#also crumple zones save lives

[mckitterick]

the funniest part is that, at the public unveiling of this thing, the steel ball they threw at the window did actually go through

so a big L all the way around

This thread is hysterical.

[laxmiree]

[CN] MLQC’s Lucien - No Man’s Land Event - Day 2

No Man’s Land Solo SSR Event | Rebirth Date Part 1 | Date Part 2 | Date Part 3 | Day 1 | Day 2 (You're here!) | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7

Translation under the cut!

[Random Event Day 2]

1. I stumble upon a red-covered notebook belonging to an unknown owner.

[Open the notebook and read through the entries]

The diary belongs to a young girl who uses childish yet strong words to recount her experiences living with her mother in the wasteland. I'm so moved by her story that I cry until I'm exhausted. (Stamina -20)

[Use for starting a fire]

I throw the diary into the heating fire, which instantly gets much warmer. (Stamina +5)

2. A strong gust of wind blows, and a piece of paper sticks to my face. I pull it off and see that it says: “Recruitment notice, Zone L arms factory, sufficient dry foods, favorable treatment.”

[Look at the back]

I flip it over and find a small line of text on the back: Our motto is, if you’re not dead from work, then work until you are. I expressionlessly crumple the job recruitment notice into a ball and throw it away. (Stamina +5)

[Be moved]

I immediately feel that weapons are indeed profitable, so I plan to raise the price of some weapons I picked up yesterday. Unexpectedly, everyone thinks my prices are too high. It's been a whole day, and I haven't sold anything, so now I'm starting to feel hungry. (Stamina -20)

3. I take an experimental drug handed to me by Lucien, and the next morning, I wake up to find that my right leg has suddenly lost all feeling.

[Panic]

I panic and try to get out of bed despite Lucien's attempts to stop me, but I end up injuring my other leg. While bandaging me, Lucien says that there seems to be some error with the medication, but it should return to normal by tomorrow. (Health -20)

[Be self-reliant]

Lucien apologetically* extends his hand to me, but I nimbly get out of bed and hop out on one leg to find food, without any intention of seeking his help at all. A small crack seems to appear in his perfect smile. (Stamina -5)

T/N: 深表歉意 is a STRONGER apology compared to the commonly used 对不起. This phrase more or less means "to express deep apologies" or "to deeply apologize." It is more formal and emphasizes a stronger sense of regret and sincerity.

4. Accidentally, Lucien and I walk into an abandoned school that was "invaded" by radiation. It's clear that the evacuation was very rushed, as many things in the classrooms were left behind.

[Explore lockers]

A doll is in the locker, and Lucien says it's best not to touch it. I dismissively say that a little residual radiation won't hurt me. As soon as I reach out, the doll's head and eyes fall off, startling me into a scream. (Stamina-20)

[Study the blackboard]

I see a line of equations left on the blackboard and ask Lucien to explain what they mean. Lucien smiles at me and says, "Then I'll start the lecture now. This classmate needs to listen carefully." (Stamina-5)

5. We pass by a whole array of monuments. Their inscriptions bear the names of heroes who bravely sacrificed themselves during the catastrophe a hundred years ago. Some of the monuments even have freshly picked wildflowers and unknown fruits placed in front of them.

[Wipe off the dust]

I silently wipe the dust off these monuments. The world may not be beautiful, but there will always be many idealists willing to give everything for the world. They should not be forgotten.

[Eat the fruit]

I happen to feel a bit hungry, so I pick up the fruit in front of the monument and take a bite. The sour taste instantly fills my mouth, making my teeth so sore that I can't eat anything for the rest of the day. (Health -20)

6. As we enter the city, a man with a festering arm rushes out, accusing Lucien of not only failing to cure him but also making him neither human nor a ghost. However, another man lying on a stretcher insists that it was the city lord who saved them.

[Go closer and examine]

I approach the man who accuses Lucien, wanting to examine his wound, but I am strangled by his bloodied and mangled arm. Although Lucien rescues me just in time, the intense feeling of suffocation still leaves me with lingering fear. (Health -30)

[Question Lucien]

I ask Lucien who was telling the truth, and Lucien smiles, saying that the truth should not be told to me by him, but rather depends on which truth I am willing to believe.

[Important Matter]

MC: This gear looks incredible!

MC: Are you planning to wear it to conduct some experiments?

Lucien: Mm, there is indeed something very important that requires this gear to be completed.

Lucien: Let's go to the high-radiation area now.

MC: Walk-

Lucien: (*￣⁠︶⁠￣)

MC: (⁠ *°▽°⁠ *⁠)

MC: How do you feel?

Lucien: Hmm, I'm fine. Although I can't stay long, it's enough for me to accomplish my goal.

MC: Are we going deep into the radiation zone for exploration? Or are we going to inspect the ruins?

MC: Could it be that you're planning to take a closer look at those old devices?

MC: Don't worry, I'll lead the way!

Lucien: Then take me to the places you usually go.

MC: Eh?  (⁠ ✿°▽°⁠ )?

Lucien: I want to take a walk with you.

MC: Just a walk…?

Lucien: Yes, let's walk together through the places you usually pass by.

Lucien: I want to see the world through your eyes.

Lucien: Can you lead the way, dear Miss Guide?

[artsybi]

hey btw. if your question re modern medicine or safety features is ever "well what did they do before this?" the answer is that people fucking died. that's always the answer.

"oh do babies REALLY need a vitamin k shot? well what did people do BEFORE this?" babies fucking died, suzanne. vitamin k deficient bleeding is common in newborns. a vitamin k shot does not harm the kid in any way and could very easily save their life. it's not that fucking deep.

"but BEFORE vaccines what did we do-" children died of polio, greg. people spent their lives in iron lungs. my grandmother had to watch her mother get polio and it almost destroyed her. there is a reason me and my brother got polio vaccines as children. children also died of measles. we forget that now, i think. because the vaccine is so good, but measles is awful, actually, can kill you, and has other terrible horrible side effects.

"back in my day we didn't have all this safety gear this generation is so SOFT-" back in your day, jeff, kids cracked their skulls open on curbs when they fell off their bikes, instead of hitting their helmets on the cement and scraping their knees. ever heard of survivorship bias? sure, you survived. not everyone did though.

"old cars are so SOLID they're much better-" do you know what a crumple zone is, martha? cars are supposed to collapse in on themselves like crushed soda cans in accidents, because it absorbs the force of the collision. those solid steel framed old cars looked fine after crashes, but that force was transferred to the squishy human occupants, something that was frequently fatal. yeah your car might not survive an accident, but you fuckin will.

[blog-carinspectors]

5 Safety Features You’ll Find in Modern Cars

Modern cars now have many advanced safety features protecting drivers, passengers, and locals. As technology improves, these features help lower the chances of accidents and make driving safer. This blog looks at five important safety features in today’s vehicles and explains how they contribute to a safer driving experience for everyone.

Safety Features in Modern Cars

Blind Spot Monitoring

Blind spot monitoring systems are important for lane changes. They use sensors to spot cars in nearby lanes the driver might not see. If another vehicle is in the blind spot, the system usually lights up a warning on the side mirror.

Some advanced systems also make a sound if the driver tries to change lanes while there's a car in the blind spot. This feature helps prevent accidents and makes drivers more aware of their surroundings.

Rearview and Surround-View Cameras

Many cars have rearview cameras, which help drivers see what’s behind them when backing up. This feature helps avoid accidents with pedestrians or objects. Surround-view cameras go a step further by providing a full bird's-eye view of the area around the vehicle. With several cameras around the car, this system makes parking in tight spaces easier, reducing blind spots and helping drivers spot obstacles more easily.

Airbags and Improved Crumple Zones

Airbags are an important safety feature in modern cars. They are meant to protect people in a crash. Most cars have several airbags, including ones for the front, sides, curtains, and knees, to keep passengers safe from all angles. Moreover, car makers have enhanced crumple zones, which means car parts are made to bend and absorb impact during an accident. These improvements help to lighten the force, reducing the risk of serious injuries.

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is a safety feature that helps keep cars stable on slippery roads. It monitors how the car is moving and detects when it starts to slide. If it notices any issue, it automatically brakes certain wheels and adjusts the engine power to help the driver regain control. This system is useful in bad weather, reducing the risk of rollovers and accidents.

Adaptive Headlights

Adaptive headlights are a smart feature that improves visibility and safety at night. They can move and change their angle based on how fast the car is going and in which direction it's turning.  As the driver turns, the headlights change angle to light up the curve of the road, helping to brighten areas that might be dark. This better visibility helps drivers spot dangers earlier and react more quickly, which can minimize the chances of nighttime accidents. They also automatically dim high-beams which may be on when there is approaching traffic. This helps to prevent blinding of oncoming drivers and provides a safety factor for them also.

Concluding Thought

The modern safety features in cars show big improvements in car technology that aim to reduce accidents and save lives. These innovations, from advanced driver assistance systems to multiple airbags boost safety.

As technology advances, the car industry will develop even better systems to make our roads safer. Choosing vehicles with these features is a smart decision for buyers and an important step toward safer driving for everyone.

Are you someone who requires used car inspection services in Los Angeles? Consider contacting Car Inspectors. We are a group of certified technicians who will serve you the best services possible. We know how to check and improve your vehicle. We also deal in other services like used car mechanic inspection.

Disclaimer- The information provided in this content is just for educational purposes and is written by a professional writer. Consult us to learn more about safety features in modern cars.

[critical-collisions]

How Accident Reconstruction Can Make Roads Safer for Everyone

Every year, thousands of accidents occur on roads around the world, leading to injuries, fatalities, and significant economic costs. These accidents are not just random events; they often result from a combination of factors that can be analysed and understood through the science of accident reconstruction. In this article, we will explore how accident reconstruction plays a vital role in making roads safer for everyone.

Understanding the Causes

Accident reconstruction involves piecing together the events leading up to an accident to determine its causes and contributing factors. This is done through a combination of data collection, analysis, and simulations. By understanding why accidents happen, we can work towards preventing them.

Identifying Problematic Areas

Accident reconstruction helps identify problematic areas on our roads. By analysing patterns in accidents, experts can pinpoint locations with high accident rates or recurring issues, such as dangerous intersections, poorly designed roadways, or areas with a history of adverse weather conditions. This information is invaluable for city planners and traffic engineers looking to improve road safety.

Evaluating Driver Behaviour

One crucial aspect of accident reconstruction is evaluating driver behaviour. By studying factors like speed, distraction, impairment, and reaction times, we gain insights into human actions leading to accidents. This information can be used to develop educational programs and awareness campaigns to promote safer driving habits.

Vehicle Safety Improvements

Accident reconstruction also plays a significant role in improving vehicle safety. By studying how vehicles respond during crashes, manufacturers can design cars with better crashworthiness. This includes features like airbags, crumple zones, and seatbelt systems, all of which have been enhanced through insights gained from accident reconstruction.

Legal Implications and Accountability

Accident reconstruction is often a crucial element in legal proceedings following accidents. It provides a factual basis for determining liability and holding responsible parties accountable. When individuals know that their actions on the road will be thoroughly investigated, it serves as a deterrent against reckless driving.

Traffic Law and Policy Changes

Accident reconstruction data can lead to changes in traffic laws and policies. For example, if a certain type of accident becomes increasingly common due to a specific issue like impaired driving, policymakers may choose to enact stricter laws or improve enforcement measures.

Advanced Technologies

Advancements in technology have revolutionized accident reconstruction. Today, investigators can use data from black boxes, GPS systems, and even dashcams to create highly accurate reconstructions. Virtual reality simulations and 3D modelling tools allow for more comprehensive analysis and visualization of accident scenarios.

Public Awareness and Education

Accident reconstruction can also serve as a tool for public awareness and education. By sharing reconstructed stories of accidents and their causes, authorities and organizations can engage the public in discussions about road safety. This education can lead to increased awareness and responsible behaviour on the road.

Conclusion

Accident reconstruction is a multifaceted field that goes far beyond determining what happened after a crash. It holds the potential to prevent accidents by understanding their causes, improving road infrastructure, evaluating driver behaviour, enhancing vehicle safety, and promoting legal accountability. By harnessing the power of accident reconstruction, we can collectively work towards making our roads safer for everyone, saving lives, and reducing the human and economic toll of accidents on society. It's not just a science; it's a path to a safer future on our roads.

GBB UK has a fantastic team of expert forensic collision investigators on hand to assist with how the car crash happened.

[partscargo]

The Surprising Weight of the Average Car Might Shock You

How much does your car weigh? Unless you're driving a tank, you probably haven't given it much thought. But the average weight of cars on the road today is over 4,000 pounds! Keep reading to learn more fascinating facts about just how much an average car weighs.

Cars have gotten so big and loaded with features that their weight has steadily crept up over the decades. Back when my dad was a kid, cars were lucky to weigh 2,000 pounds! He told me stories about how light his family's old Ford Falcon was, and how he could push it when it broke down. Those days are long gone.

When I needed a new car parts store near me for some repairs on my SUV last month, I started wondering - just how heavy are today's cars anyway? I did some research online and found some surprising statistics.

Here's a quick overview of the average car weights by type:

Compact cars: 2,500 - 3,300 lbs

Midsize cars: 3,100 - 3,700 lbs

Full-size cars: 3,700 - 4,200 lbs

Luxury cars: 4,100 - 4,700 lbs

SUVs: 4,000 - 5,500 lbs

Pickup trucks: 4,500 - 6,000 lbs

As you can see, even "compact" cars today often weigh over 3,000 lbs! Looking at the lower ends of the ranges, small cars have gotten about 50% heavier over the past 40 years. And trucks now regularly top three tons in weight.

What's causing this weight gain epidemic in our cars? There are a few key factors:

More stringent safety standards

Since the 1970s, the federal government has implemented increasingly strict safety standards for cars. Features like airbags, crumple zones, and anti-lock brakes all add extra pounds. But they also save lives, so the added weight is worth it.

Bigger vehicles and more amenities

Over the past two decades, SUVs and trucks have surged in popularity, displacing sedans. Their height, 4-wheel drive components, and hauling capacity naturally make them heavier. Plus, to keep up with customer demand, automakers load even family sedans up with premium features like leather seats, sunroofs, and high-end sound systems. More amenities = more weight.

Hybrid and electric powertrains

Newer green technologies like hybrid and full electric drivetrains contain heavy battery packs. For example, a Tesla Model 3 weighs about 4,000 lbs - 25% more than a comparably sized BMW 3-Series.

So, if you recently scratched your head at how effortlessly your friend's Smart Car zipped around compared to your Ford Explorer, now you know why! When it comes to today's cars, we should judge weight, not by size, but by the pound. Looking to lower your fuel costs through a lighter ride? Check out our handy guide to the top 10 lightest cars sold in 2022. Going electric? We'll walk you through everything you need to know about EV range so you can find the perfect battery capacity. And stop by any time for expert guidance on upgrading, repairing and maintaining your vehicle. At our car parts store near me, we've got the parts and passion to keep you moving.

[therogueheart]

I Know You (You’re Part of Me)

Please note this work contains spoilers for the 911: Lonestar crossover episode. This work does not contain spoilers for 911: S04E03.

TW: No trigger warnings.

“It was you, wasn’t it?”

They were docked at the 126, invited to stop over on their way from the fireline to use the showers and change into clean clothing. Buck had let the others go first and Eddie had hung back under the pretence of calling his Abuela to let her know they were coming back.

Buck was leaning over the partition wall in the common area, head tilted, looking at Eddie like he could see right through his ribs and into his heart. 

“What was me, Buck?” he asked, arching a brow with a half-smirk. A lot had happened over the past four days and there was a lot he could answer for. Buck pouted at him in that stop trying to play with me way. 

The kind of way that made Eddie want to reel him in and leave him gasping for air.

“How did you know we’d go darkside for a rescue op?” Buck asked in lieu of answer; brows furrowing. The last of the 118 had trickled out of the showers so Eddie scooped up their bags and headed in. 

“I knew you’d go darkside. TK was a good bet, but I was fifty-fifty on whether you’d convince him to stay and take the truck yourself,” Eddie confessed. He’d seen enough of Buck in TK’s eyes to go straight to the 126 crew, though. 

