Sometimes, Apollo Writes Stories

[Ravyn Rozanova]

The title says it all. I've found a new love for writing future stories/AUs, and I would like to share them with anyone interested ^^

[Ravyn Rozanova]

This is an AU, set 17 years in the future.

Holly James - 14
Rexford “Rex” James - 15
Charlie Saynsberry/James – 41
Brendan James - 46

CHARDAN

“Mooooooom!” Rexford, or “Rex” as he preferred, called from his room, and Charlie let out an exhausted huff. She was trying to finish the first draft of the final chapter in her new novel, but her 15-year-old-son was making it rather difficult.

“What do you need?” she called back, trying to hide the irritation in her voice as she pushed her chair away from her computer. She glanced at the clock. 5:13 pm. Brendan should be home any time now, thank God.

“Holly is being a jerk! She said I’ll never have a girlfriend!” A familiar whine entered his voice, one that Charlie had put up with for the past 17-or so years, ever since she and Brenny had gotten back together for good. Their son had picked up many of his traits, while Holly was a lot like her mom.

“Oh shush, I was just messing with you,” a girl’s voice replied, and the fourteen-year-old girl appeared from down the hall, popping her head into the room. “But don’t you think he needs to grow up a little, mum? I mean, no one is going to fall for a guy who can’t even choose his own clothes to wear.”

“Hey!” Rex called back indignantly. “Dad has good taste! He always says I’ll have the girls flocking over me as soon as they realize what they’re all missing.” As the two siblings continued to bicker, Charlie rubbed her fingers against her temples. Raising teenagers was never something she had planned on doing, but well, when you spent as much time in bed with your spouse as she and Brendan had… It was bound to happen eventually. And lucky for them, it had happened twice.

Flames appeared suddenly around Holly, but Charlie was unconcerned. It was an illusion – she could only create an image of flames. Nothing else. It was rather useless, but it could frighten people if they didn’t know any better; it DID look real. “Holly, honey, put the flames away and stop bothering your brother. Don’t you have homework to do?” If being a parent had taught her anything, it was patience.

Grumbling, the girl put out the flames and stalked down the hall. Rex, oddly, had one of the strangest and most hilarious abilities Charlie had ever encountered – the ability to create donuts from thin air. She didn’t know if it was just a coincidence that she had worked in a donut shop for all those years or if that had something to do with it, but nevertheless, it was pretty fan-freaking-tastic in her opinion.

When they continued to be quiet for a few moments, Charlie let out a breath and turned back to her work just as the door creaked open. Brenny was home. Grinning from ear to ear, Charlie hopped out of her chair and practically leaped on him, pulling him in for a kiss. Even after all these years and having two children, it was amazing how much she was still turned on by him even walking into a room. “Hey hun,” she greeted him as she pulled away. “How was work at the theater?”

He hadn’t changed much in the past seventeen years – he had a few more wrinkles and dyed the few silver hairs that had begun appearing on his head, but other than that he was the same. Charlie was about the same, although minus the silver hair (so far). “Mm, wonderful as usual,” he replied, wrapping an arm around Charlie and nuzzling into her neck. “Not as wonderful as it is to be home, though. How was your day?” He set his coat on the hanger and then poked his head down the hall. “I’m glad to see you guys too!” he called to the kids, getting mumbled replies in return.

Charlie shrugged. “Teenagers. They don’t show how much they appreciate you.” Taking advantage of the empty room, she pulled him close again, wrapping her arms around his waist so that her hands rested just above his bum. “I thought maybe we could go out for dinner tonight. Holly has soccer practice and then is going to a sleepover, and Rex made plans with some of his friends. Sooo we’re going to have the whole evening to ourselves.” She rose her eyebrows and grinned at him, as his face broke into a mischievous smile as well. “Sounds good to me.”

“Great. I was thinking Italian, if that’s alright with you?”

“Italian? ALWAYS okay with me, babe.”

“Are you guys gonna do naughty stuff since we’re not going to be here?” Rex called from his room, and Charlie broke into laughter. “Mind your own business, sweetheart.”

“ARE we gonna do naughty stuff?” Brendan asked as he caressed her waist, as though that was a question.

Leaning in and giving him another long, lingering kiss, she replied in a low, sly murmur,”Don’t we always?”

[Ravyn Rozanova]

This is an AU, set six years in the future

Snow was drifting lazily from the sky on the cold December evening. It had been going on for several hours now, and a thin layer had covered the ground of Pilot Ridge, giving the entire city a surreal appearance of a white wonderland. Christmas music could be heard from the window of a late-night shop, and as Noah and Ravyn walked hand-in-hand down the sidewalk, both of them couldn’t help but sing along.

It had been a long, but wonderful, six years since they finally realized their mutual love for each other was more than that of just best friends. In fact, it had been in a music shop just around the corner where Noah had asked her to be his; they were heading there now, apparently to join in on some caroling that was going on tonight. Just another regular evening for the two of them.

Noah stuck out his tongue, catching a snowflake on the end of it, and Ravyn let out a laugh. “You’re still such a child,” she teased him affectionately, leaning her head briefly on his shoulder before she, too, stuck out her tongue and imitated him. Laughing, they both turned to corner and entered the shop, where Ravyn immediately realized something must be wrong.

“Um, No? There’s no one here,” she told him, frowning as they entered the quiet shop. There was a guy at the counter in the back, who waved briefly at them before going back to his work.

“I know,” he replied, pulling at the hem of his jacket. He had been acting a little strange tonight, Ravyn thought – sort of twitchy, nervous, quieter than normal. She was beginning to get concerned.

“Sooo…. Now what?” She took of the oversized jacket she had been wearing, shaking out her wings in the warmth of the store. “Did we get the wrong night or something?”

Noah shook his head. One hand dropped into his pocket while the other reached out to grasp her hand. And before Ravyn knew what was happening, he was dropping onto one knee, right there, in the middle of the shop. The guy behind the counter looked up, and a smile crossed his face. This was a first for him.

Noah cleared his throat, and Ravyn held her free hand up to her mouth, already feeling a surge of emotions running through her. Was he… Really!?

“Ravyn,” he began, “I know we’ve had our share of ups and downs. Between the rumors and drama at Hammel and trying to figure out what to do with our lives, it hasn’t always been easy. But,” he paused, and the warmth she saw in his eyes as he gazed up at her nearly made her heart stop. “I love you, Ray. I love you more than I can ever tell you, and I want to be with you forever. Through the good, the bad, the ugly… Whatever we have to face, we’ll get though it together.” With a quick motion, he pulled out a small box from his pocket, and opened it to reveal a stunning ring. It was simple, and probably not the most expensive of engagement rings, but Ravyn couldn’t care less – it was the meaning behind it that mattered.

“Sweetheart… Ravyn… Will you marry me?” She could sense his nervousness, the slight fear of rejection, coming from him, and without even stopping to think for a moment, she gripped her hands together and nodded furiously, letting out a half-laugh, half-sob.

“Of course I will, Noah,” she managed to get out before she began laughing and almost crying with jumbled feelings of surprise, joy, and an overall an overwhelming sense of the world, in this moment, being absolutely perfect. She launched herself at him, hugging him close before pulling back and giving him a long, lingering kiss
that she would remember forever.

----------

Several months later, Ravyn was on her way home from working at the local family resource center. After discovering her love for working with children, she had managed to land a steady job there as an elementary-aged supervisor, providing relief for homeless families that just needed a break. It was a difficult job, but she loved it nonetheless.

She had never grown fond of driving – cars could be so slow in comparison to flying, not to mention the seats were not designed to carry wings. Still, it was too cold outside to just fly home, so she was stuck inside the
automobile.

The roads weren’t too busy, but there was enough traffic to keep her on her feet. As she pulled up to a red light, the ring on her finger caught her eye, and a loving smile crossed her face. Another month, and she would be married. What a thought!

The excitement of the upcoming event made her jittery, and as soon as the light turned green, she spend into the intersection, eager to get back to their apartment, to Noah. She didn’t notice the car that had gone through the red light from the left until it hit her dead-on.

---------------

“What happened?!” Noah cried as he rushed into the hospital. He had gotten a call telling him she was here, but no one had told him the details. He ran to the front desk and they pointed him in the right direction, and he rushed off, his heart pounding in his chest. This couldn’t be happening.

After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, he found the room, where several nurses were busy around the bed, talking rapidly back and forth, all with pained looks in their eyes. It wasn’t looking good. “Ravyn?” he uttered painfully, trying to see past them. One of the women glanced his way, and a flash of sorrow crossed her face. “Are you Noah?” she asked, and after he nodded affirmatively, she walked over and tried to explain the situation, but before she could say anything more than a few words, he slipped around her to the bedside, letting out a cry of agony as he saw Ravyn. There was blood, quite a bit of it, and her wings were twisted at painful directions behind her, both obviously broken in one if not several places. A blanket was hiding the damage underneath, but there were so many tubes and wires attached to her, he knew there was more wrong than just some broken bones. Her face was bruised, and her eyes closed.

“Why isn’t… Shouldn’t she be in surgery?!” he asked desperately. He didn’t know how these things worked, but this looked really serious, and he couldn’t understand why most of them were just standing around. The silence that followed was agonizing. “Tell me!” he begged, reaching out to grasp her hand, which miraculously
looked unharmed.

At the touch, Ravyn’s eyes fluttered open, and she let out a weak cough. “N… Noah?” she murmured softly. Her entire body felt numb, and she could barely muster the energy to lift her other hand to put on top of his. “You came.” A very faint smile touched her lips, before she coughed again, sending a wracking pain through her chest. Noah looked up at the nurses again, pleading.

One shook her head helplessly. There was nothing they could do.

Noah’s head spun. This couldn’t be real. Only a few hours ago she had called him from work, telling him about a particularly frustrating kid she had to deal with that day. Normal Ravyn behavior. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could have prepared him for this. He felt like he was the one dying.

“Ravyn, you… You have to hold on,” he choked, tears dripping down his face. He hadn’t even realized he was crying. “Please, sweetheart. I… I need you.”

“Shhhh,” she murmured, and with extreme control, lifted a weak arm up to brush his cheek. “I hate it when you cry.”

He gripped her hand gently, shaking his head. “You’re too young… This can’t happen. We…We’re going to have kids someday, Ravyn. And… And we’re going to buy that house, up in the hills, just like we’ve always talked about. You… You can’t leave me like this.”

She smiled softly. “I’ll love you forever, No. Even if I’m not here… No matter where I go… Remember that.” Tears were running down her face, too. She knew how little time she had left. She could feel it with each slow beat of her heart.

Noah shuddered, looking at the ground, fighting against the overwhelming despair that was threatening to consume him. In the darkness of his mind, a shred of light shone through, and an idea came to mind. It was all he could think of to do.

He motioned to one of the nurses, who looked on the edge of crying herself, and whispered in her ear. After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded, and rushed out of the room. “Just stay with me, Ray,” Noah told her, and Ravyn nodded, hoping she could hold on for however long it took to do what he was planning.

It took quite a few minutes, but after a few rushed phone calls and quick planning, the nurse came back in, with a chaplain in tow. And within moments, they were repeating verses.

“I, Noah, take you, Ravyn, to be my beloved wife, to have and to hold you, to honor you, to treasure you, to be at your side in sorrow and in joy, in the good times, and in the bad, and to love and cherish you always. I promise you this from my heart, for all the days of my life.”

Ravyn repeated them in her own words, but her voice was nearly a whisper, and the beeping in the background was getting progressively slower as her body began to shut down.

“Do you, Noah, take this woman, Ravyn, as your wife, to love her and to honor her, to nurture, serve and support her, in times of joy and in times of difficulty? Do you promise to remain by her side regardless of what trouble befalls you, and in the presence of temptation to forsake this love, do you promise to remain steadfast and true? Do you promise with all your heart and soul to honor this vow till death do you part? If so answer now, “I do.”

