#((I just need to see a few troubling signs before I confront and if the convo doesn't go well-- bye then))

[fightingthetides]

[水]

Being that he had at one point been on a swimming team, he had a high affinity for water. Though, athletes in general always kept themselves well hydrated, so Mizumachi couldn’t understand the notion of not bringing yourself to drink water regularly. It was like that one classmate of his who said that she could go a full day and maybe only drink a single glass of water and feel okay. He would’ve shriveled up and passed away like a dried-up prune if that was him.

Mizumachi grins at her comment about the ‘mid-alternative’ to Coke.

“Yeah! It gets the job done if you don’t have Coke, but you’ll always be wanting for Coke when you drink it.”

Pity about the Fanta, but he realized that it wasn’t as common or well-loved as a drink here than it was in Japan.

“Right, ten teriyaki cheeseburgers and two cokes. I can carry everything for ya.”

He certainly had the arm span to carry everything and more if needed. You could say that it was a perk of being tall, your proportions usually scaled accordingly. He was excited for the burgers, because the smell coming from the food truck was no joke already! With how it smelled, he was sure that it was going to taste great even without him having taken a bite yet.

“Thanks for showing me this place, Bia. Imma come here often!”

A repeat customer who ate a ton in a single sitting could probably be considered both a blessing and a curse if he was going to come around during lunch rush all the time. It was comforting to know that he could enjoy something cheap and tasty, somewhat reminiscent of home.

“Are ya a foodie? Gotta show me all the nice places to eat at!”

He already trusts her food judgement, so, if she ever needed a bud to eat with—count him in!

    Vivian nods away in agreement for to her, having a considerable amount of burgers without any soda didn't seem like something that's really heard of... and yeah, perhaps there were way better palate cleansers to be had than carbonated drinks, but as this was a food truck and not a restaurant, the selection of beverages they could realistically order would understandably be a bit limited.

    "Welp, I wouldn't go as far as to say I necessarily understand 'everything', per say, but yeah, once you manage to live through twenty one years on this planet, you start discovering some pretty basic stuff... like, for instance, how the human body gets thirsty if you consume salty snacks yet do not occasionally bring yourself to drink water throughout regular intervals," Vivian states. Granted, most would consider that to be 'common sense', but as per usual, she frames it more like an academic study than redundant knowledge nobody would truly bother disputing.

    Either way, it doesn't take long for her bespectacled gaze to soon settle on the drinks menu, which was situated to the right side corner of the food truck... and to her delight, Coke was listed as one of the drinks that were available to order, causing her to clasp both hands together.

    "Ooh, what do you know?! They do indeed have Coke! No Fanta to be seen, though... then again, at least we aren't forced to choose Pepsi, which is the mid alternative to Coke," Vivian pipes up. Of course, after the final customer leaves, she'll then finally pull out her wallet before turning to Mizumachi. "Alright, so to summarize super quickly... we want ten teriyaki cheese burgers with two cokes?" Vivian repeats in order to ensure they were on the same page.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Hello! Would it be okay to request Dad!Sebastian and Young!Reader?

Reader is a juvenile expendable who’s doing their best to survive (and one day leave) the Hadal Blacksite. Sebastian doesn’t outright say it, but through the little things he does for you, it shows that he cares and is actually really worried about your well-being—he’s quick to brush it off or deny it when you confront him.

He’s quick to swoop you up in whatever room you’re in when you start to get sleepy, he gives you little freebies behind other Expendables’ backs and phrases it as “it’s broken anyway, I’m just throwing away scraps” but it’s in REALLY good condition, wordlessly hands you wall dweller chunk when you enter his shop, stuff like that.

He’s also really pissed off that Urbanshade would allow someone this young to risk their life, even if Reader is like, a year away from legal age.

Just protective Dad!Sebastian who denies it at first but slowly admits to caring for you

The first time Sebastian meets you is when you met your first death to the Angler--as most expendables did.

And the first thing he immediately realizes is how young you are.

From across the table, he could see you in the baggy prisoner uniform, the PDG looking awfully heavy on your back.

Before he even explains how your deaths reveal more information on the entity that killed you, how you'll eventually meet him further in the blacksite, etc....he asks how old you are.

When you nervously tell him you're 14-15 years old, he doesn't know what to say.

A teenager, a literal child...was incarcerated and subjected to Urbanshade's cruelty.

You ended up being with the wrong crowd and got in trouble with the law over a misdemeanor, and yet...you're being punished on the same level as the many older and sicker criminal scumbags.

If anyone deserved to be suffering down here, it should be them. Not you.

"Kid, do you even know what you signed up for?"

"...yes. If I find this crystal, I'll get my freedom. That's what they told me. I-I didn't know about the monsters, though."

"Yeah, they don't mention that in the description 'cause it deters people from signing up. But I can help you with that part."

And thus begins the introverted fishman unofficially adopting you as his kid.

In many ways, you remind Sebastian of his siblings, so he gets to sorta relive that through taking care of you and ensuring you don't die as frequently as the other expendables.

He never says it, but he lowkey spoils you.

He'll pawn off "faulty" equipment to you, claiming he's getting rid of "useless scrap", but they all turn out to be in perfect condition.

You could get fully charged light sources with battery packs attached in one run, discounts on medkits in the next, and even the "upgraded" gummylight (the one used in the Raveyard expedition) that stays lit for longer.

If you get tired of running from the anglers or need to close your eyes after meeting Eyefestation, he'll let you rest in his shop for some time.

Ever complained of hunger even a little? Next time you walk into his shop, he conveniently has some wall dweller chunks available.

You wonder why he's so nice to you compared to all the other monsters...but he acts like he doesn't know what you're talking about, always having some excuse.

"Look, that wall dweller flesh would've gone bad in the next few hours. Can't let the only food you guys are willing to eat go to waste."

"What? No, I totally didn't go out of my way to get the better gummylight for you. One of the idiot leaders of the rave expedition left theirs unattended."

In the end, you learn to just accept his kind gestures and nothing more, relieved that he's looking out for your well-being.

It's also his way of coping with the injustice of Urbanshade putting you through all of these horrors on your own.

If he could do something to alleviate your stress and anxiety...why not?

[paleprincessturtle]

hi! Hope you’re doing well! I was wondering if I could request a Harvey fic where Harvey gets jealous once reader gets some male attention. Harvey was always used to the reader falling at his feet, watching him with her doughy eyes, always finding an excuse to talk to him. But then he noticed her getting distant with him, almost not acknowledging his existence. Then he noticed flowers get delivered to her office, a guy coming by her office to take her out for lunch, etc. and poor little Harvey getting upset that she’s not at his mercy anymore lol & he confronts her about it :)

Happy New Year and I hope all of you people had a great holidays!

This one is for my friend @marjorie189! Thank you so much for the request and hopefully you like this.

Enjoy!!

Winner Takes It All

She walked briskly out of the elevator. Her bag was on her right shoulder while she tried to balance the two cups of coffee she carried and a few files she also carried at the crook of her arm. She made sure the one on her right hand was Harvey's coffee. Since Donna became COO, it wasn't unusual for her to see that Harvey had forgotten his coffee. Since then, she has made it her mission to bring Harvey his morning coffee. She was relieved to see the door to Harvey's office open. She invited herself in. "Hey, good morning," she said in a chirpy voice. "Morning," Harvey answered shortly. "I brought you coffee. Just how you like it," she hoped that Harvey would look up at her. But instead, his eyes were glued to the laptop in front of him. "Great, just put it here," Harvey signed with his head to the place around his desk. She shuffled around, trying to balance everything as she placed his coffee just beside his pen. "So, how was your morning?" She waited expectantly for Harvey to look up at her and probably finally realized the new dress she put on. Harvey finally looked up at her after a split second, but the expression on his face wasn't what she expected. There was annoyance in his face. "It was good and productive before you came in and decided that today would be a great day to just sit around and talk." She smiled curtly at his response. "Alright, I'll get back to work. Enjoy your coffee," she said as she waved at Harvey and walked out of his office.

She giggled to herself as she read the reports in the library. Harvey would like it, she thought. Scratch that; Harvey would love this. A huge help to his case. Even though she wasn't assigned to this case with him, she always secretly kept track of his cases. When she knew he was in trouble, she took extra time to help Harvey, aside from doing her own cases. She always ran to Harvey's office with her findings. "Harvey!" She barged into his office. Harvey's face was a mix of confusion and irritation. "I found this," she said, handing Harvey the papers she had photocopied earlier. "This is good," Harvey said, giving her a small smile as he nodded. She almost jumped in joy upon hearing that this would help Harvey. "Just good?" she teased. "I don't know, Harvey. I think this is brilliant!" Harvey sighed. "If you need praise and flowers, go to Louis. This is good, but get back to work. What are you doing anyway with my case?" Harvey questioned her. "I'm helping you, of course," she said as she giggled. "Thank you. Now, can you please go so I can call my client?" Harvey said as he picked up the telephone. "Bye, Harvey!" she said as she left his office, closing the door behind her.

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

It was just like any other morning. Every partner had a meeting before the day started to touch base on everyone's cases. Harvey was assigning some new cases to every other partner. It wasn't long before the meeting finished. She stayed longer than everyone else, as she saw Harvey also stay longer. She looked like she was about to leave but stopped at the end of the table. Stopped exactly beside Harvey. "Do you need help with that?" Harvey, who was flipping some documents in front of him, stopped and looked up at the woman smiling down at him. "Actually, yes." She nodded excitedly. "Can you deliver this to the DA office?" She doesn't even ask questions. "Consider it done," she said, bowed, and left the room.

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

For the past few days, Harvey didn't realize anything different until one morning he saw his newest and youngest partner. She just walked by his office. He remembered how, in the past few weeks, she never stopped by his office to deliver him his morning coffee. He stood up, trying to catch a glimpse of her. She brought with her a cup of coffee. A cup, as in a singular cup. Harvey's brows knitted, but he just shrugged and got back to whatever he was doing before.

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

"Hey," Harvey said, entering her office after knocking. "Hey, Harvey," she greeted him, eyes never leaving the paper in front of her. Harvey noticed the unnecessarily big flower arrangement on a credenza behind her. She caught him staring at her freshly delivered flowers. "Are you going to tell me why you're here, or are you just going to stare at my flowers?" Harvey straightened himself; he seemed caught red-handed. She watched him impatiently. "I was wondering if you could help me with the deposition tomorrow." She shook her head. "I'm taking the rest of the week off ," she informed the clueless Harvey. "In the middle of the week?" Harvey folded both his arms in front of him. "Yes, I've asked Donna since 1 week ago. I've taken care of everything." Harvey looked at her as if she had two heads. "Where are you going?" She laughed. Harvey smiled at the sound he hadn't heard in the past few weeks. "Why is it your business?" Harvey was about to answer when she interrupted him. "I'll get someone else to help you, okay? Don't worry. Now, if you excuse me, I think my client just entered the conference room." Harvey stood there, flabbergasted.

Harvey was talking with Donna as they waited for the elevator. Harvey heard a familiar laugh approaching, but the voice was accompanied by a deeper laugh. Harvey whipped his body around and tried to locate the laughter. There, she was laughing with a man Harvey had never seen before in his life. They approached closer, seemingly wanting to leave the building as well. "Hi!" she greeted Donna and Harvey. "Oh, where are you two going? A lunch date?" Donna teased them. "Maybe," the stranger answered as she smirked at Donna. Okay, Harvey thought. This person knew Donna. "We haven't had the pleasure of an introduction," Harvey straightened himself. "Jonathan Seymour," the man said, smiling and extending his hand for Harvey to shake. Harvey took a quick second to look at his hand and chose to ignore it. "Harvey Specter, but you must've seen my name before seeing me," Harvey signed to the wall behind them with the name of the firm etched. "I need to see you before you go home," Harvey pointed his eyes directly at her. Before everyone could say anything, Harvey stepped inside the full elevator, leaving the three of them.

"Harvey, I'm about to leave. You need to see me?" Harvey moved his head, and she got inside his office. "Since you will take the rest of the week off, I need your help with those files." Harvey pointed at some folders stacked upon one another. She wanted to say no, but she felt bad now that she was taking the rest of the week off. "Okay, sure," she smiled. "What should we do?" she asked as she took off the coat she just put on.

Harvey watched her work. The fact that this was just a little over midnight, the fact that now her hair was in a high bun, and the fact that she looked very beautiful as she pouted, concentrating on the task at hand. He missed this. He missed her presence. Her chirpy voice. Her smile. Her scent is one of amber and rose. "Are you going to tell me where you are going for the rest of the week?" Harvey started the conversation. "I'm going to accompany Jonathan. His cousin is getting married in Aspen. But he said he wanted to show me around," she smiled. "Are you happy?" Harvey asked abruptly. She was taken aback by his question. The man he had been trying to get close to for almost a year was now asking personal questions. "I'm happy, Harvey. Any reason why I shouldn't?" Instead of answering her question, he asked her another question. "So you can positively say that you are happy with this Jonathan?" She sighed. "Where is this going, Harvey?" She put her pen down, giving Harvey her full intention. Harvey was quiet for some time; she raised her eyebrows at him and demanded that he continue. As she saw Harvey struggle to find words, she picked her pen back up and got back to work. "I like you," he blurted after a full five minutes of silence enveloping the room. "You what?" she asked, her voice higher than usual. "I like you. I don't like seeing you with Jonathan. I like you, and I never realized it before." She looked at him, and confusion marked her face. "Don't go with Jonathan. Go with me. I want to show you how sorry I am for treating you badly for the past couple of months, and I want to show you how much you mean to me," Harvey said as he kneeled in front of her, hands intertwined. She looked down at their hands. "You have to win me over, Harvey." But everyone knew, Harvey always won.

MASTERLIST

[fen-luciel]

Jealousy part 3

Part 1_2

Warnings: age gap/toxic behavior

Vernestra-Padawan reader/jedi Qimir

Leave a comment and share if you are enjoying the story.

It was less than two days after that dinner that I confronted my master during one of her working nights.

I went to visit her late, the deserted hallways and dim lights guiding me as I made my way to one of the meeting rooms where I knew she would go when she needed a place to concentrate.

I had been tossing and turning for a long time in bed. Time passed as usual, yet it felt as if I had a clock ticking over my head. I could hear the ticking of the seconds, a countdown that kept me awake, though I couldn’t understand its end or meaning. Or rather, I suspected what was tormenting me... no.

I knew.

That acidic feeling twisting my stomach was tied to all those memories that kept replaying in my head, sweet memories that I felt were inevitably becoming more and more tainted every day. I had decided that I needed to take a break, some distance, to grow. And if I couldn’t manage that, then it would be ridiculous to complain about something I wasn’t trying to change myself.

So, I gathered my courage.

As soon as I left my room, I realized that Vernestra was not there. In the shared living room, there were still signs of her passage, like some books piled on the table, the chair moved, and the lamp turned off and left near the rest. Just to be sure, I checked her bedroom, but my suspicions were confirmed when I saw the bed still perfectly made.

I went out after putting a cloak over my pajamas. I knew exactly where she was when she needed her space to work, so I took the stairs to the lower floors.

It was late at night, the moonlight outside lighting my path even though it was mostly clear, given the simple and empty hallways of the Jedi Temple. From a distance, I saw the orange light under the door that I recognized well. I knocked a couple of times before opening it, knowing that just as I expected to see her there, she knew that only I would come looking for her. And indeed, when I stepped into the room, she didn’t even lift her eyes to look at me.

She was sitting at the center of the large oval table, numerous papers spread before her, with some secondary, warm-toned lights illuminating the table's surface. I closed the door behind me using the Force as I approached, sitting on the opposite side from her, the cloak wrapped tightly around my waist, the hood over my head to shield me from the light evening breeze coming through the cracked windows.

“Trouble sleeping?” she asked, breaking the silence that had surrounded us after a few minutes of my entrance.

Her eyes remained fixed on the papers she was reading and marking with a pen from time to time. I stared at her in silence, mesmerized by those simple gestures, the rough sound of the pen scratching the paper and the surface beneath it. I could have lived that moment for the rest of my life. In peace.

"I need to talk to you," I began after exhaling deeply. I pulled my feet onto the chair to hug my legs tightly, a cold I didn’t understand shaking me to the core. I don’t know if she noticed something was wrong or if it was just a natural reaction to my words, but she stopped writing to finally look me in the face, her expression furrowed, perhaps picking up on something in the few words I had spoken.

“Of course. Tell me, my padawan.”

I pursed my lips into a line before clearing my throat. I looked away for a moment before meeting her gaze again, Qimir’s name echoing in my mind, "I’d like to receive a mission away from the temple for a while. I need a change of scenery. I feel ready." That last sentence connected to what had happened some time ago when I had a breakdown in Qimir’s arms. We had agreed together that I would stay near the temple until I felt safe again. Even the missions we had done together had always been in safer, more controlled locations. But now, I needed that distance, even if I didn’t feel quite ready.

She placed the pen on the table, her posture now composed as she leaned back in her chair, her fingers slightly intertwined in front of her on the smooth surface. "Is that what’s making you so restless? I could feel you were agitated in your room."

Obviously, she understood that something was going on. It was impossible to pull the wool over her eyes in such a childish way. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you," I replied, buying myself a few moments to think.

She shook her head, her gaze still fixed on mine, making me uneasy. I could almost feel her thinking, as if she were trying to read my mind through my eyes. "Please. You know I would have come here anyway. It helps me focus. But, you haven't seemed at ease these days. I was hoping you’d come to talk to me when you felt ready, and now this is what you're asking me? Is there nothing else?"

We were both whispering, perhaps caught in the stillness of the quiet evening, yet her words hit me like a slap. Of course there was more, I wasn’t a good liar, or maybe the lie itself was too far-fetched to be believable. But I needed to distance myself from Qimir.

"I'm... suffocating here. I want to try and take that next step, even if... it scares me." I admitted, without revealing too much, pulling the fabric of my cloak tightly around my knees, curling into a cocoon on the chair.

There were a few more moments of silence before she lowered her gaze back to her papers. "Alright, you could actually help me with these senators. It’s nothing complicated—you’d mostly be there to reassure them. I can send you with Qimir if—" but I cut her off abruptly, my tone sharper. "No."

I realized my mistake, but it was too late to take it back. She looked at me, still hunched over the sheet she had picked up, then slowly set it down before leaning forward onto the table, her elbows on the surface, hands clasped together once again. "No to the mission? Or no to Qimir?"

She already knew the answer, I could hear it in her tone when she said his name, emphasizing and drawing out the letters. Whether she wanted me to admit it or not, it was obvious she had already figured it out. Their relationship hadn’t been great for a while now, and I knew that well. Still, she had never said anything bad about him in front of me, but now she seemed ready to point fingers.

"I... should go alone, right?" I didn’t feel up to voicing my doubts about Qimir. The guilt was eating me alive, and I didn’t think I had any right to accuse him of anything, but I also couldn’t keep pretending everything was fine in a relationship I was starting to feel trapped in. "It's not about Qimir. Really." I sounded like I was trying to convince myself more than her. "I want to take the next step. To move forward on my own."

I struggled to meet her gaze, preferring to focus on the slight fluttering of the papers scattered across the table, swaying at the corners with the light gusts that came rhythmically every few minutes. She, on the other hand, was seeking out my eyes with thinly veiled insistence. "And that's it? Nothing else to add? If something’s bothering you, you should tell me, padawan."

I nodded. "I need to move forward."

Long moments followed my words, as I lost myself in the light scratches on the table’s surface, and she remained still, her gaze fixed on me. "Okay. Then..." she finally moved, reaching for the datapad casually resting to the side. "Here." She placed the device in the center of the table in front of me. Moments later, a hologram of a planet appeared. "This is Ord Mantell. There are conflicts on the planet due to particularly violent political debates. They have no shortage of soldiers, and the Jedi haven’t been requested as assistance, but there’s a shortage of doctors and nurses. I’ve been organizing a potential team to send, and you could act as an assistant, helping out in the field."

I listened in silence, but with a light in my eyes that grew brighter with every word she said. I had always wanted to serve as a medic. I’d asked her countless times, even at the cost of falling behind on missions, a request she had always denied—until that night.

"Really?!" I squealed, more excited than I wanted to admit, and she nodded.

That was enough to distract me from Qimir, even more than I had imagined at first. I went to bed excited, but also a bit nervous, afraid that it was all just a dream or worse, a lie. But the next day, when I came out of the bedroom, everything was already prepared.

My bags, the transport, the mission details.

Everything.

I couldn’t help but notice the more pronounced bags under Vernestra's eyes, a sign that she had spent the entire night organizing my departure. I didn’t thank her verbally, knowing she wasn’t the type. A single glance was enough to show her how much I appreciated what she had done for me, and I knew from her smile that she had received the message.

It was still early morning when I got into the taxi that would take me to the spaceport where the rest of the team was waiting. I didn’t look back twice, caught up in the euphoria.

There wasn’t room to think about anything else.

From the first day I set foot there, I was already swamped with duties. The situation was truly tragic, between refugees and soldiers. Being there as part of the humanitarian aid meant we had the responsibility to help anyone in need, which in practice meant our base was completely packed in every corner.

The main hospital in one of the safe towns was the gathering point for all sorts of aliens—displaced children, homeless families, wounded of every kind. They were everywhere, crammed inside and outside the base where a tent camp had been set up for when there weren’t enough beds.

For the record, I don’t think I ever saw a bed free.

Once again, my expectations didn’t compare to reality. Sure, they teach you to be ready for anything, but reading or hearing about it was nothing like the real thing.

Maybe I was too young to be there. I wasn’t even the youngest, actually—I saw ten-year-olds helping as best they could, carrying medicine and tools to those who needed them. But there was a huge difference between us.

You could see the war and pain in their eyes. The galaxy had already marked them deeply, but me... I was weak.

I don’t know how many attempts it took me to get used to the pools of blood, the terrifying wounds of the soldiers, the cries of the families. It was all psychologically crushing, to the point that I even considered quitting.

Not the mission.

The Jedi.

I didn’t even have the stomach to help those in need. Was it really worth doing a humble job like a librarian or a caretaker?

Maybe they were better than me—they were there out of vocation, not to run away. I, on the other hand, wanted to flee.

Maybe being a Jedi wasn’t my path.

I stayed there for months. I told myself I’d talk to my master about my thoughts when I returned. Maybe it was too early to judge myself, maybe I really just needed time, maybe I needed to be forced through it. But... wasn’t that all wrong? The fact that I was in the middle of a war at such a young age. Inexperienced... alone.

I managed to make some friends, meet other Jedi, but I still felt a void.

I wanted to talk to my master about my doubts, but I didn’t want to worry her even more.

So, I called the one person I thought I was close to.

Qimir.

I felt uncomfortable calling him after disappearing for months without saying anything, but I believed he would understand. He knew better than I did the pace of our duties.

It was a particularly stressful evening that convinced me to call him. We had suffered many losses, and I had run away every single time. When the patients started gasping their final breaths, I froze, terrified. My hands would tremble, and I’d be pushed aside to make room for someone more capable.

