#“If I run away today good people will die. If I stand and fight some of them might live. Maybe not many maybe not for long.” (cont)

[ahsokaismyqueen]

Stay Stay Stay Pairing - Tyler Owens x Fem!Reader Summary - Until you met Tyler, you'd only had shitty boyfriends who would leave at the first sign of trouble or when you started to get too attached. Tyler Owens however is there to show you that he's in it for the long run, even when he finds out you're pregnant with his child. Word Count - 4.5k Warnings - Pregnant Reader, but this is just 4k words of pure fluff based on Taylor Swift's Stay Stay Stay ngl.

You woke up feeling miserable. You had barely gotten any sleep, staying up most of the night crying, and all you could think about was how stupid the fight you and Tyler had seemed now. You glanced over at the clock on your bedside table, and shot up when you realized how late it was. Tyler might have already gone, and now you wouldn’t get the chance to say how sorry you were. The fear of that gripping your chest had you rolling out of bed and out the door. What you saw in the hallway however, had you stopping in your tracks. 

 As soon as you shut the door behind you, Tyler jolted awake from his spot on the floor, rubbing his eyes. He was still in his clothes from last night, the button up and jeans, complete with cowboy boots. “You stayed out here all night?” You asked, emotion tight in your throat. 

Tyler looked up at you, brushing his hair back from his face. “Of course I did. Didn’t know if you might need me or not after those nightmares you’ve been having.” 

“But - but I threw something-”

“Your phone.” He informed you. 

Heat rushed to your face in embarrassment. “-My phone at you.” 

“I don’t know if I’d really say ‘at me’. If so, your aim was pretty off for someone who used to play baseball.” He said, and he started to move so he could stand up. 

Before he could though, you bent down and scrambled into his lap, wrapping your arms and legs around him as the tears fell down your cheeks. 

He let out a surprised grunt, but put his arms around you as well. “To be honest, not the greeting I was expecting this morning.” He said in a strained voice, probably because you were squeezing him so tight. 

“I thought you left already, and I didn’t want you to leave mad at me, because if something happened to you out there. . .” You wondered if he could even understand you with the way your tears messed with your breathing, but you had to tell him. The thought of him leaving while the two of you were mad at each other made you feel sick. 

“Hey,” Tyler started running a hand through your hair, the comfort of the motion easing into you. “I wasn’t about to leave without talking to you. I told them I’d catch up.” You closed your eyes as you felt his lips against the side of your head. “And you know I can’t leave without my good luck kiss.” 

You pulled back so you could look at him when you said this. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know why I got so mad. I’ve just been all over the place lately, and I feel like I’m losing my mind. I’m mad one second, the next I’m sobbing, then I can’t keep my eyes open, and the next second I feel like I’m going to die if I’m not jumping your bones-”

Tyler reached up and brushed your tears away with his thumb. “That one’s my favorite.” He said with a smirk. 

You leaned forward, resting your forehead against his. “I think I’m going crazy.” 

“Baby, you chase tornados in your spare time. Pretty sure by most people’s standards you are crazy,” he said, putting some hair behind your ear. 

You shook your head, and playfully smacked him in the chest. “I’m serious. I mean I know I get a little crazy around-” the thought hit you like a freight train. “Tyler, what’s today?” 

His brow furrowed, his smirk turning into a frown. “Sunday . . .”

“No! I mean what day of the month?” Were the calculations you were doing in your head right? Had the time passed that quickly? 

“It’s the 11th. Why?” 

Oh god. You gripped his face in your hands. “Ty, I’m late.” 

Tyler squinted at you. “Did you have somewhere to go . . . ?” 

You shook your head, your eyes wide with panic. “No, Tyler. I’m late.” You grabbed one of his arms and put his hand on your stomach, giving him a significant look. 

It was funny, how you could almost see the gears moving in his mind. It was like when he was trying to decide what storm to chase. You could tell the exact moments your words and actions landed. His eyes widened, and he glanced down at your stomach, then you. “You’re late . . . For that?” 

You nodded, watching his face for his reaction. It was an accident of course. The two of you tried to be careful, but one night a couple of months ago after an insane chase . . . The adrenaline got the better of both of you. While you had known you could get pregnant, you thought the chances of it happening the one time you didn’t use protection couldn’t be that high. Well, the universe might be proving you wrong. You weren’t sure how you felt about the possibility, but you were damn sure terrified of what Tyler might be thinking. 

You didn’t need to be. 

A slow grin started to spread on his face, and within seconds you found yourself hoisted over his shoulder and into the air. 

Letting out a little shriek, you grabbed a hold of his shirt. “Tyler! Put me down!” 

“Can’t! Got to go buy a pregnancy test.” He said, giving you a smack on the ass that made you squeal again. 

“We can’t! I’m not wearing pants!” 

“You don’t need pants to take a pregnancy test!” He said. 

A laugh left your lips at that, but then you smacked his back to get his attention. “Ty, what about the crew? They’re waiting on you. I can take the test, and call you-”

He put you down then, his hands holding your face and making you look at him. “If you think there is anything more important to me right now than this, you’re wrong.”  

It almost embarrassed you that you had thought for even a second any different. “I might not be, you know? I could actually be losing my mind.” 

Tyler shrugged. “Either way, there’s no place I’d rather be right now than here with you.” He said, sliding his hands down to grab your own, then leaned forward to give you one of the sweetest kisses you’ve ever had in your life, all gentle and tender, enough to almost bring tears back to your eyes. “Now, there’s my good luck kiss.” He said once he pulled away. 

“And what do you need good luck for, huh Owens?” You asked, raising your eyebrows at him. 

He smirked at you. “I’ll tell you later.” 

And he did. In about five months after he shot fireworks up in a tornado to reveal you were having a boy, just like he wanted. 

————————

“Ty! I can pick up potatoes. I’m barely showing.” You said, shaking your head at him as he dived in front of you to get the sack of potatoes before you could. 

He put them in the grocery cart, leaning over it and crossing his arms. “See, I know that, but the gentleman in me won’t let the woman carrying my son do something as lowly as pick up potatoes.” 

You rolled your eyes. It was sweet, but you knew it was also going to drive you crazy. “If you don’t let me do some things I might murder you in your sleep. I hope you know that.” 

Tyler raised his eyebrows at you, pretending to look confused. “Then who would reach all the stuff on the top shelf?” He asked, his expression morphing into a smirk as you crossed your arms over your chest. 

“I guess I’ll have to find another tall, handsome cowboy. Shouldn’t be too hard.” You teased, and then grabbed the cart, pushing it past him. 

He stopped you, grabbing you around the waist, holding you back against his chest and pressing a kiss against your neck. “Unfortunately, you’ll find I’m very hard to replace.” He murmured against your skin. 

You couldn’t help but laugh, elbowing him in the side. “All right cowboy, if you’re going to not let me pick anything up heavier than three pounds, go do me a favor and get the water. Lily said you guys are running low, and the weather conditions for the weekend look rough.” 

Tyler pressed another kiss against your neck, and then let you go. “Whatever you say ma’am.” 

You watched him walk away, a sight you always enjoyed in those jeans, then hurried up to get as many of your groceries as you could before Tyler came back to not let you do anything again. 

“Well, look who it is.” 

Oh god, you knew that voice. It was one you hadn’t heard in years now, and one you hoped never to hear again. You almost didn’t want to turn around so you could pretend it wasn’t there, but you knew this person wasn’t going to allow that to happen. It would hurt his ego too much. Turning around, you let out a sigh at the familiar face. “Hey, Charles.” 

Your ex was a dick. In fact almost all of your exes were dicks. Until you started dating Tyler, you hadn’t known what it was like to date someone that put you above themselves. Charles was no different. In fact, he was one of the worst, and the way he was looking at you right now made you want to throw up. Or maybe that was the morning sickness . . . 

“I’ve got to say,” he looked you up and down. “You’re looking good.” 

Nope, it wasn't morning sickness. “Thanks.” You replied, moving your cart so you could go around him. Hopefully you could make a quick escape and pretend this whole interaction had never happened. “It was good seeing you.” Lies. 

He grabbed the cart, stopping you in your tracks. “Wait a second. Don’t you think we should catch up some? I mean it’s been-”

“Five years.” You answered, your hands squeezing the handle of the cart. 

He smirked. “You kept track?” 

You wanted to smack that expression off his face, “to celebrate.” 

The nice facade faded upon your words. “You know, I thought maybe you’d changed over the years, but it seems like you’re still a-”

“Got the waters!” You breathed a quick little sigh of relief as Tyler came to a stop beside you, carrying not one, but two packs of water. He placed them in the cart, flipped his baseball cap around backwards, and put his hand on the small of your back. “Who’s this?” Tyler asked with his charming grin. 

You took a step closer to Tyler, not because you were scared of Charles, but because you liked the comfort of his presence. Something you never felt with the douche in front of you now. “You remember me telling you about Charles? This is him.” 

To Charles, Tyler showed no response to the name, but you felt the hand on your back press a little harder against your skin. Tyler turned to look at you, and there was a little glimmer in his eyes when he spoke. “I don’t actually. Are you sure you’ve mentioned someone named Charles before?” 

You had to bite back a smirk once you realized what he was up to. “Yeah, I think so.” You played along. 

“Hmmm, I must not have thought it was that important. Anyway, Tyler Owens.” He held out his hand to Charles, and you watched Charles’s face with delight. Not only had Tyler made him feel unimportant, something you knew from experience he couldn’t stand, but Tyler was . . . a big man. At least a foot taller than Charles, and more muscles on him than this guy could ever hope to have. You didn’t however expect the look of disbelief that crossed his face. 

“Tyler Owens? The tornado wrangler?” He asked, almost too shocked to shake his hand, but then he collected himself and reached for Tyler’s. 

“The very same.” He said. “Though I’ve got to say, I think my favorite title is her future husband.” He said, nodding his head back to you. 

Heat flushed straight to your face at the bold statement. Tyler and you hadn’t talked much about marriage. You had thought that might be the logical next step, but you also didn’t want to bring it up if it scared him away. With past boyfriends, including the one in front of you, it always had. You should’ve known by now though that Tyler was nothing like that. You leaned into him more now, smiling as his arm went around you and his hand rested on your stomach. 

“Her future-” Charles looked dumbfounded, and you also didn’t miss the wince when Tyler shook his hand probably more roughly than necessary. 

“Got to lock her down, you know? Plenty of other idiots have already let her go. I’m not going to make the same mistake.” Tyler replied, giving you a smile full of mischief. 

You placed your hand on top of the one he had on your stomach. “Ty, I’m having your baby. I don’t think you have to worry about that.” You assured him, your smile widening as he kissed your cheek. 

“You’re - you’re pregnant?” 

You’d almost forgotten Charles was there with Tyler’s sudden proclamation, but his words pulled your attention back to him. Turning to the side, you let him see the slight curve to your stomach. “Yep. Four months to go before we meet our baby boy.” 

As soon as you said the words, Tyler’s face lit up with genuine excitement like it always did. “I can’t wait.” He turned back to Charles, putting both of his arms around you protectively now. “How do you two know each other again?” Tyler asked, and once again you had to fight back a laugh. 

“It doesn’t matter.” You said, looking back up at Tyler with a soft smile. “We need to be getting out of here anyway right babe?” 

“Yes ma’am. Well, it was nice to meet you, Chuck.” Tyler said, stepping back from you so he could grab a hold of the cart with one hand, taking your hand in the other. 

You couldn’t hold your laughter back anymore at that point, entwining your fingers together as you followed him to the register, leaving Charles standing dumbfounded in your wake. 

________________

It was the thing you had been the most scared of happening. You had no one else to blame other than yourself though. You were the one who had insisted that Tyler go on the chase. It was supposed to be a large storm, and you reminded him that it was the last one he’d probably go on for a while since the season was ending, as was your pregnancy. You had faith that he would be careful, knowing that he wouldn’t risk anything that would endanger him from meeting his son. 

What you hadn’t expected however, was your water to break three weeks early. 

It was safe to say you were panicking when you called your sister to come get you, and by the time they wheeled you back to your room, you were close to a full blown meltdown. “I can’t do this without him.” You told her, holding your stomach as if that could keep him in, tears streaming down your face. “And he’s at least five hours away! What if I don’t have that long?!”

Your sister, who was more calm than you, grabbed your hand, giving it a squeeze. “He will make it, I’m sure. You’ve texted him right?” 

You bit your lip, and when your sister gave you a look, you blurted. “I didn’t want to ruin his chase! I thought I’d wait to see if the doctor was even going to take me!” 

“Oh my god.” She reached into your bag and grabbed your phone. You held out your hand for it, but she was already texting away. “There, done.” 

“What did you say?” 

But she didn’t answer, instead she waited about ten seconds and said, “he said he’s on his way.” 

You nodded, watching as she put your phone back in your purse. God you hoped he was going to make it. The thought of doing this without him was terrifying. You were already scared enough that something was wrong because of how early he was. Having to have this baby without Tyler by your side, reassuring you the whole way, seemed impossible. 