“I do,” Noah choked, gripping Ravyn’s hand tightly, as though if he held on hard enough, she wouldn’t be able to slip away.

The chaplain repeated the words to Ravyn, and with half-closed lids she murmured,”I do.”

Noah bent down to kiss her lips as the nurses clapped quietly. There wasn’t a dry eye in sight.

“Remember No, I’ll always be here,” she whispered as they broke apart, pointing at her heart. “We’ll see each other again.” He nodded, caressing her hair and trying to be strong, for her.

After a few more short moments that seemed both like forever and an instant, the beeps in the background grew slower and slower until… Nothing.

[Takchawee Ominotago]

This is a canon story, set in the summer of 2013

Graduation. By some miracle, Tak found herself dressed in the formal gown and cap, which, although very stuffy and uncomfortable even though she was wearing nothing underneath, was a surprise to her and certainly other people as well. She had never been known to be the hardest working student (read – she hardly tried at all, because she found it hard to do what adults asked her to), but she had somehow managed to squeak by enough for her to be here today. As she stood and waited for her name to be called, she looked over the crowd of people, trying to catch sight of the one person who meant the world to her. There he was – sitting in the front row, grinning like a dork. Go figure. She gave Kouji a little wave and a smile, before looking back to the podium.

Soon enough, her name was called, and she walked up to accept her diploma, grinning from cheek to cheek. In a few moments she was done, but those few seconds meant quite a bit to her. She was done with school! She could move on with her life!

After the ceremony was complete, Tak pushed through the crowds of people milling around, trying to find her boy. There was the back of his head! She shoved through a trio of gossiping girls and flung her arms around him, squeezing him like she would never let go. “I did it, Kouj!” she cried, turning him around so she could watch his expression. It reflected her own.

“I’m so proud of you, Tak,” he told her, hugging her back just as hard. Though the moment was joyous and they were both caught up in the moment, in the backs of their minds, both were thinking about what the future now held. It was no secret that Tak had been itching to move back to the reservation as soon as she got to Hammel, and as far as anyone had heard, nothing had changed.

Holding hands, they left the crowd and walked out into the courtyard – the sun had just set, and the sky was a dark blue, slowing turning to black, as they found a bench to sit on away from anyone. It was quiet, and Tak looped her arms around Kouji’s neck, planting several soft kisses on his cheek as they glowed in the moment. Even though she had tamed down slightly since she and Kouji had gotten together for good, she still was very physically affectionate.

Fortunately, Kouji didn’t seem to mind. His arm was draped over her shoulder, and he ran a hand idly through her long hair, smiling softly as he gazed at his girlfriend. Although, boyfriend and girlfriend seemed like such lame terms to describe what they had – it was more like a friendship of the best kind, full of trust and honesty and, yes, love, although Tak had spent ages admitting it. She still had no idea how she had gotten so lucky to have ended up falling in love with someone as pure and kindhearted as Kitten.

“So….” Kouji’s hesitant word had Tak looking up from where she had been resting her head on his shoulder, and her smile faded slightly.

“So… What?” she asked, already knowing where he was going.

“So… What are you going to do now?” The question was vague, but Tak knew exactly what he meant by it. What was she going to do, now that her time at Hammel was over and she was free to do what she wanted with her life? If you had asked her several months again, she would have said, without hesitation, that she was moving back home. But things had changed since then. A lot of things.

Love had a tendency to make that happen.

She let out a small sigh, already knowing her answer but being hesitant to admit it. Tak had pondered her options for months – on the one hand, her heart yearned to return to the life she once knew, back to her family and culture and way of life. But on the other… Her life was already here, right beside her.

“I thought about this for a long time, Kouj,” she started slowly, tracing her thumb along the backside of his hand. “You know I wanted to move back to Fort Peck the second I set foot on this campus.”

Kouji felt his heart race, already feeling the ache of losing Tak as she spoke. Would she really move back? He knew that had been her plan all along, but he had hoped maybe things had changed.

“And I still want to move back. Really, really bad.” She let out another sigh. “I miss my family, and my old friends, and my city. But…” She stopped, trying to think of the right words to say.

The word sent a bolt of hope through Kouji.

“But, as much as I want to move back, I’m not done here yet.” Her eyes hardened with decision. “I’ve been talking to some people at Hammel, and… Well, they’re willing to let me stay here and be a… Dorm monitor next year.” She let the words hang in the air, waiting for his reaction.

At first he just stared. And then, a small sound of joy escaped his throat, and he laughed, pulling Tak into a warm embrace. “You’re staying!” he cried, relief and affection flooding through him. Tak would stay for his senior year! He couldn’t believe his ears.

Tak laughed, returning the embrace whole-heartedly. Kouji had managed to worm his way into her heart and make a lasting difference in her life, as much as she didn’t always like to admit it. And she knew being a dorm monitor wouldn’t be the most fun of things to do, but she figured it gave her another year to figure out what she wanted to do with her life, not to mention, she could still see Kouj all the time.

“You better spend all of your spare time with me,” she warned him, but she continued to smile. “I don’t want to have to chase after Hammel brats ALL day.”

“Of course,” Kouji agreed enthusiastically. He pulled back slightly to gaze at her for a while, his eyes softening as he watched her. They were both so lucky to have found each other.

Tak grinned gently, before leaning in and kissing his lips, feeling like the happiest girl in the world.

[Takchawee Ominotago]

This is a canon story, set in 2021

“Mika!” Tak called out tiredly, trying to reign in her four-year-old son. “Honey, let’s play pretend some other time, okay? Mommy’s tired.” Pressing a hand against her swollen belly, Tak sat wearily on the couch, letting out an exhausted sigh. Being seven months pregnant while taking care of a wild child was no easy job, but fortunately, Kouji should be home any minute from work.

Their apartment wasn’t the nicest of places, but it was what they could afford, and they wouldn’t have it any other way. Mika, the bubbly black-haired boy who was now crawling on the floor like a grizzly bear, meant the world to Tak. She had never really planned on being a mother, but it had only been a matter of time before it happened, and fortunately, even though she and Kouji weren’t married, he hadn’t shown a second’s hesitation in staying by her side for the rest of their lives. It made Tak chuckle; she had gone from being a free-spirited, multi-partnered young woman to… Well, a free-spirited, single-partnered mom. She knew the next one on the way was another boy, and she prayed he would be the last; though she loved Miko, she didn’t think she could handle any more than two. But then again… She didn’t plan on changing her and Kouji’s physical relationship any time soon. Only exhaustion from the added weight for months on end was keeping her from being frisky these days.

As the little boy became an imaginary elephant and began stomping around on the floor, the front door creaked open, and Tak let out a relieved sigh. “Kitten, you’re home,” she greeted him gratefully. His nickname had never left.

Kouji had become even more handsome with age, and just the sight of him sent tingles down Tak’s spine. “Hey, beautiful,” he replied, smiling, and after putting up his coat, settled down on the couch next to her, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and resting the other on her stomach. “How are you feeling?” he murmured, kissing her lightly on the cheek.

“Tired, but fine. Better now,” she replied, leaning against his shoulder and letting her eyes drift shut for a moment. She felt the baby kick and winced slightly, until Kouji rubbed the area softly and she let out another sigh. “I’m so glad you’re home.”

“Daaaad!” Mika cried, practically pouncing like a leopard onto Kouji’s lap. He let out a growl, and Kouj laughed, ruffling his hair. “Hey Meek! You’ve been good for mommy today, haven’t you?” He squeezed him with one arm before Mika started squirming and hopped off.

“Noooo,” he replied, giggling, and ran off to his room. Tak grinned as he disappeared around the corner.

“I think we’ve been given a crazy child because of all the sleeping around I did in the past,” she told Kouji. “Karma. Damn.” She was kidding for the most part, but she had to wonder if her behavior had led to such an energetic son. It was a silly thought.

“Oh hush, you’re wonderful,” Kouji replied, brushing a few stray strands of hair from her face. “He’s just in one of those stages. He’ll calm down eventually.”

“Mmm. I hope you’re right.” Tak went silent for a few moments, just taking in the moment. She was so lucky, really. Kouji could have left her so many times, but he had stayed by her side all this time. Tak still wasn’t sure sometimes why he had fallen in love with her in the first place… But she was sure glad he had.

“I’m going to make dinner, okay?” he finally said, shifting slightly to stand. “You just sit and rest, okay, sweetheart?” He bent over and kissed her gently before standing and making his way to their tiny kitchen.

“By make dinner, do you mean microwave leftovers?” Tak teased, and Kouji simply laughed in reply. Neither of them were the best of cooks.

She dropped both hands to her stomach once more, thinking about what they were going to name him. She wanted Kouji to decide this time, since she had named their firstborn after her grandfather. Tak was dreading when her nine months would be up, but she knew, in the long run, it would all be worth it. Glancing up and watching the man she loved working away in the kitchen, even though she knew he was probably as tired as she, she knew that whatever happened, at least they would be together.

[Takchawee Ominotago]

If you are not into sexy rps, do not read. Thanks! Done with Sai
Set in the fall of 2013

"Okay kiddos, time to go to bed!" Tak ushered a few stragglers up the stairs, returning their glares as they moodily went to their rooms. It was actually kind of fun, being a dorm monitor - she got to boss people around! Sure, they didn't always comply, but if they didn't, she got to tell on them, and so most of them had got the message that they needed to listen to her. True, she was only a few years older than some of them, but her position was what mattered.

Once they had left, Tak glanced around before quietly sneaking up to the co-ed floor. She, fortunately, did not have a curfew, and there were certain people who she let slide too. Well, one person, really. Which was who she was going to see now.

She silently opened the dorm door and crept through the empty common room, before slipping into Kouji's room. "Hey, handsome," she greeted him, grinning, and pulled him into a hug. People probably knew about their arrangement, but no one had told any authorities yet, so Tak was still more than happy to visit him every night. Sometimes she stayed in his room all night. Oops. "Whatcha doing?" She pulled away slightly, but still kept her arms around him.

------------------

It was curfew, so Kouji was being a good boy and was in his dorm. He changed into his Captain America pajama pants and flopped on the bed before grabbing the remote and flicking on the small television he had in his room. He knew Tak would be in shortly; she had a habit of visiting him at night, which he was perfectly okay with. He grinned at the thought of Tak, placed his hands behind his head, and leaned back. Kouji knew she was busy doing dorm monitor type things, so he figured he’d start watching one of his girly Japanese dramas that he followed while he waited.

It wasn’t very long before Tak had snuck into Kouji’s room. Immediately, he got up and off his bed and walked over to her, accepting her hug happily and giving her a tight squeeze in return. “Hey, gorgeous,” he smiled at her, taking her hand into his own and leading her over to sit on the bed. “Oh, just watching some TV. Have any trouble with the kids?” He made it sound like most of the students she dealt with were years younger than him, but in reality, a good amount of them were his age. Ah well.

---------------------

Tak wondered these days why she hadn't seen how perfect Kouji was sooner. She had been so obsessed with just getting with as many hot bodies as possible, she had ignored what she had right before her own eyes. It had taken some drama and tears to get her to where she was, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

She gladly followed him to his bed, gripping his hand lightly as she perched next to him. "One of your girly shows, eh?" she teased, bumping him lightly. She watched the screen for a moment before rolling her eyes at his question. "Nothing out of the ordinary. One kid tried to turn invisible, but I caught them just in time. But it is kinda fun bossing you young'uns around." Tak grinned at him, kissing his cheek playfully before pushing him down on the bed and wrapping her arms around him. It was innocent, right now. He had managed to keep her from just wanting on thing all the time. Not that it couldn't escalate. He was already shirtless, anyway. "How were classes today?" she murmured. That was one thing she definitely did not miss.

