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luminari-mc · 3 years

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My Human, My Sunshine - Part 1

Genre: Angst, hurt/comfort.

Pairing: GN!MC x Mammon

Word count: 5194

Summary: Mammon finds himself lost in the human world. Meanwhile, MC can't get ahold of Solomon, their phone dead silent.

Warnings: N/A

A/N: My first writing piece for Obey Me! It's kind of a long one so I recommend you grab a snack or two during it. While this part is occupied by a good amount of text messages between Mammon and someone else, I'm already thinking of writing a part 2 which will have way more dialogue. In the meantime, please enjoy this little scenario I came up with after listening to a song that set me in an angsty mood. :)

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Wet. Cold. Exhausted. And completely lost.

Mammon felt all of those, and yet, his legs kept on marching into the dead of night, his jacket covering his head despite being too drenched to protect him from the rain anymore. Each time a droplet of water came rolling on his cheek, his wrist would come to brush it off, and Mammon would let out an annoyed groan. If only there were any shops open, but the city was definitely asleep. He was thankful for the crashing sound of the rain on the ground around him, along with the smell of the wet asphalt keeping himself awake, otherwise, he surely would have gone crazy by now. The demon had even lost count of how many hours he had been wandering through the streets, how many mailboxes he had checked, how few passersby he had come across, only to receive negative answers to his questions.

And so Mammon kept on walking, not sure where to go next. But he felt sure of one thing: he wouldn't stop moving until he had found what he was looking for. Be there rain, or no rain. Lost or not.

"Tch, the human world's weather really sucks..."

As he walked on the pavement, his brow furrowed from the lack of new clues as to where his destination was supposed to be. His eyes caught sight of a bakery he had already walked by earlier during the day, its gentle light piercing the darkness that had been accompanying him for far too long now. Mammon's brow furrowed slightly at the sight- he knew he had gone in circles time and time again, but seeing it confirmed once more rubbed him the wrong way. Despite that, he decided to walk towards it, and took shelter under the entrance's porch. Surely the owners wouldn't mind him checking his phone for a few minutes, right? Right.

Pinching between his fingers the precious D.D.D. he had tucked under his shirt to protect it from the rain, Mammon looked at the map again. His stomach dropped for the upteenth time upon seeing the address still showing in his search bar, the letters and numbers taunting him. A knot formed in his throat as he tried his best not to scream at his screen.

"It wasn't there, you idiot..."

His mouth formed into an angry pout. Mammon looked into the list of potential addresses he had made throughout the day, and all had been crossed out. He felt his jaw clench- not only was he left with no addresses, no other clues, no humans to help him, but also that stupid rain surely would keep on falling for the rest of the night.

He was truly cursed.

"What the fuck am I supposed to do now?!" Mammon groaned, his free hand reaching upward to grab at his hair in frustration.

Yes... that was a good question. What was he supposed to do? It wasn't like he could ask help from any of his brothers, or from the angels. It had already been a miracle a witch he knew accepted to snuck him into the human world without anyone knowing, but there was no way he'd get any more help from her without offering his own life in exchange. And contacting Solomon was absolutely out of the question, for his own obvious reasons that he still was suspicious of the guy.

For the longest time in a while, Mammon felt alone. More alone than he had ever been before. He had promised himself to go on this search on his own, stupidly thinking that it'd be over by the end of the day, and look where that got him. Lost in the human world, on the verge of catching some nasty human virus from all this rain that had poured on him, and without anyone by his side.

The grip on his phone tightened, the hand holding it shaking slightly as the anger was starting to consume the demon. Even Mammon's patience had its limits, and he was starting to reach it.

"Dammit, where the hell are ya-"

A pathetic yelp escaped his mouth as he looked in fear at his phone, which had buzzed for a very short second in his palm. Wait, was it a notification? But from who? He had taken all the necessary precautions before leaving, so who was still able to reach his number?

His mind ran through all possibilities as he quickly checked his screen, the name of the sender making him open his eyes wide.

Leviathan: Mammon!!

Leviathan: Where are you???

Leviathan: You promised me you'd play this new game with me after coming home from RAD, don't tell me you forgot?? It's been HOURS.

Leviathan: Also the others say they can't reach your DDD and Lucifer is seriously pissed!

Leviathan: And I know you didn't break your DDD, that wouldn't explain why I can send texts now and the others still can't. Even though mine didn't work before.

Leviathan: But do you know how much time and effort it took me to find a way to bypass a blocked number?? Well guess what, the same amount of hours since you broke your promise!

Leviathan: You're reading this, right? Then send something! Anything!

Mammon backed even more into the porch of the shop, his eyes stuck to the screen of his phone. All of the blood rushing to his head suddenly made him forget he was cold in the first place. Of course Levi would be the first to find a way to contact him.

The demon's chest rose as he breathed in heavily, his hands slowly wrapping around the phone. It took him a hot minute to get ahold of his trembling fingers so as to not make any typos, his mind debating whether responding was a good idea or not, even as he hit the send button.

Mammon: Sorry Levi, gonna have to postpone the gaming session.

Mammon: I got business elsewhere and I'm not sure when I'll come back home, if ever.

Leviathan: Ew stop sounding so gloomy, you're almost starting to sound like me and tbh it would be kinda creepy.

Leviathan: That still doesn't tell me where you are! I know it's like a common thing for you to get into shady stuff on a regular basis but even Lucifer seems concerned, and weirdly enough he's not even trying to hide it???

Leviathan: He's been pacing back and forth in the common room for 20 minutes and won't let go of his phone it's starting to creep me out.

Leviathan: Hey huh, if you really were in big trouble you'd let us know, right? Like, even by typing a secret message to let us know that you got kidnapped or whatever?

Leviathan: Nevermind, I really don't see why you'd even get kidnapped, so it HAS to be that you chose to disappear by yourself.

Leviathan: But anyway! It's been 2 months now since everyone's been acting weird and I've seen and heard you enough to CLEARLY see that you're getting worse but finding trouble with witches or whatever won't help you feel better. And yes I know you've been faking being fine the entire time!! Don't think you can fool me!!

Leviathan: Believe me and the hundreds of figurines I bought!! I thought they'd help and it's somehow doing nothing, I feel like the worst fraud of an otaku EVER!!! How can I call myself an otaku when I can't even find joy anymore in the things that make an otaku what he is??

Leviathan: It's like I'm losing my identity! Wait no screw that, it's not just me, we've all been losing it!!

The three dots of a message being typed disappeared and reappeared, and Mammon couldn't do anything but watch the messages of his brother pop up one after another on his screen. A sense of guilt surfaced inside of him, and it only made him frown. It's not as if he hadn't thought about asking Levi for help, before getting himself into this mess... but for both of their sakes, he had decided that it had to be him coming here, and only him.

But suddenly, just as he expected his brother to send another message, the three dots disappeared, and didn't come back right away. Mammon's focus on his phone increased at the unexplained absence of new texts from Levi, and he waited, expecting him to continue the chain of messages he had started. But nothing followed.

It wasn't in Levi's habits to suddenly stop texting in the middle of a flood of texts. The demon gripped his phone tighter, worry beginning to grow within his mind. Was it because they were in different worlds that their phones couldn't reach properly? Or worse- had Lucifer found him out?

His heart almost skipped a beat as the three dots reappeared under his eyes, before letting another message pop up.

Leviathan: wait

Leviathan: waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait

Leviathan: OMG NO WAY

Leviathan: MAMMON TELL ME YOU'RE KIDDING

Mammon: I literally haven't said anything?

Leviathan: YOU PERFECTLY KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT

Leviathan: DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE IN THE HUMAN WORLD RN??

Shit.

How did he even find out?! Well... he could only assume that it wouldn't take a genius to figure out where Mammon could have gone if not anywhere in the Devildom, but still, why did Levi have to type it out? His plan was supposed to be flawless after all.

Mammon: Sorry bro, I can't say where I am.

Mammon: I know Lucifer's bound to check all of your DDDs sooner or later and that's only gonna help him find me.

Mammon: And like I said, I have something to do, so I can't come back.

Leviathan: Wait! I'll delete all of our messages, and I'll even destroy my DDD if it means you tell me why you're there

Leviathan: Actually no don't even answer, there can only be one reason you took that kind of risk

Leviathan: Is it... because of MC?

Upon reading their name again, Mammon felt his stomach sink. The eyes of the Avatar of Greed closed almost instantly as if to avoid reading it, the damp air whistling through his teeth as he breathed in deeply. Of course Levi would figure that out too. Any of his brothers could have.

The demon leaned his head against the wall behind him, his eyes opening and staring into nothing as he contemplated telling Levi about his plan. It wasn't as if he had any backup plans considering the situation he was in, after all. And Levi had the advantage of being at home, and having access to technology and magic that could improve his search further. But the thought of Lucifer figuring everything out still haunted him, making the hair on his skin stand straight.

And yet... At this point, he had nothing else to lose.

Mammon: Ya gotta promise not to tell anyone about this.

Leviathan: Who do you take me for? I'm not a snitch!

Leviathan: Especially if it's about MC.

Leviathan: But huh... what about Lucifer? You know that if when he finds out you went to the human world, he's going to kill you.

Mammon: Fuck Lucifer.

Mammon: I'm tired of hearin' him say he's "taking care of it". He clearly knows something but won't tell any of us and I'm tired of not getting any news from MC since they left the Devildom 2 months ago.

Mammon: And what's with his excuse about them not havin' their DDD anymore to contact us? I call that a load of bullshit.

Mammon: Something weird happened and Lucifer's too stuck-up to let us know what it is.

Mammon: So I'm done waiting around to see when they'll come back, or IF they'll even come back. So I'm going to get them myself.

Mammon: Problem is, I went to MC's place, and they weren't there. Their neighbor told me that they moved out a while ago with, get this, "a guy with white hair".

Leviathan: ??????? Solomon?????

Mammon: I'd bet my Demonio and all the things I possess that it's him.

Mammon: Not only Lucifer's in on this secret thing about MC, but Solomon too. I've already booked him an appointment with my fists if he did anythin' to them.

Mammon: Hell, even Diavolo and Barbatos seem to be in it too, which sucks even bigger time.

Mammon: So that means it's just us 6 who don't know shit. I wasn't about to play nice and dumb for Lucifer any longer.

Leviathan: Mammon

Leviathan: I never thought I'd ever write something like that to YOU

Leviathan: but

Leviathan: you sound super cool rn!! That just makes me wish I could have gone too!!

Leviathan: Pleasepleaseplease let me help!!! I'm also worried about MC and I miss having them here. The atmosphere at the house has sucked ever since we realized we couldn't text or call them anymore and I huh... kinda miss seeing them around the others too.

For a split second, Mammon considered taking a screenshot of Levi's last message to sell it as "the proof that the Avatar of Envy can control his jealousy!", but now wasn't the time for that. He had Levi's approval for helping him find the whereabouts of MC, and that's all he needed at the moment. He hadn't even noticed his lips turning into a small grin upon reading his brother offering his support.

Mammon: Alright Levi listen.

Mammon: All I'm tryin' right now is to find where MC might be.

Mammon: I don't think they left the place I'm at, but I ain't about to search at every damn house there is here. Would take too much time anyway.

Mammon: So can ya use your shut-in powers and figure somethin' out? Like I don't know, catch their human phone's signal or whatever through hacking?

Leviathan: Lol? I'll let you know it's not because I spend my entire days in my room that I know how to find a human phone!

Leviathan: I know how to hack yeah, but I don't know how to hack human technology! Not that I maybe tried once or twice and it resulted in failure each time.

Leviathan: But huh... I could try?

Leviathan: Let me ask Satan if we could use magic too.

Mammon: Satan? Levi, are you stupid? Last thing we want is to get more people to know about what I'm doing.

Leviathan: Oh huh yeaaaah, about that.

Leviathan: I should have told you sooner, but when I stopped answering earlier it's because Satan caught me texting you.

Leviathan: But he actually knew you had left to the human world! So we don't have to worry! He's on our side... obviously.

Mammon: Then the two of you get on it.

Mammon: And don't catch Lucifer's attention.

Leviathan: Yeah!

Leviathan: I'll let you know when we've found something.

Leviathan: BRB!

And then just like earlier, Levi's texts stopped appearing on his screen. A sigh left Mammon's lips as he closed his eyes, and the demon allowed his body to slide against the wall behind him until he was sitting on the ground. As he stretched out his sore body, the second-born finally realized that after two whole months of not getting to hear MC's voice, seeing their smile, getting to touch them... he had gotten closer to finding them, all thanks to his brothers. He had let Lucifer's intimidation get the best of him throughout all this time, but not anymore. No matter whether his older brother would catch wind of where he was, and what he was doing, Mammon would never stop trying to bring back MC where they belonged. With him, in the Devildom, back with the family they had found and grown to love.

Closing the messaging app with his thumb, the picture of MC he had set as his D.D.D. background seemed to radiate like the sun. How dared them all try to separate his human from their first man? From the one who'd they come to whenever they had a nightmare and couldn't fall asleep? The demon who'd hug them as tight as possible in their bed after a long day at RAD? The one who'd had the chance to fall asleep with them, getting the absolute honor of seeing their face so close to his, and who'd protect their dreams from any bad thoughts and scary nightmares?

The anxiety that Mammon had worn on his face all day slowly disappeared, and a small smile was placed upon it instead as his eyes met MC's in the picture.

"I'm almost there. Ya just gotta be patient a little more."

I'll find ya.

Time went on as Mammon waited for any news of Levi and Satan's research. The rain showed no sign of clearing soon, and the demon was starting to doze off after spending his entire day without taking a single break. He could have almost fallen asleep if it hadn't been for the owner of the bakery opening the door to close his shop and asking him to sit somewhere else. So Mammon moved from one spot to another, and took shelter near another store instead.

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting on the stone steps he had sat on, his phone's screen flashed a bright light as a new notification from Levi appeared from the top. Quickly passing his wrist on his tired eyes, Mammon tapped on the new message at the speed of light. The contents made him gasp, and for a second, he had almost forgotten how to breathe, as his now wide-open eyes were glued on the content of the message.

A full-on address, along with a picture of the place.

Mammon instantly stood up at the sight of the picture, the memories of his day resurfacing in a flash. He remembered very clearly seeing this particular building sometime during his search- its height had been making it stand out very easily amongst the other buildings in the city. Nobody couldn't mistake it with anything else.

Mammon: This is it?

Leviathan: Yeah, we placed down a map and confirmed it was there.

Leviathan: Satan actually found a book in his room with a spell that can help find a person's specific item with just some of their DNA.

Leviathan: So we went to MC's room and found some hair that Satan used for the spell, along with his phone so it could narrow down the list of MC's items.

Leviathan: I didn't think Satan's room could look even more of a mess, but he spent 10 minutes shoveling through his collection and now you can't even see the floor or his bed anymore lol

Leviathan: Anyway now that you got what you wanted, go and check if MC is there!

Mammon felt his legs move on their own as he flipped his jacket above his head and stepped under the rain again, a confident grin now brightly adorning his face as he typed on his phone to reply.

Mammon: Thanks Levi. I'll owe ya one.

Leviathan: Find MC and bring them back. Then you can consider us even.

Mammon nodded, a newfound hope filling his entire body and mind. After confirming that Levi had ceased texting him, the demon turned the phone off. He opened his hand to drop it on the wet floor, and let his right foot crash down upon it, the object almost breaking in half. Mammon promptly gathered in his hand the shattered item, now completely unusable, and threw it down a nearby sewer before letting his excitement take the best of him and sprint further in the direction of the building from the picture. At least, now Lucifer wouldn't be able to track him down with it if Levi and Satan got caught.

The more distance he covered, the more Mammon could swear he was about to take on his demon form at any moment. The thoughts of MC began to fill his head even more, as if they were the one pushing him to find them, to get to them as soon as possible. For the first time in 2 months, Mammon felt truly alive.

"Almost there. The Great Mammon's coming for ya, MC!!" he let out in the form of an encouragement to himself, his legs having found their energy again as his form was engulfed further into the city.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Anxiously pacing around the room, their head low and their phone in their hands, MC was growing more and more impatient. They were supposed to receive an update from Solomon about three hours earlier in the form of a phone call, but no matter the amount of messages they'd spent in the hopes of the wizard finally answering them, all they received was a dreadful silence. Grabbing a nearby chair, they let their body fall onto the seat as their fingers typed yet another message. They couldn't really understand how they had come to grow so persistent when it came to getting Solomon to reply to them, but having no other person to talk to ever since they left the Devildom 2 months prior would do that to anyone, they assumed.

'Solomon, sorry, I know I'm sending a lot of texts, but you said you'd visit today and I'm starting to be worried and... honestly a bit lonely. I thought going out today would help, but I just sat in the park for an hour before going back home and not doing much of the day.'

'You were supposed to meet with other wizards today, right? I hope nothing bad happened. But in case you're alright, all I'm asking is just one reply to at least get some sort of human connection. Not that I had a lot of it in the past few months.'

They felt their throat tighten upon writing their last sentence, feeling the frustration spilling out of their own words right back into their face. But who could blame them?

2 months without seeing, hearing, or even texting their friends back in the Devildom. 2 months without receiving a single visit from Luke or Simeon. 2 months spent exclusively with the company of Solomon, who had been acting strange ever since and had made them move out of their home under the excuse that it was to "train them at magic in a more private setting". But more importantly... those had been 2 months without having Mammon around, and MC would lie if they said they hadn't spent several nights crying themself to sleep, wondering how the demon was dealing with their absence.

The memories of their latest departure from the Devildom played in their head like a movie as they placed a hand on their forehead. Everything had seemed alright at the time, with them getting to say their usual goodbyes to the brothers, wishing to see them again once the new year at RAD would start, foolishly thinking that they'd get to spend their time hearing their voices on a daily basis once they were back in the human world. And before they could understand, their DDD had been taken from them, Solomon had been more present in their life than ever before, and for a reason they still couldn't grasp, it was as if the brothers had vanished from their life completely. No news whatsoever. Complete radio silence.

Just thinking back to this period, and how they could have probably caught that something was up as soon as Diavolo asked for their DDD after the brothers had left... it just made them want to puke.

But nothing could make them want to do so as much as the long-awaited reply of Solomon appearing on their screen.

'Hi MC. I'm deeply sorry I couldn't get ahold of you throughout the day. I won't be able to visit you today, since my services are still required here. Besides, it's getting late. I recommend you go have a good night's sleep as soon as possible.'

'If everything goes smoothly, I should be able to come back tomorrow. Then, we'll be able to go walk wherever you want. How does that sound?'

'I need to be going, but I shall wish you a good night. Take care, MC.'

And just as quickly as he had answered, Solomon went silent again. Leaving them in this apartment they had grown to hate, this prison cell he had put them in. A place where no fun could be found for them. MC didn't even bother sending anything else after that.

Their head sunk even lower, until their forehead slowly met with the hard surface of the dinner table. The phone faceplanted onto the wood as MC's hands turned into hard fists, a deep groan shaking the walls of their throat. It was hard not to let the tears escape their eyes, but instead, they opted to punch the table several times as hard as they could, until they felt their anger diminish.

How long was Solomon going to act ignorant towards them? How long was he going to ignore their pleas to get news from the Devildom, anything that would let them know why they couldn't contact the brothers, Diavolo and Barbatos? Even if the lords had been in some sort of trouble... they'd still find time to talk to their human, right? There was no way Mammon, the one they loved, wouldn't try to reach them one way or another... right?

Him who had been so clingy in such an adorable way every time they'd be at the House of Lamentation, he who had revealed to them that there wasn't a single day where his thoughts wouldn't drift to them no matter how hard he tried...

No. No amount of important duties would explain why Mammon of all demons, would ignore them like that.

They missed his antics. His entire being. The warmth he'd bring them each time he'd hold their hand before tucking his face into their neck like a pouting child, desperately trying to sneak one or two kisses in there, in the hopes he'd get to hear that sweet giggle of them. It wasn't for nothing that Lucifer had come to name them the chaotic duo of the House of Lamentation. They were two parts of a whole.

And yet, the world had dared to separate them. And MC was tired, oh so tired of not having their other half near them. The only feeling they had left, was one of pure desperation to see their greedy demon.

"I'm not asking for much... even a single word would do." MC replied to no one as they turned their head to rest their cheek onto the table. They closed their eyes, the anger slowly being replaced by a profound exhaustion. Could they really do nothing but act normal around Solomon, and accept that this was now their new life? No demons, no angels, just... humans around them?

Before they could slap the thought away, a loud banging coming from the entrance door made them straighten in their seat, their head turning towards the hallway in a panic. Their heart pounded inside their chest as the banging seemed to go on forever, until they used the back of their chair to push themself up, their legs shaking.

"S...Solomon?" They asked, way too silently for anyone to hear, and fully knowing that the person behind the door couldn't be the wizard.

As if they were waiting for an answer, MC stood there, their hand grasped onto the chair. The banging was insistent, demanding, angry. At this time of night, there were few reasons they could think why someone would mistreat their door in such a way, and MC wasn't sure they wanted to find the reason for it.

That is, until the person behind the door finally let their voice be heard.

"Oi, MC! Ya can hear me right?! Come on, open the door!"

It didn't take long for MC to let the familiar voice enter their ears, and it took less time for them to nearly stumble over the chair as their legs moved in a hurry to lead them towards the door as quickly as possible. Their hands messily trying to open the locks on the door, they were sure their mind had just played a trick on them, and the person outside was going to leave them completely disappointed, but they didn't care. This voice they could only remember so well despite the time since they had last heard it, was simply inviting them to open the door, to check for themselves whether it was true, or just a nasty joke played by their brain.

