#((sorry if i sound bitter in the tags i feel awful and I'm not looking forward to going in tomorrow fdjfhdsgs))

[disillusionedjudge]

((not me wanting to do a revenant au

[immajustvibehere]

Amidst a Crashing World (1/5)

Pairing: Arthur Morgan x fem!Reader

summary: You had left the gang about a year ago. There were many reasons as to why, but that you had received a rather gruff rejection from the man you loved was definitely on that list. Now, Arthur appears in front of your little cabin with an interesting demand.

tags for this series: fluff, little bit of angst, no-tb-Arthur, literally your love redemption, maybe smut (but probably not), slow burn (but I mean how slow can a story really burn in five chapters?)

Link to my Masterlist

1600 words, less than 10 minutes reading time

It had been a year since you had last seen him. He was one of the reasons why you had decided to leave the gang. Because it had become unbearable to be around the man you had feelings for. The man you had confessed those feelings to and the man who had rejected you. It had been an uncomfortable moment, to say the least. Dutch had been talking about a bigger score for a while now and the mission had only been a few days away. You had approached Arthur who had been seated near a campfire with Hosea and Reverend, deep in a seemingly serious but one-sided conversation.

"May I talk to you for a moment?", you had pleaded. Your hands had been shaking. You had been aware: every score the boys went on held the possibility of never seeing them again. And you had felt brave that day. Brave enough to finally confess that you had feelings for this man. He was kind enough and caring towards you. He never was someone to express affection too openly so you hoped...that even if he did not feel entirely the same, he might be open to get to know you better and give you a chance.

"Sure", Arthur had grunted, a little groggily and stood up. You had walked a few steps away from Reverend and Hosea, just far enough to make give them the impression that this was supposed to be a private conversation. Quickly, but precisely and not without a certain shake in your voice, you let Arthur know that you liked him. More than the normal amount at least.

You peaked through your curtains to watch this very man dismount from his horse and caringly fix its reins next to the one of your horse, which was barely acknowledging the visitor.

For a moment, Arthur had just stared. Then he had shifted awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck with a warm but stifled chuckle escaping his throat.

"Yer joking, aren't ya?", he mumbled as he nervously peeked back to Hosea and Reverend, who hadn’t exactly given you attention during this ordeal. When Arthur had caught your dead-serious face and how you swallowed after he had said those words, he knew that you, in fact, hadn’t been joking.

"I- ehr...I don't see ya like that, I'm sorry", he had stumbled over his words. His voice hadn’t been upbeat or hopeful, not even apologetic or friendly. No, the longer you had turned those words over in your mind afterwards, you heard how bitter, how disappointed, and somewhat accusatory he sounded. He had turned around and had walked back to his log, shaking his head, chuckling coldly.

Arthur's hand plunged into his jacket, and he pulled out a wrinkly, yellowy paper that he unfolded. As he held the paper in one hand, a grin flitted across his face, before he took a breath and started loudly:

"I'm looking for the fierce, the ferocious....", Arthur stopped and plucked a ripe tomato from its stem. You had been growing this beautiful tomato plant right next to the gate that separated your garden from the path that travellers commonly used. But Arthur was the first one who had the audacity to help himself. Then he went on: "The downright awful degenerate y/n. Supposedly, she robbed a stagecoach and left the driver in a condition that left much to desire...She has fled to find refuge from her abhorrent, ginormous bounty of 15 proud dollars!"

Arthur had a shit-eating big grin on his face when you finally pushed the door to your little cabin open. He popped the tomato into his mouth, savouring the taste as he watched you step into the light and lean against the door frame.  

"That you?", Arthur asked indistinctly with his mouth full, quick to catch some tomato juice with his sleeve as it escaped the corner of his mouth. He held up the bounty poster that showed the most unflattering sketch of your features that you had ever seen.

"I look myself in the mirror quite often, but I've never seen this creature staring back", you joked as you nodded at the sketch. You were still unsure what his sudden appearance at your doorstep was supposed to mean.

Arthur shrugged and sarcastically answered: "I really think they did ya justice. Have you seen the pictures going round of me?"

You had. They weren't nearly as bad as the one he held up of you. But they did paint him more cruel than he looked right now. Honestly, knowing him better, all you can see is an actually soft man which might look big and scary when he swings his gun around, but now, as he took his hat off, he looked harmless. The afternoon sun nearly blinded him as he looked at you, but he deemed the gesture necessary to be polite, apparently.

"Yer trying to take me in for a 15 dollar bounty?", you asked and crossed your arms.

"Don't want'a sound rude but that's barely worth it...", Arthur smiled, "No I ehrm...was close by. A farmer down that way told me you was living here. I helped him fix a wheel on his waggon."

"Sure...", you mumbled suspiciously. There was no way you would have naturally come up in this conversation.

"'s been a while...", Arthur commented.

"Yeah. More than a year. Took me this long to figure out how it'd bear fruit", you pointed at the tomato plant Arthur had stolen from.

Shamelessly, he plugged another one and ate it, "They're good."

"I know", you sighed. You had given up and moved aside to let the man into your cabin.

It was a humble little place. Just big enough to fit a table, three chairs, a bed, a stove and a cupboard. Arthur noticed the rifle that leaned next to the bed, the few books that were scattered on the table and finally his eyes fell on a couple of sketches you had pinned onto the wall. After leaving the gang, you had tried your luck with drawing. Yes, it was a way to remember Arthur, because though you haven't seen many of his drawings, you knew he sketched everything he laid his eyes on.

For a moment, you hoped that Arthur would comment on your sketches. There was one of a doe that you were particularly proud of, but Arthur just briefly scanned them before turning his attention back to you.

"Nice little cabin ya got here...killed the fella that lived in it before or...?", Arthur suggested, his eyes falling on a little hole in the roof that needed fixing and the bedframe which was uneven and brittle.

You almost laughed at the suggestion: "No. It belongs to an old lady who went to live with her sister in the city. She gave me the cabin to look out for, until her grandson is old enough to live in it."

"Oh", Arthur commented, fidgeting with his hat.

You had spent months trying to forget this man. You were sure you'd never see him again, not if you could have helped it. You were glad about leaving your affiliations with the van der Linde gang behind. However, this had never been the official deal. The deal had been that you could roam for a while, figure yourself out and then join back. You never did. And now you had a sour feeling as to why this man was currently scanning your backyard through the window.

"Why are you here?", you asked, your tone serious.

"It's good to see you again", Arthur light-heartedly said. It almost sounded like a joke.

"Arthur", you warned him.

"Lot has happened since you left...", Arthur said, still wandering around in this cabin as if he was scanning the small territory, "we lost some people in Blackwater...Mac and Davey...Jenny..."

You knew about Mac. It was reported in the newspaper, but when Arthur mentioned Jenny, your jaw dropped. You felt a sort of anger flare up. You had gotten along well with Jenny. She was a kind and funny girl and you had considered her a friend.

"How did- Why...How did this even happen?!", you grumbled, "Jenny wasn't someone who would be in the midst of a fight. Hell, she knew how to handle a gun, but-"

"I know", Arthur interrupted, "couple weeks ago we lost Sean, too."

"Why are you here, Arthur? And why are you telling me this?"

"Wanted to see how you've been doing...", he shrugged, but his demeanour changed when you opened a drawer. You didn't even need to pull out the gun before Arthur stopped with the sugarcoating.

"Dutch wants you back."

Hell, this didn't sound like a suggestion. It was more like a threat. Arthur was here to collect you. Not for a 15-dollar bounty, but for Dutch. Because he had lost too many people and now you needed to jump in. Also, every bit of hope you held close to your heart, that Arthur...that there was a tiny bit of him that wanted to see you. That he really wondered how you had been doing.

It died with those words. It stung.

"Get out", you demanded.

"Y/N-"

"Arthur, I'm not coming back."

"Dutch-"

"I don't care. I don't give a fuck what Dutch wants", you yelled, slowly pulling the gun out, "Honestly, you have some nerve showing up with this request."

Then, you had to laugh. Laugh at the absurdity of it and laugh because you were hurt. The laughter helped to supress the tears, for now.

"Ya ain't gonna shoot me, sweetheart", Arthur said knowingly, putting his hat back on and slowly backing out towards the door, arms still raised because he didn't want to give you the impression that he'd draw on you.

"Don't flatter yourself", you said, slowly walking towards him to make him move out of your house, "I wouldn't shoot your pretty face, but I can put holes in other parts of your body and it would hurt enough."

You felt bold, cocked the gun and aimed at his leg.

"Y/N..."

"Tell Dutch you didn't find me. Tell him I'm dead. Tell him I forced you to draw on me and you shot me...I honestly don't care. I'm not going back. I'm not...canon fodder for a cause I don't believe in anymore", you stated, your eyes fixed on Arthur. He might just notice that tears pricked your eyes, there was a hint of concern in his features.

When he opened his mouth, you were quick to interrupt him: "If you care for me just the tiniest fucking bit...yer gonna fuck off right now and not come back."

You thought about how he'd answer, 'I don't see ya like that', lasso you and drag you back into whatever hole the gang was hiding at the moment, but instead, he tipped his hat, turned around and mounted his horse.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Next chapter: here

I never have the nerve to keep a consistent taglist, but here are some tags for people who said they might be interested in that sort of story:

@pinkiemme @loveheartarthur @lonesome-ranger @twola @shiokitsune @hugthedragon @missredemption @kakashiislut @thewalkingdead1463

If you want to be tagged, please comment under this post if you want to be included to the taglist for this story OR any fic I post in future.

Special thanks to @little-honeypie 'cause we've been cooking that story up together <3

[butchcarmy]

Idk if you've written this but can you write about carmy and the reader arguing and he makes her cry? Idk I just feel like thatd be good angst fluff lol

AHH I got carried away as per usual. anyway this is good stuff. wrote a bunch. enjoy!!

word count: 1.3k

tags: traumatized carmy, mentally ill carmy and reader, arguing, language, HURT/COMFORT, ANGST/FLUFF, carmy being a sweetie

Hm…i'm spending a lot of time thinking about the set-up for this. Carmy is a very careful person when it comes to those he’s romantically involved in, but at the same time, he has a hard time controlling his temper when he's in the darkness, as i'll put it. 

here's something awful i think about that i wanna write about. carmy's stressed about work, because of course he is. he's carmy. his head is whirring, spinning with anxiety and self-hatred. i think you're just like him. mentally ill for mentally ill if you will. you're also in a bad mood, and he comes home from The Bear exhausted and keyed up.

“I hate when you push me away like this,” you admit. You've been trying to get him to talk to you since he's been home. Maybe he just needs space, but separation makes you anxious. Especially when he shuts down. 

“I'm sorry that it's so hard for you,” he spits, finally snapping and turning to face you. You've followed him into the dark bedroom, lit only by the harsh moonlight through the window. You flinch. You never quite get used to seeing him like this. 

“I—I just—“ you feel pressure beginning in the back of your eyes. You will it away. “How can I help you if you don’t talk to me?”

“Why do you care so much? Does it make you feel better to take care of someone more fucked up than you?” He snaps, voice raised. His words go down bitter, leaving an awful taste in your mouth. Something in you shatters.

“How could you ask me that?” Your vision’s gone hot and blurry. “I’m your partner. I love you, that’s why I care, you asshole!” You’re stifling sobs. You hate crying in fights like this, but it hurts. You can’t help it.

“Fuck,” Carmy mutters under his breath. He’s gone still in your blurred vision. “Baby, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that—“

“That was so fucked up, Carmy.” You move to sit on the bed, trying to wipe your tears away, but they keep coming. “What’s your problem?”

“You know what my problem is.” His remorse has swept away the anger, leaving him quiet before you. He leans down at your knees, hands on your thighs. “I shouldn’t have said that. Any of that.”

“You shouldn’t have.” Carmy nods quickly, and he raises a hand to your wet cheeks. “Fuckin’ asshole.”

“I know.” He takes your pain, your anger in its entirety. His other hand brings your knuckles to his lips. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it.“

“Sure sounded like you meant it.” Anger flares up in your chest, hurt and betrayed, but you tamp it down, leaning into his hand cradling his face. You take a deep breath to steady yourself. “Damnit, Carmy.”

“I know. I know.” He’s still kissing your hand. “You’re too good for me. I don’t deserve you.” You hate it when he talks like this, because you can tell he really believes it.

“Don’t say that. Please.” 

“But it’s true.” You look down at him in the moonlight, at his sad blue eyes. “I always find ways to hurt you. I…”

“That’s what being in a relationship is, Carm.” You pat the space next to you. “Sit with me?”

“I keep having to remind myself of that.” He sinks into the bed next to you. “I’m so sorry for talking about you like that. Like you’re only doing this out of…I don’t know. Obligation.” He drags a hand across his tired face. “You don’t deserve that. I’m sorry. I just, I just think that—that I’m—fuck—“

“Slow down, Carm,” you say quietly. “It’s okay. You don’t need to force it. I’m listening.” He smiles bitterly at you, and you recognize the love in it easily. He takes in a deep breath before continuing. 

“I still have a hard time believing that anyone cares about me. I can’t even believe that you—love me.” You can practically see the shame rolling off of him in waves. “And it makes me scared.”

“Love is scary, isn’t it?” You say softly. He just nods. “It scares me, too. That’s why I kept pestering you when you got home. I…” You blink quickly. You don’t wanna cry again. “It scares me when I don’t know what you’re thinking. Because…I dunno. It just does.”

“Yeah?” You nod. He has this thoughtful expression that he holds for a moment as he stews on your words. “I didn’t think about it like that. I’m sorry. I think…I think when you kept asking me if I was okay, it…” he sighs, scratches at his temples. “I felt like I was…getting back into a corner. I think.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.” You take his hand in yours. “I can see how that must’ve felt really bad.”

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault that I’m like this. I think—I think it just reminded me of my mom. We would always ask her if she was okay, because she’s fucking crazy, yknow? We didn’t wanna step on her toes. But it turns out we did anyway. And the way I acted just now, I was just like…” He can’t even get the words out. “I’m sorry,” he apologizes again, voice choked with emotion. “I love you. So much. You know that, right?”

“You tell me everyday. How could I not?” You pull him into a hug, tight and warm, and he instantly wraps his arms around you. “You’re not your mom, Carm. You're nothing like her. Okay?” 

“I don’t wanna be like her,” he whispers. “I don’t wanna be like her.”

“You’re not,” you remind him softly. “And you won’t be.”

Carmy leans back to look at you, but he remains close. His expression is knotted with pain. You run your thumb over his furrowed brow, and it makes his mouth curve upwards in a smile. It’s fleeting, but it was there. 

“I’m sorry,” he repeats. “I’ll try to open up more. Let you know what I’m thinking.”

Suddenly, you think about when you first started dating Carmy. He was so scared to open up to you emotionally, but with gentle prodding, he fell apart instantly. There was a hunger in him to be known by others, to be seen by you, and it scared him to death. You see that same fear in him now, but you also see how much he’s grown since then. You doubt you would’ve been able to have this conversation at all in the first couple months. 

That makes you happy in a way you’re not quite able to word properly.

“Thank you. But I hope you also know I don’t want to force you. I just wanna help. And…” You measure your words carefully. “I’ll try not to let it freak me out so much. Because if you’re not in the mood to talk, I want you to know that’s okay. Okay?”

“Okay. I’d like that. If I don’t want to talk, I’ll just tell you. Instead of…blowing a fuse.” He laughs dryly. 

“I’d like that too.” You let out an exhale of relief you didn’t realize you were holding. “Wow, Carm. Look at us. Communicating!”

“I know.” That makes him laugh for real this time, and you’re laughing too. “I couldn’t do it without you.”

“I think you could. But I certainly like doing it with you.” His smiles grows wider at that, brimming with affection. 

“Let me make this up to you, baby.” He pulls you in for a kiss, slow and deep. You let out a little noise when his lips meet yours. 

“Make it up to me?” Carmy’s tongue is on your neck now. Oh. “Aren’t you tired? You—you have work tomorrow—?”

“Don’t care.” You fall back onto the bed, and the blankets deflate under you. You stare up at Carmy, his curls hanging by his face. “You’re more important.”

“Well, if you insist…” You giggle, and your giggles get louder when Carmy pulls up your shirt to blow raspberries against your stomach. “Carmy, quit it—oh—!”

He makes it up to you in full and more by keeping his head between your legs for the rest of the night. By the end of it you can't remember what you were mad about in the first place.

[tan1shere]

Bitter Sweet

Ellie williams x fem reader !

Summary: you're the sweetest soul around Jackson, perfect girlfriend, perfect friends. Everything seems to be perfect but it isn't. You get bullied, but no one sees it. You hide your feelings until one day it gets really bad

A/n: just thought of this in bed, I'm feeling a lil insecure myself so i hope you girlies get warm fuzzies at this cute lil fic (I haven't proof read this yet so- if there's any mistakes pretend I'm an amazing speller 🥰)

Warnings: none just fluff really. Reader is insecure about body, so maybe if it triggers you or you don't want to cry or I dunno, just thought I'd mention :) kinda angst??? But also not-? Body shaming-? (Do not condone whatsoever. But I relate a tiny bit- sadly- anyways)

Masterlist

You enjoyed days like these, the sunshine kisses your beautiful bronze skin, the slight tan arising from the beautiful summer air. You were currently attending to your garden, listening to all the critters making their pretty musical songs. When you get a tap on your shoulder startling you. You stand up and look to find your girlfriend, Ellie looming over you. You get up fanning out your skirt from any dirt. "Sorry angel. Didn't mean to give you a fright." You smile at her. "No no it's alright." You speak softly going to kiss her. "What have you got planned for today?" She swipes a loose strand of hair behind your ear.

"Just picking out some flowers for my new vase." You smile brightly at her. She returns that smile, looking around at your garden. "How about you Els." You ask going to grab some of the flowers and heading inside. "Me, Dina, Jesse, and a few others were going to go out later and ofcourse I'm asking you to tag along." You weren't a very outgoing person, you kept to yourself. You knew Jesse and Dina, although you aren't one hundred percent comfortable around them. You stuck close to Ellie, always. She was your rock. "Uhhh maybe." You go over to your sink, her following close behind. "You'll be with me baby I'll make sure everything's ok."

You contemplate. "Maybe Els. I dunno I'm not use to New people." She goes closer to you. "I know I know, but I really want you there. Please?" You think more, really not sure. "I guess it couldn't hurt." You smile slightly. She smiles more. "Awesome I'll come pick you up later." She kisses your cheek, leaving you to your thoughts as she leaves out the door. You didn't have a good feeling about this.

Few hours had passed and it was almost the time Ellie was suppose to pick you up. You were just looking in the mirror you constantly wore skirts and cute blouses. You examined your body, your stomach, thighs, arms. Even if you aren't big or anything you still feel awful about your body. Stretch marks, your pale skin. You wanted to cry. If you were completely honest you just wanted to stay home. But seeing Ellie so happy made you happy. You get up to a knock on the door, going and opening it. "You look beautiful." She says smiling at you. Lies. You knew she was just being kind. You never really believed her when she'd compliment you. You just couldn't.

"Where are we going?" She leads you out. "Dinas, she's having it at hers." "And how many people will be there?" You ask nervous. "Uhh maybe like 10 at most." You sigh. She was so outgoing, so enthusiastic, knew everyone and anyone. You don't know what she even saw in you. You were so different. "We don't have to be there for long." She nods with a tiny smile. You nod back. Still not even wanting to leave in the first place. Your bed sounds so much more comfortable right now.

Once you're at Dinas, she greets you by the door. "Hey you two, come in." You both step inside hearing some music and voices. You stay close behind Ellies tall figure like a puppy dog. "Thanks Dee." She smiles at Dina, going into the kitchen to get a drink. You kept on following, when some giggling girls walking past, caught your attention. One looked you up and down. And definitely not in a good way. They all walk on by grabbing their own drinks. You felt queasy. "So we could just chill in here, maybe dance." You just nod along to her words. This was going to be a long night.

You had just told Ellie you needed to use the bathroom, heading down a hallway, full of drunk teens. The smell was putrid, some even making out. Once you approached the bathroom you notice the same girl from earlier and her little group. You decide on whether or not you should speak up, or hold this unbearable pee until you get home. "U-uhm.. excuse me.." Your voice was weak, frightened of these strangers. "Oh I'm sorry, did you say something?" The main one spat. One of her friends snickering. "I need to use the bathroom.." You didn't want to make eye contact. You couldn't.

"Sorry but you might want to speak up. Can't quite hear you when you talk like a toddler." You go silent. "Still can't hear you." She smirks. You really don't know what to do. Should you leave? "Well come on, spit it out. And this time, try not to speak like a my little pony character." Its the way you caught onto what she was saying right away. That made you want to run, but you felt glued, like you couldn't. "Aren't you Ellie Williams girlfriend?" You look at the blonde infront of you. "U-uh yeah." You stutter. "Pft, I have no idea what she sees in you. She could do way, better." Her friends laugh yet again. "I mean come on, you follow her around like a lost dog. Think that lil bit you did just then was the first time I've heard you speak." You go to leave, just wanting to go home.

But she grabs your wrist. "Oh look girls, she's even the size of a toddler." She fake pouts as they giggle. You hated how tiny your wrists were. You hated it. You hated how small your hands were. You never held Ellies hand, you were afraid she'd view you differently. "Damn, do you even eat." You blink at her. You ate perfectly fine. You don't even know why you look like this. "I- i-" She let's go. "Y-you." She mocks with a snicker. "Go back to being a lil follower to your girlfriend. You pathetic twig." You felt tears threatening to spill at any moment now. And all you could do was run. "Careful you might break something!" She calls out, turning to laugh with her friends. Bitches.

You ran out of that horrid house, tears streaming down your face, sprinting to yours. Feeling your eyes blur as you slam your door and sink to the floor. You let it all out now. How can someone be so cruel. But oh they were so incredibly right. That's why it hurt so much. They saw what you saw. The truth. Suddenly there was a banging on the door to be found with Ellies worried voice. "Babe, open up please." You sniffle. "J-just go home Ellie.." There was a pause. "You know damn well I'm not doing that, please let me in." Your shakey frame moves out of the way to let her in.