He began to undress and Buck hopped up on the polished counters, legs swinging as he looked at Eddie carefully. His silence begged further explanation, and Eddie complied. 

“I know you, Buck. I knew the moment you heard someone was trapped you were gonna throw your name into the bowl. And then you found out it was someone’s father - TK’s father - and I took one look between you both and knew that was the deal done. Especially when you were told no.”

And fuck, but it had terrified him. The thought of Buck, alone or with just one other firefighter, storming into the midst of a wildfire...Even to save lives, to save one of their own...

Eddie was selfish that way. 

“How did you know I’d go for a truck?” Buck asked, and Eddie shot him an oh, please look. Knowing Buck would go for a truck over a buggy was as easy as knowing Buck would throw his fool ass into the flames in the first place. 

Buck pulled a face and Eddie stripped off his shirt, moving to lean on the countertop next to him. 

“I kept an eye on you. I know when your head is working. And sure enough, I saw you sneak into the tent and lift the keys from the board.”

“Okay. So you knew I’d go, and you knew I’d steal one of the trucks,” Buck trailed off, clearly thinking. Eddie let him for a moment, then put him out of his misery. 

“Like I said. I know you. I know you enough that one look at you and I knew you were going. And I knew I wasn’t going to let you go alone. But I also wasn’t stupid enough to sneak off without telling anyone where we were headed,” he pointed out. 

Buck’s face pinched and Eddie knew with satisfaction he’d given Buck something to think about. He could never stop Buck from running into the danger zone, but at least he could make sure Buck wasn’t alone when he did it. 

“So I went to Judd,” he shrugged, pushing away, hands drifting to his belt. Buck’s gaze followed, pupils dilating slightly. 

“Judd said if you offered TK a line, there wasn’t a way in Hell he wouldn’t take it - get undressed, Buck. We move out in under an hour - so Marjan distracted the Captain and I figured out which keys you stole, and you know the rest”.

He didn’t miss the way that Buck frowned at the mention of Marjan, face going a little sour before he obliged and slid off the counter. He stopped and turned, though, biting at his lower lip. 

“You didn’t have to come. You shouldn’t have come,” Buck stressed after a moment. You have Christopher went unsaid. You’re worth more than me lingered between them. 

Eddie stepped closer, shorter but the point of authority in the moment. 

“Where you go, Buck, I follow,” he told him. Firm but soft, the way Buck received the best. Bobby had it down to a talent, especially after the mess of the lawsuit. Eddie hadn’t taken long to figure it out himself. 

The words seemed to devastate Buck, but in the good way, if there was one. It was the same look Buck got whenever someone included him in the definition of their family, or said they were proud of him. The kind of broken warmth in his eyes whenever Eddie saw right through his façade. 

"You really thought I wouldn’t know? That I didn’t know you well enough to understand you’d do anything to make sure someone didn’t lose the one they loved? That someone didn’t lose their Bobby?”

Buck crumpled at the words, gaze darting away. Tongue on his lip, head dropping lower. Buck never knew what to do when Eddie carved him out and handed him everything he’d tried to hide and away and protect.

“And you really thought,” Eddie continued, a hand reaching up to brush at Buck’s birthmark, thumb gentle against the pink skin. “That I’d let you go alone? Without me?”

We go together.

“I go where you go,” Buck murmured into the scant space between them. Nothing they hadn’t said before, but both of them could feel that the past four days had somehow changed the meaning of them. Given them more weight. 

“Good,” Eddie breathed, praise and confirmation at once. “And don’t you ever forget that I know you like part of myself, Evan Buckley. You ever try to leave me behind again and there won’t be anything left of you for Bobby to yell at,” he warned, helplessness and anger and insecurity creeping in for a brief moment. 

For a moment, they just stood there. Inches away from each other, silently reminding themselves that they’d made it out. They’d gotten through it, together. One more time rolling the dice on their lives and they’d won. 

And maybe they’d cashed in on another win, too. Finally reached the end of a game they’d been playing for three years now, one maybe neither of them had even realised they’d started. 

But here, in a strange station twenty hours from home still stinking of smoke and destruction, was not where Eddie was going to move his piece over the finish line. Buck deserved better than a rushed kiss in the bathroom of someone else’s second home, and twenty hours after where they couldn’t talk about it because they were cramped in with other people. 

He was in this for the long haul, and Buck deserved nothing less. 

[the-modernmary]

my best habit || aaron hotchner x reader (ch. 5)

Chapter summary: Aaron and the rest of the BAU finally make an arrest on their case, and you spend the weekend at Aaron’s.