But as the last lock was undone, and the door was swung open, MC couldn't do anything but just stand there, their mouth agape.

Mammon kept on drawing breaths, his wet hair stuck to his forehead and drops of rain falling from his clothes onto the floor below, so much so that it had started to create a small puddle underneath him. As if the person who opened the door wasn't the one he expected, the demon took a step back, letting his eyes wander up and down on the human he had in front of him, almost in an attempt to check if it was really them. He too, couldn't stop his mouth from hanging open at the sight.

The two of them just stood there for a few seconds, taken by so many emotions at once that they weren't sure what to do. But right as Mammon took a step forward, his mouth opening some more to let out words that he so desperately had wanted to say for so long now, MC's face contorted into one of pure sadness before they rushed towards him. Mammon greedily welcomed them into his arms as they jumped and wrapped their arms around his shoulders, and their legs around his waist. They buried their face into his neck, the warmth of their tears mixing with the rain on his skin.

His embrace only tightened even more as they mumbled his name amidst broken sobs, the sound ever so close to his ear that even though he had his eyes firmly closed, he might have cried on the spot too. But he had found them. He had them in his arms again. After what had seemed like a million years, finally, they were back where they belonged, and he was back with his human.

Almost as if they were about to be pulled away from him, Mammon placed a hand on the back of their head, wanting to protect their entire being from harm no matter the cost. He still wasn't sure why it had taken so long for him to reunite with them despite the obstacles, but at the present moment, nothing else could matter.

The lord had finally found them, and he wasn't about to let anyone interfer between their happiness once more.

"I ain't letting you go." He whispered through gritted teeth, his head lowering into their shoulder. "Ever again."

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ohmyburningdreams · 3 years

Text

On Top of the World

Fanfic

Ch 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20

Chapter Nine

× Lucy

"I guess you know who I am from the men outside," Lucy said sadly, self consciously rubbing her arm as they walked. She was terrified that Makarov would only send her away, not wanting to risk her father's wrath.

"I knew of you long before then. That boy spent his first year plotting ways to get back to you, constantly babbling about you to anyone who'd listen," Makarov chuckled as he led them through the rock passages up to his office.

"Oh, Natsu?" Was all she could manage, looking around the room.

The office was cosy and not at all intimidating like her father's. It was situated high in the cliff side, with big windows set in the wall, looking out onto the village. The man didn't even have a set of curtains, and somehow, that small detail was comforting to Lucy.

The room was also messy, an organised sort of chaos if she had to describe it, with books hastily stuffed into a set of shelves spanning one wall, piled up or leaning to the side; none of them stood straight.

The wall opposite had bits of paper and drawings stuck all over it, lengths of red string running between some of them, and Lucy realised it was a map detailing the many goings on at Fairy Tail, and outside its walls. She wanted to go and study it, to understand how the village worked, but held herself back as she turned back to the little old man before them.

Makarov nodded in reply, as he hopped up to take a seat on top of his desk, motioning for the girls to sit, "it took him a long time to settle into life here. That nitwit turned out to be one of the most mischievous young men I've ever known."

Lucy almost laughed, "that sounds like Natsu. So, is he… Is he here?" She couldn't help but ask, avoiding Makarov's gaze, suddenly shy.

She was nervous and didn't want to sound desperate, but she'd been holding onto the hope of seeing Natsu again, using it like fuel to give purpose to her life after she'd lost almost everything else. It was the goal she'd been working towards since the day he'd been ripped from her life.

"I'm afraid not. He's currently on the ground with his team… Sadly, his father went missing almost seven months ago, so they're out searching for him."

Lucy's heart sank as Levy reached over and gently took her hand, squeezing it as she asked, "he'll be back, though, right?"

"Yes, I've given them three months before they have to return to check-in and report. They've been gone for two weeks as of today."

Lucy gasped, suddenly realising what Makarov had just said, "wait, Igneel's missing? What happened?"

Makarov peered at her, his hands steepled in front of his face and his elbows resting on his knees, "nobody knows. His team claimed that he was there one minute and gone the next. I sent many parties out looking for him, but none found any trace of the man. Natsu, being the stubborn fool that he is, refused to stop looking. He was wearing himself down, missing classes and work duties, to take to the trees and search. I finally gave in and assigned him a team and a mentor," he sighed.

Lucy nodded, "and the rest of the Dragneels?"

"Grandeney works in the infirmary, which is where I'd like to send you in a little while. I'm sure she'd be more than happy to fill you in. For now, I'd like to understand why men from the Heartfilia Estate demanded to search my village, looking for you and Levy," he replied, gently.

Sighing, Lucy told the old man everything. Starting from the day the Dragneel's had left the village, right up until her and Levy had entered Fairy Tail through the secret door inside the cliff.

"...So, my father plans to force me to return so he can send me away, where he can keep an eye on me and use me to control another village," she stared down into her lap as she finished her tale. She still couldn't believe her own father wanted to use her like that.

Makarov remained quiet for a long moment, searching Lucy's downturned face, frowning.

"Considering you risked everything to come here, that's obviously not what you want." He stated.

Lucy shook her head aggressively, squeezing her eyes shut, fighting tears.

"Hmm," deep in thought, the old man simply nodded to himself, before replying, "that's quite the predicament you're in, my dear."

"Is there any way that you could help us, Master?" Levy quietly asked, ready to fight for her friend, "Lucy doesn't deserve this, she's been through so much already and--"

Makarov held up a hand, cutting Levy off.

"It was never my intention not to help, Miss McGarden," he smiled at Levy, before turning to look at Lucy, "you are safe here, child. If you choose to stay at Fairy Tail, you are welcome. We look after our family."

Unable to hold back the tears that had been threatening to fall, Lucy rushed forward and hugged the small man, thanking him and promising to be an upstanding citizen.

Makarov simply chuckled and patted Lucy's back, before leading them from his office.

Inside the infirmary, Grandeney sat at the desk pushed up against the window, sorting medical supplies.

She turned and looked up as Makarov rapped his knuckles against the door before entering the room, two girls following behind him.

"Grandeney, I believe you remember Miss McGarden and Miss H-"

"Lucy!?" Grandeney gasped, shooting up and crossing the room to pull the blonde into a hug.

Surprised, Lucy sunk into the warmth, taking a moment to hug the woman back.

"How did you get here? Is everything okay at the Estate? Is Layla here?" Grandeney asked, peering at the empty doorway.

"Oh, um, no. She's not…" Lucy trailed off, slightly awkwardly, stepping back.

"Let me look at you!" Grandeney cupped both sides of Lucy's face, grinning at her, "you look just like her! Oh, it's so good to see you."

Lucy was unsure what to say, how to tell her that Layla had died years ago. Lost for words, she glanced at Makarov, who seemed to understand the problem and cleared his throat, drawing Grandeney's attention.

"Levy and Lucy have just arrived. They've been through quite an ordeal, coming all the way here. I'd like you to look them over, if you would, and if Wendy isn't busy, maybe she could show them around, particularly the baths," he grinned, holding a key out to Grandeney.

Lucy blushed, remembering that she hadn't showered in three days. Next to her, Levy sheepishly laughed, tucking an errant strand of blue hair behind her ear.

Their clothes were stained with mud and grime, and Lucy's pants were torn above one knee. Both girls had a few scrapes and bruises adorning their skin, gained from running through the trees where the branches were thickest. Their hair was wild and had lost any semblance of neatness, a twig twisted into Levy’s blue waves. They definitely need to see the baths.

Grandeney studied the key in her hand, nodding in reply to everything Makarov had asked, and raised a suspicious eyebrow, "a forest house," she said, looking at the old man with a knowing smile.

Makarov simply laughed and wandered out of the room, his hands once more clasped behind his back, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

- : -

Lucy relaxed in the warm water, listening to the peaceful sound of the river slowly flowing between caverns.

The mining lights overhead, hanging in a neat line above the edge of the pool, cast a warm yellow glow that danced upon the water's slow, shifting surface. Further out, where the light didn't reach, the water was a deep inky black, appearing almost as if it were a foggy void that never ended.

It was quite a pretty sight to see, but Lucy knew that had she come across a similar view on the ground, she would be completely terrified.

She'd washed the dirt from her skin and hair, scrubbing both clean until she was satisfied that all traces of the forest and their hasty escape were gone.

Her thoughts wandered back to her conversations with Makarov and Grandeney, their words tumbling together inside her exhausted mind. She felt slightly overwhelmed with everything that had happened in the last three days.

Grandeney had checked both her and Levy over, and aside from being slightly worried about the toes that Lucy had used to kick the railing in anger the week before, she'd given them the all clear to head to the baths. As they’d left, she'd promised to visit Lucy after she was settled, wanting her to catch up on sleep and rest before they talked properly.

She’d also promised to let Levy's family know that she'd arrived at Fairy Tail, and that she'd catch up with them when she was up to seeing people. For now, she'd be living with her friend in their own place, and Lucy was thankful for the company.

Wendy, the newest member of the Dragneel family, had taken them to the house they'd been assigned, before giving them a short tour through the inside of the cliff, pointing out the dining hall and kitchen, the class rooms, the training rooms, and finally, the baths, where she'd left them. Each set of rooms were vastly different to those at the Heartfilia Estate.

Lucy was too tired to hold much of a conversation or really take much in from the tour, so had simply nodded and thanked Wendy, giving her the biggest smile that she could manage. She was hoping to get to know the youngest Dragneel sibling once she’d settled in.

Levy, who was just as exhausted as her friend, lazily floated around in the inky black void-pool, staring up at the ceiling. Lucy didn't think that was actually what Levy was seeing, though.

“Are you okay, Levy?” She asked quietly, listening to her voice bounce off the damp walls. She watched her friend, worried that the whole ordeal had been too much for the bluenette, and she was scared that Levy might be harbouring feelings of resentment towards her.

Levy lifted her head to smile at Lucy through the steam, “I’m alright, just tired...” she trailed off.

After a moment, she turned her head to look back up at the cavern’s ceiling, “I’d do it all over again if we had to, Lu. I’m proud of what you’ve accomplished in the last few days. Your first time on the ground wasn’t exactly the easiest experience...”

Lucy blushed at the easy way her friend complimented her, “thank you, Levy, that really means a lot,” she replied as she fiddled with the twisted length of her hair, wringing it out, “and… Thank you for doing so much just to help me. I won’t forget it."

Levy answered her with a bright grin, before the two fell into a comfortable silence once more.

Steam drifted up from the water, rising to the rocky ceiling, only to collect there and drip cold droplets back into the water they’d come from. Lucy sucked in a breath of air and shivered, goose bumps rising on her exposed skin, as a large, icy droplet rolled down her back. She found herself enjoying the contrast between that and the hot water surrounding her.

She sighed, tipping her head back onto the edge of the pool, and closed her eyes, breathing in the steam.

They soaked themselves in the baths for as long as they could tolerate, the hot water easing their aching bodies and calming their racing minds, making them sleepy.

By the time they'd pulled on new clothes and made their way back to their house, the sun was going down. It'd been a long day and neither even wanted to think about getting dinner, needing nothing more than to fall into bed and sleep for the next two days.

The walk from the cliff to the strip of houses, set in the forested side of the village, was a pleasant one that Lucy could see herself enjoying. The wooden walkway was lit with solar-lanterns set on top of the railing at the side, glowing warmly in the dusk light, welcoming them to their new home as they arrived.

Houses were spaced evenly on either side of the walkway, painted in bright colours and bordered with white. She smiled to herself, noticing that a few of the houses even had letter boxes. She'd read stories from the old world, and it seemed having one was normal. She'd never seen any in the Heartfilia Estate, but she was beginning to realise that the village she grew up in, maybe wasn't as wonderful a place as she'd believed.

Their house was painted yellow, and though it was small, it had everything they needed. The front door opened into an entry, the living room on the left, dining room on the right. Behind those, were the kitchen and the stairs that led to the two bedrooms above, bathroom nestled in between them.

There were no big, fancy windows or rooms built around tree trunks, but Lucy liked it anyway. It was cosy, the furniture soft and comfortable, a fireplace and bookshelves in the living room, even a desk against the wall.

The bedrooms had beds big enough to fit two people, a chest of drawers, and windows spanning two walls in the shape of an 'L', to let the sunlight in. The bathroom really only had a toilet, a vanity with a sink, and a mirror on the wall, but that was more than enough, considering how luxurious the baths had felt while they were there.

Arriving at their new home, both girls disappeared to their rooms, Lucy choosing the one to the right from the top of the stairs, Levy taking the left.

Lucy sighed and flopped into bed, sinking into the comfortable mattress. She felt safer than she had in a very long time. Even at the Estate, after Sagittarius had been sent away so easily by her father, she had felt as though she was constantly being watched. She'd realised the night they'd left, that she'd felt that way because it was true, her father had been keeping tabs on her every move.

She let those thoughts drift away as she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep, thankful for the safety Fairy Tail was providing her.

The next day, both girls emerged, having underestimated just how hungry they’d be, and went in search of food.

As they entered the dining hall, a girl with long, white hair and a pleasant smile floated over to them and introduced herself as Mira.

"Hi Mira!" Levy waved.

"Nice to see you again, Levy," Mira replied, before turning to Lucy, "and you must be Lucy! It’s so nice to finally meet you."

"Oh, um, it’s nice to meet you too. Word sure travels fast around here," the blonde replied, a little embarrassed. She wasn’t sure she liked being the new girl.

"Well, to be fair, you're something of a celebrity around here. You were all Natsu would talk about when he arrived and most of us think of you as a friend already."

Mira led them over to the bar, ushering them towards stools.

Lucy's eyes went wide and a blush coloured her cheeks as she sat, unsure what to say.

Behind the bar, leaning forward against it, Mira watched her, "don't worry, he only said good things, of course. I just don't want you to be too surprised by how many people seem to know you around here. Everyone is very friendly."

Nodding, Lucy glanced at Levy and smiled, "making some more friends would be great."

Mira disappeared into the kitchen with the promise of food, so Lucy looked around, taking in her surroundings. As with the other rooms that she’d seen at Fairy Tail, the dining hall was very different from the one at the Estate.

While there was a similar looking fireplace, it was set into the wall to the left from the door, surrounded by comfortable chairs and couches, a rug beneath them.

The dining tables at Fairy Tail were round with about ten chairs around each, at least twenty of them were in the large room, probably more if Lucy had to guess.

The bar they were sitting at, was aligned in the middle of the back wall but set far enough forward that the kitchen had been built behind it, a wooden wall between them. The wall was covered in shelves, all holding interesting looking bottles and knick-knacks that Lucy had no what to do with.

Separate hallways disappeared down each side of the bar, but they had no signs to mark what they led to.

Windows had been carved out of the wall that housed the front door, their panes of glass sparkling clean in their settings.

Noticing that there weren’t many windows to let light into the room, she looked up to see half a dozen large skylights, recessed and spaced evenly along the A-frame style ceiling that was braced with thick beams.

From the peak of that ceiling hung a length of timber with beautiful natural edges, running almost the length of the room, lights set into the wood, spaced evenly along it.

Lucy admired the patterns of the grain running through the stained timber above, wondering how long it had taken for someone to choose just the right piece; it perfectly complemented the similar length of wood set atop the bar that she was leaning on.

She turned back to Mira with a smile, a thought having occurred to her, “I don’t actually know much about Fairy Tail, just what Levy's told me. Can you tell me about it?”

“I’d be happy to, Lucy.” Mira replied, her sweet smile reaching her eyes.

- : -

By the end of their first day, they'd been hugged and welcomed by more people than Lucy was sure even resided in the Heartfilia Estate. Some she vaguely remembered from her childhood, and others she didn't know at all.

Makarov had summoned them to his office to discuss jobs they might like to take around the town, and ask whether or not they wanted to join any classes. At their ages, though, it wasn't required, but he did recommend they take some self defence lessons.

Lucy found herself taking a shift in the kitchen and dining hall, while Levy opted for the library. Neither was up to taking on any of the more difficult jobs just yet, needing to settle into life at Fairy Tail first.

That evening, while Levy was out catching up with her family, Lucy answered a knock at the door to find Grandeney and Wendy on the other side of it.

Inviting them in, she swallowed around the lump in her through and prepared herself to share the news of her mother's death.

It hadn't been a difficult thing to share with Levy or Makarov, because they hadn't known her mother. Grandeney and Layla were best friends while the Dragneel's had lived at the Estate, and Lucy wasn't looking forward to the coming conversation.

"So," Grandeney started as she made herself comfortable on the couch, "tell me everything!"

Lucy's face must have revealed the despair and pain that she felt about her time at the Estate, because Grandeney's face immediately fell and she leaned towards Lucy to take her hands.

The blonde opened her mouth to tell her story, and choked on a sob as she burst into tears.

Grandeney moved around to the couch Lucy was sitting on, and pulled her into another hug.

For the first time in a long time, Lucy sank into the hug of a mother. She let the love she felt wrap itself around her as she cried through all the emotions that she'd had no outlet for after her the loss of Layla and the withdrawal of love from Jude. She was back with the family she'd lost, and the only mother she had left.

× Natsu

Erza almost gagged, "what on earth is that smell and why is it getting stronger?" She questioned yet again.

Natsu said nothing as he guided her around the bend in the path, his hands over her eyes. Gildarts and Gray quietly followed behind them.

He turned back in time to see Gildarts's eyes go wide as the man came to stand beside him.

"Alright, Erza, you can open your eyes," Natsu said, removing his hands from her face.

For a whole five seconds, silence stretched out between them as Erza struggled to find any words, her mouth opening and closing as though she were a fish, her eyes so wide that they looked as if they were about to pop out of her head.

Natsu hesitantly leaned towards her, peering into her face to make sure everything was okay.

"Strawberries!?" Erza cried as she stared at the red berries growing all around the cavern before her.

Natsu and Gray burst into laughter, watching as she took off, running down the slope towards her favourite fruit.

“Well I’ll be,” Gildarts said, as he scratched his bearded chin, busy trying to work out how it was even possible.

A moment ago, he'd been ready to thump Natsu and Gray for going into the cave alone, but now he was just stunned by what they'd found.

Natsu turned to their mentor, "ever seen anything like this before?"

Gildarts had been exploring the land since the first time he'd left his village, and not once had he ever seen anything quite like what was before him.

"No," he said softly, lost in thought.

The two boys had managed to stumble into an underground forest, teeming with plant life like they’d never seen.

Great big root systems hung from a ceiling that was impossibly high, glowing a soft golden colour as they wound down into the earth below, almost as if they were entire trees, complete with leaves and branches. They sat on the cavern floor, glowing away, like strange wooden lanterns.

All over the walls, where the light didn't reach, were shelves of large mushrooms and other fungi, growing in groups. Some of them almost looked like giant flowers, with their wavy white bodies and colourful caps.

Near one corner of the room, steaming water fell from above into a pool that fed the small, winding river that flowed through the cavern. The warm water, full of minerals, evidently feeding the forest with life.

There were ferns and lush green plants, covered in brightly coloured flowers, growing all gathered together in groups, but not so many that the place was overwhelmed with them.

Tucked in between the bundles of plant life and glowing root-trees, were patches and patches of plump strawberries, ripe and ready for picking, mixed in with the flowering vines that swept across the floor.

It was as if they'd wandered into their own secret garden, a whole world that nobody else had ever seen, just waiting for someone to find it.

Natsu pulled his shirt away from his sticky skin, just as he'd been doing all day. The air in the forest was almost as humid as the air in the one above it, which had them all stripping off the layers they’d put back on inside the cool cave.

“How’s this even possible?” Gray asked, removing his shirt entirely as he watched Erza run from patch to patch, unable to choose which berries looked best to pick.

“Hmm,” Gildarts thought for a moment before answering, “see those roots coming out of the ceiling, the ones glowing? I’m guessing they’re carrying down enough extra sunlight to feed the plants in here. In return, the plants in here must be creating just enough carbon dioxide to help feed the trees in the forest above.”

Natsu frowned, “they must be some big trees if their roots stretch all the way down here, no wonder they need help growing.”

"You know that the plant life we have now is many times bigger than it was when people lived on the ground? Nature went nuts when we stopped cutting trees down, destroying forests, and polluting the world. Everything out there is way bigger than it used to be; you think people could run through the trees so easily back then? Nope, because the trees were too small," Gildarts tilted his head.

"Okay… Why are there strawberries down here, though?" Natsu frowned again.

"It's a bit odd, but I guess this place must have the exact right combination of factors that strawberries require to grow. The seeds were probably carried down here inside the belly of an animal."

"Oh, what kind of animal?" Natsu asked before he could stop himself, thinking about the blue cat. Do cats eat strawberries? He wondered.

"How the hell am I supposed to know? Just any kind that eats strawberries," Gildarts shrugged, watching Natsu from the corner of his eye.

"Well, you seem to know everything else about this place. Was just asking."

Gildarts was in one of his teaching moods and still had his thinking face on, so Natsu stopped asking questions and waited.

Eventually, he said, “just don’t ask me how those roots are glowing, that one I can't explain. Maybe some sort of natural bioluminescence used to put out all that extra light they’ve absorbed up top… Either way, something down here just seems to work, this place is incredible.”

Silently, Gildarts wondered if the world would ever stop surprising him.

The lesson finished, the trio turned back to watch Erza, who had made her choice and was busy collecting an armful of the red berries.

After a while spent watching his red-headed friend, Natsu turned around to figure out what was causing the horrid smell as they'd walked through the cave, realising that he couldn't smell it inside the forest cavern.

Gildarts and Gray turned to watch, both snickering as the pinkette followed his nose. It led him to the plants by the entrance tunnel, and he jerked backwards as he caught a noseful of the foul odour hanging around the doorway.