---------------------

Kouji let out a laugh, unable to deny what he was watching. “It’s a good episode though!” He jokingly defending himself, knowing there was no real good excuse for his taste in television. “You would think they’d learn to just listen to you by now.” He commented, knowing very well that Tak wasn’t afraid to take charge and show them who was boss. It was pretty fun hearing the stories though.

He grinned as Tak pushed him down, and in response he wrapped his arms around her and pulled him closer, giving her a quick kiss before nuzzling her neck affectionately. Kouji was a cuddly person, but they had slowly developed a more physical relationship, even though a majority of it was still innocent. “Mmm, classes were okay, I guess…” Kouji wasn’t the best student and didn’t particularly like going to class in general, but he knew he had to keep his grades up to play soccer. “Nothing fun happened. How was your day?”

------------------

Tak laughed in return. "I don't judge. I'm sure it's lovely." She didn't normally watch a lot of TV, but she had to admit Kouji was slowly drawing her into his shows. She was resisting as much as she could. "Eeeh, they know I can't really do anything other than yell - I mean, it's not like I could freeze them or use telekinesis, since my ability is lame - so they still think they can sneak out of sight sometimes. It happens. Fortunately I'm not the only dorm monitor, though." It definitely did make for good stories, having the job she did. And being able to see Kouji so much made it all worth it.

She smiled into the kiss, cupping his chin gently before tilting her head up to let him snuggle close. Just cuddling was definitely nice. But she was very aware that he only had pants on, which didn't help the innocent part of her mind (which was very small) stay in control. "That's too bad. No explosions or anything at all?" She smirked, running her hand along the back of his head before trailing it down to his lower back. "It was fine too. No explosions for me either. Not yet." Her smirk widened suggestively, but she managed to bite her lip and let it fade a moment later. "You should skip class for a day and come do something with me. It gets quiet during the day."

-----------------------

“Yeah, but you can be intimidating when you need to be.” Kouji certainly knew that, too. Tak definitely had badass points, in her own way. “Your power isn’t lame!” He defended quickly, pulling her closer, “I think it’s cool! I’ll trade you if you don’t like it!” He laughed, thinking that he would love to see Tak turn into a kitten someday. That would just be… way too cute.

Her touch down his back gave him shivers; it always did, and he liked it. Tak had a way with her touch that just drove Kouji a little crazy, in a good way of course. “Mm, no. I was hoping there would at least be a few explosions or something, but nothing.” He raised his eyebrows, the explosion remark going over his innocent little head. Poor boy. He did catch onto the suggestive grin, and he gave a little laugh in response. “Mm, I like that idea…” Kouji had skipped a few classes before, so what harm would it be to skip another day? He ran a hand up and down Tak’s side and watched her, “I can’t have you getting lonely, now can I?”

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"That's true. I can be tough." She gave him a mock-angry face, before breaking out into a wide grin. "Not with you though." He really was very gentle, way more so than she was used to. In many ways, it was a nice change. She laughed at his defending her ability. It was cool, really - just not very effective at keeping kids under control. "I would love to turn into a kitten!" she told him, giving him a peck on the nose. "You can get
stuck with labeling people with animals all the time."

His innocence was so sweet. Tak really needed to either try to be more so herself, or maybe... Enlighten him a little. Although, a not-innocent Kouji was just an absurd idea. It was amazing how they had ended up together. "Sounds like a plan, then," she replied, a little distracted by his rubbing her side. She let out a small sigh, her eyelids fluttering closed as she wrapped her other arm around his neck. "Mmm. Loneliness sucks. I get moody, ya know? And no one likes me moody." She kissed the top of his head, feeling very un-moody right now. "So what do you think? Maybe a hike?" She was trying very hard to plan something, but his skin was becoming slowly more intoxicating.

------------------------

Kouji pretended to be terrified of Tak’s angry face, but couldn’t hold back his grin long enough to keep up the act. It was true; Tak was never tough with Kouji, and Kouji was particularly gentle with Tak, even though he knew in the back of his mind that she wouldn’t mind it if he was a bit rougher with her in… certain areas of their relationship. He wasn’t completely against the idea, but it would definitely have to be something he was eased into, after all, they hadn’t even done anything too promiscuous. Yet.

His hand moved from her side, up towards her neck, and then down her back before returning back to its original spot on her side. He liked touching Tak, not necessarily in dirty ways (not that he DIDN’T like that, because after all, it was Tak they were talking about. Seriously.), but just the feeling of her skin was nice. He thought of what they could do if he were to skip, and the idea of a hike was rather pleasing. He did, however, notice Tak’s lack of focus on the topic and he couldn’t help but to shake his head at her with amusement. “You’re the best.” He said simply, leaning forward and giving her another gentle kiss.

-----------------------

It had been a very difficult change for Tak, going from sleeping around multiple times a week to.... Well, pretty much not at all. She only was able to keep it up by knowing how long Kouji had waited for her, and how much they really did love each other. Enough so that their relationship wasn't about the physical stuff at all, as willing as Tak was to take it farther. But she didn't want to rush him, because he was still so... Kouji.

Nevertheless, his hand continued to send tingles down her spine, and she instinctively arched her back, pressing their stomachs together as she gave him a happy, if slightly love-drunk, grin. Her shirt had shifted up just a little from him touching her side, but of course she didn't mind it. She focused once more as he spoke, laughing airily and replying,"No, that's you." She accepted the kiss gladly, tilting her head so she could respond with just a little more force. Nothing intense, just... Yeah. "Kouj, you're a tease," she told him breathlessly at a pause, smirking. "I love it."

-------------------------

Kouji, of course, had been thinking about how Tak had changed. He knew that she liked to stay… active, and of course that got a lot of thoughts running through his head as of lately. It wasn’t that he was against the idea, in all honesty, he was just really nervous about it. After all, Tak’s experience levels were far greater than Kouji’s (which would be zero.) Also, he wanted to make sure that nothing would change about their relationship after, either. Kouji had always been worried about being a one night stand with Tak. As he continued to think about it though, he knew that Tak really must have liked him to change her ways so dramatically to be with him. He was really grateful to have such a caring girl in his life.

If Kouji was being a tease, then so was Tak. Tak’s body against his own sent trembles through his body. As innocent as he was, he was a 17-year-old boy. He couldn’t help but to glance down at Tak’s rising shirt, and he quickly brought his gaze back up to her silly grin. He didn’t have much time to defend himself and let Tak know that she was really the best, because he wasn’t going to reject Tak’s slightly rougher kiss. When they broke apart, he wasn’t quite sure how to respond, “…Am I?” He breathed.

-------------------------

Tak has always viewed sex as just something to do for pleasure, rather than any emotional connection to a person. She was therefore grateful that Kouji has stopped her that one day last year, when she had lost her control around him and they had almost... Well. It was sort of ironic that she was the girl in this relationship, and yet she was also the more... Suggestive one. Wasn't it usually the other way around? But she knew now, having gone so long without it, that there were other ways to have it too. There could be love and trust involved. It wasn't just about hooking up with the hottest body around. Not that Kouji wasn't gorgeous - because he was - but he made her realize how special it could be. And the fact that she would be his first (hopefully, right?) made her feel... Well, really special. She remembered her first time, a couple years ago... She hoped his would be a lot different, for his sake.

One of Tak's hands reached down to grasp his own on her side, letting his grip ease up the fabric of her shirt even higher as she pulled his hand upwards, slowly. Okay, yeah, she probably was the bigger tease here. "Mhmm," she murmured in reply, going in once more for another kiss, biting his lip playfully. She felt so small against him, and yet she was definitely more aggressive, so she tilted herself upwards, resting her chest against his own as she slowly moved on top of him. It was still barely innocent - she was still wearing her clothes, mostly, and they were just kissing - but her breathing was increasing in rapidity against her will, and her heart began to beat more quickly.

----------------------------

Kouji, on the other hand, had always viewed sex as an act of emotions instead of just something of physical pleasure. Yup, he really was the girl in the relationship. He didn’t mind though, because that’s how he was and Tak seemed to like him like that, so he couldn’t be any happier. He wanted to make sure his first time was special, and he was sure that he couldn’t choose someone more special than Tak to share that moment with.

He didn’t pull away when Tak lead his hand upward, his eyes once again glancing down as his fingers traced over Tak’s side. Kouji even went as far as to bring his hand, without Tak’s guidance, up a bit further, pushing the loose shirt even high enough to easily be slipped off. For Kouji to do that was a huge step towards having an actual normal physical relationship. He almost started to back off, but Tak pushed herself on top of him and he wasn’t about to push her away at this point. He leaned into the kiss, his free hand moving to run through Tak’s hair as his tongue teasingly ran across her lower lip. His breathing was starting to increase and shorten, and as his fingers traced across the side of Tak’s upper torso, his heart felt like it would pound out of his chest.

-----------------------

Tak didn't mind being the more dominant of the two of them. She was actually used to being quite submissive, so it was nice, for a change, to be sort of in control. Then again, she didn't want to be too rough with him, because she knew his lack of experience and really didn't want to make him uncomfortable. She kept that in mind as they continued to get heavier into the make-out.

She grinned as his hand moved of his own accord, knowing now that they were at least somewhat on the same page. Taking it as a cue, she reached down and tugged it the rest of the way off, tossing it aside to land wherever it may. It wasn't like this was a first time either - so it wasn't that big of a deal, was it? His touches were getting more intimate now, more teasing and all of it just made Tak's mind buzz deliciously. She dropped her hands underneath him, caressing the solid muscles of his lower back. Her hair was sort of becoming a mess at this point - there was so much of it, and they were doing a lot of moving around - but the feeling of his fingers running through it was quite pleasant, and made her back off for just a split second. "Kouj," she breathed, her mouth just inches from him. "Do you... Are you ready for this?" If he wasn't, she would back off... Probably. Yeah, she would. His comfort was more important to her than her carnal desires.

------------------------

Kouji had to admit that he was pretty happy the shirt was gone. By this point, he was used to seeing Tak shirtless, because it as Tak, after all. Her hands on his lower back caused him to arch his back in response, pushing himself closer to her. Her touches and the feeling of their bodies pressed together were starting to make his head spin with excitement. They were certainly on the same page, or at least very close. Kouji loved Tak’s long hair, even if it was starting to become a mess and get in the way a bit, he didn’t mind and continued to run his hands through it. His other hand made it’s way over to the middle of Tak’s back as he traced over the
skin with his fingers lightly.

He was a little startled when Tak pulled away, and immediately wondered if something was wrong. He was normally the first one to pull away in those situations. At the question, a loving smile washed over his face as closed to small gap between them with another kiss before pulling away. “I am.” He responded with a firm nod. He was glad that Tak had asked; he knew it could have been very easy for her to get ahead of herself.

-------------

There had been plenty of situations since they had finally gotten together where one of both of them had ended up at least partially nude around the other, both from his ability and her... Well, Tak-ness. This was different, though. They were already getting heavily into it, and Tak was itching to just get in on. But, of course, she had to make sure he did, too.

Which was why a radiant smile crossed her face when he confirmed he was. She kissed him a little slower, bringing a hand up to trace his jawline. After a few moments, she pulled away again, breathless. "I am, too." Well, duh, of course she was. She was Tak. She gave him a wide grin. "Just a second." Now that she knew where this was going, she wanted to make it as perfect as possible. She untangled herself from him and jumped off his bed, going to lock the door, and turn off the TV. Instead, she turned on the radio to some station playing beautiful, soft music, before going back to sit on Kouji's lap. "I love you," she murmured, he fingers dropping down to the drawstring of his pants and slightly tugging them down as she kissed the hollow of his throat.

-------------------

Kouji smiled into the kiss, enjoying the sweet slowness of it. It didn’t surprise him that she was too, because, well, she was Tak. He watched as she locked the door. That was a good call; people had been known to just enter rooms without knocking around Hammel, and that was the last thing he wanted. He sat up as Tak turned off the television and put the radio on. Also a good choice, Kouji nodded, thinking how cute it was that Tak was
doing all this. He had always imagined he’d be the one to go through the effort to make things romantic.

