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autumnshighlady · 9 months ago

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I've Always Liked to Play With Fire (part 23)

NESTA ARCHERON X ERIS VANSERRA X FEMALE!READER

summary: continuation of the last chapter

warnings: nothing but pure angst tbh

word count: 4.8k

DO NOT REPOST ANYWHERE

a/n: i was debating letting y'all stew on the cliffhanger for a week or so but after killing Lirilla I figured that'd be too mean. So anywho, here's the next part...

part 1 // part 2 / part 3 / part 4 / part 5 / part 6 / part 7 / part 8 / part 9 / part 10 / part 11 / part 12 / part 13 / part 14 / part 15 / part 16 / part 17 / part 18 / part 19 / part 20

read on ao3

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The world stopped turning as Eris’s screams ripped through the air. Grief tore through Eris’s end of the bond like a current, threatening to spill over and consume you. The Prince fell to his knees, crawling towards his mother’s body. Nesta’s grey eyes were wide with horror, her hand over her mouth as she shrunk back. It wasn’t hard to figure out just how easily this reminded her of her own father’s death.

You were utterly paralyzed with shock, jaw slack as your gaze remained glued on the lifeless body of the Lady of Autumn. Her russet eyes were dull, the warmth that she had gazed at you with as she tried to comfort you was completely gone. Her collarbone jutted out beneath her thin, pale skin. Only then did you notice how small, how frail she truly was. It was as if the life had been sucked from her body long before her husband snapped her neck.

Beron stood over Lirilla’s body, staring down at Eris with disgust. There was no remorse on his face, as if he hadn’t just murdered his wife to spite his eldest son. Eris wept, pale hands trembling as he cradled Lirilla’s face in them. He pressed his forehead into hers, gut-wrenching sobs shredding at your heart as you watched the normally stone-cold male wailing over his mother’s body. It was as if he was a child again, desperately clinging to his mother in search of some feeling of comfort from her lifeless form.

“You’re sick.” Nesta’s voice was a broken whisper, laced with hatred as she met the eyes of the High Lord. There was no sign of those glorious silver flames, as if they, too, had given up all hope. Eris had stopped sobbing, his eyes glassy and numb as he laid over his mother’s body, wrapping his arms around her small form.

Beron only smiled sickly. “I told him countless times, his soft spot for his wench of a mother would be his downfall. I am making him stronger, this way. He will not be burdened by doltish feelings anymore.”

“You’d murder his mother and let his own mate get killed just to prove a point?” Nesta said, looking as if she was going to throw up. You squeezed your eyes shut, forcing yourself to look away as you leaned into Azriel for support. At this point, you weren’t sure if your legs would support you any longer.

That otherworldly High Lord power thrummed from Beron as he spoke. “Precisely. Now here’s what’s going to happen. Eris is the only son I have left who is not a whimpering fool. Despite his scheming, I will not allow myself to be without an heir. It would weaken me and this court, and I will not have that happen. You are to kneel before me and swear fealty to me, in perpetuity. After you serve your punishment, all will be forgiven. This marriage will resume. The other girl will die, and you and my son will wear these for the rest of your lives.”

The dread that rippled through your body at Beron’s promise of your demise was quickly replaced by a newfound horror as the High Lord snapped his fingers, and two objects appeared in his hands. They were golden torques, a sharp arrow at each end poised towards where Nesta and Eris’s throats would be. From the second they appeared, you felt a darkness creep into the room. And by the way Nesta flinched, she could feel it too. There was a sentience to them, as if they were speaking to you in an ancient tongue, each word coming out as a demonic hiss.

“What the hell are those?” Nesta muttered, her breathing shallow.

“My insurance policy,” Beron smirked. “A way of ensuring you never even think of pulling a stunt like this again.”

Something clicked in your brain as you recognized what the torques were. Fear hit you like an icy wave, and you frantically reached out to Nesta. Don’t let him put those around your neck, You mind-spoke to her. Whatever you do, do not put it on. I’ve read about objects like these. They come from another world and will enslave you to Beron. Your free will would be gone and you will become his puppet with no way out.

You vividly recalled finding the ancient scroll in the House of Wind’s library. It was nearly completely faded, but with Gwyn’s help you managed to make out the text. It spoke of another universe, one infested with demons that used dark objects like rings and collars to enslave and possess people with dark magic, allowing a new host to take over. From the way Beron smirked at Nesta and Eris, it was clear that the objects in his hand possessed the same properties.

How the hell he managed to get his hands on something like this, you didn’t know.

“Now kneel before me, both of you.” Beron continued coldly. “And beg for forgiveness.”

Nesta looked back to you, desperation in her eyes. You only stared back hopelessly, knowing there was nothing either of you could do at this point. You slumped against Azriel, the Illyrian still as a statue, shadows swirling around protectively. His siphons continued to glow, but you knew Beron wouldn’t break a sweat ripping through his shield.

It was over.

All your planning, everything you’d done to get to this point, was all for nothing. Beron was about to kill you and enslave Nesta and Eris for eternity.

“Leave.” You muttered to Azriel softly. “There’s no use in you dying with me. Get out of here.”

You felt oddly calm in the face of death. Even though you were utterly powerless in this situation, you could at least make sure that Azriel was able to get out. He had helped you enough, you weren’t about to let him be dragged down with you.

But the shadowsinger’s voice was firm as he spoke. “Don’t,” He said sternly. “I will not let you get killed.”

You sighed as his shadows curled around your fingers reassuringly, as if they were trying to provide some form of comfort. You took one last look at Nesta and Eris before closing your eyes.

“No.” Eris’s hoarse voice echoed throughout the chamber, making your eyes snap open.

With one last sorrowful glance at his mother’s body, Eris pushed himself up. Amber eyes steeled with determination as he stared down his father.

“What did you just say to me?” Beron growled.

“I said,” Eris’s voice strengthened. “No.”

The High Lord scoffed. “Wipe those tears off your face before you speak to me, boy. Love is weakness, your mother’s death is on your hands–”

Beron didn’t get to finish his sentence before the ground shook beneath you and angry orange fire erupted from Eris. Pure, unfiltered power filled the room as Eris let out a godly cry, flames rippling off of him in waves. It wrapped around Beron, smothering the High Lord’s every attempt to fight back.

Beron may have more experience and magic, but it was no match for Eris’s rage.

The dark cell was lit up in an orange light as Eris was enveloped in his own flames. They swirled around him like a suit of armour, different shades of red yellow and orange blazing furiously. Beron screeches as the waves of fire smothered him, burning his aged skin layer by layer.

You saw Nesta step towards him, silver flame in hand, ready to join the fight.

No, You said to her. Eris needs to do this on his own.

She paused, then nodded, taking a step back.

Eris’s fire was relentless, surging into his father with all their might. His lip was drawn back in a snarl as he continued to cast his flames into Beron, burning the male alive. He looked like a flaming god, a phoenix of hell sent to remake the world with his fire. You covered your ears with your hands, trying to block out the sickening screams of Beron. Instead of watching, you buried your face into Azriel’s side. As much as you hated Beron, this was not something that you wanted to bear witness to.

The roar of the fire was thunderous, threatening to overwhelm all your senses. It shook your very bones like an earthquake. Only when you felt it cease, did you finally open your eyes.

There was a pile of ash where Beron Vanserra once stood, the gut-churning smell of burnt flesh potent in the air. Angry scorch marks adorned the walls and floor from where Eris’s flames had been minutes ago as they had relentlessly torn away at the High Lord. Eris was doubled over on the floor, Nesta crouching by his side.

“Eris?” She asked worriedly as the male gasped.

A soft glow emitted from Eris’s skin, and he writhed in agony as new power flowed through him. The power of a High Lord.

You watched in awe as the scent of raw magic filled your senses, its coppery taste in your mouth as you breathed it in. You could see Eris’s veins through his pale skin, shining like gold as his body was encapsulated in magic. After a minute, he stopped moving. You could hear his heartbeat, so slow it made you break out of Azriel’s arms and rush forward.

You called out his name, crouching down beside Nesta and putting a hand on the autumn male’s arm. Immediately, you jerked it back. His skin was burning hotter than anything you had felt. He was utterly still, almost dead looking beside his mother.

As a final resort, you opened up that part of the bond you had tried to seal shut. Eris? You called out to it. A powerful hum pulsed in response, unlike anything you had ever felt before. You could feel Eris on the other end – different than before, but your Eris nonetheless.

You felt Nesta’s presence too, her silver mist of the bond reaching down towards Eris as well. In the distance, through that mental bridge you could see a faint silhouette writhed in orange flame. You extended a hand towards it through the bond, reaching out for Eris. Nesta did the same, and together, you reached down the bond and grasped onto Eris, giving a gentle but firm pull.

Amber eyes shot open and Eris gasped for breath as he woke.

“Thank the Mother.” You muttered. As much as you were mad at Eris for keeping the bond a secret, you couldn’t imagine what you’d have felt if he didn’t wake up. For him to die thinking you hated him… it was something you couldn’t handle.

With the help of you and Nesta, Eris rose to his feet. A new aura of power surrounded him, the unmistakable magic of a new High Lord.

Beron was dead, and his magic had chosen Eris.

“Are you really…” Nesta asked, grey eyes scanning Eris up and down. “High Lord?”

Eris nodded, unable to speak. But the powerful glow in his eyes faded as his gaze landed on Lirilla’s body, still crumpled on the floor. “It doesn’t matter.” He muttered. “He killed her. With his bare hands.”

Your heart broke even more hearing the defeat in his voice. This was a moment Eris should have been celebrating – it was something he spent years trying to achieve, yet he paid a price for it.

No. You wouldn’t let it end like this.

Carefully, you let go of Eris and walked over to Lirilla’s body. You knelt down beside it, brushing the auburn hair from her pale face.

“What are you doing?” Nesta asked, confused.

“I want to try something.” You responded. Not bothering to explain, you closed your eyes, taking a deep breath. You pictured that clearing in the village, the one in a dream-like state where you first met Estelle.

Please, Estelle, You called out to her. I need you right now.

Truthfully, you had no idea if this would work. Your conversation with the goddess could have been a one time thing. But you couldn’t imagine Eris risking everything to help you, only to lose his mother for good in the process.

After a few minutes of pleading, you felt your eyes open. But you were no longer in the dark dungeons of Autumn. Instead, you were on a bench in your village clearing, a gentle white mist covering the surroundings. You felt light and weightless, all aches and pains of your body having vanished.

“Hello, my child.” Came the familiar voice of Estelle.

You whipped your head to the side as the mists parted, the Mother goddess walking through towards you. Her white robes floated around her, eyes shining with starlight as her gaze landed on you. You bowed your head respectfully, and she laughed.

“There is no need for that.” Estelle said softly as she came to stand in front of you.

“Sorry.” You muttered, straightening your back. “But I really need your help.”

The goddess smiled sadly. “I know what you are going to ask of me. But I cannot bring the Lady Lirilla back.”

“I know,” You continued, taking a deep breath. “But I was wondering if I could. After all, you said that when Hybern attacked my village, I absorbed the life force of everyone that died, and that it became a power I could use to wield.”

Estelle did not say anything. She only stared at you with an unreadable expression.

“Please,” You begged, voice breaking. “She’s Eris’s mother.”

“My child,” Estelle’s voice was gentle but firm. “Lirilla suffered a hard life. Even if she were to be brought back, she would have a lot of trauma to deal with. Letting her rest may be the kinder path.”

“No.” You said sternly. “After everything she went through she deserves a chance. Feyre Archeron was brought back, as were Rhys and Amren during the war. How is it fair that they get to be brought back after death and Lirilla doesn’t?”

“Not everything is meant to be fair.”

You stood up, facing the goddess with a steeled expression. Anger boiled in your gut at her refusal to help. “Look,” You snapped. “I came here asking you for guidance, not permission. I may be an incarnate version of you, but I am not tied to your decisions. This is my power to do with as I please, so I am asking you once again: could I use it to bring her back?”

You half expected Estelle to get angry and send you back to reality, but she just looked at you with a sombre expression. “So young, so determined.” She muttered. “You remind me of myself when I was your age, all those millenia ago. I will not stop you, but it is not simple. In order to bring Lirilla back, you must do a trade – find a soul who died that day in your village who is willing to give up their eternity of peace. While you can bend this power of life to your will, the life forces of those who you absorbed still belong to them.”

“A soul for a soul.” You muttered.

“Yes. That is the only way you can bring her back in a manner that does not utilise dark magic and risk severe consequences.”

“Ok. How do I find a soul then?”

Estelle smiled softly, putting a soft hand on your cheek. “You have been so brave and endured so much.” She murmured. “Good luck, my child. May we meet again.”

“Wait–” Your protest died off as her starry image faded into the mist. You huffed angrily, wringing your hands together. Time was running out – you had no idea how long you would stay here, but you were determined to make the most of it.

Gathering your wits, you stepped through the mist along the path that led to the heart of your village. Your feet made no noise on the ground, as if you were a ghost. Eventually, the mist began to lighten, and you heard lively chatter in the distance.

You broke into a full on sprint, racing towards the noise. As you went through the archway of your village entrance, the sight before you made you stop dead in your tracks.

Children were playing games under the large willow tree, their laughter echoing on the gentle breeze. Elderly couples sat on the benches, content to enjoy the sunshine. Smells of freshly baked bread and rich flowers filled your nostrils, and your eyes watered. Your village was lively again, the faces of those you had seen bloody and dead now filled with life as they once were.

“Hey, bitch!” The familiar husky voice of your best friend Sapphyra sounded in your ear as strong arms wrapped around you.

Nothing could stop the tears that flowed down your cheeks as you felt Sapphyra hug you. Sobs wracked your body as you clung onto her, savouring every inch of her presence. Her dark hair was pulled back in its usual braid, her muscles even leaner than when she was alive.

“It’s you…” You sobbed. “I can’t believe it’s you. Last time I say you–”

“Hush,” She said gently, pulling away and holding you by your shoulders, as if sensing you needed grounding. “We don’t talk about that here. None of us speak of the day we died. It’s not something any of us wants to remember.”

You wiped your tears away. Your heart swelled, seeing her filled with life again.

“I know why you’re here.” Sapphyra said. “You want one of us to trade our souls to bring Eris’s mother back.”

You nodded. “I can’t let her go, Sapphyra.”

“I know. But there’s something you should know. Whoever helps you bring her back will lose their spot in the afterlife. If Lirilla dies, that soul will not return here. They will be gone forever.”

You blanched, guilt prickling your heart. “How am I supposed to ask anyone here to do that for me? It’s not fair to them.”

She smiled. “I don’t think you’ll have to ask. We’ve all been watching you, rooting for you on our end of the universe. There will be somebody who is willing to give up their spot in eternity to help you. I promise.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. Now, enough of me. You only have so much time here, so make the most of it.” Sapphyra clapped you on the back, pushing you towards the crowd that had gathered at your arrival.

You spent the next few minutes receiving more hugs than you ever had in your entire life. Fae of all ages holding your hand, wishing you the best and saying how proud they were of you. You did not idle for small talk, knowing Sapphyra was right. You only had so much time.

A familiar male made his way through the crowd, a tender smile on his face. “Hey, kiddo.” He said softly.

Your throat closed up. “Father…”

You leapt into his arms, clinging onto him like a child on their first day of school. He hugged you tightly, your tears staining the pale green tunic he wore as you sobbed into him.

“I am so proud of you.” He murmured, kissing the top of your head. “You have fought so hard. Harder than you should have to.”

“I’m tired, dad.” You said quietly. “I’m so tired.”

“I know. But the hardest part is over. You just have to figure out how to move forward.”

You let go of his embrace, staring up at his green eyes sorrowfully. “I miss you.”

He smiled. “I miss you, too. But there’s someone else who wants to see you, and you don’t have much time. Go to the house. She’s waiting for you.”

Your father patted you on the back, gently steering you in the direction of your family cottage a few feet away. It took everything in you not to turn back for one more glance at him as you made your way up the steps and pushed open the door.

There, in the living room of your cottage, stood your mother. A soft smile on her face, devoid of the blood and gore you had last seen on it as she died. It was the straw that broke you, and you crumpled to the floor in front of her. “Mama…” Was all you could choke out as she wrapped her arms around you.

“It’s okay, honey. I’m here.” She murmured, stroking your hair. “Oh, my sweet girl…”

You didn’t know how long you stayed in her embrace. It felt like forever, but not long enough as she gently pried you off of her.

“There’s so much I want to say, but we don’t have the time.” Your mother said urgently as you leaned into her touch, afraid to let go. “You came here to save another person from losing their mother, did you not?”

You nodded.

“I may not have been able to help stop any of the horrible things that happened to you,” She said sorrowfully. “But I can help you with this. Let me be the soul who will bring the Lady of Autumn back.”

Your heart dropped. “No.” You said firmly. “Sapphyra told me that whoever helps me will lose their spot here in the afterlife. If I die I won’t see you again.”

She smiled, eyes lined with tears. “I know that, my love.”

“But you’re finally at peace.” You sobbed harder.

“Which will be for nothing if I do not use it to help my daughter.” Your mother insisted. “I know what it’s like to lose a mother. And so do you. And so does Nesta. If we can spare Eris that pain too, that is a sacrifice I will gladly make for your mate.”

You took in a shaky breath. “Me, Nesta, and Eris… all being mates. You don’t disapprove or think it’s weird?”

She laughed, shaking her head. “No, I do not. I think you deserve all the love this world has to offer you. I am happy for you, (Y/N). And I want you to live a long and happy life with both your mates at your side.”

As much as you wanted to bring Lirilla back, your heart shattered all over again at the thought of losing your mother twice. “Please…” You cried. “Please don;t leave me again.”

“I will never leave you,” She promised. “By doing this, I will be even closer to you than I am now. I will always be with you.”

“Will she know it’s you?”

“No, she will not know whose soul brought her back. But you will. And you’ll have a piece of me with you down there in Autumn.”

Your head ached from the tears you had been shedding. Your kind, selfless mother was willing to trade a peaceful eternity with her husband and community, all so your mate could have his own mother.

You wanted to say no, to demand somebody else does it. But you remembered Estelle’s words, how a soul had to be given willingly. Your mother offering her own as a trade was your only chance.

“Are you sure?” You asked, cherishing the sight of her kind face for the last time of your immortal life.

Your mother nodded. “A thousand percent.”

You could barely get the words out. “Then tell me what I need to do.”

“In a minute, you will go back to your world. I will fade into a ball of light, summoned into your hands. I want you to press it to Lirilla’s heart, use your magic to push it into her body. I will do the rest. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good. It’s time now. Come here.” She pulled you into one last hug, the final embrace your mother would ever be able to give you in her current form, even if you died one day and joined your people here in the afterlife. Her comforting scent of jasmine surrounded you as you clung onto her.

A gentle, white light began to glow from her skin, and you sobbed harder as you felt her slowly begin to slip away.

“I love you.” Were the last words to leave her lips as the light consumed you both, and you tumbled back into darkness.

*********************

When you opened your eyes again, the stifling smell of the dungeon washed away the blissful memories of the village. Your eyes adjusted to the darkness, and your vision focused finally. Nesta and Eris were crouched across from you on the other side of Lirilla’s body.

“(Y/N)?” Eris asked. “Where did you go just now?”

You didn’t say anything, too tired to even try and explain. You looked down at the Lady of Autumn, laying on her back in front of you. And then you felt it – that warm, jasmine scented presence compacted into a ball of light in your hand. Slowly, you uncurled your fist to reveal it, and its soft light filled the room.

Nesta’s eyes widened. “What is that…”

“My mother…” You choked out, curling your other hand over top of the small bulb of light. “She offered her soul in exchange… it’s to bring your mother back.”

Eris’s jaw went slack. “(Y/N)...”

“Don’t…” You cut him off, not wanting to cry again. “Don’t make this harder. Let me do this for you, please.”

The new High Lord paused for a moment, then nodded, sorrow filling his eyes as he observed your tear stained cheeks. You took a shaking breath, pressing your light-filled hands to Lirilla’s chest, just above her heart.

A soft sound like a dewdrop hitting a puddle echoed throughout the dungeon, and you closed your eyes and willed the light to spread.

And spread it did.

A white glow washed under Lirilla’s skin, expanding from her heart down her arms and legs, before finally coming over her face. The scent of jasmine and starlight filled the air, a bittersweet reminder of what this had cost. A gentle breeze caressed your cheek, its presence unmistakable.

Thank you for letting me do this. It seemed to say.