“Eugh, so gross. I can taste it,” he whined, shaking his head to clear his senses of the awful stuff.

“I’m guessing those plants release that smell to keep intruders out of this place,” Gray laughed, “figures it doesn’t work on you, flame brain.”

"Shut it, ice princess," Natsu glared at him, "didn't stop you from coming down here either."

"Oh yeah? I followed--"

"So help me, Mavis, you two will not ruin this for me," Erza said through gritted teeth, walking up to them, about to lose her temper. She cradled her strawberries with one arm and held her other fist up in warning, making both boys recoil in fear.

Neither one had even realised that she'd returned from harvesting her fruit. It was usually enough just to know Erza was within earshot, to keep them from fighting.

"Now," she said, brushing her shirt off and sitting. She gently placed her berries down in front of herself, "I must taste these."

"Uh, are you sure they're not poisonous or something?" Natsu watched her, eyebrows raised.

"If they are, I'll die a happy death."

- : -

An hour later, Natsu and Gray were immersed in an intense water fight, standing waist deep in the warm river.

Gildarts was snoozing beneath a glowing root-tree, hands linked behind his head as he took the chance to relax while he had it.

Erza was wandering around, exploring the forest after having eaten as many strawberries as she physically could.

In a rare moment of silence, someone loudly cleared their throat, commanding everyone's attention. The forest was suddenly dead silent; every head instantly turning in the direction of the newcomer.

Erza automatically crouched down, hiding, sure that whoever it was hadn't seen her. She didn't know if they were a friend or an enemy, but she intended to be ready all the same.

Gildarts opened one eye and sent Erza a very subtle look, telling her to wait for his signal in case he needed her to catch the unknown man by surprise.

"Gildarts," the new voice said, a hint of humour held within it.

Gildarts frowned and sat up straight, both eyes now open as he peered at the stranger for a long moment, before asking, "Warrod?"

Warrod nodded, walking towards him. The man was dressed to look like he was a tree, from head to toe in green, even his skin seemed to be the colour and texture of light bark, his hair appearing as though it were a bushel of leaves.

"What are you doing down here?" Gildarts asked, getting to his feet.

"And why are you dressed like a tree?" Natsu added, an eyebrow raised.

"Well, it seems that you've stumbled into my forest."

Warrod turned to Natsu, "camouflage," was all he said in reply to his question.

Natsu didn't think the guy was particularly good at camouflage.

"Huh. Well that does explain all this, you always could grow anything just about anywhere," Gildarts grinned, "so, is this what you've been doing since you left Fairy Tail?"

"It is. I've been developing some new techniques I'd like to introduce to Fairy Tail when I return. Being able to grow food underground could drastically help with supplies. But tell me, how did you find this place?" Warrod smiled, intrigued by the appearance of intruders.

"Igneel Dragneel went missing somewhere around here, we're trying to track him down and those three," he threw a thumb over his shoulder, aimed at the students behind him, "found a trail of footprints in the mud and followed 'em back to this cave."

Warrod raised a bushy eyebrow, "Igneel's missing?"

"Mmm, for about seven months now."

Deep in thought, Warrod's expression turned into one of confusion, before he suddenly said, "and the plants didn't make you turn back?"

Natsu almost snorted, "when you find something that kind of smells like a dead body, it makes you wanna follow it, especially when you're looking for someone who went missing," he said, eyes narrowed at the old man from his spot in the river, his hands on his hips. He was slightly confused at the sudden change of topic.

For a moment, the man watched Natsu, smiling sadly, "ah, yes, I suppose it would do," he acknowledged, quietly.

Warrod then turned and inclined his head towards Erza, who still had yet to appear.

"You may come out now, I pose no threat," he said gently.

Erza stepped out of her hiding spot, surprised, "how did you know where I was?"

Gildarts had obviously referred to his three students, but he didn’t specify any locations.

Warrod simply shrugged and replied with a smile, "the plants."

Erza had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but she decided not to question it.

"Come," Warrod said, walking to the end of the big room. There, he pulled a curtain of vines back to reveal a doorway that none of them had noticed.

Team Natsu looked at each other and followed Gildarts inside.

Through the doorway, they found a short hall that led to a sturdy wooden door. On the other side was what appeared to be Warrod's living quarters.

Cluttered with spilt soil and cracked and empty plant pots, a small, mismatched kitchen type area sat off to one side, with a table and two chairs around it. In the corner of the room sat a small glow root-tree, giving off enough light for them to see.

Across the room, a simple bed rested against the wall, and a webbing of plant life hung from the ceiling, vines curling down, covered in small flowers.

As the five entered the room, Natsu was immediately drawn to the giant blue cat, lying on the floor in a corner, surrounded by three smaller blue cats.

"I knew it wasn't a dream, there was a blue cat," he exclaimed, before crouching and giving the animals a lopsided grin, holding his hand out to them.

"Ah," Warrod clasped his hands behind his back and idly rose up and down on the balls of his feet, watching, "that is Marl, and her kittens."

Marl was about the size of what Natsu assumed a tiger would be, judging from the pictures he’d seen in books.

While the others stared in slight shock, one of the smaller cats seemed to recognise the pinkette and wandered forward, twisting itself in and out, between Natsu’s feet, purring.

"Hey little buddy," he picked the cat up and cradled it against his chest, "it's good to see you again."

As Gildarts and Warrod talked, Natsu, Erza, and Gray, sat on the floor and played with the kittens, though all three kept their ears on the conversation.

It seemed that Warrod hadn't seen igneel at all in those seven months after his disappearance, but he may have been one of the last to see him, right before he went missing.

Igneel was a frequent visitor to Warrod’s forest, stopping by anytime he was out that way on a job, and occasionally bringing supplies. He apparently loved to check-in and see how the man’s experiments were going.

Natsu’s heart sank slightly; once again he was left feeling deflated and losing hope. Nobody seemed to know anything about where he’d gone. They only knew where he'd been.

"He'd often stop next at the village to the east," was all Warrod could offer.

Gildarts nodded, “we plan to head there next."

As one hour turned into two, and two became three, Warrod disclosed that he’d been brewing strawberry wine, using the excess berries that he’d had no other use for, another thing he planned to introduce to Fairy Tail. Igneel had apparently been quite the fan.

Erza, of course, jumped at the chance, falling in love with the liquid immediately. Natsu and Gray watched her hesitantly. Though Erza had only ever been drunk once, at one of Fairy Tail's parties, the boys had come to realise that she was formidable even while intoxicated. She took even the most minor situation very seriously, although dramatically, but she was also very giggly, which was funny to see.

Gildarts and Warrod had no trouble tossing back drink after drink, enjoying the downtime. Team Natsu’s mentor had been just as stressed as his students, and after months and months of relentless training, and the real-world experiences they’d had, they all deserved to relax a little.

Natsu enjoyed the warmth the wine sent to his belly, suddenly buzzing with optimism. He knew it was just the alcohol, but it made him feel better than he had in months. He ended up laying back on the floor as the kittens crawled all over him. Finally, a small smile on his face.

Gray and Erza decided to play a game in which they attempted to slap the other's hands, the latter breaking down into giggles every time she won. The former was horrendously bad at the game, his fuzzy brain slowing his reflexes down.

Eventually, day became night, and Team Natsu got up, leaving Gildarts and Warrod laughing at jokes, their teacher recounting their battle with the Hydra Vine.

“And then… Then I said to myself, I hope they don’t try disarming the thing!” Gildarts slurred.

Warrod clapped a hand on the man’s shoulder and said, very seriously, “no, that would not be the correct root to take, at all,” looking deeply into Gildarts’s eyes. The effect of the whole thing somewhat lessened by his drunken swaying.

"That's what I said!" Gildarts cried, laughing until he hiccuped.

Natsu snickered and shook his head as the three teens walked past them, wondering just how many times they'd have to hear those jokes during their time on the ground.

Flopping down onto a clear spot of ground amongst the strawberry patches, by Erza and Gray, Natsu quickly began to feel sleepy.

He listened to Erza talk about her strawberries, and Gray talk about his girlfriend, Juvia. He listened as his two best friends talked about their greatest loves, as though they were somehow the same.

Staring up at the glowing roots, Natsu found himself wondering what his greatest love was, and his mind drifted to Lucy. He thought about how she'd loved strawberries too, and how he couldn't wait to tell her about the blue cat, whenever he saw her.

When he was little, he'd thought it would be the two of them forever, always best friends, probably more. He'd just always seen them as parts of each other, and whatever that meant, was how they were supposed to be.

He realised that he missed that feeling. He missed what they'd had, even at five years old, the way he'd been one half of a whole that was always meant to be. He'd never had that with any other friends, even at Fairy Tail.

He hadn't considered that thought in years, but every now and then, when he felt a bit lonely, he'd tug those thoughts from the back of his mind, feeling the warmth grow in his chest. He'd sink into that comfort and let himself feel better, just for a moment. It was always bitter sweet; he didn't know if that bond would still be there when they were together again.

As Natsu drifted off to sleep, he smiled when he felt that small bundle of fur sliding in beneath his hand, purring against his chest as the world slipped away.

× Next Chapter

#fairy tail #fairy tail au #fairy tail fanfic #fairy tail fanfiction #natsu x lucy #natsu dragneel #lucy heartfilia #nalu #ft nalu #fairy tail nalu #team nalu

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vennilavee · 3 years

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heat, mind, soul (5)

tsoaf masterlist pairing: levi x reader of color summary: in which there is a party, and you spend the night at the survey corps HQ. and your bar is destroyed. warnings: alcohol, cursing, fluff, smut!!! 18+ word count: 5.3k a/n: i guess 2 months between each chapter is the norm for this story huh

Notification of the pre-expedition party comes in the form of one of the younger survey corps scouts walking into your bar late one evening. You recognize him as the boy you saw on the wall a few days ago. Eren.

When you had your midnight kiss with Levi on top of Wall Rose. His kiss was something that played on repeat in your head, the soft feeling of his lips against yours, his hands over your hips, the way he pressed himself against you when you both fell asleep…

Despite the grimness of this world, his warmth and the map of his hands is a feeling that has fondly crawled into your heart and bloomed. And over the last few days, he’s stopped by when he can, opting to spend the night with you whenever possible.

It’s moving fast, but with him, it just feels right. And for two souls from the Underground, taking things slow seems like a waste of time. Considering that you both know how fleeting life is. And that small joys should be cherished and held on to for as long as they can.

So you hold on to him. You cherish him. You ask questions about what it’s like beyond the wall, and he only looks at you as if he can see right through you-

“It’s...it would be better without the fuckin’ titans.”

“Oh, you don’t say?”

“It’s endless. There’s so much sky...trees...you would like it. You like that kinda shit.”

Levi pauses, kissing his teeth.

“I’ll take you someday. When this is over.”

You scoff. Tomorrow is not a promise for today, and you both know that.

“You shouldn’t make promises you won’t keep.”

You’re lost in your thoughts for a moment, thoughts of Levi and his steel eyes, when the boy in front of you clears his throat with wide, green eyes.

Despite him being just a boy, you can see the undercurrent of tragedy and blood in his bright eyes.

“Think you’re a few years shy of legally being able to buy a drink from me, Eren,” You say dryly, wiping a beer glass with a cloth.

“I’m not here for a drink,” Eren says, sounding affronted, “I’m here because the commander wanted to relay a message to you.”

“Your commander and his captain couldn’t come tell me themselves, huh,” You mutter under your breath.

“Oh, you’re telling me that Captain Levi isn’t going to be stopping by soon?” Eren says smugly, without batting an eyelash and you gasp at his attitude.

“That’s-that’s not-” You sputter, cheeks warming up at his grin, “What is the message, Eren?”

“The commander is requesting your services for a party in about a week. He wants you to provide alcohol and drinks for the Survey Corps.”

“O-oh,” You nod, “Yes, I can do that. Just give me the details and I’ll do my best.”

Eren tells you that he and some other members of the Survey Corps will arrive during the day to help bring the barrels and bottles of alcohol over to headquarters. You don’t bother to tell Eren that you are well aware of where the Survey Corps headquarters is located.

Because Levi somehow trusted you enough with that information.

The thought of seeing the castle where Levi lives sends a rush of nerves through you. He hasn’t invited you himself, not yet at least. After all, he usually stops by your bar more often than not and you’ve never asked to see the castle.

You think that Captain Levi of the Survey Corps probably has more pressing things to worry about than the blossomed feelings of the bartender pining after him.

Perhaps his leg is still slightly hurting him, you think. Levi had mentioned here and there that sometimes his leg would ache at random moments. You wonder how much of him aches and how much of it he internalizes. He hasn’t been by to see you in a few days, and if you’re a little disappointed, you’ll keep it to yourself.

Because there are more pressing things, and you’ll see him soon enough.

Levi wonders if he should ask you to stay the night. After all, you’ll be essentially hosting this gathering for the rowdy soldiers of the Survey Corps. And you’d probably be tired by the end of the whole ordeal.

He’s already tired from it, and it hasn’t even happened yet. But if you’re there, that makes it a little more bearable.

Levi tries not to stare when you walk into the mess hall with Jean and Connie on either side of you, each carrying a barrel of what he presumes is wine while talking your ear off. And you smile with them, laugh with them.

You’ve been here for two seconds and Levi can already tell that you fit in with them. And he struggles to keep his eyes off of you- the fit of your long black skirt hugging your hips and the green blouse tucked into your skirt, gold hoops on either ear…

Pretty. You look pretty and Levi’s throat goes dry.

He catches your eye and you offer him a crooked smile. Levi makes his way over to you and tells (really, demands) Jean and Connie to go get the other crates of alcohol, and you smile a little wider at him.

“Missed me so much that you wanted to throw a party here, huh?” Levi says, letting his fingers brush over your clothed elbow. His touch is fleeting, barely there, but you can’t help but try to lean closer to him for more.

“You caught me,” You reply dryly, “I wanted to see you so bad that I offered more than half of my stash of liquor for you to consume in a single night. You know, I should report you to the MP’s for encouraging underage drinking. Pretty sure your kids were frothing at the mouth just from the smell of beer.”

“Underage drinking? Yeah, right,” Levi scoffs with a roll of his eyes, “Those kids wouldn’t be able to tell water from wine.”

Levi brushes his pinky finger over yours and the small touch sends your heart accelerating.

You let out a laugh, your head tipping back in mirth and you miss the flash of fondness in Levi’s grey eyes.

“You gonna give me the official tour or what,” You ask. You’re curious about the space that Levi lives in, about where his friends and colleagues live. The Survey Corps has always felt like an enigma to you- a flurry of forest green capes and silver blades.

“Maybe later. Don’t you have work to do?” Levi says, voice flat but you catch the undercurrent of teasing.

“You gonna help me? You didn’t even help me bring the barrels inside.”

“You had it covered.”

“Oh, did I? If your kids are drunk off of the fumes, don’t blame me.”

Levi exhales sharply, a breathy chuckle escaping his lips. The sound echoes in your heart, a sound you never want to let go of.

“You’re stupid,” Levi mutters and pokes your forehead. You only beam at him.

Organized chaos fills the mess hall quickly once the Survey Corps begins to fill in to the hall. You can’t help but wonder when the last time any of them had laughed like this- were they laughing for themselves or fallen soldiers and comrades? Both? It’s the least you could give them, you think.

The raucous sounds of laughter and shouts emerge from the corner of the mess hall, where you spot Eren and a few other boys his age. Namely, one of them with brown hair. They’re yelling at each other, about to start throwing fists, while a crowd forms around them.

Nobody moves to stop them, but clearly, everyone’s either too intoxicated or too lazy to try. But really, maybe this is a reprieve that they all need.

The shouts get louder and punches start being thrown. You pay it no mind, expecting someone in the Survey Corps to stop them. Before you can give it another moment of your attention, your vision is blocked.

You look up, somehow maintaining a perfect poker face when you come in contact with Erwin Smith’s deep, blue eyes.

“Was wondering when the Commander himself was going to grace me with his holy presence,” You remark dryly.

He only looks at you in that disarming way. The same way he looked at you the first time you saw him in your bar. And it’s a look you’ve seen on him from years ago.

You’re very familiar with him, it seems. And the thing you both have in common is Levi.

“I assume you found your way here alright?” Erwin asks. He’s intimidating and his mere gaze makes you swallow nervously.

“Yes, Eren and the rest were really helpful. And thank you for asking me to supply you. I’m really-”

“I trust anyone who Levi trusts,” Erwin says simply and your jaw nearly drops.

“Do you?” You can’t help the question and Erwin looks amused.

“Do you have something you want to say?” Erwin asks, his eyebrow raised.

Your palms sweat- should you tell him? Should you tell him that you recall seeing him all those years ago in the Underground? Should you tell him that you and Liya had been paranoid that he and he team were coming for you and your little not-so-legal operation?

“No, not at all,” You shake your head, “And a word of advice- maybe it’s not a good idea to blindly trust anyone who your Captain trusts.”

“Who said anything about blindly trusting anyone?”

And he walks away from you, effectively rendering you speechless. You think he has that effect on people quite often.

By the time the night ends, it’s well past midnight. In fact, it’s closer to three in the morning, and your eyes are burning with sharp fatigue. Most of the Survey Corps soldiers had drank their fill and the descent into drunkenness had been a merry one.

You always love to see how people enjoy the things you create. It’s part of why you genuinely enjoy being a bartender. But making drinks for the entirety of the Survey Corps was pretty taxing, even if you had enjoyed every minute of it.

And if Erwin Smith himself had paid you well and complimented your bartending skills, it was a win for you.

You had managed to have a few drinks of earthwater to ease your nerves, but now you were eager to go home and go to bed. Sleep is calling your name, and yet your eyes always land on Levi.

He hadn’t approached you much during the night. Not that it bothers you. You know he wants to let you be in your element without him as a distraction. But really, he’s not a distraction for you.

Levi sees you yawn a few times and something hesitant gets stuck in his throat. What is he so hesitant for? It’s so late already. It would be stupid for you to walk home right now, let alone walk home alone.

He could walk you home, he supposes. But he doesn’t want to do that either. It’s been a few days since he’s seen you last. Since he’s stayed the night with you.

Maybe you could stay the night with him. For the first time.

Levi scoffs at his own internal monologue.

“It’s late,” Levi says off-handedly. Everyone else has cleared away from the mess hall, taking their drunken antics with them to bed.

“Great observation,” You mutter.

“Stay with me tonight,” Levi says. He says it so easily, as if it’s not the first time he’s asking you to stay with him. He forces himself to look you in the eyes, amused to see a knowing grin on your face.

“I was waiting for you to ask. Can’t believe it took you until three in the morning to ask me to stay the night-”

“Don’t make me rescind my offer.”

“What a gentleman,” You tease.

“Shut up.”

Once the door of his bedroom closes, you immediately tug his wrist and he turns around, about to ask you what’s wrong. But instead, you impatiently press your lips to his, tasting liquor on his tongue immediately. Levi tastes sweet and minty, refreshing like a cool sunrise.

Your hands are instantly in his hair, chest pressed against his. His hands hover over your hips before sinking his fingers over your ass.

“Missed you,” You say into his mouth, your voice soft and sweet. You press a kiss to the corner of his mouth, somehow already knowing that he was aching to be near you. To hold you, to touch you.

Levi lets himself indulge with you a little longer- the press of your hips against his is too much for him to want to resist. His hand cradles your neck as he steals your breath with soft lips. You don’t think you ever want to live in a world where you can’t feel his quiet desire.

“Wait,” He rasps and you look at him with wide eyes, “Go change.”

“And what would you have me change into?” You ask with a raised eyebrow, “I don’t have clothes here.”

“I have clothes,” Levi murmurs, his thumb caressing your cheek.

“They’ll be small on me-”

“Just try them on,” Levi hushes you and pulls you towards his mahogany armoire. You can’t resist touching the different iterations of his uniform, his dress shirts, his trenchcoat. And then his linen night clothes.

“You’re not shopping,” Levi says dryly, “Stop touching everything.”

You smack his chest lazily. “I’m assessing my options. I guess this’ll do-”

You pull a shirt from his closet, it’s soft under your fingertips and you wonder how it might look on you. Maybe Levi would enjoy the sight of his clothes on you the same way you had enjoyed your own clothes on him. Levi gives you a shirt, similar to the style of the grey linen shirt you enjoy seeing him in.

“Turn around,” You shoo him away.

“I’ve literally seen you naked,” Levi says flatly, but turns around regardless. He hears you rustling your clothes off and hopes that you don’t let your clothes drop to the floor. What a mess.

You neatly fold your clothes and place them inside his armoire, tucked into the corner. Levi can’t resist turning around and catching a peek of your bare legs, a hint of cotton black panties, and the way his shirt cinches around your waist.

Levi swallows.

“Told you it wouldn’t fit,” You say pointedly, “Look at this-”

Levi’s looking alright. His shirt rides up on you, your bare belly and your hips calling for his touch. The shirt is tight over your chest, your breasts defined and detailed by the fit of the shirt. You’re afraid to raise your arms too high, for fear of ripping the shirt.

“Looks great to me,” Levi murmurs, stepping closer to you. His hands instantly grip your hips, your warm skin under his fingertips and pliant to his touch.

“You’re only saying that because you have to,” You roll your dark eyes playfully and smack his chest. He takes your wrist, thumb absently soothing your pulse and he raises your wrist to his lips. He presses a light kiss to your inner wrist, leaving your heart fluttering and your lips upturned.

“I don’t have to do anything,” Levi points out.

“Yeah,” You breathe, “But you should kiss me-”

Levi easily picks you up, his hands tight on your thighs and carries you to his bed, dropping you carefully on his crisp, cotton sheets. Everything smells like him, his beige sheets, his pillow, his covers. You could drown, and you’d gladly sink in love with him.

