#and anything could still happen like a clot or a heart attack

[mistwood]

kitty is back from the cardiologist and he did fine :) didn't let the doctors take any blood work unfortunately so we'll have to go back again in 6months but overall he's doing well

^ he likes car rides (vash image for size)

[writeroutoftime]

true love's kiss

pairing: azriel x reader

summary: when azriel is hit with a powerful poison what - or who - will be able to save him?

warnings: talks of death, angst

words: 2.8k (buckle up)

a/n: my first azriel story and I'm so excited!! this idea just popped in my head the other day, and I ran with it lol. it was so much fun to write, so I hope you have just as much fun reading it!

(p.s. requests are open if you'd like to send anything in!)

oOoOo

Without warning, your heart began to pump furiously and an uneasy feeling settled over your body. Your muscles tensed up, as if preparing for an attack, and only moments later, you noticed Feyre's glazed over eyes widened in fear. Lunch suddenly postponed, she shot to her feet and ran towards the living room while you, Mor, and Amren quickly trailed behind. 

Before you even stepped foot in the room, your suspicions were confirmed as the scent of blood and fear smacked you in the face. There was a brief space of time in which you mourned for the anguish Feyre would feel over an injured Rhys. However, the image of Rhys and Cass heaving an unconscious Azriel onto the couch suddenly seared itself into your mind. 

"What happened?" you whispered the words over the commotion, though it rang out loud and clear to the Inner Circle despite its wobble. 

"We were ambushed in Windhaven." Cass explained while Rhys reached into the void to call for Madja. "Az's side was struck with a sword, but it must have been laced with poison. One second he was standing behind me, and the next thing I knew, he let out a shout before collapsing almost immediately." 

Tears lined your eyes at the thought, and the pain didn't register when you dropped to the ground beside Azirel, hands hovering over his body. The dark swirl of shadows that nearly obscured him from view parted for you, allowing you access to their master. 

"Oh, Azriel." you breathed out, only distinguishable to you and his shadows. The later wisping gently around your face, brushing a stray tear from your cheek. You leaned into the gesture, wishing it was Azriel's palm against your skin. 

Suddenly, you felt strong arms pull your shoulders away from Azriel as Madja stepped in and took your place, her gaze instantly drawn to his wound. Meanwhile, your family stepped back in fear. Rhys held Feyre tight in his grasp, and Cassian offered you and Mor each a comforting hand.

The only sounds for the next few minutes were Madja's grunts and huffs as she did her best to treat the injury. You couldn't help but cringe into Cass' side as her hands turned a dark-red, tinted from the blood that should have long ago clotted. It felt like an eternity before the healer turned around to face all of you, her face worn. 

"I've done what I can to stabilize him, but the sword that struck our Shadowsinger was indeed laced with a poison I have yet to see. Unfortunately, it still seems to be working his way through his system. I can't say for certain how much time he has, but I will work swiftly to find an answer." she explained solemnly, taking in the pained expressions of you and your friends. "All I do know is whatever the cure ends up being, it needs to be a strong source of magic. I'm sorry I can't offer better news."

Rhys was the first to break through the stunned silence. "Thank you, Madja. C-can we move him somewhere more comfortable?" 

The healer nodded before taking her leave. In her stead, all of you gaped in shock before Rhys and Cass worked together to move Azriel to a bed where they thought he would be more comfortable. Once they got him settled, you pulled a chair up, next to his bed, a stack of thick, dusty books beside you. If there was nothing you could do at the moment, by the cauldron you would at least help Madja research a cure. 

When your focus couldn't get past the first few sentences on a page, you shut the book with a sigh and furiously wiped at your eyes. The tears wouldn't stop, no matter what you did. Carefully, you reached out and interlaced your hand with one of Azriel's, placing a soft kiss against the marred skin. 

"Please, please wake up, Azriel." you whispered into the room. "I don't know what we'd do - what I'd do - without you." you told him, praying to the Mother and anyone else listening to heal your best friend. 

As day bled into night, Rhys and Cass came into the room, trying to relieve you even just for an hour. They tempted you with food, rest, or even just a moment alone, but you refused. How could you leave Azriel alone in his moment of need? Eventually they got the hint, and slowly, the rest of your family began to take up residence in the room alongside you.

oOoOo

"How can there be nothing on this subject?" you shouted, tossing the book to the floor with a loud thump. 

The rest of the Night Court looked up at your outburst, their own eyes red and bleary from the hours and hours of research. It had been three days since Madja first examined Azriel, and even the experienced healer was coming up empty. With every hour that passed, you felt the hope in your soul drain even further.  

"There has to be an answer somewhere." Cass placated, stretching out his wings from where he sat. "Someone has to have used this poison before." 

"That doesn't mean they had to write the antidote down, boy." Amren spoke cooly from her spot, ignoring your pointed glare. 

"What is it, Feyre?" Rhys asked, taking note of her trance like state. She shook her head slightly at her mate before turning her attention to the rest of the group. 

"Well...I was just thinking. Madja said whatever the cure ends up being will have to be powerful, but maybe we've been thinking about this too literally. Maybe it's not an answer that can be found in a book. What has been a powerful motivator for all of us over the years? Was even the answer to end Amarantha's reign?" she asked, the group shuddered at the mention of the name of that devil. "Love." 

You stared at your High Lady, head titled to the side. "Okay, but how is that going to help us now? It's not like any of us don't love Azriel." 

"And it's not exactly a position we can give him." Mor chimed in. 

Feyre reached out a tattooed hand and grasped Rhys' hand. "Or maybe it is." she countered. "I don't know about here in the Night Court, but haven't you ever heard fairytales? True love conquering all with a kiss, and all that?"  

"Do you think it would really work?" you ask, your tone warm and face full of light for the first time in days. 

All eyes fell to Rhys and Ameren for guidance. The two shared a look, silently communicating their opinions on the matter, but it was Rhys who spoke first. "I've never heard of an instance of true love's kiss being the answer, but since when have we been known to do anything traditionally?" he said with a small grin, inspiring a soft chuckle in the room. 

"Well," Cass dragged out. "I would try, but I don't think Az would appreciate me waking him up with a kiss." 

You rolled your eyes at the general, before considering the impact of his words. "Doesn't that leave us with a problem? Azriel hasn't found his mate, so we're still stuck and unable to break though." A small pang shot through you at the idea of Azriel's mated to an unknown female, but you quickly tamped that down. This was a matter of life or death. 

All eyes of the Inner Circle turned to face you. Looks of disbelief, amusement, and even understanding from Rhys, came your way. You caved in on yourself, suddenly feeling your cheeks heat under the scrutiny. This was not the time for their games. 

"What?" 

Mor spoke your name, gently, as her hand reached out to grasp yours. "Do we really need to spell it out?" she asked in your silence. 

"Spell what out?"

Amren, having had enough of the tiptoeing, finally spat it out. "That you're in love with the Shadowsinger, and have been for decades. If anyone in this room has the power to break this curse, it's you." 

A laugh bubbled up and out of your throat at her words, born out of sheer nerves that shot through your body. "N-no, no. I am not in love with Azriel. I mean, yes, I care for him - of course I do! I love him the way I love all of you. I'd do anything to help, but I really don't think this is going to work." you stuttered and stumbled over your words, bashful from the accusation. 

"We've all seen the way you look at each other, y/n." Feyre spoke gently, her eyes soft and she stared at you. "I think you love Azriel a bit differently than the rest of us." 

Her words brought tears to your eyes. Yes, you were in love with your best friend - how cliche. It had been that way for decades, but you never had the courage to speak up and say anything to him. And now, all these feelings were being dredged up in such a tense situation. What if it wasn't enough? What if you weren't enough to save him? 

"Okay, fine, you've caught me." you conceded, throwing your hands up in the air as your voice grew thick and heavy once more. "Is that what you want me to say? That I've been in love with Azriel for years, and it's killed me to just stay by his side as just a friend?" a defensive anger rose in your body as you looked at each member of your family. "But you're forgetting an important piece to this puzzle. Just because I'm in love with Azriel, doesn't mean I'm his true love." 

With that, you ran out of the room, collapsing against the wall in the hallway. You tried to take deep, steady breaths to calm your breathing, but it did little to help the situation. A few minutes later, you heard soft footsteps come up to your side, and Mor pulled you into a giant hug. The two of you stayed in silence for a few moments, grateful for the anchor she acted as in the moment. 

"I know that was a lot to throw on you, and for you to have to admit to us." she spoke, softly and cautiously. "And nobody judges you for how you feel or how you're reacting." 

"I'm so scared." you confessed. "W-what if I try and it doesn't work?" 

Mor looks at you with a gentle smile. "What if you try and it does work?" she countered. "I think you underestimate the extent of Azriel's feelings for you. And, if, Mother forbid, it doesn't work, then we'll figure something else out." 

Her words gave you a sense of comfort and the courage to wipe your tears and walk back towards Az's room. Before you stepped back in, you gave Mor's hand a grateful squeeze then rolled your shoulders back. 

All talking ceased as you walked back in, and you knew your family had to have been discussing what to do if you didn't agree with their plan. But this was Azriel's life on the line, and you would do anything to protect it. Even if that meant having your feelings revealed, or rejected. 

"Okay, let's try this." you told the Inner Circle, calmly and with conviction you tried to convince yourself you had. "But, all of you are waiting outside." 

There were no laughs or jokes at your expense, which surprised you, especially coming from Cassian. Instead, they all nodded their heads and solemnly and filed outside to wait. On his way out, Cassian squeezed your shoulder and nodded. 

"Bring him back to us." he whispered, board line pleading with you to save his brother's life. 

When it was just you and Azriel alone in the room, you took a deep breath and crossed the space until you knelt before his bed. You took the moment to study his features. His hazel eyes, normally full of life and mischief, now were shut off from you. His skin looked more swallow and the rise and fall of his chest seemed to slow with each breath that passed. Even the presence of his shadows seemed dimmer as Azriel's life slowly drained before your eyes. 

With a shaky hand, you reached out to brush away soft tendrils of hair that had fallen into Azriel's face. "Can you hear me, Az?"

The air was heavy as you waited a response that never came. 

"We all miss you so much. I miss you - my best friend. I-I know it's not fair of me to ask, but just keep holding on, keep fighting. Please." you whispered, leaning down to rest your forehead against his body, gathering your courage. "Look, Feyre has this crazy theory about what could save you. It's uh, true love's kiss." 

Again, no response. 

"This was not the way I expected to tell you, not that I thought I'd tell you if I'm being honest. But even though I don't want to jeopardize our friendship, I'd rather have you alive and never speak to me again than gone forever. So, here it goes." you took a deep breath. "I love you Azriel, I think I always have. You are so good and kind, and the kind of male I've dreamed about for years. I-it's okay if you don't feel the same," you forced yourself to say. "but I thought you should know given our situation."

Not sure what else to say, you took one more look at the male in front of you, placed a gentle kiss against his cheek, and then dipped your head down to meet his lips. They were chapped against your own after a few days without enough water. Az's normal smell of cedar and mist was faint, but still there, and comforted you as it surrounded your senses. 

You poured as much love and hope into the kiss as possible before slowly pulling away, falling to sit on your legs. The next few seconds that passed seemed to stretch for hours, waiting for a sign, a movement, anything. Just as you were about to sag and give up hope, a loud gasp sounded next to you and Azriel's frame jolted up. 

"Azriel!" you shouted, watching as the color returned to his face and his eyes darted around the room. 

Those hazel eyes finally landed on your frame, and Azriel quirked a small, albeit, sleepy smile at you. "y/n." he whispered, holding out a hand. 

Wasting no time, you grasped onto the anchor for dear life, and the tears immediately began to pour down your face. "I can't believe you're awake. Oh, I was so scared for you Azriel. How are you feeling? Are you in pain? We have to get Madja and the other's here. I'll go-" you rambled, before being cutting off my Azriel. 

"Hey, hey, calm down." he soothed, pulling you up onto the bed, flush against him. "I feel fine, considering I was just on the brink of death." he chuckled. 

"Don't make jokes like that." you swatted at his chest. "We almost lost you." 

"Yeah, but you saved me." he said, looking down at you in awe. 

Suddenly bashful again, you began to stutter. "Oh, no, I didn't do much. It was all Feyre's idea, and we all were here helping to research." 

"But Rhys and Cass weren't the one's to bring me back with a kiss." he said, and you felt as though your entire body was on fire at Azriel's words. 

"Y-you heard all that?" 

"I did." he nodded, nuzzling his nose against your neck. "And, I can't believe it took us until now to say anything, but I love you, y/n." he admitted, turning your face so you stared into his eyes. 

As the words left Azriel's lips, both of your gasped. This time, however, it wasn't because of a sleeping curse, but because of the taught, golden thread you felt connecting your soul to Azriel's. Your mind swirled with a thousand thoughts, but the loudest one was "mate, mate, mate." 

You stared at the male before you in awe, and Azriel grinned. "My mate. My knight in shining armor." he teased, then leaned down to capture your lips once more. 

This time, the kiss sent butterflies to your stomach and you revealed in the feeling of Azriel's strong arms around your body. His kiss was long and unhurried, as though you had all the time in the world to explore. And as you kissed him back, you found yourself giddy at the thought of the rest of your immortal life with Azriel.

It was only when the doors had been thrown open and the rest of your family came stumbling in did you and Azriel pull apart. The two of you looked at each other, then busted out laughing at the shocked faces of your family. 

"It worked!" 

"You're awake." 

"The two of you are mates?!" 

Their voices all overlapped, and you felt Az sigh against you, hugging you close. Yes, your family was a lot, but they meant well. And now, you could live happily ever after. 

oOoOo

a/n: ahh, I'm pretty impressed by how quickly this went from an idea to a story! kinda feel like I rushed the end, but oh well! hope you enjoyed!

[extasiswings]

Okay, SO! In the category of "I think it's possible that Eddie has a brain tumor/is sick in some way":

Eddie is acting weird. Eddie has been acting weird from the beginning of the season, and I know there has been discourse about "it's just that we haven't seen him so happy before" but I respectfully submit that multiple things can be true at the same time. Eddie can be happy AND it can be out of character for him to impulsively drop everything to take a helicopter ride with his new friend he met two seconds ago to see a fight in Vegas (the last time we saw Eddie be truly impulsive I'd argue was S3, buying a truck while in the midst of a serious crisis). Eddie can be happy AND it can be out of character for him to ask his girlfriend of five minutes to move in (and I recognize that we were given an explanation from Eddie in the episode, but Eddie is an unreliable narrator and his explanation also doesn't totally square with what we've seen previously - him rushing introducing her to Christopher tracks, him jumping into moving her into his house without knowing basic information about her life does not).