As the light faded, the Lady of Autumn’s eyes opened as she inhaled a breath of life. You fell back, breath shuddering as the world spun slightly. Your legs were wobbly as you pushed yourself back up. You staggered backwards into Azriel, who helped you regain your balance. You turned to thank him, but his hazel eyes were fixed on the scene before him, utterly shocked.

Eris let out a cry of relief, reaching forward and grabbing his mother’s hands, which now were bright with warmth. “Mother?”

“Eris?” Lirilla croaked, looking around frantically. “Your father…”

“He’s gone.” Eris said through tears. “I killed him. You don’t ever have to be afraid of him again.”

Lirilla’s eyes widened, and she sat up with the help of Eris and Nesta. “I… I was dead, wasn’t I? He killed me. How…”

While Nesta helped the Lady of Autumn stabilise herself, Eris walked over to you. Your throat was dry, your legs so weak you relied on Azriel to help hold you upright. Between the mental exhaustion of your ordeal and the physical toll the magic took, you were utterly spent. But you met his gaze, wanting to say a hundred things to him at once. But nothing came out.

The new High Lord dropped to his knees before you, grabbing your hands and pressing his forehead against them. “I am indebted to you for the rest of our eternal lives, (Y/N).” He said. “There are no words in any tongues I know to properly thank you for what you did. For what you sacrificed to do this for me. I…” His voice trailed off.

You crouched down in front of him, gently removing your hands from his and cupping his face. “You’re my mate, Eris.” You said softly. “There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.”

As you wrapped your arms around the sobbing male, you felt the glow of the mating bond in your chest, brighter and stronger than ever. Nesta appeared beside you, pulling both you and Eris into her arms as she let out a sigh of relief.

You felt the bond between you and her glow, too. Each rope led to the two fae in your arms, all glowing with equal strength and passion. There was no faltering, no weakness of one bond over the other. They were all the same – all pure, unfiltered love.

As Eris pressed his head into your chest, you leaned your own head on Nesta’s shoulder, the presence of your two mates soothing the raw ache in your chest from your mother’s sacrifice.

You did well, child, Came Estelle’s faint voice in your head. Everything will be okay.

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motoxindustries · 1 year ago

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Warp 9 Spoke Torque Wrench Kit

$124

#supermoto #wheel

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iamrishikajain · 2 years ago

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How to Take Care of Your Cycle? Effective Cycling Tips

Cycling is an activity that is enjoyed by many. Both kids and adults can all reap the benefits of cycling. You can fit it into your daily routine. Cycling not only lets you take in some fresh air, but it also improves your social life. Your body gets all the benefits of a workout while having fun. Therefore, cycling has many benefits.

But to reap those benefits, you need to have a good cycle. And when investing in a good cycle, you need to maintain it. Most people shell out money to buy a good set of wheels. However, they do not pay attention to its maintenance.

Tips To A Healthy Bicycle

Taking your bicycle to a service shop every few days takes time and money. We have compiled a list of ways to take care of your cycle to improve its life and service. Following these habits will save you time and is easy and hassle-free.

Tyres: If you want to maintain your bicycle for a longer time, you need to get into the habit of checking the tyres. If you regularly check the tires for punctures, you will have fewer ones. Also, when you check your tires, keep in mind to check the pressure as well. It is one of the important habits to build to maintain your cycle.

Chain: The chain is one of the most important parts of your cycle. Therefore, to maintain a good cycle, you need to have a good chain. It is important to oil the chain regularly. It avoids wear and tear. The best way to lube a cycle chain is:

Park your cycle on the stand.

Turn the pedals and squeeze the oil bottle at the back wheel above the chain.

When you do this, the moving chain will take in the lube and spread it evenly.

However, do not overdo the oiling. Doing so may leave an oily mess on the floor.

Creaking sounds: Creaking is a bike’s way of asking for attention. If you hear your bike creaking, you must give it a good look. Check if any screws or bolts are loose. It may happen when you use your bike for a long time. Some bolts may become loose or come undone. It may cause serious issues if left unchecked. However, it is important to remember not to over tighten the bolts. In case you are unsure, invest in a good torque wrench. This tool lets you know if the bolts on your bike are accurately tightened.

Grease: Greasing is as important as oiling. Grease does not last forever. It dries out. Therefore, it is important to grease the bike once every while. Bearings and bushings are the important parts. So, always remember to grease the threads, headset bearings, hub, and bottom bracket bearings. Also, please do not use coconut or olive oil as grease because it may attract dust.

Wheels: Since a bike rides on wheels, you must take care of them. It is called truing the wheels. Truing a wheel puts the rotation in alignment and frees the wheel of any wobbles. Riding a bike for a long time can loosen the spokes over time. However, you can use a spoke key to fix this issue.

Cables: Cables are important, whether a mountain bike or a sprint cycle. After much use, they can snap. Furthermore, they give in to wear and tear. If not taken care of, you will have improper gear changes or braking. So, whenever you oil or lube your chain, make sure to lube the cables too. Drop some oil down the cables, and they will care for themselves.

Read More at (Original Source): hituponviews.com

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applesontheground · 3 years ago

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Okay so there's this thing that people do that just absolutely melts me and it's when someone tips your chin up and makes you look at them and I was wondering if you could do a little blurb/scenario of that with Bo??

awoooo i love that! my bf actually did this to me recently and by god anon if i didn’t understand then, i do now. also, this is absolutely inspired by my dream date with mr. sinclair: holding the flashlight while he says literally every curse word under the hood of a car 😌❤

helping haphazard 🕯️

SFW | Word Count: 734 | Bo Sinclair x GN Reader

contains: brief implication of murder

“Hey, I said paws off that.”

“What? You tell me to come help in the garage and now I can’t touch anything?”

Whenever Bo asked you to “come help with something”, it always devolved from actually getting your hands dirty with him to just standing and watching, filling the time with appearing preoccupied while he managed it all in the way he had to have it. For someone who complained about you needing to help out all the time, he was so quick to slap your hands away from something whenever you did accompany him, saying you didn’t know how to do it.

He would notice how frustrating it all was in the way you stared with a hand on the counter and a wrinkled forehead, only watching the car he was fiddling with or the bloody tools that he was washing off. After that tugged at his heart strings enough, he’d humor you and give you some kind of trivial task. Replace bolt caps on a clunker sitting outside, hold the flashlight for him, make sure the hose worked before he started power-washing the sidewalk...

Today was a day you couldn’t stand the demotion any more, and the second he had turned his back you were crouching near the car’s tire, wrench driven into the lug nuts that still needed to be removed. It took unscrewing two of them before you heard the familiar thumping of his boots, noticing the absence out the corner of his eye before the distant ambiance track from town had its chance to loop around once.

“Looks like you’re havin’ fun, but-” He approached from behind, shadow sliding over your back as you set down the second nut and looked over your shoulder, “You sure you know how to do that?” He tipped his head a little and gave you a sharp nod, “The right way?”

The scoff bubbled out as you started applying pressure to the next nut, cranking the wrench as you spoke. “Come on, do I know how to unscrew a lug nut? What do I lo-“ In a tight motion, your hand slipped, pulling back from the torque you had been applying and shooting right into your face.

With the slap, your entire body jolted back in response, the wrench clattering to the ground. “Fuck-!” The shock was ringing in your head first, then a grip of pain wrapped around the bridge of your nose. Finally, there came Bo’s voice, a familiar pattern as you doubled back over, hanging your head to hold the space between your eyebrows.

You could hear slight amusement under the scolding tone, “Well, shit. What’d I tell you, [Y/N]? Shouldn’t have been careless with it, there’s oil on the damn thing-” Although he spoke of the tire, the first thing he took hold of was you.

The weathered skin of his thumb against your chin was what brought you out of the agony, your eyes opening again to watch as he tipped your head up to face him. He was hard to see past a silhouette in the sun that was crawling behind the trees, and you blinked as his other hand came up, rubbing at a lingering smudge where the impact had happened with a gentle rub along your brow.

“Didn’t leave a mark or nothin’. Just a little oil.” When you focused your eyes, he was looking from you to where you had remained on your knees on the floor; dark blues mulling, and not harsh but keen to see you finally start to huff in embarrassment. When you only stared back with your hands settled on your lap, he let himself slowly come down to his haunches, hand never leaving your chin.

“Well,” He tilted his head at you, “Think you learned your lesson?” You tried to nod, but soon felt his thumb press to your chin to make the motion himself, puppeting you with an up and down tug of his hand. You grumbled under your breath, rolling your eyes but the corners of your mouth curling up regardless. Bo then asked, “You gonna be fuckin’ around any more if I leave you alone?” He flashed his teeth as he shook your head for you again, and you smirked back and huffed, “No.”

He let go, still grinning as he carefully leaned himself forward to kiss right on the spot you had whacked yourself. “Good.”

#bo sinclair x reader #bo sinclair x y/n #slasher x reader #slasher x y/n #slasher requests #requests #✏️#🕯️#if you like your readers kinda dumb but well meaning you would love meeting me irl

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isakatsu-isaac-uchiha9306 · 2 years ago

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Here's my tierlist of my favorite Cars Characters. Note that this is just my opinion... If you disagree... It's completely fair... I don't have to kill you in order to like it.

So who are in my list?

S/Childhood Favorites - Mcqueen and Sally

SS/Legends - Doc, The King, Smokey, Louise Nash, River Scott, Junior Moon, Jeff Gorvette, Lewis Hamilton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Darrel Cartrip, Bob Cutlass, Brent Mustangburger, David Hobbscap

A/Best/Lovable Characters: Mater, Cruz, Francesco Bernoulli, Finn McMissile, Holley Shiftwell, Flo, Ramone, Cal Weathers, Bobby Swift, Luigi, Guido, Tex Dinoco, Daniel Swervez, Lizzie, Stanley, Rusty, Dusty, Miss Fritter, Sheriff, Sarge, Filmore, Rod "Torque" Redline, Red, Jackson Storm, Mack, Otis the Lemon, Natalie Certain, Leland Turbo, Miguel Camino, Max Schnell, Carla Veloso, Shu Todoroki, Raoul Caroule, Nigel Gearsley, Rip Clutchgoneski

B/Awesome - Kabuto, Boost, Dj, Wingo, Snot Rod

D/Good - Van, Minnie, Tractor, Mike Wazoski (Car), Ham (Car), Woody (Car), Buzz Lightyear (Car), Abominable Snowplow (Monster Truck), Sully (Monster Truck), Frank, Winford Bradford Rutherford, Mac iCar, Shannon Spokes, Claude Scruggs, Billy Oilchanger, Chuck Armstrong, Harold "Haul" Inngas, Brick Yardley, Brian Spark, Phil Tankson, Fred, Bessie, Siddley, Floyd Mulvihill, Chase Racelott, Bubba Wheelhouse Jr., Ryan Laney, Reb Meeker

E/Who are you? - Jerry Recycled Batteries, Arvy, Doctor Damage, Albert Hinkey, Tomber, T.G Castlenut, Zil

F/Go F*ck Yourselves - Not Chuck, Chick Hicks, Chick Pitty #1, Chick Pitty #2, Miles Axelrod, Professor Zundapp, Grem, Acer, Mr. Sterling

Reasons:

S - Pretty Obvious, Since I shipped them since I was kid

SS - Their F'in legends... Especially some are named/based after real racers (I.e The king = Richard Petty, Jeff Gorvette = Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. etc.)

A - Because I can... Their lovable for so many reasons...

B - They badass since I love JDM cars

C - none

D - Eh I don't interact with them that much. Especially since most of them are Side Characters

F - Ya know... F*ck y'all... Especially you Sterling... Go F*ck yourself with a torque wrench. I wish Harv was here in this list cause I hate that guy... Yeah I hate Chick for being a d*ckhead especially Zundapp and Axelrod... But Sterling (And Harv) go f*ck yourselves...

That's all...

#disney pixar #cars #pixarcars #cars 2006 #lightning mcqueen #sally carrera #cars 2 #cars 3 #tow mater #cruz ramirez #cars fandom #tierlist #favorite characters

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bo-bo-bean · 2 years ago

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"How about a Fic with the Howling Aces?"

Missing Parts

Where is it!?"

Sammy, scoffing and looking over to her husband, saw Bently looking for something in his tool box. Growling, he kicked the box, but since it was so full of tools, he ended up stubbing his toe. With a yelp and a whine, Sammy went over and put her paws on his shoulders.

"Alright calm down," she instructed. He was about to argue, but when she gave a glare, he had no choice but to breathe in and out. Sammy breathed with him to make sure he did it right, then looked at the tool box. "Now what are ya lookin' for, Bert?"

"My lucky torque wrench," he grunted, crossing his arms. "It was in my box and now it's gone! It-It flew away, like a plane!"

"It didn't," she assured him. "Maybe ya just… Mm… misplaced it."

Bently sputtered like an empty plane.

"Wh-bwu-what!? MISplaced it!? I didn't build planes and fight in the Air Force for three years to come back and misplace a tool! It's idiotic! It's witless! It's asinine! It's-"

"It's the third time this week," Sam chuckled, tapping his nose. He only mumbled a response, turning red from not anger anymore, but being called out for being so ditsy.

Sammy searched around the plane, under it, in the garage, nearby shrubbery, in the tool box, all over. However, to her surprise, she couldn't find it either. She put a paw on her hip, another under her chin, and hummed out loud in thought. "Do ya remember where you last had it, hon?"

Bently began to think, looking at his shoe.

"Mmm… I think… aaugh I can't deal with the noise!"

Sammy lifted an ear, hearing birds chirping.

"Bently, you're getting bent up over birds…!" she huffed. He mumbled again, this time, Sammy taking a few deep breaths and going to his side, making him sit on an old airplane wing that was discarded years ago. They both sat in silence before Sammy spoke up. "Bently… it isn't the tool or the birds that are the issue, right?"

He sighed. There was no getting past Sammy. She was clever, witful, smart, everything that was the same with those words. It was one of the many reasons he married her.

"... I've had a tough week…" he admitted. Sammy opened an arm, allowing him to lean into her side, tail wagging slowly from the comfort.

"Wanna talk then?" she offered. He stayed silent before going off. He told her about his hard week, from the smallest thing of his favorite rum out of stock to huge issues like the horizontal stabilizer no longer able to get fixed. She listened to him, nodding when he asked "you know why this makes me angry, right?" to being sympathetic when needed, even squeezing tighter when he began to whimper. When he finished his spiel, she let him still lay on him before sighing. "I'm sorry ya had a tough week, love."

"It's not your fault…" he told her.

"And… sorry for being short fused."

"Are ya still a wee bit short of a fuse?"

Chuckling, he thought a bit more before nodding in defeat.

"Yeah," he fizzled out like a light. Smiling, she let him stay comfy for a few moments more before ever so carefully making two of her fingers raise like legs and walk on his side.

Bently, almost immediately, yelped and snorted out before looking at Sammy with wide eyes. "S-Sam not again!"

"Whaat? Ya need this, ya know it!"

Without any offer to let him talk more, she squeezed at his side, making him squeal out in a fit of snorts and laughter. He tried turning away, but that just left his other side vulnerable, asking for more squeezes. "I'm coming in from the left flank to the right side! Do ya copy, sir?" she teased gingerly. It made the whole tickling worse, Bently blushing greatly.

"Sahahahahaaam!! Stahaaahahahap!!"

"Aww why? Still not feeling right as rain yet? I'm doin' my best!"

"Nohohooo!! Stop tii-EEHEEHEEE!!!"

She had found a sweet spot!! Well she always knew it was there, she knew about it since their first date. But right under the chin was a bad spot for him because the only instinct he could do for that was to hug the one tickling him and that's what his arms did.

He pulled her closer by instinctively accident, making her able to blow a raspberry right under his chin. His roaring belly laughter in her ear made her smile like it was a new sun rise.

"AAAAAGYAAHAHAAHAAA!! S-SAAHAHAHAMMEEHEEHEEE!! NO MOHOHOOORE!!!"

"Why? Ya pulled me in! Must mean ya love this!"

Another raspberry was enough to send him over the edge. When he laughed out the final vibrations, he turned quickly, making her on the bottom now. She gasped… laughed and clapped with a smile. "Well played! Alright, I think I should-"

"Have your turn?" he sadistically smiled. She gasped and was about to convince her way out of it, as she did as most situations, but it was too late already. He dug his big fingers into her dainty ribs, making her squeak and yip away.

"Eeheeheehee!! Behehen-eeheeheehee!!"

She ended the plead with a short, though not as comically large as her husband's. Another reason why he fell in love with her; her adorable dainty snort. It made him swoon. But he had a mission to do first. Responding to her previous tea, he glided her jacket up by just a smidge.

"I copy, Mrs. Sammy…! Dropping the load now…!" he cackled. She screamed out before it even happened, and screamed again when it did. He blew a wet, sloppy, messy, huge raspberry over her belly, making it quiver and shake as she went berserk in snorts, laughter, and more yips.

"BENTLEEHEEHEEHEEHEEE!! I'M GOHOHOHONNAAHAHAHA GET YAHAHAHAHAHAA FOR THIHIHIHIHIIIS!!!"

"Oh yeah? How's you going to do that?" he inquired. "You gonna try to get me back? Is that right?"

He squeezed at her sides, making her squeal like he did, her legs kicking and flailing under him. Seeing that a tear started to trail down, he stopped, letting her go. She wheezed and coughed, but smiled nonetheless.. Bently put her on his lap to let her rest, which she greatly appreciated and wagged her tail in response. "I love you, Sammy…" She giggled at that and turned to face him.

"I love ya t-your torque wrench!!"

"... You love my torque wrench?" he asked, ears lowering.

"No, hon! It was in your back pocket!"

She reached behind and took it out, showing him. He looked stunned… then angry….then shocked… then happy.

"My torque wrench!! Oh thank go-..."

He stopped mid-sentence, looking at it.

"... Is it not your wrench?" she wondered.

"Nah," he shook his head. "I-I mean it is! Just… I'll fix the plane later."

He put it down, leaned to Sammy and kissed her forehead. "You're more important."

"Oh gummy bear…" she held his cheek and kissed his lips in return. This is why she married him back.

#cuphead #cuphead dlc #cuphead delicious last course #cuphead howling aces

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litelysimping · 3 years ago

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Everyone's writing Doc Ock/Reader fanfics, so I tried my hand at it too! This is kinda like a mix of various versions, like its not just the comic version or the movie version, its elements from a bunch of different versions smushed into one.

It's also very not worksafe! Very mild dubcon (like, you're both into it, just unfortunate circumstances)

Assistance, Please

“Yes sir, right away!” You scurried over to the toolbox, digging through it before pulling out the specific wrench your boss had asked for. Just as quickly as you had left, you were back by his side, handing the instrument to a mechanical arm. “One torque wrench, Doctor Octavius!”

He gave you a curt nod and a quick acknowledgment of thanks, before going back to work. He couldn’t see the smile you gave him.

You had been assisting the supervillain known as “Doctor Octopus” in his work for roughly a month. You ran errands for him, brought him tools that were out of reach, cooked meals for him when he lost track of time. You were paid decently enough, and you enjoyed his company. Some would say you enjoyed his company too much, but you paid them no mind.

It was nice. Though he could be smug, prideful, and overly complicated, he seemed to have warmed up to you. At least, to where he treated you more like a colleague and less like a trained monkey. Still, he had softened considerably, and it made your job much easier. It helped that you certainly found him easy on the eyes.

A loud clang snapped you out of your thoughts, turning quickly to look in the direction the sound came from.

“Damn! Dropped it again.” Otto swore under his breath, a tentacle swiftly picked up the wrench and handed it back to him.

Truth be told, you were worried about your boss. He had been making more and more mistakes on his work, as if he could barely focus. You had tried to ask him what was wrong, but he had brushed you off and said not to worry, that it was nothing to concern yourself over. Still, you couldn’t help it.

You focused your attention on the project he had given you. It wasn’t as complex as the machinery he was working with, but it was still important to have his files organized how he liked them. Your job was going smoothly, until you felt one of his long arms wrap around your waist, pulling you up and out of your chair and towards Doctor Octavius.

“Something wrong, sir?” You asked, and his head shot up, looking over at you in surprise.

“That’s odd, I didn’t ask them to bring you over here. What’s going on?” He asked, more to himself than to you.

The two of you received an answer when you were lifted into the air, your clothes ripped from your body by a claw. You watched in disbelief as another carefully pulled down Otto’s zipper, delicately relieving him of his pants and underwear.

“Come on, that’s not fair!” You protested, trying to cover your body up as best you could.

“I’m not exactly in control here. There must be something wrong with the A.I.” Doctor Octavius reminded you, his shirt being gracefully unbuttoned as he spoke. Soon, he was as unclothed as you.

