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a-spes · 5 months ago

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| DEVIOUS LIES — Part two (8.790 words).

| Summary — Anon Request — When your friend asked you out for a drink, you didn't think much about it. Yet, maybe you should've, because that night ruined your life. It has been two years, and you can't stop think about what you lost. Your job, your friends, your lover, and even your mind was left in that motel room.

| Tags & warnings — Avenger!Natasha Romanoff x Avenger!Reader, AoS!OC x Avenger!Reader, Other Avengers, angst without comfort, cheating, mental health issues, suicidal ideations, self depreciation, mentions of SA&SH, manipulation, toxic relationship (OCxR), revenge porn, use of drugs.

| Author's notes — I don't know how I feel about that second part, i'm not sure i like it, but now it's written it costs me nothing to share. So here we are. I can just hope that I managed to convey, at least a little, the emotions I wanted to. And, most importantly, take care of yourself.

| MOODBOARD — ✧ — MASTERLIST — ✧ — TO SAY SOMETHING

| Part one. Part two. Part three. the scars in our hearts (bonus part).

Almost a year has gone by, and it means one thing: in a few weeks, it’s going to be Natasha's birthday, again. The woman is not sure how she feels about it. She never really had a birthday before she joined the Avengers, and despite the years that have passed since, she still feels a certain awkwardness at this time of the year. Especially as the boys tended to do too much.

She could only pretend to match their enthusiasm. A slight smile spreads across her face as she takes a sip from her drink, staying silent. She has been listening to her teammates talking about her birthday’s party for almost half an hour now. She stopped trying to avoid it a long time ago, when she realized how much they enjoyed organizing this stupid party. She can deal with anything they’re going to come up with if she gets to see their smiles in exchange. Her sentence won’t last more than a few hours, but the memories are going to stick with them for eternity, and it has no price.

"Wait, you know what?” someone asked. It was Clint, and by the mischievous smile on his face, the redhead already knew that she wouldn't appreciate the next words that are going to come out of his mouth. “I think we should have the mascot come over again," he added, his eyes not leaving hers. "What? It was funny to have a cartoon version of you running around," he defended himself when he saw her glance darkening.

"You know what? Do whatever you want," she mumbled, “it’s not as if you were asking for my opinion anyway,” she eventually gave in. Sometimes, you have to know how to pick your battles, and that is one she definitely cannot win, not when all the others seem to appreciate the idea.

"That’s such a great idea!” one exclaimed, and this time it was Peter Parker, “Mr. Stark, do you think they would accept to come again?” he asked the man.

"Obviously!" Tony replied without an ounce of hesitation, laughing at the question. The man thought it was a stupid thing to ask, "she likes you too much to miss your birthday,” he explained, pointing at the redhead while saying those words. "What? She pretends it’s not true, but I know she is lying. I can see right through her and, believe me, she’ll be here," he explained when he noticed the confused looks of his teammates.

"Who’s she?" a voice asked, cutting short to Tony’s rambling. That’s the question that has been on everyone’s minds, but that no one dared to ask out loud, except for one of them — And it hasn’t been Natasha, it is Steve that spoke first.

On the contrary, the woman remained silent because she didn’t need words to express herself, a silent conversation taking place between the billionaire and her through a simple glance. Even if she already has her suspicions, and is almost sure that she knows the answer to that question, she wants him to say it, refusing to believe it otherwise.

The moment she saw the box, she was intrigued by it, something drawing the woman to the small package that no one claimed as theirs. It’s almost as if it came out of nowhere, no one knowing who left it here, or what may be inside the black box. At first, she thought it was some joke, but she knew they were being honest when saying they had nothing to do with the gift. And if she had expected a lot of things to be wrapped in the red ribbon, she definitely wasn’t ready for a ghost from her past to emerge from it.

A quick glance before she suddenly closes the box again, that’s all it took for the redhead to know who was behind that gift. The only thing she could think about was how — How did it happen without any of them noticing your presence? Despite the appearances, and the smile she was trying to keep on, the woman was shaken — Why would you do that, more than two years after your break up? Could it be that you are that desperate?

"Is everything okay?" Clint asked, being the only one to seem to notice a change in Natasha’s behavior. At least, everyone had enough restraint to not ask the question that burns their lips — What’s inside the box?

She wouldn’t have answered if one of them had asked. She wouldn’t even have opened the gift if she had known that it was from you, and that’s probably why you left it on the table, avoiding giving it to her directly. Smart girl, she thought. At first sight, the woman couldn’t tell it was coming from you but there was no doubt remaining once she saw the content — There is only one person on Earth that cares enough to give her such a gift. A person that constantly looks after her, guessing what the redhead wasn’t telling.

A person that she used to love.

A person that couldn’t be here, was she? The woman can’t help but glance around but she can’t find your face. What was she expecting anyway? To see you in the corner of the room with a bright smile and your arms open for her to throw herself in a hug? That was stupid, and so is the hint of hope she felt when she opened the box. The others told her many times she has to turn the page, but she doesn’t seem ready to let you go. Even after two years, she is still craving your presence as much as before.

The thought of it puts to shame the redhead who knows she shouldn’t hold on to the past, especially when the past in question has a pretty face and breaks her heart. Even after what you’ve done to her, she has spent hours crying, praying for you to come back. Even after listening to the others assuring her that she deserves better, she couldn’t forget how you’ve always been the most caring, and strong, and beautiful person she has ever met in her life.

You weren’t horrible. Were you?

Sometimes, she thinks you are a monster.

Sometimes, she thinks she is, for not listening to you that day.

That day, she let her anger speak for her, something she swore she would never do again. When she started to realize that, maybe, she should’ve listened to your version of the events, it was too late. At the time, she couldn’t bear to hear the sound of your voice or see your voice, but after two years, as the memory of it starts to fade away, she surprised herself to miss it.

Except that Fury had refused to tell her where you were. She tried to ask nicely, to beg, and even to threaten the man, but none of it worked. He said that you needed time, that you’ll be back when you are ready, not before. Despite her frustration, the woman accepted it. After all, she is the one to blame, the one that puts herself in such a situation. She could only hold on to the fact that, one day, you’ll be back. Right? As the days go by, the likelihood of ever seeing you again is gradually diminishing. Some nights, when she can’t sleep, she stays up, eyes fixed on her laptop’s screen — Maybe she could give fate a helping hand? She knows she could find you easily. Yet, despite her urge to do it, she has always ended up closing her laptop without starting the research.

She has to trust Fury, she repeats to herself. Even if she sometimes disagrees with the man, even if it’s frustrating, she has to believe him when he says that you are safe.

Some other nights, all she can feel is anger, and hatred. The redhead is lost, and scared, again, something she never thought she would feel again the day you two met. What if it was true, and you really cheated on her? Then, you could do it again if she forgives you, because history always repeats itself, and you are no exception to the rules of the universe. She knows how people tend to promise a lot of things that they don’t mean, especially when they are desperate, which is exactly what you’ve been that day. She couldn’t forget the look on your face when she dragged you out of the building, the despair in those bright eyes, glistening with tears. This is the only thing she can remember when she thinks about you. Not the good moments you’ve shared, only the brutality of the end of your relationship.

You've abandoned her, and so did she.

It has been three since she last saw you, and almost a year since her birthday party, but the woman couldn’t stop thinking about it. She didn’t take the gift, leaving the jewelry in the box, and the box on a shelf. She hasn't touched it since. How could she when just the sight of it was already too much to bear?

Every day, when she wakes up, it is one of the first things she sees, and one of the last when she goes to sleep. If it doesn’t feel right to the woman to take the gift, it doesn’t feel right to throw it in the bin either, so it stayed here as a constant reminder of what she has done. Every time she thinks she is finally over it, the box rekindles her doubts. There are some things she can’t quite understand about the situation, and why you would give her such a gift, two years after she kicked you out, is one of them.

Maybe it was a poisoned gift. Maybe it was a sick trick to make her feel guilty, a way to get her to crawl back to you. Beside these possibilities, she couldn’t think of any others that were likely, and she was afraid to admit that your plan was working. The box was a permanent reminder of your existence, something she couldn’t get herself to give away because of those dumb feelings she was experiencing. Somehow, she was holding on to that last piece of your years together after she threw away everything else with the help of the team.

The pictures, the clothes, the gifts, even your favorite cutlery has been burned a few days after you left them. It is almost as if you’ve never stepped a foot into the building, as if you’ve never existed. The woman was fine with the idea of pretending that nothing happened — She was fine with the idea of erasing every remaining part of your relationship.

Except that black box. It is stupid how she hangs onto that last proof of the relationship she once had with you. She had burned everything, but she couldn’t get herself to do the same with that gift. Maybe because she knew that she could never erase you completely from her life. She surely could pretend, it is a game she is really good at, but you would always be on the back of her mind because memories don't go away as easily as objects do.

Since she had opened the box, doubt had been creeping inside of her — What if? What if she has been wrong the whole time? What if she should have listened to you? Give you a second chance? That day, her reaction had been dictated by anger and hatred, feelings that still inhabit her soul, but have faded over the years. For two years, she had been sure that she made the right choice — At least, that’s what everyone kept telling the woman, and she listened to their comforting words.

But since she opened the box, she was no longer sure of anything. She wasn’t the one that wanted you gone in the first place. She surely needed a bit of space before being able to talk with you properly, but only a few days, maybe a few weeks, not two years, and definitely not more than that. That little box only worsened her doubt because who would be desperate enough to still cling to the person they betrayed, years after the events? A person truly in love. She had kept her doubts for herself before that day. If she is almost sure of the identity of the person who gave her the box, because there is only one person on that planet that cares enough to gift her something so meaningful, there are still a lot of questions to which she doesn’t have the answers — For example, how did you manage to sneak into the building without everyone knowing? She now knows that someone knew the whole time.

“Tell me,” she firmly asked the man, leaving little room for discussion.

No one pointed out the thing he has said about the mascot, the subject of the conversation quickly changed after that. Except, while they were talking about which flavor the cake should be, Natasha could think of nothing but Tony’s words — “She likes you too much to miss your birthday”, “she pretends it’s not true but I know she is lying.” So when everyone eventually decided to go back to their rooms, around two in the morning, she stayed a bit longer in the common room in hope of getting some information.

“Sorryy, I can’t, I don’t know anything,” the man replied, indifferent to her tone, “anything at all,” he repeated, chuckling like a child who has done something wrong.

The woman sighs, pinching her nose as she takes a deep breath, trying to not lash out her frustration on the man. The conversation isn’t exactly going the way she had hoped, Tony refusing to answer her question no matter how many times she has already asked. She even tried to blackmail him, but he was persistent in pretending that he didn’t know anything. When he almost falls on the ground trying to get a few steps back, it has been the last straw for the woman. Gladly, someone entered the room before she could hit him so hard that it would have sobered him in an instant.

"Is everything okay?" the voice asked, and both of them immediately shut up to turn their heads toward the woman who just entered the room, Astrid. She is leaning in the doorway, her gaze alternating between Tony and Natasha.

She hates her. Not as much as she hates you, but she still feels resentful toward the agent. When she smiles, when she speaks, even when she is just here, existing, the woman can’t help but hate her from the depths of her heart. Gladly, she rarely sees her, as an agent of the S.H.I.E.L.D., she is only around when they have outstanding missions. If Natasha had a choice, she would’ve thrown her away with you that day.

"She wants me to admit that her girlfriend was the one in the costume," he immediately replied, "but sshht, we can’t let her know that!" he added, holding his index finger in front of his mouth for a few seconds before leaving the room giggling.

"I know what happened," she eventually said when she noticed that Natasha was about to leave after a few seconds when they glanced at each other in silence. "Th- That night, in the motel room~," she added, her voice being hesitant. Those words made the redhead stop in her tracks.

"If you're about to rub in my face how you've ruined my life, you can shut up," she immediately cut her, not wanting to listen to the woman, not if it’s to tell her about how she fucked the woman she loves. Her voice was full of anger, just like the murderous look in her eyes. The only thing that prevented the woman from immediately leaving the room was the thing she saw in the other’s eyes. Her attitude betrayed her emotions, a mix of guilt, sadness, and shame, which aroused her curiosity.

With a nod, she ordered her to continue.

That morning, as many others, you are woken up by your girlfriend’s gentle touches, her fingers slowly tracing circles on your stomach. A hum of satisfaction escapes your lips before your turn around, nuzzling your head further into the crook of her neck.

How could you have known it would be the last time? How could you have possibly guessed that the routine you’ve got used to would be broken so quickly?

Every morning, it is the same thing, and while the former spy has no problems getting up early, you definitely can’t say the same for yourself. She is always awake before you are and, even if she had never admitted it, you are sure that she takes a few minutes to observe your sleeping form. She loves seeing you so peaceful and calm, being able to have a glimpse of your face without those worry lines, without the marks of your anxieties.

She is always the one who wakes you up, and you wouldn’t have it any other way. There is no better way to start a day than Natasha’s sweet words and caresses. It’s her fault if you never want to get out of bed, wishing every morning that you could stay in that bed, next to her, for the rest of your life. Sometimes, you suggest that you tell the others you are sick, just to spend a day together, but she just laughs, dismissing your idea.

But all the good things must come to an end, right?

"It's time to get up, milaya," she softly said in your ear, her breath tickling your skin, "Astrid won't be happy if you are late again," she added when the only answer you gave her was a groan of discontent.

"They won't say anything if I am late once, it's okay", you mumbled, her words not being enough to convince you to leave the comfort of her arms.

Especially when you realize that there is nothing to get excited about the day ahead of you, in perspective, only hours spent in an office, listening to men who think they know everything better than you do. Today, you are supposed to attend an important meeting alongside Astrid, and you still don’t know why you volunteered. The thought of the paperwork and the efforts that you will have to put in pretending that you are actually happy to be here definitely don’t worth your pay.

Except that you’ve lied to Natasha, and she knows it. This is definitely not the first time that you are being late, it happens almost every day, to the point that the day you are in time can probably be counted on your hands. Gladly, when you are coming in the S.H.I.E.L.D.’s quarters, it's Astrid who’s your supervisor, and she appears to also be your best friend. Most of the time, she is kind enough to accept to close her eyes on your delays. Today, you came in only ten minutes late, and the woman was somehow impressed, expecting you to be later than that.

“You’re late, again,” she replied, obviously waiting for an excuse that you don't have. She would know if you are lying to her, and you don't have the energy for that kind of game today, and you could see that the woman neither. She was starting to get tired of every day starting with the same bullshit coming from your mouth.

“I am so, so, sorry,” you said to her for what may be the tenth time since you’ve entered the office. She is walking fast, and you are trying to catch up with the black-haired woman, who is also your superior within the S.H.I.E.L.D. “Please, don’t tell Fury,” you begged, but all she did was roll her eyes, and give you a file when you eventually reached her office. You quickly glanced at it before closing it again, your attention focused on the woman, “Astrid, I am serious. He is going to give me more paperwork if you do. Or worse. Imagine if he forces me to train the new recruits, you know I can’t do that again. Please, …,” you added, looking at her imploringly.

“And what do I have in exchange?” she sighed, turning around to look at you, one eyebrow raised. Despite her serious expression, you know she was trying to not laugh. She may be your boss, but above all she is your friend, and you both know that she would never tell Fury about your delays. Even if she has threatened you to do so a few times in the past, she has never actually done it. Yet, this time she felt like she needed something in exchange, she had covered for you enough time for free, and you were happy to thank your friend with whatever she may want.

“Anything you want!” you replied, desperate but no less honest.

“Tonight, after work, you pay me a drink, deal?” she asked after pretending to think for a few seconds. In reality, she already knew what she wanted from you. She has thought about asking you out since the moment you met, something you’ve never noticed, always reducing her to the role of a friend, and not keeping up on the clues she was leaving you. Tonight, however, she will be clearer than she has ever been.

“Deal!” you immediately said, accepting the proposal without thinking twice about it. "Thank you. Thank you so, so much. You are the best," you added, kissing your friend on the cheek before leaving the room quickly, a sight that made the woman chuckle.

It is a deal that makes you both happy. You have met Astrid at the Academy, when you were both trainees that dreamed of joining the S.H.I.E.L.D. without even knowing if you were good enough for that. The two of you quickly became close — That’s the kind of thing that happens where you are the only two females of your promotion. Either you hate each other over your dead bodies, or you grow so close that you become inseparable.

Except that, since you've both achieved your dreams and joined S.H.I.E.L.D, something changed in your relationship. It wasn’t your fault, nor hers, that you had less time to see each other, your jobs taking a lot of your time and energy. Then you've been assigned on a long-term mission with the Avengers, and you’ve spent less time at the S.H.I.E.L.D.’s quarters despite still working for the organization. Then you've met Natasha, and you feel like you’ve slightly grown apart from each other after you’ve announced to her your new relationship. On the whole, you had less time to spend with your best friend, and the promises to make up for the lost time have never been kept, not until today. That deal was the perfect occasion to spend a bit of time together outside of the office work.

You both really hoped that this night would make things back as they were before.

"You know, I love her," she confessed to the redhead, her voice being barely louder than a whisper as she felt tears filling her eyes. "Since the day we met, I have loved her. That's what I told her, that night, when we went out," she admitted, and Natasha felt her heart pounding in her chest, her hands were shaking with apprehension, “but she rejected me. She loves you so much, too much," she sadly chuckled, but the redhead felt no relief when she heard those words because they were not explaining the pictures. She can't cry, not now, not in front of that woman.

"Continue," she ordered, feeling that the woman had more to say than that. She already knew that Astrid loved you, you may be the only one that hadn't seen it, or maybe you were pretending, or maybe you were blinded by your love for Natasha.

"I didn't plan to do that, you know," she started, carefully looking at the spy, "but I was so desperate that night, and I-," she said, except she was unable to finish her sentence, the words stuck in her throat.

The past three years, she had kept the truth a secret. At first, she thought it was better that way. The woman was ashamed of her actions, and she was relieved when heard that you’ve been transferred to another department, and she thought that her secret would be safe. Except that, if everyone acted as if you’ve never existed, her mind didn’t allow her to forget. Every hour of every day, you were in her mind, and the longer she thought about that night, the biggesther guilt became, until the burden was too heavy to bear. Tonight, hearing them argue about you, has been the last straw.

“What did you do?” she asked, sensing that something was wrong. She didn’t like the feeling that was creeping inside of her, “what. did. you. do.?” she asked once again, but more firmly that time, when the other didn’t immediately answer her question. As she saw the hesitation, she reduced the distance between them in a second, her hand gripping the collar of Astrid’s shirt that she pins to the wall abruptly, “tell me. Now,” she insisted as the interaction only reinforced the bad feeling she had.

That morning, unlike the others, you woke up alone. There haven’t been the gentle caresses of your girlfriend to wake you up, nor her sweet words to coax you into getting up. No, that day, it was only yourself, draped into the cold sheets, and it felt so strange, the silence and the loneliness of the room. Sadly, it has not been the exception you’ve wished it would be, but only the first of too many mornings like that.

In the sleepy state you were in, it took you a few seconds to realize that something was wrong, and almost a minute before you noticed that you weren’t home. You couldn’t even recognize the place you were in, only knowing that it looked like a hotel, a shitty one if you might say. The room was small, simple, and not-so-comfortable. There was something in the ambience that gave you an uneasy feeling about the whole thing, but you were unable to say what it was exactly.

Your head is throbbing, and you are definitely feeling nauseous, but you know that’s not the problem. Your physical distress isn’t the cause of the weight on your chest, the one that makes your breath aching, it’s something else that your mind can’t comprehend yet. It’s all these inconsistencies. The missing memories of last night, the unknown room, the fact that you are alone,... you don’t remember drinking that much last night. You may not be the most responsible person that planet has known, but you know how to handle yourself. Usually.

Could you have possibly drunk that much?

The day has barely started, but you already know it is going to be a rough one. If only you knew how right you were, maybe you would have taken a few more hours of sleep, enjoying the comfortable peace of your old life a bit longer before joining the chaos. Yet, you had no means to guess that your day would go that way.

It's a note left on the bedside table that answered all your questions, easing some of the worries that were creeping inside of you. Someone has written the following words : “Couldn’t get you home because of how drunk you were. don’t worry about being late today, I won’t tell Fury. however, had to go on a mission, be careful when you go home. I left you a bit of money, it should be enough to pay for the room and an Uber. Love you.” The message might not have been signed, but you can easily recognize Astrid’s handwriting. A smile spreads across your lips as you are reassured, the situation not being as bad as your mind made it look.

Some memories of last night flew back in your mind, but it’s only a glimpse of what happened, a lot of the events staying unknown to yourself. The last thing you can remember is the conversation you had with Astrid, when she admitted that she loved you and you replied that you too, thinking she meant as friends because you couldn’t see her any other way, not when you were already engaged in a relationship. The rest of the exchange is confused, and you are not sure what’s real and what has been made up by alcohol. Even today, you are still not sure.

Maybe you’ve really drunk too much that night.

Knowing that you’ve been with Astrid the whole time was reassuring, and you are no longer as bothered by the absence of memories. For a moment, you thought you'd been kidnapped by some weird man. As you regain your composure, your thoughts become clearer and you decide that the first thing you should do is to send a message to your girlfriend. She must be so worried, and your heart aches at the thought that you might be a source of problem for the woman you love.

