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glassartpeasants · 10 days

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Run Rabbit Run .10

Yandere!Eustass Kid x F!Reader

Warnings: Death, blood mentions, physical abuse, violence, implied non-con, slight non-con, not edited for shit cause it took too long to type in general

A/N: This part is all in the eyes of Kidd so enjoy. I'm so happy for this shit to be finally published cause it took me too fucking long to do. Also working on new writing styles cause i need to be a perfectionist

pt.1 pt.2 pt.3 pt.4 pt.5 pt.6 pt.7 pt.8 pt.9 pt.10

~~~

“Look at them run! This is gonna be a fun island to ransack.”

“We should find the mayor and ask him where he keeps the town's treasury.”

“Good thinking, Killer.”

Even with the conversation so short, it spoke volumes as the Victoria Punk docks on the island. The beautiful blue skies shone down on the new and upcoming worst-generation supernova. With only a few months under his belt, his name was still feared throughout the south blue. His bounty getting higher and higher with every new poster.

He has yet to lose to any marine or pirate ship. Every battle he wins only makes him all the more feared, and his crew is just as terrifying as himself. Being known for his bloodthirsty ways, people would usually give him their prized possessions just to make sure they stayed clear of his wraith. But even then, sometimes, it wasn’t enough.

“This island is smaller than I thought, but it’s still mostly populated. More people, more treasure.”

“I haven’t seen any marines since we’ve docked, no boats or anything. Do you think this island isn’t under the eye of the world government?”

“Don’t matter to me. If marines try to stop me, I’ll just crush them.” The sinister chuckle that left the man’s lips made even the strongest marine tremble. Now, with a rushing set of footsteps coming towards him, Kidd continues to smirk.

A man about his own age was running full speed at him. A look of rage crossed his features as he clutched a knife tightly in his hands. Compared to himself, the man was nothing more than a twig. No muscle or anything to back him up with the fight he was looking for.

“Oh, this outta be fun.”

“Damn pirates! Leave our island alone!” The man lifts his arm to strike the notorious captain, only to be stopped by a suffocating grip. Without a second thought, Kidd’s hand gripped the scrawny man’s neck as he lifted him up. The man drops the knife to try and pry off the hand, squeezing his throat.

“How pathetic! A string bean like you thinks he can tell me what to do?” Kidd squeezes the man's throat harder and lifts him so they're eye to eye.

“News flash, I don’t like when people tell me what to do. I’ll show you what happens to people who do.” Clawing at Kidd’s hand, the man begins to see black in his vision as he starts to gasp.

“Please let my son go! He’s the only family I have!” An old man shows up hobbling fast towards Kidd and his crew. A cane in his left hand as he struggles to stay up.

“I don’t feel like it. Little fucker thinks he can try to attack me. Yet he didn’t even land a hit like the pathetic little thing he is.” Kidd laughs at the old man’s worried expression.

“I’ll do anything! Just please let my son go!” The old man gets on his hands and knees, begging the ruthless pirate for mercy.

“Bring me your mayor, and I’ll think about it.”

“I am the mayor! I promise, Captain Kidd, as I have the key to City Hall and everything!” The old man pulls out a key from his pants and lifts it towards Kidd.

“Well, would you look at that? How convenient. I didn’t even have to waste time searching.” Using his devil fruit powers, Kidd gravitates the key to his open hand. Looking at the key in his hand, he looks to his friend.

“What ya think, Killer? Should I let the small fry go?”

“Might as well. We have the mayor right here.”

“Looks like it’s your lucky day. Now scram before I change my mind.” The man is dropped with a thud. Holding his throat, he coughs harshly, with tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. Air finally returns to his lungs.

“Run home, son. Everything will be fine! Just go home.”

“But father-”

“Go home!” Despite his pleas, the scrawny man follows his father's orders. His throat bruised as he struggles to walk. His head spinning as the lack of oxygen has taken its toll. A crippling fear plagues the son as he walks home with unstable legs. The safety of his father was all he could think about.

“Now that that little nuisance is out of the way, we can finally get what we came here for.” Turning his attention to the old man, Kidd looks down at him.

“You either give us all the treasure this town has in its treasury, or I go back and break your son's scrawny little neck.” The mayor looks in horror at the man before him.

“I can’t! We’ve been saving it to build a marine base on the island! It’s taken us years to save up that money!” Kidd only laughs in the old man’s face.

“Too bad, old man! Now, you either give us all the treasure this shit town has to offer, or you’ll see its ashes fall from the sky!”

“But! The people need that for-” Not letting the old man finish, Kidd kicked him backwards. His fragile body hits the ground and is knocked out cold.

“Wrong answer, old fool! Burn it down and take everything! Leave no stone unturned!” Kidd watched his crew scatter before starting to break into businesses, houses, and other structures. Glass shattering, and the newfound screams sounded like music to his ears.

“Heat!” Calling out to his crew, he watches the bluenette approach him.

“Yeah Captain?”

“I want you to go kill that brat while burning down buildings.”

“Sounds good.”

Turning around laughing, Kidd’s amber eyes catch the glance of a woman hiding behind a building. Her face full of fear as she shook in her place. From where she stood, Kidd could see the way the light shone down on her. It gave her an almost angelic glow. For some reason, it ignited something inside him. Something that told him to ruin her. To rip off that halo and wings while he fucked her down to the second circle of hell. The image made him laugh as he began to move in her direction. Himmoving in the woman’s direction caused her to finally flee.

“Cat and mouse, aye?” Kidd snickers as he beckons the woman back; any metal she was wearing would drag her right back to him. He watches her stop in her tracks before being pulled back to him at full speed. Her shrieks of terror cause him to lick his lips.

The woman’s back collided with Kidd’s chest as he grabbed her wirst in an iron grip.

“Where do you think you're going?” The woman looked up at him, and he smiled at her. He watched her tremble in place.

“Y-Your Eustass Kidd…”

“Damn right. What? You afraid?” The way she uttered his name made the fire inside him only burn brighter. A delicate little thing like her screaming out his name as he left bruises on her skin had his mind running with wild thoughts.

“Please! Just let me go! I’ll give you all the money I have. Just please let me go!” He watched in amusement as the woman tried to twist and turn out of his grip. The hope dying in her eyes felt like an addictive drug. While taking in the woman's fear, he noticed a ring adorning her finger and a metal circle on your left wrist.

“Now, why would I let something I caught fair and square go?” Finally pulling her left arm closer to his view, he finds that the circle of metal adorning her wrist was, in fact, supposed to be a bracelet. A very shitty stainless steel bracelet that he could have easily made with his eyes closed.

“Your shitty stainless steel bracelet betrayed you, princess.” The nickname fell off his tongue so smoothly that it was almost like honey. He could feel his heart quicken at the little nickname that he decided there and then.

“My fiance worked hard to make it for me!”

“Don’t make me laugh! This is the shittest piece of jewelry I’ve ever seen!” How horribly it was made felt like an insult to him. He swore a baby could make one better. Using his power, Kidd manages to contort the ugly bracelet off the woman's wrist. He brought it closer to his face just to look at it once more, and that’s when he saw the flaw in the metal. He sees the woman reach for it but simply lifts it up out of her reach to inspect it more.

“Give it back!”

“It’s ain’t even pure stainless steel. Pathetic. Not even detailed, just a circle of metal." Using his devil fruit, he crushes the bracelet into the form of a ball. Small enough to be a bullet.

“Repel.” A laugh escapes him as he watches the small ball shoot into a store window. It shatters the entire thing and breaks something inside. Now, turning back to the woman, he smirks.

“Now, c’mon. You’re coming with me.” The woman's nails dig into Kidd’s hand. Her desperate attempt at freedom only made his lust for her grow.

“Don’t make this harder than it has to be, princess. I’m not a very patient person.” The woman's mouth opens to say something, but a loud voice pulls his attention away.

“(Y/N)! Get your hands off of her, you filithy pirate!” So that was your name? It felt fitting for a little thing like yourself. A lovely little princess like you with such an angelic name.

Looking at the person in front of him, he sees a ring adorning their left hand. It added up to the fact that this must be your fiance. AN annoyed look plastered on Kidd’s face as he realized that what should have been a quick thing was now actually gonna be a pain in his ass. Looking the fiance up and down, Kidd knew that they stood no chance against him. A single punch could take them down, no doubt.

“Is this your pathetic fiance? Ugh, I don’t have time to deal with you. I’ve got to take this treasure I found back to the ship.”

“(Y/N)’s not going anywhere with you! Let her go pirate!” Rage filled Kidd as another small fry thinks they can tell him what to do.

“Run (....)! He’s going to kill you!” Kidd let go of your wrist for a second, only to wrap his arm around your torso. He pulled you close to his chest as he trapped your arms to your sides with his strong grip. While he’d love to turn your pathetic fiance into a bloody puddle, he just couldn’t wait to bring you back to the Victoria Punk for safekeeping.

“Killer!” Not even seconds pass before his best friend shows up next to him.

“Yeah, Kidd?”

“I need you to kill them. Little shit thinks they can tell me what I can and can’t do.” He watches his buddy look down at the horrified woman in his arms.

“Who’s she?”

“My new plaything, cutie, ain’t she?” Kidd laughs as he holds onto you tighter. Your smell was intoxicating with how close you were to him.

“No! Leave them alone!”

“Alright, let’s go.” Kidd turns around just in time so you don’t see Killer murdering your fiance. But the screams could still be heard. He looks down and sees tears slipping down your cheeks as you weep in his grasp. The pathetic fiance felt like a worthless thing to cry about, in his personal opinion. But seeing your tears had his pants growing tighter.

“What a pretty sight, don’t you think?” The look of horror on your face as you watched your town burn to the ground made Kidd feel like we were on cloud nine. He just knew that the little angel he plucked from gods hand would surely be a fuck to experience.

~~~

“Oi Kidd.”

“What is it Killer?” Watching his friend approach him, Kidd simply took a hard drink of the alcohol in his hand. His eyes scanned the bar as he watched multiple women look at him with less-than-holy intentions.

“Do you want me to go unlock that chick on the ship now? She’s been on the ship since we took her from that island a week ago? Plus, you're at the bar getting plastered and beckoning other women over.”

“Nah. Keep her there a little longer. Plus, where would she go? It’s not like she has a home to go back to. I could honestly keep her as long as I want!” Laughing, Kidd took another swing of his drink. Having a personal fleshlight aboard the ship at all times was an opportunity only a fool would pass up.

“If you say so.”

“Come get a drink, Killer! Unwind and enjoy the lack of Marines!” Chugging down the alcohol, Kidd slammed down the empty glass on the table. His eye scanned the room, and despite the multiple women that occupied the bar, none gave him that rush that you did when he first saw you. While there were women who looked at him with lust, the fear that was in your eyes made more of an impact on his sexual desires.

Sure, he’s taken women to the Victoria Punk, but they're always gone before sunrise. No woman he’s brought to bed has ever spent a full day on the ship. Until you came along. You’ve spent a full week under the deck of the Victoria with only him and Killer knowing. And it’ll stay that way if he could help it. Having a secret little place to relieve his stress and get his fill sounded perfect for when he was stuck on the seas without a bar to be seen.

A little wingless angel stuck in the dark.

~~~

Stumbling along the hallways, Kidd can’t help but chuckle as he makes his way to your room. He’s been drinking till the early before a sudden lust flooded his body. The image of you laying beneath him was too stong to ignore. He wanted to hear your cries and moans. Wanted to feel your nails dig into his skin and cause him too bleed.

When he opened the door that kept you locked away, he saw you sleeping peacefully. Your face content as you lay on the tattered blankets that used to hold prisioners. The light giving him just enough to walk towards a crate to light up a lantern. Once he closed and locked the door again, the lantern was now the only sorce of light.

He stumbled over to where your head lay before sitting down. The vibrations caused you to stir, yet you refused to awaken fully. It caused a scowl to appear on Kidd’s painted lips before he tugged on a strand of your hair. The shock of your hair being tugged made your hand go to soothe the throb that followed suit.

Rubbing your eyes, you look up.”Kidd? W-Why are you here? It’s late.” Your confusion was clear in your voice, but Kidd paid no mind.

“Mmm…gonna fuck ya. Wanna hear my princess cry out my name.” Slurring his speech, Kidd laughs as he grabs your wrist and drags you up to him. The chain attached to your ankle rattled as he had you face to face.

The fear that still swirled in your eyes got him drunker than any alcohol could ever do. Your soft skin against his rough, calloused hands felt as if he were touching something sacred.

Grabbing your chin, he pulls you in for a kiss. He could feel you try to pull away, but you were no match for his strength, and he loved that. How weak you were compared to him had his already hard cock throbbing. You were the defenseless little princess who relied on him for everything.

The kiss only got deeper as he spurred himself on in his head. He pushed his tongue past your lips and groaned when he felt your own. Your taste was sweet as he explored your mouth. No matter how many times he’s kissed you, it always felt just as electric as it did the day he first kissed you. Your lips are so soft as they smudged his lipstick with how harshly he was kissing you.

Wrapping his hands around your wrists, he slammed you down on the ground before climbing on top of your body. His lips were still locked with yours as your scent overwhelmed him. It sent a fire hot sensation in his abdomen as he started to press closer to you.

Bringing both wrists above his head, he holds them both with one hand. With his other hand now free, he runs his fingertips underneath your shirt. He feels you shiver against his touch, and it causes one to go down his own spine.

Pulling his lips away from yours, a thick strand of saliva connected his mouth to yours. Hearing you gasp and pant for breath makes him slightly grip your wrists harder as he stares down at you. Your lips were swollen from his harsh kiss and sporting the lipstick that once adorned his own lips.

“K-Kidd, you're drunk. Perhaps you should just sleep. You don’t want a hangover, do you?” The nervousness and pleas that slipped past your lips went unheard by him. All he could see was his princess lying under him. Even though you tried to squirm and wiggle away, all Kidd felt was you rubbing against him.

“Fuck.” Kidd whispers under his breath as he begins to rub his clothed cock against you. His face is right above yours as he feels your breath fanning against his face. Through his lidded eyes, Kidd can see your eyes are closed, and you're biting your bottom lip.

Moving both your wrists to one hand, Kidd uses his free one to grab your chin. “Fucking look at me. I want you to look at me while I fuck you.” Kidd can feel his heart double in speed when he’s met with your eyes staring at him intensely yet glassy.

Kidd groans out before licking his lips. Letting go of your chin, Kidd reaches down to unbuckle his pants. His eyes still strained on you and he can’t help but notice all the bites and bruises he’s adorned on your body since you’ve been here. It only makes Kidd’s need for you higher.

“What if we do this tomorrow?” Your words break through Kidd’s lust-clouded mind. ”You won’t even remember this since you're drunk, right? We can do it tomorrow!” Beads of sweat dropped from your forehead as you talked to Kidd. Obviously hoping that he might fall for the bait.

Kidd’s eyes stare at you before letting out a yawn. He didn’t say anything for a few seconds before getting up and moving away from your body. Only to grab it seconds later and drag you to lay on the tattered blankets. He fell on top of you, making you let out an ‘oof’.

The warmth your body excluded made made Kidd’s eyes grow heavy as he let out another yawn. Placing his head onto of your breasts, he allowed his drunken self just an hour or two to sleep before going back into his own quarters. No harm in a measly two hours.

~~~

The sky filled with smoke as Kidd angrily desetroyed anything he deemed mocked him. Living or not, his anger was his own fault as ahe had no one to blame but himself. Ever since that drunken night he slept by your side, he’s never been able to sleep normally again.

Before he used to sleep all throughout the night but now. He’d wake up every two hours reaching out for someoen that wasn’t there. He’s never slept with someone all night. Or at all. But now that he’s gotten a taste of what it felt like to sleep next to someone, it wans’t something his body could sleep without. And it pissed him off.

Sure, he loved fucking you whenever he wanted, but now, it’s like he can’t go even an hour without thinking about you. Working in his workshop became a pain in the ass as he could be working on his crew’s weapons only to see your eyes staring at him in his imagination. How blown over they are when he fucks you or how you looked at him when he even enters a room.

He couldn’t even sleep with other women anymore cause his mind kept going to you! All there was was you. It pissed him off to the point he didn’t bother seeking you out of your company for a week and counting. A small part of him begged to go below deck to see the angel he stole from god. Yet the other him spoke curses on how you’ve affected him. It felt as if his head was splitting from the battle going on inside him.

“You're scowling more than usual. What’s wrong?” His friend's voice broke through his thoughts as he stood next to him.

Running a hand through his hair, Kidd hisses. “It’s not something you can help with, so buzz off.”

“Is it about that girl below deck?”

“(Y/N).”

“Yeah her?”

“No.”

“Liar.” Snapping his head towards the masked man, Kidd glared at him.

“Something obviously happened, so stop trying to act like nothing did.” Killer crossed his arms as he looked at his stubborn friend.

“She’s invading my mind like a damn disease! Can’t even go an hour without her popping up in my mind! Not to mention, I haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep in a month!”

“Can’t even fuck another whore without imagining it’s her! It’s pissing me off! Is this some sort of devil fruit?!” A snort comes from behind Killer’s mask, making Kidd madder.

“Jesus christ, your so stupid.”

“I’m not fucking stupid! If you know what's wrong with me, then spit it out!”

“It’s called falling in love, you idiot.”

Kidd’s eyes widened as he felt his heart stop. “No shot! That’s the biggest load of shit I’ve ever heard! I’m not falling in love.”

“Oh really? Well then, let her go, it’s been six months-”

“-No.”

“You're not in love with her, but you refuse to let her go?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, Kidd. Whatever you say.”

~~~

Bursting open the door, Kidd stomps through his room. His rage fills the small space as his heart beats harshly. Once again, a marine ship ruined his supply trip to an island. While normally he wouldn’t care and go on and fight, Killer advised against it. Kidd had a good amount of sake a few hours earlier and wouldn’t be on his A game if they took charge.

While Killer was right, Kidd was still upset that he wouldn’t be able to get supplies for his crew for another day till they reached the next island. His crew had to go hungry for a day simply because of some annoying marines.

“God fucking damnit! Those fucking marines keep getting in my way!” Kidd’s eyes scan the room as he tries to find something to throw. When his eyes landed on a metal butterfly he made for you, he grabbed it off the dresser in a quick movement.

“Fuck!” Throwing it as hard as he could, he aimed for the bedroom door, which was already covered in marks from the other times he'd thrown knives at the door. The sound of a sucked-in breath makes him snap his head in your direction.

“What the fuck are you staring at?!” He watches you scoot away from him, and it only fuels his drunken rage. Who did you think you were to run away from him? To look at him with that face? Do you think it's funny when shit doesn't go his way?

His anger only heightened even more as he wrapped his hand around your foot. Digging his nails into your skin as he pulled you from him.

As soon as you were close enough to him, he grabbed your neck and lifted you into the air. “I said, what the fuck are you staring at?!” He watched you try to pry off his fingers off your neck. The small sting your nails brought only served to piss him off more.

“You're happy, aren’t you?! Do you think the Marines are going to catch me, and you’ll be free?! Is that it?!”

“I-I can’t breathe…Kidd please…” He watched as tears streamed down your face and onto his hand. The tear felt like a needle poking into his heart.

“Stupid bitch!” Stumbling over his own feet, Kidd chucks you against the wall. He watched you hit the wall and onto the floor with a loud ‘thud’ before what sounded like a crack whispered in his ears. He examines your body, not moving, and it causes a hard scowl on his face.

“Get up, damnit! I barely threw you!” Growling, Kidd wobbles over to your body before falling to his knees. His sight is blurry as his head seems to pound. When he slid his fingers through your hair, his brain failed to register the wet substance that coated his hand. He pulls on your hair so he can look you in the eyes.

“Fucking pathetic! Why do I even keep you around when you're so fucking useless?!” Your silence had Kidd’s drunken self slightly coherent.

“Hey! I’m talking to you! Don’t ignore me!” He grabs your face and, through his drunken haze, starts to see a red liquid drip down your face. A red handprint of blood was left on your cheek when he slightly moved his hand.

Your eyes fluttering shut made him sober up as the blood running down your face finally set in.

“Oi! Keep your eyes open!” Moving his hand in front of your face back and forth, his heart rate peaks when he finally watches your eyes fully close. Pulling your body close to his own, he grabs your shoulders and shakes you harder. Worry sets in as you don’t respond.

Picking you up to carry you, he hastly stumbles out of his room and makes a dash to the infirmary. The sound of his footsteps echoed through out the halls. His mouth goes dry as your lack of movement sobers him up to accurately find the room.

To his luck, Killer was already in the infirmary, counting on what they needed to restock.

“Killer, I fucked up.”

~~~

His eyes stared at the carved door as he laid his head on your chest. Your heartbeat pounding in his ears as he tried to ignore the small blood splatter on the floor that he forgot to clean up after the incident.

Your fingers running through his hair did little to calm the thoughts in his head. Even though he laid against you, he felt it wasn’t close enough. Close seemed to not be close enough.

Lifting his body up, he laid down next to you before he pulled you to his chest, you hair slightly tickling his skin. He wrapped his arms around you all the way to the point you wouldn’t be able to leave. Moving his legs, he tangled his limbs with yours. Only then did he feel you were close enough. Your scent a silent lullaby as he raced with thoughts. What if’s ran rampant.

‘What if I just took a nap instead?’

‘What if you got hurt even worse then i thought?’

‘What if you didn’t wake up?’

The thought of you no longer sharing his bed caused a panic to settle in Kidd’s stomach. Your warmth had become the only thing that allowed him to sleep peacefully. Hearing you breathe managed to be the only stress reliever that worked.

It was obvious to him now, that no matter what he might say, he couldn’t live without you.

~~~

The sound of the waves crashing against the beach felt like laughter as Kidd watched you sailing away on a ship he’d never seen before. His scream out to you echoed across the water only to come back to him, mocking him for being too late. Now, he got to watch the only thing that made him calm leave him.

The sand below him showed muddy footprints before being washed away by the ocean. Thunder and harsh rain poured down on Kidd, his hair sticking to his face as the rain pelted down his hair. Whether it was rain or tears that slid down his cheeks was anyone's guess. It felt as if time stopped while he tried to piece together what now?

His goal to find the one piece and become King of the Pirates still ran strong through his veins, but now it felt different. Not even days before this, he began to dream of when he’d finally be called King of the Pirates, when you’d be clinging to his arm and congratulating him, kissing him, and telling him you loved him. But now, that’s what it’d only be—a dream.

~~~

It’s been months since Kidd watched you sail away. Each night was plagued with that image of you sailing farther and farther away from him, every time only seconds late. Not a night went by where he didn’t wake up in a cold sweat. He’d reach out for you and be hit with the painful reminder that it was real—that you were gone.

Yet no matter where he went, it always felt like he saw you out of the corner of his eye. Or how sometimes he’d hear your voice in his ear. But when he turned to check it out, there was nothing. It felt as if he was going insane without you. And while there was intense longing, there was rage.