As Tak came back to his bed, he wrapped her arms around her waist. “I love you too,” a big, love struck smile tugged at his lips at the words. He leaned his head back, taking pleasure in every kiss Tak left on his neck while his hands trailed downward to Tak’s jeans. His fingers ran lightly along the top of them before reaching for the button and unsnapping it without much hesitation before tugging them gently down. Now that they agreed they were both ready, he wasn’t about to back down. Not that he wanted to. No, definitely not. He adjusted
himself under Tak slightly, making it easier for her to pull down his pants while he worked on slowly getting hers off.

--------------------

Tak surprised herself at being the one to get things just right, but she really did want Kouji's first time to be special. He deserved it, and she felt amazing knowing she was going to be his first. It was almost wrong, considering how little sex used to mean to her, but she told herself that this was different, that it was almost a first for her, too - none of her other times had she been in a relationship for several months before finally doing it.

Saying 'I love you' was actually a first for her, too, in this sort of situation. It made it all that more special, because.... She really meant it. She loved Kouji, not just for his looks but his kindness, his gentleness, his loyalty. He was perfection. She felt his fingers trail down to the hem of her shorts, letting out a soft sigh as slowly more skin was exposed as he pulled them down. Soon, they were discarded on the floor even as she continued to pull down his own. Soon they, too, were forgotten. Tak adjusted herself so that she was laying on her back, pulling Kouji down with her as she continued to caress his skin with her lips, his neck and cheeks and beautiful mouth. Her underwear was skimpy, very light and lacy, and he was more than welcome to take them off whenever he was ready...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kouji let out a satisfied sigh, grinning into Tak’s kiss and playfully biting her lower lip in response. He rolled over, curling up beside her and pulling her into a tight embrace. “I love you too, Tak,” he mumbled softly into her ear before nuzzling her cheek. He was pretty sure that he couldn’t love anyone as much as he loved Tak, and although he wasn’t sure why she loved him back, he was happy she did.

He pressed his lips against her cheek and closed his eyes, just soaking in the moment. “So…Good. Yes?” He opened an eye and glanced over at her with a silly grin playing about his lips. He HAD to ask. As he waited for her reaction, he reached over and grabbed Tak’s hand, giving it a light squeeze as he laced his fingers through hers.

-------------

As soon as it was over, Tak’s eyelids fluttered open again, and she gave Kouji a slow, satisfied smile. Still riding on the high of making love, she returned the embrace wholeheartedly, breathing deeply through her nose as she wrapped herself around him. “I’m so glad that you do,” she murmured in reply; it was sort of ironic, since she wasn’t sure why he would love someone like her. He had had to go through so much suffering and heartache because of her; she didn’t think she was worth all of that trouble. But she was overjoyed that he did.

She laughed lightly, nodding and running a soft hand through his hair. “Very good. You sure this was your first time?” She was teasing him, of course, but he had been quite amazing. She laced her fingers through his, watching their hands meet through heavily-lidded eyes. “Now that we’ve done this, y’know,” she began, tracing shapes on his chest with her free hand,”I wouldn’t mind doing it more often.” She shot him a grin, leaning in and brushing their lips lightly together. “There’s all sorts of things we could try out,” she offered suggestively, pulling herself in more and pressing their bare torsos together.

-------------------------

Kouji laughed, bringing his free hand up to trace against her cheek. “Unless something happened without my knowledge, I’m pretty sure it was.” He closed his eyes and contently sighed at the feeling of Tak tracing shapes on his chest. Without opening his eyes, he raised his eyebrows, already knowing where she was headed with the conversation. It was Tak after all. “You know…” he started, glancing over in Tak’s direction, “I wouldn’t mind that either.” Poor innocent Kouji being corrupted by his girlfriend, but he was okay with that.

At the light touch of their lips, Kouji immediately leaned forward, stealing another kiss from Tak. He deepened it, running his tongue along her bottom lip and running his hand through her hair.

---------

Tak closed her eyes at the light touch on her cheek, bringing her hand up to hold his hand there. She smiled. “I’m so glad I was your first, Kouj,” she murmured, blinking open once more. “I’m sorry I can’t say the same.” A hint of sadness touched her eyes, and she glanced down, letting her gaze follow a wrinkle in the comforter they were on. His answer made her look up once more, though, and she managed a grin. “Sounds like a plan. I’m sure I can get away from dorm duty every once in a while.” Like, every other night? Yeah.

The kiss was just as sweet as their first, and she held it for a long moment, just enjoying being close to him. Who knew being love was so…. Lovely? She never thought she had the capacity to feel like this, but Kouji had proved her wrong. “I don’t know what I would do without you,” she murmured as they slowly broke apart, tucking her head under his chin and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She felt so emotionally raw all of a sudden, she wasn’t quite sure what to do.

----------

Kouji gave a warm smile to Tak, “I wouldn’t change anything about you or anything you’ve ever done.” He confirmed, truly meaning it. If none of that had ever happened, Tak wouldn’t be the same girl he loved today, and also they could have never ended up together. “Every now an then?” He chuckled, “You visit me almost every night as it is.” Not that he was complaining. Oh hell no.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, either…” It would be interesting to see what their lives would have been like if they had never met. Then again, Kouji was sure he wouldn’t be as happy as he was now, so it didn’t even matter. As Tak placed her head under his chin, he leaned down and pressed his lips against the top of her head and continued to play with her hair. “I’m just glad you’re here.”

[Takchawee Ominotago]

An AU set in 2018

She put him out, like the burnin’ end of a midnight cigarette….

Kouji crept into the apartment with a dozen roses in one hand, a light smile on his lips as he prepared to surprise Tak. He had gotten off work early so he could take her out to dinner – he had already reserved a table for them at a fancy restaurant in town – and hopefully later on, they could have a romantic evening together. Stepping quietly, he made his way to their room, where he heard some noises. That was odd, he thought, but he wasn’t one to judge what Tak did when she was at home.

He gave a light knock before reaching for the handle and pushing the door open. He opened his mouth to greet her until his eyes landed on what she was doing.

And who she was with.

There were several long, heart-pounding moments of dead silence. Tak had grasped for the sheets to cover herself when she heard the knock, but there was absolutely no denying what she had been doing. “Kouji, I-“ she began, but he didn’t want to hear it. He couldn’t.

He left without a word, feeling like his world had split in half.


She broke his heart. He spent his whole life trying to forget…

He never forgot about that night. Every day he fought with himself over what he had done wrong, what he had done to make her turn to someone else. Was it his fault? Was it hers? He couldn’t bear to think about it. He spent years in an agonized stupor, unable to look at anyone, and woman, the way he used to look at her. She had meant the world to him. He couldn’t take the pain of knowing she hadn’t felt the same.


We watched him drink his pain away a little at a time…

Eventually, he had to find an outlet for the pain. He had never really liked drinking, but when one had nothing to lose and the alcohol numbed the body, he didn’t see any reason not to. Almost every night he went out, going to different joints to try different things, anything to get her off his mind. It worked in the moment – when he was drunk out of his wits, he couldn’t think straight, and he managed to dampen the pain of what had happened – but every morning, he woke up with a new ache in his chest.


But he never could get drunk enough to get her off his mind, until the night…

One night, he got drunk at a bar, as usual, and managed to make his way home. In his pantry, he had his own stash of liquor. Her memories were particularly heartbreaking tonight – memories of her telling him she loved him, of all those sweet kisses they shared, talking about their future and what they were going to do with their lives. He had been willing to do anything to stay with her. And all of that had been taken from him in an instant.

He grabbed a couple bottles and went up to his room.


He put that bottle to his head, and pulled the trigger…

He drank. Far beyond what he had done before, until he lost count of how much he had had. It was too much.


And finally drank away her memory…

As he downed each bottle, he slowly lost pieces of the memories he and Tak shared, until he was just an empty shell, completely consumed in his misery and grief.


Life is short, but this time it was bigger…

What was the point of living?


Than the strength he had to get up off his knees…

He stumbled to his bedside, just managing to get onto the mattress and write a very brief, torturous note with scrawled handwriting before his fingers went numb, the world blackened, and he departed this world.


We found him with his face down in the pillow…

He was found by a neighbor who had been concerned after not seeing him for a few days. He notified the authorities…


With a note that said “I’ll love her ‘til I die”…

It was the only clue as to why he had chosen to drink himself to death.


And when we buried him beneath the willow…

It was a small funeral, but deathly beautiful. The crisp autumn air had everyone bundled up in dark, thick coats and leggings, including a veil-wearing woman in the back. Her face was covered, but it was hard to mistake that long, ebony hair. She clutched a photo in her hands, tears rolling down her face as she watched the love of her life being buried under the boughs of a weeping willow.


The angels sang a whiskey lullaby…

There was a small choir that sang during the procession, and it haunted Tak for the rest of her life.


The rumors flew, but nobody knew how much she blamed herself…

The rumors over Kouji’s death, and the note he had left, spread like wildfire over the community. Who had he wrote it for? Was it just the insane last words of a dying man? Or was there a meaning behind it? Everyone wanted answers, but the one who knew what it was about would never tell.


For years and years, she tried to hide the whiskey on her breath…

Tak turned to the bottle as well. What else could she do? The guilt of what she had broken down and done that night had plagued her for years. She tried desperately to reach out to Kouji, but he never returned her messages, he ignored her calls. He didn’t want to see her, and she understood why. It didn’t make things any easier for her. And now, knowing she was why he was dead, why her beautiful Kouji had passed away, the pain was intolerable.


She finally drank her pain away a little at a time…

She went to bars, pubs, wherever the liquor was easy to get and she could try to distract herself with men that practically threw themselves on her. Tak tried to forget about the loving warmth of Kouji’s embrace as she sought a new fire with other guys, but they all just wanted one thing, one time, and it was a cold, hard reminder of how precious the thing that she lost was. Love didn’t just walk into your arms. Drink after drink, she tried to numb her loneliness and guilt.


But she never could get drunk enough to get him off her mind, until the
night…

Nothing stopped it completely, though. She came back home alone one night, having drunk herself into a stupor and hardly knowing where she was or what
she was doing. All she knew was she had to make the pain all go away. She
pulled out another bottle from her pantry, stumbling to her room.


She put that bottle to her head, and pulled the trigger…

Once there, she grabbed a picture frame she kept by her bed, but her fingers fumbled and she dropped it, cracking the glass. As she took draughts of the alcohol, she forced the picture out of the frame, ignoring the cuts on her fingers as she gazed at her and Kouji, so happy together, so carefree and beautiful. Those days were long gone.


And finally drank away his memory….

She clutched the photo in one hand as she finished off the bottle.


Life is short, but this time it was bigger…

What was the point in living?


Than the strength she had to get up off her knees…

She eased herself into her bed, holding her hand with the picture against her chest, feeling her heartbeats gradually slow as the drink took its effect, until her breathing stopped and she felt no more.


We found her with her face down in the pillows…

As with Kouji, she was found soon afterwards; a tragic end to an already tragic tale.


Clinging to his picture for dear life…

His picture was proof of what some had said must have happened all along. Heartbreak could overcome even the strongest of people.


We laid her next to him beneath the willows…

Knowing now what had caused both of them to pass, they laid Tak in a grave next to Kouji’s, underneath the now blooming willow tree. Everyone was stunned with the way things had turned out; two young lives, lost because of one unforgivable mistake. It was unfair.


And the angels sang a whiskey lullaby…

The choir sang once more, sending an echo of heartache and loss across the graveyard that would be remembered for a long time to come.

[Ravyn Rozanova]

An AU set in 2022

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Ravyn called as she stepped down the hallway, careful not to bump anything off the walls as she tucked her wings against her back. “Sorry Cam, I know you’ve been planning this for a while, I’m really not trying to make us late.” She turned around the corner, instantly catching the blonde’s eye and giving him a sheepish grin.