Then there are the Eddie-coded calls. The guy with the alien hand who is all about rigid self control and being the master of yourself - his body turning against him not because the control failed but because of a blood clot in his brain. And now the guy with encephalitis (the same condition that ultimately caused Chim to hallucinate dead people), who has amnesia and has forgotten the marriage that ended in divorce but recalls the happy time before that when his wife was just his fiancee, the guy who was experiencing chest pains that he thought was a heart attack only for Chim to say he was having a panic attack. They had Eddie be so open about his own experiences with panic attacks and coping mechanisms in 7x01 for a reason - he's genuinely doing better with his own mental health and isn't ashamed or afraid of talking about his mental health struggles. But looking at these two calls, the underlying reason for the call (alien hand, amnesiac/presumed stalker in vent) theoretically could have had mental health explanations, but instead both resulted from physical ailments in the brain. [Tangent: I also think there's something really interesting in the potential callback to S5 and the way Eddie and Maddie were sort of mirrors - Eddie with a seemingly physical problem that was caused by a mental health issue, Maddie with a seemingly mental health issue that turned out to at least in part be the result of a physical problem]

Then there is whatever they're doing with ghosts. Shannon's ghost has lingered over the narrative and was actively put on screen in 7x01. For Chim in 7x06, the ghosts were hallucinations because there was something wrong with his brain. For Bobby, I'm guessing his arc with the burn unit nurse from his past will be more of a metaphorical haunting, bringing up any number of old ghosts (but I'm also going to guess his wife will be one). For Eddie...unclear. Ryan was filming with Devin (ostensibly for 7x09 but if they're doing anything with Shanon's ghost I'd be shocked if it wasn't introduced in 7x07, "Ghost of a Second Chance"), but she didn't exactly look like Shannon. Is she supposed to be Shannon? A dream or hallucination of a different or older her? Is she a real woman who just happens to look like her? If Eddie is hallucinating, then something is clearly very wrong. If it's a random woman and he's, idk, pursuing her in some way because he's drawn to her/the fact that she looks like his dead wife, that's still another point in the "Eddie is acting weird" column (because Eddie is a bad boyfriend and wasn't the greatest husband, but what he has never been is a cheater, even when he and Shannon were separated).

And then of course there's the will of it all. The will that Buck and Eddie haven't talked about since the shooting. Now, it's no secret I love the potential of a trapped dads experience circling back to the will, but I also think there is an argument to be made for a callback to "You're the guy who likes to fix things, maybe this isn't something you can fix." Because usually, when Eddie is in danger, Buck can do something about it, take some actionable step even if a futile one - he can dig through mud, he can drag Eddie's body out of the line of fire and into an ambulance and keep him alive. And for someone who, I would guess, still thinks of himself and the will as a backup plan/contingency, who if put in a trapped dads situation may not be able to stop himself from trying to save Eddie or, if necessary, sacrificing himself to do so, because in his mind, Eddie is Christopher's dad/who Christopher needs most, it is deeply compelling to imagine what happens if Eddie is in danger from something Buck can't fix, can't fight, can't save him from. And Eddie being sick in some capacity does that.

Anyway...I just think it would be Neat.

[kk095]

Gabby’s Cardioversion

*hey everyone! I came up with a new story and wanted to try something different. Hope you all like it!*

On a chilly fall evening, an ambulance arrives at our emergency department where our usual team waits in the trauma room. In come Tracy and Stephanie with the next patient. “37 year old female, fainting episode but regained consciousness. Patient is complaining of chest pains, palpitations, and dizziness. EKG abnormal, tachy at 140bpm.” Stephanie rattles off. On that gurney was Gabby, the 37 year old basketball coach at the local college. She had fainted during practice that evening and one of her players called 911. Gabby was a tall glass of water, standing at 6’3, with a slim but toned, athletic build. She had blonde hair that was usually in a ponytail, beautiful bluish gray eyes, and had a cute tomboy appearance. Gabby was sitting in the upright position on the gurney when she was brought in, stripped down to just her purple sports bra and matching underwear (the team’s primary color of course). She had EKG electrodes stuck onto her chest, had IVs going in both arms, and had a nasal cannula in her nostrils. Coach Gabby was visibly uncomfortable, clenching her chest with one hand, groaning every so often.

Gabby was transferred onto the table, where she still sat in the upright position. “My chest…” Gabby says to herself, still clenching her chest, taking a few breaths. Dr Sarah lowers her stethoscope onto the coach’s chest for a listen. It sounded like Gabby’s heart was going to leap right out of her chest, but at the same time, there were no abnormal heart sounds, and her lungs were clear. “lets get labs going. Let’s do a CBC, BMP, tox screen, cardiac enzyme test, and a d-dimer. We gotta know what we’re up against.” Said Lindsay, taking some initiative in the situation. The team asked Gabby a handful of questions: “has anything like this happened before?” “any history of heart problems?” “any drug use?” “any other health problems that need to be disclosed?” But the answer to all these questions remained consistent- no!

“I wonder if I’m just stressed out. We haven’t had the best season, and rumor has it they’re gonna get rid of me if the season doesn’t turn around.” Gabby said, trying to take a stab as to why she was in our emergency department. The team continued to wait on labs, so the doctors decided to do a chest x ray and an echocardiogram to see if that could shed any light on the coach’s issues. The chest x ray showed completely normal anatomy, as did the echocardiogram- back to the drawing board. Since the ER team couldn’t find an obvious cause for the coach’s ailment, they decided to treat the symptoms and see if that helped. Gabby was given meds via IV to calm her heart down, and to help with her chest discomfort.

The evening droned on and coach Gabby only appeared to be getting worse. Her heart rate was still high, and her was EKG definitely off. “Something’s off with the QT interval. I know it might be subtle, but something just doesn’t look right there.” Said Lindsay, taking a long, detailed look at Gabby’s EKG. “she’s tall, so I wonder if she has undiagnosed Marfan syndrome or EDS?” Sarah suggested. “Yeah, but wouldn’t there have been a structural heart issue or something else we could work with on either chest x ray or the echo?” Lindsay rebutted. “Could be an electrical issue, but I wanna see what the labs end up saying. Is she on something? Are her electrolytes out of whack? Is there a blood clot or heart attack? There’s a lot consider.” Sarah countered. The two doctors respectfully disagreed with one another, unable to figure out what was wrong with the coach.

More time had passed, and coach Gabby’s vitals were starting to become worrisome. Her heart rate was through the roof, in the verge of v-tach. Gabby was leaning back with her eyes shut, holding her chest, moaning from the worsening pain she was experiencing. The monitors were chirping loud and fast, and only got faster. “I’ve got stable v-tach on the monitors.” Nurse Nancy tells the two doctors. At that point, Gabby’s bra was snipped off and the defibrillator pads were stuck onto her bare chest. “gabby? Your heart is in a dangerous rhythm. We have to give your heart a quick shock to make it all better, ok?” Dr Lindsay attempted to explain. “just make it stop…” coach Gabby replies, visibly uncomfortable. The doctors wanted to start Gabby off with a smaller jolt, so they went with 125j. The pads were charged up, and the first shock was delivered. Gabby’s body tensed up and her shoulders shrugged forwards. “AHH!” Gabby winced, feeling the electricity run through her. Post shock, the team looked at the monitor. “she’s still in stable v-tach. Let’s shock at 150.” Sarah decided. “Gabby? The first shock didn’t work, so we’re gonna do it 1 more time.” Lindsay explained. The defib pads were charged up to 150 joules, and the shock button was hit. Gabby jolted sharply, making strong fists with both her hands, letting out a yelp from the pain of the shock. Dr Lindsay lowered her stethoscope onto the coach’s bare chest and listened to her heart, and Sarah studied the monitors for a moment. “no change. Let’s go again at 175.” Said Sarah. The electrical whirring sound of the pads charging filled the room, followed by a weak thump when the shock was delivered. Her body tensed up and her toes scrunched up at the end of the table, showing off prominent, medium sized wrinkles in the soles of her size 14 feet. “pleaae… make it stop…” Gabby said in a worried tone, on the verge of tears. The rhythm wouldn’t go away, so it was decided to shock Gabby again at 200. Her long, slender body twitched sharply in reaction to the next shock. “am I gonna die? I don’t wanna die…” a terrified Gabby asked. “charge again to 225.” Sarah said. “no! Please…no more! No more!!!” coach gabby begged. Her chest shot forward and her back arched, but it didn’t look quite the same as the typical Hollywood style defibs since she was sitting in the upright position still. The next shock was at 250. The tall blonde winced in pain once more from the shock. She leaned back and her eyes opened wide, taking rapid, shallow breaths. She mouthed “I don’t wanna die” to Dr Lindsay, but didn’t have the energy to get the words out.

Suddenly, coach Gabby’s rapid breaths came to an abrupt stop. Her pretty blue eyes remained wide open, staring up above with an absolutely terrified expression on her face. “she’s in v-fib! Lower the bed and start compressions!” Dr Lindsay shouted urgently. The bed was lowered, and nurse Heather began going to town on Gabby’s chest. Her chest caved in, and her toned belly and abs bounced outwards. “I’m intubating. 8.0 ET and a laryngoscope.” Sarah called out. “pushing epi and atropine.” Lin announced. Heather continued pumping the coach’s chest, and Sarah got the breathing tube in, securing it with a blue tube holder. Once she was intubated and the meds were in, it was decided to switch over to the defib paddles. The pads were quickly peeled off, and the paddles were gelled, charged up to 250, and pressed up against the coach’s bare chest. Her chest was picked up and her arms flailed weakly towards the center of her body before falling limp again. “no change, charge to 300.” Lindsay ordered. KA-THUNK!!! The shock threw Gabby’s large, lanky body around on the table effortlessly, but didn’t restart her heart. ”360! Everyone….CLEAR!” Sarah called out, pressing the paddles back up against Gabby’s chest. Her feet leapt above the table, slamming back down a moment later, showing off coach Gabby’s hot wrinkly soles once more. “PEA, start compressions!” Lindsay yelled out. Nurse Jamie took over CPR this time, pumping the basketball coach’s rhythmically.

CPR, ambu bagging, and pushing meds went on for a bit. It took some time and hard work from the team, but Gabby converted back to v-fib around 17 minutes into the code. The defibs were gelled, charged to 360, and the next shock was delivered. Gabby’s body jolted violently from the controlled dose of electricity. Her eyes remained wide open, staring up above while the fight for her life went on. The team shocked Gabby another 2 times unsuccessfully, but v-fib looked like it was winning this battle. “should we crack her chest? Get better perfusion?” Lindsay asked. “I don’t know, I’m not feeling it here.” Replied Sarah. A few cycles of CPR and ambu bagging were performed, hoping to stimulate the tall blonde’s heart, but no change was noted. The team defibbed Gabby another 4 times, before flatlining after that last shock. Dr Sarah lowered her stethoscope onto the patient’s bare chest. “no heartbeat. No respirations.” Sarah stepped back, shaking her head. Lindsay did a quick bedside echocardiogram and looked over at the monitor. “no cardiac activity, down 27 minutes, pupils fixed and dilated.” Lindsay added. “it’s over. Time of death, 21:45.” Sarah said reluctantly, pulling the gloves off her hands.

The flatlined monitors were turned off and the ambu bag was detached from the ET tube while her pretty blue eyes stared up above helplessly. The EKG electrodes were plucked off Gabby’s chest, the defib gel was wiped off, and the IVs were taken out. Her body was covered with a sheet, and a toe tag was placed. The toe tag dangled in front of her big, wrinkly, size 14 soles, bringing a sad, and seemingly surprising end to the case.

[allelitewrites]

Barbed Wire Heart

I'm So Sorry (Part Two)

Word Count: 1171

Relationship: Reader X Hangman Adam Page

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After the attack by Swerve, even if it was against what you wanted, Hangman insisted he assist you backstage and then to the medical room. He probably would've carried you if you would have let him. Doc Sampson was already waiting, fully expecting a visit from you. He asked you a few questions as you grimaced every once in a while. You couldn't even feel the tacks in your back anymore and your head had for the most part clotted up. Adam never left your side, allowing you to squeeze his forearms whenever one of the thumb tacks being removed from your back hurt enough to make you flinch.

Doc eventually finished up, leaving you and your fiancé to yourselves. You took one of the unopened cleansing wipes on the counter next to you, tearing open the packet and unfolding the napkin. "Can I?" You ask Adam, pointing at your dried blood still staining his stubbled chest.

"You don't need to worry about it. I can get it." He softly smiles. He was doing what he always did when you got hurt. Not letting you help him with anything even if he really needed it. But when he tried to take the wipe you pulled your hand away.

He couldn't help but chuckle at your stubbornness. You cleaned up his chest, more of your blood on him than you thought there was. You didn't think he knew it but you were trying to distract yourself from the tiny stabbing pains in your back wherever a thumbtack once was. He looked like he was closer to crying than you were. He watched you with sad eyes, waiting for you to look up at him and just admit to him how much pain you were in so he could use it as a reason to cater to you. But it wasn't going to happen. The pain was better than making him feel more guilty than he already did.

When there was no visible blood left on him, he stood up and picked his shirt up off the chair on the other side of the room. When a knock rattled the door, Adam opened it to reveal the Young Bucks on the other side. They were visibly worried as they checked on you. You needed to assure them you were fine, standing up and shaking your body to show you weren't in too much pain. Regardless of your best efforts to lie, your fiancé who was putting his hair up in a bun could sense the untruthfulness radiating off your body.

Eventually the Bucks did leave. You and Adam checked in with Tony Khan to let him know you were doing all right. Adam never let go of your hand once. Even as you were grabbing your bags or walking through doorways in the hallway. You both knew you were going to have to return back to your home which you watched get trashed.

You walked through the parking lot, waving at a fan or two who left the show a few minutes early. Adam put your bag in the back seat. Opened the car door for you. Even buckled you in. He was being annoying but his genuine heart stopped you from being able to get mad. Adam wanted do everything to make sure you didn't work at all.

He drove you both home, his head constantly turning to look at you to make sure you were alright. You occasionally planted a kiss on his hand which was interlocked with yours. Every so often he'd mumble a few words to you, ask you if you were in any pain, or if he could do anything to help you. He offered you food, but you didn't have much of an appetite. He offered you ice cream, but the thought turned your stomach. Adam eventually realized he would have to just settle for tending to you at home.

It wasn't as easy as that. You took a deep breath before Adam unlocked the door. For the time being it seemed he forgot that your home was raided and torn apart. Again he reached for your hand as he pushed the door open. All of the lights were left on, drawers were pulled open, and there was things all over the floor. You led him through the door. Speechless about the sight laid out in front of you and your fiancé.

