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mochegato · 3 years

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Capturing a Dream

Chapter 1 - Meeting the Team

This was it. She was excited. No excited wasn’t the word. Terrified? Yeah, that was closer. Marinette was about to step into the Young Justice base for the first time and meet her new teammates. What if they don’t like her? What if they don’t let her join the team? What if they let her join the team but they exclude her? What if they get mad at her because she won’t expose her identity and they think she doesn’t trust them? What if she messes up and she ends up getting someone killed? What if she gets one of her teammates killed? What if she gets someone else killed? What if… No!

She wasn’t going to do that. She wasn’t the same 14 year old girl who spiraled into anxiety-induced, worst-case-scenario, death spirals. She was 17 now. She was in her final year of school before college, nearly an adult, legally, she was an adult. She was the Guardian. She was a hero. She was already in a prestigious internship with one of the biggest names in fashion. She was working with the Justice League, well Young Justice, but that was better because there wasn’t as much of a time commitment, which was really good because she didn’t have much to spare… where was she going with this? Right! She was smart. She was competent. She was confident(ish). She was… standing outside the zeta tube opening staring at it like an idiot, and she was going to be late.

She took a deep breath and ran her free hand over the costume she wasn’t quite used to yet, trying to find comfort in the feeling and focus her mind. She could do this. She may no longer be able to be Ladybug for secrecy reasons, but Ladybug wasn’t her only option. She was Chimera now and Chimera was not linked back to the miraculous. So this new and completely un-miraculous affiliated hero definitely wasn’t unifying the fox and horse miraculous. Chimera was a separate and unmiraculous hero. She was a new heroic entity; a powerful amalgamation of divergent parts; an illusion, who uses illusions; a dream that can never be captured. Chimera was just another magical hero working in the background.

Gone was the flashy, bright suit of a central hero. She was a shadow now and her suit reflected her new role. The base of the suit was a brown so dark, it almost looked black. Her knee-high boots and gloves that reached to midway up her bicep were both black, meeting with the brown core of the suit with a strip of deep orange. Her mask was the same dark brown color with deep orange at the corners. She no longer had her yoyo, but in its place was a rope that responded to her like her yoyo did. Her flute across her back completed her weaponry.

She was still a hero, just not a miraculous one, as far as anyone else knew. She was still protecting people for now, she just wasn’t on the front lines anymore. She was still protecting the miraculous and would for the rest of her life. And she was still… standing outside the Zeta tube opening, staring.

She closed her eyes, and walked through the portal. Before she let out her breath, she could feel a difference in the air around her. She heard a digital voice say “Recognize Chimera B12.” She opened one eye tentatively and jumped back with a quiet squeak when she saw Batman standing on the other side giving her an amused smile next to Black Canary and a red figure.

Black Canary stepped forward, “Welcome to Mount Justice, Chimera. You’ve already met Batman. This is Red Tornado. He supervises the cave here.” Chimera nodded to him but before she could say anything Black Canary continued speaking. “We are very excited to have you here. While you are training and on missions, this will be your home. I know you have an apartment near your internship, but if you ever want to get away, you are always welcome to stay here whenever and however long you want to.” Her voice was warm and welcoming. She leaned over and lowered her voice, “lead lined walls and no bugs or cameras allowed in the personal rooms in case you want to drop your transformation while you are here.” She gave her a nod and started walking, motioning to Chimera to follow her.

“As discussed before, your team knows nothing about you. What you choose to disclose is your decision. Only Batman and I know anything more. The team is used to people hiding their identities so there is no pressure to give your personal identity. I mean, there might be teasing, but you are under absolutely no obligation to divulge and they will respect that. Especially since Robin is under the same requirement.”

They entered into a small sitting area that appeared to be their common room. The first thing she noticed was a kitchen that was almost as nice as her parents’ kitchen in the bakery and significantly bigger. She let out a quiet “Wow” without even noticing she had done it. She would have to try that out as soon as she was able to get back to it.

“Pretty nice, huh?” She heard from behind her. She whirled around and finally noticed the other half of the room were a few couches and chairs were clustered in front of a television. More significantly, there was a red headed boy talking to her, standing in front of four other teens. They were looking at her with uncertainty and a slight bit of curiosity except the red headed boy who looked excited to meet her, and the larger black haired boy who looked a bit hostile.

“Uh, yeah. It’s… um, a really nice kitchen. It looks… really professional.” She stammered, trying to keep the nerves out of her voice.

The red head smiled brightly at her. “Only the best for the Justice League.”

“Alright team, it’s nice to see your smiling faces.” Black Canary started with more than a hint of sarcasm. “I would like to introduce you to your new team member. This is Chimera.” Chimera gave an awkward wave to the Young Justice members. “She was recruited by the Justice League. Her identity is secret and will stay that way, am I clear?” She stared at each of the team members one at a time. “Good. She is here under an outside deal so she may not always be available for missions, but she will be here whenever she can be.”

The red head raised his hand. “Wally, you don’t have to raise your hand.” Batman said tiredly.

“What is the outside deal? What does that even mean?”

“It means something else brought her to our vicinity and she is only available to us because of that. The details of the deal are not important. Only that she is a hero on your team and every bit as dedicated to the team as the rest of you.”

“How is she as dedicated if she can’t commit to being here?” Artemis snarked quietly to Superboy.

“We all have outside lives that demand our attention. There are times I can’t go out with the Justice League. One of the others cover for me. Are you suggesting I am not committed to the Justice League?” Batman stared harshly at her.

“No, sir.” Artemis shrunk back.

“I’m sorry, I have school and… other obligations, but I promise I will give you as much time and attention as I can spare without going insane. Learned that the hard way.” She looked down as she muttered the last part under her breath. She quickly looked back up hoping nobody heard her. Everyone seemed to have the same expressions on their faces except Superboy who was giving her a quizzical look. “I am committed to the team. I want to be here, I promise. Um… here, I brought macarons!” She said with forced cheeriness, attempting to placate their suspicions and hostility. She opened the lid to the box of macarons she had brought with her.

Chimera’s hair blew back as Wally rushed forward. He had already grabbed three macarons before she even saw him move. “These are delicious! Where did you get them?”

“Thank you. I made them. I like to bake.” She smiled broadly at him.

Wally stared at her with his jaw open, the macaron close to falling out of his mouth. “Marry me.” He said dreamily.

Chimera giggled at him. “How about I use the only-the-best kitchen to make something else for you a bit later instead?”

Wally gave her a bright grin. “That will work.” He looked at the rest of the macarons longingly then back at his teammates. “Uh…. These are absolutely terrible and you shouldn’t have to be subjected to them. I’ll just finish these off so you don’t have to.” He reached back toward the box but Chimera closed the lid and raised an amused brow at him.

“Move over,” Robin pushed Wally to the side. “Thank you Chimera. That was sweet of you.” He took a bite and looked back up at her with a smile. “Hey, Wally was right. These are delicious. Artemis, Kaldur, Superboy, get over here and try these.”

Kaldur and Artemis came over, Artemis shoving Wally again for no apparent reason. Superboy stayed where he had been and continued to eye her suspiciously. Wally looked at them with a pout. “Hey! Leave some for me.”

“You’ve already had a bunch. The rest of us get some too.” Artemis rolled her eyes.

“Hey, I have a fast metabolism. I need to eat.” Wally whined.

“Thank you… I’m sorry, I didn’t get any of your names.” Chimera said apologetically.

“Tall, blonde, and hostile is Artemis. Tall, blonde, and aloof is Kaldur. Tall, dark, and broody back there is Superboy. You already met Wally, aka Kid Flash. And I’m Robin.” Robin gave her a charming smile and shook her hand.

She gave them all a brilliant smile. “It is nice to meet you all. I’m really excited to work with you.” Wally smiled broadly at her and gave a lovesick sigh. Artemis groaned and turned away.

Kaldur moved forward and extended his hand to her, “Welcome to the team.”

She shook his hand and gave him a warm smile. “Thank you.”

“Okay, now that everyone has introduced themselves, let’s get to the training area. I’m interested to see how Chimera’s powers work with the rest of yours.” Black Canary announced.

“The training area is just this way,” Robin said with a suave smile, sweeping his arm out toward the direction they were supposed to move.

“Thanks,” Chimera smiled anxiously at him.

Wally came up on the other side of her and bumped his shoulder gently into hers. “Don’t worry, we’ll take it easy on you.” He said with a wink.

Chimera looked at him blank faced for a few seconds before throwing him a sassy grin. “It’s not me I’m worried about, speedy.”

“Oh no, Speedy was someone else.” Artemis threw in, moving past the group.

“You’re kidding.” Chimera stared at her.

“Nope.” Artemis responded popping the p. “A whole different hero. Not even fast either. Makes no sense.”

“Good to know.” Chimera nodded absentmindedly.

“Oh, she can never meet Speedy.” Wally looked at the other heroes with wide eyes.

“Is he that bad?” Chimera asked, concern seeping into her eyes.

Artemis turned back to her and grinned wickedly, “No, he’s afraid you’ll start dating him.”

“Ahh. I don’t date teammates so, don’t worry.” Chimera reassured Wally with a clap on his back. Artemis barely contained the chuckles that were fighting to spill out.

Wally gave her a distressed look, “But, teammates are great. They are supportive and understand you… They’re… They’re the ideal dating material.”

“You make some interesting points.” She nodded as though contemplating his words. “Luckily, you have very pretty and interesting teammates, four at least from what I can see. So you have a wealth of dating material at your disposal.” Chimera gave him a wink and walked ahead of him. Artemis cackled loudly and threw her arm over Chimera’s shoulders, walking along with her. “I think I’m going to like having you here.”

Chimera smiled at her. “Good. I hope so.”

Black Canary gave them a serious look and stood in the middle of the sparring area as the team lined up around the edges. “Let’s get started. This is an exhibition sparring match. We want to see what you can do and what your teammates can do and see how you can mesh.”

“You don’t know what she can do?” Kaldur asked.

“I know. It’s you I’m concerned about. You’re going to be working with her and leading her. You need to know what she can do. So, Chimera? Go full force. We want to know what to plan for in the field.” Black Canary commanded.

Chimera looked at her unsure. “Full force? Are you sure? I don’t want to… That can be really dangerous.”

Black Canary nodded in understanding. “I get that, but I assure you it will be fine. We just need to see where you are in your skills, so we need you to give it your all.”

Chimera eyes got even bigger, “I’m not going to kill someone to prove a point. I can do a demonstration instead.”

The rest of the team looked at her insulted. Robin finally spoke up to scoff at her. “We can take it. We’ve dealt with worse. Don’t worry.”

Ladybug looked back at him with wide eyes. “It isn’t… I don’t think I’m a better fighter than you. I’m positive you all have better training than I do, especially since I don’t have any, it’s just… I’ve brought down the Eiffel Tower with one hit before. Thank god for miraculous ladybugs. But you all look a bit more…” she struggled for an appropriate word to finish her thought, “…vulnerable. I really don’t want to hurt any of you.” She shot him a pleading look.

Superboy stepped forward with a determined look on his face. “Then try me. I’m less…” he paused as if thinking, “what was that word you used… Vulnerable.”

She looked at him uncertain then looked over to Black Canary, taking note of her stern expression. She nodded and stepped onto the mat. “I’ll make it work.” Chimera offered uncertainly.

They faced each other for a few moments before settling into a fighting stance. When she was ready, Chimera nodded to Superboy. He rushed at her and extended his arm at the last second to deliver a haymaker punch. Chimera bent backwards and twirled in a semi-circle so she was standing behind him and kicked him in the butt, sending him sprawling on the floor. He got up and glared at her. He rushed her again, this time aiming for her waist so she couldn’t duck under him. She stared at him coming at her like a deer in headlights. Superboy got a smug glint in his eye as he closed in on her. At the last second, Chimera jumped up and rolled down his back, landing on her feet behind him, the wide eyed expression long gone.

“We need you to try, Chimera. We need you to actually fight, not just dodge.” Batman stated sternly.

Chimera looked over to him to nod at the instruction. The momentary distraction was enough for Superboy to land a hard hit to her stomach. The force of the impact sent her flying across the mat. The team winced and groaned in sympathy as she hit a wall with a hard thump. Superboy moved over to her to check on her but stopped half way to her. Chimera stood up and cocked her head to the side, examining Superboy. She raised her brow and asked calmly, “So… super strength. Invulnerability?”

He nodded at her. “Okay then.” She smirked at him, walking back to the central area of the room. “Let’s do this.” He smiled slightly and nodded. She immediately launched herself at him, catching him by surprise. She punched him hard enough to send him across the room in the opposite direction. He slid toward the wall but was able to regain enough control to use the wall as a springboard to launch himself back at her. She saw him coming and twisted at the last second, using his momentum against him to push him off balance. He recovered quicker than she expected and swept her legs out from under her. She used her momentum to turn the fall into a flip, leading to a series of flips and twists taking her away from him, giving her some space to think.

They circled around each other trying to plan their next move. Suddenly Chimera stopped and looked like she just realized something. “Oh I forgot. I’m supposed to be showing my skills…” she started innocently. Superboy took advantage of her apparent distraction to jump at her again but that was the moment she had been waiting for. “Voyage” she whispered and created a portal behind her. She stepped out of the way at the last possible second, sending Superboy through the portal at full speed. The portal ended close to the rock wall on the other side of the room. Superboy almost slammed into the wall with his full force but she had left him enough room to bounce back off the wall and launch himself back through the portal and back in front of her, throwing a punch toward her sternum that she was just barely able to twist away from, rolling along his arm until she was in the perfect position to elbow him in the back of his head. He grunted and turned back toward her, circling around her again.

“Full force, Chimera,” Black Canary chastised her.

“Not going to make him bleed on purpose for a game, Ms. Canary.” Chimera responded, still focused on Superboy. “Besides, we’re not done yet.” She turned to Superboy, “Right?” He nodded at her, an amused glint in his eyes. “I haven’t even showed off all my skills yet.”

“Well, let’s see those skills you keep talking about.” Superboy taunted her.

“If you say so Superboy.” She smirked at him then frowned. “I don’t appreciate that your actual name is the name I would have called you to taunt you. You’re making my job harder.”

He frowned at her, the amused look that had been in his eyes dropping. “So sorry my name is an inconvenience. You can call me The Weapon like my makers did if you prefer.”

Chimera stood up straight, fidgeting and frowning at him. “That’s… really?” She looked around to the other heroes. They all nodded solemnly.

She looked back at him with softer eyes. “What do you want to be called?” She asked in a kind tone.

“I… Superboy.” He said stiffly, not exactly sure how to respond to the shift in atmosphere.

Chimera nodded and gave him a warm smile. “Superboy it is. No nicknames unless you approve of them.”

“As heartwarming as this is, you are supposed to be sparring.” Black Canary reminded them.

“Right,” Chimera said shook her head to refocus herself. “Sorry.” She whispered “Mirage,” bringing her flute up to her lips. As soon as the notes were heard, a dozen replicas of her appeared and began running around the circle. Superboy tried to scan them but they all looked identical even with his infrared vision. He stilled to listen for a heartbeat or breathing, but he couldn’t detect it in any of them. He looked around wildly. It was a sea of dark brown and bright orange. He nodded to himself calculating the possibilities. Most likely she managed to split herself. So either they are all fully sentient or there is a central figure controlling them. He’d have to hope for the latter.

His eyes flicked to one of the figures running at him. The figure jumped into a flying kick. He dodged out of the way and rolled to his feet, looking around again for the next attack. He didn’t wait long. Another figure ducked low to sweep his feet. He jumped over her but felt a sharp pain in his side as one of the replicas body checked him with enough force to knock him into the far wall.

Superboy shook his head to clear it. When he took more than a few seconds to recover, the replicas looked at him concerned. One of them finally moved forward and asked “Are you okay to continue?”

He stared at the replica for a few moments before nodding. “We’re not done yet.” All the replicas smiled at him and moved into new positions, waiting for him to indicate he was ready. As soon as he nodded two replicas moved to attack him, one went high, one went for his legs. He lunged for the one going high, jumping over the one going for his legs. As soon as he reached her, she disappeared. Not meeting the resistance he had expected, the force of the lunge caused him to lay out flat on the floor. He grunted and jumped up before any of the replicas could attack again.

As soon as he was up he looked around with a grin. “Mirage,” he repeated. They were all an illusion. He just had to find the real one. Two attacked him again. He hit one causing it to disappear but the other one hit him with her flute, knocking him to the side. He shook his head again and turned back to them and backed away, giving himself space. He just had to find the one. There had to be an indication of which one was the real one. He couldn’t use his infrared vision or hearing. Maybe there was something about them. He stared at them as they circled around each other. There! There was one with a different shade of orange, the shade Chimera had before the match. All the replicas had bright orange but the real Chimera had deep orange accents.

He kept his eyes moving so she wouldn’t know he’d made her. He moved forward toward one of the replicas moving to punch her. Chimera attacked from the side again, coming at him before he could touch the replica and make it disappear. He grinned to himself. At the last second, he changed his trajectory and sent another haymaker toward her. He jerked back in pain as the replica he had been moving toward originally made contact, knocking the air out of his lungs. He grunted in anger and confusion as a rope was tied around him, pinning down his arms. His legs were swept out from under him causing him to land hard. He trashed with all his strength as he felt her tying his legs too. He kept thrashing against the rope, but no matter how hard he pushed and pulled, the rope showed no indication of weakening.

After a few moments of him pointlessly struggling, Black Canary walked over and declared Chimera the winner. She smiled excitedly at Chimera. “Now we know what we’re working with and we can plan how to incorporate your skills into missions and approaches to your training.”

Chimera nodded in understanding and looked over to the team who were still watching her in various degrees of surprise. Kaldur nodded in approval. Wally and Artemis stared at her in shock. Robin was pointing and laughing at Superboy. Chimera glowered at him and turned back to Superboy, releasing the rope so he could get up.

As soon as he was freed, Superboy jumped up and rubbed his arms, glaring at the floor. Chimera smiled nervously in his direction, but he refused to look at her and had turned his body away from her. She sighed and looked down too, shifting nervously. After a few moments, she started gathering up the rope to tie it back around her waist. She furrowed her brows at the sound of Robin still laughing, which seemed to upset Superboy even more. She narrowed her eyes at him and whipped the rope out in his direction. It snapped a few inches away from his face with a crack so loud it reverberated throughout the cave. Robin jumped away awkwardly and fell backwards, landing on his butt.

Superboy looked from Robin to her. He let out a small laugh and gave her a smile. Chimera took it as a good sign and smiled back at him. “That was a lot of fun. You are really good at picking up on details, otherwise that color trick wouldn’t have worked.” Her voice was soft, like she was addressing a scared child.

He nodded at her and quietly said, “Thanks. It was fun.”

“Does that mean we can do it again sometime? I need practice sparring and I’m usually afraid I’ll hurt someone when I’m in the suit and when I’m not, it isn’t as effective. I mean, helpful still, but not as effective.” He stared at her for a few seconds but finally nodded at her.

“That was a pretty good introduction but it’s getting late now. I think it’s time to call it a night. Red Tornado, can you take Chimera to the room she will be using so she can recharge?” Black Canary asked.

When Chimera returned a few minutes later, the group smiled at her and gave their goodbyes. They made plans for everyone to return the next day for more training. One by one, they all left through the Zeta tubes except for Superboy. Chimera looked at him confused. “Are you not leaving too?”

“No.” He stated coldly.

“Why not? I mean… if you don’t mind me asking.” She stammered out.

“Because I live here.” He grumbled back at her.

“Alone?” She gasped.

“With Red Tornado.” He corrected defiantly.

“But no other… people? In this big, empty, cold place?” She looked out over the cave, the empty, cold, inhospitable place he was going to call home.

“I like being alone.” He stated in an annoyed voice.

Something that looked like anger flashed across her face transforming into a determined look before she smoothed it out and gave him a cheeky grin. “That’s a shame.”

He narrowed his eyes looking at her suspiciously, “Why is that?”

“I’m moving in.” Her smile grew bigger.

He furrowed his brow and frowned, “What?”

“I’m moving in. I have school and, uh… stuff during the day, but I’ll be here in the mornings and at night, most weekends.” She nodded at him. “It will be like a sleepover every night… except we’ll be sleeping in separate rooms.”

He stared at her for a few seconds, unsure how to react. “Whatever,” he grunted walking back toward the residence area. “Dinner is usually in like 30 minutes.” He called over his shoulder. She smiled in his direction. It wasn’t a warm welcome but it was better than nothing.

“Are you sure about this? It isn’t required for you to live here. Most of the members don’t.” Black Canary reassured her.

“That’s why I’m doing it. I’ve already had one teammate who had to live essentially alone and isolated in a big, empty space. He hated it. It messes with your self-worth and your ability to interact with other people, no matter how badly you want to. It scrapes away at your humanity. I couldn’t really do anything for his living situation, but I can do something for Superboy.”

“It will make keeping your identity more difficult.” Batman warned her softly.

“I know, but he’s my teammate. I won’t abandon him. And I need a friend here too. I’ll be all alone otherwise, so… it will be mutually beneficial… I hope.” She added tentatively.

Batman and Black Canary shared an approving look with each other and turned back to her. “Okay. Let us or Red Tornado know if you need anything. We really think you are going to fit in amazingly with this team.”

Chimera smiled at them and shifted slightly to look out over the rest of the cave. “I think so, too.”

Chapter 2

#connette #connerette #konmari #maribat #Marinette x Conner #marikon #capturing a dream #conner x marinette

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aliaslua · 3 years

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In broad daylight

Chapter 01: Out and about

Raphael is still learning to cope with his new life. On the rainy evening after Michelangelo's first national interview, the big and solitary turtle brother decides to go on a walk and while he tries to adapt to a world he never wanted to be a part of, he meets a human woman that changes his path.

This is an AU that diverges from cannon after the events of Out of the shadows. Instead of choosing to keep living hidden in the sewers, the family of mutants accepts chief Vincent's suggestion of trying to live a normal life among humans. This is a compilation of events that unfold after the fact, tales about the turtles and the humans that cross their paths.

This series may contain mature themes (Trigger Warnings will be included before every chapter), if you’re a minor please don’t interact.

TW: None

You can also read it in AO3

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It took Raphael two years to finally decide to walk on a sidewalk alone. It was the first time he was alone in... Well, Michelangelo called it “upstairs”, Leonardo called it “the real world” and Donatello just called the streets of New York by their common name. Raph didn’t called it anything since names carry meaning and that world and its residents were a mystery to him. When he had to describe the world above him, he called it “outside”.

He was 19 when he was outvoted and then convinced of accepting the idea of coming out into the world. Now a grown 21 years old man-turtle, he still felt his palms sweaty and his fingers cold as he held the knob of the door that led into the streets of New York. A shaky breath left his mouth when he finally opened the alley door.

It wasn’t the first time he walked among humans but in every occasion he had to (knowing he would only do it if he was obligated) he had Casey holding one of his shoulders or April holding one of his fingers. Now, the world presented itself in front of him and he was alone. Despite his anxiety, the landscape wasn’t as intimidating as he once anticipated, there was no big crowd filled with scared looks of disgust, only the concrete street and light rain drops. He didn’t know exactly what he expected, actually. It was too late in the night to be walking the street alone, no human would dare to bet their safety to wander around an ugly and stinky street. Raphael wasn’t human and he would bet his life knowing no one ill intended would dare to cross his path... No one would even dare to ask for directions or to wish him a good evening. No one would dare to approach him. He had learned sooner than later that even well meaning humans would avoid being alone next to him and despite his efforts to understand them there was a deep part of Raph that held a grudge against it.

The second oldest brother would rather spend the rest of his life avoiding contact with this reality. It took maybe two or three minutes after he started to walk down the street for him to regret that decision as he felt the warm thick air of the night against his skin. He kept his pace despite that, determined to reach at least one mile before coming back home. The streets were still empty and he could only hear his heavy steps on the ground and the distant sound of cars. There was a time he loved this city... A time when all he wanted to was to roam around hidden in the roof tops and the dark shadows of the alleys, a time when he could watch this world and not be a part of it, when he could be invisible, a mere observer. Maybe he still could, he thought, maybe his outfit made him look human enough from a distance... Raphael liked the clothes, he liked he was now able to hear Knicks' shirts that fitted him perfectly thanks to his new access to tailor-made clothing, he liked his loose trousers and the dark colored sweaters that covered his shell, he liked his sneakers and his watch. Life out on the surface had brought him many new luxuries: now the lair had tiles and furniture and a long corridor that led to a door facing the streets, it didn't smell bad anymore thanks to modern isolation and he had his own bed, a king sized bed, with many pillows and clean white bed sheets. Raph sighed loudly once again, maybe Mikey was right. Maybe life could be more than he perceived to be.

