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liliacamethyst · 1 year

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Web of Shadow and Light (Part III)

Sequel to Webs of Fate

Miguel O'Hara x SpiderSun Reader

words: 5.2 K

warnings: secret pregnancy trope, swearing, angst, heartbreak, grumpy/sunshine

Part I Part II Part III

The Spider-HQ echo with an unsettling symphony - a child's piercing cries and the hushed whispers of concern from some of the multiverse's bravest Spider heroes. They stand clustered around the smallest yet most powerful disturbance they've ever encountered - a baby boy. His wails have been echoing through the HQ since Miguel left the room, leaving the baby and dozens of Spider-man behind. Each cry is a call for help that pulls at their hearts, demanding attention, challenging their patience.

After much deliberation and coaxing from the rest, Miguel gave his team an ultimatum - they have until dawn to find an alternative solution, before Gabriel has to be eliminated, before the universe collapses on itself. His voice was a cold whisper when he spoke, "Figure out another way by tomorrow morning, or..." Nobody dares to complete the sentence, not even Miguel, the unsaid words hanging heavily in the air. And with that Miguel was gone, and the baby immediately started wailing and hasn’t stopped since.

Now Gwen, with her brows knitted in worry, rocks the baby with desperate gentleness. Her blue eyes are bright with unshed tears, a look of sheer helplessness painting her usually confident face. Beside her Peter B. is attempting to cheer Gabriel up but his efforts as pointless as they are endearing. The usually funny and charming Peter B seems to be losing a battle of wits with a one-year-old. It would've been humorous, had the situation been any different.

The sight of the little baby boy weeping his heart out, oblivious to the chaos his presence is causing tugs at their hearts, binding them in a collective resolution - they must protect this child. The shadows and the light, entwined in this web they’ve all been thrown into. And the clock is ticking.

Hobie scoops up the little boy, cradling him close in an attempt to soothe his relentless tears. "See, the cow says muhhhhh," he coos. His tiny cries falter, curiosity momentarily replacing distress. He gazes at Hobie with wide eyes, intrigued by the cool looking man. "And the butterfly," Hobie pauses dramatically, "well, the butterfly don’t say nothin’." He continues his little game, while rocking the baby gently in his arms. "And the pig says-"

Miles chimes in with an eager grin, "Oink, Oink."

"Nah, bruv," Hobie laughs. “The pig says, ‘You have the right to remain silent!’”

Gabriel’s face scrunches up, and the waterworks start again. Hobie chuckles, "Fair enough, little fella. Cops make me wanna cry too."

Meanwhile Jessica Drew, clad in her black and white Spider-Woman outfit, her dark locks cascading around her shoulders, is leaning against the doorframe, half entering the room, her eyebrows raised. "Well? I assume he didn’t stop crying?“

Beside her Peter B. with his shaggy brown hair and five o’ clock beard just shakes his head.

“This is nuts. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING is working.“ Gwen states.

In the background, the cries of baby Gabriel cotinue, little fists flailing as he continued his tantrum. Jessica, arching an eyebrow, comments, “He’s still going at it?”

Hobie Brown, just gives her a quick nod. “Oh yeah, the kid has got a set of lungs.”

Suddenly, Pavitr Prabhakar, yelps as a makeshift toy, made out of wood and spiderwebs, hit him square in the forehead. "Ow! And one hell of arm throw."

Methodically, Jessica starts running through a mental checklist. “Diaper?”

Peter B. Parker nods. “Clean.”

“Food?” Jessica glances at Miles who holds a baby food jar and a bent spoon.

Miles, in his black and red suit, shrugs. “Kept smacking the spoon out my hand.”

“Nap?” Jessica's questions further.

The entire room answer in unison, clearly frustrated “Literally the first thing we tried.”

Pavitr smirkes at them. “Jinx.” But his joke is short-lived as Gabriels screams become even louder.

Gwen, then takes charge, “Ok, we have to do something,” her eyes flicking around the room with determination. She points to Jess, “You have to talk to Miguel. You’ve been around him the longest, maybe you can get through to him.”

Jess looks hesitant but nods.

“And Peter,” Gwen turns to Peter B who’s still juggling items in his hands, to entertain the baby and stop his crying. “Get Mayday’s toys. Maybe the baby’s just bored.”

Peter gives a thumbs up. “You got it, boss.”

“And Pav, Hobie,” Gwen instructs, her voice steady. “You need to rally the other Spider-people. We need everyone on board to protect this little guy.”

“Margo, you’re with me, girl. We are paying our old friend Lyla a little surprise visit. Something’s a little fishy with her.” Margo nods eagerly.

As everyone scatters into action, Miles stands there, looking slightly lost and raising his hands. "Hey, guys, you forgot about me! What am I supposed to do? How can I help?" he calls out to the rapidly moving group.

Pav whirls around and points at Miles, "You, take care of the little guy, newbie," he says, as Hobie thrusts the still crying baby into Miles' arms.

"Great," Miles grumbles, balancing Gabriel on his hip and looking down at the squirming bundle of tears.

He starts to bounce up and down gently, trying to imitate what he's seen in movies. The baby continues to cry, unfazed by Miles' efforts.

“Alright buddy, let’s figure this out together. I can swing through New York, so how hard can babysitting be?” Miles whispers to the baby.

Hours drag on and Gabriel's relentless cries continue to echo through the HQ. Despite his earnest attempts, Miles, armed with only his spider powers and limited babysitting experience, is unsuccessful in calming the baby. He’s tried everything he can think of – makinf funny faces, telling funny stories in a soothing tone, gently swinging him back and forth with his web-slinging skills, and even humming a little tune (it was Humble by Kendrick Lamar, but the thought counts, right?). At one point, he even tried to entertain the baby by creating animals out of webbing, but that didn’t work either. The baby is relentless, and his cries only seem to get louder.

In the meantime in Miguel’s office, the echoing cries penetrate through the walls. Migel is sitting behind his desk looking at some documents, while Jess stands in front of him.

“Please, Miguel, it’s a baby boy. How did you imagine doing this, huh?” Jess exclaims, her voice rising. “Did you plan to build some sort of machine to just vaporize him? Or did you think of strangling him with your own bare hands? I know you’re not a monster.” But Miguel's face remains stoic, his eyes never leaving the papers on his desk.

“And look,” Jess continues, pointing vaguely in the direction of where the baby’s cries are coming from, “this baby is already older, and nothing has collapsed yet. The universe is still here.”

“I can’t risk any more lives, Jess,”Miguel responds coldly, finally looking up at her.

“But what if there is another way? We haven’t even tried everything. We have brilliant minds here. Let’s...let’s figure something out that doesn’t involve.. that,” Jess pleads, her voice softening.

Miguel looks at her for a long moment but his expression remains unreadable. The cries of the baby continue to fill the air.

Jess then turns her gaze towards Lyla, , who is stationed nearby, her holographic interface flickering with data. “Lyla, what are the kid’s powers? Run a genetics test, a DNA test. We need something to work with.”

Lyla’s synthetic voice answers in an eerily calm tone, "I have already processed the genetic information, Jessica. Thanks very much, genius. As per my findings, the child’s power attributes remain undefined. In regards to the DNA test..."

Lyla hesitates just a fraction of a second, but enough for Miguel to notice. It's an unexpected response from an AI that's programmed to be efficient and direct. A strange tingle rises within him but he pushes it aside, refocusing on the matter at hand.

“is inconclusive.” Jess squints at Lyla. “Inconclusive? What do you mean? Is he an anomaly or not?”

“He’s an anomaly, certainly. However, the DNA analysis is...complicated,” Lyla maintains her composed tone. “Complicated how?” Jess presses on. “Just...unfamiliar and intermingled genetic markers,” Lyla responds vaguely. “The child is an enigma.”

"Miguel, please" she continues, turning back to Miguel, clearly frustrated with Lyla's vague responses that are not helping her case. Her tone is still serious, "this isn't some variation of a monster, this is a baby."

For a moment, Miguel’s gaze flickers, his usual icy aura briefly wavering. "It doesn't matter," he finally grunts, closing his eyes as if to physically shut out the argument. Jessica's voice turns unexpectedly brittle. "I didn't join the Society to kill innocent kids."

Miguel clenches his jaw hard. "We do what we have to do for the greater good. No exceptions." Jessica takes a deep breath, her next words coming out almost in a whisper. "What if there was my Gerald or a version of your-" she begins, but is quickly cut off.

"DON’T. Don't even go there, Jessica" Miguel growls, his hand forming into a tight fist. "And why the hell is it still crying?"

Jessica's gaze softens slightly. "That child, that little boy, probably misses his parents. Parents who are going through hell right now, searching for their baby." Miguel's fist tightens further, a spark of something, maybe regret, guilt, flashing in his eyes. Jessica presses on trying one last time to convince him. "He was found in 586, right? Maybe we can reconnect with Su-"

"No," Miguel interrupts sharply, his voice a final command. “Until tomorrow morning, Jess,” he finally says in a low voice, putting an end to Jess’ outburst. “That’s all. You can leave now.”

There’s a heavy silence, where the only sound is Gabriel’s distant crying.

Jessica looks at Miguel, her gaze piercing. "Think about what you’re doing, Miguel," she whispers and leaves the room, closing the door softly behind her.

In the heart of the HQ, Margo sifts through the labyrinth of Lyla's concealed data. She uncovers a file that captures her attention – the baby's DNA results. "There you are," she mutters to herself, an air of triumph in her voice. As she opens the file, her eyes widen in disbelief, "Oh no…“

"What is it, Margo?" Gwen asks making her way over to Margo.

Margo's voice trembles slightly. "So, while looking through the hidden data, I found the baby's... there was a parental match."

Gwen's heart skips a beat. “I knew something was was off with Lyla. Of course she knows more. Well, who are the little guy's parents?"

Margo hesitates, then blurts out, "Miguel and Sunny."

Gwen stops dead in her tracks, her mind reeling. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

"The baby's mother is Sunny, and the father is Miguel," Margo reiterates, her voice steady.

Gwen eyes widen. "But... are you sure? I know Sunny's baby. I was there when baby Gabriel was born!“

"Yes, I'm sure. There were two parental matches for the baby in the spider DNA logs:Sun Spider and Spider-Man 2099. When was the last time you saw the baby, Gwen? Babies change quickly at that age." Margo confirms.

"Miguel and Sunny? That's not possible... how have we never noticed that there's something going on between those two?" Gwen's mind whirls with confusion.

"Oh, I noticed," Margo's voice holds a hint of smugness, "The way he was sneaking into her room at night? And the way he looked at her every time she set foot in a room, like a lovesick puppy. It was adorable. Wait, nobody else noticed?"

Gwen splutters, taken aback, "What? No, I... well, he's all 'we need to sacrifice ourselves to protect the multiverse. No more traveling for fun'" she imitates Miguel's voice with a teasing lilt, then she adds, "And Sunnys is literally the personification of a warm embrace."

Gwen's mind whirls but she continues, “ Woah, okay lets focus on the important part. I mean, I knew something was wrong with Lyla, but why... why would she do that?"

"There's more, Gwen," Margo says, her voice shaking slightly. "I found another thing in her data. It's... it's about how she's processing information."

Gwen frowns, "What do you mean?"

Margo takes a deep breath before explaining, "In simple terms, Lyla's been teaching herself new things. She's changing, growing beyond her original programming. Her code is self-evolving."

"And the data about the baby?" Gwen asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

Margo sighs, "She's been... twisting it, making the baby seem more dangerous than it actually is."

Gwen's mind reels with this new information, the world around her seeming to tilt. "But why?" she finally manages to ask. "Why would Lyla do this?"

"I don't know, Gwen," Margo admits. "But we need to find out and warn Miguel. And soon."

Meanwhile in Miguels office, the wailing becomes louder, almost as if piercing through the walls, trying to reach something, or someone. Miguel's face betrays his discomfort, as if the cries are tugging at his walls around his heart. There's a weight on his chest, something unidentifiable that makes it hard to breathe.

Suddenly Lyla’s holographic interface hums. She begins to show the outline various strategies for eliminating the child. Her voice, analtytic but almost cheerful, fills the room. “So, we could create a temporal displacement field, effectively erasing the child from existence. Or perhaps expose him to a slow-acting molecular destabilizer..."

"Based on the trial," she continues unfazed by Miguel’s lack of response. "the device should work as intended, wiping out any of its DNA and trace. Be like the anomaly never existed." There's a hint of satisfaction in her words.

Miguel, until now staring blankly at the wall, finally turns towards Lyla, his complexion pale and his eyes wide.

His insides twist painfully, the mere idea of bringing harm to this innocent child becoming now unbearable.

“Stop,” Miguel chokes out.

“Apologies, Miguel. We must consider all options for preserving the multiverse. You out of all people should know that,”Lyla retorts.

But something within Miguel snaps. His ice-cold distant facade crumbles. Rising abruptly, his chair clatters loudly onto the floor.

Without saying another word, he strides out of his office. “Miguel? Are you listening? Where are you going?” Lyla calls after him, but her words are unanswered in the empty room.

Walking down the hallway, Miguel slows down as he passes the room where the infant's cries come from. He pauses when he hears Miles' pleas inside.

“Little dude, if you stop crying promise I’ll get you some cool kicks. Maybe some baby Jordans? Please, please just stop crying,” Miles pleads, his voice sounding desperate and utterly exhausted.

After a moment hesitation, Miguel pushes open the door and steps into the room. His gaze, sterner than ever, as he takes in the scene: Miles looking near defeat, his energy spent trying to soothe the wailing child, his spider suit rumpled and hair disheveled.

"Enough," Miguel comms sharply.

Miles looks up from where he's been pacing with the baby, his eyes wide like he's just been caught stealing cookies from a jar. “You,” Miguel points at Miles, who is holding the still-crying baby. His voice booms with authority. “Put him down”

Miles, slightly dumbfounded, obeys and carefully lays the child down on his makeshift bed. “I need you to return to Earth 586. Get some of his belongings - toys, blankets, anything you can find," he orders, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"But Miguel--" Miles startsbut gets cut off immediately.

"Now," he says, his red eyes flashing dangerously. Miles opens the portal hastily and disspears to your universe.

The crying has subsided to whimpers, and Miguel finds himself kneeling next to the little one, who reaches out for him. As if on autopilot, Miguel’s hands scoop him up abruptly from the bed.

"Quiet, niño. "Miguel growls at him with a low and threatening tone. "I could just... do it right now." His irritation gets the better of him, and he bares his fangs at the little one. This sight shocks Gabriel into silence for a moment, his big, teary eyes widening at the sight.

But then, to Miguel's surprise, the baby breaks into a fit of giggles, the sound infectious and joyous.

Gabriel suddenly mimics Miguel, baring his own little teeth – two tiny milk teeth and the beginnings of baby fangs peeking from his gums, causing Miguel to stiffen in shock.

Caught off guard Miguel's hold slips and Gabriel lands back on the web-shaped bed with a bounce. The baby's laughter ends abruptly and is replaced once more with tears and cries.

Still in shock, Miguel stumbles back a step, but Gabriel's cries soon pull him back into the present. With a sigh, he picks up the little boy yet again andGabriel immediately snuggles into the crook of Miguel’s neck, his tiny arms winding tightly around his throat. Miguel swallows hard, unsure of what to do next.

Then, almost instinctively, he starts to hum a tune he thought he'd long forgotten. "Tú eres mi sol de la mañana, el sol que brilla..." His voice is barely audible, the words shaky. Gabriel's little body relaxes against him, a content sigh escaping his lips followed by a quiet yawn. He nuzzles closer to Miguel, his tiny breaths falling into sync with the rhythm of the song. "...alegra todo, mi corazón," Miguel coninues softly, his mind flooding with memories. He sees a bright, lively girl with the same curious eyes as the boy in his arms.

"Daddy," Gabriella asks, her large eyes bright with curiosity as she looks up at him, "why do you call me your morning sun? I'm not yellow."

Miguel chuckles at her innocence, his fingers gently tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. He cradles her against his chest, looking into those eyes so full of wonder. "No, mija" he replies, his voice soft with affection "you're not yellow but you are my sunshine."

"But why?" She wrinkles her little nose, her childish curiosity making Miguel's heart fill up with love.

"Because, mijita," he begins, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple, "just like the sun, you light up my world. You chase away the darkness with your laughter and your love. You are warmth, you are joy, and just like the morning sun, you are a new beginning, a promise of a brighter day."

Gabriella blinks up at him, her lips curving into a small, and she hides her smile in the crook of his neck. "I like that, Papi," she whispers, "Sing the song again, please?"

“brilla, conmigo, brilla que brilla, alegrandome esta cancion. Tu eres mi sol de la manana…“

Eyes closed, Miguel draws Gabriel unconsciously closer, his heart full, and for the first time he’s feeling a sense of contentment he hasn't experienced in years.

The moment is shattered by the sound of a throat being cleared, pulling him abruptly out of his peaceful trance.

Peter B is standing in the doorway, arms loaded with various dolls. "Wow, he's finally asleep," he remarks, looking between Miguel and the now sleeping Gabriel with a relieved smile. "I was starting to think that was impossible."

Without responding, or even sparing a glance in Peter's direction, Miguel turns away from the door and heads to the bed. He gently places the sleeping toddler down, pulling a small blanket over him. Once he's confident that Gabriel is settled, Miguel quietly leaves the room, his demeanor as frosty and aloof as ever, making no acknowledgment of Peter's presence.

Peter B is quick on his feet, rushing after Miguel. "I brought him toys from Mayday," he blurts out. "She won't miss them. She's not too good at sharing, but I guess she won’t mind in this case."

Miguel continues his stride, not giving Peter so much as a backward glance. "Que maravilla," he mutters under his breath, his tone dripping with sarcasm. Ignoring the dismissal, Peter B. reaches out and places a hand on Miguel's arm, stopping him in his tracks. Miguel raises an eyebrow and glances back at him half-heartedly, clearly not interested in a conversation.

Peter takes a moment, his gaze intensifying. "Hey, boss," he begins, his voice shaky yet determined. "We can't let anything happen to this boy, right?"

At Peter's words, Miguel closes his eyes and takes a deep, steadying breath.

Back on Earth 586, you're in the throes of a meltdown. Your little boy, Gabriel, is nowhere to be found. You've scoured the whole city of Nea Yorkey, every nook and cranny you can think of, but there's no trace of him anywhere. Desperation gnaws at your insides, and fury bubbles up, hot and fierce. Your mind is in turmoil, swirling with anger and fear, clouding your ability to think straight. One thing is crystal clear though: whoever dared to touch your child will pay dearly for their actions.

You're frantically trying to find a way to contact anyone from the Spider Society, while simultaneously considering every possible avenue to traverse the multiverse yourself. Alchemax - the multinational conglomerate known for its cutting-edge research and technological advancements - seems to be your only hope. As you're about to make your way there, a sound from Gabriel's room stops you in your tracks.

Your Spider senses, already on high alert due to the unexpected circumstances, seem to kick into overdrive. Every instinct within you screams that something is about to happen. Your heart pounds in your chest like a wild drum as you slowly approach the room.

Meanwhile, in Gabriel's room, Miles is having his own share of troubles. In his haste, he stumbles over a toy car that starts making an assortment of noises and brightly lit animations. "Ah, this stupid toy!" he curses under his breath.

A thought suddenly crosses his mind and he wonders aloud, "Wait, does he need a blanket?" Just as he's about to reach for a small bunny stuffed animal that lay discarded on the floor, an intense blast of sonic energy sweeps across the room.

Caught by surprise, Miles finds himself flung across the room, his back hitting the wall with a thud. Before he can even let out a gasp, a spider web shoots out, pinning him securely against the wall. There he hangs, suspended, his eyes wide with shock and confusion. His breath comes in shallow gasps as he attempts to comprehend what just happened. Well its safe to say he didn’t saw that coming.

Miles, still stuck against the wall, manages to blurt out, "Who are you?"

"Who am I?" you echo, incredulity lacing your tone. "You break into my son's room and ask me whoI am?"

Your mind races as Miles stammers, "Wait, your son's room? Wait, are you...are you a Spider-person aswell?"

Ignoring his question, you stride towards him, an aura of threat radiating off you. "Stop talking!" you command, "I ask the questions!" In your hand, a ball of solar energy forms, crackling with power and casting a glow across the room.

"Why are you here? Where is my son?" The words are more of a growl than a question, the motherly instincts in you sending waves of danger rippling across the room. "Your son is okay, please don't hurt me!" Miles pleads with a shaky fear laced voice.

Squirmy and visibly frightened, Miles stammers out his confession, "We-we took him...it was our mission... He's an anomaly...we needed to get him out of this universe, send him to his own, so it wouldn’t collapse and interfere with the multiverse...but he doesn't have one, and I'm so sorry..."

His voice dwindles to a murmur, words tumbling over one another in his haste. Amidst his ramblings, your icy inquiry slices through like a blade, "Who instructed you?"

A sharp wince contorts his face, betraying his fear. "Our boss..." he starts, his voice barely above a whisper, "Miguel... Miguel O'Hara."

The energy in your hand dissipates, leaving only shock in its place. It's almost too much to take in - the idea that Miguel, your Miguel, could have done something like this. "He's okay, we... we didn't know he was the son of a Spider-woman. I'm Miles Morales, by the way." he introduces himself, attempting to inject some normalcy into the situation.

"I'm Spider-Sun," you respond automatically, your voice sounding distant to your own ears.

"Wait … you?" Miles' eyes widen in recognition. "You're Sunny?" When you give a numb nod in response, he continues, "You look more like 'Stormy' if you ask me." Your gaze snaps to Miles, the intensity of your death glare immediately silencing his attempt at humour. "Sorry, sorry," he stammers, raising his hands in surrender. "I just...I've heard Gwen and Peter talk about you."

"They never stop talking about you," Miles continues, trying to regain his composure. "They always say you have such a radiant personality and how much they miss you. They take care of your son, don’t worry. Hes safe for now.”

"What do you mean he's safe 'for now'?" you cut him off abruptly, your voice cold and hard. Miles gulps nervously before responding.

"Eh...we have until morning to find a solution for this...anomaly," he stammers. You interrupt him, seething with a fury that makes him cringe. "My son's name is Gabriel. He is not an 'anomaly'," you spit out the words like they are poison, hating the way they make your sweet little boy sound like some kind of mistake.

"Eh, yes, for Gabriel," Miles corrects hastily, "because, eh... if we don't find an alternative, they need to, eh...eliminate..." He trails off, speaking so quickly and softly that you almost don't catch his last word.

"ELIMINATE?????" You scream and for a split second, Miles is sure he sees your eyes blaze with a terrifying, luminating light.

"We can stop them. We can talk to them and say it's your son," Miles says quickly, desperately hoping to calm you.

"I don't talk. Bring me to my son," you demand. Without wasting another moment, you order him to open the portal. "Y-yes, right away, Sunn... eh, Mrs. Sun, eh... Ma'am," he stammers, visibly trembling under your steely gaze.

It takes him two shaky attempts before he manages to successfully open the portal, his hands still unsteady from the encounter.

Back at the headquarters, Peter chases after Miguel into his office. "Boss, all I'm saying is, what if Lyla is wrong?"

Miguel is pinching the bridge of his nose, a deep sigh escaping his lips. The weight of the situation is quickly becoming too overwhelming and he feels himself teetering dangerously close to his breaking point.

Just at that moment, Gwen, Pav, Margo and Hobie burst into the office, their faces set withdetermination. "Miguel, there’s something you need to know. Please hear us out. Margo and I, we found something.Lyla is - ," Gwen starts but Miguel is quick to silence her with a raised hand.

Just as Miguel is about to speak, the lights flicker, casting an ominous glow throughout the room. Hobie looks around nervously. "Is that eh...normal?"

Peter quirks an eyebrow. "Did you forget to pay the electricity bill?"

The lights flicker even more violently, plunging the room into a dance of shadow and light.

With a violent burst, the door is flung open, and a brilliant surge of light blinds everyone. You stand in the doorway, an ethereal aura glowing around you.

"O'Hara!" Your voice thunders through the room, heavy with wrath and revenge. As Miguel turns around to face the source of the sound, a massive, lightning-tinged sonar blast slams directly into his chest. He's pushed backward, knocked off balance before he can brace himself for the attack. He tries to recoverr, to shift into defense mode but he doesn't get the chance. You're relentless, a solar goddess in human form, hurtling blast after blast at him. Miguel has no time to regain his stance, each attack landing with more force than the last.

Gwen makes to step forward, her instincts screaming at her to intervene, but Peter grabs her arm, pulling her back. "That's Sunny," he says, his voice a mixture of awe and concern. Hobie's eyes widen comically. He cocks his head, a smirk playing on his lips. "Our Sunny, eh? Blimey, I never knew she had it in her. That rebellious firecracker," he mutters, a distinct note of admiration creeping into his typically laid-back British drawl.

Miles bursts into the room, breathless and disheveled. He stumbles towards Gwen, his voice hurried and concerned, "I tried to stop her, but she was...she was furious. Woahhh, I've never seen Miguel get beaten like this before."

And he wasn't exaggerating. Miguel was fighting back, his fangs bared, his claws out and ready but he was no match for your rage-fueled attacks. You were right up in his face, delivering punch after punch at a brutal pace

"Where's my son, O’Hara? What have you done to him?" you demand, your voice cutting through the chaos like a blade.

At your words, Miguel's movements falter. His defense wavers, and he barely manages to gasp out, "Your son?" He doesn't dodge your next blow, doesn't attempt to shield himself or strike back. Instead, he allows you to continue.

Miguel is shocked. His reflexes kick in as he sees the next punch coming and he grabs your wrist, halting your next powerful punch aimed for his face. He locks eyes with you, his gaze holding an emotion you've never seen in him before. Is it fear? No, it's much deeper, more profound.

As he stares at you, your luminescent eyes gradually lose their fiery intensity, shifting back to their human form.

"I... I didn't know," Miguel stammers, his voice a trembling whisper. "Lo – lo siento. I – I didn’t know.”

His breaths are ragged, and you can see a war waging inside him.

"But...how?How didn’t I know?" His voice is choked, your wrist still securely in his grip. “Your son?” Miguel continues,his voice is barely above a whisper. His eyes search yours and all he sees is raw, untamed anger with an aching pain that pierces his soul.

“Yes, MY son!” your voice echoes through the room like a whip. “Did you think that you could just take him from me? That I wouldn't come for him?”

Miguel’s grip on your wrist loosens as he stumbles back. His heart feels like it’s about to explode as realization dawns on him. The dark curls, the small fangs the baby had bared at him –pieces of a puzzle start falling into place. His own blood runs cold.

“Where is he, Miguel? Where’s myGabriel?” your voice breaks as you say the name, and it feels like another punch to Miguel's gut.

“Gabr...” Miguel chokes. “No... no...”

His voice is barely audible, the air knocked out of him by the significance of the name. His knees buckle, and he falls on the floor. "NO."

“You, who I thought would protect any child, wanted to eliminate my – our – flesh and blood!” Tears, full of anger and hurt, stream down your face, but your voice doesn't waver one bit.

Miguel, still on the floor, looks up at you with tear-streaked cheeks. “I didn’t know. I swear on my life, on Gabriella’s memory. I-I wanted to do the right thing. I- I never, -Lo siento.”

There’s a moment of tense silence as you look down at the shattered man before you,the love of your life, the father of your child, who almost made the most horrifying, unforgivable mistake.

Just then, from another room, the faint sound of a baby's cries pierce through the heavy atmosphere. You abruptly yank your wrist out of his grasp and towards the door to leave.

Your heart clenches as you break into a run, following the pitiful cries. You don’t look back.

Miguel remains on his knees. He doenst follow you, he doesn’t dare to move, anchored by the crushing weight of what he's done, as the sounds of Gabriel's cries fade into the background.

"Gabriel," he whispers, the name escaping his lips like a vow. A promise of redemption. And with that single word, Miguel knows he'll move heaven and earth to protect his child.

Part 4 "Webs of Redemption"

Hello, you wonderful souls! I want to say a big thank you for your patience and kind words about this series. I really appreciate each of your sweet comments and messages – they mean so much to me. Thank you all for the insightful ideas and suggestions you contributed for part 3. I've incorporated as many of your concepts as I could because they're simply brilliant. I'm eager to hear more of your thoughts, criticisms, and proposals for part 4. I also want to give a special thanks to Jess, @wolfjessedragon . Her inspiration and amazing ideas were the driving force behind Part 3, and I couldn't have written it without her! love you guys, keep being awesome!

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artificial-transmutations · 2 months

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The Last Chance!

My head was throbbing, and lights danced in front of me. Distorted music was blaring and for a moment, I felt like throwing up. When my sight cleared a bit, I could see a slim metal lectern in front of me and grabbed it to stabilize myself. Breathe in, breathe out. Slowly, the nausea subsided enough to look around. I was not alone, far from it. I was bathed in bright lights from above and from the sides, and I had to squint to be able to discern my surroundings. There were three more lecterns, arranged in a half circle, and behind that, three more people who didn't look any better than I felt.

In the middle of the circle, there was a big leather chair that was currently empty. Still, most of the lights - artificial lights, headlights - were directed at the empty chair. To all sides, behind the big island of brightness, I could see grandstands with people in the dark, producing a constant loud chattering noise. The room was huge, but had, apparently, no windows.

Even though I've never been in one, it looked a lot like a TV studio to me. The setup looked like a game show of sorts, which means the empty chair was for the host, and I was at one of the contestant's spots.

Which brought me back to the most pressing question: How the hell did I get here?

Let's see, what do I remember... I am Evan, kindergarten teacher, 32 years old, and...

