#since after presumably watching his brother die he went on to help others escape

[honoredbastard]

I COME BACK WITH THOUGHTS/THEORIES ON ITADORI AND HIS RELATIONS- I THINK.

anyways, so i'll just point this out: i'm not good at speaking my thoughts in an organized manner. i absolutely suck at it, i speak on how my brain brings up the thoughts so i might ramble, get over my head in a thought, etc. i can't control it so i apologize in advance for the jumpiness of the texts. i will spell a lot of things wrong and not everything will be correct, as i read translations and on a manga site. don't worry it's not illegal, i believe.

MANGA SPOILERS AHEAD.

i apologize for my absence! last week or two weeks ago the tower to my computer completely broke and will not turn on. i tried to repair it and follow my fathers instructions but nothing worked. even cleaned off the fan and went through countless nights readjusting things. it's not my cords either so to help me out my father is working extra shifts to get me a new pc. so in the meantime i'll do small posts like these but not full writing/head canons until i have a computer tower lol. a family member was kind enough to allow me to have their phone while we work throughout this issue.

now onto the actual topic:

kenjaku and itadori's relationship. ( family wise ).

for context in the most recent chapter, 160 "colony" kamo shows up in sasaki's home and talks to her about the culling game and a barrier. but that's not the point, the point is as he's guiding her to the barrier inside her "dream" at the end he says "oh right. i almost forgot to tell you. thank you for getting along with my son." and then she is awakened inside the barrier, in her pajamas beside iguchi. when sasaki and iguchi look at the barrier and gather themselves they bring up kamo.

sasaki asked iguchi if he mentioned his son and he says no. this leaves sasaki in a state of confusion when itadori flashes in her mind. she says his name aloud like she finally connected the dots. now. why am i bringing up this whole kenjaku thanking sasaki for being his "son"'s friend. it throws me off because why didn't he thank iguchi?

did he not think iguchi meant their friendship? because sasaki was the one uninjured and still counted itadori as a friend? does iguchi not consider itadori as a friend anymore?

because we haven't seen these two at all since the incident. that raised many questions in me. as well "how can itadori be related to kamo?" and itadori is related to choso.

because kamo's technique is explained ( vaguely. we are aware he can create barriers, take over bodies, and has incredible cursed tools. chapter 134. this is also where choso makes his connection ( i believe. ) to itadori yuji as his brother. but because we saw this with todo many thought itadori just had another unconsious technique that allows the person who is hit create false memories and believe of a completely made up relationship with itadori without his knowledge. but alas, i was wrong. ) and we're given more hints shown than told ( imo ) i tried my best to make sense out of the situation and what he said. i think my conclusions are pretty solid, so continuing on.

we're given very little history on itadori, his past, and family. at the start of the manga we know that itadori's only family he knows is his grandfather and that he is ill in the hospital. at the very very beginning we learn that itadori is your average cute, fluffy, laid back but strong and goofy protagonist. in smaller words: itadori is kirby but even cuter and dumber.

my first impressions of him is a pineapple. if you're confused to this saying: it's calling a person prickly on the outside but sweet on the inside. and this is true, itadori's grandfather seems prickly and cold on the outside but he genuinely cares for itadori.

he raised itadori for all we know and did that with his all in assumption. but this ends up backfiring onto itadori, because he cares so much for his grandson - he ends up leaving a " curse " on yuji.

help people. save them.

itadori takes this to heart as his grandfathers speech is his last one. when he looks over to his grandfather the man is dead and now yuji is left alone. then the following events occur.

at this point in time i assumed itadori was an orphan ( he technically is if we're connecting the dots. his parents has not been shown, he doesn't speak of them, they aren't in the picture. we can conclude either they disowned itadori or died before he could make complete memories of them. )

but when we are shown in chapter 143 itadori's parents we see this "woman" jin ( yuji's father ) and his grandfather talking about has the same scar pattern. this scar pattern is either stitching ( assuming that is how kamo keeps the top of the opened skull from coming off. this is also how kamo revealed his cursed technique / body of sorts ( the brain, assuming that is kenjaku in his cursed technique and not the body / puppet he is controlling " getou suguru " ) to gojou. )

this is the only way i find kamo being able to assign itadori as his son. why is that you might be asking this dumbass here.

we do not have the full story, exact date, location, and full context of the memory/dream itadori is having. this cannot be fake either because kamo would than have no reason to call itadori his son. or is there? anyways.

take a leap of faith with me. imagine that before itadori is born ( he seems no more than a few weeks or days old in this memory. hence why i am thinking my conclusion is pretty solid in theory. but yknow gege, there might be something different. ) anywhooo.

TW. D3ATH/IMPLYING ANTI LIFE ATTEMPT

kamo had to have taken over yuji's mothers body after an accident OR after she gave birth to yuji. his grandfather is interrupted by her before he can finish his sentence but it seems to be leading to the conclusion that either kaori ( yuji's mother ) died while giving birth to yuji or kaori could not conceive and tried to take her own life or cause an accident that would take her life. ( i read a fan translation for this part but im pretty sure i also read the official translation today too and it added up to the same. )

i believe in the first idea, but since kamo's cursed technique wasn't explained in detail i don't know the conditions of his body technique. does the original host of the body have to be dead? can he regenerate body limbs ( i highly doubt. getou lost an arm during his fight with yuta. overconfident dick. reminding me of an ex ANTWAYS. i forgive him for being overconfident smooch. he learned. OFF TOPIC but continuing on i promise.

this is being continued from the cut off point. i'm so upset so it'll just be summarized. i can't believe this shit lol i took three hours just to finish it for it to literally cut off the bottom half.

continuing on in a sadge mood. kamo must not have the complete ability to take over a body. after all getou took his only arm he had as he was dying and choked his own body to his full ability. getou was willing to die ( possibly, you never know he could be alive if he killed his own body. moving on. ) just to have the chance to save his friend from being swallowed by a damn box.

so there has to be a chance that kamo cannot fully take over the previous persons complete consious and memory of their body. if getou still had his other arm after losing the fight to yuta, he could've choked kamo with both arms. in theory kamo wouldn't be able to control the right arm and die to the previous host choking him to death.

so why wouldn't the other hosts do it? after all, kamo did say it was his first time experiencing such a thing. assuming kamo has lived throughout many bodies in his 150+ lifespan none of the previous hosts could take control of their body.

i believe getou was completely influenced by gojou and his six eyes. there is no way gojou would even try to speak out to his friend unless he had an inkling or saw getou still in there. helpless and without the ability to save himself from the cage he's in.

being used and puppeteered in his own body by an external force. laughing in the world he could not. putting getou into a constant misery and defeat that he couldn't escape his hell. the one he tried so hard to fight and get out of. even if it was the wrong path.

gojou was the last person to witness getou dying. he had to watch getou bleed out after their conversation because he couldn't bring himself to kill his friend. the one he spent his whole jujutsu student life with. so for gojou to say such a thing to getou despite all that he did had to break getou out of his misery and give him that small sliver of hope that he could do something. of course he failed, but i doubt that's going to be the end of that.

the only way i see kamo being related to yuji is if he took over kaori's body before the pregnancy. assuming that when kamo takes over a body he becomes one with said body and is that person for however long he lives in said body. my only thing is, can he take over a persons body whilst they are alive? i would go more in depth like i did the last time but i am extremely upset about my work being erased so that's the end of this part.

thank you for reading! i have one more thing for you though.

the last time we see sukuna in a manga page after the shibuya incident is where he is on his throne and in his domain. this is after yuji is stabbed by yuta and is presumed "dead" at the time. he seems to be interested in yuta and i can think of 2-3 things. I would love to hear your theories too so don't be afraid to barge into my dms like the koolaid man.

A - sukuna is interested in Yuta because of his ability to use the reverse healing technique ( only a few sorcerers know this. sukuna being the first. shoko being the second one to be told that she has this power and then gojou. ) because of this he sees potential in yuta as well or has added this boy into his plans. after all, there is very few that can make sukuna make an expression that isn't an RBF. aka megumi and possibly gojou. I was looking at the page of him stabbing yuji and noticed we only see the entry point of where the blade enters. it's smaller because some got chunked off so its a possibility yuta used this to his advantage when "killing" yuji and instead hit an artery that could kill him but quickly healed him afterwards. or just his heart. the ideas.

B. Rika, Yuta is able to completely control Rika as shown. Even though he claims he is on the weak side, these two combined seem like an unstoppable force. He may be interested in Rika as she is a curse that has been put on someone that can fully control it. Not many people is shown to be able to control their curse. As we haven't met many.

this was enti and that's the last of my post! thank you for reading and it was a fun one. even though i had to restore this shit. anyways, i'd love you to add or fix up my ideas and tell me your thoughts and opinions! Thanks a bunch!

^ this is for pure humor

#𝄖entiramblesツ #jujutsu megumi #jujutsu kaisen #jjk #yuji itadori #itadori #yuji #getou suguru #suguru getou #sukuna ryomen #sukuna #yuta #jjk yuta #gojou #geto suguru #suguru geto #theories #jjk theory #manga spoilers #jjk spoilers

[mcbride]

TWD S11 Predictions - Carol/Daryl focused

disclaimer: i don't know anything. i have no sources. just my predictions, thoughts and wishful thinking based on filming tracking, intuition, some theories, images from the teaser/promo trailers and more wishful thinking!

solely focused on Carol and Daryl's storylines, cause apparently that's all my heart cares about anymore! as a wise person once said (Espy, my positive fairy! if you're reading this, ilysm), our baes need to be dealing with their own issues and demons, separately, while getting some closure with other people, so they can finally move forward together.

so i don't expect many actual caryl scenes in part 1 of s11, but i fully expect them to keep each other in mind, and even make some decisions based on a future they wanna have together even before they resolve the awkward tension between them atm.

imo the perfect caryl arc in 11a would include a lot of emotional encounters, drama, disappearances, fake deaths, torture, tragedy, dog, closure and make up and make out... after the jump....

it appears that Carol and Daryl will be involved in different missions at the start of the season - he will head out with Maggie's group to search for food when they are caught up in a storm and have to hide out in the subway tunnels; while i presume she stays back to defend and help clean up ASZ or goes on her own mission with Kelly and Magna.

Carol, Kelly and Magna end up stumbling upon Connie's journal, a symbol of hope for all of them. they might even decide to search the area for any more signs of Connie. i really want Carol herself to find Connie and bring her back to Kelly. and not cause Carol is a hero who saved Connie, nooooooo cause Connie can save her own self. she is strong, not a damsel in distress. she went through hell but she made it back. i think we will see Connie and what she has been through, however, i don't believe she will reunite with anyone from team family before the MSF (11x08) or even MSP (11x09). no idea who she and Virgil are running from in the trailer - it could either be a whisperer, a stray reaper or just some crazy random motherf*cker they run into.

while Maggie's group are in the tunnels, dog runs off and Daryl goes to search for him, never making it back to the group for some reason. after the storm is over, Maggie and the group search for Daryl but not having been able to find him (?) they just assume he is gone, possibly dead? i don't know why Maggie would give up so easily searching for family, but it seems like her current MO to just leave people behind.

along the way, Carol and Magna will find common ground and actually become besties cause she desperately needs some female friends. please and thank you. they can bond over the hope to find Connie alive and well, or the fact, both of them are currently in a very awkward position with their boos while having no idea where the heck they are.

Daryl probably got separated from the group while escaping a small herd in the tunnels (cue to Daryl's face covered in blood in the woods) and when he finally finds dog, he comes face to face with a masked reaper formerly known to him as Leah. he is shocked to learn she's part of the group that targeted Maggie. Leah is probably bitter Daryl chose his family instead of her a few years ago cause she has no idea he came back for her... so she and her friends take (willingly or not!) Daryl prisoner... possibly torture him and play mind games to gather information on team family.

in the sdcc trailer, there are some very heartbreaking scenes with Carol (and Aaron?), i cannot wait for it. i know it's gonna make me cry so hard and i've been needing Carol/Aaron friendship for years. at the same time, i expect Carol to also have some badass fighting scenes with her daughter-in-law and new bestie, Lydia, and tia Rosita! YES girl power!! people need Carol and she's totally there for them.

Aaron seems to be in a bad place emotionally (possibly something happened to Gracie, or just the fact they lost a lot of people in the whisperers war!) and Carol will be there to urge him not to make the same mistakes she did. hopefully, these 2 can join forces and come up with a masterplan to defeat the reapers.

Daryl being Daryl who always wants to save people even from themselves, tries to convince Leah to change sides, join team family, or convince her own family to leave his family alone. he's unsuccessful and when Daryl tries to escape, setting the whole place on fire and killing a few men on his way out of the reapers compound, Leah threatens to harm dog. cause why not? she obvi loves nothing or no one! they take Daryl back to another cell, and dog manages to escape.

meanwhile, Maggie's group returns to ASZ, where they tell Carol they believe Daryl is lost or dead. please give me all the angst that comes with Carol thinking she may have lost Daryl forever! she has been pretty committed to the group and rebuilding their home, but i believe her first instinct will be to run, to leave... TO FIND DARYL!!! cause no way in hell would Carol just accept he's gone unless she sees it with her own eyes.

WELL in true 'if you can't beat them, then join them' fashion, after a few brainwashing sessions with Leah, Daryl tells her all about the note (FIND ME) he left for her at the cabin, how he knows he made the wrong decision then, declares his loyalty to her and joins the reapers...

dog arrives at ASZ just as Carol is about to leave to search for Daryl. good boy always comes back home to mama and together they will find and save dada. (bear with me! from now on i'll be totally running wild with my wishful thinking... it will pretty much read like some fanfic plot!)

Daryl keeps trying to fit in with the reapers group, but he's only taking a page from Carol's undercover book - fake it till you make it + destroy them from the inside. what he doesn't know is that Leah and her new/old bf (Pope!?) have been planning an attack on ASZ behind his back. they simply let him know, this is his chance to prove himself to the reapers. he has to go along with the plan (or DIE!), but he hopes to be Alexandrians' inside man, helping them protect their family at all costs (ironically, exactly what Negan did when he joined the whisperers and they attacked Hilltop... just not the same motivation! i guess Carol wasn't so wrong about Negan after all!)

at night, Daryl puts on his reaper costume and they head to ASZ. reapers learned the location of the place by tracking dog. the plan was much bigger and more explosive than Daryl expected, the reapers destroy a big part of ASZ brand new rebuilt wall and set fire to a bunch of houses and the mill before Daryl can even react.

Alexandrians and reapers fight as Daryl sneaks out to lead the kids to safety. he finds Maggie, asks for Carol, and is glad she is out there looking for him, relatively safe, rather than around to fight and watch ASZ fall.

while out looking for Daryl, Carol hears the explosions, sees the fire and she and dog return to ASZ as fast as they can. they are greeted by Leah at what used to be front gate...

i realize this is getting extremely long, so i'll just say that i absolutely don't want Carol to have anything to do with Leah's possible imminent death. i don't want that guilt on her conscience, and i don't want her to feel like Leah is just another person she took from Daryl (like Connie!). i don't even want Leah to die! unless she's trying to hurt or kill Daryl.

somehow i think it would be a good twist, if for a quick second Carol thought Daryl had betrayed them and joined the reapers for Leah. of course, Carol knows better. SHE KNOWS DARYL. he would never, but for a brief panicked moment, it would be good to see her react to that. i can only imagine the pain in her eyes. but she also trusts Daryl with her life.

we have no idea what Leah knows about Carol, but i'd like the pocketknife Daryl regifted to come back. how would Leah react? likely angry to see another woman with something that was hers. i want to believe Daryl would never tell Leah anything about Carol because she is just too important and too personal to share. but maybe Leah can tell there was someone else !? who knows.

i just want it to be completely clear Daryl is done with that part of his past. Daryl is not alone and lost in the woods anymore without his brother Rick and his bestie Carol. ever since Carol brought him back, Daryl has acted like he knows exactly what he wants and he's done playing games. and what he wants is not Leah or Connie. he wants for ALL his family to be safe and happy, and he wants to run away with Carol and see the world. AND i want both Carol and Daryl to feel free to be free and live freely.

as for the make up and make out part... (that's saved for 11b, hopefully!)

team family won, most of the reapers are dead, except for Leah. Daryl (with Carol's nod of approval!) decides to spare her, gives her some supplies and tells her to get lost. at the same time, Eugene arrives with the troopers from CommonWealth to help with the whisperer war. WHOOPS. 2 wars, 2 late, bruh! but the group leaves to join the good people at CW.

Carol and Daryl have a very long conversation about everything that happened and what they have been feeling. Daryl telling her exactly why he was so mad at her (she kept leaving, can't commit!), her actions (almost getting herself killed!) since Henry's death and how he needs her in his life. no matter how she sees herself or whether she thinks she's worthy or not, he just wants her to be there next to him for whatever is to come.

plus Carol realizing she needed to get closer and let people in without fear, not give up hope and actually fight for a better future for herself. and finally, admitting to Daryl that it was horrible to think he might've been gone forever, promising to never make him feel the way she felt. basically, a promise to never ever leave him again (cue to making out!)

#caryl #caryl rants #caryl predictions #carol peletier #daryl dixon #dog dixon #s11 spoilery #good lawd this is long af #did i go full td here? #or plausible possibility territory? #wishful thinking #speculation

[blacklilyqueen]

Maybe tomorrow

Summary: Rex and Ahsoka both worry about each other after the war and desperately hope for a sign to know that the other is still alive.

Pairing: Rexsoka

Warnings: Angst

Word Count: 1849

Note: Based on this comic by @luoiae​

"Any news from Ahsoka, Wolffe?" "No."

Part of him had expected that answer, yet he hoped for some news from her. It didn't have to be much. Just a small token to let him know she was okay, that she was safe, that she was alive.

Rex hadn't heard from her since their escape a few months ago. At first, he thought she was just trying to maintain a low profile. Messages could be intercepted and right now it was important that he, and especially she, stayed out of sight. And even though that thought was somewhat comforting, he always wondered if something bad had happened to her.

He wished he could have contacted her, but for their safety, they both thought it would be the best if he didn't know her exact location. His days were filled with as many chores as possible, hoping it might distract him from his worries. But every night, when he closed his eyes and nothing else remained to occupy him, he would see her in front of him. Sometimes everything was peaceful. She just stood there looking at him with that beautiful smile. Her eyes shone with joy and it was as if nothing could destroy that moment.

However, there were other nights. Nights when he woke up from sleep with his eyes wide open and his heart racing. His mind plagued by images of Ahsoka, covered in blood and in captivity. He saw the Emperor’s Inquisitors torturing her. Heard her screams. Had to watch her die slowly but surely. And there was nothing he could do about it.

He had such a dream that night and like every time he had hoped for a message from her to make sure she was alright. Almost every day he asked Wolffe if he had heard from her and day after day he was disappointed. He left the former clone commander behind and returned to his daily distractions.

Maybe tomorrow he would hear from her.

 "Hey, Rex. I hope you're all safe."

Although there were a thousand things she wanted to say to him and tell him about, that was all she said. For months she had tried to contact him over and over again, but he never answered any of her transmissions. So it happened that she didn't produce more than that one sentence, because at that moment all the other things didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that he was safe.

More and more often she caught herself worrying about him. What if the Empire found out he was alive? What if they knew he had helped her escape? It would be his death sentence.

But maybe he just cared about her and was afraid to answer her. Over the past few months, she had increasingly tried to convinced herself that it must be because of that. Although this thought gave her a little comfort, she still wanted certainty.

Maybe he would answer tomorrow.

 "She still hasn't...?" "No."

"I see," the words hardly seemed to leave his mouth. He stood with his back to Wolffe and now turned his head away again. His muscles tensed a little at Wolffe's answer and his fingernails dug into his palm even though he didn't realize it. He was about to leave when Wolffe said something else:

"She's not dead. If she were, we'd know it. The Empire tends to make a big spectacle out of the death of a Jedi."

Rex knew he was right. He also knew Wolffe only meant well, yet it was anything but reassuring. The thought of Ahsoka's death plagued him enough as it was, now saying it out loud didn't make it any better. Three years was an extremely long time when you don’t know if the other person is still alive or not. He fervently hoped so, but his doubts grew with each passing day.

He turned his head once again in his brother's direction and gave him a small nod. He didn’t have enough strength for more. He left the room and went to the small cabin that the three clones shared for sleeping. Since Gregor was exploring, Rex had a moment of peace to himself. The door closed and so did Rex's eyes. He took one deep breath and as he exhaled, he slammed his hand, still clenched into a fist, against the wall next to him with all his strength.

He ignored the pain in his hand as his knees gave way and he slowly went down. His back was now leaning against the wall he had just punched. He angled his legs, propped his elbows on his thighs and buried his face in his hands. His chest rose and fell faster and faster as his heart seemed to contract further and further. When he lifted his face, he ran his right hand over his short hair, trying to get his breathing back to normal.

She's not dead. She is not dead. She is not dead.

Over and over again he repeated the words in his head. As his whole body focused on that thought, he slowly calmed down. His breathing was back to normal, the pain in his chest lessened, and his muscles began to relax.

She’d contact him tomorrow.

Yes, he was sure she would. Wolffe was right. If she were dead, he would know. He shouldn't worry. Soon he would hear her voice again, assuring him that she was alive. He tried to hold on to that thought, but part of his mind wouldn't give him that peace, and so a second thought mixed in.

There are things much worse than death.

No. She was fine. She would call tomorrow. She had to call tomorrow. Because he didn't know what to do if she wouldn’t.

 "It's been a while. I hope you're okay."

Even Ahsoka could hear how weak her voice sounded. It had been too long since she had last seen Rex. Her mind kept wandering back to that day. She shouldn't have left him. She should have stayed. Every time she left, she lost the people who mattered most to her. It was like she was abandoning everyone she cared about.

Rex, Anakin, Obi Wan, the 501st, the Order, she had abandoned them all more than once and she had lost them all. But this time there was no going back. The Jedi Order was past, Anakin and Obi Wan were dead, only Rex was left. At least, that's what she hoped. She couldn't possibly admit to herself that the last person who represented a connection to her former life had just disappeared like that.

Again and again she thought about flying to him to make sure he was okay. But she could not risk putting him in danger. No matter if someone followed her or if they clashed with the Empire on the ground, she could not let him die because of her. And he would if they were seen together.

"Please contact me. Please. Please. Please."

The connection had been broken for a long time, so she spoke only to herself. He would get back to her tomorrow. She clung to that thought as tightly as she could. Yes, he most certainly would.

“…” “Still nothing.”

He didn't even have to say anything anymore. It had been 14 years, and yet Rex asked the same question every day. There was a time when the uncertainty had made him angry, but not anymore. Where anger used to be there was now a great emptiness now. He had grown accustomed to taking no for an answer. When you expected nothing, you couldn't be disappointed, but hopelessness hurt just as much and Rex couldn't tell which pain was worse.

For a time he thought it would be the best to accept that she was dead. If it were true, he wouldn't have to worry every day about the unknown. And if it were false, he would be even more relieved should she come to him after all. But he was so wrong. Day after day he had reproached himself for declaring her dead just like that. How could he ever look her in the eye and tell her that he had simply given up on her? He couldn't do that to her and he couldn't do that to himself.

So every day he lived with the pain of hope that would probably never be fulfilled. And with each passing day, that hope dwindled bit by bit. He could never bring himself to fully acknowledge her death, but he knew that he would probably never hear her voice again, never see her face again, and never touch her body again.

Despite the daily disappointment, a part of him whispered to him, as it had every day for the past 14 years: maybe tomorrow.

 "I hope you're still alive."

Ahsoka tried to suppress the tremor in her voice. But it didn't help and she felt her voice break on the last word. Hot tears ran down her cheeks and clouded her vision.

All these years she had convinced herself that there must have been a reasonable reason why he didn't answer. Had convinced herself that he must still be alive, but now she was no longer sure. The horrible truth she had recently learned made her doubt his safety.

The feeling of Anakin's presence in the Force surrounded by icy coldness, which held him captive and had completely taken possession of him, wouldn’t let go of her. She did not want to believe it, but it had to be true. Anakin was Vader, and once she admitted that to herself, all her hopes that her old friends were still alive were dashed.

She knew how obsessed Anakin could be, and if he really had turned to the Dark Side, he certainly wouldn't let up in pursuit of his goals. If he knew Rex was still alive and that he had helped her escape, that he had disobeyed the Order 66 and sided with the Jedi, Vader would kill him without hesitation.

The only thing that gave her a little hope was that her old master had thought her dead, and hopefully the same was true for Rex. He certainly wouldn't have wasted time looking for a single clone who was presumed dead. But if Vader had even the slightest suspicion that one of them might still be alive and rebelling against him and the Empire, it would have been a sure death sentence.

But if Vader had really found Rex and learned that his inhibitor chip had been removed, he would have expected Ahsoka to still be alive. Yes, that's how it had to be. So Vader couldn't have known about Rex. Normally this should be good news, but even without the danger from Vader, there were a thousand other things that could have killed Rex. But she didn't want to think about that. Kanan, Ezra and the others would surely find him soon and then they would meet again.

But a small voice in her head whispered: Maybe tomorrow…but maybe never.

#rexsoka #ahsoka tano #captain rex #ct 7567 #rexsoka drabble #star wars drabble #ahsoka x rex #ahsoka tano x rex #star wars

[notchesandbullets]

Saving Her (Ojiro Mashirao x Wolf!Reader)

A/N: dedicated to the anon who wanted me to write a oneshot about ojiro giving the reader a gift, this fanfic is for you 💖💖 this is incredibly self-indulgent and ive been working on it for over a month now. its almost done but i’ll post what i have so far, i hope you like it!!

Contains reluctant Aizawa to soft Dadzawa, annoying brother Shinsou, pure Eri-chan, bakugou's notorious cursing, sweet and innocent fluff between reader-chan and Ojiro. First friend Ojiro to best friend and then lover. Featuring the rest of Class 1-A and them acting like hooligans.

Part 1: Crashing into Ojiro, Room Competition, meeting Class 1-A and Aizawa, who has some bad news for you when you’re discovered.

Word Count: 7k 

The sun was setting, casting a golden glow over the busy city of Musutafu.

Ojiro had planned on taking Tokoyami with him, but his friend was still in the middle of unpacking as he was leaving.

He was on the way back to the dorms from the grocery store with a bag of ingredients and sweets as per Sato's request. It was a bit longer of a walking distance since he was so used to coming from his house and would take some getting used to, now that Heights Alliance was his home.

The streets weren't any busier than usual, but when he saw something flicker out of the corner of his eyes off to the side, he couldn't help but feel as though something was wrong.

Maybe it was his hero blood or something stronger but he didn't waste any time diving into action.

As he rounded the corner, his eyes widened as someone crashed into him, nearly toppling him over. He caught his balance just in time, steadying the person that had collided into his chest but not before he saw it.

Blood matting down your hair had his heart dropping in horror. You were trembling in his arms, positively terrified and it didn't take long to figure out what the cause of your stress was when two more figures slinked out of the shadows.

Ojiro acted quickly, using his tail to whisk the two of you higher until you were out of sight. He curled his arms tightly but carefully around your waist, making sure that you wouldn't fall.

Thanks to Ectoplasm's guidance, he had refined his skills and learned how to be unpredictable.

It wasn't until you two were safely on top of the nearest roof did he loosen his grip. Leaning over the edge cautiously, he watched the strangers bolt off in opposite directions, presumably to look for you. He was pretty sure they didn't see him take you away but he wasn't completely certain. Pulling back, he released you from his hold. But he didn't take any offense to the way you practically flew from his touch.

He could see it in your eyes. Fear as deep as yours shouldn't ever be allowed to get that far, for anyone.

You hugged your trembling body with your arms, desperately willing the anxiety to die down so that you could think straight. All you could think about was running. Far, far away where no one could get to you.

"Ah... sorry to take you away so suddenly like that, but it looked like you seemed to be in trouble." Ojiro apologized.

His sheepish tone made you finally break out of your thoughts and for a moment, the two of you didn't say anything, both of you enamored with the other as you got a proper look.

He didn't think he had ever seen anyone as beautiful as you before. Round orbs blinking up at him curiously, your fuzzy ears perched on top of your head perked up as you met his gaze, bushy tail twitching behind you.

As for you, your mouth dried at the sight of your savior. His golden hair and kind smile made your heart skip a beat for reasons unknown to you. You couldn't stop your tail from thumping excitedly against the rooftop when you saw his tail.

It was much bigger and looked much stronger than yours was and you couldn't stop from bounding over to it eagerly, stretching out a tentative hand to touch it.

But you halted at the last second and recoiled, expecting to be punished for your behavior.

Ojiro frowned, taking notice of your trepidation and offered you an encouraging smile. "It's okay, you can touch it if you'd like."

He lifted his tail slightly, inviting your curiosity forth and a bit nervously, you reached out your hand once again. A wide smile split your features as you felt the soft, short fur underneath, your other hand going up to pet your ears, as if to compare the softness.

Ojiro couldn't help but match your smile at that, finding it adorable. Tucking his legs underneath him so that you could still play with his tail, he breached the topic sensitively.

"What's your name?" He asked quietly. "Who were those guys that were after you?"

At first, you seized up and for a minute there, he was worried he went about asking you the wrong way. But a deep sigh left your lungs and testing the waters, you timidly introduced yourself and began to explain in a concise way, your current situation.

You honestly weren't entirely sure how you got there.

But one bad thing after another landed you in a pretty rough neighborhood notorious for Quirk Traffickers. They looked for people with unique abilities that would sell well on the black market. People paid a lot of money to own those they deemed exotic, particularly kids and teens with quirks that had an effect on their physical appearance.

You were no exception, having been cursed with an extremely rare wolf quirk. All it ever brought you was trouble.

You had heard that quirks were hereditary but yours definitely wasn't. You don't know which ancestor it came from when it appeared out of the blue.

Tiny fangs, fluffy ears and a tail emerged one day. But your excitement of discovering it was short-lived when you were abandoned by your parents the very next day. They had found it disgusting.

Young and innocent, you wandered the streets, not sure what you were supposed to do. That's when they caught you.

You bounced from one owner to another, never staying in one place for very long. You had been brought back to their base of operations in Japan, your last master less than satisfied with you since all you did was hide out of fear of everyone, lashing out when he tried to approach you.

You may or may not have bitten a guest when they tried to touch your ears.

Back in your homeland, that's when you saw your opening.