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"Turn it on!"

The crowd cheered lively as the host turned in his chair.

"Good night, ladies and gentleman." He started talking in a pleasant voice "Tonight, in a exclusive interview... An absolutely unique moment in history. It's an honor to be here, sharing this moment with you as we receive with a warm round of applause please welcome... Michelangelo Hamato!"

Mikey walked into the stage with the biggest smile as the applause kept going, he was wearing a well fitted set of blazer and pants and he looked nothing like the wild and anxious brother they new. He waved to the crowd with such confidence that the absurd size difference between him and the host looked funny instead of terrifying, he even flipped the edge of his blazer behind him as he seated in the two-seater sofa and crossed his leg, showing a shinny elegant shoe.

"Michelangelo.... May I call you Mikey?"

"Yes, please."

"It's an honor... and I mean it, it's an honor to have you tonight."

"The honor is all mine, Jim."

The crowd cheered once again.

"Now... Mikey, I've to start saying... You're a sight to be seen!"

"Thank you!" Loud claps echoing from the crowd.

"How tall are you?"

"I'am 6'5"

"Taller than Micheal Jordan!"

"... And the smallest in the bunch!" Mikey commented with a big smile and the host returned the smile with wide eyes.

"Must be a very tall bunch!"

"A very big bunch!"

"Yes indeed!" The crowd laughed along with the host as Mikey shared a wide smile again.

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Ten minutes had passed since Raphael started his walk and three minutes had passed since a man with a dog on a leash had walked past him, completely unbothered by his presence. Had he made it? Has he invisible? Comfortable enough with the prospect of an empty city that slept while he walked, Raph took his headphones and pressed play in the link Donnie had sent him, the cellphone opened a new tab and a podcast started playing. Soothing was followed by a female voice that introduced the name of the show.

"...As always, thank you all for listening. In today's episode we'll be discussing the new revelations in the law case that wrecked the nation: the case Sacks vs Hamato, that absurd demonstration of pure capitalist greed that tried to condemn four literal teenagers to pay an equally absurd amount of money - and prison time!- for materials damage caused to the Sacks company-" "...and illegal espionage." A second voice complemented "Yes, thank you Sabrina. We have already discussed the legal implications that case could open for the judicial system here in America and all the possible outcomes in the Thirteenth episode of the first season of this podcast, if you haven't heard it yet, I heavily suggest you do so you can follow the argument of the developments in this case. Now, Sabrina... Yesterday we saw the final outcome of this case and the hearing that decided the sentence ended with an incredible emotional speech from Donatello - we know he was one of the brother's more involved with the whole process" "Yes" "... And now they're free! Of all charges!" "...Yes Gabi what we saw today followed by Michelangelo's incredible interview in the Late Night Show back on Thursday was, honestly, a beautiful strike against bigotry in this country..." "Absolutely, I mean... The judge of the case himself assumed that the charges were unfounded and biased..." "Yes! And now we have a established background to be able to-"

Raphael stopped the audio, unable to disguise his contempt. Geez , is that the kind of thing Donnie spends his time listening to? Wasn't real life already a bore? He let out a grumpy sigh and put his phone away. A human figure across the street started to stare indiscreetly at him and Raphael felt his heart shrink before making a blunt turn in a different street. The rain had stopped and the night wind was starting to feel colder, just like Raphael's heart as he tried to escape whoever it was that was trying to identify his figure.

A bright blue light appeared at the end of the new street Raphael just walked into. An all-night convenience store. Raph had been in a place that before, he and Casey had brought snacks and a couple of beers. He felt his mouth water at the idea of a cold beer. He had cash - more than enough. Maybe if he promised a fat tip they would let him get in. He shift his height between his feet as he observed the inside, the neon blue light was coming from a weirdly shaped advertisement placed above the entrance, perfectly contrasting with the ugly green light inside the store, some shelves appeared through the glass window and door, but he could tell that the place was empty - or almost that. In his head, Raphael had decided to take that chance and he was determined to perceive, his body, otherwise, didn't seem as thrilled with the idea. He waited outside as the rain started to pour once again, trying collect the mental strength to got in when a skinny old man opened the translucent door

━━━━━━ • ✿ • ━━━━━━

"Mikey, your last name is now worldwide known since the start of the trial, tell me: is it Japanese? Was it inherited from you father...?"

"I don't know, actually... We made it up!"

"What?" The human man asked as the crowd giggled

"It's exactly that, actually. When we came to the surface and Sacks decides to sue us the judicial system needed a surname to use... Apparently!"

"So you just made it up!"

"Hell yeah! Wouldn't you like to come up with your name?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"What would you call yourself?" He host made a surprise expression as Mikey changed the dynamic

"Jim Linotax!"

"...Oh, it's a pleasure, Mr. Linotax!" Michelangelo said, offering a handshake as he managed to pull more laughs from the crowd

"Michelangelo... It's a unique name!"

"I heard once it was very popular in the sixteen century."

"Oh, really?"

"Oh yes."

"And all your brothers have renascence names, is that right?"

"Yes. Thanks to old dad."

"How 's that?"

"Well, you see, when you grow up in a tiny sewer house you have more concerns than you weirdly specific name..."

━━━━━━ • ✿ • ━━━━━━

"Are you gonna steal?" The tiny man asked and he seemed to fight the same nervousness as Raph. The turtle-man on the other hand, felt all his limbs stiff and his hands go numb at the sound of that old man directing calling to him. He made a genuine effort and reached his pockets for the dollar bills.

"I-I just want a couple of beers."

"Go AWAY! Go away! No beers here for you!" The man started to yell as Raphael finally caught up his accent. It was stiff and hard in the h's and o's, he couldn't decipher where it was from.

"I just want to buy something! I am a client!" Raphael responded too late to recognize his anger.

"Nothing here for you! Go away!"

"I HAVE THE MONEY!" Raph screamed back at him, waving the bills in the air. The world started to feel out of focus as he realized people had gone to their apartment balconies and were looking at him through the windows in the buildings surrounding the store. Had he woke the whole street? Did he hear someone saying they were calling the police? No, please... The last thing he needed was a scold from Leo for causing a scene... All he wanted was a beer. Fuck, fuck, fuck. More and more lights started to turn on as the buzz around him got bigger and louder. He felt his heart sink and his hand hurt from the tight firsts he could not undo. Something inside him couldn't decide between the want to murder that man and the uncontrollable desire to scream and shout. "No more roof climbing." Leo had said "We're like humans now. We can't just go out jumping through people's houses." He couldn't just vanish away, despite the burning desire to just escape that situation.

"Look," Raphael managed to say, after two or three deep breaths "... I am sorry. I just wanted to buy a beer... I am leaving now."

"Hey! I finally found you!" An unfamiliar voice shouted from the other side of the street. Raph turned to look and almost knocked over whoever it was. Their bodies bumped into each other but only the smaller of them reacted to the impact, he felt a tiny pair of hands grab his arm."OooOOooww! That was close... Hey, we've been looking for you! Did you get the drinks?"

"NO DRINKS HERE FOR YOU!" The store owner screamed once again.

"Damn... Ok. We can go somewhere else!" The female voice had a sharpness to it, finally Raphael finally looked at her.

Nothing in this world could have prepared him for the vision of the young women holding his arm. She was short (but most people usually are in comparison to the mutant), had a luscious curly hair, tied in two pigtails that ended in the back of her neck. She was wearing a very revealing blouse and high waisted pants that matched in color. She was clearly dressed up, with sparkly high heels and long elegant earrings and she was holding his arms with a casualty he had never experienced before.

"C'mon!" She said and turned her head to him, showing a full face of makeup and bright brown eyes "Let's get the hell out of here."

━━━━━━ • ✿ • ━━━━━━

The crowd followed Mikey and the host as they laughed at the childhood story the turtle just shared.

"Mikey, unfortunately our time is almost over... I just wanted to thank you once again for coming tonight, for coming out into the world."

"The pleasure is all mine Jim, really... I've spent all my teenage years watching you on TV... I never thought I would be here tonight, I never thought I'd have the pleasure of meeting such a welcoming audience (loud cheering noises) and I never thought I could be part of this world."

There was an almost child-like honesty in his words making the brief moment of silence that came after especially touching.

"He's killing it." - April whispered to the TV

"100%" - Leo's voice came after

"Thank you, Michelangelo... I hope we can have all your brothers soon!"

"You can count on it!" Mikey answered, excited

"You can NOT count on that" - Raphael responded at the TV

━━━━━━ • ✿ • ━━━━━━

"I thought you guys didn't walk the streets... I've red the interview your brother gave to the New Yorker... He said you probably would wait a while until you decided to stroll around." The woman said as they walked back to the lair's alley door. She had told Raphael her name was Clara and they had held hands until they turned the corner and were out of sight from those judging eyes. She was smaller than most humans, Raphael later realized, maybe 5'1 or 5'2 and had a high pitched voice that made the turtle think about those weird anime dubs he used to watch as a kid. The strangest thing about his savior was that she seemed strangely familiarized with his presence. He ignored her comment as they kept walking in silence for a while. Raphael couldn't stop thinking about how long it would take for him to finally reach his destination and how could he respectfully ask for her to back off. Not that he wasn't grateful but her presence alone made him incredibly uncomfortable. She was too small, too elegant, too beautiful to walk just like that, beside him.

"I guess it is equally strange to you, right? To be here, in the real world... Out and about." Clara walked casually with both hands in her pocket as she looked up to the streets lights, Raphael wondered if she actually expected him to answer "... Is it weird for me to be like this? I mean... I thought you could use some help back there. But I don't mean to be inconvenient... Is it ok if you just walk with me closer to the next bus station? It is a bit late and I guess you're the perfect body guard..."

They kept walking, Clara and her tiny hands in the neon green pockets of her pants and Raphael with his stiff steps and dark clothing, all he wanted was to walk home without meeting everyone else, lock the door behind him and drink until all the memories fade away... But it didn't seem his wishes would come true as a pair of men jogging appeared at the end of the street, just in front of them. They looked at the strange couple and one of them startled at the vision. Clara looked at them and waved.

"Good night to you!" She said with a calm tone.

"Are you alright??" One of them asked from far away, still trying to figure out Raphael's image.

"Yeah!" She answered immediately "Why wouldn't I be?" Then she gave them a wide welcoming smile that made Raphael's heart beat uncontrollably "Good night to you." Clara then said, just as she turned one corner, grabbing Raphael's arm.

She then let go of him and offered a warm smile "It's ok... I don't think they will bother you. The bus stop is just right there turning the other corner... Thank you for bringing me here. Good night!" And just like that, she turned her back to him and started to walk away. Each step pressing Raphael's heart against his chest.

"WAIT!" The worlds came out of his mouth before he could stop them. She startled at the unexpected sound and immediately turned to him

"What?"

Raphael waited a minute so he could gather all the emotional strength to ask: "Can you walk me home?"

Clara smiled as she approached the mutant once again: "Is it too far?"

Raph took a minute to answer but instead said: "I'll pay you a cab when we get there." Clara hums and adds:" You sure? I leave pretty far." Raphael only nodded. Then she gave him the same silence answer. He couldn't mentally trace the path he had taken that night but he knew it was almost morning. The rain had stopped long ago but the air was much colder than when he left the lair, he was actually getting cold and wondered if she felt the same. They kept walking in silence until it finally hit him:

"What were you doing in the streets so late at night?"

"Oh..." She seemed surprised by his question, her voice a comparison that made him realize how low he sounded "I was on a date actually..." She said showing her teeth in a straight smile that indicated self-awareness, well that explained the clothing. "The guy turned out to be a prick, so I bolted! I was completely lost when I heard all the fuss the store guy was making... Thank god I found that mess, actually... I was getting pretty scared."

Silence as they got closer and closer to the lair's street door.

"... It was a complete coincidence to find you, actually... I was watching the rerun of your brother's interview today... I am actually in love with him! "she said in a ambiguous tone "Can you introduce us? Do you think I have a chance?" Raph finally laughed. Not at the idea that Mikey was charming enough to acquire the interest a woman like Clara, but at the absurd fact she thought she had to ask if she had a chance. With Mikey?

"He's also a prick." Raphael responded sharply but with a captivating tone to his voice. Then... She laughed. Raph couldn't contain his own grin.

The first sunbeams were about to appear at the horizon and when the red-wearing turtle finally reached the large metal door, he felt a relief like never before.

"I'll call a cab and get inside… So you know… The guy doesn’t bail because of me."

"Ok." Clara said, a light smile in her cheeks. "It was nice to meet you..."

"Raphael." He added after realizing she never asked his name did she knew it already?

"Hope to see you around soon."

Raph nodded with uncertainty and grabbed the metal knob. Clara's last words engraved in his brain as he crossed the long corridor that led to his underground home.

#TMNT Bayverse #In broad daylight #Out and about #TMNT Raphael #tmnt leonardo #Tmnt Donatello #tmnt michelangelo #Slice of life #coming of age #first love #this is my baby ; - ;#URGH I HOPE SOMEONE LIKES IT I AM SO EXCITED #Out of the shadows #Headcannon sequel #Raph is soft #Mikey is a star

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morkofday · 3 years

Text

ah thank you @yibobibo for tagging me ^^ these are always so much fun! also am avoiding going to sleep lol so here I go

1. What is the color of your hairbrush? umm this dark berry red? idk it’s a very old one and i should probably get a new one :’D

2. Name a food you never eat. hmm, am really not that picky with food. but i had an disagreement with meat loaf for a long time bc once as a kid i got sick while eating it and well. let’s say it came back up :) so i was a bit traumatized lol

3. Are you typically too warm or too cold? too cold! definitely ;; that’s why i hate living here when summer is like maybe two weeks and otherwise am freezing 24/7

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? umm watching ultimate note i think lol it has taken over my weekends

5. What’s your favorite candy bar? wow hmm. i think fazer’s dark choco + chili bar is amazing? otherwise maybe kinder’s bueno

6. Have you ever been to a professional sports game? yeah, a couple of times :’D to watch ice hockey lol bc it’s probably the only sport i enjoy... oh, and karate once too! that was cool somehow :o

7. What is the last thing you said out loud? “how are you like this” to heihua in ultimate note bc i dunno why but they keep. flirting with each other while bullying other ppl???

8. What is your favourite ice cream? chocolate! (or if it’s available, i absolutely adore sorbets or some very nice and sour berry flavors!)

9. What was the last thing you had to drink? peppermint tea ^^

10. Do you like your wallet? oh yeah :o i love the flower pattern on it and several ppl have complimented it a lot too? i can’t remember where i bought it but it’s nice and i always feel so fancy when i flip it out haha

11. What is the last thing you ate? some chocolate :’D why does every other answer seem to be somehow related to chocolate... (ah yes, bc i love it)

12. Did you buy any new clothes last weekend? hmm no. but am actually waiting to go shopping after christmas so that i can get new stuff ^^

13. What’s the last sporting event you watched? ummmm does street dance of china count?

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? uh, the normal? is that butter then??? i don’t even know any other flavors

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to? i’d say @i-am-just-a-kiddo who always has to suffer from my continuous screaming over. everything, basically (i am a very hyper person when it comes to things i love)

16. Ever been camping? not specifically but i’ve slept in a tent a couple of times and done some hiking lol also i think i would love to try?

17. Do you take vitamins? nope, not really? should i?? maybe i should, at least some d vitamin... i miss seeing the sun, where is it ;o

18. Do you regularly attend a place of worship? nope, not really religious

19. Do you have a tan? umm no our summers are short as mentioned and i usually try to avoid getting tanned ^^’

20. Do you prefer chinese or pizza? chinese bc i get tired of pizza very fast

21. Do you drink your soda through a straw? yeah! i love the feeling of using a straw :’) also love it when they are funny colored or fancy or just very silly looking?

22. What color socks do you usually wear? very basic gray/white/black but then i have these random colorful socks too? and something like,,, deep turquoise. and dark wine red. and socks with flowers???

23. Do you ever drive above the speed limit? no i am a very law abiding citizen jfghjf (tho i drive very rarely bc i don’t own a car)

24. What terrifies you? ummmmm. let’s say randomly that i would absolutely freak out if one day i was closing my curtains and someone was looking at me through my window (which is highly unlikely bc i live in the third floor but my brain insists on this one on a daily basis)

25. Look to your left, what do you see? my empty tea cup, waiting to be taken away. so that i could sleep. sigh

26. What chore do you hate most? umm. vacuuming? it just feels like such a waste of time

27. What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent? i feel like the first two things that just pop into my head when someone mentions australia are troye sivan and @ashenwren ♥

28. What’s your favorite soda? coke or pommac (it’s this fruity soda? i used to call it as kid’s beer when i was young lol)

29. Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? would usually go to the place but i guess for now it would be safer to go to the drive thru? idk

30. What’s your favorite number? i have no idea what i’ve answered previously to similar questions but let’s go with eight

31. Who’s the last person you talked to? physically talked to? my parents probably

32. Favorite meat? chicken but i could also say shrimp or any fish tbh

33. Last song you listened to? dpr ian - so beautiful x (this song is so addictive somehow??? and the mv is amazing!)

34. Last book you read? uhhh this book related to men’s studies where the author talked about his own experiences and views on being a man in this society that really much supports toxic masculinity and those toxic ways to show it (i cried)

35. Favorite day of the week? probably thursday currently bc ultimate note :’)

36. Can you say the alphabet backwards? uuuhh not right now probably but if you give me a moment i promise i can

37. How do you like your coffee? just like i like my men so,,, no. (lol that was an opportunity too perfect not to use)

38. Favorite pair of shoes? my pair of combat boots! or whatever you can call my black boots that make me feel badass but also fancy and comfortable

39. Time you normally get up? i try to make it around 10am but i just laze around in bed and i might actually get up at 11am-12pm

40. What do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets? both tbh, sunrise has its own vibe that’s completely different from sunset and both are just breathtaking! (no wonder my xicheng fic is very much full of/based on this day cycle symbolism smh)

41. How many blankets on your bed? one, i surprisingly enough get very hot during night (and not in the sexy way)

42. Describe your kitchen plates. light blueish gray? square. the smaller ones have these blue shapes on a white background, circle.

43. Describe your kitchen at the moment. clean too! i cleaned it yesterday :’D

44. Do you have a favorite alcoholic drink? i’d say long drinks. or just,,, i dunno, vodka with orange juice? always works

45. Do you play cards? oh i did nothing else during the summer but play cards with my mom jfhgfghk it’s very relaxing somehow (also i love to teach ppl new games even if i know like,,, maybe five)

46. What color is your car? don’t own one

47. Can you change a tire? absolutely! i used to join my dad as a kid when he changed his tires :’D so i know the process and would be able to handle one i suppose

48. Your favorite state or province? i. don’t really have one? maybe the one on our west coast, i like the dialect over there

49. Favorite job you’ve had? i’ve only had like two? maybe? and i didn’t really enjoy either but does doing theater stuff as a hobby count? bc i’ve enjoyed that and it felt like a job at certain points :’)

wow this got so long wth ;o i didn’t even realize it was 40 questions jdhgkfg but it was fun! i hope this tells you something about me :’D and i’ll tag the two ppl who i’ve already tagged into these answers :’D so go for it you two! and then i want to tag some of the ppl i always bother aka @kholran @stebeee @manhasetardis @aheartfullofjolllly @leonzhng @lzswy (i know some of you have been tagged already but i hope it’s fine. also no need to if this feels like too much!)

#tag game #wow this is long #but so much fun!#had to do this now while i had interesting answers lol #also pls someone smile at my jokes #have a good day everyone!#about me #edit: apparently I forgot the mv link #sorry about that lol

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inkribbon796 · 3 years

Text

Brotherly Strife Ch. 2

Chapter 2: You’ve Been Given a Great Gift, Bim

Summary: Bim’s adventure continues and he learns that being Dark’s favorite isn’t all fun and games.

A/N: WARNING because Bim eats someone in this.

Chapters: 1, 2

Everything at the station was normal, fine. Well except for the fact his show was a full hour earlier than normal, but he tried to get over that, it was one day. It’d be fine.

Wil greeted him warmly and everyone stepped lightly around Wil’s ever-changing moods. But Bim was always aware of Dark’s aura lingering always in the background of any room Bim was in.

It was weird, but Bim felt something like pride about it. Dark never paid this much attention to him. He wondered if this was what Illinois got every day.

The show went okay, nothing went too wrong. But instead of Wil quickly sweeping him away, Dark’s portal physically moved him from the stage and dumped him into a cold office room, one that it took Bim a bit to recognize as Dark’s office in the Manor. Dark was standing there.

“A warning would have been nice,” Bim grumbled.

Dark was just staring, unblinking at him with a frigid expression on his face, “Normally I would let you go about your day, but your flagrant insistence about wasting your time has gotten on my last nerve.”

“Come on, you don’t force Illy to do this,” Bim muttered.

“I don’t keep track of what your insufferable friends do,” Dark dismissed in a terse, angry tone. “We’re continuing your lessons, now.”

“Okay,” Bim allowed, unsure what these “lessons” would be but if Illinois had ever done them then he could probably do it.

Dark seemed to lose a little bit of tension and he swept back the dark fringe of hair that had fallen in front of his eyes. “Finally, some sense. That bastard glitch isn’t teaching you anything of merit.”

“Harsh,” Bim commented bravely.

Dark walked up and with absolutely gentleness he smoothed out Bim’s hair and suit with aura, not physically touching him but his hands moving through the motions. “You’re Wil’s heir, you deserve only the best.”

At first, Bim didn’t know what to start commenting on, but then Dark’s aura seemed to seep into his suit coat, turning it from its normal black to an inky black color.

“There,” Dark said, “that should help you start.”

Then the Entity took a step back and waited, for what Bim didn’t have the foggiest idea.

Dark just stared at him, unblinkingly.

Bim looked around, “What am I supposed to do again.”

“You are not doing this again,” Dark spat, suddenly furious. Bim flinched, feeling Dark’s aura coil around him, tightening just shy of going from uncomfortable to painful. “You are staying here until I get something out of you. You and Wil constantly insist I treat you like an adult, but the very instant I start, you complain incessantly.”

“I don’t know what you want!” Bim shouted back.

That got Dark even angrier, “You know what I want, so start taking this seriously!”

“No I don’t know,” Bim began to panic, he’d never seen Dark direct his anger towards him like this before.

It terrified him.

Dark glared at him, furious but the coiling loosened a bit. He swept his hair out of the way. “Bim I am doing this with your best interest in mind. Wil doesn’t teach, and that glitch doesn’t care. Other demons aren’t going to wait for you to gain an interest in learning magic.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Bim asked.

Something in Dark seemed to be merciful, the aura uncoiled from around Bim but lingered on his coat. Dark took a deep breath before holding up his hands and tore open a portal into the Void. “You have my aura inside you, just use it. You always go for huge holes in reality. Start small.”

Bim felt actual dread chilling his body. He’d never tried to use the Void, it always seemed like an untamed wild beast that wanted to swallow him whole. He’d only learned he had an aura after being in an aura-dampening environment.

But he held up his hand like Dark, unsure what to exactly do at first.

For the first five seconds there was nothing, Bim didn’t know what to do or say. But after a disappointed sigh from Dark, his aura creeped along Bim’s arms and he felt a tingling at his fingertips that had a weird burning effect on them.

It steadily got more painful until a deep purple, almost black, portal with flecks of pink and lavender color bleeding through.

Bim felt something in him twisting, almost hypnotizing him as he stared at it. Something trying to claw its way out of him.

But Dark closed the portal and Bim collapsed, feeling so unendingly hungry that he growled at the ground, his mind starting to cloud into the beginning stages of a frenzy. A chill starting to prickle in his chest.

Fortunately, for Bim at least, he was already hearing the choked screams of a human already bleeding and injured.