Adam's eyes scanned the room a few times over before you let go of his hand. You only took your hand back to wipe one of the tears that had escaped from your eyes. Your name has been brought up countless times by Adam's opponents just as your opponents had Adam. Plenty of people threatened to hurt you just to get to Hangman, but no one had ever gone this far. Removing the peace from your home and practically tearing the walls from the support beams. No one had ever gone as far as laying their hands on you, forcing your fiancé to watch helplessly.

Adam barely began to question if you were alright before you went out in the backyard and dropped to your hands and knees. You crawled around your yard like a dog, feeling around for the necklace that was thrown out the door. Your breath was hitching in your chest and the tears began to fall more frequently, Adam quickly followed you out and pulled you to your feet. He pulled you into his chest and let you cry, carefully resting his hands on your back, doing his best to not hurt you. "I'm so sorry." He whispers. He didn't think you heard but you could hear him holding back his own tears. "Y/n, I'm so sorry."

After an hour or two of cleaning with small breakdowns in between, the house looked closer to the way it normally did. Decorations on the walls and shelves, pillows propped on the couch, and Adam even managed to find the necklace in the yard. Setting it back in its place; draped on your favorite photo of you and Adam.

He showered with you and helped you get ready for bed. The now clean cuts starting to sting again. He helped you to your bed, holding you tightly to his chest. Even though the chances of someone coming back through the front door were little, his strong arms held you protectively. You were quick to fall asleep, the whole day washing you over with exhaustion. He struggled. Every once and a while his eyes popping open at the sound of a squirrel outside, a car passing by, or the sound of the house settling.

That night, the little amount of minutes of sleep Adam got were filled with dreams of each way he would get revenge. Revenge for keeping him from protecting his treasure. Revenge for destroying yours and his place of comfort. But most importantly...

Revenge for ever laying even a single finger on the one person he loved more than anyone else.

[association-of-freed-people]

Thought experiment: If Donald Trump had been reelected president, the vaccine(s) would've still sucked and been plagued with problems.

The big news outlets would've decried how shit they were (purely on the basis that they were supported by Trump, just coincidentally correct). Democrat voters would've followed suite, eventually leading to a left-leaning "antivax" movement (probably still decrying the right as "anti-science").

Trump supporters would've universally taken the vaccine, because they were Trump's vaccine(s). They would've been dealing with the horrid side effects of the vaccine(s) (strokes early on, blood clots and heart attacks more recently).

How Trump would've reacted to the vaccines being shit in that universe is something I cannot definitively guess.

There definitely would've been way more bizarro-world-esque differences between that timeline and ours, but this felt like the stuff I could predict with relative accuracy. Sound about right to you?

No, I don’t think so.

There was clearly a rift between fauci, the CDC, the NIH and the trump regime from the drop.

You’ll recall trump promoting certain treatment protocols and drugs that had shown promise only to be absolutely roasted by the cathedral.

The trump base was already loaded with skeptics, they were present going into it. It’s their nature. This is the same nature that produced trump in the first place.

In the early stages of this thing there were lines that were drawn in the sand almost immediately.

I think people fundamentally misunderstand what trump is as a political phenomenon. It’s not that a bunch of people followed him. He’s a product of a pleb rebellion, he’s the fly that people wanted to put in the ointment.

He was reluctant to do anything with respect to lockdowns or mandates and got roasted for that. He wanted to leave the response to the states. Roasted for that. Speaking for myself, I would have never injected them regardless because of the manipulations that were occurring with respect to changing definitions to suit the mRNA tech, the silencing of dissenting voices in the medical community and the complete lack of any effort to develop an official treatment protocol and what was an arguable effort to suppress the development of one.

I’ve seen others suggest the same as you, but given what I remember I don’t think that would have been the case at all. Fauci would have still danced for Pfizer and friends and the left still would have gone head over heels for daddy government, mandates and punitive action against anyone who should resist. Imo if trump would have won the friction from his office alone would have prevented the persecution from being as severe as it was. The employee mandate never would have happened for instance.

[erinlindsayy]

cardiac surgeons fix broken hearts || rhekker

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ . ┊  Someone call the code--Dr. Bekker, can you hear us--What the hell happened?--SOMEONE, get us a gurney, for the love of god,-- AVA, stay with us--Ava--

➺  warnings: hospitals, mentions of violence and injuries, general medical related things, surgery

✧   a/n: they deserved better. thus, i am here to give them better

↬ like this work? let me know! comments help encourage writers to write more and let them know that you liked what they wrote :)

★ requests are open–I write for a number of fandoms! just ask :)

☆ comments + reblogs are greatly appreciated ☆

Fate, Ava thought to herself. A bitter, cruel irony. The Cardiothoracic surgeon, falls to a heart attack, and can't even do anything about it. The day had been normal--she'd had zero instances of chest pain, nothing out of the ordinary, but two hours into her shift, she'd collapsed. Granted, she'd been incredibly stressed for weeks. Between Connor telling her that he needed space from her after she told him she loved him, to a slew of increasingly complicated cases with international importance showing up at Med for referrals, she was nearly at wit's end. Something had simply snapped in her body. The world had gone dark, fuzzy, muffled, and she could barely make heads or tails of her surroundings. Someone call the code--Dr. Bekker, can you hear us--What the hell happened?--SOMEONE, get us a gurney, for the love of god,-- AVA, stay with us--Ava-- Turns out, there was an odd clot that had embolized in her blood, and got stuck in her mitral valve, causing her heart to arrest. Thankfully, Connor and the CT team were able to fix the issues, but they'd had to crack her open, and Connor had nearly sobbed when he saw Ava's face, lifeless and still, so devoid of her usual snark and charming glint in those pretty eyes of hers. Had he already lost her? The surgery was long and grueling. Ava had flatlined once, and the steady drone of the monitor was permanently engraved upon Connor's heart, cutting him apart like a fish at market. They'd saved her--barely, and she'd pulled through the surgery, but what now? The world is fuzzy--it's been a while since Ava has come out of anesthesia, and the first thing she registers is pain. She doesn't even realize that she's screaming in agony until the doctor rushes in--she isn't sure who, pushing morphine and sedatives into her IV. Pain--why is she in so much pain? Connor waits diligently beside her, hand tightly wrapped around hers as he drifts off into sleep. Dr. Latham has graciously given him time to rest vigil by Ava, reminding Connor that he need not worry--there were residents who were capable of filling in for a few days. Connor still worried anyways. Ava wasn't waking up--her pupils were reactive, but she stirred and cried out in her drug induced sleep, shudders of agony coursing through her frail body. Connor hated it. He wanted nothing more than to take her pain away, to carry it for her, to end the suffering of a girl who has already suffered too much as is. On the fourth day, Ava finally wakes up. She's in agony, but it's manageable (with morphine), and she groggily finds her hand in Connor's, the man fast asleep beside her. "Connor," she murmurs, voice shaky from disuse. He's immediately awake, hand coming to brush the soft tendrils of hair away from her face, worry lines etched deep into his forehead. "Ava," he whispers. "I thought--" He breaks down, dry sobs overtaking his body. "I thought you were dead," he finally chokes out, eyes red and puffy. It's so unlike him, so different to the headstrong Connor she's so used to, and she can't help but fall deeper in love with his brutal vulnerability. "What, and lose your favorite verbal sparring partner," she whispers, voice still raspy. "Not a chance." He smiles through the tears, hand gripping hers so tightly she fears she may lose circulation. He presses a kiss to her forehead, and promises her that as soon as she's cleared for discharge, he's taking her right home.

"And for the record, Ava," he starts, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips. "I love you too. More than you’ll ever know."

[yeluki]

WHY HAS @yeluki BEEN GONE?

tw:: mentions of depression, anxiety, not having enough money, being poor, poverty, heart attacks, aneurysms, severe health issues, hospitals, pills, car crashes, de4th, mentions of being arrested, charges, being paralyzed, drunk driving, robbing, blood, and drugs.

hey everyone. so, i know i disappeared for like, what- 2 months or so? i haven't been posting, been active, or really been doing anything. i know, and i'm sorry. i have tons of ideas for headcanons and scenarios that will be released in due time, but i'm in no rush.

in return for my abrupt absence and lack of any sort of communication, please allow me to explain my main reasons.

lets begin with the subject of my mother. my mother is an extraordinarily important figure in my life; she is by far the most important woman to me. she is everything to me. however, there is a great chance that i could loose her. forever. if you know what coronary arteries are, then it'll be easier for you to understand this. basically, your coronary arteries are the arterial blood vessels of coronary circulation, which transport oxygenated blood to the heart muscle. (i just took the definition from google.) typical, healthy coronary arteries are smooth and slick, however, my mother's are scraggly and bumpy. they're also filled with blood clots. some of the bumps on her arteries are beginning to grow, and if even the tiniest one pops, boom- de4d. my mother has also had a heart attack before (to make matters worse, she was pregnant with my little sister when she had it). she said after she experienced it that she had felt the same pain three times before, years before- and her doctors think that she's actually had multiple. one more HA, and boom- gone. my mother is also on blood thinner- but if something happens and a family member isn't with her, the paramedics won't know. why is this super important? because even if my mother isn't bleeding on the outside, she could still be bleeding on the inside. pretty scary. the issue with this is that, my father works. my sister and i both go to school. i can't be with her all the time. so what if she gets into an accident and i'm not there with her? who's gonna be there to tell the paramedics about her meds? yea- that's only one issue of mine.

next up, money money money. basically, my family is poor. yay. there was also a car crash in my town where a high school girl was killed, another one is now paralyzed from the neck down, and the guy driving is being charged with manslaughter, drunk driving, and like two other things. whatever. there was a guy who robbed a store next to my house looking for drugs, and my baby sister is growing up and drifting away from me. </3

im also going on anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds, which is great for a chick who has a fear of swallowing pills. yahoo.

i've got friend drama, boy drama, sexuality and gender drama, isecurity, and so much more. ugh i hate my life

anyways,, but my life's great so how are y'all? <333

[ellitx]

Chapter 8: Unexpected Sojourn

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁

previous || next

art belongs to rome

word count: 3.2k

           “[Name].”

           You flinched when your name slipped from his lips. Venti furrowed his brows in worry and slowly knelt down before you, reaching his hand out to brush your cheek. You crawled backward before he could touch you.

           Fear had once again found you. It spoke to you in its cackling voice. It told your legs to go weak, your stomach to lurch and your heart to ache. Your eyes averted from his own gaze. You don’t want to look at him.

           You fear facing the unknown Venti in front of you. What happened back then still lingered inside your head. Those cold and ominous orbs when he looked at you made you shudder. You know that intense gaze wasn’t meant to be directed at you, yet it scared you so much the more you think about it.

           His heart ached to see you distancing away from him. It feels so cold, like concrete drying his chest. It was unexpected for him to experience a heartbreak— top of the world one minute then cut down the next. Why is that? Is there a part of him that you dislike seeing? You do know that he’s trying to help you, right?

           “[Name], what’s wrong?”

           He softly asked, his voice sounded so pleading. As much as he wanted to near you, he kept himself in place to prevent you from keeping away. You have always imagined him holding you so many times, but now more often than not you find the future you seek is an empty shell. 

           Things have changed abruptly— he changed, so fast, you worry that he might not be able to control himself in front of you.

           “It’s nothing…” You muttered. You said you aren’t scared but he can see your body movements are tighter and your yearnings reduced. Your smiles were shorter and silence longer. You didn’t even look at him as you said that.

           Venti bit his lip as his face contorted. He so badly wanted to wrap his arms around you and just bury his face on your hair, taking in the fresh smell you have, yet you were scared. Scared of what though?  He doesn’t know the answer to it. Was it because of Boreas? 

           “Please look at me…”

           He begged. There was something in his voice, a pain behind it. You watched. You watched his eyes and then you knew. The anger was nothing but a shield for pain, like a cornered knight aimlessly lunging his sword, scared for his life, lonely, and desperate.

           His emotions turned jagged and his insides tight. He wanted to cry out and reach out to you. Love him, sit with him, hold his hand, say his name, look into his eyes, and say you love him. He waited, heart in his mouth, hoping you’ll come back to his arms.

           It hurt you. It hurt you to see him like this. The emotional pain in those green gems swelled you with guilt that you’re staying away from him. You impulsively extended out your arms and apologized.

           “I’m sorry,”

           Venti blinked in surprise yet he didn’t hesitate to come to you. Your arms were wide open, welcoming him in, and he immediately entered them then wrapped his arms around your waist so tightly. 

           His hug is stronger than anything you’ve ever known as if holding you wasn’t quite enough, he has to feel every ounce that you are pressed into every ounce that is him. In that moment of a feeling of you so close has awakened him, more alive and relieved than he has been in so very long.

           He nuzzled onto your neck, feeling safe against you. Your warm hug took the pain away and just let himself melt and be comfortable. You slowly reached up to his head and caressed his dark locks.

           “I’m sorry…” You repeated. “I… I thought you’re mad at me.” Your gaze darted downwards with your arms falling back to your side. Your eyes remained glassy for a moment and that’s when he finally connected the dots together. 

           You were scared seeing him furious. It’s an emotion he never really shows it often and is rare for him. This side of him was uncommon to see and you’ve never seen him felt like that once in your life of knowing him for all these years. Anger, pain, sadness— so intertwined that perhaps his name is ought to be tweaked to reflect the true origins of these emotions.

           Venti pulled away and looked at you, his eyes calmly searching yours. He raised your chin to make you look at him and pressed his forehead with yours. “I’m not mad. And I’ll never ever be mad at you.” Warm hands then cupped your cheeks and when he spoke, you can feel his warm breath against your face, and it’s just now you're realizing how close you two are.

           “I’m worried about you,” The distance between your lips were just a few centimeters apart, almost brushing together. “And I don’t know what to do without you being here with me.” He was firm and gentle as he pulled you in and it caught you off guard the moment his lips brushed with yours. In that kiss was the sweetness of affection, a million thoughts condensed into a moment.

           He laced his fingers with yours and tugged you close to him. You never quite figure out the beauty of his lips was more the softness of their association with the words he spoke. He always loves being near you, touching you, and holding you in his arms. His warmth would seep into your being and comfort you without ever opening his mouth.

           You’d melt onto him easily as you belonged next to him as he belonged to you. And each time before you part, the aching to be in his arms would begin anew.

—

        “Say Aether,” Paimon started catching the traveler’s attention as he stopped munching his food. He hummed at her and raised a brow. “Isn’t the Tone-Deaf Bard a little bit shifty this day?” 

           The blonde swallowed his meal and took a napkin wiping the crumbs sticking on the corner of his mouth then asked, “What do you mean?” 

           “I mean aren’t you curious to know who this maiden Venti keeps talking about?!” Her face was so close whilst she floated above him. Aether sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. This pixie really doesn’t know where to not poke her nose into, does she?