Right. I wasn't very well right now. My boyfriend broke up with me, it was pretty ugly, and then, I went to a bar. I was pretty drunk, but I think I remember leaving the bar again, in the middle of the night and then...

No, total blackout. Nothing that could explain how I got into a TV studio.

I looked at the other contestants, who seemed to be in various states of confusion as well. At the front of the lecterns, I could read their names:

Right next to me, there was Victoria. She looked like a librarian, or a secretary of some sorts. Pretty unremarkable. She seemed perhaps the least uncomfortable and eyed the rest of us with sharp intelligent eyes, nodding slightly as she caught my gaze.

Then, there was Lucas. He looked like he worked as a security guard, or maybe a bouncer, but not one for an exclusive club. His face was broad and his jaw strong and adorned with a goatee, and he wore a tight t-shirt and loose cargo pants. His posture was intimidating, but his eyes were friendly, if perhaps a bit simple.

At the far end, behind the lectern was Blake. He looked a bit like a teacher or a scientist, to be honest. He was slim and tall, had a brown pony tail and wore pretty unfashionable clothes.

For the sake of completion, my own name read "Evan", as expected. I was a pretty normal guy, wearing jeans and t-shirt. I was quite average looking, neither very good nor very bad, and had a bit of a tummy. In short, a very typical guy.

When I looked up again, there was suddenly a man sitting in the chair, wearing a fancy suit, looking into the cameras with a wide smile. I was sure I had not seen him entering, which seemed strange.

Immediately, the chattering from the audience ceased, and the man, who must have been the host, began to speak. So much for trying to escape the situation before the show started.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, and all creatures! Welcome to this wonderful, bombastic, extraordinary episode of 'The last chance'! I'm your host, the magnificent Mr. Mephistolon."

There was a moment of applause and cheering from the dark grandstands, before the man continued. What an odd introduction! Being inclusive is good and all, but 'all creatures'?

"And today, we have our best contestants ever. Give me a cheer for Blake, Lucas, Victoria and Evan!"

Again, there was some applause, which was nice, but I was still confused. What kind of game show was this?

"The rules are simple! Here at 'The last chance', everything is possible. In three exciting elimination rounds, our contestants will fight for the grand mystery prize. You, the audience will vote after each round who you like the least, and the one with the most votes has to leave, never to be seen again."

I decided I didn't like the humor of the host very much, but the explanation continued.

"Whoever survives the third round is the winner of tonight's show! They will receive the grand mystery prize"

He held up a sealed red envelope.

"And, of course, gets to go home."

It would probably have been funnier if I remembered how I got here. The charming host made it sound like we were kidnapped, but that was hardly possible, not on live TV. So, it was probably just a joke.

"But! How can you sway the audience to not vote you out, you ask? What is the game, you want to know? It's easy! In each round, each and every one of you gets a spin on our wheel of fortune. In addition, you will be dealt three cards. In every round, you must use whatever the wheel shows and one of your cards to *change* yourself and one other contestant of your choice. It doesn't matter who you choose for what, as long as one change applies to yourself and one to another one. And remember: All changes are always permanent!"

The host chuckled as if his last statement was especially funny. I didn't quite understand what 'changes' he meant, but the rest was pretty clear.

As soon as the host finished explaining, a gorgeous woman with a long flowing dress and a big deck of cards approached us. Her eyes sparkled, and her skin was smooth, and the long dress made it look like she had a tail under it. She gave every one of us contestants three cards. Mine read "Masculine", with a big blue mars symbol on it, "Submissive", depicting a figure looking down at their feet, and "Chubby", a pink pudgy figure.

After we had a moment to look at our cards, the host spoke up again.

"And without further ado, let's get started! This round begins with..."

The drum rolls in the background sounded very stereotypical.

"Victoria! Ladies first!"

With a fanfare, a big wheel of fortune was unveiled, and set into motion with one swift motion from Mr. Mephistolon. I couldn't make out what the labels on the wheel said until it slowed down and landed on the symbol of a large eggplant. It read "hung".

It had to be one of these late-night game shows with a sexual edge to it. I didn't feel very comfortable.

"Alright, Victoria! The wheel shows 'hung'. You need to choose one of your cards, and then apply both changes, one to you, and one to another contestant!"

The woman studied her cards carefully before choosing one. She held it up and smiled.

"Okay. I pick this card here for myself. It says: 'Big-Chested'. And I'll apply 'hung' to..."

She looked around her three male contestants before finally settling on me. "Evan!"

"Alright, a good choice, Victoria! Remember, the changes will apply after everyone has chosen. Let's continue with Lucas!"

The wheel spun and landed on the picture of a pink, hairless arm, which said "Smooth".

Lucas had looked into his cards up until here and scratched his head.

"Okay, so we're supposed to be nice to each other, right? Okay, so, I... Can I give both to the other guys?"

"I'm sorry Lucas, but the rules are that you have to change yourself as well!" The host smiled with endless professional patience.

"Oh, okay." The guy really wasn't all too bright.

"Then... I take 'smooth' for myself and give Victoria my 'Slim'. That works, right?"

"Yes, Lucas, that's possible! Great job!" The host cheered before looking at Blake and spinning the wheel. It finally settled on "Nerdy", adorned with a pair of glasses.

Blake's eyes darted between his cards and the rest of us. Finally, he decided.

"Okay, I don't think we're supposed to be nice to each other, here. At least, I only have rather negative cards. Since I have to play one on myself, I choose 'Dominant'". He held up a card showing a figure with held up high head and a broad stance.

"And the 'nerdy' from the wheel goes to... Lucas."

The audience murmured and the host nodded approvingly.

"It seems like you have understood pretty quickly! Alright! Let's get to our last one for this round. Evan!"

He set the wheel in motion, and I watched until it stopped at the picture of a broad chest, reading 'muscular'. I looked down on my cards. So, even if I didn't understand the whole 'change' part, it was obvious I should give positive things to myself and negative things to other people. The wheel showed 'muscular', which was obviously positive, and 'masculine' in my hand was positive as well. So, I needed to choose between 'submissive' and 'chubby'. The thought of the big bouncer having the 'submissive' card was pretty hilarious, so I decided on that.

"I'll take 'muscular' for myself and give my 'submissive' to Lucas." I announce.

"Great choices, all around. Alright. So, we get to the changes! Victoria, you got 'Big-Chested' from yourself, and 'slim' from Lucas. Let's see how you look like!"

Whatever I expected, it was not that. Before my very eyes, Victoria's modest breasts swelled until her blouse was bursting. Her body lost any excess fat, and her hips became narrower as well, forming a perfect hourglass shape. If I had been straight, I would have surely started to drool.

"Very nice! Now, let's see the guys. Lucas! You have your own 'smooth', and Blake's 'nerdy' as well as Evan's 'submissive'. Quite a lot, if you ask me!"

As expected, Lucas lost all body hair, except his head and face. Then, his eyebrows thinned out and his nose grew a bit more pronounced. I thought I heard the word 'sissy' being called from the audience. A thick pair of glasses snapped into existence, and his clothing shifted to an awkward, nerdy look. And something seemed to happen behind his eyes. Where before, he looked the host in the eye, he suddenly looked at his shoes.

"I'm sorry, master." He muttered.

"What was that, Lucas?" The host asked, smiling.

"I'm sorry, Master. I don't deserve to look into your eyes." Laughter from the audience.

Lucas was still pretty broad, but his new posture and clothing veiled that pretty well. He looked pathetic all in all.

"Alright, Lucas. Let's switch to Blake. Here, we have your own 'Dominant' and... That’s it! Your antagonists decided to go easy on you, as it seems."

The shift in Blake's demeanor was subtle. His body stayed the same, but his posture changed, as he spread his legs a bit wider and raised his shoulders. His facial expression shifted, and I was sure to see traces of cruelty or arrogance in it, now.

"Aaand, finally. Evan. 'Muscular' from yourself and 'hung' from Victoria. Seems like the other contestants like you, Evan!"

Victoria, the new, busty, Victoria leaned over and smiled as she whispered: "You're welcome."

Suddenly, my body felt tingly and weird all over. I watched in a mix of amazement and horror, as my muscles grew all over the place, quickly filling out my clothes that shifted subtly to make way for the new bulges.

The crowd cheered, and I looked at them for a moment. Then, I was distracted by a feeling in my groin. It took all my self-control not to check with my hands, but I could clearly see the bulge of my cock grow in my pants. I wasn't getting hard - although the feeling was pretty erotic - but my dick was just quickly gaining size, until the bulge was clearly visible through my pants now. I could even see the soft rod hanging down one leg and make out the shape of my balls. With my head red, I stepped closer to the lectern.

"That's all changes for round 1!" The host announced. "And it's time to say goodbye to one of our contestants now. Please, cast your vote."

While the audience voted, I looked around. Busty Victoria was probably pretty safe, as was I - I didn't have a mirror, but I must have looked pretty good. If the audience voted by looks - which I suspected - then it would either hit Blake or Lucas. Since Blake had changed the least, he was probably the most boring one, so I suspected he would be voted out.

It was Lucas, by a small margin.

"Well, then, Lucas! Here goes your 'Last Chance'!" The host smiled, a smile I would describe as cruel, and all of a sudden, a flame shot up where Lucas had been standing just a few moments ago. When the flame was gone, so was Lucas. Wow. That was either a pretty cool special effect or... No, it was a special effect.

As the host turned to Victoria again, I got the feeling this game show was more serious than I thought.

The wheel stopped at the word 'needy'. Victoria looked into her cards and whispered to me: "Let's work together this round."

Since the spot next to her was empty, I was the only one she could whisper to, even though I must have been the bigger threat in her eyes. Her plan was to concentrate on Blake this round and then eliminate me in the next.

"I give 'Needy' to Blake, and I'll take..." She flashed a smile to the audience. "'Big Behind'" The card showed the rather unsubtle outline of a large ass. Victoria was *dangerous*. She had adapted lightning fast and knew how to manipulate the audience.

Blake looked at her with contempt, possibly due to his new dominant demeanor, until the wheel stopped in front of him. It showed a naked male chest, heavily adorned with tattoos.

"Oookay. I take 'Tattooed' from the wheel for myself, and I play this card on Evan."

My heart sunk as he produced a card showing a naked figure that read 'Exhibitionistic'. Crap. The smile in Blake's face was cold. He, too, was dangerous. And from his announcement in the first round, I knew he had more negative cards in his hand.

"So, Evan, take your pick."

I hadn't even realized that the wheel had already stopped, and I looked at it quickly. It showed a pelt of hair on a breast and read 'hairy'. I quickly looked down on my cards. I had 'masculine' and 'chubby'. It was probably a good idea to keep chubby for the last round, so I had to play 'masculine'. The apparent solution was to play it on myself and give 'hairy' to Blake, if I wanted to do what Victoria suggested. However, hairy probably wouldn't hurt Blake much, and neither would 'masculine'. I could sacrifice my 'chubby', but then I'd probably lose the next round for sure. I pondered. No, Victoria was more dangerous. I could play 'hairy' on her... But wait! She was slim and busty, and she was about to give herself a big ass. Combined with hairy, that would be strange, but what if I took out her feminine advantage?

"I take 'hairy' for myself." I began. It didn't make much difference if I was hairy or not. "And I play 'masculine' on Victoria."

The audience went crazy as Victoria's transformation began. Her ass ballooned out, making her even more beautiful by heterosexual standards for a second. But that changed when her body shifted and crossed the gender boundary quickly. A bulge formed both in her throat and in her groin, and her clothes shifted to a masculine style. However, just as I had planned, she still had the other traits. Her - no, his - chest formed decidedly male but rather big man-tits, and his ass was fat. The rest of him, however, including the arms and legs, were thin and slim, looking decidedly grotesque on his male frame.

"I guess we should call you 'Victor' now" smiled the host before the attention shifted towards Blake.

"Let's see how Blake looks after his new changes: 'Tattooed' and 'Needy'".

Blake's skin quickly filled with ink, giving the man an even more dangerous aura. For a moment, I was afraid that Blake would get a stronger position due to his changes, but then, a loud moan came out of his mouth.

"Please! I need someone to..." he was confused as hell, I could see that, as his dominant and his needy side came to a weird compromise.

"... to order to fuck my hole. Please!"

The audience erupted in laughter, and even the host had to smile. It was pitiful.

"And now for Evan."

Crap, what were my changes again? I had completely forgotten that I was being changed as well.

"Let's give you... 'hairy' and 'exhibitionistic'!"

Fuck, and it was all negative. I looked down on my muscular body and I could see body hair growing in, all over my exposed arms and legs, even some in my face. However, the worst was yet to come.

My mind was filled with an overwhelming need. I *had* to show off my body. I *had* to put it on display for everyone to see. Accompanied by the laughter of the audience, I pulled off my shirt and exposed my furry, muscular chest for everyone to see. It felt good, but I wasn't finished. Next, the shoes, socks and pants came off. My underwear was filled to the brim with my large cock, and a thick bush of hair erupted from it as well. And my underwear got even tighter as I felt the rush of satisfaction it gave me to expose myself like that. I could stop now, I probably had enough self-control. However, I hesitated. It was all about the audience vote, right? Perhaps I had better chances if I played the role, to the end. So, I hooked both my thumbs into my strained boxer shorts and, with a quick motion, pulled them off, freeing the absolute python of my semi-hard cock. I even took a few steps back from my lectern, so everyone could see me in all of my hairy, muscular glory.

The audience went wild. With some satisfaction, I noticed that almost no one voted me out. Instead, most of the votes fell on Blake.

"So long, Blake!" said the host, and Blake, too, disappeared in a sudden flame.

"Seems like it's just Victor and Evan left. Let's see who survives this round and takes the grand mystery prize home! Let me spin the wheel for Victor!"

The wheel slowed down on the sweaty face emoticon. However, it didn't read 'sweaty', but instead 'horny'. Victor smiled and shot me an apologetic look.

"Sorry, big guy, but that's it for you. Let's see how needy you get. I choose 'horny' for Evan and for me... 'Charming'". The new man produced his last card, which showed a handsome prince. Crap. That was a good combination.

I looked down at my 'chubby' card, and only as the wheel stopped, I realized my mistake. I had kept the strongest negative card until the end, but I didn't anticipate that the wheel might *also* show something negative. I stared at the head-scratching figure on the wheel and the word below that. 'Dumb'. Shit.

What were my options? I could give myself chubby and Victor dumb. Perhaps, hopefully, chubby wouldn't look too bad on my muscled body, but it hardly mattered if Victor was dumb or not. Charme worked regardless of intelligence.

Then again, I could give Victor 'chubby', which would probably work well in making him even less attractive and grotesque. But that would mean I'd have to take 'dumb'. And all changes were permanent, the host had said so.

I thought back to the flame effect that had consumed Blake and Lucas. No, I had to win this, no matter the cost.

I forced a smile for the audience. "Perfect!" I exclaimed. "I'm big all over already, and hairy and naked. So, I'll gladly take the 'dumb' - make me a real himbo!"

I didn't want to be 'a real himbo', for sure, but it might still be better than the alternative. And it would fit into the 'horny' I was about to get.

"And Victor gets my last card: 'Chubby'!"

His eyes went wide, as he suddenly wasn't so sure of his victory anymore. And really, he immediately began to change. His thin body got softer and rounder, especially his stomach and butt. Even his man-tits grew even larger. However, at the same time, his face grew a well-groomed beard, and his eyes got a sparkle to it. Even though his form was bloated, he still looked nice enough. Fuck.

Then, all eyes went to me. I closed my eyes as Mr. Mephistolon announced my changes. 'Dumb' and 'Horny'. No bodily changes, thankfully. My body was still glorious and on full display. The first effect I felt was in my groin again. I grew hot and flustered, and my previously semi-hard cock quickly expanded into its full length, hard and throbbing, pointing directly ahead. That wasn't bad, I had to admit. As I was leaking precum on the floor, I enjoyed the attention of my body on display like that, and there was certainly a lot to see. But the next change hit my mind. My thoughts felt sluggish and slow. It was as if the gears in my head were covered in syrup or mud. Or that other thing, what was it... Cum, right. I had to grin dumbly. Yeah, my thoughts were slow as if they went through cum. That thought amused me and distracted me for longer than I would have been comfortable to admit before. But now, I just didn't care. When I opened my eyes again, all higher intellect was gone, and I was just happy for all the attention and was feeling horny. Well, I was always feeling horny, right? Automatically, my large right hand gripped my fuckstick and I started to slowly stroke it, while smearing precum into the pelt on my chest with the left one. The audience cheered.

"Alright, here are the final votes!", the host announced, ripping my attention momentarily from my own body.

"It seems like, with a *very* narrow margin, Victor has lost this round."

I looked at him quizzically. Was that good?

"That means Evan wins tonight's show!"

The audience went wild and clapped, and I felt happy. Apparently, I had done something right!

"Congratulations, Evan! Now, let's see what tonight's grand mystery prize is."

With a big gesture, the host opened the envelope and read out the contents.

"The winner - that's you, Evan - gets to transform the host freely, to his liking. Now that's something we haven't seen in this show for a long time!"

Even though that meant I was allowed to change him to my whim, Mr. Mephistolon didn't seem unhappy. Instead, he licked his lips.

"Go on then, Evan! What do you want to change about me?"

"Uhhh..."

I thought hard about it.

"Make you... Make you big. Big and... strong. But not as strong as me. More like lean, but sturdy. I still want to be the one to fuck you. And... uh, make you... Make you have big dick and big balls."

I was a bit confused about the last two points. My mind had trouble thinking, but I also had a big dick and big balls, and those were good, right? So, I wanted them for him, too.

"Alright, let's see what Evan gets."

I watched curiously as Mr. Mephistolon slowly began to change.

He gained muscles, but nothing like I had. He stayed rather thin, but his arms, chest and abs looked very nice. His feet grew, and lean muscle set in, making him able to withstand a lot of force when I would pound his hole, later. I could hardly wait and was stroking my cock again.

As expected, his cock and balls swelled, and grew hairy. He was not as hung as me, but that was probably good. After all, he wouldn't really need his cock, his ass was the important part.

After his transformation was finished, I saw him look at his new body and his cock, and then into the crowd, before his eyes landed on me.

"Well then, that's all for tonight, folks! I guess I'm going home with Evan now!"

And with the last round of applause, our surroundings shifted until I was in my apartment again. Still the same bull of a man, with my target right in front of me. I licked my lips as I approached the host. I would fuck him silly, that's for sure.

#male transformation #muscle transformation #female to male tf #dumbing down #hairy

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thewidowsledger · 28 days

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The Call

Chapter 3: 7 Minutes in Heaven | 7.5k

Summary: You were supposed to take her out—the infamous Black Widow—Natasha Romanoff. The S.H.I.E.L.D. has been keeping an eye on her for a while now and for some reason, another high-ranking agent as you was sent to get the mission done. But then, he made a different call leading the mission to be here in front of you, soon to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

Pairings: Ex-Russian Agent Natasha Romanoff x Senior S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Female Reader

Warnings: 18+, fluff, sparring, jealousy, triggering Natasha's trauma, asshole Daisy, yummy awkward Nat, sexual innuendos, flirting, dirty talk, praising, Natasha making r make inappropriate sounds😩🤪 kissing

Author's Note: Based on my own experience but I changed it a bit, lol. Enjoy, I'll see you when I see you :)))

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⧗

“Johnson was there in her office.”

“What?!” Yelena shot back.

“She had flowers with her.” Natasha added not sure if she should say it now that she knows how Yelena will overreact.

“What?!” Yelena exclaimed again as she palmed her forehead, “What are they talking about? Did you hear?” she added in a rush. “No, she asked her to leave when I came in.”

“That's good, that's good.” Yelena said, trying to calm herself or gaslight herself rather.

Natasha posed a question that left Yelena stunned, “Do…do you think Y/N still has feelings for her?”

“She told me she's over it and I’m making sure that it really is.”

Natasha just nodded slowly pulling the sleeves of her pink shirt up to her shoulders innocently, “I’ll go get some water.”

“Sure, sure,” Yelena tried to hide the devilishly smile naturally forming in her face but as soon as Natasha walked away, she aggressively tapped Madisynn’s thigh.

“Aw!” Madisynn swatted Yelena's hand away.

“Do you know what's on my mind right now?” Yelena asked the girl who was dumbly tilting her head at her. But Yelena gave her a knowing look that made the girl’s head light like a bulb.

“Oh, I think I do know what's on your mind,” she said as she looked at your figure walking towards them. “Hi boss!” She greeted in a squeal.

You looked at the two confusingly not liking the evil faces they're making right now. “Okay, enough of that look. Stop grinning at me, you both look like a pervert.”

“Foul!”

“You're so mean!”

“Where's…Agent Romanoff?” You asked ignoring their whines and you wished it came off casually. But the two agents only grinned once again at your question, you immediately caught their reactions and you crossed your arms at them waiting for an answer.

“There she is!” Madisynn pointed behind you, her nails never failing to flex.

You immediately turn to see Natasha, her shirt sleeves rolled up to her shoulders and her biceps were godly…you thought to yourself. If only you knew the two agents caught you checking Natasha out.

“We haven't done anything yet but it's working already.” Madisynn whispered to the blonde.

“I know, I know. This is gonna be so much fun.”

⧗

The team-building event got off to a great start. All the agents were thoroughly enjoying themselves as they played various games together. Shouting, clapping, laughing here and there, it was a sight to see and it was a fun experience. Could you imagine that these agents were trained to save the world but right now they're trying to balance plastic cups on their heads? It was the only time when the entire agency came together to unwind and have some fun and be free with themselves while simultaneously strengthening their bonds with each other.

Many teams had already been eliminated, but thankfully, yours was still in the running for the game. You heard Yelena taking charge and leading your team as if they were on a real mission, you couldn't help but burst into a fit of giggles.

“Okay you idiots, balloon bust, the instruction is very easy we’ve done this last last year guys. We just have to keep the balloon up on our stomach, no dropping, no popping. Be gentle with the balloon,” she relayed, as if it was a serious mission. “It’s our baby!” she clapped between each word.

The team just nodded eagerly cheering themselves as they went to grab their own balloons. You hyped your team up by giving them thumbs up and a lot of claps.

Your gaze shifted towards Natasha and you observed how she seemed a little lost throughout the game. Yet, she hadn't lost her endearing smile the entire time. She has been asking Yelena over and over on how she's supposed to play in each game, on how she is going to contribute to win and Yelena has been nothing but patient towards her, guiding her and giving her tasks on what to do.

The thought hit you then, it is her first time experiencing something like this. Her entire life she was used to working alone. You knew her past, of course you do. You know how she hadn't had the luxury of playing with dolls, teddy bears, and make-up like you had. Instead, she had spent her childhood toying with real guns, learning to crack codes on computers, and mastering the art of physical combat that if she fails every time—she’ll end up tied up in a cell or eat no food for days.

She was too young for that, she was supposed to be protected—no kid deserves that.

As you stared at Natasha, a pang of pain gripped your heart. You watched as she laughed when she saw Yelena huffing in frustration after her balloon popped. Your entire team had given up, and all of them just ended up bursting into laughter, lying on the ground.

Your team ran back at you, waiting for the next game. Natasha was still giggling her life out, shaking Yelena's shoulder.

“Hey Romanoff, water?” she was the first one you offered water.

When she looked stunned and didn't respond, you chuckled faintly, which seemed to make her even more surprised.

“C'mon, take it before I take it back,” you urged and Natasha quickly snatched the bottle from your hand. As you handed out the water to the rest of your team, you couldn't help but notice the adorable blush spreading across her cheeks.

You watched Natasha as she gulped down the entire water in the bottle in one go. You were fixated on her neck, watching the way her throat moved with each gulp. She had chugged it down so quickly, like it was just a matter of three quick swallows. The sight of her holding onto the empty bottle, squeezing it tightly, was doing strange things to you. As you continued to observe Natasha, a warmth crept up your face.

“Hey, boss, we need you for the next game.” Yelena informed behind you, pulling you out of your trance.

“Me?” You turned to look at her as you pointed to yourself as if you weren't just checking out the redhead.

“Yeah, it's three-legged race. We're only five,” she shrugged innocently but in the back of her head she’s plotting something.

“You're my partner,” you immediately told her.

“Nuh uh, Nat’s your partner. You're almost the same height though she's taller than you. Madisynn and I have the same height so…” Before you could even protest further, Yelena tightly grasped your wrist and forcefully dragged you towards Natasha. As you approach her, you catch sight of her lifting her shirt to wipe some sweat from her forehead, revealing a glimpse of her well-toned abs.

You had seen all her muscular frame in all its glory for today.

“Where's your ribbon Nat?” Yelena asked. As Natasha hesitantly handed it to Yelena, Yelena pushed you down, causing you to yelp. Before you realized what was happening, Natasha was also pushed down and you found yourselves side by side. The blonde then knelt down in front of both you and Natasha, preparing to bind your legs together.

Yelena smirked mischievously as she observed the scene in front of her, her task completed, “Perfect!” she exclaimed before walking back in front of your team’s line. You and Natasha were left stunned, your bodies pressed close together.

“Are you okay?” She asked quietly, tugging her sleeves down, embarrassed at how sweaty she was, “You're tight?” Realizing how she worded the question Natasha immediately palmed her face looking the other way, “I mean no-not t-tight for you?”

You didn't miss the curse that came after that.

“I’m fine, you?” you replied, not bothering the silly, nasty, cute mistake and tried to sound authoritative. She just gave you a thumbs up and put both her arms on her knees.

An awkward silence hung in the air after your brief exchange, until the shrill sound of a whistle pierced through, signaling the start of the race.

Darcy, the designated emcee for the day, called out, her voice echoing through the area, “Are the teams ready for the race?” A twinkle danced in her eyes as she added, “Did you know that they say 80% of the paired players for this game usually end up together?”

Yelena leaned over to Madisynn and muttered, a mischievous smile on her face, “Darcy definitely knows the assignment.” Madisynn smirked in agreement, seemingly in on the unspoken plan they had in mind and nodded.

However, you and Natasha missed the playful comment because you were too focused on planning your strategy for the race.

“Coordination, Natasha okay?” You reiterated and she agreed, her cheeks turning a slight shade of red. Natasha felt a different kind of warmth as you spoke to her with a gentle tone, different from your usual cold and robotic tone. And the way you called her by her first name sent a flutter through her heart.

Daisy stood at a distance, her eyes locked on you and Natasha as you talked. She clenched her fist tightly, not liking how close you were to the red head.

A shrill whistle pierced the air once again, signaling the start of the race and a chorus of cheers and shouts echoed loudly as the first pair sprinted off, kicking up dust and sand behind them.

Sensing a bit of struggle on Natasha's part, you offered, “You can hold onto my shoulder if that'll make it easier for you.”

Natasha nodded appreciatively, her left arm about to reach for your shoulders when she surprised you by gently taking your right arm instead. She positioned it around her back, creating a more intimate position as you both clung to each other for support. The unexpected action caused you to blush and you found yourself pulled closer to her as Yelena and Madisynn handed you the flag, signaling your turn to start.

As you began the race, the mood was lighthearted, filled with laughter and giggles. You started off good, however, just as things seemed to be going well, you suddenly tripped and lost your balance, causing you to stumble forward. But Natasha was quick to hold you back, grabbing you by the waist, preventing you from falling forward. In the process, your hands inadvertently landed on her abdomen, seeking support.

“That was really stupid,” you manage to say between giggles.

“You're fine, we’re close c’mon,” Natasha encouraged sheepishly, her response catching you off guard as it was the first time she had talked to you again this entire game.

“Left, right, left…”

You and Natasha continued with the race, Yelena and your team eagerly watched and cheered from the sidelines, supporting you every step of the way. They shouted encouragement and teasing comments.

“I am going to tie you both for life!” Yelena exclaimed.

“Fall for Nat, boss! She’ll catch you!”

“Don't get too tangled up now!”

As you dashed towards the finish line, an unexpected trip caused you to falter—again. Natasha's quick reflexes kicked in once again. Her hand moved swiftly to support your head, preventing it from hitting the surface with a thud. She acted instinctively, shielding you from further harm. With a soft thump, you found yourself on the ground and Natasha was now on top of you. Her right hand holding the back of your head, her body hovering over yours.

Natasha's gaze remained fixed on you as you burst into a fit of laughter, lying on the floor. She couldn't help but marvel at the sight before her, no cold voice just your laughter filling the air. No hint of seriousness on your face, your unguarded expression and carefree attitude were delightful to behold.

As you continued to lie on the ground, laughing uncontrollably, you didn't notice Daisy appearing and giving Natasha a push from the sides. This unexpected shove caused Natasha to stumble and fall beside you, landing rather clumsily on the ground.

“Get away from her.”

“Fuck off, Daisy,” Yelena snapped coldly as she shoved Daisy away, Madisynn immediately knelt in front of you and Natasha to untie the ribbon.

Daisy was already back in her team’s position when you got up, her team trying to soothe her. Natasha saw you looking at Daisy’s direction as if you were checking on her—on your ex-fiance.

“Y/N…I’m sor—”

“I’m sorry about that Romanoff, are you okay?” you turned to her and touched her arm which made the redhead shudder.

Back with the last name basis now?

“I-I’m fine boss.” She stuttered, stunned at your apology. She scratched the back of her neck as she looked away but looking away wouldn't hide the redness of her face.

“Piece of advice, please don't interact with her,” you gave her a half smile tapping her arm twice before shouting to your team.

“Get up! Get up!”

⧗

The sudden news hit you like a flash. One of your agents had accepted a sparring challenge from a senior of another division. It is one of the activities your team-building events often took as a competitive edge.

You realized from the start that you had forgotten to remind your team not to participate. But it was a well-established rule that shouldn't need to be constantly reiterated, the sparring challenges were typically reserved for the more seasoned members, the oldies of the agency—the seniors and Natasha isn't one.

