of the series’ myriad elements together. All the adventure, history, action, comedy, and romance levels were set just right so that they complemented each other rather then got in each others’ way.

This was also the episode in which I most felt the humanity of the characters. It’s apropos the cold open should feature the origin of the current Ishtar. It also had the most one-on-one interaction between Ritsuka and Ushiwakamaru. She’d always seemed drawn to him, and I should have known it was because they’re both Japanese.

Among the many servants with whom he interacts, Ushiwakamaru is the only one Ritsuka sang songs of as a kid, something that both astounds and flatters her. He was a real person, after all, and his story is an amazing one. One of the low-key great things about Fate is that it nudges you to learn more about these historical and legendary figures.

As such, wonderful to see these two countrymen assert their bond of friendship as people, not any Master-Servant contract. Ushiwakamaru also sports one of the more awesome costumes in a show positively bursting with them. Like this episode, it’s a satisfying balance of elements—a little cute, a little sexy, all bad-ass. Not to mention Hayami Saori is perfectly cast as Ushi’s voice—warm, caring, and determined.

Another thing I’m enjoying about F/GO is that while there is a larger overarching story arc, it doesn’t get in the way of smaller, more self-contained episodic stories. Last week felt like a road trip with Gilgamesh; this felt more like a good old-fashioned fantasy quest. Their mission couldn’t be simpler: go to the city of Kutha and recover the Tablet of Destinies.

(In a well-placed moment of comedy, Ritsuka asks why Gilgamesh doesn’t remember what he himself wrote on said tablet; Gilgamesh response is Pure Gilgamesh: “Why do I have to retain in my memory a clairvoyant premonition I wrote in a dream?” #DemigodProblems)

Sadly Ushiwakamaru can’t join them, but the party of Ritsuka, Mash, Merlin and Ana is more than adequate. On the way to the city, whose entire population seemingly died peacefully in their sleep, the party encounters the collateral damage caused by Ishtar’s Cautious Hero-style demonic beast extermination, and she’s been making off with the gems of those she “saved.”

The night before they enter the city, Ritsuka has a nice chat with Merlin about how even though he’s just an ordinary human, he has to do what he can to the best of his ability, which means a strict workout routine to stay in shape. From her tent, Mash seems disappointed Ritsuka thinks she only chose him because he was virtually “the last man on earth.”

Once in Kutha, the party splits up to look for the tablet…simple enough, though Mash was weary of Ritsuka going off with only Fou for protection. Turns out her intuition was correct: Ritsuka suddenly strays into the Underworld, which in this age is a very real place people stray into all the time (and in Gilgamesh’s case, even went on a quest there).

The hostile undead who surround Ritsuka are eventually dismissed by a man Ritsuka seems to recognized named Ziusu-dra, who castigates Rituska for entering the Underworld while still alive; a big no-no. Still, he sees Ritsuka is a nice guy and so lets him off this time, sending him back to Kutha.

He awakes to find Mash shedding tears of joy and relief after she shed tears of panic and worry for his safety; going back to what he said to Merlin last night, Ritsuka may well not quite grasp just how much Mash cares for him, and is not merely resigned to serving him. And what do you know, the Tablet of Destinies is in his hands. Looks like he was meant to stray into the Underworld, if only briefly.

Of course, the mission was never going to be quite that simple: Ishtar suddenly arrives like a fighter jet; Chaldea only warns the party four seconds before she attacks. She’s there to “save” them just like she saved the ranchers whose lands she ravaged and pockets she picked, and intends to collect payment in the form of the tablet.

Ritsuka’s not about to fail Gilgamesh, so they must fight. And what a fight. From Ishtar’s concussive kicks to Mash’s shield and her graceful gliding through the sky, to Ana’s decisive chain-assisted counterattack, we’re treated to a beautiful, deadly dance. My only complaint is that it’s over too fast, but I’m also glad it didn’t go on too long.

Going back to the cold open, we learn Ishtar was summoned using ahuman girl as a vessel. Despite nearly all Mesopotamian gods being blonde as a rule, Ishtar retained her vessel’s black hair, since the human girl’s will merged with Ishtar. That goes a ways towards explaining her peculiar behavior that both saves and hurts humans.

