#and I picked him up by his little carapace to put him back in his home | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

angel-of-the-moons · 1 year ago

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Poe Dameron x Fem Twi'lek!Reader

Summary:

On a solo job to Ryloth to pickup a shipment for The Resistance, Poe runs into an unexpected hiccup. With his only transport damaged and BB-8 offline, Poe is forced to stash his cargo and venture out into the harsh Rylothian landscape, where he finds you. Or, more accurately... you find him.

TW/CW: Near death, infection, fever, dehydration, fluff, Poe is a disaster pansexual idiot, BB-8 is his son fight me. Bugs!!! Big!!! Bugs!!! Strip poker (technically), everybody checks everyone out, but nothing explicit happens.

A/N: It's about time I wrote something for Poe! I can finally do the idea I had now that I thought up a plot! This fic takes place before The Force Awakens! (I hope you guys like the reference I put in there! Dun dun duuuun!)

And like, I just wanted an excuse to show Leia being the "team mom".

Asdfghjkl god this is a long-winded one but I didn't wanna break it up into parts; and the ending feels a bit lacking, but i loved writing it.

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It was supposed to be a routine supply run for some extra credits for the Resistance.

Go to the location, pick up the package from the dead drop, bring it to his ship, and go deliver it to his contact for payment, then come on home.

What he didn't anticipate? Was the pack of gutkurr that ambushed he and BB-8, his droid companion after they spent almost a full day digging up the concealed cache.

The large carnivorous insects ambushed them on the way out of a rocky canyon bend, jumping from the well-camouflaged crevices they concealed themselves in and onto the speeder he'd paid next to nothing for.

It was a junker, for sure, but the fuel cells and thrusters were good enough to do the trip he needed it for. He wouldn't be able to fit his ship into these narrow twists and turns even if he tried.

Maybe if he had his X-Wing, but that would have been too high-profile for this run, which is why he had to settle for a simple, tiny cargo freighter.

But while on the ground he needed something more maneuverable. Hence that kriffing speeder.

As soon as one of the gutkurr landed on the hood, the thin metal folded in, the inner workings of the speeder sputtering and erupting into smoke as the sickle-like claws of the creature dug into the metal for better security as it snapped its jaws in Poe's direction.

He had to bob and tip away and try to see around the animal, while BB-8 shocked it if it got too close to Poe. Always his best sidekick, that droid was his partner in crime.

But try as the little droid might, he just was no match when the speedier just died, unable to take the strain anymore as the electrical system short-circuited and send sparks of light arcing every which way, sending the droid's head spinning with a high pitched "beep-wheeeeep!" before completely stilling.

The nose of the speeder was forced down, digging a gouge of dry craggy soil until it pitched forward because of the sheer weight in the front from Poe, the gutkurr, and the cases of cargo strapped to the sides.

Poe was sent flying through the air, just narrowly dodging the snapping maw of the gutkurr as it rolled back to its feet, a piece of jagged metal jabbing into its flesh where the natural armor plating had gapped.

Poe spun around, both blasters drawn as the rest of the pack caught up, salivating at the prospect of a fresh meal.

A big, handsome, juicy one, if Poe actually had to brag about it.

He'd tried to fire at them, but his blaster bolts simply bounced right off their thick carapaces.

Kriff.

He fired again, and once more the red bolts fizzed off the shells and into the canyon walls, sending shards of chalky rock and dust raining down on them.

"Kriff!"

There were three of them.

Three of them versus one of him. It may have been a bit more even had BB-8 not been fried by the overload to his system, but right now it was down to just what little he had on him to fight. And it wasn't much. He had a few grenades... but were they enough to get through their carapaces when his blaster couldn't?

The creatures all hissed as they slowly advanced on him, snapping their maws and growling deeply to intimidate him into turning and running away, just so they could strike at him from behind.

Poe was reckless, but not stupid.

Okay, well maybe there was that one time on Corellia, but--

He sucked his bottom lip between his teeth as he slowly put one foot in after the other, backing away as carefully as possible with no sudden movements.

"Okay, buglies... Easy, there..." Poe said gently to them, his dark eyes darting around frantically for an out.

Firing his blasters was pointless, it bounced right off the ugly shells--

Wait.

His eyes quickly raked up the sides of the craggy rocks towering on either side of them. Maybe...

Ah... screw it.

Poe backed further from the speeder, leading the nasties away from his downed speeder and best pal.

If he timed it right... Then maybe he could pull this trick off.

"Come on, that's it... come get a nice juicy bite of some Dameron steak..." He continued to talk to himself as his hand slowly lowered his other blaster, letting it hang loosely from the worn leather strap. His fingers deftly found their way to the round objects in one of the pockets of his belt and he pulled one out, his thumb flicking the arming switch.

His feet moved beneath him in a blur.

In a second he was able to toss a grenade at the feet of one of the gutkurr, the creatures snarling and hissing at the object before it detonated, sending shards up through the softer shell of the underbelly through one of them, killing the creature with a thunderous boom and crack as the carapace gave way beneath the force of the explosion.

Poe had thrown himself backwards as the explosion tossed one of the remaining two insectoids against the canyon wall, disorienting it as the other lunged for Poe, snatching his leg between his jaws and crunching down.

Either the gutkurr didn't intend to rip his leg off or it was knocked off its senses by the blast, he didn't know. The searing pain as the animal's fangs shredded through his leather boot and ripped into his skin, sending hot gushes of bright red blood out onto the yellowish sand below.

Poe cried out, gritting his teeth and blinking back tears as he raised his blaster again, this time pressing the barrel straight against the eye of the beast; the white-hot bolt burning right through to the brain, killing it with a double-tap of the trigger.

Once it slumped to the side, Poe scrambled away once more, grabbing another grenade from his pouch and tossing it to the last surviving gutkurr.

He rolled into his side and covered his head as it detonated, sending chunks of rock crumbling from the canyon walls, falling and crushing the gutkurr beneath the weight of the stones.

Once the dust cleared, Poe laid back in the sand and heaved heavy breaths, sweat soaking his clothes as the adrenaline coursed through his body.

He managed to force himself to his feet and hobble back to his crashed speeder. His first action was to pull BB-8 free from the socket and proceed to check him over.

Upon seeing the scorch marks, Poe's brows pinched up and his heart fluttered.

"Oh, buddy..." He breathed as he leaned in, pressing his forehead to what would be the spherical droid's face.

"Don't worry," He promised. "I'll get us out of here. And then... we're getting the hell off of Ryloth."

Poe carefully set his droid pal to the side and began scrambling for his medical kit.

When he found the busted metal tin, he cringed when he saw the contents. One singular bacta patch and a bunch of bandages.

Seriously? What had he been thinking! The General told him he needed to keep a fully stocked kit on him, but did he listen? Noooooo.

"C'mon, General. It's me." Poe grinned at her. "How often do I get shot?"

She pursed her slightly wrinkled lips and crossed her arms, her brow quirking upwards skeptically, her bright beautiful brown eyes locking with his own.

"Do you want me to count on both hands or use my toes, too? Because I'd still run out if I tried to count."

Damn, the woman had been right. Again. He had half a mind to wonder if she didn't see a vision of him getting shot before this run, and reminded him solely because of that.

He read in a holo once that Jedi could use the Force to heal wounds, and he was currently fresh out of Jedi.

The throb in his leg sent fresh tears surging up to dew on the edges of his eyelashes as he dropped down.

Taking a piece of the cargo mounting that had broken off during the crash, Poe used his knife in his other boot to slice the remainders of his pants leg away and carefully toe'd the boot off his foot so he could better assess the damage.

And yeah, it was bad. He needed a medical droid or some kinda doctor, fast. With how bad the lacerations to the flesh and muscle, infection would be a death sentence. From a simple glance, even he could tell his tibial and fibular arteries weren't damaged (thank the Force) because of the gaps that were between the gutkurr's fangs.

But the force of the bite alone at least fractured his tibia, maybe even broke his ankle.

Kriff.

Poe ripped the foil packet containing the pitifully tiny bacta patch and pressed it down over the biggest hole in his leg.

Hell, if it couldn't fix it all, it was better it fix some than none.

He winced as the cold gel touched the open wound, and rifling through the kit once more provided him with some much-needed sterile gauze. No antibacterial gel however, so the risk of infection was still there. Especially from the saliva of that nasty critter alone.

"Beggars can't be choosers, Poe..." He grunted to himself as he broke another loose piece of metal from the cargo mounting and lined them both up, struggling to wrap them as tight as possible on either side of his leg so he could make a field splint.

He gripped the sides of his speeder and groaned as he felt his adrenaline wane as he looked at the wreckage.

Well... now he had another problem.

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By another graced miracle, Poe was able to create a sled that he was able to drop the crates of cargo onto, as well as his precious droid friend.

After he stashed and concealed the cargo in a small cave, Poe took stock of what little provisions he had, which consisted of some pre-packaged meals and two or three water capsules.

Barely enough to survive long; but, he remembered the way out of the canyon. There was a forest or a jungle on the fringes of the desert, not far from where he'd come in... Maybe he'd have a better chance of surviving. Maybe...

Poe talked to BB-8 as he dragged the offline droid behind him on the sled, murmuring stupid jokes and ideas about the shenanigans they'd get up to once they were home free. And about the ear-bending lectures the General would give him.

He realized though, after two days, that he was hopelessly, terribly lost. His water was running low, his food rations were okay because of the portions he limited himself to, but once the fever set in, the logical side of Poe's brain told him he was going to die an inglorious death in the middle of nowhere, thanks to a bum leg and a bacta patch that did a piss poor job.

Poe kept going until he lost track of time, walking on and on until he collapsed, face first into his own tracks, shortly lamenting his own life choices as he drifted from the conscious world.

Man, did the universe have a twisted sense of kriffing humor.

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It was a simple day for you. You were on your way back from picking clean a crashed Republic-Era ship for parts to bring back home to improve some of your farming equipment. Maybe you could catch some spare credits to stash in your emergency pouch beneath the floorboards in your bedroom.

Your blurrg, Kari, crooned deeply as she pawed at the rocky sand with her stumpy legs. You sighed, adjusting your sun visor back down to shield your eyes from the harsh light of your homeworld's star. It was an unusually clear day for this time of year, and the sun was especially unforgiving. You couldn't wait to get into the safety of the treeline and back to your meager little farm in the forest.

"C'mon, Kari. The sooner we can get home, the sooner I can get this cart off you." You say, leaning down to pat her, one of your lekku falling over your shoulder to dangle down, the tip curling slightly.

Sometimes you envied how humans could cut their hair, but if you cut your lekku, you were as good as handicapped, with how sensitive yours were to touch. Yeah, your head-tails were longer than average, and irritating, but hey, they were yours.

The sun gleamed off your sweat-soaked skin beneath your fatigues as you nudged Kari with your heel in the stirrup to get her to continue moving.

But once again, the stubborn she-beast refused to move, rumbling deeply in protest as she shook her stubby little head.

You grit your teeth and squint against the harsh sun, and that's when you see it. Your other animal companion, a can-cell, Cviki, circling overhead, his iridescent wings fluttering against the updrafts, the sun glimmering off his bright blue-green carapace as he made another aerial pass.

You frowned. There should be nothing in that canyon except the roving pack of scavenging gutkurr you have long known to avoid. Growing up in Ryloth, you knew Twi'leks were tasty snacks for the large insectoids. So why was Cviki circling like something interesting was there? There couldn't possibly be people, even the smartest smugglers knew it was dangerous in those canyons, all the locals avoided them with good reason.

You click your tongue and jerk the reins, "Alright, ma sareen. We'll go see what has you both so interested."

You bring your fingers to your lips and make a high-pitched whistle. The tune Cviki understood as "I'm coming, be careful" since you'd raised him from a larvae.

Maybe whatever was in the canyon was worth some credits in salvage?

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You carefully marked your path into the narrow canyon as Cviki led you from above, knowing full well not marking your trail was a death wish to the unprepared.

But you were anything but unprepared.

Your lekku flopping in the breeze as Kari galloped through and in-between the canyon walls, you make an audible gasp as you yank the reins on Kari's harness, squeezing your feet instinctively in a command to stop.

A crashed speeder of some sort (honestly it probably looked better in the ground than when it was running) and the rotting corpses of three gutkurr lay in the craggy soil, smaller scavengers already hard at work picking the remains clean.

Living gutkurr smelled bad enough, but their dessicated corpses were horrible.

You dismounted Kari, patting her flank as you walked by, pulling your long blaster rifle from its sling low on your hips as you carefully walked around the wreckage, poking the twisted metal with the barrel of your rifle just in case.

Upon further inspection, you see nothing of value. Not even the droid that was surely busted judging from the scorch marks in the docking port.

Damn shame. A droid was just the thing you were missing to help out on your farm. Parts from whatever droid had been docked there really would have helped finish up the one you had in pieces back in your workshop.

Oh, well...

You kept looking around, noting that there was not only no sign of a droid, but no sign of the pilot of the speeder. You shoulder your rifle again and kneel down, touching the soul with your fingertips as you study the boot prints that had almost been fully covered by the drifting sands.

"Ah, hells." You mutter as you stand. Some poor fool had been sent on a fool's errand by some smuggler.

You turn, pushing your other lekku back over your shoulder as you whistle for Kari to approach. Cviki had stopped his flying to stick to one of the rocky walls, chittering down at you curiously.

You snap your fingers as you mount your blurrg once again, and whistle sharply at Cviki.

"Wachamio!" You shout up at him in Ryl, pointing down the canyon. "Let's go see if that poor sod is still breathing!"

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Yeah, he was breathing all right. Breathing and feverish. Hell, when you caught up to Cviki you had to swat at his beak when he picked up the human man's uninjured leg in his mouth and tugged, playfully trying to see if he would play.

Yeah... he was the guy who fought those gutkurr, all right. He got damned lucky.

"Oh, kriff." You sighed, kneeling next to him as he weakly swatted at you, his eyes dry and crusted closed. You could tell by the sweat and mucus that he was battling an infection, most likely from the deep injury to his leg. He probably got bit by that gutkurr; everyone knew to immediately disinfect any bites--if you survived an encounter with a gutkurr that is--because of the bacteria that lived in gutkurr saliva. It was a death sentence to anyone without proper medical supplies.

And when you'd looked inside of the medical kit at the wreckage, you could see he had none.

'Equal parts desperate and lucky.' You think to yourself as you effortlessly (and gently) wipe the crust from his eyes.

"Nu nala quin-nala wilo?" You ask him.

"Whuh--?" He rasped, his lips cracked and split from dehydration.

You roll your eyes with slight exasperation. The man was delirious, of course he wouldn't be able to understand you right now. And, for all you knew, he couldn't even speak Ryl.

"I'm going. To help. Youuuuu." You emphasize slowly and loudly in Basic as his head rolls around and he mumbles incoherently.

"Ugh, you better be worth it." You grunt, whistling for Kari to come closer so the cart was next to you.

Kriff, that man was all dead weight, you felt your muscles strain as you dragged him onto the cart that was still hooked to Kari. You had to shove your meager salvage off to the side to make room for him and his little BB-model astromech.

At least it wasn't a total bust, if this guy died, maybe you could get his droid back up and running to work for you. But those were thoughts for later.

Right now you had some dumb human to lug back home and try to save.

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Ugh... The only thing Poe knew was that he hurt. He hurt worse than that time he was tackled by that besalisk in that one cantina...

A drunken dare, mind you, but he still got flattened by the man's weight alone. There was still probably a dent in that cantina wall to this very day.

His head pounded, but he managed to drag his eyes open and force himself up with his palms.

His muscles ached and his skin hurt. He was shirtless and dressed down all the way to his undergarments.

Poe dropped back onto the bed he was resting on. It was comfortable, very much so; much more than the bunks on the ships and in the barracks he'd been hopping to and from the past few years.

So someone had saved his stupid kriffing ass, but he couldn't remember anything concrete.

He dropped his hand onto his forehead, the skin on his body peeling and flaking away as the sunburn healed; thinking back hard.

The last thing he remembered was his vision clearing somewhat, and then a bright light.

Wait...