           “It’s not our business and we shouldn’t pry onto it anymore.” Paimon puffed her cheeks and stomped her feet onto the air in annoyance. It did irk her that her companion was not interested in this topic, but her curiosity is eating her up. 

           “Is she perhaps the one he told us in his story?” She didn’t change the topic as she grinned while taking another piece of the Mushroom Pizza. Aether simply shrugged and just ignored her rambles, absently staring onto the wall of Good Hunter’s diner.

           If it really was the girl Venti mentioned from the story of his old friend, does that mean she’s awake already? 

           “Anyways we’re still going to check it out, right?!” 

           He snapped out from his dazed state, owlishly blinking before looking back at her. “Hm? What are we talking about again?”

           “You’re not even listening to Paimon! Well never mind, Paimon can just repeat it to you.” Before she could utter a word, Aether had cut her off. “If it’s about following Venti, we don’t have the slightest clue to where he could be.” His floating companion grumbled and crossed her arms in aggravation since what he said did have a point.

           Albeit disappointing as it may be, she did actually hope they could investigate it later. “Bummer…” She muttered to herself and took another bite of the pizza.

           Aether rummaged inside his bag and clicked his tongue at the sight of the lack of crystals he currently has. He forgot to collect more to enhance his weapon to the blacksmith, great. He disappointedly sighed and zipped his bag close. Sufficient mora, shortage of crystals. Seems like they’ll have to mine them before he could enhance his trusty sword.

           “We’re going to Stormterror’s lair after this.” He announced. “Now? But we haven’t finished eating these yet! We still have another order coming.” Oh, right, the Sticky Honey Roast. 

           “We’ll eat Sticky Honey Roast first then go to Stormterror’s lair.” 

           “Aww yeah!”

           The wait was fortunately not that too long. The waitress stopped by their table and served them their meals. The sight and aroma of the food made them drool in hunger, their souls wanting to ravish it in instant. The two grabbed their fork and knife, hastily slicing to get their piece, and enjoyed the delish meat feast prepared for them as they shoved a forkful of it into their mouths.

           Warm food melted in the back of their throat and Paimon, who was dissatisfied with the size of her spoon, raised the plate to her face, wolfed it down, and licked the plate clean. Her body shook as she belched loud and long. 

           Aether cringed at her lack of manners in dining, looking away from the other customers who gave them a glance of curiosity at his guide. This emergency food will be the death of him.

           After finishing their meal and paying up, the two went off and started their journey to the lair. The embryonic oaks laid upon the grass, their brown eyes a gift to the eyes. He could watch them for a while, these acorns, hoping the silent bliss would extend if not for some group of slimes and hilichurls attacking them.

           Fighting was easy and not too much of a trouble for him, a sign that he’s gradually getting stronger. He smiled to himself and let his sword vanish into thin air on his back. Just a few more steps and he can finally gather the crystals he really needed.

           The path went onwards and there was much journeying ahead in front of them. He paid no mind to Paimon’s ramblings about what food they should get later. Sheesh, why does she can only think of nothing but food? Just how big is her stomach that can handle so many?

           Still, he appreciated her little babbles to distract himself from their quiet walk. His golden orbs then lit up at the sight of the familiar entrance getting bigger each step they take. His leg stopped from leading him and peered at the big tower looming before his small form.

           The memories of the Stormterror issue returned to him. The agony and pain the poor dragon was suffering, the blood clot that drastically continued to consume him as he writhes and cries while no one was there to help him. Venti, the Anemo Archon, was there to help Aether in his journey and to aid in freeing Dvalin from being corrupted by the Abyss Order.

           They were able to set him free and save him from poison with the help of the Dandelion Knight and Darknight Hero of Mondstadt. Still, even after that incident, there are still no clues as to where his sister could be.

           Aether took the chunk of crystal and placed it inside his bag. He heaved a sigh and stretched his arms to ease the cramps formed on his tense shoulder due to the struggle of breaking the crystals from the ground. 

           “Are those enough?” Paimon hovered above him and took a peek inside as she asked. The blonde shook his head and sled the backpack over his shoulder. “Just need two more and then we can go back.” He took out his map and checked the current location he is in to mark the spot.

           “Oh! Paimon remembers there are few over there.” Her small finger pointed on the spot of the map near to where they are and tugged his scarf to make him follow her. Few long strides here and there, his brow quirked when Paimon stopped midway guiding him.

           “Uh… are you seeing what Paimon’s seeing?” His brows knitted together at her ambiguous context behind her words. “What are you talking about?” He questioned and looked in front seeing nothing but thin air.

           “Over there! Is that a dead body?!” She flew behind him and took a little peek over his shoulder, her form slightly quivering in fear. He squinted his eyes to take a closer observation to where her finger was directing. Upon more detailed inspection, he can faintly draw out the figure that was limped on the ground.

           In instinct, his legs immediately guided him towards the figure and saw an unconscious form of a girl the closer he gets. He knelt down and drifted his hand on your chest to check your pulse. 

           “She’s just unconscious.” He assured Paimon. She sighed in relief and fluttered across you to check your features then back to the area. Something feels off…

           “Is it just me or was there always a garden here before?” She remarked, catching Aether’s attention. His eyes wandered to his surroundings and she was indeed right. Various flowers scattered before you, cushioning your body in the grassy field. He remembers that the ruins were only filled with the remains of the old buildings and structures.

           He explored this area in and out and never once in his journey does he remember a garden was set up here in just a month. Is someone revitalizing this old lair? Even if it did, he should prioritize first your passed out state and bring you back to Mondstadt for safety.

           “We should bring her back with us. It’s too dangerous here.” He told his little companion and before he could tuck his hands underneath your legs, a strong grip on his wrist stopped him from doing so.

           He jerked his head in the direction of the owner’s arm, following the white sleeve covered up until to sight of a familiar appearance of a bard standing before him. Venti stared blankly at him with cold eyes. Frightened by his expression and sudden presence, he took in a sudden intake of breath and stumbled backward, his foot slipping from the ground. His shoulders tensed in alarm, the tightening grip on his wrist caused him to wince in pain.

           “Venti?!” Paimon exclaimed in surprise and glided away to give the distance from him as she noticed the abrupt ominous aura encircling him. 

           “What are you going to do with her?” His expression hardened when the traveler remained quiet at his question, so he constricted his hold on him even further to get his attention.

           “I said, what are you going to do with her, traveler?” He repeated but with a firm and loud voice. The pixie shuddered in fear at his unforeseen behavior but she quickly stepped in and tugged his hand away.

           “We’re just going to bring her to the city to help her!” She exclaimed and attempted to release his restraint on her ally. Resentful countenance flit across his features as his mouth had gone hard hearing her words. Though, he quickly replaced it with a smile and finally let go of Aether.

           “I see. There’s no need to do that.”

           The blonde rubbed his wrist to ease the discomfort that continued to linger, he was sure of himself it’ll create a bruise on it. His eyes followed to the bard’s small form as he carried you in his arms. You squirmed against him and huddled closer searching for warmth.

           Venti glanced at you then back to the two companions. “You should go back now.” His voice was more demanding than they had expected. An order from an Archon himself. Though Aether didn’t budge, he hoisted himself up first then looked at him in utter puzzlement.

           “What about her? Is she injured? Sick? You should come with us too if you want to aid her.” Venti clicked his tongue and forced a smile to hide the growing anger that’s boiling up even more the more he talks.

           “I can handle her myself. It’s getting dark already and I don’t want you to get lost on your way back to the city.” The small bickering started to wake you and this is not what Venti likes to happen.

           As you rose from your light slumber, you are first aware of the coolness of the air and the fresh and loamy fragrance. Your clothes feel damp as a flower in the dew of the dawn. You half wonder if you’re still dreaming as you shifted from your place and sensed your feet weren’t touching the ground.

           “She’s awake!” You heard a squeaky voice exclaim near you. Venti raised his hand and commanded the winds to push the two away back to the exit. 

            “Leave. Now.”

            It irked him further when Aether persisted then stared at you, observing your features in silence. If he’s desperate to stay then so be it, he can just teleport himself somewhere else with you as long as they keep a distance from you.

           He didn’t hesitate to leave them all alone and not even once listening to what they’ll say as he suddenly disappeared into thin air with few teal feathers fluttering along with the air.

           He stopped near the lake and heaved a sigh of relief that he can no longer see them at last. You rubbed your eyes to erase the sleepiness within you and looked up at him, calling his name in a drowsy manner.

           “Sorry did I wake you, love?”

           He settled himself on the ground and brushed your hair away that was fixed on your cheeks. You blinked and looked around the area to get a glimpse of where you are. Now you were awake, perhaps a little bit awake with a tint of drowsiness still in you. As far as you can tell, you’re trapped in your lover’s arms with birds making their carefree song around you.

           “What’s the noise all about? What’s going on?”

           Ah, seems like that woke you up. He sighed and placed his head on your shoulder to relax with just your presence. It’s a miracle how your own voice can instantly calm him down after attempting Aether and Paimon to leave the place.

           “There were visitors that came here. Quite pesky I must say.”

           “Visitors?”

           That fully woke you up more than you’ve ever been. “No need to worry about that. It’s not really important. Get some more rest, you’re tired after what happened after all.” He kissed the top of your head and pulled you close to snuggle against him. You enjoy the feeling of his warm body next to yours, causing you to be sleepy once again.

           He carefully shuffled to find a comfortable spot and looked at you. Your features were much softer in sleep, more youthful than ever no matter how many millenniums of years passed by. It reminded him of your heavy slumber while he waits for you to wake up.

           But now, he doesn’t need to worry if you’re still in a comatose state. You’re already awake, with him and finally together. He can easily check up on you all the time as long as he’s next to you. He could soak in all that you are forever and still be right here, still wanting more. It is infatuation, but what is love without it? Desire, passion, and true love are threads of the same emotion, a perfect recipe for his attraction for you.

[whatifxwereyou]

The Oncoming Storm Part 13: Worry

Liu Kang x Reader and Kung Lao x Reader (gonna do both, two paths!)

Liu Kang knows exactly what he's doing. Like, exactly what he's doing. Send help. Plz. Next update on Thursday! Gonna go for the double again this weekend. Thank you, as always, for reading! Appreciate you guys!!

Part 12 Part 14 Chapter Index

Meditation brought you no peace. Even as you laid down, you knew you couldn’t sleep. In moments like this you would normally wander about the temple to take your mind off your racing thoughts. But you were exhausted, and the idea of walking around was unappealing, to say the last. You needed rest but your brain wouldn’t allow it. It’d been cruel to you all day long. Maybe you should go and find Chen and see if she still wanted to meet up with some of her friends and have a drink. You could joke and have a drink under the watchful eye of someone who would take care of you if it made you sick. Then again, if you found Chen, then you would also be teased. That and she would expect to hear how your afternoon with Kung Lao had gone. You still weren’t sure how it’d gone so discussing it seemed out of the question.

Chen wanted you to make the kind of mistakes that you had been incredibly careful to avoid since your early twenties.

Avoiding that dangerous train of thought, you returned to your afternoon with Kung Lao. He’d been weird. Reflective and pushy, but still kind and confident in you in ways you had never expected. You couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that you’d done so poorly. Your confidence had been shattered. It would come back, you were sure, but the vision you’d had and the fact that you’d hurt Liu Kang had really set you back. You were grateful, in hindsight, that Kung Lao had forced you to push beyond your limits.

Before you’d had no limits and since that night, you’d given yourself limits without realizing.

“Ugh.” You got up and pulled the top drawer of your desk open to find the small and delicate flower that Kung Lao had given to you. Seated on the edge of your bed, you admired the wilting and precious thing. It wouldn’t live for much longer, but it didn’t make it any less beautiful. You’d forgotten what it had looked like while alive over the years and the reminder was nostalgic and touching.

What had Kung Lao been doing today? Yes, you knew you were practicing, and he was encouraging you to push beyond you limitations but there was something else beneath that. A motive. You couldn’t say that he hadn’t been himself because the Kung Lao you knew had been ten years old. Still, he’d been weird for half the session. Besides that, you were certain that he’d considered kissing you several times and had hesitated- waited for you to make that leap. You had thought about it, of course, how couldn’t you? But it was different when you considered you had both thought it.

You set the flower on the wide windowsill, watching the wind slightly jostled the withering petals.

What did any of it mean? What were your heart and brain doing? They certainly weren’t working together.

Liu Kang had kissed you.

You brushed your fingers over your lower lip and shivered at the memory. It had been more than a kiss; it had been world-shattering. Okay, maybe you were being dramatic. But it had made everything else disappear. Nothing else had mattered. Not your vision. Not the mark on your back. Nothing.

Even though you’d been terrified and exhausted when it’d happened, it had been perfect. Even thinking about it made your chest ache.

You hadn’t seen him since then.

You’d spent so much of your time together that it almost felt like withdrawal to not see him for that long. Reaching again for the flower, you moved to your desk, afraid that the wind would blow the precious thing away. You rested the flower atop the journal.

You needed sleep but your brain wouldn’t turn off.

You hoped that Liu was okay. That in whatever way you had attacked him, you hadn’t done any damage. You wouldn’t be able to forgive yourself if you had. You also hoped that Kung Lao was okay. His behavior had worried you. You didn’t have the words to ask him what was going on. You had, in fact, asked him exactly that and he’d had no answer for you. He’d been evasive and you didn’t know him well enough to know if that was normal behavior for him. Maybe feelings made him uncomfortable. They certainly made you uncomfortable.

You recalled that even as kids he’d avoided uncomfortable conversations with humor. Back then, you’d done the same. Other than that, you hadn’t been able to shut him up. He’d told you everything under the sun that he could think to say. You smiled at the memory but shook it away as quickly as it had come. You had to get it out of your head that they were the same person. Yes, they were but there were twenty years of distance between them. He was different and so were you. He’d died and you had grown to love his memory.

You remembered him in reverence, but you had to put that aside if you had any hope of knowing the man that he’d grown to be.

Before you knew it, you were waking up to the sound of a knock on your door. Your back ached and your arm had gone numb from falling asleep on top of it. Wiping your eyes of sleep, you sat upright and scooted back in your chair. There was a second knock on the door, a polite and soft knock. You stood and half-expected to find a monk checking in on you. Instead, you found Liu Kang. He seemed tired. The sky was dark beyond the window in the hall behind him. You’d slept through the evening.

He greeted you with a nod instead of words. From the look of his thoughtful eyes, he seemed to have a lot on his mind. “Is everything okay, Liu?” You had a thousand other questions to ask him. Was he okay? Where had he been? Did you hurt him? How had you attacked him? You wanted to ask him what that moment between you had meant but you pushed that all aside. For now, the one question would do. The other answers would come with patience.

“Yes, everything’s fine.” He smiled as if realizing that he had worried you by not doing so. “I wanted to see you, that’s all.”

