#Oh and also the two images of the shooter's face have different noses too so I'm pretty sure the police are handing out bullshit | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

marvelmando · 5 years ago

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tempest [p.parker x o.c.] - four

notes: hi, i just wanted to post tonight, in honor of far from home being released online :)

contains: some swearing

pairing: peter parker + fem! o.c.

word count: 3.6k

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MARIN'S FIRST DAY OF HIGH SCHOOL WAS REMARKABLY UNEVENTFUL. Thanks to the influences of Tony Stark, Marin's schedule was created to be identical to Peter's, which made discussing the events of the previous night much easier.

Their last class of the day—woodshop—seemed fun in retrospect, but the teacher was grumpy and inattentive, only stopping his crosswords to holler: "keep your fingers clear of the blades!" when Peter knocked the Chitauri energy core from the casing with an echoing clang.

"I don't really think that hitting an alien weapon with a regular-ass hammer is such a good idea, Peter." Marin flinched as the energy core toppled across the surface of the bench. "We don't even know what damage it's capable of causing."

"Well, that's why we need to find out exactly what it is, and who the hell is making them." He reasoned, poking at the glowing device.

"We can go to the labs after class and run some tests," Ned offered, and Peter nodded, joining him in an elaborate handshake in response, not even looking up from the weapon's casing.

Marin pinched the bridge of her nose. "Nerds."

+++

While Peter and Ned went off to run tests on the energy core, Marin found Michelle, Flash, and Liz studying in the library.

They were talking amongst themselves as Marin approached the circular table. Liz was the first to notice Marin standing there. "Oh, hey! Marin, right? Peter's friend from the party?" She chirped, and Flash narrowed his eyes at her curiously. "I didn't know you go to Midtown?"

"I, uh, just got transferred today." Marin responded, shifting on her feet awkwardly. "I was wondering if I could join the Academic Decathlon? If you have a spot—Peter was telling me about it when I said I was coming here, and that he couldn't make it to Nationals because of the internship."

"Aren't you in that, too?" Michelle crossed her arms, leaning back casually in her seat.

"Uh, well, yeah, but I work in a... different section than Peter... much less demanding, I guess." Marin's throat constricted around the lie.

The three studied her for a moment, and Liz was the first one to speak up. Marin wondered if she was first for everything. "Have a seat, we'll quiz you a bit."

Marin nodded and took the empty seat across from them. Liz pulled out a thick stack of flashcards, shuffling through them. "What's your best subject?"

"Um, science, I guess? Like, physics or whatever." Marin supplied, causing Liz to nod enthusiastically and Michelle to smirk at Flash.

"That's perfect," Liz smiled. "Peter was our best physics guy, and now that he's gone..."

"We're stuck with Flash. And Flash is shit as physics." Michelle's smirk was malicious but joking.

Flash frowned. "Hey, I resent that."

"Doesn't make it untrue."

Liz cleared her throat, interrupting the bickering. Her eyes locked onto Marin's. "What is the net upward force on an object by a fluid that the object is submerged in?"

"Buoyant force." Marin answered easily, thankful that there were fluid dynamics questions included. Liz nodded and switched cards.

"What theory states that two objects that are in thermal equilibrium with a third object are also in thermal equilibrium with each other?"

"Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics."

"Who isolated the DNA crystal to produce the first image of genetic material?"

Flash answered before Marin could: "Ooh! Watson and Crick." Liz leveled him with a glare and was about to scold him when Marin did it for her.

"Actually, it was Rosalind Franklin; she died of ovarian cancer before she could receive the Nobel Prize that Watson, Crick, and Wilson took four years later for their work, which was in fact heavily reliant on her research." Marin corrected with a small smirk, watching as Flash deflated in his seat. "Nobel Prizes are never given out posthumously, but even if she was alive, her work probably would have still been overlooked, because it was Watson and Crick who named the structure of DNA—and obviously because she was a female scientist in the 1950s."

Marin noticed the subtle but proud smile on Michelle's face, and a wave of triumph flushed through her system. Liz also looked impressed, while Flash looked a bit put-out.

When they didn't respond, still looking at her when curiosity, Marin rushed to explain, "My previous guardians were very enthusiastic about education. I just excelled in physics. And chemistry. And biology."

A smile erupted on Liz's face. "Welcome to the team, Marin! I'll obviously have to discuss this with Mr. Harrington, but I'm sure he'll be fine with it. We'll also have to see if there's an extra jacket for you for Nationals—which is on the fourteenth, but we're leaving for D.C. tomorrow, on the thirteenth." Liz leaned to reach into her backpack and pulled out a packet of paper. "Here's the paperwork, you just have to get it signed by a parent or guardian. It tells you the times we're leaving and includes an itinerary for the two days we'll be in D.C. It's all a little bit last notice, but you seem really intelligent and determined, and there will be plenty of time to practice on the bus ride there."

Marin nodded as she took the packet, wondering who the hell she'd get the signature from. Maybe she'd forge it.

"We look forward to having you on the team, Marin!" Liz concluded, and Michelle tilted her head once in agreement, and Flash just muttered something under his breath and crossed his arms.

Marin gave them a genuine smile in return. "And I look forward to being there."

+++

"You what?" Marin urged at Peter and Ned.

"Yeah! So, apparently, the suit also comes with these cute little tracker bugs—"

"Arachnids," Peter corrected Ned vehemently.

"—And we put one on one of the bad guys, and we're just waiting to see where they're going!"

Marin paced Peter's room. "Okay, okay," she muttered to herself. "And how are we supposed to figure where they are?"

Ned pulled out Peter's web shooter, and pressed a button. A small hologram appeared with a chirp, the dome shape depicting a translucent image of the cutout of a city block.

"They're in Brooklyn right now," Peter informed. "But they're still moving, so we're just waiting to see where they stop."

So, they waited. As conversation dwindled between the three, Marin began tinkering with some of the devices sitting around Peter's room while he and Ned snacked on Doritos. Later, as the sun began to set, Peter showed her how he refilled the vials with his stash of web fluid. He even let her try shooting a couple of webs, and she only knocked down a couple of books and a lamp. At one point, Ned was able to convince Peter to let him wear the Spider-Man mask, as he and Marin discussed her powers. She managed to avoid any questions about how she got her powers, and thankfully, Ned was tactful enough to not push the subject (even if Peter did stare suspiciously in Marin's direction as she clearly evaded the truth).