You’re both a synchronized mess of limbs and lips, of murmurs and moans- neither of you can get enough of touching the other. It’s only been a few days, maybe a week or so, but you’re overcome with a familiar feeling. A familiar feeling of longing, of not wanting to let him go. You cross your ankles hastily around his narrow waist, pulling him closer to you.

The dimming light of the candle at Levi’s bedside illuminates the soft planes of your face, giving your brown skin a fiery glow. You look like you belong here, your dark hair a sharp contrast against his sheets. You look like you belong here, with him, in between his sheets and fitting in the rough crevices of your hands.

But your hands are rough, too, in the way that they scale his back. Your touch is rough but gentle against his scarred skin. The scars on your skin match some of his and he squeezes your hands as he dips his head to meet your rouged lips.

Levi wonders if he should pull away from you. Not just from this moment, but from you in all of your fire. If embracing his feelings for you is dangerous, then he’ll be a risk to himself.

If his feelings are something to avoid for some grand, noble cause that he doesn’t quite understand, he won’t. Not when he’ll regret it if he does. Not when the noises he pulls from you, the soft sighs and breathy calls of his name sound so sweet to his ears. Not when the cacophony of your sweet noises shoot straight down to his cock.

He won’t deny himself of this divine rapture- nothing would ever compare to the way your moans crescendo in his ear, only for your wet, warm walls to squeeze down all around him. Levi kisses the junction in between your shoulder and your neck, panting into your glistening skin as he rolls his hips into yours. His hands are bruising over your hips, hands squeezing every inch of your skin that he can.

Levi’s eyes are blazing, bits of grey steel sputtering out in ash when he looks at you. The intensity of his gaze makes your cheeks heat up, and instead you tip your head up for a needy kiss.

He curls a hand around your warm cheek, stilling inside of you momentarily. “Are you with me?” Levi murmurs. He’s so close to your face that soft puffs of his breath tickles your nose.

“Yes,” You mumble hoarsely, “I’m with you.”

Waking up next to Levi in his bed felt as natural as anything else in the world. As the sun rose, illuminating his bedroom with soft rays of gold, you did, too. Specifically, you woke up to Levi’s hands on you and his lips attached to the back of your neck.

You could get used to this. You could really get used to this.

“You don’t have anything to do today?” You ask, sleep still curled in your voice.

“Couple things later,” Levi murmurs, “For now, just us.”

“Okay,” You hum, closing your eyes and almost drifting back into sleep.

Mornings with Levi are slow and steady. Just the way you like it. No interruptions outside of the concrete walls of his bedroom, only your breaths and his. He slots himself between your legs and you make a home out of him as the sunlight pours onto your skin.

Levi doesn’t think he’s ever seen anything as beautiful as the golden sunshine on your brown skin.

Once you and Levi are both dressed, Levi wordlessly hands you something heavy in your hands. It’s in a sleek, black box and you raise an eyebrow in curiosity.

“What’s this? Parting gift?” You ask. Levi rolls his eyes and opens the box for you. It’s a silver dagger, one that looks a little used.

You look up at him with wide, confused eyes.

“In case you need it,” Levi says simply.

In case you need something to remember me by.

A bullet almost as wide as your palm slings past you and into the shelf of alcohol behind you. Before you can shout at whoever it was for destroying your precious liquor, a piercing pain erupts from your upper arm.

Blood drips down your arm, staining the edges of your nice blouse. The bullet grazed your bare arms apparently and Levi meets your eyes from his position behind the bar counter. Silently, you tell him you’re fine and to handle his mess. He gives you a curt nod and eyes the bottle of alcohol in front of him and takes your shotgun.

He always would ask you why you had a shotgun if you never learned how to properly use it. And you’d tell him you’ve always been a knife kind of girl, as he should know.

You briefly wonder how Levi reacts so quickly. Are you in shock? Why are you thinking about Levi’s quick reflexes when your arm is bleeding out? You feel lightheaded but you force yourself to stay awake and stand firm. It’s your bar, and you’ll be damned if anyone gets in the way of that.

Words and the shouts around you sound muffled to your ears. You briefly hear Levi and the stranger with a fedora exchange a few remarks, before Levi lifts your shotgun over his head and shoots. Your ears are ringing fiercely and you barely hear Levi mutter to you that he’ll try to come back to you before tossing one of your bar stools out of the door and into the stranger.

“That’s my fuckin chair,” You mutter, “Ass.”

Levi doesn’t look back at you before swinging away on his cables. You hear the sharp twist of blades and the booming sound of bullets fill the air once more before black dots coat your vision and you pass out.

Cradling your left arm close to your chest, you survey the damage at your bar. The bar top itself is split in half with stray pieces of wood littering the floor. The stench of fear and adrenaline lingers in the air, even though it’s just you in the bar.

You decide to tell Levi that you’re putting the damages on the Survey Corps’ tab.

You had woken up several hours ago in the infirmary, with a nurse and a doctor looking at you warily-

The throbbing in your arm had subsided for the most part but you just felt so… woozy.

“We cleaned out your wound while you were passed out. Unfortunately, it does require stitches. Eight to be exact.”

“You couldn’t do that when I was passed out, too?” You groan hoarsely. Stiffness begins to settle into your left arm and you wince.

And about thirty minutes after that, you had left the infirmary alone with only the new moon as your company. You vaguely remember Misaki being in the infirmary with you, but you had told her to go home. She had a younger sister to take care of, after all. That much you remember, in your exhausted delirium.

Sweat breaks out over your forehead when you attempt to pick up the pieces of broken wood from the floor. You manage to clean all of two feet of space before giving up from exertion. You sit in front of what remains of your bar counter and lean your head back with your eyes closed.

What a day. You hope Levi’s okay, and that whatever reason he had for dramatically slamming into your bar completely unannounced was worth it.

He’d roll his eyes at you if he heard you.

“You gonna sit there all day or what?” A voice, quite possibly one of your favorite voices, calls from the entrance of your bar.

“We’re closed. For construction,” You reply, still with your eyes closed.

You hear his footfalls before they stop right in front of your crossed legs and he crouches down to be eye-level with you. You feel his fingers brush over your bandages and you finally open your eyes to come face to face with Levi himself.

“Hey,” You murmur, the last bits of your strength evaporating into the air with your words.

“You should be resting,” Levi says, eyes intensely trained on you.

“I suppose,” You reply, “You should be resting, too.”

You eye the cut over his eyebrow and splotches of dried blood caked over his cheeks. You wonder if it’s his blood.

“Couldn’t even make it upstairs?” Levi asks, ignoring your comment.

“Obviously not,” You roll your eyes.

“I should leave you here. For that mouth of yours.”

“Shut up. I quite literally took a bullet for you, so help me up, Captain Levi.”

His eyes soften marginally at that. He pulls away from you to quickly clear away the broken pieces of wood strewn across the floor. He hoists you up with his hands gently over your ribcage. You’ll never deny his touch on any part of you, and you both know it.

Levi carries you to your small but cozy apartment above the bar when he sees you fighting off fatigue. He wonders if you do that for his benefit. Pretend like you’re not the most tired you’ve been in a long time just so he doesn’t feel bad about it.

He knows of your tough exterior and he knows your smart mouth. But he knows that you’re soft, too.

Levi seats you on the edge of your bed and you watch him flit around your apartment with tired eyes. He’s been here enough times to know where things are- ointment, bandages, medicine, water.

“Stitches?”

“Eight of them,” You nod.

Levi wordlessly peels your bandages off of your skin. You expect a sharp sting, but there is none. Only Levi’s rough fingers gently prodding at your skin.

“I could’ve done a better job,” Levi scoffs, “Look at this. It’s going to leave a scar.”

“Should I have waited for you while you brought your fancy medical supplies?” You snark, “Besides, it’s okay. Nobody will fuck with me now.”

Levi ducks his head to examine your stitches further, but you’re certain he’s rolling his eyes at you again. His fingers are gentle and warm along the outer areas of your fresh stitches. He washes his hands before dabbing ointment over the gash and wrapping it with new bandages.

“You should watch what I’m doing, rather than stare at me. I won’t be around to change your bandages every night,” Levi says without looking at you.

“What an honor that would be,” You mutter, “Having you stay longer than a night. What a dream.”

He hears the bite in your teasing, but lets it go. Hands brush over his cheek, fingers flitting over his eyebrow curiously. You pad across the skin there, satisfied when you feel a mostly healed cut.

“And you? You were bleeding when you flew in here. Who was that guy anyway? Can’t believe he fuckin’ shot me. In my own fuckin’ bar. What an ass.”

“That was Kenny.”

“That was Kenny?”

“Yes, close your mouth. You look like a fish out of water.”

“How else do you want me to react? The guy who raised you is trying to kill you? What the hell, Levi?”

“He’s part of the shitty MP now. With the interior police.”

He can’t hide the disdain in his voice.

“Wasn’t he the one who killed over a hundred MP’s? Kenny the Ripper?”

“The one and only.”

You’re quiet for a few moments, fingers reaching behind him to lightly scratch his undercut. Levi dares to let out a quiet sigh, closing his eyes and allowing himself a few moments of silence. And you. You press your forehead to his, a light breath tickling his nose.

Dark circles under his closed eyes are prominent and his shoulders seem to slump in your embrace. He’s tired, even if he’ll never say it.

“Stay with me tonight?” You whisper, breaking the silence. Levi opens his slate grey eyes and peers into your own, reluctance already swirling in them.

You press a kiss to his jaw. His cheek. The corner of his mouth. Finally, his lips. As if you’re trying to coax him into staying with you.

Like he needed any persuasion to begin with.

“I have to leave early tomorrow,” Levi finally says. You nod and he buries his head in your neck, breaths soft and steady against your skin. His chapped lips are rough but welcome over your throat as he kisses you. Levi is gentle with you, mindful of your arm, as he melts into you wordlessly.

You wonder if this man knows the extent of how deeply he’s burrowed himself within you. You wonder if he knows that your blood and your heart belong to him.

The words, the confession. It never comes, no matter how often you think of spilling the words from your lips. It remains silent in your throat, caged away like a bird that will never sing.

You tug at Levi’s shirt, trying to lift it off of him with one hand. Mostly, you want to see if he has any fresh bruises that need attention. But you always get distracted by him and his curious hands.

But tonight, you can tell his mind is wandering. And you can tell he needs to sleep. You wish he’d sleep with you for half a day, or even sleep in with you once in a while. But you can only dream.

“Levi,” You say softly, “Will you help me get out of these clothes? I’m so tired. Kinda want to just… lay down.”

You rub your eyes and press your forehead to his shoulder. You sigh contentedly as his hand rubs your back and you lazily rub his chest.

“Sit up then,” He murmurs. He knows where your sleep clothes are, and pulls out one of two shirts he had given to you weeks ago. To remember him by.

Levi undresses you, deliberately sending you little shocks with his touch across your warmed skin. His lips are upturned slightly. He’s being playful. He tosses your clothes in your laundry bin as you crawl into bed, waiting for him.

“Wait,” You say sheepishly, “Can I have some water? I mean, I’d do it myself. But I’m just so cozy right now.”

Levi kisses his teeth in pretend annoyance but brings two glasses of water to bed with him. One for you and one for him. You drink generously, watching him change into sleep clothes before he blows out the candle on your nightstand. Levi climbs into your bed and immediately pulls you to him, fingers under your shirt instantly. His arm is around your waist, wrapped around you, quiet and steady. He’s careful not to touch your injured arm.

There are a million things you want to say to him. You want to speak to him until the sun comes up, not wanting to waste a second more with him. You want to hear about every second of his day and you want to tell him about every second of yours. His time with you is rare and limited and you’re always left yearning for more when he inevitably leaves you for the world.

His world. The one without you in it.

You swallow those slippery thoughts down, and instead snake your fingers through his hair and enjoy the way he hums into your neck. Levi rubs the bandaged area around your arm gingerly. His touch is gentle and featherlight, yet still somehow carrying all the words he doesn’t say in it.

“I need to get you another chair, I think.”

“You need to get me another bar, I think. I’m putting it on the Survey Corps’ tab. It’s a Levi tax. A levy if you will.”

“Hilarious,” Levi mutters, but you hear the airy chuckle against your skin. You laugh with him, before turning towards him and cupping his cheek. He meets your dark eyes, peering at you as if he can see your heart beating through your gaze.

“Sleep, Levi. Wake me before you go,” You say softly, pressing a fierce kiss to his lips.

Levi allows himself to get lost in you, in your familiar jasmine scent. He allows himself the luxury of a lover stealing his breath away at least once more.

Sleep comes easily for him that night. As it usually does, when he’s with you.

tags: @simpingmaize @captainchrisstan @alrightberries @kentobean @melancholicmonologue

#levi x reader #levi ackerman x reader #levi ackerman #levi x you #levi ackerman x you #aot x reader

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shinriaaa · 3 years

Text

Venus

Chapter 1

Summary: As his world faced the near extinction event, Levi Ackerman was coincidentally contacted by his cosmic relative. Unbeknownst to him, they are both alone in the universe as Ackermans. Not going to be replicated just like the others in different worlds, but to disappear once they’ll... die.

p/s another unedited fic soooo yea, please leave out your comments below if u guys wanted to let me continue this!

—

He was sure that the universe is playing his fate all along as if the mysterious void of different celestial bodies is just another speck of reality embedded in humanity’s mind like a whirlwind of eternal misery. Just another mind fuckery, making their species insane and pretty much useless if the world just began and ends in a blink of an eye.

Taking a break from his head aching stupor, he stood up and poured another cup of tea, an Earl Grey, which is safely tucked in a drawer of his domain at the moment for the past 70 years. The owner might have left it there for his pleasure but died like everyone else that was left in the world at the moment.

Sitting back on the swivel chair of the office, his computer— no, supercomputer suddenly gave a message. There is an email, an email and his eyes widened like it’s the most surreal thing that has happened ever since he was born on Earth. Emails er are long gone, and it was replaced by those electronic texts and all of the sudden, another automatic message receiving device has been invented that you immediately receive it to your head via a chip implanted there.

Levi stifled a laugh, much to his chagrin, he grinned silently. He clicked the notification, but his eyes widened when he saw the sender.

Mikasa… Ackerman.

To be honest, he doesn’t know her. He had no relatives with that name, and even if he did somehow, probably she’s on another side of the planet because of her name, which sounds Japanese. But why all of the sudden? Is she even alive? But where?

All those questions suddenly made him shiver when he realized that the Japanese peninsula was obliterated a year ago and the survivors fled into space.

He slowly read the letter, his eyes not even blinking. He swore that it all baffled him, like the universe itself and the world around him.

——

Dear Levi,

Hello. I’m Mikasa Ackerman.

I came from another world… and upon searching among the worlds that may still harbor life, I saw your surname. As silly as it is, I am hoping for you to email me back since I am all alone in the universe. You know that… we are the only ones who existed in the whole universe, even parallel ones. We are singular, Levi. We have only one life among the stars, and we are not going to be copied like the rest of the world be.

I wanted to reach out to you… Please. We are on the brink of extinction right now. An Ackerman alone in the universe is a terrible thing, and if I’m gone, no one will be like me again. Also you… you will turn to dust like the others, except you will not be copied into another universe. There is a wormhole, and I sent this to you at the quickest speed of light. I am in another universe, a parallel universe like the millions around us.

Save me and be with me. Please live. I cannot lose you.

Sincerely yours, Mikasa

——

He stared at the screen, his emotions are now in a sudden haze of confusion and bewilderment. As if on cue to his shocking discovery, he staggered back on his chair and fell on the floor when an explosion probably a thousand miles away from where he was temporarily living is obviously… obliterated by the force and the sudden drop of temperature made him shiver.

Another Higgs, and he’ll surely kill himself rather than being blasted by that damned bomb. He stood up, luckily the supercomputer wasn’t harmed and the bright light emitted from it made his place illuminated in contrast to the world outside his makeshift abandoned facility from decades long gone.

80 years ago, wars broke out. The earth slowly turned into ruins, and millions and billions of people died. The people lost control, and some of them ventured away towards the stars. The humans left here in this damned planet are always higged, turned to ashes, just for the sake of destruction. The Sun warmed, too warm and it killed everything.

The year 2113 wasn’t getting better either, it was far worse. It was almost an extinction-level event, and he feared the worst. The planet could potentially be obliterated by the species it gave life with, only the said species became its demise.

Now, in his apocalyptic world, he was sitting on his swivel chair, now called vintage by his timeline, and stared at the email outrageously, and remembered a story about a certain girl who wanted him to respond from years long gone. Levi heaved out a sigh, and if there’s any way that could get him out of this fucked up planet, he’ll do it. Even if it has consequences, or he will be eaten by aliens or whatsoever that awaits him up there in the void, he will find a way.

It’s not like humans can’t still offer a ride up to space and go to another hospitable planet, but unluckily for him, he was not a millionaire or a billionaire in this world. He can’t afford a seat— hell, he can’t even come inside that fucking rocket without a cash payment to offer. Because surviving is a damn expensive venture he’ll get into, and even though he’ll rob a bank here and now, he will probably end up dying or find nothing there.

Humanity is long gone.

And he was still here, looking at his computer, like he was so lucky, so lucky in fact, to even be contacted by someone even though it’s from another world or anything in this matter. As long as someone is still worried about his well-being.

Finally, after he pondered for a moment, he clicked the email button, well, a reply would suffice. His fingers hovered the keyboard, and it was so foreign for him to act like this— even to the world as living in at the moment, that he sent a message through a keyboard and a fucking computer at that.

He typed and typed, leaving out the details and he sighed. There is no turning back… he will just wait and see if there is a possibility that he will be free.

——

Dear Mikasa,

Hello… Yes, I’m Levi.

I’ve received your email. Please count the hours since you sent it so that we can properly talk through this… old type of sending messages. I am unlucky living on this Earth, probably too far away to reach you. If you need my help, it is probably too late. We are getting obliterated right now, and there’s more to come.

Mikasa, how can I save you when I couldn’t save myself from this fucked up world? Tell me how and I’ll gladly do it. Thank you for reaching out, even though you don’t need to.

By the way… are you safe? Because I’m fucking obviously not.

Yours, Levi Ackerman

——

Sending it… he slumped back on his not-so-comfortable swivel chair as the loading continued. But after a few seconds, he saw the ‘sent!’ notification and a small smile lit up his lips. By the thoughts of it, he hoped that it may reach her somehow… if not too late. Extinction, like his world, is probably common among the worlds that have a common ground— parallel. The multiverse is a common concept, and not like it was originally taken kindly, some people still doubt it until now. Levi thought if she was from another universe that is parallel to him, or maybe… if it is parallel to his world, she would probably be in front of a computer talking to him at the end of the world.

Sighing, he closed his eyes as the smell of apocalypse lingered around him. It smells filthy, deranged and he hates it. Loathes it, in fact.

Freedom… did it even exist? He wondered as he saw another thunder and a blast from up above, silently praying that there are no casualties in that land to become one of the dead.

But pondering what Mikasa said, they are luckily replicated to the other parallel universes. Maybe the people here are living there peacefully without the Higgs, and maybe they die but luckily be buried underneath the Earth.

But not him.

He never felt so alone until her email. If the universe is playing his fate, they sure want him to suffer.

—

It was a few minutes after he took a nap and a message suddenly came into his bright supercomputer, like it was a fire ignited from the wood. He looked up, seemingly deluded by the fact, that someone was communicating with him. Like it was not just a dream or trickery from his mind throughout this madness.

It was all true.

Mikasa is still alive, somewhere… but still alive.

Slowly clicking the email while his eyes glued to the screen, he finally read her reply. Bit by bit, slowly… like he can finally see the light.

——

Dear Levi,

Thank the Gods you’re alive!

To answer your request, I received your email after a few minutes when I sent my email to you. I think you quickly answered it, right? Also… I’m safe. I’m in a spaceship at the moment, but as you can see, humanity in this universe is on a brink of extinction. We are nearing the wormhole, in case you’re wondering why I can quickly send the message. Apparently…

We’re probably coming to your universe.

I doubt it… but I saw the map and it was headed towards your universe when I first searched your name, it has an address, and I knew, we’re going there. Levi, I can save you. I’ll save you if I can, I’ll control the spaceship since everyone is asleep…

Find a way to get into a rocketship. And I’ll meet you at your world’s moon base (if there’s any) and I’ll get you.

Sincerely yours, Mikasa

——

Levi inwardly smirked, as an idea sparked in his mind. Speaking of moon bases, he has a friend in NASA, still here at the Earth as of this moment. The flight towards the moon base will happen this afternoon… if he can see exactly the sun in the dark skies that indicates it was still morning.

He replied to her email, grabbed some supplies for his venture outside towards the 15-minute walk towards NASA's main building, and locked the door.

It was not a luxury seat on a starship ride, but the Moon is the door to his freedom.

——

Dear Mikasa,

Thank you. I think I found a way. I’ll meet you up. Though the ride will take place after three days, two and a half days is the minimum time of travel. Perhaps you can meet me after four to five days if possible.

Please be safe. And thank you for saving me. Email me up, and I’ll answer you later since I’ll be going on an errand.

Yours, Levi

——

Chapter Two

A/N Please let me know in the comments below about your thoughts! don’t be shy to leave a note, hehehehehe ily! ✨

#rivamika #snk #fanfiction #levi ackerman #mikasa ackerman #snk levi #snk mikasa #levi #mikasa #venus #sci-fi #apocalypse #au

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chibinekochan · 4 years

Text

Angel in hell - part 2

Obey me! Angel Reader Au.