A few minutes later, while you were lost in your thoughts, the door to your room opened and a nurse walked in. “Hey, honey, how’re we doing?” 

“She’s panicking.” Your sister replied for you. 

You glared at her. “My boyfriend, he’s - he’s not going to be able to get here for a few hours, do you think I have that long?” 

She gave you a sympathetic smile. “Well that’s according to him I’d say, because I speak from experience when I say babies don’t wait for no one.” She said. 

Oh god, he wasn’t going to make it. You just knew it. He wasn’t going to make it in time, and you would have to try and do this without him, and you didn’t think that you could. You needed him. You needed him so badly it added to the pain you were already in, and the worst part was that it was your fault. If you hadn’t forced him to go on that chase - 

“I’m here, I’m here!” 

To your complete and utter shock, Tyler came sliding into your room, taking his cowboy hat off and hurrying to your side. 

“Ty?” Was all you could think to say.

“Did I miss anything?” Tyler asked, taking your hand in his own and looking at your nurse. 

“Dad, I assume?” The nurse said with a smile. 

Tyler beamed at the use of the word. “About to be.” 

“In that case, you haven’t missed a thing yet. We’re about to take some vitals and get this show on the road.” She informed him. “Glad you could make it.” She said, and left your room. Your sister, sensing the two of you needed some alone time, followed close behind. 

Once they had both left, your thoughts caught up to your brain, and you squeezed Tyler’s hand. “Tyler Owens, I’ve never been more happy to see you in my entire life, but how the hell did you get here so fast?” 

He gave you an affectionate smile, and reached up to wipe away the tears you didn’t even know you’d still been crying. “Yeah, so about that chase . . . I never went.” 

“You - you what?” 

He started stroking the back of your hand with his thumb. “You were less than a month away from having our son. I knew you’d blame yourself if I didn’t go, but I also knew if something happened while I was away . . . You’d blame yourself too. So I just . . . stayed at a hotel the past couple of nights.” 

You couldn’t even be mad. He knew you too well, and the relief you felt that he was here to help you was too much to be upset. “I was so scared you were going to miss it.” 

“Not for the largest tornado in the world baby.” Tyler said, bringing your hand up to his lips to kiss it. “You ready to do this?” He asked as they started wheeling in the equipment. 

Not five minutes ago you were horrified. The effect of Tyler’s presence on your emotions was remarkable. With him by your side, you had no doubts that you could do this. You could have this baby. “Now that you’re here? Definitely.” 

Tyler leaned forward to give you the last kiss the two of you would have before you were parents, the smile on his lips unmistakable. 

————————

“He looks so much like you it’s like you birthed him.” You said with a tired laugh. It was god knows how many hours later, you had never been more tired in your life, and somehow you and Tyler had squeezed into your tiny hospital bed. You were leaning against his shoulder, eyes glued to the baby he held in his arms that was looking up at you both curiously. 

“Not completely. I know that nose anywhere.” He said, gently tapping your son in the nose. Then, for the first time since his son had been placed in his arms, he looked at you, the unmistakable glint of tears in his eyes. “He’s perfect.” 

You knew that you were already emotional. You were exhausted, overwhelmed and a million other things at once, but the way Tyler was looking at your son, then at you? Your whole body seemed to light up with warmth. It was love all over his face, pure, intense love, and you didn’t think you’d ever be able to forget what it looked like again. You felt too choked up to speak, so you slipped your arm through his to curl your hand around his bicep, and turned your head to kiss his shoulder. 

A smile formed on your face as Tyler looked back at your son, that adoring expression not fading for a second. “This is the best day of my life so far.” 

“So far?” You said curiously. 

“Well, you haven’t agreed to marry me yet.” He replied, grinning over at you. 

Your smile widened, giving his arm a little squeeze. “Ty, you haven’t asked.” 

“I haven’t?” Tyler said, pretending to look confused. “It’s a great proposal. You’ll just have to wait and see.” 

You rolled your eyes, but the thought of Tyler proposing to you made you feel giddy. “Does it involve fireworks in a tornado?” You teased. 

He shook his head. “Nah, been there, done that. Boone would love it though.” Tyler shifted your son, who cuddled right against his chest. “By the way, the crew’s waiting outside with your sister.” 

You sat further up, wincing when you moved too quickly. “Jeez Tyler, how long have they been out there?” 

“Since they dropped me off.” He admitted. 

“You mean none of them went on the chase either?” You said in shock. 

Tyler shook his head again, “They said this was going to be better than any tornado.” 

Your throat clogged with emotion again, and you really hoped this crying at the drop of a hat wasn’t going to last long. “Go get them! They deserve to see him!” 

He reached up, brushing a tear away from your face. “Are you sure? I know how tired you are, and I can tell them to come back tomorrow.” 

“I can sleep when they’re gone. Right now I want them to see what they gave up a chase for.” You said, holding out your arms for the baby. 

Tyler leaned forward, giving you a kiss on your forehead and handing your son over as gently as if he was made of glass. You smiled as he snuggled right up to your chest, and knew that there was no better feeling in the world than this right here. When you looked up, Tyler was staring at the two of you as if he was trying to memorize this moment. “I love you.” He said finally. 

You felt like you could float at that moment, so light and loved. “We love you too.” You told him, and the softest smile formed on his face. “Go,” you told him before you started crying again. “We’re not going anywhere.” You joked. 

“You better not.” He played along, giving you a mock stern look, and then he went outside the door. 

Not ten seconds later you heard a cheer from outside your door, and you couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at their enthusiasm. Of course, they were shushed by nurses, and then Tyler brought them all in. 

You smiled at them as your sister, Lily, Boone, Dex and Dani’s eyes all went straight to the baby in your arms. Lily, Dani, your sister and Dex rushed forward to get a better look and started cooing over him, the biggest smiles on their faces while Boone hung back, eyes wide like he couldn’t believe the baby was a real thing.

“We got you guys something.” Dex said, holding up some familiar looking material as Tyler got back into the bed with you. He handed him the shirts, and Tyler unfolded them, letting out a laugh before showing them to you. It was similar to the normal shirts, but instead of Tyler’s face, it was a baby with a cowboy hat. That would have been hilarious enough, but instead of saying, “not my first tornadeo” it said, “this is my first babeo.” 

“Oh my god, it’s so cheesy. I love it.” You said with a laugh yourself. 

“We also got little man . . .” Dani held up a little onesie that said, “mini wrangler” on it with their tornado logo. 

You grinned, looking down at the bundle of cuteness in your arms. “It’s perfect.” You said, turning your smile to them. “Thank you guys for bringing Ty by the way, and staying. I would have understood if you all went on the chase.” 

“Are you crazy? We weren’t going to miss this.” Lily said, giving your son a little wave. 

Your eyes went over to Boone though, still standing back a little ways. The man who had gone into tornados and helped shoot fireworks and rockets up into them was looking at the baby in your arms like it was a bomb. “Hey Boone, you want to hold him?” You asked. 

“Oh, I don’t - I wouldn’t even know how-”

But Dani was already pushing him towards you. “It’s all right Boone, you got this.” You reassured him, sitting up a little more to hand him your son. 

“Make sure you get the back of his head.” Tyler said, watching with the eyes of a hawk as you gently placed him in Boone’s arms. 

“Woah.” Boone said, as he looked down at him. 

Tyler wrapped his arm around your shoulder, and now that your arms were free, you curled into his side, resting your head on his chest and wrapping your arm around his stomach. 

“T, man! He looks just like you!” Boone said, and you smiled at the excitement in his voice. 

“Except for the nose.” Tyler said, and you found your eyes closing as Tyler pressed a kiss to the top of your head. 

He was so comfortable, and you were so tired. You felt yourself starting to drift off as his thumb brushed up and down your shoulder. It was hard not to when you felt so safe and loved, surrounded by your family, your new baby and the love of your life. 

Tyler could sense it, and he leaned down to whisper in your ear. “You want me to kick them out?” 

You shook your head, tightening your grip on him. “They can stay.” You murmured, nuzzling into him. “Make sure Boone doesn’t get too excited and drop our baby.” You joked. 

“Yes ma’am.” Tyler responded with a chuckle, pulling you closer. “You go ahead and rest. I'll be here when you wake up.” 

“I know.” You mumbled sleepily with a soft smile. “You always stay.”

[blackbirdsblackberries]

I HATE THE NEW HERO

Pt 4: No luck today

Pt 1 - Pt 2 - Pt 3 - Pt 4 (You're here) - Pt 5 - Pt 6 - Pt 7 - Pt 8 - Pt 9 - Pt 10

Engineering is probably one of your good subjects - mainly due to the grades you get and the equipment you get to create for your second life.

That being said, your luck isn't very high right now because just as you enter the classroom you're called up to the office. Over the loud speaker. In front of everyone.

This is your last straw. You're going to actually break down and cry.

Taking a deep breath you head to the office and stand in front of the receptionist.

"Uh, hi.. I was called up?" You state to the distracted receptionist. "Huh? Okay. Go into the principal's room I guess." She waves you off dismissively and you hold back a retort.

You make your way to the room and knock on the door. It opens with the principal on the other side. "Ah, There you are. I was worried you wouldn't show! Please, have a seat." He opens the door wide enough for you to get in.

You enter and your eyes fall onto a boy with spiky black hair and tanned skin. His back is to you. Next to him is a taller, more bulkier man in a pressed suit.

Your stomach lurches, feeling ill all of a sudden. Your senses go off and you fight the urge to run away. You can't tell who these people are but something isn't right.

Slowly you make your way to a third chair that was placed at the desk. You glance at the two males and have to swallow the bile - it was none other than Damian al Ghul-Wayne and Bruce Wayne. Your eyes immediately snap forward and you clench your fists slightly.

There's no doubt Tim had said something horrid about you to them, maybe he snitched on the fights you two had, whatever it was now you're in deep shit.

You try to get a read on them but it was near impossible, they were both stoic. It didn't help that you refuse to look at the two. The principal sits down at his desk and crosses his arms.

"So, I have been made aware of some things that you have done recently, (Reader). According to numerous anonymous reports you have cyber bullied someone, picked fights, had plans to build dangerous weapons and had hit animals... Listen, you're a good kid but with what I have here I might have to expel you."

Fuck. You can't get expelled your parents would throw you out or something! You can't! You didn't hit animals! The most you hit was a fly! Dangerous weapons? There's nothing like that at all, besides the plans for you superhero weapons. Those aren't dangerous though. You cyber bullied your vigilante persona to make it more realistic! You never pick fights - you don't want to risk hurting someone with your increased strength!

Though, something makes you freeze. If you were called here for that then why are the two Wayne's here?

You think the principal is a telepath because he speaks up.

"You're very lucky Bruce Wayne and his son are kind enough to vouch for you though they said they wanted a favor in return." Oh. Manipulation. You scrunch your eyebrows, they probably reported me alongside Tim. They're doing this so they can hold it above my head and make me complacent or subservient to them.

Maybe it'd be best if Aranea faked their death. Started a new identity or something... You probably wouldn't go through with it but it's a nice thought.

Well, you don't have much of a choice. You can still silently make your hate known towards the vigilante and it's not worth losing a scholarship over. Especially with parents like yours.

"... Fine... Thank you for this offer, Mr Wayne and Mr al Ghul-Wayne" you mutter. God it's shameful, you want to crawl into your skin and die. Was it worth putting your dignity on the line? You're not too sure. What you're sure of though is that you will get to eat tonight. If your family has the money...

Bruce nods his head in affirmation and puts on his Brucie smile, one that even you struggle to see past. "Of course, what kind of person would I be if I would overhear something so tragic and not do anything about it. We can go over the favor later." He states. You hold back a grimace though you're sure everyone can see the effort.

You don't know what to respond with, humiliated enough by this clear manipulation. You just give him a double thumbs up. Damian stares at you weirdly and the principal raises a brow. Bruce however chuckles, though it's forced.

The principal ushers you out of his office and tells you to wait out the front with the receptionist for Bruce and Damian while they chat some more with the principal himself.

After waiting for a bit the door opens and the two males walk down the hallway to where you are. Damian scowls and glares at you while Bruce looks to you blankly, detached.

You stand and awkwardly rub your hands on your uniform. Something they clearly don't miss as their eyes snap to the motion.

"uh, thank you for this opportunity... What's the favor?" You managed to work up the courage to speak without stuttering like a madman. Something you believed you should get a pat on the back for because the two guys were terrifying.

"The favor is simple really," Bruce starts his Brucie personality back in play "Stop speaking badly of Aranea and don't pick fights with my ward, Tim. Easy right?" You nod. You expected this. Honestly you should be a detective or something you think to yourself.

Nah, that's Batman's job.

You pick up your bag and head to the door, Bruce however had moved while you had seemingly zoned out while in thought and was standing in front of the door while talking to the receptionist and in your haste to leave you bumped into his side.

He automatically puts his arm on your shoulder to steady you and your mind connects the dots.