I used to think death was quiet, yet all I kept hearing were breaths drowning in blood and bodies convulsing with unnatural, monstrous spasms, I would say.

I fled, leaving death behind, took a shower with the little freezing water that came from the showerhead, and threw myself into bed, but I couldn’t sleep.

I wanted to clear my head, but I had nowhere to escape to, so I thought of Qimir.

I needed him and his comfort.

So, I decided to call him.

He answered after a few minutes. I expected to see him looking sleepy, but what appeared before me was a very different image. He was wearing his usual tunic, his hair slick with sweat, his face dirty with soil.

"Look who’s shown up."

He smiled at me, but the warmth I was hoping for was nowhere to be found.

"Qimir... I didn’t mean to disturb you, but..." I pulled my legs to my chest, curled up on the bed, the blankets reaching my chin.

"Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?" He interrupted, his voice low, hoarse.

"I... it was a last-minute thing. I talked to Vernestra and—"

He let out a laugh that cut off my words. "I bet. She wanted to get you away from me."

I looked at him, confused. My heart skipped a beat—something about the start of this conversation didn’t feel... right.

"What? No. It was something I had asked for and—"

"So, it was you who wanted to leave?" The question came out almost like a growl.

For some reason, I sat up on the mattress, something in the pit of my stomach making me feel uneasy.

"Qimir, what are you saying? Did... something happen?"

He stayed silent for a few minutes.

Something in his gaze was off... he seemed angry. Or maybe there was more to it—I could glimpse a sinister spark in his eyes.

"Vernestra didn’t tell you, did she? We’re at odds over you."

I remained silent, confused, trying to understand what he meant, and he took that as a cue to continue.

"I asked her to make you my padawan."

I wondered how long ago he had visited her,

"She refused."

I bit my lip, thinking. I wanted to try and lighten the conversation, but it didn’t seem possible. "Qimir... I... I don’t understand. I don’t know why you want me to—" I tried to speak slowly, searching for the right words, but a thud on the other end made me jump. "You don’t understand? Don’t you see? The bond between us? We’re meant for each other. You are mine." The icy expression he gave me took my breath away.

This... this wasn’t right.

"No, Qimir. You’re losing control. I want to help you, I’ll talk to Vernestra and—" another thud interrupted me. Wherever he was sitting, he suddenly stood up, his hands clenched into fists. Despite the small size of the hologram, I could still feel an aura... dark. Suffocating.

"I’m tired of hearing you mention her. She’s the one clouding your mind. I’ll deal with her, and I’ll show you who’s right."

He ended the call.

I sat there, mouth half-open, ready to say words I couldn’t even begin to form.

What was he doing? Why did everything seem worse now that I was away?

I wanted to call him back, but the thought made my hands tremble.

I wanted to call Vernestra, but I didn’t have the courage to say aloud what I was starting to suspect.

So, I wrote her a message.

A long message about Qimir and some of his behavior. I never explicitly mentioned his words—they were more suspicions and general doubts, not accusations.

Again, I was weak... I couldn’t accuse him of anything.

I sent it and got back under the covers.

I couldn’t sleep, and things got worse when I received a response in the middle of the night.

"Qimir has become dangerous to himself and others. Stay away from him. Don’t return to the temple until I tell you."

That was the last straw.

It was confirmation.

No need to say anything explicitly—she seemed to understand exactly what I was referring to.

I spent a long time reading and rereading that message, and the longer the minutes passed, the more a bad feeling weighed on me.

The Force seemed to speak through my nerves, a frightened voice telling me to move, to act before the worst could happen.

I didn’t think twice.

I got up on shaky feet and quickly packed a backpack with my essentials. There were only a few hours until dawn, and it was easy to find someone to ask for help among the other Jedi.

I didn’t say much, just that I wanted to speak to my master about the past few months. In less than three hours, I knew where to find her and was on a shuttle that would take me to the base in space where I’d board a small single-seater to reach my destination.

I ate some rations with trembling hands, spent hours in hyperspace, lost in my thoughts. I tried writing a message—actually, several messages to my master—but she didn’t seem to be responding.

So, in a panic, I wrote to Qimir, something casual asking where he was and what he was doing, but he didn’t answer either.

It could mean everything or nothing, but I was nervous. I needed to see her, to know more about what was happening between those two.

I reached the planet in the middle of the afternoon. It was mostly a research area, with a few peaceful towns, and miles of mountains and swamps. I landed in the town where I knew I would find her along with other Jedi. Nothing seemed familiar, but as soon as I introduced myself, I was warmly welcomed.

"Where can I find my master?" I asked.

The answer I received nearly gave me a heart attack.

"She’s up in the mountains, collecting more samples and traces. Why the rush, though? Not even two hours ago, Qimir was here asking about her as well."

I stammered some nonsense in reply and headed straight into the dense forest.

I didn’t realize that the directions, while accurate, were vague about the distance, and by the time I continued running, the sky had begun to darken.

I felt the Force calling out to me, screaming a warning—the sense that something terrible was about to happen. I wanted to believe I was just being paranoid, but I knew something was wrong.

I started to recognize traces on the ground—signs of digging, markings on the trees... and finally, the sound.

A man’s voice shouting.

I was exhausted from the running and the lack of sleep accumulating with each minute, but at last, I saw them.

They were at the edge of the forest, beyond a cliff that separated them from the other side of the woods.

"You abandoned me!" Qimir suddenly shouted, making me jump. Vernestra was staring at him intently without saying a word, her expression hard, her posture rigid.

"You’re losing your way. Surrender and let me help you."

At that moment, I noticed Qimir had his lightsaber in hand. As he moved to strike, I jumped out of the shadows, shouting his name.

Silence surrounded us.

Both of them realized my presence at that moment, looking at me in surprise.

Qimir whispered my name before taking a step toward me, his eyes wide. The coldness I had once recognized was now clear in his gaze. It terrified me.

Almost at the same time, Vernestra and I drew our lightsabers against him. I took a defensive stance, stepping back, my hands trembling.

"You’re pointing a weapon at me? After all the time we’ve spent together?" His voice was hoarse, low, almost a whisper that made me shake like a leaf.

"Qimir... please... you’re scaring me," I admitted, my eyes locked on his.

I don’t know if seconds or minutes passed, but his response was the final piece of that disaster.

"You’ve been deceived, just like I was, by Vernestra. But don’t worry, I’ll save you, my flower."

With a feline leap, he turned, his blue saber clashing with her purple one.

I stood there, frozen, watching them. I could barely recognize them, so angry with each other. The smiles, the jokes, the time spent together—it all seemed like it had never existed behind those furious eyes.

They fought relentlessly, without holding back. It was the first time I had ever seen two experienced Jedi in battle—fighting to survive a mortal duel.

I knew both of their combat styles well, as they had both trained me. I wanted to act, to move and help my master, but I didn’t have the courage. I wasn’t sure if I was more afraid of hurting Qimir or of the dangerous fight itself, but all I could do was watch, my mouth trembling.

I snapped out of my trance when I heard Qimir’s furious shout. "I will kill you!"

With a swift move, he struck her hard in the side, and without thinking, I rushed forward, putting myself between them and blocking his next blow.

"Qimir, please, no—" I managed to stop him again. My hands were shaking, and I was gripping my saber so tightly that my fingers hurt.

I pushed him back a few steps, my ears ringing, unable to sense my surroundings, too focused on him—on his rage-filled eyes, his furious strikes, the sound of our sabers clashing, too often close to my face, stealing the air from my lungs.

"Stay in your place, or I’ll teach you a lesson."

I blocked another strike, but I was naïve to think it would work again. With a precise slash, he cut my lightsaber in half, leaving me defenseless.

The crystal in the center of the hilt was shattered, now split into two pieces that I held in my hands.

Still in shock, I let my guard down, and he took the chance to throw me against a tree. I hit the ground, gasping in pain.

In front of me, Vernestra seemed to have recovered and reentered the battle.

The blow had stunned me, leaving my heart in my throat. I rubbed my eyes and got up to reach them.

Everything happened so fast.

A well-placed strike followed by a choked gasp.

I froze.

Vernestra fell to her knees, impaled by that blue saber, hers rolling across the ground toward me.

My ears were ringing.

It was as if my mind had gone blank.

Maybe it was survival instinct, or perhaps the shock I was feeling, but I moved without thinking.

Using the Force, I summoned her purple saber to me and, activating the whip, snapped it forcefully at Qimir’s back.

His scream of pain twisted my insides.

The look of shock and hatred in his eyes as he turned, losing his balance. Before he could move, I instinctively pushed him hard, away from Vernestra’s body.

Maybe I pushed him too hard.

When he stumbled back, finding himself at the edge of the cliff, he couldn’t regain his balance. The ground beneath him gave way, and he fell, staring at me—maybe scared, maybe betrayed.

The silence that followed was chilling.

I rushed toward Vernestra, but it was too late. Her body lay on the ground, her eyes wide open, empty, and the smell of burnt flesh filled my senses.

I wanted to lean over the edge, to see if Qimir was still alive, driven by the survival instinct that, now that everything was over, finally allowed me to recognize the danger.

No.

I didn’t move.

I remained on my knees in the dirt, a dull ringing in my ears that kept me from thinking.

And the lifeless body of my master, whom I had failed to save.

[ghost-runner]

“Useless” and “Troubled” until the End: Pt. 4

Sully Family x “Useless” Fourth Child Male Reader

Summary: Y/N and his family need to learn the ways of water from the children of the Metkayina clan leader. After a confrontation leading to a fight between Y/N and the leader’s son, Ao’nung, Y/N and Lo’ak were left behind at a predator’s den by Ao’nung. Y/N lost sight of Lo’ak and being on his own. Y/N manages to make a new friend, however. Once back at the island home, Y/N follows Tsireya and Kiri to the Spirit Tree where things goes wrong for both Kiri and her brother. Upon awaking from his seizure, Y/N then learned that his siblings and their new friends went out to get Lo’ak after he went to warn his new friend. Quaritch makes a final stand against the Sully family by taking some of the children hostage and their new allies help them only for things to go wrong for Y/N on board the SeaDragon ship.

Warning: Blood, violence, abandonment, small bouts of animal cruelty, injuries, family arguments, abduction, and more…..

Note: I’m going to try to do the Na’vi language if I can. I apologize if I end up not putting anything in. I will also be using sign language in this part as it’s the main way that I’ll have them communicate underwater. Any time someone is speaking in sign language, there speaking part will have “” around it. Also, I’m doing something with Y/N at the Spirit Tree because I thought it’d be interesting for an idea.

— the next day from Pt. 3 left off —

— Y/N POV

I woke up the next day with an actually feeling good after a good night’s sleep. I tried getting up only to feel weight around my body and looked around to see Kiri and Tuk were hugging me as I slept. I smiled at this as I carefully moved their hands from around me while I got up from their grip. After getting free from the hugging sandwich of my sisters, I looked outside to see it was still dark out with it still being Eclipse so I figured I’d go out early to get some practice in. If I do end up getting into trouble for this, I honestly am all out of fucks to give about any sort of punishment I get from my old man. I roll my left shoulder before I start to take off the leaf bandage wrap so I don’t ruin the bandages with the water. I took a look at the hole in my shoulder before I thank Eywa that the bullet didn’t hit any bone and that the wound is healing nicely. I take my pistol out of the holster and take of the holster from around my leg before hiding them in the marui. I then grab my knife and sheathe it before I set out of our marui towards the beach shore. I thought I saw movement out of the quarter of my eye, but I write it off as nothing as I head down into the water before I’m swimming in the deep water of the ocean. I look back as I’m a few dozen meters away from the shore to see someone heading into the water as if to follow me, but I figure it’s someone getting an early start like me. I breathe in before I dive below the surface while grabbing my knife and getting it ready for whatever I might encounter. As I dive under the surface, I see the beauty of the sea with all sorts of different creatures and plants under the surface of the sea from a first glance. I use my knife and quickly kill two dinicthoid fish that I saw approach me with a swift thrust of my blade into the heads of both. I sheathe my blade before grabbing both of the carnivorous fish I just killed and bring them back to shore so I can gut them. Once I was back at the shore, I started away at cutting open the fish and taking out any remnants of the guts so it will be safe to eat. Once the two fish are ready, I wrap them up in an extra net I found lying around as I hoisted the wrapped fish over my right shoulder and bring the fish over to a small area I saw had some stones, kindling, and sticks/branches around the area that was just outside of my family’s marui to where I could be seen outside of it.

Once at the small area I saw earlier, I started making a small fire-pit using the stones, kindling, and branches that were here. I first dug a small hole before I started with putting the stones into a small circle around the hole and then tossing the sticks and kindlings down into the hole I made before I used a lighter I took from a Sky-people base when scavenging one day to light one stick on fire before I tossed it into the hole with the rest of the kindling and branches. I smiled at the efforts I made paid off with a fire that was now going strong and bright. I started to cut off pieces of meat and bone from the dinicthoids I killed before I started to cook the pieces over the fire when I heard footsteps coming my way, as if I could really care who it is that is awake at this time as well, they can do as they please as long as it doesn’t bother me. However, the footsteps only drew closer to where I was with my fire pit.

(This is what I had in mind for the fire pit during the early parts of a day.)

I continue on cooking the meat as I let my mind wonder while slightly glancing towards the the sea, seeing the sun slowly begin to rise across the horizon. I soon finished cooking the fish and began prepping it with some seasonings I quickly snatched from inside the marui. I left the cooked fish near the fire pit on some seashell plates I ended up finding in our marui and climbed up a tree that had some Yovo fruit at the top that was a few meters away. I plucked about 7 full fruit off the tree, but I ended up losing my grip from the tree and I fell a good 14 feet onto my back. I got up and dusted myself off from my fall before I took the Yovo fruit back to the fire pit where I saw a girl from the Metkayina clan was sitting around the fire. I dropped the Yovo fruit into a basket I scavenged from the sea which startled the Metkayina Na’vi girl that was near the fire. The girl looks to be about two years older than me and she turned around only to see me with my fucked up body covered in wounds to which she winces at, probably wondering how I’m not in much pain as well as what the hell did I do. She composed herself very quickly and began to talk with me as I sat down.

???: Sorry. I didn’t realize that someone else was here.

Y/N: Don’t worry about it. If you don’t mind me asking, I don’t think I got your name.

???: Oh, where are my manners? I’m Tsireya, but you can call me Reya. I’m the chief’s daughter and the future Tsahìk of the Metkayina clan.

Y/N: Nice to meet you, Tsireya, I’m Y/N, the useless kid of my family.

Tsireya: Why would you say that about yourself when you already proven that you have what it takes to keep up with the clan?

Y/N: Was that you who I saw that was spying on me when I first killed these fish?

Tsireya gave me a sheepish look.

Tsireya: You caught me redhanded. I was going for a walk during Eclipse and I happen to see you wading to deeper water. I was curious as to why you were diving on your own when you haven’t even practiced with us yet. Might I add, you’re already a pro at the diving and breathing.

Y/N: I appreciate the compliment on my skills. I guess that it comes with the territory of having to teach myself when the rest of my family is too busy, never notice, or plainly doesn’t care enough to try to teach me the ways of my people.

Tsireya: That’s awful. Nobody should have to go through that.

Y/N: I’m used to it…I mean what else am I supposed to do when my parents only seem to care when I disobey them, get injured, or cause trouble?

Tsireya: You have had it rough.

I start cutting up the Yovo fruit into small pieces.

Y/N: Yeah, no shit. Sorry about that, I’m just super used to swearing a lot since I’ve used it as a way of letting frustration out.

Tsireya: Its quite alright. I understand that it must be hard.

I sigh, knowing that she has no idea what I been through. I then see Tsireya eye my bullet wound in my shoulder with curiosity.

Tsireya: May I ask you something?

Y/N: Go right ahead.

Tsireya: I saw that you have many bruises and cuts all over your body, however, what has caught my attention the most was the wound in your shoulder. May I ask as to what happened?

Y/N: It’s a long story that I really don’t want to get into because it was all over the place and just overall crappy.

Tsireya: I understand completely, Y/N.

Y/N: I appreciate that.

Tsireya: Well, I got to get back home before my brother decides to rat on me to father. It was nice meeting you, Y/N.

Y/N: The same goes to you, Reya. I’ll see you later for when my siblings and I have to come practice.

Tsireya got up and started making her way back to her family’s marui. She waved to me and I wave back to her before I finished cutting the fruit up. I put the many fruit pieces onto the plates and bring them over to a small table where there were some seats set up around it before I set the plates down onto said table. I turned back around and went back to the fire, smiling as I then look out to the sea as the sun finally fully rises. I sat down near the fire and slowly began to eat some fish I left for myself. After I finished, I got up when I went past the fire and went to the sea where I laid back before I started to let myself float in the water. I closed my eyes with a great feeling of contentment and once again felt the presence of people watching me, but I just ignore it and let myself continue to float, letting all my worries wash away as I relax.

— 3RD PERSON POV

We can currently see Jake from the Sully family start to stir awake from the night of slumber, once again met to the smell of food. Jake was the first one up and looked around the marui to see his family, smiling at seeing everyone sleeping, but he noticed something odd. He saw that Tuk and Kiri were sleeping off in a corner where he knew they were not there when they all went to sleep. He shakes off the weird feeling and gets up without waking anyone else up before when he saw that Y/N’s bloody bandage wrap from his shoulder was sitting in a clump on the floor near where the girls were at. He got a little worried before he headed outside to see what the smell was only to see it was the cooked fish and fruit that Y/N prepared as well as seeing the fire that was still going bright. He turned to the sea to see his son floating there alone, he sighed and went to his son before grabbing Y/N’s arm and pulling him to the shore. Y/N ended up startled at the grasp on his arm while being pulled and quickly opened his eyes to see his dad staring at him with a stern look.

Y/N: Aw shit……

Jake: Y/N….You got anything to say?

Y/N pulls his arm away from his dad.

Y/N: You already know.

Jake: Y/N. While I’m happy that you decided to get an early start, you need to be careful.

Y/N: Dad, don’t try showing that you care now. I know that you only see me as a failure.

Jake: Y/N. That’s not true.

Y/N glared at his father as he waded back towards the fire pit.

Y/N: Oh fuck off with that shit! You said as much yourself, Dad! That’s what caused me to run away in the first place which is also the final straw for us needing to leave our home. I already know that my siblings most likely hate me for being the reason of it!

Jake: Y/N!! I didn’t mean that!!

Y/N reached the shore and after reaching the firepit, he turned to his father.

Y/N: Oh, really?! Knowing you, I know you just think that I’m going to end up screwing something up and get us kicked out of this place.

Jake: Y/N! That is not true!

Y/N Bulls—

???: That’s quite enough!! Both of you, CUT IT OUT NOW!!

The father and son stopped fighting and turned to see a tired and pissed off Neytiri walking towards the two of them looking pissed.

Neytiri: The two of you are shouting loud enough for almost all of Pandora to hear! I don’t want the rest of the family waking up to the sound of you two arguing.

Y/N: Sorry…

Y/N looks down sadly as he quietly turned away and walked back towards the fire pit where he sat down very close to it. He threw in some more kindling and sticks to keep the dying flames burning, bringing said flames back to life. His parents silently watch their son with Jake having a face of determination for find a way way to make it up to his son for how he failed him and Neytiri looked at her son with regret and worry about his mental state and just wishes she could hug him and take him away from the cruel reality that life can be sometimes which she knows her son has already experienced. Meanwhile, his siblings had watched the whole ordeal in silence with worry for their brother and wondered how he could think that they would blame him for them having to leave their home. Y/N got up from where he was sitting by the fire and quietly walked into the marui, pushing past his siblings and grabbed his bandage wrap before he rewrapped his shoulder before he turned to his family.

Y/N: Breakfast is ready, that’s the smell you were smelling. It’s fish and fruit, I already ate so I don’t care.

Y/N once again leaves the marui while pushing past his siblings to go to practice with the chief’s kids.

— 30 minutes later —

— Y/N POV

I was sharpening my knife using a stone I found when I saw my siblings and Tsireya along with her brother and his friend come to where I saw sitting on the sand as I sharpened my knife. I saw her brother and his friend, who I heard Tsireya say that her brother was Ao’nung and that his friend was Rotxo, give all of us glares while saying something I could not hear. I just sent a pissed off look towards at them as to say “Don’t piss me off, I’m already not in a good mood, assholes”. They give me a look back that says “go pound sand” and I just roll my eyes at them. I got up and went over to them to where Tsireya started to explain what would be happening.

Tsireya: Alright, so we’re going to be working on your diving and breathing today.

Neteyam: Alright, so what exactly will we be doing to practice.

Tsireya: Ao’nung, Rotxo, and I will be seeing how you do without any sort of practice to begin with and we will adapt from that here. Any other question? None? Okay, great!

Everyone starts wading to deeper water and I silently follow behind a few feet behind everyone as I sheather my knife and throw away the stone I was using for sharpening. Once we reach the deeper waters, we all dive beneath the surface before Neteyam, Kiri, Tuk, and Lo’ak are all surprised by the beauty of the ocean while I just swim down and shock everyone apart from Tsireya with how easily I’ve adapted to swimming and breathing beneath the surface. I nod to Tsireya as we all follow her, Ao’nung, and Rotxo, but I get detracted by the beauty of the sea as does Kiri and Tsireya comes over to where the two of us are and signs to us.

Tsireya: “Is everything okay?”

Kiri just looked at Tsireya in confusion while I responded in perfect sign language.

Y/N: “My sister and I were just just distracted by the beauty of the ocean life and plants.”

Tsireya: “Understandable. Come on, let’s continue practice.”

Y/N: “Lead the way.”

Kiri looked at me confused and surprised before she felt the need to breathe along with Neteyam, Tuk, and Lo’ak and the four swam towards the surface while I calmly breathed in and out while I was still under the surface. I saw Ao’nung signing to Rotxo that my siblings were terrible at this and Tsireya went over to him before punching him in the arm, signing to him to shut up. The Metkayina boys looked to me and I just raised an eyebrow towards the two as they looked at me in surprise that I’m actually competent. The four of us then swim to the surface as my siblings were watching me swimming and breathing like the Metkayina were able to.

Neteyam: Y/N, since when were you able to swim and breathe underwater like that?

Y/N: I’ve practiced.

Tsireya: You guys are doing great so far, however, we need to work on your breathing. Can I get your names?

Neyeam: I’m Neteyam.

Lo’ak: I’m Lo’ak.

Kiri: I’m Kiri.

Tuk: And I’m Tuk.

Y/N: You already know me, but I’m Y/N.

Tsireya: Good. I’ll work with Tuk, Ao’nung will work with Neteyam, and Rotxo will work with Lo’ak. Y/N, do you think you could work with Kiri?

Y/N: Yeah, I’ll help.

— 8 hours later —

It has been a few hours since we finished our practice with the chief’s son and daughter. Kiri and I were relaxing while we played in the water as we splashed each other and Kiri was also looking at the animals that were swimming along the shallow water. Lo’ak, Tuk, and Neteyam were laying back and relaxing on the beach when I saw the chief’s son, Ao’nung, approaching Lo’ak with three of his friends. I got suspicious at this and I told Kiri as much so we went back to the beach when we saw Ao’nung approach Kiri and me before he started harassing us.