"Hey hey whats going on with you-" She goes to reach for your arms but you immediately make sure that doesn't happen. She feels her heart break. "Y-you don't wanna touch that.." She furrows her brows in utter confusion. "Baby what are you on about." If she wasn't worried before she really fucking is now. "No.. you- you don't wanna be with some twig wh-who can't even talk to people properly." You sob out feeling your body ache. "Babe where is this coming fro-" You look at her. "My brain. Everyone, you-" She shakes her head. "Woah woah woah. Calm down, I don't know what's going on but you need to breathe." You cry more. "I- I can't.. my brain won't shut up, I'm ugly Ellie i- I am.. and everyone sees that."

She was shocked but that slowly turns into a tiny giggle. She moves closer to you grabbing your face gently. "Do you have any idea how naturally gorgeous you are." You look at her still feeling tears. You know she's caught on. "Whoever said these things are clearly big fucking cunts." You were shocked by the language she used, but you let out a tiny dry laugh, feeling your throat and eyes hurt from the crying. "And if it's who I think it is, there's one thing they need that you don't." You listen, wondering what that was. "They need makeup. You don't. And that is something you should be truly proud of." You melt at her lovely words. She rubs her thumb under your eye gently. Wiping away those pesky tears.

"Your natural beauty is my favorite thing in this whole world, so please. Never change. And it's not like you're unhealthy. You eat often and good. When they're over there, eating crap, getting sick. If anything they're the ones who should be vividly insecure. And they are, jealousy." She looks at every inch of your face admiringly. "Bitches." You blurt out making her smile so big. "Yeah, bitches." She kisses your nose. "Please never change because I fell inlove with my natural sweet baby. You're beautiful just the way you are angel. And I will remind you every single day. I'll kiss everything you don't like. And I'll do that everyday." You lean up on your tiptoes to kiss her. She kisses back sweetly.

"Why don't we get into bed and watch a movie, sound good?" You nod at her. "I love you Els." "I love you too my precious girl."

A/n: If you are struggling with your insecurities please know you're never alone in that and I hope this made you realize how everyone's perfect in their own way. I may not see that all the time in myself. But I do know my worth <3 (also not saying that makeups horrible I literally wear it often, but no one needs it to truly feel pretty. I enjoy doing it because it's fun!)

[argisthebulwark]

Last Lines Tag

thank you my beloved @elfinismsarts and @ehlnofeh for tagging me in this <3 as someone who hops from WIP to WIP with far too much frequency these are all gonna come from different sources, some posted and some still under construction. i'll tag some folks (no pressure): @nejackdaw @fabeong @daedrabait

A line from your fic that made you laugh "I spent years in the Gray Quarter. A wretched place full of bitter Dunmer" Teldryn commented, distaste clear in his tone. "I wouldn't go back if you paid me." "I did pay you."

A line from your fic that made you sad “Her regards?” Everything felt too slow, each breath took ages. Brynjolf managed to focus on Mercer and suddenly felt like a kid again. Mercer's face softened in an almost sympathetic expression and suddenly Gallus was dead, Karliah was gone, his entire family ripped away from him all over again. Mercer’s hand was on his shoulder once more and it could only mean one awful fucking thing.  “Karliah killed Saryn. Just like she did Gallus.” No. No. She wasn’t gone. Mercer’s words felt like a punch to the gut. He couldn’t breathe. The world was spinning. He was going to be sick. “Sorry, kid. I know you liked her.”

A line from your fic you're proud of i just liked this one it's silly Her teeth scraped across his shoulder and Miraak felt something shoot through his body. It took him longer than he cared to admit to realize that it was arousal - how long had it been since he'd felt that?

A line from your fic you think could've been better whole thing needs a rewrite tbh "Not once did you stop to consider anyone but yourself!" Harsh words flung across the room and the Dragonborn paused, mouth open as they uselessly sought for a retort. "You didn't think what it would do to me to lose you, did you?" "I did not." They admitted, accepting the painful silence that fell between them. "I did not think you cared."

A line from your fic that makes you want to punch a character “Who are you, barely out of your adolescence, to talk to me in such a way?” Miraak let his voice become smooth, calm with hate. He knew how much she disliked that, he could see it in the color rising in her dark cheeks. “I have lived a thousand lives. You have barely lived one, elf.”

A line from your fic that makes you go 'aww' “Just because I don’t pray to the Aedra doesn’t mean I don’t pray.” They tried to keep their tone light and playful but it sounded strangled. They couldn’t look at Erandur, couldn’t meet the question that was surely in his gaze. “And what do you pray to?” “You, mostly.”

A line from your fic that's full of symbolism “I thought you were exclusively a wine drinker.” He comments, resting a hand familiarly on their thigh. The Dragonborn shivers at the warmth of his touch when his fingers tease at the hem of their jerkin. “I’m not picky.” They respond, hoping it sounds nonchalant. They can feel Sanguine’s intense stare when they take another drink of ale. He grins, leaning in close enough that the warmth of his breath sends shivers down their spine.

A line from your fic that contains an easter egg "What brings you to Riften?" The carriage driver's rough voice broke through her mental loop of anxiety. "A man." She admitted, bluntly. "I'm in love with him." "Moving to Riften for love?" He grunted out a laugh at her expense. "Good thing there's a Temple of Mara, I hear they've got some new Priests training for the upcoming season. Watch out for those thieves, though. They're making quite the comeback." "Thank you, I'll keep an eye out."

A line from your fic that's shocking “Silly Listener, you’re teasing Cicero again.” His laugh was high pitched and dreamy, sending shivers down your spine. What had he meant by that? Again? “Stop being mean to your loyal Keeper.” “What do you mean?”  “You always do this!” Any hint of his laughter was gone. Your blood chilled when the bed creaked, your only sign that he'd gotten to his feet. “You show up just to taunt and silly Cicero falls for it every time. Go on, say it and disappear! Leave poor Cicero alone!”

A line from your fic you want to talk about more (it's not specifically a line I really want to talk about but the whole regency fic i started working on tbh) “We could be caught like this.” Miraak murmured and she marveled at the sight of his lips moving. “We would be compromised, we could lose all standing in proper society.” “Best keep quiet then, my lord.”

[33roda]

Zhongli X Dom!Reader <3

♡ teaching zhongli a little lesson...

♡ tags: humiliation, calling zhongli a slut, reader with cock/strap, cocksucking (reader receiving), choking, pegging, smartass li in the beginning

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

"Hey Zhongli, you know how you've been struggling with mora these days?"

"Yes?"

"Well I've got the perfect job opportunity for you!"

Finally, a job! Zhongli'd been bothering half of Liyue with his lack of mora - asking for help paying for his meals, begging his neighbours for house appliances, bathing in public lakes just so he wouldn't pay water bills.. the list just went on and on. "What kind of job, if I may ask?" he leaned down to rest his arms on the table, looking at you with a soothing smile. He wasn't just gonna waltz into any job, no matter how broke he was.

"Ah, of course," you set down your cup of ginger tea, trying to shake away the bitter taste in your mouth. "Well, the Wanwen Bookhouse was looking for someone to take over for Jifang for a few days, so I recommended you!" knowing he'd take the job anyway, you didn't have to encourage him much - all it took was telling him he'd have to discuss mora with Jifang later, and he'd get the job almost immediately.

Days pass, with no negative news - only Zhongli telling you he'd "educated" the customers of the bookstore, nothing too out of the ordinary. However, when Jifang came back from her business trip, she sure had a lot to say about your recommended person. Apparently, he'd disrupt innocent customers just looking to buy books, and ramble to them about Liyue's history for hours and hours on end daily. You could already hear his rambles - How Liyue's been for the past 4,000 years, how it's grown, the wars it's been in and how they've affected it.. And boy, you were gonna teach him how to shut up.

You invited him over with the innocent guise of just having tea and chatting, but you definitely had other plans..

"So, Zhongli," you got up from your seat, walking all the way to the back of his chair. "The boss has been.. complaining," you leaned down to his ear, "apparently, you were disturbing her customers, is that right?"

Feeling his breath hitch at the closeness, he cleared his throat to regain his indifferent attitude. "Disturbing? I was simply educating them. I don't see howggwhh-" he got cut off by you squeezing his cheeks together, slurring his words. Furrowing his eyebrows, he leaned his head back to look at you from behind, and oh man did you look mad.

"Educating them? is that what you call embarrassing me in front of Jifang and her customers?" you shook his face left and right with your grasp on his cheeks, just strong enough to stop him from talking. "I guess we'll need to teach you how to shut up, 'li." you let go of his cheeks, leaving him to catch his breath. "Strip, Zhongli."

"You're.. gonna make me strip because I didn't do well? Is that how society works nowadays?" closing his eyes and letting out a little 'hm', he still got up anyway, no signs of complaint in his body language - if that wasn't evident enough in how he immediately started taking off his coat, still dressed in who knows how many layers. You moved over to sit in his place - you weren't just gonna let this go. You had to enjoy every minute of watching him, going from his vest, to his shirt and tie, and to finally, his bare chest. He was honestly just ripped, and you were gonna make good use of his defined chest - maybe later, though.

Stopping him when he got to unbuckling his belt, you got up, zipping through the house to lead him to your bedroom, probably knocking a few things over in the hall, but that didn't matter - you didn't want this to go slow, you needed to teach him a lesson, and quick. "On your knees, 'li," you shoved him down with your hands, finding it just adorable how he didn't complain - only bit his lip to hold back any smartass remarks. "Aw, is the humiliation getting to you already, pretty boy?" seating yourself on the edge of the bed, you stroked his cheek as gently as you could, before unbuckling your own pants to show him your cock. "You know what you're gonna do, right baby? Gonna choke you on my cock till you can't talk anymore," he gave you little nods, staring at the length in your hand. Even though he wouldn't show it, he couldn't wait to have you in his mouth - and you wasted no time doing that as you guided him to your cock, his mouth eagerly engulfing your tip and tongue licking all over. Bobbing his head, he took as much as he could, humming against you, but that won't do. You needed him to choke on you. Grabbing his head and thrusting into his mouth, you finally heard that pretty gagging sound from his throat, further exciting you to fuck into his cute little face. His warm saliva dribbling everywhere on you and his lips, leaking all the way down to his chest.. the sight almost made you swoon.

Finally pulling him off you, you almost felt bad looking at his pretty face splotched with blush and tears, lips open red and wide with saliva covering the entire bottom half of his face, but Gods, was it hot. "You lubed it up so well, sugar," you said, sounding almost impressed, "guess you're really sorry, hm?" you kicked off your pants completely, ignoring the wet patch near the crotch from his drool. "Don't worry dear, we're almost done with our lesson~ take your pants off for me, will you?"

He wasted no time taking off his pants, laying down on the bed and spreading his toned legs to show you his sweet hole, his stomach muscles contracted and head laying to the side, his hair laid messily next to him. You almost wished you'd kept his pants on and made him cum all over them - just to keep it as a reminder, but you had to take him. "Good boy, learning so much already," you teased the tip of your cock against his hole, "you almost look excited. You're enjoying this, aren't you?" his response being a gasp as he felt you enter him. Why not have a little more fun with it? "Show me how sorry you really are, 'li," you whispered, just loud enough for him to hear you.

"I-I apologi-mmmhhh," he bit his lip, letting out a low groan as he squeezed his eyes shut. You just kept pushing into him, sure he could take all of you, his hole almost like it was made for you - until the base of your cock reached his ass. "I apologizeEee, Y/N -ah," sliding out, you made sure to make him tremble on his words - it was just fucking adorable.

Building up your speed, he could barely manage to let out anything more than moans and little 'sorry's, overshadowed by the sound of you thrusting into his ass, making filthy smacking sounds. "I can't hear you over the sound of your ass, baby," you said between gasps, "Say it louder, you fucking slut."

It was dirty of you - teasing him like that knowing you found his spot. "imsorryimsorryimsoryAHHHMMF" was just music to your ears, slamming into the same spot over and over, eventually making him unable to let out a single word without having a moan in between - not like you cared anymore. You wanted to make him cum untouched, humiliate him just like he embarrassed you.

Twitching under you, he frantically grabbed onto the bedsheets. "I-I'm gon-" - and he spurt out his load, letting out such beautiful guttural moans, you would've recorded them if you could. It was impressive how much there was, honestly. You couldn't help but let out a little laugh before slowly sliding out of him and smacking his ass, admiring his ass and chest blushing red. Catching his breath, he looked down at you, lips parted as if to say something - but he couldn't.

You put your thumb to his lips. "You talk too much, Zhongli," you laughed. "Has no one ever taught you to shut that pretty mouth of yours?"

wc: 1.4k . not proofread

[alexjcrowley]

Tag yourself "Ancient Rome main characters but it's just very violent personal attacks" - Augustus's principate edition:

Gaius Julius Caesar "Augustus"

if you're honestly thinking to tag yourself as him what the fuck is your problem, your self-esteem is sky rocketing, you shouldn't be on Tumblr, you should be on Tik Tok

you take the lead in group projects and do 90% of the work because you think you're the only one who can it right

everybody better treat you like royalty otherwise bold of them to presume you'd let bitches talk mad shit about you

frail health though, stay safe baby

favourite quote "I was born for politics. I have great hair, and I love lying"

calm down I'm sure you'll get that college admission letter, no need to be dramatic and start threatening you'll ki** yourself if you don't get in

Marcus Antonius

burnout gifted kid

like honestly you had your whole life planned and then oopsie everything comes crashing down

aw, you want daddy's approval? Don't we all?

you're like an only child, or the eldest child. Then some bitches came along and you were forced to share.

If that's not a mummy sorry mummy sorry mummy sorry you ain't hitting that (or daddy ;))

you love giving pep talk, reminds you of the time people used to look up to you

Gaius Cilnius Maecenas

light academia, dark academia, chaotic academia, the point is: academia

your friends are the most interesting thing about you

you surrounded yourself with artists and creative types, such a shame you aren't one of them

you're that person who'd shout "THAT'S MY BEST FRIEND" when your friend does something incredibile, but nobody will ever do that for you

so how's life standing on the sidelines?

at least you're not bitter about it (or you're very good at hiding it, let's be honest)

supportive bestie

wasn't kidding about great taste in friends, your friendships are very elite and everybody wished they were in your inner circle, make 'em wish, darlin

Publius Vergilius Maro (Vergil)

COUNTRY ROOOOOOOOADS, TAKE ME HOOOOOOOOOME

cottagecore

as a society WE NEED to retreat to the country and go back to peak of human civilization: farming

you're cooler in theory than in practice

massive introvert

you just want a cottage and some books and maybe some plants and a pet and free time, is that too much to ask?

Yes, because that shit's a fever dream, you wouldn't last a day in a real farm, get your head out of your ass

Quintus Horatius Flaccus (Horace)

you think you're funny. You're the only one to think that.

self deprecative humour for the win

your superpower is infodumping. Sure, everybody does it once in a while- but they way you do it. Wow.

you're a tiny gay, a petite homosexual, if you will

wittiness is one of the many qualities you believe to possess

how are you handling those five mental breakdowns a day?

Guess what, clean air, drinking water and reading outside won't cure your identity crisis

Publius Ovidius Naso (Ovid)

you listen to doja cat unironically. And no, I don't mean "I like her beat", I mean you listen to the lyrics of doja cat unironically.

you're a slut, but, if you're reading this, it mean you're on Tumblr, so probably you're more of a theoritical slut

gossip girl xoxo

when people come to ask you for dating advice you feel like an old french prostitute recalling the glorious days of your youth

you think you're incredibly more interesting than you actually are

like, face it, if you were that great people wouldn't leave you on read

God it's like two weeks in the country at you grandparents's house there's no need to start complaining to all your friends you're in "exile", the wi-fi isn't even that bad, you're just a drama queen

you once dreamed of living in London or New York or Paris, don't lie to me

I hope people are actually know what I'm referencing in this or some things might sound very weird or mean out of nowhere (they're instead mean for a reason)

[moonstrider9904]

In This Dark Time

Chapter 7 of Moonwalker: The Batch

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{crossposted to wattpad} {join my taglist!}

Crosshair x Fem!OC, Hunter x Fem!OC

Chapter summary: Returning to Kamino means Sarah will have to come across familiar unfriendly faces, all while she continues to worry about Crosshair's mental state as well as what he has to say about their kiss on Kaller.

Warnings/tags: Mature (minors still not allowed). Mentions of death, PTSD, some mourning. Still some O66 angst, some pining, love triangles, physical violence

A/N: This chapter turned out way longer than I expected and I'm sorry, but I promise it's good and I've added a lot of my own spin to canon events so as to not merely retell them as we see them on screen. Thank you for reading!!

this chapter covers all the events before Onderon.

Word count: 8k

The first few times Sarah had to return to Kamino were awful on her. She would have kept quiet about it had it not been for the batch’s own way of getting the whole story out of her, so Sarah wound up telling them about the time she had been there with Fives, about all that had gone through there, how it was the last time she’d seen him. Sarah knew that she and Echo would be welcome into Clone force 99’s space anyway once they were officially part of the squad, but she felt as if telling them about their backstory sparked a protective instinct in them. 

Two hammocks had been set up for Sarah and Echo. They hadn’t spent many nights on Kamino in the time they’d been part of the squad, but each night, Sarah had enjoyed the rain and the faint snoring and breathing of her teammates, finding in Kamino a sense of home she never thought she’d have in that planet even before the loss of Fives. It was a bittersweet feeling, one that only got sweeter whenever she saw her teammates and the way they were truly brothers with each other, especially with Echo, who had been warmly welcomed by his fellow clones. 

Tech’s bunk would always be a mess, but every time he was looking for something, he’d find it. The lights were dimmed to be easier on Hunter’s eyes. The walls had been soundproofed to dim the sounds outside the barracks to help Hunter too, and Sarah could not remember a quieter place she’d ever slept in–she’d slept far better there than she had in ages. Wrecker’s plush toy, Lula, would spend nearly every night in a different bunk, depending on who needed it most after hard missions. Sarah had slept with Lula in her arms the very first night back on Kamino after losing Fives. Crosshair’s bunk was always the tidiest, with his three shooting charts displayed proudly, the one in the middle with a C shot into it. Sarah always giggled at what a show-off he was; they’d all been show-offs to her when she first arrived.

Indeed, Clone Force 99 had made returning to Kamino less difficult each time for Sarah. She’d sleep in the hammock surrounded by teammates who showed her how unconditionally they cared about her, and she had never felt safer. The planet had become a symbol of respite, of growth, and it helped her make peace with her past.

So that day, when the war ended, when the Marauder exited hyperspace and she got a bitter premonition upon seeing the planet, Sarah’s heart sank, knowing things once again weren’t right. Everyone carried that same weight on the ship, after an abnormally quiet flight home, with only Wrecker showing happiness at the prospect of being home. Sarah felt the slightest bit envious of his optimism.

But her mind was clouded. With everything happening, the order, the uncertainty of Caleb being alive or not even though Hunter insisted he was dead; with everything that was going on, all Sarah could think of was the kiss. Sarah had tried reading Crosshair during the flight, being alone with him, but nothing worked. He had been dead silent all the time, only looking at Hunter on occasion. 

Sarah felt selfish thinking about it, but knowing that Crosshair had kissed her back sparked hope in her.

The ship landed on Tipoca City, and before Sarah stepped off from the Marauder, Hunter stopped her. They met eyes, mutually seeing the worry in each other’s gazes. The others exited the ship, leaving her and Hunter inside, alone in the silence.

“Stay close to me,” Hunter said.

Sarah slightly tilted her head, picking up on the main difference in Hunter’s request. He would always refer to things collectively when speaking about matters that concerned the team, and while Sarah would have thought he’d ask her to stay close to them, the detail jumped out that Hunter was telling her to stay close to him.

“But…” Sarah said. “None of the clones hurt me-”

He shook his head and took his hands to squeeze her shoulders. She could tell that Hunter tried to keep up his stoic, leader-like front, but his gaze betrayed him, and Sarah saw in his eyes that he would have begged her to listen to him had his throat not been a knot.

Sarah then nodded at him and let him take the lead. The two exited the ship with Sarah following closely behind Hunter, letting his broad figure shield her from the sight of the diverse squads of clone troopers. The ambience was unnerving; often, squads would march through the landing bays in formation, but there would be chatter, laughter, color in the troopers’ armors that were now monotonous and white with the exception of the squads of shock troopers that were, for some reason, all the way on Kamino. It was quiet. It was eerie.

It only got worse when Sarah and her squad saw a group of troopers carrying the covered body of a Jedi, who only dropped the lightsaber onto the floor before fully being carried off. Once again, Sarah felt that distinctive cold freeze her marks.

As they made their way to their barracks, Sarah remained shielded by her squad mates even though, by that point, it truly seemed like the clones didn’t consider her in their orders to execute the Jedi–it gave them all a selfish, bitter sense of relief, like they felt bad about being happy that Sarah wasn’t considered a Jedi, yet it was still morbid to associate happiness with any current event. Still, they remained around her the more they walked, and when they all arrived, everyone scattered to their corner of the large, dim-lit room, only lacking the usual banter that would decorate their silence.

Sighing, Sarah ran her hands down her face. Being next to her hammock caused a sudden wave of exhaustion to wash over her, and now, all she wanted to do was sleep. She questioned her capability to face the following few days, feeling they would be eternal–hell, she didn’t even know what else would happen. All she knew is that her body was demanding her some rest, something she felt she couldn’t give herself the luxury of. Some deep corner, the same one that drove her to Kamino with fives back in the day, needed to get to the bottom of everything, to get everything done.

She felt light steps approaching her, and she turned around to see Crosshair next to her, finally no longer wearing his helmet. He seemed blank and unamused, the way he always did, allowing some of the tension to leave Sarah’s body. She wanted to talk to him about the kiss, possibly do it again, not caring one bit that the others were there. She wanted to reach for his hand to take it, and just before she did, she saw Hunter walking up behind Crosshair, tearing the marksman’s attention from Sarah.

Instantly, the tension between the two thickened, and it wasn’t only because of Crosshair’s behavior back on Kaller.

“What?” Crosshair sneered at Hunter.