Bruce has the same build as Batman. Batman seemingly adores Aranea, or at least you think so, he's hard to read - like Bruce (for both being hard to read and adoring Aranea to a weird point). Same amount of kids. Plus Batman had to be rich if he could have a plane and a new looking suit after gruesome nights.

God, how did you not see this before...

Amidst your freaky reality check you fail to notice Bruce trying to get your attention until he snaps in your face - like how your dad does. You hate that.

Your head shoots up and you take a couple steps back while muttering an apology while Bruce stands there with a raised brow, confused while Damian looks at you with disdain as if you soiled a good outfit.

Feeling humiliated and terrified you quickly move around the two men and out of the door. You're in deep shit now... Even something as simple as secretly knowing the identities of the vigilantes that watch over Gotham is a death wish.

This is going to be the worst day of school, so, you decide to leave. You go to the sick bay and get a slip to leave school and you do.

You run home as fast as possible and get to your room. Your mother is out cold in her room with some man she met from the bar so you shouldn't have to worry about her.

You take a couple deep breaths and contemplate on what to do now that you left school, you could catch up on assignments, you could take a nap, or you could go on patrol...

It's daytime and you're pretty sure Signal will be patrolling today, you like Signal, he's a chill guy. Now though, now you don't really want to be near any of the vigilantes.

You decide to check your phone to see what area Signal is patrolling, it comes up in the GC, Westside Gotham at the Midtown area.

Okay. You can do East Park Side then. It's not your favorite area but at least you won't be confronted with one of the vigilantes so soon. Plus, the park is nice.

You suit up and head out. East Park side wasn't far away from you due to the lack of money your family has you are stuck in downtown.

You spend a majority of your time on patrol, helping people and just hanging around. Soon, much to your surprise, you get a call from Batman.

"Aranea. What are you doing patrolling without your comm on and without informing us?" He sounds as serious as ever, usually you'd roll your eyes but right now you're struck with fear. His voice holds maliciousness and anger deep under it. The very same way that Bruce Wayne had spoken to you. You don't want to admit it but knowing the identities of these heroes makes it more suffocating to be around them.

It also meant you had to be much more careful around them.

"Uh... I was bored at home so I went out on patrol?" You respond, trying to keep the energy in your voice, even if it felt like you were going to explode.

"That doesn't answer my question." He responds, you're sure he's picked up on the fakeness of your cheerfulness. "Right! Ha! Forgot about that. I didn't wanna disturb you all! Plussssss, Signal is patrolling so it's all good!" You laugh it off.

Batman isn't laughing. When does he ever?

"That's no reason to not inform us or at the very least turn on your comm. What if something happened to you? What if you died? You aren't invincible. You'll die in that stupid suit if you don't work with us!" You wince slightly. Fuck him. Does he really think you need him and the others to survive? Not to mention him calling your suit stupid, sure it's not perfect but stupid is just overkill. He only even thinks it's stupid because it isn't made with his money!

You honestly couldn't find the effort to continue talking to him, so with your faux cheerfulness you decide to end the call. "I get it. I'll know better next time! Bye bye!"

Sometimes you wish you were old enough to drink.

[thefatedthoughtofyou]

In Which Steve Gains a Little Weight and Eddie May or May Not Have a Staring Problem { hint: he absolutely does. but who wouldn't? }

Chubby!Steve lovers rise up! He is a blessing upon our houses. 😌

Eddie's been staring at him. For months. Steve had actually had to snap his fingers at Eddie once, right in front of his face. To get his attention. And Eddie had flinched and flailed back dramatically, making it seem like Steve was the offending party when Eddie had been the one staring. He was always staring.

Steve never used to mind people staring. He knew he looked good. Not in a self centered way. Just... people told him he looked good. And he didn't really have reason to argue. Girls definitely liked him. So it just seemed... like a fact. To him.

But lately Steve hadn't been feeling attractive. At least not as attractive. He'd gained a bit of weight. With the gates closed for good and Hawkins back to normal. He'd finally let himself relax. And he'd been eating more, his appetite from before all the anxiety and stress and fighting for his life, and the kids lives, finally coming back.

He still swam a bit. Went for runs every morning. But he was filling out. His thighs were thicker. His stomach softer. He'd heard his mother call one of his cousins "pudgy" when he was young and now everytime he looked in the mirror the word rang in his head like a bell.

He was pudgy. Less defined, soft around the edges. And Eddie kept. Fucking. Staring.

~°~

Steve was laying on one of the lounge chairs by the pool. Eddie was floating in the water, eyes closed, arms moving gently at his sides, keeping him afloat. Steve tugged his shirt down, again, and tried to get comfortable.

It was just him and Eddie today. Robin had to work. And the kids were in school. Steve was just glad Eddie had gotten in the water. So he would stop looking at him. Cuz he'd been doing it again. His eyes locked on Steve, roaming over him, looking at god knows what.

Steve knows what. Wraps his arms around his middle and feels what he knows Eddie has been staring at. Skinny as a rat Eddie Munson who can eat whole fucking pizzas and just... nothing. Steve ate whole pizzas too, that wasn't the issue. It was just, Steve's pizza seemed to settle on his hips now more than it used too.

He hears Eddie make a choking sound and watches him flail and sink beneath the water, popping up a moment later, coughing, and dragging Steve out of his thoughts.

"You good man?" Steve calls, letting his hands fall away from his body. Eddie keeps coughing but gives Steve a thumbs up, then wipes at his face, rubbing at his nose as he stands looking like a wet kitten in the middle of the pool. He clears his throat loudly, shakes his head, coughs once more, and then ducks back under water just to bounce back up, his face toward the sky, the water moving his hair out of his face.

Steve had walked to the edge of the pool, watching Eddie cough. He sits himself on the edge, feet dangling in the water to cool himself off. He could take his shirt off. It would be cooler. But he can't. Doesn't want to. Not in front of Eddie.

He watches Eddie lower himself shoulders deep in the water and then look up at Steve, he smiles, soflty.

"I fell asleep." He says, to belatedly explain his nearly chocking to death. Steve rolls his eyes, snorts, and shakes his head.

"Of course you did." Steve sighs.

"Hey it's not my fault. If you had some nice floaties around here like the goblins have been asking for I wouldn't have almost died." Eddie retorts.

And Steve is about to argue, he wants too, opens his mouth to do it and everything. But he catches the way Eddie is looking at him again and the words die in his mouth. His arms wrapping around his soft middle as he tries to hide, he sits up a bit straighter. Eddie swims toward him, eyes lingering.

"You gonna swim?" Eddie asks, soflty.

"Naw. Don't think so. I'm not that warm." Steve shrugs, kicks his feet in the water a bit as Eddie moves closer.

"You're sweating." Eddie says, pointing out the obvious. Steve glares at him a bit, nothing too harsh, and wipes at his forhead with the back of his arm.

"I'm good. Just my feet in is nice." He kicks water at Eddie, he doesn't even dodge it, just lets it hit him as he keeps swimming forward.

He nods at Steve, swims up next to him, rests his arms on the side of the pool and his chin on his arms, looking up at Steve until Steve turns and looks directly at him. Eddie quickly looks away then. Steve looks away too.

Looks away from the pale skin of Eddie's shoulders. Away from the way Eddie's arms flex as he shifts a bit to get more comfortable. Away from that look in his eyes.

"Do I make you uncomfortable?" Eddie asks out of nowhere.

"What?" Steve asks, leaning away from Eddie a little faster than he'd meant too. Eddie tracks the movement, Steve sees him do it.

"Do I make you uncomfortable?" Eddie repeats.

"No I heard you. It's just-" he pauses, shakes his head. His heart beating a little faster.

"Why would you ask that? You don't make me uncomfortable. I like having you here. If that's... is that what you mean?" Steve asks, stammering a bit. Not really sure what Eddie wants from him. Eddie shakes his head though, slowly. Once.

"No I mean... you've just seemed... different. Lately. Like... you're trying to sink into yourself. Make yourself smaller. Or something." Eddie shrugs, shakes his head like he doesn't think he made sense. But Steve's heart pounds with just how much sense he made. Hit the nail right on the head, actually, in the scary way he has.

"I-" he considers lying. Saying everything's fine. But it's not. And if he says it is, Eddie will think he's done something wrong. And he hasn't. Not really. Eddie's eyes widen, he lifts his head, then stands, leans his hip agaisnt the wall of the pool instead.

"Yes?" Eddie teases, bumping Steve's knee with the back of his hand. Steve huffs a laugh and takes a deep breath.

"I am. Trying to make myself smaller. Like, in the figurative sense. Cuz I'm like, I've gained weight. And I don't... I don't know. I guess I'm just... uncomfortable with that? Not because of you." Steve says, watches Eddie smile at him. For some fucking reason.

"Literal sense. And why does that make you uncomfortable? Not getting as many chicks? Are the ladies of Hawkins really so shallow?" Eddie asks, brushing past his correction and partly mocking Steve, like he knows that's not the issue. And Steve is so thankful, just that small amount of mocking makes him feel a little better. Like he's being silly maybe, about the whole thing.

"Well. Yes. They are. Some of them. But I don't know. It was just a thing. At first. A thing I noticed in the mirror getting out of the shower. Or after swimming. Or trying to fit into some of my old jeans. Just a thing. Just a difference I noticed is all." He shrugs, eyes on the water.

"You're not the only one." Eddie mutters, teeth pulling at his bottom lip.

"What?" Steve asks, he hadn't been paying attention, the words a muddy sound on the peripherals of his hearing. Eddie shakes his head, waves him off.

"Nothin. Don't worry about it." He pushes his hand through the water at his side before looking back to Steve.

"Bodies change man. It happens. Nothin' wrong with it." He shrugs again, lowers himself back to his shoulders and looks up at Steve, his hair a dark cloud in the water around him. Steve sighs, feels silly and stupid for what he's about to say.

"Yeah. Sure. But I used to be hot." He says, matter of factly. Eddie snorts.

"You are hot. Way hotter now than when we were in school." Eddie says, like he can't believe what he's hearing, but also.... Eddie thinks he's hot? Steve watches him for a moment, he's got his face tilted to the sky, leaning back to dunk his hair in the cool water, his pale neck on display as he sighs at the cooless on his head.

"You think I'm hot?" Steve asks, has to, can't not. He'd said it so easily, like it should be obvious.

Eddie's eyes go wide as his head snaps back in Steve's direction.

"What?" His voice cracks. He hasn't blinked.

"You said you think I'm hot." Steve says, he can feel his own cheeks flush. But he can see Eddie's doing it. They had already been tinted pink from the early morning sun, but they were rushing quickly toward red.

"No. I didn't- that's not-"

"You said you thought I was hot when we were in school." Steve repeats, feeling a tad bit giddy as he watches the flush rush down Eddie's neck as well.

"That's- that's not... what I meant." Eddie huffs, petulant, but he crosses his arms over his chest, guarding himself.

"But it's what you said." Steve teases, keeping his face as straight as possible. Eddie huffs again.

"Well I clearly didn't mean to say that outloud okay?" He shakes his head, sinks a little in the water before bobbing back up. Steve just looks at him. Tries to give him the look that Eddie had been giving him, for the last few months.

He doesn't know if it works. But Eddie groans loudly and ducks under the water. Steve laughs as a stream of bubbles reach the surfface, he can hear Eddie screaming under the water. When he surfaces again, his face is still a very nice shade of pink, Steve wants to touch it, to feel the heat of it beneath his fingers.

"I'm sorry okay. I have been making you uncomfortable. I've been staring. I know I have, okay? It's just hard not too. When you walk around looking like that!" Eddie waves his hand frantically in Steve's direction, even as he takes a few steps away from him.

"Like what?" Steve's brow furrows, he looks down at himself, his shirt is a little tight around his stomach, his swim trunks a bit snug around the hips, and his thighs are practically squeezed into them. What was Eddie seeing that he wasn't. He looks back to see Eddie staring again, but his eyes are on Steve's face this time.

Steve watches several emotions pass over Eddie's face as he watches him. He seems to settle on determined and takes a step back in Steve's direction. Then another. He stops just out of reach. Sets his shoulders.

"You're fucking beautiful Steve. I don't- I don't know how you can't see that." He shrugs, like he's helpless, his eyes wide and honest. Steve swallows hard, glances down at himself again and then back to Eddie.

"I'm-?"

"Gorgeous. Like.... fucking ethereal. I could fucking look you all day. Fuck, I mean I basically do. You're like a goddamn peice of art." Eddie's voice is so raw, it catches in his throat. His arms wrapped around himself tight, like he's afraid Steve will be mad at him for some reason. Steve shakes his head, once, trying not to cry. He smiles at Eddie, all watery eyed and goofy, and tugs his shirt over his head before throwing himself into the water. And then throwing himself at Eddie, who catches him easily.

His hands are warm on Steve's sides, warm and so so gentle, like he's not sure he's allowed to touch. He just stares at Steve, throat bobbing as Steve moves his fingers over Eddie faces, tracing his features.