Unlike all the other times when Bim would stalk and study and enjoy himself with the thrill of the hunt he just lunged for whatever pitiful creature Dark had found for him.

Bim went for their throat, relishing in the choked screams and the blood around him.

Dark just watched calmly until Bim was done, what had once been a human being was now a mound of limbs, broken bones, and gore.

It was only once Bim was sated that he realized he was gasping for breath, as if he’d run a mile. He looked at himself in disgust as he realized his suit was ruined with blood.

“Ughh,” Bim complained.

Dark’s aura came back and Bim felt something in him that he hadn’t felt before — maybe that was his own aura — try and recoil away from Dark and lean into him at the same time.

Dark used his aura to force Bim to look up at him, “See, now was that so hard? A couple more lessons and you’ll have it.”

Run!

Bim felt like he’d been jolted by something, he was on edge, and felt like he’d been electrocuted by something. He was running and at first he didn’t know where his feet were taking him. But all too soon he ran into his bedroom and straight into the bathroom where he began throwing up into the toilet.

He felt disgusting and so different, like Dark had just uncorked some demonic genie inside of him and Bim wanted that feeling again, but it came with such an intense hunger he was afraid that he’d never be full again.

After a shower, Bim stared at himself in the fogged up mirror, glasses back on. He looked like a pale, death stricken mess. His eyes coal black.

He didn’t want to look like that, maybe if he went to bed this whole nightmare would be over. The Host said that—

Bim rushed to get dressed in his pajamas and raced for the balcony, but to his horror the house started to fold around him and he ran into the library instead. To his immediate and immense relief the Host was the room’s only occupant.

The blind seer looked in Bim’s direction as he threw the door open.

“How is Bim enjoying his time as being the Entity’s favorite?” Host had a huge smile on his face.

Bim was too worked up to realize that the Manor’s library was much bigger than he ever remembered it being and there were two whole shelves of Braille books.

“You win,” Bim told him. “You win. Just bring Illinois back.”

The Host arched an eyebrow, taking his hand off his book, Bim noticed that it was all just Braille and no words. “The Host does not recall an Illinois. Who is Bim referring to?”

“Don’t be an asshole, you know who I’m talking about, lesson learned,” Bim admitted, feeling anxious. “Just bring him back, and things can go back to normal.”

“Now why would the Host do that,” the Host chuckled darkly. “The Host had been looking for a way to get rid of Illinois for some time. Good riddance in his mind.”

“No, not funny asshole,” Bim stomped closer, panic starting to cloud up in his chest. “Bring him back, you said it wasn’t permanent.”

“Awww, you do love me,” Illinois said from directly behind Bim.

The Host broke out in laughter—

“Ha ha, shitbags,” Bim spat, Illinois was laughing too, walking over to bump his knuckles against the Host’s.

“That was so good,” Illinois laughed, the library suddenly just a bit smaller, the Braille books gone — safely back in the Host’s library in the Hero’s base. “You still got it.”

“You both are total assholes,” Bim told his older brothers.

“Consider it revenge for wishing me away,” Illinois reminded. “You’re lucky Dark won’t remember it.”

“If you want a thank you or an apology, you’re not getting it,” Bim spat, then he looked at the Host who was just watching them. Narrations under his breath and a smile in his face. “Hey Host what’s up with all the differences? Kay was still with us and he looked like a coffee addict.”

The Host stood up. “Illinois is responsible for a lot of things, the King of the Squirrels wouldn’t have a preference for tea nor would the Manor have such a big coffee mug collection if not for the Adventurer bringing them into the house.”

“Huh, he responsible for anything else?” Bim asked, his tone sour.

“With someone for the Entity to concentrate his attention on, everyone else in the Manor has less stress in their lives,” the Host explained. “And if something goes wrong Illinois has the personality to want to soften the blow for his siblings. King got to learn that there was a life outside of the Network, and Yancy was in a position to be an enforcer rather than a captain who never leaves the warehouses. Much is different, but yet some is still the same.”

“Okay, enough of stroking Ill’s ego off,” Bim rolled his eyes, pushing Illinois away from him when he tried to reach over and ruffle his hair.

Illinois chuckled, sticking his hands back into his pockets. “Hey Host, can yah do it? You didn’t answer me before Bimmy got back.”

Bim glared at Illinois when that nickname left his mouth.

“The Host is currently capable of maintaining an effect of that nature,” the Host answered.

“Yes!” Illinois cheered, moving his feet in excitement. “I owe you until the end of time, Host.”

“The Host will remember that,” Host smiled as Illinois raced out of the room in a full sprint.

“What was that about,” Bim motioned to Illinois with a thumb, his other hand on his hip.

“Illinois will tell Bim himself, probably in a day or two,” the Host evaded. “It is not the Host’s to tell.”

“Whatever,” Bim dismissed. “Cryptic fucker, don’t you have a forty-year-old man to fuck or something?”

“Bim should be careful not to insult the Host’s doctor,” the Host warned tersely.

“Hey, you’re the one sleeping with a manther not me,” Bim shrugged, checking his nails. “Not insulting him, just stating a fact that he’s old enough to be your dad.”

“Bim can either retire the topic of his own volition or he’ll find himself waking up the next day,” Host threatened.

“Okay, fine, fine,” Bim held up his hands placatingly, before realizing that the Host could see them and quickly lowered them to his side. “But can I ask you something else?”

“Bim can so long as he minds the Host’s threat,” the Host reminded.

Rolling his eyes, Bim braced a wrist on his hips, a thoughtful frown on his face that reminded the Host a fair bit of Dark. “Am I really Dark’s kid? Like physically, I mean. Obviously I’m dad’s, I look just like him, but what about the old man?”

“Bim Trimmer is the clone of Wilford Warfstache and the Entity known as Dark,” the Host answered.

“How?” Bim asked.

“The Host is this story’s narrator, not it’s writer,” the Host reminded sharply. “It is not his job to know.”

“Yeah but you have to know something,” Bim continued to inquire.

“Demons reproduce via aura, Bim Trimmer is a half to three-quarters juvenile demon,” the Host continued. “Otherwise he could not have inherited the Entity’s aura.”

“Okay, stop, ewww, if this is gonna turn into a demonic birds and the bees talk, we can stop,” Bim interrupted him. “I already got that talk, and I don’t want to know how dad and old man have sex.”

“The Host doesn’t want to have such a talk either,” the Host agreed. “The Host and Bim do not need to talk about their fathers in such a way.”

“The old man doesn’t let me call him “dad” in any language,” Bim frowned.

“That is between Bim and his father to work out,” the Host reminded. “But not tonight, Bim Trimmer is tired from his exploits and needs his rest for the next day.”

“Yeah,” Bim sighed, he was exhausted. But things were back to normal again and he needed five hundred hours of sleep. “Night Host, see you tomorrow.”

“No Bim Trimmer will not,” the Host called after him as Bim started to leave the library. “The Host does not live at the Manor anymore.”

“Right, whatever,” Bim dismissed with a wry chuckle from outside the library.

“Bim!” Host called out and fortunately he didn’t have to use his narrations to drag him back towards the door.

“Yeah? Penless Wonder?” Bim leaned his shoulder against the doorframe.

“If Bim Trimmer wishes to get away with treating the Entity like a father, he should begin doing so when he is going to quickly leave and not return for a period of time. He should be quick and persistent. It took Illinois many, many years for Illinois to get to a point where the Entity no longer reacts negatively towards being called 아빠 and Bim should expect the same.”

“Oh,” Bim commented softly. “Thanks, night.”

“The Host wishes Bim goodnight,” the Host smiled warmly.

Using his narrations, Host made sure to keep an eye on Bim as he went to his bedroom and promptly went to sleep the second he was on his bed.

Narrowly missing Dark who was walking down the hall. Reality split off from its previous trajectory and to the Host the hallway echoed with a dangerously volatile argument that would start a domino effect for Dark.

But Dark just walked in, a calm expression as he checked his watch, unaware of what he had missed. “Are you certain I cannot keep you a bit longer?”

“The Host needs to return to the heroes, the Actor gets closer and the Host would appreciate it if he doesn’t sneak amongst their ranks,” the Host denied.

Dark went tense, “You are not to even be near him, I can’t lose you as well. I would kill the heroes before I let that happen.”

“The Host is fine, the Actor is not interested in him,” the Host demanded. “The Entity is what the Actor wants.”

“Then let him come, I am ready for him,” Dark dared. “I would tear him apart.”

No the Entity will not, the Host thought sadly, thousands of different variations of their future meeting playing across his mind, all with only one victor.

“The Entity must let the Host go,” the Host managed to reply.

Dark sighed, closing his eyes as he nodded. He looked away as he opened a portal, turning his back on the blind seer.

The Host looked at the portal before using his narrations and his aura to be able to reach Dark for a hug. Dark tensed as if he’d been electrocuted at the warmth that came from the Host’s body heat.

“The Host is thankful for everything that the Entity has done for him and the Author,” Host told him. “The Entity has been a good father, and the Host doubts the Author would have lasted as long as he did if not for the Entity looking after him.”

“Don’t,” Dark sounded strangled, pointedly not looking at him.

Letting go of his father, the Host stayed by his side. “The Host means it, he only wishes that he could say so more directly.”

Dark looked at him before capturing the Host into his arms, his aura curling around the Host with feather-like gentleness. “I’d keep you all here, forever if I could,” Dark told him.

“The Host knows,” the Host hugged him back. “Dark should be made aware that there will be a time when all of his children will live in the Manor again.”

Letting go, Dark let out a sad chuckle, “You will look after your brothers won’t you? Kay isn’t sleeping at the park in this cold of weather right?”

“The Host promises he will, and he stays at the base during the winter,” Host reported.

“Good,” Dark let out a long breath of relief. “I worry about him.”

Smiling, the Host turned, already putting one foot into the portal. “Oh and Illinois has a surprise for the Entity, he should meet him in his office.”

“Okay, goodnight Host,” Dark gave a small, fond smile as the Host went through the portal with an answering goodbye and stepped across the hero’s barrier that protected the front steps of their base.

The rip in reality winked closed and Dark looked after it for a bit before opening a small portal to check on Bim, who he saw sleeping peacefully in bed.

With a sad smile, Dark reached over with his aura to smooth over a part of Bim’s hair that had bunched up when he rolled over.

Bim grunted at the touch and his fingers twitched, but something reached out and gently nudged at Dark’s aura. It wasn’t anything enough to fully push Dark away but it was enough of a surprise for Dark to pull away. Bim had never displayed a hint of an aura to him.

Dark had taken . . . steps . . . to ensure that he wouldn’t. Bim was, by virtue of being Wil and Dark’s child, part demon. Infantile and juvenile demons without auras were ignored by other demons because they weren’t a threat. But now that Bim had enough an aura for it to manifest without him being conscious . . .

Closing up the portal Dark had to do something about this.

#Superhero AU #Masks and Maladies #birthday post #cannibalism #Bim Trimmer #Darkiplier #the Host #Illinois the Adventurer #ahwm Illinois #minor child endangerment #magic #sibling rivalry #angst #it’s loving Dark hours #after the angst takes place #Dark is trying his best

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soldierswar · 4 years

Text

The Incident

Dad!Bucky X Reader

All the fluff

Plot: Bucky sends his wife on a little getaway trip for the weekend, leaving him alone with their two small children.

Little does he know how much of a handful they can be when it's just one parent watching them.

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Bucky had no idea how Y/N did it.

Y/N had been stressed out from work, along with mothering two young children. So, during her vacation time, he sent her on a five-day spa weekend with her sister upstate. He was more than happy to do so, and he loved the idea of spending more quality time alone with kids. But taking care of them by himself didn’t usually go past a few hours. This was actually the first time that Y/N had actually left for more than 24 hours since their five-year-old firstborn daughter Thea was born. And Y/N hardly ever left the house and left Bucky alone with the kids after their now 3-year-old son Aaron was born. It wasn’t like he never helped take care of the kids. Bucky and Y/N always made sure to share the workload. And that dynamic worked so well. But there were those times where Bucky did have to leave for a few days while out doing assignments. But now…he really understood why Y/N was especially stressed out when Bucky had to leave and she was alone with the kids while also working from home with them running around the house all of the time. They were absolutely crazy. “Thea, stop doing cartwheels near the top of the staircase!” Bucky warned. Again.

With Thea, it felt as though he had to keep an eye on her 24/7 so that she wouldn’t seriously hurt herself. It had been that way since she was a baby. Bucky and Y/N were so proud and amazed at how smart she was presenting herself to be from such an early point in her life…But that also came with its challenges. Because of that, baby-proofing had to be done at a whole new level. The second she learned how to walk, she knew how to get around to try to get to do what she wanted, which resulted in her putting herself in harm’s way. They always joked that they would have wrapped her up in bubble-wrap at all times if they could without child-services getting in the way. They would have even wrapped her while she was asleep just in case. Aaron was a lot more mellow than her. But if he didn’t like something, he would fuss and cry until one could figure out how to calm him down. Not necessarily in a bratty-tantrum kind of way. But he would be genuinely (and sometimes heart-wrenchingly) upset and not stop crying until things were resolved. If it wasn’t his hyperactive sister bothering him when he wanted to chill out, it was him not wanting to finish his vegetables, or not wanting to go to bed. Or, (here was the kicker), wanting to go to bed too early. The first time Aaron tried that, Bucky thought that it would be a great idea. Until he got up at two in the morning hungry for breakfast. He was just all-around a sensitive kid. Y/N made sure to keep a detailed schedule up for him, and even had a few meals prepped for them. At first, Bucky had protested that and claimed that he could handle it all on his own. 12 hours later he was extra grateful for all she had prepped for him. Finally, the kids were settled down on the couch with Sponge-Bob playing on tv, and they were ready for a snack. Bucky made his way over to the kitchen and opened the fridge to grab them their favorite apple sauce. He smiled hearing them in the background laughing with each other. Bucky and Y/N were so happy to have kids that not only loved one another so deeply but got along so well. Thea wasn’t planned at all. He and Y/N wanted to wait a little bit longer, before having kids. But in her signature fashion, Thea showed up with a dramatic and booming entrance. They later decided to have another kid a couple of years later so that she could have a companion to grow up with. And the two of them in no way regretted that decision. They were perfect. Suddenly the laughter stopped and Bucky heard a loud “thunk”, followed by a loud holler. His first instinct was to think that Thea had hurt herself. He really did think he dodged what was most likely inevitable, (especially since it was the middle of day 4). But it didn’t sound like that. It sounded a lot more like Aaron. He quickly made his way over to the living room and found Aaron standing against the back of the couch screaming louder, and louder by the second while holding his arm. Oh no.

He made his way over and carefully but frantically examined him for any potentially life-threatening injuries. His head wasn’t bleeding but would probably need a doctor’s examination. And since he could stand up, he knew that there was no way his spine was broken (thank God,). But, considering how he was holding his right arm that was turning red, and a little blue, that was definitely the main concern. Suddenly, Thea started to cry. And Thea crying made Aaron cry even harder. Dear God. Why today? He wanted to call the ambulance. But logically, he knew that it was nothing serious enough for that…But he still wanted to. He quickly threw that logic aside and acted quickly. “Thea, stop crying,” he snapped. “Get your stuff, we’re leaving now.” Thea looked at him angrily but was able to stop the waterworks. Which as suspected, helped Aaron calm down a little bit. Bucky quickly grabbed a long kitchen towel and made a makeshift arm sling for what he suspected to be a sprained and hopefully not broken arm, and hurriedly took the kids and strapped them in the car. … On the ride there, Bucky got Thea to talk about what had really happened. Aaron had decided that he wanted to take on traits that mimicked his sisters, and tried to balance himself and walk on the back of the couch. And then…well… the fall happened. Figures. But of all kids for that to happen, Aaron was not the kid he thought it would have happened to. Aaron still cried on the way there, but at least he was no longer screaming. When they finally got to the children’s hospital, the emergency room was luckily empty. Therefore, they were able to see him and get x-rays done on his arm right away. He was relieved to hear that there were no signs of a concussion. Another thing that Bucky was terrified about was hospital staff questioning whether or not he actually hurt his kid, or if he was just being neglectful. He knew that they had who he was and that it was on file. It would be an easy assumption for them to think that he snapped and did something to him out of anger. It was one of his biggest fears. He would never do anything to hurt his children like that. He felt guilty enough about that happening on his watch. But when Bucky felt comfortable enough to express that concern to Aaron’s doctor, she snorted followed by a chuckle. “Listen, Mr. Barnes,” she said. “You have two very young, and very active children on your hands. Things happen. And it’s a very minor ‘green stick’ fracture that easily checks out as one that happens because of a fall. You came in almost immediately after it happened, you made a makeshift sling for his arm, and you looked as though he was about to die if he didn’t get attention within the next 30 seconds. Nobody here thinks you did anything wrong.” He was so relieved. But still felt horrible about what had happened. He looked over at Aaron who had calmed down not long after getting his x-rays done. He contently sat on the ER bed playing with his stuffed duck that was thankfully laying on his car seat and sucked his lollipop that the x-ray tech had given him. He also got stickers for being such a good and brave kid. Thea sat on Bucky’s lap who also needed comfort. She too felt guilty about what had happened. But Bucky assured her that she was in no real trouble. But advised her that as his older sister, she had to watch out for him when he wanted to do something like that. He could have seriously hurt himself. She was feeling a little bit better and was also given a lollipop. But she still insisted on staying on Bucky’s lap and fell asleep with her head against his chest before Aaron even picked out what color he wanted. … It was finally night time, and the kids were sound asleep in bed. Y/N had insisted on coming home as soon as Bucky called her about what had happened while they were at the hospital, and she was home within a couple of hours. By the time she got home, the kids were fed, and they were both calmly playing games together on their play-rug in the living room. When she saw both of them, and they ran over to her over the moon to see her she didn’t even seem concerned at all. After a long day, Bucky and Y/N laid on the couch and ate popcorn and milkshakes with a movie playing in the background. Y/N could tell that Bucky still felt incredibly guilty and was beating himself up about what had happened, despite what the doctor told him. “Bucky,” she sighed. “Do you know how many times those kids bump and bruise themselves when it’s just me watching them? We have six ice-packs in the freezer for a reason. They’re crazy.” He chuckled. “I really underestimated their mischief,” he replied. She snorted. “Trust me, love. A broken bone was bound to happen any day. I’m just shocked that it didn’t happen sooner. And trust me…It will happen again.” She took a long sip of her milkshake. Bucky groaned. “Are you sure that you want to have another one?” Y/N looked down and rubbed her 8 month-old pregnant belly. “I think that you’re a little too late to ask me that question, Barnes,” she retorted. He let out an exaggerated sigh and set his hand on her belly. “We’re keeping this one in until she’s old enough to start school, okay?” he declared. Y/N nodded sarcastically and proceeded to rebut that she would only agree to it if he was the one carrying the baby. “Okay, fine,” he sighed defeated. “But we’re doing the bubble-wrap thing with this one.” This, Y/N agreed on, and they shook hands on it. The next few years were about to get even more interesting.

#Bucky X Reader #Bucky X Reader fluff #Bucky Barnes #Bucky Barnes X Reader fluff #dad!bucky x reader #fluff #marvel #marvel fanfic

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thebeautyofdisorder · 4 years

Text

The Undone & The Divine (BBC Dracula) - Chapter 9

A/N: Hey, it wasn’t a full two weeks this time, yay. The ending got a bit poetic on me, I’m going to warn you, and I really don’t know why. But hey, it is what it is. Vampires and drama rather go hand in hand, right? Unresolved tension and vampirism lay ahead. Also a terrible pun or two.

Pairing: Dracula & Agatha/Zoe, off and on Dracula/OC

Rating: M, for blood, language, mercenaries with guns, blood drinking and hints at violence/death.

Chapters 1-2 Here - Chapter 3 Here - Chapter 4 Here - Chapter 5 Here - Chapter 6 Here - Chapter 7 Here - Chapter 8 Here

Can be found on AO3 - Right HERE - or enjoy below the cut

Tagging some new followers in case they wanna check it out. If not, don’t feel bad to ask to be removed either! And I let me know if the tags fails to work entirely? Tried copying/pasting and just re-tagging.

"You needed me, didn't you?"

Zoe quirked a skeptical brow at the Count's surface-level consideration, not buying its sincerity for a moment. But that certainly didn't mean she wouldn't take advantage of it. As wont she was to admit it, she did in fact 'need him' for once.

"Do you even know what I need you for?" She asked, curious.

"I believe I 'get the gist' - you need to compare the effects of proper sustenance to whatever muck you've concocted. And considering you're refusing to properly nourish yourself to make that comparison, then naturally I'd be the only acceptable substitute."

She nodded, a smirk tilting her mouth to one side. "What do you want?"

He blinked in what was almost mistakable for innocent confusion.

"I'm sorry?"

Zoe scoffed, smirk still in place. "Don't pretend you're going to inconvenience yourself for something you completely disapprove of and not expect anything in return," she prodded knowingly. "Out with it."

The Count mirrored her smirk, taking her in with silent consideration. He could hear the whispers from the humans around them outside of the glass, those both panicked and conspiratorial, though they made for a pleasant bit of background noise to their negotiation. He understood that was exactly what it was, after all, anytime they spoke, and he was looking forward to the challenge.

"We both want the same thing, Dr. Helsing."

"And what is that?"

"To understand ourselves and in turn, each other," he replied simply, gesturing between them. "And funnily enough, neither of us can do that alone."

"Are none of your other 'experiments' going well?" She couldn't help but ask dryly.

He quirked a smug brow at her tone, the accusation of jealousy remaining unsaid but no less audible for it.

She scoffed, looking down at the table in annoyance.

"Perhaps I'd rather wallow in my success before risking disappointment."

"Poke and prod at your success you mean?"

"In a manner of speaking," he grinned, though seeing her returning glare, as endearing as it was, he redirected his approach slightly.

"From one scientific mind to another, you know as well as I do that working together is the best way to each get the answers we're looking for."

"I told you I wouldn't help you infect all of London," Zoe persisted, though more weakly than she'd originally intended.

He gave a shrug of his left shoulder. "For all you know, you could be encouraging me not to. Depends on what our findings are, yes?"

She narrowed her eyes, though he could see Agatha's vehement disapproval radiating through Zoe's wavering will.

"Since when did you learn patience?"

Dracula's amusement wavered, accusation coloring his tone, though it was too soft to belly resentment. "Since I learned there's nothing to be impatient for."

Zoe frowned, studying him further. "You won't harm anyone here."

It wasn't a question, though unlike when Dr. Connors had demanded the same, Dracula gave a short nod of agreement, eyes never leaving hers.

They made an interesting sight, if the focused attention was anything to go by. Two dark haired creatures of the night in what appeared to anyone outside the glass to be a standoff. Their conversation had been mostly spoken in murmurs - to their ears perfectly audible, but even with the sound enhancement, from the outside practically silent. A frustrating thing, if the purple hue of Dr. Connors' face was anything to go by, as Zoe briefly observed when she finally took her eyes off the vampire to observe their onlookers.

"Fine. But I still maintain my diet, and I want to know everything you know - no secrets, no assumptions," Zoe conceded, her stubborn posture relaxing only faintly. She couldn't completely let down her guard, even around him. "And I'll offer the same."

His lips tilted. "Are you saying you have secrets now?" He asked, his eyes glinting mischievously.

"Maybe I do," she replied, her poker face in full deployment.

The Count's brows gave a playful wag as he held out his hand, large and clawed as it was, over the table that separated them in a gesture of relatively peaceful acceptance.

"We have an accord then? From one lab rat to another."

Zoe studied it for a half a moment, the hand that had been wrapped with no effort at all around her throat not long before, before finally placing her petite hand in his, immediately feeling his long fingers curling around the whole of it. She could only grasp them in turn to hold her ground, forcing the image from her mind for multiple reasons, namely his ability to peek at it.

"We do. Permitted that you behave yourself."

"Only when absolutely necessary," he assured her in only a breath above a whisper with his most charming grin.

She rolled her eyes in return, but didn't argue. That was the best she could hope for with him.

There was an audible ah-ha-hem projected into the room, and they both turned with unenthused expressions towards the persistent if still clearly terrified face of Dr. Connors. Dracula’s upper lip curled upward in a quiet snarl and Zoe gave him a side-eye which he only faintly acknowledged.