It is not your kind to not keep your promises, and you’ve told her you would be home last night. It is not your kind either to not answer her messages or calls. In reality, you are quite the opposite, always sending her hundreds of messages when you are out with your friends. The only reason she hasn’t got after you is because she knew you were with Astrid, and she trusted you. However, the sweet messages are going to have to wait because, when you try to turn your phone on, you only encounter a black screen, a sign that you’ve run out of battery. Obviously, your friend didn’t think to leave you a charger.

You sigh, admitting your defeat. Shaking your phone surely won’t change the situation. For the moment, there is nothing more you can do, except hoping that Natasha won’t be too angry. As you are getting ready, your mind is focused on how to earn the redhead’s forgiveness — Maybe you could stop to buy her some flowers? You hate it, when the two of you are arguing. It doesn’t happen a lot, but it’s never pretty, and the mere thought that it might happen was already hurting.

As you definitely couldn’t go back to the compound by yourself, not knowing how far you were and being in a pitiful state, you decided to use the money left by Astrid to call a cab, as she instructed you to do. It’s not before you enter the car that you realize how late you actually were. It is almost one in the afternoon, and if you are not an early riser, like your girlfriend who is always up by six at the latest, you rarely get up after ten.

It has been a thirty minutes drive back to the compound, and the whole time you were thinking about two things: taking a shower, and leaning into your girlfriends’ arms. You are so exhausted, physically and mentally, that you’ve decided to skip work today — You were already so late that it wouldn’t make a big difference anyway. The journey was long, and those thirty minutes felt like hours.

Soon enough, you started to suffocate into your own mind, then skin. You felt so sweaty, and dirty, that it quickly became unbearable. Maybe it was the effects of the alcohol, or maybe because you’ve slept in a seedy motel, but the only thing you wanted was to get rid of the clothes you were wearing and the uncomfortable state you were in as soon as possible.

When you enter the compound, you find it empty, and so is the room you are sharing with the woman. If you frown, you don’t think much about it. If the building is rarely empty, it sometimes happens when emergencies are called. A whine escapes your lips as you realize that, if it’s true, they are going to be mad at you for not being here when they needed it. You can already feel your mind losing itself to self-hatred thoughts, as you mutter to yourself how stupid you are. You are going to need more than a few flowers to earn their forgiveness. The fact that JARVIS confirmed that everyone was at the S.H.I.E.L.D.'s quarters didn’t, you would have preferred to hear that they went to the restaurant without you rather than that.

Tears brimming your eyes, you quickly put your phone to charge. It is only when you get out of the shower, twenty minutes later, that you saw the missed calls and messages from Natasha. The most recent ones were sent a few minutes ago. There were too many of them for you to take time to read everything so you just sent her a quick text that said: “sorry, my battery was dead, and I couldn’t answer your calls. I’ll explain everything, I promise. see you soon. love you.” A message she saw but she didn’t answer, which is unusual and an obvious hint of how angry she probably is.

Despite your decision to not work today, you still end up in the S.H.I.E.L.D.’s quarters. You are almost running in the corridors, going to the meeting room where you find your girlfriend, and the rest of the Avengers. When you stumble into the room, a deadly silence descends. None of them greeted you, and the only reaction you got was Fury’s nod when you started mumbling excuses for your late arrival. While your eyes immediately landed on the redhead, she didn’t glance at you once of the entire meeting. The sight made your heart sink. You love her, but you have to admit that the spy is scary when she has that stern expression on her face, one that leaves no room for discussion.

The safest decision was to sit on the furthest chair, leaving her space until you get the opportunity to explain yourself. Something that you hadn't had a chance to do before a few more hours, when you stumbled into her in the corridors. You have been lost in your mind, having a hard time focusing on your work. Earlier, when the meeting ended, she immediately left the room, not leaving you a chance to exchange a word with her, and it has been bugging you since.

“Please, wait,” you said, already begging the woman. When she heard your voice, she stopped, allowing you to gently grab at her arm so she didn't go. She could, if she wanted to, and a part of her did want to run away, but the rest of her knows that this conversation can’t be avoided. “Listen, I- I am sorry,” you started once you were sure she was willing to listen to your excuses, “I should have warned you, but I couldn’t, my phone’s battery was dead and, and- honestly? I don't remember much of what happened last night. All I know is that once was enough. It won't happen again,” you chuckled sadly. When you woke up that morning, you promised to yourself that it was the last time you drank that much. A promise you kept, and three years later, you still haven’t touched a bottle of alcohol. “I promise, 'tasha. Please, don't be mad at me for that, or at least tell me how I can make up for my mistake,” you said, and the woman knew she had heard enough.

“Seriously?” she scoffed, breaking free of your grip. “I can’t believe you are that stupid,” she said, as she started to walk away. But if she didn’t want to hear the sound of your voice any more, you, however, weren’t done yet.

"I know I’ve made a mistake, but I am fine, isn’t it the most important?” you asked, starting to follow. Except that, when she heard your steps in her back, she accelerated her pace. “I promise to be more careful next time but, you know, I can handle myself for one night. Well, I might have drunk a bit too much, but Astrid was wi~,” you tried to explain, except she cut short your ramblings. To say, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but the woman quickly cut you. She scoffed again, in disbelief this time.

"You are really stupid, aren't you?” she said, stopping in her tracks, and you almost ran into her, surprised by her sudden stop. A few more seconds passed before she turned around to face you, her posture matching her stern expression. “Do you think I don't know what happened last night, with Astrid? Do you really think I wouldn’t have known the truth?” she added, taking a step forward for every question she asked, and you took one back every time, until your back hit the walls. You would certainly have found the situation hot if she didn’t look like she was about to murder you.

“W- what?” you said, “you are mad because I went out with a friend. That’s the problem? Astrid is the problem?" you snapped, starting to feel frustrated about the whole situation.

You are tired, and the only thing you’ve wanted to do since you opened your eyes that morning — Throwing yourself in your girlfriend’s arms — was impossible to do. You hadn’t expected the woman to give you such a hard time. You knew she could be jealous sometimes, you’ve already had arguments about that in the past, but you’ve always been understanding because you know that her jealousy isn’t caused by a lack of trust. This feeling is fuelled by her own insecurities and past. Except that, that time, it was too much. The way she wouldn't listen to your excuses is seriously hitting on your nerves.

"Don't you dare to lie to me,” she said. For a moment, you thought she was going to hit you, but she took a step back before she could do that. She was angry too, taking deep breaths in an attempt to ease the feeling. “I trusted you,” she eventually added but her tone was different — The anger left her voice, replaced by pain. “I trusted you and, most importantly, I loved you,” she whispered, turning around to see you one last time. “After everything I have done for you, I can't believe that's how you are thanking me. You know, I really thought you were different, better," she laughed, trying very hard to not throw you against the walls or worse, to cry. The most insufferable was the look in your eyes, the false innocence. She was tired of pretending, she had given you enough chances to tell her the truth, “but you’re not,” but now, she was done trying.

That is the last time the two of you talked. The next time you’ve seen her, she hasn’t been kind enough to let you have a chance to explain things. She was done trying, and so were you. The last words she said are still ringing in your head, even years later. Maybe if you'd chased her once again that day, things would have ended differently, but you haven’t moved. You couldn’t, petrified by the conversation that just took place, you have just watched the redhead walking away without glancing back.

It’s only when you enter the break room that you understand the whole conversation you had with Natasha. No one was here, but the walls had been covered with pictures of yourself. At first, you thought it was a prank from your teammates’ but the pictures were all but innocent. You felt your heart sink when you took down one of the photos to get a closer look at it, and tears in your eyes when you realized that you were nude in those.

It was you, in bed, with Astrid. Your face doesn’t entirely show but you can easily recognize yourself and the bed you’ve woken up in that morning. There were dozens of different pictures, but all showed similar scenes: your bodies against each other as you are obviously sharing an intimate moment. Something that you should only share with one person on that Earth. A person that is definitely not Astrid.

Except that the more you look at those pictures, the more foreign they feel. You are sure you are the one in the pictures, but you are still unable to remember what happened. Slowly, doubt creeps into your heart — Did you drink that much last night?

So much that you betrayed the woman you swore to love until the sun dies?

You feel tears welling up in your eyes. You are suddenly overwhelmed by a bunch of emotions that you can’t describe, but that are definitely not pleasant. It is a mix of confusion, anger, guilt, and disgust. The pictures speak for themselves, and they leave little room for doubt about what you were doing — And you were surely not just sleeping. The woman was on top of you, her mouth closed to your neck, maybe she was leaving soft kisses against your skin, maybe she was whispering sweet things in your ears, you don’t know. But the thing you were focused on was her hand hidden by the sheets, leaving only your imagination to complete the scene. It wasn’t the only picture of that kind: they were all picturing similar scenes. You can easily understand her rage and hatred earlier because you are now sharing those feelings with your girlfriend, just for different reasons.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" a voice said, pulling out of your mind. It was Astrid, who just entered the room. She glanced around before looking back at you, a sad smile spreading on her lips when she notices the tears that are soaking your face. and you saw Astrid entering the room. She looks around, a sorry look on her face. "I am sorry,” she started, and you could feel she was looking for the right thing to say, “I- I sent the pictures to the wrong person. When I realized, I tried to explain to Romanoff but, well… you know how she is,” she explained, shrugging as if she was trying to make you believe she had actually tried to, “she wouldn't listen to me, and they- they did that before I could stop them. It doesn’t please me either," she added, reminding you that you weren’t the only one suffering from the situation. Except she seemed to deal with the situation better than you do. As she talked, she slowly walked closer to you, accompanying each of her sentences with a few steps forward until she was close enough to wrap you in her arms.

You didn’t get the energy to push her away.

"Did we.. ?" you asked, but your voice broke before you could finish your sentence. It felt too difficult to say those words out loud — “Did we hook up? Did I cheat on Natasha?” But the woman doesn’t need the words to be said, she seems to read in your mind the end of your sentence.

"Of course we did, what kind of question is that?" she replied, frowning. She seems to be surprised by your question. For a second, the hand that was slowly caressing the back of your head stopped. The woman pulled back a little, just so she could see your face. "Why? Do you regret it?" she asked, and for an instant she seemed to be genuinely worried about your reaction, "because you didn't seem to last night, when you cried my name,..." she whispered in your ear. You could feel her breath tickling your skin but it wasn’t a pleasant feeling, unlike when Natasha does it.

Everything felt so much. Her voice, her touch, her presence so close to you, was now unbearable. As she remembers the night you’ve spent, a soft smirk spreads on her lips, but you are definitely not sharing her feelings. “Of course we did.” The words loop back into your mind, it seeps in like a poison that quickly takes over your whole being. Soon, you are paralyzed by an awful feeling. It hurts, but at the same time you are not sure you are actually feeling something, your body and mind feeling so foreign to you — If you wanted it, why does it feel so wrong?

At that moment, if you had been able to move, you would have ripped your ears off just so you wouldn’t hear her voice any more, and maybe you would have done the same with your skin. It felt like the only way to get rid of your overwhelming feelings. Suddenly, the reassuring touch of your best friend made you feel gross, and so do her sweet words — But if she said that you did it, and wanted it, then it must be true, right?

You have seen the pictures, they are in your hands, right under your eyes. You can see yourself betraying the woman you love and in those, you really don't give the impression that you didn’t want to. On the contrary.

"No, no, it- it's not that, it’s just…," you eventually managed to say, but you are hesitating and unsure of yourself. There are too many thoughts and words clouding your head, so many ways you could react and yet, none of what you could say or do felt right. "It’s just that I don’t even remember last night,” you admitted, feeling ashamed about it, “I mean, did we- you know,... for real?" you asked softly but you were not even listening to Astrid’s answer, the question was more for yourself in reality. "Sorry, I have to go, see you later", you said, interrupting the woman. Somehow, you regained control over your body, just enough to push the other away and leave the room. You are not sure where you are going, but as far from that room as you can is already a good start.

That's where she found you when she came home that night, sitting on the bathroom's floor, the pictures in your hands.

Your hand is still wrapped tightly around the pictures, but you didn’t notice it. Not before being back home, in the room you are sharing with Natasha — Or were sharing, you thought, unsure about how the situation would unfold. It may be the last time you set a foot in that room that has been your safe place for months. Before you could completely break down, you decided to take a shower, thinking that, maybe, the steaming water would be enough to ease your mind. You took two showers. Then three, then four, and maybe more. You can’t be sure, you’ve stopped counting. All you knew was that it hasn’t been enough to get rid of the uneasy feelings and thoughts. You’ve scrubbed yourself until your skin was so sensitive that even the touch of the towel has been painful — But maybe you deserved it.

The rest of the day is a blur, and you are not sure what time it is. You’ve spent hours on the bathroom’s floor, your left hand clenched around the picture while the right one was holding the towel. Your head was so empty, but so full at the same time. That’s how she found you when she came home that night, and if she had been tempted to wrap you in her arms when she saw your pitiful state, the conversation she just had with the others discouraged her to do so — You didn’t deserve her pity. They are right when they say that you are not the victim: you are the one that cheated on her, and she needs to be firm, stern. You knew how hard it is for the woman to trust someone and yet, you still broke the fate she had put in you after years of making her dream of a better future.

"Oh, so you remember now?" she coldly said to you when she entered the room. You didn’t move, not even your eyes to look at her, but if you did, you would have seen that the woman was leaning in the doorway with her arms crossed. Maybe you would have also seen that her coldness was only a facade, and that she was as close as you were from breaking down.

You stayed silent, unable to say anything. The words were stuck in your clenched throat, and they aren’t feeling right anyway — How could you defend yourself when you didn't even know what happened exactly? Plus, you weren’t even sure there was something to defend, the pictures speaking for themselves. Even when she started packing your belongings, you didn’t move. For you to move, she had to grab your arm and drag you all the way outside the Avengers’s building by herself.

She needed you gone, and everyone agreed that it was only for the best. At least for a few weeks, just the time for things to calm down. That’s what she came to announce. The few words that left your mouth were useless, your pleas falling in deaf ears: the decision had already been made, and the sentence was irrevocable. The woman is done with your bullshit. She is done with you, and so you are.

"The pictures, they- they aren't real," she eventually admitted, her voice being barely louder than a whisper as she unburdens herself of this old secret. “I mean, th- they are, but it’s a staging. Nothing happened between us, she- hm, loves you too much to give you away,” she continued, tears filling her eyes as she talks, her voice wavering a little more with each word. "She isn't even conscious in these," she continued when the spy didn’t react. If the black-haired woman thought it was because the other was listening, it was because she didn’t know how to react.

The weight of what she had done left her shoulder, and it was now lingering in the room, where the air was suddenly thick, and almost unbreathable. Natasha felt a weight in her chest that made each breath harder than the previous one. Overcome by surprise, she had let go of the other, stepping back a few steps. Her thoughts were racing, numerous and contradictory, they weren’t coherent enough to allow how to respond in any way. She needed to do something, but she didn’t know what.

“I- I don’t know why I did that. It wasn’t me, that night, you know that, right? That I would usually never ever do something like that,” she started to defend herself when she saw the look on Natasha’s face, “I was so angry, and disappointed, when she refused. I have given her everything since we met, and yet you are the one she chose. I thought that, maybe, with a bit of time she would eventually realize her mistake, … but I was so wrong,” she sighed, and the redhead could see the remnants of that anger in her attitude. A clenching jaw and fists, accompanied with firm words that left no doubt about the resentment she held towards her, and towards you. “That night, I- I wasn’t myself. We’ve already had a few drinks and, you know, it doesn’t mix well with emotions,” she continued, and the woman could feel her anger rising with every word the other spoke. “All I could think about was getting revenge. I wanted to show her she was wrong, that I had so much more to offer than she thought. I wanted her to change her mind, to see me for more than just a friend,” she admitted, her voice being just a whisper as she says the last sentence. “I never thought it would end this way, I swear, you’ve to believe me, Natasha,” and to forgive me. She didn’t say the last words out loud, but she doesn’t need to, her eyes are speaking for herself.

Only, when her gaze met the redhead’s, she didn’t see in her eyes the compassion she had been expecting, only pure hatred, an emotion that had quickly replaced the initial surprise. Not even a word was addressed to her as the other left the room, leaving her alone to dry her tears.

| MOODBOARD — ✧ — MASTERLIST — ✧ — TO SAY SOMETHING

| Part one. Part two. Part three. the scars in our hearts (bonus part).

| Taglist — @cd-4848, @chocolatestrawberrykryptonite, @gemz5, @jusnough, @m0nsterqzzz, @marvelwomenarehot0, @mrsrushman, @riyaexee, @takeyaki, @taliiiaasteria.

#a spes writing #devious lies #mcu fandom #mcu fanfiction #avengers fanfiction #natasha romanoff fanfiction #reader insert #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff #natasha romanov #angst writing #angst without comfort #anon request

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anonymousewrites · 6 months ago

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Logos and Pathos (AOS Edition) Chapter Ten

AOS! Spock x Empath! Reader

Chapter Ten: Volcanic Arguments

Summary: The Enterprise has been on many missions with danger, but none have ever put a rift between any of the crew members until now.

“Kirk to Shuttle One!” shouted Kirk over the communicator. “Locals are out of the kill zone. You are clear. Repeat. Spock, get in there, neutralize the volcano, and let’s get out of here!”

“Captain, you’re still being pursued,” said Uhura, looking at the trackers and recordings of life-form activity on the planet.

“He stunned our ride!” griped Bones.

This was a common mission for the Enterprise at this point—surveying planets—but it had gone a bit array as Kirk accidentally took an artifact he should not have from the locals (though he had needed to lure them away from the path of the explosion because they were also going against orders to stop the volcano). Now he and Bones were running for their lives through a forest trying to escape while Spock went to detonate the device that would halt the volcanic explosion.

“We have to do this now, Captain,” said Sulu on Shuttle One. “The shuttle wasn’t built for this kind of heat.”

(Y/N) strapped Spock into his heat-proof suit, carefully checking for any cracks. They wanted their boyfriend as safe as possible during this dangerous mission.

“Captain, did the indigenous life-forms see you?” asked Spock.

“No, Mr. Spock, they did not,” said Kirk, obviously lying (though he had worn a hood and mask).

“The Prime Directive clearly states that there can be no interference with the internal development of alien civilizations,” said Spock, and (Y/N) chuckled at his focus on protocol at all times.

“I know what it says!” said Kirk, panting over the communicator. “Which is why I’m running through the jungle wearing a disguise! Now drop off your super ice cube and let’s go! Kirk out!”

“You’re good,” said (Y/N) after checking the suit.

Spock nodded and knelt to open up the device.

“If we’re going to do this, we’ve got to do it now!” said Sulu. “This ash is killing our coils.”

(Y/N) put Spock’s helmet on next and smiled at it. “Are you still sure you don’t want me to go?”

“I’d prefer to risk my own life instead of yours,” said Spock honestly.

“How sweet,” teased (Y/N), touching their fingers to his covered ones before letting him go.

“We have to go now,” said Sulu.

“I’ll see you in ninety seconds, okay?” said (Y/N), and Spock nodded.

(Y/N) and Sulu sat in the cockpit, and the doors shut. Spock attached a coil to himself, and Sulu opened a trapdoor. Spock fell down into the volcano below that was preparing to blow. (Y/N) couldn’t help but wince in worry. They didn’t want Spock to get hurt. They loved him so much.

Bam!

The shuttle shook as the smoke and debris became too much, and the console began to flash in warning as they spun.

“Prerequisite change: 2-7-3,” said the computer. The engine was overheating. “Reduce descent.”

“I can’t hold this position,” said Sulu. “Spock, I’ve got to pull you back up.”

“Negative, this is our only chance to save this species,” said Spock. “If this volcano erupts, the planet dies.

The shuttle shook and swung as the pre-eruption hit it. It couldn’t take much more.

“Pull him back up! Now!” said Sulu.

(Y/N) grabbed the handle and pulled it down. The coil began to wind back as the shuttle sailed upwards.

Snap!

The coil broke, and Spock fell onto a floating rock, thankfully avoiding the lava flow.

In a panic, (Y/N) cried, “Spock, are you okay?!”

“I am, surprisingly, alive,” said Spock. “Stand by.”

(Y/N) couldn’t relax, though. They were tense as the volcano rumbled ominously. Spock was stuck inside.

“We have to get him back,” said (Y/N) to Sulu. “I can suit up and go down to get him.”

“It’s too dangerous, your cord will break,” said Sulu.

“We can’t leave him down there,” snapped (Y/N).

“We don’t have a choice!” said Sulu desperately. “I’m sorry, (L/N).” His emotions were a mess of sadness, anxiety, and fear.

(Y/N) clenched their jaw but opened the comms again. “Spock, we’re going back to the Enterprise, but we’ll get you out of there. I promise.”

“Captain, we’re ditching the shuttle,” said Sulu, stripping into the wetsuit beside (Y/N). “You’ve got to make it to the Enterprise on your own.”

“Wonderful!” said Kirk sarcastically, still running.

“(L/N), you ready to swim?” asked Sulu.

