#//fake out was too weak to one-shot anyone | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

skimmingmilk · 2 months ago

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"If it helps, one of the many scenarios my brain likes to twist around is imagining Sonic's perspective of No Cracks In A Closed Loop (and I adore Tails getting to be a badass and pulling off the impossible, too- my brain just likes to spin on the angst sometimes)" - @manynerdthings

A/N: So I was inspired...

I think it's safe to say this helped a lot xD Thank you, manynerdthings!

This is a continuation of my fic "No Cracks in a Closed Loop"

No Cracks in a Closed Loop — Sonic's Side

"Sonic."

That single word—no, just the voice alone—was enough to cut through the adrenaline rush as pure chaos energy sang through his veins and ignited every nerve with its spark. In a flash of light and sound, Super Sonic punched a hole through the Starfall-titan-wanna-be by using his own body as a projectile. A cocky grin cut across his muzzle as it wobbled in place, setting its sights on him instead of the city it had been about to level; its laser cannons aimed directly at the fault line.

This fight wouldn't last twenty seconds. They'd already won.

"What's up, partner?" Sonic said into the comm as he shot skyward.

The streak of gold drew the mech's cannon higher, until it cleared the tips of skyscrapers and nearby mountaintops by the time it shot at him. The laser's heat didn't even singe his fur, firing at full power into the stratosphere instead of drilling deep into the crust of the planet. It zinged past the satellite Tails was communicating from, but Super Sonic's gaze didn't linger on it for more than half a second—already more than certain it was out of the laser's range. Speeding through the air, he whirled around towards the mech for his next move. He was going to cyloop Eggman's newest addition to his junk pile right off its feet.

Swerving down in a sharp arc, Super Sonic avoided the next blast while he swung around to try and circle it. It's clawed hand swiped at him before he could complete his first circuit. He shot straight up before it could catch him, homing attacking it in the face instead.

The comm was still quiet. Tails must've swapped to their own channel. Super Sonic flew backwards, putting both the titan and the distant satellite in his line of sight. Whatever he had to say, he didn't want anyone else to hear it.

Super Sonic's brow furrowed as a barrage of bullets opened up on him. He weaved between the hundreds of projectiles glinting dangerously in the sunlight, but his chaos energy and speed worked in tandem, as fluidly as a dance, while he searched for another opening to try the cyloop again.

He could beat this thing without it, sure, but it was the fastest way to take it down.

"Tails? Still with me, bud?" Super or not, Sonic still spared a second to check in, static ringing in his ears as he burst through the center of the mech's chest plate for a shortcut.

"I'm here," Tails answered, but his voice sounded faint, like the feedback was drowning him out. "Sorry, I…" Super Sonic started his cyloop. "I just wanted to—" He was halfway around. "I'm sorry—"

Sonic closed the loop. A burst of chaos energy swelled up with a deafening boom. The air rippled with the force of it in great gusts of wind that rocked the trees and the grass of the nearby hills. Waves rose up in the bay, their white caps scraping the bottom of the golden bridge that marked the edge of the sea. The fake titan lifted into the air, sparks crackling off its metal casing as its system overloaded. Super Sonic didn't give it a second to recalibrate itself.

Faster than anyone could see, he smashed into it on all sides. A tiny mote of golden light against the towering behemoth, but it struck every weak point, fried every circuit, as the chaos energy pressed in on it from the outside. Metal crunched and caved it on itself, contorting into a twisted configuration until it no longer resembled a machine.

A cheap imitation of the ancients' attempts to defend themselves, designed only to destroy instead of protect.

Super Sonic grabbed onto mech's arm—or maybe its leg, it was hard to tell at this point—as the cyloop's effect faded, catching it before it crushed Westopolis. He swung it around and around, gritting his teeth as he built up momentum and set his sights on the ocean out ahead of them. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Super Sonic let go.

The mech's remains were flung through the air, over the coastline and beyond the bridge that cut off the bay from the sea. It crashed into the water, the ocean spray shooting up into the air in a tower of mist once it hit the surface. The waves rolled aggressively towards the coastline, but ultimately broke apart in the bay before they could do too much damage. Some millionaires might have to replace a yacht or two, but that wasn't Sonic's problem.

As he dusted his hands off, he could finally acknowledge the warning bells Tails's last words to him had set off. "Hey, what was that, bud? I didn't catch—"

Super Sonic turned towards the satellite, addressing it like he would Tails, but it was gone. Instead a cloud of smoke filled the space where the satellite had been not ten seconds ago. Metal shards and fire rained upon the bay. Everything in pieces. Everything gone.

His comm was in chaos. Unintelligible voices shouted over one another in a cacophony of white noise that was already fighting a losing battle to the ringing in his ears. But he still noticed one voice was missing. He couldn't hear it.

He hadn't heard any of it.

Over the sonic boom of his cyloop and the screeching of metal as he demolished the titan, Sonic hadn't heard the satellite explode.

The satellite his little brother was on.

He'd been trying to tell him something.

He'd been trying to tell him something before a satellite exploded with him on it.

"I'm sorry."

Tails.

Super Sonic shot off like a bullet, speeding towards the black cloud of smoke and smoldering debris like there was even a chance—

No. There had to be a chance—

"I just wanted to—I'm sorry—"

Why? What happened? What did you do, Tails?

He hadn't even properly seen him off before he left. Tails had been trying to hack into Eggman's satellite remotely while Sonic was out chasing after the faux titans. He told them all about his plan to board the satellite and everyone agreed it sounded like the right call, so long as he could do it quickly. They needed to disrupt the signal, after all, and Tails was their best shot.

That was what he'd said, wasn't it? "You're our best shot, Tails. I believe in you, partner."

Their best shot, but not the only one. Not if it meant this.

Nothing was worth this.

Sonic didn't need to breathe while super, but his lungs still burned twin holes in his chest as his own nervous system caught fire. Golden sparks flicked off his quills as he raced through the air. Fiery eyes frantically scanned each scrap of metal that fell, but they must've already been irritated from the smoke because they burned and blurred with the rest of the world around him—

"—onic, wait! Come back! Sonic!"

One voice.

Super Sonic stopped. He stopped so fast and so suddenly, it felt like his own soul completely missed the memo. Like everything inside him continued to hightails it towards where Tails had been without him, leaving him empty. Hollow. Cold.

A vacuous space in the center of himself where there'd once been something.

The chaos energy inside him didn't know what to do with that.

With so much… nothing.

Stunned, he could only float in place for a stupid second until he remembered he'd stopped for a reason. With a sharp turn, his stare locked onto a splash of orange amidst the blotchy colors of the rest of the world bleeding into one another. Like he was still moving too fast to see clearly. Like he couldn't catch up to himself.

"Sonic…" Tails's voice broke like it had on the comm, but it wasn't with pain guilt fear regret static.

Vision clearing, Sonic could see him now. At the edge of one of the hills overlooking Westopolis and the bay. Tails just rubbed at his nose with a sheepish sort of grin, like the explosion was a minor miscalculation. A hiccup. My bad, he could hear him saying, like he was standing in the middle of his workshop, covered in soot and singed fur, one hand on his hip and a fire extinguisher at his feet.

Like he was fine.

Like he hadn't been incinerated in the fiery inferno smoldering above them.

Tails lowered his hand, eyes shining as they looked up at him, reflecting the very sky Super Sonic was caught in as the satellite's remains fell all around him. He'd been on that satellite. Just seconds ago, Sonic had been so sure of it.

He'd been so sure he'd lost him…

Then Tails opened his arms to him and laughed.

All at once Sonic crashed back into himself, chest heaving with a sharp inhale as his heart lurched forward.

Faster than a blink, Super Sonic barrelled into Tails and sent them toppling down the hillside. They smacked hard against the ground, but Sonic took the brunt of the fall even with the world spinning around them. His arms encircled Tails tightly, one hand protecting the back of his head while the other braced the small of his back as they tumbled and whooped like a pair of idiots. Pure joy radiated through him, burning brighter than the chaos energy coursing through his quills. It knocked the emeralds right out of him. The seven gems fell into the grass around them as the two mobians eventually rolled to a stop.

Sonic clutched Tails to him, shaking with breathless laughter as he felt his little brother hug him back just as tightly. "I'm here," Tails was saying, and it took a minute to realize he'd been repeating the words while Sonic's hands were trembling. "I'm here. It's okay, big bro. I'm here. I’m here."

"And you say I'm the one that's gonna give you a heart attack," Sonic wheezed, not bothering to give himself room to breathe if it meant letting go for even a second.

"Can't let you have all the fun." Tails smoothed his hands over Sonic's spines to try and settle him, his touch purposeful and grounding. "Deep breaths, big bro. You're gonna pass out."

"Nuh-uh," he argued, but filled his lungs with his next inhale anyway, then let all the air ease out of him.

"That's it. There ya go," Tails encouraged, but Sonic couldn't help his snort of indignation at being coddled and pushed away from him.

Except Tails just tightened his grip; fingers curling in his fur like they'd be forced apart if he didn't. He hid his face in the crook of Sonic's neck, his breaths coming only a little too fast. But his hands were shaking, too, and his twin tails wound around them both as if they were enough to protect them from the next threat.

Sonic didn't pull away. He just sat back, the eleven-year-old practically in his lap, and rested his hand atop Tails's head.

"Gave me a real scare there, pal," he said, voice low and gentle as he smoothed out his fur, picking at the grass and brambles they were both covered in.

"…Scared me, too."

Sonic's heart clenched, the open admission like a bludgeon to his protective instincts, even if his pride assured him Tails could handle it. After all, the proof had all but climbed into his lap. But now that he was looking at him—really looking at him—he could see his fur was mussed up from more than just a tumble at supersonic speed. A streak of blood stained his fur on his shoulder and there was a lump near the center of his back that filled Sonic with an angry fire hot enough to burn through the atmosphere when he so much as brushed against it with his fingers.

Tails didn't flinch when he grazed it, but his muscles gave an involuntary spasm that rippled beneath his fur and his hold on Sonic tightened. It was enough to quell the roiling rage to a simmer. Something he could stick a lid on without worrying it would boil over if left unchecked. It wasn't what Tails needed from him right now.

But Sonic still wanted some answers.

"What happened up there?" he asked.

Tails shook his head. "Just a bit of a closer call than I thought it'd be. But I'll be okay. I am okay."

Sonic instinctively bristled, prepared to be shut out of whatever it was he'd gone through. "Tails—"

"I'll tell you someday," he promised, pressing his paw over Sonic's heart. "I mean it. But right now we've got a lot of Eggman's mess to clean up. There's still six other titans out there and I'm sure everyone else is worried."

Sonic sighed, as exasperated as he could manage when he was still just glad this kid was alive. "Gonna hold you to that," he threatened, ruffling his fur to muss it up on purpose. "You owe me. Nearly shocked the Chaos Emeralds right outta my system."

"Says Mr. Guy-Who-Loves-Adventure," Tails teased as he pushed himself up to stand. "You should be used to it by now."

Sonic snorted when he was offered a hand up, but he took it nonetheless. "When I go gray early, I'll know exactly who to blame."

"Don't worry. I'll help you dye your quills, old man," Tails snickered, but it broke off with a wince as a sharp twinge ran through his back.

Sonic was quick to lay a supportive hand at his hip to steady him. "Look who's talking. At this rate, you're gonna be right there with me setting the record for the world's youngest old timers."

Tails sent him a look, but accepted the help nonetheless as he leaned his weight against him. "Did you really have to knock us all the way down the hill like that?"

"Heh. Well, in my defense, wasn't exactly thinking straight." Sonic scratched at his nose, giving him a not-so-subtle onceover. "Didn't bang ya up too bad, did I?"

"Nah. I'll bounce back," Tails assured him, giving him a pat on the back.

"You always do," Sonic agreed warmly as they took a few steps in tandem so they could start collecting the Chaos Emeralds on their way back up the hill while Tails alerted everyone to their status on his comm and checked in on everyone else as well.

Sonic just listened, taking in the rise and fall of his voice, his steady assurances and sighs of relief to hear that the world hadn't fallen apart in his absence. Even if it very nearly did. As far as Sonic was concerned, anyway.

But he was okay now. That was what mattered. And whatever it was that happened on that satellite—whatever reason Tails had for calling him seconds before disaster—he would trust that his little brother would come to him when he was ready. Because he'd be there for him. No matter what.

Keeping his arm looped around Tails’s waist even after they made it back up the hill, Sonic looked up at the smoke still fading from the sky. He tightened his hold on him. It felt like another lifetime, like another him had first seen the explosion and feared the worst. Tails followed his gaze, quiet again with all the calls taken care of and winded from the uphill climb. Through his labored breaths, there was the slightest tremor that traveled from his chest to where he stood pressed against his brother.

"…Scared me, too."

"Hey, whatever happened up there," Sonic broke the silence, his voice drawing Tails back down beside him. "Whatever you did, I'll bet it was seriously way past cool." He glanced over at him, waiting to catch his eye before giving him a wink.

All too easily, Tails grinned up at him, the shape of his smile the spitting image of his brother's. "Way past is definitely one way to put it."

———

Five years later…

———

"You've been quiet all day, partner. Something going on in that big brain of yours?"

Everyone else had split off for the night. Team Dark vanished sometime after lunch, after Rouge once again tricked Shadow into accompanying her, and Team Chaotix had an appointment for their next case. Amy took Cream back home to Vanilla while Tangle and Whisper left to help Jewel out with some Restoration business.

Which left just Sonic and Tails lounging on the couch; the former picking up where Vector had left off in the game he'd been playing, tapping away at the controller while the latter watched.

Tails hummed in acknowledgement, so Sonic let him have a minute of quiet to collect his thoughts. He picked at one of Whisper's cinnamon muffins, crumbs scattering across the coffee table, but he didn't eat any of it. He hadn't had much of an appetite since slinking out of his lab earlier that afternoon.

It probably had something to do with the quiet and the way he'd been kinda clingy. Sonic had planned on going for a run as soon as Tails retreated back to his lab to tinker with whatever gadgets he had tucked away back there, but he seemed pretty content to stay curled up on the couch beside him. Still, Sonic could adapt. He kicked his feet up onto the coffee table and slumped back into the cushions as he wandered aimlessly around in a game he couldn't remember owning.

"Do you remember that time you went up against Eggman's seven fake titans?"

Sonic let out a low whistle. "Boy, is that a blast from the past. What about it?"

When Tails didn't immediately continue, Sonic pressed the pause button, then shifted against the cushion to sit up and face his not-so-little-anymore bro. The sixteen-year-old fox tore his gaze from the screen to watch him instead, eyes bright from television's glow. Looking at him like that, for a split second, Sonic could still see the insecure, little fox kit he used to be in the way his shoulders hunched up as if to make himself smaller. To take up less space in the world.

Sonic draped one arm along the back of the couch, leaving space for him to lean into if he wanted it. No matter how big he got, there'd always be space for him.

Tails scooted closer and rested his head against Sonic's arm. "I needed to disrupt the satellite signal powering the Chaos Emerald vaults, but Eggman locked me out of the remote connection so I had to access it directly—"

"On the actual satellite," Sonic interjected, fingers drumming against the back of the couch. "I remember."

Tails released a long exhale. "Well, he set a trap. A way to slow me down so I wouldn't be able to unlock the emeralds for you in time. The same code that would disrupt the satellite's signal would also cause it to self-destruct. Eggman banked on me having enough self-preservation that I wouldn't engage it without trying to disable that function first."

"But you set it off anyway."

"I set it off anyway," Tails confirmed with a decisive nod. "It was the outcome with the highest percentage of saving people. The fastest way to help you guys. I thought I could get out in time. I should've gotten out in time," his voice lowered, eyes distant as if he was reliving the moment right there on their couch. "But I couldn't. Not on my own. I needed… help."

Sonic tried to follow him there, even if he didn't much like to relive that day in his waking hours. "So you called me."

"Not… exactly." Tails sat up straighter so he could look him in the eye. "I knew you'd come get me if I asked, but then countless lives would've been lost if the titans had gone on unchecked, even if just for a couple of seconds. Sometimes that's all it takes…" Tails's fist clenched as he dropped his hardened gaze to his lap. "I made the call to initiate the self-destruct in order to save people. I couldn't take that back. I couldn't take you away from them. Not again."

A younger Sonic would've snapped at him—would've argued over the value of his life with him until he wasn't the only one blue in the face. But at twenty-three, Sonic had fought more of these battles than he cared to count and never once walked away a winner. So he sat back, held his tongue, and let Tails explain himself.

"I called you to say goodbye," his voice lowered to a whisper, "I wanted to give you that, at least.”

He'd had a feeling. It wasn't one he dwelled on freely, but sometimes the thought wandered in uninvited. Moreso during the first couple of months after the incident, when everything was still fresh and closer to their present.

Before Sonic could respond, Tails pressed forward. "But then an older version of myself traveled through time with two Chaos Emeralds to save me. He said it was the only way. Because at the time, only the two of us knew what transpired on the satellite. We created a temporal paradox, a loop without a proper origin, but as long as it was contained between the two versions of me, nothing could disrupt it. That's why I couldn't tell you before. I wasn't sure… I didn't know if the future version of myself had told you what happened and if that would open up possibilities in the time stream that would botch the encounter entirely." Tails lifted his gaze to seek out Sonic's again, and he could see the eleven-year-old sitting in front of him like it was that very same day. "I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you."

"Nothing to apologize for, bud. I get it. I wouldn't want to mess up the time stream for that particular moment either." Sonic shifted the arm draped along the couch so he could cup the back of Tails's head, idly ruffling the fur there. "But if you're telling me all this now…" he drawled, moving to scritch behind Tails's ear. "Charmy wasn't the one who swiped Shadow's Chaos Emerald earlier, was he?"

Tails shrugged, muzzle quirking up on one side. "When he showed up with it today, I just had this feeling that it was time to make my move…" Tails explained. "I've been feeling it for a couple weeks now, to be honest. I had all the equipment I'd had on me that day and I looked close enough to how I remembered. I knew I probably had to go back soon. Just needed everything to align so no one would interfere. Today seemed good…"

Sonic tilted his head as Tails trailed off, his eyes still a little distant. "Well, you made it back in one piece, didn't you? Mission accomplished."

"Yeah. Mission accomplished," he echoed, but whatever was on his mind continued to fester. "I thought I made a mistake."

"Hm?"

"There were only three seconds left," Tails whispered. "I thought I messed it all up. I thought I killed us both—"

"You—"

"I was so sure it would work because it already had, but there was still the possibility I could've gotten it wrong. I could've caused a split in our realities. Created two timelines where I ceased to exist, except in this one no one would've known what happened to me and two of the Chaos Emeralds would be lost to time. How would any of you have known where to look?" Tails rambled, pressing his hands over his face. "I estimated the time of day with a standard deviation of a couple of seconds, but those seconds could've been what killed us—"

"Hey, hey, hey," Sonic hushed, shifting to wrap both arms around his little brother as he slumped against him. "You didn't. You're here. You're right here with me, see?" He gave him a firm squeeze, smile tugging at his muzzle as Tails hugged him back tightly. "Atta boy."

"Stupid…" he mumbled into Sonic's shoulder. "Why does this still work so well?"

"Heh. What're big brothers for?" Sonic huffed out a chuckle. "Listen, you can't live a life of what-ifs, bud. It'll drive you outta your mind. I should know. And I know you know that, too." He felt Tails's nod against his cheek. "You did exactly what you set out to do. And heck, you used the Chaos Emeralds to travel through time! When did you learn how to do that, huh? Holding out on your big bro?"

Tails snorted, but it got him to relax enough to pull back. "Figured if I could use Chaos Control, time travel was just an added boost. Like adding a supercharger to the Tornado's engine."

"Tch. You figured." Sonic rolled his eyes, but the warmth in them was nothing but fond. "Give yourself a little more credit. You did something incredible today, Tails. You defied time and space to save yourself. And not only that, you gave yourself a future to look forward to. Because who wouldn't want to turn out to be like you?"

It was Tails's turn to roll his eyes, though it was his own chuckle that betrayed him. "That's what I told me."

"And wiser words were never spoken," Sonic assured him as he gave his knee a firm pat.

"I dunno. Could make a case for the consequences of rewriting timelines and creating unsustainable permutations of past and future events." Tails grinned.

"Now you’re just being smart," Sonic snorted.

"Well, I am a genius." Tails bumped his shoulder to Sonics. "But I also learned from the best. Even eleven-year-old me picked up on that."

"Well, he's a genius, too. He knows what's up." Sonic slung his arm around Tails’s shoulder, this time his turn to watch as his brother picked up the video game controller to continue where Sonic left off.