“Count Dracula will be our control, we’ll reconvene after later testing,” Zoe announced loudly, and much to her pleasant surprise, despite looking like he wanted to argue, the other doctor just gave a curt nod and quickly began to gather his things to leave. Probably to go ‘report back’, she was sure. The rest of her colleagues seemed to be joining suit just as quickly if not more so. She looked back at the vampire’s faintly amused expression only to just take note of the fact that he hadn’t let go of her hand, and quickly pulled it back from his grasp.

His lips pursed slightly, but he didn’t, much to her relief, seem inclined to rub the slip of comfortability with him in her face, at least not at the moment. Thank heaven for small mercies.

“I suppose I should leave you to your preparations before I frighten anyone else away,” Dracula mused aloud, already gesturing outward to Dr. Bloxham to open the door – he could’ve just forced it easily, but he had said he would try to ‘behave’. Destroying their elaborate, if entirely useless toy cage would certainly be frowned upon – at least until they figured out exactly how useless it was. Now that was a day he was looking forward to.

“I do that perfectly fine all by myself, thanks,” she replied wryly, gathering her things and joining him where he awaited her by the exit, so used to playing the gentlemen she wasn’t sure if he even realized how much of a default it had become as he fell into step at her side.

“Wait until I teach you how to do it properly,” he suggested with a wag of his brows.

“I suppose that’s part of your experimentation process,” she replied blandly, turning towards him as they paused just outside of the main chamber.

“Naturally. Plus, it just sounds like fun,” the Count couldn’t help but admit, a gleeful smile brightening his features. “I want to, as Agatha enjoyed putting it, see the limit of your capabilities’.”

“And apparently the limits of my patience,” she prodded back, gesturing her head towards the elevators. “You saw your way in, I expect you can see your way out. I have work to do.”

“Good night, Zoe. And do try not to poison me again,” he made a mocking gesture of praying hands that brought him far more amusement than it really should have, before she saw him turn to walk away.

She took a much heavier breath than she really needed to. What in the hell had she just agreed to?

-----

It was pitch black when the vampire found himself re-entering the bounds of London proper, drawn by the crowds of lives and the unmistakable need for sustenance. He perused his phone, skimming past a decent hoard of messages from some of his more persistent conquests – he wasn’t exactly in the mood to play to anyone else’s whims tonight, and certainly not anyone vying for immortality. Normally he was delighted to corrupt the willing human mind, but as always in the wake of facing the trademark Van Helsing defiance, he found himself craving more of a challenge. A tiresome side effect, to be sure.

There was much to be had from good, old fashioned subservience, but every once and a while he did appreciate having to make an effort. Alas, the minute anyone discovered what Dracula was, they tended to attempt to appease him. No, please, I’ll do whatever it is that you want. Don’t kill me. Or they just downright bared their throat like a sacrificial lamb. A beautiful thing to behold, but hardly satisfying. And the aftertaste of idiocy that someone trying to fight him in earnest would leave made him cringe.

No, he needed an unsuspecting meal this evening. The Count’s thumb hovered over Kat’s name in his phone, lingering there for a long moment before heaving a dramatic sigh and putting the mobile device away entirely. Unsuspecting, yes, but she was too clever to remain that way for long if he made feeding from her a regular occurrence. He wanted to save her for a… later occasion. Seeing how long he could keep up the façade of humanity with her was an amusement, while fun, he didn’t have the patience for at the present.

He took to the streets instead, perusing his options - an old evil in a new world. It was beginning to storm, but in England that hardly limited his options by much. The expectation of rain seemed to be so ingrained into the minds of the locals that it didn’t even cause most of them to speed up or pause like it would elsewhere in the world. Even in the brightest sun, it seemed to him that the common businessman would sooner be caught without an umbrella than a warrior of old be caught without his sword. Just such a man caught Dracula’s eye.

Leant up against an aging brick wall under the awning of a restaurant with his umbrella at his side, the man was utterly oblivious to other passerby, a look of stern concentration on his face directed at his mobile phone quickly melting into impatience. It gave the vampire a moment to study him in proper detail. He was perhaps just over thirty, fine of feature, but well dressed in a way that spoke of refinement without determination. His expensive suit was crumpled, his hair tousled, and he sported a rough day-old shave that looked more like indifference than ineptitude while a half-smoked cigarette hung lazily from his lips.

Clearly, this was not a man who would be difficult to lure away. In fact, his very countenance radiated someone who wanted an escape and was failing to find one. Perfection, Dracula thought as he made his way up the darkened alley that exited on the narrow walk where he stood, leaning against the opposite side of the wall.

“Someone run over your dog?” He asked in a wry, pseudo-casual way, pulling out his own phone from his coat pocket.

The man looked up, in mild surprise, brow furrowed at the older man who he swore hadn’t been there half a second before, though it only stalled him for a moment, pulling the cigarette from his mouth.

“Oh…the wait time for a car’s bloody ridiculous tonight.”

“So I am seeing,” Dracula agreed blandly, scanning his own screen with practiced annoyance.

“Fuck I want to get out of here… apologies, this really isn’t my type of 'scene'.”

The vampire chuckled, flashing him a charming smile experimentally. “The stuffy overpriced scene? Congratulations.”

The younger man returned a slightly lopsided grin, though a tad more cautiously. “Yeah, more of a business…thing.”

“If you're interested in splitting a cab, we could try the main stretch back this way,” Dracula gestured with his head, through the alley he had come through that opened up to a street on the other side with a few more lights than the one they were currently occupying. Granted if one made it through the narrow darkness.

The younger man disguised his pause of consideration with a final long drag of his cigarette, but proceeded to nod as he flicked the butt into the sewer drain just ahead of them. The vampire could see the brief trail of thoughts as they flicked through the man's eyes with practiced ease. What harm could it possibly do? Not likely to be a thief, tall but I could take him if necessary.

"Why not? Better than standing about." He agreed, plucking up his umbrella from where it leant against the wall at his side. He didn't bother to open it.

Taking a last moment to eye his phone and pocket it, Dracula allowed the younger man to begin to walk ahead of him, giving him the lead. His pulse was calm, calmer than most when joining a stranger in a dark place. He'd drank, but nothing substantial, clearly wanting to keep up appearances - not enough to thin out the blood too much or taint the flavor. Good, the vampire conceded, he truly did hate that.

"So where are you headed?" He asked after a moment, interrupting the silence, keeping the man in a comfortable state. Conversation did, after all, proceed dinner.

Whatever his answer was, the Count didn't bother to acknowledge it, already tuning his ears away from the young man's voice to the steady beat of his heart. He allowed the thrum to overtake him, fill his senses completely until even his forced breaths and his footfalls kept in time with it.

They had neared the midway point now, and the sounds of other passerby were beginning to taint the pitter-patter of rainfall that provided the counterpoint to the lively rush of blood pumping under skin. The younger man paused his slightly speedy pace to check for his packet of cigarettes, but before his fingers could separate the damp material of his jacket, there were jagged bricks at his back and a large hand encaging his throat, halting any chance of escape.

His brows rose in bewilderment as dank breath cooled his throat, but just before the first tricklings of fear and panic began to descend - the vampire struck, sharpened teeth breaking skin and the coppery aroma of blood perfumed the air.

The young man's entire body tensed, broad shoulders flexing uselessly against Dracula's iron grip and the growing wave of lethargy that slowly but surely drug him into easeful darkness. Something akin to a groan, of protest or pleasure he would never know, fell from his slackened lips into the night.

Suppressed fury, intelligence and crushing waves of obsession filled the vampire’s mouth. A search for a man with no face, a splatter of blood on porcelain, and the love of a man with dead eyes and an angel’s face.

He’d always been a sucker for the tragic ones.

----

Zoe’s head wrung with rhythm of a stranger’s heart, thumping faster and faster and then slowly, ever so slowly easing back into a distant low hum. She froze, waiting with equal parts sickening dread and impatience for the pulse to stop completely and still to deadly silence...but the moment of death never came. Once again, Dracula had left his victim to a peaceful slumber - for how long, she didn’t know. She never knew. But somewhere in the night thunder clapped, and she could feel the pang of excitement and strangely, the hollow feeling of loss that accompanied it as lighting cracked the sky soon after.

His name was Malcolm and he was dreaming peacefully of vengeance.

----

Yeah, not really sure where that came from, but I just felt like writing him being a bit predatory. Then got some good old fashioned human murder concepts in my head and well...here we are. Enjoy, lovelies. Always let me know what you think! And if anyone ever has any ideas, suggestions, etc do let me know. I’m a fickle little thing who’s easily influenced and always looking for fresh inspiration for this chaos.

Tag List: @break-free-killer-queen @mephdcosplay @charlesdances @punk-courtesan @crowley-needs-a-hug @hoefordarkness @bellamortislife @malkaviangirl @imagineandimagine @chelsfic @dracula-s-bride @my-fanfic-library @hyacinth-meadow @mymagicsuitcase @littlemessyjessi @desperatefrenchwriter @ss9slb @crazytxgradstudent @claesbang @mr-kisskiss-bangbang @gettingcrazyforlife @carydorse @dreamerkim @gatissed @alhoyin @girlonfireice @festering-queen @jangleprojet @guardianbelle @vampiregirl1797 @serindiyoza @drsherlockmoffat @allis143 @leah-halliwell92 @xis23 @angielandon @profiler-in-courage @erislilith @kandomeresbitch @enchantedfleur @lets-talk-about-claes-baby @bloodspatteredprincess @river-soul @flyingleapdisco @onyxthevampire @katwoman06

#bbc dracula #dracula 2020 #dracula bbc #dragatha #claes bang #my writing #the undone & the divine

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sighingsiren-tales · 5 years

Text

Finding you in the shower |EXO REACTION|

I haven't forgotten about you guys, I’m working on your reaction requests. Hehehe

~Kae

MINSEOK

You decided to take a long hot shower after the long day you had had. The oils in your body wash as well as the music playing in the background was more than enough to relax you as you began to lather the soap onto your skin. You took your time, watching the bubbles arise on your skin as you washed away the stress of the day. You heard a low whistle from behind you, the shower curtain now pulled back slightly as your boyfriend stood watching you from his space next to the tub. His eyes didn’t leave your form, not even as you began to speak. “Minseok?”.

“Baby?” He asked in a dark voice.

“This is a one person shower” You sassed, holding your dark colored loofah to your chest. He looked up for a moment, a soft groan escaping his lips as you saw his suit pants shift a bit.

“Yeah? For how long though?” He questioned, loosening his tie and letting it fall to the bathroom floor. You tsked.

“Let me finish my shower” You turned back around to face the water, causing Minseok let out a low sound from deep in his chest.

“5 minutes. If my head isn’t between your legs in 5 minutes, so help me God” He huffed, quite childishly might you add before leaving the bathroom.

You smiled as you shook your head. Your shower was not going to take 6 and a half minutes.

JUNMYEON

It had been a long, but rewarding day, you were on your feet almost all day and you weren’t too sure how you survived such a long shift. Sinking into the tub filled with rose petals and lavender, you let out a deep, contented sigh. Now this was the life. You let your head lean back against the rim of the tub, happily enjoying your bath as you soaked away all your troubles. It wasn’t until you felt fingertips on the delicate skin of your knees that your eyes opened again. You found your boyfriend sitting besides the tub, watching you with eyes as dark as you’ve ever seen them.

“You’re beautiful” He murmured as his hand traveled much higher than your knee. You hummed your thank you, letting your eyes close once again.

“Long day?” He asked quietly, to which you nodded. Your body arched slowly as his finger found your clit easily.

“I love seeing you arch like that” He spoke darkly, maneuvering himself so that his arm could sink deeper into the water. A small quiet moan left your lips as you your man slowly ran his fingers around your lips.

“Relax” He instructed, kissing your bare shoulder softly before sinking two fingers into your depths, eliciting a gasp from you.

“I got you beautiful, just relax”.

YIXING

You needed a shower. The day had just been too hard. While you loved Yixing, him being away from home was hard on you;You barely saw you. While you missed him, you would never stop him from pursuing his dream so you encouraged him best you could and supported him with everything you had but God knows you missed your man. It had been so long since held you, since he touched you. Sighing, you stepped underneath the warm water, letting the loud music in the room lighten your mood as you tried to alleviate the heaviness of your heart. Closing your eyes, you let the water run over you. Yixing was all that went through your mind. Was he okay? Has he eaten? Is he well rested? Does he miss you? Ugh, too many questions. Just as you reached for the soap, another hand grabbed it before you could, causing you to let out a terrifying shriek. Turning around, you were more than pleasantly surprised to see Yixing there, naked and holding your body wash. You felt the tears well up in your eyes before you could even register your own feelings. Stepping forward, you pulled Yixing to you in a hug, letting your face nuzzle in his neck as his arms wrapped around your waist. You kissed his neck again and again and again.

“I can’t believe you’re here” You whispered.

“I don’t have to tell you that I missed you do I?” He asked lowly in your ear as you pulled your closer, his erection poking at your lips.

You practically purred at his insinuation. Pulling away from the hug, you could finally see the way Yixing was looking at you. The look in his eyes alone was enough to make you dripping wet but the teasing touches of his fingers that you missed so much made it 1000 times worse. Looking into his eyes, you spoke the few words that pretty much sealed your night.

“Show me how much you missed me”.

BAEKHYUN

Long week was an understatement. The break was coming up and you were looking forward to nothing more than just relaxing with your boyfriend. To kick off your break, you lit a few candles, set up your speakers and dimmed the lights in your bathroom. The tub was filled to the brim with fluffy bubbles and you couldn’t wait to soak in it. Dropping your towel, you stepped into the tub, sitting down carefully and letting yourself enjoy your bubble bath. The soft sounds of Kim Taehyung was more than enough to have you unwind. You sighed in content, swishing the bubbles around with your finger. Leaning back, you closed your eyes so you could fully enjoy the moment.

“Wow, a sexy bath without me, I’m hurt” You heard your boyfriend’s voice in your ear.

A smile spread across your lips as you felt his hands begin to massage your shoulders.

“You couldn’t wait for me, hmm?” He asked before biting on your ear gently.

“Do you know what I could’ve done for you in this bath?” He asked, letting his hands trail downwards from your neck.

“I could’ve kissed on your neck, just how you like me to. I know how wet it gets you sweetheart” He paused, letting his fingers tease your nipples.

“I could’ve let my fingers slip between those pretty thighs and make you make all those sexy little sounds” His voice was so low, oh so low.

“But” He stood up abruptly.

“You wanna take baths without me so do it yourself” He said childishly before leaving the bathroom.

You groaned in frustration.

Fucking Byun Baekhyun.

JONGDAE

“Your ass is getting bigger”.

You let out a small squeal as you turned around to see Jongdae watching you, more specifically your backside as you were trying to wash your hair. He pulled back the shower curtain a bit more.

“Those hips, that ass and you only want me?” He asked, as if he couldn’t believe it.

You rolled your eyes playfully, splashing water in his general direction before turning back around. You barely got two swipes of the loofah across your body before you felt Jongdae pull you into him.

“I still can’t believe I’m the only one who gets to make this body arch over and over again every night” He groaned, pulling your hips flush against his so you could feel his erection.

You turned around to see him under the water with only a pair of grey shorts on. Although the was trying to be sexy you found that hilarious.

“Your shorts are gonna get wet” You said between giggles. He made a low sound before pulling you back into him.

“Yeah but I’ll make sure its from what’s between your legs”. You purred at those words, rubbing your head again his chest adorably.

“Or just take them off” You purred as your hand trailed down his toned chest and stomach.

“Do it for me angel”.

CHANYEOL

Just a bath.

All you wanted was a simple goddamn bath and here comes your boyfriend barreling into the bathroom while you’re stark naked, just about to step into the aquamarine colored water.

“Babe, have you seen my-”. You stood before him with your hands on your hips obviously annoyed at him stopped you from getting into your bath. You raised an eyebrow in annoyance as you stared directly at your body.

“Yes Chanyeol?” You asked, quite annoyed. He looked you up and down slowly once more before going over to the door and locking it. You stood up straighter at this action. Grabbing the back of his shirt, he pulled it up and over his head in one smooth fluid motion before throwing it to the floor.

“What are you doing?” You asked when he buttoned his pants.

He didn’t answer until his underwear was down his legs as well. Walking up to you, he placed a hand on your lower back before leaning down to test the water with his hand.

“What's happening is that we’re taking a bath” He spoke lowly, looking you directly in your eyes as he got into the tub, the most noticeable thing about his physique currently being the hard-on between his legs.

Chanyeol sank into the water first, letting out a soft sigh before holding out his hand for you to join him. He guided you to sit over him, holding your hips above his erection as he took in your form.

“You look so good like this” He said in a dark voice, letting one hand wrap around your waist and pull you closer.

“What were you calling me for earlier?” You asked, as Chanyeol rubbed his head back and forth against your lips. You bit your lip to keep in a moan.

“Not important right now. Now,” He paused to kiss your neck in the most heavenly way possible before speaking to you.

“You wet enough to let me slide in or do I have to put in a little more work?”

KYUNGSOO

Your shower was your time to relax. You blasted exo songs as loud as your speaker would let you, belting out your boyfriends high notes as if no one was around. You let your body sway a bit as you continued to lather yourself under the water.

“You know” You squealed, turning around to find Kyungsoo watching you.

“I was gonna get mad at you for waking me up but, with the way those hips move, I may have to reconsider”.

You rolled your eyes playfully.

“Let me finish my shower brat”. Kyungsoo tsked.

“Don’t be selfish. I wanna watch the show” He spoke lowly, pulling back the glass shower door a bit.

“You didn’t get a ticket” You spoke childishly, raising an eyebrow at him unbuttoning his shirt.

“Oh?” He countered, his gaze trailing downward.

“And what would I have to do to get one?” His question was an absolute tease. One of his best talents actually; Even if he didn’t touch you he was teasing you. You shrugged, trying to hide how aroused you were.

“Surprise me”. You turned back to face the water, letting the warm stream wash away all the suds before you felt hands on your waist. Leaning down, his lips near your ear, he spoke.

“I have a blindfold, two ice cubes and a tongue that may convince you”.

Well shit.

JONGIN

You grabbed the incense from the counter top, lighting the vanilla scented item before walking back to your bathroom. Today was going to be your day to pamper yourself endlessly and you intended to do just that. You set the incense down in the cute holder you had bought for them a few hours before. Turning your attention from the sink counter in the bathroom to the tub, you could see your boyfriend sprinkling dried rose petals in the water. Your surprise changed to absolute adoration as you watched him put the finishing touches on your bath. An adorable smile crossed his face once he saw you.

“Come here princess”.

You gushed at the nickname silently before disrobing swiftly and making your way to the rub. Jongin held out a hand to help you slip into the water easily. Once you were fully underneath the water, you sighed pleasurably. Jongin let his hands caress your shoulders and neck before his fingertips began massaging the area tenderly. You let out a light moan at the feeling, letting you head lean back again his stomach.

“Enjoy every moment of this. Because trust me when I say I’m not fucking you like a princess”.

SEHUN

You nearly jumped out of your skin seeing Sehun leaning up against the doorway watching you through the the distorted glass shower door with nothing but a pair of jeans on. You placed a hand on your heart before addressing him.

“You scared me half to death baby!” You got out between chuckles.

Sehun chuckled darkly, pushing up off the doorframe.

“You look beautiful. You can’t expect me not to stare”.

“But I can expect you to let me finish my shower” You sassed.

Sehun hummed quietly.

“Look at me, look down and say that again”.

You looked over at him, your gaze trailing downwards and finding the growing tent in his jeans.

“Can’t worry about that right now, now can I?” You threw over your shoulder.

“You can’t leave me like this baby, please” Sehun whined adorably, pouting cutely.

“Don’t pout” You chastised gently.

“Then let me get in” He spoke, stepping towards the shower and unbuttoning his jeans.

“The shower or me?” You questioned.

A slow mile spread across his face as his eyes darkened sexily.

“Yes”.

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vanessaxyvonne · 4 years

Text

Somewhere Only We Know (Flashback / Update) || Self-Para

When: October 2018; October 2020

Where: London; Santa Monica

Warnings: Heartbreak / Depression

Based on: (x)

Vanessa was headed home to London. Completely fleeing Santa Monica and from the public eye. She needed time for herself. As her head laid upon the cool glass of the town car that would be transporting her to her destination, she took yet again another shot of whatever rum she couldn’t recall pouring, her eyes fluttering shut as she tried to keep her composure. Finally, the car had stopped and the driver stepped out of the car to open the door for her, she thanked the person and walked up the familiar steps, taking in every memory once more. Once she arrived to the door, she could already smell the homey warmth awaiting her, but all she could hope was that the door would open. carefully, she knocked as she croaked out, “Brooke? Arabella? It’s me, Nessa.”

The door had suddenly cracked open, the brunette twins welcoming their cousin in with excited squeals and open arms. “NESSIEEE?!” Arabella squealed in delight. “Omigosh, what are you doing here, darling? Oh you must be freezing!!” The girl quickly ushered the brunette in as they closed the door. Brooke surveyed her cousin for a moment, her brow furrowing. “Something seems rather off. Usually when you come back from California, you’ve a sunkissed glow! Is something the matter? D’you get sick? Are you pregnant?!” Nessa’s eyes widened, but quickly shook her head.

“Uh oh…” Arabella exchanged a look to her twin. “I know that look…” She trailed off.

“No, Ness–” The younger brunette began to say until the brunette finally settled her bags down and crumpled to the floor in tears. The twins were alarmed at Nessa’s instant reaction and quickly rushed to her side and held her as tightly as they humanly could until the sobbing subsided. She didn’t say anything for that first day, all she did was sit next to the window on the floor, her head resting against the cool glass watching as it rained. While normally Arabella would joke about how Vanessa was movie level dramatic, her heartbreak laid beyond bounds of any sappy romcom to date. This continued for the next few days. Sitting at the window and watching the rain fall, the sun go up and down, the cloudy London skies were never ending. She barely moved, she barely ate. She just sat and watched the world around her continue to move as she sat still. Arabella and Brooke were worried, but knew that they couldn’t force her much, she was stubborn after all, as every Maldette was. Instead, they’d coax her, leaving food nearby, soap for her to shower, but otherwise, the movement was minimal.

For a moment, she forgot about Santa Monica and everything that had happened in it. Instead, it was just her and the trees above again, this time barren, stripped away of their color, but the branches still staring back at her with a certain kind of melancholia that made her want to reach up and take the branch by its hand and attempt to bring back the color. Perhaps it was the Scorpio in her that enjoyed the thought of life and death with colors. It brought her back to how her Avó Maria would always talk about life and death with such vivaciousness and such color. How life was filled with bright blues and purples but death always seemed to be black and white and grey. However, she never saw the grey in death. Always black and white. Then again, she never saw the grey in life either. She always viewed the world as one way or another. It was this or that.

“This or that,” She whispered to herself as she continued to walk, putting the sad song on repeat as she strolled along. As much as she had attempted to know exactly what she was doing with her life, she wasn’t sure at this point. Everything had turned into a violent 360 and at this point she wasn’t sure if she should even return to Santa Monica and dare show her face. She didn’t want to deal with the questions. She didn’t want to deal with the chance of potentially having to move on. This or that, never grey. She could stay in London or go back. She could win him back or let him go. She could be sure of the life she wants or give it up. She could learn more about herself and her faults or choose to run.

All she was ever good at was running away anyways. That was how she landed herself in London, hiding away in her cousins’ flat, hiding herself from the world while her brother, mother, and friends dealt with the fall out. She was sure they’d hate her. She was sure they wouldn’t miss her. Black and white thinking… She told herself. It wasn’t this or that, it wasn’t black and white. There were possibilities. There were chances. She began thinking of all the possibilities but most of them came up negative. Most of them bubbled to the surface made her eyes water and her throat begin to form that uncomfortable lump in the back of her throat. How did she get like this? How did she lose herself amongst the black and white? She wasn’t just classical she was modern.

As Nessa continued to walk around the giant park, she looked up at the sky again. Unsure if she was praying, unsure if she was begging, unsure if she wanted to be struck by lightning, she was clouded by the terrifying uncertainty again. There were millions that hated and admired her, but she only cared about the ones she held near and dear to her heart. Yet here she was, weeks shy of her 23rd birthday and officially unsure of her own future. She should’ve spoken up sooner. The rain began to fall again and so did her tears.