He remembered a voice. A woman's voice, talking in a language he wasn't sure he was familiar with.

"Man... must've been an angel..." He chuckled sardonically, his voice cracked and throat dry.

Poe winced and looked to the bedside, seeing a glass of water next to him on the small table. Instinctively, he grabbed it and chugged it faster than a pint of cheap weequay beer.

By the Force, it felt amazing to finally have something wet his parched throat.

He turned his head when he heard whirring and a rolling sound approach the room, and a grin broke out on his face as the curtain was pushed open and a certain round little astromech rolled into the room with him.

"Aw, I knew I'd recognize the sound of those servos anywhere! BB! C'mere, you little--" He grunted, rolling off the bed and biting hit bottom lip as his injured leg hit the wooden floor.

BB-8 made several high pitched beeps and whirs in a chastising manner.

"I know, I know, but c'mere, you little cannonball!" Poe laughed through the pain, wrapping his thick arms around the round little droid as he trilled happily at his companion's better spirits.

BB-8 chirped and beeped again.

"Oh, my leg? It hurts like hell, where are we?" Poe asked, looking around. This was clearly somebody's bedroom, in some kind of small, prefab house that had been patched many times over. Probably purchased at a scrap yard. Hah. Like that kriffing speeder he wasted his credits on.

BB-8 whirred as he rolled about the room, making various noises as he explained to his human friend the situation.

"An infection?" His thick brows shot up. "Damn. Please tell me I looked beautiful when I went down?"

BB-8 stopped dead in his tracks, and the only part of him that moved was his head, and he made a few beeps.

"Okay yeah I knew you were out, it was rhetorical. Who do you think dragged you through that canyon?" Poe sighed, shaking his head, his sweaty curls dangling.

BB-8 tweeted in reply.

"A woman? Wait, so I wasn't hallucinating that part?" Poe blinked at the tiny droid as he wheeled his way up to him once more, bumping into him a few times affectionately.

"Okay, yeah, I get it. I owe the lady. Definitely owe her if she fixed you up, little buddy." Poe smiled warmly, patting the droid's chassis sweetly.

He was so caught up in the reunion with his partner that he almost jumped out of his skin when heavy bootsteps halted in the doorway and the curtain was pulled back, revealing... you.

Hot, gorgeous, sweaty and badass you. You were covered in grime and dirt from working the field you had and fixing your tiller that had crapped out on you. Hot damn, you were probably the hottest Twi'lek he'd ever seen, even your head-tails looked absolutely luscious.

You had initially sent BB-8 inside to fetch a tool, and when he hadn't returned you came inside to see why.

You tugged off your rawhide gloves and leaned in the doorway, smirking at the human as you shoved your gloves into the waistband of your pulled-down coveralls.

'C'mon Poe, put on the charm...' He chastised himself.

He cleared his throat and gave you his best debonair smile along with his signature quirked brow and squinted eyes; the smile that had won him the companionship from many women (and guys and others in-between) throughout the galaxy.

But he couldn't fathom the fact that he looked positively pathetic with a kriffed up leg, lying half-naked on your bedroom floor.

That is... until you broke out laughing, and BB-8 spun in a circle, joining in on your revelry at his attempt at flirtation.

Poe sighed deeply, dropping his cocky expression. "Eh, so... Uh... you're the lady who I remember from the canyon, right?"

You nod, your lekku quivering from within the soft leather quiver you'd bound them in, "Yana."

Poe blinked up at you. You did speak Basic just then, right? His hearing just messed up for a second? Right...

"So, on behalf of... well, me and my little friend here, thank you for saving us!" He grins awkwardly. "What's your name, miss..?"

You smirk again and utter something, your name, perhaps? And then ask, "Zul nala z'rate nala quora?"

BB-8 speaks to you for Poe when he doesn't answer, merely giving you a concerned look as he began to fear he was stuck with a woman who didn't speak Basic. He really needs to brush up on his xeno-linguistics...

You click your tongue and shake your head, "Su'un na, mesh'e yahte." You roll your eyes and tip your head to the side and tell him your name, this time clearly.

"Oh, man, am I happy you can understand me." Poe grinned. "Uh... Can you... help me off the floor? Please?"

"Yahte." You sigh deeply, walking over to him.

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The man you'd saved was someone called "Poe Dameron" a supposed "master pilot" for some "resistance". When Poe mentioned your skills as a medic and your ability to patch droids, he even hurled the suggestion to you that you join up.

You refused.

"What? Why?" Poe asked incredulously, setting his fork down on your tiny table as you both picked at your humble meal.

"Because I saw enough fighting when the Empire remnants sacked my hometown when I was a small child. They did it out of sheer spite for General Syndulla's role in the destruction of the last Death Star. I lost both of my parents, I lost my grandmother. If it wasn't for Numa saving me from the rubble I would have had nothing." You say, your lekku trembling at the memory of your home being blasted to smithereens.

Poe wilted. The two of you were close in age, the two of you were young enough and old enough to remember the Death Star, the war, the people you loved...

And, yeah, he understood your reasoning. Why get swallowed up by the war that devoured your family in front of you, when you can be a hermit, farming healing herbs and delivering produce and salted meats to one of the smaller towns further north?

"Okay... I'm sorry." Poe said, his eyes downcast as his own sour memories played back in his mind.

"No, no..." You sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. "I shouldn't have blown up on you like that. Kriff, I swear, living in the woods shortens my temper."

Poe smiled at you and stretched out his leg beneath the table, the brace you'd rigged up for him squeaking as he bent his knee.

"How's the leg?" You pipe in.

"Oh, it's definitely better. Whatever kinda magic plants you got, they're certainly doing the trick!" Poe grinned at you.

"It's not magic. It's just natural medicine." You waved your fork at him. "And don't forget, you owe me for using half my stash of bacta to help fix your leg. You still got a few weeks to pay off that debt to me, Mor'ski."

Poe held up his hands innocently, grinning sideways at you. "Heyyy... I'm a man of my word! And the deadline on that shipment is... Well it technically doesn't have one."

"Did you ever think that it didn't have one because your contact knew sending people into those canyons was a death sentence? Because they knew odds of one person surviving in that canyon were like, maybe 2 to 20?" You snort. "Sounds to me that the people who hired you have been feeding people to the gutkurrs until somebody could finally nab that cache."

Poe blinked and you could easily tell that the thought had never crossed his mind.

Yahte.

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"Careful, Mor'ski." You snort, leaning on the fence as Kari bucks Poe off her saddle once again; before shuffling on to drink from her trough. BB-8 makes loud beeping and trilling as he spins in a circle, enjoying some humor at Poe's expense.

"Ugh!" Poe groaned.

Kari huffed and made a short bellow, trotting back around to nudge Poe with her flat snout.

Poe pats her as he sits up, "Okay, you like me but not enough for me to ride you? I mean I knew my charm worked on the ladies, but c'mon, I can't even stay on you for five seconds!"

"That's because I've raised her almost directly from birth, Poe." You grin victoriously before clicking your teeth, uttering a few words in Ryl before Kari abandons Poe altogether to rush up to you for affection.

"That's it, ma sareen." You coo at her.

"Uhh!" Poe scoffs as he stands up, dusting off the old worn pants you'd loaned him, his leg brace creaking as he walked over to you.

The damage Poe had sustained to his leg from the gutkurr was bad. Bad enough that even your small stash of bacta patches (some of which were probably past their best by date...) couldn't heal all the damage or regenerate properly. Or perhaps it was from the bacteria eating away at his flesh when you found him. You weren't sure, but the man would walk with a slight gait for the rest of his life.

But of course, knowing Poe, he would use it to his advantage just to cock his hips out to get some attention.

You were almost gonna miss that idiot when he was well enough to leave, and his cute little droid, too. It was nice to have company after so long alone.

"Well what about him?" Poe asked, pointing to Cviki, who had just plucked a fruit from a nearby tree and ate it messily. "I bet I could ride him!"

You laugh and smack your thigh, "Oh, be my guest! But remember, Mor'ski: Cviki is a can-cell. Not a fighter. If he decides he doesn't want you in the pilot seat anymore..."

Poe swallowed a bit nervously.

Maybe he should stick with the blurrg.

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Three weeks had gone by, and you knew Poe leaving was inevitable. He had finally done away with the leg brace and you inspected his healing leg. It was coming along nicely. It would scar, for sure, but he'd be able to walk.

And you were right, before. He did walk with a gait, one he carried with confidence in combination with that aggravatingly handsome smirk of his.

Could this man find a dark side in anything? Other than the First Order? You doubted it, he seemed good at turning bad situations around.

And oh, you would miss listening to Poe dote on that cute little astromech, BB-8. He was like a father doting on his infant child. You even caught him scooping him up and carrying him if BB-8 couldn't flawlessly roll over something (though BB probably pretended he couldn't just to be picked up by Poe).

It's a wonder that droid got anything done at all! You remember when you first brought him online and he assumed you were some nefarious individual who had hurt his pilot and friend.

It wasn't until you physically brought the astromech in to see the unconscious and feverish Poe to earn that little droid's trust. With BB-8's know-how, you were able to fix a few systems in your own defunct protocol droid that you honestly assumed you'd have to fully replace, making it that much cheaper to get the old droid up and running. Once they left, anyway. You weren't in a rush to have the help anymore. You liked having Poe around, his stupid snarky comments and weird giggle of his...

And you'd be lying if you didn't catch yourself staring, sometimes, too when he was working on helping with your monthly harvest.

He was skinny from lack of decent rations, when you brought him in, but after being with you for a few weeks, getting a proper diet and food in him, he bulked up.

He was muscular, sure, but not that almost scarily-defined tone so many found attractive. Poe's figure had softened out around his muscles, giving his belly a slight pooch and the dimples on his back to become more prominent. The softness was certainly appealing...

He looked handsome healthy.

Why did you just think that? Why did you just--

Your hands stopped as you tied down your equipment for the coming storm system that was approaching from the north, and you looked up to observe Poe for a moment.

Poe was busy helping cover your younger plants so they could survive the tough winds. He'd even helped corral Cviki into his créche so he wouldn't get injured. As thick as his carapace was, all it would take was one piece of debris to shred his wings and he could risk being permanently grounded.

Cviki seemed to socialize with Poe rather well, chittering and purring when Poe would pat his bulbous head, his wings fluttering curiously and excitedly when Poe would launch a small branch in the air for him to fetch and bring back.

Poe was a masterful pilot--if his words were to be believed--but something inside you told him he was also suited for a calmer life. Like yours, running a farm, taking care of the animals; not fighting in a near-pointless cycle you couldn't understand.

But, it was his choice to make, and his life to live. And nobody in the galaxy could take it from him.

But little did you know, that you were already tempting him to...

You rushed then, to tighten the wenches on the equipment bindings as Poe covered the fresh plants, grunting as the wind tousled his hair into his face and struggled to get the tarps down.

You look up at the sky and frown when the angry and flashing storm clouds approach faster than anticipated. It could be a short, fast-moving storm, that was the hope.

But you were worried. If the clouds began to circle...

At least you had a cellar.

"Poe! Come on! The plants are covered!" You wince when a small twig is caught in the wind and smacks into one of your lekku as the wind pushes them about. You forgot to wear your sheath today and were paying for it.

"You sure?" He called out to you.

"Yeah! Trust me, I'm sure! Now we need to get inside before the main storm hits!" You wave your hand. "Wachamio!"

Poe took the spare second to slam the mallet down on the stake for one last measure, before hopping to his feet, BB-8 chirping and tweeting from the threshold of your door, urging you both to hurry up.

Once inside, you quickly spin around and use the metal bar and slot it into place so the door wouldn't blow inwards on you; all your windows had been properly covered and locked with the metal panels so they wouldn't get blown in as well.

Not one moment later, you begin to hear the first fat raindrops pelt the walls and roof of your home from outside, deep rolling thunder announcing the arrival.

"Well, uh... You ever play sabacc?" Poe grinned awkwardly, and you slowly grinned.

BB-8 made a sound that could be universally translated in any language as: "I've got a bad feeling about this."

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It was just downright unfair. Clearly the universe did not favor him, or his hands at this sabacc game...

He was down to his socks and underwear while you were confidently sitting across the table, the only things missing from your outfit was your shirt, leaving you in your breastband only from the waist up, showing off the small scars and loosely defined muscles from your hard-working lifestyle poking through the light softness of your body.

You lean in as you see him begin to sweat, frowning at the cards in his hand. You'd both agreed on a simple game of sabacc, but because there were no credits to be put in the pot, you both settled on your clothes as the storm waxed and waned outside, rattling the walls and making his ears pop. He wondered how the sensitive little cones that were your sensory organs felt in the storm. Could ear-cones pop? It was a thought for another time.

"What's the matter, Mor'ski?" You rest your chin in your palm, grinning like a firaxan shark.

"...Afraid you can't bring much to the table?"

Oh, that was a low blow. He could feel the blush rise in his neck as his face heated up.

"Hah! Please, I doubt you could handle aaaallll this." Poe sputtered as he leaned back and huffed, forcing his confident demeanor back to the surface.

"Oh, I d'nno... I've probably handled farming equipment that was bigger." You toss back, moving a fresh pick between your lips and teeth as you boredly thumb through your cards.

"...Okay now you're just being mean."

"Hmm..." You look back up at him, a cold smile on your soft-looking lips. Poe felt a cold shiver creep up his spine when you looked at him.

And it was even worse when you flattened your cards on the table.

"Pure sabacc."

"Kriff!" Poe groaned, slapping his own bad hand on the table and pushing his hand through his curls.

"Oh, come on! I'm down to my skivvies, here!" He whined.

"Oh, I know." You giggle, batting your eyelashes at him and your lekku curl upwards a bit. "I'm not planning on making you completely strip. I'm feeling merciful..." You purred.

"...What are you planning?"

"The storm's let up a bit for now..." You hum casually, tapping your fingers on the top of your worn wooden table.

Poe blinked at you, his eyebrows raised up on his forehead. "No way..."

"One solid minute." You say, sticking your finger up. "Run around in the rain for one solid minute."

"Oh, come on!" Poe groaned, slapping his fist on the table.

BB-8 chirped and spun in a circle, almost laughing.

"Oh, whose side are you on?!" Poe glared at the droid with a scowl.

BB-8 whistled and wheeled over to your side, beeping and whirring in reply, making you grin even wider.

"You said you're a man of your word, Dameron..." You chuckle.

"....Agh! Kriff, why are women like this?!" Poe groaned, scrambling his hands through his raven curls.

"A bet's a bet..."

"Fine!" Poe scoffed, shooting to his feet and marching over to the front door, where your boots both lay.

He grumbled under his breath the whole time as he shoved his feet into them. Ah, well, at least the view from behind was nice...

You bite your lip as he pulls the metal bar free and the door rattles from the sudden gust of wind. Poe grabs the latch and it takes most of his strength to keep it from swinging open.

Oh, the moment he darted out into the freezing rain was glorious. The yelp he made as the first freezing drops made contact with his skin had you squirming and cackling madly as you clapped your hands and stamped your feet excitedly, BB-8 spinning in place and tweeting loudly.

He ran in a circle with his arms held out wide, shouting expletives the whole time as bumps erupted all over his body as his boots squished in the mud.

Once the minute was over with, Poe scurried back inside, soaked to the bone and shivering, his teeth chattering as he looked at you.

"Happy...?" Poe grunted.

"Very much so." You giggle girlishly.

"Good because I'm never playing sabacc with you again."

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You both sat on the fence, watching as Kari ate from her feed trough, bellowing in between bites, her thick tail swaying as she eats.

"So..." Poe began.

"Hm?" You mused, spitting the weed from between your teeth.

"I still have that cache hidden in the canyon... I mean, I know you've already helped me out and everything but..."

You quirk your brow inquisitively. "You want me to help you transport it to the spaceport."

"...Well. Okay, I mean... Eh. Yeah..?" He said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't have a mode of transportation or anything, and... I can give you a cut?"

You slowly look at him, blinking. "You'd pay me to help?"

"Yeah! I don't see why not... Plus it'll help pay back and replace the bacta patches I used... Might help pay for parts for that droid of yours..."