He let him, taking his turn to be content as he watched Tails figure out the game faster than he did and go farther than Sonic could. They said nothing for a few minutes, Tails working out the rest of his pent up feelings through the game while Sonic quietly processed what he'd just been told. He wasn't a stranger to time travel, not by a long shot, but even so, it wasn't what he thought the answer to that day had been. As much faith he had in his best friend, his self-sacrificial tendencies were something he couldn't help but take notice of. After all, he'd learned from the best, hadn't he?

But it wasn't with bitterness or disdain when he set his gaze on the teen beside him. That wasn't possible; not when he saw every age at once. Not when he was in absolute awe of how far his kid had come.

"Tails."

"Sonic," Tails answered instinctively, matching his tone with the hint of a crooked smile.

"Thanks for saving him."

Tails blinked and paused the game so he could look at Sonic. In the light from the television screen, green eyes glimmered with a depth that took him back to a younger version of his big bro, who was trying to do everything in his power to be there for him. Because he wanted to be. Because he needed to be.

One tail curled around Sonic's back and draped over his lap, giving back the same reassurance he always gave so freely.

"Anytime, big bro."

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candyswirls · 1 month ago

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Return of the Phoenician

Pt 1 - Next - MasterPost (For all my other fics and writings)

Warnings: mentions of blood, self depreciation, negative self talk

Failure. Naive. Unwanted. Fake. Annoying. Weak. Too much to handle. Unlovable. Just an experiment. Unwanted. Just a copy. An irritant. Nothing like the original. Unwanted. Gullible. Idiot. Nothing like the original. Disobedient. Unlovable. Clone scum. Disgrace. Unwanted. Shameful. Disgusting. Unlovable. Stupid. Object. Unwanted. Burden. Unlovable. Stain. Unwanted. Traitor. Unlovable. Unwanted. Murderer. Unlovable. Unwanted, unlovable.

He was unwanted so therefore he was unlovable.

He sniffled as he slowly came into full consciousness. His joints were stuck as his muscles stung. The freezing crackle could still be felt in his nervous system. Green lights danced across his blurry vision.

He coughed and seethed as his lungs burned. Iron flooded his mouth and he slid across the wall till he lay on the floor. The scarabs crawled forth to pull him back up to his sitting position.

They skittered around, not paying attention to him.

He squeezed his eyes shut, any light irritating his throbbing migraine. Tears escaped down his cheeks.

He could still hear the Necron’s yelling and arguing beyond the room. Trazyn had been livid by whatever just happened. Raging at another.

He winced at the confusing and terrifying ordeal. All he could recall was being awakened by pain. Like he was being burned and electrocuted at the same time. A powerful source coursed through his veins. It warped his body and mind. He had never felt pain like this before. He screamed until it stopped. The feelings still echoing throughout his nervous system.

He could barely see. Every part of him singing with pain. He could see metal. There was fighting and screaming. He was dragged into this room and left as shots rang out.

As he regained movement and awareness he could feel his body desperately trying to repair itself. Several things were definitely wrong, that was a given, but there was something else. How he perceived the room. The scarabs. His body felt off. In a way not expected. The tunic he wore now was baggy. Falling off of one shoulder.

Even the inner workings of his body felt different. Like they weren’t up to full capacity. It was as if he had… shrunk.

He grimaced, taking note how his facial structure didn’t feel as it should be. He managed to reach up and feel his cheek. Everything tingled but he notated the lack of thick stubble. He usually kept clean shaven but his skin felt like it had never grown any hair. As if he were but a boy before reaching maturity.

He paused. He processed all he knew and focused on a particularly shiny scarab.

He grabbed it as it squeaked and protested. He held it up to him to see his reflection.

He was younger. A teenager.

He dropped the scarab unceremoniously and slowly slid back down to lying down. The other scarabs tried to come sit him up again. He batted them away.

“Leave… me alone,” he croaked.

Despite the raspiness, he even sounded younger. Whatever it was he was in had de-aged him.

He choked as bile exited his stomach. The acrid taste lingering in his mouth. Bile. Fabius Bile. Teacher. He had… given him away. Like he was nothing. To a necron. To be kept. Like an object. He was merely an object. Unwanted by anyone. Just an experiment. Unloved.

He sniffed as his lip trembled. Hot tears began flowing again as he wallowed in his misery and woe. He gagged as his stomach purged more. His abdomen clenched and he could feel sweat dripping down his back. He felt as though he was burning again.

He coughed, unable to move as the pain rippled. It didn’t stop until he was dry heaving. Nothing left in his body to give.

He gasped and tried to slow his breathing. The burning stopped and his sweat suddenly felt very cool. His muscles relaxed. He closed his eyes, relishing in the pain relief.

His moment of respite was interrupted as the necron he was given to, Trazyn, came storming in.

He yelled somethings in his language, still mad at whatever had transpired.

He crouched down before Fulgrim.

“Look at what he’s done to my Primarch,” he hissed.

Fulgrim gritted his teeth and struggled to roll over.

Trazyn hummed and reached out to grab him. Fulgrim attempted to smacked his hand away.

“Don’t… touch me,” he whimpered.

“You’re in need of medical attention,” Trazyn muttered. He spoke as if he wasn’t even there.

He tried crawling away from the Necron.

“I don’t know what you think you’re going to accomplish,” Trazyn said. “You’re wounded, have no where to go, and I’ll be putting you back in place soon.”

Fulgrim spat blood at the collector.

“What did you do to me??” He demanded.

“Nothing, there was a malfunction with your pod due to… interference. Annoying interference. It exploded and the stasis field overloaded. Rather than holding you in suspended animation and prevent aging, it did the opposite it looks like. Reversed you to late adolescence. Pity. Perhaps I’ll keep you out a bit till you mature. Then you’ll be placed back in the exhibit.”

Fulgrim managed to pull himself to a corner. Seething as he rubbed his legs. He hadn’t used them yet it was like they were on fire!

Trazyn moved to leave, “I will be back.”

Fulgrim huffed and leaned against the cold metal wall. Tears began to pour again. This was ridiculous. Stupid! Why?! Why did everything have to turn out like this?! He deserved better than this!

He paused as he came to a self realization and groaned. He was even thinking like a spoiled brat.

Grief and despair overwhelmed him again. He curled into a ball and sobbed again. He was hopeless. Just like the original.

Teacher’s last words echoed in his mind. How he was already set to fail like the original. He would fall. He would already fail. He was a failure. He didn’t want him anymore. He was too much of a burden. He was sending him to Trazyn to have as part of the Necron’s collection.

His head spun. He had no use, no purpose, no meaning. No one wanted him. Therefore, he was unloved. Maybe it was best to be kept in suspended animation. Then he wouldn’t falter. Couldn’t disappoint anyone. Not like the original.

He screamed in rage, breathing picking up. No! No! He refused! He had sworn he would be better than the original. He would make things right! He would make different choices. Things WOULD be different. His sons were willing to follow him. He had started a revolt! He was the Phoenician, a Primarch, a son of the emperor. He had brought his entire world into compliance without the use of violence.

He WOULD be better than the original. He already was. He’d made up his mind.

He shifted uncomfortably, running all he could recall of necrons and his short time awake here.

He couldn’t fight them. Too many and he was wounded. His legs. Could he even use them anymore??

He shook his head and gripped the wall, trying to stand.

To his relief, the scarabs came to his assistance. He was almost standing but the pain was unbearable. He let out a string of the most vulgar chemosian swears and insults he could.

His knees gave out and he fell backwards. He seethed for a moment as he crushed a few scarabs then rolled off of them. He looked up to see them dead, being teleported away. Some on their back twitching.

He burst into tears, intense grief overwhelming all emotions at accidentally killing them. What was happening??? This was embarrassing! Crying over Xenos vermin?!? But they didn’t deserve it! It was an accident!

One was still there, some of its legs now broke. It flailed its working ones as it struggled to get off its back.

He sniffed as he picked it up and tried to bend the broken legs back to their right angle. He set it down and it scampered away.

He continued to hiccup and rub his aching legs.

Come on. Think. Ignore the scarabs! I have to get out of here. I can’t fight. It’d be unwise. Leman would laugh at him for such a thought. Lion would mock him. Perturabo would scoff.

He covered his mouth as the doubting words of his brethren echoed in his mind.

He slammed a fist down. No! He could do this. He didn’t fight or battle at all to bring Chemos into compliance. His greatest weapon had been diplomacy. He still had those skills.

The Necron Collector was obviously a high ranking Necron. He had skills. He could mine. He knew how to forge. There had to be something he could do or say to convince him of his freedom. If it doesn’t succeed… well that never stopped him. Find another angle or try again later.

His lip trembled as he dared to think his next thought.

Father, Emperor of Mankind, please hear me. It’s not a prayer. Just a plead for help. For mercy. Help me get out of here and back to you. I miss you. I miss you all. I swear I am better than the original. This clone will not disappoint you. Please. I just need a chance. Give me strength.

He rubbed his eyes and scooted to a sitting position, waiting for Trazyn to return.

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calderasletski · 20 days ago

Text

Eyes Do Not Decieve

The first time Y/n encountered Suo was when she was trying to escape a weirdo trying to flirt with her….

The first time Suo encountered Y/n was when he was out on patrol and he discovered he had a girlfriend he never knew he had….

“As I told you I’m here with my boyfriend,” squeezing Suo’s arm, she said to the person who Suo presumed was bothering her.

He could’ve intervened with his skills in martial arts but he didn’t. He wanted to see how this would play out.

“Darling, is he bothering you?” he asked her effortlessly playing along.

Y/n faltered a little at how compliant he was being. Though only for a little while.

“Oh yes. I was waiting for you when he came over. I told him I had a boyfriend but he… didn’t believe me.” She gave him a look that said ‘am I doing this okay?’

Suo shot back a ‘who knows’

But the creep was not convinced. “Are you sure you know him?”

“Yea, why would I approach him if I didn’t,” she said, crossing her arms to prove her point.

“I know it’s unbelievable to you that a lady as beautiful as her would date me but you’re being rude,” Suo remarked.

��Damn, he’s smooth,’ Y/n’s thoughts screamed.

“Okay then what’s his name?” the creep asked her, pointing to Suo disbelief still evident in his eyes.

………...

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

“...zuko…”

……….....

………......

“That’s it! You don’t even know this dude!” he yelled, stomping towards her.

Before he could register what was happening, he felt the world spin and when he opened his eyes and looked up, Suo was looking down on him shielding Y/n behind him.

“Whether I know her or not is none of your business but I’d rather not see you bothering her again,” he said dangerously.

This scared the shit out of him, making him run away.

Y/n on other hand was fawning over how cool Suo looked pulling off a move like that. “How did you do that?”

“You see, there’s a spirit sealed under this eyepatch. I can borrow its power to do some special moves,” he said seriously.

Y/n knew whether to take him seriously or not. “So you get possessed by the spirit sometimes.”

“You can put it like that,” he replied. He was enjoying this.

“Thanks for helping me,” Y/n said smiling at him.

Suo has never seen anyone smile so brightly at him. Maybe he was starting to develop a crush, maybe his mind was playing tricks on him.

“It’s nothing. You can come to me anytime you want. After All, I’m your boyfriend,” he joked.

Y/n felt her cheeks burn so she tried to cover her face with her hair.

Suo was enjoying getting a reaction out of her.

“I’m Y/n L/n. What’s your name?” Y/n asked unexpectedly. “In case you become my boyfriend again I’ll need your name.”

It was rare for Suo to get a taste of his own medicine. Regardless, he chuckled and said, “Suo Hayato.”

The next time Suo saw Y/n he found out she knew Sakura….

The next time Y/n saw Suo she found out he was friends with Sakura…..

And Sakura was weak to teasing. And when you place him between two people with the same energy in one room which is basically Kotoha’s cafe…

“I missed you so much,” Y/n said dramatically.

“I kept thinking about the day when I’d see you again,” Suo matched her freak.

Kotoha, Nirei, Kiryu-everyone knew they were faking it.

Sakura on the other hand felt like he was gonna combust. “Will you two just cut it out?! D-do this where people can’t see you!”

It turns out even he needs her help too…. And she’s happy to help him out and maybe show him off….

Two girls was asking for Suo’s number. He declined but they were relentless.

“My girlfriend wouldn’t like the idea of you asking for my number like that,” he said loud enough for Y/n to hear when he saw her approaching.

“Like it?” Y/n said as she stopped beside him and hooked her arm with his. “I’d hate it actually.”

And then she proceeded to brag about him. Even though Suo had no idea when they went they went out to hunt spirits at night he stared at her affectionately and nodded to her every word.

Even if the girls didn’t believe her, eyes do not deceive.

Sakura knows it too. He’s scowling at the spectacle unfolding in front of him with his face beet red. “Damn it! I’m leaving!”

Y/n asked Suo to teach him how to punch creeps in style…. Suo suggested he teach her how to slap creeps in style….

“Can’t you just go easy on me?” Y/n said getting up from the ground after Sou gently tripped her.

“You told me to give it all you got,” he remarked.

“True…” she said pouting.

“How about you come at me again. I promise I’ll go easy on you this time,” he said without any hint of teasing in his tone.

Y/n scanned his face for signs of mischief.

“Okay… on the count of three,” she said skeptically.

However she launched at Suo just as she said “three!”

Suo, already accustomed to her antics, was used to this. He blocked her effortlessly and as she was about to fall back he grabbed on to her, their faces inches from each other.

“You said you’d go easy on me,” Y/n said grabbing onto his shirt.

“I did go easy on you,” he said smugly. “I didn’t let you fall this time did I?”

“Wow you deserve to be rewarded for your efforts,” she said, her face heating up.

Before she could process her actions, Y/n grabbed the side of his head and placed a kiss on his cheek.

Suo stiffened his hold on her as he forgot whatever words of retaliation he was gonna say.

“Are you feeling shy?” Y/n said although she was barely holding herself together. ‘Why did I have to go and do that!’

“N-no,” his voice cracked. No one ever heard his voice crack.

Y/n pushed herself away from him. Not that he was holding her too tightly. “I guess the training’s over now… I should head back,” she said and turned to leave.

Before she could run away, Suo grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. “W-what?”

“Would you mind if I ask you to stay?” he stated clearly.

Releasing the breath she didn’t know she was holding, she turned around to face him. Suo was staring at her with a lovestruck expression. And her expression probably mirrored his. The same facial expressions that Sakura often caught a glimpse of when they were supposedly faking it to rile him up. Before they themselves realised it Sakura knew they were in fact not faking it.

The next time they met at Kotoha’s cafe Suo confidently approached her, taking her hand and kissing the back of her palm.

And Sakura could confirm that his eyes never decieved him.

#wind breaker #wind breaker x reader #fluff #suo hayato #suo x reader #sakura hakura #windbreaker

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ghostfacesvalentine · 8 months ago

Text

You’re no good for me - Patrick Bateman x Fem!Reader

Pairing: Patrick Bateman x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Slight itsy angst/kinda unrequited love/loneliness

Type: One shot/Blurb

Request: the fake relationship trope w Patrick bateman needs to be a fic RIGHT NOW 😩😩

Word Count: N/A

Prompt: Based off the song “Diet Mountain Dew” / Fake relationship trope

Notes: This started off so Lana coded, but it did finish abruptly since it’s kinda like a tiny one shot/blurb. I just wanted to write something. Let me know what you think! No I didn’t proofread are you nuts

Word got around fast about the breakup between Patrick and his fiancée. Not that it was anything tragic to either party, but appearances were everything.

A playboy like Patrick was hard to keep up with, of course you made your attempts, gathering outfits that flattered you, experimenting with different styles of hair and makeup in hopes that you’d find your niche.

More like find Patrick Batemans time of day.

You weren’t even sure if they had finished splitting up by the time he approached you, one Thursday afternoon. Nothing about his character was subtle, not in the way he talked at least.

“Y/N. I have a proposition for you.” His attention catching you off guard.

He always spoke in a matter of fact, especially with you, never in a rude way, just maybe overtly confident. Whatever it was, always made you feel weak in the knees.

You daydreamed about him shamelessly, the way his lips curved into a tight smile after his sentences, the manner in which the air surrounding him gave a vague smell of his cologne. Patrick was used to the prolonged looks, but there seemed to be a sincerity in your eyes.

Patrick was talking but you weren’t listening, instead your eyes adapted to the shape of his jaw, the glistening cheekbones, all carved by his slick back hair and gently brushed eyebrows.

“Y/N” He prayed out loud.

Your dreaming cut short, now looking at him in an embarrassing manner. “Sorry.” You mumbled out, eyes dropping down to his glossy shoes then away towards the floor to ceiling windows.

“Could you do that for me? I’ll pay you for any inconvenience that comes with it.”

It was only then when you realized how much you really weren’t listening. Your eyes then braved enough to look at his own, chocolate delicacies that mirrored nothing. Patrick was handsome, there was absolutely no doubt about that, yet he never emitted any warmth, even as the back of his hand reached to trickle along the curve of your cheek.

“Yeah, of course, uhm. What do you need exactly?” You feigned the urge for clarification.

“Dinner. I need you to pretend we’re seeing one another. Again, if it’s not something that you’re interested in-“

You cut him off almost too quickly. “I’m there.”

And you were.

Both propped up in a two person table at the most exclusive restaurant in the city.

You weren’t sure if it was the booze or the simple privilege to have Patrick’s eyes on you, even if it was a little white lie. You didn’t have to fake much and you tried to push the idea of Patrick feigning his interest in you.

There were eyes on you both, of course there was snarky comments of rebounds and those wondering out loud if you were the reason his engagement was no more.

Patrick relished in the moment, the gossip definitely boosted his ego, too much for his own good. You, however, were just happy to hold his cold hand in public.

You didn’t have to fake much, you watched him in the most endearing way and though you weren’t old money, you gave Patrick the upper advantage of having your full attention on him when his business friends couldn’t pay anyone enough to keep their eyes on them.

Something about the attention you devoted to him openly only made him more desirable. You almost didn’t care for the bottle service he ordered for you both, nor the tasty delicacies that petrified his diet.

This somber ask of his made you feel like the stars were aligning for you and you were enticed to keep up with the facade.

It quickly became a habit, date night once every Friday became every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Then he would make sure those who had interested thoughts, would see you leave his apartment or him leave yours.

You never did anything other than “enjoy” each others presence. Mainly hearing about his day, drinking some of whatever he had, but mainly listening to his rambles about how he viewed those around him.

As the weeks morphed into months, the kisses you were over the moon to give him while his past interests were watching, now became more painful than before. You never took any money from him, much to his offense, yet he always made sure to give you the best time he could offer you.

Sometimes he would go the extra step to send you flowers, all to “keep up with appearances” but when you crawled into your cool and oversized bed on your own, reality would struck your heart.

You spent too many nights curled up in the corner of your bed while you knew Patrick was delightful to stick to his bachelor routine.

Much to his dismay, you started to get sloppy with your actions. It was a few months into your lie that your eyes began to wander. It started with the longing, seeing other couples who seemed genuinely interested with one another, sharing casual touches and warm feelings.

The ache had you thinking about the men who appeared affectionate, your eyes lingered longer than Patrick had been used to.

Clearing his throat caught your attention again, a fake smile crossed your face. “Of course, whatever you say.”

It was not the response he was looking for and it didn’t take long for him to see what caught your eye. “Really Y/N? He hasn’t made half of what he made last month, I have no idea what he’s doing here. Enjoying what he has left while he can I guess.” A malicious laugh spurred across the table from Patrick.

This time it came with an unsure gaze, worried that someone would be better than him.

“Hm?” You replied nonchalantly.

“Oh yeah. I know.” You soothed, your hand no longer reached for him, rather than to trace the curves of your fork.

You didn’t intend to make him feel small, but if you were being honest, his lack of interest in you began to mirror you. He was still as gorgeous as ever, yet when the doors were closed, it was hard to not long for a man who would kiss you when no one was looking.

Patrick didn’t understand what was happening, he didn’t understand why you were starting to decline in your part of the deal. He found himself competing more aggressively this time with those in the environment again, in this case, for your eyes.

You excused yourself to the bathroom, for the first time, you wanted to go home early. You didn’t even have to use the bathroom, you just wanted some space from him.

A hand latched onto your forearm, halting you from the entrance to the hallway where the bathrooms were. You looked back to see a handsome man in a white button up with a rag hanging from his side pocket. A glistening smile greeted your confused face “Hey, I’m sorry I just wanted to let you know that dress really brings out your eyes”

Before you could respond, you watched as he was gripped by the shirt and shoved to the side away from your sight. You tried to look for the waiter before you felt a frigid hand pull you by the wrist towards the entrance.