You didn't know what propelled your legs to start running from the men but pretty soon you were out of breath and out of options. Alone in the alleyway, but not for long, you frantically scanned for an escape route.

And that's when you crashed into him.

A shadow fell over Ojiro's face as he heard you explain your past, hands balling into fists at his sides. He wouldn't stand behind while someone was tormenting you. No hero would allow something like this to continue.

Coming to his decision instantly, he stood up, extending a hand out to you.

"Y/N, will you come with me?" He asked, gaze unwavering. "I think I know where you'll be safe, at least for now."

You paused, skeptical. "I-I... I don't know."

He squatted down beside you, patting your head gently. If there was more time, he would've been more patient but he couldn't help but feel uneasy the longer you guys stayed out in the open. Even if you were out of sight, a rooftop wasn't a permanent place for you to hide out in.

Your eyes went wide but you didn't shrink away. You didn't know why. Anytime someone reached for your head, they always had this glint in their eyes, but this time, he looked desperate.

Desperate for you to believe him.

"You must have a hard time trusting people after all you've been through." Ojiro empathized before urgency seeped into his tone. "I really don't want to leave you alone. My sensei might be able to help you but only if you come with me."

You still didn't look entirely convinced but he didn't blame you.

"If you don't like what he says, then you don't have to listen." Ojiro reassured you easily. "No one's going to force you to do anything. You can make your own choice but let me at least give you more options."

That was what finally made you drop your guard, still wary but choosing to trust him for now. After all, he did save you earlier.

You put your hand in his, cheeks warming as he squeezed it slightly.

"Okay."

The two of you traveled to Heights Alliance, the dormitory for Class 1-A of UA High School. He immediately found his teacher, Aizawa, and told him of your circumstances. The man's rough and rugged appearance caused fear to flash through you but only for an instant.

He concealed it well but he seemed kind. Not outwardly like Ojiro, but it was enough to reassure you for now.

All throughout Ojiro's explanation, you hid behind his broad back, shivering at the way his tail curled around your waist to keep you close to him.

It was weird. It didn't feel restricting like you expected it to, it almost felt protective. You kind of liked it. You giggled as the furry tip of his tail tickled your nose playfully and you batted at it, eyes shining as you momentarily forgot where you were.

Aizawa was silent as his student finished explaining why he had a wolf girl attached to his side, scratching the back of his neck as he racked his brain to come up with a solution that wouldn't land you back in that same place again but also without compromising the safety of his students.

Since you were an orphan and a minor, the police would most likely take you to an orphanage, in which case the people looking for you would certainly find you. Aizawa called Principal Nezu and got permission from him to house you at the dorms until the threat hanging over your head was dealt with by the authorities.

You blinked when he asked you if you wanted to stay with them for the time being while they ironed out all the details and see what could be done for a more permanent residence but accepted his offer with a shy and grateful smile.

Then was the matter of actually carrying it out.

The two wanted to settle you in a room of your own but your ears flattened against your head in distress at the suggestion so they quickly dropped that idea.

Aizawa ran a hand tiredly through his hair, unsure of how to resolve this when you clearly were in danger but didn't want to be left alone. The less people that knew of your whereabouts the better and even though he knew Yaoyorozu would probably do a good job looking after you, you clung to Ojiro's side like glue.

You seemed the most comfortable with him and he figured they could use that for now.

Needless to say, Ojiro was surprised when Aizawa suggested he take care of you until the man could figure out a way to accommodate you without you having an anxiety attack but he readily agreed with a slight blush on his face.

He just wanted you to be safe and happy and he was stunned that his sensei trusted him enough to be responsible for you.

Aizawa promptly handed him a small first-aid kit to take care of the blood smeared on your forehead after ensuring that it wasn't anything serious. It was just a slight nick, shallow enough not to need any stitches since it would heal relatively quickly. He told him to clean it before it got infected and his student nodded seriously.

"You can count on me, Aizawa-sensei!!" Ojiro said, bowing respectfully to thank him for all he had done before leaving.

With Ojiro guiding the way, the two of you snuck through the back door and up into his room for you to get settled in. The other students in his class were bustling around the common floor, moving all their things into their respective rooms, hoping to get it done before dark.

It was loud and chaotic, or maybe that was just your sensitive ears picking up on it more. Curiosity peaked, you peeked around the corner after you ensured you were out of their sight, gaze falling on the activity going on below from the second floor.

Ojiro softly pointed each one of them out, telling you their names as they talked over each other.

"I can't believe we get to live together!!" Ashido exclaimed happily, doing a little dance in front of Hagakure and Uraraka. "This is so exciting!!"

"I can't believe my parents agreed to it!!" The invisible girl commented, undoubtedly puffing out her cheeks.

The red-haired and yellow-haired boys who were wrestling in the corner paused for a second to join in on the girls' conversation.

"Did you have a hard time convincing them?" Kirishima asked, only to be smacked upside the head by Kaminari. "Ow, what the heck man?!"

"Why are you asking such a dumb question?" The electric boy retorted, kicking up his feet and smirking. "She could've always just snuck out of the house if they said no. You know, invisibility quirk and all."

He leaped up with a yelp as something shocked him from behind, whirling around to glare at Jirou, who was twirling her earphone jack around a finger nonchalantly.

She sighed, retracting the other one from where she had send an electric pulse through him. "What an idiot."

Kaminari gripped his hair, nearly tearing it out in frustration. "That's what I'm saying!!"

Sero, who was passing by with a box full of his things, stopped and raised an eyebrow. "You know she's talking about you, right?"

"That's not true!!" Kaminari shouted incredulously.

"It's true." Jirou retorted flatly.

The others in the vicinity burst into laughter and you couldn't help but giggle a bit along with them, muffling the sound behind your hand in fear that they would catch you spying on them.

Ojiro's tail twined around your waist gently, steering you towards the elevators. "C'mon, this way."

That contraption alone was the most nerve-wracking thing you've experienced so far. Luckily, the ride wasn't long but that was the only upside. Your tail swished nervously behind you and you didn't relax until the door to his room on the third floor softly clicked closed behind you.

Ojiro breathed a sigh of relief, glancing up at you. You had made it without being spotted by anyone. Thankfully.

He didn't have many things, so moving in wasn't a problem for him and it didn't take too long. He was one of the first ones to finish, along with Shoji, and helped Sato unpack his things until his friend noticed he needed some more ingredients for the cake he wanted to make later on.

The plastic bag crinkled as he took out the snacks he had found while he was getting Sato more flour and sugar. Your nose twitched cutely and he had to refrain from poking your cheek, lest he scare you off.

Your tail was less frazzled now and he took it as a sign that you were getting accustomed to your surroundings.

His eyes softened as you took in his room, pawing at the neat collection of books on his desk before your attention flitted up to the high shelving above your head.

This time, Ojiro couldn't contain his fond smile as he reached over you to grab what you were longingly looking at.

Your eyes went wide as his chest pressed against your back, he easily reached it since he was taller than you. A small giraffe plushie landed in your hands not long after.

He tilted his head, eyes crinkling at the edges as he smiled at you. "Cute, right?"

His little sister, Holly, gave it to him as a going-away present when he moved into the dorms. He missed her so much already but the presence of this little stuffed giraffe soothed his heart.

You held it so gently, as if you were scared you would destroy it.

"Yeah..." You trailed off quietly and he beamed.

It was his first time hearing your voice so unrestrained and free from the fear that gripped you earlier but nothing could have prepared him for how pure and precious it was. He ruffled your hair gently, being mindful of your fluffy ears and looking out for any signs you were uncomfortable with the affectionate gesture.

But his heart skipped a beat when you closed your eyes at his touch, clearly enjoying it and even going so far as to butt your head against his hand in a silent plea for more pets.

You flushed when he chuckled, obliging you for a minute longer until you were like putty in his hands.

The both of you jumped when a loud crash came from downstairs, accompanied by a flurry of enraged shouting and colorful insults even through the many floors. Ojiro casted a worried glance at you but all his concern melted away when a little giggle left your lips.

Relieved that you didn't seem to be too shaken by the noise, he offered the snacks he bought earlier, taking the package and ripping it open for you when you fumbled with it.

Thanking him quietly, you nibbled on the food gratefully. The flavors exploded in your mouth and you positively beamed, radiating the same pure energy you emitted earlier when you had spoken to him.

Ojiro maneuvered around you, finding what he was looking for pretty quickly.

You looked up curiously when he came back, shifting your weight on your knees, unsure of why he was holding a water bottle in your field of vision.

"I need to treat your cut, is that okay?" He asked, unscrewing the cap and pouring a little bit on the cloth he got from the first-aid kit. He didn't want to startle you, so he narrated what he was doing.

You nodded, setting down your half-eaten cookie carefully and brushed back your tangled hair as much as you could so that it wasn't in the way.

Your breath caught in your throat when he moved closer to you. He angled your chin up, gazing into your eyes as he wiped the blood away first to assess the damage done.

"It's going to sting a little bit." He murmured, preparing the antibiotic.

Squeezing your eyes shut, you gripped onto the lapels of his blazer, practically ripping it as your claws came out when he dabbed the cut. You whimpered in pain, tears leaking out of the corner of your eyes at how much it hurt.

Ojiro faltered, your whimper sending a spike straight through his heart and he hastened, not wanting you to be in pain any longer. But he was thorough, well aware that if he didn't do a good job now, there was a chance you would have to endure it again. As soon as he disinfected it, he applied a couple butterfly closures to aid the healing process.

It wasn't bleeding anymore and he sighed in relief.

You panted heavily when he was finally done. Rubbing your eyes furiously, you blinked through your blurry vision, frantically scanning the room as his warmth suddenly disappeared.

"Y/N-chan?"

The voice was close by but not close enough. Your breathing started to pick up, hands clammy and tail fluffed out. An obvious sign you were stressed.

"Y/N-chan!!"

This time, it was a lot closer and you sank back, relieved beyond belief as the familiar sensation of his tail encircling your waist returned.

You stammered out his name, blindly reaching for him.

"Where did you go?" Your whispered, fingers trembling uncontrollably as he pulled you into his chest.

"Just had to put away the bandages." He reassured you, concerned with how quickly you were to losing it. "Are you okay?"

Your ears flopped back and forth at how vigorously you nodded, as if you needed to convince him like your life depended on it and his mouth twisted into a small frown.

"You don't have to do that." He said, going to pet you once more, smiling in relief as your tail finally stopped lashing behind you.

"... 'm sorry." You mumbled sadly, clutching onto the front of his jacket.

"It's okay." Ojiro replied, stroking your hair to calm you down. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Just how much pain had you endured?

This time when he stood up, you were okay. Somehow comforted that he wasn't going to go anywhere anytime soon, you polished off your snack as he got something else from the closet.

"Here."

You perked up at the sight of the blue hoodie in his outstretched hand.

Ojiro laughed at your expression of awe as you accepted it and ran your fingers over the material. "You seemed cold so how about you hang onto this for now?"

It was one of his lounging hoodies that he didn't wear too often but it was rather warm and would hopefully stop you from shivering. That tattered dress you were wearing looked like it was about to go any second. He didn't want to know how weak your immune system was to be freezing cold in the middle of August.

You beamed happily, bowing repeatedly. "Thank you, Ojiro-san!!"

It had gotten stuck over your head when you tried to pull it down though and with a muffled squeak that gained his attention, he tugged down the hem, smiling when your ears and flushed face popped through.

Just when I thought she couldn't get any cuter... He thought to himself as you began to run around the room, climbing on anything and everything once he told you that he didn't mind.

His clothes swallowed your smaller frame and he found it incredibly endearing with the way you would flap your arms around, claiming you had sweater paws. It fell just above your knees, keeping it modest.

He steered you away from the balcony for now, wanting you to stay where he could keep an eye on you.

After a few more hours of you getting adjusted, you had tuckered yourself out and curled up into a ball on the floor at the foot of his bed.

Ojiro frowned once he noticed you taking a nap on the hard surface, abandoning his studying at his desk to take you in his arms and placing you in his bed.

You stirred, heavy eyelids struggling to open as you croaked out, "W-What? Ojiro-san, what's going on??"

"You can't sleep on the floor, Y/N-chan." He chided lightly. "It's not good for your back."

Sleepy haze diminishing, you bolted upright, nearly smacking him in the face when you realized where he had put you.

"I can't sleep in your bed!!" You burst out incredulously.

Ojiro hushed you, worriedly glancing at the door as if his friends would come barging in without any warning but luckily they didn't. He didn't put it past them but this was one time where he didn't want them to do that.

He tried to ease you back down but you wouldn't obey.

"Don't worry, the sheets are new." He reassured.

His eyebrow furrowed when you shook your head violently from side to side, wondering what you were so worked up about. You tried to climb out and he let you but didn't let you go too far.

"What's wrong?" He asked quickly, the possibility that he had offended you coming to light. "I didn't mean to—"

"I'm not allowed to!!" You suddenly blurted out.

He did a double take and you looked over his shoulder, your eyes darting everywhere else besides him.

Crouching down to your level, he soothed you gently. "Hey, it's okay. What do you mean you're not allowed to?"

You absentmindedly picked at the wound closures on your forehead, swallowing thickly when he took your hand in his to prevent you from messing with the bandages.

"Y/N-chan?" He prompted.

Your mutter was so quiet he had to strain himself to hear you right and when he did, he asked you to repeat it because by All Might was his blood boiling if he heard you correctly.

You gulped, intimidated by the brazen anger in his eyes, fiddling with the hem of his hoodie.

"They said we're animals and called us dirty. We're not supposed to sleep where humans do." With each word, you got quieter until his face was right in front of yours. "They were right... weren't they?"

Squeaking as you got engulfed in a hug, you tensed up and he broke it, apologizing profusely.

"I'm sorry, I just," He ran a hand through his hair, conflicted. "They couldn't be more wrong."

He didn't touch you but he didn't need to for you to feel his warm presence extending out towards you and covering you in the most love you've experienced since your parents left.

"You might have an animal quirk but you're human just like the rest of us and don't deserve to be treated any less than that by anyone." He emphasized, then pounded a fist to his chest. "From now on, I'll look out for you and show you what it's like to be treated like an equal, as a friend, if you'll let me."

Ojiro held out his hand. "Deal?"

You sniffled, unbelievably moved by his kindness after only knowing you for less than a day. "Deal."

You sealed it with a handshake and he gestured to the rumpled bed behind him.

Waving his hand grandly, he proclaimed, "Your napping space awaits."

He internally winced at how corny that sounded but hearing your laughter ring in the air more than made up for it. As he helped you settle beneath the covers, he reassured you constantly but patiently that you really were allowed to sleep in a bed and no, you weren't bothering him or being a burden.

After that, you couldn't fall asleep right away and he really didn't want to study anymore so the two of you talked.

He told you about his family, how he got into UA, stuttering nervously a couple of times only to shoot you a grateful smile when you didn't judge or make fun of him. He told you about his little sister, a cute, precious little girl who was growing up faster than he liked to admit. Retelling and entertaining you with stories of his classmates and their adventures, his tail flicked up excitedly when you started to chime in with experiences of your own.

Things you could remember from your past. Foods you liked, hobbies you had, friends you liked to play with, and he listened attentively through it all. When you started to drift off, you sleepily mumbled offhandedly how you liked it when he patted your head or rubbed your ears.

And you especially liked it when he would hug you with his tail.

Ojiro just smiled softly, tucking the blanket around you before brushing the hair away from your face. You looked so peaceful. He got to his feet and stretched his arms over his head, jaw dropping in surprise when his gaze landed on the bag discarded on the floor. He had completely forgotten about that.

Shaking your shoulder to rouse you from your tranquil state, he whispered apologies when you finally opened your eyes.

"I'm so sorry I woke you up but I have to go to Sato-kun's room really quick to give him the flour and sugar I bought earlier, okay?" He rushed out, tripping over his words to get it out faster so that you could go back to sleep.

"Can't I go with you?" You mumbled, still half asleep.

Ojiro shook his head, remembering what Aizawa said about exposure. Sure, he trusted his classmates but there was a big difference between what he wanted and what was logical. Your chances were better off with the less that people knew you of your whereabouts so he refused, even though it nearly broke his heart when you trained your wide orbs on him.

Pushing out your bottom lip slightly, tears collected at the corner of your eyes. "You don't want me there?"

He was quick to kneel down by your side, unable to stop himself from pressing his forehead to your temple in a desperate attempt to make the sadness in your voice fade away.

"No, no, princess, it's not that at all." The pet name slipped out faster than he could stop it but he didn't even stop. "You're safer here for right now. And I'll only be gone for a minute."

He rubbed the back of your hand with his thumb. "Okay?"

You mustered up a wobbly smile for him. "Okay..."

He wanted to text Sato to come to his room to pick it up so that he wouldn't have to leave you but that would stir up questions, especially since he wouldn't allow his friend inside and that would undoubtedly create a mayhem within his peers at what he was hiding. For aspiring heroes, they were still teenagers after all. And they loved to bug each other like it, too.

Ojiro sighed as he forced himself to detach from you, tucking the blanket securely around you before he stepped quietly out the door.

For once in his life, he kind of wished he wasn't living with his classmates.

After he left, you tried to quell the anxiety and insecurities. Twisting and turning, your mind raced, spiraling out of control. He didn't abandon you, he was just returning something to his friend. He would be back soon. He promised you.

But as the minutes ticked by, it felt like hours and you couldn't wait any longer. Throwing off the covers, your legs shook as you stepped towards the door. However, you froze in place and your ears twitched, picking up the sounds faster than the average human which normally would've given you an advantage but you couldn't move in time.

The door flew open with a bang, slamming into the wall and making you jump nearly five feet into the air. On the other side stood the girl with pink hair and skin that you had seen earlier, along with the electric boy and a few others you didn't recognize.

You shrunk back as the group exploded into chaos, directing questions towards you faster than you could process or fend off on your own. Your panic rose as they flooded in, clutching your hands tightly to your chest at the overwhelming amount of people in the cramped space.

Then, your eyes widened as someone shouted frantically for them to move, shouldering his way through until he came to you. You willed your feet to move but they wouldn't obey no matter how hard you tried, your body still frozen in fear. It didn't matter though because he reached you within seconds.

"Guys, seriously, back off!!" Ojiro shouted above the clamor, his tail pulling you close and tucked you under his arm. "You're scaring her!!"

At the strain in his usually light tone, his friends started to quiet down one by one and he turned his full attention on you.

"You okay?" He murmured, cradling your jaw and inspecting your face for any hint that you might've been hurt.

You didn't say anything, just threw your arms around him and brushed your nose against the crook of his neck, scenting him. His warm scent eased you and brought you back down bit by bit until your feet were planted firmly on the ground.

Even though he had no clue what you were doing, it was making the tension wound in your body disappear fast so he didn't have any issues with it. But his breath hitched as a soft rumble emitted from the back of your throat in contentment, squeezing you once before letting you go. He didn't detach his tail from you though, using it as a wall to keep his overeager friends from coming too close.

Ojiro let you do what you needed in that moment and in the minutes that followed, his friends began peppering you with questions. He let you keep your face nuzzled into his chest as you shyly answered them but he answered for you whenever you hesitated so that you wouldn't be put in an uncomfortable position of refusing them.

He had already seen what you were like when something that was normal for them went against what was ingrained into you and his arms curled around you tighter in an effort to protect you.

You were thankful for him taking most of the pressure off of you, timidly straying from his side when he encouraged you to talk to the girls a little bit more. You warmed up to them much faster than the rest, your eyes brightening up excitedly when they told you there was a girl among their friend group who had a frog quirk.

He sighed as Yaoyorozu and Ashido led you away from the boys with the rest of the girls in tow to go to a space where the environment would be better for you. Feeling bad that the secret had gotten out already, he winced as he thought of the penalty he would face once he told Aizawa.

Kaminari smirked, leaning against the doorframe after you exited. "Man, where have you been hiding her?"

Ojiro shot him a look that told him to keep quiet, not in the mood for playing around. "That's not funny."

"C'mon man, we're just teasing." Kirishima added on, not picking up on the tense energy of the room. "You could've at least told us you had a girlfriend, she's really cute."

"If not a little shy." Sero grinned, elbowing him in the ribs teasingly. "Don't worry, it's not like we're going to steal her away or anything."

"You should not have a girl in your room, Ojiro!!" Iida declared, chopping his hands in the air to emphasize his point despite the inconsiderate snickering occurring on the other side of the room by the three of them. "It is not appropriate!!"

Shoji, Sato and Koda all elected to remain silent, studying their friend's shadowed expression as their other classmates relentlessly teased him.

Forehead creasing in annoyance at the continuous jabs, Ojiro blurted out, "Guys, stop!! It's not something to joke about!!"

He sank to the floor, head in his hands and for the first time since they burst in, the guys finally took notice of the way his shoulders shook and how anxiety seemed to roll off of him in waves.

"She's in real danger." Ojiro told them quietly. "There are bad people looking for her so you guys can't talk about her, alright?"

"Please." He begged, not caring how desperate he sounded.

All he wanted was for you to be safe. All he wanted was for you to live the life you had been robbed of without having to look over your shoulder to see if someone was following you or not.

Shoji uncrossed his duplicate arms, stance broadening. "We won't."

"Yeah," Kirishima inserted, rubbing the back of his neck, ashamed of his behavior earlier. "Sorry man, had no idea."

Scattered apologies followed his and reluctantly, Ojiro raised his head, mouth set in a determined line. He didn't answer too many questions about your situation, wanting to keep as much of it as he could private until he knew how you felt about telling them and stood up. Now that damage control had been dealt with, all that was left was to tell Aizawa.

Piece of cake.

Back with the girls, you were dragged back to the elevators to get to the girls' side. Since Jirou's was the closest, you guys went there. Your expression filled with awe at the many instruments that hung on the walls, wanting to touch them but you didn't want to get in trouble so you kept your hands stiffly by your sides.

Ashido enthusiastically led you to the plushiest spot on the floor and for a second, you were reminded of the little stuffed giraffe Ojiro let you play with when he caught you looking at it. A smile tugged at the corner of your lips and you jumped when the girls squealed.

"Who are you thinking about?" Ashido pried, eyes glimmering with mischief. "It's Ojiro-kun, isn't it?!"

Your mouth opened and closed, unable to form a response to that. You covered your ears when she shrieked excitedly, taking your silence as your answer and dancing around the room.

"Mina-chan, calm down, you're a little too loud." Yaoyorozu told her gently before reaching over to pat your shoulder. "Where did you come from?"

Mouth parting in shock at how blatant she was being, you twiddled with the strings of Ojiro's hoodie. "Um, well, they told me that my breed is mixed so I don't sell as well as a purebred but I'm fast and—"

"Oh goodness no!!" Ashido interrupted, eyes widened in horror and if you looked around you would've seen all the other girls wearing that exact same expression. "That's not what she meant!!"

Tilting your head to the side clueless, you frowned. "It's not?"

"No!!" Yaoyorozu exclaimed, horrified by what you had to have been through to respond like that on instinct. "I meant how did you get in the dormitory, in Ojiro-san's room nonetheless!!"

"Ah, well... that, um... I—" You cut off your stammering with a frustrated sigh. "I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to tell you."

"That's okay." Uraraka reassured you easily.

Her energy reminded you of Ojiro.

"Is it true that you're in danger?" Jirou spoke up for the first time since the gang of girls invaded her room.

Your jaw dropped in shock but your expression cleared when she waved her earjacks around pointedly. That must've been how she could hear and judging by the timing of her question, you concluded that Ojiro must have been the one talking about your circumstances. And since you didn't feel like he would knowingly put you into danger, you told them what you told him.

Their expressions crumbled before you, losing all semblance of their happy-go-lucky personalities as disbelief took over.

Yaoyorozu's eyes filled with tears. "You had to endure all of that alone?"

"That's horrible!!" Ashido cried out.

"I'm so sorry!!" Uraraka and Hagakure shouted simultaneously.

"I can't imagine what that must've been like." Jirou said, her eyes sad. "You're here now though, so Aizawa-sensei must've given you permission."

You nodded, knees tucked under you as you gripped the hem of the blue sweatshirt. "Yes, but it was only supposed to be a temporary solution and no one else was supposed to find out."

Hesitating, you gulped. "If... If this gets out, I—"

"Don't worry, Y/N-chan!!" Ashido exclaimed, shooting to her feet and pumping her fist in the air. "We'll definitely protect you."

Jirou nodded, fueled by her friend. "Yeah!!"

"You can count on us!!" Hagakure jumped up beside her.

"They won't be able to touch you anymore now that you've got us!!" Yaoyorozu declared determinedly.

"Let's go!!" Uraraka cheered. "Plus Ultra!!"

You burst into sobs at their overwhelming support despite only having just met them and the girls crowded around you in the best group hug you've ever received.

After that emotional roller coaster, they were going to bring you back to Ojiro's room since that's where you wanted to stay for the night but they heard your stomach growling and collectively decided to feed you with whatever they could find in the kitchen.

Yaoyorozu was pretty sure there was some leftover pizza that the guys had bought earlier that day.

Your protests fell on deaf ears as Ashido and Uraraka dragged you all the way there, Jirou trailing behind as Yaoyorozu and Hagakure ran ahead.

"You don't want your own room?" Jirou questioned when they finally released you.

You shook your head. "I... I don't really like being alone and Ojiro-san is my first friend I've had in a long time, so I... I trust him."

She nodded understandingly. "I get it."

"That is soooo cute!!" Hagakure swooned, balancing several boxes of various packaged Japanese snacks in her arms.

You blushed beet red, flushing further when the girls cooed at how cute you were. Pulling the collar of the hoodie up to hide your smile, you pleaded for them to stop embarrassing you. Tea kettle whistling on the stove as Yaoyorozu prepared some jasmine tea, Uraraka brought out the pizza box she had just found from the industrial-sized fridge, handing it to you after heating it up.

"Isn't this someone's food?" You questioned, not touching it. You didn't want to eat it if it belonged to someone.

Jirou pushed it towards you encouragingly with her earphone jack, smirking. "Trust me, Kaminari won't miss it."

You decided to take her word for it.

You had barely finished half a slice when the front door opened and the chilly night air blew inside. Turning around, you hopped off of the stool you were perched on and ran to Ojiro, who had an extremely exhausted Aizawa in tow.

Ojiro caught you easily, wrapping his tail around you out of instinct. It was getting to be a habit by now.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he checked you over.

You giggled, prying his hands away from their dutiful inspection. "I'm okay."

He breathed a sigh of relief but the two of you stiffened when Aizawa cleared his throat from behind him.

"As much as I don't want to interrupt whatever that is," He droned monotonously. "This has gotten a lot more serious."

You shared a worried look with Ojiro and gasped when his tail tightened around your waist ever so slightly.

"You can't stay here." Aizawa told you, fixating his eyes on the students who moved to object, more flooding in as their sensei's voice carried clearly. "You need to come with me, I'll find you a place to stay for the night."

Taglist: @katsukis-sad-angel​

#bnha fanfiction #ojiro x reader #ojiro x reader fanfiction #ojiro mashirao #bnha aizawa #aizawa shouta #yamada hizashi #eraserhead #present mic #dadzawa #parental aizawa #bnha ojiro #ojiro fanfiction #yaoyorozu #uraraka #asui #hagakure #ashido #kirishima #bakugou #midoriya #shoji #tokoyami #sero #platonic aizawa x reader #family relationships #bnha x reader #my hero academia #my hero academia fanfiction #ojiro fluff

[ghostspideys-moved]

chasing visions of our futures: chapter one

a/n: I haven’t given up on my other oc fic, I’m just taking a little break, and I had lots of ideas as of lately for this one, so hopefully people still enjoy this as well.

word count: 1.5k

pairing: barry allen x oc

summary: River Matthews decides to cause some chaos in Central City, mostly for fun, but also for the attention she knows she’ll get from The Flash. When he catches her, and she gets a second chance, she has to decide whether she should take it or if there’s no changing for her. There’s a lot more to her the more Barry tries to dig, and the more he does, the more River’s afraid he won’t like what he finds out.

chapter summary: River causes some chaos in Central City, and so close to the holidays. But she may have given herself too much credit in thinking she could escape the Flash.

With the holiday season already in motion, plenty of people were scrambling to pick up last minute presents here and there. River could practically feel the stress and anxiety buzzing in the air. Central City surely didn’t take the holidays lightly.

A number of stores were open later to accommodate all the frantic last minute shopping everyone was doing. For as cheerful as the holidays were supposed to be, the intense emotion and rushed thoughts as people hurried from one store to another hit River like an oncoming train. But by now, she was used to it. She’d need to focus anyways if she was going to go through with her plan.

Tuning out all of the noise that came with hearing people’s every thought, she made her way into a nearby toy store. Naturally, the store was decorated as far as the eye could see. There was no escaping the mass amounts of tinsel and paper snowflakes. 

As a kid, she might have loved the flashy displays, but after all this time, it mostly felt bittersweet. What she definitely didn’t love was the crowd of people frantically searching the store, hoping to find whatever it is their children desired. It was that much harder keeping her powers in check with so many of them, but she tried her best to push through it. 

Though it might seem a childish plan in nature, River weaved her way past people, using whatever powers she could muster to mess with the toys in just about every aisle. She watched on with something that might have resembled joy as toys came to life, marching off of shelves and attacking people. Of course, it didn’t take long for people to realize and run towards the entrance, screaming and clattering over each other to escape. There were little plastic robots chasing after people, toy monkeys attacking shoppers with their symbols, demonic-looking dolls biting at people like something out of a horror movie, you name it.

River couldn’t help the laugh that escaped as she watched the chaos. All it had taken was a few little toys and everyone was running off in horror. It was kind of pathetic, the way she saw it, but that was what she’d been hoping for. 

And, as she’d expected, the Flash was quick to show up to the scene as the last wave of shopper passed by him. River, not wanting to get caught for obvious reasons, made a run for it. 

Of course, she wasn’t stupid. She knew she couldn’t outrun a speedster. But River had the upper hand as far as she knew. Without hesitation, she ran through the aisles, her body completely passing through the shelves as though they weren’t even there at all. The Flash was already after her, though she briefly saw him pause, probably confused to see her moving through things like a ghost. But whatever the case, he was shaken out of it rather quickly, and to River’s dismay, he could do exactly the same thing, and he was fast. There was no winning this, was there?

Before she knew it, the Flash caught up to her and slapped a pair of handcuffs around her wrists. River tried to phase through them, but it didn’t work. That hadn’t ever happened before, and she felt a slight panic settle in her chest.