“It’s okay, Ray,” he told her, his gaze instantly drawn to what she was wearing. He hadn’t seen that dress before – all dark and satiny and clinging to just the right curves, including the one that indicated that she was reaching the end of her second trimester with their daughter. He pulled her close, catching a whiff of the soft rose scent of her hair. “I don’t care if we’re a little late, as long as you don’t rush yourself. Are you doing alright?” He pressed a hand against her stomach lovingly, keeping the other wrapped around her shoulders. He knew this was going to be hard for her – having a light bone structure and being as fragile as she was, he was constantly making sure she was okay, that nothing would go wrong between now and the birth. “You look beautiful.”

“I’m fine,” she assured him, smiling and giving him a peck on the cheek. “Really. It just took me a while to feel comfortable showing this off.” She dropped her hands to her waist, putting a hand on his. Truth be told, she was feeling a little weak, but nothing she couldn’t handle. “And you’re one to talk. You look gorgeous.” He really did – the past ten years had only strengthened his features, not to mention he was dressed appropriately for the evening as well. She tilted her head up, meeting his lips to hers this time.

“Ravyn, sweetheart, you make the sexiest mother-to-be I’ve ever seen,” Cameron told her as they broke apart, grinning. Seriously, he thought she had never looked more stunning than she did then.

She blushed, swiping his arm gently with her hand. “Flatterer. Come on, we’re still going to be late.” Grabbing her purse, she entwined her fingers with his and left the house, keeping her hold on him firm in case she
wobbled at all. It was amazing how much different a few extra pounds was on the girl.

Cam opened the door like a gentlemen, helping her inside before going over to the driver’s seat. Soon they were off, heading towards that fancy Italian place on the other side of town. They got there soon enough, finding a place to park before getting out and making their way to the front entrance. They were shown to their table, but instead of sitting across from Cam as was normal in restaurants, Ravyn snuck in next to him on the bench, getting a slight disapproving look from a man a table over – she ignored him. She just wanted to be close to him. Not that she didn’t normally, but the hormones going through her lately made her just that much more attached to him. They weren’t even married or anything, but they could definitely fool people.

They ordered quickly and were soon murmuring to each other over a bowl of bread rolls, spreading far too much butter than was probably appropriate on each one as they waited for the main course to arrive.

“Oh,” Ravyn gasped at one point, wincing slightly. Cam was instantly on alert, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder as the other dropped to her waist. “Is everything-“

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she told him, managing a smile. “She’s just moving around, I think.”

Cam studied her for a few more moments before pulling her into another kiss, ignoring the stares they got from across the way. They were just jealous. “Just tell me if anything doesn’t feel right,” he told her, being
paranoid. He was still new at this stuff too.

A few minutes later their food arrived, and they dug into it with relish. “How was your day?” Cam inquired, taking a bite of pasta. She wasn’t working at the moment, but he knew she still volunteered at the family resource center whenever she felt up to it.

“It was nice,” she replied, dapping at her mouth with a napkin. “I got to work with the really young kids today. Just getting a feel for this, you know?” As much as she loved kids, she couldn’t imagine taking care of more than just one – she was able to manage the dozen or so at the center for a few hours, but that was about it.

“Sounds fun,” he told her, shooting her a smile. She was so compassionate – it was one of the many things he loved so much about Ravyn.

After a while, they finished their meal. Cameron had a strange look on his face, almost as though he was nervous about something. Ravyn let out a nervous chuckle. “What’s the matter, Cammy? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

He cracked a smile at her in return, her joke making him more relaxed. He knew he was making the right decision. Before Ravyn knew what was happening, he was down on his knee by her seat, holding up a small box with a small, beautiful ring.

“Ray, I love you with my entire being,” he began, heart pounding. “I know we’ve had rough patches in the past, but we’ve been through so much together for so long, I just know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. With both of you,” he added, his gaze dropping down momentarily before he looked back up into her eyes. She had covered her mouth with her hands, her gaze wide. “Ravyn, will you marry me?” He waited those few, aching seconds.

“Oh, Cam,” she breathed, before letting out a short, shocked laugh. “Of course, of course I will!” There was applause as she looped her arms around his neck and he laughed along with her, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her close. He was the luckiest man in the world, he thought, as he slipped the ring onto her finger.and pressed their mouths together once more.

[Ravyn Rozanova]

This is going to be the first of several zombie AUs, set around 2020. There are other characters alive or dead that were not mentioned, so let me know if you have a suggestion/request for a certain character/pairing. This is just the introduction - the stories are yet to come.

----

No one knows exactly how it started. Someone got sick, probably in a dirty, chemical-infested area of some overpopulated city, and that was it . At first it was only a virus – the symptoms started as a normal cold, before leading to internal bleeding, organ failure, and eventually death, all within a matter of days. Doctors were baffled by this new sickness, and tried to find its source by examining those that had died from the disease.

But soon after they passed, the dead began coming back to life. And not only that, but with a craving for human flesh.

Several scientists were killed before people realized what was going on, and by that time, it was too late – the disease had spread. Like wildfire, it took over towns and cities across North America before a cure was eventually developed. But it wasn’t a perfect cure – while it kept the symptoms at bay, everyone still became infected with the sickness, so that while they didn’t die from the virus, they still came back to life if they died of other causes.

A few people, however, were immune to this illness. The population of meta-humans across the world, through some evolutionary gene, were not affected by the resurrecting gene. They passed on, and didn’t come back. However, the reanimated dead also seemed to have a special interest in the meta-humans, and they were the most targeted of everyone.

Years passed, and the world’s population grew thinner and thinner. Eventually, only a few non-metas were still able to survive, living in small groups in remote regions where the animates had trouble finding them. The metas were a different story – while they had a smaller population to begin with, more of them were able to survive, and they had several communities spread throughout the world, mostly around the schools where they grew up.

Hammel became a battle ground. Fences were put up, traps created, and gardens made to sustain the people that lived there. There were about two hundred or so left, ranging from those who had recently manifested to the veterans that had survived the past several years. Some people were legends – Sean Neville, one of the oldest still surviving, was still able to use his ability on the animated, and managed to keep them at bay on several occasions. Sam Rixon, the pyro, had come to use his abilities to protect those around him, and was an important asset to the couple hundred still surviving then they got into tough patches. Ravyn was able to fly around the cities and collect supplies, along with Rem and Henry, and were crucial when starvation had begun to set in.

The names of those still living that made an impact on the society’s survival went on.
James Campbell.
Noah Washington.
Dani Cooper.
Chester Douglas.
Vincent Verax (who had actually been attacked before, and simply healed from the wounds).
Cameron Osiris.
Terrowin Guthrie.
Kiara Lilien.
Zeb Hayes.
Patricia Reed.
Kateri Rivera.
Lukas Wolf.
Lucah Ivaskov.
There were many others.

But there was also a list of the dead.
Brendan James.
Josie Graham.
Julia Clark.
Alexander McKenzie.
Marie Ennis.
Jackson Haynes.
Levi Xu.
Eugene O’Neil.
Jeff Dougal.
Jude Shepherd.

There was even a sad account of the demise of Kouji and Tak, who had decided to die together rather than only one of them making it out of a situation alive. No one knew exactly what had happened, but they were almost envied by those who had lost loved ones and yet continued to live on themselves.

The list of the dead was ever growing.

Nevertheless, it was growing at a slower rate. They had gotten smarter over the years, and made less risky decisions when the benefits weren’t worth the possible price. The casualties still came, though, and the deaths never got any easier to accept. But they were living, and even, in some cases, thriving – several couples had had children in the past six or seven years, and were able to keep them alive with the help of the community.
Hammel was strong, and they were determined to outlive the disease.

[Takchawee Ominotago]

Zombieverse: October 15th, 2018

Tak and Kouji kept to the back of the raiding group, trying their best to be watchful. They had been sent out with a half-dozen or so others to look for any last supplies of food that may have been missed in Pilot Ridge, as well as any other useful supplies that could be found. They had a good supply of weapons with them in case they ran into any animates, but so far their luck had been good – they hadn’t run into any of them yet, apart from a lone one with an arm and half a leg missing that had obviously been hurt for some time. It had been easily dispatched by Chester. Charlie, Henry, and Lucah had come along as well – the younger metas had an easier time getting out of sticky situations, and most of them were quick-thinking and had abilities that could come in handy.

Chester had soon taken position as leader of the group. “We’ll cover more area if we split up. Charlie, you and Henry go to the theater, see if there’s anything valuable left in there. Lucah, you and I can head over to Abe’s, there might be some old non-perishables left anywhere. Tak and Kouji…” He turned his dead-eyed gaze over to the pair, taking no effort to hide his disdain as he sneered. “You do whatever the fuck you want, as long as you don’t draw attention to us. Your abilities are useless here, so just try not to get us all killed.” Tak gave him a sarcastic smile and thumbs up, while Kouji just glared.

“C’mon,” Tak nudged him, leading him away from the others. She had a knife tucked away and a pistol strapped to her belt, which she had learned to use quite effectively over the years. Kouji, unfortunately, had never gotten the hang of shooting, and choose to stick to his trusty fire axe, along with a heavy club slung across his belt. They weren’t the best of weapons, but they were what he was able to manage. He had never been the violent type, and adjusting to this new world order had been difficult for him. Nevertheless, he and Tak always had each other’s backs; even when they got into scrapes, they always managed to make it out.

They searched around town for a while, managing to find some old rope, a few packages of old canned goods that could still be eaten, and a couple first-aid kits that Tak had stumbled upon in an elementary school. It wasn’t a lot, but it was something, and everything counted these days.

They were passing an old church now, which was across the street from Honest Abe’s – they were planning on meeting back up with the group and heading back to Hammel, since it was starting to get dark.

“You need to keep up, Kouj, or else I’m going to go ahead without you,” Tak teased as she glanced over her shoulder at Kouji. A smile lit up her face, even though she was covered in grime and dust from having been scavenging for supplies for the past several hours.

“Sorry, sorry,” he muttered, hefting his backpack over his shoulder. It was getting heavy. He padded up beside Tak and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Somehow, during this apocalypse, they had still managed to keep their relationship fun, and though they weren’t one of the couples that had had children like Kat and Terrowin, or Rem and August, they were still very… Active.

Tak smiled into the kiss, taking a moment to pause and turn to him, stepping on her tiptoes to reach his mouth with her own. Why not? There was no one around. She pulled away, grinning, and entwined their fingers together, slowing her pace so he had an easier time staying with her. She really had no plan to leave him, and she knew he was carrying a heavier load than she was anyway.

They had just stepped off the sidewalk to cross into the street when the toll of a bell burst out over the area.

“The fu-?” Tak began, whirling around to look at the church. Some bastard had rung the bell! It wasn’t on a timed schedule anymore, everyone knew that. Everyone also knew that loud noises attracted the animates like sharks to blood.

“Run!” she yelled, grabbing Kouji’s hand and dragging him towards Hammel. If they were lucky, there wouldn’t be any animates nearby, and they would have time to make it back before they arrived.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lucah emerge from the restaurant, looking just as shocked as they did. He threw his pack over his shoulder, not seeing them, and took off like a bullet down the street. Apparently he hadn’t found enough to make his load very heavy.

Where the hell was Chester?

As Tak tried to keep up with the cryokinetic’s retreating form, she felt her foot twist as she stepped on a loose board that had fallen onto the sidewalk. She half-fell, crying out in pain.

“Tak!” Kouji yelled, stopping immediately and going back to help her. He would carry her if he had to.

That was when he saw movement on the far side of the street.

Animates. They were already here. Dozens of them. Where had they been hiding!?

“Oh God!” he yelled, pulling Tak to her feet. She grimaced, holding back a whimper as she placed her foot on the ground. It hurt like hell, but adrenaline was pumping through her system so much that she managed to ignore it.