How dare you leave him? Don’t you know how much you meant to him? Hasn’t he shown he’s learned his lesson? He’s told you he loved you and you still left him. You have no one other then him, he made sure of it. Yet you still left.

Killer tried to tell him to get over you, that there were plenty of other fish in the sea, but he knew what he meant. He shouldn’t be shocked. You weren't even supposed to be with him for as long as you were. It was only a matter of time before the ‘relationship’ Kidd built with you would burn before his eyes. Even if he refused Killer’s words, any sane person would have agreed.

But now here he was, missing you with fury boiling inside him as he stared out over the crowd in the auction house. Privileged entitled assholes as far as the eye can see. All waiting for the show to begin.

~~~

Emotions pumped through his veins as he stared at himself in the mirror. A small splatter of blood on his cheek as all he could think about was you. How happy he was that you were back where you belonged. That after months of sleeplessness not knowing where you were, you were finally back in his arms. Whether you liked it or not wasn't something he cared to hear. He had you first. Those damn Straw Hats took you away, but now, you were back.

But you came back with a price.

Whatever happened in those months you were away changed you. All you did was fight and yell, scream and punch. Instead of the quiet angel he stole, a venomous fallen angel stood before him. But despite missing his fearful princess, the fight you put up managed to also have his blood pumping hotter. Watching you try to fight him only to lose gave him a high that only your fear could compare to.

Seeing your eyes widen in fear when he threatened to cut off your legs made a shiver of pleasure shoot up his spine. Even after you spit venom, he could not help but want you even more. Having you so close to him again made his body go haywire. Hearing you scream out in pain reminded him of when you screamed out his name in such a different, lustful tone. Watching tears stream down your face when he threw punch after punch had him resisting the urge to fuck you bloody and bruised.

While the image was tempting, he had things to do, and he couldn’t let you think you got away with it. So he’d just send Killer down to patch you up after you’d been drenched in your own blood for a while. Maybe it’ll give you some time to contemplate. But if not, that’s okay.

He kinda liked that taste of your blood.

~~~

His heart couldn’t help but leap when he felt your lips running smoothly against his own, your warm skin glowing underneath his fingertips as you cupped his face. A calm washed over him at the small gesture. He pulled you closer and kissed you deeper, never wanting to let you go. But when he pulled away for a breath, he saw the stains of his lipstick on your face, the sight making him smile.

Kidd couldn’t help but feel the shiver that ran down his spine when he felt your breath against his neck. The rigid, cold metal of the collar on your neck had him silently sick in a breath.

“If you're gonna make me a new collar, can it be one I can sleep in?” When you mumbled those words into his skin, flashbacks from that fateful day rushed back to him. How you got out of your collar, so he obviously had to make a bigger and better one. And now you're trying to get a different one?

“Do you know why you're in that collar?” He looked down and was met with your pleading eyes.

“I ran away.” Kidd grits his teeth and digs his fingers into his hips harshly. Anger starts to surface at the memories.

“Yeah, you did. How can I trust you not to do it again, hmm? This collar makes my devil fruit powers work even better than the last one. So why should I give rewards to bad girls?”

“Can I do something to make it up to you?” The idea Killer shut down a week ago comes back to his mind. He’s done a few good studies to understand how it works, and it sounds pretty easy—easy and a perfect way to show everyone who you belong to.

“Take off your shirt.”

“W-What?”

“You heard me. Take it off.” Kidd watches you with heat pooling in his abdomen as he takes longing glimpses at your bare chest.

“Back to me.” He watches you listen and can’t help but run his fingers along your skin. Tracing your spine causes a shiver to run down his.

Getting up, he placed you down on the chair before tying you to it with a piece of metal. The sight makes him bite the inside of his cheek.

“H-Hey! What the hell!” Kidd only laughed before turning away from you.

“You know, Killer originally talked me out of this, but since you wanted to be rewarded for bad behavior, I think it’ll go nicely with your new collar.” A rush of power surges through Kidd’s bones as he collects everything he needs.

“It’ll also show anybody who tries to take you away from me that you belong to me.” With his hands finally full, Kidd turns back to you. Your face goes rigid as he walks in your direction, which in turn makes you try to scoot away. Grabbing the side of the chair, he brings you back to him.

“Don’t worry, princess, I did my research.” A major rush of power flowed through Kidd's veins as he watched you struggle to escape.

“This is completely unreasonable! You can’t be serious!”

“You wanted to make it up to me? Well, here's your chance.” Kidd could see the panic in your eyes as he started to heat up the metal pole in his hands.

“There has to be something else, please, Kidd!” In a swift and rash motion, Kidd threw his hand towards you and felt your cheek collide with his knuckles.

“Be fucking grateful that I’m even giving you this chance! Those damn Straw Hats taught you that you can be a brat! I’m going to kill each one of those fuckers! I’ll do it in front of you so you can see what happens when you leave me!”

“You’ll never beat them! They’re gonna come for me and kick your ass!” Red clouded Kidd’s vision hearing your words. Grabbing your hair, he tugs it back so you face him. The tears in your eyes go ignored as Kidd’s grip on the metal pole tightens. He didn’t give you a second to speak before pushing the burning hot pole on your chest.

The scream you let out when the metal was fully pushed onto your skin swiped him out of his rage. The red that once blinded him was now gone as he quickly pulled away from you. He’d never heard something so ear-piercing and painful in his life. It echoed all throughout his workshop, and he felt a panic set in when he noticed he skipped a step in his rage and how you’ve now passed out.

“Shit! Shit! Oi, princess!” Grabbing your chin, his eyes studied your face to see any sign of consciousness, yet he was met with none. His heart rate spiked as he ripped away the metal he tied you with before carrying you bridal style. He rushed to the infirmary and cursed himself internally for not following all the steps as he tried to ignore the graphic third-degree burn on your chest.

~~~

All he could feel was numb, yet a pain that was indescribable when you moved his head to look at his arm. What once used to be a full limb was now nothing more than a stump. He could see his body covered in bandages as the memory of what happened came back to him. Words couldn’t seem to form as he felt his dreams crash down around him.

“You should lay down and make sure everything heals properly.” Using the arm he had left, Kidd pulled you onto his lap. Burying his head into your scarred chest, it's then that he feels the tears on his own cheeks.

He doesn’t know how long it’s been since he’s cried like this, or if he’s ever cried like this. Crying so hard that he struggled to breathe and began to shake. It felt like the walls were closing in on him as he cried into your chest. All he could think of was how would he become King of the Pirates with one arm? It set him back so much that he felt hopeless.

But when you wrapped your arms around him and slid your fingers through his hair, he pulled you closer despite his bandaged torso. The slight pain he felt was nothing compared to the pain he felt inside.

“Just breathe, okay? In and out.” Following your command, Kidd tries to copy your breathing despite continuing to cry. Your now-soaked shirt rubbed against his face, and it only worsened the pain in his heart.

The small and gentle tune you began to hum made his hold tighter. He never wanted to let you go as you comforted him when he needed you the most.

~~~

Kidd sat on a chair next to you in the hospital bed as worry and fear took over him. His anger once again took charge and caused him to hurt you horrifically. Seeing you laying there with bandages covering your head caused a guilt he’s never felt before. He remembered the amount of blood you lost when he ran you to the hospital. It dripped from your head all the way to the hospital.

He managed to nab a doctor right away and have him work on you. Every second you were in the surgery room felt like hell. And what the doctor told him what the diagnosis was made Kidd’s heart clench.

“Since she fell off your ship, there's no doubt she has a sort of head/brain trauma. Long-lasting effects could stem from this injury. Here’s a list of some effects that you can read while I go grab another IV bag.”

Which is where Kidd sat now. Watching you breathe. Watching you breathe with the crumbled up list in hand. Your eyes closed as you sleep, unaware of the wreck he is. Grabbing your hand, Kidd brought it close to his lips and kissed your knuckles before holding it against his forehead.

“I’m sorry, princess. You can pull through this. You have to.”

Caressing your face, Kidd looks at you, sleeping peacefully. The moonlight shining off you gave you that same angelic glow he saw you with all those years ago. Despite the scars that covered your body, you were still so beautiful. Rubbing your cheek, Kidd looked down at you lovingly.

“This is how it should be, sleeping next to me.” With your legs tangled in his, Kidd scoots his body closer to yours before kissing your forehead. A wicked smile slithers along Kidd’s face.

“All those memories gone. No more talking about home. No more flinching, no more Straw Hats.”

“Those bastards, trying to play hero and stole you from me. Thinking your up for grabs when you obviously belong to me. Meant for me. You were meant to be mine and stay by my side. Why else would I have gotten a second chance?”

“Now, I’ll always have you. You look up at me with loving eyes instead of hatred. Instead of hitting me, you run up to hug me. You kiss me passionately like I’ll disappear any moment. I love it when you run up to me and jump so I can catch you. I love it when you sit next to me while I work in my workshop, giving me praise. If I had known you hit your head harder, I would have you in my arms willingly…”

“Then I would’ve thrown you against the wall harder.”

~~~

‘That selfish prick! After everything I’ve done to keep her in the dark, he comes around and fucks it up! Everything was going great! She loved me yet-’

“Fuck!” Slamming his metal hand against the bench in his workshop, Kidd begins to tear it apart. Weapons were thrown to unknown corners of the room, pieces of metal scattered across the floor, and a dent in the bench.

Kidd gritted his teeth as his whole body uncontrollably shook. The dried blood staining his hand only continued to serve his rage. Because even if Heat was already dead, the damage had been done. The day of you holding him tight and kissing him was over. He’ll never be able to feel you close to him again. At least, not without a fight.

Hot tears began to stream down his face as he gripped the dented bench with an iron grip. His tears felt like an acid against his skin as his vision blurred. The smirk the bastard wore while he bled out behind you burned into Kidd’s memory.

Giving you a devil fruit, a logia type at that was infuriating. How the hell did he manage to get it on the boat and have you eat it? You were always by his side, so how could Heat have given it to you? The day of the fight? Or when he caught you and Heat talking to each other alone? How could he not see the signs earlier? Why did it take the busting open of your old cell door twice for him to finally understand what he needed to do?

Yet it was too late.

“God damnit.” Kidd swallowed the lump in his throat before letting out a sniffle. “This is bad. How am I gonna fix this? There’s gotta be a way-”

“Kidd.” The workshop door opens, and Killer stands in the doorway. Quickly wiping his tears, Kidd tries to regain steady breathing, hoping Killer doesn’t see his moment of weakness.

“What Killer?”

“You better have a good plan. Explain where Heat went and where (Y/N) went.” Kidd stays silent, which is all Killer needs.

“Did you-”

“I saw everything from the shadows. This could be a sign, you know?”

“What kind of fucking sign?”

“You know what kind of sign I’m talking about.” Silence covers the workshop.

“Maybe it’s time to let her-”

“No!” Kidd slams his metal hand on the bench with enough force to cause another dent.

“Well, what do you think you should do then?” Once again, the workshop goes silent.

“Giving you a week to decide for (Y/N). As for Heat, better pull something good out of your ass.” Just as soon as Killer entered, he left. Leaving Kidd to wallow in his predicament.

~~~

“Do you really think she’s on this island, Kidd? It’s been a week since the paper came out.”

“She will be on this island. If she isn’t, I’ll kill anyone I need to to figure out where she went. I don’t want a single civilian to go unquestioned. If they refuse to tell you, don’t be afraid to use violence.”

The bustling port of Haylard Island has Kidd’s eyes scanning every inch of movement. If you were on that dock, he wanted to make sure he saw you. There was no room for him to be making mistakes. He’s already made enough.

“Burn down buildings, steal supplies, and anything you think is worth something. Do not stop until the ashes block out the sun.”

“Yes, captain!” Hearing his own crew leave, Kidd finally let out a shaky inhale while looking down. The sea stared back at him, once again mocking him for losing you.

“Laugh all you want, but take my word. I’ll burn and kill my way back to her. And nothing will stop me until she’s in my arms.”

~~~

Despite the night once being full of cheers, the marine group of G-5 now found themselves fighting for their lives. What should have been a celebration was now a fight to the death as they were ambushed in the dark of the night. The once-empty sky was now covered in flaming arrows heading directly toward them.

“Everyone, man, your stations! We’re under attack, so get ready for a fight!” The captain's commands echo throughout the ship, and no one wastes a second. Running up and down the ship, Captain Tashigi checks to see if everything is in order to ensure supreme safety.

“Captain!” the sound of a terrified marine rings through her ears as she runs to the voice. Coming up from below the deck, she’s met with fire and smoke. It felt as if her heart was going to explode as all she could hear was marines yelling and the flickering of flames.

The flames only got higher as she tried to figure out what to do. Before she went below deck, they were able to contain the fires, but now, it’s almost consumed the entire deck. With how fast the flames were spreading, there was no doubt that the ship would be at the bottom of the sea before sunrise.

Grabbing a transponder snail she kept in her pocket, she began to call the nearest marine base to help with the attack. She realized this wasn’t a battle they could fight on their own.

“Hello! This is Captain Tashigi of G-5. We need backup right away! We’re under attack, and the ship is engrossed in flames!”

“G-5, this is (....)! We will send you back up right away! What are your locations, and can you see the attackers?”

“Our coordinates are (-------)! I don’t know, as the flames are so tall and the smoke is-” The whole ship shook as something hit the deck, causing Tashigi to drop the transponder snail and fall backward.

“-Oof!”

“Captain are you okay?”

“Something just hit the boat! I’m unaware of what it is!” Quickly getting back on her feet, Tashigi grabs her sword along with the transponder snail.

“I’m going to go check it out.”

“Keep us on the line.”

“Will do.” Putting the snail away for safekeeping, Tashigi grips her sword with both hands as she starts to walk carefully through the flames.

As soon as she stepped in, the sound of a marine screaming echoed across the deck. Panic set in the captain's stomach as her hands began to shake. The screams of pain and terror only caused more panic to set in. But she’s the captain. She has to be strong. She can’t back down.

“G-5, what’s going on?!” The screams of pain and agony continue before a loud audible SNAP rings in Tashigi’s ears. Assuming the worst, she feels all the color drain from her face.

And just like that, it was quiet.

“G-5?” With her voice trembling, Tashigi couldn’t help but be frozen in place.

“Tashigi.” Before she could scream, a rough, calloused hand covered her mouth. Looking in her peripheral vision, she saw Vice Admiral Smoker motioning her to shush. Nodding her head, Smoker lowered his hand.

“What’s going on, Vice Admiral?”

“Almost the entire deck has been engulfed in flames. We need to go to the other side of the ship.”

“But what about-”

“It’s silent over those flames, Tashigi.” With tears prickling in her eyes, she understands what he’s saying despite wishing it not to be true. Grabbing her hand, Smoker runs to the end of the ship, where there are fewer flames. Their footsteps echo, giving away their position to the attackers.

As she was running, Tashigi’s sword started vibrating before being completely pulled from her hands. She watched it fly backward and into the flames. A metal thunk rang across the deck, making her eyes widen. When she looked into the flames, she felt her heart stop.

Walking through the flames was no other than the man who had the whole new world in the palm of his hand.

“V-Vice Admiral…it’s-”

“Go hide, Tashigi. I’ll handle this.” Putting himself in front of her, Smoker points towards the darkness.

“But-”

“I’ll be fine. Go hide. Don’t come out until I come to get you.”

With a tremble in her voice, she responds. “Okay.”

Running into the darkness, Tashigi searches around with a racing heart, desperate to find a hiding spot. The sound of unintelligible yelling and metal clanking only makes her search more frantic. She should be fighting, but if Smoker says to hide…

“Killer! Go after the girl. She ran straight ahead.”

“You’ll have to get past me first. Both of you.”

“Vice Admiral.” Whispering to herself, Tashigi runs around some more before spotting an empty barrel. With no more time to spend, she jumps in.

As she gets as comfortable as she can, she puts the barrel lid over her head, leaving her in complete darkness. Her knees pressed against her chest as she struggles to take deep breaths. She tries to prevent herself from shivering.

‘This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening.’ She thinks to herself as tears slip down her cheeks. She knew the stakes there were to bring you to Sabaody, but they were so careful about not giving away. It was then taking care of you. How did Kidd figure out it was them?

A loud thud can be heard throughout the deck before silence. No words were spoken, and the fear was only intensified. Tashigi felt her throat grow dry as she started to hear boots shuffling along the deck.

Sounds of things being searched causes her heart to beat out of her chest. Her body begins to shake as she hears the boots walking towards her hiding spot.

The moonlight soon shines down on her as the barrel's lid pops open. She looks up and sees no one. The moonlight shone down on her as she feared who had opened the lid, but she soon gets her answer.

“Found you.”

~~~

Haven't been able to draw for shit so no picture

@rebeccawinters @iggy5055 @dairygrrl @childconnoisseur @menifire1092 @nerdgeekandeverysweet-blog @tremendoushorsepatrolgoth @lovemesomefanfic846 @ryuv1i @carpinchootaku @misoxramen @pinkfoxmusic @mizzhellsingsstuff

#one piece x reader #eustass captain kid x reader #eustass kid x reader #tw: violence #tw: abuse #tw: blood #tw death #dark content things

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moshintheteagaiwan · 2 months

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T.Kettle Part 8: The Coming Of The Milk & The Stock

One of the most basic components to running any business is making sure your store(s) are able to get the stock and supplies they need, easily and quickly. The people running T.Kettle behind the scenes did not get that memo. From day one when I had buy my own cleaning supplies, and provide my own mop, bucket and ladder to the day I left, getting what was needed was always a challenge. I did get reimbursed for the cleaning supplies thankfully.

When the store opened we were still under Covid restrictions. One of these restrictions was that there was no sitting in the food court and all public seating in the mall had been removed. Normally this isn’t an issue for mall staff because most stores have a backroom, and most backrooms have some kind of small table and chairs for staff to eat on their lunch breaks. We did not. In the summer this wasn’t an overly big deal except when it was sweltering hot outside, but we were now in the middle of fall, and getting lots of fall rain and cooler temperatures, so no one wanted to sit outside for their breaks.

At this time the company had set themselves up with Amazon Business and we were able to order whatever we needed for the store once a week through Amazon Business. However, all orders had to be approved by the head of operations before Amazon could fill them, and since we were the lowest on the totem pole, quite often these orders would sit until Amazon cancelled them due to no approval and we would have to place the same order again. The other issue was that the company only gave each store $150 per month spending allowance. Any further spending would have to be approved.

I battled for a small table and chairs set for our backroom, and explained to upper management that my staff had no place to sit and rest and eat during their breaks due to restrictions and weather conditions. Once I finally did hear back from them, they said they understood and I could purchase my own table and chairs and send them receipts for reimbursement. I went out to Ikea and bought a cheap table and two chairs which is all we needed and sent the receipts. I never did get reimbursed.

Christmas was also on the way and seasonal stock began showing up to the store. Boxes and boxes of it, and it wasn’t long before it had already filled all our storage space on the floor and was now piling up in the backroom. It took two weeks of back and forth emails telling the company we needed new backroom shelving as the old shelving had been removed and left us with no proper storage space. Eventually I took a chance and ordered three shelving units from Amazon Business and sent an email saying what and why I had ordered them. Shockingly the order was approved and we finally had shelves just in time for the season.

(A screenshot of our Christmas Infuser Mugs)

The other issue we faced with Amazon Business was orders constantly went missing or went undelivered. Drivers used to call me saying our store didn’t exist and that they had looked through the whole mall and our store wasn’t there. Almost every time I’d look out into the mall and see the delivery driver and I’d say “turn around”. They would turn around saying “I swear this wasn’t here 5 minutes ago.”

Other times drivers refused to come into the mall and would call asking me to come outside, which usually wasn’t an option as I was often working alone. Sometimes I would check emails in the morning and find an Amazon notification saying a package had been delivered. Attached would be a picture of the package that the drive left in some random spot in the mall, so I would have to lock up the store and go on a treasure hunt to find the package.

As for actual merchandise stock the company made an excel spreadsheet we would fill out and send in with what we needed ordered for our store. Our merchandise was through a secondary company unrelated to the company that owned us. Their products were good. Not great and far from outstanding, but good. But they had a thing for only making items available in solid plain colours and were very overpriced. The issue with this company is they also sold the same products on their own website which made no mention of T.Kettle. And because they sold from their own website, distribution to companies such as us whom they supplied to was notably low priority for them. This meant often times when our orders did arrive, anywhere between a quarter to half our order would be missing.

(One of our hardest selling and most overpriced items. I have covered the name of the company out of respect)

They supplied our matcha whisks and sent each store two boxes for the matcha roll out. We sold out of them quickly and it took over two months to get more, and when we did it was only half a box or so. And regardless of how many complaints we sent to upper management we would always get the same answer, “it’s on the way”, which meant we might see stock in a month or two.

However, a small step in the right direction soon came in the shape of a – refrigerator. One day the company informed is that each store would be getting a new fridge because they had finally, after over a year of requests, decided to carry milk options at the tea bar. Finally! No more looking stupid telling customers our tea back didn’t provide milk options. Maybe this meant lattes were soon to come as well. All us managers were eager for the conference call discussing the new milk options, but we were all less then thrilled by the end.

The company had no faith in the idea of milk options, and wanted to try an experiment to see how carrying milk would go. To do this they were sending each store a prepaid visa card worth $120. And with this card managers were to go to whatever local retailer (in their own mall preferably) that carried milk and purchase two cartons of milk at a time and no more. Should this visa card run out they would send us a new one if approved. Now for the real kicker. Absolutely no dairy free options, which was of the most requested milk options.

Many of our clients were vegans or had allergies to dairy and lactose so dairy free was essential. We heavily expressed our concern with this decision on the call but our concerns were shot down fast, and the needs of our clients with such demands could be narrowed down to “too bad for them”.

During the call someone asked if lattes would be made now that we had milk. And you guessed it – they said no. This was because once again, they didn’t want to compete with Starbucks. We even tried suggesting at least doing iced lattes. We explained this would not require the use of the steamers and that by adding milk to iced drinks and calling them an iced latte we could charge an extra dollar or two for little to no extra work. This too was shot down quickly and was followed up with, “if they want milk in a hot or cold drink, only put in a splash”.

To be continued...

#tea #teablr #loosetea #t-kettle #tkettle #t.kettle #teastore #matcha #iced tea #milk #tealatte

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thecandywrites · 1 year

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Monster March 2023 Day 18- Pixie

So, when I saw this prompt, my first thoughts were of course the movie Fern Gully, with some splashes of Epic.

And then, my hand slipped. And then this happened. And I'm saying sorry right now. Trigger warnings ahead- loss, grief, anger, abandonment, death, destruction. All of that.