Gen. reader insert.

part 1 |

2k words

An angel in the Devildom? Well, this is nothing new.

Together with exchange student veterans Simeon and Luke you get chosen to be an exchange student in the Devildom.

Due to an accident, you end up sharing the dorm with 7 demon brothers.

The local demons are all acting very strange around you.

Is this because you are an angel or is there a hidden reason?

______________________________

"Mammon you will show them the room." Lucifer moved over to Diavolo.

Mammon looks very surprised. "Wait why me? Come on don't do this to me!" He sounds very upset.

"Don't waste my time and just do it." Lucifer just brushes Mammon off.

"Let Satan do it, it was his fault after all." Mammon isn't done complaining.

"Hey, why do you drag me into this?" Satan glares at Mammon.

You watch the scene and feel pretty uncomfortable. The demons must hate angels. "It's alright just give me a map or something. I don't want to inconvenience any of you." You don't want them to hate you.

"No, it's alright. I will lead you to your room." Satan looks a bit guilty.

"Well, that's settled then." Lucifer just seems glad that the discussion is over.

You feel a bit better after hearing this.

"Alright, then we should grab some of the luggage and then go to our rooms, and don't forget to give me your new numbers later." Simeon reminds you and Luke. You had almost forgotten about the new phone that you received.

You follow after Simeon, with Satan and Mammon in toe. They walk a bit behind you like they keep a distance from you on purpose.

You grab your most essential luggage, knowing that the rest will be delivered later.

You start to pull your suitcase when Mammon steps in front of you.

"I can take that for you… If it's too heavy for you…" Mammon tries to be nice.

You appreciate the effort. " Thank you... Umm Mammon was your name right?" You give him a polite smile.

"Y-yeah that's right." Mammon stutters for a moment and is unable to look at your face. For a moment it seemed like he is in pain.

"We should go. I have dinner duty tonight. So we should hurry up." Satan seems to bring Mammon out of his daze.

You wonder what that was about. Maybe he was insulted that you weren't sure about his name?

"You take turns with dinners, right? Simeon told me about that. I can cook too so it won't be an issue for me. I might need some demon recipes though." You try to lighten the mood a little bit, at least.

"I have some cookbooks you can borrow some and I can help you… I

I mean if you want to." Satan offers with such kindness, you wonder why he seemed so defensive earlier.

"That would be very nice of you." You smile at him. You truly feel grateful to be included like this. Maybe they are not bad after all?

"Don't worry about it. I mean it's not like we…" Satan stops himself, a shadow crosses his face. "I mean we aren't as bad as you might think." Satan glosses over this.

You wonder what he tried to tell you.

"Yeah, I'm sure we will get along just fine. Not just us both, I want to become friends with you all, if possible." You say this mainly to encourage yourself.

You can see Mammon almost jump in the corner of your eye. He doesn't add anything to the conversation.

"Here we are, this is… your room." Mammon stops in front of the door. His voice is unusually quiet.

He has a sad expression while his hand stops just over the door knop. Then he takes a breath and opens the door.

Inside you can see Beelzebub. With a stack of boxes.

You are confused but don't say anything.

"What are you doing?" Satan seems to be just as confused as you are.

"I just wanted to move….you know their belongings out of the room…" Beel seems to fight with something.

"Come on, we talked about this. This isn't supposed to be a museum." Mammon sounds frustrated.

"I know… I, I just can't bear the thought that even this will get destroyed… we only have this much left." Beel looks towards the boxes. The atmosphere gets heavy again.

Your eyes wander between the boys. They all seem to be in so much pain.

"I don't know what is going on but... If I shouldn't be here then I won't stay. I won't tell Lucifer." You feel bad for them. Seeing them like this breaks your heart.

"No, don't do that! I mean I will just put these in storage." Beel shoots the idea down with almost harshly sounding words.

"Yeah don't feel bad. It's not your fault." Satan looks at you, with a kind expression.

"Yeah, it's your fault…" Beel glares at Satan for a moment. "I will go and bring these away now." Beel grabs the whole stack of boxes and carries them like they are nothing.

It's pretty impressive to you.

Satan's expression has clouded over. "I'm sorry… It's just very hard on him."

"It's alright. I won't pry but I guess this room. It is somehow very important to you all. I promise to take good care of it." You honestly don't want them to feel any worse than they already do.

"I know you will." Satan smiles gently. For a moment it seems like he is about to pat your head but drops his hand.

“Well duh...I mean you are an angel and all ummmmm...I think we should go now and let you unpack…” Mammon seems to be uneasy.

“Thank you both for showing me the room.” You gracefully bow to them.

“No problem. Oh, and if you need anything you can call me anytime.” Satan smiles lightly.

“Same here...I mean as long as it's not like 3 am or something...unless you are in trouble. Just call me, okay?” Mammon seems unsure of how to word things the right way.

"Sure, I will call you if I need help. If you need anything you can call me too." You want to be kind to Mammon too. It only seems right.

"If you offer him that, he will never stop calling you." Satan chuckles lightly.

"Hey, don't act like I'm unreliable! You know I'm not right?!" Mammon seems offended and looks at you like he expects you to agree. You look confused to Mammon.

"Ah right, you don't know that…" Mammon sighs. Satan pats him on his shoulder.

"We will go now and let you unpack. Just call if you need someone to lead you to the dining." Satan kindly offers you and you nod.

"Thank you both." You give them both a kind smile and they seem a bit uneasy.

Then they leave your room and you start unpacking.

Demons sure are strange.

You are done unpacking and feel rather hungry. You decide to find the kitchen by yourself.

You wander around for a while but don't have any luck.

Then you realize that you don't even know where you are.

You need a map.

Lost as you are, you find yourself in front of a dorm room. So you hope, pray and knock.

"Password." You can hear the muffled voice of Levi inside.

"Sorry, I don't know the password. I just need some help." You hope that he will just help you.

"You should know the password… Oh-Oh, wait no YOU don't know it… This is such a bad idea." Inside his room, Levi seems to argue with himself.

You hear the door open and Levi standing behind the door. He doesn't even look at you.

"Thank you for opening the door. I fear that I got lost." You feel very sorry for bothering Levi.

"How could you get lost? Oh, wait… Well, where do you need to go?" Levi seems to be rather unwilling to help you.

"I need to find my room and the kitchen…" You admit a bit shyly.

"Hold on, I will just draw you a map." Levi leaves you standing. He seems pretty cold towards you.

You can take a peek into his room, it's filled to the brim with strange stuff. You have seen similar things somewhere before.

Your eyes then find a big map on the wall."Oh, that's the world map from tsl." You are pleasantly surprised to see it.

Levi turns to you, and suddenly his face lights up. "Do you still remember tsl? It's hard to forget. I mean I still watch it all the time. I have some new super limited Henry merch." Levi seems suddenly very excited.

"Tsl is very popular in heaven. So Henry is your favorite character?" You think it's a good thing that you have found some common ground.

"Yeah of course! I mean that will never change. Do you still remember Henry in that one scene between him and the 2nd lord, that was so amazing? I still get cold chills just by thinking about it." Levi seems to vividly remember the whole thing.

"Sorry, I have only read the books so far I'm sure it's very amazing." You almost feel bad telling Levi that.

"We already… I-I mean we-we could watch it again. I mean for the first time ever. Ahhh I'm so bad at this just ignore all of this." Levi seems flustered all of a sudden.

You don't understand why he behaves like this. "I would like to watch the tsl anime with you." You feel like it will be a very interesting experience.

"You would? Oh wow… You-You are still… I-I m-mean you are so nice… don't mind me I talk nonsense all the time." Levi almost seems to sweat.

Maybe he just has issues talking to people or angels? You don't mind either way.

"I look forward to it." You give him a polite smile.

Levi let's out some incoherent silebels.

He then takes a deep breath. “Same here...umm here's the map...I would go with you but that it just wouldn't fit in my schedule? Yeah, that sounds about right...I mean I'm a very busy demon.” Levi's eyes shift like crazy around the room.

“Thank you for taking the time to help me.” You are grateful regardless of Levi's strange behavior.

Levi laughs a bit awkwardly and you leave his room.

With the map in hand, you make your way into the kitchen.

You hear some strange noises from inside of the kitchen. It sounds like someone making a huge ruckus.

Carefully you peek into the room.

You see Beel ransacking the fridge. It looks like a disaster zone.

You wonder if you should just leave. He looks rather busy after all.

Then your stomach starts to rumble. Talk about bad timing.

Beel turns to you. If you expect him to be mad or something, you are proven wrong.

He looks way kinder than before.

“Oh hey there. I'm sorry about earlier...I was pretty mean, right? Here umm a cookie...I haven't eaten it yet so Ummm you can have it.” Beel seems to be very sorry and he holds the cookie out for you.

You think it's a sweet gesture, take it.

"It's alright. We all have bad days. I will not hold it against you." You don't know why Beel was so upset. He seems completely different now.

"You are very nice." Beel gives you a genuine smile, it makes you smile back at him.

Then your stomach rumbles again.

"You should eat that before you faint. Wait, that's something that only happens to me. Well, regardless you should eat." Beel seems concerned.

You do just that. "It tastes really good." You are a bit surprised. This is the first demon food that you ever had.

"Yeah I know how...they are very tasty." It seems like Beel wanted to say something else but then corrects himself.

You nod a bit confused and finish the cookie. "Do you need some help cleaning this up?" You don't know what caused this mess, even when it seems likely that it was Beel.

"Thanks for the offer but I

I should clean this myself. It's my mess after all." Beel declines but his voice are softer than before.

"I will gladly help you Beel and together it will go faster anyway." You insist on it.

Beel nods, a little bit troubled, and then lets you help him clean up. He does most of the work though.

Then you head back to your room for a while.

Check my Obey me! Masterlist for more content

#obeyme #omswd #obey me angel au #obey me!#obey me shall we date #obey me fanfiction #swd om #om #obey me one master to rule them all #solmare obey me

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ymir-me · 3 years

Text

We will be just fine - a Levihan fanfiction

Rated T

Hurt/Comfort - Fluff

read on AO3

“Will this pain ever end?” He scoffed, unsure of how to respond to such a hard question. “Never,” he finally said, still watching the night sky. “But one day, you will wake up feeling better than the day before. You will never forget, but you will be fine.”

thank you to @fullmetal-hellmouthchemist dearest for the amazing beta job, u da best <3 <3

She shot the hooks of her ODM gear with skill, soaring several meters from the ground. Hange had always been extremely agile and flexible, her movements clean and elegant. Without an eye, though, it was harder to adjust her depth perception, making it almost impossible to move around without occasionally crashing against obstacles.

One mistake and she could end up as Titan shit (if only Titans had a digestive system), a fate she couldn’t risk now that she was the Survey Corps Commander–she needed to get better and better, she needed to perfect herself. She couldn’t waste Moblit’s sacrifice or betray Erwin’s trust, especially not as they looked down upon her.

The pain of the loss never faded, never dulled, not once. It was always present, lurking, waiting for her to be unoccupied to attack. Hange tried to drown that feeling by working until the first lights of morning and training until her muscles ached; she had skipped more meals than she could remember because thinking about food made her stomach sick. She was so tired.

One flip, one jump, a wrong move and she slammed against a tree with her back. The air left her lungs all at once as she let out a choked sob. She shot the hook again to reach a higher branch and sit on it to catch her breath.

“Fuck!” she screamed, and she punched the poor trunk.

“Oi, shitty eyes. What the hell are you doing up there in the middle of the night?”

She looked below her and there was Levi, standing on top of the roots of the tree.

“Just training, why are you here?”

“I was looking for you, couldn’t sleep,” he shrugged. “I made tea and brought you some bread because you’re apparently trying to starve yourself.”

She smiled softly and fixed her glasses over her nose, they were a bit too tight on her still-fresh wound. Levi being so attentive wasn’t really a surprise—he cared deeply about his soldiers’ and colleagues’ well-being, and they had been close friends for years now. However, facing him in that moment, as broken as she felt, didn’t sound like a good idea in her head.

“I appreciate it very much, but I think I’ll exercise some more. I’ll meet you inside when I’m finished.”

Hange rose on her feet and resumed flying around, leaving Levi alone with his thoughts.

Her declining to spend time together was new, but not completely out of character: she had lost two of her best friends in a matter of days and was coping badly, as most of their comrades did. The Survey Corps was accustomed to losses and grief, some deaths hitting harder than others. He knew how she was feeling at that moment and really wanted to cheer her up somehow, or maybe find solace in their shared experience.

After all, he had lost Erwin too. And Kenny, just before their commander.

He turned around to enter the barracks when a dull noise caught his attention. He couldn’t hear the gas of the ODM gear anymore, nor the metal wires pulling their user around.

“Oi, are you okay over there?”

No response.

“Hange,” he called again.

No, that silence couldn’t be good. Levi started running towards the woods and saw a bunch of fallen branches on the leaf-covered ground, clearly cut with blades. Hange was nowhere to be seen; she must have gone deeper into the forest. He followed the path and suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, Levi spotted a figure dangling from a branch, like a puppet attached to its strings, upside down. Unconscious.

“Hange!” His voice shook in his throat as he rushed to free her from the gear, undoing the belts as fast as he could. Her body slumped on his; from his position, Levi did his best to secure her head and neck on his shoulder while carrying the rest of her limp body, tightly pressed against his.

As he approached the only lamppost around, he froze in his tracks for a second: there was blood dripping from a cut on her forehead, and some of her bangs had stuck to it, creating a bloody, matted mess. He lowered Hange to the ground, on the grass, and took her cloak off, using it as a pillow to let her head rest comfortably. Levi frantically checked for her pulse and breathing. Both were steady and clear; the cut wasn’t deep, and her neck was okay.

She was alright, she was alive.

With the help of her canteen, he rinsed her head from the blood and parted the bangs to keep them from falling over the wound again.

Suddenly, her eyes opened wide and she moved to sit upright, only to be blocked by Levi’s hands on her shoulder and forehead, pressing on the cut.

“Hey, calm down. You’re okay, you’re okay. You managed to knock yourself out,” he said calmly, pushing lightly to lay her down again. She hissed in pain.

“I miscalculated and crashed against a tree. I need to train more.”

“You need to eat and to rest, and to face your grief once for all, stupid. If you keep acting like this, you’re going to make yourself useless. You’re jeopardising their sacrifices by acting like this,” he reprimanded her, maybe a bit too harshly,

“I can’t sleep and I can’t eat, I can barely see from the eye I’ve got left and now you’re telling me I’m not allowed to be in pain?” She smacked his hand away from her in a fit of rage she was struggling to control.

“You know what I meant, Hange-” he tried to say, only to be interrupted by her word-vomit.

“I really don’t, Levi. I’m tired! I am tired of fighting, tired of this pressure left on my shoulders. I-I miss Erwin, and Moblit, and Nanaba and Mike-”

She stopped talking: she was afraid to let it all out, afraid to explode once for all.

Never being a man good with words, he tried to provide comfort by gently caressing the angry skin around her left eye, her cheeks, her temples with the tips of his calloused fingers. He didn’t necessarily enjoy touching people, but touching Hange, for some reason, wasn’t something he hated; if anything, it was something he felt he needed , from time to time. She was a touchy-feely person, always looking for physical contact with her interlocutors, especially if they were friends.

Levi reached for her and lifted her body up from the ground, enveloping her in what he felt like was a very awkward hug. Hange, however, felt like she had received the final blow: she started crying uncontrollably, tears streaming down her cheeks, pained sobs filling the quiet air of the night. Hiding her face into Levi’s shoulder, she cried for what she felt like hours, clutching his shirt tight in her fists.

He let her vent her pent-up feelings, rubbing her back in an attempt to soothe her. When she finally calmed down, he was still struggling to find the right words (that didn’t really exist), so he simply opted to let his mind speak freely, as they were used to do.

“The only thing you can do is believe you will never have to regret your choices, or the others’ sacrifices. Our comrades believed enough in the Survey Corps’ cause to give up their lives and they entrusted us to carry on until the end. It sucks, but we need to keep fighting until we’ve fulfilled their wish. And the living count on you to stay by their side, too. You’re the only one they’ve got left.”

Hange sniffled, feeling tears welling in her eyes again because Levi was talking about himself: they were the last standing veterans, they had no family left, and their friends had been decimated by the Titans (and, lately, by some humans too).

He had lost so, so much; so many people in his life had died and left him alone in this cruel world and she, overcome by grief, had selfishly thought her friends had left her alone too. But she wasn’t alone, not while they still had each other.

“I’m sorry, Levi.”

He just waved his hand to say it was okay, it’s not like she had to apologise for something.

“You hugged me first tonight, you clean freak!” she teased him playfully, pinching his arm.

“Don’t get used to it, shitty glasses,” he replied and let her go, getting back to a sitting position. They enjoyed the silence surrounding them for a while, both watching the stars shining above their heads. Hange‘s voice broke the silence first.

“Will this pain ever end?”

He scoffed, unsure of how to respond to such a hard question.

“Never,” he finally said, still watching the night sky. “But one day, you will wake up feeling better than the day before. You will never forget, but you will be fine.”

She smiled, thankful for the honest reply, and proceeded to lift herself up a bit again, balancing on one elbow, the other arm tugging lightly at Levi’s hand. He sighed, clearly faking annoyance, and lowered to envelop her in yet another, much needed, tight hug. Who needed it more, they shall never know. His hand slowly stroked her damp, tangled tresses while his forearm sneaked around her neck to hold her close; Hange’s arms tightened around the man’s body as she settled into his embrace, wallowing in his warmth.

“You will be fine,” he repeated in a whisper. “We will be just fine.”

_________

Maps stretched out Too many miles to count Let's just say we're inches apart And even closer at heart And we'll be just fine

Another pin pushed in To remind us where we've been And every mile adds up And leaves a mark on us And sometimes our compass breaks And our steady true north fades We'll be just fine

We'll be just fine We'll be just fine We'll be just fine I know that we will

I just know you will

Time moves slow When half of your heart has yet to come home. Every minute's adding up And leaving a mark on us

I can't get you out of my mind I can't get you out of my mind I can't get you out of my mind I solemnly swear I swear that I'll never try

We'll be just fine We'll be just fine We'll be just fine And I know that we will

We'll be just fine We'll be just fine It's a matter of time 'Til our compass stands still 'Til our compass stands still

(West - Sleeping At Last)

#levihan #levi x hange #not fma #shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan

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duker42 · 5 years

Note

Levi's s/o who has a beautiful voice and loves to sing (only when she's alone with Levi). Her voice really soothes him. One day something goes horribly wrong in town and someone slits her throat. He rushes back to the infirmary and sadly her vocal chords are shredded, she could no longer sing anymore. It devastated them both, especially reader. It hurt him seeing her like a shell of herself days after. One day he thought he should sing for her, and she finally smiled for him.

So this one just turned into something I think is absolutely beautiful. I can’t believe I found a song that seems to sum up Levi so wonderfully. It’s The Script’s I’m Yours.

💜Voice💜

Y/N had a beautiful singing voice. But only Levi knew about it. She was incredibly shy about revealing her talent to the other Scouts. He had only found out himself by come back to her room early to find her singing in the shower.

From that day on she would sing in front of him, but begged him not to tell anyone else. Not that he would, her sweet voice was reserved just for him, and he enjoyed that too much to share.

It was soothing to his spirit, calming him with the weight of his responsibilities and the ghosts of his past were too much to carry on his strong shoulders. On those days, he would ask her to sing as she went about whatever she was doing, letting the soft lyrics float around the room as she cleaned or worked on her own vast amount of paperwork as a Squad Leader.

The day that wonderful talent of hers ended was a day that haunted Levi. Y/N had been sent on a minor mission for Erwin. She had only taken one other Scout with her as it was just supposed to be gathering some information from a known associate. When Y/N had been carted back to HQ with her squad member screaming for help as he carried her on the back of his horse, Levi’s heart had dropped.

There was so much blood, her throat had been slashed open. The associate’s inside rat had gotten too nervous about dealing with the Scouts and had struck out at Y/N unexpectedly. Rushing her into the infirmary, Levi could only pray that they weren’t too late and her life wasn’t bleeding out with every drop she lost.