“Ready,” said (Y/N).

They jumped out the trapdoor and landed in the ocean below while the shuttle careened into the volcano. (Y/N) and Sulu pressed the button on their mouthpieces to activate oxygen stores and small thrusters to propel them through the water. A few moments later, two other figures landed in the water—Bones and Kirk. All four swam towards the Enterprise hidden under the waves, and the ship picked them up.

The water drained from the chamber, and Scotty opened the doors.

“Do you have any idea how ridiculous it is to hide a starship on the bottom of the ocean?” he questioned. “We’ve been down here since last night! The salt water’s gonna ruin the—”

“Scotty, where’s Spock?” asked (Y/N).

Scotty swallowed. “Still in the volcano.” Concern wound through his aura and swept over (Y/N)’s skin. “We haven’t been able to get him yet.”

Instantly, Bones, Kirk, (Y/N), Scoty, and Sulu ran towards the bridge to get to work.

“Captain on Bridge!” announced Chekov as they all ran in.

“Lieutenant, do we have an open channel to Mr. Spock?” asked Kirk.

“The heat’s frying his comms, but we still have contact,” said Uhura. (Y/N) didn’t hesitate to put on a headset to keep track themself, as well.

“Spock?” said Kirk, opening the channel.

“I have activated the device, Captain,” said Spock. “When the countdown is complete, the reaction should render the volcano inert.”

“Yeah, and that’s gonna render him inert!” snapped Bones, his anger belying his worry.

“Negative, sir, not with those magnetic fields,” said Sulu.

“We need to beam Spock back to the ship,” said Kirk. “Give me one way to do it.”

“Uh, maybe if we had a direct line of sight,” said Chekov.

“You’re talking about an active volcano!” cried Scotty. “Sir, if that thing erupts, I cannot guarantee we can withstand the heat.”

“I don’t know that we can maintain that kind of altitude,” added Sulu.

“Our shuttle was concealed by the ash cloud, but the Enterprise is too large. If utilized in a rescue, it would be revealed to the indigenous species,” said Spock.

“We’re not leaving you,” said (Y/N) fiercely.

Kirk nodded. “I’m with (Y/N). Spock, nobody knows the rules better than you, but there has got to be an exception.”

“None. Such action violates the Prime Directive,” said Spock.

“Spock,” said (Y/N), voice pained.

“Shut up, Spock! We’re trying to save you, damn it!” said Bones, stepping up.

“Doctor, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few,” said Spock.

“We’re talking about your life, Spock!” said (Y/N).

“The rule cannot be broken—” The channel cut off, and (Y/N) covered their mouth. Uhura moved to their side in worry.

“Spock!” shouted Kirk, but no reply came. “Uhura, get him back.”

Uhura nodded and worked on the controls. Instantly, (Y/N) was beside her, furiously working.

“Ninety second to detonation!” warned Chekov.

“If Spock were here and I were there, what would he do?” asked Kirk.

“He’d let you die,” said Bones.

(Y/N) whirled on him. “He wouldn’t. He cares about all of us.”

Kirk and (Y/N) made eye contact, and he nodded. “Sulu. Take us up.”

They all knew the risks and the issues with the Prime Directive. But they weren’t to leave their friend behind.

“Yes, sir,” said Sulu, firing up the thrusters.

The Enterprise erupted out of the water, right in front of the indigenous people. Ignoring the consequences, the Enterprise flew towards the volcano. Ten seconds were left to save Spock. Everyone was tense, and cloudy emotions floated around the Bridge.

“I’ve got him!” said Scotty, programming from the Bridge.

Not a second too soon. The device detonated, and an explosion went off below, freezing over the volcano. The Enterprise didn’t wait around, though, and flew out of the atmosphere, leaving the volcano and their disruption of the Prime Directive behind.

Spock rematerialized in the Transport Room. Bones, Kirk, and (Y/N) were there in a moment to greet him worriedly.

“Spock!” said (Y/N), hugging him. The heat of the volcano remained, but a little suit and warmth didn’t stop them. Spock let out a soft breath as he held them in return.

“You alright?” asked Kirk.

“Captain, you let them see our ship,” said Spock.

(Y/N) let go and stepped back, frowning. “You’re alive and that’s what you say?”

“He’s fine,” huffed Bones.

“Captain,” said Uhura over the comms.

“Yes, Lieutenant?” said Kirk.

“Please notify Commander Spock that his device has successfully detonated,” said Uhura.

Kirk smiled happily and nodded at Spock. “You hear that? Congratulations, Spock. You just saved the world.”

“You violated the Prime Directive,” repeated Spock.

“Oh, come on, Spock. They saw us. Big deal,” said Kirk, downplaying the severity.

“Spock, we couldn’t leave you to die,” said (Y/N).

“But the Prime Directive—”

“How could you expect us to leave you there?” snapped (Y/N). Bones and Kirk took a step back.

“It is protocol,” said Spock.

“I couldn’t let you die,” said (Y/N), crossing their arms. “Do you think I should have?”

“It would have been necessary,” said Spock.

“So if someone else had been down there, you really would have just left?” (Y/N) knew Spock and knew all he’d been through and would do for those he cared fro, but his hesitance was infuriating. “Unbelievable.” They turned and stormed out of the Transport Room.

“Good job, buddy,” said Bones, slapping Spock on the shoulder. “You angered your partner, probably the nicest person in the world.”

“I…I would not have left them,” said Spock. As much as the Prime Directive mattered, to watch (Y/N) die would destroy him.

“We know,” said Kirk. “But that’s the same way they feel about you.”

“And it’s the face you think your death should matter less is exactly why they’re pissed,” said Bones. “Good luck!” He walked out of the room.

“Don’t worry, Spock,” said Kirk. “(L/N) will come around as long as you show you’re glad to be alive.”

Spock nodded curtly. He didn’t want (Y/N) upset at him…And he knew Kirk was right. (Y/N) loved him like he loved them. Undoubtedly, it would destroy them to watch him die. That being said, Spock would rather die himself than witness (Y/N)’s death.

He would break if he lost them. (Y/N) was Spock’s heart.

Taglist:

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@im-making-an-effort

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2n2n · 8 months ago

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ch. 113

I do have a serious family emergency going on IRL at the moment. But wouldn't you know it, the chapter is the day before I have to make a trip about it. So I can have a brief respite from scary & stressful things....

we see Amane at the 81st annual festival. Our current festival is the 113th. the Amane we see here would be ~27. (remember, Amane would be ~60 years old if he were alive in the 'present' of JSHK, which is 2015)

so, we finally see 1:1, precisely the boy in the 'corrected' timeline'

and he looks-- LIKE THIS??????????????????

in THIS timeline, Amane feels in-control, he's humming or whistling, he's pleased to hear Tsukasa's rumor play out???!?!????!?!??

WHAT DID YOU DO!!!!! WHAT DID YOU DO?!?!? what did you do--!! what did you do--!!!!!!! This is the last thing I expected for you, what, you're in a great mood. Your brother seems to be some sort of cursed school-bound ghost. A good day for you, Amane-sensei?!?!?!?!? What did you do!!!!!

In every timeline, Amane really is crazy! Amazing! Do you always manage some sort of control over Tsukasa's fate, no matter what!?

I DON'T KNOW, AIDAIRO-SENSEI!!! you were right, this month's Hanako-kun is unbearable!!!!

ah, was it that simple all along... lol. just keeping her informed... you not only kept Nene-chan in the dark unnecessarily and had to explain yourself twice, you also made us sit through 2 chapters for the basic run-down, Teru....

it's such an interesting situation....!

It would be impossible for just anyone to pinpoint even the year of the Clockkeeper's interference... let alone the exact altercation they interrupted. Someone would have to have quite intimate knowledge of, specifically the Yugi twins history, to even start looking.

And even so, you've also got to avoid the Clockkeepers just fixing it again, or nipping at you, right? I wonder if we'll have to essentially... go back, instigate events with the Yugi which result in our yorishiro Tsukasa ... and then ... peel the Clockkeeper's yorishiro, to de-power them, and usurp control for ourselves over the timeline? It's so hard to imagine a world where we can let the Clockkeepers remain in any power, if we want to have 'control' ....

but can Nene-chan peel yorishiro, anymore? I wonder if she would need to form a contract with someone else to be granted that right, in this world.... ♥..... well, getting ahead of ourselves... but that would be fun.... I think so, anyway....

so interesting! I wonder if, in this world, Akane even typically called her 'Ao-chan'? That's such an affectionate/familiar nickname.... it would be surprising from someone you're not super close with....

and the implication seems to be that Aoi and Teru have been more familiar SINCE childhood, not just now... so Akane's been completely booted in some capacity... if she's been referring to Teru in such a familiar way since childhood, this arrangement may have happened quite early on....

he was interrupted for a bit, but he does get to say it out loud in full here. I wonder if compulsively letting this slip will seed something in Aoi's mind....

I've always been worried about Teru's interest in Aoi, what with their families histories... I've worried it has less to do with legitimate interest and more to do with, I don't know... power levels, bloodline, maintaining something or correcting something... it just doesn't pass my smell test. An arranged marriage is very bad news!

I feel so dumb for missing this LOL!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sure our Ao-chan is on her way to remembering her true love....

briefly distracted by Tsutsu's tits....

noting the room number in case that becomes relevant later lol....

this is so extremely creepypasta vibes... AidaIro-sensei are in their creepypasta era right now....

UUUGH. IT'S SO EXCRUCIATINGLY EXCITING....

I saw someone joking that it's "like a gatcha", which Tsukasa are we going to get? Shosei-outfit boy? Summer uniform boy? Winter? 3 year old?????????????????????????? what Tsukasa is HERE?????? We don't even understand yet why our 'Amane' is in his winter uniform or called 'Hanako-san'! THIS TSUKASA COULD BE ANYTHIIIING--!!!

and a reminder that a 'rumor' is not necessarily a school Mystery (the confession tree was a rumor!)... mysteries are specific pillars of God appointed in some way into their position, with a yorishiro. Tsukasa could be a fully-fledged mystery, orrrrr he could be a weaker rumor!

EITHER WAY, WE'LL HAVE TO ASK HIM QUESTIONS, WON'T WE.........!!!!!! Come onnnnnnnnnnnnn Nene-chan!!!! I want to hear her summon Tsukasa just like she once did Hanako--!!!!!! RAAAHHH !! I want to know if he'd remember/recognize her or not...!!! UUUU

it's so crazy and exciting! AidaIro-sensei are too good at it all... I couldn't have ever imagined this Amane-sensei ah, smiling, crazily while girls summon his otouto to play....? why and how is Tsukasa a rumor... what happened to him in life to make his name famous... why is he in the modern-day more known than 'Amane' was..... ??? I'm scared for my life! Next month can never come fast enough....

#avvy's JSHK

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lunar-wandering · 2 years ago

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well now i’m just thinking about Ao Chang so here’s a few more things with him,

Two whole weeks after MK catches his first glimpse of Ao Chang, he wakes up in the middle of the night to find Ao Chang sitting beside him poking his face with a stick

Ao Chang: whats your name? MK: what are you doing in my house??? Ao Chang: What’s your name?? MK: ....MK Ao Chang: oh. cool.

and then Ao Chang just leaves and MK wonders if he hallucinated the whole thing.

he asks Wukong about it the next day and Wukong just freezes before going;

Wukong: I. have no idea who you’re talking about. MK: Monkey King- Wukong: no seriously I’ve never heard of a demon like that in my life- MK: Monkey King. Wukong: are you sure you saw him on Flower Fruit Mountain? maybe you were tired from training and hallucinating- MK: Monkey King he’s standing right behind you

and Wukong JUMPS and spins around to see Ao Chang, and just mutters;

“I thought my desire to eat sticks off the ground was getting suspiciously stronger.”

Literally when Ao Chang is hanging around the amount of Bullshit that happens is so funny

Wukong will stare at a wall and say “I wonder if I could run through that without using my powers” and MK will look at Ao Chang with his last thread of hope as though he’d hold a sense of reason only to find that Ao Chang has already slammed into the wall.

within the context of Ao Chang’s existence being an AU, Macaque actually briefly escapes from the Mayor in s2 and flees to FFM for help- only he encounters Ao Chang instead of Wukong.

Ao Chang does hold enough level of interest in Macaque’s presence to hold a bit of a conversation with him, but then the Mayor shows up and just flicks a coin off into the distance and Ao Chang immediately follows the shiny object and Macaque gets captured again.

Macaque completely misunderstands who Ao Chang is and ends up assuming he’s either a runaway clone or like, Wukong’s actual kid

which leads to a HILARIOUS conversation with Wukong later on

Macaque: so hows your other kid doing Wukong: my other what Macaque: yknow. your kid. the one that chased after a coin when i needed his help Wukong, knowing MK wouldn't do that: i. who are you talking about- Macaque: the monkey demon that looks a bit like you? Wukong: Wukong: you think he's my KID?? Macaque: HE'S NOT???

Macaque, turning to Ao Chang: are you his kid?? Ao Chang: yeah Wukong: what- no- Macaque: have you been neglecting your child, Wukong????

Macaque knows full well Wukong has not been doing that but he drags everyone else into the joke. Someone at some point asks Wukong to pay child support.

There’s one week where Ao Chang ends up in teh city and starts stealing stuff and people instantly blame Wukong for it and put a bounty on his head

MK just over with Wukong in his apartment like "i am harbouring a CRIMINAL oh my heavens-" "kid im not the one who-" "oh they're absolutely going to come to me to get to you, I publicly announced myself as the monkey kid dammnit-" "MK it wasn't-" "you'd THINK they'd know better than to go after you considering havoc in heaven but-" "MK please it wasn't me"

meanwhile Ao Chang is in Wukong's house just watching TV and vibing

Macaque is with Ao Chang. he knows exactly what happened. he finds this incredibly funny. he's sitting there letting Ao Chang brag/ramble/show off the things he stole

an entire week into "the monkey king must be brought under arrest", MK and the others manage to track down Ao Chang who has been just barely avoiding them through just pure luck

“ this is great, now we can prove you're innocent Monkey King! ....Monkey King?”

and Mei lets out a sigh. Red Son taps MK's shoulder and points him in one direction

Wukong is biting on one of the jewels Ao Chang stole while Ao Chang is cheering him on

MK, with as much disappointment as he can muster: ....Monkey King.

#Monkie Kid #LMK OC #Ao Chang

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divineerdrick · 10 months ago

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Warhammer Preview Online: Las Vegas Open 2024

I feel awful, and I wasn't able to do this last night when it aired live. But I've tried to avoid spoilers, failed for a couple, and now I'm going to try and get some reactions out to this.

Alright! We're starting with new sculpts for Drukhari Mandrakes. Like many elite units lately, GW is apparently releasing these for Kill Team. I'm personally a fan of this, as I'm a fan of Kill Team. But by the same token, this almost always means they'll be in some kind of combo box that means you have to buy two Kill Teams at once. This is something not everyone likes for obvious reasons.

Also . . . I'm not really all that impressed honestly? They're good sculpts, and what they're trying to do with them they're doing well. I'm just not a fan of what they're trying to do I guess. They feel pretty generically dark elf, and lack a certain 40K or Drukhari feel. I could easily see these in AOS or Old World. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it gives you some fun conversion potential. But it definitely makes them feel less special.

And there's the conformation. This is a another Kill Team season box with Night Lords and Mandrakes. The Night Lords here are still so awesome! As I said in the last preview, I'm very fond of these. But yeah, the Mandrakes just feel a little underwhelming.

They're even talking about how this unit has different models in it. But other than the Shadoweaver and what looks like a caster of some kind, I don't really see it. Like which one of theses is supposed to be the Night Fiend? Is it the one in the bottom center? Like, there's really not much separating these models from each other . . .

This new terrain piece, the Generatorium, looks pretty cool though. From looking at the display they have, I do kinda wish it was a little larger. But it looks like it might be a good piece for Kill Team. I also think it would be great for Boarding Actions.

Oh! I see Night Haunt! Oo~ Night Haunt in Warcry. Yes please~ Looks like a full new box set for the game. Lumineth verses Night Haunt. This diorama looks really cool as usual. I'm not particularly impressed by the Lumineth, but Night Haunt are awesome as always.

I do have to say, the posing of the Lumineth here have a lot of fluid action in them. While I'm not impressed with their design, I'm absolutely loving the feel of motion they've captured here.

This is another pretty cool scenery piece here too, but it doesn't have a lot of flat surfaces for positioning. It does have some, so you can still use it, but this would be much harder to use in another game like AoS.

Onto the next preview, and it's a Kroot! Finally getting some new Kroot sculpts! While I still feel Eldar need more in the way of full refreshes, I know a lot of Kroot models are only available in Finecast, and Tau players have been chomping at the bit on this for a while now. And I'm not sure, but I think this might be all of the models Kroot needed!

And we also get our first look at the new Tau Codex! So this looks like this is the 10th Edition Tau release, potentially in full. I don't see Kroot Hounds though. Are they in plastic yet? Let me check . . .

Looks like they are, but they're also online only. So that's not awesome.

And it looks like Tau might be getting all of these in an initial big box. Good way to get started on the Kroot side of your forces, if you don't mind FOMO boxes.

Okay, it's only some of the new Kroot. So new Kroot Hounds might be on the way too.

These new sculpts are pretty awesome too. They feel very lithe and nimble, giving the impressions of very agile hunters.

Looks like we're getting new characters for leading Kroot too. This might help give reasons to have Kroot on the table, instead of your normal Tau units.

I love these new Krootox units too. They look really cool and give a nice sense of monstrous shock assault. If they're designed well, they could make a great counter punch unit. While they're talking about them shifting units off objectives, I honestly can't imagine them being betters than a Crisis brick.

Looks like the standard Krootox is getting some options. Most of these appear to be cosmetic, but there will be new weapon options.

And yeah, depending on price, this will be a great way to start Kroot. And as expected, the new Tau book will have a Kroot focused detachment. We'll have to wait and see if it's any good.

On to Age of Sigmar, with only the barest of teasers before the title drop. Oh~ Who are you? Is this a new Dark Elf model? Possibly Malerion himself? Those are Khinerai with them. Maybe this is just a Daughters of Khaine model! Yep! This all new Daughters of Khaine stuff! Krethusa's Cronehost, I don't remember hearing about her. Interestingly, although we saw her alongside Khinerai and Witches in the trailer, this box set appears to be Sisters of Slaughter and Warlocks.

So this is new unit representing the original Daughters of Khaine and their worship of Khaine, refusing to just buy into Morathi's BS. Interesting! This makes a good way to diversify the faction and come up with a way to do more interesting things there. Still got that malignant, Daughters of Khaine feel too.

Got lots of cool now characters here! Interesting way to add new units and expand on the AOS story. I'm hoping these characters will be fun additions to their respective armies.

Gryphon! Look at the beautiful beast! Creepy cute kitty too! I love these so much! Very nice character minis. I hope we get some Warcry and even Warhammer Quest rules too!

The eye position on Lisa is creeping me out though. Looks a little too high on the head in this image.

Balthus! Gryph hound puppy has name~ Good gryph hound~

They mentioned Cursed City! Please give us rules!

Onto Underworlds, and we have zombies! Some really cool looking undead here. I really like the strange bat, cat beast in this. Interesting Lady Hawk like story here, where this necromancer has had her love cursed into the beast there. Interesting little story added into this warband.

And now we're on to what I had spoiled. It's Horus Heresy, and it's new plastic Solar Auxilia. We knew it was coming, but this is still awesome! And it's a plastic Malcador! Hell yes! And this all looks freaking awesome. Honestly, if I were to play Heresy, I'd probably play Custodes or Auxilia.

I wonder if they have rules for combined arms armies in Heresy?

I just love how bulky and boxy the Aethon is! Gives me kind of that classic 40K walker feel! Absolutely love it! I also love the feel of the Dracosan. It definitely has that older style track feel to it that you can easily see carried through most Imperial vehicles. And we get a new Leman Russ too with some nice new, or I guess old, options.

And again, we're getting a new box to introduce all these new minis with. If you don't mind these FOMO boxes, this is a potentially good start. If you're planning on going full Auxilia though, you'll probably want more than one of these.

We're also getting a second Leman Russ variant. Not a fan here with them not making all of these available in one kit. I'm sure they'd say the extra sprues would make it too expensive, but I honestly still believe that every model should have all its options.

And here we're getting some cool elite Auxilia. We've got some lower level power armour to beef them up. While they don't show it, apparently you can field this as a melee unit too.

And here's the Malcador. Still a really cool looking tank. I don't think these are going to stay available in 40K, but they are nice looking. Got lots of nice options on here too. Hopefully this time it's all of them . . . and the tank has a bottom . . .

And that's our reveals!

Started out a little weak in my mind, but there's definitely some really cool stuff here. I think I'm most excited about the new Kroot and Auxilia. I also really like the new Underworlds warband and those new AoS characters. I'm not sure about the new Daughters of Khaine box. I probably won't be able to pick it up, because I still have a lot of financial responsibilities going on, so I might be going sour grapes here. But while the new character looks really cool, its a weird mix of units to me. Also, I'm very fond of Morathi as a character and villain, so I'm not likely to go deep on any faction of Daughters that exclude her.