"You're pretty easy on the eyes yourself." Steve says, smiles wide when a laugh bursts out of Eddie. Steve presses closer, chest to chest, arms snaking around Eddie's neck, fingers tangling in his hair.

"Can I kiss you?" Eddie whispers, his lashes fluttering as his eyes dart around Steve's face. Steve's chest burns, and pounds, as Eddie's fingers press harder into his hips.

"Yes. Yeah." Steve breathes, nodding, almost frantic. Eddie smiles, leans in a bit, and then sways away with a grimace.

"What? What's wrong?" Steve asks, suddenly feeling a bit sick to his stomach. Eddie squints at him, shakes his head, closes his eyes with another grimace.

"Full disclosure. I've never actually...like... fully kissed someone... before. So I might not- I mean I don't know what I'm doing." Eddie opens one eye, peaking at Steve to see his reaction around his wincing, scrunched up features. Steve's heart flutters, he smiles and scratches his nails gently against Eddie's scalp, Eddie leans into it like a cat.

"That's okay. I know what I'm doing." Steve assures him, Eddie's eyes go wide for a split second and then Steve is kissing him. A small noise startles out of Eddie when their lips meet and Steve could listen to that all day, it's like music. He pulls back after a genlte press, he can feel Eddie's hands trembling against his hips.

"That okay?" Steve asks, Eddie nods enthusiastically and presses back in, another gentle press of lips before Steve pulls back again, eyes moving over Eddie's face and the soft way he's looking at him.

"You really think I'm beautiful? Hot. Like this?" Steve asks, rolling his eyes at himself, his hand moving to his stomach and then away again. Eddie's eyes follow the movement, the way Steve nearly flinches away from his own touch.

"Fuck yes." Eddie says, he sounds breathless. And then Steve is gasping as Eddie leans down, licks a hot stipe across Steve's stomach, and then sinks his teeth into the soft, fleshy, skin of his hip, right above his swim shorts.

"Eddie! Jesus!" Steve squaks, trying to push Eddie away and pull him closer all at once.

Eddie perks back up, pulls Steve close, and presses his laughter into Steve's neck. And then his teeth are on Steve's skin, and he's gasping again, hands grabbing at Eddie's shoulders. Eddie's tongue soothes over the bite and then he's looking at Steve again.

"You're beautiful. Like this, or any other way. Okay? Always." Eddie says, moving his hands over Steve's sides, giving his love handles a hard, possessive, squeeze. Steve laughs, Eddie's antics tickling, he squirms, toward Eddie, into his waiting arms.

"Okay. If you say so." Steve sighs into Eddie's shoulder. Eddie's hand moves up, over Steve's back and into his hair.

"I do say. You're beautiful. Thin, or chubby, or scarred, or fat, or whatever else you might be in the future. You're beautiful." He pauses, pulls back so he can see Steve's face.

"And I'll tell you that whenever you need to hear it okay? For as long you're mine." Eddie's whispering, speaking so softly into the space between them.

"That sounds nice." Steve says, his throat tight, and burning, tears clouding his vision. Eddie chuckles, his chest vibrating against Steve's.

"Which part?" He asks, moving one finger across Steve's forhead, tucking a loose strand of hair away. Steve sniffles, shakes his head and tries not to cry.

"Being yours." He says, his lips trembling as he returns the bright smile across from him. Eddie nods, Steve nods back. They meet in the middle, another sweet press of lips, Eddie's fingers dig into Steve's soft skin and pull him close, like he's trying to climb inside him.

"Mine." Eddie sighs, Steve breathes the word in like he needs it to live. His own fingers dig into Eddie's back, tugging him closer, smiling against Eddie's lips as he sighs,

"Yours." back into Eddie's mouth.

[sirtadcooper]

Winning? Is that what you think it's about? I'm not trying to win. I'm not doing this because I want to beat someone, or because I hate someone, or because, because I want to blame someone. It's not because it's fun, and God knows it's not because it's easy. It's not even because it works, because it hardly ever does. I do what I do, because it's right! Because it's decent! And above all, it's kind. It's just that. Just kind. If I run away today, good people will die. If I stand and fight, some of them might live. Maybe not many, maybe not for long. Hey, you know, maybe there's no point in any of this at all, but it's the best I can do, so I'm going to do it. And I will stand here doing it till it kills me. You're going to die too, some day. How will that be? Have you thought about it? What would you die for? Who I am is where I stand. Where I stand, is where I fall. Stand with me. These people are terrified. Maybe we can help, a little. Why not, just at the end, just be kind?

make me choose | @blakbonnet asked: 10 or 12

[femmchantress]

Not to continue to Doctor Who on main, but the Twelfth Doctor's monologue from "The Doctor Falls" is like... idk it just hits so close for me. It really just gets at the heart of the person I want to be, the person I'm trying to be, the person I hope I am. It's perfect.

Winning? Is that what you think it's about? I'm not trying to win. I'm not doing this because I want to beat someone, or because I hate someone, or because, because I want to blame someone. It's not because it's fun and God knows it's not because it's easy. It's not even because it works, because it hardly ever does. I do what I do, because it's right! Because it's decent! And above all, it's kind. It's just that. Just kind. If I run away today, good people will die. If I stand and fight, some of them might live. Maybe not many, maybe not for long. Hey, you know, maybe there's no point in any of this at all, but it's the best I can do, so I'm going to do it. And I will stand here doing it till it kills me. You're going to die too, some day. How will that be? Have you thought about it? What would you die for? Who I am is where I stand. Where I stand, is where I fall. Stand with me. These people are terrified. Maybe we can help, a little. Why not, just at the end, just be kind?

[withthewindinherfootsteps]

Aaaa thank you so much for the tag!! Trying to keep it to one per fandom:

(Honourable mentions in no particular order: NHS, LWJ, SQQ, SQH; Ena, Shiho and An from PJSK; Katara and Sokka from ATLA; a lot of the AOT cast because they’re all so interesting but particularly freckles Ymir and Armin; and a lot of others)

Considering shared fandoms, I wonder who’s going to win xD

Tagging (to do at any time): @optimisticmiraclefest @miixz @original-robin @enby-axels @notdexterousatall and everyone else who’d like to join!

rules: make a poll with five of your all time favorite characters and then tag five people to do the same. see which character is everyone's favorite!

Tagging @admirableadmiranda @jiangwanyinscatmom @origami-penguin @danmeireader @chronic-dreamer

[marymary-diva17]

always be one of the people

Neytiri family x reader x tsut'ey + Jake sully and others

All children are a blessing to the great mother as she saw, all children born on pandora as one of her children. So what happens when a child comes from the skies, a child that doesn't look like anyone else around here. Will she been seen as child of eywa and one of the many people on Pandora or will se been see outsider and the demons that will come to destroyer the planet she will call home.

mo'at " ......" moa's was walking through the forest as she was falling some wood spirts, she had left her home today when the came to her soon stealing her attention.

mo'at " where are you leading me great mother where" mo'at ears soon went up when she heard a babies cries, and as a mother herself her mother mood had kicked in and followed the cries. She soon stopped running once the cries die down and she saw Thanator stand a bit away from blue thing. That blue thing was a navi baby mo'at got her blade out and walked towards the creature, she will not leave the child defenseless.

mo'at " huh" the Thanator soon noticed mo'at as the wood spirts soon came, and soon enough the Thanator had taken off. mo'at race to the child to see it had the blood of the sky people.

mo'at " hello little one wow you are special" mo'at was looking at the child who reach out hand that was not like everyone else, she had five finger and hair on her face. mo'at was looking at the baby as she soon smile and laugh. The wood spirts had landed on the baby forehead making eywa see this as sign.

mo'at " come you will be with my family I will take you in as my daughter as raise you as my own" when mo'at had return with the odd looking baby, it had gained the whole clan attention as no one saw a baby like that until her. Due to mo'at being the tshaik she had the last saying after she told everyone the child, had been blessed by eywa there was no going against her.

Many years later

Y/n “ ………” you are laying in your bed fast asleep, in your family mauri pod. Soon enough the sunlight had hit your face, and you soon got up from your bed. 

Y/n “ another day to see what the great mother has to offer” you soon got ready for the day and soon left the home, after grabbing some fruit. You had some plans of exploring the forest along with study the sky people aka humans that came many years ago. There was a major obstacle in your way well three obstacles that stopped you. 

???? “ where are you going my daughter”

y/n " good morning mother"

mo'at " morning my daughter you have still not answered my question"

y/n" I'm going out exploring motor and to understand the humans a bit more"

mo'at " you know your father, neytiri, and tsu'tey will hate that idea"

y/n " yes I know but I feel like there something calling to me"

mo'at " I know my child I know"

y/n " I know sneaking off is bad but if dad caught me he will not be happy, and if neytiri caught me she would tag along and try to stop me for going anywhere she deems unsafe"

mo'at " what about tsu'tey"

y/n " he sill do anything in his power to make sure I don't go I love him dearly, but there are times when he do overprotective and I know I will not win a fight against him"

mo'at " they all love you dearly child in their own ways but I understand, go now I will come up with some excuse to them have some fun and follow the will of the great mother" you had smiled towards you mom and hugged her before you ran off with a bright smile on your face. You were wondering around the forest having a time of your life. While wondering your had gather some stuff for yourself and your mother as well.

y/n " huh" you were done doing some gather when you saw some wood spirts foaling near you, making you laugh and smile as you reach out your hand to them.

y/n " It seems like I have been blessed by the great mother or she sending me a sign"

???? " maybe a sign that your shouldn't be wondering off alone during times like this" you soon got spooked when you heard a voice you knew so well, you soon turn away to see tsu'tey standing there.

y/n " oh tsu'tey what are you doing out here did you make sure to have breakfast, before you started your day I hate when you miss meals"

tsu'tey " I hate it when you sneak off without telling others where you are going"

y/n " I don't know what you mean I'm no longer a child I can stay out longer when I wish"

tsu'tey " yes you are no longer a child and member of the clan but you are my future mate, and ma y/n I can worry about you" tsu'tey was now standing near you and soon looked at you.

tsu'tey " what the matter ma y/n"

y/n " are you sure you wish to be with me"

tsu'tey " you are my first love and will always have my heart, there is no one else I rather be with ma yawne"

y/n " are you sure what if our children come looking out like me, will you still love me and them"

tsu'tey " I will love them no matter what our children will be wonderful and blessing and I will love them no matter what happens" you soon laugh and kissed tsu'tey check making the warrior smile.

y/n " you are my warrior"

tsu'tey " you are my heart"

y/n " your warriors are waiting for you don't keep them waiting" tsu'tey soon noticed his students waiting for him, tsu'tey soon kissed your forehead.

tsu'tey " I will see you later tonight at dinner and we can talk more"

y/n " yes my love goodbye" tsu'tey and his warriors soon took off leaving you there, as you went back to herb collecting. You soon made your way back home when you soon ran into your father.

eyuthan " there you are my daughter I was wondering where you ran off today"

y/n " hello father"

eyuthan " so tell me my daughter what are you up to"

y/n " trying to see what the great mother has planned for me, but it seems like I have yet to get answers"

eyutahn " you will get answers soon daughter no need to rush" eyuthan smiles at his daughter making you smile back at him, he soon place comforting hands on your shoulder.

eyuthan " you will always be my daughter and one of the people, no matter what anyone else has to say you are the child of eywa"

y/n " thank you father"

neytiri " sister there you are come on you are with me today ... will it be fine if I take her father"

eyuthan " yes you both can go now I will see you all later on" you and your sister soon walked off together, you were hoping that this happens will last forever for you and your loved ones. Not to your knowledge that some of the things you held so dear will soon be ripped away from you, and that life will never be the same ever again for you.

[yetanotherhiddlestoner]

Summary ~ Daryl finds a journal on a supply run and reads it, what will happen when he sees the world through someone else's perspective?

Words ~ 2040ish

Warnings ~ None

GIF NOT MINE. CREDIT TO RHEEDUS.

And I am back, kinda lost motivation to write, then life got in the way once more, the kiddos are back at school now so I have more free time to update my stories. 

Sorry if this one seems a little off (It does to me right now) currently fighting a headache but wanting to get this chapter out for you all. 

The Entries Chapter 4

The next day you hear the revving of a motorbike outside, and you sit up in bed, peeking out the window to see the man who you assume is Daryl straddling the seat as he revves it. You can't help but to take in his arm muscles as his hands grip the handlebars. He is talking to Michonne who nods and waves him off as he speeds out the gates, the dog beside her running after him but stopping at the gates.

You close the curtains and lay back against the headboard opening your camera and taking a photo of the room, as you wait for it to print, you start writing in your journal about you experience and how you got here. 

Still not too sure if anyone has found the others you sent out into the world, and if they did, did they read them? Did they flip through the pages to see the story within? No matter what you still take the time to write and share your experiences.

You rip some tape off and stick the photo to the page and start writing. This will be the first positive entry in a long time, when you start writing, you put all that has happened in the last 48 hours, making it a very different entry than what you were used to writing.