It may also explain why she’s willing to cooperate when she wakes up finding herself tied up, surrounded by Ritsuka’s party demanding answers. She explains that the other two goddesses were drawn there by Gilgamesh’s Holy Grail. The three of them decided to enter a competition whereby the first to defeat Gilgamesh and claim the Grail shall rule his lands. They also entered a three-way non-aggression pact, so Ishtar won’t go so far as to tell Ritsuka the true names of the others.

The party fails to connect the ease with which Ritsuka entered the Underworld to Kutha’s status as a place where undead congregate and dwell…until they’re surrounded by massive horde of skeletons. With the tablet in hand they make a run for it, but not before Ritsuka frees Ishtar from her binds. Having been treated so kindly despite her hostility (and perhaps motivated by her human half), Ishtar returns the favor by obliterating all of the skeletons with a single all-out arrow burst, sparing the party a tough battle.

When Ritsuka earnestly thanks her before turning back to Uruk, the blonde goddess half of Ishtar wonders if perhaps he’s “a sacrifice too good for the other goddesses.” I enjoyed the ambiguity of that line, just I enjoyed the entirety of this well-balanced and generous episode.

By: braverade

#Anime #News #RABUJOI – An Anime Blog

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mousedetective · 7 years

Note

If anyone hasn't claimed the last sherlolly fanfic... I will.. a free fic. Hells to the yeah!! And I request something that is in your series. If you could finish your coffee shop AU, "My Sadness Halved, My Happiness Doubled" that would be amazing. I adore all of your stories, but I particularly love when you do AUs. You have a wonderful imagination, and the worlds you create are just so vibrant and beautiful it is hard not to get trapped in them while reading. I enjoy NC17, but story is yours.

So I have gone past this message quite often and wrung my hands because I had no idea what to write next, and for some reason last night I finally was like “I have an idea!” So hopefully this will give me some momentum to finish this for you. But here is chapter 2!

My Sadness Halved, My Happiness Doubled -Sherlock Holmes is brought back to London to be a part of the family business, something he would rather not do but feels is part of his duty to the Holmes name. A chance encounter with a man while he gets his morning coffee, however, and the suggestion he go to Serenity Coffee & Tea Shoppe puts him on a new course in life, filled with friends and love that he didn’t expect that, perhaps, is better than what he ever could have hoped for himself.

Read Chapter 1 | Read Chapter 2 | Buy Me A Coffee? | Send Me A Prompt

“New coffee shop?”

Sherlock looked at his assistant and raised an eyebrow as he finished off the coffee. He hadn’t thought it would be noticed if he walked in with a cup that wasn’t from Starbucks, but John Watson had a very keen eye. That’s why they got on so well, or at least one of the reasons. John had been a friend in Oxford, one who had been an administrative assistant at one of the universities, and when Sherlock was summoned back to London John came with him, as the money for being his PA was astoundingly more than being a professor, and it wasn’t that much different than what he had done in Oxford. Sherlock had been glad John had thrown his lot in with him because frankly, he was one of the few bright spots in the whole situation.

He pulled his attention to the cup and saw the logo for the shop on it before nodding. “Better than Starbucks,” he said.

“Really?” John asked, his eyes wide. “Considering you have a VIP card for them, that’s saying something.”

“Well, I appreciate good coffee,” Sherlock said with a shrug.

“Because Lord knows you can’t brew it yourself,” John said with a chuckle. “Should I start picking up your coffee from there, then?”

Sherlock nodded. “I think that might be best. And...on occasion, almond croissant. Or any other pastries that catch your fancy.” He set his cup on his desk and pulled off his messenger bag from across his body. He couldn’t bring himself to use a briefcase, much as it was expected of him. Some scholarly habits died too hard. But he had at least upgraded to a black leather one that was good quality. His father nor his brother would approve, but they had to take what they could get for now. “What’s on the agenda for today?”