It was pitch-black outside by the time the wrist device let out a series of shrill beeps. Ned sat up from where he reclined on the lower bunk, still wearing the mask. Marin set down the other web shooter she'd been fooling around with, coming to sit next to Ned. "They stopped," Ned announced, and Peter flopped his head down from where he sat casually on the ceiling.

Marin eyed the hologram, unfamiliar with the layout of the city displayed. "Huh, Maryland." Peter harrumphed.

Marin creased her eyebrows. "What's in Maryland?"

Peter chuckled sarcastically. "I don't know. Evil lair?"

"They have a lair?" Ned tilted his head.

"Dude. A gang with alien guns run by a guy with wings? Yeah, they have a lair." Peter said as if it were the most obvious thing.

Ned, of course, nodded along enthusiastically. "Badass," he surmised. "But... how are you gonna get there if it's like, three-hundred miles away?"

Simultaneously, they turned their heads to the Academic Decathlon poster hanging on the desk's shelving unit. "It's not too far from D.C." Peter said.

"But what about Marin?" Ned asked, and Marin perked, pleasantly surprised that he suggested that she was now a part of their little team.

"About that..." the two boys turned to face her. "I've gotta tell you guys something..."

+++

"Hey, it's Peter!" One kid announced as they ran up to the bus, where the Decathlon team was waiting, all in ugly, mustard-yellow blazers with the school insignia stitched on the breast pocket. "And the new girl!"

"Guys," Peter greeted, jogging up to stop in front of a surprised Liz. "Yeah, I was hoping maybe I could rejoin the team." His voice was airy and high-pitched, something Marin had come to recognize as a sign of him growing anxious.

"No—no way," Flash contested, elbowing his way to the front of the crowd. "We already had to put Marin on the team," Marin gave him a dirty look. "And besides, you can't just quit on us, stroll up, and be welcomed back by everyone."

At that moment, Mr. Harrington descended the steps of the bus, and said: "Hey, welcome back, Peter! And welcome to the team, Marin, I've heard great things about you." Flash scowled at the teacher. "Flash, you're back to first alternate."

"What?!"

"He's taking your place," the kid from earlier mocked him, and everyone snickered.

"Excuse me," Michelle interrupted, and Marin noticed she wasn't wearing her uniform. "Can we go already? 'Cause I was hoping to get in some light protesting in front of one of the embassies before dinner, so..."

"Protesting is patriotic," Mr. Harrington agreed. "Let's get on the bus."

Flash had shrugged off his jacket, and chucked it at Peter, who caught it with a slight wince.

On the bus, Marin asked to sit with Michelle, who was engrossed in her novel, Invitation to a Beheading by Vladimir Nobokov. Knowing Michelle's reclusive nature, Marin was slightly surprised to find that Michelle had no objections (and if she had, Marin assumed she would've said as much) to sharing a bench. True to her word, Liz took a standing position at the front of the bus and pulled out her set of flashcards.

Marin spoke up when she could, though she didn't have a bell like the others did. Even without it, she would mutter the answers under her breath as the other team members answered at the same time.

As time passed, Marin felt more and more confident about her position on the team. Even Peter started to answer some questions, and Liz shared her delight at his return to the team. Marin also noticed the way his eyes gleamed with reverence whenever Liz addressed him, his thin lips curling into a fond smile.

In the middle of a question, Peter's phone began to buzz. He jumped to look at it, before saying to Liz, "Can I take this real quick? I'll only be a sec."

Liz acquiesced, and Peter rose from his seat, moving down the aisle to the back of the bus where Ned was sitting. Marin followed him with her eyes, and was about to get up when Michelle asked, "What's up with him?"

Marin looked back at her and chose to instead settle back in her seat as Peter spoke in hushed tones with Ned and whoever was on the other line. Marin shrugged minimally. "I don't know." She lied and knew that Michelle didn't believe her. But Michelle said nothing, only raising one eyebrow. "Internship, probably."

"Why didn't you get a call, then?"

Marin swallowed. Michelle was very inquisitive, and if Marin wasn't hiding anything, she probably would have admired that about her. "I don't have a phone."

Michelle made a humming noise but returned to her book. Marin shook off the jitters that swarmed her senses, and grabbed her water bottle from her bag, taking several large gulps. Marin wanted to get the hell off of this bus.

+++

"Alright Marin, you'll be sharing a room with Michelle." Liz informed her as they approached the hotel entrance. The building's interior was decorated heavily with Academic Decathlon advertisements, and the floor was bustling with high school students dressed in various colors of uniforms. Informational booths littered the lobby, and the Midtown team struggled to pass through the crowd. "Everyone, stay together!" Liz shouted above the noise. They stopped at a sign-in table.

Liz handed her a matching yellow jacket with a smile as Mr. Harrington signed the school in. "It's probably going to be too big on you, but it was the last spare one left."

"Thanks," Marin said sheepishly, and tugged the jacket on. It was about two sizes too large, the sleeves hanging far past her hands and the bottom reaching mid-thigh. But it was something. Marin had a fleeting sense of déjà-vu: a memory—at least two years old—from the first time she put on her X-Men jacket, and for the first time, feeling like she belonged somewhere.

"Hey, you brought your laptop, right?" Marin heard Peter ask Ned from the back of the group. She pushed her way towards them.

Noticing her approaching, Peter began to look nervous. "Hey, uh, we're just going to go back to our room to... prepare. Practice some more questions, you know?"

Marin narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. "Oh-kay..." Peter nodded with a stiff smile, and hurried off with Ned.

As she watched them leave, she wondered if his sudden covertness had to do with tracking those dealers. But it was obvious that they didn't need her (or want her, she supposed), and Marin figure Peter would ask for her help when the time came. Besides, she'd been itching for a shower since before they'd gotten off of the bus.

Marin searched for Michelle, finding her lingering at the edges of the group, her nose still in her book. Catching her attention, they traveled to their shared room in a comfortable but thick silence, and as soon as she entered the room, Marin flopped onto the nearest queen-sized bed, throwing her duffel off her shoulder.