Warnings: SMUT, oral (f receiving), multiple orgasms

prev. chapter || masterlist || read on ao3

I had a few, got drunk on you, and now I’m wasted

And when I sleep I’m gonna dream of how you tasted

- Harry Styles, “Medicine”

 ~~~~~~~

The investigation was slow going, and every day when you got off the metro to get to your internship, you would see the undercover van that you knew had BAU members cramped inside, sitting and waiting for somebody, anybody , to slip up and say something incriminating. 

  It was weird being at work knowing that it was bugged, but it did wonders for your productivity. Whenever Chris or another one of your friends at the office started to ask you about your personal life, you were able to deflect it with a quick “Sorry, I’m in the zone right now, and I’ve really got to focus!” Usually, you had no problem sharing, but you really didn’t want the FBI to have audio evidence of your retelling of you double fisting vodka Sprites the night before until you passed out in your bathtub. 

  You also hadn’t seen Aaron since that first night together, which was almost a week ago now. The two of you had been texting back and forth pretty consistently, but you quickly found that there was a variable that wasn’t there two years ago - Jack.

You should have realized that, of course , Jack would be living with Aaron now, but it never crossed your mind. Jack used to live with Haley, and Aaron rarely brought him up to you. Now that Jack lived with Aaron, it made things a little more complicated. It also meant that you couldn’t just show up at Aaron’s doorstep whenever you were feeling lonely, or vice versa. After a long and awkward phone call, Aaron and you had both agreed that it was best that Jack just didn’t meet you, just in case he got attached.

  “For now, at least,” Aaron had added at the end, and holy shit, you did not have the time to unpack whatever the fuck that meant.

  Especially not with Chris throwing a crumpled piece of paper at you like the two of you were in middle school and passing notes.

  You held up the ball of paper with a raised eyebrow. “Seriously? You have the desk across from me, you could have just said my name.”

  “What are you doing tonight?” he asked you, pointedly ignoring your question. “Nina just got the Catan expansion pack and she wants us all to come over.”

  You pursed your lips as you thought about the offer. You did love game nights with your friends, but it was Friday night and you were still holding out on the possibility of Aaron maybe being free and inviting you over. It was almost pitiful how touch starved you were after just a few days of not being with Aaron.

  “I’m not sure whether or not I’m busy tonight,” you admitted, maybe speaking a little too loudly in the direction of the listening devices, just in case Aaron was listening in. 

  Chris gave you a knowing smirk. “Oh, are you waiting to hear from your secret lover?”

  “Okay, don’t use the word ‘lover’ again,” you groaned. “And what makes you think that it was anything more than a one night stand?”

  “Because when you’re not actively texting, you’ve been checking your phone every 20 minutes.”

  Your face turned red as you sunk into your seat, trying and failing to hide yourself. Maybe if you willed it hard enough, the ground would open up and swallow you whole, just to save you from the embarrassment. You hadn’t realized you were checking your phone so often, but you also didn’t doubt it. 

  “Fine,” you grumbled, deciding that coming clean to your friends was going to be much easier than having to deal with them bringing it up at every moment possible. Besides, you didn’t have to give them all the details. “I will tell everybody all about him, but later . Not now.”

  Chris smirked as he leaned back in his chair, obviously proud of himself. You turned back to your work, mindlessly doing edits as you came up with a cover story in your head.

  Ran into an old friend, you could say. We got drinks, and then one thing led to another. That could work, except you came to the realization that you didn’t have any photos of Aaron, which would be suspicious if he was an old friend. You would have to look him up, which you were sure would just lead to a slew of FBI ID photos and news articles, which would mean that they’d just do some major googling of their own. You had avoided looking up Aaron, maybe in fear of what fucked up cases he had been involved in, but your friends would not hesitate.

  You could come up with something so ridiculous that they would just laugh about it. Yeah, I got a sugar daddy and he made me sign a nondisclosure agreement, sorry! You giggled to yourself just thinking about it. Aaron would probably be mortified at the thought. Although, he did wear a Rolex, so you guessed that anything was possible.

  “Holy shit, Y/N,” Chris mumbled, and you just gave a lazy hum as a reply, not really paying attention. “The FBI is here.”

  Your head snapped up at that . You whipped your head around so that you could face the entrance, and sure enough, the entire BAU team was walking in like they owned the place, with Aaron in the lead. They all had their FBI vests on, a sight which was way more attractive than it should have been. JJ and Reid stayed at the entrance to make sure nobody got out.

  “Everybody, please stay calm,” JJ called out, putting her hands up non threateningly. “Everything is okay, but we need you all to stay sitting exactly where you are.”

  A commotion came from the conference room and against your better judgment, you turned your head to watch what was going on. It wasn’t just one person getting arrested, it was every partner. You watched as Aaron spun Julian DuPont around by the wrist and pushed his face down on the conference table and oh, the FBI vest was nothing compared to watching Aaron arrest somebody.

  If anybody asked you if you got turned on during an FBI raid, you would vehemently deny it, but watching Aaron take out his handcuffs made your mind flash back to all those times you were in that same position, cuffed and bent over, completely at Aaron’s mercy. 

  Just as quickly as they came in, the BAU made their arrests and made their way back out. As Aaron passed your desk, his eyes met yours for a brief second and the corner of his mouth quirked up smugly. It was so subtle and quick that even you barely caught it, but you knew that look.

  At least you weren’t the only one in this situation with your mind in the gutter.

  Once the rest of the BAU was out of the building, JJ and Reid started the process of getting everybody else out of the office so that CSI could come in and finish looking around. When you passed by them, both agents greeted you with a warm smile, like the three of you were old friends.

  “Y/N, we’re going to need to get your statement before you go home,” Reid told you as you walked by, and you just nodded in confirmation.

  Once you got outside, you were immediately greeted by some agent named Anderson. He needed to get your statement on the work you did with the team, and you quickly gave him the PG version of the story. Your mind, however, was more focused on finding Aaron, who you knew had to be somewhere in the crowd. God, how long did it take to write down a simple statement?

  “I’ll take it from here, Anderson. Thank you.” 

  Aaron’s voice sent shivers down your spine and you spun around to look at him. You brought your bottom lip in between your teeth. “Nice arrest, although I’m surprised. Mr. DuPont doesn’t even drive himself to work, I can’t imagine him waiting out to kill somebody.”

  “That’s because he hired hitmen,” Aaron explained. “The victims were all bribing judges to get their cases dismissed, and all of those dismissed cases looked really bad for his prosecuting record.”

  You shrugged, placing your hands on his hips. “Probably not as bad as prison, though.”

  That actually got a laugh out of Aaron, but he quickly composed himself as another agent walked past the two of you. “Yeah, he’s not going to be practicing law ever again.” 

  You opened your mouth to say something - maybe to invite him over? You weren’t totally sure - when one of the CSI’s came over to ask Aaron something.

  Aaron waved him off, telling him that he would be there in a moment, before turning back to you. “My house will be empty all weekend,” he whispered, looking around to make sure nobody was watching. “Pack a bag, come over.”

  Before you could even answer him, Aaron had already taken off. You made your way towards the metro so that you could run home before heading to Aaron’s. You had to fight the smile that was growing on your face when Aaron mentioned packing a bag. Not only was it an unspoken promise of a weekend full of sex, it also meant that he was planning on making room for you to keep some of your stuff at his house. The two of you were quickly falling back into your old routines, and it was weirdly comforting.

  When you got to your house, you made a split second decision to change out of your work clothes into a more casual outfit, although it didn’t matter much what you were wearing. It’s not like it was going to stay on for very long. As you packed your bag, you ordered an Uber, knowing it would get you to Aaron’s place faster than the metro. 

  Sure, you were a little impatient, but it had been so long since you had spent the night at Aaron’s place. It always intrigued you how different it was at his house than it was at yours. You were just staying in a shoebox apartment while you were in college - something liveable and temporary until after you graduated and got a job where you could put actual roots down. Your decor was fairly minimum, an assortment of knick-knacks and photos of your friends.

  Aaron’s place was different. It was a certifiable, adult house with framed art and random decorative bowls scattered around. All of his kitchenware was a part of a matching set and his living room looked like all the pieces were picked out by an interior designer. In a weird way, being at Aaron’s house gave you a glimpse of the life you could have in just a few years. Sometimes, it was easy to imagine that you were a part of his world.

  You couldn’t think like that, though. Especially not when he greeted you at his door with an eager kiss, pulling you in so that you were pressed against him.

  “I’m going to use this entire weekend,” Aaron mumbled against your lips in between kisses. His hands slid up your sides, pulling your shirt off almost immediately. “To thoroughly and completely ruin you, until you can only say my name.” 

  Your fingers tangled in his hair as you smiled into the kiss, your fingers already working on the buttons of his shirt. A soft moan escaped your lips, which only encouraged him to deepen the kiss.

  The two of you stumbled towards Aaron’s bedroom, only detaching your lips when absolutely necessary and leaving a trail of clothes behind you. You needed to be naked, to feel your bare skin pressed against his. His hands were impossibly everywhere all at once - running up your thighs, cupping your breasts, and gripping your hips so hard that it was bound to leave bruises. Your body burned everywhere he touched and soon all you could think about was him and how badly you wanted him to touch you where it mattered.

  Once you got to his bedroom, Aaron pressed you against the wall. You tried to grind against him, but he moved one of his hands onto your hips so that he could hold you in place. His lips moved from your mouth to your neck, sucking just enough to make your back arch. “You have no idea how often I thought of you this week. How hard it was to listen to you and not think about how you sound when you’re begging for me. How badly I needed you.”

  Your nail scratched down his back lightly, just enough to elicit a soft hiss from him. “Desperation is unbecoming on you, Aaron,” you teased, knowing that would get a reaction out of him.

  It worked. One of his hands stayed on your hip, pressing you firmly against the wall, while his other hand tangled itself in your hair, pulling your head back so that your face was lifted up towards him. He kept you at an arm's distance as his eyes raked your body up and down hungrily.

  “I’m desperate?” he said scornfully. “Coming from the girl who is so needy that she couldn’t stay away from her phone for more than a few minutes, just waiting for me to want you. I could have called you at any time, and you would have dropped everything just to let me use you, isn’t that right? You’d let me do anything to you, just like the filthy slut you are.”

  You visibility gulped at his statement but you nodded obediently, which earned you a sharp tug of your hair.

  “Yes, Aaron, fuck ,” you gasped out. “I would have let you do anything at any time, just please…”

  Aaron gave you a predatory grin as the hand on your hip slowly made its way up your stomach until it cupped your right breast, thumbing lightly over your nipple. It wasn’t enough to get any real pleasure, but it made you moan all the same.

   “You did such a good job this week,” he murmured, looking at you almost worshipfully like he wanted to commit you to memory.  “I was going to give you whatever you wanted tonight. But maybe that would make me too desperate .”

  You tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but it was no use. “I- I-” you stuttered out. You couldn’t think straight.

  “I- I-,” Aaron mocked. “I thought you were a lot more intelligent than that. Come on, Y/N, whatever you want. Use your words. Unless pleasure’s turned you into a stupid whore.” He punctuated the last word with a light spank to your clit, which made you cry out and your legs instinctively try to close.

  “I want you to use your mouth,” you begged, arching your back in a pitiful attempt to create some form of contact. Your shoulders pressed against the wall was the only thing keeping you upright.

  “Where?” he asked all too casually.

  Your breathing was still shaky at best, but you forced yourself to make eye contact with Aaron. He looked back at you expectantly, waiting patiently for your answer.

  You slowly raised your hand to point to your left breast, which so far had been woefully ignored. “Here,” you said hesitantly, not sure whether or not he was going to tease you. While Aaron always gave you what you asked for eventually, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t make you beg for it first.

  To his credit, however, Aaron immediately bent down and attached his mouth to your nipple, his teeth gently scraping over the sensitive flesh. His eyes never left yours, he wanted to watch your reaction. 

  Feeling more confident, you cupped the sides of his face and pulled him off you, and the sound it made was obscene. “I want you to eat me out,” you whispered, blushing as you said it. “I want to feel myself cum on your face, please .”

  Aaron smirked as he slid down to his knees, kissing all the way down your stomach. “Good girl, you asked so nicely,” he mumbled against your skin and it sent shivers up your spine. He hooked one of your legs over his shoulder, giving him a perfect few of your pussy, slick with your arousal. “Look at you, dripping down your thighs before I’ve even started. Desperation is unbecoming on you, Y/N,” he mocked. He was using your words against you, and you didn’t even care. You just wanted him to do something, anything.

  Aaron ran a finger through your folds, ghosting over your clit. You hips bucked, desperate for more contact, but his finger was already gone. “Look at me,” he ordered, and as soon as you did, you were greeted with the image of Aaron admiring the wetness that was covering his finger. Then he stuck the finger in his mouth, smirking as he did, and you moaned out at the sight. “You taste so good, Y/N.”

  “Please, Aaron, I need you to- oh! ” you begged, but you were cut off by Aaron licking a strip up your center, still avoiding your clit.

  His hands came around and grabbed onto your ass as he got to work, lapping through your folds. You tangled your hands in his hair, rocking your hips against his mouth, craving more . His tongue teased at your clit, humming every once in a while in a way that sent vibrations throughout you. Without warning, he pushed two fingers into you curling them in just the right spot.

  As Aaron’s fingers pumped in and out of you, his lips focused solely on your clit. He flicked it once with his tongue before sucking, relishing in the way you moaned out his name. You tightened your grip in Aaron’s hair as your first orgasm hit you, your whole body shaking and a string of expletives leaving your mouth. But that didn’t stop Aaron.

  He added a third finger and replaced his mouth with his thumb on your clit. “You’re going to give me another one,” he practically growled. “And then I’m going to fuck you until you’re a whining mess. This is what you asked for isn’t it?”

  When you didn’t answer right away, he turned his head to the side and bit down on the sensitive flesh of your inner thigh, causing you to cry out. He sucked on that same spot for a little before dragging his tongue over the newly formed bruise.

  “Yes, I want that, Aaron,” you cried out. “I want you .”

  He reattached his lips to your folds with newfound vigor, making tight circles around your clit. His free hand snaked up your sides to your breast, pinching and twisting at your nipple. You continued to beg, although you weren’t sure what you were begging for exactly. All you knew was that you were so full of want , want for your second orgasm, and want for Aaron.

  Aaron fucked you with his fingers with ease, as if he had all the time in the world. You ground down on him again, chasing your orgasm the best you could. Your eyes were squeezed shut in pleasure, but you needed more. You opened your eyes, only to be met with Aaron’s blown pupils, eyes full of desire. You could almost feel his smirk as he wrapped his lips around your clit and pulled .

  The heel of your foot dug into his back as you cried out, your second orgasm twice as intense as your first one. Aaron’s fingers kept pumping into you lazily, and even your panting couldn’t cover the filthy sounds it was making. You could feel yourself dripping down your thighs.

  Aaron slowly removed his fingers from you and lightly swiped them over your clit once more as he stood up, which almost made you completely lose your balance, a sob tearing from your mouth.

  He held his glistening fingers in front of your mouth and you opened obediently, moaning as you tasted yourself on him. Your tongue swirled around his fingers, making sure to clean every trace of you off him.

  Aaron removed his fingers from your mouth. “Do you have one more in you?” he asked, and it was softer than you were used to. “It’s okay if you don’t. We have all weekend.”

  “I need your dick in me,” you said in lieu of an answer. “Please, please fuck me.”

  Aaron pulled you to his bed and you all but collapsed onto your back, your legs still shaking from your back to back orgasms. Aaron crawled on top of you, leaving a trail of kisses in his wake, all the way from your stomach to your mouth.

  “You’re so beautiful when you come for me,” he whispered, teasing your entrance with the head of his cock. All of his movements were gentle, bordering on caring. “Yelling out my name so that everybody can hear that you’re mine .”

  He pressed into you slowly, his first few thrusts shallow, and you could see that it was taking all of his willpower to keep teasing you like this. You dragged your nails down his back, not caring if it left marks on him.

  “Aaron,” you whimpered, bucking your hips to try and get more movement. “Please fuck me. I need more.”

  Aaron was always good at giving you what you wanted.

  His hips snapped into you harshly, and you had to attach your lips to his shoulder to keep from screaming out. Aaron thrusted into you hard and fast, wanting to feel every inch of you. He stretched you in all the best ways and your back arched off the bed. You were holding on to Aaron like a lifeline, and all he could do was grunt out your name over and over, repeating it like a prayer. 

  Your third orgasm came fast, spreading through your body like a wildfire, and you could feel the tears prick at the corners of your eyes at the overstimulation. Aaron’s thrusts became more desperate and harsher as he felt you squeeze around him. He dropped his head to your shoulder, his breathing ragged and you could tell that he was so close-

  “Cum for me… Fill me up,” you purred into Aaron’s ear, and that’s all it took for him to finish, holding himself deep inside you as his warmth filled you. The two of you stayed like that for a moment, both trying to catch your breath. You brought your head up to kiss Aaron, slowly and deliberately and filled with… something . You couldn’t figure out what it was yet.

  Aaron pulled out of you slowly and flopped onto the bed next to you, but he reached over and held your hand. The two of you laid like that for several moments, giving yourselves time to come back down to reality. Finally, Aaron rolled on his side to check on you. You admired the flush on his body, especially as it rose to his cheeks and made him look like he was practically glowing.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, his thumb rubbing lazy circles on your hand. “Can I do anything?” 

  You turned your head to smile at him, giving his hand a squeeze, before sitting up. Aaron was always so careful about aftercare, which you were immensely appreciative of. “Oh, I’m fine, I’m just going to go to the bathroom. A UTI might ruin the mood,” you joked.