“Fucking hell.” You hissed, striding towards the area where the sparring match was taking place, “Romanoff is really testing my patience.”

How come that you were really soft with the agent earlier and now? You're back being a meanie to her?

Yelena tried to defend her partner, her voice a squeak. “She didn't know!” she protested. “She's only been here a few months. She's clueless and her senior isn't even making things easy on her.”

You were seething with anger as you heard Yelena's words. You halted in your tracks and turned around, your gaze locking onto the blonde, who suddenly looked like a frightened child under your intense stare. You fought to regulate your breathing, trying to maintain your composure. Deep down, you knew that Yelena had a point. Her words were stinging because they held a measure of truth. Yet, your ego couldn't help but bristle at the audacity of her calling you out like that.

The sound of raucous cheering jolted you back to reality, you pushed the door swinging open with a harsh creak, you felt a sudden wave of attention directed your way. Numerous agents turned their heads in your direction. It was obvious that your arrival had caused a ripple of interest amongst the crowd. Well, let's just say that the opponent that your agent is fighting is none other than your ex-fiance.

“Fucking hell.” You muttered to yourself as you balled your fists.

You hate her for being so naive…but god, she is now positioned in the ring and greeted you with an innocent wave. The protective mouthguard showed as she tried to smile. How are you supposed to hate that?

Despite your anger towards her naivety you managed to wave back but she wasn't able to see it as your ex-fiance landed a punch on her face, you involuntarily flinched and placed a palm on your forehead. Well, that was awkward.

“Get her Romanoff!” Yelena shouted from behind, you swear you heard her betting $20 for Natasha.

“She was supposed to take you out,” Daisy growled at the redhead, her boxing gloves poised to deliver another punch anytime.

Natasha furrowed her brows together but she didn't mind what Daisy was trying to say. Natasha seized an opening and threw a punch on her sides, catching Daisy off guard and regaining the upper hand in the fight. The impact sent Daisy stumbling back a few steps, momentarily stunned by the unexpected offensive move. But then a smirk creeped out on her face.

“You're supposed to be history by now if it wasn't by Barton.” Daisy's words, though meant to rile Natasha up, seemed to be taking effect now. “If it was Y/N, you’d be dead by now.”

Natasha's breath hitched at the revelation and Daisy saw the horror that flashed into the redhead's eye. Natasha clenched her jaw and squeezed her eyes shut.

Rule number 1: Never take your eye away from your opponent.

Another wave of cheers and shouting from the crowds surrounded the boxing ring as Natasha seized another opportunity, throwing another punch this time connecting with Daisy's cheek. It seemed as if Daisy was deliberately allowing Natasha to land blows, letting her get a few hits in. No, letting her hit her.

You stood there, frozen. You are really not liking this.

You saw Daisy's lips moving, clearly as if she was saying something to Natasha. While you also noticed how the redhead’s body tensed up and you saw her focus seemed to be shaken a little.

“Dreykov’s daughter?” You whispered to yourself as you read the words coming out of Daisy's lips. The redhead tried to throw another punch but Daisy was able to dodge it sending back a punch to Natasha's stomach.

“I won't let Y/N be with a killer like you.”

The words made Natasha’s emotions reach a breaking point, as if something snapped inside her she immediately moved forward encircling her arm around Daisy's neck locking in a tight grip. She then swung her other fist at Daisy, her boxing glove landing a powerful punch on her face as she kept her arm locked around her. The impact sent Daisy kneeling while Natasha stood behind her not letting her go, causing gasps and murmurs from the surrounding crowd.

The referee blew his whistle with a sharp, shrill sound, which echoed through the ring. He then extended his arm and pointed directly at Natasha, who had staggered backward losing her hold on Daisy.

Daisy recovered from the forceful blows, she rose unsteadily to her feet, her left eye was swollen and there was a cut on her lips. She let out a guttural snarl and stalked Natasha who was crawling backwards, Daisy leaned down to her and yelled, “Are you tryna kill me, too? Huh?!”

“You fucking kill—”

“Watch your next words Johnson!” You yelled as you ran and jumped towards the ring.

“Y/N she went out with the rules! She…she almost—” Daisy stopped when she saw you kneel in front of Natasha.

“I’m sorry,” Natasha immediately whispered. You furrowed your brows at her.

“Romanoff…”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” her voice became hoarse as she repeatedly whispered. As she continued to apologize, you stared into her eyes, noticing a look in them that revealed something deeper than mere regret. It was as though a hidden trigger had been set off within her.

“Romanoff…” you called out to her again.

“I’m sorry, Y/N…I—” she choked.

“Nat,” you called softly as you brought your hands on her cheeks. Her lips trembled as she finally looked at you, “You're okay,” you gave her a smile and she nodded slowly as if she was high with the sound of your gentle voice and your soft feathery touch.

As if she was an evil and you were an angel attempting to soothe her troubled soul.

“Yelena,” you summoned the blonde over. You removed the gloves on her hands and Natasha's gaze remained fixed on your every move, her eyes never straying as if she feared losing this connection between you—it was the closest she's been with you. Her breath hitched when you moved away to give Yelena a way to help Natasha stand. Yelena knelt in front of her and propped her up with a supportive arm around her shoulder.

You watched as Natasha and Yelena slowly moved out of the ring and away from the center of attention.

You ex-fiance, who stood surrounded by her team members from her division, remained surprisingly calm. She has been watching how you treated Natasha and she didn't like it—she wanted to tear you away from her.

You stepped up closer to her, your voice low and filled with venom as you spat out, “You know she was a new recruit and you still challenged her.”

“Oh Y/N we all know she's more than just a recruit.”

You huffed at her words, you couldn't hold the outrage any longer and you hissed back, “You think I didn't notice? You triggered my agent!” Your voice trembled in anger. “Dreykov's daughter? Really? You would bring that up? How did you even know about that?” You started eyeing each of her team who were looking down to try and avoid your gaze. You know damn well that they know something about it. You huffed on how pathetic they looked.

Natasha's information was kept under you since she was your mission back then. No one could access this information unless they possessed the same level of clearance and security clearance as you did as a level 7 S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

Dreykov's daughter was the collateral damage to end Dreykov himself, to end the empire he built that brought horrors to the lives of young little girls. It was the last thing Natasha did before getting into the S.H.I.E.L.D. with the help of Clint.

You turned your gaze back to Daisy who is now looking down too. “Daisy…” you squeezed your eyes shut, “I forgave you for what you did to us,” you gulped as you tried to hold your tears at bay, you couldn't even utter the words that would bring up the memory of her betrayal. That she cheated.

The silence that had fallen over the entire room was almost deafening and you could feel the weight of everyone’s gaze bearing down to the both of you. You’ve had so much attention today already.

“Please stop going out of your way for this. Stop embarrassing yourself, you look desperate.” With that, you immediately stepped out the ring leaving her, she tried to go after you but her team immediately held her back.

⧗

After reading the text from Yelena, you can't believe it - they're still planning on going to the after-party after what just went down. You can feel the frustration rising inside you, almost boiling over as you read the message again.

“Please, Y/N join us, we’re all here with Natasha. She’s okay now but she's got bruised lippie though.”

“If you're scared that earthquake’s gonna be here, no she's not, so please join us here boss.”

Yelena then sent a video after she noticed that all her messages were just marked as seen by you. It's your team whining in the background, begging you to come to the party, but your gaze was fixated on Natasha's face on the screen. She waved shyly, her bruised lips forming a tight-lipped smile, the sight just making you sigh disappointingly before getting out of your car.

As you made your way into the party, you were relieved to find that most eyes were averted from you. You had been expecting a similar scene as the one earlier when you confronted your ex-fiance, but it seemed that the focus was on other things now. Maybe they're tired of the drama you had with her.

You spotted your team at a table near the bar, a few drinks already in front of them. They looked up as you approached, welcoming you with broad grins.

Yelena was the first one to greet you with a sly smile, acting as if nothing had happened earlier. “Well, look who decided to show up,” she said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. “Here, let me help you with that.”

Before you could protest, Yelena had taken your purse and was leading you to a seat at their table. She pulled out the chair for you, gesturing for you to sit down.

Madisynn who was next to you, slurred slightly, a sure sign that alcohol had definitely gotten into her system already. She stumbled over to you, her eyes lighting up as she turned and saw you. Her gaze lingered on you for a second before realizing it's you, her voice was slightly slurred as she exclaimed, “Boss! I'm so happy to see you. You look hella sexy in that dress! Right, Romanoff?!”

Natasha, who had been quiet until now, spoke up timidly. “Yeah, you look…” she trailed off, careful on what to say, you really looked sexy right now. The way that your black dress hugged your body and highlighted your curves, but she didn't want to sound perverted

“Beautiful,” she continued, her voice barely above a whisper.

Yelena leaned in closely, her lips hovering mere centimeters from your ear. She looked at Natasha before whispering, loud enough for the redhead to hear, “I think you look delicious right now, Y/N.”

She then playfully nipped at your earlobe with her teeth, a sly smirk on her face. The brief contact sent a shiver down your spine. Yelena was never one to hold her tongue, she didn't have a filter and often spoke her mind without thinking.

You however, decided to play along with Yelena's antics, you faced her with a coy smile. Your faces were now mere inches apart, and you could see a hint of redness creeping up on Yelena's cheeks.

For a moment, it seemed like she was taken aback by your boldness, but then she regained her composure. Still, she couldn't help but back down slightly, her gaze lingering on your face before quickly looking away. You smirked as Yelena visibly backed down, her confidence faltering for a moment. Deciding to tease her further, you leaned in even closer and said, “What's wrong, Yelena? I thought I looked delicious.”

Natasha watched the exchange between you and Yelena, her eyes narrowing slightly. She hadn't realized just how close you were with Yelena, and it made her shift a little awkwardly in her seat.

A pang of jealousy flared up within her, but she quickly pushed it down. It was none of her business who you chose to be close to even if it's with her closest friend, and besides she had no right to feel possessive over you. Not when you hate her.

Not when you were supposed to be the one to take her out.

Still, the sight of Yelena being so flirtatious with you made her feel a little bothered. She found herself coughing involuntarily. It was an unexpected reaction, and she quickly tried to cover it up with a sip of her drink.

Yelena caught sight of Natasha and a sly grin spread across her face. She exchanged a glance with Madisynn in a brief second enough for you and Natasha not to notice.

“You okay, Romanoff?” The blonde asked, as she wrapped her hands on your waist, you on the other hand leaned to the blonde—not aware of the antics that she and Madisynn planned.

You were comfortable with Yelena's closeness, having known her for a long time and having shared many experiences together. She was like a strict baby sister, the type of sister that would ask you who you were with and what time you would be back. And If anyone hurt you, she wouldn't hesitate for a second to go after them. Her protective nature went into overdrive, and she would hunt down whoever had caused you pain. She cares for you and she would go far to keep you safe.

She had been there for you during tough times, like when Fury had to call her to make you come out to your childhood bedroom after your ex-fiance cheated on you or when she had to clean your room after she finally get you out to eat at the dinner table with your father. She had seen you smile because of your ex but she saw you cry more about her. Tough and good times, she had been there—always.

You yourself look out for her too—she can be careless at times so you gently correct her when she crosses the line or make sure she doesn't get into too much trouble. But at the same time, you also relied on her quirky sense of humor and unwavering support. She was part protector, part best friend, and part sibling all rolled into one.

“Let's play medusa y’all!” An agent shouted in the distance and it made you laugh.

“What are we? In college?” You huffed after, only to be dragged by Yelena.

“We’re joining!” Your eyes widened in disbelief and attempted to pull away from her grip, wanting nothing to do with this childish game. But just as you were about to tear yourself away, Madisynn suddenly latched onto your other arm, effectively trapping you. You were too confused when you noticed that Yelena was gone and Madisynn replacing her as if it was all planned.

“This will be fun boss, c’mon.” She slurred with a drink on her other hand.

You forgot to breathe as you saw Daisy across the room, conflicting emotions bubbled up within you, how in the hell she's here and you didn't even know?

Part of you wanted to run away from the room to escape the memories of her betrayal. But another part of you, driven by your desire to maintain your composure and dignity, compelled you to stay and keep things professional after what she did to you and to your agent.

But…a small, a sly part of you, tucked away in a hidden corner of your mind, whispered a tempting thought.

What if I make her jealous?

The idea was a little petty and you knew it, but you couldn't help the flicker of satisfaction it brought you. The chance to show Daisy that you were doing just fine without her, perhaps even better, was tantalizing.

But with who?

As various agents approached you with smiles, greetings or drinks, a wave of realization washed over you. Deep down, you knew this whole thing was ridiculous. Trying to find someone to make out with solely to make your ex jealous was a far cry from the person you aspired to be.

You shook your head slightly, silently scolding yourself for even contemplating such a childish idea. This whole situation was just plain stupid, however, despite the logical part of your brain telling you it was a stupid, a small, defiant part of you still wanted to go through with it.

If only you had known, but you were oblivious to the fact that Daisy had been burning with jealousy since the moment she spotted you with Natasha during the game.

Darcy, with her usual enthusiasm, called out to the group of agents gathered around you, “Alright, everybody! Form a circle, it's time to start!” She then saw you and let out a squeal, “Hi boss!”

You waved shyly before you settled down on the cold floor of the room with Madisynn beside you, “Where's Romanoff?” You asked, “and Yelena…” You rushed out. Madisynn then gestured with her drink, drawing your attention to the direction she was pointing. There, across from you, sat the redhead and the blonde.

Yelena had made sure that you and Natasha were seated directly across from each other, perfectly setting up the game of Medusa to play out exactly how she had planned.

“Alright, everybody!” Darcy shouted, getting the group's attention. “Everyone sit in a spot where you can see all of the other players.”

Once the group had taken their seats, she continued, “Now, each of you put your heads down. On the count of three, you'll raise your heads and stare directly at someone else. If you lock eyes with someone, both of you lose, and I will yell 'Medusa' if I caught y’all staring at each others’ asses and I will be sending you to 7 Minutes in Heaven!”

The agents began shouting and whistling, creating a chaotic atmosphere, hyped up from the game.

With a flourish of her hand, Darcy counted down, “Three, two, one.”

Everyone raised their heads, and you were suddenly faced with a sea of staring eyes. You quickly darted your eyes to an agent who was luckily not staring at you. The room buzzed with tension as people nervously tried to avoid locking gazes with the other players. Darcy stood in the center, ready to call out the first pair of victims. Her eyes scanning the group, spotted a pair that had locked eyes with each other. A sly grin spread across her face as she called out, “Medusa!”

The two unfortunate players were singled out and a chorus of “ooo” and whistles erupted from those around them. They sheepishly got up, blushing as they made their way toward the 7 Minutes in Heaven.

As the players shuffled off to the 7 Minutes in Heaven room, the game continued. It was only a matter of time before another pair would be called out for staring. You found yourself becoming more nervous as the round progressed.

Darcy's eyes glinted mischievously as she scanned the group once more, eagerly awaiting her next opportunity to pounce on a paired set of victims.

You were contemplating your strategy. And thought of Natasha, part of you knew that Natasha was averse to staring, always quick to look away—especially on you. But this might work to your advantage.

As the countdown ended, you found yourself staring at Natasha. She, as expected, was not looking at you. However, your heart raced when you noticed her eyes on someone else in the group. You furrowed your brows, trying to follow her line of sight to see who she's staring at.

Who was she looking at? Is she eyeing someone else? Oh, how you hoped that whoever she's staring at isn't looking back at her too.

You finally let yourself breathe, a wave of relief washing over you as Darcy called out “Medusa,” pointing at the pair who had been caught staring at each other. Thankful that it wasn't Natasha and whoever she's staring at, you felt a weight lift from your shoulders.

As Natasha navigated her way through the game, a plan formed in her mind. She glanced over at you, contemplating the likelihood of making eye contact with you. Her thoughts ran through her head, reasoning that you wouldn't look at her because you harbored a deep dislike for her—who would lock eyes on someone they hate, after all?

Natasha glanced around the room full of agents, her gaze falling upon Daisy, who was watching you as giggles escaped your lips at whatever Madisynn was whispering to you. The sight of your ex continuously eyeing you only made Natasha wish that you wouldn't look at your her the same way again as you did when you were still together.

She wished that you would look at her—this time.

“3”

“2”

“1”

You find yourself staring at the green orbs staring right back at you and the world seemed to stopped only for it to continue when Darcy shouted Medusa, her fingers pointed decisively at you and Natasha.

A collective gasp filled the room as everyone realized what had just taken place. Darcy's gleeful expression revealed her satisfaction at having caused this unexpected twist. Madisynn and Yelena traded smug grins, thrilled to see their plan unfolding flawlessly. They had orchestrated this moment carefully and their plans had paid off.

As word spread about your unexpected pairing with Natasha, your ex, Daisy, couldn't help but glance your way. She tried to hide her fueling rage, but her emotions were laid bare in her eyes. A lot of agents were looking her way too, satisfied at her reaction and silently rooting for Natasha.

Madisynn placed a gentle hand on your shoulders, helping you stand up from being seated on the floor. Your mind was still reeling from the sudden turn of events, unable to fully grasp what was happening. As you looked at the small cabinet not so far away from of you, the realization of who you would be sharing such a confined space with finally sank in.

“Times ticking boss.” Darcy whispered as she gently held your hands and pulled you. Meanwhile, Natasha was being ushered ahead by Yelena. Yelena then pushed Natasha gently into the small chamber, causing her to stumble forward slightly as she made her way into the cramped space. The room was dimly lit, its walls closed, not enough to leave little room to maneuver.

Natasha looked up as you stood just outside the small chamber. She saw how hesitant you are and she spoke up softly, “If you don't want this, you don't have to.” Her voice was gentle, giving you the option to back out of the situation if you so desired.

But you didn't listen to her, you immediately climbed into the small room and found yourself sitting beside the redhead. Before you had a chance to process the tight space, the door closed with a distinct click, sealing you inside with her.

Darcy's voice echoed from the other side of the door, she knocked, reminding that your time starts now, “Alright, lovebirds, 6:59 minutes. Enjoy your time there!” Her amusement was evident, and her words were followed by a series of giggles and shouts heard in the distance.

As Natasha hugged her knees and said, “We don't need to do anything,” she did so with a sense of finality, as if speaking aloud the thoughts that were already in your head. She already assumed you wouldn't want to do anything in this tiny-spaced room.

You haven't really scolded her for accepting the challenge from your ex and for going in here when she's supposed to be resting, you wanted to, though, but seeing her right now at this moment, you just couldn't bring yourself to.

You broke the silence, your words reverberating in the small chamber. “We can talk,” you suggested softly—too softly, your fingertips grazing the ceiling inches above your head. You asked once again, “Do you want to talk about something?”

Natasha sat silently, her eyes locked on the door as if she just wanted all this to be over, and for a moment, she didn't respond to your question. The quietness in the tiny space seemed to stretch on and her lack of response left you unsure of how to continue—so you just stayed silent too.

A couple of minutes have passed and you two just sat there. The silence between you was heavy, almost unbearably so, until Natasha finally spoke.

“Do you think you would make the same decision as Clint,” she started, her voice soft yet steady, “if you were the one sent to take me out?”

You were taken aback by Natasha's question, her words piercing through any facade you may have tried to maintain. How did she know about it? Panic and anger surged through you as you thought of the only person who could have told her the about it—intentionally told her. But you quickly pushed that thought aside, realizing it was a moot point now. The dilemma of how to respond to her question left you momentarily tongue-tied.

Would you? You asked yourself.

“I…” you trailed off, “I don't know.”

You took a deep breath, your voice low and steady as you finally admitted the truth. “Everything happens for a reason, Romanoff,” you began, your words measured, you’ve never been like this when you were talking to her. You’ve always been so honest, no, harsh when it comes to her, “It was originally my mission to take you out.”

“But Clint was the one sent with the same mission, you.” You sighed disappointingly as you recall the memory.

“I was upset, bitterly disappointed, angry.” You looked down at your thighs plopping sideways, “I immersed myself in studying you, devoting significant time understanding your every move, training myself on how to…” you stopped realizing what the next words would be, but Natasha knew what it was you’ve been trying to say.

You’ve been training yourself on how to eliminate her—to kill her.

There was a silence between the two of you again, not heavy this time, you leaned back against the cold wall and squeezed your eyes shut for a moment before opening them again.

“He made a different call for a reason.”

Natasha looked at you intently as you spoke again, “He saw something in you. And I think I do see that now.” You finally looked at her.

As you locked gazes, your eyes involuntarily fixated on her bruised lips, and you were certain that she was doing the same. However, the intensity of the moment became too palpable and you found yourself awkwardly turning your eyes away from her in an attempt to alleviate the growing tension.

“Boss, are you still alive in there?” You heard Darcy call out, how dare she ask if you were the one still alive? If there is someone supposed to be out of breath right now, it would be the redhead beside you. “You still got 2 minutes…and 32!”

“I wonder what other agents did in this room.” You suddenly spoke, but you didn't mean it to come out as if you were trying to hint to do the same thing you know agents did in this tight room which is releasing some sexual frustrations. “Gross.” You then whispered that made the redhead laugh.

“Yeah, I think they really need that.” She replied in a low voice, trying not to burst into more giggles.

“Wow, aren't you sexually frustrated too Agent Romanoff?” Maybe now you are hinting something.

Her voice echoed through the small space as she quipped, “I don't wanna get another punch from your ex.”

“You wouldn't catch a punch for me? Agent Romanoff?” you teased, your seductive tone adding an extra layer to the already charged atmosphere between you two.

Only if you know the things she would do and take for you.

“Trying to make your ex jealous?”

“Hm?” you eyed her before focusing with the necklace around your neck, fiddling with it absentmindedly as you avoided the redhead’s accusation when suddenly, her hands reached out and pinched your waist.

The action caught you off guard and an unintentional gasp escaped your lips. At that moment, Yelena's voice echoed through the door, as she whisper-shout, “What was that?!”

“What was that for?!” You quickly slapped Natasha's arm in retaliation, causing her to exaggerate a groan of pain that was heard outside.

“Oh god, it's happening. Shit! Shit!” Yelena exclaimed, apparently unable to contain her excitement. A chorus of shouts and whistles erupted from the agents gathered just outside the door, their reactions evident even through the thick boundary.

The situation was too absurd to not find amusing and you struggled to contain your laughter. Your hand shot up to cover your mouth, attempting to hide the impending giggles and shock at the chaos happening outside. You looked over at Natasha, you found her wearing a smirk. She then gestured for you to tap on the walls and you followed her lead, making a moaning sound as you did.

“Oh god!” you exclaimed, feigning a sense of ecstasy, playing into the moment and the reactions you knew you were eliciting from the agents outside.

“Oh god?!” Yelena and Madisynn shouted in chorus, “Praise the Lord!”

As you continued your act, Natasha suddenly spoke, her voice low and seductive. “Oh yeah?” she purred, “Mhm, yeah. That's my good girl,” she murmured, the praise and the nickname making you feel and think inappropriate things right now.

Is this even appropriate?

Both you and Natasha released synchronized grunts and moans, intentionally creating the illusion of some... passionate act.

As your performance continued, you could hear Yelena's voice rise above the others, “Romanoff, if you hurt Y/N, I swear I'll chop you into tiny pieces!” Yelena threatened. “42 sex-onds!” she reminded in a rush.

“Get on my lap,” you hadn't even realized what you were doing until you found yourself sitting sideways on Natasha's lap, your tight dress not allowing you to straddle her but you still complied with her commanding order. The space between you grew even tighter, the proximity leaving you heady and breathless.

Natasha then shifted her thighs beneath you causing you squeal in surprise.

“Sorry,” she whispered, but you just nodded, your face a burning kettle. Outside the door, the agents’ voices grew louder, their excitement evident as they reacted to the sounds you and Natasha were making.

“They were rushing it out!”

“Give them more time! C'mon!”

“I hope at least one of them could finish.”

You brought your hand on your mouth to contain your laughter once again. You blushed at the comment of the agents, the other was holding Natasha’s shoulder so you can steady yourself.

“18 seconds!”

The countdown and the outside world faded into the background as you bit your lip, your breath coming in short, shallow gasps. Overwhelmed by the moment and the intensity of your emotions, you leaned in and surged forward, your lips crashing onto hers, bruising them further in a desperate and passionate kiss.

As your lips melded together, Natasha's hands instinctively found their way to your waist, gripping it firmly, grounding you both. Pulling away, you locked eyes with Natasha, the gravity of the moment finally sinking in. Your heart hammered against your ribcage as you notice her lip, slightly bloodied with traces of your lipstick smeared across it.

“I can't believe I just wasted those minutes in silence when I can have this with you,” she confessed.

And with that, the door of the small room you were in swung open, signaling that your 7 Minutes of Heaven is finally over.

The Call: Masterlist

#scheduled post #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff #black widow #natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff au #natasha romanoff fanfic #black widow x reader

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1hot-mess-express1 · 1 month

Note

I just read your Toge not saying I love you out of fear of making reader a curse should they die and I wanna 1 up you, what if he said it while they were dying? Or like on their death bed when they're like old and grey because the guilt of not actually saying momentarily like, eats him up and he says it without thinking? Or he goes to and reader stops him and just has that look that says they know and instead reader says this sappy stuff about how they've always felt loved by him and that they always noticed His efforts to show how much he loved them.

Feel free to ignore this btw, it was just something thats been jumping around my head as of late. I hope you have a lovely week!!

-🎃💫

Any Last Words?

Toge X reader

Angst w/comfort

W.C: 1567

Synopsis: Toge is left gravely injured after the Shibuya incident and he finds himself reflecting

A/N: So sorry lovely Anon I have no idea how long this has just been chilling in my inbox but I saw this and fell in love w/ the concept immediately, this is a little rushed but I really wanted to get this done before life got too busy again

As a sorcerer, death is a constant companion—always lurking, always watching, waiting patiently to swoop in and remind you that no matter how powerful you are, she’s the one holding all the cards. Toge was no exception. He could vividly recall clinging to his father's pant leg, peeking around at the men in suits whose large frames cast menacing shadows over them. They were hunting down the alleged cursed speech user, warning his father that this child was dangerous, a threat to society—this child needed to be eliminated. If his father were a good man, they said, he would cooperate.

“A child who has inherited cursed speech can manipulate the world around them. If a child with this technique were to yell ‘no’ at you, you would have no choice but to comply; your body would freeze up, and you wouldn’t be able to move. They likely aren’t strong enough yet to cause real harm, but you see why we need to eliminate this threat early.” The man in front of them adjusts his glasses, peering straight through a trembling Toge.

“Of course, sir, I’d love to help you with this, but as you may have guessed, I don’t see many children other than my own, and unfortunately, this little guy is mute. He hasn’t spoken a word since the day he was born.” Toge’s father ruffles his hair lightly as Toge buries his face deeper into his sweater.

The man stares through Toge one last time before his gaze flickers up, and he breaks into a tight, uncomfortable smile. “Right then, we’ll be on our way. If you hear anything, don’t hesitate to give us a call. We wouldn’t want anything unfortunate to happen.” He hands over his business card and walks away.

That night, Toge meets Gojo sensei for the first time. His father told him this man would take him somewhere safe, that he wouldn’t have to be afraid, and that he could help others with his gift. That reassurance did little to quell the tears welling up in his eyes. He wanted to stay, to keep pretending just a little longer, but it was time to grow up. The world lost some of its wonder that night as he clutched the hand of a stranger, fighting back tears as his father waved him off with a smile that never quite reached his eyes.

From that day on, his life became a constant reminder of the cruelty of his new world. Corpses littered the scenes of curse sightings, and teachers, supervisors, and even students sometimes wouldn’t make it home from missions. He watched from the sidelines as their loved ones mourned and then returned to school as if nothing had happened. It was hard not to become detached from your own life when it could be lost in an instant.

Then there was you. A second-grade at best, from a line of non-sorcerers. The horrors of this world never seemed to touch you. You always smiled and laughed, enjoying the life you were given. For a moment, Toge thought you were naive. He was sure you didn’t realize the horrors lurking around every corner, ready to pounce and tear everything from you.

When you received word that Yuji had died, you wept, embarrassingly so, for someone you had never met. You cried openly, tears streaming, snot running down your nose as you wailed like a child. He stood there, stunned by the raw display of grief, and you left him little time to process it before you wrapped your arms around his neck, crying into his shoulder. You spoke of how young Yuji was, how much he had ahead of him; you wept for his friends, his family, all the lives he was meant to touch. Toge doesn’t remember when he started crying, but his face burns as tears roll down onto the top of your head. He doesn’t know why, but he clutches you tightly and cries freely for possibly the first time in his life.

A breathy laugh escapes him as he recalls the memory of you sniffling into his shoulder, much like you are now. He winces in pain as the gentle laugh wreaks havoc on his injured body. He tries to wrap an arm around your head, to run his fingers through your hair, to comfort you and reassure you he’s okay, but nothing happens. Right, he lost that arm just hours ago. At this realization, another laugh roils through his stomach, and he can’t hold it back this time, choking on the pain as his body shakes in your arms.

It was never supposed to be like this. He was supposed to come home in one piece, ready to cook dinner with you and the others in the dorm. You would scold him for being reckless and dote on him as you haphazardly administered medicine. He was supposed to lie with you on the couch, eyes heavy, his hand tracing through your hair while a movie flickered around them, lighting the otherwise empty room.