After stretching her limbs until the joints popped, Marin grabbed a new set of clothes and hopped in the shower. Stepping under the steady stream of scalding water made her smile pleasantly as the rush of it against her skin revitalized her nerve endings and invigorated her senses. She hummed lightly to herself as she scrubbed down her body, standing in the steamed room for minutes after she'd gotten out. Not bothering with using a towel to dry herself, Marin let any excess water sink into her flesh, leaving her dry in seconds. Her hair was still wet, but she figured it would be noticeable if she emerged from a shower with dry, clean hair, so she let it dry naturally.

Pulling on her clothes, she left the bathroom and sat on her bed with a newly revived energy.

"So, which embassy were you thinking of protesting at?"

+++

Later that night, after Marin and Michelle had returned from protesting the rights of refugees at the Sokovian embassy, they'd found Liz and the rest of the team sneaking around the lobby.

It was late at night; the hotel lobby was practically empty except for the Midtown team—though Peter and Ned were nowhere to be found. Liz had made the executive decision to raid the minibar to smuggle some candy bars, mentioning something about team building and rebellious group activities as she roped Marin and Michelle into participating. Marin, hardly ever caring about the consequences, obliged evangelically because eleven dollars for a Kit-Kat bar was entirely too expensive, and she sought justice.

As they laughed and joked around through the night, Marin began to forget about their mission. When Liz laughed heartily at her jokes and Charles clapped her shoulder good-naturedly, Marin felt the lingering ache from a lifetime of alienation and rejection begin to melt away.

Sometime later, Cindy Moon had suggested that they go break into the pool to go swimming. So, everyone—except for Marin (who didn't own a swimsuit) and Michelle (who preferred to sit, read, and observe)—went to go change into their swimsuits, and reconvene at the stairs.

Once everyone arrived, Liz moved first, making sure the coast was clear before beckoning the rest of the team. As she started to go, Marin saw Peter emerge from his room wearing a hoodie and his backpack. The team greeted Peter as the sprinted by him, and Flash even smacked his butt, causing Peter to yelp. Marin trailed to a stop beside Liz, wanting to interrogate him, but Liz was busy trying to convince him to join the rest of them.

"I was, uh... I was going to study, um, in the business center." He clearly lied, but Liz didn't seem to notice.

"Peter, you don't need to study," she shook her head. "You're like, the smartest guy I've ever met."

Peter watched Liz continue to speak, bewitched by her kind words. The devoted look crossing his face made Marin squirm next to him. "And besides... um, a rebellious group activity the day before competition is good for morale." Liz said.

Peter blinked, looking dazed. "Hmm?"

"Um, well I read that in a TED Talk so—I-I heard it in a TED Talk." She explained sheepishly, as if she was embarrassed that she needed external guidance on being a better leader. "And I read a coaching book."

Peter's eyes went soft. "Wow, you really... this is really important to you."

"Yeah, it's our future." Liz tilted her lips in an incredulous smirk. "I'm not gonna screw it up. Besides, we raided the minibar and these candy bars were like, eleven dollars." She pulled out an extra candy bar and tossed it at Peter, who caught it and cradled it to his chest. "So, get your trunks on and come on."

And with that, Liz flounced away, catching up with the rest of the group, who were summoning Marin and Peter. "I'll meet you guys down there," Marin dismissed them and turned to a still-stupefied Peter. Once they were gone, Marin crossed her arms. "Peter, where are you really going?"

"Um, I—" he stuttered, tightening his grip on the candy bar. "To go study—"

"But you're not." Marin sighed. "I can see the red of the suit, Peter. You're going to go after those dealers, aren't you?"

Peter visibly gulped. "I can explain, Marin—"

"Why now?" Marin huffed. "Why tonight? Can't it wait 'til after Nationals, at least? Peter, you made a commitment, and now you want to run off to Maryland?"

Peter scoffed. "That's what I came here for! What we came here for," he lowered his voice, looking hurt and angry. "But I guess you've changed your mind, then."

Marin shook her head lowly. "Peter, you don't understand—"

"What don't I understand? How you're leaving me for some people that you don't even know—you just met them, and all of a sudden, you're more loyal to them? You can't possibly care—"

"But I do." She hissed, her eyes hard, her voice broken and jagged around the edges. "Which is more than I can say for your own loyalties." Marin sighed then, losing the fight in her. "Do whatever you want, but you'd better show up tomorrow, Peter Parker. For your own sake."

Peter's face twisted with apparent guilt, but Marin wasn't interested. "Marin—" he called, but Marin turned and followed the hall that led to the pool.

If anyone noticed that Marin looked on the verge of tears when she arrived, no one said a thing.

+++

Later that night, when everyone's skin had wrinkled and pruned and their nervous energy was diminished as they settled in for bed, Marin couldn't fall asleep.

She turned on her other side, clutching the pillow she cradled to her chest. Laying for a minute until her nerves buzzed and her shoulder hurt, she gave up, turning onto her back and staring up at the stucco ceiling. She couldn't help but feel guilty for the way she'd treated Peter earlier—admittedly, she knew that he was somewhat right; they did come along to stop the dealers. And although Marin had joined not for that intention, she felt like she owed it to Peter to help him in his heroic duties.

But then she remembered the way the team had included her without any hesitation (apart from Flash's stubborn, wounded ego), how they welcomed her with open arms. She'd never had that before.

Sure, the X-Men were similar in ways—a group of distinctly antithetical individuals bonded together with a common goal, through common means. Marin understood the concept of a team well. But she felt like she was never a part of one; she certainly screwed up her position as an X-Man.

As she bubbled with warm, content feelings, Marin knew that she didn't want to screw this up, too. She figured that being a hero was important, but in some ways, supporting the Decathlon team at the most important event of the year felt like an act of heroism to her. Especially when they'd already been abandoned before. Marin wouldn't do that to them—not when they've treated her like one of them.

By the time her eyes were finally growing heavy, the sun was beginning to rise, peeking through the curtain and casting a soft orange glow over the room. She sighed out a smile as she fell asleep, welcoming the dreamless slumber.

Waking up that morning felt like waking up to a new beginning.

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rhinozilla · 5 years ago

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Whumptober Day 4: Human Shield

Summary: In a moment of terror, Connor discovers a sense of self preservation that he had never had use for before.