  When you returned, Aaron was already in a pair of pajama pants and sitting in bed. He had also laid out one of his shirts for you, which caused your stomach to do flips. Despite the fact that you actually did pack pajamas, you chose to wear his shirt. You could feel his eyes watching your every movement as you made your way back into bed, leaning back against the headboard.

  Aaron placed an arm around your shoulders and you leaned into him, catching his lips in another kiss, this one soft and sensual. You placed your hand on his bare chest as the kiss deepened, and Aaron’s fingers ghosting over your skin sent shivers down your spine.

  “So,” you murmured against his lips. “What are your plans for me this weekend?” It was partially a joke, but you wanted to be as prepared as possible for just how sore you were going to be on Monday after an entire three days of being thoroughly wrecked by Aaron.

  Aaron’s lips curved up into a smile as he dropped a kiss on the top of your head, letting his lips linger for just a second too long. “Hm, we can play it by ear. Although, I was thinking Indian for dinner tomorrow night?”

  You were too old to get butterflies, but there was something so soft and so sincere in his reply that it made your stomach do flips. Aaron yawned, probably not even giving a second thought to his reply, and pulled you in closer to him. 

  “Yeah,” you conceded, closing your eyes. “Indian sounds good.” You could deal with the butterflies later.

[saffronwritings]

An Accident that Defines You

Pairing: Villain Deku x reader

Warnings: Uhhhhhh angst? LOL

A/N: This is something i wrote before starting all of my newer stuff. I really enjoy the thought of Villain!Deku for some reason.. This is also where the character has a quirk to deactivate their own and other’s hearing. It’s explained in the one-shot. 

“Izuku, it’s not safe here!” I shouted towards him as we continued to fight off the attacking villains. “We need to get these people out of here and take the battle elsewhere!” Iida shouted after me. We agreed to get the remaining civilians out of the fight zone. I quickly activated my quirk to distract two of the attacking villains I could see within range.

I huddled together three of the civilians in my area and took them towards a separate building. “Ma’am, are we going to survive this attack?” One of the gentlemen asked in a panicked state. “You have some of the best students from UA in the area. You are all going to be safe with us.” I smiled at him reassuringly. With the use of my quirk on two villains, my own hearing started to diminish. I knew better than to attempt more than one person at a time.

Aizawa warned me of the over usage of my own quirk. I knew the dangers that it possessed. However, we needed a distraction. We needed an upper hand in this never-ending fight. There was only six of us from UA; Izuku, Katsuki, Iida, Shinsou, Kirishima, and me. We were all out celebrating from a long week of testing and exams. We were prepping to take the final exit exam to become pro heroes. We were just walking downtown to grab something to eat when the attack happened.

Bakugou was off in a moment’s time and Kirishima was after him. Iida was rounding up civilians to try and keep them safe. Shinsou and Izuku were fighting off the numbers of villains. I was back up and helping Iida round up civilians. I was good as a versatile hero; I could be used in both the fight and in rescue. After waving the civilians off to a safe place, I trudged back towards the fight.

Izuku and I locked eyes and I could tell he was getting spent. He had been practicing so hard to get One for All under control and making it his own. We spent many days training together with hand to hand combat. He always took it easy on me since my quirk wasn’t really close combat. We had grown so close to each other in these last few months. He was about to activate it to its fullest potential and really injure himself.

At that moment, I made a decision that I knew shouldn’t have been made. Everyone around me pulsed and that’s when I went overboard. I shut off everyone’s hearing in a three-mile radius, including my classmates. Izuku looked over at me just as soon as my quirk activated with his eyes wide. My ears felt like they were under so much pressure that I flinched as I attempted to stand up. A villain made his way over to me in anger, realizing that I was the source of his hearing loss.

I saw the panic in Izuku’s eyes when he saw the villain stalking my way. “MOVE.” He attempted to shout, and I was able to read his lips. My eyes widen as I saw the position of his fingers. One that we all knew came with extreme power. I quickly ran out of the way as soon as he let go of his finger, sending a blast of power where the villain was, and I had previously been. I was caught by the blast and pushed a bit more towards the road.

There was a ringing in my ears from my quirk being so overused. I felt nauseated and weak from the usage. I picked myself up from the ground to see the destruction of Deku’s attack. The pavement was upturned roughly. I looked over to him to see him panting and heading my way. The ringing kept going and I couldn’t hear anything going on around me. Before I could even process it, Bakugou was blasting Deku in the opposite direction.

I was befuddled. This was not the time for their little bouts. Suddenly Iida was crouching in front of me. “We need to go. Now.” He directed with a look of panic in his eyes. I gave a look of confusion and turned to look at the thing his eyes were focused on. Behind me was the gentleman who I saved earlier, lying crumpled on the ground in the midst of where Deku’s blast hit. I scrambled to my feet and ran over to the man, not worrying about my own well-being. “Sir!” I shouted, shaking his body, feeling his neck for a pulse. I found nothing. “Sir!!” I shouted louder, still shaking his body. I felt the color drain out of my face.

I felt tears swell in my eyes. I had failed him. I felt a hand grip my shoulder and knew instantly that it was Iida. I turned around to see him looking at me solemnly. “We need to go get Izuku!” I mouthed to Iida who shook his head. “What do you mean no?” I shouted at him. Iida looked frustrated and looked to his side and suddenly  Shinsou Hitoshi  was right next to him. They were both arguing for a moment before Shinsou made eye contact with me. “We need to go. NOW.” I read from his lips. “Absolutely not!” I tried to counter, but I felt my body go weak. Shinsou came over to me and threw me over his shoulder. “Let’s go Iida.” He shouted and started to head off in the opposite direction.

 ...

I woke up startled as I felt sweat dripping from my body. That day was drilled in my head as a reoccurring nightmare. The day that changed the mood of our high school careers. We all felt the same pain of turning in Izuku to the police for the murder of a civilian. It was hard to grasp, and I knew it was an accident. However, everyone else thought otherwise. They all convinced me to keep my distance and not seek him out. My heart ached thinking of the pain that he was in.

I hadn’t seen Izuku since that incident. Hitoshi and Iida had taken me by force from the scene. Bakugou was cursing the entire way back with Kirishima on his tail. We made it back to the dorms and let Aizawa-sensei know what had happened. The color drained from his face before ordering a lockdown of the dorms and fled the building quickly. We got news of Izuku’s disappearance the following morning. He had fought a few pro-heroes in the process. Injuring Endeavor and even Al Might.

The following week he was spotted with the leader of the League of villains, Shigaraki Tomura. Before anyone could get close to them, they had fled the scene. That was over two months ago. UA had gone silent on the incident and didn’t speak further into detail about it. The five of us that were involved that night had all changed. I didn’t speak to Iida or Hitoshi for weeks. I avoided everyone as best as I could. I was so infuriated with how things happened.

For the longest time, I blamed myself for using my quirk to the point of exhaustion. I always wondered if I hadn’t deafened Izuku’s hearing if he would have heard Iida’s warning shout. We could still all be studying together to pass our exit exams instead of all of us keep to ourselves. You could tell how tense the entire school was about the situation at hand. A lot of Izuku’s clothes and personal items had gone missing from his dorm room shortly after the incident.

That was the last time we think he was ever on school grounds. After that, he was a ghost. I don’t think I ever fully forgave Iida and Hitoshi’s actions that night for not allowing me to go to Izuku. They all viewed him with harsh eyes for the accident that happened. A shudder went down my spine as I got up out of my apartment bedroom to grab a glass of water.

A flash of green made me drop my glass of water and it instantly shattered on the ground. “Wait, Y/N.” Izuku’s voice chilled me to the bone. It was raspy and broken. “Izuku?” I whispered in shock. “Yes, it’s me doll.” He whispered, crossing the threshold of my apartment to embrace me in his arms. The nickname he had given me in private brought a flush of warmth to my cheeks. I quickly wrapped my arms around him tightly. I felt tears spilling from my eyes almost instantly.

“Oh god, doll. It’s so good to see you again.” He whispered nervously. We had never really told anyone about our relationship. We kept it private because of everything going on. We didn’t need our classmates to tease us about our relationship. We had been dating a little under six months before the accident happened. I pulled away from him to really take a good look at him. His hair was disheveled and wild. His eyes were no longer the bright green I knew. They were dark and one of his eyes had turned red in color.

“Izuku what happened to you…” I whispered, putting a hand up to his cheek. “It’s been awful doll. They have been searching for me endlessly. I’ve had to hide and stay hidden.” He whispered, leaning into my hand. He turned his face towards my palm and gave it a soft peck. “How did you know I lived here now? You’ve been missing for two months.” I graveled at him.

“I’ve kept my tabs on you. I was making sure you were safe. I couldn’t live with myself if I knew any harm had come to you because of me.” He snarled. The soft innocent boy I had known two months ago was gone. Yet, he was still Izuku. He still cared deeply about me regardless of the situation.

“What are we going to do, Izuku?” I asked with a strained voice. I covered my mouth with my hand to stop the racking sobs that kept coming. “Oh, doll. Don’t cry, it’s okay now.” He cooed as he helped me to the floor. We sat close together on my kitchen floor. He kept rubbing circles on my hand and looking from my hand to my face. “I still can’t get over the fact I am actually here with me right now,” I whispered as I was attempting to get myself together.

“What are you doing with the league of villains, Izuku?” I asked after we had a moment of silent pause. I could feel him stiffen at the question. “Y/N… You have to understand, that I was not safe anywhere. Tomura was the only one to offer me any kind of solace. A place to hide. Someone who was willing to work with me when everyone else stared at me in disgust.” He explained in a low voice. You could hear how broken he was about this whole situation. “You don’t view me as a monster like everyone else, do you?” He whispered, as if almost afraid to receive the answer.

“It was an accident, Izuku. You were trying to save me from my own mistake.” I whispered. “I let you down by overusing my quirk. Hadn’t I used the last bit of strength I had, you wouldn’t have had to use your power. We would have graduated UA together. We would have been going out and starting our paths as heroes.” I managed to say in between sobs.

“What has everyone else said?” He asked coldly. “You can already imagine. I separated myself from them. I still haven’t forgiven Hitoshi or Iida for taking me away from you. When you needed someone the most. When you needed me the most.” I told him. I looked over at him with sorrow in my eyes. Izuku was staring at me when I turned to look at him. His eyes were piercing mine as if looking into my soul.

There was a loud knock on my apartment door. “Y/n? Is everything alright?” the voice of Kaminari said. Izuku looked both shocked and pissed off. “You live near, Kaminari?” He snarled quietly. “They insisted that I needed to be watched over. They won’t leave me alone.” I sighed, standing up. “I’ll get him to go away if you wanted to just stay in my bedroom.” I continued. He stood up and pulled me to him roughly. As soon as I caught my breath, his lips collided with mine. I instantly melted into his touch, his kiss.

However, he pulled away sooner than I would have anticipated. “I would love to stay, doll. I really would.” He grimaced, staring at the front door. “We will see each other soon. I promise you.” Before I knew it, he was gone in a flash of green. My heart ached for his presence. I held it together while going up to my front door. I took a deep breath and opened the door. “Hi, Kaminari,” I said in a cold voice.

His stare was hard to read. “Y/N… who was with you just now?” He asked, making my heart skip a beat. “What are you talking about, Kaminari? You know I live alone.” I stated in a calm even tone. “I’m so sorry, Y/N.” He said before grabbing onto my wrist.

The next thing I knew, I was waking up in a room with steel walls. “What the…” I started to say before the door slammed open. “Ground Zero…” I whispered as I looked at Katsuki in the eyes. His expression was also hard to read. “Don’t bullshit me, y/n. Where did Izuku go?” He asked in a steady voice. “I don’t know what you’re insinu-” I started to say before Katsuki slammed his fist onto the wall. “Dammit, stop lying! We know he stopped by your apartment last night.” He shouted.

“Why does it matter, Katsuki!? What are you going to do?” I yelled at him back. “Bring him into justice like he deserves! He killed someone, y/n!” He yelled back at me. I stood up abruptly and got in his personal space. “It was an accident and you knew that! He wouldn’t have done that on purpose! You are the whole reason he fled! You all believed he was a monster!” I shouted while stabbing my finger into his chest. His eyes were boring down into mine.

Suddenly his eyes softened at me before closing the door. Securing the two of us alone in the room. I didn’t know whether the room was bugged or not. “Y/N I know this is hard for you. Out of all the people that knew Izuku the best, it was you. He told me about how you two were dating before the incident happened. He confided in me before he even asked you out because he was a nervous wreck that damn nerd.” He started to say. Bakugou knew about Izuku and I. This was going to get dangerous quickly.

“You have to give me any information you have about him.” He said in almost a whisper. Bakugou wasn’t one to let his emotions down easily around people. He almost seemed defeated by his statement. He walked away from me and slammed his fist into the wall again. “I was supposed to be battling with him for the number one hero spot. Not chasing him down as one of the most wanted villains.” He strained out. “I wish I could tell you something, Katsuki. I really do. He stopped by my apartment last night and just told me he wanted to see me.” I told him, keeping Tomura out of the picture.

He sighed before rubbing his temple. “Okay, I’m sorry for the force we had to use to get you here. When sparky called me saying that he heard something break in your apartment then heard another muffled voice, I gave him the okay to use force. That damn nerd must have fled before Kaminari could get him. Not that he could have anyway.” He sneered. “Yeah, not the first-time force has been used against me in your guys’ favor.” I spit back.

“You would have followed him, Y/N.” He barked at me. “So what?” I sneered right back. “We couldn’t have two students go off the deep end! Izuku is dangerous now. He is willing to do anything to keep himself hidden.” He remarked. “I want to go home,” I demanded suddenly. Katsuki huffed and rolled his eyes. “It’s only going to get worse before it gets better. You know, that, right? He has to be brought to justice.” He barked at me again. This time I bit my tongue and turned my gaze to the opposite wall. “Fine, go ahead and go home. However, we are going to stake out your place since the sighting of a villain has been apparent.” He said while emphasizing the word villain.

I stood up and brushed past him on my way out. Kaminari was in the front lobby of Bakugou’s new agency. I activated my quirk as I walked by him to deactivate both my hearing and his. His expression changed when he saw me walk past him without being able to hear me. This would not be the end of my encounters with Bakugou’s crew from his agency.

Things were not easy for the following weeks as I knew I was being staked out by the pro heroes. I was almost associated as a villain because of my private meeting with Izuku. My heart was aching because I was not sure who to believe nor what to do. I knew that I needed to focus on my own hero work and getting in with an agency and who best than with Mirio Toogata.

He was more than ecstatic to take me in as an intern for his agency. I started working hard on blending in with the rest of my class while working for a pro hero agency. I hadn’t heard or seen Izuku since the night in my apartment. I saw from the news of more sightings with him with the League of Villains. The agency did their best to keep it quieter since they knew I was once close with Izuku. I was only hoping that he was staying safe and not making any more rash decisions.

Eight months had passed before we heard anything about any attack led by the League of Villains. Izuku was no longer front-page news, but more of an addition whenever the league was brought up. I hadn’t heard anything from him. He did not stop by my apartment again after the incident where Kaminari stopped by.

I wasn’t expecting to see him today. I was running errands on my day off from patrolling the city. There wasn’t that much villain activity lately which you would have thought that would have been a great thing. Yet, it put all of us heroes on edge because we were waiting for the next attack. I was passing the local convenience store and caught a glimpse of green from the corner of my eye.

I turned slowly to see the familiar curly green locks that I could pick out of a crowd. “It can’t be…” I whispered as we locked eyes. His face remained neutral to seeing me. He was standing in an alleyway as if waiting for someone. He wore a suit that hugged his frame. His sweet demeanor was no longer there. “Hello, doll.” He said, quickly making his way towards me. I knew I should have run and called for backup. Every inch of my body screamed for me to attack.

I couldn’t bring myself to do that. “Izuku...” The words came out of my mouth as if struggling. “You don’t have to be afraid, my doll. I was waiting for you.” He said, strolling up to me and taking my hand into his. He pulled lightly for me to follow him. Quickly snapping out of my daze I pulled my hand away from him. “What do you mean you were waiting for me? Izuku, they could catch you if anyone notices you!” I shrilled, panic rising up in my voice. This made his eyes glisten with excitement. He had changed completely in the months we hadn’t seen one another. His presence was different and something felt off.

“I knew you would eventually come this way, and I just had to see you. It’s been far too long since I’ve had the pleasure of being graced with your presence.” He cooed, putting a hand upon my cheek, stroking his thumb against my skin. His fingers were so calloused.

I took all of me not to melt into his touch. I stepped away from him and attempted to walk away. He was being reckless and you did not want to be the reason he got locked away for good. He grabbed my wrist tightly. “You don’t think you can leave me so soon, do you?” He asked. “Izuku, we both know we are two opposite sides of the same coin. You are at risk of being brought to justice and I cannot follow you.” I grimaced, trying hard to keep my composure.

It was hard not to let the tears flow out of my eyes. I had been anticipating seeing him again. The guy who I had such strong feelings for. One I had put all my trust and hopes into. The one who I imagined becoming the number one hero, to replace All Might. “I won’t fight you, or bring you into the pros. I can’t do that to you, Izuku. However, I cannot follow your path of villainy.” I said, the words struggling to form a coherent sentence in between my wracking sobs.

He stepped closer and wrapped his strong arms around me. “I had no choice, doll. You know this. “ His lips next to my ear. Hot breaths sending chills down my spine. “I miss you so much doll. I am so sorry I am making this difficult for you.” He whispered, nuzzling his face into my neck.

Tears were steadily flowing down my face. I wanted nothing more for things to go back to normal. Where all of our fellow classmates didn’t label my dear Izuku a villain. I turned around in his embrace. “I miss you, Izuku, more than you could ever imagine,” I whispered.  “You could join me; I will keep you safe. Nothing would ever come between us again.” He suggested to me not to miss a breath. A tempting offer.