Hunter looked just as unamused. “You wanna tell us what the hell your problem is?”

Crosshair rolled his eyes and looked away from his eldest brother. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

“Well, then,” Hunter didn’t bother longer. He knew his brother all too well for that. Instead, Hunter rounded Crosshair and stepped between him and Sarah, shielding her from him too. 

Hunter spoke no more, his silence almost tangibly growing thicker; Sarah perched up to look at Crosshair over Hunter’s shoulder, who looked at her only briefly before turning away and returning to clean his rifle by his bunk. As Sarah watched Crosshair walking away, she couldn’t help feeling a splinter of resentment towards Hunter, who’d kept her and Crosshair from, possibly, talking about what had happened between them on Kaller.

Very briefly, Sarah wondered if that had been Hunter’s intention.

And when Hunter looked upon her again, she saw the pain she’d seen in him before, and she couldn’t bring herself to uphold his gaze for a longer period of time. He knew as much as she did that something was wrong with Crosshair, and even he seemed to be focusing more on whatever was going on between him and Sarah. She turned away from him and, for the sake of finding an excuse to not put up with any conversation, she began to lean her own rifle as well, eventually prompting Hunter to walk back to his own corner of the room, defeated by her, yet still clearly angry at Crosshair.

She cleaned her rifle, all but terrified at the lack of laughter and conversation, replaced by silent chatter, primarily between Tech and Echo. Not long after, Echo approached Sarah and gently held her shoulder. Sarah smiled at him and set her rifle down, happy to see Echo’s gentle approach to her, and it dawned on her that she hadn’t yet told him she’d kissed Crosshair. The sadness inside her spread; she’d hoped her first kiss with Crosshair would be a worthy piece of gossip she’d tell Echo about over drinks, and instead, it was anything but.

Echo’s gaze softened at her. “Tech and I have been talking…”

“About?”

He sighed. “He’s saying things about clones being programmed.”

Echo didn’t need to elaborate much more for Sarah to make sense of what he was saying, and her gaze drifted over to Crosshair. It wasn’t a surprise; she’d heard Rex and Fives talk about the clones’ engineering, even though to that day she didn’t fully comprehend how it worked. It was always a given that the clones were engineered to perform a certain way, and since she’d seen Tup first-hand when he killed Tiplar against his will, she’d never rule out the possibility that such engineering would make them do things of a larger scale.

Why Clone Force 99 hadn’t reacted the same way wasn’t much of a question either. They’d been enhanced and mutated, it only made sense for that engineering to be altered as well. However, the question as to why it had to be Crosshair who’d responded that way, it made Sarah want to curse everything, challenge the Force and the Gods as to why they were doing that to him–but she refused to go down that path.

“All personnel, please report to the central staging area for a briefing on the state of the Republic.”

Solemn looks of premonition were exchanged throughout the room. Tech and Wrecker were the first ones heading to the door, followed silently by Echo and Hunter. Sarah walked past Crosshair’s bunk and stopped in front of him, catching his gaze.

“Let’s go,” Sarah told him.

“You should stay here for this too,” Hunter’s voice came from across the barracks. “Palpatine will be the one giving the speech, and now I’m the one with the hunch.”

“But we can account for our fellow clone brothers not wanting to harm her,” Tech said. “Sarah has not been considered in the programming.”

“I still don’t want her to be present for that,” Hunter countered.

Sarah knew by that point that all Hunter wanted to do was protect her. Besides, it felt right to keep her hidden from Palpatine for the time being. As the Chancellor, he knew what was going on behind the Republic, and if the genocide was a result of programming, Sarah felt he must have been related to that. She thought back to the way Palpatine had been involved during Fives’ final days, and the very notion of the Chancellor didn’t sit well with her. If anything, she’d attempt to snipe him from afar if she had the chance.

Thus, Sarah nodded at Hunter, turning her focus to Crosshair as the others left the barracks. As he removed the toothpick from his mouth, Sarah walked up to him if only just to check on him. He was still glaring at the ground, and it took him a while before his gaze met hers. Sarah knew her eyes were pleading. She needed to hear something from him, anything at all, preferably anything not related to following orders.

She needed to hear Crosshair, her Crosshair.

Her hand made its way to one of his forearms and she gave it a gentle caress. Looking deeply into his eyes, Sarah could tell they were not empty. He wasn’t mindless, not like the programming had made Tup, or the rest of the clones, for that matter. She tried to hold on to that fact. Then, Crosshair’s arm shifted so that, to Sarah’s surprise, his fingers entwined ever so slightly with hers. That gesture, small as it was, gave her hope that it was, indeed, her Crosshair.

“Stay here,” he said so quietly it was almost a growl, jaw clenched as though he were fighting his most firm beliefs. “I’ll let you know when to come out.”

She nodded slowly at him, her throat about to burst with all the things she wanted to say to him. Before she could overcome her own silence, Crosshair let her hand go and headed towards the door, where Hunter was waiting outside with his back turned on them. Sarah’s gaze lingered on them for as long as possible until the door closed behind them, leaving her alone in the dim lighting of the barracks.

She stood there, eerily finding hidden meanings to the fact that Crosshair was just in front of her, and in the blink of an eye, he wasn’t any longer. Fortunately for Sarah, the permanent storms of Kamino were on her side, and the flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder brought her back to the real world. As she turned her body to face the barracks once more, she noticed Lula sitting on Wrecker’s bunk. Smiling, Sarah walked over to grab the plushie, and she took it with her to her hammock where she quickly began to doze off. The sounds of the rain engulfed her and, with everyone else in the assembly, it was abnormally quiet except for the sturm. Having grown up on Jedha with little to no rain, Sarah had learned to love the rain, and she felt at ease in it.

Despite her constant premonitions, Sarah fell asleep hugging the plushie to try and make herself feel better the way it had done on Kashyyyk. After a time she didn’t have any track of, Sarah woke up to the sound of her comm beeping. She felt relieved when she’d seen it was the first time they’d called–had she slept in and not answered multiple calls, her squad would have worried. She expected to hear Crosshair’s voice at the other end, but it was Tech who told her where they were. Sarah got up, left Lula on her hammock, and went to meet up with them on one of the large corridors of Tipoca City’s central facility, arriving just as they were discussing the Republic becoming the Empire. By that point, at least, they all felt it was safer for Sarah to walk around publicly, without the need to shield her from everyone.

Sarah walked next to Crosshair, who wasn’t wearing his helmet anymore as opposed to when they’d arrived at the facility, another detail that made Sarah feel hopeful. His narrow eyes lingered on her, paying close attention to her until she met his gaze.

“Did you fall asleep?” He asked her.

“I did for a while, almost right after you left,” Sarah smiled. “That hammock does wonders, truly.”

More silence lingered heavily among the squad, until Sarah’s curiosity forced her to break it again.

“How was the assembly?”

“Odd,” Tech replied. “Have you ever seen an entire hall of clone troopers cheer in unison at a completely unjustified transition of power right after a genocide?”

“No way that happened,” Sarah’s heart broke. “That’s just awful.”

“I’m merely glad none of us were among the cheering squad,” Echo leaned in to tell Sarah, his eyes pointing at Crosshair.

Once more, a wave of relief washed over Sarah. If this many signs of hope regarding Crosshair were presenting themselves, Sarah would welcome them all.

While walking, Hunter then stopped abruptly in his tracks. As Sarah asked him what was wrong, she noticed he was more confused than he was wary, giving her no reason to fear.

Hunter then turned around and smiled softly, curious and puzzled. “We’ve got company.”

The rest of his squad followed him in looking at the direction he faced, and behind them, they noticed a girl. She was short in height, reaching about the height of Sarah’s shoulder, with curly short hair black at the roots but turning blond near the edges. Her brown eyes were filled with wonder and curiosity; she wore the clothes of Kaminoan medical personnel, along with a Kaminoan headpiece resting on her forehead. Smiling brightly, the girl waved at them.

“Hello!” She was cheerful, and not at all bashful as Sarah would have expected. “I’m Omega! I was hoping you’d all be back by now!”

Everyone around the child exchanged looks, each with the same level of confusion.

“I am sorry,” Tech began. “It appears you know us, however, we do not know you. Am I correct?”

Omega smiled at them with a touch of melancholy. “Yeah. I’ve seen you all from afar for years now. I know you all perfectly well, and when I heard you were back for the end of the war, I had to see you.”

Omega’s eyes wandered around the group of clones, and when they fell on Sarah, it seemed Omega was relieved and surprised at the same time. “I’m happy to see you’re still with them.”

She means she’s happy you weren’t killed, Sarah thought to herself, but mentally scolded at such a thought. It was not difficult to tell Omega had nothing but purity in her heart.

“What are you doing here, kid?” Hunter asked her, smiling softly at the child as if it were his own. “Isn’t anyone looking for you?”

Omega giggled. “Oh, absolutely. I’m not supposed to be here right now, but I had to see you.”

“Omega!”

As soon as Sarah heard that voice, that deceptively serene female hum coming from an old demon, she felt the hairs on her arms standing on edge. She felt her presence as she approached, and any sweetness caused by Omega quickly faded within Sarah as she saw the tall Kaminoan, the one in charge of the med bay, the one who specialized in lying and having others suffer the consequences for her dishonesty.

“I told you to remain in the medical bay,” Nala Se spoke, obviously averting her gaze from Sarah.

“Is this child sick?” Tech asked. “I have not picked up any signs of illness.”

“She is my medical assistant, trooper,” Nala Se replied. “Unfortunately, she is far too curious and often wanders away from my watch.”

“Yeah, you’d hate that,” Sarah spat out, unbothered by the venom in her tone. It caught her teammates off guard, attracting their gazes over to her. 

But Sarah paid no mind to her squad at the current moment. She delighted in seeing Nala Se’s features become rugged as she reflected her mutual disgust towards her. Oh, Nala Se remembered Sarah too well. She remembered how she and Fives had made sure to make her miserable for lying.

“Why is this one here if she is not even a clone?” Nala Se spoke with anger in her features, but her voice remained as serene as she could manage it.

Hunter’s hand traveled to Sarah’s shoulder and squeezed it, though Sarah didn’t know if it was to keep her from leaping onto Nala Se and beating her like she deserved–and Fives would probably be proud of Sarah needing another trooper to stop her–or if it was a gesture of support. Knowing Hunter, Sarah realized it was both.

“She’s a part of this squad,” Hunter spoke calmly.

“Whether you like it or not,” Sarah, in turn, kept her venom in her voice, not caring about owing Nala Se even an ounce of kindness, or even formality. She became undeserving of it the moment her first lie steered and sealed Fives’ fate.

Instead, Nala Se scoffed so slightly it was nearly unnoticeable, and she led her hand to rest on Omega’s back. “Come along. We have work to do.”

Sarah looked down at the girl, whose big eyes displayed sympathy. she would have expected Omega to look at her with any emotion but that, seeing as how she was directly confronting her mentor. Even so, Omega turned around and followed Nala Se, giving the squad a cute wave goodbye before disappearing behind the wall of the next corridor.

With the air still tense, Sarah was the first one to walk in the opposite directin. By the time they all got to the mess hall, she felt like she was on auto pilot. She grabbed a tray, grabbed her food–at least the soup looked yummy and comforting, which she needed–and she made her way to their usual table, which was deserted except for her squad, just as it always was. She sat at the edge in front of Crosshair, and Echo took the spot next to her. Sarah began picking at the ration bar, her mind clearly elsewhere, when she then felt Echo’s steady gaze on her.

“You want to tell me what that was all about?” He asked her softly.

Sarah felt the tension building up in her again. Lowly, her voice formed a grumble in her chest. “It was about Fives.”

“What does Nala Se have to do with him?”

She finally snapped, slamming her hands flat on the table. “If she hadn’t been such a damned liar, Fives would still be alive!”

Realizing that had come out way louder and angrier than she had expected, Sarah noticed that everyone at her table, and even many troopers in the other tables, were staring at her. Her outburst had been so strong that even Crosshair looked worried for her in his state. But she instantly regretted raising her voice at Echo, and with a loud sigh, Sarah hugged him.

“I’m sorry,” she told him, and Echo, one of the kindest souls of the universe, instantly hugged her back like the best friend he’d always been to her.

“Hey,” he comforted her. “I miss him too.”

Her lips trembled, but she forced the tears inside. She let go of Echo and wore the best, toughest exterior she could manage, and she handed him her pack of crackers. “Let’s just eat. Here, have these. I know you like them.”

Echo chuckled and hugged her from the side using his left arm, until he realized he couldn’t eat without it and let go of her. In the meantime, Tech and Wrecker seemed to be arguing about the whole issue of clones being programmed, as Wrecker insisted he couldn’t have been programmed by anyone to do anything–and he seemed quite heated by it.

"Wrecker, that wasn't an insult," Tech spoke.

"Look, Tech, here a hypothesis for you: If I like to blow things up, then it is simply because I–" he slammed the table, "--LIKE TO BLOW THINKS UP! GOT IT?"

Sarah mentally sighed, knowing the clones around the mess hall must be loving them right now, what with yet another raised voice coming from their table.

However, Tech seemed pleased. “Bravo, Wrecker! You have used the appropriate formatting of a hypothesis!”

“Of course I did, dikut, you use them all the time,” Wrecker rolled his eyes and took a large bite out of his ration bar.

Sarah couldn’t help but laugh that time, and it was a rather open laugh at that. She knew she should have stopped; too much racket had come from that table already, so she made an effort to quiet down. As she did, she looked at Tech, and she noticed he was smiling softly and nodding at Wrecker, who gave him a thumbs up, pleased to hear Sarah laughing again.

She felt touched at how much those two cared for her. But the charm was cut by Hunter arriving at the table, sitting down with the look of a heavy heart. “It looks like an imperial’s been sent to evaluate the clones. All of us.”

“Do we know who it is?” Sarah asked Hunter.

“Does it matter?” Echo said. “I can’t imagine they’ll be much different from one another.”

Sarah shrugged, knowing he had a point. If the Empire is evaluating the clones, it would only be because they wanted to get rid of a large number of them. She could imagine why that would be such a cause for worry. But then, even that train of thought was interrupted when the small Omega arrived at their table and took a seat with her tray. Sarah had to hold in a laugh at how gigantic the bowl of soup looked beside her, which in turn, reminded her to begin eating her own soup before it got cold. However, while she delighted in her soup, the rest of her teammates gave Omega a weird-bug look.

“Um…” Omega said, doubtful. “Hi!”

Hunter sighed, releasing his tension with a groan. “Kid… Why are you following us?”

“I just want to be around you,” Omega said. “I’ve been waiting ages for you guys to return.”

“Yeah, but why us?” Hunter continued to question. “Don’t you have a family here?”

Omega’s eyes widened, gleaming with nostalgia, with longing. The look in her eyes tore Sarah’s attention from anything else in the present moment, forcing her to focus on the young girl, barely able to keep herself from voicing her thoughts. 

You are my family.

“Alright, defect squad’s got a new recruit!”

A group of troopers from an adjacent table, about four of them who looked to be shinies, fresh off the line and inexperienced, were sneering over at the direction of the batch. Things had gotten better for them over the years, what with the war making mature men out of its soldiers, but clone Force 99 always had some trouble being well-received by the younger troopers who didn’t take kindly to any special treatment they received.

“You might want to take your pick with any other squad, kid,” one of the troopers said. “You can only get so far with a group of defectives and their pet.”

“Alright,” Hunter stood up, only for Sarah to reach across the table to stop him.

“We are enhanced

While the shinies rolled their eyes at Tech, Sarah gave Hunter’s wrist a tug, drawing his attention to her, seeming baffled yet comforted by her touch.

“They’re not worth it,” Sarah said. “Let’s just ignore them, alright?”

Unfortunately, by the time Hunter had calmed down, Omega was already throwing her wrap at the trooper who had begun talking crap at the batch. 

“Apologize to them!” Omega cried, not sounding overly angry, but definitely not heavenly as she usually did.

Wide eyes stared at the young girl. The trooper looked like he was about to retaliate, but before he could, Wrecker had launched an entire tray at him.

“Pick on someone your own size!”

“Okay, stop–” Before Sarah could finish her sentence, hell broke loose. Hunter threw a punch at one of the troopers who had yelled an insult at Sarah, and subsequently, Tech joined in too. Echo groaned, running his palm over his face in displeasure as joining in the fight seemed inevitable.

“Not again,” he grumbled.

Sarah sighed. “We’re a team, and as far as I’m concerned, you’re the ARC trooper. You’re the last person to back down from a fight.”

Sarah noticed a random trooper charging at her and echo, who she deflected and proceeded to smear the filling of her wrap all over his face, shoving him away. She noticed Crosshair had been sitting out too, finding it hard to believe he’d back down when usually he was the one beside Wrecker picking fights and pushing people to their edge. It brought Sarah’s sense of premonition back to her, until she noticed Echo had been pushed onto the table, knocking over her and Crosshair’s remaining plates, smearing food all over her outfit.

As Sarah gasped, she heard some of the troopers laughing at her, teasing her for being there whilst not even being a clone, and next thing she knew, a tray flew past her, hitting one of the troopers and bouncing onto another, knocking them both to the ground. It was all happening so fast that Sarah couldn’t even keep track of it all, and next thing she knew, Crosshair was tugging at her wrist, trying to get her out of there.

“Come on,” he slurred, puffing his chest out and appearing as menacing as he could to keep anyone from approaching them.

Sarah absently walked along with him, but on the corner of her eye, she noticed Echo on the ground looking up at someplace with attention, until a trooper took advantage of him and charged at Echo to hit his head with a tray, and Echo’s body fell limply. Sarah struggled against Crosshair’s grip, slipping from him and running towards Echo to check on him.

And she felt herself filling with rage at the sight of Echo unconscious in her arms. With her eyes blazing, she looked up at the trooper as though she were ready to rip him apart.

“You knocked him out?!” Somehow, Sarah’s voice boomed above the rest of the yelling, making multiple troopers look at her. In her anger, Sarah leapt at the trooper and tackled him, pinning him to the ground before landing multiple punches of him. Two pairs of arms belonging to Hunter and Crosshair had to pull her away from the trooper if only to keep her from leaving him unconscious too.

“Let me go!” Sarah yelled, kicking and screaming like an animal. “He knocked Echo unconscious! Let me go!”

“Sarah!” Hunter yelled, but he couldn’t get her to stop. It was Crosshair, the man who always observed everything silently from afar, who knew how to get to her in the end. Firmly, Crosshair held Sarah’s jaw, but his grip gradually softened, and his eyes looked deeply into Sarah’s.

“Are you done?” He asked her bluntly, finally getting Sarah to quiet down.

“Tech,” Hunter said. “Get Echo to the med bay.”

Sarah looked into Crosshair’s eyes, and it wasn’t until she saw his gaze soften that she decided not to fight anymore. Sarah squirmed out of the grip of her teammates’ strong arms and walked back to Echo, reaching him before Tech did. She struggled, but managed to pick him up and carry him out of the mess hall, and not a single pair of eyes wasn’t on her. As she walked, she felt the energy surge from earlier begin to die down, and Echo’s body began feeling heavier with every step.

*

They’d caught up to her on the way. Seeing how angry she’d gotten twice that day, Tech insisted he take Echo to the med bay while the rest of them had Sarah go back to the barracks to blow off steam. She managed to stay in the barracks until it simply became too much, and then she opened the door onto the hall, where they were all waiting for her, or rather, guarding the door.

“I’ve had my time out,” Sarah said with a groan to her voice. “Now can I see Echo?”

Everyone exchanged difficult looks, until finally, Hunter gave her a sad sigh.

“You’d have to go to the med bay,” he said.

“Yeah…” Wrecker added. “You may wanna stay here. You might get bad memories if you go there.”

“Or try to rip Nala Se’s throat out,” Crosshair grinned, visibly proud of Sarah.

“Either way, I have to go,” Sarah said. “I’ll be fine. Echo’s more important to me right now.”

“Are you sure?” Hunter asked her one last time.

She nodded at him and soon, at the edge of the corridor, she saw Tech approaching all by himself.

“Where’s Echo?” She asked.

“Still in the med bay,” Tech answered. “They have to run more tests on him before he can leave, and plus, he is still unconscious.”

Sarah sighed, clenching her jaw in an effort to keep her composure. “You shouldn’t have left him alone. If he wakes up, his PTSD is going to act up.”

“He’s not alone,” Tech’s hands rested on Sarah’s shoulders. “Omega insisted in staying with him.”

“Well,” she shrugged. “It’s something.”

“Do you not trust her?” Tech questioned. “I find her unlikely to cause anyone harm.”

“I trust Omega,” Sarah replied. “It’s her mentor I better not catch anywhere near Echo, or any of you, for that matter.”

Leading the way, Sarah began to head towards the medical wing. It didn’t take them long to get there, but none of them would be allowed inside to see Echo immediately. The medical droids said it wouldn’t be too long, though, so the squadron remained waiting nearby until he was ready. Sarah noticed Crosshair leaning on one of the walls, placing a toothpick between his teeth, grimacing slightly. She made sure to catch his gaze, and when he looked at her, Sarah made her way over to one of the offices next to the room Echo was in.

The office was empty, quiet, and dimly lit. Crosshair didn’t delay in following Sarah inside, where the two remained in silence, but Crosshair’s gaze on Sarah was soft. She mirrored that softness and walked up to him, hoping he would feel safe enough in her presence to talk, and she couldn’t help but be grateful she was finally alone with him.

“How do you feel?” She asked him.

“Normal,” replied Crosshair.

Slowly, Sarah shook her head. “Don’t say normal, you aren’t acting normal.”

Crosshair glanced over to his side as though to avoid Sarah, and she feared for a moment that he was, even if for the past couple of hours he’d been acting more normally then he did on Kaller. But Sarah had to know, and it was killing her that everything was lining up just so that she couldn’t know what he was thinking.

“Do you remember what happened on Kaller?” She asked him in a hushed voice, not sure if she meant him responding to Order 66, or the kiss.

But Crosshair’s gaze snapped to meet hers, his narrow, strained gaze softening just a bit more, and Sarah then knew which part he was remembering.

“Of course I do,” Crosshair said.