Warning for active shooter situation in a bank.

That wasn’t supposed to happen.

The sound of machine gunfire had faded as quickly as it had struck, filling the space with the kind of dead silence that made Connor’s audio processors strain. The world was a blind wall of blue tinted static across his vision, even though he knew that his eyes were still open. Red text was scrolling rapidly through the static, warning him of the damage.

One of the bullets had cut across the front of his face, shattering his nose and cutting deeply across his cheekbone before continuing on its trajectory toward its next victim…presumably the victim that was lying dead on top of him now.

The bank hadn’t exactly been full of people when the shooting started, but he had been standing close enough to this civilian…there hadn’t even been time to properly identify the elderly man. Connor hadn’t even seen his face…As soon as the shooting had started, the man had, seemingly on instinct, grabbed Connor’s arm and yanked him with him back behind one of the island counters on the bank’s open floor area.

In the span of only seconds, there had been screaming, and then the bullet had rendered Connor blind, and he could only hit the ground as the man pulled him behind the nearest option for shelter. Then the man had landed on top of him, Connor’s systems immediately picking up on the bullet wound to the human’s head… Two other reckless bullets had hit the man’s torso as he went down. He had been killed instantly…His last act had saved Connor’s life.

The screaming went silent with the gunfire, and in the aftermath, there was only the more mundane sound of footsteps, doors opening and closing, and murmuring voices from the shooters.

Mission Objective: Apprehend Shooters.

Without his sight, Connor’s other senses strained to compensate from his position on the floor. There were five definitive sets of footsteps…three different identifiable guns had been used…Connor had won altercations against worse odds, but then, he had not been damaged and blind. He couldn’t register any other life signs nearby…whether that meant more of his system had been compromised or that everyone around him was also dead…he couldn’t be sure, but he needed to act now if—

Warm blood from the body on top of him was soaking through Connor’s jacket, starting to stain his skin. It dripped from the dead man’s head onto Connor’s neck, rolling toward his jaw before reaching the floor, where a puddle was forming. One of the man’s hands was still wrapped around Connor’s elbow, fingers gone limp in the ghost of a grip.

Connor’s higher functions stalled as his system focused solely on those stimuli. To the exclusion of everything else, all he could think about in that moment was the blood slowly covering him and the weight of the body pressing him to the floor.

Mission Objective: Apprehend Shooters.

His programming insisted, but something else in his body rebelled, keeping him where he was.

He was outnumbered. Outgunned. Damaged. He would be killed. It was not a question. He WOULD be killed if he tried to take on the shooters before police arrived.

Police would arrive. He…he had managed to send out a call to dispatch before he hit the ground, hadn’t he? The white noise seemed to be spreading from his vision to other aspects of his programming, making it difficult to think…His skin felt like it was being pressed by a million pins and needles, burning where the blood was coating him.

The footsteps were returning. He had to act. He had to do something.

Mission Objective: Apprehend—

Something deep, something visceral and unnameable, locked up his systems, clawing up out of his chest and spreading like barbed wire through his limbs. It overrode his programming and flooded the thirium in his veins with ice.

MISSION OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE.

He latched onto the new mission objective with a desperation he’d never felt before, and in a split second, he had manually turned off his LED, forcing the ring to go dark. He left his ruined eyes open, though he stopped trying to focus them. Instead, he let them go blank and glazed, approximating a death stare. He willed all the tension out of his synthetic muscles, allowing his limbs to go limp, sagging more fully into the puddle of blood surrounding him.

In that split second, he gave in to the preconstruction path that told him that playing dead would give him the highest probability of surviving this moment, and he did his best to imitate a corpse as the footsteps came closer.

The proximity damage to his optical units had severed the connection that allowed him to process the images that they were recording…but he could only hope that they were in fact still recording. Maybe later that footage could be used to identify the shooters…Maybe this fear-fueled act that he was performing would do some good in the long run.

Fear…That was the unnameable something that had rendered him inert.

It pooled in a vise through his systems, spawning a secondary reaction that pumped hot through his circuitry. If he just stayed still, if he just did this, if he just played dead well enough, then he would make it. He’d be safe. He’d get to go home. He’d survive this.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

He hadn’t been designed for…for self preservation. He was supposed to save humans…like this human who had given his life to save him…Connor hadn’t been able to protect him. This old man had reacted faster and more effectively than Connor, the cutting edge android prototype, had.

The shame of failure bled into the blue static, momentarily eclipsing the fear.

If this was all that he was good for…then what was the point of him?

The fear doubled back as more noise echoed into the room. Sirens, additional footsteps, more voices—some he recognized, some he didn’t—and a brief spatter of gunfire clouded his audio processors.

MISSION OBJECTIVE: SURV—

One set of footsteps drew close…too close…and klaxons blared through his brain for only Connor to hear, panic contributing to the paralysis.

“Oh God…Connor, oh God, oh please no…”

It took entirely too long for his system to recognize the voice as Hank’s, and even then, a combination of fear and panic caused his programming to leave all logic behind.

That wasn’t Hank, it told him. Somebody was impersonating Hank, trying to trick him into giving up the ruse…just so they could kill him for real.

“No, no, no…”

The voice came closer, and then the body on top of him was being gently removed, rolled away and placed carefully on the floor beside him. Hands moved under Connor’s back, hefting him up somewhat until he was leaning into a warm, living, breathing body. The arms held him close to a chest, and one hand cradled the back of his head with trembling fingers.

Hank.

“Hank…” Connor whispered, more desperate for it to be true than he was scared that it was a trick.

“Connor? Connor! Oh my God!”

The hands turned panicked, holding him away to look at him. With a groan, Connor let go of the manual overrides that had been maintaining his disguise as a corpse. His LED kicked back on, rapidly circling a terrified red that quickly turned yellow as he blinked, trying to force his eyes to work. Willpower couldn’t bypass the damage, and he remained blind to the world. In that moment though, that was okay, because he was alive…and Hank was here.

“Jesus Christ…Thank you, Jesus Christ…Connor?” Hank was saying, resting Connor’s upper body on Hank’s lap instead of the bloody floor.