At the end, when I had written it and was proofreading it, all I could think of was in The Count of Monte Cristo when Edmond finds the treasure but he looks, so...empty. And Jacapo asks what he wants to buy and he says 'revenge' and when Jacapo suggests he just shoots and kills them in quick succession, Edmond goes 'Death is too good for them. They must suffer as I suffered. They must have their world, all that they hold dear, ripped from them as it was ripped from me.' And that was very much the angle I conciously and subconciously went with this.

So you'll see a lot of that. Because in the stages of grief, some can get stuck on one of them, usually anger. And you get to a point that because you're in pain and you're suffering, and you feel alone and isolated, and losing your own battle with grief and loss that you get into a vicious cycle. Which I have been doing my best to avoid. And I took everything I've been trying to avoid and I let it out on this. Sorry.

Because what I've learned after over a decade of therapy is that- Suffering does not begit suffering. And making others suffer, does not heal your own pain.

And as someone who has lost 16 people in the last two years alone, one of them being my second favorite person in the world (my grandfather, the day before my 18th wedding anniversary too, and my cousin who committed suicide not even a whole month before that. She was my age and who had daughters my daughter's age. And everything I thought I had dealt with since my last suicide attempt, 8 years ago- came roaring back to life and apparently I had not fixed or healed all of it so I've been working on it since then. Especially my own survivor's guilt with my cousin)

I'm doing Monster March because it's a way for me to grow past it and a way to deal with it in a healthier way. Because nearly all of my traumatic life events have always been in March so the month of March is always the darkest and hardest month of the year for me. But this prompt, got the beginning of the brunt of it. And there will be others that you'll see more of it. And I'll tag those too.

So, with all of that in mind. Please know that I know way too much about tragic loss and the interruptions of life and losing people that can never be replaced and losing all the possibilities of 'what might have been' or 'if only I had seen this I could have done something' and being helpless, and hopeless and especially a lot of survivor's guilt. And watching as everyone else moves on but you're stuck and you're stuck with your own loss and grief. So you'll see that anger, that rage, that resentment, that bitterness, that abandonment and that vicious cycle. And I usually use my creative writing to create a world where everything is ok and nothing hurts. But not this time.

So if you feel like I'm being unfair by taking my own loss and taking it out on this prompt and you'll see it in future prompts too, I get it. No hard feelings. Enjoy anything else but this. But I felt a warning and a heads up was warrented and an explanation was needed.

As always thanks to @borealwrites for their Monster March 2023 prompt list. It's literally keeping me alive and going and moving forward and trying to heal and get better. Thank you.

Monster March 2023 Day 18- Pixie

The Hollow

You watched on as the Queen Pixie walked along the pathway, the very flowers bending over her to offer her their scents while their leaves provided her shade. She rarely left The Hollow, and was unusually fair because of it and over time grew quite sensitive to the sun’s rays.

She was always under heavy guard when not in The Hollow itself, which was currently in a deep, dark cavernous pit with only a hole at the top that let in light and rain water.

But this was the most important part of her reign. It was where she would choose a special bud that would choose the next princess who would then grow to be a queen of the forest. She was so regal, her long gown of petals ever fresh and soft, along with her hair that had been braided so elegantly. And while becoming a queen, meant that she lost her wings, she didn’t really need them. For all of nature would take her wherever she wanted to go or need to be.

There were always dangers though, especially when she was out in the open. There were always other pixies in other forests, eager to fight for territory, to either amass more or simply keep any other from invading onto their own. But lately, more and more were refugees from other forests that had been taken down and turned into anything the big people wanted it to be. Which only put more pressure on the need to keep the balance in nature, between the new and growing and dead, dying and decaying.

But the sound of animals running for their lives interrupted things, then, the unmistakable sound of a chainsaw began to break through the procession along with the talking and shouting of the large ones. The queen was quickly ushered away while many fled and the sound was coming from The Hollow, which meant she needed to seek other shelter.

Because chainsaws meant one thing- deforestation from the larger people.

You wanted to flee with the others, but you chose a tree that was too small to be chopped down, so it was left to stand alone. But that meant that you were trapped where you were and couldn’t flee with the others. So you watched in horror how what was once sacred ground was then trampled on. Trees that had stood for hundreds of years were cut in a matter of moments. And down, down, down, they all came.

The animals that once called this forest home, now had to flee to a new one. And what was once ancestral ground, was ravaged and stripped bare.

But the worst blow, was the pool that the buds were blooming from, died from the gasoline and other chemicals dumped into the small pool before any of them could be chosen and what was once an age old tradition was ruined to the point that it couldn’t be revived. All of which you were helpless to watch from where you chosen to hide. But all of it, being seared into your mind and memory.

The ground was dug up. A wet rock, like cold lava, was poured and overnight it turned from wet to as hard as bedrock. Then new towers were raised, but not of dead trees, but of metal. Then lines of lightning were put on the towers. Before finally, the big people left, leaving a monstrosity of metal and lines of lightning in their wake. You could see for miles as they were part of yet another line of metal trees, all with lines of lightning. And any who came too close, got zapped and electrocuted and died.

The queen had no choice, she had to leave The Hollow and the forest. It was too dangerous for any pixie or fairy or fae to live here anymore. And she could only hope and pray that another Pixie would welcome her and her court into their own.

But you refused to leave. You wanted the large ones to pay for the damage they had done. And you wanted the queen to come back. And a new princess to come and reclaim the realm. But, yet, none did. And all you could do was helplessly watch as it was an all out war between the forces of nature waged.

And then when the trees dared to grow their branches towards the lines of lightning, a big metal bird came, with chainsaws on the bottom of it to cut back the branches that dared to grow anywhere near the metal trees with the lines of lightning, which only added insult to grave injury.

And as much as you wished you were the size of a giant to rip it all out and stomp on the larger people’s homes and destroy them and their homes- to see how they liked it and force them to abandon homes and abandon everything they had destroyed only to build to suit them. You were rather powerless to do such things.

Because you were just a pixie, stubbornly staying right where you were and watched on, seemingly helplessly, but growing more angry, more wrathful every day the trees of steel stood, with their lines of lightning, buzzing away with their power harnessed by the large ones.

By now, most had moved on, the queen had died, going from court to court, begging for leniencey and pleading for her fellow pixies to find refuge in other courts. Only to die just as she had managed to find one who would and did. But it was so far away, there was no safe way for you to get back to the others. Since all the forest between you and where she eventually found refuge, had also been cut down and devastated and rebuilt to suit the large ones. She died with no way to select a new princess. Which left this realm wild, untamed and in a constant state of being “trimmed back” by the large ones who deemed it so.

Not that this stretch of forest was worth their divine protection anyway now that it was desecrated by the big people. But you could still remember, what it was, what it used to be and wishing you could have seen what might have been had the large ones not interrupted when they did. And had you been chosen as a princess, how you would have proclaimed all out war on them for it.

That was why you didn’t hesitate that whenever you saw the large ones “hiking”, you didn’t think twice about leading them astray. You didn’t feel the tiniest bit of guilt when they would get lost, get turned around, and not know what way was up, apart from the ground under them and the sky above them. Leading them to the very electrical lines that would still stretch on for miles, but would never lead them back to “civilization”. Because you were always leading them towards complete and utter wilderness where they would surely run out of food. And since they poisoned your once sacred pool, let alone any other water source, you watched as they went hungry and thirsty, and their lives hung in the balance, the very balance they destroyed by destroying a perfectly good forest before you would push them into the large pit that The Hollow always was. But now without it being a pixie court. Was just another, deep, dark cave like pit with no way for any of them to escape. Where bats usually stayed in, but even the bats had moved on and didn’t use it anymore.

When the queen and the others first moved away, you came here, and explored what was once a grand pixie court hall. Now left bare and lifeless pit with only an opening in the roof to fly out of. You wept to feel the beautiful magic that used to fill this place, was gone. Leaving only you, and your own feelings of loss, of sadness and rage.

So, as an act of revenge, what was once hollowed ground, would be the grave of any large one who ever came back to this stretch of the forest. You would see to it if it was the last thing you did.

Others would come, searching for the lost ones. And those you were all too happy to lead astray too until they met the same fate, being led, delirious from dehydration and with one final step or one push, fall, fall, fall they would go, like the trees that once stood that fell only to be replaced by the trees of metal. They would fall, with no wings to help them fly out again and usually die as they splattered on the ground or onto the other bodies of your other victims as their life force only seemed to fuel you and your own. And soon this forest, which was once so precious, got to have a reputation as being “haunted”.

Good. They destroyed your peace and your home, you would fight fire with fire so to speak, even if you were just one pixie. You didn’t care how your own hate and resentment twisted you like a vine. You would never forget and you would never forgive such an unforgivable sin. And you would make every big person who came here, suffer the same loss that was once inflicted on countless beings, animals, and pixies and fairies and other fae alike. And you would make them feel the same pain you felt. The same sense of being lost and hopeless. And watching how things would never be the same. And the loss of what could have been, if they hadn’t been greedy in taking up your forest and stripping it of it’s good healing magic. Leaving only you behind and your pain and anguish that would never heal.

But then, that only attracted other “paranormal hunters”. With their cameras and fancy recording equipment. Which used that damn lightning, which you had since learned was called “electricity”. You were happy to do the same to them. Sabotage them until they ran out of batteries that held their electricity for their little gadgets, leading them to the same place you had led all the others. The Hollow. Now, just a pit, full of rotting bodies of other people before you gave them one last push into it themselves before you’d take their precious “electronics” and chuck them into the pit yourself after you harvested their life force. Like picking fruit off of a tree.

Soon The Hollow wasn’t so hollow anymore. It was becoming full of dead bodies.

But that was only until you could invite other things to decompose and destroy what you lured into it. Soon it was an entire system of it’s own. Feeding off of every new body of a big person you could lure there. But while such vengeance gave you momentary delight. It did not heal your pain, or calm your anger. If anything, it only fueled it more. And the more it seemed to consume you.

And before you knew it, you couldn’t remember your queen’s name, or her face, or the faces of the ones who you used to love and care for, or even their names. Which only made you even more angry and sad that you had forgotten the very one you had been doing all of this for in the first place. And you took it out on every large person who was ever on the lands that used to be your queen’s realm and beyond. To the point that the very large ones who built houses, left them and abandoned them, only for the forest itself to start to reclaim the land because you’d lure any and every single large one to the pit. And many large ones feared for the safety of their little ones. And while you would not lure the younglings. By now, only the native animals knew they could travel freely within your forest. And the deer especially knew that if they were being hunted, to run to your forest, and you’d lure their hunters for sure. But no domesticated animal of the large ones would dare enter the forest. Even they knew- they were not welcome there. Because they did not originate with the forest itself and would do everything in their power to keep their owners away from you and your forest. So your chances to get victims grew fewer and fewer, your ploys to lure them were more desperate and brazen.

But then, another fairy princess came to see you as you sat on the edge of the hollow and watched as your latest victim succumbed to their demise and wasn’t even fully dead before the various insects started to eat him alive.

“You’ve changed.” She said as she sat beside you. Her wings, surprisingly, still on her back, despite the crown of flowers around her head.

“Everything changes with time.” You remarked.

“Are you here to stop me?” You asked her, half hoping she would say yes, because while your vengeance had not been quenched. It had left you tired. Just, so tired and weary.

“No. I’m here to ask when it will be enough. How many more will you kill before you feel your queen avenged?” She asked.

“I don’t think there will ever be enough to avenge her. She died, heirless. She had to abandon this birthright and this hollow that had been hers and part of her dynasty for nearly eons.” You answered.

“Eventually the large ones will either come and never leave this place again, or they will stop coming all together. What will you do then?” She asked.

“If they come and never leave? Then I’ll never have to worry about not having a big enough supply to feed me by falling into the hollow. If they stop coming, then I will have peace. Loneliness, but peace. After…so long.” You answered as you had to really fight to remember what it was like before this.

“Do you even remember your queen’s name anymore?” She asked.

“No. I can’t even remember what she looked like. I just remember she was fair, just, always so fair. Because she lived in the hollow. The plants had to cover her with their leaves to give her shade.” You tearfully recalled as she sensed how deeply such a traumatic event still haunted you.

“Do you still remember where the pool was?” She asked.

“Yes, it’s still a puddle every time it rains. But the buds have all died out. There’s no way to resurrect it.” You answered as you felt the tears run down the wrinkles of your face.

“Show me.” She encouraged you before you brought her to it.

“Here’s where it used to be. Where the buds used to bloom. She was right in the middle of the bud ceremony when the big ones came. Poison got into it and killed it. And now, this little depression, barely enough to hold water during a rain, remains.” You answered before she knelt down and put her hands to the ground before a bud, magically grew up, as if it had been waiting to rise through the earth, like the cicadas, but for what was, who knew how many decades later, close to a century if not longer.

With only a breath, it came forth, and she picked it, imbuing it with power before she handed it to you.

And suddenly, it was like an old wound, finally getting the healing balm it should have gotten from the beginning as you held this precious bud as if it was your first child.

“Here, you are now the Pixie Queen of this forest. I know that your realm is a realm of one. And your magic is limited. But you have not forgotten the sacredness of what used to be. You don’t have to use the pit as your Hollow. But find a place, a new place, to make your own Hollow, your own pixie court. I have seen how the animals have started to come back here and they have trusted you with their care and survival and have even adapted to the large ones. I think it’s fitting that only you, would be ready and willing to protect them. And any other fairy or pixie who wanders, who roams and looks for a new place to call home, can find refuge with you. And I hope that with this magic, you can finally heal your wounds. Or finally find that your queen was avenged. And that you were the one to avenge her and you are the one to begin a new dynasty. Each princess chooses what kind of queen she will be. And because of the changes with the larger peoples. You will never lose your wings, but I hope, one day, you will remember - what used to be- not with pain and anger and anguish. But with hope, that you will rebuild and regrow. And turn death and decay, into something new, and living. And while you will have to keep a balance, I hope that you will find the peace you so desperately have waited and longed for all this time.” She said as the bud bloomed in your hands, revealing a crown of your own for you to put on your head.

“Princess” She bowed and curtsied gracefully as you did your best to do the same before she flew away on the back of a morning dove.

You came back to the pit, looking at all the death, destruction and carnage you had wrought for all this time.

Their loss of life, did not feed and fill up your own sense of loss after all. If anything, it was just more loss. More pain, more suffering. A cycle that was never going to stop unless you stopped it yourself.

You felt a large person start to walk towards you and for once, your first instinct was not to lead them here to die, but to protect them from the pit in the first place.

“Stop.” You commanded and they did but looked around, rather bewildered as to why they suddenly couldn’t move.

“There is danger here, slowly approach, but be careful.” You told them before they carefully did, only to gaze into the deep pit, filled with dead bodies.

But now that they knew, it was here, you simply flew away.

Soon, that person brought more people with him, and they all soon began to empty the pit of the remains. And began to identify all the victims of your wrath.

Then they cleaned it out, fully and completely and built a very tall fence all around it and forbade anyone from getting anywhere near it. And the bugs and other creatures that fed on the dead eventually died out and disintegrated into dust by the time you returned to it. You couldn’t find another place to call Your Hollow. For you had grown too fond and familiar with this one anyway.

Which left it empty once more. But now that you wore the crown, a throne you had never noticed before was up on one of the walls, the steps leading up to it, jutting out of the wall before you ascended it. With each step, it was like you were renewed and untwisted and untangled, the hatred and spite and anger and need for vengeance, vanishing with every step. A new, flower petal gown grew where there were once barely bits of leaves and thorns and vines. And once you sat down in the throne, suddenly the pixie court was brought back to life. It was somehow the same yet brand new. And while you were a court of one, you were- for once, truly happy. And felt a sense of peace where once was a place of so much sadness and sorrow.

It didn’t take long after that before more pixies and fairies alike came to your court, as you were happy to invite them to stay. And with the pit still having a hole in the roof, that meant that you could dig a new pool, that the very rains would fill and refill before you placed the sacred bloom in it. And soon, the bloom grew leaves and roots deep down and into a new plant all it’s own.

Because as long as that fence was high enough to keep everyone else out, it was enough to keep you and those under your care in. And because of the status of the hollow, meant that no big people could come here anymore. Which meant the animals were free to come back and reclaim the forest, even though they gave the towers of metal with their lines of electricity a wide berth. And now that you were the queen of this forest. You helped the trees in your territory, no longer grow their limbs towards the lines of electricity because you didn’t want them to be cut off again, or worse, fall onto them or be cut down, or even lean towards them.

You even built a special tunnel that led from the pit to the surface, should any animal be found the prey of the big people, could find refuge here. Or if any of the forest caught fire, you could keep all the animals safe in here, with it’s pool of fresh rainwater, with it’s buds and lily pads, keeping the water clean and fresh as others planted their various gardens and now what was once a pit of despair and suffering. Was practically it’s own paradise.

Then came time for you to pass on your reign to another. And this time, you were happy to walk towards the pool, looking among the array of buds before one stuck out at you. It was far from perfect. It wasn’t the largest or the smallest. It wasn’t even in the middle of the others.

But that was the point. It didn’t need to be the best. Or perfect. Or impressive. It just needed to try. To adapt, and especially, overcome.

#Monster March #Monster March 2023 #Monster March 2023 Day 18- Pixie #Monster March Day 18 #tw trauma #tw abandonment #tw tragic loss #tw grief #tw vicious cycle #tw deah #tw murder #tw suffering #tw survivor trauma #tw survivor guilt #ok I thnk thats everything

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lavful · 9 months

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Meet Me at the Horizon - Chapter 8, Pearl

Summary: After their months together, Vania is certain of her feelings for Bentho, but not what to do about them. She meets with him to paint the sunset and spend more time together.

Excerpt:

“Excellent. I have time to give you your gift,” Bentho said, grabbing his satchel.

“Another? I swear, you spoil me,” Vania teased.

He chuckled. “This one is…more significant. A royal gift, I suppose. A sign of goodwill between our countries.”

Bentho reached into his bag and handed Vania an oyster shell. She looked confused, so he laughed and told her, “Open it!”

She opened it to find a fine gold necklace with a single, large pearl dangling from it. She gasped. “It’s beautiful!”

He beamed. “Have you ever seen a pearl before?”

“No, only ever in books.”

“Oysters make them when a particle enters their shell, then they cover it in this coating for years and years until they make a pearl.”

Vania’s chest felt like a sunburst – warm and glowing, but overwhelming. “Thank you so much, Bentho. I shall treasure it always.” She lifted the chain to put the necklace on when Bentho reached for her.

“May I?” he asked.

Her pulse quickened. “Of course.”

He took the necklace from her hands while she swept her hair to the side. His fingers brushed the back of her neck as he secured the clasp, giving her chills. “There,” he said.

“There.” Vania put her hand over the pearl. It had such a lovely, smooth texture, unlike she’d ever felt before. “Why did you want me to have this?”

“Well, it’s one of the most beautiful things in the ocean!” Bentho lowered his eyes and smiled bashfully. “And among my people…you give a pearl to someone precious to you.”

Vania blushed from her cheeks down to her neck. She couldn’t make eye contact with the merman. He was so sweet. Surely this meant he cared for her deeply. They both knew this wasn’t a gift from one country to another; it was from one soul to another.

#meethorizonfic #raincloudshipping #ninjago fanfiction #ninjago vania #princess vania #ninjago benthomaar #prince benthomaar #ninjago #lego ninjago

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diffyansh · 6 months

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Draft - 2

On a warm summer day in Birmingham, the entire alley was filled with the fragrance of blossoms, and laundry hung out to dry, swaying gently in the breeze. People donned light summer attire, bakeries bustled with customers, and hair salons were crowded with patrons seeking respite from the heat. Children played in the streets, and families joyfully welcomed their loved ones returning from the army. World War 1 loomed on the horizon, casting an unsettling quiet before the impending storm. Recruitment advertisements for the army were scattered all around, compelling people to enlist.

Before the chaos of war had touched S's life, there was an object that held deep significance to her – a weathered, leather-bound diary. It had once belonged to her mother, filled with cherished memories, heartfelt letters, and pressed flowers between the pages. S's mother had given her the diary when she was just a child, explaining its importance and the stories it held within. She promised S that it would always connect them, no matter where life took them. This diary became a source of comfort and a treasured link to her family as S grew up in Birmingham.

When S was separated from her family as the war unfolded, she clung to the diary as a reminder of her mother's love and her past. It was the one possession that brought her solace during the darkest days of the war, and she vowed to protect it with her life.

Amidst this backdrop of war and personal turmoil, my friend V and I found ourselves unprepared for the sudden army recruitment. V was accepted into the army, while I failed to make the cut. Leaving our families behind, I was conscripted into the Tunnelers group, working tirelessly day and night to construct tunnels. Our mission was to tunnel to Somme, a process that took over 8 grueling months, all in preparation for placing mines.

As the war raged on and chaos engulfed the world, I received devastating news that V and his family, except for his 15-year-old daughter, had perished. The family had reportedly been on the run from the British Army for inadvertently sharing vital information with the enemy. I found myself responsible for V's daughter, S, the sole surviving family member.

Desperate to locate S, I scoured various locations without success. It was as if her existence had been erased, and my mind was filled with countless thoughts – "Had she been captured by the army?" "Did she relocate?" "Had something unfortunate befallen her?" Amidst the tumultuous events, the enemy relentlessly attacked, and my hope of finding her waned.

A year later, I rose to the rank of general in the British Army's Tunnel unit. With my newfound authority, I made every effort to locate the only family I had left, S. After several days, I received a lead suggesting that she had been sold to the Xing family, who operated a brothel. In the army, visiting such establishments was commonplace. I scoured these places, determined to find S, and after several months, I was certain that I had located her. Slowly gaining her trust by claiming to know her father and mother, I brought her to my home, where we embarked on a new life. I had regained my family, and in turn, she had found me.

Months later, as I sat reading in my room, S approached me in tears, her eyes conveying the sorrowful news of my impending demise. Her gaze held an enigmatic quality, a hint of something concealed, and her words were cryptic. "There's something I need to confess," she began, her voice trembling. "I've carried a burden, a secret that I can no longer hide."

As she spoke, the room seemed to grow darker, and an eerie silence enveloped us. S revealed that she had discovered a hidden truth, something that had haunted her ever since her family's unfortunate fate. "There's a reason I was the sole survivor," she whispered, her eyes reflecting a mixture of guilt and sorrow.

In a moment of profound revelation, she alluded to a mysterious reason, leaving it open to interpretation, and her actions in response to this revelation were equally enigmatic. The room became a realm of uncertainty, where the lines between reality and the supernatural blurred.

As she finished her confession, a shadow seemed to loom over me, and a chilling uncertainty filled the air. S's motives and the nature of the secret she held remained shrouded in ambiguity.

#crime story #thriller #stories #fiction #war crimes #drama

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travelingtheusa · 8 months

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IOWA

2023 Sep 20 (Wed) – Wow! We have been so deeply involved in all the planning and directing of the National Muster that we have barely had time to breath, much less write about our activities.