---

Vanessa blinked and here she was again in her beautiful penthouse. She looked upon the horizon as the sunset across the Pacific Ocean, a soft sigh escaped her lips as the melancholy song that reminded her of her sadness, of her despair, confusion, and fear, played faintly in the background. It was the first time in years that she was able to listen to it without breaking down in tears. Without switching the song, without having some sort of outburst.

For the first time, in a long time, she felt, free. Sure, she still retained “the bitch” status, but she learned to use that as a power and not to let it be seen as something so horribly wrong with her. There was absolutely nothing fucking wrong with her. It was them. She wasn’t “too much”, she had all the right to be suspicious. She had all the right to demand what she deserved and she’d be damned to settle less than the best.

Going over to the refrigerator, she got herself her favorite Ben and Jerry’s flavor, Phish Food and moseyed her way onto the balcony, taking a seat to feel the cool ocean breeze. As the last few chords of the song played, she let out an exhale. Closing her eyes for a moment, recalling the pain she had been put through, but when she opened her eyes, she was once again met with the sunset. She was no longer that girl. That girl that chased after her paramours, begging to be loved. She poured all that love back into herself, focusing on designing, booking more shows to model, thriving, living, connecting.

So with a smirk, the next song that played just so happened to be her favorite and as she kicked her feet up, she took a bite out of her ice cream with the biggest smirk on her face.

She was no longer that insecure girl. She was that bitch. And damn proud of it too.

#sp

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ahtohallan-calling · 4 years

Text

chapter 9 of love is the only thing we can carry with us (kristanna slowburn/angsty but cute/no magic au, rated t) is up! next chapter // all chapters

Elsa looked at her sister’s back, hating herself for what she was about to say.

“Do you have feelings for that man?”

Anna, who had been busily pouring two cups of tea, paused, the teapot suspended in midair. It was all the answer Elsa needed. She hadn’t needed to ask in the first place, really; the radiant smile on Anna’s face as she’d come up the hill had told her everything.

chapter 9: fears

Elsa looked at her sister’s back, hating herself for what she was about to say.

“Do you have feelings for that man?”

Anna set down the teapot with a decided thunk, loud enough that Elsa winced, half expecting it to break. “Why do you care?”

“Because I’m your sister.”

Anna stirred sugar into both cups of tea, her shoulders stiff. “He has a name, you know.”

“Mr. Bjorgman--”

“Kristoff.”

Elsa sighed heavily. “Kristoff should know better than to take you traipsing around the mountains.”

It was the sort of thing her father would have said. She didn’t know if that made it the right thing.

“Why?” her sister challenged, chin raised in defiance.

Because he knows what’s wrong with you. Because overdoing it just once could kill you. Because I saw the way you looked at each other, and that’s not part of the plan.

“Because you’re a princess, and he’s...well, he’s just a man from the mountains.”

“I happen to like these mountains.”

Elsa pinched the bridge of her nose; this was going nowhere. “You know what I mean.”

Anna’s face was screwed up tight; angry as she was, she was fighting back tears. She had always been an angry crier, always expressed her frustration through a wave of hot teardrops rolling down her cheeks. “He’s my friend, Elsa.”

“Just a friend?”

“Jesus, Elsa, yes, okay?”

It was Elsa’s turn to frown; Anna had always been spirited and unafraid of an argument, but there was a new edge to this anger, something as brittle as it was sharp.

“I’m sorry,” she said hesitantly. “I didn’t want to upset you. I’m just...worried.”

Anna crossed her arms. “You’re more worried about me making friends than you are about me marrying a guy from another country. A guy I don’t even know.”

“You can say no, Anna, this isn’t the Middle Ages.”

“But that would mess up the plan, wouldn’t it?”

“It might,” Elsa admitted. “You know how long our father worked on settling this alliance. Arendelle is in a weak position right now, with only two surviving members of our family. The Southern Isles are able to provide us with the economic and military backing we need. This marriage cements that alliance, joins our countries together. It’ll bring sorely needed stability.”

Anna looked away from her then. She knew all of this. It was the same speech their father’s advisors had been giving them ever since their parents’ untimely passing. Elsa, floundering in her newfound role as queen, had latched onto it as the next right step-- but only after asking if it were possible for her to be the one to marry into the Westergaard family instead.

It wasn’t; according to their laws, to do so would mean she forfeited the crown and her titles, effectively handing Arendelle over like a treat to a slavering dog. And so the burden had fallen on Anna, as it so often seemed to. At first, she had accepted it cheerfully, proclaiming that she was grateful to have a prince found for her instead of having to do all the hard work of looking for herself. If she had ever thought otherwise, she had never made her thoughts known to her elder sister, not that she would have had a chance to; they hadn’t been particularly close since they were small, and Elsa had used her coronation as an excuse to pull even further away from her sister.

She hated herself for it, knew it was the coward’s way out of dealing with the mess their parents had left them in. She was the guardian now, of Anna and of the secret, and that thought terrified her more than negotiating trade deals and managing diplomatic relations.

More than once, she had wanted to just tell Anna, explain the whole damn story like it should have been in the first place. To do so would give Anna the answers she had been seeking since she was a child, would finally open up the chance to melt the wall of ice between them, would change absolutely everything.

But every time she told herself she was finally going to do it, she saw her father’s face as he had knelt down to explain to her that her little sister was on death’s door. She could still see Anna lying in her bed, so tiny and so pale she looked like a forgotten little ghost. She remembered hearing her parents whisper when they had thought she was asleep.

They had tucked her in bed an hour ago, but it was impossible to sleep without the steady background noise of Anna’s little snores. Elsa found herself now with her ear pressed to the solid wood of her parents’ bedroom door, hoping to finally understand what was going on.

“She must have caught it from playing with Elsa.”

“But why is it so much worse?”

Her father sighed. “The doctor said it’s progressed faster anyway because she’s younger, but...we didn’t catch it in time. We were so focused on Elsa…”

Elsa ran away as fast as her little legs could carry her, all the way down the hall to the big room, the one that was supposed to be for company. And now there was lots of company, but Anna was the one who stayed in the big room and slept in the big bed. She was alone in there now. Anna didn’t like to sleep alone. She liked to know her big sister was right there in case she had a nightmare.

Elsa wondered if she was having nightmares now. The thought frightened her; Anna had been asleep for so long. What if she got stuck in one?

She had to stand on her tiptoes to peer over the edge of the bed and see her sister. Her hands were the same color as the sheets, but her cheeks were red, like she had just gotten in trouble for something. Elsa wanted to take her hand, but she knew she wasn’t allowed to touch Anna, not while she was like this. She wasn’t even supposed to be in here. She didn’t care.

“I’m here, Anna,” she whispered, her little voice thick with tears. “I’ll always be here.”

How many times had she broken that promise over the years?

Anna was sipping her tea, still resolutely refusing to make eye contact. Elsa cleared her throat.

“You...you do look well, by the way,” she said, managing a small smile. “Being in the mountain air seems to have done a lot to help you.”

“Yes, the air,” Anna said drily.

“And it’s beautiful up here, all the wildflowers…”

Anna finally flicked her eyes in Elsa’s direction, just for a moment. “How much do you like them?”

“Oh, I think they might make it into my happy ever after.”

A grin spread across Anna’s face, and Elsa felt herself smile, too, relieved to be back in familiar territory, the language of their childhood, the bond they had built on shared, silly dreams.

“Me, too. And the place we saw today, I...I think you would have liked that too.”

“Maybe you can show me sometime,” Elsa said. “Next time I visit?”

Anna’s smile faded. “I don’t know. Kristoff is the one who showed me the way.”

Elsa fidgeted with her skirt. “It’s not that I dislike him, Anna. I just...worry about you.”

“Everyone always worries about me. Even when there’s absolutely no reason to.”

“Point taken. Maybe...maybe it is good that you’ve got a friend up here, since I can’t be here with you.”

Anna just nodded. Elsa reached over and squeezed her hand. After a moment, Anna squeezed back.

It was something, at least.

---

The next morning when she met with Kristoff and his grandfather, she was frostier than ever, hoping to hide the way she felt suddenly off-balance, like she was midway through taking a step and was unsure where to place her foot.

She found it especially hard to focus on the younger man without remembering him the way he had looked yesterday with Anna on his arm. It had been as if nothing else existed for him, as if she was the axis of his world; the glow of her expression had been reflected back in his smile.

She pitied them both, knowing it would have to end someday for some reason or another, even if Anna did decide to break off her engagement. Princesses didn't just marry rough-hewn men from mountain villages.. She had hoped that by talking with the both of them she might be able to root it out before it ever blossomed, but judging by Anna’s reaction, the tragedy would run its course regardless of her attempts at interference.

They were seated at worn kitchen table. Kristoff was drumming his fingers against the wood, keeping his expression carefully blank, though she could see by his eyes he was nervous. She couldn’t blame him after what she’d said to him the evening before.

“Your sister has improved by leaps and bounds since coming here,” the old man was explaining. “As important as rest is for her, I believe that perhaps my grandson has the right idea in letting her get small bursts of exercise. They seem to strengthen both her body and spirit.”

“I thought your grandson would no longer have anything to do with Anna’s care,” she replied coolly.

“He is seeing to other matters now, yes. But, your majesty, the princess has improved so much that I believe she no longer needs his dedicated attention.”

“And yet she seems to be getting it anyway,” she snapped.

For a long moment, no one spoke. Finally the older man spoke, his tone equally as cold. “If you are unhappy with your sister’s remarkable recovery, then by all means, take her home.”

“I wouldn’t call it recovery. We all know she isn’t fully out of the woods.”

“And she never will be. But progress is progress, is it not?”

Elsa stood. “I suppose that remains to be seen. Anna will stay in the mountains for now. Gentlemen, I bid you good day.”

She climbed into her carriage outdoors, head held high, and pulled the curtains closed in all four windows, hiding her face in case they were watching her go. Still, she waited until she was halfway down the mountain before she allowed herself to bury her face in her hands and weep.

#not a fun chapter sorry!!! just kind of backstory/explanations from elsa's side #but the next couple chapters will be like. 90000% fluffy nonsense #and then....well you'll see ;)#my fics #litotwccwu #cw: chronic illness

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lipstickbisous · 5 years

Text

you didn’t see that coming?

description: you learn that the boy with silvery soft hair has tricks of his own

warnings: quicksilver!daniel, this is nothing like the movie (age of ultron), angst, steve is like a father figure in this, this is a long one

tags: @satanicseavey @fallingforbesson @danieldelicate @jackscorbytch @sfx-bands @ijustreallylovethem @jackaveryc @why-dont-we-everything @coolkidcorbyn

it was sudden. it was very sudden.

it was also cold. “steve?” you spoke through to comm. you crouched over clint who was lied down on the forest floor. small snowflakes started to collect in his hair. “clint’s down.”

“keep him where you are,” steve responded, and you heard grunting and screaming in the background. captain was a good fighter, there was no doubt about that. “we’ll find you.”

knowing that steve couldn’t see you through the comm, you still nodded in reply to him. “(y/n), i see you,” you heard tony’s voice speak to you. “coming over.”

you looked to your left to the man in the red and gold iron suit soaring towards you, gliding through the trees, occasionally blasting HYDRA soldiers. you nodded as he came closer.

but it was sudden.

one moment, you were sitting next to clint with your hands in defense, waiting for tony to help you. the next moment, you were in a totally different part of the forest. you took in your surroundings, your breathing turning heavy and fast.

“what the fu-” you began to say until you felt a hit againt your back. you fell to your hands and knees and groaned in pain.

you looked up and you were met with a pair of blue eyes. you furrowed your eyebrows while taking in the mixture of color. they were an ocean blue and gray, mixed with specks of green that acted like a hint of lime.

you felt the electricity start to ball up in your hand. “where are your manners?” you asked with a raspy voice. the boy’s brows furrowed in confusion. “don’t you know not to hit a lady?” you threw your arm so your hand met with his face, your goal to have the electricity hit his skin.

it was a classic move that was practiced far too often at training. normally, if your electricity hit your opponent, they would drop to the ground unconscious. of course, it didn’t happen this time.

you felt a twist in your arm and you screamed once you heard and felt the crack. “fucking hell!”

“sorry,” the boy shrugged. “you didn’t see that coming?”

»«

you held a wet rag against your nose and thanked steve for handing you one. you already had a sling on your broken arm, a glass of water sitting next to you.

“jesus,” stark whispered to himself as he walked into the open-spaced living room. “what the hell did they do to you?”

you shrugged.

steve sighed and looked down at the floor where he tapped his toe. you really were a mess. after that boy had broken your arm, HYDRA soldiers found you and made sure to weaken you more.

“a broken arm, broken nose, bruised spinal cord,” dr. cho spoke while viewing over her tablet. she noticed how you weren’t drinking the water. “you need to drink. your powers won’t come back if you don’t.”

you don’t move. it hurts too much if you do.

steve’s eyes were burning a hole into your skin, but you could care less. you watched him stare at you but you only remained still, keeping your breathing steady.

rogers wasn’t your father - you had no idea who that was. but the avengers found you and took you under your wing.

you were a test experiment of HYDRA. you were kidnapped from your family at age 15 and given a serum. the project went sideways, off the rails, and you were given the super ability to control and channel electricity. you stopped aging at 23. you were another super soldier, a small addition to the avengers.

fury assigned steve to train you, and when steve had his first day with you, he realized your strength. you took down four punching bags in a time range of 1 hour.

“you’re not too bad,” steve nodded, seeing how you were barely out of breath. you shrugged and unwrapped your hands from the tape.

“i guess not.” you smiled.

“(y/n),” his voice is stern, but kind. “drink.”

you looked up at the blond man with his big, strong figure. you blinked once before slowly pushing yourself up from your chair and standing on your own. dr. cho rushed to your side but you brushed her away.

you left the room.

»«

one week later

your arm was almost healed, thanks to the serum you’d be given. being a super soldier wasn’t easy but it had its perks.

you walked into the living room, collapsing onto the couch. you weren’t wearing a cast or a sling anymore but the bandage on your nose still existed. you wanted to rip the sticky, white fabric off of your skin but you were under strict orders to not do any of that; you were still healing.

“you okay, (y/n)?” the familiar voice asked you. it was one you heard almost everyday, repeating the same question.

it was hesitant, but you nodded. there was a small amount of tension in the room with you and steve both being in it.

you hadn’t been able to complete any missions recently due to your injuries. not only that, but your powes weren’t working like power. you would out your hand and only small smarks would fly into the air - nothing more.

because of your frustration, you accidentally said some things you didn’t mean to steve. it was painful for him to hear but they were partially true.

“have you forgotten how to feel things or some shit? you say you love me, i fucking believe you, but you say you love but you don’t prove it! you’re not my fucking father, rogers, my father is dead. i’m not your child, i’m not something you can protect! i simply train with you, i fight by your side. you are nothing more to me.”

“i’m fine,” you mumbled, stuffing a pillow into your face. you heard a deep chuckle emit from steve’s throat. removing the pillow from your face, you asked, “what?”

steve had a smile plastered onto his cheeks. “you’re not fine.”

you looked from him to the ceiling. you sighed, not knowing how to phrase it; there was only one way. “yeah, no,” you paused. “i’m not.”

it was quiet. you thought steve would’ve said something after that, but he remained silent, wondering if you had anything else to say. “i’m sorry,” you bit the inside of your cheek. “what i said was...gross. it was wrong.

“you’ve done so much for me. you have basically been a dad to me. and i’m grateful,” you looked over to him, folding your hands on your stomach. “but i’m frustrated. i’m frustrated with that mission, i’m frustrated that i let myself get beat up like that. i can’t work my powers and it’s all getting to me at once.”

steve slowly nodded, understanding about one quarter about what you had just said. “well, i don’t know anything about having powers,” he smiled. he leaned against a wall, his arms folded, looking at the floor. “but i do understand being frustrated.”

it was your turn to nod now. “do you know how scared i was when you weren’t responding on the comm?” he asked. this caught your attention. “i was terrified. i thought you were dead, although i should know better, you’re stronger than that. but i didn’t know if you were safe or not. if you had died, i would’ve stuck that on me for the rest of my life.”

you smiled and sat up on the couch. “sorry,” you apologized before smirking. “dad.”

he chuckled and took a seat down on the chair next to you. “now,” he sighed. “i have news you’re not gonna like.” you furrowed your brows, sitting forward. was it bad you wanted to know it even more now?

“what?” you asked with a concerned look.

“we hired the boy.”

»«

two days later

he sat across from you, sipping apple juice through a straw from a juice box. he looked absolutely childish. you mentally scoffed and rolled your eyes. but you were stuck in the same room as him.

you were both stuck in each other’s stare. yours was more cold and hard while his was more soft and playful.

“did i that to you?” he asked it simply, like he had no problem with it, with big eyes. the silver-haired boy pointed to the bruise on your forehead, and the cut and band-aid on your nose.

you shook your head. “no,” you spoke sternly. “you broke my arm.”

“oh, yeah,” he said, dragging out the ‘oh’. his tone was still playful, like everything was a joke. “i remember that.”

you scoffed, physically this time. “you’re a joke.”

“i’m a joke?” he smiled, setting his juice box on the table next to him. he let out a laugh, and you wouldn’t lie, it was a nice one. “alright, then.”

“why did they hire you?”

“you’re full of questions, aren’t you?” his eyes went wide as he smiled. “i’ll start with names. i’m daniel. and you are...?”

“(y/n).”

»«

one month later

you had been given one month to accept daniel’s apology. it was as fake as possible, but steve and tony ordered the young boy to say he was sorry.

fortunately, one month was more than enough.

the two of you had just returned from a mission. you had several cuts along your cheeks while he had a bullet wound in his shoulder. he hissed in pain as dr. cho did her best to pull the bullet out of his flesh.

“fuck, does it have to hurt that much?”

his response made you left. “hey,” you said, sitting on the bed across from his, getting your own wounds attended to. “watch the language, cap is here.”

you looked to your side at steve to see him scoff and look away, shaking his head. “never gonna stop, huh?” he smiled. you grinned sweetly and shrugged.

soon enough, you and daniel were alone. left in your shared room. there was a time where you two couldn’t stand each other so you slept on opposite sides of the building. but one night, you were screaming from a nightmare, and daniel being the fastest person alive just happened to get to you first.

he comforted you and you fell asleep in his arms that night. the next night, he learned a lot about you. that you were taken when you were 15, you were also a HYDRA experiment, that steve was basically your father.

you were both looking out the window, the day sky slowly turning into night.

“what’s the first thing you remember?” you asked him, leaning back against your bed.

he looked up to the ceiling and squinted his eyes like he was thinking long and hard about it. “hmm,” he smiled, showing that he was fond of a certain memory. “i think it’s me and my little sister playing in our driveway. she was just a baby and i was so small. i was drawing something with chalk and she was playing with one of her baby toys.”

you smiled warmly as you leaned against your head, gazing at the boy. you couldn’t lie - he was beautiful. he had silvery hair that glistened in the light. it matched his eye color perfectly; you couldn’t even begin on his eye color. they were oceans, no, they were skies, no, they were forests.

“what about you?”

you froze, staring at the floor with a longing look on your face. it was about a minute before you spoke, slightly chuckling by saying, “i-i don’t know.”

daniel’s eyes widened and his lips parted. “o-oh, i’m sorry, (y/n/n). i f-forgot about it.”

you shook your head and smiled. “it’s okay, daniel,” you looked down at your hands and set your drink down. “i think it was waking up in my cell when HYDRA had me. it was cold and damp. they fried my memory, i don’t remember anything else.”

daniel nodded, knowing the entire story. he held your hand, gently rubbing the skin with his thumb. it was something he knew that comforted you. you found it insane that you’d only known this boy for a month and he seemed to know everything about you.

you felt bad for him. he talked so much about his family. he loved his mom and dad, his brothers teased him but he loved them too. his sister was his favorite, they always got along the best. daniel wasn’t taken like you - he volunteered once he was 18.

“i wish i never did,” he said to you. “i miss anna so much, i regret ever leaving them. she and my mom were begging me to stay. but i wanted to protect my country.”

“don’t we all?” you asked.

you looked down at daniel’s hand on yours, slightly blushing from the contact. the thoughts were getting caught in your head, but you didn’t really want them to go away. you wanted to spend all day thinking about him.

and then you felt his lips on your cheek. your eyes widened and you felt the skin turn red from embarrassment. but what were you embarrassed about? you’d been wanting this for forever.

you looked next to you at daniel. your lips parted open as he had a smug smirk on his face.

“what,” he chuckled. “you didn’t see that coming?”

»«

you had blood trickling down the side of your face, you could feel it. you were dizzy and you could hear your captain’s orders through the comm.

“(y/n)! (y/n), where are you?” he yelled, sounding extremely desperate.

you leaned against a crashed car. the were multiple buildings of sokovia that were destroyed, and after being choked by ultron, he threw you over so your head hit one. you luckily woke up only two minutes later but it was with a raging headache.

“i-i’m fine,” you breathed. your head was pounding and everything was turning into a blur.

“(y/n), where. are. you.” he asked sternly.

you looked around but it was all just a dusty mess. “i-” you inhaled and exhaled, but you couldn’t think of words. “i don’t know.”

his voice was heard through the comm again, telling everyone to find you, but something - you didn’t know what - told you to turn the object in your ear off. then, it was silent. there was a ringing in your ears, but you felt vibrations in the ground.

you watched a car rapidly slide close to you so you struck it with lightning. it instantly turned to ash. you sat down and leaned your back against the car, throwing your head back and yelling when it hit against the metal of the door.

“fuck!” you yelled.

you wiped the blood away and looked at the red mark on your hand. it was mesmerizing. you didn’t even notice the gun that ultron had, slowly traveling over to you.

but you heard the cries. the cries of a little boy not too far away. your eyes widened and you instantly sat up straight. he was crouching behind a flipped car, holding his hands over his neck.

ultron didn’t see you. it was the perfect chance. you ran over to the boy and held him in your arms.

“what’s your name?” he looked at you with wide eyes, but you didn’t have time for it. “what’s your name?!”

he gulped. “christopher.”

“christopher?” he nodded. “all right, chris, can i call you that?” he nodded again. “chris, we’re gonna get out of here. i promise, i’m gonna get you out of here.”

the little boy nodded. you ducked as a piece of metal flew inches above your heads. “we gotta be careful now, okay?” christopher nodded.

“okay,” he mumbled.

you smiled reassuringly and looked past the car you were hiding behind. ultron hovered the ground with a machine gun in his hand. your eyes widened as bullets flew everywhere.

to be honest, you weren’t sure if you could keep your promise on saving this boy. but you would die trying. it was your job.

you sighed, tucking the boys head into your chest. you squeezed your eyes shut, not sure if you were just going to make a run for it. you were going to let your body do whatever felt right.

only one breath was taken until, somehow, you were in the air. the boy was still in your arms, but there was something shielding you.

you were gently placed on the ground, and after you were, chris ran off to find his mom. you looked up.

it was those blue eyes. they look tired and drained, and then you noticed the blood on his shirt. he fell into your arms as your mouth parted open and your eyes grew teary.

»«

daniel wasn’t sure what to do. he’d been on missions before, they were better with you, but that didn’t change anything this time. you were nowhere to be found and daniel was all alone.

he zipped in and out of buildings, sped through alleyways and double-checked every plade he’d been.

one half of the city of sokovia was up in the air, blasted by ultron. right now, SHIELD was boarding civilians onto ships to take them down to land. daniel did his best to help out but the level of oxygen was getting lower and lower as they went higher up.

“(y/n)!” he screamed, throwing cars and pieces of building around in his search to find you. “(y/n), come on!”

“we don’t know where she is, kid,” tony spoke through the comm. “new mission, dan, try and find her.”

that’s what i’ve been fucking doing. daniel thought to himself.

his search continued. you weren’t a screamer, and it made it even harder to find you. of course, daniel wasn’t one to give up.

he often felt like it was better to just give up. but he couldn’t. he’d remind himself the same thing.