Your teeth gnaw at the inside of your cheek, thinking hard as you look down at the mud. He made some good points... He has no ride, he still needs those credits or his near death would have been for nothing...

And those credits really could help you out.

"Okay, Mor'ski. I'm in." You reply, slapping your palm into his.

Poe grinned and gave your hand a firm tug.

"Knew you would be, doll. Now let's get to it."

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You watched as Poe slid the last crate into the cart next to BB-8, fastening them down with wench straps so nothing moved. There had been no sign of gutkurrs since the two of you returned to the canyon, but that's also probably from the musk bombs you made to irritate their sense of smell.

Maybe if he'd hired a local guide through the canyons he wouldn't have gotten so screwed in the first place.

But if he did, he wouldn't have met you.

Hindsight is... well. A funny thing when you think about it.

"Do you even know what's in those crates?" You ask him as you mount Kari's saddle.

"Eh... no." Poe cringed.

"Did you ever think to check??" You frown at him.

Poe's gloved hands pat the crate in front of him, and even BB-8 whirs curiously.

"Ryloth is known for its spice production, Poe..." You sigh softly. "Interspace gangs like to use it for drugs, remember?"

"Yeah..." He said, gnawing on his bottom lip.

Screw it.

He popped the latches and peeked into the crate.

There were different objects, all bearing the sigil of the old Empire. Poe felt his blood run cold as he tossed the lid completely open, and began rifling through it.

Several objects had the Empire logo scratched out, some had them painted over. It was clear this cache no longer belonged to them, but...

"What is it?" You ask him.

"...A bunch of old Empire junk. The weapons are pretty much useless, their cells are drained. There's a few other things in here, but... They look like they'd only be useful to a damn collector than anybody of importance." Poe said, his body relaxed slightly. Nothing really dangerous were in these crates...

Except.

"Holy kriff." He breathed, reaching down to a small wooden box. It was half a foot long, and surprisingly, there was an image burned into the lid. A symbol he knew well as a young man, scrawled and graffiti'd on many Empire propaganda posters.

The symbol of the Jedi Order.

"What?" You asked, turning to look at him.

Poe reached in and pulled out a lightsaber. Its once shiny metal surface scuffed and dented, the black tips at the end of the handle flaked of paint, the clip snapped long ago. This lightsaber had been through hell, and had probably even seen action as far back as the Clone Wars...

"Is... Is that..." You stumble.

"A kriffing lightsaber." Poe said reverently. He slowly and carefully set the lightsaber back inside the velvet lined box, closing it and gently placing it back inside the crate.

"Nothing in here is dangerous, except the lightsaber, maybe. But nobody really knows how to use these except..."

"Jedi and Sith." You murmur. "Who would want that stuff if it's useless?"

"Like I said, a collector maybe. Or a dealer in war relics." Poe said, closing the crate again.

"Poe..."

"I know, but c'mon... Let's get going while we still got the sun."

"Right." You say slowly. You pat Kari's flank and jerk your head. "Get on, Mor'ski. We got at least a two hours' ride ahead of us."

Poe seemed wary. He'd ridden in the cart the whole trek out here, and all the failed attempts to ride that blurrg of yours made him hesitant to hop on her.

"Relax, if I'm riding with you, she'll be fine. Unless you wanna ride Cviki?" You smile wryly, the both of you looking up to where Cviki was poking at the rocks with his beak, his mandibles picking up smaller insectoids to munch on here and there.

"...No I'm good." He looked back at you as he stepped up to Kari's side.

As he grabbed onto your open palm with his, he looked at you with curiosity in his dark eyes.

"You good yourself, crazy lady?" He jabbed playfully.

"Rahn fanyo. Er... I'm fine." You mumble as he takes his seat behind you, politely placing his hands on your waist.

It was a gentlemanly thing to do, to avoid grabbing anything he shouldn't... but once Kari got into a good and decent trot, he'd bounce off her haunches faster than a blood fly.

"Poe, you're gonna need to hold on tighter than that. Or I'm gonna leave you in the dust and collect this bounty myself..."

Poe chuckled and awkwardly looped his arms around your waist, carefully adjusting it so your sensitive lekku were draped over his shoulders, so he couldn't squish them on accident.

"Like this?"

You rolled your eyes and tugged his hands until they were almost clasped together and his chin was practically on your shoulder. "There. Because being polite while riding a blurrg is gonna get you a concussion, yahte."

"Okay, you gotta teach me Ryl, doll." Poe chuckled.

You smirked over your shoulder as you snapped Kari's reins, nudging her with your heels.

"That would ruin the fun, Mor'ski."

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You watched as a group of children fed Cviki fruit out of their palms, giggling and laughing when his long tongue unfurled to wrap around their fingers and clean their hands of any lingering juices left over. Cviki was very approachable, for a cen-cell.

Kari on the other hand... She didn't really like anybody other than you. And, well, maybe Poe now, you supposed.

You sighed as you watched Poe speak with his contact, a rather fat Twi'lek man who was obviously well off. A broker, you supposed. One who sets up people with jobs like these. Technically avoiding any trouble with the law because brokers around these parts were simply like bulletin boards for smugglers, you could pick what jobs they conveniently had around, and if you got in trouble, they could disavow any connections to you while still making decent credits.

And it was obviously a very good front he was wearing, judging by the bejeweled rings squished onto the man's fat fingers.

When the two began walking over to you, you groaned softly, Kari huffing when she sensed your irritation. You detested people walking up to you when you didn't want to talk.

Your emotions were high for reasons you couldn't quite place, and a feeling of anxiety gnawed in the pit of your stomach.

Poe was leaving.

Soon, he would load the cargo onto this broker's ship and he would leave Ryloth, possibly forever. You couldn't blame him, after almost getting turned into a tasty snack for a pack of gutkurrs.

"And this lovely woman must be the person who saved your skin, eh, Dameron?" The Twi'lek man chortled, his fat jiggling merrily as he elbowed Poe in the side.

His thin mouth was stretched wide, making his cheeks appear even larger and more plump, his bright yellow skin drawing little attention to his sharp teeth.

"Yep, my savior all right. Worked me right to the bone to pay back half my debt to her after those ugly bugs tried to snack on me." Poe grinned back.

"My my, sounds like a keeper!" The man smirked suggestively at you two.

You rolled your eyes and curled your lekku slightly. The gesture was hidden behind you, but anyone walking by could see the irritation and hostility in the gesture.

Men have tried to get your attention for years, and certainly, a man of status like this was always looking for aides or escorts of some kind. That life wasn't for you, not one tiny bit.

"She's.... Uh. A good friend." Poe said, smiling at you.

His soft eyes eased the tension in you somewhat, but you were still jittery and anxious. One, about Poe leaving; two, all the people bustling about the spaceport; and three, these confusing kriffing feelings regarding the quirky pilot.

The Twi'lek man handed Poe a small box, likely containing his payment, and BB-8 drove into his shins twice.

"I know, I know, buddy! I was getting to that!" Poe sighed exasperatedly at the astromech.

"I'll make sure the dock officials don't snoop, say our goodbyes." The broker winked as he turned to walk away.

"So..." Poe awkwardly began.

"Mhm." You hum.

"I'm glad you dragged my sorry carcass out of that canyon." Poe chuckled, his fingers nervously brushing the sides of the box he held.

"I'm happy my effort wasn't wasted when Kari didn't eat you." You snort in reply, smiling despite yourself.

Poe laughed softly and opened the box, plucking up a few chips into his fist. He held out his hand and placed the silver and gold chips into your palm gently.

"Here. I'm a man of my word, remember?" He smiled at you warmly. "And I promised you a cut. This should cover the bacta, and some parts for that droid of yours. Plus, y'know. To get yourself somethin' nice."

When he winked, you felt a flush rise to your cheeks as you laughed.

"Yeah, well..." You shrugged, not sure what to say.

"...Hey." Poe said, his bottom lip sliding beneath his teeth for a moment before licking it.

"So, I know this is sudden, but--"

"Sir! Your ship is cleared and ready to go! You got five minutes!" A dockhand shouted from nearby, startling Kari to the point she made a concerned bellow and stumbled back a bit.

You shove the credits into your belt pouch, and coo and shush at Kari, patting her down affectionately to ease her sudden fright as Poe shouts back at the dockhand.

"Ah... Great. Fun." Poe sighed as he turned back to you, noticing how your lekku were twitching and swaying as you struggled to calm your blurrg mount.

You didn't turn back to face him, biting your plush bottom lip as you patted down Kari, trying now to calm yourself as much as her.

Poe was leaving.

Probably one of the only people you'd call "friend" was leaving, and then you'd go right back to your boring tedium from before, while he flew headlong into danger with BB-8 by his side.

You couldn't really hear him as he spoke to you, imagining just how many horrible ways he could possibly die out there, at the hands of the First Order, or some pirate scum...

You did however, become aware of how close he was when he slipped an arm around your waist and tugged you against him. You barely had time to gasp and ask what he was doing when he pressed his lips against yours in a rushed, but fiery kiss.

He pulled back from you, winking as BB-8 whirled and trilled, spinning in place a few times.

"See ya around, doll. And next time I'm in town, I'll visit."

You were left, blinking, mouth agape as he sashayed with that new gait of his towards the hangar of his ship, BB-8 hot on his heels, tweeting a farewell at you.

You stayed like that, the tips of your lekku twining around one another twice, your face flushed with a different shade as the ship shakily lifted off, blasting off into the clouds.

...If he did come back...

"Come on, Kari." You say softly before whistling to get Cviki's attention.

"Let's go get some shopping done."

Maybe you would buy yourself something nice to wear.

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Poe sighed as his ship launched into hyperspace, feeling sad as he kissed Ryloth's atmosphere goodbye. It wasn't as beautiful or as sweet as your lips were, for sure.

But it made his heart throb with sadness all the same...

He punched in a few buttons and the hologram of the broker appeared as the message began to play.

"Poe, my boy! Safe travels. I'm sure you and your companion had a lovely farewell, no?" He chuckled gleefully.

Poe rolled his eyes as he continued. "My contact got word back to me, and she's pleased that the cargo was intact and was impressed you were alive! How about that?" The man clapped his hands and laughed again.

"Well, just letting you know," His eyes twinkled. "Miss Kanata sends her thanks and hopes you enjoy the extra credits she left in your pay!"

Poe frowned at the name.

Wait... Miss Who?

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Leia watched as Poe studied the small hologram of a Twi'lek woman in front of him, squinting and mouthing the words as they left her lips.

The older woman smiled as she walked up to him, her long robes shuffling softly as her slippers padded the metal flooring of the base.

"Pick up a new language to learn, Poe?" She asked, her brown eyes shimmering as she sat next to him.

Poe almost jumped, unusually engrossed in the tutorial program he had been watching. He bashfully rubbed the back of his neck and laughed.

"You could say that." He replied.

"I noticed you walking with a limp, now, Poe." Her tone switched to a more affectionate and maternal tone. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah... Someone on Ryloth saved my hide from a bad sitch. Unfortunately I'm probably gonna be stuck with it forever, but I'd trade a limp for my life any day of the week." He grinned.

Leia hummed with a sweet smile as her eyes were drawn to the paused tutorial. "Fall in love with the local flavor, huh?" She grinned mischievously.

Poe stiffened and coughed into his hand, a blush to his cheeks.

"You... Could say that."

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Twi'leki/Ryl translation:

Wachamio! = "Let's go!"

Ma sareen = "My Sweet"

Yana = "Yes"

Wa-janeel = "Follow me"

Rahn fanyo = "I'm fine" or, alternatively, "Don't worry"

Twi'leki/Ryl Phrases I've smacked together/come up with (idk I'm not a linguist):

Nu nala quin-nala wilo? = "Do you know where you are?"

Zul nala z'rate nala quora? = "Can you tell me your name?"

Su'un na, mesh'e yahte. = "Oh great, he's an idiot."

Yahte = "Idiot"

Mor'ski = "Flyboy"

#poe dameron x you #poe dameron x reader #poe dameron x female reader #poe x reader #poe x you #poe dameron star wars #poe dameron #leia organa #maz kanata

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bakageta · 11 months ago

Note

The last one: what have they been putting off forever, even though it would take ten minutes?

Me: writing this fic.... just kidding it took longer than ten minutes 😅

The little infirmary bed in Ted Kord’s secret hidden basement was as enclosed and cluttered as everything else Kard had hidden away in his mansion. It reminded Jaime of a bunk bed an elementary school friend had, only much more solid. Thanks to the scarab, Jaime could see every scratch and dent and read every dusty, scribbled note, even if he couldn’t understand exactly what they meant. He was covered in sensors which connected to monitors which recorded data from him and Khaji and, if he didn’t focus on the fact that he could move his arms and legs, Jaime would be right back in Victoria’s lab.

He took a deep breath in, ignored the squirming feeling in his mouth and how many new teeth he had and the clenching of legs against his spine and all the weird aches that had accumulated over the past couple of weeks–almost as bad as the days after all this stuff had started when Khaji was– and exhaled.

This couldn’t keep happening. Jaime couldn’t keep putting off asking Khaji what was happening to him. The Scarab would tell him, he knew that like he knew his name. Hell, Jaime wasn’t even sure he knew why he kept putting it off.

Or at least, he didn’t want to think about why he kept putting it off.

“Khaji Da.” He tried to say its full name with authority, like his mother did to him and Milla when she’d caught them in something. Hopefully the scarab would pick up the context.

Yes, Jaime? Khaji’s voice in his head was smooth like it wasn't aware of his churning thoughts.

“What–” his voice broke for a moment as something happened in his throat. It wasn't on purpose, just another inconvenient part of whatever was happening Jaime hoped. He coughed and cleared his throat. “What’s happening to me, Khaji?”

Optimization of the host body.

“You've said that before.” Jaime’s tone was flat. Disappointed. “But I need to know. What's happening? Is something wrong? Are you doing this? Why?”

Was Khaji telling him the whole truth? Would it?

My programming was damaged in transit.

“What?”

I am one of many scarab units created by the Reach to discover, infiltrate, and exploit alien worlds.

Khaji was telling the truth. Jaime knew it in the same instinctive way he knew how to speak to Khaji, how to move in the armor, how to breathe. He wasn’t surprised, even though he should have been, as Khaji recited the facts of its creation.

The goals of the Reach are incompatible with your goals. The damage done to my programming and the repairs I made based off of your neurology allow me to disobey, but I am still vulnerable to root commands.

At the top of Jaime’s spine, Khaji clutched its legs around his vertebra and his hand twitched in a sympathetic mirroring grasp he had no input in.

I do not wish to cause fear, but if I am forced to shut down I do not want you to be vulnerable.

Jaime remembered how Khaji’s inert shell had felt around him in Victoria's secret base. How it had been cold. How it had felt like his skin was pulling away from his carapace. He wasn’t sure which one of them had pulled up that memory from the depths where he'd buried it.

“Okay. I get it.” Because how could he not? Jaime had lived through that just as much as Khaji had. “I get it.”

He sighed. Clenched his eyes shut. Tried to reconcile the part of him that accepted everything Khaji said implicitly with the part that should have been afraid. The part that didn’t seem to exist. Jaime was upset. But only because he somehow wasn’t surprised. He was angry. But only because he wasn’t told what was going on.

Jaime opened his eyes and looked at the equipment in the infirmary, backlit by standby lighting. Jenny had done basic testing before telling him to try to settle down, to stay until she figured out what was happening. He missed his family suddenly. Wanted them here, even if they’d be loud and annoying. He wanted to be unaware. Distracted.

He couldn’t.

“Why doesn’t this bother me, Khaji?”

Khaji didn’t answer at first, compiling data, formatting it so he’d understand. Jaime knew what it was doing in the same way he knew everything else. When Khaji finally responded, it wasn’t with words.

It was simple. A Scarab and its host were a single unit. Anything one knew, so did the other. Even if Jaime wasn’t aware of what was happening; he knew. It was like proprioception but for information. If Jaime wanted to know something, then he just needed to look.

He didn’t want to look. Not now at least.

@wazzappp I still sometimes work on this fic...