You started noting all the good things here, the people who you met, how they seem so welcoming. You truly wonder if this could really work out for you? 

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

Entry 30 ~

"Death is coming. A horde full of biters, to many to guess are heading towards us, we probably have a couple days before they get here. I have tried to tell the group if we don't move, we are going to die but they said we are fine as long as we don't draw attention to ourselves. 

I have started packing, my bag is always on my back, weapons in my boots and holsters. I am ready to run. No-one else is, I go out document the horde daily, they will tear though our camp. 

I barely sleep these nights, terrified for us all."

Daryl looks at the photo of the horde and recognizes the location as one that they have seen once before, the horde now though triple in size since you took this photo. This fills Daryl with a sense of hope that you might be in the area, with reading the journals he feels somehow connected to you. 

He places the journal back in bag he has strapped to his bike. He is not too far from the Commonwealth now; he pulled over to have a quick break and to stretch his legs after riding for so long. After walking for a bit, he picked out a snack and the journal to bide the time till he felt like riding again.

He had hoped he wasn't needed at the Commonweath for too long though, he would much prefer to stay at the Kingdom.

That night, he laid in his room and once again found himself reading again. 

Entry 31~ 

"The night is filled with groans of the dead, as they march towards us. I plan on running out during the night, I know I shouldn't, I should stand and fight for my camp, but this is a battle I know we cannot win; we don't have enough bullets, and we don't have the room to hide it out."

Entry 32~

"I couldn't leave, I really wanted to but as I stood at the gates of my tiny community, we cannot stay here. If it wasn't for the children, I have grown to love as family I would have been long gone.

But now Death is at our doorstep."

Entry 33~

"I was able to convince some of the group to leave, just moments before the horde started tearing through our camp. We lost 5 of our friends today, as we drove away, we could hear the gun fire and screams that slowly were drowned out by the groans of the dead.

It was only the adults that had to witness the terror of it all, the kids were loaded into the front seat of the truck for their protection. Tonight, we were lucky once more, we found a massive storage unit that was unlocked, with no dead inside.

We have barricaded the door while we hide out in an empty unit, we scavenged some mattresses and pillows so that we can rest here the night before trying to find food and water tomorrow."

Once more there is a photo of everyone in the unit, the kids sleeping on the bed, adults sitting with guns at the ready.

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

Days pass and your wounds heal, the doctor checks you daily for infection, but he clears you and tells you that you can start doing some light duties around the community. Aaron is waiting outside the doctors for you.

"All clear, I can officially start helping around here now" you say to him as you give him a thumbs up.

"Light duties" The doctor replies from behind you, making Aaron chuckle.

"The stitches will start falling out soon, but we still don't want you breaking them before it fully healed"

"Got it doc, I'll keep an eye on her." Aaron says as you turn to walk away.

"So what is the plan for the day?" You ask Aaron.

"Well, we were going to plan another supply run, Michonne always likes to try and find things that we and the other communities need, we are always looking for beds, clothing, the general things that one needs to live. Each run we have to expand further and further so it takes a lot more planning"

You nod as he talks. "When do you think I could go on runs?" You ask calmly.

"You wanna go on runs? Does that mean you thinking of staying?" 

You shrug, "I mean if the offer still on the table" 

"Of course it is."

"It's the first time since the start I have actually been able to feel safe, been able to sleep without have one eye constantly opened in case of danger. But if I stay, I need to be able to help, not just in the garden but on runs" You explain to him.

"Agreed then, welcome home Y/N" Aaron says as he embraces you in a hug. 

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

Daryl spends almost two months at the Commonwealth, helping everyone there, he takes on jobs fixing cars and bikes for them. He helps them by trying to teach them to hunt, to read the footprints on the ground and how to track animals. 

So, when he gets back on the road, he is happy to be heading home to the Kingdom. He is not the type to settle down in one place to long, but he prefers them over the Commonwealth.

The ride home is long and boring, he pulls over for the night at an abandoned cabin as the rain sets in. The pitter patter hits the windows, while the lantern he has lights up the room he has taken as his for the night.

His legs are sore from being on the bike to long, he stretches them out and massages them, groaning as he works out the knots in his body. He loves his bike but sitting on it for hours on end isn't as easy as it used to be in his youth.

The rain sets in for the night, Daryl settles down and falls asleep to the sound of the drops hitting the cabin's tin roof.

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

Lightning strikes above The Kingdom, the thunder cracking loudly, waking you up from your sleep. The storm was high above the community, lighting brightening up the sky, you watch in awe as it streaks across the sky, followed by the loud thunder.

It was all fine until, lightning struck the big tree next to the fence causing a huge branch to fall down. You quickly get out of bed and grab your weapons, you peek out your window, the rain hitting it heavily, but you are able to make out the dead making their way into the community. 

You quickly run out of your house and head to wake up Ezekial to alert him about the danger.

You reach the house doors and bang on them loudly, waiting for someone to hear you. You look behind you, seeing the dead starting to get closer your bangs get louder and finally Jesus opens the door and you push him inside and slam the door.

"Y/N?" He says, looking at your drenched form. It takes you a moment to catch your breath before responding to Jesus

"We have a breach" You get out starting to feel cold from the rain.

Jesus is quick to wake up the house, Michonne has her katana ready, Aaron and Maggie start handing out guns to those in the residence, you watch as they show no panic just determination to save their community. 

When the last person leaves the house, you grab the last gun from the cabinet, turn a heel and head back out into the cold rain to fight alongside your friends.

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

The first thing Daryl sees when he rides his bike through the gates is the broken fence, the dead walkers on the ground and the small group of people who are working together.

People dragging the dead over to trucks to dispose their bodies. 

Others dragging parts of the tree over to dry out knowing they will be used for firewood.

He jumps off his bike and walks over to Maggie, who is sitting on the ground, her head in her hands, covering her face from the sun.

"What happened?" He asks.

"Storm came through last night, tree got hit and let walkers in."

"The fuck?" Daryl looked at the damage, it would take days to get this branch out of the way and more time to fix the fence.

"Yeah, just our luck, we are going to have to halt runs for now till we fix it, if it hadn't been for Y/N, we would have not known about it till the morning"

The shock on Daryl's face hearing that name was not missed by Maggie.

"Y/N?" He repeats.

"Yeah, the newcomer we almost hit on the road. You know her?" 

He shakes his head, he doesn't know how to explain to Maggie about the journals he has been reading, and he wasn't too sure if you were the same Y/N as the one in the books.

"Nah, don't think I do. Just didn't know her name" He lied, the look on Maggie's face was clear that she didn't believe him, but she didn't push the subject.

 

"She left the safety of her house to come and wake us last night to inform us of the breach, poor girl soaking wet apparently when Jesus opened the door, we are thankful for her doing this, then she joined us in fighting, she hasn't stopped for hours, don't know where she gets the energy." Maggie stands up, wiping the mud from her jeans. Looking over at you as you start sawing the smaller branches off the tree. 

Daryl looks at you, your back to him as you move the saw back and forth. Your covered in Mud and walker blood, the t-shirt your wearing sticking to your body. He watches as Dog runs up to you barking and wagging his tail, Daryl watches as you turn to Dog, you wipe your hair and sweat out of you face and smile at Dog before giving him scratches on his head. He hears you call him a good boy before Dog barks happily, leaving you and running over to Daryl. Daryl can't help but watch as you turn and smile at Dog, your eyes slowing going to his. His gaze locks with yours.

The breath is Daryl halts.

The girl who he has been reading about.

The girl who he has been thinking about.

The girl who he learns more about daily, yet she knows nothing of him.

The girl whose journals he somehow finds.

That girl is right in front of him. 

[gatitties]

A day off with Kunimi

Manager Miniseries

─Aoba Josai x fem!reader

─Summary: You're not in the mood for training and Kunimi seems to be on the same line of thought as you

─Warnings: none

12 < 13 > 14

You were walking calmly to school, very sleepy, you almost fell or crashed on the street several times, it had not been a good choice to stay up late watching movies. You had no choice but to endure the morning, or that was what you had planned to do if it weren't for a certain first year boy, who was kicking a can with an ass face outside the gym.

"Where has Kunimi gone? Also why is (Nn) so late?"

Oikawa's voice echoed throughout the place, you and Kunimi could hear the team's confusion due to the silence at the entrance, both looked at each other without wanting to enter. Kunimi was the first to step forward, grabbing your hand to get out of there, trying not to let them hear the footsteps. A light laugh escaped your lips, thinking that you would no longer have to suffer being among a bunch of sweaty boys today, you mentally thanked your junior, tightening the grip on your clasped hands.

"I'm sorry for dragging you, I just figured you didn't feel like putting up with training today either."

"No, It's ok, I think I'll run away with you today."

He just nodded and you walked to a cafe near the high school, at your request, you were going to die of sleep if you didn't drink some caffeine immediately. When you left there you two decided to walk near the school, although finally ended up leaving, skipping a day wouldn't hurt.

"Where do you want to go?"

"Honestly, my house, but it's far away and I'm lazy."

You laughed at how sincere he was, then he thought that walking through a small market that wasn't that far away would be good, since you could entertain with the things they sold there. When you arrived, you tried on some oddly shaped glasses from a small stall, you forced Kunimi to put on the typical glasses with a fake mustache to take a photo.

He just sighed every time you stopped to look at any absurdity, like children's toys or flashy things. He only stopped when he was in front of a sweets stand, they sold a lot of different types, but he only noticed some in particular, salted caramels, they were his favorite. You noticed ir and smiled, buying several of those candies, sharing them with him, which at first he refused but then agreed to take some.

He had to hold your hand so you wouldn't get lost among so many people, he was getting tired of being there, especially because there was more and more crowd and it was becoming difficult to walk down the narrow street without crashing into someone. In fact, at the end of the street someone pushed you so hard that you even knocked Kunimi to the ground.

"Oh fu-, look where you're going, you idiot!" The lack of sleep mixed with the stress of all those people made you explode, but your focus was on Kunimi who was cleaning his pants "I'm sorry, someone pushed me, are you okay?"

"Don't worry, it hasn't been much different from when we have to do dives in training"

He feigned disinterest, even finding a funny point to the accident, you sighed at his attitude. You finished seeing things, deciding to stay in a park sitting next to a pond, watching the ducks fight to get a piece of bread that an old woman threw them.

"What a beautiful couple."

You two looked at the old lady, you had not realized that you were still holding hands and you separated immediately, causing the lady to laugh, after the embarrassing scene you left there, tyou had had enough.

"Okay, now I really want to go home, want to come?"

"Sure."

He wasn't going to stand walking from one place to another aimlessly anymore so you simply went to the boy's house, who just wanted to rest lying in his bed with some good blankets and a movie, even if you accompanied him it didn't bother him, at this point he just want to rest and do nothing.

He let out a contented sigh as he closed the door to his house, telling you where to leave your slippers while you got used to the hospitality of Kunimi's house. As you spent the morning walking around the market, you arrived just around lunchtime, although no one was home, and you had to improvise something, that is, you ordered something for delivery. While the food arrived, you started arguing about what movie to watch, because you are both iPad kids and you need to watch something while you eat.

"For the last time I'm not going to watch Barbie of Swan Lake or Meet the Robinsons."

"Kuni-"

"No."

"But-"

"No."

You sighed exhaustedly, thinking about other movies, a light bulb went off in your head, and you decided to play an old reliable, Home Alone. Kunimi brought a couple of blankets, at some point in the movie you were practically hugging. Halfway through the movie his mother burst in, mocking her son for bringing a girl home, commenting on what an adorable couple you made. Kunimi had to kick her out because his mother and you started talking about him when he was a baby, because she show you an old photo. The movies ─because you decided to see a couple more─ went by so fast that you didn't even realize that it was already quite late.

"Honey, why don't you offer my future daughter-in-law a stay over?"

Everyone there knew that this was not a question but a statement, rather, an order. You almost choked upon hearing her, even though she was just teasing you, you went on to join forces at dinner to embarrass Kunimi instead, that family album can be a real danger in your hands.

"Leave the door open Akira!"

He rolled his eyes as guided you to the bathroom, lending you a change of clothes so could sleep comfortably. You could only laugh, deciding that you had had enough for today, you threw onto the bed next to Kunimi to rest, staring at the ceiling in silence listening to the little sound that came from Kunimi's phone, the first yawn was the signal for you to decide to go to sleep once and for all, you raised your leg, hitting the boy's foot.

"Good night Kunimi."

"Night..."

You smiled as you closed your eyes, taking seconds to fall into your deepest dreams, hoping that today is not the day you start talking in your sleep. He looked at you for a few seconds before putting down the phone and turning off the light without wanting to stay up late, tomorrow it wouldn't be so easy to escape from training taking into account the number of ignored messages in the team's group chat.