“after this, we get to go home,” he whispered to himself, despite the dust and debris everywhere around him. “we get to stay in bed and listen to music and eat breakfast together. find her, get through this, and you’ll have everything you’ve wanted.”

so he did. he found you.

you were holding a small boy in your arms and hiding behind a flipped car. you seemed to be hunched over the small boy like a shield.

and then he saw the reason why. ultron flew about twenty-five feet away from you with a machine gun in his hand. daniel’s blue eyes widened. you were in danger. he didn’t want you to be.

there was only one way to save you, and he knew he wouldn’t regret.

he sped over to you, feeling multiple piercings in his back and legs. he quickly picked you and the boy up, running back the bullets again, shielding you from the pain he was feeling.

daniel set you down where you were safe, but he felt his knees begin to wobble. you looked up at him. he felt the blood leave his body. his knees finally collapsed as he fell, but you caught him in your arms.

“you didn’t see that coming?”

hi so...i think this is my worst imagine

#daniel seavey #why don't we #daniel seavey imagines #imagine #jack avery #corbyn besson #jonah marais #zach herron #marvel #mcu #age of ultron #quicksilver!daniel #fluff #angst #unbelievable

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ducktracy · 4 years

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96. mr. and mrs. is the name (1935)

release date: january 19th, 1935

series: merrie melodies

director: friz freleng

starring: jack carr (buddy), bernice hansen (cookie)

first cartoon of the new year, and what a year it will be! this is a funny coincidence, a few reviews ago i mentioned how bosko nor buddy were never featured in any merrie melodies, always looney tunes. well, now i’m eating my words. buddy AND cookie star in this (cookie under another redesign, since i’m watching these in order i can’t attest to whether it’s permanent or a one time thing) as playful mermaids.

exposed breasts? nudity! how horrific! i am terrified and appalled! goes to show my maturity pointing out the breasts first thing, huh? nah, the cartoon opens with a nice shot of rolling waves crashing against some rocks. i love the two-strip technicolor look, i think it’s extremely charming and adds a nice palette. especially with complimentary colors such as red and green! it’s hard to pull that off to make it look good—believe me, i painted 100 squares full of all hues and tints of red and green. i never wanted to see those colors again. the pink reflections and sea foam add a nice contrast with the white reflections and green water. elsewhere, three mermaids sing “mr. and mrs. with the name” with substitute lyrics, a hula mermaid dancing along to the music and a sawfish playing its nose/saw with a mallet.

a dance break as some clams underwater serve as castanets, accompanying the dancing lobster from how do i know it’s sunday. he makes a lot of reappearances, be warned! the magic of the lobster scene is lost for me since i practically just saw it a few days ago, but that’s MY problem, not theirs. and who in 1935 would have noticed anyway? it’s still a good scene, the animation nice and added colors freshening up the monotony.

meanwhile, a group of mermaid children are dancing and playing about, including two familiar mermaids: buddy and cookie. the thing is, they don’t refer to each other by names, and could very well be different characters. however, the boy is the spitting image of buddy, and cookie looks similar to her brief jack king redesign. not to mention, their voices are the same as always. it’s a safe bet to assume it’s them. plus, it makes my life easier instead of just typing “the boy” and “the girl”.

buddy and cookie are engaging in a game of tag, some nice animation as they swim towards the foreground and then the background. buddy tags cookie by smacking her in the butt and laughing at her abrasion. she doesn’t find it too funny, and lets buddy know by smacking him hard. very funny and amusing to watch cookie stalk away on her mermaid fins, her cheeks puffed out in defiance and fists clenched. such attitude! i love to see it!

downtrodden, buddy sighs and mopes around, banging his head against a ship in the midst of his oblivious wandering. delighted at his find, he eagerly swims back to cookie (occasionally jogging on his fins, a nice touch) and drags her along to show off. cookie is initially reluctant, but her own inquisitive nature prevails as she and buddy stick their heads inside a hole.

wide, spacious, and mysterious: the perfect place for curious kids to investigate. almost immediately, they come across a chest spilling over with treasures. cookie rifles through the coins, and a lobster gets stuck on her finger. the perils of greed! she shakes it off and continues her search, fancying herself a big necklace.

buddy has other priorities, rifling through a clothes trunk. he sports a bowler hat, a cane, and a mini mustache, the spitting image of charlie chaplin as a mermaid. buddy doing the charlie chaplin walk on his fins is highly amusing, even though it runs a little long.

cookie on the other hand continues to bling herself up in jewels, sauntering over to a piano and posing. an imitation of greta garbo, maybe? she plays the piano, but to no avail. the hammers have no strings to hit. the strings are dislodged and hide behind the piano—cookie fixes it right up and launches into a rendition of “mr. and mrs. is the name”, accompanied by a harpo marx lobster. friz works his musical timing as two jolly roger skulls from a pair of pirate hats dance along to the music, timing absolutely spot on. the song ends as a fish swims out of cookie’s mouth on the final note.

always have to have mischief of some sort. a rather menacing octopus meanders about, overhearing the jaunty piano music. it swims inside the ship, and we hear a scream. sure enough, the octopus emerges with cookie in its clutches. buddy overhears the commercial and swims out of his chaplin wear—which is a shame. that’d make for an interesting fight scene with the garb on! the octopus exerts all the effort it can to swim away faster, buddy trailing close behind as he fashions a motor to his back.

after an extended scene of more racing and cookie beating the octopus over the head with a fishbone, buddy catches up to the octopus and the fight ensues. great sound synchronization as the octopus swims around, smacking buddy over and over again. the animation is very fast and frenetic, what i like to see. can’t go wrong with an orlando martin trombone gobble (or 3) as the octopus imprisons buddy under its tentacles, rising up and smacking buddy with its body over and over again.

buddy retaliates by poking it with a stick, swimming away into a pipe, octopus following. he ties the tentacles to various holes in the outside rim of the pipe, effectively keeping the beast at bay. for good measure, buddy swings a log at the stuck octopus, shooting him out the other side and right back in again. very creative and amusing! cookie comes from out of the shadows and gives buddy a peck on the cheek for his bravery. he flushes all shades and tints of red, so preoccupied with his bashfulness that he gets conked on the head by the log he had been swinging. an equal and opposite reaction for every reaction, bucko! cookie catches him and we iris out.

a very cute cartoon indeed, but not much else beyond that. the colors were nice and buddy and cookie, albeit dull, were likable enough. buddy’s chaplin imitation was definitely a plus, as was friz’s knack for musical timing, demonstrated especially with the skulls dancing. some scenes ran a bit long, but nothing to make me say “this is dreadfully boring”. an average cartoon, but average used in a relatively positive connotation. maybe worth the watch.

link!

#lt #mr and mrs is the name #reviews #long post

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averagemarvelbitch · 5 years

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The Billionaire and The Mechanic / STONY

Summary: Steve is a billionaire who worked hard to get where he is. He meets Tony, the mechanic, and falls in love faster than he ever thought possible. But Tony has some issues to work through, and some secrets he’s clearly not ready to share, and Steve’s friends, ever so overprotective, are not really trusting of this strange mechanic who seems to have the billionaire wrapped around his little finger.

They soon find out that loving someone isn’t always easy, but it might be worth it in the end.

Chapters: 5/?

Tagging: @huntersociopathavenger @inmyownweirdworld

Read it on AO3

—

Tony knew the whole interrogation debacle hadn’t been Steve’s fault. The blonde had spent an entire week trying to convince the mechanic that they shouldn’t go. At first, Tony had been sad, thinking maybe Steve was embarrassed of introducing a nobody covered in grease to his rich friends, but the thought had been quickly dismissed after his lover spent forty minutes explaining how his friends were too overprotective and how he was absolutely terrified that they would somehow manage to scare the mechanic away. At the time, Tony had reassured Steve time and again that there was no way in hell anyone would be able to scare him away. And he had firmly believed that because nothing in this world could be worse than the life he’d led before coming to NY. So, when the day arrived, Tony put on his rich boy mask, the one he hadn’t used since his last encounter with Ty a good year ago, and got ready to face wherever Steve’s friends could throw at him. The thing is… He was expecting something else entirely.

Tony was used to a very particular kind of rich people, the kind that would laugh obnoxiously while talking about their trips to Europe and then discuss the newest scandal involving some politician’s daughter and another clueless millionaire between flutes of expensive champagne. And so, the mechanic was expecting to meet someone like Tiberion, who threw money around in order to show everyone just how rich and powerful he was, or maybe someone like Justin, who monopolized every conversation, always talking about how great he was (spoiler alert, he really wasn’t). He was most certainly not expecting to meet a bunch of very down to Earth people in a karaoke bar, drinking and eating onion rings and, basically, just having fun. They looked so normal, so chill, that Tony didn’t even notice his mask slipping, dropping his guard a little bit more with every word exchanged. And, of course, that had been his doom.

He liked to think that he would have handled the situation a lot better if he’d been prepared for it, or at least expecting it. He thought maybe they would give him the shovel talk, the you better not be after his money talk, or something along these lines, so the sudden accusation that he was an imposter felt like a punch to the stomach. Because it was true. He was, technically, an imposter. He was lying about his name and hiding a whole lot of other things from Steve. And, at that moment, it was like his brain lit up. I could be putting Steve in danger. I could be putting all of them in danger. He kept repeating it again and again and again inside his mind, in an endless, horrible loop. He couldn’t tell them the truth, not the real truth, but Steve was right there and he was looking at Tony with such a confused and hurt look. So he spilled the story. He told the truth where he could, carefully omitting the things he knew would get him into trouble. And when he was done, he felt awful. It was like reliving all of it again… Finding the evidence, the phone call, DUM-E trying to protect him, running away… He needed to leave. He needed to be alone, away from everything and everyone. And so he left in a hurry, leaving behind a very distraught Steve.

The calls came during the night and then again the next morning. Every time his phone rang, Tony would take it and stare at it, fighting the urge to answer it just to hear Steve’s soothing voice again. But he couldn’t. He had to be strong. So every time, with tears in his eyes, he would press the decline button, hoping that maybe the blonde would take a hint. He had just ignored yet another call from Steve when he heard the unmistakable noise of a motorcycle outside his shop. He looked up just in time to see Bucky taking off his helmet. The man looked sheepishly at Tony.

“Hey”.

“I got the message. No need for a repeat performance”, Tony said, turning back to the engine he was supposed to fix.

“I deserve that. But come on, just give me a chance to explain myself?”

“Explain? You asked an FBI agent to do a background check on me. I’m pretty sure that’s a crime”.

“Yeah, well, so is creating a new identity, so I guess we’re even”, Bucky replied and immediately shook his head, regretting his words, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m just defensive. I really am sorry about the whole FBI thing. But I had to make sure you weren’t just trying to hurt Stevie”.

“You know what’s insane?”, Tony suddenly said, raising his head to look at Bucky, “The fact that you don’t seem to realize how insane it is that you ran a background check on someone your friend has been seeing for less than two weeks! It was a complete invasion of privacy and, honestly? It’s creepy as fuck.”

“I know. Sam chewed me out for that. So did Coulson. They want to apologize to you as well, by the way. They were pretty pissed at me after what happened”.

“Well, good, at least some of you have common sense”.

“Look, I am really sorry, I truly am, but after what happened with Ophelia I just couldn’t take the chance, alright?”

Tony threw him a confused look. “Who’s Ophelia?”

“Shit. Okay. Please, don’t tell Stevie I’m telling you this because this is something you two should talk about yourselves later, but I’m gonna give you the short version”, he said with a sigh, sitting down on a stool nearby, “Stevie started the company after we came back. We started small and then suddenly we were the biggest thing in the security business. That’s when he met Ophelia. She was beautiful, charismatic and supposedly super in love with Stevie. She was the perfect woman. She fooled all of us. Turns out she was a spy for HYDRA Corp. Stevie spent months giving her everything she wanted, clothes, perfumes, even a goddamn car, and she was tricking him the entire time. Nearly broke him when he found out. So yeah, you could say I’m a little overprotective”.

“Just so you know”, Tony started, getting closer to him, “I dropped some oil on that stool right before you got here”.

“Yeah, I know, I can feel it”.

“Look, what you did was shitty as hell”, the mechanic replied, sitting down next to him on the clean stool, “I understand your reasons, but it was still fucking shitty. I had to take a lot of shit from a lot of people before and that’s not gonna fly anymore. I really like Steve, but I’m not going to let people treat me like crap. Got that?”

Bucky nodded, biting his lip, apprehensive.

“So I accept your apology”.

At that moment, Tony’s phone rang again, a photo of Steve making faces flashing on the screen.

“So, you’re going to take that?”

The mechanic looked down at his phone and shook his head. “No, I don’t think I will”.

“Look, I know I screwed up…”, Bucky started to say, suddenly looking desperate.

“It’s not that. It’s just… my old life, the one I ran from. It’s too complicated and I don’t want to drag Steve into it”.

“I get that. And, to be honest, I’d much rather if you didn’t, but that dumbass is head over heels in love with you. You’re going to break his heart”.

“It’s breaking my heart too”, Tony whispered to himself, checking the missed call on his cell phone.

Bucky got up, a very noticeable stain of oil on his ass. “Look, I can’t make you call him, but… just think about it before you make any decisions, okay? Also, I promise we’ll behave from now on”.

And with a last nod, he got on his motorcycle and drove away.

---

There was nothing on his fridge except for an expired carton of milk and a very old apple. Steve closed its door, sighing loudly. Of course there wasn’t any food; after all, he’d been spending all of his time at Tony’s lately. God, he missed the mechanic. He missed coming home to a smiling face. He missed cooking dinner between loving touches and stolen kisses. And he missed falling asleep next to his mechanic, nose buried on his hair, smelling that scent that was so naturally Tony. Steve had always fallen hard and fast for people, ever since he was a boy. But this… this was ridiculous. He’d known Tony for less than two weeks, for God’s sake, and he couldn’t stop thinking about him, couldn’t stop picturing their life together. He couldn’t help but imagine what their future would be like. And now he wasn’t even sure they would have a future. Feeling utterly depressed, the blonde decided he wasn’t that hungry after all and left the kitchen with slumped shoulders and a lost look in his eyes.

It was almost eight when the doorbell rang. He thought about ignoring it, almost sure it was Bucky coming to apologize yet again after Steve ignored his calls, but then he remembered that his friend had a key and had never once been shy on using it. When the doorbell rang again, he sighed and decided to get up and answer it.

“Yes?” He asked grumpily in the intercom.

“Uh, it’s Tony. Mind if I come up?”

He stared at the intercom for a moment, as if his brain was trying to make sense of what his ears had just heard.

“Steve? I can… I can leave if you want, it’s ok…”

“NO”, he shouted, grabbing the corners of the intercom like he could grab Tony through it and pull him into the apartment, “Please, come up!”

He buzzed Tony in and then looked around and then at himself frantically. He was wearing a pair of old sweatpants that had definitely seen better days and a colorful t-shirt that said born to be bi, which Sam had given him last Christmas as a gag gift for their Secret Santa. He thought about changing quickly, but the soft knock on the door told him there wasn’t enough time. Resigned, he opened the door with a sheepish look on his face.

As predicted, Tony burst out laughing at the sight of him, “Nice shirt”.

“Thanks. What are you doing here?”

The mechanic bit his lip, looking down at the box of pizza he was holding and then back at Steve.

“I brought food. I thought maybe we could eat? So, can I come in or…?”

Steve quickly stepped to the side, opening the door wider for Tony to go through, which he did. He looked around the apartment, whistling.

“I can’t believe we hung out on my dumpster of an apartment when we could’ve been hanging out here”, he put the pizza on the table nearby and walked to the nearest couch, touching it, “You know, I love how you’re the perfect mixture between fancy rich and Brooklyn broke”.

Steve huffed out a laugh, putting his hands on his pockets as he walked towards Tony, stopping a few feet from him.

“I’m sorry about what happened that night”.

“It wasn’t your fault. And Bucky and I talked so we’ll be fine eventually”, the mechanic replied, shrugging, and then sighed, “I’m sorry I didn’t answer your calls. Or your texts”.

“I get it. You wanted to be alone”.

“I did. I’m going to be honest, I thought about ghosting you. Not because of what happened exactly, but because… There’s a lot about me that you don’t know, Steve, a lot that I’m not willing to tell yet. I’m dangerous to be around. People I love tend to be hurt”.

“I can take a hit”, Steve replied full of conviction and a determined look.

“You might take a lot more than just one hit”.

“For you?”, he asked, stepping closer to Tony and touching his cheek softly, making the mechanic close his eyes with a sigh, “I can do this all day”.

The brunette laughed. “What? You can touch my face all day?”

One step closer, their noses touching, “I can fight for you all day. I can fight for you all my life if that’s what it takes. Because you’re worth it”.

Tony quickly put his hands on Steve’s neck, pulling him into a passionate kiss.

“The pizza is gonna get cold”, Tony complained between kisses, “I brought your favorite”.

Steve smiled, kissing his mouth and then, gently, his nose. “Pizza first, then. And dessert after. Also, how did you know where I lived?”

“Okay, another piece of information about me: I’m an amazing hacker. I once hacked the Pentagon on a dare. Let me tell you, the agents what showed up at my door were not amused”, he said, smiling when he heard Steve laugh. The blonde pulled him closer and they both walked to the kitchen, taking plates and glasses and bringing them to the living room.

Later that night, Tony watched Steve snore softly, the movie completely forgotten. He smiled and wiggled himself closer to the bigger man, feeling Steve’s arm tightening around him, not letting him go. He closed his eyes and for the first time in a very long time, he thought to himself… I’m home.

---

Meanwhile, a very well dressed man was standing in front of Tony’s auto shop, staring at it as he smoked his cigar. He stayed there, watching the windows above the shop for a long time. He threw the expensive cigar on the floor, stepping on it with his very shiny shoes before taking a cell phone from the inner pocket of his jacket.

“Stane? I have some information that might interest you”.

---

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#stony #stevetony #superhusbands #fic #fanfic #steve rogers #tony stark #mcu #no powers au

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godsofmonster · 5 years

Text

Florida Kilos ≽ Finale

Reader x Bangtan- Drug Cartel

Word Count- 7.7k

Warnings- drugs, guns, blood, prostitution, violence, abuse, sexual content, betrayal, character deaths, ect.

≽ Links to previous chapters can be found on my masterlist in my bio because Tumblr sucks now! You can also click on the ‘Florida Kilos’ tag!

That is where this story ends...

Yoongi’s hands were locked on my waist, his fingerprints marking my body, all his strength focused on keeping me as close to him as humanly possible. His lips trailed a sloppy line down my jaw, breath heavy on my skin, my eyes could only shut savoring the feeling- a feeling I would forever dream of. There was no pair of lips that I could kiss without tasting him. There couldn't be a day that passed by me without thinking of him. After everything, he still managed to remain deep in my veins, keeping the absolute authority over my better judgment. He could be on the other side of the world and still be in control of me, simply because I loved him.

I tilted my head to the side and allowed him to lose himself in the storm of passion. My eyes fluttering open and slowly located my handbag on the nightstand.

I was visibly melting at his touch and so much strength within me was required to dominate my feelings and desires. Shivers formed on my skin as his tongue ran over the tender areas of my neck and shoulder. I reached down to caress his head of hair as my right hand carefully reached in search within the bag.

Yoongi had his raspy voice praise and mutter sweet nothings against my heating skin. His hands were reaching to undress me as I managed to grab a hold of the revolver from the side of my purse.

I glanced down at him, to find that his eyes were not visible to me as I brought the gun down the edge of the bed. I took in a breath, one step at a time, I said to myself. The metal was cold against my blood-rushing body, my palms growing damp, as I went to cock the hammer.

My skin froze as the click disturbed the silence in the room.

Yoongi suddenly grabbed both of my arms and forced me off the bed. My back hit the floor instantly, falling with Yoongi directly on top of me, with his large hands pinning me down. I screamed as his hand pressed down on my still healing bullet wound under the bandages.

“What the hell- do you think you’re doing (Y/n)?!”

He shouted down at me with his eyes black and hollow as they stared at me with rage. All lust had left his body, a mood change supported by the grams of cocaine that replenished him. My arms fought against his restraints, the cocked gun being held tightly, but he had the upper hand.

“You think you can fucking kill me?!”

I thought fast, bringing my legs up and locking them over his shoulders in order to push him off. He fell back and landed with a grunt, his legs were still entwined with mine as I sat up. I brought my hand over to my wrist, trying to get an aim on his leg before he recovered. He was fast, though. He ducked and lunged forward grabbing onto my wrist again and steering my aim away from his body.

His single hand was strong enough to grip my entire hands, he used his other one to hold the gun from its barrel. We began to stand to our feet, fighting for the gun, my heart racing as it was slipping through my fingers.

Yoongi managed to tear it from my palms with a loud grunt before stepping back breathing heavily. He tossed the gun behind him, I flinched as I thought it would surely go off. When it didn't I quickly stepped back, Yoongi's body tensed with anger, his chest rising and falling, in the image of an angry bull. He followed my step and in the same breath, he raised his hand and struck me down.

I almost fell over from the impact. My face flushed and burning in my hand. My head dropped as I tasted blood, the ache spreading over my skin and inside my head. My vision failed me for seconds, within them, Yoongi stepped toward me once again. His hands wrapping around my neck, my feet stumbling, while he forced me against the glass door beside us.

“You fucking bitch. You’ve finally lost your goddamn mind!” He growled through clenched teeth.

My mouth hung open as he cut off the circulation of oxygen from my body. I desperately attempted to take air in but to no avail. His hands were clutching harder with each passing second, the drugs fueling his anger, as my only reaction was to fight harder as my voice strained. I couldn't even properly gasp while my body entered a state of complete panic, in which I could not think nor react.

Yoongi’s arms tensed with such strength, I couldn’t break his hold, he was much stronger than I was. His eyes were vicious and burning holes over my face, where his gaze reside practically condemning me to hell. That portrait brought pure terror to my consciousness.

My body began to fall weak against my own will. I was dangerously lightheaded and black spots dotted my hazy vision. I made useless attempts against him, claw at his skin with my fingernails. I left, long, deep scratches along his cheek and neck. They were deep enough to draw light drops of blood but they still fell in vain.

My body grew severely numb and my head built with pressure. Yoongi showed no intentions of loosening his grip and I was sure that he would not.

This would have been my final moments, the final image before my eyes shifted into a never-ending blackness. I always imagined death would be like being lost in the night. Yoongi had always been my darkness and my light and perhaps this was the way I was meant to remember him- with his hands wrapped around my neck so tight with nothing but love.

Maybe it was strange- but I thought that dying by the hands of someone you loved- wasn’t such a bad way to go.

A gunshot went off. Yoongi’s face of rage was broken by a pain that caused his hands to release my throat. I gasped for air as he gasped in a scream, his body falling against the edge of the bed. I practically coughed my lungs until they worked again. Though my vision was blurred, my eyes darting over by the door just barely making out a slim figure- a body that could only belong to Park Jimin.

“Fuck! Fuck!” Yoongi screamed.

I continued coughing, my eyes scanning over the bullet wound that had punctured through Yoongi’s kneecap. Jimin lowered his gun, picking up my own weapon off the floor before walking over in my direction. His lips moved but his voice was taking a second to become clear in my ears. I shook my head lightly, only then was I able to make them out, his voice was saying,

“Are you okay?”

Yoongi was cursing at us in the background but I was still trying to understand Jimin's unexpected appearance. It could have easily seemed like a blessing but I knew better than to trust in someone other than myself. Jimin took a second and was distracted by Yoongi’s aggressive barking, at that moment I reach for my gun and pried it out of his hand. Even with the strength slowly coming back to me, I didn't hesitate to point it at him.

“Calm down, (Y/n)-”

“What are you doing here?” I asked with a raspy voice.

“I could ask you the same thing- this wasn’t what Taehyung and you agreed on.” He said showing me his hands, trying to avoid giving me a reason to shoot him. I felt like a dog that was cornered. My heart was still pounding against my chest, death was leaving my body. After a thousand times I've tempted death, a thousand times I've managed to escape, I was still terrified. “Then again… I didn’t think it was like you to agree so easily.”

“What the hell is he talking about, (Y/n)?!” Yoongi shouted, his teeth ground against each other as spit formed in the corners of his mouth.