“I know, but-“ Your train of thought was derailed as the arm holding you lifted you into the air again, this time, however, it practically slammed your naked body into Otto. Your face was squished against his chest, soft and warm.

Otto blushed deeply, though he tried his best to hide it, as it dawned on him exactly what was going on. The arms moved you again, two wrapped around your legs, pulling them apart from each other as you were lowered back down on Otto, much more gently this time, and were placed in such a way that you were left sitting on his lap.

You could feel his cock beneath you, already hard and rubbing between your thighs.

“I-I think I know what they want, sir. You’re not gonna like this, but I think they want us to-“

“I know. Just… just let it happen.” He exhaled. His mouth was so close to your ear, you could practically feel his breath, and you tried not to shiver.

Otto’s hands went to your hips, fingers pressing tightly against you as he, with some added help from his extra appendages, lifted you up.

“Let’s just get this over with, I have work to do.” Otto said coldly, and you nodded. While you were nervous, most would be nervous being mere inches from their boss penetrating them, there was a part of you excited. Your excitement was practically dripping on him.

A sigh escaped his lips as he lowered you down on him, sinking his cock into your depths. He slid in easily, and it wasn’t long before you had taken all of him. He stilled, holding you against him.

“Doctor…”

“Just call me Otto, okay? I think we’re past formalities at this point.”

“Otto, I, well… you can move if you want.” It felt so awkward getting the words out. Sure, you had fantasized about him a few times, but actually being with him, feeling him inside you, was entirely different from a mere fantasy.

You could feel him shift underneath you, but his first thrust upwards still caught you off guard. Almost instinctively, your arms wrapped around his shoulders, holding him close.

He chuckled, and moved his arms upward, wrapping them around your waist in return.

“It’s alright. The faster we finish, the faster they might let us get back to doing our jobs.”

You nodded, trying to ignore the way he felt. Not just inside of you, but his chest, his back, his shoulders, everything your hands came in contact with just felt almost electrifying. You bit your lip, trying to keep quiet.

And then your boss made a small, almost quiet noise that broke your composure. One little whimper from him was all it took. You weren’t going to hold anything back anymore.

“Ah! Otto, you feel so good! Please, don’t stop!” Your begging came out in a quivering tone, your nails dug into his back. “It’s just like I imagined!”

“What was that?” He stopped, holding you still on his lap. “Has my little assistant been harboring… feelings for me?”

You shook your head, though you didn’t exactly deny it either. “It-It’s perfectly normal!”

One of his claws tilted your chin up, and Otto locked eyes with you.

“I can’t blame you or hold it against you. It is perfectly normal to want someone of my intellect.” His voice lowered, and he leaned forward, until his lips were practically touching your ear. “Besides, I’ve wanted you since the moment you first stepped foot in my lab.”

Goosebumps formed on your skin as a shudder ran through your body.

He sped up again, fucking upwards and hitting spots inside you that had you almost seeing stars. “In fact… I have a theory that my arms were working for my benefit! I’ve been so… so distracted thinking about you lately, it’s affected my work.”

His words barely reached you. Your climax was fast approaching, his arms gripping you and moving you on him, letting him use you practically like a toy. As your body was at his mercy, your legs wrapped around his waist, stabilizing yourself and holding him close.

“I can’t… I can’t pull out if you do that.” Otto muttered, though he seemed barely concerned, the words merely an empty gesture as he chased his own orgasm.

You held him tighter, barely able to string together even a single sentence as your tension built up inside. So you didn’t say another word. Instead, you kissed him, locking your lips with his and losing yourself as it finally hit you, your climatic feelings bursting forth around his cock.

His arms continued to treat you like a prop, and it wasn’t long after you finished that they quickened, until soon you were held down tightly against Doctor Octavius. His moans reverberated against your mouth when he came, filling you with his seed.

Your kiss broke as his mechanical arms retracted, releasing you and allowing you to collapse against his chest. You could hear his heartbeat slow from a frantic pace back to normal speed.

The two of you sat like that for several minutes, the sweat cooling on your bodies.

“That was… quite an unusual experience, but not a particularly unwelcome one either.” Otto confessed, his shaky hands lifted you off his softening cock, setting you down on his legs.

“I never would’ve thought this would be how you’d find out I have a thing for you, Otto. I never thought you would find out at all.”

A claw stroked your hair gently, you leaned into, welcoming his touch. Otto kissed you again, softly, this time.

“Stay with me for just a while longer, won’t you? My dear assistant.”

#doctor octopus #doc ock #otto octavius #otto octavius x reader #spider-man #marvel #not worksafe #fanfics #lmao this was supposed to be short but wound up like 1.4k #Lite Work

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dragons-bones · 3 years ago

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FFXIV Write Entry #9: Hostage Situation

Prompt: friable || Master Post || On AO3

Important context contained in THIS fill from last year’s FFXIV Write. :3

Alisaie hummed tunelessly under her breath as she and her twin steadied a piece of airship engine suspended from a pulley in a corner of the main Ironworks hangar, allowing one of Wedge’s assistants to shove a sawhorse beneath it and the section to be lowered down with a solid thud. Engineering wasn’t her forte, but there was something soothing in the physical labor required that allowed her mind to quiet down and focus, and satisfaction at the grease getting under her fingernails. Grudgingly, she had to admit Alphinaud had had a good idea in dragging her with him to the Ironworks when she had complained of boredom; Wedge certainly had been more than happy to put them to work, and he and his assistants were thorough but patient in directing them where to use a torque wrench or a screwdriver, or how to safely leverage an airship engine into pieces for easy repair.

Sometimes, uneventful could be positive.

“CIDOLFUS GARLOND GET BACK HERE WITH THAT!”

…Never mind.

Alisaie jerked her head up at the roar, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Alphinaud do the same, but neither Wedge nor his underlings so much as blinked. The twins both swung their gazes around, and saw Cid pelt full tilt through the hangar entrance, a manic grin on his face and something clutched in one hand. In seconds, he had reached one of the ladders up to the upper metal gangway, hauling himself up two steps at a time.

Hot on his heels came Synnove and Nero, wearing identical expressions of affronted outrage. As Cid reached the gangway, the pair reached the bottom of the ladder he had climbed; in a move that to Alisaie’s eyes had to have been practiced (or at least spoke loudly about how comfortable they were with one another beyond what they were willing to admit), Synnove set her foot into Nero’s cupped hands, allowing the Garlean to launch her high into the air and grab a rung nearly halfway up the ladder. Nero began climbing nearly as soon as Synnove was airborne, and the two scrambled up and onto the gangway, darting after Cid and shouting curses at him.

“Must be a day ending in ‘Y,’” Wedge muttered, and Alisaie glanced over her shoulder to see him shake his head while picking up a welding torch and snapping his head forward to bring down the heavy mask that had been perched atop it. She was already getting her tinted goggles down onto her face as he barked out, “Eyes!”

The entire engineering crew pulled down their goggles, and the painfully bright blue flame of a ceruleum gas torch lit up their corner of the hangar.

Alphinaud came to stand next to her as Wedge finished his weld, turning off the torch and calling out, “Clear!” The both pushed their goggles up, and tracked the progress of Synnove and Nero’s chasing of Cid; the shouting had yet to cease, and consisted entirely of insults and questions of the marital status of Cid’s parents at the time of his birth in increasingly colorful ways.

This felt awfully familiar.

“Are you having Studium flashbacks?” Alisaie said.

“…Now that you mention it, I am,” her brother replied.

Eventually, it appeared that Synnove and Nero had successfully cornered Cid—right up until Cid stuck out his arm over the side of the gangway, dangling whatever it was in his hand far above the cerment floor. The enraged Highlander and Garlean both skidded to a halt.

“Cid, you heathen, don’t you dare!” Nero’s bellow echoed through the whole hangar.

“Not even Rammbroes can get more!” Synnove’s horrified yell rang out.

“Oooooooh,” Alisaie murmured, settling her hands on her hips. “He’s threatening the Fedarloh. Well played, Cid, well played.”

“That is exceptionally ridiculous,” Alphinaud sighed, crossing his arms and shaking his head. “I know Synnove has near an entire pallet’s worth stashed at the Gate, the Stones, her house, Borel Manor…”

She glanced over at her twin and smirked. “Spoken like someone who’s never had his supply of egret feathers threatened.”

“Don’t you dare.”

“Goose is perfectly acceptable for your theorem quills.”

“No they are not!” her brother hissed.

Cid, meanwhile, was calling out, “We do the upgrades my way and the chalk doesn’t end up dust. Weren’t you saying this was the last of the blue?” His shite-eating grin was practically audible, and he shook the box of Fedarloh Fulltouch Chalk for emphasis.

Synnove and Nero spun around, heads together and shoulders obviously hunched even from this distance as they conferred with one another. Finally, they slumped, and turned to face Cid.

“Fine!” Synnove said, tone bitter. “We’ll do it your way for now! But don’t come crying to us when the interocitors overheat and fry the circuitry!”

“You say that like that hasn’t been taken into account,” Cid snickered, and tossed the box underhand towards them.

Nero yelped and lunged over the side of the gangway to catch it, kept from going over entirely by Synnove fisting both hands in the back of his doublet. They both heaved sighs as relief once the box was safely in Nero’s hands, then glared at Cid as he sauntered by them, making for the nearest ladder down to the floor. As he began to climb, Synnove hauled Nero upright, and the pair put their heads together again as the Garlean popped open the box to begin accounting for all of the chalk.

“I don’t know whether it’s comforting or horrifying that some of the realm’s greatest heroes can be this petty,” Alisaie said fondly.

“Yes,” Alphinaud said.

“At least Nero and Synnove use something reasonable for their drafting,” Wedge said over the clanging of a hammer. “The boss refuses to use anything except those fancy felt-tip inks we used to smuggle special from the Academy.”

Alisaie and her brother exchanged horrified looks, then turned to Wedge. “He uses permanent ink to draft?” Alisaie said, aghast.

“So much about Jessie’s tyranny makes sense now,” Alphinaud muttered, shuddering.

Wedge nodded, and set down his hammer in favor of the welding torch again. “Eyes!”

And down went the goggles again. Cid’s faint chuckling could be heard over the roar of the torch as he strode out of the hangar behind them.

#ffxivwrite2021 #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv #alisaie leveilleur #alphinaud leveilleur #wedge #cid garlond #nero scaeva #oc: synnove greywolfe #dt's writing #because i needed to let cid get the best of nero and synnove one of these ffxivwrites after all #also i included a /very/ nerdy reference in here #and if you can find it you get cookies

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wiypt-writes · 3 years ago

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Too Loose And You’ll Lose It

Ch9: Lebanon, Lebagone

Co-written with @icanfeelastormbrewing

Summary: A few months post their reconciliation, Jake and Stella run a mission with the rest of the team…

Pairing: Jake Jensen x OFC Stella Stevenson

Warnings: Bad language, Smut (NSFW, 18+)

Word Count: 8k ish.

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. We do not own any characters in this series bar Stella Stevenson and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

A/N: So the mission detailed here was highly inspired by the second book in the Grey Man series. Locations and a few major details are changed, and the names are completely made up. The Terrorist/Political party- The Lebanese Freedom Party, does not to our knowledge actually exist.

Too Loose And You’ll Lose It Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 8

“Alright, let’s get in position before daylight hits.” Clay looked around as they walked down the narrow alleyway.

“Roger that.” Stella nodded as Cougar replied with a tip of his hat to show he had heard, Pooch also inclining his head.

The four of them stopped by a door to their right, Stella pulling the tool from her utility belt which was fastened around the waistband of her camo pants. She picked the lock in under thirty seconds, a simple job that required a little bit of jiggling, twisting and a good jerk with the torque wrench Cougar was holding to defeat.

“Not particularly high security considering this was a bank.” She mumbled as behind her Cougar chuckled.

Inside it was pitch black, dust rose in clouds, shimmering in the moonlight, which was streaking through the dirty arched windows. Both of them flipped out their flashlights, quickly scanning the room for any sign that someone had been here recently, but there was none.

They crossed quietly and quickly through the main atrium of the old building, taking care to keep to the shadows. The old bank was completely deserted bar a few desks and old telephones which sported thick layers of dust as they moved through, heading for the spiral staircase at the far side.

“We’re clear.” Pooch said as he looked up to the top of the staircase. “This place hasn’t been accessed for years.”

“Lima Six, anything to report?” Clay spoke into his radio and a moment later Jensen replied.

“Nothing on the comms, they’re talking about moving Kilo One out at the time we suspected but it could be a rouse to make sure…but Lima Two knows the code-word should they decide to go early.”

“Okay, as soon as you get movement let me know.”

“Ten-four, One.”

“Okay, let’s get set up.” Clay instructed and the team nodded in agreement as they all set about, placing various pieces of equipment around the place exactly where it needed to be for when their target and his security detail, in which Roque had embedded himself undercover, came storming into the pre-designated building, seeking refuge from an attack outside.

It took them roughly an hour to set up completely, things having to be precisely as Pooch directed. Eventually, when he was happy, they climbed the staircase at the back of the room. Four sets of eyes swept the square below. It was deserted, as was to be expected at such an early hour in the morning.

Stella scanned the buildings, nevertheless, her eyes sharp, looking for any sign of movement around the whitewashed and pebble-dashed sandstone that they had grown accustomed to seeing over the last three weeks or so they’d been in Nabatieh, Lebanon.

“So Khalil should be coming from there.” Pooch raised his arm and pointed to a small road to the right. “The plan is we lay down some fire by his bodyguards as he approaches the podium, and force them to take shelter in the bank, as led nicely by Roque.”

“Why do we want this guy alive so badly, anyway?” Stella mumbled to herself. “If he’s such a bastard, why don’t we just kill him? He’s a terrorist leader.”

“The Lebanese Freedom Party ain’t deemed terrorists all over the world.” Pooch grinned and Stella snorted. “Russia views them as a legitimate socio-political force.”

“Russia basically executes people for being gay” She scoffed. “Forgive me for not taking their viewpoint here as the one to set my moral compass against.” She sighed. “Cougs could take one shot, straight in the head. Boom. Job done.”

Cougar chuckled as he unloaded his rifle and stand, looking up at Clay. “She’s not wrong, Boss.”

“Whilst wiping that particular shit stain off the face of the earth might be appealing, they ain’t our orders. We apprehend alive.” Clay spoke, matter of factly and Stella rolled her eyes.

“Whatever helps us sleep at night, huh?”

****

Stella had to hand it to their Intel department. The start of the hit went like clockwork. At bang on the designated time, Jensen radioed in to say that they were moving out and sure enough, twenty minutes or so later he accounted the SUVs and jeeps had left the compound. He joined the rest of the team little over half an hour later, leaving the dirty van he had been driving hidden down a dark alleyway at the back of the bank, behind the one the rest of the team had arrived in and headed into the dank building, wrinkling his nose at the musty air as he walked in.

“Hey.” He greeted Stella, his hand falling to her shoulder as she sat in the back, her attention focussed through the window, a pair of binoculars raised to her eyes.

“Hey.” She whispered back, her gaze flicking to him quickly, flashing him a smile as she turned back to her spotting.

“So I picked up on their coms that they think Khalil’s personal security have done a sweep of the area.” Jensen looked at them. “Roques done his job nicely. They should be entering the square from the South West corner.”

“ETA?” Clay turned to him.

“Less than five minutes.”

“Excellent.” Clay nodded. “So far so good.”

The next five minutes or so passed in silence, all five of the Officers in the room observing the roads leading to the square just in case. Even though their intel was solid, it was drilled into them that they should never rely on it completely.

“Boss,” Cougar spoke suddenly, his shoulders squaring back, “target approaching. Roughly two miles out.”

“Fuck, I got something coming too from the North East.” Pooch groaned.

“What?” Clay demanded.

“I dunno but it looks suspiciously like an ARV.”

“An ARV?” Clay frowned.

“Yup. They’ve stopped. Six hundred yards out.”

“What do you mean they’ve stopped?” Jensen demanded, snatching the binoculars off him.

“What the fuck do you think I mean?” Pooch replied. “They’re not moving.”

“What the fuck is going on?” Stella growled and Clay took the binoculars off Jensen. She watched as Clay took a look before he sighed heavily and dropped his head.

“It’s the Lebanese Special Service. I recognise one of them from a mission a while back.”

“What the hell are they doing here?”

“I should have seen this coming.” Clay bit his lip. “They’re going to hit him at the rally. The false trail we leaked to them means they think we’re moving on him as he makes his way out of town and up to Beirut. They’re going to get in first.”

“It’s a double cross.” Stella looked at Jake and Pooch as she spoke, the pair of them exchanging a look before all eyes bar Cougar’s, which remained firmly fixed on his target, turned to Clay. “Why?”

“Death to the West and all that.” Clay sniffed. “They’re gonna take him out and try and use USA involvement as cover.”

“Don’t they realise that won’t work?” Stella shook her head. “We’re Black Ops, the thick fuckers. As soon as there’s so much of a sniff that shit is going west, the CIA will leave us high and dry, denying they had anything to do with it.”

“So what’s Plan B?” Pooch turned to look Clay. “I’m hoping you got a Plan B, because Plan A is going to shit.”

“Kilo one still approaching.” Cougar stated.

“You got anything special in your arsenal?” Clay turned to Pooch. “As in blow up an ARV special?”

Pooch blinked. “Yeah, the RPG but…”

“Go get it.” Clay instructed.

Pooch didn’t hesitate, he shot off down the stairs and Stella watched him go before she turned her attention back to the large square, which was roughly the size of two football pitches, busy with people bustling about their everyday business.

“If we get this wrong, the whole square is gonna be caught up in a fucking gun fight,” Stella spoke, her eyes falling on a group of kids in the middle.

There was a pause before Clay spoke again. “Khalil is our main objective; we just need to keep collateral to a minimum.”

Collateral. Stella hated that fucking word. She swallowed and looked at Jensen who gave her a small smile, which she returned before she glanced back at the square.

“One mile out.” Cougar informed.

“Okay,” Clay spoke, clapping his hands together. “Pooch, as soon as the LSS move, you shoot that RPG straight at the fuckers.”

“Gladly.” He nodded, “But, chances are if they’ve got an ARV out there then they’ll already have agents on the ground.”

“It doesn’t matter, all we gotta do is get a shot off first. Once that initial gun crack is heard, Khalil’s security outfit are gonna herd him in here anyway. And hopefully, when the LSS get note their vehicle has gone bang it’ll draw them into blowing cover somehow.” Clay nodded. “At least then we’ll be able to spot where they are.” He took a deep breath. “Cougar, keep watch on Khalil. As soon as you get a viable opportunity to lay down the fire, take it.”

Cougs, who hadn’t taken his eye away from the target sight of his gun simply tipped the brim of his hat again with his finger to show he had understood and Clay turned to the other three of them as they waited instructions.

“What about Roque?” Stella asked. “He doesn’t know about the LSS.”

“He’ll roll with the punches.” Clay rubbed his hand over his chin. “Everyone clear?”

“Clear as, boss, it’s a shoot-out.” Jensen snorted, nodding his head as he gave a chuckle. “Good times.”

“If this is your idea of a good time then I’d hate to see a bad one.” Pooch grumbled and Stella gave a chuckle.

“Hey, Poochy, I just like to see the positive in all aspects of life.” Jensen grinned, holding his hands out to the side, palms up. “You’re just grumpy because Jolene’s finally managed to…ouch!” Jensen gave a yelp as Stella punched him hard on the arm. “What was that for, babe?”

Stella shot him a look which instantly shut him up. Pooch had confided in her, Cougar and Jensen no less than two days ago that Jolene was four months pregnant, but he didn’t want to tell Clay or Roque for reasons that he was keeping to himself, as per his prerogative, she supposed. It had made her and Jensen snort a little, as when Aubrey had found out she was pregnant roughly five months or so ago, the entire world had known pretty much before the pee was dry on the test stick. Jensen’s eyes widened as he realised exactly what he’d been about to say and he grimaced, before turning to Pooch, giving him an apologetic look.

“Kilo One is approaching the square.” Cougar spoke, and they all turned their attention to him, stepping forward to the window, Clay observing their surroundings with the binoculars.

“Okay, focus up Losers.” Clay hushed them all, gesturing to Pooch. “Get ready with that RPG”

Pooch shot Jensen one final filthy glare before he stepped forward, resting the grenade launcher on his shoulder.

“Arty, Jensen, in position.” Clay instructed. “Coms on, code names only.”

They both nodded, Stel picking up a device that had been in Pooch’s big bag of tricks, and made their way back to the spiral staircase.