#my writing #ask me stuff or don't #blue beetle #jaime reyes #khaji da #long post #operation pimp my ride #Jaime: now that I'm done putting that off it's time to put this other exotic worry off!!!#don't worry this boy is gonna have help forced upon him #also how founded are khaji's fears????#we just don't know #aka I need to rewatch the movie and especially the credits scene

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chil-aglia · 4 months ago

Note

Can we get a fanfic how Leo first fell in love with Adri or do you have that planned already in Collide fanfic?

First and only love (Leo X Adriaen)

Sure! I probably wasn’t going to go into detail about how Leo first fell in love with Adriaen in the Collide fic, but it might’ve been mentioned here and there. But I’m more than happy to make a story on here that gives you all a better view of Leo’s feelings at the time and whatnot!

I also don’t have a picture of these two for this lil fic, but please feel free to draw one and I’ll share and add it to this!

So enjoy!

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“You ever just want to go outside and look around and do whatever you want without consequences?”

Adriaen blinks at the sudden comment, lifting his head up from the book he was reading that Donnie had given to him a few days ago. He tilts his head at Leo who stared distantly at the projector playing in front of them.

It was a movie, Aladdin from what Adriaen remembered. Leo sighs and leans against his palm, shaking his head at his own sentence. “Never mind, dad will never let that happen.” He huffs softly, focusing his gaze on the animated movie. Adriaen softly narrows his eyes in question.

Leo and the others had gone topside before, but never alone. They always went in a group, it was a rule that Splinter plowed into their minds, while Splinter was still adjusting to the single parent life and he knew he wasn’t the best at it, he still wanted the children to be safe. So that meant no going outside unless it was in a group.

Leo being the adventurous turtle he is, had so badly wanted to see what New York was like if it was just him in the big apple.

“We’re safer in numbers.” Adriaen responds, turning back to read his book. Thanks to Donnie, Adriaen was able to read, but he sometimes got words mixed up and so he had to brush up on his skills.

It felt embarrassing. He was 8 years old and he still had difficulty with reading and understanding the English language that he was taught by another 8 year old. But nothing he could do about it now.

Leo softly chuckled and rolls to lay on his carapace, no longer interested in the movie. He already knew the story off by heart, so it’s not like he was missing anything of importance.

“You know…maybe I could sneak out.”

Adriaen was quick to glare scoldingly at the slider, “You're not doing that. I’ll tell on you.”

“Boo, no one likes a tattletale.”

Adriaen rolls his eyes and closes his book; he was getting distracted with Leo’s ramblings. Sure, he was use to it, but he could never focus on his own work if Leo was constantly speaking and spurting out nonsense such as sneaking out their home just to be alone outside in New York of all places.

“I’m only kidding.” Leo assured, but Adriaen held his hand out to stop Leo from trying to explain himself. “I know, I know…I just don’t like the idea of you going out alone.”

Leo remained quiet; he saw the far-off look on Adriaen. No doubt thinking about his own times when he was alone. While he didn’t actually remember his days alone before being brought into the family, he still felt the familiar feeling of the loneliness. He didn’t like it.

Leo shifted over to sit next to Adriaen, he leans his body against the latter with a grin. “Want to watch a different movie? Your pick this time.”

“….Lilo and Stitch?”

Leo hums in agreement and puts the movie on for them.

-----

Dark. No, night. It was night and everyone was asleep. Well, almost everyone. Leo had snuck out his room, tiptoeing away to head to the exit. He felt immense guilt for lying to Adriaen. Sure, at the time he was joking, but the more was left alone with his thoughts, Leo convinced himself that a few minutes outside was fine. He even made sure to go out at midnight, surely no one was still up.

He climbs up the ladder, it was a bit of a struggle given his small limbs, but he managed. Lifting the manhole cover was also a little difficult due to his size but pushing himself he managed to move it the side.

Leo took a hesitant peek outside, there was still light from the streetlamps and buildings. Cars were also driving by with their high beams on, but they were going fast that no one would notice Leo walking around.

Gaining confidence, Leo pulls himself up and took a moment to look around. There wasn’t anything new in this alleyway that he has been already before, but something about him being alone was new and exciting for him.

He scurries over to the edge of the alleyway, peeking out from the wall to double check for humans. None so far. Leo could work with this.

Leo walks out, letting his young legs take him to wherever they desire. He looks around, his eyes scanning any and all things that looked different.

They fixed the graffiti issue on that building.

Leo didn’t realise he had stepped into the middle of the road, until the bright light of a car came at him in quick speed. He squinted his eyes before he realised what it was that was coming towards him.

Uh oh…I’m going to get hit.

“Leo!”

A familiar voice shouts for him, and before he knew it, he felt someone collide with his body and was pushed out the way. Their bodies rolled on the pavement, but seemingly none were hurt.

“What..?”

Leo blinks, looking at his saviour.

Adriaen pants, catching his breath from the panic they surfaced when he saw Leo in the middle of the road. He acted on pure instinct and adrenaline, all fuelled by fear that Leo would be taken out by a moving vehicle that wasn’t showing signs of slowing down.

He didn’t want to experience that again. Not at this age.

“Adri…?”

Leo owlishly stares, he didn’t recall seeing the latter following him. Was Leo just that heavily distracted?

“Are you an absolute idiot?!” Adriaen yells, snapping his harsh look towards the slider who briefly flinched. “You are so lucky that I saw you sneak away. You could’ve been roadkill! Is that what you want to be?!”

Adriaen was shouting in anger and fear at Leo. But to Leo, it was all white noise, instead he just felt…warm inside. His stomach felt like there was butterflies swarming around in him.

Adriaen himself also seemed different. New.

Leo noticed every detail on Adriaen in this moment. The way his eyes were furrowed. The way his lips were moving, how he threw his hands about to exaggerate his sentences.

Did he always look…cute?

Leo shakes his head at the strange emotions and thought, he stands up, dusting off any dirt on him as Adriaen does the same to his own small body. With a grumble, Adriaen grabbed Leo’s arm and pulled him away so they couldn’t be spotted by any potential humans.

Leo felt electric when Adriaen took his arm. Why? It wasn’t like they haven’t touched before. Why did this feel different?

Adriaen eventually let's go once they were safe and out of the open as he exhales softly to calm down. He looks back to Leo, fear lingering in him, but he wasn’t on a verge of a panic attack anymore.

“You’re a liar.”

“I’m sorry…I was just curious.”

“You told me you were kidding…”

Adriaen’s voice grew soft, clearly feeling some sort of betrayal. And it broke the 8-year-old slider who rubs his arm awkwardly. “Adri…I’m sorry. I know that’s not much…but I really am.”

Adriaen didn’t say anything and sniffles, he was holding back tears.

Adriaen instead shyly held his hand out for Leo to hold, the slider blinking but gently placed his palm into the one that was inviting him in. Adriaen squeezed their hands together.

“Don’t do it alone at least…take me with you.”

Leo’s heart fluttered.

Huh. Another weird feeling. What was going on with him?

“Okay…let’s go together.”

With held hands, the two turtle tots explore New York. Keeping an eye on each other while they wandered around the park, buildings and alleyways.

They kept to the shadows most of the time in case of being spotted. And the more time they hung out together, the more Leo began to realise something that he only thought existed in movies and comics.

He stared ahead as he watched Adriaen climbing around on a playground, smiling as he got to the monkey bars.

Oh…is this…am I in love?

He clenched his fist together as he watched warmly when Adriaen pulls himself up to sit on top of the monkey bars, swinging his legs out as he turns around and looks down Leo.

He gave a toothy smile, the moonlight reflecting Adriaen in a breathtaking light. Leo blushed as he couldn’t help but match the smile that Adriaen had.

Yeah…I’m in love.

——————————————————————————————————

Hope you enjoyed this lil story! They are so cute even at this age.

#rottmnt #tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise of the tmnt #save rottmnt #unpause rottmnt #oc #rottmnt oc #tmnt oc #rottmnt leo #leo hamato #tmnt leonardo #leonardo hamato #rise leo #leo x male oc #riseadriaenfic

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luciana-morningstar · 8 months ago

Text

One Shot

Aged Up Characters

Donnie x FemOc (Hell's Heros AU)

Rated PG-13

TW: Mild swearing and mild kissing. Lots of fluff.

"Hell Tales"

:: So This Is Love? ::

Donatello startled awake at the sound of a small knock. He drowsily closed his eyes again, assuming it was just something in the outer tunnels.

Knock. Knock.

His eyes opened again and he tried to blink the fuzziness away as he slowly pulled himself from the world of slumber.

Nope. That was definitely not outside, that was the sound of a tiny fist knocking on the big metal door to his room back at the Lair.

"She must have had a nightmare."

Don turned his head, his brown eyed gaze meeting the deep phalo green gaze of his wife's and for a small moment he forgot about the tiny knocks and the words she had spoken and simply soaked in the picture that was her, her hooded green eyes dark with sleepiness, her opaline skin glimmering in the dim purple neon lighting from his tech in the room, her wine red hair so dark it appeared black, splayed out over her pillow and her shoulders.

And her peony pink lips upturning into a soft smile as she picked up every waking thought he was having through their mental bond.

"I'll go put her back to bed." Luciana said as she began to uncover herself and crawl over him.

Don turned over onto his carapace and grasped her by her hips, halting her movements.

Well now she was giving him a look that had him considering whether or not they would be going back to sleep.

"Stay. I'll go. You're always getting up. Let me." He finally spoke up, having been momentarily tongue tied by his own thoughts of the woman currently still being held hostage, straddling him.

"Are you sure?" She tilted her head to the side, something she did often in an inquisitive way. "You're usually the insomniac so I just always try to make sure you get any sleep you can.."

"And it's thoughtful of you to consider me like that, sugar." She leaned down towards him as he spoke, her smile turning languid with the usage of his favored pet name for her.

"But I got it. You get some sleep, love." He said, sitting up to close the distance between them, kissing her softly.

A gentle sigh from her had him smiling against her lips. He pulled back only enough to nuzzle his beak against her nose and then peck her lips again, and again ..and again.

"Eris..." Luciana whispered.

"Right, right, right, right. On it." He released her hips and she rolled to the side to flop back down into her spot, covering back up and snuggling adorably into her pillow.

Don stretched as he stood up and then proceeded to the big metal door of his room. He pressed a button off to the side and it slid open with a 'whoosh'.

His three and a half year old daughter sat on the other side, hugging her stuffed shark plushie her uncle Raph had crocheted for her.

"Hey, little girl. What are you doing out here?" He stooped down next to her and she turned her sleepy brown eyed gaze towards him.

"Bad dream." Her Rs were still a little difficult for her so it came out more like 'deem'.

"Bad dream? Well that just won't do, huh?" He held his arms open for her and she hastily clamored over to him with her shark and wrapped her little arms around his neck so he could pick her up.

Eris snuggled her face into his neck and he could hear as well as feel the little vibrations of the strange purring noise her and her mother could make.

"You wanna sleep with me and mama or do you want to be a big girl and go back to your room?" He asked her, rubbing his hand up and down her back in a soothing motion. He could feel the little leather segments that were still developing over her vertebrae.

She seemed to take her time thinking about it. Whether she didn't actually know or she just wanted to be close to him right now he wasn't sure.

"Big grr." she told him.

"Okay. Good girl." Donnie rubbed his cheek against her head and she started up her little purr engine again. He chuckled softly in response.

When he entered her room, a small alcove they had renovated in Don's absence, he set her down in her toddler bed and she looked up at him with wide frightened eyes.

"What is it, baby?" He asked her.

"Da, stay?" She requested. Don sighed and smiled at her.

"You want me to read to you?" He asked her. She stared at him again as she thought before she shook her head.

"Hmm. Okay." Now it was his turn to think. He remembered something from about a year ago when she went through a spell of not sleeping through the night.

"C'mere, nova." He held out his arms again and she crawled back over to him. He picked her up, her little arms wrapped around his neck once more and her face tucked into his neck.

He glanced to his right over to a large chest of drawers that held her clothes and the vintage record player on top.

Luciana had sung her to sleep when she was younger. So perhaps music would help her now as well. He flipped through the basket of vinyl next to the record player until he found the one he was looking for.

It was a record with only one song on it but the one song nonetheless was by far Lucian's favorite to sing to Eris when she couldn't sleep.

He carefully placed the vinyl onto the turntable and picked up the tonearm to set it on the disc. A tiny crackle of static indicated the player was on and he adjusted the volume a little lower so he wouldn't wake anyone.

He didn't actually know the song. But Luciana had told him it was from the Disney original "Cinderella" and that Eris had been fixated on the movie for a few weeks when she was younger, the colors and sounds had intrigued her to no end.

The female singer who had covered this particular version was very good, though, Don found the song even more pleasing when Luciana sang it.

"Mmm, so this is love, mmm, so this is love

So this is what makes life divine

I'm all aglow, mmm, and now I know

The key to all heaven is mine"

He had heard the song enough tines that he found himself humming along as he slowly swayed to the music while he held his daughter in his arms, smiling when she snuggled in closer to him.

"My heart has wings, mmm, and I can fly

I'll touch every star in the sky

So this is the miracle that I've been dreaming of

Mmm, mmm, so this is love"

He continued to gently dance with his daughter cradled close to him as the song moved into a piano solo, throwing in a slow spin here and there.

"Mmm, mmm

I'll touch every star in the sky

So this is the miracle that I've been dreaming of

Mmm, mmm, so this is love"

By the end of the short song he could feel the steady even breathing of Eris as the breaths from her slightly parted lips tickled at the skin of his neck.

She was knocked out cold and he, as gently as he could, laid her back into her bed and tucked her in before switching off the record player and switching on her little galaxy projector nightlight.

His gaze trailed back down to Eris and he smiled, brushing his fingertips over her purple freckle dusted cheek.

His little nova. He truly treasured every moment with her and how close they had become. He was a die hard girl dad now, that was certain, going so far as to help her pick out her outfits everyday and buying anything adorable he happened to find online.

And you bet he made sure she was dressed the cutest. Every. Day. She was his little princess.

He even had Lux teach him how to braid and how to brush her hair and help her with it. Now Eris only went to him every morning to get help with her mane of copper hair that curled loosely like her mother's. He loved it. Loved every second of it.

And he loved how Leo lamented over Eris now choosing to spend more time with Don rather than her uncle. It was all in jest though that he teased Leo about it. Leo knew how much Don adored his daughter.

Eris sighed in her sleep and rolled to the side, hugging her shark plushie close and he leaned down to softly, very very (that's two verys) softly, kiss her temple before he turned and left the room, leaving her door just slightly cracked.

"How'd it go?" Lux asked him as he reentered his room. Well, their room really.

"If she requires me to dance her to sleep again, count me all the way in." He smiled at his wife.

Luciana returned his smile as he climbed back into bed and pulled her over to him.

"You danced her to sleep? That's adorable. You know, you're failing at that whole 'emotionally unavailable bad boy' image you worked so hard to create." She teased, her finger tips tracing lazy patterns over the soft skin that connected his shell to his plastron, causing him to shiver.

"I'm only emotionally available to you and E. Everyone elae can fuck off." He told her snootily, causing her to laugh.

"My big softie." Lux cooed, placing a soft kiss to his neck.

Don hummed in response, his eyes closing. He hadn't realized how tired he actually was until he had gotten comfortable again. However tired he may be though he couldn't ignore the desire spreading like warm fingers through his body, emanating from Luciana's side of the bond.

Another hum, ending in a rumbling churr vibrated in his plastron as she trailed feather light kisses across his clavicle.

They had almost allowed themselves to completely block out the outside world, Luciana still tracing soft patterns over his skin with her fingers even as she continued her trail of kisses up his neck,when a soft knocking was heard at the door again.

"Well. Bootyshaker9000. Time to dance again." Lux giggled.

"She was out cold, I swear." He sat up and looked down at Lux who smiled and shrugged.

"Maybe she just misses you?" She offered. "You have been gone for a week dealing with that bullshit in Cyberhex..that was the longest she's gone without seeing you."

"Computer." Donnie called out into the room.

"Authorization required." His own voice, though far more robotic, answered back.

"Alpha-Bootyyyshaker9000." He replied, rubbing at his tired eyes.