“Good luck getting out of power dampening cuffs,” Flash said, a knowing grin on his face. 

Not River’s finest moment, but she supposed this was on her for even thinking this would go well for this time. She’d had several run-ins with him this week, but maybe she’d just gotten sloppy and overconfident this time. 

As pained as she was to be caught, River didn’t really put up a fight on their way to S.T.A.R. Labs. There was no point. Even worse was being locked away in a cell that was made to counteract her powers. 

“Bringing toys to life in the middle of a store? Kind of tacky and cartoonish, don’t you think?” The guy in charge of locking her up - Cisco, she was sure she’d heard Flash call him in passing - was getting on her nerves just a bit. “Not very talkative, are you?”

“Not to people locking me in...whatever this is.”

“It’s called the Pipeline, for your information,” Cisco explained. “And you’re not getting out, so I wouldn’t try if I were you.”

If he wasn’t standing on the other side of the glass, River might have done something to shut him up, but she couldn’t. For a brief moment, she was relieved to see the Flash return. At least she could tolerate him better. 

“You know, after three days of trying to stop you, you made it surprisingly easy this time,” he said. 

River sat down, leaning against the cell wall. “Not on purpose. I let my victories get to my head, and here we are.”

“Well, it was harder with barely any way to track you. You know, there isn’t a single record of you anywhere past eight years old? Why is that?”

Sure, River was locked up and unable to escape, but she wasn’t going to give in so easily. “Does it matter? You caught me.”

He didn’t seem satisfied with that answer, and she couldn’t blame him truthfully. Over the past few days, she’d learned she couldn’t read his mind, or any speedsters. They thought way too fast for her to comprehend. But she could tell he had a curious nature to some degree. And his next onslaught of questions sold that for her.

“Well, as far as we know, you’re not a metahuman. Doesn’t seem like you were here during the particle accelerator explosion. So how’d you do that? With the toys?”

“Magic.” There wasn’t the slightest bit of teasing in her voice, but they didn’t seem to believe her.

“Magic’s not real, so nice try,” Cisco said. 

“It’s just as real as Santa Claus.”

The Flash and Cisco shared a look of confusion as they turned to one another. “I’m sorry, do you think Santa is real?” Cisco asked.

River looked up at them, wondering what the hell they were so surprised for. “Yeah? Doesn’t everyone? Isn’t that like the whole point?”

“Oh my god,” Flash said under his breath. “You dropped off the face of the Earth when you were eight, and no one told you since then?”

“Look, I don’t know, okay? The last time I celebrated anything was with my mom and my brother before I disappeared, and that was Hanukkah when I was eight. So, yeah.”

It was then that River realized that was already too much information. It wasn’t on purpose, though. It just came out.

“Where did you even go when you disappeared?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Cisco snorted. “We’ve seen a lot of weird shit. Try us.”

River hesitated for a moment. They’d probably just think she was crazy. “I went to Hell, that’s where.” They both seemed less surprised than she’d expected. 

“What did you do to deserve getting sent there?” Flash asked. “Especially as a kid?” “I’ve really already told you too much,” she said, wrapping her arms around her knees. “You also didn’t look all that shocked.”

“We have some friends who deal with that kind of thing.”

River raised an eyebrow. “And yet you still don’t believe in magic.” “Magic is just science we haven’t figured out yet.”

She couldn’t help snorting. “Yeah, alright. Are we done now?” For a moment, she thought they might let her be so she could wallow in her misery. But just as they were about to leave, the Flash seemed to have a sudden thought, like a light bulb suddenly went off in his head. “We know this guy - a friend of ours who helps us sometimes. Half-demon, surprisingly nice, really into plants. His name’s Hawthorne. You wouldn’t happen to know him, would you?”

At first, River was ready to dismiss it, but they’d perfectly described her brother. Though she hadn’t seen him since she disappeared, she’d kept tabs on him, whether he knew it or not. Mostly out of curiosity. 

“Maybe.” She wasn’t sure if she wanted her brother involved in this. She could only imagine how disappointed he might be in her. 

“Will you just give us one second?” Cisco dragged him away, presumably to discuss whatever it was they were thinking.  She couldn’t make out anything under the hushed voices, unfortunately. Before long, they wrapped it up and turned to her again. 

“Right, well, we will be back with something for you to eat, because we aren’t monsters, and then we’ll figure out what to do with you in the meantime,” Cisco said, clapping his hands together. “So just sit tight.”

Already, River wasn’t liking this at all. But there wasn’t much she could do about whatever they decided to do, so she did exactly that and tried not to die of boredom in her cell. True to their word, Cisco came back with something for her to eat in the meantime. 

By the time the Pipeline door opened again, Hawthorne was standing on the other side with the Flash, and he looked very surprised to see her. He must have been expecting anyone else but her.

“I’m sorry, what is my sister doing here?” Hawthorne asked, turning to Flash. “Barry, you didn’t tell me I was dealing with my sister.”

“I didn’t know!”

River stood finally, crossing her arms. “Nice seeing you again, Thorny.” The look on his face was priceless, and she never wanted to forget how equally terrified and confused he looked. “Surprised to see me?”

#barry allen #the flash #the flash cw #barry allen x reader #barry allen x original character #barry allen x oc #barry allen imagine #the flash imagine #the flash x oc #the flash x original character

[sj-thefan]

Big Hero 8 and a Half (Tadashi Hamada)

Tadashi Hamada x reader

Recommended age: 18+ (reader is college-age)

Warning: Doesn't follow canon (Tadashi doesn't die in the fire), unplanned pregnancy (I don't know why I write this so much), angst, blood, fire, it's long (like +10,000 words long)

Masterlist

This wasn't supposed to happen. It was supposed to be a night filled with laughter and congratulations, at worst, maybe a few happy tears. There was a lot of events happening. Y/n had received a confirmation on some big news that she had to tell her boyfriend, Tadashi. Plus, Tadashi had somehow managed to get his brother, Hiro, to quit bot-fighting and try and win admission into their school, the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, by entering the student showcase.

Y/n was there when Hiro came up with his great idea. She and Tadashi were relaxing on his bed as they studied. Hiro was at his desk, same as when Y/n had first come over, ignoring reality to try and think of a mind-blowing idea that would blow professor Callaghan away.

After ripping another page from his notebook, Hiro began banging his head against the desk, accentuating each bang with a comment. "Nothing!" Bang. "No ideas!" Bang. "Useless" - bang - "empty" - bang - "brain!"

"Wow," Tadashi commented sarcastically, barely looking up from the textbook in from of him. "Washed up at 14, so sad."

Y/n had nudged his shoulder with a playful grin, making him turn to her. 'Go help', she mouthed, nodding her head towards the young teen.

With a silent, over-exaggerated sigh, Tadashi reluctantly stood up and made his way over to Hiro.

"I got nothing!" Hiro was exclaiming. Y/n readjusted on the bed so she was lying on her stomach, she had started to get stiff from sitting in the same position for so long. "I'm done. I'm never getting in."

"Hey." Tadashi turned Hiro's chair around, gripping the handles so his brother couldn't escape. "I'm not giving up on you." He dragged Hiro out of the chair causing him to let out a yelp. Y/n giggled quietly as Tadashi sent her a wink as he hoisted his brother onto his shoulders and jumped around the room.

"What are you doing?" Hiro was uncomfortable bouncing around upside down and Y/n didn't blame him. Her cheeks flushed just thinking about it happening to her.

"Shake things up!" Tadashi yelled, jumping in circles. "Use that big brain of yours to think your way out." He paused, standing in front of Y/n and giving her a cheeky smile.

Hiro, grateful for the pause, squinted his eyes in confusion. "What?"

"Look for a new angle."

Aunt Cass came stomping up the stairs a few minutes later, wondering why there were loud thumps echoing in her cafe. The kids all burst into laughter, Tadashi letting Hiro down and everyone returning to there previous activities. Something must have clicked in his head because Hiro was writing in his notebook with newfound vigour.

Y/n left soon after but returned the next day to hear all about Hiro's idea. He was going to create microbots that could all be controlled remotely. They would be able to do countless things - transportation, construction, the possibilities were endless. He was so enthusiastic about it that she couldn't help but smile as the young kid talked.

Over the next several weeks, Y/n, Tadashi and some friends helped Hiro put together his microbots. He developed a way for the bots to be controlled using a neurotransmitter making his project even more amazing.

Tadashi was more proud and amazed than anyone. Even when they were at her house, Tadashi was often gushing to Y/n about how talented his little brother was.

It wasn't as if Y/n didn't know already, she spent practically every day at the Hamada's. Her parents often spent time away from home, leaving her and her brother, Fred, to find their own source of entertainment. Fred liked to spend his time hanging around his sister. Near the start of her time in Post-Secondary, he followed her to school and became fast friends with her classmates and friends, giving each of them a nickname, Wasabi, Go-Go and Honey Lemon. He annoyed them all, claiming to be a "science enthusiast" and asking for things that were not all that science-related. They didn't mind, he was funny and provided relief from the stress of classes. Fred was asked to be the school's mascot since he already spent all his time there anyway.

When Y/n and Tadashi got together, they went to Tadashi's place most of the time. It took a while for Y/n to actually bring him over to her house. It was big and extravagant, and she didn't want people to think she just got into the school because she was rich. Once he did come over, he was in complete awe, he couldn't have imagined this as her home, let alone Fred's.

They still preferred spending time at Tadashi's. It was warmer and comfier, plus there was always freshly baked goods downstairs.

Y/n loved Tadashi's family. His aunt had insisted Y/n call her "Aunt Cass," the day they met. Y/n was always greeted with a smile and occasionally a donut. Aunt Cass was the best baker in town, and Y/n told her that every time she bit into one of her baked goods.

She loved Hiro just as much. He was a super smart kid, revealed by the collection of discarded robot parts scattered around the bedroom when Y/n first came over. Hiro also gave her a quiz to make sure she was, as he put it, "smart enough" to date his brother - she passed. They were a close family, something Y/n very much envied.

It didn't take long for Y/n to feel very much like part of their family. She was invited to birthday dinners and special nights in the cafe, she even went to Hiro's early graduation. She loved going out with all of them and this night was supposed to be no different.

They were supposed to go to the showcase, watch Hiro give his presentation, and then go out celebrating. She had been the first to throw a wrench in that plan.

It's supposed to be impossible when you use protection - which they had, every single time. But something must have gone wrong or not worked properly without them knowing because there she was, sitting on her bathroom floor with less than two hours till she had to leave for the showcase, a little stick in her hand, an unmistakable "Pregnant" written on it.

She hadn't planned for this or even thought about what she would do if it did happen. She knew she didn't want to get rid of the child but what would Tadashi want to do. She was quite sure he wouldn't be angry or upset, but she didn't know if he wanted kids. She needed to tell him tonight.

Things started off well. Y/n helped place the bins full of microbots around the room before standing next to Aunt Cass. Hiro did amazing on his presentation, everyone in the room eventually came to watch. A bit of tension rose when Alistair Krei offered to buy Hiro's tech, but it was quickly diminished when Hiro received an admissions letter from Callaghan.

The group was headed to Aunt Cass's cafe when Tadashi pulled Hiro aside with a promise to catch up in a minute. Y/n sent him a smile before joining the rest of the gang in the parking lot. Honey, Go-Go and Fred left with Wasabi in his car to the cafe. Y/n and Cass were left waiting for the boys.

A sudden alarm in the distance snapped both of their heads towards the school. Y/n took off quickly, running towards the building to make sure everyone was okay, especially Tadashi and Hiro.

She saw Hiro first. He was looking at the building as if debating whether he should go in or not. Y/n followed his gaze, keeping her eyes open for the love of her life.

Just inside the entryway, she could see a body trying to get past the growing flames and get further into the building. It was Tadashi. She would know him anywhere.

"Tadashi!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping - no, pleading - that he would turn around and come back out. She couldn't lose him.

She tried to move closer, by her arm was caught by someone. She presumed it was Aunt Cass but she couldn't bring herself to turn away from Tadashi.

"Let me go," she pleaded. "I need to save him!"

Aunt Cass's words were lost to Y/n as she tried to move closer. All she could hear was the roaring fire.

Hiro started running towards the fire causing Cass to let go of Y/n and run towards her nephew.

As soon as she was free, Y/n started towards the building.

An ear-shattering blast shook through the building, throwing everyone back.

Y/n felt her head hit the ground and the heat surround her like a blanket but she pushed it all away. She had to get to Tadashi.

She couldn't muster the energy to stand. She crawled towards the last place she saw him. Each stone under her body was ignored and the pulsing at the back of her head was pushed aside to the best of her ability as she kept his name at the front of her mind. Tadashi.

The stairs leading up to the building were littered with glass and other debris from the blast, but Y/n pushed on, groaning out in pain with each glass shard that pierced her skin. Tadashi.

He was lying just a few feet from the door. He hadn't been able to find a way through the flames.

"Tadashi?" she whimpered, hoping for a response - despite knowing she wouldn't get one. His skin was covered in cuts and burns. His hair was damp and stuck to his forehead.

She crawled till she was right beside him. Weakly, she lifted her bloodied palm to check for a pulse. When she felt one - although weak - she started screaming for help. He was alive and could be saved.

She put all her energy into her screams until she could barely keep her eyes open; the pounding at the back of her head consuming her.

Finally, when she could see the flashing lights and hear the shouts from the emergency workers, she let her eyes fall closed.

Five weeks. Tadashi had been in a coma for over a month and Y/n had been by his side nearly every day. The first couple of days, she had her own hospital room. She had a mild concussion and had to have some tests done to make sure everything else was okay. She was very happy when the doctor told her that the baby - even though it didn't really look like a baby - was okay, although her parents were very shocked to find out their little girl was nearly two months pregnant.

They hadn't talked about it since. They insisted they would wait until Y/n was out of the hospital, but Y/n got released and still insisted on going to the hospital every day (often leaving before they could wake up), they decided to let her handle it and went back to the family island where her father could work without the loud noises of the city.

Tadashi had been lucky, the doctors said. He might not have survived if he was further in, but he hadn't made it past the entrance so he was left with just some brain damage. Y/n nearly laughed when they said that. Just some brain damage? He was in a coma with a chance that he may never wake up. He wasn't lucky, he just wasn't dead.

Everyone came to visit a lot for the first few weeks, but that soon stopped. They had things they had to do. Aunt Cass had wanted to spend every day by her nephew's side, but Y/n insisted that she could go. Someone had to run the cafe and that was her only source of income. They both knew if Tadashi woke up and found out his aunt had lost the cafe because she was too busy sitting with him, he would be heart-broken. So, Aunt Cass went back to work but still visited as often as she could.

Once school started, Go-Go, Wasabi, and Honey Lemon came at least once a week. Y/n had talked to the school and decided to take a year off. She was over three months pregnant now and would need to take time off school when the baby came and she didn't really want to go to school knowing her boyfriend and the father of her child was lying alone in a hospital bed.

Hiro was the only one who didn't show up after the first week. Y/n talked with Cass and found out Hiro thought he was responsible. He thought he should have stopped him, or done something to help. Instead, he had done nothing and Tadashi was stuck in the hospital, in a coma he might not wake up from. Hiro didn't want to come to the hospital to see the sad look on Y/n's face or see Tadashi lying motionless. He couldn't bring himself to leave his room; everything reminded him of his brother and his "failure". He didn't even think about signing up for courses at school. He had gotten his letter and everyone wanted him to go. Y/n even showed up one day to remind him that Tadashi wouldn't want him to waste his time doing nothing.

Y/n couldn't blame him for being upset. If Tadashi had died, she would probably be acting the same. As it was, she didn't know what she would do if he did pass away. She couldn't even think of the possibility.

It was the start of the sixth week when Y/n got an email from Baymax, Tadashi's robotics project. Baymax had sent a message that Hiro needed support and attached a link to a GPS tracker that Y/n assumed was either for his own system or Hiro's phone. She was going to go see Hiro when visiting hours were over, which was only a couple hours away, so it would be okay if she left now. She stood up from her chair right beside Tadashi's bed and, giving him a kiss on his forehead and whispering an "I love you," she left.

While waiting for the elevator she got a call from Fred.

"What's up, Freddie?"

"Did you get an email today?" She could hear other voices in the background, meaning he was probably with the rest of their friends.

"That's very general, I got loads of emails today, most of them junk." She could hear his snarky reply before it came so she quickly continued. "-But, yes. I got one from Baymax."

"We're almost at the hospital, you coming?"

The elevator dinged as the door opened. "Was planning on it before you even called."

It was dark when they found Hiro. They had all piled in Wasabi's van. Y/n was sat in the middle with Fred and Go-Go while Honey sat in the front beside Wasabi. They were at the pier, more specifically the loading docks where all the cargo was piled. Hiro was still with Baymax although the robot had been dressed in some sort of armour. The two froze as the van's headlights flashed over them.

"Hiro?" Honey called as they all piled out of the van. Something was very off.

"No," Hiro glanced over his shoulder towards the water before quickly walking towards them, shooing them away, "no, no! Get out of here! Go!"

"Dude, what are you doing out here?" Wasabi asked the question they all wanted to know. No one came out here unless they worked for one of the transportation companies. It was a weird place to find anyone, especially Hiro.

"Nothing, just out for a walk," Hiro stammered, obviously hiding something. "It helps my pubescent mood swings."

Y/n squinted her eyes at him. "Seriously, that's what you're going with?"

"Is that Baymax?" Wasabi asked just noticing the familiar robot standing behind Hiro.

"Yeah, but you really-"

"-Uh.." Go-Go walked around Hiro. "Why is he wearing carbon fibre underpants?"

"I also know karate," the robot chimed in moving his hands in a chopping motion.

Hiro turned back towards the majority of the group, his eyes locking with Y/n. "You guys need to go."

"No," Honey sighed, stepping towards the boy, "don't push us away Hiro. We're here for you. That's why Baymax contacted us."

"Those who suffer a loss," Baymax spoke, "require support from friends and loved ones."

"Okay, but I-" Hiro started but was cut off by the robot.

"Who would like to share their feelings first?"

"Ooh!" Fred eagerly raised his hand and stepped forward causing his sister to roll her eyes. "I'll go." He cleared his throat, jumping away from his sister so she wouldn't hit him like she usually did when he said something stupid - which was often. "My name is Fred, and it has been 30 days since my last - Holy Mother of Megazon!"

They all followed his gaze to see a guy in a mask lifting one of the cargo containers with what looked like Hiro's microbots but couldn't be because they had been destroyed in the fire. The same fire that had almost killed Tadashi.

"Am I the only one seeing this?" Fred asked.

No one replied, but Honey slowly lifted her phone to take a picture. The flash seemed to make him even angrier and he quickly threw the container down at them.

Wasabi screamed, turning away and protecting his head. When no hit came, he turned back around to see Baymax had stopped the container.

"Go!" Hiro yelled at the group. Everyone started heading for the car except Baymax, Hiro and Y/n. She ran towards Hiro. "Baymax, get him!"

Y/n grabbed his arm and pulled him with her to the car.

"No, no, no, no," he whined all the way to the car. "What are you doing?"

Y/n pushed him in the open door before crawling in behind him and slamming it shut. "Don't argue with me on this Hiro! I'm not losing you, too." She whispered the last part to herself.

Honey Lemon had taken the very back with Fred, leaving Y/n and Hiro in the middle.

"Baymax can handle that guy!" Hiro yelled in protest.

A loud bang caused everyone to look forward. Baymax was falling through the air, headed straight for the car.

"Oh, my gosh," Y/n whispered as Baymax landed on the top of the car, half of his body on the inside just narrowly missing Y/n and Hiro.

Baymax called the groups attention back to the situation. "Oh no."

"Wasabi," Go-Go pleaded for the man to start driving as the man in the mask rose above the cargo boxes with a wall of the microbot-things and started towards the van.

"Ah, goodbye!" Wasabi put the van in reverse and started driving away as fast as he could.

"Hiro!" Go-Go yelled, her eyes still glued to the man in the mask. "Explanation, now!"

"He stole my microbots. He started the fire." Hiro stuttered over his words. "I don't know who he is!"

Y/n felt her eyes fill with angry tears. This was the man responsible for Tadashi's current state. This was the man who may make their child grow up without a father. This was the man who destroyed her world. She wanted him to feel the pain she feels. To know what it's like to not know if a loved one would live or die.

She was quickly pulled out of her thoughts when the car spun around, causing her side to be thrown into the car door. Instinctively, her hand went to her stomach. She caught Fred's eye as they shared a worried look.

The rest of the group didn't know yet. Y/n would have to tell them eventually, but she had wanted Tadashi to be the first to know. Things didn't really work out how she planned. Her parents had found out at the hospital and Y/n thought it only right to tell her brother too. He was a little too happy at the news but it was better than him being upset. She also told Aunt Cass. Tadashi may not have been her biological son, but she treated him like one and Y/n too. Y/n was like her daughter and it was important that she be given the news. But those were the only people who knew. Y/n still wanted Tadashi to be one of the first. Fred was a little upset at having to keep the secret, but Y/n promised it was only until she was showing, which hadn't started yet. Then he would be free to tell anyone he wanted.

Y/n kept her back pressed into the car door so that if she did get pushed to the side during a turn, she would hit something softer than metal. Her hands gripped the seat, trying to keep her steady.

"That mask, the black suit..." Fred caught her attention. "We're under attack from a supervillain, people!" His voice rose in excitement. "I mean, how cool is that? I mean, it's scary, obviously. But how cool!?"

"Fred." He turned towards his sister, an excited smile on his face. "Not the time." She shook her head at him.

The car suddenly lurched forward as it came to a screeching halt.

"Why are we stopped?" Go-Go snapped at Wasabi.

"The light's red!"

"There are no red lights in a car chase!"

As the light turned green, the car quickly resumed its pace, the man in the mask a lot closer.

"Why is he trying to kill us?" Wasabi asked before rolling down his window and asking the man in the mask.

"It's classic villain," Fred explained. "We've seen too much!"

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Honey Lemon chimed in, trying to stay positive.  "We don't know he's trying to kill us."

"Car!" Fred yelled as the man in the mask threw a car at them.

Wasabi turned, avoiding the flying vehicle as Honey yelled: "He's trying to kill us!"

Wasabi and Go-Go started arguing again when Wasabi put his blinker on. Go-Go was fed up as she pushed his seat back all the way and crawled onto his lap, taking the wheel. Y/n was kind of squished, but her legs were already on the seat from he position and this made her feel a little more protected.

Go-Go's driving was a lot different. She took more risks. There were a lot of sharp turns and squeezing through tight spaces and they even jumped over the microbots at one point. Y/n was sure Wasabi's van was going to need some work on it, especially when Hiro climbed into the front seat and used the door for support. The door fell away with the slightest of pressure causing Y/n to cry out when Hiro almost fell with it. Luckily Baymax caught him, putting him back into the seat and buckling the seatbelt.

Finally, the man disappeared.

"Did we lose him?" Honey asked as she looked around.

"Look out!" Wasabi screamed.

The microbots slid under the car, controlling its direction. It didn't take long for them to create a tunnel that started to close.

"Baymax, hold on," Hiro warned.

Y/n felt Fred's hands on her shoulder, keeping her steady. She shook her head, trying to tell him to keep himself safe, but he made no move to stop.

"We're not gonna make it!" Wasabi cried.

"We're gonna make it!" Honey Lemon replied.

"We're not gonna make it!"

"We're gonna make it!"

"We're not gonna make it!"

"We're gonna make it!"

The tunnel closed as the car drove right through it without much force.

"We made it!" Wasabi cheered. "Yes!"

Unfortunately, the tunnel had taken them to the edge of the pier, leaving them with no room to stop the car.

They all screamed as they braced themselves for impact. They hit the water hard, jolting everyone forward.

The car quickly filled with water as they all searched for a way out. Baymax's armour started coming off, so everyone grabbed ahold of the robot as he started to float to the surface.

They burst through the water, all of them gasping for air. Y/n's hand went to her stomach, worriedly thinking about her child.

"I told you we'd make it!" Honey cheered happily.

"Your injuries require my attention," Baymax stated. "And your body temperatures are low."

"We should get out of here," Hiro suggested quietly as if the man was still there.

"I know a place," Fred said.

They all got out of the water, following Fred as he walked down the road. Y/n stayed near the back, preferring to be alone. So many emotions were flying through her brain. She had just encountered the man responsible for the fire. He was the reason Professor Callaghan had died and Tadashi was lying in a hospital bed. It wasn't fair. She hadn't thought about this possibility before. The fire was an accident, that's what everyone said. But if what Hiro had said was true, someone had done this to Tadashi, and they needed to pay for it.

Y/n's arms crossed over her stomach. She needed to go to the hospital. She wasn't in any pain but she had been shaken up quite a bit tonight and needed to make sure her baby was okay. Although, now that she thought about it, Baymax might be able to tell her if anything was wrong.

She glanced up to see that she had fallen behind. She knew Fred was leading them to their house but they were all stopped in front of the house talking. Y/n had to run a bit to catch up.

Just as she joined them, Heathcliff, the family butler, opened the door.

"Welcome home, Master Fredrick," he said keeping the door open. "Mistress Y/n," he nodded to the girl when he saw her in the group of people.

Everyone turned to look at her with confused looks. All she offered was a small smile before walking up the steps.

"Heathcliff! My man!" Fred greeted. "Come on in guys. We'll be safe in here." Fred gave the butler a fist bump before entering the giant house. Slowly, and still with looks of complete confusion, the group followed the siblings inside.

Baymax, seeing the butler still with his fist in the air, gave him a fist bump. "Ba - da - la - la - la - la."

"Freddie, this is your house?" Honey Lemon asked.

"I thought you lived under a bridge," Go-Go confessed. Y/n looked over at the girl. "Not you. Sometimes I forget you two are related. You're so different."

Y/n smiled as they continued walking. "Well, technically it belongs to our parents." She gestured to a family portrait on the wall. She remembered sitting for the painting. Her mother had dressed both her kids in the fanciest clothes they had but Fred, of course, insisted on shorts. They had stood there for what felt like hours until they were allowed to go and play again. It was her parent's favourite picture of them all, though, so it was worth it.

"Yeah," Fred sighed. "They're on a vacay on the family island. You know, we should totally go some time. Frolic." He clapped his hands causing the door to their shared common room. Both their bedrooms were off of this room. Y/n let Fred decorate it as long as her books were there and she had somewhere to sit. Fred had gone a little overboard, filling the room with as much superhero stuff he could find. It was a little overwhelming the first time she saw it so she knew exactly how her friends were feeling now.

She stopped near the door, gesturing to Heathcliff and asking him to bring hot cocoa for everyone. When she turned back around, Baymax had turned his heater on and was leaning over Hiro. She joined her friends in laying on the robot, soaking in the heat.

"Does this symbol mean anything to you guys?" Hiro asked, holding up a piece of paper with a bird-like drawing on it.

"Yes!" Fred shouted excitedly. "It's a bird!"

"No," Hiro sighed. "The guy in the mask was carrying something with this symbol on it." He pushed himself up from under Baymax.

The robot, standing back up to his full height and turning off his heater, began explaining. "Apprehending the man in the mask will improve Hiro's emotional state."

"Apprehend him?" Go-Go asked sarcastically. "We don't even know who he is."

"I have a theory," Fred chimed in enthusiastically.

Heathcliff came in with the drinks then, and everyone took one and sat on the couch, letting Fred explain his theory through comic books. Y/n, not to worried about the 'presentation,' pulled Baymax aside.

"Baymax, can you tell if my baby is okay?" she asked quietly so only they would here.

Baymax took a moment to scan her before stating in what must be his only volume, "I detect no signs of fetal distress, but I do not have the proper pregnancy tools. I would suggest asking a doctor."

Her eyes widened as she heard a cup drop behind her. Slowly, she turned around to find all five pairs of eyes on her.

"Y/n," Go-Go hesitantly spoke, "are you pregnant?"

Y/n bit her lip as she nodded her head.

"Oh my goodness!" Honey Lemon cheered excitedly, jumping up and running to give her friend a hug. "Congratulations!"

Slowly Wasabi and Go-Go made their way over and congratulated her too. Hiro was the only one to remain on the couch, staring at the picture of Alistair Krei Fred had put on the TV.

Y/n made her way over to him. She sat beside him, before putting her hand on his shoulder. He looked to her, his eyes flicking to her stomach briefly. Her own watery eyes mirrored his.

"Tadashi - ?" He didn't need to say more before she was nodding and pulling him in for a hug. They stayed like that for a few moments, soaking in the comfort of each other. Both were letting the tears fall freely. "I'm sorry." Hiro's voice shook.

Y/n pulled back, grabbing his face. "Hiro, it was not your fault. It was the man in the mask that is responsible for all this."

"The man wanted my microbots!" Hiro stood up. "My invention is the reason for the fire. I was with him when he ran in there. I should have stopped him."

"We can't focus on the shoulds. We don't know what would have happened if we had done something different. I should have told him I was pregnant as soon as I found out. But I didn't. I waited. And that night he almost died. I've thought countless times: 'if only I had told him sooner. He may not have gone in'. But I can't change that. No one can." She sighed, wiping away the tears. "I can't change what I didn't do. But I can make sure I'm there for him whenever I can. And I can live like he wanted me to."

Hiro looked down, knowing she was right.

Fred moved to sit beside his sister, wrapping an arm around her. She leaned into his embrace, resting her head on his shoulder.

"So what do we do?" Honey Lemon asked as she and the others made their way back around the couch.

"I don't know," Hiro confessed. "We don't know anything about the guy."

"His blood type is AB-negative." Baymax's voice rang through the quiet room. "His cholesterol levels are..."

"- Baymax," Hiro ran to him, "you scanned him?"

"I am programmed to assess everyone's healthcare needs." An image of the man in the mask appeared on the front of the robot along with the details from his scan.

"Yes!" Hiro shouted before laughing. "I can use the data from your scan to find him."

"Uh, you'd have to scan everyone in San Fransokyo. And that might take, I don't know, forever."

"No, no, no, no, I..." Hiro said as he thought of what to do. "I just have to look for another angle." He walked around, his eyes landing on one of Fred's figurines. "Got it! I'll scan the whole city at the same time. I just have to upgrade Baymax's sensor." He pressed a button on the toy, making it light up. "Actually, if we're gonna catch this guy," he turned away from the shelf, looking at everyone, "I need to upgrade all of you."