And then, it all happened at once. Clay gave the order to fire and both Pooch and Cougar took their shots at the same time. The popping of guns, sounds of screaming and yelling and a rather large explosion followed by Pooch’s loud chuckles of glee hit their ears and Jensen looked at Stella as they waited at the top of the stairs.

“I really shouldn’t enjoy this as much as I should.” He grinned, and Stella snorted as suddenly the room below them was full of voices, once of which the recognised instantly as Roque. From their extensive planning, Sella knew that they would likely hustle into the room in a tight cordon, with Khalil in the middle and head to the most secure part of the building, the vault. They had no idea how many of the guard had made it into the building with Khalid, but essentially it didn’t matter. The Losers were one step ahead.

As soon as the group made their way towards the main part of the atrium, through the open double doors which led through the cashier area, Jensen grinned at Stella.

“Hit it, babe!”

Stella smirked as she pushed the button on the device she held in her hand. The large electromagnets that had been placed on the locks snapped into place, firing the four inch thick steel bolts into their slots, securing them tightly, ensuring no one could get out, and no one else could get in. Yells of warnings rang out about the place as the guards instantly wheeled round, their guns raised and Roque’s eyes flickered upwards to where they were hidden on the veranda above. Jensen raised his right hand, his index and middle finger extended and he waved them across his face, indicating that their next move was about to go down. Roque made no sign he’d seen them, bar a quick double-blink.

“I’m sorry, pal.” Jensen grimaced a little as he ducked down and lifted a heavy square box off the floor, flipping the plastic cover up, jamming his thumb onto the red button. “Lima Two is about to deploy, please return to your seats and cover your ears.” He spoke into his coms, giving the rest of the team a warning. As soon as the device beeped to say it was charged, Jensen launched it over the side of the railing where it fell onto the floor below. As soon as it left his hands, he and Stella ducked down, their fingers jammed in their ears, eyes scrunched shut as the device activated.

Referred to merely by Pooch as the S-Fud- ‘Sensory Fuck-Up Device’, the item had been developed by the boffins in the CIA lab to create complete optical and aural disorientation by using ultra violet and bright white lights and a loud, high pitched sound and sonic wave. Even with his eyes screwed shut, the flash of light still bounced off all the surfaces surrounding Jensen, and the hands which were clamped over his ears might have dimmed the majority of the loud wailing siren, which lasted no more than two seconds, but the combination was still enough to leave him feeling slightly woozy as he stood to his feet, blinking furiously, his eyes feeling like he’d stared straight at the sun, his eardrums ringing as if he’d spent hours in a nightclub with music thumping in his ears. Besides him, Stella staggered to her feet and shook her head, pressing the heel of her palm to the space between her eyes. But they had no time to waste. Jake gently shook her shoulder and she nodded to show him she was okay. Together they made their way down the stairs as quickly as they could.

The S-Fud had done its job, all the men were incapacitated to some extent. As Stella’s eyes glanced around she quickly counted six men in total. Three, one of whom was Khalil, were completely unconscious, face down on the floor. Two more, including Roque, were writhing in pain, hand clutched over their ears, and one was attempting to stagger to his feet. In a flash, Stella had nailed him with a kick to the face, and he fell backwards with a thud, his nose shattering as her heel smashed straight into the bridge.

“Did you see that?” Jensen turned to the other three men who had joined them, all looking around the room. “My girl, she’s a bad ass chick.”

“Can you concentrate on the mission in hand for once and not your dick?” Pooch shook his head as Cougar hit the moving guard with the butt of his rifle, knocking him out.

“Your momma concentrated on my dick last night.” Jensen shot back and Pooch groaned.

“Seriously? Momma jokes, now?”

“Shut up.” Stella nudged Jake harshly with her elbow as she walked past, following Clay as they stepped over the unconscious guards, heading towards Roque as he groaned and lay curled up in the foetal position. Clay knelt down and reached out, loosening his tie and the top button of his dress shirt before patting him on the shoulder, as Stella did the same to their target.

“Okay, lets move.” Clay looked up. “Jensen, Pooch, you take Roque. I’ll get Khalil. Cougs, Arty, give us cover to the vehicle.”

The team all nodded, Jensen and Pooch stepping forward, each seizing Roque under his arms. They managed to get him to his feet, each supporting him, their arms round his back as his arms slumped over their shoulders. His feet staggered on the floor as he made an attempt to talk.

“We got you, buddy.” Jensen said softly. “You’ll be alright, just feel like you’ve got one hell of a hangover for a few hours.”

Meanwhile Clay had managed to hoist Khalil to his feet with Cougar’s help, the man a complete dead weight, which he allowed to slump against his right shoulder. With an almighty heave he ducked and then stood, using his legs to rise up fully, Khalil slung over him in a fireman’s lift, his arms dangling freely down Clay’s back.

Without another word, the team moved as quickly as they could to the dead-bolted doors where Stella reached into her pocket with one hand, whipping her pistol out with the other. She clicked the device, which unlocked the glass doors and they made their way across the atrium, the chaotic noises from outside growing louder as they approached the back door to the bank they’d used to enter. Stella flattened herself against one side of the wall to the right of the door as Cougar took aim with his rifle. He looked at her and nodded, and in a flash she reached out and yanked it open, Cougar darting through, rifle held in front of him.

“Clear.” He spoke and Stella moved to allow the rest of the team to step out into the alleyway, taking up the rear.

She spotted the man hiding in a doorway two down before Cougs even had chance to shout a warning. In a flash she fired pistol twice. The first shot hit the guy in the arm, causing him to drop his gun, the second in the knee and he fell to the floor, screaming in agony. Then came another, and another. As Stella and Cougar continued, Jensen, Pooch and Clay heaved their charges to the side of the van, ducking as shots rained down on them. Pooch wrenched open the door, and Jensen hopped into the back, hoisting Roque in as gently as he could, a sharp contrast to the way Clay simply slung Khalil unceremoniously into the back. As Pooch ran to the front and hopped into the driver side, Stella and Cougar both sprinted towards the van, flinging themselves in as the engine started. With a sharp tug, Clay pulled he door shut as Pooch started the engine.

Seconds later, the van roared back off up the alley, the crackle of gunfire from the square growing quieter and quieter as they put more distance between them and the danger. Pooch drove them out onto the main road, towards the point, some six miles or so away, where they would ditch the van and hop into two separate SUVs and make their way to the agreed Ex-fil point at Saida Port roughly a half an hour or so drive away.

Stella closed her eyes, resting her head against the cool metal of the van, watching as Pooch and Jensen hoisted Khalil into a sitting position, securing his wrists with flexi-restraints behind his back. Cougar was busy offering Roque some water, Stella pleased to see their teammate was finally starting to come round. She smiled as Jensen flopped down next to her, his arm looping round her shoulders as he pulled her to him for a soft kiss.

“I love working with you,” he grinned and she snorted, shaking her head as she chuckled.

“Yeah, we’re a regular nine-to-five couple, aint we?”

****

“Stel?” Jake called through the door of the bathroom of their temporary lodgings before he opened it and to be greeted by Stella led back in the bath, eyes closed. She turned her head to look at him. “I was gonna ask if you wanted head out with the guys for a beer and food but you look pretty comfortable.”

She pulled a face. “I’m feeling anti-social.” Jake laughed at her frank answer and smiled as she gave a small shrug. “Sorry, not sorry, but we spent four weeks in a hell hole motel and I’m extremely grateful Clay’s managed to get us holed up in a nice place and not the Officers’ Quarters on base so I intend to make the most of it.”

“Babes, we were both in the army.” He snorted. “Rocks for pillows and all that.”

“Yeah, well it’s been a while since I did that. What can I say? I’ve grown used to the finer things again.”

“Fair enough, I’ll let Clay know you hate them all and don’t want to socialise.” He teased.

“Jakey, we’re gonna be here for by my guess a week at least, plenty of time to go out sampling the finest bars the UK has to offer.” She shrugged, not bothered in the slightest by his teasing. “If you wanna go meet them, feel free. I’ll grab a take out. There were some leaflets pinned to the board in the kitchen.”

“Or…” Jake smirked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, “I stay here, because frankly, that bed looks really comfy and I kinda wanna test it. See how grossed out we can make Pooch.”

“Jerk.” Stella snorted.

“Well, he’s done nothing but complain since we got here about how he has to share this house with us and can’t go in with the others, so I wanna give him something to really complain about.”

“You’re such a little shit.” She laughed and Jake groaned.

“Don’t do that.”

“Do what? Laugh?”

“Yeah, it’s making your boobs wobble under the water, and that’s making me horny.”

“You’re always horny.”

“Hornier than usual.”

“Well, I can solve that problem.” She grinned and Jake smirked.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, turn around and shut the door on your way out.”

“Ouch, Stells.” Jake slapped his hand over his heart. “That’s cold.”

“Hmmm,” She muttered, laying her head back and closing her eyes again. “If you’re getting in here you better hurry, or the water will be cold too.”

Jake grinned and in a flash, reached back to grab a fist full of his t-shirt behind the collar and pulled it over his head. As his hands flew to the button on his jeans Stella nodded to the door.

“You better lock that, I know you said you wanted to gross Pooch out but if he walks in on us he’ll be scared for life.”

“And?”

Stella merely arched her brow, “No locky, no fucky.”

With that Jake spun on his heel and flicked the lock, before he turned round and shoved his pants and boxers down in one full swoop and swung his leg over the side of the tub. Stella moved forward so he could settle behind her, his legs laying either side of hers. It was a tight squeeze, the tub in the two bedroomed terraced house wasn’t built to accommodate two but neither paid it any mind.

Stella took a deep breath, closed her eyes and leaned back, her head laying against Jake’s chest as his hands softly rubbed up and down her forearms, his lips pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

They were silent for a while, the pair of them simply contented to stay there for a moment, relishing the peace after a long and tedious mission and the chance to relax for an evening before the debriefs and analysis started the next day in the War Rooms of the RAF Base in Suffolk, England. Often, the aftermath of a mission was more hard-going than the action itself. They’d hash over the events, listen to the CIA operative justify some of the more morally ambiguous decisions made, no doubt the ramifications and political fall-outs, be informed about how the CIA were going to play it and then they’d have to submit written reports, which would be Classified at the highest levels and stored in the top secret vaults in Virginia.

It was part and parcel of being in a black-ops team. They knew the script, having read and played it many a times before. But it was draining and exhausting, one of the many reasons Stella was glad that the actual missions they ran, whilst they could last months at a time, were on the large few and far between.

“You okay?” Jake broke the silence and pressed his lips once more to the back of her shoulder and Stella nodded, tilting her head round so she could look at him.

“I spoke to Rey before.”

“Yeah, how is she?”

“She said she felt the baby move for the first time.” Stella beamed.

“Oh, that’s awesome.” Jake grinned back, “are they gonna find out what they’re having?”

Stella snorted, “dur. You know what she’s like. She’ll want to decorate and buy it blue or pink clothes, plus if it’s a boy she’s got time to mentally prepare seeing as all she wants is a little girl to treat like a doll.”

Jake laughed. “Is it wrong I kinda hope it is a boy?”

Stella grinned. “Nope, I was thinking the same. She’s asked me to be with her when it’s born.”

“I’m not surprised.” Jake wrinkled his nose. “Dick’s gonna be about as much use as a knife in a gun fight.”

“Knives can be very useful in a gun fight, if you know how to use them.”

“Oooh I love it when you talk dirty, babe.” Jensen smirked and dropped his head to kiss her softly. His right hand moved from its spot on her arm to stroking her hip, tracing a path down the outside of her thigh. His fingers softly traced shapes on her warm, wet skin just to the side of her knee before he moved his touch up her leg again then across to her abdomen. Stella sighed against his mouth, as her head lolled to the right. Jensen’s mouth moved, trailing a line down her neck, nipping at the hinge of her jaw.

He was growing hard against her, Stella could feel it, and the way his fingers were ghosting over her made her skin tingle and her body shiver. "Jake," she whimpered. "Yeah, baby?" His fingers found the tuft of curls and then her nub. "You gonna sing for me, Stells?" He encircled her clit with his fingertip and drew back up. "Let me play that pussy?" “Fuck...” she groaned, leaning further back into him, her body sagging into his. She loved his dirty talk, being so in control for most of the time, she enjoyed letting herself go when it came to this. “Feels good, Jakey.” "Yeah? You like it when I touch you, feel my fingers inside? Stretching you for my dick?" He dipped two fingers inside, his thumb able to press into her sensitive clit. "Jesus, fuck," Stella gasped as he moved into her. The thickness of his fingers felt like she was on fire and had her silently begging his foreplay wasn't long. "So fucking wet already, babe." Jake was enjoying the feel of her on his fingers. It'd been a long while since he'd felt all of her and he hid his desperation well behind dirty words and filthy ministrations. His mouth moved down her neck, teeth gently nipping at her skin as he went, lips curling into a smirk as he listened to her softly groaning. Her hips moving in time with his hand as his fingers curled inside her. Water began to just teeter over the tubs edge but neither paid any mind. Stella's breathy pants bounced off of Jake's cheek as he watched himself finger fuck her. "I love it when you fuck my fingers, baby." "Oh God," Stella squeaked, for she was going to hit that edge and fall right over. The time between, the angst of their mission and Jake's mouth were nearing too much. "Jakey, please," she moaned. "Cum on my fingers, Stells, then I'm gonna fuck you, really...really... good." With each 'really' Jake barely rutted against Stella, just enough to tease her at what he wanted to do to her. He wanted to slide in, slow and deep, her body seated on top his, while he feasted on her nipples and neck. He wanted to be buried into her to the hilt and paint her walls with his seed. Stella came undone as her body quaked against his chest. With a breathy squeak she went rigid and her hand flew from the side of the tub, wrapping around is wrist as she came, her walls clamping around his fingers "Fuck, Stella, turn around baby, sit on my lap." She was as languid as the water around them, her body drowning in ecstasy as Jake helped her turn in the small space. His fully erect and throbbing cock stood at attention, his head just above the water’s surface. He guided Stella just where he wanted her and slowly dipped inside her still trembling walls. The sensation was more than Stella had bargained for and she moaned out loudly as she sank into him. "That's it baby, let them hear you" Jake bucked a bit into her, closing the gap that Stella was slowly shortening, his cock fully inside her and he moaned himself. She felt so good, so tight. Like there was no one else made for him but her. The thought gave him a flutter deep in his belly. She was his, and would be forever, if she'd have him. Stella rolled her hips against his, grinding down the pressure on her sensitive clit while Jake's lips moved over her skin, nearing her pert nipples. His hands wove around her back, fingers pressing into her spine as he bobbed his hips up and down to meet with her rolls. It was a dirty grind, water sloshing out of the tub like waves licking the shore. When Jake found a nipple and rolled it between his lips, his tongue tasting her flesh and his teeth nipping at it, Stella tugged at the little bits of longer hair atop Jake's head as she squeaked out a pleasurable sound. One of Jake's large hands palmed down her back and over the curve of her ass, squeezing her cheek as she rocked all whilst he played with her breasts. The same hand soon found its way between their bodies and pressed hard into her clit before smoothing upward over her tummy and grasping her left breast, kneading it gently. The more he gave, the more she took and before long she was grinding down against him, her breathing ragged as he thrust up, hard, his hands dropping to her hips. “Come on baby,” he groaned as her head fell back, his lips nipping against her collar bone, “fuck, I love you.” “Love you.” She groaned as he thrust up, her hands curling over his shoulders, nails biting his skin. “Shit, Jakey, I’m gonna...” “Cum baby, come on.” His jaw clenched as her body trembled and her eyes fluttered closed, as she let out a broken, whispered groan. As she clenched around him, Jake gave a soft growl of his own, his hips moving slightly faster as he rutted up, pulling her down onto him. The coil in his abdomen that had been tightening and tightening snapped and his entire body surrendered, a surge of warmth spreading from his belly outwards and he stilled, his cock twitching as he came. A few sloppy thrusts later and he stilled with a satisfied him, his hands moving to smooth Stella’s damp hair back off her face as hers cupped his cheeks. She simply looked at him for a moment and he gave her a grin causing her to chuckle as she pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. “Jesus Christ, that was amazing.” Jensen mumbled and Stella grinned, her lips meeting his once more. They stayed still for a moment, soft kisses being shared until Stella shivered a little and Jake helped her move off him so he could get out of the tub and leave her to finish off. He grabbed a towel and his glasses from the basin unit before he dried off, gathered his discarded clothes and headed onto the small landing of the accommodation. Pooch, who was just emerging from the other bedroom shot him a look. “You better clean that damned bathroom before I use it.” He arched his eyebrow and Jensen grinned. “You’re like the best disgusting person I know.” Pooch continued with a snort before he nodded his head to the stairs. “Take it you’re two ain’t coming?” “Already came, Poochy.” Jensen grinned as he walked to their bedroom, laughing as the sounds of Pooch’s groans of disgust hit his ears.

****

Stella woke the next morning to a burning deep in her core and Jake’s face between her legs. Her orgasm roused her much better than any alarm or cup of coffee ever could and as Jake stuffed himself insider her, his mouth nipping softly at her neck, she smiled softly to herself as she realised he’d done this very thing the first morning they’d moved up to college together.

After pulling on her Army Uniform cargo pants, Stella tucked her khaki green tee into the waist and adjusted the belt before she sat down and laced up her heavy boots as Jake fiddled with the collar of his, complaining that it felt tight. When Stella pointed out he was slightly more built than he had been last time he wore it a good few months ago, he grinned and flexed his arms to give her the ‘gun show’ making her snort and shake her head.

They headed out of the house and walked the half a mile to the main gate of the base, flashing their ID and making their way to the Mess for breakfast where they met with the rest of the team, Pooch giving them another filthy look as their antics had continued beyond the bathroom and much later into the night. Once they’d finished eating, they each grabbed a coffee to go and headed down to the War Rooms - a network of conference rooms and IT facilities nestled in a bunker along the runway of the RAF Base - and settled down in the leather seats around the large, polished mahogany table ready for whoever it was from the CIA that would be arriving to give the debrief.

They’d been there for roughly half an hour or so and Jensen was already bored. He was messing around, twirling his pen in-between his fingers, the other tapping against the disposable coffee cup. After a pause, he took his pen and began to draw a face on the white plastic lid.

“What are you doing?” Stella looked at him, having caught his fiddling in the corner of her eye.

“I’m bored, Stelly,” his voice was a childish whine, “where is this guy anyway? We’ve been waiting here for like thirty minutes!”

“Just take the fucking pen off him, Arty.” Roque groaned. Stella reached over for it and snatched it away”

“Hey, that’s mine!”

“Jensen, shut up!” Roque shot back and Jensen turned to him.

“Why? It’s not like anyone is talking anyway.”

“You, you’re talking. As usual. Put a sock in it.” Roque turned to Stell as Clay stood up and walked to the door to see if anyone was coming. “How the fuck do you put up with this?”

“He has his mouth busy most of the time.” Stella quipped as she leaned back in the chair and Jensen gave her a dopey grin.

Both Roque and Pooch let out noises of disgust, Cougar’s chuckle just audible from the other side of the table where he lounged with his feet on the table and his hat pulled down over his eyes.

“Yeah, laugh all you want but next time it’s you sharing the digs with them.” Pooch looked at him. “I’m done.”

“Chill out.” Cougar replied and Pooch blinked.

“Did you just tell me to chill?”

Cougar smirked in response, tipping his hat up slightly to flash Pooch a wink.

“The Pooch is perfectly chilled.”

“The Pooch refers to himself in the third person,” Jensen shook his head, “that’s so not chill.”

“Oh…this just got even better.” Clay’s remark had them all turning towards him, the teasing banter dying off as Roque sat up.

“What?”

Clay simply walked into the room, rolling his eyes. Less than five seconds later, in walked a very familiar face.

“Oh great.” Jake mumbled as Stella blinked, coming face to face with her ex for the first time since he’d stormed out of her apartment all those months ago.

“Good Morning.” Evan greeted them all before he nodded to Stella, a little awkwardly. “Hey.”

“Evan, hi... what are you... what are you doing here?” She asked and Evan took a deep breath.

“It was my intel you guys were running down so I’m here for debrief.”

“That was your intel?” Pooch spoke and Evan nodded.

“Yeah, we’ve been tracking Khalil for a while and reached out to him a while ago to offer him a deal. He declined so we needed to bring him in.” Evan nodded. “His activities were giving us cause for concern, not to mention with the Russians behind him. We needed to make the grab before he got even more power behind his cause.”

Jake sensed Stella tensing slightly besides him and slid his hand over her thigh. Her fingers gently locked over his as she kept her gaze on Evan, who had spotted the subtle movement of Jake’s hand. He didn’t say anything, instead the man’s eyes flicked to Jake’s who simply stared back before Roque chipped in.