Ao’nung: Why are you being so weird?

Kiri: W-what?

Ao’nung: You’re nothing, but a demon.

Kiri started to get a bit sacred of him so I got her behind me to put some room between the two and squeezed her hand when he then started insulting me.

Ao’nung: Looks like you need your pathetic little brother back you up. You’ll never be anything, you pathetic useless skxawng. You will always have demon blood in you.

I started to get tired of his shit so I warned him to back off.

Y/N: You better back of before you regret it.

Ao’nung: What are you going to do about it?

Y/N: Hey. I warned you, asshole. You see this? -I show him my hand- Yeah, it has five fingers, but take a look at what I can do.

I curl my hand into a fist and I punch him across the face. He recoils from this and then comes at me when I tackled him down to the ground. I held him down as I choked him slightly before I pulled my right hand back and punched him three times across the face. I felt my tail being pulled when I turned around to see Rotxo pullingy tail in an effort to pull me off his friend. I kicked him in the gut and got off of Ao’nung before I walked toward the boy I just kicked. I was then punched across the face by another one of their friends when Neteyam and Lo’ak jumped into fight after seeing me get punched. I was punched again by Ao’nung who the. pushed me to the ground. I took a chance and kicked his leg which knocked his leg out from under him and I then kicked him him the jaw. I kicked him two more times in the stomach and I punched him one more time across the face before I stop. I look over to see my brothers beating Rotxo and their friend and I shout to my brothers.

Y/N: Hey! Nete! Lo’ak! I think they get the message. Let them go.

My brothers stop and then the the two get off of the two Metkayina they were beating up. I turned back to Ao’nung who was still on the ground and spoke to him with venom on my voice.

Y/N: You! If I hear that any of you mess with my big sister or any of my siblings again. I don’t care if you’re older and bigger that me, I will not be afraid to beat more fucking common sense into each and every one of you fuckheads. Now get the hell out of here!

I watched as he got up before he and his buddies walked away with their tails between their legs, no pun intended. I saw Ao’nung turn around to look at us and I flipped him the bird with both hands, not knowing that Lo’ak was doing the same behind me. He turned back around and continued walking away as I turn to Neteyam and Lo’ak who had bruises on their faces and the chests.

Neteyam: You okay?

Y/N: Eh, I’ve had worse. Literally.

Lo’ak: I’m good. Come on, let’s head back home.

My brothers turn to head back to the marui when I go over to Kiri to check up on her.

Kiri: Are you okay, little brother?

Y/N: I’ve had worse, trust me.

Kiri: You shouldn’t have done that. Dad is going to be mad when he finds out.

Y/N: Frankly, I’ve lost all care in the world as to what Dad thinks anymore. I’m probably going to end up grounded again and have to apologize. Come on, let’s not keep our brothers waiting.

We catch up to our brothers as we head back to the marui. Upon reaching the marui, Dad immediately jumped all over Neteyam and Lo’ak for getting into a fight while I managed to walk in unnoticed by my parents as I went to grab some medical supplies. Mom did look in my direction, thinking I was grabbing medical supplies for my brothers only for her to notice my black eye and my tail have a big scratch on it.

Neytiri: Y/N! You got into the fight as well?!

Dad got very pissed off with hearing that and yelled more at my brothers

Jske: You pulled your youngest brother into the fight with you?!

Y/N: Oh, for the love all fucking things holy! I threw the first punch, Dad!!

Dad turned around and immediately laid into me.

Jake: Y/N, you’re the one who started the whole mess?!?

Y/N: What the fuck did you expect me to do, Dad?!

Jake: I expect you to stay out of trouble, but you can’t even do that for one goddamn day!!

Y/N: They were the ones who started harassing us! Why does it it even fucking matter?!

Jake: We could get kicked out of this place, Y/N! It would be your fault that we could not find a safe haven for our family if that happened!!

Y/N: I’m so fucking tired of this same old shit, old man! We only yell at each other instead of being able to talk normally!! I don’t care if I’m in trouble because of this!!! It only seems like you see me as the fucking useless and troubled fuck that I am!!! For once, I would like for you to see this shit from my fucking angle!!! I already know to fucking high heaven that will never happen though!!! I’m always the reason for something going wrong!!! If you’re going to try to have me apologize, you can shove it right up your ass, Dad!!!

I just got up and stormed out of the marui without another word, stunning all of my family as I storm off into the ocean as the setting sun glowed off the surface of the water. I just hoped to go towards wherever as long as I’m away from here. I silently turned to see Dad trying to catch up to me and I only flip him the bird with both hands before I turn back around and silently walking away from him into the ocean and I swam away from him.

(How Y/N flipped off Jake)

I just swam and swam in anger until I found a cave that I remember Tonowari was speaking about last night. I swam into it and came up to an area that had air. I climbed out of the water and observed the cave with its beauty as the walls sparkled and the small rocks twinkled in the low light that is visible. There are a few bioluminescent plants that I can see in the dark, same for a few bioluminescent animals. I then remembered that my earpiece was still in my small waterproof bag on my person. I pull out my earpiece and put it into my ear before I flip to an open frequency.

Y/N: Hello? Can anybody read me? Over?

Jake: Y/N? How the hell are you contacting me?!

Y/N: I have some tech of my own. You really would not care to hear about it so I’ll spare you the trouble. Im only calling to tell you that I’m not going to be coming back until late, Dad.

Jake: -sighs- Understood…

Y/N: Later, old man.

I hung up the call and I laid down onto the rock floor comfortably as I stared up at the ceiling. I heard some noise that sounded like someone pulling themselves out of the water behind me and I leaned my head back to see Kiri and Mom climbing out of the water before they started coming towards me. I got up from laying down and just looked at them confused.

Kiri: Hey there, little brother.

Y/N: Kiri? Mom? What are you doing here?

Kiri: Coming here to bring you home. It’s already late. I just don’t want to worry about you getting back safe, okay?

Neytiri: I came to make sure that you’re okay after the fight and the argument with your father.

Y/N: I’m fine.

Kiri comes over to where I’m standing and kneels down to my height.

Kiri: Y/N, I know I have not been there for you a lot of the time, but you’re still my baby brother. I want you know that you’re always special to me.

Y/N: Kiri…

I let some tears fall from my eyes as I hug Kiri tightly.

Y/N: Thank you.

Mom comes over to the two of us as my sister and I hug and rubs my cheek with her hand.

Neytiri: Oh, my precious boy…

Y/N: Mom…

Neytiri: I’m sorry that I have not been a good mother to you, my son. I want you to know that you always have a place in our family. No matter what.

I smile at her as more tears fall and she joins the hug. After a minute or two, we all pull away.

Neytiri: Let’s go, my children. Your father is probably worried about us.

The three of us dive into the water and swim back to the marui where I saw Dad looking for us on the shore.

Y/N: Hey Mom, Kiri, I’ll catch up with you inside. I want to talk with Dad in private.

Kiri: Alright.

Neytiri: Just don’t argue, my child.

Mom and Kiri went inside as I turned to Dad.

Y/N: Dad…I wanted to apologize. I was out of line….I know that I should not have started the fight.

Jake: Y/N, I understand why you started it in the first place, but you need to be careful.

Y/N: I know. I’ll try to make peace with them in the morning.

Jake: Alright. I just want you to know that I am proud of you for standing up for your sister, Y/n. I just want you to think before you act next okay. I love you regardless, son.

Y/N: I know, Dad.

Jake: Come here, son.

I run over and hug Dad tightly. Dad pulls away after a minute or so.

Jake: Come on, let’s go get some sleep.

Y/N: Yeah, good idea.

I follow Dad into the marui before I got comfortable in one of the corners and curled myself into a ball. I closed my eyes to sleep when I felt people cuddle up to me. I open my eyes back up to see my family had all curled up to me to make sure I was in the center of this sleeping group of Na’vi. I smile and close my eyes again before I drift off to sleep.

— the next day around noon —

— Y/N POV

I was thinking in our marui after practice when I heard Lo’ak call for me to follow him to find Ao’nung to apologize to him. I go over to where I hide my pistol, magazines, and holster are hidden and attach the holster to my thigh and place my pistol into the holster before I place the pistol mags into my small bag. I catch up to Lo’ak when he’s a small ways away from Ao’nung and he see him talking to some friends of his.

Y/N: Hey dipshit.

He turns around to see the two of us.

Ao’nung: You talking to me?

Y/N: Who else would I be talking to if not you?

Ao’nung: What do you want?

Lo’ak: We’re here to apologize for fighting with you yesterday.

Y/N: Even though you were being a complete ass yesterday….

Lo’ak: We cool?

Ao’nung: It’s whatever. Hey, do you two want to come hunting with my friends and I? We know a great spot for it.

Lo’ak: Sure, it sounds like it can fun.

Ao’nung: What about you?

Y/N: I’ll tag along to see what’s going on…

The Metkayina boys have us follow them to the water, but I grab Lo’ak’s arm.

Y/N: Hey Lo’ak, keep an eye on those guys, I have a bad feeling about it…I’m coming prepared.

I quickly show him I’m bringing my pistol with me just in case shit hits the fan.

Lo’ak: Good thinking. Let’s go.

The five of us begin to swim out to sea for about 50 minutes before we reached a rock formation that Ao’nung called “Three Brothers Rock”. I saw a giant fish that they called an “akula” from what Chief Tonowari has told me about some of the ocean’s predators. I see Ao’nung pass my brother a crossbow and tells him to use the crossbow against the fish. I watch Lo’ak go a bit out to the open water to get a clear shot when I saw Ao’nung and his friends ditching us. I knew this was going to go bad. I immediately draw my pistol into my right hand as I grab my brother’s hand before the akula started to chase us after Lo’ak shot the bolt at the akula. I grab Lo’ak’s arm and immediately pulled him towards the coral reef formation. However, when I was looking around to find the akula, I did not notice that the akula was coming up from behind and started crashing into the reef we were hiding in. I hit my bro on the shoulder and signal for him to follow me. We begin to swim away out the other side when the akula once again attacks us. I signal for Lo’ak to swim away and I distract the creature by shooting it twice with my pistol, luckily I’m able to distract it for long enough until it manages to pass me as I swim and I hit by its tail fin. That was the last thing I remember before I blacked out after I hit my head on some rocks.

— Hours later at night time and at an unknown location —

— Y/N POV

Y/N: Fucking hell, my head…..

I slowly started to come to after I blacked out and I rub my head. I feel some liquid on the back of my head as I rub it and I bring my right hand into my line of sight to see my fingers had blood on them.

Y/N: Ahhh fuck…

I blink a few more times to clear my eyes and I see I’m out to sea in a small island and that it was currently storming heavily with thunder and lightning. I look around and see that my pistol and knife washed up on the shore a few feet away from me so I quickly grabbed the two items and put them back into my holster and sheathe. I look around again to see if I can tell where I am, but I do not recognize anything that can tell me where I am. I look at my body and see that my body has a bunch of fresh cuts and bruises, but I’m happy that I’m used to the pain at least. I also feel a big cut on the back of my neck going to the underside of my chin, stopping right underneath my mouth. I knew this will leave me with another scar on my face to add to the two I already had. I just hope to Eywa that Lo’ak got out okay. I pull out my earpiece from my bag and put into my ear before I turned it on and tried calling anyone on an open frequency.

Y/N: Can anybody hear me on this frequency? Come in, over?

Nobody responded over radio static and I try again.

Y/N: Can anybody hear me on this frequency? Come in, over? Dammit.

Once again I don’t get anything over the frequency and I sigh, knowing that I’m on my own. I look down to the stormy waters that are being very rough because of the storm. However, I then heard a shriek of pain coming from down the shore. I run over to where I hear the shrieking and I see a fully white Skimwing stuck on the shore of the island. I spotted that she had some deep cuts in her back and she had some deep cuts on both of her wings. I run over to her and she looks at me pleading for help, which made me get straight to work. I found some plants that I quickly ground up into a medicine paste.

Y/N: Thank Eywa that Grandmother taught me me how to quickly identify plants that can be used for medicine.

I apply the medicine to all of the deep cuts on the Skimwing as the beast screeches in relief of pain from what I can assume. I then look around and find a very small piece of sharp metal as well as a reel of fishing line. I attach some of the fishing line to the blunt end of the makeshift needle and I start stitching up the Skimwing’s deep cuts as I continue to place medicine along the wounds while I stitch her up. I finish stitching the Skimwing and I go around to her front where she looks at me with a face of gratitude for what I did for her. Before I do anything else, I splash some of the medicine I made onto the back of my head as well as onto the big cut around my neck and I’m relieved of some of the pain. I turn back to the Skimwing and I put my hand on her snout, rubbing it.

Y/N: How do you feel?

The Skimwing screeches at me and I could assume she says she feels a lot better thanks to my efforts. I reach up and rub her head as she leans her head into my touch.

Y/N: Do you have a name?

The Skimwing once again screeches at me, I think she is saying that she does not have a name.

Y/N: Could I give you a name?

The Skimwing looks at me with a look of curiosity, probably confused on what I’m saying.

Y/N: How does the name Bel’lia sound?

The Skimwing gives me a bit of a smile at the suggestion I gave for a name. I think she likes it. I laugh a little at her smile.

Y/N: Looks like Bel’lia it is. Would you be willing to be my friend?

Bel’lia screeches at me and I can assume that she is saying that she would be happy to be my friend.

Y/N: Thank you.

I scratch her head as she screeches in content and I then help her back into the water. Bel’lia dives beneath the surface once she was in deep water and I smile that I was able to help a beautiful creature in need of help, but I soon notice that the storm is getting worse. I need to get back soon before any of my family tries to come out to find me in this weather. I dive beneath the surface and try my hardest to swim through the rough and choppy waters for about 10 minutes with little progress being made. I almost decide to turn back to the island when I see a blur of white coming towards me. I saw it to be Bel’lia and she gestured for me to grab onto her. I do that and she started to swim fast as I hung onto her where I knew I can hold on from seeing Chief Tonowari teach my old man with a Skimwing.

— the next day in the morning at the Metkayina Clan island home —

— Y/N POV

Bel’lia and I had finally managed to get out of the storm and we were able to start making our way home. I was riding on Bel’lia’s back as she swam along the surface of the water. I still had adrenaline pumping through my body as I stayed awake all night. I looked down to Bel’lia and rubbed her head.

Y/N: Thank you.

She screeched in response to my thank with a thanks of her own for me helping her out yesterday. As I looked up, I saw the island as the sun rose over the horizon. I saw some Na’vi on the beach as they watched me approach the beach. I saw Ao’nung, some of his friends, and Tsireya. As we reached the waters where Bel’lia could not go any further, I got off of her and rubbed her head.

Y/N: Bel’lia, thank you for helping me, my friend.

She growls and screeches playfully for a bit, as if to say “And thank you for helping me, friend. I’ll always be nearby should you need any help again.�� She stayed by the shore and watched me wade through the water towards the group of Na’vi gathered on the shore. I saw everyone give me surprised looks that I tamed a Skimwing all on my own and that I had tamed a fully white one. I’m guessing it’s similar to how it’s special to bond with a fully white Ikran. I immediately gave Ao’nung and his friends a glare and they knew they were in trouble so they pushed their way through the crowd and speed walked away. I looked back to Bel’lia to see her still watching me. I made it to the beach when I was hugged by Tsireya, unknown to her that she was holding her arms around the cut on my neck.

Y:N: Ahhhh, that stings.

Tsireya pulled away from the hug, worried she accidentally hurt me.

Tsireya: Are you okay?!? What hurts?!?

Y/N: I’m alright, Reya. Just that this deep cut on my neck is killing me with pain. Not literally killing me, luckily.

Tsireya: I’m glad that you’re okay. You will want to check in with your family. They are worried sick about what happened after Lo’ak told them what happened about he took the blame for the hunting mishap.

I facepalm.

Y/N: Goddammit, Lo’ak, for fuck’s sake…..alright, but tell your brother that if he messes with me or any of my family, I’ll kiss his fucking ass.

Tsireya: I don’t think he will. He looked like he was about to crap himself after he saw it was you riding in. He even said that he does not want to piss you off after seeing that you managed to tame a Skimwing on your own as well as surviving what happened.

Y/N: I’d like to keep it that way. Hopefully he’ll come around and we can possibly be friends.

Tsireya: Who knows. Anyways, go check in with your family. I want to speak with you and Kiri when you’re done, though.

Y/N: Alright.

I head over to my family’s marui only to see them all asleep, but the marui has a sad aura to it and everyone looks distressed and distraught as they sleep. I head over to where Mom keeps the medical supplies and I grabbed some medicine paste and leaf bandages. I went outside of the marui and began to apply the medicine paste to my neck cut and the various small cuts around my body as I grunt at the stinging sensation the medicine has on the wound.

Y/n: Fuck, that stings like absolute hell.

I continued to to apply medicine to my neck wound and I started to rub the paste into the wound. I said more vulgarities under my breath as it stung before i started to wrap the wound with the bandages. I then went over to the fire pit I had created a few days ago and I started the fire up. I waited for the fire to start roaring before I sat by the fire and just let myself relax.

Y/N: Oh man, my fucking neck.

However, I failed to notice that my family started to stir awake from my voice waking them up.

— 3RD PERSON POV

Lo’ak was the first one awake from thinking he was so worried about his little brother that he imagined hearing his voice, but he soon heard the voice again.

Y/N: Oh man, my fucking neck.

Lo’ak rubbed his eyes and got up to see where the voice was coming from. He saw his younger brother sitting around the fire pit the family now uses at nighttime. He ran towards Y/N and tackled him into a hug.

Lo’ak: Y/N!! You’re okay!!!

Y/N: OW!! FUCKING HELL!! LO’AK, FOR EYWA’S SALE, MAN!!!

Lo’ak immediately got up off of Y/N and helped him up.

Lo’ak: Bro, what the hell happened?!? I saw you get knocked out and you got pulled away by the strong flow of water going away from where we originally were.

Y/N: Well, it’s a long story. Are you all right? I haven’t seen you since the hunting incident.

Lo’ak: I ended up taking blame for the whole mess and Dad said that I shamed the family after seeing what I did and that you were still missing by Eclipse when I should be responsible for watching you after I pulled you into the mess. I ended up bonding with a lone banished Tulkun that is an outcast because he killed some whalers.

Y/N: It looks like I’m going to need to have words with Dad then, I told him about what can happen with that behavior of his. If nobody else is going to say something about that, I will then. I’m proud of you for that, Lo’ak, even if nobody else will say so. You stepped up even though you didn’t need to and that you did a big feet with that Tuklun. Follow me though, there’s someone I want you to meet.

The two wade into the water to where Lo’ak saw Bel’lia coming towards them and she popped her head out of the water, startling the older Sully.

Y/N: This is Bel’lia, my new friend and partner.

Y/N rubbed her head as she playfully screeches in enjoyment at the attention. Lo’ak looks at her in surprise that his brother was able to bond with a Skimwing, let alone a fully white one. Only trained warriors of the Metkayina clan were able to tame them. Hell, it took Jake days to tame his Skimwing.

Lo’ak: How did you bond with her? She’s beautiful.

Something the two failed to notice was that the rest of the family had awaked at the sound of Y/N screaming from being tackled by Lo’ak.

Y/N: Well, I asked her to be my friend after I ditched her up. You can see the stitches on her wings and back. She helped me get back.

Kiri: You’re just like your big sister after all, baby brother.

— Y/N POV

I turned around, startled, to see Mom, Dad, Neteyam, and Kiri all looking at me surprised and worried.

Jake: Son, come over here please.

I head over to my family with Lo’ak next to me.

Neytiri: Oh my Y/N.

Mom cups my jaw as she runs her hand over the newly bloodied bandages around my neck.

Neteyam: I’m happy to see you’re okay, little brother.

Kiri: I’m proud of you, Y/N.

I get pulled into a group hug as I’m at the center of it while everyone hugs me gently, being careful of my neck wound. I close my eyes, enjoying the hug from my family as everyone pulls away.

Jake: Are you alright, Y/N?

Y/N: My neck hurts like hell from a deep cut. I already know it’s gonna leave a scar.

Neytiri: Oh, Y/N…….

Y/N: I’ll be fine, Mom. Kiri, Neteyam, Tuk, Tsireya wanted to see us about something. Let’s go.

Kiri: Lead the way.

After about 10 minutes of going to find Tsireya, Kiri, Tuk, Neteyam, and I found her with Rotxo and Ao’nung as we approached them.

Ao’nung: Hey Y/N, can we talk?

Y/N: We can talk right now. What do you fucking want?

Ao’nung: Rotxo and I were in the wrong for what we did back in the reef.

Y/N: You only realized that now, asshole?

Ao’nung: We know. We wanted to apologize and holler hope that you can forgive us. We want to try to become friends with you.

Y/N: Well….I think you learned your lesson so I’ll say that it’s water under the bridge. Just don’t be a dick anymore, okay?

Ao’nung: Cool.

Y/N: So, Tisireya, what did you want us to see?

Tisreya: Follow us!

My siblings and I follow the three as they take us below the surface of the ocean where we dove a deep time before Tisreya showed us about an animal called a “gill mantle” that can help us breathe as we dive further and further downward. Tisreya attaches one to both me and my sister while Rotxo and Aonung attached one to Neteyam and Tuk as we then continue to dive until we reached a giant under water tree.

Tsireya: “This is the Spirit Tree”.

Kiri looks to me and I nod to her.

Kiri: “It’s very beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it apart from the Tree of Souls back in the jungle of our old home.”

Y/N: “No kidding, sis. Also, nice work on the sign language after I showed you how to use it.”

Kiri: “Thanks, Y/N.”

Y/N: “Are we able to connect to it?”

Tsireya: “Of course. Come on.”

Tsireya has us follow her closer to the tree to an area where Kiri and I can connect our queues to it.

Tsireya: “Connect your queues to it.”

I connect my queue after Kiri connects hers. I peacefully sit on the seabed as I feel myself be pulled to Eywa’s connection and out of my physical body. I open my eyes to only see white as I look around before I’m blinded by a bright light to where I’m pulled to an area that looked like an city on Earth from what I know from Dad about his home planet. I felt myself be sat in a seat at an unknown place with a lot of people who looked similar to Norm and Max walk around and sit down around the area in at to talk with one another. An unknown man then came up to me and sat down across from me at the sort of weird table arrangement I was currently sitting at. I looked closer at the man to see his looked almost identical to Dad from a picture Dad showed me from before he became a full Na’vi.

???: Hello nephew.

Y/N: Huh? Did you just call me “nephew”?

???: Of course I did, why wouldn’t I know of my youngest nephew?

Y/N: Okay, just who the hell are you?

???: Figures. I’m not surprised that you wouldn’t know who I am, even with my brother being your father. I’m your dad’s deceased brother, Tom. I’m your uncle.

I just looked at him in shock and surprise.

Y/N: Un-Uncle? You mean you’re Uncle Tom?

Tom: That’s right. I’m happy I can meet one of my brother’s children in the flesh. I have to say the blue really works on you, kid.