All and all some nice reveals. I'd say more, but I'm really not feeling well, and I don't want to push myself. I'm tempted to not go hunting for the images, but it's really not much to copy the links from WarCom.

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the-silver-peahen-residence · 2 years ago

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||Blue heated flames||

Hi once more everyone, time for another drabble. I hope you dears like this one too as the others that was written or on this blog. So what do we have for this one today?

||Drabble Summary||

Rin Okumura has been avoiding Ink for the last few days, even if she tries to visit or find him his baby brother Yukio okumura tells her he is fine just needs time. However, she was stubborn enough to go and try finding him. After looking, she finds him but ends up stumbling into something she was not expecting. Wanna know what? Read to find out.

||Warning||

~Slight NSFW is present

~Demon heat is also present or spoken about

||Guests in drabble||

Rin okumura and Yukio okumura are from the anime and manga Ao no Exorcist but they also belong to me due to rping as them as muses

Van Ink the dragon belongs to my rp partner/friend @demon-blood-youths

((Note: Grammar mistakes and errors are present on this drabble but this is written for fun. Thanks for understanding and enjoy reading.))

"What do you mean I can't visit Rin again!? Come on Yukio you said I could!" Yukio sighed having his arms crossed, seeing a upset and cranky Van Ink. Today was her and Rin's daily hang out where she comes to find him so they can go.

However, she showed up to see Rin isn't here. Again. She sighed not liking how they are about to plan something he either feels sick or says he can't come, maybe another time but she wasn't having it. Yukio cross his arms to look at her.

"Again Ink, Rin is doing something very important so just give him space for now. Trust me, I'll let him know you came to see him." He said to see her arms slump down. "I know I said you can but something very very important came up and he had to take care of it. Now he's busy with something else." he sees her glare at him with arms crossed then sighed.

"...Are you sure he's really that busy?"

"I wouldn't be lying to you Ink and you know my brother. Trust me, I will be sure to inform him you visited okay?" he said to see her sigh and look away. "Fine fine but you better be sure you tell him. Got it!?" she points a finger at Yukio as he shows a sweatdrop on the side of his head.

"Yes, I'll let him know." he said.

"Good. I'll just leave then. See you later Yukio." She turns to start heading off as she looks about to relax and just look disappointed. Yukio watches her leave but when she was gone, he sighed crossing his arms. His brother Rin always enjoyed spending time with Ink but he also asked him to keep her from trying to see him.

~~~~~~~~

'Yukio, If Ink tries to find m..me..please don't tell her where I am. I don't want her to find me and I'm not myself....I guess make up some lie. I'll find a way to make it up to her.'

~~~~~~~~~

That's what Rin asked of him but he was also worried about him. Rin was busy true but it results in something more..private. Shaking his head he goes inside to do something else while being sure Rin was good. He already checked on him this morning so he was fine for now. But as he went in, he was not expecting Ink to try finding him...would she?

~~~Meanwhile~~~

"I can't believe this! I really wanted to hang out with Rin today. He said he was going to train me and stuff or at least do something. What could be that important he couldn't even see me?" she sighed but keeps on walking wondering if she can even find him.

"I bet he is training somewhere in private! Or maybe he's just really good at hiding. No matter, I'll just go and look for him. He can't be that far off anyway. I can ask him why he's been avoiding me!" she nods with arms crossed but as she was ready to go she stops to think.

"....If I can get a idea of where he would be." she sweatdrops thinking but goes to look for him. She will find him somewhere or get some help in trying to find him! Then she'll give him a piece of her mind alright!

~~~~~~~~

Rin was indeed needed to be alone but he did feel bad that he had to be in hiding because of it. He was looking silent while resting but he was stroking himself feeling weak that he was feeling tired. He felt pent up due to him feeling lost in heat but he groans to wince cumming again.

He hated his heat seasons that gets worse and worse by the year but his mind was always thinking of one person; Ink. The cool yet sweet young woman that is known for being the strongest. Not only that, she was a demon just like Rin. Both possessing blue flames and really are a strong team.

However, he's been stressed out since she's gotten older like he has. He's seen she's grown to be someone pretty cool but also attractive. Rin sighed to look down at his twitching length thinking about her that he shook it off trying to calm down.

"Uggghhh great. Even thinking about her gets my rived up again. Damn heat....Why do demons even go through this anyway? it's such a pain in the butt." he grumbles to lay back tired but he tries even so to just hoping this heat passes quickly.

For now, he just waits for it to pass. Rin was able to rest up for the moment but as he was curling up a little on the bed...

"AHA! I FOUND YOU RIN!"

He sits up quickly in shock but falls off the bed wincing from the sudden shout. Wait, what and who was that!? He sits up from the floor but looks seeing...

"Huh? INK!? What are you doing here!!" he said holding the covers on him but Ink looks to him pouting.

"What am I doing here? Looking for you! You said you were going to hang out with me today but your brother said you were busy! Seems like your fine though!" she said but Rin blinks to him showing a deadpanned face.

'Damn it Yukio..' he thought in his head as he sighed.

"Ink, I am busy right now. How did you find me?!" he said as Ink thinks a bit to smile.

"I had to get something or someone to help me find you so I asked a few of your friends and they told me you were here!" she smiled but Rin thinks to sighs. That was the last time he will say anything again to them if they were going to be telling her this. He sees her look at him but was happy she found him.

"So does this mean we can hang out now-"

"Ink, as I said before I really can't. You shouldn't even be here." he mutters but Ink looks more confused to him.

"But why not!? You said you were gonna hang out with me and do some cool training and moves-"

"And I will but not right now. So please, you have to go.." he said but Ink was confused to why he was trying to make her leave. Did he not want to hang out anymore? She felt a bit upset but noticed something.

"Uhhhhhhhh..."

"What? What's wrong?" he asked but she looks to the side as he looks to see he was still naked. Rin quickly gets the blanket around his body but looks to Ink.

"You didn't see anything okay? Now you have to-"

"I'm not leaving. You owe me a explanation of why you have been not able to hang out. Did I do something wrong?" she asked seeing Rin shake his head.

"No no you didn't do anything wrong. It's just..I'm going through something right now so I couldn't hang out with you right now even if I wanted to. I love hanging out with you..it's just...I can't due to me going through my demon heat cycle-"

"Demon..heat cycle?" she asked confused as Rin blinks twice hearing that tone in her voice.

"Uhhhh yeah heat cycle? All demons go through it Ink." he said but still saw her confused expression. He didn't say anything but looks to her. "Ink?..."

"Wait, all demons? But why? I mean, you don't look hot like your sick or anything. Is something of a power up?" she asked but Rin looks to her.

"..You..You can't be serious right?"

"Serious about what?" she asked that he facepalms to sigh.

".........uh huh. You don't get it." He said but even if he saw her there, it got him more excited to sit down but keeps himself covered. "Listen, I can explain it to you another time..but as I said, I need to be alone so I'll find a way to make this up to you." he said but Ink walks over but looks to him.

"And I told you I'm not leaving. You got me curious about this 'demon heat' thing now so you can explain it to me!" he said sitting down but Rin looks to her.

"Explain it to you?! You don't even know what a heat is!" he said pointing at her comedically as she shrugs looking at him.

"I don't know! I never really heard of it before but you seem to have heard about it! So what is it?" she asked not leaving with arms crossed but Rin saw she was not going to leave to shake his head. Geez, this woman is stubborn.

"Yeah, I can see that. Uhhhh how can I explain this?" he said thinking about it but he made sure to stay sane without his heat getting to his head. Though, he can smell her nice relaxing scent lingering off of her. It smelled so nice and soothing and-No rin focus!

"Okay, a demon heat is something when demons go through the sudden urge to....ehhh....breed another demon or other. Like mates being together." he said seeing her listen but tilts her head with a question mark showing above her head.

"Mates? Like couples?" she asked confused.

"Yeahhhhhh...something like that." he said seeing her cross her arms.

"I think I get it."

"However, demons go through this when they either reach of age or is older.....so they get the heated urges to..." He looks to the side rubbing the back of his head. "To mate with the other. Or in human words, have sex." he said simply as Ink looks to him but she then looks down to think.

Really?"

"Yeah. Demons going through this feels hot than normal, some goes into some rut like state while others either get wet or excited feeling hot too. Some tend to be alone or lock themselves up so they can relieve themselves from the heat but..usually the heat goes down when you mate with another." he said but Ink was thinking about it but she keeps her arms crossed. "It's like you have this urge to...how do you say it, 'fuck like rabbits and stuff....'" he explains to her.

"I see...I think. So does that mean....your going through your heat? Is that what your telling me?" she asked but Rin sighed to nod. "So that's why you couldn't visit me." she said seeing him nod.

"Yeah. I get them more now and their both powerful and irritating. I try to do what is needed to keep it down but..It sorta didn't work as well this time so I've been here trying to calm down." he said still having the blanket on his body.

"O..Oh...." she was silent now but looks ahead to look quiet now. "But....aren't you in pain or anything? Like you said this heat thing can make you really hot s..so..are you in pain?"

"...not that sort of pain. Kinda like pent up pain. Like I want to mate but..I can't. Besides, this has been helping me so far I guess you can say." He looks to seeing Ink not saying much but she looks to him worried now before he only looks away himself.

".....Then....I know this might sound crazy but...do you.." she started to say but Rin looks at her quickly.

"Oh no no no. I..I got it. I don't trust myself when I get into my heat..sadly I'm still hit by it pretty strong right now. I don't want to hurt you or anything so...that's why I been here to try getting through it." he said.

"But you sound like you been doing it for a while. Are you sure I can't help you?" she asked.

"I don't think you can Ink. You don't know what demons go through with a heat but I do feel happy you wanna help me." he said about to touch her cheek but he stops to look away, his hand shaking. He wanted to touch her so badly but didn't to keep himself sane and not lose to his heat.

"Rin-"

"You better go Ink. I'll find a way to make it up to you. I promise." he said smiling but Ink looks worried to sigh.

"Fine...." she mutters to stand up, going ahead to leave but she looks to him and gently kisses the top of his head. He blinks not expecting that as his face burns red.

"Wait why did you-"

She then turns to leave him quickly but he saw her blushing red herself. Rin sees her leave so he's alone now. However, he felt hard again as it twitching under the sheets while wincing. Oh not again. He looks down but he tries to ignore it to sigh.

"I'm sorry Ink. I"ll find a way to make it up to you." he mutters laying on his back. He can rest now but was happy he didn't do anything to harm Ink. However, hidden against the wall, Ink was looking down thinking about what he told her. Her upper face was hidden but she had wondered about this now.

Maybe. Maybe she can help him in some way. For now, she leaves without him knowing and thinks of some idea to help him later on.

#IC #silver roses #Drabble/short or long stories #silver butterfly mun #peahen mom #the mansion owner #Blue heated flames #rin okumura #older rin #yukio okumura #older yukio #van ink the dragon #older ink #demon-blood-youths #The fractions of NYC #peahen writer #dragon harem au

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liampboyle · 1 month ago

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Countless trees surrounded me, lots of oak, hickory, and maple trees with some pines and spice trees. There were few other species, I felt like I should know but couldn’t recognize. Not that knowing what the trees were would help in my current situation. I had been wandering around in these woods for hours. I still had some water left in my canteen, but my stomach was growling. I needed to find a way out of these woods soon and back to my car. I turned around trying to take a good look at my surroundings to see if there was any clue to a way out of here. The dry leaves on the forest floor crushed as I stepped on them. The amount of leaf litter was high enough I didn’t think anyone had been to this part of the forest in ages.

Still nothing but trees and underbrush as far as I could see. There was a circle of mushrooms in the center of the small clearing I had wandered into. If I was with my grandfather, he would tell me to avoid it, and then some half remembered stories about the Aos Sí, the fair folk. I walked into the middle of the ring and sat down. I didn’t believe in those stories and I think grandpa just told them so he could pretend he was more Irish than our family actually was. I felt my heart thumping in my chest, so I closed my eyes and started some meditation breathing a therapist had taught me a long time ago. Breathe in for a count of four, hold it for a count of four, breathe out for a count of four, hold it for a count of four….

As I went through the practice, I felt my heart rate slowing down. Opening my eyes, I saw a person standing before me; she was wearing a dress with a leaf pattern that was the colors of autumn leaves yellows, reds, and browns mixed with dark and fading greens. My eyes traveled up revealing the rest of her, her skin was a greenish brown, and her hair the same vibrant multicolor as her dress. She had a beauty about her that made it so she was all I could focus on. The corners of her eyes crinkled and her lips were in a slight smile.

“Are you lost?” Her voice sounded like a combination of lilting birdsong and slowly running water. It was even more beautiful to listen to than she was to look at.

I nodded in answer to her question. And she smiled even more revealing blindingly white teeth below her brilliant green eyes. She sat down in front of me. “Let me have your name, and I’ll tell you the way home.”

I nodded, but still could not speak. I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing again before answering her.

“My name is Susan Murphy.”

She smiled, as I gave her my name, but then the corners of her mouth dropped and her eyes opened more widely. Her mouth dropped open briefly. “I'm sorry, I can't take this name.”

“Wh-what?” I stuttered in confusion.

“I was going to take your name, and then bring you home with me as a servant. It’s what we fae do. But it seems you’ve already given us a name.”

I couldn’t say anything for a second. “What, how, when, I’ve never met anyone or anything like you before in my life.”

The woman shook her head, “It was when you became a girl after being born a boy. You wished on a falling star that your old name be taken so you could live your new life as the woman you now are.”

I remembered that night, my parents had thrown me out a few weeks before that. I saw the star as I was laying down to sleep in the homeless encampment I had just found. While there were quite a few older people there who were disabled or mentally unwell, there were a shocking number of people my own age. Most had been kicked out of their home for being some form of queer. It was Albert at the camp, who helped me pick out the name Susan. He also set me up with a sleeping bag and some blankets he had scavenged so I had something to use for sleep. That night as I lay down was when I had seen the falling star and made the wish.

After losing your way for hours, you encountered an odd, multi-colored woman. She was cheerful, and asked for your name. "Ah…so you are… I'm sorry, I can't take this name."

#writers #writers on tumblr #writeblr

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marblesphere · 3 years ago

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!⚠️Warning Angst, suicidal thought⚠️! If you are not comfortable, please skip this. I am having slight depression and some negative thoughts. It was not good to leave those alone, so I wrote them down as a fic. This also serve to comfort me. As my favorite character will comfort me. I hope you guys will find some comfort if you are having some negative thoughts too.

The void, is called the era of the highest peak of humanity. Though no formal record ever written for that era. The remains of the void are now scattered across the world, using lost language. No one could decipher it, leaving only imagination as how humanity was in that time. But the void is what they call that era. To another people the void is called the dark age. Rather than the highest peak of humanity. This is where humanity almost extinct due to world war. Each nations developed their own technology and conquered the other nation.

[Your Name], one of the survivors of the dark age. She is unable to age due to her nation’s human experiment. There are also some mutated animals survived the war. But they have gone hiding. Those survivors only have one goal. Avoid the present humanity to decipher the record of the dark age. This is for their own sake. For they couldn’t handle the memories inside those remnants. Right now, she is just a wandering. Destroying any remnants of dark age. Adjusting to a change, every now and then, she enrolled to a school, by manipulating some memories of the school higher up. She has no worries about her fund. She has a lot in her account which she also changed every now and then.

Present day, 20xx.

“Good morning.” I greeted my classmates. Chorus of good mornings are replied. The day starts like the usual routine. After the school is over, I will try to scout around the town at night. Seeing midnight is safer for me being out without being caught by schoolmates.

But tonight, I am in for a surprise. I meet someone I know very well. “Long time no see, [Your Name].” Zhongli smiled softly.

“It really has been a long time, Zhongli.” We stood in the highest building in the town. “How long was it the last time we saw each other, 500 years ago?” I blinked. The concept of time has lost to us.

“More or so.” He chuckled. “You are still wandering?”

“Yes. As you can see. I am enjoying my time.” I spread my arms. “Albeit, sometimes I feel a tad bit lonely.” I added the last part softly.

“Xiao looking for you.” I stiffened at his word.

“… I know… that’s why I am running away. I was only a burden to him. And it’s my fault turning him to a… monster…” I swallowed the lump on my throat.

“You know that is no one fault. Not his, not you.” Zhongli said.

I shake my head, denying it. “It is my fault. If I were just stronger, he won’t need to bear the burden alone. And he certainly won’t be fighting against the karmic debt right now. If only I were stronger.” I murmured. I close my eyes. Every time I did, I will remember that day vividly. Even the smell of blood. I still remember when the karmic debt manifested for the first time. I have never felt so scared in my life. How pathetic. Yes. I was really pathetic, being afraid of someone I still hold dear the most. That’s why I ran away, I couldn’t face him after being afraid of him. He must be scared too, must be alone too, yet…I..

“Xiao, what happened?” I approached him. It’s rare to see him so gloomy like this.

“Don’t touch me!” He growled.

“Xiao…?” I blinked, not understanding his command.

“I told you don’t touch me!” He growled finally turned to me. And then, I finally realize the gloomy baleful aura around him. Xiao let out a feral growl. “Xiao…” I tried to touch him.

“Go away!” His hand turned claw scratched me as he slapped my hand away.

“Xiao…what happened…?” my trembling hand still trying to reach out to him, ignoring the blood. ‘Scary… I am scared…’

“It’s you…” He snarled.

“Xi…ao…?”

“It’s all because of you! It’s because of you I have turned to a monster! I killed countless to protect you, yet I am the only one who turned to monster! Why is it not you?! You should be the one to become a monster. You are just a burden to me. A pathetic little thing. It’s better if you just disappear!”

“I…” I could hear something inside me snapped and break. “I…guess… I am…just a burden… then…please kill me… so…you can be free from a pathetic burden…” I whispered as tears flowed down uncontrollably. I close my eyes as I saw him raised his spear. But, at the nick of time, Zhongli burst in by kicking the door down. He restrained the rampaging Xiao, I vaguely saw Ganyu dragged me away from the scene.

I couldn’t sleep that day. I keep thinking about his word. Then, I come to a conclusion. I have to get stronger and stop being a burden. I have to get away from him. That’s the last time I ever see him again.

“He was devastated. You should know he didn’t mean it.” Zhongli sighed.

“No.” I shook my head. “He was right. I was a burden. I know I am. But, I didn’t try to avoid being one. Instead being the source of his karmic debt.” I smiled bitterly.

“[Your Name]…”

“If you are here. Then he must be not so far. I should get going then. Farewell, Zhongli.” I jumped down from the building. Having to move quickly. But, I was beginning to feel tired, having to avoid them at every turn. “Maybe it’s time to welcome my death. I have lived long enough. The dark age remnants also have vanished, though not all. But, Zhongli and the others are still here. It should be fine, right?”

Fortunately, I managed to evade him from finding out. I quickly go to hiding, searching for a place to rest, in other words my grave. My thought drifted to a small hill near our house at that time. The flower field there is magnificent. But, since that place is the nearest to our house, I will definitely found out by them. I look at my temporary house here, at the foot of mountain. This mountain peak should do the job.

Next morning, I climb to the peak. As expected. The view is nice, the breeze is nice. Everything is nice. “Then, this will do. As my grave.” I nodded in satisfaction.

“What do you mean by your grave.”

I snapped my eyes to the source. My eyes widened at the familiar person in front of me. “Xiao….” I breathed out his name. My mind is racing with a lot of thoughts, as in why is he here? How did he find out I will be here? I have made sure to cover my tracks every time I disappeared.

“What do you mean as your grave?” He took a step, unconsciously I took a step back. My eyes darted around, searching for any available escape route.

“[Your Name], answer me.” He pleaded. His voice trembled.

“I… just don’t want to be a burden anymore…” I averted my eyes from his piercing glare.

“…I…” He flinched. “I am…sorry… I didn’t mean…”

“It’s not your fault.” I quickly said. “It’s really was not your fault. It was mine. I was weak. More than anything I was scared of you. Even though you took all the burden from me. I was so scared that I didn’t know what to do. I am sorry…” I apologized. After a millennia not being able meet face to face. The first thing we say to each other is sorry. “I will get going soon.” I strained a smile. My mind is chanting not to cry and plead him to stay together. I have cause enough pain for him. I don’t deserve him. I don’t deserve to be alive.

“No!” Xiao quickly grabbed my hand to prevent me leaving. “Don’t go.”

“I…can’t. I have caused you enough pain. I…”

“You are not burden at all. Because of you. I have enough strength to fight those karmic debt. My sole purpose of living is searching for you. If you are gone, then I too…”

“You can’t!” I yelled. “You can’t die! You have suffered enough. It’s time for you to experience happiness!... If you die, then…I” ‘For what reason, I have endured this loneliness for a millennia?’

“Silly.” He wiped my tears. “You have suffered enough too. You leave me because you believe you have cause me pain. But, it’s the opposite. I am alive because you are with me. Those words… were the manifestation of those karmic debt. They are not true at all. You are my light.” He put his forehead against mine. “Just like you said. We have endured enough pain. We should experience the happiness this world has to offer. My happiness lay with you. So, please, don’t leave me again.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead.