“So, we got the guy. Did he give you what you needed?”

“I can’t tell you that.” Evan replied, apologetically. “It’s classified, need to know basis.”

“In that case I don’t wanna know.” Pooch mumbled.

Stella’s mind was whirling. Truth be told, she’d started to think about exactly why they’d been dispatched to capture this particular guy alive, when his type were ten-a-penny all over the place. There was a lot more to it than the fact this guy’s ideologies didn’t fit with those of the Western World. And then, the final little piece dropped into place in her analytical brain and she turned her head to see Clay watching her.

“Did you know?” She asked.

Clay shook his head. “Suspected but…”

“Suspected what?” Jensen looked at Clay then Stella. “Babe?”

She took a deep breath. “There’s a reason why we were on a capture not kill mission. At first I assumed it was to do with not making him a martyr but then throwing him in prison would cause just as much unrest. But that unrest will die down when he’s released in a few months in exchange for his cooperation for details on his Russian backers and arms suppliers.”

The rest of the team looked at her, then to Evan who blinked, his face remaining stoic as Stella shook her head and continued.

“He then lets his supporters know that he and his friends in Russia had a disagreement and he was traded away. He retires to some island somewhere, under the careful watch of the UN and fades away into non-existence.”

There was silence and Evan took a deep breath, “it’s not quite as simple as that, Stel…Stevenson, but yeah, that’s pretty much the basics.”

“God, this is so fucking bent.” Stella shook her head. “It’s no wonder the entire world hates us.”

“You know, considering you technically work for the CIA and the Armed Forces, you kinda signed up for this.” Clay raised his eyebrow as Stella rolled her eyes.

“We tried to negotiate terms with him. He turned them down.” Evan replied, matter-of-factly. “So we sent you in to enforce them. The rest, as I stated a minute or so ago, you really don’t need to know.”

“Yeah, classified, we heard.” Clay replied, leaning back in his chair.

“Did you suspect the Lebanese Special Service would try a double cross?” Roque looked at Evan and the man shot him an apologetic look.

“It was always possible, yeah. But you know how it goes…”

Roque scoffed and Cougar shifted in his seat, Evan’s eyes flicking to him before he took a deep breath and shrugged.

“If it helps, think of the bigger picture. We remove their leader, cut off the Russian support, and suddenly the LFP is nothing more than an overhyped street gang...”

“Yeah, that doesn’t really help.” Jensen wrinkled his nose and Evan shrugged, not quite meeting his eyes.

“Well, that’s your opinion. Not ours.” He cleared his throat, “anyway, it’s done. The mission is over. For now, you guys need to lay low. We’ve cleared it with the RAF for you to stay in the area for a while until all the fuss about Khalil going missing has died down. We’ll be monitoring all the usual lines and channels of communication, making sure no one has your descriptions and doing what we can to keep your faces out of the public eye.” Evan paused. “But, I’m sure I don’t need to remind you what happens if we can’t.”

At that The Losers simply looked at one another. Evan was right, they didn’t need reminding. That was the whole point of the CIA running the number of Black-Ops teams it did. It gave them a way to do the slightly grey area dirty jobs and remain at arm’s length, denying all responsibility if required.

“Any idea on how long that’s gonna be?” Pooch asked.

“Probably be a week, maybe two. But once we’re confident we’re clear, we’ll send word and get you back to the US.” Evan replied.

“So what you’re saying is we got two weeks off?” Cougar spoke and Evan looked at him, giving a shrug.

Pooch grinned and fist bumped Cougar.

“Are you staying here too?” Jensen looked at Evan and he shook his head.

“Don’t worry, I’m flying back to Virginia tonight”

“I’m not really worried…” Jake shrugged. There was a moment where both men simply stared at each other until Clay coughed.

“Right, is there anything else?”

“Mission reports due as usual, next forty eight hours.” Evan turned his head away from Jensen and looked around the team. “I’ve arranged access into the Red Network from the hub on the base. Your liaison officer, Wing Commander Levinson, says he can set you guys up with time on the range or the phys- ops courses too, have you join their drills if you want. Might be an idea to keep yourselves sharp.”

Cougar, Pooch and Jake all groaned at the suggestion of the physical training whilst Roque and Stella looked at one another, nodding.

“Yeah, I can go for that.” Roque agreed.

“And that’s it, other than on behalf of the CIA I wanted to thank you, it was a slick operation. We’re really pleased with how this one turned out.”

The team exchanged looks and soft smiles, before Clay stood up.

“Okay, Losers. Let’s grab some more coffee and then we can regroup. Figure out what we do for the next two weeks.

Movement filled the room as they all stood to leave, and just as Stella had picked up her empty coffee cup, Evan cleared his throat.

“Stella, can I have a word?”

She hesitated and Jake turned to look at her. He opened his mouth to protest but she cut him off. “Jakey, it’s fine. Go, I’ll catch you up.”

He blinked, before he turned to Evan, the glare he gave him positively filthy before he turned and left the room. Evan and Stella stood still watching him go, before Stella turned to Evan, the man giving her a soft smile.

“You look well. Being happy suits you.” His tone carried no anger, and Stella found herself returning his smile before she sighed and shook her head.

“Listen Evan, I...”

“It’s okay Stella,” he spoke, holding his hand up, “I won’t keep you long. I just wanted to apologize. I was an asshole when you broke up with me.” Stella took a deep breath as he continued. “The way I acted and the things I said were horrible. My mother would be ashamed and I just ...” he shrugged. “I wanted to let you know I was sorry, that’s all.”

Slightly surprised at his outwardly contrite tone, Stella simply shook her head. “It’s okay. You were hurt. I hurt you.”

“Yeah you did but that doesn’t excuse the way I reacted. So, like I said, I’m sorry.” He smiled, gesturing with his hand to the door. “And I’m glad that you and Jake are, you know, making it work.”

As he spoke the final like, that tell-tale nerve in his jaw twitched a little and Stella knew that he wasn’t happy, at all. But, given that the rest of his apology had been genuine, she accepted the gesture for what it was.

“Thank you.” She gave a soft smile. “And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry too. I did like you Ev, it just…”

“It wasn’t meant to be.” He shrugged. “Yeah, I get that now. And hey, no hard feelings. If we hadn’t broken up I’d never have met Talia so…”

“Oh, you’re seeing someone?”

“Yeah.” Evan nodded. “It’s early days, we’ve had a few dates and been away for a weekend. She’s nice, I like her.”

“Good, well I hope it works out.” Stella smiled. There was a pause before she took a breath. “I better…” she jerked her hand towards the door and Evan nodded.

“Of course…”

“I’ll, erm, see you around, yeah?”

“Yeah, take care, Stella.”

“You too, Evan.”

With a final smile at one another, Stella left the room and headed back up the corridor. Jake was waiting outside for her, leaning against the wall of the building.

“All okay?” He asked and she nodded.

“Yeah.”

“What did he want?”

“To apologise for the way he acted when we broke up.” Stella shrugged. “That was it, oh, and he’s seeing someone else. Which is nice. I hope it works for him. He’s a good guy.”

Jensen made a non-committal noise in his throat and Stella looked at him. “Don’t start.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You don’t need to.” Stella rolled her eyes. “Stop.”

“Okay, okay, sorry. I just, well, I don’t know what it is but I still don’t trust him, never have. He’s shady.”

“He’s an intel officer for the CIA.” Stella scoffed, taking Jake’s hand. “We’re a Black-Ops team. Far more shady than he is.”

“Suppose.” Jensen sniffed, as the two of them walked down the side of the building. As they went, Jensen suddenly had a sense of unease. Almost as if they were being watched. He turned his head to glance over his shoulder, but found no one. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head, telling himself he was being ridiculous. They were on a secure Military Base, probably the safest place they could be given the circumstances.

“You okay?” Stella asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” he assured her, “so, the rest of The Losers are in the coffee shop. Pooch is already on his phone checking out local bars, fancy hitting a few tonight?”

“Why not?” Stell grinned up at him, leaning up to place a soft kiss to the underside of his jaw. Jake smiled, and pulled her closer as they headed off to join up with the rest of the team, casting a final glance over his shoulder, once more seeing nothing out of the ordinary.

**** Chapter 10

#too loose and you'll lose it #jake jensen #jake jensen x ofc #jake jensen x original female character #the losers #the losers fan fiction #jake jensen fanfiction #chris evans #chris evans characters

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mobilemechanicsabq · 4 years ago

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The Basics Behind Wheel Installation Services at Mobile Mechanics of Albuquerque

Car Wheel Installation-In-Store Service near Albuquerque NM: Wheels help support the weight of a vehicle and serve as a connection between the entire tire-wheel assembly and a vehicle’s axle. Wheels may be made from steel, aluminum, or alloy. Parts on a wheel include the rim, center bore, outboard face, and spokes. The rim is the part of the wheel that touches the tire. The empty space that allows the wheel to attach to the axle is the center bore. The outboard face looks outward when the wheel is installed on a vehicle, and spokes are rods that extend outward from a wheel’s center. Some manufacturers create different spoke designs for aesthetic appeal. Unlike tires, wheels are not created for surface contact. If a wheel comes into close contact with the surface of the road for too long, the wheel assembly can incur irreparable damage, thereby limiting the effectiveness of the entire tire-wheel assembly. Replacing wheels as needed is extremely important for your safety and the performance of your vehicle.

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If your current wheel is damaged beyond repair or you need assistance with the installation of a new wheel, allow our staff to help.Mobile Mechanics of Albuquerque, We can assist you in finding the right wheel for your tire-wheel assembly, and we can aid you with all your wheel purchase and installation questions and needs. Our staff understands not all wheels are right for all vehicles. When you are ready to begin the wheel purchasing process, Mobile Mechanics of Albuquerque,we can help you identify wheels with hub diameters that fit your vehicle’s axle. We will also assist you in finding wheels that have the correct bolt patterns for your vehicle. If you are in the market for a more striking wheel, we can help you with finding the right design. Whatever type of wheel you ultimately purchase, our dedicated and friendly staff is happy to help you with installation.

We proudly service the Wheel Purchase & Wheel Installation needs of customers in Albuquerque NM and surrounding areas.

What is a Wheel Alignment and Their 4 Main Benefits

Computerized Alignment DoylestownPeople know the term ‘wheel alignment’ and surely most people can figure out, in a general sense, what it is. Yet, most people don’t know what a wheel alignment actually is and why they are so important.

There are many clues to understanding when your wheels are out of alignment. The most obvious one is when you have to keep your steering wheel slightly (or more than slightly) turned in order to go straight down the road. You can also feel wobbling in the steering wheel as you drive the car. Other, less obvious signs include uneven or spotty wear on your tires or reduced fuel economy.

These are all important signs to pay attention to as the implications or driving without proper alignment can put a pretty serious dent in your wallet.

So What is a Wheel Alignment?

Car Wheel Installation-In-Store Service near Albuquerque NM: Simply put, a wheel alignment is the act of correcting the direction and overall position of the wheels so that they are all pointing in the same direction and resting flat on the ground. The car is put on a lift and sensors are placed on the rims of the wheels. The car is then slowly rolled forward on the lift, followed by a couple turns of the steering wheel. The rolling and turning motions are scanned by the digital alignment system and the results are collected and printed out for both the technician and customer. Once the issues are identified on the readout, your technician can make the necessary adjustments to get all your wheels in alignment. A second digital scan is performed to confirm that all the changes were made.

Why are Wheel Alignments So Important?

● Reduced Tire Wear

Wheels that are out of alignment causes the tires to wear unevenly. Looking at the graph above, you can see that camber issues, as an example, cause the tires to wear to one side of the tread. If left uncorrected, your tires will need to be replaced in half the time.

● Improved Handling

A car with wheels in proper alignment is safer and easier to drive. If your wheel pulls to one side and shakes, it is not only annoying but can affect your reaction time should you need to maneuver around hazards. Uneven tread wear also means compromised handling and tire performance. The treads cannot handle rain or short stopping nearly as well since it is relying on only a part of the tire tread.

● Better Gas Mileage

Friction is your car's worst enemy. The more friction created while a car is in motion, the harder your engine (and its parts) need to work to keep your car rolling. Looking at the graph again, if your tires have toe in/out issues, you can see how easily it is to lose a lot of efficiency to tires that are not in proper alignment. Better fuel efficiency can mean hundreds of dollars saved at the pump over time.

● Safer Driving

Most of this has already been covered in our previous points, such as tire performance issues, reaction time, etc. It is also important to cover other areas where safety can be improved.

Wheels that are out of alignment cause excess stress on suspension parts, such as shocks and struts. Your car is designed to take impact straight and when you hit bumps in the road, your car’s suspension is working overtime. Suspension issues can be identified during and a wheel alignment to check on worn or compromised parts. It is important to ask your mechanic if a suspension check is included with this service.

The experts at Mobile Mechanics of Albuquerquehave the very best in digital alignment technology and the skills to get you back on the road safe and sound. Their digital readouts are accurate and fast, so you don’t need to spend all day at the shop.

Talk to a service writer today about coming in for a digital alignment check or to add a comprehensive wheel alignment and suspension check to your next visit with our team.

Scheduling an appointment at Mobile Mechanics of Albuquerque has never been easier.

TIPS

Car Wheel Installation-In-Store Service near Albuquerque NM: Mounting a wheel seems simple enough. Pop it on, use a torque wrench to tighten the lug nuts, and you’re good to go. But this step is a lot more crucial than you think. You want to be sure the wheel is mounted correctly and maintained properly to increase safety at the wheel end. We have a few simple tips that can help you make sure your wheels are road-ready.

Making sure that your wheels are installed properly is crucial for your fleet, their safety, and the safety of the other drivers on the road. Having a wheel-off can be the outcome of a bad installation but can be easily avoided. Did you know: Common causes of wheel-offs include problems with fasteners or bearings. A failed bearing could be due to improper installation, over- or under-tightening, or a loss of lubricant. Wheel fasteners can become loose over time, especially if installed incorrectly. Some causes include excess rust, paint, or dirt that build up and cause a loss of clamping force on the wheel nuts. Keeping fasteners clean is vitally important in maintaining the force that keeps tires in place. Clamping force may also be reduced through incorrect torquing, tightening sequences, or routine torque checks.

COST

How much does it cost to put rims on a car?

Car Wheel Installation-In-Store Service near Albuquerque NM: Most typical your cost would be between $150 and $400 per rim on a set of pretty cool wheels.

Expect to pay: $90 to $150 for the most complicated vehicles (think Mercedes AMG for the top of the price range).

Yes, you really should get an alignment with those new tires. Consider the long-term cost of not getting the alignment when you really need one: a misaligned car burns through tires much faster, meaning you will be right back where you started in as little as half the time you should be. Furthermore, riding on a misaligned car can wear out your suspension faster and makes for an uncomfortable ride. Alignment is a smart, safe long-term investment.

We’d pay: $90. That is pretty standard for an ordinary passenger car. The higher end is for vehicles with specific needs.

Fortunately for you, few tire and auto service centers make a killing from installing car tires. Most of their income comes by way of more detailed work. That’s not to say that replacing a tire is something that just anyone can do. A fully capable auto repair shop should be equipped with expensive machinery necessary to remove your old tire from its rim and the installation of its replacement. In addition to that, there are balancing machines that ensure your tire spins smoothly on the road. But the actual physical act of replacing a single tire isn’t that time consuming. Therefore most shops only tack on a minimal charge.

For installation and balancing, you can expect to pay anywhere from $20 to $35 per tire. By taking your vehicle into a wholesale club store like Costco, you can actually get out the door for even less. And in most cases, the costs include free rotation services and a road-hazard warranty to offer protection against future flats and accidental damage.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why is Proper Wheel Installation Important?

Car Wheel Installation-In-Store Service near Albuquerque NM: Making sure that your wheels are installed properly is crucial for your fleet, their safety, and the safety of the other drivers on the road. Having a wheel-off can be the outcome of a bad installation but can be easily avoided. Did you know: Common causes of wheel-offs include problems with fasteners or bearings. A failed bearing could be due to improper installation, over- or under-tightening, or a loss of lubricant. Wheel fasteners can become loose over time, especially if installed incorrectly. Some causes include excess rust, paint, or dirt that build up and cause a loss of clamping force on the wheel nuts. Keeping fasteners clean is vitally important in maintaining the force that keeps tires in place. Clamping force may also be reduced through incorrect torquing, tightening sequences, or routine torque checks.

I entered my vehicle and I don’t see the tire I want, even though it shows it’s made in my size.

Most likely the tire doesn’t meet the vehicle manufacturer’s minimum load/speed rating. This is important because it determines whether the tire can handle the weight, and the potential top speed, of your vehicle.

Do you have free shipping?

Yes! Shipping is free on all tires, whether you ship to your home or a local installer.

We can offer free, fast delivery because we use our own fleet of Tire Buyer trucks. Our trucks deliver right from our local warehouse to the installer in just 1-2 days. It may take a little longer to get to your home.

Will my tires/wheels ship out today?

It depends on the time of your order, but most of our orders are processed and shipped out within 24 business hours.

When will my tires arrive?

You can check your order’s shipping status on our website. Most of our orders are shipped within 24 business hours of ordering. If the order is being shipped via FedEx, the tracking information will show an estimated delivery date.

With same-day delivery, can I get my tires installed the same day?

Same-day delivery is available on many tires, but unfortunately we can’t promise same-day installation. The tires will be delivered to the installer in the late afternoon, and many installers will already be booked with appointments for the day. We suggest you call the installer after you place the order. Let them know that you selected same-day delivery, and you’d like to schedule installation as soon as possible.

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alleiradayne · 5 years ago

Text

Cowboys and Angels

A COCKLES X READER RPF SERIES

Filming for the last season of Supernatural is underway and Y/N, long-time set photographer, finds herself the center of attention for two of her co-workers, Misha Collins and Jensen Ackles. A roller-coaster of emotions ensues over the year as the three of them attempt to balance work, the end of an era, and experimental love.

Part VI - Sharing

Summary: After a less than stellar holiday break, Y/N returns to set with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Warnings/Tags: A lot of angst, with a tiny ray of hope. Characters/Pairings: Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, Reader Word Count: 1,956 A/N: Once again, please assume everyone involved is consenting and polyamorous. No spouse hate. No wife hate. No Cockles hate. No Misha hate. No hate whatsoever. If you don’t like RPF, don’t read it, and don’t complain to me about it. Update: The oh-so-lovely @atc74 made this stellar aesthetic for me in hopes that it wouldn’t get the Tumblr Ban Hammer™. Let’s test it.

Days. Weeks. Then months. Like water from a sieve, the brief moments Y/N spent with Jensen and Misha—naked or otherwise—drained away. Too many fourteen-hour days. Too many sleepless nights. But that had not been her breaking point. No. Farm from it. At least at work, she might hold a long stare, linger too long in conversation, or merely savor their presence in silence. Hell, she might have even fucked in their trailers the two men that had irrevocably altered her life.

At least at work, they were together.

As Y/N stared at the unopened presents beneath her withering Christmas tree, she sighed. Holiday break had come and gone. No plans. No phone call. Not even a text. They hadn't even sent her anything. Not that she had held any sort of expectations. Given the whirlwind start to their relationship and their exhausting work schedules, they had hardly taken the time to talk much beyond work or the rules of their encounters. Small talk, sure. But never anything about plans. Forget the future.

But the future came and went. And during those few months, Y/N's worst fears plagued her restless mind. Too many questions lingered unanswered in the darkest recesses of her thoughts. She had imagined something that was not there, could never be there. Love was an entirely different game. What they had played was lust, gotten their fill, and were over it. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Even in the days leading up to their return to set, the mere thought of facing them again soured her stomach. Where the holidays had dragged, the last week had passed in a blur of days. Mired in the unknown, Y/N floundered. What had kept them from her? Why leave her so stranded?

By her final Sunday night off, she had worried her nerves down to frayed ends. So, when Y/N walked back on set the following morning, she was determined to find both Jensen and Misha to end whatever it was that they had shared.

Unless there was nothing to end. Maybe that was what they had wanted. A short time play partner to scratch a sudden itch. Nothing wrong with that. As much as she hated it, she could handle it.

The thud of her bag on the folding table echoed through the cavernous soundstage. Several eyes snapped to her, voices quieted and smiles fading. Of course, they all felt it. With seven episodes left to film, everyone felt the looming end of the show. But none of them felt it the way she did. None of them felt the love, the deep passion, and the betrayal she felt. She ignored them.

Much like she ignored the confident warmth that enveloped her shoulder. Misha had found her before she had even managed to set up shop.

“Hey, Y/N.”