We wound up having to reorder our items so that we could get them in time for the muster to start (it was frames for the photos people would be submitting for the photo contest). That package came and I asked Escapees to send our package/mail to us. It is expected to arrive here on Friday. Hope there’s no delay because we leave here on Saturday.

Lots of great things have been happening since our muster opened on Monday. Classes, seminars, games, brown bag auction, etc. Tomorrow, I am the guest speaker at the women’s luncheon. I accepted the assignment as secretary/treasurer of the STAR Chapter. The STAR Chapter is for folks who have recruited five or more members to SMART. It meets once a year at the National Muster, just like the Nomads do. We’ll see how long this assignment goes.

The President of SMART, Gene, did not come to national. The day he was supposed to leave for Iowa, he got chest pains and went to the hospital. Turns out he has blockages and will be undergoing open heart surgery tomorrow. Richard moved from 1st VP to acting president and I moved from 2nd VP to 1st VP. We would have done that anyway at the end of the muster but we advanced earlier than expected. The person who got elected to 2nd VP, David, was the president of SMART back in 2011. He stepped forward to volunteer because no one else was volunteering. It’s a sorry state of affairs.

2023 Sep 15 (Fri) – Our package from Walmart turned out to be delivered in Livingston, Texas, not Amana, Iowa! I called Walmart to see where our package was and found it went to a bad address. The agent I spoke with told me to wait 48 hours after delivery then file for a refund. Even though we know it went to a bad address, we still have to wait. Bummer!

2023 Sep 14 (Thu) – We took a tour of the Amana Colony today. They call them colonies but they are actually one colony with seven villages. We rode in a 12-passenger van with 8 other people, some from SMART and some not. We stopped at various places along the tour and the tour guide explained about life in the early days and how the colony formed and changed. Today, it is a corporation where it was a communal village when they first formed. That’s a pretty big change.

The tour ended at 12:30 p.m. We hurried back to the campground to get a quick bite to eat then went to a meeting of the travel committee. That went on for two and a half hours. I’m not sure we solved much but we sure did talk a lot.

We returned to our rig and did a little work. Brenda & Rick, friends from other caravans, arrived and we went over to say hi. I walked over to the Muster Master to talk about door prizes. The director of the Visitor Bureau promised me (many months ago) that she would canvass local businesses for donations of door prizes. When we stopped by to get the donations today, she said no one answered her letter. What a let down! I asked the muster master if he wanted us to go to merchants to ask for donations and he said to wait and see what everyone brings. Folks bring a lot of donations with them.

The SMART President will not be here. It looks like he suffered a heart attack. The 1st VP will be acting President and I will be acting 1st VP and the candidate for 2nd VP will step up for this national. We all just move forward a little earlier than expected. There have been 7 cancellations in the last 2 days. We have less than 80 RVs coming now. We really need to find a way to increase our membership.

2023 Sep 13 (Wed) – We packed up and left Waukee at 10 am. We only had 118 miles to go today. When we arrived at Amana RV Park, we checked in and were shown to our spot in an open field. We have full hookups but our sites are back to back with someone else. Since we are early and a lot of the sites were empty, we got to pull straight through the empty site into our site.

A few people were already in the campground. The SMART National Muster doesn’t officially start until September 18 but advance crews are already arriving. We had a happy hour over by the rig with David & Jackie (Muster Master), Joe & Diane, Jon & Nancy (Travel Coordinator), and a few other folks. And, of course, the executive manager and assistant for SMART are here as well – Melissa and Phyllis.

We got notice that some items we bought from Walmart had been delivered but when we went to the office, they didn’t have anything. We’ll try again tomorrow.

2023 Sep 12 (Tue) – We drove into town to get fuel. While there, we stopped at Dillards where I bought some undergarments. We also stopped at a Hyvee Supermarket to get some groceries (we were out of cat food). We stopped for lunch at Smoky Row, which actually turned out to be a café in a Hyvee gas station. Very high end. A little weird.

We toured the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates ---

Jon & Nancy and Jim & Theda, all SMART members and former caravan participants with us (Jon & Nancy were tail gunners on our Utah caravan), showed up in the campground. We had a delightful campfire and all shared stories about caravans and the difficulties in scheduling them.

2023 Sep 11 (Mon) – We went to see some sights only to find everything closed. It is Monday. Many places are closed Monday because they were open over the weekend. Ugh.

We got a notice from Staples that the books are done so we drove over there and picked them up. They look very good. Unfortunately, a piece I had deleted (I thought), is in the back of the book. It is a recap of mechanical difficulties we encountered on our great Alaska adventures. I will have to write a small note to soften the negativity of the paragraph.

We saw a store we have never been in – Fleet Farm. It is a huge warehouse type building and resembles Tractor Supply or WalMart on steroids. We stopped and wandered through the store for over an hour. They had everything! Paul found oil and blades for his sawz all. I got a pair of jeans and a blouse. It was fun.

We stopped at Tasty Taco for lunch. It was tasty. When we got back to the campground to find Dot had a relapse. She thinks she might have a urinary infection. I gave her a bottle of the Azithromycin we picked up in Algodones, Mexico. Hope it helps. Dave had cooked meatloaf so we got some of that for dinner. It was good.

2023 Sep 10 (Sun) – We packed up and left Waco, NE, at 9:30 a.m. The drive was easy, over expansive scenes of open plains. As we crossed the Iowa border, the geography started to form rolling hills. It started raining as we arrived at Timberline Campground in Waukee. The campground is very nice. There is nice room between our sites on gravel surface with full hookups. Each site has a picnic table and grassy area between each RV. A large cell tower sites in the back of the campground along with lots of solar panels. Naturally, the cell signal is very good here.

We went food shopping at WalMart. Also stopped at Menards to look for a protectorate 303 that Paul uses on the RV. We had a quick bit to eat at Wendy’s. Their menu sure has changed. They used to offer a baked potato with chilli. Now it’s basically burgers, chicken, and salads.

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triethrielle-dndoc · 1 year

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ask meme but I just answered them all

1. Uh she's a barbarian whose magic comes from a rage so you think the answer would be its very easy, but I actually think Trie is very even tempered. Her rage is more like a Focus than an angry. I don't think she gets angry really, I think she just puts her big girl pants on and speaks her mind

2. If she does, she has to accept some things about Diedre and what that might mean. So she says that she doesn't believe in soul mates

3. Pet peeves I think Trie just likes things to come in numbers divisible by 3, so she's a bit irked when it's not. (See: fey energy was a part of her resurrection)

4. It was her home, but that has been tarnished. I think she remembers an open meadow field of tulips. She doesn't know where it was/is, but it's quite pretty and peaceful

5. Newlywed

6. The first 6 months of their new life

7. More likely to buy someone a drink

8. Yes, so many. I think her ribs break every other day lmao, her shoulder dislocates all the time, but she pops it back in. Nothing a cure wounds and a long rest can't fix

9. Hahaha. I think, no. Trie doesn't remember so much, that now everything she experiences is a treasured memory- good or bad. She doesn't want to forget anything ever again.

10. They don't have a lot to choose from, so they'll say it's from a family vacation they took with their dad, but even that they only bits and pieces of. They can't even see their mother in that memory. It's hard to have a favourite when everything is bittersweet

11. Smart but not in a condescending way, in a helpful way. Short, she likes someone she can pick up. Down to earth, prefers actions over words. (The diedre she knew before, that's her type. It will always be)

12. I mean, Maradeim's sword is p fkn sick. But I think she likes the horn more, it allows her to see people she once lost. That's very important to her.

13. She has a tattoo (it's in my public channel in the lore server) that she wants to pay to magically infuse one day, but right now that's out of budget.

14. Yes, their lobes are pierced, and they have some cuffs they wear higher up. I think Trie would look so slay with some kind of eyebrow piercing.

15. It's a small cosy cottage, with enough land to farm the food they need. It's like, it's like the home Princess Aurora grew up in Sleeping Beauty

16. Just by looking at them? That they died lmao. But probably actually Trie must look scary to some people, and heroic to others. At first glance you wouldn't know she's a big softie

17. The higher the budget, the worse she is. She's good at choosing the right flowers or home baked good.

18. Yeah, she's really good at making daisy chains. And murder

19. An elf of towering height, with soft features and elven style. She grips her sword like she knows how to use it to kill you in a myriad of ways.

20. A breath of fresh air. She radiates spring time. A warm hug and a cup of hot chocolate.

21. Yeah, they're not very intelligent and worry they can't keep up sometimes. They also worry they'll remember something they don't like about themselves, or what they did during the war.

22. Best is strength and charisma I think, tho it might be wisdom??

23. Someone close to them? Devastated. Why couldn't they by trusted with the truth? If Trie is willing to fight alongside someone, she is willing to die for them, and from those people the expect honesty.

24. Warm weather is nicer

25. Platonic love is easy. But romantic love will be difficult forever. When they woke up, love was the only memory they had, and that person was so horrible to them until they ran away. I think she is coming around to the idea that the person she loved also died that day.

26. They can't hide their feelings all that well, if they're worried about something it will come out pretty quickly

27. Yes of course

28. I refuse to share this information. Find out for yourself when you're kicked across the room for trying

29. With the resistances they have, pretty high

30. They have some spells, and they've cast a few of them, but they're very scared to channeltheir new paladin abilities. What if it doesn't work? What if Marisol changes their mind?

31. Messy, but not in a barbaric way, in a jam across their face from too many scones way.

32. Watching the person they loved wish them to be a person she didn't remember, trying to force an identity onto Trie that wasn't hers anymore. It was very clear from the beginning she only wanted Ella, not Trie.

33. When they were asked to adventure with the party. When Z gave them a parting gift. When they baked with Una for Basil's family. When Marisol presented them with a sword

34. I think going blind would be worst for them; they have to see their target to hit them. But touch, to never know a hug again? That's heartbreaking

35. If they like the person they're talking to, yes. If not, no (touch of tism maybe)

36. They would ask Ramos if there was anything we could have done to stop his betrayal before it occurred

37. The past. The knowledge they have now, there are some things they would like done differently

38. Maradeim/Marisol, and Diedre, is applicable for both positive and negative, depends which life you are talking about.

39. With people

40. They don't fear death, but they fear not being able to do everything they want do thus time round

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frenchpuppycormier · 3 years

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fluff 10 and/or 11 + supercorp for the sentence starters pls 💞

"Are we on a date right now?" / "I think I'm in love with you."

—

Saturday signals the best day in Kara's book for one simple reason: the farmers market. It's the perfect place to buy fresh produce directly from the grower at a lower price than those pesky retailers. Not to mention, it's fresher and it's a great way to support local communities.

Kara enjoys it most in the early morning between 8 and 9 when the California heat hasn't bombarded its citizens yet. One of her favorite memories of going to the market was when she first arrived on earth, and Eliza and Alex took her to the one in Midvale. Eliza bought her the sweetest miniature doughnuts which practically melted in her mouth. She's been a huge (understatement of the year) fan ever since.

The farmers market is located 20 blocks from her apartment, just a short jaunt or flight for the hero.

Today she decides to walk and enjoy the nice cool breeze, and the warm sun spilling on her face. She can already hear the acoustics of a folk band covering a Fleetwood Mac song at the end of main street. The leaves are starting to change, indicating the beginning of fall, and the ones already on the ground crunch beneath her feet.

Her reusable cloth bag with the words, "Okey Dokey Artichokey" and a cartoon artichoke with a smiley face and tiny stick arms, is slung over her shoulder. Lena had given it to her as a gag gift, but Kara uses it the most out of all her bags. Any gift from Lena is special and she will always treasure it.

As she rounds the corner to the market, she sneaks another look at her list to remind herself what she needs, when she bumps into someone. Hard. Fortunately, Kara manages to grab the other person's arm before they fall.

"Oh my gosh," Kara cringes. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was—" she interrupts herself when she sees, "Lena?"

"Hey there, slick," Lena laughs and nudges the hand latched on her arm to tangle with her fingers.

Kara responds by swinging their arms back and forth, like what friends do when they haven't seen each other in months. But Kara and Lena just saw each other yesterday. This is normal, right? Kara thinks. The fluttering in my chest is completely common whenever I see my friends....Right?

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Kara speaks before her brain can catch up with her.

Lena's face lights up with a sly grin. "Can't a woman go to the market every once in a while?"

"N-no no, of course you can," Kara laughs awkwardly, "I meant, gosh I'm not sure...I guess I just didn't expect to see you here. You live all the way on the other side of town."

"Relax, love," she chuckles and squeezes her hand and releases it, Kara immediately missing the warmth. "I'm teasing you. But to answer your question, I'm in desperate need of fresh kale, and I heard this particular stand has the best in the city."

Kara feigns gagging and Lena playfully shoves her shoulder. “I still don’t understand how you can eat that stuff.”

“Who knew the green stuff that incapacitates you was kale.”

“More like your eyes,” Kara mumbles.

“What was that?”

Kara’s eyes widen. “N-nothing,” she rubs the back of her neck. “Um, so….do you care if I join you? Wandering aimlessly through the market checking out food stands with my best friend sounds like the perfect way to spend my Saturday morning.”

“I’d love nothing more,” Lena replies, smiling brightly.

—

“Oooh, look! A food truck!” Kara points.

Lena laughs at her zeal. “Let’s see what they have.”

Kara reaches for her hand and twines their fingers together before dragging her toward the truck. Lena’s stomach swoops at the action, but she calms herself down enough so Kara doesn’t notice her rapid heartbeat. Not that she would, considering food is the best distraction when it comes to the blonde.

Little does Lena know that nothing can distract Kara from Lena, especially considering 98% of the time Kara is listening to the constant thumps and quivers of Lena’s heart, but Kara doesn’t say anything.

Kara looks up at the man in the truck and politely rattles off her order, then looks at Lena and asks, “What do you want?”

“Um,” Lena quickly glances at the menu and says, “I’ll have the Avo Smash, please.” She moves to hand the man cash, but Kara stops her and insists she'll pay for it. "My treat."

Once they give their order they move to the side and wait until their names are called.

When they get their food they move to a shady spot on the sidewalk and admire how delicious it looks.

“What’s that?” Kara asks.

“Oh, it’s a piece of toast with smashed avocado, egg, and tomato,” Lena replies, noticing how Kara turns up her nose. Lena rolls her eyes and gestures at her hands, “What’d you get?”

"Uh, only the most scrumptious and melt in your mouth-watering food you can get here," she replies, eyebrows pinched, incredulously. Lena raises her eyebrows in a get-on-with-it kind of way. "French toast bites," Kara finishes, exasperated at Lena's lack of enthusiasm.

"Sweet food for a sweet girl."

Kara's cheeks grow a slight pink. Instead of replying, she dips a piece of her toast in the syrup, and shoves the whole thing in her mouth. Lena simply hums and takes a bit of her own food. Kara smiles like a chipmunk with cheeks full of goodies.

When Lena's finished with her slice of hipster toast, as Kara calls it, a small body runs into her legs from behind. She looks down and finds a small boy with sandy blonde hair and big, blue eyes looking up at her with a toothy grin.

"Hi, there," she smiles at him.

"Henry!" a woman in a flowy maxi dress and brown sandals comes running toward them. She picks him up and gives him a stern look. "I told you not to run off like that!" The woman adjusts him on her hip and shyly realizes she has an audience. "I'm so sorry! He gets too excited about their french toast."

"Oh, no worries," Lena reassures her. She carefully grabs Kara's elbow and says, "This one does too."

Kara acts hurt by placing a hand over her heart. "Well, can you blame me? They're delicious! Aren't they?" she smiles at the boy and waves. He giggles and hides his face in his mother's neck. "Someone's a little shy, huh?"

"He is, isn't he?" the mom kisses his cheek. "I think he has a little crush on you."

"Who, me?" Kara laughs. "No, I think he has eyes for Lena. As most people do." She steps forward and tickles his stomach so he looks at her. Kara holds out her hand for a high five and whispers, "Good choice." He gratefully slaps her hand.

When Kara steps back, Lena is blushing, but rather than call her out on it she ignores it out of respect. Kara smiles at her and Lena smiles back, but then she's suddenly laughing through her nose.

"Darling, you have a little," she gestures at her own face.

"What? I have something on my face?" Kara touches her cheek, but completely misses.

"Here," Lena's fingers tenderly touch the side of her jaw while her thumb swipes her lip. Lena's completely focused on what she's doing, but Kara only has eyes for Lena.

Lena pulls back her hand, thumb now sticky with syrup. Instead of wiping it on the napkin Kara knows Lena has in her bag, she sticks it between her lips and licks it clean.

Kara completely stops breathing.

"How long have you two been together?" a voice snaps her out of her reverie.

Kara gapes at her with wide eyes and stutters, "Um...we, we're uh, just friends."

"Oh," the woman almost looks upset. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to presume. Well, I'll let you get back to your morning." She smiles at them and walks away, leaving a flabbergasted Kara and quiet Lena.

They don't say anything and choose to ignore it while they continue down the street.

—

"Lena, you have to try this," Kara doesn't give her a chance to respond before shoving a spoonful of gelato in Lena's mouth.

Lena gasps and nearly chokes on the ice cold dessert enveloping her tastebuds. She hisses and nods, as she lifts her hand to hastily catch the dribbles of melted chocolate trickling down her chin. Kara winces, "I'm so sorry!"

"No," Lena shakes her head as she swallows, "I just wasn't expecting that."

"Well? How was it?"

"Y'know, I'm not gonna lie...it was pretty fucking delicious."

"Right? Marco really knows his stuff."

"Um," Lena holds her hand out, fingers spread apart to prevent more sticking, and shakes it like she doesn't know what to do.

Kara jumps to action and runs off. She's back in two seconds with a wet wipe and cleans Lena's hand. "Where'd you find that?"

"Don't ask."

"Okay?" Lena laughs breathily. "You're a mystery wrapped inside an enigma, Ms. Danvers."

"I aim to confuse," she jokes.

Lena shakes her head, and eventually says, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Kara smiles at her, their eyes locked onto each other. She's finished cleaning her hand, but rather than letting go, her hand stays curled around Lena's, not wanting to ruin the moment.

—

“Oh Rao, you didn’t,” Kara gasps.

Lena turns around and frowns at her. “What?” Kara gestures to Lena’s bag. Lena looks down and chuckles when she realizes what she’s talking about. “In my defense, I was drunk. You know how my shopping brain acts when I’m drunk; I buy things I don’t need.”

“Hmmm, well maybe your alcohol-addled brain just remembered how funny I thought it was and wanted to impress me,” Kara teases with a twitch of her eyebrow.

“I’m sure that’s exactly what happened,” Lena deadpans. She glanced at the words on her bag again and fondly shakes her head. It reads: Oh Kale Yeah, with a bunch of kale on both sides.

“I think so,” Kara steps closer and smiles.

“Oh, really?” Lena raises her eyebrows.

“Yep,” she ends with an extra pop of the ‘p’ and boops her on the nose.

Lena opens her mouth in surprise, a protest on the tip of her tongue, but a voice interrupts her from in front of them.

“You two are such a lovely couple,” the vendor gushes.

Lena and Kara startle, forgetting they’re standing right in front of a stand selling various vegetables and fruits and jars of honey. Behind the table is an older woman, most likely in her late 70s, with streaks of gray hair, crinkly eyes and facial lines as if she’s smiled her whole life.

“Oh, we’re not—”

“Thank you,” Kara answers, smiling bashfully. She pushes a lock of hair behind her ear and says, “I’ll take one bunch of radishes and one spaghetti squash.”

“Coming right up,” the woman replies.

Kara glances over at Lena and gives her a shy smile, before handing the woman a $10 bill and thanking her. She grabs the veggies and carefully drops them in her bag.

“Thank you two, have a wonderful day.”

“Of course, you too!” Kara places her hand on the small of Lena’s back and guides her forward.

As they make their way to the next stand, Kara laughs, remembering their conversation, “I can’t believe you bought that bag. You’re such a giant dork.”

Lena whips around and eyes Kara curiously. Kara’s hand shifts from her back to loosely rest on her waist. Lena’s eyes are squinting from the bright sun, but Kara can see the speckles of gold in them and thinks she’s never looked more beautiful.

“Are we on a date right now?”

Kara's heart quickens and she opens and closes her mouth a few times, until finally she clears her throat, "Did you want it to be?"

"I thought—”

"Because I do," Kara states. "Want it to be a date. But only if you do, of course. I don't want you to feel pressured or like I forced you to hang out with me," she retracts her hand. "That's the last thing I—”

Lena grabs her hand as she pulls it way, not wanting Kara to close herself off. "Hey, I want this just as much as you do."

"Really?"

Lena lightly presses her thumb into the grooves of Kara's knuckles, and absentmindedly plays with them. She smiles, fully dimpled, and says, "I do. Actually, I uh..." she lowers their connected hands and looks off into the distance, mind seemingly elsewhere.

"What is it?" Kara asks. She playfully shakes their arms back and forth to get her attention.

Lena looks at the ground before completely focusing on Kara and those baby blues she's come to know and love. She takes a deep breath and her voice shakes when she whispers, "I think I'm in love with you..." Lena stumbles and shakes her head, "No—I am in love with you."

Kara inhales sharply and Lena thinks she's made a giant mistake. She starts to turn and do something stupid, like run away, but Kara keeps her hold on her and pulls her forward.

Smiling, Kara slowly inches closer leaving the opportunity for Lena to stop her. When Kara's lips press into hers she welcomes it completely. Kara's hands come up to cup Lena's jaw until she moves one to tangle in her hair.

Kara disconnects from her lips, but stays wrapped up in her, their foreheads touching. "I'm in love with you, too," she whispers against soft lips.

"Good," Lena smiles and kisses her again.