John pulled out his tablet that he used for business purposes. Sherlock had to admit that was better than an endless amount of papers, and it made it easier to share information between John’s tablet and his mobile, which is what he preferred to use for business when he wasn’t on his laptop. “Your father wants you to speak with the advertising department to motivate them more,” he said. “I think he had said something about putting that English degree you got a few years back to use. Then you’re to have a business lunch with your brother at noon at The Wolseley, and then there’s a board meeting about the transfer of power at three. But you can call it a day early after the meeting.”

“You should know I never call it a day early,” Sherlock said with a slight grin. This was a regular conversation between the two of them, one that had been going on for years now. “There’s always something to learn, to study.”

John gave him a rather wistful look. “It’s been a month, and you still miss Oxford, don’t you?” he said.

Sherlock sat in his chair and steepled his fingers together under his chin. “Auditions for the local orchestra are starting today. This is the first time in years I won’t play violin in it.”

John nodded. “We could find something for you here in London? I can look.”

“No point,” Sherlock said with a sigh. “My father and my brother keep me too busy to have the time. I’m expected to wine and dine clients and investors because I’m supposedly more ‘charming’ than Mycroft. It seems as though my father’s personality got split between us; Mycroft got his business acumen and I got...other things.”

“Honestly anyone who thinks you’re charming doesn’t know you well,” John said with a chuckle. “But you’re a good actor and good enough at faking it.”

His mind very briefly drifted to the woman who ran the coffee shop. He could be charming for her, he thought. He wasn’t sure why there was a desire to impress her or see her again because their interaction had been brief. Perhaps it was because she hadn’t sized him up like a slab of beef like most women did. Or, perhaps, he was mesmerized by her smile. It had been a long time since he had had a smile like that given to him. “I suppose,” he murmured.

“Well, you don’t have any wining and dining tonight, so I expect you’ll be at the flat playing mournful violin till late?” John asked.

“My choices in music aren’t mournful,” Sherlock said, giving his friend a mild glare.

“But I bet they will be tonight,” John said. “Do you need more coffee now, or after the meeting with advertising?”

“After,” he said. “And...I’ll get it myself.”

John raised an eyebrow but said nothing, simply giving Sherlock a nod and then heading to his own office. Hopefully, he would have time to get to the coffee shop for the coffee. Not that John’s was bad, but it seemed like there was more than just coffee and a caffeine rush on his mind now.

#Sherlock #sherlolly #mollock #sherlock holmes #john watson #fanfiction #fanfic #my stuff #Multipart: My Sadness Halved My Happiness Doubled #answering asks!#elliedilly #starlight-falls

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austencello · 7 years

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Lian Yu - Arrow Music Notes 5x23

The end of this season brings Team Arrow (plus a few former enemies) against Team Prometheus with many epic fights and small character moments as Oliver deals with the residing guilt over his father’s suicide as he fights for his own son. Meanwhile, Oliver races against Kovar and time to get to the boat to return home in the Flashbacks bringing the 5 seasons full circle back to the pilot.

Usually, I divide the episode review up into characters or places. However, the episode is so intertwined with returning themes, new themes, and the Flashbacks that I will point out important themes and characters as the episode unfolded.

The episode begins with the opening line from the Pilot about Lian Yu (Purgatory) with the Lian Yu sound (”Five Years” 1x01) as it transitions to Oliver recruiting Slade to help him. As Slade explains that he is sane again, the music “Promise Kept” plays (2x20 - Slade kidnaps Oliver, Moira and Thea before Moira dies). It is eerie and reminds us (along with Slade) of the man and monster Slade had become in Season 2. Oliver is literally facing his demons and one of the worst nights of his life to defeat Prometheus and find his son. Slade recognizes that Oliver should have killed him but Oliver says that this could be the reason he didn’t. He offers redemption to find their sons and then gives him the Deathstroke mask accompanied by the electronic Deathstroke sound (1x05 - “Deathstroke” - first with Billy Wintergreen, then Slade later on.)