“Hank…I—“ Connor’s voice was halting and shaking, and he tried to force stability into his vocal modulator. “I didn’t—I’m sorry—I didn’t—I c-can’t see…”

“Shh, shh, shh,” Hank whispered brokenly, running a hand soothingly through his hair a few times. “We’ll get you fixed up. Don’t worry. I gotcha. Just hang on, okay?”

“…Ok-okay…” A whimper escaped, and his ruined eyes began to leak tears. “H-he saved m-me…I c-couldn’t—“

“Shh,” Hank repeated, pulling him closer into his embrace. “I know, son. It’ll be okay. It wasn’t your fault.”

What little control Connor had left over his limbs tried to curl him into himself, his hands finding some of the fabric of Hank’s coat and grabbing onto him. Something inside him cracked open, and he turned his face into Hank’s shoulder, tears of fear and relief finally flowing free in earnest.

Hank held him tighter as the dam broke for them both. “You’re okay…I have you…You’re okay…”

#whumptober2019 #no.4 #dbh connor #detroit become human

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goldenchildkatsuki · 7 years ago

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“Banjirou’s bubbletastic bubble tea”

Update: I got rid of a load of the spelling errors, sorry about that guys! I’ll try not to get rid of spelling errors at like 3-4 AM when I’m basically dying of exhaustion

request by @kacchako: Hey there! :'D I was wondering, about your requests, is it OK to ask you to write something based on something I drew?

here's the piece: they're sort of on a date to a bubble tea place (yeah I'm so original) and honestly I want to leave creative freedom up to you

Writers note: First of; I love your art! It’s very cute. And also a very cute date idea. I have been on a bubble tea date myself and 10/10 would recommend. Fellas, give your lady some exploding balls in her mouth. The PG kind.

Summary:

Bakugou and Uraraka have been together for quite some time now and have made into a habit to hang out together in each others rooms during the weekend. But just hanging out in each others rooms, watching movies, playing video games and doing homework can get boring sometimes. So they decide to go for an impromptu visit at one of their parents homes. Whilst going down there they discover a cute little cafe that happens to sells Uraraka’s favourite beverage: bubble tea.

Ship: Kacchako (Uraraka x Bakugou)

Already together, so lot’s of kisses!!!!!

(bubble tea) Date

Word Count: 2.392

‘Stupid fucking tiny buttons.’ Bakugou agressively presses the buttons on his playstation controller. Uraraka is standing on her knees behind him, draping herself over him. ‘I don’t think it’s the buttons Katsuki. It might be you.’ In a second the irritated boy pauses the game and struggles to turn his head. ‘I won’t hesistate to fling you over my head onto the floor you know.’ He unpauses and turns back to his game. Again, a string of insults are being flung to the television screen. Uraraka sighs. She’s been watching her boyfriend play a first person shooter game for about an hour now and it’s only now becoming boring seeing him lose almost every game. She let out a deep sigh which blew a few of his spikey, blond strands forward. Uraraka starts messing with his face, putting her hands on his cheeks, booping his nose and pulling the corners of his mouth into a smile. ‘I’m guessing you’re getting bored.’ Bakugou says, still concentrated on his game. ‘Maaaaybe?’ She let herself fall backwards on Bakugou’s bed. ‘Saturdays are always boring. Everyone has gone back to their family homes or went out.’ Bakugou pauses the game once again and throws the controller on the ground. ‘Fuck this.’ Bakugou lays down next to Uraraka facing her. She smiles and snuggles closer to his hard and muscled chest. ‘I thought you were going your folks this weekend?’ he mumbles. The girl furrowed her brow and Bakugou can feel it against his body. ‘Yeah…I was, but mom and dad are extra busy this time a year so I can probably visit in two weeks.’ ‘Two weeks?!’ ‘Two weeks.’ He wraps his arms around her, knowing how much it bothers her without her having to tell him verbally. ‘That sucks angel face.’ Even though Uraraka likes cuddling, she doesn’t like being babied by him. She hates showing too much emotion, to anyone. She knows it makes people uncomfortable and for someone like Bakugou who can’t even say ‘I love you’ to her without struggling to get each sullible out, it would be a hopeless situation. ‘When were you going to see your mom and dad?’ Bakugou pulls her tighter into his embrace. ‘Eh, I haven’t told them I was coming because I wasn’t sure I felt like it you know?’ Uraraka looks over his head at the clock on the head of his bed. ‘It’s not too late, you want to go see your parents together?’ Bakugou starts laughing and put his hands on her face. ‘Do you really want to see my mom again? You know what happened last time.’ Uraraka does remember. Her partner is the spitting image of his mother and their matching personalities often work too well. It’s also like his mother lives for embarassing her son. The last time Uraraka was over she told a childhood story about when Bakugou tried to explode a bit of dog poop in the park and it exploded in his face, leaving him smelling for hours. ‘I told you a hundred times, I thought it was funny!’ Bakugou squeezes her cheeks together. ‘It wasn’t.’ ‘It was,’ she giggles. Bakugou squeezes her face even more. ‘No, it fucking wasn’t.’ Bakugou can’t hold a straight face anymore and starts laughing hysterically, which made Uraraka laugh as well. She can only imagine how silly face looks. ‘But seriously,’ she stomps his shoulder. ‘It would be nice to have a homecooked meal as well.’ Bakugou’s laughter becomes softer. He has to seriously think. He let her go, turns around and picks his phone off the coffee table. He checks the train times to see if they can make it to his house before dinner. When he seriously has to think he put his hand to his chin and supports that with his other arm. That’s when he looks most attractive to Uraraka she mentioned once. ‘Okay, okay, okay, we have to leave the dorm in like 15 minutes then.’ Uraraka jumps up onto her feet and fell onto him. ‘Thank you!’ she starts kissing him all over. On his crown, on his left ear, on his chin, on his nose. Literally everywhere. It tickles and Bakugou hates tickling. ‘God dammit, stop that.’ ‘You-like-it.’ Uraraka said teasingly inbetween kisses. Bakugou starts kissing her everywhere back and they’re just lying there. Like a lovesick pile of people, laughing and kissing. ‘Come on, we need to get changed, Kat-Katsuk-Katsuki stop that, you win!’ Bakugou stops and sits up, proudly smiling down at her. Uraraka’s body can finally relax and she feels like she can finallly breathe for the first time in about five minutes. The tall, broad boy, sticks out his hand. She grabs it and he pulls her up. ‘Come on, we can’t miss our train.’