This time, he allows himself to cry freely, clutching you impossibly closer as he wails like a child, mourning everything that should have been, all the things that could have been. You lean back slightly at his sudden outburst, cradling his face in your hands, brushing his bloodied hair out of his eyes. He doesn’t expect the soft smile gracing your features as you stare back into his eyes. How could you smile at a time like this? He had let you down, he could have died, and he was moments from abandoning you here, whether he wanted to or not.

You place a chaste kiss on his forehead, the warmth of your lips lingering against his cold, clammy skin. The gesture is so gentle, so filled with affection, that it catches him off guard. For a moment, the world around him fades—no pain, no fear, just the softness of your touch grounding him in the present. You pull his head into yours, your foreheads pressed together, and he can feel your breath mixing with his, shallow and uneven. It’s too much. He can’t breathe, his chest tightening as the weight of his emotions threatens to suffocate him.

He closes his eyes, squeezing them shut as if that could block out the reality of the situation, as if it could shield him from the intensity of your gaze. He knows if he looks at you, really looks at you, he’ll see the depth of your love and concern etched into your features, and he doesn’t know if he can bear it. How can you look at him like that, with such unwavering trust and devotion, after everything that’s happened? After all he’s lost, after all he’s failed to protect? The guilt gnaws at him, sharp and unrelenting.

“I-I…,” he starts, but the words catch in his throat, choked by the guilt knotting there, making it harder to breathe with each passing moment. He closes his mouth, trying to steady his nerves, but instead, he feels your lips on his, warm and gentle.

You kiss him with no urgency, as if your life is guaranteed, as if you aren’t in a hospital room. No, you kiss him, and he’s transported back to his dorm, the breeze carrying the gentle glow of the afternoon sun through the room, and he can smell the remnants of your shampoo as you tuck a strand of hair behind his ear. He’s home, he’s safe, and he’s loved unconditionally.

When you break away, you reach up to hold his face in your hands, running your thumb over his curse marks. Those marks, once symbols of his power and burden, now seem almost fragile under your tender caress.

You lean in, your voice barely above a whisper, the words carrying a weight that transcends the simplicity of their meaning: “I love you too.” The sincerity in your voice cuts through the layers of doubt and fear that have wrapped themselves around his heart. He feels a surge of emotions—relief, gratitude, love—all mingling together, overwhelming in their intensity.

He can’t help it—the boyish smile that breaks across his face is instinctive, almost involuntary. It’s the kind of smile that reaches his eyes, lighting them up with a glimmer of hope buried under the weight of his doubt. In that moment, everything else falls away. The wounds, the battles, the relentless weight of his responsibilities—they all seem distant, insignificant compared to the simple truth of your words.

His resolve solidifies, a quiet determination burning within him. He might not be able to express his feelings in words, but he vowed to spend the rest of his life showing you, in every way possible, just how deeply he loved you. He would make it his mission to always come home to you—to listen to you animatedly recount your day, your eyes sparkling with excitement over the smallest details. He would continue to bring your favorite snacks, the ones that always made you smile, and remember the little things, like moving the sheets into the dryer on Saturdays.

As long as he lived, he would fight to return to you, day after day, because each time he walked through that door and saw you waiting for him, it was a victory—a promise kept. And maybe, just maybe, one day, when the time was right, he would…

#jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jjk x reader #jjk x you #toge inumaki #toge x reader #inumaki x reader #jjk inumaki #inumaki toge #jujutsu kaisen inumaki #toge #inumaki x y/n #inumaki x you #inumaki toge x you #inumaki toge x reader #toge x you #toge x y/n #messyhasthots

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lizard-on-a-window-pane · 11 months

Text

okay, here it is. oh my god, i don't know how this happened, but it just flowed out, and especially given it's supposed to be the first time, i wanted it to flow without feeling rushed. i hope it's not too long and that you like it!! thanks so much for reading!

(goes without saying given the content, but do NOT interact if you're a minor!!)

Remus x Reader x Sirius

request: 5. first time, 16. threesome, 29. anal/rimming with Sirius and Remus

word count: 4.1k (not completely proofread, sorry, wrote it all tn)

link to prologue!

The responding silence is suffocating.

Squirming, not looking at either of them, you whisper, “Is that weird?”

At your seeming upset, they both immediately come closer to you, comforting you on instinct.

“No, baby, not at all,” says Sirius. Great — Sirius calling you baby would definitely be replaying in your head later.

Remus inches the slightest bit closer to you, eliminating any distance left between you. Hesitantly, he reaches for your hand. Once it’s in his, his thumb caressing the back of it, he speaks.

“You know…”

You look up at him. His eyes bore into yours, but after a moment, you’re surprised to see his shoot to Sirius’s.

“If you wanted…” he continues, eyes traveling between the two of you.

“I mean I would be into…” He keeps trailing off, and you honestly don’t know where he’s going with it. The same doesn’t seem true of Sirius, whose eyebrows have sprung up in surprise and seeming interest.

Remus clears his throat once then musters the courage to continue, “The three of us could… you know…” He nods between the two of you. “If you wanted,” he tacks on, much more quickly.

It hits you like jumping into a freezing pool.

You look from one to the other and back; they are staring intently at you, hanging on your next words, sparing the occasional glance at each other.

You nod, your body reacting before your words. They both lean in, absorbed but unsure, and when you whisper a soft “okay…,” you feel a collective exhale of relief emanate as if from all three of you at once.

Remus’s eyebrows shoot up; his mouth opens. Sirius’s distinctive smirk sneaks slowly onto his face. You bite your lip, the corners of your lips edging upward.

“You both want to?” you ask them.

“Definitely” and “Fuck yes” you hear simultaneously.

“How… how do we…?” You’re not quite sure how or even what to ask.

“We can figure it out, yeah?” Sirius smiles. “Just talk it through as we go. We’re pretty good at that,” he chuckles proudly.

Nodding, laughing from both excitement and nerves, Remus adds, “Why don’t we start by going to a bed?”

You and Sirius nod, and the three of you rush into Sirius’s bedroom.

You’re all three awkwardly standing at the foot of the bed. You laugh and cover your face with your hands. Each of them grabs one of your hands and pulls them down.

“No hiding, beautiful,” whispers Sirius, coming close to you and… not stopping. His eyes widen in question, and when you nod, he brings his lips to yours softly.

It’s only soft for the first taste, however. Soon it’s hungry and moaning. His hand clasps your face, and his cold rings — among other sensations — send shivers down your body.

As soon as you’ve found a rhythm, it feels like, he’s pulling off you. You open your eyes and see Remus tugging Sirius’s shoulder with one hand, his other still holding yours. Sirius chuckles darkly and moves aside slightly. Without ado, Remus devours your mouth.

You feel his arms come around your hips, pulling you close, and you moan into him. Remus moans back, but it’s Sirius who whispers, “Fuuck.” You both look at him, three grins blooming at the sight of the other two.

“C’mere,” Sirius goes on and, taking both of you by the hand, he pulls the three of you onto the bed, kneeling facing each other.

They take turns making out with you. All three of you have started shedding your outermost layers of clothes.

“Can we take this off, love?” Remus whispers hoarsely, pulling apart from your lips, tugging on your top. You nod heavily, already drunk on your lust. He pulls it over your head, leaving you in your bra. His hands immediately knead your breasts.

“Fuck, you’re incredible.” He keeps kissing you, kneading you, then works his mouth down your jaw, your neck. Your eyes are closed, immersed in the pleasure, but you register the sound of a zipper on the other side of you. You peak at Sirius, who’s quickly discarding his trousers, a huge bulge now visible in his pants.

Remus pulls the cup of your bra down and sucks your nipple. You yelp in shocked pleasure. Sirius’s responding chuckle is dark and hungry.

“Alright, Rem, you’re not the only one who’s been dreaming of her tits, mate.” He walks on his knees across the bed closer to you, now clad only in his pants. “I thought you were the one who was good at sharing,” he jokes.

Remus is sporting a shit-eating grin at his best mate’s antics, and you can tell he’s glad the three of you are falling into your usual rhythms… despite your unusual activity.

Smirking, his face still nuzzling your chest, he replies, “There’s two; we don’t have to share, idiot.” Sirius barks a laugh at this and wastes no time pulling down the other bra cup.

First he lets his eyes drink in the sight of you, his hand groping you, playing with you. He watches Remus licking at your other nipple with enthralled eyes. He looks at your face and keeps eye contact as he bends down and rolls his tongue all around your free nipple. Your body literally shakes at the contact and the sight before you.

Both of them chuckle at this, and they share a mischievous, self-satisfied look, but neither lets up on mouthing at you. You bring your hands up and entwine one in each of their hair, scratching at their scalps and pulling them impossibly closer.

Remus unclasps your bra, and they detach only long enough to slip it off.

Sirius is teasing you, nipping lightly then biting with focused teeth. Remus gets rougher, sucking you harshly. You’re whimpering loudly; they’re moaning into your chest.

Then Sirius licks up your sternum and neck, sucks momentarily on your earlobe, then whispers there, “‘M gonna take these off now, sweetheart.” He tugs at your waistband. “That okay?”

You nod vehemently, and his grin takes up its now seemingly permanent place on his face.

Remus pulls off you and begins shifting out of his own clothes while Sirius undoes your button and zipper. You shimmy out of the the trousers. All three of you are now matchingly only in pants, and neither of them can help but palm at their prominent erections.

You don’t even know where to start, wanting to do too many things at once, so you just look back and forth between them. At the sight of their nearly naked bodies and their entirely rapt expressions, you literally feel your wetness oozing out of you. You unthinkingly rub your thighs together, and both pairs of eyes in front of you immediately shoot down toward the movement.

Sirius shuffles over and gets behind you; Remus comes close in front.

Sirius pulls your hair aside and starts mouthing at your neck. One hand playing with your hair, the other wrapping around you and playing roughly with your breasts.

Both of Remus’s hands come around you, groping your arse and pulling your body to his. He starts kissing you, his tongue eager against yours.

Your hands take turns exploring in front of you and behind. Pulling their hair, tracing their muscles and scars, squeezing their bare skin.

Remus moves to your neck as well, and it’s deliciously too much having them there, one on each side.

Wandering hands reach between your legs. You’re not sure which of them it is until Sirius remarks, “Fucking hell you’re wet. You’ve completely soaked through your knickers, baby.” He cups your heat, and there’s a quiet squelching sound.

You just moan affirmatively in response, overwhelmed and wanting all at once.

“You feel so good,” you say. “Feel so fucking good…”

“Yeah, baby,” Sirius responds into your ear, still mouthing at your neck. “We’re going to make you feel so fucking good. We haven’t even come close yet.” You whimper at his words.

Remus’s strong hands come to your hips and guide you down. You let him manipulate your body without resistance, your muscles already feeling relaxed and weak. He pulls your knickers off you.

For a fraction of a moment, you worry you’ll feel too vulnerable exposed like this in front of them. But when you see their faces, drowning in looking at you, you feel the opposite.

You open your legs wider at the sight of them staring intently at you, and it drives them mad. Remus’s eyes and head roll back, his bottom lip bitten harshly to hold back a moan; Sirius’s hands immediately shoot down, one pulling his pants off, the other stroking his ready member roughly.

They look at each other then at you.

“Do you want us to…” Remus starts but stops, looking between you and Sirius. “What if we…” he begins again, looking around your bodies excitedly, but he doesn’t finish his proposition. Sirius just squints at him in anticipation. You lean up on your elbows, looking up at them.

“Do you like anal?” Remus finally blurts at you, with less aplomb than he probably intended. He winces slightly at his lack of poise.

“I…” you start but choke on your words.

“It’s okay if you don’t,” he follows quickly, eyes wide. “I was just thinking about how we could do it. That way we could both… you know —” he nods down at your crotch then at his “— at the same time.” Your eyes widen exaggeratedly at the suggestion.

You’d never had a threesome before, less of all been penetrated doubly.

“Whatever you want!” he yells at your terrified look, his hands coming up in a conciliatory gesture. “Whatever you want, of course,” he repeats more calmly.

Sirius is quiet, transfixed, looking between you, waiting anxiously.

You think about it for a moment, sitting up.

“I…” you start again.

“Hey, hey,” Remus’s voice is much gentler now, his hand caressing your face. “If you don’t want to do anything else, that’s fine. Obviously.”

“No, it’s not that.” You grab his hand and kiss it gently. “I don’t want to stop. I just have never… done… that. So, I’m nervous is all.”

“We’ll take it slow. Get you ready first. And if you don’t like it — any of it — you just tell us, and we stop, yeah?” He looks over his shoulder for back up, and Sirius is easily agreeing with everything he says. You nod slowly.

“Okay. I want to. I really want to.” The last sentence comes out more of a whine as you look back and forth between them. “Just take it slow, yeah?”

“‘Course, darling, of course.” Remus kisses your forehead then pecks your lips. “Let’s work our way up,” he whispers, more teasingly again, and you feel his hand snake up your inner thigh from your knee up to your soaking folds. “Lay back, love. Relax. Just talk to us, yeah? Whatever you like.”

Nodding, you look back toward Sirius and see him still watching you, his hand on his cock but stroking only very slowly. He leans in at your eye contact and kisses you ardently. You hold his face to you and pour yourself into his kiss.

Remus’s fingers begin teasing your folds, moving slowly up and down, gathering your wetness, putting more pressure toward the top. Getting your clit nice and wet, he starts rubbing circles there, and you moan into Sirius’s mouth. Sirius chuckles and sucks on your bottom lip, releasing it with a pop, and looking down at Remus’s ministrations.

He kisses down your chest and begins mouthing at your tits as Remus continues massaging your cunt.

With Sirius sucking and licking at your nipples, you buck into Remus’s large hand. He pushes his palm against you addictively then works a long finger toward your entrance.

Slowly and steadily, he pushes in. You’re so wet and turned on that he’s met with no resistance. On the contrary, your cunt seems to suck his finger in, and you hear him moan “fucck” as he pushes in two fingers instead of one.

Sirius leans back and watches Remus’s hand. A loud wetness sounds in the quiet room as Remus picks up his pace. Sirius brings his hand down too and rubs circles on your clit as Remus fingers you. Your back arches in pleasure, and as they continue, it doesn’t take long for you to feel the familiar tingles of an approaching orgasm.

You nod ardently and clutch the sheets beside you.

“Please, please, please,” you whimper. “I’m close.”

Remus puts a third finger in and curls them perfectly as he does; Sirius rubs harder and slightly faster; you cum hard.

You let out a strangled sounding yell of pure pleasure, and they keep up their movements until you’re shivering. They slow down but keep touching you.

Sirius looks from your soaked cunt to your face and pleads, “I want to eat you out.”

You moan and nod, an aftershock of excitement shooting through you at the mere thought of it.

He shifts down, getting comfortable between your legs. Remus shuffles up, pulling your top into his lap. Watching Sirius intently, he plays with your hair, your tits, any part of you he can reach and caress.

Sirius licks a slow, thorough stripe all the way up your folds, swirling his tongue at your clit.

“Oh my god! Fuck!” you shiver.

He moans into your cunt, exploring. He’s slow but puts perfect pressure. He sucks on your lips and licks into your entrance.

Once he has your thighs shaking and your breath panting, he looks comes up for air and gruffly tells you, “You taste —” he gives another lick “absolutely incredible, baby.”

It’s Remus who responds, “Fuuuck.” Your eyes shoot toward him, and he looks almost pained from how turned on he is.

Sirius chuckles, watching Remus.

“C’mere. You have to taste her,” he invites. Remus immediately shifts. He’s gentle laying you down next to him but quick and harsh positioning himself so that his face hovers over your cunt. He’s almost forehead to forehead with Sirius, upside down from your perspective.

His hips are next to your head, and you reach over and grab his still-clothed bulge. He shakes in response and looks down at you with lidded eyes. Quickly, he pulls his pants off then gets back in position. You begin stroking him slowly, and low whimpers escaping his mouth, he connects it with your lower lips. He licks and sucks enthusiastically.

He’s faster than Sirius. Not better or worse, just different. From the moment they put their mouths on you, you’ve been fascinated to get to know their individual quirks, to feel them explore you, each in their own way. You want to explore their bodies, too, but it’s all too much right now, and if their throbbing erections have anything to suggest about it, you’ll have another chance.

When Remus reaches your clit next, sucking slightly, you suddenly feel another tongue at the opposite end of your folds. Sirius licks around your entrance, and both of them eating you out at once is the best sensation you’ve felt probably ever.

They develop a rhythm with each other, both pleasuring you, but as you watch, Sirius keeps licking up further than your cunt to where his face meets Remus’s. He brings his tongue to Remus’s lips, not pushing it until the other man reacts. Without hesitation, Remus sucks Sirius’s tongue into his mouth. It’s hard to say who’s moan is louder.

They start making out right above your heat, and you’re surprised at how incredibly hot you find it.

They continue passionately, and Sirius, not breaking apart from Remus, reaches down and rubs you as they kiss. Remus works his way down Sirius’s defined jaw, his mouth exploring the other man’s neck. Sirius looks at you and shoots you wink. You smile back and bite your lip again, thoroughly enjoying the show.

You’re curious to see how they’ll react when they break apart. They do but keep their faces close, staring into each other’s eyes, each gauging the other’s reaction.

“Wasn’t really expecting that to happen,” Remus confesses.

“Glad it did?” Sirius asks, he’s characteristically playful, but you — and you’re sure Remus too — can hear a slight nerve under the surface.

In response, Remus simply grabs Sirius’s face between his hands and pulls him back to his lips for a short but delicious kiss. When it ends, Sirius’s expression is a mixture of love-struck and puppy dog.

They turn, grinning, back toward you, and you sit up, pull them close and kiss them continuously.

Soon, Remus whispers for you to turn around. Unsure but completely trusting him, you do. His hands guide your body until you’re on your hands and knees with them behind you.

“We’re gonna work you open a bit, yeah?” he asks gently. “So it doesn’t hurt.” Looking behind you, you nod at them.

You’re not sure what you were expecting, but Remus’s mouth on your arsehole was definitely not it. You jump in response, and he has to hold your hips to keep you in place, but the expression on his face when you turn effuses how amused he is at your reaction, and how enthusiastic he is at his current position.

His large hands come to your arsecheeks and spread them wider. His tongue circles your ring of muscle playfully several times before dipping in the slightest bit.

He continues working your hole diligently, and you can feel his mouth on you as you feel the weight of the bed shift. You look under you and see Sirius shuffling underneath Remus. Remus separates from you momentarily and straddles Sirius. Sirius shimmies up until his face is directly below your cunt.

They share a heated look. Remus leans down, kisses Sirius quickly, then reattaches himself to his previous attentions. Sirius leans up and starts eating you out. It’s indescribable.

You start riding his face in earnest, and each time you bounce down onto his eagerly waiting mouth, you bounce back into Remus’s on the way up. Before you know it, Remus is tongue-fucking you easily.

He continues a few moments, his swirling tongue making you squirm, then he kneels up and brings his hand to your now-weeping hole. You slow your movements to help his.

He brings his hand to his mouth but stops, a dark and delightful look appearing on his face. He instead brings his fingers to Sirius’s mouth, who happily obliges. Sirius sucks Remus’s fingers until they’re perfectly wet.

Remus works his finger into your arsehole ever so slowly, moving it around after you’ve adjusted to it. He continues opening you up, Sirius aiding him by continuing to rub your clit. They keep at it until Remus can add a second finger, and more and more pleasure continues until a third barely, tightly fits as well.

Remus retreats from you, and you turn a bit more toward them.

“You ready?” he asks.

“Yes,” you respond easily. You’re still nervous, but you trust them both entirely, and you’re extremely curious to know what it will feel like. You’re already incredibly surprised at how good the mere preparation felt.

“You wanna slide up?” Remus asks Sirius, and Sirius eagerly does so, quickly reaching in his bedside table before sliding under you. You straddle him easily and smile down at him.

“Hi,” you tease, and laughing, he leans up and kisses you hard.

“Hi, beautiful,” he says. His hands come to your hips, aligning you with his. “Ready?” You nod.

He hands one of the condoms he just grabbed to Remus then opens and slides the other onto himself.

You let him guide you onto his cock. One of his hands guides it in; the other soothingly massages your hip as you go lower, his cock going deeper and deeper.

Once he bottoms out, you rest your hands on his chest for balance and squeeze your cunt around him. He moans lewdly and kisses you again.

“It’s even better than I imagined,” he tells you with his mouth still teasing yours. He lays back down and starts moving slowly.

Letting you adjust and control the pace, Sirius follows your lead until you're bouncing on his cock, each time coming up to his tip then sliding back down his shaft.

His eyebrows are furrowed in passionate pleasure, and his grip on your hips is bruising. You’re sure he’s squeezing so hard to keep his composure and slow pace.

Remus’s hand comes to the small of your back, and you still. He’s kneeling behind you and shifting closer.

You feel the head of his cock nudge at your second hole.

“Tell me if it hurts, okay? Or if you don’t like it. No pressure, my love.” You turn to him with adoration in your lust-filled eyes and nod. He nods back, smiling sweetly, then looks down at his cock.

He starts pushing in, slowly, slowly.

You choke on a moan, and he stops immediately, waiting. You nod again, and he continues steadily.

You feel Sirius’s cock twitch inside you, and your body jerks in response, clenching.

Both boys gasp at the tightness, Sirius letting out a sweet “fuck” and Remus elongating a gruff moan as he pushes the rest of the way in.

“Fucking hell,” he exhales when he has. “Fuck, it’s incredible.”

“You move a little first, mate,” Sirius says.

“Yeah, right.” Then at you, “Nice and slow, sweetheart. Y’alright?”

“Yes,” you whine, fulling so insanely full. “It’s a lot, but it’s so good. Shit.” The sensation is overpowering. You can’t fathom how you can feel so much.

At your encouraging words, Remus begins thrusting ever so slightly. It’s tight at first, the slightest burning sensation teasing at the pleasure.

Sirius feels your cunt clench, and though it feels incredible for him, he knows you’re feeling a lot right now. He tries to relax you further by massaging your hips. Then he leans forward and sucks on your tits. The sensation shoots warm pleasure down your body. He moans encouragingly.

Remus slowly picks up his pace. His strong hands hold and massage your arse. He’s panting already, and you can tell it’s taking a lot of focus for him to hold back.

“You can move a bit more. It feels good,” you tell him. He does.

Remus and Sirius work you slowly and deliciously, so steady that you can’t pinpoint the moment Sirius began thrusting again as well.

He lays his head back down as he goes faster.

Both of their cocks spear in and out of you, and you’re moaning and yelping and panting at the overwhelming sensation.

They establish a rhythm, with each other more than with you. You’re simply caught in the middle, letting the motions guide your body and thoroughly enjoying the ride.

“I can —” Sirius begins. “Fuck!” he yells. “Fuck, yes.” He takes a deep, steadying breath. His hips never slow though his voice does. “I can feel your cock inside too, Rem.”

“Yeah,” Remus pants. “Me too. Fuck.”

By now, they’re both pounding into you in earnest. Your holes pull them in; your screams echo in their ears.

“Shit, I’m so close; I’m so close,” pants Sirius. Remus starts nodding fast, his eyes tightly shut.

Sirius plants his feet on the bed on either side of Remus’s thighs and fucks up into you forcefully. The slight change to what had become a delicious, building rhythm has your thighs shaking, your holes clenching, your core tightening.

Sirius cums first, yelping hoarsely. You ride him hard, grinding your clit on his pubic bone as he keeps thrusting into you, and you push yourself over, your yells echoing his.

Your legs start to slow, quickly turning into jelly, but Remus grips you tighter and fucks into you even harder. A few thrusts later, he doubles over on top of you, his forehead resting on your back, and his cock slowly softening inside you.

Everything feels warm and heavy. Loud panting, at three slightly different rhythms, fills the room. You can feel Remus’s breath on your back, can feel Sirius’s on your neck.

Remus kisses you where his face rests against you then pulls out. You collapse sideways onto the bed. Both boys discard the full condoms then, equally spent, fall on either side of you.

You all look at each other. You can’t tell who starts it, but you’re soon all laughing loudly together.

“Fuck,” you exhale.

“Fuck indeed,” Sirius echoes.

“You both liked it then?” Remus asks cheekily but sincerely.

“I loved it,” you say, your voice blissful and fucked out.

“Me too.”

“Me too,” Remus laughs.

Sirius lies up onto his elbow, looking down at both you and Remus.

“We’ll do this again, yeah?” There’s desperation in his lovely voice, his piercing eyes.

Remus looks to you for confirmation but is already nodding, keen to go as far you’ll all want.

“Please,” you say, and your boys take turns ardently kissing you then each other before settling in to your many-limbed embrace.

#marauders #marauders smut #marauders x reader #remus x reader #sirius x reader #wolfstar #wolfstar x reader #remus lupin x reader #sirius black x reader #remus x sirius #sirius black x remus lupin #sirius black #remus lupin #sirius black imagine #remus lupin imagine #siriux x remus x reader #remus x sirius x reader #marauders fanfic #kinktober2023

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void-star · 1 year

Text

I'm starting to get the impression that people don't actually know what a trauma trigger is or how to identify them.

It is not feeling uncomfortable or disgusted with a concept or subject.

It is an activation of your sympathetic nervous system (activates fight or flight) over things your brain has associated strongly with a traumatic event.

The things your brain associates with the traumatic event don't always have to make sense: it can be as innocuous as a certain song/ringtone or notes from a cologne/perfume, or as direct and obvious as the sight of a weapon.

The important thing here is that it's a moderate to severe body experience in response to something that is not immediately dangerous to you and reminds you of a traumatic experience you have had in some way.

When you know and understand this, you can start to catch the physiological signs of the activation of your sympathetic nervous system. It's helpful to recognize both to calm your body down when you're not in immediate danger, and to recognize how this activation can affect other areas of your life.

I say that last part because it shuts down a lot of cognition, makes you stop thinking clearly, because it serves the purpose of trying to get you immediately out of danger.

My therapist still does a kind of explicit mirroring with me a lot, where rather than focusing on the thoughts and the fear that's on the surface, she brings my attention to my body: tightness in muscles, narrowing of vision, increased awareness of sounds/smells, constriction of the chest.

I bring this up because, first of all, it seems like some people use "trigger" to by synonymous with feeling uncomfortable or disgusted, to ride on your concern for their wellbeing in order to control your behavior. I don't like that.

Second of all, it also seems like other people are focusing on the occurrence of a trigger as a hallmark of something being harmful. Like once you're triggered, you're hurt and damaged yet again, and there's no coming back from that.

This is both untrue and disingenuous. I don't think it's particularly useful for trauma survivors. It's important to recognize that triggers are the residual effects of the things that harmed us that we couldn't do anything about. Triggers are manageable and they are not an indication that you're being harmed again. They are the body's memory of the harm, and its commitment to preventing you from being harmed again by latching onto a pattern it thinks will help you be safe if there's a next time.

You HAVE to learn to rationalize this if you want to feel safer, more comfortable, and in control of your world. You deserve that.

You don't deserve to sit inside of the intense fear and lack of understanding that comes with not investigating your own experience, or the way it can box you in to see danger and harm and abuse all around you.

And if you don't learn that, you're going to end up believing the only thing that can keep you safe is the elimination of everything that reminds you of what you went through... which is harmful to other people.

#psychology #ptsd #ptsd triggers #trauma triggers #what is a trigger?

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khunyuki · 3 months

Note

I'm sorry I gotta give ya idea!!!! For your Kn8 story what if the third division and first division have to do a mission together but when Soshiro and Gen tough Kagami was in danger they were going in the same way but accidentally hit each other in the head which turned into an argument.

A funny mission scene I presume 😎😎😎😎

Nothing to be sorry about! I always love your ideas @imthecosmicbasball<3 Don't be shy to ask for more hehe I tried to make it funny but I'm not sure how it turned out😅 I hope you still enjoy it~

"I've lived my life with blade and you always in my mind"

ʀᴇqᴜᴇꜱᴛ: 𝙿𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙶𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚆𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐

Pairing/s: Hoshina Soshiro x Uzui Kagami x Narumi Gen

Masterlist: TOC

How hard can protecting someone be? To some people, it comes as easily as breathing like it's their second nature. To the JAKDF, it is their duty and responsibility to protect people from the harm brought by kaijus.

Hoshina Soshiro believes that he must eliminate the threat of kaijus to protect everyone even at the cost of his life.

Narumi Gen believes that since he is strong, there will be no one dying in his watch. (someone already did RIP Isao Shinomiya)

These two, when it comes to the person they like, will go inside the kaiju's den just to save them. Either portraying a prince charming in a white horse or a chivalrous knight in shining armor.

=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=

The First and Third Divisions going on a mission together was kind of a rare occasion as they both have designated areas assigned to them. Even on a large scale, it would consist of the whole Eastern Division or the entirety of the Defense Force. The only chance for that to happen is when they are present at the same place at the same time.

It was a normal day, at least that's as normal as it can get for the JAKDF with no kaijus in sight. The Third Division was once again invited to the First Division to train when the alarms set off. In an instant, they dropped everything and prepared to head out.

"Why do you guys have to come too?! This is a mission for the First Division not the Third!"

Narumi Gen complained to his earpiece as he sat impatiently inside the car, his feet tapping rapidly. The recipient of the complaint was obvious to everyone.

"We're already at the same place at the same time, why not join forces to eliminate the threat faster?"

Gen could hear the annoying voice of his rival replying to him. He wanted rip his hair in irritation but he won't as having a bald spot would look uncool in the camera.

"Like hell I wanna join forces with you!!"

"Captain Narumi"

A familiar voice interrupted him before he could say any further. She was just calling his name but it somehow gave him chills on his spine.

"Please calm down"

To be honest, Kagami could say more things but decided not to as it's not really her place to reprimand her captain in public. There's a time and place for that. She could only hope he could understand that.