When they found out her vocal cords had been damaged, Levi felt like crying along with the silent tears she let out. She would be able to speak, but it would be vastly different than her normal melodic pitch. But singing had forever been taken from her, by a gutter rat that thankfully had been killed by her second that day.

~~~~~

He watched her as she sat dimly gazing out the window. She had sat there for weeks, the spark gone from her eyes. The bandages had been removed but the red mark from the knife was a visible reminder of what they both had lost that day.

She had been excused from duty until she could raise what little voice she had left to command her squad during battle. She dutifully went to her speech therapy, but beyond that, there wasn’t much that she did besides stare out the window.

He couldn’t possibly understand what she was going through, the pure joy that had been roughly taken away from her. But he had to find some way to cheer her up. He had an idea, but didn’t know how badly he would blow it. He had never tried to do it, but for her, he would do anything.

He came up behind her and rubbed her arms as he began to sing.

You touch these tired eyes of mine

And map my face out line by line

And somehow growing old feels fine

I listen close for I'm not smart

You wrap your thoughts in works of art

And they're hanging on the walls of my heart

I may not have the softest touch

I may not say the words as such

And though I may not look like much

I'm yours

And though my edges may be rough

I never feel I'm quite enough

It may not seem like very much

But I'm yours

You healed these scars over time

Embraced my soul

You loved my mind

You're the only angel in my life

The day news came my best friend died

My knees went weak and you saw me cry

Say I'm still the soldier in your eyes

I may not have the softest touch

I may not say the words as such

And though I may not look like much

I'm yours

And though my edges may be rough

I never feel I'm quite enough

It may not seem like very much

But I'm yours

I may not have the softest touch

I may not say the words as such

I know I don't fit in that much

But I'm yours

His voice started out unsure and scratchy, but as the words poured out, his voice steadied letting the meaning behind the lyrics shine out to Y/N.

She had turned around in his arms and her eyes widened when she heard him. Her face turned soft as his voice washed over her. When he got to the chorus, she gave him a smile. Big and bright her smile lit up her face with a glow of happiness. He would sing everyday for her if that’s what it took to get his Y/N back to as normal as she could be.

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commander-hanji-zoe · 4 years

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Like Summer

I honestly don’t know why I do this to myself. This was meant to be a freeform few hundred words of Mike and Nanaba being tender and making love. It ended up being much longer and I made myself sad. This is also written slightly differently than a lot of my fics, towards the middle/end during the smutty part it goes a bit experimental/poetic. But I like it? This starts with reflections on Nanaba and Mike’s relationship and then goes into their final afternoon alone together (18+ due to smut) before heading beyond the wall for the last time *I’m not crying*

Word Count: 2,052 Pairing: Nanaba x Mike

A daisy chain made from exactly twenty-five of the small, white flowers. That had been Mike’s gift to her, she had worn it like a crown the first time they made love.

When Nanaba looked at him and searched his eyes all she found was love and loyalty. This wasn’t some quick fuck that he was desperate for, no, he cared for her, had longed for her and moment alone against the unrelenting darkness outside. He needed to escape and there was no one he would rather escape with than her.

“You smell like summer,” he had told her and before she could answer he would add, “You look like summer too - a goddess.”

And in that fashion Mike worshiped the ground she walked on, there was nothing that was too much for his Summer Queen. He respected her beyond anything and in return expected nothing, she happily was his accomplice and the partner for whom she’d chosen to ride the storm.

Every time they went beyond the walls Mike would pick up a present for her, a stone in the shape of a heart, feathers, wild flowers. Nanaba in return would recount tales to him regarding her and the young cadets exploits that Mike would hang on every word.

When she was with him she was at peace, the sun seemed to shine eternally. He smelt of honey to her, his warmth was that of a sunny day, the first after weeks of grey and rain. Then one fine day you wake to see the clouds have melted away and parted to bring peace and life. He would tease her relentlessly about her hay fever when Spring begun, but by the middle of the year they were able to roll and kiss and taste one another in fields of sunflowers and swim naked in streams.

As a couple they could sometimes be a little reckless, heading beyond the walls in search of true peace. They had little fantasies they acted out, where, for a few hours they pretended the Titans didn’t exist. They picked flowers and shared food and walked holding hands as if they had a normal life. A life they knew they’d never know, but both hoped that with Erwin’s guidance at least the future of humanity would get to taste that freedom. For now these daydreams would do.

Sex. That was when they truly escaped, in the scent of one another’s arousal, the moans that started in the pit of their bellies and grew until they expelled them, rapturous and unashamed. It was in the kisses that told the other I belong to you and the rolling of hips, two souls in tangent moving as one.

There was nothing Mike enjoyed more than seeing her in ecstasy as he fucked her, both in full uniform, her blades sharp incase of an attack. And Nanaba lived for the looks Mike gave her, to feel and know she was everything he needed.

The last afternoon they had before Utguard Castle was the same as any other before an expedition. They spent it together, it didn’t matter what they were doing. Nanaba stared out of the window at the position of the sun in the sky and knew it would soon be time for them to leave. She wished for just a brief moment that it didn’t have to be like that, that her and Mike could have a normal life. She tricked herself into believing that one day it would be over and that her and Mike, Erwin, Levi, Hange, Moblit, Gelgar…that they could all look back and recount tales and the things that made them forever joined.

She knew that by now Levi would be getting tetchy as he always did when someone wasn’t on time. Mike knew that Erwin would be far more relaxed about the situation, which was why he had decided to take his time to get ready.

As Nanaba walked past where Mike was sat, to gather up her gear and get ready to leave, she felt Mike brush her hand. She stopped and turned to look down at him, oh there was that look in his eyes the wicked one she knew too well. Her heart skipped a beat, they didn’t have time for this did they?

As if reading her mind, Mike pulled Nanaba onto his lap, “I can be quick,” He murmured as he nuzzled into her neck.

She let out a sigh, not out of annoyance or irritability. Rather she wanted nothing more than to spend the afternoon in bed, but their duties as soldiers meant she was conflicted,“Mike…We need to go.”

Mike sniffed her hair, several long inhales capturing her cherry scent, causing her to blush like she did the first time he smelt her.

“Please, I need you, you’re my good luck charm you know that,” he begged, his voice was raw and needy.

But there was something else in his expression, something that terrified Nanaba. It took her a moment to realise what it was and when it hit her it hurt worse than she could image. Fear, the strong veteran Mike was afraid. This was not something she had ever witnessed before.

The way he said, ‘Please,’ that was new. But then the nature of this expedition was new territory for all of them, should she have been feeling more afraid than she was.

He was still looking up at her, waiting for an answer. He would never presume to make a move without her consent. In the moment that passed between them she made up her mind, a small small and slight nod, “Okay.”

Mike stood up, his arms wrapped round Nanaba to keep her held to him. She wrapped her legs round his waist as he walked her to his bed, kissing her hungrily as he walked.

Mike knelt on the bed, Nanaba still in his arms and slowly he leant forward, laid Nanaba against the sheets so he could admire her beauty, “You’re perfect you know?”

Nanaba brushed hair from his face, “So are you.”

“I know it the moment I first sniffed you.” Mike added with a grin.

Nanaba rolled her eyes, “Can you be serious for a moment.”

“I can,” he replied before he puffed his cheeks out like a puffer fish, “Doesn’t mean I’m going to.”

Nanaba laughed and pulled him down on top of her, they kissed for a moment before she playfully pushed him back, “So, we gonna fuck or what?”

Mike let out an involuntary moan, he loved it when Nanaba talked dirty.

Their clothes were disposed of almost instantly, their fingers working nimbly at the buttons of shirts and trousers, hands caressing the skin of the other as they undressed. Nanaba kissed at Mike’s neck, finding the sweet spot where she could feel his pulse as one of his hands roughly grabbed at her breast, squeezing it lovingly and rubbing her nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

She let out a gasp, her hands freely roaming the coutures of his body, squeezing muscles and tracing the scars he bore from previous battles. Nanaba knew them all, had them mapped out in her mind each one burnt into her memory. Her hands traveled lower until she reached his cock, already so hot and heavy in her hand, he hissed when she first squeezed his length and started to gentle pump him as he rocked into her hand.

Her mouth left his neck to find the security and warmth of his mouth once again, his kisses now more erratic due to her touching him. Their tongues danced and swirled, tasting everything the other had to give. Mike’s right hand moved from her breast and down between her legs. There was little time for small advances or teasing, he squeezed her thigh and cupped her sex, wanting to give her as much pleasure as she gave him.

He broke the kiss for a moment, “You’re so wet my sunflower,” he observed as he trailed a finger down her slick folds and pumped into her slowly.

She just hummed back into his mouth as her lips pressed against his once agin. He shifted his weight and positioned himself at her entrance, the hand she’d had on his cock now wrapping round him. Nanaba knew she’d need to hold on tight, once Mike was inside her there was no way of knowing how the sex would pan out or who would finish on top.

So they rolled on the bed, cotton sheets barricading them from the world outside. Her hands lost in his hair pulling him closer, his on her hips holding her steady, tight enough yes to leave bruises. How she adored the bruises. His lips on hers, greedy and needy and so much love. His mouth made love to her sex, back arching and drawing circles. Fists balled and belly tight, cursing and anger and love and energy transferred.

Pant. Faster. Fighting for dominance.

His calloused hands, their eyes tired, faint bruises from previous sessions and training and fighting.

And every day is exactly the same. Every day is exactly the same. Apart from you.

You.

Change every day into something worth fighting for, worth living for.

As the two animals roll in the sheets, their rhythm a steady patching pace as if made for one another, their moans of pleasure indistinguishable from one another, there is in that moment a universal truth.

This is not fucking, this is love.

“Nana I’m gonna,” Mike said as he went to pull out from her.

“Inside me please,” she practically cried out.

Mike could see in her expression she was serious, he smiled as eyes filled with tears, bending down to capture her mouth with his own, her arms round him pulling as tight as she could as he thrust into her. Harder. Deeper.

Once they had been so cautious so that she didn’t fall pregnant, recklessness had never been there aim but somehow the world was dimmer everyday. Nothing else mattered anymore.

Nanaba needed to fill full, Mike needed to fill her.

When he came deep inside her, shuddering through the orgasm as her thighs squeezed round his waist. Fingertips that so lightly traced his skin now dug into his back as she cringed to him. The hand that reached between her legs and gently rubbed her clit, making the most of her wetness pressed hard against her. She bucked her hips, though Mike was spent and overly sensitive he remained inside her slowly going soft as she came.

Coming down from both their orgasms, they lay still listening to one another’s breathing which slowly returned to normal. Neither one of them wanting to move or clean up, let alone get dressed and head out beyond the wall.

“If Levi saw us like this he’d go spare,” Nanaba mused as she sat up running her fingers through her hair and ruffling it.

Mike wrapped his arms round her and pulled her back into his chest, he tickled her tummy causing her to laugh and squirm in his arms.

“Mike come on we need to hurry!” Nanaba begged even though she was still laughing.

Before they had a chance to get up and get dressed they heard a familiar voice shouting, “Nana! Mike! Where the hell are you two?” They heard Levi’s footsteps getting quickly closer.

Nanaba turned over her shoulder her expression equal parts horrified and like a naughty school girl, “We’ll be there in a minute!” She shouted before she begun to giggle.

Mike sat up and looked thoughtful, “Hey Nana, do you think Erwin has been starving him of Sex?”

Nanaba playfully punched him, “Mike!”

But she couldn’t help but laugh. Later, alone at Utgard Castle and without Mike by her side, it was the memory of that laughter and the scent of honey that kept her going. The belief that Mike was alive, the belief that they would both live to see the dawn and another Summer to continue fighting for humanity for another day.

As the Titans surrounded the castle and she cried a great war-cry, anything to protect the cadets she had thought for a moment she saw Mike watching over her, a faint outline, a memory of summer long ago.

#Nanaba #Mike Zacharias #SnK #AoT #Nanaba x Mike #nsft #angst #lemon #Why do I do this to myself #fanfiction #writing #mine #SnK Vets

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snkpolls · 5 years

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SnK S3E14 Poll Results (Manga Reader Version)

The poll closed with 355 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that these are the results of the manga reader poll. Anime only watchers are suggested not to read if you do not wish to be spoiled about certain events! Anime only viewers, click here to view your poll results!

RATE THE EPISODE 346 Responses

Despite some negatives about the animation of this episode, 87% of the fandom enjoyed it overall, giving it positive votes!

Animation's not movie quality, but damn it was a good episode

I think it lacks some kind of tempo: some moments are stretched out, others are too short.

Could've been paced better, better music choices, less cgi roof shingle focus and could have cut the thunder spear flashback or at least have shortened it... but it didn't look terrible. Although, I wish the fight had a bit more "weight" to it, with moments such as eren punching reiner ( "This is the place where I once called home!" )

Loved it!

Reiner Vs Eren looked a bit stiff, but overall it was a great episode.

The mUSIC WAS SO BOMB

IT WAS SO GOOD I CANT WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE WIT NEVER CEASES TO IMPRESS

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT? 346 Responses

Levi agreeing to fight the Beast Titan was the winner in this category with 31.5% of the vote. The Thunder Spears in action come in second place and Levi sassing Erwin in third.

Levi the madman not losing any of his sass

Liked Erwin’s monologue

Reiner and Erwin’s inner monologue was pretty nice in this episode imo. I like the manga just as much as the anime but hearing their voices in the anime, especially Erwin’s, made those scenes heavier and much more real to me.

Hange looked amazing!

WEAPONRY! It's the way to get it done! WEAPONRY! It's effective and it's fun!

WHO DID YOU FIND YOURSELF ROOTING FOR MORE? 346 Responses

With the 81.8% of the votes, Eren was getting the majority of cheers from the fandom, while only the 18.2% were rooting for Reiner.

Seeing Anime people hating Reiner hurts my feelings. Specially because it will take a lot of time until we see the Marley arc

WHICH SIDE OF THE WALL WOULD YOU RATHER BE ON? 345 Responses

89.3% of respondents agree that they’d much rather be inside of Shiganshina facing off with Reiner than dealing with the threat of the Beast Titan.

STRATEGY MAPS: WHO DID IT BETTER? 345 Responses

This question has a more equal response, with 54.2% of the fandom believing that Isayama did it better with the Strategy Maps while the 45.8% preferred WIT’s animation of it.

HOW MUCH DID YOU SYMPATHIZE WITH ERWIN AS HE REFLECTED ON HIMSELF? 348 Responses

33.3% of the fandom sit directly in the middle between sympathizing with Erwin and feeling that he needs to shoulder the responsibility of his decisions, while 28.2% of respondents truly sympathize with him.

Erwin's speech was the moment I was holding my breath for in this episode, and it was done justice. Not as impactful to me personally as the manga version, but justice done. And that's all I'm asking for.

That look on dead!Mike's face... It was revolting, because real, alive Mike would never have looked at his best friend like that. And that just tells us how terrible Erwin's own perception of himself is... God, he deserves a hug. :'(

HOW MUCH DOES IT HURT TO SEE THE 104TH ATTACKING REINER? 347 Responses

This answer had a lot of relatively equal votes! About 40% of respondents overall didn’t feel too badly about the 104th attacking Reiner, while 23.3% of the fandom felt neither sad nor happy about seeing the 104th attacking Reiner.

104 kickin ass?!?! bless the lord?!?!

If I was anime only I would be happy seeing Reiner's suffering. But as a manga reader I felt a bit of sadness when I saw him being attacked by the SC.

RATE HOW WELL THE ANIME ADAPTED THE CHAPTERS OVERALL: 347 Responses

The fandom seems very pleased with the adaptation of chapters 75-76, with 49.3% ranking it at a 4, while 36% of respondents gave it a 5.

I was so looking forward to Erwin's reflection moment, especially the scene in which he stood on top of all of the corpses. Really well adaptated, just as I expected it to be (even though it was better in the manga, maybe because it was my first contact with it)

Great, faithfully adapting some aspects from the manga, but still the quality should've been a lot better. I hope WIT would rise the standard bar in the future episodes. Overall, it was satisfying to watch.

WERE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE ADAPTATION OF EREN VS. REINER? 347 Responses

Overall the fandom gives the adaptation a pass, with 64.6% of respondents feeling it went about as expected, while 21.3% believe that it was worse than their expectations. The remaining 14.1% felt it exceeded their expectations.

IMO they really could've done better with the OST in Eren vs Reiner fight.

Eren vs Reiner could've had better music to fit the scene. It was a little generic?

Although the adaptation of the Eren vs Reiner fight wasn't as good as I was expecting, I still enjoyed the fight. Definitely wasn't as disappointed as a lot of other people are. I just hope they do my Boi Bert justice next episode.

HOW PUMPED WERE YOU TO SEE PIECK’S TITAN UP CLOSE? 348 Responses

As expected of Pieck! With a slight winning edge, 36.8% are hyped for best girl, while 36.5% feel that WIT captured the eeriness of her titan perfectly! 10.6% felt she looked very cool.

I RABU MY CUTE WIFE PIKU

This design fits her more than the initial one Isayama did back when he wanted to have a middle aged man instead of Pieck. So yeah, I like this one more.

I feel like the Cart Titan looks more feminine than it does in the manga.

It'll be very surprising if she suddenly talks or makes a short noise in the anime version lol

Cart Titan might be my favorite character design of any anime, cartoon, or show. She’s just as beautiful here as in the manga.

They made the eyes more feminine. But it clearly resembles Pieck

I’ve been waiting so long for this I’m satisfied and excited af :’)!!!

GIVEN WHAT HAPPENS LATER, DO YOU THINK ERWIN’S PLAN WAS A GOOD ONE? 347 Responses

64.6% of the fandom feel that Erwin’s plan is the best decision they could have made, while 16.7% feel that while the plan was good, there may have been better options.15.9% are still not sure of the answer.

I don’t even know my own name anymore

This episode really cemented the fact that Erwin never stopped caring about his dream to find out the truth of the world and that Levi made the wrong choice.

Erwin no

DO YOU FEEL THAT ERWIN’S REFLECTIVE MONOLOGUE HAD THE SAME WEIGHT AS IT DID IN THE MANGA? 344 Responses

Erwin’s self-reflection is an emotional part and adds important weight to Erwin’s character! 56.1% of the fandom thinks that the scene was as good as they remember it in the manga, while 25.3% were more deeply impacted by WIT’s rendition of the scene. 18% felt that it could have been done better.

I WAS NOT READY FOR ERWIN'S MOUNTAIN OF CORPSES I DID NOT KNOW IT WOULD HAPPEN SO SOON AND IT CRUSHED ME

WIT does action well, but character moments not so much. The mountain of corpses was almost too big imo. Somehow it had more impact in the manga. Making things bigger and more extreme doesn't necessarily make them more intense in terms of emotional impact.

WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THE ANIMATION AND SOUND EFFECTS OF THE THUNDER SPEARS? 345 Responses

Well over half of the fandom were pleased with the animation and effects of the Thunder Spears. We’ve been waiting a long time and it seems the vast majority of us were not disappointed! :’)

seeing some of the thunder spears in action made their function and operation easier to understand.

YAASSSSSSSSSSS!!! THUNDER SPEARS MAH BOISSS!!

Oh man I did not expect the thunder spears to make those high-pitched squeals but it was actually amazing

Thunder spearsssss

WHICH SCENE FROM THE PREVIEW ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? 347 Responses

With 44% of the vote, manga readers are most looking forward to seeing the Bertl Bomb™! Following behind that at 23% is seeing Marco get eaten by Araki Titan, and 17% of respondents are looking forward to Armin and Bertolt’s confrontation.

I'm REALLY looking forward to watch Marco's death (even though they already showed it in the Lost Girls OVA) and the flipping Serumbowl, which will be epic "

really good cliffhanger, left me uhhhh,,, hung

BERTPISODE WHEN

The ending scene really hyped me up for what's coming

Can't wait to see the corps get obliterated by rocks

GIVE ME THE BIG SWEATY......... LET ME ENJOY HIS LAST ANIMATED MOMENTS :(

These week long waits keep getting worse

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

WHERE’S MY MOBLIT? THEY CAN’T JUST KILL HIM OFFSCREEN WITHOUT EVER SHOWING HIM! :(

Seeing Anime people hating Reiner hurts my feelings. Specially because it will take a lot of time until we see the Marley arc

It was so so slow. I mean I loved every second of it but it was painfully slow, they showed every characters thoughts. Not a bad thing, but not good either idk. I guess it has to build up the tension before the battle.

Does Hanji get prettier with each passing episode?

Needs more Sawano

Aside from the slow/awkward reiner vs eren fight, the animations were honestly sO amazing! the smooth ODMG animations and the Thunder Spears—even down to Reiner sliding back down the wall; it was verryy impressive! In addition, the pacing is honestly perfect and it draws out quite the tension and emotion! Loved it!

I remember reading Eren saying "This is where I...where we..once called home! I'm taking it back!" in the manga and I was like "YES! DO IT!!" but in the anime it didn't have that feeling. Not to mention that the OP had a better punch animation than the actual episode? The second half of the brawl felt more in tune (probably helped by the music that carried from Erwin's part of the episode).

I hope there are gonna be as little changes as possible. WIT butchered one arc already, let's hope they won't repeat those mistakes.

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 331 Responses

Thank you to everyone who participated! We’ll see you again in a few days!

#snk spoilers #snk s3 #snk poll #snk polls #poll results

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heartofhryule · 6 years

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Breath of the Wild: Captured Memories - Chapter 1

First and foremost; SPOILER WARNINGS. If you have not played The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, or completed the Captured Memories Quest and want to stay unspoilered for it, DO NOT READ. Keep Reading link provided for that reason.

So I am writing these as I play through BotW for the first time - which means they probably won’t be ‘one-a-day’ consistent as its taking me forEVER to get to all of them. I will post them as I can though! Promise! I also plan to include links to the cutscene for you to watch at the bottom, if so desired - at least for the ones I can find. Any other warnings that become necessary, I will add for content as I go. For now, enjoy!

Chapter 1 - The Sacred Grounds

He’d been walking for days. His legs ached, he was chilled to the bone against the rain and wind despite his warm doublet, and if he didn’t stop to make camp soon it felt like he might fall over. Still, Link pressed on.

Mind spinning with the events of the past month, sleep was not an easy thing won anymore. As far as he could remember, it never had been. Awakening in the Shrine of resurrection, lost, confused, grasping at the tendrils of memory as if threads in the wind, he’d not known true rest since. The King’s spirit explained he’d failed. Explained his daughter, the Princess, was a prisoner of the Ultimate Evil and that it was Link’s duty, calling, purpose, to save her. Still, even after having failed. What kind of life was that?

Then Impa confirmed… in her backwards way, that all this was so. Sending him to the little girl… immortal… thing, Purah and sending him all over creation to “prove himself” to them. He’d done it - he’d had to. What other purpose did he have? He remembered nothing, had no home, no friends other than strange people who claimed to remember him… claimed to have saved his life… At the end of the day amid the tempest of blank memory and identity he seemed to have, what other choice did he have? He literally had nothing better to do than try and learn who he was.