“You know you need inside information,” I told him, tears streaming down my face. I never imagined I would ever betray the pro heroes in order to give Izuku information. While I told Izuku I would never follow down his path, I knew I was slipping down the blurred line. He put his index finger under my chin to bring me to look up at him. When had he become this much taller than me?

“One day, my doll. I will keep you safe and we will never have to worry about the others. We will have an escape.” He murmured while looking deep into my eyes. He placed a soft kiss to my forehead and lingered there for a moment’s time. “Soon, my love. We will be together again. Permanently.” He said before walking off into the shadows. 

[criminallyfanatic]

secrets and lies

Aaron Hotchner and Y/N Y/L/N haven’t seen each other since Y/N mysteriously dropped out of Law School right before finals. 16 years later and the meet again as she joins his team at the BAU. Will Aaron finally find out why she left? (set around season 6 time) 

aaron hotchner x reader 

warnings: some swearing and mentions of murder, just your usual criminal minds antics 

a/n - I haven’t written in so long so apologise if it’s not great :) also I have no idea how law school in America works so apologise for any inconsistencies there 

                                                                *

“You have an excellent record Agent (Y/L/N), the BAU would be lucky to have you.” 

She scanned over your file one last time before settling it on her desk, turning her eyes to you. 

“I’m grateful for the opportunity maam” her eyes seemed to stare through you, sizing you up and you shifted slightly in your seat. 

“Good. I’m sure you’ll fit right in, with such an impressive history. You’ll start with Agent Hotchner’s team monday morning.” 

One mention of his name and it felt like your heart stopped. No, this had to be some sort of mistake. 

“Is something wrong, Agent (Y/L/N)?” Her brows furrowed in concern, no doubt noticing the sudden tension that seemed to fill your whole body.

“No, it’s just … when I applied for this job I was told I would be placed on Agent Walters team maam.” please let it be a mistake. Please. 

“I’m afraid you were misinformed. This position is on Agent Hotchner's team. Will that be a problem for you?” 

YES 

“No, not at all. Thank you so much, for this opportunity.” 

FUCK

                                                               *

Just open the door. It’s simple. Just push the door open and walk in. He’s probably not even here. And if he is, he probably wouldn’t even recognise you. Or even remember you. Yeah … 

Fuck 

“Hi!” you jump as someone taps your shoulder, clutching your chest as your heart thunders against it “Oh my god i’m so sorry!” 

You turn, coming face to face with quite possibly the most vibrant woman you have ever met. She offers you a tentative smile, her eyes full of concern, scanning your face for any sign of anger or fear. 

“I’m so sorry,” she reaches out a hand and lays it on your shoulder, “are you alright?” 

“Yes. Sorry. Lost in my own head.” 

She appears relieved, happy she didn’t cause any permanent damage. 

‘Hi, I’m Penelope Garcia” She reaches out a hand for you to shake, her smile returning tenfold. It almost seems to emanate light, like she makes everything around her shine. It was infectious, and you soon found yourself with a similar smile on your face, all awkwardness forgotten 

“Y/N Y/L/N” 

Her eyes seem to triple in size at the mention of your name, her grip on your hand tightening. 

“Oh my gosh you’re the new agent! I just saw your name come through on the system. It’s so great to meet you. I’m Penelope Garcia, the technical analyst,” She’s shaking your hand again, this time quite vigorously, “Come on, let me introduce you to the rest of the team.” taking the hand she was shaking she now leads you through the impenetrable glass doors and into the bullpen. 

“Guy, come meet (Y/N)!” with her free hand she waves at a group of agents all huddled around one person's desk. At her call they all turn to look at you, and all of a sudden the anxiety of meeting new people suddenly overwhelms the fear of meeting an old friend. “She’s the newest addition to our wonderful team.” 

Quite suddenly you're enveloped by a swarm of agents, all introducing themselves to you, asking you about your past, your family, your life. And it’s nice. Overwhelming, but nice. They’re all so friendly, and you can tell they’re all so close. Like a family. It puts you at ease and soon you’re laughing along with them. 

“Have I missed a memo or something?” 

The voice comes from behind you, and it feels like someone is pouring a bucket of ice cold water down your back. You feel the tension come flooding back and you daren’t turn around. 

“Hotch, have you met the agent joining our team?” 

Everyone is staring at you, expectant. Your move. 

Just turn around. Get it over with. Like ripping off a plaster.

You can feel his eyes on you, burning holes into your back. JUST TURN AROUND

You turn around. 

“Hey Aaron.” 

                                                                 *

You could practically hear the gears turning in everyone's heads. 

You knew Hotch? How did you know Hotch? HOTCH HAD A LIFE BEFORE THE BAU? 

You drowned them out, focusing entirely on Aaron. For a moment, you could see every emotion on his face, written plainly for you to read. The fear, the surprise … the regret. You always were good at reading him. A moment later he was back to his cold exterior. Unreadable. Unknowable. 

All at once his body jumped into motion. He moved the last few steps towards you, reaching out his hand hesitantly, as if not quite sure how to approach this situation. 

How do you approach this situation? If only he knew just how weird it was 

You took his hand, it practically enveloped yours, and it was so warm, familiar - 

PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER 

“It’s good to see you again (Y/N)” 

“Likewise” 

The stares of the other agents came from all sides, clearly trying to decipher just what was happening here. The silence was deafening, the noise of the bustling bullpen just background to the tension and confusion mounting in this one area. You were just waiting for the first brave agent to speak up, to ask the question they all wanted to know the answer to. 

“So how do you two -”

BEEP BEEP 

The shrill sound of the tech analysts phone thankfully cuts off the question that Agent Prentiss had begun to ask. 

“Sorry guys, guess the getting to know you party’s over, we have a case” says Penelope, pouting slightly. 

Ahh saved by the bell 

Despite this, no one seems quite ready to leave just yet, much more happy to linger here and figure out this puzzle. It’s Aaron who moves first. 

“You’re welcome to sit this one out if you want to get acquainted with your surroundings first.” 

“Thank you, Aaron, but I’m ready. Let's get to work.” 

He throws you a swift nod and moves past you, climbing the stairs to the walkway above. Slowly, the other agents follow suit, until you’re left alone with Penelope. 

“Hey, are you alright?” she gently rests a hand on your shoulder, “You seem tense?” 

“I’m fine,” you shake your head, trying to clear the thoughts racing through it, “Just first day jitters.” 

She offers you a small smile, satisfied with your answer. You can tell she’s just dying to ask how you know Aaron, but not quite sure how to bring it up, like she doesn’t want to hurt your feelings. 

“We knew each other. In law school. In case you were wondering.” 

“Have you seen him since?” 

“Nope. 16 years since I last saw him.” sixteen very long years

You can tell she knows there’s more to it, but she doesn’t want to push. Not on your first day. You expect that in a couple weeks you will be grilled in depth about your relationship with Aaron, what he was like in College, how well you knew him. But for now she simply nods, happy with this snippet of information she will likely file away and research as soon as she gets back to her office. 

“Come with me Agent (Y/L/N), we have a case to solve.” 

                                                                 *

The case was pretty standard, If you could call a case that. 5 women had been murdered, all brunets, all young and attractive. No doubt some sick bastard had been dumped or rejected at some point in their miserable lives and decided to take it out on anyone who looked the slightest bit like her.  All you had to do was catch him. “From looking at the geographical profile I've deduced that his comfort zone is between these three points, so the odds are that he lives somewhere in here.” “We could increase police presence in these neighbourhoods, might make -" 

you missed the end of the police chiefs sentence as you felt your phone vibrate in your pocket. 

INCOMING CALL: SOFIA

You feel someone's eyes on you and look up to see Aaron’s questioning gaze. You flash the phone at him and he simply nods his head. You slip quietly from the room, trying not to pull any attention away from the discussion happening around the table, and duck into an alcove. 

“Hey sweetie”

“Hey mom.” 

“Is everything alright?” 

“Yeah, I just wanted to say goodnight. How’s the case going?” 

“It’s good. Well, not good, but it’s certainly going.” you can feel those eyes on you again, and you resist the temptation to look round. Not now, please not now

“Well, I don’t want to keep you if you’re busy, just wanted to touch base.” 

“Ok, well goodnight sweetie, I’ll see you soon. Love you”

“Love you too. Oh and mom.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Kick some bad guy ass.” You laugh at that

“Ok, I will certainly try.” You hang up the phone, still grinning slightly as you glance at the picture on the screen. You and Sofia had spent the day at the beach and she had snapped a picture of the two of you as the sun set, ice creams in hand. You missed her. 

There was a flurry of movement from the room you had just left, everyone grabbing their things and moving to the exit. 

“What’s happening?” you managed to snag Reid’s arm as he walked past. By the look on his face it wasn’t good. 

“They’ve found another body.” 

You felt your stomach drop. You weren’t smiling anymore. 

                                                                 *

Dumped. Like trash. Just something to be thrown away. That’s what he thought of these women. You stared at her body, all crumpled on the floor and you felt the anger bubbling in your stomach. If you stared long enough she started to look like Sofia. A bit older, a bit taller. But the similarities were still there. 

You closed your eyes, shaking your head slightly, trying to clear yourself of that mental image. 

No. She’s at home. Safe. 

“Are you alright?” He’s looking at you with that air of concern again and it’s almost too much. You can't bring yourself to look in his eyes, instead opting to look at the wall just over his shoulder. 

“Yeah I’m fine.”

“If you need a minute, a break…”

“I’ll be fine Aaron.” You look at him then, feel the full force of his gaze and it overwhelms you. He can see it in your eyes. His eyebrows furrow and you can see he’s trying to read you, trying to figure out just what's wrong.

Everything. Everything’s wrong. And you don’t even know . 

You feel the tears start to well in your eyes and you force yourself to look away. You can see out the corner of your eye as he begins to reach for you and you hold up your hand. 

Please no. Don’t touch me. I don’t think I could bare it. Then it would be real.

“I’m fine Aaron. Really. It’s just a lot is all.”

“(Y/N) -” 

You walk away before he can probe any deeper, moving to the mouth of the alley, breathing deep from the crisp night air. The tears still sit, threatening to fall and you try to hold them back. 

Not here. Not now. Keep yourself together. 

You feel him coming up behind you again, and you spin, your fear and sadness turning to anger. 

“Aaron I said I’m fine -” 

“Woah don’t shoot it’s just me.” You see Prentiss holding her hands in mock surrender. She lowers them, huffing out a laugh, but regarding you with that self same look of concern. 

What is this look? A BAU special?

“I’d ask you if you’re alright but I don’t especially feel like getting my head blown off. That being said … Are you ok?”

Just like she did a moment ago you let out a small laugh, shaking your head slightly. 

“Oh god, this isn’t a great first impression is it?” You feel like an idiot. You’re first day and already you’re practically having a breakdown. 

“Don’t worry about it. We all have our moments, our limits. It’s what makes us human.” She lays a comforting hand on your shoulder. 

You can see why they’re all so close. They look out for one another. See when one is hurting. Like a family. 

Family. 

“We’ll get him you know.” She pulls you from your thoughts and you glance back to her, eyes focussing on the here and now. 

“I know.” 

You share a small smile and you begin to truly believe it. 

                                                                *

And catch him you did. You had figured out he was stalking and abducting women from their homes. He saw them at work, in a coffee shop, at the mall. One look and he already knew he wanted to kill them. The trick was finding them after he had abducted them. And without any physical evidence to even hint to who this man might be it seemed an impossible task. 

But he slipped up. He left a trace. Whether that was the increased police presence, the fact that the FBI were there or just the fact that he was getting sloppy. It didn’t matter. You had DNA. And a name. 

Charles Manes. We're coming for you. 

For a man unhinged he was surprisingly easy to take down. He just gave himself up, that shit eating grin on his face as he did it. The last woman he had abducted was laying on the floor, bound and gagged. You ran over to her, pulling the rope from her body and helping her to sit up. She began sobbing and you held her against you as she cried, rubbing soothing circles on her back. 

“You’re ok. You’re safe now.” 

The paramedics took her from you and led her outside, ready to take her to the hospital. You followed after, stopping by the front door and leaning against the frame, taking a moment. You felt a presence beside you and turned to see Rossi watching her get loaded into the ambulance. 

“We did good.” he said, not even glancing towards you, “She’ll be alright.” 

“Eventually.” You took a deep sigh, feeling yourself start to relax. A commotion made you both look and you saw Charles fighting with the officers trying to load him into the police car. It seemed Aaron saw too as in a flash he was by their side, helping to get him in without causing any more damage. 

You felt your body tense, felt Rossi glance at you questioningly. 

“Everything alright agent?” 

How do they do this? They barely even know me! Stupid profilers. 

“Never better.” You said, glancing back at him over your shoulder as you made your way to the SUV’s, to the rest of the team. 

“We got him,” Prentiss clapped you on the shoulder as you passed, headed to the second SUV, “let’s go home.” 

                                                                 *

You had to admit, travelling by jet was quite the experience. What wasn’t as fancy was the great pile of paperwork waiting for you at the other end. You’d only just started but already you were swamped. 

You sat at your desk. Penelope had laid out your things whilst you all were away. “I just wanted you to feel more at home here when you got back”. It was sparse, but functional. She had even left you a post-it note with a cute message on and a unicorn stress toy, “You didn’t have any pictures, so I wanted to liven the place up a bit, I hope you like it.” 

Right. No pictures. Wonder why. 

The paperwork loomed and you tried to stay focused, eager to go home, but as the words began to merge into one another you knew it was time for coffee. 

Another long night it is then. 

You thought about calling Sofia, letting her know you would be late back. Would she even still be up? Who are you kidding, of course she is. 

Might as well call her. A break from paperwork might do me some good. 

You reached into your desk drawer to take out your phone. 

“Y/N can I speak to you for a moment in my office?” 

Maybe not then. 

He was looking down at you from the walkway, not quite meeting your eyes. He seemed fidgety, like he couldn't decide whether to cross his arms or put them in his pockets or lean against the bannister. 

Nervous. Interesting. 

“Of course.” You walked up the stairs to where he stood and he motioned for you to go inside and take a seat. He lingered by the door for a moment before pushing it closed and making his way around the desk and sitting in his chair, hands steepled before him on the desk. He regarded you for a moment and you felt your heart skip. It felt like he was x raying you, like he could see into your mind, into the thoughts racing about in there. You shifted uncomfortably in your seat, trying to escape his gaze, or at least prompt him into talking. Anything to break the silence. 

“I just wanted to check in on you, your first case and all. You’ve done some exceptional work and I can see you being an excellent asset to this team.” 

“Thank you. I can see that I’m going to enjoy working with this team.” 

He simply nodded, nothing more to say, but you could see in his face he wasn’t done. Not really. 

Is that really all you want to say? Come on Aaron spit it out. I can see it in your eyes. Maybe this will make it easier on the both of us, if we just blurt out what we have to say at the same time. Or would that wreck you even more? Either way I’m the bad guy. But I can’t keep this to myself. You need to know. You want to know. So just ask. 

“Why did you leave?” he blurted it out suddenly and it shocked you, and by the look on his face it shocked him too 

“I’m sorry what?” 

He gained back some of his composure, steeling himself before asking again.

“Why did you leave law school. Right before finals you just up and left. No letters, no reason just there one minute gone the next. I tried to find out something, anything but no one knew-” You could tell he was working his way up to something. 

Come on. Ask me. Make this easier on me. Blame yourself, so when I tell you the truth it will hurt less. Because you know why. Or at least part of it. 

“If you left because of what I did I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to drive you away. It was stupid and immature and if that is why I am truly sorry.” 

Oh god, I thought if I heard you admit it, it wouldn’t hurt as much to tell you the truth. To hurt you like you did me. But it’s worse, so much worse. Because you’re sorry. And I’m the villain. The one who didn’t tell you. 

You could feel the tears falling down your face, slipping onto the hands wound tightly in your lap. His face was breaking too, and you couldn’t bare to look at it a moment longer.  

“Y/N -” he reached across the desk for you but you held up your hand to stop him, just like in the alleyway. 

“Please. Don’t.”

“If this is because of me I’m so sorry. If you want I can get you a transfer. If you can’t work with me we can sort this out.”

That's right, the cowards way out. Just keep avoiding this conversation till you eventually die. 

Just tell him. Get it over with. Rip off the bandaid. 

“Please stop. Just stop. It’s not your fault. I mean, it was, partly, but it wasn’t. And when I tell you why you will probably hate me, and can take that. I deserve it. And if you want to transfer me out, get rid of me I understand. But when you left me, to go back to Haley it broke me. I hated you. I hated you with everything I had and I thought the best way to punish you was to just not tell you. But over the years I’ve realised how stupid I was, how selfish and foolish I was to not tell you. All because of some petty relationship drama.”

His look of confusion morphed into one of understanding and horror. Like he had connected the dots in his head but wasn’t quite ready to admit to what they all added up to. He was as far away from you as possible. Like you stood before him with a bomb and he was waiting for it to go off. And you were. 

“I was pregnant Aaron. I was pregnant and I never told you. I just left. And I’m so sorry.” 

Your whole body was shaking as you dissolved fully into tears, not daring to look at him, to no doubt see the anger and the disgust written on his face. Disgust at how stupid and selfish you were. 

Not telling someone they have a daughter. How evil can you be. 

You heard your name spoken softly from the chair beside you. You hadn’t even seen him get up. But he reached for you again, and this time you let him, let him pull you into his arms, rest your head against his chest as you cried and cried, spilling tears onto his white shirt. He rested his chin on top of your head, rubbing soothing circles onto your back, rocking you slightly. 

No. This is wrong. This is all wrong. You should hate me for what I’ve done, I’m despicable. 

“Aaron.” You brought your head up from his chest, finally looking at his face. He didn’t look angry or disgusted, he just looked … sad.  

“It’s alright.” He gently brushed some of the tears from your face, one hand coming to rest on your cheek, “It’s ok.” 

“It’s not ok Aaron. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I kept this from you.” 

The hand on your cheek fell away, coming to rest instead on your hand, holding it in his. 