"Yes ma'am"

As if a telepathic connection was formed between them, Gen just shut up. He could only be grumpy even when that irritating laughter resounded in his ears, mocking him.

"The same goes for you, Vice Captain Hoshina"

"Hai~"

The laughter immediately stopped as soon as she mentioned his name. A smug smile formed in Gen's face as she also did the same to him. He thought there would be favoritism so he was grumpy but there wasn't.

The officers from both divisions, who could hear the entire conversation, couldn't help but snicker in amusement. Even the people from operations room were intrigued for they know of the rivalry and the power one person held between the two. To the First Division, it was a common occurrence, if not milder than usual. To the Third Division, it must've been quite a show to see their vice captain bend so much for a girl. Especially those present in his car could see the bright aura he's exuding.

=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=

The kaiju that appeared this time takes the form of a giant spider. The honju with level 7 intensity transverses around the vicinity with ease. Its yojus, at level 5 intensity is quite like the mushroom kaiju that appeared on the Third Division, are aplenty. It is quite an annoying opponent due to its ability to spew sticky, acidic webs from its venomous mouth.

Many inexperienced officers are caught in the web laid out by the spiders. Some of them, visibly creeped out at their fears thus leading to poor performances. Of course that doesn't stop the others from doing as much as they can.

"WAHAHAHA I've already neutralized 53 of them! Can you beat that Hoshina?!"

"Just 53? I've already killed 58"

"It's 63 now!"

"65"

"69"

"75"

"82!"

Majority of the yojus have been exterminated by the two, leaving their own squads with nothing to do. They even go as far as to neutralize other people's spoils leading to ire of some.

Kagami couldn't help but sigh at their petty rivalry as she eliminated the yoju in front of her. Their numbers are already thinning out yet she couldn't help but frown as if there was something wrong. The honju was already being handled by captain Ashiro so she has nothing much to do aside from not letting the yojus to slip from their grasp.

"Uzui squad have finished neutralization. Proceed to free up the disabled officers"

The mission was ending quicker than expected with the help of both division. Maybe it's because she wasn't used to it ending so quick that she's unsettled. She ordered her own squad to release their comrades from the binds, just like the others did. She, herself, is currently helping her officers caught in the web get out. The web made of unknown substance was as tough as steel yet incredibly sticky as it is acidic. One wrong move and she'll be unable to move as well.

She carefully slices away the threads to not hurt others from the unnecessary force. Thank god for the suits or it would've given them more casualties than not. The spider webs have been spewed out randomly and has also affected the building nearby, melting it down to its foundations. Rescuing seems to be harder than eliminating kaijus.

Rumblings and creaking could be heard from above and as she looked up, the building was close to toppling above them. She wasn't even half-way finished as the people she's trying to save are already panicking. Even the people from the operations room are slowly panicking.

"Platoon Leader Uzui, the building..."

"I know"

Kagami bit her bottom lip as cold sweat trickled down her temple. She's close to finishing. Just a bit more...

"Oh no! There's a stray yoju climbing! The building's toppling!"

"Platoon Leader Uzui! Platoon Leader Uzui!"

A loud crash could be heard at the area she was in along with a cloud of dust and then the signal was lost. The panicked commotion was heard by captain Narumi and vice captain Hoshina, who immediately stopped what they're doing and rushed away.

"Kagami!"

They both called out to the lady who was not responding at all. They were quite far from her location, as they were closer to the honju than hers. Using their suits to the limits just to arrive by her side. They blame themselves for not noticing it soon enough, preoccupied by their rivalry that it slipped their mind. They fear that it would be too late as they called out to her again and again, muttering curses under their breaths.

On their rush, they didn't even notice the approaching footsteps of the other as they turn the corner. They couldn't stop the momentum nor the speed of their sprint thus hitting their heads quite loudly.

"Why didn't you move away Hoshina, you bastard?!"

Narumi Gen rubbed his head to somehow relieve the pain from the impact. He must've hit it badly that its turning red and has formed a lump.

"You're the one who should've moved baka Narumi"

Hoshina Soshiro rubbed his own head as he couldn't hide his irritation at the man in front of him, the one who caused his injury.

"Maybe if you opened your eyes, you could see where you're going" "Maybe if you removed you hair from your face, you could see where you're going"

They both said at the same time as they glared at each other. This wasn't the time for this but it seemed like the concussion they got made them forget why they're running in the first place. They would've entered another round of bickering when Kagami's panting voice was heard on the earpiece.

"I'm okay! We're okay!"

There was a cough on the other side which brought them back to reality, their worries returning. A temporary truce was formed as they scolded the girl together.

"Kagami! You stay where you are, you suicidal woman!"

"E-eh?"

They both ran to her location, trying to overrun the other. No matter what happens, you can't remove the rivalry in their blood. Especially if it involves the person they like.

They could see the girl who was patiently waiting for them, on top of the ruined building. The officers she saved had long been given to the medic for treatment.

"I got here first!"

"No, it's me!"

"Not you, me!”

"Me!"

They repeatedly said they got there first as they arrived almost at the same time, which continued to confuse the woman.

'What even is happening?' Kagami thought as she witnessed the ongoing bickering between the two.

"I got here first, didn't I?!"

They turned to her as they realized that there was no end to claiming who got there first. Only a third party could know the answer.

"You both got here at the same time?"

Kagami didn't want to fan the fire as she saw the imaginary spark between the two as they glared at each other.

"Ummm..."

She didn't know what to do at the silence nor did she know the reason why they were there together. She wanted to ask but didn't really know where to start.

"Are you okay?"

They both turned to her again to ask for her wellbeing, looking all over her for any injuries. To which, she just let them be.

"I'm alright. We got away before the building could hit us. I even neutralized the yoju that did it"

That wasn't what they were talking about but if she was okay then it's fine. But still, she was reckless so they'll scold her. If there's one thing they could get along with, it would be the fact that her safety is the most important. She may not be a damsel in distress that needed saving but it wouldn't stop them from trying their best to protect her.

#kaiju no.8 #hoshina soshiro #hoshina soshiro x oc #soshiro hoshina #soshiro hoshina x oc #hoshina soshiro x reader #soshiro hoshina x reader #kaiju no. 8 #gen narumi x oc #gen narumi x reader #narumi gen x reader #narumi gen #gen narumi #kaiju no. 8 x oc #yukikhun #kaiju no.8 x oc

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tragedry · 1 month

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hi ry, can you tell us what your fave ashler moment is and why 👀😳

i have a lot anon... like a lot™

so narrowing it down to a single ashler moment is pretty difficult.. but if i had to pick a particular moment that i can't stop thinking about lately, it would have to be this:

EPISODE 57-58 (LET THE ASHLER META POST BEGIN)

idt anyone ever talks about how much ashlyn actually cares about tyler.

we've seen them bicker (like an old married couple) so many times in the webtoon, but this is the kind of moment where you stop and realize that ashlyn and tyler are close. and that they actually trust and care about each other. like a lot.

in chapter 57, during their video call, we get a glimpse of their interaction and it's honestly such an eye opener.

bc we see tyler volunteering to be left behind (out of his need to keep everyone safe and to not be a burden), and ashlyn immediately shoots that offer down with a hard "AND I SAID WE AREN'T GOING TO DO THAT" indicating that they have already had this conversation before, and further emphasizing that she has no plans of leaving him behind. (which not only highlights how they literally bicker like an old married couple, but also how unlikely it is to believe that these two could ever hate each other, so anyone who thinks ashler are trying to slit each other's throat definitely need to re read the source material bc ash would rather eat rocks than leave tyler behind)

(and i love how she even goes out of her way to get mad at him for making light of his current situation. like we can really see how seriously ash took his situation to heart and that no amount of tyler making like of his situation to appease her, could ever make her forget what happened-- which honestly goes to show how: 1.) ashlyn cares about him. and 2.) tyler feels the need to elevate that guilt from her in any way he can.)

i also adore her refusal to leave him behind and how her insistence to stick to their plan goes on for the next two panels or so, not to mention the fact that she literally berates him for his recklessness after waking up from the hospital.

Ashlyn: Not to mention, the stroke from shock could've killed you!

Tyler: Fine, fine, whatever. Stop yelling.

look at his expression from their lil exchange, i love how resigned he is to her nagging LMAO

but going back to my point, the fact that ash goes on to emphasize her point truly highlights the fact that she does not want him to die, making her concern for his well-being quite obvious!

AND THEN WE GET TO CHAPTER 58!!

MAN THERE'S SO MUCH TO SAY!!

(tw for blood up ahead!!)

FIRST OF ALL,

ASHLYN FINDS HIM FIRST.

in a very dangerous, life-threatening, high stakes situation--where every second counts--where tyler's life is literally hanging on by a thread, ashlyn finds him.

she finds him and immediately eliminates the immediate threat to tyler's life.

and that all happens in the blink of an eye,,, well it's probably more than that, but the way these two scenes are drawn is meant to emphasize two things: ashlyn's ability to find tyler and her ability/efficiency to dispose of a phantom in order to protect those she cares for!

and i just love how her expression immediately shifts from concern (upon taking care of the immediate threat) to downright terrified (as soon as she realizes the state tyler is in)

she couldn't even bear to finish her question, and it breaks my heart to see such a haunted look on her face. she is literally faced with the sight of tyler impaled to a tree and loosing far too much blood, and it must have been such a juxtapose to the last time she had seen him (in the hospital, whole and unhurt) that it's no wonder ash literally freezes for a moment here, only for tyler's blood to drip on her cheek.

TALK ABOUT TRAUMA.

i would also like to point out that she came rushing to his aid alone.

with the way aiden and the rest of the group seemed to be looking for her, we can all concluded that ashlyn had been the only one to hear tyler's scream and immediately started running to find him, probably at the expense of leaving the rest of the group in her desperation to get to tyler in time.

and while the rest of the group is obviously taking in the brand new trauma of seeing their friend (brother in tay's case) literally dying in front of them, ash has already recovered enough (or at least has steeled herself enough to find move and focus on the important task at hand)

and it's so important for me to note how she doesn't berate the rest for freezing up.

but she also doesn't coddle them, opting to let them process and handle the situation on their own as she takes in the biggest responsibly (and burden) of climbing up the tree in order to sedate tyler.

literally cannot get over this moment, the slight tremble of ashlyn's hand, the way her voice remains steady as she promises to get him down, followed by tyler's soft "... okay."

(he's obviously in a lot of pain, and talking was probably the least of the things he should be doing, and yet he still felt compelled to answer her)

and can we just talk about the way she was able to hold herself together up until she was able to get down, but immediately had a full body tremble right after.

my poor girl....

chapter 58 truly is one of the darkest moments between ashler (aside from the season finale and the fourth episode following it, which i'll explain in a bit)

i say 'darkest' in the sense that tyler's near death is the manifestation of ashlyn's biggest fear: failing the people she cares about.

her breakdown during episode 52 had been a culmination of having to not only survive but lead her friends to safety from monsters actively trying to kill them every night.

but the tipping point had been failing to stop tyler's fall, followed by having to make the difficult decision of leaving him behind in order to save the rest of her friends, immediately followed by having to see tyler convulsing as soon as they wake up from their trip to the phantom dimension.

could you imagine how horrific the scene is in ashlyn's pov, having to see tyler (someone who normally has a large presence, and easily towers over most of their group) literally looking so helpless in mike's arms?

the realization of ty's fragility, at the fact that all of them are just kids who were thrown into a world fulls of horrific creatures trying to kill them, and having no one else to rely on.. and being shouldered with the responsibility of being the leader...

ashlyn took tyler's hospitalizations (his fall) as a personal blow. a failure that practically leads her to breaking down.

and she had carried that guilt with her, and even when ty had reassured her later on (which is honestly such a good ashler moment btw, feel free to read my thoughts abt it here) it's not something she can easily let go of...

i honestly think that ashlyn still carries the guilt with her--a part of herself still remains haunted by tyler's fall, and she took it as a personal blow.

which leads us back to episode 57-58! where we get to see her practically coddle tyler in episode 57 in her own way (ie scolding him for his self-sacrificing nature and for his recklessness despite the extent of his injury)

and in episode 58, how she had been the first one to find him and was the one to save him (from the phantom) as well as lead the team from extracting him out of the tree.

now that ashlyn has experienced the grief and guilt of failing tyler once, she took it upon herself to make sure it never happens again.

and that's why this particular sequence of events haunts my narrative to this very day, and why ashler has such a chokehold on me.

the idea that ashlyn's protectiveness of tyler stems from her own guilt of failure, along with her growing bond and friendship with him, paired with tyler's trust and growing fondness of her.

(which i've already pointed out before here and here)

all of this to say that ashler is a very compelling ship, with depths and moments that aren't as glaringly obvious, and yet the way in which their relationship has grown and developed throughout the webtoon is irrefutable and becoming increasingly obvious through each episode, especially when you actually take the time to read and check the source material.

anyway, that's the end of my very long ashler meta regarding ep 57-58 (crazy how this isn't even tackling the entirety of the webtoon, but i'll get to that when i have the time to compile each and every moment of theirs and analyze it)

i had a lot of fun talking about them, and i appreciate all the asks y'all are sending me (it's the perfect excuse for me to keep yapping LMAO)

ending this meta with: live, laugh, love ashler ❤️❤️

#school bus graveyard #sbg #ashler #tylyn #tyler hernandez #ashlyn banner #ry.plies #ashler meta #anon #hopefully this is an eye opener for some #especially those who refuse to acknowledge ty and ash's friendship...#anyway if yall have any more stuff you wanna ask me my inbox is open!!#also it's like 5 am rn and i don't really have the energy to check for typos so... 🙈#as you can see i'm very serious about this ship LMAO

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justabigassnerd · 9 months

Text

Summer of Love pt. 1

Pairing - Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x reader

Word count - 2,367

Warnings - none

Summary - while in the final stages of recovery after a mission gone wrong, Bradley signs himself up to work at a summer camp just for something to do since Maverick has barred him from Navy work for the time being. meanwhile, you're in between jobs and figure working at a summer camp is some good experience. you meet Bradley and experience a romance you could've never expected (along with some very nosy kids)

Summer of Love masterlist

A/N - here it is y'all! the very first part of 'Summer of Love' I am so excited to be posting this I'm honestly so impressed with myself for writing it as quick as I did and I hope this lives up to expectations. I will say I am open to suggestions on things people may like to see within the series so if you have ideas do feel free to suggest them in my inbox :). anyways I won't ramble, as per y'all please send in requests, feedback, and enjoy!!!

After hours upon hours of driving, you finally pulled into the summer camp that was to be your home and workplace for the next couple of months. You parked your car and stepped out of the driver’s seat raising your arms and stretching, sighing as you take in the sights of the camp, amazed at all the beauty that surrounded you.

After stretching and bringing some relief to your tense body, you head in the direction of the buildings you saw, trying to locate the office and soon figuring it out by process of elimination. You approach the building, seeing someone standing just outside who is watching the various soon-to-be counsellors walking around and interacting with each other and they soon notice you approaching them.

“Hello! I’m Kerry!” The woman greets you enthusiastically and you immediately recognise her to be the Camp Director.

“Hi, I’m y/n.” You say, holding your hand out to shake hers before she consults her clipboard, eyes scanning the list for your name.

“Ah, there you are. You’ll be in cabin six. We put the counsellors in cabins together for orientation so you guys can get to know each other and near the end of orientation, we give you guys your cabins for the summer.” Kerry explains, gesturing for you to follow her as she leads you towards some wooden carts you could use to put your belongings in to carry them to the cabin easier and she waits patiently for you to unload your stuff into the cart before having you follow her to the cabin you’d be staying in for the duration of orientation. The cabin wasn’t huge, but it didn’t need to be. It sat just along the lake as all the cabins did.

When you enter the cabin, it is empty but there is evidence of other people. Neatly made beds, people’s stuff upon bedside tables and shelves.

“Thank you, Kerry.” You thanked her as you explored the cabin. Kerry bids you goodbye and tells you when meal times are and lets you know that you’re free to explore the camp and get your bearings before leaving you to your own devices. You picked an empty bed and began moving your stuff from the cart outside to the cabin and began unpacking slightly, making your bed and tucking your suitcase under the bed to clear space. You hadn’t packed too much, just following the very basics of the packing list you were sent so thankfully your bag wasn’t too big or heavy.

When you finished unpacking and tidying your stuff away, you decided to leave the cabin and explore the camp a little. Instead of backtracking the way you came when Kerry showed you to your cabin, you went the opposite direction, following the row of cabins until you reached a spot overlooking the lake and you took a moment to take in the sights. The camp was surrounded by woodland as well as the lake and the trees extended all along the lakeside, but you could see small wooden buildings directly opposite you on the lake which was a clear indicator that this camp wasn’t the only camp on the lake. After appreciating the beauty before you, you continue to walk the line of cabins, unsurprised to see that they’re mostly the same size with a small handful being a little smaller for fewer kids. You pass various other members of staff who offer you a smile and a wave which you return. You then soon end up back at the main area of the camp where the dining hall and office are located.

“Hey, I saw you standing here so I figured I’d come over and say hi. I’m Ella.” A woman approaches you with a smile. She looked to be a little younger than you but regardless you smiled and introduced yourself.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ella. I’m y/n. I’m just getting my bearings. It’s pretty spacious.” You reply, watching as she nods before glancing around the space around you.

“It takes a bit of getting used to. This is my second summer here so I’m more than happy to show you around if you’d like.” Ella offers, looking back at you with a friendly smile.

“If it’s not too much trouble I’d love it if you could show me around.” You say gratefully, following Ella as she gestures for you to follow her. She first leads you to the dining hall, taking you to the top of the stairs and showing you the large room filled with tables.

“This is the dining hall. It will be much more chill with just staff because when the kids arrive it can get noisy, not to mention all the songs at dinner.” Ella explains with a laugh, thinking back to her last year at camp.

“Got it. Make sure I prepare for all the songs.” You reply, chuckling slightly at the image of the dining hall filled with kids singing. You then follow Ella back down the stairs and stick by her side as she gives you a full tour of the camp, even explaining how certain things work around camp as well as giving little anecdotes of her own past experiences. You even find out that she’s staying in the same cabin as you during orientation which makes you relax upon the thought that you now know at least one person in the cabin. When Ella concludes the unofficial tour, you notice a group of male counsellors emerging from the staff lounge all talking over each other as they head towards the dining room just as you hear Ella mentioning that it is almost dinner time. You and Ella make your way to the dining room and join the queue for food, standing behind one of the men who had walked past you just moments prior and he soon turned around to face you and you never could’ve prepared yourself for how attractive this man was.

He was tall, had sandy blond hair and had brown eyes that looked perfect when the sun hit them. He was muscular and sporting a moustache which you thought suited him. When he locked eyes with you, he smiled softly and decided to strike up a conversation.

“Hey, you must’ve just arrived today. I’m Bradley.” He introduced himself, his smile never fading nor his eyes leaving yours even as he reached for a paper plate to serve up his meal.

“Yeah, I’ve not been here very long. I’m y/n.” You reply with a smile, grabbing a plate of your own and dishing yourself up some food.

“Nice to meet you, y/n.” You couldn’t lie at that moment. Bradley saying your name felt so right. Your name rolled off his tongue effortlessly and you tried to fight back your emotions because you did not want to be catching feelings this early on, if at all. You soon both reached the end of the food line and headed over to a free table. Some of the guys Bradley was with and Ella sat at your table as well and the eight of you spent the meal getting to know each other a little more.

“So, y/n, what kind of activities are you going to be running at camp?” One of the guys named Cameron asks after taking a sip of his water.

“Just general field sports, mostly hockey, but I am signed up to lead the occasional hikes the kids can do. What about you guys?” You say, listening intently to all the replies you receive. Most of the guys were going to be lifeguards, Ella was teaching sewing and crafts and Bradley had just remained silent.

“What about you, Bradley?” Ella asks with a smile, curious about his job within the camp.

“Same as y/n actually. Except I’ll be mostly teaching soccer. But I am doing the hiking thing as well.” Bradley admits with a sheepish smile, a tone and demeanour you didn’t expect from him.

“Well, it’s a good thing we’re starting to get to know each other already then.” You reply with a smile looking over at Bradley as he relaxes a little, smiling back at you.

The rest of the meal flies by and you soon exit the hall with Bradley, Ella, and the others and you all decide to throw around a tennis ball one of the guys who would be teaching tennis had. You tossed the ball between each other, chatting and attempting to distract each other as you all laughed. Soon enough, the sun began to set and many people began to retreat into the staff lounge to spend the rest of the evening with the rest of the staff and to watch a movie together. However, you chose to remain outside, sat on the porch, gently rocking on one of the rocking chairs that sat on the porch and watched the beautiful golden glow illuminate the camp as the sun disappeared over the horizon.

“Didn’t want to come in?” You turn around to see Bradley poking his head out of the door, having noticed your lack of presence in the staff lounge.

“I don’t really get to see sunsets like this. I wanted to appreciate each one while I get the chance.” You admit as Bradley crosses the porch, easing himself down into the other chair and focusing his attention back on you.

“You should see the sunsets where I live.” Bradley mumbles softly, thinking of the sunsets he had grown accustomed to back in Miramar.

“I take it they’re pretty.” You say in response, your eyes still fixed on the horizon and the fading of the sun.

“They’re gorgeous” Bradley says, watching the corners of your mouth twitch up into a smile before you turn to look at him. The two of you sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes until you spoke up again.

“I must admit I’m very jealous that you get sunsets as pretty as this. You never really got to see the sunsets where I used to live. I can only hope when I move and start my new job I’ll have some places to watch the sunset.” You say, trying your best not to let your sadness and anxieties sneak into your voice. You had lived in the same place almost your whole life and recently realised you weren’t doing what you wanted to be doing so uprooting what you knew and moving someplace entirely new was scary. Not to mention working in a summer camp in the middle of it all.

“What’s your new job? If you don’t mind me asking.” Bradley enquires, eyes watching you with nothing but curiosity.

“Teaching. I always wanted to be a teacher and I finally got the chance, even if it does mean I’ve got to handle a big move. What about you? What do you do?” You admit with a chuckle before asking Bradley what he does for a living.

“I’m a naval aviator. I got a good chunk of time off so figured I’d do something worthwhile with my time.” Bradley says, trying not to sound boastful about his job but still wanting to display his pride in his career. He knew he wasn’t telling you the whole truth about why he was granted so much time off but he couldn’t do that to you. You seemed so sweet and he didn’t want to dump any of his trauma on you. Before another word could be spoken, you hear the door swing open once more and this time Ella appears.

“Hey, I was going to head back to the cabin to get ready for bed. Wanna come with?” She asks as you nod, standing up and just then realising how tired you were from travelling.

“I could do with an early night. I’ll see you around Bradley.” You say, at first to Ella before directing your goodbye to Bradley, sending him a soft wave and smile as you follow Ella and Bradley watches as you disappear into the darkness that now covers the camp and soon Cameron and the rest of Bradley’s cabin mates emerge from the staff lounge.

“You’ve been out here then?” John asks, having wondered where Bradley was.

“I bet he was out here with y/n. He’s been smitten since he first saw her.” Freddy then says as Bradley rolls his eyes and gets up from his seat, heading back towards his cabin with his cabin mates on his tail.

“Yes, I was out here with y/n. No, I am not smitten.” Bradley says as the boys catch up to him. He was lying of course. Bradley hadn’t been one to believe in love at first sight no matter how much his mother had told him about it growing up. But now he was starting to believe that she might be right.

Meanwhile, you had gotten ready for bed and had clambered into your bed, listening to the sounds of nature just outside your window as Ella got in the bed opposite yours.

“So, how did you enjoy your first day?” Ella asks as the two of you lay back on your beds, staring up at the ceiling.

“It was great. I can’t wait for tomorrow.” You say with a smile despite knowing Ella couldn’t see it.

“It’s good you get on so well with Bradley already. It really helps to get along with the people you are going to spend the most time with.” Ella then says, making you raise an eyebrow at her intentions.

“He’s easy to get along with. He’s a nice guy.” You reply, glancing in the direction of Ella’s bed.

“I bet your crush on him is helping too.” Ella says and you let out a laugh and roll your eyes.

“And on that note, goodnight, Ella.” You say lightly, rolling over and facing the wall as Ella jokingly groans and laughs at your reaction before quieting down and whispering a goodnight of her own. You watch the wall silently, thinking over Ella’s words for a few moments before letting your tired eyes finally drift close.

You couldn’t wait for tomorrow.

taglist (comment or ask to be added):

@noz4a2 @kim-stark

#justabigassnerd #justabigassnerd writes #summer of love #summer of love universe #top gun #top gun maverick #top gun fic #top gun maverick fic #rooster top gun #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley 'rooster' bradshaw #rooster x y/n #rooster x reader #rooster #bradley 'rooster' bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw x y/n #bradley bradshaw

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residentflamingo · 2 months

Text

Outlaw Jeongyeon Headcanons

Yoo Jeongyeon x fem! reader

AU: Wild West 🌵🏜️

Genre: fluff, smut, and a pinch of angst

Warnings: violence, mentions of guns, blood, sexual themes, and cursing

A/N: Once again... this draft is also one that has been sitting in my drafts since last year ☠️ But, I'm just glad my passion for writing has come back again. Let me know if I should write some fics following up with these headcanons! I would absolutely love to do it. Thank you for reading this, and any of my other fics you might have read! Your support is always appreciated <3

Word count ———> 4,468

Who is this girl?

Jeongyeon is a feared outlaw in the west

Nobody dares to mess with her

Her nickname is Jeongyeon the Ruthless

She is well known for being a fast gunslinger, and showing no mercy when it comes to dealing with criminals

She had a sinister death glare that gives criminals chills down their spines

Everyone knew, that once she started glaring at an enemy during a fight, they were dead right where they were standing

She is somewhat of a psychopath

Doesn't mind shooting anyone unless they are innocent townsfolk

If she needs information out of someone and they don't give it, onto the train tracks they go

Is also known for torturing people if they cross her

Jeongyeon is very confident in her abilities, but most of the time she stays quiet, adding to her already intimidating exterior

She’s the 2nd boss alongside Jihyo, with a gang called, “Demonios Neuve"

Also known as "The Nine Devils"

They're famous for eliminating infamous criminals off the map, and being excellent bounty hunters

But they also weren't ones to follow the law either

Demonios Nueve are so close with each other, since there's only 9 of them all together

They knew Jeongyeon was a lesbian, but they swore to never tell anyone else since she could be killed for it

When Jeongyeon confessed to them that she was more attracted to women than men, they were stunned, but immediately accepted her and told her that she was the same person to them no matter what

They love teasing her when they see hot girls that might interest her

She gets so annoyed, but is so thankful she has supportive friends

After Jeongyeon and the gang became popular for their good deeds, people would notice her everywhere she would go

They would stop her for autographs, and ask how she became such an excellent gun slinger

Eventually, she got tired of all the attention and decided she didn’t want go out in public very much anymore

But one night when her members begged her to go somewhere with them, she finally gave in and admitted she was bored anyways

Which is how she ended up at this saloon

How you guys met

The saloon was lively, being filled with drunken townsfolk, and outlaws coming in to play cards. Jeongyeon was sitting at a table with some of her gang members, listening to them bicker over a serious round of poker. She had her hat tiled low to cover part of her eyes, a toothpick in her mouth, a glass of whiskey that she was twirling around in her hand, and her boots rested on top of the table.

The whole night she hadn’t been interested in gambling, or socializing at all for that matter. She was a quiet but deadly outlaw. For a good while, she had been looking around and scanning everyone in the saloon, making sure no threats were present. While observing, Momo suddenly bumped her on the shoulder, and it immediately caught her attention. “Hey, who’s that hot chick?”

She quickly adjusted her hat and moved her head up, looking at you for the first time. Jeongyeon was so enthralled by your beauty that she couldn’t take her eyes off of you. It was love at first sight. You had walked into the saloon, not expecting much but to get a drink and ease the stress that had been building throughout the week. You were wearing a beautiful floral dress that complimented your curves well, and your hai had been touched up a bit too. You had caught the eyes of everyone in the saloon that night.

But a couple of those sets of eyes weren’t planning on being welcoming.

After Jeongyeon had eyed you up and down a couple of times, she leaned over to next to Jihyo and whispered, “Hey do you know who that girl is?”. Jihyo quickly turned her attention away from the poker game going on in front of her, and focused on Jeongyeon.”Hm?”. She looked next to her, then let her vision scan across all of the people at the bar, eventually landing on you.

She smirked and whispered back to Jeongyeon, “Ah. No, but you should go try talking to her.”

She wiggled her eyebrows at her, then turned around to the other members, smiling devilishly. Jihyo whispered to the others, “Looks like our girl J has a crush on that pretty girl over there.” Jeongyeon’s stomach dropped and she panicked, worrying that you could have heard Jihyo. She looked at the others with a death glare, and signaling for them to shut up.

But to your dismay, you had no clue this was happening behind you, as you were too busy ordering your drink.

“Can I get a whiskey with a lime please?” You ordered, practically having to the bartender attempting to shout over all of the commotion inside the saloon.

Jeongyeon quickly got herself situated once she heard your voice, and was even more infatuated when she heard your order. “Wow… the same thing I always get.” She thought to herself.

She most definitely had to talk to you now. But god she was so nervous about it. Talking to gunslingers and cowboys was one thing, but talking to girls? Terrifying. She scoffed, thinking to herself, ”What the hell is wrong with me, I shouldn’t be this nervous.”

Jeongyeon thought about it for a minute, wondering what she was going to say to you. But before she knew it, someone else beat her to it. A drunken outlaw had come up to you, asking if you wanted to “shack up” with him that night. You politely declined, but quickly found out that he wasn’t taking no for an answer. He grabbed your wrist and kept a firm grip on it, making sure you couldn’t run away. He was saying nasty things like “I could please you real good” and “you’ve got a nice ads to squeeze.”