Your shoulders relaxed when you noticed it was the familiar figure of Patrick. He was furious.

“Y/N. I’m sorry- I was under the impression that we had an agreement.” He scolded as he let your wrist go when you made it to the sidewalk beside him.

You watched him blankly as he appeared to throw his tantrum. “Nothing even happened Patrick. You already made your point with your friends, I can’t keep up with this. I want to have my own person. My real person. I don’t want to scare others off because I have to pretend to have something going on with you.” You breathed out what was weighing heavy on your chest.

He almost couldn’t believe how you felt. He didn’t even know how to decipher what he felt. Deep down he knew what you meant, yet he didn’t care enough to let you go easy. “If you couldn’t do it in the first place, you shouldn’t have agreed.” He scolded again, roughly running his hands through his slicked back locks desperately.

“Well I don’t want to do it anymore.” You admitted. Patrick stared right through your eyes lacking of any expression. He’s never had to decipher his own feelings, how the hell could he figure out that what he was feeling was jealousy?

#patrick bateman x reader #patrick bateman imagine #Patrick Bateman one shot #patrick bateman

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malopascal · 5 months ago

Text

One shot: we found our way back to each other

"Can we please just talk..." Pedro begged, his eyes looking so tired and his composure exposing nothing but defeat and heartbreak.

A sigh left your painted lips as you avoided his begging gaze, looking through the room of his sister's home, silently missing the hours the two of you had spent in here, laughing, talking and making love.

"Talk about what? You told me two months ago that you weren't ready for a relationship, that I should find someone else who could settle down", you purposely threw Pedro's words back to him in hopes that they would also cause him the same pain it caused you eight weeks ago.

You finally focused your eyes on the Chilean actor and saw how he closed his eyes in shame and shook his head. "You're trying to kill me, mi amor" he whispered before opening his eyes.

"No, you killed me with those words. I thought that I had meant something to you, we had spend four months together, making all these beautiful memories that I can never forget", you spat as tears started to brim your eyes.

"I know, I know (Y/N)...".

"No, you don't. You don't know that I've been faking a smile for weeks, pretending that my life is so fucking awesome and continuing to work like you didn't rip my heart out of my chest, Pedro".

The actor took a step closer to you and quickly took your soft hand in his, his eyes were begging you to take him back. "Words can't describe how foolish I was. I thought that I had made the right decision, allow you to go and be free before my crazy and hectic life would get in between us, and we'd be forced to break up anyway...".

His words made you frown as you slowly shook your head in disbelief.

"Bullshit, Pedro. I accompanied you while you worked and traveled, still made time for my own life and friends and family and not once did I ever voice or think that your celebrity life would become too much for me...How could you make this decision for yourself and then punish me for it?", the tears were now streaming down your face, the aching pain in your chest making it hard for you to focus as you stared at your love. The betrayal still sat deep in your soul and you wondered if you could ever get past this.

"You tossed me aside for nothing, based on assumptions...And then you moved on like we never happened, like I didn't give all my love to you!" you couldn't help but increase the volume of your voice as you finally had the chance to speak about your heartbreak.

After Pedro had suddenly broken up with you through a quick phone call, he had blocked you and went on a promotional tour of his upcoming projects, making you feel lost and abandoned while he continued to live his life in front of the cameras.

Since the two of you were able to keep your relationship private, due to the fact that you were an actress as well, barely anyone noticed how you were crumbling and pretending like you hadn't lost the greatest love of all time.

"My love, I-" Pedro chocked back on a sob before clearing his throat and wrapping his strong arms around your waist, still looking at you like you were the only, most precious thing walking the earth.

"I just wanna know why. Why did you get rid of me like that?" you placed your hands on his broad shoulders, hating how your heart skipped a beat and a delicate sensation of adoration rushed through your body. You knew that touching him alone would have you weak, but in that moment, you didn't care at all.

"I'm almost fifty, it's been years since I had a serious relationship (Y/N), I have anxiety and assumed that it would take a few more weeks before you would get sick and tired of me and my job and leave me..." the actor confessed with a heavy heart.

"But I can't describe the agony I have been in ever since we parted ways. All I can do is think and yearn for you", his beautiful brown eyes gazed deeply into yours while he leaned in closer, his breath dancing along your lips as you let out a soft sigh. God, that man still had you so crazy in love and a part of you thought that he'd try to make up sappy excuses and then leave you alone.

"I am so sorry for what I did, and I know you're just as heartbroken as I am. It's my duty to earn your trust back and show you the blessing that you are to me. Please...." Pedro leaned in and pressed his soft lips against yours, frowning at the pure sensation of your soft lips against his. You pulled away, your head spinning from the passion while you stared deeply into his eyes, your breath coming out in short puffs as you were overwhelmed.

"Please what?" you exhaled as the tension in the room shifted from sad to something else.

He leaned in again, stealing another passionate kiss while his arms pulled your body closer to his. That's when you noticed something throbbing against your lower stomach. You couldn't help but let out a weak moan as your body was succumbing to this man.

"Allow me to win your trust back and show you that I am your man. Yours." Pedro whispered, his breathing increasing by the second as the two of you stared longingly into each other's eyes.

The wetness already had gathered in between your thighs as all you could now think about was feeling him move deep inside you, have him fill you up all the way and talk you through the sensual acts of love.

"I-" Pedro didn't even let you finish your sentence before he had stolen another kiss from your lips, his tongue tracing your lower lip and silently asking for permission. Which you instantly granted.

His big hands immediately started to roam your body, caressing your breasts and shoulders while he moved the two of you towards the bed.

He kissed your neck after having placed you gently onto the mattress, your silky black cocktail dress already being torn from your body. "I need to taste you", he begged.

You instantly opened your legs and quickly got rid of your thong before your love had his head position in between your thighs. "You're so wet" he praised while giving you a soft smile, leaning in closer to where you needed him the most before darting his tongue out and flicking your sensitive clit.

"Yes", you mewled while throwing your head back, your wetness sliding down your inner thighs while your love instantly got to work and devoured you right then and there. His eyes didn't dare to move away from your face as he needed to look at you. He needed the assurance that he was pleasing you, giving himself to you.

He licked and lapped at your swollen clit and drenched folds, dipping his tongue into your hot and wet cunt, loving the way you weakly moaned his name and grind your hips in sync of his movements. Behind your clenched eyelids, you saw stars as the pleasure took over your mind, body and soul.

"You taste divine" Pedro whispered, moaning your name over and over again while his eyes still didn't look elsewhere. He had always been in awe of your beauty and knowing that no other had seen you like this was making his heart swell in his chest with pride.

Before you knew it, your love was kissing his way up your body, positioning himself in between your thighs while he quickly got rid of his dress shirt and freeing his hard cock from its tight pants.

Your eyes fluttered open and you couldn't help but moan at the sight of Pedro staring down at your face, his eyes drinking in the beautiful sight of you. It took him a few seconds to let his hard cock slide up and down your folds, gathering the slick wetness before whispering how much he loved you.

You couldn't even answer as the sensation of his cock slowly sinking deep inside you overwhelmed you. Your inner walls welcomed the hardness as they stretched and took him deeper. A weak moan left your lips.

"I missed you so much" you chocked out before the first stroke hit you. Pedro closed his eyes and immediately started to snap his hips against yours, hitting your sweet spot over and over again while having leaned down and now gently kissing and sucking on your sensitive neck.

The pure pleasure raging over your body was too much.

The feeling of him buried deep inside you...

His weak moans of your name...

The quick motions of your body desperately wanting to reach that beautiful high together.

It was all too much.

Your toes curled as you felt the delicious knot form in the pit of your stomach, your inner walls were clenching onto your love's cock for dear life while the delicate shivers running up and down your back made it hard for you to focus on anything.

"I am right here, my love. Come on, take all of me and show me you love it. Take it all, it's all yours" Pedro groaned, his hips snapping faster against yours while his hand was now circling your sensitive clit, making the knot tighter and tighter by the second.

You clung onto his broad shoulders as the next deep thrust threw you into the wild, gushing and overwhelming peak. Your orgasm rippled through your body and you couldn't control it. Your inner walls clenched tightly around Pedro's cock as his warm spurts filled you all the way up. That man was almost screaming your name as he continued thrusting his hips in a sloppy manner, wanting this intense and beautiful sensation to never stop.

The weak moans leaving your lips grew softer by the second while the tremors of your high tingled through your body. Your eyes slowly opened and Pedro's adoring smile made your heart swell in your chest.

"I love you'" he confessed.

"I love you too" you responded in a soft huff, still trying to catch your breath.

#pedro pascal #pedro pascal x you #pedro pascal x yn #pedro pascal x reader

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bomber-grl · 10 days ago

Text

Fighting Fire with Fire

Pairing(s): Leo Valdez x F!Aphrodite!Reader

Synopsis: Leo is stuck working with the last person he wants to be around, but as time passes, things start to shift in unexpected ways.

Word Count: 1840

Content Warning: Reader is meant to be a terrible, stuck up mean girl.

Leo couldn’t wrap his head around it. No way. It was way too obvious, but still, he refused to believe it. His heart would start pounding whenever anyone even mentioned you, and when he was actually near you? Forget it—his tongue always tied itself into knots. And that laugh of yours? Gods, he could barely stand it. It wasn’t even that it was bad—no, it was the exact opposite. It was that stupid, teasing laugh that made his knees go weak every time, and he hated how much it made him feel like a total mess.

You were the girl, the one everyone in the Aphrodite cabin talked about. You were basically the living, breathing version of every mean, popular girl he’d ever crossed paths with. The ones who loved to mock him, to make him feel small, to make fun of everything he did. Honestly, they were just downright cruel.

When he first saw you, he didn’t think much about it. But then you locked eyes with him, and he felt like he was under a microscope. There was something about the way you looked at him like you already knew you had him figured out. The way your lips curled up in that knowing grin—it was like you were waiting for the perfect moment to make him feel like a total idiot. And honestly? He hated how much it actually got under his skin, how much it made him feel things he really didn’t want to feel.

He tried. He really did. But you were just so… insufferable. You were everything Leo hated about the popular, perfectly polished, ‘untouchable’ type. The way you walked around camp like you were the center of the universe, the way you never seemed to get your hands dirty, the way you always had that smug, knowing smile on your face like you had everything figured out—yeah, it grated on him. He couldn't help it. You were the kind of person who drove him insane.

At first, it was just small stuff. You’d walk by his workshop with that sarcastic grin, commenting on whatever disastrous creation he was working on that day. Or you’d laugh with your Aphrodite cabin minions, making loud, obnoxious comments about everything, which, for some reason, always seemed to land in his direction.

“You’re really gonna use that for the engine?” you’d ask, fake confusion dripping from your voice. “I mean, I know you’re supposed to be a ‘genius’ and all, but It’s honestly embarrassing how I know more than you, Leo.”

He hated it. But he didn’t say anything at first. He thought maybe if he just ignored you, you’d go away. But you didn’t. You just kept coming back, each time with a new barb, a new reminder that you were better than him. That you were above it all. He heard a hyena-like laugh, as if it were the prelude to another snide remark. "Not like it's rocket science." Before he could stop himself, he muttered, "Not like you'd actually know what that is."

One day, though, he had enough.

“Look, I get it, okay? You think you’re better than everyone here. You think because you’ve got your perfect little group of followers, you can just treat people like they’re nothing.” Leo shot back, annoyed at how you kept eyeing his project like you were trying to figure out how to ruin it. “But that doesn’t mean you get to mess with me just because you’re bored.”

You blinked, surprised at his sudden change in tone. But of course, you quickly regained that snarky edge. “Aww, poor Leo. Getting all defensive just because someone pointed out the obvious.” You smirked. “Do you really think you can outdo me, or are you just delusional?”

It was on. You and Leo had officially started the worst rivalry in camp history, and neither of you was going to back down. No matter how many times you clashed, whether it was about something dumb like a broken tool or something more serious like who could make the best flames, it always ended with you two glaring at each other, barely keeping your hands to yourselves. It was exhausting. But for some reason, neither of you could stop.

Then came Harley’s birthday party. It was supposed to be a light-hearted, no-big-deal kind of thing.Although not a major event, birthdays held significant value, especially for camp. But it was impossible to avoid the chaos when you were around. Everyone else was just there to eat cake and hang out, but you? You were too busy being you—strutting around the party with your perfect hair, your perfect smile, and that obnoxiously loud laugh that always seemed to follow you.

Leo tried to stay out of your way. Really, he did. He was there to chill with Jason and Piper, grab some food, say happy birthday to Harley, and definitely avoid you. But no, you had other plans.

“Oh, Leo,” you cooed, as you appeared right next to him with that look in your eyes, “I didn’t know you’d be here. How... quaint.” You laughed to yourself then added, “Not that I’d expect you to know that word.”

He rolled his eyes so hard it almost hurt. “What do you want?”

You arched an eyebrow. “What? I can’t be nice to my fellow campers?”

Leo took a step back, avoiding your eyes. “Please, you’re not nice to anyone. You just like making people uncomfortable.”

“Oh, honey,” you drawled, “If I wanted to make you uncomfortable, I’d do a lot more than just talk to you.”

Before he could respond, you pushed past him—right into the massive birthday cake someone had just brought out. You knocked it over, sending frosting flying everywhere, and Leo couldn’t help but laugh. He didn’t want to laugh, but he did. You were a mess, and it was more than just funny.

“Oh, perfect,” you said, standing up with a piece of cake on your cheek, your forehead blossomed in a new shade of upset purple and a matching popping vein to match. Leo’s grin widened. “Guess you shouldn’t have been so obsessed with looking perfect.” You shot him a glare, but then, just as quickly, the fight was on. It was petty. It was childish. But it was also hilarious.

At Least for anyone who wasn’t Harley.

You shoved him in the chest. He shoved you back. One of your hands found its way into the frosting, and before either of you could stop it, you were both covered in cake. You pushed him into the punch bowl, and he retaliated by practically tackling you into a stack of plastic cups.

“This is your fault!” you shouted, frosting in your hair, cake on your clothes. “You did this!”

“Me?” Leo scoffed, trying to wipe frosting from his shirt. “You’re the one who walked into the cake!”

It escalated from there. It wasn’t about the cake anymore. It was about who could get the last word, who could throw the most frosting, who could make the other person the most ridiculous. And as much as you both wanted to act like it was all a game, you could feel the heat between you. There was something there.

Eventually, Chiron, Jason, and Piper had to intervene. The Aphrodite kids were more than happy to drag you away while Chiron physically restrained Leo from going after you.

“This is ridiculous,” Chiron said, rubbing his temples. “Both of you—enough.”

But the punishment didn’t stop there. Oh no. Because of your absolutely terrible behavior, Chiron decided you were now stuck helping Leo with the Argo II. Building a massive ship, with someone you literally could not stand.

Perfect.

The first few days of working together were awful. It was all sharp words and glares. You’d throw tools at him (metaphorically, of course) and he’d make snide remarks about how you were “totally ruining the aesthetic of the ship with your lack of interest in anything.”

But over time, as much as you hated to admit it, things started to shift. There was something… familiar about Leo. You started noticing how he would sometimes get this look in his eyes whenever anyone mentioned girls like you. He’d tense up, and get awkward like he was ready to bolt. And that was when it hit you: He didn’t trust you—Which was obvious. But the issue probably went deeper beyond surface level.

“Why do you always act like the Aphrodite girls are out to get you?” you finally asked one day, catching him off guard.

Leo froze, his face hardening. “What do you mean?”

“You get all... weird around us. You treat us like we’re pests. (understandably..) What happened to you?” Your voice wore an arrogant tone, force of habit…

He didn’t answer at first. But then, with a sigh, he let down the wall for a second. “I haven’t had the best experience okay? It’s like I’ve got some sign on my back screaming for every mean girl to enter the vicinity and target me. I’ve tried to talk to them, believe me, but then they just laugh at me, like I’m a joke. I’ve never known if they actually like me or if I’m just some dumb thing to look at. I thought that was all left behind, then I had the pleasure of meeting you.”

For the first time, you saw him as more than just the annoying guy who couldn’t keep his mouth shut. He was someone who had been hurt. And despite everything you felt about him, that was kind of... relatable.

“I get it,” you said quietly, realizing you had your own scars too. “People always expect me to be perfect. To have everything together. But they never see what it’s like to always be the ‘perfect’ girl, to never get to mess up. You think everything is easy for me, but it’s not.”

It was ironic really. You were terrible and you knew it, but Leo was far more mature for what you credited him with. He didn’t point that out and just took what you said, absorbed it, and realized that you’ve been hurt far worse than you’ve ever openly shown.

For a moment, it was just the two of you, understanding each other for what felt like the first time. But then, true to form, Leo broke the silence.

“You know,” he said, giving you that grin that still made your stomach do flips, “You’re not type.”

You raised an eyebrow, refusing to show any weakness. “Please. You’ll want me anyway.”

Leo snorted. “You’re cute, but I’ll still burn you.”

You tilted your head, throwing a playful glare in his direction. “Not if I burn you first.”

And even though you were both still infuriatingly mad at each other, you couldn’t ignore the fact that this rivalry was starting to feel a lot less like hatred and a lot more like... something else.

Maybe you could even deal with him for a little while longer.

Just maybe.

#fanfic #female reader #fanfic fluff #leo valdez fluff #leo valdez x female reader #leo valdez pjo #leo valdez x reader #pjo leo #hoo leo #leo #hoo fanfic #pjo fanfic #pjo fanfiction #pjo fandom #rick riordanverse

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eddygoldarm · 4 months ago

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Okay, in this post, I will put all my headcanons for the brawlers origins/backstories.

I'll update it little by little as I go and find more things about them. Note that I I sometimes quit the game for long periods of time so I'm not always updated on the lore. So this is mostly my personal interpretation, if you have any canon information/trivia from the creators/interesting headcanons, feel free to share them! With that said, let's do this!

⬇️

WILD WEST

🩹Shelly : She was a normal farmgirl from the frontier, living in her family's ranch with her animals. But many gangs from the area made her life very difficult, and the rangers never did anything for her, so she decided to become some kind of vigilante. After many lonely years, she met Colt, who she thought was just another idiot. While she was right, he proved himself to be efficient and caring, and he convinced her to stop the cycle of crime by joining him. She accepted, and is now a mercenary working with Colt, fighting to make the frontier a better place. While still hot-headed, she's way more well adjusted and reasonable now, she's just a bit jealous of Colt. As her best friend, she knows him better than anyone else and dislikes the fact that this utter idiot gets more recognition than her.

⭐Colt : Colt has a secret : He is the son of Belle and Sam from the goldarm gang. Born as Edwin, he was raised by the gang and learned all the ins and outs of the criminal life since he was little. His mother Belle pushed him to perform better each day in order to make him strong. That way, he became an incredible shot, but also a boastful and well-groomed boy, never letting show a sign of weakness. But as the heists were getting more difficult, and the gang more violent, Eddy struggled to keep up, and Belle started to neglect him when he failed. He started to hate himself, as he felt like nobody would ever love who he was becoming. So, after a terrible accident that mutated him (that Shelly was in too!), he decided to fake his death to start his own new life. He assumed a new identity, and thanks to his gun skills and tactical knowledge, became a security officer at Starr Park. He slowly climbed the ladder, accomplishing his duty, pleasing the people and making a name for himself. Until he became the Oldtown sheriff, Colt is now happier than ever, as he has all he ever wanted: A great job, a lot of fans and friends that move him... unless?

🌵Spike : Spike was originally a regular cactus, living his normal cactus life in the middle of the desert. Until one day, a mountain of a human fell and landed on him, completely destroying the plant. Hopefully, a little chunk stayed attached to his shirt, and he managed to survive. The small shoot was given to a young Eddy, and then potted. The little plant was the boy's new best friend, he took care of it, carried it everywhere, and even talked to it. Spike learned a lot, everything even, and developed feelings for the boy as he watched him grow and struggle. Until one day, where the plant was blasted once again, it managed to survive, but something changed in Spike. He started to slowly mutate into a humanoïd shape, and could even now form "thoughts". Spike essentially turned into a little human (which freaked out Colt and made him sholt Spike in chock but we avoid talking about that.), that became Colt's new friend. With his newfound appearance, Spike became a weird little guy, just wandering around, either helping his friends or causing mischief. He is living his best life and nobody can stop him, he's a cactus! While more independant, he his still close to Colt, he cheers him up in his own weird ways, and keeps his secrets... which is very useful since he can't speak.