I chuckle at Uncle Tom’s remark.

Y/N: Very funny, Uncle. But how are you here in connection with Eywa? Dad told me that you passed away on Earth after someone had killed you.

Tom: Well, the universe works in very strange ways. You never know what can happen at almost anytime.

Y/N: You’re not wrong, Uncle T.

Tom: I dearly miss Jake, but I’m happy that he was able to build a life here after what happened back on Earth.

Y/N: Things have been rough with him throughout my whole life, Uncle Tom, but I’m happy that things have been changing lately for the better.

Tom: I do want you to know that I am proud of you, nephew. I also want you to know that your family loves you dearly and that your dad is very proud of you, even if he has not shown it many time. I would beat his ass from beyond the grave if I was given the chance if he thought otherwise.

I laugh at Uncle Tom.

Y/N: I appreciate that, Uncle Tom. I just wish I had a place to be myself.

Tom: Oh, Y/N. You will have a place in the family. No matter what you may think otherwise.

Y/N: Thanks, Uncle.

Tom: Well, it looks like it’s time for me to leave. It was great talking with you, nephew. I hope you meet you again some time.

Uncle Tom then got up and got onto some sort of weird machine that I have never seen before. He did something with a part he grabbed before he turned it and it made a loud noise before he rode off on it. It was only then everything went black and I went limp before blacking out.

— Back at the Spirit Tree —

— 3RD PERSON POV

Tsireya was watching the two siblings as she saw their bioluminescent markings glow brightly while the two were connected to the tree. However, she soon saw both of them started convulsing with their bioluminescent markings fading completely due to the two siblings suffering from seizures from connecting to the Spirit Tree. Neteyam, Tsireya, Ao’nung, and Rotxo disconnected the two from the tree and got onto their Ilus before they took off back to the surface.

— at the Sully marui —

— 3RD PERSON POV

We currently see Kiri and Y/N being carried by their parents to the marui as we see Norm Spellman in his avatar body and Max Patel setting up medical equipment to help their friend’s children. Jake set Kiri dow as Neytiri set Y/N down with both children being next to each other as Norm and Max got to work on trying to help the children while Tuk and Neteyam looked at their siblings with worry. Neytiri and Jake were very worried about Kiri and Y/N because they knew both of their children had a very strong connection to Eywa and worry about what might have happened. However, Ronal came to see if she could help out with the trouble and she got extremely mad at seeing the medical equipment. She stormed out of the marui in anger as Neytiri tried to convince her to help. Jake pulls Norm out of the marui to talk.

Jake: Norm, do you have any idea what it is that is affecting the two of them?

Norm: That’s the trouble that we’re running into. We don’t have a clue what it is that is causing your kids to go into comas.

Jake: It might be from the feelings of Eywa that both Y/N and Kiri have said they felt before.

Norm: Then we have a problem, Jake.

Jake: What?

Norm: Those feelings that the two have mentioned work along the lines for someone suffering from epilepsy. If either of them try to connect to the Spirit Tree again, there’s a chance either Kiri or Y/N might die from it.

Jake: Shit…

Neytiri then came over to the two as they talked.

Neytiri: I need Norm and Max to pack up and leave. Ronal said she’d try to use her ways to heal our children.

Norm: If you say so. Max! Pack it up!

Max took the gear away from the marui and Ronal entered it before she got to work with her medical practices. After a bit of time, Ronal finished her practices and everyone waited in anticipation for something to happen. After a few minutes, groans were heard from Kiri as she started to regain consciousness from her seizure induced coma. Y/N, however, was still unconscious and Kiri looked around confused on what was going on until she looked down to her baby brother unconscious beside her.

Kiri: Oh my Eywa, Y/N!

Kiri grabs Y/N’s hand and squeezed it as Ronal once again begins her medical practices to try to wake up the youngest Sully boy. After she finished the second round of practices, everyone waits with anticipation for something to happen. After 10 minutes, Y/N began to stir awake from his coma and looked around confused as his head began pounding with hurt.

Kiri: Y/N! You’re okay!

Kiri hugged her youngest brother in relief as everyone else let out breaths of relief, thinking that Y/N might be stuck in his coma. Y/N just hugs Kiri back, still confused on what is going on or how they got to their home. Jake and Neytiri were thanking Ronal for helping their family before they went to their children. Both parents embraced their children with tears trailing down their faces, thankful to Eywa for the miracle of their children waking up. TUk and Neteyam also came over and hugged their conscious siblings. Y/N just accepted what was happening despite being confused still. After 20 minutes, everything was packed up when Norm and Max went back to the jungle after being thanked by Jake for coming all the way out there. Y/N walked out to talk to his dad.

Y/N: Dad….I need to talk to you about something important.

Jake: What’s up, son?

Y/N: You remember how you told us about our Uncle Tom? Back from Earth?

Jake: Of course! I would never want the memory of him to be forgotten.

Y/N: Well, I met with him and talked with him when I was connected to the Spirit Tree…and I was on Earth when it happened.

Jake was caught very off guard at what his son just revealed to him.

Jake: What?!?

Y/N: I got to talk with Uncle Tom and the vision I had showed me a glimpse of Earth where we sat at some table arrangement in some sort of city.

Jake: I-I honestly never expected to hear this, Y/N.

Y/N: As Uncle Tom literally said to me, “The universe works in strange ways.”

Jake: That sounds like something Tom would’ve said. -Jake looks to the sky- I’m happy to know you’re watching over us, Tom.

Y/N: Is everything going to be okay, Dad?

Jake: We’ll be okay, son. I promise.

Y/N: Alright…If you’re sure.

Y/N hugs Jake and the two embrace.

— A few days later after Tulkuns attack by the whalers —

— Y/N POV

I was out deep in the jungle around the area where I know Ro’nea’s cave is at. I was working on my target practice with my bow and arrows as well as with my pistol. I loaded a fresh mag into my pistol when I let my mind wonder to how badly the tulkun attacks against the Metkayina clan has affected them while Dad revealing why it happened. I’ve been sticking to working on my own for the last day or so and I haven’t really talked with much of my family since the attack. I shot at some rock targets with my pistol as I shot rounds down range. Once the mag was half empty, I stop firing when I heard the sounds of engines going. I knew it was the sky-people and the Recom soldiers on their ship. I put my pistol into my holster and put my bow onto the catch on my quiver before I whistled long and loud for Ro’nea. I watched as my Ikran companion flew from her cave high on the mountain and she slowly landed in front of me. I smiled at her as I haven’t flown with her in about a week and I go over to Ro’nea before I gave her a big hug. She hugged my back with her wings and let me down before she put her head down for some rubs and scratches. I shake my head at her antics as I laugh and scratched and rubbed her head as she screeched in enjoyment as the attention.

Y/N: Ro’nea, it’s good to see you again, my friend.

Ro’nea screeches in response as if to say “It has been. Are we going flying today?

Y/N: Yes, Ro, we’re going flying. I need to make sure things are okay even though we might get spotted by those fuckheads. Let’s go.

I jumped onto Ro’nea’s back and sat on her saddle before I put my weapons onto her harness as she took off, not bothering to connect my queue because I think Ro’nea knows what we need to do. I let her fly us over the island as we get a birds-eye view of the situation. I soon saw Lo’ak on his Ilu as he was being followed by Kiri, Tuk, Neteyam, Tsireya, Rotxo, and Ao’nung.

Y/N: Shit. They must be following Lo’ak to where he usually meets with Payakan.

I’ve met the Tulkun and he’s far from what the stories say about him. I’m just happy that Lo’ak did trust me enough to bring me to meet him the other day.

Y/N: Wait a minute. Fuck! They must be chasing after Lo’ak because he’s going to warn Payakan about the whalers.

Ro’nea turns her head to look at me.

Y/N: Ro’nea. Follow my siblings and their friends. We need to make sure that nothing bad happens.

Ro’nea screeched at me in response, telling me she understood what I said and flew after them while flying very high up so we don’t attract any unwanted attention from whalers or Recom soldiers. After about 30 minutes, I saw Payakan surface, but I saw he had something going through his fin. I then saw everyone trying to pull it out as I then saw Quaritch and his sky-people friends going after my siblings and friends. I had Ro’nea get closer to the SeaDragon ship to where I knew Quaritch would be able to hear me and I draw my bow. I draw an arrow onto the bowstring and let the arrow go as it flies through the air and buries itself into one of the Recom’s skull. I believe that fuck head I killed was Zhang. Everyone on the ship was shocked to see an arrow penetrate the dude’s skull and I then shouted loudly.

Y/N: HEY YOU DUMB FUCKS!!! OVER HERE!!

I saw Quaritch look in my direction as I saw him recognize my Ikran and my voice. Once he looked me in the eyes, I flipped him the bird, daring him to focus on me in hopes of drawing attention away from the others. I saw a few ships start coming my way as I have Ro’nea fly a few dozen meters in the other direction before I had her stop.

Y/N: Ro’nea, get safe. I’ll be okay, just get somewhere safe.

She screeched at me, understanding what I’m about to do before I jumped off of Ro’nea and dove towards the water below with my bow and arrow reattached to me. As I dive into the water, I dive down deep enough to I knew Skimwings would be at with a few submarine like machines a few meters behind me. Once I reached a cave, I saw Bel’lia in there and she looked like she was surprised to see me there, but understood I was trouble if I was coming directly to her cave. She saw the machines behind me and she got to work destroying the machines. I watched in amazement as she expertly trashed the machines to scrap metal. She turned around and signaled for me to hop on to which I do. She starts swimming up to the surface as I held onto her before she surfaced near the ships that were following me as Bel’lia continues to swim away from the ships. I noticed that there was two oil drums on one of the ships so I grabbed my pistol and shot at the drums, hitting on and the caught fire before shortly exploding, the ship getting destroyed in said explosion. The second ship started to ready to harpoon to shoot at us.

Y/N: Bel’lia, DIVE!

She dove beneath the surface and I saw their were mines attacked to the side of the ship that I then shot at with my pistol. My bullet hit its mark and the skip exploded after having the mines explode. I then saw some of my friends and siblings were taken by the submarines. I was pissed at seeing this, but I knew I had to get out of here as soon as possible. Bel’lia sensed my anger, but she also knew that we could not do much. We headed back to shore when Neteyam saw me and waved me down halfway back home.

Neteyam: Y/N? What the hell are you doing out here?

Y/N: I was making sure that you guys were okay. Safe to say that plan went out the window considering they got Kiri, Lo’ak, Tsireya, and Tuk. Where’s the others?

Neteyam: They made it back to land already. I saw your handiwork with those ships. Nice work, little brother.

Y/N: I had to do something about them, at least. Anyways, grab onto Bel’lia. We need to get back to land as soon as possible to tell Mom and Dad what happened.

Neteyam: Alright.

Neteyam gets onto Bel’lia and sits behind me as she takes us back to shore.

— At the Battle of the SeaDragon —

— Y/N POV

Me and Neteyam were riding on Bel’lia as we overheard Dad say he was going to surrender himself to Quaritch in return for the safe return of our siblings. We also just saw Payakan attack the ship from the side, prompting everyone to start attacking. We reached the SeaDragon and got off of Bel’lia as we climbed on board the burning vessel and Bel’lia swam off to safer waters. Neteyam got his hands onto an assault rifle and I got my hands on an SMG.

We started shooting and killing sky-people as we pushed our way up to the decks where Tuk, Tsireya, Lo’ak, and Kiri were being held at. I loaded five sky-person full of lead before I reload my SMG as we finally reach the area where everyone was being held prisoner at. I unsheathed my knife and cut Kiri and Tsireya free from their bindings while Neteyam cut Tuk and Lo’ak free. I started run up to where I had seen Spider at when Neteyam stopped me.

Neteyam: Bro, what are you doing?

Y/N: We need to save Spider.

Neteyam: There’s no time.

Y/N: It’s my fault that he’s here in the first place. I’ll be damned if I leave him after I got him in trouble with being here.

Neteyam: -sighs- Fine, let’s find him.

Neteyam and I both start moving back to where I saw Spider at as we keep killing sky-people when we see Spider meet up with us.

Spider: Guys! It’s great to se enough again after the shit that went down.

Y/N: And you two, my friend. Let’s get the hell out of here.

Spider dove into the water as Neteyam and I covered him when I saw a Recom aim at Neteyam.

Y/N: Bro! Look out!

I push Neteyam into the water and I killed the Recom who was aiming at my brother, but I don’t come out unscathed. I received a bullet into my gut as I then jumped into the water below. I hit the water and try to tread the water as I grunt in pain from my new wound in my gut. I start having trouble keeping my head up when my brothers come up to the surface of the water.

Neteyam: Y/N! Are you okay?!

I look at him as I hold my stomach where he can now see the blood coming from my gut.

Lo’ak: Shit. Y/N’s hurt!

Y/N: I-I’m fine. Let’s get somewhere safe.

Neteyam called for his Ilu and let me ride with him as Lo’ak rode on his when we make it to the rocks where Mom, Dad, Tsireya, and Tuk are at. Neteyam helped me up onto the rocks as I lost a little strength. Mom and Dad both looked at me worried when they saw the bullet hole in my gut as Tuk and Tsireya gasped loudly at the sight of me. I sat down against some of the rocks as Dad came over to me to help stop my bleeding. I groan in pain as he holds down the wound when I look around and notice something.

Y/N: Where is Kiri?

At that moment, I heard Dad’s communicator turn on and I heard Quaritch speak.

Quaritch: Jake. I have your daughter. If you want her alive. Come meet me on deck.

Jake: Shit. Neteyam, Lo’ak, keep your brother safe. Spider, Neytiri, let’s get Kiri back.

Mom, Dad, and Spider all dove into the water back towards the ship as I get up and walk towards the water in pain.

Neteyam: Y/N! You need to stay back.

Y/N: I’m not going to let them go without help.

I swiftly dove into the water as I quietly follow Mom and Dad as they swim to where Kiri is at. I climb out of the water as Mom, Dad, and Spider quickly get out and run to where Kiri is at as I follow behind them. I silently climb a support beam that is attached to ceiling as walked slowly along the upper catwalk area as I see where Kiri is being held hostage by Quaritch. As he goes on about speaking for Dad to cuff himself, I crawled to where I would be above Quaritch where I saw Mom and Spider notice me. Mom had Spider held at knifepoint which surprised me a lot. However, once I saw that Quaritch tensed up with Kiri after seeing his son being held hostage by Mom, I jumped down from the upper catwalk and I bite Quaritch harshly onto his neck while I kicked Kiri away from the psycho I just bit. Kiri ran over to Mom and Dad who hugged her as I let go of Quaritch before I punched him, causing him to lose grip of the pistol he had. I grab the pistol with my tail and bring it around to my hand so I’m pointing it at him.

Quaritch: You’re one tough little bastard, I’ll give you that. You sure you even know how to use it?

I got pissed at him and I shot him in the shoulder.

Y/N: Does t-that answer your q-question?

I failed to see that Quaritch had a second pistol on hand and he quickly he grabbed it before he shot me two more times in the stomach. With adrenaline pumping, I tackled him and we ended up falling off of the boat. I just looked him in the eye as we sunk below the surface of the water before I pulled him up to the surface to where I saw some rocks. I slowly pulled him up to the rocks as he started coughing up water as I stared him down. I just silently stared at him as he looked back at me in silence before he talked.

Quaritch: Why would you save me after everything I’ve done to you?

Y/N: W-well, you saved my best friend from being killed so as the saying I’ve heard goes. “a life for a life.”

Quaritch: Why don’t you join me?

Y/N: I’d rather die sad and alone than join you. I only saved you in return for you saving Spider.

I dove back into the water and began to immediately feel my body start giving out. I barely make it when I’m left floating in the water barely conscious when I feel my body being pulled up and onto the rocks where my family is.

Lo’ak: Watch his head, Bro!

I feel my wounds having pressure be put into them as I finally let my pain out as I scream in pain. I blink into see Dad holding my gunshot wounds as Mom holds my right hand, saying prayers to Eywa to not let her son be taken from her. Neteyam and Lo’ak are looking at me in sorrow as they are not sure what to think. I feel my left hand being held and I see Kiri hold my right hand with tears in her eyes as she looks at me with worry all over her face. I saw Tsireya comforting Tuk as a Tuk is bawling her eyes out while Tsireya has her own tears coming down her eyes. I smile at my family before I speak to Dad.

Y/N: D-Dad?

Jake: Yes, my son?

Y/N: D-did I d-do good?

Jake: You did perfectly.

Y/N: If I’m g-go, p-please don’t b-be hard o-on Neteyam and L-Lo’ak.

Jake: I will, I promise.

Y/N: I-I-I l-love y-you a-all.

Neytiri: My son…

Kiri: Y/N…

Neteyam and Lo’ak: Y/N….

Everything then goes black as I close my eyes with a feeling of peace.

To be continued…..

Leaving it off at a major cliffhanger…. I first want to apologize for the long wait for Pt. 4 of this series. I couldn’t bring myself to finish the whole story here. I’m not going to lie, I cried a little when I was making this chapter at times. I’m not entirely sure what I want to do for the epilogue so I want to see up a question poll. I want to try something for it, but I’m still trying to make up my mind after writing this chapter. I’ll make up my mind in the next few days.

[abandoned-anemoia]

Embrasing the Living

☯ Pairing: ghost!Lee Felix x gn!reader ☯ Genre: angst?, fluff ☯ Word count: 1.6k ☯ Summary: You move in to an old, abandoned house rumored to be haunted, and encounter a ghost named Felix who is trapped by a curse. As you grow closer, you attempt to break the curse. Together, you defy supernatural boundaries, discovering a love that transcends life and death. ☯ Warnings: curses/witchcraft?, ghost shit ☯ A/N: This is really bad, I'm sorry lol. It's SUPER cliche and kinda feels like Beauty and the Beast in a way... But! Since it is almost Halloween and I didn't really have time to do Kinktober, I figured I would write a few spooky specials. Please Let me know if I need to add any warnings! ☯Disclaimer: None of my work represents any of the idols included in any way. This is merely fictional and all based on my opinion as a joke! I have nothing against any of these idols and love them all dearly.

Please do not copy, translate, or post as your own!

In a quiet corner of the world, nestled amidst a lush forest, there stood an old, weather-beaten house. Its timeworn facade exuded an eerie charm that only that of an abandoned place could possess. It had been uninhabited for years, with rumors of supernatural occurrences whispered amongst the people, talk of a young man that had disappeared a few years prior. But one fateful day, you decided to make it your home. The house, with its creaky wooden floors and ancient charm, seemed like the perfect place for you to begin a new chapter in your life.

You had always been drawn to unconventional choices, and this house, with its dark and complex history, intrigued you. It was the ideal refuge for a writer, seeking solitude and inspiration from the cryptic household. You packed your bags, said your goodbyes to your old place, and moved into the mysterious abode, ready to confront whatever secrets it held.

The first few weeks in your new home were uneventful, save for the occasional creaking floorboard, blown fuse, or rattling window. You had always been a pragmatic person, dismissing the unsettling sounds as the byproduct of an old house settling into its solitude. You even joked about possibly having a new houseguest.

"Maybe I should start charging rent for my ghostly roommate," You'd chuckle as a stray object fell to the floor for no apparent reason.

Little did you know that your casual jests were not as far from the truth as you had believed.

One crisp autumn night, as you sit at your desk, the air suddenly grew icy. Goosebumps erupt on your arms, and you feel an inexplicable sense of unease. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a small porcelain vase teetering on the edge of the shelf. Before you can react, it topples over and crashes onto the hardwood floor, shattering into a million little pieces. 

Startled, you jump up, your heart racing, and stare at the wreckage. You know there was no logical explanation for this incident.

"Okay, that's enough!" you exclaim, half-irritated and half-frightened, "If you want attention, you've got it."

Silence follows, but you can't shake the feeling that you are not alone in your house. You turn off the lights, crawl under your blankets, and try to convince yourself that it was just a coincidence. 

The following days brought more unexplained occurrences. Books flew off the shelves, curtains swayed without a breeze, and eerie whispers filled the air. Your initial annoyance evolved into a fascination, and you couldn't help but feel a strange connection with whatever entity shared your home. Nothing ever harmed you, nor was it ever even close to causing you more anguish than just the trouble of cleaning up the messes.

One night, as you sit in the dimly lit living room, reading a book by the fireplace, you whisper into the shadows, "Alright, if you're here, give me a sign."

The room seems to hold its breath for a moment before a soft knocking echoed through the walls. You chuckle, your fear subsiding, "That's more like it. You really know how to make an entrance."

But your light-hearted banter was about to take a serious turn.

As the weeks passed, the disturbances grew bolder. You would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night to find your furniture rearranged or your possessions scattered across the room. You couldn't ignore the fact that these events were beyond the realm of natural explanation.

One evening, as you sit in your kitchen, the power in your home goes out. A long sigh leaves your lips as you light the few candles you had gathered. 

Once settled into a dining room chair, a sudden gust of wind extinguishes all of the candles. You feel a presence behind you, a gentle, almost comforting energy. Slowly, you turn around and gasp.

There, standing before you, is a faint, ethereal figure of a young man, freckles littered across his cheeks. He looks about your age, with shaggy brown hair and curious, chocolate eyes. You can't help but feel a strange sense of nostalgia, as if you've known him your entire life.

"Hi," You whisper, your voice quivering.

The ghostly boy smiled warmly and nodded.

You swallowed hard, your heart pounding. "You're real? You're not just some figment of my imagination?"

The boy gestured to himself and the room, as if to say, "Do I look imaginary to you?"

You let out a nervous laugh, realizing you were talking to a ghost, "Okay, this is not what I expected when I moved in here. What’s your name?"

He nods again, seeming to understand your confusion. He points to his throat, then shakes his head sadly.

"You can't talk?" you asked, your heart aching for the lost voice.

The freckled boy raises a hand, indicating to the pen and paper on the kitchen table that you had been using to write your drafts prior to the power going out. You grab them and hand them to him. With shaky hands, he writes, "Felix.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Felix. I’m y/n. Why can’t you speak?” You look at him expectantly with a sad smile.

He begins writing again, “I’m cursed."

Your eyes widened as you read the words, "Cursed? How?"

Felix wrote out his story in painstaking detail. He explained how he had once lived in this very house, how he had been a curious and adventurous young man. But one day, he had stumbled upon an old, dusty book hidden in the attic—the Book of Shadows. Ignoring the warnings scrawled on its pages, he had tried to perform a forbidden spell. A stupid thing, he admitted. 

The spell had gone awry, and Felix had been consumed by a powerful curse. He was trapped in a state between life and death, unable to speak, touch, or feel the warmth of the living until the curse was broken. His only solace in his five years of torture was the occasional glimpse into the world of the living, and that's when you moved in.

Tears well up in your eyes as you read Felix's tragic tale. You could see the regret and sorrow in his eyes, even if he couldn't express them in words. You reach out your hand to touch his, to instinctively comfort him in some way, but your fingers pass right through his form.

Determination ignited in your heart, "We'll find a way to break the curse, Felix. I promise."