“Oh.” That was sweet, was what you wanted to say, but you didn’t.

“Can I come in?” He gestured toward the room and you stepped aside to allow him entry. He walked into the room and sat on the edge of your bed. You closed the door behind you and then joined him. “I’m sorry that it’s been so long.”

“Oh? Don’t be. It’s okay. I know that you have a lot of responsibilities here.” You smiled. It really had been some time, but you understood that he was busy. At least the distance hadn’t been in your head.

“I’ve been doing some research through the archives for Raiden. It’s been busy and tedious work. Trust me, I would have rather been here.”

“Research? About anything fun?” You brightened up, hoping to get him to talk about his day. He had listened to you many times and you were happy to repay the favor. Liu Kang averted his eyes and his prayer beads shifted nervously from his wrist and into his palm. His index finger tapped against the beads and your stomach dropped.

“Not so much fun, but interesting.”

“Oh. It’s about me. The research was about me.”

“Yes,” Liu turned to face you. “About what you’re experiencing. Nothing personal.”

“Well, did you find anything?” You wanted him to be honest with you even if what he’d found wasn’t what you wanted to hear. Liu softened. Sometimes it seemed to you that he could read your mind.

“No. In truth, it’s difficult to say what we’re looking for. We need to know more about what you’re experiencing and that could be…”

“Uncomfortable.”

“Invasive. Seers are rare, Y/N, but many have stayed in Raiden’s Temple over the years. I mostly went through files of old predictions and afflictions suffered around the same time. Nothing lined up of any note. I didn’t honestly think that it would, but we had to check.” Liu Kang tried to catch your gaze, but you kept your eyes turned downward. “Raiden wants to see what you saw using his magic if you’re up to it. I’m not sure when, I just know that it’ll be soon.”

“Oh, yeah, of course. If he thinks that it’ll help and can do some good then, that’s fine. A little discomfort isn’t going to kill me.” You smiled but it faltered. The gravity of the things you’d left unsaid was weighing you both down.

“Y/N?” He turned toward you as if he had something important planned to say but you stiffened up. You didn’t want his pity or his worry.

“I miss studying with you.” You interrupted. It wasn’t what you had wanted to say but he seemed to understand your meaning. You missed him. “Everything seems so complicated now. Part of me is missing those first few weeks, even as sick as I had been.”

“We can’t live in the past, Y/N.” He rested his hand on your cheek and urged your gaze up to his. You held your breath. His fingers brushed from your cheek, over the line of your jaw, beneath your ear, and then down beneath your chin. “When you said that you suffered an illness in your childhood, you didn’t mean that you were sick, did you?” You stiffened up. Of all the things you’d expected to talk about with Liu Kang that night, it hadn’t been that. You supposed it was important.

“I…” His hand was still on your chin and as you opened your mouth to speak his hand moved with you. He searched your face and then carefully dropped his hand. You were grateful that he had. The overstimulation had been insane. The air between you when you were that close was so thick that it was often difficult to breathe, nonetheless talk. With his hands on you, it was only that much worse. “Yeah, that’s… I was still sick, but it was because I saw things. So, if what you’re asking is if this was the first time that I saw something like that? Then no. When I was a kid, it came on very suddenly.”

“Same symptoms? The clotting? Passing out?”

“Yeah. It was something I dealt with then but when I turned twelve it went away and… I haven’t thought about it in years before this.” You felt suddenly nervous. His face was flooded with concern and he was the one to now avoid your eyes. Your stomach twisted into knots made of guilt and frustration.

“Were you not going to tell me? Or… anyone? The doctors in the infirmary had no idea.”

“I’m sorry.” You couldn’t avoid the blame. It hadn’t been on purpose. You would have brought it up if you had thought it were a possibility. “I hadn’t thought about in so long that when I started having issues here? I didn’t think of it immediately. When Kung Lao’s hat tore up my side? Yeah, it briefly crossed my mind. But Liu, listen.” You scooted closer to him, closing the small gap between you. You took his hand where the beads were wrapped around his palm and held it between both of yours. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t owe me an apology, Y/N.”

“Yes, I do.” You insisted. “It was stupid and selfish of me. It’s going to sound silly, but I felt that by saying something about it, it would be like willing it into existence.” You let go of his hand and felt your chest ache with guilt. “And yet… here we are. And here it is. Back. I should have said something. I just kept hoping that it was anything else.”

“Words only have so much power,” he whispered.

“For three years of my life, Liu, I saw things beyond my control, beyond predictability. It made me so sick that I thought I would never recover. I couldn’t go to school; my parents wouldn’t even let me stay at home anymore. I felt hopeless. Powerless. I was foolish to think that not saying anything would change the truth and I’m sorry.”

“I’m not upset with you, Y/N. I’m just worried.” He urged you again to look up at him, finger hooked again under your chin. Worry was still very much present in his eyes, but so was determination. That was better than just the one. “You aren’t powerless. And you aren’t a child. You’re strong. No one is sending you away. You’re not alone anymore.” He urged his hand over your jaw and rested it against your cheek. It was warm and you couldn’t resist leaning into his touch. “You have me.”

“I do.” You closed your eyes. Each of his fingers were placed with purpose, his thumb carefully brushing over your cheek. “And Kung Lao.”

“And Kung Lao.” Liu said so with a sigh. You caught his gaze. There were volumes he didn’t say but you couldn’t argue that he had secrets. You had a thousand things you weren’t saying either. Things that you weren’t ready to say. Maybe he felt the same way. You almost asked him what was happening. Should you be putting a stop to this closeness? Or to Kung Lao’s obvious flirtation? Should you focus on figuring out what the tug between you meant or sorting out your mixed-up feelings for Kung Lao? Instead, you stayed lost in his eyes and savored the touch of his strong hand on your cheek.

Before you said anything you had to at least sort out your thoughts. It wouldn’t be fair to put that on Liu to decide for you. you had no idea what was happening in your head or your heart and now with the added trauma of your childhood illness returning more dangerous than ever, you owed it to them both to figure it out yourself.

“Y/N?” He asked with some concern in his voice. His other hand rested on your other cheek and his dark eyes searched yours with worry. His eyes traced over your face and returned to your gaze. You exhaled, not realizing that you had been holding your breath. You really had to stop getting lost in your head like that, especially since Liu Kang no longer seemed shy about touching you. You rested your hand over his on your cheek. Your hands were dwarfed in comparison.

“Are you okay, Liu?”

He laughed in surprise and his worry faded. “Me? Really?”

“Yes, you!” You took one of his hands away from your cheek and grasped it with both of yours again.

“I’m fine, Y/N. You spaced out and I’m starting to worry that the blood loss may be worse than we thought.” He teased, his heart-shaped lips curving into a smile.

“I heard you tell Raiden that my arcana attacked you.”

“It did.” His smile didn’t fade. He almost seemed proud of it. “Knocked me clear across the pit. Nearly lost consciousness.”

“What?” Your stomach dropped.

“Yes, but I’m fine, Y/N. It was mostly impressive.” He smiled reassuringly but you were still horrified that you’d hurt him so terribly without knowing. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m fine, really.”

“Did you get it looked at? Are you sure that you’re okay? I can’t believe that I attacked you.”

“I did, of course. It would be hypocritical of me not to. It’s just a bruise, I promise.” He assured you. “And I don’t think you were attacking me, Y/N. I think that whatever you experienced, your arcana was trying to protect you from it. Raiden thinks that it’s whatever shadow that has been cast over your gift. Your arcana lashes out to keep you safe, but it cannot attack a shadow, so it attacked me.”

“Just a bruise? You promise?”

“Yes, I promise. I’ll give you proof if you need it. You were really this worried about me?”

“Yeah, well, a little bit.” You were a terrible liar and Liu cocked an eyebrow in amusement that you’d even tried to lie. You’d been dwelling on his well-being since you’d heard him tell Raiden. “Fine, it’s been eating me alive. Happy?”

“I’m perfectly fine, Y/N.” He touched your cheek again and then sat upright and untied the red sash around his middle. You turned your gaze away from his hands immediately. He set the sash aside and pulled open his shirt so that you could see the purple and blue bruising on his stomach, spreading over his side and under his arm. You covered your mouth and gasped in horror. You’d done that? He laughed in surprise at the look on your face. “No! It’s fine, Y/N, this was supposed to comfort you, not make it worse. It doesn’t even hurt.”

“Liu, that’s the biggest bruise I’ve ever seen.” You almost touched it but then retracted your hand. You didn’t want to make it worse. Instead, you peered around him to see how far it extended over his side. He lifted his arm to show you. It stopped there, thankfully. Liu Kang then grasped your hand and very gently placed it against the bruising over his ribcage. Your breath caught in the back of your throat. He didn’t even flinch.

“It’s fine, really. It’s not as bad as it looks.” He stiffened up and watched your fingers. You brushed them just over the outside of the bruise, tracing the shape of it over his muscles. Then you pulled your hand back and held it close to your chest. Gently caressing his muscles was something you definitely didn’t mean to do but you had done it. Your heart was practically beating through your chest. There was that overstimulation again. You’d hurt Liu Kang, so much so that he had the ugliest bruise you had ever seen on another human being, even in old action movies. Then he had basically stripped just to show you that he was okay. Then, you’d kind of felt him up, fascinated by the bruise and his physique. He hadn’t been shy about his body, so it probably didn’t bother him. He’d made it quite clear that he was comfortable shirtless. “Y/N, I’m fine. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

“I could have killed you.”

“Not easily.” Liu smiled and you looked aside, embarrassed. “Really. I only showed you to try and relieve your worry. If it had done any real damage then my ribs would be broken, Y/N. It’s superficial. I wouldn’t tell you that I was fine if I didn’t mean it.”

“You’re sure?”

“Trust me, Y/N.”

You did. You trusted him and so you would convince yourself that, while you had attacked him, he really was okay. You owed that to him. “Okay, Liu. I’m still sorry that I hurt you, but I trust you to know your own limits.”

“Y/N, if I hadn’t been there then who knows what would have happened to you? A little bruise is worth that.” He left his shirt hanging open and then gestured to the desk, but you interrupted him.

“That is not a little bruise. It is, in fact, the biggest bruise that I have ever seen in my whole life and I was a martial arts teacher before this.”

“It’s fine. I promise.” He laughed and grabbed the book and journal they’d been writing in. You caught sight of the flower falling to the side. “Are you up for studying? Or… does that seem trivial in comparison?”

“No!” You said too quickly and then laughed at yourself. “Honestly, I was thinking earlier how much I’ve missed it. So, I would like that. Very much.” It did seem a little trivial but not in a bad way. It was a good and simple thing to do. A simple grounding thing amongst all the complicated nonsense.

“I’m glad.” He seemed relieved and slipped further back on your bed, resting his back against the wall just below the window. You scooted back to join him, taking the journal from his hands. He opened the book and read from where you’d left off, stopping every so often to describe something with more clarity or to share a story. You asked questions when appropriate and every so often you made a terrible joke and stopped to laugh and share a personal story of your own. You took notes but mostly held the journal in your lap and listened. His careful, calm, and kind voice was familiar and comforting and you had missed it.

You shivered and Liu took the blanket from the bottom of your bed and draped it over your legs and his own. He scooted just a tad closer to you and much to your surprise, he slipped his arm right around your shoulder, hand brushing over your other arm to warm you. He knew exactly what he was doing, and you smiled but avoided his eyes that were boring a hole into you all the while. He returned to reading quickly, arm still around you, hand on your shoulder, thumb gently caressing your skin.

You rested your head on his shoulder and listened, abandoning your quest to take notes in the journal. His voice reverberated through his body and into yours and it gave you the shivers again.

“Are you okay?” He whispered, resting a finger on the page to mark his spot. You lifted your head from his shoulder and offered him a sleepy nod. He was already close, but his eyes searched your face, and he drew ever closer. His fingers brushed over your jaw and down the side of your neck. You held your breath as he seemed to consider words and then abandon them. Instead, he returned your tired nod. You caught his gaze on your lips, his own parting just slightly, the corners tugging into a soft smile before he turned back to the book.

Oh yeah, he definitely knew what he was doing but you didn’t mind it either. He went back to reading, pushing half of the book into your lap as he did. You held the left corner of the book for him on instinct. You’d read books this way with your sister, but never with anyone who made your heart race the way Liu Kang did.

You closed your eyes to focus only on the melody of his voice but drifted instead to sleep.

[wyn-n-tonic]

Golden, Like Daylight -- Part IV

Word Count: 1,925 Warnings: PTSD. Drug use. Ben Affleck. Panic attacks. Bullet wounds. Smut (not explicit but it's there). A/N: Your kind words mean literally everything to me and I have been sobbing between the warmth shown to me over this series and also how much I love Francisco Morales and want the absolute best for him.

MASTERLIST | PART: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX

Gif by: @uuuhshiny

Luna hasn’t stopped wailing since Sunday, the one and only day Frankie said he wouldn’t be able to call.

It’s Thursday and both their lungs are close to giving out.

One Morales woman hyperventilating herself into fitful sleeps, the other only sobbing through held breaths in stolen lonely moments of peace and quiet.

Kristyn had taken up residence in the spare room, making sure Leah slept and ate. She was the one who cashed in Leah’s sick days with the school, forging a bullshit sick note when she went into work.

Leah is currently distraught because her husband might be dead in South America, we don’t know.

That’s what the first one said, dashed out on the keyboard in a petty moment of frustration. She might be the only one of Leah’s sisters who didn't want to lob his fucking head off every time she shed a tear but it didn’t mean she never wanted to do it.

Patient is suffering from a prolonged migraine and intensive nausea. Follow up appointment scheduled for next Thursday at 9am.

That should fucking do it but she’ll have to start checking off the vacation days soon. Dip into family leave for Luna.

Alexa held her on that first Monday, talking her through the panic in a puddle of spilled coffee. The paper cup splashing across their knees in the hallway as concern emanated from the AP Lit room at their backs.

Somewhere at the base of the Andes, her husband was being pried out of a crashed helicopter by the only other men she’d ever truly loved. William was shot, Benny was reckless. She felt it all in her body as she was driven home, helped into the shower, held in her bed but not by the arms she craved.

“He's coming home,” Deana brought dinner that night, her big sister cutting into her steak like she was a child at risk of choking again, “he will do anything he can to make sure of that.”

“What if he doesn’t, D?” Leah’s taken on the stare, everything and nothing all at once, “what if he doesn’t come home this time?”

“I promise you, Lee, okay?” She reaches out to push aside hair damp with tears, “I've never seen a man so in love.”

“Yeah…” she’s quiet, “he promised me too.”

And she told him to stop making promises because he doesn’t keep them.

I think you put a baby in me, Francisco Morales.

The tears well over her eyes, spilling onto already salt stained cheeks.