“I… Can I really stay with you?” I hiccupped.

“Of course.” His arm around my waist tightened. “Let’s stay together from now on. Together, forever…”

“…Yes…” Xiao pressed another kiss, this time on my lips.

#genshin x reader #xiao x y/n #xiao x reader #xiao angst #genshin impact xiao #xiao fluff

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kanerallels · 3 years ago

Note

Heyy, I saw your prompt list— could you maybe do Mackelena (with a side of Philinda and Huntingbird, if possible) and soulmates? Congrats of 111 followers!!

Thank you so much!!! I hope you enjoy this-- it's my first AOS fic so here goes nothing!

Pairing: Alphonso Mackenzie/Elena Rodriguez (minor Philinda and Huntingbird)

Word Count: 3,143

Tags/Warnings: rated G (for giant simp, which Mack is, good talk), character death mentioned, as is divorce

For most of his life, Mack had believed in soulmates. He’d grown up being taught that he’d meet someone, and when they first touched, their respective soulmate marks-- for him, a mark on his right hand, very dark brown streaked through with honey-gold-- would light up, and they would share a Moment. A brief snippet of time from the future that would show them their life together, if they chose to move forward with their relationship.

Some didn’t. Mack knew people who hadn’t stayed with their soulmate. But he’d seen, overwhelmingly, that when a person found their soulmate and stuck with them, they were far happier than if they didn’t.

He’d always thought that the only woman he’d ever be in a serious relationship with would be his soulmate. But then he’d met Nicole. The two of them had fallen hard and fast, and even now, after their divorce, Mack would never say he regretted it. Regretted how it ended, yes. But he had loved Nicole, even if she hadn’t been his soulmate.

Some days, Mack wasn’t sure if he’d ever find his soulmate. But he was fine with that for now, fine working at the mechanic shop that he co-owned. He had friends around him, and he visited his brother whenever he could. So he’d wait, and that was okay for now.

There were days, though, when he wondered. Was there really one woman waiting out there for him somewhere?

The sound of arguing broke Mack out of his musings, and he looked up from the car just as Fitz stalked into the back of the garage, looking irritated. Running a hand through his already messy hair, he said, “I’ve had about enough of this, it’s your turn. Have fun.”

“Have fun with what?” Mack asked, wiping his hands off on the rag he had resting next to his toolbox. “Something wrong, Turbo?”

Clearly trying to calm himself, Fitz took a deep breath and pointed over his shoulder. “There’s an irate customer out there, demanding that we hurry up and fix her car. I tried telling her that we’ve got a queue and we’re going to start on hers soon, but she didn’t exactly give me a chance. She wants to talk to the mechanic who’s working on her car.”

“Which name is that?” Mack asked.

“Rodriguez-- she’s on your list, I think.”

“Great.” Suppressing a grimace, Mack set aside the rag and headed towards the door that separated the garage where they worked and their main office. “I’ll be back in a minute or two.”

“If you’re lucky,” Fitz muttered.

Ignoring that, Mack stepped through the doorway. He spotted the customer almost immediately-- a Latina woman with dark brown hair braided back from her face, dressed in a black leather jacket and jeans. She caught sight of him and stomped up towards him. “Oh, you must be the turtle man who’s working on my car,” she said, her low voice furious.

One of Mack’s eyebrows shot up, despite himself. “Turtle man? We’ve only had the car for a couple weeks.”

“Yes, and I need it fixed,” the woman said emphatically. “Fast, so why don’t you get a move on? If I’d known you were going to take all year--”

Holding up his hands, Mack said, “I understand you’re upset, Ms. Rodriguez. But one of our best workers quit last week, and we’re having a hard time catching up. Obviously we’ll get your car done as soon as possible, but there are a few other cars before it. I should be done with them over the next few days, and I will personally make sure that your car is taken care of. Does that sound fair?”

Ms. Rodriguez eyed him for a moment, looking skeptical, but then let out a sigh. “Okay. I’m-- I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were short-staffed.”

“Nothing we can’t handle, it’s just a little backlog,” Mack assured her. “But I promise you, Ms. Rodriguez, your car will be one of the next ones.”

“Good to know,” she said with a nod. “And you can call me Elena. I mean, it’s the least I can do considering I kind of chewed out your friend back there. And you.”

Releasing a chuckle, Mack said, “Fitz can handle it. You can call me Mack, and we’ll call you as soon as your car is ready.”

Shaking her head, Elena said, “Oh, I don’t think so, Turtleman.”

“Sorry?” Mack asked, caught off guard.

“After how long it’s taken already? I’m coming back here to make sure you don’t start ignoring me again. I’ll be back in two days. See you then.”

With that, Elena breezed out of the office, leaving Mack with his mouth open as he stared after her. Huh, he thought, eventually turning to head back to his work. It looked like he’d be seeing a lot more of this Elena.

Sure enough, Elena was back two days later, just as Mack finished work on the last car and had started an assessment to see what was wrong with Elena’s. The short answer was, he soon learned, everything. This car was not going to be a short project.

When he told Elena that, she just shrugged. “Guess you’ll be seeing me a lot, Turtleman. Get used to it, and get to work.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Mack said, hiding a grin as he headed off to find his toolbox.

~ ~ ~

“Soulmates definitely aren’t real,” Bobbi told him.

Mack raised a skeptical eyebrow at his friend. “What makes you say that?” he asked, taking a sip of his drink. They were at a bar, celebrating the promotion Bobbi had gotten at her job-- although Mack had a feeling there was another reason they were here. He’d known Bobbi long enough that he could figure it out when there was something she wanted to tell him.

“It doesn’t make any sense, scientifically,” Bobbi explained. “And it’s definitely not logical. I mean, touching someone and you see the future? It doesn’t really make any sense, Mack.”

“Maybe not,” Mack admitted, deciding not to expand on his own theories in that area. “But there’s a lot about love that doesn’t make sense, and it’s not like the whole world had one mass hallucination.”

“Maybe not,” Bobbi said, sounding skeptical. “But unless you can provide me with a scientific explanation for it, I’d say it’s a load of bull.”

“Uh-huh,” Mack said. “So the soulmate thing had nothing to do with the fact that you’re back with Hunter again?”

“Of course not--” Bobbi stopped. “Wait. You knew?”

“Didn’t take much to put it back together,” Mack said wryly. “You only take me out for drinks out of the blue like this when you need to tell me something important, and it’s usually about you and him. Also, he changed his Facebook photo to you and him again.”

“Wha-- I told him to be subtle!” Bobbi let out a groan, burying her face in her hands. “He is so typical.”

“So, you are back together,” Mack said, and he saw a small smile start across Bobbi’s face.

“Well… yeah. We are. We’re taking it slow, and he’s at least trying to not make soulmate comments-- but that’ll last.” Giving him a sideways glance, Bobbi asked, “How do you feel about this?”

“What, you and Hunter?” Mack took another drink to avoid answering right away. “I’m happy for you two, obviously. I just don’t want to see either of you hurt again. I’ve had to bail Hunter out of too many drunk tanks for that.”

“I know-- that’s part of why we’re taking it slow this time,” Bobbi said with a laugh. “For your sanity.”

“My sanity appreciates the effort, but I’m not the one in the relationship,” Mack pointed out. “It’s up to you two, not me. But seriously, I am happy for you guys.”

“Thanks, Mack,” Bobbi said. “By the way, I might have asked Hunter if he’d meet us for dinner nearby.”

“I had a feeling there was another part to the plan,” Mack said. “Well, if you two are paying, I’m in.”

They made their way to the restaurant where Hunter was waiting, and had just settled down at the table with him and were starting to flip through the menus to order when Mack’s phone buzzed.

“Ah-- hang on one minute,” he told them, pulling out his phone and checking it. He was pleasantly surprised to see it was a text from Elena, who had gotten his phone number the second time she’d come by the garage, in order to ‘make sure he was keeping on task’ in her words.

The text held an image of a turtle, and the words, at the zoo earlier. I think I found your long lost brother.

Mack found himself grinning as he texted back, For someone who wants their car fixed fast, you’re not very nice to the guy fixing it.

Elena’s response was quick. What, are you gonna not fix it now? I found your long lost brother! Mack chuckled as her next text came a few seconds later. Besides, you’re too much of a softie to refuse to finish the job for me.

Guess you know me too well, Mack responded.

Well enough to know you’re a softie.

Shaking his head, Mack put away his phone and looked up to see Bobbi and Hunter watching him, both wearing sly grins. “Who was that?” Hunter asked, innocence dripping from his tone.

“Just a friend,” Mack said. He knew better than to give Hunter too much information when he was in a mood like this. Grabbing his menu, he flipped it open and started browsing, ignoring the sly looks that Bobbi and Hunter exchanged. He was going to get interrogated about this, he knew already. But there would be nothing for them to find out. Elena was just a friend, after all.

~ ~ ~

“By the way, soulmates are definitely real,” Phil Coulson told him.

Mack gave him a surprised look as he took the paper bag from the older man. He’d stopped at Phil’s coffee shop on the way into work, as he did from time to time, and was picking up coffee and desserts for the shop. “Why do you bring that up?” he asked.

Shrugging, Phil said, “Something Bobbi and Hunter mentioned when they were in here yesterday.”

“Let me guess-- Hunter brought up him and Bobbi being soulmates again?” Mack said, grinning wryly.

“Surprisingly, no,” Phil said as he rang up his bill. “They were discussing you. Hunter is under the impression you’ve met your soulmate for some reason, and Bobbi was telling them that they don’t exist.”

“Huh. Sounds about right,” Mack said, trying to hide his surprise. Although it shouldn’t shock him that Hunter immediately made the leap from “texting someone he likes” to “he has a soulmate and hasn’t told us”. Bobbi would probably handle things a little more cautiously, thankfully. “Looks like I’d better tell him he’s wrong.”

“Really? No one yet?” Phil asked.

Mack shrugged as he handed over cash for the order. “I have no idea who she is or where she is. I have been married before, but I guess that was part of why we didn’t last. Part of it, anyway.”

Nodding, Phil said, “I know the feeling. I was in love quite a few times before May and I finally met.”

“Really?” Mack said in surprise.

“Sure. Just because there’s one specific person out there for you doesn’t mean you won’t be attracted to other people. It’s normal.” Putting the cash in the register, Phil said, “But there’s something different about the woman who’s the one for you. I could tell right away that she was special. Just took a while for us to realize just what was different.”

“What he’s not telling you,” came the voice of Melinda May as she came in through the front door, a duffel bag over her shoulder, “is that it took us two years to finally figure out that we were soulmates, and it was only because he’d just been hit by a car and I had to give him CPR.” She held up one hand, stained a sunny yellow.

“We all find love in different ways,” Phil said, giving May a soft, loving grin. “How was class?”

“We’ve got some new idiots to beat up on,” May replied, moving behind the counter to drop a kiss onto her husband’s cheek. “And Daisy kicked a practice dummy through a wall, so she’s getting even better.”

“My wife and daughter are terrifying,” Phil said, grinning even wider. “Here’s your change, Mack.”

“Oh-- thanks.” Pocketing it, Mack gave May and Phil a nod before heading out the door and down the street.

It only took him a few minutes to walk the short distance back to the garage, and when he got there, he found a familiar, slight figure waiting for him next to her car, with a sly grin on her face.

“Late again, Turtleman,” Elena teased him as Mack set the paper bag down on the nearest clean surface.

“I’m pretty sure you’re always here early, Yo-Yo,” he told her.

“Yo-Yo?” Elena lifted a curious eyebrow at him.

“Yeah, cause you keep coming back here.”

“You’d almost think you minded me showing up,” she teased as Mack pulled open the paper bag and pulled out two disposable cups of coffee.

Handing her one, he said, “I don’t mind.”

The smile Elena shot at him was brighter than the sunshine coming through the window in the corner, and it warmed Mack as he got to work.

~ ~ ~

“Hey, Mack?”

Mack looked up from his work on Elena’s car to where Daisy was sitting in the back of her dad’s 1962 Chevy Corvette, which he affectionately referred to as “Lola.” However, Lola needed a little work done, so Phil had relinquished the car into Daisy’s hands, and she’d brought it to Mack for him to look at.

“What’s up, Tremors?” he asked.

Daisy didn’t respond right away, fiddling with the edge of her jacket as she bit her lip. “Do you believe in soulmates?” she blurted out.

One of Mack’s eyebrows shot up, and he almost asked what prompted the question-- but stopped abruptly as he remembered what day it was. A year to the day since Daisy’s boyfriend, Lincoln, had died when a robber had broken into his house and shot him when he’d tried to protect Daisy. The man had been arrested, but Mack knew that only soothed part of the pain for his friend.

“I do,” he said cautiously-- he’d never learned whether Lincoln was Daisy’s soulmate or not. Regardless, he decided to speak the truth. “I believe in soulmates. But I also believe you can be truly, deeply in love with a person who’s not your soulmate. It doesn’t make them any less important to you and your life.”

Daisy jerked a quick nod, staring determinedly up at the ceiling. “He wasn’t mine,” she said suddenly. “Lincoln. May and Dad already know, but I just…” She trailed off, blinking hard.

Mack nodded slowly. “Maybe he wasn’t. But I knew Lincoln. He was happy with you, and he loved you. In the end, that might matter more than being someone’s soulmate.”

Taking a deep breath, Daisy nodded. “Thanks, Mack.”

“Any time, Tremors.”

They dropped into silence after that, until Mack heard someone knock on the office door. “Hey, Mack!”

Mack felt a smile crossing his face as he moved from behind the car to see Elena strolling towards him, hands in her pockets. “Hey, Yo-Yo,” he said, and Elena returned the smile.

“You know, the nickname is growing on me, Turtleman.” Turning her gaze to the car behind him, she said, “So? Do you have good news for me?”

“I do,” Mack said, patting the side of her car. “After almost a month of work, I finally finished it. Your car is finally fixed.”

A grin flashed across Elena’s face. “About time-- but thank you. I owe you. Literally and figuratively. I probably owe you for all that coffee you bought me.”

Waving a hand, Mack said, “Don’t worry about it. I was happy to do it.” He paused, the reality of it finally hitting him. If his work was finished… he wouldn’t be seeing Elena again.

No sense in moping about it, he told himself sternly. Grabbing the keys from the table next to him, he dropped them in Elena’s outstretched hand. “All yours,” he told her.

Elena nodded, stuffing the keys in her pocket. “Thanks, Mack.” She paused for a second, then extended a hand to shake.

Mack blinked in surprise-- he hadn’t expected such a formal goodbye. But he went to shake her hand, and it was only as his fingers were curling around hers that he noticed the dark blue soulmark on her palm.

A flash of light radiated from their hands, and Mack felt himself transported away from the garage:

He was sitting on the couch in his apartment, leaning back and relaxing. He could hear voices in the kitchen-- a man’s baritone, and Daisy laughing-- and music was emanating from a radio a little ways away.

A soft noise from next to him caught his attention, and he glanced over to see Elena, curled up next to him, her head resting on his chest as she hummed along to the song. Mack wrapped an arm around her and dropped a kiss onto her forehead, and she let out a soft noise. “Te amo,” she whispered, and Mack felt a smile pull at the corner of his mouth.

“Love you back,” he said as a wave of contentment swept over him.

Mack’s eyes snapped open and caught hold of Elena’s. To his shock, a slow smile was spreading across her face. “I knew it,” she said.

“Oh, you knew it?” Mack said, trying to steady his voice. “How exactly did you know it?”

“You’ve got your mark on your hand, too,” she said with a shrug. “Other than that… put it together, Turtleman. I wasn’t just hanging around here waiting for my car. Well, other than the first time.”

Mack felt a smile start to grow on his own face, and then another voice broke through his thoughts.

“Holy. Crap.”

Both of them looked at where Daisy was still lounging in her dad’s car, her eyes wide and a huge grin on her face. “This is awesome,” she said.

Mack exchanged a look with Elena. “I’ll call you?” he offered, and Elena snorted.

“Knowing you? I’ll call you first, Turtleman.” Shooting him a wink, she turned and strolled out of the garage, a spring in her step. For a long minute, Mack watched her, feeling himself grinning like an idiot. Then he turned back to his work, making a mental note to learn Spanish.

#alphonso mack mackenzie #alphonso mackenzie #elena rodriguez #yo yo rodriguez #mackelena #daisy johnson #phil coulson #melinda may #bobbi morse #lance hunter #agents of s.h.i.e.l.d #aos #aos fanfic #111 followers celebration #it was dope. the end

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hailbop1701 · 4 years ago

Text

@friendlybelladonna picked prompt #76!

Fandom: Star Trek AOS

Type: X Reader

Frequent Flyer

Word Count: 1,298

BonesXRedaer (Star Trek AOS)

Yay prompt Wednesday everyone! This was pretty fun to write though I don't know if I got the original mood I wanted. I hope you all enjoy it anyway! As usual no beta so typos will be present.

-H❤🖖

“I’m honestly not hurting myself on purpose just so I can see him,” you grumbled from the biobed Christine Chapel helped you onto. The nurse looked at you unconvinced with her hands on her hips; she is one of your closest friends and had immediately seen who you had a little crush on.

“Right and the flirtatious banter you two seem to have is-”

“Is nothing. The banter isn’t flirtatious,” you said mostly just to convince yourself. Christine laughed and rolled her eyes.

“Okay (Y/N) you know the drill,” she sighed. You took several deep breaths so the bed and Christine's tricorder could measure your heart rate. Several of the usual checks were made before they brought a doctor in to officially look at your arm.

The Red Alert had died down quite a while ago and you had avoided sickbay for as long as you could but you knew for a fact that your arm was broken and the burn was already getting infected. “Hello (Y/N),” the voice of Geoffrey M’Benga reverberated around the small exam room.

You looked up and gave the doctor a small but mildly disappointed smile, “Hey Geoff,”

M’Benga returned the sad smile and shook his head in mild exasperation, “What are we going to do with you my dear girl? This is the fourth time this month,” he said gently, taking your arm. You scowled at your scuffed boots, cheeks red with embarrassment. Picking at your uniform you avoided looking at the two caregivers in the room.

“I-” you began but the sound of loud frustrated footsteps cut you off mid -explanation.

“Again?” a southern voice drawled from the doorway, you ducked your head cheeks becoming redder than before. Clearing your throat you looked up through your lashes at the ship’s CMO,

“In my defense, the ship was getting hit like a pinata and that hot pipe technically shouldn’t have been there,” you said cheekily. Doctor Leonard McCoy gave you a stern look, while M’Benga smirked as he readied a hypo.

“That was four hours ago, why did you wait so long to seek medical attention Ensign?” McCoy barked out his frustration growing. You bit your lip trying to come up with a better reason than ‘because you make me nervous and I’m a complete chicken,’

“Well sickbay seemed a bit busy and I figured if I’m gonna wait may as well be useful so I continued working-”

The silence was almost deafening. You could feel the tension and it wasn't the good kind either.

“I’m making it worse aren’t I?” you asked nobody in particular. Christine and M’Benga both hummed in agreement, almost feeling bad for you.

“Geoff, Chris can I have a moment with Ensign (Y/L/N)?” McCoy’s voice was tight, his eyes never leaving your face; which was red as your uniform. M’Benga set the bone regen aside and got up from his stool, he caught your eye and winked. Gritting your teeth you glared at his retreating back. Christine gave you a cheeky smile and subtly motioned for you to breathe as she walked through the open exam room door. It hissed shut behind her leaving you and McCoy alone in the cramped space.

“How much trouble am I in?” you asked anxiously. McCoy sighed and sat down heavily on the empty stool by your bed. He reached over and grabbed the bone regen and gently placed it over your arm.

“Fourth time this month (Y/N) what’s going on?” he asked, trying to meet your eyes. You avoided his gaze as much as possible but he was persistent. Biting your lip again you glared at the biobed monitor when it showed that your heart rate increased.

“I don't know what's wrong with me,”

“Come on (Y/N) you’re not just coming in here to see my pretty face,” McCoy teased dryly while he skimmed through your medical file. You chuckled humorlessly, ‘Uh well, about that,’ you thought with a snort.

McCoy looked up from his PADD at your very unladylike snort. Setting the device down he leaned forward making you want to lean back or at least get your heart under control. Your cheeks flared again and the twitch of McCoy’s lips was almost unnoticeable.

"Well, if you're going to keep ending up here you may as well call me Leonard. You make me call you (Y/N) after all"

“Leonard,” you tested the name carefully before nodding. Leonard smirked after you said his name like he enjoyed the sound of it coming from you. He pulled a tray full of supplies over to his side and picked up a hypospray,

“Your burn got infected, I want to give you some antibiotics to help clear it up,”

You nodded and tilted your head to the side so he could get to your neck. Leonard brushed your hair away and gently injected you with the medicine. He rubbed the injection site easing the sting, “Are you in any pain?” Leonard asked, eyeing your fluttering heart rate.

Huffing out a breath you shook your head, “No I’m just-I have to get back to being a klutz in engineering. Thanks for patching me up again,” you hopped off the bed only wobbling for a second. Leonard grabbed your elbow to steady you an order to stay already on his lips.

“I’m fine, you’re fine, we’re all fine and not-damn it stop looking at me like that!” you growled. Leonard smiled fully at that,

“Like what?” he asked innocently knowing exactly what you meant.