#this became longer than I imagined #supercorp #supercorp fic #thanks for the request dani #<3

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thebadgerclan · 3 years

Text

SFW Alphabet: Kaz Brekker

Requested by Anonymous

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

With his fear of touch, it takes Kaz a while to be comfortable with physical affection, but he slowly gets there. It starts slowly, with him holding your hand with his gloves on, putting an arm around your shoulders and waist, then holding your hand without the gloves, kissing your forehead, cheeks, and eventually your lips. After a few months of working through his fear, he’s open to holding you for longer periods of time. Kaz wants so badly to be physically affectionate with you, but with his phobia, it’s slow going, but he does get there

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Kaz doesn’t really do “friends”, more like allies. But to have him as an ally, someone you knew you can rely on, that carries a lot of weight in the Barrell. If you ever find yourself in a tight spot, you know you can call on Kaz for help, and he’ll be there, usually with a few other members of the Dregs

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Like I said in A, physical affection is something that you and Kaz have to work towards. But once he’s comfortable with cuddling, it easily becomes one of his favorite things. He likes to spoon you, his arms around your waist, nose buried in your hair, legs entwined. Kaz also likes it when you lay facing him, your head buried in his chest, his hands rubbing your back. He might not admit it, but on bad days, whether with his leg or his phobia, he loved being the little spoon, letting you hold him close and shut out the outside world

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Kaz does want to settle down, but with the Dregs, it’s not really a possibility. So you settle for sharing a room and spending every night in each other’s arms. But you do talk about what your future will be like when Kaz eventually gets a big payout from a job: a mansion, fancy clothes, a massive diamond ring (that’s Kaz’s addition). He cooks well enough to keep himself alive, but to be honest, he’s not the best

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?) I feel like he’d be really cold and practical about it, but he’d cry when he’s alone. “This isn’t working, Y/N,” he says. “We can’t be together and work together, pick one.” Once he’s alone in his room at the Slat, he breaks down, knowing he just lost the only good thing in his life since Jordie

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Kaz fully intends to marry you, once he has enough money for a proper ceremony, one that meets every single one of the dreams you’ve had since childhood. He gets you a simple ring, a small diamond on a silver band, and asks you to marry him. It’s a simple proposal, but it’s romantic all the same. “Y/N, darling, I love you more than anything else in this world. Marry me, please, my love, make me your husband.” He proposes after 2ish years of dating, well after he’s gotten over his fear of touch (with you at least)

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Kaz has a reputation for being ruthless and violent, but with you, he’s sweet, tender, and unbelievably gentle. Once again, once he’s over his phobia, his touch is always gentle and tender. He never raises his voice at you, he never even thinks about hurting you. You are his treasure, worth more than any amount of money (and when I say “over his phobia”, I mean he’s comfortable with touching you, I know that he has deep seated trauma that will never go away. But, in my opinion, Kaz is able to work through his trauma and work towards being able to touch his girl),

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Again, after working through his phobia, Kaz LOVES hugs. Your arms are a sanctuary, a place where he can ignore the hustle and bustle of Ketterdam, work from the Crow Club and the Dregs, and anything that’s bothering him. He’ll often come up to you and pull you into his arms, chin resting atop your head. His hugs are warm and safe, you know that when you’re in his arms, nothing can hurt you

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

After about 8 months, Kaz is at the point that he’s able to hold your hand without his gloves. You’d been so patient and understanding with him, and he took your hand, risking pressing a kiss to the back of it (something else he’d recently become comfortable with was kissing your cheek and forehead). “Thank you for being so patient with me, Y/N, I love you so much. My girl, I love you.”

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Kaz gets jealous very easily. If anyone gets too close to you, he’s on edge. Even if it’s Jesper, who has little to no interest in any female, Kaz still is jealous. He comes to your side, either taking your hand, putting an arm around your shoulders, or pulling you flush against him (depending on where he’s at in terms of working through his trauma)

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Tentative at first, when kissing is new to him. Light, short pecks on your forehead and cheeks, before progressing to your lips. Then they linger for a few seconds, mainly on your lips, and eventually, he gets to the point where he wants to kiss you every waking second, lips on yours until he nearly passes out. Once he’s really comfortable with kissing, his kisses are passionate, the love he has for you palpable in the inches between you. Kaz likes to kiss you basically everywhere: forehead, cheek, nose, lips, neck, other intimate areas ;D. He likes to be kissed on the cheek, jaw, neck, lips (duh), and his hands. You’re one of very few people who get to see and touch his hands, so having you kiss them makes his heart flutter

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Honestly, he hates them. I mean, remember what he said to that little girl in Crooked Kingdom? He just doesn’t like them, there’s not much room to elaborate on that.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Most mornings, you wake to Kaz’s lips against your temple, his arms around your middle. “Good morning, my love.” He is loath to get out of bed in the mornings and leave your embrace, but he’s got a club to run. Even so, he’ll spend an extra 20 minutes or so just holding you, soaking in your love and presence (This is all after he’s comfortable w/ touch, btw)

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

(Same as above, after Kaz is comfortable w/ touch) Kaz tends to work late, so most nights, you have to drag him to bed. You wrap your arms around his shoulders, kissing his neck. “Come to bed, Kaz. It’s late.” He’ll sigh, moan about how much work he has to do, but he;ll let you herd him into bed

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

A loooooooooong time, both in regards to physical touch and the trauma he’s been through. You know that he’s been through a lot, and you don’t push him, because you know that Kaz will tell you when he’s ready. And sure enough, he does. Slowly, he tells you about Jordie, the plague, how Rollins swindled him, everything about his past. Time is your best friend in a relationship with Kaz

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

In general, fairly fast, but with you, he’s hardly angry. On a job, Kaz can’t afford to be too patient, when he needs something, he needs it now, and he’s not afraid to do whatever he needs to get it. But you’re a different story, with you, Kaz has endless patience. He might snap at you at the start of your relationship, but he always apologizes immediately afterwards. Love is new to him, so he needs you to be patient as well.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?) Kaz has the memory of an elephant, he has to with the jobs he does, So he remembers every single thing you tell him, important or not.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

Cliche, but the first time he kissed you. Kaz was finally comfortable enough with that level of intimacy, and he’d removed his gloves, cupped your face in his hands, and kissed you, a long, sweet, lingering kiss. He cried, but they were happy tears.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

You’re dating the Bastard of the Barrell, Kaz is insanely protective of you. Whenever you go somewhere without Kaz, he has a few members of the Dregs trail you, at a distance, just to make sure that if something happens, you’re protected. But if he can, Kaz goes everywhere with you, you on his arm, glaring at anyone who might dare cross you, as if to say “Hands off, she’s mine”

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

Kaz leads a busy life, so proper dates don’t happen all that often. But when they do, Kaz goes all out, he books a reservation at the best restaurant in Ketterdam, roses, expensive wine, the works. Other date type things are like a private dinner in his office and simple gifts, like candy and things you’ve mentioned you want

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

It’s not a bad habit, but it’s definitely an obstacle in a relationship: his haphephobia. He can be a little rough around the edges, and he’s pretty resistant to the idea of a relationship until he realizes how hard he’s fallen for you

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

Kaz is always dressed and groomed immaculately. A fitted three piece suit, his hair slicked back, fedora, leather gloves, shoes shined to a mirror gleam. He takes pride in his appearance, he came from nothing, and he’s built a little empire for himself, and he’s damn proud of it

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

At first he thinks he wouldn’t, but then there’s a job that goes south, and you get hurt, and I’m talking badly hurt. Life-threateningly bad. Nina patches you up in seconds, but you’re unconscious and weak for a few days. Kaz doesn’t leave your side once, his hand clutching yours. “Please, Y/N,” he begs to your sleeping form. “Please be alright. I can’t live without you. I love you, Y/N, I love you so much. Please, wake up, my love.”

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

On your 9 month anniversary, Kaz got a third tattoo. Above the crow and cup, next to the capital R, now resides your initials

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

Kaz cannot be with someone who doesn’t respect his boundaries. If you take his hand without thinking before he’s alright with it, but release it immediately and apologize, he’s shaken but alright. But if you do it and don’t let go or don’t apologize, it’s a massive dealbreaker

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

Kaz has trouble sleeping in storms, the rain reminds him of the tide on the Reaper’s Barge. But cuddle him and he’s out like a light

#kaz brekker x reader #shadow and bone fanfiction #kaz brekker x you #shadow and bone reader insert

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jjungkookislife · 3 years

Text

Quarterly Fic Recs 2021 #2

Hello! I’m back with another rec list! Here are fics I’ve read, loved and thoroughly enjoyed in the second quarter of 2021! They are all very wonderful fics! Each story has its own genre, warnings (and are mostly 18+), so please take that into consideration before reading. If any authors would like me to untag them, please let me know. Enjoy!

Yoongi

before i leave you @hollyhomburg

summary: Yoongi Disappears- leaving behind a shattered pack. 8 months later, Jimin finds Yoongi in an H-mart of all places.

Hoseok

heart-on @junghelioseok

summary: my boss is always telling me how perfect her son would be for me and she promises he’s coming to the next holiday party and don’t worry he’s heard all about me too and ALSO there’s this dude i slept with once a couple of months ago and sometimes he still sends me dick pics when i ask him to at 3 in the morning cause seriously dude’s got a good dick

Jungkook

charmolypi @njssi

summary: Work and pleasure should never be combined — or so the saying goes. But you were never really one to follow the rules in their entirety and neither were the ones around you. Love, lust, interest. Five people. In the workplace. What could go wrong? Everyone just wants to get something, after all.

when you least expect it @johobi

summary: You’re in love with your childhood friend, Taehyung. The problem is, you treasure your friendship with him far too much to ever risk losing it. Oh, and he’s quite the Casanova. At your wits’ end with feelings you can no longer hide as diligently as you once did, you ask him to set you up with someone, anyone, in a last ditch attempt to avoid a heartbreaking conversation.

wherever there is you @jeonstudios

summary: you’ve been drinking, haven’t you?

instant gratification @dovechim

fuckboi@jungkook x cheerleader!reader

haze @yyooni

summary: So you’ve fucked the biggest fuck boy on campus. It’s a one and done. One night stand. A wham bam thank you ma’am. So why does it happen again?

OT7/Multiple Members

because i’m yours @minniepetals

summary: you should have known they’d never let you go after gathering the courage to ask for a kiss

blazed @ironicarmy

summary: Your friends try to cheer you up during Christmastime, but things go south once Hoseok appears with a mysterious brown bag.

Seokjin

one step @cutechim

summary: attending an ex’s wedding is never easy, but you might just have the perfect remedy—if you can pluck up the courage to take it.

platonic @joheunsaram

summary: Finding a new method for stress relief, you rope in your bestfriend/fwb to try it out with you.

show me yours and i’ll show you mine @ktheist

summary: you’re a horny bunny yet kim seokjin always seems to manage to slide out of your grasps like a fox every time.

Yoongi

before i leave you pt. 7 @/hollyhomburg

summary: Pack omega kim Seokjin knows how to handle things when they go south (or alternatively you get triggered, Yoongi has a panic attack, and it’s a good thing the pack is there to help)

Hoseok

risky business @yoonjinkooked

summary: The person who invented smart glass office walls knew what they were doing. Your secretary fucks you stupid in the office.

snapshot @xjoonchildx

summary: after a day at the beach, hoseok has some surprises in store for his longtime love

keep me warm @ppersonna

summary: camping is always a great time when you’re with your friends, but even better with your boyfriend, hoseok.

it’s you @jinpanman

summary: An accidental confession throws your years-long friendship with Hoseok into disarray.

Namjoon

love bytes @stutterfly

summary: It’s been a year since you first met Kim Namjoon, the passionate, talented English professor at the local campus. He’s always been clumsy and aloof, but he’s on a whole new level in terms of “technologically incapable.” One call to IT was all it took to pull you into his life, and with it a whole string of friendships full of flirtatious banter and undying support.

Your dating situation has been drier than the Sahara for years now, and you’ve wasted too many lonely nights drinking alone, so you try your hand at Tinder. But you’re not getting any bites. When the group finds out, they are more than willing to help–even Namjoon, though he finds it increasingly difficult to deny that he’s hopelessly smitten. You consider their opinions on potential Tinder dates while fighting off feelings you never knew were brewing for the caring soul who becomes the home you never had.

out of my league @/ppersona

summary: Kim Namjoon was never supposed to find out about your years-long hopeless crush on him. And he most definitely was not supposed to find out about it in front of all your coworkers in a company-wide meeting.

so this is love @jinpanman

summary: “So this is the miracle that I’ve been dreaming of. So this is love.”

problem solved @sugasbabiie

summary: Namjoon helps you with more than math problems tonight.

love is @hxseok-honee

summary: they say that love is supposed to transcend time and space and that it knows no limits. but putting an ocean and thousands of miles between two people won’t make things any easier, will it?

Jimin

potent pink @dntaewithluv

summary: The first time you see Park Jimin you’re instantly entranced by him. And it turns out he lives in the apartment next to the one you’re moving into, so even better he’s your hot neighbor. When the previous tenant confesses to you that he was the best hook up she ever had, you’re that much more intrigued. The first time you meet him, however, you’re deciding immediately that you hate him and want to stay as far away from him as possible. Jimin is determined to be a constant in your life though, and he definitely is that. Both a constant flirt and a constant pain in your ass. Is a ruined second impression enough to prevent you from ever giving him a second chance?

Taehyung

hush, yeah? @kithtaehyung

summary: the innocent accident that started it all

unfinished business @/dntaewithluv

summary: Besides wanting to catch up with some old friends, there’s only one reason you found yourself agreeing to attend your 10 year high school reunion. The boy you were in love with back then is going to be there, and you’re determined to finally make your move. Except, unfortunately, it turns out that Kim Seokjin is very much happily married. Kim Taehyung, however, is very much single and feels like he has something to prove to you after you turned him down all those years ago. One night is all it takes to make you realize you made the biggest mistake of your life.

under the covers @jessikahathaway

spy!au

darling @bloomsuga

summary: “go to sleep, darling.”

as endless as the stars ^

summary: he waited 160 years to meet you again, and now that he has, he’s not letting go. or: “i love you as deep as the ocean and as endless as the stars”

dirty dishes @jaysdimples

summary: when your boyfriend can’t seem to keep his hands to himself so he stirs up a little trouble in the kitchen while everyone else is a few feet away in the next room

devotion @/sweetbunnykook

summary: You and Taehyung were inseparable once. When you come back to your hometown after three years, fate pulls you back to him. And this time, Taehyung won’t ever keep his eyes off of you.

Jungkook

commercial break; twelve @1kook

summary: Anyway, if it was up to Jungkook, Kim Doyeon would not be a member of the Engagement Ring Committee.

tease @adonis-koo

summary:You came with the intentions of your best friend landing a job as a stripper. You never meant to catch the eyes of the king stripper of the establishment- Jeon Jungkook, yourself. With what was supposed to be a harmless way of paying off college debt faster you find yourself falling into a very odd and passionate relationship with your new mentor. Between infidelity, passion and jealousy there’s never a dull moment at Cherry Bomb.

jock!jk @angelguk

summary: going raw with jock jk

evolution of a lover’s heart @jeonstudios

summary: the rules are simple: first one to take the virginity wins.

euphoria @btssavedmylifeblr

summary: At the end of your life, you are given one day to live again with the man you loved. A lifetime’s love story told in a single day.

idealizations concerning real life relations @venusiangguk

summary: jungkook loves to be loved, but he doesn’t love in return.

relax @itsbuffsanta

summary: jk is antsy after the concert, so you help him relax.

employee of the month @/dntaewithluv

summary: Sometimes it truly amazes you how much of an idiot your boyfriend can be. But you also find it impossible to say no to him. Even when it involves letting him fuck you at his work on the same day that he gets awarded employee of the month…

ego 08 @suga-kookiemonster

summary: what’s a girl to do when her sweet, innocent baby lab partner isn’t quite so sweet and innocent? well, he’s a grown-ass man, and you’re about to learn that the hard way.

only you 10 @sweetbunnykook

summary: Jeon Jungkook, your wedding photographer, helps you escape on your big day upon learning about a secret your groom-to-be kept hidden. You soon fall for this young, passionate photographer. However, you underestimated just how much he was willing to reciprocate that love. Maybe, you think, he’s loving you just a little too much.

lunchbox lovers @jiminrings

stem major!koo x cold senior!y/n

crunchyroll & rail @/1kook

summary: Never mind the fact you really like Sailor Moon, or that you really want to pay attention to every little detail; the moment becomes Jungkook and his big smile and his red cheeks and the tiny box he produces from within his pocket.

only for you @jikookiekosmos

summary: It’s the night before your wedding and you should be happy…but a fight with your fiancé leaves you second guessing everything. A visit from the blue-haired boy of your dreams is just what you need to make it right.

lillies @dewykth

summary: “… white lines, pretty baby, tattoos, don’t know what they mean, they’re special just for you…”

bluekooberry @kimtaehyunq

summary: Your adoring boyfriend, Jungkook, surprises you with a brand new hairstyle before your trip to visit him for the weekend. He’s excited to see you, feed you, and give you exactly what you want.

bad reputation @noteguk

summary: in which you have to deal with some strange emotions for the first time.

not yet @bratkook

summary: jungkook feels the pang of guilt in his gut when you spot your recent ex out with his new girl, and what better way to make the jerk hurt than to have him believe you were now dating him, the neighbor he had been insecure about your whole relationship

incoming: elite chatboy @kookingtae

summary: welcome to Elite Chatroom, a sex chat company with a wide variety of services such as text messaging, phone call, and video chat. you signed up online for the most basic text service plan not knowing what to expect, but you certainly didn’t think you’d end up actually liking the man behind the screen.

ineffable @euphoria-vmin7

summary: your best friend Jeon Jeongguk has always been amazing and deserved the best, so you’ve hid your love for him. But unbeknowsnt to you, there may be feelings that could change everything between you two…

touch @gardentulips

summary: when you tease and please one another

Multiple Members

friendly fire @kpopfanfictrash

summary: The dynamic: Hoseok; your friend and previous fuck buddy. Jungkook; Hoseok’s roommate and subject of your massive crush. The scene: determined not to drunk-gush about your crush any more (to his face), you decide to seclude yourself from all campus parties. Until, of course, Hoseok guilts you into a favor. Things spiral from there.

the boys are back in town @/dntaewithluv

summary: Getting stood up by your date definitely hadn’t been on your agenda for the evening. Also definitely not on your agenda: bumping into Park Jimin and Jeon Jungkook. Together. On the same exact night. It’s been a while since you’ve seen your two best friends, as well as lovers on multiple occasions, from your high school and college days. A chance meeting, some drinks, and a trip down memory lane is all it takes to reignite the attraction between the three of you. Old habits die hard, but these two? They just might be the death of you.

ruin you @taegularities

summary: “His eyes hold unfathomable darkness that lures you in, captures your very soul, steals any air you are trying to draw. And you know without a doubt that you’re on the path to utter and irrevocable ruination.”

ruin you (once more) ^

summary: Taehyung and Jungkook can’t keep their hands off you. Not even in the elevator.

Seokjin

kairos @luffles424

summary: When your financial aid falls through for your last year of school, you fear you’ll have to drop out and postpone your degree. Until Taehyung gives you a suggestion to make a lot of money, quick. His idea can’t possibly end well, can it?

appetence @luffles424

summary: appetence (n.) - an eager desire, an instinctive inclination; an attraction or a natural bondIt’s time for Seokjin’s rut. Are either of you prepared for this step?

tiny lights, tiny lies @ggukcangetit

summary: you aren’t sure when exactly your best friend’s brother went from being an oddly annoying set of broad shoulders to the shoulders you frequently fell asleep against.

Yoongi

the little things @kimtaehyunq

summary: When the present isn’t exactly enough for you right now, Yoongi is here for you through it all. He makes sure you know you aren’t alone and that it’s ok to feel alone.

cyberslut @kimnjss

summary: he has no idea who you are… up front, you’re sweet and innocent - but in reality you’re the exact opposite. running your own nsfw account, where your favorite topic is his hands.

yoongi drabble @joonsgalore

life guard au

Hoseok

benefits @cutechim

summary: you and hoseok have taken the ‘friends’ out of friends with benefits, but exclusivity has its own perks.

Namjoon

namjoon drabble @lovetrivia

summary: You’re a hot girl on Twitch and Namjoon is an absolute simp.

Jimin

baby fever @writtenwhalien

summary: Jimin wants another baby, and much to your delight, he’s determined to give you one.

jimin drabble @/1kook

best friend au

small hands jimin drabble @lavishedinjimin

established relationship au

silk and lace @sunshyngal

summary: Min Nara is the newly dumped fiance to the Crown prince of Korea, Park Jimin. She’s not overtly upset , because at least now she can live her life without the pressure of the monarchy hanging over her head. Besides , Nara has a very dirty little secret. While she spends the day as the perfect high society girl with an impeccable pedigree , her nights are filled with lacy lingerie and webcams. Ignored by the man she’s meant to marry, she revels in the greedy lust of strangers on the internet. It’s her way of saying ‘fuck you’ to a system that sees her as nothing but a toy, molded for the future King. Park Jimin doesn’t know the first thing about his supposed fiancee. And he has no intention of learning either. He knows just what debutante girls are like and he has no patience for the kind. Besides, his girlfriend of three years, the elegant and independent Irene is everything he would ever want in a wife . Or is she?Because in the secrecy of his office , after the day’s work is done , Park Jimin has a very scintillating vice that he likes to indulge in : the beautiful camgirl who calls herself the Temptress. Jimin can’t get enough of the girl’s lush thighs wrapped in silk, the pretty pink of her nipples in see through bralettes and the glittering temptation of the jeweled plugs she likes to stuff herself full with.Jimin thinks she embodies everything he can never allow himself to have as a Prince : filth, sin and decadence , all wrapped up in Silk and Lace.

Taehyung

nip it in the bud @opaljm

summary: You’re not sure how you ended up here, but maybe a shitty ex and a horrible breakup had a hand in what placed you in front of the tattoo parlor. It was already a nerve-wracking experience, but what you never expected was seeing that the owner and artist giving you nipple piercings was your older brother’s best friend you hadn’t seen in ages. to make things even worse, he got fucking hotter.

taehyung drabble @joonsgalore

sugar daddy au

peanut @jungxk

summary: the making of peanut.

Jungkook

pretty kitty @venusiangguk

summary: you’re jk’s baby, his toy, and now his pretty little pet.

heavy metal @hisunshiine

summary: You come home from a trip to find your fuckbuddy has a… hole-y surprise.

devour @bloomsuga

summary: my sweet angel… i am going to devour you

grain of sand @jungkookiebus

summary: Blind since the age of 18 from a genetic disorder, Jungkook walked through life as if he never lost it, but on one fateful day seven years ago he literally almost runs into you. He fell in love nearly immediately. Fast forward to the present and it’s just another day in your quiet life with him by your side.

under the oak tree @mingoyeob

summary: as the eldest daughter of a duke, it’s your duty to marry at your father’s will. yet you didn’t expect to be marrying jeon jungkook, a knight of low status, especially when he departs for an expedition without another word after your first night. when he comes back three years later, this time as a renowned hero, how will you be able to face him and how will things change between you and your new husband?

jungkook drabble @1kook

dilf!jk

commercial break: thirteen ^

summary: Because for as much shit as you let him get away with, Jungkook is certain you’ll draw the line today.

sh. @wwilloww

summary: How could you say no to a month away in the mountains with your friends after six months of grueling quarantine?

jungkook drabble @lavishedinjimin

daddy!jk

OT7/Multiple Members

the end @jimlingss

summary: It’s been a habit of yours to vent in the form of love letters. There’s six in total. They’re kept secret, hidden in your closet. But on your 30th birthday, what you least expect is for each letter to become reality. All done by the whacky ghost of Christmas future trying to grant your birthday wish.