“Just shut up!” I yelled louder than him. I didn’t take my eyes away from Jimin. He wasn’t threatening but I still felt threatened. I was in this alone and I couldn’t trust anyone anymore. “You made a mistake coming here Jimin. I’ll give you a chance to leave alive but you have to go- now.”

“What are you planning on doing?” He asked and I pulled the trigger, purposely shooting just beside his head. The bullet blowing a hole through the bedroom door.

“I said now! If you want to leave with your head attached.” I didn’t want to hurt him. There would be enough bloodshed before the end of the night. Jimin, however, remained unfazed by my threat.

“You can’t run away from Taehyung,” Jimin could read me like a fucking book. Only now I realized how much that angered me. He knew that there was no way I would ever surrender my life to a man I did not love. I would never trade the love of my life- for a man who only lusted over my life. “Not alone at least.”

His words caught me by surprise but even so, could I believe in him? In my mind, Jimin would always be loyal to Taehyung. There was nothing that could make me believe otherwise.

“You wouldn’t help me,” I said keeping my aim still.

“Give me the chance to prove it to you.” Then, without meaning too, I thought back to the night before, as he was undressing me, what Jimin had said,

“There has always been something about you that’s made me question my loyalty. I... don't trust myself around you.”

Maybe it was foolish of me. Maybe I was so desperate and gave up my logic for wishful thinking. His sand-colored hair was pushed backward and he licked his full lips as he did when he was anxious. And when I looked into his eyes, I could find nothing in them, that made me question him- for now at least.

“You want to help?” He slowly nodded his head, doing the same, while bringing his hands down to his side. I figured he could at least help me buy some time, “Get Hoseok- tell him to get everything out of the safe and wait for me outside.”

“What should I tell him?” He asked as I lowered my aim.

I sighed, my eyes glancing at Yoongi whose blood was leaking all over the side of the bed. His chest was rising and falling as he held his limp leg. It was a remaining image of the torture between him and I.

“Tell him…that I will do everything in my power to keep him safe.”

Jimin nodded his head, following my gaze and looking over to Yoongi. I imagined that in his own head he said his good riddance to Yoongi. Giving his condolence to the dead man sitting before him.

“You don’t have to do this.” He reminded me, but he didn't know that I did have to.

“I’m the only one who has this right,” I said as Yoongi’s hate-filled eyes locked on me. I looked back to Jimin, indicating it was time for him to leave, I wanted to be alone. “Go.”

I watched Jimin leave the room and just as he went through the set of double doors- he turned to give me one last glance. I could only describe it, as the type of look a friend gives to you before you make a great mistake.

I understood his look- his worry- this wasn’t a choice you could take back, try again, or ever forget. Maybe I didn’t truly understand the consequences but I would soon be faced with them. I was always the one who surrendered to his love, the one who suffered without a reason, and the one who managed to preach without any blessings. Yet here he was, with his life in my hands, and only I could decide his fate. I would never be the same and I was okay with that- because this was the life that we had chosen, therefore this is how we would have to die.

And so, Jimin shut the doors behind him, leaving us to have our final conversation.

“So, it seems that you’ve made your arrangements,” Yoongi scoffed, his hands still resting on his disjointed kneecap. He knew me better than anyone, and so, he knew that once my mind was set- there was nothing in the world that could change it.

I sighed quietly, resting myself against the glass door he had me pin against earlier, my eyes not looking away from him for a single moment. I studied his form- his skin, his breathing. Every cut, every scar, that made him who he was. His cold black eyes that once warmed me like the very sun itself. “Am I going to die not knowing why?”

I used to think of Yoongi as my own intimate sun. He was my source of light and warmth, he kept me alive. You see, I had always been like the moon. I was cold and dull, and without him, I surely would die. But somewhere along our way, the roles switched, Yoongi was now cold and bitter- while I grew and outshined him completely. Our love had turned into one that could cut deeper than a blade. Still, I remained with my head in the clouds, up in the sky, chasing after a dream that seemed so real.

“Knowing isn’t going to make things any easier, maybe, it’s best if you don’t know,” I advised him. Sometimes being clueless was the best option, it saved you from driving yourself mad with questions of how it could have been different- even when it couldn’t have.

“I’m sure you’ve justified yourself with some heroic reason,” He mocked, hissing and shutting his eyes as he shifted upward on the bed. “Am I the bad guy, (Y/n)? Is that what you are telling yourself?”

I smirked to myself softly, it was a smirk that held a lot of painful memories. There were parts of Yoongi that have never changed. I shook my head softly in his direction.

“This isn’t a movie, Yoongi. This is real life and we are all the bad guys here.” He let out a laugh that held anger. I watched the skin of his cheeks ball against his eyes, making them appear smaller, as the taunting sound left his mouth.

“You won’t make it without me, baby.” He shook his head, using his bloodstained hands to push away the strands of his hair. The cranberry substance painted the yellow hair on his head with abstract versions of his fingerprints. “Whether you want to accept it or not, we're connected- forever.”

“Of course," I smiled. His eyes flashed a shine of light that came from the amusement of my words. "That’s why only death could keep us apart.”

If there was one thing Yoongi and I could agree on- it was those very words. I knew that, even after everything that happened, Yoongi wouldn’t leave me- just like how I wouldn’t leave him.

That may have been the true reason behind my decision because I didn't want to have to choose between him or me, after all, we were supposed to be one. But our love was caught between a crossfire and I needed to get away from him.

Except, I knew couldn’t live my life knowing he was out there somewhere- without me. Maybe it was wrong, obsessive, or even sick of me, to think that way but I knew the feeling was mutual.

“So is this how you are choosing to leave things between us? No questions? No middle ground? Not even a final kiss?” He asked surprised, even though all of those things were going through my mind, I don’t know if I dared.

“What do we have to gain from speaking the words of your betrayal into this moment of peace?” Perhaps it was my own way of dealing with things. After all of the laws we've broken, the lives that were sacrificed, I just wished to have a little bit of control over this moment. I wanted the perfect moment.

“I’m bleeding out, (Y/n). I could feel the lack of blood ice over my body- there is nothing peaceful about this moment.” He insisted on getting everything out of me.

We could only exchange glances as I thought to myself. I was never known for holding my tongue, there was no real reason to start now. Yoongi knew who I was, knew what I was capable of, hurting his feelings shouldn't be on my list of things to worry about. With his deep stare, his naked chest, there was no other way out.

“I thought that you were a fool, Min Yoongi,” I began, standing apart from leaning against the door, as my emotions took control of my better judgment. “I pitied you more than anything; every time you drowned yourself in a kilo of cocaine, every time you lashed out in jealousy and rage, every single time you bonded with Taehyung- not knowing that he prayed for your downfall more than anything in this world.”

Yoongi frowned, not savoring the aggression in which I spoke them, and not understanding what I meant with my last set of words.

“That’s right.” I nodded my head at him, taking a step closer in his direction. “Taehyung has always wanted me but you were always in his way. After you disobeyed my orders in New York, getting Jungkook killed and letting the DEA get a track of his records, they linked our organization back to Florida. You bet your sorry ass- that was plenty of reason for the Kim Brothers to want you dead. Do you know what was the only thing that could have kept you alive? Me!”

I spat my words closely at him, his face contouring in a deep anger and disbelief, “But you had already sold me out to the Kim Brothers, the second you got home, which left me helpless in Taehyung’s hands. He asked me to marry him, in exchange for Hoseok's life and mine but- he was an idiot to actually think I would agree to such an offer.”

That look in Yoongi’s eyes was exactly what I was trying to keep him from. The anger, the humiliation, of the events that took place around us. The worst part of it all, those feelings would only morph into regret, in vain of not being able to change what has already happened. The exact feelings that I had been hauling around all alone.

“But the real shame, the real fool in all of this, is me...” I felt tears brim the corners of my eyes as I grew overwhelmed and my voice cracked, “Because I would have forgiven you for everything Yoongi- everything! For talking down to me- for laying your hands on me- for fucking that whore and any others- even for getting Jungkook killed!!”

I was practically yanking my own hair as I ran my hands through them. The fact the very words left my mouth was enough to disgust me. To think that I loved him so unconditionally, that I was going against my very morals and logic, boiled a self-loathing heat inside of me. This is why I had to draw the line, even knowing, that it would be drawn in his blood. “But you betrayed me, Yoongi! You were reckless with our lives! You didn’t care if I or Hoseok got killed! And If I couldn’t leave you for my own sake then- I have to do it for him! I couldn’t live with myself if Hoseok died, just like Jungkook, all because I was so weak...for you.”

Yoongi’s faced had softened while I released my demons and shame. It wasn’t because his emotions had simmered down- it was because he was dying from blood loss.

My eyes stared angrily at him, tears making a mess of my sight, as I was heartbroken to see him in such a state.

I turned to the nightstand where my bag remained. I set the gun beside it as my hands rummaged through the junk, getting a hold of my carton of cigarettes and my lighter. I sniffled, tossing the box back into the bag after getting a hold of a single one. I walked back in his direction, holding the cigarette close to his mouth for him to take, and he did slowly. I snapped the cheap lighter with my thumb a few times, also bringing the flame to the sticks end, allowing him to absorb it in his cheeks and breathe in the nicotine.

I stepped back against the glass. My head fell back against the frame as I tried to clean away the stains my tears left. Yoongi was holding out each drag he took, deeply relishing, what was his last cigarette. I continued to watch him, admiring the structure of his face, even if it was all dead and sunken in- he was still gorgeous.

He finally took the cigarette out of his mouth, holding it between his index and middle finger, that were drenched in his blood, as he licked his lips to utter a few words.

“I think the real shame is... that you’ve forgotten how much I love you.” I felt a shiver run down my spine. He blinked at me and wore no particular emotion on his face while letting the smoke come out through his mouth as he continued to speak. “It is true- that at some point, I began to resent you but that never changed the fact that I was crazy about you. Even through all of the addiction, rage, jealousy, and mistakes- I’ve never stopped loving you.”

“You can’t be surprised about how I feel- if all you’ve done is be ungrateful to my poor heart,” I said as his words brought more tears from my eyes. Why did it have to be now when he started to act like his old self. Why was death the only time that his pretty black eyes shined a path to warm my heart?

“Maybe I am the bad guy then but I know that I was not the cause of our downfall,” Yoongi said with ease, taking in another hit, as I turned my head at him. “You know where the true mistake remains- the real reason that everything went to shit.”

Goosebumps erupted across every inch of my skin as soon as I realized what he spoke of. I bit down on my lip, nodding my head indicating that I agreed with him.

“We should have just died that night.”

But we didn’t. We cheated death and thought ourselves lucky. When in reality, we just doomed ourselves to suffer double for what we had done. Death treats all alike, whether rich or poor, in love or alone, she- was just.

“You’re right.” I stepped back toward the nightstand, reaching for the gun that had remained loaded, I looked back to Yoongi who was just finishing up his cigarette.

We could have died together- happy and in love- with not a single regret to weep over. It would have been a tragic story between two lovers who fought together, until the very end.

However, it ended up like this, a tale of a toxic relationship, that only ate off each other's souls, and turned them both into people they despised.

If I knew, that day, what tomorrow would bring- I would have never spoken out in the first place.

But it was too late for that- Yoongi would die here, alone and in vain, by the hands of who loved him the most. While I, would have to spend the rest of my life carrying the weight and absence of him everywhere I went.

“Now this is the price we have to pay.”

I said and kept the gun at my leg as I walked up to him, he sucked the last bit of tobacco that the cigarette bud had to offer, as I leaned over him. He only kept himself up on the single arm he rested on, he tossed the bud somewhere across the room, before he met me halfway and captured my lips.

It was our final kiss, and with it, we settled any sins.

Once we broke apart, partly breathless and speechless, I looked into his eyes once again. There was a fire burning in them. Looking at him now, resembled the feeling I had, the first time I ever laid eyes on Min Yoongi. We both just knew.

I stepped back away from him. Once again, I cocked the hammer of the gun by pulling it down with my thumb, the same click sound almost echoed in the silence of the room. Yoongi smirked at me.

“Remember your stance, doll.” He said with a slight chuckle as I readjusted the position of my legs and firmly gripped over my hand. I allowed myself a deep breath as I took aim, Yoongi’s head lining up with the barrel of my revolver.

“You see that Hobi? (Y/n) is better than you already.” I glanced behind me to Hoseok who was sitting on a nearby log. He wore a presently surprised look, with his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide. I snickered and stepped back to point the gun at Yoongi. He raised his hands up and smiled, a sight that I didn’t see very often, “That’s my girl.”

“I’ll be waiting for you.”

And then, I pulled the trigger,

Bang!

I gasped. The gun fell from my hands just moments after. My eyes watched as if in slow motion, Yoongi dropped back against the bed sheets. The adrenaline sent shocks throughout my body- cries formed from my lips in the rhythm of waves. It was as if I lost all sense of breathing, the wind knocked out of me, and I blinked tears out of my watering eyes as I stood there frozen. A murderous voice shrieked at me, in my head, proclaiming that I was now nothing but a black widow.

As I automatically stepped toward the bed, catching the slightest glimpse of Yoongi, his eyes were like a sunset in its final moments. As his soul left his body with the final breath that split his lips, I felt my world break in half. Blood poured out of his third eye, the warm liquid pooling rivers in the sockets of his eyes. It resembled him crying red tears and those tears became rivers. The world seemed so different when he wasn't by my side, now he was beyond my reach.

The scene looked like something I would have only seen in my worst of nightmares. His blood seeped into the sheets of our bed, where he had made love to me countless of times.

I could have laid there beside his body, screamed, and damned God for always allowing me to end up this way. My lost faith left me with a wound, even after I put my all, it still was not enough and nothing would comfort me without him.

The thing about taking someone's life is that it did something to your soul, it fed it the most rotten of fruits that tainted any good that was held within. Though, killing the love of your life- that was the lack of your very soul.

He was the man of my dreams, who kept me living in a fantasy, believing that all we needed was love to be perfect. I foolishly tried to plant a flower that would never bloom, in a dream that could never come true. He had become a part of my essence, to the moon and back, is where he would stay. Just as I imagined- his departure left me feeling so empty and cold inside, that I almost felt nothing at all. With his spirit leaving his body- finally opening my eyes- waking up from a lucid dream.

And even after everything Yoongi had taught me over the years, the one thing he never showed me, was how to live my life without him.

I stepped through the front door of what was once my home. And inside of it, remained the memories of those who no longer suffered the curse that Death had marked me with. Once closing the door behind me it was never for me to open again.

I spotted Hoseok and Jimin standing over his car, exchanging words of aggression to each other before they noticed me. Hoseok pushed Jimin’s hand off his shoulder as he had been trying to keep him from coming inside. Hoseok met me at the bottom of the shallow stairs, where I could see the worry and fear shaking his body in complete anxiety.

“Are you okay, (Y/n)? What happened?” I stared at him blankly. The more Hoseok rambled the more he answered his own questions. “I heard gunshots- where’s Yoongi?”

Maybe he saw it in my eyes, the little life that reflected in color of my vision, but I think he felt it in the pit of his being. I wasn’t the only one Yoongi had left an impact on. Hoseok and Yoongi were like brothers, the only family he had ever needed- Hoseok knew very well. It showed the moment his eyes shifted from my eyes to the upstairs window of the third floor.

“No…” He shook his head, wanting to convince himself otherwise. He ran his hands through his hair while his eyes glossed in pain, “(Y/n)- what did you do?!”

I watched how his breathing fell into a deep, inhuman, kind of rhythm. He broke down into a sob that brought him down to hug his knees. The details of his hurt were concealed by the blackness of the night. His raven hair and the tears that streamed down from his face where the only things that reflected the light from the moon above us.

Jimin approached us as if he wished to lend a consoling hand, except I stopped him with a gesture. He halted in his tracks and kept his distance from us. I stepped down to meet Hobi’s level on the ground. I squatted beside him, my hands reaching to up to his slim face, that tainted with tears.

“If we don’t leave now- we’re going to be killed- do you understand what I’m saying to you, Hoseok?” I used the back of my fingers to clean up the tears from his mug. He hesitated, studying my face, seeking to understand why- what had let me to such actions. Even though the answer was complex out of his judgment, there was still a part of him that knew I hadn’t let him down yet and so, he still had faith in me.

He nodded his head, as I kept my hands on him while we rose back to our feet. Unexpectedly, I pulled him into my arms, resting his head on my shoulder. Without being able to utter the words to him, I apologized, over and over again in silence. Before pulling away and smiling up at him,

“I can’t lose you too.”

“Where will we go?” He asked me as I took him by the hand, leading him to his own car that was parked behind us.

“We have to leave the country- it’s the only way to remain out of the Kim Brothers reach-” We stopped in our tracks when we were faced with Jimin once again. “We’ll take your boat to Havana.”

I said leaving Hoseok standing behind me, walking toward the car, where the duffle bag sat beside the back wheel. I placed the bag on top of the trunk, zipping it open to reveal what was packed away. I pulled out our passports, flipping open each one and setting aside Yoongi’s and Jungkook’s, in search for just ours. Hoseok quietly walked over to me, his eyes locking with Jimin, as an obvious pout rested on his lips.

“What about him?” He whispered quietly to me, even though, I was sure Jimin could hear him. “Do you trust him?”

I pulled out one of the two caliber 45s, checking the full ammunition, and handing it to Hoseok along with his passport. I looked up at Jimin who was watching us from a scanty distance.

“I don’t know yet,” I answered honestly, not bothering to keep it a secret, as I tucked away the second 45 in the belt of my jumpsuit.

“Do you really think that 80 miles is enough distance between Taehyung and you?” Jimin asked approaching us. I knew that Jimin was making a valid point, 80 miles was not enough, but it was the only shot we had. We couldn’t leave the state from the borders, the Kim Brothers had connections that would stop us from getting anywhere near state lines. Staying in their territory wasn’t a smart move over all and crossing enemy lines into the Mexican cartel territory also wasn’t ideal. I continued to look in the bag, pushing aside and inspecting, a single ounce of pure cocaine and $50,000 in cash. “I can get us a plane ready while we make it to the runway.”

“We?” I asked, stopping my movements and looking at him from head to toe. I then heard Hoseok cock his gun beside me. He took a clear aim on Jimin, stepping around me and closer to him.

“That sounds like a plan too well thought out.” He said and I had to agree. Jimin rose his hands up defensively.

“My uncle is Taehyung's pilot,” He explained as I quickly shut everything back into the bag and swung it over my shoulder. “I honestly believed something like this might happen-”

“Get down on your knees!” Hoseok demanded and Jimin followed his orders. I could see Hobi’s hands shaking to keep steady. He was afraid and lacked the capability to trust anyone due to the situation at hand.

Still, I had to make a choice, our lives were on the line and we didn’t have much time. This wasn’t about good or bad luck- we couldn’t afford to take those chances. “What are your orders, (Y/n)?”

Hoseok asked as he exchanged glances with Jimin and I. The choice was like having salt in one hand and sugar in the other; there was nothing within me that gave me a reason to doubt him nor believe him.

“(Y/n)...I made the same promise to Jungkook, just like Hoseok.” My eyes locked with Jimin, even in the dark and with a gun pointed at him, he still managed to wear a poker face. “He asked us to take care of you- and I have no intention of breaking that promise.”

I glanced at Hoseok, who had seemed to believe in his words, his arms weren’t as tensed as he continued looking my way. Jungkook and Jimin held a true friendship in their short time together. Jungkook had trained under him for months- he wanted nothing more than to be stronger- always. The thing about strength is that it wasn’t proven by how high one could fly, it was about learning to take the fall and still being able to get back up.

“We’ll see.”

I said before tossing the duffle bag in the back seat of Hoseok’s Tesla. Hoseok lowering his gun and taking it upon himself to confiscate Jimin’s cell phone. I took the keys from Hobi’s offering hand and hopped into the driver’s seat. They went into the back seat, keeping an eye on each other, still not enough trust between them. Pulling the car into reverse, with a single U-turn, we heading down the long brick driveway.

“Be careful Jimin,” Hoseok warned softly, avoiding the words to fall to my ears, “(Y/n) can endure a lot of things, mistakes, and humiliations, but betraying her- she was capable of killing the love of her life.”

Even though I hadn’t explained to Hoseok, what exactly had happened, he knew me better than I gave him credit for. I’ve always tried to make the right decision and did so with minimal regrets. I’ve taken risks and I’ve taken losses but that’s how it had to be- for us- who were good negotiators.

The rubber of the tires burned against the pavement as I made a harsh stop. We pulled up to the same private jet Jimin and I had landed from hours ago. I kept an eye on our surroundings, looking in the rearview mirrors, as Hoseok and Jimin got out of the car.

“Anyone of these employees here can contact Taehyung about an unauthorized takeoff.”

Jimin said grabbing a hold of the duffle bag. Hoseok helped me out of the car, as the doors to the jet opened up and revealed the stairs for us. I followed behind Jimin as Hoseok followed behind me.

“We have to hurry.”

The engine was roaring and the bright lights of the runway were our only hope. Just as Jimin made up the stairs to meet with his uncle, there was a loud bang aimed towards us. Hoseok and I dodged instantly, looking over my shoulder to see three black Hummers pulling up behind us. They had shot at our car, making its alarm go off, as I grabbed a hold of Hosoeks arm. I pushed him in front of me to get him in the protection of the bulletproof jet.

I drew the caliber from my waist, aiming to shoot that the wheels of the car as they were still in motion coming toward the plane. Jimin was doing the same, together, we managed to blow the two front tires of the closest vehicle. It halted harshly as the two behind it had to move around.

“Come on!” Jimin grabbed my arms, pulling me up the stairs, as I continued to shoot.

I almost slipped on my heels as I made it to the top, reloading my gun, as a yell came from outside.

“Jimin!” We both looked back to see Taehyung stepping out of one of the black Hummers. Taehyung was right, I was always two steps ahead of him.

His eyes were wide, as he looked up at us from a distance. He licked his lips and the breeze blew his yellow hair back. Men then poured out of the other cars, all of them hold AK 47s, lined up behind Taehyung. I cocked my own gun and had a clean shot on Taehyung's head as he held a stare with Jimin.

Without leaving his eyes, Jimin’s hand grabbed a hold of my wrist, pressuring me to put the gun down. I looked up at him confused but he still only looked at Taehyung,

“Get in your seat.”

He instructed me quietly. I was about to protest when Hoseok came up to me, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me away from the exposure of the open door. We both watched as a Jimin just stood there, there was no words between them, just the sound of the jet engine and wind. Then Jimin shook his head,

“I warned you- didn’t I, Taehyung?”

Jimin’s voice wasn’t cocky, nor was it upset, he was just bedding a farewell to a lifelong friend. Only then, did Jimin jump away from the door, hundreds of gunshots ricocheting off the metal and glass. He pressed the automatic button to close the door, yelling at into the cockpit to start taking off. We all got in our seats as the jet wasted no time in moving.

I sat by the window, getting a last glimpse of Taehyung and his men, he just stood there watching as the jet made its way down the runway. He could have stopped us but he didn’t.

Once we were in the air, no one had said anything since we took off. We were all emotionally and physically drained. There were big changes coming our way and we could only reflect on what had led us to this place.

Hoseok was sitting beside me, his head leaning against my shoulder, as he remained with his eyes shut. Our relationship had always been one of siblings, I saw in him, everything that I lost in Jungkook and Yoongi. Hoseok was the only family I had left.

I watched Jimin walked passed us, into the back of the jet where he pulled something from the bagging area. Hoseok raised his head at the loud thump of Jimin plopping a duffle bag in front of us.

“What’s this?” I asked and he said nothing, only gestured me to open it, and so I did.

I unzipped the bag, Hoseok peeking over my shoulder, as it announced to hold nothing but money. I immediately recognized it as being the second bag that Jimin had packed from New York. Hoseok’s mouth dropped and he sat up as well to get a better look.

“How much is in here?” He asked Jimin.

“Just about 5.3 million dollars.” He said with ease. Any doubt that I might have had about Jimin was completely out of my mind. He really did expect something like this to happen, so much so, he stored this money for us on the jet. He was a smart man, who seemed to only want the simple things in life. I don't know what his story was with Taehyung, what had pushed him to betray his best friend in that way. It was clear to me that the only reason we made it out alive was that Taehyung didn't want to have to kill Jimin. I thought back to those last words he had said to him, that held so much weight to them.