[neriumdelusion]

Grits my teeth. “I'm not trying to win. I'm not doing this because I want to beat someone, or because I hate someone, or because, because I want to blame someone. It's not because it's fun and God knows it's not because it's easy. It's not even because it works, because it hardly ever does. I do what I do, because it's right! Because it's decent! And above all, it's kind. It's just that. Just kind. If I run away today, good people will die. If I stand and fight, some of them might live. Maybe not many, maybe not for long. Hey, you know, maybe there's no point in any of this at all, but it's the best I can do, so I'm going to do it. And I will stand here doing it till it kills me. You're going to die too, some day. How will that be? Have you thought about it? What would you die for? Who I am is where I stand. Where I stand, is where I fall. Stand with me. These people are terrified. Maybe we can help, a little. Why not, just at the end, just be kind?” OKAY, LET’S ROLL

[hungryforhungergames]

The White Swan (Part Three)

Quick Summary:

He was the Head Gamemaker. She was a tribute meant to die.

Love isn’t forbidden in the Hunger Games — it’s fatal

Iris Sierra Vale POV:

The noise of the large crowd fades away as the horse-drawn cart re-enters the tunnel. Iris can finally breathe again and Kyle seems relieved too. At least they survived the parade.

Inside the tunnel it is colder than in the warm evening air, and goosebumps form on Iris' arms. But that wasn't the only reason she had goosebumps.

She saw him and he saw her.

They had shared a moment and Iris didn't know what that meant. He certainly had to be an important person for the Hunger Games or he wouldn't be standing on the balcony next to the president.

“You guys did a great job!”

Iris has to restrain herself from rolling her eyes when she hears Gideon's voice again. Gideon arrives along with Elira Vux and Kyle's stylist. Gideon gives Kyle a pat on the shoulder and Elira runs her hands through Iris's hair.

“The dress looks lovely on you.”

She compliments and the other stylist nods in agreement.

“Yes, it will be the talk of the day in the fashion magazines. I can say that with certainty.”

Elira seems flattered by the compliment, but quickly moves on to the order of the day.

“Tomorrow night are the interviews, hopefully I can top this dress.”

Iris's stomach cringes as she thinks about the interviews they have to give. She has nothing to tell all the people of Panem, no one needs to know more about her than what they already do.

“Don't worry, tomorrow we'll go over everything properly. But first, let's get some sleep.”

Gideon tells them and then takes them to the elevator. Sleep probably won't happen to Iris and Kyle, but getting away from the madness doesn't seem like a bad idea to them.

When Iris can finally look at herself in the elevator mirror, she doesn't see herself. In the mirror is a perfect woman, dressed in the most beautiful dress.

There is nothing left of the girl from district four who sewed her own dresses with leftover pieces of fabric from the market. The woman in the mirror looks like someone from the Capitol, as if she belongs here. Iris has never been so far from home.

Iris prowls the hallways of District Four's tribal apartment. The last thing she wants is to wake someone up, so she tiptoes.

As predicted, she can't fall asleep, overwhelmed by everything that has happened today. The look of that man on the balcony, the parade, everything makes her head spin.

Defeated, she lowers herself onto one of the apartment's luxurious couches. She sinks far into the soft and comfortable fabric and sighs, life is so unfair. Would every resident of the Capitol have these couches in their homes?

“Can't sleep either?”

Kyle steps into the room and lowers himself next to her on the couch. Iris shakes her head and starts playing with her fingers, she has no idea what to say to him.

“I've been thinking about how we're going to survive.”

He continues and an unpleasant feeling arises in Iris's stomach. She has escaped from her bedroom to avoid thinking about the Hunger Games for a while, and now Kyle starts talking about it after all.

“Kyle...”

Iris wants to stop him, but he shakes his head.

“No, I mean it Iris. If one of us is to survive, we have to have a good strategy.”

Iris has to admit he's right, without a strategy they won't get anywhere.

“What are you thinking about then? We both have no experience with weapons. The only way we would be stronger than the other tributes is in the water.”

Iris says and beats her arms down beside her in defeat. The more she thinks about it, the more she realizes that her chance of survival is is almost zero. At least Kyle is still strong and could possibly win a physical fight without weapons. She, on the other hand, is not.

“We probably won't win a fight, so we have to avoid them as much as possible. We have to hide and then just wait for the others to kill each other until we are left together.”

Kyle tells her.

“And then what?”

Iris's voice breaks as she asks the question. They both already know the answer, one of them would have to die. That's how the game works, only one tribute comes out of the Hunger Games. That tribute is the winner, even if he lost everything.

Kyle swallows wearily and avoids her gaze, as if speaking the truth brings them even closer to the inevitable end.

“Then I'll make sure you're the one who survives.”

He whispers in a broken voice. Iris shakes her head and takes his hands in hers.

“No, Kyle. I won't let that happen.”

She says in the same whisper tone he just used. Tears form in her eyes and she knows she can't contain herself for long.

“Please, Iris. I could never go on living knowing I could have saved you. ”

Kyle continues, a simple tear rolling down his cheek.

“I can't ask it of you, Kyle.”

Now tears are streaming down Iris' cheeks as well. She cannot imagine how she will feel in the arena, after all, if she survives the carnage.

How would she die? From starvation? An infection? Or would she be painfully murdered by one of the other tributes? What would her last thoughts be?

“You have to be able to do it, do it for your mother.”

Kyle brings in and squeezes her hands for a moment. 

“What about your sister?”

Iris wipes her tears from her cheeks.

“My sister has my parents to comfort her. But promise me one thing, if you win, please take care of paying for the medical expenses.”

Kyle looks at her almost pleadingly, seeming even more heartbroken by the thoughts of his sister. Iris nods, of course she would believe that.

The only problem is, she can't promise that either of them will make it out of the arena alive.

...

The sun shines in through the window and Iris sighs deeply as she throws the blankets off her. She didn't sleep much last night, and last night's conversation with Kyle kept repeating itself in her head.

Her thoughts jump to the interviews taking place tonight and a shiver spreads throughout her body.

Iris gets up from her bed and staggers on her legs for a moment before walking to the bathroom attached to her bedroom. Yesterday's sadness seems to have settled in and her feet feel heavy.

In the corner of her eye, she sees the dress from the parade hanging on a clothes rack, like a reminder for her fate.

Again she thinks back to the man on the balcony and the moment of eye contact between them.

Quickly she washes her pale face and changes into the clothes provided by the Capitol. Then she heads to the dining room, where Kyle and Gideon are both already waiting.

“Aah, there she is. The star!”

Gideon says enthusiastically and has a glass of juice poured for her. Iris shifts somewhat uncomfortably in the chair and decides to ignore the comment. She feels anything but a star.

“As expected, the Capitol loves you. People want to know everything about you and many think you have a chance to win.”

Gideon continues. Iris notices Kyle rolling his eyes at Gideon's attitude and suddenly she feels a huge sense of pity for him. It must not be easy to have been hearing since the fine that everyone loves Iris and nothing is said about him.

Iris wore the most beautiful dress in the world yesterday, his stylist had put him in a simple outfit. No one from the Capitol spoke a word about Kyle, everything was about her. Before she goes to say anything to him, Elira Vux enters .

“Interview day!”

She says in a high-pitched voice. Apparently Gideon was already expecting her, because he doesn't seem surprised by her visit. Elira sits down in one of the chairs and grabs some papers.

“Here, the sketches of your clothes for this morning.I'm terribly sorry, Kyle, for what you were wearing yesterday at the parade. I personally made sure that stylist doesn't dress a tribute anymore.”

Kyle waves away her apology and then Elira shoves some papers our way. Iris didn't think it was possible, but the dress is even prettier than the one she had on last night.

Iris had expected Elira to hoist her in a multicolored dress to stand out, but the dress was pure white. Not the chilly or clinical white, no, the white color was warm and vibrant.

Like the dress she was wearing yesterday, the top is tight-fitting and has some sort of feather texture in it. The back of her back is almost bare, but a few crystals and pearls are sewn to the transparent fabric. The sleeves are transparent but are finished with lace and even more pearls. The skirt consists of several layers and the bottom looks like swan feathers. At the top of the sketch is written in large letters.

“The White Swan.”

Indeed, the dress reminded her of a graceful white swan she sometimes saw swimming in the lake near her home. Iris had always been fascinated by the animal, but could never really name why that was.

“The white swan.”

Iris says,  tasting the words on her tongue.

“That's what you're called in the Capitol.”

Elira explains and Gideon grins before putting his glass of water on the table and saying:

“Matching, don't you think? And it works, people love the white swan.”

Kyle slides his chair back and walks away without saying anything. He apparently has no desire for another conversation about how the Capitol adores Iris. Iris herself is not sure what to make of the nickname. On the one hand, it may be her salvation, but on the other, she feels more and more like a puppet in their world. 

“Elira, thank you. The dress is gorgeous.”

Iris says, and Elira gives Iris a smile.

“Yes, we don't have to do anything more about the look. Now just the interview.”

Gideon says. Iris swallows and begins to play with her fingers. The interview she had been dreading so much. She had survived the parade, but the interview was different.

During the interview all the attention would go to her, she would be the center of attention instead of fitting in with all the other tributes.

“The interview is your chance to definitely make the public fall for you. We need to convince as many sponsors as possible.”

He continues, and Elira nods in agreement, the long necklace she wears around her neck moving with her.

“The white swan has to do more than just be beautiful, the public wants to hear the swan's voice.”

Elira tells her and the tension returns to Iris's body. 

“We've already come up with a number of themes, but what's probably going to work best with the audience,  is love.”

Iris shakes her head quickly at the word love.

“No, not about love.”

She says and crosses her arms. Gideon looks at her almost begging her to go along with the love theme, trying to persuade her one more time.

“A tragic love story would almost ensure the win.”

He tells her, but Iris is not persuaded. 

“No love.”

Iris repeats herself yet again. She could not speak a word about love when the Capitol heartlessly throws children into the arena every year and uses them as pawns. Don’t know love, so why should she speak about it?

It remains quiet at the table for a moment, the tension present. Gideon doesn’t dare to try it again and Elira clearly does not see it as her job to interfere.

“I want to tell about my father.”

Iris decides, her voice trembling. It still remains difficult for her to talk about him.

“He died at sea before I was born; I never knew him. My mother still can't quite believe it. Every year, on the date he died, she stays at the quay all day, hoping he will come home after all.”

Iris tells them. Elira puts her arm reassuringly on Iris's arm, and for a moment Gideon doesn't seem to know what to say.

“I want to talk about hope, because my mother still holds out hope, even though deep down she knows he can never come back. Because hope is something you keep carrying. Even when everything is against you. Even when you know the end is coming.

Coriolanus Snow POV:

The venue is filled to the brim with audience members anxiously waiting for the program to begin. Coriolanus spots Lucky Flickerman already smiling and having a chat with some advisors.

Coriolanus rolls his eyes; he never got along with Lucky. He is too exaggerated, likes himself too much and, according to Coriolanus, is not funny at all. The only thing he is good at is holding good interviews. Lucky is able to get even the most closed and quiet tributes to tell their life stories.

Coriolanus' thoughts race to Iris Sierra Vale again, something that has happened more often since he saw her during the fine.

Would she be wearing such a beautiful dress again today? Would she still have thought of him? He had certainly still been thinking about her, when in fact he needed to turn his full attention to the final preparations for the Hunger Games.

Coriolanus knew for sure, the Hunger Games would be another spectacle this year. There were many rumors about the tributes; the tributes of district one were both strong. Also, the male tribute from district two and the female tribute from district seven were both contenders for the win.

And then, of course, there was Iris, the white swan.

Everyone loves her and Coriolanus understands better than anyone why. The lights dim slowly and the people in the room stop talking abruptly. Coriolanus sees Lysander sit down next to him in the corner of his eye, and the other advisers also go to their seats.

The president is watching the interviews from the presidential palace, but Coriolanus, as head gamemaker, is eager to be there to take advantage of any opportunities.

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen! How nice that you are here!”

Lucky Flickerman walks onto the stage with his characteristic enthusiasm and exaggeration as the audience begins to clap loudly.

“Tonight we get to know the tributes personally. Yes, you heard correctly. After this evening, we will know much more about the tributes who will fight in the Hunger Games. I will guarantee you, it will be a fantastic evening. So sit back and let's get started quickly with the first interview!”

Lucky Flickerman does a leap of joy before lowering himself into his seat. Coriolanus already feels his irritation for Lucky rising again, always so over the top.

“Our very first tribute, Violet Dupont!”

The audience begins to clap even louder and the girl, named Violet Dupont, comes walking onto the stage. She exudes confidence and even waves at people in the audience for a moment. Her dress, like yesterday, is gold again and she is wearing a large crystal necklace.

The audience goes wild, but Coriolanus watches her with a critical eye. She is strong and will certainly be a danger in the arena, yet there is something missing about her. Her smile and her posture seem forced; it is clear she is playing a role.

Whether it is a role or not, the audience seems to enjoy her.

“Welcome, welcome Violet! How beautiful you look tonight!”