When she turned to look at him, his inviting smile melted faster than snow in July. “Hey.”

“Okay, we need to ta—”

“There’s really nothing to talk about,” she interrupted. “Y'all needed something from me, now you don’t. Pretty fucking simple.”

“No, please—” he started, but she wrenched free of his embrace and returned to her task. When she remained focused there despite his insistence, Misha ran both hands through his hair as he looked across the soundstage as though searching for something. Or someone. “No, it’s not that simple at all. It’s incredibly complicated and we should have talked about it sooner. Let me—”

“You know, we could have done this before the holidays,” Y/N stated. “Or right after. While we were still on hiatus. I didn’t hear from either of you for a month and a half. Not even a text message to let me know you were okay.”

Misha grimaced. “I know, Y/N, and that was wrong. We should not have done that to you. We… did not plan on any of this. It wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t supposed to be long-term.”

She rounded on him then. “Then what was it supposed to be?! A fling?! A temporary fuck buddy?! What?!”

He waited. Bless his heart, he waited for her to finish her tirade. When she calmed, he said, “A lover. The intent was no one-night stand. There was never going to be anything temporary about this. Please, Y/N come with me. We’ll find Jensen and we’ll talk in my trailer.”

Suspicion narrowed her glare as she considered Misha out of the corner of her eye. When her bag sat empty on the folding table, Y/N turned to him and spoke.

“Let’s get this over with.”

Mirrors. Why did they have so many mirrors in their trailers?

Carbon copies of each other, Misha and Jensen’s trailers were nearly indiscernible. Except for their scent. Jensen’s smelled of heather, pine, and sea salt, whereas Misha’s smelled of leather and citrus. And on those distinct aromas rode memories, each more salacious than the one that preceded it.

As she sat on the couch and stared at the mirror beside the TV, those memories flooded her senses. Cold glass on her tits. Misha’s hand between her thighs as he torqued one arm behind her back. Her skirt shoved up over her hips. Underwear wrenched aside. And his cock pounding her pussy until she came.

It should have aroused her. Should have sent that familiar rush down her spine. But as she waited for Misha to return to his trailer, she felt nothing. A little anxious. But mostly nothing.

That thought settled in the resigned recesses of her mind the moment the trailer door crashed against the opposite wall and Jensen leaped over the threshold. Startled so, Y/N reared back and jumped from the couch. But when Jensen spotted her and their eyes met, all her doubts vanished.

In a rush of wind, he crossed the two steps between them. His massive hands slipped into her hair, cupped her head, and kissed her so tenderly, Y/N might have wept were it not for her surprise.

When he released her, Jensen remained close, so close his breath warmed her lips, her cheeks, and Y/N shivered despite the heat that swelled in his embrace. The moment lasted only that single breath, for Misha cleared his throat before he entered his trailer. The door clicked shut with a soft snap behind him as he stepped in, and he remained by the door with an expectant look on his face.

Jensen regarded him for a beat, then turned back to her. He even managed to frown prettily. Damn him. “I guess we're supposed to talk.”

“Jen.”

Y/N found Misha's stare darkened, serious as ever. “We do need to talk. Before this goes any further.

With a disgruntled sigh, Jensen dropped onto the couch beside her and took her hands in his. “I want to apologize first. For not staying in contact at all over break. That was... very disrespectful, considering our intentions.”

She glanced at Misha as she asked, “What are your intentions?” then returned to Jensen.

As though she balanced precariously at the edge of a cliff, Y/N waited with rapt attention, her wide eyes boring into his. And Jensen, bless his heart, stared back. Between his lips, his tongue slipped, wetting them before he spoke.

“To make this permanent.”

Permanent.

That word alone sounded odd as it echoed in her head. “Permanent,” she repeated. The weight of it slowed her speech, so heavy on her tongue. Undetermined seconds ticked by, so lost in her thoughts. She had anticipated this moment. But as she sat there in Misha’s trailer between Jensen and he, Y/N questioned her every thought, her every action, her every want since filming had started that season.

When she remained silent, Jensen regarded Misha with a sidelong stare. From the door, he said, “The holidays should not have happened how they did, Y/N.” A hesitant step bore him nearer the couch, as though he second guessed himself, but another more determined step closed the remaining gap and he sat beside her. “We were planning on having you visit. Meet family and the like.”

“But we dropped the ball,” Jensen interjected. “There were things we should have done first, a long time ago, before introducing you to anyone.”

“Why didn’t you?”

Jensen grunted a disgusted sound deep in his throat. “Because we’re awful. To be honest, I was scared. I wanted to tell my family in person, but I could never find the right opportunity. Which is unfair to you. There probably won’t be a ‘right’ time to explain this to anyone we care about.”

Y/N wrung her fingers into knots as she listened. “I appreciate the understanding.”

“Of course, we understand. We should have just done it,” Misha added. “But we didn’t.” He inched closer and grasped her free hand in both of his. “We love you dearly, Y/N. More than you could possibly imagine.”

“We’re equally shocked, trust me,” Jensen teased. “Misha just said it while he was making breakfast the other day and I broke my favorite mug when I dropped it in the sink.”

“You did not drop it because I said I loved Y/N, you dropped it—”

“Hey!”

Misha’s teeth clicked shut and Jensen’s voice caught in his throat. At least they listened well enough. “Are you trying to tell me you didn’t tell your families about me ahead of time and so that’s why you couldn’t… I don’t know, call me? Text me?”

“We should have,” Jensen stated. “None of the shit that kept me busy is worthy of your forgiveness. I should have texted you at the very least, if not called you to let you know everything was fine. Considering our short good-byes at the break party, it was the least we should have done.”

Misha nodded in agreement. “We’re jerks. We fucked up. But we still very much care for you. And we still want you to be in our lives. We hope you still want us in yours.”

At least they hadn’t intentionally ignored her. At least things made some sense. No, it wasn’t perfect. In fact, in the moment it all felt quite unforgivable. How could they expect her to move forward—with them, no less—after such a betrayal of trust? As if nothing had happened, a mere apology should fix it all?

To be honest with herself, a part of her wanted to walk away. Simple and clean. And yet, she loved them, much like they loved her. But did that mean she had to meet their families so soon?

Patient as ever, they waited for her to speak. Her rambling thoughts leaped from one to the next, and so, she said, “You didn’t give me your addresses. I couldn’t send the pile of gifts I got you, they’re all still sitting at my apartment…”

Misha groaned and Jensen palmed his forehead. “We should have. Can we make it up to you tonight? We also have several gifts for you.”

Before the holidays, gifts had felt like an unquestioned given. But there on the other side, they felt like complications. Strings. She sucked in a deep, clarifying breath and exhaled as she said, “On one condition.”

“Anything, Y/N,” Jensen insisted.

She couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. “Let's hold off on any family gatherings for a while. Make sure this is the real deal, give it some time.”

Misha laughed as he said, “Out of the three of us, you're going to be the most level-headed. We need that.”

Jensen agreed with his own short bark of laughter. “Deal. Now, how about those gifts? I've been dying to give you mine.”

“Whenever we wrap tonight, meet at my place?” She asked.

Misha grinned as he said, “It's a date.”

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motoxindustries · 2 years ago

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Warp 9 Spoke Torque Wrench Kit

#Warp 9 Spoke Torque Wrench Kit

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ask-de-writer · 4 years ago

Text

Dr. Mordenheim’s Travels, Book 1: De Writer’s Equestria, Ch. 3

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Dr. Mordenheim’s Travels, Book 1: De Writer’s Equestria, Ch. 3

Doctor Mordenheim

1458 words

Writing begun 04/11/19

//////////////

Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights. They may reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information remains intact. They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions.

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged.

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NEW TO THIS STORY? READ FROM PART 1 which is HERE

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Dr. Mordenheim’s Travels, Book 1: De Writer’s Equestria, Ch. 3

Victor sighed softly as he trod across the heavy wooden bridge towards Castle Canterlot. His breath steamed slightly in the air and he was glad for the cloak he had picked up earlier in the day. The night air was unseasonably cool and there was a slight dampness as dew began to spread in minute droplets through the sweet grass.

Two guard ponies, both unicorns stepped before the open entrance and crossed their spears before the larger of the two spoke out.

“State your name and business.”

The slender zebra pulled back his hood, looking down on the two of them. The smaller guard looked a little shocked at the sight of the scar tissue showing from around the black patch over his right eye. The guard who spoke looked more disgusted that he was addressing a zebra.

“Dr. Victor Mordenheim, and I come to petition Princess Luna for the right to purchase an old ruined building near the edge of the Everfree forest. I wish to restore it and set it up as a home and place of business.”

The smaller and obviously younger guard seemed satisfied and stepped back to his place, resting his spear on his shoulder. The older guard, however moved to stand in the center of the doorway, his spear lowered towards the doctor.

“I don’t believe the princess needs to be bothered by the likes of YOU. Besides, we have a perfectly fine horspital right in Ponyville. What use would there be for another doctor who operates so close to the Everfree?”

The younger unicorn looked to his superior, blinking, “But sir.. according to the law, he is allowed to petition either Princess with his request. It’s up to THEM whether or not his request…”

“Just shut up, Torque Wrench. It’s our job to keep out the riffraff as well.”

As the older unicorn turned to berate his younger partner, Victor made his move. He didn’t so much lunge as his head almost seemed to blur forward for a moment. This was accompanied by a loud crunching noise and the sound of a heavy steel spearhead clanging to the stone floor.

The two guards jumped as neither had seen what happened. The zebra had seemed to stand perfectly still while they argued. Victor simply tutted as he shook his head.

“Oh dear. It looks like that spear shaft must have been dry-rotted. You should go get a replacement right away. Don’t worry, though. I won’t mention anything to Princess Luna about your failure to properly inspect your equipment.”

The older stallion frowned for a moment before gathering up the broken spear with his magic and stomping off to get a replacement. Torque Wrench looked at the huge zebra for a moment then lowered his spear, stepping aside to let him pass.

Victor entered the palace, stopping by a potted plant for a moment to spit out the chunk of wood he had bitten from the unicorn’s spear. As expected it was largely empty as far more ponies wished to deal with the sun princess than what many of them saw as the embodiment of nightmares and darkness.

He took his place in line, listening to the complaints of a few odd-looking ponies who were in line before him. One complaining that the night was too long and he had not enough hours in the day to accomplish his chores. The deep blue alicorn dismissed him with a wave of her hoof, suggesting that he do a better job of managing his available time as the correction and regulation of the sun and moon were the concern of herself and her dear sister, not his.

Princess luna sat on her own throne beside the empty throne of her sister looking utterly bored. A third throne sits behind these two, slightly above them on a dais. This is the throne of the Queen and the mother of the two sisters, Creator Titan Skyglow, Titan of Life Creation The few ponies that petitioned her night court all seemed to be either petty and spiteful about her night or just outright mad. The purple unicorn mare who was next in line was petitioning for stuffed animals to be placed on each street corner so she would feel more comfortable going out in the darkness. Luna sighed and rolled her eyes, suggesting that she simply buy one of her own and keep it with her if it was such a necessary comfort.

Victor finally stepped forward. The alicorn princess hadn’t even looked at him yet, her boredom overwhelming her, “State your name and business, please.”

“Dr. Victor Mordenheim, and I would like to see about purchasing a piece of abandoned property on the edge of the Everfree forest. Given that it seems to be an old fort of some sort I believe it falls under the purview of your highness.”

Luna perked up almost instantly, sitting up straighter on her throne. She recognized the Shirish lilt of the speaker’s voice even before she set eyes upon him. This was the being whose dreams she had seen recently. This traveler of the Everfree who seemed to come not just from another land but from another version of Equestria altogether.

“Ah yes, Dr. Mordenheim, or should I say Dr. Redline?”

The zebra actually took a step back, blinking his single blue eye and instinctively lifting a foreleg across his chest in a defensive posture, “Nobody has called me by that name for cen… for a very long time, your highness.”

The princess shook her head sadly, “From what I witnessed in your dreams, I imagine they have not. Though I could not see your form in the dreams as the ones that I witnessed were from your own perspective, I saw enough to see that what you experienced all of that time ago was a true tragedy. I only wish that what appeared to be my own counterpart would have done more to aid you.”

Victor tilted his head a bit as he lowered his foreleg, “Counterpart? I am unsure of what you mean.”

“You have traveled the strange paths of the Everfree for some time, doctor. Somehow you have ended up in an Equestria very different from the one you know. For example, myself and Celestia are the daughters of the Titans of Creation in this reality, while they are the daughters of alicorns known as Lord Kraken and Lady Faust in your own?”

The zebra frowned at mention of both Celestia and Lord Kraken, but nodded slowly, “Indeed. I had been curious about the many changes to Ponyville itself. So much seems the same, but so much is different that I thought somehow I had stepped forward in time until I saw a few familiar faces.”

The princess nodded in return, “I would very much like to discuss this further with you, unfortunately, I still must perform my duties and many ponies are waiting. Why is it you wish to purchase these old ruins from us?”

Victor smiles a bit, his hardened expression softening, “I am considering rebuilding it into a home for myself, as well as a business. An emergency clinic for Ponyville and Canterlot, if that is something that may be needed.”

Luna’s smile widened as she tapped her hooves together, “Indeed, we do have need of such a thing! While Ponyville has a very serviceable horspital, it seems there have been complaints lately about the conduct of a few of the doctors. Perhaps a bit of competition would help to adjust their attitudes.”

“And the cost…?”

“Given that the place has been in ruins for centuries and seems to have no real historical value anymore, you have my permission to rebuild it as you see fit. You will, however, still need to take a proper exam for a medical license and of course you will need the proper tax forms and business licenses as well as building permits. It may seem a bit overwhelming, but I hear that Caramel Treat is very experienced in such dealings and may be willing to help you navigate some of the more unscrupulous or biased ponies.”

The big zebra bowed low and smiles a bit, his sharp teeth flashing on one side, the sight of which caused the princess to tilt her head curiously. “Thank you, your highness. I hope that my clinic will be of great service to any and all who need it. Also, I hope to see you again soon, perhaps to have a more casual conversation about our respective pasts.”

“I would enjoy that greatly, Dr. Mordenheim. Perhaps for tea two days hence? After night court ends, of course?”

“I would be honored, your highness.” He pulled up the hood of his cloak and turned to leave, his fur ruffling a bit at the stares from both the ponies waiting in line and the royal guards.

~THE END~

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#Dr. Mordenheim’s Travels Book 1: De Writer’s Equestria #Chap 3 #Hosted Tales #De Writer's AU #Written by @mordenheim

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screensirenfic · 5 years ago

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Black Leather - Chapter 17

Weekends were actually good for me, and not because of the stereotypical teenage bullshit of parties and shopping, but because they were the two days I could actually work.

It’s not that I didn’t like school or home; they were pretty bearable most of the time.

It was just sometimes it felt like work was the only place people took me seriously.

Sure; you still had customers who were total dicks. Thought that the only reason a pretty girl could work there was for eye candy and blatantly refused to talk to me; insisting they wanted to speak to a mechanic of “experience”.

Still; it was better than some of the other pricks who just took me working on their car as an excuse to ogle me.

I mean; Jesus, some of these guys were older than my dad and really should know better than perving on underage girls; especially ones related to police officers.

As a general rule though; most of the customers were okay, choosing to yell at me over the price of an oil change, rather than my whether my “womanly hands” were capable of using a lug wrench.

My boss; Charlie, was a lanky tattooed mech in his late forties. He was an old friend of my dad’s from his army days; worked as an engineer out in Nam, and didn’t have any sons, so when my dad brought me into the shop saying I was looking for a job doing something other than stacking shelves, he didn’t bat an eyelid.

Just handed me a torque and asked me how I felt about tightening wheel nuts. I said I didn’t know much about nuts; didn’t have any, but I’d be willing to try.

We’d hit it off after that, and Charlie had been my boss for the past two years, teaching me everything from how to change a tire, to how to strip out an engine in its entirety.

If any of the boys gave me crap; they didn’t last long. Charlie had no time for sexism, stating he didn’t put three daughters through tech college, for some prick with a screwdriver to tell them they couldn’t build aeroplanes because they had vaginas.

——————————————————

Marty’s pickup was a real bitch of a job; the clutch had gone, and I’m pretty sure he’d totalled the break pads getting it over here, but the man was practically married to the machine, so anything short of a head on collision wouldn’t get him to give her up.

Charlie had set me on her; stating it was a challenge to see if I was finally capable of wielding the big guns, which in this case was full on rebuilds from the scrapyard.

I usually just stuck with bikes; the anatomy already familiar to me, and there was much less acrobatics involved in reaching a bike engine than a car’s.

But Charlie said it was a right of passage, and Johnny had bet me fifty bucks I couldn’t fix the thing before the week was out and I’d already spotted a new pair of motorcycle boots that had my name on them.

So here I was, practically bent double into the hood of Marty’s Chevy, straining my arms because of course; I couldn’t quite reach the flywheel.

Johnny had offered to help, snickering the entire time, because at a generous 6’7”, he had no worries about the reach of his arms.

Still; I’d refused point blank, because as frustrating as being short was, having him lord it over my head all the while was worse.

I almost had it; the first nut almost in reach of my wrench, when Charlie’s voice rang out through the workshop.

“Lola...” He called out, and I could hear the fall of his steel toed boots against the concrete.

Still; I didn’t surface quite yet, because goddamnit; that nut was almost in my reach, and I’d be screwed before I left it; no pun intended.

“Lola...” He called again; now right next to the cab, and fuck it; I wasn’t going to reach that flywheel without growing at least another inch.

“What?!” I spat, emerging from under the hood like a demon summoned, and I guess a pint sized pissed off woman with a pipe wrench wasn’t a poor comparison.

“There’s a guy out here looking for you...” He explained, not at all fazed by the oversized hunk of metal in my hand as I attempted to clean the grease off my face with a greasy rag.

“Steve?” I asked; overly familiar with the preppy pretty boy turning up unannounced to pester me, usually coinciding with when his car needed a service; the tight assed prick.

“Not this one.” Charlie shook his head, already well versed in chasing Steve off with a tire iron, though usually the threat of hard labour was more than enough to frighten the boy off from looking for free maintenance.

I perched my wrench on the edge of the chassis, thoroughly confused over who the fuck would be visiting me in work hours, other than the esteemed Steve Harrington.

I followed Charlie back through to front of house, wiping layers of grease off on the rag, because fuck; if engine maintenance wasn’t messy.

Johnny had already started on the Mustang Charlie got in from Kentucky last week; lucky shit, elbows deep in engine oil as he flushed the system clean.

Johnny was a dick, but he was a pretty decent mechanic, though I’d sooner bite off my tongue than tell him that.

I tore my eyes away from the midnight blue machine, gazing out onto the mysterious visage of my visitor.

“Recognise him?” Charlie asked, arms crossed over his chest; though if my facial expression was what I thought it was, he already knew the answer.

“Oh; I know him alright.” I replied; my eyes staring at the primped up posture of Billy Hargrove, leaning prettily against his Camaro, smoking a cigarette.

“Do you want me to call the cops?” Charlie asked, picking up off my mood and clearly deciding my dad might be needed for it.

“Nah; I got this one...” I reassured him, tucking my oiled up rag into his overalls like a knightly token.

——————————————————

Billy had some fucking nerve showing up unannounced at my place of work. I know he thought the world revolved around chasing pussy and looking pretty, but some of us had actual work to do!

He didn’t even look guilty, perched against his car smoking, like he was on some fucking poster for cheap cigarettes.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I barked, wasting no time in marching out of the auto shop straight towards him.

“I wanted to talk to you; you wouldn’t speak to me at school, so...” He explained as if it was the most normal thing in the world, dropping his cigarette to the floor and putting it out with his boot.

“Well; that’s fucking funny...” I grinned, but there was no warmth to my smile; just pure venom.

“I’m working, jackass.” I deadpanned, already tired of this fucking conversation.

I span around, already heading back to the shop, because I knew Charlie would hit Billy over the head with a tire iron before he let him bring this inside.

“I know that, but I only need a minute...” He countered, reaching out to pull on my wrist as if I was a dog on a leash.

“Let fucking go.” I spat, turning to glare at him; steel in my words.

He loosened his grip, but didn’t let go, keeping a soft hold on my wrist like a lover.

“C’mon Lola; please...” He petitioned; blue eyes suddenly soft, and I was starting to wonder if he was sincere. “I only need a minute...”

I stared at him, taking in his hunched posture and softened facial expression.

This wasn’t the Billy I was used to, brimming with arrogance and overconfidence.

He seemed... humbler.

There was a tension in his shoulders, but not one that spoke of aggression; more like he was genuinely bothered that I was mad at him.