#jjungkookislife fic recs #jjungkookislife fic recs masterlist #fic recs #fic recs masterlist

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petri808 · 3 years

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Nalu Yakuza Au *cover art by @jmoart214 💜

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |

The tit for tat game was well known to both of their top confidants and lieutenants because it had been going on ever since Natsu and Lucy broke up. Plus, it was hard to get around such knowledge considering most of them came from the same neighborhoods. These intrigues ebbed and flowed like waves. Months could pass by without any interactions between the two, at other times they’d go back and forth continuously until one of them finally gave up, and on the odd occasion ended in a huge fight that led to another round of ignoring each other. Up until now, it had been kind of amusing to watch them torture each other because it was better than a drama shows on television. But that didn’t mean Natsu, and Lucy’s friends didn’t worry about one or both being truly hurt one day because of it.

“It’s fine,” Natsu rolled his eyes as Gray chastised him after the soapland incident. The two men were at Natsu’s home after work hours and supposed to be relaxing. But clearly his friend didn’t want to drop the subject. “What’s the big deal?”

“Dude, you let yourself be blindfolded in a public space! Have you forgotten what kind of business we’re in? What if it had been an assassin instead?”

“Oh, that’s just ridiculous. We’re talking about Lucy’s company, and I trust their security measures because she has just as much to lose if a hit took place there.”

“Still, you should be more careful, at least take a bodyguard with you…”

Natsu’s eyebrow twitched in irritation. “And what, so they can watch the show? We got any voyeurs on the payroll? Cause I can’t think of anyone here who’d wanna see another guy getting his balls fondled!”

Gray ran a hand down his face. “So not the mental image I wanted. You’re missing the point.” He sighed. “Natsu you are the head of this clan, and your safety is my top priority.”

“I get it, I get it,” Natsu drawled.

“And frankly,” Gray continued, “you’ve become distracted by her lately.”

“Tch! No, I haven’t!”

“Yeah, you are. You think I haven’t noticed? I know you drive by her place sometimes. I know you’ve followed her to that coffee shop she likes to frequent. But ever since her employee was robbed, things have escalated again.”

“You’re imagining things and apparently spying on me. I’m just keeping an eye on the competition.”

“Watching over you is my job! That’s not spying.” Gray crossed his arms. “And oh, it’s no doubt that you’re keeping an eye on her. That’s why you went to Katsunuma’s party and to soapland too. The problem is you’re getting sloppy and sloppy gets people killed.”

Natsu groaned. “Are you done yet? We’re supposed to be enjoying the baseball game, not psychoanalyzing my life.”

“Almost.” Gray placed a hand on his friends’ knee and leaned in. “Natsu, you’ve been chasing that tail since high school, just lock her down and convince her to work together already.”

Natsu snorted a laugh. “Gray we all grew up together, so what in all these years makes you think that’s a possibility? You know damn well Lucy’s not a woman you can control without her consent.” Natsu knew that, and frankly he loved that part of her. In fact, it made him even more fired up whenever he thought about it, just like a treasure you don’t just find but must win at the end of a game. “I’ll find a way, some day.”

“Well until that day arrives, could you promise me you’ll be more cautious?”

“Fine, fine,” Natsu waved his hand. “I’ll back off of Lucy for now.”

“Good.” Gray relaxed back onto his recliner thinking the drama was over.

“However, there is a new guy I want surveillance placed on.”

“Who?”

“The bartender from the party.”

Gray groaned. “Seriously? Why? He’s just a bartender!”

“I don’t trust him.”

“Was he spiking the drinks or something? Dealing drugs at the party?”

“Maybe.”

Gray huffed. “You really gonna try that? Do I look like an idiot? This is just straight jealousy talking.”

“I don’t care! I want someone to dig up what they can on the guy!”

“No, what you wanna know is if he fucked Lucy that night!”

Natsu jumped up with his fists clenched. “Fuck you!”

“Fuck you too!” Gray stood up and matched his boss’s energy. “Unless you give me a damn good reason to check into him, I’m not wasting my guy’s time! You might be the boss, but don’t you fucking forget who you’re talking to! I’m not some punk off the streets!”

Realizing he was taking things too far, Natsu sat back down. “Sorry.”

Gray sighed and plopped back down too. “I only joined because you asked me to and you’re my best friend, then I helped you build this new empire, so I’m just as invested in protecting it as you are. But Natsu, personal emotions have led to the downfall of many in this business, and as a friend, I’ll check you any time I think you’re going to far.”

“You’re right…” Natsu sighed too. “She just gets me so worked up.”

“Don’t I know it,” Gray laughed, but stopped when Natsu glared at him. “Sorry, it slipped out.”

“But I swear, there’s something suspicious about him. When he saw me, I thought he just reacted because he thought I was Lucy’s boyfriend or something, but the more I think about it, he might have recognized me.”

“Well, that wouldn’t necessarily be suspicious either.”

“True. But the look in his eyes just made me wonder.”

“Alright…” Gray groaned, “if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll have someone do some digging. So, you said he has orange hair and glasses, and the name on his tag was Loke?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s an unusual name, shouldn’t be too hard to check on.”

Over the course of a couple of weeks, Gray sent out feelers for any information on this Loke guy. Katsunuma junior gave them their first small lead that the bartender had worked the party through a local food catering company. That catering company was a legitimate business who had both full-time staff as well as independent contractors brought in per event as needed. Loke had been one of the latter. From there Gray obtained a last name, de Lioncourt.

According to his sources at the local precinct, Loke de Lioncourt had no rap sheet, no prior dealings with police, and for all they knew was an average citizen. The man’s Line blog profile listed him as a 28-year-old, Japanese/French American, model and bartender, and it was filled with pictures from events, parties, as well as many gorgeous women— none of which contained Lucy. But as Gray trolled through the man’s feed, he did come across one person he recognized and passed the information along to Natsu.

“Wow, she’s in a bunch of photos,” Natsu mumbled as he scrolled through the blog.

“Well, considering Cana’s reputation are you surprised. Parties and alcohol are the two things that woman lives for.” Gray laughed. “Now see, this makes sense to me. Lucy and him, not so much.”

“Tch… still pisses me off he even tried.”

“Lucy’s a free woman, she can go out with whoever she wants to.”

“We’ll see about that,” Natsu mumbled low.

“What was that?” Gray asked with a raised brow.

“Nothing.”

“Better be nothing, cause this is a dead end. He’s just a flirty bartender. It’s how they make tips.”

“Yeah, yeah, fine.” Natsu sat back in his chair. “So, back to business. What this I heard about some missing stock?”

“Oh, right. One of the warehouse clerks noticed a shortage, but when I checked with Yura, he said the books were fine. I had him show it to me, and it appears the numbers were just inverted by accident. So, instead of 185 kilos, it’s supposed to be 158 kilos.”

“Did you talk to the clerk again? Does he have any history of messing up like this?”

“Nah, he’s one of our better clerks.”

“Just keep an eye on it.”

“Sure thing, boss. By the way, have you seen Gajeel today?” Gray questioned. “I haven’t seen him.”

“He called me this morning said he wasn’t feeling well, thinks he ate something bad for dinner last night.”

“Tch, seriously? Thought he had an iron stomach?”

Natsu shrugged. “Must’a been some bad sushi or something. We ain’t got much happening today, so it’s fine. Anything else? I got some stuff I need to finish.”

Gray tapped his chin. “Just a reminder you have an appointment with our tech guy dropping by later this week to go over some upgrades on the system.”

“Like I’m supposed to know anything about that stuff, it’s what I pay him for.”

“You still gotta approve it,” Gray shrugged and took his leave.

Once the man was completely out of the office, Natsu opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a nondescript box he’d hidden inside. He grinned to himself. It was time to make another special delivery. Even though he’d told Gray he was backing off the whole Lucy and Loke subject, there was no way he was gonna let it slide. Natsu didn’t care if the man seemed legit, and he wasn’t the first nor would probably be the last that he’d eventually scared away. And besides, being a Yakuza boss had a lot of down times too, easily filled with having a little fun.

Today’s little care package was being sent to Lucy by a courier service and Natsu just had to drop it off to the delivery company. Just a normal company like Kuroneko Yamato so it wouldn’t rouse too many suspicions. It was turning into a fun game for him just coming up with ideas of what he could do to rile Lucy up or irritate this Loke guy. Natsu chuckled to himself. So far, his favorite prank was a box of small sized condoms and a bottle of enhancement pills that he’d had delivered to Loke while on the job at another party. He’d even snuck in to watch it delivered, gaining a good laugh when the man took a peek in the box and frowned at its contents.

It was childish, but Natsu didn’t care. Every day for two weeks now, something new was sent to Loke. Random gifts like children’s candy to a toy gun, a big bottle of lubricant wrapped in a bow, a week’s worth of meals sent for lunch one day, even an empty box with rocks inside it just to drive the man crazy wondering who in the world was sending them. Lucy too wasn’t immune to his pranks, though hers had a different feel to them. Flowers with no note attached. Tickets to a canceled show he made up. A supposed dinner invite from Loke that wasn’t real— okay that was to test her, but she didn’t fall for it. And today’s little care package fit right into his prank scheme.

Natsu dropped off the package at a Kuroneko Yamato office with the address instructions already filled out and paid the company’s employee extra to keep their mouths shut. ‘She’s gonna kill me one day,’ he laughed to himself as he rode back to his office. ‘If it’s suffocation by her boobs it wouldn’t be a bad way to go!’

“Anymore stops sir?” The driver asked Natsu.

“Nope. Back to the office.”

He looked at his watch. The package should be arriving at Lucy’s office within the hour. Give or take another to open it, and by 4pm he would be receiving another phone call. Maybe he won’t answer it. Oh, that would piss her off even more! ‘Well, if she’d just take the hint...’

The afternoon was supposed to be mellow at headquarters that day. No shipments, and no appointments. But when Natsu got back, another general in the organization named Jellal Fernandez came to his office to inform him of a problem. One of the new local restaurants in their territory was refusing to cooperate and he wanted to know how Natsu wanted it handled. They were right in the middle of discussing it, when Natsu’s office door flew open with a loud bang!

In stomped Lucy who immediately threw a box at his head, causing Natsu to duck and Jellal to pull his gun.

“Don’t!” Natsu screamed at his general and motioned for him to stand down, to which the man complied. “Do you have a death wish Lucy!”

“Get. Out.” She snapped at the general. “Get out! This is between me and your boss!”

Jellal looked to Natsu, who nodded his head to scram. “I got this, don’t worry.” The man holstered his gun and left, but Natsu could see he’d stayed right outside of the now closed door.

“I take it you didn’t like the gift,” Natsu pretended to stay calm.

“Gee, me throwing it at you give you that impression? I know it’s you sending all these damn deliveries to me and Loke. That needs to stop now!”

He crossed his arms and scoffed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Play dumb all you want. Just stop! Why are you even doing this?!”

“Take a guess,” he sneered back.

“I could’ve sworn we were adults now, but apparently I’m the only one who grew up. Stay out of my love life Natsu!”

“So, you admit you’re sleeping with the guy!”

“That’s none of your damn business! I can fuck whoever I want!”

“Not as long as I’m alive,” Natsu growled back.

Lucy crossed her arms. “That could be arranged.”

“Is that a threat?!”

“Yes! If you don’t stay out of my love life!”

“A woman shouldn’t be sleepi—”

“Don’t you finish that sentence!” Lucy grabbed a stapler that was within reach and chucked it at Natsu’s head. “Stop trying to control me!”

“Are you crazy?!”

At that moment, Gray barged into the room. He’d heard the screaming from the other side of the office, and when he got close enough to see Jellal standing outside the door, he became alarmed. Why would a general leave Natsu vulnerable! The man told him their boss told him to leave, but as the sounds inside escalated, Gray couldn’t wait anymore.

“Stop it!!” Gray got between them. “What are you two doing! Lucy you shouldn’t be here!”

“Then tell your damn boss to leave me the fuck alone!” Lucy spat back. “Ask him how he’s been harassing Loke and me!”

Gray turned to his boss with a groan. “Natsu, we talked about this!”

“Tell Gray what you been doing!” Lucy pressed. “Show him the stupid packages you send!”

“What packages?” Gray looked to Lucy, then repeated the question as he stared at his boss. “What packages?”

“Tch,” Natsu crossed his arms, “it’s not even that bad.”

Lucy stomped over to where the box fell and picked it up, pulling the contents out. “Bullshit!” She snapped as she held up a very racy, red nightie with flame prints, a pair of fluffy handcuffs, and a large dildo. “See this shit?!” Lucy shook the floppy latex toy at Gray before chucking it to the ground again. “He includes messages too,” then handed the man a folded piece of paper.

Gray read it aloud, “to make up for what playboy lacks. Had it custom made to my size wink wink. Ugh, seriously man,” he tossed the letter.

Natsu shrugged. “I was just having fun.”

“This is the yakuza, not a daycare!” Gray snaps. “I’m not here to babysit the boss so he stops harassing the competition! There’s more important business to worry about!”

“That’s right listen to Gray,” Lucy sneered.

Gray turned to her. “Oh, you ain’t innocent either, so don’t even try it. You both do things to purposely rile the other up and get mad when there’s consequences. Stop it!” He looked back and forth between the two. “Just stop it already!”

Natsu and Lucy looked away from the man with scowls on their faces. Neither wanted to admit he was right.

“Jellal,” Gray called out. When the man entered, he instructed him to escort Lucy out of there. “Next time, just call me instead. It’s best you two just stay away from each other. Got it?!”

“Yeah,” Lucy grumped.

“Got it?!” Gray questioned his boss.

“Yeah,” Natsu mumbled.

“Fucking like high school,” Gray ran a hand down his face in irritation. “You two need therapy.”

#nalu #nalu au #nalu fan fic #nalu fan fiction #natsu dragneel #lucy heartfilia #ch 6 #we'll take back heaven #petri808

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blueiskewl · 2 years

Photo

Mother and Son Find Silver Coin Hoard in Czech Republic

A mother and her 13-year-old son discovered a trove of historical silver coins when they were out walking in the woods in Moravia, the eastern half of the.

They were walking near Loučka, a small village in the Zlín region, when they came across a broken clay pot that contained 818 silver coins. Once coins are analyzed, they will be put on public display by the Wallachian Regional Museum (Muzeum regionu Valašsko).

On Feb. 8, Petra, who declined to give her last name, and her son Michal went for a walk near their home in Police and came to a spot called Ratíkov, part of the neighboring village of Loučka. There they noticed pieces of a clay pot and some green-colored coins coming up from the ground around a tree stump a little ways from the road.

“Well, I didn’t know much about it, but my son enjoys history at school a lot, and he immediately said that it would definitely be something rare,” Petra said.

They reported the discovery to the Wallachian Regional Museum. Archaeologist Samuel Španihel took possession of the treasure. “The find contained fragments of a clay vessel of unknown origin and a set of slightly to heavily corroded silver coins numbering 818 pieces, most of which were stuck together into several differently sized conglomerates. I also performed a search on the spot, during which I discovered only individual coins,” Španihel said.

At the museum, the coins will undergo cleaning and conservation in the following months. Due to the degradation of the coins, it was not possible to determine the exact type and date range of the hoard from the initial research, but the archaeologist has made a preliminary estimate.

“Very generally, it is possible to date the hoard to the 17th and the beginning of the 18th century. The color of the shards and the composition of the container material then indicate that it does not come from our area, but probably from some mining region,” he added.

Petra and Michal took part in the initial research in the restoration workshop of Kinský Zámek in Valašské Meziříčí, the main town in the area.

Zuzana Fišerová, Councilor for Education and Culture of the Zlín Region, said she would like to thank the pair that found the treasure for handing it over to the museum. “They will help reveal another piece of the region’s history and will also allow the public to see these beautiful coins,” she said.

Tomáš Vitásek, director of the Wallachian Regional Museum, said the archeological team has been doing a great job for a long time, which is reflected, among other things, in the fact that the public has great confidence in it. “And I don’t mean just honest finders, but also builders who need it for archaeological surveys of the sites they work on. So it is no wonder that such great finds have increased in recent years,” he said.

Perhaps in part because the pandemic saw people going out into nature areas more often, 2021 was the most successful in terms of archaeological finds in Wallachia’s history. The highlight last year was at the village of Ústí u Vsetína, where a group of friends found a container full of Prague groschen from the second half of the 14th century. This year is now off to a good start as well.

Detailed examination of 818 coins from Loučka won’t start for several months. Experts will begin only after the analysis of last year’s find in Ústí u Vsetína is completed.

“There are many tasks to be done and not all of them are done in our museum. But in the end, we will be able to put together a comprehensive historical picture of both discoveries,” Španihel said. After all the preservation and research work is completed, both finds will be exhibited in one of the branches of the Wallachian Regional Museum.

By Raymond Johnston.

#Mother and Son Find Silver Coin Hoard in Czech Republic #Moravia Czech Republic #metal detector #archeology #archeolgst #silver #silver coins #ancient coins #treasure #history #history news #ancient history #ancient culture #ancient civilizations

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i-am-a-closet-fanfic-fiend · 3 years

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As It Should Be ~ Lucy x Caspian

A/N: Hello lovelies, so this is well out of my wheel house. But thanks to Shadow and Bone I am well and truly back on my Ben Barnes Bullshit. Which included re-watching the Narnia movies and then I had some feels. I'm completely ignoring the books and this is way AU but I couldn't get it out of my head. So if there's any Lucian shippers out there, this ones for you. Spoilers for the movies.

Summary: Lucy had not been ready to leave Narnia. And Caspian had not been ready for her to go. Perhaps fate still had a plan.

Characters/Pairings: Lucy Pevensie/Caspian (everyone is of age, time works funny between the realms); Edmund Pevensie, Aslan

Warnings: Fluff, a little bit of angst, pining, spoilers for the movies.

Word count: 5800 (I don't know how it happened. I just had a lot of feels)

Caspian’s voyage on the Dawn Treader had been a success on all counts. But in spite of his resolve to be a great king of Narnia and to treasure the lands and people he had been chosen to rule, the young king was sorrowful on their return journey. His crew had known better than to question him when he returned alone from Aslan’s country. Drinian put a comforting hand on his shoulder, and Caspian clasped it for a moment before giving him a meaningful nod. Drinian got the Dawn Treader sailing for home while Caspian ducked below deck for just a moment to mourn the loss of his friends. When he returned, his smile was not quite so bright as it had been when the king and queen of old had been on the ship.

The crew was happy to be going home, but they also felt the loss of their companions quite acutely. It had taken no time at all for them to love Lucy and Edmund. The younger of the Kings and Queens of old were kind and hardworking and had immediately treated them as old friends. Narnia they supposed was their great love. And while Eustace had taken some extraordinary circumstances to warm up to, he too was missed, and they all found the ship far too silent with Reepicheep’s running commentary.

Their return took nearly six months as they returned all those who had been taken by the mist to their home islands. So, while the crew was joyous to be returning home after nearly two years, everyone was weary when they finally docked on the shores beneath Cair Paravel. Drinian directed the landing team, as more sailors came to help them unload. Caspian gazed up at Cair Paravel in all its glory. It had been mostly restored before he departed, but now, it was back to its true grandure, he wished Lucy and Edmund could have seen this.

He had only a moment before his advisors were upon him, welcoming him back and informing him that a feast was already being prepared for his return. They clamored for his attention, luckily with good news. They each were reporting that peace remained and things had grown even more bountiful in the past six months. Caspian listened carefully making notes on what to discuss with them tomorrow, before finally excusing himself to clean up before the feast.

After what could only be described as the most delicious meal he’d ever had, Caspian took his time reacquainting himself with the halls of his castle. During his time away, the team in charge of the interior restoration had finished all of their projects, which included the portraits of the Pevensies at the height of their rule. He inspected each one closely, trying to find the familiar features of his friends in the older faces.

For the most part he could see it. Although it was odd to see them at that age - all older than his 23 years. Well, all but Lucy. She had been just shy of 21 when they tumbled back through the wardrobe. She was the only one who never mentioned how hard it was to go from being an adult back to being an 8 year old. But he suspected that she struggled more than she let on, though she would never tell her siblings while they suffered their own distress. His thoughts lingered on the youngest of the great kings and queens. He couldn’t help but wonder if his dear friend would look the same when she reached 20 again.

Her portrait hung beside her sister’s and one could easily spot the differences. Susan held a quiet beauty, befitting her title of Gentle. But even the stillness of a portrait could not tame Lucy’s wild beauty and adventurous spirit. He knew well the twinkle of excitement the artist had captured. It was one that never failed to bring a smile to his face.

Caspian had been captivated by Lucy during their time on the Dawn Treader. More than he’d been willing to admit, even to himself. Though he suspected Edmund had seen it. He’d even expected a brotherly talk at one point, since Peter was absent. But he merely smiled, and took every opportunity to let them be together. Drinian had also made more than a few subtle comments, but Caspian had chosen to remain silent.

While the young prince had had eyes only for Susan upon their first meeting in terms of amorous intentions, Lucy’s unwavering faith and goodness had endeared her to him. When she stood across the river with only a dagger in her hand, facing down an army with a smile he could see why she of the four was the Valiant. She was amazing, even at age 11.

Her return 3 years later, had only deepened that opinion. She had matured and Caspian found himself lost in her. He’d been telling the truth when he told her that he hadn’t found a queen as beautiful as Susan, but what he left out was that there had been none as fierce as her either.

The pair had spent every possible moment together – stargazing, checking maps, telling stories. He loved her stories. Queen Lucy the Valiant had truly been a queen of her people. While her siblings had often been on the frontlines of battle, Lucy had always been protecting the people – evacuating them, learning from the healers how to dress wounds that didn’t require her cordial. She was the most beloved of the four, even in the stories Caspian had heard before he met them. Though she would refute that claim a thousand times over.

Other stories were filled with tales of dancing with fauns and dryads. Mr. Tumnus was a frequent character, and Caspian could hear the heartache in her voice when she spoke about him. He would often take the opportunity to squeeze her hand in comfort, which she also responded to with a grateful smile. Edmund would often join in, offering tales of his own or teasing Lucy.

One time in particular, he felt the need to remind her of the time a suitor had come to court and she had been so used to dancing with the fauns during their revelries that she panicked when he had offered his hand for a formal dance.

“All you could hear in the ballroom was Tristan grunting and Lucy apologizing,” Edmund chuckled.

Lucy’s cheeks flamed red and she glared at her brother for a moment, before a smirk slid across her features.

“At least I didn’t end up in a fountain after my first kiss,” she shot back.

Edmund’s cheeks tinged ever so slightly, but his expression was wistful.

“She was lovely. And it was worth it. I hope she had a good life.”

“I’m sure she did. But I’m sure she missed you.”

The siblings shared a look, regrets and memories flowing through their minds. Once again, Caspian was struck by how much life and loss these two “children” had experienced.

Later that night, after confirming their course with Drinian, Caspian was ready to retire to the barracks area for a few hours of sleep. But as he passed his quarters which he had given to Lucy, he heard humming. Moving as quietly as he could, he neared the cabin, noting the slightly ajar door. Caspian couldn’t help the smile that crossed his lips as he watched Lucy dance to her own tune as she looked in the mirror, the steps somewhat disjointed. He slipped inside, leaning against the doorjamb, making sure she couldn’t see his reflection.