Looking to the strange, glowing tablet at his side, the Sheikah Slate stared back at him, cold and unassuming. The pictures, still, magical paintings of places the Princess had once created on the magical slate, were to lead him to his memories. A few he recognized, having travelled some, a few stirred nothing within him yet.

And yet he travelled, walked, despite the exhaustion, battling demons that rose from the ground, learning to stealth under the Blood Moon, all the while hearing a voice that turned his stomach, created a sense of urgency and longing, and drove him to find the truth of his past. It was a voice, her voice, that lit a fire inside of him. He had no idea who she was, but he needed to find out. It was her voice that made the not-remembering chafe… sometimes unbearably. Whoever it was, she was his reason for fighting, the fire in his gut and thunder in his heart. He had no face to recall, no scent or recalled touch, but it was no less his one truth - This voice was his reason for not giving up… for not dying.

Now if only he could remember her.

Looking up through the rain, ahead of him appeared through the silver wash of the storm, ruins. The same ruins he was mostly certain were present in the first of the Princess’s pictures. A thrill went through him. He knew this place. He’d not recalled it before, but neither had he been so close. A memory of mossy stones and taking a knee in the sunrise washed through him, and he retrieved the Sheikah slate from his belt, pulling up the picture for comparison. This was it!

The ruins were different, more worn and battle-torn, but it was undeniably the location he’d thought it to be. One remarkable different stood out even in the grey sheets of rain that fell around him… the fuschia and blue glow of a Guardian on the other side.

Link barely had time to dodge, leaping behind a pillar as the devastating laser singed the edge of his soaked cloak. Back pressed to the pillar providing him cover, he drew his bow. These magi-tech, mechanical relics were deadly, and far too prolific in Hyrule. He wasn’t certain he currently had the tools to defeat it. Normally when he spotted one, he made a hasty retreat - but today, that was no longer an option. Not here, where his memory was sparking as if perhaps it might return to life, no longer keeping him in the dark.

Peering carefully around the edge of the pillar, Link was relieved to find that this guardian was without its legs. Hylia could still find it in her heart to be merciful it seemed. As good as that was, thanks to the rain, he was not able to aim confidently before the machine levied another blast, vaporizing the rain and briefly setting aflame the flora in its path. Closing his eyes, Link slowed his heart with a deep breath, and let the sound of the rain fade away around him. Focus, he thought, and recalled Her voice, drawing from the fire it engendered to sharpen his mind.

Coming again around the pillar, it was as if time slowed and he could see between the raindrops. Bringing up his bow in the same, fluid movement, he aimed, and let loose an electric arrow. The machine twitched and shuddered as the electricity overloaded its circuits, albeit briefly, but it was long enough to loose a second arrow before again returning behind the pillar’s cover. He repeated this many more times, until despite the downpour, the machine exploded into an orange fireball, and moved no more.

Hesitating an extra few heartbeats to make certain, Link leaned back against the stone pillar in exhaustion. This land was tiring, browbeating… it wearied the soul.

But, this was not the time to rest. Hylia knew there was probably another ambulatory mechanical monster just around the corner, and he had to know. Had to remember… and then leave. Quickly. Darting forward, as he stepped foot onto the flagstones, the rain seemed to lessen a bit. With each careful step, the memory began to wash over him.

***

It was a cool, sunlit day. His was wearing blue, as were all 5 other people gathered. A dark skinned woman, a man apparently made of rock, a bird person, and a woman that he knew was a ‘Zora’, though he wasn’t sure how he remembered that. Perhaps it was her voice he heard? These four were all strangers to him, as was the woman in front of him, until he saw her face. Long golden hair lit by the sunlight, bright green eyes clear with intelligence and poise but somehow sad despite wearing the trappings of someone well to do. She sighed and her lips parted, beginning what sounded like a very dry, rote speech. Something twisted inside of him when she spoke - it was Her voice.

And yet, it wasn’t. The voice he’d heard since awakening was gentle, longing, edged with desperation and worry. The young woman who stood before him looked sad, patronizing a little, and defeated. It was an entirely different bearing than what he… knew? That seemed a little presumptuous all things considered, but something deep in his bones felt it to be true.

The others whispered behind him, but he couldn’t hear what they said. It was very clear that not all were convinced he should be where he was. Least of all, the Princess. Wait, the Princess?! That was to whom Her voice belonged? Surely not. She was trapped in a castle surrounded by destruction and evil, how could she talk to his mind? Why would she talk to his mind? That last question answered itself with the “you’re the last hope” thing everyone kept telling him, but something didn’t sit right. No, no he must be making this princess sound like Her in his mind. Her voice was so much more dear, more personal. Had he been married? Was he hearing the spirit of a long dead wife, or beloved and supplanting her voice into that of this Princess? It had to be.

In the memory, she looked at him with such cold distaste, Link felt there was no way Her voice could be that of this princess.

***

He snapped back to reality as lightning struck the ground nearby, thunder and its deafening crash heralding to him that it was time to move on. He needed an inn, dry clothing and something to eat. Looking at the Sheikah Slate, his heart sank. Something wasn’t right. There were still so many missing pieces that he didn’t want to accept some of the little truths his mind was trying to provide him. Bringing up the map, he tapped the spot for the Shrine nearest to Kakriko Village. Impa had said to return to her once he’d found the site of one of The Princess’s pictures. He could cook something and sleep there for the evening. As the strange magic carried him away, Link’s mind added to his thoughts; Let’s go sleep and ignore the truth a little bit longer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIm4sjv3yBg

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dragonshost · 6 years

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Back To The Start

Chapter 3: Complications And Missing Places

Pairing: Acnologia x Lucy

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Summary: Lucy has lost everything she ever cared for, all thanks to the black dragon of the apocalypse. So, with the help of two old journals belonging to her ancestor Anna and a dragon slayer 400 years dead, she will find out the secret to Acnologia’s defeat. No matter the personal cost.

Chapter 3 of the giveaway fic for @momocheww

Sorry this took so long to get out! I finished it a while ago, but I only just got around to editing it. Also, I cried while writing this chapter. A lot. Lucy’s still got some growing to do in this fic, but she’ll get there eventually.

Contrary to her initial hopes, it took Lucy the better part of the day to merely map out the layout of the Tower’s first floor. It was best to know where things were, she had decided. That way she wouldn’t have to keep calling on Crux every time she wanted to know where something was. He had a life of his own in the Celestial World, after all. It would be the height of rudeness to send him home only to drag him right back. Now that she knew how the time flowed differently between the worlds thanks to the party her spirits had thrown her, she understood just how disruptive calling upon them could be for their daily lives. Aquarius’s irritation at her childhood habit of constantly summoning her made a lot more sense now.

It was better for both her and Crux to just keep him summoned while they figured out where everything was, and then she could send him home once she had a grasp on the books’ organization. She just hadn’t expected it to take as long as it did before she could do so. Even the bottom floor of the place was massive. Furthermore, it was a veritable labyrinth that didn’t follow any convention of organization that she could readily recognize. Whatever ancient correlation it had, it was beyond Lucy’s ability to intuit. Which forced her to plot everything out in her journal as she went.

Then there was issue of the fact that Lucy couldn’t read half the languages that the books were written in. It had been a depressing realization, to open up half a dozen books only to find herself incapable of discerning their contents.

She missed Levy intensely in that moment. The blue-haired woman would know exactly what these books said, no matter the language. Loneliness welled up inside of her. The absence of her friends and teammates ached like a missing limb – a large chunk of her soul cut out and gone with them.

It wasn’t as if she wouldn’t find any information in the library without Levy’s help, she knew. Several of the tomes were bound to have translated versions somewhere in the building. And Fiore’s national language was one that had existed for at least four hundred years without too much deviation. The question was whether she’d be able to find the books written or translated to it, and if their contents held what she needed within them.

She wasn’t placing much hope in her infamous luck to help her out in that department. Besides which, it felt lately that her luck had long since run out. Tenrou Island, the Neo Oracion Seis attempting to sacrifice her to a clock, getting the crap beaten out of her at the Grand Magic Games and being thrown into jail, a dragon invasion, and then… Tartaros.

Yeah… her luck had run out a long, long time ago.

Perhaps it had all been used up in meeting Natsu, and in joining Fairy Tail.

By the time she had to call it a day, Lucy had come to the crushing realization that even if the library held all the information that she needed, it was going to take her a lot of time to comb through it all. Let alone discern what information was actually helpful for her cause. Lucy highly doubted a book existed that would be so fortuitously titled: How To Defeat A Dragon King.

The bright spot in all of it was that while he’d helped her, Crux had also provided enough information for Lucy to write a preliminary article on the place for Jason to look over. She would organize her notes once she got home for the night, though, and then write it. Skipping lunch while working in the archives had been a poor idea, and her stomach was complaining so loudly that it would have gotten her kicked out of a normal library.

“Is it alright if I summon you again tomorrow?” Lucy asked him, just before dismissing him for the day. “I think I’m going to need more help figuring out where everything is. But if not, then I can work with what I’ve already got.” She refused to be an imposition to him. Not like she had been to Aquarius.

The spirit considered it. “I’m afraid that I’m unavailable tomorrow,” he said slowly. “My apologies, Miss Lucy. I would love to continue to assist you, but it will have to wait two of your days, at least.”

Crestfallen, Lucy nodded. “That’s alright. You have your own life to live. It would be selfish of me to take up too much of your time.”

A kind, if sorrowful, smile spread across Crux’s face. “Miss Lucy, you aren’t an imposition to us. I fear that Aquarius’s lack of patience is to blame, here. Hardly any time passes in our world while we’re in yours. Our lives are not disrupted by any great account in being a part of yours. We all knew what being bound to gate keys would entail when we agreed to be so. Truthfully, our lives are enriched for the experience – time moves so slowly in our world that it’s easy to become stagnant, to fall out of touch with what is happening on Earthland. We take great joy being your spirits, and a part of your life and adventures, Miss Lucy. Please take heart in that.”

Hot tears gathered in Lucy’s eyes at his words, and her cheeks and ears burned. Shakily, she nodded her head. “Okay,” she breathed out. She furiously wiped her eyes with her arm and gave Crux a tremulous smile. “I’ll try to remember that.”

She’d keep his words in her heart, always.

“Miss Lucy,” Crux continued, his wizened face relaxing at Lucy’s response, “I am not the only one of your spirits that you can call upon to help you. Most of your spirits will know at least one of the languages in these tomes. Although they aren’t quite my advanced age, they’ve been around a long time, and served many summoners in the past. Call upon whoever you wish, and they’ll keep you company for as long as you need them. And, I suspect, if you should want them longer than that, they’ll happily remain then, too.”

Lucy hiccupped, trying to force back a sob. These were the things she’d needed to hear, she realized. She hadn’t known that she’d needed them until they were already said, and yet they slid so easily into an empty place in her heart. “I will!” she told Crux, her voice heavy with emotion. Lucy needed her spirits, and they needed her, too. She would face them once more, and this time she would try to do it with love in her heart instead of sorrow. “I promise.”

The library, true to Crux’s warning, did attempt to keep Lucy’s notes that night. It took her the better part of a half hour to escape with her notebook intact, though Lucy couldn’t quite explain how the library was doing it in the first place. One moment, the book was in her hand, and the next it was back at the table she’d been working at. It played tricks on her mind – she couldn’t actually say for sure that she hadn’t left it there herself. Multiple times. But she knew enough of magic to know when it was trying to bamboozle her.

It was a minor blessing that it kept returning to the same table, all told. Lucy wasn’t sure she’d be able to find the damn thing again if the library were to shelve it somewhere else in the building.

The whole ordeal rendered Erza’s previous success with removing the clock piece somewhat incredible to Lucy.

Early the next morning, an inability to sleep, despite how tired she was, drove Lucy from her bed long before she had intended to. It seemed as if these days she was perpetually exhausted; on the verge of dropping off to sleep at any moment. And other days, insomnia plagued her instead. Her sleep schedule had gone completely off the charts in terms of predictability. The odd hours she worked with Jason were also not conducive to a consistent night’s rest.

Lacking ought else to do, she found herself at the Library of Sorcery. The world was still covered in blue, the morning songs of the birds just starting their first notes.

Maybe the early start would help her make more progress than the day before, or so she reasoned. The stone edifice of the Tower was hard to pick out, somehow, in the predawn. Like her eyes just… slid right past it. Given the intricacies of the spells within the building, it wouldn’t be too surprising if there were spells on the outside of it, too.

In fact, that might be a large part of the reason it was still standing after four hundred years. Lucy knew from her childhood obsession with the ruins spoken of in Key Of The Starry Skies that very few buildings of that age remained intact around Fiore. She wasn’t sure about Ishgar as a whole, but for Fiore it was definitely true. Not even Cardia Cathedral came close to that age, and it was easily the oldest building in Magnolia. Objectively, Lucy knew that countless wars and the early days of magic experimentation had a lot to do with that. She couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss, however. How many libraries had disappeared over the past four hundred years? Or libraries even older than that? Lacking the extensive, mind-boggling protections that this building possessed, how much knowledge had vanished altogether?

This was the sort of thing that she would have liked to talk to Levy about. Or maybe even Freed. Warren knew a lot about this sort of thing too, surprisingly enough. If he was there, he’d probably regale her with tales of other magical places he’d come across in his extensive traveling. Freed would be over the moon in dissecting the spellwork that comprised the Library, and Levy… it would have been her dream come to life to read the ancient books stored here.

Stars above, she missed them. More than she had words for.

She wondered where they were, at that moment. Her friends were scattered all over the place, so it was hard to find them. There was a map, in her apartment; studded thick with pins and articles tracking individual guild members as they settled into new lives for themselves. Originally Lucy had just been planning to write to them, to check on how they were doing. A way to feel connected, despite the distance. And maybe, if she had the time, she could drop in on them for a visit.

But the reality of her own busy schedule had come crashing down on her hard. It was probably no different for them. They had new lives and new concerns to deal with. She’d just be intruding.

She kept adding to the board anyway, though. It would be too painful to take it down now. That would be like she was admitting that they would never be a family again. Not like they were before.

Lucy swallowed thickly, her hands curling into fists at her sides. With an abrupt turn on her heels, she strode away from the towering library. Lead sorrow sat in her gut, heavy in her chest.

She couldn’t do this today. She’d try again tomorrow.

When she returned home, she fell into bed, and immediately dropped off into a thankfully dreamless slumber.

Jason was more than pleased by how fast Lucy had gotten the first draft finished, nearly blowing out her eardrums over the phone with his excited shouting.

“This is fantastic! Super cool of you!” he crowed, as Lucy held the receiver at arm’s length away. Much as she enjoyed working with the man, he was putting her hearing at serious risk. He was capable of indoor voice, she knew that from experience. But when he got excited it was as if someone had cranked his volume up to the max, and then broken off the dial.

“Thank you! I’m glad you liked it,” Lucy told him, smiling broadly at the praise and flushing with happiness. This was the best she’d felt in a while. The past few days of research on her personal project, and the work she’d put in towards the article on the Library of Sorcery, had beaten her spirit into the ground, honestly. Three days straight of painful quiet, with only Crux and Capricorn to occasionally break the monotony. Three days where she failed to produce the results she wanted. Three days of fighting with the building to let her keep her notes. She was exhausted.

“Liked it?! I loved it! I think we can get this one into the next issue, for sure.”

Lucy’s eyes gleamed; Jason’s excitement was downright contagious, for all its volume. “Thank you!” she said again, so overwhelmed that she couldn’t formulate anything more articulate. “Thank you so much!”

“So on another note,” Jason said, his voice returning to a normal decibel, “I think I’ve gotten a pretty good lead on a possible interview for the magazine. Something that would catch a lot of people’s attention. Since you did so well on this piece, I was thinking you might be able to handle it. Aside from which, the subject requested you personally. Can you come into the office tomorrow, so I can give you all the details?”

‘The real world intrudes,’ Lucy thought morosely. ‘Again.’

It wasn’t as if she’d been making much headway at the Library, though. As much as she still thought it would contain the solutions she sought, they were proving difficult to locate. Extremely difficult. Capricorn and Crux had been a great help, of course. The two spirits had done everything in their abilities to assist her in her search. The old goat had even left off comments about her weight and diet, which was nice. Keeping them in Earthland for as long as she had was improving her magic by leaps and bounds as well, but it was probably high time she took a break. The day she’d gone home and fallen asleep hadn’t really been much of a real rest.

“Lucy?” Jason voice came through the receiver, his clear concern shattering her thoughts. “You still there?”

“Yeah,” she responded with a shake of her head that he thankfully couldn’t see. “What time do you want me in?”

“Seven, please.”

“Got it. See you tomorrow, boss!”

When she hung up, Lucy stared blankly at the wall for a long minute. “I wonder who it could be?” she said aloud. Shooting a glance at the map, bright with pins and cluttered with cut out articles, she let out a self-deprecating little laugh. “Probably not.” Lucy shook her head at her whimsy. For all that she wanted to see them so badly, it was pretty clear at this point that the feeling was not reciprocated on their end. They would have reached out, otherwise.

Calling it an early night, Lucy put herself to bed before the sun had even fully set. She would need the extra rest, after all.

For once, her dreams were peaceful.

#ftfanfics #acnolu #acnologia #lucy heartfilia #fairy tail #fanfiction #back to the start

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theolddarkmachine · 6 years

Text

12 Days of ODM: Day 2

Dedicated to: @dizzyleaf

Prompt: Old!Gajevy

AO3

Can you tell me a story?

When it all began, he had been nothing but iron and rage. Black Steel Gajeel hid his truths behind a thick curtain of constant anger and stoic loyalty that had led him to making what he would later consider the biggest mistake of his life.

That mistake, was named Levy McGarden.

This prompt ended up being very personal for me, because I ended up using my own grandparents for inspiration. So really, I need to thank you, dizzyleaf, because this brought me a bit of solace after my grandma passed. Which, probably sounds so stupid but you know. Sadness and stuff. It happens. That being said, please remember you’re the one that left it open for me to choose fluff or angst. YOU BROUGHT THIS ON YOURSELF! Ahaha, anyway I hope you enjoy it and Merry Christmas! also the rest of our life by faith hill and tim mcgraw is where the title is from and it will fulfill all your sappy love song needs so go listen

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Can you tell me a story?

That mistake, was named Levy McGarden.

She had been a small thing made up entirely of light and the greatness of an unending sky. His orders had been perfectly clear.

Snuff out Fairy Tail’s light.

So he had. With reckless abandon and the ferocity of a midwestern tempest, he’d marred that sky and then left her hanging from a tree for all to see.

When he had done it, he hadn’t realized that she would become the most important thing in his life. His own personal light to lead him from the darkness that he had so readily made his home in place of the one he’d lost. Levy then became that home, even after he’d strung her up like a macabre offering in hopes of using her against her friends and family.

She was his best mistake.

Did she forgive him?

There was one thing that Gajeel had never understood about “good” guys. They always somehow found it within themselves to forgive. Even when that forgiveness wasn’t deserved. Gajeel certainly hadn’t warranted the absolution that he’d received, not only from the guild that he had worked so hard to help tear down, but also from the mage with the summer sky trapped in her hair.

When he had sought her out in hopes of showing her he would try everything in his power to ensure she knew he would never be any harm to her again, he had never considered he’d be met with her kind mercy. Somehow, her softened honey gaze had hurt more than the weary one he’d been met with when he’d first shown up at the guild.

Gajeel was accustomed to anger. Had been on the receiving end of harsh words and cutting admonishments so often that they almost didn’t effect him anymore. It had given him expectations of bitter words, irate accusations and even some form of physical aggression. Instead, Levy handed him her fragile forgiveness in the form of timid words, soft gazes and, eventually, her unwavering friendship.

Not much time needed to pass before Gajeel realized that the feeling of a thousand frenzied butterflies fluttering against his rib cage was, in fact, the growing affection he harbored for Fairy Tail’s light.

He felt it in the caress of her smile as she spoke to him, the upturn of her petal lips sending a jolt through his chest.

Felt it in the gentle nudge of her arm against his when they sat too close in the guild hall, Levy unaware of the way the touch had sent shockwaves into the horde of butterflies that rattled against their confines.

Gajeel even felt it in the sinister electricity that coated his tongue with a bitter taste when her attention was spared on one of the many others that deserved it more than he ever did.

While Levy had handed him her forgiveness with both hands, he had handed her his heart.

How’d she feel about him?

Levy was never good about hiding her emotions. Even though she tried, they almost always found a way to reveal themselves, either in the form of the pale dusting of a blush over her cheeks or a stray sparkle in her eye whenever she turned her gaze on the dragon slayer. It had been sheer luck that he somehow managed to miss every single emotion that had given away her feelings.

Even when she’d blatantly implied her emotions, dropping hints about going to dances together, or going out of her way to join him on a job, Gajeel seemed to turn a blind eye towards the obvious answer. That she cared for him.

What she didn’t know, was that his obliviousness was carefully constructed in an ill attempt to guard his own heart. For what she seemed to be unaware of, was his own feelings that he wore like a chip on his shoulder. Bared only in the soft words and gentle gazes he reserved only for her, Gajeel had written her love letters in the form of quiet protection and gilded friendship all the while keeping her at arms reach to avoid the inevitable.

He had no place in her world. If there was one thing that he knew, it was that Levy deserved better than he could ever be, no matter how good he worked to make himself. Instead, he would resign himself to being nothing more than a friend. It was still more than he ever deserved, but he was a selfish man, and he could not deny himself that much.