The couple is walking down almost abandoned shopping area close to the Bakugou household. Since a big shopping center opened up near the train station, this place has been pretty much a ghost town. ‘I didn’t think it was going to be so sunny out here, gosh.’ Uraraka squints her eyes and tries to block out the sun with her free hand. ‘It’s always sunny here, I swear I’ve told you that a million times’, Bakugou growls against the sun shining in his eyes. Uraraka is looking down the road trying to find a touristy shop that sells some cheap sunglasses. She suddenly stops walking and Bakugou almost yanks her forward. ‘What the hell.’ Her mouth opens slowly. ‘No way’, she said softly. ‘No way what?’ ‘No flipping way!’ Bakugou irritatedly turns around and yells: ‘No flipping way what?!’ Bakugou looks across the street and there’s one building that stands out from all the bland buildings surrounding it. It’s a light yellow coloured building with small flowers perks and flowy white curtains at it’s window. It has a big sign that says: Banjirou’s bubbletastic bubble tea.

‘What the fuck is a bubbletastic bubble tea?’ Bakugou says with one eyebrow raised. A loud gasp escapes his girlfriends mouth. She pulls her hand away and slowly put it near her mouth. ‘Do you seriously not know what bubble tea is?’ Bakugou shrugs and clunkily wipes his sweaty hand on his baggy jeans. ‘Well, you know, I know what tea is of course. I’m not stupid. But what the fuck is the bubble part. Uraraka grabs his arm and rushes across the street. She admires the building with all it’s soft and aesthetically pleasing aspects. Her eyes start to sparkle. Even though they have been together for a while, Uraraka can still make Bakugou blush from time to time. ‘Bubble tea is one of the most amazing beverages in the world! It’s tea where they put in bubbles at the bottom of your drink. They call those bubbles topioca pearls and they have all kinds of different flavors of them and of course they’re edible.’ Bakugou tilts his head at her. ‘I’m sorry but those bubbles or pearls or whatever might be on of the most unecessary things I’ve ever heard about in my life.’ Uraraka pouts. ‘Don’t say that!’ Bakugou puts his hands behind his head and laughs. ‘I’m sorry angel face but I’m kind of right.’ Uraraka huffs and pushes past him into the cafe. A small and frail old man behind the counter croaks: ‘Good day lady and gent and welcome to Banjirou’s bubbletastic bubbletea, what can I get you today?’ Uraraka greets him back and starts admiring the cafe. It’s small and has a homely feel to it. The furniture is made of some dark old wood and the tables have pastel colored table cloths on them. Each a different colour. Bakugou looks at the menu above the old man, written carefully in chalk on green chalkboards. He’s a bit thrown off by all the flavours he can choose from. Uraraka naturally starts a conversation with the old man, talking about when he opened his cafe and the interior design of the cafe. The conversation quickly turns into Uraraka rambling into her love for bubble tea. Bakugou can tell the poor old man is getting overwhelmed by her enthousiasm and interupts her. ‘Uraraka! You might want to give your order now.’ The old man laughs and waves his hand at him. ‘Oh don’t worry about it, she’s the first person in this cafe I’ve seen talking about bubble tea so passionately, it lights me up inside.’ ‘Same here old man.’ Bakugou mutters. ‘Don’t you fancy some bubble tea as well young man?’ Bakugou walks closer to the counter. He had stared at the menu for quite some time but has no idea what he should go for. ‘She knows what I want.’ Only Uraraka seems to notice that Bakugou is playing off his ignorance. She doesn’t mind it at all because she already thought of a drink he could try first. ‘I would like some melon tea with strawberry pearls and I think he would like some hot chai tea with the standard pearls, both medium sized cups.’ The old man, claps his hands and steps of his little stand. ‘What a wonderful choice young lady, coming right up!’ he shuffles from station to station and gently prepares the two drinks for them. Bakugou fishes his wallet out of his pocket and just manages to fish out enough coins out of it to pay for the beverages. Uraraka pretends to not see her partner pay for the both of them. They decided to never talk about who paid for what after having a heated discussion at a burger joint fighting about that she could pay for her own food. After that she bursted out in tears in the middle of the restaurant and back at the dorm she opened up more about her financial status. Even though the man seems physically unfit he manages to fix up their tea’s in no time. ‘There you go lovebirds! Enjoy your drinks!’ He picks up the coins Bakugou laid out and put them in the pocket of his apron. They pick up their drinks at the same time and Bakugou tilts his cup. ‘These balls sure are hella weird.’ ‘Please don’t call them balls.’ ‘They’re balls though, edible balls…Well, I guess all balls are edi-.’ Uraraka threw him her signature “you better shut it” look. ‘Bakugou, I swear.’ ‘Wow, back to the last name basis again, might as well get dumped here and now.’ Uraraka face softens and took a few steps towards him. She stands right under his nose looking up into his firestone like eyes. ‘Are you just gonna wait for me to try it before you start drinking your tea?’ The girl who seemed to be all sparkles nods. She takes a step back and gives Bakugou all the space to potentially enjoy his drink. Bakugou groans and takes a sip. His brows raise up and his eyes focus on his straw making him look crosseyed. ‘What the fuck?’ Uraraka finally decides to take a sip of her own drink and lets out a satisfied puff of air. ‘Who invented this shit?! Even though Bakugou’s face suggests that he’s still unsure about it, he’s still taking confident sips. ‘I hate to say it but these are too good.’ The old man who is cleaning up his stations nods with a big bright smile on his face. Uraraka takes Bakugou’s hand and waves with her cup at the old man. ‘We’re gonna get going now, thank you sir!’ They step outside and continue their journey to the Bakugou household. Uraraka was literally beaming. He knew food made her happy but this is something else. ‘My drink has…cinnamon in it right?’ Bakugou pauses mid sentence to take another big sip. ‘Mhm!’ Uraraka chirps. ‘I like it, it’s spicy in a way.’ ‘You’re kind of a weird guy Katsuki.’ ‘I just like spicy things!’ Uraraka jolts up like she remembered something and pulls her lips off the straw. ‘You should try mine!’ Bakugou, now being completely on the bubble tea train, bends over and took a sip without any hesitation. When the fruity pearl exploded in his mouth his head knocked back he and started choking. ‘That is not okay! Your damn balls are trying to fucking kill me!’ Uraraka immediately folds from laughter and Bakugou just sticks his tongue out with a confused look on his face. ‘All the fruit balls are like that! Oh shoot, now I’m calling them balls!’ she hicks. After letting her laugh til she almost couldn’t breathe Bakugou shoves his drink in her face. ‘Try mine. My drink won’t try to fucking kill you.’ Uraraka stands up straight and puts her hair behind her ears. ‘Okay, okay, right!’ Her lips surround the straw and she looks up to him. She hums. ‘I actually never had this one before but I’m considering getting this one next time!’ Bakugou proudly looks at his drink. ‘That’s what I thought.’ They continue their walk, Uraraka still gushing about the interior design of the cafe and Bakugou talking about what he hopes is on the table tonight. They joke, laugh and enjoy their drinks in the autumn sun. When almost finsihing their drinks they wait next to a trashcan so they can throw thema way immediately. ‘Hurry up.’ Uraraka just about makes out when Bakugou is trying to sip up the remaning balls. Before you know it, it’s a race. Uraraka being careful and a bit slower on purpose so the competetive boy doesn’t go to fast and chokes on a pearl again. Bakugou reaches his last three pearls, sucks them up his straw and blows it onto Uraraka’s face. The tiny black bubble bounched of her small nose and onto the sidewalk. She stopped immediately and her eyes widened. ‘You did not!’ Making sure his girlfriend actually doesn’t get angry he throws his cup away and grabs both of her shoulders. ‘Don’t be mad!’ he kisses the little drop of tea that the bubble left on her nose. Her body that was once so tense relaxed immediately. He kisses her nose again. Every kiss saying. “I was just fooling around, I’m sorry”. Uraraka turns her head away after the fourth kiss. Bakugou let go of her shoulders and crosses his arms. ‘Don’t tell me you’re actually upse-‘ a pink pearl bounces of his forehead. ‘You’re gonna get it lady.’ Bakugou smirks.