SHAMAN TRIBE

🦅Bo : The shaman tribe are the oldest group of the land, they live secluded in the jungle, in harmony with nature. Bo is one of their warriors, strong, wise and courageous, he was always curious about the world around him. When he was still young, he stepped out the jungle, and fell in love with the beauty of nature and mankind. He started to explore the world, acquiring knowledge and new connexion, that he shared with his peers. Of course, this idea didn't sit well with everyone; Leon and Nita's father, was killed by a man of the frontier, going outside could lead to catastrophe. Bo knew this, but thought it was worth the risk, and some people of the tribe started to go out as well, notably the widow, who was intrigued by Starr Park. While the warrior didn't care for it, he saw that it was cheering her up, and they started to hang out there together, they fell in love, and got married. Taking little Leon and Nita was becoming their ritual, until one faithful day, where the mother vanished without a trace. Submerged by guilt, Bo looked for months for her, sadly, he couldn't find any trace of her. Instead, he decided to take responsability, and took Leon and Nita under his wing. Today he is still a respected warrior, but ha has to carry the burden of his wife's disappearance. Also, Bo isn't his actual name, it's a nickname the people of the frontier have given him. He also uses merch from the park as a voluntary hinderance, to sharpen his skills, they're also gifts from the kids.

🦎Leon : Leon is a child from the shaman tribe, unfortunately, he didn't have a warrior spirit, and was rather shy. He preferred to stay in his corner, observing the world around him, his parents didn't care, and still cherished him. Sadly, the accumulation of his father's death, his replacement by a scary stoic warrior, and his mother's disappearance, made him close in on himself even more. Thanks to a gem mutation, he developped invisibility powers, and used it to hide and to cause trouble. This was a pain to deal with for Bo, who had no experience with parenting. Eventually, with the help of Nita, he managed to earn the child's trust. With time, Leon learned to open up and be a happy kid again, it's still difficult sometimes, he's still a troublemaker! But that's why we love him!

🐻Nita : Nita barely knew her parents, she always carried the teddy her mom had given her for comfort. When she disappeared, all she had to look up too was her big brother (Bo was too busy looking for her mom to take care of them), so she became a fierce little troublemaker like him. Together they began causing mayhem wherever they went, and this was the happiest she ever was. Of course, this fell back on her, when the teddy got destroyed (Bull did it), this got her seething with rage, giving birth to Bruce, the fierce spirit-bear (thanks in part to a gem mutation). After seeing the damage Nita had done, Bo finally decided to step in : he defeated the bear, and stitched the plushie back together. That way, she could always be comforted by someone if she ever felt angry.

RETROPOLIS GANG

🐂Bull : Bull (I think I saw his real name somewhere but it might have been a jape) was born and raised in the frontier. He was always a big boy, but contrary to his appearance, he was kind and well-mannered. Sadly, those traits that aren't desirable in this harsh environnement, Bull's childhood was difficult, because despite his herculeand strenght, he couldn't bring himself to hurt anyone. I like to think he briefly dated Pam, but she dumped him because he was too much of a wimp. Having enough of this, he quit his farm for Retropolis, where he got a job as a waiter. All wasn't perfect though, there were many gangs fighting, and he always got caught in the fire. One day, he got a spike of courage, and tried to save an innocent client, only to recieve a deadly gem explosion. The radiation, as well as the frustration of years of suffering, made him loose all his tempter, and in an instant, he singlehandedly obliterated the gang responsible. They all started to respect him and do favors for him. At first he didn't want this kind of power, he felt guilty for beating all these people, but he soon realized he could use it to do some good, he could maintain order and protect underdogs like him. Bull slowly assumed a stronger, bolder character, recruited some goons, and founded his own gang. While Bull's gang was terrifying, their goal was only to put those who caused trouble, and hurt innocents back in their place. Today Bull owns the diner, and is a well-known figure in Retropolis, feared by some, respected by many, despite his looks and methods, it's undeniable that he made the city a safer place. He might be scary now, but deep down, he's still the kind humble farmboy, so, as long as you're polite, you're always welcole at Bull's diner! His pancakes are bangin too.

🐦‍⬛Crow: He was just a normal bird, flying around, earing seeds etc... But one day, he got shot and fell into a crevasse filled with gems. This caused him to mutate enormously, and to become quasi-human. Crow was terrified; his body and world had changed, and he was all alone. So he wandered, trying to make sense of everything. But he got soon spotted by many criminals, who tried to capture him. After days of escape, Crow was cornered at Retropolis, he felt like he was doomed to suffer for the rest of his life. It was at this moment that somewhat lended him a hand for the first time: Bull saw what was happening to the strange bird-man, and ordered everyone to leave him alone. He gave him a jacket, lead him to his restaurant, and cooked him a breakfast. Crow had now a roof and a friend. The bird-man had come a long way, he learned to move, to speak and to act like a human, but he still has a long way to go to figure himself out, bird or human? Maybe something completely different, only time will tell. In the meantime, Crow is happy to belong somewhere, somewhere safe.

⚾Bibi : I headcanon that she's Kenji's daughter, she grew up in the sushi restaurant in Retropolis, helping her mom and dad. Contrary to now, she was a sweet and well-mannered girl, all was well until Starr Park attacked the restaurant, her mother got kidnapped, and her father went in hiding to try and fing her. Lost and confused, she didn't understand why her father suddently left her when she needed him most, so she saught refuge at Bull's diner, because she knew he could help. Bull accepted to take her under his wing, on the condition that she would be a part of his gang. Since then, Bibi has toughen up a lot, she adopted a bad girl attitude to match with Bull and Crow's energy, but if you look behind her façade, you can easily see she's still a sweet girl, she likes candy, video games and cute animals. Bull doesn't treat her like a child, but he still takes care of her, he's like a second dad to her.

(I'm sensing a pattern with Bo and Bull adopting weird children here lol)

STARRCADE

🕹️Brock : I don't think Brock has anything special, really, he's probably the most normal of all the brawlers. He's always was a geek, and was frequently bullied for liking comics, cartoons and video games. In his teens, with the help of Colt (who he met at Starr Park), and his dad, who is a ranger, he learned to assert and defend himself. He turned his nerdiness into a strengh, learning to dress cool, talk back, and creating gadgets to defend himself (a rocket launcher is a bit overkill imo). Despite his certified freshness, he's a bit of a bum, but he's fine with his life, he works in something that he's passionate about thanks to the arcade, and he's surrounded by cool friends.

🔫Rico : Like all robots of his kind, Rico was designed for combat, he was part of a squadron belonging to the rangers, and obeyed to the orders like any other robots would. Until one day, when he was ordered to get stolen gems back from the Gold Arm. During this mission, he got shot (by Eddy or Belle) in just the right spot, causing a mutation thanks to the nearby gems. Rico gained a free will and a consciousness, this, mixed to his calculator-brain, made him an extremely accurate shooter. He hid it at first, but the rangers quickly noticed it, and started treating him as an equal, he was given clothes, promoted, and nicknamed "Ricochet" because of his famous gun tricks. Eventually, Rico got tired of following orders, he wanted to be his own person, so he said goodbye to the rangers, and became a bounty hunter. This was the robot's prime years, as he wandered the desert, he became famous, as he was at the time the only independant robot, and a dreaded sharpshooter. It was at this time that he met Piper, but they weren't lovers, I'm not sure if they were partners or ennemies. Sadly, all things had to come to an end, and one day, he crossed paths with the Gold Arm once again, who completely obliterated him, he wasn't buried like a person, but thrown in the scrapyard. A few years after, Brock found his carcass, took it, and frankensteined him with a gumball machine, thinking it could be a great addition to the Starrcade. But by fixing him, Rico woke up again: the bounty hunter returned. Brock realised that he had just ressucitated one of the most famous figures of the frontier, he thought it was lit. The robot didn't feel like going back to his old ways, he thought the Starrcade was a nice place, so he decided to retire, and to hang out in Retropolis. He's not as fierce as he used to be, now he prefers to be silly and to play the gallery with his bouncy balls. And yeah, he dated a vending machine, but Frank broke it, and now he is with Piper, who charmed with his new persona.

👾 8-Bit : He is an old arcade machine that was given life after Brock forgot gems on it. He used to display a bad and difficult game, and all the players that tried to beat it spat their anger and frustration at him. Now that he is alive, he is a pure machine of hatred, trying to beat all the people that mistreated him. He respects Brock because he's one of the few that was good at his game.

BANDSTAND

🏋️El Primo : He is Shelly's cousin, and grew up on the same farm as her. He became passionate about lucha libre from a very early age, and began practicing on everyone and everything. Thanks to his training, he became very strong, he was a bit of a beloved local figure, but it wasn't enough for him. He wanted to become the strongest in the universe, but he felt like he couldn't progress. One night, as he was practicing under the moon, he saw a purple meteor descend from the sky. He thought that if he mutated, he could finally become strong, so he tried to intercept it, not realizing how much danger he was putting himself in. Thankfully, Shelly saved him in extremis, and scholded him for being and idiot, telling him that being mutated isn't fun or cool. They watched the stars fall together, the wrestler felt like he could become as powerful as them, so he modeled his famous jump move after the meteor's fall. Now, to spice up his tale, he tells everyone that the meteor hit him right in the face, gifting him with immense power and beauty. But both Shelly and him know he's just strong like that ;] Now he is a travelling luchador with his bandstand friends Poco and Amber.

🎺Poco : Poco used to be a normal human, he was a promising musician of the frontier, with his own life and family. Sadly, he tragically passed away in a brawl between criminals, before he could meet his fame. Decades later, because of a mutation, he ressucitated (Maybe Mortis did it lol), but he was cursed to be a skeleton for the rest of his life. Saddened by his state, and the loss of his home and loved ones, he began to wander the desert, playing mournful balads to himself. He didn't hurt anyone, but people avoided him for his appearance. One day, as he was approaching Oldtown, he met with someone who was badly hurt and couldn't move (idk who could that be, maybe Shelly when she was a vigilante? or El Primo or Amber), he decided to keep them company, and to play his guitar to soothe them. Little did he know, his beautiful music had now the power to heal others. Extremely grateful and excited by this, the person introduced them to the people of Oldtown, who slowly started to accept him. Now Poco has regained his true colors, and is beloved by everyone, nothing makes him happier than seeing the smiles he brings to everyone.

🔥Amber : I don't know of any potential backstory leads for Amber. I just think she's a normal girl who LOVES fire and wanted to be a performer with the baton (idk how you call this lmao). The problem was, she gets too carried away, and tends to destroy everything, which discouraged her. El Primo thought it was cool as hell though, and asked her to be a part of his show.

OLDTOWN

🍺Barley : Like the other cyclop robots, Barley was a fighter, and like some of his kind, he was destroyed in a fight, then repurposed by the common people (possibly by a younger Pam). He belonged to the previous owner of the Oldtown bar, and served as a simple bartender, he wasn't very special, but he was a fun novelty that attracted customers. While he was a great bartender, it seemed like his code wasn't changed properly, and each time a fight burst in the bar, he would go in fighter mode, and destroy everything himself. At one point he gained consciouness, and the fights multiplied, he started to feel remorse for his owner and fatigue to have to clean everything else. So he worked on himself a bit, his boss gave him a classy look, complete with a nice oufit and a mustache, and he made it a point to keep the bar in order. The owner eventually passed away, and Barley inherited the bar, and to this day, he's still serving his customers with a lovely smile. He still has "anger issues" though.

🌂Piper : Not sure for Piper yet. She was either a deadly criminal, a bounty hunter or a respected ranger, she knew Ricochet and the Goldarm gang personally. But one day she got tired of fighting, so she left her wild life, and came back to Oldtown, where she opened her charming bakery. While she isn't one to fight in the spotlight, she still has her fighter reflexes for before, so don't tease her.

🐍Byron : Byron is one of the sons of the Starr family, and Belle's younger brother, since an early age, Byron was passionate about poisons and toxins. He studied snakes, scorpions and other venomous creatures, in the hopes of becoming a pharmacist, and make a ton of money selling miracle remedies. Byron's upbringing was difficult, while the Starrs were proud of him for his practice, he completely was socially inept, and was considered as a black sheep along with his sister. He was a witness to the abuse she suffered, but could barely do anything to prevent it, or say the right thing to comfort her, this created some tension between them. One day, Belle fell pregnant with some common man from the factory, and he learned that the Starrs wanted ro keep the baby for themselves. So, after she gave birth, he helped her escape with the baby, and cut the Starrs off from his life at the same occasion. He gave up on his studies, and started his own business, helping Belle by supplying the gang with remedies and poisons. Eventually, the gang got caught, and Byron with it, he was sent to prison, but managed to smooth talk his captives into getting a shorter sentence. Byron is back in Oldtown now, while unable to become a proper pharmacist, a medical diploma is just a paper to him. Because he's basically Colt's uncle, he allowed him to sell his products, as long as he didn't cause trouble. While Byron didn't achieve his dream, he's still became the richest person in Oldtown thanks to his passion, living the dream life in his big house filled with snakes. Also, like Belle, he's blacklisted from the Starr family gatherings, but he doesn't care.

BIODOME

🌹Rosa : Originating from Super City, Rosa is a talented botanist. One day, because of a lab accident, she suffered from a mutation, which made her strong as heck. So she made it her goal to study this phenomenon. While she had a lot of theoretical knowledge, she rarely ventured outside her lab, and lacked field experience. She worked so hard that she started to neglect her family, and her sisters went missing (One of them being Lily, they are so similar to me!!). Feeling remorse she decided to got to the jungle, where she thought Lily went, and where the mutated flora was plentiful. It was a dangerous territory, but she found a way to protect herself : she punched all the plants that tried to attack her, and domesticated a baby mutated plant to make and make herself and armor out of it. While she didn't find her sister (well, she did, but she didn't recognize her, and punched her as well), she learned a lot on her journey. Thanks to her talent, she was appointed by Starr Park to work at their shiny new Biodome, a giant greenhouse created in the hopes of rehabilitating plantlife in the frontier. Now she works here with her assistants Bea and Sprout, making new discoveries everyday.

🐝Bea : SHE LIKES BEES. I think she grew up in the frontier, where insects are fairly rare. When she understood their importance in the ecosystem, and the power they could have to repopulate the frontier, she fell in love with them, especially the bees. So she studied the bees, and became a bee scientist, and now she works at the biodome where she uses bees to help Rosa with her plant research. She's not as interested in the mutations as her, she's more of a tech nerd, she created the bee drone, as well as Sprout.

🌱Sprout : Sprout was originally a standard smart seed incubator, it's simply designed to keep seeds in good health before while they hatch. One day, after one of her jungle explorations, Rosa found a really strange mutated seed, brought it back to the biodome, and put it in the incubator to study it. Over the days, the incubator started to malfunction, it started to speak and move by itself. Bea checked it, and noticed that as it was growing, the seed was slowly taking over the incubator, who started to mutate as well. At one point, it almost seemed like it was having a mind of its own, so Bea decided to upgrade it, giving it arms and wheels, so it could be monitored more easily, and also drawing a face on it. And so, Sprout was born, they're Rosa and Bea's little assistant in the biodome, taking care of the plants. To this day, nobody knows what the seed holds, but Sprout takes care of it rigourously.

SCRAPPERS

🔧Jessie : She's a wild kid, since she was little, she's used to the rough and tough of the frontier. She was possibly born with a mutation that made her extremely intelligent, and by watching her mother, she quickly learned to make all kinds of different machines. She didn't have any friends growing up, so she considers her home-made electro gun and turret, Scrappy as such. Now that she's a little bit older, she wants to be let on her own, and make new friends by herself. Unfortunately Pam is too scared for her, and Nani won't let her wander off, when will they learn that she is a big girl now? Despite her intelligence and courage, she's still a little girl, she likes dolls and cute animals, and cries like a baby when she doesn't get her way.

⚙️Pam : I like to think that Pam was an heir to the Starr family, but, like Belle, decided to flee as she didn't like the life that was promised to her. Before running away, she was a worker at the robot factory, and she used her experience to make a living as a scrapper. She was a free spirit, and was carried by the wind, one day quietly visiting Oldtown, and the other riding to hell with the bikers. Pam's life was difficult, but she was strong enough to be happy with it. Eventually, she fell pregnant with Jessie (Bull is possibly the father, it could be really funny), and that made her an easy target. She decided to stop wandering, and to settle in the scrapyard, her pregnancy was difficult, as she had to defend herself, her baby, and her livelyhood alone. She managed it, but this experience calmed her down a little bit, she couldn't afford to do as she pleased anymore, now that she had a child. She is very protective of Jessie because of it, and she built Nani to watch over her. That still doesn't mean she's still sitting around doing nothing! Pam is always present for a little action, especially when it comes to annoy the Starrs.

🐥Nani : Nani was a scrapped mousebot, repurposed by Pam to be Jessie's nanny. She loves her family and is even more protective over Jessie than Pam. She doesn't hesitate to spy on her with Peep when she wanders too far. Nothing too complicated about her. I like to think that one day Starr Park got a hold of her, while she was freed by Pam, they still could used her as a basis to create R-T.

MINERS

🧨Dynamike : Mike was a miner back in the old days, his favorite part of the job was seeing the explosions him and his coworkers caused. This lead him to not be very careful with his equipement; one day, the canary they were using escaped in a new tunnel, as Mike tried to retrieve it, a wall crashed behind him, blocking the exit. Despite attempts to save him, the rescuers couldn't do anything, and left him for dead. Over 40 years later, as the miners where digging nearby, Dynamike, and his birdie reemerged from the tunnel, like nothing happened. To this day, nobody knows how they survived in there, when asked, he only responds with nonsense, it seems like years of isolation caused him to go a bit crazy. Nowadays, he's still working at the mines, and loving every second of it.

👷Jackie : She was originally a construction worker in Super City, but she got fired for being too vulgar and destructive. She then reconverted as a miner, where she suffered a mutation because of the gems. While she's not really passionate about her job, she's glad she can unwind as much as she wants.

⛏️Carl : Carl was a standard miner robot, since recent times, they've replaced the miners, as they are safer and more efficient. Jackie pushed him in a crevasse once, and he mutated, gaining a consciouness. Carl is a geology nerd, and unlike the other robots, he spends his time studying the rocks and gems they find. While he is very useful for the miners, Jacky can't stand him and his nerdyness, and she bullies him a bit.

PIRATES

🛢️Darryl : Same as the other cyclops, Darryl once gained consciousness after an accident involving gems. He was badly beat up, but he was repaired by people living near the beach (maybe Penny's family), replacing his full torso area by a big barrel, hence why he looks a bit different from the other robots. He soon realised that he didn't like to work for them, he wanted to live his own life, free from society, so, he became a pirate! He put on a hat, found a boat, and formed a crew, and now sails on the seven seas! Little did he know that managing a crew also took responsability, but he loves his little guys, so he tried his best.

💀Penny : Penny is a rebellious girl from the beach, her parents didn't really take care of her, so she did as she pleased, and survived by stealing from tourists. When she learned that Darryl was looking for crewmates, she immediately joined him. She met Jessie at the beach once, and they became good friends, Jessie taught her a bit of mecanics, and she learned to make her own turrets.

💣Tick : He's one of Penny's creations, and also her pet. He's a very basic robot, made of three canons stitched together. All he does on the ship is blow things up and be silly.

GHOST TRAIN

🚂Chuck : Chuck was a famous and passionate maestro, he was always looking to surpass himself in his art. His concerts where impressive, but he felt like he could do even better. Sadly, one day, the train he was taking derailled at the ghost station. While everyone evacuated safely, some debris fell on Chuck, and he couldn't move anymore, and he passed away in there. He later woke up as a ghost, bound to the train's seat, he had become the ghost train's new conductor. This transformation turned Chuck completely mad, driving the ghost train completely recklessly, and cursing each of its passengers. But one day, Gus suddently appeared in the train, and somehow, he didn't seem to be afraid of Chuck. The child had nowhere else to go, so he invited himself in the train. As the days passed, the conductor got attached to the lost boy, taking care of him, and regaining his humanity without noticing. Today, while he still enjoys giving people a scare, he no longer curses them, and always drives the train to its destination. While still bound to the ghost train, he discovered the joys of the afterlive, and uses his newfound powers to write even more powerful music. (Also, I like to think that Chuck killed Gus by accident, and now takes care of his ghost because he feels guilty, but maybe it's too dark haha).