The Deathstroke motive (low brass tri-tone - 1x09 “Deathstroke”, again first with Wintergreen then Slade) plays as he appears with Oliver and Harkness in his full gear. Meanwhile, in the flashbacks, Kovar discovers that Oliver has escaped and the music has a sense of urgency as Oliver runs with a repeating string pattern, cimbalon, electronics, and percussion. (This was one of my favorite new music moments.) The cimbalon plays as Oliver flashbacks to his agreement with Anatoly that the boat would arrive soon.

Back in the present day, Slade, Oliver, and Harkness discover part of Team Arrow in cages accompanied by a repeated pizzicato pattern (pizzicato was also used for the trap set for Thea and Quentin in 5x22). Slade at first appears to help the enemy but then gives a clue to Oliver: “There is no giving up to these guys” - a reference to their training in 1x14. The same timpani hit with brass plays for both times he says that line. The electronic Deathstroke sound plays as Slade punches Harkness. The fight that ensues with Talia and Evelyn (and Harkness) has an almost techno feel in the syncopated electronic and percussive beats.

Felicity and Thea are not happy to see Oliver teaming up with Slade and that he wants them to leave so Thea brings Oliver to the side to talk. Hammered dulcimer (Oliver’s instrument) plays as he asks her for help regardless of the situation. Because she loves him, she agrees.

Oliver gives Felicity a tablet containing imagery of the Island: “Just in case.” Harp (Felicity’s instrument) and piano (Oliver’s instrument) plays “Purest Heart” as Felicity kisses him: “Just in case.” “Purest Heart” is from 2x21 as both Walter and Oliver tell Thea how much Oliver loves her. This returns several times throughout the series as Oliver expresses his love as her brother and how much he needs her: 3x03, 3x20, 4x12. Oliver will always love Thea, no matter what. His love is strong, loyal, and faithful and he will always believe the best in her. The other woman that he loves this much is Felicity. He will always love Felicity with this depth, strong and loyal. She is his world and he believes in her. (Thanks to Blake Neely who helped clarify this for me!)

Men’s choir (often used for religious spaces) sings as Diggle and Quentin are brought through the Chinese Holy Retreat by Black Siren to where Dinah and Rene are chained up. Meanwhile, Oliver and Slade talk about his past coming to haunt him. Slade tells Oliver it all comes down to his Father’s suicide and the guilt he carries from it. The only way to move forward is to forgive himself. During this scene, strings and horn (Hero theme 2) plays.

Malcolm tries to initiate conversation with Thea, who wants nothing to do with him. Crutales (a callback to “Like Father, Like Daughter” - 3x03 when they trained together) play over an electronic repeated note before Thea steps on a landmine (with the Lian Yu sound.) Malcolm pushes her off and sacrifices himself as his theme in the harp plays with a new theme in strings. Malcolm was a selfish villain and had a twisted sense of love but he gets a chance for redemption for finally putting Thea first.

Oliver, Nyssa and Slade arrive at the Retreat site and split up. Slade knocks Oliver out (appearing to betray him) and the first note of the Deathstroke motive plays as he hands Oliver over to Black Siren.

Meanwhile, Thea and Felicity talk about their evil dads as Thea struggles with the reality that Malcolm just died. Regardless of their issues and terrible parenting, both Dads ultimately were willing to sacrifice themselves for their children when in harms way. As Felicity tells Thea it is okay to miss Malcolm, a new melody plays in high bell-like tones over strings. Thea got to see the father Malcolm could have been but too late.

Back with the rest of the Team, Oliver gives Dinah the device Curtis created to bypass the sonic dampeners. As she lets go a scream (and named Black Canary by Quentin), a new triumphant brass motive plays.

Talia hears the Canary Cry and turns to stop the prisoners but is interrupted by Nyssa. As they deal with “unfinished business” by dueling, a lot of Nanda Parbat/Nyssa instruments are featured especially with the duduk and drums. The Season 2 mirakiru horns (interestingly mirroring the melismas in the duduk) play as Deathstroke jumps in and stops Talia’s League.