Felix's eyes sparkled with gratitude and hope.

From that day on, you and Felix became inseparable, despite the physical barrier that separated you. You spent hours researching spells, curses, and anything related to the occult. For weeks, the two of you combed through dusty old books, scoured the internet, and consulted experts in the paranormal. 

You found yourself looking forward to your conversations with Felix, cherishing the moments you spent together. You couldn't help but admire his kindness, humor, and the way he had a knack for making you smile even in the darkest of times.

As you delved deeper into your quest, your fascination with Felix grew into something more profound. You admired his resilience and kindness, despite his tragic fate, brought on by being too curious. You found yourself talking to him about your hopes, dreams, and fears, as if he were your most trusted confidant.

And Felix, in turn, was captivated by your spirit and determination. He had watched you from the shadows for so long, afraid to scare you with his presence, but now, he could truly know you. He longed to touch you, to hold your hand, to feel the warmth of your embrace. But the curse remained an insurmountable barrier.

One evening, as you pore over a particularly ancient text, your voice quivers with frustration, "I can't figure it out, Felix. How do we break this curse? There must be something we're missing."

Your love for each other, deep and true, seemed doomed by the curse that bound Felix to the house. But as you sit together in the dimly lit living room, upset by the lack of answers, your hands brush against one other, sending a spark of energy through both of you. Astonished, you reach out again, and this time, your fingers meet warm skin.

In that moment, the power of your love shattered the curse. It wasn't just about finding a solution to the problem; it was about the love that had grown between you.

Felix's form solidified, his translucent figure taking on a warm, human touch. Tears of joy streamed down your face as you hugged him tightly.

Your bond had deepened into something beautiful and profound. It was a love that transcended the physical, a connection that went beyond the tangible. Your love remained unwavering, a beacon of hope in the darkest of times as you attempted to figure out just how you could free Felix, but it seems it was this love that held the key to breaking the curse that had imprisoned Felix for so long.

In that moment, the world around you seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of you, bound by a love that had conquered the darkest of curses. He pulls you close as you hold onto each other, savoring the feeling of your hearts beating as one. And as you embraced, you knew that you had found something truly magical—a love that defied all odds, a love that would last for all eternity.

You were no longer separated by the veil of the supernatural world. Now, you were free to be together, in love, in your charming old house that was no longer haunted. Your love had triumphed over the curse that had held Felix captive for so long, proving that love truly knows no boundaries, not even those between the living and the "dead".

[zapreportsblog]

In Love With The Same Cat

➥ summary : There’s no Spider-Man without the Black Cat just like there’s no Black Cat without Spider-Man. But what if we had a multiverse dimensional traveling jewelry stealing burglar Black Cat (try saying that seven times fast aye) that traveled across dimensions not only stealing the worlds finest jewels but also the hearts of four unlucky, or lucky depending on how you see it Spider-Man’s and Spider-Women’s hearts.

➥ chapter 18 : A Clash of Anomalies

The night was enveloped in darkness as Spider-Ghost, also known as Gwen Stacy, swung through the city, her eyes alert for any signs of trouble. She had received a distress signal from the multiverse dimensional traveling bracelet, indicating the presence of another anomaly in Miles' dimension. With a sense of urgency, she made her way to the designated location, knowing that she needed to confront the anomaly and neutralize the threat it posed.

Unbeknownst to Gwen, Miles, in his Spider-Man persona, had also responded to the alert, independently patrolling the area. It was a stroke of fate that they would both find themselves in the same place, facing different challenges. As Gwen arrived at the scene, she spotted the anomaly, a swirling mass of energy that seemed to distort reality itself.

But before she could take action, a familiar voice cut through the air. Spider-Punk, clad in his punk-inspired suit, leaped onto a nearby rooftop, his presence adding a twist to the unfolding situation. He had been drawn to the anomaly as well, his sense of adventure and justice compelling him to lend a hand.

Spotting Gwen, Spider-Punk flashed a mischievous grin. "Well, well, if it ain't Ghost Spider herself," he called out, his voice dripping with a rebellious charm. "Need a bit of punk rock help, do ya?"

Gwen couldn't help but chuckle, her tension momentarily eased by the arrival of her eccentric ally. "You always know how to make an entrance, Spider-Punk. I could use all the help I can get with this anomaly."

With a nod of agreement, the two heroes sprang into action, working in sync to subdue the anomaly. Their powers and acrobatic prowess complemented each other, forming a dynamic partnership that allowed them to confront the threat head-on. As they fought side by side, Gwen couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration for Spider-Punk's unyielding spirit and unique fighting style.

Meanwhile, not far from their location, Miles, as Spider-Man, found himself embroiled in a different kind of conflict. Black Cat had returned, once again engaging in her thieving antics. Miles was determined to bring her to justice and put an end to her crimes, but she proved to be a formidable adversary, always managing to elude his grasp.

Frustration and determination burned within Miles as he swung through the city, his spider-senses on high alert. He had to catch Black Cat and put an end to her thieving ways, but she seemed to always be one step ahead, slipping through his fingers with ease.

Unbeknownst to Miles, Gwen's eyes were trained on him, her heart heavy with a mixture of jealousy and longing. She couldn't shake the memory of their encounter at the arcade, the electric chemistry between Miles and (y/n). It gnawed at her, filling her with uncertainty and confusion about her own feelings.

Spider-Punk, ever observant, noticed Gwen's distraction. He could sense the tension radiating from her, the emotions she struggled to contain. With a wry smile, he spoke up, breaking the silence. "You seem a bit preoccupied, Ghost. Mind telling your friendly neighborhood punk what's bothering you?"

Gwen sighed, her mask unable to conceal the conflict within. "It's just... I can't help but feel somewhat jealous, ya know?Spider-Punk. A few days ago I saw the way a friend of mine and his friend interacted back at this arcade, and it's been messing with my head since."

Spider-Punk chuckled, his voice laced with amusement. "Ah, love and jealousy, the grand dramas of life. But trust me, Ghost, appearances can be deceiving. You never know what lies beneath the surface."

As he spoke, Spider-Punk spotted Black Cat in the distance, her lithe figure tauntingly elusive. A mischievous gleam shone in her eyes as she glanced in their direction. "Well, well, looks like I've got two hot guys chasing after me now," she purred, her voice carrying a flirtatious edge.

Spider-Punk's eyebrow raised in surprise, his own playful nature coming to the forefront. "And how'd you know I'm hot?" he retorted, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

Black Cat smirked in response, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "The voice, love. It's all in the voice."

As their banter continued, Gwen couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. But beneath it all, she knew Spider-Punk was right. Appearances could be deceiving, and she needed to trust in her friendship with Miles.

The night wore on, and as the battle against the anomaly and Black Cat intensified, Spider-Ghost and Spider-Punk fought with determination and skill. The anomaly was eventually contained and neutralized, while Black Cat managed to slip away once more.

As the dust settled and the city returned to its usual rhythm, Gwen and Spider-Punk regrouped. Gwen looked at her companion, a sense of gratitude in her eyes. "Thanks for being there, Spider-Punk. Your words of wisdom and your unpredictable nature... they always manage to put things into perspective."

Spider-Punk grinned, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Anytime, Ghost. Just remember, love and friendship are never straightforward. It's all about finding your own rhythm in this crazy world."

With a final nod, the two heroes went their separate ways, each carrying their own burdens and desires. The night had brought them closer, forged a bond between them, and reminded them of the complexities of love, friendship, and the constant dance of life.

[rinwritesfics]

Four Hours

Plot: You meet Hound while awaiting jury duty and hit it off.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1076

Author’s Note: Inspired by a four-hour wait for jury duty last year. @diviluscorner, I did it! Finally.

You sighed, shifting again in the uncomfortable chair in the hallway that was both dim and sharply lit by artificial lights. First, your entire week is upended by the call, and then they ask you to sit for most of the day to see if you’re even needed. Four hours to wait? The thought of it was exhausting, let alone the process.

As if things couldn’t get any worse, a massif with a brown harness and leash stopped to sniff, then sit at your feet. The creature’s tongue lolled out as it looked up at you as its handler caught up.

The Corrie Guard handling this reptilian creature turned to you and you froze. This one was different from the others with the fabric hanging from his helmet with sharp grey teeth painted on it. Were you about to get in trouble? Oh, stars, what did the massif think he smelled on you?

“Are you alright?” the Corrie Guard asked, his voice distorted partially by his modulator.

You chuckled nervously. “I’m fine. I just don’t relish the idea of waiting four hours to see if I’m needed or not for the jury.”

He tilted his head. “Four? That’s pretty unusual, even for this court.”

“Ugh, when one of you guys notices, that means it’s extra special,” you laughed in an attempt to seem calm. “If it wasn’t, I’m sure you wouldn’t tell me that.”

He laughed, too. “You’re right. I wouldn’t.”

You both fell into silence for a moment before he spoke again. “Got something you’d rather be doing?”

“Rather than waiting? Yeah. I’m not good at sitting on my hands and waiting. I like to be busy, and these chairs are very uncomfortable.”

“And what do you usually do?”

 “I’m a mechanic, down at Grand Old Republic Motors.” You shrugged.

He laughed again. “You must see a lot of our faces down there, then.”

You grinned. “Yeah, I do actually.”

“I take it that’s why you’re not afraid of talking to me?”

You laughed. “Well, I’ll admit, I did think for a second you were going to confront me about something. Even my sighing.”

“Of course not. Just because it’s a right to be judged by peers, doesn’t mean the system jurors are chosen through doesn’t have its snags.”

“Sure does.”

“I’m Sergeant Hound, by the way.”

You smiled. “Y/N. I think Commander Fox has mentioned you a couple times. Something about a grizzly getting his teeth around a fuel injector?”

Sergeant Hound sighed. “I was scrubbing the floor for weeks after Grizzer got himself into that mess.”

“You, I take it?” you asked the massif in front of you in amusement. He was sitting at your feet and wagging his thick tail. His tongue lolled out again and he looked ready to play.

“He’s the group’s massif, and there are a couple of them but he only listens to me, so he kind of is mine.”

You grinned. “He seems like the goodest boy.”

The sergeant nodded. “He likes to think that, but he also has a chaotic streak in him.”

The two of you talked off and on, him coming back every so often to check on you during his patrol, but eventually you were called back in. By the time you found out you had been excused and were leaving, you saw no sign of Hound, which made you a little sad. You’d run into a few Corrie Guards, as well as other battalions at your employment, but something about Hound was special. You left the building, a little forlorn at missing saying goodbye.

A couple days later, you were almost hanging upside down underneath a customer’s small personal craft, working on replacing a new manifold.

“Y/N, you’ve got another visitor!” called your boss. Usually, the visitors were part of the clone battalion. Your boss was a little biased, but hid it pretty well – other than pushing them onto you on top of your other duties.

You groaned, wanting to shout about being busy.

“Am I always meeting you when you’re in distress?” asked a voice. It was definitely a clone voice, but not what you’d expect any of them to say.

You struggled out from under the craft with the manifold in-hand and your eyes met his. This one you didn’t recognize. His hair was a little longer than the others, so his curls were better formed, and he had a gray tattoo spanning both sides of his lower jaw like a row of sharp teeth. The only things that disrupted the tattoo were four long thin scars across his right cheek and a goatee.

“Uh, hi.” You stared at his tattoo, then realized – “Sergeant Hound. It’s nice to see you.”

He grinned. “Just Hound. How did you know?”

“Your jaw matches your helmet.”

He chuckled and said, “Guilty.”

“What can I do for you, ‘just Hound’?”

He laughed again. “I just wanted to come visit. I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye the other day. My shift was over and then I came in the next day and figured out you didn’t get put on a case. I guess I missed you, is all.”

You blushed. “Missed me, huh? You didn’t know me for long.”

“Actually, my brothers talk a lot about you.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I was one of the only ones who had never gotten the chance to meet you.”

“Well, I guess that means you’re not as rough on your speeder as they are.”

“I’m also one of the youngest, so give me time,” he chuckled.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He looked away and rubbed the back of his neck again. “Look, I don’t know if this is too sudden, but could I take you to dinner?”

You smile. “You came here to ask me on a date?”

“It’s fine if you say no -”

“Hound. I’d really like that.”

“Oh, thank the Maker. I know I told you Grizzer’s pretty specific as to who he likes, but even he was a little confused when we left and didn’t see you.”

“Oh, I see, you’re setting me up with your massif. Guess Grizzer will get the goodnight kiss.” You winked and his eyes widened.

“Wait, that’s not what I meant -”

You tossed your head back and laughed. “I’ll be done in four hours. Think you can wait that long?”

He grinned. “I think I can wait four hours with you.”

Taglist (open!): @trixie2023

Hound Concept Art:

[fantasies-fairytales-n-fics]

Code Blue Ch. 58- Absolution

Summary: Jo comes face to face with the past. A suspicion is confirmed. An invitation is given. Jo and Craig indulge, maybe a little too much. Lee overhears something that gives him a wake up call. He confronts one of his troubles. Lee, Jo and Craig all get the shock of their lives. Jo doesn't think twice to sacrifice but in the end, it didn't even matter.....

*Chapter Warnings* language, angst, self pleasure, alcohol use, smoking, gun use

Stories Stories Stories Masterlist:

March 23, 2022

Boston

Rain drizzled down your fogged up windshield as you silently sat in a distant daze, listening to the familiar trickling sound that brought back the memory of your first kiss with Lee in his car. A kiss so soft and so sweet, you could still feel his tender lips and taste the smooth traces of Crown Royal he had consumed that night. Whiskey. That damn whiskey that, according to Gerry's relayed rumors, caused Lee to have possibly hooked up with Angel in his drunken, vulnerable stupor. Letting your head fall back against the car seat, you sighed and cried along with the sobbing sky as you closed your eyes. Your whimpering voice then softly sang a few lines from the famous and catchy Johnny Cash song, only your version became a broken-hearted ballad.

"The taste of love is sweet when hearts like ours meet. I fell for you like a child, oh but the fire went wild. I fell into the burning ring of fire. I went down, down, down and the flames went higher and it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire. The ring of fire..."

Pulling yourself together, you cleaned up your raccoon eyes then focused on what you were about to do. Face Peter. Before you had went to see Gerry, you did something that you would probably pay the consequences for later, which was calling Luke to see if he could pull some strings for you regarding the visit. In doing so, you had to swallow your pride over what happened between the two of you and also swallow your anger over his involvement in what happened to Lee's parents, for you would save that mess for another time. Luke was your only option because you knew you could have never asked Gerry, for he would have turned you down flat while scolding you with his Scottish slang about how crazy you were. Luke also risked facing Gerry's wrath as well for helping you, which that took some coaxing in getting the newly sworn in officer onboard with your unexpected request. Honestly, you figured Luke would laugh and hang up on you after your last encounter with him. Hell, you thought he wouldn't even answer your call at all but he did...and on the first ring. You explained to him that you needed to see Peter and that it had to be today before you lost the nerve to go, but that wasn't all. You wanted to be able to see Peter privately, face to face, with no window of separation so you could show your abuser that you did not fear him, although...you did fear the true identity of Peter, Heinrich, very much, for that side of him was a spitting image of his terrorist father Cesar. Your hopes were that it would make you stronger. Of course, Luke was against the idea at first and it wasn't because it could put his job in jeopardy and he didn't call you crazy either...it was because he was concerned for you after you broke down and confided in him about what Peter did to you. It was then that he understood your need to face him with little restriction, for Luke too, felt that way about his own abuser...his apathetic father.

Pulling out your phone, you opened a previously received text from Luke that simply stated "The deed is done. Enter at your own risk. Please be careful."

While staring at it, just as you had when you arrived in the prison's parking lot, the feeling of falling punched you in the gut harder than it had the first time. It was real now. All you had to do was make your cold feet warm up and move.

"I.D. please and then sign in on the visitor's log while I confirm this pre-arranged visit." the corrections officer responded after you explained the situation. "You can then put your personal belongings in the lockers and when the inmate is brought in, you must walk through and pass the body scan before entering the room. You will then have 30 minutes and a guard will remain present due to the prisoner's high risk status. A 6 foot distance is required and touching is not permitted."

Nodding, you bit your bottom lip as it quivered, then proceeded to hand him your license and sign in. As your hand trembled something fierce, you scribbled out your name, the time of 7:03 PM and the prisoner's name you requested to visit. Heinrich Faison, Peter's legal name.

Once you finished, you laid the pen down and that's when you noticed Peter's true name two entries up from your spot. Sliding your finger across the line to the visitor's name, a soft gasp forced your lips to part when you saw the name Sam Colin written in a very similar handwriting to Lee's, only the S was more serpentine with the other letters angling more to the left, almost as if the person were left handed. Not only that, but sham Sam had just been there shortly before you with a sign in time of 5:55 PM. Knowing only the little bit you knew of Lee's once dormant past, you were still 100% certain he remained highly proficient in his hidden skills and that he would still have contacts to aid him because Luke surely was and did.

Staring at the alias until the letters blurred, you instinctively picked the chained pen back up and discreetly brought it to your nose, searching for a trace of Lee's ever so potent Drakkar cologne that would consume the air in any room he was or had very recently been in. Nothing. Not a single hint of it could be detected. Would there be though? After all, if it was Lee who had been there, he clearly didn't want to be identified which is why you also knew you couldn't ask the currently distracted officer who was in the process of verifying your credentials.

Laying the pen back down, your eyes were then pulled to another name. Brad Wu, a young Chinese ex-physician currently serving a lengthy sentence for his dealings in the organized crime world as he was the nephew of Selena Wu, a ruthless Queenpin of one of the five families, the Triad. You and Jason knew him well because he was also Britt's best guy friend who, like Craig because of his father Cyrus, was forced into the dark underworld because of his blood relation to the mobstress. It wasn't Selena though who had visited Brad 3 hours prior. It was a man's name that, for some reason, sounded all too familiar. John Winchester.

Startled back to reality by the guard's voice, you were told your visit was approved and to proceed through the metal detector. Once through, passing with flying colors, your anxiety was now fueling your racing heartbeat as you were led to the private room where the rotten apple that didn't fall far from the terrorist tree would be waiting. The only difference between Peter and his father was Cesar Faison was sadistic psychopath where is Peter was a masochistic sociopath.

You now faced the ghost of the past. as he sat bound to a chair. Peter clearly was not told who his visitor was because his dark eyes lit right up with both surprise and delight when you walked in. Nothing had changed. He was still as delusional about you as ever. Just the sight of his devilish smile and the sound of his wispy voice was like the sensation of a thousand pins piercing every inch of your body. "Josephine? You came to see me. I knew you wouldn't be able to stay away."

"You're as beautiful as ever." he continued as you stood frozen beside the guard. "I love how your hair falls over the one side of your shoulder. It's so much longer now. Please...come sit with me. We only have 30 minutes. I have so much to say to you."

"I'll stand. The further away from you, the better and all you will get is 5 minutes, maybe 10, which is way too generous on my part after all that you've done to me. You have no idea how nauseated I feel right now just to look at you."

Anguish crippled his smile. "Josephine...you...you don't mean that. I..I love you. I'll be free of this place someday and I promise you, I will make everything up to..."

"SHUT UP!" you snapped as you bravely walked up to the table. "WHAT is WRONG with you??? You will never be free!! You drugged me, kidnapped me and locked me in a morgue drawer! I almost died!! THEN you were going to take me to another country against my will and make me a prisoner for the rest of my life. THAT is not love you deranged lunatic! Do you have any idea what your actions have done to me??? I still have nightmares. I am terrified of storms and the dark and I can't even get in something as simple as a fucking elevator without having an anxiety attack! And let us not forget, you shot me! I can't have children because of you!!!"

Peter had then became agitated, desperately struggling against the restraints to stand as he pleaded with you. "That was an accident! You know that! I was trying to save you from my father. He was going to shoot you Josephine! Just like he would have done that night if he would have found you with me. That's why I had to hide you in the drawer!"

"You never came back!! I ran out of air!!!"

"That's because of that boyfriend cop of yours! He screwed everything up. I had no choice to leave. I knew he would find you and that you would be alright and he did and you were!!"

"You are sick Heinrich. Just like your father!"

"Don't say that to me!! I am not him! I tried to shoot him when he was holding that gun on you at the hospital!! I never meant for the bullet to hit you!! You know that!!"

"Well it did! NONE of that would have ever happened if you had chose to be a good person and cut him out of your life like your sister did! Britt despises you too you know. You had us both fooled at one time and I despise you as well. How stupid was I to ever believe there was good in you??"

"The feeling has become mutual for my dear sis for sleeping with the enemy. You say you despise me too, yet here you are. Why not just stay away and ignore me like you have been??"

"I came here to face you and tell you to leave me alone! Stop trying to contact me. I never want to see or hear from you again Peter and I need you to HEAR ME for once. Let ...me...go. You will never have me. I feel nothing for you but disgust."

"All so you can be with that upstanding doctor?? You don't even know who he is!! I have been trying to tell you. I wrote you letters. It's his own fault his parent's were targeted and he killed my brother for it! And just look at my hand! He did this only hours ago and..."

You glanced at his bandaged hand, feeling no sympathy. "I know exactly who Lee is. He told me all about his past. Whatever happened to your hand and your brother, you both deserved it. You deserve to be exactly where you are. Were you and Cesar not in Salem that night to go after my brother??? Lee too?? It is YOU that I did not know."

Peter's eyes darkened as he leaned forward. "WE were at the hospital to find Britt and to seek refuge because once again, that meddling cop of yours had tracked us down and from what I understand, YOU followed him, so who's fault is it really that you got shot??"

"Well well well. It was only a matter of time before the sociopath surfaced. Time's up. I am so done here. That hand of yours looks pretty painful. I can only imagine what else could happen if you keep stalking me. If there's one thing I learned from my brother... No one's safe in prison."

Turning to leave, Peter's words sent your heart into your throat, but you didn't dare stop to look at him, for it would only verify to him that he was right.

"Oh Josephine...do say hello to Jason for me."

You barely made it to your car as your anxiety kicked in full force. Frantically tugging your sleeve up to reveal a rubber band around your wrist, you began to harshly snap it against your skin. It was a new trick that Craig had told you to try because he said it had helped his mother. Apparently the pain would distract her from her despair and offered much quicker relief than trying to focus on the senses and strangely....it was working to calm you too.

Now you knew that Jason and Britt were right to leave when they suspected Cyrus was onto them. Not only had Peter verified that Lee had been there but somehow...he knew Jason was alive. Lee never would have told him. That you would bet your life on, so your other bet was Cyrus had told Peter while he was in prison since they both shared a mutual hatred of your bother and that meant Peter had known for awhile.

You quickly called the last number Jason had texted you from, but as usual, it had been disconnected. He went through burner phones like underwear, but why hadn't he reached out to you with another? Could that be why you hadn't heard from Jason at all?? Had something happened to him??? And where was Britt? Her phone was completely off. Your only option now was to go to Jason's bff... Craig.

Salem

Craig had spent his afternoon chasing down another lead on his daughter, but like the other times, it led to a dead end. As he returned home, tortured, thirsty and in need of a friend, you to be specific, he stopped at your door to leave a sticky note upon it since he knew you were not there.