“We have to find somewhere to hide!” she told him desperately. The animates, though unable to run, were still pretty damn fast, and Tak didn’t trust herself to be able to keep up long enough to make it back to the school, not with her foot the way it was and with the weight they were carrying.

She looked over her shoulder. Maybe if they could make it to the roof of the church….

“This way!” she yelled, pulling out her pistol and shooting the nearest animate right through the eye. It collapsed immediately. Kouji held his axe at the ready in his hand, and they darted into the entrance of the building, desperately looking for a staircase. Kouji slammed the door behind them – hopefully that would give them a little extra time.

“Where to?” he asked, panting for breath. Tak darted her eyes back and forth, searching. Soon enough, she caught sight of a promising staircase. It was old, and some of the boards were broken, but hopefully it would lead them up high enough so they could get to the roof and get somewhere safer. It was her only plan at the moment.

She ran towards the staircase, Kouji trailing behind to try to barricade the door with a board. It held, but with enough pressure, it would break under the strain. Tak took the steps two at a time. She was halfway up when…

The entire thing collapsed under her feet.

“NO!” Kouji screamed, sprinting frantically over to her. He could hardly see through the dust and debris, but he eventually caught sight of her black hair, strewn in tangles over a wooden beam. The staircase had looked supported!

The entire thing felt planned. The bell, the collapse… And no Chester.

Chester.

“That fucking bastard!” he cursed, tears already pricking at his eyes. Had he caused this to happen? Maybe it was just Kouji wanting to put the blame on someone, but he did know how much the redhead despised them…

But back to the matter at hand. “Tak, can you hear me?” he cried, lifting up several hunks of wood to reveal her form amidst the debris. He managed to get most of her torso uncovered, but… There was a giant support beam trapping her legs against the ground. Try as he might, he couldn’t get it to budge.

Tak coughed, her eyes fluttering open to look over at him. “I can’t move,” she said weakly.

“Don’t say that. I’m going to get you out of here.” He had a hard time seeing through the tears that ran down his face, but he tried again, and again, and again to move the barricade. It was no use.

“Come on Tak, you… You gotta get out.” His reached out and grasped her hands in his, tilting her head up to make him look at her. “You can’t stay here!”

“I can’t do anything, Kouji,” she murmured. Her legs hurt, so much. They were probably broken, she thought. Even if she could get out, she would just be extra baggage. “You have to find a way out.”

“I’m not leaving you!” he sobbed, grasping her face in his hands. “You… There has to be something….” He searched desperately for an idea, anything that could get them out of this situation. He could take Tak’s pistol and shoot it until it was empty, but he didn’t know how many shots he had, not to mention he couldn’t aim to save his – or Tak’s – life. And even then, there were just so many…

The front door shuddered. They were getting close.

He could go at them with his axe, and maybe if he got lucky, he would be able to kill them all without getting bitten. But what about Tak? They would go after her too, and she couldn’t protect herself. He couldn’t protect both of them.

A sense of calm suddenly overcame him. He could see it in Tak’s eyes too – as soon as she had looked at him, he had seen it. This was their fate.

They were going to die.

“Kouj, please, get out of here,” she whispered, trying to push him away. It was a weak effort, and he simply clung to her more strongly.

“I told you. I’m not leaving you.” The doors shuddered again, and the board that he had placed to hold it shut cracked. They didn’t have much time.

“I love you so much,” he whispered, brushing strands of dust-covered hair out of her face. She sobbed and clung to his hands desperately, knowing nothing she could say would make him leave.

“I love you too,” she said, pulling him in for a kiss. What else could she do? She kissed him like they would never be able to again, because…. They wouldn’t.

The board shattered. The doors flew open, and the animates began to approach, hunger in their dead eyes.

“I’ll see you on the other side,” she murmured, squeezing his hands. A loving smile crossed her face, and Kouji’s heart lifted.

Who says that death is the end?

[Ravyn Rozanova]

Zombieverse: Present 2020

“Look out!” Ravyn cried, pointing behind Cameron, and he whirled around. As he tried to find the source of her alert, he heard her burst into laughter. He looked back at her, raising an eyebrow and pretending to scowl (although his lips twitched, as though he was hiding a grin).

“What the hell, Ravyn,” he growled playfully, nudging her on the shoulder. “It’s not nice to joke around like that.” He didn’t care, though – if anything else, it was practice for his reflexes if they did get ambushed by the animates. They had gone out on their own for some scouting, to see if there were any gathering groups of the dead in the area. The people of Hammel had to do it frequently, because though the animates were easy to take care of individually, they got dangerous and unpredictable when they gathered.

She gave him a grin, slinging her bow over her shoulder as they walked along the perimeters of Hammel. She had discovered, though she couldn’t aim a gun to save her life, she was quite adept at the somewhat primitive weapon, and it was light an portable enough for her to use from above when necessary. She had a couple knives tucked into her belt as well, along with a device attached to the bones of her wings that made the edges of her outside feathers razor sharp. It was nice for decapitating animates if they got too close.

Cam, on the other hand, carried an assortment of small guns with him, along with a sort of triple-headed spear that he had taken a liking to. On the side, he made scratches indicating how many he had killed with it.

They were quite the deadly pair.

They had grown even closer over the years as the world grew darker and more dangerous, and they had a bond that was impossible to break. They were the closest of companions that one could imagine, and they always had
each other’s backs, choosing to go outside the protection of Hammel with each other over anyone else. Though they both had significant others – Chester and Cam had finally gotten together and were going quite strong, while Noah and Ravyn were very much together – this was almost a sort of ritual they did every few days, and neither of them would miss it for the world. Ravyn had the advantage of being able to fly and see things from above, while Cam could manipulate the light to see into dark areas or conceal them when necessary, so their abilities matched quite well, too.

“Just trying to keep you on your toes~” Ravyn sang, giving his free hand a light squeeze. He rolled his eyes, unable to keep up the charade of being upset any longer.

“Hold on,” he warned, stopping for a moment to gaze into a dark opening on the other side of the street. It was an old abandoned building with several layers of basements, and it had been determined to be one of the most likely locations for a mass gathering of the dead to happen. There had been several scares when they had been jumped without warning, but it always seemed to work out in the end.

With a wave of his hand, he lit up the entrance, and they both crossed the street to carefully examine it inside. After several minutes, they deemed it safe enough. Nobody dared explore the basements, though, in case there was a group of them down there – it would be almost impossible to get out, so they just had to go with whether or not any stray animates were on the upper floors. Since there weren’t, Cam let the light fade and they made their way back to the entrance.

“Hey, when we get back, do you think-“ Ravyn stopped talking as she stretched a wing out, accidentally hitting a board that was leaning against the wall. It leaned and fell onto the floor with a clatter, sending vibrations through the floor. “Oops,” she grimaced; they would need to get out of there quickly now. If there were any groups below, they definitely would have heard that and would be coming to investigate.

Luckily, they were close to the entrance at this point, so they simply kept walking (albeit at a faster pace) towards it. But, without warning, a strong breeze blew against it, and it slammed shut with a bang.

“Shit – I thought that was propped open!” Cam swore, and they both ran towards it. He turned the knob and heaved, but it was shut tight. “Fuck!”

“What? It’s locked!?” Ravyn demanded, trying it herself. For some reason, it wouldn’t budge. “Cam, the lights-!”

He brought the room back into sight with a movement, and they both jumped. Across the large room, several dead were already moving towards them. There weren’t a lot – perhaps a dozen – but the fact that they were trapped and there were only two of them were not good odds.

“Cam, you go right, I’ll go left,” Ravyn quipped, all business. He pulled out a gun and nodded, aiming with confident ease and shooting a couple through the head. Ravyn managed to get in a couple shots as well, and she smiled grimly as the arrows slid through their skulls and out the other side, nice and clean.

As they dropped, however, more seemed to appear – how many were there!?
They were getting closer, and, after sending a few more shots through their midst, Cam put away the gun and gripped his spear in both hands, shooting his arms forward with deft ease and poking one through the eye. It hissed before collapsing.

Ravyn tucked away the bow and reached for a knife, sending it spinning through the air with a flick of her wrist and watching it bury itself through the forehead of another animate. She watched with grim satisfaction as it slowly toppled over. Hopefully, she would be able to retrieve the weapon later.

They managed to remain calm as they dispatched the animates, but as more appeared, they began to grow concerned. Ravyn was effectively swiping her wings through the air, taking the heads off of any that came too close to her,
but she was getting tired. Cam switched between spear and bullets, dancing out of range of their eager maws with grace with a manic grin on his face. If anyone at Hammel actually enjoyed these fights, it was him.

Things weren’t looking too good, though, and as the minutes wore on, Ravyn
began to pant with exertion; her wings were feeling heavier with each move, and she only had one throwing knife left. As she turned to make sure Cam was doing alright, she misjudged the distance between her foot and a brick on the floor, and her foot landed awkwardly, sending a shooting pain up her leg as it twisted painfully. She let out a yelp and bent over, momentarily distracted by the pain, and that was all it took for one of the dead to take advantage of her and move in.

Cameron glanced over, and watched as a black-haired animate with a couple missing fingers dove in and grabbed her by the throat.

“RAVYN!” he yelled, immediately whipping his spear around in a circular motion to deflect the animates surrounding him and dashing over to her side. Her piercing screams hit the air as the dead bit into her neck.

“GET OFF OF HER!” Cameron cried, thrusting the spear through the monster’s head. It shuddered and went limp, but there were others waiting to take its place.

Ravyn was disoriented, and the blood pooling her shirt was not from a wound she had inflicted herself. It was hard for Cameron to tell in the chaos, but it looked serious. Deadly serious. “You gotta get up!” he yelled at her, grabbing her arm and hefting her up. They had managed to kill most of the last wave, but there were others approaching and coming in close, and Ravyn wasn’t in any shape to continue fighting.

“We need to get out!” he told her, and she nodded dimly, her eyes clouded over with pain. “STAY WITH ME!” he yelled, shaking her rather roughly, and she looked over at him, focusing a little.

“The door…” she croaked, motioning to it. Maybe with enough force…

“Here goes nothing,” Cam grimaced. With the dead only meters away, he slid his spear into a makeshift sling on his shoulder and lifted Ravyn into his arms before running at the door. Letting out a roar, he rammed into it with as much force as he could manage, and it burst open with only a little resistance.

Maybe they should have fucking tried that in the first place. Because now Ravyn was hurt, and Cam could feel his shirt dampening from the blood loss…

“You’re going to be fine,” he assured her, but he wasn’t sure if she could hear him at this point. At least they were close to the school, and that meant they were close to medical help. He jogged as fast as he could with the burden he was carrying to the nearest entrance, banging on the gate desperately. The animates had followed them into the street, and were still following after them. “OPEN UP!”

After a few painfully long seconds, the door creaked open, and he darted inside, slamming it shut behind him. “We need medical attention!” he demanded to the person that had opened the door and, after he took a look at Ravyn, he paled and nodded, running off to find someone to help.

“Just keep looking at me,” Cameron told her, quickly following after the guy towards the entrance to the dorms, which now served as the ‘hospital’. He tilted her head up, and she tried to focus, but everything was strangely blurry.

“I’m tired…” she told him hoarsely, and tried to close her eyes. She wanted to sleep.

“Oh no you don’t,” he growled, shaking her again. “Not when we’re this close.”

He continued to talk to her until they reached the entrance, and he was met with a familiar blonde face.

“What happened!?” Noah demanded, and let out a choked cry as he saw the wound in Ravyn’s neck. “Oh God!”

He took her from Cameron as the other blonde tried to explain what had happened, but he only heard bits and pieces. Having found he was quite useful in the healing department, Noah spent a lot of his time there, taking care of the sick and wounded and spreading around good feelings with his bright smile. Now, however, his face was pale and panicked. Though getting bitten didn’t always mean death, a wound this size… He had seen similar cases, and they almost never turned out well.