"Upgrade who now?" Wasabi asked as his eyes widened.

"Those who suffer a loss require support from friends and loved ones." They all turned to look at Baymax.

"Oh," Fred chuckled excitedly. "Okay, I like where this is heading!"

"We can't go against that guy!" Wasabi protested. "We're nerds!"

"Hiro, we want to help, but we're just us."

"No," Hiro said, stepping onto the couch. "You can be way more."

"Tadashi Hamada is our best friend." Go-Go stood up. "We're in."

Y/n followed their gaze. They were looking at the superhero photo Fred had put on the wall. "I can't," she stammered. "I want to, but tonight was bad enough. I can't risk losing another piece of him."

Hiro smiled sadly at her. "I know. I'm not asking you to. I don't want you to come. It'll be too dangerous."

Y/n smiled as she let out a breathless laugh. "I should be the one telling you that."

Fred chuckled as he stood up. "Can you feel it? You guys, do you feel this? Our origin story begins." He pumped his arm in the air as he shouted: "We're gonna be superheroes!"

Y/n smiled at her brother's eagerness. They were going to become superheroes. It was his dream. She wished she could help - honestly, she'd love the chance to be a superhero - but the baby was too important to risk.

Fred kept Y/n updated over the next few weeks. She continued her daily visits to the hospital and talked to Tadashi about what they were doing. She wasn't sure if he heard her – or if he'd be happy his friends and brother were putting themselves in danger – but she found comfort in talking to him.

Every day, Fred would send a picture of their progress on the super suits. It took a while to make them, they used some advanced tech, but they all looked amazing. Fred was super excited to be turned into a fire-breathing monster. When she got home the night after he got the suit, she found him still wearing it as he watched television. She took a picture before he noticed and sent it to all their friends.

She always found herself laughing at the pictures Fred sent her. He couldn't seem to take a flattering picture of anyone. There were a lot of pictures of Heathcliff. He had been chosen as a practice dummy for everyone to test their suits – without hurting him of course. She felt bad for him but it meant their suits worked and that was more important.

The baby was okay, thankfully. She had gone to the hospital early the morning after the car chase and got seen by one of the doctors who had a spare minute. They told her she needed to take an easy, which meant no more car chases or dealing with bad guys for the next 5ish months. She had almost reached the 4-month mark, which meant – even though it was still tiny – she had started to show.

Fred was super excited when he saw it. Still in his pyjamas, he ran out the front door screaming "I'm gonna be an uncle!" She couldn't get mad at him, she had told him he could do that as soon as she started showing, she just hadn't expected him to do it now that their friends all knew.

She had gone down to the cafeteria to grab some supper when she got another text from Fred. Baymax's suit was finished and they were going to catch the guy.

She wished him good luck and made him promise to stay safe.

As she made her way back to Tadashi's room, only ten minutes later, she had a smile on her face. They were going to catch the guy. He was going to be brought to justice.

As the elevator doors opened, Y/n heard the unmistakable sound of an alarm beeping. She ran forward, needing to make sure it wasn't Tadashi. She reached his room to find it swarming with doctors and nurses.

The sandwich she had grabbed for dinner slipped out of her hand as tears filled her eyes at the sight before her.

"Awesome!" Fred cheered as the group landed on the island which Baymax's scanner had picked up the man in the mask. "Our first landing together as a team."

"Guys," Hiro whispered, starting to lead the group forward. "Come on."

" 'Quarantine,'" Wasabi read one of the signs around the building. "Uh, do you people know what 'quarantine' means?"

" 'Quarantine,'" Baymax recited. "Enforced isolation to prevent contamination that could lead to disease, or in some cases, death."

"Oh! There's a skull face on this one." Wasabi turned to the group that was ignoring him. "A skull face!"

"Be ready," Hiro whispered again. "He could be anywhere."

A sudden ringing echoed behind them making them all jump and use their new super suits against the unseen enemy. When they stopped, the ringing was still going and nothing was behind them.

"Oh, my bad guys," Fred apologized as he grabbed his phone. "It's Y/n." He flipped his suit's head off answering the phone on speaker. "Sup, buttercup?"

"Fred," the voice was full of static as it tried to get through. "Are you there?"

They could barely hear her but it sounded as if she had been crying. "Y/n, what's wrong? We can't hear you very well."

"It's Tadashi." Hiro felt his throat get dry as everyone looked at him. "He ... couldn't breathe ... ventilator ... took it out ... he's ... frozen." All they could hear was static for a few seconds none of them daring to say anything. "You should come ... Hello? Are you-" Her voice cut out as the line went dead.

They were all silent for a few moments. "Hiro," Honey Lemon tried to console him.

"No," he snapped, taking a few deep breaths. "This guy is responsible for Tadashi's death. We end this now."

They all nodded sadly before entering the building.

Y/n stood in the entrance to the hospital. She was waiting for Aunt Cass. She had called her right after she hung up with Fred and the woman had screamed into the phone.

Tadashi had woken up. He was still drifting in and out of consciousness, the majority of his body staying frozen in place. When he first woke up, he panicked. He was alone in a place he didn't recognize and there was something in his throat. He tried to breathe by found he couldn't do it himself. That was when a nurse had come in and, finding him awake, pressed a button that called the doctor and a few nurses. Together they worked on calming the boy enough for them to take the ventilator out.

That was when Y/n came upstairs. She rushed into the room, her eyes locking with Tadashi's. She smiled, letting a few happy tears fall. Tadashi was still a bit confused. He sat still as the doctor explained what had happened and that it would probably take a few days for feeling to return to his legs and arms and even then he would still probably need physical therapy.

Y/n stood to the side while the doctor talked, but as soon as he was gone, she was at his side.

"Tadashi," she said, moving her hand to rest on his cheek. She couldn't hold back any of her tears. They were flowing too much for someone who was happy. She blamed the pregnancy. "I've missed you so much."

He smiled tiredly at her. "I heard you."

"What?"

"Sometimes, when I was lying here but couldn't talk or see, I would hear your voice. It was never a lot. Mostly just telling me how much you missed me and wanted me to come back. I'm sorry, Y/n. If I could have woken up sooner, I would have." He tried lifting his arm, but couldn't. A few tears sprung to his eyes as he realized he couldn't move them.

Y/n noticed grabbing his hand and bringing it to her lips. "It doesn't matter. You're awake now. I have so much to tell you." He smiled sleepily at her. "But I'll tell you later. You need to rest, get stronger. I'll be here when you wake up."

He nodded, letting his eyes close. In less than a minute he was out again. Putting his arm back to his side, Y/n stood up. She grabbed her phone and dialled Fred's number.

"Sup, buttercup?" he answered.

The connection was terrible. She could barely hear him through the static. "Fred? Are you there?"

"Y/n, what's wrong? ... can't hear ... very well."

"It's Tadashi! He woke up. He couldn't breathe with the ventilator so they took it out. He's still pretty frozen but he'll be okay. You should come and see him." She paused. When she got no response she called out, "Hello? Are you there?"

The line went dead. She decided they didn't have a good connection, so they would call her back when they did. She quickly called Cass and told her the same news. She was much more excited to hear that her nephew was waking up, and quickly promised she would be there as soon as she closed up the café.

Y/n waited a few minutes, making sure Tadashi was truly asleep before heading downstairs to wait for Aunt Cass.

The woman had brought donuts and sandwiches from her shop, reminding Y/n of the sandwich she had dropped and that hadn't eaten anything since this morning. "I thought the others would be here."

They started walking towards the elevators. "I called them but they were in someplace with a bad connection so I don't know if they got the message. They'll call back if they didn't and if the did, they should be here soon."

"How is he, dear?" They stepped into the elevator, pushing the button to take them to Tadashi's floor.

"He's okay. Asleep right now, he was very tired. He was a little upset when he figured out he couldn't move his arms or legs yet, but the doctor said he should regain full function in a few days."

They had reached his room, Y/n opening the door for Aunt Cass.

"Oh, my sweet boy," Aunt Cass said seeing her nephew. She set the bag of treats on one of the tables before moving to his bedside. He still wasn't awake, but she could see his face fully now, no ventilator blocking it.

She looked glanced up as Y/n pulled another chair to the other side of the bed. "Did you tell him, yet?"

Y/n shook her head. "I didn't want to keep him up too long. He'll wake up again soon and this time there shouldn't be so much panic."

Cass nodded her head in understanding. She turned her attention back to Tadashi, brushing his hair away from his face.

Y/n woke the next morning to that sound of the TV. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see the news channel on. She lifted her head from where it lay on Tadashi's bed. She had never stayed over; she wasn't supposed to. Aunt Cass wasn't in her spot anymore.

"Hey, sleepyhead." Y/n turned sharply to see Tadashi wide awake. Someone had lifted the top of his bed so he was sitting up slightly. "How'd you sleep?"

"Surprisingly well for a hospital," she responded with a smile. "Where's Aunt Cass?"

"Hiro and the others haven't come yet or called, so she went home to find him."

Y/n felt his fingers tap against her hand. "You can move your hand."

He shrugged, "Just the fingers."

"Still," she smiled. "That's an improvement."

He narrowed his eyes as his face turned serious. "I think it was your kisses." He tried to keep a straight face but Y/n could see the corners of his lips twitch up.

"Oh really?" He nodded, letting the smile form at her playful tone. "I'm pretty sure I kissed your other hand."

"I don't think so."

Y/n laughed. She stood up so she could sit on his bed and be face to face with him. She leaned in. "You're lucky I like you enough to give you kisses." She placed her lips on his.

He responded eagerly, humming in agreeance. She had missed this. Just his presence was enough to make her feel like everything was going to be okay.

She pulled away after a few moments, taking his hand in hers. "I have something I need to tell you." His eyes narrowed at the swift change in mood, but he still nodded for her to continue. "I was going to tell you the day," she took a deep breath, "everything happened."

"What's wrong, Y/n?" She was beginning to worry him.

"I'm pregnant." She let the words hang in the air watching his face for any sign of emotion.

A smile slowly spread across his features. "Really?"

Y/n bit her lip as she nodded. "Almost 4 months now."

"That's amazing." He tried to move his arm again and Y/n, knowing what he wanted to do, placed his hand on her stomach. "We're going to be parents."

She nodded, leaning in to kiss him again.

"I love you so much," Tadashi mumbled against her lips.

She pulled away keeping their foreheads together. "We have a lot to figure out but that can wait till you get out of here, okay?"

He nodded. "I just can't believe it. My brothers in university, I'm going to be a dad; everything's changing."

Y/n pulled back slightly, realizing that he didn't know. "Tadashi, Hiro didn't sign up for any classes this semester."

"What?" He frowned. "Why not?"

"After that night, Hiro blamed himself. I think he thought that because he hadn't stopped you or saved you, that meant he shouldn't get a reward. So he didn't go. We all tried to get him to go, but for the longest time, he was depressed. When he found Baymax, he started getting better. Your robot did exactly as it was supposed to."

He smiled at the thought of Baymax helping Hiro feel better. "He's going next semester. I don't care if I have to drag him there."

"I know." Y/n smiled as she tucked his hair behind his ear. "He'll be so happy to see you."

"I'm excited to see him too. It doesn't feel like I've been away for long, but at the same time, it feels like years." He smiled sadly. "I mean, the last thing I remember is Hiro getting into school and then there was a fire and Professor Callaghan was still inside and I tried to get in, but then nothing. And now I wake up to find out I've been unconscious for – what?" He paused, thinking over the times he had been told. "Almost two months."

Y/n smiled sadly and nodded.

"I missed so much. Hiro didn't go to school. You're pregnant – I missed the first scan. I wasn't there for you, for our baby, for Hiro."

"Tadashi," Y/n grabbed both his hands, "you can't blame yourself for any of that. You did one of the most heroic things I can think of. You ran towards the danger to save someone you cared about. And, yeah, maybe this time didn't work out, but you tried, and I love you so much for it. You have the biggest heart, of anyone I've ever known. And, if it was possible, I know you would have been here for everything you missed."

"I love you so much," he said, tears filling his eyes.

"I love you too." She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.

They stayed that way for several minutes. Y/n was sure, Tadashi would fall asleep again, she was about to herself, but her phone rang. Slowly she lifted herself from Tadashi, reaching towards the table for the phone.

"Hello?" she answered without looking at the caller ID.

"Y/n." It was Aunt Cass. "Is Hiro there?"

"No, is he not at home?"

Tadashi watched her with worried eyes, trying to listen to the conversation. Y/n noticed and put the call on speaker.

"No," Cass sighed. "I don't know where he is."

"I can try calling around, but I'm sure he's fine, Aunt Cass."

"You're probably right. I'll be back in a little bit. Does Tadashi need anything from home?"

"No, I'm good Aunt Cass," he responded.

"Okay. I'll see you two soon."

The call ended and Y/n moved to sit back on the bed. She noticed Tadashi seemed worried. "It'll be okay. He's probably with Wasabi, Fred, Go-Go, and Honey Lemon. They'll keep him safe."

He shook his head slightly."Why are you so smart?"

"I'm not," she smiled back at him. "I just learned how to calm myself down, so I'm pretty good at calming others now, too."

She dialled Fred's number. It rang a couple of times before going to voice mail.

She furrowed her brow as she tried Go-Go. Voice mail.

Honey Lemon and Wasabi also went to voice mail.

"That's weird." Tadashi raised his eyebrows, wondering what was going on. "They all went to voice mail."

He took a deep breath, trying not to work himself up.

"Why don't you try to get some more sleep?" Y/n asked him.

He frowned. "Will you stay with me?"

"Of course," she promised. She stood up, pushing Tadashi over just a bit (so he wouldn't fall off), before sitting beside him and resting her head on his shoulder. Her eyes kept drifting to the phone in her hand, wanting something to come through to tell her they were okay. But nothing did.

"Oh my god," Tadashi gasped.

Y/n threw her head up following his gaze to the TV. The news channel was showing live footage of the new Krei Tech building, only it didn't look so new. There was a giant, metal circle thing above it sucking in different pieces of the crumbling building. The man in the mask was there as well. If Y/n had to guess, she'd say he was the one responsible for the destruction.

As they watched, a blue smoke filled the courtyard blocking their view. The man in the mask rose above the smoke. That's when she saw him. Baymax was there, which left no doubt where the rest of them were. "Oh no," she whispered.

"What's 'oh no'?" Tadashi asked. Y/n turned to face him again, a guilty smile on her face. "I don't like that look."

"There's one more thing that happened while you were asleep."

They did it. They stopped Callaghan from killing Krei and even managed to save his daughter in the process. They had lost Baymax, but they knew Hiro and Abigal would not have made it without his sacrifice.

The group made sure to leave before the police and ambulance got there. They hadn't been injured enough to go to the hospital and they didn't want to get in trouble from the police which they probably would have if they stayed.

As they were walking away, Fred's phone rang.

"Yellow?" he said into the phone. "Yeah, sure thing." He turned to Hiro and handed him the phone. "It's Y/n."

"Hi, Y/n," he said meekly.

"You're pretty lucky, Hiro," she said seriously. "You could have gotten really hurt."

"Yeah," he agreed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me, I have someone who wants to talk to you."

"- No, please don't put Aunt Cass on!" he pleaded but the voice that replied wasn't either of the women he had expected.

"Your fly was down."

"Tadashi?" Hiro felt his eyes fill with tears. It wasn't possible. He died. He was gone.

The group around him suddenly moved closer, all trying to listen to the conversation.

"I can't leave you alone without you doing something with robots," Tadashi laughed. "Seriously, every time."

Hiro was speechless. He just stood frozen as he listened to the voice he thought he would never hear again. When he noticed the stares of his friends he pulled the phone away from his ear and put it on speaker.

"Tadashi?" Go-Go questioned into the phone.

"How's it going Go-Go?"

"Oh my god!"

Everyone started freaking out. Hiro was crying while most of the others cheered. When it finally quieted down, Y/n came on the phone. "Did you guys not hear what I said when I called?"

They were all silent. "You said he couldn't breathe," Hiro recounted.

"Yeah," Y/n laughed. "With the ventilator."

"I can't talk with it in either," Tadashi added, "but if you prefer, I'm sure I could convince the doctor to put it back in."

They all were quick to protest.

"That's what I thought." Y/n and Tadashi's laugh echoed through the phone. "So are you guys coming? Aunt Cass is bringing food."

The group was off to the hospital as quick as they could.

About seven months later

Hiro hopped down the stairs and into the café, his backpack slung over his shoulder.

The room was loud, filled with the sounds of people grabbing their morning coffee or just chatting. Hiro weaved through the tables until he found the one he was looking for. All his friends, including his brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law, were sitting at one of the tables near a window. They smiled as they saw him approach.

"How's the bedroom?" Tadashi asked with a smile.

"Better now that all your junk is gone."

Y/n and Tadashi had found an apartment just down the street. They wanted their own place to live with their baby. They couldn't stay at the café because Tadashi shared his room with Hiro and it wasn't fair to him if they suddenly added two more people to the mix. Y/n's parents had told her she could stay, but her house was too quiet. They wanted to be closer to the city.

It took a while to find the right place, but they did. Unfortunately, baby Kai was born just two weeks after they signed the lease. They knew he would be coming soon, so they had made sure to set up his room first. Hiro was the odd one out, left to store Tadashi's things until he could find time to come grab them. The last box had just been brought to their home last night.

"Last week," Y/n said happily as Hiro sat down beside her. He tickled his nephew that was sat on her lap as he nodded. "You nervous?"

"No, why would I be nervous?"

It was the last week of his first semester which meant exams would be starting.

"He's totally nervous," Honey Lemon chimed. "It's okay, Hiro."

"What? No. I said I'm not nervous."

"That's even more concerning." Tadashi winked at Y/n before continuing. "I was absolutely terrified for my first college exams, in fact, I don't think I know anyone who wasn't scared."

Everyone nodded as they looked to Hiro. "Okay, fine. I'm a bit nervous, but I know I can do it."

"That's the spirit!" Tadashi cheered standing up. "Now get children. It's time for school."

Everyone left the café, saying goodbye to Y/n and Aunt Cass. Tadashi followed them out before returning a minute later.

"He good?" Y/n asked.

"Yep," Tadashi smiled. "He's got it."

Tadashi had decided to take the semester off. He knew that he would want to take time off when their baby was born and it just made sense for him to take the semester so he could help prepare for the baby. Plus, although he wouldn't admit it to anyone, he needed the time to heal. He had a few small scars on his face and arms, and it had taken a while for him to get used to walking again. Stairs were difficult at first.

He missed school. He liked working on a project and perfecting it, so when Hiro said he found Baymax's chip, Tadashi jumped at the chance to rebuild him. He wasn't technically in school, but he would visit and work on the robot any chance he could. With Hiro's help, it didn't take long for Baymax to return. As soon as they turned the bot on, both Hamada's gave it a hug. Tadashi wanted to thank the robot that saved his little brother's life.

"Someone's hungry," Y/n commented as Kai started to squirm and whimper. She passed the baby to Tadashi's open arms before grabbing a bottle from the baby bag hanging on the stroller beside her and heading to the back to heat it up.

The group had made it a routine to meet at the café before everyone headed off to school. Y/n and Tadashi would stay and finish their drinks, check to see if Aunt Cass needed any help (some days were busy), and head home. A lot of the time, Kai would get hungry when they were there, so they made sure to pack a bottle every time.

Aunt Cass was more than happy to let them use the kitchen, especially if it meant she got to see Kai. She adored the little boy and had already started spoiling him despite being only a few months old. She had got them the stroller, as well as several books he would be able to read when he was older.

Y/n loved how their life had turned out. Hiro and the others had continued their hero work and when Tadashi and Y/n heard, they wanted to help. They had to wait until the baby was born and Tadashi was completely healed, but in the end, it was worth it. They got to be superheroes, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, Y/n was as excited as Fred.

They were lucky Heathcliff adored Kai as much as Aunt Cass. Any time they both went out, Heathcliff came over to babysit. They would have asked Cass but she didn't know about their nighttime activities and they didn't want her to freak out.

The bottle finished heating up and, after testing to make sure it was the right temperature, Y/n returned to the main room. She handed Tadashi the bottle leaving her hand on his arm as she sat. She moved her chair closer so she could rest her head on his shoulder as they watched their baby drink.

Tadashi looked down at Y/n, his eyes caught by the ring resting on her finger.

He had proposed only two weeks after he got out of the hospital. They had been together for over three years and talked about getting married before. They both thought it best to wait until school was over, but with a baby being added to the mix, Tadashi couldn't wait any longer. Neither could Y/n as she said yes before he even got all the question out.

They decided they would get married after the semester finished, that way, they would be sure the baby would be born and everyone would be available. Unfortunately, they hadn't really worked out the details yet.

Tadashi's eyes drifted up from the ring to Y/n's eyes. They were watching his own. "You're so beautiful," he confessed causing her to blush. "I'm serious." He smiled as she laughed. "I can't wait to marry you."

"Speaking of which - " she began before Tadashi cut her off.

"Oh no," he groaned sarcastically. "You're not breaking up with me are you?" He smiled again as she shook her head at him.

"You're such a child sometimes."

"Is that a yes? Because you should know it's bad luck to break up with someone who's holding your child."

"Stop it," she laughed. "I'm not breaking up with you."

"That's a good idea."

She sighed, leaning her head back on his shoulder as they both turned their attention back to Kai. "My dad needs a definite date. Apparently, 'the 25th or 26th' isn't good enough for him. He needs specifics."

Tadashi hummed as he thought about his answer. "You choose. It doesn't matter to me."

"It mattered a month ago when we last talked about it."

"Things change." He smiled down at her. "I've decided I don't care when or where I marry you. All I need is you and Kai to be there, and I'm good."

"Really?" She glanced up at him.

"Yeah." They both returned to their previous positions. "Although, maybe we should have Hiro and Fred, and if they're coming we should have the rest of our family, and three more isn't much more, so Go-Go, Wasabi and Honey Lemon should come...."

Y/n found herself smiling as he droned on, content with her little family.

#Sj writes #Tadashi hamada #Tadashi Hamada x reader #Big Hero 6 #Tadashi x reader

[roseherondale]

Where do you Think You’re Going? (Kit in Thule Part 1 of 2)

Summary: Day 5 of Whumptober 2020. In Thule, Kit was imprisoned for months. Now, he makes his escape, but at what cost? This is part 1 of 2 featuring Kit in Thule. Part 2 is Whumptober Day 6.

Word Count: 2261

Warnings: Major character death (you have been warned), implied/referenced torture, drug use and kidnapping

Read it on AO3 here

His feet ached and his heart pounded as he stumbled along the pavement beside the buildings. After several months of capture, he was unused to exercise and his mind was still hazy from whatever drug he had been repeatedly injected with. Kit huddled as close to the buildings as he could, in order to support himself and to prevent the demons from seeing him.

Thule was overrun by them; they were of every kind, each as hideous as the next, circling through the red skies. Kit needed someplace to hide, but first he needed to get as faraway from Sebastian Morgernstern as possible.

For a moment, he longed for his father; the only familiar person he knew, but he was dead; killed by demons that Sebastian had sent after him once he found out that Johnny had been hiding the descendent of the First Heir from him. Although his father had been stern and cold, he had died protecting him, and it had all been for nothing. Kit was determined to make sure it wasn't in vain.

He had been planning his escape for as long as he could remember. When the fog in his brain cleared long enough for him to think, he had made note of his cell and the people who visited. He had gotten complacent, and gradually they sent less and less people to him; convinced that he wasn't a threat. Though, he was pretty defenceless, with no Shadowhunter training (not that it mattered anymore, since they were all gone), or other skills; he was cunning and smart, and he used that to his advantage.

Within the span of his capture, he had waited and observed, endured taunts of "half-breed" and derogatory terms towards faeries, as well as the physical abuse, until he had the right time. He had heard the guards outside the cell, talking about a celebration that Sebastian was holding on the beach, and knew that it would be the perfect time to escape, as there would be less guards at the compound.

When one had come in to drug him, he had fought back, and managed to drug and lock him in the cell instead. It would only have given him a small headstart but he hoped, with all his heart, that it would be enough.

Each step was painful, like walking on knives, and Kit staggered along, pulling himself up using the building. Exhaustion took over him, and with a spike of panic, felt like the drug. There was no worse feeling than being conscious but unable to think or move, and being overcome by nightmares and memories of the worst kind. He couldn't go back to that. He would rather die.

Kit had grown up in LA, but seeing it now, he didn't remember any of it. It looked so different to the city he had lived in his entire life, and he hated how Sebastian had taken everything he loved and manipulated it into darkness.

The streets were deserted, and although it was likely more advantageous for Kit's escape, it made him feel uneasy and anxious. He glanced around often, and back over his shoulder; twitchy and nervous. Sebastian would have to know by now, and he would come after him.

Kit didn't know why Sebastian insisted on keeping him alive. He would not turn him into a member of the Endarkened because of his faerie blood, but it did not explain why he was still alive, especially since Sebastian was heartless and had no qualms killing anyone.

Kit ducked into an alleyway between two buildings and saw a path that led down to the beach. He ducked his head out and looked, but it was deserted. Sebastian's Endarkened had moved on, and Kit had a sinking feeling that they were after him.

The last place they would think to look would be the beach, and so he scrambled down the rock as quietly as possible, and headed along the edge, avoiding the sand, as it would leave footprints, and sticking close to reduce the chance of him being seen.

He had been travelling for a while, when he saw a cave entrance. Ducking inside, he let out a small breath of relief and dragged himself in further. There was a rocky wall further in and Kit groaned; it wasn't far enough in to provide shelter from the Endarkened if they came looking. Too exhausted to move any further, he lent against it, but fell through, as if it were an illusion.

Although the fall was short, it was painful, as if the drugs he had been given had made him more susceptible to pain. He staggered to his feet, unsteadily and was met with a sword pointed at his neck.

"Who are you and how did you find me?" There was a woman on the other end, her hand steady as she held it. Her skin was pale, and had a grey tint to it, as if she hadn't left the cave in years, and her brown hair fell past her shoulders, knotted and greasy. She wore a simple dress, though it was tore and stained in places.

"Please don't hurt me; I'm not one of them." Kit gasped, trying to move back from the sword. "I'm Kit. Kit Rook. He captured me and I escaped and I just lent against the wall and now I'm in here." He stared at her eyes, "please."

She lowered her sword. "Alright." She placed it against the wall, and came to his side. "I'm Tessa Gray; let me help you."

"Thank you." He whispered.

She led him to a chair in front of the fireplace and laid him down. It was warmer than he would have expected, and glancing around the cave, he was surprised by the amenities inside. There was a small kitchen, with a range, doors that he presumed led to a bathroom and a sleeping area, and the main space was furnished with chairs, cushions and rugs.

"It's not much, but it was the best I could do." She said.

"It's amazing." Kit said, honestly, and she smiled at him, slightly.

"Let me get you some food and water." She disappeared behind him and came back a few moments later with a tray. She took off the cup of water and handed it to him. Kit hadn't realised just how thirsty he was until he handed back the cup to her, empty. Smiling softly, she handed him a plate with bread, dried meat and apple slices, whilst she replenished his drink.

Whilst Kit ate, she sat on the cushioned floor, opposite him, studying him, though he pretended to ignore her. He had many questions adding up in his head; he was curious as to who she was and why she was hiding and how she managed to avoid the Endarkened.

Immediately after he finished eating, she spoke. "What's your story?"

"My story?" He asked, confused as to how much she wanted to know.

"What happened to you?" She asked, softly.

"Oh. I used to live with my father; he was quite shady; he knew everyone's business, including Sebastian's. He did some work for him; found out some information, I don't know what. But when Sebastian found out that he had been hiding me, he sent demons to kill him and Endarkened warriors to bring me back to him. For the last seven months, he's been keeping me locked up and drugged but I managed to get out..." He trailed off.

"You poor thing." Tessa said, sympathetically. "You must stay with me; we can keep each other safe, okay?"

"Why do you want to help me?" He asked.

"I don't know how many of us are left, and I think we should stick together, don't you?" She paushed, then added, as if an afterthought. "I had children long ago; James and Lucie. You remind me of them, somehow." Her voice was tinged with such sadness and heartbreak, that Kit didn't expand on that, nor did he want to ask her any potentially triggering questions. It was obvious, if not from the fact that she was living in a cage, from her empty eyes, that she had been through a lot, likely more than him, and if they were to live together, he wanted to make it work.

"Thank you." He repeated, quiet and sincere. For the first time in months, when the exhaustion caught up to him again, it wasn't tinged with fear, but was a warm blanket of comfort. He curled up on the armchair and rested his head against a cushion, allowing himself to close his eyes. Tessa took away his plates and he listened to her quiet humming as he drifted off. Right before he left consciousness, he could have sworn he felt a hand stroke his hair, and he sighed contentedly, drifting off.

<>—<>—<>—<>—<>—<>—<>—<>—<>—<>—<>—<>—<>—<>—<>—<>

The next few days passed in a blur of joy that Kit had never expected to feel again. Both he and Tessa had been starved for comfort, and having each other was like a lifeline; a single buoy to hold in an ocean that spanned for miles in every direction.

He stood beside her at the sink, a tea towel in hand as he dried the dishes she passed to him.

"Will and I named our daughter after Lucie in a Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens." She said, continuing their conversation.

"Seen that movie." Kit quipped.

"Read that book." She responded at once, rather obviously. "Have you really?"

"Yeah. My dad had a bunch of old films on VHS tapes that I would watch in the evenings, when he went out." He stared down at the plate, ensuring it was dry before placing it on the counter. "What made you name your daughter after her?"

"We both loved the book. He quoted Sydney Carton at me a lot," she smiled, "I loved it and I guess it grew on him a lot."

"Who was James named after?" He asked.

"James Carstairs. He was Will's parabatai and my fiance but he became a Silent Brother before we could marry, and then I married Will. We stayed in touch though; he was important to both of us, and as Brother Zachariah, he died a hero, sealing the Mortal Sword inside the Silent City to protect it from Sebastian."

"I'm sorry." He said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"There is not a day goes by where I don't think of any of them; my family. There's not a day that goes by where I don't think about joining them," she admitted. "But, now we have each other, and that's enough for now. Something to live for."

He rested his head against her shoulder. "I'm glad we found each other."