“You must hate me.” 

“I don’t hate you.” 

“Well I hate myself.” 

“This isn’t your fault”

“Isn’t it?” 

“I screwed up. We both did. But I made you feel like you couldn’t tell me about this. I drove you away and I broke your heart. We both made mistakes. But we can fix them now.”

The way he said, the way he seemed to stare into your soul, made you truly believe you could. 

“Tell me about them. Tell me everything.” 

And so you did. You told him everything about Sofia. How excited she was to go into her junior year next year. How she liked to eat pancakes on saturdays and drink tea because it made her feel fancy. You told him how she cries at soppy movies and how you would always make time for mother daughter dates. And he listened to every moment of it, every little detail. And it pained you that he never knew any of this. That he never got to see her grow up. But maybe now he could get some of that time back. Still have a relationship, make some memories with her. 

“I want to meet her.” 

“I want that too.” 

And you felt some understanding pass between the two of you. That whatever had happened in the past was over with. Now, what was important, more than anything else, was family. 

[catrasredemption-moved]

Can see this being fuel for hurt/comfort and angst: Catra and Adora finally give Finn "the talk". i.e. the talk where Catra and Adora explain their history from before and during the war. Could start with a preface that explains why they're having this talk with Finn, possibly way earlier than they wanted to. Maybe something like Finn overhearing talk of the war from someone in Brightmoon or, even worse, overhearing things about Catra from people who still resent her.

((Finn’s probably like... twelve, so assume this is the universe where they adopt him))

They didn’t go to Salineas much.

Finn didn’t know why - it was awesome there. The beach was great (as far as they and Adora were concerned, at least - Catra hissed at the water), the food was great (all three agreed on that), and Mermista was one of the best princesses (which was apparently a controversial statement. Finn had to assure Aunt Glimmer that she didn’t count because she was the best queen, and Adora was different because she was only a princess sometimes and she was the best princess mom).

But Catra always got weird when they went to Salineas. She kept her head down and eyes on the ground, held Adora’s hand a little tighter, and only seemed to relax when they were in the safety of the palace or the little private cabin they sometimes stayed in on the beach (it was technically Mermista’s cabin but she didn’t use it and, it gave Catra and Adora one less excuse for why they couldn’t take a vacation because they always had  somewhere to go). Despite loving the food in the kingdom, Catra almost always made up a reason for why she couldn’t go to the restaurants with them, usually something work related. 

Finn had been confused for a long time about why Aunt Glimmer would let Catra work on vacation - sure, she was the queen’s adviser, but did the queen really need her to help Mermista with things when she was supposed to be relaxing? - until the last visit, when they had gone back to the throne room alone to get their forgotten jacket and overheard a whispered conversation definitely for their ears.

“Stop using me as an excuse to get out of going to eat with them. Finn’s gonna start hating me for making their mother work on vacation.”

“Please, you’re their favorite. I just... don’t want to go out there, okay?”

“It’s been ten years, Catra. You can’t hide from everyone who might hate you forever.”

“I’m not hiding, I just don’t want Finn to get caught up in things. It’d be different if it was only me and Adora, but Finn’s a kid. They don’t need that.”

“You mean they don’t need to know about the Horde.”

A long moment of silence had followed. “Yeah,” Catra finally muttered, sounding ashamed. Mermista sighed.

“You gotta tell them eventually.”

“I know.”

Finn had returned to Adora without their jacket, frowning slightly. “You okay?” Adora asked when she saw the look on their face.

“Yeah. I think I left my jacket at the cabin.”

Thankfully, Adora had a terrible memory when it came to things like that and didn’t question Finn.

They knew about the Horde, of course. Everyone knew about the Horde, and about how She-Ra had saved the entire planet. That wasn’t quite the whole story, but Catra had very firmly told everyone involved to leave her part out of it. Adora could have the fame and glory.

But Finn knew everything. Or they thought they did. What was Catra hiding?

All of that had led to where Finn was now, sitting in front of a large mural of She-Ra and Catra, holding the sword together. It was probably the only physical proof that Catra had anything to do with how the war ended.

“Finn?”

They jumped, looking up. “Hi Aunt Glimmer.”

Glimmer settled in beside them, tilting her head. “What’s up? You look upset.”

“I’m not, I just...” They looked back at the mural. “Mom doesn’t really talk about the war.”

Silence followed. Glimmer’s next words were obviously very carefully spoken. “The war was hard on both your mothers.”

“I know, but Mom just... tries to keep her name out of everything.” Finn waved a hand at the mural. “I’m surprised she even let this exist.”

“Oh trust me, it took a lot of fighting for her to give in,” Glimmer said dryly. “I’m not gonna lie, Finny, Catra’s part in the war was... complicated.”

“But she and Mama saved the universe, right?”

“They did, and it was amazing. But a lot happened before that.”

“You’re not gonna tell me, are you?”

Glimmer shook her head, smiling sadly. “It’s not my place. Catra has a hard time talking about the past, and I know it’s frustrating, but you know the parts of the story that are important. She saved me at the cost of her own life, and she helped Adora stop the Horde Prime. She’s just as much of a hero as Adora is, no matter what she thinks.”

And that was good enough for Finn, for awhile. They loved their mothers, and they knew both of them were good people. Besides, the past was the past. It could stay there.

At least until their next visit to Salineas, nearly six months after that conversation with Glimmer.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Finn heard Adora whispering to Catra as they bounced ahead of their parents, eager to get to the restaurant. Catra had finally agreed to get food with them, though somewhat reluctantly. She was currently clinging to Adora’s hand, their arms pressed together as they followed their child at a more sedate pace.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m tired of disappointing Finn.”

“You could never disappoint Finn.”

The restaurant was busy, which wasn’t surprising - it was the best place in Salineas. They were seated by the smiling host and given menus, and Finn immediately started searching for what they wanted to try this time. Another table next to them was filled soon after by an older couple who kept shooting glances at the family. 

Finn wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but their ears were sensitive. “Can’t believe the princess lets her just walk around the kingdom.”

Catra’s ears twitched. She focused harder on the menu, brow furrowed as if reading some complicated document. Adora, unfortunately, lacked the same hearing as the rest of her family. “The salmon was pretty good, right Finny?”

“Yeah! I think that’s my favorite.”

“I didn’t know you could pick a favorite food,” Catra teased, relaxing. Finn stuck their tongue out at her. The waiter came to take their orders, and Finn was distracted for a moment with talking about going sailing with Sea Hawk the next day, until the couple began talking again.

“I didn’t know they served Horde scum here.”

“She should be rotting in dungeon after what she did.”

“Pardoning a warlord... I knew the queen was young, I didn’t think she was also an idiot, though.”

Finn finally looked at them, completely bewildered; Catra stood at the same time, taking a step toward the table. “If you have something to say, you can say it to my face,” she informed them. “Instead of whispering like a couple of cowards in front of my wife and child.”

The couple was silent now, of course, staring at her in horror. Catra clenched her fists for a moment before sighing and turning back to their table. “I’m going back to the cabin,” she muttered, grabbing her jacket. “Get my food to go.”

“Catra-” Adora started to protest, but Catra had already disappeared. Finn glared at the couple.

“You shouldn’t say mean things about people. It just makes you look like jerks.”

Adora half smiled, reaching over the table to ruffle Finn’s hair. One hostess came over to move the couple to another table while another one apologized profusely to Adora and Finn.

“It’s... fine. Can we get our food to go?”

“It’s not fine!” Finn protested. “They were being assholes to Mom!”

“Finn, language,” Adora scolded them lightly. They had, unfortunately, picked up on Catra’s habit of swearing when stressed about something.

“And they were saying stupid stuff!”

Adora hesitated at that, looking around, then back at Finn. “What... did they say?”

“Something like they couldn’t believe Mermista was letting her walk around and how Aunt Glimmer pardoned a warlord.” Finn’s expression crumpled in confusion. “Why did Mom think they were talking about her?”

Adora sighed. “Let’s... get our food and go back to the cabin. We can talk there.”

Catra was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, Melog sprawled over her chest. Finn wasn’t even sure the alien cat had actually come to Salineas with them, but he had an uncanny habit of knowing when Catra was upset and when he was needed.

He mewled when Finn and Adora walked in, making room for Finn to join him. “Are you okay?”

“You mean other than being crushed?” Catra smiled weakly, ruffling Finn’s hair. Adora sat at the end of the bed, hand on her wife’s knee. Their gazes met; Catra nodded once and shooed Melog and Finn off of her so she could sit up.

“Can you start?” she asked quietly.

“Of course.”

Melog shrunk a little so he could cuddle against Finn. “Mom and I didn’t always live in Bright Moon,” Adora began slowly. “We were raised in the Fright Zone when it was still under the Horde’s control.”

Finn blinked a few times, stunned. “Really?”

Adora nodded. “We were raised to be Horde soldiers and taught the Rebellion was evil, and that it was our job to stop them.”

“That’s dumb,” Finn said bluntly. “Who would believe that?”

Catra coughed, trying to cover a laugh, while Adora blushed. “It’s different when you grow up hearing that kind of thing."

“So what made you leave?”

“Well... I found the Sword of Protection.” Catra stiffened slightly. “And Aunt Glimmer and Uncle Bow brought me to Bright Moon to help the Rebellion.”

“So you found out what you were doing was wrong and changed. That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

Adora’s eyes flicked to Catra, who sighed heavily. “I didn’t go with Mama when she left the Horde.” Finn turned to look at her, eyes wide. “We fought on different sides of the war for a long time.”

“That... doesn’t make any sense.”

“It was complicated,” Adora said. “Mom was... very angry and caught up in a very bad situation. Her judgment sucked.”

“I made a lot of bad choices,” Catra picked up. “And I did a lot of bad things.” Melog nudged Finn’s arm and tuck himself beneath it so they were loosely hugging him. “Eventually I took over the Horde, and started doing worse things.” Her eyes were fixed on her shaking hands. “One of the last things I did was I lead a raid on Salineas that pretty destroyed the entire city.”

Oh. Finn swallowed, trying to figure out how they were supposed to feel about that. Catra’s behavior suddenly made a lot more sense. “You pretty much know the rest of the story from there,” Adora said after a minute. “Horde Prime kidnapped Mom and Aunt Glimmer and Mom risked her own life getting Aunt Glimmer back to me and Uncle Bow. And then we went back and saved her anyway.”

“But... you still helped save Etheria.”

“Not everyone is as forgiving as your mom and aunt and uncle,” Catra said quietly. “I spent a lot of time trying to fix my mistakes, and it was enough for the Princess Alliance to forgive me, but there are still people who think I should be locked up. And there probably always will be.”

“Is that why you don’t like Salineas?”

Catra chuckled humorlessly. “I think Salineas is great. I rebuilt half the city myself.”

“She’s not kidding about that,” Adora added.

“Salineas doesn’t always like me, though. And they’re not obligated to forgive me under any circumstances. that’s something I’ve learned to live with. It’s not worth getting mad about people whispering behind my back about me, because I can’t control them. Even if I do think they could be a little more tactful about it sometimes.”

Finn was frowning deeply by now, looking between their mothers, then at Melog, whose head was in their lap. “Those people were still being jerks,” they declared fiercely. Adora ruffled their hair, gently scratching their ears.

“I know we just told you a lot. Are you okay?”

Were they? Finn wasn’t completely sure. Finding out one of their mothers was sort of a war criminal was a lot.

She’s just as much of a hero as Adora is, no matter what she thinks.

Aunt Glimmer’s words echoed in their head, and after a moment they nodded. “Yeah. I’m okay.” They wiggled away from Melog and threw their arms around Catra, hugging her tight. Catra was surprised for a moment before she wrapped Finn up, almost clinging to the child. “I still love you,” they assured her quietly. Catra did her best to hide her tears, wiping her eyes over their shoulder.

“I love you too, Finny.”

[immortalonus]

Where You Belong: Chapter 2

A/N: Hey folks, this is a day late from my posting on AO3, mostly due to tiredness/travel, but here it is! I'm not sure how quickly I'll be able to put out the next chapter (In addition to being mostly dialogue, it's also a mess,) but I'll try.

Read it now on AO3

Chapter 2:

“Nope, nope, nope.”

In the realm of the dead, there was no night. No dark reprieve from the inescapable glow. A state that wore on eye and mind alike in its obstinate refusal to diminish or fade.

This did not mean the Zone was without its own sort of cycles, however.

Every seven hours, perhaps eight, the thin, omnipresent mists scattered throughout the air would begin to thicken, coalescing into a deep, impenetrable fog that stuck to every surface with a viscosity not unlike that of cold soup. It's brightness, too would gradually increase until the traveler was left all but blinded for the unending wall of light now spread on all sides before them.

Navigation in such conditions was impossible, and even ghosts seemed to prefer squirreling themselves away during these hours of fugue than to brave the blind depths the mists made of the world around them.

It was really nothing like night, but for conveniences sake, Valerie had taken to calling it as such.

It was now well into what she liked to consider “evening.” The mists had already weltered up, thickening strands not yet impermeable to the naked eye, weaving themselves into fantastic shapes ever larger across the atmosphere of the zone. Soon to merge, but not now, not yet.

While she normally preferred to travel as long as she could safely dare, Valerie had opted to settle down early that evening, using the extra time to sort through the goods held in the bug ghost's many sacks instead.

“Nope, nope, nope, weird, gross, and oh--hell no!”

Valerie yanked her hand free, shaking off the clear slime that coated her fingers as she threw the parcel and all its contents, still squirming, over the ledge of the small outcropping that served as her latest campsite.

If she were ever forced to say one nice thing about the Ghost Zone, Valerie would admit, grudgingly, that it did make a remarkably good garbage bin.

She sighed, allowed herself to stretch out and rest after yet another day of continuous exertion. One would not think riding on her sled for hours on end would tire her so, but it did. And when she added the additional effort of chasing down and interrogating that ghost--She grimaced, still unsure it had been wise to let the creature scamper free, in the end.

There had just been something in the way it had begged, had cried and whimpered as it carried out her every command with that slump of abject surrender that had just made finishing it off seem so, so...Dirty. As though she would be in the wrong, somehow, for doing it. It gave her such a sense of frustration. She couldn't help but wish that ghosts were precisely the emotionless hulls the Fentons believed them to be.

Oh, ghosts were essentially selfish, no doubt about it, narcissistic chunks of ectoplasm that only rarely empathized with their own kind, and never with humans, but they did feel.

Phantom, the bug, even Plasmius, in his own, twisted way, it was no longer something she could reject.

A part of her hated them all the more just for that, as though it made her life better, somehow, to know.

Couldn't she just have this one thing? After all the shit she went through, all the misery she bore, couldn't this one thing be something simple?

Goddamn ghosts, ruining her life, her stuff, and now her morals, too.How was she supposed to be the hero here? how was she supposed to save anyone, much less Elle, if she couldn't crush one goddamn dirty bug?

“Shit.”

Valerie flopped down on her back, staring into the viridian heavens with bitter eyes. The sky could not be bothered to stare back, rolling over in a cloud of mist instead.

“Shit,shit,shit!”

She tried to breath, but it caught in lungs suddenly shriveled against a breast-bone to tight for air.she clenched her fists, fingers squeezed into a shape fit for violence. Her body trembled, her hidden heart beat staccato as something hard and hot and sour twisted through her very soul.

“Stupid ghosts.” She whispered.Her eyes were cold marbles, but deep within her chest, she was still burning.

Valerie grabbed a stone laying loose on the ground beside her, pushed herself back up, and lobbed it with all her strength at the offending universe.

“You won't win!”

She picked up another rock, tossed it even further.

“I won't let you!”

She threw another rock, then another, as fast as her arms could reach them, intent on stoning the high green heavens for all the wrongs it had ever wrought against her. Each projectile went higher and farther into the encroaching mists, which swallowed them whole.

“You hear me! Not now, not ever!”

Even her screams were muffled, now, pressed against her ears by the haze. The stones made even less a mark, vanishing into clouds unrippled by their passing, engulfed the sound of their landing, if, indeed, they landed at all.Her chest heaved, her arm ached, but still her emotions threatened spillage. She felt at once utterly drained and full to bursting, squeezed of all verve even as her heart simmered still in some vague malcontent.

She flopped back to the ground, tired, but too troubled for rest.It wasn't all hopeless, she knew. She had an idea of where to go now, closer than she'd dared to hope, if the directions of the bug she'd captured earlier were to be believed.

And even if it was a lie, she'd still managed to buy herself some time.

She reached over to her right, where she'd piled everything of use from the insect's many stores. It was a pitiful stack, a single bag of food plastic wrapped or canned, adorned in letters and signs utterly foreign. But food it was, enough to keep her going a few days more.

She had set her stolen boot next to the parcel, and, resting just beside it, a crumpled polaroid weighed down by a worn leather fold.

She brought her hand down, shimmied the picture out from under its makeshift paperweight. Her other hand rose to brush across it, one last attempt, gentle, futile, at smoothing out the damage littering every aspect of its face.

It was fruitless, of course, but even broken beyond all repair, even with all the bitterness that lingered from the loss, the photo still soothed her, touching something deeper, more tenderly, than any hard flung stone.

She reached into the depths of her mind, grasping for those parts of the huntress that were always with her, woven in electric tapestry with the living currents of her brain.

Graphical Storage and Processing:Status: Active:

Recall request: Confirmed.

Data: Available, reporting 100% recall.

Overlay Request: Confirmed.

Initiating Command: Overlay:

Processing...

The change took place in the space of a moment. Emerald fragments reformed into broad leaves struck through with sunshine. Golden light struck their rays through the gaps where shadows fluttered down across the youthful oak that cast them, springing proud and slender from a meadow thick with blooms.

Beneath the shade of the tree, nestled between the long grass arches, there was a family.

They were at a picnic, the three of them, quilt littered with the remains of their meal. Cold chicken and half eaten corn cobs peeked out from broad folds of cloth, plastic water bottles refracted the scattered sunlight in their crumpled facets, where it danced across the surface of what liquid yet remained.

The man of the family sat beside a big wicker basket, arm resting over the thickly woven lip of its hatch. His face not yet wearied, his mustache quirked in a second smile as he looked into the long vanished camera with an expression of shy delight.Her father, Damian Grey.