“Like I dunno! Like you want to…” you spluttered trailing off. Scratching the back of your neck you looked away trying to find the right words, sighing at your scrambled brain you did the only thing that could get your point across. Grabbing him by his blue shirt you pulled him forward so he was almost off the stool he was sitting on,

“Like this,” you breathed before capturing his lips with your own.

You let him go after a minute, red-faced you looked up. He had a look of complete surprise and a stiff posture; you immediately regretted your actions. Rejection coursed through you as you back away toward the door,

“Now that I made it weird, I’m going to make my exit,” you said hitting the door control so they hissed open. Halfway out of the room you felt a hand grab your uniform and a strong tug pulled you backward. Yelping indignantly you found yourself in the exam room again and the door firmly closed.

“Wha-”

You were pressed up against the wall by the biobed with his lips on yours. Gasping into his mouth you reached up and threaded your hands into his hair. Leonard took that as an invitation to explore your mouth as he moved his hands to your hips.

Pulling back Leonard rested his forehead against yours as you both tried to catch your breath. “Please be more careful, okay darlin’?”

“I make no promises,” you murmured letting your hands slide down from his hair so they rested on his chest. You smiled at his annoyed expression,

“But I’ll try,”

Leonard hummed lowering his head so he could whisper against your neck making promises of his own.

Kissing you gently one more time he took his leave tossing an “I’ll see you tonight for dinner,” over his shoulder.

You stalked past the nurse’s station where Christine and M’Benga sat chatting quietly. They both looked up at your approach.

“Not. A. Word,” you growled at the blonde woman who merely smirked her eyes fixed upon the bruised spot just below your ear. After you fled back down to engineering Geoff groaned as Christine victoriously handed him a stack of PADDS full of reports that need to be done.

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Star Trek X Reader: @lumar014ad

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what-the--curtains · 4 years ago

Text

There Are No Wolves in the Desert

Part 4- A Story in the Sand

(Oberyn Martell x f!reader)

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Summary: A crime scene leads to Arianne’s captors, freeing her however is an entirely new problem.

Authors Note: hello all you lovely people! Sorry for the wait but motivation still evades me! Thank you for sticking with me and I hope you enjoy this part!! Ill be moving this week so ill be MIA for a bit hope yall r staying heathy and safe💕💕💕

TW: mentions and allusions to sex (nothing depicted), blood, nudity, swearing

Word count: 6.4k

Tagged: @evyiione, @xsadderdazeforeverx , @agingerindenial, @ayamenimthiriel

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

The red hues of the rising sun paint the outside of the wooden stables that you walk towards. The smell of straw and manure fills your nostrils as you enter through its immaculate doors, the shade of the structure cooling you off as you take note of Oberyn. He had for-gone his typical golden hued robes for armour not too dissimilar from yours. A single horse standing in the cross ties.

“Can you ride or will we ride together?” he questions, hand smoothing the colourful fabric over the creature's back.

“I can ride, my prince,” you say, smirking slightly as he turns to face you.

“I think I'll be the judge of that,” he quips.

‘”I meant a horse,” you retorted flatly, spreading a map and Arianne’s journal down on a nearby table.

“Did you? are you sure,” he whispers in your ear, before looking down at the map from over your shoulder.

“Your daughter handed me this yesterday,” you say, ignoring the sudden heat rushing over your body and looking down at the map.

“What is that?” he asks

“Ariannes journal,” you reply.

“They must have broken into her chambers to get it,” he murmurs

“Broken in?” you question head turning back to him, causing him to return to his full height.

“She was under strict watch until, well now. What do the pages say?” Oberyn probes.

“ She’d been planning on leaving for some time, though she doesn't go into detail. I assume it's due to being locked up like a common prisoner. She convinced those that brought her food and guarded her to help her escape,” you say “My brother feared she would be murdered after our sisters death, so he kept her under close watch, ” Oberyn admits

“He made her a prisoner, in her own home,” you spit

“I did not say he’s reasons were valid,” he remarks, watching you eye him. “By the looks of it she was planning on heading to Norvos,” you state, making a mark on the large map. “which means if she's as smart as her entries would have me believe, they would have taken the longer cut through the desert, to avoid any bandit groups, or watchguards,” you continue, tracing the route down on the map, “do you know the surrounding terrain well?”

“Yes it’s flat sand mainly, a few rock forests, some dunes. The heat is the main concern, or perhaps the lack of water, and the scorpions of course,” he lists, unfazed.

“It's about a day's journey, so we will have to make camp at night, though I am more than capable of going alone, if you are needed here,” you say, turning to face him, giving him an out, assuming he preferred the comforts of the palace.

“I am needed to find my niece,” he assures you dutiful to his role as ever.

“Then we should depart as soon as we can” you say, as the stable boy reappears with another horse for you. It nudges its long nose into your back, pushing you forward slightly Oberyn's hand stopping you from hitting into his body. You turn, a smile spreading across your face as you chuckle in disbelief.

“rytsas uēpa raqiros” *Hello old friend* you whisper, resting your head against its snout.

“Seems you know one another, ” Oberyn says.

“I sold this horse three years ago to one of your palace guards,” you chuckle as it nudges into your face “or did you know that already?” you ask, looking back to him.

“I may be good, but I'm not that good,” he admits “ it seems destiny has brought you here after all.”

“Destiny or fate?” you question

“Does it make a difference?”

“All the difference in the world,” you say stroking the creature's long nose, its large eyes blinking at you, ears relaxed.

“She reminds me of you,” Oberyn states.

“Is it the hair,” you remark and he laughs, caught off guard by your making jokes.

“Perhaps, do you need a saddle?”

“I can make do without one,” you say, hoisting yourself up onto the back of your horse before following Oberyn out the gates into the Dornish wilderness.

“I wasn't aware they spoke High Valyrian in the north, nor that the schools taught it,” Oberyn states, turning around on his horse to face you. His eyes sparkled in the sun, the hint of playfulness dancing on his face as he began to engage you in conversation.

“gaomis daor” *they do not* you say smiling at the look on Oberyn's face as he tries to parse out the language from the multitude of others he had learnt as a child. Perhaps he should have paid closer attention to his studies.

“You don't speak it?” You ask, surprised considering his accolades. “Not as well as I should and not since my school days,” he admits, immediately regretting his decision when a wicked grin crosses your face.. “kostilus lo ēdā pikībagon tolī pār ēdā ēdas qogror ao'd gīmigon skoros vestran” *perhaps if you had read more, then you'd know what I was saying* you laugh, causing Oberyn to grumble before turning back ahead. You kick into a canter, pulling up beside him to continue your provocation. “kostilus nyke kessa ánghowa ao isse Valyrīha pār” *perhaps I will insult you in Valyrian then*

“I do know a few words, sīr urnēbagon aōha ēngos,” *so watch your tongue* he shoots back clumsily causing you to chuckle slightly watching his jaw clench eyes looking to you, almost annoyed. Seeing the look on his face you break off into a canter and he follows suite.

The two of you ride in relative silence until the sky sinks into a deep indigo, the black of night creeping up threatening to expose the stars.

“Shall we make camp here?” he questions and you halt your horse, hopping down to assess the area. You push on the few standing trees, sturdy enough to tie the horses too for the night. The area was open, exposed, but so was everywhere in the desert. You roll a dead log over and a scorpion scurries out. You stab it with your knife.

“Should do for the night, though we should keep watch just in case,” you say gazing up to him as he dismounts. Opening the side satchel and retrieving your provisions for the next day and a half. You break off a portion of the deadwood pairing it with the desert grass as kindling, blowing on the ember until it turns to flame. While Dorne remained hot throughout the year, its winter months were marked by cold nights, the desert retaining little heat and temperatures becoming frigid.

You shuffle through the bag you had packed pulling out a long rope wrapping it around the camp area.

“Afraid of snakes my lady?” Oberyn queries, a laugh dancing on his lips.

“Only the venomous ones,” you retort as you lay the rope flat, ends overlapping. “What about vipers?” he asks, prodding the fire causing the flames to flicker, the sparks beginning to burn bright as night falls.

“Gentler then I initially thought, still deadly however, always lying in wait. If pushed their prey doesn't stand a chance. I do hope I have no reason to fear a viper attack,” you respond as you drag the remaining driftwood into the circle huffing as you let it drop, slightly displeased that Oberyn had taken the optimal resting spot beneath the two trees. You drop to the sand propping yourself up, chest heaving. You shoot him a glare for not helping you as he throws you half a loaf of bread and some cured meats the palace chefs had prepared.

“You have no reason to fear me, though that glare has me fearing for myself,” he chuckles, tearing off a piece of the dried meat with his teeth. Your glare softens, something about the Prince often managing to lessen your frustration.

‘I wasn’t sure you’d be able to sleep outside your usual comforts,” you say, chewing on the salted meat, eyes looking just above his head.

“I attended a brothel before I left. Such pleasures make trips such as these much more… bearable,” he admits, tearing off a corner of the bread and popping it in his mouth.

“Especially when the return promises a warm bed and warm hole to bury yourself in,” you state, causing Oberyn to choke on a piece of bread coughing it up before breaking into a deep laugh.

“Did you parents ever teach you proper manners, or is it true the northerners are as brutish as the rumours claim,” he ponders gleefully, wiping his lower lip slowly with his thumb, eyes still on you.

“My apologies, must be easier for you to have a man or woman to bury yourself into at the end of such a displeasing trip with such unsatisfying company my prince,” you offer, smiling sarcastically at him.

“Perhaps I'll have to do something about that tongue of yours discipline you, seeing as no one else had bothered,” he remarks, eyes darker, slightly more dangerous than before. You squeeze your thighs together shifting your weight slightly, his words sending a sensation through you.

“Or you could save time and have me hung,” you offer, trying to direct your attention away from the heat pooling at your core.

“That would save me hours, but it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun,” he confesses, beginning to grow bolder as he watches your positive reactions to his words.

“This is all very improper,” you say stoically, “you are a prince after all, you should know better than to speak to your subjects in such an adulterous manner,” you prod,

“Princes are well known for disciplining those who speak out of turn,” he says

“All princes or just those who sleep with half of Westeros?” you chide

“You say that as if it is an insult, your puritanical Westeros beliefs would lead you to see me as a walking sin,” he states, head thrown back in a building laughter.

“Aren’t you though?”

“I see something I want and if they want me I take them, there is nothing wrong there,”

“Your daughter seems to think, you only invited me back to the safety of your home based on my appearance” you state, keen to find out if he merely saw you as another pretty thing to have.

“And what if that was true,” he queries

“then you're not the man I believed you to be. To show kindness to someone solely because of there face,” you scoff, shaking your head

“Perhaps you have mistaken me then, though I would have allowed anyone to stay safely in the walls if needed, besides I find beauty in all the sun shines down on,” he says, confused as to what he had said to upset you, you were beautiful he’d be foolish not to pursue you.

“I'll take the first watch,” you say, tiring of the conversation at hand.

“I…” Oberyn begins, but you cut him off.

“I insist, you are a prince after all and I am but a humble subject, my duty is to watch out for you,” you state, he raises eyebrows before leaning back against the tree crossing his arms over his chest and falling asleep.

The moon was bright tonight and it's cool tones paired with the fire’s warm hues illuminated the prince in a magnificent way. You study his handsome features as you try to unpack the feelings that had been clawing their way out of the cage you had built around your heart. You pull Robbs knife out holding it up hoping for some kind of divine sign you suppose, but nothing comes. You loved Robb, you thought of him every day and every day you hoped that he’d return, or that you’d wake up and he would be next to you, all of this nothing more than a bad dream. But you knew such thoughts were foolish, Robb was dead, he wasn’t coming back to you, at least not in this life. Your eyes rise once again to Oberyn. You watch his chest rise and fall, longing to feel his arms wrap around you, but this thought was equally as foolish. His flirtatious nature towards you was obvious, but it was the same with everyone. As he said, he finds beauty in all the sun shine down on and those he finds beautiful he brings to his chambers. You weren’t willing to abandon your husband for a brief moment of fleeting passion. Besides you were sure he’d be bored of you when the morning came. Your future held no such luxury of finding peace with another, no any hopes of that died long ago. You lean back against the log waiting for the sun to rise, problems always seemingly less heavy in the warm glow of the morning. The sun begins to creep over the horizon, the fire only embers now. You throw sand over it snuffing it out before lightly kicking Oberyn's boot. He opens one eye first, displeased as the being awoken as such much preferring waking in the arms of two or three, or four lovers, though he would have happily settled for a single individual had they asked. He looks up to see you illuminated by the sun, a golden aura radiating around you.

“Why didn't you wake me sooner” he asks, both eyes now open and alert to the fact you had let him sleep through the night. “Wasn't tired, besides you're much more agreeable when you're asleep,” you joke, smirking down at him. “You’re more agreeable when I'm asleep as well,” he retorts, causing you to chuckle

“Not far now my prince,” you say reaching your hand out and pulling him up.

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

The sun radiates off the desert sand, a stark contrast from the cold of the night. You’re sweating heavily when you bring your horse to a halt, Oberyn mimicking your behaviour watching as you dismounted into what appeared to be yet another expanse of the desert. You kneel down on the sand wincing at the pull of an old injury. The surface is hot to touch. You run your fingers through the first few layers, it's cool beneath. Noticing a small dip in the ground you crawl ahead a few inches. You scoop up the sand bringing it to your nose, the smell of copper fills your nostrils, you dig a little deeper. The sand has clumped together. Liquid had been spilt here, but there had been no rain for at least a fortnight. This, this was blood. You stand up scanning for other dips in the ground, potential burials, any weapons, a trail of blood, but there's nothing but the small indentation where you stood.

“How old is Arianne?” you ask

“10 and 6” Oberyn responds, still mounted on his horse staring down at you doubtfully.

“Is she a slight girl?” you continue to question.

“Average sized,”

“Less than a large foot soldier though?” you ask, beginning to get frustrated with his refusal to directly answer your question.

‘Yes,” Oberyn answers, brow creased as the sun hits his eyes. Too much blood for a girl her age. Something glinting in the sun catches the corner of your eye and you bend down retrieving the reflective arrow tip. Only then do you notice the trails, likely left by footprints, evidence of hand to hand combat.

“There was a fight, it began here, but it's not where it ended, how many men were with her?” you ask

“Three,” he says, watching you staring in the distance towards a large dune “what do you see?” he queries, increasingly interested in the inner workings of your mind.

“Carrion,” you say walking back towards him.

“Vultures?”

“Could be a dead animal, could be human,” you say swinging yourself back up onto your horse and trotting towards the birds which scatter upon your arrival. The dune covered a deep windswept valley, large rock formations created by high speed winds decorating the basin.

The maze stretches a few hundred miles, as you begin to descend your foot kicks something heavy, causing you to curse the gods loudly as Oberyn arrives by your side. Before he can ask if you’re injured your on your knees digging at the area, pulling out a metal shoulder piece

“One of yours?” you ask

“ Yes that our sigil” he says, watching your nose scrunch in disgust.

“Do you smell that?” you ask.

“No,” he admits

“Death,” you say, his face hardens as you continue down the dune, following your nose through the rock formations. Oberyn follows you curiously through the naturally formed maze. He sees you standing, and his eyes follow your line of sight up until he sees what has stopped you. Three bodies slowly decomposing in the heat, skin pecked at by scavengers, a large pile of ash beneath them.

“Must have been her carriage,” you say crouching down, most of the pile had blown away only the heavier fragments left, a few large pieces of wood and metal, you brush it away, revealing a locket among the ash. You pick it up dusting it off before offering the locket to Oberyn. You watch his knuckles turn white clutching at the chain. He’d given this to Arianne for her birthday.

“Is she,” Oberyn hisses, an anger radiating through his body.

“No. There's no sign of a burnt body, ” you reassure and he exhales,

“These men they did not deserve this death even if they plotted against the crown princes wishes,”

“I can lead a party out, another day make sure they are returned to their families and buried properly.” “Thank you,” Oberyn says..

“ This was an ambush,” You assure, it was carefully planned out, but how could they have known that she was planning on leaving? “but it…” you continue, shaking your head letting your thoughts trail off.

“What?” he asks staring down at you in wonderment

“It didn’t occur here,” your forehead scrunched a look of perplexity and complete concentration etched on your face “why did they move the bodies here, and the carriage just to burn it, that’s a lot of effort.”

“To hide the evidence, they knew we’d come looking for her,” Oberyn offers as an explanation.

“ If they had burnt it where it occurred then buried it, we'd never find them. This” you say painting to the bodies “this was a warning, posting them up like this they knew we would find them here. Why here, why not where the fight occurred.” “To discredit them in death” he offers again, watching your head suddenly look up, eyes scanning.

“How many men,”

“Three,” he repeats “All trained in combat?”

“They would have been at least able to hold a spear, to guard the princess,” before he can finish, you turn on your heel and rush back to the horses, remounting and heading back to the skirmish site.

By the time Oberyn reaches you, your elbow is deep in the sand. Oberyn was right, these were good men, ones who deserved a burial. A similar thought would have likely crossed the minds of the ambushers. Returning to wherever they came from with even one dead body would be too much of a task, they would have had to abandon their fallen. But they wouldn't have abandoned their religion, a burial at an unmarked grave is better than none after all, and one skilled dornish fighter would have taken down at least one opponent. Your nails fill with sand, the heat scorching your skin and you dig towards your answers. He watches as an arm appears and he crouches down next to you about to help unbury the rest but place your hand on his chest. Gripping the dead man's hand you lift up his hand, a ring, a golden lion forged into existence, eyes looking up to him.

“Lannister” he spits

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The two of you stroll through the trees dressing the mountain, the cover of shade paired with the sun going down offering a cold more resemblant of your home especially as you climb higher towards the peak. Despite your initial uneasiness about being led far into the mountain alone with one of the deadliest men in the seven kingdoms, he had assured you he merely wanted to speak freely away from the court. As the trees part you come upon the mountain top where snow was beginning to fall. Your eyes then go to a series of ancient ruins, a hearth burning in the middle, tapestries draped along the pillars and a bed made up, with furs. Your heart skips as you turn to look up at Oberny who for once looks nervous.

“You said you missed the cold, this is as cold as it gets here, a small thank you for finding the evidence needed. I do not think anyone else would have figured it out,” he says as a feeling you hadn’t felt in years coming over you.

“Thank you” you whisper, kissing him on the check, warming him through, “but I'm sure any good tracker would have found the same,” you state, pushing back off him and turning to face the outlook, attempting to hide your sudden embarrassment.

“There are guards a mile down shout if you need them, thought I doubt they would be able to protect you better than you could protect yourself , i'll collect you tomorrow, if you’d like,” he says

“I’d like that very much,” you admit, and he smiles before heading back towards the woods.

“Prince Oberyn,” you call, and he stops turning back “Thank you,” he nods and walks off

You remove your clothes and stand in the breeze allowing the chill to ripple over your body until goosebumps form. You smile and let out a slow breath a cloud forming in front of you, as snow falls lightly around you. It was a reminder of home and you close your eyes, a tear falling as you exhale. You walk towards the ruins and settle under the sheets, the crackling of the fire lulling you to sleep until you hear footsteps approaching, multiple men.

You grab your dagger and throw it. It hits one in the jugular, blood spurting out as you roll out of the bed and duck behind the ruins near the body. You’re preparing to fight when a spear pierces the air impaling one of the approaching figures causing the other to turn towards the woods. He doesn't make it far. A strong arm stops him and slits his throat. You relax when you see Oberyn appear from the shadows.

“Lady Stark, I heard of an attempt, I apologize for...” His words are cut short and his jaw drops when he sees you walk out from behind the ruins to your tunic pulling it over your naked skin.

“Careful, my prince you'll catch flies,” you chuckle, before dragging one of the bodies over the cliff.

“I can see why he screwed over an entire kingdom to marry you,” he says, doing the same with the assassin closest to him.

“You couldn't see that before you saw me naked? Help me with this,” you say, grabbing the final man's feet as Oberyn grabs his arms.

“Even more so now. You have more scars than I had thought, do you have a favorite?” He asks as you both throw the body down the mountain side.

“I do, care to hazard a guess,” you say, wiping your hands clean.

“I'd need a longer look,” he offers, raising his eyebrows.

“Of that i'm sure, I must thank you again for tonight, seems as though my life is owed to you twice over,”

“Perhaps I can ask another favour then, As for now it's late and a long walk back, so I will be on my way,” he bows his head before turning on his heels.

“Why don’t you stay, as it's such a long way down,” you ask, eyes down, suddenly feeling overly exposed, more so than when you stood naked before him.

“Only if you wish,” he says, surprised you’d allow him to stay in the same bed as you.

“Only if you think you can brave the cold for the night” you say returning to the bed after reclaiming your knife. He joins you shortly after, removing the top half of his attire, despite preferring to sleep completely bare, he wasn't about to make you feel uncomfortable. He shivers in the cold, while this chill was likely nothing to you, Oberyn had rarely spent time in anything below comfortably warm. His shiver continues even beneath the furs and you feel it.

“I'd like to see you In the north, you wouldn't last a month,” you murmur, turning to your side facing his direction.