“Would you like a partner?” he finally asked.

Lucy jumped at the unexpected voice, whirling as her cheeks filled with color upon realizing she’d been caught.

“Caspian! I was just… Edmund made me remember and I thought I’d practice.”

“In case we have a ball on the Dawn Treader?” he asked, grinning wildly at her.

“Of course. I’ve been to many balls on ships,” she giggled before sobering slightly. “No, but there’s dances back home. And I’ve never been, but I suspect they don’t much care for the type of dancing the fauns and dryads do.”

The mention of home twisted in Caspian’s gut, but he pushed the thought away. He would enjoy what time he had with her. Each moment was a gift.

“Well, I don’t know how they dance in your world, but it always helps to have a partner. May I?”

She nodded, uncharacteristically shy.

He snapped to attention and made a formal bow, which made her laugh but she curtsied anyway before taking his hand. He pressed a quick kiss to her knuckles, before placing her hand on his shoulder. His right hand fell to her waist, he his left clasped hers firmly.

“’Ready?”

“Absolutely?”

He wasn’t positive, but they both sounded breathless.

He began to hum, counting the beats by gently tapping his fingers against her side. He gave it a count of 8 before he began to move. It was rough at first, they were both out of practice… and nervous if he was being honest. But after a few crushed toes, they found their rhythm and soon they seemed to float. Caspian waltzed her around the room, twin smiles adorning their faces. Before they knew it, they were simply swaying in place gazing into each other’s eyes.

“I wonder if Susan is dancing like this with her naval officer,” Lucy wondered aloud, regretting it the moment it slipped past her lips. “Oh, I’m sorry, Caspian. I wasn’t thinking.”

He chuckled and shook his head.

“Don’t worry, Lucy. I’m not upset. I’m happy that your sister is moving on with her life. No one deserves to be alone.”

“But you’re alone,” Lucy pointed out.

Not cruelly, more confused by his logic.

“I’m not alone right now. I’m with you.”

And I will take that, he thought to himself. Just this moment and whatever else I get.

“Susan and I are worlds apart. In more ways than one,” he added slyly.

Lucy gazed up at him, no longer swaying at all.

“Caspian, I-“

At that moment, the ship lurched sending her crashing into his arms. It lurched again and sent them both to the floor. A storm had reached them and they heard the crew members racing about on deck. They shared one more moment before sprinting into action.

“Your majesty.”

His chief advisor’s voice jostled Caspian from his memories.

“Lord Pallburn. How can I help you?”

“You requested updates on the refugees and the five lords.”

“Of course. We shall speak on the way to my chambers.”

Caspian shot one last look at Lucy’s portrait before leading his advisor away.

Lucy sighed quietly as she watched the happy couple spin around the dance floor.

Years ago, on a ship a world away, Lucy had been held like that. Her thoughts strayed to Caspian and his near obsidian eyes. She had thought of him often in the years since. She wondered how long it had been for him.

Was he married by now?

A father?

Dead?

No.

Her heart couldn’t bear that last one. She had to believe Caspian was alive and well and happy or she wouldn’t be able to carry on.

She shook the thoughts away and returned to the view in front of her.

Susan was absolutely radiant in her wedding dress. Her smile lit up the room as Tom held her in his arms, leaning down for a peck as the song ended. They held hands as they exited the dance floor to chat with their friends.

Peter had his younger daughter, Jane, balanced on the top of his shoes as he moved them about in a decent facsimile of a waltz. Lucy smiled as she remembered her oldest brother doing the same with her when she was much younger.

Edmund was sitting with his girlfriend Margaret and their cousin Eustace laughing quite merrily.

With the exception of her cousin, Narnia had taken on the golden tint of a fond memory. But a memory none the less. Her siblings had been content to leave it at that. Lucy could not find it in her to do the same. Narnia had always felt more like home than this world. A fractured childhood would do that to you she supposed. After all she had grown up in Narnia first.

She still knew their customs and constellations better than England’s. But she knew it wasn’t just that. Her heart lay in Narnia, or rather with the King of Narnia. Caspian had a way of making Lucy feel seen when others didn’t.

“Enjoying the party, Lu?”

She nodded as she looked to Edmund who had slipped into the seat beside her.

“It’s wonderful. Everyone is having so much fun.”

“Everyone?”

“I’m having fun,” she insisted, knowing Edmund could see right through her.

“Talk to me.”

She looked again to the dance floor, eyes flitting from couple to couple.

“Do you think that I could ever find that here?”

“Love?”

Lucy nodded again.

“What makes you think you won’t?” he pressed, avoiding her question.

“I can’t imagine finding anyone to share my life with like that. There’s so much I couldn’t tell them. I don’t know how you all do it.”

Edmund hummed in response.

“Narnia meant everything to me. It made me who I am, but the only one who needs to know about it for it to be real is me. And I’m lucky enough that I got to share it with you, and Peter, Susan, and Eustace. Margaret doesn’t need to know what made me the man I am. Only that that man is someone she wants to be with.”

Lucy regarded her brother carefully for a moment. He’d clearly put a lot of thought into this and she appreciated it.

“I guess that makes sense. I guess I’m not ready to admit that Narnia is my past. Even though I have to.”

They were quiet for a moment.

“Is that the only reason you think you won’t find love here?”

Lucy knew where he was going with this, and finally she sighed – more an exhale after holding one’s breath.

“I think I loved him,” she whispered, not needing to specify who “him” was.

“Loved?” he clarified.

“Love,” Lucy corrected.

“He loves you too for what it’s worth. I could see it. Clear as the Northern Sky.”

“I don’t think it matters much. We’re worlds apart now. He’s probably married by now. I’m not sure how I managed it, but it seems I’ve left my heart in Narnia.”

Edmund wrapped an arm around her shoulder and tugged her into his side. She leaned her head heavily against his shoulder.

“What has been lost, can be found. We just need to have faith about these things. You taught me that.”

Lucy smiled at the reassurance.

“Thank you, Edmund.”

“Anything for you. Would you like to dance? We can even pretend we’re at Tumnus’,” he offered.

Lucy shook her head, but smiled more genuinely than she had all night.

“I think I’m going to take advantage of the gardens, and get some fresh air.”

“It’s not like there isn’t air inside,” he joked making her roll her eyes.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Edmund nodded and squeezed her once more before letting her go.

“Be safe.”

Lucy slipped through the crowd unnoticed, as usual. After a few minutes walking through the gardens she happened upon the entrance to a hedge maze. Looking back at the lights of the reception, she took a deep breath and hurried into the maze, following the turns at random.

It couldn’t possibly be big enough for her to actually get lost.

Caspian perched on the rail of his balcony, one knee up as his back was pressed against the palace wall twirling Lucy’s dagger in his hand. If anyone entered his chambers they wouldn’t be able to see him unless they stepped outside. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back against the stone enjoying the cool breeze off the Eastern Sea. He had chosen this room specifically for the view of the water. It had always calmed him, and now it held an even more special place in his heart.

In the morning, he would return to his duties as king and this journey would leave the forefront of his mind to make room for diplomacy and logistics. And if his advisors had their way, finding a queen. But for now, as the wind whipped around him, he could imagine that he was back on the Dawn Treader. And if he listened closely enough, he could hear Lucy’s familiar humming. He allowed his mind to run wild with memories.

When the humming only grew louder, even after shaking himself from the sweet memories, Caspian grew concerned. Alert now for possible danger, he scanned the grounds for the source of the sound.

The beach was clear. As were the cliffs to the north. But as he turned his gaze to the south, a flash of auburn hair in the garden maze caught his eyes. She was deep within the heart of the garden without alerting the guards which was no easy feat.

Fastening his sword belt on, he sheathed Lucy’s dagger which she had gifted him on the shores of Aslan’s country.

“I think you’ll need this more than I will.”

“It shall never leave my side.”

You shall never leave my heart had remained unspoken.

Not wishing to alert the guards, Caspian scaled down the side of the castle, jumping from the lowest window and rolling to his feet.

The wind was carrying the humming to his ears quite clearly, as though it was actively helping him find the intruder. At the edge of the maze he took a deep breath before stepping inside. He allowed himself to be led through the turns by the voice, although he was nearly certain it must be a trap. Surely it was a siren or some spell luring him with his heart’s desire. But still he pursued her.

A few times it seemed they were just on the other side of the hedge from each other, but he would round the corner and find only a dead end.

Finally, he caught a flash of lavender fabric whooshing around the corner and he sped up as well as he could while maintaining his stealth. Lucy’s dagger fit comfortably in his hand. Peeking around the corner to ensure she was coming, he waited until she had passed by before leaping out and grabbing her, the dagger pressed against her throat.

“Who are you? And what are you doing here?”

She froze in his arms.

“Caspian?”

The woman squirmed in his grip enough to see his face and in his surprise he let her.

“It is you. How on Earth did you get here?” she asked.

“Lucy?” he mumbled as he released her and she turned to look at him, giving him his first good look at her.

“Yes, it’s me. I know I look a bit different. But goodness, you haven’t aged a day,”

“Lucy,” he repeated before dropping the dagger and pulling her into his arms, burying his face in her neck.

She held him just as fiercely as if he would disappear if she let go for even an instant.

“I missed you so much,” he murmured. “I thought of you every day.”

“As did I. How long has it been for you?” she asked as she lifted her head to look at him, unwilling to break their embrace any further.

“Six months and thirteen days.”

Lucy huffed out a little laugh.

“Is that all?”

Caspian already knew it had been much longer for her. Years, he guessed, given how much she looked like her portrait.

“How long?”

“Six years. Four months. Eleven days.”

She’d been counting. In spite of knowing that Aslan’s plans for Narnia did not include her.

“Oh, Lucy,” Caspian sighed.

Years. She had thought of him every day for years. The knowledge made his heart beat faster.

“It’s okay. You’re here now. How on Earth are you here?” she asked again.

Caspian glanced upward, just to ensure he hadn’t been transported to her world, but sure enough his stars remained, twinkling down at him.

“Lucy, you’re in Narnia.”

Whipping her head around to gain bearings she didn’t know she’d lost, Lucy’s expression clouded with confusion.

“But how? I was at the wedding. I just stepped out for a few minutes –“ She paused and shook her head with a serene smile. “Things never happen the same twice,” she murmured. “Or four times I suppose. I’m not sure how it’s happened, but I am glad to be home.”

Caspian’s heart both clenched and soared at the word home. But he was still stuck on the earlier revelation.

“You were at a wedding?”

His mind raced as he took in her demure dress and artful curls.

Six years, his mind screamed. Even if she had thought of him, of course she would have found someone else in that time.

“Yes,” she affirmed absent-mindedly. “Of Susan will be so cross I’ve left her wedding.”

Elation.

“Susan’s wedding?”

“Yes.” Lucy’s face dropped. “Oh, I’m sorry, Caspian.”

“So you are not married?” he asked, ignoring the apology.

Lucy’s laughter was a balm to his soul.

“Goodness, no. Not even close. The closest I’ve come to marriage was holding hands with Dennis Macmillian when we were 17. And even that was mainly because I was slipping on the ice. I’ve never even gone for a stroll with a boy.”

Caspian smiled, pulling back just enough to offer her his arm.

“Well then, please, allow me. It would be a shame to waste such a lovely Narnian evening.”

“So it would,” she agreed, looping her arms through his. “Tell me everything I’ve missed,” she insisted as they walked deeper into the maze.

“There’s not that much to tell you. We’ve only just arrived back to Cair Paravel this morning. It took us several months to return everyone to their homes before we could return. Beyond that, I’ve just received reports of peace in Narnia.”

“That’s wonderful, Caspian.”

“I’m sure your time has been far more interesting. Tell me everything.”

“Longer doesn’t always mean more interesting.”

Caspian shot her a look of disbelief.

“I’m telling the truth. After the Dawn Treader we stayed with Eustace until the end of the War. After that, once Susan, Peter, and our parents returned, I went back to school. I learned how to become a nurse.”

“Did you now?”

“Mhmm. Top of my class even. It’s been fascinating to learn, although I still think the healers here have a better bedside manner. And goodness have there been days where I wished for my cordial on the job.”

“It sounds intense.”

“It is. But I love it.”

Her smile confirmed it.

“It suits you,” he agreed.

“Besides all that, not much has changed for me. I spend most of my time working or with my family, though that’s been difficult of late.”

“Difficult? Why?” he asked with a furrowed brow.

“They’ve all become convinced I’m doomed to become an old maid. Well, not everyone I suppose. Mainly my parents and Susan. Peter would prefer it that way, over protective as he is. And Edmund, well he just wants me to be happy.”

Despite her comments, the fondness she had for her siblings still shone through.

“I’m sure they all want you to be happy.”

“I know that. I just wish they wouldn’t keep trying to set me up. I think falling in love should happen naturally.”

She glanced up at Caspian who was watching her closely.

“As do I. So it sounds to me that you’re turning suitors down left and right.”

“Hardly,” she scoffed. “Although I think Susan believes that she’ll have a better chance at marrying me off now that she’s officially taken. They’ll have to settle for the lesser Pevensie sister.”

Caspian narrowed his eyes at the assertion, footsteps coming to a halt as he turned to face her.

“In what way lesser?”

“In every way,” Lucy laughed humorlessly.

“You are Queen Lucy the Valiant. The most beloved Queen Narnia has ever seen,” he reminded her, continuing on before she could argue with him. “You are amazing. You are in no way lesser.”

His words made her smile but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“That may be who I am here. But in my world, I’m just Peter and Susan’s little sister. An afterthought.”

Caspian hated to hear her talk about herself like that.

“Then everyone in your world must be fools. You are valiant and beautiful in every world.”

Lucy found herself unable to hold his intense gaze.

“I’m not beautiful like Susan.”

He lifted her head up with a finger underneath her chin, forcing her to look at him.

“Perhaps not. But you’re beautiful like you. And brave. And kind. And loving. And a million other wonderful things.”

“No one’s ever seen me the way you do.”

“It’s an honor to know you this way, Lucy.”

He reached up cradling her cheek before sliding his fingers into her hair.

“I love you.”

It was a relief to finally say it out loud, and her smile was well worth it.

“I love you too, Caspian. I have for a long time.”

He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. When he pulled away, he leaned his forehead against hers.

“I was so scared I’d never see you again,” she whispered.

“I was too. I was certain that I’d lost my chance. But you’re here now.”

“I am.” She looked around and somehow he knew she was looking for Aslan. “But I still don’t know why.”

“I’m sure Aslan has his reasons.”

“He usually does,” Lucy agreed with a smile. “I’m sure we’ll figure it out in time. For now…”

“For now, I’m just going to be grateful. And enjoy every second of my time with you.”

“I like that plan.”

They walked through the gardens for a time before Caspian escorted her up to the castle.

Sure enough they spent the next few weeks enjoying their time together. In fact the entire kingdom rejoiced at the return of their queen. But with no indication as to why she was there, soon a quiet anxiety crept in.

Neither Lucy nor Caspian were willing to make too many plans when they didn’t know when she would be returning, so instead they focused on ensuring Narnia was well taken care of. Lucy helped Caspian reinstate the High Council so that every type of creature was represented. Caspian watched in awe as the land flourished and now that everyone had a voice they found it even easier to keep peace. In fact, many days it seemed there wasn’t much ruling to do at all. So he spent more time with his people than ever, which he loved.

And he grew to love Lucy more every day. He knew at some point that she would have to leave, to return to her family, but he also knew that he couldn’t bear to be without her. His decision was made, although he was sure that many would consider it selfish.

Which is why a year after she arrived, Caspian led Lucy into the maze he had found her in.

“This is quite lovely. We haven’t done this in a while. What brought this on?” she asked as they walked.

“Well, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. And I have a question for you. And I thought this would be the best place to ask it.”

She tilted her head in question, noting the slight nervousness in his voice.

“What kind of question?”

“An important one.”

They had reached the center of the maze and Caspian led Lucy to sit on the edge of the fountain that contained a stone carving of Aslan. He hoped it would bring them the Great Lion’s blessing.

He took both her hands in his as he sat beside her on the edge of the fountain.

“Lucy, my love, ever since I first met you, you have been a source of strength and someone who I have never failed to believe in. On our first adventure I learned never to overlook you, and I am eternally grateful for learning that lesson. Because it allowed me to see you for who you are on our second adventure. On the Dawn Treader, I fell in love with you. And the day I had to say goodbye to you it felt as if my heart would never be whole again. But by the grace of Aslan, you were returned to me. And I have spent the past year falling more and more in love with you. I’m not sure how long we have left in Narnia, but I don’t want to waste another moment without asking you to be my wife.”

She gasped as Caspian shifted down onto one knee.

“There is no other I would bind myself to. I love you, Lucy Pevensie. And my only wish is to have you by my side for as long as you’ll have me. Will you marry me?”

“Of course.”

She tackled Caspian to the ground in a very unladylike move, and kissed him soundly.

“Of course I’ll marry you.”

Caspian’s smile was brilliant as he reached up to cradle her face before pulling her down for another kiss. They reveled in their new engagement alone for a while longer before deciding to return to the castle.

They were nearly out of the maze when they saw a flash of golden fur.

“Aslan?”

Lucy took off after the lion and Caspian was right on her heels. He couldn’t help but wonder at the timing.

They made it back to the fountain and found the lion himself in front of his stone counterpart.

“Aslan, it is you.”

Lucy launched herself at him, burying her face in his fur.

“Hello, dear one.” It came out in a deep rumbling laugh.

Caspian knelt before Aslan, keeping his eyes on the ground.

“Rise, King Caspian.”

“Aslan, what are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to talk to you about your future, dear one.”

Caspian felt unease coil in his stomach.

“My future here or…?”

Lucy took a step back to stand next to Caspian taking his hand in hers.

“That is your decision to make, Lucy. Your heart longed for Narnia when you returned home. You had not been ready to leave it behind. Is that still true?”

She looked to her betrothed and considered her words carefully.

“I could leave Narnia. But I cannot leave my heart. I cannot leave Caspian. Not again.”

Aslan turned his massive head towards the king – looking at him expectantly.

“Caspian?”

The king lifted Lucy’s hand to kiss her knuckles, looking to her as he answered.

“Narnia was the only home I ever knew. But Lucy is the only home I will ever need. I would leave Narnia if she wished me to. If you would allow it,” he added as he finally turned to face Aslan.

“Caspian?” Lucy gasped at him.

Aslan seemed to nod so Caspian continued, looking back to his love.

“Lucy, in the past year we’ve changed Narnia. It is ruled by its people. As it should be. They don’t need a king. But I need you.”

Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, but there was no mistaking her smile.

“Are you sure?”

“I am,” he assured her.

Lucy kissed him for a moment, before turning to Aslan.

“Aslan, is it possible?”

He huffed a laugh and nodded with a shake of his mane.

“Yes, dear one. It is possible. All is as it should be with Narnia thanks to you. But you both must be sure.”

They shared a look before turning back to Aslan.

“We’re sure,” they said in unison.

“But we must not abandon Narnia this time,” Lucy insisted. “I want to say goodbye properly.”

“Of course. You two can stay as long as you like, you have earned that. When you are ready return to this fountain and take the path behind it.”

They both peeked around as the hedge directly behind Aslan’s statue opened up. If she listened closely Lucy could hear the music of the reception.

“You’ll be returned to when you left,” Aslan answered her unspoken question.

Lucy hugged him again and Caspian joined in this time.

“Thank you, Aslan.”

“Thank you, for all you have done for Narnia. It is better for knowing you, dear heart.”

Lucy and Caspian were married after six months on the day before they stepped down and allowed the high council full rule over Narnia. Surprisingly, no one begrudged them their decision. Narnia was happy and they saw that they could rule themselves and be their own heroes.

Two years to the day after Lucy arrived, they said their final goodbyes to the land that had given them so many gifts, the dearest of which was each other.

Hand in hand they entered the maze and followed the turns to the center. With one last look at the great stone lion, they walked through the hedge behind him, coming out into a dark night. Lucy was once again in her lavender bridesmaid dress. Luckily she had had the foresight to have a suit made for Caspian so he would blend in.

“Shall we?” she asked, excited to see her family after so long. Well so long for her. Just moments for them.

“Are you sure I shouldn’t just wait here until after the wedding? How are we going to explain me just turning up?” Caspian asked, daunted by the new world around him.

It was louder than Narnia, and undeniably strange. Lucy cupped his cheek, and kissed him.

“The evening is nearly over. The others will want to see you. You were at the other party and we ran into each other in the garden. You’re an old friend from our time with the professor. And I insisted that you come say hello and congratulate Susan in person.”

“You’ve thought about this,” he teased, considering the plan in his head.

“Of course. It was the first thing I thought when you threatened me with my own dagger,” she reminded him with a mocking look.

“Oh really?” Caspian chuckled, quirking an eyebrow at her.

“Yes. Right after ‘he’s here. Maybe I get to be loved after all’.”

“You are so loved, my valiant Lucy. And I shall love you forever. In every world.”

She smiled up at him, blissfully happy.

“And I you, Caspian.”

They shared one more kiss before walking hand in hand back to reception. Everything was as it should be.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this. I've got loads of Ben Barnes feels lately and this is how I'm dealing with it lol. Thanks for reading!

#Caspian x Lucy #Prince Caspian Fic #Lucian Fic #Lucy x Caspian #lucy pevensie #narnia #prince caspian #Lucy Pevensie fic #Narnia fic

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extorchic · 3 years

Text

TOP 5 SK8 Episodes

So I got tagged by @akira-cr to make this list, it took some time but I think I've sorted out my mind, thank you for considering me 😊. Now here comes the list, sorry if it's supposd to be objective, but I'm gonna let my heart out over here (It's gonna be a long post and I'm not gonna cut it ):

NUMBER 5 - Episode 6 - Steamy Mystery Skating?! (A.K.A. The beach episode 🏊‍♂️)

Well this is supposed to be "breather" episode, and it's basically the one that sold the series to me. I like how fun and chill this episode is, although it does (further) foreshadow Reki's insecurity issues. The music is of course SUBLIME! "Seize the Moment" is probably my favorite insert song of all time! (it's been present in Reki's beefs as well, but here it really reflects the fun nature of his character and the show overall). And of coruse, FANSERVICE, not so much in how the boys were in swimsuits (though I gotta admit Reki does look good in them), but on the RENGA interactions!

That hug gave me life! How Langa was worried 24/7 about Reki being injured, at the end when they skated together to escape from the Bantu! I gotta admit that I have some mixed feelings about the implications of Reki being attracted to the faceless girl (I mean, Bi rep is very important too), but I guess my shipping side was just as jelaous as Langa was supposed to be (according to the fans LOL).