He made love to her like it was the last time he would ever see her, the last chance he would ever get. He poured his entire being into her, drunk off the feel of their bodies together. She could feel him in the hollow of her ribs, an aching that called out for the comfort of his beating heart against hers again.

Would that be so bad?

She sobbed out, startling Luna’s own ragged cries again, afraid that she would never know warmth against her cold hands again.

—————

“Hey,” they're huddled against the onslaught beneath a barely-there cliff, labored breathing in tandem, “you still with me?”

Frankie’s panic attack came on slowly, a rolling storm in the distance the moment the helo crashed in the valley.

Bad landing.

His fight or flight response has his lungs in a vice grip but he still manages a laugh, “I think I should be the one asking you that.”

“You know it’s gonna take a lot more than a stray bullet to fuck me off,” he’s smiling but Frankie knows how much blood he’s lost, how long it takes for a wound like that to clot without medical intervention.

It’s true, it’ll take a lot more than a stray bullet to take William Miller but that was before, when they had back up. Out here, though? Surrounded by his brothers in arms? Having done what he just did?

Francisco Morales has never felt more alone.

“Fish,” William hits his knee against his, “where are you?”

His eyes refocus on the tepid water pounding all around him, the world coming back as he takes a deep breath, “are you afraid, Will?”

“You gotta be more specific, Frank, I’m terrified of everything.”

He’s quiet when he speaks, “me too,” barely above the downpour.

He sees Will nod in his peripheral, “I know.”

“Will, I’m afraid I’ll never see them again,” and when he chokes, he realizes he’s been crying.

“No, you can’t think like that.”

“I know, but I can’t stop it either, like…” trailing off, he lifts his face to the pressure of the water; it’s the sweetest thing he’s felt in days, “what if this is the last shower I ever take?”

“Fish…” Will reaches for him but he’s cut short.

“No, listen to me. If anything happens to me out he—“

“Nothing is going to fucking hap—"

“Shut up and let me finish,” his rage and sadness is burning hot through him, it takes everything within his being not to choke on air as he speaks again. “If anything happens to me out here, Will, take care of my girls. Please.”

The blond nods his head, heavy with exhaustion and pain, “until the very end of my life, Frankie.”

The relief that spreads through his body is better than any drug he ever tried, he feels himself slipping into an upright sleep, his heart at peace for the first time since he left his bed.

“But,” Will’s voice catches him on the edge of consciousness, “I would also face down the end of my life to make sure you see them again, do you understand me? If the only thing standing between you and a bullet is me, don’t fight. Leave me there and run like hell. You’re going back to your family.”

“But if I don’t make it…”

“Fish,” Will's laugh is drenched in the space between them, “are you saying it’s your last will and testament for me to marry your wife?”

“Fuck off,” his words are clipped, strained, “and don’t call me Fish.”

—————

They still, eyes up to the screen of the baby monitor as they hold their breath for another sound from Luna’s room. The baby settles back into silence, her small chest rising and falling on the grainy feed.

He remembers Leah opening the military grade surveillance equipment at the baby shower, the shake of her laughter as she held onto Benny’s shoulder to anchor herself to the chair.

“Should we check on her?” It’s small, a rushed question of a concerned mother.

“I said a baby monitor, Benjamin, not a prison security camera.”

“Absolutely not,” Ben grabs her hand, “This is better than any of that shit you’ll find at Target. Video means there’s no wondering either, you can just look up and assess the situation, more rest. That’s important, you’ll need to savor the little that you get.”

He pushes a lock of hair from her face, damp with the tears of the day and the sweat of the night, “no, baby, we don’t want to disturb her.”

“Yeah,” Will chimes in, his beer bottle held loosely in his hands, “Frankie should’ve been training you on sleep deprivation this whole time, you’re spec ops yourself now.”

“But what if she wakes up?”

“Well…” the corner of his mouth lifts to close the fan at the corner of his eyes, “it’s a good thing she can’t see us through that thing, right?”

“Francisc—“ the irritation of his name is finished in a heady moan lured from her body by another slow drag of his hips.

The crook of his nose slots against hers as he finds her lips again, the warmth of the room around them is nothing compared to their mouths on each other. Bathing in shared heat, her fingers entwine into the curls at the crown of his head, the other hand palm up to his chest. And as the beating of his heart races towards her burning touch, he submerges himself once again.

His firm grip holds the hinge in her leg, fingers digging into the sensitive skin that fills her lungs with fits of laughter and light. He braces himself against the bed, the aching in his forearm dulled by the soft, breathless whimpers intoxicating his entire being.

His voice is washed out when he finds it, “mi sol,” lips dragging across her own, “mis estrellas.”

Her eyes find his, heavy with admiration and trust. “Francisco,” she is drunk and drowning in the love of this man, “finish me.”

He shifts to cradle her jaw and as he trails his other hand up her thigh, he sinks within her once more. Finding his release against her own, he is convinced they’ll never be able to fully untangle again.

He presses a kiss to her nose.

My sun.

Her forehead.

My stars.

Her lips.

My whole sky.

—————

I think you put a baby in me, Francisco Morales.

He snaps back to reality, Santi and Tom’s voices echoing all around them.

His head is hot, he’s pushing past Will with concern set so deeply in his eyes he fears he’ll break right there.

Would that be so bad?

“Fucking bullshit!” Tom’s face is red, Santi having finally said what all of them are thinking.

He feels the weight of Leah in every fiber of his being, slotted perfectly against his body.

“We're all on the hook for this, are we not?”

I should’ve said no.

“God damn this fucking horse! Stop it!”

All those years blinded by loyalty to authority, Frankie never talked back to his leader but the man in front of him isn’t a leader. He’s a whiny child who’s lost his toys and Frankie hates him.

Biting back what he wants to say, he holds his hand up in a show of camaraderie, “Relax.” His finger quirks up as if he’s scolding a tantrum, “Relax. We’re not picking at the fucking scab right now, okay?”

Tom stares him down, like he’s weighing an argument against him too but Frankie’s done. He meets the taller man’s gaze, this man he would’ve died for.

“One foot in front of the other. Come on.”

This man he almost has died for.

“Let's go. Jesus fucking Christ.”

His true allegiances don’t lie to this man anymore or the gun at his hip. Not the money or the mules. He left that splintered fantasy about twenty feet back.

He’d throw this man over if it meant going home right now.

The money too.

None of it is worth a goddamn thing to him if it means he’ll never see the way that the light bounces off the gold in Leah Morales’ eyes ever again.

The same honeyed flakes in the brown of his daughter’s bright gaze.

I think you put a baby in me, Francisco Morales.

He made love to her like it was the last time he would ever see her, the last chance he would ever get. He wanted to pour his entire being into that woman, ensure that he would live on if lost to the Colombian jungle off a narco's bullet.

Would that be so bad?

He was scared but, truly, would it be so bad?

But it would be because he could truly leave her with nothing. No money, no husband, no father to her babies.

He lost count of the days he hadn’t called.

He makes his way up the mountain, following Tom’s bitching, wishing it was Leah leading him home instead.

TAG LIST: @justanotherblonde23 | @greeneyedblondie44 | @icanbeyourjedi | @princess76179 | @bbuckysbeardd | @notcookiebelle | @knivesareout | @empress-palpat1ne​

[paperficwriter]

The Past Month

So I've been slow to talk about this here, and for a while I didn't know why but now I realize it's because this is the only platform where I've been told to kill myself lol the possibility of getting messages like that hits different now.

Anyway, it's been a hell of a month.

(cw medical trauma, hospitals, not graphic)

In August I was hospitalized for a pulmonary embolism (an extensive bilateral pulmonary embolism, more accurately). I had been feeling very short of breath for a couple of days and I thought it was allergies and then medication I started on when suddenly my blood pressure was really bad and even if I went up and down my stairs it was like walking around the block with how much I was breathing.

So I went to urgent care. They did some blood work. And proceeded to tell me that my stats were the kind they see in people with heart failure ("Not to freak you out!" Narrator's voice: it was too late). I got sent to the hospital in an ambulance, put in the ER, got a CT scan and...yeah, clots in my lungs.

I got admitted for several days. They did an echo of my heart, which was really good, and my lungs were good as well. It was honestly because my stats were so solid once I got put on blood thinners that I didn't end up in the ICU.

They've pretty much figured it was my birth control, although I'm going to a hematologist tomorrow to fork over a whole vampire banquet's worth of blood and they'll check for anything else.

It's hard to describe how traumatic the experience has been. I've never been kept in a hospital before. I haven't been to an emergency room since I was a kid. I've never had a CT scan, or been in an ambulance, or even had an IV. And because of covid, I didn't have anyone there (it was dangerous enough if I was exposed, which thank God I wasn't).

When people ask me how I am, I tend to say, "Physically, I'm really good." Because I am. Since I've been on blood thinners, I've genuinely been feeling so much better. Within a week I was back to living normally. When I had a call with my doctor, she said, "If I didn't know better, I would never guess you had a pulmonary embolism, you look great!"

And thank God, okay. Thank God it wasn't worse. Thank God I didn't have a heart attack, or a stroke, and that part of my lungs didn't die, and I didn't just fucking die suddenly. I replay all those possibilities on a near-daily basis, because there was a period of time I was terrified of getting a blood clot because of my birth control and then it happened, and I know it's "bad luck" (literally what they told me at the hospital at one point) but fuck.

An existential crisis becomes very different when you come out of a situation in which you actually could have stopped existing.

And it feels better in some ways - I've put a lot of things in perspective. I've made concentrated efforts to better myself. I've also recognized certain things that are absolutely meaningless. Internet drama that had been a thing I was invested in a week before was suddenly less than nothing. And that's not to say I don't care about the impact it has on others, I still believe those same things, but like, for me? I've written more in the past couple of weeks than I think I had throughout the year and it's literally just what I have wanted to write. I could not care less if people don't like it.

So in some ways it's good.

In other ways, though, I keep having to reframe life around trauma, I have to say, when I start disassociating or freaking out, that this is normal because I am one month out of dealing with a major crisis and I need to let myself adjust (not to say anything about the changes in hormones since I am no longer taking medication I was on for 18 years). I need to give myself a break. I can't just bounce back and it's not fair for me to expect that from myself.

Yeah. It's been A Lot. And if you've gotten this far reading this, I appreciate it, because I had to talk about it more and I had to talk about it somewhere I could just get out all these very, very complicated and frightening feelings. I might talk about it some more. I don't know yet.

[scripttorture]

In my sci fi world there is a small device that, when injected into someone’s blood, cancels out special abilities/superpowers. It’s used in prisons by the government the protagonists are rebelling against. I was thinking about making it also be used to cause physical pain in to punish prisoners who step out of line, possibly controlled by remote, but I’m not sure how that would work. What would a chip in someone’s bloodstream need to do to cause pain? Would that even be possible?

I can think of several ways it would be possible. My instinct was that it would have a high mortality rate but then I realised that I actually have no way of knowing because this is pretty far from modern torture.

 I can see the appeal in this sort of fictional idea. However that comes with the proviso that torture is generally very very low tech. We live in a world where you can literally 3D print an oesophagus and the most common form of torture globally is hitting people.

 There is a really strong tendency in fiction to show these incredibly complicated, high tech torture devices: often implying that torture is complicated, ‘skilled’ and can be ‘improved’ with technology. None of these things are true.

 Personally I feel like these tropes feed in to torture apologia. They’re not the worst form of it out there, but they’re false and they function in a way that supports what torturers say over what survivors say.

 I think that you can probably write this kind of remote control press-button-for-pain scenario without tripping in to that. But only if you’re aware it’s a possible problem in the first place.

 As for how it could work- My first thought as a chemist was ‘by releasing something into the blood’ but I don’t think that would work as you’ve described. I think it would require a much larger implant then you’re implying in order to release a sufficient quantity of anything.

 Which is possible, arm implants along these lines exist. They’re bulky enough to feel through the skin and they need to be replaced periodically to keep functioning. I’ve never had one and I’m not a medic so I don’t know any more then that.

 If you’re willing to research medical implants and adjust the idea a little… Well we often use capsaicin as a way to test an animal still has the capacity to feel pain*.

 The LD50 in mice (lethal dose for 50% of the tested population) is 47.2mg/kg. It is possible to be poisoned by capsaicin although I do not have much information on what that looks like in humans. There’d be risk of poisoning from repeated abuse by the guards in this story. There’d also be a risk of poisoning if the device itself malfunctioned or was damaged and say… burst.

 Something smaller (I think the word ‘chip’ implies something quite small) would work differently because it wouldn’t have the space to hold a significant amount of any chemical.

 I think that electric shocks are probably the most likely method with a smaller device. Which also comes with a significant risk of killing someone.

 I’ll be honest I have no idea what kind of difference it would make if the electricity was applied underneath someone’s skin. It isn’t something I’ve seen before. I suspect the heat generation might cause problems. It could damage tissues and cause blood clots which would increase the chance of lethal heart attacks or strokes.

 If the heat killed a lot of tissue around the device I think that could lead to… serious problems, possibly death. Having a lot of dead, rotting tissue in the body is pretty dangerous.

 Generally repeated electric shocks kill, sometimes from heart failure, sometimes from things like falling injuries.

 It’s also (unsurprisingly) incredibly painful. Alleg has a pretty good description of his experience of electrical torture in The Question. You can also find descriptions online as the use of Tasers and stun guns has become more common globally.

 I’m finding it difficult to judge this one because my instinct is that delivering an electric shock internally would cause additional damage. But I’m not sure what that would look like.

 Again I think this sort of device could easily malfunction and kill someone. Or malfunction and just stop ‘working’.

 There’s also a chance of the immune system attacking the implant. Which- I don’t know a lot about because I’m not a medic. I think it could be an important factor though.

 With both of these ideas it’s worth questioning whether this would be worth the effort. I’ve found a lot of authors don’t quite think this through so let me try and break it down.

 This is what has to happen before it can be used:

it needs to be designed

a prototype needs to be created

it needs to be tested

several iterations of redesign and new prototypes

parts need to be sourced

the whole thing needs to be assembled on a larger scale

it all needs to be paid for

the people who are supposed to be using it need to find it easy to use

 Tasers very nearly didn’t make it off the ground. It took decades of concerted work and funding from their manufactures to make them a ‘success’. Rejali does a pretty interesting run down of the way it happened if you want more information.

 The question you need to ask yourself is: would all of this have any advantage for the abusers compared to using pepper spray, Tasers or a stick?

 Because unless you’re really sure the answer is ‘yes’ then I think this sort of thing is really really unlikely. And when it comes to writing torture simpler is usually better.

 Like I said I can see how the base of this idea could add to your story. So I don’t want to dismiss it out of hand. But the existence of a device like this says a lot about the society you’re writing. Do the implications fit with the world you’re building?