Lucky compliments her and gestures for her to take a seat in the chair.

“Thank you, Lucky.”

She smiles and waves to the audience for the last time. Lucky thinks she's fantastic and smiles one more time.

“We all know, you have an excellent chance of winning. You're strong and I've heard you're excellent with swords.”

Violet grins and her eyes sparkle.

“I am not only strong, but also very smart. I know how to manipulate people and I'm excellent at lying.”

She says, a tad too arrogant according to Coriolanus. Even though, as the head gamemaker, he may not influence the game too much, he is certainly not going to make things easy for Violet.

There's something about her he doesn't like, maybe it's her arrogant grin or her high and shrill voice that hurt his ears. Lysander, too, seems to notice his discomfort and briefly pokes his side.

“Not a fan, Snow?”

Lysander asks grinning.

“Of arrogant tributes, no not really.”

Coriolanus growls and takes a sip of his bourbon. Lysander chuckles and together they continue watching the interview.

“And what's your plan in the arena? You're certainly not going to hide from some danger?”

Lucky asks, chuckling and drumming his fingers on the side of his chair.

“I'm going for the win and will do whatever it takes to achieve it.”

After Violet's interview, District One's male tribute comes on stage, Ash Stone. He, too, talks about his skills and that he considers it an honor to fight for his district in the Hunger Games.

“I do it for my family, they are so proud of me.”

He had said and the crowd went wild again. Then the tributes from district two and three had followed, but the male tribute from district two had greatly disappointed him. Coriolanus kept waiting for that one moment, the moment he sees Iris again. And then it finally happened. 

“And now ladies and gentlemen. The moment we have all been waiting for. Here is the white swan from district four!”

The audience claps so loudly that it hurts Coriolanus' ears, and the counselors also lean forward in their seats to get an extra close look.

Coriolanus feels his heart stop for a moment when he sees her again for the first time.

The dress she is wearing is even more beautiful than yesterday's. The white dress and her beauty almost dazzles him. She walks onto the stage with her signature elegant demeanor, not exaggerated but she knows she is allowed to be there. With graceful steps, she walks up to Lucky, who claps enthusiastically for her. Her long, blond hair falls over her shoulders and some pieces are braided in satin ribbon. The fabric of her dress glistens in the bright lights of the studio, and she looks more like a goddess than a tribute from District Four.

God, she is the most beautiful person Coriolanus has ever seen. Coriolanus notices that Iris briefly looks in the direction he is sitting, but perhaps he was imagining it.

“The white swan.”

Lysander mutters beside him. Yes, she was. She was a white swan. The nickname fit her perfectly. 

“What an appearance, what a dress!”

Lucky exclaims as Iris lowers herself onto the chair across from him. She smiles politely and says:

“Thank you, Lucky.”

“So, tell me. What's your secret?”

Lucky asks and settles comfortably into his chair. It is clear that he is looking forward to this interview. All eyes are on them and Coriolanus feels the tension in his body as he looks at her.

“I think I don’t really have secrets, Lucky. I have to disappoint you, unfortunately.”

Iris tells him,, clearly knowing how to entertain the audience. The audience laughs and Lucky chuckles as well.

“OK, maybe no secrets. But when I look at the footage of the parade, I see a girl who doesn't seem afraid of the Hunger Games. Like you know what you're doing.”

Lucky continues, looking at her inquiringly. Coriolanus spots a slight hesitation in Iris' face, but she quickly recovers.

“I guess I'm mostly hopeful.”

Iris admits and Lucky seems momentarily taken back by her answer. He probably expected her to reveal some secret talent, such as that she can throw knives fantastically. He quickly recovers and decides to ask further.

“Hope? How did you learn to keep hope?”

Iris takes a deep breath and Coriolanus sees that Iris is struggling. Her mask falls away for a moment and then Coriolanus sees the girl from district four who is terrified to enter the arena and has no idea what she is actually doing.

He feels his heart squeeze for a moment and again feels that urge to protect her. He quickly puts the feeling away; it can't be done.

“I learned it through my mother. My father died at sea before I was born. I never knew him, but my mother still has a hard time with it. She still can't believe he's really never coming home. Since I have been alive, on his death day she returns to the wharf where they last saw each other. She then stays all day waiting, hoping that one day he will return.”

Iris tells him and the audience is quiet as a mouse. They didn't expect such an intense story behind the perfect white swan. Lucky, too, seems quiet for a moment.

“How terrible.”

He says, clearly impressed by her story.

“Over the years, I've learned to live with it. But I have always respected my mother, for the hope she still carries with her. When I was elected during the reaping, I knew I had to keep the same hope that my mother has carried with her for seventeen years. Hope is everything.”

Coriolanus feels a knot forming in his stomach. Hope. The word hardly exists in the world he finds himself in every day. There, everything is about power and control; there is no place for hope. Yet her words touch him,  just like the rest of the audience.

“I hope that hope leads you to victory. In any case, I am sure, I hope we will see you more often in the Capitol.”

“And what did you think?”

Lysander pours another glass of whiskey and offers the glass to Coriolanus. Coriolanus refuses; he must stay sharp tonight.

“I must speak with her.”

Coriolanus says coolly, not wanting it to seem as if he sees her as more than a mere tribute. Lysander believes none of it and gets that irritating grin on his face again.

“She must be well prepared for what is to come.”

He continues, running his fingers over the rim of his glass that had just held bourbon.

“Well prepared? As far as I know, you've never spoken to a tribute for proper preparation.”

Lysander say, his voice slightly mocking.

“Other tributes weren't that interesting.”

He responds, and Lysander has to laugh.

“Snow, I can still see the concern in your eyes. It's written on your face. You feel something for her.”

Lysander says and beckons to the stage where Iris Sierra Vale was just being interviewed. Meanwhile, the boy from her district sits in the chair across from Lucky Flickerman, Kyle Donovan.

Coriolanus bats his eyes and knows he must pick his next words carefully. Lysander already knows too much. Coriolanus shakes his head and then decides to pretend he is suddenly very interested in the interview with Kyle.

“The concern in your eyes tells everything. You don't want to see her in the arena, you want her to live.”

Lysander continues. Kyle has apparently just said something very funny; the audience laughs loudly.

“I want the Hunger Games to go well.”

Coriolanus brings out as his thoughts keep wandering to Iris in the most beautiful dress he has ever seen.

“She is a tribute with many opportunities, we must take advantage of them.”

He continues. Lysander grins and shakes his head before saying:

“You forget who you're talking to, Snow. I've known you for so long anyway, I can see the difference between professional interest and personal interest.”

Coriolanus balls his fists and could punch himself, why couldn't he have ignored her tonight? Is it really that obvious how he feels about her? It can't be and it's a weakness, Coriolanus hates weaknesses.

Yet he cannot suppress the feeling he gets when he sees her. What could she be doing right now?

“She's different.”

Coriolanus admits and Lysander laughs.

“Aha, finally some honesty.”

He takes another sip of his whiskey and gestures to the advisers sitting around them.

“And you're going to convince them that she must survive?”

Lysander asks him. Coriolanus shakes his head. No, that would be too dangerous. No one should know about it, no one should know that he would do everything he could to get her out of the arena.

“I won't just let her die, that's all you need to know.”

[houseofthrace-blog]

“Winning? Is that what you think it’s about? I’m not trying to win. I’m not doing this because I want to beat someone, or because I hate someone, or because I want to blame someone. It’s not because it’s fun. God knows it’s not because it’s easy. It’s not even because it works because it hardly ever does.. I DO WHAT I DO BECAUSE IT’S RIGHT! Because it’s decent! And above all, it’s kind! It’s just that.. Just kind. If I run away today, good people will die. If I stand and fight, some of them might live. Maybe not many, maybe not for long. Hey, you know, maybe there’s no point to any of this at all. But it’s the best I can do. So I’m going to do it. And I will stand here doing it until it kills me. And you’re going to die too! Some day.. And how will that be? Have you thought about it? What would you die for? Who I am is where I stand.. Where I stand is where I fall. Stand with me. These people are terrified. Maybe we can help a little. Why not, just at the end, just be kind?”

— The Doctor

Felt like sharing my favorite Doctor speech (I'm afraid I don't have enough energy right now to look for the gifs, sorry).

From time to time I like to re-watch this scene. No matter how shitty my day had been, this always made me feel better.

Because, yes, it's fucking hard sometimes. Living in a world in which hate seems to be such a contagious, unbeatable force, that even good people are falling into this trap. And they don't even notice it. Is there any hope left, for a better tomorrow?

Honestly, I don't know. Maybe yes, maybe not. But, let's not get drawn to that feeling. Cause, in the end, it doesn't really matter. What matters is that we can just be kind! Just that. Just... Kind!

[xxiamtiebrousxx]

Hi, you write very cool, I love reading your posts. Can you please make mercenaries with a teenage girl reader? She's originally from Russia. Y/n is a big fan of horror movies and other creepy stuff. Her favorite hobby is walking around abandoned buildings and diggerism, she likes to take things she finds in buildings with her as souvenirs. One shot as all mercenaries go with her to the abandoned hospital, if it's not hard. They have fun, have wheelchair races, scare each other, draw graffiti, until they hear some strange noises, the mercenaries think it's y/n since she moved away from them, but she stands next to them. Y/n as the bravest decides to go into the room where the strange sounds are coming from, dementia and courage, there she sees a group of some people, they notice her and start chasing her, y/n shouts to the mercenaries to run away and they all escape from the hospital ttogether. I apologize for the errors in the text, English is not my native language

A/N: WOO WEE, IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I'VE WRITTEN ANYTHING TF2. Sorry this took so long! I've been trying to find myself again and improve my writing! So, I hope you enjoy as I try to finish all these requests... (I hope I got everything in this request)

Horror Flicks and Thrillers (Mercs x Teen! Reader)

Hailing from a small, unknown town in Russia, you moved to Teufort only a few years ago. You were younger than you were right now, around fourteen years of age. Maybe even younger. You were seventeen now, living with a group of men known as Team Fortress. They were mercenaries, every single one, with different and unique jobs. You had grown to love them like family. They accepted you into their family. When you arrived, you weren’t fluent in English. Scout and Heavy helped you learn. Heavy did most of the work, providing flashcards and having Scout translate it back to English. Weeks had gone by and you spoke full sentences without hesitation. They attempted to raise you, seeing as you were now one of them. It wasn’t easy, especially since they were paid killers constantly fighting the enemy team. You tried not to make it hard for them but your obsession with creepy things and horror movies got in the way.

“Can we watch the Mike Myers film again?” you sweetly asked Heavy as he chopped onions on the cutting board. The giant did not shed a tear as he chopped the onions in one swoop. They seemed to have no effect on him. “I love a good Halloween movie. Or two.” Heavy grunted.

“That will be the eighth time this week, leetle Y/n,” he replied. You frowned. “Are you not tired from watching the same films over and over?” A grin grew on your face. You weren’t tired of the same horror flicks. You loved them so much. You knew you would die watching the films. It’d be the last thing before you went into the afterlife. It didn’t matter if it was even the classic horror or thriller films.

“Y/n, didn’t you hear me?”

“Hmm?” You looked back at Heavy, who simply sighed. He wasn’t trying to sound disappointed. But it was a bit frustrating when you didn’t listen. You got lost in thought a lot.

“Mind helping me?” he asked again, this time with your full attention. You nodded, mumbling “Uh huh” and went around Heavy. You grabbed a bowl and Heavy slipped the diced onions into it. He placed the knife and cutting board into the kitchen sink. Today was fish and salad onion day. The onion was mixed with other vegetables and served as a side. When Heavy was the one to cook the dish, it was like heaven on the mouth. It was something known to keep you shushed about your horror flick obsession.

But you had a plan for later that night. You were going to make it terribly unforgettable.

*>/<*

You helped Scout carry the dishes to the sink. It was Pyro’s turn to wash them. Spy and Heavy were very hesitant to let Pyro do it, since last time he shattered every plate and burned them like a bonfire. Ms. Pauling was not too pleased with that incident.

“Alright, those are all the dishes,” Scout declared, placing a stack on the larger side of the sink. You followed him into the living room, where he crashed on the couch next to Engineer. He sighed. “So what are we doing tonight?” he asked. A grin grew on your face. The team discussed what they were going to do. Spy recommended that you all played poker, Pyro suggested making it “Movie Night” tonight.

You slowly snuck off as the discussion quickly turned into a heated argument. Pyro was the one to notice you sneak off and quietly followed. It was dark and cold outside. The lights from inside barely illuminated the front yard. You sighed. It was a beautiful night to go breaking into haunted hospitals. Pyro never mumbled a word. He simply followed you to Spy’s extremely expensive sports car. He watched as you shattered the window and snuck in the car. You pulled out the steering system, exposing the wires. You began to hot-wire the car as Pyro leaned his arms against the shattered window. You almost had the engine running when you heard a voice call out, sending chills down your spine.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” You flinched back.