#JJ writes #JJs fic requests #kacchako #kacchako fic #uraraka #uraraka ochako #bakugou #bakugou katsuki #updated version #boost

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the-demon-dm · 8 years ago

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Ocean Waves

Ignis and Chrome spend a day at the beach, a fluffy short fanfic.

CanonxOC "beach episode" goodness ensues.

Ignis continued to eye the ocean by Galdin Quay's lively restaurant, the overwhelming aroma of sizzling fish upon the large grills from the center of the hotel made even his iron stomach rumble with desire. He pressed his hands to his abdomen, hoping nobody would notice the subtle indication that he was hungry.

Noctis was out to the pier, fishing the day's hours away, successfully piling his catches in a nearby cooler. His dark hair was baking in the heat of the sun, plenty of sun screen was applied to his regal face, his jacket now discarded among his bait. Prompto was content, relaxing in the shade of a nearby bungalow. He turned every now and again, barely opening his glossy blue orbs. The world turned slowly. Gladio mimicked the sharp shooter, a book slapped over his nose and forehead as he took long, content snores in a hammock between two palm trees, shirt removed as beads of sweat glistened upon his tense, muscular skin.

Chrome however appeared frustrated. She paced back and forth, hands clenched into fists. Her blonde mop of hair barely flowed about with as much product as it contained, trying her best to continue the style that mimicked her sibling's. Her fair skin was starting to become red and pink in the heat of the summer sun, her freckles jutting out like specks of brown pepper on a white sheet. Ignis met his green eyes with her own, cocking a sandy eyebrow. She huffed and dragged him into the shade, "How are you so comfortable?" She complained, shoving her hands onto his chest, "You're wearing all this heavy leather and it's black!"

"It is my job as the strategist to always keep a calm demeanor. However I will agree with you, it is an unusually warm day." He fanned his hand slightly before she grabbed his wrist and gazed up to him with starry eyes, "Do you want to go swimming?"

She had spent so much time with him that she knew the difference between a thoughtful face and a scowling one, despite the two looking almost identical. He placed his knuckles to his chin for a moment, "It would be refreshing...and I would get the benefit of seeing you in a bathing suit. Are you able to swim?"

"Of course." She confirmed, failing to hide her reddened cheeks from his observant words, "I even got a swimming suit from Prompto the other day! It's a green bikini!" Ignis allowed his lips to curl into a smirk, "Did he model for that one as well?"

"How do you know about that?" She held her shoulders in opposite hands, crossing her arms over her breasts. The genetic clone of hers had used his own proportions to help purchase her date dress, one that she kept tightly locked away at her RV back near Hammerhead Garage.

He chuckled, "Darling I was there when it happened. The man trusted me alone to go with him."

"Well that was probably the smartest move on his behalf...the guys would never let him live that one down."

"The whole thing was the idea of the prince. Prompto was pondering how he could help improve your down mood." He relaxed a bit, "Allow me a change of clothing and we may swim together." She bounced on her toes excitedly, "Ignis! You're awesome!"

"I try." He huffed, going towards an outside stall. "But do apply more sunscreen. You're absolutely heated over." She followed him and sighed, entering the female enclosure. She dressed, surprised at how modest the actual suit was. it covered all of her breast nicely with two deep green cups. Her bottom half matched, and had a small decal of a tonberry upon her behind.

She reluctantly smeared the cream over herself, cursing lightly at its cold, slick feeling soaking into her skin. The smell was pleasant at least...

She exited and waited for a moment, holding a striped green and white swim bag over her shoulder. Ignis stepped from the enclosure and she could swear for a moment she heard the Astrals singing. He was well proportioned and his lean body was coated with an even tan. He bore goggles now, tightly fixated to the sides of his sideburns. His trunks were a black color, bearing four pockets on each side. Beyond the hair of his head, his body was smooth and silky looking.

He admired her form too, she was curvy and yet still very adorable. She giggled heavily as she approached him, "We have towels right?"

"I always come prepared." He held a finger up and returned inside the curtains. He pulled one out for her, which bore a cartoonish image of an Adamantoise. She gasped with joy and grabbed it from him quickly, cuddling it close in her arms. "I love it!"