NUMBER 4 - Episode 11 - King vs. Nobody (A.K.A. Reki rising! ✨🌺🌞⚙️)

Reki is, without a doubt, my favorite character. He doesn't need to win, he doesn't need to be super flashy while skating, he just needs to be himself. He's been through a lot, many people (including me) have felt tremendously related to him, and seeing him in this episode is just satisfying. With his issues behind, with a promise to skate with Langa after he wins and no longer fearful, Reki rematches against Adam; and the way he does is fantastic! Taking advantage of his creativity, observative skills and mechanical knowledge on skateboarding, he faces up against the main boss and manages to not only endure his violent ways (which were gruelling to see, TBH), but also SOUNDLY HUMILIATE HIM in front of the whole S Community!

Yes, Adam, the "God of S", in the ground covered in mud by a boy almost everyone dissmissed! It was really sunshine through rainfall! I must also add how much I liked to see his renewed relationship with Langa, how much they treasure their company after patching up. I want to elaborate on this in its own post but I personally see that their interactions from this point on are more, I don't know, tender, caring, still playful but not in an entirely comedic way. The way they see each other is also deeper, anyway, it's just what I see.

NUMBER 3 - A DRAW: Episode 8 - The Fated Tournament! and Episode 9 - We Were Special Back Then (A.K.A. The month in which I was in an emotional crisis because of anime sk8t3r b0is 🍎🐍😭🛹❄🍵🌸 )

This is the point in which I got into the show, and the fandom (Yeah, haven't been around for too long). At this point the show wasn't the same, and I realized it when I caught up. Though there were some cool skating scenes in these episodes, the events that caught my attention were outside the road (Yeah, this was no longer just a skateboard anime, it's a whole lot more). Though I had been mainly focusing on Reki and Langa, I really liked having more backstory related to Joe, Cherry, Adam and Tadashi. Seeing how Adam went through a terrible childhood, convoluted teeange years to culminate in an adult with too much power for his own good and a twisted sense of "love", along with some extremely serious psychological issues was very interesting.

I acknowldge him as a complex villain, but that DOES NOT justify what he did to Cherry. This only proves that just because we know his backstory, we don't have to sympathize with him (Adam's just such a terrible person). On the RENGA side, we see Reki avoiding Langa after their rift, and how this affected both. We have Langa's sadness increase scene after scene, as well as his passion for skating dwindling as progressively. Reki on the other hand, just falls deeper and deeper in his depression, but also being unable to stop thinking about Langa, and he ends up going to S to see the latter's match against Joe. It's hard to see whether there's envy, jelaousness, frustration, admiration, pining or fear of being left behind in his mind. It must have been hard for a 17 y/o.

Reki also defends Langa from people speaking behind his back and shouting his name during the race boosts Langa's performance tremendously. This culminates on Reki realizing that the thing he actually wanted was to skate alongside Langa, not on the side, not as support, but together, he just couldn't. There's also the scene which may or may not confirm that Langa's feelings for Reki are more than just friendship! (Felt represented, for reals).

NUMBER 2 - Episode 7 - We Don't Balance Out (A.K.A. This was supposed to be a fun show!😭⛈️💔️)

I wrote a lot about the episodes in the previous spot, but this is the one that flipped the tables, the game-changer, and the one that hit closer home. It is a sad episode, no races there, it's just here for us to see how the circumstances affect the characters. It was hard to see how Reki, who at this point had been nothing but supportive and proud of Langa, starts to see him flying farther from him. Is it jealousness? Dissatisfaction? Is it fear of loneliness? Adbandoment issues? Is it feeling inferior? Frustration? Not being able to improve? Admiration? Care?

And on top of that a broken promise. I just can't imagine how hard is it for a 17 y/o to deal with all of those conflicting issues in his head, as well as the toxic competitive environment on the "S Community". This just came to show that he wasn't just the excitable, goofy sidekick character, he goes deeper than that, and makes him relatable. We also see a deconstruction of the cool, aloof prodigious character in Langa, as he just can't comprehend what's going on with Reki, and he's hurt by it, but still needs to figure out his own ambitions and desries. This leads to the emotional conclusion of the episode (which in turn left me in the aforementioned 4-week-long emotional crisis, thank you)

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Episode 12 - Our Infinity! - The race was cool, the Renga hug gave me life and everyone had a happy ending

Episode 5 - Passionate Dancing Night! - Despite the beef between Langa and Adam being cool, we start to see Reki worrying about Langa and opening up to him, further deepening their bond.

Episode 2 - Awesome for the First Time! - There's just something special about sharing something you're passionate about with someone else. Watching Reki teaching Langa the basics of skateboarding was heartwarming

NUMBER 1 - Episode 10 - DAP Not Needing Words

After 4 weeks waiting, the anticipation for this episode was gargantuan. Reki's depression was hitting its lowest point, bordering in self-harm, and hurting others as well. Langa continues to look for Reki after seeing him briefly at the hospital while visiting Shadow and we get to see this loving scene where he watches videos of Reki learining how to skate. After confronting Tadashi and realizing that he loves skating because it's fun, he returns home to find out that Langa had been waiting for him but left shortly before he arrived.

This leads to a heartful reunion, where words can't express their feelings, so they resort to do their thing, to skate, and that's where the feelings flow. This is when Langa tells Reki how he admires him tremendously and Reki understands that Langa'll be there by his side, and leaves his fears behind. With a mutual desire to skate together infinetely and a new dap, they rekindle their bond. People watched this show for different reasons, and though I like the skateboarding aspect because it looks cool, my interest leans more on the relationship aspect, and Reki and Langa's is so deep and intimate, and I liked seeing it grow from zero through different hardships (in other words, in all of the years I've been in a fandom, I had never shipped any other pair like these two, I needed to say that).

So I guess it's time to tag some people:

@pico-sour, @sleebycryptid, @elizabethslee, @itsamole, @kaorucherry, @blueflame97, @trieizieme, @tardiskitten, @lady-pendragon-9

So, if you've read until this point, thank you very much (I know it's not supposed to, but this post is yet again a very long "I love Renga" one, but it's what my heart wanted me to write 😅). I'd love to see people other than the ones I tagged showing their lists 😃

#sk8 the infinity #sk8 #sk8 reki #reki kyan #sk8 langa #langa hasegawa #sk8 renga #renga #lanreki #rekilan #top 5 #sk_8

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constelacionde-orion · 3 years

Text

Dark Age [2-?]

Pairing : Jason Todd x Reader *THIS IS BATMAN PERSPECTIVE*

Warnings: swearing, some tears, fight, violence, angst maybe, idk

Summary: Chaos always has a beginning. It’s the Batman the one that set the fire for this hell?

*ALSO IMPORTANT MANY PEOPLE ARE DEAD BUT THEY ARE ALIVE IN THE ACTUAL UNIVERSE, I NEEDED DRAMA ,SORRY*

A/N : I will remind the reader every once in a while the point of views since, in this chapter we will follow Buce and Y/N. Bare with me. Also might be 4 chapters. Yeah.

You don’t know what the hell it’s the story?. Check the previous Chapter here:

Chapter 1

* BATMAN / BRUCE WAYNE POINT OF VIEW *

8 months ago. The beginning

“Sorry to interrupt, Mr.Wayne. But Mrs. Byron it’s here” said Louisa in the intercom.

“Send her, please” I said as I raise from my desk, going straight to the picture window to see Gotham.

A rare day if I might say. The sun it’s shining, people it’s laughing in the parks and streets while they do whatever normal people do in a sunny day. For Gotham aesthetic, this is one of those days that people treasures like a sweet and endless dream since no one knows when it’s going to happen again.

I left my thoughts drift into the last sunny day I had. When was it? , was I in the Manor?, what was I doing?. The last memory I had for one of those days, the most clear ones at least, was with all the children, well, they are not children anymore as they said, even Damian denies this ‘concept’. But, I think we were in the backyard, playing softball or something, for sure Alfred made lemonade, and of course in ended up with a ‘tragedy’ for someone. Y/N’s book ended up torn apart by Titus, Alfred tile’s full with mud, Tim was the ball magnet for always getting hit by more than one in the face, Jason and Damian... was a bad idea to put them in different teams, Dick, always in the middle.

I couldn’t help but resist to laugh while recalling that day. I wonder if it could happen again soon, those days always-

“I thought i would die without hearing you laugh. May I hear the joke?” said Julia Byron interrupting my memories, her brown eyes held this mischievous spark as she walked across the office.

“Just a family memorie” I said trying to compose myself. “I hope you had a marvelous trip Julia”.

“Yes it was, always eager to see you, Bruce” she said, as she tooked a sit right infront of my desk.

Julia Byron. Famous archaeologist, writer, journalist, linguist, blogger... I know I’m forgetting something in all the impressive list she owns about knowledge. Also known in Gotham as the Culture Mayor, is it a surprise?.

“I think I have found the headline for the museum’s special ” she said with a bright smile.

“Please. enlighten me” I said taking a sit in front.

It might not be a ‘problem’ for many, but for her, it was. Why will someone go to a museum when they have everything on internet?, why it was important to keep the old building when we can build something better? or useful?. Julia loves the museum, it’s where her father worked and where she found the path to become what she is today, she wants that someone else feel the same way. So, she’s been traveling all around the globe, trying to find the ‘thing’, the ‘spark’ as she calls it, to show to the world, but mostly Gotham.

“I’ve been everywhere, Bruce. There’s no place on Earth where i landed my feet and everything it’s known by man, so I went, where men are not meant to be” She said and it was as if, with those words Gotham recalled its own weather.

The sun was hidden with a big a dark cloud, making everything dark as always, cold and mysterious. Julia took out her Ipad, she scrolled until her eyes grew wide, as if she discovered again, that unknown treasure.

“There’s a place in the Arctic, where no man has been before, I tell you Bruce, this place was forbidden by God, it doesn’t exist in the radar or maps, we found it only by chance. I will never go back, nor I will tell where it is, no one wants to go there, I’ve seen things, no one else should see, and even if I describe the horror I saw you wouldn’t believe it.” Said Julia, and I still don’t know, what was her voice hiding between words. Fear? Anxiety? Horror? yearning?

When she realized I was paying attention to her tale, she showed me the pictures. I saw ice, caverns, engravings, and a lot of figures I haven’t seen in my life, as I watched the pictures she continued her adventure.

“We went down and down, I don’t know for how long. One will think that no light could be there, but it was. A single ray of sun enlighten...this ” she said as she pointed at something in the picture.

I don’t know what it was, a box?, a book?, a chest?. I wasn’t there but I know, it had something bad coming out of it. I zoomed the picture since the same engravings were placed all over the object, walls and floor.

“It’s this an old and dead language? or“-

“It was, until we cracked up yesterday” she said again, with that strange voice.

Unleashed desires, Inmortal horror, Rectify when, The mind decipher, The order of disorder.

She reads the message and then she explained.

“This object inside the chest, allows anyone to get what they want, but always with a parallel nightmare. How many cultures has things with this aura?, but how many like this? With a long forgotten culture and ethics! Bruce!, this is revolutionary! Imagine how important this will be for Gotham! For my team! For me!” She said with a maniacal laugh, but...

Anything?. Anything? . Imagine how important this will be for Gotham. This could end with all the horrors, the crime, injustice that reign our society, and then, when it does it’s thing here... the whole world, universe, everywhere will see the light of justice... but only in good hands, if it goes to the museum, many unrightful people will want it.

“How many people knows about this? I mean, here in Gotham?” I said as if my mind was still connecting all the things that could correct with that stone or whatever it was.

“What?-Why?... well, my team for sure. Since you are my friend, i wanted to came with you first for approval so I could go with-”

“So only me”

“Why-Bruce”(laughs between teeths) “I was making the emails and so of course, I made a blog about some details, I was going to update today”

“Cancel them“

“Excuse me? , But why on Earth will I’ll do that?” she said turning angry.

“Think about it Julia. Isn’t it better that people discover it as you did? As a archeological surprise?” I said trying to make her think it was a marketing idea.

“Bruce. I don’t think you see the big thing. Literally. I brought big, biiiiig, boxes with that thing and objects, pieces of the cavern, everything! Where I am supposed to hide them? huh?” She said like if i had the worst idea ever.

“I know a place, well. I own a place, you can leave it all there. Then you talk with however you need to, and we pay the best marketing agency and make that night a big deal so not only for you means something big, but for all Gotham, and also, you earn more money from it, what you say?” I said, smiling.

“You don’t think I will leave this discovery in a basement without security, right?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Julia, I have the best security in all Gotham. It’s safe with me“

“Bruce, Bruce, Bruce” she said smiling. “Everything for you it’s a business, but Im in. Gotham and the world will never forget this“ She said after kissing my cheek and asking the direction of the place, I hand her the paper with the info before she left.

If I only knew she was right. Gotham and the world will never forget this.

Nothing ever goes as it suppose to do.

BATMAN POV

Not even an hour ago I was planning how to take that object. Everything was planned. I turned off all the alarms, I traced a ‘story’ so no know would know exactly what was going on, and so I realized, the fewer the people they knew, the better.

The plan was, telling Barbara and Dick to go there, since it was something we needed to hide from the world. It was easy, just taking the thing, bring it and then I would say something like ‘ tomorrow i will hide it’. That was everything. But, still I don’t know what happened that day.

We left for patrol, Dick and Barbara went for the object. I was waiting in the Batcave after we finished patrol and...everything changed. I don’t know how someone else could have known about that thing, but now it was in the hands of someone worst.

All those days became a living nightmare. Barbara and Dick, both gone, I saw my family tearing their hearts out for both of them, but they didn’t knew the whole thing, and they didn’t need to know. I need to finish this as quick as possible.

Not so long after, I received a riddle, the message was clear, “come and meet me, and we shall make amends”. With that, I was wondering if he truly knew the power of that thing, if he only thought about Barbara’s death, or if he knew something about Dick. It was a chance, and might have been the only one.

But, at the same time, The Scarecrow made its way into the labyrinth, he sent the same message, but I knew he might known what was the power of the object. Since he was a scientist, he might have heard or recognize something about it, since he closed his riddle as, Inmortal horror.

Seeing this two paths, I thought that maybe The Riddle was playing around, so I sent Steph where he said, and again, everything turn bad. I couldn’t even went inside the location that The Scarecrow send when I heard that Steph was badly injured, I realized, it was all a plan, that meeting was a trap to take me off the game, without me in the road, they will do whatever they want with the object.

I tried to destroyed every message from both of them. I needed to go back and hunt them, being hostile might bring justice again, and then, other clue came back.

“I know you are looking for me. I have it”

Who was this? Was it the Riddle?, Was it the Scarecrow?, Joker? Catwoman?, Poison Ivy? Who sent this?!

I left the BatCave, following the cracked coordinates, I went on looking for this certain person. I arrived there, looking for someone and all I found was dust, mud and a dead Riddle, this was the same location Y/N and Jason had said many nights ago, why would someone send me here?.

I looked around the place, looking for clues, and all I got was, a blue piece of cloth, I knew this pattern, this kind of fabric... it was Nightwing’s, but how it ended up there? what those that mean?. While I was looking for more clues, I got an urgent, well not one, many urgent alarms. Y/N, Jason, Damian, Tim, Alfred, Cass, Kate... why?.

I went straight to the Manor. Everything was like a haunted Mansion, like if a revolution took place there. Graffiti everywhere, on the walls, floors, portraits. Smashed windows and tiles, broken windows, stolen things, furniture all lost, blood, blood, blood. This was no home for anyone anymore, it made my blood ran cold, but at the back of my mind, I got this emerging thoughts. “Look for me, I’m the key, look for me I’ll bring justice upon all this” , they were welcoming, like the fuel keeping me alive.

As I went upstairs, I couldn’t pay attention to Cass and Katherine crying for help, all I heard was the soothing voice of Julia, as if she was the voice of that exotic object full of light and justice, that, that was the highest of the treasures, the only one that will bring back all those sunny days for Gotham, and so I could share those days with my family.

Family? My family? This family?. The one bleeding to death, the one with smashed skulls, broken bones?. The one where everyone fights for their lives?... oh if they only knew, bright days will come for us.

I only heard things like if they were music playing in the other room :

Bruce, help us! Criminals went in, they attacked Damian, Tim and Alfred! We need help or they’re going to die! Y/N has a weak heartbeat and Cass! , She’s trying to bring back Jason! Bruce?.... Bruce?... Bruce! Motherfucker! Listen Everyone it’s dying!

That thing, shining thing had me wondering if it might be the philosopher’s stone, could it bring someone from dead?, i will be curious to try, but, can it bring someone that was already dead?, like Jason, it will be the second time it happen to him... it would be... interesting to try...

I saw how both girls did everything. Kate went to another room, came back with a journal or something, she called someone. Time was something weird at that moment. Someone arrived and they took me out of the room, so I went to the BatCave, why? I don’t know, but my mind keep wandering and asking questions.

All this was a mistake, it was simple, it was supposed to be simple, how could it turn this way?. I trained every single one of this kids to be the best and they couldn’t bring a single object here?!. Barbara, I might wonder why she died, I didn’t train her since a young kind. Dick and Jason! how disappointing! Nor even because Jason died once did he learnt from it! , and Y/N and Damian! Oh what a shame! Nor even because they have it on their veins... or maybe they will survive, they are mine after all. And oh-Alfred. Didn’t have a chance with all those Arkham weirdos...

But now that I think about it, the object, must be the object. Must have been that. It drives you crazy, the more you want it, the more obstacles it places. But I need it! I NEED IT! it’s right to be with me!, I was the one with the rightful hands! I was the one who would bring justice to Gotham! Not destroy it! I shall find it! I-

“I don’t know if you care asshole, I do it for my sake.” Said Kate at the top of stairs of the BatCave. “Y/N, Damian, Alfred, Tim, all of them are comatose... we... we don’t if they will ever wake up, but...Ja...DAMN! Jason it’s dead! and everything it’s your fault”

“It’s their fault for not being better” I said with not a single glimpse of emotion.

Horrified. Kate left.

*Y/N POV*

All this months have taken so many lives. Not only it has taken my family and Jason. How many people out there are in the same situation?, how many victims are there?... and why will that cipher most rise?.

As I left Bruce all alone in the Batcave, after denying to send Kate to one of those suicidal missions, I went upstairs looking for my suit. I don’t even know if Bruce knows that Kate was long gone, Cass didn’t told me why, but I haven’t seen her since well, I can remember.

“What on Earth are you doing?” I heard a stern voice behind me as I kept on trying to put the suit.

To be honest, it was a disaster, not only the suit was damaged, full of holes and a missing shoulder, but my own body was a mess. Still I had many bruises on my body and face, I have many missing hair strands and teeths, I swear i do have many broken bones that haven’t heal well, but, no one it’s waiting for me to heal to fight back.

“ What it looks like Cass. This family it’s not going to rest until we end the job” I told her with a scoff as I inaugurated a new hole on the suit. “Damn” i said under my breath.

“Let me change then” she said without hesitation.

“No Cass. In case Tim, Damian or Alfred wakes up, who is going to welcome them with a smile?. I can’t. See” I told her with a toothless smile. “You need to stay”

“Y/N.” she said with a very sad and nostalgic voice that I knew what it meant. “You know, they probably will never wake up, they might never return to us and you know it” she said and I knew, it hurt her more than she showed, and so do I.

“Cass. Please Just-“

“NO Y/N! it’s my family too! Don’t you think I’m angry too? you are not the only vigilante that has lost everything! I’m going with you because it’s all we both got, we are everything left and if I going to die, i don’t want to be alone...”

“We are not going to die dumbass, you better help me with the suit or we are never leaving this hell” I told her and she smiled, a sad one, but it has been so long since she smiled that it warmed my heart.

I ended up, with a suit that Alfred was still trying to adjust. It was fine, seriously it was done, but Alfred was truly perfectionist. When I saw myself in the mirror, tears came to my eyes, all those wonderful memories with Alfred, someone even more paternal than Bruce. I just felt a full void to know that maybe all of that was like dead leaves of autumn.

I dried my eyes, I pick all the things need it. Cass was waiting for me and so, we took the bikes, again, sad memories. All the bikes for every Robin, and only two taken, Jason’s Bike, parked to left side, that crimson details, the-

“Let’s go Y/N” She said with the same nostalgic voice that was caged on my throat.

This is the darkest I have ever seen Gotham. All the lights are gone.I don’t know how many people are still in the city that once meant home for many, but know, it looks like a ghost town. You can hear once in a while a scream or crying... it was all so heartbreaking, but it fueled us both to make our best try to bring everything back.

We made it to the place. Since we arrived there, I could feel someone was watching us, and so did Cass. We were very alert, and so we got inside. Everything was silent, only few raindrops could be heard, he walked together until we decided to search in different parts.

“Be safe and remember. Alert me for anything weird” We said one to another before we went different paths.

Weird runes. A language I don’t know, something I even don’t know what it is... that’s what I’m looking for.

I kept saying that as I kept eyeing the place. I didn’t want to turn the light but I couldn’t see much and after that day with Jason, where we found the Riddle, I was afraid to discover a similar scenario.

I heard noises. I walked very slowly and I saw three men.

“Three men. East side. Moving silently” I told Cass by the intercom.

“I have five on the West. Following protocol” she said in a whisper.

I thought the situation, i didn’t want to make much noise in case there were more men. Looking at the gadgets i chose the batarang, they were really close, might strike all three at same time. Jason has taught me now, problem was that we trained with dummies with same heights, and this was a different escenario.

Taking a deep breath I did my best. Everything happened fast. While the batarang did it’s job, I finished it with a punch there and there, but it was really quiet. Not bad for someone with a broken arm I guess.

Some many places had the same situation and I handled it as i could. I was reaching the end of the wing when I heard Cass on the com, she was not talking straight to me, but we hear whatever happens to the other. At first she was struggling with someone, so I ran towards her position, telling her to tell what was going on.

“Cass! Inform! What’s happening?!”

But nothing, I heard her scream, and making agonizing sounds.

“Cass! Report now! I’m close! Please...”

“Why are you doing this?” Cass said, there was something in her voice, as if she knew who it was, but after that I heard a crack.

When I arrived at the position, I saw Cass. In the floor, bloodied, with the thing we were looking for close to her body.

“Oh shit. Cass?! Cass! Fuck fuck... Cass!” I said kneeling as I looked for her heartbeat.

“Cass... I told you we were going to be fine? Didn’t I? You need to smile at Dick, Tim and Alfred Cass, wake up!” I told her in the verge of tears. And I felt cold when I found no trace of heartbeat.

“Cass. I’m sorry... i’m so sorry.... i’m sorry I left you alone....” I kept saying as I hugged her close to me. I don’t know what I was planning but, I didn’t care if everything ended there.

I saw the thing on the floor, and as I was going to take it, someone else came out of the shadows.

Black boots. torned black suit, bloodied hands, and the once blue symbolic bird, was now full of holes and splattered with blood.

Dick Grayson.

But why?

___________

What a ride.

In case you are wondering about what the hell you just read, here’s chapter 1:

Chapter 1

___

Or in case you want to be part of this amazing Tag list , let me know! @j-ma26-rb

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