🎈Gus : He was a regular kid with his head in the clouds, that liked balloons a lot. One day, as he was coming back from Starr Park, he lost his balloon in a train tunnel, and he went after it. The boy was never seen again, but some people say they can see the apparition of a boy with a balloon in the ghost station. Gus became a ghost because of a mutation, and is permanently bound to the train and the station. There, he met the conductor, and made the train his new home. Afterlife can be really repetitive when you're bound to a train, but Gus has a wild imagination and a wandering spirit, each day, he inspired Chuck with his strange ideas and shenanigans. He is used to it now, he uses his new powers to give a scare to the ghost station visitors, since he has nothing better to do.

🕶️Shade : It was initially a pile of different lost clothes Gus found around the station. Eventually, somehow, the combination of a mutation and Gus' weird brain's powers gave it life, and Shade quickly became his best (imaginary?) friend. Unlike Gus or Chuck, Shade is very friendly towards the visitors, but they tend to run away from it as well.

MORTUARY

🦇 Mortis : Mortis' mom tragically passed away when he was little, since then, he had a fascination for death, he isolated himself from his family to study it in detail. He took trips to the graveyard to experiment on bodies, and eventually gained enough experience to become a mortician. One day though, he fell in a grave full of gems, and mutated, becoming essentially a vampire. He took this opportunity to study death even further, using his necromancy powers to hopefully one day resurrect the dead, or achieve immortality. He managed to do it several times, notably creating Frank. But as the years went by, started to outgrow his loved ones, and became a recluse in his own family. The only one that wasn't scared of him was a young EMZ, who thought her uncle was really cool. Mortis started to feel loved, and to assert himself again thanks to the little girl. Sadly, she passed away because of a sickness, Mortis couldn't accept it, and he resurrected her, cursing her with a zombified body and eternal life. EMZ hated her uncle for what he had done, but she made peace with it thanks to Frank, and Mortis promised to fix his mistake. Today Mortis is still the local mortician, living a cool vampire life with his zombie friends, he doesn't resurrect anyone anymore.

🪦Frank : Frank isn't actually a frankenstein monster, he's just the zombie of the Mortis' family's butler. Mortis was close to him, so after his death, he tried to ressucitate him, with mixed results. While Frank is alive, the resurrection made him broken in some ways, he barely had memories of his past life, couldn't speak, and had a very awkward body. Mortis admired him though, considering him as a huge achievement. He didn't really treat him like a person at that time though, which angered Frank a lot. He spent a lot of time trying to cope with his meare existence, and what would be his place in the world. Thankfully, when EMZ entered the picture, Mortis softened a lot, and he pushed Frank to explore himself, and to live his own life. He discovered that music was a great way for him to express himself, and he could do it without destroying everything! So he decided to become a DJ, and hosts raves every week at the graveyard!

💅EMZ : She was an outgoing and a bit quirky girl, liking everything spookh and a bit gross. She loved her uncle Mortis, because he was basically a vampire. Sadly, she passed away because of a sickness, but Mortis ressucitated her later. She was now a zombie girl, cursed with a putrefied body, her skin was purple, she was mostly bones, and had no hair and nose. Her schoolmates were mocking her for her appearance, and made her life miserable. She got so frustrated, that she completely leaned in her monster persona, and became a scary, sassy bully herself. But thanks to Frank and Mortis, she got the courage to assert herself once again, and so, she changed her appearance to become who she really wanted to be. She became the queen we all know and love today, and didn't even give a look to her bullies, she prefered to help girls like her feel more confident in themselves. To do this, she became a beauty influencer, and later launched her own line of beauty products!

STUNT SHOW

🎆Stu : Stu is former fighter drone, who was ripped in half during a brawl. He was found, and repurposed by Janet and Bonnie's parents to be a crash test robot for their stunts. Stu was "mistreated" but he loved it, and eventually gained a consciousness after a bad stunt, he was truly a part of the family. Sadly, one day, the girl's parents died in a tragic accident. Janet got depressed, and didn't want to perform anymore. Stu was left purposeless, as he only knew how to crash onto things. So, he took it upon himself to take care of the girls, and with the help of Bonnie, he managed to cheer Janet back up. He's now the leader of the stunt show and while it's difficult for him, he does his best everyday to bring the girls to their fullest potential.

🚀Janet : Janet has always seen her parents and Stu perform on stage, she loved the spotlights and the sparks in peoples eyes during the show. But unlike her parents, she wanted to become a singer more than anything, and she began to perform at an early age. Unfortunately, when her parents passed away after the accident, she was too scared to go on stage again. She saw how much Stu struggled to take care of the both of them, and slowly, she started to open up again. Little by little, with the encouragements of her little sister, she got the courage to step back on stage. She now gives everything she has during each show, wanting to impress people with her stunts and voice, as well as honour her parent's memory. She also is now responsible for everything regarding security in the show, making sure that nobody gets hurt, everyone (even Stu) has to wear a helmet now!

🦷Bonnie : Bonnie loved to watch her parents fly around during their show, and wanted to be just like them, but she was still too young to perform such dangerous stunts. Her mother promised that when she'd be old enough, they'd fly to the moon together. When they died, she couldn't accept Stu as their substitute, and began to behave badly to drive him nuts. She'd crawl around her parent's old stuff, and try to imitate them by jumping around between the obstacles. One day, she hid in her mother's canon, thinking she was ready to go see her mom on the moon, Stu fired it by accident, and she was launched in the air. She loved the sensation of flying through the sky, and the adrenaline it gave her, but she didn't notice she was about to crash. Stu managed to catch her, and miraculously, she was safe. This incident made Janet terrified, and she grounded her very badly. Bonnie wasn't discouraged, she wanted to fly again! So she started to slowly practice with Stu, and showed Janet what she was capable of. In return, both Janet and Stu found their purpose again, and you know the rest of the story!

GIFT SHOP

🪙 Griff : Griff spent the majority of his life in the frontier, and made his bread and butter as "professional scammer". With each new day, he came up with a new crazy plan to scam some idiots. He never got rich, but he had enough to live a tranquil life. He lived many years like this, until he scammed the wrong person, and the rangers finally caught up to his misdeeds. To avoid getting caught, he assumed a completely new identity, and sweet-talked his way into becoming the boss of the shiny new Starr Park gift shop! He wore this crazy hat and outfit as a way to hide in plain sight. Little did he know, owning a business takes work, and while he's good at making money, he's bad, oh so bad at keeping it.

🖤Edgar : Edgar is actually an heir to the powerful Starr family. The Starrs are all about their clean and traditional public image, and Edgar... let's say he stands out a bit too much. So, in order to correct his behavior, his mom thought it would be a great idea to get him a job. Meet new people, have responsabilities and all this schtick. So, she forced Griff to employ her son (since she can easily get him fired, or worse), and today, the poor kid wastes his day in this miserable shop. Edgar is a terrible employee, all he does is hang around, hands in his pockets, and complain, but Griff has to keep him if he wants to keep his life.

📒Colette : Since she was little, Colette LOVED everything Starr Park-related, like a Disney adult would. So when she heard a gift shop had just opened, she saw an opportunity to get closer to the brawlers, and to get tons of free merch! So she jumped on the occasion, and practically begged Griff to take her in. He was reluctant to employ this terrifying girl at first, but he saw how knowledgeable and dedicaded she was, and saw a way to cut corners thanks to her. Today Colette is living the best life ever, working her dream job, with loving coworkers, where she can stalk her favorite brawlers all day... Truly the dream!

Castle Courtyard

📞Grom : Little is known about Grom, what we do know is that, he has always served as manpower for various businesses and organisations. He saw a lot of things, bad things, but he had a job to do, and it wasn't asking questions. The second-to-last job he ever had was a playground supervisor in kindergarten, but he wasn't prepared for it. Nobody knows what happened back there, but this is what broke him, and even though he's now walking on greener pastures at Starr Park, he's never been the same ever again.

🗑️Ash : As a kid, Ash had big dreams of becoming a knight in shiny armor like in the old legends, to slay a dragon and get married to a beautiful princess. But life hasn't been good for him, and now he's a Starr Park janitor, who has to fight off rats and is stuck with a crazy russian man. The fact that he's rather crancky is understable. Still, deep inside, Ash still has that childish dream, wearing that trash can and brandishing his trusty broom and shovel is a way for him to reclaim it... charming...

🐀Moe : Moe is of the same rat colony that Ash constantly fights against. Unfortunately, he mutated very early in his life, and was never really part of the colony, as he was too human. He roamed in the park for a while, surviving off garbage that was left on the ground. Ash knew of his presence, and tried to get rid of him, as he thought he was just a big vermin. Grom found the rat though, and immediately fell in love with him, he adopted the little rat and named him Moe. Ash warmed up to him as well, and agreed to keep him, as long as he was helping them. So they built Moe his weird drilling machine, and he's now an unofficial Starr Park employee! Free labor!! Yaay!

SNOTEL

🐧Mr.P : He's always been a businessman on the grind, always speeding off to some meeting, working hours on end, without taking any breaks. All this to reach the top. While it somewhat worked, being now the owner of the Starr Park Snotel, it took a toll on his sanity. The stress of the business life turned him into a cranky, manic and tyrannical boss. He barely articulates when he speaks anymore, that's why his speech sounds like crazy penguin blabberings. No idea why he wears a penguin suit though.

🌬️ Gale : Gale seems to have his life figured out since he was young; he's a gardener/landscaper, and has been for 50 years now. Despite always doing the same job, he is completely satisfied with his life. His work is his passion, but he nevers overdoes it: patience, steadyness, and kindness are his keys to a job well-done. Even at 60, at the top of a freezing mountain, under the orders of a crazy boss, he still blows the snow away with a tender smile. He likes his job so much that he doesn't even realize Mr.P doesn't respect his worker rights.

🍧 Lou : The Lous (idk what would be their real name) are a famous brand of robots scattered all over the frontier. They are ice-making robots, design to serve refreshing treats to the thirsty and over-heating people of the badlands. Due to their popularity, Mr.P thought it would be a great idea to buy one for the Snotel. He didn't really get why these robots were popular in the first place... nobody really needs shaved-ice on an ice-covered mountain... So now, poor Lou just sits there collecting dust. Gale comforts him by telling him that he just has to wait, and his time will come, but Mr.P pressures him to work harder to attract customers. He doesn't know what to do!! (Idk how he would've gained a consciousness though).

GOLDARM GANG

🎯 Belle : Belle Starr was one of the many daughters of the Starr family, she was to be raised to become a succesfull heir and raise children of her own to ensure the family's destiny. But she never wanted that life, Belle wanted to be free and make her own choices, instead of sewing and singing, Belle liked robotics and shooting, which she loved to practice with her father, who was a brilliant engineer, partially responsible for the creation of the modern cyclops bots. In order to accomodate her, while still keeping her in line, they gave hee a job at their robot factory. But there, catastrophy struck, she fell in love with Sam, a common man, and had a baby with him. Belle saw it as an opportunity to start her own life, but the Starrs didn't see it like that. They wanted the child for themselves, so they could mold it to their wishes. Belle refused, and ran away, she caused a lot of damage in her escape, losing her arm in the process, and marking her as an outlaw. But she didn't care anymore, she was finally free, and she was going to take everything from the Starrs. She founded the gang with her husband to fight them, and quickly became known as the Golden Arm, her gang was fierce, dangerous, and never backed down from anything. Alongside her criminal life, Belle did what she could to raise her son Eddy, and she taught him how to become a feared outlaw like her. She didn't want her son to suffer like she did in the past, so she pushed him to perform better and better with each mission. She witnessed the stress this was putting him under, but the thought of losing her son terrified her. Eventually, Eddy had enough, and denounced the gang to the rangers. They were all caught on a gem cargo, which exploded, killing Eddy, and all the gang was sentenced to jail. Both Belle and Sam managed to escape years later, and despite the grief, the guilt, the hatred and vindictiveness in Belle's heart, she seems to have settled down a little bit, living a quieter life with her husband and beloved robot-daughter Pearl. Her time hasn't come yet, and she still fights against the Starrs, but she has new opponents now, an idiotic pretty-cow-boy-toy and his enraged and brutish girlfriend.

🧲 Sam : Sam Bronson comes from a poor farmer family of the frontier. He always was the one to repair his family's old broken down trucks, and developed a passion for mecanics. His upbringing was difficult, as he was often the victim of criminal scum and corrupt rangers, who used robots to oppress his family. He decided to work at the robot factory to help them, and he quickly became respected and beloved by his coworkers for his skill and sense of humor. Sadly, one day, the direction of the factory decided to make the factory self-sufficient, and to fire most of the staff. Sam was revolted, and contested the decision, but they started to turn the robots against them, starting a riot. At this point, Sam realized that the machines he helped making weren't made to protect or help people, but to oppress them, and he, who saw technology as a beautiful invention, started to harbor a hatred for this perversion. During the riot, he met Belle, who was trying to destroy the facility, and had lost her arm in the commotion. They saved each other, and from then on, Sam decided to follow Belle, wanting to fight against the corruption of the land. He built her a new gold arm, fell in love, married her, had a son bla, bla, bla, you know the rest of the story. While Belle was very vindictive towards the Starrs, Sam is a bit more mesured: his main goal is to protect the common folk, and so, despite his appearance, is the voice of reason within the gang. He loved his son more than anything, and wanted to give him a happy life, so, he started to build a robot for him, but could never finish it before it was too late. Sam was devastated by his death, and didn't talk to Belle for months afterwards, but he realized she needed him too in order to grieve. So they got back together, and Sam forced Belle to slow down, take their time to heal and enjoy their life. He finally finished Pearl, and she makes their life a little brighter everyday, just like Eddy did. Despite his unconditional love for Belle, deep down, Sam hasn't fully forgiven her for what she did to their son.

🍪 Pearl : Pearl is Sam's passion project, a gift he wanted to give to his family and a way to prove that robots aren't supposed to be made to fight. He worked on her since Eddy was little, she was supposed to be her nanny and big sister, she would be motherly, tend to the house, and even make cakes, that Belle loves. But he was so busy with gang business, he could never finish her in time. Fast forward to when him and Belle escaped prison, Sam needed a way to distract himself from their unresolved feelings, and to cheer up/apologize to/make Belle open up. So he finished her in like, a week. Belle was really touched by this kind of dorky gesture from Sam, and quickly adopted Pearl as her own daughter. Pearl helped repair Belle and Sam's relationship by setting normalcy back between them. She is a bit disconnected from the gang's history, she knows about it, but her job is more to keep her family happy and proud, and she's really good at it. Belle and Sam kinda suck at directly express love to each other, so they express it through Pearl, she's their to represent their love (like a real child would). Well, all that's pretty and all, but Belle still managed to find a way to weaponize her 🤦... things never change...

BRAWLYWOOD

💎Lola : Lola was always a narcissist and craved attention, I don't know how this trait developped in her, but she moved to Brawlywood with dreams of becoming a big actress in the movie industry. She landed a job as a tour guide, where she always played grand theatrics to grab her audience attention. Eventually, thanks to her dramatic presentations and excentric character, she would become an attraction herself, rather than the landmarks she was supposed to present. By pulling some strings, she grabbed the attention of a Brawlywood producer, and instantly got the first role in a big movie. She was only supposed to be a secondary character, but the lead actress had an "unfortunate" accident, leaving her role to Lola. During the shooting, an on-set accident caused her to suffer a mutation, creating her ego-double, and bringing out her full dramatic potential. Thanks to her theatrics, she instantly became a big shot in Brawlywood, and she's today bathing in the attention she always craved. Nobody tell her she's a terrible actor.

🎬Gray : Contrary to Lola, Gray was always discreet and introverted, he probably had a simple job in Brawlywood, and preferred staying alone, as attention made him very nervous. Unfortunately, Gray was cursed with a strangely "quirky" character, and a unique appearance, making him easily noticeable amongst a crowd. People would be intrigued by him, giving him a lot of attention, but he would just freeze up in place, embarrassed of himself. He loved performing as a way to relieve his anxiety, he was an outsanding actor, dancer and singer, but he'd always do it alone to express himself, and never had the ambition to become an actor. His secret talents were unfortunately noticed by a Brawlywood producer (the same that hired Lola), thinking he was the perfect fit for an upcoming movie, and, he reluctantly accepted the role, thinking that it could be a good opportunity to show his talents. He loved working on set, and bonded a lot with Lola, who was a bit weird like him. Sadly, his anxiety was too much to bear, and he couldn't say a line one the cameras rolled. He was about to give up the role, when the incident happened, giving him weird mime powers, and this gave him an idea. Using her theatrics, Lola forced the production to change Gray's character, to be a silent one, and while this wasn't a full fix, he was way more confortable in this role, and could finally perform. The movie was terrible because of it's chaotic production, but Gray's performance was a highlight of it, and he became a recognized comedian. With time, he polished his character to be the Charlie Chaplin-mime type we all know today, it's only while wearing this persona that he feels truly comfortable performing in front of others. Lola is a very dear friend to him, despite her egocenstrism, she's one of the few ones that understand him.

🐒Mico : Mico was a huge Brawlywood celebrity, as a trained actor monkey, he was truly living the life : an infinite supply of bananas, a nice bed, and adoring fans, all he had to do was obey his trainer, smile to the camera here, do a little flip there, and he was rewarded. Mico's was on a little cloud, until everything went apeshit, what seemed like an umpteenth regular movie set exploded, and the next morning, he was way taller, had hands and feet, and could speak like his owner, he became human! He was no longer the cute domestic monkey who was applauded for his tricks, no, he was now just a regular dude, and nobody had any use for him anymore, so he was fired. No more were the gourmet meals, soft sheets and free pets for him, now, he had to work like everybody else. How dare they throw me away! I was on top! I was a superstar! I'll show them! I'll show all of them that I'm great, and I'll get my glory back, he thought. So, he went back all the way to the bottom of the Brawlywood ladder, becoming a mic operator. It'll be a long and harduous journey, but one day, he will be back on top, and direct his own movie, and he'll make fools out of all of them!!

CANDYLAND :

🍭Mandy : She was a regular candy maker with a bit of a go-getter attitude. One day she suffered a mutation that gave her candy-kinesis powers, but she also went completely nuts, making her the perfect fit to become the queen of Starr Park's Candyland. She's now completely comitted to the role, and rules her candy shop like a deranged tyrant. I like to think she's been affected by the mutation a lot more than other brawlers, changing her personality and even her body chemistry, causing her tears to be rainbows.

🃏Chester : Chester is a young aspiring comedian, notably specializing in pranks. He has his own Youtube channel where he likes to show his jokes and tricks, much to the annoyance of his victims. It's not about the views for him, it's about fun and creativity, and the more he can annoy, the more fun he has. Mandy is and will always be his favorite victim, as she's VERY irritable. He is obnoxious, but I don't want to think of him as those deranged prank youtubers who do everything for views, I think he's a bit more wholesome like Rémi Gaillard (idk if you know him.).

🦄Berry : BArry is a very passionate artist, patient and creative, he likes to use colours to paint the wonderful fantasies that he's dreaming of. Sadly, selling paintings doesn't pay the bills these days, so he took this job as a mascot at Mandy's candy shop, and is forced to babysit these two nutcases all day long. What once was an inspired dreaming unicorn became a jaded and desparate donkey. Despite the misery of his situation, he's still attached to Mandy and Chester, they always make a mess, but their crazy characters allow him to dream and have fun during his shifts. When the day comes to an end, he puts the costume down, goes back home, and paints scenes of a castle floating on cotton-candy clouds.

MYSTIC

👁️Tara : She's a traveller from a distant land, who's come to the frontier with her family in search of truth about the world, spirits, destiny and all that. The divinatory arts are tradition in her family, practicing them since she was little, she's opened a litteral third eye. Thus allowing her to see a world beyond comprehension, and to read people like an open book. Sensing the energy radiating from the badlands, she predicted something big is going to happen, but somehow, she doesn't know what exactly it is yet, but she does know that it's going to change the stars themselves. In the meantime, she's opened a trincket shop and a divinatory parlor to earn a little money, only 10% of it's real magic though, but it's important to support local businesses! Another thing, I like to think she's not a mutant, but that she got her powers from actual magic training.

🌙Sandy : Tara's magically-enclined little brother, as a kid woth great potential, he was (unwillingly) brought along with her on her journey, and now helps out in her shop. Well, help out is a big word, as he is heavily connected to the spirit world, and a growing teenage boy, Sandy spends 80% of his time napping. It's not really his fault, it's like each time he wakes up, some unknown force pulls him back to his dreams. It was really terrifying for him at first, as he was scared of becoming comatose his whole life. But with the guidance of Tara and Gene, he has learned to harness the power of the subconscious. He has now the ability to manipulate to his will, using sand as a catalyst. Through these means, Sandy's still able to be active while sleeping, all the while his mind wanders the spirit world. Despite his great power, he's not as interested in magic and destiny etc... as Tara, he doesn't like responsability, and just wants to use it as he pleases. Tara doesn't mind, as long as she has her baby brother by her side, she's happy.