Sarah nodded gently. She didn’t know what else to say, all she knew was that the heating of her cheeks at Crosshair being aware of the kiss was all too familiar. Sarah looked him in the eyes, and he responded–if there was anything she loved about the relationship she had with him, it was the way they could communicate without even having to talk. She trusted her instincts, and just as she was about to reach her hand to remove the toothpick and free his lips, readying them for hers, Tech appeared at the door, looking awkwardly at them.

Tech cleared his throat. “We can see Echo now.”

Sarah doubted Tech even saw her nodding at him from how quickly and awkwardly he had left, as quickly as he had appeared. Sarah looked down, not yet daring to look Crosshair in the eyes, and just as she began to walk past him, Crosshair grabbed her wrist and stopped her. His touch was firm, but it was not abrasive, it was not possessive or harsh. It was merely letting her know how much he wanted her there. After that, Sarah’s eyes met Crosshair’s again, but she heard Echo struggling in the other room, breaking all of her attention.

While Crosshair would usually seem unbothered, he had a note of pain to his gaze as he gave Sarah’s arm a squeeze.

“Go,” Crosshair said. “He needs you.”

Sarah knew Crosshair was right, she knew she should be in there with Echo. She walked away when Crosshair released her wrist, but she made sure that her hand would brush his. She figured that, with the war being over, she would have time to see to her feelings for Crosshair sometime later. Now that the two were on the same page, Sarah figured little could go wrong, so she focused on Echo, rushing over to him as she crossed the door to the room with Crosshair following not too far behind her.

Sarah grasped his hand and his shoulder, gently giving Echo a shake and shushing him to calm his nerves.

“It’s okay,” Sarah said. “It’s us.”

Echo seemed to relax but appeared slightly confused; Sarah assumed it was because Omega had been with him. Finally, Echo let out a deep sigh and allowed himself to return to the present moment, giving Sarah’s hand a squeeze.

“I’m fine,” he said. “Really.”

Sarah nodded at him and exhaled in relief too, and she then looked down at Omega’s curious eyes that radiated a happiness and comfort that expanded onto Sarah, causing her to smile at the young girl.

“Thank you for being here with him,” Sarah told her.

Omega smiled brightly in return. “No problem.”

As the rest of the team arrived and surrounded Echo’s bed, with Crosshair standing at Sarah’s right, a small droid hovered over to them. Its big round eyes and small speaker, its curvy body, they resonated within Sarah’s mind and made her heart squeeze with grief. 

“AZI!” She exclaimed, knowing in her heart it was the same unit. She could have sworn he would have been dismantled, given what he found out alongside Fives, all the support he’d given him.

But the little droid looked at Sarah too, tilting its head as if it were a cub, unresponsive to Sarah’s emotion. “Can I help you with something? Are you this trooper’s general?”

And Sarah’s heart broke. AZI hadn’t been dismantled, but his memory had been wiped. He had no memory of her, much less of Fives or anything that he may have discovered.

Sarah shook her head, pushing the feeling aside. Loss wasn’t new to her anyway. “How is he?”

“CT-1409 is in stable condition,” the droid replied. “He will be able to proceed with his tests.”

“Tests?” Sarah asked. “I thought you’d already run all the necessary tests on him.”

“The droid is referring to the tests we have to undergo before Imperial command,” Tech said. “It is what the imperial is here for, to evaluate us.”

“Yeah, and speaking of which,” Echo began, his grumpy attitude returning. “I know who it is. It’s Tarkin.”

“Fuck,” Sarah said a little too loudly for a medical bay. “Tarkin? Are you sure?”

“I saw him with my own eyes,” Echo said, though a faint gleam of mischief appeared in his gaze. “Yeah, he never liked us. Remember?”

Sarah chuckled as her mind was sent into reminiscing. It was bittersweet to remember the Citadel rescue, but she found herself smiling nonetheless. “You mean, do I remember how it was Fives’ idea to casually knock him over with the excuse of needing an exact angle to accurately shoot droids?”

Echo and Sarah laughed softly at the memory of Fives’ little smirk just before he donned his helmet and went over to shove Tarkin out of the way, having made him flop on his bottom on the ground. But even then, Sarah and Echo’s laughter died down.

“Anyways,” Tech cut in when he deemed appropriate, just as a group of shock troopers entered the medical bay. “It appears we have to be en route to our evaluation too.”

Hunter sighed. “Let’s get it over with.”

Sarah and Tech helped Echo up from the bed and the squad followed Hunter over to the doorway, where the shock troopers seemed to want to escort them out, but stopped Sarah from moving.

“This evaluation is for clones only,” said their captain. “You are to remain with Governor Tarkin in their stead.”

Sarah felt a pang in her chest, and Hunter took notice of her change in mood and walked over to her defensively. “She stays with us.”

“Do not make me repeat myself, trooper.”

Sarah and Hunter exchanged a worried look–it pained Sarah to have to separate from her squad. She knew all too well what splitting up on Kamino could do. But Sarah knew it was unwise, even dangerous, to not follow these troopers’ command, and with a gulp, she tried her best to appear calm.

“I’ll be overlooking the evaluation,” she told Hunter. “We won’t be out of sight.”

“Are you sure?” Hunter asked her, letting her know he’d be willing to fight every single one of those shock troopers if only it meant Sarah’s tranquility.

But she nodded at him. “Go.”

At that moment, the little Omega ran up to them as the troopers escorted the remainder of Clone Force 99 outside. As Omega tried to persuade Hunter to let her go with them, Sarah’s gaze wandered over to Crosshair, who briefly looked at her over his shoulder as he walked away from her.

“Then let me stay with her,” Omega said after she’d been defeated by Hunter’s argument. “She won’t be in the battle simulation, so I could stay with her, right?”

Sarah knew by Hunter’s expression that he didn’t want Omega to come, and Sarah knew she’d already put Hunter through enough bitterness that day with everything happening with Crosshair. She wasn’t in the mood to let him down another time.

And the truth was, she wasn’t sure keeping Omega around, at least for the time being, was a wise idea.

“I don’t trust Tarkin, Omega,” Sarah said. “I think it’s best if you stay here in the meantime.”

Omega’s hopeful eyes saddened, breaking Sarah’s heart all over again. Ultimately, Hunter led her out of the med bay, and they were stopped by a single shock trooper who wanted to escort Sarah over to where she’d watch the simulation from. With a wary look, Hunter joined the others, clearly apprehensive at the thought of leaving Sarah alone under these circumstances. Sarah tried her best to be convincing when she nodded at Hunter before disappearing over the corridor, but she barely felt confident that everything would be alright eventually at that point.

She was taken to a platform overlooking the training facility, where Lama Su and Tarkin were already waiting. Sarah instantly felt apprehensive at the sight of both of them–she couldn’t help but notice Tarkin had aged terribly. But age hadn’t made him any kinder, and he still looked like the vile serpent that he was.

“It has been a long time,” Tarkin greeted Sarah. “I must say, I am surprised to see you still involved with the clones.”

“Well, we must not forget I never was a Jedi, nor will I be,” Sarah brought up the order purposefully. She wanted Tarkin to know he wouldn’t be messing with her.

“Indeed,” Tarkin said as Sarah finally reached him and Lama Su. “I am pleased to see you still fighting for the right side.”

Sarah smiled with deceptive kindness. “I’ll always fight for the right side.”

Unamused, Tarkin returned his sight to the simulation that had just begun, and as the troopers took their positions, Sarah couldn’t remove her gaze from Crosshair. All the time, she’d fought alongside him, but she’d never truly appreciated him during battle. He was incredible, even beautiful. Agile and smart, cunning, precise. Sarah felt her heart squeeze as she saw him climbing on a tower to snipe from there, feeling both love and worry, even if this was just a simulation. What she wouldn’t have given to hold him in her arms that very moment.

“What can you tell me about them?” Tarkin interrupted her thoughts.

Sarah looked over at him. “Well, I don’t wish to bore you by repeating anything the prime minister has already told you.”

“I have the prime minister’s perspective as the head of this facility, but I want your perspective as a soldier who has fought alongside them,” Tarkin said.

Sarah looked back at the simulation. “Wrecker’s strength is not a joke. I’ve seen him lift entire gunships. Anything that requires strength, he can do it. Tech’s mind works faster than the most advanced computer in this facility, he can engineer anything from scratch and have it working in a matter of days. Echo is experienced, more than the others. His battle tactics used in the right hands will win any battle. Hunter is an extraordinary leader, his senses prove a strength more often than they are a weakness and he’ll have insights no other squad will. And Crosshair, you’ll never find a finer marksman than him.”

Tarkin delayed in his response. “You always did seem fond of clone troopers. But they are not impressing me the way you have described them.” 

“Well, with due respect, they won’t perform in all their glory in a simulation,” Sarah said. “They’ll truly shine in actual battle.”

“So I hypothesize,” Tarkin said as he turned to Lama Su. “Switch to live fire.”

Sarah managed to hide her leap of indignance, while Lama su was clear in his distaste for Tarkin’s proposal.

“I am afraid I cannot allow that,” Lama Su said. “My clones could be damaged, as well as my facility.”

Sarah couldn’t help but frown at Lama Su, and she’d never found it more difficult to keep a remark unsaid. They were not his clones.

“Do it,” Tarkin ordered. 

At Lama Su’s order, the batch were faced with a bigger challenge and were proven overpowered, instantly struggling against the droids they were put against. Sarah wasn’t able to keep her emotions in when she noticed one of the droids shooting at Crosshair up on his tower; she gasped at the sight, more than obviously worried particularly for him, and sighed in relief when he managed to get away.

She didn’t ignore the fact that Tarkin had noticed her reaction.

Eventually, her boys prevailed. The simulation had ended after Crosshair pulled a trickshot on the final droid, shooting Wrecker’s knife into the droid’s head, ending it swiftly. By then, Crosshair was the antidote to Sarah’s scarce abilities to hide her emotions, and she smiled widely at the sight.

That’s my Crosshair.

As the boys regrouped down at the training grounds, Tarkin warily looked at Sarah before watching them too.

“Impressive, I will not lie,” Tarkin said. “But you feel that way already.”

“I do,” Sarah said, proud of her boys. “They’re a fine squadron.”

“Yes, though I believe it would be best to see them in action in a real mission, would you not agree? You did say they perform far better in battle rather than simulations.”

Sarah couldn’t help but feel she’d walked into a trap, and her marks instantly began to burn with warning.

“They must have plenty of records around this facility,” she said. Sarah didn’t trust Tarkin to not send her and her squad to do his dirty work.

“Ah, but you see, I like to keep my data up to date,” Tarkin told her. “Now, regroup with your squadron. I will be with you to brief you on this mission shortly.”

She tried, and failed, to hide her disgust. Sarah didn’t even bother saluting Tarkin in military custom, and she could care less about the prime minister. She walked out of the platform, eager to regroup with her squad. 

She couldn’t stand being with Tarkin one more second. It was proving impossible for her to shake the feeling that whatever he had planned would be awful, whatever it was, and she felt in her marks that somehow, his presence sealed her squadron’s fate.

Walking faster, she felt the urge to find Crosshair immediately beginning to crush her.

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[dreamifics]

Love and Monsters

Steve Harrington x Reader!Henderson

Oneshot

Y/N Henderson's life was not like any other normal teenager's life, on a very young age her only friends was her brother, Dustin and his friends.. She was not popular in highschool, but she was not a nobody neither.. Y/N was just invisible, lost in the sea of students.. She was almost through highschool though, one day her life was turned upside down, literally and figuratively.. It's been months since the 'thing' happend, but she was still shaken up.

Y/N was laying in bed, My Generation blasting from her stereo.. She was home alone, her mother was out with some friends, her brother was hanging out with 'King Steve'.. Ever since Steve helped them about Dart, she grew closer to Steve but their short lived friendship ended when Dustin left for camp and Steve worked on their family business while she was stuck preparing herself for college.. Y/N misses Steve, his unfunny jokes and oh god--his laugh..

A loud knock startled her, she shot up from her bed, memories of what happend was flashing back to her.. Despite what she tells her friend, she was not okay.. She almost died twice and that opened up trauma's and issues within herself..

Another loud knock startled her, Y/N shakes her head and just ran to the door.. Reaching their front door, her icy hands made contact with the cold steel knob..

It revealed a disheveled Dustin and Steve, she could tell that there were excitement dripping all over them.. Steve was still wearing his sailor work uniform, he looked cute to Y/N but she once threw that thought in the back of her mind..

"What's up?" She questioned the two.

Dustin just smiled and pushed pass her, while Steve was reluctant to go in.. Steve avoided Y/N for almost the whole summer because of the daunting realization that he was catching feelings for her and that scared him.. Y/N was the kind of girl that likes to watch nerdy movies, spend hours playing games with a bunch of kids and save the world two times.. However, Steve was scared, he was still stuck in the unjustified rules of highschool and popularity. . He still wanted to be 'King Steve', but he also wanted to be Y/N's..

"Nice outfit, sailor boy.." Y/N winked and laughs at Steve, he just shakes his head and went inside their house..

Steve made his way to Dustin's room with Y/N right behind him, but before reaching Dustin's room, he passed Y/N's room.. He unconsciously stopped as he looks around, observing every corner of her room.

There were posters plastered all over her walls, books were all around her room in her bed, shelves and even floors.. In the other side she had a small collection of music that made Steve smile.. Because they had the exact same taste, she is the perfect girl.

"If you want to go in, you're free to wander around my room, anytime.."

Steve turned around to face Y/N, he misses her.. How Y/N sarcastic remarks leave her sweet lips or how she rolls her eyes whenever she see something stupid.

"I might just take you up on that.."

"Hm-mm.. You didn't even talk to me when Dustin left, you broke my heart, Steviee.." She jokes, but it sounded a little bitter.

Y/N did get hurt, Steve stopped talking to her when Dustin left, it seems like Steve didn't really like her as much as she thinks he did. Y/N was bored and got stuck just studying and sometimes hanging out with the party.. It was fun but she was looking forward to hanging out with Steve.

"I'm sorry about that, I didn't want to see my old friends hanging out with someone like yo---" Steve stopped his sentence, he didn't mean that.. His mind was a mess, he said those things because he didn't want Y/N finding out his stupid feelings

"Right..Yeah, I get it.."

"Y/N that's not what I me--"

"Cause King Steve shouldn't be hanging out with people like me?Gotcha.."

Steve didn't even had the time to reply, he was met with Y/N's slamming door.. He didn't mean that.. Steve loved hanging out with Y/N, he want to give her something special.. Steve wanted something more from Y/N.. He knew exactly what and he didn't need a reason why but Steve wanted to give Y/N something more..

Y/N was hurt, she didn't know why but Steve words brought devastation to her.. She felt disappointed and upset, Y/N was expecting something special.. She didn't know what or why but she was expecting something more from Steve.

Y/N was dropping off Dustin to the mall where Steve was working, her lips were in a unsual frown.. Y/N wasn't usally like this, she was having a bad week, Steve just hurt her feelings and she was taking it much harder, it was very unsual.. The two Henderson was making their way to the Scoops Ahoy shop, Dustin was rambling about a message he picked up while contacting his girlfriend.

"Are you listening?" Her brother asked as they reach the store.

"Yepp, you should go in now.."

"Y/N, this could be a good thing!"

"I know..If you need my help, you can find me in the food court.."

"Y/N.."

"Yeah, Dus?"

"Are you okay?"

Y/N's mind went blank, she hated lying to her brother but she didn't want to worry anyone.  She laughs and messed Dustin's hair.

"Of course.. Now go, you know where to find me.." With that she left..

Y/N was not okay, the last time she slept was a month ago.. Nightmares kept crawling back to her, she was growing more paranoid by the day.. She was not okay, but she couldn't tell anyone that.. Everyone else is okay, even Wil who had it more rough than her. And to top that up, she was broken hearted by Steve's rejection of their friendship.. Y/N just massaged the bridge of her nose, when will she be fine?

Dustin and Steve was in the corner of the mall with binoculars in their eyes, Steve saw Y/N.. Sitting alone in the corner, a walkman in her ears and a book in hand.. Y/N was mouthing the word as her eyes read every word on that book and Steve couldn't help but feel all giddy and guilty inside.

"You see anything?" Dustin snapped Steve back to their current task.

"Uh, I guess I don't totally know what I'm looking for.'' Steve answered honestly, Y/N distracted him again.

"Evil Russians."

"Yeah, exactly. I don't know what an evil Russian looks like."

"All blond, not smiling."

"Mm-hmm?" Steve's eyes didn't looked for any Russians, his eyes drifted to Y/N spot but she was gone.. Where did she go? He couldn't help but worry, was she talking to someone else?

"Also, look for earpieces, camo, duffel bags, that sort of thing." Dustin added.

"Right, okay, duffel bags." Steve darts his eyes away from Y/N seat but it only fell on a girl he asked out earlier.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me." Steve mutters.

"What?" Dustin questioned.

"Anna Jacobi's talking with that meathead Mark Lewinsky."

"If you're not gonna focus, just gimme the binoculars."

Dustin got annoyed by his distracted partner, he should have brought his sister along.. But he knew that Y/N was not okay, she seemed distant and lost in her own mind.. Always spacing out and Dustin can hear her cries from his room, it killed him to see her loving and hyper sister transform into a walking corpse.

"Aw, Jesus Christ, whatever happened to standards?"

"I mean, Lewinsky never even came off the bench." Steve rambled on, annoying Dustin.

"Dude, you are the worst spy in history, you know that?"

The two fought for the binoculars, but they just looked stupid.. Dustin initially gave up and gave the binoculars to Steve.

"I don't get why you're looking at girls. You have the perfect one in front of you."

"Seriously, if you say Robin again..." Steve closes his eyes waiting for Robin's name to come up but it never did.

"No, Y/N.. My sister.."

Steve's heart clenched at the mention of her name, he wants Y/N too.. What can he do? Y/N hates his ass now, he was a jerk and he didn't deserve Y/N.

"No, man, she's not my type." Steve answered while he diverts his eyes away from Dustin.

"I saw you staring at her closed door for about 5 minutes."

Steve eyes grew wide at the realization that Dustin was watching the whole time.. Dustin just shakes his head, if he was asked he'd say that her sister felt the same way..

"She's not even... in the ballpark of what my type is, all right?"

"What's your type again? Not awesome?"

"Thank you."

"Hm."

"For you information, your sister is too sarcastic, she's too nerdy for me.."

"Also, she's too...boyish.."

Beautiful, that's what he wanted to say..

"Dude, that's my sister you're talking about, and besides she's not like that.. She's nerdy but so what? Y/N's also not boyish, she's just secured with her masculinity.."

Dustin's word echoed throughout Steve's system, he already knew that.. But somehow hearing it from another person's perspective made him like you more.

"Y/N's just not my type.." He lied..

Y/N was everything he ever wanted in a girl.

"Thanks for the clarification, Harrington." A voice surprised the two.

Y/N was standing behind them, her arms crossed..  Steve's eyes widen in surprise, did she hear everything? He didn't mean that, what did he mean?

"I didn't mean t--"

"Dustin, if you told me you'll stalk people in malls, I should've brought you to a psychiatrist.." Y/N ignored Steve and just focused on her brother.. Y/N would be lying if she haven't felt more hurt by the words Steve dropped.. She had been listening since the talk about girls came up, Y/N spotted the two doing eccentric things and she decided to eavesdrop.

"No, it's called spying.." Dustin rolled his eyes at her sister remarks while Steve was still frozen..

"What's the difference?" Y/N asked, her eyes still focused on he brother..

"It's just different, okay? Were looking for the--" Dustin stopped and looks around to see if anybody was near..

"Russians?" Y/N continued in a loud tone.

"Shh!" Both Steve and her brother shushed her. Y/N was surpised, she glares at the two and moved closer to them.

"Fine, can I tag along? I'm bored and it'll be nice to be a national hero."

The two looked at each other, Steve was nervous.. Y/N obviously didn't want him around, but this could be a chance for him to apologize to Y/N.

"Sure, you can help us look for russians with dufflebags and camo." Dustin pulled her sister to his side.

"That's kinda racis--"

"No, it's not!" Dustin cuts her sister off making Y/N laugh..

"Whatever you say Dus.."

And that's how she ended up inside a theater with two kids and two drugged teenagere.. Y/N's breathing was heavy, they were captured by Russians just moments ago.. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins, she thought this town was finally normal again, but turns out she was wrong.. Very very wrong..

They needed to get out of this hellish mall, Y/N need to find out if there's still russians lurking out, looking for them.

"The two of you need to stay here and take care of them." Y/N instructs to her brother, she pointed at a floopy Steve and Robin.

"Wait--Where are you going?!" Dustin stopped her by pulling her arm.

"I'm going to see if those fuckers are still looking for us.."

"No, we'll come with you.."

"Dustin, you need to stay here and keep a low profile.."

"Y/N don't be a hero.."

"Hey, Dipshit!I'm not trying to be a hero, what I'm doing is protecting you guys because our two friends are drugged and beaten while we brought a little kid into our mess!And I will do everything to keep you all safe, even if that means I get hurt or killed!"

Dustin knew that there's no talking Y/N out of this, her sister was right.. Taking a deep breath, he just nods and hugs her sister..

"Just please, stay safe.." Dustin was in the verge of tears but Y/N held him tight in her arms.. Dustin pulled back, Y/N gave her brother a comforting smile, she rubbed his cheeks and pat his head.

"I'll be okay, I'm a Henderson for god's sake.."

Dustin laughs as tears stroll in his face, she kissed his forehead and walked away, trying not to attract attention.. Taking a deep breath she left the theater, she'll do whatever it takes to keep her brother and her friends.. Y/N's mind flew to Steve, she was pissed off but she was not sure anymore.. The way he saved them and got beat up for them, she couldn't find a reason to be mad at him, all she can think about is his childlish look and how hot he is in his sailor uniform. Y/N just shakes those thoughts away and tried to focus on her task..

Russians..

Steve and Robin were throwing up in a seperate cubicles, they were getting the drugs out of their system.. Retching and puking can be heard all through out the theater bathroom, Steve groans and flushes the toilet.

"The ceiling stopped spinning for me. Is it still spinning for you?" Robin's voice can be heard from the other cubicle.