A young Valerie could be seen sitting just in front of him, clutching a rubber ball nearly half her size. Grass stains streaked the young child's face, grin bold as she hoisted her rubber prize high above her head.

Besides the child, shoulders leaned in close press to the man beside her, knelt a woman. Acorn brown and satin soft, head tossed back in jubilation bold as summer. Her heat dewed neck curved swanlike above shoulders hunched up in mirth.

Valerie traced the outlines of the woman's face, slowly, ignoring—refusing—the ragged edges that brushed against her thumb as she outlined the vanished forms of her lips, her cheekbones, her chin, alight with a youth yet lingering even as the glow of motherhood softened the hard angles of ignorant adolescence.

A beautiful woman, vibrantly, vivaciously alive.

You would never know, looking at her, just how fast it would all drain out, her every pore a sieve for the good health she would never more contain.

But Valerie wasn't thinking about that, now, just as she wasn't thinking about the photograph or the damage it sustained.

Just for the moment, she allowed herself to focus only on the memory of a memory before her. If she imagined hard enough, she could almost see that sparkling smile turn, eyes opal dark and glimmering in delight at the chance to see her one and only daughter once again.

“Hey ma.” She said by way of reply. “Long time no see.”

[chokemeanakin]

I Gave You All - Anakin Skywalker x gn Reader (angst)

You can blame @alex26stuff for this because of the video he sent to the gc. Yall could be getting smut rn but... not anymore i guess lol 

Summary: Our war-torn baby just needs a hug

Masterlist

Read it on ao3

WC: 1.4k

It came as a relief when you learned you were being sent to Naboo. The Council had listed it as a low-rank mission, one where you simply had to escort Padme back to her home planet so she could discuss potential habitation of war refugees in the unused marshlands. 

Anakin and a few of his men had been sent first, to clear the way in case any unwelcome surprises were waiting on Naboo. Good thing, too-- a legion of droids had been waiting by the landing zone, ready to attack as soon as they touched down. Anakin spent days fighting them back, requesting backup multiple times and defending Theed from Dooku’s forces. In the end, he prevailed, but not without the inescapable, bitter results of war.

The first thing you noticed when you stepped off the transport ship was the smell. Smoke, black and thick and burning, stung your nose. The domes of great buildings sunk in on themselves, columns of charred wreckage dissipating into the oncoming dusk. It wreaked of dead bodies scattered across the city, hanging off window sills and lying crumpled beneath elegant marble staircases. 

You pulled your shirt up over your face to block the overwhelming stench, and looked at your boots as you walked through the city. Your eyes followed the blood running through fissures in the cracked stone on the ground, splattered onto crumbling pillars which were once eggshell white. This was not enemy blood-- no, droids did not bleed. Every drop of red that stained the once lovely marble streets was the blood of innocent men, women, children, and soldiers. It was cruel, really, how the battle had ended in a victory, yet all that remained were the reminders of all that had been lost.

You pretended not to see the tears in Padme’s eyes as you escorted her to the palace. It must have been unimaginably painful, seeing her home in ruins, her people littering the streets.

Surprisingly, the Royal Palace had remained relatively unscathed, save for a few shattered windows and blaster holes. You knew this was because Anakin had set up a defensive base here-- he knew it was an important landmark, a beacon of hope for the people of Naboo, and if he saved anything, it had to be this. You met him in the throne room.

He was cold. 

Normally when Anakin came out with a win, he was proud and boasting and confident. The adrenaline fueled him, and he yearned for more. But this time was different. This time, he had been hit in a place close to his heart, and people died because of it. Innocents were not spared this time around, and for each life he let slip through his fingers, he would never forgive himself.

You didn’t have to be a force user in order to feel the cold flames lick their way into his chest, squeeze his heart, and flicker in his eyes. You loved him too much to stay silent as he burned, but he pulled away when you tried reaching for him.

He needed time.

You watched his back stalk out of the throne room and out into the streets of the battleground-- the funeral ground. The double doors slammed closed behind him, but Padme was too busy embracing her family to notice. Everyone else-- important palace personnel, Rex and his men, bodyguards, handmaidens, and the Queen herself, were already walking around the polished halls, discussing plans of rehabilitation for the city. You wished they would be quiet for just a moment, to take a second and mourn the lives that had all too recently been swept up by the cruel winds of war. 

But life in this city kept on moving, that was for sure. You excused yourself from the throne room, needing some room to breathe as well. After being dismissed, you took your time walking along the halls of the royal palace. The shine and glamour of the granite floors were scuffed with boot marks, the shattered stained windows bending orange and purple light across the empty expanse of the hallway. It was much too quiet for a city, much too barren for a bustling capital building.

The only reason it was still standing was because of Anakin. You wished he could see that, or at least see it in a way where it meant something other than complete and utter failure in his eyes. He saved the building, but not the people. Death was a sensitive topic for him, and you knew this was going to hit him hard. 

Curse you, Dooku, you kicked at a broken chunk of granite with the toe of your boot, tiny petals engraved into the rock. It went skipping across the floor, falling into a charred pit dug from the ground by a blaster. All of this senseless violence… and for what?

It wasn’t fair how Anakin was always the one who got caught up in it. Yes, he was a Jedi Knight, a Republic General, a prophesied hero. But he was also just a boy, and he did not ask to hold  the weight of the entire world on his shoulders.

He came to you while you were on the balcony. His footsteps were quiet, yet heavy. So was the curve of his shoulders, hunched forward, head hanging low as if too burdensome to lift any longer. He leaned against the stone railing with his forearms, folding his hands over the edge as if in prayer. 

It was softer up here, far away from the death and destruction that plagued the streets below. A gentle breeze smelling of warm earth and an impending sunset played with your baby hairs, tickling your cheek and ruffling Anakin’s curls. A cobweb stuck to your pinky finger, thin and pale and fragile, and you weren’t sure how it got there, but you let it cling to you in the wind. 

He didn’t say anything for a long while, and you knew his silence meant deeper things were boiling underneath, so you looked at him. His face was still set--  harsh and cold. The golden orb of the setting sun illuminated his head like a halo, but he seemed to suck all warmth from the star. A new gash across his forehead stuck out against the pallor of his skin, red with dried blood, and his cheeks were streaked with ash. 

And then he turned and met your gaze, and though he didn’t say a word, you saw everything you needed to know.

Your arms wound around him on their own accord, pushing his head into your neck and anchoring him to you with a hand around his waist. You clung to him hard, like maybe if you held him close enough you could fit all of his crumbling pieces back together. He, in turn, loosely circled your waist with his arms, applying the gentlest of pressures to the small of your back. 

Shaky breaths washed over your shoulder, and you tightened your grip on him in response. He was falling apart, slowly and thoroughly beneath your palms, and it was all you could do but hold him as it happened.

“You gave them everything.”

He sunk to the ground at your words, and you fell to your knees with him. There were no tears, but he was trembling, and with the agony that claimed his voice, he may as well have been.

“It wasn’t enough. It’s never enough.”

“It’s all you have.”

It was moments like this that you wished he would just leave the Jedi Order altogether and never look back. This war was killing him-- no, more than that. It was killing his spirit. The unshakable, constant burning of the flame that was Anakin Skywalker flickered. He was losing oxygen, burning out. A young boy, whose youth was ripped from his grasp and then sent headfirst into a war there was little hope of winning-- broken, yet as you looked into his eyes, you saw strength.

Because no matter how bad things got, no matter how many lives were lost or how many times he felt like giving up, Anakin Skywalker was a fighter. And while this battle may have shaken him to his core and forced him to his knees, he would get back up. He would put one foot in front of the other, and he would wipe the ash from his cheeks and blink the blood from his eyes, and he would fight-- with the burning rage of the twin suns of Tatooine, for the people who needed protecting, and the people who needed freeing. That, in the end, was Anakin Skywalker’s mission.

[doc-the-wanderer]

A Titan’s Wrath

Gault stood on the top of a small plateau, looking down into the valley beneath him. Five Guardians were offloading contraband from an Arcadia-Class jumpship. Here, ‘Guardian’ was a very loose term. These five were all confirmed to have gone rogue after an attack on a small encampment a few miles from the European Dead Zone. Atreyus was busy with another situation on the Tangled Shore. Ragnar-4 was off trying to gather more information about a potential Dredgen Yor-like threat. So that just left Gault. The Dredgen. Dredgen Ira to be specific. Long before he wore the title of Dredgen as a snare, he was a Warlord of the Dark Age. Now, he struck out at those who crossed too far into the Darkness.

Gault’s Ghost, Jericho, materialized over his shoulder and looked down at the five rogues. “They still have no idea…” the Ghost made a noise similar to a snicker. “How long have you been standing here now?”

“Twenty five minutes,” Gault replied.

The Ghost seemed to sigh and shook his core in an imitation of humanoids shaking their heads. “Amateurs. Are you going to wait for them to notice you?”

The Titan shrugged. “Haven’t decided yet. Would make things more interesting. Give them at least a bit of a chance. But their lack of observation is really starting to piss me off.”

Jericho looked at him, absolutely puzzled. “Why would that bother you?”

“I trained two of those five down there. I expected so much more from them. But in the end, it’s on me. It would seem I’ve failed them far more than I originally thought.”

“Gault-” the Ghost was cut off as his Guardian raised his hand up.

“Don’t, Jericho. It’s time to begin.” Gault leapt down from the plateau. Upon impact with the ground, he discharged a blast of Solar Light where he landed. This created a small circle of charred earth and grass.

The rogues froze in place and shared glances amongst themselves. They dropped their cargo and went for their guns, but Gault was far too fast. He drew his Drang sidearm and fired six shots in quick succession. Three for the rogue closest to him, and three for the next. The first man he shot crumpled to the dirt, dead. The second stumbled back and went to raise his own weapon, but was met with a hammer of Solar Light that impacted him so hard it shattered his helmet. He then fell as well, also lifeless.

Giving into survival instincts and a touch of cowardice, one of the remaining three transmatted out. Gault was not concerned. He knew their patterns. Who they dealt with. The Titan or his companions would catch up to them eventually.

Now, however, it was just Gault and his former students. The three Titans found themselves at a stand-off. All of them had their weapons at the ready, but none moved. The wind snapped at their marks, making them crack amidst the otherwise eerie silence.

“My disappointment is immeasurable,” Gault snarled at last.

“Save us the lecture. We followed your example. Your path. It’s not our fault we embraced power over needless restraint.”

“You don’t follow my teachings at all. I taught brutality against the enemies of the Last City. Not against its people. The people you were meant to protect. I taught restraint when it was necessary. I taught being in touch with your emotions, but controlling them.”

“You wanted to hold us back. You all did. We’re done with it. We are not meant to be Guardians over the weak. The spineless. We are god!”

Gault shifted his feet and inhaled deeply. “You are not gods. You are misguided children on a power kick. You think your path brought you strength? It didn’t. This is the last chance I’m giving the both of you to see that and come back with me to be rehabilitated.”

One of the two rogues roared in anger and punched the ground, sending waves of Stasis crystals outward. The other went charging through the crystals, shattering them and flinging razor sharp shards throughout the gulch.

Out of breath but seeing nothing coming from the snow-like mist that spawned from their assault, the Titans called forth their Ghosts. “Did we get him?”

“I th-” A burning hammer cut through the fog and blew the Ghost to pieces.

“Ophelia!” Her rogue Guardian cried.

There was a sound like a massive bell being rung and a wave of heat caught the rogues like a punch to the gut. The mist cleared all at once, turning to steam. Gault had cast Burning Maul, and had the massive Solar warhammer leaned against his shoulder casually.

“I gave you a chance!” He howled as he leapt into the air, the Maul lifted over his head. The now lightless rogue clamored to get out of the way, but was not fast enough. As a latch ditch effort, he tried to shield himself with a wall of Stasis but the Maul cut through it like a blade through paper. His body disintegrated in a flare of Solar Light and a large wave of the same Light chased after the other. She leapt back, using her abilities to catapult herself to safety.

She hyperventilated and looked at the flash imprint of where his shadow was now permanently burned into the broken earth. Her panicked gaze then fell to the pieces of her friend’s Ghost.

“You killed them…” she gasped through her shaking breath.

“I gave them a chance.” He stated candidly.

“I- I thought it was forbidden for Guardians to kill Ghosts…”

“Now you care about what’s forbidden?” Gault yelled. “After everything you and your gang have done? After all the innocent lives you’ve cut short?” The Maul in the Guardians hands glowed brighter as he became more enraged. “You two were supposed to be better! You were supposed to be my greatest students, but instead, you both have become my greatest failure!”

The woman fell to her knees, showing her hands. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I su-”

She exploded like her colleague, leaving another flash-imprint. There was silence for a moment.

“Come out, Constantine. Resurrect Jezebel. We’re going to take both of you in. Resist and I will kill you both for good.”

As her Ghost came out, the Guardian raised his sidearm, prepared to take his life. Constantine seemed to flinch, but did not try to flee. At this moment Jericho also appeared, flying in front of the face of his Guardian.

“Gault!” Jericho expanded, attempting to take up as much of the man’s field of view as possible. “Enough! It’s over! We can take her Ghost back with us. There’s no need for more death.”

“We can’t leave any witnesses, Jericho.”

“No! That was the old way of doing things! This isn’t like you. Not who you are today. Put your gun down. If you have to answer for perma-killing Ven and Ophelia, so be it. You should! You’re out of line!”

Gault ground his teeth, but knew Jericho would never let him hear the end of it. He begrudgingly returned his sidearm to its holster at the small of his back. “Detain Constantine then. Do not let him rez her. I’ll be on the ship.”

Gault’s Maul finally dematerialized and he turned and began the return to his ship. Jericho watched him go, worried about the seed of wrath blooming within his Guardian’s heart.

[gumnut-logic]

Reactions (Bit 18a)

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Not as much as I would like, but it has begun :D

For @soniabigcheese cos it is her fault :D

-o-o-o-

As always, Thunderbird One arrived first on the scene. Virgil listened in as his brother defended their right to attend the emergency. John had looped in all their comms, including the Island so they all knew exactly what was happening.

Scott was polite, but firm.

“Colonel, we have the equipment and there are a thousand lives at stake. Can we at least put aside the political situation and save these people.” Barrett, the brand new commander of World Rescue was apparently the one in charge.

“Tracy, we have the situation in hand. You are barred from interfering.”

“Colonel, Thunderbird Two is inbound. She has the equipment to support the platform. At least let her assist!”

“We don’t need your assistance. Go home to your fancy little island.”

There was silence from Scott as Two approached and shifted to a hover beside her sister. Gordon was muttering under his breath. They were fortunate comms were set to only one way.

Virgil eyed the platform, raking it with Two’s sensors.

A flick of a switch. “Thunderbird One, be advised that the structural support of the runway is failing.” Several red exclamation icons flashed up on Virgil’s display. “It’s not going to last much longer.”

“Acknowledged, Thunderbird Two.” The frustration in his brother’s voice bent airwaves.

Another GDF flyer swooped in  from the other side the platform. Virgil’s eyes bugged out as he realised that this flyer, too, was going to attempt to land on the remains of the runway. Hadn’t they learnt from the first one??

He knew how much one of those craft weighed. He knew how fragile the structure was. His hand slammed down on comms. “GDF Flight Zero-Seven-Tango, abort landing! ABORT!”

Wheels touched down.

“NO!”

The runway crumpled. The flyer tipped as the structure failed, its engines in the wrong position for an effective lift.

Virgil didn’t hesitate. He fired Two’s rear thrusters and swooped in over the falling plane. Grapples were fired to the sound of yelling over comms and Two’s VTOL howled as she took the weight of the flyer.

-o-o-o-

“I’m not going to be able to hold her long. Zero-Seven-Tango, right your VTOL and engage lift.”

The pilot didn’t respond, but the flyer’s thrusters rotated into position and fired.

Virgil edged Two out of the huge craft’s new flight path as he disengaged grapple support. The GDF craft hovered up between the platform and Thunderbird Two.

Not a word was said.

It paused as if to stare at the Thunderbird before rising above it and taking up a position out of the immediate danger zone.

It sat there watching.

Virgil frowned at his instruments, but he didn’t have time to worry about whatever the hell they were doing. The collapse of the last portion of the runway had destabilised the platform further. It’s angle was skewed even more towards the ‘fall out of the sky’ ultimatum it was threatening.

Scott was yelling at someone.

Virgil tuned out the argument about their rights to save people and set about saving those people instead.

“Deploying airjacks.”

Two’s belly hatch opened and six of the hover devices flew out. Essentially emergency hoverjets, the airjacks were designed to attach to aircraft, or in this case, air platform and replace failing VTOL or other jets to keep a vehicle in the sky long enough for an evac.

If there was ever a situation in need of them, this was it.

Virgil directed each jack to a structurally safe point to lift. Unfortunately, they were only a temporary solution and there was a time limit, but hopefully it would be enough.

The whole platform groaned as the jacks took the overbalanced weight and held the craft in place. It was still listing, but it wasn’t going to tilt any further for some time.

“Colonel Barrett, quite frankly I don’t care for your opinion. Twice now your actions have endangered lives further. International Rescue has the tools and the experience to save these people. For the love of god, get over yourself.”

Barrett’s response was colourful, but at least it was distracted enough for  Thunderbird Two to assist without interference.

Virgil eyed his display. “Thunderbird Five, how goes the escape pod situation?”

“Promising. Eos is rewriting code to work around damaged networks. We will need someone on site to connect crucial systems.”

“FAB. We need to save the pilots of the two crashed planes first. Gordon and I will handle that. Let us know when you need that extra helping hand.” A pause. “And call the GDF and ask them to send in a few of their people carriers, just in case.” Why they weren’t already here was a mystery in itself.

“FAB.”

Scott wasn’t swearing, but his frustration was melting Virgil’s comms.

Time was a major factor here.

“Gordon, you’ve got the crippled flyer. I’ll grab the pilot from the first plane.”