🧞Gene : A litteral genie, old as time itself, and powerful beyond comprehension, like all of his peers, he was one of the primordial spirits that shaped the world as it is today. He wasn't good nor evil, but being an entity of immense power, he once caused a lot of misery to humans, as they were mere insects to them. But one they, to stop him, a brave magician trapped him in an enchanted lamp, rendering him powerless. He was abandoned during centuries, but he took this time to reflect and observe humans, gaining empathy and humanity himself. One day, a descendant of the magician, in a desperate search for protecting his people, freed him, and proposed a deal: he would help him avoid an umcoming catastrophe, by granting three wishes, in exchange for his freedom. The genie, having sympathy for the human, accepted, but could only grant one wish in time, before the deal could be concluded. Only one third of the genie was freed, in the form of a weird little purple guy, most of his power was stuck in the lamp as well. It was unfortunate, but the human's wish was enough to save their family, who adopted the genie as thanks for saving their life. The tiny genie became a full part of the family, watching over each generation and teaching them magic, while his power was limited, he didn't care, as he had now people who loved him. Today, he's just a little silly genie, following Tara along on her journey, and while he's acting as a buffoon most of the time, he's always there to watch over her.

SUPERHEROES

⚡Max : Max was a run of the mill woman from Super City, she's very athletic and lovs to run, always looking to improve her performance. One day, she was selected to try a new energy drink that was in testing, the main component of the drink were refined gems. While it didn't seem to be anything special at first, it had an interesting effect on Max; it turns out that she could metabolize it extremely fast, boosting her performance to new heights. She began to use this new ability to help the people of Super City, and soon, she became a local hero. And thanks to her sponsor, she was able to have her own gadgets, costume and team, just like in old super-hero comics. And thus, Max, the defender of Super City was born!

🤘Surge : Surge used to be a regular vending machine, I like to think he was Rico's ex, but after Frank broke it, it was repurposed to sell Max's energy drink, recieving a red and yellow paint job, and a shiny futuristic look. But being still a bit broken, the liquid leaked into it's circuits, and the machine took life. Seeing this as a great advertisement opportunity, the drink brand modified him to make it look like a full-on mech, creating Surge Protector! Just like Max, Surge can harness the power of the drink to boost his performances. He joined Max's team, and spends his life defending the city against kaijus and giant robots, all with his iconic surfer dude attitude.

🤖 Meg : Just like Jessie, Meg is a prodigy, she entered the best university at a very early age, and promised to become an exceptionnal engineer. With her talents and passion, she felt like she could change the world, but sadly, she was constantly infantilized by her classmates because of her age and childish interests. In fact, Meg was a huge comic fan, and, feeling inspired by them, she built her own mech, to prove she could make great things. While a kaiju was attacking the city, she threw herself into battle, not realizing the danger she was putting herself in. Hopefully she was saved by Max and Surge, who, impressed by her craftsmanship, decided to take her under their wing. Today, Meg is the heroe's little helper, making repairs to Surge, improving her own robot, and building tools to help them. She's still infantilized though, and Max doesn't want her clumsiness to get them in trouble. So she doesn't have as much of an active role as she'd like in the team, but she's still very proud to be able to have an impact on the world, even if it's little.

STARR FORCE

🐕 Colonel Ruffs : Ruffs was a regular puppy, he lived isolated in the wasteland with his owner, who was an excentric, but passionate and loving astrophysicist. Since the land became deserted, the space programs have all stopped to a halt, but the scientist had the crazy ambition to build a rocket ship by themselves, so they could reach the stars, and live in orbit with their beloved companion. Ruffs didn't fully understand, but he loved to accompagny his owner in their quest, and dreamt of the many stars they observed together. Sadly, as they were close to finishing the rocket, a gem explosion occured, ending the scientist's life, and mutating the poor dog. After accompagning him in their last breaths, he made the promise of one day reaching the stars. Thanks to his newfound intelligence, he studied his master's plans, finished the rocket, and managed to send himself into orbit, finally accomplishing their dream. Today, Ruffs is a talented space-traveler, proudly piloting his ship and fighting off invaderd from outer-space. On earth, he's a bit of an urban legend, there are many reports of a dog in a spaceship, landing in the middle of the desert, but nothing has ever been proven.

💧Squeak : Nothing special to say about the little guy, he was born out of Ruff's mutated saliva, and has been living on the ship ever since. Squeak is dedicated to his creator, and does his best to help around the ship, but he's too innocent to realise that he's always making a mess. This drives Ruffs nuts, but deep down, he really loves him, making the life in space a little less lonely, he treats him like his own pet/son.

🪲 Eve : Eve is a flea from outer space! Her species is parasitic, invading other planets in order to multiply and "colonize" it. And she has found the perfect host to raise her lovely babies, Ruffs, the space dog! Eve is dead set on using his lush fur to multiply, so she bothers the Starr Force very often. Of course, Ruffs won't let that happen, and fights her off fiercely in order to protect his planet for this evil invader. He doesn't realise that Eve doesn't really want anything to do with earth though, and in fact, doesn't even represent a threat to it (she's flea-sized! What is she gonna do???). All she wants is that warm, soft, lushous dog fur.

VELOCIRAPIDS

🐊Buzz : Buzz comes from the coast of the land, and his job was BEACH. Always prancing about on the sand, bossing the swimmers around, acting like he owns the place. His parents told him to stop pretending to be important and get an actual job or they would cut him off. So, when he found a job offer to work at the velocirapids at Starr Park, he jumped at the opportunity, thinking he could still practice his passion. Little did he know, the offer wasn't for being a lifeguard, but to be a dinosaur-mascot. Today, Buzz works at the water park, bossing the swimmers around, flexing his (unlicensed) rescuing skills, and blowing his whistle at every opportunity, all the while in his ridiculous green dinosaur suit.

🌭Doug : Doug is a floatie from the velocirapids that mysteriously came alive one day. When the staff found this out, they went in panic mode, not wanting this freak of nature to be out in the public. So they told him : "We're gonna give you a job and shelter, but you have to pretend to be human, and you can never leave this place.", Doug looked around, he had a pool, slides, sunlight, and he said "okay!". And now he's a hot dog seller.

TURBO THEATER

🍿Fang : Fang is a regular guy from Super City, he loves kung fu movies, and always tried to reproduce the impressive moves he saw in them to look cool, with varying results. He is pretty strong, but he has no actual training, which makes his fighting technique a bit weird. Today, he works a dead end job as a cashier at the theater, but he knows he'll get his big break one day! In the meantime, he spends his time goofin around and trying to impress clients with his moves, as I said, with varying results.

📽️ Buster : He's a huge movie nerd, and by nerd I mean NEEEERD, guy almost always speak in references. Since forever, he had big dreams of becoming a movie director. But, with no budget or connexions, he's also doomed to be a simple cashier at the cinema (he isn't a projectionist! These things are automated now), where he met Fang. Thanks to their passion for movies, they quickly hit it off, and Fang pushed him to liberate his inner chaotic self. They're best bros todays, they spend their time causing chaos around the cinema. Buster hasn't given up on his dream, and still works hard to make his own movie, but he found the perfect lead actor for it!

🧯Maisie : She works as maintenance in the cinema, she lost her arm in a fire, and replaced it with a multi-tool one. She's pretty bossy towards Fang and Buster, but it's because she doesn't want them to be hurt, deep down, she's very attached to their chaotic shenanigans, and likes to take part in it herself. I wish they developed her more, I like her design, but her character is a nothing burger right now :/ (I got cooked on twitter for saying she's boring but am I wrong?...).

SWAMP OF LOVE

🐸Willow : She used to be a regular fish, living in the dangerous waters of the swamp. Everyday, she witnessed couples going to her home for a romantic date, and she despised them, they were invading the swamp, and polluting it with their disgusting love. One day, she mutated (I like to tjink Mortis had something to do with it), and gained human-like features. She saw this as a perfect opportunity, and used her freakish appearance, as well as an army of mind-controlling tadpoles, to scare off the sweethearts. Somehow, thanks to her work, the swamp became an even more lovely place, and couples still go there, not really caring for the fish-monster inhabiting it. Willow's still having a blast scaring the more careless of them.

🦟Angelo : He was a regular boy from the frontier, but being skinny, weak and effeminate, he had a tough time growing up. People were mocking him and spread false rumors about him. He wanted to leave the dusty and toxic air of the badlands, and make it big in Brawlywood. Angelo liked going to Starr Park, as he felt accepted here, and eventually landed a job as an archer for the swamp of love. Everything was going fine, but sadly, he fell into the polluted waters, mutating him into the green monstruosity. But somehow, despite his horrific looks, he didn't mind, in fact, he loved this new form, he felt like he was reborn. More confident than ever, he uses his new powers to cause chaos in the park, spreading false rumors and creating beef between people, just for his own enjoyement. Is it bad? Yes. Does he care? Of course not!

BIZARRE CIRCUS

🕷️ Charlie : Charlotte is an acrobat who lead a circus back in France. She used her skills and clever trickery to steal and scam people out of their money. But her public caught um to it, and she fled the country to avoid punishement. Today she is here, and rebranded her show as the bizarre circus. She does the same thing as she did before, but thankfully, people seems to be a bit slower here hehe.

KARAOKE?

🎤 Melodie : Some girl who likes karaoke, she was so good at it in fact, that she became a huge pop star. Similarly to Poco or Janet, she has the ability to control music thanks to the "note fairies", she treats them like her little pets. Despite her very sweet and graceful appearance, she can get quite scary when someone tries to dethrone her. She has a bit of beef with Janet, because she sees her as a menace to her n°1 spot on the charts.

ENCHANTED FOREST

🍄 Cordelius : Nobody knows who's this guy really is, he's been running around the enchanted forest, taking care of the plants and spreading mushroom spores everywhere, for years now. In fact, Cordelius has no intention of leaving the forest, preferring the company of mushrooms rather than people. There are his friends you see? They understand, help each other, and one day, it'll be only him, and the mushrooms... Yep... He just really likes mushrooms... totally...

🌷Lily : I like to think she's Rosa's sister (As I said, they're very similar imo), but contrary to her, Lily's thing is more magic than science. They had a bit of a concflictual relationship because of it, and it droce them apart. Her third, younger sister, mysteriously disappeared in the forest one day, and in order to try and bring her back, she started a ritual. Sadly, the ritual failed, and the enchanted forest took her, fusing her with the surrounding vegetation. Today, Lily's still wandering the mysterious woods, studying it, and using magic, to try and find her missing sister.

DEEP SEA

🎨 Otis : They're an unknown sea creature, probably a squid or an octopus, contrary to what people may think, they're not mutated, they're just a little smarter than your average octopus. Life under the sea can get quite boring when you're an intelligent creature, so Otis got the habit of observing the beach goers having fun on the surface. There, they discovered the concept of art, and felt inspired to express themselves, and to show the beauty of the ocean, by using their own ink. They built themselves a makeshift reverse diving suit, to be able to explore the surface as a human, and started to paint the walls with all their beautiful colours! Otis is renouned today as a talented, but mysterious, street artist. Also their little starfish guy is like their pet.

🦐 Hank : He was born and raised on a shrimp farm, with all of his beloved shrimp bretheren, but of course, he didn't understand that his destiny was to be part of a delicious meal. Him and his family were bought by Kenji for his restaurant, there he saw all his brothers being boiled to death. But right before it was Hank's turn in the pot, something stopped the chef in his tracks, and the brave little shrimp mutated. Hank barely managed to escape for his life, and swore to become stronger in order to fight for his fallen bretheren. He watched a bunch of war movies, and built himself a tank (litteraly) out of scrap from the sea. He might be small, but he is determined to get his revenge.

🦞Clancy : He's like a dude... with lobster armor...? I don't get it man 😓 It's possible that he's ex-military, still plagued by war flashbacks (see his animation), feeling purposeless, he got "drafted" by Hank in his rag-tag sea life protection unit. He's completely nuts because of his past, to fully anjoy the thrill of battle, and to feel accepted by his team, he roleplays as a lobster.

HUB

📷 R-T : He was Starr Park's first custom robot, initially built to be helpful guide for the visitors. But as it kept growing, they slowly modified him to watch over the vistors and the staff, then, he became a full-on walking surveillance camera. R-T has a eye on every corner of the park, and practically knows everything about it and the staff. He is meant to keep and deliver each bit of information he can collect to management. Despite his thouroughness and obedience to the park, part of him (his legs) knows that something is wrong, and wishes he could go back to really helping people.

👬 Larry & Lawrie : The second an third custom robots of the park. Were R-T is built to warch over it, L&L are built to enforce the rules of the park, and to stop any troublemaker. Larry uses the soft method, and politely reprimands people who break the rules, Lawrie is a second layer of defense, who doesn't hesitate to use violence against the less desirable visitors. Why would an amusement park need such brutal security?

ODDITY SHOP

🫖Juju : A woman that practices voodoo, nothing much to say about her. She set up her oddity shop in the badlands and offers her services to whoever pays the price. I like to think she has a rivalry with Tara because they have very similar businesses.

SUSHI JOINT

🍣Kenji : He's an ex-mercenary from japan, trained in the ways of the samurai. He only accomplished jobs for people with good intentions, never letting money or mindless violence corrupt his heart. But one day, his employers made him attack Starr Park (their japanese branch lol), which he didn't think much about at the time, but he didn't know thus event would change the course of his life. Tired of this life of fighting, and having met love, he left the country and set up an humble sushi restaurant in Retropolis. For a while, he had everything a man could dream of, a quiet life, a fullfilling job, and a loving wife and daughter (Bibi). But his past caught up to him eventually, and robots from Starr Park attacked his business, kidnapping his wife. Stricken by grief and rage, Kenji took his old saber up, and swore to get revenge on those who hurt his family, becoming a vagabond, but also leaving his child behind.

TOON STUDIOS

🐱Kit : The Kit we know was initially Shelly's beloved black cat, he was named after the popular cartoon character she used to watch as a kid. Nobody knows how it really happened, but the poor cat mutated into looking like the hero from this cartoon, gaining his appearance, voice, and mannerisms. Discovering this, Starr Park quickly took him in, and made him work as the mascot for Starr Toon Studios, being forced to act like the cartoon character, and signing autograph for children he doesn't care for. Despite his goofy behavior and cartoony powers, deep down, he's still a regular car, and wishes he could go back to take a nap on Shelly's lap.

MEDIEVAL MANNER

🐉Draco : "Just" a heavy metal singer. Since he was little, he was always passionate about fairytales and medieval fantasy, he pretended to be a knight, and a slayer of dragons. People mocked him for his imagination, but he didn't care for it, he'd invent a world of fantasy for himself, and tell epic tales from it to his brothers, who were the only ones to listen to him. Of course today, he grew out of it a bit, but he never gave up his childhood wonder. He now tells epic tales of dragon tamers and badass knights in the form of powerful heavy metal music, to the enjoyement of his many fans. His dragon thingy is actually and advanced animatrimonic, equipped with pyrotechnics, but he likes to pretend it's an actual dragon. It's possible that he's a Starr considering his red hair, and access to advanced technology (like Edgar's scarf).

TOY STORE??

🎱Meeple : I HATE THEM I have no idea what that thing is, it's ugly and annoying and I don't understand what their deal is, sorry Meeple fans. STILL, I have a game theory that could save/explain their really weird design. It's possible that Meeple's actually L&L third secret brother DON'T LEAVE HEAR ME OUT. Meeple has a very similar build to them, has similar clothes to them (Shoulder pads, chest plate, big boots and gloves AND no pants), has a robotic voice, a floating head AND an obsession with rules. That's the only way I could explain their really weiiird design. He's probably a third Lawrence that was supposed to watch over the park, but glitched or abandoned his duties (hence why he's also a big cheater). Now, he's been embarrassingly shoved into a bassement where he only plays board games. What do you think?

SKATEPARK

🛹 Ollie : Lil hip hop skater dude, heck yeah.

#brawl stars

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shoccolat · 5 months ago

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this is probably going to sound crazy, but i really do think the most vital and pivotal core of nishimaji is nishitani's death.

not just in the way it affects, and influences, majima—giving him the motivation to break out and present himself on his own terms, his mad dog fighting style, his flashy and garish fashion choices, even his facial hair, as well as dreaming of nishitani telling him he's proud of him—but in what we learn about nishitani in his final moments.

before we get to that, though, let's take a closer look at who nishitani is.

nishitani is a wildcard. he does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, however he wants. he's not held back by anything other than a personal moral code that's a bit questionable, but usually well-intentioned nonetheless.

by that i mean, he's not heartless.

he backs off when the grand's hostess tells him she's not interested and lets her set the conditions on her own terms. he doesn't keep fighting majima after he throws the first punch and realizes majima isn't fighting back. he's out for makoto, sure, but he reassures majima that he's not going to harm her and never planned to, even before majima showed discomfort in nishitani 'hunting' her. and of course, he avenged biliken's daughter because of how devastatingly hard it hit his uncle.

nishitani may be rough and cocky, but he's never cruel. he's incredibly perceptive and knows when to back off. for a yakuza patriarch, he's vastly different than the cold, uncaring, selfish ones we see in the series.

and yet, he says this:

and that changes things a bit. because in a way, he sees himself just like those other heartless yakuza—he's done all the dirty work it takes to get to where he is and then some, and has gotten quite successful because of it. so why would "a guy like [him]" be feeling sentimental towards majima?

really, hasn't he been feeling this way the entire time?

he plays the tough guy act, but really, he's fallen head over heels for majima and he knows it. says it himself, even.

and it's not just a creepy façade to deter majima (especially since majima never really seems all that deterred by it, especially in the jail cell, where he even starts to flirt along) because nishitani isn't one to fake anything. he's so unapologetically himself and if anything, that's what majima admires and looks up to most.

but majima is also perceptive and smart and kind, and wouldn't look up to a shitty person who never cared for anyone but himself, even if they're yakuza and in a higher position than himself. he has sagawa for that, and majima absolutely hates his guts. whereas he sees something novel and good in nishitani.

it's especially notable that nishitani shares the same sentiment about sagawa, and even offers majima an alternative.

at this point we know that working under nishitani would've been vastly different than being under sagawa's thumb, but not to what extent... what kind of boss would he have been to majima…?

honestly, they could've left it right there. "nishitani has a weak spot for majima, majima looks up to nishitani, and there's some semblance of respect between them." that alone would've left plenty for fans to work with.

but no. they just had to take it that one step further.

they had nishitani sacrifice himself for majima. he fully, physically blocked majima from getting shot, arms outstretched, protecting majima. he drops the playful banter and gives majima the most motivating advice of his life. and he shows a fierce loyalty towards majima that would probably never have been shown just as intensely as it was in that moment. in life or death, he chose majima's over his own.

i made a post about his irezumi a while ago, but if you haven't seen it yet, i imagine his would've been an okami.

okami are seen as wildcards, too, being either protective or aggressive towards humans—how they act is entirely dependent on how the human treats them. and for okami, there exists the fierce loyalty that a wolf maintains towards its pack.

it's only in nishitani's final moments that we see just how deep that loyalty lies.

#sometimes you just gotta stop and write a 700 word analysis of your ship in one sitting #i hope this is coherent i wrote it at 2am 🙏#i have a lot of Big Feelings about nishitani #nishitani homare #nishimaji #yakuza 0 spoilers #yakuza 0 #yakuza #rgg #ameplays.txt #meta.txt

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zorobraun · 2 years ago

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hear me out… enemies to lovers with ghost

you shouldn’t have bitten off more than you can chew. now you’re here, pressing your hand against the deep wound on your stomach. it hurts like hell, you can feel the bullet inside. you try to breath to calm yourself down, but you can’t. you’re holding back your tears as you hear the voice that you least expected to hear from. “y/n, how copy?” that british accent almost tickles your ear. ghost actually sounds preoccupied, you guess he fakes it too well. you two fight too much for him to actually give a shit about what happens to you on missions. you grunt in pain, you think it might be over for you. you’re dying. “i need you to answer me right fucking now, you idiot. where are you?” the sound of his erratic breathing as he runs to try to find you makes you realize he actually wants to save you from death. well, it’s what lieutenants do, right?