Of course; Billy had tricked me before.

He was a master at manipulation; his dirty tricks going far beyond easy smiles and charm, though he rarely needed anything else.

He’d demonstrated that at the party, using a combination of genuine sympathy and subtle flirting to make me think he wasn’t the complete asshole I now knew he was.

Still; there was no one here to impress.

No Carol or Tommy H to tantalise with tails of conquest.

Against my better judgment; I folded, sighing in defeat as he finally let go of my wrist; the smallest of smiles tweaking at the corners of his mouth.

“I clock off in twenty minutes. Then we can go and talk.” I stated, not leaving room for negotiation on the terms of our discussion.

“And I swear to God; if you try anything..,” I hissed; raising my finger into his face, because I knew Billy was a sneaky shit and this could all be a ruse to get in my panties.

“I know; I know. You’ll hang me by my entrails.” He conceded, raising his arms in surrender; and I was kinda impressed he came up with that threat all on his own.

I smiled back at him, because as much as I tried otherwise; I found Billy’s humour oddly refreshing.

Maybe because it was nearly as sick as my own.

Then I disappeared into Charlie’s shop, because I knew he was totting this as my break, and if that tight fucker thought he was docking this from my pay; I’d shove a catalytic converter up his ass.

#stranger things #stranger things 2 #stranger things fandom #stranger things2 #fanfiction #fanfic #strangerthingsfanfiction #strangerthingsfanfic #original character #stranger things oc #strangerthings oc #Billy Hargrove #billy hargove x reader #billy hargrove fanfiction #jim hopper daughter #hopper daughter

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sayijo · 5 years ago

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A/N: This fic is the reason I die. Time to take a 30-day break. This fic is like, 85% boring dialogue too.

Summary: Cryptor Ninjago gets ¼ to ½ of his face ripped off

Words: 7.7k

Warnings: Swearing, violence

“Where’s Cry?” Jay whined a bit as he worked on Zane’s motorcycle. He reached behind him as he grabbed a pair of pliers, before getting right back to work. The sound of a wrench against metal sounded against the room.

“He told me that he wanted repairs on his bike? But he still hasn’t come back yet.” Jay continued to complain, rolling his eyes as he turned on the engine to Zane’s bike. The motor made some questionable sputtering noises before it let out a plume of black smoke and smog. Jay coughed, fanning his hand in front of his face.

“The damn thing probably broke on his way here.” Kai laughed, seated on a table, swinging his legs around. He watched as Jay jammed a screwdriver into the engine of Zane’s bike, causing the motorcycle of groan and creak.

“Uhhh, I hope not.” Jay replied, shaking his head. He worked with the screwdriver for a few seconds in silence before tossing it over his shoulder and grabbing the pliers once more. He cast a look over at Kai.

“Pass me the torque wrench, would you?”

Kai leaned over and fumbled around in the toolbox that was on the table he sat on, before pulling out the said tool and haphazardly tossing it over to where Jay was situated. The blue ninja fumbled for it, before it clattered to the ground, the two of them wincing from the noise.

“Reeeeal great throw.” Jay grumbled as he picked it up.

“Don’t complain dude. One time you busted your lip from your own nunchucks.”

“I wanted to test the strength of my hands. Okay?” Jay turned around before he got to work.

“Rrrrright.” Kai rolled his eyes. He grabbed a hammer that Jay kept in his toolbox, before gently swinging it around, catching it with his other hand as he swung down. He made a gesture of swinging, much like how a batter would swing.

This was boring.

“I need the screwdriver.”

“You got it right in front of you.” Kai pointed out.

“The blue one.”

“You have seven.”

“The one that has paint all over the handle.”

Kai leaned over again, and began to blindly rummage through the box. Once he couldn’t find anything, he grabbed the edge of the box and slid it across the table towards him. He tried to lift it up with one hand as he brought it over.

His hand slipped.

The box clattered to the ground, all its contents spilling over the floor. The sound was deafening, causing Jay to flinch and Kai to grimace. A few sounds of screws rolling around on the ground was all that remained afterwards.

“Are you serious?” Jay groaned.

“Hey, listen, accidents happen, okay?”

“Like you?”

“Shut your fucking mouth, Walker.” Kai growled. He looked down at the mess on the ground, before shrugging and leaning back slightly.

“Aren’t you gonna fix it?” Jay asked.

“No.”

“But—”

“It’s your toolbox. You fix it.” Kai interrupted him, before he jumped off the table and onto the ground, trying to avoid the debris pile on the ground. No luck. He landed on the mess and there was a very audible crunch noise.

“Besides, Cry is gonna back me.” Kai boasted as he stepped off the pile of tools, kicking some stray pieces of metal away.

“I thought last him he vowed never to back you again.” Jay commented.

“Well, this time it’ll be different.”

‘Because..?” Jay raised an eyebrow as he fiddled around in the engine, his back facing Kai.

“Because…” Kai paused before he frowned. “There doesn’t need to be a reason, okay? I just know it.”

“He’s gonna ask for payment.”

“So? I can cough up some.” Kai laughed, shaking his head.

“Maybe you can avoid payment by actually helping me clean up?” Jay rolled his eyes, groaning internally. He tightened a few screws in the bike, before he scrambled to his feet and closed the hood of the engine.

“No.”

“Kai, I swear to—”

“Oh shit! There he is.” Kai pointed out the open door of the garage, and Jay’s head snapped over to where he was pointing. Sure enough, on the horizon, there was the distinct outline of a motorcycle headed their way, a trail of debris and gravel behind him.

“He’s not gonna back you.” Jay spat as he got to work wiping his grimy hands off on his pants. He grabbed a hold of the handles of Zane’s bike and began to wheel it off to the side.

“Yeah he is.” Kai countered.

“No he isn’t. I’m betting 50 bucks.”

“Deal.” Kai laughed, crossing his arms.

A pause. The sound of the roaring of engines came within earshot.

“...what’s wrong with the bike away?”

“Nothing. I just need to make it better.” Jay replied.

“Right.” Kai groaned internally. Of course. How surprising. Jay just kept adding upgrades until it really wasn’t needed anymore, or until the machine broke down from all the stress. Good thing he hadn’t suggested adding upgrades to the nindroid himself.

“...isn’t he...going a bit too fast?” Jay spoke nervously.

Kai really wasn’t paying attention, so he turned his attention back out the garage door. Cryptor was blasting down the road (or lack thereof), the roar of the engine nearly deafening at this point.

“Uhm. Yeah.” Kai noted. Cryptor’s was definitely going at around 200 kilometres an hour, approaching the Bounty with alarming speed.

“Shit. Get out of the way!” Jay snapped. Kai didn’t need to be told twice. He backed out of the way, just as Cryptor hit the breaks, hard. The nindroid turned his bike sideways as he slid into the garage, his tires squealing against the ground, leaving two distinct black marks. He came to a halt in the middle of the garage, sending up dust.

“Fucking hell.” Kai groaned as he fanned his hand around his mouth and nose, a bit annoyed and irritated. “We still have to breathe, you know?”

But Cryptor didn’t answer.

The nindroid shakily dismounted, looking like his legs were struggling to hold up his weight. He landed on the ground and nearly crumpled to the floor. Kai could see black liquid draining out from the bottom of his helmet, dribbling against his jacket and red scarf.

Cryptor shakily walked over to where Kai was. He kept stumbling, his legs tripping over one another.

Kai looked up.

The two white eyes that poked out through the red visor of his helmet— one of them was gone, missing.. The helmet itself was scratched up, dents on the material. The fabric of his jacket was torn slightly on the shoulders.

“...what the fuck happened?!” Kai demanded.

“...help me.” Was the last thing the nindroid managed to choke out before he collapsed to the ground.

oOoOoOo

It took both Kai and Jay to haul the nindroid up the stairs from the garage to the rest of the Bounty. Kai had reached for Cryptor’s helmet, but Jay advised that they should get him stable before they take a look at the damage.

“Help!!” Kai basically shrieked as they were on their way to the infirmary. That seemed to get everyone’s attention, as a few pairs of extra hands helped to carry Cryptor there. They stumbled into the room, and haphazardly lowered the nindroid onto a bed.

“Rundown what happened?” Cole demanded.

“He appears to have an injury on his face.” Zane noted.

“Yeah, no shit Frosty.” Kai mumbled, his hands reached for the two sides of Cryptor’s helmet, and began to pry it off.

“Wait, Kai, not so fast—”

Cryptor let out a low groan, muffled by the helmet. The white eye on the visor appeared weakly, flickering in and out of existence. He jerked his head away from Kai’s touch, the movement causing him to inhale sharply.

Everyone instantly started talking at once.

“What happened?”

“How bad is your injury?”

“Can you see? How many fingers am I holding up?”

“EVERYONE!” Lloyd and Kai snapped in unison, noticing at how the nindroid tensed up and hissed at the sudden bombardment of noise and talking. Everyone instantly shut up, and Cryptor’s stance relaxed ever so slightly, his shoulders falling.

A pause.

“Let’s keep quiet. I think he’d like that.” Lloyd noted as he looked over at Kai, and then nodded in agreement for the fire ninja to continue. Kai turned his attention to the helmet over Cryptor’s head again.

“Stay still for me, okay?” Kai spoke quietly. Cryptor nodded stiffly, the white eye disappearing from the visor as if he had shut his eyes.

The fire ninja gripped the two sides of the helmet again. He began to gently pull it off, and everyone held their breath.

The helmet finally slipped off.

And boy, was the wound ugly.

A gaping gash was were his cybernetic eye once lay. Mangled metal and twisted wires came through poking the skin. He had an eye on his right side, but wires came spilling out through the socket and would fritz occasionally.

“Aw fuck.” Kai hissed from underneath his breath.

There was hair on the nindroid’s right side of his head, but it was so matted with oil that it looked like parts of his skin that had decided to fry. Black oil leaked from the destroyed part of his face, now soaking into the sheets of the white bed he lay on. The nindroid has a nosebleed, as well as the black liquid beginning to force its way out of his mouth.

“...Cole. Bandages, immediately.” Zane demanded, and that seemed to snap everyone out from their trance-like state. The earth ninja ran off, and came back, carrying the first-aid kit.

“Lloyd. Cole. Jay. Nya. Please leave. I want Kai and me to be the only ones in here.”

“But—”

“Please do as I say.”

With a bit of hesitation, all the mentioned shuffled out from the room, leaving Cryptor, Kai, and Zane as the only ones left. Kai looked down at the nindroid who lay sprawled out on the bed, lapsing in and out of consciousness. He was off to Cryptor’s left side, with Zane to the right.

“Why am I still here?” Kai asked.

“Because I’m sure you’d make a ruckus if I asked you to leave.” Zane replied. He popped open the first-aid kit, rummaging around, before pulling out a roll of gauze. He then looked over at the fire ninja.

“Help him sit up.”

“But don’t you need some tools or something?”

“I have already scanned him. Nothing vital was destroyed. We just need to control the bleeding. Help him sit up, Kai.”

Kai obliged, and he supported Cryptor’s back. The nindroid stirred, his left eye lazily opening up and glancing over at Zane, before they settled on Kai. The fire ninja gave him a tight smile, but he felt like slapping Cry across the face for his stupidity.

“How the fuck did this happen?” Kai asked.

“...mm...motorcycle accident?” Cryptor grinned cheekily, despite the situation. His eyes drooped before he decided to keep them closed. Kai let the nindroid lean against his chest, listening as he breathed softly.

“A motorcycle accident took off half your face?” Kai raised an eyebrow, as Zane got to work wrapping the right side of Cryptor’s in white gauze. The nindroid winced slightly as the ice ninja started, and nodded.

“Y-yeah.”

“So why didn’t your helmet take the same damage?” Zane questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“I...uh...wasn’t wearing it at the time?” Cryptor laughed, the left side of his face twitching a bit. The eyelid on his left eye fluttered for a few moments. Zane and Kai cast a look at one another. There was something else going on here, and they were going to get to the bottom of it.

“Anyway, how bad does it hurt? On a scale of one to ten.”

“Sev—!” Cryptor jerked as Zane was a bit rougher with his hands. He cried out, his hands aiming to shove the ice ninja away as he thrashed. Kai moved forward to grip Cryptor’s forearms as he fought.

“Shit dude. Stop moving!”

Cryptor shrieked.

“Let go! Let go let go let go let go!”

Kai’s face paled as he could feel liquid against his hands, and he looked down. Black oil was dripping in between his fingers, soaking them. He let go immediately, and Cryptor let out a sharp gasp of pain. He supported Cryptor as to make sure the nindroid wouldn’t topple off the bed.

“What happened?” Zane demanded as Cryptor gasped for breath.

Kai looked down at Cryptor’s arms, which were now shaking.

“Roll up your sleeves.” Kai demanded. The worry was clogging at his throat. He had an extremely bad feeling about how this was playing out. He was unaware of it, but he had gone sheet white once again.

No response.

“...he has passed out.” Zane noted as he looked down at Cryptor. It was true. The nindroid was limp, his breathing shallow. Zane grabbed a pair of scissors from the first aid kit and cut the roll of gauze.

“Lower him down once again.” Zane instructed. Kai did as what was asked of him. The fire ninja then gripped hold of Cryptor’s right arm, and began to carefully roll the sleeve away. Zane watched intently, as he got to work putting everything away.

There were gashes over the nindroid’s arm, still bleeding. The oil stuck to the jacket, basically coating his arm. Through his unconscious state, Cryptor grimaced, his teeth baring slightly. Both of his hands clenched themselves into fists, the sound of the strain against the leather finger gloves he wore was the only noise in the room now.

“What the fuck?” Kai hissed from underneath his breath.

“Take off his glove.” Zane demanded, handing Kai a pair of medical scissors. Kai took them and began to snip through the leather. He was praying, hoping that he wouldn’t see more, but he knew that it wouldn’t be the case.

There were gashes on his palm. Zane took his left arm and did the same. Knife wounds lined both of Cryptor’s arms and hands, the oil beginning to stain the bed.

Zane cursed from underneath his breath.

“Kai, call Jay and Nya.”

Kai nodded, and whirled right around and bolted out the door.

oOoOoOo

Cryptor woke up some hours later. The light that assaulted his vision was awful. Every time he moved, the world would spin violently, making him unable to tell which way was up. The image his eyes displayed began to saturate, leaving bright splotches on his vision.

He could feel that his head was propped up by multiple pillows, a thin blanket draped over his person. It felt like that his leather jacket had been taken off, leaving him with the dark grey muscle shirt he wore underneath it all. The fact that his jeans were still on made him uncomfortable.

“Took you long enough to wake up.” Cryptor’s head shifted to somewhere to his left. A red blur came through his vision, and he squinted as he attempted to focus his sight. He winced again, feeling like someone had shoved a knife through his face.

“H...how long was I..?”

“Uhh, a day?” That same voice sighed, and there was the sound of fabric shuffling. “How are you feeling?”

“Everything’s s...spinning.” Cryptor groaned, his mouth dry. His mind was a mess and he had the worse headache imaginable. He raised a hand to feel at the right side of his face, recoiling his arms when it stung. He hissed quietly, but his vision was starting to clear.

“Yeah, Zane said that would happen.” The voice answered, before they yawned.

“Got an...anything that c...ould fix it?”

“Eh. Frosty said it should lessen up in a few more days.” The voice retorted, but just the mere rise in the volume enough made it feel like there was a sharp sting behind his eyes. He growled at the feeling, sinking himself further into the pillows as he shifted backwards.

“Are you alright?” The voice spoke up.

“...hurts…please stop talking.” Cryptor grumbled, raising one of his arms to gently cover his eyes. He stifled a yawn, feeling as to how his cramped jaw relaxed with a small hiss. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the wild spinning around him. It felt like he was being shaken around, the world tossing and turning.

“Anything you need?”

“...water would be nice.” Cryptor spoke quietly.

“Iced?” The voice suggested.

“Mmmmm.” Cryptor agreed. He nodded slightly, groaning internally at how the movement seemed to flip everything upside down. His insides felt like they were doing flips, and he just wanted to shut off. He could hear a chair scrape against the ground as it was pushed back, the sound enough to cause him to hiss in pain.

“Oh, shit. Sorry.” The voice whispered. There was the sound of someone tiptoeing through the room.

“W-wait.” Cryptor called out once again.

“Yeah?”

“...can you close the blinds?” The nindroid croaked out, his voice hoarse.

“Okay.”

Some walking noises later, and the brightness of the room dimmed significantly. Cryptor sighed, removing his arm from his face, feeling as his eyes met fresh air once again. He could hear as someone made their way towards the door, and there was a small draft of air as the door clicked shut.

And then it was quiet.

He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, trying to block out the pain at ate away at his face. He raised his left hand to gently run his fingers through his hair, pulling at his scalp. He could feel the gaping gash that lay underneath the bandages, feeling how empty the right side of his face felt. He let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

His rubbed at his arms.

They had welded the gashes shut.

He wondered how long it would be before people asked about it.

He dropped his arms down to his sides, before letting in a large gulp of air, trying to get the spinning to stop. He opened his eyes again, but his vision refused to clear up completely. He groaned, and shook his head, as if trying to shake all the pain out.

It only seemed to make it worse.

He collapsed back onto the pillows.

“Great.”

oOoOoOo

Kai was busy pouring water into a cup before Cole walked in and stopped him. The earth ninja took one look down at the water-filled glass before he frowned, and looked up at the fire ninja once again. Kai raised an eyebrow.

“You fill the water in before the ice?” Cole asked.

“...and you don’t?” Kai countered, before he pressed the glass against the ice dispenser that came with the fridge. The ice splattered some of the water onto the ground, and Cole only looked down at the tile floor in disappointment.

A pause.

“So, about his arms.” Cole spoke up, and Kai grimaced.

“Managed to get any info about that?” Cole muttered. He fumbled around in some cupboards and pulled out a cup of instant noodles. He got to work ripping open the seal with his teeth as Kai grabbed a rag and went to clean up the mess on the floor.

“Not yet.”

“Better get to the bottom of it soon. Zane said they looked like defensive wounds. Couldn’t have been a fall from his bike though.” Cole murmured. He grabbed a water bottle from off the countertop and got busy filling the cup of noodles with water, before cursing, realizing that he left the soup base packets still inside, and was now busy fishing them out with his hands.

“I know.”

“Then pry some info out of him already. I don’t want to assume that...you know, someone did this to him.” Cole looked over his shoulder as he popped the cup of noodles into the microwave and started it up.

“I know, Cole. Jesus.” Kai rolled his eyes, before he made his way down the hall to the infirmary once again, the cold of the glass already making his palm ache. How the hell was he even supposed to bring this up with the nindroid? ‘Oh hey, did people rip off half your face?’

No doubt the nindroid would look at him like he had gone mad.

He quietly pushed open the door to the infirmary, opening just a small crack, listening to how the door creaked open against its hinges. The sunlight came streaming in through the thin blinds that covered the window, bathing the room in soft, dark orange glow. He quietly pushed the door open, fully, and stepped in.

“I got your wat—”

Cryptor was fast asleep. His head was slightly turned to the right, resting his injured side against the pillows. He breathed out through his mouth in small puffs of air, his chest rising and falling slowly.

Kai slowly backed out of the room and shut the door.

Another time.

oOoOoOo

“So, we’re just gonna assume that he got half his face ripped off?” Jay snapped. They sat lounging around in common area, unsure on what to do. Jay, Nya, and Zane had already gotten to work making a replacement eye.

“...it is appearing as the most likely option.” Zane spoke up.

“Then why hasn’t he said anything?” Lloyd pointed out.

“...maybe’s too tired?” Cole suggested with a shrug of his shoulders. Everyone glanced over at him with a disapproving look carved onto their features. Cole backed up a bit, hands held up in mock surrender. “Hey, I was just thinking, okay?”

“Nah. He’d rat people out instantly. Probably ask that we give em a slow, painful death.” Kai chuckled softly. He glanced over at everyone, and set his eyes out on the window, watching as the sun set behind the mountains, the sky now dyed a pinkish orange colour.

“Then why hasn’t he said anything?” Lloyd repeated his point.

“I don’t know, green bean. Maybe if you want to know, then ask him.” Jay suggested, rolling his wrist around. Nya was seated beside him, immersed in working the blueprints for the replacement eye for Cryptor. She had a bunch of pencils and rulers scattered on the table at where she sat. Occasionally, Zane and Jay would point something out, and she’d add it to the design.

“He’s not gonna talk to me. He barely talks to anyone about problems.” Lloyd crossed his legs on the chair he sat on. He drummed his fingers against the table, looking slightly agitated. He cast looks over at everyone, before staring down at his hands once again.