Jeongyeon watched in disgust and before she knew it, she was already up and out of her seat, walking over to the outlaws. She ghosted her hand over her pistol in her holster, making sure she was ready in case either one of them decided to start a gunfight. Then she went up in front of you and the man saying, “Darling are these men bothering you?”. You quickly looked up at her relieved and getting ready to say something, but the outlaw did it for you instead. “She’s fine. We know her well.” He said with a disgusting smile on his face, making Jeongyeon contort her face in disgust.

She quit moving the toothpick around in her mouth and leaned her face closer to the outlaw. “I don’t remember asking you the question.” She said coldly, making the outlaw scoff and grip your wrist tighter. “Mind your own damn business you whore!”

Jeogyeon bit the toothpick harder in anger, making her break it in her mouth and spit it on the floor. The outlaw and his other goons laughed, making her turn her head over at you. She immediately noticed how terrified you were, and her eyes softened as your gaze connected with hers. You gulped and mouthed out quietly, “Help me.”

She gave a simple nod, ensuring that your safety was now her priority.

In the blink of an eye, she whipped her head back around and grabbed the outlaw’s hand, squeezing it so hard that he cried out in pain. Her face remained stoic and focused, showing no empathy for the man in front of her. Then she brought the hand closer to her in an agonizing motion, making a few of his bones crack, and his grip falter from your hand. You let yourself free and got up from the stool, quickly standing back and watching the drama unfold in horror.

By this point, everyone in the saloon had been watching in suspense, including the Twice’s Devils, making sure thy at their member was okay. The leader named Jihyo, went up to you discreetly and checked on your hand, surprising you a bit. She asked you a few questions, then told you that you were going to be okay since you were being protected by the best gunslinger in the West.

When Jeongyoeon brought the outlaw’s arm closer to her, his eyes were wide in panic. Then she leaned closer to him again saying, “It is my business actually.“ She used her other hand to grab the pistol, bringing the barrel up to the side of his skull. “The next time you even think of touching her, I will not hesitate to put a bullet through your fucking head. Is that clear?”

His body shook in terror, looking at the gun barrel pointed next to his head, and trying to stutter out an answer. She grew impatient, deciding to crack some bones in his arm again. He cried out in pain, and she dug the gun deeper in his skin. “Is that clear?!” She shouted. He nodded vigorously, “Y-yes ma’am! Please let me go I have a family- AH!”. She ground her teeth in rage, cracking his arm for the last time before she shoved him to the ground. “Your poor family…” She said, putting her gun back in the holster. Then she looked up at his terrified minions with a death glare, chewing the inside of her cheek as a replacement for the toothpick. “Get the fuck out.” She said. “Before I shoot every goddamn one of you’s.”

They nodded rapidly, “Y-yes ma’am!” and then carried the outlaw out in a rush, taking him to the nearest medic in town. She scoffed, watching as they ran out for their lives. “Damn. I didn't even get to fire my pistol."

After that incident, you guys introduced yourselves and got to know each other a little better

It was awkward at first because she had just broken someone's arm in front of you

But, you really admired her for her courage and willingness to stand up for you against the outlaws

As you two got to talking, you learned that she was an outlaw herself, and one that was in a gang

You were shocked but surprisingly not scared of her

Jeongyeon had also learned herself that you were currently working at a horse stable

You guys had perfect chemistry, being able to relate to simple things like your shared love for horses, and dealing with other cowboys

Later on that evening when you two parted ways, Joengyeon promised she would have her gang visit your stable every now and then

You agreed, wanting nothing more than to speak to have more time to speak to her

After that night, a friendship had blossomed

And possibly even more

How you became her crush

Jeongyeon kept her promise

She came to visit the stable more often when the gang passed by the town, and helped you clean/ feed the horses

The chemistry grew even sweeter, resulting in you two sharing stolen glances, and learning to enjoy each other's company as good friends

But was it really just friendship though?

Overtime she fell in love with your personality and your special love for animals

She also loves how sweet you are with others, always giving your time and never hesitating to help someone out

Jeongyeon could feel her heart start to soften a bit just from being around you for the past couple of months

She tries very hard to keep her feelings on the down-low, but sometimes it slips out

"You look pretty today Y/N."

Glares at other cowboys when they look at you

Tries to impress you here and there by lifting heavy things, and doing cool trick shots with her pistols

She always thinks about you when she's off traveling with the gang

You fell in love with her loyalty and her easy-going personality, wondering why people were so scared of her in the first place

Overtime you would catch yourself looking at her too, paying extra attention to her muscular arms

The feelings you started developing for her really threw you off at first

She was known as an outlaw, a terrifying one at that

Was she just faking her personality around you? Would she be as ruthless to you if you ever got into a relationship with her?

It was really confusing, but no matter how hard you tried to suppress your feelings, they just kept growing with each kind gesture she would do for you

The confession

One day she came in bearing some cuts and injuries from a gunfight

"Jeongyeon what the hell happened?"

You somewhat panicked to say the least

She felt embarrassed to say the least, knowing she was sitting in front of her crush all bloody and injured

"I was ambushed... Jihyo had to come to rescue me."

You sighed, quickly rushing to the back and grabbing medical supplies

"Here, come sit down.

She begrudgingly sat down on the stool, looking up at you as you started tending to the wound on her face

A few minutes of silence went by, and the only thing that could be heard was her wincing in pain as you dabbed alcohol on the open wounds

"Ow ow Y/N! Dammit, that hurts..."

"I know I know just sit still. I'm almost done."

"Mmmm... Y/N you should just leave it like that so I can get a cool scar."

The stupid smirk on her face immediately pissed you off, knowing she was trying to completely disregard what just happened to her

"Shut up..."

"What?"

"I said Shut up! It's not funny Jeongyeon."

She was completely taken aback, definitely not expecting you to raise your voice at her like that

"Y/N? What's wrong? I didn't mean to-"

You stepped back, taking a few seconds not to tend to her wounds for a second

"What's wrong? I tell you what's wrong. It's the fact that you're not even worried about the fact that you almost died out there!"

She looked down, feeling a little guilty that she didn't take it too serious

You sighed, covering your face with frustration

But as you tried to speak, your voice came out shaky, tears threatening to fall from your eyes

"I worry about you Jeongyeon... "

Her head immediately shot up, and she looked at you like she had just seen a ghost

"Wait... Y/N... You worry about me?"

You moved your hands from your eyes and nodded, taking a step closer to her so you could move the hair away from her face

"Yes. Everyday. I worry that you won't come back to me, and I'll be alone all over again."

Jeongyeon couldn't believe it

"B-but why?"

Your voice went to a low whisper, "Because... I love you Jeongyeon."

Her eyes widened, realizing that someone in this world as great as you truly loves her

"You do?"

You nodded, feeling a bit nervous because you could either die for telling her such a thing, or she could reciprocate those feelings

"I love you too Y/N. More than anything in this world."

It was your turn to be surprised

Your hand faltered from her face, dropping down to the side of your waist, and your frown slowly turning into a smile

"You do?"

Jeongyeon stood up, towering over you with her huge height difference, and moved the hair out of your own face like you did to hers earlier

Then she leaned in, wrapping her strong arms around you and bringing you into a hug

Your body froze, your mind froze, everything froze

After a couple seconds, you hugged her back, burying your face into her chest and squeezing her tightly

Happiness surged between the both of you, blossoming a new relationship in the world full hate and uncertainty

Jeongyeon was the first one to pull away, wearing a warm smile on her face that you could never forget

"You should've told me earlier silly." You said breaking the silence

She chuckled, bringing her hand up to gently caress your cheek with her thumb again

"I could have, but the wait was worth it."

Relationship

A bit reserved at first, but opens up more once she gets to know you better

You soon find out that the terrifying outlaw, was really just the biggest teddy bear behind that serious demeanor of hers

She's not really a big fan of cuddling, but when you guys do end up doing it, she secretly likes being the little spoon

Her favorite thing is going to sleep with you

She loves being able to hold you in her arms and guarantee that you're safe with her

"I love you... Sweet dreams Y/N."

Loves to hug you from behind and sway with you in the kitchen or wherever you two are standing

Kisses you at the most random times

You'll be standing there talking to one of her gang members about something, and she'll just walk by and kiss you on the forehead

One of her favorite things is making you flustered or seeing you shy when she kisses teases you about something

In public she never shows any affection

She's terrified of something happening to her or to you

It kills her inside when she can't hold your hand while shopping, but endures it for your safety

Speaking of safety, being with her is like being protected by ten people

Is friendly to NO ONE

Sometimes you'll try to remind her to smile so she doesn't look so scary

But she refuses most of the time

"I'm not smiling for these bastards."

It's almost impossible for her to fake her emotions around people

She will not hold back when someone flirts with you

"Do you really think she would choose you over me? Pathetic."

Extremely protective of you

Gets anxious even if you get something as small as a paper cut

"Are you okay Y/N? Let me see."

Is a very good caregiver surprisingly

Learned how to cook while you were sick so she could make some chicken noodle soup for you

Would absolutely do anything for you

Even if it meant declaring a war against the government

Has some anger issues

She learns to tone down her anger quite a bit once you two start dating

As busy as she is, she always makes it her top priority to spend some quality time with you

She teaches you how to ride a horse, and you guys have many horse riding dates where you ride off into the sunset

But when she found out you couldn't ride a horse, she couldn't quit laughing

"So you're telling me that you work at a horse stable, but you don't know how to ride a horse?"

Hearing her laugh was so cute, but also so annoying since she still brings that up to this day

Also teaches you how to handle yourself in a fight

Training with her was very interesting...

She was a little bit hard on you, but only because it was a serious thing, and she wanted you to be able to fight

Has a terrible smoking habit

But all it took for her to quit was seeing you cough once from the smoke she accumulated

She immediately threw out her whole stash the next day

Takes on you on trips with her quite often when the gang has to move around

Lets you wear her hat every once in a while

Loves to have deep talks every night with before you go to bed

You find out about her past, and why she’s tge way she is

She’ll tell you other stories of being out on the frontier, and she still feels so lucky to be alive

Jeongyeon is not much of a talker, she’s more of a listener

Will listen to you for hours on end because of how much she loves your voice

Is so so whipped for you

Calls you princess <3

Her eyes light up every time you walk into a room, or when she hears your voice

You always help her with target practice, often spending hours watching her in awe as she hits multiple bullseyes

She doesn't think its that big of a deal though

Refuses to drink any alcohol around you

You've told her plenty of times you don't mind it, but she still insists

Her reputation to you is very important since she's terrified of you thinking she's an evil person

But to her dismay, you don't think of her that way at all

Is insecure about the way she looks :(

She hates the scars on her face and the ones on her body, often wearing long sleeve shirts and never taking off her hat unless she's alone with you

"No Y/N... It shows too much of my face."

You reassure her most days, telling her she looks absolutely beautiful in your eyes

Over time she starts to feel a little less insecure, getting the courage to roll up her sleeves every now and then

To your surprise, she's actually very intelligent

(Back then education wasn't really a thing in the west, so most were illiterate or couldn't write)

"Y/N have you read this before? I heard it's a really good book."

"Wait, you can read?!"

"Yeah... Doesn't everybody know how to do that?'

Teases you like crazy

You guys bicker back and forth like an old married couple

But it's all in good fun <3

If she realizes she's losing the argument, she'll back down and let you take the win

One thing about this girl is that she's extremely stubborn

If the whole world were crashing down on her she still wouldn't budge

"I am not wearing that dress Y/N."

The ONLY exception is that if it's something that makes you happy, then she'll begrudgingly do it

Looks at you like you're her whole world

She’s very very loyal

Thinks about marriage every now and then, but is too afriad to attempt it because of the homophobia floating around

Brings you back a diamond ring one day that she got off of a bounty target

“Did you get this from The Windy Willy?”

“Yeah… Of course Y/N. A dead guy can’t really have much say in the matter. Besides, I think it’s time I consider you my wife anyways.”

Jeongyeon is by far the best outlaw to date, and would stay with you until her final days

Her favorite memory of you is when she first met you at the bar <3

In the Bedroom

(mentions of fingering, strap-ons, pussy eating, & degrading)

She's on the rougher side

But never does anything you're not comfortable with

Ties your hands together so you can squirm beneath her

Leaves little hickeys and bite marks as she kisses you all across your body

Likes to slowly slides her fingers into your pussy and see how easily you take them in

"You take my fingers so well princess."

Afterwards when you cum on her hand, she makes you clean it up by licking it off her fingers

"Look at you being so dirty for me Y/N... What happened to you being so innocent hm?"

Her dirty talk is elite

Loves just walking up behind you while you're doing something innocent, and makes you flustered with something she says

Also like to randomly smack your ass when she walks by you

Will secretly stare at you from afar and basically eye fuck you

She’s definitely the type to get jealous

But doesn’t really get mad at you for it

Unless you try to rile her up on purpose

Once a cowboy was flirting with you and touching your arm, and you let him do it, seeing what Jeongyeon would do

Let’s just say… you never thought of doing it again

Leaves the biggest hickeys on your neck to show that you’re mysteriously taken by someone

When she’s jealous she gets very aggressive

Picks you up with her strong arms and manhandles you

Uses her thick strap on and doesn’t even give you time to adjust

“Mmm you like this dont you? Of course you do you whore… Trying to get me mad on purpose huh?”

Doesn’t let you cum till the very end

Slaps your ass multiple times as punishment

When she goes up to your core to eat you out, she starts with tiny kitten licks, trying to get you as riled up as possible

You practically have to beg her to go harder, or else she won’t do it until she knows you’re at your limit

Pinches your nipples so she can hear a few moans from you

Each time you make a sound or say her name, it always motivates her to go harder

“Yeah? Feel good princess? Let everyone know who’s fucking you like this. Making you feel so good.”

When the punishment is over she’ll kiss you all over, and tell you that she didn’t mean any of the things she said

Her favorite place to make love to you is out in the desert

Not exactly what you’re thinking though

She likes to set up camp all the way out in the middle of nowhere, where no one usually travels, and likes to do it from there

Has you bend over on a table say she can thrust into you from behind

Her favorite position is downward doggy ofc so she can see your bare ass

Or she has you lay down on your back so she can eat you out

“Good job princess… You did so well for me.”

She takes sex very seriously, and doesn’t really ever laugh during it

But afterwards she’s all smiley and smothers you with kisses

#jeongyeon imagines #twice jeongyeon x reader #jeongyeon x reader #jeongyeon x fem reader #twice headcanons #twice x reader #twice imagines #yoo jeongyeon x reader #yoo jeongyeon x fem reader #jeongyeon headcanons #yoo jeongyeon headcanons #girl group heacanons #twice fanfic #twice jeongyeon x fem reader #Spotify

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iwishiwas-anita · 1 year

Text

My Baby

Inspired by @emzerdoo artwork of recom! Paz Socorro

(I Hope i posted this right and it doesn't look funky)

(ENJOY!)

(part 2)

They say a mother can feel it in her when her child is near, it's something instinctive, something that she creates, that they developed together throughout those long grueling but wonderful nine months, that it grows and strengthens throughout the years, binds them together for all their life.

And Paz..

Paz wasn't a mother for very long, in fact she can count on one hand the amount of times she held her son, but she can be sure that each time, it felt like the first, that every time she looked into his eyes, she fell in love once more.

She loved holding him in her arms, being together in her room after a long day, just enjoying each other’s company. She never thought she would have a child so imagine her surprise when she found out she couldn't contain herself, something that many women on earth wanted but never could have achieved was made possible for her, it all just felt like some blessing, like a miracle, but of course there were downsides to the baby growing inside her belly.

The first being that she slept with the Colonel— which in itself was highly inappropriate— but Miles was charming and sooner than later they were wrapped around each other together tighter than a rope.

The other being that they were literally on another planet.

But she never dared regret to cross her mind, that child will be born no matter what, and it was, she gave birth to a beautiful boy, with the brightest golden hair, the pinkest mouth and chubby cheeks that made her heart melt.

She named him Miles.

When Quaritch found out he had laughed at her, told her that she really wasn't planning to keep it a secret, but then for how long were they planning to keep it a secret?

The baby was here and there was no way she would ever make him feel that it was a burden, that she was ashamed of him, he was her greatest joy, her greatest love, her greatest miracle.

She loved him so much, so much that she would do anything for him, that's why she left that day, she left to fight for humanity, she wanted a home here… On pandora, where her child would grow and play and be as strong as his father, but as smart as his mother.

That’s why she left. She left for him, to fight for him and in the end come back to him, with victory in her hands.

She expected to win, they all expected to win, but what they didn't know, what they couldn't possibly think of was that Pandora… She was a mother too.

She was a mother and we were hurting her children, murdering them and ruining them,

And a mother…

A mother always protects.

She protects her children and eliminates the threat, so that's what she did.

Pandora saw us as the threat, we were hurting her children so she defended them, she protected them, she eliminated us.

And so, I died,

I died with his name on my heart.

She fell into a deep sleep, a sleep so deep and for so long that she forgot who she was, what she was and where she was.

But suddenly, a light shined through, a light so bright that blinded her, a light so bright that had her shooting up from where she was laying and gasping for breath with a stranger's name on her lips.

She looked around and noticed how everything seemed so much smaller but bigger at the same time, that everything became much more, every feeling, scent, sight and sound heightened.

Her thoughts became muddled and her movements sluggish.

She looked across the room and saw a giant blue person staring back at her. She immediately tensed up. It looked like a woman version of the Navi, She took note of the blue markings and white dots on her face, when she noticed that wherever she looked teh women followed. She frowned and was confused as to why the woman copied it.

“Hey! What’s—”

She stopped short.

That woman was her, the blue woman was her.

She was confused, how did she become this?

She could smell something familiar, something strong, something of love.

There were tiny people around her in strange white clothing, asking her millions of questions at a time. She could barely keep up. Suddenly, some metal doors slid open and a Navi man came in and instead of wearing the usual loincloth and different colored beads and feathers, he wore military style clothing. His hair instead of long all around was cut short, a long strand trailing after him.

He looked familiar.

He smelled familiar.

The man was standing in front of her, a detached look on his face,

His face….

The more she looked at it, the more her heart quickened, the more the memories flashed through, the more her eyes watered, the more intense a sob escaped past her lips.

She threw herself at him, arms coming around his shoulders, his around her waist. SHe pressed her face to his neck, smelling that comforting scent.

She blubbered.

“Miles”

He pressed a large warm hand to the back of her head pressing her further into his neck. There was something missing, she could feel it, she was missing something. The more she smelled him the more her heart ached.

Miles

Baby

That's what it was. Baby. She has a baby, but where was it?

Where was her baby?

She pulled away from him and he looked down at her, “Baby?” she whispered to him.

His face did an ugly thing there, it twisted up into itself, a grimace taking over his face, his eyes becoming glossy, he shook his head once, and then one more time until he was just stuck shaking his head at her.

Her lips trembled. “Baby?”

He opened his mouth, tongue wetting his lips, His voice was gruff when he spoke, “No Paz, No baby.”

She felt her heart shatter.

A sudden coldness creeping into it, freezing it up and then shattering into a thousand little pieces, she felt numb. Her thoughts slowed down as Miles continued to rub at her back and apologize to her.

Her baby…

Her baby was gone…

There was no more baby.

No more of his darling brown eyes, of that golden head of hair, that shined like a beacon under the lights. No more sweet gummy smiles or the shrieking giggles.

“No.”

She pushed herself up and away from Miles, “No. No. No.”

“Paz, Im sorry”

She grasped at the foreign strands of hair, gripping onto them tight, “No. No, No. No. No!”

She heaved a great sob. “Not My baby.”

“No, Not my baby”

“Miles, Please”

Tears poured down her face as she grasped at her own skin, his hands coming to her and pulling her scratching claws away from her face and arms. He pulled her into his chest as she sobbed into his shirt, wet spots forming where her face lay.

His hand coursed through her hair, his mouth releasing, quiet ‘Shushing’ sounds.

She didn't know for how long she cried against him, she just knew that by the time it was over her throat ached, her eyes hurt and tear marks stained her cheeks and his shirt. He still continued to caress her hair.

She could feel each breath he took, hear his heart beating and it seemed to be lulling her to sleep until he suddenly spoke,

“I know that… I Know that you hurtin’ right now, and trust me it kills me to see you like this, but we… we got work to do.”

“We’ve got another chance, Paz.”

He looked down and with his hands raised her face to look up at him, “I know you got that fire in your belly, itching for revenge, And don't worry, we’re going to get it, Alright?”

His thumbs rubbed at her cheeks, looking at her dead in the eye, “I need you with me, soldier. Can I count on you?”

God, she was tired, she didn't want to do anything but lay on the ground, curl up and die, but as she stared deep into his eyes, she could see a fire burning there, eating up at him and she bet that when he looked into hers he would see the same thing. She was tired, but she didn't want to waste this opportunity, she had a second chance and if she couldn’t win last time for her son, then maybe she can use this time to win for someone else’s.

She steeled herself, planted her feet and stood up straight, staring deep into his eyes, “Yes, Colonel.”

A tired smile curled up on his lips, he pressed his lips to her forehead, “Atta girl.”

3 days after she ‘woke’ up, they were on the move, Miles had explained to her what it was they were doing, how they were here.

And… shit.

She never would have signed that paper if she knew it would have come to this, she is grateful to be with miles once again, but it's not the same, it's not the same if it means that the only reason she is here was because she had to let go of one of her boys.

She didnt have time to mope but how badly did she want to, the others they couldn't understand, not even Z-dog who at some point in her life must have had a maternal bone in her body. She felt as if she had eaten led, her body ached like a limb had been torn from her, but still she walked, she performed like the soldier she was trained to be.

They were flying to the Hallelujah mountains, where their new ‘boss’ , a tight-lipped bitch called Ardmore, had wanted them in the hive’s nest, to ‘test’ how they fit in with Pandora's defensive system.

Being in a scorpion brings shudders to her arms, last time she was in one she had an arrow striking out of her chest and she was plunging fast to the ground, sometimes she could still feel the sting of it. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the breeze that flew in, she felt something tap her shoulder and she quickly turned to look.

Lyle was looking at her, a question in his eyes, she firmly nodded her head and turned to look back out, soon enough they were getting ready for the drop off, the team got clipped onto their harnesses and slowly slid down the rope.

Feet touching the ground, they were off. They sneaked past animals and wandered through the beauty that was Pandora, she couldn't find it in herself to hate her, it felt as if she now understood what had happened, that they were at fault for the destruction.

That only if they’d listened in the beginning none of this would have happened, that she would still have her… Her baby, that they could have been a happy family, if only they’d listened, which is why now that she’s here, she feels uneasy, that a cycle is just repeating and that the events might be different but the ending will be the same.

She followed behind Miles as they stumbled upon an abandoned pod and a broken Skel suit, she stayed behind as she watched him poke around it. She moved further into the abandoned pod and looked through it, moving colorful leaves around and a few branches, in the end she found nothing special.

She made to move out when a piercing scream echoed around the jungle, she saw Miles freeze before Ja gave his location on what he had found. They moved quickly and as a team, but the uneasiness in her grew, it rattled her heart and made it hard to focus, up ahead Miles had broken through the undergrowth onto a small clearing where Ja and the rest of the team were.

She caught up with them and saw how they had managed to catch what looked to be Navi children, she saw how they were each restrained by their Queque, she positioned herself at the back, feet steady, when a scent made her falter.

It is true what they say, how a mother’s intuition is never wrong, how they are able to just tell when something of theirs is near.

Paz wasn't a mother for a very long time, this body of hers didn't know what it was feeling, didn't understand why whenever she looked at this boy her heart ached, why her eyes became wet and her knees weak.

But her soul knew.

It knew.

Because how can this feeling be wrong, how can it just be grief being cruel once more.

How can this scent, this wonderful familiar scent that makes her drop her gun, —something that went against her training— be wrong, be just a figment of her imagination.

She desperately searches for it when she suddenly spots it, right there being restrained by Mansk, a boy.

A Human Boy, dressed in Navi clothing.

Her heart beating out of her chest as hands shake and tremble at her sides, this boy… This boy is a lot bigger than her baby.

But she knows, she knows those eyes.

She knows why her belly tightens and her heart aches, why her breath falls short.

And she knows that the feeling in her chest, the way her heart aches and tightens, is not a mistake, or hallucination.

It's real.

She can tell when the Boy notices her, notices her looking, notices the way her hands shake and her eyes are brimmed with tears.

They watch each other, ignoring whatever is going on around them, and they know. They just do.

She wants to get closer, she wants to see him, wants to touch him.

Her feet begin to move, as her lip wobbles and hands clenched at her side, Her voice trembles when she speaks, “Miles?”

The boy’s eyes widen just slightly, she walks over now standing in front of, “Miles?” she asks again

She can feel quaritch looking at her, She reaches over, bending slightly so she could look straight into his eyes, her palm makes contact with the soft cheek and she gasps as it tingles.

A tear slips past the boy’s eye landing on her hand, and that’s all she needs. She pulls the boy into her arms holding him tight against her. Wrecking sobs work out of her mouth as she caresses him all over, “My Miles”

“My sweet baby.”

She cries as she touches his hair and runs her hands down his arms and neck before gathering him up in an embrace once more.

She wants to hold on to him and never let him go.

She holds him against her chest as she whispers apologies into his hair, the boy finally reacts and brings his arms up around her, falling limp in her arms. She can feel the tears, slipping out of his eyes and landing on her shirt.

“I'm so sorry”

“I'm sorry.” she sobs

She pulls his head away from her chest so she can look at him, his face is just exactly the same, but god, he’s grown up so much, she’s missed so much.

“I wish I hadn't gone. I wished I had stayed there with you” she whispered into his eyebrow.

He does say anything, just keeps on holding her tight, cheek pressed to her chest and when he speaks she can feel his lips moving against it, “Mama” he whispers.

And she feels as if a thousand angels are roaring in her ears, as if the sun had chosen this moment to shine directly onto her, warming her up from the inside out. She breathes out, strands of his hair lightly shift, “Yes… Yes it's me” she sobs out.

Almost as if he needed that confirmation from her, his arms tighten around her and she feels the spot where his face is pressed against her growing damp, he lifts one hand and buries her fingers in his hair.

“My baby” she murmurs against him.

“Mama”

Paz wasn't a mother for a very long time, some may say that she didn't spend enough time with her child to be able to have this bond with him, that he wasn't supposed to even be here, that it was a mistake, but just like the first time, he proved them wrong.

He survived.

He lived.

She was given a miracle, she wasn't going to waste it.

She wasn't going to let him go, she will stay by his side no matter what.

#spider socorro #avatar the way of water #avatar recoms #recom squad #Colonel Miles Quaritch #paz soccoro #james cameron avatar #Miles Quaritch #atwow fanfiction

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parachutingkitten · 10 months

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Why is Pixane So Queer?

Some thoughts on Asexual Romance.

[warning, long post below the cut]

The Ninjago fandom had a very potent reaction to The Quest for the Lost Powers repeatedly describing Pixal and Zane as being 'very close friends'. This seemed quite contradictory to many who assumed the confession of undying love at the end of the last season might have been a small hint at a romantic relationship of some kind. However, after closer examination, it turns out Pixal and Zane don’t ever actually refer to themselves as a couple, and the show has never once referred to them being in an active relationship.

But there’s something here, right? Sure, it’s not explicitly stated, but you are lying to yourself if you can watch them and tell me there is zero romantic subtext going on here. A lot of people got very defensive that the children’s book stated they were friends, especially when it also seemingly confirmed that the much straighter straight boy ship, Kailor, was apparently canon, despite being only implied as a possible future for ages now. But I find this backlash to be a bit strange. Sure, Zane and Pix aren’t exactly ‘just friends’ but, what do you want them to say? That they’re boyfriend and girlfriend? You want these two to say they’re ‘going out’ with each other? You think these two robots are ‘dating’ each other, like they’re just susin’ out the partner pool. Are those the words that fit this relationship to you?

I found myself feeling weirdly offended at everyone, and I think the reason was that these two love-droids haven’t chosen to define their relationship in traditional terms, and so everyone’s insistence that they should be boxed into some sort of traditional term seems inherently strange. It’s like when two elderly people are dating, it feels weird when they say “this is my girlfriend” because despite it being factually true, there’s so much baggage that comes with the word, part of that implication being youth, which is directly at odds with the immediate situation. It’s the correctness of the word paired with the incorrectness of the societal implications which forces you to assess if those societal implications should exist. And that- that is what makes this relationship feel queer. That’s why there’s this undeniably different kinda energy radiating off of it. It’s that rejection of the traditional labels, the refusal to be put into a box, which forces it to be a-typical. But, why? Why does Pixane have this rejection of labels radiating off of it? Their ages, while being literally whack, are presented as being your typical teenage to young adult age romance. Their genders present as a typical hetero pairing. And it’s not like they don’t follow your typical cliche love at first sight plot. I mean, Pixal was pretty explicitly created as a generic love interest character. So, what is it? Why is this queer? Spoiler alert: It’s because they’re asexual.

So, what is asexuality? Strictly defined, it is a community of people who experience little to no sexual attraction to anyone. This is distinct from aromanticism, which is a lack of romantic attraction, and sexual engagement or urges which are their own separate boat, but often have overlap with asexuality. However, for our purposes, we are focused on just the sexual attraction part. You can think of it as the difference between finding someone hot and finding someone cute. That’s the distinction that made it click for me anyway.