“What did you mean- when you told Taehyung, ‘I warned you’?” I said leaving the stack of hundreds back in the bag.

The question seemed to make him uncomfortable. He avoided eye contact with me as he took a seat behind him. The tension grew between us as I waited to hear an explanation. Finally, he let out a heavy sigh as he found the words he needed to speak,

“Do you remember, that day, Taehyung was in between choices,” Jimin spoke of the day that we were suppose to die, in Taehyung’s office, all by a mistake of Jungkook’s. The fact he brought the day up sent shivers down my spine. Jimin was about to make a confession that changed the way I saw things, “At that moment, I whispered something in Taehyung's ear. I told him- that you would betray him...”

And yet, Taehyung didn’t listen- now he would probably regret it for the rest of his life. It was only upon hearing that confession that I knew, truly, how smart Jimin was. He knew before even I knew myself. He knew before I became who I was in that moment. His word was now the value of gold to me.

Maybe things were meant to turn out this way? Maybe there were more things out there for the three of us? Or maybe, just maybe, we were a couple of people that continued to cheat death...

I stared off into the sky, that little by little, was becoming gray. The gray hour was always the time of day I imagined myself dying, it brought me back to the faintest memories of my childhood.

From the time that I was a little girl, I was raised in poverty and the cold streets. I was always the girl, who was humiliated and yet had to beg for forgiveness. My past was unjustified and my sentence seemed to be terminal. Until one day, after hearing the news that my only brother was gun down, I decided that my adulthood would be different.

As a result, I made my way down to Florida, where the environment was inviting and the money was tempting. Miami was a city built on cocaine money and so, I began to both make and deal cocaine, along the side of my first love, who was the man of my dreams. I was honest, happy, and tried my best to be good. I only put my life in the hands of those closest to me. We shared our dreams, our bodies, our business. I was in a drug cartel with responsibilities and a lot of talent. I took the advice I wanted to take and found myself making dangerous partnerships, million dollar deals, and a lot of money.

It was a matter of circumstance but at the end of it all, this is the life we had chosen and therefore, this is how we would die. The world we were born into was cruel and it cost us greatly to merely breathe its very air. I foolishly tried to plant a flower that would never bloom, in a dream that could never come true. And though I would never forget the hardships and poverty I left back up North. Nor could there ever be a beautiful melody that wouldn't resemble Min Yoongi to me. I finally understood the importance of pain. In life, there had to be struggles and hardships to overcome, and not many do, but those that could, were the leaders of their own destiny.

“(Y/n),”

Hoseok stirred at my side, I looked down to him, as Jimin also brought his attention to the sleepy male beside me.

“Where are we going?”

I found myself surprised by not knowing the answer. I was so caught up in my thoughts and past events, that I hadn’t even stopped to bother. I looked up, my eyes shifting to Jimin, who was already awaiting my gaze with an answer.

“I already picked our destination...I have contacts, people that can help, and Taehyung won’t dare to step foot there.” He explained, shifting in his seat and running his hands through his long dirty blond hair.

“And where is 'there'?” I asked, pulling the blanket down to my waist, sitting up, my interest peeked by our destination.

“Busan- my hometown.”

That is where this story ends and where a new one begins.

≽ Masterlist in bio for your convenience!

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dontshootmespence · 6 years

Text

Broken Homes Fix Broken Hearts

Chapter 16

Thank you so much for reading and loving Derek and Juliet as much as @veroinnumera and I do. We still have a lot more to post and even more to still write! Please let us know what you think :D

-------

What if he meets some gorgeous police officer on a case? What if he gets bored of dating a librarian? What if he realizes he’s way out of your league?

The thoughts bounced around Juliet’s head with the force of a ten pound bowling ball. They were painful and heavy and becoming too much. There was no way she was getting any sleep tonight. Checking the time on her phone, she paused a second to stare at the background. It was a picture of Derek reading to the little ones, the day he’d come to help out. She’d taken under the guise of needing photos for the library’s website...but it had been so fucking adorable she had to hold onto it. Maybe...Before some terrible thought could follow, Juliet dialed his number. If she felt like shit she was allowed to share it with the man she loved. It was okay to be vulnerable. It was still terrifying though.

Thank god they’d wrapped everything up. It had been over a week and he was more than ready to go home. Derek had missed her. Everytime a text came in from a member of the team regarding the case, her picture would flash and remind him of home. He loved his job, but now that he had someone in his life that he loved just as much, it was hard being away all the time, especially on these long cases.

When the phone rang in his pocket, he hoped it was her, smiling when her name popped up. “Juliet? The case is closed. We’ll be coming home tomorrow. How are you? I’ve missed you.”

The sound of his voice put a smile on her face. “That’s great! And I’m fine. No. I’m not fine, that was a lie. Sorry. I’m still working on this open communication thing. And now I’m rambling...long story short my brain is treating me like crap, so I thought I should call you.”

Derek hated the fact that her brain did what it did to her, but he sighed happily knowing she’d called him before the thoughts had spiraled out of control - hopefully. “I’m glad you called,” he said softly, leaning back against the wall. “Your brain is an asshole and I can promise you that none of what it’s saying is true. I love you and I miss you.”

“So you haven’t met a very sexy police officer? Who for some reason my brain suggests looks like a Victoria Secret model and has a British accent, because that accent is insanely attractive?”

“Absolutely not,” Derek replied firmly but softly, putting on his best British accent as he continued. “I haven’t met any sexy police officers and even if I had, I wouldn’t pursue anything because I have a sexy librarian at home waiting for me.”

Juliet snickered on the other side of the line. Calling had been hard originally, but it was for the best. If she hadn’t called, she wouldn’t have been able to hear his absolutely horrible British accent. “Is that it? Your accent?”

“Accents aren’t my thing!” He replied mock defensively. “I’m a kid from Chicago!”

She laughed softly. “Alright. But it’s okay because you have other things, Derek Morgan.”

“And what are they?” Derek asked, half jokingly half extremely curious.

“I’m not telling you! You’re head is big enough already!” Juliet exclaimed through giggles.

“If you don’t tell me I’ll start speaking in a British accent again.” He warned teasingly.

“Okay! Okay! Fine! You win just please don’t speak in a British accent!” She pleaded.

Juliet tried to stop the blushing even though there was no one there to see it. Knowing Derek, he could hear her face flushing through the phone. “Well, as Penelope has said, you’re built like a Greek God. I have imagined many dirty things since you left. On top of that, you’re intelligent and strong and funny and kind, so basically I have the whole package.” Yea, and you-Shut up, brain!

She had to stop it in its tracks. “You going to sleep? How early are you getting up tomorrow to get back on the jet?”

Derek felt his head swell up a bit, but got himself back to earth quickly. “Seven AM. I’ll need a lot of coffee. Talk to you tomorrow on the way home?”

“Yes, and Derek? I love you.”

“I love you more.”

Somehow she didn’t think that was possible, but she wasn’t about to fight him on that either.

-------

“Actually, the cement industry is worth roughly $9.9 billion. Due to the inherently transportable nature it thrives in almost any geography, which is part of the reason there are cement mills in 34 of the 50 states. But, that’s actually pretty ironic because we still import about 10% of our cement!” Reid exclaimed, leaning back in his seat. “Morgan? Morgan are you listening to me?” He asked frowning slightly at the agent across from him who was just staring at his phone and smiling.

Derek’s head snapped up. “Sorry, Pretty Boy. I’m just excited to get home.”

“Juliet?” Reid asked, already knowing the answer. “What’s she saying that’s got you so happy? Or is it just going home?”

It could be. But it wasn’t. Juliet had decided to “come out of her shell” a bit and text him exactly what she wanted to be doing to him at the moment. Of course he was on the jet and couldn’t do anything about it. If she had done this last night? He definitely would’ve taken the situation into his own hands so to speak. “Not just going home. But I’m not giving away the details.”

Reid took a few seconds to get the gist of what Morgan was talking about, but then his eyes went wide. It was called sexting, wasn’t it? “Oh, OH! O-Okay forget I asked.”

Emily wandered over from grabbing coffee. “You’d better not screw this up Morgan, or I may just ask her out myself.”

“C’mon Prentiss! Don’t be like that.” Derek groaned.

“Like what? She’s hot and intelligent and I’m not blind.” Emily teased. “But seriously, you better not screw this up.”

JJ popped up from her seat and turned to him. “I second Emily. I mean, I have Will and I am happily taken, but she’s gorgeous and funny and smart, so don’t mess up.”

“How would I mess it up?”

Everyone within earshot (which was everyone but Hotch), turned to give him the side-eye. “Okay, so I have a bit of a reputation! This is different!”

Rossi snickered, remembering the looks well. Granted he had three ex-wives, but he remembered that lighter than air feeling of being in love. “We can see that. Any plans for when you get back?”

Derek shrugged. He hadn’t really thought about it; he was just excited to get back. “Well, she does,” Emily laughed.

“What?” Derek asked.

“JJ, Penelope and I are stealing her for a girls’ night.” He was about to put up a fight when Emily cut him off. “Deal with it!”

“Just don’t make a move on my girl.”

-------

“Well, there’s gel nails and then there’s acrylic nails. You can do those however you want - crazy colors, French tips even. You would look great with French tips. Actually you would look great with any nails because look at you, and you could go short or long, and then-”

“Oh god, Penelope stop,” Juliet laughed. “Too many options. Also, can I call you babygirl too because I’m kind of jealous that Morgan has a babygirl and I don’t?”

Garcia curtsied, her smile wide. “Absolutely. I’m the residential babygirl. When was the last time you had your nails done?”

“Ummm...does me dipping my hand into a can of paint when I was five count?”

“What?! You’ve never had them done?”

Juliet shook her head feeling like a deer in the headlights. “N-no? I mean I guess I just never really got the point?”

Penelope clutched at her chest as if experiencing pains before pulling Juliet into her arms and patting her on the back. “Oh my sweet sweet child. It’s okay, babygirl is here now. You’re safe.”

Unable to help herself Juliet burst out laughing, voice muffled by Penelope’s sweater. Unfortunately it sounded like she was crying. “Oh my god Juliet, are you okay?” Garcia asked full of distress.

All Juliet could do was nod she was laughing too hard.

JJ and Emily shared a look as if to say young people these days despite the fact they were all roughly the same age. “Okay, okay c’mon. Let’s get this show on the road.” Emily pressed gesturing to take their seats.

After much deliberation and a little convincing on Penelope’s part, Juliet decided to go with slightly longer than normal for her nails in a light turquoise color she was really drawn to. “Mmm, this feels nice,” she said in a daze as the technician was finishing up with a hand massage. “I could get used to this.”

Emily was in the same position, practically falling asleep on the hand that had already dried. “I shouldn’t get used to this or I’ll sleep all the time.”

“And the problem with that?” Juliet asked.

The french manicure looked great on JJ, as it always did. Penelope of course went with the hottest of hot pinks with a little jewel on each thumb and Emily went with one of those striking reds you associate with a seductress who could just as easily kill you as kiss you. “What should we do now?”

Juliet looked toward Penelope, the resident queen of all things pampering. “Facials. We’ll practically fall asleep in the chairs.”

“Is that really a good idea?” JJ laughed.

But none of them seemed to care. They were relaxed, talked all the girl talk (including the BAU ladies wondering what Derek was like in bed) and nearly fell asleep as they’d all been afraid of doing, but it was a great day that Juliet hoped to be repeating more than once.

They parted ways and she called an Uber. The only option available was Uber Pool which Juliet wasn’t a huge fan of. Making small talk with strangers was among her worst nightmares. But it would be a short ride and she didn’t want to bother Derek to pick her up. The app said she was looking for a girl named Kerry with short blonde hair, green eyes, and a 2010 Toyota Camry.

A few moments later a car matching the description pulled up at the top of the block. The windows were blacked out. Weird...but people are entitled to their privacy. She shrugged it off and walked over opening the backseat door. The girl looking back at her through the driver’s mirror looked like the picture but she seemed...anxious. “Hi Kerry, I’m Juliet.” She smiled, extending a hand.

And that was when everything went to hell. The left side backseat door thudded shut as another figure entered the car, immediately stabbing a needle into her extended arm. As everything went hazy Juliet only had a split second to look up and see the one thing in the world that had ever truly terrified her.

Carter.

@epiphanyys @crimeshowtrash @literallyprentissstwin @jazz91121@jennferjareau @spencer-puppies-and-stuff @fl0werb0nes18 @stunudo @spencerthepipecleaner @theofficeofsupremegenius @ultrarebelheart @lookwhatyoumademequeue @lukeassmanalvez @mentallydatingspencerreid @nobravery @criminal-anatomy @matthew-gray-reidler @remember-me-forever-silent-angel @original-criminal-fanfics @lovelukealvez @stories-you-wont-hear @speedreiding @marvelfanlife @butsomeofusarelookingatthestars @wonderboygenius @spxcxrrxid @imagines-for-criminal-minds @acespence @sweater-vest-reid @criminalmindskeepsmealive @spenncerreiid @sam-carter-in-training @parker-hopper @spencerwreid @ssahotchner @profiler-in-training @were-skye @trollitis @heyboywonder @ficrecswithcassie @janiedreams88 @gingeraleandcontemplation @cynbx @fortheloveofspencerreid @tippy06 @cleocc @bestillmystuckyheart @ssaunitchief @xxm3xxj

#derek morgan #derek morgan x oc #derek morgan x juliet hunter lewis #derek morgan fanfiction #derek morgan fanfic #derek morgan fic #dontshootmespence #veroinnumera #broken homes fix broken hearts

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therake-1996-blog · 6 years

Text

Irreversible Ch. 12

Chapter 12- Rats

Hours pass.

The thirteen of us loiter on and around the veranda, talking and having a good time. Huedhaut even brings out the wine he makes, merlot, Riesling, and Malbec, to name a few.

As the gods go about picking their favorite flavors, I notice Zyglavis eyeing one bottle longingly.

“You like this one?” I ask, reaching out and picking it up. The bottle is dated 1042, making me raise my eyebrows. “Wow. He lets these ferment for a long time, doesn’t he?”

“That’s what makes them so good,” Leon says as he leisurely sips on the dark wine he had chosen. “The alcohol is so strong most humans wouldn’t be able to take one or two sips before they’d be completely hammered.”

“It’s get us gods trashed,” Partheno adds. “Which is saying a lot, because most other alcohols don’t affect us.” I nod, looking back down at the bottle.

Interesting.

“Why don’t you have some, then, Zyglavis?” He gives me a look.

“Can I?”

The other gods get quiet, their curiosities peaked as well. I cock my head.

“Why couldn’t you? It’s not like it’s poison.”

“Can vampires consume foodstuffs?” Huedhaut asks in place of Zyglavis. “Can your bodies process it?”

“I know we can at least drink things,” I reply. “My creator did it all the time. I don’t know if taste is altered, because I never did it, but you could at least try if you wanted.”

I pop off the cork as easily as if it was just sitting loosely on the bottle and pour the dark red liquid into a glass for Zyglavis. The rich aroma of plum fills my nose, along with notes of tea-leaf and damp earth. It smells good, at the very least.

When I hand the glass to him, Zyglavis seems hesitant, eyeing it doubtfully. To a novus, blood feels like the only thing that would ever sound remotely good, even above the things he or she loved in their human—or god—years. He swirls the alcohol lightly, watching as it delicately splashes around. Twelve pairs of eyes are glued on him, waiting with baited breath.

He lightly sniffs at it, and seems pleased that the smell hasn’t changed; I see the corners of his mouth turn the slightest bit.

And then he tilts the edge of the glass to his lips, taking a small sip.

This time when he smiles, it’s a large, blooming smile that shows all his teeth, including his new fangs. Everyone who hasn’t seen them seems unsettled at first, but Zyglavis is blissfully unaware as he happily takes another drink, deeper this time.

“It’s still good?” I ask, smiling myself.

“Very much so,” He replies. “Actually, I think it tastes even better now.”

“Interesting,” Huedhaut muses. “It seems your taste buds don’t wither, but instead become enhanced…at least, with beverages.”

“Maybe your wine is just that good.” Leon says as he reaches for his second glass.

“All I gotta say is, I’m glad you’re back, Ziggy,” Ichthys says from beside Dui. “I was so worried, I couldn’t get any pranking done!”

“Yeah, like that’s what we were worried about, ya dumbbell,” Scorpio growls.

“Seriously! You know it’s bad when I don’t prank. Like, at all.”

Ichthys’ eyes, the color of bright silver, are wide set in his head, and adorably honest. I can’t help but giggle. Zyglavis elbows me.

“Don’t encourage him.” He mutters.

“And I’ve had so many ideas, too! Do you think I could do any of ‘em? Nope!”

“Ikky, c’mon.” Teorus says, rolling his melting honey colored eyes.

“Oh, just wait. You may be a vampire, Zig, but don’t think that’s gonna stop me.”

“I honestly didn’t think it would.” Zyglavis sighs, slumping back in his seat. I lightly pat his leg.

Ichthys looks to Dui, sitting on his right, and continues,

“Did you know that the basement of the palace has rats?”

I stiffen.

“Rats?” Dui repeats. “Is that what was in that wriggling sack you had in your room? Ichthys, that’s gross!”

I feel an unpleasant shiver run down my spine. The hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stand on end, my mind already trying to choose between fight or flight. Rats.

Rats.

Rats…

“They’re cute, though! Like, look at this little guy!”

Then Ichthys snaps his fingers, and what should appear in his hand but—

A chorus of loud jeers goes out around the gods and Ichthys tries to insist how cute rats are. Until I react.

Air hisses up my throat, bursting out my lips like a threatened cat. Zyglavis’ head snaps to look at me a millisecond before everyone else’s does. It becomes dead quiet as my muscles tense, and I jerk off my seat as the thing in Ichthys’ palm looks at me with its tiny, beady little eyes.

“Eden?” There’s a raw edge to Zyglavis’ voice, but he stays frozen in his seat, like everyone else, absolutely stunned that I was the one to react this way.

My lips pull back from my teeth, my body jolting back toward the mouth of the veranda when the rat so much as twitches. Nobody moves. Nobody so much as breathes.

My mind is torn. Somewhere deep inside, I know I’m overreacting. I know it can’t hurt me anymore. But the simple, animalistic instincts I have demand that I snatch the disgusting rodent from Ichthys’ hand and twist it, crush it, mangle it and throw it away as far as I can. Another part of me screams to run. Don’t even touch it. Don’t even breathe the same air as that filthy, repulsive creature.

So I settle for the latter.

I spin on my heel and make a mad dash for the doors. I know I shouldn’t leave Zyglavis alone, but I can’t be near that sickening thing for one more second. Venom burns on my tongue as I run, my body a blur to everyone else.

…

My skin is still crawling even as I pace safe in Zyglavis’ room.

I scoff derisively at myself. Nothing but another vampire could hurt me now, and here I am, still afraid of a tiny, insignificant little rat.

I feel like I need to scrub myself. Do they make water hot enough?

The door opens as I rub my hands up and down my arms. I barely spare it a passing glance.

“Thank you, Scorpio.” Zyglavis says as he enters.

“No problem. I’ll deal with the problem child.”

He shuts the door quietly and turns to me, still fidgeting.

“Eden?” He asks softly, his eyes filled with worry. “What happened?”

“I’m…sorry,” I whisper, immense guilt flooding my system. “I know I shouldn’t have left you alone, but…but I can’t-I mean I just, I hate those-those…”

Zyglavis ghosts over to me, shushing me as he gently wraps his arms around me.

“It’s alright. Don’t worry about me, love. Do you have a phobia of rats?”

I nod silently against his chest, pressing myself as close as I can to him.

“Can you tell me why?”

I take a breath and twirl one of the tassels hanging from Zyglavis’ jacket in between my fingers.

“Because rats brought the Black Plague to Europe.”

…

“I was born in early May, around the year 1331,” I tell Zyglavis.

We lay on his bed, his arms around me and his chin resting on my head. I feel his fingers absent-mindedly play with my hair. “I had ten older brothers, seven of whom had married and moved to their own homes when…everything happened. The three youngest boys stayed behind to help father with his smith shop. It was late autumn, slowly turning into winter. We had heard stories of ‘death ships’ pulling into the harbors with most crew members dead and covered in black ooze, but we thought it nothing more than hearsay. People got sick. People died. That was an every day occurrence, something common folk like us were used to. A couple days after we heard the rumors, one of my brothers got bitten by a rat. He had caught it and was playing with it; he was always fascinated by wildlife and animals. Within the next twelve hours, he became gravely ill, spreading the disease to all of us. I remember trying to care for all five of them while I was sick myself. I would faint quite often. My throat was swollen to twice its normal size, I had a fever, and at times I could barely stand because my stomach hurt so badly,” I narrow my eyes. These are memories I haven’t allowed myself to think of for years. Zyglavis’ arms tighten around me. “Finally, I had to give up. The brothers that didn’t leave home died within three days, mother, father and I all lasting one more after. I don’t know what happened to my other brothers. I remember looking down at my fingers and seeing that they had turned black. It was terrifying, but at that point, I didn’t want to suffer anymore. I didn’t want my parents to. I wished for death.

“That’s when a plague doctor came. I thought it strange, considering the city had pretty much been abandoned save for the bodies in the streets, but he prayed with father and held mother’s hand until she passed. My father begged the doctor to save me, said he’d give his soul to the devil if that’s what it took. The doctor told him he’d do it, in the way ‘only he could’, and then, my father went. I was the only one left. He removed his mask and looked at me, completely unafraid to breathe the same infected air as me, and smiled. He had fangs.

“When he bit me, I didn’t really feel it. What I felt was heat, like I was standing over a fire. I couldn’t distinguish reality from nonreality, and it felt like my consciousness was flickering like the shutters of an old camera. I felt life holding me by one arm, death by the other, and they were both violently yanking me, both equal in strength, neither wanting to give me to the other. I kept being thrown around like a ragdoll. All the while, that heat lingered in the background. By the time I regained full consciousness, I was already halfway done with the transition. But I have to say, I was impressed when you were quiet the whole time you were changing, because the moment I came back to reality, all hell broke loose. I screamed. I thrashed. But no matter how hard or how loud I screamed, the only thing that would ease the pain was time. And finally, finally, it went away. There was no discomfort, no pain. My fingers weren’t black anymore. I could breathe.

“But my creator was…off. He scared me. He said that he couldn’t remember his real name, only that it began with Z, so that’s what he went by. He was cruel. Sadistic. He would put on that plague mask and wander around in London just to see the dead people. It brought him some sort of sick joy. He would kill just to kill. I only stayed with him for a few months before I ran.

“He followed me wherever I went. From the crowded streets of India to the dense jungles of the Amazon, it would never be too long before he found me. I ended up developing this sort of sense about three minutes before he would arrive. My skin would crawl and I would get this feeling of despair. That would always be my signal to run. He never caught me, but he never gave up his chase.”

My body shivers just thinking about it. Those dark violet eyes. The malignant, cold smirk.

Zyglavis’ arms tighten around me.

“Why is he so obsessed with you?” He whispers, more to himself than to me.

“My best guess is that he wanted me to be what I am for you.” I reply quietly. That thought makes a wave of dry nausea rock my gut, and I cuddle in closer to him. I feel his chest rumble.

“Is that right? Well,”

I blink. Zyglavis’ voice is surprisingly pleasant right now.

“After we deal with Diefropos, we’ll just have to deal with your creator.”

“No.”

I pull my head back and narrow my eyes at Zyglavis, who frowns at me.

“And why not?” He shoots back.

“Because I don’t want you within one hundred miles of him, that’s why!” I exclaim. “I’m not going to pick any fights, okay? I mean, I’ve been away from the Earth for over four hundred years now. He probably thinks I’m dead, anyway.”

“What if he finds us when we’re on Earth hunting?”

Zyglavis catches me there. I hesitate for a moment, and he smirks, knowing he’s got a point.

“Knock it off,” I growl. “If that ever becomes the case, I’ll know it, and we’ll run, like I did before. Besides that, you’d probably need the king’s permission to kill him, and you know that.”

He huffs, a dimple of frustration forming on his left eyebrow.

“Don’t worry about things you don’t need to worry about,” I tell him as I reach up and run my fingers over his cheek. “One step at a time.”

He sighs dejectedly, but, knowing he can’t argue, lets it go. For now.

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