"Jo, Really need to see you. Wine? My place? Please stop by when you get home. -C"

Entering his apartment, he sulked and paced and drank the red liquid that would only depress him more. He then turned on the music, ear thumping loud just like he liked it. Craig enjoyed all kinds of music, but his usual go to was the softer side of rock, 70's mostly with David Bowie being the prominent preference, but this time he just hit shuffle in his uncaring state. Of course, the selection that played only added to his misery. It wasn't about Blaise though. It was about you, for the lyrics smacked him in the face just as hard as you had once before.

It used to be when I'd see a girl that I liked, I'd get out my book and write down her name. But when the grass got a little greener on the other side, I'd just tear out that page but then I fooled around and fell in love. I fooled around and fell in love. I fooled around and fell in love!! I fooled around and fell in love since I met you baby. Free, on my own, that's the way I used to be but since I met you baby, love's got a hold on me. It's got a hold on me now. I can't let go of you baby. I can't stop loving you now.

For a good half hour, Craig chose to torture himself and placed the song on repeat as he rapidly medicated himself. Soon, he dozed off in the chair only to have an arousing dream of you and the throbbing between his legs instantly awoke him.

On the borderline of both inebriation and needing a release, he then chose to take a cold shower to cure the agonizing ache but all the lathering of soap over his brawny body by his own hands only worsened the massive stiffness below him.

"Damn it!" Craig groaned as he placed one hand on the the wall for support and firmly grasped his cock with other, beginning to slowly stroke the ticking time bomb.

Closing his eyes as the sandalwood scented shampoo rinsed from his hair, creating soapy waterfalls that gushed over his sculpted shoulders, his mind tuned out the muffled music and went to the time you had tried to help him off the floor, but slipped in the paint and fell on top of him. Your mouths had been so close that he could still smell your cherry chap stick and he could still feel the petite curvy form of your body as both of your hearts pounded against each other. With his heart now pounding once again, the slow squeezing pace of his slippery strokes had become deeply intense. From base to tip, he quickly brought himself to climax, loudly panting, moaning and groaning through every jerking pulse as he watched his pearly essence shoot against the wall.

After another rinse over, he reached to turn the water off and that's when he heard your shouting voice through the music.

"Craig??? I saw your note! Your door was open! Are you ok??"

His eyes wide, he opened the shower door and peeked out. "Jo?? Yeah, yeah..I..I'm fine... H..hold on. I'll...I'll be right out."

Half ass drying his body and hair with a towel, he stopped to stare in the mirror, lightly gulping as he wondered if you had heard his pleasureful cries.

"Fuck" he whispered as he frantically struggled to slip on a satin robe and pants set over his damp body, then pulled himself together and walked out with an out of thin air and very cheesy explanation if you were to ask about it. In his line of work, he had become accustomed to lying and was damn good at it...but he couldn't do it so easily with you. It was still eating at his very soul that he knew Lee and Ethan were still legally hitched. Did it even really matter if Lee hadn't put a ring on your finger? Craig figured he would just cross that bridge when or if he got to it.

It took a moment for you to find your words when Craig appeared before you, wearing a black satin robe, wide open in the front revealing his perfectly smooth defined pecks and abs that shimmered in the soft lighting from the moisture.

Grinning at your reaction, Craig confidently swayed over to shut the music off. "Something...wrong?"

Your words finally came out in a stutter. "N..n..no...I...well. I've clearly interrupted your shower...I..I should p..probably g..go."

"Come on now Jo. Nothing to get all frazzled about. I've seen yours and now you've seen mine."

Your eyes popped. "Www..what??"

Craig chuckled and changed his course to the wine, pouring 2 glasses. "Your nighty, remember? And now you've seen me in my night attire."

"O..ohhhh." you laughed in relief. " that... well...I'm not frazzled."

Yes you were. Extremely. Did you really think a man of Craig's stature and physique would wear anything else but satin to relax in?? Afterall, the mob man wore enough silver to ward off witches and werewolves and bathed in a woodsy scented cologne that transported you deep into a fairytale forest.

"I just didn't expect to...to um...catch you in the shower...are...are you ok? I...I heard...."

"Oh that!" he swiftly expressed and handed you the glass. "Yeah, damn funny bone. Hit it on the shower handle. Not so funny though. Hurt like a bitch."

"Yeah, agreed." you smiled. "Sorry for just walking in. As usual, your music was too loud for you to hear me knock and I just figured with the invite from your note that I..."

His heavenly smile and baby blues softened, almost in a sad way. "Jo..it's completely fine. I'm really glad you're here."

"Ok, well. I know you said you're ok physically, but...are you ok...otherwise? Your note said you needed to see me and you seem...I don't know. You were playing a love song on repeat. What's wrong Craig?"

Hating to do it, he harmlessly fibbed again to keep his undying love for you a secret. "Oh that little tidbit. Damn player gets stuck sometimes. Happened when I was in the shower. Anyways, I don't want to bore you with my problems. What about you love? How was your day after the night you had? You feeling better?"

"Well, let's see. After you left earlier this afternoon, I found out I was single via Facebook which I should have already figured that after Lee's cold words to me yesterday AND then I was informed that he had another round of drunken sex with someone he claims to loathe...but I don't want to talk about that. I just can't process it right now of how little I really meant to him."

Both of his naturally arched brows arched even more as both shock and disgust raged through him, but he hid it well. Another talent he had mastered for necessary reasons. "Jo I...sweetheart, I am so sorry. Forgive me for even asking this, but...do you know who that someone was?"

It was like you could read his mind in that moment. "Oh god no. Craig, it wasn't Ethan. You know I would tell you if it were because of the situation with Blaise and how she and Ethan are both missing. It was that skank neighbor of his."

Craig's anger could no longer be concealed as a sarcastic rampage rolled out of him. "Ahh, the red porch light bitch who was carelessly watching my daughter when she disappeared. Lee knows what it's like to lose a kid but I guess his other brain didn't give two shits when it came to fucking the person partially responsible for my missing child. It might as well HAD been Ethan that he screwed or hell, even Lizzy when she was alive!!! No difference!"

Your response was soft and sympathetic. "I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I told you I didn't want to talk about it."

Feeling remorse, he downed a newly poured glass of the red liquid and sighed. "No Jo...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have blown up at you. I just can't fathom any of it. What a fool. Being lucky enough to have the love of a woman like you and then cheating on you, especially with lowlife trash like that tramp. I mean, just look at you. You're a fucking goddess in my eyes. A queen if I may. If you only knew...."

Realizing his pathetic and embarrassing words of impairment followed by an almost admission of his feelings, Craig clammed right up and went to pour another drink, feeling your eyes upon him.

"If..if I...only knew...what?" you squeaked.

He released a soft chuckle as he brought the bottle to refill your glass. "Aaaaaand, I should really shut up now before this truth serum gets me into more trouble. Sooo, how about we talk about something pleasant?"

Feeling flattered, yet awkward over his descriptively sweet admiration of you, you quickly obliged to his request. "Craig...I...I went to see Peter today."

He slightly choked on his wine, knowing he had just ordered "Negan" to take the trash out. "You..you did?? Alright. Well...I think I can understand why you went after all that you told me about him earlier today, so I'll just ask you then, are you ok? Did it help?"

"It didn't seem to at first, but now, I feel different. Absolved maybe, of many things. Anyways, regardless of your note, I was on my way to see you. Have you heard from Jason at all??"

The fear in your voice stiffened his stance right up. "I haven't. What's going on Jo?"

"Peter...he made it very clear that he knows Jason is alive and I called the last number he texted me from and it's out of service and before Jason left with Britt, he told me he believed that your dad knew too which is why they left and..."

There was no hesitation to Craig's commanding interruption. "Eh eh eh, don't call him that. Cyrus or soulless blood sucking vampire will do just fine. Let me make a quick call."

Craig bee-lined to a drawer, pulled out a phone that you knew from sight was not the one he always used and pushed one button...and from what he said to the other person, you knew it was Sonny Corinthos, the Don of the Northern Seafront... Craig's, Jason's and Jeffery's boss who all 3 were fiercely loyal too.

"It's me. Our suspicions were correct. Cyrus is aware as is Peter August....Yes, the source is credible."

Craig then walked into the back room and all you hear was his muffled voice as he continued the conversation. While he did that, you sat and nervously gulped down 2 glasses of wine and even lit up one of Craig's cigarettes, for your emotions were all over the place with all that had happened in the course of 24 hours.

About 15 minutes had went by and then you heard Craig's voice before he reappeared. "Affirmative."

"Well?" you anxiously asked as Craig walked in, sniffing the air with furrowed brows.

"Were you...smoking?"

"Sorry. Nerves. I just had one."

"It's fine love. Have all you want. Anyways..."

Craig paused and lit up his own smoke. You could tell he was reluctant to tell you what Sonny had said. "I am to let you know not to worry and that it's not a situation you should be involved in. Sonny will handle it....his words. Sorry. I tried Jo."

Fuming, you sprung to your feet. "That condescending son of a bitch! Not to worry or be involved?? He's my brother and he could be in trouble or..or.."

Your anger then turned in to sobs. "Or really dead this time."

Craig rushed right to you and placed his hands tenderly upon your cheeks. "Hey, don't think that way ok sweetheart? You know how resourceful Jason is. This isn't his first rodeo. What I think is that he is protecting the woman he loves and they are probably shacked up in one of Sonny's many safe houses until he feels it's time to resurface and he's probably protecting you too by not contacting you."

"But...but..." you sniffled. "He's not immortal Craig. If it weren't for you saving him before, he would have died then. He has no one to help him now."

"Jo, remember who he is. He has many connections and he's being cautious by not reaching out to the obvious ones. As much as you despise Sonny, he loves Jason and will use all of his own resources to find him."

You pushed him away. "Right, like all the resources you have and cannot even find your own daughter!"

You unintentionally had gutted him. The way he looked at you and then let his eyes fall away as he remained speechless made you want to wrap that rubber band around your head and snap it against your facetiously impulsive mouth.

You desperately but gently laid your hand upon his stubbly cheek and coaxed him to look at you. "Jesus, oh my god Craig. I did NOT mean that, I swear! I am SO sorry! I don't know what's wrong with me anymore. Things just fall out of my mouth when I'm upset and..."

He took your hand and slowly pulled it down to meet his other hand to hold yours inside the two as he softly smiled. "I know you didn't or you wouldn't be so sincerely apologetic.. but it's still the truth all the same. I...had a lead today about Blaise and...it fizzled as usual."

Briefly closing your eyes, you sighed and squeezed his hands. "So that's why you wanted to see me. You needed a friend and I just made you feel a thousand times worse. I'm such an asshole."

"Jo, we all say things we don't mean. You and I should both know that by now and you're not an asshole." he chuckled. "You're just beyond stressed. I get that."

Still holding his hand, you led him to the small table bar. "Stressed and losing my buzz. Come sit with me and talk to me while we get shitfaced, yes? I'm so over this day."

"Shitfaced huh? You don't have to ask me twice for that love."

It was now 10 p.m. Two hours had gone by while you and Craig emptied three bottles of wine as he reminisced about Blaise and happily shared many good memories and baby photos with you. It made him glow to say her name and speak about her and that made you so happy. His eyes twinkled like stars the entire time. His smile stretched from ear to ear and his laughs were hearty and plentiful. For that short time of normalcy, reality didn't exist and it was quite alleviating, especially to see Craig just be himself...in the song sense, a simple kind of man, something you could love and understand.

A 4th bottle had gone and 11 p.m. soon came. Craig was feeling good. Way too damn good as he had drank the majority of the wine. Enough so that his speech was slurring and he was rather clumsy, falling off the bar stool in the middle of a laughing fit which had you laughing so hard you snorted, for you too, were feeling way too damn good.

Drunkenly diving forward from your stool, you plummeted to your knees beside him to try and help him up. "Alright. Someone's clearly had way too much wicked wine besides me. Let's get you up Mr. Parker."

"Wait, wait, wait. Did you just... snort???" he asked in all seriousness as you uselessly tugged at his hand.

"Did I?" you answered with a a question as you giggled and accidentally snorted again.

Laying dead weight on his back, Craig bellowed in laughter and what a glorious sight that was, for he had long since taken the robe off and simply bore the black satin pants. "Well, unless one of those little piggies got in here that John is after, I do believe it was you sweet..." he hiccupped, "tart...I mean sweetheart."

You tilted your head. "John? You mean, Jeffrey right?"

"Seriously." you chuckled and took his hand again. "Let me get you into bed."

You stupidly set yourself up for what happened next as he pulled you on top of him and slyly grinned like a fox while his buff arms snuggly locked around your back. "Well now, that sounds like a plan."

The heat of his sweet breath and bare upper body took your breath away as the tips of your noses united. Once you were able to sever the hypnotic gaze he held you in, you tried to wriggle free as you giggled. "You know that's not what I meant. Now come on. Let me go."

The foxy grin momentarily returned, then it faded as he gazed at you. "Not until you tell me why you're the most gorgeous creature I have ever seen?"

You frowned and broke eye contact. "I can't because it's not true."

His brows pinched together. "She don't know she's beautiful? Is that what you're trying to say? Don't be coy now. You've got a convoy of men at your beck and call. I should know because I'm one of them."

Your eyes locked back onto his. "Yeah well, then why am I not good enough?"

"What?? What do you mean love? Are you referring to that demon of a nurse named Angel? She's a warthog with lipstick who's ironically been pumped more times than a farmer's well."

You hysterically guffawed and snorted into Craig's neck who released a gleeful chortle. "You know I'm right Jo. Now look at me."

You raised your head, still carrying a lingering smile as he continued. "You...are....fucking....phenomenal. Even your nose is beautiful." He then tapped the tip of your nose. "BOOP! Bee...eee...ayyy...utiful."

Your eyes widened. "Really?? Did you just boop my nose like I'm a baby??"

"Why yes I did and I'll do it again. BOOP!"

"Oh my god." you playfully sniggered. "Alright. GET UP."

"Nooooo." he whined with a grimace.

"Ok, then I'll make you."

You dug your fingertips into his ribcage on each side and aggressively tickled him.

"GAHHH!!!" he shrieked and shoved you off, then staggered to his feet panting. "HOLY HELL NO!"

"HAHA!!! Got you up."

He winked. "Yeah well I can think of easier ways to do that."

"Go. Now. Get in bed before you fall again and break a hip."

"Ooooh ouch. I'm not that old."

"No, but you're trashed and that'll do just as much damage. Bet you'll have a nice hefty bruise on your ass tomorrow."

"I'll be sure to show you if I do."

"Please don't." you giggled and and tried to pull him down the hall, but he slipped free of your grip and successfully trotted over to the stereo. "Craig, come on. What are you doing?"

"One song. One dance."

"What?? No Craig. I'm tired. You're sauced."

He took your hand and gave pitiful puppy eyes and a pouty lip. "But we're having fun. You make my shit life worth living. Please...dance with me."

You rolled your eyes. "Fiiiiine. ONE dance."

As he eagerly pulled you close, one hand on your upper back, the other on the small of it, the music began. You let your arms raise over his broad shoulders and placed one hand on the back of his neck and the other just below it. Slowly, you both moved in a perfect circle, eyes intertwined until he lowered his head to rest his sizzling cheek against yours. Closing his eyes, Craig began to sing in a whisper into your ear.

"So long, I've been looking too hard, I've been waiting too long. Sometimes I don't know what I will find. I only know it's a matter of time. When you love someone. When you love someone. It feels so right, so warm and true. I need to know if you feel it too. Maybe I'm wrong. Won't you tell me if I'm coming on too strong. This heart of mine has been hurt before. This time I want to be sure. I've been waiting for a girl like you to come into my life. I've been waiting for a girl like you. You're a love that will survive. I've been waiting for someone new to make me feel alive. Yeah, waiting for a girl like you to come into my life..."

Your eyes closed as the song went on, allowing yourself to take all of his closeness in. His scent, the way he felt against your body, the lyrics he now mumbled.

"When you love someone. Yeah, I really love someone. Now, I know it's right from the moment I wake up 'til deep in the night. There's nowhere on earth that I'd rather be than holding you tenderly."

You had to wonder, did he mean them? Or was he just singing? You were pretty sure you knew the answer and you were also pretty sure he purposely chose the song to help him express his feelings.

Sliding his cheek along yours, he now faced you, resting his forehead upon yours. His dilated eyes fluttered open and he traced his fingertips tenderly down your jawline, ceasing them under your chin as his feet also ceased and then...his lightly parted lips crept towards yours. Your eyes closed, anticipating their touch and just as they were close enough to tickle your lips, he swiftly pulled back, releasing you all together.

Craig placed one hand on his hip and the other to his mouth, his eyes glassy and wide. "I...I...think I'm going to be sick."

Off he swerved down the path to the bathroom with you chasing after him, but he swiftly shut the door before you could follow him in.

"No Jo, stay out. You don't want to..."

He paused and then you heard the upchuck. Roughly thirty seconds of silence went by in which you became concerned. "Craig???"

He did not answer so you had no choice but to defy his orders and went in. There he laid upon the cold tile, on his back, knees bent and his arm draped over his forehead as he gazed at the ceiling.

You immediately knelt beside him, feeling great empathy, for you had been in his position many times. "Oh Craig sweety, come on. Let me help you up."

In his humiliation, he said nothing and humbly accepted your help. Once he was in bed, he sighed and smiled, then turned onto his stomach to prop himself up. His lids were heavy as he tried to look at you sitting beside him. "Well that was absolutely embarrassing."

You softly giggled and placed your hand on his. "Hey, you've seen me in a bad way before, so now we're even once again. Why don't you lay back and try to sleep this off. I'll stay to make sure you're alright."

His slitted eyes fully opened. "You...you would do that for me?"

"Of course I would. Look at everything you have done for me Craig. Let me go turn off the music."

"No, please. Leave it on. It helps me sleep. I..I don't like the silence."

"Oh, ok. Let me at least get you some water."

You came back with an ice packed glass of water to find him still awake, but laying on his back under the covers. It made your teeth hurt to watch him gulp it down in less than 3 seconds.

"Ahhhhh." he sighed and sat the empty glass on the nightstand with a wobbly hand, then laid back down. "Hits the spot. Thank you Jo, for taking care of my drunk ass. It means a lot to me. You....mean a lot to me."

His eyes became heavy once more and as he desperately tried to fight it, he mumbled himself to sleep.

"I fooled around and fell in love. I fooled around and fell...."

"Asleep." you whispered as you gazed upon him, feeling rather melancholy and confused, but your mind was too scrambled by booze to sort it all out.

You laid down, keeping your distance from Craig and soon enough, you also passed out.

It was 6 a.m and Lee had just finished the last half of his shift at the hospital. He had earlier chosen not to go in due to the prison visit, but he wanted to keep busy instead of drinking himself into oblivion once again, for it was only taking a toll on his anxiety. The only problem was that it didn't keep the thoughts of you away. There was no absolution regarding you, no matter how much whiskey he drowned himself in, but he was certainly tempted to try as he sat in his office, repeatably glancing at the caramel colored liquid upon the table.

Giving in to only take one hefty swig, he gathered his things and headed out. As he was leaving, he unfortunately overheard the gossiping nurses speaking with Angel and he froze solid at the mention of your name. Concealing himself in a darkened hallway, he soon learned that you were seen in the ER for a severe anxiety attack, but the entire conversation was mostly revolved around how Craig was with you and how damn hot he was and that he and Orlando exchanged bitter words.

Immediately, he made his exit out the back to avoid Angel and ran into someone far worse... Gerry, who was walking across the parking lot. The two rivals glared each other down in their passing until Lee grabbed the detective's arm at the last second, spinning him around.

"The next time you put your lips on a woman, make sure she's available and that it's reciprocated."

Gerry looked down at his arm and then back up at Lee with a cocky grin. "Oh it WAS reciprocated. Even got a little tongue action. I'm on duty. I suggest you remove your hand before I take you in for assault."

Lee snickered and released him. "Judging by your face, looks like someone else beat me to the punch."

Gerry chuckled as he lit up a cigarette. "Yeah, you should see the other guy. Hey, you know him pretty well Doc. The tough guy ex WSB agent who thought he could fuck with me just like you think you can do right now. You know, you really should watch him when it comes to the woman you speak of. She has this tendency to have men wrapped around her sweet little finger. Gets them to do crazy things. Trust me, I know."

Lee bravely stepped forward. "I don't fucking like you."

"Hey hey hey, I like you even though you're the one who actually cheated." Gerry riposted as he blew smoke in Lee's face.

"What the fuck do you mea....you know what, never mind. It's too early in the morning for your fucking circus. Leave Jo alone. Your badge is nothing but a piece of tin in my eyes."

Lee snatched Gerry's cigarette straight from his lips and took a long drag, then crushed it beneath his foot and retreated.

Gerry scoffed and yelled back as he too walked away. "Can't do that bro. I had her love first. Remember that."

Once in the car, his entire body shook with rage as he white knuckled the steering wheel. Pulling his flask out of the glove box, he sucked it dry and then regrouped, for his main concern was your well being right now. He would deal with Gerry later if needed.

Lee then called you to see how you were doing. When you did not answer, he figured you were either sleeping or ignoring him but it didn't matter...he had to see you, for in that moment, his guilt sucker punched him over how poorly and unfairly he had treated you. Would it be too late? Would you offer him no reprieve after his heartless words? Had he pushed you too far this time? Would you choose Gerry eventually?

As he approached your door, he hesitated to knock, fearing either a slap in the face would be served or even worse, laughing in his face considering he believed he had it coming...but he would weather the storm to make sure you were alright. After multiple knocks, he decided to call you once again and when he did, his head whipped around to the sound of your ringtone coming from inside the apartment door across the hall.

Ending the call, Lee slowly made his way to the door and then he stood there in the silent hallway, listening, but all he could hear was muffled music from inside the apartment.

"Jo?" he called out as he knocked, which jimmied the unlatched door open.

Cautiously, he pushed it open to see a dimly lit empty room filled with the scent of your vampire perfume and cigarette smoke which left a floating fog in the air.

"Jo???" he called once more, but when he received no response, he stepped inside to look around.

Bottles of wine sat on the table where your purse and phone laid, blinking from his call and beside that was a full ashtray and two glasses, one revealing light sticky chap stick residue that formed visible lip imprints around the rim. And on the floor was a silky robe. Lee's heart sank into the pit of his stomach when he realized what he would soon find.

He turned to the lighted hallway and forced his feet to move. With great stealth, he followed the path that led to an open door and without hesitation, he walked inside.

It was instant, the devastation and heartbreak riddling his face and the sting of tears welling up into a glistening pool, clouding his vision. What he saw he could not unsee. You, sound asleep on the bed with your arm slung over your snoring shirtless landlord whom he assumed to be naked under the blanket that covered you both from the waist down.

As Lee moved closer to the side you were on, his furtive skills had been disabled from the shock along with the ability to think or react. Whispering your name was all he could do before he tripped over your boots that laid before his feet and stumbled into a picture frame upon the wall, knocking it off.