"Holy shit. No. You think we puked it all up?" Steve rested his back to the mini wall inside the cubicle..

"Maybe. Ask me something.."

"Interrogate me." Robin said in a mocking russian accent.

"Okay. Interrogate you. Sure. Um... When was the last time you, uh, peed your pants?"

"Today."

"What?"

"When the Russian doctor took out the bone saw."

"Oh... All right, my turn."

"Okay. Hit me."

"Have you... ever been in love?"

"Yep. Nancy Wheeler. First semester, senior year." Steve imitates a gunshot.

"Are you still in love with Nancy?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I found someone else, she's a little bit better for me.It's crazy. Ever since Dustin got home, he's been saying, 'You know, you gotta find your Suzie. You gotta find your Suzie.' "

"Wait, who's Suzie?"

"It's some girl from camp, I guess his girlfriend. To be honest with you, I'm not 100% sure she's even real."

" But that's not- that's not really the point. That doesn't matter. The point is, this girl, you know, the one that I like, it's somebody that I... didn't even talk to in school. And I don't even know why."

"Maybe 'cause Tommy H. would've made fun of me or... I wouldn't be... prom king. It's stupid. I mean, Dustin's right, it's all just a bunch of bullshit anyways. Because, when I think about it, I should've been hanging out with this girl the whole time."

"First of all, she hates me now because of a stupid thing I said but when we hanged out, we were bonding and shit.. She was perfect for me, she's nerdy, hangs out with kids too much.. She likes the same things I like, her brother is my bestfriend.. Sometimes I wonder if she's real, because she's too perfect."

"Wait--You like Y/N?"

"Yeah, ever since last year.. I like her so damn much, I can't even believe that I said to her that I shouldn't be hanging out with someone like her."

"YOU SAID THAT?" Robin's voice boomed out all over the bathroom, Steve just sighs and slids out of the cubicle..

"Unfortunately, yes.."

Steve slid in to Robins cubicle, she was glaring at him.

"If you ask me, Y/N doesn't deserve someone like me.. She--She's too nice to be caught up in my miserable life.. And besides she would never like me.."

"I think you're still high.."

"No, I'm not.."

"Do you remember what I said about Click's class? About me being jealous and, like, obsessed?"

"Yeah?"

"It isn't because I had a crush on you. It's because... she wouldn't stop staring at you.."

"Mrs. Click?" Robin chuckles and just shakes her head.

"Y/N Henderson, I wanted her to look at me. But... she couldn't pull her eyes away from you and your stupid hair. And I didn't understand, because you would get bagel crumbs all over the floor. And you asked dumb questions. And you were a douchebag. And- And you didn't even like her then and... I would go home... and just scream into my pillow."

"But Y/N's a girl.."

"Steve.."

"Oh.."

"Yeah, now listen..Don't give me the 'she doesn't deserve me' and 'she doesn't like me back' crap.. Y/N was inlove with you since highschool, now you will tell her all about your mushy mushy feelings and you'll two will get married, have kids and you'll have me to thank for. "

"But what about you?"

"Please, I moved on.."

"Really?"

"Hell yeah, with my pretty face?I could find someone in a jiffy!"

The two were laughing when Dustin and Ericka burst into the bathroom.. Annoyance and frustration written all over their face..

"Okay.What the hell?!" Dustin asked very annoyed.

"Dude, we're normal again.."

"That's not the problem now, we need to find Y/N and go with the rest of the party."

"Y/N's not with you?"

"Do you see her?" Erica asked with the normal sass in her voice. Robin rolls her eyes at Erica who just glares at her.

"Where did she go?" Steve ignored Erica's sarcastic question

"She said she'll check the perimeter, but she hasn't come back since." Dustin answered, she was worried for her sister.. In their situation, who wouldn't?

"Shit." Steve and Robin both utter at the same time.

Y/N was changed into a much more inauspicious clothes, it was just some pants and a shirt tucked into it.. She fixed her disheveled hair and wiped her sweat.. She needed to blend in, her eyes wander around the mall.. There were Russians walking around, bviously looking for someone and that someone was them.. All the exits are heavily guarded by guards, there's no way out..

Taking a deep breath she walked back to the theater, praying that her brother and friends was safely still there but before she could even reached the theater, a russian man spotted her..

"I got eyes on one of the target!" The russian said into his earpiece, making Y/N run to the higher level of the mall, her heart racing and she was starting to feel tired.

Y/N just ran until she lost the russian, her breathing was getting shorter by the second..  Y/N's leg was starting to hurt but she ignored it and looked down to see if she can spot her brother..

And there they are, getting chased by guards.. Worries pumped into her brain as they run.. She needed to help them, if not they could get killed.

"Hey stupid spies!I'm right up here, morons!" Y/N screamed at the top of her lungs as she waves her hands around..

Steve and Dustin was horrified as they hide into the counters, Y/N was risking her life for theirs..

The guards that was chasing them made eye contact and targeted Y/N but before they could do anything a car honk.. The russians looked at each other, confused and dazed.. Eleven can be seen controlling the car, she throws it at the bad men and all they could hear were groans..

Y/N felt a surge of relief, she made her way to her brother.. Dustin, Robin, Erica and Steve pop out from behind the counter, steam hissing.. Y/N saw her brother and they all rushed up to hug her..

A tight hug welcomed Y/N, but this hug wasn't just from Dustin.. It was also from Robin, Erica and Steve.. Suddenly they all look up to see the rest of the party.. The hug was cut off by Dustin running to hug Mike and Eleven.

"Lucas?" Erica saw her brother and it made Lucas confuse..

"What are you doing here?"

Y/N who was just taking in deep breaths smiled to herself.. They were safe, but she knew this was not over.. Steve stayed in Y/N side, Robin's word replayed in his mind.. This is his chance to say his undying love to Y/N.

"Y/N?"

"Hmm?" Y/N saw Steve besides her, she was growing tired but Y/N needed to keep thriving for everyone.. Y/N saw that Steve was hesitant, he was nervous and it made her felt nervous too.

"I--I uhh.." Steve mumbles, his tongue was backing out.. Y/N had such a powerful effect on him, to the way she says his name, and everytime Y/N calls him, his heart skips a beat.. It sounds corny, but it was true..

"What?Do you need a speak and spell?" Y/N joked, it didn't help a struggling Steve.. He started to grew more anxious, he needed to get this off his chest.. This could be the last time they all see each other alive, there's no telling what could happen to them.

Y/N was just staring at him

"I have something to confess---"

Steve was cut off by El who was in pain and grunting in the floor..  They all ran to her aid and helped her with the pain she was going through.. Steve slightly curses at himself, maybe this was not a great time for a love confession.. He needed to focus on surviving this hellish adventure.. Again 

It finally ended.. Y/N was relieved, it was over.. They were safe, Y/N and Dustin were sitting in the back of an ambulance, a blanket around them as they hug each other..

"If this shit happens again, we're moving.." Y/N jokes.. Dustin chuckled, maybe they should.. However, the adventures were growing more fun and dangerous..

"Nah, we love being heroes.."

Y/N laughs as she held her brother tighter, she fixed his hair and wipe some dirt off his face.. Even if he's old now, he'll always be Y/N's baby brother.. She smiled at the memory of Suzie and Dustin singing in the middle of mayhem and chaos.

"Stooop, I'm all grown up now!" He stood up and made his way to his friends..

"Don't get too far, lover boy!" Y/N shouted causing Dustin's cheek to blush..

Y/N sighs at the sight of her brother walking away from her, this is the last time she'll save the world, she was tired of monsters.. Y/N was just enjoying the cold air of the night when someone cleared their throat.

"Hello to you Harrington.." Y/N smiled at Steve, he was just standing infront of her.. Y/N can't help but feel giddy when Steve's in his sailor outfit.. It saddens her that Steve was still stuck in his highschool mindset..

"I have something to tell you.." Steve mumbles incoherently, but Y/N understood it.. Steve was always nervous when Y/N's around, he remember the first time he saw Y/N..

Steve saw Dustin on the street asking for help, and he didn't believe at him first but he was soon convinced by how Dustin was nervous and scared.. They pulled up at the Henderson's residence, that's where he first saw--no that's not the right word..

That's where he first acknowledged Y/N..

She was sitting on the porch steps on her pajama's, there were dirt on her face and her hairs a mess.. Y/N's face lighten up when he saw Dustin getting out of the car..

"Hey Dus------What is he doing here?" Y/N's face dropped when he saw Steve also getting out of the car.

"He's our back up.." Her brother answered short and continue walking into the entrance of the basement.

"I'm back up..'' Steve said cocky at Y/N, she just scoffs and followed Dustin..

"For a guy with a black eye, you're awfully confident.."

"That's what seeing a pretty girl like you does to me.." Steve didn't know what he ate that time but he had this whole new confidence when he started talking to Y/N.. However, Y/N didn't seem impressed to his corny jokes and pick up lines, she was always scoffing and rolling her eyes..

"Yeah, you said that too when we were inside..That" Y/N's voice pulled him back to the present.. Y/N gestured at the burning mall infront of them.

"Yeah.." Steve cleared his throat, he opens his mouth, but the words won't come out he's chokin', how, everybody's jokin' now, the clocks run out, times up, over, blaow   .

"Are you gonna say something?" Y/N was starting to get nervous, did she do something to make Steve act strange? He was shaking, the sweat on his forehead is flowing like the Niagara Falls.. That's not attractive yet for some reason she found it hot..

"Oh--Yeah--Uhh.." He failed to say words again, why can't he just go straight to the point?

Robin who was with the rest of the party was staring at a stuttering and nervous Steve.. The rest started to notice even Jonathan and Nancy who was in each others arms..

"When is he gonna tell my sister that he likes her?" Dustin ponder as he stares at the two..

"I don't know, he's taking forever just uttering one sentence.." Lucas pitched in making the others laugh..

"I thought Steve was a suave and cool guy?" Mike jokes causing some of them to laugh, some was just quiet.. They were still having a hard time grasping all of this, especially Max..

"He's a nerd just like you guys.." Nancy answered, they all shake their heads as they watch Steve nervously fidgets..

"Alright, I finally had enough.." Robin whispers, the party turned to Robin, carefulky watching to what she had under her sleeves..

"HEY Y/N!" Robin shouts..

Y/N broke her gaze with Steve and brought it to a shouting Robin, not far from them.. Steve just froze to his place, panic started blaring out through his mind..

"WHAT STEVE'S TRYING TO SAY IS HE FREAKING LIKES YOU!" Robin shouted, and it all made them freeze.. Y/N blinked rapidly, did she hear that right? Steve l-likes her? What? When? How? Where?

Steve felt embarrased, he wanted the crawl in a hole and die.. Robin was dead to him, how could she do that? Now Y/N's gonna start to avoid him, she obviously doesn't like her back.

"I-Is that true?" Y/N finally asked the question she was dying to ask, she never really thought about Steve that way.. Fine, she's not gonna lie, there were some thoughts about Steve that kept her up at night..

"I can explain--If you don't feel the same it's totally fi----" Steve panicked and randomly said any excuses he can think off, not giving Y/N a chance to speak..

Y/N rolled her eyes at how Steve was rambling on, she smiled and stands up.. Pulling Steve sailor outfit, she kissed him..

Steve pressed his lips harder on Y/N, he wanted this kiss to happen since he first saw her.. And now it's happening, Y/N puts her arm around Steve's neck.. This was her first kiss and she was glad that it was to Steve.. They both kissed as the burning Star Court crumbles infront of them.  Y/N didn't knew that you can find love and monsters in this terrifying situation..

Dustin groaned at the sight of her sister and bestfriend kissing, he wanted to vomit and scoop his eyes out.. This was not a sight for sore eyes..

"Ugh!I don't want to watch my sister exchange salivas with Harrington!" Dustin sigh under his breath

"Get used to it, you'll be seeing a lot of him.." Robin teased making Dustin die inside.

"Dammit!"

Y/N was just thinking that some people lost someone special, Eleven lost Hopper.. Max lost Billy and the rest will wake up in the morning with terrible memories haunting them everyday, they can no longer feel the assurance that they're safe in the quiet town they grew up to. They knew everything that lies withing the depths of this ground, all the horrible things that Hawkin Labs brought.. Chief Hopper and Billy Hargrove died for them, they were heroes.. And the sad part is, no one will ever know.. Those who deserves to be recognized is no longer here, the heroine act they did save the world yet the world doesn't even know about them.. But Y/N and the rest knows that the sacrifices they made won't go to waste, they'll do everything in their power to keep whatever haunts this eerie town at bay.

I found this highly nice but cringey at the same time so bear with it, I also wanted to update my series about James Potter but I just can't seem to end it ughhhhh..Anyways, I hope you guys like this one..

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[starrsuki]

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✎ description. in which you were on a phone call with oikawa tooru, excited and nervous— only to have your world come crashing down.

✎ pairing. oikawa tooru (e)x fem!reader

✎ genre. angst

✎ warnings. angggssssttt

✎ taglist. @nerdynstoned @heyhinata @notdahyun @macchiatoast @johsaisjoy

✎ tag info. please ask, reply, or message me if you want to be (un)tagged in all of my fics or just certain ones シ

✎ note. this is where the fun begins

Your phone started ringing loudly, the image of Oikawa Tooru's face made you blush slightly, that familiar feeling of butterflies in your stomach. Your fingers absentmindedly started fidgeting the hem of your shirt, a habit of yours whenever you felt nervous.

You let out a shaky sigh before accepting the call.

"y/n?"

"Tooru he- hey!"

"y/n! Hey!" he chuckled, his voice nervous and excited.

"Six years," you uttered, a breathy chuckle escaping your lips.

The last time you ever saw Tooru was back when the two of you were still high schoolers. The two of you were utterly and hopelessly in love with one another. At first, you never expected for him to choose you out of all the girls in Seijoh— as cliché as that sounds— it amazed you.

Tooru, being known as the flirt he was, made you doubt him. You did have a crush on him, yes, but you couldn't help but overthink the situation. Is he using me? Is this a bet? Am I just a rebound? Questions like these did nothing but make you anxious— but you couldn't help it, what if?

But Tooru paved the way.

He always does.

He showed you that he really meant it when he said he liked you, that he really did care for you, more so than his fans (don't let them know that, they'd slaughter you). He did all the cliché courting stuff: the flowers, the chocolates, even going as far as to sing for you.

Well, you were a sucker for clichés.

So, after seven months of courting, you answered him.

"Yes!"

You could still remember vivid image of Tooru bursting into a wide and proud grin, eyes sparkling, captivating as always. He caught you in his arms with a laugh, nuzzling his head in the crook of your neck. His alluring smile never leaving his face as he hugged you tighter.

You could still remember his scent, his intoxicating scent. He smelled of vanilla and lavender, with a hint of cedarwood. You remember inhaling deeply, his scent comforting and calming.

"y/n?"

You snap back to reality, head making small, quick turns around the room. "Yeah, sorry- got lost for a moment," you chuckle, your voice laced with embarrassment. Tooru snorted, you could picture him shaking his head with a soft smile on his face.

"Did you say something before?" you ask.

"Ah... about that..." he began.

"... remember our promise?"

"Of course I do, how could I forget?" you giggle, but something didn't feel right; brows immediately furrowing when Tooru didn't make a sound after your statement.

"Listen, y/n."

You could still remember when Tooru would give you surprise kisses whenever you felt sad, how his strong arms comforted you.

You could still remember when Tooru looked at you like you were his queen, his goddess, how he smiles whenever he would just stare at you in awe.

You could still remember when Tooru kissed you for the last time, hard and passionate, hands cupping your face as tears trickled down his face. His forehead on yours as he whispered sweet nothings. How he ever so softly murmured, "I'll come back for you. I promise."

You remember the painful look in his eyes— the sight of a broken man leaving the love of his life.

"I'm getting married... in two weeks."

Well, was the love of his life now.

And just like that, everything came crashing down on you. More and more flashbacks of when you and Tooru were still together, how happy you both were, how in love you both were.

Were.

Was.

It's all in the past now.

It's all just memories now.

It felt like your chest was on fire, heart burning and clenching— but not of passion, not of love. That burning feeling in your chest feels like you can't breathe, as if your heart was punishing you for being such an idiot. You already knew of the chance of him loving someone else, so why— why the fuck did you still love him? Why were you so stubborn?

Was it because he was the first man you ever loved?

Was it because he was the man you gave your firsts for?

Or, was it pride?

Maybe not...

Was it because you loved him wholeheartedly, how he's your world, how you would do anything for him to always see that beautiful smile on his face?

How you thought you would live out your days with him? You would grow old with him?

How you imagined a whole future for the both of you?

How you thought you'd be the one walking to the altar, not seated on a wedding bench; watching him say his vows, how he'd promise a lifetime with her, sealing it with a kiss as you— you would just stand aside, watching, trying your best to smile.

"y/n?" Tooru's voice brings you back to reality.

"Ah— sorry! I had to do something really quick, but enough of that—"

A sudden lump in your throat made you stop talking, for fear of your voice cracking. With a small cough, you tried your best to swallow the lump in your throat while also blinking rapidly to stop you from tearing up. Your eyes landed on a framed picture of you and Tooru; you were looking directly at the camera, bright smile and all, while Tooru looked at you with so much love in his eyes that it hurt you.

It really hurt you.

"—congrats Tooru!" you manage to choke out, tone laced with fake enthusiasm. It wasn't that you were angry (although you are a bit bitter), it's more so to hide the very, very evident hurt in you at the moment.

You heard him let out a sigh of relief. "You're okay with this?" he asks.

"Yeah!"

"I'm sorry for making you wait—"

"You didn't. I gave up a year ago," what a complete lie. You're just scared to admit it now, scared to admit it to yourself that you lost him and he will never be yours ever again.

That, and you don't wanna cry while you're on a phone call with him— your broken heart can wait a bit longer, after all, you waited for him.

For nothing.

"Oh? Well then it's more than alright to invite you then?"

Throat? Dry.

"Yeah, sure Tooru."

Sure.

Not like you aren't hurting right now, absolutely not.

You're fine.

You're okay.

[writerfae]

Anastasia AU: The Apple Tree (A not so mini bonus story)

This one actually takes place in the past. Young prince Aiden snuck away from his guards and encounters kitchen boy Talon.

short side note: I feel like I should mention that this takes place in a different universe, not in Russia/France, I only use the city name Paris as a placeholder because I haven't come up with a fictional city name yet

Anastasia AU masterpost

.♕.

It was a sunny day at the palace. Talon sat under the shadow of a big apple tree, peeling potatoes for dinner.

The boy enjoyed the peace and quiet of the little courtyard, away from the buzzing of the huge palace kitchen.

The silence was broken by the sound of footsteps quickly approaching.

Surprised, Talon peaked up from his work, just to see a boy running towards him, quite fast so.

Talon recognized him instantly. It was the prince. The youngest. Prince Aiden.

Talon has never met him before, only seen him from afar.

The nearest he ever got to him was when he served at one of the many feasts, watching in awe how the youngest son of the queen danced around his mother, his circlet sparkling in the light of the candlelit hall, just as bright as his smile.

Now said prince ran up to the tree Talon was sitting under and all Talon could do was duck away as with a cry of "Careful!" Aiden jumped up, grabbed the tree branch closest to Talon’s head and climbed up the tree trunk with a litheness that reminded the kitchen boy of a cat.

Baffled, he could only look up to the other boy who was now sitting on one of the farther up branches of the tree, looking down on him.

He must've made a pretty funny face, because the young prince started to giggle. Talon couldn’t help but to smile, too.

He was about to open up his mouth and ask him what exactly he was intending to do up there, when suddenly there was the sound of footsteps again.

Both boys looked to the direction the sound came from.

Two guards approached the courtyard with fast steps. They seemed to search for something. Or someone.

"I don't see him," said one guard to the other. Then he noticed Talon under the apple tree.

"Hey, you, kitchen boy. Have you seen Prince Aiden come past here?"

For a fleeting moment, Talon’s eyes wandered up to where the other boy was sitting on the tree. The tree's many leaves shielded him from the two men's eyes.

Aiden pressed a finger against his lips to tell Talon to keep quiet, barely surpressing his giggles.

So that's why he climbed up there, Talon thought, amused.

He looked at the guards again. "No," he shook his head. "I saw no one around but you, I'm afraid."

The guard sighed, then he nodded before turning back to his partner. "Alright, let's try to search in the library."

Then they left.

Once they were gone, the prince picked a shiny red apple, then he climbed down the tree, landing gracefully in front of Talon.

"Thank you for covering up for me." He smiled at the other boy.

Talon bowed his head. "Of course, your Highness."

The prince frowned. "Aiden," he said. Talon wasn't sure what he meant. He shot the boy a questioning look.

"Aiden," the prince repeated, sitting down next to Talon, lowering himself to his level.

"I don't like being called by title. It fits my brother better than me anyway. He's the crown prince, I'm just a spare." Aiden shrugged.

His words didn't seem bitter, they were merely a simple truth to him.

"What is your name?" He turned to Talon, his brown eyes starring in Talon’s golden ones with great curiosity.

Talon averted his eyes, unusually shy for the normally so witty kitchen boy. "Talon."

"That's a nice name," Aiden smiled. He looked down at the bowl full of potatoes in Talon’s lap. "So you work in the kitchen?"

"Huh?" Talon followed his gaze. "Oh, no, I just sneak into the palace and peel your potatoes for fun," he said sarcastically.

That made the prince laugh. Talon watched him from the side, amazed, then he laughed, too, until they both were breathless.

After Aiden caught his breath again, he took the apple he picked earlier and broke it into two halfs. One he offered to Talon.

The apple looked delicious, but the kitchen boy hesitated.

He had always wondered how the shining red apples tasted like, had thought about picking one more than once.

But it was the queen's apple tree and the cook had told him to stay away from it.

The queen's apple tree isn't for servant boys like you, she had said.

"Take it. I want you to have it." It was as if Aiden had heard his thoughts.

"Henry and me pick apples from the tree all the time. Mother won't mind and she says sharing is important."

So Talon took the apple half. It tasted even better than he imagined.

He smiled. "Thank you."

The prince nodded.