"I'm glad you trespassed in my home." She joked, clearing the darker mood into something light and easy. Everything with Tessa was easy; she was the best thing that had happened to him, and if he had to be kidnapped to find her, he would gladly go through it all again. She was a star in the darkest sky; bright, constant and steady, keeping him grounded but full of hope that things could get better with each other.

Suddenly, she froze, eyes widened and alert. "Get behind me." She ordered, just as the Endarkened entered the cave, Sebastian at the front, his eyes cold but twinkling, and knowing his disturbed mind, Kit knew that it couldn't be anything good.

"Christopher, did you really think you could escape from me?" He asked, smirking as though it were all a game to him; as though Kit was nothing but a pawn to be moved around as he saw fit.

He refused to answer. Both he and Tessa were defenceless; the sword was on the other side of the room, and her magic had been weakened.

"Seize the child." Sebastian ordered, bored. At once, one of the Endarkened broke away from the pack and reached towards him. He threw Tessa to the ground and grabbed Kit. Outnumbered, he didn't even try to struggle; in an enclosed space like Tessa's cave, there was no way he could win.

"Leave him alone!" Tessa cried, lunging to her feed and moving forward, crazed. Kit saw her as a sisterly or motherly figure, even after just a few days, and if she felt the same, she now moved as a mother; willing to sacrifice her own life for her child's.

And that was what she did. The sword pierced through her stomach and Kit screamed as he saw it protrude through her back. She gasped, her hands falling to the wound as she fell to her knees. The Endarkened warrior that had wielded it, pulled it out, and the cry that escaped Tessa's mouth would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Tessa. Tessa." He repeated, struggling to escape their grip to get to her. She couldn't die alone.

A prick stung his neck and he shook his head, pulling away. "No, no, no." He said, his voice immediately becoming distorted, and vision blurring. Though he could only see fuzzy shapes, he saw Tessa fall back, her hand that was outstretched to him, fall to the ground.

Through tears and blurriness, he stared one more time, before being dragged away. Whatever his fate, at least Tessa was back with her loved ones; with Will, and Jem, and James, and Lucie. He could only hope that whatever waited for him, that it spare him quickly so that he could join them.

Thank you so much for reading! I really hope you enjoyed it. I personally haven’t seen anything of Kit in Thule (though I haven’t looked) and I think it’s such an interesting concept that I’m glad I could explore.

Part 2 will be up tomorrow for the next Whumptober prompt. If you liked this and want more Kit in Thule, then please let me know - I’d love to make sure I’m writing things that you all like too. See you tomorrow!

#kit herondale #tessa gray #thule #the dark artifices #ghosts of the shadow market #the shadowhunter chronicles #sebastian morgenstern #whumptober 2020 #fanfiction #major character death #implied torture #kidnapping #drug use

[mail-me-a-snail]

House Keys

chase…oh chase i love you so but you’re in for it now. chase brody, the former bro average superstar, comes home for the first time in a year.

part 1 part 2 part 3 Even if Chase Brody had moved out the year prior, he still has the keys to his brothers’ house. He stands now on the crisp, green lawn and swings the key-chain around. He cards a hand through his hair and rubs his eyes—he doesn’t get much sleep these days. Three years before he moved into his brothers’ house, he was sleeping in the back of his car. He’s been conditioned to fall asleep on the hard leather of the car seat, not in his own bed. He didn’t have a bed those weeks. Stacy and him still don’t talk.

He shoots Marvin a text.

hey bro im outside. will come in with the keys. jackie okay? are you all okay? There’s no response. Chase shrugs and tucks his phone into the pocket of his jeans. He’s a little hurt, but it’s fine. It’s Chase’s first visit since he’s moved out. It’s exactly as he remembers it. The lawn is in immaculate condition, with the hedges trimmed neatly and flowers springing up all over the place—Jameson was always in charge of that. He has an eye for lawn care. He takes after Jack. The door and porch are dark mahogany, though it’s washed in orange now as the sun is starting to set. The house itself is painted an egg white. The tiles of the roof are black. Potted plants litter the porch, some new, some old, but all beautiful and trimmed to perfection. No doubt it’s Marvin’s work. The sidewalk he stands on is decorated with faded chalk drawings. Robbie. Of course. Chase is standing on his own face drawn in chalk. It’s a wonderful likeness and Chase can’t help but smile. Robbie even got the faded green in his hair. He steps off. He doesn’t want to ruin a masterpiece. The light in the wide upper story window—Henrik’s room—is off. The doctor’s probably getting his much needed and deserved forty winks. The only light on is in the living room. He takes a deep breath, the kind that pulls his shoulders up like he’s shrugging, and walks towards the door. Anxiety wriggles in his belly. He clutches the keys tightly in his hand—they bite into the skin and leave an impression with their teeth. He remembers the call with Marvin the night before. He had been in his apartment putting together some videos when his phone had rung. Marvin had explained everything to him; finding Jackie bleeding out in the city, teleporting him home, the surgeries…all of it. Jackie was okay, Marvin had assured him, and that he would heal. But the fact that it was…was you-know-who’s work… It hadn’t stop his hands from shaking as soon as he said goodbye and dropped the call nor did it let him breathe. His panic attacks were always bad, but he managed the one he had that night fine. And the one in the bathroom this morning. On the drive here, too. He doesn’t have everything under control yet. Being here again reminds him of all the times you-know-who had been there. He had been there, for Jack and Henrik. It went the same way; a phone call. A panic attack. The fear. Now it’s happening all over again. Why can’t he ever escape the demon? Why can’t any of them? Even a year after…he still looks over his shoulder and tosses and turns at night. When will he stop being afraid? The keys bite into his palm like his old dog had lovingly done. He misses him. Stacy had to take that away from him, too. The sting and the thought of Bulls-eye grounds Chase and he lets go, letting it hang by the key-chain instead. Deep breaths. He slides the key into the lock and turns. The door opens. Chase looks around as he steps into the hall. It’s just the same. The walls are orange. The umbrella stand to the right of the door filled with Marvin’s props, the coat hanger opposite, and the stairs upwards at the very front. To his immediate left is the closed door to Henrik’s makeshift clinic. To his right is the doorway to the living room. There’s a movie on, though Chase can’t identify it as the volume is set way down low. He doesn’t know where to go first as he stands awkwardly in the middle space. “Hello?” He says to the seemingly empty house. “Is anyone home? Marv? Schneep?” “Chase,” His heart skips a beat when he hears the raspy call from the living room, but he brightens when he recognizes the voice. “In here.” Chase has to stop himself from running into the living room. Brown couch, flat screen TV (playing Die Hard, of course), wide windows, and white curtains that blow softly. The coffee table has coffee mug rings on it and abandoned medical supplies like gauze, cotton balls, and antibiotics. Henrik’s neatly folded coat, too. Jackie sits on the couch in a black t-shirt with the brightly coloured graphic of a cartoon dog on a bicycle. He wears the flamingo shorts to accompany it. It’s the first time Chase has seen the hero out of his supersuit; it almost feels wrong. His hair is the neon green Chase remembers it to be. He’s wearing his mask. The only sign he’s been hurt at all are the bandages around his neck and forehead. He’s hardly watching the movie. He has a big smile on his face, the toothy kind of sunshine Chase missed so much. “Jackie,” he breathes. Chase wants to cry with relief. He settles with hugging Jackie as tightly as he can. “I missed you, Jackie,” he says, muffled as he buries his head into the hero’s chest. “I was so worried about you!” “O-ow, ow,” the other hacks out a laugh and winces, patting Chase’s back. “I missed you, too, bud, but…stab wound.” “Shit, right, sorry.” Chase lets go, albeit reluctantly. “Dude, how are you? It’s, I mean—I’ve never been stabbed before.” “I don’t recommend it,” Jackie grimaces. There’s humour in his voice but he also sounds exhausted. “You get here okay?” “Parked out front,” he says, “Came in with the keys. Still have ‘em.” He holds them up to confirm that. He drops them in his lap. “How’re you holding up?” “This thing—” Jackie pats his stomach, presumably where the wound is. “—is a bitch and a half of pain. The neck thing I can handle. It just hurts to talk.” He coughs. It sounds like shaking a dead bush. “Really hurts.” “Oh, I can do the talking, if you want.” “No, it’s okay, Chase. Marvin did something to me, I think, when I was out. Makes my mouth and throat taste like mint. Pretty soothing, actually. Besides, I haven’t seen you in forever! I want to talk.” How can he be so chipper even after he almost died? Chase doesn’t understand it. He really is a comic book superhero. Always getting back up again. “Aw, it hasn’t been that long,” Chase ducks his head, sheepish, but straightens right away. “Can I ask, though? What…what happened?” The silence is thick with tension. Chase bounces his leg, the sole of his sneaker squeaking against the hardwood floor, and pulls at the rubber bracelet around his right wrist under his hoodie sleeve. He picks at the multicoloured bandages on his fingers and arms. Jackie turns the TV off just as John McClain launches himself through a window. He turns to Chase. Their knees touch. “This is what I remember,” Jackie says, and begins. He had met Anti during one of his day patrols, but it wasn’t the song and dance number they usually did; it was in the back-alleys where no one could see them. Maybe that’s what Anti wanted. Maybe it wasn’t. “Anti had…had said something to me,” he mumbles, “that I’m not the hero I think I am. That all of what we do, this hero versus villain thing, is just a show. I-I don’t know why he’s been pretending this long, or…or what he hopes to gain, but…” Chase watches him closely. Jackie stops, shakes his head, and moves on. That’s how the hero has always been. Hit a wall? Just go around. Forget about the wall and keep going. He remembers the fight—and the pinning stab through the gut. The words Anti whispered into his ear. Chase is trembling with raw anger as he sees the large dark bruise marks wrapped around Jackie’s neck where Anti’s hands had been. “But after that,” he growls in frustration, “I can’t remember anything else. By my wound here, I can guess what finished me off.” He taps his neck. “Everything else is beyond me.” “Fuck him” Chase breathes, voice quivering with fury, “You’re a hero to me, to everyone. To Jack.” Jackie flinches when he hears those words. “I don’t have any powers,” Jackie mutters. “What? Yeah, you do! That—that super strength of yours!” “Anti can manipulate objects,” Jackie shoots back, “Time and space, just like Marvin can. How do I know he hasn’t been doing it for me this whole time?” “I…I don’t know.” The anger evaporates as quickly as it came. “I-I don’t want to talk about this.” Jackie throws his hands up. “Please, Chase, let’s…let’s talk about you, okay? I want to hear about where you’ve been—what you’ve done.” Chase bites his lip, trying to find a way to stop the subject from changing. The one frustrating thing about superheroes? They build walls around them, shutting the people they love out hoping to save them from whatever inner turmoil they’re wrangling with. …Chase isn’t stupid or in denial. Even he can admit the similarities between them. But that’s just it. Chase knows he does it—Jackie doesn’t. He’d rather not push further and get into an argument, spoiling the whole visit, so Chase drops it. It’ll sit in the back of his mind, though. He tells Jackie about the new apartment; it’s spacious and less of a dump than the last one. Modest kitchen, shower instead of a tub. “I miss the tub here,” he says forlornly, gesturing to the stairs. “And my little rubber ducky. Shower’s okay, though.” He earns Jackie’s laugh. The apartment is far into the city, maybe ten blocks away from the alley Marvin had found Jackie in, and just across a coffee shop. Having cleaner, more colorful walls than ugly white granite that popcorned helps a lot to take his mind off more…painful things. He hung up posters, bought a flatscreen, had a whole new gaming rig up for himself—he’s doing okay for himself, he thinks. The therapy, the talking, has brought him out of the hole he was in three years before. He tells him about new friends. Baristas at the coffee shop who’ve recognized him as a regular. YouTube is more fun than anything for him right now. The Bro Average brand was dissolved, but he couldn’t care less. It had been time for a fresh start. His channel is up and running and he’s been invited to panels, talks, and conventions. Some people from AA said they had watched his videos. He tells Jackie about how good it is to just. Work. To produce content for others to consume, to make people happy, but not at the cost of his own happiness. He notices he’s rambling when Jackie says nothing and keeps beaming at him. He falters and lets his words trail off into silence. “What?” Chase says. “I’m so proud of you,” Jackie replies, and the pride is trembling in his voice. “Chase, you’ve gotten so far without us. You’ve got a job, a new house—you’re practically shining!” “You’re…you’re proud of me? You mean it?” Chase feels himself smile, too. “Yes. I’m proud.” Jackie puts a hand on his shoulder. “You’re my bro. You’re the bravest damn person I know and you’ve come out of this so strong, so…it’s…Jack would be proud too.” Chase understands why he starts crying. That’s all he ever wanted. To hear those words come out of Jackie’s mouth. It means he’s done it. He’s gotten better. Maybe not recovered fully, not just yet, but better. Even in his joy, he hates himself for crying because whenever he cries he bawls like a big baby. He buries his face into Jackie’s chest, shoulders shaking. He’s staring at the cartoon dog through blurry, teary eyes. The dog says, in a neon bubble, “RADICAL!” The other rubs his back in soothing circles. “That’s it, buddy,” Jackie whispers, “I’ve got you, bro.” Chase swallows thickly, sniffles, and wipes his face with the back of his hand. Jackie hands him a tissue and he blows. His eyes are stuffy. He looks up into Jackie’s eyes, milky white, hidden behind the film in the mask, but he can tell they’re full of soft, unspoken love. The hero holds his cheek. “Chase Brody Mcloughlin,” Jackie declares, “I, your loving bro, will never stop being proud of you. Don’t forget that.” “Thanks, Jackie,” he sniffs, wiping his eyes. “Thank you. It’s…i-it’s nice to hear that what I’m doing is finally right.” “We’re all proud of you.” Jackie’s hand drops but gives Chase’s shoulder one last firm pat. “S-speaking of,” Chase clears his throat. “Speaking of…where is everyone?” Jackie blanks. “Uh,” he says, unsure. “Good question, actually! No idea. I woke up, like, ten minutes before you came in. I kind of assumed Henrik went to work, and who knows where Marvin is at any given time? JJ and Robbie are out on vacation or something. It’s just Henrik, Marvin, and I.” “Huh,” Chase frowns and stands. “You wait here, Jackie. Henrik can’t have gone to work; he’d never leave you here alone.” “Marvin would be watching over me!” He argues. “This is Marvin we’re talking about!” He shoots back as he leaves the room. He considers going upstairs but stops before he can do it. He notices, to his surprise, that across the hall the clinic’s lights are on. How did he not notice that coming in? The harsh white fluorescents bounce off the tiles and under the door. Chase knocks. “Doc? Marv?” He says, “Yoo-hoo. Anyone in there?” Of course, unsettling silence follows. Great. Chase has played enough horror games to know that whatever’s on the other side is bad. He flinches as glass shatters behind the door. A shadow moves under the door. “Henrik?” “Schiesse!” comes a muffled curse to answer. Angry German swearing? Yeah. That’s Henrik. “What the hell was that?!” Jackie says from the couch, halfway to standing. Chase notices he’s wobbling like a newborn deer. “Jackie, get back on the couch,” Chase scolds the hero, “You’re in no condition to walk!” He turns back to the door. “Doc, I’m coming in.” He takes a deep breath, grips the doorknob, and turns. What he finds on the other side isn’t horrible, so he releases the breath he didn’t know he was holding. Henrik, hair messy and eye bags seemingly darker, clutching his head, is kneeling among shattered glass. From the way the metal table beside the hospital bed is on its side, Chase surmises that Henrik knocked it and the beakers that were on it to the ground when he tried to stand. “Doc!” He exclaims, rushing over to Henrik. He takes the doctor by the arm, helping him up, and looping the arm around his shoulders. “Danke,” Henrik grumbles, eyes still squeezed shut. “Chase, is that you?” “A-are you blind, Henrik?” Panic momentarily flares up in him. “Oh, jeez, I can get something for your eyes. Maybe ice—” “No,” Henrik sighs, but in the most affectionate way possible. He opens his eyes halfway, tired grey-blues looking up at him. “Chase, relax. I’m not blind. It’s these damn fluorescents—they could make me go blind. I don’t know why I thought they were a good idea. This nausea…it’s like someone took a hammer to my skull. Might as well have… I see enough of those lights in the hospital. Is it any wonder I wear glasses…” Henrik reaches into his pocket for something. He swears again as he brings out the bent and cracked frames of his glasses. “Oh, that is just great,” he hisses under his breath, “They must’ve gotten smashed in the fight.” “T…the what?” This is plenty strange already, but of course, he just has to notice only now that Marvin is crumpled in a desk chair, long, flowy hair messy and tangled, falling behind him as his head leans back, showing his neck. “Oh my God—Marvin!” “He’s okay,” Henrik straightens, though he’s still too weak to stand. Chase helps him into another chair. The doctor sits down with a sigh of relief, pinching the bridge of his nose and squeezing his eyes shut. “What the hell happened here?” Chase gestures vaguely to the entire room. “To Marvin? Actually, to you? Was it…was it you-know-who?” “Anti,” the doctor spits. Chase winces at the name. “It’s not right to fear his name. He and I had an…encounter last night. I thought I was going to die.” He briefly touches his neck. Chase sees all the scars crisscrossed there; it’s why the doctor wears turtlenecks to work. He’s always been insecure about them. “I thought it was all over but…but I woke up here. My head hurts like a bitch but I’ve got no other wounds. My neck, my concussion—they’re healed, like they were never there. "So, I have reason to believe,” he continues, “Marvin used the full extent of his magic to save me. It’s probably why he’s passed out.” “He’s always been shit at restoration magic,” Chase jokes, but turns serious right away. “Jesus, doc. Are you really okay? Why the fuck did you-know-wh—I mean,—A…Anti go after you?” “Teach me a lesson? Finish me off?” Henrik raises his shoulder in a shrug. “Your guess is as good as mine. God, I’m sorry, Chase, that this is the scene you’ve returned to. You’ve had enough of this…this Anti business, and now we’re dragging you back into it. Forgive me.” “No, doc, don’t say that,” Chase waves him off, “it’s not your fault. Besides, the guy’s messing with my brothers. That’s not gonna fly with me.” His voice shakes. He knows how unconvincing his moxie is. He swallows the stone in his throat and turns away before Henrik can call him out on it. The man crosses the room and takes a trauma blanket from the cabinet—he practically knows the clinic as well as Henrik does—and drapes it over Marvin. The magician barely stirs. He’s completely out. “CHASE? IS EVERYONE OKAY?” Jackie shouts from the living room. Chase startles and nearly knocks some important doodad over. Henrik’s blue eyes crackle to life at the sound of the hero’s voice. “He’s okay,” he says more to himself than Chase, “Oh, God, he’s okay.” To Chase, he says, “Chase, help me up—I must see Jackie.” “But what about Marv?” “He’ll need rest. Neither of us are strong enough to move him upstairs. Please, Chase, let’s go.” Henrik is almost begging. The tone unnerves and stirs Chase into action. He helps the doctor, slowly and surely, into the living room. “Henrik?” Jackie breaths, “What happened to you? Why are you limping? Is Marvin o—” Henrik launches himself from Chase’s arms and onto Jackie, nearly tackling the hero into the sofa. Jackie grunts in pain. “You idiot,” Henrik growls, though with utmost love. “You had me so worried! You could’ve died.” He hugs Jackie tight, despite his weak state. “Don’t ever do that again.” “What, get stabbed?” When Henrik glares up at him, he sobers. “Okay, okay. I won’t. I promise. Chase, where’s Marvin?” “Getting some rest,” Chase explains, “He used a whole bunch of his magic to heal Henrik. A-Anti attacked the doc last night.” “He…what?” Jackie’s tone is dangerously quiet. His shoulders are tense—he looks like an apex predator. It takes everything in Chase not to back away. “Calm yourself,” Henrik cautions, “I’m okay now. Marvin made sure of it. It is true; I had a fight with Anti and…I did not emerge the victor. But it’s alright. I’m alright.” Jackie deflates and hugs Henrik back. “I’m glad you’re okay, doc.” “You too, Jackie.” Chase bites his lip and leaves the room. He knows what he said about Anti, that he’d be ready to fight the demon again, given the chance. It’s one big lie, because he is fucking terrified of Anti, terrified of the fact that this is all very real, and that it had gotten all too real very fast. He wants to run away in that stupid little way of his, where he drives and drives until he can’t or locks himself up in his room, anywhere where Anti can’t reach him. He’s managed not to see the demon for a full year. He can’t do this. He can’t. Not again. Not again. – Chase goes up to his room and finds the hatch to the roof still unlocked. He goes out and sits there, on the uncomfortable tiles, and stares up at the stars. It’s somewhere around 11:30, maybe midnight. He doesn’t check his phone. Henrik’s gone to sleep. Jackie had helped Chase move Marvin to the couch. The both of them weren’t nearly strong enough to bring him up to his bedroom. Some part of Chase is telling him to relapse. To drink. He snaps the rubber bracelet against his wrist over and over instead. It makes an angry red mark. It’s a distraction. It makes him all the more ashamed of how fast he crumbles in the face of all this. He’s hasn’t gotten better. Even in the darkness, he knows what the bracelet says. He’s seen it, worn it ever since the last time Anti had tormented him. Alcoholics Anonymous, in white letters against a garish neon green. His mouth tastes of smoke. His eyes are heavy. He is tired and deflated. His brothers nearly dead—what a sight to come home to. At least now, he’s here for them. He is so tired, he doesn’t turn around when the hatch opens and Jackie sits beside him. He’s changed out of that cartoon dog shirt—he sports one of Henrik’s striped shirts. “Hey,” Jackie greets him softly. Chase can see the hero watching the bracelet snap repeatedly against his wrist, which he doesn’t stop. “Hey.” Silence. Cicadas. Snap. Snap. Snap. “How long have you been sober?” Chase knows how much Jackie wants to say more, but he doesn’t. It’s a simple question. “A year.” An exact year from the last time Anti hurt him. He and Jackie match in scars now. Not on the neck, though. “Dude, that’s awesome. I’m proud of you.” The words are hollow. He doesn’t deserve them. Snap. Snap. Snap. “Chase?” Snap. Snap. Snap. “Welcome home.” Chase breaths shakily. His wrist stings. He cries, the fourth time that day, and bites back the urge to scream. “He’s g-going to f-find me again,” he says through quick breaths, “I’m n-next.” “Chase…” The man shakes his head furiously. “I-I’m not leaving. If he think he can fucking s-scare me,” Chase hiccups, “he’s w-wrong. I’m tired of r-running away. I’m going to fight.” Nothing, for a moment. Then, Jackie says, “It’s what Jack would’ve wanted.” Chase cries harder at that. He wants to toss his house keys off this damn roof and never see them again, because they remind him too much of the doors he’s just opened up. He’s not afraid. Shaking and sobbing, he is not afraid. He is furious.

#jacksepticeye #antisepticeye #chase brody #marvin the magnificent #jackieboy man #fanfiction #fic #nearly 4k words if you'll believe #jse #mine #my writing #alcoholism tw #alcohol ment #writersofjack

[serasaka]

Thomas MacLaine / Francis York Morgan fanfiction.. because there’s an alarming lack of it and I adore Thomas.

York sat tied to the dingy chair, blindfolded. He tried once – twice, several times – to strain against the thin ropes bounding his wrists and ankles, but nothing gave; he only succeeded in chafing his skin. Somewhere deep down he knew, calmly, that help would eventually arrive – he knew Emily would be especially be looking for him – but when, he could not precisely tell.

“Zach, we’re not going anywhere anytime soon, so I guess we should just take a few minutes to think,” he dialogued to his inner lifelong friend. It was not unusual for York to hold dialogue with Zach, often out-loud and in front of others. He never gave it a second thought – their bond was as such that if one spoke, then there was an obligation to include or consult the other, no matter the subject. Even if the topic seemed as out of place as quietly musing while clearly kidnapped and held against one’s will.

York’s persona was, to put it one way: Unconventional.

In the right corner of the small room, he heard the old metal door open. Instinctively, he looked in that direction, even though he should have expected not to be able to see. To his surprise, however, the rag used to blindfold him was semi-sheer. A tall, thin frame glided in on delicately-clacking stilettoes; it wore a long, red silk dress, the same one the club singer Carol wore, but their hair seemed too short. The excessively-feminine gait in the stride was the key clue.

“Thomas,” York calmly called out to the red-silk figure, “I know that you’re there.”

Thomas stopped at those words, directly in front of York, and stared at him, a hand on his hip.

“Your disposition is none of my concern,” continued York, “but you do need to stop this.” York tried instinctively to gesticulate, but his tethered arm spoke for him. “Untie me. Let me go. Right now,” he softly commanded. “And you and Carol should take off. Go as far away as you can.”

Thomas kept staring, unmoved.

“Open a bar or a diner in a new town,” advised the bound FBI agent, “with your cooking, I know you’d do well.”

Thomas shifted. He was quite fond of cooking, after all, albeit very shy about his talent. He managed to floor York with his outstanding, buttery biscuits at the police station one morning, and ever since Thomas’ cheeks could not help but pinken at the thought.

The red-dressed man leaned in close, meeting York eye-to-eye through the blindfolds. Thomas could not see York’s eyes very clearly, but the FBI agent could see his. They had become softened. York could even smell the rouge on Thomas’ lips.

“Why, thank you, York,” Thomas responded, his voice painted with a thin layer of feminine warmth. York had not heard him speak with such a lilt before, but presumably because Thomas was otherwise hiding his true self at his day job with the station. “You’re so kind. Unlike… him.”

Him. ‘Love G.’ …George, York dialoged inwardly with Zach.

“If I had someone like you, things may not have come to this,” Thomas added, a peck of derangement in his sweet voice.

The red-dressed man took a few steps to the FBI agent’s left, turned back and asked, “York, have you ever been in love with someone?”

York did his best to ignore the thump in his chest.

“Thomas…” York tried to implore to the lovely, maddened man. “A long time ago, I witnessed two people that I really cared about die. Both pretty much at the same time. And since then…” as he spoke, Thomas paced to the other side of the room, off to York’s right. “…I’ve tried not to care about anyone so deeply.”

Thomas stopped and turned again, looking directly at the bound agent, hand on hip. York continued, “But recently, that way of thinking has changed.”

“Emily, right?” Thomas asked, sweetly but with a poisonous seethe beneath it, “she’s a nice girl.” He strutted back up to York and, leaning in again to meet his face: “You’d be better off not falling in love with her.”

His words hit York where it hurt, though he dared not show it. He knew – Emily was not in love with him, after all: She was in love with ‘York.’ No… The real ‘York’ was actually Zach. The FBI agent knew, despite the friendly rivalry the two shared, that Emily would choose the confident, handsome ego ‘York.’

This made York feel hurt and guilty. Zach, he dialogued, Thomas is right, isn’t he? I… We… would just end up losing her, too. Somehow. Wouldn’t we?

Ever the profiling genius, York detected the trace of pain in Thomas’ words. Love G… George was, without a doubt, the New Raincoat Killer of Greenvale. Yet, he was also the object of sweet Thomas’ affections. Too bad, Zach, York inwardly dialogued. Their relationship was clearly abusive. Even Thomas deserves better.

Meanwhile, Thomas had stood straight again and went to walk away, satisfied with the FBI agent’s brooding silence. Snapped back to the present at the sound of the red-dressed man’s clicking stilettoes:

“Thomas…” York called out gently. The other man stopped and looked back, stone-faced. York carefully proceeded, “Your ‘Love G’… He used you, didn’t he?”

Thump.

A wisp of hurt spread over Thomas’ face. His confident, statuesque stance sunk; his shoulders caved into his chest, and he rubbed his left arm with his right hand. He turned about and clicked slowly back to York, looking down at him in the face. York’s blindfolded gaze was lifted to his as well, but the image of the red-dressed man was still raggedy.

Zach, I think we reached him, the FBI agent rationalized. Now’s our chance to get him to free us!

Even York knew that playing the empathy card with a deranged person could be dangerous, if said-deranged person picked up any whiff of betrayal. Yet he knew in his own heart he was not being deceitful…

…Thump. Thump.

“…York,” Thomas finally spoke after what felt like an eternity, “he… That is, G…” He paused to drop his head to the side, as was his wont when the two first met. Through the dingy blindfold rag, York could see glints of light on the red-dressed man’s cheeks, flickering for a second and then gone. Wet sparks.

Silence again. York watched through the blindfold as Thomas continued to collapse inward on himself, little by little. The FBI’s hunch on having reached him was undoubtedly correct, so long as it lasted long enough to get him free. Now to convince Thomas to untie him.

“…Hey,” York started softly, causing the other man to flick his eyes back to him. “Come here. Come closer.”

Automatically – obediently – Thomas slowly stepped closer.

Thump. Thu-thump.

Okay, Zach, York dialogued. I hope you’ll still be with me for this.

“Thomas… sit down.”

The briefest spark of confusion zapped across the red-dressed man’s face, before his cheeks began dusting pink. He gave a conservative hoist of the skirt and sat down. Right on York’s lap.

Thump. Thump.

He felt that, like an echo through their bodies.

Thomas was keeping his hands pulled into his lap, suddenly unsure; he bit the corner of his lower lip, staring pleadingly at York’s face. “Wh… what do you want from me?...” More wet sparks, this time long enough and close enough for the FBI agent to see them drop off his jawline. Thomas looked at his lap. “…Don’t toy with me. Don’t do this to me… G, he has already caused enough p-pain…”

THUMP-thump.

More tears fell from Thomas’ jawline; York could feel them hit his chest through his blazer. Thomas turned a deeply-wounded gaze back to the FBI agent, grieved to have even said the words he just did. “I… I can’t take much more…” His chest heaved a sharp sigh. “What… what did I do?... Where did I go wrong?...”

Thump.

“Just… lean on me,” York soothed. “I promise, I won’t hurt you like George did.”

Thomas stared at him, pupils blown wide and lined with tears. He carefully stood up only to hike his dress up enough to comfortably straddle the bound man’s lap. He leaned his full torso onto York, one arm wrapped around the broad shoulders; his free hand placed over York’s heart, the slender fingers sliding gently inside the blazer.

THUMP. Thump… thump!... THUMP. THU-THUMP…

York could feel their heat combine; he could feel both of their heartbeats in his stomach. The silk dress made a pleasant sound as it slid into the tough cotton fabric of the blazer. It made his breathing tremble.

Zach, do I… he began to dialogue. He did not have to finish; both personas knew the answer. But, no… I can’t, I!... Can I?...