 Torturers are… generally incredibly lazy and pretty dumb. Which makes the use of high tech devices less likely. Because the competition is a slap. For something to take off it needs to be as easy, quick and reliable as that. And probably also robust enough to be stamped on, vomited over etc.

 So: is there enough drive in this world to add torture to the functionality of this device? Is there the money to fund it? Is there the time to design and create it? And is it going to be reliable and tough enough to actually be used?

 If there was a rush to make something that blocked super powers adding more things (that might interfere with that main function) to the device probably wouldn’t have been a priority.

 Basically if you want this kind of device make it fit with the world you’ve built and think about whether it’s actually adding anything that a more typical torture wouldn’t.

 Aaaand I’m going to leave it there cos I think I’m talking in circles. I hope that helps :)

Available on Wordpress.

Disclaimer

*This is something that’s done with genetically modified fruit flies. It’s a way to test whether a genetic modification has had an unexpected effects on the insect’s nervous system.

[petri808]

We’ll Take Back Heaven a Nalu Yakuza Au

1 | 2

—

The moment Lucy left the room, Natsu simply turned and gave a silent look to his lieutenant Gray who nodded back in acknowledgment and left with one of the men. He sat back in his chair, fingers steepled below his chin in thought. Could it really be one of his own men? Some of the lower level guys didn’t always follow the rules, but it was rare for them to utterly disregard them! Oh! That really pissed him off, because they knew better then to test Natsu’s patience. There’s a damn good reason he was able to create such a lucrative gang in the heart of Tokyo when so many others would kill for it. By the age of 21, his father retired and left the position of Oyabun leader to Natsu. But, Natsu wasn’t satisfied with the old way of doing things. This was the 21st century and times must change.

It was well known that the Yakuza traversed a dangerous underworld full of illegalities. Drugs, prostitution, gambling, shake downs and extortion, theft, or in other words the seedier side of society. So that is where Natsu focused his attention. Some of the very first of the changes were to reign in unauthorized violence or any crimes that utilized it. Such a move sent a utter shockwave through the order and those that refused to let go of the old ways were swiftly eliminated to instill an image of power and fear that Natsu Dragneel was not to be messed with. His logic behind the move was simple. Do not do anything that brings attention to the gang and attacking someone on the street for a few yen is a quick way for the authorities to show up. So, in a way, Natsu was lucky it happened to be one of Lucy’s employees and not a random person, because they would have immediately called the police. Though it also brought up another question. Were there other crimes he just hadn’t heard of yet?

“Well, she’s still as feisty as ever, gihi.” Gajeel broke the silence of the room when he returned. “Could’ve cut the sexual tension with a sword.”

Natsu crossed his arms in feigned annoyance. If it were any other underling, they would have received a harsher response, but Gajeel was one of his oldest and trusted friends. “Pfft. I don’t know what you’re talking about. She’s a rival, that’s it. You know that.”

“Mmhmm.” Gajeel snickered. “So, now what?”

“Gray started working on finding who it was. I want you to call your contacts at police and see if they’ve had any reports of recent robberies in the area, and if there were, any details we can use to figure out who it might be.”

“Can do boss. Anything else?”

“You think it could one of our own?”

Gajeel looked up for a couple of minutes as if he were running their personnel through his mind. Finally, he rubbed his chin. “There’s a couple of newbies, a bit young and dumb that might be stupid enough to break the rules. I’ll call my contacts first before helping Gray press the men for info. Someone’s gotta know something.”

“Good. You do that and let me know as soon as you get a lead. I want this dealt with as quickly as possible.”

“Gotcha.”

Between Natsu’s two lieutenants and their best men, they interviewed all of the most likely suspects. Gajeel’s police informant let him know that there were a couple other robberies that sounded similar a few blocks away from where Lucy’s employee and client had been accosted. He also learned those two victims gave a similar description of the robber. With the new information, along with other snitches, they narrowed it down within a few days to a low-level street guy in the organization. But unlike Gajeel’s initial hunch, it wasn’t one of the newbies. Instead, the male had been with them for a couple of years now and never caused any problems. In fact, the guy fashioned himself as a smooth talking ladies’ man who supposedly disliked violence. So, it was a bit surprising it was one of the ones they’d least expected.

Gajeel and his men found the man named Bora Prominence laying low at his girlfriend’s apartment after he’d heard the gang was looking for him. Not the smartest move. The woman gave him up without a fight, fearing the Yakuza more than her boyfriend. So, once she’d let them inside, they quickly found Bora hiding in the bathroom and dragged him out.

“It wasn’t me!” Bora screamed as the men beat him to the floor. “You got no proof I did shit!”

Gajeel planted his foot into the small of the man’s back and held him down. “Two of the witnesses saw the tattoo on your face. That’s enough evidence for us.” He growled. “You knew the code and what would happen if you broke it, so stop being a bitch.”

But Bora continued to resist the four men, pushing off the floor with his arms unsuccessfully against Gajeel’s massive weight or fending off kicks from the others. They pummeled him with fists and kicks over and over until one clear blow finally knocked him unconscious long enough to be tied up. Despite a heavy beating bad enough to leave him bruised and bloodied, he continued to scream about his innocence. Back at headquarters, they dragged him into Natsu’s office with hands bound behind his back and forced him onto his knees.

The room held Natsu sitting at his desk, along with both lieutenants, four of their men keeping Bora restrained, and lastly Lucy with the victim to Natsu’s right side. He had contacted her as soon as he knew the suspect was being brought in. And thought they were pretty certain of guilt, the woman’s immediate reaction when they’d brought Bora in of cringing back and moving closer to her boss spoke volumes.

“Is that him?” Natsu questioned to gain a verbal confirmation.

“Y-Yeah,” the woman squeaked out. “He’s the one who pushed me down and robbed us.”

Natsu’s eyes stayed narrowed and glaring at Bora as he addressed the women. “Thank you, that’ll be all. Heartfilia you both can leave now I’ll handle things from here.”

“You’re a doll,” Lucy giggled and gave Natsu a quick teasing peck on the cheek before ushering her employee away. They’d done what they needed to do, now it was his job to finish it.

“Tch, so that’s what this is all about.” Bora sneered, spitting out a clot of blood. “Cause that bitch got you all worked up over a measly few bucks?”

“Watch it!” Natsu roared. “It ain’t a good idea to piss me off anymore then I already am!” There was a fire burning behind Natsu’s stare because when he looked at this man Bora, he doesn’t see the crimes themselves, but the disobedient threat he posed to their organization. How dare this selfish ignorant punk threaten everything they’ve worked hard to build! And to accuse him of weakness in doing Lucy’s bidding just sealed the man’s fate.

Bora snapped back defiantly, though the crack in his tone gave away the fear brewing beneath. “What does it matter, I know what awaits me.”

“You’re right.” Natsu relaxed back into his chair once he sensed the man’s inevitable compliance. “You knew the consequences for crossing me. What does it matter if my rival is also benefiting in this way? Because I know there are other victims. Dumbass, how do you think we linked you to all this? Those other victims reported it to the police! Which is exactly why I have the rules I have in place! You put all of us in jeopardy by pulling this kind of stupid low level bullshit!”

“Pfft, you act like we’re saints. If the cops really wanted to, they’d look into the other illegal shit we do regardless.”

“No, it’s you who fails to recognize there is a hierarchy to the kinds of crimes that bring heat on us. Drugs? Prostitution? The cops don’t care as much, but assault? Robbing people, murders, now those are things they will pay attention to, and I will not tolerate it!” Natsu sat forward with a malevolent grin. “Welcome to the modern Yakuza.”

Drugs and prostitution were a part of the gangs dealings, but the bigger scheme was in shaking down the local business owners for protection money. Thing is, Natsu’s gang actually did the protection part causing crimes in that area for customers or businesses to drop down to nearly zero. So, while the business owners weren’t thrilled to cut a portion of their profits, they also appreciated not having to worry about security. That and because of the gangs connections, they had pipelines of cheaper priced products which helped to keep their costs down. This more symbiotic relationship is why they didn’t go to the authorities and why the gang could hold such a control over the area. Making sure the areas streets were protected from violent crime is a testament to the gangs power and would insure that these businesses stayed compliant.

“Tch.” Bora retorted. “You’re just young and dumb. Eventually you’ll realize there’s a reason why things were done a certain way in the old days.”

“Maybe, maybe not, but your days of worrying about it are over.” Natsu motioned to Gajeel. “I’m done. Get him out of my face.”

Gajeel then motioned to his men to haul Bora to his feet and drag him away to an unknown destination never to be seen from again. Cliche as it may sound, even in killing off a problem like Bora, Natsu’s gang didn’t follow tradition. Bora would be held as a prisoner until his wounds healed then his death made to look like just another suicide statistic. In the seven years that Natsu has reigned, not one murder had been laid at their doorstep and he intended to keep it that way.

Now that the Bora business was over, Natsu closed his eyes and fully relaxed into his chair with a sigh. He didn’t exactly enjoy playing the tough guy bit and only did it out of necessity. This was a life his father groomed him for since birth, but he’d love nothing more than to just settle down with a wife and start a family of his own. Not that he couldn’t already do so, but that required finding the right woman to settle down with and no one other than his old flame has ever evoked I’m him more than a passing glance.

He didn’t know how long he’d been relaxing when there was a knock on his office door. “Yeah? Come in.”

“Sorry to disturb you,” the man spoke as he quietly entered the room. Invel Yura was Natsu’s Saiko-kamon, the top advisor and managed the administrative side of the organization. “I wanted to go over your schedule for tomorrow in case I need to make any changes.”

“It’s fine.” Natsu gestured to the chair fronting the desk. Invel had been the advisor to his father for the last few years of his tenure and he fully trusted the man’s diligence.

Invel sat down and opened up a calendar. “Tomorrow morning, we have a new shipment of prescription drugs coming in as well as some ecstasy, so you’ll need to appoint someone to oversee inventory processing.”

“Hmm, who should I have work on this?” Natsu asked for Invel’s opinion.

“Might I suggest Rajeel Ramal? He’s gruff but meticulous and has done a good job so far.”

“Is that so? Then that’s fine, let him continue. What’s next?”

“Okay,” Invel scribbled the orders in his book. “Next, the only other thing you have is a party to attend with one of our high end clients.”

“Which one?”

“The son of Yuuji Katsunuma of Katsunuma industries.”

“Ah yes, the one we supply with cocaine. Such a spoiled brat, but he spends a lot with us.”

Invel chuckled. “That’s the one. It starts at 8pm.”

“Okay. Thank you, Invel. Is that all for now?”

“Yes. If anything, else comes up I will let you know.”

“I’m sure you will. Oh. Have an appropriate suit pressed and ready for me for the occasion.”

“Very well, sir. Is there anything else you need from me?”

“No. You may go.”

Invel nodded and returned to his own office. He made a few typical phone calls such as to Natsu’s house staff regarding an evening outfit and the transporters bringing the morning inventory to make sure everything was on schedule. Aside from the Bora issue, the going’s-on of business continued as normal. The final call he placed before he’d leave for lunch was to Rajeel of a simple a five word instruction. Nothing more needed to be said, knowing that his associate would understand. Invel sat back in his chair with a smile. “It’s almost too easy…”

[quazartranslates]

Welcome to the Nightmare Game II - CH23

**This is an edited machine translation. For more information, please [click here]**

[<<< Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter >>>]

-----

Chapter 23: Star Death Reality Show (VI) {cw: discussion of menstruation}

Mark and He Yi were still here!　　

Lara's conclusion greatly surprised everyone, but what she said was justified. Everyone knew that she wasn’t talking nonsense. Even now they could go outside to check and compare the footprints one by one. But there were always people who didn't want to see Lara show off.

"You said they’re still in the house, but where are they?" Janet shot out. "This house is only so big. If they were still here, they should have heard our voices, but there’s no sign of them. Where are they?"

Lara chewed on her lip and whispered, "I don't know."

Janet smiled contemptuously with a look that seemed to say, "That’s all you are".

"Qi Leren, did you find anything before you left?" Xue Jiahui asked suspiciously.

As the last one to see these two people, Qi Leren was unfortunately surrounded by all the contestants. He shook his head solemnly: "Everything was normal at the time."

"Ah, it would be great if we could ask the audience watching from outside. Compared with us, they should already know the situation clearly." Xue Jiahui, a skeptic, smiled bitterly and showed concern. "Well, let's search Annie's house. This place isn’t big, we should find them quickly with so many people."

Annie, who had been silent, suddenly looked up: "Miss Xue, if you want to search my room, please come up with a search warrant. Or do you want to wantonly violate the legal rights of a citizen?"

Janet, like a shark smelling blood, quickly changed her target: "Why? Do you have something to hide here?"

Dr. Lu tugged at Qi Leren's sleeve, curled his lips at him, and mouthed, Look, a catfight!

At this scene, the four women fought for ten minutes around the topic of whether or not to search the room. Janet always stood on the front line of tearing at and quarreled with Annie, one attacking the other's religious beliefs, and the other arguing with her for civil rights; Lara insisted on searching the house to look for the people, and her position was consistent with Janet's, but Janet choked her back rather than helping her, which made her very helpless; Xue Jiahui was anxious to find the people, though she was willing to make peace. She said a few words but couldn't stand the argument when it rose to personal attacks. She closed his mouth silently and showed an anxious expression.

The men present were helpless, obviously not wanting to get involved. It always looked like a loss when you quarreled with women in front of hundreds of millions of spectators. It was expected that if you didn't win the fight, it meant "you can’t even beat a woman". It didn't taste right, so it was better not to go into this muddy water.

Qi Leren didn't try so hard. His ears had been trained by Chen Baiqi for so long. He was now more patient than before, and has learned to observe more and be less impulsive. At the end of the day, he discovered some secret relationships between the NPCs: aside from the obvious tit-for-tat between Lara and Janet, there was Xue Jiahui's vague love for He Yi, Janet's warming to Alex's attitude, the ambiguity between Lara and Francis, and even Mark's unexpected obedience to Annie. Many details weren’t easy to find if one wasn’t looking, but they were revealed by the NPCs’ words, facial expressions, and even body language.

Finally, Du Yue, the young man with a sense of justice, lost his cool: "Stop arguing! What’s important right now is to find them. What can we do without finding them? Qianbei, let's do it!"

With this said, Annie ignored everyone and went straight to search the house.

Qi Leren sighed. Young people nowadays... were really impulsive, but this wasn’t a good idea either.

Annie paused, just wanting to loudly reprimand them, only to suddenly be choked by the dust thrown up as Du Yue lifted a rug. She immediately covered her nose and mouth, coughed, and ran out of the room awkwardly. Janet couldn't stand it either and fled the dusty room again.

Dr. Lu laughed crookedly and gave Du Yue a thumbs up: "Nice work."