He deposited her on a nearby cot and went to work, cleaning the area and binding it with quick expertise. Her skin was pale, and though she was still awake, she had a hard time focusing on what was going on. “Noah…?”

“Shhhh,” he told her. “Just stay awake, okay? It’s not bad. I’ll have you fixed up in no time.” Cameron hovered anxiously over his shoulder, wishing there was something he could do to help.

After what felt like ages, Noah sat back with a heavy breath. He had done all he could, but he didn’t know if it would be enough. She had slipped into unconsciousness minutes earlier, and try as he might he couldn’t get her to wake up. “Cameron, I…” He let out a dry sob, reaching out to cling to her clammy hand.

“She’s going to be fine,” Cameron said, determination set in his face. “She has to be.” Life without Ravyn would be…. He didn’t even want to consider it.

They continued to sit vigil by her bedside, into the night as darkness set in. A couple other medics came by to check on them, but Noah knew what he was doing – there was nothing more they could do to help. Only time would tell whether she would push through or not.

[Ravyn Rozanova]

A continuation....

The following morning, Cameron blinked blearily, having no idea where he was. It took several moments before he realized why he was sitting rather than laying down, and a jolt of adrenaline shot through his system as he remembered what had happen. How had he fallen asleep!?

He sat up suddenly in his chair, his eyes immediately drawn to the cot next to him. Ravyn’s eyes were closed; her skin was still pale, and there were dark, purplish circles under her eyes. Noah was by her bedside, looking like he hadn’t slept a minute. His hand was entwined with hers, and a haunted look was on his face.

“When will this end?” he muttered sadly. “The death. The darkness. Will it ever be over?” Cam’s heart leapt. Was Ravyn-!?

“She’s not…” Cameron couldn’t say it.

“She’s still hanging on,” Noah replied, lifting his hand slightly so he could kiss the top of hers. “But she hasn’t woken up.” It wasn’t a good sign. If only they knew what her blood type was, maybe they could get some in her…

“Do you know how many people I’ve seen die?” he asked quietly, and Cam looked over at him, his heart aching. “Even I don’t know. There’ve been too many, I’ve lost count.” Noah’s eyes squeezed shut, and he let out a muted sound of pain. “If she….If she doesn’t…. I won’t be able to do this anymore. I just can’t.” If he couldn’t save her, he would lose all faith in his ability to heal people. If he couldn’t save the one person he loved the most in what was left of this world, he would go insane.

Cameron looked away. Ravyn meant the world to him too, but he knew that even he couldn’t compare to Noah’s feelings for her. “She’s fighting,” he told Noah. “You know Ravyn. She’s always been a fighter. She just needs a little down time is all.” He reached a hand out and smoothed a few strands of hair from her face, wishing she would wake up and tell him he was tickling her, or that he shouldn’t mess with her hair because she never messed with his.

She remained unaware of her surroundings.

Several hours passed as they continued to converse, talking about different memories the three of them had shared together, speaking as though there were many more to come.

All of a sudden, there was a shadow over the two of them. They looked back, and both were hit with a sudden wave of shock and a mixture of anger and uncertainty as they realized who it was.

“What happened to my sister?” Dominic growled. His thick brows were set in an intense scowl and, ignoring the both of them for the moment, he went over to the opposite side of the cot and kneeled down, running a hand with surprising softness over her arm. The boys weren’t sure what to think. They both knew the Rozanova’s relationship had been strained, but they knew, too, that Ravyn loved her brother, no matter how different they were.

“What happened?” he repeated, shooting a dark look their way, and they slowly explained the event. Dom’s eyebrows drew further and further down until he let out a sound of hardly contained fury. “I told them she’s too weak to be fighting like a damn soldier!” he spat. It had been something he had argued with both the leaders at Hammel and Ravyn personally, but she had always refused to listen, and it was her decision to make.

“She’s not weak,” Noah replied firmly. “Now, unless you have something that can help her, I’m going to ask you to-“

“How much blood did she lose?” Dominic interrupted, and Noah blinked.

“A lot,” he replied quietly.

“What does she need?”

“Well, a donation would be perfect, if only we knew what…” he trailed off, his mouth opening as he watched Dominic with a very small ray of hope. “Do you know what type she is?”

“Even better,” he replied, rolling up the sleeve of his shirt and presenting his arm to the blonde medic. “She’s the same as me.”

--------------

A couple pints of blood later, Ravyn seemed to look a little less pale, although maybe it was just Noah’s imagination. Dominic left soon after, and both of the blondes wished they could explain his unpredictable behavior. He was so cold all the time, and yet he hadn’t hesitated to help.

Neither one of them were complaining.

After a while longer, Cameron finally had to take a break. “I’m going to go get us something to eat,” he told Noah, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be back soon.” Noah nodded, and as Cam left, he scooted closer to the bed, tracing his fingers along the gentle lines of Ravyn’s chin. He would do anything to see those lips break into a smile again.

He was focused on her smooth features when something suddenly grabbed his arm. Startled, he drew back, only to realize what it was.

Her hand was wrapped around his wrist.

“No? Is that you?” Her voice was barely audible, but it was there! Letting out a half-laugh, half-sob, Noah wrapped his hands around hers once more.

“Yes, sweetheart, I’m right here,” he told her, and her eyes fluttered open an inch. “Oh God, Ravyn, you had us scared to death.” True, she was far from being fine, but the fact that she had woken up was a miracle in itself.

“What happened?” she asked. She tried to swallow, and grimaced as her neck let out a throbbing of pain at the motion.

Noah softly went over what Cam had told him, and Ravyn slowly nodded. “I remember. I was dumb and tripped over a brick. Leave it to me to be a klutz at the worst possible moment.” She tried to laugh, but it hurt too much, so she just gave him a weak smile.

“Ravyn!?” Cam’s voice called out, and he blonde ran over to them. “Oh God, you’re awake!” He let out a laugh of relief and embraced her uninjured side, careful not to disturb her too much.

“Caaam,” Ravyn sang out in a hoarse whisper. “I’m so sorry, I should’ve been paying attention to where I was stepping…”

“Don’t worry about it,” he told her firmly. “You just focus on getting better, okay? You’re going to be fine.” She gave a nod, and Cameron settled into his seat once more, handing a pack of chips to Noah. It wasn’t much, but it would do for now.

“My neck hurts,” Ravyn said, stating the obvious. Noah, stopped eating and leaned over her, taking off the bandages carefully and examining the wound. It had been impossible to put stitches on, so he had just had to pack it as much as he could to keep her from bleeding out.

“It looks pretty good,” he told her, and it was true. It was a horrible wound, and it was hard to say that it looked good in any way, but for what it was, she was doing pretty well. He started to redress it, since the bandages were pretty soiled.

Ravyn lifted an arm weakly to his face, stroking the rough stubble of his chin. He looked exhausted. “You should sleep,” she murmured. “I’m fine. I think I’ll just sleep some more.”

He took her hand in his, pressing his lips against her palm. “I’m not sleeping until I know you’re okay,” he stated firmly, and continued his work until he was satisfied it was clean and packed tightly. “Do you need anything?”

She gave him a smile, and glanced over at Cameron, who was watching both of them and eating silently. “Nothing that I don’t already have here with me,” she replied, reaching out to touch Cameron’s knee lightly with her free hand. She looked back over at Noah, squeezing his hand with as much strength as she could muster. “I know you guys won’t let anything happen to me.”

[Ravyn Rozanova]

The last continuation...

About a week passed, and Ravyn continued to get better, much to everyone’s relief, especially Noah and Cameron. Both of them spent much of their days by her bedside, but Noah was the most vigilant – he only really left to get food and take very small breaks. Ravyn was afraid he would work himself too hard, but he assured her he was fine, and there wasn’t much she could do about it anyway.

The wound on her neck was slow-healing, and it caused a lot of pain for quite some time. Still, within a few days she was sitting up and eating as normal; she was just careful not to push herself. Or rather, Noah was – she wanted to get up and out way sooner than he deemed her fit.

“I’m going crazy just laying here all day,” she complained to him. “I need to go help Cam do the scouting. We always do it together.” She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

Noah thought she looked adorable. “Ray, you just had severe blood loss a week ago. You’re not ready to go outside again yet. Cam’s got Henry to help him for the moment, they’re doing fine.” At least Henry could fly like she. Still, Cam did quietly complain to her that it wasn’t the same.

“But-“

“No buts,” he told her, gently but firmly. “I’m the doctor here, sweetie. And I say you stay in that bed until I think you’re ready to go.” She glared at him, continuing to pout, and he laughed. “You’re so stubborn.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, and he felt her relax slightly. As he pulled away, she let out a sigh.

“Oh, fine. But it better not be too much longer.” She settled back into the bed, reaching over to grab an apple from her table. “I need to get my knives back at some point.”

“Oh no you won’t,” Noah told her, his brow furrowing in concern. “You need to stay away from that place. You almost got killed there, Ray.” He couldn’t believe she even wanted to get close to that place again.

“They were good knives,” she muttered, taking a bite of the fruit. “They’re really valuable, especially now.”

“Maybe Cameron can get them fo-“

“No!” Ravyn shook her head vigorously. “He’s not going back in there.”

Noah sighed. He didn’t understand her logic. “Just promise me you’ll be more careful from now on,” he murmured, reaching out and brushing his thumb against her cheek. “I couldn’t stand to see you…” He couldn’t finish the sentence.

Her eyes softened. “It’s okay, No. I’m fine. I’m here.”

He nodded. Thank God. He might’ve slipped into insanity if she had been killed – he wouldn’t be the first. There were several survivors that were dealing with severe emotional trauma, such as Kiara. She hadn’t spoken a word in months, after Jackson died.

Cam came back from scouting a few minutes later, and the three of them spent the rest of the evening together, talking about their days and just feeling comforted in each other’s presences. Companionship was the only thing that really seemed to be good in this world anymore, and they would never take each other for granted.

---------------

Another week passed, and Ravyn was getting very restless. Noah was feeling comfortable enough with her progress to spend more time on other patients and such, and so she found herself trying not to go crazy when she had to spend time by herself. She could get up and move around, but her limited neck movement was a pain in the butt. She wanted to go fly!

Cam came by after a while, when Ravyn was doing some wing stretches to keep them from getting too cramped up. “Hey babe,” he waved with a smile; not an unusual greeting from the blonde. She grinned and returned the wave, tucking her wings neatly against her back.

“Going out for a look?” she asked, and he nodded.

“Yeah. Henry’s busy though, so apparently I’m going out on my own. Everybody else’s busy with something.” He shrugged. “I’ll be fine.”

“Like hell you will!” she exclaimed. No one should go out on their own – everyone knew that. Cam, though, was a daredevil, and seemed to revel in the danger of going out there. You’d think after what had just happened, he would’ve learned, but apparently not.

“Give me a minute,” she told him, checking the bandages on her neck before pulling on a pair of jeans and a jacket.

“Wait, what-“ Cam began, frowning. “Ray, you can’t-“

“Sure I can!” she disagreed, tugging on a pair of sturdy boots. “We won’t go into any buildings. We’ll be safe. C’mon, I’ll be fine. Noah’ll never know, he shouldn’t be back for another couple hours.”

Cam thought about arguing, but he knew that look on her face. She was determined. “If he finds out you left, you’re the one I’m putting the blame on,” he told her, throwing an arm over her shoulders (carefully). A moment later, he shot her a grin. “It’ll be good to have you back though.”

She smiled. She retrieved her bow and arrows from where they had been left, along with a couple extra knives, and they were off.

They kept a slow pace, and didn’t go as far as normal, but it was oddly a relief to get outside the borders of Hammel. A person could go crazy, cooped up in there.

They came back less than an hour later with no concerning evidence or animates. “See? Fine,” Ravyn told Cam, giving him a nudge.