Oliver and the rest of the team joins up with Nyssa and Slade as hero horn 1 (first heard in 1x01 “Sacrifice”) plays but then switches to Prometheus’ tick-tock and string glissandos as he appears with his team. The tick-tock continues as he continues to taunt and mess with Oliver’s head. A fight commences and the music plays the themes of each character as they fight: Arrow, Deathstroke, Diggle (in horns) and Wild-Dog. It’s pretty awesome.

The music morphs as the fights morph from Flashbacks to present day: cimbalon and low Russian strings as Kovar knows he just has to make Oliver miss his boat, to Team Arrow music timbre with higher strings as the team fights, to more electronics as the Canaries fight. Horns begin the Canary theme (2x03 “Canary”) and then changes into the last 3 notes of the new melody with Dinah’s cry earlier in the episode. Electronics pick up again as Black Siren walks over to Dinah but then quiet as she gets knocked out. Horn (hero) plays as Quentin explains he had to: “for so many reasons.”

Chase tries to get Oliver to kill him but Oliver ultimately refuses as the slow version of the Arrow theme plays in the lower strings (used in emotional moments for Oliver - “I forgot Who I was”) As he tells Adrian that he is no longer that killer, the violins play it faster overlaying the slower version (Green Arrow plus Oliver Queen): “That’s not who I am now.” Horn joins with a new theme as he declares that he is done blaming himself for his father’s death. Violins play the slow Arrow theme again as Chase tells Oliver that William is dead, a moment of brief anguish. Cellos and basses play as Oliver refuses to kill Chase and become that murderer again even if that is true.

Oliver runs to catch Chase (in a boat) while in the Flashbacks he gets ready to catch his boat accompanied by “Saving Oliver” (1x14 - Diggle and Felicity race against time to save dying Oliver.) This track gives a sense of urgency of life and death. The Arrow brass glissando occurs as present Oliver jumps and races down the pier to catch Adrian’s boat. A version of the Arrow theme plays as he attack Chase.

The music switches to “Five Years” as a shortened opening sequence from the Pilot is shown of Oliver being rescued bringing the series full circle.

The team discovers that the escape plane has been sabotaged as the strings maneuver around (similar but longer pattern to “The Team Continues Without Oliver” in S3). They tell Oliver and then Chase brings out William giving Oliver an ultimatum: save the team or William. The horn plays a new melody starting on a dissonant note before resolving and repeats it. Dissonance always gives musical tension which amps up the tension for this horrible situation.

Oliver shoots Chase in the leg and rescues William from Adrian’s grasp. Then Flashbacks begin with Oliver calling Moira that he is still alive. “Returning Home” plays which is the same music when she sees him for the first time in the pilot: “My beautiful boy.”

As Chase begins to monologue about how fitting it is that William should discover his father’s identity in the same place that Oliver learned the truth about his, a high eerie pitch plays over a slow minor scale in the strings. It gives a hint that something is not quite right and then the tick-tock begins as his final plan comes into play to destroy Oliver. His string glissandos are added as the gun comes out and Oliver realizes in horror that Chase is going to kill himself and blow up the Island with everyone on it. A very low rumble and the high pitch is left hanging before everything becomes silent except for the bombs exploding. Leaving Oliver and William (and the audience) in complete anguish and shock.

Extra Notes

- What an ending. This reminded me of Season 1 when Oliver believed he had won only to have the villain have a final twist up his sleeve. To finally choose to let go of his past and trust his team only to have them ripped away from him is heartbreaking. (Thankfully we know that Arrow will not have killed off almost every cast member so we have a bit more hope)

- It has been a joy to go through this music again this season. Thanks for all of your support and encouragement. Thanks also to Blake Neely and his team for writing fantastic music that gets us all so excited (and for answering my questions!)

- Until next time!

@herskirtsarentthatshort @pulpklatura @academyofshipping @mel-loves-all @ah-maa-zing @smoakmonster @jorahandal @marniforolicity @lovejesusarrowavengersblog

#arrow music notes #arrow 5x23 #arrow music meta #oliver queen #olicity #slade wilson #thea queen #malcolm merlyn #dinah drake #john diggle #adrian chase #prometheus #nyssa al ghul

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