Your eyes blinked a few times before completely opening and then you saw him. "Lee??? Am I drea..."

Realizing it was no dream, you sprung to your feet with a screeching gasp which in turn awoke Craig. Although half awake, his mobster mode kicked right in and in merely seconds, he had a gun pointing right at Lee.

Without hesitation, you raced in front of Lee. "NOO! Put the gun down Craig!!!"

"JESUS!" Craig shouted in panic as he dropped the weapon. "Don't you EVER step in front of a gun Jo!!! What the fuck were you thinking???"

"Yes Jo...what were you thinking?" Lee calmly whispered, causing you to spin around to face him.

"To not let you die???"

"That's not what I was asking. I'd gladly take a bullet to kill this pain."

Tilting your head at him, you finally realized what was happening. "Oh noooo. No, no, no Lee. This is not what it...."

Craig interrupted with an angry growl. "What in the hell are you doing in my apartment! AND at 7 in the fucking morning?? How did you get in here?!!!"

Lee's eyes darted to him, slitting like a snake. "It opened as I knocked. You should be more careful with that. After all, there is a reason you carry a gun isn't there?"

"And here I thought I was the wise guy." Craig snapped as he put the gun away and tightened the drawstring on the pants Lee assumed he was not wearing. "Although it's MY bedroom, I'll show myself out to relieve myself after this fiasco. I don't take kindly to intruders. Be gone when I get back Dr. Pace. Next time I won't be so nice."

Craig stormed out and Lee just stared at you as if he was looking right through you. "I suppose I expected this with Gerry but with this guy? Wow, you really got me there."

"Yeah, just like you really got me too when you slept with Angel!!"

Lee's brows furrowed and then it finally clicked as to what Gerry meant by saying Lee was the one who actually cheated. "Now wait a minute. I don't know what you heard or think but..."

"Shut up! I don't even know why you're here. You ended us remember?? Fuck forever?? Back to single on social media the very next day?? All because I was honest with you about Gerry and everything else that day at the cemetery but honesty is something you know nothing about AND for fuck sake Lee. I just stood in front of a fucking gun to protect you without a single thought for my own life and THIS is all you can think about?? Even if what you think happened here DID happen, it's technically none of your damn business anymore now is it??? So let me give you a taste of your own medicine Doc...FUCK FOREVER!"

The physical pain of Lee's anxiety was written all over his face and as you sped past him to leave, purposely banging the door against the wall, he had to briefly cover his mouth in fear he would hurl right then and there.

Successfully keeping his vomit at bay, he then turned and raced off after you.

*to be continued........................

@redeemer46

[wyattjohnston]

not perfect (but we were) - nico hischier

summary: sierra needs a rescue and there’s only one person she can think of to call.

word count: 3,559

note: this is for @ryngrvs's birthday bingo! i hope you have a fantastic day, c, and that you get lots of fics to read 💚 this doesn't hit the technical definition of bingo, but i used 5 prompts per your rules! thanks to @matthewtkachuk for reading it even though she was absolutely about to fall asleep when i begged.

prompts: 1. exes to lovers 2. handwritten notes 3. car troubles 4. "could you leave?" 5. blind date

There was a moment, just before it all went to hell, where Sierra thought she was actually going to make it. She’d just gotten off the turnpike at the correct exit, she was ten minutes from her final destination—she could practically see the restaurant.

And okay, it had taken a few turns of the engine to get it to start when she hopped in that morning and the battery light had been on for more than a few days already. The engine light had come on halfway to Woodbridge. Maybe they were signs she should have found a different mode of transport or just rescheduled entirely but it was too late to think about those things when she was desperately trying to corral her spluttering car off the road before it died a sad and final death.

“Betty,” Sierra whined to her ten-year-old Beetle, “I thought you loved me.”

She put the car in park and turned the key in the ignition, even if there was no chance it was going anyway, tapping the steering wheel as she tried to think of her options. She wasn’t good with cars, had never needed to be, and she knew she gave off that vibe whenever confronted with anyone even tangentially related to a mechanic, so calling a tow truck was out of the question.

It was just that it was midday on a Wednesday and she had very limited options for who would be able to come rescue her.

Very limited.

“Uh, hi?”

“My car broke down and I need someone to come get me.”

Sierra heard shuffling on the other end of the phone, some distant voices, before his voice came back through the speaker with a shocking clarity, “Sierra—it’s Nico. Did you mean to call me?”

“Yes,” she said through gritted teeth, staring darkly out her windscreen. She didn’t like to be the woman who called her ex when she was in a bit of strife. “You’re the only person not working right now.”

“I’m at practice?”

Sierra sighed in frustration, but still said, “Sorry. I’ll try call a tow truck. Sorry. Bye.”

With the call ended abruptly after, Sierra stared down at her phone and hoped to god that she could search tow truck new jersey and whoever she got would be nice to her and her questionable car decisions.

At least, that’s what she started to hope before a text came through from Nico that said Send me your location. Practice is nearly over.

And then another immediately after from the person she was meant to be meeting that said leaving now b their soon.

Sierra felt her blood run cold and there was no way of knowing which message it was that caused it. She blindly sent Nico her location, with no accompanying message because she was trying to come up with a response to the other text that didn’t sound as flaky as she felt. That conversation was immediately muted.

Despite it not even being remotely cold outside—though compared to the beginning of the month it was arctic—a chill was seeping into the car with the engine dead and the heating not functioning. From the back seat, she pulled the coat she’d brought just in case and struggled around in the driver’s seat to pull it on.

She flipped up the collar and pushed her hands deep into the pockets of the coat, ready to force a nap knowing that Nico would be at least half an hour away. Her hand touched a piece of paper before she could shut her eyes and, out of sheer curiosity, Sierra pulled it out to look at it.

It was halfway unfolded when Sierra realised exactly what it was; there was no heading back.

Familiar handwriting stared up at her and before she’d even started to read it, Sierra felt her stomach drop but also simultaneously warmed to the core as she heard it in her head. Nico’s voice was all too clear.

Hope you have a good day today! Stay warm, drink lots of coffee. Ich han dich gern.

Sierra folded it back up again, throwing into empty space behind the gearshift to never think about again.

She definitely thought about it—and the many other letters just like it—in depth for however long it took for there to be a knock on her window that scared her so much that she squealed involuntarily.

Nico looked apologetic, at least, when she looked at him through the glass. She sighed again, her shoulders up around her ears, and unlocked the door so she could open it just enough to talk to him. He had other ideas, though, and opened it wider because he wasn’t going to speak to her through a tiny crack in a car door.

“Are you alright?” he asked before anything else.

“Frustrated, but yes. I’m alright.”

She wasn’t forced through more small talk, and she didn’t blame Nico for not even trying when she refused to look anywhere but through the windscreen.  He was nice enough to not remind her that she was the one who called him.

“Do you want to take out your things?” he asked, gesturing to the scattering of belongings Sierra always had in her car. “In case you need any of it while it’s at the mechanic?”

Sierra agreed; the tow truck was already on its way because Nico had had the foresight to call for one as he was leaving Prudential Center.

Sierra watched Nico cross in front of her car, and only moved when he opened the rear passenger’s side door and started putting some things into one of the many bags floating about on the backseat. She couldn’t let him clean out her car alone so she joined him in reaching into her backseat and filling a bag.

“Do you know why Betty broke down?”

“Battery’s super dead,” Sierra said, not looking up at him. “I shouldn’t have driven her.”

Nico moved to the front passenger’s seat with the bag and started to move things out of the footwell. She couldn’t let him clean her car out alone, but she was long past being embarrassed by the collection of crap her car seemed to accumulate.

“Did you have a job interview out here?”

Sierra looked at him, then, through the gap between the front seats, and managed to get out a soft no that had Nico tilting his head waiting for further clarification—he moved back to picking things up when it became clear nothing more was coming.

She was caught up in how afraid she was to tell Nico it had been a date she was going to and only realised that Nico was lifting up the paper from the console as he was unfolding it.

He didn’t say a single word after reading it, just folded it back up neatly and added it to the bag. Sierra watched on, her stomach flipping in horror, still at a complete loss for words.

The tow truck arrived just in time for the silence to become smothering—Sierra took her time walking back to Nico’s car to deposit her things on his backseat, just so she could take a few deep, centring breaths without him noticing.

Sierra stood beside Nico as he talked to the tow truck driver, trying to not look completely out of her depth. There was no real pressure for her to listen and understand but she knew that there was always the possibility that the person they were talking to would decide to take advantage of Nico for not being American, so a balancing act had become part of their routine.

It all took far too long, even with the tow truck driver being decent enough to speak to both Sierra and Nico with respect and decency. The wind was picking up, a cool bite getting through Sierra’s jeans and she kept catching herself as soon as she was leaning closer to Nico’s body heat—Nico either didn’t notice or he was kind enough to not mention it.

Sitting in Nico’s passenger seat felt as familiar as it always had, she fell into the seat and immediately played with the seat’s positioning to fix it after whichever giant teammate of Nico’s had been sitting in it and moved the vents so that she could hold her hands up to them to restore some warmth to her fingers.

“I found the letter in my pocket,” she said when they were back on the turnpike. “It wasn’t just sitting in my car.”

“I—” Nico cleared his throat. “Yeah, I figured. Do you find a lot of them?”

“Not as many as I did the first week,” Sierra said, thinking of the notes she’d found in obvious spots like in the book she’d been reading, the pocket of her purse or in a pill bottle when she’d needed the extra strong anti-inflammatories for the first time in months. “How many are there?”

“I don’t know. I don’t even know where I would have hidden them all.”

Sierra’s roommate found a few, too, because there were only so many places in their two-bedroom apartment to hide things. Nico had found all possible hiding spots, though. More than Sierra had ever expected.

Apparently not content with silence like Sierra, Nico asked, “What were you doing out there? Dressed so nice? If it’s not a job interview?”

She tried not to bristle, saying calmly, “It doesn’t matter now.”

Nico took his eyes off the road for a brief moment to look at her, Sierra could only see it out of her periphery—she didn’t want to give anything away in her face and knew he wouldn’t think anything of it because she never liked it when he took his eyes off the road.

Sierra picked at her nail polish where it was growing out, peeling flakes of purple off and only caring a little that she was dropping them into the footwell.

“We can turn back around,” Nico offered. “I don’t have anything else to do today.”

“It’s fine.”

“Sierra.”

Through gritted teeth, she said, “My sister set me up on a blind date. It’s fine. I wasn’t really interested anyway.”

She couldn’t help but look at him after he went firmly silent, curious about whether she could get a read on what was going through his mind. Sierra was devastated that she couldn’t tell what he was thinking at all, it hadn’t even been very long since they broke up.

He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and Sierra tried not to sigh out loud as she turned back to look out the windscreen.

“A blind date? In 2022?”

She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat, “That’s your problem with it?”

“I don’t think I have a right to have a problem with anything else.”

“I guess not.”

Sierra didn’t know what to expect when Nico told her he was coming over. Asking questions would have been the smart play but part of Nico’s appeal was the half pieces of information he gave—always just enough to remove stress from the situation and still keep it fresh and exciting.

That didn’t necessarily mean the same thing when they were broken up.

Still, when her doorbell buzzed and Nico was waiting on the other side holding her car keys in the air, she couldn’t help but squeal and throw her arms around his neck in excitement. It wasn’t until she was pulling back, excitedly saying ‘Betty!’ with Nico’s hand pressed against her lower back that she realised what she was doing.

His cologne nearly drew her back in.

She managed to stay strong and took the keys from Nico, rushing down the steps towards her Beetle and barely refraining from laying across her in a hug. She patted the hood instead and beamed up at Nico gratefully.

He passed along the message from the mechanic that they replaced the battery and something about an oil filter that she didn’t understand—the whole reason she’d had Nico do it for her in the first place. She nodded as he spoke, trusting that he trusted his mechanic.

“What do I owe you?” she asked hesitantly, picturing the already low numbers in her bank account dwindling even further. If she was extra nice in the lead up to Christmas maybe her boss would give her a nice bonus.

Probably not, but she’d have to really fucking try.

“Nothing.”

Sierra was incredulous, “You get free work from your mechanic?”

Nico nodded once, short and stiff, before averting his gaze entirely. With the keys still in her hands, he surprised her and managed to unlock it solely to reach in and open the hood. Sierra knew him well enough to know that he was going to change topic.

“Nico, what do I owe you?” she asked again as he was lifting the hood and beginning to point to things in the engine bay that Sierra didn’t care about.

The mumble that left Nico’s mouth was maddening.

“Nico,” she said, desperate for any answer. He closed the hood and Sierra registered the surprise on his face when he saw just how uncomfortable and furious she was.

“Could you leave?” she snapped, knowing that there was nothing else to say if he wasn’t going to let her pay for the work done to her own car.

His eyebrows pulled together, always so expressive and telling. “Leave?”

“Leave.”

Taken aback, Nico asked, “What did I do?”

“You can’t just pay for my car and expect me to be okay with it. You know that. We aren’t together, Nico. You made sure of that.”

“You don’t have the money for it and I do. It’s fine, Sierra.”

“It’s fine if we’re together, Nico. But I don’t know what you want from me when you do this. Thank you for picking me up and thank you for dealing with the mechanics. It should have ended there.”

Nico was so blasé, so seemingly unfazed by it, that he shrugged at her, a little proud, “It’s not a big deal.”

“It’s a huge deal!” Sierra couldn’t help but shout. “I miss you so fucking much but I can’t have you and then you go and do this and it’s not fucking fair!”

“I’m—I’m sorry, Sierra,” Nico said, the pride draining from his body instantly. “I didn’t think about it that way.”

“I know, Nico, but still need you to go before my heart gets broken again.”

“I didn’t mean to break it the first time. You know that, right?”

Sierra remembered every second of that day, could remember the very specific way her heart crumbled—slowly and piece by piece. It brought tears to her eyes to even remember it.

“That’s not what I felt like. I remember the conversation about the team and it getting you down and it causing you stress and you not wanting to take that out on me—you weren’t, though.”

“No?”

“No,” she said resolutely, all but snapping at him. He flinched. “You broke up with me anyway, and we’re still broken up so. Could you please leave?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry, muus. I really didn’t mean to hurt you.”

He nodded, quick and firm, before he patted Betty’s hood and started to walk away.

Sierra raced back inside before she could do something stupid like hold him again. Let him hold her. Let him tell her all of the ways he never meant to break her up before he did exactly that.

Sierra looked out her bedroom window when she was securely inside to see Nico staring down at his phone and it was only then that it occurred to her that, if he’d driven Betty to her, he was stranded.

Sierra closed her curtains abruptly and decided it was a good time to re-organise her chest of drawers. Getting rid of clothing was hard, even if it was something Sierra didn’t wear often. There was always the possibility of the perfect pants coming along to match a slightly out there top, or sometimes it was just because the dress that she’d folded up and pushed to the back had been part of one her best memories of her time with Nico.

That specific dress—delicately embroidered with flowers, described as very flirty by her roommate—deserved better than being scrunched up and hidden but as much as Sierra couldn’t bring herself to throw it away, she’d felt her heart seize whenever she saw it hanging up.

She pulled it out, gave it a shake to bring back some of its shape. If she hadn’t been so on edge, she may have missed the piece of paper floating out of it.

I will never forget this dress, muus. I’ll find another reason for you to wear it. It was the best night of my life, just being there with you.

Her eyes screwed shut, tears prickling at the corners. She held both the dress and the note to her chest, crumbling them in desperation to—Sierra didn’t really know. Merge them together? Return to the night? Bring Nico back?

Impossible, she knew, no matter how hard she tried, so there was one other option.

Sierra ripped her car keys off the bed and nearly bowled over her roommate as she ran back outside, ignoring her questions about whether or not she just saw Nico outside.

As Sierra was opening the driver’s side door, she ran her hand over the roof and said, “Let’s go, Betty. We’re on a mission.”

Betty drove just as well as Sierra had ever known—even better, perhaps—and getting to Hoboken was a breeze. Sierra knew her way around New Jersey, having lived in various areas of the state her entire life, and she knew the route to Nico’s apartment like the back of her hand.

In record timing—and with a few speeding tickets surely coming her way—Sierra arrived and she didn’t let her nerves get the better of her. She sat in Betty for no longer than it took to turn off the engine.

She stood at the front door to Nico’s apartment building and pressed the buzzer. Waiting patiently for him to answer the intercom was difficult, her chest heaving as she failed to control her breathing.

A panic rose within her when she was still standing at the building’s doors five minutes later; no response at all from the other end despite a second press of the buzzer. There was no video camera that connected to Nico’s apartment, she knew that for a fact, so it couldn’t be that he was actively ignoring Sierra specifically.

She pressed the buzzer again for good measure, third times the charm after all, and then melted entirely into a puddle on the doorstep when there was still no answer. She buried her heads into her hands, out of frustration and to protect herself from the wind that was still getting progressively colder and her cheeks and lips were struggling.

It was silly, truly, to have rushed over to Nico’s almost as soon as she’d told him to leave. Silly would be the best word to describe so many of her decisions.

“Sierra?”

Her head snapped up so quickly that she felt a twinge and she nearly tripped over her own feet in a rush to stand up.

“Did I beat you here?” she asked, looking over her shoulder to see whether or not she’d missed the door opening.

“My Uber driver got lost.” Nico was speaking hesitantly. Even his half step up the stairs was an indication of how unsure he was. “Are you okay?”

Sierra admitted, easily, without a second thought, “I miss you.”

“You said. Before. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, I did,” Sierra nodded, moving closer to Nico. With the height difference of the steps, they were face to face. Sierra inhaled deeply and released it slowly as she thought about exactly how she wanted to word her thoughts. “I didn’t give you a chance to respond properly and you said you didn’t mean to break my heart and I have to know what that means.”

Nico looked less unsure in that moment; Sierra had been expecting the exact opposite. He smiled at her, albeit sadly, and half shrugged in an apologetic manner more than morose, “That’s what it means. I really thought I was making you miserable, muus. You deserve better than that.”

Sierra made sure to make eye contact with him as she said, “The only time you made me miserable was when you told me we should stop seeing each other, Nico.”

“I’m sorry, muus,” he whispered, dropping his eyes to his hand that he was pushing into his pocket. “I was actually going to give this to you before but I thought better of it.”

It was a small piece of paper, torn from wherever Nico had found blank paper, and Sierra took it with a slightly shaky hand. She was smiling, though, as she took it, her heart beating rapidly against her ribcage.

She’d barely finished the last word before she surged forward, pulling Nico towards her with her hands holding his cheeks.

Muus, I’ll always be there for you when you need me. You just have to call. Ich han dich gern.

[ineffablenlghtingales]

Okay, so 2x05 starts with Shax (ridiculous in that suit of armor...lol I don't really like her) leads a pitiful number of demons to assault the bookshop. Meanwhile, Azi is busy organizing the Whickber Street Traders and Shopkeepers Association Month Meeting with Crowley's help. Shax sets off gathering her "army of demons" and only gets a hold of 70, but tries to rouse them to action. Ends up discorporating Eric several times because of all the questions he asks.

Then we see the little moments of Aziraphale convincing other street traders to attend the meeting (read: the ball). They're not exactly chomping at the ebit, but Azi eventually obtains their agreement. I loved that bit when Crowley's like "You're really going to do this? Can I watch?!" Then the demon's just there off on the side, watching Azi through all of this. Also, if I remember correctly (been a few days since I saw the episode), I think there's a bit where Crowley dons a fez and proceeds to play with a crystal ball he finds in the magic shop.

Nina at first doesn't want to come, but afterward she agrees.

Then that fantastic bit! "Smited? Smote?" "Smitten." "You're being silly." I LOVED that.

Also, let's not forget the part where Crowley confronts Gabriel. Haha that bit about pulling his memories from a matchbox and how unimpressed our demon was. Crowley's like ???

Aziraphale ends up throwing a ball instead of the official meeting, and Crowley, determined to make Nina go inside (bc he senses that something's up) whether she likes it or not, growls at her because he's just so Done™ and the startled woman scurries inside. Another example of the demon not being the 'epitome of evil' he's supposed to be. Aaaand another moment where Crowley calls Aziraphale his friend.

The ineffable husbands dance, well Azi pulls a reluctant Crowley out to dance, and Crowley tries to tell him that there's dangerous things afoot. (Also I'd like to question the pronunciation of charade. Is it "sha-raid" or "sha-rahd"? I've always used the first one, but he uses the second one. Idk)

Shax crashes (well, from the outside) the party and the sign the demons throw in literally demands they send out "the angle". Nice spelling job, infernal beings. Turns out that because of the miracle Crowley and Aziraphale did, Shax doesn't recognize Gabriel when he steps out. (Why on earth he has that ridiculous down comforter turned coat on, I have no idea). Then Crowley's a wonderful impromptu genius when he challenges whether they have proper clearance to even stage the attack. He makes up these stipulations that leave all the other demons questioning the legality of the attack and whether or not they'll get in trouble. Satisfied with that, Crowley tells Azi he'll be back (that wonderful moment I spoke of before, after making the connection with Neil's sonnet...I will forever hold that moment to carry that meaning...)

Crowley gets everyone out and does a thing to make sure they don't remember this. Then he spots Muriel observing the whole scene and comes up with a plan. I also loved this bit! (very much paraphrased bec nope, couldn't find the clip of it)

Crowley: You're an officer of the law, aren't you? Muriel: ... Um it's a little hard to explain, well, yes, I am. Crowley: So you can arrest someone if a crime's been committed? Muriel: Er, well, I'm not actually a-- Crowley *holding his hands out*: Go on, officer, arrest me. I'll...come quietly. Muriel: ???? Crowley: 😤 Muriel: *confused noises also how to explain I'm not really a constable inspector* Crowley: Listen, I know. You're an angel, I'm a demon. I need you to "arrest" me because there's a crime against Heaven.

[late-night-cabaret]

Aaron has everything he wants to say planned out in his head. Which is probably more planning than he has ever done in his life, for anything.

He wants to face Yancy, to confront him about the other night. Maybe if he does that, then he'll stop feeling weird whenever the man is around. Shit, the sight of his door is enough to make Aaron lightheaded, heart racing, and he hates it. He knows he's getting a weird look from Hank, just standing in front of the office. Fuck him. What does he ever do, anyways?

The new outfit he got himself is even more revealing than the others, which is good, although it also bears the disadvantage of needing help to be fully put on. Merrick has been... helpful. Suspiciously so.

A part of him can kind of understand being more cordial when you're not constantly being verbally attacked. But he's never going to admit that.

Aaron has to do this. He feels like he's losing his fucking mind. Anytime he finds himself with even a second to spare, he finds himself thinking of that night, the way Yancy had spoken to him, the way he had grabbed him, used him—

The moment he knocks and steps into the office, he feels like he's made a huge mistake. He feels too exposed already. Why didn't he change first? He's so fucking dumb. Just being back here is catapulting him back, seeing the room, the desk. Yancy.