“Are you saying I'm soft?” he asks, remaining on his back, head turning to you, a slightly disgruntled look on his face.

“No, but you're not weathered,” you state, sitting up removing one of the furs covering you and placing it over Oberyn who looks up, the warmth of your breath clouding in the air, as snow falls lightly around you, not a goosebump on your body.

“Not like you late husband” he questions pulling the blanket up to himself and you ignore him, laying back down. “Do you think he would truly wish you to be alone? To live the rest of your life without pleasure?” Oberyn, queries, upset at the notion of you alone.

“No…but,” you begin,

“but what, you do not do him a disservice by allowing another to give you love.” Oberyn stresses, begging to warm.

“Is that what you offer?” you ask, a look of suspicion on your face.

“Yes,” he offers earnestly, shifting up onto his arm so the blankets fall slightly.

“As you do all you find appealing,” you state, eyes locked on his bare chest.

“yes, and no,” he says, hand going down lifting your eyes to meet his “I enjoy divulging in all of life's pleasures, my body belongs to all those that catch my eye, but my heart I do reserve that primarily for one” he says softly, your heart now beating faster than it ever had.

“Reserved” you correct, quietly.

“Ellaria was my greatest love, I would have kept her with me until the end, had the Lannisters not taken her from me,” his hand now dancing over the wound above your shoulder, eyes still boring into yours, leaving you nowhere to hide.

“Then you know how I feel,” you whisper breathlessly.

“No, my heart is willing to accept love again because I knew that is what she would want. I fear you are unable to see that it is what your husband would have wanted as well,”

“Part of me died that day on the docks, part of my heart will always be with him, but today I thought...maybe” you stutter, a tear falling from your eye rolling down your cheek, you go to brush it away embarrassed, but Oberyn beats you to it. Gently wiping it before running his thumb softly along your cheekbone.

“It is not a betrayal of your love for him, I do not presume you to abandon him, I wish merely to bring you some semblance of joy.”

With that you roll over so you straddling him and he sits up hand reaching to the back of your head pulling you down to meet his lips. A fire builds inside you upon contact and your hands move to your tunic, only parting from his lips to rip it from your body. You look down hesitantly, unsure it was what he would have expected, or what he wanted, not as pretty and smooth as those of the brothel. Oberyn no longer shivering even with the blankets fallen to the side, eyes drinking in every ounce of your being.

“Are you sure?” Oberyn asks, hands running up and down your sides.

“Yes,” you say firmly, before leaning down kissing him again.

He'd kept you close to him in the night even after you’d tried to pull away to the other side of the bed. You had been right, one appeal of the cold was being trapped beneath the naked body of one you loved. He wakes first, trailing his fingers lightly across your body until he sees your eyes bat open.

“Now I really understand why he risked his reign for you,” Oberyn whispers, kissing your scrunched up forehead. You yawn, detaching from him and maneuvering onto your back as His hand trails over the wound above your shoulder “ this is your favourite” he states and you look up to him, “I guessed correctly” he laughs at the way your mouth hangs open.

“How?”

“You can track lands, I can track bodies” he says, placing a kiss over it trailing up to your lips.

“Can you now?”

“I thought you knew that, based on your loud approval last night,” he remarks and you shake your head chuckling slightly “If you don’t remember, perhaps I can remind you this morning” he says nipping at your jaw and dipping below the sheets.

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

You return together the next morning only to see the crown prince pacing frantically

“Brother, come now a council has been called,” he gestures for you to follow and you do

“Who is this?” he asks, pointing at you.

“Someone who has a stake in the game”

“ Arianne is in king's landing, confirmed today by this letter penned by Cersei herself,” Doran confesses as the advisors close the doors to the marbled room.

‘What?” he spits, tearing the piece of paper from between Dorans hands.

“They have taken her, stating she was plotting to murder the Lannister princess,” Doran says

“Was she?” you whisper to Tyene who shrugs her shoulders.

“She awaits a trial, a trial by combat” Doran continues

“Bastards,” Oberyn exclaimed, hands slamming down on the stone table. “ Send me brother, I will fight for her, I will get you daughter. I have done it once, I shall do so again.”

“If you go they kill you in the streets,” Tyene pipes up, causing her father to turn to her.

“I’d like to see them try, ” Obery spits, more fire than you’d ever seen radiating around him, as the room breaks out into pointless bickering.

“Let me go,” you interject all those in the room turning to face you.

“And, why would I allow one of my brothers whores to go and retrieve my daughter?” Doran scoffs.

“because, I would very much like to gain some kind of revenge on those who butchered my husband and all the events that occurred the night of the red wedding.” You say pulling down your hood, exposing your identity to the room full of strangers.

“Lady Stark, but you’re supposed to be dead,” the grand maester whispers.

“Medical marvel,” you assure

“And you would fight for us,” Doran queries Tyene and the rest of the scattered sand snakes staring at you.

“I would,if any of your family ventures to Kings Landing they will be killed on sight. I on the other hand am the last person they would expect to show up. Though, I must admit my business there may extend over to a few other debts the Lannisters owe me”

“This activity?” another council member begins to probe

“Would only occur after Arianne is safely back on a ship,” you see Oberyn fidget “with proper antivenoms, anti poisons, everything and a skilled healer on board, just in case”

“You would remain there for how long after?”

“Only for a few extra hours perhaps a day, you would have no role to play in my removal, I am more than capable of finding my own way out,” you promise

“Who fights for the Lannisters?” Nymeria asks,

“They say a man carved from stone, reanimated from the dead, the size of two men” The grand maester begins, “It's rumoured the queens sorcerer managed to salvage the Mountain after Oberyn's victory.”

“But those are just rumours sprouted from venomous tongues, as such my offer still stands,” you assure.

“No,'' Oberyn interjected, eyes narrowed at you, shooting daggers. Your head turns on a swivel, furious.

“Why not? I am capable” you explain.

“Did you not hear them, the mountain fights for the Lannister”

“I've taken down worse,” you snap, all semblance of properness lost

“He’ll kill,” you he states calmly , his eyes stormy

“He didn’t kill you,” you retort

“No but I killed him and yet he is still alive, whatever that man is, is long gone,” The two of you locked in a glare, you failing to find a response that wouldn’t paint you as childish.

“Then we're in agreement, we find someone else,” he punctuates making you feel like a scolded child. The tension hangs heavy on the room, unsettling a few of the council members as your eyes bear into his before leaning back against the wall. As the meeting ends Oberyn waits by the door, but you refuse to move, you shoot him a glare and he raises his eyebrows shaking his head before exiting the room.

“Prince Doran, a word if I may,” you ask, as he passes by you. He hesitates but nods to his two advisors to carry on and turns to you.

“I will go, I will defeat the Mountain, or at least secure Arianne a contingency plan if all else fails.”

“My lady, I am afraid my brother will not have it...” he states.

“Your brother doesn't control me, and as you said I am just another of his whores. I am free to make whatever decision I see fit,” he sighs, scanning you up and down assessing whether you could be successful.

“You are sure you can retrieve her,” Doran asks, looking up into your eyes searching for the answer.

“I am sure I have a better chance at it than any of your family, ”

“We will have a ship on standby for you the following day,”

“No need, I do not expect to return from this,” you mutter and his eyes narrow, “I am no fool, the odds are not in my favour I fear, but I must try...” you pause nodding your head “I must try and make things right.”

“Oberyn?”

“Will know nothing of this, nothing of this meeting, or of this plan, hold a ship for me if you wish but do not hold out hope.”

“Arianne returns alive” he demands.

“I promise you that” you affirm before he calls for an advisor to escort him out the room.

As you exit the council room you begin towards Oberyn chambers. If you were to be gone tomorrow you knew where you wanted to be tonight. As you open the door you chuckle at the sight before you, Oberyn entangled with two of his lovers, both resting against his chest, sweaty and panting slightly. He leans over to kiss the man on his left before addressing you.

“I did not expect to see you here tonight,” he says as the woman bites at his jawline. “Why's that?” you question. “I thought you were going to rip my head off in that meeting,” he chuckles, pulling the woman's hair back to kiss her.

“I don’t enjoy my ability to choose being removed,” you scorn.

“Is that all you came to say?” he questions.

“I suppose, goodnight Prince Oberyn…” you begin, turning to exit, hoping to call him on his bluff.

“Vorian, take Fryenne to my guest chamber, show her a good time,” he says, slapping the man's ass as he exits the sheets. “Will you not join my Prince, I have always wanted to try a Targaryen,” she whispers into his ear, blushing slightly.

“Not tonight my dove, we have business to discuss,”

“Perhaps another time,” she says wistfully as she approaches you, running her hand up your arm planting a soft kiss on your lips before exiting. Your mouth hangs open brows gently creased at the sensation, your eyes following her out the room.

“You like that one?” Oberyn smirks as you draw your eyes back to him “one night with me and you’re a convert to my lifestyle,” he remarks shifting out of the bed naked as the day he was born walking over to the counter and decanting wine into a goblet.

“Do you wish to have this conversation fully clothed?” “I did not come here for a conversation,” you admit.

“Then why are you still dressed? Strip,” he demands, you narrow your eyes at him. He walks towards you, eyes darker “You would disobey a prince?” He asks, walking behind you, lips ghosting along your neck. “Strip. You will listen to me tonight especially after your performance in that meeting. You should know better than to speak out of turn,” he orders leading you towards his bed.

You're awake, watching the night pass until the first light begins to creep into the room. Oberyn's arms are wrapped around you, his warm breath hitting your neck. You had tried to leave earlier but his strong grasp had trapped you in place. If this was to be one of your last nights on this earth, you were glad to have spent it in his arms. You lie there until you feel him stir, mouth peppering kisses on your neck.

“I wish to go to the brothel, will you join me?” he mumbles into your neck and you shake your head.

“I can refrain and stay here for the morning,” he starts.

“No go on I am just too tired,” you whisper, kissing him lightly.

“Then rest I will return later,” he kisses your nose, then your forehead before rising and dressing

“Oberyn,” you say sitting up in the large bed pulling the silks up to cover your chest.

“Yes?” he says watching as your mouth opens. You’re trying to find words to express your feelings, but they never come.

“Nothing,” you say, offering a small smile. Oberyn makes it to the front door of the brothel but something in his stomach feels off. A feeling that had been growing since he left you, it was something in the way you had said his name in the cold light of day, almost as if you were saying goodbye. His steps get more rushed as he approaches the palace, swinging the doors to his chambers open. He looks to the handmaid who shakes her head in confusion. He swallows his rage, you wouldn’t have disobeyed him so blatantly, you wouldn't have left him without warning, without a goodbye. He walks quickly towards the garden until he finds Doran, his hand caressing a rose.

‘Where is she?” he demands, already knowing the answer

#prince oberyn x you #oberyn martell x y/n #oberyn martell x you #prince oberyn #prince oberyn x reader #oberyn martell #oberyn x you #oberyn x reader #game of thrones fanfiction #pedro pascal character fanfiction

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lumau · 3 years ago

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Here is another puzzle piece of the Froststorm vintage arc. Some day soon I will come up with a title, I promise.

mild warning for mentioned transphobia

❄🤍🖤❄

“Lord Li Ming, I am sorry to disturb you. His majesty the king would like you to receive this, please.” The bow with which the servant handed him the small black box could not quite hide the curiosity with which she eyed him. A curt and polite, but clearly dismissive “Thank you” from Li Ming discouraged any further interest though and she quickly left.

After the first few days in Marseille Li Ming was convinced that, regardless of what he said his intentions were, this was a holiday home to Ao Shun, a space where he could deviate somewhat from courtly customs and protocols, allowing himself more freedom and extending that leeway to his servants as well. And the business he was building up for himself gave a good cover - so far Li Ming had spent most of his time here accompanying Ao Shun to exhibitions, galleries and museums, so they could gather information on the local culture and art scene. The ship tours around the old harbour and to the Île d'If were necessary as well, so that they could give knowledgeable recommendations to potential visiting business partners. As were the dinners at the city’s most renowned restaurants of which Ao Shun insisted on trying a new one every evening. It did make sense. And yet…

Li Ming had never had any interest in joining the other courtiers and staff in their seemingly endless discussions of interpersonal relationships. He rather focussed on his work than on how many people of which status had been sharing minister Zhong’s bedroom of late. Still, he was an intent observer and knew how these situations usually played out. Li Ming was also not oblivious to the more or less subtle cues in the king’s behavior. He knew how it had to look, and why it would be food for gossip, something he generally did his best to avoid providing.

He opened the presentation box, and found a pair of matte black cufflinks on a white silk cushion. They were simple and exquisite. He toyed with them for a moment, absorbed in his thoughts. Then he found it was probably a signal for him to get ready for dinner.

His wardrobe had proven to be put together according to his preferences, just like his rooms. Li Ming was particular about his clothing, but every piece fitted perfectly. While the cut was that of the latest local fashion, he could recognise the work of the royal tailor, who, of course, was well accustomed with his needs and style.

The splendid three piece dinner suit, light grey with the slightest natural shimmer to its fabric, had seemed a little over the top for all his appointments so far. Li Ming considered it for a moment, then, with another look at the new cufflinks and the twitch of a smile on his lips, he took it out and began to dress.

Tonight the location for their dinner was one of the most exclusive gentlemen's clubs, members only - a dinner table had been reserved for them by recommendation from another art collector Ao Shun had met at an event some days ago. Their waiter had shown them to their table in a discreet corner. Li Ming wondered what assumptions he might make about them, but didn’t bother giving it too much thought. He had brought his notebook, and informed his lord about dates for upcoming auctions with some potentially interesting items, when the wine and hors d'oeuvre were served.

After sampling and approving the wine, Ao Shun raised his glass, and Li Ming mirrored his gesture.

“Ah”, Ao Shun set his glass down again after a sip, and smiled, “Let me see them properly again.”

When Li Ming inclined his head in incomprehension, Ao Shun reached across the small table and took hold of his hand, pulling it slightly towards him to expose his cuffs under the hem of his suit jacket. ‘Alright… apparently touching hands is a thing that keeps happening now.’ Li Ming thought slightly giddily.

“Yes, I knew they would be perfect for you.” Ao Shun said, clearly pleased, and continued to drink his wine.

The thoughts began racing in Li Ming’s head. For some reason, Ao Shun was still holding his hand. What did he expect him to do now? His grip was not demanding, it was simply casual and warm. Could he move his fingers to return the gesture, and acknowledge the touch? But what if there was no intention behind it? It would seem quite inappropriate. Yet, if this actually was Ao Shun making soft advances to him, and he simply remained completely impassive, he might interpret it as a rejection. And while he could not say what was going on or what he wanted, he knew that he did not want to reject him.

The waiter made the decision for him, when he approached the table to politely inquire whether everything was satisfactory. Ao Shun’s hand smoothly moved over to his glass of wine instead, and Li Ming quickly pulled his back, aware that his cheeks must have turned deep crimson.

After the interruption, Ao Shun changed the subject back to the upcoming auctions, and no more hand holding entailed. Food was served, glasses refilled and the evening unfolded rather pleasantly.

When the king wished to leave, the driver was notified and their waiter accompanied them to the door. As a professional, he had clearly picked up on the hierarchy between them, and addressed Ao Shun exclusively.

“Monsieur Ryu, we appreciate your visit, and hope that we will be able to welcome you as one of our esteemed members in the future.” The slightest change went through his expression, as he leaned almost unnoticeably closer. “I am aware that you only just arrived in Marseille, so please allow me this small advice. Next time, Monsieur should want to consider the company of a different associate.” Ao Shun stared blankly at him with the attention that a great tiger might give to a mildly distracting fly that had just landed on his piece of meat. When he did not get any reaction, the waiter added emphatically, “This is a gentlemen’s club, Monsieur.” Li Ming felt the air grow cold around him. He knew where this was leading, and he hoped against hope that Ao Shun either didn’t, or let the matter drop and leave. A small frown appeared on the king’s forehead. “Li Ming is from a noble family,” he said with an air of growing annoyance.

“Ah, excusez-moi, Monsieur. There is no doubt about that, of course.” The waiter bowed, and Li Ming almost breathed a sigh of relief, as Ao Shun gave a dismissive nod and turned to leave, when he continued, “Monsieur, you must see though that there are limits. We had complaints from our members this evening. You will understand, I’m sure, that this is an exclusive establishment.”

As he grew even colder, Li Ming saw the flare of red in Ao Shun’s eyes and felt the tingle of static in the air. He had gotten used to running into more or less irksome issues in public human locations, but it was always unpleasant. Whenever possible, he generally just avoided them. It would be best to simply leave now, and not get drawn into an uncomfortable discussion. Raising a storm on the building would not make things any better either. He unobtrusively took a step forwards into Ao Shun’s field of vision.

“Mr Ryu, the car is outside now.” he politely addressed him with the agreed upon alias.

He avoided looking at the waiter, just like he had ignored him in turn throughout the evening, and did his best to keep his face impassive. Ao Shun’s heavy gaze shifted to him, and a roll of thunder sounded from outside. Li Ming did not want to show any sign of weakness, which was much more difficult when it felt as if the king was looking right into his core. ‘Don’t cause a scene. Please, just leave already,’ he mentally tried to urge him. After a long, awkward silence, Ao Shun turned swiftly towards the door and with a single, angry snort left the room. Li Ming followed right after him, not dignifying the bowing waiter with any sign of attention.

Outside he took a deep breath and with a sigh of relief he quickly entered the car, before the already lashing rain could get to him.

Li Ming fell heavier than usual into his seat opposite Ao Shun. The air in the small room was thick with pressure and ozone, and he felt the king’s piercing gaze on him.

“I will level this place to the ground,” Ao Shun snarled, and the thunder echoed in his words. In the privacy of the limousine his scale patterns were gleaming on his skin now, and his elongated claws were balled into fists. “Those wretched minions! How dare they question you? The audacity!”

“Please, your majesty, you should not need to be bothered by this matter. It has no significance,” Li Ming said appeasingly, “Those humans don’t matter.”

“No significance?”

The fury rang in Ao Shun’s voice and made Li Ming avert his eyes. He felt suddenly exhausted, and lacked the focus to deal with the raging king. He simply wanted to forget about the incident and not waste any more energy on it. “They don’t matter. But you do.”

Li Ming looked up in surprise, and met Ao Shun’s gleaming eyes. Beyond his grim frown lay a deep concern that Li Ming found difficult to bear. He bit the side of his mouth hard, struggling to maintain his calm composure. He felt exposed and weak under Ao Shun’s intense scrutiny. And while it made him uncomfortable and he had to keep his hands from trembling, a part of him wanted more of that care he felt directed at him. He had spent so much time in Ao Shun’s company. He trusted him probably more than anyone. But it was quite different to feel so vulnerable around him.

For a long moment, only the motor and the heavy drumming of the rain against the outside of the car was to be heard. Li Ming’s throat was dry, even if he had known what to say, he probably wouldn’t have brought out a word.

Then Ao Shun blinked, and with a somewhat resigned sigh he sat back in his seat again. Li Ming felt both relief and pity at the break of their connection. They sat in silence for the rest of the ride, and while Ao Shun stared broodingly out into the rain, Li Ming tried to divert his thoughts by recalling the warm feeling of his hand on his own.

#the invisible library #froststorm #li ming #ao shun

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labyrinthof-fan-fiction · 4 years ago

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Two Ships Passing in the Night {6}

Part 6

Series Masterlist

Spock x fem!Reader then Bones x fem!Reader

AOS

Summary: Aftermath of Spock’s Letter, the boys’ conversation, and Jim Kirk meddling.

A/N: No, I did not project my avoidance issues in this chapter, why would you say that? I’ve been struggling with this part, I have parts that are very far in the future written out, but it’s taken me a while to get this part to a place where I’m happy with it. Not sure when the next update will be, but hope you enjoy this!

Warnings: Alcohol, Pregnancy Mentions, Angst(?), Leonard McCoy is cranky, Meddling Jim Kirk.

Word Count: 1,819

You stared at the notification on the PADD, mind racing. You had just learned the gender of the baby, you were excited, it was a boy. You had never really seen yourself becoming a mother, your sights had been set on being a captain, maybe even an admiral. And now here you were, a captain who was going to be a mother. No doubt Starfleet would use you as promotional material. Look ladies, you can have it all, or some similar slogan. But nonetheless you found yourself excited. And now Spock had sent a message, the timing was unsettling, which was why you left it unread for the week. Perhaps it was immature, maybe as captain you could have at least read it. But he had taken his sweet time saying anything to you. For all you knew it was just updates on the planets that you would be encountering.

Today you decided, you were reading that damn message. So you sat on your bed and opened the message. Your hand rested on your stomach as you read through Spock’s words. You knew he had been struggling with the loss of his mother, but you hadn’t realized how much, or how much he struggled with his own identity. You finished reading the message and felt a tear run down your face. “Dumb hormones.” You muttered into your empty quarters.

In your entire life you had not thought much about children, about becoming a mother. Your desire had always been to be among the stars, but here you were, among the stars and pregnant. That’s not to say that you had never thought about it. At one point you had thought about it, the whole thing, marriage, white picket fence, two kids, and a golden retriever. That was not the path that you had followed. Thinking back on the ideas you had at that time made you chuckle when you imagined Spock as the father with the two house garage, complete with the ‘Kiss the Cook’ apron for grilling.