“Thomas, if you free me, I can help you,” York attempted at last. It was risky to be so forward in an especially sensitive moment. Something in his gut reassured him that the red-dressed man on his lap was no longer maddened, but logically he could never be sure. “I can help Carol, too,” he pressed, knowing that Thomas was fiercely protective of her. Surely, the loyal brother would only want his dear sister to be safe.

“She’s gone,” Thomas whispered sadly.

“G did it,” York answered.

He felt the man on his lap nod into his shoulder and neck. Two puffs of harsh breath escaped Thomas; he began to sob silently. A minute passed in otherwise morbid silence. Then, Thomas lifted himself up over York, so that his face was mere inches from the FBI agent and looking down into his blindfolded eyes.

“…York…” Thomas breathed.

Thump. Thu-thump. Thu-thump.

The bound man felt hands slowly slither their way up behind his head and fuss with the rag’s knot. With a soft tug from Thomas’ fingers, the blindfold fell away, snaking off of York’s face right to the floor. The two men were now completely eye-to-eye.

Thomas was beautiful. His tear-stained cheeks, tinted with mascara, were blushed enough to be seen in the dimly-lit room. All was quiet around the two; time stood still. Not a sound was heard, except…

Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump… …Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-THUMP –

They were back to being chest-to-chest as well. Thomas still had a soft, pleading look in his eyes as he stared down at the bound man beneath him. His fingers traced up to behind York’s head again, this time to softly grip his neck, behind his ears, the corners of his jaw. A dewy rouge lip touched York’s, sticking for a millennium-long second. Thomas’ warm breath, tinged with alcohol, blew into York’s mouth. Likewise, the cigarette-tinged breath from York blew into Thomas’.

The red-dressed man took a brief, shuddered breath; then, as if breathing the words into the FBI agent’s waiting mouth:

“…You couldn’t learn to love me, could you?”

York’s eyelids flitted up in surprise. Who couldn’t love Thomas, Zach? He dialogued inwardly. He’s sensitive, lovely, gifted…

THU-THUMP.

He likes the bad boys, I think. That’s why he loved ‘G’, George. Someone bigger, stronger, more imposing and controlling; someone to pull him from his comfort zone, and show him adventure… Somebody unlike himself, it seems.

York paused his conversation with Zach to tilt his head slightly and stare deeper into Thomas’ waiting eyes.

…Poor Thomas.

Even though the two men had only known each other for a short time, York – with his savant-like profiling gift – was able to glean a lot of information about Thomas’ personality, just by observing his quirks, listening to his responses to questions, or watching him coquettishly work around him and George. York found himself fondly smirking at the shy officer, especially when he caught him dancing to records – no doubt thinking he was alone – or when proudly rattling off fun facts about nature and cooking. Hell, Thomas even looked like a goddess in that red dress, somehow exuding more feminine dignity in it than Emily did in her blue dress that one night.

He and Thomas were more alike than even Zach would care to admit: Both had experienced deep love and suffered severe loss thereof. Both men had felt powerless and meek when faced with wall upon wall of adversity and self-doubt. They both even had a close confidant to tell all of their worldly secrets to.

The key difference between the two, sadly, that York had Zach at least for as long as he may live. Carol was gone. If she was ever a voice inside her brother’s head, it would only be echoes of the past.

“…You’re not as delicate as you think, Thomas,” York finally whispered back. “You’ve just been made to feel weak, by George.” He could feel his own pupils widen with genuine empathy and…

“…I promise I won’t hurt you. Ever.” …Affection, he told Zach. Sincere affection.

The red-dressed man’s pleading gaze slowly morphed into warmth; then to aching joy. “Heh,” he laughed down to him. His eyelids slowly closed, leaning in he whispered “…I knew there was something about you, from the moment… I…”

York’s own eyelids had closed, as well. Their lips gently pressed together, in a soft but firm, dewy kiss.

The FBI agent’s and red-dressed man’s hearts thumped in synchronicity – equally loud, equally hard; knocking longingly at the other’s body. Zach went fully-silent in York’s brain, something usually reserved for sleep; Thomas sighed and moaned so quietly and so delicately into York’s mouth that he felt the other man jerk a hand from behind. York seemed to forget for a moment that he was tied up.

Thomas broke the kiss gently, smiling lovingly into York’s face. He kept one hand on the back of the FBI agent’s head, going in for another long, soft kiss; the free hand deftly undid the rope from York’s wrists.

Now’s the time! It was Zach, dialoguing to York. It caused York to jump as if shook awake. Thomas took this as a sign of surprise.

“Yes, I’m freeing you,” Thomas responded, his expression morphing into sadness. He stood up carefully, kneeling down to untie York’s ankles. Keeping his eyes downcast as he rose to his feet, he murmured, “Go. You can go now.”

York’s face showed genuine confusion, but it only made the red-dressed man feel negged. “I know why this all happened, York,” he growled, defensively, “so just go before I change my mind.” Another wet spark appeared as he added: “You’ll never have to see me again. It can all just be a bad dream.”

The FBI agents stood up slowly, staring hard at Thomas. He could still feel those rouged lips against his, having inhaled his alcohol-touched breath in a moment when they reknit their lips together. York’s hyper-detailed focus on the kiss sent him into profiling mode.

What should I do, Zach? He tried to ask inwardly. However, even Zach’s silence spoke volumes.

Thomas was still looking away and shedding silent tears, a finger pointing out the door defeatedly, when York reached out with both hands and pulled his thin waist in close. Thomas looked up, bewildered, but did not resist. Instead, he found a hand instinctively placed itself on York’s heart again.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump. THU-THUMP.

Thomas’ lips curled into an unsure smile, and he blushed profusely even in the dim light. York gingerly lifted his chin to meet his uncharacteristically-warm gaze, and pulled him in for another kiss. This time, Thomas wrapped his arms around York’s broad shoulders and dabbed the tip of his tongue on the man’s bottom lip. York instinctively reciprocated and, with the tip of his own tongue, lead Thomas’ tongue in. The kiss began to burn, a passion building inside the two.

‘You’re better off not falling in love with her,’ Thomas had said, about Emily.

At first, the thought was rude and unthinkable. However, in the midst of the slow-burning desire and empathetic attunement to the red-dressed man, York began to feel a different reaction:

It’s because I had Thomas in front of me, all along, Zach.

They once again broke their passionate kiss and just stared at each other. Solidly; lovingly.

Suddenly, Thomas’ eyes widened. “Y-you need to get out of here! Before G gets here! B-besides,” he broke the gaze, “Emily will… will be worried. S-she’s not a bad woman, I… I…”

York grappled Thomas’s face, tenderly, in both hands. “We leave together…” Then, running a hand down his neck, shoulder and arm, clasping the hand at the end:

“…I mean it. I promised you, Thomas.”

#deadlypremonitions #thomas maclaine #francis york morgan #fluff #empathy #love #affection #grief #romantic #comfort #francis zach morgan

[jesslivesau]

jess au @iloveeverythingwaytoomuch

pre show jess: doesn't know anything except that sam told her some fucked up shit and she didn't really believe him much like amelia didn't believe jimmy but what's clear to her is that sam's upbringing was deeply fucked up in what might've been some kind of apocalypse doomsday cult and she can say "sam, it wasn't real" as much as she can til she's blue in the face but it isn't going to change the fact that sam is Deeply Fucked Up by Shit. and it upsets her and confuses her but he does a good job of setting it aside or knowing when to give in and he's such a sweet and Loving Dude otherwise so she just files it away in her bf trauma bank and keeps cheering him on

s1 jess: your bf's CRAZY brother shows up says he needs help finding your bf's CRAZY dad who may or may not have been part of a doomsday cult and you say, bitch i watched the heaven's gate documentary there is NO WAY i'm letting you leave with him, but he's not gonna Stay cuz he insists it's just for one night (and his brother DOES seem relatively stable, like, as a person), so jess insists she'll go too. while she's in the back seat sam tells dean he told her everything dean's like lol. sure. you believe in ghosts, sweetheart? and jess is like no but i do believe that i'll kick your ass if we don't get home in time for sam's interview tomorrow morning. and then the whole white woman thing happens and she's like oh fuck it's REAL but they DO GO HOME and instead of jess dying on the ceiling there's like idk ghost mary on the ceiling or some shit and they NARROWLY escape the fire together andddd idk they can't go back to stanford cuz it's not safe and their apartment complex literally went up in flames. there’s a more complex reason here but idk what it is. maybe it was brady (demon brady) who died or something IDK LISTEN ITS JUST AN AU

anyway all of season 1 when they’re trying to track down john jess is the voice of reason asking why do they need john in the first place? And eventually sam is like listen we don’t need HIM but if he’s got research on where yellow eyes is, that’s what we need. and dean is mad about that and he’s mad at jess and they bicker like crazy. and sam sleeps on the floor because dean is like dude cmon. don’t make me sleep in the same room as you and your gf together. maybe meg gets replaced by meg possessing jess, and she doesn’t get thrown out the window so when they exorcise her she just needs a hospital and then she’ll be ok. and that would explain why she’s in the hospital and not there for the finale, but can meet up with sam & john & dean in the hospital after

s2 jess: sam is so consumed by grief and fear that jess is actually the first one to notice that dean’s spirit might still be still Around. i’m imagining a scene where sam is asleep next to dean’s bed and jess is awake, and she slowly looks around towards dean and you see ghost!dean Connecting with her for the first time

obviously, all the grief episodes keep happening. maybe jess got seriously hurt as well tbh so she goes back to her parents house to recover; there’s an episode where the boys go meet her parents and dean and sam’s Daddy Issues come out in full force. eventually jess is back and kicking ass and slowly getting along more with dean, partially perhaps because of dean’s Grief Response to john’s death, which is that all the anger and hate comes bubbling up, and jess is like i don’t fucking know this dude, but from what sam’s told me, i hate him, which is not something that sam is in a position to Deal With right now. things proceed pretty much along the course

i am considering now if jess could also be a special child. she also has some kind of psychic abilities but i’d have to choose something cool for her. anyway if she IS then that gets her in the town with sam in all hell breaks loose which i think is the best place for her during that arc? i know all the other special children supposedly had to die but maybe her psychic power was to go inviisble or something lmfao i don’t fucking know. anyway dean has his sad monologue but jess either (a) fully shuts down or (b) just goes STRAIGHT to hunt down whatever the fuck his name is. jake? leverage man? that would be dope actually. and then actually dean, sam, bobby, and ellen actually meet her at the hell’s gate

s3 jess: truly does not understand why they’re hunting. gets into arguments with the boys all the time about how this is pointless, if you’re not gonna try and save yourself then why can’t you just put it down and let yourself have this year?? and dean’s a little bit like you know what jessica that makes a lot of damn sense. but it makes sam mad and they argue a lot about it and jess probably takes off halfway through the season. maybe after malleus maleficarum? partly cuz that’s the ep where ruby more or less becomes part of the team and also when she confirms that she can’t save dean from hell. and i just feel like jess would be like i cannot.... Sit Here.... and watch you both drive yourself into the ground. dean, if you’re gonna die, sam’s coming after you. you knew that. you just didn’t want him to go first.

maybe dean hits her lmfao and sam screams at him for it and jess just Walks Away, tearfully

s4 jess: so jess bailed midway through s3, but when dean wakes up and starts making calls in that phonebooth, he calls bobby and bobby hangs up, so he calls jess. and she comes and gets him.

jess and sam are obviously not together anymore, but jess is totally civil with sam and even with ruby. she’s like we can work together, it’s fine, whatever. and this is the season where dean and jess really bond and become a good Team. and cas is just usually confused why jess is Around but eventually gets used to her. i’ve toyed with jess being jewish which would lend a good and also funny perspective to all the heaven and hell stuff

jess heard about hell first from dean, but not the specifics of the stuff that dean told sam, not until after on the head of a pin. she’s their Lore Expert on seals and is trying to identify as many of them as possible so they can put in place safeguards, and maybe that bumps her up against angel priorities for an episode. maybe we get an episode where cas has to Threaten her 00 and he can say something like sam and dean are important..... you are not. remember that. and then [flappy wings vanish]

uhhhh jess’s siren in the siren episode....... is just like a carbon copy of sam lmfao. which is extremely funny and sam and jess will both kind of awkwardly clear their throats and not address that. i guess jess is just fucking stuck with bobby during the finale because the point of her presence is that she’s so USELESS to both demons and angels

s5 jess:  i’d probably add in an early episode where her parents are killed, probably by demons because the demons know they can’t touch the winchesters due to angel shit but they can fuck up jess as much as they want. then when sam and dean temporarily split up jess would go with dean cuz she’s a hunter now and has nowhere else to go and it doesn’t feel right to just sit around with sam. or maybe she also leaves and splits up and doesn’t stick with dean cuz she’s processing her own traumatic shit. at any rate, early in the season there’s a moment where sam is Gone and dean and jess are drinking together and talking about their feelings and they have a moment where they gaze at each other in the eyes and almost lean towards each other.... then jess goes you know what? this is fucking weird and dean is like oh thank god you said that absolutely this is too weird

in The End, it’s revealed that jess was killed and no one will tell dean more information or talk about her until he finds out that she was pregnant when she was killed (presumably with sammifer’s baby)

in changing channels they get put into a telenovela and sam and jess have an tearful emotionally charged confession scene in spanish. this is about when sam and jess finally get back together [cue cheering]

in the chuck eps it’s revealed chuck rewrote it so that jess died on the ceiling in the first book cuz he was like “i just didn’t think it made sense for her to be alive! it was literary symmetry that’s all!”

in sam, interrupted when sam is all high on meds that’s when he says lots of kooky sweet shit to jess about wanting to MARRY her and have a FAMILY together and it’s sweet and also dean throws up in his mouth a little bit having to hear it

in my bloody valentine the thing that jess is hungry for is Family but i do not know the logistics of how

in dark side of the moon jess does die with the boys but it takes a while to find her, tho they eventually do in one of sam’s favorite memories (probably from the first time they met or something). she’s like what the fuck i’m jewish

no, i have no clue how she factors into swan song. she just does, ok. lucifer can snap her neck along with bobby’s

s6 jess: she tried to check in with dean occasionally at the braedens, and actually had dinner with them once but started checking in less and less as the year went on, and it turns out she knew that sam was back and she’d been hunting with him + the campbells and a couple things

when dean finds out he is truly FURIOUS, but jess is like dean i saw you with lisa and ben! i saw you getting better! i saw you happy, i saw you ok, and hell i’ve only known you since you showed up in palo alto five years ago but it was the most at peace i’ve ever seen you, and i couldn’t take that away from you, and neither could sam.

she’s also like yes, dean, he’s different, he’s colder, it makes me sad but who was the one who put up with YOU when you were spiralling after your dad’s death? or when you were all buttoned up after you came back from hell? he did! so show him a god damn OUNCE of empathy, would you!

and when they find out he’s soulless jess is like. hm. and dean is like i TOLD you there was something wrong with him!!! and jess is like i mean.... yeah....... and maybe i didn’t really want to admit it... cuz.... the sex was So good.........

[soulless sam winks at her]

anyway, s6 happens the way it happens and that’s fine

s7: the only important thing that happens in s7 is that Season Seven, It’s Time For a Wedding! is actually about some sort of monster and the only way to kill it is to cast a spell but the spell must be cast by “two warriors joined before god” which means married and cas is awkward about it cuz he doesn’t want to Presume Anything 

and the whole episode is lots of sam and jess being like “i mean, of course, if you want to..... .like, but if you DON’T, that’s also totally fine, of course.... you know.... whatever you’re comfortable with” until finally they’re in the final battle and cas has to marry them the way barbossa does for will and elizabeth in potc and when dean is pinned against the wall by the monster he goes “DAMMIT JESS WILL YOU KISS MY BROTHER ALREADY” and then sam dips jess in a kiss and the monster is instantly obliterated [heart eyes]

i truly genuinely do not remember anything that happens in s7. anyway jess and sam are married now

s8: sam was with jess the whole year dean was in purgatory. they were struggling to get back to normal life after everything. dean is still fucking mad that sam didn’t go looking for him. i assume everything else goes pretty much according to whatever the fuck happened in s8 except jess at one point has to go to bat for benny cuz sam for some reason hates him so much

i’ve been toying with the idea of jess doing the trials not sam but i mean how can i take that away from my Boy

s9: i do not know anything that happened in this season ):

s10: see above

s11: see above

s12: now i never watched s12, but in this au there is no lucifer’s son jack. instead jess gets pregnant midway through the season; cas finds out first because he can sense it and he’s like why does it feel like there’s an extra being in the bunker, and then he spills to dean cuz he can’t keep a secret, and then dean is like “oh shit what are you gonna do” and jess is like well!!!! sam and i.... talked about this. we were.....open to the possibility. and dean is like wtf how could u possibly bring a child into this world that’s fucked up adn cas is like [wipes tear] that’s beautiful

anyway when they come back from some kind of hunt (probably something that involved claire) and sam and jess are in the bunker, sam goes “jess, seeing claire, seeing jody and the girls.... it makes me think.... i wanna have a family with you” and jess hugs him and then cas walks into the bunker with dean and is like “oh, have you told him about the baby?” and everyone SCREAMS at him

and cas uses his annual miracle allowance to just reverse time about 30 seconds so when he enters the bunker he just goes “i have nothing to say” and Fucking Leaves

the baby is born in the back of the impala in the s12 finale, on the way to the hospital. dean is devastated. he’ll have to reupholster the WHOLE THING. sam accidentally names the baby john but they don’t want to tell dean that so they decide to call him jack.

s13-15 gets to be mostly about how cute it is to have a wittle baby in the bunker. cas is the best babysitter because he loves babies and is very powerful so he can protect him. the occultum nonsense in s15 can be about finding a Safe Place for baby jack, no matter what happens to the rest of the world. sam tells jess, you go with him, you’ll be safe there. dean tells sam, you go with them, you’ll be safe there. all of that good good cute family stuff. was it the best idea to have a baby in the middle of constant apocalypses? maybe not, but like, they are ALWAYS in constant apocalypses, so at some point you just have to bite the bullet

anyway. please clap

#au

[dr-gloom]

What You Wanted (Ch3)

Fandom: Sanders’ Sides

Ship: none

Words: 1,256

Tags/Warnings: manipulation and deception, i guess it can be considered gaslighting?, minor violence nothing to write home about

Please reblog the version with links

Rage, Janus found, could be cold. The side felt it washing over him as he watched Virgil tell the others his name, change his jacket, continue his life as if he’d never known anything else. He hadn’t even come to say goodbye, to face the two sides he was leaving to die. It was as if he’d completely forgotten that Janus and Remus even existed. Remus had felt completely betrayed and abandoned when Janus had shared the news. Janus too, though he preferred to focus on his anger. Anger spurred action, after all, and he was a man of action. He needed a new plan. 

Seven months. That’s how long it took Virgil to carve out his own escape, and that’s how long it took Janus to plan and scrape and claw for his own. Seven months, and he’d gained enough control to be able to manifest outside of the subconscious. The first chance he could get, he went after Morality. 

It was only months of debriefings from Virgil that had him at all prepared for impersonating Morality during a video. The entire time he couldn’t help but find it strange and idiotic how they all stood in a circle and prattled on, engaging in nonsensical activities to come to any sort of decision. He’d been doing rather well rolling with the punches, if he did say so himself. That is, until Virgil called him out, alerting Thomas and causing him to reveal himself. He’d even kept his face neutral as Creativity insulted the very thing he’d loved about Janus when they were kids. How he thought that self-absorbed pompous ass could possibly be his childhood friend was beyond him. 

That night, after everyone had gone their separate ways, Janus appeared in Virgil’s room. Virgil had been lounging in bed listening to music and shot up when he caught sight of Janus, fear and anger warring in his features. Janus was silent for a moment as he approached his old friend, eyes narrowed as he studied his face. Memories came unbidden; Virgil laughing in delight at his appearance after giving himself mismatched eyes, Janus chasing him all over the mindscape until Creativity came to his rescue, Janus turning into a giant snake to fight him, Virgil coming to him in the middle of the night because he was scared and sleeping next to him. Janus sneers. 

“So, Virgil,” the other’s name rolls off his tongue, making Virgil shiver. “Are you proud of your decision? Are you proud of the way you deserted Remus and I to live with these monsters?”

Virgil clenches his jaw, taking a slight step back. “He’s changed, Deceit. He isn’t like that anymore.” Janus sucks in a breath through his nose when Virgil uses that name, clenching his fists.

“No? Has he apologized?” Virgil’s silence is all the answer he needs. “They must be treating you like a king. If not, I can’t possibly imagine why you would choose them over your family.”

“They’re nice to me-”

“And I wasn’t? Remus wasn’t? Were we not enough for you? Have you forgotten how we gave up everything for him, how we gave up everything for each other again and again? Remus and I were the only ones who cared about you, those so-called ‘light sides’ left you in the subconscious with us to rot. Remind me, how did they act when you suddenly forced yourself back into their lives-”

“You told me to-”

“I may have given you pointers, shared ideas, but you are the one who decided the way to win was through fear.” Virgil shrinks back, his anxiety rising. Janus inspects his gloved nails. “I’m proud of you, Virgil, really. You saw your chance and you took it. You’re finally free of this agonizing life, it truly must have been so hard on you. Thank God they rescued you.” Janus ignores how it pulls at his heart when Virgil looks away, a tear slipping down his cheek. Instead, he pushes on. “I get it. You got a taste of the good life, you got your moment in the sun and you couldn’t let it go. Say whatever you need to say in order to justify this to them, to yourself. Do what you must to survive. Whatever makes this easier for you. And I’ll do the same.” 

The last thing Virgil sees of his best friend is a glowing yellow eye before he’s gone. 

(∩ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)⊃━☆ﾟ

Virgil is on edge while Janus and Remus plan. It isn’t until Remus reveals himself that they’re finally ready for the next step, both sides finally having enough power to extend their influence beyond the scope of the subconscious. They bide their time carefully until they find the perfect moment, then they strike. 

Morality is first. He’s gotten soft over the years, and the recent arguments with Janus haven’t helped. Janus appears before him on his way to the kitchen and smirks, Morality letting out a startled cry and taking a step back. Janus puts a finger to his lips and gently shushes Morality, one of his snakes slithering behind the side and tripping him when he takes another step back. Janus looms over him with a smug look as he weaves a golden web of influence, watching the light dim from Morality’s eyes as the wires wrap around his wrists and neck. Janus twitches his fingers, manipulating Morality like a puppet, and Morality heads back to his room. Janus disappears.

The other Creativity is next. Janus lets Remus help, not because he needs it, but because this is personal. To Remus, Virgil had replaced him with his other half, his “brother”, the “nicer”, “better” Creativity. He was going to make Virgil regret it. Creativity put up a fight, of course. He brandished his sword as soon as he caught sight of his other half, gritting his teeth and charging at him. Janus relied on Remus to keep Creativity occupied as he came up from behind, his golden wires wrapping around Creativity’s wrists and neck. Remus grins as Creativity’s eyes flicker gold and he pauses, his sword suspended mid-swing. He summons a golden crown, one they haven’t worn since they were one person, and sits it atop Creativity’s head. Weaving wires of his own around Creativity, Remus helps Janus gain control of him before they both disappear. 

Logic is last. He welcomes Janus into his room like they’re old friends, a tiny smile pulling at his lips. Of the three “light sides”, Logic has always had the most tolerance for the “dark sides”. Janus suspects it’s because he isn’t so emotional, so he can remain objective and thus sees the purpose of Janus and the others’ existence. Logic sits at his desk, tapping a stack of papers against the wooden surface to straighten them, Janus walking up behind him quietly. “So, I presume you have some manner of business to discuss if you are here. How can I help you?”

Janus smirks from behind Logic, his fingers twitching. Golden wires dance from his fingertips as he speaks. “Nothing too difficult. I merely need to manipulate your body long enough to make sure my plan succeeds.” Logic’s eyes widen in surprise and he turns in his chair to question Janus, but Janus’ wires wrap around his wrists and throat before he can make a sound. Janus straightens Logic’s tie and disappears. 

If they can’t get the others to accept them, then they’ll just have to take their place in the sun by force.

#sanders sides #sanders sides fanfiction #sanders sides fanfic #virgil sanders #roman sanders #logan sanders #patton sanders #janus sanders #remus sanders #what you wanted

[halfgclden]

SWORDS | CHASE

trigger warnings: violence, blood, torture, teeth?

Chase woke up with a swift kick to the ribs. The soft groan he exhaled sent a wave of pain through his body, like he’d pressed on a wound that went far deeper than he could have imagined. The only thing that wasn’t on fire was the forearm folded under him, numb.

“Ah, good, you’re awake.” The voice was gruff, somewhat familiar, but not recognizable. A hand grabbed Chase by his hair and pulled him up so that he would look at them. It was one of the men from the fight. Chase clenched his teeth as he braced himself, and tasted blood again. There was definitely something wrong with his teeth, but he had other things to worry about.

He struggled and brought his knee up, but the man just slammed Chase’s face into the wall again. “No, no. You’re not going to do that. You’re going to tell us why you’re here. What you want with Mr. Fox.” Chase spit out a tooth and closed his eyes. He shook his head as best he could while it was being held against the wall. He was dropped to the floor again, and curled into a ball. “Okay, well if you’re not going to tell us, I guess we’ll have to ask your friend.”

Chase heard the sound of a door unlocking, a few footsteps, a whimper. He raised his head to see Ben, beaten within an inch of his life, a knife held to his throat. “Chase,” he croaked. “Don’t tell them any-“ He earned himself a jab to the ribs, which made Chase wince sympathetically.  

“Well?” The first man looked at Chase with a grin as the second moved the blade closer to Ben’s throat. Chase spit out another tooth.

“I’m… we’re looking for a hag,” Chase sobbed. “We’re trying to stop the nightmares, please. We’re just trying to help the town.” Another tooth fell from Chase’s mouth, and then another, and then, with a horrifying realization, Chase checked his eyes. He saw blue.

Chase melted into the wall, turned invisible, pushed himself away, away, and out.

•

Chase woke up, head hanging, and he opened his eyes but didn’t move, in case someone was in the room with him. He was in a chair, he was pretty sure, with his arms tied down to the arms of it, and, from what it felt like, his legs were tied as well. From the angle at which his head was dipped, he could see that he was wearing a pendant, but he remembered that the old one had been destroyed, so he figured that he must be dreaming. Chase pushed himself away, and out, and checked his eyes. He remained, and he saw nothing. This was real.

He stared at the pendant, trying to figure out what was off about it, but could barely manage to keep his eyes open. He clenched his teeth, mouth ringing in pain as he did, but even that didn’t help as he was ripped from consciousness, pushed into the astral sea, into the black and inky void.

•

There was something menacing in the way that the dogs’ jaws snapped when they ate, despite the fact that Chase could not see what they were eating. He didn’t know if he could smell the food, but he was salivating. It had been a long time since he’d eaten, they hadn’t fed him since they tied him up and left him here, presumably to die in some awful manner. Chase leaned his head back against the wall. They'd let the dogs in… he couldn’t tell if it had been days or hours ago, but it wasn’t as though he’d been counting the seconds. His mind swirled as he’d thought about how much time had passed.

One of the beasts approached him and licked his face, hot breath against cold skin. He wondered what they needed him for, how they’d gotten him there, if he was already dead or just going to die soon. He reached up and pet the tiger, who nodded, resting its head in Chase’s lap. There was something wrong, something told him. Maybe it was himself. He thought about not being tied up, and wasn’t anymore. He could have cried.

He stood, his tiger at his side, and called out to the hag. “If you want me, come face me! I want you here! Now!”

He was the child of Morpheus. He was dreaming. He could do this.

Chase saw her eyes before he saw the rest of her, sharp teeth and crooked angles. He was in a wasteland. There were crows, he was watching Milo die. Chase materialized a sword into his hand and held it out towards the hag. “You can’t fool me. I know I’m dreaming, I know Milo’s dead. I know this isn’t real.” He charged.

The sword met her arm, but she shifted, now taking the face of Milo, who was still on the ground near Chase. He gasped and sputtered as Chase hacked into him. “Why do you hate me? What made you leave and do this, Chase?” Milo sobbed, and Chase grit his teeth. He brought his foot up to kick Milo in the chest, and as the hag hit the ground, her appearance shifted, turning back into her. She looked up at Chase with fear in her eyes, and as he brought the sword down, it disappeared, turning to smoke in his hands. 

He called out angrily and dropped to his knees on top of the hag, bringing his elbow down on her chest, followed by two punches. “I’m going to kill you,” he growled, grabbing her by the collar of her ratty shirt. “I’m going to kill you for daring to look like my brother.” Chase punched the hag, and punched, and punched, and felt a hand on his side, a warmth as he was ripped from the dream.

•

Chase struggled when Caspar first touched him, but he went limp in Ellie’s arms. His eyes fluttered open. He breathed heavily, still waking up. His heart pounded in his chest as he looked around at their panicked faces. “Was I yelling?”

Caspar looked horrified, at a loss for words. Ellie was on the phone, speaking rapidly through tears for someone to come. Chase realized that he was sitting on a body. “Guys, please…” He looked at his hands. There was blood. He felt sick. “What.. what happened?”

The body below him didn’t move, but Chase knew that he was in Jesse’s room. He felt sick. “Guys…”

Chase looked down, finally facing the bloody mess that he knew was Jesse. He didn’t move. Jesse’s name caught in Chase’s throat, and he pressed a hand to his chest. There was a faint heartbeat. “Guys, guys, we have to… we have to get him to the hospital!” There was so much blood it covered Chase up to his elbows. “Guys,” his voice cracked.

Ellie and Caspar were gone. He couldn’t tell if they’d left or if they were never there. All there was was Chase and the mangled corpse that was once his brother. Blood seeped through the sheets, soaking Chase’s legs.

•

Suddenly, Chase was awake. His head was hanging, his arms were wrapped to those of a chair. He slowly lifted his head, and was met with a bright smile. “Hello, Chase Peterson.”

Chase stared at Vernon Fox, haggard, still shaking from the dream he’d been ripped out of. He spat at his feet, earning himself a slap across the face. “I’ve heard you made a habit of that.” His teeth felt like they were vibrating in his mouth.

“Chase, I am going to speak, and you are going to listen, okay?” Vernon didn’t wait for a response before he continued on. “You and your friend have done a terrible job at covering your tracks, so I know that you are after me, gathering information, trying to find some way to stop me, yes?”