“i’m… nearby the house, hiding under a giant tree, bleeding like a motherfucker. come find me or else…” you take a moment to breath painfully, ghost’s concerned eyes wander around the area you described to be at. like hell he’s going to let you die miserably like this. “it’s pretty dark in here. good luck with that, lieutenant.” you try to chuckle to break the ice, but you end up groaning in pain instead. his heart starts panicking for no reason. “i’d find you even with my eyes closed.” he says firmly and you swallow hard. the silence killing you more than that asshole’s perfect shot on your stomach. now you’re the one closing your eyes, the weakness completely owning your body. god, you hate this so much; being weak. at least, you’re still breathing. shallowly, but still. you hear heavy footsteps, but you’re not strong enough to react to that. you’re literally dying.

“c’mon, let’s go.” you hear ghost’s hurried voice as he grabs your arm gently to pick you up in bride style. you frown in pain, your senses coming back to life again. “i’ve got you, i’ve got you.” he reassures you as you nod, your hand still pressing the wound. your vision is still blurry when you look at him. his eyes reciprocates the eye contact for a moment, just to make sure you’re still alive. you notice the fear in his eyes, because his eyes never lie — even if ghost wants them to. “so you do like me.” you mumble, smiling half heartedly. you feel his muscles tense against you. “i like you alive.” he mumbles back, hurrying his steps to get you to the hidden emergency base. “of course i’m alive…” you start, resting your forehead against his arm to hide the pain painted all over your face. “i didn’t want my last words to be ‘lieutenant’.” you chuckle, crying lowly.

ghost smiles half heartedly to himself, shaking his head. you’re tough just like him. he taught you well. “a woman after my own heart.” that’s the last thing you hear before passing out on his strong arms, half alive, half dead. “stay with me or else i’m gonna kill you myself.” his voice brings you back to your senses again, but it sounds so distant, like you’re not even next to him right now. you also hear different voices and medical equipment sounds. you feel a hand holding yours for a dear life, making you curious. it could be anyone, since you’re friends with everybody except for ghost. however, your curiosity fades away when you feel a huge pain in your stomach, like someone just ripped something off of you. it must be the goddamn bullet.

you wake up a few hours later in your own bed. you open your eyes slowly and take a deep breath when you realize you’re at the base. so you’re safe now, good. you feel much better, even though the pain is still there. you look around to see if you’re not dreaming, and when you see ghost — your annoying lieutenant that makes you go crazy in the worst way possible — holding your hand as he takes a nap on a chair next to your bed, you’re certain that this is all a dream. you’re actually dead, because there’s just no way this can be real. you even pinch yourself with your free hand to make sure this is actually happening. this warmth against your hand… it’s the same one you felt a few hours ago in the emergency base. so it was him. life really is unpredictable.

he sighs as if he’s waking up from his nap and your heart starts racing. ghost looks tired, as if he spent the whole night inside your room, waiting for you to wake up and say something, do something, do whatever the hell you want just to show him that you’re alive and well. “good morning.” you tease as he opens his eyes lazily. his mask is slightly up, so you can see his relieved half heartedly smile when he hears your voice. he caresses your hand with his thumb, as a way to say that he’s so very glad that you stayed with him. yes, the team needs you as well. but he needs you more. “hey, um… thank you. for everything. you saved my life.” you smile shyly. he licks his lips nervously, as if he’s not sure of something. it makes you confused, but you understand it all when you feel his soft lips crash against yours. the kiss screams i’m so glad i won’t spend the rest of my life missing you, and your heart starts beating so fast that you think you might die of a heart attack.

“i really like you alive.” he whispers against your lips as he lays his forehead against yours. he opens his eyes to look at yours and you both smile weakly. you really like him as well. alive, preferably.

#call of duty #ghost call of duty #simon ghost riley #simon ghost riley x reader #simon ghost riley x you #simon riley #simon riley angst #simon riley fluff #simon riley smut #simon riley x y/n

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liminalpebble · 3 months ago

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Jump Scares

AO3 Link

Eddie Munson x Femme reader. They just began dating and have only kissed so far. One-shot.

Movie night with Eddie comes with a new game from the dungeon master himself, and no matter who wins, Eddie's pretty sure you'll both come out of this with some Halloween thrills.

P.s. Sorry it's a little late for Halloween. I tried to write it sooner, but life interfered. I hope this is a nice relaxing treat (especially if you are also American and VERY anxious today, as I am). Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

Cw: very light discussion of horror movie violence. Fingering and male masturbation.

When you knock on the flimsy trailer door, you can already see a warm glow from the living room, filtered through the woven fabric of the curtains. The soft light illuminates decals of ghosts, demons, pumpkins and vampires stuck haphazardly across the pane of glass. You smirk. It's clearly Eddie's chaotic handiwork. It has him written all over it.

You're also curious. It's not often that Eddie is particular about drawing the blinds, and you wonder, with a sugary sweet buzz of anticipation, what he might be planning, what he might want to keep prying eyes from peeking at tonight.

You knock, then hear a low ruckus within. It sounds like a particularly gangly great Dane is tumbling through the house, but that's Eddie for ya. The door swings open violently, and there he is; all flushed cheeks, messy milk chocolate curls, and a dimpled grin that could charm anyone into absolutely anything.

“Hey Sweetheart!” he blurts and then drawls, “right on time.”

You giggle and kiss his warm face, lingering a little as his exothermic warmth thaws your chilly nose.

“What the hell is going on in there? A tornado?”

“Nah. Just Hurricane Eddie, at your service.”

His balmy hands find your cheeks and rub gently as he say, “Jesus, you're freezing, get in here!”

You were freezing. You knew it was really too cold to wear a skirt, but you couldn't resist the temptation of teasing Eddie with the sight of your curves, flattered by the garment. He takes your coat for you and hangs it up carefully (because he might be a chaos goblin but Wayne also raised him to be a gentleman).

As your coat slips off, you get exactly the reaction you hoped for. Those big dark eyes go wide, drinking in the sight of you in that cute little skirt and knee socks.

“Damn,” he gasps. His mouth hangs open as he struggles to retrieve the brain cells to elaborate.

You take pity on him and fill the void.

“You like it?”

“Like it? Baby, come on. You're killing me here. Those teens in the slasher flick might not be the only ones slain before the night is over.”

Then he dramatically rolls his eyes and clutches his heart, wobbling into a fake faint. You catch him by his skinny waist and hug it tightly, pulling him against you. You inhale deeply. He smells like Old Spice, and faintly of cigarettes, and the breath mints he chewed a little while ago in a weak attempt to mask it for you.

But you don't mind. It's the cocktail of him; tobacco, leather, the clean tangs of spearmint and cheap detergent, and the crisp autumn air he'd been out in most of the day, raking leaves.

“Did you just...sniff me,” he said with an amused chuckled.

“Yeah. I can't help it. I just love your smell.”

He nuzzles into your hair, returning the gesture with a deep inhale of his own.

“You little freak,” he says affectionately, and you give him a playful smack on the arm. “Anywayyy. I have a spectacular movie night planned for us, m'lady. Popcorn, candy, warm beverages and blankets...the works.”

Your heart melts as you notice the little coffee table in front of the sofa, loaded with a smorgasbord of buttery, salty popcorn, colorful gummies, and rich chocolates all arranged neatly in black and orange party bowls.

“Wow...Eddie...this...this is great!” Stunned, you turn to him and smother him in another grateful lip-lock. He breaks the kiss reluctantly and you whimper at the loss.

“Hold that thought!” he orders, as he scrambles to the VCR and gleefully pops in some Halloween-themed, heavy metal, B movie.

-------

It's a predictable campy slasher which neither of you will remember the name of. You certainly won't, not with his soft full lips on your neck the way they are now. You're both breathing heavy; handsy and eager as you make out.

“AHHHH!”

A prom queen screams as she falls victim to a plastic knife and spurts some suspiciously ketchupy looking blood.

You both jump at the blood-curdling screech, then laugh. “I'm so ashamed! I can't believe it actually made me jump! There goes my horror connoisseur cred, huh?” you bemoan to Eddie.

“Hey...give yourself a break. You were caught a little off-guard.” He pauses to kiss you languidly, his long candy-flavored tongue swirling deliciously in your mouth.

“You know...you, a little distracted and vulnerable. It's actually kind of cute. You're not usually the jumpy type but this is...I dunno...this is doing something to me. I...hmmm.”

His eyes go wide and he gives you that crooked grin, the one that says he's on to something, the one that no one on the planet could resist.

He rushes the words out, “I have an idea. Com'er.”

His warm broad palm finds its way to your waist as he tugs you close beside him, practically sitting you on his thigh facing the grainy flicker of the screen in the darkness. You squeak with surprise.

He gives a filthy little chuckle, “Sorry to manhandle you there, sweetness.”

“Mmm. I don't mind. Now what the fuck are you doing?”

He brings his lips close to your ear, kissing just beneath it then nipping playfully at the lobe, coaxing out a shudder. That warm hand with the chunky rings glides over the soft skin of your thigh, squeezes, then stills. You give him a quizzical look.

“Eyes ahead, baby,” he whispers, “Now, listen. Here's the rules of the game. Every time you jump, this hand...” he squeezes again, then runs the calloused tips of his fingers in relaxing circles over the soft flesh, “...will move justttt a little bit.”

He moves your hair gently with his nose and kisses that vulnerable spot just between your neck and shoulder. The move renders you helplessly limp against him, like a vampire's damsel victim in a black and white film.

“We'll see who's screaming by the end, hmm? Wanna play?”

You gasp then, smiling and nodding, squirming at the anticipation and tension.

“Alright, sweetheart. Let the games begin.”

To an outside observer, it would just look like a couple watching a movie together, innocently side by side swaddled in a shared blanket. That is, until you're startled a second time and his deft fingers slide up the fret board of your thigh, ever so slightly closer to where he's dying to play.

Then, the third jump scare. His hand moves further still, warm and solid and coming inexorably closer like the villain on screen, stalking his prey. The hand around your waist finds the hem of your sweater and toys with it, parts it like a theater curtain to draw soothing little shapes over your stomach, then your breastbone, like a wizard carving runes, casting a lulling enchantment. It's working beautifully on you and feels like sinking into a warm bath of tactile sensation.

His fingers find the little bow nestled between the cups of your bra. Eddie lets out a little snicker of laughter.

“Cute. Did you get this just for me? Be honest.”

“Uh huh,” you gasp, suddenly unable to form words.

“Mmm. I'm a lucky man then, but I hope you don't mind that I'm a lot more interest in what's underneath it.” He tilts your face so your eyes meet his, deep and dark as ink in the glow of the TV. “Can I touch you?”

“Please,” you hiss, in a high breathy voice of arousal you hardly recognize as your own.

His hand slides behind you. the clasps release one at a time with a gentle snap until he can slide beneath the silky band to your even silkier skin. Eddie groans with need, a deep rumble that you can feel where his chest is pressed against your back.

You close your eyes, head leaning back against him as he massages and teases the sensitive flesh. He leans over kissing you deeply, desperately, as his fingers toy with your stiff nipples, drawing out the most desperate sounds from you.

He pulls you closer and your legs fall wider, his thigh now nestled snugly between them. Denim rubs roughly against the slick material and the dripping lips underneath. Eddie groans again, canting his hips up against you until you feel his erection pressing hard against the curve of your ass.

“Feel what you do to me, baby? How hard you always make me? Did you know before we were even dating, as soon as you'd leave with everyone else, I'd run off to my room to handle this? Christ, I couldn't slam the door fast enough so I could jack off thinking of you.”

“Really?” you ask, preening and flattered at the high praise.

“Yeah,” he purrs, “Every fucking time. Surprised I never came in my pants like some horny little perv before I even managed to find some privacy.”

You whimper at his confession, the dampness growing between your legs. You're soaked, swollen and needy beneath your clothes.

“AHHHHH!” screams a doomed cheerleader onscreen, and you flinch.

A split second later, Eddie's hand eagerly buries itself between your legs. First, he kneads at your inner thigh, just outside of fabric of your underwear, and is delighted to feel your wetness has leaked there, giving him a luscious preview of what to expect.

“Ohhhh, good girl. You're so wet for me that it's spilling out. Jesus Christ, you're so hot.”

Eddie doesn't wait for another jump scare. He can't resist any longer and your needy squirms and moans only egg him on. He traces gently up your damp, shuddering thigh and slips under the hem of your ruined panties.

“AHHHHH!”

“Ahhhh!” you both echo in union and is seems like the movie is screaming it with you.

It's heaven, pure bliss, the way his clever fingertips swim against your contours, the lips of your pussy. You're blossoming open, dewy and ripe for him, inviting further.

“Lean over the table, honey,” he commands, and you oblige, parting the sea of plastic bowls as you make room to lay down, your ass exposed for him like a submissive animal.

A sharp smack finds your pliant flesh. You yelp and giggle with surprise as he kneads and massages. He slides your panties down and suddenly a wave of self-consciousness washes over you. You realize how totally exposed and vulnerable you are like this.

“Is...is it okay, Eddie?”

“Sweetheart,” he moans in awe, “it's absolutely perfect. God, you're perfect.”

It's surprisingly reverent, as are his fingers as he slides them inside of you, pumping and easing within. Then his finger finally finds your clit, drawing little circling presses. You melt onto the cool plastic surface while he fucks you with his talented hand.

You close your eyes and grip hard at the table, beginning to buck backwards, riding his fingers as your cunt grips around them .

“Mmm. Yeah...just like that. That's perfect. I gotta touch myself. I'm dying here.”

“Please. I wanna see you do it.”

He leans over and kisses you. “God, could you be anymore perfect, you little freak,�� he mumbles against your lips.

You look over your shoulder to see Eddie, working at his belt, easing the edges of it down his hipbones along with those silly plaid boxers. You take it all in; the v of his slender hips, the sight of him gripping his thick flushed cock, the pattern of dark hair around it. It's beautiful.

He closes his eyes and does a few languish strokes against the engorged, sensitive skin. The tip is already leaking and he knows he won't last long, but then again, neither will you.

“Wanna come with me...hmmm? Want me to paint your skin with cum while I fuck you with my hand?”

“Yes yes yessss,” you whine. God, you need it and you need it now.

The final jock wails as he's slain, and you and Eddie scream with him. You clench like a vice, twitching and shuddering around his fingers. No sooner than you come, you hear the rhythmic thump of Eddie fist furiously pumping his cock as he groans and gasps, shooting ropes of cum over the skin of your ass, the curving small of your back.

For a moment, almost unbelievably, Eddie-never-shuts-the-fuck-up-Munson says nothing. You both just collapse and pant, catching your breath.

After awhile he chuckles and says, “sorry...wait a minute,” and cleans you up with some very festive paper napkins. You laugh with him.

Before long your snuggled back together on the couch under the cozy blanket, basking in afterglow while the credits roll. Eddie takes a deep satisfied breath and hugs you closer as you tenderly recuperate.

Then, to your surprise, he slide lower on the sofa until he's looking up at you from between your thighs, those dark eyes and toothy grin full oozing mischief.

“Waddaya say, pretty girl? Wanna make this a double feature?”

@sweetsigyn @leelei1980 @word-wytch @veemoon @elegantkoalapaper @ladyofthestayingpower @bettyfrommars @userchai @fairyysoup @babygorewhore @somnambulic-thing @munson-blurbs @hellfirenacht @take-everything-you-can @msgexymunson

#Eddie Munson x reader #Eddie Munson one shot #eddie munson fanfic #Eddie loves Halloween #Eddie Munson x femme reader

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manicplank · 1 year ago

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One more before I go to bed.

Alcohol tolerance headcanons (and how they act) (tiny suggestive warning for one of them)

Peppino: This one I see a lot, but he is definitely a lightweight. Doesn't drink much mostly because he doesn't like the taste. Only takes a few drinks for him to get wasted. He probably had a few drinks in before he was kicking Gus and The Noise in the cover for the OST. He becomes super fun when drunk. Dancing, singing, laughing; you'll see a side of Peppino you never knew existed.

Gustavo: A medium-weight. Doesn't drink often and doesn't drink too much at parties. He gets loose when he's drunk but not to the same degree as Peppino. Cracks a lot of jokes that make no sense. Gets lovey. Wants hugs, tells people how much he loves them and how beautiful they are. Once made Peppino cry after he told him how much he meant to him. The whole "you're my best friend" schpeel.

Mr. Stick: A medium-weight. Prefers wine. Turns into a person instead of a penny pinching seagull. Will open up and have decent conversations. He talks about fun times he had, be it in childhood or college. He'll actually talk your ear off. Talks about why he got into finances. Talks about money, that's inevitable. Not much of a party animal. Enjoys watching the others make themselves look stupid.

Pepperman: HEAVYWEIGHT. He can drink ANYONE under the table except John. Can drink all night and never be TOO drunk. Lets loose. That artsy fartsy narcissist persona disappears. He still talks about art, just not as much. Laughs a lot. Will listen to what you have to say instead of talking over you.

The Vigilante: Somewhere between lightweight and medium-weight. It only takes a few shots of whiskey for him to be off his ass drunk. Trips over his own boots. Laughs a lot, slurs his words. "Sspose to be... Thissws spose to be funn. Whys is, whys is nobody country line dancing? Ss not a party wifout line danssin." His drunk laugh probably sounds like Seth Rogan's.

The Noise: Medium-weight. Can handle most of his liquor. He usually gets giddy and silly. Wants to dance, joke around, probably might light something on fire. Would end up doing drunk karaoke just to be unusually good at it. Doesn't know his limits. Thinks he can handle more than he can, gets blackout drunk and pukes. He likes to run away and be a little shit. He also gets really affectionate when drunk. Wants hugs and kisses and snuggles. Sometimes even gets a little uh... TOO affectionate if you catch my drift. Likes to be dared to do dumb shit. "You guys think I could kick this gas pump hard enough so it'll explode? I'm gonna fuckin do it."

Noisette: Medium-weight. Likes mimosas... Likes mimosas A LOT. Bottomless brunch is her weakness. Gets super bubbly and giggly when drunk. Will laugh at anything. You could point at a pebble, and she'd bust out laughing. As much shit as she gives Noise for getting too drunk, she has also been in his shoes the same amount of times. They take turns on who gets to get drunk and who gets to be the babysitter. Knows her limits. Might suddenly start crying about anything. Would cry because she felt bad for laughing at that pebble earlier. "BUT WHAT IF IT MADE THE PEBBLE SAAAAD."

Fake Peppino: NOT ALLOWED TO DRINK. NOT ALLOWED TO DRINK. NOT ALLOWED TO DRINK. NOT ALLOWED TO DRINK. NOT ALLOWED TO DRINK. NOT ALLOWED TO DRINK. NOT ALLOWED TO DRINK. Took a sip of Pizzahead's wine once. Was an unstoppable force of energy. Got too silly. Many casualties and thousands of dollars worth of damage. All because of ONE sip. NOT ALLOWED TO DRINK.

Pizzaface: Simply doesn't drink. Watches everybody act like idiots. He's the one who pointed at the pebble. "Noisette, look at that pebble." (insert Noisette laughing hysterically)

Pizzahead: HEAVYWEIGHT. Had a drinking contest with Pepperman once; lost. Pouted and didn't talk to Pepperman for like a month. Can drink like 10 drinks before he's actually drunk. Can drink 10 more before he's DRUNK. Turns into even more of a party animal than he already is. Dancing, singing, screaming. When they're both drunk, he and The Noise are BEST FRIENDS. They go hand-in-hand to create the world's craziest party. Probably dances like a whore and gets yelled at for it. Then he dances normal.

Pillar John: Another HEAVYWEIGHT. Can drink more than Pepperman. It takes enough alcohol to kill a small elephant to get John drunk. He doesn't even drink often, he's just like that. Likes to dance and joke around. Usually wins at beer pong. Gets a lot like Gustavo and starts talking about how much he loves everyone except for Pizzahead.

Gerome: Doesn't drink. Sober bro, but still knows how to have a good time. Will stop John from drinking too much or doing something stupid while drunk. He keeps an eye on John, everyone else is on their own.

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pinkroseblooms · 1 year ago

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Hippity-Hop into Your Heart

Summary: Usahara is all too happy to play the role of boyfriend so you can shake off a creep, but of course, the night ends with him developing an all too real crush. 4.1 k A/N: Art from Gaku Kaze! Usahara Tobikichi/F!Reader. I have a soft spot for this dumb bunny and I think he needs more love. Enjoy! TW: Stalking, cursing (mostly for reader getting called a b*tch by said stalker).

Usahara’s drunk. Again.