A pause.

“Anyway, if people were behind this, then, well, time to do some finding.” Kai growled.

“We’re not killing people, Kai.” Nya mumbled, not even raising her head to look at him.

“Why not? I think it’s a pretty valid response. Cry got his eye removed? How about we do the same to whoever did it to him?” Kai cracked his knuckles and now had a devilish smirk tugging at his lips. Everyone just sighed, shaking their heads.

“We’re not doing that.”

“Yes, we are. I’ve already decided.”

‘No.”

“Yes. I’m gonna go wake him up to ask him.” Kai got up from his seat, and before anyone could protest against his actions, he booked it down the hall, his feet causing the floorboards to creak from underneath his weight. He slowed down to a trot as he neared the door, and reached his hand towards the doorknob.

He swung it wide open, and it almost hit someone.

Cryptor stumbled back, a bit startled at the movement. He immediately hunched over and clutched at the wall as his face bunched up into a grimace, and let out a low hiss of discomfort, using the wall for support. Kai could hear machinery violently whirring from somewhere in the nindroid’s chest, as if responding to the pain.

Kai himself was also a bit startled. Startled to see the nindroid out of bed when just a day earlier, he was looking at a portion of Cryptor’s face missing. The back oil was slightly visible through the stark white bandages.

Cryptor himself looked awful, like he hadn’t slept in days.

“Shit dude! What are you doing out of bed?” Kai demanded. He grabbed a hold of Cryptor’s shoulders and was about to steer him back into the room, but the nindroid bit his lip and shook his head.

“N-no. I...need to talk…”

Kai froze up, before he recovered and continued to drag Cryptor back into the room, the nindroid too weak to fight back.

“Kai…” Cryptor grumbled. He swatted at the fire ninja’s hand, trying to break out from his grip. Kai scoffed a bit and picked up his pace.

“You can talk when you lie down, asshole.” Kai growled. He managed to get Cryptor to lay back down on the bed in the infirmary, resting his head against the pillows that were propped up against the headboard. Cryptor let out a very audible sigh of relief, maybe because the world had finally stopped spinning.

“So, you, wanted to say something?” Kai plopped down on a seat beside the bed once he went over to close the door.

“...”

“You did say that, right?” Kai asked.

“...I..did?”

Now Kai was confused. What the hell was happening? He watched as Cryptor lazily turned his head over to face him. His eyes opened, but there was nothing there. Just empty black voids, no red irises in sight.

“...did you lose your vision again?!” Kai nearly jumped to his feet as he raised his voice. Cryptor winced, and shook his head.

“No. Fucking hell. Shut up a..and stop being so loud.” Cryptor groaned, already looking like he was ready to ask Kai to leave. Kai sat back down, now on edge. He watched as Cryptor closed his eyes, turning his head so that he looked up at the ceiling.

“So? Say something, asshat.” Kai growled.

“Gimme a minute. Memory is scrambled…” Cryptor grimaced as he concentrated. Kai leaned back, and let his mind wander and he gazed around the room, twiddling his thumbs around.

A pause.

“So?” Kai questioned.

Another pause.

“Sorry, c...can’t recall.”

“That’s some fucking bullshit.” Kai growled immediately. Cryptor was backpedalling for sure, and it was best if the fire ninja pried some information out now before the nindroid just decided to refuse to speak any further.

“..Kai—”

“So, mind telling me what really happened?” Kai raised an eyebrow, leaning a bit closer to the nindroid.

“Can’t remember. Losing my face must’ve done something.” Cryptor sighed, giving Kai a sad and tired smile. He blinked slowly, before he yawned.

“Zane told me that nothing vital was damaged.”

“...shit.” Cryptor cursed from underneath his breath, barely audible enough for Kai to hear. The nindroid’s eyes widened slightly as he realized Kai had heard him, and he cast a look over at the fire ninja, who gave him a smug smile.

“So, what are you keeping from me this time?”

“I’m not—”

“Oh, cut the crap.” Kai laughed, but he could tell that Cryptor had gone as rigid as a board. ‘Oh shit, was it serious?’

Another pause.

“Okay, fine.” Kai decided to back off for now, and he leaned his back against the backrest of the armchair he sat in. “Answer me this then. Did someone do this to you?”

Silence.

Then, a slow, hesitant nod.

“Yes.”

Kai’s heart sank. He already knew the answer was yes, but for some reason, receiving confirmation just made it hurt more. He leaned forward a bit more, causing the nindroid to shift awkwardly, looking like he wanted nothing more than to jump out the window.

“So, can you tell me who?”

Cryptor bit his lip again. He cast a glance over at Kai, and seemed to hesitate for a few seconds.

Finally, he let out a sigh.

“Some leftover Sons of Garmadon members did.”

Kai’s face went pale. All the sound around him seemed to melt away, and he couldn’t hear anything anymore. He wanted to scream, he wanted to punch something. Or someone. He wanted to light something on fire. A human being causes this pain upon his friend, and they were out there, on their merry way?

“Who?” Kai demanded. His voice was deathly low this time, and Cryptor looked over at him, a bit startled. He was unaware of it, but his hands began to smoulder.

“...I don’t know.” Cryptor spoke quietly.

“How do you not know?” Kai growled. He had risen from his seat, now looking he was ready to kill a man.

“...I was jumped.”

‘So there was more than one asshole behind this.’ Kai was ready to track and hunt them down individually. He growled, turning his attention to Cryptor once again, before he plopped down onto the seat once again. He let out a sigh, trying to calm his angry nerves.

“Why didn’t you tell us before?” Kai demanded. Cryptor winced, as if he dreaded being presented with this question. He looked away, an uncomfortable look passing over his features.

“I…” The nindroid trailed off. He kept his attention away from the fire ninja, fidgeting with his hands. He grits his teeth, looking like he was ready to start yelling, but was restraining from doing so.

“Are you alright?” Kai asked, a bit worried and confused. He softened his tone, and leaned forward a bit more. The nindroid sighed quietly, before he closed his eyes, wanting to drown in the silence around him.

“...I...didn’t want to tell you because, I just…” Cryptor struggled with his words, before he crossed his arms and huffed.

“It’s not their fault they hate me.” The nindroid finally spat out. Kai blinked a bit, startled at the words that came from Cryptor’s mouth. He leaned forward more, basically looming over Cryptor as a look of concern passed over the fire ninja’s features.

I’ve made a mistake in saying something like that. They’ll never trust me now. Hiding something like this from them? How could I? What the fuck was I thinking?!

“I don’t know. It’s weird. They’re still...I didn’t want to tell you because...I still kind of view them as...friends— no, not friends, acquaintances. I just...don't think they deserve—”

“They don’t deserve it?!” Kai immediately shot to his feet, anger igniting through every molecule in his body. Cryptor startled, his entire body flinching before he winced in pain. He cast a look over at Kai, before he looked down at the ground. He opened his mouth to say something, but Kai cut him off immediately.

“Listen up, asshole. Don’t you ever! Say anything like that ever again! These fuckers caused you this pain! If they were your friends, your comrades, then they wouldn’t have done this to you!”

“But—”

“No ‘but’s! Oh, I’m so fucking pissed!” Kai began to pace around the room. Smoke poured out through his nose and came off his fingertips, his palms beginning to glow a soft orange from the heat. Cryptor followed with his eye, watching as the fire ninja walked throughout the room. He yawned softly, his vision slightly going blurry at the movement.

Kai grumbled as he paced around the room, his hands flailing around as he tried to express his anger. He kept sputtering out noises, but unable to form any words. Occasionally, he’d cough out a cloud of smoke, the grey smog coming out from his nostrils.

I’m the biggest problem here, Kai. Maybe you’ll decide to deal with me first, not the attackers. I’m just casting more and more suspicion upon myself the more I hide away. What’s to say they won’t believe that I’ll rejoin the Sons of Garmadon once again?

What’s to say that they won’t kill me in my sleep?

What’s to say—

Cryptor shook his head.

“Kai...can you leave?” He managed to croak out.

“Huh?” Kai stopped walking before he turned to look at the nindroid who lay on the bed, his head basically drowning in pillows. He tiredly looked over at the ninja in red, before he looked away and yawned slowly, revealing his teeth and his metal plated tongue.

“Your voice...too loud.” Cryptor looked uncomfortable. His face twitched slightly and he looked like he was ready to flee. He bit at his lip, his nails scratching into his arms, fingers tracing over the faint scars.

“...you sure?” Kai asked.

“Yes.” Cryptor nodded. It looked like he was ready to pass out at a moments notice.

“Okay.” Kai nodded, before giving the nindroid a weak smile.

It’s a forced smile. Clearly. Can’t you see it in his eyes?

Kai slowly approached the door, but stopped once his hand hovered over the doorknob. He turned back to look at the nindroid once again.

“Listen, Cry?”

“...yeah?”

“Tell me if something’s bothering you, okay?” Kai spoke.

“...of course.”

oOoOoOo

Kai woke up to screaming.

It was muffled, definitely coming through the wall. The fear in the tone was enough to jolt him awake, adrenaline pumping into his system, his heartbeat beginning to quicken up. He was out of bed in an instant, booking it down the room towards the door.

He could hear the other ninja stir from around him, but he himself was out the door in five seconds. The next thing he knew, he was booking it down the hall towards the infirmary, thundering down the hallway. He basically bodychecked the door open, being bathed in the moonlight that came in through the blinds.

He ran towards where Cryptor lay. He willed a flame to life in his palm, illuminating the room slightly. He gripped Cryptor’s shoulder; the nindroid was buried underneath a blanket and was shaking softly.

“Dude, what the fuck is happening?” Kai demanded.

Almost immediately when Kai’s hand made contact with Cryptor’s shoulder, the nindroid started shrieking. His hands flew forward to punch at Kai, his legs kicking, flailing around. His eyes were shut and he was screaming. Kai staggered backwards and almost fell hard on his ass. He recovered quickly.

“DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME!” Cryptor managed to choke out.

He was pinned to the ground, someone’s knee jamming into his spine. Hands pressed his wrists and ankles. Someone held a hunting knife in his hand and raised it above their head.

“Dude! It’s me! Kai!” The fire ninja raised his voice slightly. He shook the nindroid slightly, but it only served to make Cryptor scream and cry more. He thrashed around, his claws extending and attempting slash at Kai’s face. Kai backed off a bit, not ready to have his eye gouged out by Cryptor’s fingers.

Hands were clawing at the right side of his face, sneers plastered onto their faces. He flailed, hands reaching outwards in an attempt to push them away. He could feel as a knife slid underneath the cybernetic eye, in between his face and the metal, and with one swift motion, the wires that connected the eye to his face were severed.

He screamed violently, a sharp pain blossoming on the right side of his head.

“Where are your friends now?”

“Hey! Wake up!” Kai demanded. He grabbed a firm hold of Cryptor’s shoulder and shook the nindroid violently like a rag doll, trying to jolt the ex-general out of his dreamscape. However, it only seemed to make the situation worse. The fire ninja could hear the nindroid let in a sharp inhale through his gritted teeth.

A knife slid itself into the fritzing eye socket on his right side, and he could hear the cracking of metal as it was twisted. He brought up both hands to shield his face, but someone grabbed a hold of his wrist and twisted it. He could feel cool metal slice through his arm.

“NO! STOP! DON’T!!” Cryptor managed to choke out. He shook his head, his hands moving up to protect his face. His hands had clenched themselves into fists, and he managed to nail Kai in the abdomen with of one of his feet. The fire extinguished immediately, and Kai stumbled backwards, almost tripping and falling over.

The nindroid’s breathing was erratic, his entire body shaking. Kai approached again, before he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around the nindroid tightly.

A hand grabbed hold of his neck, and he could feel someone press the tip of the blade into the side of it, pain reaching his sensors. His was choking for air now, feeling as the blood from his face drained down the side of his head.

“No!” Cryptor shrieked before his eyes snapped open. A bright red iris snapped around erratically, trying to focus his sight on anything around him. He gasped, and started to yell again.

“It’s okay!” Kai raised his voice slightly, squeezing the nindroid tightly. “It’s me, Kai. It’s me. It’s alright. It’s me. It’s okay. Shhhhh, it’s okay. Breathe.”

Cryptor gasped; a horrible, sharp noise. He thrashed around weakly for a few more seconds, before his shoulders dropped and his breathing began to slow. Kai could feel how the nindroid shook in his arms, his breathing ragged and shallow. Kai reached his hand to gently run his hand down Cryptor’s back, being mindful of the bandages wrapped over Cryptor’s face.

“It’s okay.” Kai whispered quietly. He could hear as the nindroid whimpered softly in his hold, his chest and shoulders shaking as he cried softly. Kai could feel as Cryptor wrapped his arms around the fire ninja’s back.

“You okay?” Kai whispered softly.

Was I ever? Look at me. Pathetic. One simple dream and it leaves me like this. Why do you guys even bother anymore?

“...bad dream.” He grumbled, but the fire ninja could hear that the nindroid was trying his best not to sob. Cryptor shook with suppressed cries, his body lurch with each painful inhale of air that he took in.

“Yeah, I can see that.” Kai replied, shaking his head.

But the fire ninja could tell that there was something wrong. Cryptor’s was stiff as a board, his breathing restricted and unable to calm down. His eyes were basically glowing a bright, blinding red, unlike how they’d dim when he usually calmed down.

“You wanna say something?”

Yes.

“...”

“So?” Kai raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer.

“...aren’t you going to remove me?”

A pause. Everything came to a screeching halt.

“...uhm, what the fuck?” Kai spat out. Confusion filled his mind like water.

“From the team.”

“Excuse me?”

“I…” Cryptor trailed off for a few seconds. He looked off to the side once again. He let out a small sigh, before he started talking again.

“I mean...I..hid my attackers’ identities. I covered for them. I...wouldn’t that mean that you don’t trust me anymore? I..it would make the most sense. I..if that had happened, then..perhaps you’d assume that I’d go back to...them? Why...why haven’t you said anything?”

“I’ve never even thought of that.” Kai spoke quietly.

Liar.

“Lies.” Cryptor growled. For some reason, anger and annoyance ignited themselves in his chest.

“I didn’t—”

“Fucking hell, Kai.” Cryptor grumbled, his voice growing deeper. He moved away from Kai, and slowly rose to his feet. His red eyes cut through the darkness, and now he towered over the ninja in red, who sat on the bed.

“Just tell me the truth. Maybe it is best if I didn’t exist. I don’t want to give you any more suspicions.”

“...huh?” Kai raised an eyebrow. What in the actual hell was happening? Was Zane’s initial scan wrong? Definitely, something wrong was with Cry. His mood jumped around erratically, changing at a moments notice.

Cryptor growled.

Kai was so confused at this point.

“I don’t get it?” Kai asked, his face set in a confused grimace. His mind was racing, trying to comprehend what in the hell the nindroid was talking about. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he had just woken up, but his mind couldn’t seem to connect the two dots.

Slap some sense into him.

“Why don’t you FUCKING HATE ME ALREADY?” Cryptor’s voice was sharp and shrill, sounding much more authoritative than ever before. It almost sounded like back when the Digital Overlord was the biggest threat, and the nindroid had control over his army. His eye flared brighter, causing Kai to shield his face with his arm.

“Why should I?” Kai snapped.

“Because look at me, Kai! How do you know that I’m not gonna waltz right back to them? How do you know I won’t kill you in your sleep! I fucking helped them! I hid their identities! That enough proof for you?!”

Kai blinked for a few moments.

“You’re too..too!!” Cryptor raised his voice higher, feeling as the rise in volume caused his vision to swim and distort. “How can you be like this?! How can you not immediately kick me out upon learning about this? HOW CAN YOU BE SO LENIENT?! HOW CAN—”

Kai shot up to his feet hugged him again.

“I trust you.”

Cryptor froze. He didn’t even bother to fight back against Kai’s hold, but he gently leaned into the fire ninja’s grip. He could feel as Kai tightened his hold, a hand running up and down the nindroid’s back.

I trust you.

“You shouldn’t.”

“You’ve changed, dude. You’ve changed so much. So, how about you shut the fuck up? Don’t say something so stupid like that ever again. You’re a part of this te— family. You’re a part of this family now.” Kai spoke quietly, softly. He could feel as the nindroid relaxed in his hold.

Family?

“Family.” Kai confirmed, almost like he could read the nindroid’s thoughts. “Let’s forget about your past, okay? That’s not important.”

Safe.

Cryptor nodded quietly.

“...I’m tired.” The nindroid whispered, allowing himself to relax. He allowed his eyes to slip closed, gently plunging him into the darkness. He could feel Kai’s arms around him, allowing him to feel grounded in reality.

“Obviously. You look like shit.” Kai grumbled quietly as he sighed. The nindroid could feel as he was guided forward before he grumbled and shook his head in protest.

“Can I go sleep in my bed?” Cryptor sighed quietly. He could feel as they stopped walking, and a pause as Kai considered for a few seconds. He could see as Cryptor’s head drooped down before he snapped awake, and then his eyes closed and it would happen again.

‘He doesn’t want to be alone.’ Kai thought to himself.

There was some shuffling and then Kai hummed in agreement with a nod.

“Okay. Doesn’t seem to be a bad idea.”

It took a while for them to make their way to the shared bedroom the entire crew shared. Kai creaked open the door, and five sets of heads whipped over to look at them. Zane looked a bit confused and opened his mouth to say something, before Cole stopped him.

“How are you?” The earth ninja asked.

“I’m fine.” Cryptor mumbled.

“He’s tired.” Kai answered. Everyone mumbled a bit.

“Kay, let’s go to bed.” Lloyd yawned. He settled back into his cot, before throwing the covers over his head and settling into a more comfortable position. Everyone seemed to follow suit. Kai walked moved away from the nindroid.

“Wait, I—” Cryptor choked out, fear leaping up into his throat. Kai froze, before he looked over his shoulder at the nindroid

“Yeah?”

A pause.

“...nevermind.” Cryptor rubbed at the back of his neck for a few moments before he shook his head. Kai paused for a few moments, a look of doubt passing over his features.

“Stay right there.” Kai demanded, and Cryptor startled a bit at the sudden order. He froze up, and stayed in place. Kai felt a bit bad for causing the nindroid the brief panic, but he walked forward and gestured for everyone to group up. He walked over to Lloyd and dragged him out of bed.

“Wh...huh?” Lloyd sputtered.

The ninja spoke in the circle for a few moments, and Cryptor stood awkwardly at the door, unsure on what to do.

Then everyone split up. They cleared a part of the room’s floor, and began to shuffle the mattresses of their beds, dumping them onto the ground. Cryptor watched, a bit confused and unsure of what to do.

Finally, they had pieced together a massive island of mattresses in the middle of the floor.

After many failed attempts to convince him to lie down, they had to tackle him, all the while mindful of the gash on his face.

They all lay down, crowding around him. A pillow was placed underneath his head and a weighted blanket was thrown over his torso. He could feel as a set (or two) were thrown over his torso, and he snuggled against their warmth.

“...can someone shut off the lights?”

“Oh. Right.” There were the sounds of someone getting up, and feet against the ground. A click later, and they were plunged into the darkness. Cryptor sighed softly, his eyelid already heavy as it slid closed. That person shuffled back into bed, and then it was quiet again.

He could feel as his throat and chest began to rumble as he allowed himself to relax fully. He slowly sank into the warmth, feeling as the blissful silence stretched out from around him, with arms hugged around him, listening to the sounds of people breathing. The blankets shielded him a cocoon of warmth, and he shifted them a bit over his head.

He passed out.

“Holy fuck he’s purring.” Someone whispered behind him.

“Mmmmmmhhhhmm.” Someone else mumbled sleepily.

“Hah. Cryptor purring. A big softie. I—”

“Shut up, Jay. You’re too loud.” Kai snapped. Jay instantly stopped talking, but everyone could hear as he let out an annoyed huff.

A pause.

Cryptor shifted a bit closer into the chest of who was in front of him, and they tightened their hold. The noise increased in volume, and he leaned into their warmth. He let out a content sigh, and everyone shifted so that they could fill the gap in the crowd that Cryptor created when he moved forward. A hand reached to scratch at the back of his head, and the purring increased, a small smile pulling at the nindroid’s lips.

Another pause.

“Kai.” Cole whispered quietly.

“Yeah?”

“So, what happened to that murder plot you were considering?”

Silence.

Kai sighed, before he shook his head.

“Forget it.” Kai whispered quietly, listening to the sound of the nindroid purring loudly, watching as Cryptor’s side rose and fell with even breaths.

“That’s not what’s important.”

#ninjago #ninjago fanfiction #sayijo writes

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