"Why did the guards look for you?" Talon asked after a while, his curiosity finally winning over. Hopefully it wasn't a rude question.

"They're my personal guards. They are supposed to watch me all the time. It's annoying. I feel like a baby. I'm not even sick anymore, it's not fair that mother sends them after me all the time."

He pouted. The older boy found that adorable.

"And since my brothers are in Paris, no one wants to play with me anymore, so I made up my own game." Aiden grinned smugly.

"Getting away from your guards?" Talon asked.

Aiden laughed. "Exactly. Almost like hide and seek. Just better." He leaned back against the tree trunk.

"Hide and seek, huh?" someone said suddenly, making the two boys flinch at the unexpected noise.

There on the balcony stood a young woman Talon recognized as the queen's sister, Aiden's aunt.

Amused, the young woman looked at the scene in front of her. And at the caught look on her nephew's face.

"Don't worry, I won't give you away. But you should go back to your guards, before they start to declare a state of emergency."

She leaned forward slightly and grinned. "Or worse, they'll tell your mother. You wouldn't want that, would you? That would mean no apple pie for you."

The prince's eyes widened at the implication of a possible dessert deprivation and he shook his head energetically.

It made Talon giggle.

"That's what I thought," Aiden's aunt said. "Now stop keeping that poor boy from his work and come. It's time for your history lesson."

With that, she disappeared.

Aiden stood up as well, dusting off his pants.

"I'm sorry, I have to go." He pouted again, as if he'd like to stay longer.

Talon wouldn't mind him staying a bit longer. But who was he to keep a prince from his duty?

He was lucky that the boy even talked to him in the first place. Princes weren't supposed to talk to kitchen boys after all.

So he just nodded.

"It was nice meeting you, Talon. Maybe we'll walk into each other again some time."

He bowed to the blonde and with a last wave of goodbye, the two boys separated.

Ever since that day, Prince Aiden would greet a certain kitchen boy with a smile and a wave every time they crossed paths and said kitchen boy always bowed in response, small smile on his normally so serious face.

.♕.

This turned out to be not that short after all, oops xD

tag list (Anastasia AU): @rise-again-2001 @thegirlwithnonickname @annoyingwritingtrash

tag list: @shattered-starrs @soupopoireau @a-ray-of-moonshine @quill-of-doom @heyabella @vibinwiththehomies @elisabethrosewrites @charleeyy @iced-ginger-tea @hell-yeah-fantasy @violetcancerian @that-one-potato-blep @annoyingwritingtrash @stardustspiral @shipdest @writingqueensworld @imintheunderworld @thewalkingnerdx @abalonetea @the-starlight-chills @fictional-semantics @cordaks @kpmccolgan @deekshablogs @myhusbandsasemni @magsiswritingnow @a-box-without-hinges @meiyanaalexia @contes-de-rheio @rhikasa @phantasticdomains @thegirlwithnonickname @marewriteblr @kimblewrites @daisylincs @treesandwords @writingbyjillian @write-for-your-life2 @deadlycupid @yejidoesthings @nora-theteawriter @ladywithalamp @the-writing-avocado

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[cocastyle]

The In-Between Chapter 6

Stranger Things x It Crossover

with some Bill Denbrough x reader

Word Count - 7,455

Warning - cursing (if people don’t like that kind of stuff)

A/N- so I kind of got carried away with this chapter and wrote over 7000 words lol, but I couldn’t really split this chapter up considering what’s about to come in the next chapter so I just left it as is (the next chapter is going to have so many interactions with the two groups you won’t be ready!) I really hope you all like this chapter because I worked hard on it and am actually really proud of the way it turned out! leave a comment with your thoughts on the chapter and with any predictions that you have for the future🤩

if you would like to be added to the tag list, let me know!

T H E I N - B E T W E E N

Intro The Losers’ Club The Party Prolouge 1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Epilogue

"Wh-Wh-What is she doing?" Bill whispered as he gently nudged Y/N's side.

The girl stared ahead at Eleven who was busy putting a radio on a station that only had static playing before she glanced at Bill. She sent him a small smile that had him blushing and smiling back. "You'll see," she whispered.

Y/N let out a small gasp as she remembered something and quickly disappeared up the stairs and into her house before returning a few seconds later with a cloth in her hand. She walked over and handed it to Eleven who gave her a small smile before beginning to fold it and wrap it around her eyes like a blindfold.

"A blindfold?" Richie asked. He then smirked before winking in Eleven's direction. "Kinky. Now all we need is some handcuffs and-"

"Beep beep Richie!" the Losers Club cried out while the Party all looked at Richie in disgust.

Y/N shook her head at the boy before looking to the Party with an apologetic smile, "Sorry about him. He hadn't quite matured yet if you can't tell."

"Hey!" Richie complained.

"Oh hush," Y/N told him making the boy pout. She chuckled and ruffled his hair much to his annoyance before she turned her attention back to Eleven who was finished setting up.

"Remember, you have to be quiet," Y/N reminded the Losers, making a point to stare at Richie longer than the others. They all nodded before looking to Eleven who was now sitting on the ground, the radio static playing behind her.

The room was so quiet that one could have heard a pin drop. The prospect of Eleven doing something that could help them with their mission to find Mine being enough to make even Richie keep his mouth shut.

It took a minute, but Eleven suddenly let out a small gasp before whispering, "Mike."

Y/N noticed Wheeler frown a little at that seeing as she was talking about a different Mike instead of him. It was unusual that was for sure and Y/N had thought it was weird knowing two Mikes as well when she first moved to Derry. But since she had called him Wheeler since they were kids, calling Mike Hanlon by his first name hadn't been too weird for her.

"I. . .I see him," Eleven whispered out making the Losers all furrow their eyebrows and look to Y/N confused. She just gave them a look and gestured towards Eleven in response and they all looked back to the girl who had some blood starting to peak out from her nose.

"He. . .He's hiding by some water," Eleven said.

"The quarry," Y/N muttered as she looked to the others. Their eyes widened slightly and they watched as Y/N walked over and bent down in front of her friend.

Y/N reached out and gently took ahold of Eleven's hand, the girl instantly latching onto hers in return. "Tell Mike that we're coming for him," Y/N whispered, tears springing in her eyes. "Tell him he's going to be okay."

"Your friends. . .they're coming for you. Hang in there, Mike. You're going to be okay," Eleven muttered, although Y/N knew she was talking to Mike Hanlon.

"Hurry," a voice suddenly came from the radio causing the Losers and Y/N to jump in surprise at the sound of their friend's voice. "Please hurry."

Eleven's face then scrunched up in pain and she let out a loud gasp before ripping the blindfold from her face. Her eyes frantically looked around before locking with Y/N's. "He's okay," she assured him. Y/N wiped away her tears and gave Eleven a small smile before hugging her friend in thanks.

"What the fuck was that?”

The two girls pulled away from each other to see the Losers looking more confused then ever. "What the fuck just happened?" Richie questioned, his eyes wide. "What did she do and how the hell does she know that Mike is okay?"

Y/N took in a deep breath before standing up and slowly approaching her friends. "Guys, so Eleven kind of has these powers. She was able to mentally connect with Mike and get a picture of where he was and give him a message," Y/N explained.

"I'm sorry. What?" Stan asked confused.

"Powers like superpowers?" Ben questioned.

"I guess," Y/N replied. "I know it's hard to understand but-"

"Hard to understand? It's crazy! You know what, I'm calling bullshit," Richie announced.

"But Mike's voice-" Y/N began.

"We don't even know if that was his voice because all I could hear was a bunch of fucking static! How am I supposed to believe you when the only thing that I saw happen was that girl get a fucking nosebleed and bleed all over your basement?" Richie asked.

Wheeler narrowed his eyes at the boy and went over to his girlfriend who he helped off the ground while Eleven wiped the blood from her nose. He was about to say something when he saw Y/N raise an eyebrow at the boy and cross her arms.

"You want proof? Evidence?" Y/N questioned, not a look of hesitation on her face. Richie was silent before nodding his head. "Okay, asshole. Here's your fucking proof."

She then walked over to one of the closet doors of the basement before opening it and walking back over to the group. Richie was about to question her when the door slammed shut making him and the other Losers all jump in surprise.

The door then began to open and slam shut repeatedly and Richie was hesitant before he turned to look at Eleven who had one hand up in the air. The door slammed shut for a final time and Eleven lowered her hand before wiping the small bit of blood below her nose away.

"Holy shit! She's an X-Men!" Eddie exclaimed in disbelief making Dustin chuckle since he had thought the same thing when he first met Eleven.

Y/N smirked and looked to Richie while the other Losers and the Party watched the girl in amusement. "That enough proof for you?" she asked.

Richie made a face in response and Y/N chuckled before looking between the groups and clapping her hands together. "Now. . .we may know that Mike is okay right now, but that doesn't mean he will be forever. We need to start making plans and preparing because first thing after school tomorrow, we are going to the Well House to save Mike and kill those other motherfuckers before it's too late. Everyone okay with that?" Y/N announced.

The Parry and the Losers' Club all nodded in agreement and Y/N smirked.

"Great. Let's get to work."

- - -

Bill bit his lip in concentration as he used a ruler to draw lines through the map of Derry. His job, and the job of all the Losers, was to split a map of Derry up into four different sectors. When they left to go find Mike tomorrow, half of the whole group would be staying behind while the other half broke off into pairs and searched the specific sections of the Upside Down's version of Derry.

Since the Upside Down was pretty much a replica of the real world, Y/N had thought it would be a good idea to use a map of Derry to break up the sections. Because the Losers knew Derry the best, they had offered to split the map up while the Party got weapons ready seeing as they knew what would work best against a demogorgon if it were to attack.

Y/N had started out with the Losers at first, but it hadn't taken long for her to migrate over to the Party whom she had been spending the last hour with. The Losers hadn't thought much of it at first, but they couldn't help but notice the way she seemed to totally forget about them as she laughed and joked around with the Party, a smile on her face that looked nothing like the usual smile they got to see.

Bill had to force himself not to look up, reminding himself that Y/N was just excited to see her friends again. That's why Bill had put all his effort into the maps he was making, Beverly being the only other person to help him while Stan, Ben, Eddie, and Richie all watched Y/N and the Party with frowns on their faces and jealously coursing through their blood.

Glares were on the four boys faces and they only narrowed their eyes more at the sight of Y/N with her arms linked with Will as she talked to Steve and Lucas. "She forgot about us," Stan whispered softly, sadness laced in his voice despite his angered appearance.

"I can't believe it," Ben muttered, feeling awful at the idea that the Party made Y/N happier than they did. Him and the others could tell by the look of pure joy on her face just how much happier she was around the Party and that only fueled their jealousy more.

"Well believe it, Benny. We're yesterday's news," Richie frowned, glaring slightly as a bitter taste filled his mouth.

"Look how happy they make her. I don't think I've ever made her laugh that hard," Eddie muttered sadly as he too came to the realization that Y/N was happier around the Party than she was around them.

"It's cause you're not funny, Eds," Richie shot back. "No wonder Y/N left us. We're a bunch of losers literally."

"Sh-Sh-Shut up," Bill called out, tired of their behavior and tones.

Richie whirled around so fast that he whacked Eddie who let out a cry of protest. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he said as he looked at Bill in disbelief. When Bill didn't look up, Richie stomped over to his friend. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Are you really so blind that you don't see your girl over there with her arms fucking linked with another boy? He's stealing her right in front of your eyes, dumbass. How are you not the slightest bit mad or jealous?" Richie asked. "Cause me being Y/N's friend and seeing her talking to them and not us is making me mad and I'm not the one that had a crush on her."

Bill frowned at that and looked up, but he froze at the sight of Y/N  laughing at something Dustin had told her as she leaned into Will and wiped at her tears. Her arm was linked with Will's like Richie had said and she was resting her head on his shoulder as she looked up at Dustin with a huge grin on her face.

Bill's heart broke at the sight.

Bill cleared his throat and quickly looked away, blinking fast to keep the tears from coming. "Sh-Sh-She's not my g-g-girl. She can d-d-do whatever the h-h-hell she w-w-wants," he muttered.

Richie felt a wave of guilt wash over him once he realized how upset he had just made his friend, but Y/N's laughter had him turning back to look at her, a new wave of anger washing over him at the fact that she was now hurting Bill without even knowing it.

"How can someone be that funny? I mean, there's no way!" Richie exclaimed.

"Aren't they supposed to be gathering weapons anyways? Not joking around?" Stan asked.

"They did gather weapons," Ben pointed out as he gestured towards the few crowbars, bats, and other weapons they had gathered. "They even got flashlights and rope."

"Still, how are they so funny? Especially that Wheeler kid. She must be laughing at how funny looking he is," Richie concluded making the others raise their eyebrows at him.

Beverly rolled her eyes at Richie before glancing at Bill who was busy glaring at Will and Dustin. Beverly scoffed and stood up causing the Losers to all snap their attention over to her.

"Are you all being serious right now?" Beverly asked while the boys all gave her confused looks, not understanding what she was getting at. "You know that Y/N cares about each of you more than life itself, but you also need to understand that she can care about other people just as much. They were her first friends, guys. That group went through so much shit together just like we have and they haven't seen each other in two whole years!"

The boys didn't respond and Beverly just gave them an angry look as she narrowed her eyes. "I swear to God if Y/N hears one word from your jealous asses I will kill you. Now stop being self conscious pussies and be happy for your friend," she spat before she stormed away from the group and over to the Party.

They watched as Y/N's eyes lit up at the sight of Beverly before she grabbed the girl's arm and pulled her over to Max and Eleven, the four girls instantly falling into conversation. The boys all felt a wave of guilt wash over them, but none of them felt like going over and trying to talk to Y/N or the rest of the members of the Party.

It took only a minute before Richie, Eddie, Stan and Ben returned to their complaining as they watched their friend, but Bill took the longest to return back to what he had been doing before. His eyes were still on Y/N and his heart ached as he watched her.

He knew there was some truth to Beverly's words, but it was hard to believe everything she said after he had seen how happy Y/N was. How come he couldn't make her laugh like that? Or smile like that?

He would do anything to be in the receiving end of that smile. Hell, he would probably swoon at the sight.

Did she not like him the way he thought she had? For a moment he had thought she maybe returned his feelings, but now he wasn't so sure. If she had then he would be able to make her that happy, right?

Bill let out a small sigh and took in a deep breath before going back to the maps, trying everything in his power not to let his feelings get to him so much. But even he couldn't stop the one traitor tear from falling down his face as he realized he would never be able to make Y/N as happy as he had hoped.

If only he knew how he looked in Y/N's eyes. Then maybe he wouldn't have doubted himself and maybe he wouldn't have ended up hurting her later that night.

- - -

"Y/N!" Eleven cried out as she jumped onto the girl from behind, a laugh escaping her lips as she wrapped her arms around her giggling friend who had been busy sorting through the weapons with Steve and Wheeler.

"El!" Y/N mockingly yelled back as she looked over her shoulder at her friend.

Eleven chuckled and got off of her before glancing over at Steve and Wheeler. "I'm going to steal her for a few minutes," she said. She didn't bother waiting for a response from the boys before she was dragging Y/N away and over to where Beverly and Max were sitting.

"No, yeah I love your hair! I always wanted to try and cut mine short, but I'm afraid it will turn out bad," Max said as she looked at Beverly's haircut. "Who cut your hair because it looks so good!"

"I did actually," Beverly told her.

"No way!" Max gasped. "It looks so good, Beverly!"

"Thanks," Beverly said before she happened to notice Eleven and Y/N walking up to them. "Oh, hey Y/N!"

"Hey," Y/N greeted as Max also turned to look at her friends. Max's eyes lit up at the sight of the girl and she was quick to stand up before her and Eleven practically shoved Y/N into the place Max had just been sitting.

"Woah, okay," Y/N muttered as she adjusted herself so that she was more comfortable. When she looked back up, Eleven and Max were looking at her expectantly while Beverly gave her an apologetic smile.

"What?" Y/N asked, her eyes narrowing in curiosity as she wondered what her friends were up to.

"So we've been talking to Beverly," Max began. "She was telling us some funny stories about you when we heard some interesting stuff and-"

"Tell us about you and Bill!" Eleven interrupted, her eyes shining with excitement as she clasped her hands together and tucked them under her chin.

Y/N's eyes widened. "Me and Bill? Wh-What about me and Bill?" she asked. "We're just friends."

Max and Eleven both gave each other a look before raising their eyebrows at their friend. "Come on. We can tell by the way you look at him that you like him. Just admit it," Max prompted.

"What?" Y/N asked, her voice high and her face a dark shade of red. "Me like Bill?"

"Friends don't lie. You like him, Y/N. Admit it," Eleven insisted.

Y/N blushed even more before burying her face into her hands. "Okay, I like him," she whispered, not looking up to watch as her friends let out squeals and began to whack each other.

"We knew it!" Max exclaimed. "Beverly already told us, but like, we knew it!"

Y/N lifted her head to glance over at Beverly who smiled sheepishly. "They did already know it," Beverly said.

"So it's that obvious?" Y/N asked with wide eyes filled with horror at the thought of Bill knowing that she liked him.

"To everyone but you two," Eleven said.

"Yeah, Bill's kind of oblivious," Beverly agreed. "I don't think he knows."

Y/N let out a small sigh of relief causing Max to raise an eyebrow. "Would it be so bad if he did?" the red head asked.

"I mean, I guess not," Y/N whispered as she looked down. She would love to be able to tell Bill how she felt, to let him know just how much he meant to her even if he didn't feel the same way.

"But," Beverly said, already knowing that wasn't all the girl had to say.

"What if it ruins our friendship? What if he doesn't feel the same way?" Y/N asked.

The three girls' mouths dropped open at the same time before they all laughed. "First of all, he does feel the same way. It's obvious just by the way he looks at you like you're an angel walking on this earth," Max said.

"Secondly, it won't ruin your friendship," Eleven told her.

"What they said. I'm pretty sure that even if you and Bill went south that you two would still be friends. You two have been close ever since you moved here, Y/N. He wouldn't be the type of person to push you away like that. Besides, I wouldn't let him and I'm sure El and Max wouldn't either," Beverly said.

"Yeah, we'd beat his ass," Max agreed while Eleven nodded her head in agreement.

Y/N chuckled and smiled softly at her friends. "Thanks. I love you all so much," she said causing Eleven, Max, and Beverly to smile before they pulled the girl in for a group hug.

When they pulled away, they thankfully let the topic of Bill drop. Max and Eleven began talking to Beverly about her hair again and about her relationship with Ben while Y/N slowly zoned out.

She let her eyes flicker over to Bill who was across the room still working on the maps and trying to fold them. As if sensing her gaze, his eyes flickered up and locked with hers. Y/N sent a small smile in his direction, but to her surprise he didn't even smile before he just looked down at the maps again.

Y/N blinked in surprise before quickly looking away with a sad look on her face, not noticing the way that Bill looked back up at her sadly after.

- - -

It was around eleven o'clock that night before Y/N heard Ben call out, "We'll see you in the morning, Y/N!"

The girl quieted down her laughter and looked away from Lucas and Wheeler and over to where Beverly and Ben were standing by the stairs. Y/N was quick to get up and she smiled as she made her way across the room to hug both Ben and Beverly.

At the sight of her smile and the fact that she had left her other friends just to hug him goodbye, Ben suddenly felt a wave of guilt wash over him as he realized how wrong he had been earlier for judging the girl and for complaining about her hanging out with her other friends.

"Night, guys. I'll see you in the morning," Y/N said before pulling away to look for the others. Her smile slowly disappeared once she realized that Richie, Eddie, Stan, and Bill were all gone.

"Where. . .where did the others go?" Y/N questioned as she looked to Ben and Beverly confused.

Ben looked down at his shoes before saying, "They all left a little bit ago. Bill went first and then Richie, Eddie, and Stan followed not too long after."

"Why?" Y/N asked, trying not to sound upset. "They didn't even start goodbye."

Ben didn't respond and Y/N frowned before saying, "Uh. . .I guess I'll see you guys in the morning, yeah?"

Beverly and Ben nodded with small smiles before turning to go up the stairs. "Bye, Y/N," the two called out before disappearing into the night.

Y/N kind of stood there for a moment after the door closed behind them, her thoughts racing as she tried to think of a reason for her friends' sudden departure. Had she done something wrong? Were they okay?

Hands on her shoulders made her jump slightly, but she instantly relaxed when she looked over her shoulder to see Steve standing right behind her. He titled his head slightly and gave her one of his warm smiles before asking with a hint of worry on his voice, "You okay, squirt?"

Y/N turned completely to face him before smiling softly and hugging the boy. She dug her face into his side and he wrapped his arms around her with no questions asked. Y/N was silent as she breathed in his scent, a small feeling of familiarity and her childhood washing over her.

"I'm doing good," she whispered, her heart warm due to the fact that her two friend groups had finally met and she had them both by her side. "I'll be better when Mike's home though. He's so sweet and kind. We like to go out to his farm sometimes and I'll help him with the animals. You're going to love him."

"As long as he's not like Trashmouth, I'm sure I will," Steve laughed making Y/N chuckle softly as she pulled away to look at the boy.

"Oh, Richie's not that bad. He can take things far and curse most of the time, but he's got a kind heart and he is probably one of the best people you'll meet once you really get to know him," Y/N said, a smile on her face as she talked about her friend.

"They all are in fact. I mean, you've got Stan who is easy to relate with. When he knows I'm having a bad day, he always takes me bird watching and doesn't pester me with what's wrong, only stays by my side so I'm not alone. Then there's Ben who is the sweetest little human being you'll ever meet. He's the boy that will go to the library all the time with me just to research random things."

"We've got Eddie who is practically the mother of the group sometimes. He cares about my health more than I do and is always making sure that I'm okay. There's a little hammock in one of the group's hang out spots and he'll always sit with me and we'll read comics together. Then you've got Beverly who's a total badass. I tell her practically everything and I swear she knows more about me than I do. Every Saturday morning, we take a break from the boys and will go out to breakfast and catch up."