He revealed his, a deep purple with leopard spots. She smiled at it, "It looks like you just stretched your shirt out!"

"It is one of my favorite patterns..." He noted, slight embarrassment in his tone. "Come now, let's not waste time."

"Yes sir!" She saluted and ran towards the sandy shores. The texture of the uneven ground was strange under her feet, it had been too long since she had experienced it. The heat of the sun also singed her lightly. She yipped and bounced quickly, finally sighing with relief as she hit the cool waters. Ignis lay out the towels side by side under the shade of an umbrella.

"Oh wait..." Chrome snapped and turned around towards him. He hummed as she waved him down, "There's a surprise in my bag! But i forgot to blow it up!" He gave her a confused stare until he found the item she spoke of. It was a box, containing a large inflatable pool toy shaped like a donuts. He chuckled at it, "Do you really need this?"

"I guess not." She swung her hips back and forth, watching the ocean kiss the shore. He sighed gently at her subtle request and within moments, began to blow air into the large floating device. Within moments he had it fully inflated, and followed after her into the clear waters. She giggled as he stuffed it around her core. She shook her head gently and popped from it, setting her bottom in it and relaxing her top half, floating atop the wavy surface in a bliss. He beamed lightly as he pushed her along. He stood on his toes and kissed her forehead, before flipping the entire thing over and she yelped.

"Hey!" She gasped as soon as she popped her head from the water, "What was that for?"

"Amusement." He simply stated and she leapt up, grasping his shoulders and dunked the both of them under the surface. Once they came up for air, they continued to splash each other with roaring laughter and playful yells. She stopped for a moment, noticing his hair beginning to flop over from the moisture.

"Iggy, your hair?"

"What? before I joined the crownsguard it used to look like this all the time."

"I like it!'"

He pointed at her wet blonde locks, "Yours is quite lovely as well."

She struggled at first to float on her back but did so quickly, hovering around his middle. He effortless plucked her up and gave her a devilish grin, "I've caught myself a lovely fish." "Oh please, you're not Noctis. I bet you couldn't catch a fish to save your life."

"No but I could cook it into a fine dish!" He nuzzled her nose slightly before plucking a tiny kiss from her mouth. She hummed in pleasant surprise at his spontaneous movements...Ignis was hard to read sometimes and the playful nature he was exposing was refreshing.

She stared down at her stomach and toes, "i think I'm gaining weight..."

"It's refreshing to see." He told, concern rising in his tone. It was true, her form was starting to flush out with health, "You were so very wan when we found you...I hope you never go hungry again."

"If i stick around you I'll get fat!"

"Good!" He dropped her back into the water and she landed with a large sploosh. When she came up, she simply glared as he continued to rant, "I like them plump! With blonde hair and a hundreds of freckles that mimic the night sky! A woman none other than Chrome Animalia, my future bride to be!" He placed his hands on his hips, watching her wiggle away.

She scoffed and splashed him again, returning to the safety of her floating pool donut. "Oh please...you were just trying to get food from those poor vendors."

"Poor? They get noble earnings from us dear lady." He cocked his eyebrows, swimming to her side, hanging on the edge of her floatation device. She admired him and they intertwined their fingers together.

"Hey." She mewed, poking his nose.

"Hay is for chocobos my lovely."

"I love you."

He was always thrown off when she stated this out of the blue. Despite not being as eloquent with her words, her bluntness was welcome.

"I love you too Chrome."

They shared a kiss and she pouted, "You know, I've kinda noticed that you tend to take care of everyone else before yourself Iggy. What's up with that?"

"It's a terrible fault of my own, and I'm attempting to shake it from me." He admitted, gazing down at his feet under the ocean's surface, "It's natural instinct and years of proper training. Despite my advising to the prince, i am to follow his word despite all good consciousness not to."

"Like driving at night?" She cocked her head. "That is purely for safety..." He sounded distant. "My mother in Tenebrae...she was wounded very badly transporting me back from the safety of the Crown City...before I decided to permanently move there myself."

"You were alone?"

"Not quite. The king hand picked me from my classmates to be his son's regal advisor, despite only being a few years older than the boy myself." His voice rang with nostalgia, "My childhood was quite abnormal. i was the young scholar, and i excelled in everything. But when it came to field experience, i lacked talent. That is part of the reason I found you so interesting, and still do. I know it came from a past of difficulty, but it has made you a more rounded person." "Aw...so you like me even though I'm not smart?"

He rustled her hair a bit, "You are smart Chrome, in your own unique way. Everyone has intelligence, just different kinds. People are so vastly different, it's amazing to try and comprehend it all. What you lack, I make up in certain ways. Just as you said, I could never have the talent to fish. But Noctis does, and therefore we make a good team."

"That's what this is all about...being a part of a team!" She flexed her biceps and grunted slightly as he twisted her about in the water by her hand. "Yes my dear...a team and a family." "I'm really glad I found you guys." She told as he plucked her from the floaty and danced with her along the water's depth, feeling the ocean move them about, "I know I've said it before but I'm not sure what I would have done without you."

"Trust me, if anything my dear, we are more than happy you came along as well."

They swam and danced along in the waters for a few more moments, before returning to the dry land and letting the sun dry them out. Ignis bought her a fruity concotion and enjoyed listening to her stories of taming beasts, and of her growing personal bestiary she planned on sharing with Lunafreya at the wedding as her gift. They looked for crabs and other small creatures along the shore with no luck, and enjoyed a hearty paella dish for late lunch. When they returned to the towels for the final time, Chrome found herself simply drained of energy.

Despite starting to doze off, Ignis layer her continuously with the protective lotion. She clutched her lover's hand in her slumber, dozing off in the evening sunlight. He plucked her from the earth, carrying her like a damsel back to the hotel room. He covered her gingerly with a the blanket once they returned to the bed's surface, finding himself intoxicated by the smell of the salt clinging to her body still.

She smiled very slightly as he planted one last kiss on her forehead, and turned his body away so that she would be able to cling to his bare back. He found himself relaxed beyond comparison and finally shut his eyes with content.

#ffxv #ocxcanon #ignis scientia #fanfiction

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