"Authorization accepted."

"Open door." He ordered. The metal door whooshed open once more and he heard tiny bare feet pad into the room against the chilly cement floor.

"Come on baby girl. You miss daddy don't you?" Luciana leaned over Don's legs to hoist their daughter up onto the bed that was taller than her.

Eris nodded, even while gently chewing on her pointer finger and clutching her shark plushie.

"Close door." Don called out again and the door to his room slid closed with a hiss.

Eris crawled over to Don as he scooted to lay back down, tucking herself in against his plastron with her shark between them. He lifted the weighted satin comforter, something he had spirited away from their room in Hell, and Lux scooted over to sandwhich their daughter between them. He closed his eyes, exhaustion creeping up on him.

"Donnie?" Lux whispered.

"Hm?" He popped one eye open.

"She's already out." She chuckled softly.

Don looked down at his daughter who, indeed, was out like a light already. He smiled.

"Daddy's girl. She's a total daddy's girl." Luciana shook her head as he closed his eyes again, a soft chuff was his only response as he too drifted off back to sleep with his arm draped over Lux's hip, and his little girl snuggled against his chest.

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changelingsandothernonsense · 2 years ago

Note

Skyrim favorites! 2 parts!

Answer one or more of these as either Teldryn or Sydari!

And then ofc give us your favorites, too! 20. favorite weapon?

23. favorite faction?

24. favorite creature?

26. favorite ability?

Answering as both since they both have their own opinions on this. Throwing in some Morrowind references too...coz reasons.

I'm dropping a fic easter egg in here! :D

20. Favourite Weapon.

Sydari unsheathes a curious dagger from her boot and places it on the table. The metal is unnaturally dark and the weapon itself seems to hum. There's daedric lettering etched into the centre of the blade.

"This little thing has gotten me out of more sticky situations than I can count. The enchantment is a little temperamental but the blade never dulls." She looks over at the Dunmer seated beside her, he raises an eyebrow as he stares apprehensively at the blade. She carefully places the dagger back in its sheath and smiles at him.

"He hates Daedric shit."

Teldryn shakes his head and slumps a little in his seat.

"I don't hate Daedric shit, I just," He scratches the bridge of his nose before taking another sip of the beverage beside him. It elicits a slightly disgusted look, "Miluth forgets that I've had my fair share of interactions with Daedra, all have consequences that I am no longer interested in experiencing." He looks down the hallway and smiles to himself, "Not any more."

"Oh, that's bullshit Tel! Your favourite weapon of all time was that weird crescent sword you took from that Dremora Lord," Sydari jeered, "Tell them that story!"

Teldryn shakes his head, "It's locked away in the armoury for a reason." He makes a sign with his hands that implies "little fingers".

"He stabbed a god with it!"

"Did I?"

(I love the design for Daedric weaponry in TES, something about it is so badass).

23. Favourite faction.

Sydari rests her feet on the table and sighs, "I'm a Nightingale."

Teldryn laughs, "She runs the Thieves Guild!"

Sydari throws a crust of bread at him and laughs in return, "And he thinks building tents in the yard and putting lamps in the window qualifies as a personality trait!"

"That one is a worthy cause and teaching her to build a yurt is a great way to pass the time."

"And attracts the attention of half the town."

"It's a dying art"

Sydari smiles back at him, "I know".

(I play the Thieves Guild questline in Skyrim a lot and Josh is very much an Ashlander projection on my part. He's also a member of Twin Lamps, a faction that has grown on me quite a bit! Yes I did say I'd throw Morrowind into this, can't do anything as instructed lol)

24. Favourite creature.

Sydari smiles, "I have always loved rabbits. They're so cute! I find the netch that float across the island to be fascinating."

"You've never had one of those things puke on you. It's foul." Teldryn takes another drink of the odd beverage beside him and grimaces. He pats the large, olive-green carapace of the nix hound at his feet.

"That's because I've never thrown a whole bottle of Sujamma at one you s'wit!"

"Language!" Teldryn tuts, a smile plastered across his thin features, "I heard her say fetcher the other day! Where did she pick that up?"

"She probably picked it up from you at the market last week! You called Fethis one because you think that he overcharged you for that glass tube you insisted on importing from the mainland."

"That's because Fethis is a dick!" Teldryn sighed and leaned back in his chair, "He's a dick Sydari."

"Language Sero, language."

Teldryn shakes his head, "I like big dogs."

"He likes cats."

"Shhhhhh!"

(I can't choose animals, I like most of them tbh so the above is a selection. I personally love the calls of silt striders and I think netch are cute.)

26. Favourite ability.

Both elves look at each other.

"Invisibility"

(I play stealth characters as a general rule, it's fun!)

#asks #sydari aralen #teldryn sero #danger!josh #exasperated!sydari #Nervyna Ensirhaddon-Sero #implied anyway #Serious Mistakes #Sleepers Awake

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kyogre-blue · 9 months ago

Text

Messed around in the new Illusive Realm today. It's still fun, the new mechanics don't seem to change much.

I'm a little annoyed that getting the... moldable? morphable? echoes from the shop makes them automatically "open" now, instead of putting them into your inventory to use later. Also, because they added new overlord echoes, the Type 1/2 malleable echoes this time around don't stack in inventory with the old ones. It doesn't matter, but it annoys me lol

That aside, you can now pick up "Tokens" that have little blurbs about different characters. The damaging ones have no name given, but they're pretty obviously about Scar.

This one suggests again that he'll be playable later and have some kind of character arc:

"When the moment comes, he'll once again cast off all restrains and step into true freedom." I assume that his current beliefs are the restraints keeping him from "true" freedom lol

I also got one about Jianxin, one about Lingyang, and one for Changli (which had big Ningguang vibes). It's pretty cute.

I haven't cleared out the shop fully because I don't really care about all the exp stuff, but I might go back and run it a few more times. I'm also missing one of the achievement type things because I just do not see where you get the Glass Labyrinth debuff. Nevermind, just looked it up, it's because there's a mistranslation. The achievement calls it Glass Labyrinth, but the actual game UI calls it Mirror Array. There's a couple instances like this before too, like the car echo being both called a Chaserazor and a Carapace.

I also messed around in the top part of the Tower and cleared some parts, but I definitely can't do the floor 4s (because skill issue lol) or the third section (because not enough characters).

Now, it's just farming for a while, I guess. But that's kind of nice in its own way.

#playing wuthering waves

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new-royston-cursebreakers · 1 year ago

Note

What is the funniest incident your character(s) has/have gotten themselves into?

Ik I'm backed up so much and I haven't been on writeblr in FOREVER but I couldn't ignore this Bug :)

Depends on who you ask. I think it's hilarious to write seven teenagers who have never been inside a normal grocery store now exploring one:

The next day, by Fletcher’s choice, they head to a grocery store. He had been reminded that his favorite food, strawberries, would probably be a lot bigger now; more to enjoy! Cricket can’t keep the grin off his face watching Gio, Fletcher, and Caelan gawk over the massive food all around them. At one point, Gio wedges himself into one of the freezers, ‘just to get to shiver’ as he explains. Jeff and Ruth allow everyone to pick something for them to buy from the grocery store to eat before they get back.

But they might not think so. Cricket thinks that this little moment from Gio is hilarious:

“What on Earth is that?!” Gio breathes, horrified. Cricket approaches, thankful for his vast wealth of bug knowledge. The poor thing’s trapped on its back. He flips his hand over and presses the back of it against the bug’s legs, biting his lip as the hooks on its feet tickle his skin. He slowly flips his hand over again, revealing the spotty, cream-colored carapace and double horns of a two-inch-long male eastern Hercules beetle.

[...]

“Just put your hand next to mine,” Cricket instructs, “and let it crawl right over. It’ll feel a bit weird, okay?” “Okay,” Gio breathes. He puts his shaky hand next to Cricket’s, gritting his teeth. Slowly, the beetle starts to crawl over, lightly tapping at Gio’s palm with a foreleg. “There you go,” Cricket murmurs gently. He feels Gio tense as the beetle makes contact. “Is it supposed to be sharp…?” “Yeah, helps him hold on,” Cricket says. “Shouldn’t hurt, though.” “It doesn’t—it just feels—!” Gio steps back as the beetle finishes crawling onto him. “Okay,” he says, voice strained. “Get it somewhere—get somewhere to—ugh! Just—find a place so I don’t have to hold this thing anymore!” “I can take it back,” Cricket says, laughing. “Find a place!”

And while Gio doesn't find a lot of things funny, Fletcher's done a lot to make him laugh. He'll always remember the time that he told Fletcher that he was nervous about a speech he was supposed to give, so Fletcher stood in the back and emphatically gestured about everything that Gio was saying, and he could barely keep from giggling through his speech.

And, heck, one more as a bonus. Cameron once saw Fletcher fall down the grand staircase at the Violett house and had to get dragged home by his parents because he couldn't stop laughing.

#sts ask #wip: tconr #held in darkness 🦗#waterlogged curseling 🌊#of two worlds 🌸#self appointed guardian 🍓#tysm i didnt know how much i needed this #ive missed my bois :')

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zombified-queer · 2 years ago

Note

howner — "Why me?" "Why not you?"

Howner makes me unwell, anon, how dare you pick a ship that makes me go hogwild.

Tonight, the Owner steps out of his office and into the lobby with a reservation card in hand. He almost hands it to the woman at the desk before he pauses.

It’s Her.

“Hi handsome,” The Hotel Herself says with a wink. “The reservation card? Oh, thank you so much. Say, won’t you help me with this little check in? The Lobby Boy is, well…”

She clicks her tongue indicating that the Manager and the Lobby Boy have been put away for tonight. Like a girl’s dolls back in their boxes. She laughs and leans on the desk.

“I mean it would be so fun! A little family operation.” She reaches out and plucks the card from between his fingers. “Just the two of us. What d’you say?”

“Why me?”

“Why not you?” She doesn’t look at him as She reads the card. “I even got myself all cleaned up for this!”

She has, in fact, merely taken one of the many, many skins left over in this establishment. Long, dark hair. Pulled into a braid. A uniform of dark green and stark white. Very professional, considering Her usual tastes.

“Are you certain the Lobby Boy can’t handle the guests tonight.”

“Well, sure.” She taps the card on the desk, pretending to think. “But then I’d miss spending time with you.”

She wants to spend time. With him. The Owner bristles at the thought.

“And, if there’s time, we could watch them die. Together. I know you don’t like that stuff, but that’s what they do.” The Hotel Herself needles him with a hopeful grin.

“I suppose, if the Lobby Boy, is otherwise occupied.” The Owner straightens his tie.

She claps Her hands together. “Now, it’s the Hopkins tonight. Married couple. We should show them out honeymoon suite, don’t you think?”

The Owner nods. “Whatever you think best.”

The honeymoon suite lives up to its name. Waxen cells of a hive spill out bees the size of a man’s fist with stingers to match. Each insect crawling free is large with an iridescently black carapace. And every single one hates to be disturbed by things like screaming.

The Hotel Herself drapes an arm around the back of the Owner’s office chair. “It was pretty cute, though. The whole reciting vows before bed thing.”

“It didn’t save them.”

“It sure didn’t.” She clicks Her tongue. “Shame.”

The Owner notes the wistful tone in Her voice. He turns his head to give Her a look.

“Oh, no. You’re thinking.”

“I don’t believe the policy has anything against employee fraternization.”

She scrunches up Her nose. “Yuck. You’re going to have to be smoother than that, mister man.”

“Perhaps,” and now a note of teasing enters the Owner’s voice as the guests stop screaming, “we should get coffee. And get to know each other.”

“Only if you get me home by eleven,” She teases back.

They share a smile, both of them knowing they won’t be leaving The Hotel at all. Not that they need to.

#the hotel podcast #howner #they make me go stupidcrazy and smooth my brain #for extra giggles: pretend the managerboy beach fic is happening at the same time as this

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full-moon-rising · 6 months ago

Text

Seven :: Smell

It got busy the next few days and I stayed at the bakery. Nathalie and I met in the small office that I rented less than a block away. We would regularly meet to go over what was going on at COCCINELLE, what the chief designers were doing, and the direction that the next season's lines were going to introduce. Marinette had a lot of great drawings. We hadn’t used but about a quarter of them. When we were coming up with the next season Marinette Line and the Kwami Line, there were still plenty of designs to work with. Sabine was always brought in to give her stamp of approval. Marinette was her daughter and the line bore her name, so Sabine had veto power.

Nathalie was also responsible for making sure the charities ran smoothly and presenting any new projects that the panel would select as possible candidates for our support. COCCINELLE was doing amazing work both in the apparel industry and with the programs we supported. The change to a more youthful focus had given it the boost it needed after father had started neglecting it for his Hawk Moth obsession.

When we were done with our evening meeting, Nathalie went wherever it was she went, and I went back to the bakery. Sabine had the bakery closed and the apartment was quiet when I got home. She had left a note on the kitchen island telling me there was a dinner plate for me in the refrigerator and that she was beat and had decided to retire early. I took the plate of food and went into the living room. I flipped on the T.V. and while I ate, I watched a little bit of this and that as I clicked through channels.

There were still some events related to the night of the attack, and there was even a speculative panel discussion on what happened to Chat Noir. Where did he go? Was he okay? There were and had been since day one, rumors about how he was locked up somewhere getting treatment for whatever might have befallen him after the death of Ladybug. Not terribly far from the truth. And there was the Everyday Ladybug program that encouraged Paris youth to become Everyday Ladybugs and find ways of being a positive influence in the city, their schools, and in their neighborhoods. The program was only three months old but had been a winner from the announcement of its existence. The program was created by Rena Rouge and Carapace, and they oversaw the decisions made to make sure that it stayed true to its concepts and Ladybug's Ideals.

After an hour of channel surfing and intermittent napping, I washed the plate and utensils and headed up to bed. I went into my room and got out of my day clothes and into my ladybug shorts and Tee and went into the bathroom to brush my teeth. As I was putting away my toothbrush, I heard a bump. I stopped and listened to see if it happened again. It did. The kwami were in the miracle box, which was in my room, but the sound didn’t come from my room. Another bump and this time I knew where it came from. I very quietly went up the stairs to Marinette’s room and when I reached the trap I stopped to listen. There it was again.

I quickly pushed open the trapdoor and entered her room looking for anyone or anything that might be making that sound. No one was in the room. It was quiet. Still. I moved into the room so I could see up into her bed and again, nothing. Wait. Not nothing. A sewing box that sat on one of the shelves had fallen, or been pushed, to the floor. I walked over to it and looked it over. Nothing was missing, so far as I could tell, but there was something less than a meter away in the middle of the floor. I looked at it and froze. What the hell? This wasn’t funny. I was sure that someone was pulling some kind of sick practical joke. I reached down and picked up the object.

In my hand was a ribbon. Red and just the exact same kind of ribbon that Marinette wore in her hair. I looked at it, turning it in my hand, holding it up to examine it, and again froze. I remember looking at this box just a couple of weeks ago on one of my trips up here for the quiet and the connection I needed to Marinette. This ribbon was not in that box. The only things I saw in that box were spools of thread and a couple of thimbles. Not red hair ties, and certainly not ribbons with dark blue-black strands of hair twisted around it.

I had been so focused on what I could see that I had not noticed something else in the room. The smell of freshly baked cookies and a hint of vanilla. That was the smell that I associated with Marinette and Ladybug. It wasn’t a perfume, at least not intentionally. It was the smell of a bakery that Marinette wore because she lived above one. There was no other sense that had the edge over smell when it came to bringing up memories, and it was triggering memories of adventures with both sides of My Lady. It was what I smelled when I held her close and just enjoyed having her in my arms. I would inhale deeply because that smell always made me feel like I was home. Mostly because I was home. No matter where else I might be, if I was in her arms and could smell her natural perfume, I was home. As I held the ribbon my eyes closed, and the smell almost overpowered me. I was home. I was in her arms. I could feel them wrap around me, gently holding me safe. I could feel her rest her head just below my chin and I could feel her warmth.

“Help me kitty. I couldn’t find you. I want to come home. Help me, Chaton.”