That all changed one evening when an angry fist had beat itself against the wood of his door. Standing on the other side of the brazen sound had been Levy, with her flushed cheeks and bright eyes, her sharp gaze only marred by the light veil of the alcohol that had coursed through her blood.

“Why?” Was all she asked, stepping into his space and sending his heart into his throat. It took longer than he cared to admit to swallow the beating lump back down so that he could answer.

“Why what, Shrimp?”

He was frozen as she took another step forward, the heat from her skin heating his own as a blush stretched all the way down his neck at the proximity. The gold gleam of her stare cut straight through the flesh and bone and down to the aching muscle buried in his chest.

“Why am I not good enough for you?” Levy’s voice had cracked mercilessly over the words as they hit their mark. There had never been a question of if she was good enough for him. The fact of it was that she was too good for him. Everything that he had done up until that point had been in an attempt to show her so much. It hadn’t been until she’d stood before him with watery eyes and demanding answers that he realized he’d only managed to hurt her yet again.

Only this time, it was an easy fix.

A blaze lit low in his belly, racing through his veins and filling him with a heat that burned his skin as he leant down to close the small distance between them. His lips had caught hers with a fevered passion as if he could tell her everything he needed to say with the contact. Catching the soft sound that left her on his tongue, he swallowed the mewl and pressed further as his arms wrapped around her waist.

Everything was fire and light and Levy as he had felt her small hands find their way into his hair, tangling in the strands and anchoring herself to him.

It was the first of many kisses that night, as they left each others marks on skin, writing out all the reasons of how the other was deserving across flesh with their lips and teeth.

Were they married?

What Gajeel would never admit, was that the day of his wedding was the most terrifying he had ever lived through. Bile had coated his tongue with its sour taste as he’d stood at the front of the aisle, every instinct in him telling him to run.

Run from the eyes that stared at him, wondering how he’d managed to get where he was.

Run from the suffocating cognizance that he was undeserving.

Run from the inevitability that Levy would realize he wasn’t what she wanted.

It was stupid, really, for him to feel this way. Levy had never given him any reason to doubt how she felt, yet the fear still lurked under the surface, tainting every shred of happiness he felt with its darkness. Gajeel had never done anything in his life to deserve the luck he had when she had breathed the single word that changed their lives.

Yes.

Yes, she would marry him. Yes, she would be his forever.

Yes, he would be hers.

At least, for as long as it took for her to realize her mistake.

His instincts told him to run while he could. Nothing good can stay, especially not for him. The war waged deep in his gut as he stood at the alter, their friends that had become their family waiting expectantly, though whether for Levy’s appearance or his disappearance, he wasn’t sure. It wasn’t until the doors on the opposite end of the aisle flew open that the churning despair battering against his insides dissipated completely.

Levy was a vision, shrouded in white and glowing as if she was sunshine personified. Her brightness chased away the shadows that were casting their doubt, banishing them with a single smile from the other side of the room.

She was everything good. And she was his.

The ceremony was a blur from that moment she’d stepped over the threshold, his focus on nothing other than the way her honey eyes shined as she looked up at him as if she was seeing her future. It was then, that Levy said the two words that would once again change his life. They moved the mountains that had been erected when he’d been nothing but a low life with nothing to live for, effectively changing the course that the fates had mapped out for him.

Those words painted a glimpse of his new life before him, filled with nothing but her bright smile. She was his. And he was hers.

I do.

Were they happy?

Gajeel’s eyes were liquid garnet as they looked over Levy, her once blue hair now a stark white, and her honey eyes filled with earnest intrigue, unaware that the story he told had been their own.

When the doctors had warned them of what was to come, her brilliant mind slowly deteriorating and taking every memory they had made together with it, Levy had given him the option to walk away. Absolved him of the very stoic loyalty that had led him to meeting her in the first place in an attempt to protect him.

As if he had been the one that needed protecting.

It had been the worst fight they’d ever had, that night after the diagnosis. Levy, fighting for Gajeel to leave so he wouldn’t need to suffer her disease.

Will I really be the one suffering, when I don’t even know what’s going on? She had asked, tears dragging vicious lines of moisture over her cheeks and painting her features a dusky scarlet.

As long as I have you, I won’t be suffering, he’d replied, his own voice so thick it had choked him. When Gajeel had stood at that alter and proclaimed himself to be hers, in sickness and in health, he had meant it. Even when the signs started to show in brief glimpses of lost words and misplaced keys, he had made his love known to her in an attempt to make up for all the time that would be lost to them.

What will you do, she had asked one night, looking up at him from the halo of his arms and glowing like a sliver of moonlight, when I don’t remember us?

He could still remember the feel of her fingers as they’d traced the outline of his collar, waiting for an answer.

I’ll tell you our story everyday, he’d said as he dropped a firm kiss to the crown of her greying hair. And each time, I’ll make you remember our love.

That promise had seemed like a lifetime ago, before they were both stooped with wrinkles etched into their flesh as proof of the smiles they had both once worn. Each time he told the story, it became a bit harder. In the beginning, Levy would recognize the tale, sometimes even finishing his sentences or showing a glimmer of the blue haired mage from her youth. As time wore on, and her memory faded still, her moments of realization grew sparse before one day, they stopped coming altogether.

Now, sitting before him, was his Levy. Only, she didn’t know who he was or the life they had shared together.

Her thinned lips were pulled upwards in an encouraging smile as she reached a shaking hand out to him, taking his in her grasp and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“Were they happy?” She asked again. The salt of his tears burnt the corners of his eyes as he tried to return her smile.

Were they happy?

In his memory, they would always be happy, tucked away in the happy ending that they had truly deserved. One where Levy’s mind wouldn’t have begun to pick itself apart. Where Gajeel would have ignored his orders from the Phantom Lords, and instead asked the glowing woman her name. Maybe then, they could have had more time. Trapped within the vestiges of his memories, he and Levy would live happily forever.

But were they happy now?

Slowly, he raised his hand with hers still grasping softly at his fingers and brought her knuckles to his mouth. Gajeel brushed his lips over the paper thin skin before he spoke.

“Yes. They were very happy. For the rest of their days.”

The answer earned him a small contented sound as he brought their hands back down, the both of them falling into a comfortable silence as they sat side-by-side. Moments stretched as he held her hand, rubbing the pad of his thumb over her knuckles as he lost himself in thought. He didn’t know how much time had passed before she spoke again.

Can you tell me a story?

#gajevy #Gajeel Redfox #Levy McGarden #fairy tail #fairy tail fanfiction #12 days of odm #dizzyleaf #im not gonna lie you guys #writing this one was HARD #it was hard hard #it was the kinda hard the had me crying into my keyboard #so HERE IS YOUR ANGST WARNING #BE READY FOR IT #IT'LL LEAVE YOU SAD #at least it left me sad lol

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bluebloodwrites · 3 years

Text

February 13 , 2019- Today

Lover . To love you is something that has come so naturally to me , that a part of me is really amazed by it. I am a flawed being yet you took me in and showered with your love and care , I can never repay that and can only love you with the entirety of my heart in return.

Will you be my better half ?!

" Yes " was the answer.

Please join us as we tie knot.

Sirish

weds

Sirisha

on 14th of Feburary , 2019

at Sri Gajalakshmi Kalyana Mandapam ,

Vanagaram , Chennai.

The wedding invite card was as splendid as a freshly bloomed sunflower with a mild yellow colour in the border adding a pinch of radiance to the invite card. Lord Ganesh had occupied the most important place on the invite card.

My Friends say I'm old-fashioned, and live in the past, but sometimes I think progress progresses too fast !

Where and When did it all start ?

As the memories cascaded , i put myself in a vantage point where i could see the entire timeline of memories built by us in a panoramic view.

Day : Feburary 8 2010

Place : 50th Independence Day Park , Anna Nagar.

Nine years have gone by , and still i can bring back every detail of that day.

I was in my ninth grade. The Physical Education Trainer had summoned all the athletes from the Eleventh grade and Ninth grade for the upcoming Sports day event. To while away time , i took the longest route to the Indoor Badminton Auditorium. First i went to the restroom , then to the canteen , then to the basketball ball court and finally i reached the auditorium via the grand stage. By the time i reached , all the students had gathered and the P.E trainer had started giving the instructions for the event.

I began scanning the group to find my friend Dhruthi. After a few seconds , i found her. Dhruthi acknowledge my presence with a nod. Dhruthi was my junior in the high school.I was in my eleventh grade and Dhruthi was in her ninth grade. Right beside my friend , i noticed a girl who was a bit shorter than Dhruthi but had charismatic face and an enigmatic smile. I immediately felt the auro radiated by her slender body.

Sometimes the greatest relationships are the ones you never expected to be in. The ones that sweep you off your feet and challenge ever view you've ever had. That was the first time i met her , my lady love - Sirisha.

I was gazing at her shamelessly. She looked at me sheepishly and smiled.I remember how she smiled at me when we first met, and everything just fell into their place. She had that killer smile on when we met and I want you to know it has me so amused, sweetheart.Nine years have gone by , and still i can bring back every detail of that particular day in the school.

Sirisha had a vulcanite black hair that plunged over her shoulders. Her virility-brown eyes set my heart a-thump. The lilac soft sherbet sweet lips protected the dazzling angel white teeth. I yelped at being caught everytime i gazed her wasp waist. She'd often nuzzle me with her pixie's nose indicating that her mood is good. We had a fair share of fights and arguments that paved way to hugs and kisses in the end. Sometimes i had to deliberately provoke her patience , agitate her beyond the threshold point and submitting myself without a resistance inorder to receive a warmer hug and a longer kiss than the previous one.

Our love life had a smooth sail except for the occassional tides that tried to drag us down and pull us in , like a sailor determined to visit his homeland we had passed the obstacles with will. Sirisha passed the final semester of her medical examination with a distinction and i had somehow managed a entry into a tire I MNC in the field of Artificial Intelligence. Everything went well between us .We planned to get married and start a new phase together.But fate had other idea. The storm was about to hit the boat in which we were sailing.

She greeted me with a hug. Sirisha and I were sitting in the skating arena podium in Anna Nagar Tower Park watching the kids trying to learn a new sport forced by their parents. It was hard for them to stand with their skates and they'd eventually fall. This was her favourite place as she had learnt the skating at the very same place. Sirisha was a national speed skating champion a few years back. She opened up about starting a nuclear family post marriage. I clearly didn't like this idea as i had always wanted my mother to be with me . I persuded her hard to change her thoughts , but she wouldn't listen to me. I lost my temper and an argument broke out and in the ensuing conversation , the love went off and the selfdom made way. Days , weeks and Months passed. We both were very clear in our stand. I was awaiting for an opportunity to show the power of my ego and ridicule her and so was she. But that opportunity would never come as we were not ready to compromise.

My mother is the most important person in my life. Her compassion for me is commendable. Her unconditional love for me , her constant sacrifices in a bid to ensure my happiness , her inner strength and her immense wisdom buried deep within her soul moulded me into a better person. She is never a choice , everything else in the world is secondary only to her. If that meant to lose Sirisha , then I'm ready to face the consequences. I prepared myself to live without her.

Eighteen months had passed by since that fateful day. Sirisha agreed to marry Dr. Aravind at the expense of the blackmail levied on her by her parents.

*************

Lover . To love you is something that has come so naturally to me , that a part of me is really amazed by it. I am flawed being yet you took me in and showered with your love and care , I can never repay that and can only love you with the entirety of my heart in return.

Will you be my better half ?!

" Yes " was the answer.

Please join us as we tie knot.

Aravind

weds

Sirisha

on 14th of Feburary , 2019

at Sri Gajalakshmi Kalyana Mandapam ,

Vanagaram , Chennai.

I read the wedding invitation card again which had Aravind's name in place of mine. As i stand in the queue with a bouquet waiting to greet the couple , the moments we built together came crashing down to earth.

Memory is a funny thing. I often tried to write about her. But i couldn't produce a line. I knew that if that first line would come , the rest would pour itself onto the page , but i could never make it happen. Everything was too sharp and clear,so that I could never tell where to start - the way a map shows too much can sometimes be useless. Now though i realize that all i can place in the imperfect vessel of writing are imperfect memories and imperfect thoughts. The more the memories of Sirisha inside me fade , the more deeply i am able to understand her. I know too why she asked me not to forget her. Sirisha herself knew , of course. She knew that my memories of her would fade. Which is precisely why she begged me never to forget her, to remember that she had existed.

The thought fill me with an almost unbearable sorrow. Because Sirisha loved me.

#love

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chvrchesrp · 7 years

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Welcome to CHVRCHES’ thirteenth event!

This event is our fourth choice event, in which we set a scene and split your characters up into groups dependent on how many points you’ve acquired so far. Once in that setting, you can create threads as you see fit for your muse. The settings and information shared in this event are considered game canon, whether or not you explore it deeply.

This is our Season 3: Famine finale event, and as such, there will be a reveal—but that’s not all that’s at stake here. Famine has constructed a scavenger hunt with one prize but many decoys... and littered with traps. As your muse engages, once again, in what it means to trust and to doubt, we begin to explore the beginnings of a very real apocalypse.

While this is a “solo post” event, a follow-up post will come in a week as to details of where, if any, of the Grails have been found and by whom.

The date stamp for the event is Saturday, September 30th, at 8pm in Pacific Park, Santa Monica. Be sure to include that in your posts for timeline purposes. At this time, you’re welcome to make threads for this, and also after, up to the date of October 31st (the next event). Enjoy! ♥

At noon, your phone doesn’t ring, but you have a Missed Call and a voicemail from an Unknown number. The voicemail has a voice on the other end that is somehow both distant and audible; it sounds like someone in the next room over, like wood and nails divide you, and yet you’re able to make it out through the muffle. It’s an invitation to a scavenger hunt at Pacific Park, the amusement park in Santa Monica, where the prize is a Holy Grail.

You don’t know if you should go. By this time, any mass invitation has warned you away from attendance—but how much of a coward are you? It’s you, on the front lines, knowing more than the rest of the world entire, about the apocalypse coming for them all. Sure, each pantheon has one, but when yours’ number is up, it’s on your people to stop it, or be the reason for the fall of humanity.

So what do you do? You swallow your heart in your throat and rearrange your evening.

Maria receives the voicemail and immediately, her wheels start turning. Any time everyone is called together, big things go down. Having recently secured her hunch that Famine must be Donato, she pre-empts the evening by trying to find him, see if she can stop it somehow, or talk him down, or talk him out of it. Trouble is, he’s nowhere to be found; his phone is off and he’s not in his apartment and not in Absolution, and even Adele isn’t sure where he is this sunny, 76° Los Angeles afternoon.

Soon enough, the groups wind up on the precipice of their evening, given complementary pre-paid bands as they enter Pacific Park, the neon glaring overhead and the water rolling in the distance, laughing at them on the sea breeze. The shiver it brings to your skin, your spine, is not lost on you; even in the sun, there’s a note of cold, now. The ominous nature of what you know must inevitably come is palatable in the air and on your face and in the faces of those around you: all, held breath, wondering what next. No one notices the back of the Pacific Park sign, which has a sigil on it not unlike the one on the floor of Delirium last month...

Maria notices that the bands come in three colours: white, red, and black. On the maps handed out, there is a white X marked over the water race at midway games; there is a black X marked over the bumper cars; and a red X marked over the West Coaster roller coaster. She notices her band is white, but Donato—who she’s finally laid eyes on—has a black band on. She shouts that everyone should probably go to the places their band assigns them to—and then promptly ignores her own advice, heading for Donato instead of her appointed location.

Maria x Donato thread: Maria tries to see if she can sense Famine inside of Donato or appeal to whatever is left of Donato to push Famine out. (Player was consulted and chose to remain in Black band group thereafter.)

WHITE BANDS: MIDWAY GAMES // Renee, Adele, Magda, Belial, Satan, Isaiah, Grace

There is a poster at the Midway Games location at the Water Race game. It says that, among the games on the fairway, somewhere there is hidden a secret prize, one of the Holy Grails. The group debates whether or not this is real, and many seem to feel it’s likely—like most of Famine’s work—a fabrication. But... isn’t it worth the risk to find out? All over the Fairway are white horse head stickers, daring people to come closer, to engage with the games in search of what might be false or what might be real.

PLAYERS 1 & 2: Two muses buy 2 tickets (2 points) and plays the Fishing Pond, where the player throws a line and hopefully pulls up a prize from beneath the waters; some prizes are 25 cent machine rings or temporary tattoos or tickets to exchange for a stuffed animal... but not all of them.

PLAYERS 3 & 4: Two muses buy 2 tickets (2 points) apiece and they play the Water Race, aiming their water guns at the target in the center of the rainbow-adorned plastic ring in the hopes of beating the other for the prize. Around them hang large and small stuffed animals, but their hopes are for something grander.

PLAYERS 5 & 6: Two muses buy 2 tickets (2 points) apiece and they play the Balloon Darts. Are your darts sharp enough to pierce the balloons? Do you have fine enough aim? Or is this one of those games that, no matter how hard you try, it just seems cheated? They try their luck and find out, hoping the hardest has the best reward.

MUNS, decide amongst yourselves who would like to thread what! Let us know who’s on what so we can let you know what, exactly, you’re working with. It is two tickets to play these games in order to get a shot at the true prize for the evening. So, the next question is, minus the 2 points to play:

@quaiintrclle, @davisadele, @whatroughbeast, @countingbluecars, @starofgrace — message the Main with the most points you would be willing to spend to get the grand prize! (Magda isn’t counted due to being an Admin run muse and Belial is a Horseman, so is exempt in this case, though still welcome to play the above games/threads.)

BLACK BANDS: BUMPER CARS // Zoe, Crowley, Donato, Raziel, Kiara, Noah, Cassiel, Maria

There is a poster on the Bumper Cars entry point that talks about a scavenger hunt wherein you, yes you!, could find a Holy Grail. Do you even believe that? It’s pretty certain to everyone that this is one of Famine’s playgrounds and most seem to feel that the Grail probably isn’t here... but with only 3 grails and each holding such power, isn’t it worth the shot to look? Each car has a black horse head on it, encouraging them to play. Maria warns everyone from getting inside of them, because clearly nothing good can come of this, but it’s like shouting at a wall: she finally has an answer and no good will come of listening to it.

It seems that, in this case, everyone is tall enough to ride this ride, and they have to get on and see where it leads. As the group saddles into their cars and the eerie carnival music starts going, it almost could be fun, as they warily tinker toward one another, veering on the mechanical buggies and wavering, hitting each other, half adrenaline fueled and half anxious, unsure whether to laugh or scream. Something weird starts to happen, though: while the muses and their cars remain the same, the awning housing the cars shifts and changes. Suddenly, it’s like being in a vast expanse of space and time. All around, the cars seem to float in the universe, stars all around, tittering from point to point, unmarked messengers of the cosmos.

Disoriented and unsure how to turn, more collisions occur. Around this time, amid the chaos, there comes the rushing of sound, the crashing of waves. A huge wave has come up over the pier, marking the first origin tsunami waves Los Angeles has seen in a long time, if ever. Previously, waves might crash from other storms, but instead, the tidal wave has made itself known specifically to the bumper car pavilion. Up from the seas a dark mist rises, not unlike what Pestilence had subsumed from Dr. Drobot in the Escape Room all those months ago. As the cars are drenched in water and the fabricated stars look down in faux pity, the people do their best to climb out and not drown. The ground is present again, even if the ceiling of the pavilion remains starlit.

Sputtering and coughing, still reeling from the shock of water, it takes a few moments to register what is happening. The dark mist moves to swirl around Donato and wraps him entirely in its coccoon. For a moment, no one breathes, for surely he can’t be any more, after all this—but the mist clears and Donato remains, alive, though whatever semblance of humanity was left him has long since gone. Unlike the previous Horsemen, the Doubtmaker’s wings aren’t of fire. They crackle like dark flame, like dark matter, as if the texture might be one of fire, but instead: all blackness. Simultaneously, elsewhere, Pestilence and Warmonger’s shimmer changes to mirror the same colouration. Something has definably shifted among the Horsemen, and the angel has integrated.

RED BANDS: ROLLER COASTER // Levi, Babylon, Abaddon, Paul, Elijah, Olivia, Shibah, Talia

When this team arrives at the West Coaster roller coaster, there is a poster hung there advertising a scavenger hunt for the Holy Grail. A modern engagement in a medieval past time, they are invited to become their own round table—if they can bother to work together. The poster taunts them not to divide, but also brings up the element of doubt that so laces everything lately: what would you do to get it? And is it even worth it? All around, red horse head stickers adorn a myriad of rides, including the coaster, a haunted house, the “sea dragon” ship style ride, the ferris wheel, and the carousel (which does indeed have a red horse, a white horse, and a black horse on it).

Where do you begin the search? It’s an easter egg hunt where the prize might be (or might not be) one of the most powerful relics in the entire pantheon. Having it would make you a major player as well as the holder of the power to kill even divine beings. What will you do to get it? Who will you become? Somewhere amid the group’s speculation, a loud sound like waves crashing too close happens, and then an incessant humming. In the air, two shadowy birds suddenly appear: are they an illusion? Are they real? Do you want to find out? They are very much shaped as deadly predators and they have the keen eyesight to hunt you down, just as you hunt for your own prey.

There is one other odd and remarkable thing with a red horse head sticker on it: a garbage can shaped like a lion, in which trash is thrown into his maw. Knowing nothing is just as it seems in this park, do any of the muses dare to put their arms into the garbage to seek if the Grail might be inside? Or is this surely one of the traps laced throughout the environment, only a temptation of their curiosity? There is a lot of rides—and ground—to cover in the hopes of finding the Grail—if it is even there to find at all. Some people will assuredly find old-looking cups, but those are red herrings, after all...

(If you want to engage with the lion garbage, ask an Admin for details! If you want to be attacked by a shadow bird, have at it! Any questions, hit us up!)

#chvrchesrp #lsrpg #original rp #bio rp #literate rp #event #choice event #event 013

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