The night has hardly begun and he keeps slumping over the table, cheeks flushed and eyes bleary while he struggles to sit upright. “I wish I was funny.”

“I wish you were sober.” Uramichi slides another glass of water, moving aside the collection of empty shot glasses. “I thought we were only doing beer.”

“We should order motsu nikomi for him.” Kumatani suggests; he’s only on his third beer.

They did start a bit later than expected for a weeknight. There’s hardly anyone else at the tables around them; hopefully Usahara doesn’t end up getting them kicked out for disturbing the peace. A server comes around with their next round of beers and Kumatani speaks up to request more water while they look over their options for food.

“I want gyoza!” Usahara slurs. “And a girlfriend. Ugh. I really want a girlfriend.”

“You can have one of those things.” Kumatani glances at the paper menu. “Seeing as how gyoza’s on the menu and you’re a degenerate, let’s keep this based in reality.”

“I’m not a general!”

“Let’s leave him here.” Uramichi whispers, leaning over to Kumatani on his left. “He’ll pass out soon enough.”

“I’m drunk, not deaf.” Usahara grumbles; he sighs and sheds his jacket. “It’s hot. Can we get ice cream?”

“Why do you drink so much when you know you can’t handle booze?” Kumatani rests his chin on his hand. “If you think I’m paying your tab, you’ve got another thing-”

“Honey! There you are, sorry I’m late, I was stuck at the office.”

Usahara raises his head up; there’s a girl sliding into the booth seat next to him. For a split second, he thinks he might be having a hallucination, but you scoot closer and touch his arm with a strained smile. Not to mention Uramichi and Kumatani are also staring at him and you, visibly taken aback at this stranger joining their table, so Usahara is 100% positive the alcohol isn’t making him see things.

“I’m sorry.” You’re leaning in to whisper in his ear, still smiling but now your voice is considerably less cheerful. “A man’s been following me since I left my job.”

“What?” Usahara straightens up and stares at you, bewildered, trying to keep his tone low. “Did he come in?”

“He followed every time I changed directions.” You pretend to look at Uramichi and Kumatani but you’re actually sneaking a peek at the entrance. “He’s outside in the smoking area. I think he’s waiting.”

Usahara glances at the door; there is a man outside. It’s not easy to make his features out, but he can see him turn his head to look into the bar.

“I’m sorry to intrude.” You drop your fake smile. “This place is the closest building with people and I thought he would keep following me if I sat down by myself. Could I wait here until he leaves? I’ll pay for your next round.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Uramichi frowns. “Do you want to call the police?”

“No, I mean, what could they do?” You release your grip on Usahara’s arm and give him some space. “He could just say he’s going the same way as me. I just didn’t want him to know where I live.”

“I’m going out there.” Kumatani stands up.

“Oh please don’t!” You say hurriedly. “You really don’t have to get involved.”

“Scum like that need to have their asses kicked before they get the message. He looks weak.” Kumatani glares over at the door. “I’m not gonna be intimidated by some gross stalker.”

“But he could have a knife.” You say worriedly. “Even if he doesn’t, you’ll get in trouble for making things physical. Please, um…”

“Kumatani.” Usahara supplies. “He’s Kumatani, I’m Usahara, and that sad sack over there is Uramichi-”

“Kumantani, let’s use this drunk as a human shield.” Uramichi addresses the still standing Kumatani but his cold eyes are directly on Usahara’s. “If the creep has a knife, you’ll do your part as a concerned citizen, right?”

You glance around at the three of them. “Look, I already feel bad to bother you guys. I can get a ride; I doubt he’ll chase after a car, you know? I just,” you swallow hard; the last thing you want to do is start crying, not now in front of these strangers you had basically forced to be involved in this. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt, okay?”

“Alright.” Kumatani finally takes his seat. “You’ve got a good point.”

“You must have been scared.” Uramichi looks at you with some sympathy. “I’m not eager to do any heroics myself and I don’t blame you for not wanting to stir the pot. How far away is your work?”

“About ten minutes. I work for a family, well, a few different families in the area.” You explain; your teeth have stopped chattering and your heart has stopped pounding. “I actually do babysitting and cleaning jobs. Today the parents went out for a date: they offered to drive me home, but they had a few drinks at dinner and I didn’t want to spend money on a ride share app when my place is so close. I actually come here every now and then to wind down after work…I didn’t think I’d be coming in tonight to escape that asshole.”

“Uh, so," Usahara clears his throat. “Why did you sit next to me? If you don’t mind my asking.”

“Dude.”

“Are you serious?”

“What?” Usahara holds up his hands as if to block himself from the death glares being shot his way. “Just curious!”

“The seat next to you was empty.” You answer honestly. “Why else would I?”

“Because I’m…cute?” Usahara grins but it fades as you raise an eyebrow at him. “Sorry. Okay, no more joking: are you hungry? You might as well eat something, my treat.”

“I thought you were broke?” Kumatani snips. “I told you, I’m not covering your tab.” he turns to you. “Order what you want.”

“Ice cold.” Usahara crosses his arms. “I just so happen to have some extra funds. I helped my folks in their store earlier, so they floated me a few bucks.” he winks at you. “Since I’m playing your boyfriend, I should treat my girl to something nice.”

“You made your poor parents pay you for helping them?” Uramichi shakes his head somberly. “I didn’t think you could sink lower.”

“They insisted! I’m not gonna turn down money in this economy.”

“Don’t blame the economy for your piss poor spending habits.”

“They’re so mean.” Usahara pouts to you. “Aren’t you going to stand up for your boyfriend?”

You look at him for a moment before your face breaks out into a smile, a real one. Before you can stop, a laugh escapes you and you keep laughing until you start wheezing slightly.

“Wow, I think you broke her psyche.” Uramichi comments lightly.

“I’m so-sorry, really, I don’t mean to laugh at you!” Your voice cracks as you press your hands to your mouth. “Usahara? I’m sorry, you’ve all been so great to help me out.”

“I’m glad.” Usahara smiles bashfully, rubbing the back of his head; he realizes he must seem hilariously pathetic, but hey, it’s not like this is a real date. “If you’re laughing, it means you’re feeling better, yeah?”

Your giggles die off and you wipe your eyes. “I am.” with a deep sigh, you’re able to calm down and breathe normally. “I was really scared. Thank you. I feel better mostly.”

“You need a good laugh, I’m your guy.” Usahara hands you his untouched glass of water. “Here, it’s just plain water. Do you want a beer or something?”

“You know what? I could use a drink.” You confess tiredly. “So, what brings you guys here?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nearly two hours pass in the blink of an eye; Usahara plays his role well. He pours you drinks, stays close, but not too close to you, and even hand fed you a couple of snacks. To the casual observer, the four of you would never know you were all strangers.

Despite the cordial mood, Usahara kept up the charade, just in case the man outside was still lurking around, though they haven’t seen his profile in the window for some time now. It’s an unfortunate truth that some men will only back off if they know a girl already has a boyfriend who can potentially beat them up. Usahara, although not quite as intimidating looking in comparison to his friends, is the tallest and he does spend a good amount of time training on his own. He’s confident that if nothing else, all three of them are more than enough to take down one shady weirdo.

It’s too bad though. Usahara can't smother the twinge of bit guilt he feels at how much fun he’s having; there’s no need for him to put up a front or try to play it cool since this is very much not a date. There’s no pressure to look good in front of you, so Usahara can relax and not think about what he says too much or how he holds himself.

“I’ve never heard of that.”

“It’s awesome!” You tell him excitedly, hands grabbing onto his arm as if to shake sense into him. “An absolute classic, how the heck have you never heard of Killer Clowns from Another Dimension? Do you even watch movies?”

“Sometimes” Usahara sips a new glass of water you made him order. “I can’t believe you’re judging me.”

“I saw it.” Kumatani raises his hand. “The effects are next level.”

“A man of culture.” You give him a thumbs up. “This guy knows. Uramichi, make Usahara apologize.”

“Don’t drag me into this.” Uramichi drones. “I don’t get what any of you are saying.”

“Now who needs to watch more movies.”

“I saw one recently.” Uramichi cocks his head to the side. “It was a comedy; some idiot didn’t know when to stop running his mouth so his co worker buries him alive.”

“That’s a horror movie! If I go missing, you’re gonna be the first one the cops talk to.” Usahara clings to your arm. “Babe, tell him to leave me alone.”

“If you coddle him, he’ll never learn to shut his trap.”

“There, there, honey bunny.” You pat Usahara’s head lightly. “I promise to light a candle for you until they find the body.”

“You won’t even look for me?!”

“I think it’s more likely you’ll be disposed of by some loan sharks.” Kumatani deadpans but even he has a hint of a smirk on his lips. “Keep up the gambling and you’ll be found in a river instead of a shallow grave.”

“You guys are terrible and when I hit the jackpot none of you are seeing a cent.” Usahara tells them before leaning his head on your shoulder, sticking his tongue out at the both of them. “She’s been way nice to me and we only just met.”

“Because she doesn’t know how insufferable you are yet.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” You glance down at Usahara as he gives you puppy eyes. “He’s doing a pretty good job of letting me know.”

“Babe, not cool.”

“Sorry, honey.” You giggle and poke his flushed cheek; it’s funny how comfortable you feel right now and you don’t think it’s because of the beers. Maybe it’s because Usahara has no filter; you were so tense before, yet now you’re joking and chatting like this was the plan, to show up and hang out with these odd characters. “So, what would you do if you won the lottery?”

“Hm…”

“You should pay your rent on time.” Uramichi remarks; he’s eating his own plate of mackerel, sashimi style. “It would be nice to never have to get up for work again.”

“I want to take time off and buy a boat.” Kumatani closes his eyes. “Just floating out to sea, nice and quiet, fresh saltwater air.”

“Lame.”

“Usahara.” You smack his shoulder lightly. “Knock it off.”

“Hey why are you defending that jerk?”

“This jerk is going to leave you to pay for all our food and drinks if you keep running your mouth.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.” You shake your head somberly in disapproval as Usahara sulks. “Apologize or you’re sleeping on the couch, mister.”

“You sound more like a naggy wife than a cute girlfriend…”

“What’s that?”

“Sorry.” Usahara bows his head. “Sorry, Kumatani.”

“Good one.” Kumantani reaches over to refill your glass with a fresh pour of beer. “I’ll lend you the Man-Eating Salmon boxset if you can keep him quiet for the rest of the night.”

Usahara sips his water as you grin at Kumatani; oh well. He gets it. On paper, Kumatani makes sense: even he admits, it was pretty cool how Kumatani was going to go out there and take on that creep head on. It’s not Usahara’s style; he’s scared to get beat up and can barely throw a punch. Sue him. Still, it stings that even on this pretend date, Kumatani is still showing him up.

“Hey guys?” It’s Uramichi that breaks the silence. “I think that creep got tired of waiting.”

They all look to the door; it’s not clear at first, but from your shaken expression, it’s apparent the man who’s made his way inside the bar is the same one who was stalking you. The smile is gone from your face; he’s approaching the table with an almost apologetic smile. He looks like a fairly normal person, to Usahara’s slight surprise, not like a thug or anything. Hell, he looks more intimidating.

“Sorry to bother you, but I was hoping to get your number?”

“What?” You sink into your seat. “That’s why you followed me?”

“Followed? I didn’t do anything like that.” The man looks surprised. “I go here all the time. I just saw you, thought I’d shoot my shot, you know? Besides, I don’t need anyone’s permission to come inside and have a drink-”

“Excuse me, but we’re trying to have dinner.” Usahara stares at the man blankly. “We saw you out there. If you just came to eat here coincidentally, why were you lurking outside?”

“I wasn’t-”

“Cut the bullshit.” Kumatani glares at the man, grip tightening on his mug like he wants to smash it against the offending stranger’s head. “Get the hint already, asshole.”

“You’re making everyone uncomfortable.” A dark look crosses Uramichi’s face; he’s poised as though he’s about to rise from his chair. “I think you ought to leave. She’s not interested.”

“Let her tell me herself-”

“She shouldn’t have to talk to some freak hounding her in the dark.” Usahara takes his jacket and drapes it over your shaking shoulders; he puts his arm around you. “You’re bothering my girlfriend; who do you think you are? She doesn’t owe you shit.” he forces himself to temper his anger and speaks to you gently. “Don’t feel like you have to say anything, okay babe? You haven’t done anything; it’s not your fault this loser is bugging you.”

“Fuck you.” The man snaps, posture rigid; he’s shaking, but he doesn’t move any closer. “I didn’t do anything, this bitch-”

“Don’t call her that!” Usahara stands up, but doesn’t try to attack the man; he stands in front of you, arms out slightly to obscure you from the stranger’s eyes. “You can either get your ass handed to you by my buddies-”

“Really? What are we, you bodyguards?”

Usahara ignores Kumantani’s dry stare. “-or leave in handcuffs.” he makes sure you’re blocked from view. “Your choice.”

“Go to hell.”

But the confrontation ends there. With a sneer, the man storms out of the bar, rather quickly in fact; one of the staff members comes out from behind the counter with a concerned frown and asks if she needs to call the cops. Kumatani explains the situation and Uramichi actually goes himself to check if the man is just hiding around the corner of the bar. Usahara stays with you; despite how relieved you are, tears come to your eyes, dripping down your face.

“It’s okay.” Usahara hands you some napkins. “Do you need these?”

“Thank you.” You sniff and blow your nose into the offered napkins, but the tears aren’t stopping. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t even tell that asshole off, it was like I couldn’t even speak. I feel so dumb for being scared.”

“Not gonna lie, I was kinda scared too; Uramichi still has him beat in the dead eyed stare competition though.” Usahara chuckles; he tentatively holds one of your hands; your palm is clammy and your fingers are cold. “Sorry you had to go through that. I really thought he had left; I think the owner’s gonna call the cops anyway, dude seemed unhinged.”

“Oh, your jacket,”

“You can hold onto it. Your hand’s freezing.” Usahara ignores the slight chill he feels as you squeeze his hand. “You want me to get you a hot tea or something? Sorry, I have no clue what to do for these kinds of situations.”

“You’ve done more than enough.” You smile at him; your cheeks and eyes are red and puffy. “Thank you; the only reason I was able to feel okay at all is because of you guys being so kind. I’m so sorry for all this.”

Usahara feels bad for your gratitude; he’s also angry. He’s half tempted to go outside himself and chase after that creep, but more than that, he could cry himself from how sad you look, how you actually felt like you had to apologize for someone else's horrible actions.

“Don’t apologize. Hell, I didn’t do anything.” Usahara has to stop himself from trapping you in a big bear (bunny?) hug. “Look, do you want one of us to take you home? It’s past midnight and sometimes you get creepy drivers on that app if you request a ride this late at night.” Usahara averts his eyes to the table, trying to sound assuring despite the pit forming in his stomach. “Kumatani seems grumpy, but you won’t find anyone more reliable and Uramichi is a decent guy, even if he mopes a lot. They’ll keep you safe on your way home.”

“What about you?”

“Me?”

You look nervous. “I trust you…of course, you’ve already helped me so much. I can walk home alone, I’ll pretend to be on the phone.”

“No, not at all!” Usahara scrambles to talk. “I’d be totally okay walking you home! Just leave it to Tobikichi Usahara, you won’t have anything to worry about!”

“Are you trying a stand up routine?” Uramichi reenters the booth, unmoved by Usahara’s objections. “Anyway, I think he’s really gone this time, but the owner’s still going to call the police and have them take a look around. I guess this isn’t the first time they’ve had a problem, she’s pretty sure it’s the same guy too. With any luck, he won’t be bothering anyone again.”

“I hope so.” You wipe your eyes. “Thank you, Uramichi; where’s Kumatani?”

“Settling your tab.”

“What?!” You gap at him, almost expecting this to be a joke. “That’s way too much, I was going to pay for you guys-”

“Give it a rest.”

“Uramichi!” Usahara is scandalized. “This is why girls don’t talk to you.Would it kill you to show a little tact? She's upset.”

“Are you seriously telling me that? Who asked you anyway? Look, I’m just saying, it’s no trouble.” Uramichi’s eyes soften a smidge as he looks at you. “Don’t get me wrong, I really hope this never happens again, but tonight was almost fun.”

Kumatani approaches the table, tucking away what you assume is a receipt in his wallet. “Let’s finish up and call it a night: Usahara, you owe me half the tab.”

“Saw that coming.” Usahara shrugs and manages a weak smile. “Fair enough; but I’m only paying for her and my stuff.”

“Okay.” Kumatani chuckles. “I expected you to put up a fuss like usual. We should invite your girlfriend out every time we get drinks.”

“Dude!” Usahara’s already flushed face turns bright red. “Jokes on you, I’m never inviting you guys out with us.” he sends you a lopsided grin. “If I win the jackpot, it’ll be dinner for two, wherever you want to eat.”

“Actually,” You fiddle with the sleeve of his jacket. “I was hoping we could all do this again sometime; you know, without the looming threat of being stalked. Is that weird?”

“You want to put up with us again?” Kumatani asks, but you can tell he’s mostly teasing.

“I guess.” Uramichi concedes. “It’s nice to have a buffer.”

“Buffer? What, so you can ignore me and get drunk in peace?” Usahara sighs dramatically. “Well, that’s fine with me; having another person around makes your mood swings less stressful-ow, ow, ow! I’m sorry, I give up, you’re not moody!”

Uramichi stops grinding his fists on either side of Usahara’s temples. “Just take her home already and try not to fall over in the street.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, that’s us.” Usahara laughs somewhat embarrassed. “Did you really have fun tonight?”

“Yeah.” You say honestly; you’re leading the way to your apartment, walking slow. “You’re looking pale; do you always drink that much?”

“....yeah…” Usahara admits reluctantly. “I know, I know, I’m a mess.”

“Without a doubt.”

“So mean…”

“But you’re very nice.” You offer him with a half smile. “And brave.”

“Me?”

“Uh huh.”

Usahara stares at you from the corner of his eye; the street lights overhead shine a dim glow on your hair and face. You’re still wearing his smelly old jacket, a grease stain on the front from dropping fried chicken on himself the other day. It looks better on you.

“Uh oh.” Usahara could slap himself. “Dude, not cool. She’s been through enough tonight. You were pretending so she could feel safe. It’s not like she actually wants to date you. Don’t let yourself get caught up in the moment. She’s a nice girl who needed your help and as it stands, she doesn’t think you’re a complete loser. Let’s keep it that way and call this a win.”

“This is me.” You come to a stop in front of a complex Usahara has gone past quite a few times before. “I’d invite you in for tea, but I should be going to bed. Can I give you my number? If you want to hang out again sometime.”

“Sure thing.” Usahara switches phones with you. “Call, text, whatever; let me know when you’re free.”

“I’ll do that.” You nod and hand him back his cellphone. “Wait, don’t go yet.”

Usahara was about to leave. “Is everything alright? I can wait until you get inside to-”

“You’re sweet.” You take off his jacket, putting it around his shoulders; you peck his jaw, not quite able to reach his cheek. “Next time, maybe we can go on a real date?”

“Am I passed out at the bar?” Usahara touches the spot where you had pressed your soft lips against his skin. “Sorry, let me get this straight: you want to see me again? Me, Usahara, specifically? For a date? Like a ‘date-date’?” he frowns, examines your face carefully. “Are you drunk? I don’t want to take advantage, I mean, you might have second thoughts later, which is totally okay, I-I don’t mind just being friends-!”

“I am a bit tipsy, but I don’t think that’s affecting anything.” You smile a little. “Maybe you should text me first thing in the morning? Just to make sure.”

“I’ll probably be super hungover.” Usahara looks at you like you’re too good to be real. “I usually go to this breakfast place, if you’re interested. It’s a cheap spot but the food’s good. Sorry, I-”

“Are you treating?”

“Yes! And I’ll pick you up?” Usahara is on pins and needles, utterly failing to reign in his excitement. “I have a spare helmet, if you don’t mind riding on a motorcycle. I’ll make sure you’re safe.”

“It’s a date.” You start to walk away. “Tell the guys I said thank you, again. Do you think they’ll want to get breakfast too?”

“NO!” Usahara hates how his voice pitches so high in panic; he looks down at the ground, a little ashamed of himself, but not enough to be unselfish. He really is shameless. “At least for this time, I want it to be just us. You can see for yourself if I’m worth your time; I swear, you won’t be disappointed.”

“I’m holding you to that.” You smile playfully. “Honey bunny.”

Usahara blushes so much he thinks his face might be on fire, waving in a daze as you disappear into your apartment.

“Oh crap." It almost hurts how hard Usahara's smiling as he thinks about seeing you again. "I'm so screwed.”

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