The man never looks pleased, especially when Aaron's involved. It makes him feel inadequate, and he fucking hates that he craves his validation, specifically, so damn much. Refuses to admit he's fucking jealous of the others. And now, he's not sure if the urge to confront Yancy was about revenge, or about getting confirmation that he's been good.

Because he has. He hasn't gotten into any trouble, he hasn't mouthed off, he hasn't taken anything. He's left everyone alone, even when some of them took the opportunity to get their petty little revenges in. Despite appearances, Aaron's tough. He's lived through a lot. A few jabs and bumps won't bother him.

"I—" His words die out the moment he realizes he can't focus on anything. Just being in the same spot where he'd been before is enough to make his throat ache, to make his head feel clouded, like he's trying to think while having heatstroke.

Little whore. Why does he want more of that? Why can't he think past the way Yancy'd treated him? Instead of anger, all he finds in himself at this point is the wish to do better, to get his boss to acknowledge him in any way. He falls to his knees, frame trembling, and he looks at Yancy with dark eyes.

"I— please..." Aaron's not even sure what he's begging for, or why. Use him, hurt him, yell at him, anything, someone, please just pay attention to him. Fuck, he's crying again, he's so fucking desperate. "Let— Let me—"

Let me please you, sir.

When Yancy calls for whoever is knocking to enter, the last person he's expecting to see is Aaron. And yet the only sign he gives to show he's even a little interested in him being there is a raised eyebrow.

He's been keeping tabs on him, at least here and there. He reviews camera footage of the main floor when needed. And yeah, after Merrick showed up and busted his balls about it, he went back and watched Aaron try to function that night. He should've gone home.

But then, he noticed something else, too. The way Aaron would sometimes just stop and watch his office door like he was expecting him to burst out of it at any moment. Even on nights that he wasn't there. He's also noticed that Aaron and Merrick are getting along to some extent, but... something else is there, a tension that has nothing to do with how they used to fight constantly.

So while Yancy is surprised to see him actually come back, it's pleasantly so. Especially as Aaron falls to his knees before him and sets that dark eyed gaze on him. Much more willing... seems like he's learning (or trying to learn) some new things about himself.

"Look at you," he murmurs as he reaches out and hooks a finger into the collar. A little more gentle than last time as he swipes at the tears with his thumb. "So pretty when you cry for me... so fuckin' desperate. You need to be put to use, is that it?"

He can still hear Merrick in his head: so what is this going to be, then?

He has an idea.

[aajjks]

DHP!JK

“Yn!!! my precious you’re finally here.. wow.. what are you trying to do? Make me break free from this hellhole yn? So I can come out and ravish you?”

“haha, hi angel. i wanted to dress nicely for you but soon, you’ll be able to…y’know..i wish these stupid bars weren’t here so i can hold you”

“Yn don’t worry I’m coming home on Monday. Dad was just here and guess what my appeal got approved”

“I KNOW!! aaahhhh!!!! i’m so exitedd!!! i know you’re excited. c’mere, my angel deserves an early kiss”

“wait no do not kiss me- kiss me when I get home please.. promise me. You will be there with my parents to pick me up on Monday?”

“i wouldn’t miss your release for the world, kook~ you know i’d never do that. can you at least hold my hand? i-i need to feel you”

you place your hand through the bars waiting for jungkook’s hand to meet yours. he gently grabs your small cold hand, rubbing his thumb along the smooth skin, and romancing you with his doe eyes. your mind thinks back to your therapist’s words: tell him the truth but wasn’t it your truthfulness that put him here in the first place?

“jungkook? i…i need to tell you something” jungkook leans in, ready to hear whatever it is you have to say. your heart is pounding as you think whether or not you should confront jungkook about the guilt that has been eating at you for the past 3 years. maybe, just this once, you should keep this to yourself.

you’ve always been honest with jungkook and it kills you that you can’t be upfront about something like this but you can’t help feeling like the reason he’s in this situation is because of you. why can’t you just shut up sometimes and suck it up?

just suck it up. you’ll be fine. he doesn’t have to know everything.

he doesn’t have to know…

you sigh before putting on a convincing enough smile on your pretty face. “i’m just happy we get to be together again. i can’t wait to hold you for real this time”

~🫧

Today is Monday and Jungkook barely got any sleep last night, he ended up trading his food for a sleeping pill, because he was unable to sleep

He just cannot stop thinking about the fact that he would actually get to hold you now and he’s free almost forever, your meeting with him a few days ago was so comforting, but he knows that there is something bothering you.

It’s 5 am In the morning and he’s waiting for a call to the officers stations so he can be escorted out, he has stopped taking the drugs since like a month or so, so he can clear the medical test

He is actually buzzing, he cannot wait to see you and his family, he would like to kiss you and touch you and be with you without any restrictions.

A few minutes later an officer comes, and Jungkook has changed into regular clothes, it feels so weird taking off that orange outfit, but he’s back to his life now, and he wouldn’t trade it for the world

After he’s done signing some papers, “never come back here again, jeon.” The Head of the unit warns him and Jungkook nods.

He knows that he has put them through a lot of trouble and he doesn’t want to come back here anyways. It’s almost 6 AM and finally he’s being escorted out of the prison.

He didn’t even bother saying goodbye to the prisioners because he doesn’t really care about them.

“Ahhh I will finally get to feel the fresh sun on my skin. And I Won’t have to take a shit in the shitty bathroom.” Jungkook stretches out, the officer behind him rolls his eyes.

He’s waiting for you guys to show up and after a few minutes, the officer is called, you guys are finally here.

Where will you be wearing? “Come on kid, your family is at that gate.”

Jungkook and the officer walk through the checking area. And as soon as the gates open, there’s the car and you’re standing next to his father and mother.

Jungkooks eyes well up with tears, is this a dream?

“Y-Yn… 엄마.. 아빠.”

[palettepainter]

I know I said I was on break from MHA at the moment, and that still stands, I got a lot of smaller projects I want to try and get done this month, but I’ve been thinking about Stain recently and this what if story has been bouncing about in my head for a while 

Imagine if you will: Stain, the hero killer, protecting the ground in which All Might’s statue stands. He does not stand for anyone trespassing on that sacred ground, god help anyone he catches daring to try and vandalise it. They are struck down fast. The stupid sign they keep putting up, he cuts it down every time, and everytime he does, they put a new one - a man must sleep afterall, not even Stain can stay awake forever, and those valuable hours of him not on watch are spent by vandals destroying what is left of All Might

Then, this lady appears

This nobody, this random women, this civilian who somehow slipped past him, decided to intrude on sacred ground. She approaches the statue, Stain has come to expect certain reactions - despite this lady not looking like a typical vandal his grip tightens on his blade, he’s prepared to strike. Then - she does something curious - she takes off the sign. Stain’s eyes widen by a fraction, but he doesn’t loosen the grip on his blade

He watches from a distance as she pulls out a cloth from her pocket and begins to buff out the dents and grim that have made themselves comfy on the statue, grime and buffs that Stain cannot get rid of, does not have the proper tools to deal with. Even in the pouring rain as she becomes soaked from the downpour she continues her thorough work on cleaning the statue till it shines like new with a focused expression. She leaves without ever knowing Stain was there

The next day, she is back, Stain watches again, curious - the same thing repeats, she touches up the statue, cleans it up, arrives at the exact same time every day. No matter the weather, she appears, after a while Stain stops reaching for his blade on second nature - it’s almost like he can relax when knowing she is in the area, like she’s taking over his job of watch duty and - just a little bit - Stain can let his tense shoulders drop 

Stain learns about this women, curious of her origins: he figured she was staying in a shelter nearby, maybe she was a resident from one of the many previously standing buildings. Through some digging, he learns of her life - her character, that she protects All Might’s honour and name fiercely, that she was the last person All Might ever saved. A one sided respect is formed, and Stain allows her to pass freely to the statue without his suspicious gaze boring holes into her. He still watches, observes her only and always from afar, never close enough to be spotted, but always lingering near. 

One day as usual, as she’s cleaning the statue, some vandals interrupt her. Stain’s crimson eyes are narrowed dangerously, hand reaching for his blade - the women places herself at the foot of the statue, bravely clinging to her umberella as her only means of defence and taking up a brave stance - it almost made up for the fact she was trembling. Stain was on them like a hawk, placing himself between them and the statue - Stain didn’t even need to get violent, they where gone with their tails between their legs seconds after he warned them to never come back. Stain stands heaving for air as if the confrontation had drawn every once of energy from him

He turns, the statue unharmed, and the mysterious lady standing shaken besides it. The two hold eye contact, and Stain’s tense, rigid form relaxes, just a little, seeing that she is the only one there and the trouble makers are gone. He leaves before she can say a word, disappearing into the rubble and leaving her alone in the rain. She does not follow him, does not seek him out or call after him, she simply returned to her cleaning and left without a sound hours later. The next few days, she does not show, Stain wonders if he scared her off, in the back of his mind he wonders if - maybe - those vandals caught up to her and decided to enact some revenge. The thought sets off an unpleasant feeling inside him, something akin to grief - like Stain had lost an alley 

Then, the women appears. She is uncomfortably rigid the entire time she cleans the statue, throwing occasional, cautious glances over her shoulder to observe the area for anyone - for him. Stain keeps watch from afar, only sparing glances her way when her back is turned. Where had she been? She didn’t appear injured, why hadn't she shown?? She leaves like normal, and Stain prepared himself to return to his perch atop a still partially standing building where he could watch for intruders- but then he spots it, a small plastic bag was sitting at the statue.

Stain pauses, eyeing the bag with wary like he expects it to blow up or if it was some sort of trick. After staring for several minutes, he walks over, easily jumping up on top of the large pillar the statue stands on and grabs the bag. He pulls it closer with one hand, untying the knot at the top to reveal three small tupperware boxes of food, must be from the shelter, he thought. Stain blinks, actually taken aback, not expecting food. Briefly, he wonders if this truly is for him, but then who else was it for? Not like he saw anyone else come in or out cleaning the statue. Perhaps this was thanks the lady's way of saying “hey, thanks for not killing me the other day, have some food”

Even if it wasn’t for him, it was his now. Good food was hard to come by unless you where in a shelter, and any small cafe joints around the area had been picked clean. Stain eats, for the first time in four days, he had to restrain himself from eating everything at once. The next day the lady comes back again, continuing her cleaning on the statue and cautious over the shoulder glances. A day later, she finds the bag and empty Tupperware tucked behind the statue, not a crumb of food left.

The two form a..somewhat silent friendship: Stain allows her to clean the statue and do what she needs to do (jumping in if anyone is so stupid as to try and vandalise the statue or her work) and she leaves him little bits by the statue in thanks: another tupperware tub of food, a flask of hot coffee, a blanket, two bottles of fresh water. It feels..nice, grounding almost, the little routine they have in place. Her presence becomes something he’s customed too, so much that if she doesn’t show, he begins to think of the reasons why 

I’m not too sure if this would ever happen, but imagining a scenario where Stain - after running out of his supply of food and not going a few days without sleep, gets jumped on by some Tartarus break outs and almost ends up dying. They leave him for dead, after they nearly destroy the statue which Stain fiercely defended. The last thing Stain seeing is that very statue with some ugly graffiti tainting it, and the sound of a gasp and feet rushing towards him. He’s barely conscious, but he manages to make out a familiar face, the face of a women hurriedly examining his bloodied face and body. Stain can’t make out what words she’s saying, but when he feels himself being moved, he gets the sense that he’s not in danger, so doesn’t try to fight her off (not that he could in the condition he was in)

She tucks him away inside a small ground floor of a half decimated building. the ceiling leaks and it’s drafy, but it’s more or less sheltered. Stain is pretty much a hissing, feral cat when this timid women approaches him with her cleaning cloth and attempts to wash off the blood - despite being timid however, and clearly scared, she does not back away, her tone more gentle then her face suggests as she reaches over to wipe at a deep cut on his shoulder. Stain tries again to shake her off, but she only moves till she can reach the wound again and continues to clean it. Eventually, Stain allows it, sitting without a word and not even hissing or flinching once as she tends to the more serious wounds. Some wounds are deeper then others, they’ll need tending to she says, stitching's - she leaves Stain with an order to stay put (with a pleading please at the end) and rushes off into the rain, completely forgetting her umbrella. Forty minutes later, she returns with a needle and a first aid kit

Stain bristles like a cat, attempting to stand up despite her requests (Stain promptly fell back on his ass cuz ouch everything hurt) - but with the same stern yet gentle tone she insists Stain needs to be treated, she will clean the statue, but only after he is healed, claiming she won’t be the one to sit by and let him bleed out after all he’d done to keep that statue standing. Stain glares at her hotly, snorting...but after a bit more percussion, and acceptance that his condition was not good, Stain sits himself down on the floor and lets her get to work.

She recleans wounds, uses antibacterial, stitches the deeper wounds, dresses them in bandages - all the while Stain remains unresponsive, only biting his cheek a little when the needle first pierced his skin. He responds in short, curt answers whenever she asks him if anything hurts, or if the bandages feel too tight. Stain does not like being cared for, mostly because he hasn’t had anyone do so for a long time...still, maybe it wasn’t so bad. Perhaps a tiny part of him could concede it felt nice to have someone tend to his injuries. Stain’s sense of taste is pretty much gone thanks to the blood he has to taste to activate his quirk, so her continued offerings of food she leaves at the statue after the encounter are welcome. One time when the lady comes out to clean the statue in a god-forsaken STORM Stain drags her into his little hide away to keep her dry, maybe he could appreciate her company, let his guard down around her. The two end up in there longer then he thought, and she starts to shiver from the cold. 

Stain isn’t sure how it ended up with the two sitting huddled on the floor with her by his side for warmth, he also isn’t sure when she fell asleep and took a small nap, and why he didn’t move when her head fell on his shoulder - curiously, he finds himself not minding, and lets her rest till the storm passes

After a while, when she spots him watching her, she no longer tenses like a deer in headlights, it’s like she’s greeting an old friend when she gives him a polite bow of her head and a smile, small, but genuine. The two sometimes chat from time to time, mostly about All Might and opinions on the state of society, but soon she is asking about him: does he need anymore food? is there anything else he needs? what about his wounds, how are they healing? Stain is always to the point with these answers, but once again, he finds himself not minding her questions, even beginning to appreciate the concern. This women eventually falling under Stain’s official protection, as she walks back to the shelter from cleaning the statue Stain watches her go from the rooftops, only returning back once he sees her go through those doors and she’s inside again, safe. One day some low life criminals running into her on her way to the statue, no body actually threatening, but one of them gave her a decent cut in her arm that tore her cardigan. Stain recognises that irony smell, and is grabbing her arm (oddly gentle like for the hero killer) to examine the wound closer. Stain getting her some bandage and covering up the wound to prevent infection, searching his memory for faces and criminal names as she describes in hesitant detail her attackers 

 Can you tell I’ve thought about this too much???? 

[inconsistent-kuroshitsuji-blog]

Could I trouble you for a head cannon list of Sebastian , undertaker and grell taking care of a s/o that has the signs of an eating disorder.

Sorry to trouble you.

Look who is gracing you with their appearance from the deep abyss. I reeeeaaaally need to get back to writing. And how could I do that better than randomly taking prompts and throwing my self-build structures out of the window?

(The writing tool changed and I cannot figure out how to add a cut to my post, why do things always have to change? They even took my favourite headline writing fond...)

MAJOR CONTENT WARNING!

The following headcanons contain the heavy topics of eating disorders and self-harming behaviour. I will not specify the eating disorder. If you feel too heavily afflicted or easily triggered by these topics, please skip these and read something fluffy, treat yourself with some goodness.

Sebastian, Undertaker and Grell with an S/O who shows signs of a developing eating disorder

Sebastian

as he is the one responsible for any food matter in your household, he notices what happens with every food object in his kitchen

it starts with your snacks

they were either always completely empty or barely even touched

he doesn't think much of it initially. Humans have changing tastes and cravings, maybe you grew out of your likings or have an obsessive episode with your snacks. He has seen it before with Ciel and his massive sweet tooth, so this may just be similar.

but as soon as he sees a difference in your eating habits, he knows that something is very wrong

the way you barely or just hesitantly eat, the way you start to eat as soon as something disstressing happened, the way you sneak into the bathroom after having eaten

he knows that this is not right and dangerous for you, your body and health, but he does not know how to approach you about it

he will first try to be subtle about it, asking questions like "Is this not to your taste anymore?", "Do you feel alright?", well knowing he is not going to get a lot out of you

another thing is how you look at your body

he does not like how you try to hide your body from him, he does not understand your reasoning behind it

he is not patient, his worry is too large to bear it any longer than neccassary

he confronts you within a week of noticing your habits, and he is not gentle about it

"Kitten, your way of eating the past few days is worrying me, you do not seem well. Has something happened you would like to tell me?"

he wants to stop it before it can evolve, he has seen humans starve themselves to death, overeat themselves into a life threatening condition

he does not want to see the same fate for you

Undertaker

this is a man whose main foods are biscuits and tea, how much do you expect him to know?

though he has seen people die of starving, he didn't think that people would willingly force their body through the process of starvation and become addicted to it

at least, this is how he sees it

this view of his established itself during the Victorian Era

the closer to dying you looked, the more attractive you were perceived

he thought it was just that

you stopped eating properly? Probably a weird phase in which you tell yourself "the thinner, the better"

stuffing yourself with larger portions than usual? Maybe you snapped out of it and want to take everything in you lost during the past days

but why would start starving yourself again soon after?

he sees everything, but he doesn't realise

not until he met one of his new clients and their parents

the way they discribe the things leading up to their childs demise, they seem too familiar, too close to home

it is then that he realises: you suffer the same way as that child did. It wasn't just a trend peoplecome up with every few weeks, it was serious. And you couldn't possibly help yourself, you need someone to help you until it is too late

so he sat down with you

"Listen, dearie. I had a client recently. They were quite similar to you. Or rather, you are quite similar to them. But I don't want to see you share a cause of death."

if you are willing to talk, he will listen and help the best he can

Grell Sutcliffe

she knows a lot more than she'd like to on this topic

first hand experience, it was a more than just troublesome time for her

she knows the signs and she sees them very early on

she waits until she confronts you, knowing how delicate this topic might be to you

she subliminally tries to show you support, even before talking with you, trying to make you feel as safe as possible around her

she'd prefer it if you opened up about it by yourself, but she will not wait long for you

she is too afraid that the disorder will set itself into you und develope to its more severe stages

as soon as you talk about it together, she will also tell you about her experiences

"Darling, I've been in your place. It's not pretty there. But we'll find a way out from there together."

you can trust her with your life on that

she will not stop and insist to help until you really are better again

this might be due to her experiences, but also due to her overprotectiveness of you

you are the dearest human in her life after all

_________________________________________________________

If you yourself suffer from any eating disorder, please get the help and support you need. I know, you it everywhere, you hear it from everybody, but it really is important. Take care of yourself.

Until next time~

Your Inconsistent Kuroshitsuji Blog~

[ohtobeleah]

Okay, so I’m confused as to why all the adults treat Odette like she’s the bad guy. They all get sooo mad at her for the fact that she feels out of place in her family. And they also don’t really have a right to be pissed at her for bringing up her bio dad when they haven’t explained things to her, even in an age appropriate way. How is she suppose to know he’s such a piece of shit if no one tells her? Also the fact that the siblings get away with saying shit about how Bradley isn’t her real dad, while she gets in trouble for saying it out of insecurity is absurd. Like I get she’s a shithead teenager, but they are clearly ignoring her justifiable pain and insecurity and just punishing how she acts out in response to those feelings.

Finally someone asked why Odette is portrayed at the ‘villain’ in her teenage years. Finally! So thank-you for asking about this!

First I want to make it perfectly clear that Riley and Nick don’t actually know Bradley isn’t Dots biological dad until she’s screaming it at them after she gets back from the prison. It wasn’t a fact you and Bradley thought was important because as far as you were concerned Bradley was Odettes father. It didn’t change anything about the situation, it didn’t mean Odette was any less than a Bradshaw. And for what’s it worth Odette is actually pretty good at keeping that secret to herself. She’s knows for a few years.

Now let’s talk about Riley and Nicky for a second because the new revelation that their dad isn’t Odettes biological dad kinda makes them question a couple of things. They never throw that fact in her fact though— the only time Riley ever mentions the fact is when Odette comes home from Jake’s house after being sat down and told every damn detail she ever needed to know about your past.

“Dad told me and Nick last night you have a different dad than us.” Riley confessed as she stood up from her spot at the dining table, collecting her work before she made her way over to the staircase that Dot had already started walking up. “And if you’re gonna keep treating him like he hasn’t been the best dad ever then I’m glad you aren’t really his.” Dot’s stunned to hear her twelve year old sister say something so confronting, but she knows she deserves it. 

It’s the only time Riley ever says that, and Odette knows she’s been shitty. She deserved that slap. Nick never speaks about it—he doesn’t really see it as an issue. Odettes his big sister. That’s all he cares about.

Now—this is where it gets interesting because we’ve never really spoke about it but I’m hoping it gives some more clarification as to why Odette words and her actions are so much worse than they may seem. Because Odette does know.

She knows her biological dad is in prison for assault. That was the age appropriate explanation she got. She wasn’t told who he assaulted (or murdered for that matter) She’s been told that he isn’t a very good man, the age appropriate explanation she got about why you and Jaidyn didn’t work out was “He didn’t love me the same way Bradley does Dotty—and when you know how much someone values you, it’s hard to settle for anything less.”

Jake told Odette once that her biological used to be his best friend. Because he changed, before he turned into someone Jake couldn’t recognise anymore.

So the information Odette Bradshaw has by the time she’s marching her ass up to the prison and really starts to give her parents some hell is as followed.

Bradley Bradshaw adopted Odette the minute he could. Four years to the day he began living under the same roof as her. A pre-requisite that they couldn’t get around.

Her biological father signed his parental rights away.

Her biological father was in prison for assault. The assault she knew nothing about but knew was bad.

Odette knew her biological dad didn’t treat you very well, enough to make you run. Enough to have you breaking down after collecting her from school after receiving an after school detention.

She is aware her biological dad isn’t the best guy around. She is aware of that and the reactions she gets from you, from Bradley, from Jake, Rhett and even Aunty Amilia who isn’t phased by much tells her that there’s more to it then what she’s being told. Does she want to know? Yeah a little, but every single adult in her life still deals with the agony of that time.

What Odette doesn’t see when she gets home after staying the night at uncle Jakes is the panic attack he has afterwards. That reoccurring nightmares comes back, he can’t breath, can’t think, can’t stop crying. It’s why no one ever talks about it.

Odette is so justified in her feelings about being the black sheep in her family, but she never talks about it? She never seeks help or has open conversations with you or Bradley about it. It just comes out in this teenage angst that is so venomous and so cruel—because she knows that there’s more to the story.

Instead of asking? Instead of sitting her sixteen year old ass down and asking you to explain to her the entire situation (which you would probably have said no to initially but would have come around to) she’s arcing up like some venom snake and shuts Bradley out, shuts you out, shuts Jake and Rhett and Amilia and Chase out. All the people who care about her and just want to protect her.

For a man who would have given anything to see her six feet under.