"Finally, you've got Bill. He's the one that I'm closest to out of all of them. He was my first real friend and helped me a lot on my first day of school," Y/N said. She looked down and smiled fondly as she whispered, "I'll never be able to pay him back for what he's done for me." She was quiet for a second before looking up at Steve and saying, "He means a lot to me. They all do really."

Steve smiled softly at the girl as she rambled in about her friends, a warm feeling of relief washing over him as he realized that Y/N has been fine and loved over the past two years.

"You really care about those friends of yours, huh?" Steve asked, a knowing look on his face.

Y/N smiled fondly and nodded her head as she softly said, "They're my best friends. I would do anything for them just like I would for you guys."

Steve's smile grew slightly at that, thankful that Y/N had some pretty great friends by her side. Y/N smiled back before turning to check and make sure that the weapons and maps were ready. Once she knew that they were, she clapped her hands together once before saying to the Party, "Okay, now that we have a plan to head out after school tomorrow and everything is all set up. . .who wants to watch a movie?"

The Party all perked up at that. "Yes! Star Wars please!" Will exclaimed.

"What? No, let's watch Back to the Future," Dustin complained.

"I vote Star Wars," Max agreed.

"Me too," Lucas said.

"No, guys. Back to the Future all the way," Wheeler argued while Eleven nodded her head in agreement.

"Back to the Future's the one where the mom is trying to hook up with her son, right?" Steve asked.

"I mean that's not the point of the movie, but yes," Y/N said with a small laugh.

"Okay, I vote that one," Steve said.

"Sorry, Will. I've got to go with Back to the Future which means that Back to the Future wins," Y/N said making the boy pout. Y/N just gave him a small smile which he returned before she gestured towards the stairs that led up to her house. "I'll be back."

In just a matter of minutes, Y/N had sprinted upstairs and found the movie. She had received a call from her parents a few hours before about how they had a last minute business conference an hour away that they had to go to and would be gone for the next couple of days, so it was no surprise that no one was around when she was running around trying to find the movie.

Upon finding the movie, Y/N began to make her way towards the basement when she paused next to the phone. She stared at it in silence for a moment before setting the movie down, picking up the phone, and dialing the number that she knew by heart due to the many late night conversations she had with the person on the other end of the line.

"H-H-Hello?"

"Bill?" Y/N said. "It's Y/N."

"Oh. H-H-Hi, Y/N," Bill muttered.

Y/N frowned slightly, but shrugged it off. "I just wanted to call and see if you were okay. You left early, so I wasn't sure if something was wrong," she said.

"I'm f-f-fine," Bill replied, leaving his reply at that and his tone coming out colder and sharper than usual.

Y/N blinked in surprise before nervously chuckling, "Oh, okay. That's good. Why. . .why did you leave without saying goodbye?"

"I w-w-was just tired which I s-s-still am. I'll s-s-see you in the m-m-morning, okay?" Bill told her.

"Oh, okay. Um. . .goodni-" but before Y/N could finish what she asked saying, the boy had hung up. Y/N stood there in silence, her grip on the phone loosening slightly as tears began to fill her eyes. Swallowing thickly, the girl blinked rapidly to stop her tears before taking in a deep breath.

Bill is just tired, she reminded herself. He's not trying to be mean.

Once she had calmed herself down, Y/N put a smile on her face and bounded down the stairs of her basement to have a movie night with her friends. They had all passed out within an hour, Y/N with her head against Steve's side, her feet in Dustin's lap and Will's head on her stomach. Just below them on the floor were Wheeler and Eleven cuddled up together and Max and Lucas doing the same thing.

Y/N found herself looking around the group for a quick second as she drifted in and out of consciousness. She couldn't help but smile as she remembered the nights like these that they used to have before she left Hawkins. Nancy and Jonathan had been with them too and Joyce and Hopper had been the ones to cover them all with blankets while they slept.

So with her friends surrounding her, Y/N fell asleep with memories of Hawkins and her old life filling her head.

- - -

Y/N didn't know what to think when she woke up the next day to find that everyone in the Losers' Club except for Beverly weren't talking to her. Bill hadn't even been waiting for her that morning like he usually did before they rode to school together.

Everyone was either avoiding her like Bill was or being weird and looking uncomfortable around her like Eddie was. Y/N didn't know what she had done wrong, so she went through the day having no one but Beverly by her side.

Y/N almost felt bad for having chosen to wear Bill's jacket to school that day, a sinking feeling in her gut as she thought that maybe that was only making Bill more mad at her. Beverly wouldn't tell her why he or the others were and at her in the first place, so Y/N didn't even know how to fix anything.

This meant that when lunch rolled around, it was even quieter than usual. It was actually completely silent and not even Richie had some snarky thing to say. The group all just ate their food in silence with Y/N sparing sad glances in her friends' directions while Beverly glared at the boys, pissed at the way they were acting.

Y/N tried to strike up a conversation a few times, but it always received a one word answer in response before silence followed. After a while, Y/N gave up and most of the lunch period was spent with the boys staring at their meals while Y/N stared at them with a saddened and hurt expression.

It wasn't until everyone was getting ready to leave that Y/N let out a sigh and said, "Hey, I don't know what I did, but I just wanted to tell you guys thank you for being so nice to my friends last night."

This surprised the group and they all slowly looked up at her, finally allowing their eyes to lock on her face.

"Those guys mean about as much to me as you guys do and I've been wanting to introduce you all for so long. I really hoped you guys liked them. Anyway, I'm rambling, but I really appreciate it," she told them as she gave them all a small smile despite the tears that had begun to fill her eyes.

The group all stared at her in silence as the bell rang behind them, signaling that the lunch period was over. Y/N let out another sigh and stood up as she grabbed her things. "Uh. . .I'll see you guys later," she whispered before hurrying away from the table and out of the cafeteria, leaving the boys feeling guilty.

Beverly shook her head at the boys as she stood up. "You guys are ridiculous. Not only did you not give her friends a chance last night, but now you're punishing Y/N for talking to her other friends instead of you by ignoring her? I'm disappointed in all of you," she said.

Her eyes flickered over to Bill and they narrowed. "Especially you, Bill. We all know you care about her, so why the hell would you treat her the way that you have been? She told me about the phone call last night. She called to check and see if your dumbass was okay and you were rude and snippy with her before you had the audacity to hang up on her? What the fuck were you thinking?" she asked in disbelief.

"You all need to apologize to Y/N for the way you have been acting. She has talked so highly of you to the others and you all have done nothing but prove her wrong. There's no way we are going to be able to help Mike and defeat the Upside Down and It with you all sad and not thinking straight. So man up and go apologize before you lose her for real," Beverly spat before she angrily got up from the table and stormed out of the cafeteria, no doubt going to try and find Y/N.

"Did you see how upset Y/N looked when she left?" Eddie whispered, a sinking feeling in his stomach as he broke the moment of silence that had fallen over them after Beverly left.

"She looked like she was about to cry," Ben said just above a whisper.

"We did that," Stan muttered, his head bowed as he stared at his hands sadly.

"Fuck," Richie muttered as a feeling of intense guilt hit both him and the other Losers. "We messed up big time, boys."

Bill was silent as he stared at the doors Y/N had walked through only moments before. He hadn't been blind and had noticed her wearing his jacket today, the sight making his heart flutter. But as he looked from the door to the jacket that Y/N had secretly left behind on her seat for Bill was enough to make his heart break.

Richie was right. They had messed up.

They had messed up bad.

- - -

The final bell of the day made Y/N feel both relieved and scared. Relieved because she was finally going to be able to save Mike, but scared because she would have to go back into the Upside Down and she had a sinking feeling in her gut about what was going to happen.

She hadn't seen the guys for the rest of the day, but Beverly had made sure to always stick by her side. That's how the two ended up leaving the school together with their arms locked and small laughs escaping their lips as Y/N told Beverly about the time Dustin sang the song 'Never-Ending Story' with his girlfriend Susie over a walkie talkie system for everyone to see.

"I'm not even kidding," Y/N laughed. "Just picture it. Everyone is either being chased by the fucking Mindflayer or trying to save the world and I'm sitting there watching Dustin sing his heart out with Lucas' little sister by my side. It was hilarious!"

Beverly laughed so hard that she snorted. "I bet it was. I can't believe-" she began, but she trailed off once she saw Y/N smile disappear as she froze beside her. Beverly turned her head to see what Y/N was looking at and instantly frowned at the sight of the boys all standing by their bikes waiting for the two girls.

Beverly released Y/N's arm and Y/an glanced at her friends before looking away and walking over to her bike. "I'm surprised you all waited for me," Y/N said in a monotone voice as she approached her bike.

Eddie was the first to break and he sighed before saying, "We're sorry for the way we've been acting."

Y/N froze at that and rested her hands on her bike handles before looking up at the group. "What?" she asked, both her and Beverly staring at the boys in surprise. Although Beverly was smiling slightly due to the fact that the boys were finally apologizing after a long day of no one talking to each other.

"Yeah, the way we acted was unacceptable," Ben agreed. "And we're sorry for that."

"We. . .we were jealous," Stan admitted making Y/N blink in surprise.

"Jealous?" she asked confused.

"We were jealous of your other friends. We. . .we thought you were forgetting about us, that you didn't care about us like you did them. So we turned into a bunch of fucking jealous assholes and hurt you in the process," Richie sighed and the fact that he was speaking his feelings was enough to make Y/N realize how serious they were being.

"Guys. . ."she whispered sadly, hating that she made them feel like that. "I don't want you to ever feel like that, okay? I love you all so fucking much that it scares me sometimes to be completely honest. I've known you for what, two years now? I've known the others my whole life, so of course things are going to be a little different around them. But that does not mean I don't love and care about you guys any less. The Losers' Club is my family, you guys are my family. You're my life honestly and I wouldn't trade moving here for the world."

The Losers' all teared up a little at those words and Ben was the first to drop his bike to go over and hug Y/N. The girl chuckled and hugged the boy back while the others quickly came over to hug her as well. She hugged Eddie and Stan before hugging Beverly and Richie who held her the tightest.

The one thing about Richie was that he tried to act like he didn't care when he actually cared the most, so Y/N made a point to hug him back just as hard which made the boy dig his face into her shoulder as he held her.

Once she had hugged each of them, she pulled away to see Bill kind of standing there by himself. The two hadn't hugged or even spoken to each other yet and Y/N knew that their talk was going to be a little longer and more personal than the other. Bill must've known too because he glanced at his friends and gave them a pleading look as he said, "C-C-Can you all give us a m-m-minute?"

"Yeah," Beverly said. "We'll ride on ahead and you two can catch up, okay?"

Then, before the others could complain, Beverly pushed the boys to their bikes and they all began to bike away. That left Y/N and Bill standing there at the front of the school with their bikes by their side.

Y/N looked down at her feet before whispering, "You done ignoring me now?"

There was a beat of silence and she slowly looked up through her eyelashes only to have Bill rush forward and hug her, the action making both of their bikes fall over and hit the ground. Y/N's arms were out in surprise, but she didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around the boy, closing her eyes as she breathed in his scent.

"I'm s-s-sorry," Bill whispered into her ear as he practically cradled her head against his body. "I'm so sorry. I let R-R-Richie get to me and the w-w-way I acted around you was un-un-unacceptable. I mean, even that ph-ph-phone call was rude. You w-w-were just checking up on m-m-me and I hung up on you w-w-without even giving a r-r-reason. I didn't mean to h-h-hurt you and I'm so s-s-sorry for that."

"Why'd you do it? What did Richie say?" Y/N asked softly as she pulled away to look at the boy.

"What Richie said wasn't important," Bill told her, his head bowed. "It was what I told myself that got in the way."

"And what did you tell yourself?" she questioned.

"I-I-I thought I c-c-couldn't make you as h-h-happy as they could," Bill admitted. "Th-Th-That I would n-n-never make you as h-h-happy as they could."

Y/N's face softened at that and she furrowed her eyebrows as she lifted a hand up and placed it against Bill's cheek. "Bill, why would you think such a thing?" she asked, the disbelief evident in her voice.

"The w-w-way you laughed. . .the way you s-s-smiled. . .I'd never seen you l-l-look that happy," Bill muttered.

"Bill, that's not true in any way, shape, or form," she assured him. Y/N lovingly rubbed her thumb against his cheek before smiling softly at him.

"I'm my happiest when I'm with you."

Bill blushed at that, his eyes flickering over her face before he leaned forward and rested his forehead against her own. The two both let their eyes close as they enjoyed this moment, their arms holding onto each other while their foreheads touched.

"I r-r-really am sorry," Bill whispered, not opening his eyes.

Y/N smiled softly and opened her eyes long enough so that she could push herself up on her tip toes and press a kiss to Bill's cheek. He instantly leaned into her touch, his arm that was around her pulling her even closer to his body if that was possible.

"I forgive you," Y/N assured him once she had pulled away, Bill turning his face so that their noses brushed against each other and their eyes locked. Both of their faces were red and they were silent for a moment before Y/N smiled and said, "You should know better than to listen to Richie."

Bill chuckled softly and pulled away to press a small kiss to her forehead before he pulled away from her and went over to his backpack. "Yeah, p-p-probably not my s-s-smartest move," he said as he opened his backpack and pulled out his jacket. The same jacket that Y/N had in her possession only a few hours before.

Y/N's smile dropped slightly at the sight. "Oh, I should've told you that I was leaving it for you. I hadn’t meant to keep it so long," she told him, but the boy only smiled and walked over to her with it in his hand.

"I-I-I want you to w-w-wear it," Bill admitted, both of the teens' faces growing redder by the second.

"Really?" Y/N asked, her face lighting up slightly and a hopeful tone in her voice.

Bill nodded and Y/N smiled before turning around. Bill held the jacket up and she slid her arms into the sleeves before Bill put the jacket on her the rest of the way. She turned around and gave the boy a teasing smile.

"So how do I look?" Y/N asked as she struck a few poses for him, a giggle escaping her lips as she did.

Bill chuckled and smiled fondly at the girl. "Beautiful," he told her. "Just like always."

Y/N blushed slightly before going to grab her bike. She picked it up before sending a small smile in Bill's direction. "Come on, Bill. It's time to go save our friend," she said.

And with that, the two got onto their bikes and began to bike after their friends, Bill's eyes locked on Y/N and his jacket that was blowing in the wind behind her.

* * *

Tag List

@witch-of-all-things-soft @nightbu-g @vickeystar @daniellajocelyn @alexthe80swhore @ren-ni @floralpiper @starshininginthedark @aimee-lucass @marvelismylifffe @dwcljh @sycard @connor---murphy @tinycolorwhispers @sarai-ibn-la-ahad @izzyisavengersupernaturaltrash @theamandarenee @amberkay284 @gryffingirl @dejewskoo @artlovingbre @jacinta-lexianne @gabiatthedisco @littlemaeve @newhopenessie @pheonix-nin @captn-sprkl-fngrs @flaredflowersuits @madelinelikesfics @mysteryartisticwriter @that-one-book-girl @spnsquirrel @galaxsea-707 @felicia-can-fly @whoops-im-gay-now @hollandcomics @lauren-theicecreamslinger @peterhollandd @princessserena23 @hollandstanleythomas @you-s-suckbowers @hitoshi-s-stupid-bitch @deviantly-gayy @pastel-rose-water @gothackedalready @fandoms-all-around-catiel @danas-wonderland @c00ln3rdz @lastjeon @fraeppuccino @80sthottie @hawkxyes @milk-n-cheese @mileven-reddie @kimseungminsgf @roboturtle16 @maxinemayficld

[whumping-every-day]

Hey Sarah! Congrats on getting your card! I'm sorry you've been having a few rough days of writing. Writer's block stinks big time. Could I possibly request mercy killing from your card? If you have time and want to. I'm picturing the whimper maybe doing it to "free" a friend of the Whumpee that has also been captured? Thank you so much for all the effort you put into your stories. Please don't pressure yourself about them. We love them whenever you publish then. It should be fun for you!

Baby, buddy, my friend... thank you so much for your kind words. Also, you may regret asking me this. Because I saw this request, and immediately decided on doing the worst thing ever.

Have an Au of my vampire series, where Callum does not find and rescue Ash in time. Instead, Ash remains with the hunters who originally captured him. Callum happens to stop by years later to visit a friend. 

Content Warnings: Major character death!!! (non-canonical, but still) mouth/face/eye/finger gore, blood, broken/shattered bones, aftermath of torture, injuries, dehumanizing language, muzzles, put on display, tortured literally out of his mind, brief vomit, mercy killing. 

Tagging the vampire gang: @pepperonyscience @angelsuperwholock @pennsss @silver-sparrow-462 @silverinkgoldenquill @kestrelsparverius @learningtowhump @shameless-whumper @latenightcupsofcoffee @thebluejayswhump @what-huh-imconfused  @lostbetweenvampiresandmusic @vickytokio @pink-and-purple-flowers @gonna-feel-that-tomorrow @whump-em @umniyah-s

-- 

The creature twitches and shudders as it falls to the packed earth. The crowd of onlookers is thinner, now, as dusk starts to fall. A few of the townspeople linger, though, and the hunters just stand around and watch as they deal a flurry of kicks and insults to the quivering lump of flesh on the ground. 

That’s all it is, anymore. A lump of flesh. The muzzle is a part of its face, and its eye sockets are empty behind bleeding eyelids. 

There’s the rattling of strained, laboured breathing, but there is no other sound. Not even when one of the larger assailants sets his foot on the vampire’s chest and shoves. Something cracks as the creature’s torso caves in. 

“Alright, alright. ‘m afraid you will have to come back tomorrow, boys.” One of the hunters scoops up the chain attached to the creature’s collar. “Don’t worry, it’s not going anywhere.” 

One of the men laughs, wiping his boot off on the grass as if he’s touched something filthy. “Yeah, I should hope so. That thing’s practically our mascot now.” 

It takes some time, but the remaining villagers slowly start to disperse as the hunters drag the still-juddering corpse inside. It’s breathing, technically, but it’s still a corpse. There’s nothing about it that looks human anymore, not its face or its body. Its skin is still smoking, and the stench of burning meat still permeates the courtyard. Night falls, and the courtyard is empty, and the creature lies in a cage made of iron and floats on a sea of nothingness and agony. 

-- 

“Didn’t you say you have a vampire here?” Callum takes a long draw out of his tankard, drumming his fingers on the wood of the bar. He doesn’t know the hunter in front of him that well, but well enough that not stopping by when he’s in town would be rude. Derik is short and rotund, thick and broad. 

“Aww, yeah, man.” Derik is considerably deeper into his bottle than Callum is. “ ‘s hardly a vampire now, though. It’s a money-maker. Who’da ever thought people would pay to stand around ‘n watch us break it? It don’t even respond, anymore. ‘s boring.” The man slurs, glaring pensively into his bottle. 

Callum hides his grimace fairly well, but his next swig of beer tastes bitter on his tongue. He’s done awful things to these creatures, of course, but he tries to keep it quick. A bolt to the chest, or a clean decapitation with a silver blade. But then, he’s never been short on funds, so maybe he shouldn’t talk. “Hey. If it puts food on the table...” 

Derik snorts. “Barely. ‘sides, tha’s not the point. It deserves it.” 

“Ah.” Callum takes another drink. “So you guys caught it, and just... kept it?” 

“Mm-hmm.” Derik’s cheeks are flushed, and he looked about ready to pass out. But his eyes brighten suddenly, and he leans forward, nearly unbalancing on the stool. “You wanna see?” 

“Do I want to-” Callum breaks off. He doesn’t understand why the question fills him with a nameless sort of dread. He doesn’t want to see. He doesn’t want to know. And yet, that terrible dread is translating into sick curiosity. “I’ll take a peek.” 

“Yeeaaahh, that’s my man,” Derik crows. He slings a careless arm around Callum’s shoulders, and his breath stinks like booze. 

Callum is starting to regret coming here at all. 

--

“This is your vampire?” The words fall from his lips as horrified, and for a split second, for just a moment, it feels like it’s happened before. But everything is different, this time; everything is worse. 

They’ve disassembled the creature, piece by piece. Callum mistakes the dark lump for a shadow at first, but then the shadow moves. Callum’s hand falls to his knife automatically - but the figure is keening, quiet and raw. It sounds like a child sobbing, or a wounded, dying animal. It sends shivers down Callum’s spine. 

“Oh, yeah. It don’t do much no more...” Derik stumbles over to it, and he’s not steady on his feet, but he’s aware enough to spit down on it. The flesh of its lower face is burned away. Callum can see its cheekbones, and that it’s missing its teeth. Not just its fangs. All of its teeth. 

Callum gags a little and takes a step back, feeling horror roil in his gut. “What is wrong with you people?” 

Derik is busy fumbling with his pants, like he’s going to take a piss right on the creature’s broken body. He pauses at the words though, brow creasing. “Wha’s wrong with you?” He counters. “ ‘s a vampire. I can do.. wh-ever I want.” 

Callum can’t catch his breath, suddenly. The smell in the little stone room is rancid; filth and piss and rot, and the sour, overlaying stench of terror. The vampire is missing fingers, and the ones that remain are bent and crushed. Callum feels very cold, suddenly, and then very warm. 

His fingers shake as he grips his knife and draws it. He is driven by cold horror as he moves, his mind not even catching up with his body. 

Derik is too drunk to see him coming. Callum knocks him over the head with the hilt, and the man drops like a stone. Callum has to stifle the urge to keep hitting him. 

The vampire does not seem to be conscious of his presence... or of anything at all, really. Callum walks over to it, and the longer he stares, the more he feels the alcohol twisting and turning in his gut. 

It’s only when he sees the creature’s severed tendons, and the way the bottoms of its feet have been mangled, that he turns and vomits all over the floor. 

“Oh my god,” he mutters, wiping the back of his mouth. This goes far beyond overkill. This is - this is something else. This is the deepest expression of human evil he’s ever come across. Callum has never been religious, but this is an abhorrence.

There’s a stake in his hand as he crouches beside the trembling lump of skin and bone. Its head jerks in his direction, and the keening gets a little louder. 

He can’t heal it. Callum has tested the limits of a vampire’s body himself, but he’s never seen torture like this. He’d have to drain three people or over to even think of fixing it, and even then... Callum looks at the way its empty eyelids flutter, the way the exposed, caved bones in its chest rattle and wheeze. No. Healing it would not be a kindness. 