His brother slipped out of his seat as Virgil shifted Two into position above the two disabled craft.

Virgil donned his exosuit. There was no doubt he was going to need it. The first plane was a crumpled mess.

Gordon lowered himself through Two’s front hatch while Virgil exited the same way as the jacks had earlier. Both had folded basket stretchers dangling beside them.

Virgil forced himself to focus despite the vitriol flying across comms. Barrett had apparently been supplanted by Wainwright herself. The woman’s screech of a voice grated on his nerves.

If only the world could hear the crap they were having to put up with just to do the right thing.

He was almost to the wreck when he caught a flicker out of the corner of his eye. He frowned as a holocam zipped into a hover beside him.

What the hell?

And then he realised that of the thousand people they were attempting to save, no doubt there would be a large party of press.

Here to document the launch of ‘World Rescue’.

Now looking for the next best thing - any and all dirt on International Rescue.

Virgil glared at the camera a moment before turning back to doing what he was here to do.

He ignored the annoyance and didn’t even really notice when it was joined by friends.

The plane that had caused this mess had slammed into the runway at an angle. It was one hell of a screwed up landing and Virgil had never seen the like. The cockpit had been almost completely sheared off, its safety capsule wrapping around the safety rail. It was this simple crumpling of metal that had saved the pilot when the plane’s fuel source had exploded, taking out the platform’s hoverjet below.

It was also the reason why the capsule hadn’t fallen with all the extra damage the GDF had managed to do. It was hooked to the railing and hanging there like a mangled pendulum.

Virgil interfaced with Two’s systems and lowered a magnetic grapple to secure the craft before boarding.

“Virg, I’ve got the two pilots from the flyer. One is uninjured, but the other has a bleeder. Securing in the medbay.”

“FAB, Gordon.” Virgil pried open the remains of the safety capsule with the combination of a claw and his laser. Unconscious and bloodied, the pilot was still strapped into her seat. A quick scan revealed a broken arm, head injury and multiple contusions. Remarkably little damage considering the mess made of her plane.

A holocam buzzed into his peripheral vision again. What?

A frustrated claw swiped the camera out of the air. A kick jammed it in a corner, lens to the fuselage.

Virgil busied himself manoeuvring the pilot into a basket stretcher.

“Pilot secured. Returning to Thunderbird Two.” 

He emerged from the damaged capsule into a flock of holocams.

What the hell?!

“Thunderbird Five, can we kill the publicity please.”

“FAB.”

The flock suddenly backed off to a more reasonable distance, but they didn’t go away. As Virgil drew himself and his rescuee up into the belly of Two, the swarm followed at a respectable distance.

“John, why are they still following me?”

“The world wants the truth, Virgil. Let’s give it to them.”

“So they can warp it again?”

“We’ll see.” 

At that tone, Virgil immediately grew suspicious. “What are you planning, Johnny?”

His brother’s voice was all innocence. “I’m just doing what needs to be done.” And the predictable grump. “And don’t call me Johnny.”

Virgil grunted across comms as he was swallowed by his ‘bird.

-o-o-o-

Next

[imma-potatoo]

I HAD TOO

I AM NOT SORRY AT ALL @superwholockandpfl

This is once again written for my friend k.c.cosplay on tiktok! Once again, amazing cosplays 💙💛💙💛💙💛💙

Same universe then this fic

*Logan is a dark side*

Ships: Loceit, parental logicality, parental anxceit

Warnings: none that I know of? Let me know if you want me to tag something

-----------

Perseus and Andromeda

-----------

Logan and Janus stood in front of the other four. Smiles completely coated their faces as they both held out their left hands. Janus holding Logan's bicep with his right hand.

Rings. On both of them.

"You- you got married?" Patton's voice was timid. He didn't expect this day to come. But he currently wanted his father-son dance with Logan

Janus and Logan's faces quickly turned to shock. "What?! No! We're engaged! These are engagement rings daa-- Patton!" Logan blushed at the almost use of Pattons old title. Not that Logan didn't view Patton as a father figure -far from it, Janus and him were the youngest sides- but calling someone dad while you are practically the same age and completely imaginary is quite weird in his opinion but I mean-

"My love, your zoning out again."

Logan could hear the amusement in his fiance's voice. Squeezing Janus' hand slightly; Logan cleared his thoat, "What was that question again?"

Roman was slightly laughing before Remus elbowed him in the ribs, "OW REM-" "Roman sh! Do you have a date picked out yet?" Virgil had a hopeful shimmer in his eyes

Logan and Janus looked at eachother briefly, "Not really, to be honest" Janus laughed slightly. "He just asked me last night," a lose curl falling from behind the yellow sides ear. Logan quickly catching it to tuck it back to its rightful place

The sides migranted over to couch. They had a feeling that they'll be talking for a while.

"Any ideas on a theme yet?" Roman was bouncing enthusiastically, hands tight fisted on the couch. A huge ear to ear grin spread on his face

Logan hummed, thinking back to a precious conversation, "We're thinking victorian or dark academia. But we're open to any suggestions!" his hand was tracing circles over and over on Janus' back.

Roman jumped off the couch. Bouncing up and down over and over and over, "FEAR NOT MY BELOVED FRIENDS! I will help you plan it!"

Romans eyes sparkled rapidly. Grin glowing like wild, he paused for a second or two before gasping, "WE COULD HAVE IT IN A HUGE GOLDEN BALLROOM! With crystal plates! And a hundred foot tall cake! An-"

It was at that point where the blue and yellow sides completely zoned out to Romans tangent.

The newly engaged couple gave eachother a look. This look said a lot of things. But mainly 'are we seriously going to let a side who thinks throwing glitter at random objects equels fashion. Complete control of our wedding?' that look. Its a very very specific look. But its a very obvious look.

The red creativity seemed to notice the couples glazed over eyes and blank expression. So he quickly stopped his rant to add on a rather important detail, "I mean... If you guys want me to help. Its completely ok if you don't!! I mean, its ok, I just-"

"Roman for the love of all things holy. Please stop talking." Logan was rubbing his temple with his free hand, "We would love to have you help plan our wedding. But we don't need a ballroom, or crystal plates, or any fancy fairy tale type things." He squeezed Janus' hand with a bright grin, "We just need eachother."

Roman's dramatic pose and extreme tangent faltered. He paused. Seeming to process the information. Before a small grin took his face. "then thats what you two will have."

Janus moved his gaze from Roman to the green twin... Looking at the floor.... With a pout that could kill a god.... Looking very non-Remus esq.

"Remus, do you also want to help plan our wedding?"

In the span of a second, Remus' face bounced between 50 different emotions before settling on complete and utter happiness, "I THOUGHT YOU WOULD NEVER ASK MY AMAZING DOUBLE D-"

Patton slapped his hand over Remus' mouth, "lets not talk about my future son-in-law like that! eeewwwWWWWWW!!! ROMAN HE LICKED MY HAND!!" Patton snapped his hand away as soon as he put it on.

Laughter filled the rest of the night... And quite a bit of wine.

------2 mouths later-----

Logan grumbled as he threw another crumpled piece of paper against the desk. Elbows on the desk, hands pressing into his eyes.

His supposed vows were going amazingly. Completely. Totally. A hundred percent. Amazing....... Oh who was he kidding? His vows were going terribly.

Not from lack of love or anything absolutely ridiculous like that. He loved Janus more then the stars, moon and galaxies combined. He loved everything about Janus.

He loved Janus' snark. He loved the way his eyes glowed when they watched a movie. Or how Janus' voice drips like steeped honey and smoked chives. Or how his snake eye dilates when he's happy. Or when he gets excited and talks for hours and hours about a philosopher or a certain myth that sparked his interest or reminded him of their relationship-

Thats it.

The last myth that Janus was talking about was Perseus and Andromeda.

Andromeda was to be sacrificed to save her kingdom because her mother boasted about her beauty to the nererids. The nererids told their father, Poseidon, and as revenge; Poseidon sent a sea monster to ravenge the kingdom. Perseus, the hero who slayed Medusa, saw Andromeda chained to the stone and slayed the sea monster. After saving her, he took her hand in marriage.

It was far from their love story. Far far from their love story. But...

The way his eyes lit up.

Logan could get drunk on that look. He could live off that look alone for the rest of his life. Oh and that smile

Logan takes his head out of his hands. Mouth agape.

He had an idea

---------

Janus had been hitting his head against his desk for hours.

Janus could write millions of speeches, and could convince armys to do his bidding, and he could use empty words to get his desires.

But these damn vows.

Janus supposes that its because he isn't used to truth. But he wants too! But the truth seems to be avoiding him more then mouse with a cat.

Logan likes cats, he could never get one before because Patton's allergic. Should he even call Patton by his name? Wouldn't he call him dad now?

He allowed his mind to wonder for a short period of time. Elbows on the desk, hands pressing into his eyes.

This needs to be the truth and its not like he's low on love for Logan. Far far from it

They met when they were younger. Really really younger. He doesn't even remember it. But according to Virgil, Logan and him stared at eachother for five minutes before actually talking to eachother -more like babbling- after that they were practically inseparable. They did everything together apparently. Then they stayed friends for a long time. They barely even talked to eachother by the time that he introduced himself to Thomas. But...

But then Logan became a dark side. Logan started to unbutton the top of his polo. Logan stopped wearing the tie. Logan started to wear ice blue makeup. The Logan he knew as a child came back.

The Logan who loved science, bugs and books. Who loved ranting about old dead philosophers and Janus loved to listen. Logan loved old libraries and classical music. The Logan that used to watch Bill Nye as a child and knows the theme song by heart. The Logan that loved old myths and stories. The Logan who would go outside to the imagination and watch the stars and constellations for hours. His Logan

His favourite constellation was Perseus-

He has an idea.

----The Wedding Day----

Janus adjusted his suit for probably the millionth time. Running his fingers through his hair, attempting to make it lay properly. But only making the curls more wild.

Grumbling obscurities while trying to smooth down his damn hair, he heard low chuckles behind him.

"You know your only gonna make it worse, right Jan?" Virgil was leaning against the wall. His own hair absolutely perfect.

Janus sighed, "I know dad. But I just want my damn hair to lay properly for once! This is why I wear my damn hat-" the chuckles turned into full laughter.

"Logan will love you, no matter how your hair looks," Virgil stood up straight (HA) and walked over to Janus

He took a comb and started to go through his hair. Janus stopped growing by the time he was fifteen, so he was maybe at shoulder height with Virgil. "You need to stop worrying so much, and thats coming from me. Lo loves you more then the sun itself. Don't worry about something as silly as your hair."

Janus watched from the floor to ceiling mirror as Virgil expertly calmed down the mess of his hair.

Meanwhile.....

"Patton please stop crying. Your going to stain my suit-"

"BUT MY BABY'S GETTING MARRIED!!!" tears were still leaking down his face. He's been doing this since he came into the room -which was about twenty minutes ago-

Logan sighed, a smile apparent on his face as he patted his father figure on the back. "I know." he straightened his bowtie slightly in the mirror, "I just love him so much dad," Patton sat down in one of the dressing room chairs. A smile covering his entire face.

"Jan isn't really one to cry. But when I proposed to him? Tears just started leaking. I thought he was upset, so I went to comfort him," blush growing on his cheeks, "then he kissed me and looked me directly in the eyes and said yes." Logan felt a huge grin spreading on his cheeks against his will. He looked out of the mirror and back to his father. "He said yes."

Patton stood up from his seat and put his hands on Logan's shoulders, "and now its your wedding day. You two are going to get married and live out your lives being complete loveable nerds as you talk about philosophy and the stars and things I could never understand. You two are absolutely perfect for eachother and I can't wait to see where you two go next." while tears still shone in his eyes, the smile showed that they were of happiness.

They stared at eachother for a few minutes. Patton nitpicking small details to fix on Logan's suit.

"Janus the one walking down the isle right?"

Logan laughed softly, "yeah, he said it was a more dramatic entrance. Thats my future husband, right there"

Patton looked a little puzzled, "Can you even call him your future husband if the ceremony is starting in less then ten?"

"I mean, technically thats in the futur- wait. How much time was left?"

Patton blinked. Looking in the eyes of his son, "Ten minutes."

A look of panic shot through Logan. "We have to go!"

Logan grabbed Patton's hand. Pulling him out to the room. The celebration hall was stunning

It was outside, circle tables scattered around the clearing like the stars above scattered in the sky. A banquet table for the newly weds, their parents and their best men. The altar was covered in delicate fairy lights illuminating a soft glow. The shimmering stars above their heads shone brighter the usual. The constellations of Perseus and Andromeda were by far the brightest.

Logan stopped in his tirade to the altar. And simply looked at the brilliant view that the twins had put together for them.

For once in his life. Logan was speechless.

"They did a good job right?!?"

Logan was still looking around the meadow, amazed at every tiny detail. From the black dahilas that Remus insisted on including because of the famous unsolved murder, to the fairy lights climbing up the pillers that was no doubt Roman's doing.

"Its beautiful... How di-"

"The twins are a very creative bunch, kiddo!! We have five minutes until your wonderful groom comes out!" The other guests were starting to fill the room as Logan took his place at the altar. It was mostly figments that Thomas had made. Emile, Remy, The Critic, etc. They all took their seats and watched the meadow.

Logan walked over to his place next to the altar. Hands fidgety and resisting the urge to mess with the hair that he spent so long combing down. Roman stood at his side, while Remus waited at the other side of the altar for Janus. Before he knew it the music started to play, the quests rose from their seats, he felt his desire to stand straight. But none of those compared to when Janus walked into the room.

Janus walked in with Virgil latched on to his arm. A periwinkle blossem on the left of his chest. He still had his yellow gloves on -he really hated taking them off. Without the gloves, Janus couldn't lie- but he was without his hat. He was in a black tux with a yellow bowtie.

Logan couldn't think of anything else more beautiful. Logan couldn't think of anyone more beautiful then the side in front of him. Logan couldn't help the gigantic, ear to ear smile as Janus arrived at the altar and took his hands in his own.

The officiant -Who Roman just summoned from the imagination- cleared his voice and spoke to the whole room of people, "Friends and Family, we are gathered here today to connect two side's hearts and souls through this ceremony.

Logic Logan Sanders, Do you take this side to love and to hold, to protect and charish and to adore until the end of your lives?"

His smile growing wider, eyes sparkling with deep love and affection; Logan gazed into Janus' eyes, lightly squeezing his hands. "More then the sun and the stars."

The officiant smiled slightly before turning to Janus. "Deceit Janus Sanders, Do you take this side to love and hold, to protect and charish and to adore until the end of your lives?"

Tears shone throughout Janus' eyes. He removed his hands from Logans and for a second the blue side felt his heart drop, only for it to swell when he sees Janus remove his gloves and place his hands back in Logans. "More then every lie, secret and promise I have ever made."

The officiant turned back to Logan, "Please say your vows."

Logan felt his heart throb as he opened his mouth,

"Janus. In the very very long time that I have known you, I find myself falling more in love with you every day. I love how you laugh. I love how when you're tired you curl up to my side. I love how you stay by my side through it all. My translation from a light side to dark, my learning cerve to our new family, every dilemma from the others that we have to enviably fix.

Every night, every day, every hour, every minute, every second. You occupy my mind. And god Janus, I never want you to leave it.

I love you. I love you more then Perseus loved Andromeda." Logan's eyes were shining with unshed tears, he lightly squeezed Janus' hands. "I love you Janus and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

The officiant nodded, then he turned to Janus. "Please speak your vows."

Janus drew a shaky breath before speaking.

"Logan, I honestly don't remember when we met. You were my only constant, the unchanging variable that I could always fall back on. You were always there for me and I want to always be there for you.

I love you more then anything Logan. The way you light up when a new documentary comes out, drives butterflies to my stomach. When you laugh, I get lightheaded. When you smile, I get bolts of electricity to my heart. When you take me to the imagination for a date among the stars, I get so love drunk that things get dizzy. When you took me to our favourite place and got on one knee, I cried tears of joy.

There is nothing that I don't love about you. I've always found honest words hard to process. But believe me when I say that I've said no lies to you. You are the one person I will never lie to. I love you more then Andromeda loved Perseus," Janus looked up at Logan. The height difference apparent, but he smiled like he never smiled before. "I love you Logan. And I cannot wait to call you my husband."

The two sides gave eachother looked at eachother with pure adoration and love.

"Please put these rings on eachother."

They could hear Patton's loud sobs in the background as they slipped on the rings.

The officiant smiled wide, "I now pronounce you, Husband and Husband! You may now kiss your groom!"

They flew together like magnets. Logan grabbed the side of Janus' face to pull him closer, the earthy smell of cloves and plums filling his senses. Janus held Logan's arms and pulled him towards him. The kiss was far from chaste, but they pulled apart not long after to be met with......

"NOW YOU GOTTA STRIP AND FU-- OW ROMAN!!"

"NOT AT THE WEDDING YOU BABOON!"

The twins were a very chaotic bunch...

The wedding continued perfectly as planned. Then it came to the father-son dances.

Virgil as Janus were doing well. Virgil was giving Janus his best wishes and telling him how proud he was if him.

Patton and Logan??

Patton always cries at wedding to say the least...

Then it was their turn to dance.

Logan took his husbands hand and led him to the dance floor. It was lit by only fairy lights and the extra bright stars. They twirled and spinned and danced like they was only the two there.

The two battled for the lead before Logan won. Hand now in the swell of Janus' back and leading him in a very elaborate ballroom dance. Janus' scales glowing a bright yellow. Even over the music you could hear their laughter.

Patton and Virgil stood on the sidelines. Watching as their children had their fun. Virgil hummed slightly, "you owe me twenty bucks Patt."

Patton was very confused, he hadn't made any new bets recently or borrowed any money. "Why is that kiddo?"

Virgil turned and looked at Patton, "Ten years ago, you bet me that Lo and Jan would never get married. You owe me a twenty."

Patton grumbled slightly as he pulled a bill from his jacket pocket and handed it over. "This is the best bet I've ever lost then."

Virgil laughed, purple beginning to dust under his eyes. "You got that right," He took two glasses of champagne from the waiters walking by, "To our beloved children?"

Patton took the glass and raised it with Virgil. "To our beloved children." they then took a long sip and continued to watch as the couple danced.

The stars shining above, the moon full. They loved eachother more then Perseus and Andromeda.

-------

I. REGRET. NOTHING!!!

I also have 0 self control soo

The charcters are very ooc... But I don't overly care.

💙💛💙💛💙💛💙💛