Realizing his mistake, Du Yue touched the back of his head, smiled stupidly, and continued to search.

"Are you looking for a basement?" Francis asked.

"Ah... Well, since they’re one in Jing Siyu’s house, maybe there’s one in Annie's house too?" Du Yue said.

"It makes sense. Let's pull up the rugs and look for one," Francis agreed.

"Would they have gone into a basement?" Alex shrugged. "Don't waste your time. Maybe Lara made a mistake."

After that, he went out of the room to see Janet, who was dusting her body and complaining loudly that she didn't have any clothes to change into. Unless she found some clothes hidden in the village, she would have to endure the mess. Alex talked with her about finding supplies later.

Francis and Qi Leren turned the house upside down, and Lara and Xue Jiahui joined in. After an hour passed, every corner of the house was turned over, including the walls, on the ground, and even under the bed. There were no signs of He Yi and Mark, and there was no indication of a basement or hidden room. They had disappeared from the house into thin air.

While turning over the bed, Qi Leren noticed some fresh blood on the pillow where Mark had been lying, and he estimated that it was from a scrape on Mark's injured forehead.

The only thing that made him feel strange was what Dr. Lu found. He found a bandage and bloody cloth in the trash can. The blood on it had dried up and hardened, but it could be seen that there was also relatively fresh blood on it. When he pointed this out, Annie showed a strange smile: "This is something for temporary emergency use."

"Are you injured?" Qi Leren stared at her and watched her expression.

There was a hint of ridicule on Annie's face, and there was a hint of mischief—like a secret pleasure: "No."

"Then where did this blood come from?" Francis asked.

"From me." Annie's mouth curved higher and she watched them with interest, looking malicious. "The endometrial wall sheds and is excreted through the vaginal canal. Usually we call this menstruation."

Dr. Lu shook his hand and bandages and cloth fell to the ground, the word “stunned” clearly written across his face.

Annie's smile became more and more cheerful: "Please don't litter everywhere, pick it up and throw it into the trash can, thank you."

　　……

　　……

　　……

The search ended in failure, and the group of people who found nothing left Annie's house to discuss what to do next. While they were talkative, this discussion was really useless. Annie refused to participate in the next activity on the grounds of period cramps and went back to her room to rest.

Because of Mark and He Yi's disappearance, this group didn’t act separately, but searched the village together in a circle. Dr. Lu also muttered to Qi Leren. He felt that Annie had a problem, and Qi Leren asked him why.

Dr. Lu's expression was strange. After a long time, he said, "...Because I suddenly remembered that period blood shouldn’t coagulate."

“…………”

"Because there are many active enzymes in period blood, it prevents coagulation, so looking back, that should not be from menstruation."

Qi Leren felt that he had gained new knowledge, and the same was true of Du Yue's expression.

However, this was only Dr. Lu's guess. He himself said that he was talking about healthy menstruation. If the endometrial wall sheds off, there would be blood clots and so on. Qi Leren felt that he didn't want to know so much, but he couldn't control Dr. Lu's chattering mouth.

He hoped the audience wouldn’t misunderstand Dr. Lu because of his "knowledge".

After this was said, the few people continued to look for supplies and really found some that were hidden.

Dr. Lu, the EX luck guy, also found two small bags, one of which was given to the Qi Leren, who put a bottle of water and some compressed food in it just in case. Although the item bar meant that he didn’t lack materials at all, it was difficult for him to explain the origin of these things to the ubiquitous cameras. Du Yue, who wasn’t given one of these bags, honestly carried the heaviest backpack, which contained the three’s personal belongings. He worked hard and was stupid, Dr. Lu whispered in Qi Leren’s ears, and he felt that Du Yue was born with a lack of brain cells.

In the afternoon, several people went to visit Jing Siyu again. She was still unconscious, but her breathing was gentle, her heart was beating was normal, and there was no bump on her head. Generally speaking, there shouldn’t be any serious problem, but to be on the safe side she was left in Jing Sixue's house—although it violated the game’s rules of one person:one house, she didn’t care much under the circumstances.

Looking for someone like this was fruitless. The snow on the ground was trampled dirty, and it was slippery and easy to fall. The group of people simply cleaned up, took snow shovels that were unknowably old to clean up the snow in front of their houses, and made several paths leading to the central church that were convenient for walking.

At 8 o'clock in the evening, Qi Leren turned off the floating micro-camera that followed him and walked to Dr. Lu's house. Du Yue had come earlier than him and affectionately called out "qianbei" as soon as he saw him.

"Are the cameras off?" Qi Leren confirmed again.

"Off, but those fixed cameras outside can't be turned off. They’ll be able to tell that you came to me," Dr. Lu said.

"It doesn't matter, as long as our conversation isn’t recorded. After all, what we say will expose the difference between us and the NPCs," Qi Leren said. "What do you think happened today? Where did He Yi and Mark go? "

"I don't know, I also find it very strange," Du Yue said.

"They turned into butterflies and flew away," Dr. Lu said with a lack of seriousness, giving a small laugh.

"Seriously." Qi Leren stared at Dr. Lu and said, "Let's start from the beginning. By now the story has progressed to the point where the monster in Pandora's Box has escaped. I don't know where it’s hidden, what kind of form it has, and what’s special about it. Speaking of this, let's go to the church later. We’ve been working with the others today, so I haven't found a chance to check the stone in the church."

"It doesn't matter if you don't check it. The task prompt said that it had cracked, indicating that it hatched before we could move freely." Dr. Lu was well aware of the nature of this game, and that it wouldn’t give players the chance to stop the plot from starting.

"Say, with your years of experience in playing games, what kind of monster do you think it is?" Qi Leren asked.

Dr. Lu snorted and proudly said: "There are three possibilities. The first one is that the monster is a type of psychological agent, which will make people become mad, hallucinate, and finally make us kill each other. It’s quite common in Japanese games. The second possibility is that the monsters are physical attack types, and they will eat people. The more they eat, the more they need to eat, and then they’ll eat us up one by one. The third possibility is that this monster is parasitic, similar to the monsters in the Alien series. This routine is that it will constantly look for a host, and we still have to die."

Du Yue's handsome face wrinkled as if he had eaten something bitter and he looked hopefully at Qi Leren: "Qianbei, I don't want to die..."

Qi Leren's heart said: ...It's no use looking at me, I'm only a little better than you.

However, he had to keep a mentor-like expression on his face: "Don't worry, this task only has a C-level difficulty, it won't be too hard."

-----

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[redhairedwolfwitch]

Stages of Grief - Hailey Upton x Fem!Reader

Request: could i please request a hailey upton imagine where reader unexpectedly lost their dad, and are trying to work as much as they can to avoid dealing with the pain of it? and they’re getting angry easier and more irritable, and Hailey can see this and comforts and convinces her to go home, and then Hailey stays with her? i hope that makes sense, thanks :)

regarding the hailey upton request, yeah a heart attack/sudden medical emergency is ok. yeah no family left and near christmas so she feels more alone. hope that’s okay :)

Warning: death in the family, funerals, sadness, angsty, winter festivities etc

A/n: If you find the Teen Wolf quote, you earn a silver star as I prefer silver to gold ahaha

Time: Mid-December

The five stages of grief.

You knew them really well now but you hated them all the same.

Stage 1: Denial

You weren’t expecting that phone call, but it hit you like a truck.

Your father had died. 

Your phone clattered to the floor as the panic set in, whispering no over and over until you were on the floor, shaking.

You didn’t sleep much that night, your alarm went off at 6am, meaning you needed to get to work.

///

As soon as Voight had given the case briefing, you’d thrown yourself into it, barely thinking about anything that wasn’t the case because then you’d have to acknowledge it.

You were alone now.

Your father was the only one you had left.

So, throwing yourself into work seemed like the best thing, especially since you’d have to organise a funeral and everything as soon as you were away from work.

Kim frowned as she noticed how tired you looked, about to ask you how you were doing when you let out a growl at the computer, causing her to immediately back away into Hailey.

“You okay?” Hailey asked, Kim turning towards her to gesture to where you were whacking your keyboard with your fingers after each typo.

Stage 2: anger

Your father had had a heart attack.

The clot cut off blood circulation. No blood meant no oxygen, meaning the cell death in the affected heart area. No blood flow from a blocked artery also means no oxygen to the brain, meaning brain cell death. 

He was at home when it happened

In fact, when you got that phonecall, you had had lunch with him that day.

You didn’t know that was going to be the last time the two of you spoke.

///

You were tapping away at your keyboard, looking through police records for hours. You didn’t even realise nearly everyone had gone home, minus Voight, Jay and Hailey.

Jay was heading out with Hailey when they spotted you.

“Goodnight, Jay.” Hailey whispered, leaving Jay to just nod before heading out.

“Hey, Y/n. It’s getting late. You nearly done?” Hailey asked, frowning as you glared at her before glaring at the computer screen.

“Y/n?”

“Don’t. Don’t touch me.”

“Y/n? What’s going on? Why are you looking at funeral services?” Hailey asked before her face fell as you just shrank into yourself.

“Y/n?” Hailey whispered, her hand going to your shoulder as she spotted the tears blossoming in your eyes.

Stage 3: Bargaining

“I just wish I could have done something, if I was there. But I wasn’t, I wasn’t there and now my only family is gone, my dad is dead. I’d do anything to get him back, Hailey.” You whimpered, face in your hands before Hailey pulled you into a hug.

The two of you had no idea Voight had heard what you had said, striking a chord with him as he picked up his phone.

///

Stage 4: Depression

Hailey drove you back to your apartment, you’d taken the bus in as there was no way you could drive, especially in your emotional state.

You’d bawled your eyes out at the district, barely able to stop as the tiredness hit from your insomniac state last night.

You woke up on the couch, Hailey in the armchair next to you, looking at her phone.

“Hey...” Hailey whispered as she noticed your shifting on the couch before you pushed yourself up, heading towards the fridge.

“I’m going to order pizza. You still like your usual, right?” Hailey asked, tapping on her phone as you stared at her over your glass of water.

“What? Why, why are you still here?” You stuttered, a face full of confusion, covered in dried tears.

“Because there’s no way I’m leaving you alone right now, Y/n. You just lost your dad, you said it yourself, your only family.” Hailey retorted, folding her arms, the pizza ordered to your address.

A sigh escaped your lips as you stared at your phone, staring at the last text messages as tears began to blossom in your eyes again.

///

Hailey didn’t leave you alone.

If she did, she had Kim or Vanessa stay with you or you stayed with her and Vanessa.

The funeral wasn’t something you were looking forward to.

The lack of other family there had you shuddering.

Maybe a distant cousin who you’d never even met, but their parents knew your dad, so maybe, they would be there.

Hailey said she’d come but you didn’t expect much family at all and she knew that.

Hailey didn’t expect you to be wearing a suit but there you were, a two piece suit with a tie.

“You ready?” Hailey asked but you just stared at her before humming under your breath.

“How can I be ready for something that you can never be ready for?” 

Hailey didn’t have the chance to respond to that as you had already headed inside.

///

You were near the front, Hailey lingering with you as you tried to block out everyone else around you, waiting for the reading of the eulogy you wrote.

You didn’t hear the door go or look behind you to see who was walking in until Hailey nudged you.

Intelligence had walked in, slipping into the church pews with a nod to you.

You managed a small smile before turning to face the front, waiting again as Hailey took your hand in hers.

///

The holidays weren’t the same.

Any celebration isn’t the same when you’ve lost someone.

Empty chairs.

Nothing but the memories left behind.

You hadn’t put decorations up this year.

It was hard to think of anything but how much you missed him.

You weren’t expecting to have work off, especially with Intelligence’s work ethic but you were lying on your couch under a blanket, clicking through tv channels in the dark, nothing but the glow of the tv illuminating the room.

You didn’t order a pizza.

That was the first thing that went through your head that December 23rd evening.

It wasn’t your dad unless you were having a Christmas Carol hallucinating ghostly nightmare.

You were at the door with your baseball bat since you couldn’t see your gun in the dark. Standing at the door as you checked the peephole, you ended up tugging the door open to reveal your festive jumper clad friends.

“Uhh-”

“Why do you have a baseball bat? Do you even know how to play baseball?” Vanessa exclaimed, making you smile at her before putting the baseball back near your fridge.

“Okay, so, you, are coming with us.” Kim stated, poking you gently as she emphasised ‘you’ as Hailey just glanced into the darkness of your apartment.

“What’s going on?” You asked, wincing as Hailey flicked the lights on.

“You’re spending the holidays with me and Vanessa at ours.” Hailey replied, heading towards the cupboard where you kept your travel bags.

“Am I now?”

Hailey’s warning look had you just nodding before you let out a squeak as Hailey began to pack your clothes.

Hailey raised an eyebrow but you just slipped past her, blocking her view as you shuffled through your drawers.

“Since when did you have anything to hide?”

“Since it’s the holidays.” You deadpanned, leaving Hailey to chuckle as you climbed under your bed.

“Just, don’t get stuck okay?” Hailey stated, leaving you to chuckle slightly as you spotted what you were after.

Hailey’s present.

/// Stage 5: Acceptance?

You knew the holidays were going to be hard but it was a night the insomnia decided to strike, leaving you sat on the couch at Hailey’s and Vanessa’s place, staring off at a muted tv that was showing some form of the news.

All you could hear was white noise as the blanket you had cocooned yourself in came loose, your hand going up to your face to rub your eyes.

“Can’t sleep?” Hailey’s voice had you glancing behind the couch at the pyjama clad detective with reindeer slippers.

You just shook your head, about to turn the tv off but Hailey had already slipped around the couch to sit next to you, opening her arms expectantly.

“Uhh-”

“Now or never, sweetheart.” Hailey stated, making you cringe slightly before giving up and accepting the hug.

///

“That’s so adorable- Vanessa what are you doing?” Kim whispered, laughing slightly as she snapped photos.

“Being a helpful elf.” Vanessa stated, smirking as she noticed you stirring from where you’d fallen asleep in Hailey’s arms.

“What the-” you murmured as Hailey woke up, looking up at the mistletoe Vanessa was holding above the two of you. 

“Seriously?” 

“It’s tradition!” Vanessa objected, leaving Kim to agree.

Hailey just groaned, looking at you but you had shut your eyes to go back to sleep.

“Y/n, we get it, having Hailey as the big spoon is nice, but we need you awake right now.” Kim chuckled, making you crack one eye open.

“I don’t remember falling asleep.” You admitted to Hailey who just pressed her lips to your forehead.

“I remember cringing at you last night though.” You retorted, elbowing Hailey before you rolled out of her arms, off the couch and onto the floor.

“Wait, cringe? Why?” Kim asked, making you shudder as Hailey just laughed.

“Don’t ask.” You retorted, disappearing to the bathroom.