Chase just blinked at him and didn’t speak.

“Yes,” Vernon responded to himself, smile gleaming. “I know that you are a son of the god of dreams, and that the hag can steal your power to grow more powerful. Did you know this, Chase? Did you know that with each dream you have, you are only making the hag, and me, stronger?”

Chase didn’t know where he was going with this. He thought about his eyes and saw only the man in front of him.

“You see, Chase,” each time Vernon said his name, a shot of adrenaline ran through Chase. He needed to hit him. He needed to break free. “I don’t know much about how this dream world mumbo jumbo works, but I’ve found out that I can control it with this.” He produced a chain with a pendant, almost identical to the one that Morpheus had given to him, but inverted. He’d seen it around his neck the last time that he woke up. The inside of the pendant swirled, and Chase licked his lips, still silent.

“And while I’m not exactly… acquainted with magic and all that, I do know this; that if someone is taking something from you to make themselves stronger, you’re only getting weaker as a result, yes?” He paused to let Chase answer, and sighed when he didn’t get one. “Yes. The answer is yes. Do you feel weak, Chase? Do you feel as though we are sucking the life out of you?”

Chase thought about the town, about how its resources were being pulled away from it to feed this man, to line his pockets, to add fuel to his fire. He was a parasite, glutting himself on the things that the town produced. 

“You have the ability to trick people, right? To make them see things and think things that aren’t real? Imagine that power combined with how strong the hag is now.” His smile was sharp.

Chase shook his head and didn’t answer. He thought about how the people they’d met praised Vernon, how long they’d been sapping his power for, how much he could have contributed to it already. He struggled against the ropes to see if they would give, and Vernon let out a friendly laugh as he brought the back of his hand across Chase’s face again. 

“Chase, you will not escape unless I let you out, do you understand?” Chase could taste blood. He tipped his head back as he looked at Vernon, a fire growing in his chest. He would escape. He willed it, he knew it, he could escape. It would be the cards that Jacob had pulled, teamwork, balance restored, homecoming and celebration. Prophets could not be wrong.

Vernon leaned down a bit so that he was eye level with Chase. “Nobody is coming to get you. Your friend is dead. And you will end up the same way unless you agree to work with me.”

Chase drew his eyebrows together, and Vernon sighed. “Look, I’m a reasonable man. I don’t want to have to kill anyone. I’m fine with letting you help me out, I’ll even give you a cut. You can learn a thing or two about business, since you were so interested in it the other day, right?”

“He’s… dead?” Chase spoke for the first time since waking up. His own voice was almost jarring to hear.

“Ah, well, if you boys hadn’t fought so hard, maybe that wouldn’t’ve been necessary, right?”

Chase remembered Ben on the ground, remembered hiding him, remembered waking up. He closed his eyes. He remembered the last card that Jacob had pulled. Desolation, ruin, rock bottom. He swallowed and opened his eyes again, frowning.

“Look, Chase, I’ve given you the choice, now you must take it. Are you going to sit here while I take your power, or are you going to let me untie you, become a business partner, and not have nightmares until you eventually die?”

“Eat shit.”

Vernon sighed again and placed the necklace around Chase’s neck. “Goodnight, Chase.”

As soon as the pendant was around his neck, Chase felt as though there was a weight on his chest. His eyes drooped, but he forced them open. His head nodded, and he tried to shake it, to keep the sleep from overtaking him. He didn’t want to sleep, he didn’t want to sleep, he would give anything to not fall asleep.

Chase fell asleep.

•

Chase didn’t know much about tarot. He knew what Caspar and Graves had explained and shown him, knew that Death didn’t actually mean a bad thing apparently, there there was the Moon and the Star and the cups. He remembered a few of the cards that Jacob had pulled. He knew there was a Three for teamwork, the Wheel of Fortune for some sort of balance, Justice for Ben, and he knew the Ten of Swords.

He remembered once looking over Graves’s shoulder, sucking in a breath. “I wouldn’t want to be that guy.” He’d laughed at the time, looking down at the card that illustrated a man lying face down, swords stuck into every available spot on his back. 

Chase knew that he was dreaming. He knew that he was not actually chained to a wall, that Milo was not standing before him, holding a knife, and yet he could not change it. Each time he tried to shift the dream, the weight in his chest just got heavier. Milo looked small before Chase, and he looked sad to be holding his knife.

Milo is a constellation, Chase told himself, dad made him a constellation and none of this is real. He felt as the knife entered his stomach, a sort of indescribable pain, one that made Chase scream out without meaning to, one that made every muscle in his body tense, that triggered his flight or fight response, and yet he could not move.

“That was because you left me, Chase. That was because you left me and I died and you never even said goodbye.” 

Chase knew why Milo was stabbing him. He knew why Rocket would stand before him next, and why Blue would after that. Knowing didn’t make it any better. It shifted to Malia, who stabbed him in the leg for lying to her about the cocaine, then to Koda, for never telling her that anything was wrong.

Halfway through and Chase didn’t know if he could bear it. He longed to be able to pass out from the pain, but instead it just continued, every part of his body throbbing as he writhed. When he moved to try and escape the reach of one blade, he aggravated the others, which would just shift in his skin, causing the wounds to only grow deeper.

Ben appeared before him, knife in hand, and Chase shuddered. He thought about the last time that he and Ben had encountered each other like this. He wondered if these wounds were seeping through his pyjamas, down the chair, ruining Vernon’s perfect suit and perfect floor in his perfect house. He wanted the hag to stop taking her time with them, tried to will Ben to just cut his throat there, to cut the hag off, to end the endurance test that was this nightmare.

"Ben," Chase spoke through blood. It rushed past his lips and over his chin, warm and sweet. "I'm sorry. I thought I could hide you." He didn't know why he was speaking to what he knew was the hag, but guilt gripped his chest. This was the only chance he'd get to apologize to him, even if it wasn't him. He closed his eyes but still saw Ben. "Can you just make it quick? I think it needs to get to ten. Just... sorry. Fuck."

Chase watched as Ben dropped the knife, his heart pounded in his ears. “Chase. Fuck. Where are you?” He tried to pull the chains off of him. "I'm trying to find you, Chase."

Maybe this was a trick, but something made Chase want to trust this. "Um, I dunno. I don't know. I'm tied to a chair." He struggled to get the words out, as though they were physically sticking to his throat, but he choked them out, another wave of blood surging past his lips. "Where are you, Ben? Are you alive?"

“I am.” Ben frowned as he spoke, looking back to Chase. “Focus on another dream. I’ll find you.”

It was Ben, really Ben, Chase was almost sure. He had to be sure. There was mild panic at his words, and he struggled, pain ripping through his body as he did. "Wait, don't go. Focus on the dream with me. I don't know if I can change it without you." He was afraid of Ben leaving, of him ending up alone. At least if Ben was there he might be able to cling to some reality, work past the pendant keeping him asleep and controlled by the hag. "Please. Think of the place we'd go. The pendant." He realized that that place didn't exist anymore and shook his head. "You know the bonfire? Let's go to the bonfire." He was crying. He closed his eyes and thought about sitting at the bonfire, about being warm, about being safe.

There was a look on Ben’s face that Chase had never seen on him before. Pity? He thought it was pity. He put his hands gently on Chase’s face. “I’m not leaving without you.” It was a promise, and somehow, Ben's hands on his face steadied him. Ben was not dead, he was coming to get him, he was alive and he was going to help him and they were going to go home. He thought about home, he thought about the bonfire. 

They were sitting under stars, the fire blaring in front of them. Chase exhaled a sigh of relief, then shook his head. "I'm... that guy has me. Fox. He was talking to me. He has.... a thing. It's like our pendant, but different." His head was swimming. "I think they're going to kill me." He looked down at himself. There were no knives, but he still felt every wound. "Ben." He looked up at him, eyes flashing. "You have to get me my sword. You have to."

“You’re not at the lighthouse?” Before Chase could respond, Ben answered himself. "You're not." He looked at Chase, brow creased. "I think I know where you are but I don’t— I don’t know how to get there” Ben looked up at the sky, and Chase followed his eyes, watching as the stars turned sinister. A hand reached out and grabbed Ben, pulled him away from Chase. He’d hardly had time to react, to grasp desperately and hopelessly at Ben when he was gone. 

Chase wrapped his arms around himself, hoping for an end, wishing to live in this moment of calm forever, for even just a second more, but the darkness creeped in around him, rotting away the edges of his dream, and soon the bonfire was nothing but a wisp of smoke, false hope in an endless void of distress.

•

Chase woke up in a desert. 

Chase woke up in a chair.

He woke up to needles.

He woke up to dead people, to living people, to those he wasn’t sure of anymore.

He bled. He screamed. He slept. He dreamed.

#c: chase #para #swords

[atinytokki]

𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐙𝐞𝐫𝐨

Chapter 8: Extremes

Immediately Hongjoong was handing Wooyoung off to Seonghwa and heading for the gun deck, flanked by Jongho and Yeosang without needing to issue a command.

Wooyoung could feel Seonghwa’s soft hands tugging him in the direction of the galley, but didn’t hear a word the boatswain was murmuring. His stomach was churning and his head spinning. The death of that gunman had triggered something inside him, as the deck spun below him and something snapped. He suddenly registered seawater being splashed onto his face until he spluttered, “Enough!”

He repeated himself for a minute or two after the water had stopped being thrown and he had been guided to a chair. Gasping, Wooyoung tried to collect his thoughts. Registering it was Seonghwa who had splashed him, he had enough of his mind together to shoot him a dirty look that was ignored.

To put it simply, he was overwhelmed. It had been only a month on this ship and already he’d sailed to uncharted islands, battled a sea monster, heard tales of dragons, been promoted to an officer, gotten drunker than he ever had been in his life, witnessed the fever dreams of a prophet, been stranded and starving in the doldrums, and now one of his men had died. Sure, life hadn’t been easy under Captain Si-Hyuk. He’d never eaten well, he’d been caned for as little as carrying out an order a few seconds too slow, and he’d been in battle. Blood spurting, powder flying, grown men screaming kind of battle. He had friends that hadn’t come back to their bunks at night because they’d gone to sleep in the sea, riddled with grapeshot. But somehow this situation made him lose his senses in a sudden attack of panic unlike anything he’d ever experienced.

There was something about this startlingly young and treasure-hungry captain restlessly sailing on into the unknown, winds and rations be damned, with a small band of equally juvenile young men all with stomach-turning backstories that have come through horrors with each other. 

Something disturbing was at work here and Wooyoung’s instinct to run away had never been stronger than at that moment. Other children running a ship, a place where violence was almost always present and disease broke out at the drop of a hat, but why? Why? The question Wooyoung had been trying to formulate since day one desperately needed an answer. 

But he remembered their situation. Not enough supplies to carry on like this or to make it home, and the men that were under his command, whose lives he was responsible for, had broken out in a fight below.

What’s Captain going to do?

“The only thing he can for the present.” Wooyoung startled at Seonghwa’s answer, not realising he had spoken his question aloud. “Remind the men of the chain of command and wait for things to die down. Hopefully they’ll remember soon that rioting won’t change their circumstances at all,” He continued, closing the door and leaning against it, clearly exhausted. 

Wooyoung could see hunger in his eyes, and knew without asking that Seonghwa hadn’t been eating either. He took a moment to consider the boatswain. He always had a quiet manner and a statuesque appearance, but the emotion swimming in his eyes loosened Wooyoung’s tongue and he found himself asking the question he really wanted the answer to, “Why are we here?”

Seongwha didn’t answer, and for a moment Wooyoung thought he hadn’t heard the question but before he could repeat it Seonghwa moved from the door and pulled up a chair across from him. 

“It’s complicated,” he sighed. “I can assume you’re asking because you want to decide whether to stay or take your chances.” Wooyoung knew he couldn’t lie about this, and simply nodded. “Well, rest assured, you’re not alone. Most of the officers don’t have the full story, but I can promise there’s good reason for that.” 

Wooyoung had to clear his throat before asking, “Do you have the full story?”

Seongwha’s eyes smiled at him, though his face remained cold. “I believe so. And you’re correct, it does have to do with Captain’s own story.”

“I didn’t say—”

“You didn’t have to. Everyone gives up and asks eventually. If you think this will help you decide, I’ll tell you what it is we’re going for.” Wooyoung’s hands had stopped shaking and he leaned forward as Seongwha began.

“This is not just a treasure hunt. You may have deduced it to be the case from the maps and the uncharted territory, but Captain wants more than that. The treasure is the location of someone very dear to him, though you may recognise the name; Eden.”

Eden was a name even the youngest, most inexperienced deckhand would know. The dread pirate Eden, youngest pirate captain ever to sail the seas, a notoriously clever thief and a formidable enemy to all he overtook. Eden had once commanded an entire fleet of ships until they were finally sunk by the Royal Navy several years ago and the pirate presumed dead. 

Wooyoung shivered, and not from the water still dripping down his back. “Eden is alive?”

“Hongjoong believes he is. Every land we’ve found has had some clue, some trace that Eden and his crew have been there. This is why we keep sailing east, the direction we believe he’s gone. We’re retracing his footsteps and following the path he’s set for us.”

A question had been answered and a few more had been raised, but Wooyoung didn’t get the chance to ask them before Yeosang burst into the galley with orders. “The riot’s over. Wooyoung, it’s time to commit your gunman to the sea.”

It was rare that Wooyoung ever witnessed such a ceremony as this on board Si-Hyuk’s ship. Most loss of life occurred in battle, and there was rarely time to say a few words over a dead body, so casualties were tossed overboard without ceremony. It was the combination of this and the fact that Wooyoung didn’t personally get to know this dead man that resulted in a very short and awkward little ceremony. 

The riot had been calmed (from what he had heard all it took was Captain’s announcement that they’d be able to choose whether to stay or go) and the atmosphere was again a suffocating stillness.

Everyone repositioned the hats on their heads and resumed their posts after Wooyoung dismissed them. Another day dragged on, and Wooyoung was hesitant to return to his own station for all the eyes he could feel on his back but kept his head high and his eyes on the horizon. Another sleepless night arrived, but this time the creaking of pulleys echoed through the cabins and eventually Wooyoung gave up and went on deck to see what it was. 

He almost tripped over a sleeping Yunho and whispered, “You know the penalty for falling asleep on watch is holding up cannon chambers until you’re allowed to lower your arms.” 

“So?” Yunho mumbled. “Captain never punishes me.” Still, the Master rigger looked lively at the reminder.

Wooyoung looked over the side of the ship and discovered where the noise was coming from. A small group of men was lowering a longboat into the sea. He was about to yell desertion when he remembered they were allowed to go. 

He was allowed to go. 

He stared at the lantern light reflecting off the cannons before rushing back to his cabin and shoving the few belongings he had obtained in the past month into a small bag. In his hurry to escape, he didn’t hear Yeosang sitting up in his hammock.

“Leaving?”

Wooyoung dropped his bag in surprise. What ensued was a silent stare-off with Yeosang. 

Finally, Wooyoung nodded, and then hung his head. Yeosang kept staring at him but didn’t say anything, only leaning back in his hammock. 

Wooyoung shouldered his bag and moved toward the door but with each step the weight of Yeosang’s silent eyes burdened him. He made the mistake of looking back, hand on the door. Yeosang was still staring. 

I can’t leave him alone. 

Wooyoung closed the door, dropped his bag and got back in his hammock. Yeosang said nothing but stared until both boys fell asleep.

The next morning, the master gunner blocked his ears to the reports of men leaving in the night and avoided Yeosang, finding himself once again with Seonghwa in the galley, hungry and knowing there was no food.

“Are you going to stay?” He finally asked the cook, who sat building barrels. 

Seonghwa didn’t look up from his cooper business and instead replied, “Yes. Captain and the ATEEZ are my home. No one back on land wants me.” 

Wooyoung’s eyes filled with concern at such a casual remark. “Were you abandoned as a child?” 

“No...” Seonghwa closed his eyes as distant memories drifted back. “I was stolen.” Wooyoung remained silent and let Seonghwa speak when he was ready.

“You probably won’t believe me but you know how the royal family have two sons? Well, their second son is me. The child everyone thinks is me was actually switched with me.”

Wooyoung hesitated to question such a ridiculous story because of how seriously Seonghwa was telling it, but asked, “How do you know?” 

“The woman who calls herself my mother was actually my nurse. She and my father messed around and she gave birth to a son around the same time as my real mother, the Queen did, but her child was deformed and so when I was about five years old, her jealousy became too strong and she switched us and ran away with me. I hardly remember anything before living with her, but my parents rarely spent time with me anyway so I didn’t realise anything was wrong. They never came and looked for me, thinking the replacement son was really me. Now I’ll reckon he’s almost grown and they still haven’t figured it out.”

Wooyoung swallowed roughly. “I’m sorry. But what about your brother? Did he realise you were switched?” 

Seonghwa sat back and shrugged. “I haven’t seen him or anyone from the palace since. Mother—the nurse— told me I didn’t know how to do anything, having had everything done for me before, always saying I was weak and incapable. She taught me how to cook and then sent me to be the cooper’s apprentice on a merchant ship. A ship that, of course, was overtaken by Hongjoong on a then much smaller ATEEZ a few years ago. He told me if I cooked for them he wouldn’t hang me from the yardarm and so here we are, friends now.”

“If you ever did go back—”

“I’m never going back,” Seonghwa cut Wooyoung off. “My parents didn’t love me enough to recognise me, and the nurse only loved me because of my looks. She sent me away, too. This is the only place I can stay, do you understand?” 

Wooyoung sighed and nodded, unsure of what to say next. Seonghwa went back to work on the barrel, and Wooyoung considered how even though San was the doctor, it seemed that Seonghwa had such a naturally compassionate personality that he was the best person to come to for healing. But where did Seonghwa go for healing? 

Wooyoung thought about the distress he had seen on his face as he told his story. His thoughts were interrupted by a rap on the door and a gunman telling him, “You’re needed on deck, sir.”

Wooyoung sensed immediately the change in the weather as he and Seonghwa joined Captain, Mingi, and Yeosang on the quarterdeck. “What’s going on?” Jongho asked, making his way over. 

“It’s the wind,” Yeosang was beaming. 

“Wind?!” San ran up the stairs from where he was sawing some boards on the main deck. Yeosang simply nodded as they all closed their eyes and felt their hair rustling and the gentle touch of breeze on their backs. 

Seonghwa took to the main deck in three strides and pulled out his whistle. “Hoist the mainsail!” He ordered and then gave his all hands on deck call with the boatswain’s whistle. Yunho and his riggers sprung into action to take advantage of the wind, and cheers broke out on board. 

“Work makes a happy crew!” Mingi’s laughed was carried by the wind, the first wind in what felt like an eternity. Rowing no longer needed, Wooyoung sat on the main deck with San, helping him with his little carpentry project and zoning off while he tried to explain it to him.

“And then if I attach a rope here and another one to the ceiling, you can hang the box and sleep in it instead of a hammock!”

“How is sleeping in a box any better than sleeping in a hammock?”

“Well more room for pillows of course...”

Wooyoung let him chatter on until he spotted something, “Do you see those clouds over there?” 

San gave a quick glance and went back to his work. “Nothing to be worried about, I’m sure. Just be happy there’s wind now! I’m sure we’ll make landfall soon.” San’s confident smile was convincing and Wooyoung dropped the subject, smiling back.

But of course mid-afternoon the clouds stretched out and became a full-on thunderstorm. At the first bolt of lightning spotted Mingi was at Hongjoong’s side asking about the best course of action. 

“We can’t run it.” 

Mingi was speechless, “But we always run it, you can’t possibly want us to heave to?” 

Captain sighed, “Look at it Mingi, the clouds stretch literally across the horizon, if we bear to port like usual, we’ll still get caught in it and demasted.”

So orders began with Hongjoong listing off things to counteract the pressure of the wind on the sails, their first problem that could send all hands to the bottom of the sea. “Reef the sails! Yunho, you’re trimming the mainsail. I want the jib and headsail left alone for momentum. Jongho’s crew, ballast the lower decks and stay there, unless any man is half decent at rigging in which case stay and take your orders from Yunho. Same to the gun crews, secure the cannons, batten all hatches and stow flames. We have very little time on our side, let’s be prepared.”

Wooyoung realised the ATEEZ didn’t carry any storm sails, and if this was more than a squall, it would be a test of her endurance to stay in one piece until it was over. 

After securing everything and seeing his men to the ballast, where Seongwha guided them to concentrate as many weights and heavy things as they could, Wooyoung presented to Yunho. “I’m light and decent at ropes, what needs to be done?” 

Yunho had to yell to be heard over the thunder that was getting closer as he followed his men up the mainmast. “Furl the lower courses so she doesn’t list. We’ll all be lost if she does.”

To address the second problem, waves breaking over the main deck, Captain had everyone else ready to bail water as fast as possible, with Yeosang leading the efforts. San had to stow his bed box project below and join them. The wind made it nearly impossible to walk on deck, but he hung on as it began to pick up.

To address the third problem, navigating through this surprise typhoon, Captain had the prow pointed at an angle to the wind just shy of the massive waves rolling towards them. “The sea herself is always our most present danger,” he sighed.

What followed were hours of work, slippery decks and rigging, and the constant tossing of the sea. Yeosang was suddenly hit with an idea as he fought to keep up with the water washing onto the ship. He disappeared and returned with bags of oil. San gave him a look as he tossed them overboard before explaining, “Oiling the water increases surface tension and decreases spray onto the ship— we won’t have as much water to bail if the oil works.”

Wooyoung observed from above, hands shaking as they grasped the slippery mast on his way back down to deck. The sails were all trimmed to perfection and now fighting the storm was in the Captain’s hands. 

Wooyoung reached the deck and ducked instinctively hearing Jongho’s yell, “Boom about!” The boom swung sharply over him before he caught and secured it. 

“Anything else you’ve missed?” Jongho came over to him, trying and failing to wipe his wet face with his wet sleeve. Wooyoung shook his head sheepishly and jumped in to help bail. 

The work seemed endless, and the waves grew so large by late evening that Hongjoong ordered everyone to lash themselves to the ship and hang on. His own hands were tied to the wheel, and his feet remained fixed though wave after wave broke on him.

No one caught a wink of sleep, but when the dawn came and Mingi looked out the spyglass from the forecastle he yelled, “Land ho! Hurry to sails now or we’ll be grounded!” 

Wooyoung was back in the rigging with Yunho, astonishingly stable on his peg leg as always, and realising the wind had died significantly and the rain had ceased. “How long has it been?” He choked out. 

“About 12 hours. Well done, everyone,” Yunho responded. Wooyoung’s breath had yet to catch up with him, but the sight of an island on the horizon took it away. Yeosang, San, Yunho and Jongho joined him at the rail and watched it grow closer. 

Finally turning around, the navigator asked the strangely quiet Captain, “What are our orders?” 

Seonghwa was carefully untying him from the helm and shot the other officers a warning look. Hongjoong looked up, answered “Ready the longboats,” and collapsed into Seongwha’s arms. 

“Captain, you’re exhausted,” Mingi argued. “Let’s sleep a few hours and then explore.”

“Alright, belay that order,” Hongjoong mumbled as he was being carried off. “Drop the anchor for a few hours.”

He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

...

Taglist: @nightynightnyx

A/N: There was a thunderstorm today so I banged out the end of this as well as I could. If the sailing terminology gets too difficult, it’s alright to ask and I’ll do my best to explain. This chapter’s already posted on Ao3 and if you read it there you’ll see it’s one of 12 chapters, meaning we’re near the end of our first instalment! Thinking about making a moodboard/profile thingy for the members before embarking on Ep. 2 in case there are new readers and also because I like that kind of thing. Sorry about the formatting, tumblr sucks and I can’t figure it out so just read it on ao3 if you can’t stand it. Much love <3 pls comment

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#ateez #ateez au #ateez fanfiction #ateez fanfic #ateez yunho #ateez seonghwa #ateez jongho #ateez san #ateez wooyoung #ateez yeosang #ateez hongjoong #ateez mingi #ateez imagines #ateez comeback #kpop #kpop fanfiction #ateez fic #ateez pirate!au #pirate concept #ateez pirate au #ateez pirate king #pirate au #pirate king #pirates #pirate #pirate fanfiction #fantasy au #fantasy #tokki writes #ch.8 extremes

[marshmallowbirb]

Blood Red Riding Hood: Chapter 3

Title: Blood Red Riding Hood: Chapter 3 - Coal Black Series: Angels of Death Rating: M Summary: Little Red Riding Hood AU. Rachel Gardner wanders the woods alone at night in a red hood, looking for her own death. When she finds it, however, her death has other plans. Pairing: Zack/Ray Spoilers: AU, but probably for the whole game eventually? IDK. 

Zack woke the next morning, warm and comfortable. Something was strange. It was usually just a bit chilly when he woke in the mornings, and it was certainly chilly this morning too. But he was underneath a blanket and that was far from the norm.

Without realizing it, his tail began to thump on the soft fabric covering the floor of his cave. Soft fabric? Where had that come from? It wasn't terribly concerning, so Zack made a semi-conscious decision to ignore the oddness. Instead, he tried to go back to sleep. But there was something else stopping him – something that felt very nice.

It was his ears. The fur was being scratched, short nails scraping the skin underneath. The points of his ears flicked, responding instinctively to the stimulus. He whined a bit, realizing vaguely that this was what was causing his tail to thump.

Oh, it was heaven.

He burrowed his face down into something soft to get more of that wonderful scratching on his ears. When it stopped, a small whine escaped his throat and his fingers flexed into that nice, warm pillow. Suddenly, there was a squeal, causing his ears to perk up once again. The pillow began moving underneath his hands and consciousness flooded back into Zack’s mind.

 Oh.

Shit, right.

Zack sat bolt upright, banging his head on the top of his little cave. As he gingerly rubbed his head, the curses came spilling out.

“Satan's cock and balls!”

Oh right. That girl was still there. He cracked an eye open to find her sitting beside him, watching him with a sort of detached curiosity. Rubbing his head managed to dispel the ache from the bump, but his pride still ached just a bit. Who just went and petted a grown ass wolf's ears like that? Did she not know those were highly sensitive? She'd also unintentionally pricked at an unpleasant memory that he thought he'd forgotten.

He'd be lying if he said it didn't feel nice though.

“Sorry,” Ray apologized, her voice dull.

“Why would you even do that?” he grumbled. “Just for that, I oughta bite you.” She at least had the common sense to look somewhat embarrassed.

“Well, our dog liked getting his ears scratched,” she muttered, a finger next to her lips. That little admission raised his hackles. He didn't know whether to be flattered or offended. Instead, he decided on simply being irritated.

“I'm not a dog, dammit!” It was true, but why did it suddenly feel like a useless declaration? Frustrated, he moved to crawl out of the cave and out of Ray's mound of blankets. “I'm gonna take a bath.”

“Ah!” she called after him, leaving the blankets for a second before shivering and covering back up. “It's still too cold!”

As Zack stretched, he realized that it was indeed still very cool. The sun hadn't even cleared the hills yet and a frosty haze still hung over the forest ground. It was going to be a clear day, but until it was properly light out, it was probably safer for Ray to stay where she was.

“Not for me,” he replied. A grin cracked his face, his earlier consternation fading. What was with this girl? She was cold all the time! Well, whatever. He began walking towards the stream, frosty leaves crunching under his boots.

As he walked, Zack cracked his neck and reflected on his new companion. She didn't seem to smell quite so badly this morning; in fact, she'd absorbed a lot of his smell overnight. Since it wasn't as bad this morning, he might hold off on making her take a bath until it was warmer out. She seemed to get cold so easily anyway. Of course, he could always just wait a few days and she'd probably smell less sick and more like him naturally.

Either way, he was going to get his bath no matter what she did.

Rachel was colder when Zack left, but it wasn't unbearable. She didn't intend to sleep any more that morning anyway. Instead, she took some pieces of salted meat from the barrel and a few bites of spiced apples and made those her breakfast. He'd probably want to leave as soon as he returned, so it was better to eat before then.

It was still cold out, so Rachel kept the blanket wrapped around her, the wolf's warmth evaporating slowly. His scent lingered, though. It wasn't bad, really, and it did remind her of her family's dog. His reaction earlier was a mystery to her, though.

He'd liked having his ears scratched, hadn't he? His tail had thumped and he'd curled against her legs, just like a puppy. It was adorable and Rachel found her cheeks burning just thinking about how soft his ears were. But he'd admonished her once he woke up, so maybe he didn't like it after all? Or maybe he was just embarrassed? Rachel chewed the salted pork and continued thinking about it.

By the time Zack returned, she was up and about, gathering their things and rolling up her bedroll. His hood was down and his hair was still wet and sticking to his head and ears. He'd opened his jacket, presumably to help dry off, so Rachel also had a clear view of his chest and stomach. She had secretly expected his whole body to be furry since his ears and tail were. Instead, he was wrapped neatly in bandages, showing no skin or fur. As he shook the water out of his hair, Rachel cocked her head to the side.

“Are you injured?” she asked, slightly concerned. If he had injuries that massive, he might die before he could kill her. Something about that struck her as sad and unacceptable.

“Huh?” came the startled response. “What, the bandages? Old wounds.” His voice sounded nonchalant but Rachel noted how quickly he closed his jacket back over the bandages. If he didn't want to talk about it, she couldn't make him, though. She decided to drop the subject.

“Do you want breakfast before we set out?” She had set him aside some meat, along with some pickles; he probably couldn't live on meat alone either.

“What's that?” he asked, nose crinkling, pointing at the pickles.

“Pickled cucumbers.”

“Nah,” he dismissed them, “They smell like death.” He did take the meat, though. Rachel watched him scarf it down, quietly happy that she had been of some use. After a moment, she turned back to her bedroll and continued rolling it up.

Not a few moments later, Zack joined her in gathering their things. He lashed the meat barrels together with the bedroll. Rachel thought the whole contraption looked terribly cumbersome, but he lifted it with ease. He only stooped a bit as he loaded himself down; after he'd taken a second to adjust the weight of the pack, he was nearly walking just as normal.

“C'mon, let's get outta here,” Zack grumbled. Rachel retrieved her basket, latched her cloak, and followed him closely.

Surprisingly, the two made decent time.

Zack only knew he had to head “south" to find his old friend. Well, “acquaintance" would be the better way to describe him. The older wolf had taken him into his monastery when he was younger; Zack had chafed at the rules and restrictions that accompanied the place and had caused more trouble than he was probably worth. In response, he'd been politely dismissed. The brothers at the monastery pointed him towards the northern forests and sent him merrily on his way.