My eyes snapped open. I was standing in the middle of her room. Alone. Her scent was all over me. I could still feel the warmth of her body against mine. I heard her voice and felt her arms. I took out my phone and unlocked it. I had my finger over the call button that would ring up my therapist, but I hesitated.

A movement caught my attention, and I looked up to see Plagg floating toward me. His eyes were wide open, and his pupils were blown. And he was shook. The last time I saw that look on him was a year ago. Heck, the last time I saw him was a year ago. He floated to a stop and just looked at me for a few seconds. He looked at the red ribbon I held. Then he looked at me again.

“You felt it too. Right? You did, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. I felt it too.”

A tear trailed down Plagg’s cheek. He was shaking slightly. What the hell could make a billions year old god tremble?

“I felt her, kid. She was here. I don’t know how, but Tikki was here.”

End Chapter 7

Next: Kitty in Lines

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous fandom #miraculous au #miraculous: memorial

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magicalbuffalotransformerman · 2 years ago

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{would you believe me if i said this post was rotting in my drafts?}

[there's a hunchback laying on the table, whistling to himself.]

[a certain fellow comes to join him.]

BB: bonecrusher. hey. wanted to talk to you.

[bonecrusher directs his attention to bunkerbuster, a mild blush appearing on his face.]

BC: bro why are you not wearing your chestplate

BB: patch's washing it. since we're husbands now. i. uhm. wanted to make it official. that, and i noticed you and rockie don't wear rings. or you and munchie. so.

[bonecrusher's eyebrow raises.]

BB: [he presents a couple of small crates, opening them to reveal some custom rings.] a pair for you and rockie, a pair for you and munchie, 'n'... a pair for you 'n' me. [he also presents a bashful smile.]

BC, his soul touched: bro... [he reaches forward, letting bunkerbuster slip three of the rings onto his claws.]

[bonecrusher admires the rings on his fingers.]

BB: your thoughts?

[bonecrusher gets off of the table and hugs bunkerbuster tight, giggling into his chest.]

BB: ...glad you like 'em. [he slips on his ring, proud of himself.]

BC: i have to show these to rockie and munchie oh my god,,,

[bonecrusher slips out of bunkerbuster's arms and rolls into his room with a load of vigor.]

[bunkerbuster giggles, and takes himself a seat on the kitchen island.]

[he kicks his feel while he waits.]

...

[and his wait only takes five minutes.]

[bonecrusher returns, stars in his eyes as he pulls along rocketjumper and footmuncher out of his room. he's giggling like an engine that won't start.]

RJ: so, boney says you've made some neat wedding ringssss... i didn't know it was titties out tuesday.

BB: [a soft giggle.] had to put my carapace in the wash, sorry. yeah, i made some neat little rings to make the weird little love web official. well, almost official! [he presents rocketjumper's ring to her.]

RJ: ooh. oooohh. [she chuckles softly as she gazes at the ring in its box. stunningly seductive and a shimmering emerald green gem, reinforced for war and bloodshed.] oh my god... bunkie!! this is so nice!!! [she plants a sloppy and loving kiss onto bunkerbuster's lips, pulling away to slip the ring onto her right ring finger. she giggles as she watches it shine on her finger, loving the ring.]

FM: [footmuncher giggles at rocketjumper's reaction.] how silly... how nice.

[bonecrusher only watches as his wife enjoys her new ring. he wanders next to footmuncher, placing a claw onto his butt.]

BC: how lovely. eh, munchie?

FM: [footmuncher leans onto bonecrusher, kissing his cheek.]

BB: so! footmuncher. would you like to see your ring as well?

FM: hell yeah, homie. [he hops up as bunkerbuster presents footmuncher's ring to him. a glazed marble stone, reflecting rose and violet, with a hint of lavender. its reinforcement is not as tough as rocketjumper's ring's reinforcements, yet it is still strong. strong enough to strive and thrive throughout life.]

BB: [he watches on as footmuncher equips the ring.] so... your thoughts?

FM: [footmuncher moves past bunkerbuster's outstretched arm, wrapping his own around BB's waist and giving him a romantic and thankful kiss, right on the lips.]

[bonecrusher smiles quietly as he watches on, now being picked up by his wife.]

[bunkerbuster holds footmuncher close and returns his kiss with a welcoming hug around his back.]

RJ: ...wow. wasn't expecting the romance today.

BC: really? the day where we got our rings, you didn't expect the romance?

RJ: nah. expected more lust. [she chuckles after her quip.]

[bonecrusher kisses rocketjumper's cheek.]

RJ: well... what do we do now?

BC: i'ouno. i'm gonna stare at these rings.

[rocketjumper mumbles something only bonecrusher can hear as she turns to head into his room. they have a good ol' fashioned conversation inside.]

[yes the helicopter and the tank are still kissing. what can they say, they like the tastes of eachother's mouths]

#bonejumper #bunkerbuster #footmuncher #magicalMILDnsfw #(kissin + rings + probably one swear. maybe)

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bitchfitch · 2 years ago

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The man set the brown plastic bag of convenience store groceries on the gold gilded table. The rustle of plastic against plastic nearly drowned out the quiet whimpering coming from the room beyond. He sighed, and left his coat draped over one of the chairs after he fished the tiny sewing kit out of the pocket.

"Smiles?" he called as he stepped into their main room. His face twisted into a grimace as he saw exactly what he had expected to.

Grinning Thing was curled up on their lounge. Their face pressed tight into the crook of their arm with their favorite blanket covering their lower half.

Their back was ripping open again. The pale skin shearing in strips as they squirmed and twitched within their own body. The spindly legs that had pushed through the gaps shook and jerked, the tears bleeding a nearly clear gold. that drenched them and the velvet they rested on. Scrawny damp wings that were folded wrong flicked in an imitation of fluttering. Their bases still deep inside of Grinning Thing.

The man settled on the floor beside them, soothing a hand along the papery skin of their side until theirs came to grab it. Their fingers twining with his and squeezing their palms together in a weak quest for comfort. They coughed, a gush of slick blood poured from their wounds. The malformed and barely formed thing within them leaking out as it sometimes did. Long away was the day of their pupation, this was just another rupture and step towards it.

"Hurts," they whined.

"I'm sure it does," he squeezed their hand and pressed a kiss to their shoulder. "Will you let me sew it back up again? I have the pink thread you like."

They nod, wincing as they do, "Bath after."

"Bath after," he confirmed for them.

Taking his hand away from theirs he set to work. Carefully guiding the soft carapaced appendages back throught the holes they had punched through, before sewing each back shut in turn. The seams of past ruptures littered Grinning Thing's back, the pink and green threads stained to a sickly orange and yellow by their blood. They swore they didn't hurt, but the man would always doubt that. Grinning Thing jumped too much when he kissed along one for him to believe they were numb.

Their breathing eased, their coughing quieted. The man wiped his hands on his ancient jeans and stood to pick them up. They weighed far less than they looked like they should, like they were hollow and only skin thick.

They let their head rest on his shoulder, their hair greasy with sweat and their frozen face stained with tears. They couldn't close their eyes, but he'd learned to see the specific softness in the muscles of their face and the droop of their thin brows to know when they'd fallen asleep.

They liked baths with bubbles and fizzy bath bombs. Water so hot it left burns on his skin. He knew they were far too exhausted to enjoy any of it. He shouldered his way into their room. The massive king bed in the center welcomed Grinning Thing into it with a puff of the overly soft sheets and thick comforter. He pulled a blanket over them, put the silly little stuffed dog he'd won for them at an arcade against their side, and pressed a kiss to their forehead before stepping away and closing the door with a soft click.

The mess on them would be a bitch to get out of the bedding later, but for now they could rest and recover while he got dinner ready for them both.

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tmnt-obsessed-ace · 2 years ago

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Lost But Never Found: Chapter 2, Feel No Pain

"Don't just stand there! Get your icky gross friend…" Donnie all but screamed. "Off! Of! Me!"

Leo nodded, arms grabbing his gravely injured turtle companion and lifting him up. Well not exactly lifting as Indigo is much heavier than he looks. He grit his teeth, planting his feet firmly to the medbay floor and tried again. He could barely lift the shorter turtle.

His limbs were quivering from the strain. Why were people so much heavier unconscious? Donnie's squirming was not helping matters. "Raph! A little help here!" Leo shouted at the top of his lungs, already hearing the thundering footfalls of his older brother.

Donnie was pushing up against Indigo's chest while Leo held him up. "So how did you meet this guy anyway?" The softshell asked, his voice strained.

"He's one of the top fighters in the Battle Nexus."

"Oh so that explains this…" Donnie held up a hand, the palm smeared with sticky blood. It was a frightening mix of yellow, green and the dark crimson that blood should be. "Icky gross ew this is so…I need a shower…" Leo only grunted, trying not to gag. He could taste the metallic scent on his tongue with every breath.

There was a sudden rush of intense vibrations, shaking the medbay. Both turtles turned to see their big brother racing towards them.

"Leo? Donnie?" Raph audibly gasped, a hand flying up to cover his mouth. His brown eyes were wide with horror at the bloody, unconscious, turtle between his two brothers. "Oh god-"

"Put him on the cot, carapace up. I need to fix the crack in his shell." Leo instructed, handing Indigo to Raph. The snapper was about to pick up the smaller turtle before Leo stopped him. "Gently, very gently and try not to touch his left shoulder too much. It got badly dislocated and is still fragile. Raph nodded.

He oh so carefully picked up Indigo with ease, cradling him like an infant before gently laying him plastron down onto the cot. Donnie instantly squirmed away, grimacing at the partially dried blood smeared onto his body.

The crimson stained medical tape was peeled off, the gauze removed from inside the crack. Another gasp came from Raph, this one much more worried. A strangled gag came from Donnie, whose mouth was covered and his face was considerably more green.

The slider took a breath, scrambling to the sink to scrub his hands clean before he could begin.

"Donnie-" At the look on the softshell's face, it was obvious that he was five seconds away from puking. He blinked nervously at Leo, weakly pointing to the massive crack in Indigo's shell. "Go empty your guts and wait in the living room." Donnie nodded, scrambling out of the medbay.

As Leo was pulling gloves over his hands, a big hand settled on his shoulder. "What do you need me to do?" The blue clad turtle glanced back at his patient, who looked far, far too still on the cot.

"The drill, screws and wires are in the second cabinet on the far wall, the fiberglass patches in the top shelf and the resin in the fourth drawer. Get all that then wash your hands in the sink!" Raph hurried over to the cabinet.

Leo grabbed a bottle of wound cleaning solution, some cotton balls and some cotton ball forceps. After tearing open the bag of cotton balls with so much force that several fell to the floor, he soaked one in the solution and began dabbing it inside the cracked shell.

There was a twitch from Indigo at first contact but Leo kept going. He glanced over a few times, his stomach clenching at the pained look on Indigo's face. But it had to be done or the crack would get so damn infected so quickly.

"I got the stuff!" Raph half yelled, setting everything down on a nearby table before rushing to the sink. Leo nodded as he thoroughly disinfected the crack.

When Raph came back, Leo grabbed the drill and some screws. "Hold his shell together so I can fix it." The red clad turtle gulped but nodded, carefully pressing both edges of the crack together with one hand.

Then Leo began drilling the screws into place, ignoring the occasional twitch from Indigo. He also blocked out Raph's cooing to the unconscious turtle, trying to soothe him just like he always did when one of his brothers got injured and needed patching up.

The screws were tied with wires, holding them together so the shell could heal. Leo grabbed fiberglass patches and covered the sealed cracks. It would be awhile before the resin could be applied to waterproof it but good enough for now.

"Flip him over, gently." Indigo was rolled over, and both brothers winced at the barely audible whimper.

"Shh shh, it's alright little guy." Raph cooed, stroking Indigo's cheek with his thumb.

Leo glared at the heavy chest plate and shoulder pauldrons, oh those were coming off like yesterday. He started feeling around, trying to find a locking mechanism like on the spider claw gauntlets. "There's gotta be a button or something to release it." He mumbled but found no such thing.

"Ok, Ok I'm better now." Donnie announced as he staggered back into the medbay, panting a bit. The dried blood had been cleaned off so he didn't look as queasy.

"You still got a buzzsaw in your techbō?"

"Obviously, why?" Leo gestured to the armor that refused to come off. Donnie nodded, pulling out his techbō. It was quickly pulled into a handheld buzzsaw.

Raph quickly shoved his fingers underneath the armor, trying to hold up so that Indigo wouldn't get cut by accident.

The saw made contact with the metal, creating an earsplitting shrieking sound along with dozens of sparks that Leo was quick to swat away from Indigo. After a few seconds the saw stopped.

"What the?" The blade's teeth were all bent, the metal looking like it got put through a trash compactor. There wasn't even a scratch on the armor.

Donnie lowered his goggles. "The armor is made of mystic metal!" He said before looking up at the collar on Indigo's neck. "That thing is mystic too."

Leo looked at the collar with hatred. What purpose did it serve? It didn't look strong enough to protect his throat.

It wasn't a fashion accessory. No, it looked like a ducking dog collar.

Maybe it was a statement, a reminder of who was in charge.

He thought back to the three scars on Indigo's arm, that was a warning. Defy Big Mama again and he would be screwed.

Leo felt his hands shake with barely contained rage. Was that a part of the punishment? Having to wear a fucking dog collar? That is so disgusting! So utterly demeaning! How could Big Mama stoop that low?

Then again, she didn't even give him a name. Like he was simply an object, a pet to Big Mama. And she was his master.

He is going to throw that stupid collar into a portal straight to New Jersey.

"That collar's gotta go, now." Both his brothers flinched at the barely contained fury in Leo's voice. He'll explain later. He grabbed it, hearing a soft clicking sound.

There was a red light flashing down the sides of the armor. It faded, the sides of the armor unlocking. The black fabric covering Indigo's neck and mouth dissolved as Leo pulled away the collar.

"That's convenient!" Raph cheered a bit. Leo held the collar tightly in his hand, the red spider shaped gem nearly cracking under the pressure.

How dare she…

He knew Big Mama was evil but this?

This is crossing a line…

The next time Leo sees her…there won't be any deals…

He will fucking murder her…

"Raph do me a favor and power smash jitsu this thing out of existence m'kay?" Leo said coolly, burying the anger deep down inside. Not now…he has a patient to attend to.

Raph took the collar, a confused look on his face. "Ok..? If you got everything from here I'll go do that." Both twins nodded and Raph left the medbay.

"So where's dad, Mikey and April?" Leo asked as he got to work on powering up the X-ray machine, gotta see how bad the internal damage is.

"Well Mikey is currently stress cooking in the kitchen, April has claimed the bathroom for a much needed shower and papa is trying to explain to April's parents why she didn't come home or call for three days." Leo snickered, already imagining how awkward that conversation would go.

He wiped the sweat from his brow, the costume was getting hot.

Oh yeah he was still wearing his Lou Jitsu costume. He had been wearing it the entire time.

"Think you can run an IV of fluids while I go take this off?"

"Scoff! Of course I can, I watched you do it several hundred times! Go get changed before you start smelling!" Was Donnie's reply. Leo smiled briefly before leaving the medbay.

Leo glanced at his dad, who was currently on the phone with April's parents. And judging by his nervous face it wasn't going well.

"There was a power outage. Yes a power out!" Splinter said, trying to keep his voice from wavering. "We didn't have any cell service for three days but now everything is fine!" Leo leaned over, snickering at how Splinter winced at Carol's confused yelling from the phone.

And while the words couldn't exactly be made out from Leo's position, judging by his father's reaction it wasn't good..

The slider moved past his father and headed to his bedroom. Once inside the safety of his small room his knees buckled. "Fuck…" he sat on the floor, looking down at the dried blood on his costume. The events of the battle are finally catching up.

They came so close to actually dying… that plan was so brilliant yet so stupid.

One wrong move and everyone would be dead!

He gulped, staring nervously at the splatter of bright green blood on his costume. Blood from one of the evil six…

It had splattered on him when…fuck.

He was going to die! That yokai would've straight up killed him if Indigo…

It had to be done.

Right?

It was that guy or Leo, the entire world was on the line if he didn't win.