He had to admit, it was good to have her back, even if he was still concerned about her health. But, he reasoned, she was acting like the old Ravyn again, and that was all that mattered. She didn’t let her friends go into risky situations alone.

Noah didn’t find out about their excursion that night – he just did his normal routine, checking the bandages and getting himself set up to sleep next to her cot. “I love you, Ray,” he murmured, as he dimmed the lights to their room and gave her a kiss. She felt a little guilty for leaving him out of the loop, but she knew he would be angry if he knew.

“I love you too,” she whispered back. Hopefully, soon, she wouldn’t have to be sneaky to get outside, and Noah would let her go out without hesitation.
In the meantime, she would probably join Cam once or twice again. She was determined to show she was tougher than she might appear, and this was how she was going to do it. As she settled back into her bed and closed her eyes, she thought of what the future might hold, both for her and the entirety of Hammel.

[Ravyn Rozanova]

Zombieverse: Present 2020

Six months ago, Jackson Haynes had been killed.

It wasn’t an unusual death – he had been in a group out looking for supplies, the group got jumped, and some of them didn’t make it back. Julia Clark had been killed as well, along with two others. The rest of the group managed to get out alive, but they hadn’t been able to retrieve the bodies of the four killed. It was one of the worst attacks in a long time.

Aiden had never been all that close to Jackson. To be completely honest, he had been jealous of the guy at first, since Kiara seemed to like him so much and Aiden was just uneasy with their relationship. But as time went on he realized she liked him in a platonic way, and Aiden grew more accustomed to the relationship, even if he never particularly liked it. He and Kiara were the very best of friends, and had been close to becoming more when the animates started appearing. In the midst of the world chaos, pursing romantic interests wasn’t quite as important.

But as life settled down slightly and they both managed to survive long enough to now be a part of Hammel’s community, Aiden’s feelings for her grew stronger. It was hard, though – after all the death and destruction, Kiara was never the same. She spent a lot of time alone, and didn’t talk as much as she used to. They still hung out and spent time together, but it was hard to see her so devastated by the state of the world. It was just too hard for her to handle. She wasn’t the only one – there were quite a few people that had drifted into practically being zombies themselves, saying nothing and staring at their surroundings with dead, emotionless eyes. At least Kiara was still talking and smiling on occasion.

But when Jackson died, that changed.

Her first reaction had been disbelief. Jackson was strong, he was fast, he could take care of himself. But as the story was told and they made firm the fact that he wasn’t coming back, Kiara had let out the most pain-filled cry Aiden had ever heard in his life; it shredded his heart to pieces. There wasn’t even a body for her to grieve over.

It was the last sound he had heard out of her mouth since that day.

She was kept in her own room these days, almost never leaving it apart from the occasional silent walk around the building. She spent most of her time looking blankly out her window, to the dreary world beyond. Aiden didn’t know what to do – it ruined him to see the girl he loved suffering so much.

He did the only thing he knew how.

The first day he visited, he brought a daisy. It was spring, so there were plenty of them around. “Hey, Ki,” he told her, cracking open the door to her room. She, of course, didn’t answer, didn’t even turn to look from her staring out the window. It was like she couldn’t hear him. He swallowed his pain and went to sit by her on her bed, before reaching up and gently tucking the flower behind her ear.

“You look beautiful,” he murmured. No reply, of course.

He folded his hands in his lap, unspeaking for a while. Then,”The garden’s blooming, Ki. The flowers are beautiful, all red and purple and yellow. It’s amazing to see so much color again, you know?” She would love it, he knew. But not in this state. Not until she broke out of whatever spell she was in. Because she would, Aiden told himself. She had to. Otherwise, he might go mad, too.

He continued speaking quietly to her, telling her about his day and what he thought the future might hold. Hammel was doing well, for the most part, everything considered. He had hope.

Every day, in the mid-afternoon and after his chores had been completed, he went to visit her. Without fail, he brought a single flower every time, whether pulled from Hammel’s garden or greenhouses or from the outside when he was scouting. Lilies, lavender, pansies, dandelions… Just a touch of color to brighten up her blank, emotionless face.

Time passed, and the spring turned to summer. The weather warmed up, which meant a higher risk of spreading disease, the threat of dehydration, and more active masses of animates. The death toll rose slightly. Still, Aiden managed to scrape by, helping those around him as much as he could before visiting Kiara later in the day. It was emotionally draining in more ways than one, but he survived it. He only wished he could get a reaction from Kiara.

Once he realized she wasn’t going to reply to him talking, he brought things to work on during the time he spent with her. Whether a makeshift spear, or a quiver of arrows, or sometimes he simply brought his accordion and just played until the sun went down. She never reacted.

Summer passed, and autumn set in. Though the weather got colder, the thread of animate attacks backed off, since they tended to stay inside buildings when it got cold. The greenhouses that Hammel had built provided some food for the people living there, since it was hard to grow much during the cooler months.

Still Aiden visited Kiara, every single day, no matter how tired he was from the day’s work. He sang to her, he cracked jokes that only he laughed at. He figured she would tell him how ridiculous he was being when she was talking again.

Another tragedy hit one day – three metas were lost during an unpredictable animate attack on the north wall. Aiden had been among those fighting, but had managed to make it out with just a few scratches. With his long-handled hammer and hunting knife, he was quick and dealt heavy blows.

“I could’ve died today, Ki,” he told her that night. He was holding her hand, looking out the window into the night with his other arm bandaged tightly. “You know? Three people didn’t make it out. I could’ve been one of them. But I’m not.” He let out a pained sigh. “How come I get to live, and they don’t? Why did you have to leave me here to fend for myself?” He wasn’t sure who he was angry at, whether God or himself or just the world in general. Nothing was fair. But he was strong. He would pull through. He only wished he could share his determination with Ki.

He stayed late that night. She always went to bed at ten o’clock, and rather than leaving her to sleep, he slipped under her covers and wrapped his arms around her, unwilling to let her go. She was facing towards him, and he settled himself so her head was tucked under his chin, so he could run a hand through her hair. She never complained about it.

Her eyes were closed, and Aiden thought she was asleep. It was so hard to tell, considering she never talked when she was awake, either. His heart ached as he held her in his arms, her body stiff and unresponsive. Still, he wasn’t going to leave. After what had happened that day, he never wanted to let her out of his sight again.

He was just about to drift off, too, when he heard the most beautiful sound he could ever imagine.

“Hey, Aiden.”

[Ravyn Rozanova]

Zombieverse: Future, 2025

In the last five years, Hammel had gradually grown even more used to their new ways of life. As time went on, the populations of animates grew smaller, until they weren’t as big of an issue. There were still groups of them around, but it was less likely for them to attack in large numbers, if at all, and some of the residents had dared to finally break out of the constraints of Hammel itself and spread out across Pilot Ridge, finding refuge in other areas of town.

Many, though, still liked the community and support provided by the people of Hammel. They were sustainable in food and energy, thanks to the great minds that lived there. It wasn’t known if any regular humans still existed in the world, but the metas, at least, had pulled through. And though the horror still wasn’t over, and maybe never would be, at least those still alive had gotten through the worst of it.

Noah and Ravyn were two of the lucky ones. They had managed to get through the years of hardship, and now in their early thirties, they had finally been able to sort of settle down with each other and live their lives in somewhat peace. They both still lived at Hammel, helping keep the food productions running, providing medical care, and just helping the meta-human race survive. Ravyn still had a scar from her encounter with the animate that had taken a bite of her neck, but other than that and a few other scratches, she was pretty much unscathed physically. Noah had spent more time within the compounds of Hammel, helping to heal those in need, but he had his share of battle scars, too.

Shortly after that attack on Ravyn, she had found out something both wonderful and terrifying. She was pregnant. She could only imagine having died without knowing she was with child, and was more grateful than ever that she was able to pull through and bring new life into the world. What she hadn’t expected was what Noah had told her once they performed a sort of personal exam to find out more about the child.

Or rather, children.

“Twins, Ray,” he had told her breathlessly, overwhelmed with love and affection for Ravyn and their unborn children. “We’re having twins!”

Ravyn had smiled and cried and laughed along with him, but inside, she was terrified. Giving birth to one child in a normal society was hard enough – how was she, with her weak bones and fragility, supposed to support two of them in this apocalyptic world?

Fortunately, Noah had given her all the support she needed along with help from other medics, even after she had started losing her ability to walk when the weight became too much for her to carry. She had felt useless and sick those last couple months. Nevertheless, she wouldn’t have changed anything – her sons meant the world to her, and she couldn’t imagine life without them.

They were both as blonde as blonde could be, and though Ravyn constantly teased Noah about them getting too much of their looks from him, she was quite happy with it. Evan had his blue eyes, while Dmitri had Ravyn’s green – they weren’t identical, but they were very close. Those first few months had been difficult, providing enough time and energy for them while still taking care of their duties as citizens of Hammel. Still, they had managed, and the result was now two beautiful four-year-old boys with a knack for getting into trouble because of their seemingly endless supply of energy.

“Honey, mommy needs to go out scouting,” she told Evan as he tugged at her hair while she tied on her boots. She and both of the boys were in the dormitories, where Noah was busy taking care of a sick patient. “You need to be good for dad, okay? He’s very busy. Do you understand?”

“Yes, mama,” Evan replied, giving her a cheeky grin. Ravyn sighed. At least they usually seemed to understand how to behave around the patients – they could be good, when they wanted to. Dmitri was the quieter of the two, but that wasn’t saying much.

“How long are you gonna be gone?” he asked, his tiny lips curled into a small pout. Ravyn’s eyes softened and she pulled them both in for a hug. God, what would the world be like without them?

“Not too long, sweetie. I’ll be back before you know it. I just need to make sure we’re all safe.” She went out a few times a week, and rarely ran into any problems. Still, she was never going to get too relaxed about it. The stakes were too high.

She held them until they started to squirm and, letting out a light laugh, kissed each of them on the head before pulling away. At that moment, Noah finished with the patient he was working with and came over to them, sitting next to Ravyn and wrapping an arm around her waist.

“Don’t worry, beautiful, I’ve got this under control,” he told her, grinning lightly. “I’m sure they’ll behave, otherwise I’ll have to go get uncle Cam to take care of them. And we all know how bad that would be.” He looked at the blondes pointedly.

Cam had sort of become an adopted uncle to the boys, and he treated them like gold, so Noah’s threat meant nothing. Still, they squeaked in mock horror – they knew how they were supposed to react.

“We’ll be good, promise!” Dmitri said, and Evan nodded along.

Ravyn laughed. “Good.” Brushing a hand over each of their heads, she stood and motioned towards the front door. Noah nodded and, giving the boys and ‘stay’ motion, followed her out to the front.

“Be careful,” he told her once they were out of hearing from the twins. Ravyn smiled and brought a hand up to his cheek, kissing him gently.

“I always am. It’s really not even all that exciting anymore. I haven’t seen any big groups of animates in months.” It was a blessing, but she made it seem like a disappointment.

“Still, just keep your eyes open.” He gazed at her as he brushed her neck lightly, tracing his thumb over the spot that had never quite healed. He would never forget how he almost lost her.

“I will. You just make sure Evan and Dmitri don’t get into trouble, yeah?” After another long, slow kiss, she took a few steps away from him and spread out her wings. “Be back soon,” she told him, giving a wave and a grin before pulling her wings down powerfully and taking off into the sky.

Noah watched her until she was high above the compound and heading out over the city. Letting a loving smile cross his face, he dropped his hands into his pockets and walked back inside, ready to take on whatever challenges the boys gave him. He really loved being a dad – Ravyn and the twins were the only really good thing left for him in this world, and he would never take them for granted. He knew Ravyn felt the same.

“Okay guys, who wants to see dad pull out some stitches?” he asked, and both of them gave eager grins. He laughed, ruffling their hair as he continued to make the rounds of the evening. Just another normal day at Hammel.