He had no intention of joining them or being subservient to them now. But the Father there was a decent sort and he figured if anyone would know the way to an unoccupied territory, it would be him.

Regardless of all that, he had to find the monastery before he could solicit their help. This was where Ray was proving her usefulness. Although the daylight hours were much shorter than in the summer, she was adept at finding their way with the aid of the sun and moon. For as long as he'd lived on his own, patrolling those woods and the surrounding mountainsides, Zack had never really noticed much about those sorts of things. Sure, he knew the sun tended to come up in the same place for most of the year, and the moon varied by time of month. But it had never occurred to him to learn in which direction those things happened.

Ray, on the other hand, seemed to be able to use that information to point them vaguely southward. Or she could have been leading them in exactly the wrong direction, Zack would never know the difference either way. But she had been honest so far, so it was worth trusting her.

In the blink of an eye, a week passed.

It was largely uneventful. They traveled by day, keeping off the main road unless the forest wasn’t passable. Ray had protested at first, worried that the forest was harder to traverse, but Zack was adamant: other humans would pose a problem, and neither of them wanted to be separated from the other.

That was provided they even saw any. The town Ray had left was deserted and they hadn't seen any travelers. Zack hadn't even been able to pick up their scent. In fact, Ray was the first human he'd scented in weeks when he came across her. That sickness he'd seen in her town really seemed to have culled the whole lot of them. It really was a miracle she was even still walking.

That also proved to be a bit of a problem, though. Zack was used to walking, running, and trekking through wooded areas; he'd been doing it since he was a little pup, after all. But it rapidly became obvious that Ray wasn't used to it. Maybe it was because she was recovering from that illness or maybe it was because she wasn't used to travel. Either way, she carried a sickliness and thinness about her that annoyed Zack.

It also made her slow sometimes, and Zack really couldn't tolerate that.

The first day or two, he'd stopped so she could take breaks. But that only made him frustrated and restless. The compromise they'd worked out was for Zack to simply carry Ray under his arm like a log. He was certain he looked a fool, stomping through half-frozen forests with a limp girl under one arm and two barrels strapped to his back with a blanket. His back was strong enough to carry it all, but he wasn't sure his pride was.

She never wound up taking a bath, either. It wasn't like she smelled bad; she was about average for a human, as far as Zack knew. It just became less irritating as the sickness worked itself out of her.

Aside from her weakness, though, she did seem to be recovering. He even gave her extra meat, all the while admonishing her to hurry up and heal, hurry up and keep up with him, hurry up and stop making him worry. Even as he scolded her that he wouldn't wait on her much longer, that was exactly what he found himself doing.

The worst parts for Ray seemed to be at night. The cold didn't bother Zack much; it was just a natural part of living in the woods. If it was cold enough to snow, he'd just curl into a ball and sleep until it was warm enough to move around. Not Ray, though.

She couldn't sleep in the cold, not even with that huge blanket of hers. Every night without fail, she'd curl under it and shiver until he crawled in with her. She never asked or complained, which Zack supposed was tolerable. But he couldn't sleep if he knew she was just going to be awake all night anyway. As soon as he pulled her tight to his chest, she'd fall asleep.

He would have been lying if he said it wasn't awkward to wake up holding a woman. The last female he'd been around for any length of time was the bitch that had given birth to him, and none of the males he'd been near had gotten that close to him. Most of his victims had been male humans, as well; the females didn't seem to get out into his woods quite as much, although their meat seemed just a bit more tender. In fact, before the man had gone into his cabin and expired, Zack had had his eye on the village doctor. That man was always going through his woods, narrowly escaping him every time.

He was fine when he was walking with her during the day. It was during those small spaces of time that Ray was asleep and Zack was not that his mind started doing weird things. Usually at night, he was too tired to do much thinking before falling asleep. But in the mornings when he woke, if she wasn't already awake, that was when the trouble came.

Sometimes he'd wake sweating because he'd dream of people he'd known – mostly the two humans who'd taken him in after that bitch had abandoned him. Ray's lingering human smell must have triggered their memory. The couple of times he'd dreamed of them, he'd spent the entire rest of those days reticent and unwilling to even speak to Ray. She must have been worried, but Zack tried not to think too much about it. It was for her own good.

Those were the days he wanted to eat her most.

It wasn't just because she was unintentionally pricking at something that rekindled his spark of hatred for humans. Those were the first humans he ever ate, and salted pork was a poor substitute. Waking up with her scent right under his nose made him miss it. But there was something else too.

That ugly human woman who'd adopted him had petted his ears, too. That was probably what made the connection in his mind. It wasn't fair to Ray, of course, and Zack knew it. Still, he couldn't help what he dreamed.

The other weird thing that tended to happen in the mornings was much more foreign to Zack. He could explain why he'd wake up hungry from her scent. What he couldn't explain was the weird feeling he'd get some other mornings when his sleep had been dreamless. He'd wake with Ray cradled in his arms, her head on his chest, little hands near her face, maybe her leg crossing his at the ankle – and with his dick uncomfortably at least half-hard between them.

Sure, that had happened a couple of times before he met her, especially first thing in the morning. But with someone else there, especially a human girl, it would just make things awkward. He had no intention of mating with a human like some deviant, and he wasn't even sure if she would know what that was anyway. Just the thought of it was something repulsive on its face, but… was Ray really like other humans? That was the thought that nagged at him and was also possibly the source of his weird feelings. Even so, the situation also made him feel an uncomfortable combination of embarrassment, shame, and frustration. So it was always a weird struggle on those mornings to sneak out of the blankets without waking her so he could take care of it with some cold water without her knowing.

The days they traveled together were far less eventful, though. They chatted a little on the days he hadn't had nightmares, and Zack found it pleasant enough. The girl rarely smiled and never laughed, which had the strange effect of being calming and irritating at the same time. Calming because nothing made Zack want to hunt a human more than seeing them stupidly happy; with Ray, that was never really a problem. It was irritating, though, because of the lack of stimulation. Most of the time, she was just there.

He didn't want to just travel with a small shadow.

But that was mainly how it went. Making time by day and resting by night. Most nights there was only the shelter of the trees, although one night they had found another small cave in which to sleep. The nights got progressively colder, frosts going from light, sparkly, merry things, to freezing the earth solid. He'd been successful in keeping her from making a fire thus far, but his body warmth wasn't going to be enough for her soon. When the snows came, she was going to need a fire, maybe even one of the abandoned cabins they sometimes passed. Perhaps when that time came, he'd just sleep far enough away that it wouldn’t bother him. But a nagging feeling inside his head told him he probably wouldn't be able to tolerate that.

Human farming was going to be the death of him, Zack just knew it.

It was on the eleventh day of traveling together that the forest began to change around them. It was imperceptible at first: a little bark stripped from a tree here or there, some human trash by the roadside, a depression in the leaf litter, or a few broken branches. Rachel noticed those things but didn't know exactly what to make of them.

Zack seemed tense, though. A bit after lunch, Rachel could sense a shift in his behavior. He could be quiet or moody, but this seemed to be something else entirely. After a couple hours, Rachel finally placed exactly what it was: he was on guard. As they continued south, he only grew more tense.

It was close to sundown when Zack put out a hand and stopped her.

“We need to go around,” he said quietly. “Maybe closer to the main road, o-or on the other side of the river.” Rachel stayed where she was, cocking her head to the side to watch him curiously.

“What's the matter?”

“It's not good,” he growled. He was distracted now. Rachel watched him sniff the air then scan the forest with his eyes, the setting sun reflecting off his pupils. His ears flicked atop his head, clearly trying to pick up any nearby sounds. Rachel certainly couldn't hear any noises as quiet as he could. She also knew his night vision was  much better than hers; they might need it soon, it seemed.

A murder of crows erupted from a copse of trees further into the forest, creating a racket that made Rachel jump. They both watched them fly into the sunset, knowing that there was a reason the birds wanted to escape.

“Shit,” Zack breathed, watching them go. “She's already close.” Rachel’s eyes slid to meet his. She could read something very close to panic there.

“She?”

He grit his teeth and seemed hesitant to answer. Finally, after several seconds, he reached over and grabbed Rachel. Tucking her safely under his arm, he began running.

“We're in a bitch's territory,” he huffed as he ran. “I met her once, when I was just markin’ out my area. We gotta --"

Zack was cut off by a long, loud howl. He froze in place, jostling his bedroll pack as he did so. The sound sent a shudder down Rachel's spine as well. It was something she hadn't heard since the night Zack hunted her in the woods. Just as he began to run again, there was a second howl coming from the direction in which they were running.

“What the hell?!” Zack hissed, digging in his heels. “She has a pack now?!” Rachel wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but she knew that if Zack was spooked, it had to be bad.

“You don't like her?” Rachel asked. Did wolves have kingdoms and factions like humans?

“Hell, no!” he barked in return, nearly dropping her. “That crazy bitch?! I never wanna see her again, and neither do you.” As soon as he stopped talking, he started running away from the directions of the two howls. When his footsteps began sounding throughout the forest again, Rachel heard something else, too.

It was a woman's maniacal laughter.

Something about it chilled Rachel right to her very toes. She wrapped her arms around Zack as he carried her, shifting her weight to be less like a bale of hay under his arm and more like a baby clinging to its mother's side. She buried her face in his chest and held on for dear life as he picked up speed.

Then, just as suddenly, Rachel felt him stop with a jerk. She managed to hang on tight to him with a squeal, but it was obvious his foot was caught on something. Only a fraction of a second more saw them both tumble to the forest floor. Zack broke her fall, holding tight and making sure she didn't roll away. With a crash, the bedroll pack he'd been carrying dislodged and broke apart on the forest floor; the barrels rolled across the leafy ground while the blanket tangled into a jumbled heap.

Rachel and her basket fared much better, though. When she opened her eyes again, she was laying on top of the wolf, hands clutching his hooded jacket.

“Shit fuck godDAMN!” The expletives poured out in a steady, hushed stream. Even so, Rachel knew something was wrong. She’d seen Zack stumble before; he always got back up afterwards. But this time, he wasn't moving from his spot.

“Zack?” Rachel breathed, pushing off his chest and supporting herself with her arms. His face was contorted in pain, but he still managed to acknowledge her when she called to him.

“I'm stuck,” he growled. Rachel looked down at his legs. One of them was caught in a metal clamp, the kind Rachel knew was used for hunting bears and deer. If her leg had been the one caught in that, she was sure it would've been bitten clean off. Zack's leg was at least somewhat protected by his boot, but Rachel could see that the teeth of the trap were digging into the boot.

Suddenly, the sounds of laughter and stomping were much closer. Rachel pulled at his jacket, trying to brace herself on the ground and pull him away from the trap. She slipped against the cold, wet leaves and couldn't get purchase, but she doubted it would matter anyway; she wasn't strong enough to be able to pull the trap out of where it was staked to the ground. Zack growled in response anyway.

“Stop it,” he hissed. “I can't avoid her now. But you gotta hide.” Rachel could see he was deathly serious. In response, she frantically scanned the woods. Dusk was falling quickly and her vision was nowhere near good enough to outwit a wolf.

“Where?” she asked breathlessly. Zack had sat up by then; with a great deal of effort, he then pushed himself to his feet. As soon as he was standing, he grabbed Rachel's cloak, pulling her to him. Then he hoisted her up by her waist. For just a second, he held her aloft and she went perfectly limp. It was strange, but even though he'd acted suddenly, she knew she could trust him.

Then, unsteadily, he braced himself against the forest floor and sent her flying. The next thing she knew, Rachel was lying draped across a low tree branch, her basket still on her arm. After a moment of shock, she pulled the rest of her body up onto the branch. Once she was better balanced against the trunk of the tree, she turned back to look at Zack. He was trying to yank the bear trap out of where it was bolted to the ground.

“Zack?”

“Just stay up there!” he barked back. “If she sees you, she'll kill you!” Rachel squeezed herself closer to the tree. She wanted to die, certainly, but she had promised her body to Zack for food. Strangely, she wanted to know he'd be okay after she was gone.

“She'll eat me?”

“No, stupid, she'll just kill you!” he huffed, still struggling with the trap. “We're in her territory, you're a strange female, and she's probably in heat! Now shut the hell up!” Admonished, Rachel fell quiet, clinging to the tree and trying her best not to move. The clanging noise of Zack struggling with the steel claw masked the sounds of anyone approaching.

It wasn't long until that was drowned out with the crazed laughter, too. Rachel huddled down against the tree, as still and quiet as she could possibly be. She couldn't see her yet, but she knew the wolf woman was approaching Zack in the dark. Finally, after what seemed like a small eternity, she could make out her figure.

She was dressed all in black, with a short skirt worn over a tight pair of breeches. Her neckline was low enough that even from her vantage point in the tree, Rachel could see her deep cleavage. And unlike Zack, whose hair, ears, and tail were all black, her ears and short bob were blonde, fading to pink at the tips. Her hair shone with what little light the rising moon gave off, sleek and glossy, as though she had taken great care of it. Worst of all, though, Rachel could see something that looked like a stiff, black stick held between her hands.

With a wicked smile, the wolf bitch regarded her prey. He'd stopped struggling by then and Rachel could hear his low growl.

“Well, well, well! Welcome back, Isaac!”

#satsuten #satsuriku no tenshi #zackray #zackraymonth2018

[flyswhumpcenter]

Bad Things Happen Bingo! The event where you send me I give myself self-indulgent requests according to this marvelous card!

Broke my own self-inflicted rules to bring you this IoTsumu oneshot based on my magical girl multi-fandom setting. It’s edgy, it’s gritty, it’s bloody and it’s angsty; what’s not to love there? I’d advise reading the AO3 version’s end notes for more knowledge and understanding of some of the elements mentioned in this oneshot in particular.

(btw this oneshot is brought to you by Lizz Robinet’s cover of Senbonzakura and MASA Works DESIGN’s ERGONOMIC HERO)

Red-Dyed Diamond

Summary: A fight against his own body as to save someone he holds dear. Blood pouring from countless wounds. Tears flowing, drops falling to the floor. Exhausted magic reserves. How is he exactly going to save himself and, more importantly, going to save her from the imminent danger?

Fandom: IDOLiSH7 (Magical Girl AU) Ships: IoTsumu (Iori/Tsumugi)

Wordcount: 2K words

Event hosted by @badthingshappenbingo

AO3 version available here.

The smell of blood, having long since become an unbearable stench, was sickening. Vision dimmed and hearing damaged, limbs feeling like lead on the bottom and fire on the top, smelling was the one sense remaining, enforced by the sensory deprivation, much to his dismay. The taste of blood covering his teeth, mouth and airways had grown into a torture all in itself. Nothing was fine, everything was dark, and yet his hands kept clawing into the ground, his fingerprints dampening the otherwise pristine floor of the damned place’s secret passageways in red.

He had to reach her before it’d be too late.

 Too late for who? For him, or for her? He was already done for; he was sure of it. There was nobody there for him at the moment, everyone having left to fulfil other duties. Whoever was left wasn’t seeing him on purpose: he had made it so only her would see him, infiltrating the enemy’s headquarters where she had surely escaped her cell but hadn’t managed to find the way out. He was there to tell her that, to tell her to be careful as not to end like him.

He was too exhausted to exactly remember how injured he was and how he had gotten himself in so many predicaments in so little time. Mostly went through hostile, overly violent, sharply-trained guards he had somehow managed to defeat by wasting most of his mana on them. His right leg was broken. His left one had been stabbed with a shard of crystal. His arms almost got impaled, only getting scrapped by glass shards littered on the ground after someone had jumped inside and shattered the window to trap him (he presumed the infamous Caesar, but he just had no way to be sure). He had several broken ribs from escaping chest-crushing “hugs” from another hunter.

One could say that had to be the worst day of his life, would he allow himself to get cynical.

 After a while, the pain had just become white noise playing in the background of his mind. “Oi, that hurts” didn’t mean anything anymore. All that mattered was the mission at hand, the one he had assigned to himself because nobody else listened to him and advised him to stay put. He had to warn her, as soon as possible, while being quiet. His heavy, laboured breathing was no help there for sure, but he’d pull it off. He’d succeed because he couldn’t fail. He couldn’t endanger her even further.

Despite his determination, which had just perhaps turned into obsession, he felt weaker and weaker. Having used most of his powers to save himself and bleeding out with barely any hope to stop his blood from pouring out of his numerous wounds didn’t help in making him feel any better than having the impression to be on death’s doorstep.

 All the corridors he explored had been the same, the ever-boring same. Dyeing the grey ground in red, he’d continue until he couldn’t push himself any further, despite the tears blurring his sight even further. Broken. He was broken, utterly and undeniably broken, shattered beyond repair; but he was no healer. He had no curative spell to use on himself, unlike Sapphire and Spinel, no way to fix his injuries and no way to make the blood stop pouring from his body. Most people would have deemed it too late for them and would have started writing their will with their own blood, but he wasn’t going to let himself stoop down to that level.

Maybe it was too late for him, but it sure wasn’t too late for her.

 How did the dying motivate himself to move forward despite the darkness of the situation and his dim future? By picturing her, his secret beloved, the one he had travelled with for what felt like an eternity, with whom he had wandered around to find their loved ones, the ones who mattered the most to them, tagging along and uniting their force to, at their scale, make the world a better place and saving the innocent from a madman’s degenerate ideas.

Did Tsumugi deserve to be dragged into this? No. Did she consent to it? Yes. Did he enjoy her company? Absolutely. Would he die for her? Most likely. Would he regret leaving her forever? Obviously. Did he regret having to leave her now, at the first climax of their quest for justice and betterment? Yes.

 Was he ready to die? Officially, yes.

Frankly, no.

 Tired beyond human comprehension, he put a hand forward, then the other, then lifted his own weigh on shaking, fragile arms. Rinse and repeat until loss of consciousness, temporary or definitive. Senses swimming, even touching the floor tiles didn’t make sense anymore: it was like touching cotton, or air, or watery, slippery stones, depending on where it landed and how conscious he was at the given moment. It didn’t make sense anymore, but he had a message to give her.

He’d deliver that message even if it meant the death of him.

 Eventually, his blurry vision stumbled upon an unfamiliar room. The stench of his future corpse damp with its own liquid came to a halt, the sickening beating of his heart becoming background noise for the first time in what felt like hours. A sigh of relief escaped his dried lips, reminding him that he was, in fact, not dead yet and could still have an impact on reality.

There was a new magical aura around him, familiar and comfortable, soothing. He, however, couldn’t let himself relax and let himself down yet: he needed to move forward, until the end. He was this close to his goal, this close to succeeding, that he simply couldn’t stop and perish there. He was going to save her through his knowledge. He was… going to. He just had to.

He felt like he was unable to move anymore, though…

 He put a hand forward, then the other, then… nothing.

His body had reached his last limits. His last resort wasn’t enough. His all hadn’t been enough to reach her in time. He was going to bleed out to death here and there, alone, trapped within his own thoughts as to forget the unbearable pain he had been put through by these people and himself. Coughing up more blood to prove the point to himself and what was left of the world, tears mixing with the blinding red in a pathetic attempt to dilute it, his head fell in a puddle of his own.

This was the bitter end, wasn’t it? This was… all it was going to end for him, and perhaps for her. What a disappointing ending that was…

 “…i!”

A distant voice coming to his ears made him regain enough strength to look up, even if just slightly, and see a blurry pink-and-white figure come into the frame. A second blur, dark blue and golden, was right besides her.

“Tsu…” His voice was a hoarse whisper, nothing more than that, maybe less.

“Iori,” his name rang to his own hearing, “is that you?!”

A smile creeped on his lips. It was her. It was Tsumugi’s voice, her aura, her sweet scent and everything he had ever loved about her. In a last, desperate move, he tended his hand at her…

“My goodness, what happened to you…?!”

The second blur spoke up, a familiar but troubled masculine voice coming out from it. He was an ally. He could help Tsumugi escape safely. Everything… was fine… if Moonstone was with her, it’d be all fine. He could entrust him… He could trust her… It’d be all fine, really…

 So was he not willing to die yet?

 Was it because he had a sense of not having finished his duties yet? Of not having found his brother, or his other friends, or Tamaki’s sister?

Was it because he’d, that way, have never reunited with anyone from their group? Because he’d have never had had the occasion to say “farewell” to Yamato, Nagi, Sogo, Tamaki and Riku?

Was it because he’d have failed Tsumugi with their mission, leaving her alone to endure their burden? Probably, maybe, he wasn’t sure of much anymore… Fuzzy thoughts, buzzing memories…

 The pain only rose in his mind when he felt someone putting him on their lap; even with a broken sight, he was still able to tell Tsumugi had done so, her pink eyes trying to look into his foggy and presumably glassy ones. A hand on his ribs almost hurt him even further, but he felt too numb to really cry out about it. All he needed to was to… inform her… and tell her farewell… and sorry… and to keep his feelings to himself.

She wouldn’t cry under his watch, he wouldn’t leave her with a hole in her chest.

 “Shh… Don’t force yourself, Iori, you’ve done more than enough… It’ll be alright, let… Let Fran heal you, and… I promise you you’ll be fine, Iori.”

Tsumugi’s voice was trembling, tears of her own falling onto his face, maybe in an attempt to finally wash away all the blood now dropping over his eyes. She sounded very much unsure, but simply hearing her was far more than enough, for now.

“There… There…”

“Be quiet, please… Don’t strain yourself even further… You’ll be fine…”

She looked away, probably in the third party’s direction.

“Please, can… Can you heal him, sir…? I know your magic hurts, but… Please save him! He’s all I have left; I can’t lose him! I’d do anything for you!”

 A short moment of heavy silence where Iori found nothing better but cough up more blood. He was getting tired of seeing it exit his body, but it’d soon be the end, the last beat of his heart, so was there any use to complaining about repetition when the loop was going to end itself?

“I’ll do my best, Tsumugi,” the uncertain voice of the good old Mr Bannaire finally arrived to his hears. “I can’t promise anything, sadly, but… I can do something about it, at least I think so.”

 Two hands arrived on his chest, less delicate than Tsumugi’s fingers enlaced next to his cheeks, yet soft and soothing. Before he knew it, the blood had stopped flowing from his numerous wounds, feeling some of them close despite the broken bones in his leg and ribcage still paining him. Less than some background noise, suffering started making sense again, his vision finally stopping to swim constantly. It felt… nice, with the lack of a better word for it. Only raw words came to his mind.

“It… should be enough for now, but… You’d better ask someone else to finish the job, I’ve only done what I could with what I have…”

The strain in his saviour’s voice was palpable and, had he not been in such a dire and drastic situation, he’d have felt immensely sorry for putting him through as much pain as healing so many wounds could have caused him.

“It’s alright… Thank you so much, sir…”

 Her eyes went back to his, even as he felt himself slip away from consciousness.

“Stay awake for a little while longer, Iori, okay? Backup is on the way. You’ll be all fine by the time you’ll wake up, but… I’d rather know you’re still with me. I… need you by my side…”

She kissed his forehead, despite the sweat and the blood, not hesitating to taint her own face with his dirt.

“Promise me you’ll stay by my side, please…”

Verbally unable to reply, he simply attempted a smile of reassurance, even if fighting against the urge to fall asleep and rest was becoming more and more of a desperate battle.

 Footsteps and familiar voices flooding into the room, more benevolent auras and sprinkles of healing magic from welcome allies convinced him that he could finally let himself go and give himself the energy he was striving for merely minutes before. A “he’ll be fine, Tsumugi” and a “he should recover once he’s safe, he’ll be back on his feet in a few days, don’t worry” were all that he needed, fingers chained with hers as she helped them carry him out.

In the daze of exhaustion, blood loss and blissful magic, Iori could say that, in a way, he had succeeded at his mission: survive until he found her and she found him, saving him in the process.

#bad things happen bingo #idolish7 #iotsumu #whump #hurt comfort #iori izumi #tsumugi takanashi #injury #bleeding #blood cw #angst #angst with a happy ending #otp: manager duet #broken bones #au: osas #bthb 1

[muraae]

Oh wow, I absolutely adore the idea of a shyan robin hood au! Would love to hear more or some headcanons if you have em ^^

Oh my goodness, thank you so much! It’s not my favorite AU I’ve created, but I did have the entire story thought out to share!

Shane is obviously Robin Hood. That was cemented the moment he wouldn’t stop talking about stealing from the rich.

He is from a well-loved and respected noble family, who are supporters of Richard I, The Lionheart

Richard the Lionheart and Prince John remain in their respective roles. While Richard is away to fight the Crusades, Prince John is left in charge until he declares himself king when it’s believed that Richard is dead.

He unfairly takes the people into oblivion. Many suffer for this, but it hits the hardest in the village of Nottingham, the home of the Madej estate.

Shane has gone off to fight in the crusades while his family stands in opposition against Prince John. Outraged, John orders the Sheriff of Nottingham to kill the family for treason, and seizes Madej Hall.

So Shane returns to find his family dead and his home and birthright were stolen from him.

After being reunited with his friends and couple of servant who escaped (this includes like TJ, Jen, Sara, Andrew, Adam, Eugene, and Zach- I didn’t really think seriously of who would be in this Merry Men. Will mostly definitely need some redux), Shane swears revenge against the prince and the sheriff, and declares himself and his merry men outlaws, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.

GENE IS FRIAR TUCK. YOU WILL ACCEPT THAT.

Prince John is pissed AF and orders the Sheriff to find out who this outlaw is and to foil his plans, as well as bring him to justice and be executed.

Oh! I never told you who was the Sheriff- it’s Bront. I have no regrets to treat Burnt Toast this way.

To make sure Brent gets the job done, the Prince sends his advisor, Ryan, to become Brent’s second in demand.

HOWEVER

What the Prince and Shane don’t know is that Ryan, who had freshly returned from France with his manservant Steven,  is working as a spy for Richard and his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Ryan has tried in his position at court to the best of his ability to influence the prince and sheriff in order to help the people, stopping multiple executions. But John is no longer listening, and to make sure Ryan cooperates, he holds captive Ryan’s brother Jake.

Ryan is forced to comply to protect Jake even as he continues to work in the shadows.

Ryan and Shane were childhood sweethearts, but they hadn’t heard from each other since Ryan’s family sent him to France and Shane went to fight in the Crusades.

Ryan obviously still loves Shane, but he hasn’t heard from him since he went to war and was presumed dead, breaking his heart.

And Shane is still in love with Ryan, but he feels rather betrayed and angry over why is Ryan helping the enemy.

They have an encounter in the woods where they have a duel while Ryan was chasing after Shane trying to escape another successful heist.

But who wins?????

You decide because either way Ryan still doesn’t know who is this outlaw, but he feels so familiar.

And Shane is still mad at Ryan, but can’t shake what the man does to him.

And it continues to be a cat and mouse game between them.

Because I’m the devil and I want people to suffer and feel over the angst that shouldn’t happen in this AU.

The Prince is getting frustrated because Brent is taking forever to catch Shane.

So he plans a grand masquerade ball and archery contest at Madej Hall to try to draw Shane out.

This idiot goes anyway knowing it’s a trap just to fuck with John and Brent, but also see Ryan, and possibly get answers.

Shane goes in disguise, but Ryan can see through it’s the same outlaw definitely a lot of dancing and snark between them.

Shane gets Ryan alone in the gardens to demand why he’s helping the Prince and Brent, and begins mocking him for how much Brent looks lustfully after him.

Ryan refutes, saying he couldn’t give a damn about Brent or the serving the Prince, and would rather die if it means his brother and the villagers are safe, and Richard is back on the throne.

“Besides, I’ve been dead the moment the true heir of Madej Hall and the man I loved  left me and died in battle.”

The moment is interrupted when Steven comes to find Ryan.

Ryan leaves a stunned Shane Madej behind because oh my fucking god I’m an ass but he still loves me.

And Shane wants to run after him and reveal himself, but it’s almost time for the contest.

So the disguised Shane enlists the contest as… Banjo McLintock, and he ties with Brent.

Shane wins, but this outs him as the famed outlaw, leaving Ryan floored. He’s just so stunned, confused, angry and ready to throttle the giant, but he’s oh so happy and in love to know he’s alive and wants to kiss him.

But all of that changes to fear when all hell breaks loose as soldiers are trying to capture Shane and his Motley Crue (they also “steal” Steven- CUE THE STANDREW) and they narrowly escape, but Shane is wounded in the process.

Meanwhile, Brent watched the entirety of Ryan’s reaction to Shane, and seething with jealousy declares to capture Shane and put his head on a spike if it’s the last thing he does.

Ryan is kept under closer scrutiny after his outburst at the contest and is tortured interrogated if he planned for his brother to be taken by Shane and his Merry Men as well as if he is truly a spy for John’s mother and brother.

To prove his loyalty, Ryan is forced to join Brent and his men on another wide manhunt for Shane across Nottingham, burning countless houses of villagers that haven’t paid their taxes and oppose the Prince.

Ryan has had enough and takes a stand against Brent when the sheriff orders him to burn down a house with an innocent family inside.

But when Brent orders one of his other men to do the job, Ryan bravely risks his life on the line and gets the family to safety.

Brent is BEYOND pissed, and orders for Ryan to be executed on the spot.

But a recovered Shane, who had been watching the entire spectacle, creates a distraction that allows Ryan to escape into Sherwood Forest, but is shot with an arrows.

Shane takes him back to his camp, so Ryan can be healed.

So Ryan is also now an outlaw, but they’re together and in love in the forest.

Prince John has Brent capture Gene, and along with Jake, are set to hang at the break of dawn.

So Shane sets about planning his most daring heist and rescue mission.

And almost gets caught.

Fight ensues

Cue the montage of Shane and Ryan fighting their way out of the castle.

Shane defeats Prince John. And I’m imagining Ryan standing guard over Brent with a sword knocked down and pointed at him.

After the battle’s done Ryan and Shane both get caught up in the moment.

True Love’s Kiss happens.

Richard finally shows up.

Declares Shane as an outlaw no longer rightful lord of Madej Hall, and Ryan and Shane are able to be happy together.

Sweet Jesus this is the longest post I have ever made for an AU.

#buzzfeed unsolved #for an au i didn't care for that much i sure did put in a lot of thought into it #bfu #bf unsolved #robin hood #robin hood au #shyan #skeptic believer #thank you for the question! #abbie speaks #my writing