“Privet (Hello) Spy,” you sheepishly replied, lifting your head up so he could see you. Spy’s face was red with anger. “I’m just simply… pochinit' tvoyu mashinu (fixing your car),” you lied. Spy raised his eyebrow. You sank back into the driver’s seat. “Okay fine, maybe I was hot-wiring it to take it out.”

“And why, may I ask?” Spy said. Pyro looked to you, then to Spy, and back to you again. There was a hunch Pyro knew what you were planning.

“Um, for a late night drive,” you answered. If Spy’s eyebrow could lift any higher, it would. He wasn’t buying it. You slouched back in the seat. “Fine, I was going to steal it to check out an abandoned hospital.”

“An abandoned hospital?” a cheery voice called out. It was Medic, who was being followed by the rest of the team as they headed out. “I would love to go with jou!” A big grin grew on Medic’s face. Spy’s expression was one of shock.

“No, no, non,” he replied, shaking his head. Scout grinned. 

“Heck yeah, let’s check out a creepy hospital! I need something to do anyway,” he said.

“No,” Spy sternly said. “And that no is final!”

*>/<*

 The dirt path leading into the woods was illuminated by the van’s headlights. For some strange reason, everyone agreed that visiting the hospital was the thing to do tonight. You happily hummed, tapping your hands on your lap as Medic slowly started to hit the brakes of the team minivan. Spy sat up front, grumbling to himself and chewing on his cigarette. He was annoyed that no one listened. You were thinking to yourself, who died and made you boss? Heavy had to carry him against his will. Spy wasn’t going anywhere.

Scout impatiently tapped his foot on the dirty carpet of the van. He never had any patience. He had a record of running red lights and getting in trouble with the police.

“When are we getting there?” he whined. “My everything is numb. I need to run.” Medic brought the van to a stop, placing the brakes and turning the vehicle off. Scout was the first one out, creating a dirt storm as he ran around, stretching out his legs. You followed him.

“Wait up!” you called out, chasing after Scout who was long gone already. Someone grabbed you by the scruff of your collar, lifting you up in the air. It was Heavy, and he had a stern look on his face. “Aww, Uncle Misha!” you whined. “Let me run with Scout, please!” You wiggled around, struggling to break free from Heavy’s grip. He shook his great big head. 

“No.” He set you back down on the ground and snatched Scout by the ear. He wriggled around in pain, arguing with Heavy to put him back down. You chuckled. Spy stepped next to you, exhaling smoke from his cigarette.

“Could we please get a move on?” he asked, clearly complaining. He just didn’t want to show it.

*>/<*

Engineer fiddled with the powerbox, attempting to fix the lights. Sniper wheeled Scout around in a rusty wheelchair. The runner laughed, throwing his arms into the air. Sniper had a smirk plastered on his lips. Spy disappeared to who knows where and Medic was losing it over the pristine tools left behind in the abandoned hospital. You found a small dirt pile and began to dig. You were searching for small souvenirs to take home. 

“What are you doing, cadet?” Soldier asked in his gruff voice. 

“Stuff.”

“What kind of stuff?” He kneeled down and used his bare hands to dig with you. You completely ignored the spraying coming from Scout’s paint can as he painted graffiti onto the wall. Your fingers were stained with dust and dirty, finding a small gold coin. Soldier found a pencil snapped into two pieces. You found a few abandoned soda cans.

Digging got boring very quickly. Soldier found a few maggots and you had dared him to try and eat them. He was struggling to. They wiggled around in his hands, squirming to get free.  You wound up dragging Soldier over with you to help Scout paint the walls. Pyro joined in, happily mumbling and spray painting horrible depictions of people dying in fires. He probably thought he was drawing beautiful unicorns and silly little babies.

Medic found a barricaded door with scratch and burn marks. There was moaning coming from behind the door, something that caught everyone’s attention. Scout leaned in, pressing his ear up against the door to hear what was behind the door better. He lifted up one foot and was about to kick it down when instead,  Heavy pushed Scout to the side and kicked the door open.

“That’s how you do it,” he said, dusting off his hands. Scout scoffed and stuck out his tongue very briefly. You giggled. Heavy didn’t notice and Scout lived to see another day.

“What is this place?” you asked, following Heavy inside the room. It was dark. Engineer snatched Spy’s match box against his protests and lit one. 

“Oh my gosh,” he muttered. You screamed, scrambling over to Heavy. 

People moaned like zombies, walking around blindly and moaning like mummies. They were pale, almost a ghastly shade of green. The “zombies” wore nasty, dirtied hospital gowns. They were patients left here to die. The doctors must’ve thought they were a lost cause. Medic, on the other hand, had thoughts about getting new experiments.

As soon as the doors opened and you let out the scream, the patients looked to you and the mercenaries, their heads whipping around quickly. Engie dropped the match out of fear.

You screamed again. Or was it Scout who screamed?

The scream, once again, caught the attention of the “zombies” and they came rushing out, running at fast speeds despite their conditions. 

“RUN!” Scout shouted. Everyone listened, although they were calmer than Scout. Heavy picked you up with ease, throwing you over his shoulder. He grabbed Engineer and stopped Pyro from taking one of the patients with him. Demoman picked up Medic and Spy, who held onto Scout. Sniper was just running for his life, grabbing onto his hat.

“Ahh, zhis is fun!” Medic exclaimed, grinning maniacally. He giggled with glee.

“For you it is!” Scout snapped back.  The adrenaline was pumping. You looked behind you as the patients were baring their teeth, foaming out the mouth. You squeaked.

“Run faster Uncle Misha!” you shouted. The hospital was a maze. You and the mercenaries weaved in and out of rooms, struggling to find the exit. The patients were closing in on you. 

“How are they so fast?!” Scout exclaimed, dodging a swipe. He started to slow down. That wasn’t a good sign. “How do we get out of here?!” 

A gun cocking in place caught your attention.

“We fight,” Spy announced, placing his finger over the trigger. 

“You brought a weapon?!” you asked. “Why didn’t you use that earlier?! And…” Medic pulled out his saw, Demoman had a shattered beer bottle, and Engineer had his gunslinger. Almost everyone had a weapon.

“To the death, gentlemen.”

*>/<*

It took a while, but you pointed out to follow the exit signs. They were the only things working in the hospital, dimly glowing. It was stupid, but it worked. Soon, everyone was back in the van, covered in blood. Medic was healing Scout, who had slammed into a wall. You sighed, approaching Spy.

“Sorry we dragged you out here,” you replied. He scoffed, lighting a cigarette.

“Surprisingly…it was fun,” he said. You grinned. Was he being honest with you? Spy enjoyed tonight?

“Really?” you asked. He smiled, ruffling up your hair.

“No, we almost died.”

[alohaasaloevera]

Keith Kogane is in love with Lance McClain. It is the cold, hard truth—nothing will ever change the fact that he is so impossibly gone for the winsome little sycophant.

He plans to tell the man today. It will be at a park—the very same one where they reunited after 2 years of complete radio silence on both ends.

Hunk and the others had helped him with planning. He will give Lance a pretty bouquet of flowers.

Keith, for once, is confident that nothing will go wrong.

—

“I love you, Lance.”

Lance is silent. Keith’s smile slowly falters as each second that Lance does not respond passes by.

Lance opens his mouth, almost timid.

“It wasn’t supposed to end up like this.”

Keith almost drops the perfect blend of flowers he had picked with Veronica only hours prior. “What do you mean?”

Everything except for Lance’s mouth seems frozen; something that in normal circumstances, would be a worrying matter. “I—I don’t love you, Keith. I never did.”

“But what about—”

“You could never replace her.”

The winding breeze blows petals away, and some of the older flora begins to wilt.

Keith runs away.

It takes two more years of silence until Lance would even spare a glance at his face. Only that by then, it is too late.

—

Keith Kogane spends his last moments alive on the battlefield. It’s almost like he was destined to die fighting; after all, hatred is the only thing that has been consistent throughout his life.

Even so, his thoughts happened to be a mixture of bittersweet yearning and reverence for the people who never gave up on him—if he had died when he was 16 and grieving over the loss of the only person he considered family at the time, he would’ve died thinking about how cruel the world was to him in his short life—Voltron had changed him, and for the greater good. That didn’t matter much when he was lightheaded and a second away from the cold embrace of death, but at least recognizing it made him feel a bit better.

When the pain from at least 5 gun wounds and one gnarly gash that cut deep into his right thigh started to kick in, Keith’s thoughts had drifted over to Lance.

He had thought about Allura and himself—how they were so akin to one another, yet Lance chose Allura over him every single time. How every single supposedly “tender” moment he shared with Lance was nothing compared to how Allura made him smile. That no matter how devoted Keith was to Lance, no matter how hard he tried in order to get Lance out of his depressive slumps, he would always thank Allura in the end.

He thought of all the aliens Lance had flirted with, how even when Keith gave everything he had to Lance, he would be ignored in favor of a one-night-stand.

Keith Kogane dies as not even a second choice, but instead an impossibility.

The world is still cruel.

—

When Lance McClain first hears about the death of Keith Kogane: a man who was practically famous for spitting in the grim reaper’s face more than a handful of times, he thinks of it as some kind of cruel joke.

He finds out that it is quite the opposite.

When he looks down at what remains of Keith’s body, he curses himself for ever thinking that the man wasn’t good enough.

Lance leans down so that he is level with his former teammate’s unmoving face; Keith still looks irresistibly fierce, even when he is no longer with a beating heart.

“I’m sorry, Samurai.”

The pet name is the beginning of many tactics Lance employs in order to prove that this whole thing is just a stupid joke. He knows that it is useless, that Keith will never come back, that he will never get to listen to that melodious symphony that is his laugh again, or how his eyes widen ever so slightly when he is flustered.

Keith is dead, and it is all his fault.

Something in him snaps.

—

Somewhere in the world, a once glamorous bouquet of flowers are left to rot and become one with the earth’s soil. When it eventually decomposes, it will turn into nutrients that are imperative to the growth of even more beautiful, as equally breathtaking flora.

This is the cycle of life.

Keith Kogane was always a rebel when he was with a pulse. It is no to no one’s surprise that exactly one year after his fateful death, he rises once more.

[petitjeanofficial]

I'm not doing this because I want to beat someone, or because I hate someone, or because I want to blame someone. It's not because it's fun, and God knows it's not because it's easy. It's not even because it works, because it hardly ever does. I do what I do, because it's right. Because it's decent. And above all, it's kind. It's just that. Just kind. If I run away today, good people will die. If I stand and fight, some of them might live. Maybe not many, maybe not for long. Hey, you know, maybe there's no point in any of this at all, But it's the best I can do, so I'm going to do it.

- Doctor Who

[tired-of-being-nice]

taking a quick pause from febuwhump and starting on @whumpsday's conflict whump challenge!!!! i was VERY excited about the man vs. society prompt in particular, as it gives me an excuse to do some proper expositing for the story i've been posting

content: dystopia, systemic whump (i think that's the right term?), brief reference to brainwashing and violence, really unhealthy workplace culture, sleep deprivation, forgetting to eat, general Man I Hate Capitalism vibes

Life is simple. You're born. You grow up. You choose which company to stake your life to. You pick the one you think will exploit you the least. You realize you were wrong. You keep your head down and try to be obedient and hope no one notices you. You look away and don't complain and try to find little bright spots here and there, just enough to keep you going until you die. 

Of course, some people aren't satisfied with this. Some people try to fight it. Some people have stupid hopes and idealistic dreams about taking down the system from the inside. Some people are very, very wrong, and look where it gets them.

Supposedly, Milo is doing very well for themself. Supposedly, they're the top employee at their company. In actuality, all that really means is an excuse to keep piling more work on them, a bunch of coworkers who hate them, getting dizzy from exhaustion every time they stand up, and...

(You can't take down the system by yourself, of course. Milo had a friend—a best friend, even. Now, all that remains of it is a brainwashed shell, who out of what Milo can only assume is some sick sense of dramatic irony is tasked with hunting down anyone who tries to fight or flee the Company, or really anyone it feels like. Now, the only times they interact are when it's trying to hunt Milo for sport or when it's sobbing in an alleyway somewhere because it's employers don't mind letting it bleed and bruise and break as long as it keeps anyone from running.

Even so, Milo envies it sometimes. At least it doesn't remember everything it's lost.)

Milo's stomach growls, snapping them out of their brief reverie. Hm. That's right, they didn't have time for dinner today, and they spent their whole lunch break trying to stop crying. They never eat breakfast anymore, either, so...oh, that's not good. Maybe they should—

There's a chime from their email inbox, and Milo sighs and pulls it up. It's a very politely worded request for them to do just one more thing before clocking out for the night.

Milo glances at the clock. It's 2:49 AM. Their vision is blurry and their wrists ache from typing. They barely remember what sleep in their own bed feels like.

They send a reply in the affirmative. No rest for the wicked, it seems. They'll work here until sleep overwhelms them and hope that when it does, they'll dream about the good old days, of having Coren by their side, ready to take on the world. Back when they thought happiness was possible.