And yet… that horrible scream as the katana went through his eye. Through his skull.

His stomach gurgled, bile rising to his throat while his ears oh so unhelpfully started ringing.

He laid on the cool floor, trying to steady his racing heart.

That guy was dead. Zip! Gone forever! Buh bye!

Indigo didn't even hesitate. Didn't stop to consider what he was about to do. Didn't even flinch when he got covered in blood or when the severed head rolled to the ground.

Maybe it was just a heat of the moment kind of thing, an accident.

But it looked far too practiced to be accidental.

Indigo aimed for the neck with near perfect precision.

Although he didn't seem fully present afterwards, his eyes were a bit hazy.

Like he was drugged or something.

Or dissociating.

Leo didn't know which possibility was worse.

No…not now he has a patient. He opened the mini fridge under his bed, pulling out a bottle of Monster energy. He tore the cap off and chugged the entire thing in three big gulps, easing his tense stomach.

Time to get back to work.

When he came back to the medbay, Lou Jitsu costume now in the 'to be washed later' pile, and much less sweaty, the IV had been put in successfully. Donnie was slumped down in a chair nearby, looking utterly exhausted.

"I took a blood sample in case he needs a transfusion." The softshell mumbled before slumping his head on the armrest.

Leo smiled at his twin, once he was finished with Indigo Donnie would be next.

He washed his hands in the sink again and put on a fresh pair of gloves. He still had much more to fix.

"It…ay…st…"

"A…mst…do…"

"Od…mor…"

"...ld…up…th…ond…"

"Ke…up…ee…o"

"Wh…"

"A...ant…ay"

"...s…rry…my…so…"

Bleary eyes slowly strained open. Ringing fading away into actual sounds.

There was a dull humming sound nearby though what was causing it was a mystery.

Purple greeted him when his vision began to focus. That's…where was he? A steady beeping sound to his right made him turn.

Or try to.

He could barely move, like his body was made of lead. He turned his head to the right looking at a strange machine making the beeps.

A line went up and down with each beep.

A heart rate monitor by the looks of it. Wires slithered from the machine to his chest, the pads held down with pieces of medical tape.

He stared at it lazily for several minutes, watching every pulse of the line. That's all he could do to be honest, his body just felt so heavy.

Eventually the heart rate monitor stopped being interesting so he turned his head left, eyes locked with an IV bag connected to his left arm at the hand. The fluid was clear, tiny bubbles rising to the surface as more of the liquid dripped down the plastic tube.

Wait…an IV…a heart rate monitor…was he in the infirmary?

He sat up with strength he didn't know he had. He grabbed the IV tube and ripped it out, ignoring the blood that began to pool. He'll deal with it later. The heart rate monitor was going haywire but he ignored that too.

He looked down at the blankets covering his legs before trying to kick them off.

His legs refused to cooperate, they somehow felt even heavier than the rest of his body.

He heard footsteps echoing down the hall.

Shit.

Fuck.

Why was he in the infirmary?

He grabbed the blankets and practically threw them off and allowed himself to sigh in relief. He still had both his legs.

Some who wake up in the infirmary aren't so lucky. The doctors must not have gotten to him yet.

But it sounded like they were coming.

He reached into his shell, grabbing a switchblade and opening up the blade. He scrambled underneath the bed and held his breath.

You do not want to wake up in the infirmary.

Ever.

That is far worse than the arena.

At least in the arena Big Mama or her assistant Vee are supervising the whole affair.

There are so few rules, but there are rules.

In the infirmary the doctors run the show.

They can do literally anything they want to the poor fools that get dragged to them, bound to the surgical table and only able to pray that the doctors are merciful this time around.

Hell the last time he ended up in the infirmary…if Vee had not intervened…

He ignored the sickening thought. Just forget it! He has a weapon and he'll be fine.

Just dont think about metal restraints…

Or the iron rod shoved into his mouth, still coated with old blood.

The bright white lights bearing down on him.

Definitely don't think about the pale white saw made from yokai bones inching ever closer…

He covered his mouth with his right hand, smothering the thoughts like a dying flame. The footsteps were getting closer and closer.

Fuck.

He was doomed.

It was then that he noticed a thick cast was covering his right arm. He inwardly sighed, so the doctors already did something.

Once the cast was off he would cut it out.

The door opened as he tried to sink deeper into the floor. He took a breath, not even daring to breathe. Hopefully his racing heart wouldn't give him away.

"Indigo?" A panicked voice asked. A familiar voice…

Where had he heard that voice?

"Are you ok?" The voice asked, sounding incredibly worried. He shimmied a bit to look from underneath the medical bed.

There was a lanky looking red eared slider kappa frantically looking around the room. He wore a sky blue mask and dark blue belts, socks and gloves.

Was that…

Leon?

His heart almost stopped. Leon was here?

Leon was in the infirmary!

That means…oh god that means they lost! They lost the fight against Kraken Tom and the Evil Six!

Leon had been injured.

Leon was at the mercy of the doctors.

For how long?

How long was he out?

The old rat was probably dead, didn't Leon call him…father?

Leon's father was dead. The kid was trapped in the Battle Nexus!

He was so small! So scrawny!

Oh god he wouldn't last a week!

He was just a kid!

He didn't deserve this!

What about his family? He said that they were counting on him to win against Big Mama!

But he didn't!

Oh god what happened to them?

Were they here too?

Would they have to fight in the arena?

Would he have to fight them?

Would Leon have to fight them?

Would he have to fight Leon?

"Indigo!" Leon's voice interrupted his spiral. "Dude you gotta breathe for me ok? Like this." A long inhale then a slow exhale. "Just like that ok? Can you do that for me?" Leon did it several more times.

Eventually Indigo joined in, the first couple of times were shaky and so much more painful than he expected. He pushed past the pain, trying to match Leon.

Who knows how long later they were in sync. One the last exhale Indigo opened his eyes, when were they closed? He was met with Leon's bright green gaze.

"L-Leon?" Indigo stuttered out, nearly collapsing right then and there. Leon wrapped his arms around him in a loose hug.

"Are you alright now?" Leon's voice was soft, gentle as if they weren't literally in the worst possible situation right now. Indigo brushed his hands off, grabbing Leon's wrists and looking him over. "Dude?"

No visible stitches, no discoloration, his veins weren't distended.

All good signs, the doctors must be busy.

"Come on, we can escape through the morgue."

"The what?"

"From there we just gotta climb through the vents to the armory and make our way to the barracks." He tried to stand up, the room suddenly spinning.

Indigo's knees gave out, nearly sending him falling to the floor. Shit they must've drugged him.

Before he could hit the floor, two arms grabbed him tightly, holding him up.

Well barely, he could feel the arms trembling.

"I gotchu Indy!" Leon held Indigo steady as he tried to stand again. "Come on let's get you back in bed ok?"

"Are you crazy? We have to leave before the doctors come for us!" Indigo hissed through gritted teeth.

Leon just looked confused. "What doctors? Indigo, where do you think we are?"

"The Battle Nexus Infirmary…"

The slider shook his head, pulling Indigo close.

"We're home buddy."

"What…do you mean?"

"After the Kraken knocked you out I portaled you here, our home." He was led to the medical bed and laid down on the cot. Now that Indigo was actually thinking about it this place was far different from the infirmary.

It was cleaner first of all, usually blood was always coating the floor and walls.

It wasn't as bright, no humming white surgical lights looming overhead.

And the biggest change was that it was quiet. The hallways of the infirmary were always echoing with the buzz of equipment, the sadistic laughter of the doctors, and the screams of their victims.

Here though it was quiet, just the beeping of the heart rate monitor and a faint humming sound wafting from the open door. It almost sounded like music.

Leon cupped his cheeks with his hands. "You're safe here Indigo, I promise. Do you trust me?"

Does he? Does he trust Leon?

He barely knows anything about this boy. They only met by pure chance then fought together in the arena. He has no reason to trust him!

But Leon didn't have to fix his shoulder and patch his wounds. He could've gone on his merry way and be none the wiser. Leon didn't have to give him a name either, because why name someone that at the time thought you would never see again.

Leon shared his top secret plan with a complete stranger. It would probably be smarter not to since he had no clue if Indigo would snitch or not.

Such a gamble, for him.

Why?

And if he is to believe what Leon said, he took the biggest risk of all by full on kidnapping Indigo from the Battle Nexus. Big Mama was absolutely watching that fight. If she saw that it would be breaking the terms of the deal they made and Leon would probably end up dead.

Why take such an unnecessary risk on a stranger? He could've easily left Indigo to die or wake up at the mercy of the doctors.

Maybe it was because for some reason, Leon trusted him.

And he trusts him back, for the same reason he trusts Vee.

A stranger took a massive risk for him.

"Yeah I trust you." Indigo answered as there was a pinch to his hand. The IV had been put back in, in a different spot this time. The previous spot was covered with a bandage.

Leon beamed at him. "Good now if you tear out the IV again I will replace your stitches with staples." He said cheerfully. Indigo rolled his eyes, staples were nothing compared to what the doctors used.

The blankets were pulled back over him.

"I guess you have questions."

"That's an understatement." Leon chuckled, grabbing a rolling chair and scooting next to the cot.

"Fire away mi hermano!" Indigo gave him a confused look. That sounded a bit like Spanish but he wasn't sure. He mostly tried to tune out the constant noise of the barracks. When Leon saw his confused face he opted to clarify. "It's Spanish for my brother."

Indigo relaxed a bit. "Ok…first of all what happened?"

Leon swiveled around. "The plan worked! We won!"

"No way-"

"Yup! In fact we were at the last step when you got wrecked. I portaled you away and we got the bauble! And Shreddy is long gone!" Leon said coolly, although there was an excited gleam in his eyes.

"You actually outsmarted Big Mama?" Indigo couldn't hide his disbelief. "And she didn't notice that you took me?" Leon deflated.

"I don't know if she saw or not. She hasn't tried to come after us so maybe she didn't…I hope she didn't see."

Ah so they weren't out of danger.

She'll be waiting for them and the second that Indigo lets his guard down he's screwed.

"Ok how long was I out?" He asked softly, suddenly aware of how dry his throat was. He started coughing weakly, the little strength he had fading away.

"Over a week. Here." A cold water bottle was held to his lips. Indigo took a few sips, the water a relief on his throat.

"So what happened to the rat?"

Leon snorted, unsheathing his ōdachi. He slashed open a small glowing blue portal right in front of Indigo's face. "See for yourself!"

Indigo raised a brow but obliged, sticking his head through the portal. It felt weird, kinda like trying to the same poles of two magnets together. Regardless he stuck his entire head through.

He looked around, it appeared to be some kind of living room with beanbags strewn about. A projector was connected to the TV, playing some kind of Japanese commercial. There was a recliner sitting in the center of the room.

In the recliner was the short portly rat, snoring worse than the bellhop Indigo always gets his knives from. The rat was covered in crumbs. But there was an air of misery surrounding the rat that Indigo couldn't quite place.

Indigo pulled his head out of the portal, the unexpected recoil knocking him into the pillow with a thud.

"How did that guy manage to put so much of a fight in the Nexus?" Indigo asked, not even trying to hide his disbelief.

Leon smirked.

"That mi hermano is because he is the legendary Lou Jitsu! My dad!"

Indigo sat stunned. That was the famous Lou Jitsu Leon told him so much about? But the look on Leon's adorable little face made him hold his tongue.

A loud scream echoed from outside the room. It was followed by a string of profanities and mad stomping.

Another turtle decked out in purple stormed into the room. He was holding his left arm close to his chest, the smell of burnt flesh filling the room. Indigo could make out a small blackened spot near his wrist. A burn by the looks of it.

"Yo Dee what happened?"

"My upgrade for Shelldon's battery zapped me." An electrical burn. The purple clad turtle had tears in his eyes. Leon sighed and gestured for him to sit in the swivel chair he was hitting in before going to grab things from around the room.

Once sitting down he seemed to notice Indigo was awake.

"Oh hello."

"Hey..?

"Oh right, Indigo, this is my idiot twin Donnie! Donnie, this is Indigo!" Leon said, gesturing to the two of them as he spoke.

"First of all, scoff my intellect is far greater than yours Nardo." Donnie turned his attention back to Indigo. "And second it's good to finally you Indigo, when you aren't tackling me or pointing a dagger at my head of course."

Indigo blinked at the purple clad turtle. "Sorry? I guess?" He mumbled as Leon came back to patch up his brother.

Donnie muttered something under his breath before screeching at the top of his lungs when Leon began disinfecting the burn on his wrist.

Before Indigo even thought twice he slapped a hand over Donnie's mouth, stifling any sounds he made.

Donnie gave him a flabbergasted look, trying to get his snout free from the shorter turtle's iron grip.

"Shh…you have to be quiet god damn it or they'll hear us!" Indigo hissed, as he glanced instinctively over his shoulder. It was just a tiny burn, there was no need for so much noise. If it was an amputation then that would be a different story. But even then he had to be quiet! Or the doctors will hear them.

Except…no.

No, they were safe.

They weren't hiding in the infirmary from the doctors while patching up one of the worse off victims of the arena.

They were far away from the Battle Nexus. From Big Mama…From the doctors.

Indigo let go of Donnie's face, his hands immediately getting swatted away.

"What the fuck was that for?" Donnie hissed, rubbing his snout while glaring daggers at Indigo. Leon was bandaging the burn, frantically looking back and forth between the two.

Indigo slumped, trying to pretend that his heart was jumping out of his rib cage.

He kept looking around, expecting to see a long rosie colored spiky tail slinking around the corner or the bell like whistling echoing through the air.

But nothing happened.

Because he wasn't in the infirmary.

"I'm sorry, I just…" His hands were shaking like leaves in a storm.

"Don't worry about it Indy, Donald will get over it!" Leon chimed in, accidentally smacking Donnie on the burnt wrist.

To say he screamed was an understatement. It echoed across the walls. Once again Indigo covered the purple clad turtle's snout with his hands.

A squawk from Donnie was yet again muffled by Indigo's hands.

Leon gently laid a hand on Indigo's left arm. "Dude seriously it's ok, you're safe here ok? Just chill out alright?" He gently pulled his hands off of Donnie again. The purple clad turtle gave Leon a questioning look.

"I'll tell you later." Leon mumbled to his twin.

"Boys!" A new voice shouted. The short rat scrambled into the room, eyes wide with obvious concern. The rat raced over to them, looking Donnie over in concern. "What happened? Why did you scream?" Donnie glared furiously at Leon before grabbing his hand.

And biting it. Hard.

Leon squeaked, trying to squirm away. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Dude stop! Ow!"

Donnie growled around Leon's hand.

Once he let go he stormed out of the room, cursing under his breath.

"Wow. Someone's moody this Tuesday afternoon." Leon said before turning to the rat. "Dad this is Indigo, aka the guy that saved you from Kraken Tom like a badass!" Leon whined when the rat smacked him with his tail for swearing. "Indy, buddy this is the one, the only Splinter! Or better known as Lou Jitsu!" He grabbed the rat and held him up at eye level.

Indigo waved weakly, still not believing the Lou Jitsu thing but he wanted to be at least a little polite.

"Hello…" The rat's expression from shocked to…sad? Guilty? Either way it made Indigo stop. Had he said something?

The air grew thick as the rat's frown grew heavier. "Leonardo, can we have a moment alone?" He asked, he sounded so tired.

Leon gulped, nervously glancing at Indigo.

It seemed like he was hiding something. Indigo raised a brow as the slider began fidgeting. "You think you'll be ok for a few minutes?" He asked as gently as possible.

"Uh yes? I'll be fine but what's going on-"

"It's uh…oh boy this is going to be a real shock." Was it Big Mama? Did she come looking for him? Had Leon been lying to him?

Before he could ask Leon was already leaving, though he was not so subtly hiding behind the door.

The rat approached, hopping up onto the cot next to Indigo.

"How long were you in the Battle Nexus?" Splinter asked, voice gentle but laced with barely hidden worry.

"For as long as I can remember." Indigo said quietly, not really seeing a point to this. Splinter's frown somehow got even deeper, tears beginning to shine in his eyes.