Now, as a disclaimer, I am not going to be considering other queer interpretations of this relationship. Not to invalidate them, because of course they’re valid, but specifically because I feel there isn’t precedent for them in the text, and I feel there is for asexuality. This deep dive is particularly about validating asexuality as being queer, and so to do that we have to eliminate any other outstanding factors. People are extremely quick to pin asexual queerness to something else, and that in itself can feel invalidating, even if it’s only attempting to validate other communities as well. Asexual romance is so easily read as straight romance, that any queer undertones have to have an alternate explanation, because asexuality doesn’t seem like enough to cross the barrier. Yes, enby interpretations of Pixane are great, and fantastic, and I would die for your right to follow those headcanons, but to pin the in text queer vibes on the fact that they technically don’t have biological gender, despite having very clear presenting and unwavering genders in text seems like a real easy way to dismiss the asexual coding which is staring me in the face. While things like non-binary or aromantic readings validate communities who have immense oppression and are continually called fake or confused, which is insanely important, asexuality, especially as it stands apart from aromanticism, is often confused as not being a difference at all. You’re just pure! You’re just wholesome! You’re just so sweet and innocent! And yes… yes, I am, but also, it’s more than that. It’s fundamentally something different about the way my brain is wired, and I feel a need to defend the fact that it, specifically, is queer. And in no way am I trying to say that the aces are the most oppressed actually, I don’t want to start the oppression Olympics here, and if we were to, I would probably argue quite the opposite, but I am saying that there is oppression, and it comes from outside and inside of the community, and it is a thing. It’s a different flavor of thing that’s maybe not as severe, but also sits differently. Maybe it’s not as much a pressing thing as other things, but… it’s my thing. It’s what I feel. It’s something I can speak on. So, I’m going to speak on it.

Perhaps one of the largest factors asexuality has to offer is the necessary separation of romance and sex. The packaging of sexual attraction and romantic attraction is so ubiquitous that the term ace is often assumed to be referring to aro/ace people, despite there being a term for that… aro/ace! Asexuality is not an easy queerness to explain, precisely because of this deeply held integration. It’s not a difference of experience necessarily, it’s a lack of a certain experience. I’m not saying this is something you can’t understand, because, unless you’re aromantic, I know you understand it! You are going to be able to like and relate to and feel seen by asexual romances, because the main component it requires is that you have romantic attraction- which is most people. And so many people get confused when you point to an asexual thing and go “I get that! This! This is me!” Because they just respond with “You’re not special, I get that too. Is this supposed to be different?” And, yes, it is, primarily because everything else includes this giant other thing as well, which is sexuality.

When vegans get excited about finding a meal which is especially delicious and also meets their food restrictions, they get particularly excited. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy that same vegan meal- no doubt it probably tastes incredibly delicious to you as well. But you likely won’t get that same feeling of excitement, because you don’t live under the same restrictions as vegans do. That’s the same thing I feel when I see an asexually coded romance. I can enjoy the full meal without having to pick things out or ignore vital parts. I have no doubt that others can thoroughly enjoy asexual romances, but you’re going to have to look at it in context of all the dominant romance stories in the world to understand why it’s so different and special to me.

Now, have I cracked the code on asexual romance in media? No. I only have my own experience with asexuality to lean on, and the very limited discourse on the topic I’ve come across while discovering my identity. All of this is simply a theory based on my own thoughts and observations, but these are some explanations as to what might possibly be included in a framework for an asexually coded romance, at least to me.

So, what makes romance asexual? It’s not simply a lack of sexual suggestiveness. Any number of romances aren’t sexually suggestive, but still glaringly heteronormative- especially in children’s television. And it’s also not a lack of initial attraction, as that would throw Pixane out of the running for sure. Well, I have a few things which I feel may contribute to asexual coding of a romantic relationship, and wouldn’t you know, Pixane is a great example of all of them.

Asexual romance may, as many have remarked, come off as more innocent. When you shove all of the focus of characters onto the romantic, emotional connection, rather than any underlying sexual tension, things end up feeling extremely innocent to the layperson. You get the sort of old married couple effect. Two people deeply in love, who just sort of stare at each other in awe, and that others can comment on how cute they are. Again, asexuals don’t necessarily find anything hot. Cuteness is the main operative factor motivating their attraction, so it follows that their interactions would radiate that factor back at observers. The characters might in fact be very touchy, have sex, enjoy that physical touch, but that’s not at the forefront of anyone’s mind in the story. This is an aspect of Pixane that can be read very clearly. Their romance is quite easily described as pure and wholesome by all who have the pleasure of observing them. The way they interact with each other is extremely gentle and supportive, and their level of old married couple vibes is by far the highest of any pairings in the show (aside from perhaps the actual old married couple of Ed and Edna).

Asexual romance, I find to often be less conflict driven. Take the classic enemies to lovers plotline- it’s built on a tension between an innate irrational attraction, and a perceived logical personality conflict. While romantic attraction is certainly not always rational, from my understanding, sexual attraction is often rooted in factors that aren’t at all related to logical compatibility or personality. This means the enemies to lovers plot is primed to work much better when sexually charged, because it presents a clear path to create the hate/love conflict. Not to say that asexual enemies to lovers is impossible, or that asexual partners don’t have conflict between them, but that it is less of an obvious threat to incorporate into asexual romance. Because there are less factors and layers of attraction to get involved in, there’s less room for conflict and contradiction between them. It is much easier to get tangled up in a situation with more strings. Pixane is a relationship which certainly doesn’t hold much internal conflict. The one disagreement they did have is solved quite neatly with basic communication skills in the middle of season 8. Most of their conflict comes from external factors which separate them or cause misunderstanding, rather than conflict from within the characters themselves.

Asexual romance also has the obvious potential to challenge traditional dating norms. Because there is no impulse to escalate things physically, it makes sense that the progression of an asexual romance would differ from traditional relationships where that escalation is expected. Your asexual romance is bound to get emotionally intense with each other quicker, or at least have it be the focus of their story, because there is no other facet to deal with. Asexuals don’t commonly have sexual fantasies for themselves, but rather romantic fantasies. Not to say that most people don’t have romantic fantasies, but… that’s all we’ve got. And when your impulse is ‘let’s get married, and then maybe I guess we can kiss’, it might seem like things are progressing out of order to the average person. While asexuals don't all hate physical contact or even sexual connection, it isn't an attractive or motivating factor in the same way it is in most romances, so even on a base level, the level of physical contact is likely going to be less than average. Pixane progresses ridiculously out of order. Zane is willing to split his soul for her- it’s only at this point that they romantically hold hands for the first time. It’s the emotional connection between the two that comes first, and all classic tangible symbols of affection and romance that are secondary. The most pronounced physical contact we’ve seen is a cheek kiss, and their most common type of physical contact is enthusiastic hugging (which I’ll dive more into later).

Additionally, because physical affection is more of an afterthought, it would also make sense for labels to come slowly. If you have an incredibly close personal, soulful connection, but you haven’t kissed yet, it makes sense for people around you to assume you’re just really close friends, or perhaps just crushing on each other still. Terms like “girlfriend” and “boyfriend” invoke rather physical tactile images, and so to attempt to apply them to an asexual romance isn’t necessarily wrong but may feel a bit off putting because of this dissonance. Again, it’s this dissonance between the romantic meaning of the word, and the sexual undertones which forces discomfort onto the viewer. Pixal and Zane have yet to kiss each other after years of dancing around each other’s obvious romantic feelings. It remains unclear if they even are in an active romantic relationship at all, or are still mutually pinning, as no labels have been given to their relationship in show. I have no doubt part of this is the lack of planned dates or physical affection which are common outward signals of a traditional established relationship.

A lot of the saucy flirting which accompanies many classic heteronormative romances can seem rather pointless to asexuals. I would venture to say that asexuals are likely more direct and up front with their emotional vulnerability and feelings, because that’s the connection which they are seeking to make. To dance around it with innuendo and mind games is rather unproductive in achieving the end goal. There is less of a pressure to “perform” romance, and instead just be honestly romantic, because the romance isn’t a prelude to sex, or physical affection, it’s the end goal in and of itself. To only pretend to do it is entirely pointless. All of this is likely going to result in a romance which puts less focus on the “game of dating”. I mean, can you imagine Pixane ending up in a Jaya style love triangle? It’s almost an absurd pitch to make, right? There is no performativity to the Pixane relationship, it is exactly as it appears at first glance. And when Zane attempts more traditional, cheesy flirting tactics like in Ninjago Confidential, Pixal is nothing but confused and annoyed by his attempts.

The most prominent example which I feel exemplifies the inherently asexual coding of Pixane applies to many robotic romances- and it’s the characters’ relationship with skin. A lot of sexual suggestion and tension is based on skin. The revealing nature of skin exposure, the feeling of skin on skin being a sexual touchpoint, skin is essential to the sexual experience in most instances. This is part of the reason I love writing romance but have yet to write a kiss between anyone. The sexuality of a kiss is inherently uncomfortable to write for me because you’re encouraged to lean into the physical feeling of the touch of skin. Robots bring to the forefront the idea of this physical contact because their skin is often not exactly skin, and that in itself gives a sort of de facto distance from sexuality. There’s a moment which happens repeatedly with Pixane, and shows up in other robotic romances, like Wall-E and Eve, which I feel highlights this essential separation from the skin of sexuality. Pixane and Wall-Eve both have the ‘clink’ moment, in which intimate physical contact is made, (in Pixane’s case, all of their many hugs) and accentuated by the sound of their metal skin meeting with a loud clink. This sound not only highlights their lack of skin but serves to suck any sexual energy out of the interaction immediately and leaves it purely with the romance intended by the action. It’s not uncommon for people to find the sound humorous, precisely because of how desexualizing it is. It highlights the couples’ incapability of indulging in sexual skin on skin contact, and instead the closeness and companionship the act of touching provides.

And this is why I feel robots are in fact a decent candidate for asexual characters if done properly. Robots being coded as asexual can be a very negative stereotype, particularly when their asexuality is explicitly linked to their lack of emotion and feeling- but media about robots has been trending more positively recently. In fact, robots, if used correctly, may actually validate asexuality explicitly. Robotic characters are often used to explore the idea of what makes humanity human. If we give these robots human-like enough traits, when do they become human? Are they perhaps the most human? And it seems like fictional consensus agrees that sexuality is not required to achieve human status. Stripping away the excess human emotions may be part of what makes robots asexual (or aromatic, if your robot is also incapable of romantic love). The medium of robot literalizes the disconnect that asexuals have with their physical bodies, most notably their skin, and serves to put additional distance between the character and sexual contact, at least in the traditional sense. I mean, think about it, if you want your robot to be sexual, you need to go out of your way to establish that it has sexual capability, because no one is going to simply assume that your fictional robot was designed with that capability in mind. Why would it be, unless that was its explicit purpose? In a way, robots are sort of de facto asexual.

Pixane is queer because it’s asexual, and it’s asexual because they distill down only the purely romantic parts of a romantic relationship. They’re able to do this, in part because of their individual characterization, but also because of their robotic bodies, which make the separation between romance and sexuality just that much easier. They highlight the necessity to separate romance from all of the convoluted sexual layers which often accompany it, and so come out feeling distinctly untraditional and subversive.

That's the theory, again, all hyper based on my own personal experience with asexuality, which is of course not all encompassing. I'd love to hear your thoughts :)

#ninjago #pixane #pixal borg #zane julien #pixal ninjago #zane ninjago #asexuality #long one #parachuterants

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luimagines · 5 months

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Honor Among Gods

Ok. This is another purely indulgent thing.

Those who've been here a while would remember that there was once a character named Hesper. She is a demigod, daughter of Nyx.

My good friend @thesoftieanon made her and well... We went wild.

I'm not kidding. This is over 20 pages long. And I'm posting it not only to share one of my favorite short stories I've cowritten with someone since making this blog, but this is here for me because the formatting makes it easier to reread. XD

This is a universe where Hesper got paired with The Fierce Deity. It is naturally written in his point of view. Enjoy.

Masterlist

Content under the cut!

When he was able to open his eyes again, he was undeterred by the sight of monsters and battle. He got right to work to take care of the problem, knowing that his host was desperate at best to eliminate these pests.

These monsters were stronger than he knew his host could handle. It didn’t take a genius to conclude this was why his help was required.

The boys around him were familiar forces at this point. He could feel them from a distance but now he had faces to the forces he could only remotely feel.

Except for one.

A young woman traveled with them at this point. She fought valiantly, growling back at the beast in front of her. She fought like none other he had ever seen before. She wore dark clothing and nearly rivaled his own height without the restrictions of his host. He couldn’t see her face from the cloth that covered every part of her body.

There was an energy about her. Something that called for his respect and devotion. She was nowhere near as overbearing as the Great Ones, but surely, unmistakingly one of them.

He was so distracted by the sight of someone new and different, that the monster, despite bleeding profusely from multiple gashes across its body, proceeded to knock her off her feet and drive its weapon into her shoulder.

The Fierce Deity sprang into action and body-slammed the creature without a second thought, finishing the beast with a solid swipe to the neck. He turned and pulled the weapon out of the girl. In retrospect, he should have been more gentle. He regrets his rash actions immediately.

She yells in pain but it gets stuck in her throat at the sight of him towering above her. His own breath gets stuck in her throat. She surely belongs among the Great Ones. Her eyes are filled with innumerable stars. There’s a depth and alluring presence to them. He’d dare to stare for longer had another cry of anguish not catch his attention.

The battle continues to rage on around him and his work is still needed.

The Fierce Deity continues to fight, leaving the young goddess behind. As the fight comes to a close, his host removes him once more and he has returned to the world of darkness around him. As darkness falls on the outside world, his host rests for the day. It is here that the old god decides to ask about the maiden from before.

“Hero.” He calls into the mind of his chosen.

He feels the body wither and groan in response. Exhaustion plagues his mind and body heavily, but his curiosity runs deeper than the needs of mortals. “Yes?”

“Tell me about the Great One’s kin.” He says, because he’s not entirely sure if she herself is one of the Great Ones or merely a Lesser One. He is sure, however, about her status among mortals is not one and the same.

“The what?” The once boy replies.

“The young woman.” He feels himself growing impatient. Who else could he be possibly talking about other than one of the most breathtaking individuals he has ever seen among the sixteen realms?

His host groans once more. Vaguely, the cursed one can feel the sluggish mind of his host put the dots together to whom he may be talking about. “Woman…. Hesper? Are you talking about Hesper?”

A soothing balm covers his irritation in an instant. He hums and echoes the name pleasantly. “Hesper. So that is her name… Divine, indeed. Tell me more.”

“No.”

“Boy-”

“No. It’s three in the morning. I am trying to sleep.”

That does not dissuade the old god.

It takes the course of multiple days, but the Fierce Deity eventually gleans information about the girl and her kin. She is from a distant realm beyond their borders of reality. She is in fact a daughter of the Great Ones- but of her own realm. There appear to be many Great Ones where she is from. She is a daughter of a goddess named Nyx- a goddess and personification of night, and mother to many monsters and other Great Ones.

However, Hesper herself is not a Great One, much to his disappointment and displeasure. She is half-mortal. There are many like her in her realm. Such one travels with the group as well. A young boy no older than seven. The Deity is told that the boy cannot speak with his tongue and rather uses his hands much like another boy he used to know. He is the opposite of his half-sister. She is dark and of the night. The boy is bright and of the day. To his knowledge, the boy was abandoned by his mother for not sticking to the code of her other children.

The Fierce Deity feels an indignant twitch in his eye once he is told but he cannot speak against such ones for his own sake. Hesper, however, does not seem to mind. The boy, named Sol, is very much her kin and responsibility.

When asked about her attire, the Deity was told that Hesper was born with a curse and natural susceptibility to sunlight. She cannot be touched by it or she will suffer.

Knowing all of this only causes the old god to want to know more about her.

Those eyes that he stared into haunt with every waking second. And for an immortal being without any need for rest, he has a lot of time on his hands to think of her. Should it come to it, he would fight by her side. He would devote himself to her. He would be her sword and her shield so she wouldn’t ever have to come near danger ever again. He cannot bear the thought of such a wondrous creature falling in the path of another blade. He still remembers her scream of pain. It is maddening.

Curiously, one day, the young boy Sol finds him among the hidden weapons and masks belonging to his host. The Fierce Deity is vaguely aware of the boy’s spirit. He is energetic and flighty- prone to joking with seemingly never-ending mischievous intentions.

He picks up the mask and studies him. The god doesn’t know of the boy’s intentions with his prison but he wonders how he passes the guard of his host. This is not a normal occurrence.

The boy drops the mask and something falls on top of it- cracking the visage.

The chains rattle around him and the Fierce Deity can feel the power of the prison slipping away as the seconds pass. It takes only a moment for him to find the weakest link and strike through it.

He is free.

His body forms from under the rubble and the boy stares up at him with what can only describe as shock and awe. It appears that while he dropped the mask, many things fell over as well, falling on top of the mask to strike just where it needed to. A lucky strike, so to speak.

His old host stands next to the boy, equally shocked and on edge. Any words he may have intended to say to the youngest die on his tongue once his eyes land on his imposing figure. His old host is no longer the boy he once knew. Pride swells up in him to see the man he has grown into. But neither of them are the one he wishes to see the most right now.

As if summoned by the commotion, Hesper herself comes from the woodwork, instantly b-lining for her young brother.

As soon as she nears, the deity drops to his knee, bowing toward the daughter of night.

She freezes at the sight of him, looking between him and his former host. She takes a step back. Hesper clears her throat and looks away from him. “... Is this normal?”

The Fierce Deity is unfamiliar with the emotions causing his heart to race but he knows that she is worthy of the honor and respect he gives her. “All others shield themselves from the morning sun- yet it is the starlight’s beauty that gains the admiration of mere men. I finally understand where they meet their folly."

Her jaw falls softly. Although it is covered by the cloth to shield her from the afternoon rays, he can see the shock drape over her face. She spins around, trying to find some sort of response to his words but no one is able to help her. She gulps. “I… thank you?”

His former host gains his sense of self first. He walks toward the two of them, putting himself in between. “Hesper, I’d like to apologize on his behalf-”

“Do not apologize for me.” The Deity growls. “I’ve waited for millennia. I refuse to wait any longer.”

"Millennia for what?? You- who are you?" Hesper blinks, completely perplexed. She then squints, recalling a time she'd gotten messed up on the battlefield no less than a week ago. "Wait... it's you. The deit- why are you bowing to me?"

Her recognition of him is exciting. The Fierce Deity straightens in his pose, keeping his knee firmly on the first floor. "Because you are the most exquisite jewel among mortal men."

Hesper gulps again, taking another step back. A hand raises, and a finger points towards her as if to question if he’s truly talking about her. As if he’d say that about anyone else. It’s a soft look. Her eyes widen, and a blush peeks out from under her mask. "W... what?"

"You are a daughter of the night." He says easily. "The jewels of the heavens are your birthright. And I am forever at your beck and call, my queen."

The Fierce Deity is too taken by the young woman in front of him to notice that the camp has gone silent. They are watching the interaction with intense interest. Sol looks around the group, not quite understanding what is transpiring.

Time’s jaw has dropped as well. Something compels him to attempt to regain control over the situation. Before he can act, however, Sol tugs on his sleeve. He signs. ‘Is he bad? Like the gods at home?’

Time sighs and shakes his head. "Yes and no. But I think you and your sister are safe."

‘Okay... why is he saying all that stuff about Hesper?’ Sol lights up suddenly. ‘Does he like her?? Is that what he meant by jewel?’

Time is fighting back the second-hand embarrassment as much as he can. "It appears soooo… He's always been more on the poetic side of prose."

He is not going to tell Sol that FD tried to farm him for information about his sister.

‘Oh, I see! Well, hopefully he doesn't just like her for her power, she hates that.’ Sol turns just in time to make eye contact with FD and waves with a grin.

The Fierce Deity smiles back in kind, making even Time take a step back. He waves and beckons the small child closer.

Sol runs up, no hesitation, and Hesper tenses. ‘Hi, I'm Sol! You like my big sister, huh?’

The old god’s face softens at the sign. The boy looks a lot like Link did when he was little. He reaches out to ruffle the hair of the younger one. "I've been bewitched by her splendor, little one. There is little who can compare. Are you the protector of this maiden?"

‘Yeah! If you wanna date my sister, you can't just use fancy words! You gotta pass my test!’

"Ah, Sol-" Hesper starts, alarmed.

The Fierce Deity grins. "Of course! A maiden of her caliber cannot be won alone by fanciful speech."

He reaches over, picking him up effortlessly and puts him on his shoulders. "Tell me, child, what quest is in need of pursuing?"

Sol grins back. ‘Well, to start, what do you like about her? Is she just a jewel to you?’

Hesper keeps her hand against her heart, watching the interaction with bated breath and a hand on a blade. Her heart is pounding in her chest.

"A jewel is more than its shine and splendor." He says easily, holding his hand out for her to take as he makes his way into the middle of the camp. It wouldn't look well on his part to leave her behind, now would it.

"I was enamored by her wit." He admits. "And her fortitude."

Hesper takes it after he says that, keeping the other readily on her blade.

‘Fortitude? What's that mean? Sounds cool!’ Sol, however, is unbothered by this hulking man, singing the praises of his older sister. He is very quickly gaining his approval.

"It means to take courage despite the pain." The old god whispers, looking at her reaction. There's no mistaking that he's smitten with her. Something that the rest of the group are quick to clue in on.

As well as the young woman. Despite her unwillingness to instantly trust this man, his face speaks of nothing but genuine emotion and intention. Does… he truly mean what he says?

The grip on her blade loosens.

Sol keeps signing. ‘Wow, you know her really well! How long have you been in love with her?’

"Sol!" Time cuts him off, mortified on Hesper's behalf. "I think that's a conversation for them to have."

"No way, this is getting good!" Legend waves him off.

Time pinches the bridge of his nose. "You're all horrible."

Sol tilts his head. ‘I'm just saying! He's obviously known her for a while, but she doesn't know him at all!’

"That's... why it should be a conversation between us." Hesper says quietly.

‘Oh? So you're okay with him?’

"... For now." She decides, releasing her blade entirely.

‘Okay! Good job, you passed for now!’

Even more pride swells within the chest of the deity. He finds himself standing straighter and smiles at the young boy on his shoulders. He feels as if he is beaming. “My many thanks.”

Sol clambers off him to go play with Wind, leaving his sister behind and thoroughly embarrassed. The deity watches his interest. He’s admittedly always had a soft spot for little ones.

Hesper on the other hand has succumbed to her embarrassment, covering her face with one of her hands. Her voice is quiet and strained. A mere squeak of its usual glory. “Oh my gods…”

The Fierce Deity sees no problem with this. He turns to her once again, bending at his knee with his head down. "My queen."

He awaits her direction.

"Ah- you don't have to bow, standing or sitting or- whatever you want to do is fine!" Hesper puts her hands out in an attempt to stop him from showing the proper respect she deserves. He does not understand why she attempts this. He can only assume that she's not used to this kind of treatment. Although he cannot imagine why.

Something about that level of innocence ignites his wicked streak. He smirks a bit. "And if I want to do this?"

"For crying out loud, don't make it harder on the poor girl." Time groans.

"... That's fine." Hesper barely manages to squeak out. She can't look at him. The deity hadn’t even thought it was possible for her to appear bashful. It’s an endearing look on her.

The Fierce Deity reaches out, brushing a bit of hair out of her face. "Beautiful... What a lovely shade you don, dearest.”

"I-I'm going to patrol-!" Hesper yells, taking a step back into the shadows and disappearing in a blink of an eye.

He blinks as he stares into the space where she once had been. Shadow travel? Exquisite. Is there anything she isn’t capable of? Curse aside, of course.

"Awwww..." Sky pouts. "She left before it got good."

Time is internally screaming. This has already gotten out of hand. He can't do anything to reel him in and he knows it.

Hesper is on her own, he decides. Which is unfortunate for her, but entertaining for everyone else.

Sol somehow has the sense to sign 'Hey mister, I think you overdid it.'

Wind nods along with him. "She's not used to compliments, take it from me. I called her pretty once and she hid her face again!"

The Fierce Deity frowns. "Is there such a thing? How could she not get compliments? She's one of a kind. A daughter of the Great One.... does she not have suitors?"

Sol shakes his head. 'Everyone back home thinks she's scary... at least that's what she said.’

Wind slowly nods along, wincing.

The old god glares in the space beyond the group. "Unacceptable.”

'I mean they're scared of Momma too, but I dunno why.' Sol shrugs. 'They're not scared of me.'

Sol does not understand that many fear such creatures of the night no matter what their size or shape. Their intentions and actions do not matter to the creatures of the day. However, that is of little excuse. The Fierce Deity doesn’t understand it either.

"Cowards."

The old god takes a deep breath.

Sol shrugs and goes back to playing with Wind.

It isn’t long until Sol returns and all but tackles the deity. ‘I have a question.’

“And what is it you intend to ask, little one?” The Deity turns to look at the young boy. He allows him to crawl over him, digging into his sides and his armor to perch himself over his shoulder.

‘Are you going to marry my sister?’

“If she’ll have me.”

Sol nods sagely. ’You’ll need an apple.’

“An apple?” Another thing the deity does not understand. “Is such a thing required for the hand of maidens where you’re from?”

Sol nods once again, more enthusiastically. ‘You have to throw it to her. If she catches it, she’ll marry you.’

The Fierce Deity remembers this and allows the child to get off of him as he returns to playing around with the other boys. He knows he must win over the young woman first but such knowledge is useful for the future.

Hesper doesn’t return until the break of twilight. The Fierce Deity had been attending and entertaining the younger ones when Sol had all but collapsed against him. Hesper collects the child without missing a beat and prepares his bedroll in a moment.

The old god is panicking on the inside but he's outwardly looking confused. "...I wasn't aware he was that thoroughly exhausted."

"He's not. It's his curse." Hesper picks up her brother's body, which appears limp and lifeless. "He can only be active in the light of day. No light; it's like he's dead. But he's just sleeping."

The Fierce Deity shudders at the thought, but it's quickly replaced by thinly veiled rage. "Who would dare put a curse on a child?"

"The gods of our world." Hesper says it so calmly... and then she looks at him. "They're afraid of what we'd do without them there."

"Well as I recall, they're not here." He growls. "Can this be undone?"

"It took a god to do it, so I'd imagine it'd take a god to undo it." Hesper goes through the routine of putting Sol to bed; arms over his blanket so he'll wake sooner in the morning. "Nothing else I've tried has worked, anyways."

The old god stares after the sleeping child.

"...A god you say..." He whispers, running his hands over Sol's bangs. He takes a knee once more and bows his head toward the young woman. "Is that all there is to it?”

"... It was the king of the gods who did it." The word 'king' is bitter on her tongue. "His word overpowers all others in our world. I know most of you are god slayers, so that might not even matter, but... be careful."

The Fierce Deity hums; already aware such things would come with a price and gently puts the back of his finger on Sol's cheek. The child is cold.

Something is stirred within him. Ancient. Primal.

"I'll find a way."

"I know. I could see you thinking about it as soon as I mentioned gods." Hesper sighs, already cluing in to the fact she can't sway him. Still, she makes him look at her. "I mean it, though. Find your way if you want, but don't be reckless. Please."

The Fierce Deity stills- the storm in his mind clearing as she pulls him from his thoughts. Her hands. They're on him. She's touching him. Willingly.

He backs down to step to her level.

"Yes... As you wish, Jewel." He whispers, unable to deny the look in her eye. His heart is pounding in his chest. What is this feeling?

"Thank you." She nods, checks on Sol one last time, then makes her way around the camp, checking in on the boys and seeing them off to bed.

... She can't believe she did that.

He can't believe she just did that.

He could have touched her back. He could have held her. He could have held her hand. He could have felt her skin and its warmth, its tone, its smooth silk-like quality.

A rare creature- both alluring and captivating. To humble him. To excite him.

He's never felt like a man until this point.

His eyes follow her as she moves through the camp.

This child means the world to her.

He'll protect them for the night.

Hesper looks back at him after a moment- Time does as well.

"Will you be sleeping?" She asks their shared question. She isn't sure if he needs sleep, but it never hurts to ask.

It takes a moment for the deity to register that she was speaking to him. When it hits he looks ashamed of not answering her sooner.

"No." He says. "You may rest for tonight. I have no plans for slumber."

She nods, then says goodnight to Time, returning to her brother's side. Instead of lying on a bedroll, she leans against the tree by his head, just shy of the deity's reach. If she’s sleeping, she’s in no hurry to do so.

The temptation the deity didn't know he'd have to restrain. He steadies himself to look away from her and the child, looking instead to the rest of the group and beyond.

He could do it. He could give in to everything he desires.

But she ran from mere words.

He would never live down pushing her away. So he sits still. Like a statue.

And behaves himself.

Even if he allows himself to fantasize in the meantime.

Hesper, for her part, glances at him, out of the corner of her eye.

He's really not that bad, she's decided. He's just... not used to people, she thinks. Yeah... not used to people. That made two of them, really.

She looks back into the forest, letting out a quiet sigh. Part of her is nervous. The last time someone took an interest in her, it was… It went bad, to say the least. She doesn't want that again.

But so far he seemed good. ...Overwhelming on the compliments, but good.

Oh gosh, the compliments. How could someone find that much to compliment her on? And not one thing about her power.

Courage.

Of course that's what he liked.

... It was cute, in a way. He's... he's pretty cute.

She'll admit that to herself. She can allow that.

She’s smiling a little when she nods off.

Seeing the faint smile on her face puts the deity a little more at ease. Time explains to the others (as they all tuck themselves in for the night) that they have nothing to fear from the old god and with time, they all turn in for the night as well and sleep peacefully.