Spock was far from the most emotive person you had ever met, but every now and then another side of him came out, and that’s why a part of you had fallen in love with him. There was nothing perfect about the relationship you had with Spock, but for a moment you had felt that there was something there. His message cemented that there was nothing there between the two of you, well, aside from a child. You worried, a child benefited from having a father, and it wasn’t like you had any prospects for that. Families had raised children in unconventional situations and ways, but space ships provided an interesting set of challenges. Your realistic and optimistic sides were at odds. Maybe somehow you and Spock would be able to work things out in a way that would provide your child with a meaningful relationship with both parents. You struggled as you continued thinking about his words. He had been born of two worlds, your child even less than he. You hadn’t spent much time thinking about the toll that would have taken on him being raised on Vulcan, but what kind of life would it be for a child on Earth, or at least surrounded by children of Earth?

Days and nights passed, and you still found yourself unable to respond to Spock. You stared into space from the bridge of the ship, it was quiet, except for the beeping of monitors and machinery. Your mind wandered to the final lines of Spock’s message, he loves you more than I ever could. In theory, there would be two men aboard the Enterprise that this sentence could be referring to, but you knew that the reality was that there was only one of that duo that it could be. Vulcan logic would dictate that one would contact the one you believed to have feelings for you. Or perhaps you would respond to the person who insinuated feelings were present. Unfortunately, you were not Vulcan, their logic did not apply to you. So, you began typing on your PADD to Jim.

Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy was known by the crew of the Enterprise for being grouchy. A good doctor, but grouchy, the past two weeks had been no exception. Leonard was what most would describe as brooding, Nurse Chapel had even been so brave to say he was pouting, to his face. It did not go over well. After that incident, Jim decided it was time to intervene, while his friend was entitled to feelings and self expression, the crew was entitled to at the very least, a half decent bedside manner.

Jim wandered the halls to the medbay, wondering how he was going to approach his friend, especially after the message he had received from you. It was no secret that Leonard had been carrying a torch for you from the moment that he laid eyes on you, honestly Jim wondered how it had taken you so long to figure it out. He knew about the arrangement that you had with Spock long before Leonard, and that had put him in an awkward spot. And here he was again, in an awkward spot. Although, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying this, just a little bit. Leonard had been rather distant recently, spending nights in his office, even taking his meals there. Jim didn’t think he had seen him for at least a week. Jim also noticed that Spock was refusing to even contact the doctor via comms. Uhura was the main contact for the bridge to medical, which was the second item to address on Jim’s list for today. Jim wandered down to the medical wing, Chapel was sitting next to a bed, working on vitals.

“He’s in his office, and he is in another mood.” She said, her eyebrows raised, tone filled with snark.

“Thanks for the warning.” Jim responded, winking at her. She rolled her eyes and went back to work. Jim sighed, Leonard had been surly from the moment he met him, he could handle surly. He pushed open the door and found Leonard surrounded by PADDs, a full glass of water next to him, and dark circles under his eyes. Now tired Leonard who was hydrating with water and not alcohol, he was not so sure he could handle that.

“Captain, what do I owe the pleasure?” He asked, his tone sharp.

“Can’t I just come down and visit an old friend? He seems to be refusing to come to dinner with me, figured the least I could do was come to him.” Jim replied as he sat in the chair across from the doctor.

“Jim, as you can see, I’m surrounded by backed up paperwork. So just tell me what the hell you need.” The doctor said, sighing and sitting back in his chair to look at his younger friend sitting across from him. Leonard would never voice it, but he was always impressed at how Jim carried himself as captain, even at his age. But there was just enough asshole in the kid to keep him from being too amazed.

“Bones, I’ve had some complaints about your behavior.” Jim answered, giving his friend a moment to process this. “As Captain, I have to address it.”

“No shit, Sherlock. Got anything actually important for me or that’s all?” Leonard asked, scoffing. “You had me thinking it was something serious.”

“Bones this is serious, if you don’t turn this around, I’m going to have to give you a temporary relief of duty.” Jim snapped, turning off his friendly side and moving to captain mode.

Leonard’s eyebrows rose subtly, “I’ll work on it.” He grumbled.

“Bones, what is going on with you?” Jim asked, still confused as to why he was still being belligerent.

“Why don’t you ask the great green wonder man?” Leonard snapped back, instantly regretting it when Jim leaned forward.

“You two talked about her didn’t you?” Jim said, “That’s why you’ve been so off. I’m amazed I still have a Medical Officer and Second.”

Leonard pinched the bridge of his nose, there was no way he was getting his paperwork done today. “Yes, we had a conversation.”

“And….?” Jim asked, far to eager to get the play by play of the conversation.

“He knew, knows. And she didn’t tell me.” Leonard muttered, sadness in his eyes, “And he didn’t do anything, he just waltzed out of the hospital room like nothing happened. He has a child that is going to be born in this goddamn universe and he doesn’t care!” Leonard’s fist landed heavily on his desk, causing Jim to shift in his chair. “She’s out there and he doesn’t care. And she’s all alone on a whole other ship, it takes days to get a message back and forth. Sometimes even a week for updates. She could die in childbirth, Jim. And he’ll be halfway across the galaxy.”

Jim glanced up at his friend’s eyes. “He’ll be halfway across the galaxy, that’s true, are we going to talk about you? You’ll also be halfway across the galaxy.”

Air slipped out Leonard’s lips. “If something happens to her, I don’t know what I’ll do. She’s the only thing that has gotten me through these days.”

“What about the kid?” Jim asked, knowing he was pouring salt onto his friend’s already open wounds.

“Even though the kid is just half her, I care about it because he’s another piece of her.”

“Maybe you should tell her that.” Jim answered, a bit of a twinkle in his eyes.

“I don’t think ‘I love you, and I know you’re having another man’s child, but I’ll love the kid too’ is something you send over PADDs.” Leonard said wryly, taking a swig of water, which made Jim start to question if it was really water.

“Luckily, we happen to be meeting with the Defiance in a month. So you can say it to her face.” Jim said standing, “Now start being nice to my crew members and stop being such a lovesick asshole.”

One month, he was going to see you in one month. Leonard’s heart started beating fast in his chest. “How exactly did you manage this?”

“Well, both crews really needed some time off, some shore leave. I sent her details to a planet that is part of the Federation and perfect for some down time.” Jim answered with a wink. “Saving the Federation’s ass has some perks.”

Jim made his way out of the medbay, a bit of a skip in his step. Perhaps as a captain, he shouldn’t meddle in other people’s affairs, but if he didn’t, that would make for a dull workday. Jim made his way back to his quarters and opened his PADD and typed a message back to you.

You should talk to them, soon.

Taglist:

@elizabeththefandomgirl

@cobe76

#leonard mccoy x reader #leonard mccoy image #leonard bones mccoy #leonard mccoy #spock x reader #spock imagine #star trek aos #jim kirk #spock #star trek imagine #multi chapter #2 ships

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riskbvsiness · 3 years ago

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// Because I tend to lean on personality types to better understand my muses’ minds, I’ve been pondering about Jim’s enneagram for a while.

There’s a some consensus about him being either a 3 or a 7 but I have my reservations about those who label him a type 7 with arguments like these:

I just have to use Captain Kirk here, even though it’s my only reference to TOS. Really, captain Kirk just wants to have fun. Problems? Concerns? Planets exploding? Big deal! Let’s just move on to our next wild adventure and by the way let’s get some hot alien-chick action along the way. Leave it to Kirk to come up with the last-minute, out-of-the-box creative solution to save your ass and keep the party going. You can have a great time on Kirk’s Enterprise, but have no doubt, it’s Kirk’s ship and you are just along for the ride!

That’s, like... the most offensively shallow read on the character, honestly. And I do not like it. I’ve seen other people label TOS Kirk a 3, and AOS Kirk a 7, which could make a bit more sense, given what we’re shown of him. It does make sense, too, that the same person, growing up in a different context would develop a different personality type, especially since AOS Kirk grew up rebellious as a response to an environment he perceived as unsafe for him and his loved ones. That is indeed a very seven thing, but I don’t think the type truly fits my idea of Jim.

Like, yes, sevens are optimistic, they’re passionate and endlessly curious, they’re true masters when it comes to thinking out of the box, determined and bold, quick learners who are able to excel in diverse fields thanks to their inquisitive minds. That does fit, but. Sevens are also about freedom and immediate satisfaction, and foremost about avoiding boredom and stagnancy. That is why they keep pursuing different paths in life and are known for their positivity and recklessness, because they’re tools for them to keep on moving. And... I don’t believe that truly fits Jim.

AOS Kirk is younger, and not at his best when he’s first introduced to the audience. He’s not a reckless hothead nor an adrenaline junkie. He may look like one, due to his unhealthy coping mechanisms, but that’s not who he is at his core. See, healthy, mature sevens can learn to focus on a single goal while maintaining other hobbies to keep their fidgety minds occupied, but I don’t think loving the Enterprise the way he does and committing to her is truly compatible with seven’s primary fears and desires. I don’t think Kirk fears pain or inactivity, or desires freedom and excitement more than the average person. He’s constantly torn between his love for the Enterprise and his desire for a quiet life, romance, perhaps a family... but I don’t think that really fits seven’s restlessness in life.

Expectations are key to Kirk’s character. They manifest differently in each verse, but whether they come from others, or from himself, they’re what fuel Kirk’s life. Surpassing them, rejecting them... even reckless, rebellious AOS Jim Kirk can be tricked into entering Starfleet if he’s posed with enough of a challenge. When he says his life aboard has become episodic and thinks of leaving the Enterprise, I don’t think he means he’s suffering from the lack of stimuli sevens need, but rather feelings of inadequacy, with both his father’s and Pike’s legacy to live up to.

That sounds a lot like three’s fear of worthlessness and failure. There’s also a reckless part to three’s unhealthiness, the one that comes with arrogance and a constant need for either validation or attention, whatever comes first. They can be narcissistic, they seek romantic or sexual partners to get their share of external approval. They can be delusional about their actual abilities and try to project an idealized version of themselves, they struggle with perfectionism and imposter syndrome.

And I think that fits AOS Kirk when we see him at his lowest.

I also have some opinions about three’s tendency to pour all of their self-worth into a made-up persona that eventually merges with their core self, this being ‘captain of the Enterprise’ as a concept in Kirk’s case. But this post is already long enough as it is.

#very long word vomit under the cut #mostly about aos kirk and how he's not a vastly different person than his prime self #; isms

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jaskiers-sweetkiss · 4 years ago

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Half A Heart

Pairing: SHIELD!Reader x Daniel Sousa

Word Count: 2.3K

Warnings: some self-destructive behavior, vomiting, mild AoS spoilers up through 7x04

a/n: Here’s a Daniel Sousa soulmates AU I thought of at like midnight and wrote in two hours because I swear I cannot get enough of that man. Let me know what you think!

___

Everyone started out with their lives feeling kinda off-kilter. Everything felt just a little bit off, perpetually unbalanced, not quite full, and it all had to do with the heart tattooed on each person’s wrist. Or, rather, a half a heart, as it wasn’t until you met your soulmate that the heart became whole and with it the entire world shifted into place. You were a bit different. You still had the same half a heart as all your friends, but yours was white. Nobody knew what it meant. Normal soulmarks were red, a sign that your soulmate was alive and well and you’d be meeting them any day now. Black soulmarks existed as well, though they were much sadder. A black soulmark meant that your soulmate had died, all accounts said the black mark was a terrible burden to carry. However, there were no records of a white soulmark.

Growing up you believed the white mark was a worse burden to carry, sometimes just wishing the mark would turn black. At least then you’d know your soulmate had actually existed. Instead, you had become certain that you didn’t have a soulmate, destined to walk the earth with only half a heart.

So, you had thrown yourself into your career. You were recruited by SHIELD directly out of high school and you spent four years at the Academy of Operations, training endlessly to be a field agent. Four years of hoping that if you just pushed yourself a little harder you could forget the excitement of your peers who were meeting their soulmates for the first time, forget that you would never know the feeling of “rightness” everyone talked about. It was no surprise when you graduated top of your class.

You were quickly recommended to a team of agents who took on SHIELD’s most dangerous assignments. It wasn’t until a couple missions in that you realized: no one on your team had a soulmate. Each of your teammates had a black mark on their wrists and they explained that SHIELD only assigned people without soulmates to the team. The organization refused to send agents with soulmates on such dangerous missions, it would be cruel. You learned the policy was similar to that of the military up until the 80s when people began petitioning to be able to join the armed forces outside of wartime.

Some might’ve found this practice disheartening and sickening, that SHIELD was willing to send you to your deaths just because you didn’t have your other half waiting for you at home but you took it as a good thing. You convinced yourself that not having a soulmate just made you an even better agent. At least, you tried to convince yourself, but some nights you were kept awake by your longing for your other half.

Nevertheless, you were pissed when you received your transfer notice. The higher-ups had recommended you for a different team, and with or without your approval you were leaving. You’d had half a mind to go sulk in your bunk when you arrived at the giant plane you’d be traveling around the world in but your new teammates hadn’t given you a chance. Coulson - yes Phil Coulson, as in died-for-the-Avengers Phil Coulson - had immediately introduced you to FitzSimmons, who had latched onto you immediately.

The team file had led you to believe FitzSimmons was one person, though you quickly discovered that it was a scientist duo, Leopold Fitz and Jemma Simmons. The two were clearly soulmates. You had known without even seeing their full, red marks. They acted like two halves of a whole and for the first month of traveling with the team you did your best to avoid them as much as possible. You felt bad, but you felt worse trying to ignore the pain in your chest stemming from the damned mark on your own wrist that seemed amplified in their presence.

At the start of your time together Simmons had been fascinated by your mark, though after inconclusive test after inconclusive test she concluded that the white mark was a mystery. Though you still didn’t have an answer, the one-on-one time with Simmons had made you more comfortable around the scientist and you found yourself not minding FitzSimmons’ presence as much.

By the time SHIELD fell the team had become something of a family to you. It wasn’t perfect, but you allowed the love you all shared for each other to fill some of the gaping hole your lack of a soulmate left. You still felt like you were walking around with only one shoe most days, but it felt more bearable.

You had a support system now. You comforted each other through Ward’s betrayal and Fitz’s recovery. You stuck by each other through alien cities and the discovery of Inhumans. You were relentless in rescuing Jemma from Maveth and Daisy from Hive. You were a shoulder to cry on as Daisy’s mark turned from red to black after Lincoln’s sacrifice. Your team had been there to rescue you when you had refused to leave the Framework because at least there you had a soulmate. You’d been to the future together, you’d stopped the end of the world, you’d seen way too much loss and experienced way too much suffering but you were still together, even if some members were gone.

You were so thankful to have your family by your side as you dealt with Sarge and Izel, none of you having properly recovered from Coulson’s death and now having to go head-to-head with a man with his face. It had felt like your most difficult task yet, with Jemma off rescuing Fitz and the Shrike’s presence on earth, but you had made it out unscathed.

Well, mostly unscathed. You had been a bit injured in the battle at the temple, and Jemma had insisted on doing a full-body check-up before clearing you for fieldwork in the 30s. Yes, the 1930s, because apparently it was the perfect time to add “traveling back in time” to your list of absolutely insane things you’ve done since you first stepped on the Bus. That’s when she noticed.

“Uh, y/n?” Jemma spoke, the professional demeanor she normally assumed when performing medical on the team breaking to show her confusion and concern. “When did that happen?”

“When did what happen? Oh...” Your words died in your throat when you looked down to where Jemma was pointing.

The mark on your wrist— the mark that had always been white, the mark who’s mystery you had somewhat made peace with— was now red.

“H-how is that possible?” You were scared. You thought you should probably be thrilled, you had a soulmate after all but instead you were terrified. The fear seeped into your bones and you thought you might puke.

“I have no idea,” Jemma answered honestly before sensing your distress and tacking on, “but, we’ll do some tests and try to get to the bottom of it. We never find out what the white meant, maybe this was always in the cards for you.”

The results of this round of testing felt somehow more confusing than the first. Biologically, nothing about your mark had changed and yet it was undeniably red. Jemma had tried to reassure you both by reminding you that the science of soulmarks was basically nonexistent anyway but it was clear by her panicked expression and your churning stomach that it wasn’t working.

Entirely lost as to what was happening to you, Jemma pulled you from field work. At some point you had wondered if you were missing the chance to meet your soulmate while you were stuck in the med bay but you brushed it off. If you actually had a soulmate, would it even be worth it to meet them only to be ripped away when the Zephyr jumped again? You weren’t sure you could handle that kind of heartbreak, and you had already gone this long with a half a heart.

When you arrived in the 50s you put up no fight when your teammates left the Zephyr without you. You had already made up your mind on the matter. However, fate, it seemed, had a different plan.

You were really just wandering aimlessly around the Zephyr. You’d needed a break from the chaos of the team’s time travel escapades and most of the team was currently fighting off chronicoms in the train below you.

You hadn’t even realized they had returned until you had meandered into the ramp and storage area of the Zephyr and ran smack into a stranger. You thought he might’ve said something, maybe “woah” or “look out” but you couldn’t tell through the sudden pounding in your ears.

Had you had time to think you might’ve remembered him from your freshman year history course at the Academy. But you didn’t have time because as soon as you bumped into the man you felt the undeniable need to vomit and you turned and bolted from the room. You were thankful the bathroom was where it was as you barely made it before you were spilling the contents of your stomach into the toilet.

Then someone was beside you, holding your hair away from your face and rubbing your back soothingly as you puked.

“Thanks, Jemma,” you breathed, your eyes clenched shut as you leaned over the toilet bowl, praying you wouldn’t start puking again. The pounding in your ears was gone but your whole body felt different.

Jemma stiffened at your words and muttered a quick apology as she backed away. Except that was definitely not Jemma’s voice.

Your eyes flew open as you scrambled away from the toilet, pressing your back against the bathroom wall as you stared wildly at the stranger. It seemed your brain had finally caught up with you as you recognized the man as Daniel Sousa, SHIELD agent, former partner of Peggy Carter, and the man your team had been trying to protect from the chronicoms.

“Wh-what are you doing?” You spluttered and Sousa blushed, looking away awkwardly.

“I-I’m sorry,” he stuttered out himself, “You were just…” he gestured to the toilet, “and, well, i t-think we’re…”

“What?”

“Y’know…”

You did not know. You had never felt more confused in your life. This man, who you had never met before had followed you into the bathroom to hold your hair while you threw up, and his words did nothing to explain his strange actions.

Rather than try to explain verbally, he pulled up his jacket and shirt sleeves to reveal his wrist.

“I think we might be…” he nodded down to the full red heart prominently displayed on his inner arm.

As if on instinct, you looked down at your wrist, breath catching in your throat as you started at the matching red heart now tattooed on your skin. Your soulmark was not only red but it was whole. You suddenly realized why you felt so different: your world had finally shifted into place.

“Oh god this has to be the worst possible way to meet your soulmate,” you groaned, slightly shocked that you were able to speak let alone joke when you thought for certain you should be crying after all the hell your soulmark had put you through.

Thankfully Sousa laughed. “I’m just thankful to have finally met you.”

The way he looked at you was so sincere that you swore your heart stopped right there. You stayed that way for a moment, him looking at you like you hung the stars and you wondering when death would greet you because surely it wasn’t possible to go this long without a heartbeat.

Then he cleared his throat.

“I’m Daniel Sousa,” he introduced, reaching out a hand to you which you took gratefully.

“Y/N Y/L/N,” you introduced yourself. “We should probably get off the bathroom floor.”

Daniel laughed again and your heart warmed at the sound. You clambered up to your feet before reaching out a hand to help him up, thankful to your subconscious for remembering that Daniel Sousa was an amputee and probably shouldn’t be plopping on the floor to help vomiting strangers, soulmates or not.

“Um, I need to brush my teeth, or get a mint, or something,” you rambled embarrassedly as you stood in the middle of the bathroom, suddenly very aware that you had just vomited and not only could you taste it but he could probably smell it and oh god.

Daniel graciously let you go and you reassured him that you’d find him when you were done.

___

You had heard others talk about finally feeling “whole” when they met their soulmate but you disagreed. You had always been whole, but now you felt full. The constant ache in your chest (that you honestly hadn’t even realized was abnormal) had suddenly vanished. You felt lighter and you could’ve sworn the world seemed a little brighter.

Technically it had been decades since the two of you had met but it had really only been a few months, though it felt like you had known Daniel your whole life. You supposed in some way you had, you were meant to be two halves of a whole after all. Regardless of timing, after years and years as a SHIELD agent, throwing yourself headfirst into danger at every opportunity you couldn’t imagine something as domestic as this.

The two of you were cuddled up together on the couch of your shared apartment. Saturday night had become movie night, a chance for you to catch your soulmate up on all the media he had missed between the 50s and the present. The end credits of Monsters Inc played in the background as he leaned down to kiss you softly. You melted into the kiss, the feel of his lips on yours the only thing rooting you in reality. This moment, your soulmate, the perpetual feeling of content, was real and it was yours.

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