"That's what I feared." He reached up to cup Indigo's cheeks with his hands. Indigo flinched back, causing the rat to tense like he had been struck. He lowered his slightly shaking hands. "I don't expect you to forgive me-"

"Forgive you? For what? The fight in the Battle Nexus? We were opponents, that was supposed to happen!" The rat simply shook his head, tears rolling down his cheeks, darkening the light gray fur underneath.

"No no no, you shouldn't have been in the Battle Nexus!" Splinter choked, failing miserably to keep his voice steady.

"But I am…or I guess was a fighter. Can't really argue with Big Mama." The rat hiccuped slightly, suddenly pulling Indigo into a tight hug.

A pained wheeze escaped his mouth as he tried to push Splinter off. After a few seconds he stopped resisting when the rat stroked the back of his head.

"I am so…so sorry. This is all my fault! I should've been there to protect you! I'm so sorry." He sobbed into Indigo's shoulder while holding him close like a small child.

The last person to hold him like this had been Vee on that awful night.

What is this?

Splinter squeezed him even tighter, seemingly ignoring the tiny yelp of pain from Indigo at the squeeze.

The next thing he said shocked Indigo to his core.

"I'm so sorry, my son."

Indigo's jaw dropped, eyes going wide as dinner plates.

Leon stepped back into the room, wiping his own eyes dry.

He just sat there being hugged by someone he only met once before while his mind rebooted.

The only thing that came from his mouth was one word.

"What?"

#tmnt 2012 #rottmnt #crossover #tmnt crossover #:D

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mwolf0epsilon · 2 years ago

Text

Continuation from the last post...

Every clone out on the field (and I do mean everyone) saw Fives transform into giant monster of some kind. A beast with wicked claws, armoured skin, a lashing snake-like tail, multiple eyes and dangerous jaws. Some were even injured as the enraged and shrieking monster bulldozed past them, charging back towards base like a creature possessed. Uncaring of what it knocked into as it went.

The pain of Krell's betrayal and the newfound fear of this unknown threat sends everyone into a panic. The clones that remained back at base are in potential danger and, without their communications lines working correctly, Rex can't warn them of what's coming their way. He orders everyone to help carry the wounded and retreat back immediately.

The 501st and 212th rush back to claimed base following a trail of destruction as they go.

There are dead vexus that thought they'd snagged a meal in their tendrils, but found a furious thrashing death instead. The banshees, usually only too eager to pick at unattended corpses, remain up atop the tree canopies. Too afraid to touch a much bigger predator's meal least it turn its anger upon them as well. There are even torn apart Umbaran craft, their pilots crushed in the smashed cockpits, after fruitlessly trying to take down an invasive predator from another world with an equally merciless food chain.

The worst is back at base itself.

It's not just Krell's blood that decorates the walls, ceiling and floors. There are lightsaber scorch marks, a large quantity of rishi eel blood, pieces of carapace that got sliced or broken off... What's recognizable as being part of the deceptive Besalisk's body and clothing is very little indeed...

He put up a fight but it wasn't enough to save him. The Force would not save him anymore.

The new monster the 501st is afraid of, however, is missing. It had only attacked Krell, the soldiers attending to the base had been wiser than get between it and the Jedi who'd repeatedly berated and threatened them. But now the beast is wounded and likely even more aggressive, and they had to deal with it before it killed anyone else.

Domino Squad's pleas keep falling on deaf's ears.

The only clones that look their way trying to understand what it is they're trying to tell them, are Tup and Dogma who had been trying for months to get evidence of the creature that had haunted the GAR barracks and Resolute walls. They are just as scared and confused as everyone else, but Tup and Dogma both trust Fives and Echo respectively... And if the others say they can explain, surely they should all listen?

There's another trail of eel blood to follow. It goes deeper into the base. Far away from where Krell has been slain. It's Kix who realizes where it's leading them and he becomes frantic, near hysterical even, because Hardcase is alone and injured in the barracks and that's where whatever that thing is, is going.

Hevy continues to try to get everyone to calm down and listen to him. His little brother's life depends on it, especially if he's cornered and injured. Domino Squad has dealt with the curse for longer than the 501st and 212th knew it existed, they know the Were-eel is terrifying but not a threat towards brothers. At least not unless these frightened men listen to Hevy and remove their damn helmets.

Cutup keeps yelling over the crowd as well. His accent is thicker than usual and for once he hates that he'd taken so many lessons with that one bloody trainer he got it from, because no one seems to be understanding him and it's only making matters worse.

Droidbait doesn't know what to do with himself. He's always been the quieter one of the batch, small and unassuming in personality, because he'd always been just so darn clumsy. He's scared he'll make matters worse by saying the wrong thing.

Echo runs ahead, desperate to reach Fives before everyone else does. He needs to hide his twin. Protect him from the fate he and the rest of Domino had always feared might befall him if the curse were ever discovered. No one will listen to them and Krell brought out the worst in them all. Not just the Were-eel...

#star wars #the clone wars #Eel Side of the Moon AU #were eel fives #domino squad #arc trooper fives #arc trooper echo #clone trooper hevy #clone trooper cutup #clone trooper droidbait #The next post will be the final one in regards to the Umbara storyline arc for this AU #Enjoy the little cliffhanger for now ;)

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nani-nonny · 2 years ago

Text

Because you asked so nicely, sure, here ya go~

Big Mama's hand rises to rest on Leonardo's hands on her throat, "Train these young morsels of mine, and I will grant your freedom.”

"What?" Leonardo asks as he unconsciously loosens his grip on her neck.

Big Mama suddenly transforms to her yokai form, pushing Leonardo off her in the process and stepping on his throat in turn. The four mutants begin releasing distressed squeaks that trigger something deep within the elder mutant. The slider tries to rip the yokai's spider legs from his throat, nails digging in his attempts to escape her grasp.

Unbothered, Big Mama grabs the long chain and pulls Leonardo to hover at her eye level. With fangs protruding she hisses as she says, "You will train these infernal mutants into great warriors for me. But until they reach their full potential...”

Big Mama suddenly throws him against the white wall past the white crib, the wall remains undamaged despite the small crack that echoes from Leonardo's shell. The spider yokai exits the room as Leonardo tries to recover, then stops at the door's threshold.

Big Mama rubs her neck as she finishes, "You will remain in this room."

Big Mama then turns around and begins walking away, the employee lingers behind to carefully close the door.

"Wait…," Leonardo groans as he tries to get to his feet, holding his stomach to keep its contents under control. But as he stumbles back to the floor, the door closes with a soft hiss and finally a heavy boom.

The slider carefully braces his knee to rise to his feet. His ears ring but he can still hear the cautious peeps from the four small mutants. So, he carefully crawls over to the crib, notices the removable wall and lifts it.

He reaches into the crib and picks up the teal-wearing mutant, winces when the cream-wearing mutant bites his finger. "Shit," Leonardo hisses but doesn't set the teal one down. Instead, he reaches with his other hand and pets the cream one's shell.

He chirps softly, assuring the small mutants that he won't hurt them, then carefully scoops them into his arms. He leans back against the crib, winding when he leans against the crack on his carapace and shifts to avoid putting pressure.

He releases a heavy sigh, garnering the attention of all four mutants.

He looks down at them to see them looking back at him, wide-eyed and in cautious awe. It is then that Leonardo realizes their similarities to himself and his brothers are closer than he initially thought.

The teal one has four, skinny yellow stripes over its eyes like his own two red stripes, and many more yellow crescent-shaped stripes on its arms and legs.

The cream one has small black spots instead of Mikey's signature orange ones and a paler, gray skin tone.

The pink one lacks spots and stripes like Raph, but it's carapace is lined with sharp spines much like his brother's, although these spines are black.

The lavender one looks more like Donnie at a young age, flat and small and darker in color, but it's eyes are lined in black like a raccoon.

Leonardo sighs when he realizes what Big Mama has been doing. He hangs his head low in minor defeat, accidentally getting a face full of mutant toddler turtles. But much to his surprise, the cream one reaches for his cheek and bumps him with its head. The pink one releases a low rumble like an agitated growl when the lavender one simply looks at it.

Leonardo immediately releases a low rumble from his throat in warning, interrupting the pink one's hostility immediately.

"Oh, ancestors, I haven't made this many turtle sounds in so long," he mumbles to himself and leans his head back with a sigh.

As soon as his head is reeled back against the crib, the teal one makes its move. It carefully climbs up his plastron, followed by the others and they stop at his shoulders. The teal one stands near the crook of his neck and shoulder, using his cheek to keep balance as it stands.

"You're a brave little one, aren't you?" Leonardo asks the teal one who smiles happily at him, tail waving in response.

Wait. Tail?

Leonardo grabs the teal one from his shoulder and turns it around to see, sure enough, it has a tail. He then places the teal on back on his shoulder and grabs the cream one who sat on the same shoulder as the teal one. He turns the cream one around to see it also has a tail. He repeats the same process with the other two turtles, confirming their tails before putting them back on his shoulders.

"You're different, way more than different from us. Your mutation is—it’s not like ours... what else could be different other than your tails?"

It is then that Leonardo realizes there were faults in Big Mama's efforts to replicate himself and his brothers. Their mutations must be less human than theirs, but who helped her make these kids? Draxum used Splinter's DNA to make these turtles, but what did Big Mama use?

The lavender one suddenly pulls its tail forward to stare at it before showing it off to Leonardo with a large smile. It nearly falls in the process, but Leonardo is quick to give the lavender one a nudge before it could even lean over the edge of his shoulder.

The lavender one chirps happily in response to the save and plops on its butt on his shoulder. It raises its tail to its mouth and begins teething on the thin and long appendage.

Leonardo angles his head for a better look at the lavender one's teeth to see they have already grown in, a completely full set of chompers in this toddler's mouth, and takes note that it could be possible that they have quick growth rates.

Leonardo releases another sigh and stares at the blank, white ceiling above his head. He rattles his chains, confirming they're still locked on his wrists and ankles. Well... it's not like he's going anywhere any time soon.

It can't hurt to watch over these kids, and properly raise them under his care rather than whatever hell they must have endured. While he's at it, he'll try to think of ways escaping with the kids and stop whatever it is that Big Mama's trying.

It'll be a painfully long game of patience, but he'll get her back eventually. But for now…

Teal taps his cheek, momentarily interrupting Leonardo's train of thought. When he looks at the teal one, it smiles at him and chirps happily again, tail wagging quickly from behind. It releases a sharp peep when Leonardo churrs in response and it flattens against his cheek to feel the vibration of the sound under his skin.

He smiles when it chirps at its siblings, urging them to do the same, and they rise on his shoulders to reach for his cheeks. In response to their curiosity, Leonardo softly churrs again. He does it for a good five minutes, losing his focus in his awe of their excitement.

He pats each of the small turtle's heads, carefully and slowly so as not to startle them.

And he continues his train of thought, finishing it as he watches the small ones let their curiosity run wild as they examine his prosthetic arm and his overall stature.

For now... he'll play father.

He'll remain in Big Mama's spiderweb and give her what she wants, but in his own Leonardo fashion. Until she deems they have reached their "full potential".

I woke up sweating from a nap after having such a vivid dream of a story idea that I had to write it down. Anyways, I couldn’t decide what to call it so it’s either one of these titles—not that it matters, I don’t think I’ll ever get to actually writing this as a full on story, so I’ll share the five pages to anyone who asks? Or maybe DM for it? Idk

Inimitable/Spiderweb

Summary: Big Mama imprisons F!Leo to train her creations into future Battle Nexus Champions. (800~ words)

TW: child abuse (not explicitly stated, but hinted)

Leonardo begrudgingly follows Big Mama, his chains clinking and clanking at his feet as he walks. The chains droop and drag along the floor, annoyingly catching on small notches on the floor that he passes by. He shifts the mystic bracelets around his wrists and ankles, rolling his stiff shoulders after spending days in her cells.

The spider woman's heels tap, tap, tap on the marble flooring as she hums delightfully. She sneaks a glance at the aged red-eared slider over her shoulder, an amused smile curling the corner of her lips and eyes gleaming with excitement. She turns her focus back to the path she leads as she says, "You gave us quite the scare earlier, my dear turtley-boo.

"Is that so?" Leonardo asks in an aloof tone.

Her manicured fingers pull around to entangle behind her back, her tone practically oozing with interest as she replies, “Yes, I had to remove a few of my employees because I believed they fizzy fazzy funkled my elaborate setup.”

Leonardo's rises a brow at her choice of wording and says, "You killed them... because I tricked you into believing I escaped. Seems a bit over the top, no?"

The yokai stops dead in her tracks, making Leonardo follow suit. She doesn't look behind her at Leonardo but her hands tighten behind her back. Her voice comes out cold as she says, "I thought you had died."

Leonardo raises a brow at her as he smiles, "Aww, I didn't think you cared, Big Mama. Maybe I should have prepared a gift for you when I was out. What do you like? Cockroaches or flies?"

A sharp tsk leaves Big Mama's lips and she continues walking again, "I didn't miss this attitude of yours, my little turtle friend."

"Friend? And here I thought I was just your prisoner," Leonardo says with a fake tone of endearment and flattery.

"You know why I brought you here," Big Mama counters and makes a sharp right turn down a separate hallway.

Leonardo is shoved behind to follow her, making the same sharp right turn she took. He finds himself walking down a long set of stairs before meeting her at the bottom in front of a tall, steel door. She waits for him to ask, "And this is?"

Big Mama smiles and the employee that watched Leonardo from behind stepped forward. The spider yokai steps back to Leonardo's side as the pair watched the employee grunt with effort as he opened the door. The large gear knob creaks as if slowly turns until it break the airtight seal and begins to spin open with ease.

The employee then pulls the door open, muscles tensing with effort until it is pushed against the door. A bright, white light blinds Leonardo into shielding his eyes.

"Now, now, Blue One, you wouldn't want to be looking away from this," Big Mama says as she forces Leonardo to look forward with her thumb and forefinger.

Leonardo lowers his hand, squints when the bright light still attempts to blind him.

"Come now, Blue, you mustn't greet our guests so rudely," Big Mama says with a giggle to her voice.

"Guests?" Leonardo echoes.

A small chirp makes Leonardo freeze where he stands. Then a group of chirping makes his eyes widen.

Big Mama walks into the room making the small chirps have become panicked squeaks. Leonardo follows after slowly, looking around the empty white room.

Big Mama leads Leonardo to the center of the room where she stops before a white crib, her manicured finger rests tauntingly at the top of the crib's wall. The squeaks have become more frightened and faster—more terrified.

Leonardo looks over the crib wall to see four mutants staring up at him. They're no older than two or three years, staring up at him with wide and tear-stricken eyes. Upon making eye contact, they quickly scurry towards Leonardo, keeping as much distance from Big Mama as possible.

Leonardo swallows when he sees the small purple splotches scattered on their skin hiding under their pink, cream, lavender, and teal shirts.

The red-eared slider reaches for the little green mutant wearing the teal shirt and flinches when the toddler churrs into his palm, leaning into his touch.

Leonardo can feel his heartbeat quickening in his chest, his hand beginning to shake and his body growing hotter by the second. He clenched his teeth and removed his hand from the small mutant's touch, his fist tightening when the toddler reaches for him with pure confusion.

Leonardo winces slightly when the small teal-wearing mutant peeps for his attention, desperate for him to look.

But suddenly, Leonardo turns sharply and grabs a handful of Big Mama's neck. The force behind his attack sends Big Mama and himself onto the floor with the spider yokai taking the brunt of the fall.

Big Mama raises a hand to stop the employee from yanking the slider off her neck. And despite the hand tightening, she smiles without a care in the world for her life that may be close to death.

“Why the hell are you showing me this?" Leonardo practically growls as he tightens his other hand around her neck.

"I brought you here to make a stupenduously scrumptious deal, my darling turtley-boo," Big Mama responds with a chirpy tone.

"Of course it's a fucking deal, what else is there to your shitty personality?" Leonardo snaps.

#inimitable #spiderweb #now we see why I called this inimitable/spiderweb #rottmnt #rottmnt fanfiction #rottmnt future leo #rottmnt big mama #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #future leo au

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