Time gives one last glance at the large male before he also puts his head against his bed roll. The deity has seen him grow from boy to man- his old host has done much for him. The main one being his restraint- or rather- his desire to not abuse his power while he was imprisoned.

He will look after all of them. All of them. These young heroes of courage deserve to worry less about their journeys.

But as for Hesper...

He looks back to the child beside her.

The Fierce Deity vows that he will take care of that one, especially.

Hours pass and Hesper wakes with a start, as usual.

Dawn is coming. She checks to ensure she's properly covered, then gets up to check around the camp. She's so into her usual routine she forgets there's now a deity for a moment until she sees him.

"... Oh. Morning."

The Fierce Deity has already checked the perimeter and has returned from his second round. He bows to her. "Good dawn, Jewel."

She huffs in amusement. "You know, I’m not sure how I'm supposed to address you. Do you have a name or title you want us to use?"

Here, his cool confidence falters.

"I am known as the Fierce Deity. A war god. Protector of Termina......Cursed by the goddess to the form of a mask....and.... I have no other name."

"No other... ?" Hesper's eyes show she's frowning. "That's... horrible. I'm sorry to hear that."

The Deity flushes. "Gods of no honor receive none."

Demise is a name the Hylians gave him but he is known as The Demise. Or The Void. Titles are given when they have either fulfilled or gained their intended purpose. In which they are shortly after disposed of in one way or another.

Demise didn't approve of that and sought vengeance.

The deity himself fought back and was cursed.

But he was never meant to be loved. So he has no name. He knows this.

"I have accepted this."

"You have more honor than any god I know." She blurts. She's... surprised by how quickly it comes out. But she keeps going. "You... you deserve a name.”

His head snaps up to meet her head-on. "... I wouldn't dare… presume...."

"What name would you want? If... if you had one." It's not fair, Hesper laments in her heart. He should have one. Screw the regulations. He's done so much, for so long. She can see it on his face. He's earned a name. She'll name him herself if no one else will.

The deity looks to the ground. No one had ever asked him that before. He didn't think it would have been worth considering.

He looks at the boys. They all share the same name. It would be strange to take it for himself.

He frowns, feeling frustrated for not being able to give his queen an adequate answer. "I never gave it much thought. It was never of importance. I don't... I don't know..."

"That's okay." She assures him. "I... you don't have to take it if you don't like it, but... what about Thárros? It's... it's in my mother tongue, but... it means Courage."

"Thárros..." The name rolls off his tongue smoothly.

"Hesper..." He says her name for comparison. Frankly, he finds that her name is much sweeter on his tongue. But the note that the first name was chosen by his queen, in her maiden tongue no less, fills him with an indecipherable warmth. He's never been exposed to this sort of warmth before. He takes ahold of it.

"Thárros." He echoes himself. "You may call me that. If you desire, Jewel."

Her eyes crinkle, glimmering a little, and she nods. "I will. It's a pleasure to meet you, Thárros. And... you can call me Hesper, if you want. But Jewel's fine, too."

Dawn peeks over the horizon, and Hesper steps into the shade. The light makes contact with Sol's arm and a moment later he opens his eyes, once again full of life as he sits up and yawns. 'Morning...'

Wild sits up in another part of camp, going to make breakfast.

Thárros lets it rumble around his brain. It's a nice name. He smiles, smiling wider when Sol awakens. "Good morning, little one."

Time and Warrior both wake up soon after, getting ready for the day as well. They both send him nods of acknowledgement. He returns them with ease.

'Morning, Mister. How'd you sleep?' He yawns again, still not enough sunlight in his system yet. 'Oh! Did Hesper miss the sun today?'

"Yes, Sol, I'm over here." Hesper answers the last part for him.

"Miss the sun?" The Fierce Deity, now known as Thárros, looks over and tilts his head. Strange. But she is of the night.

"I didn't sleep." He responds to the child's earlier question. "I have no need for it."

'Oh, that’s cool. Yeah, Hesper wears so much clothes because she's allergic to the sun. It'll hurt her really bad if it touches her skin, so I always check.' Sol signs his understanding, but it doesn't take too much to decipher Sol processes Hesper's curse as an allergy. 'She’s only not missed it once, though, she's really good about it.'

Something in the old god’s heart breaks. That’s right, they’re both cursed. Forever shunned from either side of the day. How can they remain a family this way?

He nods in understanding, ruffling Sol’s hair in the process. "She must cherish you greatly. It's good that you look after her the way you do."

He'll break her curse too. He swears by this as well.

'Uh huh, we're really close! Even if she can't run around and play tag with Wind and I around camp, she's really good at hide and seek in the forest! She'll find me, sneak under my feet and toss me in the air! It's super fun! ' As the sun keeps rising, he gains more energy and signs faster. 'And we'll sit close during meals and after dinner we'll make up stories if I'm not playing with Wind and she taught me how to use a dagger and sneak and-!'

"Breakfast is ready!"

'Oo, breakfast! I'll be back with a plate for you, sis!' And off he runs.

Hesper laughs. "Ever the energetic one~"

Thárros shakes his head. "Most are at his age."

He then points to his old host, who's too busy trying to give out the food in an organized manner. "He was just as bad, if not worse."

Hesper chuckles. "I believe it. Though I'm willing to bet Sol can be energetic much longer than he ever was."

He hums. "....No. Not quite. The boy would stay awake for days on end. Never ceasing his quest for justice… I'm afraid Sol could not have done the same. Not with the curse upon him."

"Oh, I almost forgot he was a child hero." Hesper sighs. "I can't stand those... why must they fight so young?"

"Why indeed?" Thárros’ hand flexes over his knee. "I suppose the heroes all have their own curses to bear... It is the same with your Great Ones."

Well, I wouldn’t call them all great. Not when they treat the world as some toy they can toss away when it bores them." The glint in her eyes darkens briefly, then she looks up as her brother starts running back. "... Don’t tell Sol I said that."

The deity nods, even further fascinated by the woman next to him.

"I am not allowed to call The Great Ones anything but." He murmurs. "But it appears we aren't as different as I originally thought."

"Is that so? I suppose I should be nicer to them, but... well, I'm only nice to the gods I respect. Outside my family, that's just you." Hesper smiles as Sol reaches them, offering food. "Oh, I see you have three plates. You got one for Thárros too?"

Sol makes the connection quickly and nods, offering the deity a plate. He does not question the name.

Thárros subtly smiles and eases the weight off of the little one. "Thank you."

The deity begins to eat the strange meal. He's never had someone cook for him before either. He wasn't entirely sure he needed to eat. But the smell was kind and the other took no heed in questioning the methods behind it.

He takes a bite.

'You're welcome!' Sol plops down, separating the best slice of meat from the rest of his meal and eating the rest. Notably, Hesper does the same.

Naturally, the deity notices this, but he doesn't understand. There's many customs he hasn't needed to learn and so he has no reason to believe that it's anything strange to do. Not to mention they grew up with separate Great Ones to dictate the manner of conduct.

He makes no comment on it and simply eats like he's seen his old host do.

They both finish except for that one piece, and Sol turns to get Hesper's plate, sliding her remaining portion onto his. He walks over to the fire and scrapes them both in, signing 'For Mama.'

"... Nyx and Thárros." Hesper murmurs quietly.

Sol goes about collecting plates and helping them get clean while Hesper starts packing up.

That takes him by surprise.

An offering?

For him, no less.

If it was for their mother, he would understand more but for him? He's a lesser god. An ant of a divine being. He's no better than they are. Why would they offer something to him?

They pack up relatively quickly and make their way through the forest once more. He stays close to the back of the group, keeping quiet to not disturb the others as much as he can avoid. It appears Hesper is of the same train of thought, although she still isn’t quite sure what to make of him.

Hours turn to days turn to weeks turn to months. They are no better off finding the cure to their problem than he is finding the cure to the curses of the divine ones within the group.

The lack of progress is maddening. Thárros, as he is slowly beginning to grow accustomed to being called, has always considered himself a man of action and of results. To have nowhere to begin and no direction to follow is not in his nature.

However, that does not stop him from doting on Hesper whenever he has the time. And should the boys permit it, Sol takes it upon himself to use his body as his personal climbing gym. It warms Thárros’ heart that the boy is so welcoming of his presence. Link as a child was curious and desperate at best, but still wary.

It is a moment where he finds himself alone on patrol that he feels something shift in the air. He instantly puts his hand on the hilt of his blade. It is the middle of the day and he is in a clearing. Only someone foolish enough to not know who he is would threaten him here.

"... You're Thárros, yes? My sister speaks fondly of you."

The man spins on his heel, coming face to face with a woman he has never seen before but his confidence is shaken. A Great One. Her power is beyond his own. She stands as the dawning sun. Warm and giving, hopeful to a fault but dim. She does not stand in the direct light but she glows in the way a divine being can. He knows not who she is but respect has always been given until taken away.

His battle mask comes on.

He nods to her, bowing for good measure. "I am quite fond of her as well. May I ask of your name, Great One?"

"Yes, I can see it." Her smile is warm towards him, much like Hesper's. “I am called Hemera, goddess of the dawn and giver of days. Your loyalty to my sister is clear... You even wish to break the curse on her, from what I hear. I believe I can help with that."

Thárros' attention snaps to her. He takes a step closer despite his better judgment. "How?"

"I have crafted a bracelet for her... with it, she can walk in whichever light she wishes." She produces the item, offering it to him. "All it needs now is the touch of a deity from this world to be finished. I trust you wouldn't mind?"

He drops to take a knee. "It would be my greatest honor.”

Hemera is pleased. "Yes... you two are indeed a good match, just as I thought. May you live long lives together."

He nods, tenderly biting his lip from the inside. He cannot show weakness. He cannot fail.

It's never been this easy before. Truly there isn't any other catch to this.

Hemera presses the bracelet into his hand with a nod and a smile. It gains a shimmer to it; so quick it almost didn't seem real.

"I'll leave you to it, then." She stands and turns to leave. "... Thank you, Thárros. To you and your boys; for taking care of them when we can't."

He looks down into his palm and tucks the bracelet into his chest. Should he push his luck?

"And the boy?" He asks tentatively. "The child is cursed as well… Is that your domain? Can you help?"

Hemera looks sad at that. "I would help Sol if I could, but... we are both at the mercy of night. I'm afraid I can't help him."

Thárros stands. "...Is there a Great One who could?"

He refuses to only have one solution. He had promised Hesper to help her little brother. He has to push a bit further to make headway on his vows.

Hemera thinks about it. "... My father might. Erebus, the darkness itself. But... he has no love for either of them. He will not give you a solution as freely."

He nods; body rigid with pure determination. "I am willing to pay any price for either of them."

"Careful what you vow, Thárros." Hemera warns. "I have no doubt he'll use it against you if he can. ... Good luck on your quest. I hope you can free him."

His grip on the bracelet tightens. "I'm well aware."

He sees her off and looks back to the token in his hands.

He knows the Great One would rather have him sacrifice himself. But he was already imprisoned once. Worse case scenario he must cease to exist.

For Hesper?

He'd take that plunge.

His world has long grown out of a use for him and the Great Ones above him care not for his fate.

He'd do anything.

Thárros returns to camp quickly. He finds Hesper relatively quickly. She had fallen asleep in the shade of a great oak, a rare break she has given herself. He kneels beside her and regrettably shakes her shoulder gently. She rests so few and far between… but this, he feels, is beyond a moment of reprieve.

Hesper's eyes open and she stretches, grunting.

Not her most comfortable sleep, but better than none at all.

"Good dawn, Thárros." She’s started keying in when he's around, but she still blinks twice when she realizes he's closer than she thought. "... Did something happen?"

He bows toward her again. "I've had a visitor, Jewel."

He keeps his head low, waiting for her reaction. "A Great One by the name of Hemera."

"Hemera was here?" There’s a lightness to her tone; delight at hearing about her sister. "I didn't think she could get here. How is she? Just checking in?"

He smiles at her tone. There's trust there. He visibly relaxes. "Yes. She brought a gift."

"A gift?" Hesper chuckles. "For you or Sol?"

"For you." He whispers, bringing the bracelet into the light.

She pauses, not expecting that.

"... For me?" She reaches out, fingers just grazing the bracelet before she draws them back with a gasp. "What- what kind of magic is that? It's so warm."

"A protection." He urges her to take it. "From the light, Jewel."

He gulps, beginning to second-guess himself. The feelings he's never experienced until he met this woman scare him. "It cures your curse."

She looks at him. In disbelief. In shock. But then the stars in her eyes start to shimmer with hope.

Carefully, she takes the bracelet and puts it on. As it clicks around her wrist, it shimmers again, and she can feel the warmth spread through her whole body.

"... I can't believe it." She says softly. "After all this time... I can really..." She looks up from the bracelet, pulling down her mask just as the tears fall. "Thank you."

He panics and reaches to wipe her tears as gently as he can. "Why? Why thank me so? I have yet to help the little one."

Not to mention he can't really take credit for this. If anything, it means they would have gotten help sooner but no one cared enough to offer it. Even those that could.

But she seems overjoyed, so he won't ruin it for her.

"Yes, but you brought my hope back. I was certain-" She decides not to finish that, reaching forward and hugging him tight without a care in the world. "Thank you, Thárros. For caring."

Thárros shivers when she says his name. It's a power she has over him. It's exciting yet humbling.

He gulps, wrapping his arms around her as well. "I will help the child. Thank me not, yet. My work isn't finished."

But he tucks his nose into her hair. "However, I'm glad that you are taken care of."

"One thing down." Hesper exhales in agreement, relaxing against him. He's so warm... She feels safe like this.

Wild coughs, and it gets Hesper's attention. "Uh... good morning? Have a nice nap?"

Hesper goes pink and attempts to slowly pull out of the hug, despite a part of her screaming to just shadow away. "... Good afternoon, Wild."

Thárros doesn't let her go. If anything, he holds on tighter. He calls the young hero his affection-given name. "Good afternoon, Cub."

He turns his head to look at the young man. "Has the meal been prepared?"

"Working on it." The young man replies.

... Hesper is fine. This is comfortable. She's not-

Oh, who is she kidding, her growing appreciation and attraction are so obvious right now! Still, she doesn't move. In fact, she indulges herself and tucks her head in the crook of his neck. If he insists on keeping her here, she'll just get more comfortable.

Thárros nods towards Wild, turning his attention back to the woman in his arms. He holds her close, tucking her against him. He dare not ask for more from her.

He tenderly trails his fingers through her hair. But words fail him.

She tilts her head into his touch, trying to encourage him to continue.

This is nice. She likes this, earlier embarrassment aside. Sol sits up now that the rain clouds have passed, yawning with eyes half open. 'No... wanna go back to sleep...'

Hesper chuckles. "Afternoon, Sol. Did you enjoy your nap as well?"

'Hello. Sleep was ok...' He turns, blinking blearily. '... Your hood is off... Hair pretty. You like it short?'

"Easy to manage, I suppose."

Sol nods slowly, the gears in his brain turning slowly. '... Wait... hood off... no sunburn?'

Hesper shows him her bracelet. "Magic sunblock."

'Magic... sunblock? So you can...' It hits and he perks up. 'You can play tag?'

"Yes." Hesper snorts as Sol stumbles out of bed, running to tackle Wind and get a game started.

The deity chuckles, brushing Hesper's hair away from her face. "How do you feel, Jewel?"

"... Warm." She smiles. "The kind of warmth night can't replicate... it's nice."

"Ack- Sol, what- ... WHAT?!" Wind's shout catches the attention of several other Links, most of them confused and unimpressed. "Guys, Hesper can be in the sun!"

Wild looks up from his pot, blinking, then it clicks that Hesper and Thárros are in the sun and he mouths 'oh'.

The fierce deity smiles, grinning even. But instead of letting the others see it, he hides his face in the crook of her neck. "I'm glad."

He pulls away, teasing a kiss to her cheek. "You shouldn't need to hide from now on."

She giggles, even as her cheeks turn pink. "Aw, but sneaking around is fun!"

The rest of the camp is thrown for a loop; especially Time.

"It's only fun when it's voluntary." He whispers. "I feel as if I'm finally seeing you for the first time."

He pulls back, looking her over now that she can have her face out without any concern. He hums quietly, ignoring the other boys. "Typically the sun would overpower the light of the stars… but dare I say you appear even more bedazzled than usual, Darling."

She flusters more, attempting to pull her mask up. "How? I haven't done anything-"

He stops her, poking her nose with his. "Don't. I'm not done admiring you yet, Jewel."

"F... fine." She accepts her fate, embarrassing as it is. "If you insist..."

Warrior coughs from the sidelines. "I didn't think he had moves."

Time pales. "Honestly.... neither did I."

'Her stars are pretty, so it makes sense he wants to watch them.' Sol grins.

"Stars?" Wind blinks.

'Yeah, Hesper has stars in her eyes!'

"Oh, like how you have the sun-shaped birthmark."

'I think so? Yeah!'

Thárros takes the moment to study her. He finds it fascinating. Her eyes are full and deep and beautiful. His are flat, plain, off-putting.

He kisses her again, on her forehead, unable to hold himself back. Then he moves to her other cheek and her temple. Then onto the other side.

He kisses the tip of her nose and seemingly moves to her lips but pauses.

"Dearest... I would travel through hells for you..." He whispers. "I merely wish for you to be honored as you deserve. Whether it be with me... or another..."

But he's not too fond of the latter idea.

"... You act as if I'd choose someone else." The idea that he even considers that... annoys her. "I've let you this close, haven't I? Isn't it obvious by now, Thárros?"

His grip on her tightens as he goes completely rigid. His jaw clenches and he gulps. "...I'm afraid I am unworthy. For you... your name... your legacy...your family..."

He closes his eyes, brushing his nose against hers, taking her presence in. "I... am a selfish man. But I cannot fault you, should you choose another."

Hesper huffs, warm breath fanning over his face. "Seriously?"

She kisses him, right there, in front of the whole camp.

A choked noise comes out of him, clearly taken off guard.

His hands fly upwards, caging her in and holding her closer. One hand on her cheek, the other entangled in her hair.

He gives in to his desires at last.

Hesper makes a point to kiss him for a long moment, both to prove something and because it felt good to kiss him. When she finally draws back, however, it's softly, and she's cradling his face like he's as precious as he likes to say she is. "... I... choose you. Understand? No one else, Thárros. I love you."

He keeps her close though- not allowing her to be too far away from possibly being kissed again. Thárros gulps and nods. "I have already chosen you… My Love."

The frustration mixed with her look of adoration slips away, and she huffs in amusement. "Good. Glad we're on the same page."

"... Lunch is ready." Wild hesitantly breaks the moment, the first to find his voice in the shocked silence of... everyone.

The one… previously known as The Fierce Deity was overjoyed for the longest time. He was no longer bothered by their lack of progress. To see the Jewel of the Sixteen Realms laugh and play in the sun as she’s always yearned warmed his heart. It seemed as if there was a hole that was filled from that point on, both in Hesper and in Sol.

And to finally kiss her.

It only solidified his determination to help where he was needed. Surely, there would still be battles to fight and a war to win, but this purpose had a higher meaning now.

If he had to lay his existence on the line for the sake of one little boy, he would do so without a second thought. While he would miss his Jewel, and he knew now, that it would pain her for him to leave. If it was called for, he would give. And give and give. She deserved to live happily. She was robbed of the light and of the pleasures of day. And as a consequence, she was robbed of her brother and his childhood.

And her brother deserved to have his big sister by his side to protect him- not to watch him from a distance where she cannot go. Sol should know the wonders of the night and beauty of the stars. It is the realm of his mother and his sister. The darkened skies are a peace to mankind. He should know those as well.

A family must be whole.

He says none of this to Hesper, for fear she should convince him otherwise. But he has never broken a vow before, nor does he plan to begin to do so.

It is once again, when he is alone on patrol that another Great One from the other realm visits him. This time, however, the world shifts around him and Thárros is enveloped in darkness. He sees no body either in front of him or around him.

He need not introduce himself. The darkness speaks to cut to the chase. "Hemera says you wish to break a curse. That requires a test, does it not? Sure you can wield the sword and ‘protect’... but I know your kind. Savage. Rough. Beastly. Prove yourself capable of restraint and maybe I'll help the child."

“Erebus.” The Fierce Deity bows in the darkness. A Great One of the highest regard should be treated as such, no matter how savage he considers them to be. The Great One gives him no such respect in return.

"Do not move from where you stand, boy. What you are going to see has already transpired. Try to help her-" The omnipresent form before Thárros grins wickedly, a smile that promises pain. "And I will send you back to where you came from in failure."

Thárros growls, hate and wrath already burning in his stomach.

The Great One laughs. "This would be interesting to watch. Begin."

The darkness shifts, forming a room. A man stands before him, holding a wailing baby. It's- her arm has been touched by sunlight, smoke curling into the air from the contact. Hesper turns into the man's shadow, melting away and into a darkened corner of the house, still crying. The man gasps.

"What the- what kind of demon are you?!" The man grabs a knife, face twisted in disgust as he starts towards her. "Nevermind that! Go back to wherever you came from, you little devil!"

The man swings towards Hesper and-

The scene changes.

The once Fierce Deity tenses considerably, but makes no move.

She's older now. A man sits with her, a weaker demigod, holding the arm burnt in her childhood and examining the scars it left behind.

"It never healed?"

"Not really." She says softly, pulling her arm back. "That's why I wear the cloak... to protect me from the sun. Until I find something else, at least."

The man nods, something glinting in his eyes. Something dark. "So... it really can kill you."

She doesn't see it, standing from the table. "Yes. That's why I visit at night... I really should go, Lityerses. Hemera is coming soon."

Something crashes to the floor. A mirror, sending shards everywhere.

"Lit?! Are you alri-"

"Hemera." 'Lit' grasps the edge of a curtain. "Is already here."

He rips the curtain down, sunlight flooding the room and reflecting off of all the shards. Hesper screams in pain, retreating to a corner and hiding behind her cloak. "Lit, what are you doing?!"

"I'm sick of you leaving." He pulls down another curtain and another, ignoring her cries for him to stop. "I'm starting to wonder if you even love me."

"I do! Lit, please-!"

"That's not good enough." He pulls down the last curtain, looking at the cloak wrapped so tight he can only see the shape of her. "I don't want you to leave ever again. You're mine, Hesper. Only mine."

Then he took the curtains and left.

Leaving her to sob.

Thárros can feel the need to conjure his sword bubble under the surface of his skin. He studies the face of the man intently, but makes no move from his spot.

The memories with Lit continue. There’s days worth. Months worth. Years worth. Every time he appears through the door, Thárros has to remind himself there's an end to this. Somewhere, eventually, this ends. He stops screaming at her. He stops abusing her. He stops demanding things he has no right to demand. She stops crying.

It takes another year’s worth of memories before he hears a second man. Not Lit. The small form in the corner shifts.

"... Don't." She hisses to the second man. "Don't eat, don't drink. It's a trick."

She flinches as Lit kicks the door, but she keeps going. "He intends to slow you so you can't beat him."

"Beat him in what?" The man replies.

"A harvesting contest!"

"SHUT UP!" A harsher kick, and she goes quiet again. But the man stands.

"Who is she?"

"A foolish woman who can't keep her mouth shut!" Lit throws open the door, intent on getting her, but the second man pulls him back outside.

"You can deal with her after you beat me."

Lit laughs. "Alright, fine! I've never been beat before, I won't start now!"

Thárros felt great satisfaction when Hercules took his head off.

He watched on as the scenes went by faster; near hits, near kills, threats, all while she gained more scars and better equipment to deal with the sun.

Then she was at a camp. A camp full of demigods. She watched them at night, through the shadows of the woods. She protected them, kept the monsters in line.

And she was utterly alone.

They were frightened of her, of her power. They didn't even know her name. They gave her no thanks. No offering.

Did they even know what she did for them?

Even the children of her brother, Hypnos, avoided her.

... And she protected them anyway.

Tharros was glad that he had picked up from the mortals on how to control their emotions. Something he didn't think he had the discipline to learn.

He had gleaned bits and pieces of her past from their conversations, and from what the others would say and from what Sol would say but he never imagined it so vividly.

It was maddening. Blood boiling.

The only thing he could focus on was how he would have changed it all. How he would have made them worship her, how he would have protected her- treated her like the goddess she is. She would have never wanted for anything or would have worked a day in her life.

FD bit his tongue on multiple occasions. The slight metallic tang in his mouth wasn't enough to deter him from calming down. But it did keep him in place. It kept him from moving. It kept him from going to and destroying them all.

He had clenched his fists so hard that he was sure that his nails had pierced his skin.

Hesper would no doubt question him about it later.

But this is for her brother. Her kin. The one she loved so dearly.

The only other to love her as completely as he did.

It was due.

He would not compromise himself or the child.

He would. Not. Move.

"... Hmph." The Great One huffed, breath ruffling his hair. "I commend you, boy. All that pain to your beloved, and still you refuse to move."

Erebus pauses, watching as a black blood throws Hesper to the ground, driving its weapon through her shoulder. The day Thárros first saw her.

Erebus laughs.

"I fail to see what you do in that pitiful wretch, but I will admit, your loyalty is quite amusing."

Instead of feeling more rage at the scene before him, he calms. He is reminded of what he saw in her, why he fell so hard for her.

He’s reminded why he's here.

He ignores the Great One's sting to her. He takes a breath. "It is I who sees it. You need not concern yourself with it. All I endure is so that you keep your end of the bargain."

"... Enough." Erebus scoffs, and it all ends. "You know the rest of it, so I won't bother making you relive it. Your point is made, and your trial passed. As agreed, I will undo what has been done to the boy."

The Fierce Deity only tenses up more, afraid of ruining this. He nods and bows once more (despite his distaste for the Great One in front of him) for good measure. "My thanks."

"Yes yes, be on your way." Erebus grunts, waving him off into the familiar shadows of Hylian forest. It appears that hours have passed since he has left the group. Night has recently fallen. The last simmers of the sunlight are barely holding onto the horizon. As Thárros walks, the Great One speaks one last time. "... I'm impressed, boy. No god here would do as you have this day. Tell me, who is it that has passed my trial?"

... He's asking for his name?

"I am the Protector of Termina." He settles for a neutral title. "But I am called... Thárros by the daughter night."

"Thárros..." A laugh bubbles out of the primordial being. "Yes, courage indeed... So you will be known by me, Thárros the Protector."

Something alights within him with that. A new purpose. A god with a name.

A god worth honoring.

He bows once more in respect.

Then he turns to leave.

Erebus' presence leaves him and back towards camp Hesper releases a startled yelp.

"Ah! Oh my gods- Sol, you're awake! I- I'm sorry, I'm sorry, yes I know it's late-"

Thárros starts running to the camp.

He stops by the edge, watching Sol sign as quickly as he can, both in confusion and fascination. The young child keeps poking and checking his skin- as if he's expecting to start burning like his sister does.

Relief? Love? Acceptance? He doesn’t know what emotion explodes within him. Whatever it is causes tears to roll down his cheeks and he drops to his knees.

He did it.

He actually did it.

Both siblings turn to him at the sound of his collapse and run to him.

"Thárros? What happened? Are you alright?" Hesper asks as Sol reaches up and wipes his tears away with warm, tiny hands.

Words fail him.

He leans down for Sol to reach better and kisses the boy on the forehead. "Enjoy your blessings, child."

He runs his hand over his hair before turning and picks Hesper up, spinning her around in circles. He peppers her face in all the kisses he can before he dips her, kissing her soundly.

When he pulls back, leaving her dizzy and breathless, he finally finds it in himself to speak coherently. "I told you I'd do it."

"... Oh my gods." Her eyes widen, sparkling as she looks from Sol to him again. "You- oh my gods!"

She laughs and pulls him in for another kiss. Sol has no idea what's happening but he runs around grinning.

He kisses her back happily.

No one else knows what's happening. They're still wondering why Sol hasn't fallen asleep yet, or rather, why he woke up.

Thárros pulls away first, hooking Hesper's legs around his waist. "Be my woman… Please..."

Hesper laughs again as she holds his shoulders to steady herself. "I thought I already was."

"Officially..." He whispers. "I believe Sol mentioned an apple is typically involved."

Hesper went pink, words lost as her lips parted. Slowly though, she smiles, stars warm with light. "... Yes. I'd love to, Thárros."

He smiles back and rests his forehead against hers. "Then it's decided then."

He steals a kiss, running his hands through her hair. "You will want for nothing, I swear by it."

Hesper giggles, brushing white locks from his face. "Of course not. I already have all I could need."

"I would believe a roof is in order, first." Thárros teases, feeling overjoyed and boyish and whole.

"Stay with me." He whispers. "You and the boy."

They could all be together. He would protect them all. His woman, the child-....

Could they start a family? He doesn't want to get his hopes up. But the thought of little ones running around, excites him now that there's little for him to fear.

'Yeah!' Sol somehow wiggles his way between them both. 'I wanna stay with Thárros!'

"Well, if we're all in agreement." Hesper laughs, ruffling Sol's hair along with Thárros'.

Sol chuckles, letting her do as she pleases.

This is it. He's going to do everything in his power. If anything would touch a single hair on their heads... He would have to be personally brought into hell itself for him to cease the rains of fire.

The name placed upon him is Thárros. His old title means nothing now. He is no longer the honorless Fierce Deity but rather Thárros the Protector. He is alight with a new purpose and will remain with his name until his purpose is completed.

He will always have his purpose, for now and forever.

"No one is going anywhere then. You're safe."

#linkeduniverse #linked universe #Fierce Deity #percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #i guess?#they're not fully mentioned but Hesper is from that universe #legend of zelda #the fierce deity #FD #Fierce Deity x OC #fierce deity x oc #goodness is that everything?#i doubt it

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