The hunter draws in an unsteady breath and grips the stake. It will be easy from here; a quick plunge, not even a moving target. But he can’t help but reach out, just once, as if something else is guiding his hand. As if allowing this creature’s last moments of contact to be violent is too much.

There’s no patch of the creature’s flesh that is not maimed in some way. Callum settles a hand as gently as he can over its empty eyes, and his jaw clenches at the way it shudders and twitches. 

“Easy,” he murmurs, even as he readies the stake. “You can rest now.” He doesn’t know why he’s trying to talk to it. It can’t understand him. Callum squeezes his eyes shut just for a moment, as if hoping to purge the gory image from his mind. But it’s still there for him when he looks again, and the creature is limp under his hand, finally fallen silent. It’s waiting, he realizes. Callum’s hands shake with fury, but he squeezes the stake harder and grits his teeth. “I give you mercy.” 

It’s a harsh motion, quick and decisive, and the creature turns to dust beneath his fingers. Callum is left gripping the worn wooden steak with angry tears in his eyes. Everything about this is wrong. Everything. 

He’s sick at heart as he stands, and as he goes back to the bar and pays his tab, and as he finds his way out to the stables and saddles his horse. There are monsters in their world, Callum knows this. But he will never again forget that the worst monster is and always has been humanity. 

It’s just one night in the course of his life, but Callum isn’t ever able to forget what he saw. And when he gets home and goes to collapse onto his cot, for some reason, the lab feels emptier than it ever has before. 

[vickypoochoices]

Scrabble Heart.

Author's Note: I don't write James fics ever, but this idea came to me and he was the only person I could imagine pulling this off! I also need you to excuse any mistakes regarding the rules for Scrabble. I played once, over ten years ago, and cried because I was so awful at it! I've had a quick Google of the rules, and I know I've forgotten about the double points on the first go, but we can forget all about that when we see the outcome of this game right? I hope!

Tagging: I don't really have a tag list for James, so i'm sorry if I've tagged you and you aren't interested. @zigortega4life @emerald-bijou @littlegreenmoo @krsnlove

"I miss Zack. He would never pick on me like you have. Relentlessly. All day long.”

“Oh boo hoo. Cry me a river. Who do you think planted this little idea in my head in the first place?” Kaitlyn retorts, not even glancing up from where she's picking at her worn down, stubby nails.

A sharp hiss of breath, grinding teeth and a tight ball of scrunched up fingers under the table was her only response initially, a half hearted threat eventually following. "When he gets back I’m gonna...”

“Shower me with kisses? Squeeze me so tight I literally explode?” A giddy squeal from the entrance to the coffee shop interrupted her.

“ZACK?! What are you doing here?”

“Did you really think I’d miss one of the biggest nights of my best friend’s life?”

A sharp slap sounded out as the palms of Zack and Kaitlyn met in unison for a high five. Both wearing matching smug smiles. Both watching on as their friend sagged against a corner seat.

“Good job Liao. She’s a tough one to crack but with a little perseverance we’ll have her coming round to our way of thinking in no time.”

Zack slid into the seat next to her, bringing an arm up to hang loosely around her shoulders. Her nostrils flared at the overwhelming and intensely overpowering scent that followed. Not what she had grown accustomed to. Zack smelt fresh, fruity, exotic. Shrinking back slightly, she eyed him cautiously, taking note of his face. Flecked with a smattering of fresh freckles, and the tone of his skin; a shade pinker than what was probably deemed desirable. She flinched at the sudden thud of Zack's backpack tumbling to the floor.

Whilst one eyebrow remained in place, higher than the other, her hands betrayed her, instinctively grabbing at thin air greedily, eager to snap up the thick slab of chocolate she could see poking out the top of the bag.

“Present!” He exclaimed, still not making a move, eerily still and watching her closely. She swallowed hard, suddenly on edge.

“Did you get abducted by aliens whilst you were away or something? One, you are being really weird right now. Like, really weird. Two, the Zack I know would buy chocolate as a gift for me, but find it too irresistible and end up eating it himself then palm me off with a fridge magnet. And three, am I really supposed to believe that you got a tan if that’s what you want to call it, from a last minute trip around Europe?”

“Okay well one, if I really was abducted by aliens I’d be selling my story and making my millions right now instead of wasting my time here with you. Two, that was one time that I ate your chocolate and i’ve spent the last five years apologising for my mistake, how much longer are you going to hold it against me? And finally, Europe does get hot. Sometimes. I’ll have you know.” Zack puffed out the breath he’d been holding, cheeks reddening with each word. He looked her over, a smirk tugging at his lips, a glimmer in his eye.

“And I thought it could serve as your first engagement present too, I was going to get James a nice bottle of wine for tonight, but I ran out of money.”

She rolled her eyes, tutting loudly. “That’s it, I take it all back. From this moment on I am best friend less.” She stared pointedly at Zack, Kaitlyn giggling in the background as she stealthily swiped the chocolate bar, taking advantage of Zack's momentary lapse of concentration.

“Love you too babe! I’d better be the first person you call once James pops the question or I’ll seriously have to reconsider my answer when you ask me to be your man of honour.”

A sweet smile ghosted her lips as she flipped him the bird before flouncing out of the coffee shop. An unsettling feeling began to rise in the pit of her stomach, a bitter taste still apparent after the conversation she'd just had.

The fresh air hit her face on, hair whipping around wildly as a gust of autumnal wind swept past her. But she barely even noticed, subconsciously winding her pashmina a little tighter around herself, her nose burying into it. As her feet carried her off down the path littered with crunchy, crisp golden leaves, her mind was stuck in St. Mark's Basilica. The large round domes and marble multi coloured pillars. With her feet now rounding a corner, her mind wandered further, now walking along the Bridge of Sighs at the Doge's Palace. She paused for a second, surprising herself as a rumble of laughter escaped her mouth unexpectedly.

"It's fascinating here. And beautiful. We could get lost in Venice and roam the streets for months and I'd still never tire of this place." James talked animatedly, his pace of speech hurried as his excitement grew, all the while his thumb brushed over her knuckles soothingly, despite his apparent excitement overtaking his mouth.

The glistening water that passed them, as they both stole glances of each other. James looking at her wistfully and lingering. Nope. If he was going to propose it would have been then. In Italy. One of the most beautiful and romantic countries in the world. Or any one of the other amazing places they'd visited together. Not a random Thursday night in their apartment of all places. She shook her head, unsure why she even entertained the idea. This was Zack and Kaitlyn anyway. Why did she ever take them seriously in the first place?

A long, drawn out breath escaped as she made her way into her shared apartment with James, silently cursing the loud jangle of keys that seemed to slice through the silence. At least Zack didn't bring her another keyring back. Her set contained two keys but dozens of mismatched keyrings, mainly little momentos as a memory of the places her and James had visited. They'd taken a year off together. They were both busy and successful in their own rights, but some days it had seemed as though they were slipping into the old ships in the night routine, which so many long term relationships always seemed to suffer. James had often talked about showing her the world one day, until the words 'Why not today' tumbled out of her mouth in a rush, little to no thought actually going into the logistics of it all.

Twirling around on the spot, her eyes narrowed, skepticism pooling within her as she took note of her dimly lit surroundings. James sat hunched over their dining table, flicking his wrist a few times, a flickering flame from his matchstick disapating cleanly, her nostrils flaring slightly at the heavy smokey scent drifting towards her. The room would have been pitch black, were it not for the dozens and dozens of candles strategically dotted around the living room. Shit. He's not...?

Catching sight of her, James's demeanor changed, his eyes crinkling at the corners, mustering up a lopsided grin, neither confirming nor denying her suspicions.

"Hey." His voice was normal. Not squeaky or strained, no hint of nerves in the slightest. Her voice however betrayed her, the notes wavering shakily as she choked out a terse 'hey' of her own in response.

Something in the way she remained rooted to the spot, anxiously eyeing every candle painfully slowly must have prompted James as to the inner turmoil she was currently battling.

Striding the short distance between them, her fingers greedily snatched up the half full wine glass she found pressed between them, a trace amount dribbling out of the corner of her mouth as she struggled to knock it back cleanly in one.

He eyed her curiously, warmth jolting her to her senses as his hand covered hers, steadying, as he seamlessly removed the glass from her grasp and sat it down on a nearby coffee table. The warmth radiated through her, her whole body fighting off a chill she wasn't even aware of until now. Tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, his warmth spread to her face, a rosy glow heating her cheeks as he cupped her face in his hand, watching her with an unreadable expression.

"The electricity's out."

She tried to reign in the breath she hadn't even realised she'd been holding, a short puff of air the only thing to pass her lips somehow. Idiot! There's a perfectly good explanation after all!

"That...makes sense."

A rich chuckle rumbled, James cocking his head to the side as he looked her over from top to bottom, perplexed. "Are you okay?"

She stared, deadpan for a moment, mouth slightly agape before pulling herself together. She wasn't about to let Zack and Kaitlyn ruin this night. Game night was one of her favourite nights of the week!

Nodding her head once, setting her shoulders back and fixing her face with an award winning smile she hoped wasn't too over the top, she took a step towards the 'game table'. "I'm fine Ashton. Just eager to beat your ass, as usual!"

Breaking out into a grin, he paced over to the table, both now hovering by their designated seats. "Is that so?"

"Have you been getting a little extra practice in tonight?" She jerked her head towards the Scrabble board set out in the middle of the table, a few words scattered around.

"The pressure is on me tonight."

She swallowed hard, mind going into overdrive for all of thirty seconds before James pressed on.

"If I remember correctly, you've won two weeks in a row."

Bringing a hand up to cup around her ear, her eyes twinkled mischievously. "Say it a little louder."

He chuckled distractedly, his gaze dropping to her lips. As James took a step towards her, she took one backwards, the heel of her foot knocking into contact with her chair. Her eyes widened, a brief moment of panic washing over her. Fingers curling tightly around the fabric of James's shirt reflexively, she braced herself for the fall, expecting James to come tumbling down with her. Instead, strong arms encircled her waist, gently placing her harmlessly into position on her chair.

A momentary loss of balance forced James down with her. Their foreheads coming to rest together, her chest rising and falling exaggeratedly as she caught her breath. Grateful for the strong arms wrapped protectively around her and the feather light strokes of his fingertips along one of her hip bones that followed.

Her eyes found their way to his and found them seeking out an answer to his unanswered question. A slight angle of her head was all it took, her lips latching onto his once, then twice, hoping that would be enough to reassure him that she was fine.

"Someone's eager to play." James whispered into her covered neck, before dipping lower to place a single kiss against her collar bone.

Her cheeks flushed, slowly unravelling the long pashmina she'd long since forgotten about.

"How about we play later?" Her lips tugged upwards into a coy smile, as she beckoned him closer still with a crook of her finger.

A startling crackle from one of the candles distantly in the room pulled them apart.

A small patch of skin on the back of her hand glistened under the candlelight as James left a lingering kiss there. "As tempting as that offer is..."

The formation of a sharp crease between his brows had her unintentionally mirroring him, a furrow of confusion flitting across her features at the obvious deflection. His words were at odds with his facial features, and she couldn't understand why.

Swallowing down an influx of unwelcome emotions, a breezy smile slipped into place as she turned her attention to the table, eager for a distraction. Settling back in the chair and sucking in a healthy amount of air, she welcomed the space as James eased himself off of her, and into position opposite.

Hands steepled together, her wandering eyes latched onto the opposite side of the table. A collection of tiles with a mismatch of complete and half strung together words caught her attention, the most striking being Eternity. Chin jutting, eyes narrowed, voice croaking, she managed just one word.

"Cheat!"

"This is one game I very much hope I can win tonight." His eyes sparkled in the darkness.

"Ready when you are."

Dipping his head, James alternated between an awkward squint and a cocky flit between his letters. After what felt like an eternity, he finally placed down his first word. Love.

Really? All of that build up for four letters and seven fucking points?

"Losing never looked so sexy before." She smirked teasingly.

"I just need a little more time to warm up."

A thin sheen of sweat shone off his forehead, but before she could voice any concern a sharp buzz at the door interrupted. Raising an eyebrow questioningly, James shrugged casually, using the back of his hand to swiftly swipe at his clammy forehead.

"Well I couldn't make us dinner with the electricity out, so I went ahead and ordered us some pizza. Could you go? I'm pondering over my next move and I'll probably just start spurting out random words to the delivery guy if I go."

"Don't get ahead of yourself Ashton. I think you'll find it's my turn next. We didn't up the stakes last week without my knowledge did we? Because you are acting strange all of a sudden. Unless you just can't take the humiliation of being beaten by me three weeks in a row..."

"Sounds like someone is worried about that winning streak coming to an end."

With a stern face and narrowed eyes, she outstretched two fingers in front of her, before moving them back and forth between the pair, signalling that she's watching him.

"I promise you." James smiled, raising his hand and placing it over his heart, sincerity flushing his features. "I'm not cheating, and we didn't up the stakes. This game is an important one. There's no coming back from this for me if you beat me three weeks in a row."

She nodded her head once in acceptance before bounding over to the door, eager to get back to the game.

"Good evening ma'am." A muffled voice greeted her, buried behind a stack of pizza boxes.

"Seems everyone in the building had the same idea tonight, we're rushed off our feet. Now then, which one of these is yours?"

A middle aged, kind faced man suddenly appeared as he carefully manoeuvred the tower of boxes onto the floor.

"Huh, looks like there's been a mix up. Nothing is labelled, makes my job a hell of a lot harder let me tell you kid! There's no other way to do it than opening the boxes and looking through."

A slight huff and an irritated glance back at James followed, not that he noticed. He was hunched over, scrutinising each tile whilst stroking his chin absentmindedly.

"Alright let's do this. James is awkward and orders extra toppings, so I guess his should be easy to spot."

Time seemed to stand still as the delivery guy sifted through the mountain of boxes painstakingly slowly.

"Well what do you know, the bottom two eh? What are the chances?"

She found her eyebrows raising and her foot tapping, her patience well and truly tested now.

"Okay great. Thanks so much. Have a great night!" She strained out, struggling with all her might to refrain from slamming the door in his face.

"Can you believe that James? Next time I think I'd rather just starve!"

Winding her way back to the table, she frowned at the now vacant seat, James no where to be seen. Setting down the pizza boxes in the middle of the table, she let out a long sigh. Same thing every Thursday. Wine goes straight through him! Her lips curled up into a cunning smile, as she risked a peek behind her, ensuring James wasn't about to walk in and catch her stealing a glance at his rack and tiles. With the coast clear, she loomed over the empty seat on his side, her throat constricting instantly.

There were no spare tiles, on either James's side or her own. Just the Scrabble board, positioned perfectly straight, and completed. Her legs buckled, the safety of James's chair acting as a net and catching her, her elbows coming to rest on the table as she leaned forward, eyes erratically scanning over the words in place.

Love. Eternity. Italy.

Stomach clenching as realisation set in, she allowed her eyes to drop a little further down. An unmistakablely large diamond ring sat in the centre of the board, the accompanying tiles set out directly underneath it spelt out just four more words. Will. You. Marry. Me.

"I hope Zack and Kaitlyn didn't ruin the surprise."

Mouth agape, her head slowly turned to her right, gaze falling to the floor and landing on James, knelt down on one knee looking at her earnestly.

"James what...?"

"Is it hot in here all of a sudden or is it just me?"

"That might have something to do with the hundreds of candles you've got heating up the room."

"Right, yeah. I didn't think that one through properly did I?"

Her arms folded across her chest, the penny finally dropping.

"The power isn't out?"

"Nope."

"And the pizza delivery guy?"

A sheepish look flits across his face. "He might have been paid handsomely to help me out." He paused, clearing his throat loudly. "But babe, we've sort of strayed a little here."

Her stomach twisted into knots, her heart pounding harshly. "Right err..."

"No wait. This isn't right. I've spent the best part of a year planning all of this and I've messed it all up."

"A year?" She repeated quitely.

"It would have been too obvious to do it whilst we were jetsetting around the world. We'd talked about doing that together for so many years, I didn't want to take anything away from that experience for you."

Her face softened at his words. My James. Always so thoughtful.

"I didn't think it was possible, but every day I fell more and more in love with you. I nearly caved in a few times, even went as far as to check out a jewelers whilst we were in Malta. Then you text me saying you'd woken from your nap and you were starving so I came home with food instead of a ring."

She couldn't help but giggle, cursing herself mentally. Damn you stomach!

"And then we came home and we settled back into our old routine and I thought I'd missed my chance. Then I realised, none of that even matters. I could wine you and dine you in an extravagant restaurant. Or we could stay in, surrounded by all of our firsts."

She chewed on the inside of her lip nervously, but her expression must have faltered, as she felt James stroke her hand timidly, taking a moment to find the right way to answer her confusion.

"The first time we kissed. The first time together properly, how could I ever forget? The first confession of love I'd ever muttered to anyone before. The first experience of living with a partner, my beautiful partner." His eyes softened.

"The first proposal. Hopefully the last! The first moments afterwards, when you've given me your answer..."

Diving downwards and pressing against him forcibly, they fell backwards, tumbling together into the floor. For the second time that night, James found himself instinctively curling his arms around her protectively, their lips melding together in a sudden fierce frenzy.

Panting as he pulled away, James cradled her face in his hands, thumb gently stroking either side in adoration. "Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Good. I'm glad I could soften the fall for you."

"That yes was an answer to your original question James."

"Right right." He nodded his head slowly, taking a moment for the words to sink in properly. "Yes, as in yes yes?"

"Okay, that word is officially banned from now on!" She quipped, face widening in a broad smile.

Raising her hands to his lips and brushing a kiss to each finger individually, he kept his eyes locked on her's, the threat of happy tears brimming in his eyes as he slowly slipped the ring onto her finger.

"There's just one thing left to do now." He murmured against her mouth, tugging at her bottom lip.

"Which is?"

"Finish the game, of course. What else?"

[infinitemarilynmonroe]

I'm sorry if you've answered this before (I searched your tags/faq), but how do you feel about Marilyn impersonators (or those who imitate her in day to day life)? Personally, I find them a little kitsch and overbearing. I'm inspired by Marilyn in many ways, however, it isn't to the extent that I want to be her or wholly like her. I know I sound awful, bitter...I still had to ask.

I’m not a huge fan of most of them. It’s a very difficult thing to get right! The look can be there but it’s the whole personality I guess that seems forced with a lot of impersonators. I find that the voice always seems to be extremely breathy and all that to the point where it just sounds so fake. For me anyway. And the majority of impersonators I’ve seen either wear the famous gold dress, the famous white dress, or the famous pink ‘diamonds’ dress. It makes sense cause they are very recognizable dresses, but it can become very boring and expected.

If it’s done with respect, then I don’t mind them. I’d probably have to say Suzie Kennedy is my favourite…but at the same time I’m not crazy about the whole impersonation thing.

I guess it just seems to me like most of them do the same thing. They do the expected. Something different would be nice.

[overstalking]

Ooh I have a request! How about some Reinhardt angst cause he's out on a date with his s/o and sees how they interact with friends that he deems more attractive and younger than him, making him feel not good enough and jealous. With a fluffy ending please! ♡ (congrats on the blog success I'm so happy for you! Keep it up!)

Thank you for your support, I always see you liking and replying to my posts so I’m sorry this took forever! 

Reinhardt: 

It was times like this that Reinhardt wished he would’ve just kept you locked up with him all the time. Yes, it was nice going out on an actual date with you but it wasn’t so nice that your friends insisted on tagging along because it’d ‘be more fun that way’. Why did everyone think an older man like himself would want to spend any time with this crowd, a group of people who could’ve looked like his children. 

But, it made you happy, so he dealt with it as best as he could. Even when you skipped off with your friends at some point because they were walking faster and you wanted to be included in the conversation. It made his blood boil, seeing the way the younger men looked at you and how they managed to slip into the conversations with such ease. All of this was really putting a damper on his mood, wanting to steal you away from this to keep their greedy eyes off of you. They wanted to steal you away from him. 

You had linked arms with one of your friends, laughing at a joke that someone had told. But, you noticed that Reinhardt wasn’t walking as close as he had been earlier. You wanted to reach back and take a hold of one of his hands but when you looked back he was a lot farther back than you would’ve thought he’d been. And the look on his face was one of the saddest things you’d ever seen and it made your heartbreak, especially since you didn’t know what had suddenly set him off. The two of you had just been all cute and lovey dovey a few minutes ago, someone must’ve done something to him to cause the sudden change in mood. 

After a quick laugh, you pulled away from the group and stopped walking until your boyfriend caught up with you. His face lit up a little bit when he noticed you were joining him again, but he still looked upset about something; no matter how hard he tried to hide it from you. “What’s wrong?” you asked softly, slipping your hand into his as you walked at his pace; you knew he wouldn’t tell you unless you almost dragged it out of him so it was best to start the conversation now while you were out in public. 

“It’s nothing Lie-” “Bull, tell me or I’ll start whining,” you interrupted, squeezing his hands as you stared up at him. Reinhardt smiled softly at your response and sighed as he shrugged his shoulders, trying to gather his thoughts so he wouldn’t sound like a bitter old man when he told you why he’d gotten upset. 

“It’s just.. You are all so much younger than me and I do not fit in, you seem to have so much more fun with them,” he mumbled, eyes looking straight ahead at the group who were laughing and talking loudly. It angered him now that you weren’t with them, he could be just as lively if they let him into the group. His thoughts were stopped when you tugged his hand until he stopped walking, arching a brow as he looked back down at you. He was surprised to see that you looked rather annoyed, pouting as you crossed your arms over your chest. 

Before he could ask about what he had done to upset you, you huffed out, “Rein, do you think I would waste my time dating you if I like one of those guys better? There’s a reason I’m dating you, not them. You’re the only guy for me, got that?” Your words were just a little harsh, but it was to make sure that he understood how ridiculous his doubts were. It seemed to work since he broke into a grin and reached down to scoop you up into his arms, twirling you which earned him a happy laugh. 

“Thank you, Liebling,” he hummed out before he pressed his lips against yours, the both of you smiling and earning a few ‘awe’s from the group you came with.